Messages

1

Artwork / Re: First go at vehicle building

« on: February 19, 2013, 06:56:47 pm »

Cool, and I love the idea of an hospital map, moreover if it includes thr possibility to grab medikits for free all over the map.

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Discussion / Re: 2.5 sucks completely

« on: February 19, 2013, 01:42:55 am »

Code: [Select]

Basic Concepts (Campaign)
 Research
 Production
 UFO Interception
 UFO Disassembly
 Nation Happiness
 
Basic Concepts (Ground Combat)
 Time Units
 Reaction Fire
 Soldier Weight and Encumbrance
 Wounds and Healing
 Flashbangs and Field of View

Just as a hot suggestion, if the text could come with some explicit and simple illustration, it would be ideal. I made some attempt for RF and TU, just for giving a try. It could not exactly fit, not only because it is draft, but above all because it is not simplified to the extrem.

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Discussion / Re: 2.5 sucks completely

« on: February 16, 2013, 01:45:47 pm »

Thanks for this complete summary. However, I would like to point an element.

/.../
the engine takes the soldier's accuracy and the weapon's spread value, mushes the two numbers together, sprays your ammo down range at an angle determined by RNG and the mushy spread number, and then checks the hit boxes like a first person shooter.
/.../

This is a thing that I've tried to figure out many times. Is there any hit box check, really? It would fall finally on such a thing as depicted below so that the effective hit rate would finally be given by:

• Hit_rate = Hit_base / Spread_base

But this includes so much parameter in uphill, as the presence of obstacles, that would be a little the same to calculate the things with no real evaluation of those areas. Using shooter parameters (skills / weapon), environement parameters in the line of sight (night/day / obstacle_on/off and amount), and targeted object parameters (armour / crouch_on/off indicator) would lead to similar result, even more quickly.

I add this just as a matter of discus. Final rates remain testable as you did. Only causes are obscured.

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Discussion / Re: 2.5 sucks completely

« on: February 15, 2013, 02:35:09 am »

My guess is that the accuracy might change from tile to tile and angles might reduce the accuracy. So if the alien comes straight on, you might get to 25% accuracy farther away, than if they come from an angle. Or perhaps the point at which they've used enough TU to trigger reaction fire isn't the same point at which they're over the threshold.

That sounds very possible.

It also might not be possible to read an exact number from the code. It might be in a different format than what the game reports.

Maybe, but thus it means that something has been coded for behaving very basically, and however some unexpected things have occured in real implementation. Is this what you mean?

Also, I've got a Firebird landing at the mansion, but the Map is very badly messed up. Restarting the game and computer both failed to help. Where do I upload the save for you?

It has been reported . For my part I've met mansion as the first map of my last launch concerning last version. So I figured it was a direct effect of some bugs. With the gentle help of H-Hour, a ticket is opened about this in the 2.5dev bug section. (in campain, not skirmish - in skirmish I test 2 maps and crashed for twice)

5

Offtopic / Offtopic

« on: February 14, 2013, 11:18:32 pm »

I've imaginated a new test for managers dealing with potential recruits. All is in the pic :

6

Discussion / Re: 2.5 sucks completely

« on: February 14, 2013, 11:02:48 pm »

Someone did some tests recently and found RF would not activate under a certain accuracy % threshold (maybe 25%?). This may account for a lot of the perception that it "doesn't work", especially if people are routinely trying to RF at distance with single-shot firemodes. We're considering reducing or eliminating this threshold.

Can I ask some question about a thing that intrigates me, so that I would sleep better this night? How comes that there is a need for testing to learn about the RF threshold (which I'm sure is existing because RF is sometime erratic) ? Wouldn't it be easier to read the code at the section dedicated to RF? It is a 2 cents question I suppose, but I'm not a coder so pardon my ignorance.

7

Discussion / Re: 2.5 sucks completely

« on: February 14, 2013, 10:36:27 pm »

Only map where I actually fired more than one magazine of sniper rifle ammo per soldier was dam. I never ever had need for more than one reload for most weapons except rocket launcher.

Sure, for one map, but it occures that you chain 2 or 3 missions, including rescue for instance. For this reason, taking additional amno or a secondary weapon cant be discouraged totally.

Flashbangs have area of effect similar to other grenades. It doesn't matter if it explodes in front or behind alien, as long as he's close enough.

Added this to allow Mattn to answer

8

Bugs in stable version (2.5) / Re: Problems loading skirmish

« on: February 14, 2013, 01:29:29 pm »

This is where you post bugs with the dev version (forum: Bugs in develpoment version). I've split it off the other thread and put it here.

The map issue you see with mansion is known.

Thanks, I'm so used with the 2.4 bug section that I missed this one. I've some detail to add about the bug during the campain. I'll do it here.

Here is exactly what I've done :

• I've launched a campain, pushed a base on the ground, and armoured a sniper
• Then came a mission, I've launched a dropship on it
• I've encountered a long delay when I pressed <Enter> once arrived over the mission square (like stuck on the "automission..etc" screen)
• Finally, the map has loaded
• Came the <start> button moment, I've pressed it and here been pushed on the menu screen
• No way to return in the map from there, so pushed <retry>
• After a while the map reloaded, and this time <start> button allowed me to enter Mansion (very messed version of it)

This is not exactly the same bug as the skirmish one, where the map hasn't displayed at all (black screen), nor the menu (but a microsecond). However it's related I think.

Hope, it can be useful.

9

Bugs in stable version (2.5) / Problems loading skirmish

« on: February 14, 2013, 12:55:33 pm »

I've just launched the 11-02-2013 version. For the first time there was no crash at the first loading, but I fall on a black screen when launched a skirmish. I tried twice, first with default set up, and then with my usual graphics set up. The strange detail is that I see during a microsecond the green earth of the menu before the map start when I push the start button.

Ok, I'll try a campain so..

edit : so sad, where do I report bugs for dev version ?

Oh, yes, I've been able to buy and equip a sniper with a standard armour (sorry for the misunderstanding about this previously). However I meet some complicated bug with maps. After using retry (after an abnormal process to get at menu screen), I've got a very messed mansion for instance.

10

Discussion / Re: 2.5 sucks completely

« on: February 14, 2013, 11:51:15 am »

So you are either playing a game started before the weight was implemented so your soldiers have too low strength, or you are trying to reach the TU bonus, and that limits your loadout options too much to make the snipers effective.

This armor issue is about the last nightly release. I havn't played it yet.

I'd rather the imposition of a movement penalty for the armor. If you're wearing too much armor, you should be using 3 TU to move, not be unable to shoot.

I wouldn't say unable to shoot, I would say hampered. In my opinion it is easier to shoot with accuracy when you wear light.

11

Discussion / Re: 2.5 sucks completely

« on: February 14, 2013, 01:29:57 am »

Incidentally, I started a new game with the latest version ie 2-12-2013, and it's much better than before, though the inability of snipers to wear armor is pretty stupid.

I've to see this , thanks for the aknowledgment sir ;_)

(..) it's much better than before, though the inability of snipers to wear armor is pretty stupid.

In general I would agree with such a remark. If the association sniper+armor has to be discouraged, I'm OK with the idea, the way to do this shouldn't be to make it impossible. I would prefere a malus on the accuracy, or applyable on the stealth when it will be implemented. That's normal to have difficulties to shoot when you wear a heavy armour, however, you still can shoot so if some people prefere, let them do.

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Discussion / Re: 2.5 sucks completely

« on: February 13, 2013, 11:37:42 am »

The tactic works perfectly actually. It's that reaction fire seems to be utterly pointless is what I'm getting at. The idea of reaction fire is that it's supposed to give the soldiers a chance to shoot back when the enemy is having it's turn. Unfortunately, it seems they're getting no benefit unless you're using pistols because of the seriously disparate TU costs. There seems to be little reason to use RF and waste TU when they can be better spent taking shots at the enemy.

The reaction fire is unfortunately the only way to progress prudently through the map for an alone soldier, and maybe at first turn for all. But, I also try to group 2 by 2 or more my guys, unless if I'm sending someone on a roof. The reason for that is the TU cost for RF can be saved if you have enough visibility, and being 2 allows you to cover more angles.

However, at the approach of corners, and at the early campain, there is nothing as efficient as awaiting the ennemy with RF+pistols / flammer.

Setting on the RF for every turn and throwing smoke everywhere is not my prefered combination. But one isolated soldier, that moreover shouldn't hurt a friendly unit accidently, must use it, there is no better choice.

13

Artwork / 2 tech pictures proposed

« on: February 12, 2013, 08:25:34 pm »

Thanks for all the remarks H-Hour.

Here so the pic I would leave here for being a vaccine tech candidate. It has been smoothed a lot compared to the first model - and I love the "grains" so much that it was not easy. But maybe this will have also to comply with the pattern, no?

14

Offtopic / Re: Hello

« on: February 12, 2013, 06:44:36 pm »

Hello, so what's up Messior?

15

Offtopic / Re: Wasteland 2

« on: February 11, 2013, 08:17:49 pm »

It seems to be inspired of Wasteland, or the Fallout0. If it sticks to this, it could be really interesting to follow this case. The videos tends to prove that they will.