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[NUKE9.13]

In that case, I'll stick with v2. An extra missile per launcher is worth maybe creating a small chance of missing. If it even does- we rolled poorly for AAA initially, so there are plenty of improvements we can make without necessarily lowering quality.

[Shadowclaw777]

They already have an aircraft that can fit 18 Missiles and even some cannons along side it. It’s also quite significantly smaller than the Medium UFO, and even possibly the Medium Fighter which doesn’t have a dedicated landing crew in that craft. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to get a +2 to capacity to the batteries because we can only actually carry six on our dedicated missile craft, compared to slight increments of 1

Also it feels like their aircraft would look something like this...

Spoiler: Image Depiction of the Talon (click to show/hide)

The image adds in the grav-tech they added; and the yuge amount of missiles it can hold. Also that the ship has alien alloys as Armor is depicted on this ship as well

[NUKE9.13]

Well, to be fair, we're retrofitting these missile turrets into slots designed for plasma turrets. They have created a dedicated missile launching platform. And their missiles are significantly smaller than ours.
Now, we could do something like revise our fighters to have room for more missiles... but I like the flexibility of being able to swap out any plasma turret for a missile turret.

[10ebbor10]

Talon is quite big. Easily twice the size of a normal fighter jet

[Shadowclaw777]

@10ebbor Could the AAA missile be deployed as a SAM missile drone when a lander ufo is landed and on the ground? Or would that take something alongside a revision for it, to be some weird SAM and A2A missile

[sprinkled chariot]

Ugh, thought that our aaa is external mount

[Shadowclaw777]

It seems that the AAA missile battery replaces a plasma cannon array, and their is difficulty of seeing the plasma cannons are beneath the ufo or on the sides like the Medium Scout which is around the rim of the hill, meaning it is on the sides and be able to shoot its missile drone if it spots a aircraft, either with direct fire or whatever computer system of indirect sight tracking the aliens utilize.

Thus it may mean that the AAA missile battery can shoot it’s missile drones against things like their talons when a Medium UFO, with its rim-positioned plasma cannons, when it’s landed

[NUKE9.13]

Uh, that already happened in the turn. Our landed Medium Scout shot down their Skyrangers (after they had already delivered troops).

[Shadowclaw777]

Wells that just makes the Missile better because it can suit many roles on the battlefield, versatility is always king.
Gives me the idea of making smart ((drone)) rocket launchers for the infantry such as the Mutons, or even a smart underbarrel GL for both anti-personnel usage and anti-vehicle, if Xcom was deploy to autonomous tanks and whatnot. Actually rocket launchers for the infantry could shoot down things like skyrangers and maybe even jet fighters, but those are probably too fast for even a very advanced rocket launcher.

Edit: Also indeed, the idea is based of the Blaster Launcher from NewCom

[10ebbor10]

AAA v2: The aim of this revision is simple: to increase the ammo capacity of our missile turrets, without significantly increasing bulk or cost. To achieve this, we have made the missiles more compact, by combining or downsizing elements where possible. Most notably, we replaced the Elerium in the core with 'pre-destabilized' Elerium, which generates less power but generates a larger explosion- we then downsized the core so that the explosive power remains roughly the same (the loss in power generation should not be an issue, as the core is still more than large enough to power the missile's gravity drive). The full AI core has been pared down, removing unnecessary capabilities, and miniaturising the rest. The gravity drive (in a manner that was totally not inspired by observation of XCOM's new fighter) is no longer capable of completely arbitrary movement- should it for some reason need to make a 180° turn, it will need to actually turn, rather than simply accelerate in the opposite direction- which cuts down on the required size considerably.
Ideally, we exchange a minor drop in performance for an increased ammo capacity, without increasing cost or space usage. 

Normal (1,2) : Buggy Mess

The second iteration of our AAA missile had a bit of a troubled development. At first, things seemed to go well. Cutting down the gravity wave drive to a far simpler, primarily mono direction drive turned out to be a relatively straightforward affair. Similarly, the AI team easily managed to identify large sections of the AI core as superfluous, significantly reducing cost.

The first flight scale test immediately spun out of control, adding yet one more crater to the moon. As it turns out, a serious failure of communications had resulted in the removal of AI capabilities that were required to manage the more unusual flight characteristics of the new drive. A few hasty revisions added most of the missing capability back in, but the missile remains erratic and inaccurate.

Work on the warhead also had it's fair share of troubles. The destabilized warhead works, but it's way too volatile to be kept on the ship. Instead, our engineers have integrated a priming system into the launch tube, which spins up the destabilized reactor just prior to missile launch. Unfortunately, this newer system has a significantly longer cycle time, limiting fire rate.

Mission 1:
Craft: Medium Scout (3 VP),
Units: Sectoid x3 (3 UP), Scout Drone (1 UP)
Equipment: AAA missile (medium scout) (1 EP)
Destination: India
Mission Type: Harvest + Investigate Signal

Drones float lazily through the night, scanning the village for any remaining life. A scream pierces through the darkness, then cuts of. A simple whistle follows, summoning the sectoids to gather this latest acquisition. Serene-in-worship acknowledges the signal, then let's his mind wander as he leaves the UFO. Leaving the familiar mindglow of his batchmates behind, he sets of into the village.

The minds out here in the village are different, alien, wrong. They were not harmonious, they did not drift or broadcast. They existed certainly, a bit brighter than most mindless life that inhabited the planet, but they were little compared to his own glow, and nothing compared to the Ethereals. There were some, the masters said, that showed potential. And so Serene-in-worship would look, but he didn't truly expect to find anything of note in this village.

He was only halfway across the village when a sudden spike of panic drove through the mindglow. Missiles sprang up to the sky, streaking towards a distant target. Projectiles whirred by overhead, and Serene-in-worship winced as explosions rippled through the UFO, mind glows suddenly dimming, subsuming into the whole as their host expired.

Grabbing his pistol tighter, Serene-in-worship, made his way back to the crippled ship. As he came closer, he could clearly see the damage. The mortar had been destroyed, the entire side of the vessel torn apart. The storage compartments were aflame, little would remain of the harvest they'd stored there.

But the nightmare was not yet over. Though the missiles had driven away the enemy's abomination, two of their lesser metal birds remained aflight, raining down railgun shots upon the battlefield. From the distance came a staccato of sharp cracks. The telltale sound of the enemy railgun, but far faster than expected. More mindglows disappeared, subsuming within the shrinking whole.

A few of the alien minds disappeared too, cut down by plasma shots or drones. But the enemy pushed was pushing faster and harder, and their weapons were more dangerous. Near panicking, now, Serene-in-worship reached out to the primitive mind, melding with it as if it were a fellow sectoid. It was distasteful, almost nauseating, but it allowed him to see the thoughts of his enemy. Reading their mind, he knew one was in the window. He broke the connection, and a single shot later, the human disappeared.

He managed to connect to another human, directing a fellow sectoid out of harm's way. He connected with a third, enjoying the ease with which he infiltrated the mind. This one was looking through the scope of his rifle, aiming at a fellow sectoid. With sudden shock, he realized he was looking at himself, but by then it was too late. A triggerpull later, and Serene-in-worship dissappeared into the whole.

Mission failed

Mission 2:
Craft: Small Scout (free), Light Fighter (1 VP)
Units: Skin Crawlers (free), Sectoid (free)
Equipment: Plasma Rifle (sectoid) (free), AAA missile (light fighter) (1 EP)
Destination: Russia
Mission Type: Recruit Collaborators + Investigate Signal

Two UFO's descend from orbit, the heat of reentry blinding their sensors for but a moment as they drop down towards the Earth. They find a Talon waiting for them, armed to the teeth with missiles and railguns. The initial barrage strikes the small fighter, shattering's it's hull with railgun projectiles.

The small scout lasts but a moment longer, it's missile defenses soon overwhelmed by a deadly barrage.

Mission failed

Mission 3:
Craft: Small Scout (1 VP), Light Fighter (1 VP)
Units: Skin Crawlers (1 UP), Sectoid (1 UP)
Equipment: AAA missile (light fighter) (1 EP), Plasma Rifle (Sectoid) (1 EP)
Destination: Mexico
Mission Type: Recruit Collaborators + Investigate Signal

Thanks to the effort of our Skin Crawlers, we successfully managed to make contact with several members of the Mexican business community, many of whom focus on the sale and resale of alien artifacts. From those, we contacted only those we can trust, leaving us with a small but reliable group of contacts.

Unfortunately, XCOM detected our UFO's as they made their way back to orbit, and intercepted with a Talon fighter. The exchange was brief but brutal. Twin AAA missiles hits enveloped the enemy craft, while our fighter was torn to pieces by railgun hits. Shockingly, the enemy vessel survived the explosion, and even gave a brief chase to our UFO, but the heavy damage it sustained forced it to break off.

Mission Success : Mexico to light infiltration
Mission addendum : Through cheer, incredible luck, our mission happened to land right on top of a major psionic signal, which they promptly abducted.  (1 Psionic Prisoner Token)

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  | 1 Free

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

Medium Scout : Roughly twice the size of it's smaller cousin, the medium scout is medium sized craft powered by a single large elerium reactor. It's armed with 3 plasma turrets around of the rim of the hull, and a mortar for ground use. It's armor is no stronger than that on the light scout, but an extra layer around the core provides extra protection to critical systems/ It's powerful engines give it's decent speed while carrying 4 units.
Cost: 3 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.

Plasma Rifle : An effective weapon that can project jets of plasma over significant ranges with great effect. Comes with modular attachment points. Cost: 1 EP [1 Free]

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.
Cost: 0 EP

Defensive Plasma Wave : A modification of our current generation plasma weaponry, that allows our vessels to engulf themselves in a bath of plasma to stop missiles at close range.
Cost :0EP

AAA missile battery : A missile launcher that replaces a normal plasma cannon. Launches advanced, intelligent and high yield Alien anti air missiles. Each launcher contains 2 missiles. (Cost 1 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]) [3 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

5+1 VP
6 UP
4 EP

2 DNA token, 1 Exalt Token, Psionic Prisoner Token

Dark side of the Moon base [Hidden, Industrious]

Asteroid Belt Base
        - Asteroid mining systems (+1 EP, + 1 VP)
        - Weak defenses (Max 2 units in garrison)

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 Light infiltration
--->United States

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

Design

Turn 9

AABBCCDD

[Shadowclaw777]

Oh look that extra EP for a plasma rifle is really helping us, hmm, that we could of spent on a VP and upgrade one of those LF into a MF...
yes-yes we shouldn’t get into hindsight bias which I’m prone too, but it’s there. I have an idea of that Psionic Captive to improve our Sectoids psionically, through dissecting and experimenting with the captive. These sectoids wouldn’t be on Sectoid Commander tier, a Psion level with improved psionic abilities.

Anyways it seems that the Mutons would actually be a great idea as of this turn, and we have the previous gained failed knowledge of them...

Actual Muton
After our previous attempt at creating Light Mutons, we should have the experience to do them properly. We don't want to just try again after all. We also use a DNA token to patch Earth incompatible sections of a Muton's DNA. The end result is a seven foot, 300lb humanoid, capable of lifting their own body weight in equipment, with redundent organs and a hardened skeleton to resist trauma. Finally, they undergo an intense combat regime to ensure they are competent in all aspects of warfare, whilst their skill in non-combat situations may be lacking. If the only area that Mutons actual lack in, is that of its etiquette and having innate savagery, they are prone to intimidating their targets into submission, and their cruelty, might expend to them ripping off human’s limbs, civilian or not, out of pure intimidation. This is because Muton’s are like militarized gorillas, and that’s where their biosphere surviving DNA comes from...
2 DNA Tokens Expended

Actual Mutons: (1) SC
1 DNA Expended
2 DNA Expended: (1) SC

[sprinkled chariot]

We need not to have 3 out of 3 missions blammed in air by talons ( and one got away just by great luck )

[piratejoe]

Heavy Fighter: Taking the knowledge we have over our crafts, we have created a new and more powerful version of our old fighters. Instead of just having fixed plasma turrets on the front, the craft only has a single fixed plasma turret in the front of the craft as to cram an extra turret without harming aerodynamics of the planet. The main armament of this fighter is four turrets, two on the top and two on the bottom, each facing opposite of each other to the side of the craft giving each a 180 degree cone of fire and allowing all turrets to fire if an enemy craft is behind or in front of the fighter. The AI has also been given some tweaks to make it better at actually evading missiles and a more powerful grav drive has been installed so it might be able to dodge the current missiles our enemy uses.

This is the "DEAR GOD KILL THE TALONS NAOW" option. For now, however, I will abstain.

[VoidSlayer]

Design: Alien Abductor

A heavy, much larger ship designed for minimal crew.  It is meant to hit high profile areas with overwhelming firepower and sustain significant damage.  A full two meters of advanced alien alloys protect the craft, with additional internal walls the equivalent of a small scout hull.  The craft has an armored dedicated missile bay which can launch two missiles at a time from the top and bottom of the craft and carry 16 total.  A glowing green ring around the perimeter of the ship acts as a plasma turret, actually like four plasma turrets and a plasma wave generator.  In addition the front of the craft has a heavy plasma cannon, a devastating weapon that fires a much more concentrated and deadly plasma burst at almost four times the speed of sound.

The ship only has room for two combat units, but can operate independently thanks to an onboard AI that assists with combat and flight.  Four engines equal to the medium scout move this craft with speed and maneuverability unthinkable for such a large object.

Specs:
2 meter thick advanced alien alloy armor
Internal armored walls for every item
At least equal to medium scout in maneuverability
Ring Plasma Turret - Equal to four plasma turrets and a dedicate plasma wave.  Can fire in any direction or multiple directions at the same time.
Front Plasma Cannon - Powerful and faster firing plasma weapon
Missile bay with 16 missiles, can fire two at a time, one out of the top and one out of the bottom
2 crew
AI navigator assistant
Target VP 6

Design: Psionic Cannon

Not so much a traditional cannon but an amplifier that locks on to sentient mental energies at extreme ranges and floods them with sensory overload.  Used by a choir of sectoids, this can target a single or a few individuals in an air born vehicle.  This makes them unable to fly the craft, allowing easy destruction, if they do not crash themselves.  Sectoids need to be on the craft, so obviously they can not be used on fighters.

[VoidSlayer]

I have also rethought the terror worms if anyone is interested in an updated design.