OpenXcom Forum

Modding => Released Mods => XPiratez => Topic started by: RSSwizard on January 01, 2021, 11:43:39 pm

Title: Car Bombing
Post by: RSSwizard on January 01, 2021, 11:43:39 pm
Just wanted to share a technique I learned using Armored Cars since you can pilot them now. The gal has a full 4x3 size backpack to use, presumably to carry extra ammo for the gun. But she can pick things up off the northwest tile of the car and can DROP things off from the backpack too. It costs 20 TUs but the armored car gives a massive amount of them, my gals usually are sitting at 260-280 or such.

I caught onto this idea because I figured itd be groovy to have her carry the X-Grog for rapid deployment. But, being that I often use this technique normally in battle (prime grenade, drop on the ground, run away) I figured it could be done even more effectively with bigger Bombs because she can get quite clear of the blast. In fact with pre-priming I can set them to go off in stages, 2 turns, 3 turns, 4 turns into the battle, and I know which one is which because of where I put it. Im even planning on using it with a timed baby nuke, set several turns out so I can get far enough away, which sounds like an infinitely better option than actually trying to launch the thing.

It can be hazardous, but its easy enough to manage, ive only been bitten with it a couple times. Im able to sweep in and barrel bomb the lokk'narr Barn on the first turn, and using cheap Firebombs I can raise hell even worse than a mortar crew. With such high TU and Reactions NOBODY is going to reaction fire until ive already dropped the bombs off, at least not until im near the end and ive already done my damage. The limitation is having real estate to run around in, being able to get around, sometimes its an issue but the Gun on the car can help with it and sometimes I can have other gals shoot and detonate a clean path through the obstacles.

This gal has picked up multiple ranks of Bomber just because of this trick, without throwing a single one of them.
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: legionof1 on January 02, 2021, 02:09:40 am
Neat to see someone putting the bomber pass tactic to use without flying units, or intentional suicide being involved. 
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: ZoA on January 02, 2021, 01:25:13 pm
I think this tactic would work with gyrocopter (https://www.xpiratez.wtf/en-US##STR_COPTER_ARMOR_UC) even better. Alas i wont' be attempting it because with my memory I'm liable to mishandle the bombs and explode myself.
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: username on February 04, 2021, 02:07:35 pm
I have a similar tactic I use, which I call "Fast Action Response Team": Run around with a load of pre-primed gas bombs and just let them go off in your inventory. If there is an enemy, it is probably now dead or unconscious depending on your choice of gas. If there isn't an enemy, they're now unable to see you because of all the gas. Because YOU are protected from the gas, you won't ever accidentally kill yourself.
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: RSSwizard on February 10, 2021, 12:09:10 am
I do something similar as a Popper attack with power armor, revenant, heavy suit, and other gasproof armors. Gas and Knockout grenades are rather quick to prime so if I come upon an enemy and dont have time to throw it or shoot them... I just walk up and hand it to them. Thats not a speedy gonzalez attack but with a Knockout Bomb or Gas Bomb I can easily see it being quite destructive several turns in. Being anywhere near the Gal and they get hit, plus then there's the smoke.

Unrelated to this Knockout is also very good for Pogroms because Civvies are ignored by enemies if they're knocked out. Can still get overstunned or caught in explosions, but if they're Down they aren't getting shot at outright, and they're not getting melee'd either.
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: username on February 14, 2021, 09:48:45 am
Unfortunately, you're still penalized $1000 and a chunk of infamy for knocked-out civilians, although it doesn't prevent you from receiving the Cavalier award.

Grenades in general for some reason require a ridiculous number of TUs to prime and then throw, to the point where it's often cheaper to just physically walk up and drop it at their feet rather than throw it.

Meanwhile, the AI seems to ignore all of these rules and spam grenades anyway. I had an MC'ed unit somehow manage to pull out a grenade and throw it despite all hands being full and inventory slots being full, meaning that the character would have to drop a held item, pull out the grenade, prime it, throw it, and then retrieve the dropped item (as it was still in her hand afterwards), and then still retain TU to move around. This is, obviously, impossible. The AI cheats with grenades, that's how it can somehow afford to spam them.
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: Greep on February 14, 2021, 06:10:36 pm
I think this tactic would work with gyrocopter (https://www.xpiratez.wtf/en-US##STR_COPTER_ARMOR_UC) even better. Alas i wont' be attempting it because with my memory I'm liable to mishandle the bombs and explode myself.

I was screwing around with this on quick battle with slitzkreig.  Looks like you can reliably take that big ass tank on any difficulty if you drop 5 (usually 4) High explosives on it's head.  One of those cases where bigger isn't better since the low weight let's you stack em and the armor shredding reliably crushes it.

@username, do you still get the penalty if you wake them up?  I'm assuming yes since they probably drop something on knockout.
The A.I. cheats in a number of ways, I wouldn't worry about it (e.g. freshness recovery, infinite ammo)
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: username on February 15, 2021, 03:20:00 pm
Yes, the penalty still applies if you wake them up because they still drop the item when knocked down.
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: legionof1 on February 16, 2021, 08:34:55 pm
AI wont cheat for ammo, at least not here in XPZ. But yeah AI units ignore things like hands required, because the ai code is too crude to properly manage an inventory beyond consumption of objects. it still pays the full prime and throw cost in this case, but skips the transfer to hands steps. so it gets maybe 10-20 free TUs.
Title: Re: Car Bombing
Post by: Dioxine on March 12, 2021, 04:28:50 pm
AI doesn't cheat on freshness recovery either, just uses different system where they only lose freshness when wounded. Unlike your units, they're not under stress of "gotta finish attack fast before cavalry arrives".

I simply love ignorant people throwing false accusations around, you know?