Fortunately, we have modders, who in the grand Bethesda tradition, have fixed all that! :D

I *think* the Long War 2 mod includes Stop Wasting My Time (or similar functionality), which is a mod that does, uh, exactly what it says. If not, I recommend getting it. I'm also running a mod (Commander's Choice) that allows me to say "no, the custom character who I made in the pool as an assault is a goddamn ASSAULT, not a SPECIALIST, THANK YOU."

Oh! And I'm running ... Improved Timers, I think it's called? Basically, the turn countdown doesn't begin until you break concealment. Which is logical! As opposed to the utter bullshit that is being dropped somewhere, all stealth-like, and having to give up that advantage from the outset because you have to sprint across the goddamn map to make it in time before the arbitrary limit no-sales the mission.

Seriously, though, the big thing I'm enjoying most is how this changes the overall feel of the game. I really do feel like I'm in charge of a resistance group. And the deliberately slower pace feels better to me too. Pacing-wise rather than mechanically, I suppose. The original incarnation felt... rushed. Artificially so, I mean.

--sofaspud
--

>Oh! And I'm running ... Improved Timers, I think it's called?
>Basically, the turn countdown doesn't begin until you break
>concealment. Which is logical! As opposed to the utter bullshit that
>is being dropped somewhere, all stealth-like, and having to give up
>that advantage from the outset because you have to sprint across the
>goddamn map to make it in time before the arbitrary limit no-sales the
>mission.

This one right here? Pretty much wrecks the game, as it were. Because that is the POINT of that timer...that you're not supposed to be able to sit on your ass and move an inch at a time. You're the one trying to free a planet from alien occupation. You are the one who have to push ahead to keep the enemy on the back foot, hitting him in as many places and from as many directions as you can. By removing that aspect, as it were, you've basically changed the entire premise of the game. So, that is about as NOT logical as it gets, for me.

Your pov may, of course, vary, and clearly do since you do run that mod...but that, to me, is a game-breaker, from a story point of view.

...!
Gott's Leetle Feesh in Trousers!

It's for situations where you, say, drop in concealment but aliens, despite not knowing that you are there, activated their selfdestruction device.

Ebony the Black Dragon

"Life is like an anole. Sometimes it's green. Sometimes it's brown. But it's always a small Caribbean lizard."

...!
Gott's Leetle Feesh in Trousers!

Well, in Long War 2, you tend not to arrive in the mission area by Skyranger. It drops the squad off in the general area, and they spend a few days sneaking in. Loading screens and mission start clips have been changed to suit.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

The missions where you start in concealment -- even in unmodded vanilla XCOM2 -- all have the conceit that the aliens don't know you're there. If they don't know you're there, then why would the Macguffin have the self-destruct enabled? Presumably they're not in the habit of having their, say, Alien Power Sources just up and explode routinely just in case some naughty rebels were intending to steal it.

Furthering that point, in LW2, the mechanics have been changed so that you must spend time sneaking your team into position before launching the operation. They don't get dropped off by a noisy Skyranger, anymore; they start out from a warehouse, abandoned home, boarded-up convenience store, etc. The conceit in LW2 is that your guerrilla team has snuck in quietly, rather than coming in like the airborne cavalry.

And as far as the timer goes... the developers have even admitted that the countdown timer was an arbitrary mechanical decision, to 'force' players to move more aggressively.

Which, okay, y'know what? Fine and dandy if you enjoy that, I won't hold it against you. But I prefer immersion over mechanics, myself. I didn't like the 'start concealed' missions in unmodded Nu!XCOM because of the reasons Ebony cites above. It's stupid to think that a Skyranger can come in, drop off a load of troops, and hover overhead until the mission is complete, all without being noticed. It's more than stupid, it's insulting.

LW2 fixes the story elements but leaves the timers alone. The mod I list is the last little nudge that I like to have to make it perfect, but if that mod's effect on the game is the 'game-breaker' for you, don't let that stop you -- LW2 can work without it.

For what it's worth, I play on Rookie difficulty and save-scum like a mofo too. I'm a filthy casual when it comes to XCOM. :D

--sofaspud
--

While this doesn't affect the counter for missions with a timed extraction requirement, it does mean I can spin out most guerilla operations as long as I want.

This can make overwatch ambushes less common since troops won't break concealment to fire but with some of the mods I use, that's not such a focus. (One of my favorite tricks is running an Assault trooper with Close Combat Specialist into the middle of a pod. The skill gives a reaction shot against any enemy who moves within 4 squares, so if the pod scatter for cover they tend to take pointblank shots from a shotgun while in the open. Critical chances tend to be high.)