Topics

1

Work In Progress / [DISCUSSION]Expanding the Interceptor's Functionality?

« on: June 15, 2013, 04:27:18 am »

One of the fun things about XcomUtil is that it gave solider capacity to all five craft. But it had to work with the graphics that already existed. The interceptor's map block was just a stubby skyranger with a secondary engine group under the wings. I've lately been wanting to try hand at making detailed isometric graphics and I'm looking at making an actual map block for the interceptor but I'm going to want some more information before undertaking such a task.

-First of all, I don't know any of the rules I have to follow to make a functional map block.
-I want this map block to reasonably match the graphic used on the UFOpedia entry.
-I've always wanted to justify soldiers on the interceptor by cramming them into the craft's internal maintenance bay, which is placed between the engines for easy access to internal mechanisms or whatever.
-I've gone ahead and map a rough tile map using the UFOpedia graphic.

It looks like the interceptor is going to have an area of 10x7. And unlike the skyranger, it looks like the Interceptor going to need a unique tile for each and every top piece. Assuming I don't botch the initial silhouette, I think it's going to need 40 of them.
-I have considered giving the interceptor a ramp. However, I've noticed that one of the plates on top of the interceptor looks like a hatch.  So instead, I've decided that interceptor so have an elevator tile and that soldiers should egress the interceptor as depicted in the animated intro of the game. (The elevator also connects to the ground so they can come back in.)
-The "maintenance bay" I have in mind is one column of 4 tiles, and therefore can't hold a tank.

Any thoughts on the subject?

2

Suggestions / Clip ammo checking. (Now the variable elerium thread)

« on: May 26, 2013, 01:06:07 pm »

One thing I feel that urks me is that perfectly good bullets are discarded after a battle because they are no longer part of a full clip. Could we add in a system that adds up all remaining rounds of ammo returns an appropriate number of clips back after battle? Or takes the ammo from partially depleted clips and adds them to a third item type group "stray rounds", which can be manufactured back into clips at a later time.

I think the such a system could be used to add some variability to how game handles elerium as well. Instead of each elerium unit being multiplied by 50 at the end of each round, each elerium unit could be a "clip" type item with an amount of actual elerium inside, a amount which is influenced by appropriate factors, such as ship type and time spent flying around, and a random plus or minus factor.

Also, this system would also allow aliens such as floaters and cyberdisks to carry (or spawn on death) units of elerium, as it makes sense that their bodies contain small amounts of elerium.

3

Resources / More weapon graphics (Attributed Use Policy)

« on: May 23, 2013, 02:25:31 pm »

One design I felt didn't get enough love was the laser pistol. So I went ahead and it's design into made alloy weapon series.
Original

Updated


UFOpedia entries.

Alloy Pistol
Alien Alloys have already proven useful in improving Earth based technologies. This alloy pistol, is faster, lighter, and easier to aim over the standard issue counterpart, all while using the same ammunition as well.

Alloy Rifle
Alien Alloys have been applied to our standard rifle as well. Along with reduced weight and improved handling, this rifle has also been fitted with a more powerful laser sight, which is typically deemed impractical for weapons this size.

Heavy Alloy
Alien Alloys have vastly redesigned the heavy cannon, making it a much more practical weapon. Because the motorized feed system has been removed entirely, a special feeding ramp is used to ensure compatibility with existing ammunition belts.

Auto-Alloy
The advantages of Alien Alloys have been applied to our Auto-Cannon weapon system, eliminating the need for multiple barrels to protect the weapon from itself. More advanced anti-recoil mechanisms have added as well.

Alloy-Launcher
Constructing the Rocket-Launcher with Alien Alloys has made it lighter than the rockets it fires.

And as a catch-all, I've have made an alternate design of the laser pistol as well.

Guess what it's based it off of.

UPDATE: Because it's highly unlikely that I'll actually code a mod for OpenXCom, you may use the graphics I've made (the Alloy Rifle, the Heavy Alloy, the Auto-Alloy, the Alloy-Launcher and the Replacement Laser Pistol) as long as you attribute me. You do not have to use or define these weapons as I have in your mod, you may say they are what you need them to be.

4

Work In Progress / [SOLVED] Small problem with the palette.

« on: May 19, 2013, 07:33:54 am »

Solution here.

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I've been wanting to try my hands at making custom graphics for X-Com. However I've run into a slight, possible esoteric problem.

I extracted the sprites using and pckview and loaded them into my editor of choice, paint.NET. I then took the battle palette image from the wiki and put it into the same image. Nifty thing about PDN, if you set tolerance to zero and shift click a pixel with the wand tool, it will select every pixel of the same exact color. Here's where I run into my problem.

The extracts and the palette don't match by the slightest of shades. For example, the black from the pckview is 04040C, while the black from the wiki image is 000000.

So either pckview is being unfaithful or the wiki image is. Does anyone know the answer or am I looking at a non-issue? I'd like to be able to use any color from the game palette I want without looking up a different sprite first.

5

Suggestions / Interceptor option to desync weapons.

« on: May 16, 2013, 03:00:49 am »

I suggest that in the advanced options menu, we add the option to "Desync matching armaments".

What this would do when enabled, is add a fifty percent loading delay to the initial shot on second craft weapon if both are or the same type. So if you had 2 laser cannons, they would fire one after another instead of both firing at the same time.

This would remove the ambiguity regrading whether if both weapons hit or if just one hit.

A note for coders: Make sure you make it so that the initial second weapon shot delay is reset should the player click the "stand off" button.

6

Suggestions / Caterpillar formation feature

« on: May 09, 2013, 01:59:13 am »

One thing I'd like to do in the battle scape is draw a line and form a caterpillar of soldiers. All soldiers would all automatically follow path taken by the leader soldier or follow how the line was drawn up until that point.
 
Rules.
-A caterpillar drawing must start with the leader.
-The caterpillar may contain gaps between followers if it was drawn to have them .
-Seeing an alien will stop the leader but will not prevent the caterpillar from catching up with him unless right click is used, removing any followers from the caterpillar behind that point.
-Same rules apply to alien reaction fire.
-Selecting a follower will not cancel the caterpillar, but that follower will be removed from it if he is moved.
--If that follower is turned however, he will automatically strife when the caterpillar moves and turn relativity with caterpillar for as long as he is a follower.
-If a follower cannot keep up with the caterpillar because of an obstruction (solider placed in the gap, stair way destroyed by reaction fire) or a lack of TU, energy or Z-movement ability, that follower and those behind him will be removed from the caterpillar.
-Should a new caterpillar drawing intersect with an existing caterpillar, the old one will be canceled.
-Kneeling the leader with kneel all the followers, but just kneeling a follower is affects no one else.
-If the leader is killed, the caterpillars is canceled.
-If a follower is killed, the caterpillar is not canceled.
-Double clicking the leader will cancel the caterpillar.

Aside from the auto strife/turning feature,  this is more of a streamlining feature than a tactical feature, it's mainly to remove the tedium when you want multiple near-by units to do the same thing.