Messages

1

Released Mods / Re: [TFTD] [Expansion] TWoTS+ Release (v.2.62)

« on: October 17, 2024, 03:31:15 pm »

Also I want to make a suggestion so that alien barges don't take 20 hours of playtime to complete, please make the threshold for bug hunt lower because I've been looking for what I assume is an alien on the outside surface of the ship for over 40 turns now.

Barges is quite big and demanding missions , and I like the map and  difficulty.  BUT they should appear much more LATER in STORY.
For me they could have similar purpose as a mobile base and have a prerequisite of synonym-device
More to it I suggest to fill them with custom mixed crew 
  (enh aquatoid soldier, aquatoid medic, aquatoid technician, tasoth leader, tasoth guard squad leader, halucinoids, xarquids)

More over to it, the TASOTH GUARD LEADER could be associated with some further research  or as prerequisite for unlocking  alien codes and  than alien dungeon

2

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.4

« on: August 16, 2024, 10:04:07 pm »

The new ritual missions  looks great ..
Still I would prefer to see more of them in the early phase of game due to absence of civilians .
In my opinion, with bad roll you are unable to save at least half civilians in early terrors or monsters hunt . Then you get negative score and less funding, that is crucial in the beginning.

3

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.2

« on: May 27, 2024, 11:16:03 am »

The only way I am getting through months right now is repeated raiding of a Nest in Australia. I can not destroy it, but I can crush it's surface defences and sometimes even clear B1, getting around 300 points each time.

Nests are good source of points. I am able to clean young nest, and clean surface and next  two levels of adult nest (in this case with some saving and lot of luck - crystal with lightning spell is just disaster because I do not see a way how to avoid/dodge/resist it's atack)   

If I compare it to TWOTS (a great mod for  XCOM2-TFTD) I miss several mechanic
1]   damage types
   - in TFTD in a  year you can get a  great variety (melee, acid,  stun, gauss, explosive)
   -  in XCHR you just have kinetic, melle, stun
          (some weaopons have other effect but  uses kinetic melee atributes for checking hit]
2]  tanks
   - in TFTD you get early some tanks that can explore and tank a damage
   - in XCHR i did not find yet (ateter two years) a path to gain tanks
3] effective armor
   - in TFTD you get quite soon  a  good spectrum of armors that can soak some damage and prevent you from being 1 shoted.
   - in XCHR most armors does not protect much (I supose there coud be source of this by  underestimating bonuses from enemies stats ) first hit  cut down (air/water shield ) second one kills .


 

4

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.2

« on: May 14, 2024, 10:10:19 am »

initialFunding affects the calculation of any funding raises.
Also, some invader weapons sell costs was raised.

I see but at first look on paper it seem like spit in the sea ..
Still I recommend to think about increasing 'performanceBonusFactor'  a bit  (~ 250 )
and add extra score for shooting-down /riding aliens UFO (if it is possible)
This month I cleaned three young nests and 3 medium aliens UFO and scored a 9000 pts (that is ~ 1 575 000 $) 
that allowed me just cover my expenses - in order to fight aliens you need strong psi  soldiers and train them in gyms (to have some  reasonable stats)

5

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.2

« on: May 13, 2024, 12:52:56 pm »

costEngineer: 35000 - > 30000
costScientist: 45000- > 40000

initialFunding: 1600 -> 1650

That is ridiculous !
With 3 bases all missions done and paying 50 *  35 k per scientist  I am at balanced budget  (Able to  buy 1 or 2  new facilities per month) and still stuck  in research ..

In order to be this mod even playable i Suggest :
  -  cut down all research time by 1/2  - 1/3
  -  increase probabilities when sorting corpses (you gain always something )
  -  set scientist salary to 35 k
  -  double bonus reward ( performanceBonusFactor: 175 -> 350 )
  -  cut down all shields to 1/2  (it is really annoying to have lucky 4-15 shots to take down one unit shield)
 
I am not sure what typical play-out should look like according to  your intentions
   but my   experience is :
   - first 3  months           - unskilled soldiers with low chance to hit  survive
   - till the end of  year    - hard terrors with tough orcs and deadly casters (get chitin armor and some better weapons)
  -  next year                   - Rifts , gaining internacionallization -with good x-weapons, starting psi research
  -  3rd year                     - gaining wooden armor and scavanger  - finally  some money from selling  flying glyphs
  -  now                           - slowly exploring magic - annoying missions (1/2 - 3/4) with aliens  (get almost nothing losing a lot)

 I am able to fight  effectively vs 1 st level aliens, but 2nd level aliens are deadly and hard to kill
  - i suppose with magic  it should be better , but path to magic and spells is long  (extensive research and  absurd dependencies on luck when looting low chance items )
 - in case  pf looting instead  picking just one item from many ,
   I suggest to create a roll sets
   I.E.: 
STR_OUTCAST
    - [30, {STR_ARTIFACT_WEAK: 1 }]
    - [35, {STR_DAMAGED_AMULET: 1, STR_MANA_CRYSTAL: 1 }]
    - [25, { STR_MAGIC_BOOK: 1 }]
    - [20, { STR_MAGIC_BOOK: 1,  STR_MANA_CRYSTAL: 1}]
 STR_BARON
      - [30, {STR_AMULET_WATERWALL: 1, STR_JEWELRY: 3 }]
      - [20, {STR_DAMAGED_ARMOR: 3}]
      - [20, {STR_DAMAGED_ARMOR: 2,  STR_JEWELRY: 3}]
      - [20, {STR_ARTIFACT_WEAK: 1,  STR_JEWELRY: 2}]
      - [10, {STR_GREEN_POTION: 1, STR_DAMAGED_ARMOR: 1  , STR_JEWELRY: 2}]
   

6

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.1

« on: May 09, 2024, 11:43:25 am »

- I'd prefer in all rifts some stronger variation  of creatures (similar to  prismatic spider and floating jelly)

I was  nicely surprised when entered rift world after fire flies  and  encounter phoenixes.
It was great enjoyable tactical fight

7

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.1

« on: May 07, 2024, 01:40:11 am »

I think we are his balance testers.But seriously, scientists are too expensive and research takes too long to be any faster.

Well I am in 2022 (August and able to get detection)
I confirm that research is extra slow with many useless autopsies (however with hidden potential)
  i.e. were wolf  Autopsy + capture  can produce something with armor that can increase mobility
         spike-boar                  can unlock some  upgrade for chitin armor that have better i resistance vs kinetic

RIFTS
 - second stage should be free of civilians
 - in second stage there should be more interesting stuff (MAGIC BOOKS,  AMULETS, ... ]
 - with x-technology  quite easy
    (Later when you  gain strong artifact rifts are annoying and sometimes not worth exploring )
   So I suggest to make more tiers of rifts
     1 . rats ,  scorpions, glass spiders , fiery flies  (weak artifact,  amulets)
         - not spawning after researching camouflage  or  weak artifacts
     2. shooter beetles, floater,  slugs, giants . shai-hulud   (strong artifact or magic crystals ) + weak artifact
         - not spawning  after research strong artifact
     3. spike boar, werewolf (forced darkness)  [rune-wood , crystals ] + [weak,weak , strong artifact]
         - not spawning after  scriptorium is unlocked
     4. spirits
          -  psionic inspiration prerequisite 
          -  as a reward [magic books. library,   e t.c ]   

 - I'd prefer in all rifts some stronger variation  of creatures (similar to  prismatic spider and floating jelly)

INVADERS
 - seems quite OK
 - I'd prefer more guarantee loot [i.e amulets or runes ]

ALIENS (SWARM)
 - there should be some better loot when complete land UFO mission
 - stalkers
  -- should have a bit less shields and be less effective vs strong armor  (chitin or wooden)
 - pincer warm and larva
  -- quite deadly - please reduce range or damage just cause fire, or poison can be enough - player can mitigate  it by extinguishers or  poison cure ) or accuracy
 - brutes are quite OK
  - I like tusk and killing it only with  that special blades with armor nullification

SHIELDS overall
 - sometimes works in weird way  ( some shots drain  none, some 2, some 5, some even 15 points from shield)
 - I recommend to consider some shield as a number of shots  that can block (regeneration - regenerate some shots)
    that makes tactical using some low damage auto-shot weapons to kick down the shield

path to MAGIC
 - in my opinion too difficult  (looting books an translating proper one is too luck depending)

8

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.1

« on: May 06, 2024, 09:57:22 am »

Right now I have 60 scientists, maybe I can afford additional 20.

I strongly recommend (as posted earlier) modify  vars.rul

  costEngineer: 30000 instead  35000
  costScientist: 35000 instead   45000

that is  600 000 difference for 60 scientist

I assume that the cost could be even lower ( 25000 per Eng and 30000 per Sci are vanilla game values where is not so much topics to research)

Now I am encountering lot of swarms UFO (landings and crash sites) that should be much rewarding than just corpses of aliens.
(at least some gemstones   or raw metals)

9

Released Mods / Rune Book

« on: May 04, 2024, 12:48:45 am »

You have a 20 % chance to loot a book form mage/prist .
  (looting some ships has even lower chance due to long list of what you can get)
Then you have another 20% chance that it will be deciphered as rune book
. And this book is essential for further progress ...

I killed ~ 10 mages and ~50 outcast and got only 2 Books
(safe file attached)

So in my opinion I sugegest to increase chance of looting magic books in this way
  outcast  - from 20 to 25
  mage     - from 20 to 30

 Adding some extraloots for camp or bigger ship like this (you have 75% that you''ll get a book)
  - [STR_NOTHING,STR_MAGIC_BOOK,STR_MAGIC_BOOK,STR_MAGIC_BOOK]
 
Do you have same experioence with magic book looting ?

- UPDATE  --
 since 1.1 I seems thet during ship mission I encounter orc instead mage otcast - that means even less  magic books
 

10

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.1

« on: May 04, 2024, 12:03:12 am »

Extremely overpowered weapon.

Problem is not bow itself but elven arrows that has 90% armor reduction ...
(3-4 can kill a tusk with ease )

In my oppinion 50 % should be enough

11

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.1 some weird things

« on: April 27, 2024, 11:47:23 pm »

HI, for me there is some weird things
RENT COST
 - renting F-22, J-20,and SU-57 cost same as purchasing and even more than advanced interceptor ?
  is it this intended ?
 - as well Skyranger and Skymarshal and Ospray should  cost less (approx 1/10 - 1/6 of purchase )

RESEARCH
 - you can research ceramic runeblade without  knowing workbench or runicscripts (this prerequisites should be included)

RIFTS AND OTHER MISSIONS REWARD
 - in some  missions you can gain something from a list  as a reward (artifacts, wands, .. or jewelry)
 - in my oppinion the reward shuld be m,ore balanced in totla cost, becasouse numner of missions per month is limited and getting  only trinkets can cause frustration.
  - i do not know if it is possible that you get I.E.  one strong  artifact or  3 weak artifacts or 6 crystals or 20 jewelry ..
   - if you can get only one item than it could be adjusted to  insted jewelry you gain a treasure box that ingeners can analyze a and make more items  of various kind  and quantities
 
 
 

12

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.0

« on: April 21, 2024, 02:43:19 am »

Version 1.1 is up.

That is awesome .. I confirm that rits work properly

- Minor prices balancing.

Im playing now on Beginer difficulity and haw to lowered engineer &scientist  salary to reasonable values  (vars.ruls) :
  costEngineer: 30000
  costScientist: 35000
othervise is playing too frustrating due to lower numbers of  missions and enemies
( capturing prisoners and seeling  helps a lot but in 2021 Aug  30 S + 5 Eng Brings ~300 K $ deficit each month )
With  lab + shielded lab => 30 S the game research flawing quite fine ..

There should be some  reward for  finishing  swarm landed or shoted down UFO
 (dosens of golden jewelry , lot of mana crystals  or srystel orbs ....
 if I compare it to looting pirate ship where  is  lot of cannons , glyps and runewood to sell )

13

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.0

« on: April 16, 2024, 05:40:17 pm »

I don't see a reason for having a monetary production cost on something that can only be sold. The only thing the fee does is prevent you from making the stuff if you are already in debt and need money badly.
Otherwise, the effect would be same as if you subtracted the cost from the value.

The idea  of fee is  to be more realistic  (for studding you need something more than just a corpse)  however   pure math says, you can add/substract anything from both sides.

14

Released Mods / STUFFING TROPHY

« on: April 16, 2024, 10:53:32 am »

How for the love of god you have 19m from council? I barely scrap by selling most of the stuff since i cant keep more than 30 scientists in July of 2021 and i just got x weapons

I have same , issue, may be  the earlier release was not so strict.
(huge difference make  a capturing of enemies ...  as much as you can .. you sell them for more and score more points so in the end  you my gain increased funding from countries)

An interesting mechanism could be STUFFING  TROPHY
   - required research of both autopsy  and living specimen
   - 3 types (
        small     animal  - rats, snakes, scorpions, fire fly
        medium animal  - werewolf, minotaur, naga  ..
        huge animals    -  worms, giants , ...
       )
   - manufactured in workshop for small fee ( 500$ - 1000$ ) and mediocre time (time: 200 - 400)
   - sold for 30 000 - 50 000$

15

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles Release, v.1.0

« on: April 15, 2024, 10:25:03 am »

Hi is it intended, that scientist cost so much ?
 - Hiring, salary, small lab size ?
  (in first one or two years you can hardly afford more than 30 scientist)

There is lot of research  (and especially many autopsies and creature analysis that  give you nothing)
that even if you know what you are researching you spend a months with almost no progress.