Messages

16

Help / Re: Troop Transport Question

« on: August 07, 2021, 07:14:01 pm »

Yep. Working on that actually. A custom Lightning. It's a trade off for speed at the cost of capacity. I would like to include some kind of stealth component but I'm not aware of a game mechanic in OXC or OXCE that makes it possible.

17

Offtopic / Re: Introduce yourself

« on: August 06, 2021, 10:00:42 pm »

Hello all! I'm a 30-something-ish woman from the southern US. Pandemonium is my gamer-tag across multiple platforms. I'm a believer in the paranormal, including the UFO/abduction phenomena. However, my preferred explanation for that in particular isn't aliens. I love anything to do with history, world myths, science and physics or interstellar subjects. I have a Bachelor of Science majoring in General Science, minoring in World History.

I'm new here but an X-Com veteran. I've played X-Com since 1995. I'd heard of OpenXcom before but hadn't gotten around to installing it until this last weekend. I did a vanilla play-through on easy in a day, just to refresh my understanding and strategy of the timeless classic. I've also played it's successors.

I'm an old hat at the mod stuff but I've never dipped more than a toe or two into the modding itself. I've made simple mods for Stellaris, Vampires the Masquerade Bloodlines, Civilization 5, and some sprite changes to X-Com Apocalypse. I got my start in the old DOS based hex editors altering games like, Dune, X-Com, Afterlife, etc. I like the graphical mods more so than the rule changing mods or conversions.

My favorite memory of X-Com is from playing as a kid. I'd stay up well past my bedtime and play with the sound turned down so I wouldn't alert my parents. As a kid I believed aliens were real and really visiting people. I remember being worried that if they knew how much I enjoyed blasting Sectoids in the head they'd be upset with me! Hahahaha

18

Offtopic / Re: Footage of real XCom ufo interception.

« on: August 06, 2021, 09:31:40 pm »

problem reaction solution

Look! UFOs!
We'll save you ...

profit

/lul

Hole in one! It's all hoax or at best a deliberate misrepresentation of truth to encourage public interest and motivation to push the government into a response. That response will need funding though... No need to look behind the curtain folks! We're spending these billions on UFO research and new tech to capture the alien aggressors. We may need a budget hike though so we can launch our new space agency (that's overflowing with advanced tech positioned to militarize the final frontier). Cause, you know, ALIENS! It's not about gaining a military advantage against other Earth bound governments, that's just ridiculous....

ps. could be supernatural phenomena ...

Could very well be. It is more plausible. I'd be less surprised if it were fairies rather than extraterrestrials. The more science discovers about our universe, the more unlikely interstellar travel becomes. The hurdles and literal distance is just too immense to overcome. The capabilities of physical living biological organisms is dwarfed to the point of ruination when pitted against the universe. There's plenty of established research on all this. The Drake Equation, the Fermi Paradox, etc.

The paranormal however, is by definition not scientifically explainable. There's enough history of the related phenomena that the word exists so...

Besides, it being paranormal doesn't mean the US government couldn't or wouldn't use it to their advantage. They may even be more likely to choose phenomenon from the truly paranormal since it would elude explanation and increase the time frame they could use it to their advantage.

19

Offtopic / Re: Footage of real XCom ufo interception.

« on: August 06, 2021, 09:01:58 am »

Okay, so I clicked this sub-forum because I was curious if anyone had posted about the recent attention the UFO phenomena had gotten. I'm surprised to see people saying the footage plastered all over is a bird, jet, or plastic bag. I actually wrote an extremely long winded post to debug all that and then promptly hit ctrl+a and del.

Everyone will believe what they want. The question I'd be more interested in having answered is why the US government wants to focus on such an old and fridge issue if it's bull? AND Why US military pilots and navy personnel can't tell the difference between a bird, a plane, or probe-weary aliens? I expect the answer to the former covers the latter.

Here's another question. How advanced would a species need to be (compared to us) to cross the incredible distances of space, find a single habitable world in a vast nothing of barren rocks, and regularly visit? Now, if they're THAT advanced, why would they care to?

Or how about this? If it's not advance military or commercial technology, not a natural phenomena, and not extraterrestrials, what is it?

20

Help / Re: Failing to convert an image to be compatible with the UFOpaedia

« on: August 06, 2021, 04:41:50 am »

You guys are all so helpful! Thanks! I'm obviously new to modding X-Com. I try to find answers on my own as much as possible to avoid flooding the forums. Thanks again!

21

Help / Re: Has anyone considered making Alience recover their wreckage?

« on: August 06, 2021, 12:11:40 am »

I am unaware of any work done on this.

I've also considered such things and while a lot depends on how a game/mod is made, the idea feels sound to me. It would be nice to have such an option.

Is there any existing way to track the number of crash sites left to disappear?

22

Help / Re: Failing to convert an image to be compatible with the UFOpaedia

« on: August 06, 2021, 12:04:41 am »

Thanks Juku121!

Now, does anyone have a save from late game so I can test things?

23

The X-Com Files / Re: Having a single craft do multiple missions without returning to base

« on: August 05, 2021, 11:26:13 pm »

Noted. Thanks for explaining it to me.

24

Help / Re: Failing to convert an image to be compatible with the UFOpaedia

« on: August 05, 2021, 10:56:43 pm »

...
need to rename file, adding "_CPAL", so OXCE will understand that is a custom palette.

You forget to name your rule for image with _CPAL, like:

Code: [Select]

         
  - typeSingle: INTERCEPTOR_CPAL.SPK
    fileSingle: Resources/Ufopedia/Concept_-_Raven_CPAL.png

Does this process work for replacing existing UFOpedia entries?

Example:

Code: [Select]

  - type: UP003.SPK
    singleImage: true
    width: 320
    height: 200
    files:
      0: Resources/Lightning/Custom_Lightning_CPAL.png

25

Help / Troop Transport Question

« on: August 05, 2021, 09:52:28 pm »

So I'm wondering if it's possible to send craft that are strictly troop carriers or hybrid carrier/interceptors on multiple ground missions without returning to base? The desire is to avoid missing multiple crash sites or landing sites without having the need for multiple transports, soldiers, and bases equipped for ground missions.

Edit: I got an answer to the first part, not possible. At least not easily without being super cheaty and for nominal return value. So...

Alternatively, if there is a reliable way to increase the time landings/crashes stay on the geoscape I would love to learn it. Thanks in advance! 

26

The X-Com Files / Re: Having a single craft do multiple missions without returning to base

« on: August 05, 2021, 09:45:01 pm »

no

Hi! Long time fan first time poster here. What's the limitation that prevents it? Interceptors are capable but not Skyrangers. How about Lightning or Avenger?