TFTD for all eternity

[Sarariman]

I'd like to flog a dead horse and keep playing TFTD long after it is possible to destroy T'Leth.

 

The first time, I got to the stage where the only alien activity was small USOs, virtually a base attack a minute and terror missions. I began to replace all my bases so the aliens couldn't attack for a while. It started crashing, e.g. if a USO was in a region where I'd recently removed a base.

 

So I tried again, but replacing my bases at a much earlier stage. So base attacks stopped ...but then too did the small USOs and terror missions, and with so little activity I got two rubbish monthly ratings, resulting in cancellation of the XCOM project.

 

And so I tried once more, this time using sonic pistols, not cannon, as my main weapon. At first I thought sonic pistols were effete and didn't even research them, until I realised I needed to research them to get sonic oscillators, which are cool. Now I love 'em, because they require so few time units and can be fired one-handed. Now I get the problem of the game returning to the last battlescape scene (see elsewhere). I also have eight USOs hovering permanently at a depth too great for barracudas. This problem was discussed inconclusively in another thread. A twist to the situation is that game movement has slowed almost to a standstill.

 

In these last two attempts, research never got to the advanced vessel stage or I could have shot down the hoverers.

 

So I'm wondering what people do to keep getting those TFTD vibes unto perpetuity. Starting again would be a downer, but I'm contemplating it.

[Zombie]

I played Enemy Unknown for so long that I eventually lost all the countries to alien infiltration except for Russia.

 

If you experience low to none alien activity, one probable cause is that you have filled up your CRAFT.DAT file. This happens when you purchase/manufacture a ton of craft. It doesn't help when you leave alien bases/colonies on the map for a long time either as those occupy room in this file too. If it fills up, UFOs can't spawn anymore and alien activity plummets. Three craft per base is plenty, especially the advanced varieties.

 

When the aliens have one of your bases targeted for retaliation, refrain from dismantling it until you let them get inside your base, otherwise the game will crash as you found out. It's probably the cause of those hovering USOs as well.

 

While it's quite fun to keep a game going for years and years, it also gets annoying and redundant too. I usually give up after a while and just start over.

 

- Zombie

[Sarariman]

I heard it said that the aliens stop attacking bases after 20 attempts, but this is most certainly not true.

 

Manipulating the CRAFT.DAT file sounds like exactly what I was after. I could change the depth of the floaters so I could attack them. If depth is at offset 44-45, that should mean that I change offsets 44, b2, 120 and so forth, right? Problem is, my file is mostly zeroes, more so at the end. It doesn't look like 50 records of 110 bytes.

 

Moments ago, I deleted the defences of the most-frequently attacked base, so we'll see if those eight hovering USOs remove themselves that way.

[Zombie]

I heard it said that the aliens stop attacking bases after 20 attempts, but this is most certainly not true.

Always read stuff with a grain of salt. If there isn't any proof of a claim, I ignore it, or test it (if possible). I'm just not sure how to go about testing this while preventing the aliens from starting another separate retaliation mission against the same base. But I think it's more possible that the aliens will continue to send retaliation battleships to infinity if they can't get a crew inside your base.

 

Manipulating the CRAFT.DAT file sounds like exactly what I was after. I could change the depth of the floaters so I could attack them. If depth is at offset 44-45, that should mean that I change offsets 44, b2, 120 and so forth, right? Problem is, my file is mostly zeroes, more so at the end. It doesn't look like 50 records of 110 bytes.

Aye, just change 44 to 1 or 2 and the UFO should be shallow enough for your craft to reach them. It's indeed 50 records of 110 bytes for two reasons: first, look at the size of the file in your saved game directory, and second, Craft.dat is overwritten a lot by the game so the entries to the bottom will usually stay pretty clean. If you look at this file in MS-Edit, byte 5500 is normally 0, bytes after this have a value of 32 which means the end of data. Getting back to the overwriting, the game only keeps an entry for a craft if it exists somewhere either on the globe, or in "memory" somewhere. If a craft is destroyed, sold or disappears, it's record is flagged to show it's space is available again. When the next craft shows up, it usually is dumped in this spot and the process starts all over again.

 

Moments ago, I deleted the defences of the most-frequently attacked base, so we'll see if those eight hovering USOs remove themselves that way.

Let us know if it helps any.

 

- Zombie

[Sarariman]

I changed the last half of CRAFT.DAT to all zeroes, and the hovering aliens went. So, too, did half my Barracudas, but I used the TFTD Hack program to give me lots of money and purchased replacements.

 

Another great benefit occurred - things had been running so very slowly for ages, makingg the game nigh-on unplayable, but this stopped after I changed CRAFT.DAT.

 

Some weird stuff persists - Barracudas arrive but don't show up afterwards, but this problem will go when the base does. All I have to do is resolve the return-to-older-game bug and my pleasure will be complete.

[Bomb Bloke]

Nevertheless, continuously bulldozing old bases is asking for continuous crashes. Instead, let the aliens attack unhindered, and fight them with your ground forces. The alien force that sent that particular Battleship will prompty lose track of your base and stop sending attack missions for a time.

 

Given that the base aerial defenses are a pain to watch in action and you'll get no let-up so long as they're in place, you're better off building no defenses other then MC Generators. Ever. Keep in mind that you can bypass the troop count limits while fighting in your old base, so stock up on personal and tanks if you think you'll be overwhelmed.

[Zombie]

Another option to consider is to transfer everything out of the base and just let the aliens take it without a fight. I recently had Ethereals come knocking at my bases door and because I didn't have much to fight with, I just transferred or sold everything off the base and let 'em have it. Saved me a lot of headaches. Of course, it's a big loss if the base is important (or your only base), but money grows on trees.

 

- Zombie

[Sarariman]

Setting CRAFT.DAT to zeroes stopped the problems of hovering USOs and movement being awfully slow, although there was some weirdness going on with Barracudas not appearing after purchase. But alien activity stopped again. It might have been nice to make more precise changes to CRAFT.DAT. Offset 44 is the depth of the first vessel, but what about the other 49? It doesn't help that the data is mostly empty.

 

I then started a new game and put that game's CRAFT.DAT file into the directory of my saved game. I was left with two Barracudas and a Triton - however one hoverer remained. A USO appeared, but I got the dreaded return-to-older-game bug when I tried to intercept it.

 

I think I remember building PWT defences because base attacks were happening too often for comfort, but I will try leaving no defences next time I play. The mention of MC Generators was interesting because I didn't think they achieved anything. Do you think they actually work?

 

I will be be letting aliens take bases. Two wasn't enough. How much should I do this?

[Bomb Bloke]

The mention of MC Generators was interesting because I didn't think they achieved anything. Do you think they actually work?

Once the aliens find your base, MC Generators do nothing until they "lose" it again by being beaten in a base defense mission.

 

That is to say, there's no point to using them in conjunction with regular aerial defenses. You either shoot down USOs, or you build a MC Generator.

 

An MC Generator and no other defense modules should minimise the amount of Dreadnoughts flying your way. There's no way to stop aliens attacking altogether, unfortunately - other then pre-emptively blasting any scout ships that come anywhere near your bases.

 

It may be you can thin the attacks out by going on a spree and destroying all the alien bases around the world. You find bases much the same way they find yours: Send a craft out to some random point of the map that looks suspicious, then let it sit there an hour or two on patrol.

[Sarariman]

OK, so MC Generators have me intrigued. I've started TFTD again, and will have bases both with and without MC Generators. We'll shall see which gets attacked most.

 

I will also try shooting down all USOs. Previously, I'd conserve kundalini (life force) by not bothering to intercept the small 'uns. I can't remember whether this preceded the perpetual base attacks, but it's worth a try.

 

I destroy all bases as it is. I had one shot at sending Tritons out on patrol but found nothing.