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[Shadowclaw777]

More vehicle points means we can have more of our missions to have dedicated AI fighter supports, even if we just get a simple 1 VP out of it: we can combine it with a Joker Token and get another Medium Fighter for the invasion. I think the plasma carbine would actually maybe be more useful, it would give us access to a more powerful but more important higher ranged weapon for the infantry; and because the sectoids are more humanized in strength, they could probably wield it. But it would great to give our Skin Crawlers and pre-Mutons when we create them.
 
As for infrastructure reasons, the lack of VPs is really hurting us and expanding our base seems like a logical action to do. As for creating another alien base, maybe it can be Terror from the Deep and we can try a deep trench base? Probably difficulty with not getting spotted by radar. Anyways, infrastructure supporting ideas seem like they should be a thing that can be developed, since we can already make attempts at creating at bases and even make attempts at improvement to our bases should be possible

Edit: the versatility of a plasma Carbine to give our soldiers and even the sectoids with their newfound strength to moderate ranges is not to be underestimated, however the self-destruct button has applicable usage as well.

Elder's Scorn:(4) Wizgrot, Kevak, Puppyguard, SC
Psi-Scan:
Lesser Muton Review:
Improved Evasion Protocol:
UFO Construction Bay: (2) NUKE9.13, BBBence.
Tough Crawlers:
Plasma Carbine: (1) Kashykk

[piratejoe]

so, xcom, I heard you wanted our tech...

Elder's Scorn:(5) Wizgrot, Kevak, Puppyguard, SC, Piratejoe
Psi-Scan:
Lesser Muton Review:
Improved Evasion Protocol:
UFO Construction Bay: (2) NUKE9.13, BBBence.
Tough Crawlers:
Plasma Carbine: (1) Kashykk

Too bad...

[TopHat]

Here are a few more revision proposals up for discussion; though it looks like we're going with the self-destruct this turn I figured I might as well post them now.

Elder's Scorn:(6) Wizgrot, Kevak, Puppyguard, SC, Piratejoe, TopHat
Psi-Scan:
Lesser Muton Review:
Improved Evasion Protocol:
UFO Construction Bay: (2) NUKE9.13, BBBence.
Tough Crawlers:
Plasma Carbine: (1) Kashykk

Spoiler: yet more revisions (click to show/hide)

Working off of our light fighter design, two of the plasma cannon have been removed and the craft has been up-armoured, especially around the front and over vital components like the antigrav unit; the additional power freed up for the drive by removing weapons should hopefully enable the craft to handle the additional mass with no loss of performance. Meanwhile, significant changes have been made to the craft's programming: although still a capable dogfighter, this is no longer the craft's primary role, with it only engaging craft which directly threaten either it or the UFO it is slaved to. It's main purpose is now to engage enemy ground forces, making use of its advanced flight to hover either above the battlefield or scant inches above the ground, as required by the situation.

A refit to our light fighter to make it actually useful, intended to provide fire support for our ground troops and fend off Skyrangers. Given the additional armour I'd give it roughly even chances against an interceptor as well. A far better solution in my opinion than just making yet larger and more expensive fighters.

Our plasma pistol is an effective sidearm but hindered at long ranges. This model has been extended into a full-length rifle, making it both more accurate and more powerful. As a result its effectiveness at longer ranges should be increased significantly. (Finally, an underbarrel launcher capable of firing our elerium grenades can be attached, improving their range when they are available).

A proper rifle for our ground forces, written before the carbine proposal this turn. The increased effective range should prove useful if the Australian affair was anything to go by; I went for improving power over rate of fire to give it a decent chance against their Skyrangers and future proof it against any armour X-Com may develop. The grenade launcher attachment was an afterthought; it could be useful but would make the design more complex.

Our normal drones do not expect to survive their attacks, so why not take that to its logical conclusion? These drones are outwardly the same as our normal drones, even down to dummy weapons mountings, but inside their weaponry has been stripped away and the same elerium-based explosives used in our grenades have been put in their place. Programmed to fly into groups of soldiers and enemy vehicles before detonating, they can also be given targeting orders on the fly by our leaders, enabling them to be used against targets of oportunity.
Although they can be deployed in units of their own, they are more often used hidden within regular drone units - each of which has a few of these lurking within it, ready to give X-Com a nasty surprise.

I like this one - though it may well be less practical than the other two or most of the other proposals this turn, it's a flat upgrade that should (hopefully) be applied free to all drone units, making it the only one of the three which will take effect this turn. And hey, we may well be able to catch a low-flying Skyranger or two into the bargain.

[10ebbor10]

Elderīs Scorn
While our current air battles are going  very good at the moment, we cannot allow Humanity to recover more of the Ethereal technology if we hope to defeat them while they remain foolish and primitive. They already have on their control several of our craft, which they surely have used to improve on their puny "technology".

Elerium-115, our main energy source, has shown a remarkable stability when degrading it in a controlled environment, so its energy can power our ships and equipment. However, by rising quickly the temperature and the pressure of the engine, we can make it enter into a highly radioactive and volatile state, which powered with some plasma detonators installed near should release all of their energy with an explosive blast that should make most of the components useless and deadly irradiated, greatly increasing the cost and feasibility of salvage operations and killing troops near the area of the blast.

I propose to monitor our troops life signals and automatically detonate it if the tripulation dies or becomes unconscious.

Normal : 4+1 = 5 (Average)

The Elder's scorn is significant adaption to our UFO power sources. Under normal circumstances, our power sources provide plentiful energy by bombarding Elerium with accelerated particles. The bombarding particles are transformed by the unique atomic structure of the crystal into pure energy, which when captured powers the entire UFO.

Despite the tremendous energies involved, it's use as a self destruct is not that straightforward. Significant upgrades need to be made to the reactor's containment fields, regulators and fuel injectors in order to even approach power levels required to obliterate a craft entirely. Because of this, damage to the craft can easily render the self destruct non-functional, and simulations indicate we will have to destroy combat-viable craft if we want to avoid loss of self-destruct capability.

On the ground, other restrictions pose themselves. The crew detection systems are not particularly long ranged, requiring the crew to stay close to the craft at all time.

Note : This is indeed a normal success. Balance happens.

Battle

Mission 1

Target: Egypt
Vehicle: 1x Small Scout (1VP)
Crew: 1x Sectoid, Meld Container (1EP), 1x Skin Crawler (FREE).
Objective: Harvest+Investigate Signal

The operation is nearly complete by the time XCOM arrives on the site. With howling engines the lone Skyranger drops down towards the town. Plasma reaches out to meet it, a near miss scorching the hull as the pilot makes evasive maneuvers. Forced to back of for the moment, the Skyranger sets down among the dunes on the outskirts of the town.

Railgun shot after railgun shot tears through the buildings, as sectoids and Skin Crawlers try to close to the enemy. The enemy is smart, never staying too long in one position, moving quickly and maintaining distance. It's a strategy that would have worked, where it not for the gift. Knowing the enemy location, the sectoids push carefully here and there, herding the enemy even at the cost of their own lives.

And then suddenly, it's over. Two dead bodies turn out not to be quite as dead as expected, the Skin crawlers jumping up and blasting the enemy at close range.

We have acquired a modest amount of interesting DNA sequences, as well as some more conventional material. At the same time, our Sectoids have more closely identified one of the psionic signals, apparently somewhere in Cairo;

Loot Gained : 1 DNA Token, 1 UP
Auxiliary objective : A psionic signal of some strength is present in the vicinity of Egypt

Mission 2

Target: Mexico
Vehicle: 1x Small Scout (1VP)
Crew: 1x Sectoid (1UP), 1x Scout Drone (1UP)
Objective: Harvest+Investigate Signal

Combat here is over nearly as soon as it begins. An XCOM Raven, diving out of the sky, firing a barrage of missiles. The ECM is activated, but somehow the missiles cut through. Despite a last minute desperate dodging attempt,  our Small Scout is reduced to falling debris.

Mission Failed : UFO Destroyed

Mission 3

Target: France
Vehicle: 1x Small Scout (1VP)
Crew: 1x Sectoid (1UP), 1x Scout Drone (1UP)
Objective: Harvest+Investigate Signal

Our UFO has barely entered the atmosphere, when a flurry of missiles streaks towards it. Not from a fighter, but from a small island in the Aegean sea. Destruction is rapid, the vehicle destroyed by unusually advanced missiles, similar to those used by XCOM.

Mission Failed : UFO Destroyed

Mission 4

Target: Japan
Vehicle: 1x Small Scout (1VP)
Crew: 1x Sectoid (1UP), 1 Scout Drone (1EP)
Objective: Harvest+Investigate Signal

The mission in Japan went of the rails, and fast. Shortly after landing, several armed human groups engaged our forces, damaging several scout drones  and wounding some of our Sectoids. Worse even, our Sectoid's Mind Merge didn't work on these unusual combatants, with unusual neural feedback patterns distorting the link completely.

Deprived of terrain knowledge and with inferior numbers, our forces where being gradually driven back. Great losses were inflicted along the way, our plasma pistols still vastly superior to their archaic guns, but the enemy spent lives eagerly to keep up the pressure. Within a short span of time, our forces were isolated from their UFO and killed.

Interestingly, telemetry from the UFO indicates that XCOM Skyrangers were still 30 minutes away from the site when combat. One wonders where the enemy came from.

Mission Failed : UFO captured

Mission 5

Target: Brazil
Vehicle: 1xSmall Scout (1VP), masquerading as a Medium-sized craft.
Crew: 1x Sectoid (1UP)
Objective: Harvest+Investigate Signal

Despite our high hopes, the enemy only send one fighter to investigate our deception. The enemy fighter approaches slow, clearly wary of our great energy signature. Once he comes in range and the truth is revealed, a barrage of missiles makes quick work of our Small Scout.

Mission Failed : UFO Destroyed

Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)

Vehicles

Small scout : One of the tiniest vessels at your disposal, the Small scout is both cheap and reliable. Powered by a single Elerium core, the vessel makes decent speed, while carrying up to 2 units to their destination. It's equipped with a plasma turret for self defense . Cost : 1 VP

Light fighter : Roughly half the size of a Small Scout, the Light fighter is a small craft that can be slaved to a nearby UFO to defend it. It's armed with 3 forward firing plasma guns, giving it a decent amount of firepower. Like the small scout, it is powered by a single Elerium core that gives it decent speed. Cost : 1 VP

Medium fighter Roughly 3 quarters the size of a small scout, the medium fighter is a small automated craft capable of independent operation. It's armed with 3 forward firing plasma guns, giving it a decent amount of firepower. Powered by an enlarged Elerium reactor, it's small size gives it greatly superior speed and maneuverability. Cost : 2 VP

Equipment

Plasma Pistols : A basic simple sidearm that has been used in many pacification operations. The plasma pistol is a dependable bit of equipment that is light but not particularly powerful.

Elerium Grenade : The elerium grenade is powerful handheld explosive. Cost : 1 EP

Meld Container : A container filled with the precious Meld, a substance that consists out of billions of cybernetic nanomachines that automatically capture, catalogue and analyse any foreign DNA they find. Greatly increases the effectiveness of recovery operations. If capture threatens, the container will perform an auto-sterilization cycle.  Cost : 1 EP

ECM equipped flight computer : A modified flight computer that can mimic a larger ship or deceive missiles (sometimes), at the cost of shutting of the flight computer.
Cost: 0 EP

Elder's Scorn : A modified Elerium power core that destroy a ship when it sustains damage, or it's crew is killed/incapacitated.
Cost: 0.25  EP

Aliens
Sectoid : A formerly weak species with a limited capability for the gift. Nonetheless, their simple biology allows to easily clone these creatures and deploy them in great numbers. Integration of human DNA has brought their strength up to par with human baseline.
    - Reversable Mind Merge: Merge minds with an organic, intelligent friendly or enemy, giving or drawing upon them for strength
Cost 1 UP   ( 1 Free available)

Scout drone : A small but fast scout drone armed with powerfull short range non-lethal weaponry and powerfull sensors. Effective at hunting down humans as well as spotting threats, but lightly armored.
Cost 1 UP or 1 EP

Skin Crawler : An infiltrator unit capable of mimicking human form (more or less). Has 8 claw equipped tentacles and is capable of using most handheld technologies.
Cost 2 UP (+1 UP if infiltrated [Infiltrated units require no transportation, but can not use equipment]) [2 UP worth free] 

Mission Profiles

Harvest: A simple mission profile that involves a UFO landed in a secluded area to capture humans other lifeforms for analysis in the main base.

Recruit Collaborators : A more complex mission profile that relies on the insertion of infiltrating units to make contact and recruit potential collaborators.

Alien Resources

4+1 VP
6 UP
2 EP

1 UP token
1 DNA token
Nuke's Token

Dark side of the Moon base [Hidden, Industrious]

Spoiler: PANIC METER (click to show/hide)

Africa
---> Egypt
---> South Africa
---> Nigeria

Asia
--->Australia  Light infiltration
--->China
--->India
--->Japan

Europe
--->France
--->Germany
--->Russia
--->United Kingdom

North America
--->Canada
--->Mexico
--->United States

South America
--->Argentina
--->Brazil   X

Design

Turn 6

AABBCCDD

[Shadowclaw777]

Here's an idea to utilize the Lesser Myron failure knowledge + the Mask Reaver idea, and make a functional original combat unit

Savage Reavers:
The Lesser Muton project while a failure because of a lack of understanding between combining the human genome and the muton's inability to breath and live in earth's biosphere, we have utilize the DNA from our harvests from difference to creatures to to an even greater effect to allow us to create warriors based off the muton genome. The Reavers are all slender creatures, partway between mantis and various reptilian species with a combination of muton DNA that makes them have an appearance of a anthropoid. The Reavers are 7 feet tall and athletically built for something with its size, with a dark grey-blue exoskeleton. They use this in combination with their raw willpower to survive great amounts of damage. They fight with a terrible cunning and yet savagery with the aggressive nature of the Mutons, using their bladed forearms and sharp mandibles to rip their enemies apart should they find themselves in close quarters, and they show brutal practicality to demoralize and break foes, they even feel motivated when they can perform brutalities against their enemies. Their main strength, however, is intelligence. Reavers are implanted with genetic memory of various tactics and strategies that were imprinted within the Mutons, and can use this to plan around our enemies actions and lead our troops. However, they lack any propensity for the Gift.

Physically they are, as stated, a hybrid of mantids and various reptilian species with a combination of Muton DNA that makes them appear more like a primate. They have well built legs based on a recreation of ancient Earth reptilians, ending in iguana-like feet, good for climbing and traversing rough terrain. Their arms are similarly well built, but on the underside of their forearms they possess the blades of a mantis. Rather than the third limb segment possessed by most mantids for gripping, the Reavers have three-fingered hands with an opposable thumb, for wielding guns. Their torso is mostly reptilian, and they have a large mantis abdomen coming off where the tail would be, situated at an angle where it touches the ground when they stand straight, but comes out straight back when they are in their forward leaning fighting posture. Their head is a hybrid between mantis and serpent, with the mantid eyes and mandibles, but a serpent structure. It's covered by a layer of bone like a mask, hence their name, which unhinges, opening along a center line, shedding away their elegant and oddly beautiful facade to reveal the frightening truth.

One third mantoids and their brutality, the resistance of the reptilian race, and the primitive savagery yet tactical imprint from the Muton

Savage Reavers: (1) SC
+ DNA Token: (1) SC

[~Neri]

France and Japan displayed Anomalous combat patterns.

France in that a ground based missile system was what downed the UFO. Utilizing their ECM penetrating missiles. Mark France for investigation. Possible firebase location?

Japan is anomalous in that what appears to have been a third party engaged in significant numbers using conventional ballistics prior to Xcom arrival. It is not unlikely that Xcom did not recieve the captured UFO due to the third party. Likely a group localized to Japan.

Cario, Egypt is to be marked for investigation due to the psionic signal.

[NUKE9.13]

Well, for a next-to-complete failure, we were remarkably successful.
We tracked down the psionic signal, got a lead on (one of) XCOM's base(s), and learnt about what I'm going to assume are Exalt operating out of Japan.
We also learnt that they have upgraded their sensors, since they didn't fall for our deception. It is possible that their missiles are likewise utilising these advanced sensors to bypass our ECM.

E: And, assuming that the Japanese Mystery Men confiscated our UFO for themselves, XCOM got none of our tech this turn!

E2: Although, it's not all fun and games. Our revision was more or less wasted.

[~Neri]

I suspect the japan thing is the Kiryu Kai. Which lorewise (Both oldcom and nucom) were a japanese sourced group parallel to the xcom project. Lorewise  they got stomped on hard by the ayys.

[Kashyyk]

One ship to one ship, on the ground, we win.
One ship to one ship, in the air, we lose.

Thus we clearly need to fix our air more.

Our Small Scout is first and foremost a space vessel, not a terran air fighter. Having now spent significant amounts of time combating xcom fighters we know all the flaws in our vessel. This is thus a complete redesign, converting it from a space ship operating in atmosphere to an atmosphere vessel than can function in space.

The ship keeps it's ability to move in any direction, but the hull is sculpted to actualy be aerodynamic, now that that is our primary area of operations. Additionally, we now have intimate experience in their air to air missiles. This allows us to modify our hull to be resistant to this method of attack, as well as fitting small point defence plasma cannons to the hull for additional defence. We may lose strength against other forms of attack, but if they aren't using them it's pointers to consider them right now.

With regards to carry capacity and cost, it should stay the same.

A second generation scout should easily outclass their fighters, whilst all the changes are basic iterative improvements and thus it should've be a hard design.

[NUKE9.13]

We already have the Medium Fighter though. I doubt we'll get something much better than it for a lower cost.

We could design a real Medium Harvester. Or a Basic Cloaking Device, with which to simply avoid air combat entirely. Although given the ineffectiveness of the self-destruct thing, I suspect that the BCD might likewise not be very effective, for balance's sake.

[Kashyyk]

If Oldcom is anything to go by, their radar is bad at picking us up. For balance reasons I imagine they will always see us eventually, but it would explain how they are sometimes able to shoot us down on entry and other times get there as we're wrapping up the operation.

If we went for something to hide from Radar we could get to oldcom levels of stealth. Probably not much better thanks to balance but it's worth a thought.

Edit: Also I'm absolutely certain that France got shot down by an Xcom base. It'd be moronic to do that whilst they've only got one, but we should definitely see about developing missions to pinpoint and destroy it. Every base of theirs we destroy is one more victory for us after all.

[NUKE9.13]

Presumably it is an outpost, possibly one dedicated to Anti-Air operations. Nevertheless, taking it out would we worthwhile.
Incidentally,

Additionally, we now have intimate experience in their air to air missiles. This allows us to modify our hull to be resistant to this method of attack, as well as fitting small point defence plasma cannons to the hull for additional defence. We may lose strength against other forms of attack, but if they aren't using them it's pointers to consider them right now.

Did you forget they used railguns on their interceptors that one time:

Curiously, the Raven's do not fire a second salvo, closing in instead. A deadly close range exchange is the result, plasma fire tearing through the two Raven's. But the medium fighters do not escape unscatched, having suffered several armor penetrations. Were there used to be additional missiles, the Terrans had instead fitted some kind of pods that launched shells with tremendous velocity. They only got to fire a few, but each tore 2 nice holes through the ship.

I reckon we either do the Lesser Muton again (using the DNA token), possibly with some minor differences (but not a total overhaul like SC suggested, since we want to make use of the experience gained from the failed project), or a Medium Harvester:

Medium Harvester: Scouts are great and all for, you know, scouting, but the time has come to ramp up our operations. The Medium Harvester has a larger core and propulsion system, three plasma turrets (located equal distances around the circumference of the craft), and room for twice the troop loadout of the Small Scout. In addition, it has greatly increased capacity for storing captives and materials, with substantially more holding cells and a small operating room where preliminary research may be conducted. So far, so simply an upscaled Scout. However, the Medium Harvester also features a basic tractor beam, that can be used to lift things from the surface without having to land/send troops to lug it back to the craft.
All in all, the Medium Harvester is designed to drastically improve the returns from our harvesting operations, and open the door for larger-scale resource acquisition.

[Kashyyk]

I actually did, because those railguns seemed pretty ineffective compared to their missiles.

I'd be happy with either a Lesser Muton mk2 or the Harvester, but I'll vote for the Harvester as we are needing new air units more.

Savage Reavers: (1) SC
+ DNA Token: (1) SC
Medium Harvester: (1) Kashyyk

[~Neri]

We could add point defense.

[Puppyguard]

Savage Reavers: (1) SC
+ DNA Token: (1) SC
Medium Harvester: (2) Kashyyk, Puppyguard

I think it's about time we get bigger UFOs.
Let's do point defence as a revision.