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Author Topic: Text names  (Read 4843 times)

Offline Another Guy

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Text names
« on: June 15, 2009, 11:04:23 pm »
1) Since UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object, after its researched it's no longer an UFO. So I sugest changing UFO scout, UFO fighter, UFO harvester, etc to Alien Scout, Alien fighter, Alien Harverster, etc...

2) On geoscape I sugest showing UFO/crashsite/terrormission/alien base names next to model just like a base or instalation. Would make it easier to locate them. (In case of a not reserched UFO it should be something like "UFO" untill it's researched)

3) On geoscape I suggest options to show/hide names separetely for

a) Bases

b) Radar sites

c) SAM sites

d) UFO Yards

e) UFO/crashsite/terrormission/alien base

Reason for that is because geoscape can turn in a real mess and hard to locate UFOs (see screenshot).

4) At the moment, pressing spacebar rotates between all objects on screen. hard to find a particular one this way on late game.

So I sugest one key for bases, another for instalations and another for UFO/crashsite/terrormission/alien base

5) Unresearched itens should be shown on base (and battlescape) only as "alien artifact" since you are not suposed to know what it is untill its researched.

6) Unresearched UFO stored on bases should be shown only as "UFO" for same reason.



Edit: Typos

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« Last Edit: June 16, 2009, 01:05:02 am by Another Guy »

Offline BTAxis

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Re: Text names
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2009, 11:28:15 pm »
1) Since UFO stands for Unidentified Flyng Object, after its researched it's no longer an UFO. So I sugest changing UFO scout, UFO fighter, UFO harvester, etc to Alien Scout, Alien fighter, Alien Harverster, etc...

Sorry, but no, that's pedantry. Everyone knows what UFO stands for, but nobody (well, almost nobody) really uses it in that literal sense. The general consensus is that a UFO is an alien flying vehicle, and so a UFO in the game stays a UFO even after research.

Offline Another Guy

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Re: Text names
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2009, 11:48:23 pm »
Quote
Quote
1) Since UFO stands for Unidentified Flyng Object, after its researched it's no longer an UFO. So I sugest changing UFO scout, UFO fighter, UFO harvester, etc to Alien Scout, Alien fighter, Alien Harverster, etc...

Sorry, but no, that's pedantry. Everyone knows what UFO stands for, but nobody (well, almost nobody) really uses it in that literal sense. The general consensus is that a UFO is an alien flying vehicle, and so a UFO in the game stays a UFO even after research.

Ok, I'm cool with that. Just a suggestion.



How about the other 5 ones?

Offline BTAxis

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Re: Text names
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2009, 11:58:03 pm »
I'm indifferent. If you can find someone to arrange it, it might happen.

Offline Destructavator

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Re: Text names
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2009, 12:47:53 am »
Quote
5) Unresearched itens should be shown on base (and geoscape) only as "alien artifact" since you are not suposed to know what it is untill its researched.

I like this, although there should still be some details to distinguish one artifact from another, perhaps just different close-up pictures, maybe also some text that quickly describes the object, such as "small yellow round thing" or "a blue and heavy solid object that fits in the palm of a human hand" and so forth.

Edit: A quick alternative would be too just add a case number or code after "artifact" so you could have "Alien artifact class/type AJ16TLX" if you want to do less coding and such.
« Last Edit: June 16, 2009, 12:50:41 am by Destructavator »

Offline PhilRoi

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Re: Text names
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2009, 02:55:50 pm »
Ok, speaking as a self-nominated subject matter expert on things military (as card carrying member of the aforementioned  establishment.)    Soldier types tend to make up names for stuff especially if they don't know what it is.  take for example the plasma pistol.   Any "joe" on the ground, seeing' it in action, or finding it on the ground is gonna call it a "bubble gun"  and the plasma line in general are going to be referred to collectively as "bubble guns" or "bubble blasters" for the bigger ones.   The scientist/eggheads might call it Alien Artifact #103A.  and after researching it it would get a proper military nomenclature "Pistol, Plasma, Alien Type" The grunt is still gonna call it a freaking "bubble gun".   Especially in the squad room when passing out equipment...

Grunt:  "gimmie my Machinegun!"
supply : "here's your plasma pistol.  sign here for it."
Grunt:  "What?!?  Why do i hafta take the G-darn Bubble Gun for?"
Supply: "It's what the commander says you get!  now sign for it and move along.   NEXT!"
Grunt: (grumbling as he signs for equipment), "hey, can i at least get a couple of 'Beans' (grenades) to go with it."
Supply: "that i can do.  move to the end of the line and if I have any left over you can have them."
Grunt: (moves away grumbling, holding his new pistol.)

If you want color for the item descriptions,  The common name might be a humorous way to go...

Offline Another Guy

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Re: Text names
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2009, 03:17:04 pm »
Lol
That would be funny. But considering player is the commander asking the supply officer what was rescued from the mission and stored on the base, it's more liked that he would call it the name cientists/engineers assigned for it.

Nicknames would add a nice humorous touch on soldiers inventory screen though.  ;D

Offline shevegen

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Re: Text names
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2009, 03:26:16 am »
"So I sugest one key for bases, another for instalations and another for UFO/crashsite/terrormission/alien base"

What do you mean with that?

Offline Another Guy

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Re: Text names
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2009, 04:51:53 am »
"So I sugest one key for bases, another for instalations and another for UFO/crashsite/terrormission/alien base"

What do you mean with that?

Currently "spacebar" key is used to toggle between every object on geoscape. The suggestion is to assing one keyboard key for each group of objects described above so it get really possible to find anything this way on late game (eg. with 8 bases, 16 instalations, 4 UFOs spotted and 5 crashsites).

Offline vedrit

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Re: Text names
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2009, 06:15:36 am »
3) On geoscape I suggest options to show/hide names separetely for
[...]
Reason for that is because geoscape can turn in a real mess and hard to locate UFOs (see screenshot).


A good idea, but another one would be to shorten names. CO HQ rather than The Commonwealth of Oceana, UA RADAR 1 rather than United America Radar #1.
Why do you think oganizations do stuff like that? I doubt its to save ink when printing reports