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Author Topic: Re: The X-Com Files - 3.5: Whispers In The Dark  (Read 2493176 times)

Offline Juku121

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5610 on: September 12, 2023, 09:47:17 am »
Bio-Exo has other resistances that allow you to play with gas/incendiary grenades and similar stuff. As mentioned, it also has some night vision, plus it's a bit better than the tac suit against really high damage, like sword strikes. Less so vs guns and regular 'nades, of course. And if a ninja tries to backstab you, surprise!, your back armour is stronger. :D

Offline theophilos

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5611 on: September 12, 2023, 10:05:57 am »
Ok ill try them out !

Btw I terminated dagon cult, but I never captured a deep one. Will this make it very difficult to ever find another? I'd like to research underwater communities but can't without deep one


Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5612 on: September 12, 2023, 10:36:13 am »
Ok ill try them out !

Btw I terminated dagon cult, but I never captured a deep one. Will this make it very difficult to ever find another? I'd like to research underwater communities but can't without deep one

No worries, they have their own missions.

Offline Juku121

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5613 on: September 12, 2023, 10:45:28 am »
If you got a live Sorcerer and interrogated him, you should have another research topic to progress the T'leth arc.

If not, I think there is one low-chance mission that might allow you to progress further and get back to capturing underwater creepies.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2023, 02:00:13 pm by Juku121 »

Offline theophilos

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5614 on: September 12, 2023, 01:30:18 pm »
Do I need a "durathread manufacturing" item for anything after its researched ? I want to sell if for 400k but afraid it must be useful to something in workshop?

Btw when selling items tab is there anyway to bring up weapon stats rather than research tab when middle click. I have trouble remembering names of guns , to know which ones I actually use or not

Offline Juku121

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5615 on: September 12, 2023, 02:00:01 pm »
No, short of using it to adorn your Command Bunker.

Most items can be right-clicked when selling to show possible manufacturing uses.

Pedia when selling is CTRL+MMB, assuming you do have the thing researched. There was some talk of unifying the MMB behaviour a while back, don't know what's the current status of that.

In my experience, memory issues can largely be alleviated by auto-selling all the useless crap. :D
« Last Edit: September 12, 2023, 02:02:17 pm by Juku121 »

Offline theophilos

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5616 on: September 14, 2023, 03:14:08 am »
That ctrl mmc has been a lifesaver thank you!

By the way, I'd like some general advice. I never played original xcom very much , so don't know how to do air combat. I just got the CF-105 Arrow, and it let's me equip it with 1 cannon but I'm not authorized for missiles. All its use for now is to shoot at cars from manors lol

Is the MIG the first actual fighter? Once I have it, I assume it's best to have 1 cannon and 1 missile? I assume that route in tech tree is main way to get the first missile

Is aggressive vs cautious approach just... if the enemy has long range weapons do aggressive in order to get close enough to fire quickly? But if they have short range just do cautious ?

Offline theophilos

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5617 on: September 14, 2023, 03:19:31 am »
One other thing, on the first ghost mission,

I threw about 12 grenades on the demonic circle but still couldn't get the mission to end, is there sone other concealing Explosive I'm supposed to be bringing?

I'm bringing a ton of tasers because I'm not sire what else works

I saw on a zombie mission a priest had a cross that could do psi damage but I didnt knock him out in time to grab it😢 it wpuld have been thematic to have my 99 psi guy use a cross on the ghosts ! Although I don't know how they do against psi, and idk if it counts as "concealable"





Offline Juku121

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5618 on: September 14, 2023, 07:38:58 am »
The first real interceptor is, well, the Interceptor. MiG might work against cultists, but those have similar-tier craft themselves after a while. If not even better than yours, actually. You also need Avalanches / Heavy Stingrays to actually make the craft work as it should and not be a glorified cannon platform.

Unlike the original, missile and cannon slots (and light vs heavy missile, and laser, and extra equipment ...) are 'hardcoded' to be different. So no changing between dual cannons and dual Avalanches any more. :(

Missile research should be pretty self-evident.

The big and largely undocumented difference between aggressive and cautious (and standard) is that your fire rate goes up the more aggressive your stance is. So it's usually better to be aggressive, to minimise damage and the chance that the enemy craft escapes.

If you outrange the enemy, cautious might be usable. That of course assumes you also either out-speed the other party, or pack enough firepower to shoot it down before it escapes. Maybe tractor it, but that's lategame tech.

Standard mode is mostly for when both/most/all your weapons outrange the enemy, cautious is when only your best one does.


As to the ghost missions, haven't played them myself. But I recall that one of them had one enemy hidden deep underground, so you either need to dig down, or just grab whatever you came for and bail. I imagine the latter is the intended course of action.

In addition to tasers. lasers looted from MiBs and cultist ectoplasm weapons should also work against ghosts.


Crosses don't persist post-mission, since they're powered by (the residue) of that priest's faith. :P
« Last Edit: September 14, 2023, 07:42:30 am by Juku121 »

Offline Vakrug

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5619 on: September 14, 2023, 10:44:25 am »
I just got the CF-105 Arrow. All its use for now is to shoot at cars from manors.
It's main purpose is shooting down Syndicate's Dragonflies.
I threw about 12 grenades on the demonic circle but still couldn't get the mission to end.
Never tried to destroy that circle myself (easier to just stun all ghosts with tazers), but as far as I know you need incendiary grenades.

Offline Akamashi

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5620 on: September 14, 2023, 07:45:37 pm »
Bad advice. Best of all, a crowd of people with electric clubs, or cold weapons with high damage.

Offline Juku121

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5621 on: September 14, 2023, 08:00:00 pm »
Nah, ghosts take a lot less damage from cutting than from electricity or lasers. I mean, melee scales like a MF in this mod, but even then, it's at best similar damage. I'll take some sort of stun stick over a sword against ghosts, thank you.


Spirit critters do have some susceptibility to being mobbed, that is true. But tasers and lasers work fine at least against the glowy ghosts, and don't suffer from melee dodge penalties.

Online psavola

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5622 on: September 14, 2023, 08:33:27 pm »
In the first ghost mission (Asylum Apparitions) the only annoying thing is that you have to guard and/or pile up the bug-eye ghosts after stunning them. Otherwise they wake up and wander around and you'll never figure out where the last enemies still are.

Almost all the ghosts in the mod are mostly harmless, and you may want to intentionally use lousy weapons against them for training purposes (for example, shoot with regular weapons for FA and reactions, or use knives instead of ELECTRIC or grenades) after you have dealt with the real threats. The main exception are the poltergeists. Ancient sea ghosts can also hurt you.

Offline Akamashi

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5623 on: September 15, 2023, 12:05:43 am »
Nah, ghosts take a lot less damage from cutting than from electricity or lasers. I mean, melee scales like a MF in this mod, but even then, it's at best similar damage. I'll take some sort of stun stick over a sword against ghosts, thank you.


Spirit critters do have some susceptibility to being mobbed, that is true. But tasers and lasers work fine at least against the glowy ghosts, and don't suffer from melee dodge penalties.
a huge advantage of cutting is that ghosts die from it and do not rise again.
But all my advice should be passed through the prism of Ironman difficulty. With downloads, you can go to a mental hospital and into one agent by picking up something from a stunned neutral.

My personal experience shows that incendiary grenades are very not effective in this mission. Either electric clubs or cutting weapons with high damage are best choice. And lasers are cool, of course, but how to get them there?
« Last Edit: September 15, 2023, 12:14:27 am by Akamashi »

Offline theophilos

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Re: The X-Com Files - 3.1: Lights in The Sky
« Reply #5624 on: September 15, 2023, 12:48:11 am »
Ok thanks all for advice, I ended up just stunning them all, and stunned a priest to use a cross on some them too  ;D

Another question: in the Vincent Decker mission I managed to capture 2 MIB scientists and 1 MIB enforcer , but I took heavy losses

It is mid 1998, im wondering without spoiling too much, would it be a mistake to try to research MIB tree ans possibly hit "effects game progression" for some them? Or are these techs abd presumably missions it might unlock meant for more end game period  , with no real benefit to earlier game

(Did my soldiers die in vain?)