Soldier Portrait Mod

[Meridian]

Inventory graphics are a concern, ideally the face in the paper doll would match the portrait.
However, making a sprite for each face/armor combo is a lot of work and isn’t too mod friendly, however. Perhaps a system with separate armor and head sprites could be devised?

I currently take the faces from the armors themselves, so no work for modders.
Actually I changed it and take it only from the "NONE" armor... because other armors may have helmets and you wouldn't see the face.

@Meridian
I was going to say it would be great to include the battlescape feature in OXCE+, but it looks like you've already done it! Now more people can be exposed to the idea. Can that codebase be used for standard XCOM as well?

Not sure what the question is, so I will answer both interpretations I can think of.

1/ Yes, OXCE+ can be used to play normal vanilla XCOM.
2/ You cannot take my commit and apply it onto vanilla codebase (easily), because it considers already other features introduced in OXCE. But you can definitely look at it and do it similarly in OXC... it should be even easier, probably removing some parts of the code will make it compatible with OXC.

[Hythlodaeus]

You should perhaps take a look at this thread:

https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,834.msg7994.html#msg7994

Many UI redesigns were discussed here, and I can say this is something it has some sort of general interest going for it. More interestingly, I would like to ask you how did you manage to load battlescape palettes on the soldier stat screen, considering SupSuper once mentioned that would be a bit of a hurdle.

[Meridian]

More interestingly, I would like to ask you how did you manage to load battlescape palettes on the soldier stat screen, considering SupSuper once mentioned that would be a bit of a hurdle.

I didn't, the avatar is displayed only in the battlescape UI, not in the solder stat UI.

[Hythlodaeus]

I meant the 1st pic posted by Perpetual, not yours.

[Dioxine]

It would be pretty hilarious if the mugshots had damage states like the HUD face in Doom;

even more so if morale had an effect, too.

This is worth upvoting - plain mugshot is fine and would do in Basescape, but in the Battlescape, it would only use up the space (in that role, the rank is marginally better). Bloax's idea would allow for the portrait to have a real informational value (damage level, morale level).

[Solarius Scorch]

This is worth upvoting - plain mugshot is fine and would do in Basescape, but in the Battlescape, it would only use up the space (in that role, the rank is marginally better). Bloax's idea would allow for the portrait to have a real informational value (damage level, morale level).

But then the idea of using a part of the unarmoured inventory picture goes out the window, since you'd have to create all these files by yourself.

Sure, it's a very cool feature, but also very time consuming... Maybe we can have it as an additional option? I mean, it would use these custom expressions only when the modder was insane enough to make them, and otherwise inventory picture would be used?

Also I would like to bring up the idea of having a tiny rank sign in the corner of the portrait box. Can this happen?

[Meridian]

But then the idea of using a part of the unarmoured inventory picture goes out the window, since you'd have to create all these files by yourself.

As you say below, we can display inventory picture, if no morale/health-specific pictures are available.

Sure, it's a very cool feature, but also very time consuming... Maybe we can have it as an additional option? I mean, it would use these custom expressions only when the modder was insane enough to make them, and otherwise inventory picture would be used?

I estimate it would take me 2-4 hours to implement, nothing complicated.
But it would take ages to draw all the pictures... I'm hesitating investing even those 2 hours without knowing somebody will actually use it.

Also I would like to bring up the idea of having a tiny rank sign in the corner of the portrait box. Can this happen?

Tiny rank (7x7 pixels) can already be displayed after the soldier name.
Moving it to the corner of portrait box will take me 5 minutes... but again I need some graphics to see how will it look like... btw. if it will be moved there, we can make it also a bit bigger (e.g. 8x8 or 9x9 or 8x10 or anything reasonably small).

So, if anyone will create the graphics, I will do the rest.

[Solarius Scorch]

But it would take ages to draw all the pictures...

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant.

I'm hesitating investing even those 2 hours without knowing somebody will actually use it.

I don't know... On one hand, I like the idea a lot, it's worth doing, but on the other, I'd rather spend time on something more substantial than bloodied portraits. It's a time issue, and I have little time.

I'm also unsure it it would feel right to have an unarmoured portrait when you're wearing some other uniform. I mean it's OK for a static picture, but if you make it linked to the soldier's current state, then the immersion starts falling apart.

[Bloax]

YOU DOUBT MY MADNESS???

[Countdown]

Would love to have the soldier portrait available on the stat screen and the battlescape. Having more faces available would be awesome as well. 128 would be insane, but even upping it to 16 from the current 8 would be huge progress.

Have you considered making a smaller sized rank insignia and putting that next to the name? Like Perpetual's idea, but tiny pixel art picture instead of name.

Or even take that tiny rank and put it in the top left corner of the portrait.

I think it's important rank still be there and preferably as an icon rather than text. Meridian I liked the way you did it with the example you linked to having the rank icon to the right. I think it would work just as well if not better in the corner of the portrait, but it could be a fine line between being small enough not to look crowded, but big enough that it is easily distinguishable.

2. which avatar to use?
a/ avatar with the corresponding armor?
b/ or take fixed armor (e.g. NONE)?

100% you had to go with no armor. That's the whole point, to get some extra personality and armor kills that already. Currently the most frustrating thing for me is all my soldiers are in flying suits and it takes me clicking 10 of them before I find the one I'm looking for.

But if you'd like to see the avatar on the battlescape GUI only, I can do that as optional feature in OXCE+.

Sorry, I'm pretty new here, what exactly is OXCE Plus? I was using the OXC 1.0 version and I've only just started playing around with OXCE (2.9 version) and figuring out what that is all about . So what is the +, how is it different than the normal extended and how do you implement it? Is it an only for X-PirateZ thing?

Thanks for any info, I tried searching for the answer and I find lots of references to OXCE+, but not any how to for dummies.

[ivandogovich]

what exactly is OXCE Plus? I was using the OXC 1.0 version and I've only just started playing around with OXCE (2.9 version) and figuring out what that is all about . So what is the +, how is it different than the normal extended and how do you implement it? Is it an only for X-PirateZ thing?

Thanks for any info, I tried searching for the answer and I find lots of references to OXCE+, but not any how to for dummies.

OXCE is Yankes' OpenXcom Extended version.  It opens up alot of features and customization for modders.
OXCE+ is Meridian's Branch of the above, that he coded for use with PirateZ, but it can run without PirateZ, though other mods may not take advantage of its capabilities.  You can download it from the first post here: https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,4187.0.html

[Yankes]

Biggest difference between branches is that I prefer avoiding changing UI and Meridian focus on UI changes.
No-UI changes from Meridian 's branch in long run will be ported back to my branch.

[Warboy1982]

is any of it ever going to be pushed upstream?

[Countdown]

Thanks for the replies. So it sounds like OXCE+ has everything OXCE has, but adds extra UI changes like the currently discussed portrait mod?

And I'm reading the list of changes in the OXCE thread: https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,2915.0.html

Are all these changes mandatory and automatically implemented, or do you just have the option to change them in the rulesets? Is it possible to play the vanilla game with OXCE/OXCE+, but only makes the changes you want?

Examples from the top of the thread:

-Psi-Amp can now deal direct damage using special attack type in popup menu.
-Throwing now requires a healthy arm to do it (if the item is two-handed, then it requires both).
-Rewriten handling of alien psi attacks to handle new features of Psi-Amp.
-You can train your solders basic skills.

Implemented automatically or just the option to implement? Mostly I wanted to use OXCE to change psi balance in the game (requiring health and energy costs for XCOM soldiers, decreasing range, etc), but am a bit overwhelmed trying to take in and understand all the other changes/options listed there. As a beginner, I'm not even sure what a few of them mean.

[Arthanor]

Almost everything in OXCE is optional as in "If you don't use it in a mod, it's not going to affect the game". Take psi-amps, they can deal direct damage, but unless you mod a psi-amp into the game to deal damage, it won't.

There are a few gameplay things that are there no matter what though. Like shooting at tiles with an unconscious soldier being able to kill them (and conversely, explosions needing to kill a soldier to destroy them, instead of just outright destroying the corpse). Yankes should have a list somewhere of what the "hardwired" changes are.