Messages

91

Offtopic / Re: XCOM Diaries - Unexpected Outcomes

« on: March 19, 2014, 11:30:40 pm »

Thats awesome.  The beauty of any AI issues is that we tend to interpret whats its doing as rationale.  In this case, the sectopod literally walks away from combat, as if it knows that the human scrubs sent against it were pathetic, not a threat, and certainly not worth the elerium to kill.  Walked itself back to the battleship.

Thanks for posting that, including the frustration.  Loved it.

92

Open Feedback / Re: openxcom - bad remake

« on: March 19, 2014, 09:32:39 pm »

Actually, the sound change was part of the patch for XCOM way back.  Its part of XCOM 1.2, I think. 

93

Builds & Ports / Re: Compiling under Visual Studio 2012

« on: March 19, 2014, 03:35:34 pm »

Hmm...makes perfect sense.  So...I only have a copy of VS 2012 update 3, for my current project work.  No desire to spend coin on VS 2010 when VS is about to expand in the upcoming year in anticipation for Win 9.  Resources are tight.

So...with that said...
Can someone point to the files to be compiled and where I find them?  I'd hate to go file by file, line by line thru OpenXcom looking for dependency files.  God forbid...version issues.  Uggh.

BTW...Warboy, did you resort to an older IDE  for simplicities sake, or you couldn't find the solution to getting 2012 working?

94

Builds & Ports / Re: Compiling under Visual Studio 2012

« on: March 19, 2014, 04:04:40 am »

I later installed the pre-compiled dependencies.  I got the following error:

The element 'PropertyGroup' in namespace 'https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003' has invalid child element 'YieldDuringToolExecution' in namespace 'https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003'. List of possible elements expected: 'Property, AllowUnsafeBlocks, AppConfigForCompiler, ApplicationIcon, ApplicationRevision, ApplicationVersion, AppDesignerFolder, AspNetConfiguration, AssemblyKeyContainerName, AssemblyKeyProviderName, AssemblyName, AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile, AssemblyOriginatorKeyFileType, AssemblyOriginatorKeyMode, AssemblyType, AutorunEnabled, BaseAddress, BootstrapperComponentsLocation, BootstrapperComponentsUrl, BootstrapperEnabled, CharacterSet, CheckForOverflowUnderflow, CLRSupport, UseDebugLibraries, CodePage, Configuration, ConfigurationName, ConfigurationOverrideFile, CreateDesktopShortcut, CreateWebPageOnPublish, CurrentSolutionConfigurationContents, DebugSecurityZoneURL, DebugSymbols, DebugType, DefaultClientScript, DefaultHTMLPageLayout, DefaultTargetSchema, DefineConstants, DefineDebug, DefineTrace, DelaySign, DisableLangXtns, DisallowUrlActivation, CodeAnalysisAdditionalOptions, CodeAnalysisApplyLogFileXsl, CodeAnalysisConsoleXsl, CodeAnalysisCulture, CodeAnalysisFailOnMissingRules, CodeAnalysisForceOutput, Co....   C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V110\Microsoft.CppCommon.targets   

This error plus 100 others, actually.  I'm sure its something simple...

I was busy at work and just saw your response.  Shoes, thanks for being gentle with me on that, btw...

1.  Should I have not used the precompiled deps? 
2.  Where do I find the correct lib files to place in the deps folder?

95

Builds & Ports / Re: Compiling under Visual Studio 2012

« on: March 18, 2014, 10:51:55 pm »

Attempting to build with VS 2012. 

Getting the following error:
error C1083: Cannot open include file: 'yaml-cpp/yaml.h': No such file or directory   

Steps to recreate:
Downloaded source from Git.
Rebuilt the solution for VS 2012.

I can only assume there are files that need to get moved into a specific place.  Not sure what files and where to find them, and where they should go.

Be gentle, I'm new to C++ completely.

96

Offtopic / Re: The true origin of XCOM

« on: March 16, 2014, 03:04:50 am »

Yeah UFO the TV series was a big inspiration, can't say I was a fan of the show though, although you can easily tell it's a work of Gerry Anderson as the show is like Captain Scarlet except with humans instead of puppets

Being American, I never even heard of that show.  Did watch Space 1999, which is, from what I read, the next season /generation/ whatever of UFO.  Oddly, despite the extreme dated look, I did enjoy watching UFO. 

Sort of fun, and I can see where things from the show were almost directly ported to XCOM.  The GEOSCAPE, UFO detection, Interception launches, etc.  Even there HQ is actually underground with a "front" organization (a movie studio!)  at the ground level concealing the alien fighting organization known by acronym of S.H.A.D.O.  SHADO counterstriking UFOs across the planet. 

Its also clearly not a kids show, pointing directly to adults.  Adultery, voyeurism, nudity...

97

Offtopic / Re: The true origin of XCOM

« on: March 16, 2014, 03:01:00 am »

Hm, I'm sure you could probably find a gameplay video for rebelstar raiders, rebelstar, laser squad...

Oh...I'm quite familiar with that and other similar games from that era.  I lived that era, so i can go way back into great games gone abandonware.  XCOM was far differerent.  I actually disliked laser squad, and thought rebelstar was horrid.  I played it back in the BBs days (the infamous PrirateZ!).  But that's just me.

98

Offtopic / The true origin of XCOM

« on: March 15, 2014, 08:05:00 pm »

Just woke up from years of sleep on XCOM.  Checked out an interview with this Gollop fellow and BAM!  Steam had a great article on OpenXCom and tada!  Life has been grand.

While watching an interview with Gollop he gave some insight that i had never heard or seen.  The UFO tv series that was in the UK. 

Started watching them and so much of XCOM as we know it is in there.  (Of course its very dated...but hell...what can you expect).

Figure I'd share what I've seen on Youtube for those who (like myself) aren't familair with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGwjmhoVEk

Apparently this is the inspiration that turned laser squad to XCOM.

99

Open Feedback / Re: Sectoid Terror Ships

« on: March 11, 2014, 03:39:08 am »

Funny thing is...I don't remember the original game being that hard.  Probably because it really didn't have any other levels beyond the easiest one.  (Or something to that effect).

I played a terror mission back in January with a game date in January.  Fortunately I over packed the Skyranger cause I was surprised to see not 2, not 3, not 4, but 6 cyberdiscs in play!  I played desperate, pinging it with rifles down to emptying my spare clips in it.  Went back to the ranger and grabbed the dusty rocket launchers and fired them to the best effect I could.  Deployed every last one of my smoke grenades trying to get in close enough to damage them.  Tossed every grenade at them I could muster.  There is nothing worst than two cyberdiscs seemingly to work in tandem, let alone a third one that moved into location and openned fire unexpectedly.  Hit one, the other spun off reaction fire...it was horrible for my poor young squaddies and rookies.

That mission ended up killing my young xcom commander, and my two best shooters.  Much fun!

100

Open Feedback / Re: Name extensions as in XcomUtil

« on: March 08, 2014, 02:46:27 pm »

There is a mod being created called Soldier diaries.  Does what you are asking and more.  Check that out...though its still in "testing", if you will.

101

Released Mods / Re: [WEAPON] Heavy Machine Gun

« on: March 07, 2014, 05:55:05 am »

Mercy!  Thank you for not taking it all the wrong way.  Cool.  I did not want to come out seeming arrogant.

What you are describing seems to me to be more of a sniping type role (regardless of the "means" of raining death, be it 7.62MM, 20mm, laser, plasma, cupid arrows, cute puppy toes).  Position as far back as possible, flush targets out with scouting unit and take out enemies from a distance using insert weapon X.

With such a weapon, there would seem to be few uses for reaction fire.  Its not its intent...Its really not its role.  However for XCOM, not having reaction fire is a heavy price for any weapons usefulness after Day 1 out of the Skyranger.  If the heavy plasma rifle had no snap shot (and therefore no reaction fire), its role as the de facto weapon of choice would fall dramatically.  Or rather, it would definitely change the composition of weapons a team of XCOM agents would deploy, IMO.  But I digress a bit.

Hence the direction you went initially.

Another means of looking at the HMG is as a SAW.  Its mobile, performs a few different roles (including "sniping").   As the squads automatic weapon, it has to have some level of mobility and use on the go.  Useful down range (like an open desert), as well for clearing out a hostile habitat like a harvester or Alien Base where fighting is up close and action can come from any direction.  However, the key difference is that no one should be down range that weapon except the enemy.  With that many bullets flying, it just shouldn't be used for seperating a civvie from a charging chryssalid.

For original specs, the optimal user of the weapon has to be very experienced with a strength in the 50s in order to open up with auto.  Personally, I don't get guys like that with enough XP until late March or April.  So that means lasers have probably been fully developed by the time your original concept HMG comes into play.  So, IMO, it has to compete in the same realm as laser tech, even though it buyable.  Even with me dropping the weight to 20, it took guys with high beginning strength to have some decent automatic fire with it.  There is nothing worse than turning 1 util and not having enough TUs to fire on an enemy in your sights that about to pounce on your scout who is out of TUs and caught in the open.  And when I am in that range, and I have the right amount of TUs...that "insert weapon X" better put that enemy down with no ifs, ands, or butts...otherwise the weapon is soon to be disgarded.  Unlike a Squad Automatice Weapon, you have to trust that the weapon is accurate enough to splice the enemy despite shooting thru (or near) a group of your squaddie scouts.

102

Released Mods / Re: [WEAPON] Heavy Machine Gun

« on: March 07, 2014, 12:09:44 am »

Same here.  Tested the idea, its look decent, but unusable.  If user is too weak, useless.  Its TUs are too much.  You need a decent burst on snapshot, and a long burst on autoshot.

When I get a moment, I'll post my suggested modifications, including wav files.

------------------------
Done...

It has a Snap as well as Auto Mode.  Snap is critical for reaction fire, which in truth, is the main use of any heavy machine gun...suppression of enemy movement. 

Through testing, found it to be useful, but not dominant as one might think.
1.  Its completely susceptible to the sniper, and
2.  susceptible to flanking (big time). 
3.  Its THE WORST (ouch!) weapon ever to give to a unit that goes berserk or gets alien controlled.  Never seen so many bodies in a Skyranger before.  LOL!  Pure rookie cutter...

Working in a team, it was most useful, but you have to check flanks, which just about kills any real full auto blast.  Tactically, I found moving with a pistol into a good position, while carrying the HMG in backpack worked.  When you get to a spot, unpack it and sit, while team clears flanks.  I really want to up the damage a tad for so many reasons, but just couldn't justify it much more.  It does need to compete against laser weapons.  Its a weapon that suppose to sit on a jeep or APC.  Its superior to any rifle except a heavy plasma. 

Heck, it was the Terminators weapon of choice, after all.  Nuff said.

BTW...I had to change the sprite and whatnot.  Its a machine gun.  No tracer fire.

My one big issue is that I used the shotgun pellets.  Works beautifully on auto visually and damage effect, but when you do reaction fire, the effect looks interesting, but it cheats on the number of rounds spent.  I think its minor, but if possible, a change to the code to spend rounds per pellet should be added.  See for yourself.

Please take no offense at my playing around with your mod.  Its awesome and I'm jealous cause I have no graphics skills.  I just code.

103

Open Feedback / Feedback: Camera Moves when firing weapon

« on: March 06, 2014, 11:03:01 pm »

There is a change in the latest exe where the camera moves while firing weapon.  I'm not liking it too much.  Especially when testing the HMG machine gun...it just doesn't look right.  Is there a reason this was changed?  Seemed like it was fine before when camera stayed on target, and not the messenger.

Hmm:  Is the camera moving due to reaction fire?

As my dad used to say...Don't fear the gun, fear the bullets!

104

Work In Progress / Re: [HELP] "blastRadius" and low values ?

« on: March 06, 2014, 07:53:00 pm »

Cool.  Hope that fixes damage as well.  I'll test and check.

105

Released Mods / Re: [GRAPHICS] Chiko's Laser Weapons news Gfx

« on: March 01, 2014, 10:54:33 pm »

"Blood for the Blood God!!!!"

Chaos Gate...a thing of beauty it was.