Messages

1

XPiratez / Re: Brutal AI

« on: August 05, 2024, 12:50:16 pm »

I highly recommend playing on lower difficulties with brutal AI as the encounters in piratez are not balanced around brutal AI, and play BAI on its lowest settings unless you really want to be forced into extremely cautious play.

I customized aggression and intelligence for XComFiles ruleset, so BAI can pick up these numbers instead of making every unit act same.
For instance of animals, it's aggression 3 which makes them tend to approach, or rush. If Leeroy flag is set, they will chase no matter what, if no leeroy flag - they will still take some cover, but prefer to bite the asses if tiny possibility appears.
Intelligence is how perfectly they move. If intelligence = 0 they move in more spontaneous manner, if = 5, they move perfectly and carefully, take best cover possible.
Same can be done to Piratez ruleset. All left is to pick up the BAI options for both "inherit aggression" and "inherit intelligence", disable some weird shit like "BAI avoids proximity grenades because they are seen on minimap" and voila.   

2

XPiratez / Re: Brutal AI

« on: August 05, 2024, 01:17:23 am »

I wanted to use BAI for cover system as well. But I was afraid it would overwrite "sniper", "spotter" attributes from specific enemies in XPiratez. Could you share how did you configure BAI?

If on, it not only overwrites sniper/spotter, it makes real moves like scouting and making hail of bullets towards your discovered units.
So, no cheating in terms of your units instant visibility after hitting spotter, each turn is rediscovery of your units.

If off, it should behave vanilla. But it's better to ask BAI author to confirm that.

Configure it with the least difficult constants, it is pretty overpowered.
Like, it will shot 4 out of 5 times possible, whereas vanilla units shot 1 time out of 4.
It will throw grenades 5 times more etc.

 

3

XPiratez / Re: Most fun difficulty?

« on: August 05, 2024, 01:04:45 am »

I played one JS/ironman campaign for two full in-game years (10 days IRL), carefully calculating every turn so no uber dies (peasants/dogs are disposable).
Then accidentally third or fourth major faction base assault was StarGods and that's it. Campaign is lost with no regrets.
It was prior to missiles introduction.

When missiles were introduced, JS/ironman is something like 25% of success past first missile strike, because it's always lack of funds because of constant re-recruitment. 
They say build farming bases. Savescummers, they are. There's no money to do so even with all cashy missions done and 4-5-6-10k score each month.

And then came Xilmi and introduced Brutal AI.
And on JS/ironman everything is fucked past first 10 battles.

So, most fun will be Davy Jones with Brutal AI + little savescumming.

4

Brutal AI / Re: Modified XCF unit ruleset for BAI

« on: August 04, 2024, 09:26:14 pm »

Sorry for late update.
Modified XCF 3.4 ruleset for units is attached

5

The X-Com Files / Re: Enemies have full TU on first turn

« on: August 01, 2024, 11:53:17 pm »

I'm likely not the first one to mention that, but I'm getting tired of hitting "end turn" first thing after the mission start.
It feels like my pilot have been landing REALLY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY, ensuring that everyone is ready for us.
Maybe change it, if not 0%, then to at least "default overwatch %" (I know that aliens tend to reserve some TUs every turn if the don't see an enemy, but not 100%)

But... Your pilot indeed landed carefully, so everyone is ready for you. Just, imagine it. It takes 20-40 seconds for VTOL to come and land, it makes noise and flashes lights, it opens the ramp... And soldiers get hit by every single unit, that holds the gun.
What's so unnatural here?
In smaller difficulties there is bigger chance that units facing wrong direction.
In highest difficulty everyone facing towards you.

6

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.3: Mysteries Ancient And New

« on: July 26, 2024, 04:30:56 am »

Generally I don´t need definitive answer about alien empire, as aliens may prove reluctant to divulge such information, even under pressure of torture, only various hints that may unsettle player - what if winning over aliens on mars may bring even darker future for humanity ?

No one knows who are aliens and why they came to Earth in 1998.
X-Piratez is more definitive story prolonger and is set up in 2600's, when humanity lost alien invasion war and set up pact with Ethereals. 
Elerium is Sci-Fi crystal which holds Moscovium stable in some Sci-Fi superfield/lattice/who cares (in X-Piratez it has even higher atomic weight number)
Mars is just a base. It has nothing but *some* infrastructure built, not a civilization.
Second round will be in few hundreds of years/millenias in case X-COM wins. But nobody knows that. Exact locations and sizes of the Etherial Galactic subfleets which heads towards solar systems is not covered lore-wise in original game, because it has been inspired by Sci-Fi theories and it was completely different era with no internet and few sources of information. X-COM 1994 is product of different society which was more prone to address to mysticism and supernaturalism. Now add then fresh theories of *atomic islands of stability* with hope for infinite energy sources, spice it with a face on Mars surface and get the spirit of X-COM.

7

Brutal AI / Re: Brutal-OXCE 9.1.0

« on: July 25, 2024, 01:08:25 am »

Report regarding human NPC picking up and using alien plasma weapons.
By lore, only X-COM can do that. And mostly lategame after cracking codes.

8

Brutal AI / Re: Brutal-OXCE 9.1.0

« on: July 22, 2024, 05:40:24 pm »

Xilmi, zombies in XCF are not rushing again (aggro = 4 (zombies are Leeroys), intel = 6)
Previously, I reported this issue and you managed to return the original zombie behavior.
Something broke with few releases I skipped playing.

Currently:
- all zombies on map run towards you (regardless if they see directly you or not)
- making some weird moves near your agents (chess positioning + supposed blocking of shoots, which doesn't work for zombies)
- not screaming "GRAWRRRR" as usual in any point of the map
- positioning themselves in anti-grenade pattern with strict spacings between Z's (see screenshots attached).
Turned off "anti-grenade spacing option".

Supposed behavior (can be seen if BAI is turned off):
- only zombies who see or sense you will run towards you.
- when they reach targeted agent, they stand on place and bite. Just bite, not seeking for a weaker spot. 
- make GRAWRRRR scream at the beginning of their turn (each)
- don't care about crowd control. Don't care how many other Zombies are near.

SAV is attached

FYI: Current BAI build makes sense, I enjoy playing with customized units.rul file with inherited stats (both aggro & intel).
Strongly suggest to make mission-to-mission variables not only in the aggression settings, but also in intelligence (see previous message).   

9

The X-Com Files / Re: [submod]Submod list for XCF

« on: July 22, 2024, 09:18:36 am »

Sadly, I have no idea how to modify it past manual changing the original file

10

The X-Com Files / Re: [submod]Submod list for XCF

« on: July 21, 2024, 10:40:52 pm »

Hi Juku, this is not a mod, but rather modification in Unit.RUL file so enemy units act not all in the same manner.
Could be helpful to attach it under the BAI submod link.
https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php?topic=12118.msg165229#msg165229

11

Brutal AI / Modified XCF unit ruleset for BAI

« on: July 21, 2024, 10:33:29 pm »

This XCF ruleset is modified for use with XCF 3.3 / BOXCE 9.1.2 options:
"Inherit enemy unit aggression" (4)
"Inherit unit intelligence" (6),
The intention is to make some units act in more lore-wise manner. Strong and/or stupid units will behave more aggressive, while Engineers, Medics and Leaders will work in more ambushing ways.
Some units will act optimal (this means that they will definitely try to kill you), while others will act spontaneous, according to their modified (low) intelligence.

1. Prepare wisely: rename previous unts_XCOMFILES.rul file before replacing it with the file attached
2. File goes to: [BAI folder]\user\mods\XComFiles\Ruleset\
3. BAI is strong enough to slap your ass. Be sure to start testing at difficulty 2 or 3.
4. My preferables: turn OFF the options for BAI to pre-prime grenades, spread out, and avoid proximity grenades.
5. Even more player-friendly will be to turn OFF: BAI use explosives turn one; turn ON = alternate throwing accuracy by JoyNarical (battlescape section)

12

Brutal AI / Re: Brutal-OXCE 9.1.0

« on: July 08, 2024, 04:03:00 pm »

Xilmi, hi

One more thing came into the mind, regarding the aggro settings:
If not taking into consideration dynamic switching between aggressiveness parameters in one single mission,
Can it be implemented that same units can have different aggros in different missions, based on random, right?
Say, 60% of missions aggressiveness is 1, in 40% is 2.

This will diversify how same missions are being played, yet will not mess up with overall BAI strategy over one single mission

If this can happen, although I don't really the following below is needed, it seem that implementation of the feature through addition RUL file can be a good solution:
modified (renamed, like BAI_XCF_units.rul) RUL file can be downloaded into directory where original RUL file stays.
And, if user choses "inherit unit aggression", then BOXCE restarts and reads modified RUL file, instead of original one.
This will allow to write percentages in any manner you will suggest, and will not interfere with original file.
In case, if something is broken, BOXCE then can simply return to original file.

13

Brutal AI / Re: Brutal-OXCE 9.1.0

« on: July 04, 2024, 03:02:01 pm »

So for example if the calculated score for a tile is 100.
0 Intelligence means the score is now RND(0-100).
1 Intelligence means the score is now 20+RND(0-80)
2 Intelligence means the score is now 40+RND(0-60)
3 Intelligence means the score is now 60+RND(0-40)
4 Intelligence means the score is now 80+RND(0-20)
5 Intelligence means the score remains 100

Thanks. With this in mind, I think it will be a mess with model that switches between aggressiveness levels, too.
At least, why not take a try with something like customized RUL file + intel = 40-60.

14

Brutal AI / Re: Brutal-OXCE 9.1.0

« on: July 03, 2024, 09:50:36 pm »

Can you please remind, what intelligence stands for, BAI-wise?

targeting mode: 4 is cheating, and probably the worst solution this case. Regarding the invis units on the player side, maybe a trigger may help: some sort of mass AoE after few turns without seeing killer, but getting casualities? Hardly believable something outside grenades and rockets can make a deal. Suicidal recon can work too, but it's unfavorable and abusable. Well, ok. Just to point out that issue is there.

I did provide some options to nerf the AI to get some kind of in-between-state between the base-AI and the fully brutal experience. It's on the player to figure out what options they like.
 

It's intelligence, right?

15

Brutal AI / Re: Brutal-OXCE 9.1.0

« on: July 02, 2024, 10:12:31 pm »

Weighted randomization (using the default value more often than other values) and based on the game-state. Morale seems like the most logical value to use.

Weighted randomization surplus which depends on morale is good, but also reverse scenarios are acceptable: when units that are supposed to be zealots, start to hide for a random amount of turns and then became zealots once again, coming out of shitholes and dark places of any kind.
Well, based on my perception of BAI's previous versions, it usually makes it hard to proceed without casualities within player's troops, setting up ambushes quite good, but rarely relying on reserved TU's for reaction shots. From player's perspective, this lowers the most consistent part of the joy (a gambling within a game), making it rather a straight-forward chess game, than a a sort of rogue-like role playing game. 
I can't comment current BAI, as still want the thing to happen: be it possible to rewrite all RUL aggro settings manually. Now it comes much closer to that.

Remember, that aggressiveness level written in OXCE RUL file has nothing in common to be compared with BAI aggressiveness.
So. There is HARDLY an option to "choosing option 4 means aggressiveness is inherited from unit-aggression" at the current state of BAI-mod (XPZ/XCF) compliance, because units then will behave unnaturally, and most likely push themselves to death, even weakest ones that should otherwise passively run around in vanilla. And, btw, they run around so to make mission more mild/narrow in terms of shooting density (such balanced, that's it). So player don't have to deal with all 50-100 troops simultaneously turn 2.

And one more thing. There's invisible units on player's side too. By invisible I mean really invisible, not CAMO. Last playthrough I had one catgirl making beef out of whole BAI cruiser because they couldn't do anything regarding it. Invis = 5, range = 20.
Of course, I cancelled reaction shots my turn. But vanilla has sniper-spotter. What can BAI make in this case?