[WOTC] Point-Based Not Created Equal

Adds a new Second Wave Advanced Option that can be selected when starting a new game to enable a Point-Based Not Created Equal that will randomize your soldier stats, balanced around a configurable point pool.

As a Second Wave option, this must be enabled at the start of a new campaign and will have no effect in campaigns where it has not been enabled (meaning you do not have to turn the mod on and off between different campaigns with different settings). The option is enabled in the Advanced Options menu just like the other base-game Second Wave options (Beta-Strike, etc.).

If you are using Better Second Wave Mod Support , you can now enable or disable the option in the middle of a campaign, but be aware the new settings will only take effect on new soldiers generated after the setting change. Characters already in your unhired recruit pool, for sale on the Black Market, or available as POI/Mission rewards on the strategy map will have already had their stats established, one way or the other. It may take a Month in-game before you start seeing new recruits or reward soldiers that reflect the changed setting.

NOTE: Better Second Wave Mod Support is only required for the mid-campaign setting change; it is not a dependancy for any other features of the mod so it’s an optional element you can use or not, depending on your needs.

This version of Not Created Equal is light-weight and does not override any classes or use any screen listeners to accomplish its stat changes. It randomizes stats at unit creation and works with faction soldiers, reward soldiers (of any rank), and Beta Strike. It should also work with most Mod-added Character Templates as well (it looks for bIsSoldier = true and bIsRobotic = false).

The range of stat variance and the cost per point for each stat can be configured, as well as the total number of points available to be spent increasing stats. The range configurations can support ranges that cover below and above a midpoint (e.g., Base Aim of 65 to a 55-75 range) or ranges that are strictly bonuses or penalties (e.g., Base Dodge of 0 to a 0-10 range) and everything in-between. Stats are distributed in rounds and there are a minimum of two distribution rounds to normalize the values a bit.

When a new soldier is created, their base stats are taken (after all stat gains from their class rank are added, if applicable) and shifted to match the minimum range configuration for each stat. Points are then spent on the stats in the order they are added from the XComPBNCE.ini config file. By default this will be Hitpoints, Mobility, Offense / Aim, Will, Defense, Dodge, and Hacking – in that order, so the important stats get the first opportunity to use the points each round.

The mod has been updated to now allow any eStat to be added to or removed from the randomization rolls and the order they are rolled for can also be changed. The default values are the same, but you now have more power to customize things as you see fit. With this added power comes added danger – The config file has been updated with some additional information and warnings… heed them.

If you make heavy edits to the default configuration, I recommend saving a copy of the config file to quickly restore your changes after an update. You will now receive a notification message on the main menu the first time loading the game after an update letting you know when the configs have been reset to the default values (Steam Workshop does a really poor job communicating mod updates to users).

I recommend the following mods to help better display all the new stat variance amoung your soldiers:

• Better Second Wave Mod Support – allows enabling/disabling the option mid-campaign (required if you are enabling in an existing game)
• (WOTC) UI Mod for Defense/Mobility/Psi – shows the defense stat, if altered, in the soldier’s armory screen
• [WOTC] Detailed Soldier Lists – shows more stats in the soldier lists (hacking, dodge, mobility)
• [WOTC] Additional Icons – shows more stats in the soldier’s status bar in tactical missions (aim, mobility, health)
• WotC: robojumper’s Squad Select – shows a bunch more relevant information in the loadout screen
• Let me know if there are others you think should be added… especially if you know of one for WOTC that shows stats on the rookie recruit page!

Many thanks to Firaxis for a mod-friendly game and robojumper for some technical assistance – yet another mod that would not have been possible without his help!

• None that I am aware of!

(See Change Notes for full history)

1.3.3:
• Updated default values and number of passes to produce more balanced stat distributions – There were too many soldier’s rolling superstar or complete garbage level-stats when the intent was stats balanced around a give-and-take.
• Cleaned up mod and removed unused config file.

1.3.2:

• Corrected handling of Rookie difficulty HP bonus and fixed the default HP config’s lower than intended lower bound.

1.3.1:

• Oops, left the debug variable set to true in the config… (should default to false)

1.3.0:

• Added two new tunable parameters for stat changes:
  • PLUSONE (bool) – when true, adds +1 to the upper range for stat rolls. Allows odd-numbered total ranges, like 0-1 or 5-10.
  • CHANCE (int) – default is 100% – when a different CHANCE is defined, the stat must pass a chance roll each round in order for points to be spent. Allows decreasing the frequency of certain stats getting raised – can be useful for low ranges or peripheral stats… I’ve used it in the default values for Hacking, as well as some of the commented examples in the config file.
• Improved the config reset main menu warning message, added some additional information/clarification to the config file, and some other minor code cleanup…

Please let me know what you think of the mod, if you run into bugs, or if you have balance concerns. Thanks and enjoy!