UAV Mod (was: Projectiles giving "Vision")

[pmprog]

One of my mods I'm thinking of making is a MicroUAV, using the blaster launcher code to set waypoints, but no payload. However, as I was thinking about this, I would need the projectile as it moves to grant "vision" to the player as if their unit was stood at each tile it travels through.

Would this be possible to do? I appreciate it would probably require some engine changes.

Did the blaster launcher have a range limit, or could you use 10 points back and forth across the map? I need to find a way to keep it somewhat nerfed so that a UAV/BlasterLauncher combo isn't too overpowered.

Edit: Do I remember if you can set the number of waypoints in the ruleset? If so, that would be sufficient I think

[pmprog]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLF0ifZmZtY

https://github.com/pmprog/OpenXcom

Not pushed back to the master yet... but some little preview

[Warboy1982]

it's kind of surprising how quickly this all came together, and how simple it was to implement. wasn't someone looking at implementing grenades that spawned new units too?

[pmprog]

Do you know why when I use my new BT_DEPLOY_UNIT that it doesn't register ammo?
Where abouts would I need to look to fix this?

[moriarty]

very cool, I think Luke83 might kiss you for this

BTW, how difficult would it be to create "third faction" combatants? (so far we have civilians, xcom and aliens, with only xcom and aliens using weapons)

because somebody might think about combat drones that act autonomously (not controlled by the player!). or police forces. armed military forces. you could think of missions where aliens are terrorizing a city in a country that is (for another reason) hostile towards xcom - so you'll have military, xcom and aliens on one battlefield, all hostile towards each other, and civilians running around, too...

[Warboy1982]

i'll PR it.

[luke83]

very cool, I think Luke83 might kiss you for this

Yep big wet Kiss for Pmprog , i just need time to make some models,

Cant wait to see this finished

[pmprog]

i'll PR it.

Unfortunately, I was a bit stupid and I didn't create a branch for it, so it's sat in my "master" :/
I also didn't commit my "mod" files in case I was to push it back to the actual master


Originally, I was thinking of removing this at the end of the turn - but I'm wondering if I should remove this when TUs = 0; and between turns it keeps it doesn't replenish.
Ie, so if it starts with 20 TUs, but they only move it 1 square at a cost of 5 TUs, then next turn it starts with 15 TUs etc.; I was thinking this would work great combined with the Wind Up idea, then if you spent a couple of turns winding up the UAV, you could get a really good scout.
https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,1307.msg11893.html


The other thing that I think definately needs to be looked at:

Temporary Units are destroyed prior to score checking
  - Abort Mission shouldn't show units outside if only a temporary is out there
  - Shouldn't get points deducted for MIA/KIA