Messages

1

The X-Com Files / Re: X-Com the game

« on: July 04, 2022, 11:59:41 pm »

Weekend sprint is over, the craft crew equipment system is functional.
Download and try it :

https://castirongames.itch.io/x-inq

Once it is running, click on the 'bases' in the top right.
then, click on 'craft equip'.  In this view, you

1.  select which craft to equip
2.  once a craft a selected (first one selected by default), you can select each spot within that craft to fill with operative, armor, and equipment.  There is some validation to prevent rats from being equipped with human armor, but it doesn't count inventory.
3.  click on the 'save' in the bot left corner.  That will save a spot configuration (armor and items, but not operative), and move it to the top list.
4.  Click on the 'Spots' button, you will be able to rearrange the actual spots among the available spot positions.
5.  Click on 'Geo Back' button, click on 'intercept', and enjoy the icons that can be resized, as in screenshot.

2

The X-Com Files / Re: X-Com the game

« on: July 02, 2022, 08:51:21 pm »

The equipment selection view is functionally complete.  Lots of polishing remains to be done, such as adding a button to resize spot management within craft and actual equipment of the spot, and more validation checks.

The data model is as follows (I haven't studied how it is implemented in oxce, but pretty sure it is very similar).
A craft template has spot positions, and spot count.  A spot is where the operative would appear in battlescape relative to the craft.
A craft instance has craft spot instances, which can be assigned to any spot position available.
A craft spot has an operative, a suit, primary equipment slot.  All three are nullable.
Suit has a list of slots (holster, pockets, backpack).
The management allows you to assign spots to spots positions, assign agents, armor, and equipment to the spots, and it performs a number of validation checks to make sure a pet can't wear non-pet armor.

I thought about compiling and uploading the demo, but a new version of godot alpha comes out every two weeks, and I would need to redownload the export templates, so here are the screenshots.
The suits are daz renders.

3

The X-Com Files / Re: X-Com the game

« on: June 28, 2022, 02:03:27 am »

Below is today's screenshot from the craft-team-equipment view.
On the left are the main base navigation buttons (64 pixels out of 1024).

192 pixels for the column that lists base's crafts and the button to purchase new crafts (UI copied from xenonauts).

The remaining 768x768 is the equipment view where you would have in one screen what other games divide in three or four.  You would select a spot in the craft, and then assign 1. agent 2. suit of armor and 3. equipment to that spot.  At any point, you would be able to save/load a predefined config.

Take into account that material "in the arcs" has also been contributed by other authors (users on the forums, github, etc). You'll probably need to contact Solarius for particulars, and you might want to check out the credits in the readme attached to XCF.

Yes, I will do that after the prototype has base management and basic game loop. There is always an option to scrap the globe, and to do the game in medieval-fantasy setting.  Five feet long bows instead of sniper rifles.

4

The X-Com Files / Re: X-Com the game

« on: June 26, 2022, 09:28:42 pm »

I am not sure what the advantage of voxel terrain would be.  Terrain -- ground -- can be procedurally generated, but who would be making the buildings, house appliances, walls, etc?  Low poly 3d models can be purchased from synty studios, or made by one of many 3d artists at r/gamedevclassifieds.  Surely xcom3 style destruction is good enough?

You will have IP issues with the specific space aliens, TFTD, Apocalypse bits, UAC/Doom. At least. A lot of the soundtrack. Quite a few sprites.
So you need to basically replace two core arcs, a lot of the sounds and artwork, in addition to making an all-new game engine.

1.  I have had good experience with getting soundtracks from fiver.
2.  For sprites, I plan to get replacement from asset store texture packs (walls) daz studio (humans) or pixel artists from r/gamedevclassifieds (aliens).
3.  Please tell me more, which two core arcs, and who do I get permission from for the rest of the arcs?  Solarius Scorch?


Did some coding today, looks like in order to implement the new equipment view, most of the data model has to be coded first. It is not happening today, and we will see how much work my boss throws at me tomorrow. 
Below is a screenshot on how I envision the new equipment view -- select a craft, select a spot in the craft, then fill the spot with 1. operative 2. armor and equipment.  Everything drag and drop.  No more frantic clicking to change everyone's armor for a different mission.

5

The X-Com Files / Re: X-Com the game

« on: June 26, 2022, 03:11:19 pm »

Yes, just the lore.
The cults, the monsters, the zombies, the history, the technology, the secret files.

6

The X-Com Files / Re: X-Com the game

« on: June 26, 2022, 02:16:46 pm »

I see.
No, the 'engine' means not getting away with OXCE codebase and not coding in C++.
The above screenshots are from godot 4 (latest alpha).  I had to write the math to calculate the shortest path on a sphere, and to match the click position to the pixel in the texture (to determine the surface point biome).  Speaking of the texture, it is randomly generated, and the country borders will be drawn randomly as well.

The combat will be in 3d, fully destructible environment x-com 3 style.  Etc, etc -- current next milestone is to implement the 'equip craft and crew before mission' process, then I will upload runnable binary - tech demo somewhere.

So question is -- how much of X-Files content can I take and reimplement?  Is there a license?

7

The X-Com Files / Re: X-Com the game

« on: June 26, 2022, 02:39:06 am »

Sounds like the answer is no?  Noone is seriously entertaining the idea to move to a new engine?

I was thinking of the x-files mod, and not the whole thing that would support every mod written.
And moving to new engine means completely new graphics and combat engine, with a completely new set of quirks.  The current map format seems to be in binary format -- that's unfortunate, but I am sure that with the code being open source, that can be ported as well.

Today, i have done the base facilities -- as xcom3 style drag and drop.

I personally if you would make break from XCOM behaviors better would collaborate with From the Ashes, where Finnk have more liberal approach to original behaviors than OXCE or OXC. He could even probably consider dropping 320x200 res support and this will make UI all lot better with more space for e.g. buttons.

You have thrown a number of names at me -- who are these people?  More generally, who owns the IP, such as the maps, the images, the text of research projects?

8

The X-Com Files / Re: X-Com the game

« on: June 24, 2022, 11:35:39 pm »

Today, I spent time on purchase products view -- with filtering by checkboxes, rather than a drop down.

I am a professional IT developer, been dabbling in game dev for a couple of years, and the game I tried to make has been stalling because I can't come up with a good plot, just not enough creativity.  And as I was procrastinating and playing old games, I thought -- why not fix all these irksome things...

First goal of porting the mod as standalone is quality of life UI fixes, such as aforementioned checkboxes instead of a dropdown, 3d combat view, better squad control, ai control of the squad for the boring missions.

Second -- balance fixes, such as being able to keep multiple cars (but single aircraft) in a hangar, rats and bats occupying half a spot in a vehicle, AI units not taking living quarter space at bases, partially spent weapon ammo clips not disappearing such that one could use trophy weapons.

9

The X-Com Files / X-Com the game

« on: June 22, 2022, 12:22:26 am »

[Made this a separate topic - Solarius Scorch]

Hello.
I have thoroughly enjoyed playing the mod.
Has anyone thought about redoing the mod as a stand alone game?  That would be an opportunity to solve all these balance and grinding problems.  Like introducing jagged alliance 2 style combat auto-resolve for monster hunt missions, and xenonauts - style objectives (if you held the UFO center for five turns, you didn't have to hunt one last straggler).

I have spent the weekend implementing geoscape in a game engine, screenshots below.