Re: The X-Com Files - 3.6: Exotic Energy

[Solarius Scorch]

Yeah, just found it myself, thanks. Fixed now, sorry about that.

BTW: please post bugs in the bugs thread.

[CATMAN]

Error processing 'STR_SOLDIER_ELLIOTT' in soldiers: Skill STR_SHOOTIN       not found

[Solarius Scorch]

Bro, are you for real?
I just wrote: "please post bugs in the bugs thread" in the previous post.

Anyway, I have no idea what STR_SOLDIER_ELLIOTT is and where it comes from. Certainly not The X-Com Files.

[CATMAN]

Bro, are you for real?
I just wrote: "please post bugs in the bugs thread" in the previous post.

Anyway, I have no idea what STR_SOLDIER_ELLIOTT is and where it comes from. Certainly not The X-Com Files.

...sorry, i understood this message the wrong way, i don't speak English...

[Solarius Scorch]

...sorry, i understood this message the wrong way, i don't speak English...

No problem

Anyway, I think it's from some submod.

[CATMAN]

No problem

Anyway, I think it's from some submod.

...yes, i tried to install a lot of the most interesting submods...

[Kaarlotus]

Awesom!

Unfortunately by a weird quirk (while being completely new here) I just got a brain worm and downloaded Xcom Files a week back and am in a huuuugely nicely going campaign.

I'm guessing the save files are not transferable?

[Solarius Scorch]

I'm guessing the save files are not transferable?

THey should absolutely be transferable, unless you started on some really old version.

Have fun!

[psavola]

On better chances of obtaining MIB commander..

Yeah, I know! I'm thinking of adding some new missions featuring the Commander. Ideas welcome (but not in this thread, please).

.. a very obvious answer here would be increasing the chance of MIB outpost instead or in addition. Its chances are only 3 % starting month 28 and it requires MIB Activities research (by researching non-agent). You could increase the chances significantly, even to, say 15 %.

Alternatively, you could increase the chances only slightly (say, to 6-8 %) yet create a second mission script that would trigger with STR_MIB_IDENTITY or STR_MIB_OBJECTIVE. Researching that requires obtaining MIB coordinator, essentially, which you can get for example from MIB Stealth Bombers. Then the player is nearing the phase where they would like to see MIB commander soon. Then the chance for MIB outpost could be even higher, say 20 %.

Out of about a dozen campaigns I have played (though I usually stop just before or after MIB commander or arbiter because I get bored), so far MIB outpost has never spawned for me. It would be nice to get it much more frequently.

[Stone Lake]

.. a very obvious answer here would be increasing the chance of MIB outpost instead or in addition. Its chances are only 3 % starting month 28 and it requires MIB Activities research (by researching non-agent). You could increase the chances significantly, even to, say 15 %.

I'm against any extra non-skippable growing bases appearing on the global map, unless the embassies spawn rates' gets nerfed or something. There's WAY enough of that already, especially with hybrid keeps being added to the ranks and not being skippable anymore.

[psavola]

I was puzzled at first but then realized that MIB outposts can indeed grow into MIB bases. Figures. Clearly we don't want a duplicate of "manor spam". Another alternative might be to "split" MIB outpost into a mission which you can get into if you want or let it despawn and/or a another kind of MIB outpost or straight-up MIB base.

[SBBurzmali]

Do MiB attack xcom bases? I thought I've seen that before, but I don't recall seeing a commander there, most base defense missions have a top tier attacker present.

[psavola]

Do MiB attack xcom bases? I thought I've seen that before, but I don't recall seeing a commander there, most base defense missions have a top tier attacker present.

MIBs do attack X-COM bases and there is a commander present. This only occurs if you shoot down MIBs and they start retaliation, however. This is one tactic of obtaining the MIB commander, especially if you failed to get the commander in MIB attack on MAGMA mission. Though you don't know in which region they start searching for your base and preparing for base defense can be tricky. This is one of the reasons why it may be advisable to avoid shooting down MIB crafts even if it would be easy to do, unless you specifically want MIB retaliation (earlier phases give goot loot, though).

Veering slightly OT but while we're on the topic of late game and retaliation:

On the other hand, if Ethereals attack your base, Ethereal commander is not present. That's one of the gotchas of late game. I suppose it would make a bit easier to get into the end game part if Ethereal commander was present in Eth retaliation against your base, not just in Arbiter searching for the base. And it would also be helpful if Ethereal ranks were somehow color-coded (like chasers) or the commander had a special marking (like sectoids). But you get by with mind probing everyone if you have to.

[SBBurzmali]

MIBs do attack X-COM bases and there is a commander present. This only occurs if you shoot down MIBs and they start retaliation, however. This is one tactic of obtaining the MIB commander, especially if you failed to get the commander in MIB attack on MAGMA mission. Though you don't know in which region they start searching for your base and preparing for base defense can be tricky.

Is there a way to distinguish between MiB ships on their way to trigger a Reactor mission versus a base defense mission?  I assume it is Strike ships in both cases but is the MiB commander is your bottleneck, chances are you have a fleet of fighter craft capable of dropping anything that opposition puts in the sky. The game waited at least 5 years to spawn more MiB strike ships after my last MAGMA reactor defense mission, but, frankly, those are an ugly mess, so I immediately attacked MiB strike craft on sight since I'd rather lose one over the ocean than let them trigger a mission on Ascension or something.

[psavola]

The mission has been defined as follows:

  - type: STR_MAGMA_REACTOR_MIB
    despawnEvenIfTargeted: true
    objective: 3
    spawnZone: 7
    siteType: STR_MAGMA_REACTOR_MIB
    respawnUfoAfterSiteDespawn: true
    raceWeights:
      0:
          STR_MIB: 100
    waves:
      - ufo: STR_MIB_STRIKE_SHIP
        count: 1
        trajectory: P_CHWC1
        timer: 500
        objective: true
        objectiveOnTheLandingSite: true

You can see that SS recently added "respawnUfoAfterSiteDespawn: true". So if you don't want to go to the mission, you could also try to shoot down the strike ship after the mission has despawned. I have not tested how these missions will show up in hyperwave decoder.