Author Topic: Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - N9.7.7 12-Sep-2024 Second Coming  (Read 4311283 times)

Offline Ethereal_Medic

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4440 on: April 18, 2017, 06:56:04 pm »
Dear Modmaster/Modmistress.

With the introduction of codex red/gold/green/grey it is impossible to get the summoning circle and further topics like "market of wishing" and "demonic rituals". Problem is the Facility is bond to all 4 voodoo-schools. And your voodoo is chained to the codex-minigame.

Illusion Grey/Gold
Excess Green/Gold
Destruction Grey/Red
Communion Red/Green

As you can see, this Research-Topic has no legit way to be unlocked due to codex-issues.
Since we're forced to use 'one' codex to 'approach the game a different way every playthrough' this branch of research is lost.
And "market of wishing" helps alot in lategame :(

I was never a fan of gating the research and locking the player out of funstuff since the player should decide what he wants to do.
With the codex-minigame targeted onto early-mid to midgame decision I don't get why voodoo has to be chained into this.

I like the idea what the codex offers in terms of buenoventura/metallo/fortuna/el fuego and such and the dedicated battery-crafts bond to the decision. Those are the early-mid-game options that will be obsolete in midgame once you can build your own crafts. At this point, there is not even a slight chance of reaching voodoo-research or usage due to the missions offering voodoo-dudes been hard as fuck.

Sidenote 1:
Civilization Project makes me flip my shit; why is it bond to the "Mining Ship" that is bond to a random Craft Weapon that allows to understand Gravity?! - Besides the Prospector having barely any use as a dropship besides generating 4x Metal ore each drop It's so hard to reach in the techtree and all the usefull stuff is trapped behind researching this thing :(

Sidenote 2:
Is there any real need to lock "Super Maid" to a voodoo school? The Luxury Spa is legit useless if you don't decide to go for the green/gold codex... 30 training-spots aren't worth the space and maintance imo.

Offline PvtHopscotch

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4441 on: April 18, 2017, 07:45:41 pm »
Dear Modmaster/Modmistress.

...

You actually answered a question I was going to ask. I researched the gold codex and wasnt aware it was going to lock me out of certain things but rolling around the research index gave me this feeling.

Now I know.

I was curious as well. Has the game flow/curve been slowed down quite a bit? I've gotten the impression from reading various posts and (albeit older) let's plays that being at the end of year 3 I should be seeing a lot more opposition than I am.

I'll admit to being a bit of a slowplayer but I've been sacrificing craft after craft trying to down a fighter to unlock the research but the drain on funds and toothless air-power has got me at a bit of a wall. I can maintain what's being tossed at me and keep my head above water but I've growing concerns that I've played myself into a corner.

I'm not adverse to starting over but this is my first play through and would like to stick it out till the bitter end. However if I've already lost and just don't know it, I'd rather know now.

Regardless I'm having a friggen blast so hats off to all the hard work that's gone into the mod. I can't even imagine the headache involved in just balancing everything.

Offline Marza

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4442 on: April 18, 2017, 08:33:00 pm »
snip

Unless I'm completely mad, I'm certain the summoning circle (and therefore market of wishing) only relies on unlocking one of the four voodoo schools, not all four. Demonic rituals is however locked to the Destruction school of voodoo.

And yeah, Gravity Physics can be a real bitch of a research gate. Although the Luxury Spa takes a lot of room and costs a small fortune, it also reduces recovery time for injured hands, which can be somewhat useful.

Offline Ethereal_Medic

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4443 on: April 18, 2017, 08:46:24 pm »
Okay yes, it's working with the summoning circle.
Have Voodoo Destruction unlocked and can research/build it.

Besides my tired eyes there I still want less restriction from the codex minigame.

@Marza There is no point in building the luxury spa for the HP-Regen of the facility. The surgery room does this better, a sickbay is less maintaince heavy and having 30hands in training doesn't do much unless you lose 5-6 hands every encounter (which would burn out your skilled hands faster than the training fac. could compensate). The one saving grace is the "Super Maid" option that is locked away from anyone using the wrong codex due to reseach-tree restriction.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2017, 08:49:35 pm by Ethereal_Medic »

Offline Ethereal_Medic

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4444 on: April 18, 2017, 09:21:04 pm »
@PvtHopscotch

Wanna trade savestates?
I could check your file and help you a bit with tactical advice for macro/micro game ^^

Offline sinisteragent

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4445 on: April 18, 2017, 09:54:13 pm »
I agree that the codex/craft choice thing needs work. I'm not even sure which one I picked in the end, they all seemed equally meaningless without foreknowledge of what each item gained actually does. I'm not sure what variant of the bonaventura I got either, since I have nothing to compare it to, and all the stuff it gave me seemed pretty redundant. I just wanted a decent ship, not flipping a coin over what powers I'd get 50 game hours later.

Offline Ethereal_Medic

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4446 on: April 19, 2017, 12:36:37 am »
Nono the Codex-choice for crafts is actually amazing and well fleshed out to offer 4 different choices and unique vessel-weaponry or the one and only available "El Admiral De Corazon -Suit"

All four can go undersea but only the fortuna can go into space :D

Gold = El Fuego (3 spacesuits why? would do better on fortuna mate... / officer suit, flame cannon)
Red = Metallo (Buffed Spike-launcher, probably the worst choice someone can make...)
Green = Bonaventura + Recruits (Shipwreck gals etc. and early healing gel and craft charger laser + Nurse suit)
Grey = Fortuna  (Conversion launcher = Shot never misses and nearly as much range as lancer-missle)

Only gray and gold allows mind control and ghost-suits, how about that...

Metallo needs some work - The unique weapon is kinda useless due to the price of black-market spike-rockets and far away tech to produce the rockets on your own. At that stage you can have stinger-rockets and mounted onto hunter-killer.
The destructor-outfit is very deep inside the techtree and the point someone can use/produce these takes ages.
Codex green is so much better than red :( even the ship has more troops and Metallo is losing his purpose once enemy ships become too fast for it.
Green gives you cyclops AND bio-suit for the sponge-army, red only gives bio-suit. Green gives supermaids... and a destructor suit costs gems AND FREAKING 50 demonic essence?!. I call hax... i want supermaids to catch my tears.

Offline Dioxine

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4447 on: April 19, 2017, 01:42:38 am »
Implying that space suit is only useful for Space, and implying that you can't go into space before Codex ship is available...
Implying it is that super-hard to get 50 demonic essence...

Balance is naturally shifting since this is not a complete game. Lots of Codex stuff, including some key features, isn't implemented yet.

Also, each Codex is aimed to lend to a different taste and playstyle, so most players will consider half of them kinda shitty.

Restrictions won't be removed, since it'd go against a very important moral message: You Can't Have Everything.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2017, 01:46:55 am by Dioxine »

Offline RSSwizard

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4448 on: April 19, 2017, 04:33:12 am »
Implying that space suit is only useful for Space, and implying that you can't go into space before Codex ship is available... Implying it is that super-hard to get 50 demonic essence...

It might be possible to reach space by getting an interceptor going, im a little fuzzy on my memory but it seems like the ability to build your codex ship is right behind that or about the same time.

# my face when, over a year ago I sold my codex ship fuego, because it couldnt get into space, and a deliverator was faster (I had an interceptor and just kept sending 2 person missions into space)

# I have no idea why only one of the codex ships can reach space. The Fuego literally comes with space suits and has a bootypedia image of it flying through space.



50 demonic essence? Not sure ive seen that requirement come up in the production menu yet (yikes). But its easily achievable.

> whip as many church boys as you can into submission
> slave squire them
> squire training into yeoman gives gold chips and a demonic essence
> I can easily see stockpiling over 50 of these guys if I can avoid shooting them

I havent had many dark ones missions come up - havent turned up a BFG yet for example. And capturing those critters is right difficult at the point of the game where I ran into them. Maybe now with neural whips I could capturecrazy them but - those missions arent coming up anymore (and ive got plenty of hyperwave coverage to catch the probes). The last 3 probes have gone to a ret bunker.

No pogroms either due to the ret-human cooperation thing.

Dioxine that reminds me, it would be really great if Yeomen could be transformed into soldiers somehow. Since their image and the mission they go on is indicative of being a soldier. I was looking forward to that option (along with green tactical armor as per their bootypedia image) but when I checked the manufacture rules all I found was something called a Farmhouse for them, havent got to that yet but it seems like an item rather than a facility.

Bombers and battleships, it's the game telling you that you need to hunt bigger targets.

None of those are turning up anymore. I never even saw a Battleship until I did a battle game with one (and learned how to kill it easy by blowing up those cylinder things).

I would hit either one if I saw it and it landed. Unless it was mercinaries. But I literally havent seen any of these.

Maybe ive been too effective on shipping activity? There's 1 Enemy Base (Mercs) in south america and thats it. Ive destroyed all the others.

Shipping traffic is kinda dead, there's only rebel freighters, govt fusion cruisers, and govt fighters doing their thing most of the time. Mercs go on merc contract runs. Ive been making a killing on trader freighters. Gifts Of Love are showing up. Some minor church stuff flies around and ive been getting alot of altar boys that way.

Occasionally something random like a raider barque flies around but there isnt much going on these days. I sacked most of my mad scientists, I keep about 8 of them just in case I find something new.

Ive ordered a Provost because they never appeared (100mil) and he's due to "arrive" within about a couple weeks. Someone else gave me the provost research topic unlock so ill be able to go straight to breaking him.

For some reason the "emancipation" and "civilization" topics are elusive so I cant get the gold or plastic chips crack yet. Id think the data discs would have yielded that (hint, diox) but its not on the data disc list.

I guess in the meantime (I forgot) I can stick the brainers on the discs but ive got at least 8 of them backlogged and a hell of alot of personal databases, I can just clear out all of the rest of the #Topic pedia entries so that nobody else will give them to me at random.

Edit: All of the other "files" topics are also cleared out (govt files, humanist files, govt-reticulan files, russian files), none of them appear on the research menu, so I sell them. Its now the end of December 2603. Ive also starting to rack up hellerium fuel capsules now that I can make them, but im somehow nowhere near getting the final studies graduation thing.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2017, 04:45:05 am by RSSwizard »

Offline legionof1

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4449 on: April 19, 2017, 04:49:09 am »
On the present patch it's unfortunately quite easy to get stuck in lulls where spawns don't match what you need to advance your tech.

The biggest standout problem is getting a implosion bomb launcher for gravity tech and in turn higher studies. It only spawns on bombers and battleships both of which are kinda rare. And it least in the case of bomber is very RNG to survive the crash. Only ~1/8th of the time does it survive. Bettleships are almost a no-go in air combat without the tech locked behind them, but at least the item survives the crash.

Offline desert

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4450 on: April 19, 2017, 09:41:39 am »
There are some novelty devices or powers I've noted in the game that are without tactical significance and would be better-suited as default functions somewhere, whether for fun or for quality-of-life.

Ayephone: Only useful for cleaning up the map, in which case my patience isn't suited for it; I just locate remaining enemies through debug. Hunting down remnants is never-ever fun and I don't need it.
Enemy Stats Peek: It's often interesting to know what immediate effect your attacks may have on enemy stats, but never really pertinent to the battle itself. If I need to know armor and resistance stats, I check Bootypedia or UFOpaedia. Dragging along a Brainer Suit or various voodoo powers or auxiliaries is clearly not worth the experience of colored bars.
Rangefinder: Never been able to get it to work (not enough TUs), not sure what the point is.

Offline legionof1

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4451 on: April 19, 2017, 10:20:36 am »
snip
Ayephone: Only useful for cleaning up the map, in which case my patience isn't suited for it; I just locate remaining enemies through debug. Hunting down remnants is never-ever fun and I don't need it.
snip

ayephone is actually rather useful for stargod encounters as it is the longest range detection available that is not codex locked. Fairy is 12(vs 10) but locked to somewhat weaker codex paths, at least on current patch.

The other utilities however are rather pointless to anyone beyond the first play-through. Even on the first go around its pretty unattractive given gal numerical constraints on early craft.

Offline Ethereal_Medic

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4452 on: April 19, 2017, 03:40:07 pm »

Balance is naturally shifting since this is not a complete game. Lots of Codex stuff, including some key features, isn't implemented yet.

Also, each Codex is aimed to lend to a different taste and playstyle, so most players will consider half of them kinda shitty.

Restrictions won't be removed, since it'd go against a very important moral message: You Can't Have Everything.

Maybe my posts went too much towards a 'rant' about balancing and stuff so don't take it too personal.
Just wanna give you credit and critique for your hard work. It's just a bit sad that stuff like Luxury Spa takes alot of money to build and maintance and stuff, maybe can take 30 dudes for training and restorte 0,65% max HP daily BUT there is no point in having this brick of a fac. in a hideout if it can't offer all it's percs. It's clearly designed for your raiding-party base with workshop-backup and stuff.
Voodoo: Communion would fit so much better to the supermaid than Excess because Red Codex sucks and Green Codex outclasses it by alot.
Red Scopion isn't that hot of a dropship/fighter and the buffed spike-launcher runs out of ammo too fast and costs too much to be resupplied while a charger laser (green) does the job much better and the Snake-craft is just amasing with an early shield and 3 kinds of weaponry.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2017, 03:48:20 pm by Ethereal_Medic »

Offline Dioxine

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4453 on: April 19, 2017, 03:57:32 pm »
Dioxine that reminds me, it would be really great if Yeomen could be transformed into soldiers somehow. Since their image and the mission they go on is indicative of being a soldier. I was looking forward to that option (along with green tactical armor as per their bootypedia image) but when I checked the manufacture rules all I found was something called a Farmhouse for them, havent got to that yet but it seems like an item rather than a facility.

Yes they're loyal soldiers, that's why they don't agree to being drafted by the enemy (you).

For some reason the "emancipation" and "civilization" topics are elusive so I cant get the gold or plastic chips crack yet. Id think the data discs would have yielded that (hint, diox) but its not on the data disc list.

Hint very wrong. It's not on the list since it's not base tech/component/lore, but exact opposite, a rather advanced tech.

Offline RSSwizard

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Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - 0.99F.5 - 1 Apr - Fight Magic with Courage!
« Reply #4454 on: April 19, 2017, 09:18:02 pm »
On the present patch it's unfortunately quite easy to get stuck in lulls where spawns don't match what you need to advance your tech.

The biggest standout problem is getting a implosion bomb launcher for gravity tech and in turn higher studies. It only spawns on bombers and battleships both of which are kinda rare. And it least in the case of bomber is very RNG to survive the crash. Only ~1/8th of the time does it survive. Bettleships are almost a no-go in air combat without the tech locked behind them, but at least the item survives the crash.

Sounds very much like the case of a BUG.

Also sounds very much like the case of a "get one for free" should be available, from somebody, somewhere, like a leader or vip.

Also something that critical should be dropped in an alien base just to make sure that its always around. One of those indestructible, invisible items that you can drop in somebody's hand (such as a leader) so that way only a few of them turn up in a base raid.

I'll also mention ive never once seen a Gold Transport or its entourage of ships, another one of those examples of something that never or rarely shows up.

(im not worried about a weapon surviving the crash of a battleship, since I would never fight them toe to toe and dont have enough firepower to bring one down in the first place - however the only times ive seen them around was when an alien base was being established and back that early in the game I literally did not have the capability to take one given the race that was piloting it. There's only so much you can do)

Now I do perhaps, and maybe if someone decides to step up and try to build an alien base I can hit it when it lands. Do factions just decide to plop down a base out of the blue or is there a leadup to that process?


Yes they're loyal soldiers, that's why they don't agree to being drafted by the enemy (you).

Hint very wrong. It's not on the list since it's not base tech/component/lore, but exact opposite, a rather advanced tech.

By advanced you must be talking about the 1800s, as in the 19th century. Before electricity. Its a history delving tech.

Im not talking about the yeoman in white suits that work with the academicians, different thing entirely.

Also squires are altar boys who have been turned into slaves, a psychological state beyond simply being drafted, and technically even lower on the pole than the standard slave or slave maid. He's not really that capable so they just make him do chores. Training them to be yeoman (as in, the base loot item, not the race/faction) means turning them into fighters, they're just not quite competent at fighting (though somehow competent enough to "go to some haunted place, kill whatever is there, and bring back the loot" - with a chainsaw no less).

He's loyal to the x-piratez gang. And before they were boy soldiers with chainsaws they were competent enough to fire pistols and harpoons at the piratez. Picture related.