Xenonauts: Community Edition 0.34.2 PREVIEW

[Solver]

A preview version of 0.34.2 has been released. Testing of it is very welcome, but for now 0.34.1 remains the latest official version. 

Installation

Since this is a preview version, it will not be uploaded to Steam. A manual installation is required. The process is the same as 0.34:

1. Download the base mod and the mod package.

2. Launch the old version of the game, install the base mod using Modding Tools. You should see 0.35 UNSTABLE as a version, which actually should be changed later. Alternatively: extract the base mod into assets/mods/xce, overwriting everything.

3. Exit the game launcher.

4. Run the new executable from assets/mods/xce. It should display the version 0.34.2 Preview. Using this launcher, go to Modding Tools and install the mod pack.

5. You can now play from assets/mods/xce, or optionally copy the files to the main game installation folder.

Changes summary

0.34.2 is a fairly small (but hopefully important) update to 0.34.1, mostly focusing on modding. There are minor fixes to the tiles used in the restored community map pack, other mapping fixes such as damaged states for tropical props, and several new moddable features requested by modders.

Crash fix

• Fixed a rare crash when an alien would attempt to mind control multiple enemies.

Bug fixes

• AP-damaging weapons should now work even if the weapon does 0 normal damage.
• Airplanes that have 4 weapons, of which 1 is a cannon, will correctly show all 4 slots in the air combat UI.
• Vehicles can now take EMP damage. This should not affect the base game, only some mods.
• Fixed Savious Medal / Crux Solaris display (from 1.65).

Balance

• Reapers will now attack vehicles as they were intended to (change in the X:CE Balance mod).

Modding

• Melee aliens can now be allowed to attack vehicles, on a race/rank basis.
• A LockManufactures command has been added, which will remove the ability to manufacture an item.
• Added ability to add custom categories to the Manufacturing UI.
• Allowed control over zombification and Reaper spawning. Aliens can now turn enemies into any race/rank type. Such zombies can now also spawn any alien, and with a customizable timer.
• Allowed a configuration where lost continents can be retaken. If enabled, lost continents will automatically spawn one alien base, and the player has to kill that base (and any others on the continent) to regain it.

Since this is a preview version, it's very good if the modders test some features or suspected bugs, in particular:

• EMP damage to vehicles - not tested.
• Zombification - tested, but needs more.
• The terror cooldown bug - may have been accidentally fixed in this version, please test.

[drages]

Thank you very much again. this version helped specially for X-Division's future.

Solver,

I looked to files but i could not find how to edit zombify ability and zone recover modding files/places.

[Solver]

Just wait a bit, I'm taking a break after uploading this I'll update the modding thread with an explanation of how things work now. Though the continent stuff is simple, look for retakeLostContinents in gameconfig.xml.

[drages]

Aha saw it.. ok np.. i can wait

[Solver]

Post in the modding guide about the new stuff.

[Sectiplave]

As someone who enjoys mods, this brings joy to my heart

[drages]

I tried to use Xenonauts_gc_editor file but it took feed from 1.65w so like the default game.And when i try to start, it crashes :).

[Solver]

I'll try, I've usually had trouble building it though, the gc_editor never works properly for me, probably because I'm an idiot.

[Solver]

So in terms of testing the features:

• EMP damage to vehicles - does not work, tested by Drages, I'll test it.
• Zombification - needs an additional permadeath flag, working on it.
• AP-damage - confirmed working.
• Melee aliens vs. vehicles - confirmed working.
• Terror cooldown - Charon?

[Charon]

35 minutes ago, Solver said:

Terror cooldown - Charon?

To have a full test running the gc_editor would be helpful, but one way or another it will get tested.

[Solver]

What could be better than a zip file with new executables?

Here's the GCEditor, and a normal executable. EMP damage on vehicles should be fixed since I actually tested it, and the Permadeath switch has been added for zombification purposes.

update-and-editor.zip

[drages]

1. I confirm EMP damage on vehicles.
2. Now i will test terror CD.

[Solver]

If things go well, maybe you need to upgrade to a less scared version of Agent Mulder.

[drages]

22 minutes ago, Solver said:

If things go well, maybe you need to upgrade to a less scared version of Agent Mulder.

Haahaha.. Mulder should be scary because people don't update update their mods!!!! And every body loves Mulder even he is scary.. 

[drages]

I made some fast tests...

1- Both base assault and terror mission CD's looking working for a 5 month test. I attacked, defended, saved, loaded but CD were always right. It's very nice news. But of course a normal gaming test which will be done by time would give us the right result. But i can say that its working as intended as i see.

2- Getting countries back is so fun :).. I got Australia captured and there was a base on it.. i attacked and win.. but it was still red! I didn't make panic and send some fighters and bam, found another base.. i took it and Australia is ours again!

The only thing i did not test is zombify chains.. We will do it soon.

As the charon said, getting a super base for countries would be much more cool.. but this is more then enough for me.

 

[Solver]

Just now, drages said:

I got Australia captured and there was a base on it.. i attacked and win.. but it was still red! I didn't make panic and send some fighters and bam, found another base.. i took it and Australia is ours again!

 

This is really good, I only tested the case with 1 base so am happy to hear it's working as intended with multiple bases as well.

Thanks for testing these new features!

[drages]

1 minute ago, Solver said:

This is really good, I only tested the case with 1 base so am happy to hear it's working as intended with multiple bases as well.

Thanks for testing these new features!

LOL, of course we will test it! 

You name this mod version as 0.34.2 like a hotfix for 34.1.. but if i were you, i would name it "0.40" at least because an XCE added bunch of new features to game rather then just softcoding and fixing the game for first time.

What would be more awesome? A message box pop up when you get back a country: "Australia is saved and now they won't be reaper food anymore, at least for a while!!"

[Policenaut]

22 hours ago, Solver said:

damaged states for tropical props

Wait what? I can't seem to find this in the files.

[Solver]

I don't know. The files affected seem to be e.g.

assets/mods/Tropical Maps/tiles/tropical/swamp/DN2_damaged.png

Is that missing from the files?

[Policenaut]

I can't find the Tropical Maps in xcemods-034-2-preview.zip. It would be useful for me since I just made my own update to the old tropical tileset. http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/index.php?/topic/13442-xce-0341-tropical-and-swamp-tileset-v1/&do=getNewComment

[Solver]

I see, it's not in the zip for some reason indeed. Seems the build script decided against including it. That's another thing for me to fix for 0.34.2 final.

I'm attaching the tropical maps - Tropical Maps.zip

[Policenaut]

Thanks, that is quite useful.

[Solver]

FYI, this might be useful: there seem to be some problem with tropical map spectres having some of the same names as the middle east ones. In particular palm_med_2_base_spectre is causing problem since it already exists in the middleeast tileset - you may want to make sure these problems don't occur if you're updating the tileset.

[sfarrelly]

I ran a test on the 0 cd bug and it does appear to be fixed (mostly)  

I played through 3-4 months and got attacked on the following dates (using quantum from day 1, so i know what each mission is)

Terror : Oct 1, Oct 16, Nov 16, Dec 16 (red one shouldn't have happened, but all others follow 30 days after)

Base : Oct 27, Dec 07 (perfect)

I have no idea what caused the highlighted one to occur,and its mission type changed to ##### shortly before it actually created a terror site (see image), however, every terror attack after did wait the 30 days we'd set in the gameconfig and base attacks were set at 40 days so no issue there.

[drages]

@Solver

I want to tell you about a strange visual bug in game for a long time. 

It's about weapon fire and damaged animation on ground combat. I don't know that every body got this problem but even the main game has it without modded i think. Even a clean install didn't save it..

So the problem is when you shoot someone, the shooting animation starts and goes until the bullet fired. So the soldier or alien is aiming with the gun and when fired the animation stops and the unit go to idle state. You don't see the weapon lowering part of the animation. It resets when the bullet is air.

Same for the damaged animation to unit. When a bullet goes to a unit, you see a 1-2 frame and its again idle.. You see only a falter at that unit, not a whole damaged animation.

This things mostly could be unseen because of the heat of the game or you don't care much but it's annoying same time.

Please can you check this at your side? With normal game, XCE and with another mods.. I dont have any reason to have that kind of global bug in animations both our and alien side..