Light Cannon blocking major game parts

[Draykoth]

Hey, I've been enjoying this mod a lot, started playing it when 0.9.6 came out.

Currently playing on Veteran and well into the actual invasion, I feel like I'm missing out on major parts of the game (everything underwater and the vampire knights?) because I haven't randomly come across a light cannon.

Rummaging around the tech tree, I keep coming to the same bottleneck that I need to contact MAGMA corp, but this is the only way how. I can apparently also research a Heavy Cannon (which I've found a total of 1 of) but, that's stuck in a loop of having to contact them before I can research it to contact them.

Literally the only thing I've found about this is that it's carried by the Men in Black, but they have only appeared on a single of those farmer missions in the start where I found them carrying CAWS

Is there anything I can do to get the tech to contact magma corp, or maybe a fix that allows the heavy cannon to contact them aswell?


(Also, where the hell do I find Delta Radiation? I'm doing everything I can to intercept aliens and their missions at every point, but I can't find anything about this)

--- posts merged ---

Oh, one more question I forgot.

Heavy Weapons Platforms, the tanks. I've researched many, and manufactured a Rocket and Minigun tank and their ammo, but I can't use them in any way. I've had base invasions with no sign of the tanks except their scattered ammo everywhere, and I they're not under crew nor equipment for my skymarshall

[Solarius Scorch]

Hi there!

In order to be able to buy a Heavy Cannon, you must indeed contact M.A.G.M.A. and do a couple missions for them to get on their "special buyer" list. And yes, the Light Cannon is necessary here. But it is a fairly common weapon, used by many Red Dawn elites; you should not have problems with finding one if you advance this arc.
Nevertheless, I agree that a heavy Cannon should also be a gate to M.A.G.M.A. - after all it's their product.

Delta Radiation can be learned from alien engineers, leaders and commanders.

HWPs are armours for AI units.

[Draykoth]

Man, I figured I was missing something obvious with those tanks. Thanks a lot.

As for the heavy cannons, I don't actually want them, I have one, I just can't research it. And Red Dawn, I shut them down very early for one of the promotions. Never saw the elites carrying anything other than those LMGs with green magazines.

So am I boned on the MAGMA contact?

[Solarius Scorch]

You are boned temporarily, until I release a fix.
I never expected anyone to not get the Light Cannon, but the possibility is there, just pretty minuscule.
If you don't want to wait on an update, I hereby give you permission to hack a Light Cannon into your save. It can be done easily with a text editor.

[Draykoth]

Thank you for being extremely helpful.

I just put in a light cannon, I did not expect the save to just be a text file... I guess that's 90's games for ya

Once more, great mod.

[Solarius Scorch]

Thanks!
Though actually, real 90's games were the opposite.

[tkzv]

I never expected anyone to not get the Light Cannon, but the possibility is there, just pretty minuscule.

It is possible. I once finished 3 cults without ever capturing it and only got it in the last mission for the 4th (EXALT, if I remember correctly).

[bluberd]

I also struggled to get the light cannon for a very long time. I also moved by now to the laser weapons, but I never, ever got my hands on heavy cannon or had an ability to research one.
With HWP I was never able to figre out how this thing works (or the drones). I have the medical drone and x-com flying drone in my storage, but I am not able to load it on the transporter.
I researched the tanks and hovertanks, but I still have no idea how to produce it. What is the exact path - do I need any of those AI units? Special building(I have seen some mentions about drone building)?

[krautbernd]

They are handled as armor for AI units. Should be stated as such in-game iirc.

[Solarius Scorch]

What should be stated in-game? I fail to understand the problem.
That AI armours are used as... armours???

[krautbernd]

Usage of tank armors is probably non-intuitive for those used to vanilla x-com where tanks are stand-alone units and don't require token units to be purchased.

[Solarius Scorch]

Usage of tank armors is probably non-intuitive for those used to vanilla x-com where tanks are stand-alone units and don't require token units to be purchased.

Maybe, but I can't see how I can add this information to the mod without it sounding silly...

[krautbernd]

No idea what's in the game right now, too lazy to start it up and look, but how about simply stating it the way it is - that the tanks are really only the chassis for an AI unit and that they can't be used on their own but have to be equipped by said AI unit?

[Solarius Scorch]

No idea what's in the game right now, too lazy to start it up and look, but how about simply stating it the way it is - that the tanks are really only the chassis for an AI unit and that they can't be used on their own but have to be equipped by said AI unit?

Yes, but there are many types of "tank" chassis...
I'll think about it.

[Niewiem]

Maybe just change basic AI unit description to something like:


The purchase of one comes with scout drone chasis (you can change AI purpose by equping new armor to it) and a support technician to service it.