Experimental Build V19 Hotfix1!

[Aaron]

Just a quick update to say I've released a hotfix for the experimental build on Steam which fixes the following:

- Fixed explosives/smoke crash

- Fixed medical kit healing value bug

It also adds the first pass at the revamped alien turn/hidden movement screen. This is very fresh code, so please report any bugs you see in the experimental builds bug thread.

Your copy of Xenonauts should update automatically if you have opted in to the experimental branch. Be warned there is no guarantee of saved game compatibility between experimental versions.

If you do not know how to access the experimental branch, please read this thread.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Aaron

[Korpah]

keep up the good work

is this save game completable?

[Razunter]

"Hidden movement" image now overlaps "visible" movement (loaded from previous in-battle save)

[ThunderGr]

Started a new game, 1st mission. Medikits are still 1/50.

[Aaron]

I have no idea if loading saved games will work, but I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work well particularly when loading into an old Ground Combat.

If you aren't seeing fixes, please make sure Steam actually updated your copy of the game - it should say V19 EXPERIMENTAL HOTFIX 1 in the top right of the launcher.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Aaron

[ThunderGr]

It seems that steam has a weird method of determining when to apply updates...One would expect they would do so when you start the game, but no, they do it randomly, whenever they like...

Anyway, it is working as stated now. Thank you. Returning to game .

[Sathra]

Awesome news.

[Korpah]

the hidden movement screen should not be displayed if you have visual on an enemie (cause you cannot see where the run to) if the screen is in front of it, also you cannot see where the enemie plasma fire is comming from

also if its the civilians turn the word "alien turn" should be Civilian turn, walked 4 times to a location where there was movement and it turned out to be a civilian.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Korpah

[Aaron]

I should have said the alien turn/hidden movement changes are a work in progress, more work will be done to improve how the camera tracks movement during the alien turn.

[Korpah]

keep up the great work! thanks to the fixes i play a whole day of xenonauts again =) (can't wait till final version )

[Slacker2785]

Ya I like the new look, but like the other people said I can't see anything now; even if the alien is standing next to me shooting.

[Amonchakad]

As much as I understand the emotional value of the "hidden movement" screen for x-com fans, it is simply a terrible game mechanic.

It's intrusive, breaks game immersion, and most importantly it is completely useless; a simple box beneath the "alien turn" text that says "(hidden movement)" would work so much better.

[GizmoGomez]

One request for Aaron:

Can you upload only the changed files onto, say, a dropbox or something and post the link?

Since I'm on a mac, and v19 is Windows only, the process for me to apply the fix is much more complicated and time consuming. I'll have to run WinSteam (windows steam in a wineskin wrapper) and update the game, and copy and replace the entire game folder into my other Xenonauts v19 Wineskin, since I don't know which files were affected by the fix.

Actually, that gives me an idea. If uploading the files is too much of a hassle, could you simply tell me which files need to be replaced?

That'd reduce the copy-pasting by a TON.

Again, if it's too much of a hassle, don't worry about it. You've got more important things to work on.

Thanks!

[Ol' Stinky]

As much as I understand the emotional value of the "hidden movement" screen for x-com fans, it is simply a terrible game mechanic.

It's intrusive, breaks game immersion, and most importantly it is completely useless; a simple box beneath the "alien turn" text that says "(hidden movement)" would work so much better.

Seriously, this. This compromise is better than the fullscreen hidden movement screen, but it's still jarring. It's like having your little cousin barge into the room, hold his hand in front of the screen for a few seconds, then run out giggling. Then he does it again at each turn. I know the idea's iconic (I don't read much games media nowadays, but I notice in the Steam Xeno news page the current top article even uses it as its main picture) but having the camera hold position over your troops would be more atmospheric and less irritating. If the hidden movement screen has to stay, please make it an option.

[In Armor Clad]

Seriously' date=' this. This compromise is better than the fullscreen hidden movement screen, but it's still jarring. It's like having your little cousin barge into the room, hold his hand in front of the screen for a few seconds, then run out giggling. Then he does it again at each turn. I know the idea's iconic (I don't read much games media nowadays, but I notice in the Steam Xeno news page the current top article even uses it as its main picture) but having the camera hold position over your troops would be more atmospheric and less irritating. If the hidden movement screen has to stay, please make it an option.[/quote']

I also agree - the full screen 'Hidden Alien Movement' just completely took the presence out of the game for me.

The smaller pop-up window had a similar feeling of 'removing me from the game', though not quite as bad. I don't have any real solution to the 'problem', though. Maybe if the box was smaller and in a corner, it wouldn't be so immersion breaking.

[GizmoGomez]

Give it transparency?

I mean, I'm an original X-Com-er, I like the hidden movement screen purely for nostalgia's sake. However, I agree that it's not managed properly. Also, the "Alien's Turn" words should be changed to Civilian's Turn and Local Forces' Turn if we are to include that. In short, I'm against the inclusion of the "Alien's Turn" words and alien head. It add's unnecessary clutter to the screen. I think that the hidden movement screen, even in it's smaller state, expresses what needs to be expressed. I mean, of course it's not your turn anymore, you pressed a big red button labeled "END TURN".

[mrstinkyweasle]

Eek what happened? I didn't mind the hidden movement full screen which disappeared when an enemy strayed into view. It's taken a step backwards - now I cannot see where they are shooting from at all! Half the time, I need to do a scan through the squad to see if anyone was actually hit or not!

[aeon]

As much as I understand the emotional value of the "hidden movement" screen for x-com fans, it is simply a terrible game mechanic.

It's intrusive, breaks game immersion, and most importantly it is completely useless; a simple box beneath the "alien turn" text that says "(hidden movement)" would work so much better.

I'd like this too. Just because it was in old x-com(s) doesn't mean it has a place in a remake. Music + instant deaths were the source of the tension.

[Ol' Stinky]

Eek what happened? I didn't mind the hidden movement full screen which disappeared when an enemy strayed into view. It's taken a step backwards - now I cannot see where they are shooting from at all! Half the time, I need to do a scan through the squad to see if anyone was actually hit or not!

To be fair, I think that's not intended and is down to a bug - when your squad's actually taking fire or an alien moves into their line of sight, the screen's meant to go away and let you see what's happening. The hidden movement screen obscuring stuff that shouldn't be obscured happened to me a few times in v18 and earlier as well.

[mrstinkyweasle]

To be fair' date=' I think that's not intended and is down to a bug - when your squad's actually taking fire or an alien moves into their line of sight, the screen's meant to go away and let you see what's happening. The hidden movement screen obscuring stuff that shouldn't be obscured happened to me a few times in v18 and earlier as well.[/quote']

Now that makes much more sense - didn't make sense to me otherwise!

[Solver]

The hidden movement screen looks even more terrible now, and also hides alien actions that you should be able to see.

[Gauddlike]

A quick fix might still be changing the hiddenmove.jpg that the game looks for to hiddenmove.png.

Then you could add a transparency to however much of it you want and everyone could have it their own way.

[Gauddlike]

Ah ok turns out that they actually already did that so you can change your own hidden movement overlay to whatever you want as long as it matches the dimensions of the existing one.

Here is a quick sample of the one I just knocked up to test for anyone who is interested.

http://i.imgur.com/cAtyPqP.jpg

You could easily leave the border off or even remove the words as well and just have a pretty much blank image so you just get a slightly faded out screen.

*edit* And another.

http://i.imgur.com/Qedwewd.jpg

/assets/gui/groundcombat/hiddenmovement to find the image file.

Edited June 17, 2013 by Gauddlike

[Solver]

Thanks, that looks much better. The current implementation hides even aliens firing at me so I can't figure out where I'm taking fire from and what kind of fire, so that makes quite a few combat situations frustrating.

[GizmoGomez]

That's awesome, I like the second one especially. I still dislike the "Alien's Turn" words and icon, especially since it's up even when it's not their turn anymore, but the civilian's and local forces turns. It's misleading. Either get rid of it entirely (my favorite), or put in Civilian's Turn and Local Forces' Turn as well (which would look tacky and lame in my opinion.)