Custom Soldier Ability Trees

[graaa]

So now that we’ve figured out how to change the class abilities around, I’m wondering if anyone has any interesting new build ideas out there. I haven’t tested mine yet, but I’m sure there are many awesome possibilities now open to us and some sick new builds in the works!

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For anybody learning how to do this, it took me almost all afternoon. But you can find out here:

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/813563-probably-found-a-way-to-edit-ability-trees-of-your-troops-and-enemies/

 

http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/810950-xshape/page__hl__xshape

 

In fact, BIG UPS to all the people in those top two threads.

 

and you’ll need the tools found here

 

http://www.gildor.org/projects/umodel/downloads

 

and here

 

http://www.hexworkshop.com/

 

and here

 

http://code.google.com/p/xshape/downloads/list

 

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ASSAULT

I didn’t change much to assault, just replaced Flush with Grenadier (2 grenades or 2 shots in 1 turn? Decisions….) and Extra Conditioning with Sprint. I wanted to give Flush to someone else (the Heavy) and add more risk/reward to the assault by taking away the health bonus and adding mobility!

 

Squaddie

Run & Gun: Allows firing or Overwatch after Dashing. Two turn cooldown.

Corporal

Tactical Sense: Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20)

Aggression: Confers +10% critical chance per enemy in sight (max +30%)

Sergeant

Lightning Reflexes:Forces the first reaction shot against this unit each turn to miss.

Close and Personal:Confers +30% Critical Chance against adjacent targets – bonus declines with distance from target.

Lieutenant

Grenadier: Allows 2 grenades in a single inventory slot.

Rapid Fire:Take two shots against a single target in quick succession. Each shot carries a -15 penalty to aim.

Captain

Close Combat Specialist: Confers a reaction shot against any enemy who closes within 4 tiles.

Bring ‘Em On: Adds 1 damage on critical hits for each enemy the squad can see (max 5).

Major

Sprinter: Allows the Support to move 3 additional tiles.

Colonel

Resilience: Confers immunity to critical hits.

Killer Instinct: Activating Run & Gun now also grants +50% critical damage for the rest of the turn.

 

SUPPORT

Kinda overhauled the Support Class here. Got rid of Covering fire and replaced it with Opportunist. Moved sprinter to another class and replaced it with Holo-Targetting. Now the support class can have about 4 strong builds, I think. There’s an Overwatch vs. Suppression build (with the holotargeting), and on top of that you can have both supports focus on either healing or smoke grenades too! Also replaced Revive with Rapid Reaction, so with Opportunist, the overwatch support can be even more lethal on overwatch! Who really liked revive anyway? I never thought it was worth going back for those critically wounded guys anyway due to the hit to will… Oh! One last thing. I replaced deep pockets with battlescanner (with credit to banjo_oz) because in my modded game, all armor has 2 pockets anyway…This makes all support units even more well rounded.

 

Squaddie

Smoke Grenade: Deploy a smoke grenade once per mission. The smoke confers +20 Defense to all units, and lasts through the enemy turn.

Corporal

Opportunist: Eliminates the Aim penalty on reaction shots, and allows reaction shots to cause critical hits.

Holo-Targeting: Shooting at or suppressing enemies also confers +10 Aim to any allies’ attacks on those enemies.

Sergeant

Field Medic: Allows medkits to be used 3 times per battle instead of once.

Smoke and Mirrors: Allows 1 additional use of Smoke Grenade each mission.

Lieutenant

Rapid Reaction: Confers a second reaction shot if on Overwatch and the first reaction shot is a hit.

Rifle Suppression: Fire a barrage that pins down a target, granting reaction fire against it and imposing a 30 penalty to aim.

Captain

Dense Smoke: Smoke Grenades have increased area of effect and further increase units’ Defense by 20.

Combat Drugs: Smoke Grenades now contain powerful stimulants that grant +20 Will and +10 critical chance for all units in the cloud.

Major

Battle Scanner: Deploy a canning device that creates a new source of vision for 2 turns. Can only be used 2 times per battle.

Colonel

Savior: Medkits restore 4 more health per use.

Sentinel: Allows two reaction shots during Overwatch instead of one.

 

HEAVY

The idea with the heavy is to give people a choice between the bullet swarm heavy or the Tank heavy early on by replacing holo-targetting with extra conditioning. Now heavies can REALLY tank. Also, replaced rapid reaction with FLUSH so heavies can do a little bit more tactically than blow up everything. Pretty much Flush just adds to their anti-cover tactics.

 

Squaddie

Fire Rocket: Fire a rocket using an equipped launcher. This ability cannot be used after moving more than once per mission.

Corporal

Bullet Swarm: Firing the primary weapon as the first action no longer ends the turn.

Extra Conditioning: Confers bonus health based on which type of armor is equipped. Heavier armor increases the bonus..

Sergeant

Shredder Rocket: Fire a rocket that causes all enemies hit to take +33% damage from all sources for the next 4 turns.

Suppression: Can fire a special shot that grants reaction fire at a single target. The target also suffers a -30 Aim penalty.

Lieutenant

HEAT Ammo: Confers +100% damage against robotic enemies.

Flush:Fire a shot that causes enemies to run out of cover.

Captain

Grenadier: Allows 2 grenades in a single inventory slot.

Danger Zone: Increases AoE on Suppression and all rocket attacks by 2 tiles.

Major

Will to Survive: Reduces normal damage taken by 2 if in cover and not flanked.

Colonel

Rocketeer: Allows 1 additional standard rocket to be fired per battle.

Mayhem: Confers additional damage based on weapon tech level to Suppression and all area-effect abilities

 

SNIPER.

Basically I nerfed sniper overwatch and gave it to the support class.The sniper now can have a little more contrast between the squad sight sniper and the recon/snapshop sniper. Replaced battle scanners with sprinter (because you might want to run far away or flank an enemy with your recon sniper to activate In The Zone). Also replaced opportunist with Will to Survive to give your sniper a little bit more survivability in bad situations. I’m thinking of replacing this with resilience, but that might make them overpowered?

 

Squaddie

Headshot: Fire a shot with +30% critical chance and extra damage on critical hits, based on the tech level of the sniper rifle. Two turn cooldown.

Corporal

Snap Shot: Removes the sniper rifle’s restriction on firing and Overwatch after moving. Any shots taken suffer a -20 Aim penalty.

Squadsight: Allows firing at targets in any ally’s sight radius.

Sergeant

Gunslinger: Confers 2 bonus damage with pistols.

Damn Good Ground: Confers +10 Aim and +10 Defense against enemies at lower elevation, in addition to the usual elevation bonuses.

Lieutenant

Disabling Shot: Allows the Sniper to fire a shot that causes the target’s main weapon to malfunction. The shot cannot inflict a critical hit. Two turn cooldown.

Sprinter: Allows the Support to move 3 additional tiles.

Captain

Executioner: Confers +10 Aim against targets with less than 50% health.

Will to Survive: Reduces normal damage taken by 2 if in cover and not flanked.

Major

Low Profile: Converts partial cover to full cover.

Colonel

In The Zone: Killing a flanked or uncovered target with the sniper rifle does not cost an action.

Double Tap: Allows both actions to be used for Standard Shot, Headshot, or Disabling Shot, provided no moves were made. 1 turn cooldown.

 

-graaa

 

EDIT:

Pics or it didn't happen, right?

http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag70/thefreeking/2012-10-25_00001.jpg

http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag70/thefreeking/2012-10-25_00005.jpg

http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag70/thefreeking/2012-10-25_00006.jpg

Edited October 26, 2012 by graaa

[PepprmintButler]

That's... kinda awesome.

How about releasing your work for those who don't have the courage and/or time to get into the subject themselves ? (for now anyway)

[Jigain]

It would be awesome if someone were to take all this information and make a simple program to let users with little to no experience in editing files move talents and perks around. I, for example, like that the Battle Scanner is on the support (as it feels like more of a support thing to use), but would much rather switch places of Headshot and Squadsight, as I feel Squadsight seems like an integral part of being a sniper (making long-ranged shots with a sniper rifle, duh), and Headshot vs Snapshot makes a much more interesting and difficult choice (move and fire, or extra crit chance on demand? Hmm).

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one with a sense of "if this was like this, it would be awesome in my opinion". :P

 

Also, I find Gunslinger all-around useless and would love to replace it with something more useful.

Edited October 26, 2012 by Jigain

[shiwan8]

It would be awesome if someone were to take all this information and make a simple program to let users with little to no experience in editing files move talents and perks around. I, for example, like that the Battle Scanner is on the support (as it feels like more of a support thing to use), but would much rather switch places of Headshot and Squadsight, as I feel Squadsight seems like an integral part of being a sniper (making long-ranged shots with a sniper rifle, duh), and Headshot vs Snapshot makes a much more interesting and difficult choice (move and fire, or extra crit chance on demand? Hmm).

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one with a sense of "if this was like this, it would be awesome in my opinion". :P

 

Also, I find Gunslinger all-around useless and would love to replace it with something more useful.

 

I'm pretty much with on the changes for headshot and squadsight. I am not, however, thinking the same about gunslinger. That ability makes the sniper an all around guy. Snapshot is just wrongly named "missed shot". Plasma pistol + gunslinger = sniper who can move and shoot or not move and hit hard.

[rf900]

Does anyone take the additional smoke grenade for support at sargent level? Field medic is always my choice, seems a no brainer, no sure what ability could be at the same level.

[graaa]

How about releasing your work for those who don't have the courage and/or time to get into the subject themselves ?

 

I'm really pretty new at this myself, I don't even know if there is a way you CAN share the .upk files. It might be possible, but you'll need to download xshape (provided in the link above and here:

http://code.google.com/p/xshape/downloads/list) because xshape was made to allow you to run edited .cbk files without crashing the game. I might be inclined to post a step by step how I did this in the future, given I can remember each step! But really, I mostly just followed what the guys forum post said about it here: http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/813563-probably-found-a-way-to-edit-ability-trees-of-your-troops-and-enemies/ especially when banjo_oz just came out and showed how to change 'deep pockets' to 'battlescanner'.

 

but would much rather switch places of Headshot and Squadsight

 

That'd be interesting - every sniper with squadsight. I have asked the question: what is wrong with my snap-shop sniper if he can't hit anything further away than the heavy can? Or how about:

 

Squaddie

Squadsight: Allows firing at targets in any ally’s sight radius.

Corporal

Snap Shot: Removes the sniper rifle’s restriction on firing and Overwatch after moving. Any shots taken suffer a -20 Aim penalty.

Tactical Sense: Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20)

Does anyone take the additional smoke grenade for support at sargent level? Field medic is always my choice, seems a no brainer, no sure what ability could be at the same level

I'll admit I toyed with the idea of putting fieldmedic on a different level so that you could pick both field medic AND smoke and mirrors if you wanted to (obviously forgoing a perk like, say, suppression if you do that) but I haven't put together a skill tree to speculate on it.

Also, if you pick up a rebalance .ini mod that gives 2 item slots to armor, you can potentially have EVERYONE carry a medi-kit, making a medic-only support a bit less necessary!

Edited October 26, 2012 by graaa

[Jigain]

That'd be interesting - every sniper with squadsight. I have asked the question: what is wrong with my snap-shop sniper if he can't hit anything further away than the heavy can? Or how about:

 

Squaddie

Squadsight: Allows firing at targets in any ally’s sight radius.

Corporal

Snap Shot: Removes the sniper rifle’s restriction on firing and Overwatch after moving. Any shots taken suffer a -20 Aim penalty.

Tactical Sense: Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20)

 

That's certainly an interesting thought. I'd also say it's somewhat fitting for a sniper role (who would traditionally be acting as a spotter and keep track on where the enemies are, and thus be more aware of their attacks), but might potentially be a little bit overpowered.

[babyjebu5]

Squaddie

Squadsight: Allows firing at targets in any ally’s sight radius.

Corporal

Snap Shot: Removes the sniper rifle’s restriction on firing and Overwatch after moving. Any shots taken suffer a -20 Aim penalty.

Tactical Sense: Confers +5 Defense per enemy in sight (max +20)

Love that idea. +1

[PepprmintButler]

Regarding the Sniper squaddie/corporal perks, I like Snap Shot vs Headshot best personally.

I think most of graaa's class changes make a lot of sense and should be a lot of fun.

 

Now that we know how to switch things around, and that the Talented Ones will soon put out a tool for everyone to try their hand at it, I'd be interested in seeing what perks that are not in any classes' trees at present can be added in.

Going back to the perk list in XComPerkManager, the following has caught my eye :

 

Perks that may have changed names but I don't recognize :

	BuildPerk(12, 0, "ButtonUp");
BuildPerk(30, 0, "ReadyForAnything");
BuildPerk(29, 0, "FirstBlood");
BuildPerk(38, 0, "FlameOn");
BuildPerk(42, 0, "Vengeance");

 

Perks that seem to describe states given temporarily by items or such :

	BuildPerk(57, 0, "HeightAdvantage");
BuildPerk(59, 0, "ImmuneToDisabled");
BuildPerk(60, 0, "SuppressedActive");
BuildPerk(61, 0, "CriticallyWounded");
BuildPerk(62, 0, "Flying");
BuildPerk(63, 0, "Stealth");
BuildPerk(65, 0, "ChitinPlating");
BuildPerk(66, 0, "CombatStimsActive");
BuildPerk(68, 0, "Panicked");
BuildPerk(107, 0, "BattleFatigue");
BuildPerk(108, 0, "MindShield");
BuildPerk(46, 0, "Stun");

 

 

Alien perks, to be tested on soldiers :

	BuildPerk(81, 1, "Launch");
BuildPerk(80, 1, "Evasion");
BuildPerk(78, 1, "MindMerge2");
BuildPerk(79, 1, "MindMerge2");
BuildPerk(82, 1, "Bombard");
BuildPerk(83, 1, "Leap");
BuildPerk(84, 1, "PoisonSpit");
BuildPerk(85, 1, "PoisonSpit");
BuildPerk(86, 1, "Bloodcall");
BuildPerk(87, 1, "Intimidate");
BuildPerk(89, 1, "Bloodlust");
BuildPerk(90, 1, "Bullrush");
BuildPerk(75, 1, "MindMerge");
BuildPerk(76, 1, "MindMerge");
BuildPerk(96, 1, "HeatWave");
BuildPerk(97, 1, "ClusterBomb");
BuildPerk(98, 1, "PsiLance");
BuildPerk(99, 1, "DeathBlossom");
BuildPerk(100, 1, "Overload");
BuildPerk(77, 0, "Harden");
BuildPerk(101, 1, "PsiMindControl");
BuildPerk(102, 1, "PsiDrain");
BuildPerk(103, 1, "Repair");
BuildPerk(104, 1, "CannonFire");

 

Perks I have no idea about the workings of, potentially interesting :

	BuildPerk(105, 0, "Implant");
BuildPerk(106, 0, "Implant");
BuildPerk(7, 0, "AutopsyRequired");
BuildPerk(88, 0, "FallenComrades");
BuildPerk(109, 0, "DONT_USE_ItemRangeBonus");
BuildPerk(110, 0, "DONT_USE_ItemRangePenalty");

 

If any testing has already been done one these perks I (and many others I'm sure) would love to hear about it. I know someone said they tested mindmerge and rift without success in the other thread, anything else ?

 

Also regarding psi perks right behind the perk list you have this code :

simulated function array<int> GetPsiPerks()
{
local array<int> iArr;

iArr.AddItem(69);
iArr.AddItem(70);
iArr.AddItem(71);
iArr.AddItem(72);
iArr.AddItem(73);
iArr.AddItem(74);
return iArr;
}

Item numbers correspond to all perks in the Psi tree. I'm thinking this is the list of perks that need a psi-capability check to be activated. Maybe if we replace these with other unused ones we can actually give psi perks to non-psi soldiers and have them work ? Again, testing needed.

 

Since this is an area that will likely be explored a lot by modders in the future, I suggest we make a wiki page for it like has been done for defaultgamecore.ini here. It'll be shorter and easier to do, I can do it if people are interested (the .ini page does not seem to be used that much :confused: )

[PepprmintButler]

A bit more research concerning the "exotic" perks :

 

EDIT : yeah, I'll make a wiki page, it's a lot of info to be kept in a forum thread.

 

"Legacy" perks

BuildPerk(12, 0, "ButtonUp"); does not appear in any tree

BuildPerk(30, 0, "ReadyForAnything"); does not appear in any tree

BuildPerk(29, 0, "FirstBlood"); does not appear in any tree, but descriptions for n29 point to rocketeer ..?

BuildPerk(38, 0, "FlameOn"); does not appear in any tree, posssibly legacy perk linked to the canceled flamer weapon ?

BuildPerk(42, 0, "Vengeance"); does not appear in any tree

 

"State" perks

BuildPerk(57, 0, "HeightAdvantage"); self-explanatory, descriptions as follows :

m_strBonusTxt[57]="All units receive offensive bonuses against enemies on lower ground."

m_strPenaltyTxt[57]="An enemy unit has elevated position and can see this unit."

m_strPassiveTxt[57]="Elevated Ground"

BuildPerk(59, 0, "ImmuneToDisabled"); no other references found

BuildPerk(60, 0, "SuppressedActive"); self-explanatory, descriptions as follows :

m_strBonusTxt[60]="Suppressed ERROR" (probably should not show bonus txt for this state, hence the ERROR)

m_strPenaltyTxt[60]="Suppressed units suffer a penalty to Aim and, if they move, will be shot at by the suppressing unit."

BuildPerk(61, 0, "CriticallyWounded"); self-explanatory, descriptions as follows :

m_strPenaltyTxt[61]="Critically wounded units will bleed out after a short time unless Stabilized or Revived by a Medikit."

(I'll skip a few of the next ones because they're all clearly state markers and pretty self-explanatory)

BuildPerk(107, 0, "BattleFatigue"); Will malus after a crit wound

m_strPenaltyTxt[107]="This unit has suffered combat wounds, weakening its Will."

BuildPerk(46, 0, "Stun"); Stun resist on the cyberdisk and chrysalid

m_strPassiveTxt[46]="This unit cannot be stunned with the Arc Thrower; taking a live specimen is not possible."

 

"Alien" perks and Unknown perks I will write about in the wiki page. Will post a link when done (at least partially).