[Documentation] Soldier Transformations

[ohartenstein23]

Edit:  This is now officially a part of OXCE+; while the following description of the UI only applied to the preview version and is therefore obsolete, the ruleset description in the next post is up-to-date with the feature as it is in the official version.

I'm excited to announce a new feature for upcoming versions of OXCE+: Soldier Transformations!  These transformations allow for mods to define projects that allow for direct editing of soldier stats and types in ways previously only possible by save editing, including the possibility of raising your favorite soldier from the dead or creating clones of them!  As this is such a large new piece of code, I'm releasing a preview build of it here for testing and feedback along with a mod that showcases some of the capabilities of transformation projects.  The zip archive I'm attaching to this post is a standalone OpenXcom build with a windows executable and a mod for testing the new code - installation is just unpacking the archive and copying the original game files to the UFO folder, a process familiar to those of you who play Piratez or the X-Com Files.

In order to access the transformation projects, when a project is unlocked via research (similar to a manufacturing project), the button from the Soldiers screen that takes you to the Memorial screen will turn into a drop-down menu for accessing the Soldier Transformations screen, the Memorial, and psi training or physical training if those are available at a base.  It can also be accessed from the Memorial screen in a similar manner if you have any projects available for resurrecting or cloning your fallen soldiers, or from a right-click action on a facility in the basescape view if it is modded to do so.

Once you reach the transformation screen you'll be shown a list of soldiers that are eligible for your unlocked transformation projects at a particular base; any fallen soldiers eligible will show up at the bottom of the list in a different color.  From there, you can select a project from the drop-down in the lower-left corner of the screen that will filter the list of soldiers by those eligible for only that particular project.  In the mod attached here, I've created three different projects to try out - one to send a soldier off to training for a week to bring their firing accuracy up to the maximum possible starting accuracy, one to create a clone of a soldier using their starting stats, and one that will allow you to bring a soldier back from the dead, but at a loss of 25% of the stats they've gained.

Clicking on a soldier in the list with the project selected will bring up an allocation screen where you can preview what's necessary to start the project and, if the option is turned on from the Options menu, how the soldier's stats will change when the project is started.  Clicking the start button performs the selected project on the selected soldier, placing them in a transfer to that base (if defined in ruleset) and giving them recovery time (also if defined in the ruleset).

There are a huge number of possibilities for what you can do with these transformations - XCOM 2012-style MEC soldiers and gene modding?  Yep!  Transferring soldiers' consciousness into cybernetic killing machines?  Check!  Creating an army of undead from all the rookies you sacrificed down the ramp of the Skyranger?  You betcha!  So please test this new code out and let me know what you think, particularly with respect to the interface and what information you get from these screens - I want this to be as clear and fun a process as possible.

[ohartenstein23]

Here's the ruleset documentation for the modders out there, it's also contained as a text file in the mod attached to the post above:

Code: [Select]

soldierTransformation:
  - name: STR_PROJECT_NAME # (REQUIRED) The name of this project listed in the Soldier Transformations screen
    listOrder: 100 # The list order of this project, defaults to increasing by 100 for each project in the mod when not defined
    requires: # A list of research projects required before this project appears in the list of available transformations, the default empty list means this project is available from the beginning of the game
      #- STR_SOME_RESEARCH
    requiresBaseFunc: # A list of base functions required at a base in order to do this project, the default empty list means no special facilities are required
      #- SOME_BASE_FUNC
    producedSoldierType: STR_SOLDIER # The type of soldier produced by this project - any soldier undergoing this transformation will be switched to this type. If left empty, the soldier type does not change.
    producedSoldierArmor: STR_NONE_UC # The armor the soldier produced will have when the project finishes, only used when keepSoldierArmor is false. Leaving it empty will give the soldier the armor defined by the type in the soldiers: ruleset.
    keepSoldierArmor: false # Default false, this parameter determines whether or not the soldier will keep the armor they're wearing through this transformation
    createsClone: false # Default false, this parameter determines whether the selected soldier has the transformation done to them or a new soldier is created that is a copy of the original and the transformation is done to the new soldier.
    needsCorpseRecovered: true # Default true, if your project allows dead soldiers, this determines whether or not you needed to have a corpse item available at the end of the battle in which the soldier died. This does not mean you need the corpse item in your stores, just that it would have been recovered if recover: true was set on the item
    allowsDeadSoldiers: false # Default false - can dead soldiers undergo this transformation?  If so, they are brought back to life at the base you started this project in
    allowsLiveSoldiers: false # Default false - can live, non-wounded soldiers undergo this transformation?
    allowsWoundedSoldiers: false # Default false - can wounded soldiers undergo this transformation?
    allowedSoldierTypes: # (REQUIRED) This list determines which soldier types can undergo this transformation, the default empty list means nobody can have this project done to them.
      #- STR_SOLDIER
    requiredPreviousTransformations: # A list of transformation projects that must be done to a soldier before they're eligible for this project, the default empty list means no previous projects are required.
      #- STR_SOME_TRANSFORMATION
    forbiddenPreviousTransformations: # A list of transformation projects that a soldier cannot have undergone in order to be eligible for this project, the default empty list means no previous projects are forbidden
      #- STR_SOME_OTHER_TRANSFORMATION
    requiredMinStats: # The minimum stats a soldier must have in order to be eligible for this project, defaults to all 0 so any soldier is eligible
      tu: 0
      stamina: 0
      health: 0
      bravery: 0
      reactions: 0
      firing: 0
      throwing: 0
      strength: 0
      psiStrength: 0
      psiSkill: 0
      melee: 0
    requiredItems: # A list of items that must be consumed from the base's stores in which you start this project, the default empty list means no items are used
      #STR_SOME_ITEM: 1
    cost: 50000 # The cost of the project in dollars
    transferTime: 0 # Soldiers can be put in a transfer back to the base where they started if this parameter is greater than the default of 0 hours. New clones or resurrected soldiers are automatically given a transfer to the base with a default of 24 hours.
    recoveryTime: 0 # The amount of wound recovery time a soldier is given after this project completes and the transfer, if any, is completed. The default value is 0 days.
    flatOverallStatChange: # A direct change to the soldier's overall stats when undergoing this project, can be positive or negative - tu: 5 means the soldier will gain 5 max time units, while tu: -5 means the soldier will lose 5 max time units. The default of 0 means no change.
      tu: 0
      stamina: 0
      health: 0
      bravery: 0
      reactions: 0
      firing: 0
      throwing: 0
      strength: 0
      psiStrength: 0
      psiSkill: 0
      melee: 0
    percentOverallStatChange: # A percent change to the soldier's overall stats when undergoing this project, can be positive or negative - tu: 5 means the soldier will gain an extra 5% of their max time units, while tu: -5 means the soldier will lose 5% of their max time units. The default of 0 means no change.
      tu: 0
      stamina: 0
      health: 0
      bravery: 0
      reactions: 0
      firing: 0
      throwing: 0
      strength: 0
      psiStrength: 0
      psiSkill: 0
      melee: 0
    percentGainedStatChange: # A percent change to the soldier's stats, but instead of taking a portion of the overall stats, this only applies to the stats they've trained up from their initial values, can be positive or negative - firing: -100 means the soldier will lose all of the firing accuracy they trained since joining, while firing: 10 means they gain 10% of the amount they trained over their initial values. The default of 0 means no change.
      tu: 0
      stamina: 0
      health: 0
      bravery: 0
      reactions: 0
      firing: 0
      throwing: 0
      strength: 0
      psiStrength: 0
      psiSkill: 0
      melee: 0
    useRandomStats: false # Default false, when true, this parameter overrides the stat changes above and has the produced soldier roll random stats according to their new soldier type from this transformation project.
    lowerBoundAtMinStats: true # Default true, this parameter determines whether or not any changes in stats from this project should go below the minStats defined on the new soldier type.
    upperBoundAtMaxStats: false # Default false, this parameter determines whether or not any changes in stats from this project should go above the maxStats defined on the new soldier type.
    upperBoundAtStatCaps: false # Default false, this parameter determines whether or not any changes in stats from this project should go above the statCaps defined on the new soldier type.

The associated strings are:

Code: [Select]

extraStrings:
  - type: en-US
    strings:
#SoldierTransformationAssignState.cpp
      STR_TRANSFER_TIME: "Transfer Time>{ALT}{0}"
      STR_RECOVERY_TIME: "Recovery Time>{ALT}{0}"
      STR_CURRENT_STATS: "Current stats"
      STR_CHANGES: "Changes"


[Starving Poet]

Awesome work!  I can totally see myself using this in the future.

[Ethereal]

Despite the fact that I have long learned how to play without losses among soldiers, thanks to tanks and smoke, I support this idea. Improving the characteristics of soldiers is generally fine! However, due to poor knowledge of English, i it is not possible to master the functional in order to conduct adequate testing. I'll wait for the release version.

[bulletdesigner]

ho man i go to do this for the dreadnoughts , can i use it now or wait for the next extender release?

[Meridian]

ho man i go to do this for the dreadnoughts , can i use it now or wait for the next extender release?

You can test and use it now already... it will be available in the next oxce+ version with the same ruleset (and maybe slightly updated gui)

[ohartenstein23]

ho man i go to do this for the dreadnoughts , can i use it now or wait for the next extender release?

That reminds me, I've been playing your mod with my test version and using this for dreadnoughts in my personal 40k edits mod, I'm attaching the mod that has the ruleset for dreads.  Also, I should let you know I designed this feature knowing that it would be used exactly for this.

As before, I don't recommend you take everything from my personal mod, just the stuff that looks helpful, like the marine-to-dread transformations ruleset.

[FeruEnzeru[RETIRED/I QUIT]]

Hi, Otto. I've read your huge post about soldier transformations, along with conversions and replacements.

I haven't tried that cool thing, but it might taken from my ideas or someone eles's ideas. But that's okay.


I probably dreamed of something i have in mind of the future... is about MECs (Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuits), MEPS (Mechanized Exoskeletal Power Suits. Guys who are like the MAX suits from Planetside 1&2, Marauders/Firebats from SC2 and Primaris Aggressors from WH40K), Cyborgs (Cybernetic Soldiers with different cybernetic body parts), Gene-modded Soldiers and other stuff in my mod plans or someone else's mod plans.

Here's a list of what project ideas and suggestions i'm thinking about out since i liked your idea of soldier transformations after i've read it, similar to XCOM 2012-2013 and others:
1: Augment Soldiers to MEC Trooper, MEPS Troopers and Cyborgs (Requires Cybernetics Lab being built and Alien Cybernetics being researched)
2: Genetic Surgeries/Therapies for Soldiers, getting them Genetic Modifications (Requires Genetics Lab being built and Alien Genetics being researched)
3: Download, copy and program Human Data from Soldiers, having them created androids before a soldier dies (Requires any building like a electronics and human scanning being built and and Alien Cloning, Alien Programming and Alien Robotics being researched)
4: Adding PCS chips to soldiers (Just like XCOM2016 and WotC).
5: Turn soldiers into class soldiers, Assault Class, Sniper Class, HVY Class, Gunner Class, etc (Requires a Tactics School facility being built)
6: Make soldiers into officers just like Long War (Requires Officer Training School facility being built)
7: And that's it, i'm out of things to tell ya.


I'll try your mod or try it out on OXCE+ (while a new update comes out from Meridian and Yankes) after i try out playing Hobbes' Area 51 mod so that i'll see what to what this stuff (But no raise dead soldiers are zombies, i mean it).


Thank you for adding this to the forums.

EDIT: I forgot something

[ohartenstein23]

<snip>

Sure, all of that will be possible using this new code, the hardest part will be getting all the graphical assets together.

[Meridian]

Merged into OXCE+.
Newest build: https://lxnt.wtf/oxem/builds//ExtendedPlus/Extended+-3.10a-8263d93-2018-06-19-win32.7z

Also, I made a small mod for my LP to re-hire clones of dead soldiers.
Attaching here if someone wants to use it.

Code: [Select]

soldierTransformation:
  - name: STR_HIRE_CLONE
    listOrder: 1
    producedSoldierType: STR_SOLDIER
    producedSoldierArmor: STR_NONE_UC
    keepSoldierArmor: false
    createsClone: true
    needsCorpseRecovered: false
    allowsDeadSoldiers: true
    allowsLiveSoldiers: false
    allowsWoundedSoldiers: true  # adding these guys too, if we want to sack them
    allowedSoldierTypes:
      - STR_SOLDIER
    forbiddenPreviousTransformations:
      - STR_HIRE_CLONE
    cost: 40000
    transferTime: 72
    recoveryTime: 0
    useRandomStats: true
    lowerBoundAtMinStats: true
    upperBoundAtMaxStats: false
    upperBoundAtStatCaps: true
extraStrings:
  - type: en-US
    strings:
      STR_HIRE_CLONE: "Hire Clone"

Edit: see also soldier bonuses: https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,7405.0.html

Edit: more goodies: https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,7196.msg117767.html#msg117767

[FeruEnzeru[RETIRED/I QUIT]]

@Meridian
I wonder how my idea of Gene-Modded Soldier, MEC Trooper, MEPS Trooper and Cyborg Soldier Conversion via Soldier Transformations would like instead of manufacturing armors.

I hope these "Soldier Transformations" codes might have more scripts and codes than producedSoldierType, producedSoldierArmor, keepSoldierArmor and more other scripts from there.

I'll try updating my version of OXCE+ later at 10:00 PM to have those.

[ohartenstein23]

Still not released yet, Meridian was just saying it'll be in the next release, which should be soon.

Also, all of what you want to mod is possible with the proposed ruleset above, using the already-available parameters on soldier types and armors.

[Meridian]

released

[DaEMon]

Hi,  I´m interested in the cloning dead soldiers feature. How do I enable it ingame?   

[ohartenstein23]

This needs to be enabled by a mod; you can see an example ruleset that does this in Meridian's post above, and if you ask nicely enough, he'll probably package it into a mod for you.