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

[DracoGriffin]

Dat Siren booty.

Are they planned to be Hostile (Raiders) or more like Mercenaries/Govt?



Also, reports have been slow as I still haven't faced all factions (no Deep Ones or Church or secret missions yet, not sure who else I'm missing) and research has slowed as I am trying to research everything (without jumping too high in tiers), but life has happened and playing progress has been minimal.

[Dioxine]

Hostile when you're trying to kill them but they don't do Pogroms. You do get some positive score for them.

[Samscale1]

On the topic of raiders it would be cool if their ships could be made from a variety of ship tile sets. Like they've literally raided crash sites for parts and cobbled together ships with the bits they can find. Possibly have them travel a little more slowly, but still faster than the Bonnaventura (or however it's spelled)

[DracoGriffin]

Short report:

Spoiler:

• Gameplay Balance
   
  • Items
     
    • Assault Grenade Launcher – Multiple – Impression of weapon is a downgrade to the standard grenade launcher, especially as Black Market access requires three research unlocks ("Who is Who?", "PIRATE STRAITS", "Contacts: Dr. Wang's Death Emporium"). Lower accuracy (albeit lower TU % cost for Snap Shot, allowing for three instead of two Snap Shots per turn), lower damage, lower Aimed Shot accuracy %, and shorter Aimed Shot Accurate Range Cap (20 for Assault GL, 25 for standard GL). Suggestion: Swap the weapon properties (making the standard grenade launcher "weaker" than the assault grenade launcher) or increase the properties of the assault grenade launcher to justify the increased purchase cost and research tree.
         
    • Assault SMG Clip /HVAP – Manufacture Cost – Item requirements are steeper than other Nuclear Munitions, especially considering Assault SMG rate of ammunition expenditure. Suggestion: Lower Plastasteel and Nuclear Fuel to 1 instead of 2. Current cost to manufacture: -5,344 (2 Nuclear Fuel, 2 Plastasteel) per month in thousands. Suggested cost to manufacture: -1,989 (1 Nuclear Fuel, 1 Plastasteel) per month in thousands.
    
    
  • Mechanics
     
    • Manufacture - Profitability - Snubby HVAP Drum (6x10) sells for more than cost; net profit (in thousands per month) is only +349 (when purchasing requirements from Black Market [1 Nuclear Fuel, 1 Plastasteel]), compared to X-Grog's +1,122. However, if player has stable supply of item requirements (Nuclear Fuel, Plastasteel), net profit (in thousands per month) jumps to +4,823, compared to MPG Clip (32x10)'s +2,621.
       
      • Further: Nuclear Munitions appear to have viable profitability given the requirements on Nuclear Fuel and/or Plastasteel, which are both Black Market items as well as commonly found as salvage. Suggestion: Require an additional item for manufacturing Nuclear Munitions (to slow down productivity); whether exclusive Black Market good [Munition Jacket/Depleted Core] or low costSell pre-requisite manufacturable [Reinforced Casing (requires X Plastasteel/Y Scrap Metal)/Elerium-tipped Jacket (requires X Nuclear Fuel/Y Scrap Metal)]
      • Further: OR adjust the cost per unit/sell price. (e.g., Snubby HVAP Drum (6x10) only costs $1,250 per unit to produce [sans item requirements] but generates ten items that each sell for $3,600, or $36,000 for all ten.)
    
    
  • Units
     
    • Attack Dog – Night Vision – Currently have night vision value of 12; compared to Gals' night vision value of 12. Suggestion: Increase Attack Dog night vision value to 13 or 14, in order to increase viability for utilizing as scouts (smell could be “lore” reason to have better night “vision”).
         
    • Mutated Reaper – Armor – Considering the “rare”ness (highly dependent on faction "roulette" and faction missions) of Reapers and capturing, and requiring a Tamed Reaper, the “upgrade” from Tamed Reaper to Mutated Reaper isn't very rewarding (considering 2x2 size is more easily targeted/killed). Suggestion: Increase armor (front/left/right/rear) to 32/36, considering Tamed Boomosaurus has 40 armor and Cyberdisc has 34 armor. The increase could be explained by the mutations; developing an exoskeleton/hardening into a carapace/”beefed” up epidermis.
  
  
• Spelling
   
  • #051 – Bootypedia entry - “You can use up to 4 craft in a combat.” → should be “You can use up to 4 craft in combat.” Suggestion: “You can use up to 4 craft for [hijackings/interceptions].”
     
  • Mercenary's Stuff – Bootypedia entry - “Having an access to advanced surgical ...” → should be “Having access to advanced surgical ...”.
     
  • Pirate Straits – Bootypedia entry - “... trust of most powerful criminal ...” → should be “... trust of the most powerful criminal ...”.
     
  • Red Revolution – Bootypedia entry - “The Church of the Red Revolution revers a prophetous figure ...” → should be “The Church of the Red Revolution reveres a prophetic figure ...”.
     
    • Further: “... creative cruelty) and  frantically ...” → should be “... creative cruelty) and frantically ...”. Simply, there is an extra space between “and” and “frantically”.
  
  
• Miscellaneous
   
  • Beasts/Cyberdisc - Manufacture Category – Currently listed as “Combat Units”; perhaps switch to Tanks, as Tank Ammunition has “Boomosaurus Rockets (x8)”. Also, “Beasts/Cyberdiscs” reads better as “Tanks” than as “Combat Units”. See “Superheroes”.
     
  • Handcannon HE Rounds – Manufacture – Produces “Handcannon HE-Bolts”; should be Handcannon HE Rounds in item screen or “Handcannon HE-Bolts” in manufacture screen.
     
  • Slugthrower Shells (5x10) – Manufacture – Item is listed under Blunderbuss instead of Heavy Slugthrower. See screenshot: SlugBussMisSort.
     
  • “Superheroes” - Manufacture Category – Currently listed as “Tanks”; perhaps switch to Combat Units, as Tank Ammunition has “Boomosaurus Rockets (x8)”. Also, “Superheroes” reads better as “Combat Units” than “Tanks”. See Beasts/Cyberdisc.

[Dioxine]

Thanks for the report! I've fixed the errors for the next ed. About some things I think explanation is needed:

- Dogs
They're highly effective and sough-after as they are now. Buffing them wouldn't be good.
- Mutated Reaper
It was never meant to be competitive with tanks. It also gets a host of nice resistances (AP, HE, Plasma) that are undocumented in the HWP entry, and a huge health pool, so it isn't as fragile as you'd think.
- AGL
Yeah, it is a bit underpowered. I'll increase Snap accuracy and decrease Aimed TU cost a bit, so you could squeeze off Aimed + Snap in a single turn. Should be enough, although it gets all thrown out the window once you get upgraded GL ammo anyway...

Oh as for the 0.93... I've finished arming my Sectoids (with a nasty spore-based weapon), but finishing strokes have to wait as modding got derailed by real life again I think the minimum variant is enough (1 more ship, for now) but I still have a large library of various improvements to be added that got accumulated over the last month, in large part various fixes on request of the posters here. Big thanks to you all

[Roxis231]

Some of these in hindsight questionable design decisions came about, because I was planning it as an upgradable armor. However, there is no inventory gfx for the grey version at all, therefore I didn't follow through.

Zharkov, while my muse has taken a bit of a break in regards to my own work on customised inventory images, (also real life got in the way,) I've been working on an Image for your Energy armour, (incomplete version below) If you and Dioxine like it I'll send you the finished Image. (when its done)

[Dioxine]

Looks good already, kudos for stretching it to fit the paperdoll Looks kinda flat though, meaning it misses three things: more contrasting dark red / dark orange shades, and, uhm, modified chest plate Not sure about face plate - maybe it should have an opened visor?

[Roxis231]

Still work in progress, original image was found on Google, (attached) really just made it as a prototype/template.

[Dioxine]

And the 2nd Sectoid ship is ready. Not sure about the frontal window - it lets people in/out so might be actually making boarding too easy... And maybe doesn't look good enough either...

[Zharkov]

I like the proportions in your design better than in the original! But - also I shouldn't talk when it comes to gfx design - I think it could use more contrast, too. It is a bit too bland.

Nevertheless, I would be very happy to incorporate your final version, and if you make a greyish version, too, to continue the work and add the armor upgrade!

Zharkov, while my muse has taken a bit of a break in regards to my own work on customised inventory images, (also real life got in the way,) I've been working on an Image for your Energy armour, (incomplete version below) If you and Dioxine like it I'll send you the finished Image. (when its done)

[DracoGriffin]

Might be due to the ronin gasa but anyway...

Yeah, the window looks unusual; doesn't seem uniform, or rather, it doesn't look like it's actually part of the ship. The idea seems cool though.

[DracoGriffin]

@Dioxine;

Dumb idea I got from reading that Perks thread;

Is it possible (currently, anyway) to make the Spear have a throwable Auto Shot option (like Molotovs/Black Powder Bombs/etc), that can drop another spear upon "explosion" (as Molotovs are "expended" like ammo via Auto Shot, but produces a floorObj "death item" Spear, to mimic "reusing" the same Spear)? Obviously shortish range (3-7ish?).

Probably wouldn't be terribly useful but could be neat in those "last resort" type of things; or at least a proof of concept for else.

Wish I had more time to try it out myself.

[Samscale1]

“You can use up to 4 craft in a combat.” → should be “You can use up to 4 craft in combat.” Suggestion: “You can use up to 4 craft for [hijackings/interceptions].”

There's nothing wrong with the original here. "You can use up to 4 craft in a combat" is perfectly acceptable use of grammar. It intones that you can only use 4 craft in any one instance of combat. Which is what it's trying to say. Saying "You can use up to 4 craft in combat" or " You can use up to 4 craft for hijacking/interceptions" suggests that you can only use 4 anywhere on the globe at any time.

[Dioxine]

@Dioxine;

Dumb idea I got from reading that Perks thread;

Is it possible (currently, anyway) to make the Spear have a throwable Auto Shot option (like Molotovs/Black Powder Bombs/etc), that can drop another spear upon "explosion" (as Molotovs are "expended" like ammo via Auto Shot, but produces a floorObj "death item" Spear, to mimic "reusing" the same Spear)? Obviously shortish range (3-7ish?).

Not dumb, just quite impossible ATM. Weapons cannot spawn items.

[DracoGriffin]

There's nothing wrong with the original here. "You can use up to 4 craft in a combat" is perfectly acceptable use of grammar. It intones that you can only use 4 craft in any one instance of combat. Which is what it's trying to say. Saying "You can use up to 4 craft in combat" or " You can use up to 4 craft for hijacking/interceptions" suggests that you can only use 4 anywhere on the globe at any time.

Kinda weird to have others double-checking the reports but uh ok.

Anyway, X-COM manual (page 78 in manual, page 79 in .pdf reader):

Note: You can also use the Minimize Window icon to give other Interception Craft
orders to attack the UFO. There can be up to four Interception Craft attacking a
UFO simultaneously, maximizing the chances of success against the larger UFOs

So, yes the original can technically work but it reads abruptly; removing the 'a' makes the text read more clearly. In addition, what is "a combat"? It's mostly understandable but again, it's not 100% clear. It could also be misunderstood as being able to use 4 transporters for a single BattleScape; instead of just interceptions.

Lastly, considering the entirety of the entry is:

Warships should be attacked by multiple craft.{NEWLINE}You can use up to 4 craft in a combat.

I can understand your point about misunderstanding that only 4 can be used at a time [anywhere, on the globe, anytime]; but as the entry suggests attacking larger ships with multiple craft, it's a far reach. However, translations in other languages could alter that sentence structure to fit your logic.

I would have suggested "..., simultaneously." like in the X-COM manual excerpt above, but not trying to recommend huge sweeping changes; just small tweaks for readability. The [hijackings/interceptions] bit is editorial shorthand instead of having to write: "You can use up to 4 craft for hijackings." & "You can use up to 4 craft for interceptions." Also, to offer a "flavor" suggestion and a "standardized" suggestion.

Anyway... it's all up to Dioxine, they are only suggestions.