Weapons/Armor research

[H-Hour]

I'm looking for some feedback from campaign players on what they research, what they don't bother researching and why. If you could, please let me know your typical research path in the following format:

Preferred research order:
Laser weapons -> Needler -> etc.

Don't research:
Plasma pistol because...
Armor x because...

I'm not interested in every research element, just the general progression through weapons/armor. Thanks.

[Sarin]

My path: Lasers->plasma grenade->GL PG->UFO theory->alien materials, antimatter->craft particle cannon->alien armor-nanocomposite armor->plasma pistol-> plasma blade -> bolter->autopsies and live alien research, stunning techs-> monomolecular knife->rest of UFO parts and new craft, needler and coilgun when available-> rest of plasma tech, whatever is left while waiting for shevaars and infantry particle weapons.

Generally, infantry equipment is top priority. Ironically, I don't see much purpose for new craft, since particle cannon equipped saracens can take down fighters easily, and it's better to let harvesters land so you can get them undamaged. For live aliens, there's enough time later. Plasma rifle and blaster are left for last since they seem useless for me.

[Nutter]

I generally tend to make a beeline for bolters and lasers that gets sidelined the moment I get the first samples of alien tech since that stuff is more readily available and my troops get torn apart without the armour.
So for infantry it's really along the lines of Nanoarmour>Plasma weaponry>Bolters>Lasers>Prods>Gas as far as time of priorities go but there's some deviation depending on the circumstances.

Kerrblades and swords I generally only research once the labrats are bored due to the whole "Knife to a gunfight," deal, electrolasers I stay away from since I generally already have gas available at that point and I don't really see a point heavy blasters since I prefer having separate MG and rocket launcher troops.

[Crashdown]

I go for laser rifles and Nanocomposite armor as fast as I can. Then I go for electro lasers and gas grenades as fast as possible. After that it become a case of giving the eggheads something to do so they don't take up drink and loose women.

[nanomage]

In my last game, I found that it does not matter much what I choose to research, as campaign progresses without much dependance on what you research.
I think the most important techs are those required to build advanced interceptors capable of shooting down harvesters so that I would no longer be forced to fight numerous terror/harvesting missions. (You know, ignoring the crashed UFO mission somehow feels much better than ignoring terror or harvesting).
Overall, i found myself going
Bolter > Plasma weapons(Grenade, then others) -> Nanoarmour  -> Monoknife -> Advanced Interceptors ->  Autopsies -> Orbital UFO -> Laser weapons -> Coilgun -> Other stuff.
I did only interrupt this to research some storyline techs or my favourite plasma blade.

[Telok]

Priorities.
Bolters first. They're like flamers that go through walls. Also a really easy research/production to start with.
Lasers second. These are basic accuracy and range improvements over the MG/AR/SMG.
Nanoarmor third. Because the basic combat armor is only a little better than streaking.
Plasma explosions fourth. Because bigger explosions are better explosions.
Craft weapons fifth. This is actually more to protect the Firebirds in transit than to hunt alien craft.

In no particular order.
Stun Rods to get research options and zap civilians.
Craft to get research options and aircraft armor.
Alien weapons to auto-sell.
Anti-matter, because I hate wasting useful resources that I cannot self-produce.
Electro-Lasers to zap civilians with.

[Jon_dArc]

Between the need to research to enable autosell and the fact that Interest advances slowly enough to cause large stretches of time with nothing available on the tech tree, I research everything. That said, my priority order:

Bolters first. I used to open with Lasers, but it takes three techs to get anything man-portable out of it (CWLO, DF cartridges, and a weapon)—considering that this is the only part of the game where the number of available scientists isn't the limiting factor, it doesn't even slow down obtaining lasers much.

Laser pistols second. Getting close combat troops to suddenly be a ranged threat is big. Also, very easy on the ammo supply, which is nice when production is still slow and the asymptotic market hasn't yet gotten used to the idea of DF cartridges existing.

Nanoarmor and plasma grenades are roughly similar priorities, with plasma grenades coming in slightly ahead due to both techs being useful (while Alien Armor is only good for enabling autosell).

Laser rifles come roughly next. I used to go for kerrblades/monoknives, but I've started instead giving my close-range troops two different kinds of pistols. Haven't gotten very far in a new game since this happened, so plasma pistols may move up into this slot.

In principle Heavy Lasers would become a priority when Shevaar come on the scene, but I've always researched them as part of exhausting the available tech tree by that point.

Plasma blades, needlers, particle pistols, and coilguns as soon as they become available.

Stun rods are low priority, I fit them in wherever.

The other weapons are just for when scientists have nothing to do. Plasma weapons may have their priority increased simply to enable autosell and keep from drowning in the things. Late-game I started using the plasma blaster (once the flamethrower stops being useful, and the trained soldier who was using it needs a new gun), but that was well after it showed up.

(I should make special mention of the Medium Alien Armor for the feeling of betrayal from my first game when I prioritized it heavily, only to discover that it doesn't lead to anything)

~J

[homunculus]

1) Interceptors.
2) Nanocomposite armor.
3) Particle beam pistol/rifle if available.
4) Plasma blade maybe, or maybe aliens.

Reasons for that are as follows:
Aimed for complete radar coverage of land, and shooting UFO-s into the sea, therefore I went for advanced interceptors (which, ironically, I have yet to build and me not playing right now and probably for quite a while).

I did remember coilguns being good, but this time I was disappointed in both coilguns and needlers and switched back to sniper rifles.
Even no matter what the skills of the soldier, in the latest game I ended up equipping everyone, without exceptions, with sniper rifles and frag grenades and found this most practical although bit boring maybe.
Also, the shorter range of plasma grenades made them useless in my opinion, would rather suggest them to explode at impact for diversity, then maybe they could be more useful in some situations (and also, I have doubts about the ability of aliens to predict grenade bouncing).
I did use a plasma blade a few times in a tight situation, though.

I am not saying PB grenade launcher is bad, rather my preference was flexibility.
In alien base as I saw it, grenade launcher would have rocked.

Nanocomposite makes battles a lot easier, and particle beam pistols are good (the only particle beam weapon I saw), and I remember particle beam rifles being good from some game long ago, I would have researched them if I had seen more particle beam weapons.
So, those would be what I would research after the interceptors.

[TallTroll]

I generally aim for Base Lasers fairly quickly, since the infantry can look after themselves until the aliens start getting armour (and even then the light alien armour mostly just delays the inevitable).

Then infantry toys, armour first, then laser rifles

Then UFO techs >> Antimatter, to be able to start storing it

It's nice to get stun things too, as and when they fit into the research program