Alienkiller

AI in General isn´t anything to discuss, there you have only 3 Options: 1. AI get dump. There are enough Games as examples. 2. AI get Cheating. There are enough Games from 1990s to mid / End 2000s, including Refits from the older ones. 3. AI get a ballance between Human Players in Intelligence and all Game-Options availible. The 3rd one get more or less implemented in all Games which get produced since the Mid / Ends 2000s and beginning 2010s. About the Question here for Testing the 3rd Option which Chris wanna make better for Xenonauts 2 I don´t have an Idea. I would suggest to look what Firaxis have done with that Problem, because they implemented similar small and big Alien-Threats in the new XCOM-Series. Yes for an TU-System it´s not easy, but there you have an evidance. And the new UFO2ET-Game is not far from Release, the final Stages are running (esp. Translation). If we get lucky we get an better evidance from that too, because the Game belongs on the same TU-System like Xenonauts 2 from what you can see and read. The Question is, what we do in the Meantime for making the AI better? That´s the Question to resolve Bugs in that Part. And Chris as well as Max_Caine get some solutions there for it, which we can test out. Chris made the Suggestions for Easy-Testing: An alien and a Xenonaut are placed near each other, and the alien has a weapon that can fire two shots at 50% accuracy or one shot at 75% accuracy for the same TU cost. The alien should attempt the two 50% accuracy shots, as this has a higher overall chance of hitting the Xenonaut. An alien moving between two waypoints opens a door and sees a Xenonaut soldier. The alien should immediately stop moving and attack the Xenonaut. An alien starts with an unloaded weapon and an ammo clip, and a Xenonaut in shooting range. The alien should reload the weapon and attack the Xenonaut. Chris made the Suggestions for advanced Testing: Self Preservation: an alien with low self-preservation is more likely to spend its TU shooting at visible enemies, rather than moving into cover. Self Preservation: an alien with low self-preservation would be willing to throw a grenade even if it would be caught in the blast area, whereas an alien with high self-preservation would not. Intelligence: an alien with high intelligence would prioritise attacking a Xenonaut soldier over a civilian, even if they have more chance of successfully hitting the civilian. Intelligence: an alien with high intelligence would prioritise attacking the Xenonaut they have more chance of killing (taking armour and current HP into account), even if they have a higher chance of hitting a different Xenonaut with a non-killing shot. My Ideas: Let Aliens make an defense Post with Cover (like they do in the UFOs) and let them shoot at medium range. They try to get back to an other new Defense Post with Cover. Not only 1 there are 3 or 4 in Action. Let 4 Aliens make Patrols and let them work togehter as a team. They use cover and fast Fire for the Comrades which get nearer to the Enemy. All above examples are only with 1 Alien. But they don´t work alone, they are an UFO-, Terror-, Base-, or Raid-Team atm. More is comming. And not only the Aliens are meant with that AI-Upgrade-Testing from Chris, there are the not announced special Missions too.

Don´t worry about that. That occour to all of us now and then, esp. if many Refits, Reworks and Implementations get in. If I read the Logs from Stellaris, Hoi 4 or such with many Text / Information, then nobody from us concerned of that. And I must say too, that I read the Logs here 2 or 3 times to, esp. the newest ones not to miss something.

You mean the Alien-Raid-Missions on the Geoscape where you get either Money, Scientists or Engineers. That´s no Bug, it´s a complete new Feature which upgrades the Geoscape a lot and are a must have to make the Game interessting. It´s one of the special Features the Devs announced. But it was already mentioned in an Version-Log (V.18.0 if I remember me correctly).

We will see what the Devs bring in with the next Versions beginning with V.19. We can only give Suggestions and Solutions, but the Devs reading the Forum in Xenonauts 2-Part. What they are doing with it belongs to them. But what is working here works in the Games from Paradox too. It take longer in medium to bigger Companys, but the Problemchild there (Hoi 4) get now with the next big Patches and DLC a full refit. The cool thing on Xenonauts 2 is, that X2 is still in Buildup-Phase and can reworked, refited and upgraded with only 1/6 or much lesser of the Time an full playable Game have.

Yeah, in some Parts where the Game needs Upgrades, Refits, Reworks and similar. There I aggree. Upgradeable Buildings should be upgradeable (like Generators, Medical, Workshop, Research, Living and similar. The better Radar you have to build up seperately, for several Reasons already more then enough announced. But the third version of Radar you can upgrade from second one (explenation why you need the big ones are more then enough). The old Radar-Room you can refit then in an other useable Room (Defense / an other useable Buildung you have or you wait for an special Building which give you Informations about the Aliens on Terror Sites, Raid Misssions, UFOs etc.). There I advice Stellaris as well as XCOM 2 / XCOM 2 WotC. They handle that Part very very good. What the switching from Soldiers to the Transport belongs is following: The Idea with the full team change allone is nonsene. As an Option in the Game-Settings it´s ok for the Players which wanna have it, but not for all, esp. for them which can handle that single Soldier-Changes-System asleep. 1. Reason: You limit a full Team doing their job, because of only 1 or 2 Soldiers get to much Stress or whatever. That Team is blocked for about 1 Month fully. = not acceptable for an old X-Com / new XCOM / UFO-ET-Series-Player! 2. Reason: You get more Micromanagement then lesser. Why? The Answers are easy. - If you get an Team where you can switch the soldiers altogether in the Transport then you reduce that Micromanagement on the first look. In the following second and more locks you see the extrawork. - The extrawork is following: You need an single-Switch for Soldiers in the Teammanagement, which makes more extrawork as it is now. - First and Main-Disadvantage: announced in 1. Reason! - Secoond Main-Disadvantage: Teams block Soldiers with Special Training / Special Equipment earlyer or later. You miss an Main-Important Special Mission only, while exactly that Soldier are assagined to a Team! = Absolutely NO GO! - there are much more why an Team Management is not good. Only with very very much Extrawork incl. swichtching the Main-Disadvantantages to satisfyable Advantages (and they must be very very satisfyable) an Team-Management-Thing can be implemented for all. I and many others don´t see an Reason to implement an System which has to much Disadvantages to relive the good working exsisting System we have. The Stress-Raising / Stress-Reduction is an other Theme, where we can implement already existing Features without to much effort. 1. Yeah, good Idea with the Dying- / PSI- and similar effects. That is an effect, where all prevouis Games set only as Panic, because they don´t have an Stress-System. Only XCOM 2 / XCOM 2 WotC implemented such an similar System the first time as well as Phoenix Point later on at the End of the Missions. 2. Yeah, the other Advantage to use more of that System is from an Competitor (XCOM 2 / XCOM 2 WotC). Instead raising the Stress-Level every Round in Battle there is an very easy solution. Like an Comrade already announced link the Stress-System with the Bravery etc. Parts from the Soldier. It has an same effect then like the very very good exsiting Stress-System from XCOM 2 / XCOM 2 and Phoenix Point, where the Soldier get tired and lack in concentration instead. 3. To raise the Soldier / Soldiers again to full Operation Level they get breaks in the Living Quarter and an not integrated Buildung yet. After near Outposts get upgraded they are useable for the Stress-Limitation too and have an big effect, esp. for the medium / high stressed Level Soldiers. Short said: There are much Potential open to use the Stress-Feature. The Panic-Raising / Panic-Reduction from an Soldier in Battle and on Geoscape uses the same effect. Panic is reduced to bravery, but rasing from the same Battle-Effects like Stress. The Reduction is coupled on the same Things, which reduces the Stress too.

Stress, Panic and all other Limitations are a MUST HAVE Thing in that Gerne. There is no alternative. The first Games, where 90 % of the Elements were not showable (like in old X-Com-Row and similar Fan-Games) could only show the Money and Materials-Limiter. The only Alternative in that Time for the missing Stress and other showable Limiter-Systems the Devs had only the Option to take out the Soldiers for minimum 1 Month. I and the big Medium to old Player-Generation, which begunn Gaming in the beginning 1980s like such Systems, because you have to use your Brain and Think therefore what you will do. Not an 08/15-Rush like in Command & Conquer-Series and in Xenonauts 1. Such 08/15-Games where no Brain etc. get used is more for the young-child-Generation growing up. That´s why the World and Humans get Dump more and more. The Generation today are to much petted and wanna have everthing easy. Not to much thinking or handmoving. That makes me very very very . I´m a Backer and an Betetaster from Xenonauts 2 to get an Game with such limitations an not an 08/15-Mainstream-Shit. If you wanna have 08/15-Mainstream-Shit take 1 or 2 Year Devoloped Games from EA and such Publishers where 1 or 2 Patches comming and everything is finished (No Modding, No medium to longtime Support etc.). That´s why Stellaris, Hoi 4, the new XCOM-Row, Motorsport Manager, the Mafia-Row, the Civilization-Row, UFO ET-Row and similar good Games which are in the 10 % fully playable Games with long Time Support are the game market Leader from that Gerne. Good back to Topic. Follwoing Limitations Xenonauts 2 MUST HAVE: 1. Less lootet Materials (implemented) 2. Less Manpower, therefore you have to use your Brain for save Humanity (implemented) 3. Limitation on Bases and Money (implemented) 4. Special Missions which limit your Personal more for direct firefights (which get implemented again in XCOM 2 WotC and for Tests looonnnggg before in the UFO-After-Series) 5. UFOs don´t show up so often [like it´s now] and don´t get automatically salvaged and researched. They have to be investigated from Technicans as well as Scientists (a whish from the Communiy and the Players / as well as an important Refit-Solution for big remaining Problems the Devs still have with the Loot- and Bonus-Systems) 6. UFOs need then for R & D special secret Hangars where R & D can be done. Either seperate in your Bases or on the Outposts. Means you can only have limited UFOs but more new Material (not to much but maybe 30 to 40 % more from the big UFO-Parts) and more smaller Secrets like Magnets, Grenades etc. in the boxes the UFOs have. Belongs on the Damage the UFO have. 6a. Alien-Bases Looting and Terror-Site / Raid-Site / Special-Mission-Site Looting need something similar. Maybe as an special Mission with Scientists and Engeeniers. 7. Stress for the Soldiers on Missions like they are now as Basics, but not the Round-Based-Stress for the Mission every Turn. There I totaly agree with you Guys. An other Option is to make it like in XCOM 2, where the Stress make the Soldier more and more useless until she / he had a limited break. (already annanouced from the Comrades) 8. An faster Stress-Reduction like in XCOM 2 or Phoenix Point. There the Reduction is soluted very good. Harder it will be here in Xenonauts 2. The only Aspect I see is to wait for UFO2ET and look how good the Devs here soluted the Stress-System for the Soldiers. The Release is not far away. It´s the direct Competitor with the same Base-Principle to Xenonauts 2. [Soldiers, Vehicles, etc.] And 3 other Thing they all have common: 1. Every good Feature from the Predecessor comes with upgrades, reworks, Graphic-Refits etc. back to save Development Time. And with the bugfixes the Modders have found in the Predecessor. 2. They have the Limitations such Games must have for the Player as well as Aliens in both Games. 3. The Aliens have a plan why the Attack Earth for the Storyline: a) they need much Ressources from our Star-System and / or on Earth (UFO ET-Row, UFO-After-Row etc.) b) Need the Humans directly for overliving (like in XCOM 2 with the ampulla) and a new Homeworld (XCOM EU / XCOM EW, XCOM: Buerau, XCOM 2) with limited Humans as their Special-Forces [Advent] as an Army against an bigger Threat c) Need a new Homeworld without Humans and finding their missing Comrades as well as fleeing from an bigger Threat (old XCom-Row) Short said: If you play the Games long enough (UFO ET or the old X-Com-Row as the best example), then you don´t have time to make all Ground Missions with UFOs about several Resasons. So you have to either pass UFOs to concentrate on the important things (Terror-Sites, Raid-Sites, Secret Missions) to reduce Panic etc. as well as save Material- / Manpower and Money. As well as the Final-Stage to win the Game. Otherwise you loosing the Game before you reach the Middle-Stage. And Xenonauts 2 is beside XCOM: Bureau (Tacticshooter of the new XCOM-Row) the first one from that Strategy-Part-Games where you have more then 1 Final-Option. Minimum for Xenonauts 2 will be 3 announced Final-Options. XCOM: Bureau give you 4 or 5 if I remember me correctly.

Yeah, it´s a job-Site the Devs working on. It´s not finished yet until Early Access beginns and there can be like in other not finished Parts come changes, refits or reworks. But I aggree as an active Beta-Tester that 4 Missions are to less, esp. with the to less dayly Base-Stress-Dropping, dosen´t matter in active or passive Duty. Panic is good, there you have many many ways to drop it. There only some finetunings have to be done after the missing implementations. It´s similar now like in XCOM: EU / EW, but with many new implementations in Xenonauts 2.

Yeah Kamehamehayes, but everytime to nerve the Devs with Ballance that and that with the knowledge of still big missing Parts for the Game are counterproductive. The Devs know that Ballance-Work is needed, but it dosen´t make sense to do it now. We are atm in Cloesed-Beta-Phase which is good. But much worser it will be with the new open Beta-Peoples, esp. in that things and nerving with more Ballance in the not finished Bring-In-, Features-, Rework-, Refit-, Bugfix-Phases (Betaphase II). In that Case I decided to phropylactic bring all down to Earth again with that Announcement. If nessecarry I will do it again.

Full Ballances will come after everything is implemented, not before. Means, before Early Access and the final Betas we have to life with it. Thats sad, but the only way to save time, Ressources and whatever. And after everything get ballanced, we will get sometimes , because we wont win a Mission or lose our Soldiers faster then we can say Iwo Jima. I have that in XCOM: EU / EW and all XCOM 2 Parts where the Chryssalides and other Dangerous Aliens show up. There the Aliens are very good ballanced and use your Weak Points very fast. That means we all have to find a middleway then.

The Battles are interessting like they are. It´s like in the new XCOM-Row a gambling. Either you hit or you hit not. I would make it like in the new XCOM-Row. New XCOM is making it fully correctly, that the Kevlar-Standard-Armor from Humans reduces Range, Speed and Evasive. In that I aggree with you MrAlex, that´s realistic. Light Kevlar-Vests / the new Vests from Alien Material and the beginning Suits instead are boost the Range, Speed and Evasive. It will look like this: 1. Standard-Suit without Protection (Beginning): That´s for Snipers, Grenadiers, Riflemens, Breachers and Tag Holders. Maximum Mobility, Range and Evasive like it is. 2. Standard-Suit with Kevlar-Armor-Protection (Beginning): That´s for Shotgunners, Infantry and Heavy Gunners / MG-Gunners. Reduced Range about the Weight. Medium Reduction in Speed and Evasive to Standard. 3. Standard-Suit with new light [Name forgotten] Vest-Protection after R & D from Alien Materials: No Change in Mobility, Range and Evasive for the Wearers. Light Protection-Upgarde for the Wearer! 4. Standard-Suit with the upgraded Kevlar-Armor-Protection: Same as with Kevlar-Armor-Protection, but increased Protection for the Wearer! 5. New Armor R & D´s: Increase in Range, about reduced Weight. Light Reduction in Speed and Evasive. Add-Ons like Jetpack and similar increase the Range, Speed and Evasive! 6. The [Name forgotten]-Vest get upgradeable to the Medical-Vests (and other new R & D-Vests) without loosing it´s light Protection.

Don´t ask for that. The Final Version will come, when it´s READY. And such Questions don´t make it better. To make a very good to perfect Game needs Time, a lot of Time. UFO2ET is in Development since 10 to 12 Years and gone in the Final Phase this Month.

Thanks Chris for the March-Update. As a Beta-Tester I could test some of the announced Features in Beta 18 with other active Beta-Testers too. @Dagar @Kamehamehayes: Yep, Geoscape Operations / Geoscape Situations will come in, but we don´t know when. In earlyer Beta-Versions there were projections of that for testing. The second Part from the Airfight-Refits / Aircraft-Refits we active Beta-Testers haven´t seen too, means this will come in Beta 19 (Open or Closed Beta) first. The new Item Accuracy Effects we active Testers haven´t seen too in the last big Beta-Version (Beta 18), so that will be a new Feature in Beta 19 too (Open or Closed Beta).

That´s bad news Chris. But I can feel with you. Had this long time ago with 3 Relatives (esp. when they are Grandparents or Parents you love very much). I can understand this decission from you in this Situation. Family has primacy in that Situations. And I can understand very good if you need some time for you and your Family after that spook has an End. Seems that Beta 18.2 will be for about 1 Month or a bit longer (1,5 to 2 Month) our latest Game-Version. That has an Advantage too, if the Team works properly on the Game for the next Test-Version.

We will see what is doable in the Beta-Time we have left until it goes in the Final Phase (Early Access). In the Beta-Phase we can give Suggestions, but the End-Decission have the Devs. They know how much Money for what is left and what is priority, secondary and tertiary in Buildup. We will see if some of the Tertiary-Things (like some Graphic Updates or such) will come at the End or not. But big Refits, Reworks and such won´t come for the Basis-Pictures / Backgrounds again. The Big Things there (esp. Backgrounds are completely finished). The Base-Screen-Graphics are very good, esp. the Backgrounds. If someone don´t like it can play the new XCOM-Series or Phoenix Point for the Moment. Nothing better as Counterparts to Xenonauts 2 of that Gerne is atm there. Good back to the IMPORTANT PART: Hangars need defenetly 2x2 Squares. The Advantages with that new System are give more Space in Base. Better Radars need defenetly 2x2 Squares. There are no Alternatives about that. The 2x2 Radars can get an Upgrade to the 3rd Radar. The old Radar can be Refitet to the Quantum Decoder then. The Combination-Bonus between Generators, Training-Facilitys, Labs, Workshops, Defense-Systems and Living-Quaters are great. And like in the XCOM EU / EW-System only sperately for the Buildings among each other. And some Buildings won´t have a Combination-Bonus, that´s clear and a fix Part like in XCOM EU / EW. An second Secret comes too, where you can switch Engeneers and Scientists to other Buildings (like Training-Centers, Hospital, Hangars, Radars and Generators) and evtl. to Outposts for R & D´s there. That´s a Feature from XCOM 2 incl. WotC, where the Second Point is Mission-Specific. That the Buildungs have to be upgradeable (like the Defensive-System and Hospital atm.) are a must have like in XCOM 2 incl. WotC. Outposts too, because the Outposts will play a Major-Role later (if an Refit will come as planed), which I had announced to the Devs. And that Idea comes from UFO:AI . And yes I played or play all the Games (XCOM EU / EW, XCOM 2 incl. WotC incl. all smaller DLC´s; UFO: AI and UFO ET as well as all old X-COM-Series-Parts). So that working Ideas there which bring in the Devs with Improvements already are MAJOR-Things. You see, there is much Potential in the Game and unnessecary things on Top are out of the Place. They are only Time- and Money Consuming. That 2 Ressources we don´t have, so concentrate on the MAJOR-Things we have to do. That are finding Bugs, not working Features and similar as well as Announcements for important Improvements (like Base-Upgrades). Not such unnessecarry / unimportant things that are impossible (like improving an 08/15-Radar) or shorting the Radar-Effectivy. That you can do with the first Radar if you want, but not with the Second and third ones.

Zendrak I too like the new System, which the Devs brought in. Because you don´t get limited in Equipment anymore. In Xenonauts 1 were fighters which could only carry Rockets / Torpedos or Cannons. The Cannon Figheter was in here too. That was heavyly discussed and in that case the Devs decided that you can Equip your Fighter how you want in 3 Equipment-Things: 1. An Fighter with only Cannons 2. An Fighter with only Rockets / Torpedos 3. An Fighter with Rockets / Torpedos and Cannon And an new Slot came back (where the Generator is in now). It´s not fully active atm but will in Beta 19 / 20.