Messages

1

The X-Com Files / Yet another question about guns and ammo

« on: March 13, 2020, 10:00:45 pm »

First, I want to say thanks for making such an amazing mod.

My question is, how reasonable would it be to make weapons accept ammo based on bullet caliber rather than 'Glock ammo'?

For example, a 9mm clip would work with MPK5 and the Glock. The damage stat is assigned by the ammo type anyways. X-Com could be given permission to use higher caliber ammunition at promotions in addition to new weapons. This would add some life to older weapons which can accept large ammo types.

Just a thought and was wondering about how it might work.

2

Work In Progress / Re: [WIP][MOD][OXCE+] From the Apocalypse 0.3.9a

« on: November 09, 2018, 03:31:34 am »

Hey Robin, just wanted to say thanks for all of your hard work, this mod is shaping up to be something truly amazing. I could never get into X-Com Apocolypse due to the difference in the engines, but your mod has given me a taste, and it is exquisite. Keep up the good work!

3

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.9.5: Burn The Village Down

« on: October 08, 2018, 11:31:54 pm »

Solaris, I wanted to mention that with your last update 0.9.5, the changelog was not updated with the one you posted in this forum (according to the changelog, the most recent version os 0.9.4).

I don't know how popular it was(is), but I have always liked it.

Thanks for all of your hard work!

4

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.8 alpha: The Mummy Returns

« on: April 21, 2018, 10:37:53 pm »

On the topic of base locations, I always try and choose a city to build it on, so I get a better idea of where the base is. Because I live there, I start with one in Detroit, and my secondary base is typically in Ankara due to radar coverage. I run squads out of both, my remaining six bases turn into Science/Storage bases, and Manufacturing/Storage bases, currently a two science and four manufacturing. Both Primary and Secondary bases have three hangers, each specialist base have two.

Edit: A full release draws ever closer ...

5

The X-Com Files / Re: A Review, some Requests and Questions *Spoilers*

« on: April 12, 2018, 09:17:24 am »

The idea about non-agent mercenaries is interesting, but it would be a big project and I have other priorities now.

I had meant something like the file I attatched. I spent some time today to make a stat/cost calculator to make this guy, let me know what you think about the balance. At the start, he costs about the same as a captain per month.

I disagree with the buildings being too cheap: Labs cost a ton, workshop take too long to build and paying for scientists and engineers is bleeding money. Worse, until you can manufacture something good, you're very limited in funding.

Also, oddly enough I find more zombies (around 30) in monster missions than their "dedicated" 'Zombie invasion' ones, where there are a few types but not as many enemies. Is that a bug?

As soon as you find Durathread, and can manufacture it, you are basically set, just save up to make a factory base, and you are set for basically the entire game. About the Zombie missions, I would suppose this is because herder zombie missions spawn here. Otherwise, not sure.

My understanding is that the lab is able to do most things, but the HQ is useful for having an effectively global radar range, if you have it, nothing is getting off your scope once you find them.  A negative to that is that you can't as easily tell how big a range your radar currently have, but that seems like a minor negative.  I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to set up circles to show radar range again, assuming they haven't fixed that yet.

I had completely forgotten about the radar being included in the HQ.

I do agree about too much money   I'm in may, and I got $20 mil in the bank as of May 1999, and I'm about ready to build an improved lab.  Money isn't a problem.  I have a nice workshop base that isn't halfway full of workshops cranking out about $7mil a month in alien alloys.   Funding differential is about $2mil a month.  Only way to hit it more is to up the maintenance on certain buildings.  Yes, money is tough to come by early game, but by the start of the invasion was starting to turn the corner financially, and that's when I start building the separate manufacturing base.

BTW, large living quarters has a lower maintenance overall compared to 4 separate living quarters.  Even though it costs more than 4, you'll make it back in lower maintenance given enough time (2 years i think?) plus bonus storage.

I like the factory type base, I feel it is a staple for the XCom series. About the Large Living Quarters, I just wish  it had more living space rather than extra storage space.

6

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.8 alpha: The Mummy Returns

« on: April 11, 2018, 02:43:05 am »

I want Brendan Fraser to be a special character mummy ...

7

The X-Com Files / Re: North American X-15/Rocketplanes

« on: April 11, 2018, 02:39:17 am »

For the range stat, is it measured in Freedom Units or Superior International units?

8

The X-Com Files / Re: X-COM Files executable giving me a false positive: W32/exploit.gen

« on: April 11, 2018, 02:37:48 am »

Using Avast! Anti-virus and never have issues. It is free. Hope this helps.

9

The X-Com Files / A Review, some Requests and Questions *Spoilers*

« on: April 11, 2018, 02:35:54 am »

Questions:
Are the minor lab buildings (HQ, BIO and INFORMATION) still required for all research types? can I just use the LAB?
Why does the large Living Quarters give extra storage and not extra living space?

Requests:
Large Manufacturing, so I don't have to build my eight small ones, I can just use two of these.
Access research materials from any base (with time delay for shipping)
Be able to higher soldiers after promotion 3 which have base stats the same that the GYM trains to but with a higher purchase and monthly cost.
    Because they are not agents, they cannot go under cover. When the game becomes deadlier, your highly trained veteran agents are more likely to die, this would help soften the blow somewhat.

Review:

Excellent mod, I love the X-Files feel combine with so many other elements, Cult of Dagon for example. The Tactical Scape feels very well balanced, working up to weapons which are actually useful takes quite a while, and it is great when you get Alloy clips. The Aliens themselves being well done, however, on my second UFO, I found Etherials and on almost every UFO after. Which leads me to the Geo Scape.

The I feel like base facility cost could be higher however, once I got Durathread i had very little problems with money due the the low cost of the bases. Only until I built 6 Raven Interceptors did I have issues, but these where eliminated by switching to Alien Alloys. this may be my personal opinion, but there is too many mission per month, I feel that fewer, harder missions would be better, and place more emphasis on the tactical scape, which is ware this mod really shines, and it would help exacerbating differences between weapons which have rather subtle differences.

Overall, I have very much enjoyed playing this mod, truly fantastic work.

10

The X-Com Files / Re: Just Finished it

« on: June 22, 2017, 08:45:12 am »

Juggernaut suits are horribly weak to fire though, it absolutely wrecks them...but fire wrecks everything honestly.

I do think the way fire damage is coded that its a little weird to make something balanced, either something is 100% fire immune, or it gets shit on due to the turn based damage.

That's odd; I did notice that fire did do a good amount of damage on Cydonia, but I was able to survive/heal that

You were lucky because I met Ethereals just after getting Alloy Armor and shields. I guess it's obvious that this mission was a real disaster. Anyway, that was a long ago - I guess that was one of the 0.5.x versions.

Man, that's brutal ... at the time, I had just over 100 scientists, with three more bases being built, so I was making good progress through the tech tree

11

The X-Com Files / Re: Just Finished it

« on: June 21, 2017, 04:09:06 am »

Flying suit? Power source and something else you're missing...  can't remember what item you need.

Fusion balls?  You need to survive the enemy using those and research that whole branch.

It was Alien Navigation and Power Suit in the original, I have not looked in the ruleset for the X-Com Files.

They will use fusion weapons? huh, never found those.

Wow... Only two failed missions? Fishy!
J/k, it's a hard mod.

It was on easiest; i hate those bug swarms ... never found a way to kill them (didn't look at their UFOpedia entry either)

Haha, you had the same bad luck as me.

I found the mutons the day before I finished my gauss research, I was glad that I didn't have to use Magnums anymore.

[Spoiler]

12

The X-Com Files / Just Finished it

« on: June 20, 2017, 10:31:27 am »

Of all the games I have played, X-Com Alien Unknown (1994) is and always will be my favorite game, so I can never thank you or all the many people who helped make Open X-Com a reality, and those who contributed to this mod. Never can I say enough kind words for you all. Solarius Scorch, I must say, I truly love this mod you have crafted, it feels so much like the original game it was startling when I first began.

Let me know if you have any question, I will do my best to answer them.

*Results*

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

*Thoughts*
 - First, I had almost 200 million in liquid cash laying around, each month I was being given almost 80 million – This is a problem for balance IMO. Money was never of any concern, not once I got gauss
   cannons and workshops – they can crank money, and rail cannons are even better.
 - I only ever destroyed Black Lotus, Red Dawn, and Dagon cults never got anywhere with the others.
 - Access to light sources is super important, and I used Magnums for over two years because I needed to carry flashlights
 - You should be able to higher soldiers after promotion III
 - Make it harder to get to Cydonia, rail guns make it too easy
 - The first month into the Invasion (1999) I encounter Ethereals and Mutons, is this intended?
 - Juggernaut Armor is either too powerful, or the alien weapons are too weak, but I never lost a single agent in one such suit (18 + 2 tanks in Avenger)
   A plasma rifle, for example, can do a maximum of 96 dmg against such armor (80*1.5) *.8 = 96

*Questions*
 - Where was the flying suit? When I went to Cydonia, I had no research left
 - What happened to Fusion weapons? I did the research, but nothing after that

*Bugs*
 - Tormentor does not deposit two pilots in missions, only one (interceptor was shown on tacticalscape)
 - When I got to the second half of the Cydonia mission, one of my dudes spawned inside of a dividing wall, could not move. It never stopped his movement, making me have to quit Open X-Com, and load
    nearest save.


*Edit for proofing*

13

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 0.6.5b alpha: Keep Your Enemies Closer

« on: June 18, 2017, 04:58:19 am »

Durathread factory missions sometimes don't contain said factory (i.e. no reasearch topic)

There is an item on the map, bluprints IIRC. If you used lots of explosives, this could have destroyed it.

I just finished a few of these missions (version 0.6.5b), had no issues.

- EXALT outposts keep on popping up even though the arc is finished (i.e. EXALT is destroyed)

This happened to me with Cult of Dagon, they stopped after a month or two

14

Work In Progress / Re: MFive’s Mods

« on: September 06, 2016, 10:39:25 pm »

Warning: This is my opinion. Which means it is not to be considered law, or unquestionable truth. Just one man's opinion. Got it?

Is is my personal opinion that everything that is not proven as fact is an opinion. 

I think you will get a better approximation of what the hiring cost should be if you just use the averages of the recruitment stats, instead of mixing in the caps as well. If you do that, your spreadsheet will tell you that the cost should be 47k for hiring a soldier in your mod (48k if you disregard Psi). Even better would be weighted averages. Then you could experiment with different weights, and make it so that increasing important attributes leads to significantly higher costs, while boosting less important ones nearly doesn't change the cost at all.

When I averaged the stat increases, the result seemed too low (i got approximately 49K), though weighted average would be interesting ... a poll might provide some interesting results when used for this purpose.

The reason that I included the stat caps, is that they do have some value. For example, if we one soldier has all stat caps of, let's say, 200, that soldier would clearly have more value than a soldier who has all stat caps set at 100 (in my opinion). The cost derivation of $36/statCap was my attempt to estimate that that value might be.

A different question is that you should ask yourself WHY the recruitment cost for a soldier is 40k in the first place. Why don't you just change it to an amount you see fit without doing all these calculations? If you want a really hard game, let a recruit cost you 100k. Why not? Or if you want to go with an easier time, make them cost 5k to buy...

This is a question that I feel I am unqualified to answer; I had nothing to do with the game creation. In an attempt to emulate the developers intent, I use 40K as a reference, and work with that.

It's really personal preference that should dictate the cost of a soldier when we talk about modding the game. After all, in vanilla UFO Enemy Unknown the soldiers do cost 40k to buy. Period. In mods... well, we have freedom to choose whatever...

I absolutely agree that what I have calculated is personal preference, the reason that I used a calculation is because I have never comfortable assigning costs arbitrary values due to my inherent bias toward a lower cost (I use them, therefor I want them cheaper), and use calculations to compensate.

Thanks for the great comment!

15

Work In Progress / Re: MFive’s Mods

« on: September 05, 2016, 10:16:48 pm »

I never saw any reason to select a soldier mod. decent rookies train up fast enough anyway if you play them right.
Once they reach maximum stats everyone is exchangeable anyways.

Yea, I just wanted to eliminate some of that training time, so when my veteran squads suffer a casualty, the replacement is not that bad.

Would be interesting to hear your thoughts about the calculations. Did you put equal weight on each attribute? Did you put more weight on important early game attributes (such as Time Units, Stamina and Firing Accuracy) or late game attributes (basically Psi-Skill and -Strength)?

Also...minimum Bravery recruitment stat equals 35? Why do you deviate from the standard divisible-by-ten values that Bravery has always had?
Does this mean Bravery goes 35-45-55-65-75-85-95-105 in your games now? Or is it only the worst (Bravery) recruit that gets 35, while the rest ends up with 40-50-60-70-80, except from the best (which gets 85)? Just being curious here, as I've never tried to deviate from the standard 10-point jumps myself.


Sincerely
Kjotleik

I am not sure; I did not realize that bravery always has a value divisible by 10; and I found an error in my calculations, and I will update the OP, along with some further explanation about what the mods do (numbers included!). I assume all stats have the same value, but different costs based on weather they are minimum stats, maximum stats, or the stat cap. I derive the cost per point for each category by summing the points and dividing by 40,000 (see excel sheet for more information or usage)