Messages

436

Open Feedback / Re: Rifle rounds automatic resupply?

« on: September 04, 2013, 04:38:02 am »

i'm not sure if this is related but i'll mention it.

I was getting fed up with my Heavy Weapons guys getting an extra clip on their belts (when I didn't put it there), so i found this: Battlescape/BattlescapeGenerator.cpp, BattleItem* BattlescapeGenerator::addItem(BattleItem *item, bool secondPass)

and commented out the entire "if (secondPass)" block under "case BT_AMMO:"

This resulted in pleasing behavior for me, but left me wondering why it's really there -- just to make sure everyone's topped up? ( but it typically causes encumberance ) I mean, i can see it on soldiers who've never been equipped into combat, but am thinking there should be a condition to pass-by, on soldiers who've already had equipment assigned ...

437

Programming / deathPirouette

« on: August 19, 2013, 04:05:49 am »

I've been tinkering and niggling with the code. Here's an example of the deathspin animation, which i find amusing! Eventually i'd like to set up git and do small PR's but that won't happen for a month...


inspiration?

438

Suggestions / Re: Soldier salaries?

« on: August 17, 2013, 02:19:51 pm »

that's why he's the colonel

439

Programming / Re: How to code the AI

« on: August 13, 2013, 11:46:17 am »

dammit i'm just trying to get them to do a death pirouette, Jim!

/ McCoy


[edit] woohoo!
good luck, Wb. I hope someone else w/ chops dives in...

440

Programming / Re: How to code the AI

« on: August 13, 2013, 12:54:36 am »

well, the thing is there's 4 battlemodes in the original: patrol, attack, ambush, flee...

if those get implemented tightly I'd be hap.

441

Open Feedback / Re: Missions Auto-Succeeding on Landing

« on: August 13, 2013, 12:50:24 am »

agreed. I'd like to see all/most mission types get a major rethink.

I used to scurry underequipped soldiers plus a lame dog off to Rome to take on battleships thinking "can't let them infiltrate..."

until i understood the mechanic. I'd even be okay with giving a %chance of success that rose or lowered depending on how successful (or not) an anti-infiltration mission goes,

ref. UFO Behavior, at the bottom. also, Alien Missions


On the good side I've been getting lots of TeRRoR

442

Suggestions / Re: How about a new points system?

« on: August 12, 2013, 08:08:29 pm »

am getting the impression Promotions are already biased on stats 

If not, stats + kills + a pt.system would be welcomed (aliens already have a "value" stat, btw -- it adds into the monthly Score, i believe)

443

Suggestions / Re: Damage/AoE as separated values in Ruleset?

« on: August 12, 2013, 10:30:52 am »

Wouldn't be great if we could control Area of Effect of explosions without having it to affect Damage as well?

i guess you can do this with grenade-type weapons, blastRadius/power in the ruleset. Unfortunately not for projectile-types like HE shells tho (?)

requires more research 

444

Suggestions / Re: Items En Route/Queued

« on: August 10, 2013, 09:52:51 am »

I'm just trying to add the quantity of transfers to the quantity of stores in Purchase/Hire,

but my c-fu is weak 

445

Open Feedback / Re: Alien/Sectoid Psi attacks

« on: August 09, 2013, 03:22:03 am »

here's my Ruleset, as is.

warning, it makes major changes to gameplay and probably won't even work because of the extraSounds category. MCDPatches has also been changed 'cause i did some of the fixes in the actual .Mcd's... Economy is extremely tough (and still has rough edges). Almost all Craft & UFO stats (incl. craft weapons) are changed. Almost all weapon stats are changed. Research is changed. Manufacturing is changed. Alien deployment is changed. Armor, damage resistances, and some alien stats have been changed. etc, I did this before i realized it should have been done with extra Rulesets..... Victory pts. have changed.

anyway, i hope you find what you're looking for,


uhm, Ethereals to start psi. personally I abort ethereal missions until I have psi. Recently i figured i'd be a hero and do a medium ethereal scout -- i did it, but then they pounded one of my bases. They also have a base set up in China and there's no prospect of taking it out..............

I mean, sure they can be taken out; but losses would be 'unacceptable'


ps. a program like WinMerge can help a lot.

[ late edit ] uhm i just noticed I put a bug in there: ZOMBIE_ARMOR has "drawingRoutine: 5" which causes a crash.

it should be "4"

446

Open Feedback / Re: Alien/Sectoid Psi attacks

« on: August 08, 2013, 05:25:12 pm »

the numbers? They just came from me inputting hundreds upon hundreds of alien & xCom psi values into a graph program, all while playing, and going "hmmmmm" a lot



I ended up with values that i consider at the top of a spectrum -- ie. imo an Ethereal Commander should be able to wrap anyone around its finger if he/she gets too close. I also played (the original) for a long time using middling values -- and even then it was a lot better than Psi=WIN,


Your numbers look pretty fair to me. I haven't done the math but at a glance they look alright, as a way to eliminate Psi=WIN.

although, to have fine control or individual control over alien races & ranks a Player could turn those multipliers on, then further tweak their Chryssalids and what-not

/cheers

447

Programming / Re: How to code the AI

« on: August 07, 2013, 03:47:41 pm »

sounds like there's two (strongly) divergent camps..

Personally I don't want oXc to become a purebred tactical shooter sim. i want it like the original.

Take chyrssalids... remember how they would stagger and strut back and forth in front of your front line soldiers? I haven't met any yet in the new AI, but in the old I'd freak out whenever they started pacing toward my dudes, then sigh of relief when they turn away, then freak out as they turn back and come a few paces closer....

i Mean, if we really want it hardcore: they turn a corner, see your guys, make a beeline and that's that.


+1 for original, "alien" AI here

448

Open Feedback / Re: Pathfinding preview

« on: August 07, 2013, 01:39:45 am »

it cuts down my misclicks lots




tho i still shoot at mosquitos now & then...

449

Open Feedback / Re: Alien/Sectoid Psi attacks

« on: August 06, 2013, 11:07:08 pm »

playing the orig, Psi imbalance was at the top of my list of TODO's. Generally i pumped them up but retained a wide spread according to what aliens i felt should be resistant/vulnerable (mutons->easy, ethereals->tuff). But generally did not want my soldiers coming out of the Lab and controlling sectoid leaders, etc.

After trying it for mid-game, I ended up strengthening aliens still more (caveat: i'm not fond of psi..). Here's some examples i'm using:


- type: STR_ETHEREAL_COMMANDER
  psiStrength: 137
  psiSkill: 39
- type: STR_ETHEREAL_SOLDIER
  psiStrength: 97
  psiSkill: 37
- type: STR_SECTOID_COMMANDER
  psiStrength: 109
  psiSkill: 42
- type: STR_SECTOID_SOLDIER
  psiStrength: 57
  psiSkill: 0
- type: STR_SNAKEMAN_ENGINEER
  psiStrength: 85
  psiSkill: 0

By far the trickiest part was balancing alien Attack & Defense powers - you might want them resistant, while not totally overpowering xCom psi-elites. For this i had to play off the fact that psiDefense is a linear increase while psiAttack is exponential (and still maintain balance with what humans are capable of); hence above, the psiStrength is far greater than psiSkill, because if Skill is pushed up their attacks become overpowered (exponentially) but if Strength is decreased to compensate then their defense drops (linearly, [edit] and at 5x the rate of decreasing Skill).


that said, your suggestions, red, get no complaint from me ( tho it'd be a mod /shrug )

ref. Psionic Formulas

450

Open Feedback / Re: Do aliens reserve TUs for reaction fire even when they shouldn't?

« on: August 05, 2013, 04:16:49 pm »

Operation GAAH!

sectoid night mission w/ git 2013_08_05_1219