Re: The X-Com Files - 3.5: Whispers In The Dark

[krautbernd]

Hmmm, you're right... But STR_HYBRID_MIB_MEETING should still work if you have hybrids.

...Yeah, it's a small windo, but it's there.

How would that actually work? The only ufo that can spawn is crewed STR_HYBRID_SECTOID and doesn't contain any MIBs. The other UFO with the STR_HYBRID_MIB crew doesn't spawn because it isn't defined. As i understand it the only way to get the MIB arc to work (right now) is to remove the item requirement for MIB_ACTIVITY and (optionally) to switch the UFO type of STR_HYBRID_MIB_MEETING from STR_MANSION_MIB to STR_MANSION to get the meeting to work.

How would the arc work in case of FMP? Do you progress from circle to meeting to cover-up to base?
I think i'm mainly asking to understand the way mission generation works. I know that the arc isn't complete, but i'd like to get it to work along the lines that you've described it should work like.

[Solarius Scorch]

How would that actually work? The only ufo that can spawn is crewed STR_HYBRID_SECTOID and doesn't contain any MIBs. The other UFO with the STR_HYBRID_MIB crew doesn't spawn because it isn't defined. As i understand it the only way to get the MIB arc to work (right now) is to remove the item requirement for MIB_ACTIVITY and (optionally) to switch the UFO type of STR_HYBRID_MIB_MEETING from STR_MANSION_MIB to STR_MANSION to get the meeting to work.

I found the problem - STR_MANSION_MIB was defined, but the first line (  - type: STR_MANSION_MIB) was missing. Therefore the route (or the part that we have) can progress now.

[Xurantar]

Sorry i'm not really contributing to the tread, but i have a question :
Can you tell me where the sound track Rp_child_04 come from ?
I feel in Aw when i hear it in mission !

Thank for this mod ! Just discovered it, and it's really a great concept.
He gave me the need to redo all The X-files !

[Solarius Scorch]

Sorry i'm not really contributing to the tread, but i have a question :
Can you tell me where the sound track Rp_child_04 come from ?
I feel in Aw when i hear it in mission !

It comes from an old Polish game called Rezerwowe Psy, which had many great tracks. The artist is called Romstein, and the full title is Child of War.

Thank for this mod ! Just discovered it, and it's really a great concept.
He gave me the need to redo all The X-files !

Thank you, and you're welcome!

EDIT: Version 0.7 has been released.

- New battlescape palette (by RSS Wizard).
- New missions: Ooze Nest, Surf Time, Storm Seizure, Cult of Apocalypse Prison Break, Cult of Apocalypse City Riot.
- New units: Muckstar, Ooze.
- New weapons: Mosin Rifle, Agricutural Flamer.
- New craft: Osprey (by Bullet designer and MKSheppard).
- New craft equipment: Auxiliary Thruster, Afterburner.
- New Dossier: Millicent Weber (by Mumble).
- Added night indicator (by Dioxine).
- Rebalanced penalties for ignoring some missions.
- Dogs and Intelligence Center are now available after Basic Operations.
- HQ now gives storage.
- Leather Coat and all Durathread outfits (including Jumpsuit) are more resistant to electric damage.
- FN FAL damage increased.
- 5.56 ammo ignores 10% armor.
- All 5.56 weapons have a bit more accurate Aimed Shot.
- SA-80 renamed to L85, has slower auto shot.
- BlackOps Auto-Sniper Rifle is weaker, but more accurate at short distances.
- Bigger Skorpion clip.
- Barrett rebalanced and given a better sound.
- Better sprites for: Sniper Rifle, Bolt Action Rifle (both by Dioxine), Dynamite (by Bloax).
- Mauser more expensive and with a bit less range.
- Laser Cannon, Gauss Cannon and Rail Cannon can no longer be produced and are bought from UAC instead (you still need to research them first).
- Now you can research (presumably) all weapons, but get no automatic acquisition from Promotions so you must research them individually (due to an engine limitation).
- BlackOps equipment acquisitions streamlined and divided into two stages.
- Fixed overpowered Barrett accuracy.
- Improved Miniguns.
- Some new articles and pictures.
- Zombie weapon is now less armor piercing.
- Less Zombies in Magma Lab.
- Less gangsters in Osiron Stakeout.
- EXALT HQ is no longer an infiltration mission.
- Fixed Black Lotus HQ and EXALT HQ escape.
- Fixed Red Dawn desert bases.
- Fixed Mandarin corpse.
- Fixed Ski Resort region.
- Fixed some inventory paperdolls.
- Minor fixes.

Special thanks to Kammerer, who diligently translated the game into Russian in a very short time!

[krautbernd]

Nice. Was about to report that Elerium Mace is missing clipsize:-1, but you already fixed it in 0.7. Sorry to get into this again, but is MIB activity/identity obtainable right now? Otherwise you might want to remove the item requirements for these research topics.

[Solarius Scorch]

Nice. Was about to report that Elerium Mace is missing clipsize:-1, but you already fixed it in 0.7. Sorry to get into this again, but is MIB activity/identity obtainable right now? Otherwise you might want to remove the item requirements for these research topics.

I have fixed that broken UFO entry, so it should work now.

I will pick up this route sooner or later and do some more meaningful work.

[krautbernd]

I have fixed that broken UFO entry, so it should work now.

Yeah, but the Ufopeadia entry is still locked, as you can't reasearch it without the item. This is also the case for most of the "Alien X" (Soldier, Medic, Engineer...) topics. All of them have needItem: true, but no item of that name spawns. The sole exception here is alien leadsres, since the Muton Preatorian has the chance of giving that topic for free.

[Solarius Scorch]

Yeah, but the Ufopeadia entry is still locked, as you can't reasearch it without the item.

Which entry?

Anyway, here's a fix for 0.7 (rulesets only). Main download was updated too.

[krautbernd]

MIB_ACTIVITY - this has a number of unlocks but it doesn't have a getOneFree entry, and as far as i know (if you haven't changed it) it does not drop.

[Solarius Scorch]

MIB_ACTIVITY - this has a number of unlocks but it doesn't have a getOneFree entry, and as far as i know (if you haven't changed it) it does not drop.

If it is unlocked by something, it will be available for research after that something (or someone) is researched. In this case, any MiB except for STR_MIB_SOLDIER gives that. Or am I misunderstanding something?

[Dr.Crowley]

Just downloaded a new version and started a new game on Veteran difficulty just to take a look if something changed in early game (since I am not playing X-Com Files very often recently)... Well, this time I deceided to develop and expand much faster than I did in my first playthrough, so I had three full teams (12 agents) and the second base in progress near February, 1997. As I told before I stopped to actively play since version 0.6.7. so I have now idea what and when was added - this is sort-of-disclaimer, just in case.
Well, the early game is still a pistol porn. You have a lot of various pistol types (which are not so much different for me) and you have to deal with it. Pistol are okay for most situations in early game with two notable exceptions: chupacabras (retreat immediately OR PREPARE URANUS) and zombies (killing one or two zombies in Monster Hunt missions is not a problem but during Zombie Infestations you have to take down about 10 or 20 targets - and this means that you must neutraulize them ASAP). But I am not sure actually since I am got used to hunt chupacabras with HKMP5 and slay zombies with shotguns 
I really, really like a new music, especially Cult Apprehension themes - Church of Dagon theme gave me chills when I heard it first time.
Great work anyway, Sol!

[krautbernd]

If it is unlocked by something, it will be available for research after that something (or someone) is researched. In this case, any MiB except for STR_MIB_SOLDIER gives that. Or am I misunderstanding something?

That would be the case if needItem: true wasn't set. Because it is set to true, you actually need an item that has the same STR name as the reasearch topic in your base inventory (see ruleset reference) to research it. The only other way to get reasearch that's locked that way is via a getOneFree entry, but there are numerous entries that have neither and are essentially unobtainable at this time, like MIB_ACTIVITY and the ALIEN_[RANK] entries (except the ALIEN_LEADER topic, which the muton guardian has as getOneFree).

This is also the reason why progression in the MIB-arc past the crop circles and MIB-Hybrid meetings is not possible at the moment - the cover-up and base missions in the mission_scripts.rul have "researchTriggers: STR_MIB_ACTIVITY:true" set, which means they don't spawn until the reasearch is completed. As you can't actually reasearch MIB_ACTIVITY, those missions never spawn.

[Solarius Scorch]

You have finally managed to get your point across and penetrate my thick skull...

Right, removing needItem: true on STR_MIB_ACTIVITY.

[niculinux]

Hey, hope the 0.8 will feature the MiB in action...just my 2 cents..

[mumble]

Agricultural flamer? Sounds cool! I hope a few farmers have this to make capturing them a LITTLE more nasty, and I'm honestly happy to have another incendiary weapon besides flares and grenades early on, especially to deal with those nasty fly monsters, but also those infernal dagon dogs. By the way, don't zombies have elerium in their body? Wouldn't this make them a LITTLE more flammable, considering they are a biological energy tank?... Flame is obscure enough of a weakness I feel it might work for them...

Also some very nice balance changes too. The storage on several things will make setting up bases much easier, and ease stress of storage slightly.

Neat update, can't wait to try it.