Author Topic: Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin  (Read 1950434 times)

Offline mpechura

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3915 on: November 19, 2020, 09:20:56 pm »
I get it now.
X-Com files has always been activated.

On older versions it was an item on the list of modes. There are youtube videos explaining how to install openXcom. That's where I saw it.

On a different note.

How am I supposed to reach a farway suspicious activity with a mudranger whose range is so bloody short?

Offline mpechura

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3916 on: November 19, 2020, 09:24:17 pm »
This game is unberable.

I need to start a base in Europe somewhere, not in Australia.

I'm a native Russian speaker by the way. So those names are hilarious to me.

Offline mpechura

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3917 on: November 19, 2020, 09:25:40 pm »
Why doesn't the game screen stretch in Main Menu and in base?

Is there a way to stretch the screen to the edges?

Offline tarkalak

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3918 on: November 19, 2020, 09:32:42 pm »
You are not. Read the Readme it gives you some pointers.

You craft progression is:
1. Small squad (practically) unlimited range crafts.
2. Larger crafts with ~ half the world coverage.
3. Skyrangers and the like who can cover the whole world.

The Mudranger is only usable if you know where a certain mission will spawn (usually Cult HQs) and placing a base in the vicinity with prior knowledge. Otherwise it is a completely useless craft.

For the resolution try changing it in the Options. Mine is below. The Geoscope has some black area at the edges, but the Battlescope fills the whole screen. I am on Ubuntu 20.04 and I haven't tried it on Windows. Some things will still be tiny, but they are a minority.

The green color is Night Vision (for night missions), that you can toggle with Scroll Lock or Spacebar (only when pressed) or change it in the Options, like me, since Scroll Lock is ridiculous to press on my laptop. Browse the Options, you might find other stuff.

EDIT: Also change the Battlescape and Geoscape Scale to something that suits you. 1/2 Battlescape on my settings means the the BATTLESCAPE UI is twice smaller than the monitor width.
« Last Edit: November 19, 2020, 09:40:42 pm by tarkalak »

Offline mpechura

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3919 on: November 19, 2020, 09:47:23 pm »
Thanks for giving me a tip about that ground car.

These mudrangers have a truly limited use.

Nice to see someone else playing this game after all these years.

One day I will beat tftd on ironman.

Offline Thunderwing280

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3920 on: November 20, 2020, 10:57:31 pm »
Strixes spawn in Zombie Hives, which start appearing after researching "They Are Breeding!". And "They Are Breeding!" requires an Infector.
Huh I have researched that, I guess im just really unlucky as I researched that about a year or two ago in my game and since then have only gotten one or two zombie related missons.

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3921 on: November 21, 2020, 12:02:59 pm »
Huh I have researched that, I guess im just really unlucky as I researched that about a year or two ago in my game and since then have only gotten one or two zombie related missons.

The chance is only 15% each month, so likely, yes.

Offline RolandVasko

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« Last Edit: November 26, 2020, 10:48:43 am by RolandVasko »

Offline Dadimus_Maximus

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3923 on: November 27, 2020, 09:18:59 am »
How should I go about updating my files? Are they backwards compatible or would I have to start a new game?

Offline tarkalak

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3924 on: November 27, 2020, 12:18:18 pm »
How should I go about updating my files? Are they backwards compatible or would I have to start a new game?

Mostly backwards compatible.

On specific situations you might need to do some save editing if you want to be completely on the party line. Like when they added more countries or when the drone AI acquisition got changed. But you are fine without making changes too.

Offline 8mono

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3925 on: November 28, 2020, 07:59:48 am »
This mod has destroyed my sleeping schedule as well as my expectations of what a mod can deliver... from underestimating a giant rat's ability to parry to watching a pig (I think it was a pig or some other farm animal) literally downing a werewolf, I am just amazed that you can fit all of these different factions and creatures without them feeling out of place (I was half expecting a xenomorph or a T-800 at some point)

Offline tarkalak

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3926 on: November 28, 2020, 01:12:44 pm »
Well, he has metamorph and the original game's Cryssalid is pretty much the Xenomorph already.

Offline termidor

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3927 on: November 28, 2020, 08:11:32 pm »
Well, I'm at November  1999 and things have go a little boring so it seems a good time to leave the game for a while. Overall I had a lot of fun but things started  to get less interesting  when the aliens started invading. Here is some general feedback, I hope that it can be useful:
General stuff:
- The state of the economy early game it's really good, but as the game progress  it becomes easier to manage until there is no real financial challenge. Part of the problem is how the council showers you with money, but gains from loot increases higher than expenses, specially  with all the UFO's around. I assume that it is one of the hardest thing to balance in the mod, but maybe unusable loot could be sold for less and the cuantities gained be smaller. Alternatively more advanced stuff could  be much more expensive,  so for example a Thunderstorm (love the art of it) requires  a bigger investment, specially  considering  that better weapons tend to increase gains.

- I can't see the point right now of having more than 4 bases. Limits on research buildings  do encourage to get more of them, but eventually  you get to a point  where you are researching everything  really fast. On the other hand the manufacturing nerf makes building  bases to get money useless (and you float in money anyways). While there is nothing  inherently  wrong with not filling all the bases slots, I think it is a great opportunity  to try some alternative things. For example bring back manufacturing bases but instead  of centered on producing alien tech for sale, make more advanced items require extra facilities. For example some planes should require  a wind tunnel facility, or the HWP should  require  a  foundry to make their armor. The idea being that while basic workshops can be useful  to supply your forces with ammo and grenades and basic equi, you will need to specialize  certain bases or make a factory base to get the better stuff. We already have something  similar in game with the rat breeding  facility, and I think it could  be beneficial  for the game to slow down the introduction  of new equipment.

- I do believe  that there should  be an option  to buy shards and that hybrid recruitment  should  be limited. On the first  point I screw up in my game by selling  the shards early on, but once I got some of then  I do not think they warrant such a limited supply. HWP comes with their pros and cons, but I believe that taking into account  transformations,  biological  beings make for a much better investment. As for hybrids,  I find strange that you can get them  from the black market  so easily.  Maybe a system similar to the one use by rats is preferable,  where you can recruit  imprisoned  hybrid agents, or build a building  (a contact network  for example) that allow to purchase them for a big price on the market.

- The use of sanity as a feature seems interesting,  but I have some problems with his implementation. For example, while the excellent  metamorph mission gives an opresive feeling (the one mission that actually unsettled me), assaulting  a large ufo fill with familiar enemies is somehow more taxing. Or for example assaulting the underwater factory gives the unspeakable  horror modifier yet all you face are things that seem normal in comparison to a standard  terror mission. I would  suggest that the mechanic  should  make more sense to the scenario  the agents are facing: Large ufos should  be hard to enter due to aliens camping inside then (side issue here, but I found it easier to attack then in the mod that in the final modpack because  there seemed to be less aliens inside then.  Maybe the alien turrets have something  to do with it?) while other missions should  be hard because  they sap your agents morale ie: attacking a zombie hive.

- Passive global detection shouldn't  be a thing, as it makes radar craft redundant. Considering  this type of craft leaves you without  a hangar slot, their usability  is really limited to justify  their price.
Enemy balance:
- The initial cults make for a quite entertaining  enemy, but i do have some suggestions. For starters Exalt and the Church could give better rewards, compare to the rewards of red dawn(bio and durathred) and black lotus (good psionic weapons and martial arts). From the church while the acid stuff is good, the other staff is less useful, and from Exalt the best thing you get is the Barret, and only because  they use American weapons. For the church of dagon I would actually  suggest using their hounds as an excuse to give bio enchantment  but for dogs, that could  actually  use some transformations. Exalt meanwhile could be use as a gateway for the heavy ballistic  suit, so that instead of getting  it at promo III, it is an advance prototype of one of the masters. I do believe some reward symmetry is desire so that favoring one over the other isn't  a suboptimal  choice per se. Also Exalt could pack some extra punch. While their enforcers are tough, in general  they are easier to fight than the Russians or the Black lotus. Maybe a mind control enemy could be nice, to spice things up.

- Nothing to say about Osirion as they fill their role, but I do have some issues with the Syndicate. The first one is with their final mission, which I do believe could have been much better if it was an undercover mission. As of right now it feels like the black lotus HQ but with no armor. Thematically it also doesn't  make much sense, as why use the impersonator if you are going to bring rocket launchers and psi weapons. It would  actually  be a nice change of pace if you need to win a big battle without  all the good stuff. Apart from changing the enemy composition,  I think the big building  map would be more fitting. The second issue I have with the is the final message you get from then. I don't  have a problem  fighting the original bad guys as they fit perfectly  for the mod and I do imagine that it is one of the next enemy, but the resolution  of the events leave, imo, much to be improved.  If the CEO are already established  to be from the even worse group  (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here and to not use a much more colorful vocabulary), why do you recieve a real life larping invitation  that you can not use at all? Shouldn't this be the moment where you can make a choice  as if you want to be an as***** that kills civilians by collateral fire or one bigger as***** that does it on purpose and actually undermines the Xcom project? Finally their big beefy troops(minotaur and the walker) would be nice if they give some extra tech. For the minotaur, and i don't  know if it is possible,  it could  be use to introduce sub-dermal armor, that would  be a transformation  that increase the armor of the agents by a few points. Alternatively  their macro flamer (that they refuse to use) could be a an entry point  for extra large weapon( I'm thinking here on some things from xpiratez). The ultimate  fantasy would be trainable  minotaurs with Greek names, but i think it is more fitting for a sub-mod. As for the walker a HWP base around it  could be a cool bonus.

- Overall  i quite like the underwater missions, as they do offer a change compare to land battles. My main gripe with then is in fact that the Ai can't make an effective  use of melee weapons and just stay away while being slaughter.  If it could be made to be more aggressive,  or alternatively  being given sonic weapons as a standard,  it would make for some interesting missions. The only one I didn't  enjoy was the factory  as it was a huge map with a heavy sanity penalty and it end up being a camper fest.

-Ciberweb and the X dimensions are mostly  fine. Minor  improvements  i would  make would  be to give the misticks a different color to distinguish them  from the technomads, that space tecnomads shouldn't  get a second life (why them are they wearing a suit  in the first place) and that there should  be more cover in dimension  X maps. This last point  becomes very apparent  in the fortress  assault  mission as it is either impossible  because  your door is facing the map or very easy if it is facing the border. More corver could  be done with hills and terrains features, and I do think it makes for a more interesting  combat.

-Hybrids and Advent make for a fine opponent although  some weapons (cough chem cough) could use a buff. Overall the hybrids missions make for a quite varied bunch, although  some of them become trivial with good armor (cyber)

- I already talked about  zombies before in that their missions  should  be more rewarding, but they do make for some interesting opponents.  Can't  talk about Shoog as I only cleared one mission. Also spiders are fine, although  the  stealh spider could get assassin levels of invisibility  and spiderweb definetly needs some uses

- I got some mixed feelings about  the cult.  While I absolutely  enjoy their missions due to the sheer absurdity they reach (I can't  imagine how it goes on superhuman with so many enemies ), they don't  pose a threat with advance armour and they actually  don't  makes to much sense as a Xcom enemy, considering  most if not all the situations they are involved  the army could  take care of it (I mean the outpost battle makes me imagine Waco but the SWAT having super soldiers) Also the amount of stat gains you can get from them can actually  be problematic,  as i can't  see a reason why I would like to end  their storyline if they make for the perfect training  target. I don't  know what could be done to beef them up as with their numbers better weapons could  quickly  turn problematic from a balance sense. Equipment  specialization  for each sub culture could  be nice, with some unique variants for them, but overall I can't  say what would  I do to make them harder.

- I don't  like the UAC storyline so far for two reasons. One their missions  feel like less interesting  versions of the Syndicate storyline with the exception  of the cavemen one. That last mission is so  BS. First and foremost,  it doesn't  make much sense to dress as cavemens if your plant is to kill the people guarding the cargo. Second while in general I would say UAC weapons are trash, facing twelve or so of those dude without  armor is a very steep difficulty, more so with concealed weapons and on a land rover. Also what you get from this storyline doesn't  seem worth it, considering  you can get their weapons from the cult. Overall  i would  change three things: For the cavemen mission, make it a concealed  mission where you faced some weak opponents (one or two UAC and some other cavemens)but you can only bring primitive weapons or the light pistol/spypistol (as they need more use). Second , that the UAC engineers  or staff should  give access to some unique  staff, be it craft systems, special ammo for their weapons and things alike. Finally, they should have some more personality  so that they don't  end up filling like discount Syndicate.

- Surprisingly,  the enemies I have the most problem with are the aliens. The main beef i have with them is that fighting  against  them feels absolutely independent  from the rest of the mod. While each enemy usually  have a storyline that you follow, aliens follow more or less the same model of operations of the final modpack. Also their entry completely changes the balance of power for the worse as UFO's are flying cash cows. Thus while I'am figthing a Syndicate  whose objectives i can't  understand  at all but at least have some progression,  the aliens just go with their battleships as if nothing happens on the ground. Wouldn't  make much more sense if they are integrated  in the general  storyline, and they appear once their other plots fail? Also the difficulty  of facing them  is a little disappointing (except etherals),  although  this has to do more with gun balance.

I'm going to leave it here for today as it is quite a wall of text. I don't  know if you will find any of this useful,  but considering  the amount  of effort  this mod has, is the least I can do. Also I can give my thoughts  on gun and armor balance on another post, although  that is going  to be much more practical.

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3928 on: December 02, 2020, 12:09:29 pm »
Hi Termidor, thanks for another detailed analysis.

- The state of the economy early game it's really good, but as the game progress  it becomes easier to manage until there is no real financial challenge. Part of the problem is how the council showers you with money, but gains from loot increases higher than expenses, specially  with all the UFO's around. I assume that it is one of the hardest thing to balance in the mod, but maybe unusable loot could be sold for less and the cuantities gained be smaller. Alternatively more advanced stuff could  be much more expensive,  so for example a Thunderstorm (love the art of it) requires  a bigger investment, specially  considering  that better weapons tend to increase gains.

This is something I have finally addressed in the (yet unreleased) 1.7. Namely I eliminated manufacturing for money, except from some limited materials. I don't know if it will be enough, we will see.

- I can't see the point right now of having more than 4 bases. Limits on research buildings  do encourage to get more of them, but eventually  you get to a point  where you are researching everything  really fast. On the other hand the manufacturing nerf makes building  bases to get money useless (and you float in money anyways). While there is nothing  inherently  wrong with not filling all the bases slots, I think it is a great opportunity  to try some alternative things. For example bring back manufacturing bases but instead  of centered on producing alien tech for sale, make more advanced items require extra facilities. For example some planes should require  a wind tunnel facility, or the HWP should  require  a  foundry to make their armor. The idea being that while basic workshops can be useful  to supply your forces with ammo and grenades and basic equi, you will need to specialize  certain bases or make a factory base to get the better stuff. We already have something  similar in game with the rat breeding  facility, and I think it could  be beneficial  for the game to slow down the introduction  of new equipment.

Well, vanilla X-Com allowed for 8 bases too, and I could never see why I'd ever need more than 3... ;)

Your idea is interesting, but I am not sure people would be interested in that. X-Com is a combat simulator, not a city builder, so developing manufacturing infrastructure probably wouldn't be popular. I'm more used to hearing the opposite - eliminate manufacturing, buy stuff from external suppliers.

- I do believe  that there should  be an option  to buy shards and that hybrid recruitment  should  be limited. On the first  point I screw up in my game by selling  the shards early on, but once I got some of then  I do not think they warrant such a limited supply. HWP comes with their pros and cons, but I believe that taking into account  transformations,  biological  beings make for a much better investment.

The entire reason why I went with alenium was because HWPs were phasing out organics in late game.

...and honestly, you sold the shards? You're joking, right? It's almost like selling the Tiny Drill in Piratez.

As for hybrids,  I find strange that you can get them  from the black market  so easily.  Maybe a system similar to the one use by rats is preferable,  where you can recruit  imprisoned  hybrid agents, or build a building  (a contact network  for example) that allow to purchase them for a big price on the market.

All I hear from players is that hybrids are weak, unattractive and available way too late. ;)

Having said that, I agree that some sort of recruitment system would be better than a straight purchase, but when I was adding this, it was not possible yet (I think). Also, I honestly don't know how to do it - some ideas would be welcome.

- The use of sanity as a feature seems interesting,  but I have some problems with his implementation. For example, while the excellent  metamorph mission gives an opresive feeling (the one mission that actually unsettled me), assaulting  a large ufo fill with familiar enemies is somehow more taxing. Or for example assaulting the underwater factory gives the unspeakable  horror modifier yet all you face are things that seem normal in comparison to a standard  terror mission. I would  suggest that the mechanic  should  make more sense to the scenario  the agents are facing: Large ufos should  be hard to enter due to aliens camping inside then (side issue here, but I found it easier to attack then in the mod that in the final modpack because  there seemed to be less aliens inside then.  Maybe the alien turrets have something  to do with it?) while other missions should  be hard because  they sap your agents morale ie: attacking a zombie hive.

I really don't think there is a difference between the FMP and the XCF concerning how many aliens are inside UFOs - I checked the some numbers and they seem aligned.

As for the general insanity issue, sorry but you haven't really proposed any improvement, or at least I don't understand what you want me to do. Can you specify maybe?

- Passive global detection shouldn't  be a thing, as it makes radar craft redundant. Considering  this type of craft leaves you without  a hangar slot, their usability  is really limited to justify  their price.

Er... what craft? How is any craft related to global detection? Please elaborate.

- The initial cults make for a quite entertaining  enemy, but i do have some suggestions. For starters Exalt and the Church could give better rewards, compare to the rewards of red dawn(bio and durathred) and black lotus (good psionic weapons and martial arts). From the church while the acid stuff is good, the other staff is less useful, and from Exalt the best thing you get is the Barret, and only because  they use American weapons. For the church of dagon I would actually  suggest using their hounds as an excuse to give bio enchantment  but for dogs, that could  actually  use some transformations. Exalt meanwhile could be use as a gateway for the heavy ballistic  suit, so that instead of getting  it at promo III, it is an advance prototype of one of the masters. I do believe some reward symmetry is desire so that favoring one over the other isn't  a suboptimal  choice per se. Also Exalt could pack some extra punch. While their enforcers are tough, in general  they are easier to fight than the Russians or the Black lotus. Maybe a mind control enemy could be nice, to spice things up.

The cults were never intended to be perfectly balanced, fgrankly I can't see the point.
Bio-enhancement for dogs would be good, but I don't think Gilldogs are relevant here, because they're not closely related to dogs. If anything, it should be the Bloodhounds.
And yeah, EXALT are kinda wussies, except for the enforcers. Early on their body armour poses some problems, but later they're meh. But considering that you don't need them for a normal armoured vest, I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to give them the improved version... I'd rather make it something else.

(...) but I do have some issues with the Syndicate. The first one is with their final mission, which I do believe could have been much better if it was an undercover mission. As of right now it feels like the black lotus HQ but with no armor.

Well yes, kinda. Both are unique missions, so I'm not too worried about them being partially similar.

Thematically it also doesn't  make much sense, as why use the impersonator if you are going to bring rocket launchers and psi weapons.

But why not? I honestly can't see how this doesn't make sense. It's not like Syyndicate people don't carry heavy weapons or use weird equipment (thought admittedly not often).

It would  actually  be a nice change of pace if you need to win a big battle without  all the good stuff.

But would you really be able to win against their Walkers and Minotaurs with infiltration gear only?

Apart from changing the enemy composition,  I think the big building  map would be more fitting.

All the rest of big Syndicate missions are in ofdfice buildings. Honestly I made this terrain specifically to break up the boredom (it's not used anywhere else).

The second issue I have with the is the final message you get from then. I don't  have a problem  fighting the original bad guys as they fit perfectly  for the mod and I do imagine that it is one of the next enemy, but the resolution  of the events leave, imo, much to be improved.  If the CEO are already established  to be from the even worse group  (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here and to not use a much more colorful vocabulary), why do you recieve a real life larping invitation  that you can not use at all? Shouldn't this be the moment where you can make a choice  as if you want to be an as***** that kills civilians by collateral fire or one bigger as***** that does it on purpose and actually undermines the Xcom project?

Admittedly I've been considering an option to align with these guys instead, but it would be so much work (as it would change a lot of things) that I shelved it. So the invitation now remains a teaser, or a piece of fluff.

Finally their big beefy troops(minotaur and the walker) would be nice if they give some extra tech. For the minotaur, and i don't  know if it is possible,  it could  be use to introduce sub-dermal armor, that would  be a transformation  that increase the armor of the agents by a few points.

No, the armour values come only from worn outfit, unfortunately. If it was otherwise, I'd certainly do something like you suggest.

Alternatively  their macro flamer (that they refuse to use) could be a an entry point  for extra large weapon( I'm thinking here on some things from xpiratez). The ultimate  fantasy would be trainable  minotaurs with Greek names, but i think it is more fitting for a sub-mod. As for the walker a HWP base around it  could be a cool bonus.

Both are possible, especially the walker. But should I make every robot in the game available as a HWP chassis? That's kinda excessive. :) (No really, this is a serious design problem.)

- Overall  i quite like the underwater missions, as they do offer a change compare to land battles. My main gripe with then is in fact that the Ai can't make an effective  use of melee weapons and just stay away while being slaughter.  If it could be made to be more aggressive,  or alternatively  being given sonic weapons as a standard,  it would make for some interesting missions. The only one I didn't  enjoy was the factory  as it was a huge map with a heavy sanity penalty and it end up being a camper fest.

No, I'm not going to hand out spacer technology to any Deep One peasant. But I can try to bump their aggression further. I'll do that.

-Ciberweb and the X dimensions are mostly  fine. Minor  improvements  i would  make would  be to give the misticks a different color to distinguish them  from the technomads, that space tecnomads shouldn't  get a second life (why them are they wearing a suit  in the first place) and that there should  be more cover in dimension  X maps. This last point  becomes very apparent  in the fortress  assault  mission as it is either impossible  because  your door is facing the map or very easy if it is facing the border. More corver could  be done with hills and terrains features, and I do think it makes for a more interesting  combat.

More hills would indeed be nice, but that's an issue with the desert as such. More maps are needed.

Space technomads get a second life because they're cyborgs and can withstand the atmospheric conditions on that planet for a limited time, but they're not enjoying this at all.

Technomads and mysteks looking the same as by design, because it's really a very egalitarian organization, which makes things harder for you.

-Hybrids and Advent make for a fine opponent although  some weapons (cough chem cough) could use a buff. Overall the hybrids missions make for a quite varied bunch, although  some of them become trivial with good armor (cyber)

Good :)

- I already talked about  zombies before in that their missions  should  be more rewarding

...working on it... sort of

but they do make for some interesting opponents.  Can't  talk about Shoog as I only cleared one mission. Also spiders are fine, although  the  stealh spider could get assassin levels of invisibility

And people say that I am a sadist?! :D

and spiderweb definetly needs some uses

Ypou mean, some more uses?

- I got some mixed feelings about  the cult.  While I absolutely  enjoy their missions due to the sheer absurdity they reach (I can't  imagine how it goes on superhuman with so many enemies ), they don't  pose a threat with advance armour and they actually  don't  makes to much sense as a Xcom enemy, considering  most if not all the situations they are involved  the army could  take care of it (I mean the outpost battle makes me imagine Waco but the SWAT having super soldiers)

What army? Certainly not a national army, because nobody would allow them there, or even acknowledge the existence of the cults. If you mean the Council forces, then well, the whole point of creating X-Com was to not involve them for politivcal reasons (cults have strong backers), and most of the Council expected X-Com to fail anyway.

Also the amount of stat gains you can get from them can actually  be problematic,  as i can't  see a reason why I would like to end  their storyline if they make for the perfect training  target. I don't  know what could be done to beef them up as with their numbers better weapons could  quickly  turn problematic from a balance sense. Equipment  specialization  for each sub culture could  be nice, with some unique variants for them, but overall I can't  say what would  I do to make them harder.

That's why I added special negative missions and events for when you're purposefully stalling cult termination. I think that's all that is needed.

- I don't  like the UAC storyline so far for two reasons. One their missions  feel like less interesting  versions of the Syndicate storyline with the exception  of the cavemen one. That last mission is so  BS. First and foremost,  it doesn't  make much sense to dress as cavemens if your plant is to kill the people guarding the cargo.

And why is that?

Second while in general I would say UAC weapons are trash, facing twelve or so of those dude without  armor is a very steep difficulty, more so with concealed weapons and on a land rover. Also what you get from this storyline doesn't  seem worth it, considering  you can get their weapons from the cult.

You don't go trhere for weapons, you go there to advance the plot.

Overall  i would  change three things: For the cavemen mission, make it a concealed  mission where you faced some weak opponents (one or two UAC and some other cavemens)but you can only bring primitive weapons or the light pistol/spypistol (as they need more use).

Boring!

Second , that the UAC engineers  or staff should  give access to some unique  staff, be it craft systems, special ammo for their weapons and things alike.

They do. Well, not the engineers themselves, but the entire UAC plot which they are a part of.

Finally, they should have some more personality  so that they don't  end up filling like discount Syndicate.

Good point, I realize this and hope to develop this gradually further.

- Surprisingly,  the enemies I have the most problem with are the aliens. The main beef i have with them is that fighting  against  them feels absolutely independent  from the rest of the mod. While each enemy usually  have a storyline that you follow, aliens follow more or less the same model of operations of the final modpack. Also their entry completely changes the balance of power for the worse as UFO's are flying cash cows. Thus while I'am figthing a Syndicate  whose objectives i can't  understand  at all but at least have some progression,  the aliens just go with their battleships as if nothing happens on the ground. Wouldn't  make much more sense if they are integrated  in the general  storyline, and they appear once their other plots fail? Also the difficulty  of facing them  is a little disappointing (except etherals),  although  this has to do more with gun balance.

Noted. Honestly I should make some actual plot arc for the aliens, but I don't know how to tackle this yet. Or more accurately, I'm busy with other parts. But I see what you mean.

I'm going to leave it here for today as it is quite a wall of text. I don't  know if you will find any of this useful,  but considering  the amount  of effort  this mod has, is the least I can do. Also I can give my thoughts  on gun and armor balance on another post, although  that is going  to be much more practical.

Yes, this is very useful, and I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this!

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.6: Life Will Never Be The Same
« Reply #3929 on: December 02, 2020, 12:10:08 pm »
Double-posting because over 20000 characters:

Version 1.7 has been released.
- New terrain: UAC Base (collab with Brain_322).
- New mission: UAC Aerospace Lab.
- New craft: Starfighter (by Alex D, slightly modified).
- New weapons: UAC Plasma Rifle, UAC Light Plasma Gun, KS-23M (graphics for all three by Brain_322), XM29 OICW (by Alex D and Brain_322), UAC Doomzone Chaingun (graphics converted from an unidentified Doom mod), Pancor Jackhammer.
- New units: UAC Space Marine, UAC Master Researcher (graphics for both by Brain_322).
- New Alien Base mapblocks.
- Crop Circles and Cattle Mutilation missions redone to use the new reinforcement mechanics.
- Rebalanced the prices on most items.
- Advanced Robotics can be acquired from functional Cyberweb robots.
- New Turbolaser Carbine handob (by Brain_322).
- Better AK-47 clip (by Brain_322).
- Added some missing allowed AI armor options to special environments.
- Added missing Red Dawn armour entries.
- Added floorob for the Rusty Blade.
- Added bigob to Female Casual (by Dioxine).
- Updated the script for flashbang grenade (by Finnik).
- Corrected Mac-10 clip size to 30 rounds.
- Some new firing sounds.
- Buffed some late game UFOs.
- CQC defense has a 50% chance to fail in case of surprise attacks.
- Faster gym training.
- Changed prerequisites for the Bio-Enhancement.
- Increased average starting stats on Hybrids.
- Less Boomers.
- Alien Agricultural Sabotage now punishes you also if you abort.
- Polished world regions (co-op with Dioxine).
- Better quality music on some Cult of Apocalypse missions.
- New MiB Commander graphics (by Brain_322).
- Removed black squares from "non-hand empty hand slots".
- Better Vietnam flag (by Kato).
- Fixed remaining glitches on Stormtrooper Armor.
- Fixed Bio resistance on Sectoids.
- Fixed wrong ammo on Colt Commando in enemy deployments.
- Added some missing weapons to Commendations.
- Minor fixes.