Games dragging on / Coward aliens...

[rlilewis]

I'm sure this has probably been raised before but I want to raise it again, cos I just had to abort what seems to have been a 2-3 hour terror/harvester mission on the mansion level (with the crashed helicopter) as there was a single alien left *SOMEWHERE* on this gargantuan map and I just could not find him.

It gets to a point where the whole tactics thing goes right out the window and I resort to simply sending guys out on their own in all different direction just trying to find this idiot alien.

Please can something be implemented to make this less annoying; some ideas I was thinking of:

A) Maximum turn limit - if the aliens don't kill all  your soldiers in X number of turns then they fail by default
B) Much more agressive aliens - stop freaking hiding!!
C) Autoresolve battle - I think if you abort the mission it already autoresolves to a degree but its silly. I aborted the mission with all 8 soldiers at 100% health and there was 1 taman left and after aborting the mission I lost 5 soldiers. I don't want to abort as such but just autoresolve the battle with a realistic outcome - ie no casualties and a nice dead alien!

[geever]

A) Maximum turn limit - if the aliens don't kill all  your soldiers in X number of turns then they fail by default

Phew, why not: if you don't finish the battle in X turns you lose? Aliens will not kill themselves just for you (and their breathing app can make them live much longer).

B) Much more agressive aliens - stop freaking hiding!!

Go for it! You know, coding AI is like 1 + 1. Patches are highly welcomed in this area.

C) Autoresolve battle - I think if you abort the mission it already autoresolves to a degree but its silly. I aborted the mission with all 8 soldiers at 100% health and there was 1 taman left and after aborting the mission I lost 5 soldiers. I don't want to abort as such but just autoresolve the battle with a realistic outcome - ie no casualties and a nice dead alien!

We won't implement partial autoresolve. You could have moved your soldiers back to the rescue zone (or evacuation zone) before aborting to save them...

-geever

[Kardell]

Much more agressive aliens running onto you is bad. It was like that in previous 2.3 version and it quickly became boring. No exploration, but just shooting range. It's better when they do what they came for - first cutting and frying civilians on plasma fire.
AI programming ain't so easy, so better when UFO stay hidden and shoot when approached.

[Kardell]

I just came up with the idea to equip poor in AI aliens in a weapon of damn destruction. Their plasma fire is not so effective, however new fire sounds and glowing effects are excellent.
From Underwater I remember torpedo lunchers! This is a disaster for enemies.
Instead of throwing plasma grenades one shot and 10x10 square is burnt.
Let say one of the aliens per mission have a heavy gun like this that only UFOs can use - very advanced stuff even for UFOs. We can finally reasearch it, but at the end of the game. Like adv. weapon from Discrict 9.
I am not saying they should shoot it in every direction burning everything around, but create accurate conditions for the invasion, so everytime your comando-man wants to look behind the corner he's doing sign of the cross. I think there is still too much confidence when squad is exploring the map. Just my 5 cents

[Nutter]

Honestly, the whole invasion doesn't really feel like an invasion but by the time it actually does, it gets kind of tedious but not being able to research these super advanced guns untill very late in the game despite showing up from the start might get annoying rather fast just as well.

What about a "Hold the UFO," objective? Or at least, "Hold X for Y turns if you don't feel like playing hide and seek."
Side effects may include runaway aliens fucking with you civilian population.

[Kardell]

More annoyances than controling the game from the beginning is better I think.
In Underwater plasma rifle is one of the best weapon and it is not researched immediately.
I like the situations where ammo is depleting and soldiers have to throw what have left or scavenge (so you feel your equipment, every metal jacket), so the idea of spawning aliens is good.
However I would recommend to just double their number in every mission. 3-6, 5-10 etc.
Till now my the most exciting mission was when my dropship was shot down and I arranged two unexperienced girls for extraction mission.
There was about 6 aliens and they were coming from every direction, have approached them very closely and were able to use their blades.

[geisthund]

I had the same issue last night on the new map (with the underground spiral tunnels around a central core) -- 3 of the aliens just stood in one of the shafts and cowered while their compatriots were getting slaughtered. It took forever to find them.

Does anyone remember the motion sensors in X com 1 and 2 -- that gave you an arrow to walk towards, and a dot that grew bigger as you got closer (ie directly overhead) as a clue where the aliens were - for precisely this situation?