aliens

Author Topic: [Solved] Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.  (Read 2530 times)

Offline Slow

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 43
    • View Profile
[Solved] Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« on: April 10, 2023, 09:14:20 pm »
As title says, it's impossible to build permanent structures on floating ice. I'm not saying forbid all, there's a islands in the Arctic that could host bases.

Players and Aliens should not be able to build bases on ice. It's immersion breaking.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2023, 01:13:51 pm by Meridian »

Online Solarius Scorch

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 11694
  • WE MUST DISSENT
    • View Profile
    • Nocturmal Productions modding studio website
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2023, 09:23:18 pm »
Admittedly seconded; while it's not a huge problem, it's always felt a bit wrong to me. (The base is clearly buried in the ground, not ice or cold water.)

If I were to suggest how to do so, I'd include an additional parameter to be defined on a zone which would prevent both the player and the aliens from setting up bases within it:


Code: [Select]
regions:
  - type: STR_ARCTIC_NO_BASE
    areas:
      - [W, X, -Y, -Z]
    noBases: true

The problem is, the game would need to always observe this rule regardless of which zone is active, since STR_ARCTIC_NO_BASE is not supposed to be used for actual missions. So I don't know.

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 9009
    • View Profile
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2023, 09:29:17 pm »
I don't see a problem.
It's already moddable via hybrid features.

If you're asking to include that into the default UFO game, then the answer is no... it should be done by a mod.

Online Solarius Scorch

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 11694
  • WE MUST DISSENT
    • View Profile
    • Nocturmal Productions modding studio website
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2023, 10:55:20 am »
I don't see a problem.
It's already moddable via hybrid features.

If you're asking to include that into the default UFO game, then the answer is no... it should be done by a mod.

Sorry, I don't understand.
What does hybrid globe (real globe terrain on seas) have to do with preventing the player from building bases in a specific area?

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 9009
    • View Profile
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2023, 12:09:24 pm »
The bases cannot be built on "real globe terrain on seas".
(until unlocked by research, which can be configured to "never")

Which is what Slow wanted, isn't it?

Online Solarius Scorch

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 11694
  • WE MUST DISSENT
    • View Profile
    • Nocturmal Productions modding studio website
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2023, 07:31:47 pm »
Not really, he meant building a base on floating ice. Which definitely counts as land for the Geoscape purposes, but makes no sense as a base foundation, since here's no earth to dig into; you can only build on top of the ice field, and only when the ice is thick enough. Definitely not a base material.

I know it's rather awkward on the design side, and it's not like I'm desperately pushing for it, but I must acknowledge that this complaint is legit. I've had similar thoughts since high school. ;)

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 9009
    • View Profile
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2023, 08:38:35 pm »
He literally writes "Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water."

I am saying that it is already possible to make Arctic Ocean (or Sahara desert, or Amazon, or whatever part of the world you like) to effectively work like Water, but look different than just solid blue ocean (i.e. have a texture of your choice).

Am I missing something?

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 9009
    • View Profile
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2023, 10:09:16 am »
Here's a simple example:
- all deserts will count as Water
- player cannot build bases there
- aliens will not land there, crashed aliens will disappear and aliens will also not build a base there

A real mod would be more complicated than this, but I hope it illustrates the possibility.

1. mark all deserts (desert textures) as Water

Code: [Select]
globe:
  textures:
    - id: 7
      fakeUnderwater: true
    - id: 8
      fakeUnderwater: true

2. disable building xcom bases on Water

Code: [Select]
fakeUnderwaterBaseUnlockResearch: STR_DISABLED

research:
  - name: STR_DISABLED
    dependencies: [STR_DISABLED]
    cost: 0

3. disable building alien bases on Water

Code: [Select]
allowAlienBasesOnWrongTextures: false

alienDeployments:
  - type: STR_ALIEN_BASE_ASSAULT
    fakeUnderwaterSpawnChance: 0

4. disable UFOs landing on Water and make them disappear when shot down over Water

Code: [Select]
ufos:
  - type: STR_SMALL_SCOUT
    splashdownSurvivalChance: 0
    fakeWaterLandingChance: 0
  - type: STR_MEDIUM_SCOUT
    splashdownSurvivalChance: 0
    fakeWaterLandingChance: 0
  - type: STR_LARGE_SCOUT
    splashdownSurvivalChance: 0
    fakeWaterLandingChance: 0
  - type: STR_HARVESTER
    splashdownSurvivalChance: 0
    fakeWaterLandingChance: 0
  - type: STR_ABDUCTOR
    splashdownSurvivalChance: 0
    fakeWaterLandingChance: 0
  - type: STR_TERROR_SHIP
    splashdownSurvivalChance: 0
    fakeWaterLandingChance: 0
  - type: STR_BATTLESHIP
    splashdownSurvivalChance: 0
    fakeWaterLandingChance: 0
  - type: STR_SUPPLY_SHIP
    splashdownSurvivalChance: 0
    fakeWaterLandingChance: 0

Online Solarius Scorch

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 11694
  • WE MUST DISSENT
    • View Profile
    • Nocturmal Productions modding studio website
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2023, 11:07:11 am »
I understand, but there's no reason to prevent UFO crashes and such on Arctic ice. It's solely about building bases, since these need solid ground.
(At least that's how I understand the OP.)

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 9009
    • View Profile
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2023, 11:36:36 am »
ok, then you can omit point 4... by default the crashes are allowed

Offline Slow

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 43
    • View Profile
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2023, 07:39:56 pm »
Yes, I meant only bases. Building Xcom bases on vicinity of the North Pole. Or finding alien base there.

Coz there are no solid land there, only two meters thick ice and even it is constantly moving, crushing, thawing, etc. And And since global warming, it can completely dissapear in 2060s.

Offline mutantlord

  • Colonel
  • ****
  • Posts: 136
    • View Profile
Re: Arctic Ocean ice sheet should be counted as Water.
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2023, 12:02:28 am »
XCom can have undersea bases ya know. Since all their bases are underground so it is irrelevant if a base is on a water tile