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

[TheCurse]

question: how sturdy are those oil barrels (e.g. outside of cult compounds)?
tried blowing it up with like 15 pistol shots (blackops), did not work at all...

[INFERNO]

Hello. Please reduce the frequency of hybrid branch events. This is terrible. As soon as they start appearing, all other events stop falling out. I started a new game to find Gauss weapons,I explored the technology of hidden caves, then waited a month for an event to appear on their research. In the future, I explored a step into the dark, after which I waited for 4(!!!)a month to get a mission with an underground village, but I didn't get it, unfortunately, I lost. The problem is with hybrids.There were only events on the shelter/hospital/hybrid convoy. This is terrible. Lower the chance of these events falling out, or increase the chance of others. It is not interesting when the game spams the same events(note that Dagon, Lotus, EXALT were not closed, they also almost stopped appearing)

[Solarius Scorch]

Sanity doesn't seem to work in my saves. There is the attribute in the game but the bar does not go down. Have I done something wrong in my update?

Sanity only goes down on certain missions. You'll get a warning when it happens.

question: how sturdy are those oil barrels (e.g. outside of cult compounds)?
tried blowing it up with like 15 pistol shots (blackops), did not work at all...

There are many types of barrels, so there's no clear answer. But pistols are probably too weak to pierce them.

Hello. Please reduce the frequency of hybrid branch events. This is terrible. As soon as they start appearing, all other events stop falling out. I started a new game to find Gauss weapons,I explored the technology of hidden caves, then waited a month for an event to appear on their research. In the future, I explored a step into the dark, after which I waited for 4(!!!)a month to get a mission with an underground village, but I didn't get it, unfortunately, I lost. The problem is with hybrids.There were only events on the shelter/hospital/hybrid convoy. This is terrible. Lower the chance of these events falling out, or increase the chance of others. It is not interesting when the game spams the same events(note that Dagon, Lotus, EXALT were not closed, they also almost stopped appearing)

We've decreased the number of hybrid missions in 1.3. After a few months they will disappear completely.

By the way, there are a few bugs in 1.3 (like in pretty much any big update), including a crash on the postindustrial terrain. Bugfix release very soon, with a few new items for consolation.

[TheCurse]

what do eerie auras do? except apparently contain a lot of zombies...
Never seen that before, but found nothing special about it either...

[Solarius Scorch]

what do eerie auras do? except apparently contain a lot of zombies...
Never seen that before, but found nothing special about it either...

You'll notice soon enough.

And meanwhile, 1.3.1 has been released.

- New weapons: Plasma Proximity Grenade (graphics by Brain_322), Sawed-Off (graphics by Dioxine).
- New ammo: Shrapnel Rocket, Tritanium Shrapnel Rocket (both graphics by Brain_322).
- New tool: Laser Cutter (graphics by Brain_322).
- Improved Elerium Rocket sprite.
- Fixed missing description on Share Alien Gardens Tech.
- Fixed a crash on Postindustrial terrain.
- Minor terrain fixes.

[RolandVasko]

yay!

2 of my favourites big mods released almost simultaneously! lůl

but @SolariusS - no need for more dossiers?

[TheCurse]

You'll notice soon enough.

is it some kind of... Curse? ^^

[RolandVasko]

1idea> such Foundation(s),
(suggestion also for xPiratez)

(Prime, and Second Foundations, "encyclopedistrians", and psychohistorians (..The Board of Twelve 12 *Speakers"..almost sub-race, rasa) of super-mathematicians, and also uber-mentalists, too) overal plot-arc link.. )


..you know, someones, who is totally behind it all,  in shadows,  "behind *the (red) curtains*", and trigger with the threads and puppets..

[RolandVasko]

(..smthng resembling like the Knights (paladins) of the Round Table.. )

[TheCurse]

is it some kind of... Curse? ^^

had it again. whatever it is, gotta be subtle... no clue...

[Spiralize]

We've decreased the number of hybrid missions in 1.3. After a few months they will disappear completely.

Oh, so that was unintentional? I just assumed they were supposed to be the main enemy of 1999. Not an unwelcome change, but a large one!

[INFERNO]

I want to say a few words. The rubber cartridges for the shotgun were a miracle, and they were sorely lacking. Wonderful thing. Also, I was lucky! I found a Gauss weapon that fell out of Osiron's box. I would also like to know how many rating points are removed for skipping a mission? For example, an Outpost of a cult and a mission to an unknown life form. I will note that it is now much more difficult to gain a rating in an early game. This is not very good, because it's hard to get to the middle stage of the game(1999) (then the most interesting thing begins).

[INFERNO]

I would also like to ask you to rebalance the AKM, G-11, and VSS. Why? AKM does not differ much from AK, 10% ignoring armor and 5% accuracy do not give anything at all. G-11 failed weapon, 20 damage, dependence on bravery, this is not good at all. To achieve good damage from G-11 you need to be the bravest person on earth. When the agent increases the courage to the desired level, the G-11 is already a piece of garbage, it is no longer needed. VSS has a very low reaction bonus, very low starting accuracy. This weapon requires very high skills to use, but it does not give a tangible advantage to an experienced fighter. The same automatic bops sniper rifle does not require high skills, but it is much more useful. You need to change the damage dependence to accuracy, and increase the starting accuracy for VSS, now this weapon is unplayable.

[INFERNO]

About the G-11 and AKM. I think it would be a good idea to make this weapon as a reward for the most difficult missions of cults (falls from the commanders), these rifles would be very good rewards, and very useful in combat. Increase the accuracy of the AKM to the level of the bops rifle, add a bonus to the accuracy of 0.1 damage. For G-11, increase the starting damage to 30.(And Yes, the AKM uses 7.39 rounds like a regular AK. Cartridges 5.45 - AK-74, correct the name). I want not to have a lot of identical weapons(as it happens with EXALT weapons), but to have more unique things, so that the weapons of cults are really useful(so far, the only weapons of cults that I want to get is Arasaka 3k,SVD, everything else is unnecessary garbage) and desirable.

[Bobit]

I would also like to know how many rating points are removed for skipping a mission?

alienMissions_XCOMFILES.rul, search (Ctrl-F) for points. I'm not exactly sure whether that means score for skipping mission or also score for losing it. It also says Terror gives -10 which is obviously wrong.

Basically it's about 25 for everything except terror/domination. However you want to send agents to literally every mission except those that have no abort, because it's free experience if you just get 1 shot on an enemy. Experience is way more valuable than score in the early game. Just abort immediately when in danger, often even before your first turn ends.