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

[Juku121]

But without this feature, the AI is helpless in the dark against a mean player with mean flares.

Not BAI.

You could also take away the flare abuse and give the aliens back their full night vision. I never tire of shilling my grenade range limits. I tried doing the Underwater City again yesterday to see whether the complaints in the other thread had merit, and stupidly copied the illumination advice from there to my own game. No, flare scouting doesn't work when you can throw them a dozen tiles or so. Gotta funnel the aliens towards the lit-up zones instead.

[Solarius Scorch]

Not BAI.

Um... Bai-bai?
I don't know what you're saying.

You could also take away the flare abuse and give the aliens back their full night vision. I never tire of shilling my grenade range limits. I tried doing the Underwater City again yesterday to see whether the complaints in the other thread had merit, and stupidly copied the illumination advice from there to my own game. No, flare scouting doesn't work when you can throw them a dozen tiles or so. Gotta funnel the aliens towards the lit-up zones instead.

There are other similar ways to enjoy oneself, but I can't write about them on a public forum...

[Juku121]

Um... Bai-bai?

Brutal AI.

[Gena Krokodilov]

Which version of X-com files are latest at the moment and available to download?

Yesterday i have seen a message:

Solarius_Scorch
23 04 2023
Please update your OXCE version.
(XCF 2.9 will require OXCE 7.9, which should be publicly released soon.)

OXCE 7.9 released today and available to download.
I try to find newest X-Com Files - but it still 2.8.

[Nerro]

The last release is 2.8
You can get the files for 2.9 from Github, but this is still a beta version as far as I know.
https://github.com/SolariusScorch/XComFiles/

[Solarius Scorch]

Version 2.9 is now officially released.

2.9:
- New UFO: Saboteur (map by Wolverin, sprite enhanced by Brain_322).
- New missions: Zombie Isolation, Abyssal Artifact Delivery.
- New Alien Retaliation variants.
- New event: A Perplexing Graffiti.
- New facility: Huge Storage Facility (map and sprite by Brain_322).
- New Dossier: Mackenzie Calhoun (by Mknzy Calhoun).
- New items: Syndicate Weapon Box (sprite by Brain_322), Abyssal Urn.
- New lore articles.
- 6 new Port maps.
- New Ufopaedia section: Mechanical Units.
- Moved unarmed attacks to the Outfits section.
- Moved alien weapons to the Weapons and Equipment section.
- Toned down the selling bonus on low difficulties.
- Bases should be built right where the source UFO landed.
- Added more enemies to Cydonia.
- Added a pickaxe to The Sound of Graves map.
- Decreased Sanity drain in the Vampire Castle.
- Better Avatar Morph Ufopaedia picture.
- Improved Machete and Canister Gun bigobs (by Juku).
- Added missing avatar names.
- Changed the hyperwave decoder text to fit all the relevant situations.
- UFO Navigation can be recovered from captured bases.
- More rewards from Syndicate Warehouse and Lab.
- Human Sacrifices are now held in prison for clarity.
- Blaster Multi-Bomb Pack nerfed.
- Thanatonautian Manus costs 2 Sanity per use.
- Drone Rocket Launcher shoots slightly faster.
- Outrunner can be repaired.
- Blood Boosting is much faster.
- Anti-E115 Weapons now also require Bio Lab.
- Sectoid Commander's psi vision increased.
- Some paperdoll improvements (by Talpiot).
- Better Stormtrooper corpse sprites (by Talpiot).
- Proper Giant Spider Autopsy and Mongorn Autopsy pics (by Flaubert).
- Port with Pier terrain available for more missions.
- EXALT Liquidation and Syndicate Assassination missions have random maps (equipment pile moved by necessity).
- Simplified some mapscripts.
- Overhauled corpse/autopsy unlocking system.
- Unified Assault Suit bottom armor values.
- Astral Form gives +10 Strength.
- Fixed Chemthrower (no longer completely bypasses armor).
- Optronic Parts are components, not evidence.
- Removed the "Mysterious Parcel from Syndicate" event (for now).
- Fixed some commendations.
- Fixed missing Wrecked Syndicate Walker Examination article.
- Fixed Port terrain script.
- Fixed the Osiron Hacienda pool.
- Fixes Black Lotus/Syndicate HQ corners.
- Fixed Tritanium Cannon, Avionics and Zrbite Drive dependencies.
- Fixed incorrect point values for some events.
- Fixed Flying Drone and Outrunner variants incorrectly disallowed in some missions.
- Fixed Flying Suit manufacturing time.
- Fixed the MiB Lunar Base Landing mission deployment (thanks to Juku).
- Fixed Reclamation of Aether unlocking.
- Fixed X-Com Position Marker causing morale loss and giving Betrayer.
- Fixed hair colors.
- Minor fixes.

[NuclearStudent]

Pardon me if this has been answered before, but why can't I handcuff zombies? I feel like that should be an exception to the general rule of monsters being too strong/weird to handcuff.

[Juku121]

Don't you get to handcuff them with space alloy shackles? Zombies have crazy strength and will bust your measly Earth cuffs.

[Chuckebaby]

Great news !!!!

This latest update (along with the OXCE update) fixed all my issues. I'm able to resume my game (MIB Lunar landing mission).
I appreciate the update and I also appreciate the help from Juku and krautbernd, others. Thank you.

krautbernd, I know you and I kind of butted heads a bit before, my apologies.
We are all kind of like a big family here. Sometimes brothers argue 

Great work Solarius and crew. Much appreciated.

[Snooper17]

Okay, so just recently, I started up a new game & have reached the point of recruiting the Envoys (specifically the Military one) and I required the research of all of the 'Cult Networks', I've done all of them except the Black Lotus, where I'm in need of a Footman, however, every Cult safehouse has been reserved for Exalt & Red Dawn, and any Black Lotus missions are now only coming up with the basic 'Arrest Suspects' that don't have them, Have I somewhat 'Softlocked' myself here?, or is there a way around it?

[psavola]

Okay, so just recently, I started up a new game & have reached the point of recruiting the Envoys (specifically the Military one) and I required the research of all of the 'Cult Networks', I've done all of them except the Black Lotus, where I'm in need of a Footman, however, every Cult safehouse has been reserved for Exalt & Red Dawn, and any Black Lotus missions are now only coming up with the basic 'Arrest Suspects' that don't have them, Have I somewhat 'Softlocked' myself here?, or is there a way around it?

You have to have researched "Black Lotus" but not "Black Lotus Operations" in the previous month. The rest is just randomness: there are (in the early game) 8 triggers with each having  8 % chance of one of those missions spawning each month. This means that you have roughly 50 % chance that you don't get a specific cult mission at all per month.

Later, for cult outposts, the chance is 6 % which means about 40 % of chance not spawning at least one per month.

There are also other missions that may give you what you need (e.g. Industrial investigation).

Sometimes getting all may take a while. That's also why you may want to consider when is the best time to research all the networks and/or operations (for example, that you don't get too difficult missions too early and you don't terminate too early the easy experience and money-churning easy missions).

[psavola]

Advanced Intelligence Center description includes: "An improvement of the standard Intelligence Center, this facility provides workspace for 2 more scientists and allows the base to conduct intelligence-related research (primarily interrogations) using advanced methods and improved equipment. Each Intelligence Center slightly increases global detection."

This is misleading or it's trying to mix the lore in the description and causes confusion. No interrogation seems to require of benefit of these "advanced methods and improved equipment", which the text seems to indicate. You have to pay 1.25M for two additional scientists and far more for upkeep. Its biggest selling point would be global 2% detection instead of 1 %, but I haven't played enough to know whether that's worth it (and you can already get it by having multiple regular intel labs across multiple places). Otherwise this would be a waste of money. I'd suggest removing the text which seems to suggest you would actually need this for some interrogations - or make certain interrogations actually require the advanced intel functionality.

[Solarius Scorch]

This is misleading or it's trying to mix the lore in the description and causes confusion. No interrogation seems to require of benefit of these "advanced methods and improved equipment", which the text seems to indicate.

Except is doesn't. Since when "research" means "interrogating people"

[Juku121]

If the text says "primarily interrogations", that's pretty heavily implied. Fluff text is not a technical manual, so having to say "but read it again, it actually doesn't say this" implies neither good design nor good writing.

Also, as far as I can tell, the Advanced Intel Center is not a requirement for any research (beyond what a normal Intel Center already provides), nor is completing the related research (and not even building one) a gateway to anything else. So the description is not even correct in the "research is not interrogation" interpretation, at least as of 2.9. Maybe it'll change, IDK.

Well, unless "advanced methods and improved equipment" is just intelligence lady speak for siphoning money from X-Com coffers.

[NuclearStudent]

Don't you get to handcuff them with space alloy shackles? Zombies have crazy strength and will bust your measly Earth cuffs.

fair, I didn't realize they were like 80 strength, that's a fair cop

I agree with psavola and juku here on the intel center description.