Messages

1

Offtopic / What happend to Ufopaedia.org?

« on: January 28, 2018, 06:03:59 pm »

Anyone know why the wiki now contains zero pages?
As in, its completly devoid of anything except its starting splash page and the logo?

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 14, 2017, 08:42:01 am »

As someone who's recently come into contact with OpenXcom, i can say from my point of view that when deciding what to download (v1.0 or the newest nightly) i chose to go for v1.0 as information on the stability or the added features between the two isnt easy to come by.

Food for thought.
Thanks all.

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 12, 2017, 11:00:28 pm »

Ok, well guess that sorts that out then

Gonna switch to the nightly build for my next playthough of UFO Defense
Oh and thanks for the time & effort you put into it NKF, much appriciated

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 12, 2017, 11:39:45 am »

Just did another test at work on the newest nightly build with TFTD & UFO (if my boss finds out, he'll kill me )
20 grenades, 4 missed its target in TFTD and 20 grenades, 5 missed its target in UFO.

Now thats the type of numbers i would expect to see in v1.0 but i just dont.

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 12, 2017, 10:16:16 am »

Im not so sure your right NKF.

Just did some tests in OpenXcom v1.0
8x2 Grenades thrown max distance out the back of the skyranger (with acc ranging from 50%->90%)

Did the test three times (a total of 48 throws) and not a single one missed.

I know the sample size isnt optimal (im low on time as i have to go to work soonish) but my gut is telling me something aint right here. (if the accuracy numbers of the throw are correct, then you would expect a bigger number of miss placed grenades)
* or its handled differently between the two games

edit: just did another round before going out the door, still no misses even with soldiers with 50-60% accuracy, i have yet to miss a throw of a grenade in any of my tests (they allways land exactly where i place the mouse curser)

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 12, 2017, 07:32:53 am »

Here's a question i forgot to ask, while i played though the game.

Does throwing accuracy work in 1.0? or is there a difference in that department between UFO and TFTD?
I've been doing some small skirmish(s) in the newest nightly build playing TFTD and i've noticed grenades going off target quite abit.
That made me think back to UFO and i cannot recall that happening once.

also a posibility i just didnt notice grenades going of course in UFO defense

7

Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 10, 2017, 08:35:11 am »

Hey countdown.

On my phone so this might end up a mess.
The way Psionics work in UFO defense, dors not adhere to the rules of squadsight.

Squadsight would mean that any alien would need vision (on that turn) of the xcom operative before psionic attacks is eligable to be used on that target (by anyone, regardless of los)

Testing tells me it dors not work like this in the game (someone who knows the exact inner workings of the engine would be needed to give you a definitive answer) but all i can tell you is, it does not adhere to the squadsight ruleset (from xcom 2012)

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 09, 2017, 05:43:31 pm »

Why don't you try a modded playthrough next? My mod extends the gameplay without heavily changing it.

I think i'll keep mods on the back burner for now, played 2012 quite a few times before i started playing with LongWar.

Yes, once you get MC the game turns into a joke. I was also let down a bit by my first Cydonia run because it was just too easy at that point. I suggest playing on SuperHuman and severely limiting mind control use and blaster launchers (through mods or self restrictions) to make it a bit more of a challenge.

7Saturn is right that if you just make all mind control LOS, the game will get too easy because the aliens will be severely limited. Better to just make the Psi Amp LOS through a mod.

Well, thats something to think about.. allthough i dont feel as though psionics is something that adds complexity to the game at all.
The optimal way of dealing with it, is making the needed sacrifices in the midgame by going grenade less against sectoids and dropping your weapon at the end of each turn. (you dont get to have any reaction shots but that is something you can deal with quite easily) the only thing it did to me, was making me sort of annoyed at having to do inventory management each turn (hence my midgame fatigue) .. i dont know, i would have liked to see psionics adhere to squadsight for the aliens and pure LoS for Xcom, that i think would be the perfect way to handle it.

And yeah, blaster launchers was fun for a grand total of a few maps and then they got put back on the shelf for ruining my fun

edit: i do have one regret though, and that was not testing out heavy lasers vs sectopods. i really want to see if they are a viable way of dealing with them late game.

9

Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 09, 2017, 04:58:06 am »

And im done =) what a great game all around. (Cydonia was a let down though, pyramid spawn litterly right next to my avenger and there were very few enemies inside the base it self to contend with)

A few close calls along the way and abit of fatigue set in around the midgame when dealing with Psionics (but boy does it turn the game into a stomp fest when you enter late game and your the one mindcontrolling everything on the map)

Played it though on Veteran and next time i'll def be doing it on Superhuman with Psionic LoS on, to not make the late game as trivial as it turned out to be.
Thanks for the help everyone, i really did (and still do) appriciate the time you took to answer my questions.

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 08, 2017, 05:54:14 pm »

Thanks for the information everyone.
As allways very enlightning.

Oh and follow up question(s) to clear something up..

1.) Does mind probes count as a psionic when it comes to experience gain? (i know it counts as a psionic in general terms)
2.) IF it does count towards experience gain, do you gain experience towards psionics even though you dont have access to a psionic lab?

11

Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 08, 2017, 02:04:10 am »

Allmost done with my initial playthough.
New questions arise though.

1.) Experience.. been reading though UFOpeadia on the subject but still abit confused on the subject. "Every time a Primary Action is taken, Primary Skill Points are earned" am i to take that as "taking a reaction shot, firing, stunning, throwing, using psionics & the game enforcing a bravery check on said soldier" is what that means? and if that is the case, can you then blind fire into blank space with soldiers three times to gain the experience? from just outside the skyranger? or do you need to be doing the "Primary Action" towards an enemy?

2.) Difficulty scaling numbers.. I've been trying to figure out the probability of an Alien Retaliation mission being initiated after each UFO ive been shooting down but reading though the wiki, those numbers elude me (if they are there, i seem unable to find them) does anyone know what % of chance it is for each difficulty level?

As allways, much love!

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 06, 2017, 11:18:27 pm »

As mentioned before, the pistol gets very powerfull when reaction triggering is considered. Simply put: Where you set one, maybe two reaction shots with the rifle, you can blast around four times with 100 % TUs, as it only takes 18% TUs. And one thing hasn't even been mentioned: It is not too unlikely, that you actually need more than one shot to down the opponent. That can make rifles less of a preferred weapon, especially in CQC. Most strongly, when the target is so close that you can simply run over and make it a sieve by the time it might react.

I dont quite understand your logic of pistol vs rifle at close range.
If your talking probability math, then within 6~7 squares (the expected distances you will find in houses and small scouts in the early game) Auto Shot Rifle surely wins out vs the Pistol Snap Shot.
You don't have access to a mind probe, so you dont know two key variables: 1.) the enemys remaining TUs 2.) its reaction stat
Say it hasnt moved and has around 60 reaction, i'll take the Rifle Auto Shot anyday of the week. Any action of 10+TU's would cause reaction fire by the sectoid in this instance and if thats the case i'll take the three shots with lower % chance to hit, than 1 snap shot at 50% with a chance of leaving the sectoid alive.
I cant see the merit for the Pistol in close quarters (if you disregard its ability to nail a sectoid with a single snap shot, leaving you ample chances to move to cover) but i can def see its merits on the open field.
And the difference between 3 TU's (the difference between having a grenade in hand and having it in your shoulder slot) just isnt enough to merit the Pistol in that regard.

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 06, 2017, 08:58:11 pm »

Pistols vs Rifles (just to ensure i've understood this correctly)

> 21+ squares away: Pistols (aimed & snap shot)
> 6~7-20 squares away: Rifles (aimed shot) Pistol (snap shot)
> 1-6~7 squares away: Rifles (auto shot) Pistol (snap shot)

21+ squares away:
reaction fire isnt a factor so the higher TU per shot efficiency of Pistols will win out

6~7-20 squares away:
reaction fire is a factor so Rifles with aimed shot yields a higher chance (if you have one shot that HAS to hit) and Pistols will drain significantly less TUs per snap shot meaning reaction fire is less likely to happen.

1-6~7 squares away:
Rilfes with auto (basicly used as a psudo shotgun) *you might be able to use a Pistol more effectly in close range (TU wise) if you are willing to take the bet that a single snapshot will kill your target.
but probability math should favor the Rifle in this case (its more likely the target will survive a single snapshot than die if you take into account the variable of missing the target aswell as low rolling your hit shot)

Did i understand the conversation correctly?

My thoughts:
I think i see the potential of the pistol as an open-space scouting tool in the early game. (i think i wrote it off to soon, caused by the lack of an auto feature, will test it out in my next playthough)
When i deployed in the early game it was with: Tank -> 2x high reaction scouts (rifles) -> 2x high fire acc snipers (HC-HE) -> 2x Large Rockets -> 4x Utility (Rifles) [i think im going to try ditching the rilfes on my two high reaction scouts next time and see how that feels]

My real issue though is this: Its not just Rifles vs Pistols. Its Rifles vs Pistols vs HEs/Grenades
Its all about managing risks & weighing the potential of defensive vs offensive useage of your reaction stat to manipulate reaction fire into your favor.

In the early game your weapons isnt favored in eighter damage or accuracy, thus taking mid range snap shot exchanges or using reactions in a defensive mannor isnt in your favor
Offensive useage of reactions to get into a better position i find to be the way to go and then it comes down to taking the highest % chance action to limit the risk of incomming reaction fire.

Rifle auto shot: 35% TU and yields three shots before the enemy can return fire.
Pistol snap shot: 18% TU and yeilds one shot before the enemy can return fire. (36% for two shots seems more likely if you factor in the chance of a low roll & chance to miss the target)
HE: grenade relay costs 8+25% TU (will allways be lower than both Rifle auto shot & two pistol snap shots) with zero chance of the subject surviving the hit.

I find it tough to justify the Pistol on paper but im down to test it out in full.
Good stuff all around.

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 03, 2017, 04:25:58 pm »

Allrighty.
Thanks for the replys again 7Saturn & Meridian (love your youtube stuff btw)
Illuminating answers as allways, love it.

Last set of questions, before im off work tomorrow for a week and have the time to really sink into the game.

Geoscape:
1.) What factors go into a decision of what region to place a expansion base? is it based solely on the finalcial side of the game? (how much each country is funding) or is there something else that goes into it? (i would assume there is some type of occurrence algorythm at play to ensure all UFO's dont congregate in a remote location like the poles) im asking because North America & Asia seems to fluctuate game to game with who provides the most funding.
2.) How is the first month scripted inside the game engine? from repeated 3 month playthoughs it seems to me, that UFO activity behave abit differently here than the rest of the months (is there some type of restriction at play aswell? can Alien bases be built within the first month?)

Battlescape:
3.) Is there any difference to the Left & Right hand? (a few days ago i made my own TU table for item slots and the thought occured to me that something simular might also be at work with the Left/Right hand)
4.) Do smoke grenades work vs elevated targets?
Example: Lets say i spawn right next to a two floor building and i know that a sectoid is standing in a window on the second floor, if i drop a smoke at the back of my Skyranger and walk out into the smoke clouds will the sectoids vision be impaired by each tile of smoke between the soldier & sectoid as if they were on the same elevation? or not?
5.) Vision & smoke interaction, how does it work? i know on a "feel basis" that smoke limits your vision range but im unclear about by how many squares and does it stay the same each turn?

Oh and last question: Incendiary ammo
This is the only weapon/ammo type i've yet to really "connect" with (outside of the starting pistols). I've found a use for every other weapon in the game for eighter broad usage or niche situations but i've simply been unable to find any that isnt covered by something else with this weapon.

When do you bring this ammo type? (if ever)
How does the fire work? will anything that passes though the fire catch fire? or do you need to hit the target with the shot to ensure they burn?
How much damage does the fire do?
Does a unit need to stay inside the fire to recive damage? (if not then for how long does the fire persist on said unit when it leaves?)

And lastly does anyone have a youtube video(s) of someone who uses Incendiary ammo to great effect? I would love to see someone make use of this stuff to learn.

Edit: forgot a question.. Is there any defensive merit to kneeling? (outside the accuracy increase on reaction snap shots) are you harder to hit when you kneel vs standing up?
Edit Edit: Forgot another question, is mind probe designated a Psionic when it comes to the advanced option of Psioic line of sight? within openxcom?

Phew.. quite abit of questions this time around.
My hope is to complete the game next week (if time permits) and then i think id like to make a introduction video to UFO Defense of the first three months with what i've learned at the end of it for players like me comming with classic/impossible experience of Enemy Within going into UFO Defense.
Stuff really started to click with me, when i started making direct links between the two games (in alot of ways they are the same, and in alot of ways they are not) and spead up the learning process.

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Offtopic / Re: Got a few questions about UFO Defense.

« on: September 01, 2017, 03:31:58 pm »

Thanks for all your replys again. Hobbes, 7Saturn & Countdown.

I am taking great care to learn the game on my own as much as possible Countdown.
Without reading on UFOpeadia about anything i havnt spent alot of time experimenting with my self first.

And the questions im asking here, i hope reflects that. I've spent quite abit of time experimenting (with the limited amount of time i have available after work) before asking here (and reading on UFOpeadia.org)

Its been a super fun experience so far and i feel pretty well rounded at this point.
Getting off work next week, so the plan is to experiment with shorter games until then and then playthough the entire game in a mater of a week.
So far i've only faced: Sectoids, Floaters, Reapers & Cyberdiscs.. had one terrormission spawn cysalids in the 3rd month (i believe so atleast, decided against playing further when i heared new sounds in the fog)

edit: Another question.. mod related this time.
Yesterday i had an issue where i accepted a mission, went into the inventory/deployment screen and then got interuppted by someone at my door.
When i came back, i had completly forgotten if it was a day or night mission and "hoped" it was a day mission (it wasnt) safe to say it didnt end well.
Is there a mod in exsistance that can provide the information about what light cycle (day/night) the mission will be on the deployment screen?