Messages

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XPiratez / Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - N6 03-Oct-2023 Zany Cats

« on: November 23, 2023, 01:21:27 am »

Thanks for wide reply.
I see now more clearly that x-piratez developers prefer anti-sandbox style.
Do You know any x-com mod which is in sandbox style?

... For this case and this lore scripting concept itself is fair enough. ...

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XPiratez / Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - N6 03-Oct-2023 Zany Cats

« on: November 22, 2023, 11:46:36 am »

This is just my opinion:

1. Games which requires spoilers (small or big) are badly designed.

2. Frustration from chasing game spoilers is something very different than frustration from advancing in game skills.

3. Good games distinguish between tactical and strategical aspects with regard to time pressure.

4. Good games give possibility to dynamically change time pressure, by player's choices and skills, not by rigid scripts.

5. Good games don't need advertisements.

I see around a lot of games which trying to ease my game experience and spare from frustration. When such attempts finally reach its destination another game becomes another casual pressure-free munch.

XPiratez will never attract 1000000x more players this is niche product by nature. The best way of further development for XPiratez is being XPirates and follow XPirates' developer vision. If you want to attract 1000000 new players you need to invest $1000000 into promo campaign and release game in Eastern Asia region, China I mean.

At the moment I don't see why the story of native insurgent group on backwater planet should be freed from the time pressure. The response to protagonists' activity determined by factors far beyond player's control which makes course of events mostly predefined until the major bifurcation point which is victory game end.

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XPiratez / Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - N6 03-Oct-2023 Zany Cats

« on: November 21, 2023, 10:54:28 am »

Agreed.
But x-piratez is a donationware project. And massively more players, which are not frustrated by chasing spoilers (buried somewhere in the deep internet) , means more money for the author. 

...
In fact, balancing difficulty and challenge is one of the most difficult things to do when it comes to video games, there are people at software houses who are paid good money and sometimes with results that are unfortunately not always satisfactory.
...

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XPiratez / Re: [MAIN] XPiratez - N6 03-Oct-2023 Zany Cats

« on: November 19, 2023, 01:01:20 pm »

I think that x-piratez could attract over 1000000x more players (new and old as replayable game) if it could be played in more open world style of playing, without rigid (scripted) time pressure. Then any spoilers (small or big) are not required to know.
Time pressure should be put on tactical aspect, not on strategical aspect - this is golden rule for any good game: quick to learn long to master (without using spoilers from author's secret gardens).

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XPiratez / Re: Prices inflation instead of general time pressure

« on: March 31, 2022, 10:17:02 am »

Seems like adequate solution for some sort of free to pay mobile MMO but not for XPiratez I would say.

By the mod lore you emerge and start to undermine the law and order on empire provincial planet. It's a matter of time then your activity will draw an attention and get appropriate response so this story has a start and has a final. I would rather presume enemy measures severity should increase as your infamy rating but this might be already implemented.

MMO can be scripted too, similar to XPiratez. But it's not what I'm trying to move in this topic.

I think that provincial planet should provide some option to balance between attracting attention and consciously staying  away from activities which can attract tough enemies. The player should decide himself which way he prefer - quick and risky or long and safer (or something in the middle). Scripted story line should be just one of an option of playing. But it's just my opinion.

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XPiratez / Re: Prices inflation instead of general time pressure

« on: March 29, 2022, 12:54:00 am »

Go ahead with your science project, but you want to make a completely different game, not XPZ or OpenXcom. Just I'm not sure of the logic of "removing time pressure by adding even harder time pressure". I don't think game fun factor can be improved by a simple machine solution like this, all my experience points opposite.

I understand You. But I also understand the difference between scripted based time pressure and inflation based time pressure (open world like sandboxes). And I think that the second type is a lot more playable in long term experiences.

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XPiratez / Re: Prices inflation instead of general time pressure

« on: March 27, 2022, 11:01:00 am »

I see no way to do this. Prices are constant, writed in "items.rul" file.

So I should modify the engine.

But what about the second part of this idea? (About buying information about missions, without general time pressure)

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XPiratez / Prices inflation instead of general time pressure

« on: March 27, 2022, 10:23:24 am »

Hello.
I'm thinking about some modification to this mod. As in the subject.
When I say "inflation" I mean that all prices for all stuff increases about 10% per year. And prices for selling goods are much lower than prices for buying
When I say removing "time pressure" I mean removing scripted mission appearing difficulty curve. Player just buy information in the market about potential events on the globe, and just wait some random time for specific mission appear.
For example I buy information about "Bandits" mission and wait from few hours to 365 days to appear on the globe. More difficult and rewarding mission requires more expensive information (but they are available after researching required stuff as in the original research tree). More information I buy then more missions marks I get on the globe.
In this mod of the mod governments don't pay funds for the player monthly.

Which files I should modify to do these modifications?

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XPiratez / Re: Piratez Difficulty Curve

« on: November 21, 2021, 12:26:57 am »

Just "rush" base defences, better interceptors and tanks and you are pretty much golden. Only Star Gods and Mercenaries can give you a problem when they arrive if you achieve this.

No more spoilers and definatelly no save scumming required.

So there is just one linear way to finish the game?

Is there any open-ended way or option?

10

XPiratez / Re: Piratez Difficulty Curve

« on: November 20, 2021, 01:09:55 pm »

Thanks for info.

Maybe I shouldn't modify those files because using spoilers and using save scumming is part of the game in this mod?

11

XPiratez / Re: Piratez Difficulty Curve

« on: November 19, 2021, 05:40:14 pm »

Do You know how many files have to be modified to rescript time pressure in this mod?
Those scripts are compiled or in plain text?

...

This problem is very reocurring, and we're having discussions constantly on how to make the player forget other gaming tropes.

12

XPiratez / Re: Piratez Difficulty Curve

« on: November 18, 2021, 10:31:40 pm »

Thank You for reply 
In my opinion this mod has huge potential to be more elastic with regard to time pressure, through proper knowledge and skills which can be obtained in the game, without spoilers, faqs, hidden knowledge from the deep internet.

When I've said "experienced players" I meant players experienced by general gaming (not only computer games). In my opinion those players have tendency to lessening time pressure by any means (but still in the game's world) when they feel that they must obtain more understanding, just to have more fun, without chasing technical stuff buried somewhere outside in the author's secret garden.

Until M1, I did not feel the time pressure at all. In fact, it would be quite easy to lollygag until close to Year 3 on any difficulty not Jack Sparrow.

Since M1, things changed a lot. Now it is way more difficult to lollygag, and there is only one way of dealing with the pressure, getting a goal and sticking to it. Unfortunately, for people not in the know what is, or is not a goal, they might suffer from unfocused playstyle that will ultimately grind their campaign to a halt no later than 9 months in.

That said, experienced players tend to know this stuff. And in any case, avoiding !stuff! Is basically the WORST thing you can do, so much so I'd consider it a newbie trap, not an experienced player rigid time control method or whatever.

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XPiratez / Re: Piratez Difficulty Curve

« on: November 17, 2021, 02:58:22 am »

I think that over 89% of experienced players quit very early from this mod because there is no controlling time pressure in-game skills or in-game knowledge. Even when You don't research !some_special_res! still there is too much linear and too much scripted rigid time pressure in this mod.
I think that roguelike players know what I mean very clearly.