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Role loadout settings across safegames


Sapare

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I would love the option to safe load outs for soldier roles across different games.

I mean that in the sense that if you start up a new game and pick the heavy weapons class and change the default loadout of the heavy weapons class that there is some way to export/import that into a new game(not the equipment, but the loadout selections).

This is a kinda minor detail but playing ironman on 20.7 made it rather noteable that it is extremely frustrating to lose your fighters in the first interception, start up a new game, and have to redo 5 min of equipment selection.(The other option here is simply making the default loadouts less terrible, but then I assume things would degrade into 'what is a good loadout' debates)

Still obviously not a major thing but just something to bring up.

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It's a great idea until you reach different tech levels. What happens when you upgrade the Rifleman role to use a Laser Rifle by default and then start a new game?
I was assuming only a default for game start. I guess if whatever the user default is does not exist in inventory just put it back to the starting true game default.
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It's a great idea until you reach different tech levels. What happens when you upgrade the Rifleman role to use a Laser Rifle by default and then start a new game?

I actually thought about that but it really would be a problem because the problem arise from the fact that on higher difficulties you try to have a 'perfect' early game(as any screwups early game can ruin the rest of the campaign). As such you will have to do the early game some 5 or so times, which will get very grinding on your nerves once you have to redo the basic equipment 3 times.

You will never reach the higher tier weaponry in most of those cases and as such the weapons you equip will mostly stay the same from playthrough to playthrough.

And if that is not good enough a reason, that is why I stated an 'export/import' concept.

Example is:

You update the default Heavy Weapons unit to have a medpack and two of each grenades but drop one of the heavy gun ammo packs. You make that the default for all your heavies in that game. Then you click the Export button, which will create a new file/overwrite the old file that defines what the Heavy Weapons default loadout at the beginning of a new game is.

You end that game, you start up a new game and based on the method used above your heavy trooper loadout will either be based on the file you just exported(if it overwrites the original), or you have to press an 'import' button in which you selected the earlier saved loadout(if it simply just makes a new file but doesnt overwrite the old) and will switch the loadout to the new one.

The reason I would tie it to an 'export' button is that like this it will only be triggered when actually wanted, so if you keep playing the first game(the one you originally made the loadouts in) it will not overwrite your created loadout even as you keep upgrading to laza weapons.

OR

If you want a completely different approach(though this might take more work to program), you could make a main menu option where you can precreate costume loadouts based on the starting gear of the game and then safe them just like you would in the normal game. These loadouts would then be accessible in every game you start.

That 2nd option seems a bit not-needed and might even confuse some people at first, but it mostly came to mind to give a clearer picture of what I am trying to achieve. It be like an option menue, but options to get rid of something rather tedious.

I know the game is coming close to release and this is more of a quality of life rather then vital feature, but considering the loadout option was already implemented(which is a huge thing as in XCOM:Apocalypse(and I am sure the others) it was always a pain to do loadouts early game) it feels like that logical extra step to take. All that is needed is for a user friendly way to replace the original loadout files with custom loadout ones.

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It might be possible, but it certainly isn't user friendly.

Ironman is not supposed to be friendly :). Isn't the point of it to go with whatever happens? Why should the game help with avoiding its own rules? Besides, if such an early screwup really means the game has to be started over, maybe there's a different problem with the game than a default loadout.

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Ironman is not supposed to be friendly :). Isn't the point of it to go with whatever happens? Why should the game help with avoiding its own rules?
I'm not sure what you are talking about. THe rest of us are discussing something to skip pointless/uneccesary/tiresome micromanageing by redefining the same roles over and over again)
Besides, if such an early screwup really means the game has to be started over, maybe there's a different problem with the game than a default loadout.

Isn't that the point OP and stellar rat is making?

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I'm not sure what you are talking about. THe rest of us are discussing something to skip pointless/uneccesary/tiresome micromanageing by redefining the same roles over and over again)

I'm talking about the fact that if you start an Ironman game over and over, enough that preparing the roles is a significant part, you are not really playing Ironman. And non-ironman should not need it - just do it once and save the game.

Isn't that the point OP and stellar rat is making?

No. My point is that if Ironman requires a perfect start to be doable, the right fix is changing that, rather than make players save 3 minutes every restart that should not be needed in the first place.

At least, that is one of the great things about UFO:EU - as long as the overall performance is good enough, occassional screwups, no matter how big, don't mean the game is over. And as far as I can tell, Xenonauts is mostly on the right track here as well.

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I'm talking about the fact that if you start an Ironman game over and over, enough that preparing the roles is a significant part, you are not really playing Ironman. And non-ironman should not need it - just do it once and save the game.

No. My point is that if Ironman requires a perfect start to be doable, the right fix is changing that, rather than make players save 3 minutes every restart that should not be needed in the first place.

At least, that is one of the great things about UFO:EU - as long as the overall performance is good enough, occassional screwups, no matter how big, don't mean the game is over. And as far as I can tell, Xenonauts is mostly on the right track here as well.

It doesn't matter if the game forgives you or not. If you at all have a respect for your own time you will restart if the first mission/first air combat goes to hell. To fight an uphill battle is pointless if you don't have to.

Any my general suggestion was formed because of me playing ironman, but it is actually useful even outside of that as it is a general quality of life feature that besides simple time restrains has nothing speaking against adding it.

As my third point.

The whole 'make a save at the beginning of the game' actually does not work in Xenonauts because of the fact that you place your base first, then equipt soldiers. As such your base position and difficulty level will be bound when you make that save.

Also, the highest difficulty level forces Ironman mode, anyone who wants to play that difficulty level will quickly run into the same problem I am trying to solve.

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It doesn't matter if the game forgives you or not. If you at all have a respect for your own time you will restart if the first mission/first air combat goes to hell. To fight an uphill battle is pointless if you don't have to.

Well personally I would disagree with that part, half the fun of the game is struggling on against the odds rather than trying to always get the perfect start.

Sure you may struggle to complete the game but it is much more interesting to generate a story where you almost made it despite a run of bad luck rather than restarting constantly.

Maybe that's from all the time I've spent playing Angband though ;)

The rest of the suggestion is sound enough though.

It would be nice to save your starting loadout just for an added bit of customisation as I doubt any two of us equip our troops the same way.

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