[Feedback] New feature: Replacement for Psionics

[KingMob4313]

Hey team,

Feeling randomly dedicated again to doing strange things with Openxcom.

I might see about doing a personal fork to see if I can implement a replacement for psionics in the game that allows Xcom soldiers to hack/override alien electronics.

Psionics	Replacement
1	Discharge Cell	Discharges magazine in currently carried weapon	If there is a weapon in hand	set ammo count to 0
2	Fire Weapon	Forces weapon to fire multiple times randomly	If there is a weapon in hand	"Fire three snap shots	or two autoshots randomly as if CQB happened."
3	Shut Down Electronics	"For robotic enemies or enemies with robotic prosthetics	shut them down"	"If the unit is a cyberdisk	Sectopod or Floater"	"255 stun damage"
4	Overload Explosives	Set off carried explosives on enemy	"If the enemy has a grenade	stun bomb or blaster bomb"	"Explode explosive"
5	Open Door	"Alien door"	"If it's an alien door"	Open it
6	Overload Electronics	"Explode Alien consoles and power sources"	If it's a alien navigation or power source	explode it immediately

What I am gonna be trying to do...

Has anyone else taken a run at this sort of thing and would it be something others would be interested in using if I got it working?

[memmaker]

I've actually toyed around with a similar idea while implementing the EU2012 skills.

Some of the things you describe (set ammo count to 0, check for weapon in hand, check for unit type, apply stun damage) can already be done via ModScripts.

Most of the other things you describe would require changes to the codebase. When it comes to changing the source code, I am most of the time in favour of not implementing a specific feature, but enabling modders to implement such a feature by creating the needed parts.

[KingMob4313]

I've actually toyed around with a similar idea while implementing the EU2012 skills.

Some of the things you describe (set ammo count to 0, check for weapon in hand, check for unit type, apply stun damage) can already be done via ModScripts.

Most of the other things you describe would require changes to the codebase. When it comes to changing the source code, I am most of the time in favour of not implementing a specific feature, but enabling modders to implement such a feature by creating the needed parts.

The fact I can do most of this with scripting sounds incredible. But what portion can't be done?

[memmaker]

Hmm Yankes & Meridian will know in detail but my guess would be the following things would require code changes and could not be done via ModScript today:

 - Force a unit to fire
 - Force explosions (at position, of items)
    - With the exception of grenades which already exist in the BattleScape, which can be detonated by manipulating the fuse (via Script).
 - Open a door without the player opening it manually
 - Check the complete inventory for an item (AFAIK we can only check left and right hand, right now)

[KingMob4313]

Hmm Yankes & Meridian will know in detail but my guess would be the following things would require code changes and could not be done via ModScript today:

 - Force a unit to fire
 - Force explosions (at position, of items)
    - With the exception of grenades which already exist in the BattleScape, which can be detonated by manipulating the fuse (via Script).
 - Open a door without the player opening it manually
 - Check the complete inventory for an item (AFAIK we can only check left and right hand, right now)

For the first I was thinking of leveraging panic fire, then manipulating the direction with the CQB calls, as if someone deflected the attack.  Since if you were carrying a weapon and it randomly went off, if could be in any sort of position and orientation when it went off.

The second, might be hard to get it to work exactly as if it ignited a specific item in the inventory, but could get around it by spawning an armed item?

The third, yeah not sure how it could be done outside of code changes.

Fourth: So adding this would enable people to do more scripting?

[memmaker]

If done in a generalized way and integrating with the ModScripts & RuleSets? Sure.

You might want to talk to Meridian and Yankes though, before doing any major work on the OXCE code base.

[KingMob4313]

If done in a generalized way and integrating with the ModScripts & RuleSets? Sure.

You might want to talk to Meridian and Yankes though, before doing any major work on the OXCE code base.

Absolutely will.  Thanks.