[WIP] Xeno Operations LEGACY

[B1ackwolf]

Good news everyone!

Explosives are done both Terran and Alien variants. Next up is properly implementing the feature across the entire alien plasma weapon line along with the Elite (black) variants. Also finishing some tweaks, extra details, and a few loose ideas… like explaining why swords are held upside down in the pocket.

After that, updating both handobs and floorobs should be a breeze.

With those changes in place, I'm considering releasing an extremely early, unpolished, and unfinished (but playable) beta to gather feedback on the recent artwork decisions. After that, I'll move on to wrapping up the implementation of the second tier of armors.

Once those (mostly art-related) goals are complete, I can finally shift focus back to revisiting all the changes I originally planned for (and ironically i might add), the very reason this patch started in the first place—like refining the tech tree, campaign progression, and overarching lore.

As always, thank you all so much for your continued support and interest in the mod!

[B1ackwolf]

Good news, everyone!!! I have some updates to share!

After a few more days of work, I can officially say that all weapon sprite work is done. Every tier, both human and alien, has been fully completed. I even finished earlier than expected, which gave me time to revisit and refine some of the older weapon sprites. 

Weapon Overhaul & Changes:

• Starting Ballistics Tier: The existing rocket launcher has now been split into two separate weapons.
• The original sprite has been repurposed into an AT4 disposable bazooka, lighter and intended as an emergency anti-armor option.
• The classic rocket launcher got a full redesign, now based on the Mk153 SMAW, with rockets redone to match.
• Some Ammo Compatibility Adjustments. Since the rocket launcher is now a different class of weapon, I removed the full cross-compatibility between different "RL" introduced in past patches. Compatibility now only remains between the eXperimental and HYbrid tiers, which are both modeled after the Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle.
• Alien weapons now have two distinct ammo lines, which should significantly help with balance.
• Multiple Melee Weapon Improvements.
  
• Their "stashed" sprites now feature a scabbard or holster, making them look properly secured when stored in the inventory.

What's Next???
Now that all BigObs are done, my next focus is getting HandObs and FloorObs fully functional. I want everything working correctly first. I’ll refine minor details later, rather than delaying the update over something like a fifth-tier weapon not recoloring properly in a soldier’s hands. This part might take about a week. 

To keep things moving, I’ve also made the next armor tier barely functional as a placeholder. However, just like everything I initially implemented, these first iterations were a bit rough. Now that I have more experience, I’ll be reworking the paperdoll layering system to integrate my latest ideas more efficiently. This should be much easier since:

• Most of the sprite work is already done—only helmet variations remain.
• I can reuse 80% ~ of the previous layers, saving a lot of time.

Plan Moving Forward:

• Finish and test FloorObs/HandObs.
• Release an early betafor feedback on the new artwork.
• Finalize the tech tree and clean up rough edges.
• Tackle the armor sprite rework and implement long-planned tank sprite updates (more details on this soon!).

Thanks again for all your support and interest in the mod. Stay tuned for more updates! 

[B1ackwolf]

Hi everyone, the day has finally arrived!
Today, I'm releasing an early *beta candidate* for the next patch. Stay tuned for the mod portal and the first page, where i'll post the update in a few hours.

### First of all, I want to sincerely thank you all for your patience. 
The past year has been pretty turbulent for me, so I wasn't able to dedicate as much time as I wanted to this project. However, working on it has been an invaluable source of joy and a way to express my creativity. Let me be clear: *this project has never been abandoned, nor will it be.*

### Now, onto the important part: 
🔴 THIS IS NOT THE FINAL VERSION OF THE UPDATE. 🔴 
So please expect: 
- Tons of issues 
- Half-baked features (again) 
- Placeholder elements that will be refined later 

### About this beta: 
- In theory, it can be played in a campaign, but the same tech tree issues from previous patches remain. 
- This fork was created specifically to implement PhilipH's sprite scripts. 
- Tech tree changes have been quarantined in a separate branch to avoid even more instability. 
- The main focus of this beta is gathering feedback on recent graphical changes (e.g., main menu, UFOpedia palette changes). 
- I also tweaked weapon balance, so any feedback on damage values would be greatly appreciated. (Nothing is final—balancing will evolve alongside the research overhaul.) 

### What's working and what's not: 
✅ BigObs dynamic sprites should be working correctly 
✅ More than two-thirds of FloorObs are finished 
⚠️ HandObs still need work—this is where most placeholders are 
🚧 The tech tree remains a major issue, so I'm prioritizing a more coherent and functional research flow over fixing minor visual inconsistencies 

### Lore & Future Plans: 
The entire lore is now fully outlined, including the tone, underlying themes, and even the final ending. 
(And, in the far future... I might have even sketched out a sequel! 😂) 
Huge thanks to @Efrenspartano, who has been invaluable in providing feedback and brainstorming ideas. 

### Final Notes: 
I hope players enjoy testing the mod, and fellow modders feel free to reuse any assets! 
- If you can give credit, that'd be cool—especially for things I borrowed from other modders—but no pressure! 
- If you have any questions or requests, feel free to reach out—I'll be happy to help if I can. 

Enjoy, and thanks again for your support! 🚀