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

[Juku121]

But Cavemen aren't random civilians, hi-tech or even modern tech isn't their vibe. Dinosaur riding is where it's at.

[psavola]

I suppose the easiest way to "fix" this, if anything is needed at all, would be to replace the craft with spawn tiles - if that works for that specific kind of mission. Then you can just explain this so that some vehicle dropped them nearby to avoid detection and they just walked on the mission site. The only a little bit shady aspect with that might be how they carried the huge loot pile on the site...

If needed, a similar approach can be used with some other missions as well, if there is any need to make any mission harder (= no turn 1 or later cover provided by the craft).

[Solarius Scorch]

But Cavemen aren't random civilians, hi-tech or even modern tech isn't their vibe. Dinosaur riding is where it's at.

You're right, but forbidding the Dragonfly would feel a bit too mean.

I suppose the easiest way to "fix" this, if anything is needed at all, would be to replace the craft with spawn tiles - if that works for that specific kind of mission. Then you can just explain this so that some vehicle dropped them nearby to avoid detection and they just walked on the mission site. The only a little bit shady aspect with that might be how they carried the huge loot pile on the site...

I've just had the same idea as I was replying to Juku. Maybe indeed it's the best option...

[ducanishah]

Does this mod add reload cost depending on what part of the inventory the ammo is coming from? e.g. Does reloading from the QD slot happen faster than reloading from the belt/backpack? I do know some weapons reload faster/slower, and know how to check the nerd stats for that.

Thank you!

[Juku121]

Well, it adds the 'move to hands' cost. So in a sense, yes.

Does some mod actually not do that?

[ducanishah]

I don't know about any mods, but I'm pretty sure in the base game it takes a straight 15tu without regard for where you're pulling the ammo from.

Thank you!

[Solarius Scorch]

I don't know about any mods, but I'm pretty sure in the base game it takes a straight 15tu without regard for where you're pulling the ammo from.

Thank you!

In the base game yes, but XCF indeed has variable costs for moving equipment between slots. This applies to loading as well.

[ducanishah]

Perfect, thank you!

Another small question- does the bio-enhancement transformation boost their statcaps as well, or do I lose potential stats if they're below max?
I'm looking at the mod data viewer, and both "allow above maximum results - true" and "upper bound mode - soft" sound promising, but I don't want to assume.

Thank you!
p.s. Would it be better to make a thread for little questions, or just keep posting here? I keep coming across things I want to know, but not all at once :p

[Juku121]

Commendations and other bonuses are sorta perpendicular to stat caps: they just add a fixed amount to the stat regardless of what's happening with stat caps. Some commendations (Gun Kata is probably the most notable) do give you a boost that's capped by max stats, but that just means you should take this commendation before maxing your stat, or you'll waste the 'free' stat points. You never lose out on max stats via commendations as such, short of not gaming the 'Master of' and 'Bane of' commendations to get one of each level of commendation via different weapons/enemies.

Most XCF commendations actually don't really care about "allow above maximum results" and "upper bound mode", since it's not the commendation that increases the stats, but rather the associated soldier bonus.

What loses you potential stat maximums is the random stat gain when you hit the stat caps in the field. If you hit it via other means (mostly 'soft' commendation boosts like Gun Kata, but theoretically also training), you don't get to roll over the nominal maximum.

[ducanishah]

Thank you, that is excellent to know, and I appreciate you answering!
I think I misphrased my question, please permit me to try again:
Assuming I am reading the mod viewer website right, a given agent can be gymmed up to 60tu and then can still receive exp-based stat increases all the way to the cap of 65tu. Once at 65 tu, they won't receive any tu increases from exp, only from commendations and the like. The scenario I am having is the following: If I have a soldier who finished the gym (60tu), and bio-enhance them (+5tu, ignore the other stats), the soldier is now at 65tu.

My question is- did this enhancement raise the cap for exp as well, enabling them to reach 70tu from exp gains, or did it just take them to the limit of exp gains and leave them there?

If it's the latter, and they get no more exp for tu, I view the 5tu from the transformation as "wasted".
I could have had a soldier with 70tu(+commendations) if I had enhanced them after hitting the exp-cap, but instead I only have a soldier with 65tu(+commendations), having just gotten to the exp cap faster.

Thank you!

[Juku121]

My question is- did this enhancement raise the cap for exp as well, enabling them to reach 70tu from exp gains, or did it just take them to the limit of exp gains and leave them there?

Neither, but mostly the first. I tried to explain this, but apparently didn't do so well enough. Your 60-TU agent with a Bio-Enchancement will have 65 TU and another 5 can still be added through experience, the stat cap is now 65 + 5. Think of the +5 as a separate stat gauge that got added and filled at the same time.

Well, the addition is more like 5-6 for a secondary stat like TU and 5-10 for primaries like Firing, if you do things perfectly and have a battle with 69 max TU while acquiring 11 points of relevant 'stat XP' (or just 1 in the case of secondaries like TU), but that's a bit beyond the point.

You can think of most commendations/transformations as giving you both 'exp gains' and raising the cap. Which means you don't lose anything (except possibly the random field exp roll for select few commendations) regardless of when you do the commendation/transformation.

[ducanishah]

It doesn't waste any of the stats then, perfect!

I think the point of confusion for me was that you specified that commendations don't care about max stat limits, but I wasn't certain it went the other way- that max stats didn't care about/ "see" commendations. You DID explicitly say "you never lose out on max stats from commendations," but I wasn't 100% certain if we were working with the same idea of "losing out on max stats" :p

Thank you very much for your help!

I've been enjoying this modpack so much, and I just want to understand all the little details
(I have been savescumming which I feel bad about, but it's more comfy for me than restarting because I misunderstood what a mission entailed)
(I may be over concerned with losses)

[ducanishah]

Update: five seconds after this comment I decided to start a save where I just eat my losses and see how I do.
I have decided that protecting my precious bois from losses is anti-xcom, and I never really had a situation in which losing my favorite people felt "right".
Everyone dies, and if that's a whole lot of people in a ski resort because I can't read, such is xcom!

[psavola]

For what it's worth, the Trouble in Ski Resort mission can be challenging. You're restricted to rather puny weapons. The hut has so many windows that there are few or no "safe squares" inside. However, this depends on where on the map the hut spawns. (If you get a nice corner spawn you might be a bit better off.) This is important especially if you get Red Dawn, and you'll have to deal with sniper/spotter mechanics. The upstairs and some other squares are lighted, so you're a little bit restricted if you want to stay in unlit squares.

As a result, I have usually just skipped the mission. The penalty is very small and the reward doesn't offset multiple agent deaths or losing a craft.

By the way, the mission briefing says you cannot evacuate from the mission. The hut where you spawn is apparently defined as entry squares, so aborting the mission does seem to allow you to evacuate (at least it seems so based on 'New Battle' testing). The description should probably be fixed.

[Solarius Scorch]

More like the mission should be fixed.