NKF

If memory is correct: GMDEFEND - Mission briefing screen GMENBASE - Base defence / Terror Site mission briefing GMMARS - Mission debriefing screen GMNEWMAR - Cydonia briefing screen GMSTORY - Very similar to GMLOSE, but used for the main menu. For those you probably know: GMINTRO1 ~ GMINTRO3 - Intro music parts 1 ~ 3 GMINTER - intercept music GMTACTIC - tactical music GMGEO1 - Geoscape music sequence 1 and 2 GMGEO2 - Geoscape music sequence 3 and 4 GMWIN - good end GMLOSE - bad end - NKF

It's nothing like that. The game just keeps track of who set off the explosion at the time. Shooting a cyberdisc or explosive object that then kills a civilian would be just as if you'd fired a rocket at the civilian. The game's not that accurate though, and some actions don't attribute or credit damage correctly, such as proximity mines, fire in general and dropping instead of throwing a grenade. - NKF

Even with the higher health, Mutons would fare a lot worse since their odds of negating damage completely is far less than personal armour. They'd suffer a lot more in an auto-shot scenario while sectopod-like armour may just as well ignore most of the damage. It would've helped if Mutons had extra damage resistances, like the Lobsterman. If you wanted a near-Sectopod suit with some flaws, try the Mag. Ion armour from TFTD with its 142 front, 100 back, 80 sides, 65 under. Front and back nearly on par with Sectopods, but you have to take care not to get flanked or get hit by a blaster bomb. - NKF

That was my post. The info on ufopaedia is a bit sparse, more because we haven't got a lot of contributors tending to the Apocalypse side of things. This bit of information was first gleaned when I was running a lot of tests in years gone past. I think I was doing one with psionics or somesuch. Either way, it required a 'raid' on a non-hostile organization with no hostilities initiated. During this run, guards were noticed throwing equipment to each other. At one point a guard armed a proximity mine and it blew up and left a hole in the floor. I left the mission without taking anything, but the score was slightly in the negative and I had the relations drop a level. So with the help of a mind bender I went off to try and test it out in various way. Sure enough everything gets blamed on X-Com - except for "self inflicated" guard deaths (getting them to jump off buildings and breaking the psionic link before they hit the ground). From them on I've always been hesitant to use the rocket launchers during city missions. - NKF

No, it's normal behaviour. What happens is that the game will first create the map and populate it with all the ranks that are meant to appear for that mission type. Then it goes through and checks the ranks of all the aliens. If the alien race is not meant to have a certain rank, it then replaces it with a soldier. Ethereals are slightly different in that they get replaced with a Leader instead. - NKF

Floaters have commanders. They're like Sectoids in that they can get all the available ranks except for Terrorist. Mutons don't get commanders. The game will still generate them when it creates the map and will give them the commander's equipment, but it will then get demoted to Soldier. - NKF

For me, having lower base accuracy would make me use grenades more often. Not a bad thing considering many players (at least those I've watched on various Youtube Let's Plays) completely ignore them. It would also increase the value of the aim shot for rookies. I'm not sure if it has the function, but have you tried Hatfarm's editor? edit: After reading the line notes, no executable editing. No go there. - NKF

There are ways to train with low reactions. It mainly involves spacing your training soldiers enough, or using smoke, so that the aliens are forced to run to them and lower their initiative enough that their high 70+ reactions ends up being no better than a 35. It's not easy to do as you go, but once you reach the UFO and can surround its entrance, you can adjust the placement of everyone for more optimal reaction training. It's been a bit since I last played TFTD, but I'm wondering if it's easier to train reactions in TFTD once all the aliens are carrying Sonic Cannons, considering its massive 50% snapshot cost. More dangerous, of course, but one shot from that generally leaves the alien a sitting duck to return fire. - NKF

Well, the HWP's are more for support than being full on MBT's. Perhaps for the cannon tank, just up the damage to 80 and see how it goes. Alternately increase its ammo count and adjust snapshot cost to 25% so that it can fire 4 rounds a turn. These are just subtle changes, but might be all that's needed. It's funny, but the default Sonic Displacer in TFTD is a monster of a heavy weapons platform when compared to its EU counterpart the Plasma Hovertank. I have on occasion just about wiped out a sizeable crew of superhuman Lobstermen with just one of these. Yet, the stats between the Sonic Displacer and Plasma Hovertank are identical. Perhaps the fact that TFTD uses the 50%-150% damage roll instead of 0~200% makes quite a difference. - NKF

Are you playing the dos version of the game and have you installed the v2 patch? That fixes this bug. With the v2.0 patch, stunned aliens in the first part will still die between the sections but all equipment on the ground in the first part will be recovered assuming you wiped out of all the enemies. With colony missions, if you go to the next part by aborting with aquanauts on the exit area, you will only keep whatever is left on the floor of the sub. In both instances, to actually bring all the stuff home from the first part, you need need to either win or abort the second half part of the mission. If you want to check which version you have, just start a new game and recover an alien sub. If you got a magnetic navigation unit from the sub and can research it right away, then your games is patched to v2.0 and you shouldn't have to worry about the 2-parter equipment bug. If you have to research a Lobsterman navigator just to get it, then the game isn't patched. The steam release should have its dos version patched up to v2.0 already, while the CE version that's also included with it is v2.0 by default. XComutil has a "fix" for it too, but it actually makes a new bug out of it by stripping your ammo off your aquanauts when they get to the next part. I've seen a number of TFTD Let's Play series on Youtube with the T'Leth mission getting a bit mangled because of it. Not much good when your aquanauts are running around with no ammo. Also yes, in the unpatched game, you will lose items left in the sub when you move to the second part of the mission, so you need to make sure you are carrying everything on you. - NKF

One of the unused items in the obdata.dat file has stats for what is basically a gatling laser. You might want to give that a try and copy of over the damage, firing rate and firing accuracy. It looks quite terrible just going by the numbers, but it's an amazingly fun weapon in practice. It knocks the laser pistol down from its perch as the game's machine gun. No real opinion on most of the changes, but for the tanks, any change to the chassis, either tracked or hover, filters through to all tanks of that model. - NKF

I think this might be the page you're after: http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=MISSIONS.DAT It's a bit all over the place - check the discussion page too. - NKF

No argument on the pistols and grenades. They are good training weapons late game. Same is true for the early game when you are just starting out. Grenades are actually a great way to train up those promising troops that have great stats but horrid firing accuracy while pistols, laser pistols and laser rifles are excellent for laying siege to a UFO. One tip when training reactions with the pistol is to train in a big group. If lots of soldiers qualify for a reaction shot at the same time, they will all get the experience even if the alien gets killed by the first soldier to react. For your armour, go for Power Suits instead of Flying Suits. 10 less armour, but much more economical on the elerium. Or go find a base and do a bit of supply ship piracy and you'll never be short on elerium. The HCHE isn't exactly the safest weapons to be arming your troops with if your trainees are in personal armour. The HCHE in particular can do some damage to a Flying Suit if it scores a direct hit. ACHE's much safer. It's amusingly fun to have power armor troops blast mutons away with them at point blank range. - NKF

As mentioned by Nervousguy that the effects are so small or don't even exist. Even if you reduced their size, they're likely not going to offer any benefits over an extra shield. These were against the alien missiles though, wonder if they have more effect on human weapons? Not that it matters, again even in this instance a shield would be better protection. - NKF

There's no guarantee that every base location will not be attacked. The south pole is usually safe because most of the action occurs elsewhere. I suppose Hawaii counts too as a safe spot as long as you don't do any interception around that area. - NKF