One-Way-Regions

[Thrombozyt]

So my in latest campaign I noticed an oddity:
New Arctic is only connected to Western Asia (my starting region).

After seeing this, I heavily focused on the lib chain in my starting region and completed the network tower shortly after the first supply drop. Vigilance spiked and the region climbed to an alert of 8. I followed that up by spiking vigilance in an adjacent region (East Asia) to make sure that the ADVENT strength is eventually funneled out of Western Asia toward that region. My aim was to ensure that once I contact New Arctic, it's at alert 1. I'm currently in the HQ Assault to liberate Western Asia and right afterwards I'll contact New Arctic.

Why am I doing this? Given the fact that with a single liberation I now hold all ways in and out of the New Arctic, I have a safe haven to do a moderate amount of operations in a guaranteed low strength environment. I will be careful to at first run only liberation, jail break and smash & grab, avoiding spiking vigilance too hard. Ideally I manage to push through to the network tower and build up the haven to about 8-10 rebels without an increase in strength. Once I'm there, it's time for full intel - maybe even with a scientist advisor - with the radio tower from the network tower mission. Spike vigilance and scan for the UFOs coming in which are the only way for ADVENT to reinforce this region. With sufficient focus on intel, I should be able to intercept a good amount of the UFOs coming in keeping the vigilance high and the alert low - which prompts more UFOs. Even the UFOs I miss aren't that hurtful because there is no adjacent region in which they can dump their additional legion and once I reach alert 4 in that region I can do troop columns without problems. Even super UFOs aren't that hurtful because they only bring in 2 alert and not 4.

Given my plans for exploiting this, I wonder if such one-way-regions are actually intended.

It also raises some questions:
1) If a UFO lands in a region with no adjacent regions under ADVENT control, is the additional alert point lost?
2) Destroying troop columns can create a vigilance in adjacent regions. If those regions are liberated, it that a way to safely create global vigilance?

Also:
1) If I complete a network tower assault without the Resistance Radio tech, do I still get a relay once completed?
2) If I liberate, I kill off 4 alert points. Are the rest randomly distributed or in accordance to vigilance?

[LordYanaek]

1) If I complete a network tower assault without the Resistance Radio tech, do I still get a relay once completed?

Yes, i purposefully tested this in my first campaign.

Not sure for the other questions and i never had a 1-way region.

[Zyxpsilon]

In terms of optimal strategy when we expand the Resistance from our HQ location.. an important aspect is related to whichever amount of Intel we're likely to (purposely) spend for each contacted Regions.

I'm currently developping a new article for my LAByrinth mod to offer an overview of the essentials. Here's the summary "Geoscape" reference image that will be inserted in it along with various hints;



Now, you might say where exactly is the beef in this kind of stuff!

-- How many active Links you happen to manage from HQ & where it is preferable to contact someone first or afterwards.
-- V1.4 is giving us free Relays upon Liberations.. choose wisely, since building them is a rising costs trap.
-- It's really all about distances for your nearest contacts & when you decide to spread -- slowly or tactically!
-- South-Africa & New-Brazil (5 possible links!) are the ultimate HQ places to rapidly grab 3 Continent Bonuses (CB2).. early enough.

Secondly.. some answers;

#1) AFAIK, nope.
#2) Yes.. but there's a catch. The "removed" attempt at strenghtening that particular region is an indirect temporary loss to Advent since Vigilance can (still simultaneously) adapt with plenty of other on-going missions -- detected, pending or otherwise.

#3) Agreed.
#4) IIRC, randomly.