Author Topic: Re: The X-Com Files - 3.2: The Colors of Sin  (Read 1950791 times)

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1680 on: March 14, 2018, 11:34:55 pm »
Hello.

I want to play the mod again but I can not find the recommended options to play it. Can we have a post it about them?

All critical settings are enforced in the mod. The rest is up to you.

Offline mumble

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1681 on: March 15, 2018, 04:16:47 am »
Sorry for being unclear.

I was recommending after a cult is terminated and an alien communicator is researched, that missions begin popping up, involving coordinates occupied by hybrids and sectoids, which are reaching out via the communicators trying to repair the now damaged cult. After all, its a big hole in their plan.

This mission would be a bit easier than ufos, and more importantly, easier to reach with dragonflies / hummers, since it would be a static mission instead of a speeding ufo.

As for the mission content, perhaps a small bunker with plenty of hybrids, better armed (and protected) than normal, perhaps a few moderately well armed sectoids, and items that expose elements of the hybrids. Genetic alteration equipment, and other stuff, which can then be used to track caravans. After all it feels like there isn't much reason to track said caravans, other than a mission popping up.

One of the reasons I'm recommending this, is the likelihood of getting promotion 3 seems really uncertain before the invasion, and being invaded without rockets, fighter jets, or larger carriers seems like a nasty game over condition, and fighting to get these up post invasion, even by a month is a little frightening of a prospect, but i don't know how harsh the invasion is the first 3 months in xcf.

I almost wonder if the requirement for promotion 3 should change, as requiring a live alien capture when you have no fighter jets, while not impossible, is a little shakey. Especially with how nasty sectoids are now, and how ufos easily outrun any promotion 2 craft

Perhaps the requirement should be adjusted for instead infiltration of hybrids, and interrogation of a higher up hybrid to confirm alien commanders irrefutably? This way one can become ready pre invasion. Much more reliably.

It also feels really weird how of all the evidence, interrogation of literally any alien is the key to promotion 3, not uncovering a hybrid plot, not shutting down a cult and showing how crazy it is, not exposing existence if aliens or alien tech, but interrogation of a live alien. Yet capturing one feels like it would require promotion 3. I don't know what is involved in alien containment but I figure it uses space age tech which is heavily restricted, and it doesn't feel natural waiting to nab a live alien for promotion 3. The tactics readout for promotion 2 also doesn't even mention alien origins, and since the ufo changes this is a little rough to get, even if some show, dragonflies and hummers rarely reach them, and if you do, its a nasty fight. It feels like you need to get really lucky to get promotion 3, and it feels like your goal of termination of a cult doesn't matter, despite the tactics page saying this is what you should do.

At very least, we should have some changes to say what you need to do in the general strategy page after promotion 2, for what we are supposed to do, as for a while i thought research was broken, since you really don't run into aliens in the first 2 years,and if you do, it takes gobs of research to unlock alien containment.

I'm just not sure, it feels like a very shakey, odd, and un-natural transition to promotion 3, and considering how important promotion 3 is, i think it should be made more reliable, even if it was segmented off slightly to where bigger things like rocket launchers, high explosives, and craft rockets were behind additional barriers.

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1682 on: March 15, 2018, 09:32:14 am »
Sorry for being unclear.

I was recommending after a cult is terminated and an alien communicator is researched, that missions begin popping up, involving coordinates occupied by hybrids and sectoids, which are reaching out via the communicators trying to repair the now damaged cult. After all, its a big hole in their plan.

You keep implying that the aliens from Mars are behind all the cults. But it's obviously no true - they only really support EXALT, and maybe Red Dawn to a small degree. Other organizations have no direct connection to Cydonia.

This mission would be a bit easier than ufos, and more importantly, easier to reach with dragonflies / hummers, since it would be a static mission instead of a speeding ufo.

As for the mission content, perhaps a small bunker with plenty of hybrids, better armed (and protected) than normal, perhaps a few moderately well armed sectoids, and items that expose elements of the hybrids. Genetic alteration equipment, and other stuff, which can then be used to track caravans. After all it feels like there isn't much reason to track said caravans, other than a mission popping up.

More hybrid/sectoid missions would be a good idea.

One of the reasons I'm recommending this, is the likelihood of getting promotion 3 seems really uncertain before the invasion, and being invaded without rockets, fighter jets, or larger carriers seems like a nasty game over condition, and fighting to get these up post invasion, even by a month is a little frightening of a prospect, but i don't know how harsh the invasion is the first 3 months in xcf.

I almost wonder if the requirement for promotion 3 should change, as requiring a live alien capture when you have no fighter jets, while not impossible, is a little shakey. Especially with how nasty sectoids are now, and how ufos easily outrun any promotion 2 craft

Perhaps the requirement should be adjusted for instead infiltration of hybrids, and interrogation of a higher up hybrid to confirm alien commanders irrefutably? This way one can become ready pre invasion. Much more reliably.

You are presenting all this like getting Alien Origins was incredibly tricky, which clearly it is not. And I already sai9d twice I will make some alternatives.

It also feels really weird how of all the evidence, interrogation of literally any alien is the key to promotion 3, not uncovering a hybrid plot, not shutting down a cult and showing how crazy it is, not exposing existence if aliens or alien tech, but interrogation of a live alien. Yet capturing one feels like it would require promotion 3.

It doesn't, people assault landed UFOs all the time. Seriously, what's so hard about it?

At very least, we should have some changes to say what you need to do in the general strategy page after promotion 2, for what we are supposed to do, as for a while i thought research was broken, since you really don't run into aliens in the first 2 years,and if you do, it takes gobs of research to unlock alien containment.

OK, I will make it a bit clearer.

I'm just not sure, it feels like a very shakey, odd, and un-natural transition to promotion 3, and considering how important promotion 3 is, i think it should be made more reliable, even if it was segmented off slightly to where bigger things like rocket launchers, high explosives, and craft rockets were behind additional barriers.

Polishing is underway. :)

Offline Dakkon

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1683 on: March 18, 2018, 08:56:09 am »
Hi Solarius, I just wanted to voice that I really enjoyed playing openxcom with your mod; it's definitely my favorite compilation/overhaul mod on this forum. I've provided some feedback below.

Ingame I played up until a few months after the aliens started arriving on earth in force. Overall I enjoyed the early game missions and progression, but I think it could definitely do with some variation. The version I played was 6.5 and I felt that the four major early game factions in that build (EXALT, Church of Dagon, Black Lotus, and Red Dawn) all felt too similar in their progression.


- Capture low level criminals in various settings.
- Capture mid level criminals at a hide out.
- Capture high level criminals at a base.
- And finally some kind of final HQ assault.


Maybe you can give certain factions a different means of progression, such as destroying/capturing a certain number of a faction's key facilities instead of personnel (making each one a little different than the last, perhaps increasing the level of defenses with each facility destroyed for a start, this may not be feasible but it's just thought in case it is) in order to advance to the next tier of progression with that faction.

Also, throughout the time leading up to the mass arrival of the aliens I was only able to reach and complete the final missions for: EXALT, Red Dawn and the Church of Dagon. The aliens arrived soon after or a little before me finishing off those missions. After the aliens arrived it was a chore to complete the Black Lotus missions such that I never finished off their faction (this partly ties in with having to capture certain enemy types to progress, which was getting a little old at this point) and I wished there was a feature that disabled their missions (or any leftover starting enemy factions for that matter) after the alien arrival.

Lastly, I stopped playing the mod a few months into the large scale alien invasion because the structure of the progression was the same as the early game: capture high ranking aliens, interrogate, etc., etc. Do you have plans for changing up the progression or mission types in the later stages of the game?

And that about does it for feedback; again your mod is fantastic and it's the best one on the site in my opinion. Hope you're doing well and I look forward to the 1.0 version of your mod.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2018, 03:07:54 am by Dakkon »

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1684 on: March 18, 2018, 01:44:39 pm »
For now I have no plans regarding early game. I've spent so much time on it already, and I want to flesh out late game first. After it's done I will develop earlier stages.
But I'm definitely accepting ideas.

Offline Martin

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1685 on: March 19, 2018, 04:07:33 pm »
Red Dawn has alternative progression. You can skip capturing the sailor and go straight for the boss guy in the durathread manufacturing mission.

Offline Slaughter

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1686 on: March 20, 2018, 09:29:57 am »
Stopped playing this since I changed comps after my old LP got killed, possibly by freaking Pizzagate.

Revving my downloaders and getting my image host.

Rev up the car and get me my guns, I'm going back in.

Offline Dakkon

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1687 on: March 21, 2018, 12:15:10 am »
Stopped playing this since I changed comps after my old LP got killed, possibly by freaking Pizzagate.

Your laptop killed over because of Pizzagate? A conspiracy about pedophilia and worse things being perpetrated by high ranking D.C. politicians?

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« Reply #1688 on: March 21, 2018, 10:50:31 pm »
Version 0.8.7 has been released!

- Updated to newest OXCE+ version.
- Removed stats from weapon and armor descriptions, now they are available under "INFO" button.
- New missions: Heavy Cruiser, Fleet Supply Cruiser (both by Helrica).
- New races: Carcharodon, Lobsterman (co-op with Helrica).
- New craft: CF-105 Arrow.
- New Alien Base mapblocks.
- New city mapblock (by Amuys).
- Improved UFOs accuracy.
- Made a proper natural weapon for Lobstermen.
- Promotion III now can be reached with several alternative access paths.
- Madmen are faster.
- Fixed Feral Carcharodon Autopsy entry in the Ufopaedia.
- Fixed a crash on researching Feral Lobsterman corpse.
- Fixed pockets of abyss in the Reptoid lands which swallowed your agents forever (no, this part was not planned).
- Fixed Synthsuit display in Ufopaedia.
- Minor fixes.

niculinux

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« Reply #1689 on: March 21, 2018, 10:59:49 pm »
Version 0.8.7 has been released!
Halleluja! Only i'd like fo see - hopefully in the next version - some more "initial missions", less crop circles and cattle mutilation and some more new/original ones  8)

Also, 2-stages missions TFTD-alike are planned in the future?
« Last Edit: March 21, 2018, 11:02:40 pm by niculinux »

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« Reply #1690 on: March 21, 2018, 11:17:31 pm »
Halleluja! Only i'd like fo see - hopefully in the next version - some more "initial missions", less crop circles and cattle mutilation and some more new/original ones  8)

Sorry, developing late game now. Maybe later.

Also, 2-stages missions TFTD-alike are planned in the future?

Well, there are some already...

Offline Slaughter

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« Reply #1691 on: March 22, 2018, 05:30:17 am »
Hey, glad to see new version!

No old save-game issues?

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« Reply #1692 on: March 22, 2018, 11:40:40 am »
Hey, glad to see new version!

No old save-game issues?

Old saves should be fine.

Offline HT

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.6 alpha: Night of The Lobsters
« Reply #1693 on: March 22, 2018, 01:01:13 pm »

Yay, a new update! No zombies though, so no game yet. Besides, Ghost of a Tale is quite cool to play.

They guilt you into surrendering.

I was making jokes about Indiana Jones and whips, as well as the mediocre "The Mummy" movies. Not sure what you're referring to, if anything.

Yeah, but it's still pretty close: zombie -> fat zombie -> infector -> tomb guard/strix -> vampires (multiple types) -> mummy. Ghouls are a side branch, and zombie troopers and megazombies are artificially made.



Yeah, that's an improvement. I can already see Piratez stealing this as soon as the units are finished though.  :)

Offline mumble

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Re: The X-Com Files - 0.8.7 alpha: Into the Depths
« Reply #1694 on: March 23, 2018, 01:11:46 am »
Very happy to hear the requirements for promotion 3 are diversified a little. I'll check this out when I get home.

Edit: probably won't get to try till tonight.

You know, I'd like to see missions requiring more use of non lethal means, perhaps indoctrinated civilians in cults (regular joes who are only very low level like Dagon supporters) which you lose points for killing despite being hostile.

Alternatively, what about a "base defense" mission which is actually a city / town, with mass mind control attacks using mind control nodes? Require taking people down non fatally like piratez raids, and destroying the mind control hub in the city (an immobile unit) to capture, possibly with a very heavy moral loss at "killing" the hub, so everyone surrenders on its death.

And if these things are implemented, maybe flash bangs could be created, a grenade that lowers tus and other stats, with a multiplication of front armor "damage" too, so flash bangs on sides or back aren't effective, while in front drastically lowers energy, reactions, aim, and inflicts camo hit on vision.

... Second part I'm unsure if its pheasable, but first part would be interesting, especially if the town acted as a base, further indoctrinating outsiders and reducing points till taken down. Would be great for variety, and training non lethal take downs
« Last Edit: March 23, 2018, 03:42:21 pm by mumble »