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

[Mrvex]

I have the Ospey, but it's range sucks. To use it, I would need multiple bases with multiple attack squads. No, thanks, too much effort. I do not want to work even harder, I want to enjoy the game (well, the mod, really).
To get Promotion III, I need to take the HQ of the faction. Without Tritanium, that I just starter researching, it's just gonna turn into endless savescuming session.

Again, Solarius, this is not an insult aimed at you, I really like your work, I'm just tired of the same combat. It's not as fun as it was 15 years ago.

Starting over is a good idea and place your base in Greece or the UK (Best overall coverage against Red Dawn, Dagon and Lotus, Exalt might be harder), you must take out a HQ and Red Dawn is still the easiest HQ to solve because it can be extremely cheaply solved. The only challenge are the armoured cars outside but these can be eradicated with miniguns, incendiary weapons and high explosives and then you just need 2 dudes with melee weapons camping the entrance + one dude above it with a shotgun or SMG. Then just click and pass turns as Red Dawn troops walk, one by one through the one title entrance to get slaughtered by choppas or bullet between their eyes. Once you have + 30 - 45 bodies on the same spot, the rest will surrender and you solved a mission with 0 casualties (unless AC's managed to kill someone with their machineguns).

With base in Greece, its possible to reach Red Dawn's HQ with Osprey, though with my simple trick you wont need that many soldiers since only 2-3 will do the heavy lifting while others are there only to fight the armoured cars at the start.

[Mitra Lightbringer]

My base is is Albania, so kinda there. I think you think I am inexperienced, and that is why I don't want challenge, but I finished TFTD when I was a kid and did not speak english, alnong with every clone I got my hands on, so I know how to play it, I just don't find combat fun anymore. What I do like is a story, cool gadgets, enemy factions, mission types, etc. of THIS mod. In short, i love this mod DESPITE the game.
Anyhow, starting over isn't really on the table, as I spent considerable time on this, and replaying it would just be wasting it. I might cheat and remove the warning once. I have 2 more bases in construction anyway, so maybe it is salvageable.
I threw in a save if someone needs it, for some reason, not sure.

[the nomad]

My base is is Albania, so kinda there. I think you think I am inexperienced, and that is why I don't want challenge, but I finished TFTD when I was a kid and did not speak english, alnong with every clone I got my hands on, so I know how to play it, I just don't find combat fun anymore. What I do like is a story, cool gadgets, enemy factions, mission types, etc. of THIS mod. In short, i love this mod DESPITE the game.
Anyhow, starting over isn't really on the table, as I spent considerable time on this, and replaying it would just be wasting it. I might cheat and remove the warning once. I have 2 more bases in construction anyway, so maybe it is salvageable.
I threw in a save if someone needs it, for some reason, not sure.

You seem to be in a normal state for that time research and progress-wise actually, but as said you will need at least two bases with more or less good soldiers with Ospreys or Dragonflys to be able to progress so you can reach any mission in the map. Yes, there is grind in the mod (like the original UFO defense actually) but it got enough variety to make me not feel it, I guess it comes down to personal likes in the end.

I get what you mean by liking the mod despite the mod though lol, I have the same feelings with Long War of X-Com Enemy Within. It is great for content, challenge etc. but some aspects do not feel fair for me so I keep getting frustrated midgame, and I just don't like restarting and do all the things yet again but it adds a lot that I can't turn back to vanilla too. I give it a couple months at least to recharge to restart if I want to by that time.

[Bonakva]

I’ll just voice an idea that I’ve been thinking for a long time.
I would like to see different colors of the armor by analogy with the jumpsuit. Relatively speaking, different soldiers should be given different colors. Medic - white, assault - red, etc.
In order not to expand ufopedia with new pages, you can simply make a note that the armor has different colors. The gameplay does not change much from this, but it's nice to see that the soldiers are individual.
Repainting the armor doesn't seem to be difficult. I already did something similar for myself, repainted the armor, after several hundred battles I got tired of the blue color. But I didn’t master it so that the armor had different colors, as it was done with the jumpsuit... I got confused in the code...
Solarius Scorch, what do you think of this?

[Solarius Scorch]

I’ll just voice an idea that I’ve been thinking for a long time.
I would like to see different colors of the armor by analogy with the jumpsuit. Relatively speaking, different soldiers should be given different colors. Medic - white, assault - red, etc.
In order not to expand ufopedia with new pages, you can simply make a note that the armor has different colors. The gameplay does not change much from this, but it's nice to see that the soldiers are individual.
Repainting the armor doesn't seem to be difficult. I already did something similar for myself, repainted the armor, after several hundred battles I got tired of the blue color. But I didn’t master it so that the armor had different colors, as it was done with the jumpsuit... I got confused in the code...
Solarius Scorch, what do you think of this?

It would require making the resources and coding them, which is pretty thankless work, but it's totally doable and I don't think it would be inappropriate or anything.

[Empiro]

My base is is Albania, so kinda there. I think you think I am inexperienced, and that is why I don't want challenge, but I finished TFTD when I was a kid and did not speak english, alnong with every clone I got my hands on, so I know how to play it, I just don't find combat fun anymore. What I do like is a story, cool gadgets, enemy factions, mission types, etc. of THIS mod. In short, i love this mod DESPITE the game.
Anyhow, starting over isn't really on the table, as I spent considerable time on this, and replaying it would just be wasting it. I might cheat and remove the warning once. I have 2 more bases in construction anyway, so maybe it is salvageable.
I threw in a save if someone needs it, for some reason, not sure.

I took a look at your save, and I'd recommend a restart, though you can recover in X-Com from almost any setback. Definitely take a break if you need to -- I usually take a 1 year break between coming back to X-Com.

You absolutely need multiple bases in this game, and you'll want them early. There is just too much to research and too much to manufacture to get through without them. Note that you don't need to keep a full complement in each base -- just hangers, storage, living quarters, gym, and 10 soldiers to handle the easy stuff. Keep an extra hanger open at smaller bases. You can load up the Osprey at the main base, and then transfer the whole thing over. It works well for the Cult bases and HQ since those stick around for a while. The dragonfly can handle local stuff (e.g. Outposts for easy money).

Extra bases also let you build out more Labs and get more Scientists. While Scientists are expensive, in the long run they make you money. You can research all the cheap weapons and prisoners for points. Points early on means that the funding increase carries forward for your entire game.

The critical research before 1999: Promo III, Radar, Interceptor, Stingray, Kitsune. Try your best to get Personal Armor (or even Cyber Armor, which is the armor you'll be using for a very long time). That requires a bit of luck -- capturing a live alien in a UFO landing, but it looks like in your save, you've already got what you need.

I'm surprised you don't have Kitsune though. I'm not sure what triggers it (you get a notification of Lost Alien Ship Data), but getting the Kitsune means that you basically have worldwide transport range (and in a ship that is both fast and can defend itself). That's why getting the Skyranger / Skymarshall isn't critical before 1999.

[Bonakva]

Is there any way to look at the base modules? I don't want to wait for an attack on the base just to find out that my layout is shit ...

I also want to see how different modules look like))

[Mrvex]

Kitsune is a god tier vehicle and getting it should be a priority, it can fly anywhere, it can fly to space, it carries sufficient amount of troops and can even carry 2 tanks. Its also your only high capacity transport that can fight back if intercepted until late game (even if its not as durable). And what really sucks is when your Skyrmarshall gets intercepted by a small UFO and you get to watch 30 seconds of the UFO paper cutting it to death.

[Mathel]

Is there any way to look at the base modules? I don't want to wait for an attack on the base just to find out that my layout is shit ...

I also want to see how different modules look like))

I do not think there is any way to selectively look at battlemap of base modules.
What I remember, for a good defensive layout, you want to have hangars and the access lift (Enemies spawn there) separated from the rest of the base by as short line possible, and the modules next to them be living quarters and stores (where you spawn).

[Mrvex]

Is there any way to look at the base modules? I don't want to wait for an attack on the base just to find out that my layout is shit ...

I also want to see how different modules look like))

Its rather simple, Hangar and access lift are the only places enemy can enter from so for maximum killing field capacity, have one building connect all the essential facilities. If enemies land, they will have to run through one chokepoint to get to the rest of the base. At that point, just arm everyone with rocket launchers and miniguns, grenades and other heavy weapons and simply strafe from cover, pop a shot  and strafe back as enemies are forced to cram in to a one corridor.

[JustTheDude/CABSHEP]

That is a really, really bad layout. One unfortunate explosion in that general stores and every facility besides hangars will be destroyed.

[ohartenstein23]

That is a really, really bad layout. One unfortunate explosion in that general stores and every facility besides hangars will be destroyed.

Unless the map has been modified from UFO, general stores and living quarters cannot be destroyed during base defenses.

[Bonakva]

In a vanilla game, general stores are one of those modules that cannot be broken.
I have no idea if it is in the X-files. But I hope so

[Solarius Scorch]

In a vanilla game, general stores are one of those modules that cannot be broken.
I have no idea if it is in the X-files. But I hope so

I haven't changed that, so should be fine.

Still, I personally wouldn't like to use this layout... One path of assault is not enough for me.

[Mitra Lightbringer]

Still, I personally wouldn't like to use this layout... One path of assault is not enough for me.

Just slap the drone bay next to the warehouse.