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

[Solarius Scorch]

Well, I think there are some people who would be ready to contribute to development... But it's kinda hard to think out something really relevant from scratch. Maybe you will consider the idea of creating a thread for you own requests, what you would like to see or may need in future but won't do yourself right now? Not sure if it will pay out but it could help.

I've been thinking about this, but it's not easy to assign tasks to people who are unidentified. But you're right, I should to something like that.

EDIT:

And I think I'm done with new civilians for now...



Guess their gender.

[Slaughter]

I actually have a huge idea file for X-COM Files, but I'm only gonna send it to Solar when I consider it ready enough.

but it's not easy to assign tasks to people who are unidentified.

And that's how the Ancient Conspiracy was undone

[HelmetHair]

Any plans for a prachute drop mission yet?

[Solarius Scorch]

Any plans for a prachute drop mission yet?

I entertained such thoughts, but it would require some new code to spawn your troops - not sure how difficult - and I think it's not that important for this particular mod. But if such mechanics existed, I'd probably use it.

[Spess Mahren]

I know x-com files more or less includes FMP, but I'm wondering if I should turn on improved heavy lasers/tanks or if the FMP portions of the mod already cover that. Also wanted to ask if you can do anything about melee enemies just loitering about on the battlescape turning the fights into zero risk missions because they always refuse to engage unless you put your dudes way to close to them at the end of your turn. There are exceptions of course, chupacabra's for example at least partially engage you forcing you to abort a few turns in or right at start if they come in sufficient numbers.
One more thing, how is shotgun to hit calculated? If it says 80% to hit with the reticle over the enemy in question, is that the chance for at least 1 pellet to hit or is it the chance for every pellet? Seems weird to have extremely high to hit chances or over 100% hit chance but most of the pellets still miss and I have noticed this a lot to the point where I think It isn't just subjectivity and bad luck on my part.

[Solarius Scorch]

I know x-com files more or less includes FMP, but I'm wondering if I should turn on improved heavy lasers/tanks or if the FMP portions of the mod already cover that.

Also wanted to ask if you can do anything about melee enemies just loitering about on the battlescape turning the fights into zero risk missions because they always refuse to engage unless you put your dudes way to close to them at the end of your turn. There are exceptions of course, chupacabra's for example at least partially engage you forcing you to abort a few turns in or right at start if they come in sufficient numbers.

I can't, because vanilla AI doesn't really allow this. But it's an important problem, and I believe we will have code for this at some point.

One more thing, how is shotgun to hit calculated? If it says 80% to hit with the reticle over the enemy in question, is that the chance for at least 1 pellet to hit or is it the chance for every pellet? Seems weird to have extremely high to hit chances or over 100% hit chance but most of the pellets still miss and I have noticed this a lot to the point where I think It isn't just subjectivity and bad luck on my part.

See this thread for this kind of info.

[Spess Mahren]

Is there a way to tell when a group of soldiers finishes a round of training and how much they improved? I don't know when a soldier actually gets a stat increase from training and I don't know how long to keep them training or figure out how much they have benefited from the training.

[yrizoud]

If you're using "training anytime" option, improvement happens every day at midnight. If you hire a soldier, immeditately put him in training and watch his stats 3 days later, you should already see some stats have started increasing.

[Slaughter]

Gym is actually too powerful right now, I think that a month or two and your soldiers have above 60 accuracy and 40 ST, not to mention a lot of other good stats. No way those gains are natural, reminds me of a fanfic I once read where its revealed early on that all X-COM soldiers choose to take all sorts of enhancement drug cocktails.

[yrizoud]

I don't find the gym gains unrealistic, because IMO the facility also materializes the specific training that XCOM can provide :
- practice together, in order to act quicker as a team
- study the threats XCOM has encountered so far, in order to be more confident when facing a strange lifeform or cultist maniac
- learn to use alien guns or XCOM-invented technology (though this shouldn't matter in early game)
From a newly hired ex-cop to someone who has received 1 month of training (but no mission yet), a +25% increase of general efficiency sounds reasonable to me.
 

[Solarius Scorch]

Yeah, it's intended. Check the Medicine Ufopaedia page, it's been updated to address this.

Also, new version is well on its way. Meridian recently added a very cool battlescape function that lets you M-click on enemies to see their picture and weapons:



However, most units didn't have inventory pictures (which are used for this display), and now I'm cranking them out like crazy. Therefore, everything else is frozen. But I have most early enemies covered already, so it shouldn't be long before update (though I won't have pics for everything yet, this is impossible).

[Meridian]

Why use dithering on that background picture?

It's really not necessary (simple palette change should more than suffice), and looks quite ugly IMO.

[Solarius Scorch]

Why use dithering on that background picture?

It's really not necessary (simple palette change should more than suffice), and looks quite ugly IMO.

It's pretty much a placeholder now... I love the concept though, it looks pretty when not dithered.

But what exactly do you mean by palette change? Doesn't it have to be battlescape?

[Meridian]

But what exactly do you mean by palette change? Doesn't it have to be battlescape?

Yes, it should be battlescape palette.
The original (at least the one from piratez, maybe you have it from elsewhere) has a ufopedia palette... that's why I am talking about a simple palette change, without dithering, when converting from that original.

[Solarius Scorch]

Yes, it should be battlescape palette.
The original (at least the one from piratez, maybe you have it from elsewhere) has a ufopedia palette... that's why I am talking about a simple palette change, without dithering, when converting from that original.

Turns out I made a mistake and used the main palette (the one for bigobs) instead of battlescape... It's similar, but not exactly the same. Thanks for the heads up.