Messages

91

Design / Re: Aliens in player's team

« on: February 18, 2008, 07:38:03 am »

An interesting idea, but it doesn't really mesh with with the storyline and atmosphere.

Not all aliens are living, they have robotic soldiers as well. And I think that a sort of stealth mission with captured and reprogrammed alien robot doesn't contradict XVI-based storyline.
*whistles Terminator theme*

92

Artwork / Re: Alien launcher (portable)

« on: February 17, 2008, 06:42:48 pm »

Thanks for GIMP link, it was very helpful!

I've made a texture, but I am not happy with it.
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/download.php?group_id=157793&atid=805244&file_id=266730&aid=1892717

I am putting UV-map with comment layers also.


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93

Artwork / Re: The Future is... yesterday?

« on: February 17, 2008, 08:02:49 am »

Listen. I think it's obvious why everything seems so anachronistic; because there is a global aesthetic infatuation with the 1990s. Enough said. This fact should be added to the storyline as it is extremely relevant.

Yep, if it worked in X-COM:Apocalypse, it should work here!

94

Artwork / Re: The Future is... yesterday?

« on: February 16, 2008, 10:15:38 pm »

Car designs could be based on modern concept-car outlines. I tried to collect some of them, except for most weird ones and slicked-down bolides.

City cars:
http://www.thetorquereport.com/hybrid_x_concept_34-thumb.jpg
http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/968/90073786.JPG
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=22507

Jeeps:
http://chryslerweblog.com/images/uploads/jeep-renegade-4.jpg
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/jeep/2006-jeep-hurricane-concept-ar1182.html
http://auto.moldova.org/stiri/eng/23226/

Trucks:
http://lh3.google.com/_Z_sjkMfWfr0/RpTEDnyYXQI/AAAAAAAABBg/KZlHms_ePFQ/s800/Scania+złota.jpg
http://www.topclassmagazine.com/img/Topclass/Truck0-big30.jpg

Bus:
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/05/15/047773.1-lg.jpg

95

Artwork / Re: Alien launcher (portable)

« on: February 16, 2008, 09:09:38 pm »

what is the license?

Oh, models are all GPL, of course!

I want at least the projectiles look somehow organic. 
Some not-so-artificial-intelligence in the warhead would be nice. Let's see some nice texture on thais one to judge how that fits?

As I've said somewhere, I personally dislike slime-dripping organic weapons, like those from Apocalypse, though I could've tried making such if those were used in UFO:AI. However, UFO:AI aliens tend to rely mostly on high-tech weapons rather than rectum-like ones And I think their outline in general is not that weird or different from human firearms, especially particle weapons, that have rather simple and practical design, as stated in UFOpaedia.

Anyway, I redesigned it a bit, rear part mostly. Please tell, which variant you like most!
Texturing is currently a bit too hard for me - I don't have Photoshop or anything that supports layers, and its pain to draw textures for UV-mapping in Paint!
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/download.php?group_id=157793&atid=805244&file_id=266618&aid=1892717

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96

Artwork / Alien launcher (portable)

« on: February 13, 2008, 02:41:27 pm »

An idea on alien counterpart to RPG was spawned in this thread, so I made a try on one. I somewhat based it on alien craft rocket launcher concept, with rockets accelerated by magnetic coils.

Sourceforge link:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1892717&group_id=157793&atid=805244


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97

Discussion / Re: New soldier stat increase system

« on: February 12, 2008, 01:46:57 pm »

Maybe add some very small weapon XP for just shooting? Either per TUs used on firing, or per shots fired. Of course, that may lead to soldiers emptying their clips at nowhere each mission, but with XP reward for such being small and base training facilities available such activity can be made a waste of time and ammo. The good side is that soldiers that provided supressive fire or engaged enemy, but failed to score a hit, would also get some consolation prize.

Also weapon XP could be available once per each alien hit. So hitting the same alien repeatedly with the same soldier wont give you XP. Otherwise the last alien on the map would be constantly flashbanged and fired at with the weakest or least efficient weapons. Or just bombed with flashbangs until those run out, giving soldiers steady Explosive XP bonus.

Also more Mind XP could be given if an enemy is stunned and captured alive. Also kills bonus on Mind are better be limited to enemy kills only, otherwise recruits with poor stats would also be taken to missions to serve as training targets. And maybe give a small bonus for detecting an alien (one bonus per each living alien, none for successive detection of the same ones).

98

Feature Requests / Re: Destructable AA defences

« on: February 12, 2008, 01:01:52 pm »

Great! I must have been inobservant and missed the "bombed" part on radar towers and SAM sites in TODO.
And I still can't find anything about aliens having AA defences too, is that also planned?

Btw, should current base defence and detection facilities be preserved? An option would be move it all outside the base. Current radar description tells that it uses multiple external dishes, and its sounds logical to place defences around the base, not inside it. Besides, it saves valuable base space. Just a suggestion.

99

Feature Requests / Destructable AA defences

« on: February 12, 2008, 09:19:57 am »

It may sound like a borrowing from UFO:Extraterrestrials, but I would like to suggest SAM-sites and other ground-to-air defences being vulnerable to aircraft fire, along with alien bases having such structures. So that a raid on alien base could be either preceded by an airstrike with attack crafts, or player tries his/her luck with sending a dropship against unsupressed AA defence. As an option, only planned "external" SAM sites and radar towers could be vulnerable, while base's own defences are hidden below the ground and thus indestructible.

100

Design / Re: alien concept: "The Growing Thing"

« on: February 12, 2008, 08:41:13 am »

I personally more like high-tech gun-wielding aliens concept, rather than zerg-like ones using biotechnology, with weapons resembling straight intestine and matching projectiles. But some bio-weaponry could be used, even by bioweaponry-infested aliens. So the Growing Thing itself may not be an XVI enslaved speciment, but rather bio-engineered weapon, so its DNA may have even more XVI component (to the point itself being a mutated XVI strain), thus amplifyng alien mind range. And since aliens do not take gardening tools to their missions, the thing could only appear near alien bases, acting both as alien mind projector and stationary defence.

101

Design / Re: alien concept: "The Growing Thing"

« on: February 11, 2008, 01:11:06 pm »

I think its not completely parasitic since it uses humans more like food, not hosts. And I like the idea of it being efficiently killable by fire of explosions only. Cleansing the area with a flamethrower should be fun!
And will all aliens be detected as such upon sight? Stage A would have troubles killing anyone, aside for occasional dumb civilian, if an alien marker pops up whenever anyone sees it. It may not necessary be invisible until it attacks, but rather be visible on the map, but not counted as alien ulsess it starts acting aggressively. It may be attacked however, if player recognizes the threat. The same mechanism could be used for XVI infested humans - they may be mimicing civilians for some time, then draw weapons and attack.

102

Mapping / Re: Ship map

« on: February 11, 2008, 07:56:05 am »

Looks nice!
Did you base your work on some existing ferry layout, like this?

103

Artwork / Re: SRPMW model

« on: February 11, 2008, 06:30:18 am »

Real name is Alexander Kusakin.

I did try to put that on sourceforge and created an account there, but failed to find appropriate section. Thanks for the link, I am new to open-source things!

104

Artwork / Re: SRPMW model

« on: February 10, 2008, 09:37:41 pm »

Okay, I choose GPL then! Feel free to use it in any way you like, I wont complain

Here are models in .wings format, can save them in .obj or .3ds if needed.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IU50HAT1
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CDUQJRY2

105

Discussion / Re: estimating factors for to-hit-chance

« on: February 10, 2008, 08:51:24 pm »

I don't feel i know enough about what BTAxis has in mind with "unlocking fire modes" to comment on it.

I think this means making some fire modes to be used only if a certain skill with this weapon is achieved. E.g. headshot mode for sniper rifle being availble only with sniper skill of 50. Though it might require quite some mindwork to add bonus modes for each weapon!