Modding Reinforcement Timers

[ConradKurze]

I am thinking about making a mod to reduce some aspects of the difficulty of LW2, namely making reinforcements less frequent and smaller, and then maybe some max pod size adjustments.

If I wanted to mod the frequency of reinforcements and how many enemies can appear via reinforcement waves where would I find the values to change for that?
Also if I wanted to eliminate reinforcements entirely from a specific mission type (say VIP Rescue missions) where is that config located?

Thanks for any assistance

[JoeShmo]

I'm just going to toss out reinforcement / pod related material.
All found in Mods > LW_Overhaul > Config


XComLW_Overhaul.ini

+DISABLE_REINFORCEMENT_FLARES ( Does as described. Makes it harder to see drop locations )
+SOUND_RANGE_DIFFICULTY_MODIFIER ( Affects Advent's range in being able to detect where you are and/or whether to alert )
REFLEX_ACTION_CHANCE_YELLOW ( Similar lines bellow it. Affects free actions of enemy AI when on different alerts and found )
+OffensiveReflexAbilities ( Provides actions for enemy AI to use when taking turns on a yellow alert )
+DefensiveReflexAbilities ( Similar actions for enemy AI on both yellow and green alerts )
+ALERT_MODIFIER ( Several Similar lines bellow it. Affects reinforcement timings. )

(Rest of lines further down also allow for mission and group type adjustments. )


XComLW_PodManager.ini

( Contains general pod behavior ( like patrol priority ) options for various mission types and difficulties before an alert is achieved ( pretty much before concealment is broken ))


XComAIJobs.ini

( Provides job specifications on a per mission basis, which allows you to choose which missions can allow for specific jobs ( scout, defend, flank, etc. ) and which enemy units are allowed those job types )


XComAI.ini

( Provides specific behavior fixes for particular enemy unit types, as well as general AI parameters for engagement and actions )
Some notable lines to watch for:

RetreatCap ( Allows for enemies to 'tactically retreat' to find backup / get back to objective location )
MaxEngagedEnemies ( Number of simultaneous enemy AI that take actions against you in a given turn )
DEFAULT_AI_MIN_SPREAD_DISTANCE ( And bellow it. Affects how enemy AI move when first spotted )


XComMissions.ini

( Provides specific spawn behavior of enemy AI unit types on a per mission basis, as well as group size and timers for things that require them ( like encounters, patrols, etc. ) and force levels. )

[ConradKurze]

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

There are a lot of references to 'Alert Level' in the mission definitions, and reinforcement timers. Is 'Alert Level' just the technical name for Advent Strength modified by Infiltration Level?

[Jacke]

There's also a couple of timer mods you could look at too. I think only one or the other should be used, unless you use the first to reduce the timers when using the second.


An Easier War: Timers Tested
Increases mission timers at all difficulty levels to their Rookie level value, 4 more turns than Legendary. Can be adjusted in its INI file.

As suggested to allow for running into the Allien Rulers, I did this myself by INI edits. I found that 4 more turns makes things rather comfortable, so I turned it down to 2 extra turns.


True Concealment for LW2 Tested
Mission timers don't go down while the whole squad is concealed. By default applied to missions where the Officer perk Intervention can be used. Can be adjusted for which missions are affected and whether certain levels of infiltratration are needed to halt the mission timers. Can also have a chance for the timer not to tick down this turn based upon infiltration, which could be very cool.

EDIT: I currently run True Concealment for LW2 along with A Easier War: Infiltration which shifts the infiltration sweet spot from 5 to 6 troops. I leave the timers at default and configure True Concealment for LW2 to suppress timer countdown as a chance based on infiltration.