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[laiocfar]

Also, we may add that hoverbikes dodge most of enemy fire, they are the first defense line. Even when selfdesigned aircraft is avaible, no other unit will dodge so much enemy fire.

[Deathsangel]

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

This is deducted immediately.

I would have expected that, but it is not deducted. As said my cash remains the same. Example:

I have $140.000, due to salary it says I will drop to $110.000. I hit the OK button -> I still have $140.000

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

Income enters your account at the end of each week.

Ah, that may be it than due to slow speed.

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

Newb error, one which I also made the first time. Raid building = attack the organization. Invesitgate = search for aliens.

Sorry, but not a newb error. Why? I do search for aliens, but it says no aliens were found and that the organisation did not the intrusion. It is not like the raid where you go in the building and got to handle the security guards. The alien infiltration was 19% and I had little to do so I wanted to kick their ass, but as I did not find them the organisation was not happy. Probably 19% isn't that much, but the building is next to portals and is already targeted like three times by those unmanned ufo's.

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

IIRC, you could do it by attacking the organization's enemies.

Yeah, so there is no friendly way like I asked. . I wonder what the enemy is of mutant allience though. I had only though an allien attack at diablo and they started to like me.

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

That is worth a topic by itself. First, before running the game you need to shut down every program you've got running in the background. EVERY ONE, that includes virus scanners, instant messengers and whatnot.
I go as far as to shutting down Windows Explorer, for that extra percent of boost.

Second, it takes some messing with the DOSBox config to get the max efficiency. I'll name the settings, but they're a little scattered inside DOSBox.conf, so you'll have to find them yourself

For the graphics, we have to make the game run in fullscreen, at its native resolution and without any scalers or aspect correction (neither is neccesary here). Also, Frameskip must be set to at least 1. (2 is faster but the graphics may become a little choppy):
fullscreen=true
fullresolution=640x480
output=ddraw
aspect=false
scaler=none
frameskip=1

Second, disable all unneccesary sound emulation components. It's a small gain, but one nonetheless
mpu401=none
gus=false
tandy=off
disney=false

Third, you need to set
core=dynamic
cycles=20000
cycleup=1000
cycledown=1000
Play around with increasing the cycles value during the game to see what's the max your machine can handle, then change cycles=20000 to that value (in my case, about 35000 does the trick). The max setting auto-detects the maximum speed, but is far from perfect - manually adjusting the value got X-Com 3, Quake and Duke Nukem 3D running much faster than on the automatically detected maximum for my machine.

Okay, first of all thanks for so much info.
I have seen many topics on this but tips tend to vary, which also leads to the second part of the reply to this.
If I do all these changes... what happens to my other simulated games? I have other games I run with DosBox, most noteably MoM and that is 200x320 resolution if I remember correctly. Won't that go screwy with these setting.
Also putting off sound emulation, won't that disable some sounds to be played in this or other games? If so I rather not touch it.
I might be annoying over this, but I rather have a dosbox working for all games that just focused on one.

P.s. I am using my slow laptop as my PC is a bit down and out for the count...

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

Hoverbikes. Use them. Love them.
They're cheap and expendable, so you can use them to swarm the enemy.
Also, don't forget to arm yourself with some better weaponry whenever possible.

Okay, that sounds like a plan than. The game seems lovely but in comparison to X-COM: Enemy Unknown this has so many options it boggles me...

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

This is more or less correct. Megapol may assist you on Novice (and probably higher difficulties too, except less frequently).

check

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

Don't forget that by raiding a corp you'll earn yourself it's hostility.
But - and here's a trick to massive cash, as long as you use real-time combat for this - if you're allied with a corp and your attack is ONLY done using Stun Grapples as weapons, you're going to get plenty of loot without any drop in your relationship with the corp. The three most frequently suggested are Marsec, Megapol and Government. Also, do the same to gangs - Psyclone implants can be sold for major cash.

Ah, I won't do this. Why? I hate real-time combat... I love it in Lords of the Realm 2, but in here? My soldiers with their poor accuracy start to shoot immediatly when they see the enemy through glass (like the poor AI) destroying the building, making tactics poor and stuff. Even if real-time combat ran more smoothly - It is a bit of cheating doing that and I am not into cheating, trainers and the like.
I rather just go the normal way.
On the not of Psyclone implants... can you use them on your soldiers actually? Reading the description I had hoped to get my soldiers with little bravery a bit boost in it due to different stimuli, but I can't seem to get it done (after all bravery is so hard to get up in X-Com (whichever version)).

[The Fifth Horseman]

Sorry, but not a newb error. Why? I do search for aliens, but it says no aliens were found and that the organisation did not the intrusion. It is not like the raid where you go in the building and got to handle the security guards. The alien infiltration was 19% and I had little to do so I wanted to kick their ass, but as I did not find them the organisation was not happy. Probably 19% isn't that much, but the building is next to portals and is already targeted like three times by those unmanned ufo's.

I drop in to check at the slightest sign of contamination. Can't be too cautious.
The aliens drop in on specific buildings and then spread from there, so in order to find them you need to crossreference the UFO trajectories from most recent intrusion with buildings owned by that company. Works 99% of the time.

Okay, first of all thanks for so much info.
I have seen many topics on this but tips tend to vary, which also leads to the second part of the reply to this.
If I do all these changes... what happens to my other simulated games? I have other games I run with DosBox, most noteably MoM and that is 200x320 resolution if I remember correctly. Won't that go screwy with these setting.
Also putting off sound emulation, won't that disable some sounds to be played in this or other games? If so I rather not touch it.
I might be annoying over this, but I rather have a dosbox working for all games that just focused on one.

This might sound a little complex, but there is a way of having several different DOSBox configurations, associated with specific shortcuts.
Go to Start menu/Programs/DOSBox. Right-click on the DOSBox shortcut and choose copy. Right-click on your desktop and choose Paste.
Now right-click the new shortcut and rename it to X-Com 3, then right-click it again and choose Properties.
Under Target, you'll have something like this (might differ slightly depending on where you installed DOSBox and what version it is):
"C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\dosbox.exe" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\dosbox.conf"
The second part dictates which config file the shortcut uses. So change it to C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\xcom3.conf , then go to DOSBox directory and create a copy of dosbox.conf, renaming it to xcom3.conf . Changes made to that config will not affect your main one, while you'll be able to run DOSBox under the altered configuration instantly by clicking the modified shortcut on your desktop.

On the not of Psyclone implants... can you use them on your soldiers actually? Reading the description I had hoped to get my soldiers with little bravery a bit boost in it due to different stimuli, but I can't seem to get it done (after all bravery is so hard to get up in X-Com (whichever version)).

Nope, Psyclones can only be sold for cash.

My soldiers with their poor accuracy start to shoot immediatly when they see the enemy through glass (like the poor AI) destroying the building, making tactics poor and stuff.

Give them sniper rifles, set them to kneeling position and fire mode to aimed. They won't shoot too often, but they'll hit most of the time and their accuracy will rise through the roof.

It is a bit of cheating doing that and I am not into cheating, trainers and the like.
I rather just go the normal way.

You may be interested in knowing that the game automatically reacts to such a massive increase in your score and sends out more and better equipped aliens against you.

[Deathsangel]

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

This might sound a little complex, but there is a way of having several different DOSBox configurations, associated with specific shortcuts.
Go to Start menu/Programs/DOSBox. Right-click on the DOSBox shortcut and choose copy. Right-click on your desktop and choose Paste.
Now right-click the new shortcut and rename it to X-Com 3, then right-click it again and choose Properties.
Under Target, you'll have something like this (might differ slightly depending on where you installed DOSBox and what version it is):
"C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\dosbox.exe" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\dosbox.conf"
The second part dictates which config file the shortcut uses. So change it to C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\xcom3.conf , then go to DOSBox directory and create a copy of dosbox.conf, renaming it to xcom3.conf . Changes made to that config will not affect your main one, while you'll be able to run DOSBox under the altered configuration instantly by clicking the modified shortcut on your desktop.

Haha, not complex at all. It is simply a multi-install.
So the answer was; no - but I suggest cloning using this technique. Okay, I can do that. I have done so before. Thanks a bunch.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Also, you can declare multiple config files, like this:
"C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\dosbox.exe" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\dosbox.conf" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\apocalypse.conf"
The first config file needs to be full, but the subsequent can be incremental - ie only have those settings they're meant to change and nothing else. Autoexecs of both configs are executed in the order in which the configs were declared, so you can have the first config mount your games directory and the second run a specific game.
This is how I've been doing this - now I have over a hundred games set up this way, and just keep adding more.

[Deathsangel]

Originally Posted by The Fifth Horseman

Also, you can declare multiple config files, like this:
"C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\dosbox.exe" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\dosbox.conf" -conf "C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.70\apocalypse.conf"
The first config file needs to be full, but the subsequent can be incremental - ie only have those settings they're meant to change and nothing else. Autoexecs of both configs are executed in the order in which the configs were declared, so you can have the first config mount your games directory and the second run a specific game.
This is how I've been doing this - now I have over a hundred games set up this way, and just keep adding more.

Who, I don't have that many games. Though it has to be said I have downloaded about... 50 (?) and through many many away again. Some after finishing, some not my style, some to aggrevating... Also my dad threw out a lot of old MS-DOS games once - and we had quite a few...
Which remains me once again, I need to look up the floppy's and use them before I get a computer without floppydrive even... Sometimes I get distracted into to many things :mad:

Anyway bit more back on topic. I did it using the first suggestion, added it all and played with the cycles.
Now don't get scared, but I have to run it at 10000 cycles (less than 1/3 of you). This means the game is still slow, but only in this setting the intro movie for example goes fine enough. However, in game I also hit twice f11 (in total, after fiddling around) and it got to its best - so I set it to 8000 cycles now. However, I don't if this is true, as in game f11 and f12 also have functions... do these keys when the game is running also change the cycles?
If not than I have 10000 cycles, otherwise 8000 cycles.

Apart from this I do wonder if I should go down even more. This as the intro still doesn't pray properly (which at first it did) and it did became better in sound at least when I went down in cycles; and sometimes I get video artefacts => Like half of my medi-kit dissappears when moving it around in combat, for two seconds a black beam across the screen when loading.
However, combat goes smoother, quicker and loads faster.

A bit of playing got me another few questions.
Is it possible to heal another character with the medikit, instead of only yourself. I have, as I do within X-COM: UFO Defense, specialised troops. Some are appointed medics, but if they can't heal another person... I had the medikit and one soldier was critically wounded and had a blooddrop at her lifebeam -> clearly I need to apply aid. Aside from the incredible 21 TU's this costs... double the old amount, and even more when you consider the less TU's you now have, I simply constantly get a screen of a healthy soldier.. I assumed the one carrying it. I saved the wounded one by killing all hostiles the next round.

Sidenotes:
I) Unlike you I still adore turn-based combat, as it allows for better placement of troops and that is quite needed in this game.

II) Not my snipers but my poorest shots are going up the fastest due to a technique of mine;
Cover fire on distant of better shooters, with aimed shot or snap shots, giving some pre damage. From around the corners stand nex to the other guy and unload for 2 TU per shot your law pistol. This is doable for the Sirius guys and the weak aliens. It seems the game lets you increase accuracy by a formula including number of times shot, and hit percentage of those times of shot (quite like JA).
This tactic does not always work, for instance using it with a Multiworm = death for the soldiers (and probably other tough aliens I haven't seen yet, but multiworm has got an unfair amount of HP -> over 200).

III) Still the money is not taking from me after each day... still have to play till end of the week.

IV) On your advice saying it was good to attack organisations that were being infiltrated I retried the hospital - this time I did find aliens
(three - yay (in sarcastic tone))

V) Can building be build in this game from other organisations... I have raided two temples of the Cult twice, and all of a sudden I find a third. Have I overlooked or is this normal?

VI) Nice for hybrids they inherited PSI, but why did they have to inherit weak strength? :confused: Or is that just coincidence?

VII) To bet hearing is not implemented as in JA. 3 Sirius guys attacked from behind (I have no clue where they came from, as I had looked down all corridors... probably sneaky around a corner).
P.S. They were stupid enough to run out of TU's when they came through the door though... I thought "nice" untill I shot them down and they appeared to have high explosives primed... that hurts.

[dosraider]

Originally Posted by Deathsangel

.....I also hit twice f11 (in total, after fiddling around) and it got to its best - so I set it to 8000 cycles now. However, I don't if this is true, as in game f11 and f12 also have functions... do these keys when the game is running also change the cycles?
If not than I have 10000 cycles, otherwise 8000 cycles......

CTRL+F11 to slow down and CTRL+F12 to speed up.
CTRL+xxx as for all the dosbox comm keys.
And yes they work when the game is running, you can read the CPU cycles in dosbox's menu bar when running windowed.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Originally Posted by Deathsangel

However, in game I also hit twice f11 (in total, after fiddling around) and it got to its best - so I set it to 8000 cycles now. However, I don't if this is true, as in game f11 and f12 also have functions... do these keys when the game is running also change the cycles?
If not than I have 10000 cycles, otherwise 8000 cycles.

F11 and F12 only alter the cycles in combination with CTRL.

Apart from this I do wonder if I should go down even more. This as the intro now plays okay for the voices, but the sounds still lags a tiny bit (got better and better as I turned the cycles down);

Sound lagging can be fixed by adjusting blocksize and prebuffer settings in the config file. Forgot to mention this part before.
I remember Data recommended the following values:
blocksize=4096
prebuffer=30

Is it possible to heal another character with the medikit, instead of only yourself.

Not as far as I know.

I) Unlike you I still adore turn-based combat, as it allows for better placement of troops and that is quite needed in this game.

It's better for placement, sure. But dual-wield devastator cannon mayhem still works better in realtime. Send eight such troops into a CoS temple and you'll see what I'm talking about - Kneel, Full Auto, Agressive Stance and the sheer volume of fire won't let any cultists survive (and the property damage is simply icing on the cake!)

II) Not my snipers but my poorest shots are going up the fastest due to a technique of mine;
Cover fire on distant of better shooters, with aimed shot or snap shots, giving some pre damage. From around the corners stand nex to the other guy and unload for 2 TU per shot your law pistol. This is doable for the Sirius guys and the weak aliens. It seems the game lets you increase accuracy by a formula including number of times shot, and hit percentage of those times of shot (quite like JA).
This tactic does not always work, for instance using it with a Multiworm = death for the soldiers (and probably other tough aliens I haven't seen yet, but multiworm has got an unfair amount of HP -> over 200).

Not sure. I'll have to try that, tho.

V) Can building be build in this game from other organisations... I have raided two temples of the Cult twice, and all of a sudden I find a third. Have I overlooked or is this normal?

Other organisations never build new facilities, at least as far as I could tell. Note that when you're on the city map (the simple display mode, not the isometric one), selecting an organization's icon on the list highlights their properties.

VI) Nice for hybrids they inherited PSI, but why did they have to inherit weak strength? :confused: Or is that just coincidence?

This is on purpose so that the Hybrids are balanced with humans and androids (who are completely Psi-resistant, so you can use them safely as forward scouts in brainsucker-heavy areas)

VII) To bet hearing is not implemented as in JA. 3 Sirius guys attacked from behind (I have no clue where they came from, as I had looked down all corridors... probably sneaky around a corner).
P.S. They were stupid enough to run out of TU's when they came through the door though... I thought "nice" untill I shot them down and they appeared to have high explosives primed... that hurts.

The explosives didn't have to be primed. When you fire at a square which has any ammo/grenades/explosives in it, there is a chance those materials will explode (possibly setting off a chain reaction). The chance depends on what you hit with, obviously. Fire detonates explosive materials after a while too.

[Deathsangel]

Answering quick as I have to go to two parties in a few minutes.

Okay, will give later the results of the sound setting, but I also have problems now with the movie lagging and stuff, which I did not have in the beginning. Not a big problem in my eyes as it is about the game not the intro movie.

I find that a major flaw of medi-kit by the way. I dropped a few of the regular troops to save weight... now I need to toss them to them. Though picking up from the ground nowadays does not cost a thing or putting something in a backpack and such... kind of weird, it did cost TU (logically) in X-com I and II.

I do like the fact people can take hiding while under cover fire, but the bad thing is they also do it when out of TU, as does the comp. One time it actually nearly killed my soldier, as I was covered and the CoS dude came around the backdoor to find he was being cornered... needless to say I did not get shots, he did a lot. Oh, well live and learn.

I got the manual from way back in the topic by the way, but can't seem to find a certain thing I want. In the UFOpedia they mention about GRAV ball players getting out of the league when having more than 50% non-human parts... can I give my soldiers some as to perfect them, as well as the androids seeing you can't train them (logically, but annoying)?

As well, as to what medals are there and when you get them. I got this deadskull medal now on a few soldiers, with more than 10 kills, however an android of mine with 12 kills has got none... I would like to see the requirements for getting one.

[raven_milicon]

Why cant I save in apocalypse?