Milestone 2.09 Released! (Experimental)

[Chris]

This update is also only accessible by switching to our Experimental branches (instructions on how to do so here) - although note they have slower load times and worse performance than normal builds due to the extra logging they contain!

This build breaks save games, so you'll need to start a new campaign. If anyone wants to continue your current campaign, I've switched 2.08d to the Experimental Legacy branch and you can switch over if you want to keep playing that version.

Gameplay & Balance Changes:

Strategy:

• Updates to the research tree:
  • Split out the Cleaner Interrogation research into seperate Cleaner Agent and Cleaner Soldier interrogation projects
  • Cleaner Agent Interrogation has new artwork / text
  • Cleaner Soldier Interrogation has new artwork / text
  • Xenobiology has updated artwork / text
  • General Interrogation has updated text
  • Probe UFO has updated text
  • Fighter UFO has updated artwork
  • Fusion Explosives has updated text
• Minor styling updates to the Aircraft screen on the new UI elements added in Milestone 2 (Weight / Hardpoints)
• Cash can now go negative on the strategy layer due to upkeep / wage costs
• Reduced weight of the Stun Gun battery to match that of pistol ammo
• Added unique artwork for all the different Gauss weapon ammo magazines
• Advanced LMG weapons now have 2x1 ammo magazines, like the basic LMG does
• Added the art for the HEVY Alenium Rounds
• Phantom equipment slots now placed along the bottom of the screen (to match the Angel)

Air Combat:

• The damage inflicted by UFO weapons in air combat (both manual and autoresolve) is now modified by the difficulty setting, ranging from 80% of normal on Recruit up to 120% of normal on Commander.
• When autoresolving air combat, certain weapons now inflict reduced damage against targets that can do an evasive roll manuever. For players this mostly affects Torpedoes, which have zero autoresolve strength against enemies that can roll. However most alien weapons that can be dodged using evasive roll also now do reduced damage in the autoresolve calculation.
• Updated the UFO Hunter Killer missiles to have a visually larger projectile

Tactical Combat:

• We've made some AI updates to make civilians less suicidal
• Secton Psionic Triangulation now triggers off nearby Psyons, not other nearby Sectons. This makes the first mission vs aliens less dangerous.
• Cleaners have had several stats reduced, as their statlines were a bit too high compared to the early-game aliens. All Cleaners have suffered -5 Accuracy, -10 Time Units, -10 Strength and -10 Reflexes.
• Added some additional map variants for the Cleaner Data Raid mission, and also added some internal randomision to the building on those maps.
• Rescue Soldiers mission now draws from the entire pool of Raid maps, not one single Polar map.
• If you don't have enough space in the dropship to rescue the soldiers in Rescue Soldier missions, the game is now a bit smarter about who it recovers:
  • Firstly, rescued soldiers can now fit into slots in the dropship vacated by KIA soldiers who failed their post-battle survival roll
  • If there's still not enough space to bring back the rescued soldiers, the game will now always prefer living soldiers (so if you want to recover one soldier in particular, you can shoot the others).
• Fixed some tall props that incorrectly had 30% Stopping Chance, which should have been 50%
• Updated Abduction Tubes to be worth 2 Alloys (from 0), and updated the briefing accordingly.
• Camera Rotate buttons are no longer reversed, and now show the correct keyboard shortcut keybinds on the tooltip
• Fixed the click hitbox on the "Visible Enemy" head icons being too large.
• Pressing C when a unit is in motion will correctly queue up a crouch icon (as if you clicked the Crouch button)
• The orange TU reserve overlay is now shown on the soldier minitabs at the top of the screen when TU are being reserved by a soldier.
• Updated the human Pistol animations, making it more obvious that the unit is armed with a pistol

Bugfixes:

• Fixed a Geoscape crash linked to upgrading items in the workshop
• Fixed jetpack 3d models not displaying in tactical combat
• Fixed the Exosuit heavy armour variant looking like Tactical Armour in combat
• Fixed The General displaying like a civilian in the first mission
• Fixed hair clipping through helmets for Unassigned soldiers
• Fixed some UFO walls on certain variants of the Destroyer / Observer / Abductor being indestructible
• Fixed aliens spawning within UFO walls on some of the new Dockyard crashsite maps
• Fixed some wall tiles being invisible in the Xenonaut base defence Medical Room
• Fixed the generators in the Xenonaut base defence Generator Room not allowing units to path through them once destroyed
• Fixed some missing shelf ends on the dockyard VIP Elimination missions
• Fixed you getting duplicate soldier hotkey numbers if you already had soldiers assigned to keys 7-9 when you go on the Soldier Rescue mission
• Fixed the human Combat Shield jetpack animations so the shield doesn't clip through the body at a 90-degree angle when in flight
• Fixed the combat shield clipping through the ground if dropped on the floor

[OTZ]

Currently playing Ironman Veteran, at about day 130 (2.08d). I have 3 bases (2 are really just radar/hangars), and money is very tight. Any notion as to how long a game should typically last? I'm not sure if I've paced myself accordingly, or maybe I've messed up along the way. In some ways the pacing feels like it should be quicker; I've left a lot of autopsies literally on the table because their benefits don't add too much to the game, and in some cases I've reached a point where doing a Cleaner Autopsy doesn't make sense anymore.  

I have 1 Dragonfly, 2 Phantoms, 4 Angels. That's not enough to deal with the increasing frequency of fighter groups or Destroyer + Fighter/Mimic, even if I manually fight all air battles for the best advantage. 

It feels like ignoring them is a viable strategy, so long as panic levels are managed - but is that in the spirit of the game? 

The 2.08d build has been really good. Solid challenge, no CTDs yet. Hoping the 2.09 changes maintain the momentum of positive improvements. 

[gG-Unknown]

The damage inflicted by UFO weapons in air combat (both manual and autoresolve) is now modified by the difficulty setting

 

make dmg done based on difficlty is dumb design solution.

Rather consider, higher difficulty means:

- UFOs are faster

- pause air combat is not possible

- UFO use smarter AI moves

 

2. Manipulation with Abduction Tubes or Computers(data stick) should cost 4 TU

Edited November 10, 2023 by gG-Unknown

[Chris]

On 11/9/2023 at 11:51 AM, OTZ said:

Currently playing Ironman Veteran, at about day 130 (2.08d). I have 3 bases (2 are really just radar/hangars), and money is very tight. Any notion as to how long a game should typically last? I'm not sure if I've paced myself accordingly, or maybe I've messed up along the way. In some ways the pacing feels like it should be quicker; I've left a lot of autopsies literally on the table because their benefits don't add too much to the game, and in some cases I've reached a point where doing a Cleaner Autopsy doesn't make sense anymore.  

I have 1 Dragonfly, 2 Phantoms, 4 Angels. That's not enough to deal with the increasing frequency of fighter groups or Destroyer + Fighter/Mimic, even if I manually fight all air battles for the best advantage. 

It feels like ignoring them is a viable strategy, so long as panic levels are managed - but is that in the spirit of the game? 

The 2.08d build has been really good. Solid challenge, no CTDs yet. Hoping the 2.09 changes maintain the momentum of positive improvements. 

I'm glad you're enjoying it - though playing Ironman on the Experimental branch is pretty risky given how buggy these builds can be!

The economy balance is something that we'll continue to tweak based on player feedback, but yes it's possible that the escort UFOs are a bit too strong right now. However it does sound like you're pretty well equipped with interceptors given the stage of the game you're at.

There's 200 days before the game cuts out right now (and probably around 300 in a full campaign once the game is complete) so it's hard to say whether you're pacing yourself correctly; ultimately the game has a lot of moving parts and there should be more than one viable strategy to win the game. You'll have to let me know in a few days how the campaign worked out for you

[Pietje666]

I did got a warning about when i brought more soldiers then the dropship could handle before the launch to the rescue mission.  Maybe more attention before the launch could fix the problem that occur when you finish the rescue mission with an overcapacity. 

You don't have to make contact before you can use the troops that you need to rescue. 

I have no idea what would happen if you have more personnel then living quarters can handle.