Messages

1

The X-Com Files / Re: "Obsolete" missions

« on: March 10, 2025, 08:13:06 pm »

Just an idea, explained for the example of cult apprehensions.

Currently, cult apprehensions are disabled as soon as the "<cult> network" tech is researched. Instead, the "<cult> network" tech could be the prerequisite for a new tech "transfer <cult> apprehensions to council salvagers" which disables that mission. I guess it would make sense to give some incentive for researching that tech. Some bonus money might work well. Money is super scarce in the early game and something like 100.000$ (effectively multiplied by 4 since there are 4 cults) could make a huge difference. Lore-wise, the player gets the money as a reward for having condemned those cult apprehensions to a level where the council can deal with them on its own.

In this way, the player decides on his own when he wants those increasingly trivial missions to stop.
Also, it defuses the trap for the unspoiled player that the reseach "progress" of the "<cult> network" tech is in a certain sense also a step backwards (no super easy training of noobs any more).

As a variant, there could be only a single "transfer cult apprehensions to council salvagers" tech, which disables those missions for all cults simultaneously. In this way, it won't be possible to rake in the reward for 3 cults while keeping a single cult alive in case easy training is needed.

Another thought: That "transfer ..." tech could be the prerequisite for Promotion II, forcing the player to disable the missions at a certain point.

2

OXCE Suggestions Archive / Re: [Suggestion] [QoL] Research points spent indicator

« on: February 25, 2025, 01:16:09 am »

That is cheating.
The player is NOT supposed to know the "average research days".

Cheating is when you peek into the save file to learn the RNG outcome for the exact number of required research days. But in my opinion, knowing the average number of research days is something else; it is not cheating but rather being spoiled about the ruleset. There is a clear difference.

Compare this to the mechanics of training stats during combat.
For example, is knowing that you can max out your chances for a stat increase with 11 actions cheating? I don't think so. Power gamers recently even got the improved CTRL+SHIFT+E combat experience screen for keeping track of the number of relevant actions for stat training. A counter for the already spent research days would be a pretty similar thing: a QoL improvement for the spoiled power gamer, automatically tracking certain information that could otherwise also be tracked manually (albeit in a more tedious way).

3

The X-Com Files / Re: CF-105 ARROW vs Greater Manors

« on: February 11, 2025, 07:06:36 pm »

It feels like the CF-105 ARROW is a bit weak, maybe it should be buffed a bit,

I don't think I can change its stats any further without losing touch with what it is in reality, though.

Maybe the CF-105 could show up a bit earlier in the game timeline?
In a typical (spoiled) game, it comes only shortly before the MiG is available and thus is superseded soon.

Possibilities include getting a hint for the CF-105 from a secret file. Or to unlock it already from intterrogating the next lower rank to an EXALT master, which I think is an EXALT enforcer.

OTOH, the question is what this would really change. As pointed out by psavola and discussed there https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php?topic=12250.0, it could help with Syndicate retaliation, but you still won't be able to do the subsequent missions with the short time window.

4

The X-Com Files / Re: Accuracy Bug?

« on: December 23, 2024, 06:43:42 pm »

So it looks like a bug in the XCFAA (XCom Files Arsenal Additions) submod...

5

OXCE Suggestions DONE / Re: [DONE][Suggestion] Keyboard Shortcut to Add Indicator over a Soldier

« on: October 09, 2024, 06:54:18 pm »

I agree that "show the facing" deserves to have a single key, so better leave Alt at its old functionality.

I wonder if it would make sense to show the custom markers all the time, without pressing any key. The only collision I see is that if a marked unit is selected, its arrow turns yellow and you don't see the custom marker any more.

6

OXCE Suggestions Archive / Re: [Suggestion] [QoL] Research points spent indicator

« on: October 08, 2024, 11:00:14 am »

I think the suggestion makes a lot of sense. It's elementary base administration stuff: "Secretary, please tell me how many research days we have invested on Laser Weapons so far."

I'm playing XCom Files, now trying an Ironman run. I keep track of that information on a piece of paper to make sure that (1) I don't waste too much researcher days (by reducing the number of assigned scientists when half of the average research days for that tech are reached) and (2) important techs won't be delayed too much.

I would not like any more info here, this is not a production, where the player knows how long should it take to make things.

I think you got something wrong. The total research time needed is randomized, and the player does not know the exact amount of days his researchers will need. The suggestion under discussion changes nothing about that. It's only about the automation of something you can also do manually: Counting the days your researchers already spent on the tech.

If you want that much information, you can just open the savefile and go to the research part. It is all shown there.

Seriously? This is not a sensible approach IMO. You will have a hard time not to peek at the next line in the save file, showing you the total cost of the tech. This is a random number which is not disclosed to the player in the game.

7

The X-Com Files / Re: Bugs, crashes, typos & bad taste

« on: October 07, 2024, 10:10:45 pm »

You should post your save before applying bio-enhancement. This would allow more easily to reproduce and if necessary fix (probably in OXCE).

You know, it has a bit to do with shame. Posting my game is like stripping naked, possibly exposing the bit of savescumming I did every now and then... But I swear that my plan is to collect experience on this first run for a future ironman game

I was about to write that the savegame got overwritten in the meanwhile. But I could find another one where the Van is still not at its destination, hehe. So o.k., I show you my game.

Instructions:
* Load the save game
* Convince yourself that PUBLIC/VAN-3 is on its way to an Abyssal Artifact Delivery mission in south Atlantic.
* Click Bases
* Select 2nd base India
* Click Agents
* Click Fonthip Pinkaew (fairly at the bottom of the list; also note Craft: PUBLIC/VAN-3)
* Click on the up arrow (button left of "Armored Vest").
* Click Bio-Enhancement
* Click once again Bio-Enhancement (button at the bottom right)
* Go back to geoscape. Let the game progress, start the mission and note that Fonthip Pinkaew is missing.

8

The X-Com Files / Re: Bugs, crashes, typos & bad taste

« on: October 07, 2024, 09:17:44 pm »

Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that agents that are out of the base don't even show up in the transformations menu. At least I don't ever recall being able to transform them and I think I would have seen this by now. This would also have impact on the missions if you transform an agent while still enroute to a mission (instead of back from the mission).

Yes, I'm sure. I had sent a Van on a looong trip for over 3 days to an undercover mission.
Then I decided to go for my first round of Bioenhancement. I did it going through the agents list of the base (the absent agents are present there) and then click on the "arrow up" symbol and then click on Bioenhancement whereever it was showing up (i.e. for the agents fulfilling the requirements).
When the Van finally reached its goal, to my surprise one agent was missing.
I had saved the game before the Bioenhancement and thus could confirm my theory.

9

OXCE Builds & Ports / Re: Strange delay of control key effectiveness

« on: October 07, 2024, 12:02:32 pm »

Sometimes there is also the following problem which might be related: Going back (for example from the web browser) to the OXCE window via Alt + Tab (cycling through the open windows) sometimes leaves me with an activated Alt key in openXCom, even though the Alt key is not pressed any more.

10

OXCE Builds & Ports / Re: Strange delay of control key effectiveness

« on: October 07, 2024, 11:53:10 am »

Wow, very fast answer, thank you!!

From the list of installed packages, I think I'm actually using native SDL 1.2

Code: [Select]

$ dpkg -l | grep sdl
ii  libsdl-gfx1.2-5:amd64                         2.0.25-12                            amd64        drawing and graphical effects extension for SDL
ii  libsdl-image1.2:amd64                         1.2.12-13+b2                         amd64        Image loading library for Simple DirectMedia Layer 1.2, libraries
ii  libsdl-mixer1.2:amd64                         1.2.12-17+b3                         amd64        Mixer library for Simple DirectMedia Layer 1.2, libraries
ii  libsdl-net1.2:amd64                           1.2.8-6+b1                           amd64        Network library for Simple DirectMedia Layer 1.2, libraries
ii  libsdl-sound1.2:amd64                         1.0.3-9+b2                           amd64        Sound library for Simple DirectMedia Layer 1.2, libraries
ii  libsdl1.2-dev                                 1.2.15+dfsg2-8                       amd64        Simple DirectMedia Layer development files
ii  libsdl1.2debian:amd64                         1.2.15+dfsg2-8                       amd64        Simple DirectMedia Layer
ii  libsdl1.2debian:i386                          1.2.15+dfsg2-8                       i386         Simple DirectMedia Layer
ii  libsdl2-2.0-0:amd64                           2.26.5+dfsg-1                        amd64        Simple DirectMedia Layer
ii  libsdl2-2.0-0:i386                            2.26.5+dfsg-1


11

OXCE Builds & Ports / Strange delay of control key effectiveness

« on: October 07, 2024, 11:41:00 am »

I'm on Debian 12 Bookworm, KDE 5, Wayland.
Installed current OXCE from this link
https://openxcom.org/oxce/release/Extended-7.14-ddeea35e9-2024-08-31-bionic-x86_64.7z
Also I'm in XCom Files mod.
I'm using an external USB keyboard + mouse connected to my laptop.

I have the impression that in Ctrl+Mouse click combos, the there is a tiny delay in the activation of the ctrl key.
For example, when I want a soldier to drop a weapon in the equipment screen, I have to do it as Ctrl...tiny delay...left click. Without the tiny delay, the weapon will be selected like from an ordinary left click.
Another example: Ctrl...tiny delay...right click on a weapon will set a red square in the upper right corner of the weapon. Without the tiny delay, I get the yellow square as from a ordinary right click.

In constrast to that, Ctrl+key combos like Ctrl+E for getting the "no experience yet" window works without any delay. Also, using the primary laptop keyboard, the problem disappears [edit: not so sure any more about the latter...].

I'm not sure if this is an OXCE problem or if it comes somewhere from the OS.
Posting it anyway as it is a bit annoying. Maybe someone has an idea / is experiencing the same problem.

12

The X-Com Files / Re: Bugs, crashes, typos & bad taste

« on: October 06, 2024, 10:41:21 pm »

It is possible to apply the Bioenhancement (and probably other enhancements) on agents which are out on a vehicle. This will teleport the agent back to the base.
Not sure though if this is a bug of X-Com Files bug or of the OXCE engine.

13

Suggestions / Re: Research progress bug?

« on: October 06, 2024, 12:41:11 pm »

Just found this discussion, very interesting.

I had some vague memories that in original XCom in the 1990s, sometimes I got "Average" from the beginning. And I more and more doubted this since openXcom never shows that behaviour to me. Now I know that my memory was indeed right, and that it is openXcom which changed the behaviour of the research progress indicator.

I think it would only be natural to offer a game option in openXcom to give you the original XCom behavior for the research progress indicator. Maybe together with fixing the total research cost of a tech once and for all in the moment it is started the first time, to avoid rerolling the total cost via cancel-restart, as already pointed out by krakp.

14

The X-Com Files / Re: Frustration with Syndicate retaliation

« on: October 02, 2024, 02:17:07 pm »

Thanks for the pointer to the CF-105. So if you are lucky, there *is* a fighter plane available before Promotion III (although only shortly before, as pointed out).

In fact, I just got my first forward base, which happened to be EXALT. The master was standing pretty close to my Skyranger, no problem to capture him. I will interrogate the hell out of him...

15

The X-Com Files / Re: Is "Sanity per day" cumulative?

« on: October 02, 2024, 11:13:23 am »

Ah, I missed the sensorium when I wrote my last post. Nice!

Still, the classical sex drugs & rock'n'roll approach feels tempting to me. Maybe offer the base extension of a casino from the very beginning (or depending on sth. like 'basic operations'), giving 5 or 6 daily sanity recover. Shouldn't be too hard to build, maybe 200.000$. In case of a base defense, put an AI-controlled maid (or a male counterpart) there into a back-room with a bed, together with an agent.

I know, the last point poses pressing questions. When the maid is there, where the heck is the chief intelligence officer? Maybe his advantage of knowledge told him to flee...