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About Xenonauts
Xenonauts is a turn‑based strategy title where you command a multinational force defending a Cold‑War‑era Earth from an alien invasion. Small squads of persistent soldiers fight on fully‑destructible battlefields while you coordinate a planetary defence network.
Beyond combat you manage limited funding, intercept UFOs with customisable aircraft, and research captured alien artefacts through an extensive tree. The emergent simulation ensures no two playthroughs are identical, blending tactical missions with a strategic layer that modernises classic X‑Com mechanics.
01 / THE GUIDE
Ground Combat
Turn‑based battles occur on realistic, varied and fully‑destructible maps, pitting squads against almost fifty alien variants. Missions include capturing crashed UFOs, defending cities, or protecting Xenonaut facilities, each offering distinct tactical challenges.
Combat is asymmetric: your 1970s ballistic technology faces intergalactic foes, creating tense encounters such as first‑time alien sightings or testing brand‑new weapons for the first time.
- Observe enemy movement before committing fire; the asymmetry often rewards cautious positioning.
- Use terrain destruction to create fresh cover or block alien lines of sight.
02 / THE GUIDE
Strategic Management
At the planetary level you allocate limited funds among equipment, scientists, and interceptor coverage. Balancing the needs of funding nations with your own priorities is essential to winning the war.
Customisable interceptors let you shoot down UFOs, while decisions about where to expand coverage affect the flow of alien threats across the globe.
- Track nation‑specific funding trends to anticipate budget shortfalls.
- Prioritise interceptor upgrades early to reduce incoming UFO pressure.
03 / THE GUIDE
Research Tree
The game features an extensive research tree with nearly a hundred projects, each unlocking new equipment, aircraft, or vehicles by reverse‑engineering alien artefacts. Each project includes unique description and painted artwork.
Progress through the tree gradually reveals the invaders’ intentions while expanding your battlefield options, allowing you to turn captured alien tech against its creators.
- Focus on projects that unlock new weapon types when facing unfamiliar alien variants.
- Balance research spending with immediate combat needs to avoid resource bottlenecks.
04 / THE GUIDE
Persistent Soldiers
Soldiers persist from mission to mission, gaining experience, ranks, and improved stats. Their growth creates emotional investment, but a single mistake can end a veteran’s career.
Because death is permanent, careful planning is encouraged; each loss removes a uniquely developed operative from future operations.
- Rotate veterans with rookies to preserve experience while mitigating risk.
- Assign higher‑risk tasks to newer soldiers to protect seasoned operatives.
05 / THE GUIDE
Emergent Simulation
Xenonauts contains no scripted missions; broad rules generate unique scenarios each playthrough. Shooting down a Scout UFO over the Arctic creates a crash‑site mission in an icy tileset.
Base attacks replicate your actual facilities, and night battles reduce sight range, ensuring every encounter feels organically tied to your strategic choices.
- Experiment with different interceptor launch times to see how mission contexts shift.
- Observe how darkness reduces enemy visibility and alters engagement tactics.
COMMUNITY
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