custom geoscape background

[Hythlodaeus]

Robin, you're a kickass artist, so i'd like to ask you one  thing: would you consider creating expanded geoscape space backgrounds for UFO:EU and TFTD so we can use it when running the game on higher resolutions instead mirroring the same one over and over like OXC currently does? This is perhaps the last major graphics gap missing in the game, and one that would definitely improve the geoscape aesthetics when playing on hi-res, which a lot of players do.

(For the reference, I mean this)

[Gillman]

Robin, you're a kickass artist, so i'd like to ask you one  thing: would you consider creating expanded geoscape space backgrounds for UFO:EU and TFTD so we can use it when running the game on higher resolutions instead mirroring the same one over and over like OXC currently does? This is perhaps the last major graphics gap missing in the game, and one that would definitely improve the geoscape aesthetics when playing on hi-res, which a lot of players do.

Yes, a seamless background texture would be great; at the moment TFTDs geoscape background looks very strange at higher resolutions...

[7Saturn]

While we are at this topic: What's speaking against having one Geoscape? I mean, the TFTD-Geoscape has the problem, that the land masses really look boring. On the other side, it's pretty much the same with the water parts in x-com 1. I'd love to see a mod, that combines the best of the two worlds. The nice land masses of UFO and the sea looks of TFTD. Would that be possible?

[Gillman]

While we are at this topic: What's speaking against having one Geoscape? I mean, the TFTD-Geoscape has the problem, that the land masses really look boring. On the other side, it's pretty much the same with the water parts in x-com 1. I'd love to see a mod, that combines the best of the two worlds. The nice land masses of UFO and the sea looks of TFTD. Would that be possible?

TFTDs Geoscape is great and functional. The red background image is imho perfect: it intensifies the brooding and gloomy atmosphere of TFTD.

I have no problem with the yellow land masses of TFTD; in fact: I love the abstract look of it.

What really bothers me are the projected sea textures: they don`t move with the globe. Zoom in and rotate the view and you will see what I mean. It looks very odd

[7Saturn]

What really bothers me are the projected sea textures: they don`t move with the globe. Zoom in and rotate the view and you will see what I mean. It looks very odd

I noticed that too. At least theres some sort of texture. =)

[Hobbes]

While we are at this topic: What's speaking against having one Geoscape? I mean, the TFTD-Geoscape has the problem, that the land masses really look boring. On the other side, it's pretty much the same with the water parts in x-com 1. I'd love to see a mod, that combines the best of the two worlds. The nice land masses of UFO and the sea looks of TFTD. Would that be possible?

I've just thought about this and the answer is no, unless you have a customized .exe

It would completely possible to add the sea textures to UFO's Geoscape (or vice-versa) but if you shot a UFO over the oceans the crash site would still be generated and it would be possible to assault it. That's huge problem #1 and I suspect it wouldn't be the only one.

Of course, it wouldn't be an issue if you were running a hybrid UFO-TFTD game but that poses a lot of other challenges as well. Basically you'd either have land or sea bases, but not both, and to keep things more or less sane regarding plotline and consistency it would make more sense to use TFTD. Tritons operate on land while Skyrangers and other planes aren't designed to submerge, along with other minor things. And other issues that I can't remember right now, but yeah, there should be quite a few.

So possible? Yeah, if you're a TFTD fanatic who is willing to spend an great amount of time (and frustration) while working on it

[7Saturn]

So possible? Yeah, if you're a TFTD fanatic who is willing to spend an great amount of time (and frustration) while working on it

Well... I wouldn't go that far. =)

[Arthanor]

Wouldn't it be possible to add the textures without making battles happen on them?

As far as I know, crash sites have a depth, so if you only have crafts that can go to depth 0 (land), then you can't get to the sites even if they are there, which would make a UFO game totally doable. You just have to ignore the little white crosses that stick around in the ocean for a few days.

[XOps]

Just tried making a new hi-resolution background. No dice. The game automatically tiles the background to a set resolution regardless of what size it is. In addition, the menu is part of the background graphic and scales with the rest of the background.

[XOps]

Managed to fix the menu issue. Still doesn't fix the automatic tiling issue.

[SupSuper]

Well I need to explicitly add support for a custom high-res background. Can you post your background standalone so I can use it for debugging?

[XOps]

Well I need to explicitly add support for a custom high-res background. Can you post your background standalone so I can use it for debugging?

Here. It's a strange resolution because I'm too lazy to find out what the more common monitor resolutions are.

[hellrazor]

Here. It's a strange resolution because I'm too lazy to find out what the more common monitor resolutions are.

Take a look here

[SupSuper]

Better late than never.