Merciless mod for XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Find more Info @:
Xcom.nexusmods.com

Merciless News

20 April

Version 0.9a
+ Point-blank attacks should be 100% accurate, for BOTH sides.
+ Accuracy increased drastically once you reach short range.
+ However you need to get closer then usual to benefit from short range

19 April

Version 0.9 is released.

Current Plans for V1.0 Full Release
+ Late-game balancing (Lacking late game feedback)
+ Release Folders and documentation to allow people to modify the mod further to suit their tastes.

Known Issues

It's a mystery.... for now.

Compatability

Second Wave Options:

Reccomended: Not Created Equal, High Stakes

For Flavour: New Economy, Damage Roulette
Difficult: Results Driven, Red Fog, The Greater Good,
Insanely Hard: Elerium-115, Total Loss, War Weariness, More Than Human

Military Retexture Pack works with this mod, I haven't found how to incorporate it into my installer as it involves some user input, the Reccomended Package order is:
Weapon_Laser_Red.tpf
Weapon_Ballistic_NoFluff.tpf
Helmets.tpf
Weapon.tpf
Armor.tpf

Mod Info

This mod used Warspace Extension v1.72 as a base - Xcom.nexusmods.com

I designed this mod because I believe that there wasn't enough 'Tough Choices' in the original game. Engineers and Satellites anyone?

Every change I've made in this mod is to balance each and every choice that you might have to make. Be it choosing which ability you want for your Heavy, if you want to save a country from Panicking or gain Scientists for a research project. I have endeavoured to make those choices meaningful every step of the way. The choices you make will matter, every choice should come with great consequences, good and bad.

This mod is designed to be played on Normal difficulty (the Main Menu has been renamed), which was previously Classic, so that the AI is unshackled and more of a challenge to the player.

Hard also has unshackled AI with a lot more enemies spawning and significantly rarer resources. Easy has easier access to resource, AI is shackled preventing it from overwhleming players and combat is slightly easier in certain sections.

It is reccomended to play on Ironman mode in this mod, it has been balanced that while you may suffer set-backs and the occasional lost battle, the war is still there to be fought and won.

Due to some of the modifications the Tutorial is bugged and will not work, so please don't enable it or your game will most likely crash.

Installation

New versions of the mod can be installed on-top of each other with no problems.

Follow the instructions listed in the Merciless_ReadMe.txt

Summary of the changes

Tactical Combat

The tactical section of the game has been overhauled, enemies now come in many different varieties, ranging from the Huge, slow, easy-to-hit Sectopod that's tougher then a coffin nail. To the elusive Thinman that is very hard to hit, but really only needs to be hit once. In Normal and Hard difficulties the AI have been unshackled to be much more agressive and to hunt your team down instead of being granted ridicoulous stat bonuses.

Equipment

The weapon types each have their main strengths and weaknesses, so weapon choice is essential for eliminating aliens efficiently. Covential weapons are Average in everything, Lasers are accurate with unlimited ammo, Plasma weapons are highly dangerous but difficult to aim.

Armours are now in Heavy, granting you extra gear slots and more HP at the cost of mobility or Light, fragile but highly mobile.

Many items have been modified to provide more meaningful choices throughout the entire campaign. Most Items now cme with a production time. You will no longer be able to instantly build the gear that you require.

UFO Combat

UFO Combat has ben re-vamped and now is another in-depth gameplay section that you must decide to focus on or ignore. It takes multiple Interceptors to take down UFOs, they are slower now to allow you to catch them multiple times. You start with 4 Interceptors to help you get on your feet. Interceptors gain experience and become more accurate with their weapons the more UFOs they shoot down. Most of the resources for this game comes from shooting down UFOs so progressing through the UFO combat is a good way of staying on top of all production requirements.

Resources

A greater focus is now on collecting Alien Materials, the more advanced the technology you want to create, the more rare the material you will need will be. The Gray Market has been significantly improved with the value of the item in question heavily dependant on the usefulness of it. Damaged items now sell for next to nothing while UFO Power Sources go for $120.

Research

The Tech-tree has been tweaked to allow for a more sublte twist on UFO combat. Items now cost roughly half of the materials required to research them, once you have finished a research you will have a good idea what the item will cost in materials, never feel like you wasted a research because you can't afford to create the item you wanted. Longer story-based research loosens the pressure for the player to finish the story.

Panic System

Panic is now a system that requires great attention, though you are no longer rewarded greatly for it. You must decide when a country is worth preventing from defecting to the alien menace. Satellites are now significantly improved in combating panic, even being in the same continent prevents most countries from defecting. As long as you have the air-force to defend your satellites, they will help stem the flood of panic that is sweeping the planet.

Soldiers

When you receive recruits for the XCOM project, they may be experienced soldiers but their first sight of the alien menace could send them into a panic. Soldiers start out being pathetic and must be guided through their first mission before they start to kick arse and take names. All of the ability trees for the soldiers have been overhauled. Now the Supports have ample tools in their arsenal to help their teammates. Heavies are now slow, but unstoppable machine of war with unlimited supplies of ammo. Snipers now start with Squad-sight with extra training into special shots or extensive Overwatch training. Assaults now balance themselves between bringers-of-death or being indestructible juggernauts.

Miscellaneous

Be immersed in your XCOM game as many of the game-like terms have been replaced with more in-character wording, Important Research Reports and Item descriptions have been modified to explain certain sublte gameplay changes. Light Plasma Rifle has been renamed to Plasma Carbine, just because. And many more....[/font]

Credits

Merciless was created using the Warspace Extension 1.72 by BlackAlpha (Xcom.nexusmods.com) as a base. Though a significant portion of the mod was modified, the essence of the mod and some of the changes have stayed that were definite improvements on the original game.

BlackAlpha (Creator of Warspace Extension): For his invaluable help and mentoring, personaly and with his XCOM UPK Modding Tools. Allowing me to use Warspace Extension 1.72 as a base for creating my own variation of XCOM.

johnnylump (Creator of Long War Mod): Interceptor Experience + Starting with Situation Room

bokauk (Creator of XCOM Toolboks): Starting with 4 Interceptors

graa: Helping design/balance out the perk system.

Amineri: Programming Damage Mitigation for Robots (v0.7)

Thanks to all the testers that helped balance and tweak the finer points of the mod until it shined. They are (in no particular order):
Mezmure, Fredamora

Special thanks to:
Dreadylein (XCOM Nexus) for creating the mod patcher, which helped the modding community to grow.

Daemonjax (XCOM Nexus) for creating XSHAPE, allowing us to modify the UPK files.

JRSoftware.org for creating Inno Setup 5, a pretty cool installer.

Firaxis Games for creating XCOM: Enemy Unknown.[/font]