Thanks for the post, and I'm pleased that you are enjoying my mod. On the subject of katana usage in WW2 by the Japanese, you are wrong. Japanese officers carried katanas, and used them on numerous occasions in close-quarters combat. Of course, most of those officers were shot by U.S. Marines, but that's another matter.

I stand corrected.

The fact that they where shot down by marines simply confirm my theory of being idiotic when bringing a blade against a firearm. I just don't see any tactical advantage of using a melee weapon in modern warfare. I can digest the idea of a back-up weapon in case you are out of ammo or you gun is jammed but that's it. The only place where it seems to work is in anime where a 12 year-old boy can chop a mountain in half with a strike of his oversized two-hand katana (No-daishi I think it's called).

OT: In many sorts of terrains I agree that melee weapons are useless (and the following situations does not necessarily apply to Aftershock). There are some exceptions however. Inside buildings one can sneak around and cut off heads or slash throats very silently if skilled enough, and in areas with low visibility like jungles they can have the same use. At night they can also be useful in many sorts of terrains. Even silenced guns make some noise.

Thanks Shadwarrior!

It has taken me about 5 months, I only play a little bit and summer had me traveling, but I finally finished. I played Veteran, Heroic mod and Weapon rebalance. It was a lot harder than I thought. Lost several good soldiers late in the game which made it really fun. Lost about a dozen early on too, I hate multiple muckstars with green troops.

Well looking for a reason to play AS one more time. Something to make it a bit different, hope I can find it.

Thanks again!

Hey ShadoWarrior first time post but i gotta say i'm loving the changes you've made to the weapon/research system, at first i had a lukewarm response to this game playing through on soldier with no mod but a restart later and your weapon mod on superheroic and i'm having much more fun, quick question though i tried searching through for a change list/log you've made over the course of the 3.17 versions but so far no luck, do you have text file that has all the changes listed, i'm curious to see everything that you've done to make this game rock even more hardcore. I think once i get my troopers geared up a little better (read: equipped with some decent assault rifles and a sniper rifle or three) i'm going to try out the Heroic Assault mod, i assume that goes in the base directory you dont say in the little text file but i can't think of anywhere else it's supposed to go. Okay thanks in advance either positive or negative i'm still just happy about this mod ^^. (I can't wait to get to railguns and nailguns, sound painful)

**Edit** Or i'm a total goober and didnt check out all the contents of the zip file and find the one labeled "History" /sigh sometimes i'm just to narrow sighted on getting what i want and not seeing what else is in the pretty package, must be some throw back to birthday presents as a kid. Anyway still wanted to express gratitude and thanks for the bitching mod's both this and heroic.

Indeed. I don't think I would ever have the patience to do something like this for this game. With lack of proper modding tools, I can't do anything, yet SW made a Great mod.

To ShadoWarrior!

I wanted to chime in on the use of sniper rifles and called shots. I think the thing that most people have been overlooking is that most snipers are usually two man teams,a spotter and a shooter. They are not used in fire fights to shoot at people who are running. Usually they are employed to remove people from long range who are in a fixed position for long periods of time and are not moving, like in guard towers and behind machinegun emplacements and the like. Since the best way to reflect this in the game is a longer aiming time, or set up time, I think that the best way to balance that is to allow called shots but with high set up times. This would allow you to kill one or two sentries from long range and then it would be worthless, pretty much the way most snipers are. They are designed to be "support weapons" and almost every sniper carries a "back up weapon" for that very reason. I know I am joinging the discussion late and I TRIED to read every entry but as far as I can see No one has talked about how these weapons are actually used in combat. They make it dangerous to stand in one place for very long and manning any type of fixed weapon in the open suicide. but dropping lightly armed cultist at a dead run... only in the movies. they are mostly there tyo take out the opponents heavy weapons sentries and oh yes other snipers... hopefully before they get you.

I have to sort of disagree. Charging someone aross open ground while they already have weapon out and are aiming at you, your definitly in a losing proposition. However. If the person is say under 25 feet and is carrying the weapon in slung position with the safety on and no round chambered, or even with a load chambered. The edge goes to the guy with the blade. Specially if he's really fast and your really not so. Most guards do not walk around with gun in ready position and round chambered and safety off, ready to shoot someone. So if your sneaking around, and carrying a wickedly long very sharp blade, and are taking fulladvantage of cover.. then a katana is a very effective weapon. thats not even taking into account that unless your ready for it the sight of someone racing from the shadows with a drawn blade and murder in his soul heading right for you can cause a little thing like panic to take over slowing your reactions a wee bit, which is all the guy needs to gut you.



this is very true of most begining phases of battle where the bad guys donot know your there yet, though the huge glowing golf ball on the front lawn should be a dead give away.. I found it very believable for a commando who is trainded to kill in such a fashion to dispatch enemies who were nto expecting to be attacked. ONce the bad guys get fully alert, I switch from katana to plasma shotgun...


In swirling combat where there are good guys and bad guys mixed in, a sword and pistol combination actually is a very effective combination.

Even if your charging guys in prpared position with "firearms" AND your willing to take what we would deem an Ungodly amount of casualties you can still take them out using nothing more than spears. Just ask the Britsih troopers who fought in the zulu wars.

Folks, can we please keep posts to the subject of the mod, and not about a general discussion on the effectiveness of various weapons and tactics in real life? There are other forums if you wish to continue debating such subjects.

...and besides, It keeps making me come back here to check if there has been a new version released!

Great mod without doubt the best I've seen for any game any chance you can mod X3? Anyway how about plasma warheads for rockets and grenades I've added them to my game as I got sick of how useless RPGs and grenades are (too small blast radius and become redundant too quickly) I didn't change thrown grenades blast radius though. I also think the plasma gun needs to be changed as well as it is quickly redundant as soon as guass weapons are availible they should complement each other plasma being slow firing massive damage, guass the opposite. What I did was give it a small blast radius of 3m and increased the damage by half, the weapon is so inaccurate that you even could double the damage.

Using advanced melee weapons for a backup would be fine I think what applies to real life human combat doesn't neccessarly apply to fictional combat senarios againts aliens. And I think rushing a lone wargot power armour (particularly from the rear in a confined situation) with a suitable melee weapon (Chainswords) would be a viable tatic as its restricted in its agility and has no close in weapons like shotguns etc.

Is this mod constatnly growing and expaning or is it done (for now)?

I'm taking a vacation. And if you'd read at least the last few pages of the thread you'd've had the answer to your question.

Thanks for the answer... b.t.w. - half of the .txt files in gamedata end up like gibberish regardless in what I open them (notepad, wordpad, Word, NoteTabLight...)
It does the same to the weapon files in your weaponrebalancemod.vfs (after I extract the files)

P.S. - You're the same ShadowWarrior from the BearsPit forums, right?

Yes.

Hey Shadow, let me ask you something. I'm using your mod and am planning to add a few weapons myself.

for begining, I chose to add the Automag V handgun. Now I copied hte entries for hte Desert Eagle .50AE, changed some stats around. I look and see that the equipment.txt files calls for a lot of outside files, but those are for the models/lights/cameras so I let those the same...

Or do I have to make a copy of them and re-name them to match my weapon?
and last, but not least - where are the weapon descriptions?

One little question:
I started a new game with mods:

Afterschock new installed
patches 1.1 and 1.2 applied
3.17 Weapon rebalance mod
Militia mod
large landbases mod
heroic assault mod

playing on veteran

found my first barret in a mission against cultists. now the question: the barret shows damage 1500 but accuracy only 63% not 95% as is said in FAQ. I looked it up in the modded files - there it is listed correctly 1500 and 95. Other changes (lvl 2 sniper training needed, shooting only while prone work properly). Is this mistake only cosmetic - barret having the correct 95 accuracy in game but shows an incorrect value in the equipment screen or have i messed something up i.e. some mods i installed see above are in conflict with each other, or maybe the order in which i installed them matters? I searched the forums first but wasn't able to find a solution.
Can't say anything about other weapon accuracies since they are not mentioned in the FAQ. The ranges seem to be correct though.
Thank you in advance for your answer
and to all modders and especially at ShadoWarrior thank you for your great mods!

You have misunderstood what that 95 figure is. It is NOT 95%, regardless of the fact that it is called "accuracy" (a very poor choice of term IMO, for which the game designers should be shot). It is the RANGE at which the accuracy of the weapon is 50%. This has been discussed, at length, in other threads in the main forum, and is also explained in Avenger's guide.

PS - instead of that value being called "accuracy", it should have been named "effectiverange".

Thank you for your swift answer and i apologize for inconvenience. I knew about this... strange choice of term by the developers but misunderstood the reference in the FAQ. Good to know all is working as it should. Thanks again for great mod.

Hallo again!
Sorry i've got another question: i was able to hire a cyborg with an advanced body implant to my squad - can't make the implants myself at the moment, but there wasn't the "compose" button available - i thought there should be a slot in it with the mod, am i forgetting something?
Do i have to edit my save game to enable the slot (i started the game with the mod installed) if so could you please point me to a thread where it is explained (i tried to find the answer myself before posting this message but all my tries with the search function showed this thread and although i read quite a bit of it i didn't read the whole 125 pages.)
Thanks in advance and sorry for repeated inconvenience.

Just wanted to add:
This is a cut out of my savefile:

itemTemplateStringId STR "Advanced body"
loadSaveMimeName STR "QQBkAHYAYQBuAGMAZQBkACAAQgBvAGQAeQAgAEkAbQBwAGwAYQBuAHQA"
storeItemId INT 25
tagId INT 25
width INT 0
height INT 0
toolTipString ERROR_SIMPLE_TYPE ""
itemAmmo ItemAmmo RECORD
rounds INT 0
pieceCount INT 1
END_OF_ItemAmmo
itemFirearm ItemFirearm RECORD
PTR 0
END_OF_ItemFirearm
itemReceptacle ItemReceptacle RECORD
items PARRAY 1
PTR 0
END_OF_items
END_OF_ItemReceptacle
itemModes ItemModes RECORD
currentMode INT 0
END_OF_ItemModes
END_OF_Item
END_OF_StoreItem
PTR 1
StoreItem RECORD
count INT 0
shipped INT 0
wasStored BOOL FALSE
Item Item RECORD



items PARRAY 1
PTR 0

is there - i thought this was the part necessary for enabling slots?

an implant can only be "composed" BEFORE it is implanted, so that advanced body armor will stay as-is untill you replace it with a new one with a filled up slot

Thank you for the answer.
Will push the research a bit more then.

Uh, I'm pretty sure I've re-composed implants after implanting them...are you sure about that?

Once reccomendation. Remove hte Rocket training requirement for granades and missiles (not the launchers, the ammo).

It sooo bugs me when I put rocket ammo in a backpack of someone who doesn't have rocket training and I get the warning box. For Christ's sake, he's carrying them, not using them!

I have no intention of doing what you request. I specifically added this requirement to my mod. There is no such restriction in the unmodded game.

If you don't want to see the warning then you have two choices. Either don't have soldiers carry items they aren't trained to use, or do as other players do when they don't like something and change the mod to suit yourself.

Oh, I allready changed it for myself.

This was just a reccomendation since it is annoying (at least for me).
Some people like having pack mule charachters

yes

Hey Shadowarrior, i did edit the savegame test.vfs and so on without problems, but i have no idea what "md5 checksum" is and how i can update it.. help me please i know i have to update the checksum so the game uses the file, is that right so far ? greettzzz ichi

Ichi, please reread my Guide to Modding AS for Beginners. Also, please do not post general questions about modding in this thread. Start a new thread if you have questions that are not specifically about my mod.

there should be no stuck for boosters... its like cheating if u have done it serveral times ur soldier will be a super hero... i think stimulants don'T work , shot my soldier and was same damage as before without stimulants...
can't use 2 psi weapons ( one handed ) if if my psyonic is ranger lv 2

{polite warning number 2}
Ichi, I've asked you before to please not use this thread for posting questions or opinions of a general (ie: not specific to my mod) nature. Please respect the purpose of this modding forum, and my mod thread. If you have things to say that are not specifically about my mod, say them in the general forum.
{end of polite warning number 2}

{stern warning}
If you continue to post off-topic in this thread after being asked not to, I'll be forced to ask one of the moderators to do something about it.
{end of stern warning}

It was no general question or opinion, I use ur mod and found some mistakes you maybe could work out, sorry i didn't read all 124!!! pages of this threat to find out if someone else told you the same, I'm right now on page 10 and i'm proud of it...
So if your bot tries to balance the game please disable the stuck of boosters, no normal human can get 10000 intelligence just buy taking drugs, it's the same with strenght and so on, the body still has his limits..
an alternativ would be to get some penalties when taking to much drugs, for example losing health or accuracy or panic attacks .... hope i don't get f****d for my ideas, polite greetings ichi
ahh and is there a reason why psyonics can't use for example confusion projector 2 handed (if rager training done), maybe she just can concentrate on one projector or she is to weak to aim them both.
ahh and sorry for my first off topic post, i really regret it.

Hey all, I was in the forums a while back (probably more near page 40, haha).

I just started playing Aftershock again, and I reloaded it (and remembered how much I hate StarForce). I had a long drawn out battle with a bad power supply which damaged nearly all of my computer's components. Now I've got it back together and working, so it's once more time to load the games!

Anyway, I reloaded the Weapon Rebalance mod (I don't play without it!) and I'm again impressed!

Back when I was using it before the new models hadn't been added. Let me say that all the new tech, new weapons, new models and changes (corrections) to the text really add to the game.

I found myself really enjoying the game. Right now I'm trying to erradicate the last cultist faction before the ship arrives, so I can take over as much territory before the Wargots.

Quick question: Does the WR mod change the experience system at all?

No. BTW, exactly what the mod does is precisely detailed in the docs included with the mod.

Great mod, thanks for all the hard work ShadoWarrior.

A couple of comments.

1. The VSS Sniper rifle becomes available to manufacture before it's ammo does. That seems odd to me. Would it be possible to make both AP ammunition and Sniper rifle blueprints requirements for the VSS?

2. The changes to the Wargots resistances have made the Orange Wargots all but invunerable to human weapons on superhuman. An M60E3 wielded by a fairly skilled soldier does only 53 damage a hit, require at least 5 full burst to kill one.

Welcome to the forum, Burzmali, and for your comments.

1. It's not possible to do that, due to limitations of how the designers wrote the code. You can have a tech have two (or more) prerequisites, but items can only have one manufacture or skill dependency.

2. It's as I intended. The WGs are supposed to be nigh-invulnerable to primitive weapons. They're advanced-tech aliens, regardless of how stupidly they behave on the battlefield.

Thought that might be the case. Then maybe "silent <weapon> blueprints" research items with AP ammo and <weapon> blueprints as requirements and a low research time, possibly with a "Silent Weapons" gating research topic. Might not be worth the effort though as stealth usually isn't worth the effort.



It isn't the WGs in general that I have a problem with. Having to plunk half a clip of AP from a XM8 to knock one down isn't a problem. The orange WGs though have a different set of resistances that would require 3 or more clips from an XM8 to kill (thanks to the Ranger trait they pick up). I'm playing on Superhuman, so I don't mind difficulty, watching a WG get up after the tenth round from a barrett hits home is kind of weak. Difficult is good, reducing the player to cheating the AI in order to win (as I am going to have to do to survive the WG invasion of the Laputa) is not.

For reference, one of the cultist cyborgs has the same "trait", I smashed 7 or 8 barrett rounds into him before he stayed down.

Let me reiterate that my intent is for players to use more advanced weapons versus the WGs. Consider yourself fortunate that low-tech AP rounds work at all, and that your troops lived long enough for you to take the time to spray 3 full magazines into a single WG. Makes me wonder where that WG's comrades were while all that was happening. Usually, when you can shoot at a WG, it, and/or his pals, can shoot back ...

I'm also assuming that you are not using my Heroic Assault mod, because I'm confident that the increased numbers of enemies you'd be facing wouldn't allow you the luxury of using magazine after magazine of low-tech ammo to kill off a single enemy. Not when the "orange" WG's companions pepper you with rockets while you're standing still emptying your XM8s. A typical "squad" is 3-4, and there'll be upwards of 15-20+ total WGs on the map. Try using a XM8 under those conditions and you'll experience a Wargot incendiary rocket-rape.

Yes I am using the HA mod, and it is only the orange WG that are causing headaches. The green wargots and scouts fall to 2 or 3 barrett rounds and the PA are too slow to keep up with their friends.

Also, are you playing the same game I am? By the time the Wargot's first attack, you don't have plasma or warp, and useful amounts of nano-tech and railguns would be a huge stretch. Rockets are useless, I am assuming incendiaries are as well. Going through the damage types that eliminates hard, slow, mechanical, and burn. Laser's are a maybe, but I have my doubts, I mean if the aliens can stop bullets that can go through a half inch of steel dead, what trouble would it be to stop a laser that takes a half dozen shots to do the same? The leaves only Psi, and since I am playing on superhuman and didn't throw everything into psi to start with, that really isn't an option either.

In case you haven't noticed, WGs travel in packs of 3-4. Since MG fire of 10 round in a burst, if you have a decent % to hit, crits are pretty common. Since crits tend to "stun" the target, as long as you can concentrate 2-3 of your squadies on each WG, the crits keep them all suppressed. Of course, the only rub is that if one gets off a shot, the domino effect wipes out everyone.

Yes, I tested the mod by playing it myself. It was based on my own playtesting (at superhero) that I increased the armor of the WGs. And I kept increasing it I was satisfied that the WGs present a challenge.

You may be able to suppress all the members of the lead WG pack, but unless you have snipers armed with meson guns, lasers, or railguns, you won't be killing them fast enough to be done with them before one or two more packs converge on you. And, as you said, all it takes is for one WG to get a rocket loose to ruin your day. Life gets interesting when you are facing 3-4 of those "orange" WGs at the same time and your primitive guns are almost useless. (Reminds me of Sherman tanks versus Panthers/Tigers.)

MGs are great for pinning them down, but you need weapons that penetrate their armor to finish them off.

Oh, and if you are having fun with the WGs now, just wait until you meet the SGs ...

Ah, that explains alot



Oddly, I could care less about the WG's explosive weapons. The MGs and plasma weapons are more than enough to disable a squad member with a single salvo.

I'm still wondering how you are supposed to get railguns or meson guns before the WG attack you. Laser weapons are common enough, but lasers have always been the high accuracy, low damage weapon of the X-COM, UFO universe.

Not to be rude, but isn't one of the primary rules of mod making to avoid forcing the player to play with your stuff by nerfing everything else?

First, this isn't X-COM. Second, I have not nerfed anything. On the contrary, I've made many weapons more lethal compared to what they used to be. But you are assuming that just because you like a gun you should be able to use it throughout the entire game and still be effective with it. That's a bad assumption.

And I'm not forcing anyone to use "my stuff". MGs are still useful, aren't they? And so are those lasers you've assumed were ineffective. As a matter of fact, they are about 50-60% more effective than conventional AP on heavy WG armors. I even recommend that lasers be used against WGs in the FAQ file I provide with the mod. If you haven't read that file, please do so ASAP.

This begs the question: if you know that this is a "rebalance mod", why do you assume that lasers haven't been tweaked?

Oh, and the only prime rule of modmaking is that players have fun with the mod. That, and for the modmaker to document what they've done so people know what to expect. I think I've fulfilled both requirements. (The second one assumes players will read docs.)

A few thoughts to share.

I haven't fully tested most of the weapons on the Wargots, as I haven't encountered them yet (still 8 days away). I'm playing on whatever normal mode is. I've got plenty of X-Com experience, and I enjoy both UFO: X games.

But I'm starting to question the inability for rocket designed to punch holes in tank armor not killing a big orange guy. I understand the realism of high-tech armor defeating 5.56mm armor piercing rounds. A meter of reinforced concrete doesn't care if you shoot it with AP ammo either.

Consider the M136 AT4 light anti tank weapon system. Effective maximum range of 300 meters. Muzzle velocity of 285 meters per second. This weapon defeats 400mm of rolled homogeneous armor. For reference, that's 15 inches of hardened steel. This is a one-shot man-portable weapon system designed for the infantryman to realistically defeat a main battle tank's armor. Now granted, taking on a main battle tank with a rocket launcher is chancy, but certainly achievable.

Now granted, anything short of an 84mm rocket or a 40mm grenade launcher will lack the appropriate mass to do enough damage to a large armored target.

I suppose if the Wargots are fielding some sort quantum singularity armor or something like that, I would venture that they could possibly block anti-armor weapons. But if so, a laser certainly isn't going to be a problem for them. A laser weapon depends on delivery of energy to the target and converting it into enough heat to burn a hole through the target. I would figure such advanced armor wouldn't have a problem shedding such heat.

Random thought: I know you have a meson rifle in there, but have you considered antimatter weaponry at all? Perhaps antimatter warheads for the missile launchers? I realize that you need a supercollider to create anti-matter, generally. But with some of the technology we're talking about, I don't see it as completely on the outside. We're doing antimatter research today. Rediscovering previous research is a hell of a lot easier than doing it the first time.

If you project a laser pulse you create a split second air vacuum along the beam path, if you follow up immediately with a positron blast, you'd be able bombard an enemy target's armor with positrons (positively charged electrons) which would cause a matter/antimatter reaction in the target's armor. Some sort of force field would work well to block such a weapon, perhaps some sort of positively charged electromagnetic field would repel the positrons. A proton scattering field or the like. I would guess you already have achieved the "wargot killing beam rifle" with the meson rifle, but I figured I'd share.

Just my two cents. Sorry if this is off-topic.

The meson rifle inflicts it's damage inside the target (bypassing armor, which is why I use the "warp" damage type) via particle decays into positrons and gamma radiation.

As for shaped-charge AT rockets, realistically they should kill anything in the game in one shot (that isn't immune to a non-warp attack). The problem is that rockets use the "explosive" damage type, and if I make that damage type effective enough for 66/84mm rockets to do one-shot kills then I'll screw up the game. Why so? Because of 7.62mm explosive ammo. I could, I guess, remove the 7.62mm explosive ammo from the game, but then a LOT of people would complain. Another problem with making the rockets more lethal is that they have a blast radius. Which means that not only would the target directly hit die, but so would anything neaby. The game's design does not allow for one type/amount of damage to be applied on impact, and another type and/or lesser amount of damage to be applied in a blast radius. So, to keep players from wiping out an entire "pack" of WGs with one rocket I have left rockets more or less unmodded. (BTW, shaped-charge attacks have been discussed before in this thread, in regards to special .50cal ammo, and perhaps AT rounds as well.)

Please notice the ", UFO". Not trying to pick a fight, but name one X-Com or UFO game where laser's aren't accurate but with low damage potential.



No, I assumed that the ADVANCED human weapons would be useful considering the fairly large amount of research necessary to acquire them. But, with projectiles near useless against WGs and (I am assuming) SGs, why bother?



So, you say uses laser, meson or railgun against the WGs. Two you created and you expanded the laser family. The damage potential on the pistol, rifle and sniper rifle are too low to handle the WGs. I was averaging <130 with the sniper rifle. So you meant your laser MG, right?



I commented on the Laser Sniper Rifle. Unless you did a number on the laser rifle (i.e made it more deadly per shot than the sniper version) the only laser weapon that would be useful is the MG.



I didn't, I noticed that the cult didn't kill me with one shot with the LSR like they do with the barrett, so I didn't bother with them. The laser machinegun might be useful, but I haven't had the chance to test it.



I'm not trying to pick a fight. I'm just saying it is a little aggravating to get half way through a game making technology decisions based on a set assumptions that turn out to be completely wrong.

I still managed to beat back the first WG attack, but I was forced to game the AI (level 3 medic with a zombie army...) which I don't particularly enjoy. I'm not saying the mod is bad, or that I dislike it, I was just commenting that the balance seems a little too skewed in favor of the weapons you've added.

You guys are making me want to take my uber-squad and test different techs with them (against wargots). I think I might do that actually... well, after the wargots arrive in orbit around earth, anyway...

I just got to the Wargots in my game. I've taken over most of the planet excepting one cultist base in Australia. Frankly, the Wargots were so hard to kill with the weapons I took that I didn't even bother finishing the mission.

I also started playing with Alien Assault 2 to spice things up. I hoping to not have to take it out in order to win the mission.

One of the things that I've noticed is that the newer Wargots are VERY difficult to knock down with even armor piercing ammunition. I myself noticed that the laser weapons don't do much damage overall. Even taking full damage from a laser rifle, I assume it would take a full clip to down a wargot.

Since you don't have access to any of the anti-wargot weapons until after you get plasma weapons from them, one wonders how one is supposed to do enough damage to kill them before they eradicate your force?

Basically, if you don't take any laser weapons with you, you die. Quickly. In order to simulate what I would "normally" take, I comprised my force of the following, each person is level 12-15. This was basically the idea that "I don't actually know what's coming, so I'd take a variety of weapons." Now, since there are no HEAT rockets, I didn't take one. Rocket launchers also don't reach their target nearly fast enough in the game.

1. Commando/Scout. Katana (primary) SPAS12(slugs) with Under barrel Laser (secondary).
2. Cyborg Close Range Support. SPAS12(slugs), attached 40mm Grenade Launcher (XP, HEAT)
3. Medium Range. XM8 (Gyrostabilizer, Recoil Compensator), AP ammunition.
4. Medium Range. XM8 (Gyrostabilizer, Recoil Compensator), AP ammunition.
5. Psionic. Medium Range. XM8 (Gyrostabilizer, Recoil Compensator), AP ammunition.
6. Medic. Long Range. Laser Rifle (XM26 LSS, Slugs).
7. Sniper. Barret 50 with Recoil Compensator.

Now, part of my failure is obviously due to the fact that you start randomly strewn about the station. This allows the sheer amount of Wargots to corner and terminate your squad members.

I would surmise if everyone had a laser rifle or something, this would go much better.

Does the new XM Grenade Launcher with HEAT grenades do well against wargots? Thoughts?

I see several problems with your team's mix of gear, from the perspective of what I used successfully when I played through that mission.

First, all of my soldiers carried SPAS15 (slug) as backup weapons for close-quarters combat. The reason is that when any of your soldiers are very close (a few squares away) from a WG, you need a weapon that deals massive damage and can knock the WG down. The SPAS15 is ideal for that. A few bursts will kill most WGs, and until those WGs die they'll be helpless on the ground, and thus of little threat.

Second, 2 of my troops carried M60 MGs armed with AP. Their purpose is to suppress WGs at medium-to-long range by knocking them down. The fewer standing opponents, the less the danger and the longer I have to kill any still standing.

My primary medic was the only one armed with an XM8 as his main weapon. His sole job was to run around and provide a distraction (ie: make himself a target), or medical support, as needed by the other team members.

Last (but most important), I had 4 snipers, all psionics, on that mission, each armed with MSG90s and AP ammo (that was before I added the L115A1 into the game, which is my preferred non-energy sniper weapon). The combat/defense bonuses from the psi troops and their psi gear makes a huge difference to the survival of all your troops. And having 4 snipers means you have the ability to make plenty of fast-kill head shots. Or at the very least, if the head shot doesn't outright kill the WG it'll knock it down. I'm not sure if I had the meson rifle by this point, but if you do, use that instead for your snipers as it's much more effective than anything firing bullets. Offhand, I don't know which is more effective against WGs, the L115A1 or a laser sniper rifle. I'm inclined to think it's the L115A1 because of the sheer amount of damage it dishes out. AP is less effective than laser, but if you do enough AP damage it more than balances out. The L115A1 is definitely superior to a Barret, being lighter and faster to use, and not having the Barret's usage restrictions. But, as I said a bit earlier, the meson gun is the optimal sniper weapon. Switch to it as soon as you can.

The katana is of marginal use at best in conserving ammo when finishing off near-dead WGs. Until you get Duralloy. Duralloy makes the katana a viable weapon again versus WGs ... for your foolishly brave commando.

In case it's not obvious from what I've already said, most of the killing is done by the snipers (unless the enemy is very close, in which case the killing is done by the SPAS15). The MGs are there purely in a support role to even the odds, by knocking down some of the enemies, allowing the snipers more time to do their work. The M60s, and even more so the weaker XM8, are not used to kill the enemy. It takes too long and is inefficient.

I'm pretty sure that I've said all this before in this thread.

Thanks for your reply, Shado.

I'll take a look at some things this evening, and see if I can get a better handle on getting my soldiers through that mission. You've made some interesting points.

Playing with Alien Assault 2 makes the Wargots difficult because they appear in large numbers. I'm looking forward to the rest of the game when i start getting into the high-tech weaponry (gauss rifles, etc).

Realistically, the XM8 is a fine weapon, but not well-suited for an anti-tank role, which seems basically how you have to treat Wargots.

A shotgun slug burst is interesting. I always liked the SPAS12 better since it has a longer range, but the rapid fire burst option on the -15 is probably worth it. "I like to keep this handy, for close encounters."

Cheers.