After completing XCOM: EW on Classic with Ironman enabled, I thought doing a similar run in Sentinels.

 

Obviously there isn't such a mode in Sentinels, and the gameplay is different, thus I'll make a set of own rules and difficulty settings. These are the difficulty changes I'll make compared to my "Impossible run":

 

-Enemy AP: 160% -> 120%

-Enemy VP: 200% -> 160%

-Enemy level: +3 -> +2

-Enemy damage: 200% -> 140%

-Enemy hides: Always -> Never (And to compensate, I won't hide either. Apart from Scout class soldiers.

-Player damage: 50% -> 80%

-Weapon durability: 200% -> 200%

-Save possible: Real-time. -> Always *

-Healing: Based on skill. -> Based on skill.

-Hidden Random Encounters: Off -> On **

-Manual Casuality EVAC: On. -> On.

 

Ironman-ish rules:

 

* I will manually save the game once every 5 turns, and immediately if a squad mate takes a hit / dies. If the main hero dies, I am allowed to reload the previous save (The main hero is 'immortal' - but can get wounded.) I am allowed to save while in base.

 

I am allowed to split two specific missions in half, and restart them from the mid-point (due to the arguable RNG-based events. And even XCOM: EW allowed restarts during base defense and Temple assault )

 

The missions: Peneemunde archieves (Finale room) and UN Bomb Squad (Finale room). I'm also allowed to restart the final mission (if I reach it).

 

** No level up / money grinding with random encounters. Although if I accidentally get into one, I am forced to clear the area / flee.

 

*** The shopkeeper can't be used to maintenance weaponry.

 

**** Bank robbery is a crime.

 

5* The Amber room belongs to the museum.

 

6* Save-scumming IS allowed when defusing mines set by own engineer.

I would have liked to watch that unfold. Would be far more interesting, to me at least, if you had a set amount of lives. I've always wanted to do a hardcore run, but it's almost impossible to tune the difficulty for that style of play. The slider go up, your save-scum slides up. Seems the only way to do a true ironman run would be to reduce it to stupidly easy settings, at which point you ask yourself why.

The 3rd run went very well.

Until an enemy soldier burst-fired my engineer a screen away with an SMG while he was crouching.

Went F-it and gave up.