[EXPANSION]Hardmode Expansion -- General Feedback Thread

[pilot00]

The only thing that bugs me, is the first month hellcamp and the fact that you must go through it no questions asked, if you want to progress. Its ok if you know about it or been a veteran player but otherwise...I believe you should reconsider the nessecity of the base assault so early in the game and the requirements of the containment. And if you dont want to change those, it would be best to allow the possibility of  assaulting a landed abductor rather the base. Just my 2cents.

[Arthanor]

YetMoreUFOs has a variety of UFO maps for large scouts, some of which contain alien food/reproduction/habitat tiles. By taking these maps and instead defining them as different UFO types, you can make sure these UFOs spawn.

It would then be possible to create a custom mission with these UFOs to replace the vanilla sectoid research. This would supply all the required components to the player without having to assault a base or totally changing the gameplay from an easy mission to a much harder one.

[pilot00]

YetMoreUFOs has a variety of UFO maps for large scouts, some of which contain alien food/reproduction/habitat tiles. By taking these maps and instead defining them as different UFO types, you can make sure these UFOs spawn.

It would then be possible to create a custom mission with these UFOs to replace the vanilla sectoid research. This would supply all the required components to the player without having to assault a base or totally changing the gameplay from an easy mission to a much harder one.

That sounds even better.

[Bobwolf]

At least to get the laser weapon. After that, I don't mind if better weapon become harder and harder to get.

[pilot00]

At least to get the laser weapon. After that, I don't mind if better weapon become harder and harder to get.

All things considered you can just scout the base location and just wait till you have lasers and armor. But still IMHO its too much too early. And it will generate an abnormal number of activity.

[hellrazor]

All things considered you can just scout the base location and just wait till you have lasers and armor. But still IMHO its too much too early. And it will generate an abnormal number of activity.

You won't get Lasers or Personal Armor without a specific Item from the Base Raid. This specific Item also requires you to capture 1 alive Alien (any will do) to unlock "Alien Language", which opens up the UFO Navigation tree and of course the Item. ;>

The base is doable, you just need to use the right tactics.

[hellrazor]

YetMoreUFOs has a variety of UFO maps for large scouts, some of which contain alien food/reproduction/habitat tiles. By taking these maps and instead defining them as different UFO types, you can make sure these UFOs spawn.

It would then be possible to create a custom mission with these UFOs to replace the vanilla sectoid research. This would supply all the required components to the player without having to assault a base or totally changing the gameplay from an easy mission to a much harder one.

Wrong dear Arthanor. Those maps contain Examination Rooms, and they are already integrated.
Create a custom Mission? So how you wanna do this? There is no Mission Scripting as of now.
The only way to make sure the player get everything he needs is with the base.

[hellrazor]

At least to get the laser weapon. After that, I don't mind if better weapon become harder and harder to get.

Raid the Base, kill every enemy inside it.
Research Alien Food, Alien Reproduction.
Research Alien Containment.
Capture any alive alien, interrogate it.
Research Alien Language.
Research Alien Data Slate.
Research Laser Weapons.

Then you get Lasers.
And btw they cost Elerium and Alien Alloys in the production process. (Exception: Laser Cannon Vanilla, you could try it out now as a craft Weapon since i played a little bit around with the stats.)

[hellrazor]

I put in SolarsNewUfo's,
i did not had time yet to overwork the maps properly and make variants of them, but multiple maps do exist already (so i can just work throu them and update you without you knowing ).

Version 0.74
 - Integrated SolarsNewUfos (Maps may still be buggy, i am working on them)
 - Laser Infantry Weapons do need Elerium-115 and Alien Alloys to be produced (Laser Cannon is still your Cash Cow)
 - Adjusted Laser Craftcannon Range (now 34) and Accuracy (now 50%)
 - Adjusted Plasma Beam Accuracy (now 60%)
 - Fix some String Typos

Modportal Link

Readme and new Version attached here

[pilot00]

You won't get Lasers or Personal Armor without a specific Item from the Base Raid. This specific Item also requires you to capture 1 alive Alien (any will do) to unlock "Alien Language", which opens up the UFO Navigation tree and of course the Item. ;>

The base is doable, you just need to use the right tactics.

Yeah you are right, I messed the mods, I Am working on three currently.

[hellrazor]

Yeah you are right, I messed the mods, I Am working on three currently.

Uhhh ok, may i ask which ones you are playing currently?

[Bobwolf]

I just completed the base mission yesterday and it was really hard. It took me 2 hours. I had to hide in the elevator. Lost the tank but just a couple of soldiers.
It was really challenging.

And now let's restart to try the new patch !

[Arthanor]

Wrong dear Arthanor. Those maps contain Examination Rooms, and they are already integrated.
Create a custom Mission? So how you wanna do this? There is no Mission Scripting as of now.
The only way to make sure the player get everything he needs is with the base.

I'm pretty sure I have gotten other stuff from the UFOs in YetMoreUFOs. Either way, if it is not there, it is still possible to create new maps that have the components in a UFO the shape of a large scout (or other shapes should you be so inclined).

If Hobbes can script a whole story with his first mission against the MJ12, surely one can script a mission with different UFOs. In fact, just define new UFO types like the fighter is defined in Solar's new UFOs. Call them STR_REPRO_SCOUT and STR_FOOD_SCOUT or something. Then in a new mission STR_FIRST_CONTACT, which is done by sectoids, in the list the waves make sure you add at least one STR_REPRO_SCOUT and a STR_FOOD_SCOUT.

The first mission of the month would then be a "First Contact" mission, with fancier UFOs than will ever be encountered again. You can also add a "command scout" which has a a special crew with the alien dataslate on the leader.

I'm not saying it would be easy.. It is likely a fair bit of work and not something I have done myself. but defining new missions is not a new thing, the MiB and Hybrids both have entirely new missions, which have nothing to do with the vanilla ones.

[hellrazor]

I just completed the base mission yesterday and it was really hard. It took me 2 hours. I had to hide in the elevator. Lost the tank but just a couple of soldiers.
It was really challenging.

And now let's restart to try the new patch !

You do not need to restart, to use the new patch. Depending on what your Version was you maybe need to edit your savegame file ( when you used a version prior to 0.73).

But feel free to do so in any case, there should a few new ufo appearing and i already found a bug on one of the maps, but don't have a windows machine here for using MapView.

[hellrazor]

I'm pretty sure I have gotten other stuff from the UFOs in YetMoreUFOs. Either way, if it is not there, it is still possible to create new maps that have the components in a UFO the shape of a large scout (or other shapes should you be so inclined).

Well that would not be the problem, the maps are in there and could be edited easily, and yes you are right you can get a few things from those ufos. But Alien Food is not on them, can only be retrieved from Harvesters or Supply Ships.
And the Alien Reproduction only exists in the UBASE2.MCD as a asigned item. It is possible to use MCD patch to make something else recoverable as those of course, or pull in the UBASE2.MCD and place tiles acordingly.

If Hobbes can script a whole story with his first mission against the MJ12, surely one can script a mission with different UFOs. In fact, just define new UFO types like the fighter is defined in Solar's new UFOs. Call them STR_REPRO_SCOUT and STR_FOOD_SCOUT or something. Then in a new mission STR_FIRST_CONTACT, which is done by sectoids, in the list the waves make sure you add at least one STR_REPRO_SCOUT and a STR_FOOD_SCOUT.

Hobbes was only able to do this, because the first mission in the game (which is the first mission on the mission list) and the first race in raceweights of those mission is being picked for this mission to occur 100% and ahppens to be in the starting region of the player first base.

Hobbes also had some Problems because one of his testplayers missed a few of those ufos and could not start the plot for laser weapons. Which also could happen with the proposal you made.

The Alien Base is in this regard much saver, i tuned the timings so that even if you shoot down a few scouts the mission itself will not be canceled and you get the base. It is there then and can be attacked by the player, when he feels ready or when he is running out of researchable topics.

The first mission of the month would then be a "First Contact" mission, with fancier UFOs than will ever be encountered again. You can also add a "command scout" which has a a special crew with the alien dataslate on the leader.

My actual plan was to do not let the Alien Data Slate be in the base, but have another mission, were you need fight a human organization and one of the recoverables would be the Alien Data Slate.

I'm not saying it would be easy.. It is likely a fair bit of work and not something I have done myself. but defining new missions is not a new thing, the MiB and Hybrids both have entirely new missions, which have nothing to do with the vanilla ones.

The problem is not with getting the missions to work, but to make sure they occur. Since so far only one mission can be set to what you want to 100%, we have limitations, which will obviously change with missionscripting which is needed for tftd.

Then fancy things will happen