Messages

1

Discussion / Re: New autobattle

« on: June 04, 2012, 10:54:53 am »

The true problem with autobattles is the Medkits - you can heal all the damage in the world with a Medkit during battle. Fix that and people would be twice as cautious to resort to autobattle, even if no one dies, but rather several agents become severely wounded.


Another problem is that soldiers' skills develop way too slowly (max 1 point per battle per stat). Losing a soldier hurts. If they developed faster, much faster, getting a single soldier killed wouldn't be such a big deal.


I think that once a soldier dies, the game should scan all the savegames in the save folder and remove the soldier from existence permanently. No more reloading after deaths. If someone wants to make and keep manual backups of savegames, so be it. In fact, it would advisable to make a manual backup after 4 hours of playing.


There's a reason autobattle was put there in the first place. Who was it that coded it? Who supported it? Ask those guys why it's there.


A game can become a chore. We've all been there. Having autobattle is a good thing. But autobattle should have its drawbacks, such as less loot, less soldier development, more likely civilian casualties (already there, I believe), more displeased nation where the mission takes place, etc. etc.


We DO all agree that current autobattle mechanic is... too random, right? Right?!


Perhaps opting for autobattle would be more interesting if there was a prediction of the outcome, calculated by the game? The way it would work is that the game plays the autobattle a hundred times over and then makes a statistical prediction based on the results. The prediction would read something like "High probability of more than one casualty" or "It's more than likely that all of your soldiers will die if no combat supervision is provided". It could present the best case scenario and the worst case, such as "Best case: Light casualties. Unlikely deaths. Worst case: Several soldier casualties." Or simply print out the raw data in numbers: 42.8% chance of losing 1 soldier. 1.8% chance of losing all 8.

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Discussion / Re: New autobattle

« on: June 02, 2012, 09:57:14 am »

I say we (you, coders) assign each map autobattle difficulty ratings as well, reflecting how hard it is to root out aliens in a given map. In some maps, the defending party simply just has an advantage. The player should be informed of this difficulty then before making the decision whether to resort to autobattle or not. The whole point of autobattle is that the player doesn't have to play the same maps a thousand times over. Perhaps the inherent map defense bonus should go down the more times the player has cleared the map? Or perhaps the autobattle option for a given map should be unlocked only after the player has cleared that map a certain number of times?

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Discussion / Re: Aliens can freak out too

« on: June 02, 2012, 09:44:44 am »

This is the first time this has happened to you? They freak out all the time in my battles. Especially the wounded ones are prone to running away to curl up in a corner somewhere.

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Discussion / Re: Research Tree and Alien Base(s)

« on: June 01, 2012, 09:51:03 pm »

I sense your Alien Containment is empty and unused. Try filling it up.

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Discussion / Re: New autobattle

« on: June 01, 2012, 09:40:59 pm »

Things that should be taken into account:

For Phalanx:
- The number of Phalanx soldiers involved
- Soldiers' average or combined rank, because rank reflects soldier's overall skill level. Perhaps grant bigger bonuses for the top three ranks.
- Soldier equipment: armor and weapon on hand.
- This calls for numerical values to be set for each weapon and armor to reflect their general effectiveness on the battlefield. This number shouldn't be a static number but more like 1-3 for a 7.62mm pistol and 4-6 for an Assault Rifle, and maybe 1-10 for a Laser Rifle. And so on.
- Check for the number of Medkits on the team. The more Medkits, the less wounds after the battle, up to a point.
- Optionally check for IR goggles if it's night. Lack of worn IR goggles during nighttime should be considered a penalty.
- Optionally check for other equipment in inventory, specifically hand grenades and extra magazines for the weapon. Ideally there should be a low probability that some of this stuff is consumed during autobattles, but if an item IS consumed, it should give a bonus to the outcome, i.e. less wounds.


For Aliens:
- The number of Aliens involved
- Alien types: Ortnoks are more deadly than Tamans. The lethality order needs to be figured out.
- Aliens get an advantage if a battle involves Aliens which autopsies are yet to be conducted by Phalanx, or alternatively, Phalanx gains bonuses after autopsies.
- Alien weaponry autobattle values need to be decided as well.


The autobattle mechanics:
- Individual soldiers and aliens are sorted into two lists. Aliens on one list and Phalanx soldiers on the other. Combatants are placed in random order in their respective lists.
- The starting side is selected randomly.
- Combatants shoot in turns, and in order, starting from the top of the list.
- For each soldier and alien there is a base 5% chance that he's able to interrupt on opponent's turn, aiming and firing at a random opponent. For Phalanx soldiers, this chance goes up with rank. For Aliens... I don't know. Shots are fired simultaneously. If the last two combatants kill off each other this way, the battle is considered a defeat.
- The side that gets to shoot at any time (with the exception of the first turn) is determined by probability, and the probability is determined by the number of combatants on each side. The larger the team, the larger the probability. This probability changes throughout the battle as combatants get killed.
- Higher soldier rank increases the chance to hit an alien, and the chance to NOT get hit by an alien (increased evasion and increased damage reduction), on top of the increased chance to interrupt (i.e. fire back) as described above.
- Each Medkit that a surviving Phalanx soldier carries has a 20% chance of reviving a dead Phalanx soldier, healing up to 20% of max health. Each Medkit also has a 20% chance of healing 40% of any wounded soldier's maximum health instantly after battle.
- Optionally involve the Mind stat of each individual surviving soldier carrying a Medkit to determine the healing chance or the amount of hit points healed.
- A 5% chance exists on each turn that a soldier or an alien uses a grenade from his inventory on his turn, wounding 0-3 opponents. If interrupt and grenade chance happen at the same time, one is selected randomly, in order to prevent both from activating.
- Phalanx soldiers gain double critical chance AND damage bonus if an autopsy has been conducted on the target alien's race. (note: implement critical hits)


One Colonel rank soldier in Nano armor, armed with a Heavy Laser should be able to wipe out a team of 5 unarmored Tamans all armed with Plasma Pistols, while sustaining only minimal damage.
One armored Ortnok, armed with a Plasma Rifle, should be able to wipe out 5-8 Phalanx Rookies (out of a team of 8 ), assuming their weapons aren't very advanced.


The big idea is that the Aliens have initially way more force and firepower on their side simply due to the deadlier weapons and the element of surprise, by which I mean that the Aliens know human physiology and capabilities but the Phalanx doesn't know anything about any of the Alien species. Until autopsies have been conducted, that is. Over time Phalanx gains bonuses on their side via research, better weaponry and battle experience (soldier ranks). This would mean that in the early stages the player is practically forced to manually handle the tactical combat, while in the late stages of the game, the player would have the best team with best weapons, and he's then able to autoresolve even the largest battles successfully, with minimal casualties (severe wounds at most but no soldier deaths).


More work needs to be done so that the player can make an educated guess if it's worth it to risk autobattle. Currently it's impossible to check the crashed UFO type, unless the player memorized it earlier. The exact number and composition of the UFO troops should be made visible to the player at some point as well, in my opinion.




Just my 2 cents...

6

Discussion / Re: The Bigger UFOs

« on: June 01, 2012, 01:25:45 am »

At the moment, I'm playing it on an easy level to get a feel for the game.  It's current in Nov 2084.  So in terms of time and difficulty, can I expect to see bigger UFOs soon?

I have a game going on Easy difficult as well. I'm at Q4 of 2085. I have not seen a Corruptor or a Gunboat. Considering starting a new game at Hard difficulty.

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Discussion / Alien Interest

« on: May 29, 2012, 02:44:23 am »

Is there a console command to check the current Alien Interest level?

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Discussion / Re: The Bigger UFOs

« on: May 28, 2012, 05:44:35 pm »

What the hell are Gunboats and Corruptors? 
I'm at September 2085.
Easy Difficulty.

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Discussion / Re: Winning strategy?

« on: May 28, 2012, 12:14:04 am »

I don't use autocomplete because more civvies die that way, although I've read that your soldiers level faster?

The opposite. They don't level at all! The kill count and the mission count go up but soldier stats do not improve. I'm playing version 2.4 here. Not sure if that matters.


Anyway:
- In my last game, I put my first base at the spot where Asia, Russia and Middle-East borders meet. Seemed like a good starting move.
- I guess you could build your 2nd base in South America. It seems to get unhappy quite fast.
- I keep 2 small hangars at each base for 2 Stiletto interceptors. Craft equipment: 3x SHIVA cannons, ECM, Targeting Comp, no armor. I never shoot down Harvesters. Both Stilettos are scrambled against any Fighter UFOs. I don't use Saracen interceptors or missiles at all.
- If you're feeling lucky, you could try to coordinate an attack against a Harvester with 4-6 Stilettos. Just be prepared to lose one of the Stilettos. Or if the Harvester will pass near the base, give a retreat order to the Stiletto it's firing at. With any luck, the Stiletto won't be destroyed while the other 3 can pound it for good measure. Make sure to attack with the right pair of Stilettos first, so their home base is the one nearby. All this requires some precision. Set up an ambush point somewhere along the Harvester's flight path and let it fly to your 4x Stiletto squadron. Then give it a warm welcome with all those SHIVA cannons. Engage it when it's close enough for your weapons. Often the Harvester won't open fire until you've attacked it first!
- The first base is the only base that gets a large hangar. I don't keep any other ground assault teams.
- Reserve 300-500k of money for building your second base. Reserve 500k for building each base after that.
- I don't hesitate to use the end-of-the-month fire&rehire exploit to save funds.
- Build a UFO yard as soon as possible. Start collecting UFOs. Even if it takes a long time before you can start disassembling them.
- Research gets priority over manufacture. Build a lab cluster first. Then focus on manufacturing/disassembly. Wait until there are enough scientists to hire before building labs.
- Eventually you'll want: one base with 5 labs, one base with 5 workshops.
- Note that some new researched items appear in the global market. This means you don't have to manufacture them, so don't waste precious workshop time to produce things you could simply buy.
- When building a new base, first build modules that are quickest to build - that is, Living Quarters and Storage. When LQ is built, hire 2-4 soldiers to defend the place. Remember to buy guns for them.
- Manufacture stuff in small batches, not large ones.
- Be very very cautious which base modules to build. Some of them are nasty expensive.
- Use cheap weapons in battles. Use the more expensive weapons sparingly. Some weapons are more useful when sold instead of used. No need to use a plasma grenade against a wounded Taman. (One does not simply draw a line between the strategic and the tactical elements.)
- Note that at some point you have access to an improved radar. So whatever your base's initial detection range is, don't hesitate to leave some gap and put some distance between your bases, which the advanced radar will later close up.
- If you don't feel like sending a ground team against an UFO, shoot it down over water. So decide first whether you want a ground team to handle the UFO before actually shooting it down.

10

Discussion / Re: attributes for other personnel types?

« on: May 22, 2012, 04:04:33 pm »

On the other hand, PHALANX is specialised in fighting the aliens.

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Discussion / Re: attributes for other personnel types?

« on: May 22, 2012, 08:40:42 am »

It just makes me wonder why they even let scientists and engineers have individual names, if they're not going to have attributes, and they're unavailable in base defense missions. Might as well go back to the old X-Com system when scientists were just a number and not individuals. Although the individual hiring makes the end-of-the-month salary/firing exploit bit more tedious, and therefore it works as a deterrent.


I think that during base defense, should all your soldiers die, then the fight should go into auto-mission mode, and the number of civilians and firearms in the base, including the quality of the firearms there, should determine the outcome. And even if you survive, you would still lose a bunch of scientists and engineers in the fight, since they're not exactly trained for combat. But at least you'd get to keep the base.


I don't understand why each firearm hasn't been assigned a hidden auto-mission value that would determine its effectiveness in auto-missions. I guess it's not that high a priority. I mean, surely some kind of index could be calculated from weapon damage, firing rate, range, clip size, etc. Or just manually input numbers for each weapon that "feel right", without any elaborate formula.


For combat purposes, I feel that attributes for other personnel is irrelevant, since they'd all be simply below any acceptable limits. Only the headcount and gear level would be any real factors.


Although I'd love to see a scientist named Gordon Freeman waste a few aliens in UFO:AI...


You know, for a while I played with the idea of specialised research branches (specialised buildings, individual specialised scientists), but I concluded that it might make the game unpleasantly elaborate to play, and to code, even with just a few scientific subdivisions. But now it occurred to me that it would be kind of beautiful to have the individual specialised scientists, and name them after famous real-life counterparts, using their last names, as a homage to science itself. Who would NOT want to hire people named such as Jennifer Tesla or Heinrich Oppenheimer, the descendants of, well... you know who.


On the other hand, if we don't require specialised buildings to conduct various research, it might still make it interesting to make each technology to fall under a category, such as Weapons, Microbiology etc., and then let scientists have the similarily named skills like Weapons Research, Microbiology, Aerospace Engineering, Astrophysics, etc. Even while the research with non-specialised crew would be slower, they might at least learn in the process.

12

Discussion / Re: Alien Materials

« on: May 22, 2012, 07:14:32 am »

Random thought:
What if there was a researchable tech that would either:
- Increase the Alien Materials yield from UFOs, or
- A craft weapon (heavy) that "disables" half-shot UFOs, so that they're in better condition after they've been shot down. This weapon would be useless against unharmed UFOs. This could be a very expensive missile, if not an ammoless beam weapon.

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Discussion / Re: Herakles: A death trap?

« on: May 21, 2012, 04:50:56 am »

Meh. It's not a death trap. Not in the case of Herakles. It just feels like a death trap. It's your instincts nagging. A natural warrior's reaction to the geometrical shape of the starting space.

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Discussion / Re: Alien Materials

« on: May 20, 2012, 02:21:55 pm »

Agreed. The build cost is deffo too damn high, or alternatively, we don't get nearly enough alien materials from UFOs. Cost is simply unfair. Personally, I would cut the Alien Materials requirements by 20-30% for each craft, while also increasing the Alien Material yield from UFOs by 100%, but I'd also increase the time it takes to disassemble them.

15

Discussion / Re: Automissions - under the hood (v2.4)

« on: May 20, 2012, 02:14:38 pm »

no, equipment is not yet affect the automission.

Not even armor?