rumbit

I like Kyrub's AI mod. Can it be mixed with others? I know xcomutil wants to install its own files. Then, there's the seb76 mod. Do these interfere with one another? Should they be installed in a particular order?

Yeah, well, I can't run the game without that windows color corruption.

I just picked up Xcom again. I notice that the new Xcomutil has been modified from the old DOS version. Where can I find the last version that runs under DOS? The new one tries to make everything windows-ified, and the colors are corrupt under Windows 7. Evidently the only fix is to mess with my video card settings and reboot. Nah. Not that important. I'll go back to the AI patch and xcomutil fixes in DOS, the way I used to.

The most recognizable feature of the patch is the autofire. In the original, aliens use it only on the closest distance. After the patch, they will clutter your soldiers with bursts of plasma, from distance. If you don't see this, something's wrong. I will try to distinguish the patch by some sort of inscription or sound in the future; I'd do it already, but it's technically uneasy from various reasons. Aliens can currently pick up only the weapons they're staying over (same square). I will try to extend the range in next version, but I'm rather cautious about some AI side effects. Psi attack may still target the weakest most of the time, but I increased the range (the odds). The intention is to avoid AI predictability, but not to cut the Psi threat by making the AI targetting blind to enemy psi strength. I usually try to keep AI structure similar to conserve the basic feeling of the game. You may still try to guess who's the weak Psi link in your team by taking notice at the frequency. It is just harder, less obvious, more dangerous. Cool, that's awesome. What you really need is a mini-FAQ that says, the I changed the aliens to do this, that, and the other, so watch for it. That way, jaded players like me who have been suffering the "Reaper runs back and forth in front of my lasers and never chomps my helpless soldiers" syndrome can ooh and aah over your hard-won modifications. If you like writing, it would be a landmark achievement to write some psuedocode that explains how the stock computer opponent makes decisions. I've always wondered that, and always thought that I'd need to know assembly to get anywhere.

Wow, amazing. I don't think anyone could have modified the alien behavior in XCOM. Machine language! The only way. Outstanding! I'm playing under DOS and I haven't really noticed any changes yet? The modified .EXEs are in place. I made an alien drop his weapon and he still didn't run pick it back up. Or does this only work when the alien is on the same square? Ethereals still attacked my weakest psi.

What's a medium scout doing on a Terror mission? It can't land and start a terror site, and the wiki is no help. Shoot it down or let it go? I'm at the point in my game where I'm pretty much in charge while waiting to capture a Commander so I can go for the win, and a terror mission is actually kind of fun.

Why can Interceptors carry 2 troops? Is there any conceivable mission that the game throws at you which can be solved by 2 men? Or is this just some sort of holdover from an earlier idea of the game when vehicles required pilots?

I was just reading something that mentioned squaddies when it occurred to me that I don't have any! I checked my game and sure enough, rookies straight to sergeants. I can't seem to remember having any at all, either. (I'm returning to Xcom after many years so I'm rusty.) I suppose it's due to the number of soldiers I have. I was using up soldiers like bubblegum for a while in the game. 75% casualties every mission plus constantly dumping the unfit recruits (I made Xcomutil put XXX in the name of anyone who matches a set of undesirable characteristics) really drove up the unit count. I have 6 captains and 3 colonels now, for example. Do you get anything from being a Squaddie anyway? Promotions only affect leadership, right?

Well, you don't always know what they're doing with 100% reliability. If my base is in America and they're doing harvesting missions in China, I won't really know about it. I was more talking about where the game keeps the data, and ideally using a trainer of some sort to display the data onscreen. "Harvest mission takes off, +30" plus ka-ching sound effect. Or at least poring over the game's files to see how and when they scored.

How can you find the alien point score? I wish there was a mod for the game that would show you when the aliens score points. It's not that important, but it's just a part of the game that the player will never be aware of unless he really studies.

So I finally research, construct, arm, and equip my first Avenger, and place it on active status. Hurrah! I sell off the worthless Skyranger with the enthusiasm of a family getting rid of the old grubby station wagon. A big bad alien battleship shows up, and I shoot it down, suffering only minor damage in the process. Hurrah again! That'll show those bastards to perform infiltration missions. Avenger returns to base, cannons smoking, and begins repairs. Another battleship appears and I can't intercept it, out of range of the other bases' Firestorms. I sit and watch as it flies around for a while before landing on Paris. This is a golden opportunity, just across the border from my base in Germany, and I can do nothing. 200 Elerium (that I can really use) just sitting there for the taking, and I can't move a muscle. In addition, this ship is scouting out the area while it sits there. It leaves and my repair is still at 11%. Just a few minutes later, another battleship appears on a collision course with my base. Sure enough, it attacks and now it's base defense time. Grr! Have to be much more careful in the future, repairs take a long, long time. If I didn't just dump the ol' lemon Skyranger, I would have been fine...

Ah, ok. I had always assumed, from somewhere, that it was good to shoot down UFOs over your sponsors' territory. Maybe that was in an earlier version of the game, or one of my friends told me. This kind of becomes a problem sometimes, as I suspect that I like playing the Geoscape game better than the Tactical game. If I don't go and collect UFOs constantly, I'll run out of cash or E115. It's just such a fuss to pile everyone out of the Skyranger again. And if you put off missions, they get easier because you have the extra time to research better tech. I was having a 75% loss rate on just about every mission before I remembered which way to research to get body armor.

How does it work when you just shoot down UFOs and leave them to rot? My favorite way to deal with unwanted UFO missions is to just shoot them down over the water. No muss, no fuss. Is there any effect for this (other than it being the inspiration for XCOM2)? Likewise, shooting down UFOs over land...sometimes I don't feel like going to assault yet another small UFO with a blown power unit, and I just leave it until it disappears. Is this bad?