Prototypes Must Be Build For New Craft

[NickJones]

In original X-Com prototypes of new crafts never had to be built. I believe that requiring a new craft to be built, before the scientists can draw up another model, would not only be more realistic, it would give the firestorm and lightening an actual reason to be built.

 

This would prolong the creation of the Avenger for a couple months. It would force the player to use Interceptors for alonger period of time (if the variety of interceptors is implimented, this would help)

 

This would combine the efforts of the scientists and engineers.

[mikker]

yes, this have been discussed (at a certain degree at least) before. I've proposed the same thing with weaponry, and i think it would be better also to do this with any other tech.

[NickJones]

I apologise, was there any verdic reached in the previous forum?

[Moriarty]

I like to think that a research project already includes building and testing prototypes. The time and money spent should reflect that, of course. In xcom, your research is really really really quick - but then again, you probably have the world's best scientists working with a nice motivation - like, preventing the extinction of humanity.

[UnknownWarrior]

Testing weapondry and craft prototypes is part of the research process

[MagicAndy]

Especially with the new craft (like the avenger) if you build more than one you're doing very well indeed

[Cpl. Facehugger]

I usually maintain two avengers. One for interception duty and one for troop transport.

[Mustang]

I normally replace every ship with an avenger and load all the avengers with soldiers and equipment

[MagicAndy]

One for interception duty

 

By the time I have an avenger, I'm following them around trying to get em to land rather than crash.

[Guest Azrael]

Testing prototypes is indeed part of the scientific research, but it would be a little expensive to build a Firestorm just for testing without us noticing. I mean, does really more than 500000 (I don't clearly remember the amount of money), quite a sum of Alien alloys, Elerium, a bunch of powersources and navigations just disappear from our storages when testing is taking place?, we as players should be aware of this, I agree that all craft should be built in order to research more advanced craft, and as Nickjones said, it would give a point in building a Firestorm or a Lightning.

[awof]

My tuppence is have the option to research 'advanced fighter' aka firestorm early, and a prototype to be 'manufactured' and used (once?) like a normal interceptor. After returning to base, option to research 'combat report? of prototype regarding problems, improvements, and then option to research (again) 'firestorm'.

 

That would make the alien tech craft much harder to obtain, no?

[Arky]

IMO, it was too easy to skip the first two crafts in XCOM 1 & 2. We should research the first one, then manufacture it to be able to research the second craft. In UFO: Aftermath, it worked like that for some prototypes.

 

It would be as if they learn by building the crafts, like getting better at each try, wich is closer to reality. But again, that's my opinion. -_-

[Paladin]

Testing weapondry and craft prototypes is part of the research process

Technically yes, and the research would be more realistic if it USED raw materials, like dissassembling a plasma weapon, (besides, building those should be a separate project than using them), or any authopsy for that matter...

Those XCOM scientists obviously have never heard of the "Smoke Test"...

[GARAK]

Okay. I agree that more materials should get used up in the research process. I also think the game should encourage the construction of "firestorms" and "lightenings" by having the research and construction time take many monthes. It should not be a requirement to build them however, just a near necessity. What I mean is that by the time you have researched the "firestorm" the interceptors should be almost useless, and you would have to build a firestorm or two just to survive. Samething with the lightening. The "skyrangers" should be indangered in some way, and the lightening is a viable alternative to losing entire crews in the skyranger.

[Blood Angel]

One of the main problems I have with Firestorm/lighting is elerium cost. When my stores run dry, that's it. My entire fleet is grounded. That's your incentive to keep an interceptor or a skyranger in reserve.

[MirariNefas]

That's not an impossible a balance issue. If the reason you need stronger craft is because you're shooting down more battleships, that means you're probably getting enough elerium to run the things. If scouts and so on are getting more powerful weapons and armor, then we need a way to get more elerium from the scouts (perhaps a way to dismantle weapons instead of just selling them).

 

If on the other hand smaller ships don't increase the amount of elerium reward as the game progresses, then they need to remain easy enough for interceptors, and the bases need to be large enough to hold hangers for both sets of craft.

 

 

As for building prototypes during research, if we're assuming that the lab draws on natural resources and builds components during development then we need larger labs to reflect this. For that matter, almost all the rooms should be bigger than they were in UFO.

[sneekysilk]

this might sound daft but why not just have an larger cash cost for the first craft and/or weapon you build,

would reflect the fact that yes the first is a proto-type hence the larger cash/item requirement for that items first build run.

 

after such time it could be considered to have be refined by both the tech and engineering boys to its perfected (current) level of building costs?

 

 

another question would have to be if there are modified smaller ufos later in the game (alien adaption to x-com tactics) would it not be fair to consider x-com upgrading their intercepters (say intercepter mk 2 with alien alloys, making them more durable) yet still only slightly stronger (still strong enough to take out the smaller ones/"advanced smalls"

 

just a thought (slightly brainless one)