Messages

46

Troubleshooting / Re: Please help a desperate rookie :'(

« on: June 27, 2016, 06:36:50 pm »

Okay, awesome. I understand now. Thank you for explaining that to me!

Are there any options from openxcom that are incompatible with FMP? For example, if I choose to use grenade explosions which extend to multiple levels, or custom first base, TFTD Damage Model, or anything that is listed in the 'Advanced" or 'Mods' dialogues, will that create problems?

Perhaps there is a list somewhere saying, "If using FMP, do not use these options/mods"...

Really, man. Thanks so much for taking the time to spell this out for me.

47

Troubleshooting / Re: Please help a desperate rookie :'(

« on: June 27, 2016, 05:55:28 pm »

Hey! Thanks for getting back to me!

Your procedure makes sense. I didn't know the 1.0 milestone was considered to be outdated, so that is helpful info.

Lorcan's music files can be used by directly substituting them in the SOUND folder. His files are .ogg, and the originals are .mid, so I deleted the midi files just to be sure. This method worked for me. In case anyone else is reading this, the music files I am talking about are amazing and can be found by searching for Cydonia's Fall on the mod website and look for Lorcan's name.

Ignore/delete the milestone 1.0 version. You don't need it to run the nightlies and nearly all current mods won't run on the 1.0 version since it's long outdated. Having both the 1.0 and the nightly installed can easily lead to confusion

A short list:
* Get the nightly and unzip it to your Desktop
* Open the original game's folder. Copy the GEODATA, GEOGRAPH, MAPS, ROUTES, SOUND, TERRAIN, UFOGRAPH, UFOINTRO and UNITS folders to the /openxcom/UFO/ folder of the nightly
* Run the nightly to create the C:/users/yourname/Documents/OpenXCom (if it isn't already created)
* Copy the FMP folder to C:/users/yourname/Documents/OpenXCom/mods/
* I don't know how Lorcan's mod works - you either use it to replace the files on the /SOUND folder of /openxcom/UFO/, or you need to install it by copying its folder to C:/users/yourname/Documents/OpenXCom/mods/
* Start OpenXCom. Go to options and select the FMP on the mod list

Which version of the FMP are you using btw?

I am using FMP version 1.9.3. My biggest issue is that I don't know how to tell that I have actually installed these mods properly. I would've expected a long list on the Options dialogue from the main menu, but I think I am only seeing stuff from the openxcom patch or the 1.0 milestone. What is an example of a mod that would show up in the options that is exclusively from FMP 1.9.3? Otherwise, I was thinking that if I start a new game and try to build the larger Living Quarters and they are actually an option then I have succeeded, but is that correct? Are there any other ways to tell? Which mods from the FMP are readily visible without investing too much time into a game?

48

Troubleshooting / Please help a desperate rookie :'(

« on: June 27, 2016, 05:49:43 am »

Hello everyone,

Long time fan, first time openXcom user here. I just got done installing openxcom UFO defense, but I am having trouble, and I can't tell if I have done it properly. If somebody could offer guidance I would be most grateful!

My end goal: Play OpenXcom UFO Defense with the latest nightly build and including the Final Mod Pack and the music by Lorcan.

What I have done so far:
- Bought the xcom pack on steam (on sale!) and installed it.
- Used the windows installer to get the version 1.0 milestone.
- Downloaded the latest nightly build and copied the original xcom folders (SOUND, GEODATA, etc.) from the steam folder into the nightly build's folder. (already I worry that I am doing something wrong)
- Downloaded FMP and copied all its files into the USER/MODS folder within the nightly build folder.
- Downloaded and copied Lorcan's music into the nightly build's SOUND folder.
- Started the game from the nightly build folder.

The only thing I am confident will work correctly is the music, because I can already hear it working of course. I really have no feedback that I have properly installed the final mod pack, or at least I do not know how to tell so I can be sure.

I tried to start the game by selecting the option to custom build the first base, and that did not work, so I think I have made a huge mess and I don't know what to do.

Questions I have:
- In what order should I be installing each of these components? (original from steam; milestone 1.0; FMP; latest nightly build, Lorcan music)
- Is the 1.0 milestone even relevant if I am gonna play a later nightly build?
- Do I need the additional folders (like Resources, RuleSet, etc) from the 1.0 milestone?
- Has anyone made a youtube video within the past few months that would walk me through this process from start to finish?
- How on earth will I be able to tell if I have successfully installed a stable build of the game which includes the final mod pack?

I feel really embarrassed to be asking these questions here. You guys have created something beautiful and I can tell you have put a lot of effort into the instructions and readme files. I did read them, and I have also found a couple videos (one by Ivan D, and another by J Stank) but I still don't think I am doing things right. Both the videos and the readme file seem to think I am coming to the table with a base set of knowledge that I clearly lack because it is easy for me to get lost. It looks like you guys have been at this for a while, so you are familiar with where things go and which parts to replace when there are updates. I am completely clueless about these things.

I am super excited to play the game itself. At this point that seems like the easy part. But I certainly don't want to go down that long path only to reach a dead end because I screwed up the install.

Thanks for any help or guidance you all are willing to offer. I will check back frequently.

49

Offtopic / Re: Introduce yourself

« on: June 23, 2016, 01:36:42 am »

If you mean the music from my FMP LP, that was done by Lorcan: https://openxcom.org/2015/06/updated-ufo-cydonias-fall-soundtrack/

I'll make a short how-to video for you on Sunday.

PirateZ is completely separate from FMP. It is a total conversion (i.e. mod that completely changes the game instead of extending it).
It's definitely worth looking at... but as I said, try the vanilla OpenXcom first... then maybe some mods (Area 51, FMP, Xeno Operations, Hardmode, etc.) and then...

I am curious: why do the vanilla version first? I am quite familiar with that game (even if I haven't finished it on super human). Anyway, I will have to wait a bit longer because the brand new laptop I bought came with a corrupted version of Windows 10 on it. How lame. I took it back and they ordered a new one, which is on its way. It's an MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 002 in case you were curious. Overkill for this game, but I do 3D modeling of buildings for work sometimes. So we'll see how it goes. Hopefully this MSI does better than the Lenovo Y50 I had scrapped recently!

50

Offtopic / Re: Introduce yourself

« on: June 18, 2016, 01:59:25 am »

That music is SO SICK!

51

Offtopic / Re: Introduce yourself

« on: June 18, 2016, 01:54:12 am »

That would be so great! Thank you, Meridian!!

Thanks for the tip about the music. I will keep my eye out for that user!

52

Offtopic / Re: Introduce yourself

« on: June 17, 2016, 11:54:31 pm »

Thanks for replying, guys! And thanks for the leads on where to donate. I hope it doesn't make things feel weird (like a friend repeatedly trying to pay you if your offered to help him move from one house to another), I just believe in paying content creators, otherwise we are all stuck with endless advertising! Plus, like I said, you guys deserve it. Think of it like buying someone a beer!

So cool to hear from Meridian! I loved your TFTD LP. The James Bond colony attack tactic is very cool. I used to just blow a hole in the roof of the main room and the roof of the garrison followed by a few more bombs all from the DPL. That would make short work of the upper level, but on the lower level I would throw a sonic pulser on the command center and then scram! It's fun watching your LPs. Actually, I mostly listen to them while I work and rewind when a bunch of your soldiers get killed or something funny happens. It's still so weird to me that the UFO Defense FMP videos are a couple years old. It's all new to me! BTW if you know who remastered the music please let me know. He/she is a prime target for donation since I am super impressed with the music.

I am still wondering where to go to get started playing. It seems clear that step 1 is to buy UFO defense on steam and then to make sure I get the Windows patch. Where do I go to get the final mod pack, and how do I install it? Maybe I am making things too complicated. I just worry that since all this stuff is open source I could screw it up or create bugs if I am not careful. Is there a page for complete noobs to the FMP which will explain how it works?

Also, what's up with the Pirate and Bootypedia thing? It looks like a lot of new info that I probably would not want to try to keep track of this time around. Is all that stuff part of FMP or is it separate? Thanks again for the help!

53

Offtopic / Re: Introduce yourself

« on: June 17, 2016, 09:07:20 pm »

Hello all,

I used to watch my friend play TFTD on Windows 95 when I was super young. That game terrified me! Then in high school another friend let me start on his saved campaign for UFO defense on easy. Frankly, I didn't know what I was doing, but I played for like a year IRL before I finally went to Cydonia. He already had the avenger when he first gave me the save file. I was quite the noob.

Then in 2012 I replayed TFTD on veteran start to finish after I had just quit my job. I didn't do anything for about 2.5 weeks. It was so great. It would've been faster but I had a stint where I had to play almost 20 full base defense missions against lobster men and bio-drones while I waited for the bombardment shield to finish. That was just awful. Truly awful. I don't deserve the win anyway because I save scummed my way through the whole game. I'm not proud of it. How else could I finish the defense missions?

A few months ago I randomly decided to look up the OST on youtube because I thought it would be fun to hear the music again. I noticed a few LPs and then realized what was going on. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see that there has been this lively community of Xcom fans developing the game and modding it. I finally bought a new gaming laptop and I am super anxious to get started. No save scumming this time! I promise!

First things first: where do I go to donate money to the people who host this forum? I already gave $40 USD to the Openxcom.org post that is currently on the front page. Maybe somebody could tell me who the most deserving modder is? Please be objective. I am not an idiot who wants to toss away money. I truly value the work everyone is doing here, and I think it's only fair that I contribute in exchange for the hours and hours of enjoyment I would get from openxcom.

So, I am still a little lost. Since I am not up-to-date on news, etc. could somebody please tell me where I can find the latest and most stable version of UFO Defense? I think I would also like the final mod pack, which looks like it includes tons of additional content. Basically, I know very little about programming, so I am hoping to just install the game as if I bought it off the shelf with not much digging into the inner workings. I am patient, though, so if I have to tweak some things I will learn how to do it.

Thanks a lot, everyone! And shout out to Meridian for his TFTD and Openxcom FMP Let's Plays!