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Messages - mumble

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61
The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.8 alpha: The Mummy Returns
« on: April 21, 2018, 05:48:20 am »
Biggest issue is humvees don't cut it for harder missions. Being in poland is prime xcom real estate, as is china, or elsewhere, but starting in America leaves too many missions unable to be reached by large squads. I feel if central American cult of the apocalypse was intigrated, it would solve this issue.

I suppose for now, the United States are just not viable.

62
The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.8 alpha: The Mummy Returns
« on: April 18, 2018, 11:53:13 pm »
I'm a little worried games starting anywhere else but Europe, Asia, Africa, or Russia are not exactly balanced. Starting in America, too many missions are not possible to reach quickly enough, or with enough people to attack properly, before they vanish.

63
The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« on: March 25, 2018, 10:41:29 pm »
My problem is the blind fire makes escaping the vehicle and getting to cover a nasty endevor, theres no real cover with the ships bottom, you are surrounded, and smoke doesn't seem to stop firing at all. And with people spread out, the bullets will still hit someone even if its not an intended target. At very least, the firing should be far more randomized, as I think it still targets the person, but just has horrible accuracy.

Also, I think it should be reserved for certain troops, similar to snipers and spotters, make a few "suppression" classes or whatever.

64
OXCE Suggestions DONE / Re: Hide items in the Purchase Screen
« on: March 25, 2018, 06:09:35 am »
Really handy! hope this gets added into XCF, as the huge list of tons of guns after getting blackops gear is a hassle to get through.

I'd call them "obsolete" items personally, but thats just me. I think its fitting with the game, as obviously cannons are 100% obsolete once you get craft lasers for instance.

Any chance you could add this for selling, and crafting, just for completions sake?

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The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« on: March 25, 2018, 05:56:02 am »
honestly I think flash bangs would work on select aliens that AREN'T augmented : sectoids, snakemen, buff smurfs (I always forget their names) and probably waspites and chrysalis, while mutons, chronites, and etherals (they are organic, but surely heavy psi power must help) would be immune, or at least slightly weakened.

Actually, it would be interesting to flashbang zombies.... see if they wander a bit aimlessly while blind

Come to think of it, shouldn't zombies have a reduced vision range compared to other units, decay and cateract like conditions at all? maybe less so for higher ups (infectors, troopers and such) but the common zombie shouldn't have great eye sight, and poor night vision right? Zombies aren't exactly known for having keen vision. Id think all but the tomb guards and above would have depleted vision, and this would make nastier missions on superhuman a little more fair.

Also, I had an interesting idea for an item : what about binoculars, which half your vision cone width from 90 degrees to 45 degrees, but as you use them, boosts your vision range to max? Would be interesting, especially if cults could use them for snipers / spotters....and we could do the same =)

By the way, did you change AI so it does suppression fire into smoke if it cannot see a target? red dawn is crazy trigger happy when im in smoke, to the point smoke grenades feel nerfed into the ground. They are less accurate mind you, but climbing out of the ship is a NIGHTMARE it seems, the usual smoke and proceed tactic just isn't enough to avoid damage...maybe decrease the accuracy further,, and decrease the likelyhood? or am I just forced to deploy riot shield guys as bait, or something?...

66
The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« on: March 23, 2018, 01:11:46 am »
Very happy to hear the requirements for promotion 3 are diversified a little. I'll check this out when I get home.

Edit: probably won't get to try till tonight.

You know, I'd like to see missions requiring more use of non lethal means, perhaps indoctrinated civilians in cults (regular joes who are only very low level like Dagon supporters) which you lose points for killing despite being hostile.

Alternatively, what about a "base defense" mission which is actually a city / town, with mass mind control attacks using mind control nodes? Require taking people down non fatally like piratez raids, and destroying the mind control hub in the city (an immobile unit) to capture, possibly with a very heavy moral loss at "killing" the hub, so everyone surrenders on its death.

And if these things are implemented, maybe flash bangs could be created, a grenade that lowers tus and other stats, with a multiplication of front armor "damage" too, so flash bangs on sides or back aren't effective, while in front drastically lowers energy, reactions, aim, and inflicts camo hit on vision.

... Second part I'm unsure if its pheasable, but first part would be interesting, especially if the town acted as a base, further indoctrinating outsiders and reducing points till taken down. Would be great for variety, and training non lethal take downs

67
Sorry for being unclear.

I was recommending after a cult is terminated and an alien communicator is researched, that missions begin popping up, involving coordinates occupied by hybrids and sectoids, which are reaching out via the communicators trying to repair the now damaged cult. After all, its a big hole in their plan.

This mission would be a bit easier than ufos, and more importantly, easier to reach with dragonflies / hummers, since it would be a static mission instead of a speeding ufo.

As for the mission content, perhaps a small bunker with plenty of hybrids, better armed (and protected) than normal, perhaps a few moderately well armed sectoids, and items that expose elements of the hybrids. Genetic alteration equipment, and other stuff, which can then be used to track caravans. After all it feels like there isn't much reason to track said caravans, other than a mission popping up.

One of the reasons I'm recommending this, is the likelihood of getting promotion 3 seems really uncertain before the invasion, and being invaded without rockets, fighter jets, or larger carriers seems like a nasty game over condition, and fighting to get these up post invasion, even by a month is a little frightening of a prospect, but i don't know how harsh the invasion is the first 3 months in xcf.

I almost wonder if the requirement for promotion 3 should change, as requiring a live alien capture when you have no fighter jets, while not impossible, is a little shakey. Especially with how nasty sectoids are now, and how ufos easily outrun any promotion 2 craft

Perhaps the requirement should be adjusted for instead infiltration of hybrids, and interrogation of a higher up hybrid to confirm alien commanders irrefutably? This way one can become ready pre invasion. Much more reliably.

It also feels really weird how of all the evidence, interrogation of literally any alien is the key to promotion 3, not uncovering a hybrid plot, not shutting down a cult and showing how crazy it is, not exposing existence if aliens or alien tech, but interrogation of a live alien. Yet capturing one feels like it would require promotion 3. I don't know what is involved in alien containment but I figure it uses space age tech which is heavily restricted, and it doesn't feel natural waiting to nab a live alien for promotion 3. The tactics readout for promotion 2 also doesn't even mention alien origins, and since the ufo changes this is a little rough to get, even if some show, dragonflies and hummers rarely reach them, and if you do, its a nasty fight. It feels like you need to get really lucky to get promotion 3, and it feels like your goal of termination of a cult doesn't matter, despite the tactics page saying this is what you should do.

At very least, we should have some changes to say what you need to do in the general strategy page after promotion 2, for what we are supposed to do, as for a while i thought research was broken, since you really don't run into aliens in the first 2 years,and if you do, it takes gobs of research to unlock alien containment.

I'm just not sure, it feels like a very shakey, odd, and un-natural transition to promotion 3, and considering how important promotion 3 is, i think it should be made more reliable, even if it was segmented off slightly to where bigger things like rocket launchers, high explosives, and craft rockets were behind additional barriers.

68
I'd hesitate to call that a typical definition of a mummy, but I suppose that would make sense considering the xcom lore. Though if this is the case, maybe zombies would be involved with cult of Dagon? I mean, its a different thing kinda, but dagon works with pyramids, which are typically Egyptian and so are mummies, so maybe these tombs of zombies can actually be researched from dagon people? Would make slightly more sense than suddenly finding tombs because reasons, with no mentioned tracking as far as I'm aware, and I could see a partnership between fish people cults and zombie groups, at least in terms of the ones with higher sentience. So maybe representatives of dagon and mummies could work together...?

By the way, are you going to add inventory items that alter stats like piratez does? This might be a good way to flesh out advanced medicine, perhaps with drugs patches to raise stats in expense of others. Maybe a stimulant to raise reactions and stun regen, at the cost of aim and bravery, a steroid patch to raise strength energy and melee, at cost of health, and a mild relaxer, raising bravery and aim, at the cost of reactions and energy. Just a little thought, this was added a little while ago but you haven't added anything that utilized this ability.

Edit : so apparently getting alien origins is almost impossible till 1999 with the recent ufo changes, where up till the invasion there's no ufos. This means for 6 months I'm effectively sitting around doing research, as many things are lmpossible to get until i get an alien corpse.

I'm not really against lacking ufos, but maybe we could make a mission branch involving hybrids and a sectoid, after researching the alien communicator? This would be more reasonable, i think, than waiting for several months, and would be a nice transition into fighting aliens, having a compound with heavily armed hybrids and maybe a couple posted sectoids, and other stuff.

Besides, seeing how the invasion is planned, but alien operations still happen on earth, it would make sense to have sleeper cells of low level aliens somewhere on earth, managing the hybrids, processing data, and being in charge of operations on the ground. Besides, it might be an interesting opportunity to expand hybrid lore, perhaps something about people being abducted and relentlessly genetically modified till they are hybrids. And it would make sense the network on the ground of hybrids, and the aliens in charge of them, being in charge of the tops of the cults, as they have more direct Intel to the earth and its events than an ethereal across the solar system.

I think maybe it could happen after researching the communicator and terminating a cult, that you get missions which are pretty much just call locations from alien's frantically trying to get in contact with the defunct cult to repair damages done, unaware that xcom has cracked their systems, then invading the compound.

Sorry for such a large suggestion, but I think this change would be a great transition to hybrids and aliens. Also, ufos are incredibly infrequently and hard to catch anyways with promotion 2 gear, assuming they do come early  so i feel this would make overcoming that hump more reasonable, even if a compound raid was difficult.

69
The X-Com Files / Re: Bugs, crashes, typos & bad taste
« on: March 13, 2018, 09:53:46 pm »
Alien origins huh...? I guess, but i thought it didn't need it before. Or i always got it before (i am speeding through this run, june 1998 and exalt is down). I think this should be added to the tactics page of promotion 2, to give the player a clear idea that its necessary to progress.

Psiclone says it in the attacls for it in ufopedia, listing both a panic and mind control. I'm pretty sure I'm up to date.

I just tried a gang war map, and i gotta say, for highly trained military personnel with military grade arms outnumbering a bunch of thugs, I'm a little shocked how many grenades they bring. They bring more it seems, than at a base, and it seems really bizarre considering bases prone to xcom assault has less. Or perhaps this is just a fluke, me getting grenaded 3 times in 4 turns. Do they pack more than usual or was this bad rng?

Also, fighting the brainer wasn't so bad this time, but he was much less aggressive with psi. Mostly its when he spams it.

70
The X-Com Files / Re: Bugs, crashes, typos & bad taste
« on: March 13, 2018, 02:29:35 pm »
So i think the corpse research for brainers in exalt is bugged. I researched it after blowing him in half with a grenade, terminated exalt, but have yet to receive the option to research promotion 3. I've tried researching hybrids, alien communicators and other stuff, and nothing leads to it, and considering my base is in North America, trying to fight other cults is a logistical nightmare to get much needed promotion 3. Not sure if i missed anything, but i remember before, termination of a cult meant promotion 3. But unless this is fixed, i think my playthrough might be screwed.

 had a thought about brainers and balancing their psi ability, what if psi attacks had fall off in power from them? So just through a door is very effective, but across the map is not.

... I also noticed keeping out of sight seemed to reduce psi bombardment, but this might be a fluke. Is psi based on enemy squad last known location?

Xcom psiclone still has text including mind control which is now non existent.

71
I think so, the exalt mansion is an absolute MESS of flanks, with many gunners, unpredictable fighting (for xcom mind you) and other issues. 8 troops is really pushing it for if its possible, but a bigger craft would work, but honestly i need promotion 3 for a skyranger and such.

Its a nasty conflict also, between staying together and staying alone. Staying alone means you get slaughtered by flanks, staying together means that you get slaughtered by a 70 bravery guy using a light minigun against his own buddies as other people flank and kill you.

Also understand, the risk of psionics in longer battles is exponentially worse, since there's around 100 security personnel, who are all trying to kill you while you are bombarded almost every turrn with psi attacks. Pure rng will screw you in the end at that rate.

Its not as bad as trying the magma lab with a dragonfly, but it seems a little rough. Honestly i wouldn't mind swapping a few guards for guard dogs too.

By the way, what do you research to unlock the heavy cannon? I did magma lab with the large 14 unit crafted, bringing back a live zombie trooper, and never got anything back from magma corporation, did i miss, or perhaps blow up, something important?

72
The 50 150 rule wouldn't make it unplayable, but would certainly fuck with balance.

First off, combat armor would be a little overpowered as you effectively raise the resistance of it, and its already kinda powerful as is, to the point it effectively negates small caliber shots to the front 90% of the time, and reducing max incoming damage as well, putting more weapons in the "harmless" threshold. Shotguns especially would be really nerfed, and melee enemies too.

The armor was pretty well balanced in this, and I'd estimate that 50 150 would be far easier up till facing sectopods.

I don't want to speak for scorch, but I doubt hunter killers would apply within the first 2 years for sure, possibly even 3 years since migs are a terrible match for ufos. I'd be utterly shocked if he added hunter killers then, and if he did, it would probably be an extremely rare 1 off kick in the nuts.

Private car has an upgrade to hummer at promotion 2. 5 seats, almost as fast as private car, and of course infinite range.

Anyways on to a bit of my own input.

Not sure when it happened, but allowing events to time out as you travel to them is extremely nice : i actually have a reason to use private car now, instead of vans at all times, since madman killers in particular require speed.

Exalt brainers seem too psionically tough, anyone with bravery under 40 is putty for them, and I even had a bravery 70 guy get mind controlled despite high moral. I can understand A brainer being a threat, but and having psionics, but I'd notch down its power.

Considering you altered drones recently, any chance we can get alternative drones for scouts with smg, or rifle ammo? Particularly a higher capacity, the 50 damage burst is great, but 6 shots really lowers flexibility, especially since it cannot carry a reload by itself.

73
The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.4 alpha: Gauss Curves
« on: February 08, 2018, 11:54:55 pm »
I'm honestly not sure if dioxine is the best opinion on difficulty, considering hes a little bit of a madman about making things hard. Take his opinion with a grain of salt, hes the same guy who makes maps with acid rain, regenerating zombies, deserts that give heat stroke in 2 turns, and other stuff. Of course anything you can make would be no problem for him.

Also, has he ever complained you made anything too hard, ever?

74
The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.4 alpha: Gauss Curves
« on: February 08, 2018, 05:38:52 pm »
I think you have a too high focus on military being grunts. Sure everyone is trained, but an airforce jet mechanic is not comparable to a marine. Military still has cooks, doctors, scientists, scouts, ect, and obviously these are not all as hardened, or expected to be as hardened as marines.

This is what i meant, despite technology, mutons are first and foremost GRUNTS designed for combat. Sectoids are more so  for science work, research, and other secondary tasks it seems. Their psionic ability, intelligect, and other aspects makes them more favorable to gathering / intel missions than full on combat, despite all the tricks they have, and you wouldn't want to waste sectoids on overly dangerous missions when you could use chronites, mutons or anthropods, which are arguably cheaper to produce. I suppose the reason they do terror missions (the only real dangerous missions) is to gather statistics on horror and demoralizing humans.

I mean, this is all just head canon to justify sectoids being balanced in a new way, but clearly the aliens don't just view everyone as grunts equally, even the lore states otherwise, that anthropods and chronites are made for just grunts, primarily.

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The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.4 alpha: Gauss Curves
« on: February 08, 2018, 03:09:21 pm »
It's literally like my comparison of ranked gamers to marines. If you think about it, fighting in a ship is very similar to a video game. Sure, there's some risk of danger, but the stressors of this danger are somewhat removed.

The sectoid views, in my head canon, ship fights like a puzzle, emotionally removed, like a game. And since this is almost entirely a cerebral process, the sectiod has an edge. Compare this to the dumber, more animalistic mutons, and they aren't as good at such calculations, BUT, are better at primal, instinctive reactions, the "do or die" response, also associated with higher bravery. General physical fitness also applies, a muton is in athletic shape compared to the pudgy sectoid, and pure fitness alone would probably add some edge.

In short, sectoids aren't actually acclimated to combat like mutons are, more shakey from fear as they better grasp mortality than the very primal mutons, which makes them nervous, while also suffering a more frail body less capable of quick reactions.

You could also make the comparison of a jock in dodge ball / nerd playing Mario. Both are good in respective jobs, and both involve reaction time, but the jock, less acclimated to Mario would be worse, while the nerd would be less reactive in dodge ball.

Tl;dr, i think you are assuming reactions apply across the board, rather than differentiation of reactions in front line combat, and reactions in the "relative" safety of an incredibly strong ufo hull, which is also semi equipped to survive crashes.

I guess you could say the sectoid is impeded by its nerves in reacting, or that the unpredictable nature of the battlefield makes them less effective at reacting. Overly linier mindset and all.

I also may have other ideas... Perhaps a self destructive core inside chronites making them explode on death, and possibly waspites hatching into bee swarms on death. Or just releasing acidic spores which make any non waspite turn into a hostile fungal mass if it kills , immobile, but shooting more spores similar to a silacoid, very low range and very innaccurate, but extremely dangerous in close quarters. I think this would be fitting, since waspites were so damn fragile in fmp.

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