[OLD] Old OXCE+ discussion thread

[Meridian]

New version's up.

v2016-04-02
  + Added support for custom mission/monthly ratings, more info here: https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,4466.0.html
  + Fix: Items carried by HWPs are not lost anymore when mission ends
  + Fix: HWPs are not showing ranks anymore
  + Improvement: "visibilityAtDay" by default equals to "maxViewDistance" (instead of 20)

Download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8itkFQbhj-YMHhkeVdKRFRxeUU

[Solarius Scorch]

So, about this being out of features to implement... Let me help with this one.

Soldiers as manufacturing items and products.

I don't simply mean "Urist McZander -> Dead Meat", or even "Alchemical Compound + Summoning Circle -> Urist McZander -> Failed Human Transmutation Corpse". I also mean taking a soldier and changing them into another soldier race, respecting all stats.

So we have our Urist McZander, a fairly average human squaddie. He had some starting stats, then got a little experience, so now his stats are:

Code: [Select]

      tu: 50
      stamina: 55
      health: 35
      bravery: 90
      reactions: 40
      firing: 50
      throwing: 40
      strength: 35
      psiStrength: 45
      psiSkill: 0
      melee: 35

So we take this squaddie and change him from "human" to "cyborg".

A cyborg is a different race which cannot be hired but can be produced. Cyborgs are processed people, with their stats unchanged except for a certain set of modifiers. Cyborgs get +10 strength, +10 reactions and +15 health, but -5 TUs and -10 Max Psi Strength (not current, unless too high).

So now we get Cyborg Urist McZander:

Code: [Select]

      tu: 45
      stamina: 55
      health: 50
      bravery: 90
      reactions: 50
      firing: 50
      throwing: 40
      strength: 45
      psiStrength: 45
      psiSkill: 0
      melee: 35

Urist retains his name, gender, nationality and pretty much everything else, except for some stat modifiers and obviously the fact he's no longer human but cyborg, and therefore different armours apply etc.

Do you think it's doable?

[Meridian]

It's doable, not even that much work.
It will require a few new ruleset attributes with weird names, so don't expect this to get into vanilla

Just one question: why can't I just buy cyborgs and have to go through this (IMO unnecessary) procedure?
If it makes it any easier, just imagine that the procedure is being done in the background... basically same abstraction as melee combat... each time I do melee frontal attack I have to imagine really hard that my soldiers are doing mega ninja moves so that they don't just get shot like dogs

[Solarius Scorch]

It's doable, not even that much work.
It will require a few new ruleset attributes with weird names, so don't expect this to get into vanilla

Doesn't matter

Just one question: why can't I just buy cyborgs and have to go through this (IMO unnecessary) procedure?
If it makes it any easier, just imagine that the procedure is being done in the background... basically same abstraction as melee combat... each time I do melee frontal attack I have to imagine really hard that my soldiers are doing mega ninja moves so that they don't just get shot like dogs

Well... But then you won't have your old soldier, right? Just a new cyborg guy. This is no fun at all. What about my characters?

[Meridian]

Well... But then you won't have your old soldier, right? Just a new cyborg guy. This is no fun at all. What about my characters?

OK.
What should happen with the squaddie's armor? Or do they have to have default armor to be admitted to the procedure and then get the default cyborg armor?
Also, is it possible to make cyborgs not buyable already now somehow or do I need to add that?

EDIT: and how do you say (GUI-wise), which soldier should be robocopped?

[Solarius Scorch]

What should happen with the squaddie's armor? Or do they have to have default armor to be admitted to the procedure and then get the default cyborg armor?

Yes, that seems the best. If they have armour, it should be removed automatically before procedure.

Also, is it possible to make cyborgs not buyable already now somehow or do I need to add that?

Good question. I don't know, but you'd probably need to add this functionality.

EDIT: and how do you say (GUI-wise), which soldier should be robocopped?

Hmm... I don't know if this can be done from the Workshop. Honestly, I have no idea where and how to put this.

[sambojin]

Sorry for not posting earlier. Thanks so much for the directional indicators. I might not use them a lot, but when I do, it's the difference between life and death for my gal.

Thanks a heap. Now I've just got to convince someone to package up a new Android version of OXC, with X-Piratez and OXCE+ included in it. Those direction indicators would be great on a smaller screen, even if another small UI button needs to be added to use them. Could possibly be used as a UI element in themselves, instead of "swipe turning" (one of the worst bits of touchscreen OXC). Have them always on/all directions shown for the active soldier, then just click for facing/turning. Anyway, not your job, just a thought.

Still, very handy on PC. Especially at night with smoke around. Cheers.

[Meridian]

New version is up.

v2016-04-05
  + Added (yet another) fatal wounds indicator (#3 I think)
  + User option to add lost vehicles (incl. dogs and parrots) to Memorial (by default turned off)
  + Added support for "allowedVehicles" starting condition

Download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8itkFQbhj-YRzdZdXlMYndTSms

[Solarius Scorch]

Awesome, thanks!

[davide]

I Meridian,

how do you think about new feature to capture enemy craft ?

[davide]

An other true  impossible challenge for you: breaks MCD tileset limit

Now OC support on battlescape up to three tilsets: Craft, Ufo, Terrain
Each of them have the 254 tile limit..

A strategic innovation  could be a feature to load custom map tilset

I recognize that it is a very difficult task

[Boltgun]

An other true  impossible challenge for you: breaks MCD tileset limit

Now OC support on battlescape up to three tilsets: Craft, Ufo, Terrain
Each of them have the 254 tile limit..

A strategic innovation  could be a feature to load custom map tilset

I recognize that it is a very difficult task

The problem is that the more incompatible you make this build with the vanilla version, the worse it will be for modders as a whole. I mean, features about experience or extra rulesets are okay but if terrain designed for an extended end up crashing vanilla, this does more harm than good.

[Meridian]

This branch is not about writing a new OpenXcom engine.

I want to make mostly usability and QoL improvements like:
- remove epileptic effects (flashing explosions)
- add more hotkeys and shortcuts (ufopedia, change armor, hit log, don't stop walking, unit facing ...)
- display more info and stats (stat improvements, recovered items, manufacturing previews, ...)
- allows sorting and filtering stuff (items, soldiers, ...)
- add various indicators and alerts (refuel, bleeding, visible but far away enemies, ...)
- some more immersion (avatars, nationalities, dog memorial, ...)

Since the fork got more popular than originally expected, I added also some requests from modders:
- improved experience system
- mission starting conditions/restrictions
- some new weapon attributes, etc.

All these changes can be easily backported to original OXC.
I won't be messing with:
- palettes
- engine (especially any stuff required to use the UFO1994 assets)
- battlescape mechanics/physics
- alien AI
... as such changes cannot be easily backported and should be done directly in OXC (if the DEVs decide they are worth implementing)

So, feel free to ask for improvements, but don't ask for engine rewrite... I don't have time nor desire to do that.

[Eddie]

I have a request, if it is possible. Some way to filter the items in the soldier equipment screen. Like a button to only display grenades or only melee weapons, if you know what I mean.

[Dioxine]

It could be done like with Manufacturing, each item allowed a specific, custom category label (or better yet, multiple labels per item, for example laser rifle would have STR_RIFLE and STR_LASER, filter-able by both). These labels can be also used to better sort the Black Market/Fence/Vaults screens. A shortcut from any specific item on the equip list to a proper Bootypedia page would also be useful... (a tiny '?' icon next to each item?)