Generally stupid questions I guess plus some comments on gameplay after 5 missions.

[Zathras]

Grenades How do you use them? Sometimes I can & sometimes I cannot.

Also what does it mean if your target has an ammo clip on the sight helix(besides the fact that you cannot fire?

There are two sorts of combat First Aid: what you carry yourself like everyone else: usually compressed pressure bandages etc and what carried by the Medics. Surely Xenonauts can give everyone a small healing agent a la that in UFO ET?

MGun users should have a choice as most are capable of selective fire ie single, cluster of three or burst and so far mine has done nothing as he cannot move any distance or he loses burst fire and so is never there.

Also a sniper can fire his rifle (especially if an autoloader) from the hip and it CAN be used in close combat and again especially if it has even a limited burst capacity.

Flares are totally useless as they extend your visual range by so little they are a waste of effort.

Any Heat detectors or movement detectors in the works? Yes I know that some are reptilian but not ALL reptiles were cold blooded and if these guys are then I will be surprised otherwise they will have lie in the sun for a hours to recharge.

Last comment: most of my squad are at lieutenant level and still have the SAME accuracy that they did as rookies so what is the POINT of experience as this was a MUST in all other such games.(eg in UFO ET, Aftermath and the old UFO XCOM anyone who couldn't shoot was stacked with grenades and used as decoys(ie sacrificed) as accuracy is the primary skill followed by movement allowance.

BTW I hate a squad full of officers and would rather a non UFO different ranking as in the WarCom mod for UFO enemy Unknown. Rookie, Priv 2, Priv 1, Corp 2, corp 1, Sergeant 2 then 1, then 0 (RSM) or lieutenant 2, then the usual officer rank ascent. I remember in TFTD when my whole winning team were Colonels which I thought was a bit of a joke but they were my best so...(yes I had lost a lot of men in that game and finished with near 140 troops IIRC although it could have been just 100 with dismissals if I did do that.

[Sathra]

Not sure what the first means. They are pretty hefty in AP cost, and are pretty short ranged. 34 from the quick slot (grenade picture) if I remember right. Somewhere around there.

Ammo on the reticle means burst fire. Also very heavy in TU cost. MG can only fire in burst mode and when you start you can only move a tiny amount and fire at the same time (the heavy weapons such as the MGs, sniper rifles and RPG have reduced accuracy if you move).

You mean the stimpacks? Xenonauts is set during the Cold War. UFO ET was set in the future.

What I said in the second paragraph. Also balance issues. The TU cost per shot is static though so higher ranked troopers can fire more as well as run farther.

Flares are limited and there's a bug where they don't update till you use some TU's. Turning about 90 degrees should update them.

The was some discussion on a motion detector but dunno what's going on with it now.

They're pretty accurate at the start. You gain shooting accuracy by shooting at enemies within effective range +50% I think, so if you're using UFO: EU tactics you won't gain much accuracy skill (spotter/sniper). Tu's should be going up pretty much every mission though.

The ranking is to help show how good the soldier is, with higher rank always equalling better stats. Unlikely to change.

[Zathras]

Stimpacks are a little illusory even in the 22nd century IMHO but I meant simple pressure bandages and local anaesthetic spray/morphine styrettes(at worst) which will slow the major problem and can be used by SELF and which will also keep minor flesh wounds unable to cripple the unit. Obviously with a major wound the MediPack is required but every soldier has his own minor kit or should have.

Flares are not that useful but are better than nothing and there is NO earthly reason why there should not be more available.

With regards to the "flashbangs": other than suppression they do not stun and are mostly useless and a grenade is much better(yes I know ...damage).

Not happy with the accuracy of the M16 in the hands of anyone but the sniper rifle and the LMG have proven useful. I am only into my third week (XN time) and find the base design to be very UFO/XCOm annoying as you can only add one living quarters and one lab unless you remove other facilities. In all of my XCOm games the top Hangar was replaced immediately then removed and there was a mod which set up a far more useful and user friendly base.

Please do not take my comments as sneers as I am quite impressed so far and remember I am playing UFOET. UFO Enemy Unknown, AfterMath and the originnal XCOM at the same time so I can compare almost automatically.

The one thing that always annoyed everyone was the "last alien" who often hid(the cowardly little s**t) and in UFO ET you can find by midgame an alien location device which really helps although not game changing as so much time is spent searching shadows. Now life force indicators are in real life, not far off(yes..true) so although in the `1980s at least a an IR heat signature device should be possible.

So far the scenarios are a little overstatic but not complaining, the combat is good and the AI is not that stupid. My aim in all of these games is to never lose a man even if I have to do the odd reload(2 so far) so it was money well spent and show(me at least) what Firaxis could have done with their wonderful graphics and bugger all else. So far()and it is very early) 7/10

Ohh BTW I sorted out the grenade problem : it was me being stupid..again..: (

Edited April 18, 2013 by Zathras

[Sathra]

Actually the flashbangs DO stun, it just takes a few (3 or so early on), though there's something odd going on with flashbangs where their suppression damage is reduced the further they are thrown. Might affect actual damage with frags too, but I'm not sure. There are actual Stun Grenades as well which work a bit different.

I dunno, I kinda swear by the rifles as I find them to be more than enough for most situations.

[Zathras]

I used three flashbangs on one alien in his ship and I still had to shotgun him.

If you have ever experienced one, three would not just stun but render very unconscious and disorientated upon awakening for hours afterwards on humans.

Some idiot used one on a neighbour's dog and it vanished for a week after it howled away at top speed upon awakening.

Anyone with 60+ accuracy now gets the sniper rifle. The ones with <55 the shotgun and the 55-60 the M16. Maybe I should give the latter group the sniper rifle also?

Now I have a squad of captains within 3 weeks. At this rate my squad will be archangels within 3 months and gods by six : )

[Gauddlike]

If the flashbang was also a stun grenade why would you need to use a stun grenade?

Also the suppression aspect would be next to useless as stunning the enemy is practically the same as killing them in Xenonauts.

It wouldn't matter if they were suppressed because they would be lying on the floor unable to act.

They have different functions and to me that is appropriate.

The flashbang should leave them unable to reaction fire in the turn they are suppressed and leaves them with reduced AP the following turn.

You could think of it as a mini stun effect.

Actual stun weapons render the enemy unconscious for the duration of the mission, stun grenades are not guaranteed effective though.

Frag grenades kill the enemy (hopefully for the duration of the mission ) and also stand a chance of destroying the gear they are carrying.

[Sathra]

. They'll die soon enough. And yeah, experienced troops are immensely good.

Dunno, last time I tried it out it only took 3 flashbangs. I might have shot it beforehand though.

[TrashMan]

Ya know, gaining accuracy only if you shoot something inside effective range...why ONLY?

Would hte logic be - the more difficult the shot, the better your accuracy?

I recall when once in JA2 I had a soldier turn around, fire from the hip at an enemy outside effective range behind some bushes. He hit and immediatley gained accuracy increase.

[crusherven]

I would definitely prefer exp gain to be slowed down and for the rank structure to resemble a pyramid, such as it was in XCOM. It's just weird having a squad full of majors and colonels. I don't need high ranks to tell me if a soldier is good; I can tell that from glancing at their stats.

[Gauddlike]

Using a pistol from 40 tiles away on an enemy you had no chance to hit wouldn't necessarily make you a better shot either.

[crusherven]

Well, if you want to be realistic about gaining accuracy, mostly that's going to come from spending a lot of time at the range. Actual combat experience will improve your shooting through stress inoculation, though theoretically most of our recruits are already combat veterans.

The advantage of having a range cap on exp game is that it eliminates gaming by having people a lot of people shoot from across the map to gain exp before killing the alien. If you have to be within a certain range it somewhat reduces the grindiness of gaining accuracy. In other words, instead of spotting an alien and having every shoot (starting with the least accurate, so you don't kill it), you actually have the people shoot who have a chance of killing the alien like you would without any exp mechanic.

Ideally the existence of exp shouldn't cause me to significantly alter my behavior.

[Zathras]

Ahh Now I actually HAVE stun grenades I see the point of Flashbangs however trivial.

I don't quite understand the range limit on weapons: the concept yes, but the actual range limit for accuracy gain. Perhaps that is why my snipers have the most kills, but then in every UFO type game, they usually do. What are the ranges? Anyone know? The LMG spread is incredible and almost like someone has sawn off half the barrel. I am usually amazed if I actually hit someone.

I also would think that combat experience and hits should be separated into two groups: exp >>>rank (although I would like less pips/crowns on their shoulders/collars) and hits>>>>marksmanship or grenadier or gunner awards as in badges with ranks but unrelated to their actual army rank. I have a captain with 8 missions and no kills" ? born paymaster : )

Again : not sneers but positive comments on ways to improve the game.

Is the first base structure rigidly fixed or can it be modded to improve it?

[Zathras]

deleted by author

[Max_Caine]

There has been some considerable discussion on the point of ranks.

This is typical of the kind of thread

This is Chris' response.

Your point about the starting base has been raised previously. Chris has said that there is a need to be able to rotate building structures. If there's any delay in getting that done I'm guessing it would be the need to be abe to produce verticle and horizontal submaps for all building types in the event of a base assault.

Regarding motion detectors: That's been brought up several times. Chris' response has been "we'll see".

Regarding First Aid: As everyone can have medikits, I doubt anything else would be introduced. And I thought field dressings were specifically intended for use by the solider nearest his wounded buddy. After all, how does a solider tend an injury on his/her back, or when in crippling pain?

Suppression is quite valuable. 1) A suppressed person can't reaction fire (extremely valuable verses reaction-fire happy aliens). 2) suppressed persons loose half their AP in their next turn.

[Zathras]

Okay thank you.

I should say "sorry" but I have long given up wading through weeks of forum posts on many games and I am happy to live with it.

Umm have you ever had a personal field medical kit?

I have and I used it regularly. From purifying water to first aid.We even cut strips of Band-Aids to make steristrips to use as suture(wound cleansed with ...water) and when I fractured my fibula I walked out on my own strapping and using methadone tablets..two hours pain free and enough to get me going) Sometimes. often, there is no one else and I have seen others use tourniquets on themselves and not only for snakebite(pressure bandaging now). Everyone has a personal medical kit in the game or can have one but I cannot use it on myself which is frankly, dumb although not just confined to Xenonauts(UFOET and XCOM EU..UFO Aftermath was good that way as you could treat yrself.

I appreciate the complexity of base modding and rank discussions(?) have been around since 1994 but since everyone has whinged about them since 1994 I just hoped for better. Nothing wrong with having 25 + attainable ranks with the last one taking 6 months to obtain with near godlike powers (ie impossible in reality). Part of the real "fun" is getting your best or "A" team to have as high skills as possible for that big bad Boss final push. In UFO Aftermath I am trying to get seven to level 18 for the moon base attack and in XCOM EU I tried to have an all Psi squad for the hell of it. Took a while but was worth it. Pity about India and china though

While I waited for a stable Xenonauts I never really looked at the forums as there was no reason to so do.

Okay back kill this &^^%$ sniper who has wounded two of my team.

[Zathras]

Thanks for that URL I read Oktober's post and while I am not US I agree with it. My son is a Combat Engineer captain and I was worried sick about IED disposal. He assured me that once you reach captain, some one else does that. Then he tells me that when one guy was stuck, he defused it..no wonder I have no finger nails. if he goes back there they wont have to kill him as I will. So, yes leaders do lead but sometimes they have to get their hands dirty also and it does set a good example however stupid I said it was at the time.

One of my family was a battalion MO in WW2 and they were overrun and wiped out. His body wasn't in the medical tent as they had killed all the wounded. It was draped over a Bren with a dozen empty ammo mags. He and a W/O and 2 wounded privates held the last stand.

[Chris]

Don't really want to change the rank system at this point, but I do plan to slow down the speed at which soldiers rank up and gain stats.

The next version has an indicator on the UI that shows when a weapon is out of range too.

[Sathra]

Awesome news. Always wondered if I was out of range.

And good news about the rankup slowdown. Its crazy fast at the moment.

[Zathras]

By all means, slow down the ranks, but NOT the stat gains as I have some ludicrous majors who cannot hit a barn door at 100ms with accuracy of 65 while the accuracy of the aliens is incredible. The range factor will be very useful.

In most UFO games more bases are necessary, but the cost of those here makes a choice necessary: bases or upgraded weapons .The poor cash flow (and you ARE saving the world) from supporting nations makes it almost impossible.21 missions and 11 weeks and I have a US base but cannot afford any laser weapons. So I will be doing without weapon upgrades until after my 3rd base (SE Asia).

The inability to make a profit on selling new gear destroys the economy capabilities of the game(cost 50k sell 1k????) especially as the nation support is so poor. It is almost as though most do NOT want you to win while those without support behave like children and reduce the chances of support by reducing the cash flow( I know that this is in the old game but the economy there was more flexible}.

Financially this is the most difficult UFO game of all and if success is a function of base numbers I am doomed and in normal and I play top level in all others. Whinge over.

The missing gear bug is still alive and well....makes them handy as forward flare scouts

[Sathra]

There's a workaround for the missing gear bug. First off, if a soldier is wounded, take off any limited gear (armour, weapons, etc) and unassign them (or vice versa). The missing gear is due to their gear disappearing when they heal up fully. The second part is abusing a bug, where if a wounded soldier goes into a ground combat they can be healed to full during the combat and it'll carry over. So just give them the limited gear right before the mission, heal them up during the mission and there you go.

Or just wait for the next update.

[Zathras]

Thx I will try both...in retrospect I think that I have used part two by accident already

[TrashMan]

The advantage of having a range cap on exp game is that it eliminates gaming by having people a lot of people shoot from across the map to gain exp before killing the alien. If you have to be within a certain range it somewhat reduces the grindiness of gaining accuracy. In other words, instead of spotting an alien and having every shoot (starting with the least accurate, so you don't kill it), you actually have the people shoot who have a chance of killing the alien like you would without any exp mechanic.

ERm..I think you misunderstood. Only a outside range shot that connects grants XP.

So shooting from across the map will mostly waste ammo. But if you do hit it will count double.

[Sathra]

Doesn't avoid the basic problem of blazing away across the map for accuracy gain. Granted, it would help with gaining accuracy just slightly outside skill-gain-effective weapon range though.

[TrashMan]

Again, with the accuracy drop-off, most of your shots will miss. You'll be wasting ammo like crazy. Which might be doable with early weapons, but later weapon have less and less ammo capacity.

And you still have to have someone up front to spot (who will get killed wihout support)...so it's not a good strategy

[Sathra]

Though, if you know you can kill the alien you'd do it anyways. I know I would.