Talk:Game File Exploits - Revision history

NKF: Money Rollover. Cue Pink Floyd...

2009-03-26T04:32:45Z

Money Rollover. Cue Pink Floyd...

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:32, 26 March 2009
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			== Money Rollover ==

	How much money do you have to have in order to create the negative money bug? Also, shouldn't we put that on the known bugs page? [[User:Jasonred\|Jasonred]] 18:20, 25 March 2009 (EDT)		How much money do you have to have in order to create the negative money bug? Also, shouldn't we put that on the known bugs page? [[User:Jasonred\|Jasonred]] 18:20, 25 March 2009 (EDT)

			: A quick look at [[LIGLOB.DAT]] says it's a signed long integer. So, rollover happens around $-2,147,483,647 and $2,147,483,647. -[[User:NKF\|NKF]] 00:32, 26 March 2009 (EDT)

Jasonred: Cash rollover bug question

2009-03-25T22:20:04Z

Cash rollover bug question

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:20, 25 March 2009
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	OK I'm pretty much done here. The only other thing I'm considering is list the Exploits/LiteMods first, and then explaining the Bug Fixes as alternate uses of the Mods. Currently it's the other way round. But it might make more sense on an Exploits page. Or maybe just move the Fixes altogether over to the Bugs page, and link back here. [[User:Spike\|Spike]] 14:01, 19 November 2008 (CST)		OK I'm pretty much done here. The only other thing I'm considering is list the Exploits/LiteMods first, and then explaining the Bug Fixes as alternate uses of the Mods. Currently it's the other way round. But it might make more sense on an Exploits page. Or maybe just move the Fixes altogether over to the Bugs page, and link back here. [[User:Spike\|Spike]] 14:01, 19 November 2008 (CST)

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			How much money do you have to have in order to create the negative money bug? Also, shouldn't we put that on the known bugs page? [[User:Jasonred\|Jasonred]] 18:20, 25 March 2009 (EDT)

Spike: /* Repairing damaged UFOs */ reverted some comments that were moved to UFO Crash Recovery

2008-11-20T23:55:03Z

Repairing damaged UFOs: reverted some comments that were moved to UFO Crash Recovery

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:55, 20 November 2008
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	Actually, UFO damage is random. You see, the damage done to a UFO in the battlescape is caused by the game detonating the power units with varying detonation strengths every time the map is generated. Sometimes it's only strong enough to destroy the power unit, and if there are many power units, some of the might not even be detonated at all. So there's no wait, just save the game in the Geoscape, and enter the mission. If the damage is not to your liking, reload and try and try again until you get a favourable outcome. - [[User:NKF\|NKF]]		Actually, UFO damage is random. You see, the damage done to a UFO in the battlescape is caused by the game detonating the power units with varying detonation strengths every time the map is generated. Sometimes it's only strong enough to destroy the power unit, and if there are many power units, some of the might not even be detonated at all. So there's no wait, just save the game in the Geoscape, and enter the mission. If the damage is not to your liking, reload and try and try again until you get a favourable outcome. - [[User:NKF\|NKF]]
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			While I have not collected large amounts of data to show any pattern in the extent of the damage vs time, I haven't really seen any difference in damage between the moment the crash site was created or at a point just before the crash site vanishes. It's roughly the same and varies from game to game. If the UFO is repaired over time, this information will have to be stored somewhere. Craft.dat or loc.dat are probably the most likely files to watch. - [[User:NKF\|NKF]]

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	Keybouncer and NKF, you've both tested this likelihood versus time? Seems easy enough to do.		Keybouncer and NKF, you've both tested this likelihood versus time? Seems easy enough to do.
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	[[User:MikeTheRed\|MikeTheRed]]		[[User:MikeTheRed\|MikeTheRed]]

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			Hehe, it might be fun to play with those booleans. Or not. ;)

			I wouldn't think info has to be stored anywhere; after all, the crash site is not created unless/until you fight it. (If I remember right.) If it does "repair", it could simply be based on the time since the crash... and I guess this would basically equate to, a lower probability of PS explosion. FWIW, I never had the impression that more time meant less damage, but then I wasn't paying attention to the possibility.
			- [[User:MikeTheRed\|MikeTheRed]] 17:43, 10 January 2007 (PST)

			Zaimoni, I'm sure you're right. If, of course, it's not always the same amount of time. I vaguely recall that my impression is they always lasted about 3 days (72 hours). I don't know the Geoscape files well... perhaps one of you who do, would know where to look for this? Then again it would be cake to take a savegame from just before shooting down a UFO, then see how long the crash persists. It should quickly be clear if it's always the same, to prove or disprove that. If no variation is seen with that one test UFO, a few other types (small to large) should be tested, to see if it differs by type.

			- [[User:MikeTheRed\|MikeTheRed]] 17:33, 11 January 2007 (PST)

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	-- [[User:Zaimoni\|Zaimoni]], 9:25 Jan 11 2007 CST		-- [[User:Zaimoni\|Zaimoni]], 9:25 Jan 11 2007 CST



	== Cleanup or deletion (was) needed ==		== Cleanup or deletion (was) needed ==

Spike: Talk:ExploitsF moved to Talk:Game File Exploits: Self-descriptive and consistent title

2008-11-19T21:41:52Z

Talk:ExploitsF moved to Talk:Game File Exploits: Self-descriptive and consistent title

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:41, 19 November 2008
(No difference)

Spike: /* Elevator Shielding */ moved in its entirety to Talk page of Tactical Exploits

2008-11-19T20:06:10Z

Elevator Shielding: moved in its entirety to Talk page of Tactical Exploits

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:06, 19 November 2008
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	-- [[User:Zaimoni\|Zaimoni]], 9:25 Jan 11 2007 CST		-- [[User:Zaimoni\|Zaimoni]], 9:25 Jan 11 2007 CST

	~~== Elevator Shielding ==~~

	~~Hi Tonic, I think this is the first time we've met. Well met.~~

	~~I've never heard of Elevator Shielding before. I'm not playing XCOM ATM but in my recollection, they readily shoot through elevators. At least, from upper battleship floors to lower ones.~~

	~~Who else has seen this alien base elevator shield?~~

	~~Thanks for contributing, tb! - [[User:MikeTheRed\|MikeTheRed]] 21:29, 21 June 2007 (PDT)~~

	:I've never seen what Tonicboy describes, but I have had troops toasted from one floor of the battleship to another. In fact, any amount of time spent on battleship raids should teach that the aliens are at least programmed to shoot DOWN lifts, because I can't count how many times that precious Commander I was after went into the top floor lift room, tried to fire his Blaster Launcher down the shaft, and turned himself into KFC. Also have lost troops to Heavy Plasma shots. However, the entrance elevator on the alien base is smaller(2x2) than the elevator on an alien battleship(3x3). So I'll present three theories that might explain what Tonicboy is seeing.

	~~:1: Aliens can only shoot down lifts, not up.~~
	~~:2: Aliens need a specific 'width' of elevator in order to shoot up or down through, and the Alien Base elevator is too narrow.~~
	:3: Aliens can't shoot through a space that has a unit on it, regardless of whether there is the capacity for the shot to connect or not. What's keeping the aliens from firing is not the fact that they can't shoot up or down, it's that every space on the elevator is occupied by a soldier. This means that with 9 troopers, or 5 troops and a tank, you could replicate this situation on an alien Battleship.

	~~:I have no idea which theory is correct, but I just thought I'd offer my insight. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft\|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:40, 21 June 2007 (PDT)~~

	~~:: #3 doesn't make sense because they ought to be able to shoot ''at'' a unit.~~
	:: re: #2: I did a little testing on a supply ship, and aliens didn't shoot down a lift at a soldier right below them. I think I saw them take shots when the soldier moved, although that might've been another alien I didn't spot.
	::I've definitely seen "lift immunity" in alien bases. Have all your troops retreat to the access rooms, plug up all the upper lift spaces, and watch the aliens swarm underneath without taking any shots. (Edit out Blaster Launchers first.) This is true for CE -- is it different for the DOS version?
	~~::--[[User:Ethereal Cereal\|Ethereal Cereal]] 11:45, 22 June 2007 (PDT)~~

	I think that blaster bombs ignore elevator shielding. can't be sure if any other weapons can, but I've seen them shoot down both battleship and alien base command center lifts with blaster bombs, and only blaster bombs.--[[User:(name here)\|(name here)]] 19:07, 26 November 2007 (PST)

	:Yes, but it does not have to be a Blaster Bomb; any weapon can shoot up or down a lift, unless it is one of those weird situations where the Alien could shoot at you, but it will not. - [[User:NinthRank\|NinthRank]] 06:19, 27 November 2007 (PST)
	~~:: elevator shielding is the name for those situations. but it does not seem to apply to aliens with blaster launchers. maybe aliens don't shoot straight up or down a lift?~~

	Only for large 2x2 or 3x3 sized lifts (alien base and command room/battleship respectively). For these, they can fire at an angle with no trouble - and so can you. In the Collectors Edition, 1x1 sized lifts give them trouble on account of the bug that sends the blaster bomb to the south of the map when any attempt to set any waypoints above or below each other occurs. You can fire it up and down a 1x1 lift if fired at just the right angle, but the AI isn't smart enough to do that.

	~~I don't think any shielding really occurs for the lifts, myself. At least, not in UFO. It may differ slightly in TFTD, so some observations would probably be needed to round it all off.~~

	Has anyone tried reversing the positions of the alien and the soldier to see through the POV of the alien? It might just be that the alien has a harder time spotting a unit directly below it. Perhaps some heavy use of mind control, or even simply using XComutil's SWP command might be of some help here. - [[User:NKF\|NKF]] 20:41, 27 November 2007 (PST)

Spike: /* Someone's To Do List */ Destroying alien type/rank combos - Say what?

2008-11-19T20:05:02Z

Someone's To Do List: Destroying alien type/rank combos - Say what?

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:05, 19 November 2008
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	'''NOTE:'''THIS PAGE are the discussions ripped from the main discussion section from exploits (the main page). It need cleanup and is only here to keep the other page clean without older discussions. Will slowly integrat...		'''NOTE:'''THIS PAGE are the discussions ripped from the main discussion section from exploits (the main page). It need cleanup and is only here to keep the other page clean without older discussions. Will slowly integrat...

	== ~~Someone's To Do List~~ ==		== Destroying alien type/rank combos ==

	* Destroying unique alien type/rank combos by way of transfering to a throw-away base with a containment + lab (nothing else necessary), starting research on the uniques, dismantling base completely. Repeat ad infinitum. Not exactly a very exciting exploit, but a useful one to know.		* Destroying unique alien type/rank combos by way of transfering to a throw-away base with a containment + lab (nothing else necessary), starting research on the uniques, dismantling base completely. Repeat ad infinitum. Not exactly a very exciting exploit, but a useful one to know.

			: Anyone know what this would be trying to achieve? To make a game variant where research on aliens was impossible, to prevent X-Com technological advance? If so I guess this could be moved to [[Making the Game Harder]] - preferably with slightly more explanation added. [[User:Spike\|Spike]] 14:05, 19 November 2008 (CST)

	==Repairing damaged UFOs==		==Repairing damaged UFOs==

Spike: /* Cleanup or deletion needed */ Cleanup mostly complete

2008-11-19T20:01:16Z

Cleanup or deletion needed: Cleanup mostly complete

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:01, 19 November 2008
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	== Cleanup or deletion needed ==		== Cleanup or deletion (was) needed ==

	Some observations		Some observations
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	:If you have a chance, feel free to move the relevant UFO PS stuff to the crash recovery talk page. I know for a fact that a bunch of it will be useless when my tests with Alien Alloys are completed. Even now, I think a lot of the stuff could be removed as it is outdated. Just pick the parts that don't seem to be resolved yet. ;) --[[User:Zombie\|Zombie]] 18:52, 18 November 2008 (CST)		:If you have a chance, feel free to move the relevant UFO PS stuff to the crash recovery talk page. I know for a fact that a bunch of it will be useless when my tests with Alien Alloys are completed. Even now, I think a lot of the stuff could be removed as it is outdated. Just pick the parts that don't seem to be resolved yet. ;) --[[User:Zombie\|Zombie]] 18:52, 18 November 2008 (CST)

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			OK I'm pretty much done here. The only other thing I'm considering is list the Exploits/LiteMods first, and then explaining the Bug Fixes as alternate uses of the Mods. Currently it's the other way round. But it might make more sense on an Exploits page. Or maybe just move the Fixes altogether over to the Bugs page, and link back here. [[User:Spike\|Spike]] 14:01, 19 November 2008 (CST)

Spike: /* Repairing damaged UFOs */ removed 90% of the discussion which was re UFO Explosions and moved it to that page

2008-11-19T19:54:48Z

Repairing damaged UFOs: removed 90% of the discussion which was re UFO Explosions and moved it to that page

Show changes

Zombie: /* Cleanup or deletion needed */ Mention about exploit vs. modding.

2008-11-19T00:52:35Z

Cleanup or deletion needed: Mention about exploit vs. modding.

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:52, 19 November 2008
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	I'll have a bash at cleaning this one up. The other Exploits pages stand up pretty well but this one is a real oddity. [[User:Spike\|Spike]] 17:15, 18 November 2008 (CST)		I'll have a bash at cleaning this one up. The other Exploits pages stand up pretty well but this one is a real oddity. [[User:Spike\|Spike]] 17:15, 18 November 2008 (CST)

			:Copying game files from one save to another can be a fix for corruption, but it certainly isn't an exploit: it's something else entirely. An exploit is a bug or glitch you can abuse in-game. By leaving the game and copying files it's like lite modding really.

			:If you have a chance, feel free to move the relevant UFO PS stuff to the crash recovery talk page. I know for a fact that a bunch of it will be useless when my tests with Alien Alloys are completed. Even now, I think a lot of the stuff could be removed as it is outdated. Just pick the parts that don't seem to be resolved yet. ;) --[[User:Zombie\|Zombie]] 18:52, 18 November 2008 (CST)

Spike: /* Cleanup or deletion needed */ oops

2008-11-18T23:15:26Z

Cleanup or deletion needed: oops

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:15, 18 November 2008
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	True the LIGLOB item contains a bug fix and an exploit, which is what I meant by "the money exploit part". These need to be split out and clarified. Same with the RESEARCH item, there's a vague reference to a possible exploit that could be split out and clarified, especially by incorporating your suggestions. On re-reading the Aliens Own Earth article I think I understand it now, but it's definitely not an Exploit, it's just a way of creating a (pretty cool) alternate scenario. It belongs in scenarios, not in Exploits - Making The Game Harder is probably the best fit.		True the LIGLOB item contains a bug fix and an exploit, which is what I meant by "the money exploit part". These need to be split out and clarified. Same with the RESEARCH item, there's a vague reference to a possible exploit that could be split out and clarified, especially by incorporating your suggestions. On re-reading the Aliens Own Earth article I think I understand it now, but it's definitely not an Exploit, it's just a way of creating a (pretty cool) alternate scenario. It belongs in scenarios, not in Exploits - Making The Game Harder is probably the best fit.

	I'll have a bash at cleaning this one up. The other Exploits pages stand up pretty well but this one is a ~~reall~~ oddity.		I'll have a bash at cleaning this one up. The other Exploits pages stand up pretty well but this one is a real oddity. [[User:Spike\|Spike]] 17:15, 18 November 2008 (CST)