Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - N8 28-Apr-2024 Labyrinthus Noctis

[the Ring Dang Doo]

Some questions I've saved up while playing:

1) What exactly trains voodoo skill?  The game says using voodoo does, but my mages haven't gained a single point past 40, which is the max you can get from voodoo school.  I've used tome of lightning, rod of hellfire, cobra staff, heartgrip staff, master's cane, voodoo great staff, and maybe some other stuff without any gain.  Does the gal have to be wearing certain outfits or something?

2) Assault bike is great fun but seems buggy.  Sometimes the gal wearing it just doesn't show up on the ship, starting with the equip screens before the battle.  I don't think it can be a mission restriction, because it happens when I've shot down a ship - the bike has worked great on heavy freighters, but right now it's just not materializing for one I just shot down.  Is there a restriction on terrain or something? 

3) The assault bike also has a big backpack, so I bring an extra ammo belt, but on the battlescape you can't go into inventory view and hence can't reload.  Is this intentional?

[cc]

I expect cc's list showing XG ammo having huge profits to also bring on a nerf.

They already have been nerfed: in the past, you could manufacture them without a printer. Given the relative position in the tech tree, I expect Superslave Costume to fall down instead.
The other things already feel "right".

[cc]

1) What exactly trains voodoo skill?  The game says using voodoo does, but my mages haven't gained a single point past 40, which is the max you can get from voodoo school.  I've used tome of lightning, rod of hellfire, cobra staff, heartgrip staff, master's cane, voodoo great staff, and maybe some other stuff without any gain.  Does the gal have to be wearing certain outfits or something?

40 is the stat cap. The only way to get over it is to train it till 39 and then use it a lot in the next battle to chance a high skill roll.

[the Ring Dang Doo]

40 is the stat cap. The only way to get over it is to train it till 39 and then use it a lot in the next battle to chance a high skill roll.

Ah, thanks. 

I see the hints in the assault bike bootypedia about getting the bike to show up by gal order, and it seems to work. 

The bootypedia also talks about automatic reload, but that has failed to work for me.  Maybe because I also had other items in the backpack.

[Ethereal_Medic]

Newest .exe has the auto-reload fixed.

[KZad Bhat]

As far as the newest .exe, can that just be dropped into the directory structure normally, or are there other steps to be taken? I could go ahead and go to 3.10a right now, but Dioxine mentions a custom .exe, and I don't know if there really are changes from the regular OXCE+, or he's just referring to OXCE+ being made primarily for PirateZ.

[Ethereal_Medic]

Before you eventually f-up your system and gaming experience, just wait a little longer and drink some sweet rum.

Assault Bike is a great HWP-armor but I stopped using them once I applied the 'more HWPs' mod and have quite some fun in using the 'blaster-launcher'-tank and the 76mm tanks.

The bike is only 'this good' until you can rely on actual HWPs like Mortar/HWP or hovertank-chassis.

[RSSwizard]

As far as the newest .exe, can that just be dropped into the directory structure normally?

No because the game will throw an error, which is easily corrected (the rangefinder item needs to be given clipSize: -1 in the pirates.rul). However one side effect may be losing out on aircar race trophies, the academy student won't spawn (I'm guessing this has been fixed but won't be evident until the new edition comes out). I had to upgrade though because of ufopaedia text color customization options, because I unlocked the range16 dark Grays on the palette
(I'm sure all that sounds cryptic)
(Also I'm not entirely sure that meridian necessarily needs to leave those range16 grays "hardcoded", but I'm sure that's in an antquaited and cobwebbed part of the source code)

Ethereal_Medic

I suppose, but all I wanted the tanks&cars mod for was getting early access to those cars. And their stats were nerfed . I'm fine with the standard tanks and for HvyFreighter I usually bring my own tanks.

For that mission I'd suggest folks do some metagaming and avoid the imposed-tech that triggers the guild to launch them, until you're ready for those missions. I believe what angers them is trying to unlock gauss, and you can let that wait honestly.

When I make my own mod it'll include access to the cars, and maybe a tank armed with hovertank weapons just so that functionality isn't lost (and its already going to be incompatible with tanks&cars)

[Ethereal_Medic]

Those heavy freighters only deal serious infamy penalty once you've researched the heavy freighter flight plans topic.
Until then, the penalty is alot smaller and totally sustainable by your on-going research and succesful missions all over the globe.

1. Have tools to destroy the HWPs outside (and 1-2 of them inside the first floor). They have only minimal thermal vision so smoke screens do great against them.
2. Have tools to deal with marsec bodyguards and marsec operatives. A seductress can reliable stun a bodyguard if you get her close enough with LoS. Laser and explosives do good outside while inside you should rely on axes and cutting weaponry.
3. Cause a mass-panic by killing as many units possible during one-two turns.
4. Stay away from the sides of the ship. Those windows are most of the time manned with soldiers firing their gauss-rifles and lasers at you.

[RSSwizard]

1. Have tools to destroy the HWPs outside (and 1-2 of them inside the first floor). They have only minimal thermal vision so smoke screens do great against them.

hellerium grenades
for the whole lot of em
(all pre-primed, dont worry about how many you lose, enemy grenades will replinish it)

I also just had this wild, wild idea about using a Timed Baby Nuke being carried by an Attack Dog (he does have a 2x2 inventory slot, technically he could carry two and drop one off on his way to doggy heaven). It could drop off a satchel though.
(also mental image of doggy walking up to enemy, drops dynamite, drops another dynamite, then runs off)



Edit - further condensed wall of text

Tanks:
Satchel Charges. Force Blade. Panzerfaust? Greatclub? Anchor+Waterboy?
Rear Armor Hits: Boom Gun, Plasma Blunderbuss, Toxigun.

Bodyguards:
Landmine? Good way to dump off your excess dynamite? Bomb Dog? High-EX?
Assault Grenade Launcher. GL/Plasma.
Rear Armor Hit: Spiked Mace, Tech Blade.
(Recoilless and Rail Driver run too high a risk of overkilling)

Operatives:
Flak Cannon Burst, Sniper Rifle/PS outdoors, Toxigun (die die die)
Rear Armor Hit: Clockwork Pistol (x3 hits, maybe 2 pistols), Military Shotgun/AP
Give him a case of Grenade-Foot, even Frag grenades, he will bleed or die.

Ship Entry:
Bring 2 Anchors. Punch a hole in the side of the ship, front or aft, if the engine explosion hasnt already done it for you, get everyone in quick. Equip an Anchor with a Flying Armor Gal, bring the flying gals in the upper floors to flank (and use the ship as cover from tanks on approach). I say anchor-woman because unlike a pickaxe it can destroy people too and it will not overkill them... its not graceful to use but if you just have one guy in the hallway he can be obliterated safely.


Morale:
Kill the Guild Rep along with a kill streak. Lots of dudes will drop their weapon and may be in surrendering-state.

[cc]

For that mission I'd suggest folks do some metagaming and avoid the imposed-tech that triggers the guild to launch them, until you're ready for those missions. I believe what angers them is trying to unlock gauss, and you can let that wait honestly.

It unlocks once the following are researched:
Marsec, Guild Air Sailor, Guild Engineer, Guildmaster, Broken Guild Engineer, Broken Guild Rep, Human Powered Armor
If you want to wait, skip the Guildmaster.

Those heavy freighters only deal serious infamy penalty once you've researched the heavy freighter flight plans topic.

This is wrong. There is only one mission spawning Heavy Freighters and it's unlocked by "The Guild is Angry". Researching the Fleight Plan doesn't change the missions in any way or form.

[Ethereal_Medic]

Okay I was thinking researching the plans does infamy penalty for ignoring it.
The researched topic clearly states, that a missed opportunity nets infamy penalty.
I wasn't aware this is the case beforehand so researching those plans seems pointless besides unlocking more necessary tech.

I wouldn't shot a HWP from behind with a shotgun-type weapon. Those tanks used by the traders can snapshot!
If you run too low on TU's they'll do a 180° turret-turn and shot you point-blank in reaction.
Either you make 100% sure the kill connects on the first try or you better reserve enough TUs to have something like 50% of your max TUs after shooting the tank. This far in the campaign you should have advanced rocket launchers and even the normal HE payload does a good chunk of damage with a point-blank shot, usually one-hit the tank due to 4x damage.
I rely on the mining laser to cut holes into ships. Might give the anchor a try now in doing the job.

[RSSwizard]

It unlocks once the following are researched:
Marsec, Guild Air Sailor, Guild Engineer, Guildmaster, Broken Guild Engineer, Broken Guild Rep, Human Powered Armor. If you want to wait, skip the Guildmaster.

Will do, he's a rare and powerful pokemon to catch anyways.

I wouldn't shot a HWP from behind with a shotgun-type weapon. Those tanks used by the traders can snapshot!

Their reactions are real low, and to avoid reaction fire from marsec ops I normally use 2 ladies and alternate between them so their total TU doesnt get low before the damage piles up.

The boom gun may no longer be able to kill it. In the last edition it was still doing 500 damage and in 99I its buckshot count has been reduced to 6. The damage was always underwater when it comes to tanks but because of 10 pellets you had alot of chances to roll high, which while being quite random had a good chance to blow off about 1/2 of a tank's health. Now it may only be good enough to finish it off.

The Plasma Blunderbuss should do a solid job on it because of armor erosion, the damage is even further underwater than the boom gun but the erosion happens first - even after 2 blasts to the rear its got a chance to destroy that tank (an explosive or melee should be used to finish it off unless another gal can chime in). Seems tanks have a buff against chem damage but even then, the Toxigun will probably hit with at least 6 of its projectiles and it melts armor just like plasma.
(I havent been using the toxigun at all but now that I keep talking about it so much im seriously considering having a few on the transport in lieu of other heavy weapons as my problem solver, its just so quirky and neat and its lightweight)

Re: Anchor
Power = 2.0 x Strength, if she has 80 like she should then this weapon causes 80-240 damage (yes even the ranged hit is tftd damage roll). Damages armor 10%. Its like being hit with a dump truck.
Accuracy = Strength (80% acc is pretty darn good within 6 tiles)

Hurling it costs 64% TU + 48 energy but it can melee for 24 TU + 24 energy which aint so hard to pull off (its a greatclub on steroids). If you're prepared you should just hurl it since they cant dodge that. It ignores overkill so it will not remove bodies, this is definitely a bodyguard killer if you can surprise him. If positioned properly this kills the tank.

Combine it with flying armor and she's probably got triple digits energy & TUs every round to start with. Thus your anchor-women is best supported by flying armor (only way to nerf this is give flying armors -10 strength and say the lack of traction prevents exerting full leverage). Probably 3 hits can be expected to pierce a ship hull. On top of the heavy freighter there is plenty of opportunity to take your time tearing a hole into it, and on other big ships like cruisers I think you could just tear a hole in the roof rather than stay exposed on the side.

(looking in the .rul file I see that the Pickaxe can now be hurled for damage like an anchor and is generally more effective due to being quicker, but the anchor will cause alot more damage to bumpkins... maybe have 1 gal with anchor and 1 gal with pickaxe just to make the can-opener team more efficient?)

MyFaceWhen... I realize the perfect team to assault a heavy freighter is in fact a SuperWoman team of flying girls along with a couple tanks to run interference. By this time racking up grav harnesses for a crew of 6+ shouldn't be hard since raider buzzards now hand them over when you slave them out. You dont need armor when you're always stabbing people in the back.

(another honorable mention for melee is the simple Barbed Dagger, it can kill bodyguards just as well as a mace because its faster, which reminds me of getting ganked by combat knives in fallout even while wearing combat armor)

another flying armor tactic for the heavy freighter is floating just out of view from the gun ports on the sides, then popping over to see if anyone came in and blow them away point blank, I guess a landmine could also be tossed at the door for a nice surprise too

[Ragshak]

Would really like to see some no-dead feature for those six starting gals. They are uniqe but fragile in the beginning because of no good armor avaible. We can always savescum to not loose them but this kills the fun.

Maybe it would be possible to add feature that those starting gals can't be one shooted? If they take fatal blow instead of dying they could at least go unconscious, giving player the time to take care of thier wounds.

Would be too easy?

[Ethereal_Medic]

It's not supposed to be this way.
You can rush to recruit 'hands' if you need more cannon fodder.
If you want those 6 to survive fatal injuries, you also have to tell the game the time to 'stop' babysit your campaign.
Early game: Stay healthy or reset. If you lose your lunatics and can't affort more hands, restart. Take the experiences from the previous run and try again.
Also: Fight at night! Your units have superior nightvision to assure you free reactionshots onto everyone running into LoS.