Some thoughts on production

[Bimbo]

I recently thought about the concept Altar has choosen for the production of our own researched weapons. In short we would produce only one set of them, wich means like researching a project once we just build the weapons once to then have an unlimited suply.

My consideration was if I got my favorite weapon ready why should I keep this production bases any longer? They are useless for me since Im equiped from now.

So there are two alternatives:

1. We can change the purposes of the locations. Then suddenly I have lots of military installations... poor aliens! Sees like they are busted now (since I herad (on Freelancer I think...) this kind defends it self ). Or Im busted when I try to put some bases to research/production.

2. We have a fixed base type. Then the base remains unused and adds dust. And further mor must be defended by my troops, wich should have to rescue earth instead...

My wish is that Altar keeps us using this bases so that the game doesn't become unbalanced and the bases doesn't become crap.

 

Bimbo

[The Veteran]

That's a very valid point Bimbo... Almost makes up for the comment in the world cup!

I think it'd be best if we were required tobuild everthing that we used. Like the old XCom games. So instead of building missiles you need to build twelve missiles...

[Tammy]

It may be a good point, but it doesn't seem likely to happen. I think their minds are pretty much made up regarding production. It doesn't seem that manufacturing is going to play a big role in this game. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. This is a whole different game.

[Bimbo]

Yes if they cut out production that much that you maybe just need a production base or two than it would be clearly unimportend what I mentioned above. But why should you include production that smalish? It could be dropped without any losses. And you could simply say: "The scientists who developed this weapon just heapened to produce seven prototypes..." (that should be "unlimited" for all battles, since you can only go with seven troopers)

 

@Vet: Jupp, that would add some more global strategy to the game since your choise of base-types are more importend.

 

Bimbo

[Bomb Bloke]

If producing a weapon gives you infinite amounts of that weapon, then does that mean that you get to start the game with unlimited rifles, rockets and ammunition too? :o

 

That, I think, wouldn't be a good thing...

[The Veteran]

Well that would make sense really as any military installation has several large rooms packed full of ammo and stuff. I think it may make it a little more realistic thinking about it now. I mean the entire world was supporting XCom yet they had to build everything themselves... It may be better to just pay someone a certain amount of $ or £ or whatever just to make them build stuff for you.

[evan]

I think that the idea is more like this: The world is basically destroyed. All of the factory owners are dead. All of the armies of the world are dead. There's a slim number of people and a bunch of aliens and mutants left. So, it's pretty easy to go on over to the nearest military base and loot the thing for weapons and ammo. The later supplies are predicated on the idea that if you don't really need a giant weapons factory to overwhelm a small force with supplies. Assuming that you have a machine shop, some good technicians, and maybe a chemist or two (American chemist, not a pharmacist), you should be able to produce a small stream of weapons at a decent clip, assuming that this is what your production facilities are geared towards. Anyhow, that's reasoning, I think. It makes sense to me, but then, I didn't think that the production aspect of the X-Coms really added all that much.

 

Evan

[The Veteran]

That sounds like a nice idea. The production in the way of ammunition didn't add anything to the game at all in my opinion but things like alien technology and new craft and armour did make it more realistic in a way.

[DragonHawk]

I wouldn't mind producing ammo for my weapons. The unlimited ammo thing seems sorta fickle, but as Evan pointed out, it can be justified. I'm surprised the owning army did not use all the ammo, or the aliens did not confiscate it.

[Tammy]

I think what Evan was trying to say is that there will be production going on, but that it's not something we need concern ourselves with. I think a lot of us X-COMers are having a hard time grasping the size of the force we'll be employing. We're used to keeping many more troops supplied than we will be using in Aftermath.

[DragonHawk]

Good point Tammy. Well said.

[Tammy]

See, I can be very on-topic when I need to be.

[DragonHawk]

You think you're going to get the last word in, eh?

 

Hmm... I hope I don't sound stupid by asking how the production of vehicles is going to be handled... I'm assuming that fighter craft are not sitting in warehouses like ammunition.

[Tammy]

You underestimate my ability to get the last word.

 

As for the fighters, it doesn't seem they're going to be our concern very much. The game appears to be very centered on ground combat. We'll have only one troop transport, too, I believe (a helicopter, IIRC). I'd be very surprised if there's much focus in the game on the fighter craft that shoot down the UFO's.

[DragonHawk]

Oh, that's unfortunate then. I was hoping that some of my men would be piloting that fighter in the banner (not that one, since that one is getting shot down... ). But I suppose that since the aliens probably aren't allowing humans to enroll in flight school...

[Tammy]

Actually, the FAQ says that there will be "no vehicles" in Aftermath. I would assume that means that shooting down the UFO's doesn't require that we have any pilots or even produce or purchase any fighter craft. The way I understand what I've read so far is that there will be a warning of a UFO and we will choose to shoot it down, and there will be a variety of possible outcomes that appears to be more or less random. The last I heard, they were still batting around some ideas on that point, though.