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Author Topic: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions  (Read 11476 times)

scamp

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Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« on: April 22, 2009, 03:29:55 pm »
It would be nice if there was a way to research ( about half the game ) a personal radar that would be able to track aliens at say, 50 meters radius. I know in Xcom this device was available and I used it to track down that last hiding alien that just kept running away. The device would work better if your character has more Mind points, so perhaps a standard range of 20 squares + mind / 4 ? That means if you character has 60 mind ( that's quite a lot ) it would be able to track aliens at 40 squares away. Ofcourse, equipping and removing the tracking device costs ALL your TU's , so you won't have time to track, then shoot.
This will make available an extra 'type' of character : Someone with high Mind who tracks down aliens. Most seal teams have a team-member that specializes in tracking ennemies so this is not like an absurd thing to implement, it would only add to the tactical level of the game :) In 'Very Hard' level , the last thing you want to do is go through a huge map with 100 small rooms and try and find that 1 alien which hides in a closet somewhere on the 5th floor... With a tracking device, this is history.  Ofcourse, you can only track the alien types that you have indeed researched. We all know it can take HOURS sometimes trying to find that last alien , I think a tracking device would be very welcome.

Offline BTAxis

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2009, 03:40:31 pm »
Mind you, even without such a device it shouldn't take hours to find the last alien, simply because the aliens should not hide. Instead, they should be aggressive, taking the initiative and actively trying to kill your men (and the civvies, of course).

Offline Borsti67

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2009, 11:02:12 pm »
sometime we run in circles ;) - and sometimes the alien seems to be kind of stuck where he is... The latter could be due to the current pathfinding issues.

Offline BTAxis

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2009, 12:11:39 am »
I was describing desired behaviour - it doesn't work that way right at the moment.

odie

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2009, 05:19:08 am »
It would be nice if there was a way to research ( about half the game ) a personal radar that would be able to track aliens at say, 50 meters radius. I know in Xcom this device was available and I used it to track down that last hiding alien that just kept running away. The device would work better if your character has more Mind points, so perhaps a standard range of 20 squares + mind / 4 ? That means if you character has 60 mind ( that's quite a lot ) it would be able to track aliens at 40 squares away. Ofcourse, equipping and removing the tracking device costs ALL your TU's , so you won't have time to track, then shoot.
This will make available an extra 'type' of character : Someone with high Mind who tracks down aliens. Most seal teams have a team-member that specializes in tracking ennemies so this is not like an absurd thing to implement, it would only add to the tactical level of the game :) In 'Very Hard' level , the last thing you want to do is go through a huge map with 100 small rooms and try and find that 1 alien which hides in a closet somewhere on the 5th floor... With a tracking device, this is history.  Ofcourse, you can only track the alien types that you have indeed researched. We all know it can take HOURS sometimes trying to find that last alien , I think a tracking device would be very welcome.

For me personally, i think its a good idea to have one such device = a field radar.

Just the implementations, is one i dun really like. I saw X-force (another x-com inspired game), where this device can be employed earli in game. They can even be thrown (like a grenade but do not bounce).

However, it is strictly technologically based, and not on minds. Throwing requires throwing skills. (like grenade)

And the range? Maybe within 5 -8 sqs radius.

Otherwise, we could also go with Xcom original scanner (a scanner on hand) which takes up TU each time u use......

Then again, these are features, which we can implement after the MORE urgent and pressing issues (like pathfinding) are resolved. :p

scamp

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2009, 04:02:59 pm »
I was describing desired behaviour - it doesn't work that way right at the moment.


That would not be a strenght but a weakness in the AI.

Offline BTAxis

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2009, 05:38:14 pm »
How so? It's better than having aliens hide all the time.

Offline Borsti67

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2009, 07:07:48 pm »
How so? It's better than having aliens hide all the time.

When we talk about, uhm, realism: Aliens are connected in mind, right?
So the last survivor could "panic" or "freeze" when he's alone all of a sudden.

Anyway, in the meaning of a clean gameplay I'd prefer this "weakness". ;)
With hiding aliens the scanner would be a "must"...

odie

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #8 on: April 24, 2009, 03:43:07 am »
When we talk about, uhm, realism: Aliens are connected in mind, right?
So the last survivor could "panic" or "freeze" when he's alone all of a sudden.

Anyway, in the meaning of a clean gameplay I'd prefer this "weakness". ;)
With hiding aliens the scanner would be a "must"...

So, we are thinking along the line of 'psychic scanners' over 'proximity sensors'?

How abt initially using proximity sensors which will sense all physical objects (maybe just dots to indicate body heat or brain waves), which later-on in the game aliens would be able to shield (mind above a certain level).

This would force players to explore mind PSY issues, and come to combine this with a psychic sensors. 2 lvls research or possibly 3 lvls. What do u think?

Offline BTAxis

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #9 on: April 24, 2009, 10:58:35 am »
Psionic detection is one of the options we're exploring, though there's also your IR goggles for looking through walls (in theory at least). Oh, and as I recall there's also a plan for a small player controlled camera drone.

odie

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #10 on: April 24, 2009, 11:37:37 am »
Psionic detection is one of the options we're exploring, though there's also your IR goggles for looking through walls (in theory at least). Oh, and as I recall there's also a plan for a small player controlled camera drone.

Wow, tat IR goggle is remembered! Lol. (To me, it was more of a cool thing to have - like shades. lol).

Oh yes, i read somewhere abt controlled camera before..... is it even being planned at 1% yet???
Its a good idea indeed. Like a field laptop with sensors.....

Offline BTAxis

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #11 on: April 24, 2009, 11:40:32 am »
No, it's just an idea at this stage. Nothing real exists yet. No models, no coding, no writing.

Offline Borsti67

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #12 on: April 24, 2009, 07:53:59 pm »
Just another weird idea at this moment...  8)

The dropship is always standing around useless - packed full with a pilot just having a quick nap and a bunch of sensors.

May be it's possible to integrate this into gameplay? The pilot could support the soldiers by using ship equipment; let's say every few turns he gives some hints where the bad guys are possibly hiding...

okok, I'll shut up before being hit...  ;D

odie

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #13 on: April 24, 2009, 09:40:54 pm »
Just another weird idea at this moment...  8)

The dropship is always standing around useless - packed full with a pilot just having a quick nap and a bunch of sensors.

May be it's possible to integrate this into gameplay? The pilot could support the soldiers by using ship equipment; let's say every few turns he gives some hints where the bad guys are possibly hiding...

okok, I'll shut up before being hit...  ;D
Actually, i thnk its a great insight into the silly dozing pilot (Btw, he is not dozing. Intel has it tat he is always in standby to evacuate soldiers in emergency. Plus he's probably doing alot of opening and closing of firebird's doors since he does not wan alien wandering in. lol).

Pilots perhaps be the only one to operate this device? But he does not have to get 'proximity range' to get it to work. Try for example, distance scanning. Eg. Activate pilot and his gadget, select area to scan, wait wait .... results. Done. This is done from the firebird, hence no risk.

Again, i recommend this be for 2.4 stable or later stage. Now, unless some hardworking and upcoming new programmers / coders come in, i rather pathfinding and other wet-blankets issues be rectified. :)

Offline Chriswriter90

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Re: Alien Tracking Radar for combat missions
« Reply #14 on: April 25, 2009, 03:47:04 am »
About the Firebird pilots; in later versions were going to have mission radar and UGVs, let's just say that the pilot & copilot are handling those things.

After all, the UGV's have to be remote-controlled from somewhere and someone has to be monitoring the radar.