X-Division 0.99 Ideas Discussion

[drages]

I figured you could include them all in 0.99......You've redone all the units for 0.99 so anything I do will not matter when you release 0.99?

Yes because 0.99 will be totally different mod. This is the reason why it takes so much time. But there is a long way to finish it totally including balancing and beta testing. So 0.98 has its time. Your fixes are important.

I added your xenomorph fixes to 0.99, it was very important.

Edited September 4, 2015 by drages

[odizzido]

k. Also quick question....you changed the AI right?....Did you change the settings to make it so the AI always knows where you are?...because I have repeatable tests where they won't take actions unless a soldier is close even if they don't have LOS on them.

[drages]

k. Also quick question....you changed the AI right?....Did you change the settings to make it so the AI always knows where you are?...because I have repeatable tests where they won't take actions unless a soldier is close even if they don't have LOS on them.

AI do not know where you are. Just AI has clues about this, and if it's sure, it reacts.. I changed AI but it's something which needs heavy testing. I got very aggressive AI for 0.99... even it's more then aggressive, all the aliens starts to hunt down you and they do not stay in UFO.. .. so i will update it at beta with the players feedbacks.

All the alien races, alien weapons and human weapons, armours, grenades, gases are finished with all that millions of numbers. I added new ufos and their maps so they are working. I will put alien races to the ufos again because of that tons of new ufos and arrange the missions again. I am now working at new weapon effects and sounds.

I can put an alpha test version soon. There will be only manufacture/research to be done, but its most complicated part with that experimental research projects.

[odizzido]

yeah. I don't think the script for experimental research will be hard...but how you're going to get the game to use it I have no idea.

[drages]

yeah. I don't think the script for experimental research will be hard...but how you're going to get the game to use it I have no idea.

It gets very hard when you try to add complex things. Let me try to explain my idea..

You will get alien weapons.. for example alien phazer weapons which is the new first tier of alien energy weapons.

You need to capture a guard and phazer weapons to have Laser weapon MK 1's...

For example you got 8 type of laser weapon, pistol, beam, rifle blabla... and you will get all the MK-1 versions of them. MK-1 versions are prototypes and low stats...

So after that you will get experimental laser researches. You will need to collect many things for this researchs and capture specialists.. like 5 alien rifle, 10 alien phazer ammo, 3 sniper... blabla... so you will get "6" experimental laser weapon research. This researches will give you 6 or 8 MK-2 weapons randomly.

After you finished 6 experimental research you will get "4" Adv.Experimental weapon projects which will need much more rare materials to collect and capture alien chieftain, officer or leader. So with this 4 research you will have a chance to get MK-3 versions of the weapons which you researched MK-2 already...

So you will get all MK-1, then some MK-2 and few MK-3 weapons from one tier.

[odizzido]

Yeah. In the game you have the research requirements like collect X number of items for the first one to give laser tech like normal.

Then for the next experimental part if I get what you're saying you can research it six times, with 6-8 total at the end, out of like 15. I don't know what language you can use, but I would do something like the following

create a list of 1-15 MK2 weapons

MK2 research available when you have MK1 lasers

MK2, second time research, is available when you finish MK2 research

MK2, third time research, is available when you finish MK2 second time research

etc

While false

x = random (1, 15)

if MK2weapon.x is not researched, true

return mk2weapon.x

Then MK3 has dependencies so

while false

random x = (1, 15)

if MK3weapon.x IS NOT researched and MK2weapon.x IS researched, true

return mk3weapon.x

It's a bit crude but I don't think anyone would get stuck in an endless loop and it should work.

edit--------

I have no idea how you're going to pass the variables between the script and the game though. That's the hard part to me

[drages]

Uuummm.. I will just do it with the new random research command ilunak added to XCE.. So there will be a possibility roll at every research req. For example for laser tech:

AlienPlasmaPistol(AND)40(OR)Alienplasmarifle(AND)30(OR)Alienheavyplasma(AND)30, this is an example, not exact code. For scripts i need to work on game code.. became a community coder.. anyway i am just a modder.

I need to make a complex chain because after MK1 finished you will get a limited MK2 researches, there is no problem because you got every MK1 but at limited mk3 researches it should not research the ones without mk2 versions..

-------------------------------------

I finished all the GC weapons coding for xenonauts and aliens. Every weapon (even their MK1-MK2-MK3 versions) got mostly unique projectiles and particles, including grenades and gasses. And i added about 100 new sounds to game for all the new weapon branches, energy/ballistic weapon sounds, explosions, reloads..

With those new addition graphics and sounds, game looks really like a new one.

- There is a new anti-armour weapon branch "Antimatter" added with "4" versions as MK-1,2,3 and 4. This weapons will be brought by our alien fugitive, a weapon tech even invasion forces do not have so powerfull version.

- Aliens will use chemical weapons and lesser antimatter weapons at terror sites and base assaults. You will need these weapons for your chemical arsenal and material to go further at your antimatter weapons.

- I am reading the Xenonauts 2 ideas and some can be done with CE additions to this game even its limited. Some ideas like using workers as engineering projects and research branching are very nice points.

- You will have many main research lines and you need to choose wisely. The game is much more longer then vanilla but still there will be TONS of new researches and you will need resources too.

Energy Weapon Branch

Ballistic Weapon Branch

Antimatter Weapon Branch

Armour Branch

Vehicle Branch

Explosive Branch

Aircraft Branch

Chemical Branch

Melee Branch

and i didint touch the building at all. I got a ufo catruing project too but first i will finish UFO AM files and UFO crews. They were finished but now i added much more ufo versions so i got 16 UFO i need to handle.

Woahh.. so much things for a moder..

[drages]

Here you see all the ufos and their game times. There is more then 20 new ufo. They will have their weapons/missions/crews are all special for their phases. So you will see advanced scouts at late game and battleships for your base assaults.. Their coding is finished and working fine at game.

For now all the ufos got same art as their defaults, but even so this will be the ultimate dynamic ufo spawning. All the ufos will have their crews special for their missions. I will retexture them so they will be all different looking. I still need some ufo-makers for making them special layouts.

You see shuttles here. They are light scouts with VIP aliens in it. Mostly specialists for new techs when stunned. They will be defended by special crews. You can see them at some missions randomly with a low chance.

There are Armoured landing/cargo/supply ships not seen at this chart. They will carry our 3. material named "Cealium" which you will need for all MK-3 and antimatter weapon research-manufactures. Their guards will be very tough too.

Winter is coming guys...

Edited September 12, 2015 by drages

[Sentelin]

Yeah. In the game you have the research requirements like collect X number of items for the first one to give laser tech like normal.

Then for the next experimental part if I get what you're saying you can research it six times, with 6-8 total at the end, out of like 15. I don't know what language you can use, but I would do something like the following

create a list of 1-15 MK2 weapons

MK2 research available when you have MK1 lasers

MK2, second time research, is available when you finish MK2 research

MK2, third time research, is available when you finish MK2 second time research

etc

While false

x = random (1, 15)

if MK2weapon.x is not researched, true

return mk2weapon.x

Then MK3 has dependencies so

while false

random x = (1, 15)

if MK3weapon.x IS NOT researched and MK2weapon.x IS researched, true

return mk3weapon.x

It's a bit crude but I don't think anyone would get stuck in an endless loop and it should work.

edit--------

I have no idea how you're going to pass the variables between the script and the game though. That's the hard part to me

This is all nice and that kind of stuff with pseudo code explanation but things are not so much feasible, when it comes to implementation , its is actually harder, because of the way research is handled in the source code (game is written in C++). This not impossible but given how, it would not be widely used this is might not be worthwhile implementing, also I doubt that illunak would go along with this, since it really is specific request.

There is of course alternative, which is writing function in C++ and exposing it through Lua script so that, modders have freedom to use it as it suits them, implementing through Lua scripting.

Edit:Also drages, answer is no, I won't be doing it, for various reason, of which one is that I am getting constantly distracted and I can't devote time and attention needed.Besides I have zero interested right now in committing anything to CE.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Sentelin

[drages]

No for what?

Why do you care that coding so much? I said i will do it with just normal modding, at least as much as i can make.

[Sentelin]

Hah, somehow I ate "and before you ask ", then comes part "the answer is no".So, I am sorry for misunderstanding and boy am I glad you didn't have a request.

[drages]

Hah, somehow I ate "and before you ask ", then comes part "the answer is no".So, I am sorry for misunderstanding and boy am I glad you didn't have a request.

I pissed of all CE coders i think . Even i got limits at my requests, yeah i am not kidding I got tons of things to do already with the new elements and i want to use them all. My sick imagination always want to add more but i refuse myself. I got many special wishes of course but i can't force anyone to do that for free. I can pay but there is no one to pay too..

I only wish is having a manufacture erasing code like the Lockresearch command to erase old manufactures from UI. Ppl gets lost at so many manufactures... and they are right..

[odizzido]

Do us regular people have access to the source code?

[Sentelin]

Nope, you will have to contact Chris if you want to join CCP (Community Coders Program ), more info about it here http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/10965-Community-Coder-Program!.

However, If you plan to sign and help drages in long term, you might consider possibility that you use latest CE edition as ground point and develop upon that.I am telling you this because X-Division has specific needs, while CE tries to address broad audience and you get benefits of being independent, like more development freedom,X-Division will have it's own patch and it won't have to worry about things like compatibility and so forth.Downside of taking this approach is obviously maintaining compatibility with future versions of CE and therefor you probably wouldn't go through that trouble ( I know I wouldn't without good cause).

On side note, doing things this way you provide modders with "CE" edition focused heavily on modding features which don't make much of the sense for regular users, like that example above you discussed with drages.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Sentelin

[drages]

Can't he just work on same version of CE which Kabill did? I do not see a point to create special CE version just for X-Division. I do not want to change anything, just softcoding and some special coding maybe. If i got a CE just for X-Division plans, i can create... i cant imagine

I need for X-Division:

- Locking manufacturing, which is as same as lockresearch command at researches.xml

- Much more manufacture topics for manufacture UI.

- Special Hangar for special planes (Bombers and Ufos)

- Maybe some more weapon types for airplanes (torpedo, ufo weapon launchers)

- Airplane missiles as ammo.. like the superweapon at game

so.. not so much.. or not so imaginary..

[Sentelin]

If that's what you want, yes he can do it in CE (Kabilll is working or worked, on same edition as Illunak ), I didn't say he should make separate edition, I only mentioned it as possibility.

Edited September 12, 2015 by Sentelin

[drages]

Yes he couldn't finish their plans. RL is a bitch and my free time will finish about 3-4 months later.. So i need to finish this mod at this time.. Hopefully i finished most of the lame coding parts. Still got much to do for descriptions and X-Pedia for adding that TOOONS of new things..

[WhiteDingo]

This is probably too late at this point, but I know back in the Xenophobia mod you could "convert" Alien Grenades back into Alenium via Workshop projects.

To make it so that it wouldn't be too overpowered, perhaps a ratio of 3 or 4 alien grenades for 1 Alenium would be alright?

This would make it so that the player could get away with making equipment in a pinch if attacking that Scout UFO just for 1 Alenium is just not *quite* worth the effort but at the same time not being "too" self sufficient.

[starscream]

there only 1 thing id prefer to see we meant to be like the elite organisation only 1 to stand up to the aliens and so on my question is can we get some decent recruits there stats later on in the game are pathetic some cant even reload there guns cause there stats are so pathetic 

[Dagar]

The idea there is that even the best elite forces of humanity are bad against aliens, and first need to learn new tactics and skills to be able to fight against them.Also, the reloading issue should only occur with advanced or alien weaponry, in which case the rookies just do not manage to handle the freaky new gun that is completely awkward anatomically or was rush developed in a couple of weeks so ergonomics were not a big consideration. That's why the experienced troops may have to help them handle their weapon. But as missions get harder over time, the recruits will learn to adapt faster at least.

As a bottom line, try to level up your replacement troops in time for them to be efficient if they have to.

That said I have no clue if it would be possible to make recruits better with the given game code interfaces.