Author Topic: Few general ideas from old x-com fan  (Read 4009 times)

Offline bladum

  • Colonel
  • ****
  • Posts: 213
  • Bladum
    • View Profile
Few general ideas from old x-com fan
« on: July 22, 2013, 02:42:20 pm »
My ideas, most of them are not changing original game play

1) on finish production screen add buttons to
   GO TO PRODUCTION SCREEN
   REPEAT LAST PRODUCTION AGAIN (the one that was done)
   OK

2) during battlescape
   right mouse button on weapon icon = repeat last selected attack
   would be same as click left and choose same attack again
   
3) during battlescape
   show actual chance to hit something based on distance near targeting pointer
   this could be actual chance to hit or just range modifier
   
4) add perks for aliens that could modify their initial stats (idea taken from Wesnoth)
   50% of aliens have no perk
   10% of aliens have +10 to TU / energy
   10% of aliens have +10 to HP / strength
   10% of aliens have +15% to firing / throwing accuracy
   10% of aliens have +2 to intelligence
   10% of aliens have +10 to armor
   
5) why not show more data on geoscape when x-com have brain wave decoder ?
   we all know size of ship, race, target mission ? why not show it as small icons on geoscape ?
   why player need to click to see a window ?
   
6) on geoscape all alien mission should have indication about its life time
   terror mission last for few hours, many times i need to save / reload to check how much time i have
   to get day mission not night mission etc
   
7) add optional MORE TACTICTS option that would increase REACTION fire for all units by some value
   this would bring game to another level if you like
   
8) during battlescape NO ammunition message should be displayed when clicked on weapon with no ammo

9) right click on weapon inside inventory screen should try to RELOAD weapon automatically based on
   ammo inside inventory, still drag and drop would be normal way
   
10) nice to have option to show how many primary action each soldier made during mission for experience farming

11) a small heart icon on the head of soldier to show if he is critically wounded or not (now need to click into his stat screen)

12) a small icon on the battlescape to show that there are units
   NOT MOVED during this turn as a little dot over a unit in panzer general series
   
13) during throwing show actual range of throwing, not to check where i can do it with OUT OF RANGE message

14) i checked UFO AI and there is prediction algorithm to tell planes to go into predicted waypoint on the
   map, not just mindless follow UFO as it strafe sometimes
   
15) on geoscape need to click plane that is OUT, i cannot select it when click option INTERCEPT on MENU

16) does aliens have critical wounds ? add option to make it happen (not sure if already implemented)

17) add option HARDCORE WOUNDS that would double number of fatal wounds during game (or make limit of 5 per shot etc).

18) cannot crouch when flying, this is a bug or not ?

19) please move SAVE and LOAD button farther in the menu during battlescape, they are too close IMHO
   it could be LOAD OK SAVE instead of OK LOAD SAVE, just a minor thing as there is quick save option now
   
20) add some indication about results of actions on the screen like damage inflicted or received
   as a small number that is drawn, fly top and disappear in 3 seconds
   
21) when soldier sees an item on the floor might and user will move mouse there   
   a small box would be displayed showing what is laying on the ground
   now soldier must go there and check inventory screen
   this would work only for fields that are in range of sight

22) add option to highlight fields that are in the field of view of particular soldier, just like
   turn on / off personal lighting with L, this would help to plan reaction fire better
   this would also work for mind controlled aliens
   
23) please fix alien PSI one and for all. This still is bugged in night build version.
   I have base defense mission with sectoids and all my soldiers are hidden in different places,
   but i still am attacked by their PSI soldier, this is not a challenge, this is annoying
   
24) please add option to display mini map in the corner of screen on the battlescape as in modern games.
   This would be same image, without a border, as you click map but made smaller by 25% or so.
   
25) if 24 is impossible then make M to turn ON mini map and then turn it OFF, i can turn it on with a
   M button but then need to close with a mouse
   
26) if Field of view as in 22) is impossible then make mouse cursor interactive. If soldier can see a particular field
   then make this 3D red rectangle a different color or make it glowing.
   
27) i found many terror mission with just 1 or 2 civilians, it should be 16 so its bug or not ?

28) add option to FAST AUTO SHOTS that would allow units to shot AUTO shot in burst at once not one after another
   i am not sure if this is possible in engine to have 3 shots at the same time with little delay

29) add option to have BURST SHOTS with 5 or 6 shots per fire, only for modders and mainly for HEAVY LASER to work
   as defined in UFO 2000. would be optional tuBurst: and accuracyBurst: in ruleset file
   
30) option to play quick battles as aliens ;)

31) i see no MIXED race set in alien mission in latest daily build,
   this is from TFTD i know, but it is in last stable build and now its removed
   this is available during quick battles
   mixed mission are cool after you are bored with standard setup
   
32) during base defense, when particular building will be damage enough there should be message about it
   there are number of tiles that must be removed to remove a building from base
   no its 100% of tiles -> building is destroyed
   my idea is to show message when 50% of tiles are destroyed and then at 90%
   OR
   make building collapse as a chance based on number of tiles destroyed during battlescape
   less then 50% -> no chance
   from 50% to 75% -> 20% chance to collapse
   from 75% to 90% -> 50% chance to collapse
   from 90% and more -> 100% chance to collapse
   
33) during base defense mission aliens should have a primary target
   - kill all soldiers
   - destroy as many building as possible
   - kill as many civil units as possible
   This would be an OPTION and change base defense mission A LOT

34) add civilians during base defense missions (even those from normal terror mission) just like in apocalypse
   this would be based on number of scientist (FEMALE) and engineers (MALE) divide by 10
   each civilian killed would be a loss for scientists or engineer
   
35) engineers that cannot provide any help for production do to SIZE limits of workshop
   (1 workshop, 50 engineers, only 44 can operate) could be used for HOUSEWORKS and earn money
   this would based on their salary (which is 30K monthly) so it would be like 50$ per hour per engineer
   
36) show percentage value in research instead of label (good, excellent etc) as an OPTION
   
Best Regards
Tom

Offline Daiky

  • Battlescape Programmer
  • Administrator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 904
    • View Profile
Re: Few general ideas from old x-com fan
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2013, 02:40:58 pm »
I've read your post and a lot of your ideas sound very reasonable.

Aliens cannot be wounded (not even when MC'ed) and you cannot crouch when flying - these are not bugs, but intentionally taken from the original game. I also don't see the logic in crouching while flying :) There has been discussion about aliens getting fatal wounds, but I think it was agreed to keep this true to the original, except from the MC effect. MC'ed aliens in the original could suddenly get fatal wounds, which sounded more like a bug than a feature.

Also when suggesting to put more information on the screen, you have to take into account that the resolution is very limited.

Offline pmprog

  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 647
  • Contributor
    • View Profile
    • Polymath Programming
Re: Few general ideas from old x-com fan
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2013, 03:17:45 pm »
Regarding 36, they did this on Apoc, but I often wondered how you'd know how far you were in research of something unknown. I wouldn't object to it being an option though

Offline xracer

  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 565
  • X-COM lover, we've gone at it everywhere
    • View Profile
Re: Few general ideas from old x-com fan
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2013, 10:36:04 pm »
Also when suggesting to put more information on the screen, you have to take into account that the resolution is very limited.

Hopefully not for long :) well at least in my fork :D