Mind control is a game breaker

[Karl Power]

Hi all,

after playing almost up to the final mission and with everything researched, I can say the game is fantastic, and I fully agree with the developers' decision not to make mind control and remote controlled missiles accessible to the player - they really impaired gameplay in the old X-Com titles.

However, in my current game (medium difficulty), I have my Xenonauts squad taking another huge alien vessel with a praetor and probably some psychic leaders present. As in other missions before, every other turn one soldier in my crack squad (30+ missions, courage 50+, ...) is mind-controlled and starts shooting at his buddies. I keep saving and loading, otherwise I would've had to give up long since.

This is incredibly frustrating. Against strong, fast, and accurately shooting aliens, you can use smoke, mutual support, and suppressive fire. This in fact is what makes the game challenging in an interesting way. Against mind control, however, you can't do anything. They'll always know where you are and take over your guys no matter how corageous, experienced etc. they are. I feel continuously cheated by the AI and rush my squaddies through every level in order to prevent a disaster.

This is a game breaker. Mind-controlling aliens are ok - but give me at least some way to defend myself, e.g. a Psy Lab in which my guys are trained to be more resilient against these attacks. As it is now, mind control ruins any attempt to play the levels methodically and tactically, i.e. it ruins exactly that which is most fun about the game.

[Alpha1]

You need all your guys to have high bravery and as it's hard to stat up you need to recruit high bravery guys and girls from the beginning. Afaik it's far easier to level up all the other stats than bravery.

[Gorlom[Swe]]

Originally posted by Alpha1:

You need all your guys to have high bravery and as it's hard to stat up you need to recruit high bravery guys and girls from the beginning. Afaik it's far easier to level up all the other stats than bravery.

Bravery levels up through medals and failing bravery/moral event checks (such as psionic attacks)

[Alpha1]

Originally posted by GorlomSwe:

Originally posted by Alpha1:

You need all your guys to have high bravery and as it's hard to stat up you need to recruit high bravery guys and girls from the beginning. Afaik it's far easier to level up all the other stats than bravery.

Bravery levels up through medals and failing bravery/moral event checks (such as psionic attacks)

I know that - but it's still harder to level up than any other stat.

[Mr.Kill]

Do mind controlled soldiers throw grenades?

[Gman]

Its a little save-abusive, but if you really dont want to fail the mission/lose those troops you can take the precaution of disarming the one that keeps getting mind-controlled. No weapons in their hands means no damage done.

[Battleseed]

Mind attacks were the one thing I hated the most in the original and so far in Xeno as well. It's the way it is implemented. It requires no line of sight and has unlimmited range. No way to defend against it (eg: researched equipment/armor), and the only way to level up bravery besides medals is being attacked by it. IMO a ♥♥♥♥ mechanic.

[Mr.Kill]

Originally posted by DMK Gman:

Its a little save-abusive, but if you really dont want to fail the mission/lose those troops you can take the precaution of disarming the one that keeps getting mind-controlled. No weapons in their hands means no damage done.

Does this involve dropping grenades too?

[ccwylde70]

Originally posted by Mr.Kill:

Do mind controlled soldiers throw grenades?

Not sure on that, but I had one get mind controlled carrying C4 he was about to plant - he just stood there the next turn - the rest of us gave him hell when he came back to his senses the next turn ;)p

[𝕮𝖔𝖗𝖛𝖚𝖘]

I always have at least one "Pacificator" unit equiped with stun baton/stun nades to "calm down" the one who panics or gets mind blowed ;p
The last time he did his job right, the other guy ended in medical bay for a week.
I see a lot of bravery acts since then. ^^
You don't want to know what my "Negotiator" is doing to aliens ;p

[ccwylde70]

@Corvus : lol - good post

[Hanulf the Berserker]

There needs to be some kind of resistance to it - I tend to play my games without reloading but this kills it for me.

[Karl Power]

Does courage have anything to do with it? I've just (2nd turn, shot-down UFO) had my courage 65 colonel being controlled at the first enemy attempt, and, despite having used up all his TUs, he turns around, kills my best heavy weapons guy and wounds my assaulter.

This is ridiculous.

[Karl Power]

And again. In that case, no "Pacificator" can help. Uninstalled.

[Mr.Kill]

Well if your colonel's morale is only 65 ... that's TERRIBLE. That means his bravery stat is only 45 or so since a colonel adds 20 morale to all units on team. Killing an alien gives roughly 20 morale to all units on team and mind control rolls 1-100 and the defense roll is 1-morale. My only problem with mind control is that the soldier shouldn't be allowed to instantly start shooting troops, there should be a delay.

@Karl
If you hate mind control that much just set the AP value in psionic powers to over 100. Or you can set the range modifier to a lower number giving you more defense, the farther away you are from the preator.

[ccwylde70]

I've begun to find I just can't allow myself to get too attached to any given soldier - granted, I have a few survivors who have made it all the way (or, at least I think it's all the way, one's coming up on 100 aliens killed ...) but just recently, I lost one of my 2 heavys, in predator armor, b/c a sergeant flipped out (not mind control, the other white meat - hallucinatory berserking) and shot her twice over with a precision plasma.

In the course of this game (on normal) I'd estimate I've easily gone through anywhere from 60 to 80 soldiers. One'll die here, 2'll die here - I don't tend to lose more than 3 on a mission, but uncrashed carriers filled with mind-controllers is one of those things you don't really want to wish on anyone. Even a crashed carrier full of Caesons is fairly bad news. So lately I've started air striking any batch of those I shoot down. I still go after Sebs (they like to bring the Reavers as pets, I think) and Androns, but taking a break from the mind funk for awhile.