aliens

Author Topic: Stun Weapons  (Read 4016 times)

Offline PPQ

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Stun Weapons
« on: February 07, 2023, 10:18:28 pm »
What's the best stun weapon overall for post Promotion III? Like the tazer pistols just don't quite do the trick against aliens any more.

Offline Chuckebaby

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2023, 10:26:11 pm »
I use the power mace. But research is needed, it comes after the stun rod.
Knock out grenades are good as well.

Offline Juku121

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2023, 11:19:50 pm »
KO grenades are pretty good against enemies with 400% choke resistance. Which is a lot of them. EMP grenades can work well in certain situations since they have a lot of armour reduction. There are quite a few aliens who are part machine.

TGL blunt rounds are my preference for non-end-game gear, unless you're against something fragile. Gas and chem weapons have a somewhat passable chance to stun, but are even more dangerous.

Small Launchers are still pretty good if not the end-all-be-all of stun weapons any more. The Hadriex Gun is somewhat similar. Armour-piercing, but less power and you need ghost juice and a psyker to power it.

Neural Whips are an interesting alternative to Power Maces, ignoring armour instead of stripping it. Rare and probably less useful overall, though. Of course, the problem with all melee weapons is that you have to get close to the enemy, preferably around them to their back as well, and then - probably after a lot of running - still have energy left over to kill them and take cover. Which tends to work about once before needing a rest or some stims. Oh, and hope their dodge value doesn't make it a crapshoot.

There are also the dart guns, which are pretty useless as they are. They should have their listed damage values halved to not mislead the player. I've removed the double random rolls and given them 25-75% armour penetration depending on toxin type, and now they do pretty nicely as long-range stunners. Still need to dart tougher enemies a few times, but across half the map it's not too bad.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2023, 11:25:15 pm by Juku121 »

Offline Xylon666Darkstar

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2023, 11:57:57 pm »
Stun Rods into Stun Spears for me. Then Power Mace/Small Launchers.

Offline Chuckebaby

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2023, 03:28:19 pm »
Another thing to consider (@ promo 3) is melee. Good soldiers can easily stun an an enemy with a few good bashes to the face.
I find closing in on an Ethereal with 2 guys is sometimes a better strategy then trying to take him out with ammo.

Just take caution, some enemies are fragile like paper and a few hits fall dead or become terminal.

Offline PPQ

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2023, 09:16:22 pm »
I have another question.

Is there a late/middle game equivalent to the OICW?

Offline Juku121

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2023, 11:33:27 pm »
I don't think there's something entirely like it. X-Com Assault Plasma is the closest by my reckoning. After that, you get all the heavy cannon upgrades like the Plasma Destroyer, the Var Cannon or the BFG.


Also, I forgot to mention the Concussion Cannon. That's also a pretty nice stun weapon for medium-close range. Does suffer against heavy armour, though.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2023, 11:35:25 pm by Juku121 »

Offline Chuckebaby

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2023, 01:53:18 am »
I don't think there's something entirely like it. X-Com Assault Plasma is the closest by my reckoning.

I really like this weapon a lot. The grenade launcher isn't really that effective on aliens by the time you get this weapon. It's good for street clothes civilians but not really aliens except maybe floaters and chasers. Nice touch though.

Would love to see a weapon with a stun weapon attached, similar to the X com plasma. Would make life so much easier.

But as we both know, this game is anything but making life easier :)

Offline PPQ

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2023, 08:45:13 pm »
Honestly I'd like to see a whole upgrade tree of the XM series each customized a bit for their origin. Like you have the XM29 with its grenades. Than you have the BlackOPS version with say an underbarrel flamethrower. An UAC space version with say a stun shotgun attached. Etc.

Offline Juku121

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2023, 10:50:08 pm »
underbarrel flamethrower
First, I laughed. Then, I got curious. Finally, I learned that for the low, low price of $629, you can indeed become the happy owner of such a thing.
Unless you live in California or Maryland. Or anywhere else outside Eagletopia.

Offline PPQ

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2023, 10:05:18 am »
First, I laughed. Then, I got curious. Finally, I learned that for the low, low price of $629, you can indeed become the happy owner of such a thing.
Unless you live in California or Maryland. Or anywhere else outside Eagletopia.
Basically think this or this but under the barrel. Or maybe even loaded with plasma.

Offline Juku121

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2023, 11:33:44 am »
As far as I understand, modern militaries tend to use some sort of thermobaric grenade or rocket instead. At least for infantry. Flamethrowers have a long list of downsides, and a downsized secondary version will have even more. For that matter, the Handflammpatrone was basically a disposable grenade launcher anyway.

OTOH, having a mini-flamethrower is cool and especially if you have antimatter power sources and antigravity containment, shooting balls of fiery plasma doesn't look too far-fetched. Or I wouldn't mind e.g. the X-Com Assault Plasma getting a family of grenades, including super-incendiary.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2023, 02:35:51 pm by Juku121 »

Offline PPQ

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2023, 01:27:18 pm »
As far as I understand, modern militaries tend to use some sort of thermobaric grenade or rocket instead. At least for infantry. Flamethrowers have a long list of downsides, and a downsised secondary version will have even more. For that matter, the Handflammpatrone was basically a disposable grenade launcher anyway.
Absolutely. But like, this mod has flamethrowers already in it and they are useful. So it fits the setting of the mod well enough. After all, alien invasions aren't realistic either.  ;)

And imagine how useful it would be to have something in the Promotion III range that can roast those creepy aliens and beasts.

In fact, I am tempted to mod one in just to see what happens.

Quote
OTOH, having a mini-flamethrower is cool and especially if you have antimatter power sources and antigravity containment, shooting balls of fiery plasma doesn't look too far-fetched. Or I wouldn't mind e.g. the X-Com Assault Plasma getting a family of grenades, including super-incendiary.
I wonder how many firing modes you can have on a weapon.

Offline Juku121

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Re: Stun Weapons
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2023, 02:14:49 pm »
Go wild. 8mono's mod even has something that looks like an M16 with one, if you want a base and/or a sprite.

I wonder how many firing modes you can have on a weapon.
Only three. That's why the OICW doesn't have aimed shot.

Well, technically you can also have a melee mode, so four.  AFAIK that one can't be repurposed as ranged though.