Messages

46

Resources / Re: Altoid aliens

« on: December 17, 2015, 06:15:04 pm »

Created or re-edited some tiles for UFOs. Nothing fancy, some gun stuffs for the vessels, computers to expand variety and some food stores and sleeping chambers. If I will have time shall do some animated pieces.

47

Work In Progress / Re: [BETA][WIP][BUNCHOFSTUFF] Xeno Operations Mod -0.952 Update

« on: December 16, 2015, 10:08:12 am »

By the way Duke, you don't have Expend Research Item on right? Expend research items needs to be off or the game becomes near unwinnable. Also, are you researching each Codex stage multiple times or are you only research each stage once before upgrading?

It is set up for the game to destroy items are researched so I were need to rebuild stage 1 Codex 3 times. First got corrupted data, second gave me some pass topic what unlocked Medikit and third time I gain corrupted data again. That was the point where I decided to research all stages only once as I found impossible to afford rebuild codexes and fuel my troops with items. But will turn off the expend option and give a try to the lower codexes once again.

I reached a bit further and experienced that codex 4 provides no tech as "it decides what X-com may extract". On the other hand level 5 gave me Blaster launcher so it vanished from the available research list. Now I research Archangel as an Ethereal commander and a codex 5 seemingly unlocked that together.

I try to raid and loot everything I can shot down with pilums or can caught landed. I met with a Constructor only once as I mostly got small and medium vessels and 3-4 terror ships every month (these are impossible to shot down with Rook + 2 Pilums on Superhuman or I can not managed to do so).

Armoured Mutons are cool. Those guys really hate lasers and their duelist little angry friends are the most cool terror agents after the Chryssalids. Wear those lovely tattoos, awesome!

About codex key recovery missions. I have three so far and the site always filled with armoured water-heads. Sectoids are the only race have this mission or just I were unlucky to got floaters?

48

Work In Progress / Re: [BETA][WIP][BUNCHOFSTUFF] Xeno Operations Mod -0.952 Update

« on: December 15, 2015, 09:05:17 pm »

So far what I tumbled upon in this mod - note I am just arrived mid-game as I am in 1999's november!

- Codex extraction. While I understood why it is random what one may get here but get corrupted data just for the beginning is a bit strong. I need to built another level 1 Codex what gave some tech but this is frustratingly expensive!
- Research tree. I think I lost something somewhere as I have lasers and tier 2 ballistics but no extra crafts apart from Rook or any option to have plasmas or such things. I interrogate everything I can acquire but mostly got useless alien mission descriptions instead of unlocking new techs. Maybe I really need Muton or Ethereal commanders to continue the researches?
- Resource dependancy. To much. Disassembling, as I experienced and correct me if I am wrong, gives only fragments but no alloys or elerium. What the hell may I do with 5-600 fragments if only have 120 alloys? Not help to shot down everything and loot even the Nine Hells. So few alloys are acquired all the times. And everything needs alloys to build or one may forced to use basic techs almost untill late-game? Not much problem though as I can manufacture 16-20 laser batteries per month but I planned to use these weapons later instead of ballistics.
- I think alien bases and key recovery missions are way to hard as the AI reluctant to move from the key areas (transmitter, controll room) and deal with 8-10 aliens within a single turn is not always possible. If the AI is defensive the alien base design is futile. It has a wide open 4th level where both player and AI may could move troops easily. Only I do as the aliens left and move on the lower levels where they have less opportunity to ambush my troops.
- I started it before the latest release so alien plasma weapons are unuseable for my troops except the plasma cannon what I researched after installing the latest version. Is there a way to make accessible all the other weapons or I must sell them? Or is this some bug what remained within?
- Do shark guys really so strong or only special weapons are really effective against them? Laser and ballistics seemingly almost not hurt them at all (6-9 hits needs from a rifle for them to faint not to mention killing them). But their aggressive behavior is lovely! In a terror no need to search them as they come from everywhere to kill you. Or at least they did so in both terrors I have them involved.
- Love the new UFO interiors. So many sniping positions in large and very large ships that make incursions a meatgrinder. And now the AI throw accurately what is sad for my poor troops...

[Spoiler]

49

Work In Progress / Re: [BETA][WIP][BUNCHOFSTUFF] Xeno Operations Mod -0.951 Update

« on: December 11, 2015, 08:08:07 pm »

This mod is brutal and so awesomely cool that I can hardly imagine how to express it with words!
The new alien weapons and UFOs are superb I just love them at first sight. And those nasty surprises in the game mechanics... Cool!

I started it on Superhuman as "what may it have to surprise me so much?"... Well, first shocks:

Spoiler:

- 4 scientists and living quarters enabling 20 men (also labs have 20 space). What?! Giving some challenge right the beginning, that is cool. I do not remember if I met such difficulty modifiers in any other mods I played (mayhaps Piratez only).
- Spotted a small UFO, easy prey for my Avalanches! UFO shot back before Avalanche in range to even fire?! Wow, no more easy preys for beginning crafts and weapons. This is also a lovely thing and hope it will remain such (plasma cannon will not be an ultimate obliterator I hope). Now use researched craft weapons still not guaranteed to shot down small UFOs without damage.
- Alien crews. Have a terror with roaches. Roaches die from a "fart", cool, something more squishy than Sectoids and Floaters! Easy loot... Then met the four Silacoids. In the first month. Worse than Cyberdiscs. Will the game full of such surprises? Hope it will as I enjoyed playing UFO so much really really a while.

Congratulations for this mod! This is awesome and cool and made me sit and play well after midnight every days!

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Work In Progress / Re: [BETA][WIP][BUNCHOFSTUFF] Xeno Operations Mod -0.95 Update

« on: December 08, 2015, 09:18:56 pm »

I not tried this so far since I need some nightly update for that but I noticed armoured Mutons. Are those a late game upgrade of Mutons? And you plan such improved version for the other squishy races too (Floater, Snakeman)?

51

Work In Progress / Re: Reaver's Expanded Craft Featuring Fast-Deploy Lightning

« on: November 30, 2015, 08:54:59 pm »

Sounds cool. The Lightning also cool but start with such deployment not always good. I mean if aliens see you they could kill half of your squad as soon as one of your soldiers move. Could it be modified the code let only HWPs deploy on ground while soldiers still spawn on board?

The unit list and their features sounds cool. I will definitely give a try this mod once if I will have ample conditions (time, exe- and nightly-version updates, etc...)

About artwork, here:
https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,2963.0.html
Whatever you find there acceptable or plausible are free to use.

52

Work In Progress / Re: Humans: tallest species in the galaxy! (standHeight, kneelHeight)

« on: November 29, 2015, 10:14:54 am »

I am not quite sure my english is widely developed enough to explain complex things on complex level. Gravity is not a force but the summary of forces what usually has a vector point toward a mass core. This mass could be either mater-concentration or extreme energy-flux as both result a special "trigger"-force what is the gravity in common sense. There are another gravity what is the weakest existing force between sub-atomic or atomic things although become exponentially stronger as the amount ouf such little things are grow. More atoms result stronger force, literally gravitic force, but this force is not what we call gravity. And gravity of a planet or any kind of matter-energy conflux is not constant. Gravity is weaker on the edge and become sligthly stronger toward the center. In Earth's case it is not much a deal as it always remain around 1G still the planetary core has a stronger gravity. In a gas giant like the Jupiter this is more spectacular as the upper levels has lower gravity than Earth while deeper levels has higher. But the atomic-level-based gravitic force of Jupiter is far superior and boost the overall gravity of the planet. Yes, it consists of gas but so many gas atoms that the atomic-level gravity is very high. High enough to result an almost hard planetary core, well more liquid core, of course. Earth has heavier elements but the number of atoms are lower than in Jupiter's case. Fewer atoms result less gravity. But I really think the two force need different names. Sure one is derivate from the other and strong bonds could find between them but there are also serious differences. And not to mention that one of them could bend or warp the space, like when you touch water's surface with your finger, when the other is the result of such "warp" as things literally slip or slide down toward the core of the warped area. And there are even factors of strings, and other sub-sub-atomic things.
Sorry if it were a bit consfusing or dizzy but I not learned scientific english deeply. I hope I could written it more or less understandable.
There is no real example what is great or small and thus I meant mediocre on a hipothetical level. Since humanity like to think that everything's measure is men I thought it could be a good example to use our planet and all it's datas as mediocre or average. Afterall what is smaller than our gravity we call low-G while what is higher we call high-G. So while not call ours as mediocre or average? I know it was a wrong example as it was a humanic example. We are only cosmic dust in a nameless wind somewhere in an unbelieveable big universe so all of our measurments are selfish and futile.

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Work In Progress / Re: Humans: tallest species in the galaxy! (standHeight, kneelHeight)

« on: November 28, 2015, 07:16:48 pm »

I remember an odd fact from those times when I were on a medical education to be a physicist once - untill I left that university and graduated as a nature protection engineer instead of a physician... Bad choice I know now...
So there I heard that size and anatomy is strongly based upon the internal organs and their "designs". We have one heart and a pair of lungs what set us into motion and sustain our life circling our blood and move our muscles. But we got the same result if we may have two pair of lungs as the additional pair exchange the role of the heart. Need more space so four lungs may result a bigger body but have the advantage to be less vulnerable than a single heart (furthermore let us call it "core") as damage of the core often has lethal consequences but damage on the lungs can be more easily repairable by our body. If have enough lungs the damaged ones could regenerate even if collapsed. So a four lungs creature could be more durable for a price what life on Earth can not paid: Speed. Agility is a key for survival be it the meaning of run away or chase and hunt down prey. Slow motion in such an environment is lethal and illogical. But in other cases it may work. For example for Si-based life what not need to be fast but durable.
And I can easily imagine something similar for aliens. A long living race may not have a core. A core could be replacable with lungs but lungs can not be replaced by cores. Lungs somehow essential for bigger organisms to breath. But an alien environment with specific chemistry may found another solution during the evolution. Possibilities are extreme and wide in spectrum. Earth has only a few possible example, literally a one-in-a-million, but even here could be possible a dozen more solutions for the same matters of adaptation for the environment via evolutionary developments.
Frankly our "humanoid" anatomy is a wrong way in evolutionary aspect but it was the most easy adaptation for a problem. That is all. I doubt that intelligent and\or sentient lifes are like we. It is sure that the bulk of them is far from humanoid appearence and anatomy and trully alien in every meanings, be it size, internal structure or appearence.
And just to think about it solitary predators have more chance to evolve into sentience than socially developed "mices" as they more or less dominate their territories in some meanings. We were a fine example as humans basicly territorial beings forcefully banded together as our intelligence revealed that far better. Still we behave agressively and often territorial with each others despite that our genetics already have the basic schematics of social-structure. But this is something what could be quarell for a long time since our definitions and the nature's definitions often differ greatly. Still I vote for nature as she did a fine job for millions and millions of years while we made terrible mistakes within a few eons already...

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Work In Progress / Re: Humans: tallest species in the galaxy! (standHeight, kneelHeight)

« on: November 28, 2015, 10:13:09 am »

Humans are mediocre because Earth is mediocre. Mediocre gravity I mean as gravity is a key feature. Heavy G worlds shelter smaller creatures in size than us because they can not let the luxury to grow big. Heavy G results dwarves but theoretically with very strong muscles so such a creature could be a Hulk on Earth gravity just way smaller and mayhaps less green and more intelligent... Low G on the other hand may result taller odds with weaker muscular system whom may have hard time in any stronger gravity environment. So a 3-5 meters tall low-G creature shall crawl on Earth mostly because the higher gravity exponentially make it's weight bigger. Just think about how hell we feel ourselves on a 3G world?

Another question is where are we? On dry or in water? Underwater the ceatures could frow bigger as a great portion of their mass are "carried by" the water. But such things shall literally suck on dry just like low-G creatures may do on higher G environment. And also matters what that "water" consist of. I mean there are ammonia and methanic oceans not only 2H+O result water-bodies out there. And just because we want to think that proper life can only evolve on earth-like conditions that is far from true. And we not even mentioned the option of Silicium-based life forms and their capacities. Si-based forms of life must be bigger than C-based ones because the physical properties or differences of such properties of the Si compared with C.

But for X-com it seems all the races originate from just as a mediocre gravitic environment as we do. Otherwise they may have little use of Earth even if they call it rich in any terms. Mutons are similar in size as humans they just hunched like gorillas. Floaters could be taller than we since they literally had the half of their body removed. Sectoids are small since a taller creature with such a big head shall walk hardly because of balance issues or would be quadruped in motion. Snakeboys are OK and nice since they may not live long enough to care about size matters - I assume those eggs finally kill them either hatch inside or just make them deadly exhaust just to lay them... Ethereals are cheaters. I think they are not much taller than their Sectoid or Aquatoid precursors just levitate hidden in their robes what show them bigger and nastier. I know they showed taller on pictures that is true... And about the rest of the alien branches! Tasoths sucks without skeleton on dry since they need 4-6x more energy just to sustain life-functions than a human. Lobsterfriends can not even move on dry only like a maggot and pray their carapace will not crush them and let them breathe - if they can breathe the way we do. Gillman is not much of a fuss. They are like we just with gills but they must be stronger and more muscular if they really want or need to operate equally effective on dry and underwater. Aquatoids are like Sectoids, though water-conditions may let them grow a bit bigger if they want. The only thing bothers me is this: The sleeping beauty in the stasis coffin in T'leth is really looks like Chtulhu?! Lovecraftian nightmare, the tentaculat's entry said, so why not?

So yepp, humans are the mediocre of everything. It is beacuse we find it satisfactory to think we are the "aurea mediocritas" of the "Creation" and thus good for everything even though excel in nothing... But it will be a nice surprise if turn out we are the most bugged creatures of the galaxy and we are far from that golden path. Reduce our racial self-esteem may help to get many things to their proper places...

55

Offtopic / Re: Fanart

« on: October 17, 2015, 08:49:32 pm »

Mayhaps some traditional background also work?

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Resources / Re: Altoid aliens

« on: October 15, 2015, 09:24:03 am »

And some Pedia stuff for whatever use you want...

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Resources / Re: Altoid aliens

« on: October 15, 2015, 09:20:57 am »

I forgot to attach the spritesheet of Muton sniper. Now I share all the sniper related graphics.

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Offtopic / Re: NASA Says Signs of Liquid Water Flowing on Mars

« on: September 30, 2015, 08:13:23 pm »

Well, Ufopedia said Sectoids has aquatic origin

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Offtopic / Re: Fanart

« on: September 30, 2015, 08:12:21 pm »

DA version with background has no such spots. Layer transparency literally eliminate them if proper layers are used.
Follow the link and it will look far better. Without free beer, of course, and strange, alien ketchups...

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Offtopic / Re: Fanart

« on: September 26, 2015, 10:30:12 am »

Hello everyone!

Attached a "Floater-like" thing I made for a personal project. The finished piece of art\junk is here:
https://hrlfg.deviantart.com/art/Xzur-ak-aeriator-562539809?ga_submit_new=10%253A1443251887

Hope you like it\them!