Redundant/unreachable research topics (0.99C)

[Meridian]

I am doing a feature (in tech tree) which shows you your current overall research progress, nothing fancy, just a percentage.

But after researching everything, it shows me only 70% progress.
30% seems to be unreachable.

@Dioxine: Can we please fix items, which are bugged and remove items which are not needed?

Category 1: piratez stuff, which cannot be obtained, captured alive or just doesn't exist at all

  - CYBERDISC_ARMOR_2
  - SECTOPOD_ARMOR_2
  - STR_UNARMORED_HUMAN
  - STR_SAKURA_STAFF_BLUEPRINTS
  - STR_SAKURA_STAFF
  - STR_IMPALER_BLUEPRINTS
  - STR_IMPALER
  - STR_MEGA_CANNON
  - STR_MEGA_LASER
  - STR_MEGA_FLAMER
  - STR_RPG_ADV
  - STR_SR_RIFLE
  - STR_SOL_DEMO_CHARGE
  - STR_SECTOPOD_TERRORIST
  - STR_XTANK_CANNON_TERRORIST
  - STR_WASPITE                                   #depends on below
  - STR_WASPITE_SOLDIER                   #probably doable

Category 2: Xcom stuff (just review and copy&paste...)

  - delete: STR_HEAVY_PLASMA
  - delete: STR_HEAVY_PLASMA_CLIP
  - delete: STR_PLASMA_RIFLE
  - delete: STR_PLASMA_RIFLE_CLIP
  - delete: STR_PLASMA_PISTOL
  - delete: STR_PLASMA_PISTOL_CLIP
  - delete: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER
  - delete: STR_BLASTER_BOMB
  - delete: STR_SMALL_LAUNCHER
  - delete: STR_STUN_BOMB
  - delete: STR_ALIEN_GRENADE
  - delete: STR_ZOMBIE_CORPSE
  - delete: STR_SNAKEMAN_CORPSE
  - delete: STR_FLOATER_CORPSE
  - delete: STR_SNAKEMAN_COMMANDER
  - delete: STR_SNAKEMAN_LEADER
  - delete: STR_SNAKEMAN_ENGINEER
  - delete: STR_SNAKEMAN_NAVIGATOR
  - delete: STR_SNAKEMAN_SOLDIER
  - delete: STR_SNAKEMAN_MEDIC
  - delete: STR_ETHEREAL_MEDIC
  - delete: STR_ETHEREAL_ENGINEER
  - delete: STR_ETHEREAL_NAVIGATOR
  - delete: STR_MUTON_LEADER
  - delete: STR_MUTON_MEDIC
  - delete: STR_FLOATER_COMMANDER
  - delete: STR_FLOATER_LEADER
  - delete: STR_FLOATER_ENGINEER
  - delete: STR_FLOATER_MEDIC
  - delete: STR_FLOATER_NAVIGATOR
  - delete: STR_FLOATER_SOLDIER
  - delete: STR_PLASMA_CANNON_DEP1
  - delete: STR_PLASMA_CANNON_DEP2
  - delete: STR_SNAKEMAN_AUTOPSY
  - delete: STR_FLOATER_AUTOPSY
  - delete: STR_CELATID_AUTOPSY
  - delete: STR_SILACOID_AUTOPSY
  - delete: STR_CHRYSSALID_AUTOPSY
  - delete: STR_REAPER_AUTOPSY
  - delete: STR_SECTOPOD_AUTOPSY
  - delete: STR_SECTOPOD
  - delete: STR_CYBERDISC

[Dioxine]

Most stuff from cat. 1 does exist and can be reached, worry not Couple of items were indeed non-existant (UNARMORED_HUMAN), and a couple do exist but cannot be reached yet, since their part of the game doesn't exist yet.

As for cat. 2, yes, sure, I'm pasting it. Thanks for the compilation.

[Arthanor]

Does the number show progress or the % of remaining unresearched items? Because that screenshot showing 26% looks like it comes from a game with a bunch of research already done (only one topic from the pilot, which is admittedly possible to achieve without researching anything else, maybe, but unlikely)

Also, I don't know how hard it would be, but I would find a feature that shows currently unresearched projects very convenient. Not projects which have currently undiscovered topics in their getOneFree lists, but the actual projects.

Another thing is that as far as I know, you can open the tech tree viewer two ways:
1 - Middle click on a research topic in the "select research topic" list
2 - Middle click on a manufacturing job

Which means that if you are currently stuck with nothing to research, a point where the tech tree viewer is most important, it becomes very unintuitive to reach. Indeed, it took me a while before realizing it could be reached from manufacture, during which I was getting mad at the game for not only not allowing me to progress, but also not having any way but ruleset trawling to get a clue on what to do next. Being able to launch the tech tree viewer from the "select research topic" either through a button or by clicking the empty space would be good.

[Meridian]

Most stuff from cat. 1 does exist and can be reached, worry not

I have checked, double checked and triple checked... please tell me which item from category 1 can be reached and how
I am 99.998% sure they are all unreachable.

[ohartenstein23]

At the very least, the waspites are included in terror missions with the star gods with mostly cyclops.

[Meridian]

At the very least, the waspites are included in terror missions with the star gods with mostly cyclops.

They can't be captured however, as far as I know, since they are immune to stun.

[ohartenstein23]

Psi-capture is probably the way to do it, but what about stun weapons that go off of a different resistance type?

[Meridian]

Psi-capture is probably the way to do it, but what about stun weapons that go off of a different resistance type?

Well, psi capture is not a standard option.
Also it has 70 psi strength, so it might be quite difficult in piratez anyway, if not impossible.

I haven't tried all weapons, maybe something works, I don't know all Yankes' magic, but it looks like it wasn't meant to be captured.
It has complete immunity to special damage too (i.e. seduction, etc.)

[LuigiWhatif]

Have you tried power maces?  I remember those working.

I did also capture a few with psi, but as you realized its a pretty tough option.

[Meridian]

Have you tried power maces?  I remember those working.

I did also capture a few with psi, but as you realized its a pretty tough option.

I haven't tried anything really. I didn't even meet them in my game yet.
I wrote a program, which obtains all obtainable items and aliens and researches all researchable topics... this is what was left.
I then checked the ruleset to see if I had a bug in the program somewhere, but I couldn't find anything wrong so I reported all these items to Dioxine as potential (and very likely) bugs.

Let him check and we'll see.

[Arthanor]

Since I play "Piratemon" and I "gotta catch 'em all", I did catch a waspite using power maces. There are quite a few enemies which high stun resists which are catchable using weapons with good "ToStun" values and different damage types. Hell, even a hammer might work if you're lucky enough to bring something close to death but not quite there yet.

Regardless, cleaning up the tree is a commendable goal. I certainly support efforts to do so.

[Dioxine]

I have checked, double checked and triple checked... please tell me which item from category 1 can be reached and how
I am 99.998% sure they are all unreachable.

I can tell you that neither "mega" weapon nor solmine demo charge can be reached, yet  - they're meant for missions and enemies not yet implemented. As for the rest, I recognize them all. If you must know, they're either rare loot, or bonus tech you get from developing other tech (like CYBERDISC_ARMOR_2). The remain are rare monsters, but Arthanor already explained that in length - just a combo of stun immunity + 70 psi power alone isn't a serious obstacle in capturing them.