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ABA: Better Missions

-- ABA: Better Missions --
-- Mod by DerBK --

Requires XCOM2 version: War of the Chosen
Requires DLC: Alien Hunters, Shens Last Gift
Requires other mods: A Better ADVENT: WotC
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If you are using increased pod sizes, especially when using A Better Campaign PLUS, consider using the sister mod ABA: Better Missions PLUS instead of this one.
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WARNING about a possible Bug:

According to one report, this mod can cause the main storyline to derail by making an Avatar show up before its supposed to. This can happen near the end of the game (forcelevel 19 out of 20) and if you didn't hijack a Codex until then, things might get messed up.

I'm no longer modding and don't have the SDK installed anymore, else i would fix it. But it is now what it is.
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FAQ, General Info and Troubleshooting for my mods can be found here:

A Better FAQ
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ABOUT

This mod contains new mission types and variants for War of the Chosen.

Originally planned to be an update to A Better Campaign, i decided to put them into its own mod so i don't spring an experimental update on those who have been using ABC for a long time now.

Many of these missions draw from the ABA pool of enemies, therefore having ABA is a prerequisite.
I have plans to integrate enemies from the DLC in the future as well, so i already put Alien Hunter and Shens Last Gift as requirements as well.

DISCLAIMER: Right now this mod is still in early development stages, but the contents are playable and i felt like getting them out there to gather some reactions. Maybe do not use this with your Ironman save just yet, mission editing is somewhat of a new territory for me.
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CONTENT

1 new version of Neutralize Fieldcommander. Works just like the vanilla thing, except instead of an ADVENT General, you will be trying to eliminate a unique Alien General. There are several, and as the campaign goes one you will encounter more dangerous ones.

1 new additional pod configuration for Retaliations. No rule changes, no immediately obvious signs that something is different. Something is, though ;)

2 new pod configs für several guerilla op mission types. (You can find missions that get a significant bonus to forcelevel, but smaller pods. Also, you could get bigger pods, but weaker enemies)

3 new Gatecrasher pod configs (Shuffling the position of the pods around and/or turning a 3 man pod into two 2 man pods... nothing crazy)

1 new pod config for Facility Sabotage. (All non-boss pods might now be filled with ADVENT)

1 new mission type, Search And Destroy. It comes in 3 variants. Search and Destroy is a play on the Neutralize Fieldcommander mission, however there are two key differences:
- The countdown and the evac flare spawns right at the end of XCOMs first turn, no matter if you are still concealed.
- The mission is immediately over once the countdown reaches zero.
Aside from that, the rules are similar to Neutralize Fieldcommander: There's a target and you need to take it out before the counter reaches zero. Once done, the counter will stop and you will also need to clear the rest of the enemy. The target will move towards the flare, so the mission becomes a matter of you blasting your way through to it to get to the target.
There are three variants on Search and Destroy that each have different targets:
"Search and Destroy: Wreck Prototype" will have you hunt a type of MEC that would otherwise not be able to spawn just yet. For the endgame, there's special Tier 3 MECs around.
"Search and Destroy: Advanced Alien" will draw a target from a big list of possible aliens that are otherwise not able to spawn yet.
"Search and Destroy: Bughunt" fills the battlefield with Chryssalids. Your target is a particularly powerful one.


This mod also contains some custom enemies for use in those missions (Alien Generals, Tier 3 MECs, etc). Those do not appear outside of their mission.
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DIFFICULTY

The difficulty of these missions and mission variants is in line with the usual ABA experience. Nothing crazy.
A Search and Destroy mission right after Gatecrasher can be spicy, but that's the case for vanilla Neutralize Fieldcommander, too.

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KNOWN ISSUES

The Search and Destroy missions are derived from the Neutralize Fieldcommander mission and they currently still have the voiceover associated with that mission in the pre-mission briefing (loading screen). During the S&D missions, there is no voice over.
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FUTURE PLANS

I have some ideas, but who knows what i am even able to do. I don't want to promise too much, but i will likely want to add some more variants or alternate pod makeups of existing missions at least.

Don't expect anything groundbreaking, i am not RealityMachina or Fireborn ;)
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COMPATIBILITY

I would expect this mod to stack up with other mission mods just fine.

Right now, this mod works with vanilla pod sizes just as well as it does with increased enemy pod sizes. Once this changes, i will provide a PLUS version of this mod, just like i did with A Better Campaign.

You can add this mod mid-campaign. If you do, do an ini purge after subscribing.

Removing it mid-campaign might be an issue, not sure on the exact timing on when the game determines which missions to spawn. If you remove this while one of the custom missions is in the pipeline or on the hologlobe, that'll likely lead to issues.
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PERMISSIONS

Any modder is allowed to pilfer, re-use or re-upload any of ABA:BMs assets, scripts, doodads and thingamajigs in any way or form that he wants to. I don't care.