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

[EmoNewtype]

I have a few random suggestions for changes:

1) Give the ENFORCER HWP armor a bonus to Throwing Accuracy and Melee Accuracy, and/or increase the bonuses from Lightcycling. As it stands, these stats start so low that its almost impossible to train AI units in them. Maybe lower the cap for these stats for AI Units to compensate and prevent 75 Strength Sledgehammer murderbots from being too overpowered.

2) Have MiB HWPs drop Wrecked Tank/Laser Cannons and MiB Sectopods drop Wrecked Sectopods. If that would screw with their graphics, maybe add a manufacturing project to convert the MiB Wreck into the normal variant.

3) Make the Crowbar one handed so our agents can act like Gordon Freeman. Or more likely die trying

[Solarius Scorch]

1) Give the ENFORCER HWP armor a bonus to Throwing Accuracy and Melee Accuracy, and/or increase the bonuses from Lightcycling. As it stands, these stats start so low that its almost impossible to train AI units in them. Maybe lower the cap for these stats for AI Units to compensate and prevent 75 Strength Sledgehammer murderbots from being too overpowered.

I hope to just make earlier humanoid armours to train.

2) Have MiB HWPs drop Wrecked Tank/Laser Cannons and MiB Sectopods drop Wrecked Sectopods. If that would screw with their graphics, maybe add a manufacturing project to convert the MiB Wreck into the normal variant.

I changed the tank as you suggested, Sectopod should work like this already.

3) Make the Crowbar one handed so our agents can act like Gordon Freeman. Or more likely die trying

I understand the appeal, but I think 2-handed is more practical.

[Ronios]

In terms of receiving medals, there were inconsistencies between sniper rifles and rifles. Some rifles are counted as sniper rifles and vice versa.

Spoiler:

Weapons for sniper medal:

      killsWithCriteriaCareer: [5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300]
    killCriteria:
      -
         - [1, ["STR_HUNTING_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_NITRO_EXPRESS", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_VSS", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_NATASHAS_VSS", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_SWD", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_QBU_88", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_M83_BARETT", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_SNIPER_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_PSG1", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_BLACKOPS_SNIPER_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_HEAVY_SNIPER_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_BLACKOPS_AUTO_SNIPER_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_MASS_DRIVER_SNIPER_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_GAUSS_SNIPER_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_LASER_SNIPER_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]
      -
         - [1, ["STR_PLASMA_SNIPER_RIFLE", "FACTION_HOSTILE", "STATUS_DEAD"]]

But this is "rifles":

  - type: STR_HUNTING_RIFLE
    categories: [STR_HUMAN_TECH, STR_FIREARMS, STR_RIFLES, STR_LAND]

  - type: STR_NITRO_EXPRESS
    categories: [STR_HUMAN_TECH, STR_FIREARMS, STR_RIFLES, STR_LAND]

  - type: STR_SWD
    categories: [STR_HUMAN_TECH, STR_FIREARMS, STR_RIFLES, STR_LAND]

  - type: STR_QBU_88
    categories: [STR_HUMAN_TECH, STR_FIREARMS, STR_RIFLES, STR_LAND]

And Mosin counts as a rifle, but:

  - type: STR_MOSIN_RIFLE
    categories: [STR_HUMAN_TECH, STR_FIREARMS, STR_SNIPER_RIFLES, STR_LAND]

Maybe there are similar moments in other medals, but I was not looking.

Please edit the categories of weapons, which should be as planned, so that there is no confusion with getting medals and anything else.

And a little question. "STATUS_DEAD" is counted at the moment of inflicting damage with a direct blow, which completely kills or death from bleeding on the floor is also counted to the last one who knocked down? And if the bleeding one gets up, but then dies from bleeding, where does it count?

And for MEDAL_WEAPON_PROFICIENCY, "totalKillsWithAWeapon" means any disabling method?

[AlicePaws]

Is it normal that I am finding more mixed alien crews in missions? I've had at least two big scouts and a terror mission where they would have Chtonites, Floaters, Snakemen and Sectoids  as well as Reapers and Celatids, I don't remember this being the case before 1.7

[RolandVasko]

just some fine night noir jazz -blues long lounge, as i think it´s fitting for mood of (not only) X-Files :

(it seems timer, timestamps doesnt work properly in youtb linker, so rather here we go: )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8MUMHhdUyg&t=626s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8MUMHhdUyg&t=40606s

[Solarius Scorch]

In terms of receiving medals, there were inconsistencies between sniper rifles and rifles. Some rifles are counted as sniper rifles and vice versa. (...)

Please edit the categories of weapons, which should be as planned, so that there is no confusion with getting medals and anything else.

Good point. To be honest, I did these two categorizations at completely different points, so some decisions were different. But I agree that is should be unified. I'll do that ASAP, thanks for bringing my attention to this.

And a little question. "STATUS_DEAD" is counted at the moment of inflicting damage with a direct blow, which completely kills or death from bleeding on the floor is also counted to the last one who knocked down? And if the bleeding one gets up, but then dies from bleeding, where does it count?

And for MEDAL_WEAPON_PROFICIENCY, "totalKillsWithAWeapon" means any disabling method?

I cannot answer with 100% accuracy, because I can't read the code. Let's just assume that killin' peepz wit da riflez make ya a rifle boi

Is it normal that I am finding more mixed alien crews in missions? I've had at least two big scouts and a terror mission where they would have Chtonites, Floaters, Snakemen and Sectoids  as well as Reapers and Celatids, I don't remember this being the case before 1.7

I think there's been no change here. Such crews are still rare. I suspect the UFOs you mentioned were all part of one terror mission, so they had the same race. But then again, a terror mission only has 1 scout, so maybe not.

just some fine night noir jazz -blues long lounge, as i think it´s fitting for mood of (not only) X-Files :

While I don't plan to add any music right now, thanks, I'll check it out.

[Ronios]

When I researched the tritanium gear for dogs and started comparing it with what it was, I found a small joint. According to the description, this armor is lighter and stronger than the purchased one, but it turned out that it gives much less stamina recovery, and after digging, I found this:

Spoiler:

  - type: STR_DOGE_ALLOY_VEST_ARMOR

      energy:
        flatHundred: 0.21
        healthCurrent: 0.25

  - type: STR_DOGE_ALLOY_VEST_ARMOR_UNDERWATER

      energy:
        manaNormalized: 30
        healthCurrent: 0.25

and basic purchaseable armor

  - type: STR_DOGE_COMBAT_VEST_ARMOR

      energy:
        manaNormalized: 30
        healthCurrent: 0.25

And perhaps, if it is more convenient, as they say, is it worth slightly raising the recovery? But until I tried it, I can't say anything.

[RolandVasko]

Btw.  when we already have *X-Com - Files, as such meta-reference on samename tv-show, conspiracy-theories, and overal on whole (*80 - )  *90-years, - so

so in there would be fine to include into this also Nicita (1991 - 99 tv classic straight *90´show, and some reference on this, - as it is also fitting into that era, the 90*ninetiens.. )

https://www.csfd.cz/film/69594-brutalni-nikita/prehled/

(well, we maybe might take into considering AMYBE also that new remake https://www.csfd.cz/film/281631-nikita/638155-serie-4/galerie/?type=1 )

[RolandVasko]

While I don't plan to add any music right now, thanks, I'll check it out.

thankx for respond,

and i add another very similar to first,  such second volume https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzS51WWtEvg&t=314s

(btw.it seems to me timer (.."&t=XYs"  timestamps) doesnt works properly at the youtube linker in this forums)



and yet 1idea - for Skynet -/Terminator units, i miss especially some of their top-tier, super-hyper hitech unit - with polymorph, polyforms ability (those Kristanna Loken, - TX, terminatrix, T-1000, etc, etc.. )

[Mrvex]

I would like to discuss early game difficulty and Church of Dagon.
After my fourth playthrough i realized that they are the hardest starting enemy by far. Red Dawn still being the easiest, even with the armoured car suprise outside their HQ.

Some of their alien budies could be toned down. The gillman needs to have its range severely nerfed as it can shoot across the entire map with sufficient damage to one shot your troops in armoured vest if it rolls higher damage, or leaves them at 20 HP. The elecricity attack needs to be medium ranged one or its damage toned down considerably. Or atleast remove the arc from his attack so he needs a direct line of sight to hit someone.

Furthermore, during ritual mass murder events (Or any instance of a map spawning gillmen with ranged weapons) gillman armed with sonic pistols needs to have smaller range too because it does so much damage (capable of full HP one shot). Sonic weapons on surface shouldnt have such range in the first place.

I wouldnt mind this difficulty if other cults didnt have such a drastic spike in difficulty but these instances are quite jarring. One thing i really like in the early game is that fights against cults is about trading blows rather than rocket tag gameplay, something that will disappear the moment aliens with their plasma weapons show up until super-late game when you get power armours.

[Thunderwing280]

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with sectopods? They're such a pain to deal with, even with heavy plasma.

[Mrvex]

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with sectopods? They're such a pain to deal with, even with heavy plasma.

Miniguns (Or heavy turbolaser minigun) because they have 95% Armour pierce, but mostly this wont kill the sectopod but it will errode its armour so multiple barrages will erode it further and further, making them more vulnerable to other weapons.
Or heavy gauss cannon if you have it, it can destroy it in one or two hits with good damage roll.

But the best way is to simply flank them with a laser tank and blast them full auto. Sectopods take bonus damage from lasers and laser tank main cannon is already beyond one shot range of most targets in the game and will eat the sectopod quickly.

Sectopods have massive resistance towards plasma on top of a massive armour, making them capable of tanking the heaviest plasma wepons in the game with ease. Make sure to get the wreck in one piece since you can rebuild it and deploy it yourself to hear the lamentation of enemies.

[EmoNewtype]

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with sectopods? They're such a pain to deal with, even with heavy plasma.

If my understanding of the game mechanics is correct, Tritanium Shrapnel Charges might work, they do Cutting damage which the Sectopod doesn't resist, hit its weaker under armor, and due to Sectopods being a multi-tile unit, may hit multiple times.

[Solarius Scorch]

When I researched the tritanium gear for dogs and started comparing it with what it was, I found a small joint. (...)

Yep, it's a bug. Thanks, fixed.

I would like to discuss early game difficulty and Church of Dagon.
After my fourth playthrough i realized that they are the hardest starting enemy by far. Red Dawn still being the easiest, even with the armoured car suprise outside their HQ.

This very sentence is so directly contrary to 95% of my feedback that I'm not going to address this at all.
I totally understand your arguement and I believe you, but people are pretty uniformly massacred by Red Dawn more than anything else, while Dagon is considered more to be a painful nuisance. I guess you have some unique playstyle which produces this, let's say it, downright bizarre experience. But that's good! It would be boring otherwise.

[Mrvex]

I totally understand your arguement and I believe you, but people are pretty uniformly massacred by Red Dawn more than anything else,

I am really baffled   

What Red Dawn doesnt have

- Psionics
- Energy (Laser/Plasma/Electric) weapons.
- Alien troops
- Massed numbers
- Heavily armoured units, even the top dogs can be killed with standard equipment, armoured cars only spawn in one mission.
- Doesnt have any special missions with them like Rituals or EXALT raiding a VIP house. Only the durathread factory, which contains essential tech anyway and wont appear again once you solve it.
- No stealh units like ninjas, no bonus night vision like dagon cultists
- Non of their missions are sanity draining, meaning you can take your sweet time in them.

And they also have the easiest HQ still by far. Outside of the armoured cars who are indeed dangerous the rest of the map boils down to two guys standing with Katanas or other melee weapons at the entrance, by the walls on each side so whenever anyone comes out he will spot them the moment they can attack him.
Put third guy above the entrance with a shotgun and then just skip turns.
Once 30-40 corpses pile at the entrance then rest will just surrender.

So i ask other guys, what makes Red Dawn so dangerous when compared to other cults ?! Like i guess that they have sniper rifles and weapons with long range capabilties could be one factor i see.