aliens

Author Topic: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid  (Read 19881 times)

Offline Solarius Scorch

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[ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« on: May 15, 2014, 04:58:55 pm »
Here's a "completely" new race for OpenXCom. It was made with minimum effort, as I used red Tasoth sprites provided by Civilian, Triscene sprites ripped from TFTD by Dioxine and Robin's ruleset layout for his Cover Alien mod. Nonetheless, I made, ripped and recoloured some sprites myself, not to mention made the concept.

This mod is in a beta stage, since I haven't tested it that much yet. But you can help with this! :)



Reptoids are mid-tier aliens, generally better than Snakemen but not as bad as Mutons. They are heat-friendly, so they possess some resistance to plasma (nothing outrageous though). They're generally competent, though nothing you haven't seen before. And they have f*cking dinosaurs with hellfire missiles.



Note that this race mod can be used along other race mods, like the Cover Alien mod. The only problem is that only one mod at a time is actlve for the getOneFree feature, so researching a Medic will not give you information on the race that was modded in, unless it's from the latest mod. This can only be fixed by merging all race mods or making a special additional mod which functions as a node. Since this is a minor thing, I didn't care about this.

EDIT: Updated to 1.1.

EDIT: Updated to 1.4.1.

EDIT: This mod was incorporated into the Recycled Alien Collection mod, and is therefore discontinued as a standalone feature.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2014, 01:59:49 am by Solarius Scorch »

Offline robin

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Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2014, 07:54:52 pm »
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troodon#The_.22Dinosauroid.22

Yep, it's them... Well, sort of, because there will possibly be Gillmen too. :)

I decided on the Reptoid name, since it seems to be most used by ufologists.

Offline robin

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Re: New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2014, 09:54:17 pm »
Link was in case in case you needed some ideas for the Ufopaedia entry. :P

Offline civilian

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2014, 02:56:18 pm »
Ohhh, my children are being used in a mod  ;D
Does the Triscene animate properly? I remember that the ones from the TFTD_to_EU package had some glitches...
Or did Dioxine make new ones?
The alien facing towards the player in the first screenshot has a really mean look on its face.  :o


Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2014, 04:16:53 am »
Ohhh, my children are being used in a mod  ;D

Yes, and I am very thankful for your contribution! I'll likely add more. ;)

Does the Triscene animate properly? I remember that the ones from the TFTD_to_EU package had some
glitches...
Or did Dioxine make new ones?

He made it from scratch, using just the graphics. It was complicated, since TFTD drawing routine is different.

The alien facing towards the player in the first screenshot has a really mean look on its face.  :o

He looks like a sloth to me. :P
(And sloths are really creepy, when they're holding a gun.)


EDIT:
A new version is up, in the opening post. I nerfed the race a little bit :)

Offline civilian

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2014, 04:46:20 pm »
Tested them (first version) in Battle mode, they work like a charm!  :)
Not sure if a nerf was required, they were pretty decent the way they were imo. They were even maybe a little bit too quick to panic.

And did I hear you say "more"?  :)

And yes, making the Triscene must be a lot of work. Dioxine be blessed!  :)
« Last Edit: May 18, 2014, 04:49:24 pm by civilian »

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2014, 03:25:53 pm »
Thanks!

to elaborate, I didn't nerf them per se, only made them appear later in the game - fighting them with rifles etc. is perfectly possible, but rather painful when compared to, say, Floaters. I also decreased Salamandron's Health, since it was a bit over the top (as much as a Reaper, but with better armour).

Their Bravery is the same as of other races too, so they shouldn't panic more - maybe you just got lucky. :)

EDIT: Ufopedia pictures updated - now they're red.

Offline Aldorn

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2014, 05:47:40 pm »
French Translation

Code: [Select]
  - type: fr
    strings:
      STR_REPTOID: Reptoid
      STR_SALAMANDRON: Salamandron
      STR_SALAMANDRON_TERRORIST: Terroriste Salamandron
      STR_REPTOID_SOLDIER: Soldat Reptoid
      STR_REPTOID_MEDIC: Docteur Reptoid
      STR_REPTOID_ENGINEER: Ingénieur Reptoid
      STR_REPTOID_NAVIGATOR: Navigateur Reptoid
      STR_REPTOID_LEADER: Leader Reptoid
      STR_REPTOID_COMMANDER: Commandant Reptoid
      STR_REPTOID_CORPSE: Corps Reptoid
      STR_SALAMANDRON_CORPSE: Corps Salamandron
      STR_REPTOID_AUTOPSY: Autopsie Reptoid
      STR_SALAMANDRON_AUTOPSY: Autopsie Salamandron
      STR_REPTOID_UFOPAEDIA: En réalité, les Reptoids semblent être présents sur terre depuis quelques temps déjà, en tout état de cause bien avant le début de l'invasion.  En dépit de leur apparence bestiale, ils possèdent une intelligence extraordinaire, qui fait d'eux d'excellents espions.  On ne sait que peu de choses sur leur origine, mais leur longue présence sur terre et leur proximité sur le plan génétique indiquent indiscutablement une évolution terrestre.  Toutefois, nous n'avons aucun doute sur leur loyauté aux extraterrestres.
      STR_REPTOID_AUTOPSY_UFOPAEDIA: Cette créature est recouverte d'écailles, capables de résister aisément aux balles de petit calibre.  Curieusement, en dépit de son apparence reptilienne, elle semble particulièrement résistante à la chaleur.  Son cerveau est très développé, suggérant une intelligence sensiblement supérieure à l'homme.  L'information la plus frappante concerne son ADN, qui semble être d'origine terrestre, à moins qu'il ne provienne d'une reproduction génétique réalisée à partir de créatures terrestres.
      STR_SALAMANDRON_UFOPAEDIA: Le Salamandron est une bête monstrueuse, rappelant les prédateurs préhistoriques, bien que relativement différent.  Destiné à tuer, il est équipé de roquettes incendiaires, capable de semer la désolation dans une ville en quelques minutes.  De petits implants présents dans son cerveau semblent réguler son comportement, mais il conserve une véritable autonomie qui le rend très difficile à contrôler et virtuellement invulnérable au brouillage.
      STR_SALAMANDRON_AUTOPSY_UFOPAEDIA: Couverte d'épaisses écailles et extrêmement résistante à la chaleur, cette créature est particulièrement robuste.  Elle semble néanmoins vulnérable aux attaques lasers.  Son comportement binaire - lutter ou fuir - lui serait imposé par de petits implants au niveau du cerveau.

Beware in en-US language to  STR_SALAMANDRON_CORPSE. And look for "creratures"
« Last Edit: May 19, 2014, 06:05:34 pm by Aldorn »

Offline Bones

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2014, 10:57:15 pm »
Czech translation for another one of your great mods

Code: [Select]
  - type: cs-CZ
    strings:
      STR_REPTOID: Plazoid
      STR_SALAMANDRON: Salamandron
      STR_SALAMANDRON_TERRORIST: Salamandron Terorista
      STR_REPTOID_SOLDIER: Plazoid Voják
      STR_REPTOID_MEDIC: Plazoid Medik
      STR_REPTOID_ENGINEER: Plazoid Inženýr
      STR_REPTOID_NAVIGATOR: Plazoid Navigátor
      STR_REPTOID_LEADER: Plazoid Velitel
      STR_REPTOID_COMMANDER: Plazoid Vůdce
      STR_REPTOID_CORPSE: Plazoid mrtvola
      STR_SALAMANDRON_CORPSE: Salamandron mrtvola
      STR_REPTOID_AUTOPSY: Plazoid pitva
      STR_SALAMANDRON_AUTOPSY: Salamandron pitva
      STR_REPTOID_UFOPAEDIA: Plazoidé už na Zemi nějakou dobu žili, dlouho před začátkem.  Navzdory zvířecímu vzhledu oplývají vyjímečnou inteligencí, což z nich dělá výtečné špióny a polní agenty. Nedá se toho moc říct o jejich původu, ale jejich dlouhá historie žití na Zemi a genetická podobnost s námi ukazuje na vývoj na naší planetě.  Nicméně, jejich loajalita k Cizákům je neochvějná.
      STR_REPTOID_AUTOPSY_UFOPAEDIA: Toto stvoření je pokryto tuhými šupinami, schopnými snadno odolat kulkám nízkých ráží.  Překvapivě jsou navzdory svému plazímu vzhledu docela odolní proti vysokým teplotám.  Mozek je velmi vyvinutý, nabízí se možnost nadlidské inteligence.  Jejich nejzajímavější vlastností je však jejich DNA, která je buďto pozemská, nebo upravená podle vzoru pozemských živočichů.
      STR_SALAMANDRON_UFOPAEDIA: Salamandron je děsivá šelma, vzdáleně připomínající dávné predátory, ale s malými odlišnostmi.  Vyvinut čistě pro teror, je vybaven zápalnými raketami, a schopen zničit menší město během minut.  Jeho chování může být regulováno pomocí soustavy přijímačů implantovaných do jeho mozku, ale z většiny operuje podle svého, což ztěžuje jeho kontrolu, ale zároveň jej dělá prakticky immuním proti jakémukoli rušení.
      STR_SALAMANDRON_AUTOPSY_UFOPAEDIA: Toto stvoření je velice odolné, pokryté tvrdými šupinami a extrémně odolné proti žáru, ale už ne tolik proti laseru.  Jeho malý mozek obsahuje několik malých implantátů, jejichž smyslem se zdá být provokování základních 'bojuj nebo uteč' reakcí v jeho nervovém systému.

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2014, 01:33:47 am »
Thanks for all the translations I got! They are now included in the mod (first post).

Everyone please redownload the ruleset v. 1.4.1, as it contained some bugs (some Reptoid stats were too high - an artefact from another mod).

Offline TurkishSwede

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2014, 01:52:03 am »
These things are scary, dude! I actually think they are a bit OP and could use some nerfing. I compared their original base stats (now nerfed) to that of Ethereals, the vanilla game's most potent ground troops, they had equal firing and 'superior' reactions (considering they have no inclination towards using extra TUs for psi-attacks), only slightly inferior TUs and stamina, and somehow superior Psi-Strength. This brought up some things for me regarding their nature/game balance which were not entirely addressed in your latest update.

1. Lizards usually have very small brains, even thunder lizards had walnuts for brains. A race can surely be intelligent with such a brain, but it's hard for me to buy that such a race could have super-human (or even super-mammalian) intellect or would fall in line with a race whose main method of control and communication is psionics, something they currently resist better than any other non-Ethereal main race. I think they should have lower Psi-Strength, but higher bravery. I think a war-like race of lizards would be hard to scare. I'm thinking like, 40-45-50 Psi-Strength (as per Snakemen), and 130 (or higher) bravery.

2. Even if Ethereals somehow convinced these terrestrial Reptoids to join their crusade, how would they anonymously prepare for their missions without a terrestrial base? Other aliens set up at and come from Mars directly, so how do these aliens get the ships they use? If brought to them by other aliens, they'd need a spot to meet and trade, and afterwards allow quick dispersal into society considering there are no other aliens on Reptoid crafts. Did Ethereals give them exact blueprints on how to make all the alien's ships? If so, where are they built? If in the first month, reptoids had a high chance to make a base somewhere, then operate from that base? Hard to code that. Better to make them extra-terrestrial and let them use all the undisclosed benefits of that, I think. Or, they are collected from Earth previously and modified with brain implants for control, best of both worlds? That could partially explain their abnormally high Psi-Strength.

3. These Salamandrons... they have a bark that is worse than their bite unless one of two things happen:
   1. Incendiary damage is dealt to health and applied to armor like normal damage from explosions, or
   2. Terror units and other units with weapons that are a part of the unit's body gain the use of a second weapon.
Without that, these guys are cuddlier than Silacoids. They seem to mill about, not attacking, with too low reactions to ever reaction fire at anything, and they are too tall. They are listed as 30 height, when I think the max height for a tile is 24. Surely that interferes with something. I think they should have higher firing and reactions, say, maybe 40/40?

4. The UFOpaedia pictures are very TFTD, understandable since they are basically from that game, but from the viewpoint of someone who never got into that game and has only been reintroduced to this game via XCom 2012, it feels very non-XCom-ish to me. Maybe Robin could help you make more vanilla seeming entries...? I wish I could. That would be awesome.

Offline Dioxine

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2014, 02:38:22 am »
Just my 2 cents...

1. Bravery of over 110 is irrelevant - 110 is basically absolutely fearless already.

2. Units which happen to have explosive attacks do usually just mill around, doing little. You could ask Warboy why is that, but he'll only get angry :)

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #13 on: May 20, 2014, 02:53:07 am »
Yay, some constructive criticism! :)

These things are scary, dude! I actually think they are a bit OP and could use some nerfing. I compared their original base stats (now nerfed) to that of Ethereals, the vanilla game's most potent ground troops, they had equal firing and 'superior' reactions (considering they have no inclination towards using extra TUs for psi-attacks), only slightly inferior TUs and stamina, and somehow superior Psi-Strength. This brought up some things for me regarding their nature/game balance which were not entirely addressed in your latest update.

I did have a closer look at the race and while I admit they're no pushovers, I think you're exaggerating a bit. They're better than Snakemen, but certainly not as tough as Mutons and Ethereals. They have no Psi and are not only way, way more fragile than Mutons, but also Ethereals (they die just fine to starting firearms, whil killing Ethereals with them is a real trial of patience, and don't even get me started on Mutons). Yes, they are better snipers than any vanilla race, but still much worse than Robin's Waspites :P (OK, this can and will be nerfed a bit).
In this post I attached an Excel file that contains all alien stats, is helpful for analysing. I think they're not that overpowered, but I agree with you that they're a bit too accurate maybe.

1. Lizards usually have very small brains, even thunder lizards had walnuts for brains. A race can surely be intelligent with such a brain, but it's hard for me to buy that such a race could have super-human (or even super-mammalian) intellect or would fall in line with a race whose main method of control and communication is psionics, something they currently resist better than any other non-Ethereal main race. I think they should have lower Psi-Strength, but higher bravery. I think a war-like race of lizards would be hard to scare. I'm thinking like, 40-45-50 Psi-Strength (as per Snakemen), and 130 (or higher) bravery.

Most, if not all, vanilla aliens were based on real life UFO reports (Sectoids being most obvious, but others are no less inspired by such tales). With the Reptoid, I wanted to do a similar thing, so I based the race on "generally accepted" features among ufologists, which are quite sure about their high intelligence (and other capabilities, as shown on this amusing video). While I think superhuman intelligence would be an exaggeration, they do possess human-like brains and are much more independent than many aliens. I'm also playing on the "evolved human-like dinosaurs" myth. Naturally, such intelligence is reptillian intelligence, which is no laughing matter! :)

2. Even if Ethereals somehow convinced these terrestrial Reptoids to join their crusade, how would they anonymously prepare for their missions without a terrestrial base? Other aliens set up at and come from Mars directly, so how do these aliens get the ships they use? If brought to them by other aliens, they'd need a spot to meet and trade, and afterwards allow quick dispersal into society considering there are no other aliens on Reptoid crafts. Did Ethereals give them exact blueprints on how to make all the alien's ships? If so, where are they built? If in the first month, reptoids had a high chance to make a base somewhere, then operate from that base? Hard to code that. Better to make them extra-terrestrial and let them use all the undisclosed benefits of that, I think. Or, they are collected from Earth previously and modified with brain implants for control, best of both worlds? That could partially explain their abnormally high Psi-Strength.

That's a bit more complicated, but there was no place in the game to explain it properly. Reptoids come from Earth, but they left the planet millions of years ago and only returned a hundred years ago or so. Therefore, they are effectively aliens, no matter their origins. Perhaps I should add it somewhere, maybe even to the race itself, unless it would disclose too much...

3. These Salamandrons... they have a bark that is worse than their bite unless one of two things happen:
   1. Incendiary damage is dealt to health and applied to armor like normal damage from explosions, or
   2. Terror units and other units with weapons that are a part of the unit's body gain the use of a second weapon.
Without that, these guys are cuddlier than Silacoids. They seem to mill about, not attacking, with too low reactions to ever reaction fire at anything, and they are too tall. They are listed as 30 height, when I think the max height for a tile is 24. Surely that interferes with something. I think they should have higher firing and reactions, say, maybe 40/40?

The stats are fine, though I agree they are somewhat crippled by the current limitations. I decided to disregard them for now, since the game will have to include these features at some point (because TFTD). I'll be perfectly happy with a huge angry lizard with incendiary weapons, if it can bite you in half with its jaws.
you're saying they don't do much? This is a limitation... well nevermind, Dioxine just mentioned it. :) Suffice to say it depends on when you meet them. But they're frying civilians just fine, which is their primary purpose, and I also lost a few men to them.
As for the height, I haven't noticed anything wrong, but it's an important information from you. I'll leave it alone for now (since it's really damn huge), but I'll keep an eye on any weird behaviour.

4. The UFOpaedia pictures are very TFTD, understandable since they are basically from that game, but from the viewpoint of someone who never got into that game and has only been reintroduced to this game via XCom 2012, it feels very non-XCom-ish to me. Maybe Robin could help you make more vanilla seeming entries...? I wish I could. That would be awesome.

I wish he would, but I have no such skills. ;) I consider this mod to be more experimental/fun, so it's not very high quality when it comes to resources. Still, every mod is in a flux state of being constantly upgraded, so who knows what happens?

Offline civilian

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Re: [ENEMY] New Race: Reptoid
« Reply #14 on: May 20, 2014, 11:50:34 am »
The "problem" with the Salamandrons is the incendiary damage. Power Suits and Flying Suits are completely fire-proof making those weapons rather pointless for the aliens to have. For a test I removed the Stun/Fire immunity from all armors and it really improved gameplay, because it made more weapons and tactics possible.