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

[tarkalak]

Is it just my imaginations or some enemies can now kneel?

[Xolvix]

Is it just my imaginations or some enemies can now kneel?

It's a feature of OpenXCOM Extended. I'm not sure if mods need to have it enabled or not though.

[tarkalak]

It's a feature of OpenXCOM Extended. I'm not sure if mods need to have it enabled or not though.

I haven't played in about an year and a half. So I was wondering if I am hallucinating. You probably need to tell for each unit if it can kneel or not.

[Yankes]

It's a feature of OpenXCOM Extended. I'm not sure if mods need to have it enabled or not though.

Mod need to enable it, as kneeling require dedicated graphic, and without it you will only see glitches.
Probably only case where this work from out-of-box is MC where your soldier get MC and then kneel to aim and shoot his friend :>

[Alex_D]

I haven't played in about an year and a half. So I was wondering if I am hallucinating. You probably need to tell for each unit if it can kneel or not.

No you aren't hallucinating. Enemy units now can kneel during their turn.
Which leads to this "risqué" capture (pun intended). 

[Thunderwing280]

How is melee accuracy calculated when you select a weapon to use, does it account for any negating stats the enemy has?

[Juku121]

I think I'll reply here, because it's mostly not bugs per se.

Points accepted on the bows, but this game is not that conductive for fine details regarding archery. Simplifications have been made.

Yeah, I personally have no problems with your bow abstraction. I just had to comment.

To be honest, I've just found the damn things near-useless, but I guess that's pretty realistic. No modern military runs around with these, and for good reason. People who could get muskets dropped any bow they had real quick.

S&W M610 has a longer range because it's a bit weaker, and the Magnum is already too much of a no-brainer for many people.

DE is not .50, because it would be identical to Magnum.

I'm sure HelmetHair will be cross with me, but...

Spoiler"Revolvers, oh my":

Regarding revolvers, handgun ballistics don't really work that way. Both 10mm and .44 are relatively big and heavy, but 10mm has lower velocity and is a semiauto round (well, a magnum round made into a semiauto one), which means it must accommodate some compromises pure revolver rounds do not. Big bad revolvers have always had both range and power over automatics, even if said auto round is put back into a revolver.

What they don't have is ease of reloading and light(er) recoil. Which translate to higher TU costs, maybe worse accuracy, heavier to lug around... But not shorter range.

If you want a weaker, longer-range revolver, one in .357 would fit better than 10mm. And giving the Magnum proper a shorter barrel would make my issues with it go away as well. Right now we've got two equally long-barreled big guns, but one shoots a majorly bigger and badder round than the other. .44 is no joke. Yet for some mysterious reason this big, fast round drops like crazy.

As to the DE, one in .50 would not be the same as Magnum because a) Magnum is .44, and DE can also be .44 but this one won't be; b) DE pretty much already is the same as the Magnum (37 vs 38 damage, anyone? ), c) DE is still a pistol, and can have pistol-specific advantages, whatever they may be in this mod*; d) Magnum still has the alloy ammo going for it.

OTOH, the Wildey kinda occupies the 'ridiculously oversized pistol' niche already. I just think a DEagle in .50 is far more iconic.



*Personally, I think the only advantages a revolver should have over a similar semiauto in X-Com are power, range and ammo variety (since revolvers are kinda like shotguns in that they can fire all kinds of weird shit without mucking up the cycling). All the rest, ergonomics (=TU), accuracy, reload speed, weight, etc are in the autos' favour.

'Realism' rant over, I'd like to say that I'm finding the DE objectively better than the Magnum, at least without involving alloy ammo in the equation. Longer range, 10% better vs armour, slightly better aimed shot, +1 round, cheaper to shoot and more lucrative to sell vs slightly better snap shot and +1 power. By the time AA ammo rolls around, you probably want the BO Magnum or something even better, instead.

Containers are type 10 because some people like transporting them with actual vehicles.

It's not just containers but spiderwebs, skulls, dino bones, piles of bloody gore... How many players exactly are there who like to play Transport Tycoon with this stuff, and why do the rest of us with OCD have to suffer for their benefit?

The coat looks bad, WTF... But might be the filter.

I knew you were going to say that. One pixi-lated coat coming up. I think two of the arm positions on the spreadsheet are one pixel off, or maybe it's the body.

[Juku121]

Something else that might be a matter of taste, but feels weird to me. I just assaulted an EXALT mansion and the entire outer perimeter was patrolled by... maids. Well, mostly maids. Not the heavily-armed troopers in faceplate armour, not the security goons with machine guns, suspenders and evil grins, not even the cannon fodder. Maids. The soldiers were busy in the meat section (doing what? ), and the bedrooms, small cottages and torture chambers were being cleaned by the goons instead.

That also reminds me, does anybody know the reason why sometimes a 'UFO' (an outpost, usually) is empty and all the inhabitants have moved out into the open to have a powwow, or something? It must be a technical reason from what I can tell, but what is it?

[Marrik]

One thing I always thought was weird is that Nitro Express rifles apparently don't have much penetrative power. IRL elephant guns actually got used as anti-tank weapons in WW1.

[Solarius Scorch]

How is melee accuracy calculated when you select a weapon to use, does it account for any negating stats the enemy has?

Most enemies have a dodge value which is subtracted from your attack value. It can be checked on their armour entry (under INFO).

To be honest, I've just found the damn things near-useless, but I guess that's pretty realistic. No modern military runs around with these, and for good reason. People who could get muskets dropped any bow they had real quick.

Yeah, pretty much (although the training cost is also a big factor).

I'm sure HelmetHair will be cross with me, but...

(...)

'Realism' rant over, I'd like to say that I'm finding the DE objectively better than the Magnum, at least without involving alloy ammo in the equation. Longer range, 10% better vs armour, slightly better aimed shot, +1 round, cheaper to shoot and more lucrative to sell vs slightly better snap shot and +1 power. By the time AA ammo rolls around, you probably want the BO Magnum or something even better, instead.

Frankly, I'm not sure what the conclusion is, but for now I'll assum it's "good enough as is". I am open to ideas, though.

It's not just containers but spiderwebs, skulls, dino bones, piles of bloody gore... How many players exactly are there who like to play Transport Tycoon with this stuff, and why do the rest of us with OCD have to suffer for their benefit?

I don't know, but I think it's pretty cool that you can, even if I don't do this normally...

I knew you were going to say that. One pixi-lated coat coming up. I think two of the arm positions on the spreadsheet are one pixel off, or maybe it's the body.

Yeah, looks bad
I'll check.

Something else that might be a matter of taste, but feels weird to me. I just assaulted an EXALT mansion and the entire outer perimeter was patrolled by... maids. Well, mostly maids. Not the heavily-armed troopers in faceplate armour, not the security goons with machine guns, suspenders and evil grins, not even the cannon fodder. Maids. The soldiers were busy in the meat section (doing what? ), and the bedrooms, small cottages and torture chambers were being cleaned by the goons instead.

It's not easy to set these things, unless you make "hard" locations for maids to spawn in. And that'd be kinda boring - my goal is to make battles varied, which also means that your case should be a rare one.

Besides, who said they were patrolling? Maybe they were picking trash off the lawn after a party?

That also reminds me, does anybody know the reason why sometimes a 'UFO' (an outpost, usually) is empty and all the inhabitants have moved out into the open to have a powwow, or something? It must be a technical reason from what I can tell, but what is it?

It's somewhat random, but usually the biggest factor is the terrain used - some terrain blocks have more spawn points, some less, some are rank-oriented, some are not, etc. So it often boils down to who and when made the terrain (or more specifically, route nodes).

One thing I always thought was weird is that Nitro Express rifles apparently don't have much penetrative power. IRL elephant guns actually got used as anti-tank weapons in WW1.

...did they actually work?

But even if they did, the Nitro Express is definitely something else.


EDIT: Fixed the damn coat.

[Juku121]

Yeah, pretty much (although the training cost is also a big factor).

Well, that practice time could also be put into gun training. I've read some comments from, uh, I think early Renaissance-era Spanish mercenaries that becoming good with a gun made you far more dangerous than a bowman could ever be, Welsh longbows or no.

I'm not sure what the conclusion is, but for now I'll assum it's "good enough as is". I am open to ideas, though.

My proposal: make  two revolvers, one long-barreled firing a weaker round, .357 or similar (the S&W can be that) and one short-barreled (a magnum revolver in .44, so you only need to chop the barrel a bit). Then the BO Magnum can bring back the long barrel and be on par range-wise. In brief, cut the Magnum sprite's barrel and give the BO version the same range as DE. This way, it's clearer that the Magnum has a 'secret' weakness.

I don't know, but I think it's pretty cool that you can, even if I don't do this normally...

I'm not against the coolness, my problem is that these... things clutter up my craft equip screen. And there are some actually useful items (fire extinguishers, at least) at the end of the list.

Maybe an optional mod included with the game ("No Transport Tycoon!" ), like how Piratez used to have alternate armour mods?

It's not easy to set these things, unless you make "hard" locations for maids to spawn in. And that'd be kinda boring - my goal is to make battles varied, which also means that your case should be a rare one.

You already made the maids special - they're reinforcements. Which is why they spawn outside - all the prime spots are already taken.

Besides, who said they were patrolling? Maybe they were picking trash off the lawn after a party?

Some of them, sure. Most of them, still okay. Pretty much all of them? Not buying it.

It's somewhat random, but usually the biggest factor is the terrain used - some terrain blocks have more spawn points, some less, some are rank-oriented, some are not, etc. So it often boils down to who and when made the terrain (or more specifically, route nodes).

But what happens to the spawn nodes within the 'UFO' itself? I'm seeing everybody exit. Are the spawn nodes inside the generic ones, and if there are 'better' ones outside, all the cultists and aliens flock there?

...did they actually work?

But even if they did, the Nitro Express is definitely something else.

No idea. But there's a video of .700 NE vs some plates, and the plates don't break. Wouldn't want to be inside, though.

NE is pretty much the same thing, though? Maybe more powerful than early 20th-century guns, if anything.

[Thunderwing280]

Bit of a silly idea but would it be possible to simulate backblast from rocket launchers and such? Certainly would be an interesting, if not somewhat painful feature.

[Solarius Scorch]

My proposal: make  two revolvers, one long-barreled firing a weaker round, .357 or similar (the S&W can be that) and one short-barreled (a magnum revolver in .44, so you only need to chop the barrel a bit). Then the BO Magnum can bring back the long barrel and be on par range-wise. In brief, cut the Magnum sprite's barrel and give the BO version the same range as DE. This way, it's clearer that the Magnum has a 'secret' weakness.

So you are proposing to add yet another Magnum type, this one using a different ammo than the other 3 or so? I think that would be confusing - we could do that, but name the gun something else maybe.

Or did you mean changing Magnum's power on the existing ammo?

I'm not against the coolness, my problem is that these... things clutter up my craft equip screen. And there are some actually useful items (fire extinguishers, at least) at the end of the list.

I understand, of course. But you know how it is with cutting game options... It's rarely acceptable. I'd rather leave it as is, even though I am not using it myself on any regular basis, so for me it's also just cluttering the screen. But that's what filters are for.

Maybe an optional mod included with the game ("No Transport Tycoon!" ), like how Piratez used to have alternate armour mods?

Absolutely, I have no objection about submods like this one (or indeed any submods... well, maybe almost any. )

You already made the maids special - they're reinforcements. Which is why they spawn outside - all the prime spots are already taken.

Well, I'm honestly not sure where this lies on the "legit vs. hair-splitting" continuum... I can redo this, but it's work, so I'm not super motivated. The current setup never struck me as "obviously wrong".

Some of them, sure. Most of them, still okay. Pretty much all of them? Not buying it.

Now you're exaggerating. This can happen, especially when when only a few buildings are generated besides the manor itself, but is not the norm.

But what happens to the spawn nodes within the 'UFO' itself? I'm seeing everybody exit. Are the spawn nodes inside the generic ones, and if there are 'better' ones outside, all the cultists and aliens flock there?

Spawning and moving are two different things, they do not relate to one another (except that both use nodes, therefore are bound to a specific location). I don't think the map specifically encourages units to run outside, but the AI often does it anyway for, umm, tactical reasons (I have no clear idea how the AI works when not patrolling).

No idea. But there's a video of .700 NE vs some plates, and the plates don't break. Wouldn't want to be inside, though.

NE is pretty much the same thing, though? Maybe more powerful than early 20th-century guns, if anything.

Eh, I don't know, these are old and exotic weapons. but I think it uses some sort of dum-dum bullets. It's similar to some heavy revolvers in XCF, which also suffer an AP penalty.

Bit of a silly idea but would it be possible to simulate backblast from rocket launchers and such? Certainly would be an interesting, if not somewhat painful feature.

Not possible, but certainly would be fun.

[Juku121]

So you are proposing to add yet another Magnum type...

No, no, I'm proposing a 'nerf' to the early-game Magnum. Visual-only, at that. And bringing the range up to DE standards for the long-barreled BO Magnum.

I really want that .50 DE, too, but there are several other things that already fill that niche, so... :'(

But you know how it is with cutting game options... It's rarely acceptable. I'd rather leave it as is
...
But that's what filters are for.

I get that. That's why I proposed an 'official' submod that can be enabled to turn it off. Because right now, it's not really optional.

Why 'official'? Because if I do it, I'm likely to drop off again and several updates after that it'll be a bizarre mixture. I can make a base for it if you wish, but what I'm asking is that you maintain it yourself. I.e. every time you make a release, you add all the new 'battletype: 10' crap into the submod. Should take a few minutes, tops.

This can happen, especially when when only a few buildings are generated besides the manor itself, but is not the norm.

Okay, I went and tested some quick battles. About 4/10 had this problem. So it's not a massive issue, but it's not as much an outlier as you say, either. But...

I can redo this, but it's work, so I'm not super motivated. The current setup never struck me as "obviously wrong".

Yeah, I looked at the reinforcement data and it's a moderate amount of work for disputable gains. Unless you get more complaints, I can live with it.

Spawning and moving are two different things...

No, I didn't mean 'flock' as in 'move outside'. I meant it as 'spawn outside'. They are never inside to begin with. Something attracts the spawning away from the 'UFO'.

Eh, I don't know, these are old and exotic weapons. but I think it uses some sort of dum-dum bullets.

AFAIK, there are no 'dum-dum' big game bullets. What the elephant guns fire is pretty much expanding ammo to begin with: large, comparatively short, 'soft-point' rounds. .700 NE is an upscaled version of .600 NE, and that round was already present during WWI. In fact, the British successfully used .600 NE rifles against armour, although not tank armour but rather steel plates German snipers were hiding behind.

.600 NE is still used today, and isn't particularly different from it's incarnation from a century ago. It is exotic and a very specialist round for even big game hunters.

[zhorov]

Is it possible to somehow add a Zephyr serum to XPiratez? Maybe you can somehow add such an opportunity to another drug to restore tu? As far as I understand everything works according to the script:
#*** Stat boosting ***
        code: |
          var int temp;

          item.getTag temp Tag.WM_IS_WACKY;

          if neq temp 0;
            # debug_log "healUnit: applying wacky medikit, skip normal effects completely";
            set medikit_action_type 0;

            target.getTimeUnits temp;
            add temp 55; ((The amount of time (tu) can be changed to whatever you like.)
            target.setTimeUnits temp;

            target.getEnergy temp;
            add temp 60; ((The amount of energy (stamina) can be changed to whatever you like.)
            target.setEnergy temp;

            return;
          end;

          # debug_log "healUnit: not wacky...";
          return;

I take it from scripts_XCOMFILES.rul

And I want to add to another wonderful mod that I started to replay. I don't understand almost anything in modding, I will be grateful if you help me.