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Author Topic: Cisco's bugs and proposals for upgrading AI  (Read 2457 times)

Cisco Kid

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Cisco's bugs and proposals for upgrading AI
« on: April 08, 2008, 12:14:04 am »
Hey there good people of AI team and my collegues - players and fans of UFO aka X-COM.
I have played this demo version game for about 2 weeks. And i must say to the Team ,,Bravo!``.
I like what you did to this game. Your demo game is far more better then games after UFO (Sectoids,Mutons,Snakeman,Floaters,Etherial, the rest of the Alien gang and my favourite Chrysalid) and X-Com 2 (I always forget the real name of it, but it's based on battles ,,Under the sea`` X) ). However as a old fan and player of UFO aka X-COM, apart that i congratulate you on your work i call you to read some or all of my proposals that i have in mind and bug reports that i've seen and had. Don't worry if i express my ideas too heavily. I don't mind if i don't win your favour, but i just want you to read them and think about putting them in the Game.
Thank you.

First about bugs, because for now list is not so long (that's good X) ).
1) The bug for Labs. Precisely for research and scientist.
I had transferred all of my scientist from my base in New Africa to another one on Antarctic and destroyed all labs in that New Africa base. Before i had destroyed any labs i had gone to the Research window to look what was researched till that moment. Than it said that i had 13 scientists that are researching (don't know what, since the Alien Materials technology wasn't progressing). At that point as i said i had already transferred my scientist to Antarctic base. Than i tryed to stop last research Alien Materials (unfinished at that moment), but it couldn't! I first went to the map mode and waited the transfer to end. But it didn't help. Than i thought it was some easy bug and i had destroyed labs in that base. Then came a big bug problem. I went to research window in that Antarctic base and wanted to finish Alien Materials with my transferred 13 scientists. But it couldn't. It still said it was researched in another base. Then i really wanted to curse Quake engine (since it has so much bugs). I had to make sure what was the cause so i rebuilt those labs in New Africa base (2 of them, because when i finished first lab it still said 13 scientist were researching something. I looked at the alien material's progress bar and it didn't move since the transfer day to Antarctic base). Then i had hired one scientist to finish Alien Materials in that New Africa base. I couldn't even put him there with those PC fantasy 13 scientists! Then i pressed the `Stop research` button again, and my PC frozed in that Research window. I couldn't get out, i couldn't end program, only thing i could do is to restart. I tryed it again (this time in simplified way), and the same result. The third time i said ,,Ok let it be finished in that New Africa base`` and it finished somehow...


2) The bug for making Stingray and Dragon class interceptor.
Also in that New Africa base i had another problem. Anyway... I have just researched the new aircrafts in that 2.2 version, and wanted to build them. That New Africa base was the only base with more then one workshop (i had just one more workshop in my main base in Indonesia, other bases didn't have it). So i clicked on that ``Increase production by 1`` and my game cracked! Then i tryed it again, but with same result.
I thought it was bug in all bases, until i have build one in United Middle East as a Workshop base (5 workshops). I thought even that these 2 fighters aren't from this site since it just said in there BIO ``<TODO>`` which i didn't read as ``To do`` X)

Maybe <TODO> or half done stuff should wait finish. You decide. But models are one hell looking hawks.
Bravo for the artist!


3) C++ Windows bug (which i described in another topic here http://ufoai.ninex.info/forum/index.php?topic=2485.0 ).


4) Employees bugs
To be specific again, soldier bugs. First the changing name bug. I had problems with that. When i change the name at the assign troops window i don't get immediate response of the game to write new name. Then i must go to equip troops window so it could be accepted. Also when i change it, some other fellow (which isn't in my squad) appears instead of that whom i changed name.
Same that appearing bug i have in maps when i put some item in trooper's hand or backpack or any other item square.
Next bug i don't know if it is. It's about ranks. I have some troops which have killed over 20 of those aliens, and they don't get any new rank at all. Then i hired some good (25) close,assault combat soldier which has killed only 5 aliens (in 7 missions) and has gotten new rank!
It just happend 3 hours ago. I wanted to post you that i don't get it at all. But as you see i have, just in some weird way X)

???


5) UFO bugs
From here i only see scouts, harvesters, fighters and supply ships. Have you made some more in this 2.2?
I have now problems at lets say when i research alien materials and Alien mind that aliens don't attack for 10 days or more.
Bug?

6) Alien bug
Is the great thing that aliens mix in mission a bug?
If it ain't' please let it stay. That way we can play against who knows what X)
That's the only thing i didn't like about UFO 1 and X-Com 2 missions. They never gave Muton and Sectoid or Tentaculat and Tasoth (except the last mission).

My computer or bugs in the game?

For now these are bugs in my game. When you feel free please respond X)

I will write soon some of my ideas and if i see other bugs.

I thank you again for your time.
And please if anybody has something to add to my writing or to believe that something isn't good please feel free to write.

Offline kracken

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Re: Cisco's bugs and proposals for upgrading AI
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2008, 09:37:05 am »
Thank you for these bug reports :).

1. This seems to be this bug, that is not fixed yet:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1883337&group_id=157793&atid=805242

2. We fixed a few bugs about aircraft buy/sell menu screen. I think this crash bug is one of them, and should be fixed in 2.2.1 or trunk (I can't remember).
The <TODO> is because this is unfinished work.

3. Your bug seems more related to Nero than to UFO:AI

4. For the changing name bug, could you create a bug report here please: http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=157793&atid=805242
Concerning rank, I think the rank depends on the mind attribute of the soldier also. That could maybe explain the difference.

5. We are currently changing the way UFO are handled, so this 10 days problem should disappear.

6. I'm not sure to understand your question. If you ask if it's a bug to have different alien races in the same mission, then no: it's not a bug.

Cisco Kid

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Re: Cisco's bugs and proposals for upgrading AI
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2008, 05:33:10 pm »
I thank thee.
Just 1 question and one idea for now.
You are correct for the Mind status. I have that high ranked soldier as a 40-50 points for mind and about 35 all the rest (except accuracy, strength and speed), other troopers still are below in mind bar (and some of them in other bars).

Idea:
I think in all other UFO games the killing is standard for rank. I disagree with there thinking. I think the ranks have to be individually looked and all personal should have it (scientists, workers and even doctors) . For instance : 1) For troopers - If he/she has prooven in shooting-killing than he/she gets killing ranks. If he/she has prooven in tacticising than he/she gets tactician ranks. And so on with for example demolition-explosive, first aid on field, stun-capturing...I leave up to you to think, if this inspired you. Though this really opens many ideas from different fields of the game and is more detailed.
2) For scientists,workers,medics - I still don't get why are we using the same employee screen for this three as soldier hire-skill screen (they don't have any skills like soldiers, and the thought in me is as they(sci,work,doc) are just all the same) . Before any suggestions i would like to know are you going to put for these 3 groups of employees some skills (like knowledge in math,phisics,biology,chemistry,medicine,building,mechanics...)?

Thanks again for those answers. I'll put Print screen ``Bug for names of soldiers`` this week and see if those fixes which you provided work.