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

[heavy disruptor beam]

Success!

- copy linked MacOS build above (https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,5258.0.html)
- copy "user" folder from "OpenXcom_XFiles/ to "OpenXcom/Contents/Resources/"
- activate mod from splash screen "options"
- wait awhile for it to load up


Time for sleep, but look forward to trying it out 8-)


PS I've not tested it, but the mod loads up. Thanks for the help!

[mumble]

Still a little behind in updates, but I noticed a massive flaw in my gameplay : researching advanced medicine / biolabs is somewhat crucial to moving forward...might I suggest something in promotion 2 requirements that requires a biolab, for "better understanding extra terrestrial threat", hinting at studying advanced medical techniques? Because the extra 5 scientists in the biolab is absolutely crucial to advancing, and putting it on the backburner SEVERELY hampers a run. The longer you wait to get biolab, the worse off you get!

I also have a few ideas for blackops guns : first, since the minebae SMG is so advanced, could we get an option to share the information with blackops for a blackops SMG MB? a hybrid of the blackops smg, and minebae tech? Could also take a hit from the council, and give an advantage to groups (such a leak might give various cultists the original minebae, especially black lotus, and might even buff men in black who start using them). The spy pistol could use another 1 or 2 damage to make it more notably different from the light pistol in power....and could we get a blackops version of the snubnose revolver? I really prefer the tiny, low capacity, but high power of the snubnose (26 damage is far more respectable than 20) but sadly theres no improved version of it for the blackops brand...slightly more accurate and something like 29 damage per round.

I also notice that sometimes enemies prefer using fists over melee weapons, like a farmer punching my agent with an ax in hand : this makes attacks much easier to survive, but I can't help but figure lethal force would be preferred.

Also I had a thought of how to balance ninjas : could you multiply the effective camo range by energy levels? So it would work for an initial pounce, but after energy starts going away, its less effective?

EDIT : piss, I meant to put this in main thread. Move stuff at your discretion, sorry. 

Oh also, considering theres movement towards having low end manufacturing jobs, like stripping crazed gunmen of kevlar, any chance we could get the XCOM HQ to include a VERY small manufacturing area, and a single engineer?

[Solarius Scorch]

Still a little behind in updates, but I noticed a massive flaw in my gameplay : researching advanced medicine / biolabs is somewhat crucial to moving forward...might I suggest something in promotion 2 requirements that requires a biolab, for "better understanding extra terrestrial threat", hinting at studying advanced medical techniques? Because the extra 5 scientists in the biolab is absolutely crucial to advancing, and putting it on the backburner SEVERELY hampers a run. The longer you wait to get biolab, the worse off you get!

How is this a "massive flaw", or any sort of flaw?
Just pick your researches in a non-random way, eh? Use the viewer? You know, like everyone else?

I also have a few ideas for blackops guns : first, since the minebae SMG is so advanced, could we get an option to share the information with blackops for a blackops SMG MB?

Sure, let's also share with them the data on AK-47 and M-16. I'm sure BlackOps will be delighted, as they have never seen these weapons before!

The spy pistol could use another 1 or 2 damage to make it more notably different from the light pistol in power....

The Spypistol has many other advantages over the light pistol. A damage buff would be illogical - it's very small, how would you achieve damage as good as in a standard pistol?

and could we get a blackops version of the snubnose revolver? I really prefer the tiny, low capacity, but high power of the snubnose (26 damage is far more respectable than 20) but sadly theres no improved version of it for the blackops brand...slightly more accurate and something like 29 damage per round.

29 damage would be as much as the standard BlackOps Pistol, which is twice as big.
BlackOps may be technologically advanced, but it still uses the same gunpowder as everyone else.

I also notice that sometimes enemies prefer using fists over melee weapons, like a farmer punching my agent with an ax in hand : this makes attacks much easier to survive, but I can't help but figure lethal force would be preferred.

Yes, it was a bug in the code, but it should be fixed now.

Also I had a thought of how to balance ninjas : could you multiply the effective camo range by energy levels? So it would work for an initial pounce, but after energy starts going away, its less effective?

No, such advanced mechanics aren't possible.

EDIT : piss, I meant to put this in main thread. Move stuff at your discretion, sorry. 

No worries, done.

Oh also, considering theres movement towards having low end manufacturing jobs, like stripping crazed gunmen of kevlar, any chance we could get the XCOM HQ to include a VERY small manufacturing area, and a single engineer?

Not the HQ, it's cramped as it is. Too many functions on a building make the interface confusing. Hangars/garages are fine.

[mumble]

Massive flaw in that, I get horribly behind in research...I waited til late promotion 1 to even get advanced medicine. This run, I highballed toward advancement, but also screwed myself in getting mutant metabolism late : was it recently changed that chupacabras, large bugs, and other stuff didn't count towards it? Kinda frustrating. And a little RNG heavy for my liking... But in the end these are all my fault. Thats what I mean by flaw : flaw in my own gameplay. 

Hey, I figured the minebae was a, somewhat, trade secret : blackops has a lot of money, but this kinda stuff is pretty secretive, I'd figure....then again we find that before combat armor. Guess not. But still kiryu kai was supposedly NEVER covered by news, and all elements of it were a secret. XCOM is a little different mind you, but I figure its a coin flip this data being either lost in a remote area of japan, in a government base, or as you think, on an obscure end of the free market : if so, I think such a gun would be fitting for black lotus warriors honestly, considering they are a little easy (Alternatively, maybe give them either berserk AI, or just more aggression...they seem really shy).

I was under the impression the spy pistol, and all blackops guns used a better powder, or at least pistols : the smg, pistol, all seem marginally more effective. Even if not gunpowder, it could be proprietary slugs inside the rounds. Heavier, or with a painstakingly engineered shape.

I still think a blackops mini revolver would be good. 20-21 damage is really pushing it after promotion 2, and even if it was just a 27 damage mini revolver (1 more than snubnose) it would be very nice to have. I was going to suggest a blackops tier double barrel too, but...nevermind.

If nothing else, hmmn...how about making a specific form of "storage area" similar to the HQ, with a small manufacturing zone (no bigger than 5) and perhaps being necessary for some tasks like HQ? Have it replace starting storage.... just a thought. Would be interesting to have small, but meaningful jobs, sawing off shotguns (I honestly think small shotgun should be made a later game item, seems a little OP, being 1 handed and 1x2 for quickdraw. It outdoes the kludge in many ways, and you have it at the start) Combining leather and kevlar for a bulky, but marginally more effective armor, or, possibly making simple, but custom rounds (poor mans dragon breath with steel wool, wax slugs for a highly inaccurate stun round, ect)....I suppose its more a pipe dream, but still.

[Solarius Scorch]

Massive flaw in that, I get horribly behind in research...I waited til late promotion 1 to even get advanced medicine. This run, I highballed toward advancement, but also screwed myself in getting mutant metabolism late : was it recently changed that chupacabras, large bugs, and other stuff didn't count towards it? Kinda frustrating. And a little RNG heavy for my liking... But in the end these are all my fault. Thats what I mean by flaw : flaw in my own gameplay. 

I'm happy you find it challenging, but still no idea how it's a bad thing.
If you couldn't make bad decisions, why would we need selectable research in the first place???

Hey, I figured the minebae was a, somewhat, trade secret : blackops has a lot of money, but this kinda stuff is pretty secretive, I'd figure....

But what's so special about yet another Uzi variant??? Uzi is half a century old, even though some variants (like the Minebea) are newer.

then again we find that before combat armor. Guess not. But still kiryu kai was supposedly NEVER covered by news, and all elements of it were a secret. XCOM is a little different mind you, but I figure its a coin flip this data being either lost in a remote area of japan, in a government base, or as you think, on an obscure end of the free market : if so, I think such a gun would be fitting for black lotus warriors honestly, considering they are a little easy (Alternatively, maybe give them either berserk AI, or just more aggression...they seem really shy).

Are you playing with the Sneaky AI option on?

I was under the impression the spy pistol, and all blackops guns used a better powder, or at least pistols : the smg, pistol, all seem marginally more effective. Even if not gunpowder, it could be proprietary slugs inside the rounds. Heavier, or with a painstakingly engineered shape.

I am not a world class expert in explosives, but I seriously doubt manufacturers use gunpowder different enough to warrant changes in base power...
And of course engineering is always important, but in order to gain an improvement somewhere, you need to sacrifice something else... That's why the Nitro Express is so powerful, but also bad at armour, etc.

I still think a blackops mini revolver would be good. 20-21 damage is really pushing it after promotion 2, and even if it was just a 27 damage mini revolver (1 more than snubnose) it would be very nice to have. I was going to suggest a blackops tier double barrel too, but...nevermind.

It's an OK suggestion. I will think about it.

If nothing else, hmmn...how about making a specific form of "storage area" similar to the HQ, with a small manufacturing zone (no bigger than 5) and perhaps being necessary for some tasks like HQ? Have it replace starting storage.... just a thought.

Yet another building? To what purpose? Are you dissatisfied with 10 manufacturing spaces at game start? What are you going to do there, strip hundreds of EXALT operatives all the time???

Would be interesting to have small, but meaningful jobs, sawing off shotguns (I honestly think small shotgun should be made a later game item, seems a little OP, being 1 handed and 1x2 for quickdraw. It outdoes the kludge in many ways, and you have it at the start) Combining leather and kevlar for a bulky, but marginally more effective armor, or, possibly making simple, but custom rounds (poor mans dragon breath with steel wool, wax slugs for a highly inaccurate stun round, ect)....I suppose its more a pipe dream, but still.

Ah, now I get it. Sure, we could go in that direction, but that's like starting a whole new aspect of the mod for no other practical advantage than strangling the player with micromanagement. This isn't Piratez, we are an official organization and we use authorized equipment... most of the time. We aren't sawing off shotgun barrels, FFS.

[mumble]

I'm still in 9.1, but searching the tech tree, I cannot find anything leading up to heavy cannons with magma, and when I played it before, despite capturing a live zombie trooper, I got nothing...was it something with the syndicate I needed?

[ohartenstein23]

I'm still in 9.1, but searching the tech tree, I cannot find anything leading up to heavy cannons with magma, and when I played it before, despite capturing a live zombie trooper, I got nothing...was it something with the syndicate I needed?

No, it's still with MAGMA, but you need to do a certain mission to unlock it; that's how all of MAGMA's unlocks work except for the Thrasher.

[mumble]

I get that, but for the life of me, WHAT MISSION? Post it in spoilers if you need, because I'm lost, and starting to think its a bug, especially since I've never seen a streamer use heavy / auto cannon, and I love auto cannons.

[ohartenstein23]

I've unlocked them, it just takes a while to get the right missions. If you're using the tech tree viewer, look up "Message from M.A.G.M.A. No. <some number here>," those are what unlock the missions.

[mumble]

I suppose I worded that poorly : I mean, when doing the magma lab mission, WHAT am I supposed to research after? What specific event leads to these unlocking?

[swivelchair]

What does Std. Lab stand for? I need it to research Alien Alloy Welding but I dont know what it stands for and how to research it so I can build it.

[Solarius Scorch]

I suppose I worded that poorly : I mean, when doing the magma lab mission, WHAT am I supposed to research after? What specific event leads to these unlocking?

Just research anything you find there. I did not make it complicated.

What does Std. Lab stand for? I need it to research Alien Alloy Welding but I dont know what it stands for and how to research it so I can build it.

Standard lab is mostly for mid-level engineering. I honestly don't remember if the Welder requires it or something better - either way is possible.

[HT]

I get that, but for the life of me, WHAT MISSION? Post it in spoilers if you need, because I'm lost, and starting to think its a bug, especially since I've never seen a streamer use heavy / auto cannon, and I love auto cannons.

First, you want to do the infamous Magma Lab with zombies. After that and researching the Magma messages' techs, you'll sooner or later get more MAGMA missions. These are thankfully easier, and each one will unlock new stuff, from new tech, to the Autocannon at last. They show up more often if you're already fighting against The Syndicate, but I'm not sure.

[swivelchair]

Just research anything you find there. I did not make it complicated.

Standard lab is mostly for mid-level engineering. I honestly don't remember if the Welder requires it or something better - either way is possible.

Okay thanks. Thats strange I actually have a lab and a improved lab and its not letting me do it, maybe i'm overlooking something else. Anyway, thanks

--- posts merged ---

Oh lol, I didnt have a welder to study. I thought I was just researching a potential item not examining an already existing thing. Sorry for the confusion, thanks

[Martin]

The RNG can be pretty extreme at times. This playthrough I have’t seen a single infector zombie till december 1998.