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Multiple deployment


Xenonaut

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I've been to a few terror site since buying the game and sometimes it feels like you are way outgunned and outnumbered. Why did command central order just 1 ship to deal with a large terror strike?

Is it possible somewhere in the variables for us to get 2 or more drop ships to the scene? if you can send a squadron of planes, why not a cluster of transport?

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It would require redoing all the maps to support 2 dropships.

It would also require the entire game to be rebalanced, which is not feasible. The game is balanced around you having a squad of 8 soldiers, and later of 10 and 12. Any mission tat is balanced for 8 soldiers would become ridiculously easy with 16 soldiers. And likewise, any mission balanced for 16 soldiers would be impossible with 8 soldiers.

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it is a bit overwhelming for those who don't upgrade properly I guess. I still had some ballistic rifle going against those large floating drones... the battle was ugly as heck. It was more of a question than a request for a new feature so if it's not there then it's not there.

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Apart from the balance question, now I'm interested whether it would be possible without major code changes? If it is, it could be a great possibility for modders to add a completely new mission type. I'm imagining something like a large-scale trench warfare battle in a desert with two dozens of rookies to sacrifice... But the GC engine can only handle 16 soldiers, doesn't it?

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Actually the GC code is limited to 16 soldiers, in a somewhat lame way (number 16 just hardcoded in a number of places). I have it somewhere in my TODO to make that configurable. Moreover, all transports have space only for up to 18 soldiers (both in aircraft view in base and in GC). Still, changing all these limitations should be simpler than bothering with 2 transports in one GC. And the combat panel UI would need extending, as already said.

And, of course, it's a question how the code scales with larger number of soldiers (and thus aliens). It may very well make the alien turn time unbearable.

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Actually the GC code is limited to 16 soldiers, in a somewhat lame way (number 16 just hardcoded in a number of places). I have it somewhere in my TODO to make that configurable. Moreover, all transports have space only for up to 18 soldiers (both in aircraft view in base and in GC). Still, changing all these limitations should be simpler than bothering with 2 transports in one GC. And the combat panel UI would need extending, as already said.

And, of course, it's a question how the code scales with larger number of soldiers (and thus aliens). It may very well make the alien turn time unbearable.

Well, it should be possible to make a larger dropship with a bigger grid in aircraft view and more tiles in GC, shouldn't it? Once you find the time to make that configurable I'm imagining a mod with a huge dropship usable only for a new mission type, the big battle where you fire a lot of rookies (or your better soldiers if you're feeling lucky) against a lot of aliens trying to overrun you. (I mean that I would try to do that myself, of course, I'm not requesting that if anyone thought that)

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I've looked into doing that, I've been considering remaking the Avenger for a while... and OY it's a lot of work. This is the kind of thing you'd really want several people working on to get it done in any reasonable amount of time.

Where's the labour needed?

Adding the game files for it should be pretty simple.

There's the art assets for the hanger (plus all the construction ones); for the dropship screen; and for the equip screen background.

There's the ground combat tiles for all four directions. Although I presume, since it would be modelled in 3D first, that this would be less work than it would appear as you only need to make one model and capture it at each of the four angles. Although also I suppose you need to be able to render the inside as well.

And then there's placement on the maps.

Is that everything? Seems like most of the work is art related which is a shame because I'd happily contribute to making it work but have no skill where it's needed most.

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You also need:

  • The base overview pic (which is a simple resize and rotate, np)
  • A Xenopedia pic.
  • A Xenopedia entry.
  • AC art assets: remember that the Avenger is a fighter/troopship. So you'd need the 0%-100% damage pics and the in-battle pic.
  • Paint-overs of all parts of the GC assets. This takes longer than you might imagine.

Why I say this would need several people is the sheer amount of work involved in the art-side of the project. The code in comparison is trivial. You could have one person work on it all, and from a continuity perspective that would be the best because the artist involved would know the vessel in his/her bones, especially if you had the artist first work on the 2d aspects but artwork takes a while. A better division of labour would be to have someone work on the 2d aspect and someone work on the 3d aspect. You'd want a master design to draw upon then. An even better division of labour would be someone to work on the 2d aspect, someone to develop the 3d ship then as sections are complete to pass them off to a paint-over artist. It's an assembly-line style of getting the art done, but it works to get things done in a reasonable amount of time.

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Ah, didn't realise you were thinking of fighter-transport. That would require code support as well then, no? As I think transports get insta-killed by UFOs at the moment. Although I guess it's moot anyway unless some capable and willing artists are conjured from somewhere.

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  • 2 months later...
it is a bit overwhelming for those who don't upgrade properly I guess. I still had some ballistic rifle going against those large floating drones... the battle was ugly as heck. It was more of a question than a request for a new feature so if it's not there then it's not there.

Ohhh man, you think that's bad? I was still using basic armor and all ballistics for my 8-man squad when I went to my first Terror mission. You know what I found there? REAPERS. My squad spent the entire mission cowering in the dropship with shotguns because if we went outside reapers would come out of nowhere and eat us. And if we stayed out in the open where we could see them coming Sebillians would blast us with plasma weapons. Prior to that I'd been going very tactical with lots of cover usage and crouching to make up for my absent armor. When that wasn't an option things went bad fast.

Actually the GC code is limited to 16 soldiers, in a somewhat lame way (number 16 just hardcoded in a number of places). I have it somewhere in my TODO to make that configurable. Moreover, all transports have space only for up to 18 soldiers (both in aircraft view in base and in GC). Still, changing all these limitations should be simpler than bothering with 2 transports in one GC. And the combat panel UI would need extending, as already said.

The game supports control of up to 16 troops while stock dropships only ever carry a maximum of 12.... and Terror missions are the only ones causing balance concerns... hmmmm...

Undoubtedly this would require some hard coding trickery, but would it be possible to assign an extra four troops under your command that spawn with the map? Admittedly, this is just a continuation of my love affair with local forces. But yeah, if you could give your squad command of 4 local forces style units which could be commanded for the duration of the Terror mission and then removed from your squad so you don't bring them home with you I feel like that'd be an ideal gameplay solution (if not an ideal coding solution).

Yeah.... you'd have to edit EVERY terror map to include them somehow as well, and that would suck especially because I don't think the game is designed to permit that sort of editing with any ease.

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