Excellent Game : A Few Constructive Criticisms

[Laser99]

Thanks for helping fill the void for many sci-fi squad-based fans.I'd much rather play your guys' game than the new one coming out (which has baddies you can kill with your weapons, but somehow they can't  do likewise).

Your game looks and plays smooth, is intricate, and has a sci-fi mood to immerse oneself in for hours.I'd rate it 8.5/10 so far, if I may be so bold.
(I just love the weaponry !)



Constructive Criticisms :

I respectfully recommend inclusion of the following.


1) Destructable Terrain.A must have imo.Hard to implement ? I guess so.But even basic destructable terrain would suffice.Label fence f1a, and when f1a is targetted, superimpose a graphic explosion and sound, then instantaneously remove the fence segment, leaving open space.Certainly the fence, or barn door, isn't a hyper-dense graphite hybrid immune to massive explosive force ? (I know, I'm a layperson, not a programmer, obviously).

2) Fast Crouching.When soldier crouches, it takes a loooong time.It should be instant.A comparatively simple sci-fi squad-based game called Taskforce has a demo, and the soldier takes a split second to crouch to one knee.In your game, it looks like an old grannie squatting over a dirty wet toilet seat.

3) Right-Click For Directional Facing Of Soldier.Again, Taskforce has it, it really allows crucial and precise placement.Being able to right click and mouse point towards that southwest garage door, makes movement simpler, less frustrating and complete.


4) Rename Soldiers Feature.Essential for more immersion, on a personal level.Playing a soldier who is (or represents) YOURSELF, lends to a more suspenseful significance of involvement .

5) Hiring New Soldiers, Scientists, Engineers, via the "purchase" icon, and subsequent monitoring of the staff order placed via a "transfers" icon.It seems to facilitate measured staff aquisition.Seeing how many you have, and how many more are arriving in precisely how many days/hours.

6) Slightly louder music and sound effects.Just a volume boost of 10-15% would be nice, with a boost of the lower resonant frequencies (60 hz to 1 khz.It would create more ambience, suspense , and shock with the high powered weapons.


That's all I can think of for now, thanks for your time, and a BIG thanks for providing a QUALITY game for fans of the sci-fi squad-based strategy genre.

[Eemeli]

3) Instead of right mouse button you'll have to point and press Q.

[Reenen]

1) Ain't gonna happen soon.  (Think years, rather than months)
2) Dunno, but I'm sure it can be done. (Someone just have to do it).
3) See above post
4) I think you can in the latest release... there is a little blue pencil next to the name on the hire employees screen.
5) ... dunno
6) The music and sound is not set to max by default.  Try setting to max, see if that helps.

I also just downloaded the latest one, and I am very excited!

[Pariah]

If I may...

Outside of the game still lagging (I think it is connected to the music, because when the game lags, the music sounds like it is skipping, is there a way to turn off the music completely? Turning the volume down to zero doesn't help with the lag), the one criticism I have is graphically, a lot of times I will have a soldier move, but that last square they don't move into completely. The cursor icon will show the soldier in the square, but the graphics will only show him half way in the the square.

This has lead to soldiers being locked in place or blocking a doorway (it has happened twice on the Mansion map just inside the main doorway). When they are locked in place, they will not move one square, but if you give them an order to walk further then 1 square they will then move.

Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this game.

Albert - Pariah - eastwoodaen

[XaverXN]

2) Yes, might be good. Always looks slow.
3) Actually, I'd prefer the RMB as well. It could have both functions...

But, as always, its a low-priority-done-when-someones-got-time thing. AND if the coders like it.

[Wanderer]

If I may...

Outside of the game still lagging (I think it is connected to the music, because when the game lags, the music sounds like it is skipping, is there a way to turn off the music completely? Turning the volume down to zero doesn't help with the lag), the one criticism I have is graphically, a lot of times I will have a soldier move, but that last square they don't move into completely. The cursor icon will show the soldier in the square, but the graphics will only show him half way in the the square.

This has lead to soldiers being locked in place or blocking a doorway (it has happened twice on the Mansion map just inside the main doorway). When they are locked in place, they will not move one square, but if you give them an order to walk further then 1 square they will then move.

Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this game.

Albert - Pariah - eastwoodaen

I've not encountered either of these issues, however, I run a pretty generic system.  My guess is you're not running into programming problems, but environmental ones.  I've never gotten stuck on the mansion board (and I think that board is my nemisis, I replay 3-5 times sometimes).

I'd start with a delete and reinstall of the game, personally.  Sounds like something drastically corrupted in transfer.

[Voller]

The "getting stuck" thing happened to me once too. If I remeber correctly I could only select the unit by pressing the respective number, but not by clicking on the soldier itself.

[Wanderer]

1) Destructable Terrain

func_breakables work in maps.  See africa04d, and the windshield to the Alien Dropship.  I've seen this windshield blown out.  So, they exist.

It's a matter however of time, I think.  Mattn's been the primary map builder for a long time, and he's also project lead, therefore very busy.  I don't know if there are any other reasons for not including func_breakables more regularly, but I know they exist and function.

2) Could probably just cut half the frames out of the animation.

3) I'd like this myself.  Can't tell you the number of times I mean to turn the soldier via the RMB, when I need to hit Ctrl.  Some methods are just ingrained in my habit.

4) Renaming works again in 2.1.1, as mentioned.

5) Hm, that'd require reworking their current methodology completely.  How's your C coding?  Mine sucks so I can't help ya there.

6) -> Ooooh Alex?

[Zenerka]

I don't know if there are any other reasons for not including func_breakables more regularly, but I know they exist and function.

No fun with breakable things if they just dissapears - because of no "breaking" sound for particular materials as well as no particles (exploding glass window, crashing wood barrel, etc).

[Wanderer]

I don't know if there are any other reasons for not including func_breakables more regularly, but I know they exist and function.

No fun with breakable things if they just dissapears - because of no "breaking" sound for particular materials as well as no particles (exploding glass window, crashing wood barrel, etc).

Wandering this conversation to the mapping board.

[Pariah]

Hey,

I have taken some screen shots showing how the graphic of a soldier is off from where he is actually located. However, I have a Vista OS and I can't figure out where Vista stored the dang screen shots at. I took one previously of the Mansion map and I took 4 today on the City (nightclub) map.

So, anyone got a clue where Vista is storing these screen shots? (Note: Vista does not store them in the applications directory, this is true for all saved files as well).

[Wanderer]

Hey,

I have taken some screen shots showing how the graphic of a soldier is off from where he is actually located. However, I have a Vista OS and I can't figure out where Vista stored the dang screen shots at. I took one previously of the Mansion map and I took 4 today on the City (nightclub) map.

So, anyone got a clue where Vista is storing these screen shots? (Note: Vista does not store them in the applications directory, this is true for all saved files as well).

Check in the Application Data/UFO/scrnsht directory... it's around there.

[Pariah]

Ok, I finally found where Vista hid my screenshots. I am going to try to post them here: Note: again these are pics of where the graphic of the soldiers are not lined up with where the game shows them to be.

This image is from 2.0 and shows the Mansion with two soldiers locked together.


This one is with the latest version and it isn't that clear, but look for the green cursor (plus sign), you can barely make out the blue cursor showing zero movement, the soldier with the bright green circle under him is the actual soldier that is misplaced.


This picture shows the misplaced soldier healing the one in front of him. He is still misplaced but you can see the green line ending in the red circle showing he is in range to heal him.


Here is two more soldiers locked together graphically.


Another one where a soldier is not lined up with his cursor. The green gook is shells from the Grenade Launcher Flechettes.


Another one where the green plus shows where the soldier should be standing and he is to the left, facing the wrong way.