[Build V8.9 Released!]

That's great! Getting at least basic Alien AI so soon is more than I expected, and combined with a bit more map variety, this sounds fantastic!

Can't wait for the release. Keep up the good work, Chris.

[Traits]

Fair enough, Chris. I have to admit the idea of traits only came about when I was playing the other day and something about the tactical combat gave me a really strong feeling of playing Necromunda (Games Workshop tabletop game from back in the day, for those who might not know) and I thought the ability to individually tailor your gang members skills as they leveled up might translate quite well to Xenonauts.

Great to hear that the alien species will have defining characteristics though. Looking forward to discovering them all! Ooh, I wonder, will these traits be immediately apparent in combat or will they make performing autopsies even more valuable to uncover every last detail about the different races? Looking forward to finding out.

[Couple of possible bugs/queries]

On my most recent playthrough tonight I noticed a couple of bugs. I couldn't see them mentioned on the master bug list but apologies if I've overlooked them. They're both from the tactical section of the game:

- Soldier with basic armour (equipped with the heavy machine gun, in case this is relevant) does not animate correctly while moving. Instead he glitches and flickers as he moves.

- Cover I positioned my soldier in had a negative effect on his own accuracy when firing over it.

And finally, this is more of a question as I'm not sure it's a bug or not but certain larger items of scenery (the electrical pylons and the large, beige boxes that are often near them, for example) don't seem to offer cover, or block line of site reliably. I had a soldier positioned behind one who was able to shoot clean through the object. Intentional, or a bug?

Cheers

[Build V8.9 Released!]

Wow, so it might be as soon as this week? That's great to know. Sorry if I've overlooked a thread somewhere but, what can we expect to see in v 9.0?

And I think my most pressing question must be; when do you envisage the AI being updated and implemented into the alpha? As it stands at the moment the building blocks for a brilliant game are there, but I can't wait to be properly tested by the enemy AI.

Anyway, keep up the good work Chris!

[Traits]

Hey guys, I was thinking; if these kind of individual talents and abilities are being applied to the aliens, do we have any word on if there'll be anything similar for your own troops, as they level up? Again, it'd be great for variety if rather than just higher stats, your experienced troops became even more unique and valuable to you due to gained skills.

[Traits]

From what Chris has mentioned the aliens will have different traits already.

He mentioned the Androns will not bother with cover in a terminator style way while Sebillians will prefer close range fighting over long range.

Great! If that's true then shut my face and consider me happy.

[Traits]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to throw an idea out there that occurred to me when playing the game last night, to see what people think and also whether it's feasible from a coding point of view.

The idea is that each Alien type has certain traits, that effect it's behaviour and capabilities in ways beyond certain species just having more health, or better accuracy etc.

Some examples of traits could be: (these will largely depend on the alien AI in the final version I'd imagine, I don't think there's anything here that's flat out unrealistic though)

Cautious - While not afraid to die for the Alien's cause, this creature understands that it's of more benefit alive than dead. Lacking the defensive prowess of some other species, it therefore takes particular care to protect itself on the battlefield.

The alien receives a bonus defensive benefit from taking cover (could apply to Caesans)

Sniper - An expert at finding a strong defensive position and lying in wait for Xenonaut troops to enter it's kill zone...

The alien favours reserving action points for reaction shots over movement during it's own turn and recieves a bonus to it's reaction fire accuracy when firing from a cover position.

Enraged! - As this beast charges the Xenonaut lines, their panicked reaction fire only succeeds in enraging it further. It's pace quickens, ever more eager for carnage...

Reaction shots made against this alien add 4 ap to his movement during that turn. I'm thinking this could apply to Xenonauts version of the Chrysallid)

Nocturnal - A night time predator who strikes from the darkness to prey on the Xenonaut troopers.

The alien's perception is not affected by night time missions.

Elite - A war weathered veteran who's experience helps them keep focussed and on mission, even in the face of stiff resistance.

The alien is less likely to panic.

Warrior's Pride - Rather than skulking in the shadows, this alien strides openly toward the humans, intent on being the one to claim the honour of the first kill.

If the alien ends it's turn in the open it automatically gains the required amount of action points to make a snap shot reaction fire action, regardless of how many action points it expended during it's turn. (thinking of the Muton equivelent here)

So, would something like this add a bit more variety to the engagements do people think? Would there be balance issues? And most importantly, is it a practical possibilty to code?

Cheers all.

[First Impressions & Questions]

Hey everyone,

I'm really glad I found out about this game, I've been waiting for something like this for years and after a good few hours playtime I can see that I'm not going to be disappointed.

As much as I love the game, I do just have a couple of initial questions and thoughts, primarily regarding the tactical combat in the game;

Sight range - As it is the sight radius for your soldiers seems oddly limited. It appears to be the equivelent of a soldier only being able to see about 15ft in front of them. Are there any plans to change this at all? I wondered if it was just a temporary measure until the Aliens have some proper AI. I appreciate that a large part of the game is that you have to get out and hunt down the aliens but I think that terrain and directional line of site do enough to make sure you're not aware of the location of an enemy too easily. The short sight range seems detrimental to actions such as setting some troops on overwatch while others move, as at the short ranges you can engage, this is rendered a little pointless.

Action points - Are the values for action points liable to be tweaked for later versions of the game? At the moment even reserving for a snap shot limits you to a very short movement limit. I don't want a soldier to be able to leg it half a screen and still have time to pull of a perfect aimed shot, but a snap shot, to my mind, should be a sort of last resort, just to make sure you're not completely helpless at the end of a mid distance move. This brings me onto the next point...

Accuracy of attacks - One of the things I used to love about UFO:Enemy Unknown was the tension as shot after shot of mine just whistled past an alien, and just as all hope seemed lost, one round would thud home, right between his eyes! At present, most of the shots I've fired, even if they only list a 30 - 40% hit chance, have been on target. Is this working as intended? Again, I guess once the AI is programmed to take advantage of cover etc then all accuracy values may be looked at. I'm just curious really.

And finally, just a question as to whether something I noticed is a bug or working as intended. A soldier of mine positioned right next to a window, shooting out at an alien in open ground had a lower hit chance than a second soldier who was also firing on the alien from a completely open position. The soldier at the window was closer and had a higher accuracy rating, so I can only assume that the window he was firing from was having a negative effect on his accuracy. Is this correct? It seems counterintuitive that taking a tactical position in cover would hinder you in this way.

Thanks in advance to anybody who can shed any light on the above.

jim

[mg sweeping?]

Guy Incognito, I'd just logged in for the first time to suggest exactly the same as you, not realising your post was on page 2.

That sounds perfect, IMO. A temporary effect to enable safer advances at the cost of ammo.

Also, to prevent it becoming overpowered maybe rather than an automatic "the enemy is suppressed" result, the success of the suppression could be based on some kind of check, involving an alien's bravery stat maybe?

You could further expand on this (i'm getting carried away now...) if you had leader units for each alien race. The leader unit could exert his higher bravery stat on surrounding allies, so that as long as he's around, they're less likely to suppress. So, having a sniper take out a leader would lead to the remaining aliens being easier to deal with.

Not sure if that's practical, but in my head it sounds ace!

Just quickly off topic; I've just downloaded the game tonight and I just have to say "finally!!" I've been waiting for a game like this for years! I feel like I'm 15 again, and venturing down the ramp of a Skyranger into the unknown for the first time...brilliant work, Chris, and everybody else involved.