0.5 in 2012?

[j6cubic]

My thesis will most likely be on the subject of whether traditional AI methods (usually deemed too slow for use in video games) can be used to generate a basic dynamic plot by only being invoked very infrequently to determine basic policy, with normal scripts doing the heavy lifting. Since I suck at formal analysis I will probably take the "implement it and throw statistics at your measurements until it looks like science" approach.

Of course that means I need a game to add AI to and that game needs to be open source (or at least easily moddable). And I need to figure out how to make it behave interestingly with AI methods. Even though I never got along with Python (it's the language I would love to like) OpenXcom's Geoscape AI might be a good candidate. I'd have to discuss it with my prof, though.

But the important reason for scriptable AI is, of course, because modding is fun.

[Volutar]

Geoscape is scripted, there's no need of any AI.
Try to look into direction of better battlescape AI.

As reminder: "xcom" actually is a "laser squad 2" game, which was "battlescape-only" game. Tactic turn-based strategy. 90% of developer's time have been spent onto battlescape logic and AI. That's the direction which should be improved, or at least made "not worse".

[j6cubic]

Unfortunately, I don't see a way to fit my thesis (which focuses on using AI to drive long-term actions) into the Battlescape (which is short-term by definition). Now, if we made Battlescape missions longer, say 2.000 to 4.000 turns each, so that each mission can have its own individual storyline, then I could see how I can fit that in... But I don't think it would work particularly well.

(And no, I don't think that running an HTN planner for every step of the battle would be particularly fun. There's a reason why most video games stick with regular scripts.)

[pepek]

Hi all,

I would like to tell developers, that I love their work and I would love to see EU and TFTD without bugs, playable in higher resolution and with load button in battlescape (as it already is). Continue in your great work please!

I haven't found any other way to donate, than some server support. Can I donate by Paypal directly to support/speed up development?

My opinion to AI - it should be same as original (as much as possible) - original is well balanced and very good playable. If you change AI, it wouldn't be same quality as original and it would reflect your playing style - you may think, that it is made much better than original, but someone else with different playing style may find it unplayable. Yes, original is not perfect, but it is balanced.
So for me - keep original AI, with possibility to use custom AI as option.

[michal]

Can I donate by Paypal directly to support/speed up development?

If SupSuper won't be able to find a job after finishing uni, you could hire him to work on OpenXcom ;P

[pepek]

I'm not sure, if he will be satisfied with one time 5/10/20USD pay:D

I'm just used to support good projects that I like (DosBOX, cpu-z, CatBlock...) - because I see the effort behind this projects.

[Daiky]

The fact you like the project and respect the effort is more motivating than money. (and people disliking the project is demotivating :p )

[luke83]

I love your work , i built a entire site to help support it, that got to motivate you

[mercy]

Fantastic project!! Keep up the good work. Dosbox is not so lightning quick as your EXE. Also yours doesn't need any Dosbox, plus the mouse wheel, save system and other excellent features makes your work a MUST HAVE!!

I'm continually grinding my teeth looking at FiraXCom, a lot of the original features and suspense was missing from their demo and the full game isn't looking good judging from the videos. Not looking forward too much to play it..

Your project doesn't need Windows 7, runs and looks superb on XP and has much bigger smoke and fire areas than the ridiculously tiny ones in FiraXCom. There are 100 annoying "features" in their re-imagination: no awesome weapon loading sounds? Whaat??! No commerce in the new game??! Eehh...

Thank You for doing this!

[Fenyő]

Fantastic project!! Keep up the good work. Dosbox is not so lightning quick as your EXE. Also yours doesn't need any Dosbox, plus the mouse wheel, save system and other excellent features makes your work a MUST HAVE!!

And you are still not aware of a real-good new feature (my first work in OpenXcom ) which is available in the newest GIT-build (2012-10-13) :
Scrolling in Battlescape with RIGHTBUTTON-HOLD like in Transport Tycoon.

[mercy]

Látom te is magyar vagy! Gratulálok a fordításhoz. Hát igen, rengeteg minden került be a GIT buildekbe és eszméletlen hangulata van már így a játéknak!

Can't wait to play the newest additions after all the GiT changes are compiled together into an OpenXCOM 0.4.5 build!! Aarrghh.. the wait kills me along with Sectoids on superhuman! :DD

[Fenyő]

Látom te is magyar vagy! Gratulálok a fordításhoz. Hát igen, rengeteg minden került be a GIT buildekbe és eszméletlen hangulata van már így a játéknak!

Wow, és én még azt hittem, hogy egyedül vagyok itt magyarként.
Köszi.

Can't wait to play the newest additions after all the GiT changes are compiled together into an OpenXCOM 0.4.5 build!! Aarrghh.. the wait kills me along with Sectoids on superhuman! :DD

I'm still working on a thing, i hope SupSuper waits that before releasing 0.4.5.

[Francois424]

Waiting for it...  Keep up the good work

[darkestaxe]

I would really like to see a fully playable 0.5 by the end of 2012. Personally I'm not really doing much to spread the word about openxcom because it's not yet playable.

Geoscape AI Discussion: I think the current focus should only be to reproduce the original geoscape progression and externalize the 'AI' charts into an editable file, preferably something more appropriate to long tables then YAML.

AI is just a bunch of rules you make, so agents appear to have intelligence, because they make decisions based on these rules, their state and the state of the world around them.
I don't see what you mean with "real AI". There is no such thing: real <> artificial. Even modern games uses tricks to make people think the AI is more advanced, but it just uses the same old "tricks". ...

If it doesn't react to outside influences or other inputs and use some sort of decision making process then I don't see how it could be an AI. In MOOII if you move your fleet towards an AI empires system, that AI will 'evaluate' a few factors before 'deciding' whether or not to move his fleet to the same system to deter any potential attack. X-COMs battlescape AI likewise assesses the situation in pre-calculated ways and moves accordingly. The X-Com Geoscape 'AI' is not an actual AI because it doesn't attempt to imitate an intelligent response, and doesn't evaluate any conditions, it just launches UFOs. This could create a problem for modders who want to add more divisive AI's. Currently I don't think the geosccape does anything in reaction except have a chance to start a retaliation mission in a region when UFOs are shot down there.

[Mr. Quiet]

Yep, I want 0.5 and final release in 2012 >) I'm super excited! This project is much more important to me than Xenonauts and XC:EU.