[TFTD][game progression] TFTD: Evolution 1.14

[Meridian]

The issue with BIGOBS.PCK is relevant both for OXC and OXCE and needs to be fixed... otherwise crash.

The issue with Triton routes is actually a problem in OG data files and doesn't need any fixing. OXC/OXCE will cull the incorrect nodes automatically.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Thanks for pointers. What is the easiest way to fix first one? Should i just remove as much duplicate rules as possible and leave only modifications?

[psavola]

I assume you were testing on latest published version?

Yes. I did reload and retried (and avoided clicking on deep one, which use OXCE extra features), so I could continue playing. I suppose this problem doesn't come up with OXC as you probably don't see those sprites (not sure about if you do MC though). So this is currently not an urgent problem.

[psavola]

A somewhat strange playing experience with SH/IM so far.

In January, there were two scripted small UFOs with aquatoids. Since then I've had three terror missions with gillmen and deep ones (-> plastic aqua armor). There haven't been any sights of UFOs since those scripted two. In the council report at the end of March, apparently Free China signed a pact and Australasia was unhappy with my activity (of course I saw none of this as I had only bases in the US and Europe at that point).

Now, in the beginning of April, there appeared a ship terror mission with lobstermen. At this point I have 50 % gauss rifles and 50 % heavy gauss. I'm only researching vibroblade. Soon I'd be able to research manta. Capturing live aliens and getting toward sonic is still far away. I have not yet decided if I should try the mission or abort. Looking at the rulesets, gauss has 1.0 effectiveness against them so one might be able to make a scratch with this mod (vanilla would be hopeless). But regardless I guess the mission would still be brutal with SH/IM.

The lack of alien subs could be due to a very bad RNG, or the game is supposed to be very slow and have only terror missions in the first months. But this seems a bit strange.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Interesting experience.

This mod does not change random USO generation. By the way, how do you recognize scripted vs. not scripted events???
Whatever you described is pretty much vanilla behavior that I have experienced many times. Once upon a time they all appear in the areas outside your radar range somewhere in other part of the globe. You don't get any money, any technology advancement and then boom: terror missions with Tasoths, Bio-drones, Reapers, Lobstermen, etc. That happened to me from time to time in vanilla games too. Nothing you can do about it. On lower difficulty levels player usually have enough time to evolve and build more bases with monthly income until attacks intensify. On SH it may be unforgiving.

You are right that Gauss weapon hurts everybody including Lobstermen. In fact, Heavy Gauss has quite sufficient firepower comparable to Sonic Cannon and not just to make a scratch. So one can theoretically use Gauss weapon throughout the game without problems. That is on purpose to offset late appearance of Sonic weapons. They are still more powerful but not by the big margin.

Other than that I would say this mod on SH is somewhat more challenging than in vanilla. So the chance that you may want to back up from the fight is quite expected.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Hmm. I am not sure what to fix there and how. Any clue?

This is part of custom ruleset:
  - type: DEEP_ONE_WEAPON
    bigSprite: 69
    bulletSprite: 8

[Meridian]

69 is not defined in your mod, and it is also not an original TFTD resource. Thus you cannot access index 69 directly.

It's part of the openxcom "xcom2" mod and can be accessed like this:


  - type: DEEP_ONE_WEAPON
    bigSprite: { mod: xcom2, index: 69 }
    bulletSprite: 8


More reading here: https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php/Ruleset_Reference_Nightly_(OpenXcom)#Negative_indices_and_cross-referencing_other_mods

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

I can do it like this and see if it fixes it.
From the other hand, I do not really care about visual elements in this mod. Can I comment out whole "weapon" section completely?

[psavola]

This mod does not change random USO generation. By the way, how do you recognize scripted vs. not scripted events???

Based on the mission, no. But in miissionScripts you can see a scripted ALIEN_PROBE_MISSION at the start of the game. Looking at the definions, such a mission is defined as a survey ship, escort and two cruisers. In my game, my radar detected only the escort and one cruiser.

Whatever you described is pretty much vanilla behavior that I have experienced many times. Once upon a time they all appear in the areas outside your radar range somewhere in other part of the globe. You don't get any money, any technology advancement and then boom: terror missions with Tasoths, Bio-drones, Reapers, Lobstermen, etc. That happened to me from time to time in vanilla games too. Nothing you can do about it. On lower difficulty levels player usually have enough time to evolve and build more bases with monthly income until attacks intensify. On SH it may be unforgiving.

I have never seen a complete lack of alien subs in my dozens of vanilla games. True, there may have often been only few UFOs in January/February (usually you get the 3 scripted ones), but zero in March as well? I don't recall a single play. By the end of March in TFTD you may even have completed all the UFO missions you need to do if you do speedrunning (except a very large lobsterman ufo).

One thing I wonder in particular is the following definion in missionScripts:

  - type: invasion # begins month 6 (July)
    firstMonth: 6

.. I wonder what is the default value and the behaviour (where can I find it out?). If the default TFTD value for the start of the "invasion" (whatever that implies in vanilla) is earlier, this might affect the amount of UFOs seen in this mod.

EDIT: found that in bin/standard/xcom2/missionScripts.rul the default definition is the same (but not sure if it actually does anything).

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Sorry, don't know.
This mod is based on "TFTD Rework" one which has its own thread and description. Try to look it up there.
I picked it as a base because I like many features in it. However, some other features I didn't care about much tagged along too.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Fixed the way M proposed and reuploaded. Please verify.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

I see a lot of these entries in the log. What does it mean?

Code: [Select]

[WARN] No free channels available


[R1dO]

Most likely candidate:

An SDL_mixer error complaining something went 'wrong' during playback (or loading?) of music/sound files.
Might be that there is something wrong with (some) audio files or something is wrong with your PC's audio system.

[psavola]

I have been playing this for a bit now. In my current, latest game I guess I was lucky as the aliens started a base building mission in my region and now I have two bases nearby, so I can collect trophies from their fleet supply cruisers.

I had one chance to try a very large sub early on. Xarquids that accompany gill men also seem to be very tough and deadly, and as they float, cannot be tackled by grenades. I had to abort the mission. But I keep wondering where else I could get Alien cryogenics and implanter to progress the tech tree (a battleship is equally unlikely for cryogenics). I wonder if I will have to wait for an artifact site mission to get started on MC labs and alien containment. Tasoths are pretty tough. Even 3 shots from gauss rifle from point blank range is not a guaranteed kill. So I suppose you might usually need to stick around with gauss stuff for quite a long while.

I guess one valid strategy with this mod is to try to avoid attacking subs with barracudas altogether (except very small ones). People have played TFTDwithout attacking any ufos in the early-midgame after all. (You may need to be prepared for base defense missions, however. I already had one, but against gill men it was very easy.) In my games, I have usually sacked the second barracuda at the end of January. With luck, you can get Manta in April, which can deal with small, even medium alien subs alone and you avoid the crippling rent costs.

The maintenance costs of base defenses seem to be so high that I think it will be a while until you can even consider building any.

[Alpha Centauri Bear]

Tasoths are pretty tough. Even 3 shots from gauss rifle from point blank range is not a guaranteed kill. So I suppose you might usually need to stick around with gauss stuff for quite a long while.

Tasoths have very high health among other races. So yes, even if a weapon effectively penetrates their armor, it may require few shots to kill them. You will experience same with Sonic Cannon against them.
Besides, they wear different armor. More advanced units are slightly tougher.
I found that three Heavy Gauss bullets it is almost always enough to kill them at point blank.

From the other hand, Tasoths and Lobstermen are better handled with melee weapon in close combat. It supposed to be extremely fast and more damaging.

I guess one valid strategy with this mod is to try to avoid attacking subs with barracudas altogether (except very small ones).

Simultaneous attack with many barracudas (up to 4) may be fruitful against mid-large USOs (depending on armament).
Gas Cannon: H.Cruiser
AJAX and Gauss Cannon: Hunter
DUP and Sonic Oscillator: Predator
PWT: F.S.Cruiset and Battleship
Anything above requires certain barracuda sacrifices or multiple waves with missile type armament.

Long range weapons are safer in this regards as they allow to rotate front attacker and disengage before interceptor got destroyed.

The maintenance costs of base defenses seem to be so high that I think it will be a while until you can even consider building any.

That was an experimental feature. Their maintenance is high but their build cost and build time are exceptionally less than in vanilla. Have you ever build 20 torpedo defenses in vanilla?
Let me know if you think their maintenance should be reduced. It is high but it is not that crippling when you can shoot and recover 10 USOs a month or even more later.