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Author Topic: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus  (Read 3739 times)

Offline Macaras

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #15 on: November 27, 2023, 07:58:02 pm »
Thanks! I have plans to do a small research "overhaul" to make the tree take longer to research, requiring multiple bases, as well as making more techs useful. I am still writing up my design document on it, but i think that is a good idea! My goal at the end is to make every research useful, so weather by having techs harder to get, or by making ion armor harder to manufacturer, making aqua plastic armor more economical, I am still working it out.

I think it's good to consider two things:

-about armor in general I think what is the most important by far is the protection from sonic pistols, rifles etc. as 95% times the aquanauts die by simply being shot. So, the implication of this is that it doesn't really matter much all the other types of protection, like melee, acid etc. In other words, if I was to choose how to equip my aquanauts, I wouldn't go for the armor that protects me from explosions, acid or melee if it is worse than the other type in protecting from missiles. Just my suggestion- I think that the armors should simply evolve and be just replaced by better versions, diving suit-> plastic, heavy plastic, ion etc.

-another thing is that the armor fulfills its purpose if it protects the aquanauts from being killed with one shot. Then one can use medikit etc., then other types of protection may come into consideration. Since in veteran difficulty in March (or even earlier) the aliens are already commonly using sonic cannons so practically all armor below heavy plastic serves the same as no armor at all.

Just my suggestions, as I think there are many features potentially very enjoyable, but never worthy of using because too early become obsolete by some other human or alien technology.

Offline Daev

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #16 on: November 27, 2023, 08:17:52 pm »
Based on the original post and being based on or inspired by "Easier TFTD" mod, I thought the intent was to make the mod easier than vanilla TFTD. (Which I'm not personally that interested in.)

But it appears that is not the purpose, but rather make the game somewhat longer, balance it differently and make it more sensible. Whether it becomes somewhat easier or harder is immaterial. (As a TFTD veteran I'd say the vanilla game is not all that difficult, if you know how to play it, but rather some missions are just so tedious and dangerous that you want to avoid them, because you don't need to complete them.) I definitely think the idea of different (and easier) Alien Base missions sounds promising. The same applies to 2-stage terror ship missions.

Significant increase in variety is also something I'm looking forward to. Wrt. TFTD I have liked TWoTS a lot but its one drawback is that the progress might end up being very slow and sluggish repeat of hundreds of essentially identical and easy-ish USO missions (unless you just shoot down and ignore). If there would be more variety (compare, for example, to X-Com Files), I suppose that could avoid getting bored by the game too quickly.

When looking out for balancing and making various things more relevant, you may also want to check out, compare and contrast to how this was accomplished in TFTD Evolution by Alpha Centauri Bear. The purpose of that mod was also to make the game more difficult (even excessively so, I think): https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,8661.0.html

Thank you for the link and the advice!

You are right on the money with my goal, if something is easier as a result of being more fair or less frustrating, so be it. But preserving difficulty while not making it just annoying to play is one of my main goals.

A bit of backround, this mod born out of a want for a TFTD with the same gameplay, but less frustrating/unfair but still difficult. More decisions that must be made and ways to play, like in reavers harmony mod, and the variety that TWoTs has but without the ENTIRE game revamped. I am in no way a perfect Classic Xcom player, but when i played TFTD on veteran, I was able to beat it by rushing sonic pulsers, then sonic cannons. Ignoring most missions and rushing RSH and cheesing the last mission. While it was fun, that play style seems to be the only way to play and win the game, as doing something like a Artifact site would be silly, as the cost is not worth it. That is the balance i want to fix, having missions be less frustrating so you want to play them, and having them atleast give something you need, such as the sonic weapons you need to convert to human ones, grenades etc, while not overstaying their welcome, or by providing variety in terrain and layouts. While i think the balance of the current version is good, my end vision is to have something more all encompassing, where every decision is deliberate. i will say as well, Long War 1 is a big inspiration, so things like SMGs and such were directly inspired by that.

I will update the main post with a thesis statement in the goals of what i am trying to achieve, but as of right now, this is it.

Offline Xilmi

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #17 on: November 27, 2023, 09:25:33 pm »
I started doing a Let's play on this combined with my own Mod:

https://youtu.be/akFrCj-j3l4

Edit:

Part 2: https://youtu.be/80PGZV9k-C4
« Last Edit: November 29, 2023, 01:23:07 am by Xilmi »

Offline Daev

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #18 on: November 28, 2023, 04:35:48 am »
I started doing a Let's play on this combined with my own Mod:

https://youtu.be/akFrCj-j3l4


Thanks brother! I will check it out when i have time, I will be taking notes!

Offline ontherun

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #19 on: November 29, 2023, 01:57:30 am »
Dear Daev,

I ready some time ago on the forum about a map set on a petroleum platform, but i think It was abandoned or something...care to recover the idea and make a mission in that kind of site?

Offline Daev

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #20 on: November 29, 2023, 03:31:54 am »
Dear Daev,

I ready some time ago on the forum about a map set on a petroleum platform, but i think It was abandoned or something...care to recover the idea and make a mission in that kind of site?

That's already in the mod! The Martian made his own reedition in the mod "Maps of the Deep", that i have included in the pack. The Martian was a big help in me learning to mod and providing resources!
« Last Edit: November 29, 2023, 04:28:15 am by Daev »

Offline efrenespartano

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #21 on: December 10, 2023, 07:02:17 am »
The ugly yellow-globe and restriction to coastal-cities and islands as land-missions was my major pet-peeve with TFTD.
So seeing how you fixed that with the hybrid-globe definitely makes me want to try it out.

Hell yeah, the reason why i didn't really liked TFTD was the ugly yellow!
Also the palette doesn't fully convinces me, tho haha

Daev be praised! This mod is extremely cool, helped me becoming interested in TFTD again. :D

Offline Daev

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #22 on: December 13, 2023, 10:28:17 pm »
Update:

Currently working on new update, was trying to wait out and see if merdian would implement a feature i requested soon, but it seems it will take longer than i though.

Many features in the new update, a few being a completely revamped (and longer) research tree, that will require many more labs/scientists to complete. Visual Reworks for weapons, new "Combat Reports" for aliens, so you can see their armor/resistances. More USOpadia entries, and more!

Offline efrenespartano

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #23 on: December 17, 2023, 06:04:49 am »
Update:

Currently working on new update, was trying to wait out and see if merdian would implement a feature i requested soon, but it seems it will take longer than i though.

Many features in the new update, a few being a completely revamped (and longer) research tree, that will require many more labs/scientists to complete. Visual Reworks for weapons, new "Combat Reports" for aliens, so you can see their armor/resistances. More USOpadia entries, and more!

Hell yeah, bosmang! Cannot wait to put my hands on it

Offline SIMON BAILIE

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Re: [TFTD][OXCE][Major] TFTD: Vanilla Plus
« Reply #24 on: March 03, 2024, 02:48:24 pm »
Just tried v1.3 and get the following error,mod won't start at all-see attached.