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[Robsoie]

From what i gather

J16 was the version we used in the succession game (though it needed an edit to fix space missions ) , from the changelog it seems J17 (and J17A) weren't too different and only added some bugfixes and new features.
I don't remember something really unfun in those version, out of them still using the old convulated and sometime annoying to explore maps.

K1 was the version that introduced the Freshness stuff as an additional game mechanic, i remember it was very annoying at first most of my gals ended having to rest to avoid panicking all the time due to low freshness (annoying as you had already gals resting because they were wounded), but that has hopefully been tweaked for less unfun in further versions, K1 also added some good stuff too.

K3 was the last version with the old convulated and sometime very annoying to explore maps .

L6 was the version that had AI actively (and not randomly) picking up weapons on the ground.

Can't find which version introduced those unblockable anti-building missiles as they're not mentionned clearly in the changelog (probably one of those "new events" that are mentionned for each version)

[Dostoevsky]

Huh, I thought AI was picking up weapons more deliberately now.

I've never found freshness to be that big of a deal - mainly a matter of keeping a decent roster and being mindful of certain armor choices / consumables (e.g. drugs, armor that is described as drugged usage).

[E. Albright]

I've been playing L8 for 7mo now (because I'm sloooooow, not because I made a conscious choice to), and I think that was the last one before ninjas got buffed. I believe it has bunker busters, but I'm almost 3y in and haven't seen any, albeit with a weird, circuitous research path.

(Also, we're the "losing is !FUN!" crew - fun and !FUN! are not the same. Losing in DF is engaging death spirals or clown cars gone wild. Losing in XP is getting curbstomped, being asked to do the same thing with fewer resources, and being ground down to a fine paste unless you start savescumming.)

[Sime]

Lack of "fun" has always been an issue with x-com games.  Maybe players should be granted loans so that the narrative could continue, even if running a  large deficit /low score/alternative ending.

[Robsoie]

the FUN! in xpiratez is when one of your gal is panicking and decide to shoot her rocket launcher at your other gals. That's the DF way

About the missile strikes, from what i read they're going to happen if :

do any investigation related to satellites, data networks and scary red-eyed ladies?

So until you get your base to feature lots of anti air stuff (i read talks about flak canons being efficient) , avoid those researches like the plague.

Also avoid playing on too hard difficulty (something often mentionned as it's totally unbalanced apparently) as it will have a timer so missile will strike your base after some time even without triggering the researches.

Still no idea which version implemented them unfortunately

[Dostoevsky]

Yeah, the bad month I mentioned ended up being something of an outlier - I'm in early year 2 without too much trouble or major ninja incursion. This is on difficulty 2. I'm noticing a lot more tech has the "affects game progression" tag, so I'm trying to be mindful about which of those I trigger. (Still, this is with my cheaper brainers - the tech tree is even wider than it used to be, and it seems a shame to blaze through the optimal paths while ignoring so much.)

[E. Albright]

One thing I've seen in versions in the last year is the uptick in "affects progression" labels - I kinda wonder whether this is a change in what affects progression, or if the only change is that the player is told now.

[Mathel]

As I understand it, "Affects game progression" is a tag automaticaly added to technologies that lock or unlock alien missions or events.
So it is certainly change in what affects progression, not just in being told.

[Dostoevsky]

'Affects progression' can be anything from small to big, e.g. a new type of shipping to harrass or the rollout of major new anti-piracy activities. Simultaneously there are certain changes that are time-based (e.g. the megapol upgrading their gear, or now certain escalations from the ninjas). Hard to tell which is which, unfortunately, especially with some of the more cryptic mentions. It's nice that they're flagged more than they used to be (which is my understanding of the change from some discord reading - it's more transparency as opposed to changing what's triggered by tech), but I do end up second-guessing myself on some of these tech choices.

Overall it's likely the case that, outside of some of the 'anger X major faction' choices, it's probably better not to worry about the game progression flags. At least until you've got a decent airgame going, which granted is decently far in for the current tech tree.

[Sime]

Still stubbornly persisting, and dying,  with X-piratez, ironman, difficulty level 3.

In the last game,  my crew's starting vessel was shot down as early as  week 2.   Having to research and buy a V8 car resulted in missing several missions and  interception opportunities.   I then made the mistake of  upgrading to Big Bird,  resulting in an overall debt of over $150,000 at the end of the first month, causing me to sell Menacing Hull and other stuff.    Then  i used Big bird for the first mission  of month 2 (collect taxes iirc), taking what I believed to be a formidable crew of nine (five gals, 3 able peasants, plus a dog),  and to cut a short story even shorter, they all got massacred by zombies who i had never witnessed in the game before, plus a woman with  some sort of hand held rocket launcher thingy.

[EuchreJack]

Still stubbornly persisting, and dying,  with X-piratez, ironman, difficulty level 3.

In the last game,  my crew's starting vessel was shot down as early as  week 2.   Having to research and buy a V8 car resulted in missing several missions and  interception opportunities.   I then made the mistake of  upgrading to Big Bird,  resulting in an overall debt of over $150,000 at the end of the first month, causing me to sell Menacing Hull and other stuff.    Then  i used Big bird for the first mission  of month 2 (collect taxes iirc), taking what I believed to be a formidable crew of nine (five gals, 3 able peasants, plus a dog),  and to cut a short story even shorter, they all got massacred by zombies who i had never witnessed in the game before, plus a woman with  some sort of hand held rocket launcher thingy.

If you survive past Month 3 with that start, I'm impressed.  I'm guessing you'll be chosing to Ignore the Power or whatever option proceeds without the Menacing Hull.

[E. Albright]

plus a woman with  some sort of hand held rocket launcher thingy.

If that's what I think it is, it's another kind of zombie - singer, I'd assume. Of the 4 most common types of zombies, the male ones are melee and the female ones have different ranged attacks.

[Aoi]

plus a woman with  some sort of hand held rocket launcher thingy.

If that's what I think it is, it's another kind of zombie - singer, I'd assume. Of the 4 most common types of zombies, the male ones are melee and the female ones have different ranged attacks.

Did they remove the one that explodes on death? I did a chunk of zombie missions in early M2 (stopped around the time there were the Ninja base missions) and I don't think I ever encountered one of those.

[Dostoevsky]

Strix definitely explode on death; not sure about the Singers. Singers shoot fireballs, Strix shoot daze versions of fireballs.

[Iduno]

Did they remove the one that explodes on death? I did a chunk of zombie missions in early M2 (stopped around the time there were the Ninja base missions) and I don't think I ever encountered one of those.

I remember it used to be possible (maybe not worth the effort, but possible) to take them out of the battle non-lethally somehow. Stab them until they bled most of the way to death or something? Can't remember how anymore, let alone if it's been patched out or not.