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[E. Albright]

Going with an announcement that they are now only available to people who give credit/whatever (changing the license)

"Whatever" appears to be "don't take donations", start to finish. I get that donations blur the line between commercial and non-commercial use, but this is exactly why relying on unstated norms in a case like this was a recipe for disaster. In light of that, the rest of the community probably needs to move to explicitly stated fair use rules even if they don't move to outright licensees, because as of now there are multiple interpretations of the community norms in play.

[zaimoni]

One thing that I see engendering some ill will is the inconsistency of Hobbes complaining that others think they own assets just because they modified them, while simultaneously claiming authorship and sole control over assets derived from others' work due to their modifications thereof.

Right, he's just lost all credibility.  This feels like psychological projection at work.

Keep in mind that one of Hobbes' openly declared development targets is a Terminator mod (yes, that 1980's movie and/or its sequels).

[AzyWng]

A number of players on the Discord server have said things to the effect of “good riddance”. They said that a number of the maps he worked on had some... unpleasant or outright bugged features, from a tedious-to-search apartment in a city map to other buildings being completely indestructible and having chairs spawn in front of doorways, forcing players to spend valuable time breaking the chairs.

Dioxine said that after this whole mess, regardless of how it plays out, Hobbes’ maps will be completely removed from X-Piratez, presumably replaced by original stuff.

[sluissa]

A number of players on the Discord server have said things to the effect of “good riddance”. They said that a number of the maps he worked on had some... unpleasant or outright bugged features, from a tedious-to-search apartment in a city map to other buildings being completely indestructible and having chairs spawn in front of doorways, forcing players to spend valuable time breaking the chairs.

Dioxine said that after this whole mess, regardless of how it plays out, Hobbes’ maps will be completely removed from X-Piratez, presumably replaced by original stuff.

It's possible there might be original maps replacing the hobbes versions eventually, but map making for x-com is not an easy thing. (One of the reasons just about everyone used a pack like hobbes's

For now, best they can probably do is move some of the missions over to placeholder vanilla tilesets. But some of the missions were crafted specifically for certain hobbes tilesets, so we'll be losing a non-trivial chunk of the game to this, for the time being, at least. Same goes for X-Com Files and likely other modpacks out there.

That's where the frustration comes from. Significant time was spent planning this part into something, and now the part has been ripped out and everything has to be redesigned around that.

[Aoi]

So I managed to snag a copy of The X-Com Files that still has Hobbes' maps, loaded it up on the second easiest difficulty to work out its intricacies first, and... my first real map was quite something.

The first three maps were literally just one civilian that I just thwacked over the head and went home. (Well-- one of them was in one of those godawful apartments that takes like 50 turns to explore with just two units, so it's more like I camped out and went home...)
The fourth and sixth map were freebies; basically had the equivalent of a giant cockroach and a white shambler.
The fifth map had a single zombie that was killed by a civilian with a shotgun.

The seventh map? Oh hey, a UFO landed! I can start doing Men in Black X-Files stuff!

The UFO is a large-class with literally about fifteen sectoids that have some kind of purple shielding armed with laser weapons, no-LoS psi attacks, mind control, and launchers. Oh, and it's a desert map, so there's no cover.
I have two agents equipped with starter gear. (A starter squad of gals could probably do it though.)

[Soadreqm]

I don't think early-game UFOs in X-Com Files are even remotely winnable. It's a fair and balanced encounter for the level of firepower you'd have at the start of regular X-Com, meaning a Skyranger with 14 guys in slightly armored jumpsuits, carrying autocannons and rocket launchers. Getting to that point in X-Files takes a while.

[sluissa]

The "Abort Mission" button is there to be used.

[Hanzoku]

It's possible there might be original maps replacing the hobbes versions eventually, but map making for x-com is not an easy thing. (One of the reasons just about everyone used a pack like hobbes's

For now, best they can probably do is move some of the missions over to placeholder vanilla tilesets. But some of the missions were crafted specifically for certain hobbes tilesets, so we'll be losing a non-trivial chunk of the game to this, for the time being, at least. Same goes for X-Com Files and likely other modpacks out there.

That's where the frustration comes from. Significant time was spent planning this part into something, and now the part has been ripped out and everything has to be redesigned around that.

I've been reading through the linked thread, and as an outside observer, I got to say that Hobbes looks like a complete jackass. Within his rights, but to pull the right to use his assets because he doesn't like that other modders are getting donations for their far more extensive projects (and presumably because he isn't getting money for it?) doesn't make him look good.

Presumably there's a lot I miss that played out over private messages and discord, but the disruption to XFiles/Xpiratez is annoying.

[Robsoie]

After downloading the latest version of OXCE to play the classic xcom with it after so many years since last time, ah the good memory of blaster launchers.

First mission happened very early and was a landed UFO with only sectoids . It was at night, and xpiratez early game with gals having advantage at that point (gals see better than the early enemies) made me forget how much horrible night battle is in xcom as there it's the aliens that you before you can early game

Completed the mission but lost nearly all the squaddies, only 3 guys were left alive.
But at least we got some good loot with plasma rifles

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Then as soon as they came back and i ordered more soldiers in the market .. terror mission !

Wow, 3 soldiers vs lots of sectoids and at least 3 cyberdics !

I was surprised we managed to take out 1 cyberdisc with several grenades and lots of bullets actually landing, but it was only one and the 3 squaddies went down rather quickly (one of us exploded with the cyberdisc as i misjudged from memory the killing radius of the cyberdisc explosion), one of the squaddie even felt victim to psi stuff as he was in panic every turn until he finally died to another cyberdisc assault.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

With xpiratez more balanced early game in term of difficulty i forgot how much old xcom is super brutal when you start
At least i didn't lost 160 xcom operatives like i did in my past campaign

[sambojin]

Meridian (the main guy behind Open Xcom Extended, the .exe that adds all the nice little bells and whistles we've become accustomed too) is doing another Xpiratez run-through.

I'm not going to say that I totally agree with some of his research or base building or tactical choices, but it's interesting to watch for the very different pacing in the early game, and also just how much can work out well if you're willing to try.

I think he's trying to do a non-overpowered run honestly, taking things that n00bs might (so no shotgun spam or even shotguns at all, no stockpiling of heaps of explosives, etc) to show that even without "optimal" choices, the mod is still very playable and winnable. It kind of a addresses the normal forum complaints of "you need this to succeed and you'll suck if you don't" posts that crop up sometimes.

Anyway, it's interesting to see how others play. Also for some little interface things that you may have missed after so many updates (alt-mouseover in inventory to check damage spread with a particular gal with a particular type of weapon is a thing now? Wow! I never knew that). It might take a few months, but he'll probably see it through to the end (the last play through was 100+ episodes). Here it is:

https://youtu.be/OPU4MqZgAH8

[sambojin]

With xpiratez more balanced early game in term of difficulty i forgot how much old xcom is super brutal when you start
At least i didn't lost 160 xcom operatives like i did in my past campaign

Kind of counteracted by the fact that you can load up so many extra soldiers with so many great weapons that it's amazing. The moment you get plasma rifles (or even pistols) researched, the arms race is more or less over. Just heavy plasma and decent armour for the icing to do.

I always find that it's a strange balance for the first 3-4 missions though. Rocket/HE spam everywhere from your paper thin soldiers. Then it just becomes "can I really be bothered stunning nearly as many enemies as I do in XPiratez?". No, no you can't. They gave you uber-death weapons for a reason. It makes it so much quicker. Even those plasma rifles will turn anyone into a super soldier (55% accurate autofire is that good. So's 86% accurate snapfire for instant reaction death walls of "whoops, hit end turn early and still won" gameplay). Clip stacking (you'll probably only ever use 1-2 p.rifle clips per mission) and no-80-item-limit on the Skyranger works heavily in your favour. Build a few stores and bring the kitchen sink...

It's kind of relaxing in the sense that you know what's good in Xcom, you really understand just how good having that much dakka and recruits available is in comparison to Xpiratez, and all the skills you learnt other than "some weapons don't hurt you much" are completely applicable for an original play through. With OXCE's extra movement options, the fact that you probably know how reaction fire works now, and how easy stunning with cattleprods is from behind, there's stuff that used to scare you as a kid/teenager that you just laugh at now. Xpiratez made you that damn good.

Thanks gals. It's been an education

[Aoi]

I feel like I've been playing a totally different OXCE-1 (can't recall what the subtitle is...) after X-P. At the second highest difficulty, about 80% of my deaths are in the field of laziness because I don't want to maintain formation when I'm sweeping the map hunting for that last stubborn guy who won't walk into my firing range.

And the tech trees. Wow, it's a love/hate affair with them. I hate how it's just so bland, but because how there's literally only like 15 techs, it's easy to decide what to do next.

Which mostly just made it a good version to play on a slim interface, since my keyboard on that system was missing/awkwarding a bunch of key inputs.

[Robsoie]

plasma weapon for everyone ?
Man that's weak, blaster launchers for everyone and we're talking.

That's a bit how i destroyed Cydonia a bit more than a year ago :
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=83528.msg7788185#msg7788185



edit :

odd the post linking is failing there , probably screwed up by some forum maintenance/bug that did a bad thing to old posts direct link, anyways the post in question was on the very bottom of page 576 :
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=83528.8625

[MCreeper]

Stumbled on what is apparently a K3 beta (not sure what was added), so decided to try another playtrough. Some pictures:
Typical start of turn 2 on "chupacabra hunt". Do people really play this on iron man? 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Humanist villa mission, terrain around my ship after 10 turns.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

You shall not pass! from bot, complete with kill.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Something new? REALLY huge money\production sink, this one.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Never seen this one before. What counts as joke weapons? Got this one with cat paws, stapler is probably joke weapon too. Don't think charm grenades can kill.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Just some hilarious things.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Also, finished X-prison by May Year Second.  What i need to do to unlock final missions?

[Mathel]

Also, finished X-prison by May Year Second.  What i need to do to unlock final missions?

A lot. For the final mission, you need to interrogate the leaders of the major factions and create a vessel capable of getting you to Mars. And the one that does it properly is really expensive.