Author Topic: Re: The X-Com Files - 3.5: Whispers In The Dark  (Read 2496222 times)

Offline hipsu

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4125 on: March 31, 2021, 01:14:02 pm »
Do we even still need this? Most arcs are now complete...

I for one appreciate the Progress-o-meter very much. I'm quite new to this mode and it gives a good idea of the progress of this mod. I wish X-piratez had a similar roadmap somewhere.

Hmmm...I'm sorry, but I don't know what that means.  I searched around a bit, but couldn't figure it out.  I'm a bit of an amateur at this.

It's in the original post of this thread.

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4126 on: March 31, 2021, 01:42:13 pm »
Do the changes to alien embassies now mean it's impossible to reclaim lost countries? I'd be a bit sad if that was no longer possible.

Yes, it was never a good idea. X-Com doesn't have the political power to decide who countries are allied with, base or no base.

Congratulations on new version!

Thank you!

Uh, okay then, I guess everyone has a different opinion. Since I've been playing this mod for... How long has it been, 5 years already? The point is that I know which gear is best and thus rush for certain items ASAP.

But I've heard the opposite from veterans, for example Starving Poet :)

Just like you said, everyone has a different opinion.

What about the classic Doom armor model then? Since all of the UAC stuff is around already, and it's a thing in Piratez, perhaps you can port it as special armor of sorts.

Well we could, sure, but I don't see the idea behind it.

You mean, besides all of the aliens already a thing since forever?  :)



But seriously, Mrvex has already summarized it nicely: the aliens right now are just extended vanilla. Consider it a big placeholder. I want to make their activity more structured and less random. (People are complaining that later game is just too vanilla, and I feel more can be done here.)

At the very least I need to introduce another key location which will replace the ass-pulled Ethereal Commander currently required for accessing the Moon missions. (Right now I'm planning
Spoiler:
a big space station
...)

Special weapons you unlock after researching the "Revived Weapons" Topic, of variable usefulness, as you need to be Promotion 2 minimum to get the first one to unlock. After you do so, you can buy them as usual. I dunno if cultists use them.

Cultists don't use them, or at least I think they don't.

That reminds me: Does researching the "'x weapon' Acquisition" research topics give you any points for scoring purposes? They only take one day usually, since it's mostly taking care of the red tape, but the game still counts them as research topics.

Yes, but very little (often just 1 point).

alien arc is almost vanilla when i brought up the complain about the RNG, capture rullet being quite boring and infuriating thing that ruins the gradual progression of gear that was somewhat consistent throughout the game. And this is probably my only largest gripe with the mod that mid to late game isnt as fun as the early game.

(...)

Alot of the tech are also chain-linked to each other or through advanced laboratory, so even if you unlocked 4 of them, you wont be able to make them till you unlock another techs to be able to make the laboratory. This leads to mass-gear unlock which instantly starts to render each other obsolete because the moment you finish the research, its direct upgrade shows up. I have yet to get powerarmour AND not get Juggernaut after the research is done, the only reason to ever make powerarmour would be economic, but usually by the time you can make juggernaut armour, you wont have a shortage of aqua plastics.

TBH this is not directly related to the alien arc, but point taken.

I don't know how to improve this situation yet. It's something to work out.


Offline Mrvex

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4127 on: March 31, 2021, 04:27:05 pm »


TBH this is not directly related to the alien arc, but point taken.

I don't know how to improve this situation yet. It's something to work out.

A placeholder of a placeholder would be to have some sort of Alien base raids that spawn overtime and work sort as MiB bases (so until cleared, they will stay) that are hard af but gives you a data slate that gives you the tech. So you can attempt these at any time but trying to storm it with tactical suits will be a nightmarish fight. So you can still do it, kill like 30-40 sectoids and few cyberdisks but most of your A team is dead. So you can buy succes...with blood.
And game would tell you this is like "Anti-Matter testing facility" so you know what will you get when you get there.

Tying this to climaxes of story arcs would be good if you can justify it somewhat (which might be the hard part, since some factions have no connection to alien tech) like raiding Syndicate HQ would get you elerium batteries tech they stole from MAGMA reactor or something like that. MAGMA could then offer you merchandise if you dont tell the council, or you can rattle them out for council points that they got their hands on alien tech even before XCOM. But thats beside the main point.


Offline Kidd

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4128 on: March 31, 2021, 07:34:53 pm »
I for one appreciate the Progress-o-meter very much. I'm quite new to this mode and it gives a good idea of the progress of this mod. I wish X-piratez had a similar roadmap somewhere.

It's in the original post of this thread.

Ah, of course.  Thanks, hipsu....I thought it was something in the options menu within the game itself.  Sheesh. ::)

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4129 on: April 02, 2021, 11:51:52 am »
A placeholder of a placeholder would be to have some sort of Alien base raids that spawn overtime and work sort as MiB bases (so until cleared, they will stay) that are hard af but gives you a data slate that gives you the tech. So you can attempt these at any time but trying to storm it with tactical suits will be a nightmarish fight. So you can still do it, kill like 30-40 sectoids and few cyberdisks but most of your A team is dead. So you can buy succes...with blood.
And game would tell you this is like "Anti-Matter testing facility" so you know what will you get when you get there.

It's not easy to find the right threat level... But it's no excuse for not trying!

Tying this to climaxes of story arcs would be good if you can justify it somewhat (which might be the hard part, since some factions have no connection to alien tech) like raiding Syndicate HQ would get you elerium batteries tech they stole from MAGMA reactor or something like that. MAGMA could then offer you merchandise if you dont tell the council, or you can rattle them out for council points that they got their hands on alien tech even before XCOM. But thats beside the main point.

Yeah, that's more or less what I want to do. I just need to conceptualize it.

Ah, of course.  Thanks, hipsu....I thought it was something in the options menu within the game itself.  Sheesh. ::)

Well it sorta does, in the form of research progress display :)

Offline krautbernd

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4130 on: April 03, 2021, 02:56:02 pm »
Yes, it was never a good idea. X-Com doesn't have the political power to decide who countries are allied with, base or no base.

Sorry to chime in on this, but that seems like cop-out, seeing how X-Com grows from a niche-organisation numbering a handful of people to single-handedly saving humanity multiple times in a span of, what five to seven years? Not only do you go toe to toe with ancient and modern cults and their leaders, among them an alien would-be goddess (and an invisible ninja master who wields a magical katana), the nuclear armed russian mafia, worshippers of the literal Deep Ones and a shady organization that peddles an alien drug.

No, later on X-Com actually defeats said the Deep Ones, exterminates a plague of genetically modified monsters, tracks down and destroys an interdimensional battleship and it's creators as well as entering what can only be described as a stargate and establishes an extradimensional outpost. Also, Zombies. Like, all of them. As well as that one xeno-biologically monstrosity that can assimilate and morph into all other biologically entities which would probably end life on this planet as we know it. While being at it, X-Com also dismantles a planet-spanning network of alien-human hybrids and recruits them to their cause.

X-Com also reverse-engineers alien technology and friggin' magic as well as defeating the god-aliens that control all the other aliens.

Somewhere in-between X-Com also discovers that the earth is actually hollow (well kind of), invades it, allies with a faction inhabiting it and thwarts the alien's plans to take over inner earth as well. Oh, ghost and demons are also real, an can be killed.


So, X-Com manages to pull all of that off, but somehow can't blackmail, overthrow or have countries intervene on their behalf when a rogue state allies itself with an alien threat? So X-Com is somehow less capable than the United Fruit Company?

I mean, come on, all it would take is enough PR and a vested interest (oil, weapons of mass destructions, etc.). I don't see why X-Com - which becomes practically the authority regarding paranormal threats - should be unable to pull that off.

Lore aside, I find your decision a bit baffling to be honest, seeing how the feature was probably among the most requested ones for OXCE. Is this really about preventing X-Com to win back countries or about how to implement that feature in a meaningful way that is not over-complicated?


« Last Edit: April 03, 2021, 02:57:57 pm by krautbernd »

Offline HT

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4131 on: April 03, 2021, 08:00:06 pm »

So, X-Com manages to pull all of that off, but somehow can't blackmail, overthrow or have countries intervene on their behalf when a rogue state allies itself with an alien threat? So X-Com is somehow less capable than the United Fruit Company?


How would that be implemented gameplay-wise? Besides that bit about winning back countries, I dunno what else could be done. You can already give the keys to energy monopoly to a shady organization, for what's worth. As for not having real political power... Because the Masquerade must be kept (TM).
Don't mind the fact said media blackout would fail the moment the aliens start doing terror missions. Or when selling hi-tech weapons to the black market.  ;)

Offline krautbernd

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4132 on: April 04, 2021, 01:30:23 pm »
How would that be implemented gameplay-wise? Besides that bit about winning back countries[...]
But that's what I am asking - is this about X-Com being impotent in that single area or is this about implementation?


Offline JustTheDude/CABSHEP

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4133 on: April 04, 2021, 05:52:57 pm »
United Fruit Company is just that, a company with a lot of cash, it outgrew goverment that it resided, then basically became government via bribes and brute force of mercenaries which also requires money. They don't have anyone above them and have nothing to lose if caught doing something naughty, they can just throw more cash at it.

X-COM is still an organisation under Council of Nations and even after doing such heroic feats, they didn't outgrew the Council that ultimately funds it and does much of the paperwork, even during the alien invasion, it isn't all out open war.

X-COM has a lot to lose if it would involve itself with shady stuff. Its not like in Apocalypse, that X-COM basically is just another private company and can go against the city itself, while allying with criminal organisations and such.

Even if X-COM could do that without Council shutting them down immediately, what leverage it has to influence countries that already signed the pact with Aliens?
They stop shutting down UFO's and respond to any cases on their soil? Thats nothing, signing the path gives them (in terms of lore, gameplay might not show it) temporary immunity from city attacks as aliens want to show other countries that signing the pact will help them reduce casualities.
Bribes? X-COM doesn't have enough money, couple of millions of dollars is nothing, even in 2000's where they hold more value.
"Pretty eyes", by which I mean bragging about saving the world? Doesn't sound like it would help.
What else can they do for a country to resign from the signed pact?
The only thing I can think of is a false flag operation where X-COM starts murdering civilians in cities in disguise just as aliens did before signing the pact. Probably by sending squads of X-COM hybrids, maybe even dropping captured chryssalids and others. This would in turn force nation to resign and come back to beg X-COM for help.
Sounds like interesting mission from gameplay perspective, using only hybrids with intention to kill civilians, local police force and original aliens who would now try to defend the city.

« Last Edit: April 04, 2021, 05:54:31 pm by JustTheDude »

Offline krautbernd

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4134 on: April 04, 2021, 08:15:50 pm »
United Fruit Company is just that, a company with a lot of cash, it outgrew goverment that it resided, then basically became government via bribes and brute force of mercenaries which also requires money. They don't have anyone above them and have nothing to lose if caught doing something naughty, they can just throw more cash at it.

I am not talking about the actions UFC took in Guatemala, I am talking about the UFC convincing the US governement to intervene on their behalf in Guatemela, toppling a democratically elected government.

X-COM is still an organisation under Council of Nations and even after doing such heroic feats, they didn't outgrew the Council that ultimately funds it and does much of the paperwork, even during the alien invasion, it isn't all out open war. X-COM has a lot to lose if it would involve itself with shady stuff. Its not like in Apocalypse[...]

Nor does it have to be - there are other ways that the council or any number of countries could use to undermine rogue nations. Do you know how many coups the CIA organized on behalf of the US government? No need for all out war. Just undermine trust in the current government and support groups that want to fight the aliens instead. Just one of many example how this could work out lore-wise.

X-Com already does a lot of 'shady stuff' that the council isn't happy about, curiously enough none of that is enough to out-right shut down the project. Why should bringing a country 'back into the fold' be any different? After all, that would be of global interest - unlike handing over alien technology to MAGMA for example. I am not stating that their shouldn't be any repercussions either, but why of all things should this be 'impossible' to pull off?

Even if X-COM could do that without Council shutting them down immediately, what leverage it has to influence countries that already signed the pact with Aliens[...]

Again, why should the council shut them down when they don't do so in any other case of X-Com 'doing shady stuff', see above. I can think of a number of ways the aliens and rogue governments could be undermined either by X-Com or by other countries.

Bribes? X-COM doesn't have enough money, couple of millions of dollars is nothing, even in 2000's where they hold more value.

Oh please, now your just grasping at straws and you know it. Neither the budget nor the costs of items in-game has any real-world connection, nor is the only that X-Com has to offer money. Of course X-Com could bribe government officials, but it would probably be more low key to simply sway public oppinion (like UFC did) to force a favourable outcome.

"Pretty eyes", by which I mean bragging about saving the world? Doesn't sound like it would help.

Remind me again how X-Com even got into this position in the first place? Oh right, by demonstrating that:

a) there is an actual paranormal threat
b) X-Com is humanity's best hope at dealing with it, if only they can be granted more operational authority (i.e. Promotions)
c) it is in the founding nations best interest to listen to and act on X-Com's advice (e.g. deal with minor cult outposts, monsters etc after X-Com supplis said countries with information)

Quote
The only thing I can think of is a false flag operation where X-COM starts murdering civilians in cities in disguise just as aliens did before signing the pact[...]

That would be one way of dealing with the threat. Another could be to assassinate or blackmail government officials in said state and force them to break the pact. X-Com could use Hybrids to impersonate/'replace' key public figures (mind-control, impersonatron etc.). X-Com could influence public oppinion - seeing how we already have mind-altering drugs, chemtrails etc. Maybe call up or Hybrid buddies and 'arange' it so the chemtrail-fluid that's sprayed there is replaced by other chemicals?

X-Com doesn't even have to be directly involved. They could also demonstrate to other countries that it would be in their own interest to topple/undermine a rogue nation. Let others do their dirty work for a change. Given the amount of useful information X-Com has so far provided (and, again, goes on to save humanity multiple times) I would find it outright unrealistic that this should be something the organization should be unable to pull off, seeing how it would be of global interest to prevent rogue nations from allying themselves with the alien threat.

'Oh hey, council of (still) founding nations? That country that just resigned from the project? They are being influenced/have been forced to do this/their government officals have been replaced by a very real and very terrible threat which poses immediate global danger. Here is the evidence for that. Unfortunately we don't have the means or authority to intervene on that level, but it would be in your best interest to *ahem* do something about that, thanks'

X-Com could either recover enough reliable information (either from governmant officials, alien bases, etc) or outright fabricate it - with according risks/repercussions (e.g. random events where somebody found out about x-com making stuff up and blackmailing them in return for staying silent).
« Last Edit: April 04, 2021, 08:39:34 pm by krautbernd »

Offline JustTheDude/CABSHEP

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4135 on: April 04, 2021, 10:38:07 pm »
I am not talking about the actions UFC took in Guatemala, I am talking about the UFC convincing the US governement to intervene on their behalf in Guatemela, toppling a democratically elected government.

Lets not forget that those things take years to pull off even with "indirect" threat being present. Then it was commies, now its aliens. By the time the political machine would move its gears, X-COM would land on the Mars and deal with aliens once and for all.

Nor does it have to be - there are other ways that the council or any number of countries could use to undermine rogue nations. Do you know how many coups the CIA organized on behalf of the US government? No need for all out war. Just undermine trust in the current government and support groups that want to fight the aliens instead. Just one of many example how this could work out lore-wise.

X-Com already does a lot of 'shady stuff' that the council isn't happy about, curiously enough none of that is enough to out-right shut down the project. Why should bringing a country 'back into the fold' be any different? After all, that would be of global interest - unlike handing over alien technology to MAGMA for example. I am not stating that their shouldn't be any repercussions either, but why of all things should this be 'impossible' to pull off?

Rogue to X-COM, not rogue to Council. Lets not forget the same Council also funds Men in Black.
And again, it takes time. Its not a flick of a finger to undermine trust in the current goverment and support groups that want to fight the aliens instead and then stage the coup. Also in terms of a gameplay, it would be some kind of ridiculous ping-pong where goverment of certain nations is being replaced every few months.

There is also a public opinion to be taken into consideration. The second the pact with aliens is signed, we can safely assume lore-wise all directly harmfull alien activity on that nation's soil is ceased. How many people would want to get back into regular city purges?
How much time it requires to create underground ressistance? How much time it requires to gather enough willing alien fighters? Too much in my opinion for the option to be feasable for X-COM at the point that we discuss it, which is "saving" the world couple times, it has to be like 2002-2003 already.


Again, why should the council shut them down when they don't do so in any other case of X-Com 'doing shady stuff', see above. I can think of a number of ways the aliens and rogue governments could be undermined either by X-Com or by other countries.


There is difference between certain kinds of "shady" activity. Handing over alien tech to MAGMA is just giving the toys that many other organisations already have in order to gain adventage against invaders. Blackmailing, assasinations, false flag operations, all of that to force sovereign nation to break the signed pact causing another countless number of dead in city purges isn't any better than what cults were doing.


Oh please, now your just grasping at straws and you know it. Neither the budget nor the costs of items in-game has any real-world connection, nor is the only that X-Com has to offer money. Of course X-Com could bribe government officials, but it would probably be more low key to simply sway public oppinion (like UFC did) to force a favourable outcome.


No, it was just one of the ways I could think of that you possibly could achieve something like that.
Budget and the costs of items have that connection, or don't have, it all depends on what mod creator says. As we don't operate on abstract "credits", but on simple dollars, I don't see why they can't have.

And again, this also takes time. Especially swaying public opinion, how hard could it be to convice entire nation against a pact that grants them safety? How money do you have to throw at officials, politicians and individuals for them to accept regular city purges?
How much money it takes to bribe mind-controlled person?


Remind me again how X-Com even got into this position in the first place? Oh right, by demonstrating that:

a) there is an actual paranormal threat
b) X-Com is humanity's best hope at dealing with it, if only they can be granted more operational authority (i.e. Promotions)
c) it is in the founding nations best interest to listen to and act on X-Com's advice (e.g. deal with minor cult outposts, monsters etc after X-Com supplis said countries with information)


a) Sure.
b) Best hope, but not the only one. And even then as a "best" hope they give Council the evidence that they are fighting the losing war. Flying to Cydonia is the only way to win it. Before X-COM (and thus Council) gets that information, they think that there is nothing you can do but to delay what will have to come eventually in few years.
c) After accquiring this (Cydonia) information its still like a roll of dice if squad sent to Cydonia will be able to go trough and end the mission successfully. In any other way cooperating with aliens actually gives a solid chance of lesser harm being done than fighting to the end.
It surerly isn't a scenario of "fight, or die".


That would be one way of dealing with the threat. Another could be to assassinate or blackmail government officials in said state and force them to break the pact. X-Com could use Hybrids to impersonate/'replace' key public figures (mind-control, impersonatron etc.). X-Com could influence public oppinion - seeing how we already have mind-altering drugs, chemtrails etc. Maybe call up or Hybrid buddies and 'arange' it so the chemtrail-fluid that's sprayed there is replaced by other chemicals?

X-Com doesn't even have to be directly involved. They could also demonstrate to other countries that it would be in their own interest to topple/undermine a rogue nation. Let others do their dirty work for a change. Given the amount of useful information X-Com has so far provided (and, again, goes on to save humanity multiple times) I would find it outright unrealistic that this should be something the organization should be unable to pull off, seeing how it would be of global interest to prevent rogue nations from allying themselves with the alien threat.

'Oh hey, council of (still) founding nations? That country that just resigned from the project? They are being influenced/have been forced to do this/their government officals have been replaced by a very real and very terrible threat which poses immediate global danger. Here is the evidence for that. Unfortunately we don't have the means or authority to intervene on that level, but it would be in your best interest to *ahem* do something about that, thanks'

X-Com could either recover enough reliable information (either from governmant officials, alien bases, etc) or outright fabricate it - with according risks/repercussions (e.g. random events where somebody found out about x-com making stuff up and blackmailing them in return for staying silent).


Surerly assasinating Council officials that decided to sign the pact with aliens would be rather stupid. What would other Council Members think of X-COM? They would be pretty much held hostage by the sole organisation they created and fund. Faced with two options: Stay with X-COM and hope that they find a way to win this losing war and when they do, hope their suicide mission to Mars will be successfull, or get killed by the same X-COM if you want to cooperate with aliens to reduce civilian casualities and maybe even still keep your position.
This isn't giving alien tech to MAGMA for adventage against invaders, its literally keeping Council of Nations hostage and money extortion scheme and then murdering those who go against X-COM. (To think of it, if anything, this should happen in some kind of "evil" path that can be choosen fairly early during the game)

How to blackmail, or bribe someone who is under mind-controll?

With the stuff proposed for X-COM to do, in which way would they be better than aliens at this point? We don't want aliens around, because they mind-controll us, murder those who they don't like, bribe and blackmail others. Sixth invader would be X-COM themselfs.

Saving humanity multiple times means nothing when there is still yet another threat that X-COM can't deal with. And as mentioned before, Council knows that X-COM is fighting a losing war with aliens from Mars.
And by that it requires to look at it from the outside of box. Not as an X-COM commander, but as Council of Nations member.

Its not like nation that resigned from the project had to be mind-controlled and would never do that if they wouldn't be.
Without murderous X-COM, each nation has two ways to deal with invading Ethernals. Either help X-COM and hope they can do something, or sign a pact and possibly get spared alongside your people.
What causes a nation to resign from the project? X-COM inability to deal with threats on their soil. So for a nation to drop the project it requires for them to completly lose the faith in X-COM. To drop the pact with aliens it requires for them to completly lose the faith in being spared by aliens.

Blackmailing, bribes, assasinations, nothing like that will bring back faith in X-COM, what X-COM, or whole rest of the Council of Nations can potentially do to a nation is less scarier than what aliens could. Thats why X-COM shouldn't do such things (unless we go with "evil" path).
Cydonia is quick and easy solution to nations resigning from the project.

In the end and in short: At the point where X-COM could gain the resources, information and political power to do such things (that would be ineffective anyway, unless it would be mentioned before false-flag operations), they already should fly into Cydonia.

Offline Fomka

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4136 on: April 04, 2021, 11:23:02 pm »
Sorry for interruption of your dialogue about X-COM geopolitical abilities, but which organizations did you mean under
...the nuclear armed russian mafia... and a shady organization that peddles an alien drug
?
Red Dawn? But it has no access to nukes, as far as I understood.

Offline krautbernd

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4137 on: April 05, 2021, 09:44:21 am »
Sorry for interruption of your dialogue about X-COM geopolitical abilities, but which organizations did you mean under ?
Red Dawn? But it has no access to nukes, as far as I understood.
Unless I am misremembering things or something has changed recently the Red Dawn HQ raid is under a time limit because of an armed nuclear device.

Edit: Seems I was indeed misremembering things. I could have sworn one of the bases/bunkers had a time limit. So just regular Mafia then :P
« Last Edit: April 05, 2021, 10:01:13 am by krautbernd »

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4138 on: April 07, 2021, 08:15:15 pm »
Sorry to chime in on this, but that seems like cop-out, seeing how X-Com grows from a niche-organisation numbering a handful of people to single-handedly saving humanity multiple times in a span of, what five to seven years? Not only do you go toe to toe with ancient and modern cults and their leaders, among them an alien would-be goddess (and an invisible ninja master who wields a magical katana), the nuclear armed russian mafia, worshippers of the literal Deep Ones and a shady organization that peddles an alien drug.

My man. A "cop-out" is an excuse to not do work, and nothing else. Therefore, it is a very unsuitable word to describe this situation, seeing as I had to put in work here to achieve this change. Therre is nothing whatsoever I could gain out of this in terms of effort saving, quite the opposite.

Yes, X-Com encounters and defeats many powerful institutions. Regardless, I would like you to think again about how these things work. I've always considered the previous situation to be quite far-fetched, and I also received complaints from people who understood it like I did. Disabliong this mechanic was a relief borne of the feeling of correcting an obvious mistake.

No, later on X-Com actually defeats said the Deep Ones, exterminates a plague of genetically modified monsters, tracks down and destroys an interdimensional battleship and it's creators as well as entering what can only be described as a stargate and establishes an extradimensional outpost. Also, Zombies. Like, all of them. As well as that one xeno-biologically monstrosity that can assimilate and morph into all other biologically entities which would probably end life on this planet as we know it. While being at it, X-Com also dismantles a planet-spanning network of alien-human hybrids and recruits them to their cause.

(...)

Going by this logic, Skorzenny should've been the Führer by 1944. Really, let's just drop this.

So, X-Com manages to pull all of that off, but somehow can't blackmail, overthrow or have countries intervene on their behalf when a rogue state allies itself with an alien threat? So X-Com is somehow less capable than the United Fruit Company?

Let's not take a banana republic as an example, shall we?

I mean, come on, all it would take is enough PR and a vested interest (oil, weapons of mass destructions, etc.). I don't see why X-Com - which becomes practically the authority regarding paranormal threats - should be unable to pull that off.

Sorry, but I really don't think you understand what you're talking about. Or rather, you got carried away here...

Lore aside, I find your decision a bit baffling to be honest, seeing how the feature was probably among the most requested ones for OXCE. Is this really about preventing X-Com to win back countries or about how to implement that feature in a meaningful way that is not over-complicated?

It was requested? Well not by me. I can't see how it would make any sense in a standard X-Com game, expanded or not.

Admittedly I haven't provided enough info on the lore yet, which is totally my fault. I am now preparing to improve the situation. Nevertheless, let's try to be realistic.

This aside, let me announce that a fix release 1.8b is out.
- Added Council of Earth research.
- Minor rebalance of knives.
- Mines damage TUs.
- Smoke grenades available earlier.
- Fire Extinguisher has smaller radius.
- Handcuffs are now 1x1 (bigob by Chronocide Commando).
- Added autopsy pictures of Ooze and Giant Beetle.
- Fixed a crash on Coelacanth ammo article.
- Fixed the Scorpoid Palace terrain.
- Fixes to some movement costs.
- Assault Suit under armor value fix.

Offline Mathel

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Re: The X-Com Files - 1.8: The Shores of Hell
« Reply #4139 on: April 08, 2021, 08:30:51 am »
I see how getting a country back would work in an X-COM game.

It depends on whether the defection was caused by threats of mind control.
If it was threats, then it would be impossible to get them back.

If it was mind control, then it would be possible.

However, X-Com would not know which it is. So it would basicaly have to abduct the council member and hope it is mind control.
This would obviously upset the council, no matter if it was mind control or not. (A point penalty so large, that even in late game it would be difficult, but not impossible, to still be in positive that month).
Killing the council member would be much worse, obviously.

Once captured, you could research them and it would either turn out they were threatened by the aliens, just losing you more points, or they were MC'd, giving you the funding back (but no points).

You could only do this once per country, of course.


Since none of the alien missions explicitly state the possiblility of mind control, I guess they just threaten the councillor in XCF.