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[Aseaheru]

 Yes, there are replacement limbs. Its still lopping off four limbs for the thing.
 Also, future infantry weapons/armor will not be free, so unless we want out expensive smec pilots(I doubt the conversion to being a torso with some modular bits on their stumps will be free) running around in a few years with fuckall to protect them... Well, we could leave them on overwatch outside with or without the suit.

 In any event, my main issues, to restate them, are that this project is gonna be super expensive, its going to be irreversible for our troops to go into the program(granted, most of the issues from that arent our concern as the soulless bastards we are acting as), we might not be able to use it even if we want to(depends soley on if Glloyd sticks limits on what fits in a skyranger, and if they dont I would say get something like a Wiesel AWC instead), and that I would prefer to have experience with plasma resistant armors(and possibly better infantry arms) prior to doing something as large and as valuable as a mec/mech/mek/whatever.

 We could also potentially just go the SPARK route, with the experience we have getting TACTICS/-AL going, and then turn that into a SMAC.

The Semi-Autonomous Light Armored Platform is the result of criticism resulting from the Gladiator SMAC Proposal with three key differences: First, there is no pilot. Instead, a semi-autonomous AI system is installed along with telecommunications equipment to link it to an engineer or to the Remote Equipment Mobility Facilitator(see below for details). Second, an automatic grenade launcher is installed in replacement for the blade, as said program is not expected to be sufficient for melee combat, or 'shaking' as one engineer continues to enthusiastically refer to it as. And finally, Third; due to reduced requirements for internal volume for pilot and pilot-related equipment, the armor has been skimmed down from pure alien alloy to a composite of said alloy, carbon aerogel, thermoplastics, and other technologies in an effort to reduce cost of armor while potentially increasing its damage resistance.

 This proposal uses the same resources as the Gladiator SMAC it is based upon.

Spoiler: Gladiator SMAC proposal, for refrence. Please direct criticism towards Chief Waffles (click to show/hide)

The Gladiator SMAC is a fairly large... "suit of armor". Powered using technology derived from the alien UFO power cores, it's capable of tremendous feats. While the bulk of it is made out of (still very strong) conventional metals, we've employed an alien alloy internal skeleton, and armor plating. Extremely durable, yet not extremely heavy; and the Alloy skeleton cuts down on requirements for other conventional metals. It may be a big target but have fun knocking it down. SMAC Operatives remove their bionic limbs and situate themselves into the suit, where they gain control of the mechanized limbs and all its fancy features. And no, their head is not sticking out. It is fully inside the armor. We don't know why people were suggesting that.
TACTICAL is, of course, integrated into the whole SMAC. And for bonus points since the limbs are mechanical, TACTICAL gets to take on a more active role in aim assist. From slightly adjusting aim to aim assist to autonomous shooting. The operator chooses what level when.
A mode also exists to show only TACTICAL data along with some basic wireframes for obstacles/cover, rather than a full visual feed. In case the pancake aliens' cognitohazards can propagate through visual feeds.

Its weapon is pretty much the same overkill 20mm cannon used by the Guardian. Well, no, its main weapon. The other arm hosts an extending alien alloy blade to shiv engage in melee combat with enemy combatants. The extremely strong blade, skeleton, and power behind the skeleton, should lead to devastating damage. Against the judgement of saner minds, our soldiers will be excited to know this blade can be launched outwards at blistering speeds. And, if intact after impact, retrieved.

SMAC Pilots can hop out in the field. While their bionics aren't immensely strong and don't give them superhuman abilities or anything, they can be folded to enter the SMAC and unfolded to leave it. Allowing for engagement in tighter spaces. An unpiloted SMAC continues to operate within the TACTICAL network as a stationary weapons platform, able of turning itself and aiming/firing its weapon, but not of proper locomotion. Meaning that even when a SMAC is disembarked from, it continues to be a menacing asset.

Gladiators also are prepared for stowing of (on their exterior) mission-relevant items for immediate use in the field. From medical supplies, to pretty much anything an engineer would want (no more lugging around guardian turrets and drones and more!) and, well, anything. Deployable items can be ejected from wherever they're held to be deployed without requirement for manual deployment. For instance, a stowed Guardian turret could be ejected off the back of a SMAC and deploy on the ground behind it.

Importantly, SMAC operators are trained specifically for this. Regular combat is of course included (and it's not completely exclusive to SMAC combat) for disembarking, but we aren't just throwing existing soldiers into these exosuits. They'll be properly trained to exploit their suit to the fullest of its potential. Also trained not to brag about it to the rookies. (This part skipped if no Doctrinal token)


Overall. A Gladiator SMAC is equipped with a 20mm autocannon and a retractable alien alloy blade, each one a vaguely human-like arm. TACTICAL integration allows for autonomous firing and/or aim assist, and operators can disembark to fight on foot (using foldable bionics) while the Gladiator stays in place using its cannon. Lots of potential for storage, including easy ejecting for deployable items to cancel out manual requirements. UFO Power Core-based tech gives it enough power for immense strength and can launch the alloy blade forward at extreme speeds (to be retrieved if intact). Alien alloys have been integrated as exterior armor plating and as a skeleton for maximum strength (and skeleton should mean less conventional metals needed to maintain integrity). Soldiers are properly trained for it all, and MELD is of course used to allow humans to pilot these suits in the first place. No part of an operator's body is exposed to the outside, and the suit's visual+TACTICAL feed can be replaced with a basic wireframe/TACTICAL info feed in case of cognitohazards. Lots o' TACTICAL sensors and whatnot.

The Semi-Autonomous Armored Mover is XCOM's take on the German Wiesel Armoured Weapons Carrier, or more specifically the American experiments into turning one into an armored drone as an alternative to forays into what can only be described as mechs(if only as the proposals for them require delimbing troopers). Based loosely upon the Wiesel 1 chassis, the vehicle has been rearmored with composites made from thermoplastics, carbon aerogel, aramarid fibers, ceramic plate and alien alloy, and is armed with a weapons mix of XCOMs own choosing.
 The platform has two turrets, technically. The first, main turret is based upon our APW "Guardian" but mounts the Rheinmetall RMK30 recoilless autocannon with a coaxial M2HB machinegun for lighter targets. The second turret is almost vestigial, and mounts only a 40mm grenade launcher designed for dual feeding, for light indirect-fire support, smoke projection, and with the right ammunition, the chance of knocking out enemy targets via application of baton rounds. Both turrets are designed to be able to be operated by average soldiers.
 Other features of the system include racks for holding two Guardians and two Sky Eye drones, along with complete integration into our TACTIC-AL network via the REMF system, where it acts as a local node for its parasite equipment.

 This proposal is to use our captured alien alloy, Meld(thanks to REMF) and our alien navigation gubbins(also thanks to REMF).

The Remote Equipment Mobility Facilitator, known as REMF and not to be confused with "rear echelon mother f**ker" is, to put things simply, a telepresence rig allowing the user to "rig into" any piece of equipment it is connected to intended to bring a remote-operated system to levels above and beyond that of a standard human operator. A port on ones neck linked into the nervous system of the operator via the material "Meld" is the first step of the process. From there, a dedicated computer system known as a "control rig" connects the user via high bandwith lasers, microwaves, and in emergencies radio to the device they are rigging into, allowing a single operator to, for example, control multiple SL-AM or SL-LAP units, along with fleets of spy eyes, guardian turrets, and with the right work done, whatever else we wish to use.

AKA, Rigging, from Shadowrun.

The SL-AM might be slightly too conservative, but ahwell. Getting a slightly upgunned platform incase they, say, armor their flying flapjacks would be nice, as is the ability to add copious quantities of explosives to almost any scenario. And, well, it should be plenty small and light enough for sticking in a skyranger, if only one of them..?

[Chiefwaffles]

In any event, my main issues, to restate them, are that this project is gonna be super expensive,

Of course it'll cost stuff. But the use of tokens helps with that and the way it makes up for other costs also makes up for it. Also, its potential effectiveness makes up for it.

its going to be irreversible for our troops to go into the program(granted, most of the issues from that arent our concern as the soulless bastards we are acting as)

Again, competent replacement bionics. Besides if we win we'll easily have better tech to replace their old bionic limbs in addition to the heapings of praise, money, and medals. And if we lose, well they and everyone else have much bigger issues to worry about.

we might not be able to use it even if we want to(depends soley on if Glloyd sticks limits on what fits in a skyranger, and if they dont I would say get something like a Wiesel AWC instead)

Ignoring the fact that the Wiesel is huge, any version of it would be much less versatile, and clearly much bigger than a MEC/SMAC; MECs fit in Skyrangers in XCOM in addition to fitting into UFOs and literally everywhere else. I really feel like you're grossly overestimating the size of the SMAC. Also note that even if SMACs are unexpectedly huge easily surpassing MECs, the Skyranger can fit two squads in it already.

I would prefer to have experience with plasma resistant armors(and possibly better infantry arms) prior to doing something as large and as valuable as a mec/mech/mek/whatever.

Well this part just flat-out makes no sense. It's alloy armor. Using the alloy token. On something as big as a MEC/SMAC. If anything it makes more sense to get alloy armoring on the SMAC first. Get good armor first then worry about fitting it to infantry without impacting agility or effectiveness yet maximizing coverage.
And regarding the weapons, the SMAC proposal very explicitly states it uses the exact same weapon as the Guardian. Meaning that any "heavy weapon" we develop should easily be fitted to both the Guardian and Gladiator. It's not going to be locked to the 20mm cannon (which is still, by the way, overkill) at all.

As for SPARK-likes, the first thing to note is that the SA-LAP is not similar to a SPARK. Chiefly in the fact that it's semi-autonomous. So an engineer will have to babysit them, it'll be dead in the water if the aliens so much as consider jamming signals, and even with an engineer remote-controlling them forgetting all other tasks they just won't be as competent as a fully autonomous asset -- the SMAC. As it happens, it's easier to control things when they're wired to be controlled as a natural extension of your body (via MELD), than it is to control them via a touch-screen tablet interface. Experience in building a smart-targeting network isn't going to be particularly easy to translate into building any kind of competent actual robot.
Also we won't be able to apply the doctrine token, and it's definitely going to cost more EP (the root of your entire anti-SMACA argument) to build in the equipment to allow it to act autonomously.

Also, future infantry weapons/armor will not be free, so unless we want out expensive smec pilots(I doubt the conversion to being a torso with some modular bits on their stumps will be free) running around in a few years with fuckall to protect them... Well, we could leave them on overwatch outside with or without the suit.

They will have fuckall to protect them. The overwatching SMAC. And besides, unless the aliens build completely bulletproof extremely lethal infantry-grade combatants in the foreseeable future, they'll still be of notable use even when equipped with conventional firearms and armor. And the conversion doesn't make sense to not be free (it's just cutting off limbs then adding small basic artificial replacements -- maybe a tough feat for modern hospitals, but we're a highly-funded top-secret staffed-with-geniuses military organization in a setting where XCOM rules and technologies and mechanics take priority over real life limitations); but if you were to disregard that then you can look to the fact that in Enemy Within it costs exactly $10 (a medikit costs $25, a fresh rookie costs $10 on Normal/Easy and $15 on Classic/Impossible) and 10 meld (we don't have meld as a currency -- just a token) to turn any soldier into a MEC Trooper, artificial limbs and all.
That and you're still missing the point that this is merely a secondary "plan C"-type feature. The XCOM Skyranger can fit one squadron, and its MECS easily fit into it. MECs can also easily fit into UFOs. As I've said, it seems you're grossly overestimating the size of the SMAC. And as I've implied/stated before too, being powered by an extremely proficient energy  source with an alloy skeleton and external plating really does help with smashing through anything that a SMAC can't fit into.

[Aseaheru]

TLDR version:  Do I want powerarmor? Yes. Do I want mechs? Possibly. Do I want either via being shitty excuses for human beings? No. Do I want powerarmor/mechs right this second? Kinda. Do I think we can get good ones right this second? No.

>Its less the project being expensive than the suit being overly expensive to field.
>I know about the sodding bionics, I'm talking from mostly RP reasons, as evidenced by "granted, most of the issues from that arent our concern as the soulless bastards we are acting as". I.e., what happens after the war, psychological effects, etc. So, yes, this is a "I dont like it for reasons that are besides the point" objection from me.
>The Wiesel is tiny for what it is. Its smaller than a damn Humvee. Less versatile is up soley to what we do with it, and you can stick a hell of alot more on a tracked platform than on something with legs. Which is besides the point, but ahwell.
>We dont really know if alien alloy is plasma resistant, nothing says it is anywhere I can find. Fantastically strong and durable? Yes. Resistant to heat? I cant find information either way on the wiki. And, on my part, the "I want experience first" means basically that "I want to ensure that when we get this, it works right the first time and is fucking awesome." As for infantry arms, well, the 20mm cannon is stated to be short range and I want more explosives. I always want more explosives. Boom.

 The main reason why the SA-LAP isint a robot is because of the notes from Guardian. As for tablets only, theres always telepresence, it doesent need to have a engineer babysitter on a tablet when it could have a rigger. Plus, safer for the operator than being in the suit and allows for more explosives. Explosives.
 Would you like me to add telepresence to the SA-LAP and SL-AM? That way we dont have to worry about the operator being theoretically physically or mentally crippled or killed in combat, or even with shitty AI.
 Might want to check yer grammar on "they will have fuckall to protect them. the overwatching SMAC" as it reads asthough the SMAC is indeed useless to protect them when they are inside the ship.

 As for my concerns over size... Well, thats mostly from internal disconnects concerning the size of alien power cells(where they are shown to be anywhere from a column to a truck in size) and squeamishness about silly shit we dont actually have to give a shit about, like deliberately turning our troops into paraplegics, with or without replacement limbs. Call me a fool, call me a shen impersonator, but (insert something about not loosing humanity in an arms race game. Yes, it probally sounds as silly to you as it does me.)

[Madman198237]

XCOM Equipment Creation Facility
Located around the main base, the ECF is a modern marvel of technology. Utilizing an alien tech-derived reactor to provide power for the whole setup and the base proper, a set of machines built out of and intended to work with alien alloys, and a host of other more conventional pieces of industrial equipment, the ECF is intended to provide for us the ability to outfit a small army in conventional equipment. Barring that, we figure we may also be able to use its capabilities to outfit a few dozen guys with some stuff that is most definitely not available on the normal market.

Stretched out around the main base, room upon room of manufacturing facilities, processing facilities, some metallurgy setups, advanced metalworking, printing, and more all fill a ring constructed on a tram and elevator system that provides rapid personnel and materials transfer around the whole underground network, so that the presence of a very large manufacturing area does not (seriously) impact regular base functions.

There's really just no way to fluff out "we make all the things in our own base", is there? Actually, I don't like this much.

Let's do something funnier.

Economics of Expenditure for Equipment of Extraterrestrial Extraction
The EEEEE is our very own office for giving something back to the XCOM project so that we can continue to equip our troops with new shiny things. Lots of debris is recovered after every mission---if the aliens are defeated or XCOM manages to maintain some official presence to deter looters, every single item of extraterrestrial origin, down to bloodstained bricks and the shell casings used to kill them, are recovered by the XCOM project to build up the most complete possible picture of what happened, like a crime scene. Except that, y'know, half the people involved were from space. These little bits and pieces tend to build up. Around XCOM, once we've thoroughly documented what an alien's skin is composed of and how the bullets and their casings that were used to kill it reacted to the stress of firing in combat so we can improve the next generation of bullets, we don't really need any of them any more, and so they end up stuck in storage.

However, that doesn't have to be the fate of these little bits and pieces. There are, it is well known, many rather wealthy individuals who like to collect somewhat...esoteric things. We're too busy saving the world to judge them for their interest in bits of aliens and the bullets used to kill them, but we can certainly profit off of it. The EEEEE division is responsible for ensuring that we profit in a timely (rapid) fashion and that such sales do not interfere with our ability to work with alien tech. They are tasked with, as they're founded, building up a network of semi-clandestine contacts through which we can sell things without ruffling official feathers, and establishing some protocols to ensure that everything in a battlefield that may be of value to collectors is removed posthaste and without allowing any government agencies to attempt to claim any of it.

To aid them in this task, we have invented the THUMBDRIVE. Wait, no, sorry, we didn't invent that. We just borrowed somebody else's flashdrive and programmed it so that a cleanup team can plug it into the forehead drive of a TACTICAL visor. This flashdrive runs a program that allows the TACTICAL system to locate bits and pieces of interest to collectors, our research teams, or anyone else in our organization. TACTICAL itself is modified lightly to allow for the increased precision of the identification program.
[Credit to Chiefwaffles for the idea of upgrading TACTICAL to find us little bets of sellable stuff]

The EEEEE's sales are presently geared towards covering the money necessary to provide infantry on the ground with the sort of equipment that will survive or at least win a fight against some aliens.

This design would net us EPs, and we could follow it with something like an improved, much larger drone with some armor...and a Guardian setup with an M2 .50 cal mounted to the bottom for that special XCOM touch.

[Man of Paper]

Change the name to Regulation of the Economics of Expenditure for Equipment of Extraterrestrial Extraction and you have my vote.

[Madman198237]

The repeated "E" is important, and I'm NOT going to be making a "REEEE" joke, disappointing though that may be to some of our less...cultured forum members.

Not that I'm looking at MoP anyone in particular, of course.


Jokes aside, I thought of that, decided that "no, I don't want to do that because that meme is stupid", and then decided that it was really much funnier to just have it be a name that's going to perpetually confuse ebbor as to how many "E"'s are actually in the name.

[Aseaheru]

 Watch as they just call it E5 or 5E or something.

[Madman198237]

Watch as they just call it E5 or 5E or something.

Then I will be forced to stress my brain and make it EEEEEE instead.

[Chiefwaffles]

I read it once yesterday and I've already memorized the amount of Es in EEEEE. Anyways. I like the core idea, and I like the aspects of my idea in the core idea. So I shall steal respectfully and gratefully use it.

Basically the idea is that it should focus more on the TACTICAL stuff, and focus on using it in a way that noticeably benefits our ground troopers. Hell, I think we could get EP with a "revise TACTICs to detect useful salvage/lost gear/tech/stuff to sell" revision. While a design makes it more likely to succeed (and probably get more points) I think it's doing less than it reasonably should. So here's my thing.

Design: Economical Extraction of Extraterrestrial and Earthbased Equipment via Electronic Expansion (the difference in the name between this and EEEEE is simple, this one is EEEEEEE!)
Used Tokens: Alien Weapon Fragment, Alien Remains
Based on reports from our recovery teams about the useful things they've found, we think we could greatly facilitate the process in recovering and salvaging technology, materials, and items of potential sentimental value.

TACTICAL has done great in realtime battlefield analysis, targeting, and information compilation. By increasing its processing power and recognition abilities and programming in things we've learned from our first engagements and subsequent site cleanup/recovery/salvage operations, we can have it help a lot more than with combat.
Simply put, we program TACTICAL to recognize more than just aliens and hostiles. It'll be able to recognize alien technology and perform further realtime analysis of alien combatants; both of these capabilities of course are based on recovered alien remains and weapon fragments. Helps to be able to know what to look for in general, even if you don't know exactly what you're looking for.

For our soldiers, TACTICAL should be able to recognize potential aliens/hostiles more quickly and off of less data. And also point out known/likely weak spots in alien anatomy based on what we already know of their... biological design processes?
Alien technology/materials (and lost/damaged XCOM equipment) and other items of potential value will be noted by the network; it won't be highlighted or anything for soldiers but the locations of anything valuable will be saved for later usage. While not important nor cool enough to get the actual fancy HUD visor parts, our recovery & salvage & clean-up teams will be able to use this data to quickly pinpoint anything of note or potentially worth taking back with us.
Similar use of this to help analyze recovered items will help us determine which ones we can "donate" (for extra funding, of course) to our sponsors without hurting technology. No longer will we just chuck anything that looks vaguely alien in an underground warehouse "just in case" it turns out to be useful.

So, in summary, general improvement of the TACTICAL and specific training off of alien technology (via weapon fragments) and anatomy (alien remains). In combat TACTICAL will be able to analyze and locate potential hostiles quicker and with less required data as well as point out potential/known weak spots in alien hostiles. Detection of alien technology is saved for use by our clean-up teams to much more easily and efficiently recover more items of value from an area (whether it's alien materials, lost/damaged XCOM equipment, or anything that could be useful -- mostly to effectively increase EP). And use of this to assist analysts at the base in looking over recovered stuff should help us better determine stuff to give to our sponsors for increased funding.


We just upgrade our TACTICAL -- in general and based off of recovered alien crap. Anatomy relative knowledge should let it point out possible/already-known weak spots, and the general upgrades+improved knowledge of alien stuff should improve recognition abilities. Ability to recognize alien technology can be very useful for both recovering more stuff from operation sites (not necessarily tokens -- more-so focused on increased EP from recovering of useful alien material and reducing the loss of our stuff) and figuring out what stuff we do find is not-important enough to give to our sponsors.

Yes, it does use alien weapon fragments and alien remains. Both of which should be easy to recover in the future as long as we push our advantage. And both of which aren't exactly 100% essential for anything useful in the immediate future.

DESIGNS
Project Nail(Coilgun) | () :
TACTIC-AL-LY 'Blind Man'(Armor) | (2): 0cra, AseaHeru
"Gladiator" SMAC (0):
EEEEE (Madman's -- sell stuff to collectors) (0):
EEEEEEE (CW's -- upgrade TACTICAL recognition) (1): Chiefwaffles

BLACK MARKET VOTING(CHOOSE TWO OPTIONS)
Veteran Personnel | (1) : AseaHeru
Elerium | (2) : AseaHeru, Chiefwaffles
Advanced Weaponry | () :
Doctrinal Support | (1) : Chiefwaffles

Still want to do the SMAC or something extremely similar to it, but I don't think we need it this very turn. Just in the near future would be nice. But for now, improved infantry capability along with more EP would be nice.

Though on the note of the SMAC, I do have two questions for Ebbor:
1.) What's our current knowledge on Meld and the limitations we have regarding it? It was given to us pretty unceremoniously and while in the SMAC design I assume the Meld token here represents basically the main Meld discovery research in Enemy Within, do we have to start smaller/with more basic stuff using Meld?
2.) Unsure if this is a valid question, but is the limb amputation in XCOM MECs considered a notable/important step here? Like if we would to forego it for a MEC-like design would we have notably increased difficulty relative to XCOM-verse MECs.

[Aseaheru]

You have missed two design proposals
 

DESIGNS
Project Nail(Coilgun) | () :
TACTIC-AL-LY 'Blind Man'(Armor) | (2): 0cra, AseaHeru
"Gladiator" SMAC (0):
SA-LAP/REMF (Teleoperated Gladiator) | () :
SL-AM/REMF (SHIV on drugs) | () :
EEEEE (Madman's -- sell stuff to collectors) (0):
EEEEEEE (CW's -- upgrade TACTICAL recognition) (1): Chiefwaffles

BLACK MARKET VOTING(CHOOSE TWO OPTIONS)
Veteran Personnel | (1) : AseaHeru
Elerium | (2) : AseaHeru, Chiefwaffles
Advanced Weaponry | () :
Doctrinal Support | (1) : Chiefwaffles

[Happerry]

DESIGNS
Project Nail(Coilgun) | () :
TACTIC-AL-LY 'Blind Man'(Armor) | (2): 0cra, AseaHeru
"Gladiator" SMAC (0):
SA-LAP/REMF (Teleoperated Gladiator) | () :
SL-AM/REMF (SHIV on drugs) | () :
EEEEE (Madman's -- sell stuff to collectors) (0):
EEEEEEE (CW's -- upgrade TACTICAL recognition) (2): Chiefwaffles, Happerry

BLACK MARKET VOTING(CHOOSE TWO OPTIONS)
Veteran Personnel | (1) : AseaHeru
Elerium | (3) : AseaHeru, Chiefwaffles, Happerry
Advanced Weaponry | () :
Doctrinal Support | (1) : Chiefwaffles, Happerry

[Madman198237]

Enhancement of Extraterrestrials' Enemies' Economics via Establishment of Economical Extraction of Extraterrestrial and Earthling Equipment via Electronics Expansion (EEEEEEEEEEE)
Used Tokens: Alien Weapon Fragment, Alien Remains
XCOM loves its data. We try and collect every bit of alien everything that we can after a battle, so we know exactly what happened and why. To regulate this, we have created a new division of XCOM: E12. E12 is the department dedicated to finding a new home for some badly overpaid enlisted soldiers, and also the department responsible for making use of all the bits we can't really use. Most of them, of course, get warehoused, and that's the end of that---they're useless to us, after all.

However, that doesn't have to be the fate of these little bits and pieces. primary goal of E12 is to produce a network of contacts through which we can reliably, quickly, and profitably sell bits of "alien memorabilia" and the like---shattered fragments of an alien skull, the bullet that killed an alien invader, burned and broken fragments of alien spacecraft, everything we can't readily use. Every mission will produce this sort of junk that isn't useful enough to be researched or utilized, but can certainly be sold to collectors. The EEEEE division is responsible for ensuring that we profit in a timely (rapid) fashion and that such sales do not interfere with our ability to work with alien tech. They are tasked with, as they're founded, building up a network of semi-clandestine contacts through which we can sell things without ruffling official feathers, and establishing some protocols to ensure that everything in a battlefield that may be of value to collectors is removed posthaste and without allowing any government agencies to attempt to claim any of it.

However, we're pretty sure that we can do better in the area of collecting things from a battlefield---lots of things are small and easily missed, after all. Enter TACTICAL.

TACTICAL has done great in realtime battlefield analysis, targeting, and information compilation. By increasing its recognition abilities and programming in some things we've learned from our first engagements and subsequent site cleanup/recovery/salvage operations, we can have it help a lot more than with combat.
Simply put, we program TACTICAL to recognize more than just aliens and hostiles. It'll be able to recognize alien technology and perform further realtime analysis of alien combatants; both of these capabilities of course are based on recovered alien remains and weapon fragments---we know the sorts of biological signs an alien outputs, what their weapons look like and what their weapons emit as far as "detectable stuff" goes, etc.

This new version of TACTICAL is capable of locating bits of alien tech, XCOM tech, and alien bodies on the fly, and logging the locations for later use. If an alien throws a grenade, the soldier sees it highlighted on his HUD. If an alien is holding a plasma pistol, the soldier's HUD informs him. If it's holding something else, well the HUD can tell the soldier about that thing too---if we don't know about a weapon, all we have to do is recover one and program its characteristics into the TACTICAL computer.

The end result is that a soldier's perception of the battlefield is bumped up another notch, we end up with a network of contacts to gain money to equip soldiers with, and our ability to recover battlefield debris, dropped or misplaced XCOM equipment, and broken shards of alien tech is improved dramatically---we are able to recover a lot of stuff and sell it to collectors for lots of money (Equipment Points).


Lots of credit to Chiefwaffles for being a great acronymer who helped me on the road to torturous acronym perfection.
Oh, and also for rewriting my proposal with lots of great ideas, which I have no shamelessly stolen, I guess.

DESIGNS
Project Nail(Coilgun) | () :
TACTIC-AL-LY 'Blind Man'(Armor) | (2): 0cra, AseaHeru
"Gladiator" SMAC (0):
SA-LAP/REMF (Teleoperated Gladiator) | () :
SL-AM/REMF (SHIV on drugs) | () :
EEEEE (Madman's -- sell stuff to collectors) (0):
EEEEEEE (CW's -- upgrade TACTICAL recognition) (2): Chiefwaffles, Happerry
EEEEEEEEEEEE (E12), Madman's newest abomination, use TACTICAL upgrade for extreme EP production (1): Madman

BLACK MARKET VOTING(CHOOSE TWO OPTIONS)
Veteran Personnel | (1) : AseaHeru
Elerium | (4) : AseaHeru, Chiefwaffles, Happerry, Madman
Advanced Weaponry | () :
Doctrinal Support | (3) : Chiefwaffles, Happerry, Madman

Vote my proposal, it's a full SIX pay grades above Chief's (for reference, the military's enlisted pay grades are ranked with "E#" schemes---so E1 would be a new recruit, E3 is like a private first class, etc.)

[Carefulrogue]

DESIGNS
Project Nail(Coilgun) | () :
TACTIC-AL-LY 'Blind Man'(Armor) | (2): 0cra, AseaHeru
"Gladiator" SMAC (0):
SA-LAP/REMF (Teleoperated Gladiator) | () :
SL-AM/REMF (SHIV on drugs) | () :
EEEEE (Madman's -- sell stuff to collectors) (0):
EEEEEEE (CW's -- upgrade TACTICAL recognition) (2): Chiefwaffles, Happerry
EEEEEEEEEEEE (E12), Madman's newest abomination, use TACTICAL upgrade for extreme EP production (2): Madman, Carefulrogue

BLACK MARKET VOTING(CHOOSE TWO OPTIONS)
Veteran Personnel | (1) : AseaHeru
Elerium | (4) : AseaHeru, Chiefwaffles, Happerry, Madman, Carefulrogue
Advanced Weaponry | () :
Doctrinal Support | (3) : Chiefwaffles, Happerry, Madman, Carefulrogue

[Aseaheru]

 A three way tie... Allrighty.

[stabbymcstabstab]

DESIGNS
Project Nail(Coilgun) | () :
TACTIC-AL-LY 'Blind Man'(Armor) | (2): 0cra, AseaHeru
"Gladiator" SMAC (0):
SA-LAP/REMF (Teleoperated Gladiator) | () :
SL-AM/REMF (SHIV on drugs) | () :
EEEEE (Madman's -- sell stuff to collectors) (0):
EEEEEEE (CW's -- upgrade TACTICAL recognition) (2): Chiefwaffles, Happerry
EEEEEEEEEEEE (E12), Madman's newest abomination, use TACTICAL upgrade for extreme EP production (3): Madman, Carefulrogue, Stabby

BLACK MARKET VOTING(CHOOSE TWO OPTIONS)
Veteran Personnel | (1) : AseaHeru
Elerium | (6) : AseaHeru, Chiefwaffles, Happerry, Madman, Carefulrogue, stabby
Advanced Weaponry | () :
Doctrinal Support | (5) : Chiefwaffles, Happerry, Madman, Carefulrogue, stabby