Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - N9.7.7 12-Sep-2024 Second Coming

[BBHood217]

Technically the ratman patrols do have a craft.  If you hit them with a tractor beam you go into ground combat with a landed tiny UFO and one ratman.  Granted it's probably just there for mechanical reasons rather than for flavor or whatever.

Yeah, craft that you're not meant to ground assault use the default small scout UFO.  Having said that, I think the ratmen patrol should finally get their own "craft" since you can tractor them like you said.

[Stoddard]

I think the ratmen patrol should finally get their own "craft" since you can tractor them like you said.

I'd rather tractor them up in the sky and release rather than wasting time and craft ammo.

[Dioxine]

There's no "craft" because you make them scatter. Maybe RSS wizard doesn't like the novelty of un-lootable "ufo" but that's no frigging ufo. It is to simulate patrols.
As for tractor beam, no fix needed - you have the single guy you caught, have fun Besides it's endgame so rules are relaxed.

[Abyss]

Why not? They're major factions.
Minor factions have their own weapons.

I suggest a second and the third base attack scenarios for the middle game.
e.g. when they don't consider piratez as a the global threat: no need for a global command staff, only middle category, one armored bodyguard (or else for a different fraction) to command the strike, upper-medium tier weapons and so on.
 

[Dioxine]

Splitting hairs for tons of work and little value.

[Zippicus]

Yeah, craft that you're not meant to ground assault use the default small scout UFO.  Having said that, I think the ratmen patrol should finally get their own "craft" since you can tractor them like you said.

I'm not really sure what you mean, I've caught tiny UFO's on the ground in vanilla Xcom plenty of times.  They're clearly a thing that exists, and being able to assault them on the ground is "normal".  In fact I don't think I've ever seen one survive a hit in air combat so a landed craft might be the only way to see a ground assault.

[BBHood217]

I'm not really sure what you mean, I've caught tiny UFO's on the ground in vanilla Xcom plenty of times.  They're clearly a thing that exists, and being able to assault them on the ground is "normal".  In fact I don't think I've ever seen one survive a hit in air combat so a landed craft might be the only way to see a ground assault.

Lemme explain.  There are UFOs in XPiratez that you are not meant at all to ground assault because they're way too fast or way too fragile by design.  However, the game engine still needs to assign a UFO to them anyway in case you miraculously somehow got them to land (or much more likely, played them in quick battle) so the default small scout is used.

[Zippicus]

Lemme explain.  There are UFOs in XPiratez that you are not meant at all to ground assault because they're way too fast or way too fragile by design.  However, the game engine still needs to assign a UFO to them anyway in case you miraculously somehow got them to land (or much more likely, played them in quick battle) so the default small scout is used.

Yeah I get the mechanical part, I was more taking issue with the "not meant to ground assault".  We're given the tools we need to bring them down intact with the tractor beam.  Granted it's easier to just blow them away but using a tractor beam is a valid option.

[Abyss]

Yeah I get the mechanical part, I was more taking issue with the "not meant to ground assault".  We're given the tools we need to bring them down intact with the tractor beam.  Granted it's easier to just blow them away but using a tractor beam is a valid option.

Does tractor beam use leads to any damage dealt to the craft during the landing?

@Dioxine,
The Freaks - cost only 2000 Jack's tokens and often offer a lot more for the basic skills than Veterans for a lower price ($400K vs $175K + much lower payrate). Often when you recruit 20-50 Freaks at one time there is a huge chance that 20-30% of them will have a killing machines characteristics, with literally 80-120% for the 5-6 parameters out of 9 (don't count the Voodoo skills).
The suggestion: Make them a super-option for a Jack's Prize tree (change from 2000 to 4000-5000 points?), or make them costier (from $175K to $900K). This will alter the balance:

The point :
- Veteran's stats often look almost non competitive to the selected Freak's ones (read: each fifth Freak is almost a full-stat soldier with no need to train, except for the 2-3 stats)
- 2000 tokens is the easy price and may usually be paid off even before the Veterans recruitment got enabled.
- such hiring mechanisms make middlegame less challenging even with highest level difficulty and Ironman mode (I'm sorry to repeat this reason too often, it's not an argument). But I want to suffer little more with unability to recruit a 100 Freaks for no price to choose 15 Terminators and dismiss other 85. Too good chances for a lottery.

[Ashghan]

Does tractor beam use leads to any damage dealt to the craft during the landing?

None whatsoever. Mechanically it's like catching a landed UFO. The 'forcing it down to the ground' is implied rather than actually done. Not sure what is the timer on landing (I assault immediately if I actually bother to tractor) - 30 minutes at least, maybe more.

[Eddie]

Abyss, you do know that freaks have lower stat caps than regular soldiers, yes? Freaks won't improve as much as veterans.
Freaks are capped at 110 firing and 85 throwing. So freaks are worse at ranged combat but can be better melee fighters. It's a tradeoff.

[Abyss]

Abyss, you do know that freaks have lower stat caps than regular soldiers, yes? Freaks won't improve as much as veterans.
Freaks are capped at 110 firing and 85 throwing. So freaks are worse at ranged combat but can be better melee fighters. It's a tradeoff.

Freaks are sometimes capped in firing, sometimes in other stats. Yes. Randomly.
But there is not much to consider between a Freak that comes with 5 stats almost at max and a veteran that comes with all stats at 60-70%. Not also 120 max firing cap is a point to consider buying a veteran for 400K. Freaks are also the best crew for the Harbinger armor due to 110-120 time units given at the recruitment point.   

[Dioxine]

If you're able to just buy 100 freaks and kick out 90 for a net loss of $15M and 21 days wait, this doesn't mean all that much. Nothing much matters by this point and you should be going to cydonia not playing tamagochi with gals.

[magus1]

Dioxine, TY for the lols! I watched a YT docu on men who have these "real life" dolls - I hope it doesn't get that serious...

[Abyss]

That's the middle game, not even gauss reseached.

You should be going to cydonia not playing tamagochi with gals.

With all tremendous work done by your side it is indeed a tamagochi with a storyline and a simulation of economics, RPG and TBS. Not me to assert how RPG part is valuable. And that was YOUR effort to create such characters and the plot around them. What I suggest, the beginning challenge and roleplay somehow lose tightness by the moment you aquire freakinators. The veteran gals are nervously smoking with no job to do.