UFO Items

[GigiDuru]

While looking for UFO types and missions, I noticed in the listofphases_content config file a parameter UFO_ITEMS. For different phases the values were the hull, the computer, ..., and finally the biomass nodes.

 

 

One interesting thing is that there is no question of entering an UFO. You certainly get the hull after an outdoors "kill-em-all" mission. And the same applies to all other items, you need to win a mission not necessarily enter an UFO to get the "prize".

 

 

Another interesting thing is that depending on the current phase you can get none, one or more items (one new item appears et each phase). As it is not always easy to tell what phase you are in, this could explain the apparent randomness of UFO items collected after a mission.

 

It has been suggested that sometimes you cannot get new items because they have been destroyed in the crash or during the UFO takeover (some suggest that using grenades within an UFO destroys these items). I think this was an issue in the XCOM series but I doubt it works like this in UFO:AM.

 

The scenario I think of could look like this (after you research UFO access anyway):

 

1. Accumulate bases and territory (phase advances) without doing more UFO missions.

2. First UFO mission, there may be several items to collect.

3. Another UFO mission, immediately after the first, no more items to collect.

4. Take a few more bases and phase increases again.

5. Third UFO mission, one new item to collect!

 

I think this scenario is consistent to what actually happens in the game. The conclusion is that there are good and bad times to do UFO missions (unless one wants to do them all no matter what).

 

 

The third and most interesting thing is that the biomass nodes are treated just like the other items, meaning that you can get them from any crashed or landed UFO given the proper phase! Of course the manual says you should "shoot down a planter before it has deposited the node" but I have doubts on that (in fact, it is an established fact now that actual planting can be done by non-planters while planters can do other things than planting).

 

Again, this could explain the apparent impredictibility of getting or not a node from a downed planter. But again, the "get-node-from-planter-only" rule could be enforced in the game code.

 

 

 

The big question, now, is whether this theory is consistent with the facts...

 

I can "testify" for the first two points: I once shot down a fighter and went to the "UFO crash" mission. I had UFO access researched but I could not enter the fighter (something normal I guess). So it was only a "kill-em-all" mission but after completing it I got the UFO computer and control system !

 

I have no idea, though, about biomass nodes: anyone has ever got one after a non-planter UFO mission ?

[Kret]

I was aware of this and actually already stated that the nodes weren't planter exclusive. Not only that, in another file (I'll check which one when I can) it lists the items and the items they supercede. In other words, if you're in the phase where you can get nodes from craft you'll also automatically get all prior items found in UFO that you're missing in one go.

 

I've tried to keep track of when I got the node, but by the time the repulsor research becomes available, the node was already in my possesion.

 

I personally believe it works as you've described plus the fact that items are included in more advanced items.