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Hi all!

This mod changes the name of the ranks shown in the game, and replaces the rank images to fit the new rank names.

The rank names are:

Xenonaut-0 / X0 (from private)

Xenonaut-1 / X1 (from corporal)

Xenonaut-2 / X2 (from sergeant)

Xenonaut-3 / X3 (from lieutenant)

Xenonaut-4 / X4 (from captain)

Xenonaut-5 / X5 (from major)

Xenonaut-6 / X6 (from commander)

Xenonaut-7 / X7 (from colonel)

The rank images are:

FORUM post pic.jpg

Here is the dropbox link to the .zip package:

NEW LINK: OLD LINK WAS BROKEN for some reason.

Instructions for Installation:

Remember, if you ever want to revert back to your old ranks, back up your files!

Delve into your assets folder. You'll find "strings.xml". DO NOT REPLACE IT. The strings.xml included with the mod is super outdated, so you'll be losing a bunch of content if you do replace it.

Instead, open the strings.xml file and "ctrl-f" (search the text) for "captain". This should take you to the first line of the rank names.

To see what to call the rank names, you can open the included strings.xml and do the same search. You can then see what each rank should be called.

For the images, replace the "rankimages" folder in the assets with the "rankimages" folder in the package. Then, in the "gui" folder, replace that "rankimages" folder as well (two different folders, same name. I didn't make the game, not my fault. ;))

The lore behind these ranks:

(It's an interesting read, I recommend it. ;))

The Xenonauts are different from any "normal" military organization. Why should they conform to the "old fashioned" practice of ranking soldiers "private, corporal, etc"? These men and women leave behind their previous ranks when they join the Xenonauts. You could have a one-time private join and become more experienced than a one-time major, and no one would bat an eye. The previous ranks don't matter, so why remind us of them?

Secondly, every soldier is equally ranked. Every rank, from X1 to X7, all have the same responsibilities and the same duties: kill aliens. There is no need for soldiers to be "superior" than others; they all take their orders the exact same way, from the Commander of the Xenonauts (that's you, the player). The only "rank", or reason there are "ranks", is to indicate who has the most experience. Who can the newer soldiers look up to? Who can inspire them to be braver on the battlefield? (hint hint, morale boost from ranks, hint hint)

Xenonaut-0

Speaking "Ex-naught"

Informal "Ex-zero", "Ex-Nothing" "Zero", "Xeno-Zero", "Xeno-Not" "White-bar"

These soldiers are new recruits, untested on the alien battlefield. While they may have been the best humanity has to offer, and may have been ranked highly prior to joining, the only metric that matters here is performance on our battlefields. Thus, as they have not proven themselves worthy of being called a true Xenonaut, they are not one yet. They haven't earned the Blue Bar, they receive a White Bar. After they have proven themselves on the battlefield, they are welcomed into the Xenonauts brother(and sister)hood.

Xenonaut-1

Speaking "Ex-One"

Informal "New Blue", "Baby Brother/Sister"

These soldiers have proven themselves to be worthy of the title: Xenonaut. They receive their Blue Bar, which they will wear proudly for likely the rest of their career. They are considered equal of all other soldiers in status and in superiority. The only thing they lack is experience. Thus, more experienced Xenonauts help them along, giving advice where needed.

Xenonaut-2

Speaking "Ex-Two"

Informal "Deuce", "Duo"

More experienced than the X1s, they still have a ways to go before they're the best of the best.

Xenonauts 3-6 continue this upward path, exhibiting exemplary performance on the battlefield. If they do not perform, they are not given the higher experience rank, for battlefield performance is the only metric that matters.

Xenonaut-7

Speaking "Ex-Seven"

Informal "Commander", "Ex-sevendary", "Sevendary"

The best of the best of the Xenonauts, who are in turn the best of what humanity has to offer. This Xenonaut has survived, and thrived, in countless battles, has inspired the Xenonauts around him/her to victory on numerous occasions. This Xenonaut is given the highest rank the Xenonauts has to offer, and as a consequence is now able to take over the Xenonauts as the Commander of the Xenonauts should the current Commander be killed, be proven incompetent, or otherwise is unable to fulfill his/her duties. The Commander of the Xenonauts is also an X7 ranked Xenonaut.

Special Thanks to cspruce who did all of the artwork for the rank icons, without whom this couldn't have been finished.

PS: Role Icons in a similar style may come later; provided your guys like the mod.

EDIT:

Upon using my mod for a while, I realized that I liked X-0, X-1, X-2 etc as opposed to X0, X1, X2, but that's just my personal preference.

The strings.xml file included in the package is super outdated, so instead of simply replacing the normal one with mine, delve into the normal one, ctrl-f to find "captain", and you'll find the rank names.

OLD INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS:

Unzip the archive, and you will see an assets folder. Merge this assets folder with the one in your Xenonaut game folder, and replace the old stuff with the new. Simple as that.

A more in depth method:

Open your game assets folder. Replace strings.xml in your game with my copy. Note: This will overwrite any modded strings.xml you have, so be cautious.

Replace the rankimages folder in your assets folder with the one in my archive.

Replace the rankimages folder in your assets/gui folder with the one in my archives.

Alternative Installation Instructions:

If you want to keep your current strings.xml file (ie, you have modded the text in the game, and don't want to lose that) you can simply open your own strings.xml and make the change yourself.

Search (ctrl-f) for "captain" and you will arrive at the top of the rank names. Change the rank name and the short names according to the list give above. You can compare your file with mine to ensure they're changed properly.

Who knows, may come in handy.

FORUM post pic.jpg

577e7cb800b62_FORUMpostpic.jpg.9a9552982

Edited by GizmoGomez
Fixed the broken link
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I can accept the idea that a new, international organization can think of a new command structure, or at least names for it. But to be absolutely frank, the X-? scheme seems really, really dull to me - dull to the point of being a little unlikely. Moreover, it's hardly easy on the tongue, especially in the heat of battle. Even if it actually was employed, I'm pretty sure nobody would use the official names, turning either to slang or the old-school ranks (and also mocking the high command a lot).

I'm really sorry to tell you this, but I always prefer to tell the truth (or say nothing at all).

EDIT:

It also makes me think of the ranks in Mass Effect (Shepard being N7), which is nice. :)

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They're not ranks to be yelled in combat, you'd probably just use the Xenonaut's surname. I mean, do soldiers in combat yell "Lieutenant Jefferson!" when they could just say "Jefferson!"? Besides, since they're all the same "rank" in that they all have the same duties and pay, and the only reason they have "ranks" is to indicate who has more combat experience, and thus who can help/inspire the less experienced soldiers (boosting morale, which is the only thing ranks actually do in the game), you wouldn't use these ranks in combat anyway.

'sides, what's wrong with X#? NATO uses E-1, E-2, etc O-1, O-2, etc. as their official ranking standardization.

If you don't like the mod, don't download it. Simple as that. ;)

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They're not ranks to be yelled in combat, you'd probably just use the Xenonaut's surname. I mean, do soldiers in combat yell "Lieutenant Jefferson!" when they could just say "Jefferson!"? Besides, since they're all the same "rank" in that they all have the same duties and pay, and the only reason they have "ranks" is to indicate who has more combat experience, and thus who can help/inspire the less experienced soldiers (boosting morale, which is the only thing ranks actually do in the game), you wouldn't use these ranks in combat anyway.

Well, I was under impression that they'd use rank + name. But it's only part of the problem - I simply thought it's so non-inventive it doesn't even look human.

'sides, what's wrong with X#? NATO uses E-1, E-2, etc O-1, O-2, etc. as their official ranking standardization.

I've never heard of it, which says something. :D Yeah, this could explain why you decided to use the X-? model...

If you don't like the mod, don't download it. Simple as that. ;)

Now, now, this is needlessly defensive; this argument has nothing to do with the subject. I simply expressed my first impression, which seemed natural in such a thread. If you don't like my post, don't read it. :P

Edited by Solarius Scorch
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No, I wasn't being rude, or intending to sound rude. I was just saying that if you don't like it, you don't have to download it. I apologize, my non-offensive/defensive attitude wasn't totally clear.

I honestly do appreciate the feedback, though.

I actually thought it was more inventive than simply reusing the traditional military ranks. I mean, why would this extra-national organization need to use the same ranks as everyone else, especially if the ranks are only indicators of combat experience and have no bearing on authority and subordination? All of the ground combat troops never gain any more pay, any more responsibility, any underlings, anything as they rank up. So, I removed the associations of being "superior" by making everyone a Xenonaut, plain and simple. The number just indicates how experienced they are in combat with the Xenonauts.

Also, the E1, E2 stuff actually didn't occur to me until you asked about why I used X1, X2, etc. Honestly, I used X1, X2 because it's extremely simple, it looks neat (I think) and because each rank needs an abbreviation (Captain gets CPT, Private gets PVT, etc). I just made the rank insignia have the rank abbreviation on it. It makes it much faster to recognize a more experienced soldier vs someone you'd want to assist/support due to inexperience. No more counting chevrons or stars, just look at the insignia and you know how experienced they are on a 7 point scale (the scale being curved, meaning X1 is fairly easy to achieve, X2 harder, etc until you reach the "nigh-impossible" X7.)

Does that make more sense?

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X1: Ah heck. They killed X4!

X3: That's terrible. We've all been together from the start.

X1: I can't believe he's gone. Poor old.... hey, what was his real name?

X3: ummmm... I dunno. I've always known him as X4.

X1: This invasion is so dehumanising. I'm sure he had a family. What will we tell his wife?

X3: You mean W6?

X1: ... Hey, what's my real name?

  • Haha 1
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No, I wasn't being rude, or intending to sound rude. I was just saying that if you don't like it, you don't have to download it. I apologize, my non-offensive/defensive attitude wasn't totally clear.

I honestly do appreciate the feedback, though.

Right, I completely. I myself wasn't very comfortable with the criticism - I never am - and I hope my post wasn't too, well, stupid.

I actually thought it was more inventive than simply reusing the traditional military ranks. I mean, why would this extra-national organization need to use the same ranks as everyone else, especially if the ranks are only indicators of combat experience and have no bearing on authority and subordination? All of the ground combat troops never gain any more pay, any more responsibility, any underlings, anything as they rank up. So, I removed the associations of being "superior" by making everyone a Xenonaut, plain and simple. The number just indicates how experienced they are in combat with the Xenonauts.

By all means, it makes sense. Another factor is that a multinational military organization would be hard-pressed to incorporate any classic military ranking system, since they differ a lot between countries.

As for the rank advancement, it's an astute observation that soldiers' cost remains exactly the same, regardless their rank. However, I believe a squad would still have some sort of an appointed leader to make quick decisions and to take the blame for any fiasco.

Also, the E1, E2 stuff actually didn't occur to me until you asked about why I used X1, X2, etc. Honestly, I used X1, X2 because it's extremely simple, it looks neat (I think) and because each rank needs an abbreviation (Captain gets CPT, Private gets PVT, etc). I just made the rank insignia have the rank abbreviation on it. It makes it much faster to recognize a more experienced soldier vs someone you'd want to assist/support due to inexperience. No more counting chevrons or stars, just look at the insignia and you know how experienced they are on a 7 point scale (the scale being curved, meaning X1 is fairly easy to achieve, X2 harder, etc until you reach the "nigh-impossible" X7.)

Actually, I think these icons would be quite useful. I can never recognize ranks from their classical insignia.

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Ha, no, every Xenonaut Commander is basically the worst micromanager ever. I mean, you take care of the base building, base structure construction, laboratory hiring and project focus, workshop hiring and projects, buying aircraft, making aircraft, directing the aircraft, not only where to go, but how fast, when to dodge, fire the weapons, etc. You also tell each of your ground troops exactly where to walk, and what to do. Even where to look is decided by you. Thus, you (and anyone playing the game) is a micromanager of the highest degree.

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Besides, since they're all the same "rank" in that they all have the same duties and pay, and the only reason they have "ranks" is to indicate who has more combat experience, and thus who can help/inspire the less experienced soldiers

If this is the case, and that a rank only differentiates between an experienced soldier and non experienced soldier what's the point in such a rank structure featuring differing ranks? May as well have only 2 (nubcake xenonaut and combat hardened xenonaut).

Rank should only be attainable when the correct number of subordinates are available to command. Nowhere in the world do we have teams made entirely of officers. Its so far off the mark its annoying. I really think it was a terrible design decision to deviate from the original game on this one, currently I'm fielding a team of high ranking soldiers and almost no lower ranks. I want a single officer commanding a team of lesser ranks like it would be, I play as close to realism as I can (for example using 2 people to man my sections heavy machine gun gunner/loader, as a gun group was in those days) and this is just retarded.

As for your rank structure, it was a personal project of yours granted so I'm sure your over the moon with it. Me not so much I have to agree with the fact I think they are a little boring. That said I also believe that (que fluff) the xenonauts have been taken from all ranks and parts of armed forces across the world and that they should be designated a differing rank structure from those that exist currently. I'd make my own in line with my own views but until such a time comes when a mod is released to fix the ratio of each rank I'm not going to bother.

THAT IS THE MOST DISAPPOINTING PART OF THIS REMAKE FOR ME

Edited by Aufklarer
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Ha, no, every Xenonaut Commander is basically the worst micromanager ever. I mean, you take care of the base building, base structure construction, laboratory hiring and project focus, workshop hiring and projects, buying aircraft, making aircraft, directing the aircraft, not only where to go, but how fast, when to dodge, fire the weapons, etc. You also tell each of your ground troops exactly where to walk, and what to do. Even where to look is decided by you. Thus, you (and anyone playing the game) is a micromanager of the highest degree.

Sorry, I didn't know micromanagement is bad in the context of strategy games; I thought it was a requirement. :) So you meant "good micromanager", right? :D

Rank should only be attainable when the correct number of subordinates are available to command. (...) THAT IS THE MOST DISAPPOINTING PART OF THIS REMAKE FOR ME

For obvious reasons, I'm trying to refrain from saying "it was different in EU1994, so it sucks in Xenonauts", but sadly, sometimes it's simply true. This is one of these cases.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I can understand why xcom2012 had it, it was because of perks but not sure why they do it here, as in the eu94 it was one of the things for me that they got spot on, it just feels wrong, immersion breaking.

Same here.. It's weird have like 4 commanders etc..

But if you do think about it it makes sense in that special forces units are mainly officers (In my country)

But maybe we should have two separate things?

Combat experience and rank.

Combat experience would be received through.. well.. combat lol.

And ranks will be something you could give out based on formal training maybe? Or the amount of units you have?

Thoughts?

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Back in EU1994, you could hire lots of troops. That meant that your original team were promoted immediately to the top ranks. Then, you could fire all the unwanted troops, leaving your originals at the higher rank.

The Xenonauts systems was a solution to that. Promotion is gained only from experience.

Personally, I'd rather have a much lower top rank (Lt, or Cpt for example)

Also, they are promoted too quickly, which can be tweaked in balancing.

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  • 2 months later...

Fixed the link.

I updated the install instructions as well.

Be sure to manually fix your strings.xml file instead of replacing it with mine. Mine's outdated, and I'm not going to be around to update it whenever Chris makes a change, so having you guys do it yourself would be best.

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