Topics

46

Feature Requests / Who's screamed? (To know the dead's name on Tactical map)

« on: August 27, 2015, 06:00:22 pm »

Hello,

In v2.5, on a tactical map, when a soldier is killed, the corresponding selection button ("1", ...,  "12") is grayed and no more clickable. Sometimes, you just hear a scream during the alien turn, and a button becomes gray (a transient red message is displayed as well). If you don't use some external note (paper), you don't even know who's just died!

Suggestion:
Make the grayed selection buttons ("1", ...,  "12") clickable, to display the name (and portrait) of the deceased (as when alive), possibly with a (skull) icon or a color code, and a red mark crossing the portrait (or display a skull portrait).

47

Bugs in stable version (2.5) / Smoke grenades and LOS refreshment

« on: August 27, 2015, 05:46:08 pm »

Hello,

In v2.5, it seems that firing a smoke grenade triggers two effects (or the same one):
- the smoke prevent LOS in the current and following turns (the alien beyond the smoke disappear);
- the "memory" of all previously spotted aliens on this turn is lost, even if they shouldn't be connected to the smoke.
These two effects are most probably caused by a new calculation of all the LOS.
Of course, if you send (again) a scout ahead, or if you still have a LOS on either alien population, then they don't disappear (or they reappear) on this turn, and every soldier can then fire through the smoke with no apparent prejudice (not tested with lasers).
Better wait for sending the scout when you fire several smoke grenades!

Given that the "scouting remanence" (or scouting memory) is a classical mechanism of any turn-based tactical game (though the "guided artillery" effect is not so realistic), I'd say that this immediate reset we experience with smoke grenades is a not wanted side-effect.

Suggestion: what I'd prefer, if technically possible:
When either party fires a smoke grenade, then,
- On the same turn, LOS is re-computed only for the enemy side (as regard to reaction fire). Scouting memory
- On the next turn, LOS is (logically) re-computed for any side.

If LOS can't be selectively re-computed for a given side only, perhaps it could possible to save all spotted aliens before re-computing all the LOS, and then restore "saved" aliens (this would generate a blink, perhaps?).

A choice must be made between (turn "0" is when a smoke grenade is fired)

• altering the realism and the balance on this turn "0" (allowing our soldiers to see through the smoke, while preventing the aliens to do so), and
• loosing the classical scouting memory for the rest of this turn "0" (loosing all previously spotted enemies not in LOS anymore).

  Or has it been made already?

48

Feature Requests / Assignement information on the soldiers' roster in the Employees screen

« on: August 27, 2015, 04:59:04 pm »

Hello,

I'm just starting playing with v2.5 and I am very pleased with all the new features as compared to v2.4.

For example, we may now equip all of our soldiers from within the Employees screen without having to assign them to a transport and their backpack is now saved when they are de-assigned.

Currently, on the Employees screen, all the soldiers appear in the same roster with no life bar nor affectation information. What could be of some help when you organize your soldiers in a large base (16 soldiers or more) is the knowledge of those who are currently affected to any transports and eventually, those who are wounded.

Suggestion: add some color code or icon (plane, "H") to any soldier's name in the roster, who's currently affected to a transport (when you want to equip your base defense team) or wounded (to avoid having to navigate to the Hospital or the Transport screen, and back there).

49

Bugs in stable version (2.5) / Producing alien weaponry?

« on: August 27, 2015, 04:42:14 pm »

Hello,

In v2.5, producing Plasma pistol and Plasma rifle is possible as soon as you complete their respective research.
Furthermore, you don't have to research Alien materials to build those weapons though they need alien materials scrapped from UFOs.

I figure something is weird, and because of the later, I'd think that plasma weapons are not meant to be produced by PHALANX.

Suggestion: don't allow the production of alien weaponry (or modify the prerequisite tree).

50

Feature Requests / A shortcut for a close 3rd person camera

« on: August 27, 2015, 04:18:02 pm »

Hello,

Wouldn't it be a fine addition to this tactical game if the player could easily (i.e a key stroke) summon an "over-the-shoulder" view for the currently selected soldier ? I find it very convenient on some maps, when the slopes are gentle and blended (e.g. Ambushed military convoy), and the obstacles numerous, so that it's not easy to tell the LOS and the coverage.

At the moment, I do it manually and it's rather pleasant to move the camera in order to "see" through one's soldier's eyes, and to come back to bird's eye view...

Suggestion: a short cut would:

• center the camera at selected soldier;
• put it at lowest pitch (nearly horizontal view);
• orient it in the same direction the soldier faces to;
• move it so that (e.g.) the green selection circle tangents display's bottom (when crouched, the upper half of the soldier juts out above the GUI);

Of course, the player would then adjust manually the camera to get the LOS he wants, and in some situations, this auto-view could even be terrible (when face or back to a static nearby).

[EDIT] Screenshots added [/EDIT]

51

Bugs in older version (2.4) / Various non-wanted features gathered while translating...

« on: October 20, 2012, 12:46:24 pm »

Version 2.4 may be obsolete, but in case some bugs have been "forwarded" into 2.5, I keep on signaling some non-wanted features :

1°) Mouseover tip :
L11303 : geoscape.ufo:1245
"Build the radar tower" message is a hint for the "Build" button which is used for ALL sites : SAM, yards AND towers. I could  have a more generic hint like "Build this site".

2°) Mail :
L6050, L6071 :
Although stungreb_txt and stungre_pre_txt are both signed by Dr. Connor, they appear to be SENT by Cdr. Navarre. The wiki is correct, however.

3°) Options : Not sure
L12415, L12423 in Global Options, Tooltips :
L12415 "Tooltips:" is associated with hint L12411 "Enable mouseover tooltips".
L12423 "Cursor Tooltip" is associated with hint L12419 "Enable tooltip for the cursor"
Sounds correct, save that french translation IS inverted (i.e. mouseover hint for cursor tooltip). I don't know if a former translator has tried to correct a bug or if he really has scrambled things, since whether I try to disable/enable the tooltips, I always get the mouseover green text tooltips (!?). Most probably do I mistake tooltips for hints...

4°) Typo :
en:bolterrifle_pre_txt : 'against our current long-rang marksman weaponry'.
(check Wiki)

52

Design / Weird scout crew -> check the crew generator ?

« on: October 11, 2012, 11:28:51 pm »

I put this here, because it is not really a request, maybe only an incentive to have a look at the crew generator for scouts.

In game, UFOpaedia states that the crew a scout's is made of three : a pilot, a navigator and a  (can't remember), say a tech/scout.

That in mind, I jumped before the Taman showed from behind the derelict. I really thought I had the screenshot of the year !
Weird (air) scouting party, nonetheless.

Map is [crashed scout].

53

Design / Air Combat Suggestions

« on: October 11, 2012, 11:07:21 pm »

Granted this tactical mode will be the next gen air combat mode, but in the meanwhile, or just in case of some part of the air combat still occurring on the geoscape, maybe long range (a few "horizons") missiles, I have two suggestions to make.

These are based on v2.4. I don't know if it is already corrected/changed in v2.5.


1a°) Allow interceptors to engage while traveling to an (other) direction, so that they will engage whatever UFO at range, without you to manually assign them a target. Currently, they auto engage at range if the UFO is the one targeted.

1b°) Allow interceptors to compute an attack route that is not necessarily a colliding route (which is still necessary as far as only short range and dogfight is considered, or to enter the new tactical mode).

To illustrate 1b°), have a look at the Arabic example (first  shot): I wonder why the Stiletto (westernmost) can't go to the east, so that he could have engaged earlier.







2°) Allow interceptors to hover on the spot on alert stance, so that they will engage UFOs whenever at range, and possibly fix it, without you to manually assign them a target.

I wonder why the Saracen, in the Arabic example, have 1°) to be redirected toward the UFO and 2°) have to move, being already at (max range). Is it to maximize chances to hit ?
In the American example, I'd rather had my Stiletto gunship take the beaten, while the Air Superiority Stilettos, could have hover and fire without having to move toward the UFO (or better ! keep out-ranging the UFO and firing from afar).

[Spoiler]

54

Feature Requests / Need in Alien captives

« on: October 05, 2012, 01:06:56 pm »

It isn't as much a feature request as a Research info erratum description.
I post here nonetheless.

It is about the death occurrence in Containment Unit, and the needed number of them.

Spoiler:

1°) Death in Containment Unit :

In various research reports, both from the Biology and the Engineering Departments, it is stated that captives are dying, even to the point that a steady flow of them is needed.

Questioning, before Serum is researched. You could have some Suicide events, too.
Weapons test and development  (not only gas grenades, it could just be virtually any advanced weapon for penetration tests, when dead Aliens are not sufficient  ).

2°) Pool size :

Lore-wise, I wonder what benefit building a bigger collective mind up would be ?
More on the Communication research tree (discovering how two C.U. in separate bases are faintly linked) ?
More/faster cooperation ?
Alien Base location ?

As non desired side effects :
Information leaks in benefit to the non captive Aliens ?
More/meaner Base attacks (calls for rescue) ?

55

Design / How can UFO small craft land and take off ?

« on: October 04, 2012, 06:17:39 pm »

UFOpaedia states that they have no landing gears, and that they are not VTOL enable...
IMHO, it only lacks a third light craft to make things coherent, yet balanced.


Scout : unarmed, crew of 3, can't land, only crash sites (or forced landing). 770 km/h.

Heavy scout : armed, crew of 5, can land, designed to operate ground missions : early Landed UFO, Terror and Base Attack missions.
880 km/h, One PB Weapon but light armor and less combat skills. Deadly enough when engaged one on one by any classic Terran craft.
(i.e. the same as the current fighter).

Fighter : armed, crew of 3, can't land, only crash sites (or forced landing). 880 km/h. Same design as the heavy scout, still only one PBW, but more room for added armor and tactical computing (including a CME unit, always damaged when it crashes). Deadly to any all-terran tech wing of early fighters (before laser & up is searched).

This way, there is no added model to bother with.




I know, that looks like other X-COM clones...

56

Bugs in older version (2.4) / [MAP] Small bugs

« on: October 04, 2012, 03:51:25 pm »

"Offices Complex" : Mc Kinnsi building

1/ inner door at first (ground level) floor can be opened and closed, but not walked through.
2/ rooftop's sheltered exit : not possible to climb past the last stair, and thus to reach rooftop as scheduled.

"Rivertown" :
It is obvious that the map is not polished yet, nevertheless :

1/ left-most red-roof building with kitchen : (some) ground level windows may be walked through (crouching).
2/ largest grocery : there is a box on the ground near the cash register. When an alien stand on it, his head emerge from the ground above ! He is seen and can see. There seems to be some space between the two lower levels, as we can see at the other river's bank from within the groceries.

57

Bugs in older version (2.4) / Coilgun animations

« on: October 04, 2012, 03:34:39 pm »

Are they correct ?

What I see in v2.4 :

- Instant shot : 1 shot for X damages (non checked). TUs real cost is according to UFOpaedia.
The animation shows a small white "smoky" circle traveling along with the load. May be it is a shock wave ?

- Auto mode (three shots) : 3 simultaneous widespread shots (trident pattern) for 3*X damages (non checked). TUs real cost is ok.
The animation shows one traveling circle along the aiming line, and two, Y degrees each sides.

- Aimed shot : 2 to 3 (?) consecutive shots along the aiming line for X damages (non checked). TUs real cost is still ok.
The animation shows three chained circles.

My point is :

Either "aiming" means just "taking time" to have a precise single shot, just as with the sniper rifle, and animation for aimed shot should be the same as for the instant shot, or

"aiming" means "applying punishment a longer time", as it could be, say for the continuous fire a LASER weapon's (although not implemented for LASERs in-game), and damage should be greater than the instant shot's.

What do you think ?

(I suspect this not being a bug, rather a design flaw).

58

Feature Requests / I miss the unload weapon feature

« on: October 04, 2012, 02:43:20 pm »

... in UFO : Defense.

Not to cheat with the ammunition number before mission ends....

It is when you try to capture aliens alive. In UFO : Defense, if I recall well, when aliens woke up, they didn't take their weapons on the ground.
In UFO : AI, they do (at least light weapons ?). It is fine for me, but in stead of having to go to them , take their weapons, move one square and drop them, I would better have their weapon unloaded on the spot. I am a lazy guy.

59

Feature Requests / Modified building dependancy tree : early radar base.

« on: October 04, 2012, 02:06:04 pm »

Currently, the minimal radar base is :

Entrance, Power Plant, Command Center, Radar.
(operators are said living in these buildings).

Practically, for base defense reasons, there are "space-holders" like Quarters and Storage.

Whereas the unmanned radar tower costs 10 Kc...

What if, a early radar facility could be achieved with no operators at all, and presumably not all its surface antennas sites.

This minimal radar base would be :

Entrance, Power Plant, Radar.
Ranges : same as the unmanned tower, a fighter, or slightly greater.

Early Radar would depend on Power Plant, not on a fully manned Command Center. Advanced Radar would depend on Command Center.