🚀 go-pugleaf

On Wed, 23 Sep 1998 00:56:50 +0100, "Detonate"
<deto...@detonate.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>I've been considering the uses of various editors and utilities out there
>which enhance aspects of both UFO & TFTD recently.  I've come to a stage
>where I'm trying to figure a way of using them in a limited capacity, but
>want to throw the idea around, to gauge the response.
>
>I'm not concerned with maxing out money, bases or such like, my issue is far
>more mundane in it's approach.
>
>Basically, when you start a game, you get to buy additional operatives for
>XCOM.  However, these grunts have random and limited stats, which to be
>honest, does not reflect the quality of the sources they have come from.
>This assumption is based on the fact that personnel are 'supplied' by
>military or intelligence sources, or equivalent.  What I would prefer to do
>is to have someway of adjusting the stats slightly to reflect the
>requirements of XCOM.  Something as simple as having all nauts with a base
>30 stat in Bravery, for example.  It's not that significant, but does
>represent a dilemma, so I would welcome further debate on the subject.
>
>Thanks
>
>Detonate
>
>

Nothing "moral" about it... do whatever gives you the most fun in th
game.  If cheating your butt off is the most fun, then go for it!  If
playing "pure" is the most fun, then go for it.

Here's what I'd reccomand:  Make 2 main combat squads, one that you
hacked and one that is "pure".  Then before every mission, save the
game.  Complete the mission with each squad.  If you get the most
satisfation with the "pure" squad's victory, then that's the way to
go.  If it doesn't metter to you which squad won, then hack the stats
to your heart's content.

This advice goes for all games.

Speaking of which... is there a way to edit the game so that ALL troops you
hire can at least meet your minimum requirements? I know that the game
generates random numbers for your troops stats... but isn't there a value
that makes it search for 30+X instead of just X (X being the random value).

Anyone who has more experience with these editors please respond.
thanks in advance =)

Andy skrev i meddelandet <3608b065...@news.slip.net>...
>>I've been considering the uses of various editors and utilities out there
>>which enhance aspects of both UFO & TFTD recently.  I've come to a stage
>>where I'm trying to figure a way of using them in a limited capacity, but
>>want to throw the idea around, to gauge the response.
>>
>>I'm not concerned with maxing out money, bases or such like, my issue is
far
>>more mundane in it's approach.
>>
>>Basically, when you start a game, you get to buy additional operatives for
>>XCOM.  However, these grunts have random and limited stats, which to be
>>honest, does not reflect the quality of the sources they have come from.
>>This assumption is based on the fact that personnel are 'supplied' by
>>military or intelligence sources, or equivalent.  What I would prefer to
do
>>is to have someway of adjusting the stats slightly to reflect the
>>requirements of XCOM.  Something as simple as having all nauts with a base
>>30 stat in Bravery, for example.  It's not that significant, but does
>>represent a dilemma, so I would welcome further debate on the subject.
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>Detonate
>>
>>
>
>Nothing "moral" about it... do whatever gives you the most fun in th
>game.  If cheating your butt off is the most fun, then go for it!  If
>playing "pure" is the most fun, then go for it.
>
>Here's what I'd reccomand:  Make 2 main combat squads, one that you
>hacked and one that is "pure".  Then before every mission, save the
>game.  Complete the mission with each squad.  If you get the most
>satisfation with the "pure" squad's victory, then that's the way to
>go.  If it doesn't metter to you which squad won, then hack the stats
>to your heart's content.
>
>This advice goes for all games.

Detonate <deto...@detonate.demon.co.uk> wrote in article
<906508638.7569.0...@news.demon.co.uk>...
> Basically, when you start a game, you get to buy additional operatives for
> XCOM.  However, these grunts have random and limited stats, which to be
> honest, does not reflect the quality of the sources they have come from.
> This assumption is based on the fact that personnel are 'supplied' by
> military or intelligence sources, or equivalent.  What I would prefer to do
> is to have someway of adjusting the stats slightly to reflect the
> requirements of XCOM.  Something as simple as having all nauts with a base
> 30 stat in Bravery, for example.  It's not that significant, but does
> represent a dilemma, so I would welcome further debate on the subject.

I used an editor to turn TFTD Aquanauts into something along the lines of
Bioderms from Mission Force: Cyberstorm. The biggest poblem I had was finding
an editor that wasn't just a soldier-stat-pumper that turns every stat to 255.
I ended up using something called X-Com Cheat, which was rather unreliable. I
couldn't use a soldier-pumper because I actually had to *lower* the Aquanauts
stats to get the results I was after. What I was doing was making specialist
task-tailored Aquanauts for the positions I wanted them to occupy in a squad.
For example, a grunt Aquanaut would have excellent accuracy and bravery, and
fair health and action points, but he would have dismal reaction time, throwing
skills, etc. Whereas a sniper would have excellent reaction time and accuracy,
but be dismal in everything else. On the everything else side, a fighter would
have excellent health and action points, good bravery, and no real ability to
shoot or throw grenades. You get the idea. 

I found all of this turned TFTD into a war of position: getting the right
people in the right places at the right time to do the right job. It had the
side effect of enforcing a loss limit also - for example, if I lost all of my
fighters before entering the alien sub, I would have basically no choice but to
go back into the Hammerhead and leave. Sure, I made the game harder, but it
really gave me a lot of replay ability. One of the nice things I noticed, was
that even though I manufactured my soldiers, I didn't lose that feeling you get
from developing them as individual soldiers and as a squad. "Real combat"
experiences tended to take off the manufactured edges and make them unique
again.

You, or some other kind technically-inclined person, might want to scan the
executable and find and raise the minimums for soldier creation. In the
meantime, if you or anyone else wants X-Com Cheat or my soldier formulas, just
let me know.

Morgane

"Morgane" <zia...@home.com> wrote:

>Detonate <deto...@detonate.demon.co.uk> wrote in article
><906508638.7569.0...@news.demon.co.uk>...
>> Basically, when you start a game, you get to buy additional operatives for
>> XCOM.  However, these grunts have random and limited stats, which to be
>> honest, does not reflect the quality of the sources they have come from.
>
>I used an editor to turn TFTD Aquanauts into something along the lines of
>Bioderms from Mission Force: Cyberstorm. The biggest poblem I had was finding
>an editor that wasn't just a soldier-stat-pumper that turns every stat to 255.
>I ended up using something called X-Com Cheat, which was rather unreliable. I
>couldn't use a soldier-pumper because I actually had to *lower* the Aquanauts
>stats to get the results I was after. What I was doing was making specialist

You could use my X-COM Editor Suite (handles both XCOM and TFTD).  It
not only allows you to arbitrarily change your soldiers' statistics, it
also allows you to edit newly-hired grunts (soldiers "in transit").

The ClarkWehyr Enterprises X-COM Editor Suite is available in the
freeware section of my home page; the URL is in the signature below.
-- 
Robert B. Clark
Visit ClarkWehyr Enterprises On-Line at http://www.iquest.net/~rclark/ClarkWehyr.html

[My e-mail address has been ROT-13'ed in order to combat spambots.]

Try the following link :

http://members.iquest.net/~rclark/freeware.html

This should give you an editor which allows you to adjust stats
individually, max them out or randomise them.

Thanks for everyone who's replied to date, it's offered different
perspectives which I am considering.

Detonate

Wonderful!  Another Cyberstorm fan!

Greenish_9

Morgane wrote:
> 
> Detonate <deto...@detonate.demon.co.uk> wrote in article
> <906508638.7569.0...@news.demon.co.uk>...
> > Basically, when you start a game, you get to buy additional operatives for
> > XCOM.  However, these grunts have random and limited stats, which to be
> > honest, does not reflect the quality of the sources they have come from.
> > This assumption is based on the fact that personnel are 'supplied' by
> > military or intelligence sources, or equivalent.  What I would prefer to do
> > is to have someway of adjusting the stats slightly to reflect the
> > requirements of XCOM.  Something as simple as having all nauts with a base
> > 30 stat in Bravery, for example.  It's not that significant, but does
> > represent a dilemma, so I would welcome further debate on the subject.
> 
> I used an editor to turn TFTD Aquanauts into something along the lines of
> Bioderms from Mission Force: Cyberstorm. The biggest poblem I had was finding
> an editor that wasn't just a soldier-stat-pumper that turns every stat to 255.
> I ended up using something called X-Com Cheat, which was rather unreliable. I
> couldn't use a soldier-pumper because I actually had to *lower* the Aquanauts
> stats to get the results I was after. What I was doing was making specialist
> task-tailored Aquanauts for the positions I wanted them to occupy in a squad.
> For example, a grunt Aquanaut would have excellent accuracy and bravery, and
> fair health and action points, but he would have dismal reaction time, throwing
> skills, etc. Whereas a sniper would have excellent reaction time and accuracy,
> but be dismal in everything else. On the everything else side, a fighter would
> have excellent health and action points, good bravery, and no real ability to
> shoot or throw grenades. You get the idea.
> 
> I found all of this turned TFTD into a war of position: getting the right
> people in the right places at the right time to do the right job. It had the
> side effect of enforcing a loss limit also - for example, if I lost all of my
> fighters before entering the alien sub, I would have basically no choice but to
> go back into the Hammerhead and leave. Sure, I made the game harder, but it
> really gave me a lot of replay ability. One of the nice things I noticed, was
> that even though I manufactured my soldiers, I didn't lose that feeling you get
> from developing them as individual soldiers and as a squad. "Real combat"
> experiences tended to take off the manufactured edges and make them unique
> again.
> 
> You, or some other kind technically-inclined person, might want to scan the
> executable and find and raise the minimums for soldier creation. In the
> meantime, if you or anyone else wants X-Com Cheat or my soldier formulas, just
> let me know.
> 
> Morgane