ItemSets in the ruleset should be defined in the "alienRaces" section

[clownagent]

Probably it was discussed already somewhere...

ItemSets in the ruleset are now defined in the alienDeployment section in the ruleset for each mission.
should be defined in the "alienRaces" section.

For modding it would be easier to define the ItemSets in  the "alienRaces" section. This would allow for race specific ItemSets on the same mission.
In addition, it would save a lot of redundant typing, since the ItemSets for each mission are nearly identical (for the same alien rank).

One possibility to change the ItemSets like above and keep the possibility of mission specific ItemSets:
1. Itemsets are defined in the "alienraces" section:
2. If an itemset is defined in the alienDeployment section it overrides the previous defined Itemset. If non is defined the Set from "alienraces" is taken.

[Falko]

what about the rank
an itemsets list is currently defined by ufo-type/special-mission + rank
so do you want a simple

Code: [Select]

alienRaces:
  - id: STR_SECTOID
    itemSets:
    - [STR_PLASMA_PISTOL, STR_PLASMA_PISTOL_CLIP]
    - [STR_PLASMA_RIFLE, STR_PLASMA_RIFLE_CLIP]
    - [STR_HEAVY_PLASMA, STR_HEAVY_PLASMA_CLIP]or

Code: [Select]

alienRaces:
  - id: STR_SECTOID
    itemSets:
      0:     
        - [STR_PLASMA_PISTOL, STR_PLASMA_PISTOL_CLIP]
        - [STR_PLASMA_RIFLE, STR_PLASMA_RIFLE_CLIP]
        - [STR_HEAVY_PLASMA, STR_HEAVY_PLASMA_CLIP]
      1:     
        - [STR_PLASMA_PISTOL, STR_PLASMA_PISTOL_CLIP, STR_MIND_PROBE]
        - [STR_PLASMA_RIFLE, STR_PLASMA_RIFLE_CLIP, STR_MIND_PROBE]
        - [STR_HEAVY_PLASMA, STR_HEAVY_PLASMA_CLIP, STR_MIND_PROBE]not sure how that "would be easier" or less work

[clownagent]

or

Code: [Select]

alienRaces:
  - id: STR_SECTOID
    itemSets:
      0:     
        - [STR_PLASMA_PISTOL, STR_PLASMA_PISTOL_CLIP]
        - [STR_PLASMA_RIFLE, STR_PLASMA_RIFLE_CLIP]
        - [STR_HEAVY_PLASMA, STR_HEAVY_PLASMA_CLIP]
      1:     
        - [STR_PLASMA_PISTOL, STR_PLASMA_PISTOL_CLIP, STR_MIND_PROBE]
        - [STR_PLASMA_RIFLE, STR_PLASMA_RIFLE_CLIP, STR_MIND_PROBE]
        - [STR_HEAVY_PLASMA, STR_HEAVY_PLASMA_CLIP, STR_MIND_PROBE]not sure how that "would be easier" or less work

this.

It would probably not be less work for original XCOM.  However, it would be much less work if you want to mod in race specific itemsets.

For example if you want to give sectoids only light weapons like plasma pistols (they look so weak) and mutons only heavy plasma (they look a little funny with those small pistols).
With the current way of definition, to achieve this it would be necessary to define each mission for each race with separate itemsets. And this is a lot of typing.

[Solarius Scorch]

Great initiative. I mean you'd still be getting Sectoids with Blaster Launchers, since these are definitely mission-based, but it's still a much more robust system than the original one. (And it wouldn't change the game if you don't delete the alienDeployments templates, since everything will still be defined in the alienDeployments section anyway, and therefore will override any race-based setups.)

It would be even better for total conversions, like Piratez.

[Arthanor]

I have been considering some work on alien races and this (along with the graphics work) has prevented me from getting started. If you want to give your aliens specific weapons, it becomes very unwieldy.

Especially with the ways missions are generated. If you define a new mission type for a new alien race, then it is added to the original missions, meaning that you get 5-6 missions per regions which are split between vanilla races, and one+ of the modded missions that are guaranteed to get their race.

Currently, if you run a game with Mechtoids and Hybrids (I pulled them out of the FMP), that's something like 5 more missions types defined, which doubles the possible missions and makes it such that you now only encounter the vanilla aliens ~50% of the time since missions cannot be repeated before the list for a given region is empty.

Race specific equipment would be a much better way to do that. (and race specific UFOs could be cool too, then Hybrids could run Alien Research missions out of cars and not require their own mission types at all)

[NoelBuddy]

Like this idea a lot.

Another related thing I was thinking of is something to support swarm type aliens.  For example if setting cybermites as a swarm terror unit could spawn a group of 4 cybermites where the deployment would have 1 terror unit.

One possibility to change the ItemSets like above and keep the possibility of mission specific ItemSets:
1. Itemsets are defined in the "alienraces" section:
2. If an itemset is defined in the alienDeployment section it overrides the previous defined Itemset. If non is defined the Set from "alienraces" is taken.

I was thinking kind of the exact opposite would be easier to implement.  You are already drawing rank and numbers from alienDeployment, so set it that if there is an item set for the race/rank it overrides the itemset in the alienDeployment, if not use the existing itemsets.  This would take advantage of the already existing vanilla system while opening up the option for more customization.

[Solarius Scorch]

Another related thing I was thinking of is something to support swarm type aliens.  For example if setting cybermites as a swarm terror unit could spawn a group of 4 cybermites where the deployment would have 1 terror unit.

Oh yes!

I was thinking kind of the exact opposite would be easier to implement.  You are already drawing rank and numbers from alienDeployment, so set it that if there is an item set for the race/rank it overrides the itemset in the alienDeployment, if not use the existing itemsets.  This would take advantage of the already existing vanilla system while opening up the option for more customization.

No, I don't think it'd work, since special mission-specific weapons (like Blaster Launchers) would generally be overwritten by race-specific weapons (Heavy Plasmas for Mutons, Plasma Pistols for Sectoids). Unless you defined these special weapons too, but then they'd come up in more regular missions with that specific race...

I think it'd be more foolproof to follow Clownagent's idea.

[bladum]

why not just make a script

1) try to use current set of items based on current alien item leve
2) if total weight of items from set is more then strenght of unit then go to previous one / lower one, which by design should be lighter then current one

This would need to make not just sets for levels "0 1 2" but rather for "-1 0 1 2 3", which means extra setup for weak sectoid (-1) and strong mutons (+1).

Tom

[Solarius Scorch]

why not just make a script

1) try to use current set of items based on current alien item leve
2) if total weight of items from set is more then strenght of unit then go to previous one / lower one, which by design should be lighter then current one

This would need to make not just sets for levels "0 1 2" but rather for "-1 0 1 2 3", which means extra setup for weak sectoid (-1) and strong mutons (+1).

Tom

[sarcasm]Yeah, a Blaster Launcher for every Muton Engineer and up...[/sarcasm]

[Arthanor]

When a player regularly outfits all his troops with flying suits, heavy plasmas, with a few psionics and blaster launchers, why would mutons show up with a plasma pistol?

The unfortunate thing with this "strength based weapons" is that it makes sectoids even weaker than they are now. (Unless you boost them in the psionics department or something).

[bladum]

ok so maybe just raceModifier

so every engineer have its own item set based on current alien item set levels but for example sectoid has -1 and mutton has +1 in general etc... this is still simple to implement

Tom

[Solarius Scorch]

ok so maybe just raceModifier

so every engineer have its own item set based on current alien item set levels but for example sectoid has -1 and mutton has +1 in general etc... this is still simple to implement

Tom

That's better, but IMO too confining. Clownagent's model still wins.