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

[Solarius Scorch]

Thanks for the feedback!

After playing for a while, one thing I can say is that this mod is hard. First and foremost is the crappy accuracy of your agents (big surprise). Another thing is that the only viable long distance transport at the start is the car, which only seats 2 guys. It's tough to take down 10+ cultists with just two guys who shoot like they have eye defects.

Yes, it's true. That's why I wrote the tip to research Logistics ASAP. It's still only a van, but 4 people is better than 2...

1. Loved the new enemies

Cool! Would you mean the cultists or the beasties?

2. The new faces are interestingly totally rocking my XCom world, I always expect to see the usual ones and all of a sudden there is someone I have never seen before!  Nice!

Good! I plan to at least double this number, it's easy but really time-consuming.

4. Ufopaedia pics/entries are good, do you have a tool that converts pictures into the XCom pallette files? I so want one...

Not really, I just have all UFO palettes saved and I apply them in Photoshop.

1. CONCEALABLE not CONCELABLE? not sure

Concealable is fine.

2. The HQ facility has no ufopaedia

Oops. I totally forgot. Thanks.

3. The weapons/equipment is totally unsorted, gasp! 

Hey, it's not true! It's all sorted! Just... not very well, okay? XD

4. There were too many missions happening at the same time (4 or 5!) 

It's a matter of RNG, sometimes you get nothing for 20 days... But it's an incentive to maintain several teams. It's much more viable than with a Skyranger.

5. The Mudranger has no Ufopedia entry at the start even though you can buy it

I'm still looking for an appropriate picture... Help wanted

7. TU costs are too high, It seems you are using the high XPiratez inventory costs, which I loath  Really I mean picking up a corpse takes me 20 TUs? Please reconsider!

Well I love it, since it prevents gamey moves like dropping your weapon to reload it etc. Picking up stuff is fairly rare, do you have any other problems?

8. Daylight indicator mod is missing 

Yeah, I forgot about it completely.

9. Toxi Suit has wrong Ufopedia pic (yeah i know, alpha)

Thanks, fixed.

10. Melee starting stats for rookies are too low. I had several persons with ~20, making anything melee useless. And yes I know, use the GYm etc. 

Some are at 20, some at 60. Specialists.

Again, thanks for all the feedback!

[new_civilian]

1. I mean both enemy types 
2. I can imagine that, especially as I am too impatient for something like that in the first place 
4. Gonna test that. The only tool that works for me is the old unregistered freeware Aseprite 0.9something, I tried several other tools today, but the user interfaces are.... ooph.

About the mudranger ufopaedia pic: I think Robin/Dioxine are using a nice way of making those: They take a screenshot of the map in mapview so it has automatically the right pallette, then enlarge it and add a background picture. Done. Just take a look at the FtApocalypse Mod or XPiratez's Airbus picture. Awesome.

Oh and I have anice idea for another enemy type, just look for the old british b+w movie X The Unknown...... 

hf!

[Diagoras90]

Yay! Congrats on the release, Solarius! Great idea for the conversion, totally love it thus far, both graphics and new concept. Crew limitation proves to be an interesting challenge However, I ran into a crush at first month's end,  screen attached.
Keep up the good work!

[Hobbes]

It's a matter of RNG, sometimes you get nothing for 20 days... But it's an incentive to maintain several teams. It's much more viable than with a Skyranger.

I had a look at the mission scripts and in theory you can have the 30 (or more) extra missions for that month spawning in a single day. The odds are low but the RNG doesn't care about the odds.

[yrizoud]

This is totally awesome!
Here's my feedback after playing through the first month :
The "event" system is a great alternative to radar / scouting. I did get 4 missions at the same time, unfortunately.
Seeing agent Coulson on the "Dossiers" made me smile stupidly. Good job creating a bridge between the 90's and the '10s
It's not clear if the leather coats reduce stats
You may want to advise "psi training anytime" (I had lots of casualties, )
MIG is buyable from start but unarmed
The X-Com van has a not-so-discrete (X) painted on the side 
There are almost too many pistols which can be bought from start, it's borderline redundant. More can be found during missions anyway, so I think you could move one to the first unlockable XCOM Report.
"unknown lifeforms" missions are terrifyingly dangerous. It's not rare to start cornered and have a team of 4 killed on the spot, during the first enemy turn. In another, there were so many enemies that the first enemy turn took like 5 minutes, I gave up. It's a mission where the enemies looked like

Spoiler:

dark winged things. Hitchcock's 'The birds?'

On the other hand, I once withstood an assault of chu...., killed more than half a dozen, but as they were getting closer and I was running out of ammo, I grabbed a dead one and fleed. It was epic.
It's nice that cultist activity missions have lots of melee opponents so it becomes possible to get close and capture them.
Long-range view works perfectly (single-CPU P4 3Ghz here) and help shorten missions, but I miss cover (hedges) and smoke grenades so far. Lots of missions in hilly countryside.
Also, your agents stop on every step when you get closer, it's annoying chasing melee/unarmed enemies.

[Meridian]

Also, your agents stop on every step when you get closer, it's annoying chasing melee/unarmed enemies.

Press SHIFT when giving an order and they won't stop.

[ivandogovich]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcom/comments/4hc3fu/openxcomthe_xcom_files_a_total_conversion_for/

Getting some interest from the /r/xcom reddit.

[Solarius Scorch]

About the mudranger ufopaedia pic: I think Robin/Dioxine are using a nice way of making those: They take a screenshot of the map in mapview so it has automatically the right pallette, then enlarge it and add a background picture. Done. Just take a look at the FtApocalypse Mod or XPiratez's Airbus picture. Awesome.

Yeah, I just had the same idea today... But it's not really satisfying. Maybe if I find the right background (it's much easier for planes).

However, I ran into a crush at first month's end,  screen attached.
Keep up the good work!

Shit, you're right: I forgot to add this race. Thanks for the info.

Yrizoud, thanks for the review! It's already much better received than I expected.

It's not clear if the leather coats reduce stats

It doesn't reduce stats. Stat reduction is always dosplayed automatically. (But it does weigh a little bit more than the suit.)

You may want to advise "psi training anytime" (I had lots of casualties, )

I don't get this, how did you even start psi training so early?

MIG is buyable from start but unarmed

Yeah I had to change it in the ruleset from:

Code: [Select]

crafts:
  - type: STR_MIG31
    requiresBuy:
      - STR_MIG31

Code: [Select]

crafts:
  - type: STR_MIG31
    requires:
      - STR_MIG31
I didn't know about this. Thanks.

The X-Com van has a not-so-discrete (X) painted on the side 

Of course! Like all those clearly market boxes in the mail! XD

There are almost too many pistols which can be bought from start, it's borderline redundant. More can be found during missions anyway, so I think you could move one to the first unlockable XCOM Report.

Maybe. I'm still toying with this, since I wanted some choices in the beginning, and all these pistols are for different things.

"unknown lifeforms" missions are terrifyingly dangerous. It's not rare to start cornered and have a team of 4 killed on the spot, during the first enemy turn. In another, there were so many enemies that the first enemy turn took like 5 minutes, I gave up. It's a mission where the enemies looked like

Spoiler:

dark winged things. Hitchcock's 'The birds?'

Oops. Maybe I'll strike them out from the more crowded missions.
And they're bats, man, BATS!!!

On the other hand, I once withstood an assault of chu...., killed more than half a dozen, but as they were getting closer and I was running out of ammo, I grabbed a dead one and fleed. It was epic.
It's nice that cultist activity missions have lots of melee opponents so it becomes possible to get close and capture them.

Oh yes, they're certainly one of the most dangerous creatures. I'm so proud of them

Long-range view works perfectly (single-CPU P4 3Ghz here) and help shorten missions, but I miss cover (hedges) and smoke grenades so far. Lots of missions in hilly countryside.

The terrain is pretty much the same as in FMP, but I'll think of some additional blockage in the more open maps.

Press SHIFT when giving an order and they won't stop.

For me it acts as [Next Soldier], with Crtl doing the opposite.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xcom/comments/4hc3fu/openxcomthe_xcom_files_a_total_conversion_for/

Getting some interest from the /r/xcom reddit.

Awesome! Many thanks Ivan. Thanks to all of you, I'm so happy.

[Meridian]

Press SHIFT when giving an order and they won't stop.

For me it acts as [Next Soldier], with Crtl doing the opposite.

Well yes, it's a bad idea to bind shortcuts to Shift, Alt and Ctrl... I strongly suggest to deassign them in the Controls menu... otherwise there will be conflicts.

[yrizoud]

TAB and shift have been the defaults for next/previous, for a very long time, so a lot of players are used to them
"Psi training anytime" is what lets you put people in the gym when you want. Since a gym facility is available immediately, I thought it was your intent to let the player train agents immediately.

[Solarius Scorch]

Well yes, it's a bad idea to bind shortcuts to Shift, Alt and Ctrl... I strongly suggest to deassign them in the Controls menu... otherwise there will be conflicts.

But it wasn't I who set it like that. I thought it was a factory setting...?

"Psi training anytime" is what lets you put people in the gym when you want. Since a gym facility is available immediately, I thought it was your intent to let the player train agents immediately.

Ah yeah, I guess.

[Arctic]

Bugs I've found that people haven't yet posted
 - EXALT Network strings are missing (?)
 - Kevlar Vest lacks a UFOPaedia description

Anyway, what even IS the MUDRANGER?

[Solarius Scorch]

- EXALT Network strings are missing (?)

Yeah, haven't done them yet. EXALT is a late addition...

- Kevlar Vest lacks a UFOPaedia description

You're right! Fixed.

Anyway, what even IS the MUDRANGER?

Just made the Ufopadia page. See the attachment.

[Hobbes]

Just made the Ufopadia page. See the attachment.

Oh, awesome. I was hoping someone would make a Mudranger image for the UFOPaedia, thank you

[Solarius Scorch]

Oh, awesome. I was hoping someone would make a Mudranger image for the UFOPaedia, thank you

Well in that case, have the image itself. Sharing is caring

(dirty Photoshop job...)