Alright thanks for the feedback DerBK and thank you for the experience! Except for ABM I like all your mods.

Difficult to say. The thing about XCOM2 is that its visualizer is super buggy when it comes to stacking triggers on top of each other and sometimes what we see isn't even what actually happened. In this case it does seem about right, though. Prime reaction triggers immediately after the Muton is injured. Presumably the Muton wants to move(because one of its priorities is getting out of a flanked position), but gets interrupted by Bladestorm triggering from this movement. Bladestorm is a melee attack and as such gets countered by the Muton. So the Muton did get its action (otherwise it'd not have triggered the Bladestorm), but the counterattack stopped the movement it was going to do.

Prime reactions are absolutely able to interrupt soldiers mid-turn and that is one of their defining traits why they even exist. Its trigger is very similar to that of Overwatch.

Is the following intended behavior?:
1. I go to point blank range with my ranger and use chain shot on a muton prime (given the numbers, 100% chance to hit, flanking, muton health this should be a guaranteed kill)
2. The ranger fires the first shot of the two and hits
3. Superhuman reflexes of the Muton activate (but the Muton doesnt do anything)
4. Rangers Bladestorm Activates
5. Mutons Counterattack activates and renders the ranger unconscious
6. The Muton ends its turn without doing anything, while I would expect it to have one more action, where it would use its superhuman reflexes.

I would have also expected that the ranger gets to resolve its turn / ability before the Muton gets any ability activation.

Neat :)

Yes. I used the most recent version of non-WOTC XCOM 2, and yes I used ABA 1. I figured it would work, but it worked even better than I expected it to considering how long ago support for it was pulled. It was definitely one of my least bugged modded XCOM games I've played. I do look forward to the later versions where I assume prime reactions work properly and I get to face primes at their full fury more than once.

You actually used the original version of the mod and it did work with whatever XCOM2 version you have? I actually wouldn't have thought that it would. Or at least not without major complications somewhere. That's interesting!

On another note, the mod still works spectacularly with only one odd exception that I ran into. Only the first Prime of each variant ever had Prime reactions. If I encountered a Sectoid Soldier Prime for the first time, it had Prime reactions. However any subsequent Sectoid Soldier Primes did not. Any other first time Prime would have its reactions, but later Primes of the same variant wouldn't. I had fun barely managing to keep everyone alive against that first Sectopod Prime though. I also never ran into an Advent Sentinel, but I don't know that to be a bug. Overall amazing performance though.

I recently completed a Veteran Ironman game using this mod (without plugins), Additional Mission Types, Training Roulette by Grimy, Permanent Dark Events and Longer Campaign as my main mods; along with some self implemented limitations (no DLC weapons and armor or Sparks, Psi ops can only re-enter the psi labs after completing a mission, and Magus rank Psi ops can't ever re-enter the psi labs being the significant ones). It was a blast. Deadliest XCOM 2 game I've won so far. Though you could also say I lost, since the aliens wiped the floor with me on the second to last mission, and I had restart the mission. Besides that I failed 4 other missions (evacced or squad wiped), which I've never been able to do before without losing the entire game. Even without new enemies the AI changes made the final mission more interesting. This is still an excellent mod, and I look forward to experiencing the improvements made by the plugins and later versions of A Better Advent. Thank for this.

I use Wotc version. I check it. Now I will try instal game from zero and try using mods again.

Are you running this version of ABA right here? Because this one is very, very outdated and would only work with the original XCOM2, not with WotC.

If you are using WotC, please use the WotC version of the mod.

Welcome. I have an issue with better advent. I suscribe same number of mods, most from serier A better of, I played few misions and now when I lunch game a have an error that a better advent canot be loaded and game crushes. I clear .ini files, I delate and add from new this mod and didin;t work. even when I uncheck this mod before start game it still crush.
What can I do to fix this?
Thank you for your help.

Aren't those mods for WotC? If so, you want this version of ABA: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1126623381

And yes, that version is compatible with those mods.

Is this compatible with More Mission Sitrep and more Mission Types Redux?

Nope, you want this one for LW2:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=851424027

That's all from ABA that is compatible with LW2 and even that is a bit dodgy.

So if I want to play LW2 this is the ABA I need, right? ABA2 is not compatible with LW2.

i just realised.... i installled this not the wotc version im an idiot well thanks DerBK

No, but this does:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1126623381

does this work with TLP?

Are non Skulljackable variants of Codexes is normal or something wrong? I am kind of stuck on the story progressions due to no original Codexes found anywhere. Only variants appear, but they are not Skulljackable.

needs update for WotC

I actually like the prime sectopods. They are interesting to deal with. Vanilla sectopods are too predictable which makes them less dangerous.

I do think the Chrysalid Queens are my favorites. They made my item retrieval mission rather exciting.

How did the "annihilation protocol" for prime sectopods make it past QA?
I've played some 30h with ABA now, but that is just terrible "let's up the numbers, because that makes it good" design and the reason to uninstall it.

I don't understand what you are saying.
For the record, i use ABA2 with Scanning Sites Plus and Fatigue and there are no conflicts of any kind. Those mods go together perfectly.

This mod really conflicts with Scaning site plus..... First mission you get from SSP gets you 12 enemies with 2-5 drones. If you are using Squad noteriety or other simular addon you gone get wrecked with X Rookies. So ABA1 is still the better choice when using SSP or fatigue mods!

thx mate

Yes, it is when you also use the All The Enemies! plugin.
You may want to take a look at A Better Advent 2, though. That mod, the successor to this one, has compatibility with the alien pack already built in.... among other things.

Hi, Is this compatible with the Long War Alien Pack?

ABA2 is a complete package that already includes the plugins.

Is this mod still needed for ABA Better Pods if we have ABA 2 installed?

Correct. Please read the information in the ABA2 mod description for details.

You don't need ABA1 if you use 2.

does this merge with ABA1 or do we we no longer need ABA1 with ABA2?

I just released A Better ADVENT 2.
Switching from ABA1 to ABA2 requires a new campaign, you can find it here: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=793861140

Please read the little info blurb for current ABA users in the description.

It's hardcoded. You'd have to replace the complete spawning mechanism to fix it. So... not realistic. Firaxis are aware of the bug though. I talked with the dev who did the original code when Shen's DLC was new. I am waiting for a fix since then... :|

Seeing the comment about the ADVENT Captain bug, I wonder if there's any way for modders to fix that somehow, or if it's something hard-coded into the game?

probably the worst pod on that drop? actually had four guys in it. the Codex, a Heavy MEC, a Shiedbearer AND a Breaker. seriously thought i'd taken care of the shields, but since the warpin doesn't actually SHOW the guys that land with it like a dropship one does... well.. yeah

And they teleport on reveal so you can't ambush them :P
I like the Advent Codex... about 80% of the reason why it exists is that i wanted to have a fairly common excuse to use the pretty psi portal for reinforcements instead of the dropship.

@Der: I meant that in an endearing way ;) Codices were already annoying enough, you just haddd to have them show up as reinforcements too XD

@mykells:
I was texting from my phone earlier which is why i replied with just a short snippet. Basically, the bug that XCOM2 has since the Alien Rulers DLC is that Advent Pods don't roll randomly for their leader unit. They strictly take the first Advent Captain they can find.
The only way that ABA can even work for Advent pods since that is by completely deactivating the vanilla Captain and restricting my own variants to just one forcelevel each.

The only way for you to get the Advent Trooper to spawn as a leader again would be by enabling him again (you did that) AND by disabling all Captains. That last one is obviously not a good idea.

The same bug is by the way also what causes empty dropships for some people. Oh, and it's what made MECs disappear from the early game until Shen's DLC put a (really sloppy) bandaid on that.

ABA is obviously not balanced for Haven Defense. Because of how that mission type works, it just scales immensely with ABA and especially with Better Pods.

If your guys die on a Haven, their souls are actually not collected by me, they belong to RealityMachina ;)

blech.... just did a Haven Defense. had at least six of the pods show up as ADVENT Codex pods with Heavy MECs :p you are a cruel cruel person :P

Darn. I gotcha. Thanks.

Nothing in the mod, the game itself is bugged as far as leaders for advent pods are concerned.

Is there any way I can use ABA units with vanilla pods? Advent troopers now never spawn by themselves, and instead always spawn with a Sectoid or Advent Captain (in the early game). I modified the XComGameData_CharacterStats.ini like this: https://imgur.com/a/HJAnu , adjusted the soldier spawns to accommodate that value, and started a new campaign, but it still didn't do the trick. I don't have ABA: Better Pods installed.

Is this something that's hardcoded into the mod? There must be something other than LeaderLevelSpawnWeights that keeps Advent troopers from leading pods, right?

likewise. making the AutoDoc and Tech Commando Gremlins mat least makes the fact it's a Tier 3 XCOM one makes it a bit less noticeable that it is, and does match their color scheme.

*nods* Works for me.

Mat coloured should be doable. I'll try and see if I can whip up something. I don't really want to enter the rigging procedure and that's why we don't offer any new models for stuff. I can model them. I just can't rig/animate them

@Der: something that'd help is if you could find a way to at least make the T3 Gremlin they have matte colored. ADVENT ain't exactly known for their shinyness ;)

Let me know if it works, i wasn't able to test it myself due to not having a working ABA on my pc right now :D

Can't wait for ABA 2.0. And yeah, my Chryssalid story wasn't any kind of bug, just a fun story of pain followed by revenge-triumph. There are a number of variants I haven't seen yet, but going by the Achievements, I've seen around 60 of them so far! I'm actually about to go into the final mission on my current campaign, and haven't seen a single Archon variant, interestingly enough. Only the defaults and the "upgraded" archons supplied by the LW alien pack.