Messages

1

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

« on: November 29, 2023, 06:42:42 am »

I have never seen interceptors disengage automatically at some point after they get hit (OG, OCX, OXCE). You have to disengage manually.

The main thing the attack mode affects is whether the interceptor tries to keep within the range of its longest distance weapon, shortest distance weapon or try to close up right down their throats. The mode also affects several other things under the hood, such as the firing rate, but in essence the most important thing is the distance it tries to keep.

2

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

« on: November 28, 2023, 08:59:15 pm »

Possible bug:

Has happened to me a couple times now in 2 different playthroughs. Toward the end of the game (close to reaching Cydonia),
- Osiron missions do not return Osiron boxes to base.
Example, I did 2 Osiron warehouse missions, collected 15 boxes each mission (Per the inventory screen). I get back to base, nothing to unpack.

Not that I really need anything in those boxes at this point. But just something to take note of. If I remember correctly, something similar happened with MIB boxes as well. Almost like I reached my max.

It seems very difficult for this kind of bug to actually occur, and it is more likely that you're missing something (pun intended). If you suspect this in a certain mission, you will really need to make a save from which it could be reproduced.

3

Work In Progress / Re: [WIP][SOURCEMOD][OXCE] Brutal-AI

« on: November 28, 2023, 01:53:36 pm »

To make the BAI more accessible and easily usable in various environments without a need to compile it yourself, I wonder if it would be possible to build the binaries on a regular basis on some build farm (Like Win32, Win64, and Bionic like with OXCE at https://lxnt.wtf/oxem/#/Extended - initially there were, but they have since then been abandoned at https://lxnt.wtf/oxem/#/ExtendedTests). Or have I missed anything and is it already available somewhere (I'm interested in binaries usable in Linux in particular.)

4

Released Mods / Re: [SOURCEMOD] Brutal-OXCE 7.10.1

« on: November 28, 2023, 10:12:16 am »

I'd really like to see QoL improvements make it into mainstream OXCE, to benefit also non-BAI users. But I suspect some of these might be contentious and non-trivial *), so I understand that this might not be a priority for Xilmi.

*) As examples:
 - Pre-prime right-clicking skipping the number of turns dialogue. I suspect 99,9 % of players would prefer this. But already someone has suggested something else. But I'd still wager this could be implementable in OXCE.
 - TU-efficient equipment placement. The right placement of items is affected by the order by which you add the items. Intelligent placement will only work to some degree if you assume the biggest and most relevant items are added first. Adding 1x1 sized objects to optimal places afterwards is a trivial (but very nice) improvement, and the big challenges arise when you place larger objects, the usefulness of which also depends on its purpose. So I could see that at least some improvements might be resisted in OXCE with an argument that doing so would create an endless need to finetune the placement algorithm.

5

Released Mods / Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus

« on: November 27, 2023, 06:31:26 pm »

Based on the original post and being based on or inspired by "Easier TFTD" mod, I thought the intent was to make the mod easier than vanilla TFTD. (Which I'm not personally that interested in.)

But it appears that is not the purpose, but rather make the game somewhat longer, balance it differently and make it more sensible. Whether it becomes somewhat easier or harder is immaterial. (As a TFTD veteran I'd say the vanilla game is not all that difficult, if you know how to play it, but rather some missions are just so tedious and dangerous that you want to avoid them, because you don't need to complete them.) I definitely think the idea of different (and easier) Alien Base missions sounds promising. The same applies to 2-stage terror ship missions.

Significant increase in variety is also something I'm looking forward to. Wrt. TFTD I have liked TWoTS a lot but its one drawback is that the progress might end up being very slow and sluggish repeat of hundreds of essentially identical and easy-ish USO missions (unless you just shoot down and ignore). If there would be more variety (compare, for example, to X-Com Files), I suppose that could avoid getting bored by the game too quickly.

When looking out for balancing and making various things more relevant, you may also want to check out, compare and contrast to how this was accomplished in TFTD Evolution by Alpha Centauri Bear. The purpose of that mod was also to make the game more difficult (even excessively so, I think): https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,8661.0.html

6

Released Mods / Re: [TFTD] [Expansion] TWoTS+ Release (v.2.58)

« on: November 27, 2023, 07:39:56 am »

There appears to be a hole, probably a missing floor/ceiling tile, in this variant of battleship. In the screenshot, a shrimp drone in the ground floor below the red marker can see the gillman inside. Not sure whether this is a map bug in the original TFTD or TWoTS.

7

OXCE Suggestions NEW / Re: QOL: escorts redirected to the base after the escorted craft's mission is over?

« on: November 26, 2023, 05:26:30 pm »

Wow, thanks a lot Meridian!

8

OXCE Suggestions NEW / QOL: escorts redirected to the base after the escorted craft's mission is over?

« on: November 26, 2023, 03:41:17 pm »

When a craft is returning from a ground mission, it cannot be attacked by the alien craft. Thus there is never any need for escorts (but the escorts themselves may be in danger of hunter-killers and at any rate, it would make sense to get them back for refueling etc,). Because the escorts are usually much faster than the transports, they should always return home immediately after the craft which had a mission is on the return journey (unless the player wants to give them some other target).

Would it be feasible to make a small QOL improvement: the escorts would automatically be redirected to the base after the craft they're escorting is on its return journey (obviously, the player could redirect the escorts to do something else if needed). This would avoid all the clicking after each mission.

I'm assuring the game is aware that an escort is escorting a craft that is returning from a mission (_craft->getMissionComplete(), I suppose) and actually requires no escort.

9

OXCE Bugs FIXED / Re: Game Allows To Launch Craft Without Pilots

« on: November 26, 2023, 11:39:24 am »

Were you able to replicate teleporting soldiers? I still can't replicate that.

I only tried the flying empty craft. I now tried, but could not get a pilot to appear on the craft after changing it to patrol (but there weren't all that many details in the post as to how to do it anyway). Maybe Dioxine will provide more information. And/or the issue becomes moot if the craft pilots > 0 is checked before fly-transfer.

10

OXCE Bugs FIXED / Re: Game Allows To Launch Craft Without Pilots

« on: November 25, 2023, 11:38:52 pm »

I can reproduce the issue as follows in 7.9.18. Remove all crew from a craft. Click 'I' on the globe. Select the craft, then another base (within the dual fuel range) as the destination. Select transfer. Voila - the craft starts flying without a pilot. (And after that, you can also reroute the the craft.)

11

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky

« on: November 25, 2023, 03:00:20 pm »

This means that sooner or later, but the package with spartanism will be a reward for the defeated syndicate.

Yes. The chance is so low that sometimes this takes very long time (in my recent campaign, over 6 months) to get the reward. This seems a bit unfair, but it's up to SS to fix. It would be trivial to raise the odds to say, 50 or 70%.

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The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky

« on: November 25, 2023, 01:40:23 pm »

Please explain. I defeated the syndicate, and I received a package with spartanism. I looked at the database a bit, and found that the chance of unpacking spartanism from the packege is 25%. Does this mean that I am very lucky, or am I wrong and spartanism is a guaranteed reward for defeating the syndicate?

No, you always get spartanism from researching the parcel. You're confusing this with the monthly chance to receive the parcel after defeating the syndicate, which is 25 %:

  - type: STR_SYNDICATE_MYSTERIOUS_PARCEL
    eventWeights:
      0:
        STR_SYNDICATE_MYSTERIOUS_PARCEL: 100
    researchTriggers:
       STR_SYNDICATE_TESTAMENT_DECRYPTED: true
       STR_SYNDICATE_MYSTERIOUS_PARCEL_RECEIVED: false
    firstMonth: 0
    executionOdds: 25

....

 - name: STR_SYNDICATE_MYSTERIOUS_PARCEL
    cost: 3
    points: 3
    needItem: true
    destroyItem: true
    lookup: STR_SPARTANISM
    dependencies:
      - STR_SYNDICATE_TESTAMENT_DECRYPTED

13

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

« on: November 23, 2023, 04:28:42 pm »

Probably been covered but, is there any benefit at all into researching "Using flame glove".. Using Dragon staff" "Using Storm rose".. "Using"..etc..etc..
No completed research documentation ever pops for these (Ufopedia) when the research is done.

Well, yes. You can't use those items (except throw them around or some such) unless you research the "using" topic.

Of course, it's a bit illogical. You can spend quite a bit of research and figure out what the item does. Then you can decide whether you want to research it further. But it would be more logical to figure out how to use the item also in the first bit of research. If you didn't know how to use it, you shouldn't learn much of what it does either. That is, you shouldn't be able to find out what those magical items can do unless you at the same time figure out how you use them.

14

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky

« on: November 22, 2023, 05:21:35 pm »

Is this too late to recover from? I have not wasted time with other things, I have 15 scientiests and have quite good progress with the research I can do, got bored enough to research alien containment (sadly too late for a military shot down ufo mission but I lost barely anyway because I Could only reach it with a car... was really hoping for that cash boost but I told myself no reloading! died to the last alien and a panic that ran the other guy into the alien)

There is almost zero chance of being able to deal with military-shot-down UFO with a car (or van) without major save scumming or extreme luck. Or most other missions for that matter, especially in higher difficulty levels. Even helicopter can be risky, and I'd rather prefer the osprey. But you can get helicopter before you get all the cult networks, so part of your pain is self-inflicted for ignoring obtaining better transport.

15

Released Mods / Re: [TFTD] [Expansion] TWoTS+ Release (v.2.58)

« on: November 21, 2023, 09:42:36 pm »

After having played X-Com Files with its 'sanity loss' concept (1-4 per turn on some alien missions), it certainly encourages you to go out more and not camp around in your craft. You can actually 'cheeze' almost all TFTD missions if you want, and some of them really require using this tactic (e.g. most terror missions). Another consequence is that you may need to rotate your soldiers more as they recover from the loss (1-8 per day, depending on facilities). Some similar concept could indeed be interesting. But I fear it would very tricky to get balanced properly, given that many missions in TFTD are worse bughunts and the difficulty could become excessive.