aliens

Author Topic: Possibility of new enemy alien types  (Read 4288 times)

Offline Malekron

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Possibility of new enemy alien types
« on: January 23, 2016, 02:44:51 am »
Is it possible to create aliens that have certain traits and abilities such as fire a weapon from a distance that converts humans into zombies, resurrect other fallen aliens, become invisible, teleport, heal,  and/or create another alien on death in the original XCOM?

Offline Warboy1982

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Re: Possibility of new enemy alien types
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2016, 05:53:09 am »
the first and last sure are

Offline Solarius Scorch

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Re: Possibility of new enemy alien types
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2016, 08:49:36 pm »
I think Yankes is getting there with his OXCE fork, but I'm not sure how far he is to make all of these possible.

Offline Slaughter

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Re: Possibility of new enemy alien types
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2016, 08:39:24 am »
Invisible aliens need to be made so the cursor doens't change colour and the game does not alert to these on sight range. Just you and your motion sensor.

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Offline Arthanor

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Re: Possibility of new enemy alien types
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2016, 05:52:51 pm »
The invisible alien that doesn't even get UI cues has been done. The problem is that to do it also means that they can't be hit by normal projectiles (if vision goes through, projectiles go through too in the engine) so you end up with unspottable aliens that can only be killed with explosions. It's a bit crazy, but kind of makes sense too: if you can't see something, you can't really shoot it. Your best bet is semi-blind bombing.

Offline Slaughter

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Re: Possibility of new enemy alien types
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2016, 10:02:49 pm »
The invisible alien that doesn't even get UI cues has been done. The problem is that to do it also means that they can't be hit by normal projectiles (if vision goes through, projectiles go through too in the engine) so you end up with unspottable aliens that can only be killed with explosions. It's a bit crazy, but kind of makes sense too: if you can't see something, you can't really shoot it. Your best bet is semi-blind bombing.

So no chance of hosing them with full-auto minigun barrage? Damn. Needs fixing.

By the way, the "projectiles go through too" could be somehow adapted into making not invisible, but intangible aliens? Because X-COM does not suffer enough, see..

Offline Arthanor

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Re: Possibility of new enemy alien types
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2016, 10:27:52 pm »
You make an invisible&intangible alien by having an empty sprite sheet for it (ie the game won't draw anything for the player to see) and assigning an empty body for the 3D LoS/LoF engine so soldiers won't see the unit, but that also means you will shoot through them just like you see through them. This means proper invisible units but with the side effect that bullets go through.

 Making intangible aliens is possible: Have a proper sprite sheet for them (so the game will draw something for the player to see) but assign them the "nonexistent" 3D body so bullets will go through them. This has the side effect that the game won't see the aliens (so your soldiers won't spot them: no little number, no stopping upon revealing one, even through the player can see the graphic representation, the soldier will not see anything because the LoS/LoF engine doesn't).