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[NUKE9.13]

So, for this turn's mission, I'm thinking we go RC in Australia again, using covert support to stall XCOM's response. If we succeed in bringing Australia up to High Infiltration (or whatever tier 3 is called), we might be able to start actually bringing the entire country over to the Ethereal cause. To that end, I would suggest the following revision this turn:

High Level Negotiation: Certain members of the ruling classes of Earth have come to understand that our victory is inevitable. They are ready to discuss a peaceful resolution to this 'conflict'. We can offer them trinket technology, cessation or limitation of our activities in their country, and positions of power in the new world order. In exchange, they will reduce or halt funding for the XCOM project, willingly provide us with the materials and knowledge that we seek, and promise to assist us when we enter the final stages of assimilating Earth.
We have used knowledge gained from our EXALT captives to create a framework by which the government may be compromised in our favour, with their citizens being none the wiser- EXALT knows a thing or two about keeping large organisations secret. This will make it consideably harder for XCOM to root out our allies, as they are hidden in amongst legitimate goverment employees, controlling things from the shadows. XCOM's usual 'guns blazing' approach won't work in such case, unless they want to make an enemy of the entire country.
Mechanically, the goal of this mission is to contact, negotiate with, and then ensure the safe and anonymous departure of our new allies. Should XCOM interfere, they should be either eliminated, or kept away from the negotiations long enough for them to conclude, and prevented from identifying our collaborators.

A revised version of RC, my hope is that if successful, we would either reduce XCOM's available resources or increase ours- something we could really use, considering XCOM is seriously starting to outclass us techwise. Use of the EXALT token would make our control harder to break, so XCOM couldn't just undo the work of four missions with a single strike.
@ebbor: would this be a valid use of the EXALT token?
Also, would tier 3 infiltration be enough to start converting a country?

[10ebbor10]

@ebbor: would this be a valid use of the EXALT token?

Yup.

Also, would tier 3 infiltration be enough to start converting a country?

The Panic meter goes to 4, before there's an abandoning, and the infiltration meter is intended to be similar. Cutting support slightly may be something you might be able to do at 3?

[Kashyyk]

On that theme, I think we should develop a terror mission of some kind. If we can launch one as a distraction, then XCom will be forced to respond, possibly instead of a more important mission, like a final infiltration.

[NUKE9.13]

Also, would tier 3 infiltration be enough to start converting a country?

The Panic meter goes to 4, before there's an abandoning, and the infiltration meter is intended to be similar. Cutting support slightly may be something you might be able to do at 3?

Hmm. Do we even need a special mission to convert a country then, or do they automatically convert when we reach 4 infiltration?

[10ebbor10]

I'll trigger an event.

[VoidSlayer]

The reason x-com is winning on the ground is they have longer range weapons with better vision tech, we need something to increase the ranged accuracy of our plasma rifle, add vision enhancement to our soldiers or come up with something else entirely.  Maybe some kind of smoke grenade?  When our soldiers got into actual combat range they did okay.

Also remember we only got close to a victory because we took out two sky-rangers, on even numbers they would have floored us.

[Kashyyk]

What if we developed a "night mission" type, that can be used in conjunction with standard missions. Assuming we don't get shot during the day, this should ensure the combat ranges are drastically reduced.

[VoidSlayer]

We should probably develop something to actually function well at night before sending them on night missions.

[NUKE9.13]

Also remember we only got close to a victory because we took out two sky-rangers, on even numbers they would have floored us.

Right, but many of our troops were killed or injured during the crash, and our mortar was disabled. If we armour our craft, we get more boots on the ground, and mortar support. I mean, yeah, it's still not a good sign for us that 1 squad was able to win, but had we not suffered aerial losses, that one squad would've been toast.

[Kashyyk]

Even if we didn't, the vision penalty would affect them more than us, as they have longer range weaponry.

[VoidSlayer]

We really need to add some better psionics for the sectoids, they are offering little right now.

[Kashyyk]

Upgrading their mind meld to mind control would play merry hell with XCom. It'd force them to kill each other and we'd get targeting information for our Mutons.

[VoidSlayer]

Maybe even just panic or fear, if they hesitate or just start shooting each other randomly it would be enough.

[NUKE9.13]

Two potential revisions, both aimed at improving our infantry (especially Sectoids):

Light Infantry Armour: Currently, our troops deploy virtually naked, resulting in extreme vulnerability. Even some very basic armour would increase their efficacy considerably, whilst not significantly increasing costs. To this end, we have elected to deploy Light Infantry Armour- thin plates of Alloy strapped over vital areas, with the first and foremost design goal being that the cost is insignificant, so that we may provide it to all our forces. The straps used are elastic, and the exact configuration of plates customisable, allowing all our forces to use it (except for infiltrated Skin Crawlers).

Mental Feedback: Building off of our Reversible Mind Merge technique, Mental Feedback involves a Gift-user sending disharmonious psionic energy through the an existing mind-merge link, to cause mental distress in the target. This automatically breaks the merge, causing only minor discomfort to the user, whilst the target is afflicted with distracting- indeed, terrifying- visions and voices, resulting in panicked/erratic behaviour.
Our psionic prisoner has been studied in order to tailor the feedback in such a manner as to cause the target to see everyone as an enemy, hopefully resulting in friendly fire.

@ebbor: Is providing our forces with Cheap armour plausible, or will even light armour cost some amount of EP?

Also, we are still listed as having 2 DNA tokens, but I'm pretty sure we spent them already.

[Shadowclaw777]

I mean I like the Plasma Rifle Production Line Revision that was suggested so we can outfit more of our aliens with harder-hitting rifles, those things came with modularity points remember so it could have Advanced Alien Scopes and Underbarrel Grenade Launchers and whatnot; and getting one or two of those would make our ground force much more formidable. Actually from Xcom 2, there was that Armor Shredding mechanic? Maybe Alien Shredder Rounds that peel off alien alloys and Armor and making further shots from low-powered technology like a pistol than now do critical damage.

Also for things we could revise, we could make the Long War Recon Drone into an armored air-to-surface assault drone, and it doesn’t have to be a cyberdisc; or you could go with the radar-cloaking Seekers for ambush and skirmishing tactics. Also that revision for Mind Fray would use up the Psionic Prisoner token I think?, I think that should go on a design, and you know what was really annoying to deal with, those goddamn Codices with teleportation and duplication; if we could replicate those aliens, they would be the most annoying thing for Xcom to deal with; and those things were psionic biomechanical units I believe, since they were effected by EMPs and Mind Control?

This lastly comes down that we need another facility to increase our production of vehicle points to unit points, a genetic-creation faculty on Mars?