XPiratez Information Compilation, Starter Guide & Weapon Spreadsheet

[eharper256]

How do you think the infantry laser weighs up vs the hydra? You lose auto on the IL but do what looks to me significantly more damage and I think its more accurate.

Different roles, really. Hydra is often available early, and is effectively laser SMG that's defined by the autofire since it's only 10% less accurate than the snap.

Infantry Laser is an upgraded Hunting Laser, so it's a mobile Sniper with a decently accurate and cheap in TU's Snap shot. With an accurate user, it's solid.

If you can get Bank Favours => Military Supplies early from Zaxx, they're fine, though Lasguns are superior, even moreso when updated to Custom Lasguns, since they fit both sniping and close range roles well.

Good catch about it missing, though, I added it.

[Carcer]

I got hydras just before I unlocked military supplies, I think I got lucky with bounty missions then.

[eharper256]

I got hydras just before I unlocked military supplies, I think I got lucky with bounty missions then.

Absolutely, that's 2075 Zaxx Tokens for the whole setup, assuming you took the direct path and ignored Black Adder and Scoped Magnum and other stuff.

First few Hydra's appeared around month 4-5 for me when I was playing. Ammo for it was scarce for a while, but it was a staple on my Gal Bianca for a while.

[Psyentific]

Hydra Laser is a mid-range auto shooter, same sort of niche as the Autogun and Tommy. I use it a lot when I'm bootstrapping myself into the midgame, it's not great (ex. Assault Laser does the same thing but better) but a bad autolaser is still better than no autolaser. As for how the Hydra Laser stacks up against other mid-tier autoshooters...meh? I'd run a gyro-stabilized autogun or a laser tommy over a hydra. Once you've got your choice of lasers and automatics the Hydra Laser falls off firmly into the "mook gun for enemies" category, but when you loot a Hydra off the first Humanist Instructor you kill it's the tightest shit.

For the infantry laser, what's already been said is accurate. Just like it says on the nameplate, it's a shitty lasgun for your infantry. Some laser is better than no laser, right? Same niche as the ol' rifle, hunting rifle and battle rifle, same 'tier' as the battle rifle. That is, a mostly-mobile single shooter for mid to long range that's equally good for kneel-and-aim or move-and-snap fighting styles. Just don't expect to get more than one shot downrange (2 snaps max) per turn.

[ontherun]

What does mean that [S-Tier/A-Tier/B-Tier/C-Tier/D-Tier] related to starting locations?

[eharper256]

What does mean that [S-Tier/A-Tier/B-Tier/C-Tier/D-Tier] related to starting locations?

It's a standard tier-list. [Purple > Blue > Green> Yellow > Red]

In my opinion, better colour denotes a better starting location, and then I explain the reasoning for that below.

i.e. UK is great because that's a lot of good supplies to kick-start your early game. Egypt is great because of clone licences for extra early game troops. Germany is great because you constantly get free Gnomes joining. China sucks because 75 Sectoweed is a tiny amount even for Hybrid route. North-East USA sucks because Optronic Parts are totally useless to you in the early and mid-game and easy to get in late-game. etc.

[Ultimoos]

I'd like to propose adding air combat chance to hit formula. This is usually very hard to find and people have often asked for this.

Chance to hit in % = (Weapon accuracy * (100 + 300 / (5 - UFO size)) +100) / 200 - 0.5 - UFO dodge + craft hit bonus + pilots to hit bonus
Where UFO sizes are:
Very small = -1
Small = 1
Medium = 2
Large = 3
Very large = 4

[ontherun]

In my opinion, better colour denotes a better starting location, and then I explain the reasoning for that below.

got but actually how about some more simple classification system, because how we can tell one color means good and one bad? I did not get the meaning of that letters  :'(

Ah please sir, update the ship list, in the guide prospector is missin and swordfish has a crew space of 5, not 6.

@Ultimoos: maybe post it in the main xpiratez thread 

[Ultimoos]

It's already there, berried under dozens of pages

[eharper256]

I'd like to propose adding air combat chance to hit formula. This is usually very hard to find and people have often asked for this.

Chance to hit in % = (Weapon accuracy * (100 + 300 / (5 - UFO size)) +100) / 200 - 0.5 - UFO dodge + craft hit bonus + pilots to hit bonus
Where UFO sizes are:
Very small = -1 Small = 1 Medium = 2 Large = 3 Very large = 4

Could do, though that formula is whack and has too many brackets and that 0.5 is a bit weird.
I'm guessing it's supposed to be:
(Weap Acc * (100 + (( 300 / (5- UFO Size)) + 100) /200)) - UFO Dodge + Craft Bonus + Pilot Bonus
But it can be summed up as Medium size Baseline, smaller harder, bigger easier. Then dodge and hit bonus applied.

SNIP

Re: Prospector- Probably because I never got around to getting one yet. My save is on hiatus at the moment.
Swordfish- So it is. Could of sworn it used to be 6, maybe it changed. Will fix in a future release.
Colours: Well I inherited this from my other steam guides. It's pretty simple. Blue and Green are universally "Good" colours, Yellow mid, Red bad. Very common colour language, can't really be simpler than that. Purple as S-Tier is the only sort of confusing one, but as it's above blue it's also used semi-often in lots of guides.

[Ultimoos]

This formula was recreated from code someone posted. That suspicious 0.5 exists because results differ by 0.5 from what is written in a pirate tip. I do not remember what number it was. Results for a 100% hitting weapon are as follows: Very small - 75%, small - 88%, medium - 100%, large - 125% and very large - 200%. Formula itself is very wacky but you can just multiply those numbers by weapons chance to hit and then flat add the bonus percentages from craft and pilot.

[Dioxine]

I had a lot of fun reading your guide myself, especially the Captains' descriptions, it's really rewarding when the love I put into making the mod gets returned and spread around It's also probably the best researched guide I've seen, I didn't see a single false claim.

Weapon tiers do suffer a bit from savescumming bias (this bias puts higher value on damage output, lower value on reliability, for obvious reasons; eg. without savescumming, Tommy or AMG are only mid-tier because they tend to leave you with very little TU to correct your error if you miss both bursts, which does happen a little too often for comfort). It's not a judgement, just a note. It's definitely not worth losing progress due to danger you could not predict; and this savescumming bias is much lower than the usual, you do try to be fair. And I did get a new perspective on some issues, like how scoped rifle or harpoon carbine are disappointing.

[Psyentific]

leaving you with little TU and possibly requiring the expenditure of a reserve asset (heavy melee sprinter, cross-map grenade launcher etc) is something that i consider a feature of the gun, rather than a malus. it's little 'accidents' like that that help to spice up gameplay. sometimes you lay down three auto-bursts and...the target's still up - now what cap'n?

[eharper256]

I had a lot of fun reading your guide myself, especially the Captains' descriptions, it's really rewarding when the love I put into making the mod gets returned and spread around It's also probably the best researched guide I've seen, I didn't see a single false claim.

I was noticed by Sempai!

Thankyou for checking it out, and I'm glad you appreciate my research. It's something lots of people have always liked in my Steam guides (even when they get annoyed with tierlists) so I'm glad that continues to be the case.

And yes, I entirely understand and confirm that this is the best feeling for any modder (I'm a Classic Doom Modder, so same era I guess).

Weapon tiers do suffer a bit from savescumming bias (this bias puts higher value on damage output, lower value on reliability, for obvious reasons; eg. without savescumming, Tommy or AMG are only mid-tier because they tend to leave you with very little TU to correct your error if you miss both bursts, which does happen a little too often for comfort). It's not a judgement, just a note. It's definitely not worth losing progress due to danger you could not predict; and this savescumming bias is much lower than the usual, you do try to be fair. And I did get a new perspective on some issues, like how scoped rifle or harpoon carbine are disappointing.

For sure, an ironman list would look entirely different, and yes, I do try to be fair with savescumming.

I guess with Tommy and AMG I tend to also view those with the lens of "you should be dashing as close as possible to abuse bursts and auto, whilst also being as safe as you can, but prioritizing alpha strikes", so therefore they also tend to fail less often.

I always used to play original X-COM very aggressively compared to some people (I can't stand moving 3 steps and spamming overwatch every turn), and really appreciate New-X-COM's assaults for the same reason. Best defence is a good offence and all that, but it's probably not a strat that works on Superhuman Ironman too well lol.

[Dioxine]

I'll just say that if you sprint THAT close, not even the best dakka weapon can compare to a good melee weapon But this is apparently the part of the mod you have little experience with yet, seeing you don't mention axes or hammers, and think that Barbarian Sword is a great weapon (it's decent, of course, but it's more a trickster's tool than a serious melee option)