Messages

31

Feature Requests / Make complexity-related adjustments less obsqure

« on: August 10, 2017, 03:42:26 pm »

Before this moment i tried latest trunk (18.07.2017 from master) at standard and hard levels  (hard is in the middle state, i just began to get needler and ortnoks).

I noticed, that on hard level my units get more damage, than assumed by weapon properties in ufopaedia and base management / soldiers.
Thus, unarmored unit with health 100 must survive at least one hit from plasma rifle, but in begining it was instant kill (even without bleeding), when some was hit with either rifle or hovernet's plasma bolt.

At enemy - i don't know, what is affected (seems to be weapon damage), but for example, bloodspirers are now bulletproof against MG (only sniper or shotgun APDS ammo can penetrate their armor). Or is it intentional...

I propose to don't affect gear properties (ammo damage, armor strength), but instead give better skills and health for enemy units and less for ours.
More exactly, complexity could affect range bounds, used to assign skills and health to all units - human soldiers, pilots, enemy - including bots, civilians (this is one weapon, which must make several hits to kill civilian, and if enemy opens fire from far, civilian has a chance to survive entire burst, moreover if partially covered by someone else and also if some human soldier has a time to heal that civilian).

For example:
- human: standard health - (85..115), hard - (60..90)
- taman: standard health - 110, hard - 140
- ortnok: standard health - 140, hard - 170

p.s. No idea, what are ranges for aliens - all i have seen is various recruits parameters in camaign, and for aliens - units parameters in custom team gear setup for skirmish.

32

Bugs in development version (2.6-dev) / Wrong ability to send more stuff, than you have

« on: July 13, 2017, 05:40:51 pm »

In base management - sends screen it's possible to add for sending more stuff, than you have. I don't know, does it really such transfer.
When all copies of some item kind are added to it, amount on sending base is shown = 0. Clicking on item name, instead of counter arrow, will add for sending more copies: first of such clicks changes from 0 to... nothing (sic, nothing displayed), and next clicks increase it into negative.

For example, we have 2 alien missile launchers on ufo disassembling base, and want to send it to production base. Say, we already added 2 items.
- Now click in item's caption in base content list, it will set amounts to sent=3, remaining="nothing displayed".
- Net click sets it to sent=4, remaining=-1
- next one - sent=5, remaining=-2
- and so on
As i said, i did not even try yet to do such send.

Searched for existing bugs and forum posts by keywords "send, negative, amount, count" - nothing found.

33

Discussion / Re: Feedback on 2.6 on very hard

« on: July 10, 2017, 07:56:28 pm »

Just walking on 2.6 - though it is standard level, not hard...

When you deal with combat ufo, using multiple aircrats, and it is hunting one of your crafts, it doesn't distract when others attack it. This way i got down Harvesters with one laser-armed stilleto, as well as Corrupters with upgraded one (with two particle cannons - it is still dangerous even for dragon, getting corrupter's attention).
About alien base detection - i recall, it may be invisible for ground radars and need patrolling by aircrafts, to be detected.
What is bad with needlers - not matter, what is distance between you and needle gunner, some always hit you, and things go ugly, when accuracy is reduced due to wounds.
One time taman shooted one of soldier, being by other side of smoke wall... may be because was in sight of other alien.

First time i tried skirmish with machinegun ABM. Good health level (200), but it seems to be unarmored - in duel with hovernet it got down after just one plasma burst by reaction (yeah, they use powerful reaction fire modes there...), another time... just one reaction shot in same situation - thank gun, hovernet died without need for second 25x burst.

# Weapons
Since 2.5 and now i noticed, that assault rifle and machine gun have same damage per shot. Such weapons usually have longer barell, so it should have either higher bullet speed or more massive bullets. Without changing other weapons -48..50 seems to be enough, comparing to AR.

MG with external drive / chaingun - so unexpected, that its damage not hight than for pistol (for man-portable version even lower). Though it is not in-game, but i feel, that ABM are supposed to enter campaign. Accuracy... for ABM might depend on propulsion type of course (ground-based wheeled ABM should have better stability and thus - accuracy).

Yet thought about suppression fire mode for most automatic weapons, not just MG. It would be just some fun, when aliens use such modes with needlers or plasma rifle (blaster might long burst option too). This, of course, must have requirements for AI to decide, when use it (multiple highest-priority targets in fire sector without visible allies - if any, they must find a cover first).

34

FAQ / Re: How to see inside base?

« on: July 10, 2017, 01:13:09 pm »

This reveals new possible feature - skirmish / base-defending mode, but it is unclear, what base should be used when not in campaign. And alien base assault too (btw, do they have cameras on their bases too? ...this of course could make it insane difficult  )
Might be either default predefined base, created in begining on easy difficulty levels (i don't know about hard levels yet), or may be some training mode in campaign.

35

FAQ / Re: How to see inside base?

« on: July 10, 2017, 03:09:50 am »

hm, yep... keywords "could have", missed

36

FAQ / Re: How to see inside base?

« on: July 09, 2017, 08:00:17 pm »

Which means?

-geever

Don't you ask, for what i need to start dummy mission on own base?

Still, you could have like a dummy mission map, that would display your current map with one playable actor at a given position (entrance or CC). The Battlescape would be called from within the base management screen (window 'Building').
.....
Either use a 3D engine in the UFOpaedia to display and rotate true models, or rather, as I said, allow to enter a dummy mission from within anywhere (Base management window, or even Geoscape, when you select a base).

37

FAQ / Re: How to see inside base?

« on: July 09, 2017, 02:33:26 pm »

I'm playing campaign with current version (2.6).
Can't find any way to begin dummy mission.
And there is no 3d view in ufopedia for base modules - only 2d images, with bigger size.

Tried to rebuild from git just now, after reading this thread, but nothing changed.

38

FAQ / Any difference between cruser / maximum speed at geoscape?

« on: July 09, 2017, 12:41:41 pm »

I noticed, that ufopedia stats pages mention two speed kinds for aircrafts: cruiser and max.
Usually they fly with cruiser speed (minus penalty from addons, like armor or fuel tank).

Is there any use for maximum speed?
Would be handy, escaping from superior ufo hunt, or surviving before air support or AA shut down ufo.

39

Offtopic / Soldier sounds are like in Nexuiz / Xonotic - how about more sounds type?

« on: July 09, 2017, 12:20:22 pm »

Hello all.
I have one funny proposal, without any hopes on it other, then just to laugh

Have to note, soldier pain/death sounds are like heared in classic Nexuiz and now - Xonotic.
Both male and female, for at least 2 male persons, and probably one female (for male it matches to xonotic's default soldier and that angry man, bawling in one teaser "Who is next!").

There might be more fun, adding some taunts, typical for FPS:
wink!, yeaaaah!!!, <some taunt from same soldier, begining from "for">, aahahahaha!, who is next!, you sssuck!, <some taunt phrase from same person>
...at least for multiplayer ...may be something more original to differ from those two FPS'es, list above is rather a pachals

These are persons, mentioned above:
1: http://xonotic.org/m/uploads/2011/09/3rd-person-front-2.png
2: http://xonotic.org/m/uploads/2011/09/3rd-person-front-8.png, http://xonotic.org/m/uploads/2011/09/3rd-person-front-1.png

40

Design / Re: A better reaction fire system

« on: July 07, 2017, 12:05:39 am »

Hello, i have ideas, which you might treat crazy, as they might need long work, but this might be just my opinion, so would be happy to see it discussed. The format below is somewhat machine/computer-like... hope, that doesn't make it less readable
Something might change during discussion... anyway...

More complex reaction, depending on mind:
    - Various differentiating levels, requiring proper mind level.
     Example levels (from lowes to highest):
        - humanoids and sheevar | spider | hovernet
        - taman | ortnok | sheevar
        - armored | unarmored kinds for taman and ortnok
        - light | heavy armor for taman and ortnok (or whoever yet)
        - standard | battle mods of hovernet and spider
        - The highest level 1: interactive reaction fire
         Possible order:
            - Each mode of each usable weapon, unit holds, must be enabled for reaction fire;
            - During enemy's turn - when unit appears in sight of soldier - time as usually is accumulated for reaction
             (accumulated time is displayed in unit's time bar), stopping for reaction requests in these cases:
                - Reacting player just accumulated enough time for next enabled reaction fire mode
                 Example: if player wields pistol and knife, reaction requests will happen on following time positions:
                    4 (knife stub) -> 6 (pistol quick shot) -> 8 (knife throw) -> 10 (pistol aimed shot or burst)
                Following cases - last warning, working if reaction time was not utilized when it could:
                - When reaction target is going to open fire (if it wants to shot plasma pisol burst,
                 its time will be added to reaction fire time reserve)
                - When target is moving towards cover and has remaining 1 tail to pass before it is in cover;
                 (in addition to marking RF iterrupted, it can also game mechanics may check alien's path
                 for such warning position and trigger warning reaction request when enemy is at it)
                Some examples:
                - sniper skipped snap shot, waiting for aimed, but enemy opens fire or about to hide too early - in shis case it can still do quick shot.
                - heavy MG-man, waiting for long burst, but forced to fire 5-round
                 (before taman will overkill him with long plasma burst)
        - Highest level 2: custom reaction
         Almost same, as level 1, but in critical situations (active unit is about to fire) passive unit may be allowed
         to do some limited set of other actions, guided by player or AI, spending accumulated time as it/he/she likes:
            - hide / unhide / grab / drop / reload weapon
             (if enemy has melee weapon, than there is enough time to even reload weapon,
             or e.g. at least take a knife to end it, if it is too impudent to still try to rush passive player)
            - some on-place movement actions - seat, stand, turn
             (e.g. soldier behind firebird wing, trying to shoot enemy on other side of wing,
             must seat, or bullet will be stoped by wing)
             (unsure about runing, as it may break some statics, thus becoming unacceptable)

41

Feature Requests / Re: Gas masks (extended, with related stuff)

« on: July 03, 2017, 07:41:16 pm »

Sorry, if bumping such old thread is unwanted, but i just had to propose same thing

Now, even wider...
Glasses slot may be extended by height from 1 to 3 - with following possible combinations:
1. glasses (height 1) + respirator (height 2)
2. gas mask (height 3)... might have laser safety glasses embedded - sic

Also some options with air filters:
- replaceable ammo-like filters - one inside mask and others are in backpack
- filtering backpack - for gameplay just as single heavy item, already in respirator or gas mask
- for potential operations on other planets or in space (if any) there may be breathing system, embedded into hard armor (maybe middle too, if it is supposed to be hermetic)

Accuracy is possible to reduce with today gas masks due to perspiration, but what if future masks have forced ventilation, working by player movements?
What really is expected to be affected is FOV, nearly down to 45 deg.

In turn, there are some questions from me too...
Looking to latest images of middle and heavy human armor in game - they feature completely closed helmet, which looks incompatible with all above stuff... what it their helmet serves as gas mask, and heavy power armor yet has filtering/breathing system embedded, eliminating any need for extra gear?
Or this design is created rather for taste, than for any practice?
(I remember from one in-game research, that atmoshpere on alien planet is suitable for human's breath)

42

Discussion / Re: Antimatter generation (after campaign final, and how about geoscape multiplayer)

« on: March 26, 2015, 05:19:30 pm »

Looks like this tech is known in real world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole_starship
So it is not more fantastic than particle cannon.

p.s. Anti-particle beam weapons could also appear in alien world, used for defence on orbital objects and any places without atmosphere.

43

Discussion / Antimatter generation (after campaign final, and how about geoscape multiplayer)

« on: March 24, 2015, 06:08:09 pm »

Last time i tried only one multiplayer kind - in battle mode. But multiplayer could exist in geoscape as well. This is first idea...

One problem, appearing there, is there to get antimatter, if there is no aliens with costful fuel.
Possible solutions:
- aliens still could appear on earth, playing against all players (no difference, what structure or base to attack)
- I have found some way to get some good amounts of antimatter, which i will describe below... (this tech could appear in campaign after final mission - like some bonus).

It may be not known, but based on known processes. Source is... synthetic back hole. When i googled for how black holes vaporize, i found this: eventually photones turn to protone-positrone pair, being at the edge of events horizon, in this case one particle remains inside it, another - outside of particle hell. Vaporization speed is reverse-proportional to black hole mass and rotation speed.

Now some requirements for antimatter production station.
- Black hole probably should be enough hard to keep generation speed in some acceptable margins (probably it needs to be orbital object, combining both antimatter generation station and refueling station).
- If station is not supposed to be never stopped, it must be resistant for short energy stress, going from disappearing black hole.
- Otherwise - another feature appears: destruction, abandoning or another termination even leads to good explosion, comparable to thermo-nuclear.
- As option, several stations could exist and be neutral (be available to all players).