Xenonauts Papercuts

[IBNobody]

The game is great, and I'm having to stop myself from playing the Alpha too much. Still, I saw that there were a few rough edges that I'd hope to see resolved in the release candidate.

Combat:

* I can't reserve TU's for kneeling. I know this was a common complaint. Maybe a quick fix would be to enable TU reservation by right-clicking on the kneel icon?

* There is no "next unit" button or hotkey that you can use to cycle to the next unit with full TU's. You can use the mouse wheel to cycle through units, but that brings up units that have no free TU's. When I'm cycling through my units, it's usually because I'm at the end of my turn. I want to make sure everybody has moved.

* There are no quick-save / quick-load buttons or hotkeys. I know many of you like to play iron man. I don't. I'm more of a deus-ex-machina type of player. I like to play on hard mode with save and reload in order to get that perfect game. (As a bonus, I'd like to see the quick-save generate a new save game each time.)

* I can't overwrite an existing save. Clicking on a save greys out the save button.

* Where is the option to use reserved TU's for shots? The tooltip for the "TU Reserve" UI mentions a setting in the game options, but the game options don't have that isn't there.

* Hitting ESC brings up the save/load/options menu, but hitting ESC again doesn't close it.

* I've seen multiple occasions where I'm given a shot at the enemy (% chance to hit), but the next shot has no chance to hit.

Soldier Equipment Screen:

* I can't delete/clear roles I created by accident.

* When selecting armor, the "clickbox" is very small. I have to click BELOW the armor name. (Ex: The game interprets clicking on the "Jackal Armor" text as a "Basic Armor" selection.)

[Buzzles]

I'm only answering a few of these, but most of your points are valid.

* There is no "next unit" button or hotkey that you can use to cycle to the next unit with full TU's. You can use the mouse wheel to cycle through units, but that brings up units that have no free TU's. When I'm cycling through my units, it's usually because I'm at the end of my turn. I want to make sure everybody has moved.

It's probably something that could be added, but are the boxes which show Health/AP/Morale for all your soldiers not enough for you to tell who has AP left and who doesn't?

* There are no quick-save / quick-load buttons or hotkeys. I know many of you like to play iron man. I don't. I'm more of a deus-ex-machina type of player. I like to play on hard mode with save and reload in order to get that perfect game. (As a bonus, I'd like to see the quick-save generate a new save game each time.)

Er, yes. Quicksave isn't in. Which is odd, as I thought it was, just undocumented. Hmm.

As an aside, I'm curious why you're playing on hard mode yet doing save+reload if it goes wrong. Have you tried not reloading and then having to deal with your mistakes and the new situation you're in?

I ask because I used to do the same on Enemy Unknown, but I found the game far more enjoyable if I didn't keep trying to get a "perfect" round each time.

* I can't overwrite an existing save. Clicking on a save greys out the save button.

Click on the save game name, then click on the text box. Type in the same name. That'll let you overwrite it.

* Where is the option to use reserved TU's for shots? The tooltip for the "TU Reserve" UI mentions a setting in the game options, but the game options don't have that isn't there.

I think that currently you can only reserve it. You have to unreserve it if you actually want to use it.

I wouldn't quite trust the tooltips just yet.

* Hitting ESC brings up the save/load/options menu, but hitting ESC again doesn't close it.

* I've seen multiple occasions where I'm given a shot at the enemy (% chance to hit), but the next shot has no chance to hit.

Bugs, glorious bugs.

Soldier Equipment Screen:

* I can't delete/clear roles I created by accident.

Roles have just been added for V16. They're not finished yet.

* When selecting armor, the "clickbox" is very small. I have to click BELOW the armor name. (Ex: The game interprets clicking on the "Jackal Armor" text as a "Basic Armor" selection.)

What size resolution do you have the game at? There's issues with the UI sizes at certain resolutions which are on the to-do list.

Edited October 14, 2012 by Buzzles

[ElTee]

Although OP is wrong, overwriting games is not easy.

You have to click on the save, type a new name (or re-type the old one), click save and then click the 'OK' button for overwriting. That's a lot of steps for overwriting a save file. :l Why not just make it so you double click the existing save, and then it asks if you want to overwrite it?

[IBNobody]

Thanks for your comments. It helped me rethink a few things.

It's probably something that could be added, but are the boxes which show Health/AP/Morale for all your soldiers not enough for you to tell who has AP left and who doesn't?

What you describe is what I am doing now. I just have a bad habit of not moving my rocket launcher trooper because he doesn't shoot every turn.

A "next unmoved unit" button/hotkey has been in many games. It was even in the original X-COM. I'm not sure why it was left out of Xenonauts.

Er, yes. Quicksave isn't in. Which is odd, as I thought it was, just undocumented. Hmm.

As an aside, I'm curious why you're playing on hard mode yet doing save+reload if it goes wrong. Have you tried not reloading and then having to deal with your mistakes and the new situation you're in?

I ask because I used to do the same on Enemy Unknown, but I found the game far more enjoyable if I didn't keep trying to get a "perfect" round each time.

You're right. I only abuse loading/saving when I do something extremely stupid or if I need to meet a specific goal (like stun an enemy). My perfect game is where nobody dies.

<ON SAVING...> Click on the save game name, then click on the text box. Type in the same name. That'll let you overwrite it.

That may work, but at that point, I should just type in a new name.

Let me refine my comment, then...

* Saving shouldn't require mandatory keyboard input.

What size resolution do you have the game at? There's issues with the UI sizes at certain resolutions which are on the to-do list.

I'm running at 1680x1050 and 1600x900 Windowed.

[Gorlom]

A "next unmoved unit" button/hotkey has been in many games. It was even in the original X-COM. I'm not sure why it was left out of Xenonauts.

I think the "next unit" button was not included for fear of cluttering the UI. Probably also was considered unnecessary when you have the info available on screen and mousescroll+ hotkeys for quickly selecting the specific units.

[IBNobody]

I think the "next unit" button was not included for fear of cluttering the UI. Probably also was considered unnecessary when you have the info available on screen and mousescroll+ hotkeys for quickly selecting the specific units.

I totally understand the UI clutter aspect. That's why I suggested a hotkey.

[Jean-Luc]

I thought one could already use the number keys (or the F1-12 ones?) to select specific soldiers.

[Shuichi Niwa]

* There is no "next unit" button or hotkey that you can use to cycle to the next unit with full TU's. You can use the mouse wheel to cycle through units, but that brings up units that have no free TU's. When I'm cycling through my units, it's usually because I'm at the end of my turn. I want to make sure everybody has moved.

Yeah, the thing I used the most in the old XCOM was the button "remove this unit from the circle and to next unit". I loved that button T_T And this game would be great for me if they have a TAB button to switch to the next unit.

One more thing that's very annoying. I set the soldier role, and it's only for equipping. In the combat screen I can't find their role indicating anywhere. Which mean I have to assign them callsign that relate to their role again... I thought that with the new [very great] role system we should have that role indicator in the combat screen ?

[Chris]

Good points, these. The reserving APs stuff we'll have to look at in beta, as I don't think it'll be a case of simply just adding a couple of quick icons in so it's not a quick fix. But it is known.

The cycle through units with remaining APs button is a possibility, though it will be a keyboard shortcut if it goes in. But lots of people want different functionality out of it - there's even two different suggestions in this thread too. There's also the question of how people will find out the key is even there if it's just a hotkey. Something for beta.

To be fixed up in short order: the soldier role deletion, save game overwriting functionality, the Escape menu closing.