When to build that second base?

Question

I am looking for advice on expanding your reach from your starting base.

When is a good time to start building further bases? Should you try to go for it early in the game to stop the loss of funds from other continents or is it better to stick with the first base for a while to not run into money trouble? Should expanding be a priority from the start?

Should your other bases have xenonauts too or is it more cost-effective to stack them with airplanes to shoot down UFOs in that territory?

What is a good expansion strategy?

Answer 1

My experience is that funding and reputation drops quite fast if a country is not covered, so I build the second base right away. And the next ones as soon as possible. Monthly income gets positive trend only after 4th base. But I do not build additional radar stations. Maybe there are different good spots there as well.

I have soldiers only on one base and it is quite seldom that I can not get to a land mission and need to order an airstrike.

Answer 2

You need to get new bases as soon as possible. 4 Bases are enough for adequate covereage (5 to cover whole globe, albeit not perfectly, but good enough) (I did not manage to prevent the loss of one region on veterant mode). Each base needs radar and some airplanes, I recommend that you research and build your own as Condors are pretty useless).

One squad is more than enough. There is nothign wrong wiht ordering airstrikes, saves your real time. Of course going and looting crashsites is essential, but not each one). I dont use my secon squad, ever, I already have best weapons and probably cant be far from beating the game.

BTW and this is pretty important. USSR and USA provide much more money than other regions do, so make sure you first two bases protect at least part of their airspace.

I wish this damn game had some kind of protection from alien abduction.

Answer 3

• A second and third base should be built as soon as possible (preferrably in the second and third month, respectively). Prioritize building radars and hangars, then buy interceptors.
• You will have to spend a lot in the first few months to get the bases up and running, but it's worth it. The "neglected" regions will give you less and less money over the months, and when you protect them, it will take months until their funding increase to the original amount. If the funding drop to 0, you will lose that region entirely.
• About xenonauts in other bases: You definitely need more than one crew. Even with the best dropship, you can't expect only one team to get around the globe. Recruit extra xenonauts with your first base and send them to easy battle. When you finish building the second base's dropship, transfer some xenonauts (maybe a mix of experienced troops and privates) there.
• Keep building your forces, but keep an eye on your spending. You need to spend 10k per month on each xenonaut you have.