Topics

16

Mapping / Prospectors Camp - multi part map

« on: September 30, 2012, 02:59:15 pm »

Hi guys

I am thinking about making an ambitious modification to the game. Right now, I am building some new maps more appropriate to the mod. For example, I am going towards a more "high tech" map, since the vast majority of maps looks like a world where humanity has reverted to the same technology of the '80!
I've made some 1024X1024 sections, maybe I will combine them in a large map or I will make my first RMA if somebody helps me with the RMA logic.I've used some textures from the burningwell.org site, they should be OK to use.


The main section is a geologist's camp in the middle of the desert. There are about 10 people living in really Spartan condition, a common building and a satellite dish.

17

User modifications / Feasibility study

« on: September 29, 2012, 07:39:41 pm »

Dear sirs

In the next weeks I will be willing and able to give some time to UFO:AI. I've already posted a nice, little map in Mapping, I hope it will be included in the next release.

I'd really like to make a big, ambitious mod for UFO and I d'like to know if it's feasible to include all those modifications in the game. It's just a "feasibility study", I wish to know if it's feasible or if I should just stick to mapping. Here are the modifications I'd like to make:

A new world map with new cultural/climatic zones. New nations.
A lot of new maps with a really different undertone. I've already designed some of them.
New weapons and equipment, both for aliens and for XCOM. Some of the equipment must be buildable, some not.
Remove the dogfights for some kinds of mission. Some aliens will emerge from underground and the player's only choice would be to do the ground missions. I was thinking about making some kind of UFOS impossibly hard to detect and having them start some specific ground missions everytime.
Human rebels and cultists with human weapons, while the aliens use their aliens-only weapons.
Artillery! Humanity in UFO AI has forgotten the concept of artillery and indirect fire! I was thinking about a heavy artillery fired from far away. The soldier will just "paint" the target with a laser designator and enjoy the fireworks.



Do you think that it will be feasible? Please, keep in mind that I am an electric engineer. I know the basics of programming and logic, but I cannot tell a line of code from a wheelbarrow!

18

Newbie Coding / Artificial Intelligence

« on: May 22, 2012, 12:41:38 pm »

Hi

I am trying some mapping and I was wondering about the artificial intelligence of the aliens. In my map the aliens spend a turn slaughtering all civilians on sight, then they proceed to charge towards my soldiers pinpointing them like IR guided missiles. They all behave the same, no matter their race and/or equipment. Is this behavior normal? It's because the map is so small and streamlined? Sometimes in the game an uninjured alien just "get lost" and waits in a corridor to be found and slaughtered. I d'like to know more about enemy AI because I am building another map and I want to know how the enemy will act.

If anyone is interested, my map is here: http://ufoai.org/forum/index.php/topic,6428.msg52284.html#msg52284

19

Mapping / My first RMA map!

« on: May 13, 2012, 11:35:56 pm »

Having finished my static map, I want to try an RMA map. My idea is to defend some refugees holed into a dilapidated WWII fortress in a desert/badlands area. The schematic should be this:

*R*
*M*
***

M: Main area, the fortress proper. Civilians spawn on the center, player spawns on the ruined walls, no aliens.
R: Road tile with some crashed vehicles, some aliens
*: Random desert or ruins tiles, a lot of alien spawns.

Now, I would like to get an hint on dimensions. I was thinking about making a fortress 512X512 big, enough to force the player to divide his forces but not so much to make the map boring. The * and R squares would be the same dimension, obviously. This will make the assembled map 1536 X 1536, 48 squares wide and with 2304 square area! Do you think that it will work? I am thinking about a "fort Alamo" stile battle, with an horde of aliens at the gates!

20

Discussion / Is sniper still useless? [2.5]

« on: May 09, 2012, 03:53:38 pm »

I am trying the 2.5 dev version, is the sniper rifle/ electromagnetic rifle still as useless as before? I have fond memories of my sniper in UFO Afterlight breaking bones at several screens range, I miss that!

21

Mapping / ufo2map.exe problems

« on: May 07, 2012, 10:13:07 pm »

Hi, people. I have an old problem: the ufo2map.exe file included with the 2.4 and 2.5 versions flatly refuses to work with my computer. The 2.3 version worked perfectly, but it's not available for download anymore. Can somebody include their ufo2map.exe file? Screenshot included

22

Mapping / Map finished!

« on: January 16, 2012, 12:23:26 am »

I just finished my first map. Any comment and testing help would be appreciated. It's a small map appropriate for any Eastern or Western urban/suburban area, with a lot of brutal close quarter fighting. Any alien with short ranged or hand to hand weapon would be very appropriate here.

I added some textures made by me (the signs) and some metal textures taken from the free site www.texturemate.com. Must I upload the textures, too?

The compiled .bsp is here. http://www.freefilehosting.net/mastermap2

23

Mapping / Testing the maps ongame...

« on: November 10, 2011, 10:00:13 pm »

Hello!

I finished my first map, compiled it, now I am having troubles testing it ongame. So, I unzip the 0ufo.pk3 file, I add the

Code: [Select]

mapdef Alley1
{
map "mastermap2"
description "_Your map description"
teams 2
multiplayer false
maxaliens 8
aircraft
{
}

ufos
{
//any
}

terrains
{
//any
}

cultures
{
//any
}

populations
{
//any
}
}
to the maps.ufo file, I still cannot load the map with the skirmish tool...

24

Mapping / My first map tile! Help please!

« on: October 30, 2011, 01:32:26 am »

I just finished my first map tile! I will leave it there http://www.freefilehosting.net/badhouse1

It's a small shop-house, 2 stories high, 256 X 256. I started the house at level 2, I wish to add another tile with a similar house but with a hidden basement.
The house is based on those houses inhabited by Chinese immigrants in southern Europe. They buy a dilapidated garage, use the ground floor as storage and live in untold squalor on the second floor while selling groceries on the street.



I just cannot decipher the instructions on how to compile and test the map. Can anyone help?  I want to make an RMA with those tiles:
Narrow street with trash and roadblocks.
House with storage
Sightly better house
Empty house filled with trash and graffiti, a drug den
Empty house with a basement and some strange content (more about this later)

25

Mapping / Newbie questions...

« on: October 27, 2011, 01:45:48 pm »

Hi, people! I just started playing with the map editor, I want to make a big cathedral map based on the old cathedrals of Europe. Anyways, some dumb questions:

Why I cannot save? I am following the tutorial.
What must I do with the files in the "data" directory? Should I unpack them? Should I unpack and delete the compressed files? Unpacking the files made my UFO game very slow...
I d'like to make a map with a big central part (the cathedral) that will stay fixed, and with a variable surrounding. Is that possible?
I d'like to use a picture of a fresco taken from Wikipedia as a texture on the internal wall of the cathedral. Is this legal?
Another, simpler idea is a war memorial. Do you think it will be useful/appropriate?

Thanks!