How many rescources are there to play with for xenonaughts?

[WalrusJones]

I have heard of the soviet art bits in the files, all of which I would enjoy giving actual values in the game.

I have personally snagged a community made submachinegun art-bit.

I am aware that adding a weapon takes a significant amount of work, as well.

How easy is it to make a research project?

I have a fairly simple modplan that is supposed to give your researchers more to do in the early game (A few very quick researches that expand the basic free ballistic arsenal to have more variety (Obtaining contracts with civilian weapons manufacturers, and the soviets,) followed by a few moderate difficulty researches that expand them further....)

Is multi-ammo support possible with the current game? (Making a stronger manufactured rifle ammo, for example.)

All of these answers are pretty important to me, as.... How far I can mod the game is important to whether or not I end up buying it.

Probably the biggest selling point to me being a resources folder without the game to play it with, simply so I can observe its structure, and see how difficult making a working modification will be.

[Max_Caine]

If you want an example of a custom weapon, my Warehouse of the Unusal and the Strange features an almost-complete custom weapon, so you can take a look at all the files and directories involved.

Yes, multi-ammo support is there... but the UI doesn't support it. The closest you'll come to multi-ammo is to make a rocket-class weapon with a large clip. And even then, you'll run into problems. lightgeminis' Heavy Cannon mod is a good example of a multi-ammo weapon.

[WalrusJones]

If you want an example of a custom weapon, my Warehouse of the Unusal and the Strange features an almost-complete custom weapon, so you can take a look at all the files and directories involved.

Yes, multi-ammo support is there... but the UI doesn't support it. The closest you'll come to multi-ammo is to make a rocket-class weapon with a large clip. And even then, you'll run into problems. lightgeminis' Heavy Cannon mod is a good example of a multi-ammo weapon.

Multi ammo is something that will need to wait for more advanced UI, got it.

-That is something I have listed for a secondary feature.

I will take a good look at the firewall mod... While my plan starts off significantly more booring: Allowing one to play the early game with much greater tactical variety by fleshing out the player arsenal.

I do have an interesting direction to take it in.

Edit: A preview changelog for my prototype mod:

Modifies:

M16: Reduced its ammo's damage bonus by 5, but added armor mitigation to its ammo. This means its worse against unarmored aliens, but it should find itself falling out of service slightly later against the tougher aliens.

AK-47: Uses soviet.assaultrifle ammo, is less accurate, takes fewer TU's to fire, has worse recoil, weighs more, but has good damage per bullet, and ammo that improves this further (but not by as much as the M16's total armor mitigation bonus.)

Its burst fire is abnormally good at saturating a battlefield with bullets, and normal shots may be a little *Too good* in the first version, but the normal shots will take some testing to find out.

Can be acquired through the "Strike deal with the soviets" research project, under weapons.

Farmers shotgun:

Changed to over-under double barreled shotgun.

Faster snapshot (Due to not needing to be pumped.)

More range (Due to longer barrel.)

Slower aimed shot (Due to longer barrel, also marginally more accurate.)

Can be acquired through "Contract with civilian arms manufacture" research project, under weapons. Takes one man work hour, but sincerely warns you that its weapons will generally be impractical.

Sniper rifle:

Reduced ammo damage modifier, added more in armor mitigation.

Added:

Dragunov:

A more cumbersome, lower capacity, heavier sniper rifle.

Its shots consume more TU, but do a bit more damage.

Uses Soviet.SniperAmmo

Can be acquired with "Strike a deal with soviets" research project, a base level project in the weapons catagory.

Submachinegun:

A light submachinegun with excellent TU costs on its fire modes, and more accurate then average burst, snap and normal fires... Its aimed shot is exceptionally lacking.

Not much more damaging then the one handed pistol... While being two handed itself.

In the future, when the UI comes to support multiple ammo types, it will be the first to see prototype manufactured ammunition.

Receiving finishing touches:

Soviet carbine:

Uses distinctive orange magazines, and has a abnormally large muzzle-break for a rifle of its size.

Does less damage, and has shorter range then its parent rifle.

However, it recovers some accuracy that its parent loses over the M16, and gets a slight amount of armor mitigation, but will fall out of usefulness at about the same time as the AK-47.

Is also lighter.

Uses soviet.545ammo, in a gaudy orange plastic package.

Will eventually have a wire stock... But this will take a while to finish.

Naturally, It is acquired in a similar fashion to the other soviet weaponry.

Soviet Shotgun:

A supposedly unique looking shotgun with a very similar appearance to the soviet carbine, and assault rifle.

Due to feeding issues, it loads smaller shells then the other shotguns, doing less damage, having less range, and less accuracy.

It does, however, have truly inaccurate burst firing.

In the long run (No art resources exist currently... Putting my plans on a delay as I make them myself.)

Soviet Battle Rifle:

An old weapon dating to the end of World War II that was supposedly a fallback design made in-case the AK design failed to prove useful.

While it in part feels insulting that the soviets are dumping their old, unwanted weaponry on you, it is a useful weapon on the battlefield nonetheless.

While it is less powerful, and shorter range then a sniper rifle, it does more damage then assault rifle, and has improved semi auto accuracy, at the cost of marginally higher TU costs, and low capacity.

It is well suited to the roll of a more mobile marksman.

Modeled after the SKS rifle.

Obtained the same way as the other soviet weapons.

Soviet Submachiengun:

A lower damage, higher capacity.

Lighter, one handed, shorter ranged....

Less accurate, faster firing....

Soviet submachinegun.

Modeled after the Skorpion.

Similar to the above, you gain unlimited access to it at the same time as the other soviet weapons.

*More civilian weapons, maybe.*

A second tier of firearms, obtained once you have gotten all of the available firearms sets:

These weapons are moderately costly, no cut corners guns that are fictional, enhanced firearms.

They will share ammo types with the western firearms, and in general, perform slightly better, at the cost of taking a good deal of manufacturing hours, and some money (To simulate using the best of human materials.... And using gun construction methods invented in 2013,) for each copy.

They naturally will be obtainable sooner then laser weapons, and have their own merits due to them inheriting the tactical diversity of human firepower.

A third tier of firearms that uses alloys.

Further lightened up, and enhanced from the above weapons, they will be able to serve as a cheap sidearm until late in the game.

They may use a color scheme to call back to X-Com, UFO defense.

Edited June 18, 2013 by WalrusJones