Messages

46

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.9.8: X-Cool

« on: April 04, 2019, 06:09:58 pm »

Which rifles would you say are worth using? I found the Nitro Express and Hunting Rifle decent before I got magnums, and later it was worth keeeping a couple of Arasakas on my guys for those really long-distance shots (on the 120+ Firing Accuracy guys, obviously), but for everything else the magnums were top-tier. Particularly with tritanium ammo, which tied up my engineers but was otherwise pretty cheap to produce.

I like to mix and match and experiment so I have always around 5 uniform templates. But the most standard early game agent had a rifle in the right hand, a pistol in the left hand, empty QD holster to put away the pistol easily, electric club in the belt.

For rookies (usually already gym-improved but not capped) the rifle was a shotgun, the pistol a Glock or other quick handgun like the MAC-10 for better training and variety.
The precision rifle for the main troops and elites progressed something like this over my game, influenced by chance and blind trying:
Crossbow->Hunting Rifle->Nitro Express(semi-retired into anti-fleshtank niche)->SKS->trying out various rifles->Arasaka(the Queen of Rifles)->Asuka(but that's later game?)
I also used some assault rifles but they were usually outperformed by marksmen with access to a pistol. The FN-Fal and the G-11 have their own niches as elite hole maker and training horse respectively.

But I assure you the mod development continues in the background. For example yesterday I rebalanced all rifles and sniper rifles.

And now nothin I said matters anymore!

Thanks for the constant work!

47

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.9.8: X-Cool

« on: April 03, 2019, 07:04:17 pm »

Commits suicide

Oh no?!

How alien psionics work, particularly vis a vis enemy sight - is the thing where if they see one of your guys, they can control any of your guys still a thing? Do they still focus on the weakest guy (which is pretty exploitable)?

Psionics should be nominally unknown and scary in my opinion.

I'd suggest buffing the gym to work faster and take agents to a higher level, and potentially nerfing a couple of the more bullshit 'death from nowhere' things, like Lotus Assassins. I've heard people say that the grindiness is something that's still being worked on though, which is good to hear.

The gym is very very good already; I agree on the mission grindiness though. It's my own fault to a point, I needed the cash so badly I couldn't skip a single cryptid hunt.

I was surprised, given the Piratez influence, that night ops are so harshly punished here. It was great fun in that mod sneaking around and taking out unsuspecting Academy guys, even if it was a little OP in the earlygame. Here it seems borderline suicidal, at least in the first couple of years. Is there at least a way to turn off the lights on the car/van/craft/whatever you came in? They're doing my agents absolutely no favours.

Night missions are valid and useful in this mod. In fact I get utterly ruined everytime I try day missions against human enemies in the early game.
Press 'l' to switch off the personal lights. The lights on the craft are actually flashlights lying on the ground. Don't bring flashlights! Flashlights are a death trap! Bring a dog and some E-lights and stick to the black squares. A few enemies will shoot at you from across the map for no discernible reason even when you've gone perfectly dark but they usually miss.

Weapon balance could use some work. Magnums are too accurate, and there seems little incentive to use rifles and machine guns instead. From something like month 6 to month 30, the vast majority of my squad went from using magnums, to black ops magnums, and eventually smart magnums. A couple of them had Arasaka 3000's, and one had a Milkor (eventually upgraded to a rocket launcher) but aside from undercover missions there rarely seemed an incentive to use anything else.

I agree on the Magnums.
Rifles are useful, especially precision ones. The only "real life" SMG I ended up using was the MAC10 for 16 fucking shots per turn. the best "real life" machine gun is the M60, being useful at rifle range and reaction fire, the others have a pitiful effective range. It would be nice if more MGs had Snap Shot(x2) or (x3).
All the Black Ops machine guns and miniguns are hella sweet though.

Anyway, thanks for all your hard work on the mod. It's a lot of fun, and one day, when someone combines it with XPiratez and then remakes the whole thing in the Jagged Alliance 2 engine, we'll have achieved gaming perfection

I can see the light now...

48

Translations / Re: German Translation

« on: March 09, 2019, 10:53:58 pm »

Gern geschehen! Ich hoffe, es hilft.

49

Translations / Re: German Translation

« on: February 28, 2019, 09:30:23 am »

Habe die Reste des FMP übersetzt. Vielleicht nicht der konsistenteste Versuch, aber gerade die Strings der Auszeichnungen sind schon im Englischen voll mit Wiederholungen, Zweideutigkeiten, inkonsistenterm Informationslayout (ganz zu schweigen von pathetischer Militärromantik). Habe fallweise einige der Zitate unübersetzt kopiert.

50

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.9.8: X-Cool

« on: January 15, 2019, 02:17:55 am »

Another update already? Changes in the cloudy olymp of the END GAME that I haven't even gotten close to yet?

Thank you! Will I need to edit my save to get the Cybemines Mission?

51

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

« on: January 15, 2019, 02:13:47 am »

Admittedly still playing version b for no reason but laziness...

Is the Durathread Vest supposed to have worse armor values than the (Kevlar) Combat Gear despite its description? Why does it have -2 weight in the stats but -4 in the description?
I don't feel like the higher resistances matter a lot for low HP creatures like dogs. Is the Vest supposed to be a run and sneak armor like the jumpsuit?

52

The X-Com Files / Re: Dossiers wanted!

« on: December 19, 2018, 08:55:45 pm »

Inspired by this discussion

- Name: Polly Darton
- Role: Clone Sheep
- Affiliation: ? (clearly Sectoid)
- Details: Supposed miracle of genetic technology. Hidden at Scottish laboratory due to pregnancy problems and unexpected mutations. "Endogenous Viral Element, ye ken?", a drunk researcher asked our investigator, "Now what rough beast slouches towards Bethlehem?"
- Status: Animal

53

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

« on: December 15, 2018, 11:17:04 am »

Re: Underwater Operations: I got the T'Leth Embassy pretty early and because I was in a tight spot I had 1 agent and 3 dogs on board. I don't remember any warnings what would happen to the dogs. I aborted the mission and haven't seen it since.

54

The X-Com Files / Re: Early gun balance

« on: December 13, 2018, 12:02:31 am »

Huge fan of the Hunting Rifle in early game: great damage early on, still decent damage later, accurate even with rookies and a full sniper weapon in skilled hands.

My best loadout is precision rifles (Arisaka now, mostly) plus a pistol for close combat. Decimating enemies from beyond their effective range is just that effective, and pistols are devastating up close.

Now in the early midgame(?) I really like Xeno Shield + Mauser. The Wildey is probably better but I love the Mauser aesthetics and it's ludicrously accurate even at mid range. The shield turns small arms fire into a nuissance. With careful positioning and a constant supply of stimulans you can safely knock out most of a cult base, picking off serious threats with highly accurate pistol fire. Then sell your prisoners for profit! I'm losing good men to grenades, though.

Basically skipped over SMGs (except the Calico to quickly execute downed Zs). Automatic rifles feel a bit too chancy for me.

Edit: Adjusted my assertments about the game's length, jeez

[Spoiler]

55

The X-Com Files / Re: Dossiers wanted!

« on: December 12, 2018, 11:39:06 pm »

- Name: Don Done
- Role: Cage Fighter
- Affiliation: Red Dawn, EXALT
- Details: Unbeaten martial arts genius with a long history of doping offenses; returned from 12 month ban one inch taller, 40 pounds heavier and with the uncanny ability to predict his opponent's movements. Also: nictitating membranes.
- Status: No Contest-- tested positive for cough syrup


- Name: Karl Moleperson
- Role: Recovering Alcoholic
- Affiliation: ready to mingle
- Details: Mistaken for a highly sensitive cryptid and black-bagged on the street. His prisoner transport somehow collided with the house from Alfred Hitchcock's psycho; all agents and the suspect were presumed dead until he turned up at his traffic guard job, distressingly injured.
- Status: Always in pain
- Picture

Spoiler:

[Spoiler]

56

The X-Com Files / Re: Asylum Apparations mission.

« on: December 12, 2018, 10:11:55 pm »

I'm kinda stuck on this mission. A drone and two PSI weenies are drawing the ghost fire while my lone competent agent does things but I don't think I can win or even really evacuate now.
Question:

Spoiler:

Should I have brought grenades? I fired around 77 pistol bullets into the "target" with no effect. Even shot out the candles. Can't find anything else interesting on the map (or at least the parts I can navigate without being poltered to death)

I love it though. The ghost sprites! The psychological warfare!