Author Topic: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia  (Read 3531 times)

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

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Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« on: December 12, 2023, 02:12:37 am »
Here is code change to place alien armor and damage modifiers in ufopaedia. If anyone is interested I can create PR on that.

Offline Abyss

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2023, 11:00:13 am »
Here is code change to place alien armor and damage modifiers in ufopaedia. If anyone is interested I can create PR on that.
1) The best solution is: second page. Don't overload a slide with information.
2) Be better to make UI subtopic. Because it is very conterintuitive to seek/discuss for UI layouts in AI section.
3) Please play one of megamods, it already has been implemented quite nicely in prehistoric era
« Last Edit: December 12, 2023, 11:02:23 am by Abyss »

Offline Xilmi

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2023, 02:40:14 pm »
Here is code change to place alien armor and damage modifiers in ufopaedia. If anyone is interested I can create PR on that.
Sure, go ahead.

Offline Meridian

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2023, 02:45:16 pm »
And which armor would you show for let's say Lobsterman autopsy?

There are several of them.
Do you take one at random?

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2023, 04:23:16 pm »
And which armor would you show for let's say Lobsterman autopsy?

There are several of them.
Do you take one at random?

I introduced a reference parameter to specify which one to show. So it is for mod designer discretion.

You are right that there are many armors alien can wear. In addition to that, actual armor thickness varies with the difficulty. I was trying to solve this issue for myself too.
My thought is that this is helpful info for player to plan the combat. However, it should not necessarily be exact. Slight variations are fine. Besides, specific specimen armor can be observed in combat. Whereas damage resistances should be more or less same for different armor levels within species.

Yes, I am aware that armor values are free to modify by modder and they can go crazy with making say Lobsterman navigator armor completely-completely different from one of the soldier. I am open for suggestions.

Another option is to list a range of values from multiple armors. Like say, front armor: 40-60, etc.

Another option is to list multiple armors with their names: (soldier, technician, etc.). Will be a long list.

Another option is to add this info somehow to the MC Reader screen in combat. That would be the most precise information.
Or show approximate information in ufopaedia and exact during combat.

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2023, 04:29:33 pm »
1) The best solution is: second page. Don't overload a slide with information.
2) Be better to make UI subtopic. Because it is very conterintuitive to seek/discuss for UI layouts in AI section.
3) Please play one of megamods, it already has been implemented quite nicely in prehistoric era

Thank you for suggestions.

1. Sorry. I didn't understand about second page. Are you saying it is possible to make multipage article in ufopaedia? Can you point me to the guide, please?
2. By subtopic you mean extra entries in ufopaedia next to autopsy? Or can they be actually nested in the list?
3. Yes, I am aware of the combat analysis feature of XCF. Unfortunately, it is not in OXCE. I don't know how to port it. Maybe I will when I understand how.
« Last Edit: December 12, 2023, 04:38:09 pm by Alpha Centauri Bear »

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2023, 04:31:17 pm »
Sure, go ahead.

Please grant me permission to push feature branch and create PR.

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #7 on: December 12, 2023, 04:40:21 pm »
Abyss and Meridian,

I think you are right. It is probably would be much more straightforward to just introduce articles for each alien/terrorist armor in game. May give them some research requirements to appear too.
Not sure how to place them in orderly fashion, though. Maybe just create another section under "Alien creatures"? Like "Alien creature armors"?

Offline Meridian

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #8 on: December 12, 2023, 05:53:12 pm »
3. Yes, I am aware of the combat analysis feature of XCF. Unfortunately, it is not in OXCE. I don't know how to port it. Maybe I will when I understand how.

of course it is in OXCE
(where else would it be? XCF uses OXCE)

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2023, 06:27:39 pm »
of course it is in OXCE
(where else would it be? XCF uses OXCE)

Sorry for my misunderstanding. For some reason I thought this is a screen shown during combat. I just discovered it is a simple ufopaedia article. Thank you for clarification.

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2023, 04:38:04 am »
https://github.com/Xilmi/OpenXcom/pull/18

This change also requires adding alien rank ufopedia articles to ruleset. I can add them to the standard so they are preset at deployment. Otherwise, this will be a feature other modders can implement.


Offline Abyss

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2023, 12:18:53 pm »
https://github.com/Xilmi/OpenXcom/pull/18

This change also requires adding alien rank ufopedia articles to ruleset. I can add them to the standard so they are preset at deployment. Otherwise, this will be a feature other modders can implement.
What is exact purpose of this?
Raw OXCE is rarely used, major mods usually have the framework: you get corpse, you get it researched -> you get stats via two pages. One is autopsy, next is armors and resistances.
Quote
2. By subtopic you mean extra entries in ufopaedia next to autopsy? Or can they be actually nested in the list?
No, I meant new topic for OpenXcom Forum » Modding » Released Mods, or better, OpenXcom Forum »Modding »Work In Progress and discuss implemented things with more players and modders. There are AI talks. Until you want only 1% of proposed target auditory to see what you propose and do.

Alternatively, it can be also a time to ask forum owners for a child board for Xilmi on this forum, because there's also different targeting mode and other things that are not strictly related to AI, but developed for Brutal OXCE fork
« Last Edit: December 13, 2023, 12:33:45 pm by Abyss »

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2023, 09:47:52 pm »
Xilmi,

Now when you merged my PR, do you want to add these alien armor articles right into base game so they are available to all mods on top of it?
Or leave it to ruleset modders? In this case it will probably be unnoticed for many.

Offline 0xEBJC

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2023, 10:07:15 pm »
Xilmi,

Now when you merged my PR, do you want to add these alien armor articles right into base game so they are available to all mods on top of it?
Or leave it to ruleset modders? In this case it will probably be unnoticed for many.

Since this is a non-standard GUI change I would recommend a .rul flag to enable this so that the mod developer or by default this feature is not enabled and explicitly enabled per *.rul file for globally through advanced settings.

One reason is that I think that X-Com Files already provides all the battle and armor stats for enemies and NPCs once researched, but as separate UFOPedia pages.  I would find it real annoying to have the info duplicated on multiple pages from ones that X-Com Files provides and on the Enemy's main graphic page.  Also, although this is a neat idea, how do you address what Meridian' pointed out about an enemy that can have multiple armor's or stats?

Offline Juku121

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Re: Alternative way to display armor-stats in UfoPedia
« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2023, 10:13:21 pm »
Since this is a non-standard GUI change I would recommend a .rul flag to enable this so that the mod developer or by default this feature is not enabled and explicitly enabled per *.rul file for globally through advanced settings.
As I understand, this is just a capability right now, so 'off' by default. Thus an extra variable to enable things that needs to be implemented separately to work at all will do nothing but sow confusion. And AC Bear is asking if a ruleset mod should be added on top.

Also, although this is a neat idea, how do you address what Meridian' pointed out about an enemy that can have multiple armor's or stats?
No enemy can have multiple armours or stats. One enemy race can have different ranks with different armours/stats. And that's exactly what AC Bear's change handles in the screenshots by having separate articles for Aquatoid Navigators, Commanders etc.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2023, 10:15:45 pm by Juku121 »