Messages

16

The X-Com Files / Re: A recommendation

« on: January 20, 2024, 01:28:20 pm »

It's just 100-150-200 hours, depending on how you play. Not that much bigger than some of your triple-A titles.

17

The X-Com Files / Re: A question on aircraft

« on: January 20, 2024, 06:32:35 am »

Usually you can skip both MiGs / Interceptors altogether and get to Ravens / Thunderstorms. If you have Kitsune, it can outrun/intercept weak UFOs, which is exactly the niche for these. Usually you're better off tailing UFOs to landing, anyway.
Also, I don't remember MiGs ever being there in "old XCOM", unless you mean "old XCOM Files".

18

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 14, 2024, 12:57:45 pm »

It's base -> agents -> transformations from dropdown.
Also, I recommend matrix or discord for stuff like this.

19

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 14, 2024, 09:01:08 am »

Can anyone help explain what the purpose of this lab mission is and how to progress further? I finished the 4 special ghost missions but maybe here are new missions I must do with update? I just don't see on research tree how to progress further,

There's no further progress at the time.

20

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 13, 2024, 05:05:56 pm »

Especially MC enemies which have good psiVision takes much of the surprise and excitement out of the later game.

Really? Psionics are strong, but they still can't see cybermites, waspites or sectopods. I'd say late-game is all about dealing with the latter. I imagine honest shoot-out wouldn't end in my favor, but there's always the blasters and melee hit & runs.

Personally, endgame arc grown on me. Finally, my rookies can breathe free, they're in no danger. I unleash all my favourite guys and see if they can survive to the victory. Thus the stakes are at their highest.

It's "wait for Ethereals" that's really annoying. Thankfully, now there can be a semblance of strategy for that I outlined before. But some Eth Envoys in MiB base wouldn't hurt, I think. Hybrid-Envoy style. But does it make sense for them to be there?

21

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 13, 2024, 11:44:58 am »

I was able to catch the ethereal commander on the UFO arbiter on superhuman Ironman. From 4 or 5 times. It was very difficult.

Well, if you found that difficult, later missions will be even more fun.

Now I have a lunar base of the MIB according to the plan. And then the final missions that I will have to start with LIGHTNING.

The Alien Orbital is next, and you won't be able to continue past Lunar Base if you don't have aforementioned Ethereals. So it can be reasonable to wait for Avenger.
That being said, Lunar Base and later on are very doable with just Lighting. For Lunar Base - if you don't intend to kill everyone, and just grab the stuff you need. Otherwise, probably hardest encounter in the game.

If I didn't know where to look for him, it would be almost impossible.

You can get Arbiter research from "rare" Ethereals. It tells that Ethereal Commander is on Arbiter.

[Spoiler]

22

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 13, 2024, 09:43:59 am »

There is a problem with the capture of the commanders' ethereals. I was plot-wise stuck with it, but I was able to see it for the first time only after a year and a half of playing on the arbiter-ufo. I got so bored that I skipped 95% of the gameplay this 1.5 years, what i waiting to find this commander.

Waiting is quite common for late game.

I found Ethereal Commander rather easy to get. Arbiter spawns often (33% per month after MiB commander is researched). Then you can either mind probe every Ethereal, or

Spoiler:

only those that wield Plasma Sword / Heavy Plasma / Plasma Destroyer / Blaster Launcher, very easy to find.

He's visually indistinct otherwise, but could use some.

SpoilerScratch that:

The bigger problem is, as usual, rare Ethereals that are needed for Alien Orbital / Avenger. These are Ethereal Eliminator / Sentinel / Servitor (no Avenger). You can get them from very rare Envoy Ship / Ethereal Alien Domination / Order of Elimination / Dreadnought. Most of these spawn, somewhat rarely, past 2001. So, if you don't have them, get ready for another 1.5 years wait.

Dreadnought can spawn instead of Arbiter, if you 1) Haven't researched Ethereal Commander yet (it stops Arbiter too) 2) Have detected-by-aliens base in the region where UFO spawns (random-ish?). So, there's questionable half-strategy I came up - make 3-5 of your bases detected/marked for retaliation, and fish for Dreadnought. There are ~8 regions, so the chance to get Dreadnought is, per month ~33% * number of detected bases / regions ~ 16% per month with 4 bases detected.

Edit: Actually you can just get Ethereal Speaker from Alien Orbital. How nice.

23

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 11, 2024, 06:51:01 pm »

Don't bother with ranks, stats don't depend on them, only salary does.
Ranks are limited by amount of soldiers you have.

24

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 10, 2024, 06:25:59 pm »

If possible, I'd add some sort of protection on the equipment on that tile, to simulate putting the extra stuff in lockers and such.

Get into the mapping, and add locker for each craft you intend to use. Easier said than done, though...

So player crafts are not invulnerable after all? That's 2 shots from ship laser turrets.

Of course not. Neither are UFOs, or base floors, just hit it hard enough. IIRC all of these break at ~200 damage (100, accounted for tile modifier).

25

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

« on: January 10, 2024, 08:53:06 am »

I can no longer study sectoid navigator but they still got thing to show.

Either you have misplaced your HQ/intelligence center and can't interrogate prisoners (at that base) at all, or leftover interrogation topics are locked behind other tech.

26

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

« on: January 09, 2024, 05:05:08 am »

I've noticed that the Zombie Isolation / Zombie Outbreak mission has a minor bug where it says that you can bring dogs, but you actually can't.

To be precise, it allows "Unarmored (dog)" armor.

if it were a single Zombie Infector instead of a Zombie

So, you rush up the stairs and...kill infector the same way you kill zombie. Or would you allow it to roam free in the hospital first? For "extra fun" and all that.

27

The X-Com Files / Re: Ok so ... How is superhuman to be played?

« on: January 08, 2024, 04:33:06 pm »

So the "alien research" has been stalling a bit, and there wasn't really pressing need to research more.

Well yes, that's the important part - you miss the aliens / alien multitool / welder and the research stalls, with amount of scientists being irrelevant. Or get them, but have no trit to build anything properly (albeit Gertrude gifts you a hefty chunk). Same thing can happen for Promo 2 / lab.

Killed off syndicate in Nov 1998, obtained infernalism in Oct 1998

That's some incredible timings. In particular, for Infernalism - I always get it late for some reason. So...+20 TUs / Melee, and without the suit. Is that more or less OP than Synthsuit?  And you're step away from Spartanism, which is twice as powerful.
Hope you'll have better timings than me for Avenger, too (:

have done underwater city twice and tasoth factory three times

Tasoth factory has so many power sources. Easy way to get resources needed for Advanced Lab.

Apparently EMP is also the trivial way to capture live sectopods (the earliest off MIBs), which can be a major boon in the game.

There's nothing trivial about outplaying the sectopods, as they can shrug off mines sometimes. But yeah, makes it easier. Also most of the things sectopods do for you can be provided with just tanks, except thermal vision...

28

The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 06, 2024, 05:19:23 am »

Hey guys I'd like to update to new version , what is best way to do this without messing up my save? I'm not the best with computers ,

The common advice is - don't update while on battlescape. Also be careful not to have two versions of the mod in the mod folder (that includes archives) - one of them simply won't work and it can be tough to understand why.

Btw, can enemies blow up your craft inventory?

Yep, same as any other item pile on the map.

It is pretty devastating because it destroyed all of my alien laser ammo that I can't make yet , my sonic weapons, and lots of manufactured stuff like all my Dart muskets from bullfrogs

Sucks, but it happens. Don't fret over it too much, you'll get more where that come from.

For some battles, where you know things will get blown up, I recommend removing unused items. Use F5/F8 at craft equipment screen to save/restore equipment loadouts. Then, go inventory button -> CTRL+ALT+X to remove loot pile. Then you can use restoer + "add on top" button to add loadouts with "extra" items that you're not afraid to lose, like grenades, medkits, etc.

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The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin

« on: January 05, 2024, 05:20:43 am »

hiya, no sure is of a mod or something, but to try run the game with the new update just give me this error

It's because of a mod. Arsenal Additions is broken, there's a fix in the corresponding topic.
Natasha Morozova's broken too, but IDK if anyone fixed that yet.

30

The X-Com Files / Re: Synthmuscles availability

« on: January 03, 2024, 04:35:57 pm »

I may be obviously biased, but I think it's fine as-is (reduction in synthmuscle amount may be warranted, though - maybe 10 to 4?). It's OP if you're still at HQ stage, sure. But I only saw that once (that is, synthsuit at HQ) when I couldn't beat RD in time. So, that was somewhere around mid-99 - not exactly perfect timing. Past-99 you can get PSI/Power suits/Spatanism, which are better at what synthsuit does - assaults and hit & runs.