Dear Beginner level Aliens...

[Sunflash]

I understand that I shot down two of your scout ships.

 

I realize that I showed no mercy in recovering those ships, merclessly slaughtering my way through your ranks.

 

I also know that I managed to outright destory a third scout ship in mid-air.

 

THIS IS WAR. These things happen! You must understand this, you shoot me, I shoot you back.

 

However there are lines that are drawn. Namely, lines drawn when I choose a difficulty level. In this case, I decided to go with Beginner because, well, I got trashed pretty heavily the first time I tried a medium game.

 

All this taken into consideration, I feel I must lodge a HEAVY complaint with your little colaltion. Namely...

 

A BASE DEFENSE IN MID JANUARY?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

 

 

*faints*

 

Edit: ...With Blaster Bombs? ....

[chiasaur11]

Sectoids or floaters?

 

Had that happen to me too. Don't sweat it. A good crew with a rocket tank can take 'em down with minimal casualties even if the base design sucks, assuming the blaster bomb guys get taken out first.

[Bomb Bloke]

Consider it an early chance to catch a Commander.

[chiasaur11]

Consider it an early chance to catch a Commander.

 

And Blaster Bombs.

[Zombie]

And Blaster Bombs.

Not necessarily. Very early base defense missions will usually only have plasma weaponry. Blasters are not phased in till later in the game.

 

- Zombie

[Sunflash]

Not necessarily. Very early base defense missions will usually only have plasma weaponry. Blasters are not phased in till later in the game.

 

- Zombie

 

 

Can I get you to come sit down with these grey punks and explain that to them? D:

 

I guess I'm making it harder on myself by trying to have as little casualties as possible, but unforurnatly my last save for that mission has everyone grouped up in the back with the tank ranging forward. Next turn, without fail, a Bomb comes zipping in at some angle or another. Sometimes it gets all of 'em, sometimes it only gets a few, ONCE it went for the tank and then sent ANOTHER down the hallways. *sigh*

 

Needless to say I've started a different one and kept that save in the background. >.>

[chiasaur11]

Not necessarily. Very early base defense missions will usually only have plasma weaponry. Blasters are not phased in till later in the game.

 

- Zombie

 

Well, you've probably ran the numbers a lot better'n I have, so I'll take your word for it.

 

Still, in my three base defenses for January or Febuary, two out of three scraps have jerks with Blaster Bomb launchers. So, I guess it's just a matter of bad luck, then.

 

Or good, depending on how you look at it.

[Zombie]

Well, you've probably ran the numbers a lot better'n I have, so I'll take your word for it.

 

Still, in my three base defenses for January or Febuary, two out of three scraps have jerks with Blaster Bomb launchers. So, I guess it's just a matter of bad luck, then.

 

Or good, depending on how you look at it.

There are 3 weapon loadouts for each alien rank which spawns on a mission in the executable. The first is usually a low-grade plasma weapon like a pistol, the second is a mid-grade plasma weapon and the third is a Heavy Plasma/Blaster Launcher/Small Launcher weapon depending on rank. I have always just assumed that the first loadout is used initially, the second loadout after a bit of time, and the third a little later (which is used till end-game).

 

If you are getting Blaster Launchers already in January, then perhaps my understanding of the loadouts is partially wrong. My assumption has been that a weaker weapon set is always used at the start of the game. What causes the phaseout of the weak to the mid loadout is not really understood. There still is an unknown field for each loadout in the executable which is situated directly before the three weapon sets which (to me) looks like it may be a percentage of some sort. I thought that this was perhaps a way to phaseout one weapon set for another, but modding different numbers in there didn't seem to make any difference. I also asked Seb76 about this recently to see if he could track down what that byte did, but he couldn't find anything. Blasters in January from a base defense mission on beginner difficulty shouldn't really be happening, but maybe shooting down UFOs flipped the loadout to the max? Don't know.

 

- Zombie

[Sunflash]

I think part of it may be that I apparently don't NEED to be on beginner yet. The second game I started is sitting at mid-march with Heavy Plasmas researched, Small Launcher being researched, Plasma Cannons researched AND equipped on the two Interceptors at home (and one on the Skyranger for kicks), a second base built in the US with a Plasma-beam equipped Int (no radar yet though), and minmal issues other than streatching my budget.

 

 

But that doesn't explain why the FIRST game with a UFO count of 2 shot down and missioned, and only one other out-right exploded got a blaster-bomb equipped base attack; while the second game hasn't. >.>

[chiasaur11]

There are 3 weapon loadouts for each alien rank which spawns on a mission in the executable. The first is usually a low-grade plasma weapon like a pistol, the second is a mid-grade plasma weapon and the third is a Heavy Plasma/Blaster Launcher/Small Launcher weapon depending on rank. I have always just assumed that the first loadout is used initially, the second loadout after a bit of time, and the third a little later (which is used till end-game).

 

If you are getting Blaster Launchers already in January, then perhaps my understanding of the loadouts is partially wrong. My assumption has been that a weaker weapon set is always used at the start of the game. What causes the phaseout of the weak to the mid loadout is not really understood. There still is an unknown field for each loadout in the executable which is situated directly before the three weapon sets which (to me) looks like it may be a percentage of some sort. I thought that this was perhaps a way to phaseout one weapon set for another, but modding different numbers in there didn't seem to make any difference. I also asked Seb76 about this recently to see if he could track down what that byte did, but he couldn't find anything. Blasters in January from a base defense mission on beginner difficulty shouldn't really be happening, but maybe shooting down UFOs flipped the loadout to the max? Don't know.

 

- Zombie

 

Well, one of the games started on superhuman, but glitched back down to beginner. Doing some testing and all that.

 

The other, though? Beginner all the way through, and Sectoids tried to take the base with blaster bombs in February. Reloading the fight, though? Blaster bombs gone.

 

And I'd got the mission just after a textbook terror site, so that might be a factor.