Messages

1

Builds & Ports / Re: Windows Tablet Edition

« on: June 25, 2014, 07:32:06 am »

I'm not sure what the scrolling boundaries are, but if they're intended for what I think they are, then...

Well, that drag-scroll bug that was fixed, at least after the first preliminary fix, is actually a decent way to scroll - the problem is that it's too damn fast (and that it replaced the regular drag-scroll). If it were toned down and reintroduced as a separate scrolling mode...

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Builds & Ports / Re: Windows Tablet Edition

« on: June 24, 2014, 10:29:14 am »

Hm, doesn't the Android version use an ingame sort of keyboard instead of the system keyboard? I think I saw a screenshot somewhere.

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Builds & Ports / Re: Windows Tablet Edition

« on: June 24, 2014, 12:32:13 am »

After reading the description of the Android port, I feel the need to also mention that, through some manner of witchery, pinch-zoom works on both geoscape (zoom) and battlescape (z-levels) in this version.

On that note, is it possible to somehow cross-port the onscreen keyboard from the Android version, as an option for the Windows version?

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Builds & Ports / Re: Windows Tablet Edition

« on: June 16, 2014, 06:19:39 pm »

Reporting updated version test:

Everything is absolutely perfect. ^_^

Battlescape and geoscape drag-scroll work identically regardless of whether it's by mouse, stylus, or touch. No abnormalities detected so far.

Windows 8 x64, Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro (ATIV Tab 7).

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Builds & Ports / Re: Windows Tablet Edition

« on: June 15, 2014, 05:50:27 pm »

Okay, so, reporting test results.

There is a definite improvement with the provided fixed version. However, it is still not the same as it was pre-breaking or when using the mouse.

Before, the drag-action would make the cursor move with a speed dependent on the touch input relative to the center of the screen. (i.e. as if it were a virtual joystick centered on the screen)
Now, the drag-action makes the cursor move with a speed dependent on the touch input relative to the original point of the touch input. (i.e. a virtual joystick centered on the initial touch point)
When using the mouse (or touch-drag in older versions), the cursor stays glued to the position of the mouse pointer, only moving when the mouse is moved.

In both touch-input situations, the cursor will rapidly move towards the edge of the screen, but the scrolling action will continue as if the cursor was still moving away. Turning off edge-scroll does nothing to prevent this behavior.

System used is Windows 8 x64, on a Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro (ATIV Tab 7), running latest Wacom Dual Touch (ISD 720.4) drivers.

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Suggestions / Re: Final battle too easy

« on: February 27, 2014, 05:22:51 am »

All the more reason to make the brain an actual 2x2 alien, so you actually have to kill it to end the mission.

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Suggestions / Re: Make Dual Wielding Useful

« on: February 20, 2014, 06:13:14 pm »

They already have dominant hands, I think. So far I think it only determines which hand their weapon gets auto-assigned to.

And "double aimed shot" is about the silliest thing suggested so far. You can't aim down two sets of sights with one set of eyes.

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Suggestions / Re: Final battle too easy

« on: February 20, 2014, 04:09:38 pm »

I'm not against it, but remember than a zero energy brain (or a trapped brain) will still be able to turn around. Which might actually be cool, but it'll be a hell of a work - 2x2 unit sprites are bitches to work with, much less to create!

There's an easy workaround for this, mind.

Let it turn around all it wants. And leave all sprites the same. It will turn around, in principle - but the player will never see it.

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Suggestions / Re: Final battle too easy

« on: February 20, 2014, 04:01:18 pm »

You could make a 2x2 brain alien that is blocked in from all sides rendering it unable to move.
Then give it Psionic powers double that of an Ethereal commander, lots of HP and armour... ^^

And make a rule set that if it dies all aliens die and trigger the end scene...

Even easier, make it a 2x2 alien with no energy (so it can't move even if it has TUs) that explodes on death with more force than a Blaster Bomb, destroying the actual Brain that's a normally indestructible piece of scenery right behind the creature!Brain.

10

Suggestions / Re: Enemy statistics should be a bit random?

« on: February 20, 2014, 11:16:31 am »

nonsense. i have no idea what your source is on this. you're completely misinterpreting the table.

all the stats are based on difficulty. the ranges you see here are accounting for THAT variance, not some random element.
on beginner, firing accuracy is base stat /2, on superhuman it's base stat + 24%

i don't mean to sound like an ass, but a little more research on alien stats would have gone a long way here.

That said, your rookies start out statted at random.

Would it not be interesting to throw potential curveballs at players, on higher difficulties especially? Make an option for randomized alien stats, so they start with plus-minus a percentage of their normal stats, determined by difficulty? So that on Beginner you'd see aliens with 80%-100% of their level-appropriate stats, while on Superhuman you'd see something like 95%-120%. Not replacing the difficulty-defined stat amounts, but modifying them when Battlescape starts, so you might face a few tougher or weaker opponents.

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Suggestions / Re: Make Dual Wielding Useful

« on: February 20, 2014, 07:08:49 am »

Some have suggested that the TU cost for akimbo fire should be higher, but this doesn't make any sense to me. Why would firing birth guns at the same time take any longer?

If you're not literally just spraying bullets everywhere, and are not perfectly ambidextrous (as few people are), you will take some extra time to get both weapons pointed in the same general direction. And you'll still get an overall reduction in accuracy for the double shots, because that requires perfectly converging the two weapons on the target - a task made difficult for people that have a "primary" hand, as the other hand will not follow the movement correctly.

12

Suggestions / Re: Final battle too easy

« on: February 19, 2014, 09:25:40 pm »

I'm not sure how it actually works in OXC, but it sounds like beefing up the final mission is prime mod material. More and nastier aliens, harder tactical positioning, a number of innovative high-technology devices a-la "closed door" to prevent people from blaster-bombing their way through, and of course the Master Brain should probably be given a whole lot of psionic potential.

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Suggestions / Re: Make Dual Wielding Useful

« on: February 19, 2014, 05:27:28 pm »

> Low strength requirement
Your dual beretta soldier will be able to wear more utilities like grenades, smokes, sensor grenades, medikits, stun rods, motion sensors... But with two hands full, he will be unable to quickly use any of them.

It's easy to holster (or drop) one if a grenade is needed, and it's a tradeoff for the extra firepower you get.

> low TU cost for individual weapon fire if needed,
You already get this by equipping a pistol in one hand and a two-handed weapon in the other; or keeping one hand free and a pistol in belt (2TU to draw)

4 to draw, actually, at least by original X-Com rules. And 8 to put back, otherwise you lose accuracy on the main weapon next turn.

> double the ammo capacity between reloads,
Well no : If you compare akimbo shots with the single pistol, you reload after as many Snap(x2). If you compare akimbo shots with rifles/cannons, you reload even more often, because rifle clips are larger.

But for single pistol shots, you have twice as much ammo. And considering that the Pistol isn't that far behind the Rifle for damage, you could actually deal as much as 160% the damage of a Rifle shot with every 2xSnap, and you only carry 40% less ammo for that.

Let's run some numbers here. Let's say a 2xSnap with Pistols costs 25%TU, up from 18%, and accuracy degrades to 45% from 60%, but you fire two 26 AP shots. A Rifle gives you a single 60%, 30 AP shot, for the same 25% TU. Or it gives you three 35%, 30 AP shots, for 35% TU. The dual Pistols would actually be at a rather decent advantage, damage-per-turn-wise, although you pay for it with some logistical problems, as outlined above.

edit: Anyway, I find it looks silly if soldiers that have access to fighter jets, tanks and rocket launchers choose to fight instead with ... twin colt 45s.

.45 ACP is a pretty popular, and very powerful round, I should say. If any soldier were to be capable enough to use two .45 handguns simultaneously (in game terns, has high TU and Accuracy), I wouldn't be surprised if he would do so. And this does extend past mere pistols - laser pistols and plasma pistols come later, as well as any modded single-handed SMGs with alloy rounds.

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Suggestions / Re: Make Dual Wielding Useful

« on: February 19, 2014, 01:44:12 pm »

I really don't see why you guys are trying to make "twin pistols" a viable soldier setup, I don't see any case where a soldier would prefer two pistols compared to an auto cannon / shotgun / minigun.

Low strength requirement, low TU cost for individual weapon fire if needed, double the ammo capacity between reloads, and lastly, akimbo plasma pistols.

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Suggestions / Re: Make Dual Wielding Useful

« on: February 17, 2014, 12:47:08 pm »

I was thinking to use "Spray&Pray" as the Akimbo auto-shot name.

And I had a different idea when thinking about the snapshots. Normally people don't just shoot two bullets at once when dual-wielding, they increase fire rate by firing each gun in turn, but quicker. Could it be done so that when holding two single-handed weapons, shooting weapons in different hands, alternating, uses less TUs? Like, 50% less TUs to snapshot or auto-shot if your last action was a snapshot or auto-shot with a single weapon in the other hand? With an appropriate accuracy reduction, of course. So your first auto-shot, with a laser pistol in the right hand, would use 25% TUs, and if you auto-fire with the laser pistol in the left hand as your next action, it uses 12% TUs and has less accuracy. Then you auto-shoot with the right hand again, and every following one would use 12% - seven auto-shots all in all, as long as the hands are alternating. Snapshots, same thing - and no interface clutter.

Stunrods would need an actual double attack, however.