Additional soldier sprites

[moriarty]

quick question to the battlescape gurus, while you're obviously looking here right this moment: if I wanted to provide additional soldier sprites (you know the problem about having only one male and one female battlescape sprite), how difficult would it be at the moment to include them in the game?
would it be a lot of work for you to:
- include a check for the soldier type in the battlescape sprite selection
- make the game search for a sprite file that actually fits the inventory image (idk, maybe xcom_0ma.pck/.tab, xcom_0mb.pck/.tab... and xcom_0fa.pck/.tab, xcom_0fb.pck/.tab... and so on)
- if it doesn't find one, just use the "default" sprite
?
because that would allow us to add more sprites one at a time, just throw them in when they're finished, and still be able to play in the meantime without having to worry about crashing the game...

[michal]

I've moved this topic out of "Battlescape development" thread as it was probably lost there.

[moriarty]

thank you


I've already started splitting the male and female xcom_0 sprites (that's the "basic coverall" type), giving the girls their own death animation. next thing I will try is implementing some different hair styles/colors and then I'll try doing some skin colors...

so it would be really nice if someone with programming skills would implement some easy way of including these in the game. as suggested above, perhaps

[luke83]

I subscribe to the attitude that " IF you build it they will come".

As for the Skin colours , i too had this desire but i was holding off to see if Yanks got his skin changing code working

 Dont forget the Inventory Pics on any new Hair styles, i have seen some of the STYLES getting around these days, some are Bizarre so could be good for in game.

[Daiky]

Currently all the filenames of the resources (graphics etc) are hardcoded and there is no such mechanic that says: if a certain file doesn't exist, just give me another. It has very little to do with the battlescape itself. It's the engine that does a "static" loading of all resources at game starting, if a file is missing, the game doesn't start.
I'm not sure what the plans are, but I think there will be more flexibility in the future.
For the battlescape itself it doesn't change a lot, after all it's all the same routines etc, it's more a matter of resource management.

[moriarty]

Dont forget the Inventory Pics on any new Hair styles, i have seen some of the STYLES getting around these days, some are Bizarre so could be good for in game.

LOL at weird hair styles... he reminds me of Chun-Li, for some reason...
actually, my first step would be the other way around: I'll try to make battlescape sprites for the existing inventory images

Currently all the filenames of the resources (graphics etc) are hardcoded

but... but... that's terrible! 
okay, I understand that for now it is the easiest way. I'll place my hopes on future versions, then... just for the record: it would probably also make sense to split the xcom_2.pck in two files, one for the "power armour" and one for the "flying suit". because later somebody might be tempted to make helmetless versions of those, and that won't work if it's in one file.

[moriarty]

based on the existing inventory image, this is xcom_0f1:

[Zharik1999]

This one looks good, and the whole idea is really great, moriarty!

[moriarty]

Thank you, Zharik1999!

here's the first new male sprite, xcom_0m1:

[Zharik1999]

You should definitely go on, moriarty

[hsbckb]

Excellent pixel work. Yes, please go on.

[moriarty]

(busy with RL at the moment... next update hopefully around July 30th, I'll have a bit of time then - 24h on-call shift, lots of time in between actually being called, perfect for pixel work)

[moriarty]

this one is new: basic soldier with short-cropped hair. he's not perfect, but right now I can't improve anything without mangling him. do you have suggestions?

the head with very short hair is a real problem (I am trying to make a completely bald guy next) - with a width of four pixels, he's too slim. with six pixels,he's too wide. and with five, he's off-center. I still used five - we'll have to see if it looks weird in-game, I guess.


I have yet to make an inventory picture for him.

[Templayer]

YAY !

Please, continue your work !

[moriarty]

thanks for the bump

I'll see when I can find some more time for this.