Secure alien craft or total destruction?

[✚ Mariel ✚]

Is it worth just locating and securing the alien UFO on ground missions and then ending the mission? Just how much of the cash comes from hunting all the aliens. It's time consuming and it tends to get people shot

[Ozone]

If you capture the UFO, you win the mission.

From what I've read on the forums, dead civilians and the aliens who escape just give a small negative reputation hit to the country.

Sometimes you recover the alien's weapons and sell them, you will lose that as well.

[✚ Mariel ✚]

Thing is, each dead soldier costs me 10k. I'm not sure if its worth to hunt every alien

[SilentDeath777]

Its actually worth it, if each of em who gets stronger. Later on with better eqcuipment will be a save bet which lets you succeed far more mission. But its true it is tiresome and time consuming which does turn into its majority thus making the progress on global map seem slower then usual.

[Dranak]

Originally posted by OzoneGrif:

From what I've read on the forums, dead civilians and the aliens who escape just give a small negative reputation hit to the country.

This is not true in an unmodded game. UFO crash sites do not have any affect on relations (you get the boost for shooting down the UFO). Alien bases, terror missions, and landed UFOs do give relations points but I believe it is simply pass/fail.

Giving relations (and thus funding) for completing ground missions led to running every single UFO being the optimal strat, so it was changed back in the beta.

[✚ Mariel ✚]

If I flashbang a reaper will it move on it's turn? Seems like flashbanged enemies never move but I'm worried

[Ozone]

Suppressing a reaper is almost impossible (if not impossible, I've never done it).

Suppression removes all the TU for the current turn, voiding all possible reaction-shots from that unit. Then next turn, the unit only get 50% of their total TUs.

They can move (not far) or do snap shots, but can't use Psion powers or throw grenades.
If they don't move, that's because they keep their TUs for reaction-fire. Reapers don't have reaction-fire since they are melee units.

[✚ Mariel ✚]

Thanks for the warning. One trick I like to do is stun gas + flashbang combo since it usually stops enemies from moving but I won't try that on reapers. I'm in late Nov and they still havent brought any out, and we're in wolf armour now so we cant really carry much extra stuff like stun rods. I suppose I'll wait til I get a reaper missions then keep everyone together near the start each with a gas grenade and just bombard the first one that rushes our position with like 10 gas grenades

[Ozone]

The best defense against Reapers are good assaults with high reflexes and powerful shotguns.
If the Reaper approaches, it will get ripped.

[✚ Mariel ✚]

I have a rather high turnover of soldiers and they don't last long. The good stat ones get to be heavies but all it takes is one shot from right across the battlefield or a grenade and theyre dead. Shields die more often, usually from rapid fire that all hit and break the shield, or because I tend to use trash soldiers for my shields that have <55 Bravery so every now and then they throw down their shields and run straight at the enemy, and then I have to rush out and shield them or try to get in position to gas them so the enemy stops shooting at them

I'm at the stage where I've got wolf armour now but I still lose people to grenades. When reapers are on a missions I just find a nice wide open area and set up a firing squad to kill everything that comes into sight and I never do night missions I just have the choppa patrol til morning

I don't really get much grief from reapers but I'd still like the extra 10% damage

Btw how do you guys find alien bases? Do I have to send my planes out looking for them?

[Ozone]

Planes are the best way to find alien bases. If you fly above one, it will be instantly revealed.

You can also check for the forecast balance. If it goes down without alien UFOs around, then it means there's a base somewhere.

[✚ Mariel ✚]

Thankyou

[✚ Mariel ✚]

I can't remember but do laser weapons automatically upgrade into plasma when you research plasma?

[Hans Woofington]

Originally posted by jenniferthomas28:

I can't remember but do laser weapons automatically upgrade into plasma when you research plasma?

no, you have to upgrade every weapon tier manually (build new weapons)

[✚ Mariel ✚]

Ok thankyou

[✚ Mariel ✚]

nearly january and I havent seen an alien base. Maybe my air game has been too good? What ship should I ignore til it spawns a base?