Beagle's XCOM Intensified 0.1

XCOM Intensified 0.1 - Changelog 25/04/2013
A Beagle Production

After beating Ironman Impossible I wanted to address how XCOM loses its intensity and danger later in the game, while also making strategies and items I never used more viable to breathe some more life and variety into my campaigns. I tried a few existing mods, each promising to make the game tougher, each disappointing me when I discovered they nerfed alien aim ("the AI cheats!"), lowered satellite build times ("it was too long!"), or any number of other silly difficulty-reducing things ("grenades can oneshot sectoids now lmao").
I love the early game of XCOM - I wanted to make the whole campaign as tough and as intense as those first couple months. I also wanted to change up the game to provide more alternative strategies and choices - things I never found worth using were buffed (hi SHIVs!), things I found overpowered were nerfed (hi ghost armor!), things that offered more choices were fiddled with (more guns for everybody! not just putting titan armor on every single soldier!), and all those poor defenseless aliens were given some love and affection.

The bottom line is I want the game to feel terrifying from start to finish, not just the start; and if I can make it so there's more than one way to optimally skin a Sectoid by adding some more choices, that's icing on the cake.
I neatened it up a little for public viewing, but this is still just my personal changelog for my personal balance mod, so enjoy it being a rough mess!


Bugs to fix:
LMG not move limited like it should be (that's overpowered, son)
Sectoid plasma pistol still blows up cover too easily

remember:
Armors have different roles
Humans are MUCH more frail
Mid to late enemies are much tougher
Slight buff to shotguns/heavy weapons
Huge buff to SHIVs to make them useful squad support tools
Harder to get promotions


// HUMANS //

Labs and workshops buildable from the start to encourage different strategies
LAB MINIMUM FROM 6 to 5
WORKSHOP MINIMUM FROM 6 to 5

Workshop rebate percent increased to make it more viable
REBATE PERCENT FROM 7 to 15


// UFOS //

Mission response times changed to 12 hours. They demand immediate response.
UFO Timer from 30
Abduction timer from 30
Terror timer from 30
UFO crash timer from 48

Interceptor Aim Assist cost doubled from 10 to 20
Interceptor Tracking Boost halved from 20 to 10
Firestorm cost increased from 200 to 300, Alloys from 40 to 50, Elerium from 20 to 35, time from 14 to 20

- OTS
//

Skyranger capacity is now 6 from the get-go. I like having 6 from the start to make for more interesting tactics; this should be counter-balanced by tougher Sectoids, faster floaters, and weaker humans, but it might need some more balancing if the first couple missions seem much easier because of it. Squad size upgrades have been put on the shelf with high prices as a squad larger than 6 currently causes issues.
SQSIZE 1 from 50 to 9999
SQSIZE 2 from 75 to 9999

"Don't Die on Me" was put on the shelf via a high price. It made Cols very unlikely to die which took away the tension of the endgame.
HP_II from 275 to 9999

"Wet Work"'s cost was reduced to make it a more useful pickup earlier.
Cost from $125 to $75

"Iron Will" was moved to Lt. to make it available earlier, when its actually useful.

"New Guy"'s cost was reduced to make it actually useful.
Cost from $250 to $175

Interesting OTS side note - removing the Squad Size upgrades quite possibly makes Asia an even less useful starting point. Another interesting side note - I'm still picking it as my starting continent, haterrrrs

//////////// SOLDIERS ///////////

Soldier HP reduced from 3 to 1 - HP bonuses come mostly from armor now instead of a soldier naturally having HP.

All classes gain 4 mobility over the course of their career - Works in tandem with the new armors affecting mobility.


Soldier XP Levels: Rookies should now be promoted more reliably, while the rest of the ranks aren't reached so crazily fast anymore.

Squaddie reduced to 60, from 90
CPL remains at 300
Sgt. to 610 from 510
Lt. to 1045 from 745
Cpt. to 1600 from 1100
Mjr. to 2260 from 1560
Col. to 3350 from 2150


- Support / Rifleman, scout, medic
//

SQ HP 1 + removed
1 less HP overall



- Assault / Breacher, flanker
//


- Heavy / Defender, Mech-Destroyer
//


- Sniper / Fire Support
//


CPL HP 1 + moved to Sgt.
LT HP 1 + Moved to Captain
Overall HP + reduced to 2 from 4
Aim progression balanced out from 10, 3, 3, 3, 4, 7, 10 to 10, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7


////////// WEAPONS //////////////

All weapons are now equippable by all classes with the exception of the Sniper Rifle, which is Sniper-Only
All heavy weapons are now capable of suppression in anyone's hands. However, they are also move limited, like the Sniper rifle.
Shotguns and LMGs were buffed slightly to better fill out their role of reliable close range clearing/heavy fire support.
The Rocket Launcher was buffed in damage to make it last longer in usefulness vs. advanced enemies. Crit enabled to see if it does anything/if its interesting.
SCOPE buffed slightly to make it a more tempting choice for all classes.

- Shotgun
//

Damage increased from 4 to 5

- LMG
//

Damage increased from 4 to 5
Added inherent supression ability

- Sniper rifle
//

Damage increased from 4 to 5



- Rocket Launcher
//

Damage increased from 6 to 9
Crit increased from 0 to 25

- Frag Grenade
Crit increased from 0 to 25

- Alien Grenade
Crit increased from 0 to 25


- Scatter Laser
//

Damage increased from 6 to 7


- Heavy Laser
//

Damage increased from 6 to 7

- SCOPE
//

Aim bonus increased from 10 to 15


- Mind Shield
Will bonus from 30 to 40



//////////// ARMOR /////////////

Armor rebalanced to all be different choices each useful for different reasons throughout the entire campaign, instead of constantly throwing out your old armor as soon as you get the new stuff. Kevlar is fast and has lots of item space for support troops, Carapace is general purpose combat, Skeleton is medium armor based around its grappling. Titan is specialized breaching power armor; very tough, but very slow, requiring risky dashing/support to utilize properly. Archangel trades item slots for its flight ability. Ghost is ultralight armor with no benefits except for its invisibility, because thats overpowered enough as it is and makes the armor much more risky/finesse-based to use. Finally, Psi armor's psi power was amped up, while all other benefits were reduced.


- Kevlar / Support, mobile
// Light body armor. Light and mobile, with a wide array of pouches for carrying equipment. The only armor with no mobility restrictions and two item slots.

HP bonus increased from 1 to 2
Item slots increased from 1 to 2

- Carapace / Frontline, general purpose
// Heavy armor designed for frontline combat. Its strong defensive properties are offset by its weight, restricting mobility.

HP bonus increased from 4 to 6
Mobility reduced from 0 to -4


- Skeleton / Infiltration, building climbing
// Medium armor equipped with a grappling hook. The armor restricts movement less than heavier designs, but the weight is still noticeable.

HP bonus remains at 3
Defense reduced from 10 to 0
Mobility reduced from 0 to -2


- Titan / Superheavy, breaching
// Superheavy armor designed to take substantial punishment without letting its user down, with enough weight to smash through walls and obstacles. This extreme weight is also the suit's greatest downside, restricting mobility so much that new recruits can barely even take a step in it.

HP bonus increased from 10 to 20
Mobility reduced from 0 to -8
Can smash through walls and cover

- Archangel / Heavy, flanking
// Heavy armor coupled with a jetpack. To maintain an aerodynamic profile despite its considerable weight, all pouches and external equipment ports were stripped from the design. When the jetpack is not in operation, this weight also restricts the user's ground speed.


HP bonus reduced from 8 to 6
Mobility reduced from 0 to -4
Item slots from 1 to 0


- Ghost / Infiltration, assassination
// Ultra-light stealth suit based around a personal invisibility field. The skin-tight suit gives no protection, but its sneaking properties make it deadly in the hands of a skilled operator.

HP bonus reduced from 6 to 0
Defense reduced from 20 to 0
Mobility reduced from 3 to 0


- Psi / Psychic Support
// A lightly-armored body suit designed solely to assist and enhance a psychic soldier's gifts.

HP bonus reduced from 6 to 2
Defense reduced from 10 to 0
Mobility reduced from 2 to 0
Will bonus increased from 20 to 40



////////////////// SHIVS ///////////////

Rebalanced SHIVs to take them from being substitute soldiers and instead make them a different, more tank-like style of play like the original XCOM. They are now intended to be slow, well-armored, and with good firepower - making them ideal for breaking through a well-entrenched alien position, providing mobile cover to help squadmates move up safely, or laying down heavy fire on anything that comes in range.

I was initially interested in having each of the 3 SHIVs - Mk. I, Alloy, and Hover - be its own role useful for different applications, like the armors, but I think Alloy is an upgrade and therefore you can't build both Mk. I and Alloy at the same time, making the idea clumsy to implement. Ideally, I'd have liked to have Mk. I as a fast but light scout tank, Alloy as a heavy breacher and Hover as a fast but fragile weapons platform.



- SHIV Mk. I / Heavy Weapons Platform
// While slow and pondering, the SHIV's heavy weaponry and strong armor make it a soldier's best friend. The SHIV can use its armor to bust enemy hardpoints, or simply contribute overwhelming firepower to a fight.

HP increased from 10 to 14
Defense reduced from 20 to 0
Mobility reduced from 14 to 8
Cost increased from $50 to $100, Engineers from 5 to 10


- SHIV Alloy / Mechanized Breacher, IFV
// A complete refit of the SHIV, designed to be even more effective at breaking through strongpoints and assisting squad members. The Alloy SHIV can be used as a mobile cover point, allowing teammates to make slow but safe advances in areas that are otherwise open.

HP increased from 14 to 24
Defense reduced from 30 to 0
Mobility reduced from 15 to 8
Cost increased from $75 to $150, Alloys from 20 to 30, Engineers from 10 to 15


- SHIV Hover / Mobile Fire Support
// The Hover SHIV trades armor for mobility, using high speed and jumpjets to ensure its powerful cannon can be brought to bear on the most pressing threats.

HP increased from 10 to 18
Defense reduced from 20 to 0
Mobility reduced from 17 to 10
Cost increased from 100 to 200, Alloys from 30 to 50, Elerium from 20 to 30, Engineers from 20 to 25

- SHIV Minigun

Environmental damage increased from 80 to 125
Damage increased from 6 to 9

- SHIV Laser

Environmental damage increased from 125 to 160
Damage increased from 8 to 11

- SHIV Plasma

Environmental damage increased from 125 to 200
Damage increased from 10 to 13









//////////////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////// ALIENS ///////////////////////////////

Aliens have seen buffs across the board. My goal is to make the entire game as punishing
and intense as the first couple months.
Sectoids have been given a slight defense buff to reflect their small, agile stature, making the early game a little more challenging to compensate for starting with six squad members.
Floaters have been given more mobility to truly live out their speedy harrasser nature. Outsiders have been given more health and made faster to make them harder to blitz on a UFO breach.
Chrysallids were made faster and slightly tougher to make them a little more fearsome and dangerous than they currently were.
Mutons were slightly buffed in HP to make them harder to blitz; Beserkers were given a big buff so they might do more than just run up and growl a lot before being annihilated.
Cyberdiscs were made a little tougher as I found them too easy to take out with a rocket and some support fire, so they might last a little longer now. Drones are faster, to be more annoying and nippy.
Sectoid Commanders are tougher and have more will, Heavy Floaters were buffed for the same reasons as their normal cousins, Elites traded some dodge chance for HP to make them less annoying to fight in close quarters and make them tougher vs explosives.
Every time I've ever fought a Sectopod I've hit it with a couple rockets and finished it off in one turn. With the new buffs, that shouldn't be a problem any more. Sectopods now have twice the health at a big 60 HP, and were made slightly slower to be big, hulking tanks. They should take some clever ideas to fight now.
Finally, Ethereals were buffed in dodge chance to make it less enticing to simply run up and stick a shotgun in their mouth without thinking about it.

- Sectoid
//

Plasma Pistol enviroDMG reduced from 125 to 80
Defense increased from 0 to 10

- Thinman
//

LPR eDMG reduced from 125 to 100

- Floater
//

Mobility increased from 12 to 15
LPR eDMG reduced from 125 to 100

- Outsider
//

HP increased from 5 to 7
Mobility increased from 17 to 19

- Chryssalid
//

HP increased from 8 to 9
Mobility increased from 20 to 24



- Zombie
//


- Muton
//

HP increased from 10 to 12

- Muton Beserker
//

HP increased from 20 to 30
Mobility increased from 17 to 20
Damage increased from 9 to 12

- Cyberdisc
//

HP increased from 20 to 26

- Drone
//

Mobility increased from 12 to 18

- Sectoid Commander
//

Will increased from 90 to 120
HP increased from 14 to 16

- Heavy Floater
//

HP increased from 16 to 20
Mobility increased from 12 to 15

- Muton Elite
//

HP increased from 18 to 24
Defense reduced from 20 to 10

- Sectopod
//


HP increased from 30 to 60
Defense reduced from 30 to 0
Mobility decreased from 12 to 10

- Ethereal
//

Defense increased from 40 to 50


- Uber Ethereal
//

HP increased from 30 to 40
Defense increased from 50 to 60