meddog50

I too have had the MARS unable to do anything after first movement (enemy not spotted)

Thanks for the detailed update. Sounds really good. I'm really eager for v24 but more than willing to wait for quality. The game is fleshing out nicely. Thanks again

roxxed, It might be a little late in the ball game but I love that idea.

Just shortly before the CTD, I took down two UFOs using the auto resolve. This all went without incident. In both cases I grabbed the cash and did not send a dropship. A third UFO appears, as it is about to enter my radar range the game CTD. I hope this helps in some way. Otherwise the game has played without any hiccups at all. I am enjoying the new twists . This game has come a long way.

Chris I too have had the CTD on day 173 for no apparent reason at all. Game was playing perfect up to that point. output.log_1.916ec665eb793df354f53c19602d0a71

During second alien turn of cleaner infiltrator mission, game stalls and will not progress. All on screen troops are still animated. Possible smoke issue. output.log_1.ef70b06fd999582885c60c10867ea8a6 auto_groundcombat_turn_2_end-200.json

okay thanks I will continue on

After completing a cleaner mission the extraction buttons fail to appear when the troops reenter the drop ship. output.log_1.3e61ec0b008f9777411bc821452023a0 user_day_36_cleaner_intelligence_hub_manual_save-4.json

I have been following along this thread and have read many interesting ideas. The thing to remember is that the mission always determines the posture. As I see it during ground combat the AI has two types of missions (offensive and defensive ). Then the Commanders intent, terrain, troops, equipment and time are going to drive the tactics used Example: AIs Defensive posture mission : Defend vital tech in a downed UFO until recovery ship arrives. AIs tactics : Use covering terrain around downed UFO to offer best defensive odds. Make the Xenonauts move to contact. Ambush from cover. Only move to fall back while maintaining perimeter. Short range weapons used inside the UFO. Example: AIs Offensive posture missions : Terror or Abduction missions. AIs tactics : Use highest rate of fire along with best ranged weapons to support the assault All others close with and kill (assault fire) or capture the enemy Little attention is paid to terrain. This may sound stupid but its about shock and awe. I guess there is a third type mission : Base defense. Being that this is the alien's turf I think the way the AI is now set works reasonably well. Any trained military should perform per it's current mission posture. The problem that arises in a game is it becomes predictable and then redundant. So my question is - Is what we have now though maybe not tactically correct, the most enjoyable (because of unpredictability) way to go? I am not sure if any of this applies, makes any sense from a game play point of view or is even possible from the coders side. But speaking as a 30 year combat vet "sometimes its the makes no sense actions ( if it works that's how hero's are born) that work the best. This game has come a long way and I'm sure whatever is decided it will only enhance what is an already good game

fair enough

I'm all for the latest version hitting the circuit. I look forward to where the game is heading. I think you missed the whole point of my last post. I simply tried to say that every playtester has a right to their opinion, good or bad about the game. I believe that this forum should be used to reach out to THE DEVELOPEMENT TEAM . As I said food for thought.

Alienkiller, I don't understand why YOU feel it necessary to comment on every little thought that other playtesters make about this game. We all understand what Chris says, or doesn't in his updates. We all have a right to our opinions as to what direction the game is going. It doesn't matter what anyone says. We are all thinking out loud. Just providing food for thought. If Chris wants to take a suggestion from a playtester, that's his decision not yours. If he feels the need to breakdown a feature in the game again, that's his purgative.

Chris , Thanks for the update. Its nice to hear directly from the horses mouth. I am looking forward to the new and updated features. Thanks again.

So I have been quietly following along here for the past four months. Riding the center of the fence and waiting for the time I felt driven enough to air my thoughts. Well here goes. I have around 150 hours of playtesting X 2 . So I have given plenty of time to form an opinion on and about this game. From what I was able to play I thoroughly enjoyed the game. Finding ways around the bugs and crashes seemed almost normal. Restarting from scratch with very release and Hotfix all in the name of keeping earth alien free. If it sounds like I'm complaining I'm not. That's what you should expect if one is willing to put time in as a play tester. I have been on board with this from way back in 2016 ( six years ago) when it was a single combat mission. Six years is a long time. Up to four and a half months ago I checked for a new release or hotfix daily ( if not more ). Now I maybe check once a week. There has not been anything ( new version or hotfix ) from the Devs since mid November. I find that very odd . We get an occasional " here's what we have been working on" . But otherwise not much else, unless you read what a certain play tester says the dev's are doing. Must have a hotline to the game studio. What I really want to say is simply my drive for this game is dwindling. I'm sure I am not the only one who is scratching their head wondering what is going on. A little (official) information please, to keep the juices flowing. I don't claim to know every exact thought (as some do ) of what the Devs have in mind. What I do know is that this will be a great game if enough people stay interested.

I noticed that when using the laser LMG the ammo count for a full mag is 15. After first burst count is down to 5 and must be reloaded again before it can fire. At this rate gunner would need to carry 10 mags to be of any worth. user_day_216_abduction_manual_save-10.json output.log_1.066c04cf69ebc182d4f935a187c7e461

While in the geoscape screen, I have had the game CTD 3 times. Always on day 146. To my knowledge I have done nothing unusual nor am I using any mods. output.log_1.3932d9541d91810929d45b96dbba11a4 user_day_135_manual_save-3.json

Alienkiller thank you for that . But I have to remember that my comments are going towards the playability of a game. A game that when it goes hot we have all had a little part of.

Chris, In regards to my last post. Sorry sometimes I let my past get in the way. I get what you are to doing, and I am all in. The best squad tactical games build a narrative as the game goes on. We become attached to are soldiers. At mission complete the AI fleshes out our survivors (promote and plus up). And we adjust as we go on. I think that the stress and panic system adds so much to fleshing out the Xenonauts. Can't wait for the finished product.

Chris I can tell you this from my own experiences that I believe these things most effect a soldiers state of mind back in base camp and answering the call for the next mission. 1. Fellow soldier KIA 2. Fellow soldier KIA by friendly fire. 3. Fellow soldier seriously wounded. 4. Length of mission 5. Successful mission (whatever the objective) 6. Consecutive missions Notes. If you talk with most combat soldiers they will tell you. Close combat is a very personal event. Its kill or be killed. Body counts were more a propaganda thing used at higher levels to boost moral back home. If Xenonaut soldiers are earths elite they are not going to break on the battlefield (except alien mind control). When its going hot and heavy, training takes over. Your running on auto pilot. Its back at base camp it all sets in. That's when it all starts to pile up.

Point well taken, and I could not agree with you more. When PUBG first came out some of the situations in that game were just too real for me. If I wanted to play a FPS game Call of Duty was a great fall back. Not very realistic (not like killing aliens is) but mindless fun. Everyone has their own flavor of entertainment. I think the Devs hardest job is to insure that the players keep coming back for more. Anyone who is following these posts is already sold on this game. All they are waiting for is to see the way it all shakes out. I have read so many posts on what should and should not be, and that's great. This is why there is beta playtesting and this forum. Everyone who is a play tester should take the time to report bugs and voice their opinions. Somewhere in the middle of that will be the final product. I too can't wait for the finished product and the surprises that await. When this game goes live its going to be great game that will provide hours of entertainment for those who jump in.

auto_groundcombat_turn_5_end-59.json

As I see it when playing this game I am assuming the roles of three people. First I am directing the earths response to the invasion at a Strategic level . I must get the best bang for the buck while not forgetting that this could and hopefully will be a long campaign. I must choose where to build bases and what assets go where. Then decide where I should best to put efforts in R&D. As the tactical commander I must decide (within economic restraints ) where to best place my troops to respond to terror attacks, assault alien bases and the occasional foray to a downed UFO. All this while still being able to defend the bases from alien assaults. This is a juggling act, keeping enough mission capable (stress) troops that can respond as needed. I believe this is the most thought provoking and enjoyable element of this game. And finally as the squad leader I must first select the squad per mission requirements. Equip them as needed and finally deploy them to close with and destroy the aliens ( the fun part). I am sure I missed some key elements but the bottom line is this is a wonderful game. I am not looking for an easy game that I can beat out of the box. I want something I have to come back to and try this or that. I want something that I think about when I have idle time. Don't get me wrong I do want to be able to beat this game. But not without effort and hairpulling. I think the Dev's have done a great job and come so far since X1. I have over 400 hours playing X1 and another 247 with X2 so I have tried many different strategies. Tweaking the balances here and there might be needed but I find this game extremely enjoyable and will recommend it to others when it goes hot.

Body count never counted at the squad or platoon level. For that matter at even the battalion level. The only thing that mattered was we finished the mission and most important brought all our guys back to base camp Maybe the Devs could do something with a monthly body count / mission completion number for a small panic reduction worldwide

I have been following all the post on this subject and feel it is time for me to chip in. I am a 30 years Army veteran with 3 tours of combat as a Airborne Lite Infantryman. I can't tell you how many patrols I was on(over 50 I would guess) or later that I led. What I can tell you is that I felt the effects of each and every one. When the mission is over and you return to base camp yes there is a relief. But what you carry with you (especially if it was a bad ) stays for a while. You can see it in your buddies eyes and the way they act. Everyone is effected in different ways, but make no mistake we are human beings, we were all effected. As a Platoon Sgt. I would insure that the Platoon Ldr.(Lt) was not always dumping on the same squad. Its very easy to pick your best all the time but they wont be able to answer the call after long. With this being said in my opinion I believe that the stress level is pretty accurate as is. It takes time in base camp to let some of the stress pass. If due to mission requirements we were sent on back to back to back missions (yes its happened several times) we were non mission capable for at least two weeks afterwards. That's why higher HQs sees the big picture and plans ahead. The rule of thumb is never commit more than 2/3 of your force to any battle. You have to be able to respond to the next. I think that the stress factor added to X2 adds that element of planning ahead and taking care of your troops. If you tweak the stress balance in the game please don't change it much because I think its very realistic as is.

During ground combat ( UFO crash site ) the program has repeatedly CDT during the friendly hidden movement phase. I don't hear any firing or explosions so I can only assume its not combat related. This has occurred several times on different missions. I have backed out of a mission to see if it was map related with same results on a different map. output.log