Hobbes Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Hmmm....I've always used the DOS version and I can't recall the last time I've seen a zombie pop up. Then again, if Chryssalids could fly, would zombies fell down from the sky? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman4117 Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 They would probably be a little too heavy to fly considering the extra weight....Unless they could control a flying suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombie Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 If I may confirm this (though late): Zombies do not pop open and release a Chryssalid without outside help. At least this is true for X-COM Collectors Edition. I even waited 100+ turns and nothing happened! I think that the PSX version is the same way - you need to kill the Zombie to release the Chryssalid. ---------- On the Chryssalid subject: The UFOpaedia has this to say about the Chryssalid autopsy: "The exo-skeleton of this creature is extremely tough, but surprisingly vulnerable to explosive ammunition. The brain is well developed, and its cell growth rate very fast. The creature carries twenty eggs which are laid inside other organisms. This creature is a very effective terror weapon." So a Chryssalid can only "impreginate" 20 people before running out of eggs. My usual cynical self said: "This should be easy enough to verify - find a virgin chryssalid, and let him at all the civilians and soldiers on a terror site." First problem: find a Snakeman terror site, second problem: get more than 20 civilians + soldiers. Patience paid off and I got my terror site with 13 civilians and 8 soldiers. The Chryssalid did his job well and converted the 13 civies into 13 Zombies, and with a little help from myself, into 13 more Chryssalids. Next he went at it on my soldiers. Seven were turned into Zombies and subsequently more Chryssalids. To make sure that I was not "tainting the gene pool" with other Chryssalid offspring I killed the remaining Chryssalids except for 1. Now for the 8th soldier: I sent him upstairs to the waiting Chryssalid and uncertain doom. What happened? The guy got turned into a Zombie! Ok, I thought, "But will it turn into a Chryssalid after killing it?" The second Chryssalid downstairs picked up a Heavy Plasma and fired away at point blank range. The 21st Zombie turned into a Chryssalid!!! The game lies! Chryssalids can turn at least 21 humans into Zombies and ultimately Chryssalids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NKF Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 I wouldn't trust everything found the ufopaedia, as it's mainly to tickle the imagination though not necessarily impact gameplay 100% of the time. A single chryssalid can actually impregnate as many units as it wants. Wouldn't matter really. Even if it did have a limited supply, each hit would mean an additional set of attacks. Hmm. Exponential ammunition? But you have to give the ufopaedia some credit. Chryssalid corpses (or unconscious chryssalids) are indeed vulnerable to explosives! Just not when they're conscious. - NKF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombie Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 NKF Posted on Jul 7 2004, 10:33 PM I wouldn't trust everything found the ufopaedia, as it's mainly to tickle the imagination though not necessarily impact gameplay 100% of the time. A single chryssalid can actually impregnate as many units as it wants. Wouldn't matter really. Even if it did have a limited supply, each hit would mean an additional set of attacks. Hmm. Exponential ammunition? I guess the point is: do not trust the game, trust the players who error check it! You would think the UFOpaedia is error-free, but obviously, this is not true. I just guessed after my fiasco that the programmers probably forgot to limit the Chryssalid to 20 impregnations. How did you find this out, is it somewhere in the game files? NKF Posted on Jul 7 2004, 10:33 PM But you have to give the ufopaedia some credit. Chryssalid corpses (or unconscious chryssalids) are indeed vulnerable to explosives! Just not when they're conscious. Yeah, but then again ALL aliens (and civilians, and X-COM soldiers) are also vulnerable to explosive ammunition when they are unconscious. And not only vulnerable, but fatal. The body will vaporize leaving only the equipment behind! It is just how the game plays! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NKF Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Apparently, the durability of a corpse object is completely different from the unit it originates from. Hence why a super tough monster can be killed with a dinky grenade when it's lying down! They're just not bracing themselves for the attack. As for the chryssalids, well, there's no ammo counter stored anywhere in the unit files for a melee attack. At least, no counter with 20 in it. By the way your melee weapons are implemented, there's no such thing as an ammo counter. The ammo counter IS the melee damage strength. I don't think this applies to built-in melee attacks, but it's just a thought. Hmm, I suppose I can tweak my test scenarios a bit and make a ridiculous bunch of clones... - NKF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombie Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 It is not because "They're just not bracing themselves for the attack."It is because they cannot brace themselves for the explosion. I always thought of it as this: the body is closer to the ground, and hence, also the grenade or explosion. It is sort of like the firecracker phenomenon: lay a tiny lit firecracker in your palm and it does no damage - but close your hand around it and BAM! You'll be looking for your 5 bloody stumps in the weeds! A body laying on a grenade (or visa versa) will cause immense damage in either case. Your "ammo counter IS the melee damage strength" theory may be true for Silacoids, Reapers and Zombies, but the Chryssalid is a special case. Not only does it have a melee attack but it can also impregnate at the same time. We all understand that there are no restrictions (like ammo) for HTH attacks - as long as the mission continues you can use HTH. The Chryssalid should have some restriction on impregnation attacks but it does not. You do not need to make a bunch of clones, just make a terror site with like, 50 civilians, one soldier and one Chryssalid. Now test away like I did and see if 50 successful attacks = 50 Zombies = 50 Chryssalids (after killing the Zombies). If the Chryssalid can impregnate 50 times, and the Zombie offspring also produce 50 Chryssalids, then I would wager to bet that the Chryssalid has an unlimited cache of eggs to draw upon for its attacks. Maybe Chryssalids can regenerate an egg as fast as it can use them. It would explain things a little better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snikers Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Well, they do grow very fast... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkinhead Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 If I may confirm this (though late): Zombies do not pop open and release a Chryssalid without outside help.Unfortunately, this doesn't really confirm anything as several people have reported witnessing self-popping Zombies. All it does is make the whole theory all the more confusing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombie Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Pumpkinhead Posted on Jul 8 2004, 08:12 AM Unfortunately, this doesn't really confirm anything as several people have reported witnessing self-popping Zombies. All it does is make the whole theory all the more confusing. I was not saying that ALL versions of X-COM have non-popping Zombies. For my two versions: CE and PSX, this is true. For other versions this may not - hence the conflicts. I was merely trying to reinforce the existing claims that some Zombies do not transform without outside help. Maybe everyone should state what version they are using (if they know) when they post a message. I am not saying every post or anything, just those times when confusion could occurr. It would also help to track down the specific versions that conform or contradict. This may not even be possible because it seems as though there are as many versions as there are players! Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomb Bloke Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 When a unit becomes unconcious/dead, it turns into an item. Items are very easy to destroy. NKF of course know this (and everything else there is to know as well). The UFOpedia notes that Chyss's can make 20 zombies on the basis that it's tricky to give it more units then that. In reality, it'll never stop. As for popping zombies... I've never seen one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkinhead Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 How do I find out what version of UFO I have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NKF Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Well, if you have the version of UFO that came with the collectors edition, then you definitely have v1.4 (or 1.4CE as I like to call it). If, say, you have the dos version and the sectoids and floaters have identical death screams, well, chances are you have 1.4 as well. It's amazing how just one or two different screams can alienate this one upgrade. Floppy versions tend to be much older and some even have missing map files. These I would assume to be around 1.2 or under. Also, if the game demands that you enter copy protection codes, it won't be 1.4. 1.4 removes it. If you are really good at spotting the differences between the sampling rates used by the sound effects, that's also a good way to tell. If the sounds are fuzzy and scratch a lot, chances are you may have an older version. Not sure why but 8-bit sound effects in UFO don't seem to play well on 16-bit or better soundcards. At least from my experience. There's probably also minor differences between Enemy Unknown and UFO Defense. The 1.4 patch is supposed to convert everything to Enemy Unknown. - NKF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombie Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Pumpkinhead Posted on Jul 8 2004, 10:12 PM How do I find out what version of UFO I have? Exactly! Like I said, there may be too many versions to even fathom. However, explaining what platform you are using and the general version may help to track down the different ones. By a platform I mean the machine running X-COM.Could be a IBM PC, AMIGA, Playstation, etc. By the general version I mean what the game disc label says or what the package says.Like UFO, X-COM for DOS, X-COM for Windows, X-COM in the Collectors Edition (which I have). You get the idea. Even the Playstation has two versions: one was released in the PAL format, while the other was released in NTSC for the United States (which I also have). Bomb Bloke Posted on Jul 8 2004, 08:05 PM When a unit becomes unconcious/dead, it turns into an item. Items are very easy to destroy. Try this brain teaser out for size: Throw a weapon (which is an item) into a raging fire and watch what happens. Nothing happens! The weapon is not destroyed, it comes out unscathed! Throw an unconscious alien/soldier in the same fire and it will kill him after a few rounds. Throw a dead body (an item) into that same fire and it will incenerate after a few rounds. I think that maybe unconscious soldiers/aliens are not considered items. They are considered to be "units" - alive, but not well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkinhead Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 I have the original floppy disk version of UFO: Enemy Unknown. I can't test out any of the sounds as I have none! The sounds haven't worked at all since I got my new computer. I guess UFO doesn't like Audigy sound cards It doesn't, however, have the copy protection codes, so maybe I do have v1.4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NKF Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Here's a neat trick. Stun a unit. Pick up the unit and bring it far, far away. Say the other end of the playing field. Then kill it with an explosive. Observe in wonder as the corpse is automagically transported back to where you originally found it! I know exactly why this happens. It's just the game's mishandling of the unit and the corpse item's X, Y, Z locations. - NKF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombie Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 NKF Posted on Jul 8 2004, 11:08 PM Here's a neat trick. Stun a unit. Pick up the unit and bring it far, far away. Say the other end of the playing field. Then kill it with an explosive. Do you have to do this in the time allotted for your turn, or will taking multiple turns to get the body to the other side of the map still do the same thing? NKF Posted on Jul 8 2004, 11:08 PM Observe in wonder as the corpse is automagically transported back to where you originally found it! I know exactly why this happens. It's just the game's mishandling of the unit and the corpse item's X, Y, Z locations. So if you were to say, stun a soldier on level 3 of a Battleship, then haul his sorry ass to the other side of the map on ground level (0) and kill him, his remains would be transported back to the same spot on level 3 of the battleship? Cool! I don't know what possible use this is good for, but it is still cool! "Automagically"? I really like that word! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NKF Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Well, as long as the unit stays knocked out, it should work. I don't see any practical use either, unless you want to amaze your friends. - NKF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomb Bloke Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 The item/units are linked, but I still say they aren't the same thing. But I didn't know corpses had more health then other items. On the other hand, I vagually remember that a heavy plasma is a lot more likely to survive an explosion then then corpse that dropped it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psy Guy Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 It amazes me how there are so many diffrent version of x-com each with its own characteristics. UFO for the Amiga 500 has night and copy protection, UFO for the Amiga 1200 doesn't have night, diffrent sounds (and better), Red Ethereals, and copy protection. X-Com for the PC has diffrent sounds, night, animated fire, intro, animated smoke, night, and orange ethereals. Collectors Edition doesn't have copy protection, and the PS version has the diffrent movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehm 98 Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 maybe they needed different formats for the different platforms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomb Bloke Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 There is a CD and a floppy version of PC X-Com. The floppy version uses copy protection. The CD version has no copy protection at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkinhead Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 My CD version of UFO has copy protection! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psy Guy Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 I understand the copy protection and bug parts but the diffrent ethereal color really doesn't make sence. Just requires more work on there part to do with no real gain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomb Bloke Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Unless they decided that the original etheral just looked too ugly. The CD version I have of UFO is some sort of 'value soft' re-release. Maybe they nuked the copy protection. The game was designed to run off the CD; I just converted it to a HD-only version and made a zip file, for easy use and installation. I do remember the setup program expects you to tell it which drive the game is on. Like so: setup d: However, it also accepted paths: setup c:\games\ufocd But the game seems to work fine even without such simple tricks as these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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