Various modding related suggestions

[Lt_Parsons]

As i wait for 18.4 to be approved and appear on desura, i thought there would be no better time to suggest some changes because of increased workload regarding to steam preparations, as Chris posted in announce.

Game is already very moddable, but with some changes it can became even more versatile.

Some things i might posted earlier somewhere else, but write here anyway (if it wasn't answered or answered clearly enough) to make it easier to find and respond to.

I'll try to make suggestions as easy to implement as i can think of. Each thing listed can be worthwhile on its own, but most will be better if applied together.

Geoscape:

1) Define colors for tileset map in xml, so adding new tilesets became possible without engine changes (right now colors seems to be hardcoded).

2) Define list of funding nations (with corresponding name prefix for region images and funding multiplier property) in xml, so new funding regions could be added (right now region list seems to be hardcoded).

Ground combat:

3) Make weapon animation type and bullet trajectory type defined separately (right now both defined by one property - bulletType="").

It is needed for possibility of grenade launchers, mortars, flare guns, etc. Related to this.

4) Create additional completely linear weapon projectile trajectory type (we already have default ballistic with bullet drop and plunging for grenades).

This will further diversify possible weapons and mitigate strange laser projectile behavior.

5) Move flare light effect and its radius to weapon ammo properties (to where "fireChance" and "smokeChance" is; right now it is hard-linked to weapon animation "bulletType="flare" parameter).

Needed for flare guns and similar weapons. Suggested here.

6) Add projectile light effect option to ammo properties, so bullets, laser beams etc. irradiate light in mid-air.

This will made possible tracer rounds and make energy weapons shots better-looking.

7) Implement settings for projectile origin point in animation sprites.

Will make shot animations better-looking by not shooting with your face or feet and make possible more exotic custom weapons.

8) If it is possible, can we have sight angle property back? It became hardcoded some time ago.

This change will add some interesting peripheral vision differences to armor. Found and discussed somewhat here and reported as bug and confirmed as hardcoded here.

Engine:

9) Not sure if possible, but move ground combat accuracy and damage calculations to lua scripts in "assets/scripts" folder to make it moddable, so we can experiment with them and fine-tune shooting mechanics.

[GizmoGomez]

Sounds like a party to me.

I especially like #3, flare guns have been on my mind for a while now.

[thothkins]

off the top of my head

Having a way of the ticker being tied to events or whatever the player wishes.

So you could have a dialogue boxes showing the escalating effects of the invasion. Alternately, you could have certain missions occur at certain ticker points.

Psionics to be moddable to allow humans

I'd very much like 2, if only to add to the nations within the current maps. I think there was an older thread where changing the maps could be done, but my memory tells me it was quite a lot of work.