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PHALANX base design

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Erk:
First, since this is my first post here, I'll get the praise out: This is a great game, and I am playing the dickens out of it in all my copious free time as a full time student and new dad. I'm really enjoying the 2.5 changes, which have added some genuine challenge without being too hard to enjoy (those lizard dudes can be downright scary), and all in all I love the reimagining of the original xcom. Sad that terrain can't be more destructible, but them's the breaks I guess (bahaha).

Anyway. I have had a long string of base attacks lately, and I just have to ask: What is the deal with PHALANX base design? They go to all this effort to put the whole base underground, but then make every second module type an access point. The main lift entry is designed such that it's far easier for an attacking force to gain control and hold the top from defenders than it is for defenders to protect the bottom. The whole thing, to put it bluntly, kind of stinks. This is exacerbated by a starting base design that puts access points all around the map, and a mission start system that often places enemies closer to the major defensive positions than your own troops.

Some of this could be alleviated by having UFOpedia list which buildings contain surface access, since it's kind of random to a newer user (eg workshops, but not small hangars...). Really, though, it seems to me like some of the base attack stuff needs reworking, at the very least making the main access defensible for defenders and having your soldiers start out in a logical location rather than scattered willy-nilly throughout the base. And perhaps having the aliens not actually start the invasion inside the base? It'd be great if they had to deploy like PHALANX troops do at the beginning of our attack missions.

I apologise if this is a well known complaint. I'm still learning where to find things in this community.

Nice to meet you all,
Erk

Noordung:
Best way to defend base is to get your soliders in living quarters top floor and when alens come closer you just shoot them through wall with sniper rifle.

One improvment however could be made. Since you know aliens are comming you could have option to choose where your men would start defense. At least in witch building.

GPS51:
Yeah I agree, I've taken to just shooting aliens through the floors/walls. I don't understand at all how supposedly a "top secret ultra military base" is so wide open to assault and capture. My soldiers start ALL over the map? huh? But I'm sure the design team will get around to it. They've usually got a good idea (just never enough hours in the day) ;)

ShipIt:
I agree we need a better solution for this, but it is not that easy to make both the map more "base-like" and the base defence missions still challenging.

Erk:
The deployment issue is already something in development, I think. That will solve a lot of problems. The main one that breaks suspension of disbelief for me is the layout of the access ramp.... The walkway around the top makes it an untenable location for defense, even though canonically it should be the strongest spot in the base. It's easier to hold down the workshop.

[edit] ran out of time while typing that. Also wanted to say that I realise some of the obvious developments would make it too easy... sniper points and automated defenses, for example. I wonder if you could do something  like have a few more blown-out walls, perhaps? I am no coder, but it seems to me you could make a "wall/roof blown out" version of each topside model, and then randomly distribute a certain number of these around the base to give the aliens other ways to take potshots and jump through holes in the bunker ceiling.

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