June Progress Update

I agree, screw size of the game, sure people may whine about it but if the game experience is enhanced for it people won't really care in the end.

Though it's weird, why would they be So huge? are they higher resolution then they need to be or is it just that at the res they need to be they'll take up that much space? I mean look at x-com, that was a sprite based game too wasn't it? Sure resolution was waaay smaller but the entire game is what, 20 MB?

I'm not that knowledgeable about this but is there no way of splicing sprites together? say you have a char model with a "holding gun" position, you then splice the gun model onto it that way you wouldn't have a gazillion new sprites for every single model? As I said I don't have that much in-depth knowledge about this so I may just be talking crap here, feel free to inform me

In X-COM, every two-handed weapon was wielded the same way, from assault rifle to heavy plasma canon. So, they "just" made sprites for differents body armours (and hair color), and every weapon, but they did not cross them.

In Xenonauts, every weapon is different and wielded differently. For instance, a MG wielder points his weapon at the ground while a shotgunner points it in front of him. That's two completely differents sprites for two differents weapon, with every armour.

A solution would be to "merge" weapon style into one hand / two handed / heavy, and create an armor sprite for each of the three hands position, and a sprite of each weapon, instead of a sprite for each combo weapon/armor. Thus, they'd be lots of sprites too.

There is another reason that resolution for the size of Xenonauts compared to X-COM:EU. the first opus was an ooooold game, wich few colors. This one seems to have more, which means that for the same size, every img file wieghts much more. And since we do not play 480x600 anymore, but 1280x1024 (at least) the resolution is higher, about 4.5 time, and images have to be at least 4.5 time more precise.

The only issue here is the sheer size of the weapon sprites. Each weapon / armour combination is about 10 - 15mb, and the folder with the Xenonaut units in it is already over 1gb in size. I'm currently considering whether we'll want to cut out the Combat Shield and the Assault Shield, as each one of those needs to be rendered with 7 different weapons in the other hand for 5 different armour types, giving a total of 70 extra weapon / armour sets and nearly a 1gb increase to the size of the game to add effectively one item type. Particularly when we can add flashbangs instead. It'd save a bit of time on the coding front too. That'd mean we'd hopefully have all the Xenonaut units rendered and in the game by the end of the month

Please do not do it. It's better to wait a bit longer for the final game than substract unique features from it.

Somehow I don't think HD requirements are the only issue for Chris here (call it gamer's instinct) but, regardless, t'would be a shame to go into release shieldless. With the shield or on it as the Greeks would say.

Good to hear about some progress. Sad thing about the lost coder though.

I also agree that the extra space for getting the shield is really a very small cost for quality content. Like said, people are used to huge digital downloads nowadays, so until Xenonauts will get close to 8 gigs, i.e. the maximum for two dvd's, I say go for it!

That's not an excuse for not adding the flashbangs though I mean there's considerably less work involved - in the graphics department at least, and shouldn't be that big of a problem otherwise either, basically just add a new damage type and code in the handling for that

Also, I hate to be an asshole (sorry!) and point out that your sprite problems would have been (relatively) easily solved by doing some extra groundwork in the beginning of the project, by using some sort of layered sprites system for the characters. I think Baldur's Gate used one for example. On the other hand, maybe you thought it through and found it it'd be too time consuming to code, or even if not, it's still probably an easy mistake to make. So I can't really blame anyone. Just being a smartass. Sorry again

Also, I hate to be an asshole (sorry!) and point out that your sprite problems would have been (relatively) easily solved by doing some extra groundwork in the beginning of the project

Pretty sure Chris is aware of that (I'd recall him saying that it's one of the first things he'd change if he was starting just now). The current engine is a relic of the first coder who isn't around anymore pushing it, and when he bailed, it was already too late to start from scratch. Paraphrasing heavily.

The problem is not having access to the game's source code, so we don't have any say in how the sprites are imported and we're stuck with the stupid system.

OK, maybe I won't remove the combat shield then. People seem to be quite keen on them.

ok, maybe i won't remove the combat shield then. People seem to be quite keen on them.

Pretty sure Chris is aware of that (I'd recall him saying that it's one of the first things he'd change if he was starting just now). The current engine is a relic of the first coder who isn't around anymore pushing it, and when he bailed, it was already too late to start from scratch. Paraphrasing heavily.

The problem is not having access to the game's source code, so we don't have any say in how the sprites are imported and we're stuck with the stupid system.

Okay, I understand now. That kind of sucks though. Pretty restricting in regarding heavy optimizing and stuff if you don't have access to the source code of the engine

OK, maybe I won't remove the combat shield then. People seem to be quite keen on them.

Yay! Looking forward to some Chaaaargge!! -tactics

yey shields are still in !

Chris, if you're still intending it as a feature could you see your way to sneaking in the function to convert alien clips to alienium in the next build? While it's natural in the current build to see more severely damaged UFOs than minor damaged ones, it is a pain in the bum when it comes to getting alienium for lasers and missiles - especially missiles.

Yay Shields!

OK, maybe I won't remove the combat shield then. People seem to be quite keen on them.

It adds a realistic touch to an otherwise silly story about a huge alien invasion that only a tiny handful of soldiers with a microscopic budget (compared to global players) can fight effectively.

When the aliens field insanley effective weapons, the humans fall back on what works. Bring a heavy shield for extra cover.

They don't use ninjas or vampires - just honest to god reinforced riot shields.

Sure, super-spiffy powered armour would be nicer but given the choice between a combat shield (when you get shot at) and powered armour (a few months down the road)...

OK, maybe I won't remove the combat shield then. People seem to be quite keen on them.

Ok now we want swords too. And kettle hats.

Ok now we want swords too. And kettle hats.

Kettle hats are too unrealistic . I would prefer that my soldiers be able to wear aluminum top hats like the one Abraham Lincoln wore during the alien invasion of 1861 to ensure that the president was never mind controlled. That seems like a more historically accurate use of human technology in our war against the new alien threat.

It adds a realistic touch to an otherwise silly story about a huge alien invasion that only a tiny handful of soldiers with a microscopic budget (compared to global players) can fight effectively.

When the aliens field insanley effective weapons, the humans fall back on what works. Bring a heavy shield for extra cover.

They don't use ninjas or vampires - just honest to god reinforced riot shields.

Sure, super-spiffy powered armour would be nicer but given the choice between a combat shield (when you get shot at) and powered armour (a few months down the road)...

Well, I'd like to use them.

When will the vampire-sprites be done, Chris?

Well, I'd like to use them.

When will the vampire-sprites be done, Chris?

Just add some sparkles for daytime missions:p

Shields will definitely be the go for breaching into larger Alien vessels as you know the second you step through that front slider/door the aliens will be all over your guy. However I would like to point out that I don't think RIOT shields will be that good, likely make it so they melt/break after being hit couple times with plasma!

Perhaps better combat shields can be researched later on?

I think that the trouble for users could be not much with disk space but with the fact that there are already 50000 small files, which i think is what it's causing desura going so slow and have other minor annoyance... isn't there any way which you could trick your engine into some kind of packed virtual file system which could put all those small files into a few bigger files? (i suppose that it could even speed things up)

Probably depends on the engine but yes that's a common thing to do, basically large archive files that doesn't use compression so it doesn't slow game loading down.

Think .pak files from quake based engines if you know what I'm talking about

I'm okay with keeping the shields but don't tell me a riot shield will deflect plasma shots... That would be a huge immersion breaker.

Szabtom, it's unlikely the shield will deflect shots. Way more likely it will absorb damage, possibly by upping the armour of the trooper.

The shield (or an upgraded varient) would probably be made from alien alloys, so it would be plausible that it could resist plasma or high amounts of damage.

The shields are a very nice idea, reminds me of X-com Apocalypse.

The original Combat Shield would probably use the same technique used on the F-17 airframe to make it stronger against alien weaponry.

The advanced Assault Shield would more than likely be based on alien alloys.

Neither of them will be off the shelf plastic riot shields.