I am, unfortunately, in the same boat as all the other LWOTC users: this mod's UI shows but the regular hack doesn't work, it just stuns. I'll probably still use the mod since the failsafe stun is nice, though!

update please

would love a patch for long war 2 mod

Just finished a campaign with about 685 mods, this one included, and had no major issues! Thanks for putting this up.

So I'm using this with LWOTC and it makes the hacking without a the buff only do a stun, however, the buff hack works. IDK if it giving the buffs though

Same problem as Kiruka and Lucidiann. Looks like there is a conflict between LWOTC and this mod. Successful hack with haywire protocol stuns robotic enemies instead of controlling.

I am also having Kiruka's issue, also running LWOTC. Must be an issue with their added Mecs? Although the same problem happens with Vanilla Mechs too

No problem!

@Udaya gotcha, thanks for the clarification

@Lord Arrojacast Oh no, shutdown is no longer an option. You can supercharge the target robotic unit if the hack attempt fails (causing it to shut down temporarily), but it is otherwise not considered a reward.

Your description makes it sound like there are 3 rewards to choose from, but the video and screenshots only appear to show 2...
Is shutdown still an option available to choose, or is it just the take control rewards?

ohhh, this sounds so much more balanced. I just dont hack things unless im in a "Well, Im dead anyway, and this may save me" moment. Now its a choice.

@jordan shrubb
Just use the Alternate Mod Launcher [github.com]

It won't be anything wrong with this mod, 2K will have released another rubbish launcher.

Dear Mod Creator.
Firstly love this mod. just want to make you aware of 2K's f up. this mod creates a crash with there new and improved launcher. not sure what the problem is just errors on it. sorry for the bad news

@Udaya I narrowed my load order down a whole lot. I also made sure to test on a new campaign and cleaned out my config folder. The mods I ran were LWOTC beta 1.0, Highlander (the one that comes with LWOTC), Squad Select, Revert Overwatch Rules Change, Better Second Wave mod support, and Hacking Proficiency. Hacking Proficiency didn't work with this setup.

@Udaya I just tested my same load order, minus Hacking Proficiency, plus Safer Hacking: https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=636897603 Both mods mess with hack rewards in different ways, and that one didn't do its intended function either. Whatever is going on, it's probably some other mod causing it. If I'm able to find out what it is, I'll let you know.

@Udaya The robot I hacked did not have the supercharge status.

@Kiruka I'm not sure what to think of that. I've never seen any hack rewards being misapplied before, but I imagine it either has something to do with the targeted unit or this mod. Do the stunned units also have the supercharge status after being stunned?

I've recently run into a weird bug with this mod. When I use Haywire Protocol, the UI is showing me the modified options (Supercharge, Control, and Improved Control). However, when I go for Control and it succeeds, it shuts down the robot instead. I've been using this mod for a while, and this is the first campaign that I've encountered this bug. I made sure to load Hacking Proficiency last so nothing else should be messing with it. Any ideas?

Alrighty, understood. I suppose it could be seen as the soldier being dedicated to keeping the thing you're hacking "locked down" and in doing so that specialist is unavailable for other tasks. I tested it and with Hacking Proficiency on, a squaddie can pin a Sectopod in what was effectively a free 'Stasis' every turn.

Theta strike does make them silly powerful though (16 armour with a bit more health) so a lock-down of their systems is very much appreciated! I'm probably going to go for the 'in universe' excuse of the specialist having a coding battle with the target's AI. HACK THE PLANET!

@MINERAL-115 Thing is, that isn't really an effect of this mod. This mostly swaps the hack rewards given by Haywire Protocol, not the ability's cooldown. So you won't find any settings for changes like that in the configuration.

I love everything this mod does except that if the hack fails, it doesn't trigger the Haywire Protocol cooldown. I was able to stunlock a Theta Strike Sectopod for the entire mission with zero effort, all I had to do was keep my hackerman nearby. I can't find any setting for that in XComHackingProficiency.ini

I just completed a WOTC campaign with 104 mods including this one. I didn't actually use Haywire during this campaign as it happens, so never tested it directly, but the run with this mod installed was stable.

So this mod basically changes Haywire results into either Mind Control +buff > Mind Control > or Stun +buff.

I can understand why they felt the need to nerf it if this was the original design, but they went a bit too far resulting in the nigh useless Haywire we got in the base game. Good mod, not to my tastes but nice.

Subbed!
So happy to see some love given to Specialists. As the successor to Support troops from EU/EW I was sad to see they just didn't have the payback on running them in the game. It was all about overwatch with little option for serious tactical play, and as most players use Alpha Strike tactics this class got left behind.

This mod brings the Specialist to the party again. Thank you.

And if you're are reasonable at modding ini files, then adding Favids Recharge and/or Botnet, or Richards AimAssist to your Specialist really makes them sing.

This mod makes me use hacking sometimes, that's good. I still remember my very first play-through of pre-wotc xcom2, I solved every one of my problems with save-scum hacking, and then never hacked anything again in any subsequent play-through till this mod. It feels great and don't be fooled, failing the hack still isn't great, but atleast it won't cost you the game anymore.

Great mod, thank you.

OK. Subscribing.

@Charlemagne The feedback effect is permanent, and the stun will neutralize the robotic unit during XCOM and the Aliens' turn.

OK that wasn't clear, then failing will give you a one-turn stun (in addition to feedback). I hadn't noticed the small text under feedback. How long does feedback last (+aim, defense and hacking defense) and does it apply as well during the one turn the unit will be stunned? Also is this 1-turn stun during Xcom's turn only, then wake up, or it applies to the next alien turn as well?

@Charlemagne Those feedback buffs are only compensation for the significant power boost that I gave to Haywire Protocol, seeing how it stuns the enemy for a full turn upon failure. And while it effectively has the same chance of happening, the likelihood of someone actually going for hack reward 2 (the more risky option) is decreased.

This is because you can get the same control duration with both reward 1 and reward 2, and
since reward 1 has the same chances of happening as a shutdown pre-mod changes, it's the better choice for situations where you'd need to guarantee control of a robotic enemy.

Hence, my mod negates the unreliability of hacking by giving people more feasible options when determining how they want to control an enemy.

From what I see the original (demo) had only good things to happen. Of course the real good things were harder to get but there doesn't seem to be feedback punishment.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from the pics your mod although it offers better (way better) rewards, it keeps the feedback lurking there and at apparently the same chances of happening. From your description, the feedback in your mod is actually WORSE punishment than before.

You say that unreliable hacking and the feedback swayed players away from using the skill, how is your mod any different? Aside from giving you much juicier rewards if you like gambling.

@JerC Yeah, sorry about that. I'm only an English speaker, so I've never considered making any localization files other than .INT

Seems the text isn't there on non english versions?

@Cricle of Psi That's more of a Full Override thing, but you can do it by creating a file called "XComGameData_SoldierSkills.ini" in the Config of this mod and putting the following code into it:

[XComGame.X2Ability_HackRewards]
-CONTROL_ROBOT_DURATION=3
+CONTROL_ROBOT_DURATION=0

@Lord Neccy Admittedly, relying on modders to significantly improve their game is a bit weak, but a good business decision nonetheless. At least WOTC brought substantial enhancements to the game's visualization systems and loading times.

@Udaya Still disappointed that they'd let us fix their game for them instead of focusing on making their own game work though. It's been how many years since EW? You'd think their game would run WAY better than it does even now.

I understand. But the the performance do tell the diffierence with or without this mod to my PC.
I would believe you are right.
But the game FPS would drop badly in tatical mod and even in GEO globe of Avenger flights.
And yes, I using ton of gameplay changes mod and soldiers customization in perks.
But I rarely using voice and bigger than 500MB skin mods.

I was surprised after I disable the peek from concealment mod, suddenly raised my FPS.
I can not explain what behind it myself. All i could do now is to disable it...
Maybe there is something to do with the TLP? Just beyond my knowelege...

By the way, after I confimed this lagging source and disable it.
Both this mod and [WOTC] Iridar's System Infiltration can be function without any lagging spike.

@Fleshseeker The thing about that override is that Gotcha and Peek From Concealment's UI fix do essentially the same thing, which is why deleting that line won't make your PC go any faster. They're meant to work together, and the override is just your average script warning.

There are a variety of mods that could be causing your lag, whether it be largely unoptimized voice pack mods or huge soldier customization packs. Miniscule gameplay mods such as this one just aren't known for causing hangs or visualizer slowdowns in the middle of combat.

Hi, it is me again,
After I check up all of the mods,
I found threre is a mod called:
[WotC] Peek From Concealment UI Fix
It conflicted with Gotcha and as modder said:
it can be fixed by delete the line

+ModClassOverrides=(BaseGameClass="XComPathingPawn", ModClass="XComPathingPawn_GA")

I did it in the past and then ignore the alternative launcher warning as believing it is fixed.
However, In this run of check.

It isnt been really fixed and consuming tremendious amount of PC resource.

I think it might be the source that pushed my PC to the limit point and let it would start lagging after either this mod or other hacking mod which also required resource to become a breaching point to lag my game.

I would like to know if there is a way to fix this. However, I had no idea how to fix it in the coding problem. It would be great if there is something I can do about it.

Well, I fairly understand that.
Just to point it out for what I met after the patch.

For that, ALL of Hacking related mod would caused my game a paused in each movement.
Where the all the same mods list were fine, this happen after the TLP dlc.
This is more likely a reporting in, because there would be many more mod I would check out that is semi-incompatiible along the way to know what made my game in to a Hovac now.

So far I check out even more mod that is have issue with TLP and the alternative launcher said that is compatiible...

there are much for me to go around to finally find my day to play my modded XCOM again.

@Fleshseeker I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do to prevent a resource leak if hacking is lagging your game. This mod changes the functionality and outcome of Haywire Protocol for sure, but not the overall process. Even if it didn't work, it's unlikely that your PC would be slowed down or lose performance from a relatively small change like this one.

So far I detect there are mutiple mod relate to Hacking had been casuing some issue.
This made me to believe there are some changes in hacking in TLP DLC and made hacking mod got coding issue leading to wasting PC resource to lag the playing performance.

Hi, it is me again.
After the latest DLC TLP patch is up. This mod had some semi imcompatiible issue occur:
There might been something changed and make game LOADING SPIKE suddenly peak high in soldiers movement. Leaving an obviously gap time between each soldier command and sometime made the misplacement fot soldier's moving and displayed in a wrong position which they are not really standing there.

So far I detected mutiple mod casuing the same problem, checking it one by one. This one is one of it.

I would humblely suggest you to recheck it for the TLP patch.

Thx for your answer man, I'll try your mod on my new run, I still find hacking a very frustrating thing even with hack plus! XD

@Crysis Yes, it is compatible.

Sorry if someone asked before but is this compatible with "hack plus"?

@TeranSpecialist I see. If you prefer hacking to fail with a stun but have everything else be the same, that would actually be relatively easy to do. Just delete XComGameCore.ini and XComGameData_CharacterStats.ini in the Config file, and delete the Localization folder (or just XComGame.int), and you should have everything that you want.

Alternatively, you can comment everything out with a semicolon (;), but that seems unnecessary since you can just unsubscribe and resubscribe :P

possibly i sitll like the fail being stun but with the defense bonus but what you said seems interesting as well. If you could do that that would be amazing but if not its ok i can just tinker with the hack chance within the ini files

@TeranSpecialist I suppose I never did get a chance to check out the real balancing since I don't play much XCOM 2 anymore, just modding it. Perhaps you might be more interested in a mod that makes Haywire Protocol go Disorient (fail) → Stun (hack 1) → Control (hack 2)?