04-26-2014: Just wanted to update that I'm ending work and support on the Implassic mod. I have to turn my focus on other projects. In the forum thread I have some recent posts on how one can modify the game's INI files to make further changes. Basically you need the ResourceHacker program and also the ModHelper utility to modify the game EXE to point to the local config files.

Thanks for enjoying the mod. I hope it will continue to work in the future with any of Firaxis's patches.

03-10-2014: Another PATCH UPDATE: I read another patch for XCOM EW was applied on Steam, so if you are running Implassic be sure to re-run the patcher batch file so the game will read the local DefaultGameCore.ini file again. I assume at this point Implassic will still work, as Firaxis probably just fixed a few things they broke with the last patch. I'll find time to double-check by this upcoming weekend...

02-25-2014: FIRAXIS PATCH UPDATE: Just as with the last patch, Firaxis did not change anything that would affect the Implassic mod (latest version 8), after I reviewed the new patched files. As before just re-run the mod's patching batch file and your Implassic mod variation will be re-enabled again.

12-02-2013: Firaxis patch - So far the Implassic mod is compatible. But if you were already running the mod you will need to re-patch the games EXE file by running the mod patching batch file, ImplassicEW_patch_v08.bat. After you run it, check the log file (in the same directory) to see if the patch worked OK, then your Implassic mod should work as normal.

Both of the game's INI files that Implassic modified are the same in the Firaxis patch, so no changes to Implassic version 8 are needed.

Summary: This is a mod that adjusts the game's difficulty settings between the tactical and strategic portions of the game. Using the base Implassic mod, when starting a game on Impossible difficulty you can fight enemies like on Classic settings but get more enemies per mission like on Impossible. Yet the enemy skill and strategic layer behaves like Classic difficulty. Other difficulty variations are provided in the mod.

11-21-2013 9:25PM CST: A user found a typo for ClormalPlus, so I have fixed that and rolled out another maintenance release. If you are running ClormalPlus then you should restart your game and use this new version. If you are using the Implassic or other variations then there is no reason to restart your game or download this update.

11-18-2013 10:51PM CST: New version of Implassic is out, version 07. Following is the readme file with all the details. I'm removing prior update notes as they are no longer relevant.

Changes were made to all INI files, but they were minor so if your game is going well there is no need to restart. Just download the updated INI files and use for your next game.

Please read the FAQ below before submitting any questions.

11/21/2013
implassic_forEW_v08 readme

Author: grenademagnet@TheNexusForums
You can contact me by sending me a message at TheNexusForums

Credits and Included software (and authors)
XComEWModHelper.exe v.31 (by UberJumper, thank you)
Thanks to Drakous79 for explaining how to run the CombatSimulation in-game to speed up testing (life-saver)
Thanks to SableShrike for reporting the ClormalPlusEW typo bug in Version 07 (described below)

Version 08 Summary
* Fix for ClormalPlus: had typo in the DefaultGameCore.ini file:
Recommend start a new game if running ClormalPlus
* No other changes, other files same as in Version 07
* IF YOU ARE NOT PLAYING CLORMALPLUS, THEN NO NEED TO RESTART YOUR GAME

NOTES:
* This mod package provides five difficulty mods, or five different ways to play Enemy Within:
1) Implassic mode: run an Impossible game but play on Classic settings
Implassic was the main varation of this mod, and now four more variations are added:
2) Clormal Mode: Run a Classic game but have Normal geoscape settings
3) ClormalPlus with reduced Panic: modifies some panic events to make Clormal Geoscape easier
4) Implassic with Clormal: Run the base Implassic mode but have Normal geoscape settings
There is no ClormalPlus mode for this version.
5) Clampossible: Basically a tougher version of Implassic, putting back the Impossible tactical mode but leaving the Geoscape as Classic.

The point of playing Implassic is to have Classic difficulty but the same enemies as on Impossible
The point of playing Clormal is to play regular Classic but have a Normal geoscape, which may result in a longer game.
The point of playing ClormalPlus is to reduce negative panic events more than on Normal mode.
The point of playing Implassic with Clormal is a combination of both main modes.
The point of playing Clampossible is to have tough tactical enemies like in real Impossible, but a Classic geoscape.

* This mod relies on the new ModHelper utility as no ModPatcher was available for Enemy Within at the time of
this mod's publication.

* CLORMALPLUS changes
In ClormalPlus, I reduced negative panic events more so than regular Clormal, and also made one panic reduction event a little better.
Here are a list of the four changes in the DefaultGameCore.ini file for ClormalPlus:

ContBalance_Hard=...for the 5 continents, gave same staff bonuses as on Normal
PANIC_SAT_DESTROYED_CONTINENT=0 ;ClormalPlus, changed from 1
PANIC_UFO_IGNORED=1 ;ClormalPlus, changed from 2
PANIC_ABDUCTION_THWARTED_CONTINENT=1 ;ClormalPlus, changed from 0

You can modify any of these values yourself to tweak panic penalties or rewards further.

User Assumptions:
You know how to run batch files and are familiar with copying and pasting file in Windows Explorer

=========================
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
=========================

NOTE: These instructions are a little more involved than for the original Implassic. There was no way around this
due to the current circumstances.

IMPORTANT MODHELPER NOTE:
This mod relies on Uberjumper's XComEWModHelper program. This mod is packaged with version 0.31, found here:
https://github.com/fperks/xcom-mod-helper/releases/latest

You should check the link above to see if a newer version is required, as I may not have time to keep
his ModHelper program up to date with my mod package.

1) Locate your config file folder for your Enemy Within installation. You are going to copy two files here manually.

The folder should be located in your steam apps folder. Here is mine for example:

C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownXEWXComGameConfig

2) Make backup copies of the following two INI files. Note the file names are very similar. You can just copy and paste into the same folder.
DefaultGameCore.ini
DefaultGameData.ini

3) Open a new Windows explorer folder and pick which mod folder you want to use, which should be present where you
unzipped this install archive. PICK ONLY ONE FOLDER OR SUBFOLDER

ImplassicEW This is default Implassic for Enemy Within
ClormalEW This is default Clormal for Enemy Within
ClormalPlusEW This is default ClormalPlus for Enemy Within
ImplassicEW_withClormal This is for the combined mods
ClampossibleEW This is for tactical Impossible for Classic Geoscape

4) From the folder you picked you will see two files within, which are named the same as the game's original ini files:
DefaultGameCore.ini
DefaultGameData.ini

NOTE: If you need to confirm which mod version the ini files are for, I have placed a comment at the beginning
of each ini file to confirm which mod it's for.

5) Select the two ini files, copy, and paste them into the game config folder you found back in Step 1)
You can overwrite the existing files since you made back-up copies in Step 2)

6) Back-up the game EXE file: Find the XcomEW.exe file and make a back-up copy of it.

Here is where my game EXE file is located for example:
C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonXCom-Enemy-UnknownXEWBinariesWin32

7) PATCHING THE GAME: At this point you are ready to run the ModHelper utility.
NOTE: IF THESE REMAINING PATCHING STEPS WORK YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO PATCH THE EXE FILE AGAIN
unless Firaxis releases an updated patch or EXE in the future.

Go back to the folder you decompressed Implassic to and locate the following batch file:

Implassic_patch_EW_v07.bat

Double-click on this file and it will run the ModHelper utility and patch in the mod version you prepared for in
the previous steps.

8) Review the patcher log file: a file named log.txt should appear.
Review the log and see if the patching was successful.

Here's what the end of my log file looked like, though I truncated the install path:

[INFO]> Patching of [ ...XEWBinariesWin32XComEW.exe ] was successful
[INFO]> Finished

9) At this point you are ready to play the mod version you picked.

9.1) For ImplassicEW:
Start a new game and pick the IMPOSSIBLE setting;

9.2) For ClormalEW:
Start a new game and pick the CLASSIC setting;

9.3) For ClormalPlusEW:
Start a new game and pick the CLASSIC setting;

9.4) For ImplassicEW_withClormal
Start a new game and pick the IMPOSSIBLE setting;

9.5) For ClampossibleEW
Start a new game and pick the IMPOSSIBLE setting;

10) End of installation instructions

*****
**** IMPORTANT: SWITCHING MODS
*****
After you have successfully installed one of the mods, if you decide to switch mods, you only
have to follow steps 1 through 5 above to replace the game INI files, then follow launch instructions in Step 9)
You do NOT have to repatch the EXE file again.

The EXE patch is only for making the game read the DefaultGameCore.ini file from the config folder,
instead of using the one embedded in the EXE file. So once the EXE is patched there is no need to patch again.

*****
***** UNINSTALLING THE IMPLASSIC MOD
*****

1) Go to the game's Config folder found back in Step 1)

2) Locate the back-up copies you made of the two INI files:
DefaultGameCore.ini
DefaultGameData.ini

3) Remove the two INI files and replace them with your back-up copies,
renaming the back-ups to the original file names.

4) Restore the XComEW.exe file from your back-up copy you made back in Step 6)

5) End of restore instructions

==========================
TROUBLESHOOTING FAQ
==========================

****Q* I'm playing one of the Clormal modes, but I do not start with an OTS, like in Normal difficulty

****A* The OTS appearing is controlled by the game EXE or UPK files, and the Implassic mod does not make any attempt to change those files.
I also don't know what makes the OTS appear in the UPK files, so perhaps one day a mod or modified UPK will be made available
to allow the OTS to appear on Classic and Impossible difficulties.

****Q* I'm playing Clormal mode but I am still having problems with panic in the strategic layer.

****A* Short answer: Try the ClormalPlus variation, as panic penalities are reduced somewhat compared to Clormal mode.

Long answer: The Clormal mode changes are very subtle. Clormal was tested and the normal mode panic changes were working.
The problem is many panic events in Classic are the same as on Normal, and some panic events are not controlled by difficulty.
For example the following parameter in the DefaultGameCore.ini file is the same panic penalty for all difficulty levels and there
is no way to adjust it for each difficulty:
PANIC_UFO_IGNORED=2

However, if you find the Clormal panic too much then I've added a ClormalPlus mode to use instead,
that minimizes the negative panic events somewhat, and the changes are commented in the ClormalPlus INI files.

****Q* My log file for ModPatcher shows an error.

****A* Replace the XComEW.exe with the back-up copy you made back in step 6) and try the patcher batch file again.

If you get another error then you will need to follow up with Uberjumper, or the Nexus Forums, to troubleshoot
the problem further.
NOTE THIS MOD ASSUMES YOU ARE USING A STANDARD STEAM INSTALL. No other install variations are supported.

****Q* I forgot what mod version I am using, Implassic or Clormal or other variation, how can I tell which is active?

****A* Go into your Steam game's config folder from Step 1) and open up your DefaultGameCore.ini and
DefaultGameData.ini files. On the first line of each file I have left a comment to indicate which version of the mod you are running.

****Q* I cannot find the XComEW.exe game file in the Steam app sub-folders

****A* Double-check to make sure you have purchased the Enemy Within version or expansion.
XCom was originally released as Enemy Unknown, so you have to buy the expansion or new version
of the game for this mod to work for Enemy Within.

****Q* Can you add a variation for Normal or Easy difficulties, or a new varation for Classic?

****A* I have limited time to support the existing variations, so you will have create the new variations on your own.
However, I have commented all the changes in each mod file so that should save you time on figuring out how to create your
own strategic and tactical difficulty INI files as desired, like Normal-skill enemies on Impossible difficulty, etc.

****Q* Steam just patched the game and now Implassic doesn't work. ModHelper doesn't work

****A* If Firaxis decides to update the game's EXE in the future then there is a chance ModHelper and Implassic won't work until
an update is provided. Firaxis and Steam do not pre-announce patches so this mod could break at anytime.

An executable update will prevent the game's EXE file from using the local DefaultGameCore.ini file, so you have to find a way to edit
the DefaultGameCore.ini settings that are embedded in the EXE file.

Fortunately there is a tool called ResourceHacker, that's free, and it will let you edit the embedded INI file in the EXE.
About a year ago I used ResourceHacker to edit the INI before ModPatcher and ModHelper utilities were released.

ResourceHacker is available here from download.cnet.com: this is the most recent working link:
http://download.cnet.com/Resource-Hacker/3000-2352_4-10178587.html

To use ResourceHacker, first back-up the good XComEW.exe file. Then when you open the XComEW.exe in ResourceHacker,
find the nodes RCData/1020/1033 . Inside node 1033 is the embedded DefaultGameCore.ini file shown in an editable text area.
To replace the embedded INI file, just open one of the Implassic DefaultGameCore.ini files in Notepad, Select All, Copy,
and then in ResourceHacker, with the /1033 node selected, remove all the text in the node (select all, delete), and paste in the
new clipboard INI contents. Then you save out the EXE file and it should be good to run with the Implassic variation.

END OF FAQ

Release notes from Version 07 (released 11/18/2013)
==================================================
* Fixed parameter issue in Clormal files: I missed this variable to change
PANIC_DEFECTIONS_PER_MONTH_HARD=3
Value is now 2 for Clormal
* Clormal: fixed continental scientist and engineer bonuses, made same as Normal mode
* Also in Clormal, adjusted starting base power and funding levels to be same as Normal mode.
* Created ClormalPlus mode, basically reduces some panic penalties to make the Geoscape easier to manage.
I think some people expected a more reduced panic than what default Clormal provided.
* Added new Clampossible mode, gives Impossible tactical with Classic Geoscape
* Updated parameters in ImplassicEW_withClormal, same fixes as regular Clormal mode
* Implassic: fixed maximum money reward parameter in DefaultGameData.ini file.
* Updated the included ModHelper version to 0.31.
* Added comments to all INI files to indicate variable changes


Release notes from Version 06 (released 11/13/2013)
==================================================
* Created stand-alone mod for Enemy Within, starting with Version 06. For the old Enemy Unknown people
will need to use the older Implassic version 04
* No modpatcher utility, yet, for Enemy Within, so instead was able to use Uberjumper's ModHelper utility.
* Found the EXALT Geoscape settings are in the DefaultGameData.ini file, so the mod requires two INI
files to be overridden.

End of release notes