Classic Difficulty - modding and balancing

[grenademagnet]

Alright, got my new mod up; Implassic version 1.0

 

http://xcom.nexusmods.com/mods/17

 

If you choose the Impossible difficulty then it uses the Classic settings from the DefaultGameCore.ini file.

 

I also included a hack of my mod that contains a few personal gameplay preferences. But that hack is optoinal.

 

Here is what the optional hack contains (EDIT: NOTE: this is in an optional patcher included, and not in the base Implassic mod)

 

SHOOT_WHEN_PANICKED=0 ;Eliminated - so you don't shoot your own troops

;Elite troops are not going to accidently shoot their own buddies

ShowUFOsOnMission=1 ; Detect the UFOs that are carrying out abductions and terror missions (from the original INI file)

SKYRANGER_CAPACITY = 6 ;start you off with more troops

PANIC_UFO_IGNORED=1 ;reduced from 2 to 1

 

;OTS: Since the SKYRANGER_CAPACITY makes these parameter redundant, I lowered the cost

' and made the upgrades cheap in case building the OTS resets the skyranger squad size (not tested)

 

OTSBalance=(eTech=eOTS_SquadSize_I, iCash=1, eRank=eRank_Sergeant)

OTSBalance=(eTech=eOTS_SquadSize_II, iCash=1, eRank=eRank_Sergeant)

 

Enjoy, and I'll accept any feedback.

Edited October 17, 2012 by grenademagnet

[jelf]

How do you make the OTS appear as soon as the game starts?

[Daemonjax]

Not having playing Impossible yet, I don't have the slightest.

Anyone ?

 

Classic feels like 50% more enemies than Normal, and Impossible feels like 50% more enemies than Classic. I could be wrong, but it's something like that.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Daemonjax

[Anbar]

 

PANIC_UFO_IGNORED=1 ;reduced from 2 to 1

 

Enjoy, and I'll accept any feedback.

 

i've pointed this out elsewhere but will repeat it here also:

 

Reducing panic for ignored UFOs make interception of difficult targets entirely pointless: there is no benefit at all to attempting to intercept a difficult UFO if the PANIC from ignoring it is exactly the same as the panic from failing to intercept it.

 

f.ex:

 

Early game a big old Abductor UFO appears on your rader.

If you attempt an interception, knowing that you wont be able to shoot it down, and will probably lose an interceptor in the process, then at least the PANIC will be reduced form 2 to 1.

If you ignore it totally then PANIC will be 2.

 

 

with your mod:

Ignore the UFO panic = 1

fail to intercept the UFO panic = 1

 

Therefore why even bothering trying to intercept the UFO?

 

------

 

there are a host of good gameplay and balance reason why ignoring UFOs should (i would say "must") always be higher than ignoring UFOs.

 

lots of people seem to alter this stat because they have enabled abduction/terror UFOs, beleiving that this is the only way to restrain panic form "all those ignored UFOs". However this is not how the system works.

 

UFOs that are undetected do NOT raise panic whatsoever.

 

Only detected UFOs, that "require interception" potentially raise panic levels.

 

There a really good game mechanic in this for raising the difficulty on any setting: spamming satellites early in the game, which will raise your chances to detect UFOs on whatever continents the satellites are, is BAD, strategically, if you cannot shoot those UFOs down (PANIC goes up a LOT) . SO this prevents the player from spreading out his satellite however he wants, unless he can properly protect them.

 

If, however, the panic level for ignored is the same as attempted, then the player cna continue to do whatsoever he wants with satellite placement. i.e. keeping the game easy. (in fact easier).

[grenademagnet]

with your mod:

Ignore the UFO panic = 1

fail to intercept the UFO panic = 1

Thanks for the feedback. I wanted to point out two things:

 

1) In the primary mod file for Implassic, this is not an issue, as I left all the panic settings alone. So the PANIC_UFO_IGNORED=2, which is the game's default, is still found in my base mod file. I assume most people would want to use the base mod file.

 

2) The PANIC_UFO_IGNORED=1 is only available in a secondary mod file I included that can be optionally used, if desired.

 

I referred to this additional mod file as an "optional hack" in my original post on the subject. I just now updated my original post to make it clear that this modification is in a stand-alone, optional mod file.

 

If people use the default patcher_implassic_v01.bat file to apply the mod then they will get all the game's default panic settings. I hope this clears things up.

Edited October 17, 2012 by grenademagnet

[grenademagnet]

How do you make the OTS appear as soon as the game starts?

That I don't know. I assume it's something hard-coded in the game EXE or supporting UPK files, as on Normal difficulty I believe you start with the OTS, while on Classic and Impossible you do not. There is no specific setting in the DefaultGameCore.ini file that indicates at what difficulty level the OTS is to appear, though the individual rank requirements for the upgrade abilities are listed (and can be modified).