Seperate mod that improves the graphics, adds more skin/hair colours only?

[Briain088]

.. perhaps and OpenXcom lite.

I love all the changes, especially the additional skin and hair colours. However the enemy AI appears to be much harder; and as a complete novice to strategy I'd like the easier original AI mechanics, but with all the other snazzy OpenXcom additions.

[Tarvis]

I honestly agree that we should get classic AI at least as an option. I think getting reaction fire on every single step is a bit ridiculous, especially on Beginner. I think I had 5 guys gunned down by THE SAME SECTOID during MY TURN because every time they took a step they would get shot at.

[Briain088]

Indeed, indeed. I can understand difficulty: but when you lose half your squad on YOUR turn, as you say, that isn't hugely fair.

In comparison my team's reaction shots are pretty piffling- and I certainly don't get seemingly endless amounts of them as the aliens appear to.

Absolutely though: the option should be there - I'm not suggesting to have this new AI removed, but at least toggled.

[Arpia]

A greater understanding of the general mechanics would also help, and for that I suggest you turn to the wiki for the original game https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=X-COM
the AI might be coded differently but the basic understanding of how they operate is the same.

[Briain088]

Perhaps.

But I am fairly sure I don't recall the AI being quite so relentless with their reaction shots. I'm sure burning the first turn helps with this as they don't start with full TUs to spend, and facing at you. It does seem though they must be moving less and exploiting the reaction shot to such a degree it makes the game a little frustrating and unfair, because it's always going to be the case with this design that they are the ones 'dug-in' with all the numerous advantages.  You always seem to have to find them, or the game simply won't progress.

I wouldn't like to come off as seeming ungrateful for the mod itself: it's really quite a fantastic creation.

[Arpia]

have you tried popping a smoke grenade or two before you deploy down the ramp?

[Briain088]

No: but I isn't that standard practice in vanilla?

[Balathorn]

I think I had 5 guys gunned down by THE SAME SECTOID during MY TURN because every time they took a step they would get shot at.

Did you just walk to him in melee range in a big blob using all your TUs? Because outside that i can't see how that can happen: plasma pistol has 9 shots at most (3 bursts) and the chances of randomly hitting scattered dudes with shots from the same burst are pretty slim. Not to mention that his reaction score for the 3rd burst is so low that you have to be at close to 0 TU to trigger it.

If you're having issues with reaction shots you should try to understand the mechanics and react accordingly: try using mutual surprise, using scouts with high TU+reactions, using scout-sniper pairs, smoke grenades to limit vision, flaking (if he can't see you coming he can't reaction shot) etc.

[Arpia]

what's standard practice for xcom? some people shuttle rookies out the ramp as cannon fodder to soak up the reaction fire and flush out the aliens while veterans clean up. some people burn smokes and deploy into cover. I like having a lowtech tank to use as rolling cover. But yeah, you have to start thinking of ways to counter the AI, they face the drop zone, they like overwatching from upper windows too. so you need to block line of sight while you deploy and move around the map making good use of cover.
as standard I always make sure everyone has a frag a smoke and a flare so they can deal with a variety of situations, I also try to make sure that everyone has someone who can provide coverfire or pop smoke to block an aliens sight line

[Amiga]

I love new AI. Its Xcom baby:-) Death is everywhere

[darkestaxe]

I haven't had any trouble with the increased difficulty, but the new reaction system does seem a bit ham-fisted. We could instead give aliens higher TUs, firing accuracy, reactions, armor, etc to increase difficulty. Simply having aliens react every time takes the randomness out of it.

In vanilla there was a check where a triggering units Reaction Stat x Current TUs was compared against the the reacting units Reaction Stat x Current TUs. If the reacting unit had a higher rating they would react, otherwise they would fail to react. As a result if a sectoid had 21 TUs left he wasn't likely to react unless a soldier was using the last of their TUs and/or had really low reactions, even if the sectiod only needed 9 TUs for a snapshot.

The current system in OXC seems to reduce all TU costs for alien reaction shots by ~30% and allows them to react every time, removing the check. I haven't seen an alien not react until they have fired more then is possible with the weapon they are carrying. Maybe X-COM has a 10% chance of reacting if their reaction score is > 3.5 x the aliens? I'm not really sure what the criteria would be, it almost never happens, but I think I remember it happening under the current system.

[54x]

I haven't had any trouble with the increased difficulty, but the new reaction system does seem a bit ham-fisted. We could instead give aliens higher TUs, firing accuracy, reactions, armor, etc to increase difficulty. Simply having aliens react every time takes the randomness out of it.

In vanilla there was a check where a triggering units Reaction Stat x Current TUs was compared against the the reacting units Reaction Stat x Current TUs. If the reacting unit had a higher rating they would react, otherwise they would fail to react. As a result if a sectoid had 21 TUs left he wasn't likely to react unless a soldier was using the last of their TUs and/or had really low reactions, even if the sectiod only needed 9 TUs for a snapshot.

The current system in OXC seems to reduce all TU costs for alien reaction shots by ~30% and allows them to react every time, removing the check. I haven't seen an alien not react until they have fired more then is possible with the weapon they are carrying. Maybe X-COM has a 10% chance of reacting if their reaction score is > 3.5 x the aliens? I'm not really sure what the criteria would be, it almost never happens, but I think I remember it happening under the current system.

I could have sworn aliens were reacting too often, so that would explain it...

That said, this isn't so much an AI problem as a mechanics problem. The current behaviour could be preserved as an advanced option I guess.