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

[Agatheis]

Hello X-Com Files fans,

A re-installed this mod after about a year, and quite a few things have changed. A couple of points from me on my new game:

- When did the zombie AI change? Back around 2.6 zombies ambled around a lot. Now any zombie in visual range (and that can be a dozen or more) that sees you will instantly start to converge on your agents. Zombie missions are a LOT harder than they used to be.
- I'm in an interesting situation where I got Red Dawn lads relatively late, which led to psiclone and the Chief Engineer being very late too. I've researched Alenium Awakening, which gives you info on Tank/Scout and the ability to buy ammo for it, but no way to buy or make one. I understand this is dependent on Advanced Robotics, but maybe Tank/Scout and the ammo should be kept hidden until Advanced Robotics is reseached? Otherwise it's confusing for a player as to where Tank/Scouts come from.

Thanks so much to Solarius for all the fine work put into he mod (and other collaborators too).

A.

[Stone Lake]

- When did the zombie AI change? Back around 2.6 zombies ambled around a lot. Now any zombie in visual range (and that can be a dozen or more) that sees you will instantly start to converge on your agents. Zombie missions are a LOT harder than they used to be.

Zombies are slow, so you can dance laps around them. They're one of the easiest enemies in the game, so...Eh?

I've researched Alenium Awakening, which gives you info on Tank/Scout and the ability to buy ammo for it, but no way to buy or make one.

You can make one if you build workshop. You need alenium, which is limited, but given by the research.

[psavola]

I used to try to get alenium and scouts built early. This requires quite a bit of investment in terms of research, money and time. I have learned from Stone Lake's streams that you can very well get away with BL assassins especially if you capture and train some rats (and deploy smoke cover). So you really don't need scouts early in the game and you can focus your investment better.

[Agatheis]

Zombies are slow, so you can dance laps around them. They're one of the easiest enemies in the game, so...Eh?

This is why I'm asking when the AI changed, because zombies in my game have completely different behavious to all the other monsters. When my van of guys rolls up in the middle of the wilderness, every zombie in visual range immediately turns and heads directly towards them, even if they're facing the other direction. This is different to other monsters who tend to run around out of range until they're close enough to go aggro and charge in.

You can make one if you build workshop. You need alenium, which is limited, but given by the research.

I know how to build them - I'm just raising the point to the modder that it's not very obvious to the player what's going on when the research for Tank/Scout is done and you can buy the ammo, but there's potentially no way to build one.

I used to try to get alenium and scouts built early. This requires quite a bit of investment in terms of research, money and time. I have learned from Stone Lake's streams that you can very well get away with BL assassins especially if you capture and train some rats (and deploy smoke cover). So you really don't need scouts early in the game and you can focus your investment better.

I'm not saying I want to - I'm just pointing out the inconsistency.

Thanks,

A.

[Akamashi]

AI of the zombies probably didn't change either. I didn't feel anything like that.

About tanks and robotics. There is a lot of non-obvious logic in this game. I would say that any new player will definitely face a dead end ten times. And only surfing the database will help him find a way out of the impasse. Otherwise, you will have to quit the game without completing it. And tanks are a completely insignificant example of this, which, thank God, does not significantly affect the plot progress.

[Juku121]

This is why I'm asking when the AI changed, because zombies in my game have completely different behavious to all the other monsters.

This is not new:

0.6.9:
- Zombies and other melee psychos now disregard danger.

You've either not played in ages, have been using a mod that's equally ancient, changed it yourself and forgot about it, or something along these lines.

[Stone Lake]

This is why I'm asking when the AI changed, because zombies in my game have completely different behavious to all the other monsters.

They work like that since forever, as Juku pointed out.

I know how to build them - I'm just raising the point to the modder that it's not very obvious to the player what's going on when the research for Tank/Scout is done and you can buy the ammo, but there's potentially no way to build one.

I've researched Alenium Awakening, which gives you info on Tank/Scout and the ability to buy ammo for it, but no way to buy or make one. I understand this is dependent on Advanced Robotics, but maybe Tank/Scout and the ammo should be kept hidden until Advanced Robotics is reseached?

Tank/scouts don't need adv. robotics, you can get "AI Unit" with just "Alenium shard awakening". As mentioned, they need workshop to manufacture. That being said, adding "Requires workshop to build" to either or both "AI Unit"/"Alenium shard awakening" pedia would be nice.
Guarding "AI Unit" behind "Workshop" would be nice too. For that, I guess "Alenium awk" unlocking needs to be removed, and "Adv. robotics" dependency needs to be changed to "Workshop".

[0xEBJC]

I just posted a complete overhaul to my X-Com Files Hangar Expansion Pack mod.


New Mod Link
https://mod.io/g/openxcom/m/facility-expansion-pack-x-com-files

I haven't tested base retaliation, everything else works as expected.


Solarius Scorch, I'd be curios to get your take and any interest to incorpoarte this submore into the main XCF?  You are welcome to if you want. 

[Akamashi]

I just posted a complete overhaul to my X-Com Files Hangar Expansion Pack mod.


New Mod Link
https://mod.io/g/openxcom/m/facility-expansion-pack-x-com-files

I haven't tested base retaliation, everything else works as expected.


Solarius Scorch, I'd be curios to get your take and any interest to incorpoarte this submore into the main XCF?  You are welcome to if you want. 

There are no problems with classic hangars right now. Just a gentle compulsion to a little base management. This submod will simply cut out of the game all the need to make a decision on hangars and crafts. Do you want to have any kind of transport on each base? Why stop there? Promote modules in the same way so that storage facilities are unlimited, and residential modules, and so that weapons do not need to be recharged and so that sanity is not consumed. It is very comfortable.

But seriously, a car garage can still be considered. Hangar 3*3 for 4 crafts completely breaks the management of the base.

[0xEBJC]

Hangar 3*3 for 4 crafts completely breaks the management of the base.

Akamashi, thanks for feedback! 

How do you mean that a 3x3 breaks base management?  Also the intent of the 3x3 hangar for 4 crafts, my intent was that you would only need one of these facilities for the entire game, where you would manufacture new crafts, have hangar space for them, and then need to transport them to other bases. Basically this mod restricts ALL crafts that need manufactured to require to be built in this facility.

[Juku121]

Ignore the hyperbole, it's some sort of slavic sarcasm-lite that doesn't translate well.

I've long thought that hangars consume an excessive amount of base space, myself, and used 'crafts: 2' to play somewhat similar to Xenonauts where the hangars were 1x2. Although with BAI unlocking more than 8 bases, the space constraints are a lot less of an issue.

If the intention is to have only one 'super-aerospace-manufacturing' hangar, you could introduce an item requirement, like 'UAC license' or something. IDK, can you get items back from destroying facilities? Edit: Yeah, you do get them back.

[0xEBJC]

If the intention is to have only one 'super-aerospace-manufacturing' hangar, you could introduce an item requirement, like 'UAC license' or something. IDK, can you get items back from destroying facilities? Edit: Yeah, you do get them back.

Well you only "Need" one for manufacturing aircrafts, but welcome to have more than one of them or multiple at bases to suit yourself in game-play preferences as I didn't want to make it too locked into a specific game-play.  I just don't prefer 3x3 facilities at all like the 3x3 huge storage facility because they just take up too much base area and minimal necessity for these overly large facilities are my preference.

[Mathel]

I agree with Akamashi.
A 3x3 hangar takes 9 tiles, but would do the job of 4 regular hangars, total of 16 tiles.
Since any reasonable interception base already would have 2 hangars (8 tiles) because even with the best craft, you would want a backup for when one is damaged, taking one more tile for twice as many craft spaces is unreasonably good.
So I would suggest one of two nerfs.
1) Reduce the facility's power. Make it so that it only holds 3 crafts. That's still a 3 tile gain over regular hangars, but not a must-have for any base.
2) Make it expensive. Not just in money, but either in research or in lootables. It could be near the end of the research tree, so that you can't just build it in every base at the start of the invasion. Or it could require a resource that can only be acquired through either a very rare mission or through rare output of Osiron loot box.

[0xEBJC]

I appreciate the feedback, thank you! 


The new mod is a step down from the old mod.

Old Hangar Expansion Pack Mod
2x2 Hangar (default one)                1x craft   / 4 tiles (get right away)
2x2 Hangar (upgraded hangar )      2x crafts / 4 tiles = 4 crafts / 8 tiles (minimal resources and research restrictions)
3x3 Hangar (huge hangar )            8x crafts / 9 tiles (some more progressive research and building materials, but not much more)
Easy research tree to get facilities and no story integration
Profitable materials easy to sell
Down sampled blurry images
Hangars don't accurately represent crafts in them

New Facility Expansion Pack Mod 
Garages 1x for automobiles only     1x car    / 1 tile (get right away)
2x2 Hangar (default one)               1x craft / 4 tiles (blocked by minimal progression)
3x3 Hangar (UAC Aerocraft)           4x crafts / 9 tiles (half the old mod number of craft space, restricted progression access, very story integrated)
2x2 Hangar (Alien Tech Hangar)     3x crafts / 4 tiles = 6 crafts / 8 tiles (a step down from 3x3 for 8 crafts / 9 tiles, and it's got a lot more requirements in research and materials to build)
no more building materials that are easy money for keeping engineers gainfully employed.
hand crafted pixel art
Hangars accurately represent crafts in them

Both mods are meant to help with craft management and base space allocation, the new one is just not as OP as the previous mod and has more flare for the story-line integration, artwork and ideas.

[Akamashi]

sort of slavic sarcasm-lite

I am not worthy of respect. But I feel bad for Scorch at this moment.