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1

Suggestions / Re: exponential difficulty

« on: June 05, 2014, 09:36:54 pm »

However, using the Plasma Beam Mod or something similar makes the choice much less obvious, sionce you're constantly out of Elerium to power the plasma cannons (except the late game, but even then it's still a factor in your economy).

I think it would be much better if the aliens actually used these bombs. Compared to the original game, aliens are very reluctant to fire Blaster Launchers.

Can you please summarize the changes, for example in a simple comparison table? I'm a lazy person.

Being new in these parts I didn't know of that mod.  Mine does something similar but also tweaks the damage and ranges of all weapons in an attempt to make them all useful.
 I slightly increase the range and damage of the laser cannon, for example, it's still worthless on a standard interceptor but on somthing a little more durable it might be worth using on anything up to medium ufos.  As it was the laser weapon wasn't enough of an upgrade over the cannon to be worth bothering with at all; the only advantage it had was infinite ammo and there cannon ammo cost was never really a worry. I don't know if my changes make it viable but as it was I don't know anyone that used it.
The blaster weapon can carry four shots so that there is a replacement fo the plasmas damage capability but you won't bring down the largest ship with just one of your own without risking losing it (it's not even a close fight you are heavily outclassed).   I think that file also includes a shortening of the avalanches range, I play about with it a lot at the minute.

Your right about the blaster bombs the aliens do seem to use them less.  In fact their behaviour if they are holding one seems weird. Just had a base commander stroll into the lift, I boxed it in a corner with rookies and it did nothing at all fot the rest of the mission, which is a shame.  I recall them shooting their own team as often as mine in the original game so maybe it's to stop the AI looking like idiots?

2

Suggestions / Re: exponential difficulty

« on: June 05, 2014, 12:11:30 pm »

As I see it the problem with the endgame isn't the hit point count of units or the fact that humans have alien tech; it's that they have better alien tech.  One example is the plasma beam outclassing all but one of the alien ship weapons.

It makes very little sense, strips the interception game of risk lowering difficulty overall as ships are rarely out of action and makes every other weapon obsolete - even the higher teir ones.

Why are ethereals mind controllable at all? They have a way bigger brain than humans and use their powers for everything from moving to controlling armies but a human with a months crash course in psionics can just take over their mind? bumping their psy resistance to impossible to beat levels would make the game far harder once you start seeing them every other mission.

Resource wise give less than 50 elerium per engine and hit the player in the wallet - make selling prices lower and increase resource costs of manufacture.

That leaves the blaster bomb.  I think the aliens bring too many bombs with them and the cost for making your own is far too low. I'm not convinced there is an issue with it as an occasional weapon.

However when making these changes I've found the alien invasion scales a little fast for my liking compared to the players abilities and I can't find a balance I enjoy.
What does change things without leaving you in trouble is stripping the plama beam from its seat as the holy grail and increasing the utility of the other ship weapons.  I'll attach an example - it's far from perfect but it gives you the idea, small changes can affect the game a lot.