Messages

76

Feature Requests / Re: The spread of the virus: spatial distribution

« on: November 05, 2009, 11:30:40 am »

The only things I can offer is (since I'm not a coder, mapper, etc...):

I could design a detailed and tense storyline around the theme of the virus and its spread.
I could write the necessary research proposals and reports as well as any WHO/UN reports needed to carry the story on in English (I teach it) and German (my native language).

But that's... basically... it.

If someone tells me about the already fixed parts of the storyline (is it written down somewhere?), I could add more detail and suspension to this part.

Andy

77

Feature Requests / The spread of the virus: spatial distribution

« on: November 05, 2009, 10:26:15 am »

Hiho!

I did a bit of research during my geography studies on the way a virus spreads from one place to another. I don't know whether the (quite simple) patterns are suitable to depict the course of the pandemic in the game or whether there are already some different solutions how the spatial distribution of the virus is dealt with.

(A simplified form of a) distribution theory of viral diseases says that there are basically 2 ways in which a virus distributes spatially:

a) it moves from large population center to other centers (center = large towns with lots of interaction, travel, exchange,...)
b) it expands from the centers to the surrounding area

Since we have large cities in the game (like terror attacks near big cities) it seems not impossible to use a realistic spreading pattern for this part of the story by making the virus "jump" from city to city and then expand (like a slowly expanding circle) around the cities.

In our case:

> The outbreak of the virus is most likely in a rural area (since most attack areas in the game are rural).
> The virus could be detected (or not)
> It moves to the next population centre
> It can be contained (or not)
> It moves to other population centers by means of air traffic, etc...
> It starts spreading from the centres into the surrounding countryside
> It is out of control (until vaccines, etc... are deployed)

This would provide lots of opportunities to follow the initial stages of the virus attack via research reports. And it would provide more "small steps" that the player can research and thus understand the whole story. Especially if the virus can be contained in a small region at first (and the player has different research project and solution strategies) the danger becomes obvious. 

> The outbreak of the virus is most likely in a rural area (since most attack areas in the game are rural).
> The virus could be detected (or not)
==> research program: WHO reports a new viral disease (= 1st sighing of the virus)
==> research: The virus ==> Enemy on Earth (you find out that it is not a normal virus)
==> research: theoretical counter measures (e.g. vaccine after missions in which infected are caught)

> It moves to the next population centre
==> research: containment strategies

> It can be contained (or not)
==> research: Solutions (the moral dilemma like shown in many movies: kill everybody to stop the spread?)

> It moves to other population centers by means of air traffic, etc...
==> research: Interdicting the center-center spread (air traffic limitations, health checks,....)
==> reserach: Census

> It starts spreading from the centres into the surrounding countryside
==> research: don't know, it should sound more desperate by adressing local levels thus hinting at chaotic situations.

> It is out of control (best depicted by WHO reports and the census)

> Vaccine becomes available (after long research, testing, some special missions...)

I think that perceiving this development might put the player into a situation in which the real danger becomes very obvious.  



Keep up the great work.

Andy - who will start a new game today. Muahaha! =)

78

Discussion / Re: Lose Conditions? I lost the game and don't know what I did wrong

« on: November 05, 2009, 10:04:15 am »

Tnx for looking it up and reporting back. =)

There are some green spots, of course. But I thought (as these spots are green) that they are not soooo dangerous, especially because they are in almost non- or only sparsely populated areas. The number (6 %) supported that impression.

In addition, I expected these areas to change from green to yellow to red to black in time or to expand, but neither happened. So they seemed reasonably harmless to me since there was no "hint of danger".

Perhaps changing the colour of the infected areas would make the danger more obvious to the player. Green just tells me intuitively that there is no real problem that needs to be dealt with urgently.  

Great game. I'll start a new one. =) This time, not a single greenish spot will appear on my planet.

Andy

79

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / Re: R24498 - any solution to Harvester stairs problem?

« on: November 05, 2009, 09:36:26 am »

@Havok: I know the problem and I found a solution that works sometimes.

Move in front of the Harvester, shoot the windshield on level 2. You can use grenade launchers and PB-grenades to kill everything in the cockpit. Just don't use airburst to allow the grenades to get into the cockpit.

With a bit of luck (an depending on the map) you can even bounce grenades through one of the entrances of the cockpit. Consequently it is possible to attack the part of the stairs room next to the cockpit.

It's a bit tedious but it sometimes worked for me.

Andy

80

Discussion / Re: Lose Conditions? I lost the game and don't know what I did wrong

« on: November 04, 2009, 09:32:30 pm »

Ok, found it. Tnx.

Attached you'll find the zip with both .xml and .lint in it (I guess you might need both).

Just continue until 2086, March 4.

Cya

Andreas

81

Discussion / Re: Lose Conditions? I lost the game and don't know what I did wrong

« on: November 04, 2009, 05:02:24 pm »

I can exclude both lose conditions 100 %.

Happyness: All but one "exhuberant", the remaining is "happy".

Infection: 6 % (of a allowed maximum of 70 %)

Debts: None, but 1.2 Million Credits.

But I can't find the place where the savegames are stored. *ashamed*

Please tell me, then I will happily upload my savegame.

Andreas

82

Discussion / Lose Conditions? I lost the game and don't know what I did wrong

« on: November 04, 2009, 10:28:20 am »

Hiho!

Version: r26804.exe
Possible Cause? I played an older version up to March 2086 and updated to the new one.

My game just ended a bit surprisingly with a loss of the earth to the alien infection in 2086, March 4. I guess it is just because the game hasn't been finished yet, but if that was not the case, I would be very interested in finding out what I have done wrong.

I researched everything available. Researched "Enemy on Earth", "Enemy on Earth Revisited", "VXI Census". After that there was nothing more to research.

I monitored the infected areas closely and shot down everything even close to it, I tried to do all the missions inside the infected zones but never found something extraordinary. I also never encountered human resistance. The zones all remained green (didn't change colour) and didn't spread.

Did I miss something or is it just "normal" at that stange of development?

Andreas

P.S: Keep up the great work! I like the virus-attack story very much.

83

Design / Re: More on the Storyline/Game mesh

« on: November 03, 2009, 02:12:25 pm »

I like the explanation why Earth's military doesn't become active in the game. Dealing with small alien incursions (like < 10 aliens) should be possible for every army, although the costs/casualties might be high of course.

Using Phallanx not as a means of general defence but as the "tip of the spear" for solving difficult situations and (later in game) counter-attacking seems reasonable. It just makes not too much sense to hand over the defence of Earth to an institution that has few bases on earth and whose crafts often need more than 10 hours to get to a landing site.

Mission like the following would be suitable:

"Military of [country] has contained alien situation. Aliens can't retreat, forces staning by. Requesting Phallanx to go in and root them out."

Andy

84

Feature Requests / Re: Selling Alien Material takes very long

« on: October 28, 2009, 08:21:43 pm »

2.3 Dev 26563

And yes, the rate increases but it is still pretty slow for selling huge amounts of stuff.

Andreas

85

Feature Requests / Selling Alien Material takes very long

« on: October 27, 2009, 10:24:50 pm »

Hiho!

I've just tried to clean the storages of my bases and found 6000 Alien Materials. It takes a lot of time to sell this.

I propose to increase the rate at which Alien Material is sold from 1 to 10 or even to 100 per click. Since it is basically worthless (3 cr / unit) and you have lots of it (by dismantling ufos), there is no real need to sell this stuff carefully.

Andreas

86

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / Mission of fast moving twin engine UFO won't start: back to geoscape

« on: October 18, 2009, 09:24:22 pm »

Hiho!

Later in the game, a new type of fast moving UFO with distinctive twin engines appears . I made a screenshot to clarify which one I'm talking about. You'll find it attached to this posting.

If I manage to shoot this ship down, there is a ground mission.
I send my transporter there and the dialogue "Enter" "Cancel" appears. I can't select "Auto Mission".
If I click "Enter", there is a very brief delay as if the game tried to do/load something and then I'm back at the geoscape and the transporter is still hovering above the target. Trying again won't change anything.

I can continue the game normally but I can't enter missions of this type. So it's not a grave thing. 

Just wanted to let you know.

Andy

87

Feature Requests / Playable Intro and Civilian Life Cut-Scenes

« on: October 18, 2009, 12:17:55 am »

Hiho!

Intros in UFO-themed games always work the same: Aliens come to Earth, everybody is surprised, aliens murder lots of people. The armies seem powerless, so X-Com, Plallanx, etc are founded. Okay. That's pretty standard. It's not bad, but I have a idea how to make this standard beginning more interesting.

Mumbai: Why not start with small cut-scenes from the battle? You control a small number of normal soldiers (crappy stats, bad weapons => much worse than Phallanx equipment and soldiers) and basically you lose. You may save some of the men (perhaps at some point the group  is ordered to retreat) and some might join Phallanx (which would be an incentive to play these scences and not skip them).

Especially in the beginning of the game when Phallanx basically only guards 1 or 2 continents, it would be cool in my opinion to show - again via cut scenes - what is happening where Phallanx is not present.

Ideas for cut scenes:

> a rural farm in the US with a family inside and an ufo in the backyard next to the barn. A shotgun, a few simple weapons and try to survive or (likely) die.

> shopping malls and their big parking spaces: private security guards are playable inside and some hastily assembled police force outside.

> many more scenarios are possible, basically every time the enemy is rather strong and your non-phallanx equipment is weak. Bit losses don't "count" (these are only nameless NPCs that won't appear again) so I think the feeling would be much different.
 

I think you get what I would like to propose.

I would love to have these sort of mini-missions which breathe life to the real invasion and the real threat outside the "standard Phallanx reality" of flying there, busting them, flying back. Because basically Phallanx wins all the time (because we players need to win to enjoy the game). Thus the alien threat becomes somehow weakened. I think it would be nice to see that the aliens are cruel, effective, that they do a lot of harm and that Phallanx is really important to protect those people. 

I'm curious for your comments.

Andreas - enjoying the game like very few other games before.

88

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / Re: Maploading Freeze Bug (version r26431)

« on: October 16, 2009, 11:08:04 pm »

Good news:

I installed the newer version 26563 and the maploading retry freeze bug has never occured since then.

Whatever you've changed... it works now.

Andreas

89

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / Re: Maploading Freeze Bug (version r26431)

« on: October 11, 2009, 04:47:59 pm »

Okay, I tried to understand the Wiki entry on debugging but - to be honest - I don't get what I should do. The information given there may be enough for an expert on game designing, it isn't for a "user only" like me.

Sorry, if there is no more detailed step-by-step description of what to do, I fear I won't be able to help.

Andreas

90

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / Re: Maploading Freeze Bug (version r26431)

« on: October 08, 2009, 11:35:48 pm »

Tnx for the info and the link. I'll read the article and do that. Sorry, I'm just a newbie on the field of error-reporting.

Andreas