Topics

1

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / PB grenade bounced out of map, soldier in the center of the map died

« on: March 04, 2010, 10:21:00 pm »

Hiho!

I found a VERY strange bug (?) in Mutons build (2.3)!

I fired 3 PB grenades close to the edge of the map. 1 missed and fell "off" the map.

Suddenly there was a death message "Soldiername died".

I had to search for the soldier (who was hundreds of meters away) who had died because I had no idea where he was. I found the body relatively in the center of the map. 

There was definitely no further alien on the map and it was no alien reactionfire kill.

I can only think of a bug that the grenade that bounces off the map still did some damage somewhere. This time at a place where, unfortunately, my soldier was standing.

Is that possible or am I crazy?

Andy

2

Discussion / Money again: Impossible to pay for 3 bases on hard difficulty?

« on: January 08, 2010, 10:28:54 pm »

Hiho!

I've been playing the hard campaign for some days now. Ingame I am in my fourth month. The difficulty of fights is great, the enemies' technology is faster (blaster rifles came up in the first 5 missions), it's even more fun than the normal mode => great.

Problem 1: It's impossible to build a third base if you want to have a bit of personell, which you need to research your stuff quickly.
Problem 2: If you know the game already, you know that you need pretty good coverage of the globe to fight against the ships that plant the virus and thus end the game. => 2 bases can't do that. Never. I managed to fail with 4 bases.

I have:
> 60 scientists
> 30 workers
> 25 soldiers.  ==> I ~500 000 cr for the personell alone
> 2 Bases (about 160 000)
> only 2 interceptors + 1 dropship

Consequence: I can pay for it if I do lots of missions and sell the stuff. But building a third base ruins me because the debts are too high.  

So just a question: How did you want the game to be played? Should Phallanx be so short of money? Are my numbers of scientists / workers just too high for this game mode?

Most important question: is it meant to be that way?

If "yes", I'm fine with that (I just started as I did in normal mode).
If "not", now you know about it.

Andy


 

3

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / Ufos don't show on geoscape until interception mission is started

« on: January 02, 2010, 10:34:30 pm »

Hiho!

Again 2.3 v27699:  Alien ufos are "invisible" in geoscape mode when they are spotted. Only a red circle shows where the ufo is. After I click this circle and I choose to intercept the ufo, the ufo symbol (which tells me whether it is a dangerous one or not) shows. So, nothing seriuos, it just struck me as strange.

Andy

4

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / Map scout_crash won't load - 2.3 v27699

« on: January 02, 2010, 10:02:14 pm »

Hiho!

I'm playing the latest build 2.3 v27699 and every time I try to start this mission I get the loading map screen, then a very brief (less than a second) flicker and I'm back in geoscape mode. I can retry but nothing changes.

Andy

5

Discussion / Just finished 2.3 (destroyed 1. base) - a bit of feedback

« on: January 02, 2010, 01:03:37 am »

First: Great game! I've been enjoying it tremendously and I'm downloading the newest build to start it over again! I love the development (this time there was a Corrupter-Model in a terror mission and the alien base which I'd never seen before) So, great work, keep it up.

Feedback:

> Maximum limit / month: 600 000 Cr

Phallanx needs to defend earth against the virus. This can only be done if Phallanx has fighter aircraft available almost everywhere. Basically every continent would need a base but this is impossible at the moment. I had 5 bases and I'm not sure whether a 6th one wouldn't have ruined me financially in mid-game.

=> such an important institution should (if successful!) have enough money to expand.

=> Another alternative: I could imagine that Phallanx would just use cities of friendly countries to put a fighter there. I played another remake of UFO and this was a very nice feature. The cities repaired and fueled your aircraft but didn't rearm "fancy" weaponry (like alien stuff, etc). They cities were paid for this "service".


> Research and triggers

At the beginning of the game there is an awful lot to research. It's very hard to decide what items to go for first. That's brilliant and I think it's realistic in a scenario in which a lot of new technology is introduced via war. Now, I've been playing with 60 scientists and thus I had quite good research capabilities. 

In mid-game there is still some interesting things but the closer I git to the end (virus enters the game), the less interesting things there are to research.

=> perhaps it would be good to use "triggers" to make sure that there is enough to research left even in the later part of the game. An example will be given in the next point.


> The Corruptor Story and research: Feed the player more smaller bits

Some things that sprang to my mind: Basically it splits the story up into more smaller bits of information.

> Corrupter shot down => mission => research: "Ship Corruptor"
> "Disassemble Corruptor" => new pieces of alien ufo equipment are recovered: "Virus canisters", "Injection Devices"

=> new research: "Injection Devices" => more horror details about aliens infecting humans
=> new research: "Virus Canisters" => more details on the virus
=> new research: "Dropping mechanism" => player learns about the ability to drop these "injection devices".
=> new research: "Alien from a Corruptor" => player can learn (if there are enough other captures aliens) something about the mission
=> new research: "Hypothesis on Corruptor" => after having done the research on the new ufo stuff and a crew member, the mission of the Corrupter should be revealed.

You see what I mean: Don't give the player all the information in just 1 research mission (as it is now), but feed them bits, but lots of them. The appearance of the Corruptor is a key element in the game. I would like to stress its importance by making the player reserach a lot and piece the story together.


> Improve close combat firing weapons in mid- and end-game.

All close combat weapons are useless once medium armor is used by aliens. It's a pity that all the brave close combat 50+ skill guys have no weapons to use but only carry stun grenades.

=> my favourit solution: After "medium armor" is researched (=trigger), makind comes up with new kinds of ammo to counter the better armor. This could be combined with the next point (alien materials) because that stuff should be great to make highly penetrative  rounds.

=> there is a thread on this topic, so I keep it short here: http://ufoai.ninex.info/forum/index.php?topic=4327.0


> Make Alien materials useful or allow me to get rid of it faster

I accumulated whole tons of Alien materials. If you sell >6000 of these, you need to put a heavy item on the mouse button. I made coffee while all the stuff was sold (no joking). It took several minutes.

=> add a faster "counting" after 30 secons. Steps of 100 would be fine for worthless (3cr) items like alien materials.

or, much better:

=> give sense to the alien materials:

> Fighters can only be built with these.
> New weapons need it
> new kinds of ammunition could use it (see above)
> Bases could be protected effectively against bombing runs by adding "armor" (this would also explain why aliens do not simply wipe out Phallanx bases but attack them with soldiers)

=> this would open up another research branch: "What can we do with these materials?" with easy trigger points "New development: We found a way to shape the materials even more precisely. Now we are able to form smaller things like..."


> Ranking system of soldiers

It's too slow. I only got 1 soldier who wasn't a Rifleman.

=> speed up the ranking system: For every 5 soldiers in Phallanx there should be a superior (a Sergeant), for every 15 an officer, etc... the best person gets promoted. 


> Skill system

I also don't understand how the skills increase. Some seem to be linked to the weapons you use, and to kills (grenade launcher guys level fast), some other skills don't change at all while others change faster. I didn't find a system behind it.

Health is a problem, though. I haven't seen it rise, which I would like to. My best Close Combat soldier had 80 HP which was not enough at the end of the game. She kept dying from every stupid needle.


Okay, this is what I wanted to feedback to you. Thank you for the great game!

Andy


 

6

Discussion / Coilgun best weapon in Close Quarter Combat - human cqc weapon?

« on: December 29, 2009, 04:23:10 pm »

Hiho!

I'm later in the game (2.3) and have researched all weapons (heavy needler is the last one). The choice of weapons in most maps is clear (lots of coilguns, small snipers and a few attackers with stun grenades + PB-launcher) but sometimes you need to get into ufos, which means deadly close quarter fighting.

I should point out right here that I am no fan of using alien weapons (I just think they are made for aliens). I love to use the ones developed by humans (using alien technologies) or even standard weapons.

Observation + Problem: I realized that the best weapon for close quarter combat is the coilgun because it is the only weapon that stands a chance to kill the enemy with just 1 shot. If aliens are allowed to fire (at this close range) my soldiers are almost always killed. I find this frustrating  because my soliders have 60+ skill and I don't like to lose many of them. I didn't care about losses at the beginning but after a long time I can't just let 3 of them die in a terror ufo. I retry. Retry. And quit quite often.

Personal Opinion: It just doesn't feel right for the most powerful, huge, bulky sniper rifle to be the best close quarter combat weapon in the game.

Consequence: I think we are missing a human close quarter combat weapon that takes the described function of the coilgun. The sniper skill should not be the most important inside a ufo. I expected the assault and close quarter skills to be important but there are no human weapons that are suitable in this phase of the game (laser rifle + pistol are just ridiculous against medium armour mutons).  

Or am I missing an existing human weapon that is well suited for active close quarter fighting (+ deadly reaction fire) against muton + sheevar in medium armor?

Andy

7

Bugs prior to release 2.3 / Reaction fire - a question because I don't understand it

« on: December 16, 2009, 02:58:05 pm »

Hiho!

I don't understand the system of reaction fire that is used in 2.3.

This is how it feels if you play the game:

My round starts, I select my first unit, 32 TUs left. I spend 2-4 TU for movement, then the first reaction fire starts. Okay up to now. After that, every 2-3 TUs (every move I make, basically) triggers another reaction fire shot.

Hmmm... my reaction fire takes (depending on weapon) 5-25 TUs. I thought that this time is the time needed to ready the weapon, aim and shoot. 

So, how can aliens shoot once every 2 TUs if the fastest shot needs about 7 TUs? It doesn't seem to be logic in my opinion.

I thought I could spend e.g. 7 TUs in the line fo fire before the next shot is fired. Then another 7, until the enemy can fire again, etc... this would make short sprints between two covers possible but as it is now, you die every time you run into an enemy with full reaction. Even turning around is often impossible because every move means another needle (I hate the needlers!!! *g*) in your soldier's ass. 

Right now, reaction fire is absolutely deadly, especially in the first round if the enemy force is facing you at the spawn. You never even get into your plane (for cover) but you are reaction-fire-toasted in round 1.

I think it would be much better, if the reaction fire was slowed down.

Andy

8

Feature Requests / Reducing fatalities - introducing incapacitating injuries+game play consequences

« on: December 11, 2009, 02:51:05 pm »

I did a form search and it turned up no real hit. So I hope this hasn't been discussed to death before. Please don't flame me if is was mentioned before.

I am at a stage in the game where almost every hit means a serious wound for my soldiers, often death.

I personally find the death rate too high and I quit the game quite often after another frustrating loss of one of my really good guys. I started as the type of player who accepted losses but at that stage of the game I can't win with newbies and I simply don't want to lose my "almost skill 60" soldiers any more.  

This is my proposal:

I would like to have a status between "standing and able to fight" and "lying on the ground, dead": the "state of being incapacitated but alive". This status would mean that the injured soldier is on the ground, unable to move, unconscious but not dead yet.  

Reason1: Human beings are quite hard to kill in reality and combat wounds, if properly (and quickly) looked after, are often not lethal at once, if intensive aftercare is applied fast. It is astonishing what kind of damage the human body can take without stopping to work, if there is a fast reaction. Since we are a few years in the future, medical capabilities could have increased, too.  

Reason2: Death rates later in the game are becoming increasingly frustrating in my personal opinion

An incapacitated soldier he has the following options:

> if untreated: die (e.g. bleed out, losing hitpoints per round)
> if stabilized by a medic with medical equipment: remain stable (or just deteriorate slower, e.g. lose less HP per round)
> if looked after while the fight continues (check vital signs, stabilise again, etc) the chances should be quite good to survive.
> an incapacitated person can never get back into the fight in which he was incapacitated.
> he/shecan be killed by taking further damage.


The consequences for survivors:

> soldier should take a very long time to heal in the base hospital. (closer to months than weeks, in my opinion).



Advatages:

> more realism: If you find a wounded person as a soldier, you don't often know what is wrong. It is not visible whether somebody is dead, unconscious, etc... . So you check (=> "check patient" option in the medipack?). It would be a realistic turn to check fallen comrades whether they are still alive. It would add tension to the game.

> the race against the clock: Imagine a soldier is shot early in the mission. He is stabilized but the mission lasts longer and longer. You might find yourself in a situation in which you want to abort the mission and take the wounded back home (=> not implemented yet, but I guess one time you will be able to extract your soldiers). Another consequence could be that you take more risks to speed up the mission, which can be quite tense, too.

> base design: If you have to take the stabilized wounded back to your base, it would make sense to put hospitals in every base, so that the distances are short. I'm not yet sure whether the ability to die during transport wouldn't be doing more harm to motivation than the next option: just assume that soldiers - after the mission has ended - are transported to the next local facility and later are transferred back to Phallanx hospitals. So no further damage is counted after the mission ends.  

> progression of field medical skills/equipment: There could be a progression in mediacl equipment as well, like we can see it in weapons' technology. Medikits could be developed to counter the new types of inflicted wounds after a new weapon was discovered. I would like to have some research on this "front", too.

Okay, that's it. I'm curious what you think.

Andreas

9

Feature Requests / Making combat feel more like future than like WWII

« on: December 04, 2009, 06:55:55 pm »

Hiho!

The way combat in AI is done is quite a bit "old-fashioned". There is a lot of direct fire and only one indirect fire weapon (the grenade launcher). So basically nothing has changed in terms of infantry warfare since WWII. We know that this is not true.

I would love to see combat feel "more modern".

My ideas:

> more indirect fire weapons: Infantry Missile launcher with controllable rockets.

Can you still remember the "blaster bomb launcher" in Enemy Unknown? Something like that is available in the military today. It's not as powerful of course and you can't assign 219 waypoints, but it would be very nice if something like this existed again. Just allow the player to set 2-3 waypoints and a less powerful payload... this would leave some opportunities for upgrading (plasma technology => more damage, alien minicomputers => more waypoints).

The direct line of fire rocket launcher is almost out of date today. And the game is set in the future.


> something unique that doesn't feel like "infantry combat today": Force fields to create artificial cover

If there is some kind of force field technology in the game (I think I've read about it somewhere), it would be great to add something uniquely modern and futuristic. You could use the forcefield like a grenade, but instead of an explosion an area of power forms that can deflect/absorb damage and thus give cover to your soldiers.

Using smoke grenades is a very old tactic. Upgrading it to actually creating cover (not just obscuring visibility) would feel futuristic to me. One could further upgrade the efficiency of the force field, add chamelionic attributes (it assumes the colour of the surrounding environment and is thus invisible to aliens), etc...


> more futuristic ammo types: from "laser-incision" round (able to pirece thin armour by using a pulse of laser upon impact) to "anti-matter high penetration" round

Once the first alien armour appears ingame, one should be able to develop types of ammo for the "standard weapons" to counter it. I think it would add a flavour of futuristic battle if there was something like a bullet that is designed to use a small source of energy (e.g. laser technology first, later plasma, later antimatter,...) to "melt" through the armor on impact... alien technologies could open up even more improved types of ammo and thus keep the "old-school" weapons ingame.

I would love to use the assault rifle with an "anti-matter high penetration" round or a "plasma-core alien material jacket" round. If those were given cool names, this would add a lot of futuristic feeling to the gameplay (plus give you more things to research + keep the variety of used weapons higher).


I can't think of any more ways of adding more advanced equipment to the arsenal but perhaps there are more ways of making combat feel more like it was set in the future.

See you!

Andreas

10

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! =)

11

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.

12

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

13

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

14

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.

15

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

« on: October 07, 2009, 10:15:25 pm »

Good news: Bug is gone in ver 26563


Hello again!

I've been encountering a bug when loading maps of crashed ufos.

1. Sometimes (not reproduceable) a map of a crashed ufo won't load. The progress bar freezes some at some point. I have to use task the manager to shut down the program.

2. Retrying a mission: The map "Harvester_crashed" loads perfectly but every time I retry the mission, it freezes at some point. I even got as far as to the "battle scape" but no content in the "mainframe" appeared, only the consoles, etc. The music keeps playing. Most often I get frozen while loading. The progress bar just stops and that's it. I have to use taskmanager to shut UFO down.  

Version: r26431, Windows XP

Andreas