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Playable XCOM 2 Aliens - Viper Class Overhaul

This mod builds on the playable alien Viper units introduced in Playable XCOM 2 Aliens, fully fleshing out their roles on the XCOM team with two unique classes using their own custom abilities. Also with as many snake puns as I could fit in.

Please note that this mod requires Playable XCOM 2 Aliens by RealityMachina, and should be loaded after Playable XCOM 2 Aliens in the load order! Will require a fresh campaign if you have already been using Playable XCOM 2 Aliens.

These two new Viper classes excel in quickly and reliably disabling enemy soldiers, making them pivotal control units when firefights turn messy.


Striker
Viper Strikers use their innate biological weaponry and natural agility to weave through chaotic gunfights and quickly impair enemy soldiers. While their raw damage output cannot quite compare to the wielders of XCOM's best heavy weaponry, Strikers are adept at avoiding enemy gunfire and incapacitating enemies.


Predator
While Strikers bring control to a messy shootout, Viper Predators instead aim to eliminate key targets before they can act. Predators use their finely honed senses and alien appearance to infiltrate enemy lines, deliver deadly ambushes, and confirm kills.



Vipers also get their own special GTS tactic! Experienced Vipers can develop their inherent Thermal Sense, enhancing their ability to target enemies protected by cover or armor.

• Fixed the floating hacking tablet! ... I'll put up updated screenshots eventually.
  
• Changed Viper Rifle upgrade schematics to come with Assault Rifle upgrades instead of Sniper Rifle upgrades.
  
• Viper Rifles now have their own research breakthroughs for extra damage and weapon upgrades
  
• Added basic Photobooth poses
  
• Unbinding targets no longer costs an action point.
  
• A handful of new soldier nicknames to reduce overlap between Viper callsigns and Sniper ones.
  
• Most ability values can be tweaked in XComViperSkills.ini. I'll be making some balance adjustments to default values over time and there's a chance that will overwrite existing user settings, but I left most variables adjustable so you can buff/nerf certain abilities to your liking.

• Expanded random name list
  
• Ammo slot Tested, kinda super OP
  
• Balance tweaks: Keeping consistent with the XCOM power progression
  
• More Photobooth poses
  
• Avenger scenes animation fixes (...maybe)
  
• Compatibility updates - I haven't tested this for compatibility with a number of popular mods, will try and address issues as they come in.
  
• Better ability icons?

How do I recruit a Viper?
All recruitment code is handled in Playable XCOM 2 Aliens, including Allies Unknown compatibility. Without Allies Unknown, you have a chance to recruit Vipers through Covert Actions or by kidnapping one and bringing it aboard the Avenger. With Allies Unknown, Viper recruitment conditions can be configured in the relevant .ini file in Playable Aliens.

Do you have plans to do this for other playable alien species?
Nope. Sorry to disappoint! I've been chipping away at this on-and-off for quite awhile now, and between other games, other hobbies, and life in general, I don't think I have enough time left over to do all the other aliens! Plus... really I just liked Vipers enough to want to make this.

Will you at least be updating this mod?
Yes! I plan to, anyway. Bugfixes, balance changes, and compatibility first and foremost. Then see the "Future Changes" section. Won't promise anything concrete though.

Why are there so many redundant things in your code?
I have no idea what I am doing.
...
Some of them are partly from making awkward hooks for compatibility with Playable XCOM 2 Aliens - I didn't really want to completely replicate existing code into my own mod. I guess that would be a little like plagiarism? I don't want to step on any toes here.

I have an idea for the mod! Can you implement it?
Maybe! I'm sure some people might be interested in having a full hero unit skill tree. If there are enough ideas floating around for a cohesive set of skills, and I have the spare time and XCOM 3 hasn't been released, I'll look into it. Again, no promises.

Why does this require Playable XCOM 2 Aliens instead of integrating directly with Allies Unknown?
In theory there's enough material now to have the mod stand alone, but it would still require a lot of blatant code copying from Playable Aliens, and I'd prefer not to do that without explicit permission to do so.

Why is the file size so large?
Probably because I needed to create a copy of the Viper model to resolve prop attachment issues.


RealityMachina, who ported the original Playable Advent mod to WotC and granted permission to make this mod based on it
The r/xcom2mods subreddit, without which I would probably still be trying to figure out how to make any files for my mod. And also for some key ability troubleshooting.