19 Feb Development Update

[Thomas]

Any chance of a release of just the editor? I saw the shout out to the community for maps. The editor crashes repeatedly on me with V17.6.1. I would love to contribute but can not with the current setup.

[Avid]

Thanks for the update!

[Chris]

Hmmm - Thomas, the level editor included is pretty much the version we're using at our end I think. Don't think there's been many changes to it since V17.6 was released. When is it crashing?

[Thomas]

It happens in the level editor if I try to move a submap that I have placed. It happens every time.As long as I do not try to move or change a placed sub it's ok. I get the old program not responding/end windows box when it happens.

[carnesaur]

hey so quick question. in the original xcom, when a ufo was shot down based on damage, it would be more destroyed on the combat map.( ie more of the ships walls were blown apart and there was more fire, which I believe was randomly generated)

is this planned in xenonauts? or do you guys just plan on a single craft with single or set destroyed points?

[Gauddlike]

Thomas are you using the standalone or desura versions?

Curious if it is related to the file compression.

[RavenX]

Looks like things are coming together nicely and timely as well. I love it when a plan comes together

[Junmarko]

Good to hear. Been waiting ages for this game - it's good to know you guys are taking your time to make sure it's perfect. No one will remember if it's late, only if it's good!

[Dangermouth]

Will wait to see what these bring. Based on my experience though ... er, can I have my money back? Simply because playing on easy as I do, I'm getting creamed out there as it is and I'd be stuck with having to repeat the first week forever if I were playing properly. So the 'balance' is even more 'unbalanced'.

[thothkins]

anything happening in particular Dangermouth?

[Thomas]

Hello all! Sorry for the delay got involved in that ugly thing called work..ugghh..damn them for eating into my game time. I have the latest (V17.6.1) standalone to answer your question Gauddlike. I can create submaps in that editor and I can place them in the level editor but if I try to move anything I get program stopped responding(end) box. Im on windows 8 x64 if it matters.

Edit: The game itself runs fine. It could be possible be just a corruption of the editor file??

Edited March 2, 2013 by Thomas

[MacGyverDTH]

I searched in the forums but could not find any info, so i ask here: Is there any (approx.) date for V18 (beta) ? I want to start play Xenonauts when the beta is released. Can't wait to start playing.

[thothkins]

It's not too far away. There's no specific date I'm aware of. In fact, a lot of folks would rather there wasn't a date mentioned until it was pretty much done and dusted.

It's better that way, rather than setting a date and not being able to meet it because of issues coming up in development.

[Arturius]

Everyone else - I don't know exactly when beta will be. I'm thinking roughly a month, so late March.

If all goes well beta could start on 31st of March.

[thothkins]

Yup, don't want to set up any expectations round here

[Lancebloke]

Chris - I have still had fighter crashing issues in 17.6 which stop me getting further than early October. I'll delete my save files and give it another go. Would you like me to send anything anywhere if the same issue comes up for me again?

[RavenX]

Yup, don't want to set up any expectations round here

Or anywhere else really for that matter. At least not when it comes to devs mentioning possible time-frames. Unexpected things can always pop up during development cycles and dates can get pushed back often as I'm sure we all know. Internally this isn't a problem but if people outside the team are expecting something, even beta testers, they can feel jilted if exact dates aren't stuck to like glue.

It makes me miss the good old days of being a beta tester where you either got paid to do proper testing or were compensated with at least a free copy of the game and a mention in the credits. Now days companies know they can get gamers to test their games for them for free and even pay for the chance to do so. Hence monetizing and outsourcing QA both at the same time, while mentally getting the consumers en mass to except buggy unfinished software when a company simply releases something as is and then stops supporting the product.

You can't blame a small company like Goldhawk or a bigger indie like Stardock for doing this as it's more or less standard in the industry now and it legitimately helps companies like them who need the help financially making a good game. Larger companies like Blizzard for example though can afford to dump millions into QA to make sure they put out a flawless product but they don't, instead choosing to milk their customers for extra cash and make them falsely feel special because they're in a "beta".

The good ol days didn't last nearly long enough. Once upon a time it used to be possible to pay your bills on a beta tester's income without having to directly work for a big publisher or report to a office every day. If I could turn back the clock and set the industry as a whole to rights I'd do it a heartbeat.

Edited March 3, 2013 by RavenX

[Chris]

The next build is due next week. Whether it will be beta or just a really feature complete predecessor to it, I don't know. Beta should be this month though.

[GizmoGomez]

Sweet!

[janprusak]

The Beta better be as complete as possible. I think another alpha build is OK.

[TNoyce]

Thanks for the update Chris.

I know you must all be tired of rehashing the fixes from build to build, but it's worth it to see a good game at the end.

[KATAGARI]

Thanks for the update Chris...Thx all Dev Xenonauts Team

[RikazeMA]

WOOT! I'm so stoked! Knew it was time to stop lurking, and just grazing over the threads and actually read some posts. I know you can't say when you'll be releasing for sure, but I hope you miraculously swing a summer release somehow. It'd be a perfect way to spend my free-time over the summer, since the semester will be over and all. =D

EDIT: And seeing as how it's 1 AM and I've been doing homework all night, I forgot to mention that at least the Beta will make a kick-ass late birthday present that I bought myself... What, a year ago now? Two? Whatever, it'll be kick-ass, that's for sure!

[thothkins]

Yeah, that's how I justified it to myself last year. Well, I have birthday pennies...

[Mordac]

Hi Chris - I know I might sound like a broken record, if so I apologize ahead of time. Is there any chance that you will take another look at the spread on auto/burst fire and missed shots as part of the balancing? At least a few other people agree with me that the arc of fire is too wide to be believable. Gauddlike and I both believe that to compensate for increased accuracy of a tightened arc you could simply have some of the misses pass through the target tile without hitting whatever target creature is in there (similar to what you do for crouched soldiers now.) It would simply be "near miss." The miss could then carry on and hit something/someone behind or just exit the map. It could even hit just short of the target i.e. in the ground at it's "feet". It is worth noting that this would account for some of the shots going "high" or "low" which happens often in real life. Mathematically, you could easily make the average chance to hit work out the same as it does now, but have a much better "look" to auto fire and your soldiers and aliens wouldn't "look" as incompetent with their shooting.

This is a good idea I think.