Messages

16

OXCE Suggestions DONE / Re: [DONE] [Suggestion] Geoscape pop-up events

« on: March 09, 2022, 06:48:45 pm »

I've implemented eventScripts and events to TechComm, along with arcScripts and I have feedback:

1) Are eventScripts and arcScripts redundant? I made the suggestion for arcScripts for storytelling proposes and I've been using it, but when I implemented eventScripts the only difference I saw was that one is executed before missionScripts and the other after missionScripts. Or perhaps codewise it's necessary to split them because of this crucial difference.

2) It's on my testing list, but I might ask it: can craft be added through events? I'm doing by giving an item (Craft Fuselage) that can be manufactured into a craft. It fits the TechComm universe, but at the same time I'm wishing for a simpler system where you just get the craft.

3) Also on my testing list: can negative values be used in events for score/funding/etc. loss?

4) randomItemList - can it be set to give more than 1 item? That's the only option missing from all the others.

And to conclude great work with the event generator.

17

Troubleshooting / Re: Game crashes on random missions?

« on: March 09, 2022, 06:31:57 pm »

Ah, the readme on the GitHub is not current then, as it states "The Terrain Pack can be played on both OXC or OpenXCom Extended."

Thank you for the assistance.

Yup, the GitHub needs an updating, I forgot some of the new additions might break backwards compatibility with OXC.

18

Recycle Bin / Re: Armed Civilians not working.

« on: March 08, 2022, 05:17:17 am »

OK, I managed to fix it by following the instructions, testing/playing it now =D (It only works for OpenXcom extended, why cannot it not work for OpenXcom ?)

Because it requires OXCE features to fully work?

19

Work In Progress / Re: [TC][OXCE][I.D.T.] Terminator: Tech-Comm - Alpha

« on: March 05, 2022, 04:33:25 am »

Version 0.5.2 released today at the mod portal.

* Skynet Pacification missions will spawn 1-3 Resistance sites, anywhere on the world, which consist of either Rescue, Protect or Escape missions. Successful completion of those missions will give additional soldiers joining Tech-Comm.
* When research is completed in a sector, on the next month it will spawn an abandoned base on the region of the sector. Detecting and assaulting that base will result in a Defense, Destroy, Recovery or Extraction missions. Successful completion of those missions will give aircraft fuselages (can be converted to craft), weapons caches or additional supplies.
* In addition, every time research is completed in a sector, there's also a chance to get non-combat random rewards on that month as events.
* It's not possible to buy craft weapons anymore, only manufacture them.
* Completing Sector Comms, Tech Systems and Resistance Aircraft will randomly give each month one or more Intelpedia articles related to weapons, Terminators, HKs, etc.

20

Suggestions / Re: Skipping ufo interception and go straight into battlescape missions.

« on: March 02, 2022, 07:39:27 pm »

Hi, not sure if this is the right place in the forum to ask this question. Is it possible to skip ufo interception completely, if an ufo, take a civilian car for example, with no weapons, is intercepted by a skyranger and this automatically trigger a battlescape mission?

A car would have a maximum speed around 120 kph, while the Skyranger has ten times the speed. In practical terms the car would almost appear immobile on Geoscape as the Skyranger intercepted it. So it might be better to spawn the 'ufo' immediately as landed, that way the Skyranger will always go straight into battle.

21

Tools / Re: VSCode OpenXcom Modding Tools

« on: February 26, 2022, 07:24:58 pm »

Just to say that I've tried pedroterzero's tool recently and I'm completely sold to it just for parsing the rulesets and fixing bugs I had no idea they were there.

For large mods, this is a must have if just to periodically check your rulesets and increase mod stability. And it will save you a lot of pain and time lost from bugs not to easy to find.

22

Tools / Re: OpenXCom Modding Tools

« on: February 26, 2022, 07:20:52 pm »

is online
i really should take the time to put the source online somewhere
but it is such a mess

Thanks a lot for the effort! I still use it from time to time even after all these years

23

Work In Progress / Re: [TC][OXCE][I.D.T.] Terminator: Tech-Comm - Alpha

« on: February 23, 2022, 11:01:35 pm »

Sweet! Do you have an YouTube channel for showcasing your mods? Some terminator gameplay video would be nice to see/have...

Hi. No, we're not there yet since it's still an Alpha and there's a lot of work to be done. But I'm sure something will come up later in the future.

24

Work In Progress / Re: [TC][OXCE][I.D.T.] Terminator: Tech-Comm - Alpha

« on: February 22, 2022, 10:22:36 pm »

Tech-Comm new features:
* Sector Comms - once Tech-Comm is fully operational, it is possible to reestablish communications with each individual sector (country). Conducting research on each country spawns a resource site on the region of the coutnry during the next month that needs to be spotted by craft before it can be assaulted.
** Each resource site can have four types of possible missions: destroy a Skynet site, Defend a resistance team, recover a specific facility or extract from a Skynet ambush. Success gives automatic recovery of supplies, weapons or craft fuselages.
** There are six possible terrains for the four missions: Area 51, Biolab, Cold Isle, Complex, Siberia and Storm Mountain
** In addition, during the month after research in a sector is completed, there is an additional chance of recovering supplies or weapons from non-combat events.
* Acquiring new crafts require recovering fuselages from Sector Comms missions, or manufacture by recovering their blueprints (1 automatically given each month). There will later be a story mission that will give all the blueprints.
* Soldiers, basic firearms and ammo will always be available for purchase. The research data for most of everything else was lost to the Skynet worm, so Tech-Comm needs to recover the research to regain the ability to manufacture it again.
* Council gives bare funding but essential just to keep the starting base running
* At game start, John Connor is placed as a playable soldier on the Tech-Comm HQ. He has hero armor and buffed stats but his survival is not required to win the game, although he will be mentioned a number of times during the story.
* Once the comms system is operational, Skynet will hack the network to transmit propaganda and fake Resistance messages to lure Tech-Comm into ambushes. Not all the comms received will be reliable messages, although a number will be actual sites with a 72 hour window to respond.
* Resistance sites can Rescue, Protect and Escape missions. The first two will eventually give new recruits from the civilian survivors.
* New UI buttons, added by efrenespartano

Upcoming features:
* New Prison map for the Breakout story mission.
* New Skynet Workcamp, Research Lab, Outpost and Factory to complement the already existing terrains.
* New story missions (5-7) to complement the several Skynet base missions that are also required to assault to advance on research.
* Completing the new economy system.

25

Work In Progress / Re: [TC][OXCE][I.D.T] Terminator: Tech-Comm - Alpha

« on: February 21, 2022, 04:00:37 am »

Version 0.4.8 released at the mod portal

This is a change log of everything that has been added since the project was restarted:
* Added: Sector Comms research, which unlock resource missions on a specific country (sector)
* Added: Added Sector Comm resource missions: Destroy, Recovery, Defense and Extraction
* Added: Area 51, Complex, Biolab, Siberia, Cold Isle, Storm Mountain terrains for the resource missions
* Added: Sector events triggered by the sector research, can provide additional resources or nothing at all
* Added: Skyranger Factory, HWP Factory, Factory and Bunker terrains for story missions
* Changed: reorganizated the entire Intelpedia
* Changed: all base facilities larger than 10x10 now use verticalLevels to spawn
* Changed: TechComm base defense now 80x80, runways added to surface
* Changed: redone all the route nodes in TechComm base terrain
* Added: Synthetic Fuels, unlock Fuel Pods which give 500 fuel to craft equipping them
* Added: Archangel, Aurora and Valkyrie crafts to be unlocked later in the campaign
* Replaced: Dynavert craft with Senior Citizen (Dragonfly from War Of The Shadows mod)
* Removed: Super Osprey craft
* Added: Genie and Falcon craft weapons (good old nukes)
* Added: several missing entries to the Intelpedia
* Added: Tech-Comm HQ, Storage, Infirmary, Housing, Mine Field and Craft Pen base facilities
* Added: John Connor, Kyle Reese and other Terminator human characters
* Added: new introduction cutscene
* Added: new starting events
* Added: Officer and Pilot suits
* Added: proximity grenade and medi kit items
* Added: event system to replace previous system based on mission alerts
* Added: arc script system to replace previous system based on research
* Added: several craft weapons now available for manufacture
* Added: craft fuselage system for manufacturing and missions
* Added: base facility repair
* Added: damaged base facilities

26

OXCE Suggestions DONE / Re: [DONE] base preview

« on: February 18, 2022, 06:38:53 pm »

Tech-Comm base tours now available!

We provide the best solution for your secret base needs at the best price of the market!

27

Released Mods / Re: [OXCE][Compilation] Area 51 submods

« on: February 15, 2022, 03:15:51 pm »

Please, if you would do that player will like, i guess 

I've made available again all the submods at the portal and fixed the issue with Armed Civilians.

I'll see if I can make the compilation by the weekend. Just drop me a line if I forgot (too much modding at the moment)

28

Help / Re: Some questions about crediting

« on: February 15, 2022, 02:59:34 pm »

So here are a couple questions:
1. Are there any good ways to figure out original authors of sprites taken from other mods?
    (Looking through various forum threads and mod credits is sometimes not enough)

Sprites are the hardest to credit because of the changes they go through. It can be easier if you credit instead the specific mod craft, units, weapons, etc.

2. What is general etiquette about using other peoples work? Is crediting enough or should I ask for specific permissions.

If there's a open source license (Creative Commons, GNU GPL, other) then you don't need to ask for permission (it's always nice to drop a line to the author though).

If there's no license, then by default is that work is copyrighted and you should ask for permissions.

3. Are there any authors, other than Hobbes, who specifically don't want their work (or parts of it) to be used?
    (I would have to check my mod for other things to remove)

That was the past before I started assigning open source licenses.

Regarding XCOM Terrain Pack anyone can use it as much as you want, just remember to credit and to make your adaptations also available to others (as per the Shared Alike condition of its license).

Regarding Terminator: Tech-Comm, don't use any of its assets since it's in development (the No Derivatives condition of its license).

4. Are there any restrictions or copyright issues with using artworks or concept art for research/briefing pictures?
    (For example new xcom games concept art or random stuff from the Internet)

Everything available in the internet has copyright in one way or another.

If it has an open source license, then you're good as long as you follow the license's terms.

If it does not have it, then either you ask the author for permission, or you risk at one point to get a 'cease and desist' letter.

29

Released Mods / Re: [OXCE][Compilation] Area 51 submods

« on: February 15, 2022, 04:06:49 am »

Since these should be relased, while we're bere, night these be incorporated in area 51 mod itself? I really can't stand mini mods

Since I restarted development of the Tech-Comm total conversion, the old Area 51 mod will remain dead.

Since all these submods were removed from the old Area 51, what I can do is to combine all of them together in a single package. Will not give you the experience of the old Area 51, but for now it's the only replacement you'll get for it.

30

Released Mods / Re: [OXCE][Compilation] Area 51 submods

« on: February 14, 2022, 10:50:02 pm »

Sadly but I can't download any of those mods from mod portal. Even I register there it says what all mods are hidden. Any chance get them from somewhere else? I still have old area51 global mod pack but it's no longer working because a lot of changes in latest OXCE version. Hope may be in  future it will be re-released if  Hobbes decide do it.

Hm, those submods should be OK permission wise, just a matter of updating the rulesets. Would you like them to be separate or all combined into one mod?