Messages

1

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.4: Daggers for Hire

« on: Today at 09:47:46 am »

Until and unless a better solution presents itself, I would suggest adding some jarhead pretenders to the Dagon HQ mission. That would ensure that if you complete the Dagon arch, you will get access to EMP stuff (and eventually Kitsune). My current 3.5 snapshot campaign (August 1998) is currently crippled by the fact that Dagons have not spawned any manors and I have not been able to kill them off because otherwise I would not get EMP or Kitsune.

Speaking of which, apparently manufacturing SKYMARSHALL requires 50 space, SKYRANGER 40 and SKYRAIDER 30. Essentially you require two workshops to build one at a reasonable space. The space required by SKYMARSHALL seems excessive and inconsistent with the fact that even bigger, and later game crafts, IRONFIST and AVENGER, only take 45 space.

Btw. it also seems inconsistent that you can research and produce SHADOW SUITs which have inbuilt Halo projector without Improved Lab, while researching and building independent halo grenades requires Improved Lab. I'd expect that both or neither require Improved Lab.

2

Released Mods / Re: [TFTD] [Expansion] TWoTS+ Release (v.2.62)

« on: Today at 09:34:01 am »

It is difficult to shoot down the bombers even if you would detect them, because they are spawned and fly directly to the base, if I recall, at speed ~2400. Your average barracuda or moray probably will not be able to intercept it in time even if you detected it (and most likely you will not). The best defense against them is to build ~3 torpedo defenses, or later a couple of better defenses. Scoring one hit from any defense will take them down.

In later game when you have hyperwave decoder and significantly faster interceptors, you may be able to depend on detecting and shooting them down, but during the first year or so, your best bet is building a couple of defenses.

3

OXCE Suggestions DONE / Re: [DONE] [Suggestion] Alien missile strikes

« on: October 05, 2024, 11:12:12 pm »

No I don't have any defenses, do they prevent this? It's something I don't remember in the original game, maybe it's a World Of Terrifying Silence only thing. I just need a setting to turn whatever it is off, I like how the settings can be changed but I didn't see any options for that.

This is off-topic here and should be extracted to a separate thread or moved to the TWoTS thread.

In TWoTS, defenses have a chance of shooting down the bombers. You have reasonable chance of success if you build 3 torpedo defenses (about 90 % if I recall correctly). If you are not prepared, the bombing runs can be crippling because they usually come in waves (so once the bombing of a base starts, you likely will not have time to build defenses there before the next ones come). If I recall correctly, the bombing runs start in month 6 or so. So I've always tried to build at least two torpedo defenses by May the first year, and reasonably soon for newer bases.

This is one of the gotchas in the mod where you need a bit different strategy than in vanilla.

4

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.4: Daggers for Hire

« on: October 02, 2024, 09:58:09 pm »

I added an extra requirement: "X-Com History: X-Com Bureau". This moves the Kitsune forward to solid midgame, as it depends on the Syndicate arc.

Are you sure this is balanced?

How are you supposed to deal with the three syndicate second phase missions (all with 8-16 hour timers) without a fast craft (or at least the secret archives raid)?

Essentially this requires capturing aliens, building up your alloy pool and building a SKY craft. (Which is nice in a sense because currently they're waste of time and alloys. And this also delays the player's access to "camp in the craft" tactics as SKY crafts have open-ended ramp.) But this will also mean dependence on RNG on capturing aliens and alloys. And most importantly, probably multiple months trying to repeat the syndicate phase two missions, because those crafts are only 1/3 or 1/2 the speed of Kitsune and it is unlikely you will reach them in time even with the faster SKY* craft. (And some of those, at least reactor raid, you will definitely want to do at night if you are forced to use an open-ended craft.)

Further, this creates a dependency on Jarhead missions, which are very RNG-prone (your best bet is letting dagons build a tier 2 manor). If the player doesn't realize this, the player could go most of the game without getting Kitsune.

At the very least, I'd increase the syndicate second phase mission timers significantly, and even then I think this would come to be a major PITA for players who don't know the optimal path to getting jarheads.

5

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

« on: October 02, 2024, 10:22:13 am »

In my opinion, advanced sick bay (5 recovery) provides your main base most bang for the buck once you are able to get it (and you should prioritize getting it for other reasons as well). You can't really get large living quarters into that base (as you have had to expand it one by one). Depending on when you get resources, sometimes you may want to build sensorium (8 recovery) first, but their difference is not so much as to warrant keeping both of them in the long run (given that the space is premium).

For bases that you construct (much) later (when you have more money), large living quarters would indeed be a viable option. But at least I put those only on a research/workshop bases. I haven't usually tried to bother with multiple active assault bases (and thus need for sanity recovery), because you can do everything from one base.

6

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

« on: October 02, 2024, 09:13:50 am »

Yes.
No, they are not cumulative. The highest one is decisive.

7

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.4: Daggers for Hire

« on: October 01, 2024, 08:38:14 pm »

Apparently you can set poltergeists on fire (e.g. shrapnel rockets) so they become visible from far off. Not sure if this is intentional. I suppose you could argue either way.

8

OpenXcom Extended / Re: OXCE (OpenXcom Extended) main thread

« on: October 01, 2024, 07:42:00 am »

Only question I have is, what's with the numbers on the right in the equipment screen? 9/+6 for rifles on board? I think this is the only thing I'd like brought back to the OG way haha

Try disabling "Alternate craft equipment management" in Options - Advanced - OXCE - Basescape.

9

OXCE Suggestions DONE / Re: [DONE][Suggestion] Experience Overview UI

« on: September 30, 2024, 05:11:00 pm »

Obviously you will want to use this screen in combination of a (reverse) statstrings mod or renaming the agents manually so that you can with one glance see which skills each soldier can obtain increases.

Not sure if it would be useful to hardcode a specific test "don't color the column entry if the soldier's stat is already at the stat cap so there is zero chance of it increasing". Maybe if that would be trivial, but if you use statstrings, you already know which skills you should be training.

10

The X-Com Files / Re: OMG Natasha Morozova and Co just kicked my butt!

« on: September 30, 2024, 04:56:57 pm »

As far as I remember, all or at least a vast majority of XCF units only remember you for a turn.

Not quite. Out of early game enemies, all Cult commanders except Exalt master remember you for two. Red Dawn armored cars remember you for two. All the MIB units remember you for at least two (PSI-Ops three). Many aliens, especially at leader level or more, remember you for two or more. The highest class ethereals remember for four.

So for very early game, including the morozova mission, one turn is enough. But later, also still in relatively early game, you will need to start paying attention that some enemy spotters will remember you for more than one turn.

11

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

« on: September 29, 2024, 08:26:29 pm »

You get STR_SYNDICATE_PISSED either by successfully completing the data seizure mission or at the latest when researching the syndicate floppy disc you get from the mission. The mission won't spawn again if you have researched it (and thus obtained Syndicate Operations). If you don't want to do the mission again and haven't researched the floppy disc yet, I suppose it would be the easiest to remove STR_SYNDICATE_PISSED, and just research the floppy disc when you're ready.

12

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

« on: September 29, 2024, 06:27:24 pm »

The first time(s) you play you get these, it cannot be avoided. Some deem this part of the fun.

If you want to try to avoid some of these, you'll need to look at the tech tree viewer / rulesets / trigramreactor data very carefully; the research and missions in particular. It is especially useful to check the triggers. Of course there are also other pitfalls you may stumble upon that lead to nasty surprises.

13

OXCE Support / Re: Final Mod Pack w/addon not vissible in in-game Mod menu of OXCE v7.14

« on: September 29, 2024, 04:56:17 pm »

This sounds like you first need to select the correct "master mod" (in this case xcom1) to make it appear. Maybe you have xcom2 or some megamod right now. If it's not that, it's likely a folders issue.

14

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

« on: September 29, 2024, 04:52:16 pm »

There's probably a typo at the date or something fishy going on. But nonetheless:

You get syndicate retaliation only after you have completed the Syndicate Data Seizure mission. After that mission you will also get a number of important "phase two" missions with 8-16 hour timers. Even if you try to get the first phase syndicate missions as early as you can (which makes sense, because they offer good research and loot and can be completed with HELICOPTER or OSPREY grade crafts), you should not even try to complete the data seizure mission before you have obtained KITSUNE. You will need a fast craft to get to those phase two syndicate missions, and you'll need ways to shoot down the retaliations. Usually I have started dealing with the syndicate by the end of 1997, but usually end up delaying the Data seizure mission (or not researching the syndicate network) for at least 4-6 months.

15

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.4: Daggers for Hire

« on: September 29, 2024, 10:44:22 am »

For the first time I noticed that you can kill Red Dawn Armored Cars (and make them explode) with gas (CHOKE) damage. This was a bit surprising because many mechanized units are resistant. Maybe this is intentional, and a result of division between completely AI-controlled robotic units versus human-driven units. I suppose the driver has some kind of dead man's switch, and once the driver gets killed by gas, the armored car will explode..

BTW. "The aliens have returned" sound (bewildered or brainwashed farmer I think) is from Resound mod.