Map Editor

[Gazz]

I would've thought it would be easier to add the spawn locations as part of each map (as a special sub-map in the level editor).

I was going to suggest that... but what about UFOs of different sizes?

If all maps must reserve space for the largest possible UFO, aren't small UFOs going to be sitting in an awful lof of emtpy space everytime?

Nothing we can really test with no real UFO at all... =)

[Sathra]

If possible, could have the game spawn the UFO's into any intervening scenery. Destroy the scenery in all map vertical levels above and below where the ship intrudes, scatter some damage around the intrusion point, and if it crashed, set the rest on fire/generate smoke.

Would look pretty good I'd think. Not like the aliens care about parking permits.

[Gauddlike]

and if it crashed, set the rest on fire/generate smoke.

Any excuse.
I like the idea of making a large explosion and dropping the ship into the gap it makes.
It does represent a crash quite effectively.
Might change the dynamics of the mission as well if the ship crashed into, for example, a gas works and got even more damaged.

[Gauddlike]

Actually on the subject of larger alien ships.
Should there be a limit on the map sizes?
Making tiny maps and having a battleship drop on it would make the ship incredible easy to find.

[Chris]

The current spawn system is not complete in the terrain editor. You have to paint SpawnTileMap and TargetTileMap, but in reality it'd be much better if you can paint any number of locations for either to occur. That's a planned feature not yet implemented. I think the UFO size category may be incoporated into map size somewhere, so only maps designed for small UFOs are used when a small UFO is shot down etc...

I suspect that for the larger UFOs (capital ships), we're not actually going to have any scenery around them - your team will start just having breached the main doors. It'll be hard to have ships of the correct scale otherwise.

Also we pretty much screwed ourselves tile-wise by creating smooth organic shapes for the UFOs, so the fewer of them you actually see on the ground, the better.

[Sathra]

Hmm, that would be an interesting way to do it. They'd have to be internally interesting though, otherwise it'd be like endless base-lite missions.

Absurd idea: For the crashed capital ships, could have various buildings inside them. Y'know, crashed, building smashed partway through the ship. Silly, but could be worthwhile.

[Moork]

If possible, could have the game spawn the UFO's into any intervening scenery.

I know at the moment if the shedship or chinook areas intersect with a sub-map (even if it's just by one tile) then the entire sub-map is completely removed.

I figured that the UFOs and transports would all be on the same sized sub-maps, but smaller UFOs would have more random items around them (signs, wreckage, barrels, fencing, paving, broken structures etc). So you could randomly end up with a UFO half embedded in a building, but it wouldn't actually insert it into pre-existing stuff on the map. As pointed out though, this probably wouldn't work for really large ships as it would mean the smallest ships would need heaps of random stuff around them and that might lead to combinations that look out of place on some maps.

[Gauddlike]

The current spawn system is not complete in the terrain editor. You have to paint SpawnTileMap and TargetTileMap, but in reality it'd be much better if you can paint any number of locations for either to occur. That's a planned feature not yet implemented. I think the UFO size category may be incoporated into map size somewhere, so only maps designed for small UFOs are used when a small UFO is shot down etc...

I suspect that for the larger UFOs (capital ships), we're not actually going to have any scenery around them - your team will start just having breached the main doors. It'll be hard to have ships of the correct scale otherwise.

Also we pretty much screwed ourselves tile-wise by creating smooth organic shapes for the UFOs, so the fewer of them you actually see on the ground, the better.

That all sounds good to me.
You could always have a small amount of outdoor area just so you don't lose the abject terror of trying to breach the ship in the first place.
There wouldn't need to be much apart from a random stretch of road or a field though, the UFO is the focus.

Will we be able to design UFO interiors using the editor?

[Tweakd]

I suspect that for the larger UFOs (capital ships), we're not actually going to have any scenery around them - your team will start just having breached the main doors. It'll be hard to have ships of the correct scale otherwise.

Have you put any thought into a two stage mission for the largest of landings/crash sites? I think it's a shame to miss the approach to the site.

[MickeyC]

Have you put any thought into a two stage mission for the largest of landings/crash sites? I think it's a shame to miss the approach to the site.

Agreed, the approach and successful entry to a downed UFO is an integral part of the experience. TFTD had two level mission for Terror attacks on ships etc, there is a precedent for these