Suggestions on how to improve the mod

[ivandogovich]

I'd prefer shortcuts that instantly bring up the targeting cursor.
<snip>
So in OpenXcom, a button to cycle through the fire modes. That's probably a lot more complicated to implement, though.

Yeah, a "targeting" key would be great.  Hit it once and it starts with a targeting reticle of first available action.  "Aimed" gets displayed above or below the reticle. Hit it again, and it cycles through to "Snap", "Auto," etc. 

Just use the Q and E keys which already open the dialogue.  Maybe Control Q for target with Right hand, Control E for Target with Left, etc.

All of these would be enabled with an Option in Battlescape: "Advanced Targeting Keys" or some such.

And yes, I do use keyboard shortcuts with my Left hand, and mouse with the right.  I use "C" for center on selected unit. The numbers to flip through visible enemies, Q and E for hand item menus, Tab to cycle units, W to finish with the unit till next turn.

[Yankes]

Let's make a short table, actually. 4 will always be melee, 5-throw.

Item..........................1................2...............3
t.1 (gun).............Aimed...........Snap..........Auto
t.2 (ammo)...........Load...........................
t.3 (melee)........................................
t.4/5 (nades)........Prime...................Unprime
t.6 (med)......Quick Heal...Quick Stim.....Quick PK
t.7/8 (scan, probe)...Use..........................
t.9 (psi)................Panic..............MC............
t.10 (flare)........................................
t.11 (corpse).....................................
empty hand.........punch.............kick.........bite:)

psi have 3 attacks (add "use" too). Flare can have prime/unprime (btw its glow if primed, dark if not).

[new_civilian]

I have an idea for a new reward/medal like item for the user (skipper) to give to better gals. Just add a tiny 1x1 medal object that acts like a stun/smoke/whatever/grenade (with a small damage value of e.g. 5) that the unit can carry primed and give it a negative damage tohealth maybe with a factor of 3.0 (giving 15 health to the unit). Now if the valuable unit with the medal gets hit, the medal goes off and (if it isn't killed right away) and saves the unit or at least gives the captain time enough to send a medic to treat the fatal wounds.

The medals themselves (they don't actually have to be "medals", i just call them that way atm) should not be manufactured easily or maybe not at all, maybe just give the skipper a fixed amount of e.g. 10 at the start of the game. Or make them an advanced research. Whatever you do, do not make them spammable.

I made something like that for my personal XPiratez mod and I called the devices "Little Helper", they work fine and are not overpowered IF restricted carefully.

[ivandogovich]

I have an idea for a new reward/medal like item for the user (skipper) to give to better gals. Just add a tiny 1x1 medal object that acts like a stun/smoke/whatever/grenade (with a small damage value of e.g. 5) that the unit can carry primed and give it a negative damage tohealth maybe with a factor of 3.0 (giving 15 health to the unit). Now if the valuable unit with the medal gets hit, the medal goes off and (if it isn't killed right away) and saves the unit or at least gives the captain time enough to send a medic to treat the fatal wounds.

The medals themselves (they don't actually have to be "medals", i just call them that way atm) should not be manufactured easily or maybe not at all, maybe just give the skipper a fixed amount of e.g. 10 at the start of the game. Or make them an advanced research. Whatever you do, do not make them spammable.

I made something like that for my personal XPiratez mod and I called the devices "Little Helper", they work fine and are not overpowered IF restricted carefully.

Interesting.  You could tie them to "Stasis Pods" which would limit their availability, and call them Stasis Fields.  They would put the unconscious unit in "Stasis" from a lore perspective to slow the time it takes for them to die. 

Alternatively, they could "Heal" X number of wounds, say 5, but not give any health back. That would be enough to stop gals bleeding almost entirely, as most hits that drop them are around 3 wounds.  I've only seen over 5 once iirc.  A gal dropped in this manner might slowly come back to her senses on her own, or be stimmed up, but she would have a 90%+ chance of survival.

[Arthanor]

That's a really cool idea! I don't have issues with gals bleeding out (mostly getting injured all the time...) but the mechanic is neat, and Ivan's stasis field explanation to slow time when close to death is rather cool and techy too. I think stasis pods aren't that common either? You don't even need a new inventory slot, a "stasis field generator" could fit anywhere in the inventory.

I'm not keen on the removal of fatal wounds though, since yes, it would prevent gals from dying, but also remove opportunities to heal them and reduce recovery time. Recovery times can already be ridiculously high, removing the one way we have to minimize them (by healing as many hp per wounds as possible) would be unfortunate. By opposition, healing 15 health is neat because it does help with that problem, but also helps the gal survive until help can arrive.

[new_civilian]

I am not sure if a grenade like item can heal wounds, they can restore hp, that I know. Here the setup I am using atm:

Code: [Select]

  - type: STR_EMERGENCY
    size: 0.1
    costSell: 3000
    weight: 1
    bigSprite: 77798
    floorSprite: 77799
    power: 5
    damageType: 6
    battleType: 4
    blastRadius: 1
    hitAnimation: 0
    tuThrow: 20
    tuPrime: 20
    damageAlter:
      RandomType: 3
      ArmorEffectiveness: 0.0
      ToHealth: -1.0
    listOrder: 4355
And yes, the stasis field is a great idea!

[ivandogovich]

@new_civilian:  Do you ever run into the situation where, your "Health Bomb" actually revives a gal?  if so, does she jump back on her feet immediately, with no TUs and empty inventory just as if you'd healed her with a medikit?

[new_civilian]

@new_civilian:  Do you ever run into the situation where, your "Health Bomb" actually revives a gal?  if so, does she jump back on her feet immediately, with no TUs and empty inventory just as if you'd healed her with a medikit?

Not that I remember, but then again the situation does not appear too often. I remember a downed gal getting up in the next turn, but that is not what you asked for I guess. 

[ivandogovich]

Not that I remember, but then again the situation does not appear too often. I remember a downed gal getting up in the next turn, but that is not what you asked for I guess. 

No, that probably answers it.  The bomb goes off at the end of the turn, but the game doesn't check consciousness status until the beginning of the next turn to see if stun has worn off enough for them to revive. 

Do you recall if she had full TUs or not?  I'd guess she had empty inventory.

[Bloax]

ever considered something as simple as making it add stun too

[Dioxine]

I like this stasis bomb idea.

I think it will be manufacturable from Stasis Pods... which brings the question to players: do stasis pods appear as loot? I don't remember since they're a tile type AFAIK.

[ivandogovich]

Yeah, they appear as loot.  In my game I have 3 in stores at year May, 2602. 
That feels fairly good for rarity.

[Dioxine]

I'll make it 10 items per pod then or something. Eventually you can produce Stasis Pods but end-game spam is not an issue really Oh yeah! I absolutely need a handob too, since this is a grenade-type item. Hmm, I could use Robin's Apoc medkit handob...

[Meridian]

So, I added hotkeys... based on Dioxine's and Yankes' suggestions... because they were the most complete.

Also, I changed the position of "Hit/Swing" for firearms on the GUI:
- before: hit, aim, snap, auto, throw
- now: aim, snap, auto, hit, throw
That was bothering me for a long time... and it also is more consistent with the hotkeys.

[The Think Tank]

This seems awesome, cannot wait for Stasis Fields!