Build V18 Ground Combat Balance Discussion

[Sathra]

I just halved the alien weapon accuracy. Didn't lose anyone (couple wounded) but I did enjoy all the close shaves. Had a plasma cannon bolt juuust miss twice.

Had a little skirmish with a PC andron too. Walked within 5-7 tiles of it multiple tiles (well within view range), and it didn't fire, which is new.

[Shima]

Shouldn't PC do some AOE damage as well? My soldiers always groan when a shot lands near them but I don't see any damage done afterwards.

[Max_Caine]

Okay, another teal deer of this thread. If people could check it for accuracy, that'd be appreciated.

• Make flares more accurate
  
• Allow flares to be picked up
  
• Grenade arc need polishing
  
• Grenades hit cover they should fly over too often
  
• Pre-prepared crash mission too far from base
  
• Possbility to throw medkits+other items to soliders
  
• Give borders of map 1/8 black border of nothingness
  
• Aliens seem to be able to shoot a lot+have APs for reaction fire
  
• Autotarget aliens spotted within visual during night mission
  
• Sebillians feel too much like tanky Caesans
  
• Give Sebillians either poor accuracy or smaller sight range
  
• Make Sebillians more aggressive
  
• Buzzard armour: Vertical movement too restricted
  
• Buzzard armour: Make horizontal movement cheaper?
  
• Scimitar perhaps too strong
  
• Alien placement fairly predictable
  
• Better synergy between different racial types
  
• 8 troops in Chinook or 6+1 vehicle don't seem enough for Terror missions
  
• Heavy plasma too long range and too accurate for research description
  
• Plasma Cannon too accurate for an instant death weapon
  
• Tie grenade range to strength
  
• Improve grenade accuracy
  
• Too easy to skillup soliders
  
• Really easy to skillup soliders carrying LMGs
  
• Aliens all huddle in control room in base assault mission
  
• You get flares in a base assault mission at night, but not during the day?
  
• Demo charges underpowered
  
• Alien Alloys+Alienium should be loot from completed alien base
  
• Rocket launcher always has normal rocket even after upgrading rockets
  
• C4 seems to work with: 145 damage, 1.5 tiles radius, 5 tiles range, 80 accuracy.
  
• Predator armour dissapointing (not nearly protective enough)
  
• Teleporting wraiths a real PITA - very hard to track down.
  
• Confusion about Preadtor armour - does it ignore penalities for heavy weapons?
  
• Rifles seem to be pea-shooters
  
• Increase effectiveness of stun grenades
  
• Decrease effective of stun effect of smoke grenades
  
• Smoke should apply damage for each tile walked into

[Shima]

• Confusion about Preadtor armour - does it ignore penalities for heavy weapons?

Oh, I checked that. I had the same hit chance in predator with magstorm before and after moving a few tiles.

[GizmoGomez]

I'd say give C4 a radius of 2. 1.5 wasn't enough, I was the one that tested it (unless someone else tried it too). Also, C4 should be incendiary damage, making the 145 inaccurate. I recommend making the C4 powerful enough to completely destroy the wall it's stuck on, and halfway (crack) the two walls on either side, making it possible to destroy three walls (opening a route for a hunter or other car) with two C4s placed on two walls with a non C4 wall in-between. If [.] is a non-C4-ed wall, [X] is a c4-ed wall, {} is a totally destroyed wall and [/] is a half-destroyed wall, then

[.][.][X][.][X][.][.]

would produce

[.][/]{}{}{}[/][.]

The 5 tile range and 80 accuracy wasn't tested at that range, it was only tested from a couple tiles away from the targeted wall, so I don't know if that's the best set up.

[StellarRat]

I'd say give C4 a radius of 2. 1.5 wasn't enough, I was the one that tested it (unless someone else tried it too). Also, C4 should be incendiary damage, making the 145 inaccurate. I recommend making the C4 powerful enough to completely destroy the wall it's stuck on, and halfway (crack) the two walls on either side, making it possible to destroy three walls (opening a route for a hunter or other car) with two C4s placed on two walls with a non C4 wall in-between. If [.] is a non-C4-ed wall, [X] is a c4-ed wall, {} is a totally destroyed wall and [/] is a half-destroyed wall, then

[.][.][X][.][X][.][.]

would produce

[.][/]{}{}{}[/][.]

The 5 tile range and 80 accuracy wasn't tested at that range, it was only tested from a couple tiles away from the targeted wall, so I don't know if that's the best set up.

I don't think incendiary damage is the way to go. That means there is a good chance your breach will be impassable for a couple turns which partially defeats the purpose. I've seen C4 in action and it mostly just kicks up dust. ( Unless of course, you're close to something that can burn/explode. ) We could probably slice the range down to 4 or even 1. It's really meant to be placed not thrown. Probably ought to increase the weight of C4 to go along with the added damage like double or triple. It will definitely kill most aliens if it lands in there tile, but if we cut the range down enough it won't be uber. Edited April 13, 2013 by StellarRat

[erutan]

Can't you set a chance for fires to start? Just make it 0-5% but keep the damage type as is?

[GizmoGomez]

I was going off of what Chris said. I actually agree, there should be no fire. But, that damage type works really well against buildings, and the great Chris has spoken. Plus, we can eliminate the change for fire completely (there should be a 0% change, there's no way a block of C4 is going to start a fire).

[StellarRat]

I was going off of what Chris said. I actually agree, there should be no fire. But, that damage type works really well against buildings, and the great Chris has spoken. Plus, we can eliminate the change for fire completely (there should be a 0% change, there's no way a block of C4 is going to start a fire).

If the fire can be eliminated and we just have light/medium smoke, I'm all for it.

[erutan]

Is it just me or are terror missions at night actually easier? There is a lot less squadsight sniping by the AI, and I can light things up with my rockets if someone catches them in peripheral vision.

[Sathra]

I just had a soldier survive being turned into a Zombie, killed and had the resulting Reaper shot. 17 days in medical, after he was somehow revived.

[erutan]

That's... disturbing.

[thothkins]

Have you heard from that base recently?

[Sathra]

He seems fine now. Little tired-looking, but cheerfully miserable.

[erutan]

It's brilliant. If you're a zombie you don't want nasty civilian brains, filled with junk food.

No... you fake it and get into a fancy base with tasty scientist brains!

NOM

[Shima]

Remember, the reaper you shot wasn't him. Your doctors at the base patched together those bits of skin and tissue from which the reaper emerged. And they revived the guy! You've got to give credit to marvels of 1970s medicine!

[StellarRat]

Remember, the reaper you shot wasn't him. Your doctors at the base patched together those bits of skin and tissue from which the reaper emerged. And they revived the guy! You've got to give credit to marvels of 1970s medicine!

Wait until that little reaper bursts out of his chest during chow...

[GarenR]

I'm not that far into the game but so far have found ammo usage to be really low. I can't actually remember having to reload a single weapon. I'm wondering if that down to play style - using scouts supported by snipers who do 90% of the killing or if this is something that could do with looking at. My immediate thought would be to give rifles a double tap option and to increase number of rounds fired on automatic.

[Sathra]

Terror missions would be the main offender for needing to reload. Especially if its against Androns and you don't have lasers yet. Or a Reaper swarm.

Other than that, the higher weapons tiers have increasingly low ammo per clip, with plasma rifles at 10 shots, and the sniper version only having 5​.

[GizmoGomez]

Ha, Androns are easy. Use armor-piercing rockets, they're freaking awesome. It just blows straight through them like so much rice paper. (Granted, I tried this rocket last, when I had run out of all others and had no other options; it wasn't planned, but it still kicked that Andron to the curb.)

EDIT:

I stand corrected:

That was a light drone. I've not faced Androns, so my advice is not certified to be used for Androns. I bear no responsibility for any damages incurred by following my advice. There is no warranty on my advice. Use advice at your own risk. Serious injury or death may occur from following my advice.

Edited April 15, 2013 by GizmoGomez
whoops, haha wasn't an Andron

[Assoonasitis]

Ha, Androns are easy. Use armor-piercing rockets, they're freaking awesome. It just blows straight through them like so much rice paper. (Granted, I tried this rocket last, when I had run out of all others and had no other options; it wasn't planned, but it still kicked that Andron to the curb.)

EDIT:

I stand corrected:

That was a light drone. I've not faced Androns, so my advice is not certified to be used for Androns. I bear no responsibility for any damages incurred by following my advice. There is no warranty on my advice. Use advice at your own risk. Serious injury or death may occur from following my advice.

This reminds me of an ad I saw for a psoriasis treatment where the side effects included increased risk of infection (so much so that they warned about getting Tuberculosis), increased risk of cancer and some unnamed but "potentially deadly brain disorder." Talk about the side effects being worse than the condition you're treating.

[Sathra]

Oh man, you must be using ballistics still. Androns are...fun...without lasers. With lasers they're about the same as Sebbies, just with more plasma cannons. Then you meet the higher ranks and oh god can they suck up the weaponsfire.

[GizmoGomez]

I'm slowly working my way up to lasers. I barely shot down my first corvette (and it was awesome how I did it, too)

Basically, I sent up all my planes, so a foxtrot with four alenium missiles and two condors, both with alenium missiles, one with a laser gatling gun. The condor's missiles took out the two fighter escorts, the foxtrot fired its missiles at the corvette, and bugged out. I then used the guns on the condors to strafe the 'vette repeatedly, always staying in its blind spot, until it finally died. It was pretty epic, all the little maneuvers I had to make and stuff. Maybe it's commonplace, people do this kind of thing all the time, but it was my first 'vette and I killed it with a wimpy little gatling gun, so I'm content.

[Sathra]

I just throw a 4-pack of Alenium torps at corvettes. Instakill with no risk.

Never tried the hard way, and quite an achievement!

[StellarRat]

I just throw a 4-pack of Alenium torps at corvettes. Instakill with no risk.

Never tried the hard way, and quite an achievement!

I shot one down with two Foxtrots. 4 Al torpedos and 4 Al Sidewinders is enough.