Messages

1

Windows / Re: Win32 Development Binary Installer Links

« on: April 23, 2010, 11:17:09 pm »

Thank you Destructavator for a Great Job to deliver that nice svn builds for us!

Indeed!
It's much easier to get started on the newer versions this way 

2

Discussion / Re: UFO:AI Technology Ideas

« on: April 23, 2010, 07:46:03 pm »

Wow... inverse of plasma.

I guess that's the point, but no one even thinks about putting plasma in a bullet to crack on impact, the quantity is simply far too tiny that it would not be worth it compared to the kinetic energy of a solid bullet.
A HEAT anti-tank round actually creates it's own plasma on impact, it's a shaped charge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEAT

Perhaps the BEST way to shoot liquid nitrogen at an alien would be more like a flame thrower... just spray the bugger.
Requires a large refrigerated (and vulnerable) reservoir though, and the not so great rang would probably limit it's tactical usefulness to indoors.

3

Discussion / Re: Forking tech trees - some ideas

« on: April 23, 2010, 05:33:14 am »

But I can well imagine that 'saving a VIP civ' could be an interesting twist to tactics in battlescape compared to the standard 'save as many civs as you can'.

That's actually a very good idea, it requires different tactics and adds variety. Heck, it could also be a case of rescuing a hostage VIP, or defend a VIP when the party he's in is getting trashed by aliens... all kinds of possibilities if we could script different mission parameters.

4

Discussion / Re: UFO:AI Release cycle

« on: April 23, 2010, 05:30:24 am »

Still the SP games develop so different in every game that one might want to play it again, I think I would.

I don't know about you, but I ended up discovering UFO:AI because I started a new game of Xcom  last week 

5

Discussion / Re: Forking tech trees - some ideas

« on: April 21, 2010, 04:15:59 am »

The way you describe those story elements, they are much more like interesting random events that can be integrated into the plotline rather than tech exclusions.
Interesting possibility for the 2.4 release then 

6

Discussion / Re: UFO:AI Technology Ideas

« on: April 21, 2010, 04:11:35 am »

Nice flavor text and idea, unfortunately a bullet is actually the extreme tip on top of the cartdrige, so the inside volume is awfully tiny. Plus an empty bullet will not weight much, so very little damage.
You'd have much mor luck in throwing a fist-sized ball with a slingshot 

7

Discussion / Re: UFO:AI Release cycle

« on: April 21, 2010, 04:08:05 am »

Good point about SP open source, but you might notice that some rare games are still played more than a decade after they were released, and this one looks like it'll get better and better with each release. 
Then again, working on multiplayer  could open up options.
For instance someone could play the aliens for someone else's game 

8

Discussion / Re: Forking tech trees - some ideas

« on: April 20, 2010, 06:11:57 am »

I'm not completely sure, but I *think* there is some support for it.

Well, if there is a way to use tech requirements to have mutually explusive techs, it "can" be interesting to give the player the option between two strategies. For instance, we could delve into psionics (distract, panic, illusions) OR bio implants (strength, armor, regeneration), but setting our soldiers on one path would exclude the other.
It can be an interesting story element, but I think that the most important question is: Will it make the game more interesting?
And the second most important question is: Is this delaying of the next release be worth it?

Of course the most important answer of all is 42... 

9

Discussion / Re: UFO:AI needs you. Yes, you.

« on: April 20, 2010, 06:00:24 am »

You're of course free to do as you like, but you could take a look at the city RMA (random map assembly) I'm slowly developing. Right now I've just got a street grid and am working on a parking garage, but because it's so modular if you create a building according to the dimensions we can plop it right in.

Neat!  That sure helps to add variety, but please make sure you have included a way to avoid placing building without access roads, or streets that begin & end without going nowhere!   
It can be a downer on the reality slider.

Actually, it reminds me of an XCOM map I once ended up in a terror mission, it only had two rods going the full screen...
Chrysalid turkey shoot on the highway!   

10

Discussion / Re: UFO:AI Release cycle

« on: April 20, 2010, 05:53:12 am »

Great! Thanks for the links! 
Besides, you know how pesky newbies can be about the kind of stuff that EVERYONE knows 

11

Discussion / Re: Windows 2K testers needed

« on: April 20, 2010, 04:39:30 am »

Yes, I am using Win2k.

Hey, don't worry about it, I still have my desktop on Win2k/Ubuntu and a laptop on Vista... I usually wait a long time between upgrades 

12

Discussion / Re: Medical staff

« on: April 20, 2010, 04:38:02 am »

Come to think of it, the "Medics" could handle the biological, exobiology & Alien interraction sciences, while the "Engineers" could build basic stuff, disassemble alien technology and design/build hybrid advances.
I know it was a game abstraction in XCOM but it never really made sense to me that the same scientists could perform autopsy/ and design a starship. 
In fact, Biology & Engineering are two vastly different domains requiring a completely different career. Sometimes you can combine the two for new & unique applications, but that is done using mixed teams of specialists.

I know it might be far too late in the game to change that (and I'm cool with it if it remains as it is), but it would make sense to me if Biologists and Engineers were two different kinds of specialists that could work on different (or common) research/production projects.

13

Discussion / Re: Windows 2K testers needed

« on: April 19, 2010, 05:48:13 am »

Well, at least I would appreciate it if ufo:ai would be running on my system.

And... the obvious question is: What is your system?
Either it IS Win2k as discussed here, or you'd wish a version for Mac OS or Unix 
I don't see much people running WinNT or win 98 these days, and from what I heard this project can run on Linux...

14

Discussion / Re: When will be the next release?

« on: April 18, 2010, 08:50:47 pm »

I meant both actually, thanks for the tip 
I guess I'll start with those and see what I can do to help.

15

Discussion / Re: When will be the next release?

« on: April 18, 2010, 06:27:46 am »

Excuse me for the newbie question, but where can we see what remains to be done?
Just in case we may have the skills to help