Messages

31

XPiratez / Re: All those pinups

« on: April 07, 2017, 11:00:04 pm »

And also, revisiting the original post: a number of times here, asome question often gets a response: it's in BootyPedia!   But it looks like a heavy portion of useful general info is now locked behind the data disk mechanic.   I.e. 17 months into game and having researched every disk I found, I am yet to unlock the bit about F5/F9 inventory templates (#037) or the one about reactions check.  (#056) to name a few.   I understand the desire to 'fluff out' the disks but is it really the right material for that?  My suggestion would be load the disks instead with Solar Courier articles, maybe add a bunch of hints about profitable manufactures or obscure research requirements.  (I.e. "Full understanding of Gravity Physics will require shooting down a Bomber")  Or even some random fluff such as "this disk contained source code of something called OpenXCOM.  We need a ...few more weeks to fully understand this one"

32

XPiratez / Re: All those pinups

« on: April 07, 2017, 08:04:57 pm »

Or, if you want to avoid duplicating NativeUrban 4x4, can add a Ninja Boss who will drop one (having already pilfered it from Loknarrs by the time you arrive)

33

XPiratez / Re: All those pinups

« on: April 07, 2017, 07:50:44 pm »

Simple enough: put the item on the ground somewhere.  Preferably in a normally inaccessible spot.  All ground items are collected automatically if mission is won, right?

34

XPiratez / Re: A thread for little questions

« on: April 07, 2017, 07:47:12 pm »

You need:
Minecraft
Broken Traders Rep
Eurasian Autonomy

These give you access to:
Siberia Base Investigation (needs Mess Hall facility)
Once that researched, you get a special mission in Siberia.   Russian files will be on the leader there.

35

XPiratez / Re: A thread for little questions

« on: April 07, 2017, 04:21:38 pm »

Chems production is fairly advanced stuff.  Which version are you running?  As of F4, Dioxine heavily nerfed a lot of good early/midgame moneymakers.  I have not actually run the numbers on latest versions yet.  In case you still run F3:
Medical Supplies are/were really good.  Was actually more effective to buy chems than to make them via refinery.  One caveat: any secondary base needs surgery room to make those.
Porn (needs Pimpcraft) was a great moneymaker as long as you kept harvesting civilians or lower-ranking factions and could convert them to male/female slaves. 
Whatever you do, dont waste personal DBs, Integrated devices and damaged grav units.   Those become real important later.

36

XPiratez / Re: All those pinups

« on: April 07, 2017, 06:20:54 am »

Well, after my Gals helping them Lok'Narrs on a number of occasions, they could yield a 'sacred writ' per mission.   

Oh well...  the CPU core in factory base is almost ready.   Time to get powergaming...

37

XPiratez / Re: All those pinups

« on: April 07, 2017, 05:17:42 am »

That may be indeed so, but the whole part about data disks is what got me examining those 'pinup techs'.   So my question stands - if piloting, voodoo and medical ones are available from respective captives, why not the combat ones?    And while talking about that, those Nar'Lock Sky Ninjas ought to have SOME knowledge of their Gods.    (Purple Flower, I am looking at YOU)  If grinding the disks is not the intended route, then why so many things are available exclusively from them?   

38

XPiratez / All those pinups

« on: April 07, 2017, 12:10:40 am »

I got a bit of a problem:  UAC documentation.  It is in the higher studies tree but unless I run into a rare spawn in a rare mission, data disks are the only source.   And in the past 3 months I got a grand total of one disk dropped.   Overall, I had maybe 14 disks over 17 months. Sure I can datamine them from personal DBs, the ones I got in stock will yield maybe 5 disks.  And sure, I could set runts to grind DBs and make discs at 7700 runt hours a pop, but first I am eliminating every tech I can get elsewhere.

Disks can yield almost 300 bits of info, but most of that info can be obtained elsewhere.   I am down to about 56 items, and vast majority of those are pinups: the tidbits of wisdom like "armor useful only to those who get hit".   And they dilute my chances of hitting the tech I need something crazy. 

The problem is it looks like those were designed as bits of wisdom for a starting player, not someone who is doing well enough to afford data mining.   Were disks supposed to be a more common thing?   Another problem is looks like pinups are unfinished.  I mean: pilots can give piloting pinups, voodoo guys can yield voodoo wisdom and medics got stuff about pain and such.   One would expect the likes of Ninja gals, Spartan riflemen or Church warmaidens to yield the combat ones.  Oh and it looks like some pinups such as the hideout song, are not obtainable at all...

39

XPiratez / Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!

« on: April 04, 2017, 11:53:06 pm »

That power station arrangement yields a measly 1.35 mil/month and it cost 13.5 mil to build so you get no return for 10 months.  Putting down  large barracks x2, large vault and a factory (about 19 mil) and setting 200 runts to build and sell regular tanks is gonna pump 28mil/month to your coffers after runt salaries and facility maintenance.

About weapons...  agreed that ES stuff is about useless.   But you do want to invest in heavy hitters in other than piercing or concussive since many nastier units are about immune.  You can be pumping that boom gun at a sectopod for 10 turns straight and not make a dent. (0.1 to piercing, 140 armor) but a couple well placed FAE grenades will melt it.   Or send in a high-melee/reaction gal with a force blade.

40

XPiratez / Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!

« on: April 01, 2017, 10:20:23 pm »

I gotta say, once I got access to Heavy Shotgun (and you can get it darn early)  I forgot all about flintlocks.     Sure, the thing lacks range, but if you can get within 7 tiles, the killing power of that thing is just amazing, and 145% snap accuracy?    Yeah!    Heavy shotguns pretty much carried me through months 2-8.   I also downed several Spartan Military Supplies which got me a nice stockpile of OK weaponry.   

 

41

XPiratez / Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.4 - 18 Mar - Furious Fixes

« on: April 01, 2017, 02:00:20 am »

One real pivotal point is when you get hyperwave decoders, and if you do the research right, you can have them fairly early.   I haf my first one running in July first year, with two more on the way.   By year end I covered all but polar caps.   Knowing where stuff is going and who it us is HUGE.  About 4 out of 5 crafts land somewhere, and you can nab them there, meaning you can mostly ignore the better fighters/cannons stuff.
Some other crucial points are Crazy Hannah and Military Suppliers.  Unlock these, and you are golden for heavy-hitting conventional weaponry.

Hostile environments are not that bad, but I tend to skip the cold ones.   Heat is easily dealt with using canteens.  Heck,  my top squads got big enough health pools to last 10-12 turns as is.  Pink sands, I often just sit in the craft, taking swigs from canteens and waiting for all enemies to drop.  Cold gets a lot easier with Thief armor (50%) and trivial with Space Suits.   And I opted to not research Organ Grinders as long as I can get Academy outposts.
Just finished April 2602.  17k score.  63 brainers and only a few steps from plasma unlock.  Academy decided to build base next to my main base and I nabbed every single ship: two gunships, 3 frigates and cruiser, and now I got a broken provost and like 3 techs from plasma unlock.  Currently heavily ramping up my shipbuilding, hoping to field a bomber-buster squadron in 2 months...

42

XPiratez / Re: A thread for little questions

« on: March 31, 2017, 08:04:07 pm »

Yeah definitely looks that way.   And with ST Geoscape recharge sitting pretty at 31500, it will completely regen in 9 ticks.   (A bomber will take about 80 ticks)   

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XPiratez / Re: A thread for little questions

« on: March 31, 2017, 05:24:14 pm »

The shield shouldn't recharge once it's down (if I didn't make a mistake writing the code), even if you exit Interception, so you can first attack with sabres carrying tesla cannons + meteors for the shield, then disengage and attack with avalanches + tank craft.

It would.be interesting to take a peek at the code, but I found your post from Nov 2016 describing shields, and the recharge part says nothing about shield recharge stopping when shield reaches 0.  Mind, I have not encountered an ST yet. Most other crafts have meager recharge (i.e 250 on a Bomber) which is a non-factor at 100 bleedthrough...

44

XPiratez / Re: Bugs & Crash Reports

« on: March 31, 2017, 08:13:02 am »

Yeah final accuracy is whatever your standing accuracy times 1.75, not flat 75% added. 

45

XPiratez / Re: A thread for little questions

« on: March 31, 2017, 08:08:35 am »

Looking at things, ST shield regains 63 points/sec, which is exactly average Tesla vs shield damage.   Teslas have 5 second refire so you need 5 teslas to just keep up with shield regen.  But you still need to go through about 2800 worth of shield and di it fast.   If each Sabre also carries 2 avalanches, with 3 sabres it is anywhere between 1800 and 3600 damage, average 2700 - not enough even for shield, and there is also about 1000 damage to be done to hull.   So, on a statistical average, 3 sabres with avalanches and teslas ought to handle the shield, and do it fast.  The fourth craft ought to be a dragon with extra plating and 1 plasma cannon and 2 fusion launchers.  Dragon engages first with plasma only, soon as ST fires, Sabres go all out ramming speed, with Avalanches hopefully kicking down the shield.    Once Teslas engage, turn on the Dragon's fusion launchers.   At least on paper, this ought to work, RNGesus might say otherwise...