[Build V17.5 Planned!]

...At the moment we're making some pretty substantial changes to the Level Editor to the point where the game just doesn't support the old maps and the old tile setup any more...

Updated Level Editor: The new level editor should make it MUCH easier to generate levels. We're implementing a system where you can stack sub-maps on top of each other in different layers, with empty ground tiles being read from the sub-maps below.

Essentially this will just let you paint a massive area as a field, and then easily paint trees or props or walls or even buildings on top of it and not have to worry about the underlying ground tiles fitting together. The Sub-Map editor is still a bit of a monster to deal with, but the Level Editor should make generation of new maps child's play. We're releasing it early simply because it's not backwards compatible at all.

Seems almost like... http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/2076-Random-asset-hotspots

Glad to see it happen though. Should make consecutive map plays significantly less monotonous.

[May Development Update!]

Regarding the auto-upgrade of base defences:

Why not just have it as a manufacturing project that pops up after you research certain tech. Incorporate the cost into the "upgrade" by having your manufacturing team do the work in house.

[Forum Medals?]

Yeah fixed it.

[Random asset hotspots]

So then is there no way to store some sort of randomisation for a singular tile in the XML file, editor and engine? It's just that even though it is apparently so easy to create submaps it might still be nice to leave some minor architectural features random. And I have no idea if the is demo comes with that stuff, but desura has them, and while the level editor is easy the submap is a pain in the ass.

[Forum Medals?]

Crap, I did the desura thing instead of the legacy thing and now im stuck with the standard pre-order medal...

[Random asset hotspots]

Excellent news, if its so easy then i cant wait to see them in the game.

Realism is always a good thing, and roadlights and pedestrian crossings and such, being so easy to place into the map is brilliant. All i ever wanted was to increase realism a little bit more, and maybe add a bit of realistic randomness.

[Random asset hotspots]

I understand how the system works. I am suggesting that rather than make a large volume of "factory10x10" tiles that you only have a few of them with relatively minor differences and large open spaces, then use a random invisible colour map that can be transposed over the "submap" to load random/pseudorandom sprites from a large pool in place of the static ones available now.

It could effectively take a lot less time to make a large volume of these overlays for each submap set than making a whole new submap (or a lot of submaps) that pretty much looks the same.

They could even, if the engine can handle that many "units", be loaded as static non-AI controlled units or some such. You must have some way that defines that the players units are spawned in a specific area, well this would pretty much be the same thing, just on a different tile, and with random things loaded.

[Random asset hotspots]

Hey all.

Loving the game so far tonnes of forum input that i can see too, but another idea or 2 cant hurt can it?

I know that there is a significant amount of random stuff loaded in the latest few builds, but i was thinking that a few invisible overlays could be made for each tileset that uses some form of loading an asset from a pool of assets(to further randomise) to make the maps even more varied. This could also be used indoors to turn houses into shops, shops/houses into warehouses/storage etc.

It would basically dynamically load pre-made assets over the tiles using what should be a super-easy to produce colour map(which is obviously invisible to the player)

These assets would also have various states of destruction, such as fire hydrants spraying water constantly when shot up, road lights no longer illuminating light missions.

As the image attachment thing shrunk my file to buggery, ill put the legend here

Blue - road lights/power lines/road lights & power lines

Red - North-west road crossing

Yellow - garbage cans, post boxes, fire hydrants, etc.

Green - North-east road crossing

Purple - 4-way traffic lights

Cyan - Random trash? 10%? chance of appearing (Can move over with TU penalty if exists)

Olive - Flowers/weeds asset pool (% chance of appearing )

I'll have to grab my gold pre-order medal thing too sometime now that I have finally registered on the forum again.

And hopefully the 10 or so "Xenonauts" games in my windows games folder will dissappear too someday too...

Anyways thanks for reading;)