Keeping the Nations Happy in 2.4

[kurja]

First one in europe / asia where it can cover area of multiple nations, second one in middle america so it can reach both north and south americas. When funds allow I build a third one in australasia. America base gets labs and australasia base gets workshops, in addition to two interceptors and a tactical team for each (for this I usually need a fourth base in australasia because workshops take up so much space).

[Duque Atreides]

I classified my bases in: Headquartes (HQ), Airbase (AB), Manufacture base (MB) and Radar base (RB)

First one; Europe. I build it on Slovakia (HQ). I have my laboratories here.

Second one; Korea. This is an AB, for cover North America, Oceania, Asia, Russia and support Europe air wing (well, "wing" )

Third one. Poland. My MB. I build it very near the HQ, so, i can build a sam defensive pattern, using three SAM and the HQ SAM. I can defend my HQ, MB and the Ufo Yard with only three SAMs sites and my HQ defenses.



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Fourth, Venezuela. Another AB. Cover entire american continent, Pacific and Atlantic. It can support the far west Europe.

Fifth. Australia. A radar base.

Six. Canada (west coast). Radar base.

Seven. Angola. Radar base.

Eight. India AB. I build it at the southest point of India. This is a support base to engage ufos flying Oceania, Africa and cover the Firebird flight from HQ to any point of Asia and Oceania. I have an empty large hangar here for the Firebird if i need run for cover.

In Antartica, i have an array of SAMs and one Radar. I catch  up many ufos here!

[Battlescared]

You have mail.

[Duque Atreides]

Mail?

[kamor]

Hmm. I only completed a single campaign on VH level - after a single abortive attempt - so your mileage might vary.

This said, I built a single UY in the game - the remaining installation were Radar Towers.
This way I was able to monitor large portions of land for upcoming ground missions.

As for intercepting UFOs larger than Scouts, you'll need to outfit Stilettos with particle beam weaponry and laser cannon to shoot them down without any risk.
But you don't really need to do that until later in the game. Do every single mission, win every single mission and the funding nations will be happy with you.

Of course it can get tedious - and when it gets to the infamous "mansion near the coast" it surely does! - but it's your best bet to keep them from abandoning the project.

[homunculus]

(continued here from another thread where it was way off-topic)

currently the "air combat skill" is to use the 'one solid arrow, like the standard play button' speed on geoscape while attacking a fighter ufo with two interceptors.
because the 'tick' on geoscape works in strange ways (there has been some trouble with it before with production, afaik).
it looks like at higher speeds the interceptors do not shoot as often as they should.
and start to use energy weapons on interceptors as soon as possible (ammunition costs quite a lot).
and i get the impression that by selling parts of a dismantled ufo i get more cash than by selling it right after the mission.

and, if you have not checked who your greatest sponsor is, perhaps you should do so, and build radar coverage there (hint: china).

[noctilucus]

...
and i get the impression that by selling parts of a dismantled ufo i get more cash than by selling it right after the mission.

Interesting observation, I've been wondering for a while what was the best way - other than that I try to disassemble as many UFOs as possible to get my hands on alien materials.
It would not be illogical that selling parts would be more profitable: one could maximize the profits on each individual part, there's no "bulk discount", etc. A bit like old books were cut up and sold as separate pages to maximize the profit

[Rodmar]

When an UFO is damaged (and crashes), its material value is accordingly lower, and all its fuel is lost.
The first subsystem that is damaged on a crashed UFO seems to be one of its engines.
It is advisable to store at least once a vessel from each class, in good shape, to know what and how many subsytems it holds, because you don't know when prompted to sell it (only its hull integrity in percents).

Here are some data (v2.4) if you want :
Maximum benefit is achieved with non damaged UFOs, and is to be added to the maximum derelict's selling price to nations to get the total income. I didn't include the materials' and fuel's selling, because you need them and they are of no value to non-PHALANX..
It is advisable to store at least once a vessel from each class, in good shape, to know what and how many subsytems it holds. You don't have this information when prompted to sell it.


Scout :
Derelict's selling price : 7 - 9 Kc
Dismantling cost : 4 Kc
Sold subsystems : 16 Kc
Max. benefit : 3 Kc

I didn't test much on scouts, because they are of low value. But as as soon as they have lost one subsystem (health < 68% ?), they are better sold to scrapers.

Fighter :
Derelict's selling price : 10 - 12 Kc
Dismantling cost : 4-5 Kc
Sold subsystems : 27 Kc
Max. benefit : 10 Kc

The main purpose of dismantling a fighter is to retrieve its weapon. The sooner the better, and it takes 1800 man.hours less than with the harvester. If you don't sell the weapon, then the benefit shrinks to nearly null. Early, you may dismantle fighters moderately to lightly damaged (when hull integrity is 56% - 75%), but know that a 50% damaged craft has only one engine to sell. As soon as you have harvesters to dismantle, always sell fighters, because for the same number of weapons, it takes two fighters, and time-wise, money-wise, fuel-wise, material wise, it doesn't match the one harvester. Moreover, you rarely get undamaged fighters... (early base and terror missions, I think).


Harvester :
Derelict's selling price : 16-20 Kc
Dismantling cost : 9 Kc
Sold subsystems : 61 Kc
Max. benefit : 32 Kc

Although I like Crashed Harvester missions, I refrain to take them down. Because they are my only energy source so far (and I don't know how much the advanced craft use per flight). And because they bear two weapons. As it takes time to dismantle (more than 4 days with 50 workers), and you have so many non damaged harvesters to retrieve, I didn't take time to try and dismantle damaged ones.

[noctilucus]

Thanks for sharing, very insightful! 

[krilain]

I didnt read yet all the four pages of this interesting thread, so I dont know if what I would like to add was already discussed or not at all. But I dont think, it's only a little tip I use, that appears to me (at least) useful for maximize the number of nations satisfied by my actions.

The tip consists on placing first bases at frontiers between nations and not at center. Doing that you will probably detect UFOs other various nations and save their own civilians with no particular effort. So you maximize your missile depots, your radars, and your intercepting fighters, in order to satisfy the maximum different nation people.

My first base is always spoted at hymalaya, and then laters depending on happiness of nations, for instance frontier between Europe and USSR both if they are both in need.

Doing that and saving always the more civilians I can (even by sacrifying soldiers) in battlescape showed me great results for happiness. I must add that I play in hard mode and must absolutly look at happiness of nations before anything else (if not game ends suddenly).