These marines are scared so easily...

[Helljumper]

Hi

ok so ive started the game and doing the first mission and the problem that i see now is with the game mechanic of Stress..

it keeps going up and up and up for no reason.. and its all gone red with multiple negative traits now on my marines...

so i am wondering why is it so??

stress should no go up or start to lowed down if

1. You weld yourself inside a room (I have not done it yet but i assume this is the main purpose of welding inside a room, to rest and recover from it).
2. When you are near the ARC or using the ARC to travel from one point to another, stress should receive some reduction.
3. If there are no aliens around, the stress should go down. I can understand that if the motion tracker picks up something, uit should add to the stress level due to the unknown factor, But if there is nothing on the motion sensor i believe stress should start coming down or atleast halt at that point.

Right now this is the most annoying thing ive found, stress level keeps going up when nothing is happening and now that something actually has happened, my marines have a negative accuracy and couple of other traits


Oh also Thank God that the ARC dont run out of ammo or have any ammo issues

[lynchie72]

Try and avoid combat with the Aliens. So sneak around. Resting reduces stress as you mentioned. One of the Marines can get a stress condition that causes all marines stress to increase. So you'll need to address this asap via resting or extraction.

Extract back to the Otago when stress levels are too high. And come back with a fresh squad.

Later in the game there's other ways to manage stress buildup.

Making the decision to rest and having to use up at least one tool (to weld doors) is part of core gameplay.

Your suggestions about stress reducing automatically would likely have these consequences:
Players would just jump into the ARC and drive back and forth or loiter in some quiet area of the map until stress went down. And so resting in a welded room would become redundant.

[Nathan]

Originally posted by Helljumper:

it keeps going up and up and up for no reason..

Are you absolutely sure it's for "no reason"?
Because there are a few factors that can raise stress.
To name some, as long as it says you're "detected" or "hunted" in the top right corner of your HUD stress will go up, also investigate the marines and their traumas and negative traits closely, are some specific to making stress damage every second? Those exist.
Then the obvious of actual combat you're engaged in.

Resting not only reduces stress by 100 (by default) but can also reduce the stress step, eliminating the negative. Also you can click on a marine, and use a medkit to pop Naproleve or something like that, pills to reduce stress.

[AlexTheRussian]

"Stress should not go up" for marines who are being hunted by extremely deadly and unknown aliens - really? Shouldn't it though?

I need to change my pants playing this game, I imagine if I was one of the marines, I wouldn't even bother wearing pants at this point. Let it drizzle freely.

[Helljumper]

guys my point is that when there is no threat around (no pings) or when you are not near the ARC or traveling inside it, the stress should start to go down...

[Helljumper]

Originally posted by lynchie72:

Try and avoid combat with the Aliens. So sneak around. Resting reduces stress as you mentioned. One of the Marines can get a stress condition that causes all marines stress to increase. So you'll need to address this asap via resting or extraction.

Extract back to the Otago when stress levels are too high. And come back with a fresh squad.

Later in the game there's other ways to manage stress buildup.

Making the decision to rest and having to use up at least one tool (to weld doors) is part of core gameplay.

Your suggestions about stress reducing automatically would likely have these consequences:
Players would just jump into the ARC and drive back and forth or loiter in some quiet area of the map until stress went down. And so resting in a welded room would become redundant.

if you go back to the otago and then jump in with a new squad, does the deployement/ day ends? or stays?

also resting in a room costs tools.. so its a very strategic decision imo when to use or not... whereas a small reduction while in the ARC can be an alternate?

[AlexTheRussian]

Deployment day ends when you squad comes back, so to deploy the new squad, you need to advance the day.

Stress is another mechanic in the game, just like health or armor. Having an easy way to get rid of stress would cheapen the whole mechanic. It's the same as asking for health regeneration when not in combat, or ability to restore armor.

It's easy to implement but why? The whole idea of stress management (and there are SO SO many ways of getting rid of stress: Resting, popping pills, bravery, sergeant's skill) is just another resource that players need to manage, just like alien alertness meter. Bad players will struggle, good players will prevail.

I feel like lately I am seeing a lot of people complaining that games are too hard, that they don't want to develop skills or be patient wit the game. Just consume as fast as possible and move on. No idea if it's a generational thing or just people don't take pride in accomplishing something anymore.

[Uncle-Bin]

Originally posted by AlexTheRussian:

I need to change my pants playing this game, I imagine if I was one of the marines, I wouldn't even bother wearing pants at this point. Let it drizzle freely.

xD Exactly. By to be honest - I'd be dead within minutes so I guess I can pretty much skip the pants issue.


I really don't get the criticism about the stress mechanics. It's such a central gameplay element that changing or removing it would end up in a completely different game. I like it as it is and if it get's a little fine tuning I'm ok with it. But major changes? Seriously... no please don't.

[Flinz]

Scared easily? Maybe if you put marines on that situation. You can do many nightmare difficulty missions with single go with no stress going above trauma levels without resting/eating pills and still farm bonus exp at end from onslaughts, if you play your cards right. Sergeants ability to prevent stress is that good. Just avoid combat and in those forced fights you get kills which refill your command points faster.

There are few things that trivializes some mechanics. One is ability to prevent stress gains and not have cool down on it. Others are about automatically removing tired and trauma(not even needed with all stress prevention) effects with traits. Even having slower stress gain and not having what I mentioned would be better. Runs without using any medkits would probably be possible.

Okay, I know this is starting to sound like boasting. But I think stress mechanic is really good. I like idea that you can control it with resources. However, instead feeling that you need (s)tools to manage high stress count, you need high stress gain to counter all those stress reduction mechanics. Who needs bravery when you have sergeant yelling to keep it together. Xeno queens are nothing to fear when you have your beloved sergeants yelling at marines. They fear more to disappoint him/her.

[LukanGamer]

Just get a sargent and ability then every time a hunt happening activate it done and done.
Then go watch a alien movie soo you can see how quick the marines panic with Game Over, I mean Man they get game over fast.

[Helljumper]

guys i think you are getting it wrong..

i am not saying that stress needs to be removed.. its necessary for the gameplay mechanics.

the cost of removing it is too much imo

go back to otage? lose a day for deployment
weld yourself in. lose the tools.. and resources are scarce
use a medkit... again an important resource which can be used to heal

[Nathan]

Originally posted by Helljumper:

weld yourself in. lose the tools.. and resources are scarce

https://www.nexusmods.com/aliensdarkdescent/mods/19
That's a good mod, I honestly think it should be integrated into the main game, because yes, I too think that welding shouldn't cost a limited resource, game's hard enough, and that's your only means of manually saving as well in a game where missions last many many hours.
That mod makes a huge difference.

[LukanGamer]

Originally posted by Helljumper:

guys i think you are getting it wrong..

i am not saying that stress needs to be removed.. its necessary for the gameplay mechanics.

go back to otage? lose a day for deployment
weld yourself in. lose the tools.. and resources are scarce
use a medkit... again an important resource which can be used to heal

soooo you semi understand...
ya all that is also entire point of it and they not that scarce you get more then enough for just some pressure
(honestly you often get too many medkits and bullets, tools are a bit limiting but that just so you dont throw turrets+abilities down non stop along with the pressure of I want too save and get everyone refreshed -> op if could mass do it- but I also want too push on until I know I can spare the resource).

And again just always have a sarg and use their ability they will almost never have issues again, its honestly quite broken and easy.
(you see when a hunt is almost going too happen even so just before you trigger it wait a minute somewhere safe if need be then just click the ability the moment it triggers and bam your done as that is number 1 cause of it).


*small tip if you have not some how, farm some alien dna (just keep having aliens goo to your vehicle) there no reason too not have them all active every time you go off even the "useless" ones which will all help enough.
(you really wont even need to farm much, the costs are low to point you get ability to reduce danger level late game just too throw away the excess amounts of it)