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# System prepended metadata

title: Foxtrot + Marine Reinforcements

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**Abstract**
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The goal right now is to improve the feel of Foxtrot and marine reinforcements. I've spoken with a cohort of CO players, and in general, the feeling right now is that Foxtrot is at once the worst and best pick right now. 

It's a very powerful buy altogether, but with only five marines, the kind of experience you get with Foxtrot is very dependant on a literal roll of the dice. There's also lore implications to be worked out with Foxtrot.

Adding onto this, for both gameplay and lore reasons, the goal is to add a second layer of marine reinforcements past Foxtrot. These reinforcements would come from a random pick of the friendly factions we have in our lore. We have all these great assets in our codebase for the UPP, TWE, and various mercenary factions that only get used in the last 20 minutes of the game, and this finally opens them up.

**Goals**
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- Make Foxtrot feel more like a reserve squad from a lore perspective.
- Make Foxtrot's quality less dependent on luck of who rolls it and more dependent on cohesion. (No spec, more core roles.)
- Add a secondary option for reinforcements after Foxtrot that let's us bring in ERT assets into the core game while highlighting the desperateness of the situation.
- Bring more RP into longer rounds by enabling the more frequent appearances of friendly UPP, TWE, and our mercenary factions.

**Non-Goals**
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- Avoid straight porting ERT teams as a midround spawn for marines. ERT teams are incredibly powerful. Any reinforcement teams should have their own loadouts and be balanced differently from ERTs.
- Avoid buffing Foxtrot back into the powerhouse it was when first introduced by Geeves.

**Content**
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### **Foxtrot:**
- Foxtrot Specialist is removed.
- Foxtrot is shifted to 'Foxtrot Squad' and added text is added with their awakening about ARES activating emergency contingency marines. 
- Foxtrot is no longer a multi-buy option. It is a one time buy as Foxtrot Squad.
- Foxtrot gets an increase in size to accomodate for the removal of power-roles from it, however this increase in size is followed by a porting of the pop-scaling feature.
- At its smallest, eg for 80-90 pop Foxtrot is 6 marines total: one squad lead, one ComTech, one Corpsmen, one SG, and 2 riflemen.
- At its largest, eg for 120+ Foxtrot is 12 marines total: one squad lead, two Comtechs, two Corpsmen, one SG, one FTL, and 5 riflemen.
- Foxtrot is increased in price in order to accomodate it's new beefier size.

### **Beacon Reinforcements:**
- Beacon Reinforcements should come at the 3rd level for techwebs, after Foxtrot since they're a desperate measure.
- Beacon Reinforcements is a one time use like Foxtrot, with the price of 10 points.
- Upon Activation, Beacon Reinforcements call a friendly team from a nearby ship. Friendly reinforcements come from a pool of Freelancers, TWE, UPP and VAIPO
- These reinforcements should have their own loadouts and setups different of their ERT counterparts to better balance them.
- These slots still need to come as freed mobs if not taken.

#### Freelancers:
- Freelancers, aka mercenaries, are local fighters who respond to the reinforcement beacon and have been paid by the Almayer to assist them with their fight against the Xenos.
- They have the most numbers, coming in at 10, but the worst equipment and skills of all reinforcements.
- Freelancers have already been paid by the Almayer when they're called by the beacon. They shouldn't arrive and immediately try to shake down the ship for more.

#### TWE: 
- Royal Marine Commandos in the area respond to the Almayer's call for reinforcements due to their military alliance with the UA.
- Due to their lax training standards, and reliance on the UA for military support, the RMC are the 2nd worst geared and skilled reinforcements. They come in at 8 people.

#### UPP: 
- Despite the thick tensions between the UA and the UPP, UPP in the area will respond to the Almayer's call for reinforcements with a team to help take down the Xenomorphs in the colony.
- UPP are brutally trained and boast a good arsenal, although with limited ammno. They come with six people.

#### VAIPO: 
- Mercenaries bankrolled by elements of the UA who are against Weyland Yutani and their corruption of the UA. VAIPO is made up of ex-USMC troops and conduct a number of off the books operations for the UA.
- Highly trained, and well equipped, VAIPO comes with six people.
- They'll need sigifcantly toned down equipment from that of their ERT for balance.