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Open Feedback / Re: Ideas, although this is probably more for my benefit...

« on: June 04, 2021, 02:21:21 am »

Thanks Sol, for sifting through all that,

Every time I search on here my ideas have been already implemented at least to some extent, and If not exactly what I had in mind the framework is there.

I was thinking about the multiplayer thing I had a go on, I should have elaborated it wasn't LAN or anything, you basically had to swap seats and take your turn ('hidden movement' involved the idle player going to get a drink or take a leak etc, although we were honorable and didn't peek during the others turn!) don't remember much else, it was always xcom vs. sectoids on a small-ish farm map (medium scout IIRC) and a very much standalone thing.

True networked multiplayer would be awesome, but I imagine a nightmare to implement, And would have to be limited players on a server not mass multiplayer (haha imagine a geoscape completely covered in pink and blue bases, not to mention all the red, yellow, green and white craft markers, would be chaos, a list 9 pages long of what to select any time you click on the geoscape!

Had a look at Lasers and Legos, downloaded the guide.
For starts I would just hash a map up out of what is there but I can be handy with the pixels too so eventually would make some new features that would not look out of place.


Map ideas:

Refinery
Rail yard (with train cars etc to search/find aliens hiding between)
Buried historic alien mothership
shipyard (yes borrow some bits from TFTD the shipping route missions were the best)

Anyway, thanks again, and the xcom files looks crazy! will have to have a play at that.

Time to find a copy of the original and d/l oxce!

2

Open Feedback / Ideas, although this is probably more for my benefit...

« on: June 02, 2021, 06:14:22 am »

So when I took screen grabs in the late 90's and hashed up some hybrid weapon bitmaps I thought were cool I never imagined the possibilities we have now, and now my brain has cracked its bio (bone?) dome with ideas that are leaking (spraying) out so I'm going to relieve some pressure here.

As per my intro post, there will not be much new I can bring to the table at this point, but everyone has their specific preference so will post my ideas and reasoning here anyway! Sorry if its already done to death and a tedious read for you old hands, but its probably you guys I need to read it!

So feel free to say 'ya, that has been done in this mod' or 'no, you can't do that without altering the entire structure of the coding' etc etc. I have seen some mods comprising some of these elements but please feel free to quote section and post a link or three, this will be useful to me as I may get round to hashing a mod up (not a programmer so will use existing mods and some 'copy and paste' technique    )


-My Original late 90's concepts for smg/autopistol type versions of the auto rifle and plasma rifle
-As above but sniper rifle

-Now have more ideas for weapon variants but
1) not too many. if they do not serve a purpose then they are just aesthetic clutter, which although variety is great and you can pick a favorite for looks (like having AK-74/M16/FAMAS/Steyr AUG etc etc they are basically all serving a similar purpose and I don't think that style suits this game (shame as I am like a walking janes encyclopedia of firearms but save that for a game like 'wages of war - business of battle')

2) keep the look. The original game graphics are nice, keep all my mods similar looking to the original weapons, saves time and I just like the idea of it looking 'factory standard'  even if its modified!

-Melee!
One of the things I thought you could actually do when I first played the game was at least hit an alien with the rifle, and was suprised when I couldn't smack that sectoid down, given the game mechanic for a melee attack seemed to be there (also I think I remember seeing it listed as an attack from a post production/beta screenshot in a magazine? dunno why they would take that out) And why not be able bash them with fists? with more stun damage than HP. Be pretty effective on sectoids, or that d**k civilian that stands in the doorway you need to get through...
  I Also like the idea of a combat knife and an alien blade, perhaps a baton but again, not too much. I thought the melee weapons in TFTD were great, although all seem to turn up at once so don't bother using the vibroblade or thermic lance for more than a mission or 2 if any.

-Ability to use alien species
I'm sure I played a 2 player hack on my friends and his brothers PC where you could play as the aliens vs. someone else, remember it being hard to set up, limited and quite unstable.
  The ability to add a captured alien (implant, M/C or just stockholm syndrome from too long in the alien containment?) to your team might be fun. Probably more a very late in the game thing. As well as to be able to take sectopod or cyberdisc corpses and rebuild them, and use them.

-Ability to use captured alien UFO
Not 100% on this idea, but will add it in anyway. Why cut it up for scrap when you could just use it? Although landing in a battleship to take out a small scout possibly a bit silly.. Might as well just land ON it. Also where to park that behemoth? But I was thinking more the smaller stuff (This has almost certainly been discussed on here before, please linky me if you know a thread)

-Inventory screen for aliens
Yes, the actual image of the alien type not just a generic soldier image! someone must have made that mod?

-Armour for aliens
Creatively inspired by some fan stories I found on the web way back when,
I did some artwork (pencil and paper) that I wish I could find now, one picture was a sectoid with a smoking plasma pistol and wearing armour (looked like an alien kinda motorcross vest with shoulder pads  ) and the other a crashed shot down ufo (classic featureless disc) with an injured sectoid also in armour hiding behind a tree and an xcom squad aproaching with guns up.
  Should show on batlescape and inventory screen.

-New classes of aliens, with new looks?
I remember my friend referring to the last 2 guards in cydonia as 'ethereal elite' - I liked this and said they should have different colour robes. Thinking about it now, the mutons and floaters have suits/capes as well that could change. Again, not too many, not too complex, 'squad leader' like TFTD could work well.

As I side note I love the waspite design, brings sense and validity to the cover art!

-Alien loadouts
*generally* being suited to type would make sense. (but not always, random variety and odd situations arising from it are what makes a game interesting)

-Alien AI
OMG they are so dumb. Panicked/recovered aliens will use grenades they are carrying but never pick up thier dropped (or any other) weapon off the floor? And they don't seem to ever work as a team, if they do, it feels coincidental.

-Custom maps
 Not really major new stuff, just some different layout buildings, mix urban/farmland/tropical/desert/mountain/snow up a bit more to give a bit more variety (keep regional relevancy?) civs in ufo assault/crash recovery missions now and then.

-Player created maps you could add that do not change/randomise, if approved and not silly/far fetched could be added into a maps database for general gameplay and/or some kind of 'one off skirmish' or multiplayer skirmish mode?

-CD32 music and sounds
The CD32 music (especially interception screen) and general sounds were way better than the PC ver IMO. Dunno how one would go about this though.

That's enough for now, if by fluke or miracle I hit on a new idea (doubtful, I know there are similar mods for a lot of it already) and anyone thinks any of these warrant their own thread either just do it or let me know and I'll do it.

Cas

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Open Feedback / New member introduction

« on: June 02, 2021, 04:36:47 am »

Can't find an introduction section so this can go here, sorry it is so wordy:

Hi, I'm Cas and just found this site... ...and wow. shame I took a 2 decade or more hiatus from playing this game, had no idea it had such a massive, skilled and time served modding community. Well done to all of you.

I first played XCOM E/U on an amiga CD32 in '94? '95? (the way way back yes I am old as balls)

...so slow loading, nice smooth graphics (not all pixelly like the PC version my best friend was playing at the time) and no option to save in battlescape so no savescumming... ...which honed my skills (my friend was amazed at this, and how my style of play was totally different, use of material cover, flanking, 2x2 squad cover formations, UFO breach tactics etc)

I still remember the first farmland landed scout UFO mission, optimistially running towards a sectoid through a cornfield with stunrod in hand, and the fun of finding new alien artifacts and races and thinking 'what the hell is that? -cant wait to reseach it!'

Anyways, wind the clock on to now, apart from flashy graphics new games seem to have not come on much from quake:rocket arena (jump jump fire jump jump  fire boring) and I decided to replay TFTD (only played through it once in the past, preferred the aesthetic of E/U and it served more as an interesting expansion pack type deal) And was thinking of replaying E/U, although played it to death on CD32 and PC way way back.

I remembered screengrabbing some inventory pics on PC and making some modified weapons pics (in MSPaint haha) and wondered if anyone had ever modded/added weapons in this game... well little did I know!

After modding quake a bit in the late 90's I learned some things about modding, such as game balance, and its easy to make things too complex and have too much going on, or mod the game out of all recognition, all of which can detract from playability, and the best version we played just had well selected new weapons updates, some good maps and a nice bot AI.

So I thought that would be nice with xcom e/u, every member on this forum will have their own ideas as to what they would want, and what you have built is a base for anyone with a bit of patience and will to learn can customise and/or build on.

With some heavy use of the search function it seems there is not much I could bring to the table now,
as my ideas all seem to have been implemented, as well of things I has not even dreamed of! Although I will show what I had in mind in a separate thread!

Massive thanks to all of you especially the die hards who I know will have devoted hours and hours and found yourselves red eyed from screen glare in the early hours making graphics or trying to get that code to stick (the least fun 'bug hunt')

-Cas