playable advent mod: details, feedback

[Azworai]

Did a new game to test it out... but it appears I may have a mod conflict. I have autopsied an MEC, Viper, Muton, etc... but no Proving Ground project has yet appeared. Mod conflict or am I missing a step somewhere?

[davidlallen]

@ azworai, try setting the ini file value "FREE_ALIEN" as shown in XComPlayableAdvent.ini, then the proving ground projects should show up immediately. I'm not sure a mod *conflict* would prevent that, but sometimes the way the game rebuilds the ini files is tricky. Try deleting all the My Documents/...XComGame/Config/*.ini files and then running again. After that, check XComEngine.ini to make sure that the ModOverride lines appear. Currently there should be at least 4 lines with ModClass="PA_<something>".

[davidlallen]

Here are some replies for the viper class.

 

I like the idea of battle scanner (which was suggested for mec). The idea of free shots on flanked enemies is a good one, but it may be hard to implement, and I'd prefer unique things that aren't "more damage". I'll definitely explore acid and paralyzing spit, along with disorienting. Spit should be their unique endgame weapon. It's interesting that you can currently spit, and then move. So this could be a nice concealment breaker: sneak up using Blend In, then spit, then Slither back to cover. With acid, that would be a great way to surprise a pod of late game armored enemies.

 

Do people feel that the "lore explanation" of vipers is reasonable? "Vipers have such strong regenerative abilities, they are easy to clone. Shen can clone fully grown vipers from the bodies we brought in". There are a few mods which have added missions, and it might be possible for me to add a rescue mission where the target is a viper, or at any rate, where the viper is a mission reward. I don't really think that is needed for the viper.

[davidlallen]

Here are some replies for the mec class.

 

I am thinking of removing the corpse cost for each new mec. Several people have pointed out that mec corpses are hard to come by. If the Avenger can build infinite numbers of power armor after paying one cost, then there is no reason each new mec should cost additional corpses.

 

I have almost got the feature working where the mec will be built at the level of your best soldier minus one, the same as soldiers that are rewarded by rescue or a mission reward. That will make them more immediately viable. My goal is to hit a happy medium, where the mec is strong enough to be always useful, but not so strong that you would prefer to take a full squad of mecs, or almost all mecs. That is what I mean by overpowered.

 

Regarding damage output, I am curious at what stage most people are getting mecs. The mec has a plasma rifle upgrade which should put its damage on par with plasma soldiers; so I guess any damage "gap" must be just before that. Shall I simply raise the damage of the tier 1 rifle? Or, should I move the current upgrade sooner, so it comes during gauss weapons instead of plasma? What is the best way to increase damage output "a little"? The tank spec should not have super high damage output but it can't be "trash".

 

Regarding attracting fire, I do like the lore idea of the mec spoofing the advent control network to make itself the highest priority target. I wonder if a stat change which is a big *negative* defense (ie, easier to hit) would work in drawing more fire. I can give that a try. The idea again is that your other soldiers can take riskier positions to improve their own damage output. I can boost their XP per assist, but also if the mec arrives at a high level, this is less of an issue.

 

In terms of additional abilities, I can try shieldwall, so that other soldiers can physically hide behind it. I was also thinking of a slightly weaker version of the sectopod AOE electrical effect. This would encourage you to get the mec up close to the enemy. It could possibly stun robotic units; I will see what sorts of things are possible.

 

Does anybody feel like the mec needs a mission to justify its existence? I don't think so; I think Shen could build new mecs given a couple of example corpses. This was suggested a few times earlier, but I still don't think it is really that much of an improvement for mec.

Edited March 18, 2016 by davidlallen

[zingfharn]

MEC corpses are super easy to come by. By midgame, there seem to be at least a couple per mission. At least, that what it feels like. Never leave home without bluescreens.

[Azworai]

@ azworai, try setting the ini file value "FREE_ALIEN" as shown in XComPlayableAdvent.ini, then the proving ground projects should show up immediately. I'm not sure a mod *conflict* would prevent that, but sometimes the way the game rebuilds the ini files is tricky. Try deleting all the My Documents/...XComGame/Config/*.ini files and then running again. After that, check XComEngine.ini to make sure that the ModOverride lines appear. Currently there should be at least 4 lines with ModClass="PA_<something>".

 

Free_Alien was marked as free when I brought up the .ini file initially. There are 4+ ModOverride lines in the mod .ini file for XComEngine ini file for the mod that fills your criteria. I'm unsure what specifically you're wanting me to try deleting... all my ini files?

[naqel]

I feel as though the Vipers should have 'class' theming based on types of snakes: Constrictors(bind and durability enhancements) and Venomous(venom spit and support enhancements), with alternating the trees producing a 'vanilla' Viper at Sergeant(including the stats).

 

Something like:

 

<rank/class> Constrictor | Venomous

Squadie: Bind* | Bind*

Corporal: Tongue Pull* | Aim

Sergeant: Deep Cover | Venom Spit*

Lieutenant: Blast Padding | Covering Fire

Captain: Untouchable | Shadowstep

Major: Crush | Embrace

Colonel: Shredder | Venom Rounds

 

 

<Embrace> Bind an ally to put them in Stasis until next turn.

<Crush> +1 Bind damage growth each turn.

 

 

Similar considerations should be probably applied to other units(MECs are Advent Grenadiers, etc.)

Edited March 18, 2016 by naqel

[davidlallen]

It is pretty common for junk to build up in the ini files. Try deleting them. You will only lose your graphics settings. Also, in the log file do you see any lines like "davea debug"? If the mod is being skipped then there won't be any.

[koopakidshyguy]

@davidlallen Don't worry about specific missions for alien recruits, getting them as rewards for council stuff should be enough. Remember that you have to keep it rare enough that they don't clutter the barracks and that they're appropriate alien recruits for the point of the game the player is at.

 

And for the Mec attracting fire ability, you'd have to massively boost armor for the turn, or even with the high HP setup, he'd get pasted mid-late game. Then again, I don't know if Advent would see a higher armor count and refuse to fire at him, so that's something to consider.

Edited March 18, 2016 by koopakidshyguy

[hunterkiller33]

I would prefer that the Viper be a mission reward, or at least be recruited, rather than cloned. Some people have simply suggested changing around the cost of the foundry projects and rewriting the description so that you are sending out retrieval teams to pickup a Viper looking to defect to XCOM. It could cost intel and captain corpses, but still require you encounter the alien first, with the description stating the captain had the rough coordinates of where the traitor was holed up. How does 150 intel and a captain's corpse sound? I might even replace the intel and corpse with an alien or Advent datapad if it were possible.

 

As for the MEC, it really depends on how often you run into them. In my current game, I didn't encounter any until I had Gauss rifles and mag cannons. I didn't have enough to make one until I was almost finished researching Plasma tech. Yet in the play-through before that, I had MECs every mission after the first retaliation mission. Encountering a Specific alien is really hit or miss. You never know how it is going to work out. You may only encounter it once in ten missions, or you might encounter three in one go every couple of missions. Its funny that you mention armor and weapons being infinite. This is certainly true, and a bit strange. On the other hand, you should consider that all of the items with the exception of frag and plasma grenades are not infinite, so one could argue that the MEC could require a number of resources that would limit how many you could field, but again, not be limited by corpses.

 

As for damage output on the MEC, I wholly agree, and feel, that their weapons should be on Par with the Grenadier. The micromissile barrage has pathetically low damage and scatters far more than a standard grenade, and yet, instead of a single explosive, you are firing a barrage. Should this not deal more damage? Their weapon is basically the advent equivalent of a cannon and grenade launcher, and maintains its higher damage over advent rifles throughout the game. Its quite obvious what their role is within Advent: A heavy weapons platform that has to be tanky because it can't take cover. Honestly, I don't see why they aren't already considered an equivalent to the MEC of Enemy Within and built on that template in this mod: High damage, High health, very expensive Bulwarks that draw enemy fire and can return it in kind and I don't understand why, when people think Tank, they think of something that can only take hits, when in reality, a tank's main job is to carry the biggest guns into battle and make sure its in the right place at the right time. Food for thought.

 

Point is, I'd rather take a Demolishers in a WAR suit over the MEC any day, when they should be equally valuable.