Topics

1

Suggestions / Tips on startup

« on: October 29, 2013, 06:01:38 pm »

Just learned of another feature of OpenXcom I hadn't known of at all.  I'm starting to think that a "tips" screen on startup or loading a game wouldn't be the worst idea to remind new players of all the little differences between Xcom and OpenXcom.

2

Suggestions / Geoscape clock

« on: October 20, 2013, 07:33:30 pm »

I have on just a few occasions wished for the ability to stop the clock entirely so that I can examine the geoscape without time passing.  A geoscape "Pause" button that still leaves me with the list of geoscape options but without craft still creeping along or terror sites expiring.  The clock stops when I'm looking at a base or ufopedia or whatnot, but why not when I'm looking at the globe?  There's no room for a new button without rearranging the interface but what if you clicked the currently selected time button again, which would then DE-select it and maybe say, "Game Paused" somewhere on screen.

3

Programming / Look out the window

« on: October 12, 2013, 10:15:06 pm »

I guess this is just a formal request to re-insert a "feature" of the original game - after landing in the skyranger you were able to have troops simply turn to look to the side and see the terrain next to the ship.  Never saw any aliens that way (and never sure why you could see a building but not an alien out the window) but at least you weren't quite so blind when stepping off the ramp.  You had an idea of the lay of the land before stepping outside and could at least then have a plan in mind.  I never knew if this was a "bug" or a "feature".  I actually played for years before I found out you could do that - it just never occurred to me to TRY that.  Even though it doesn't really change anything (because you STILL are going to be shot at stepping onto the ramp) it is something I really miss from the original game.

4

Suggestions / Research and manufacture options

« on: August 24, 2013, 07:03:11 pm »

Had a couple of ideas.  One would be to be able to assign engineers to base construction projects in order to speed up their completion.  Struck me as a bit odd that they can build a spacecraft to carry 20-odd people to Mars but can't/won't pick up a drill to help assemble shelves for a new storage block.

Once a player has actually completed the research tree something should happen.  Maybe just a pop-up to let the player know that all possible research is complete so it'd be best to just sack all your scientists and destroy all the labs, if not just inform the player and then do that FOR them.  Though base construction would make removing labs problematic if destruction of a lab totally isolates another section players should not be "duped" into continuing to pay salaries to scientists who can't actually do anything.  Another possibility is to allow those scientists to still research SOMEthing.  I was thinking of options along the lines of making weapons lighter, use less elerium, build a little faster.  However, it occurs to me that the only way to do that would likely be to add a whole new set of weapons with the new stats.  Maybe they could spend their time forevermore growing 10-unit batches of elerium?

5

Suggestions / Save games

« on: August 24, 2013, 06:41:59 pm »

Just thinking it'd be nice to be able to have saved games display according to game time stamp rather than alphabetically.

6

Open Feedback / Promotions

« on: August 22, 2013, 08:23:57 pm »

Watching a few Let's Play's and in playing my own games what I'm seeing is that troops are not being correctly promoted - at least insofar as I understand the default game is SUPPOSED to do so.  A rookie becomes a squaddie by getting his first kill, yes?  I've seen a few promoted to squaddie while still having "# Kills" listed as 0.  Now it may be that they're getting credit for HITTING an alien that actually gets killed by someone else.  What I see more often though is rookies listed with 1, 2 or even more kills who are still rookies and that I don't understand.

7

Suggestions / Promotions

« on: August 16, 2013, 03:39:35 am »

I'm sure someone has mentioned this before but it'd be nice to have some control over promotions. As it is the game seems to select random troopers to promote.  That means that some squaddie with 1 mission and 1 kill winds up getting promoted to Commander of all Xcom forces over a squaddie who has 15 missions and 30 kills to his credit.  That's messed up.

When promotions are in order the player should be allowed to choose from among "qualified candidates".  I assume that would mean that the only promotion rookies are ever going to get is to squaddie.  Lot of times promotions occur due to... an unexpected opening in the ranks.  I don't mind that the game might put SOME restrictions on who earns a promotion but as it stands there seems almost no rhyme or reason to it.  Certain troops just seem to get "fast tracked" to be officers - OBLIVIOUS of their actual in-game performance.

Even if the game retains absolute control over promotions the BASIS of those promotions needs to make more sense.

8

Suggestions / Transfer loot from sites

« on: August 02, 2013, 06:49:52 pm »

So, as it is when you end a mission all the surviving loot from that mission is instantly available in your base inventory.  Instead, it should all be added as materials IN TRANSIT being transferred to the base, probably with some appreciable delay since one does not disassemble and ship all the alloys from a battleship faster than the skyranger can fly the troops back home.

This also brings to mind the issue of exceeding base storage limits.  It happens because all the weapons and elerium and alloys from sites are instantly added to base inventory.  What I'm thinking is that there should be some manner of penalty for exceeding base storage limits.  Since all that STUFF has to be put somewhere then it has to reduce your living quarters capacity and your efficiency at doing research and manufacturing since the bunkrooms, labs and workshops are then being used to store it all.

9

Suggestions / Male/Female

« on: July 17, 2013, 01:08:26 am »

With all the new names from unfamiliar (to me) regions of the world I simply don't know if a soldier is supposed to be male or female until I see them on the field.  I'd rather see a M/F indicator somewhere on their stats screen so that when I do rename them I'm not trotting out a female renamed Frank or a male named Felicity.  Of course, if there were a way to see their appearance before getting into a fight that'd be good too.

10

Suggestions / Kneeling

« on: July 17, 2013, 01:03:21 am »

It's a simple thing and not always a problem, but with the limited graphics of 1994 it is difficult to always tell if a soldier is actually kneeling unless they are kneeling in the open.  What I'd like is a simple little UI indicator of whether a soldier is kneeling or not.  A color or icon change on the kneel button, a little red kneeling soldier icon that pops up in a corner when a kneeling soldier is selected... something.

11

Open Feedback / Steam led me here

« on: July 08, 2013, 05:26:55 am »

Looked at Steam for the first time in months.  Thought I might try a game of the old Xcom and saw the linked article.  Read it and soon after DL 0.9 to give it a spin.  LOVIN' IT.  No hints of issues... except, just hit my first terror mission and there are no civilians?