1
Tools / Re: MAPVIEW upgrade
« on: June 03, 2023, 01:13:08 am »Thank you for updating MapView2 your program is great.
i pass it on in spirit to Ben, and anyone who's contributed in any way: code, reports, requests
/salut
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i pass it on in spirit to Ben, and anyone who's contributed in any way: code, reports, requests
/salut
2
Help / Re: Not spawning the expected units inside the UFO?
« on: June 02, 2023, 02:50:28 pm »
I honestly don't know what the rationale is/was ... but that's the only thing i can think of (ie. it's not a bug per se)
3
Help / Re: Not spawning the expected units inside the UFO?
« on: June 02, 2023, 12:42:01 am »
yeh so i did another test with noderanks 2..5 (Soldier through Medic) (civ/scout nodes appear to be ignored for this)
the Hallucinoid terrorist spawned at Soldier node, and if no Soldier node is present then at Medic node, then Squad Leader node, then at Navigator/Commander node ...
ignoring the Terrorist2 spawnnode until all the others were set to civ/scout ...
[edit]
it looks like these lines in the hardcode are responsible:
Savegame/Node.cpp
ie. terrorists spawn at Soldier nodes preferentially ... (note that those constants are based on UFO but translate to TFTD ranks, with (ufo)Engineer as (tftd)Medic, etc)
[edit2]
here's the (rewritten) table in my personal build:
but it has 8 ranks in the 2nd dimension .....
the Hallucinoid terrorist spawned at Soldier node, and if no Soldier node is present then at Medic node, then Squad Leader node, then at Navigator/Commander node ...
ignoring the Terrorist2 spawnnode until all the others were set to civ/scout ...
[edit]
it looks like these lines in the hardcode are responsible:
Savegame/Node.cpp
Code: [Select]
const int Node::nodeRank[8][7] =
// ..
{ NR_SOLDIER, NR_ENGINEER, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_LEADER, NR_MISC1, NR_MISC2, NR_SCOUT }, //terrorist
{ NR_SOLDIER, NR_ENGINEER, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_LEADER, NR_MISC1, NR_MISC2, NR_SCOUT } //also terrorist
ie. terrorists spawn at Soldier nodes preferentially ... (note that those constants are based on UFO but translate to TFTD ranks, with (ufo)Engineer as (tftd)Medic, etc)
[edit2]
here's the (rewritten) table in my personal build:
Code: [Select]
const int Node::nodeRank[8u][8u]
{
{ NR_LEADER, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_ENGINEER, NR_SOLDIER, NR_MEDIC, NR_MISC2, NR_MISC1, NR_SCOUT }, // commander
{ NR_LEADER, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_ENGINEER, NR_SOLDIER, NR_MEDIC, NR_MISC2, NR_MISC1, NR_SCOUT }, // leader
{ NR_ENGINEER, NR_LEADER, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_SOLDIER, NR_MEDIC, NR_MISC2, NR_MISC1, NR_SCOUT }, // engineer
{ NR_MEDIC, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_ENGINEER, NR_LEADER, NR_SOLDIER, NR_MISC2, NR_MISC1, NR_SCOUT }, // medic
{ NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_LEADER, NR_ENGINEER, NR_SOLDIER, NR_MEDIC, NR_MISC2, NR_MISC1, NR_SCOUT }, // navigator
{ NR_SOLDIER, NR_ENGINEER, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_MEDIC, NR_LEADER, NR_MISC2, NR_MISC1, NR_SCOUT }, // soldier
{ NR_MISC1, NR_MISC2, NR_SOLDIER, NR_ENGINEER, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_LEADER, NR_MEDIC, NR_SCOUT }, // terrorist1
{ NR_MISC2, NR_MISC1, NR_SOLDIER, NR_ENGINEER, NR_NAVIGATOR, NR_LEADER, NR_MEDIC, NR_SCOUT } // terrorist2
};
but it has 8 ranks in the 2nd dimension .....
4
Help / Re: Not spawning the expected units inside the UFO?
« on: June 01, 2023, 09:04:29 am »
so i set up a little spawntest and ran it against OxCe, and a Hallucinoid spawned at the correct node
I modified SEABED02.RMP (see screenshot) with 4 civ/scout nodes in the corners and a Terrorist2 node in the middle (all spawnweights=1)
Code: [Select]
alienRaces:
- id: STR_AQUATOID_UNDERWATER
members:
- STR_AQUATOID_COMMANDER
- STR_AQUATOID_NAVIGATOR
- STR_AQUATOID_MEDIC
- STR_AQUATOID_TECHNICIAN
- STR_AQUATOID_SQUAD_LEADER
- STR_AQUATOID_SOLDIER
- STR_HALLUCINOID_TERRORIST
- STR_HALLUCINOID_TERRORIST
Code: [Select]
alienDeployments:
- type: STR_SPAWNTEST
width: 20
length: 20
height: 4
terrains:
- SPAWNTEST
data:
- alienRank: 7
lowQty: 1
highQty: 1
dQty: 0
pctOutsideUfo: 100
itemSets:
-
[]
-
[]
-
[]
Code: [Select]
terrains:
- name: SPAWNTEST
music:
- GMTACWET
mapDataSets:
- BLANKS
- SAND
- ROCKS
- WEEDS
- DEBRIS
- UFOBITS
depth: [1, 2]
ambience: 67
script: THREEBIG
mapBlocks:
- name: SEABED00
width: 10
length: 10
groups: 1
- name: SEABED01
width: 10
length: 10
groups: 1
- name: SEABED02
width: 10
length: 10
I modified SEABED02.RMP (see screenshot) with 4 civ/scout nodes in the corners and a Terrorist2 node in the middle (all spawnweights=1)
5
Help / Re: Not spawning the expected units inside the UFO?
« on: May 30, 2023, 09:40:19 am »Is there a difference in the way TFTD handles its terror unit ranks in the .RMP file vs the original X-COM: UFO Defense?
no i don't believe so. Am pretty sure the format of the RMP file is the same for both UFO and TFTD.
OxC/e hardcode matches up the data in alienDeployments.rul with appropriate noderanks in the RMP files (per the order of the ranks listed in alienRaces.rul).
I mucked and poked and tested and thought a bunch on this "force alienrank at node" issue today. But unfortunately I don't have OxC or OxCe setup in an IDE so my investigations were hampered ...
I did see and note some things that could be done a bit better (imo) -- for example, the game crashed arbitrarily (about 50%) when trying to do a quickbattle with only 1 terrorist spawning ('could not place any alien units on the map'), and that only the highest spawnpriority seems to be chosen (i could be wrong, depends on things I didn't look at completely) but lesser priority-values of the same rank are ignored (ie. rather than weighted). etc
perhaps somebody with the code already setup, and a curiosity about this stuff (again, merely my perception here) can or is interested in a more detailed look ...
6
Help / Re: Not spawning the expected units inside the UFO?
« on: May 27, 2023, 08:40:41 am »
(i don't do TftD really, but) maybe the non-terrorist spawns are happening before the terrorist spawns and are taking those nodes.
as a test, try removing all spawns from the deployment except the terrorists, and see what happens
set their lowQty and highQty to 2 (for each terrorist-type) and dQty to 0
as a test, try removing all spawns from the deployment except the terrorists, and see what happens
set their lowQty and highQty to 2 (for each terrorist-type) and dQty to 0
7
Tools / Re: MAPVIEW upgrade
« on: May 23, 2023, 01:38:07 am »
2023 May 22
MapView.exe 4.4.6.0
McdView.exe 4.1.2.1
PckView.exe 4.3.0.1
XCom.dll 4.2.0.0
DSShared.dll 4.2.1.1
YamlDotNet.dll 0.0.1.0 (c) Antoine Aubry and contributors
ConfigConverter.exe 2.2.2.1
RulesetConverter.exe 1.3.0.1
RouteView
hardcap Link destinations to MaxDestId=250. The value is stored as a byte in
the Routefile but the top 5 values are reserved for the compass points and the
NotUsed value. Note that Routenode IDs are not limited to Byte.MaxValue but
they can't be linked to if their ID is greater than 250.
support more than 256 routenodes in a Routefile.
TftD NodeRanks: change "Leader/Commander" string to "Navigator/Commander".
SpawnInfo dialog: rework layout mechanics to account for the longer
"Navigator/Commander" string.
add (textbox) Goto #id on the menubar.
rewrite the embedded MonotoneSpriteset (TopView's quadrant and TileView's
eraser sprites).
MapResize
restrict cols/rows/levels to Max 255 (these values are stored in a Mapfile as
bytes).
bugfix: when removing levels from the bottom of a Map that has routenodes that
go out of bounds at the currently displayed level an exception was thrown by
RouteView's Paint routine. fixed ...
https://github.com/kevL/OpenXCOM.Tools/releases/tag/230522
MapView.exe 4.4.6.0
McdView.exe 4.1.2.1
PckView.exe 4.3.0.1
XCom.dll 4.2.0.0
DSShared.dll 4.2.1.1
YamlDotNet.dll 0.0.1.0 (c) Antoine Aubry and contributors
ConfigConverter.exe 2.2.2.1
RulesetConverter.exe 1.3.0.1
RouteView
hardcap Link destinations to MaxDestId=250. The value is stored as a byte in
the Routefile but the top 5 values are reserved for the compass points and the
NotUsed value. Note that Routenode IDs are not limited to Byte.MaxValue but
they can't be linked to if their ID is greater than 250.
support more than 256 routenodes in a Routefile.
TftD NodeRanks: change "Leader/Commander" string to "Navigator/Commander".
SpawnInfo dialog: rework layout mechanics to account for the longer
"Navigator/Commander" string.
add (textbox) Goto #id on the menubar.
rewrite the embedded MonotoneSpriteset (TopView's quadrant and TileView's
eraser sprites).
MapResize
restrict cols/rows/levels to Max 255 (these values are stored in a Mapfile as
bytes).
bugfix: when removing levels from the bottom of a Map that has routenodes that
go out of bounds at the currently displayed level an exception was thrown by
RouteView's Paint routine. fixed ...
https://github.com/kevL/OpenXCOM.Tools/releases/tag/230522
8
Help / Re: EntryPoint vs ExitPoint?
« on: May 16, 2023, 04:00:05 pm »I still need to use MapView2 and place "Node Rank" "1 : XCOM" spawn nodes on each entry EntryPoint tile to actually make X-Com's units be able to spawn at the start of the battle.
no i don't think so. XCOM spawnnodes are used in aLien base assault missions (ie. when there's not an XCOM landing craft)
[edit] I'm guessing there's a flag in some ruleset or other that you'd set, that tells OxC/e to use either spawnnodes or EntryTiles .....
[edit2] just took a look at the OxC code, it's not a ruleset flag but based on other configuration of the mission:
Code: [Select]
BattleUnit *BattlescapeGenerator::addXCOMUnit(BattleUnit *unit)
{
if (_baseInventory)
{
// skirmish mode
}
else if (_craft == 0 || !_craftDeployed)
{
// no craft, use XCOM spawnnodes
}
else if (_craft && !_craft->getRules()->getDeployment().empty())
{
// has craft, has deployment rules, use MCD EntryPoints
}
else
{
// fallback, also uses MCD EntryPoints
}
}
9
Help / Re: Is there a limit to the number of AI Route Nodes per map?
« on: May 16, 2023, 03:46:53 pm »Is there a limit to the number of AI Route Nodes per map?
good question. Mv2 at present, i believe, limits the count to 256 ... but here are some notes for the next release:
Quote
- hardcap Link destinations to MaxDestId=250. The value is stored as a byte in
the Routefile but the top 5 values are reserved for the compass points and the
NotUsed value. Note that Routenode IDs are not limited to Byte.MaxValue but
they can't be linked to if their ID is greater than 250.
- support more than 256 routenodes in a Routefile.
That is, the count of routenodes is basically unlimited (the maxsize of an RMP file on disk). But the link destination is stored in a byte ... so that needs to be limited.
but not sure how OxC/e handles this
10
The X-Com Files / Re: The X-Com Files - 2.9: The Empire Strikes Back
« on: May 11, 2023, 12:26:01 am »I confirm; this information is coded in MCD files (terrain properties). There is no other way to check, you need to examine the files with MCDEdit (or some other program, if it exists).
McdView in Mapview2 package -- it's a standalone app or it can be opened from TileView (for quick inspection of MCD data, and it should work for quick edits also). backup yer data, I haven't tested it much ...
re. destruction of XCOM base facilities: unless an aLien is engaged in combat it paths to the closest routenode that has a nonzero BaseAttack value. From there it looks for content-tileparts that have the isBaseObject (#60 Xcom_Base) flag set true. If the aLien is equipped with a proper weapon (i saw non-HE in the OxC code) it attempts to shoot the object; if enough objects in a mapblock get destroyed, that XCOM Facility gets destroyed at the end of the base defense mission. And if such destruction isolates any other Facilities from the AccessLift and/or Hanger(s) they get destroyed also.
presumably if a Facility has no base-objects it can't be destroyed (haven't checked that though)
11
XPiratez / Re: What is the border between plagiarism and inspiration?
« on: May 07, 2023, 10:40:00 pm »
In university i thought about this a lot. In academic papers, if you're expressing someone else's original ideas or research, always reference it. But over time many ideas gradually enter the common parlance and then I'd reference where i learned them only until I was confident that i had "made them mine".
In much earlier days of the Internet I posted several of my poems to Usenet. One was plagiarized 3 times. One was satire, one was heavily inspired by, and one merely had some words changed. After getting over being stung to the quick for about a week, I came to Dioxine's conclusion: it's culture, get over it.
regardless,
Definitely give credit where credit is due. That's a part of culture as well,
In much earlier days of the Internet I posted several of my poems to Usenet. One was plagiarized 3 times. One was satire, one was heavily inspired by, and one merely had some words changed. After getting over being stung to the quick for about a week, I came to Dioxine's conclusion: it's culture, get over it.
regardless,
Definitely give credit where credit is due. That's a part of culture as well,
12
Released Mods / Re: [SOURCEMOD] Brutal-OXCE 5.0.4
« on: May 05, 2023, 01:38:44 am »
https://www.vg247.com/xcom-creator-gollop-voices-concern-over-paper-thin-illusion-of-weak-ai
yep. And, as you say, the code is opensource. I don't imagine it would be *that* difficult to create a few random-branching patterns .....
Quote
Gollop also explained that while his AI in XCOM was emulating intelligence - due to a lack of power back then - there was still more believability due to the unpredictable nature of the game's alien enemies. Leaving some things to chance - rather than setting everything in stone - is the key, he said.
But as you said, it's not really what this is about and it already exists in the base-AI.
yep. And, as you say, the code is opensource. I don't imagine it would be *that* difficult to create a few random-branching patterns .....
13
Released Mods / Re: [SOURCEMOD] Brutal-OXCE 5.0.4
« on: May 04, 2023, 09:09:55 pm »
heya, I'm not seriously suggesting this but just for the sake of understanding ...
when i was younger, playing XCOM, the ai would do stupid things (obviously). I'd have a soldier out in the open and an aLien would come around the corner and I'd go "oh crap. ded"
then the stupid thing would turn around and go away ... and id just freak out ... not because of the 'stupid ai decision' but because it made things seem like the aLiens had a more important agenda and I had no clue what it was. (confusion)
Chryssalids in aLien base missions were notorious; they'd clomp towards me, then stagger back, then maybe closer ... it was nervewracking (suspense)
when i was younger, playing XCOM, the ai would do stupid things (obviously). I'd have a soldier out in the open and an aLien would come around the corner and I'd go "oh crap. ded"
then the stupid thing would turn around and go away ... and id just freak out ... not because of the 'stupid ai decision' but because it made things seem like the aLiens had a more important agenda and I had no clue what it was. (confusion)
Chryssalids in aLien base missions were notorious; they'd clomp towards me, then stagger back, then maybe closer ... it was nervewracking (suspense)
14
Help / Re: When creating new maps are corner pieces only cosmetic?
« on: April 28, 2023, 10:59:51 am »
pretty sure that the OxC engines successfully block view between diagonally touching LoFTs (unlike the original XCOM).
But I believe it's good policy to 'cap off' corners for other reasons that i forget ...
But I believe it's good policy to 'cap off' corners for other reasons that i forget ...
15
Help / Re: Trying to add new alien craft.
« on: April 24, 2023, 02:14:02 pm »I've redone the routing for the Whirligig map, could you check if the files are loading now with the correct routes on your end?
yep looks fine here. (same as the pics u posted)