Xenonauts: Marine Edition

[cspruce]

July 19th 2013 - New Haircuts, cleaned up facial textures

More on the progress here:http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/6199-Xenonauts-Marine-Edition?p=76969&viewfull=1#post76969

Random choice of 5% Navy Petty Officer or Chief but more than likely you'll recruit a Marine in Khaki portrait uniform.

July 14th 2013 - The last of the updates:

You should probably listen to the new main menu music before you look below:

This will conclude the last of the updates for the weekend. Well it looks like it's all coming together now, phase one is almost complete (Textures, simple XML mechanics revised). Phase two will consist of retexturing the ground combat units (busy work). The last phase won't take place until the game is released and that will consist of the aircraft carrier, ranks etcetera (as long as some of the hardcoded characteristics can be broken).

*BETA TESTING*

I need a couple Beta Testers, who's up for it? Not so fast, your mission will be to help me find bugs and test every aspect that I've modded. I'd prefer someone with modding experience that way they can help me debug anything that is wrong, but that won't exclude you.

I spent today compiling the mod and thoroughly checking over the XML's and I'm please to report all errors are gone. If you're interested bump my thread and make sure you have room for an invitation in your mailbox. Thanks for taking an interest in my mod and now enjoy some of the updated screenshots on me; have a great rest of your weekend! - Charlie

(Updated) Ingame Images:

Main Screen, has custom music too.

New Game Difficulty Screen; not much I can do about the text, I will probably redo the clipboard at some point.

Base Icons, Aircraft strings and Icons updated to include C-130 (not pictured)

Predeployment Screen - I have yet to find a suitable backdrop, I will keep looking. However both male and female Marines now have custom face portraits as well as custom info to reflect their actual MCRUC "unit".

Aircraft Screen - Will be replaced by a V-22 Osprey Image. I updated the Aircraft Strings & Unit Icons as well. I have to reinstall ArmA2 to get descent top view screenshots of these aircraft. I searched on google images today but didn't have any luck or at least anything highres to use.

Will be replaced by a AV-8B Harrier Image.

End Mission Screen - reflects some of the changes.

July 13th 2013 - XML Updates:

http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/6199-My-Little-Marine-Mod?p=75668&viewfull=1#post75668

July 7th 2013 (Pics in Link)- Armor progression post.

http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/6199-My-Little-Marine-Mod?p=74210&viewfull=1#post74210

Development Explained:

Part 1 - http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/6199-My-Little-Marine-Mod?p=74222&viewfull=1#post74222

Part 2 - http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/6199-My-Little-Marine-Mod?p=74225&viewfull=1#post74225

Part 3 - http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/6199-My-Little-Marine-Mod?p=74227&viewfull=1#post74227

July 6th 2013 (Pics in Link) - I've completed the Male Portraits and there's a little surprise as well!

http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/6199-My-Little-Marine-Mod?p=74133&viewfull=1#post74133

July 5th 2013 (Pics in Link) - Updated Uniforms: Basic, Jackal & Wolf on Page 2 http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/6199-My-Little-Marine-Mod?p=73920&viewfull=1#post73920

July 5th 2013 - Updated the game difficulty menu.

July 4th 2013 - I finished a couple of the barracks pics for the MARPAT Uniform and the NBC Suit.

"Images removed because of Armor Progression update"

July 3rd 2013 - I spent a few hours today working on a Marine Modification, anyway I need some feedback from you before I progress on any further. Would you prefer MARPAT or DESMARPAT for battle? Thanks for your time.

I'm a long time advocate for the X-Com series, as a kid I played it for hours and hours. I'm so pleased that Xenonauts has been created, so much so that I decided that since I'm not working right now I thought I'd start work on a mod for it. I was in the Marines for many years but I'm out now, thus the reasoning behind making a Marine conversion for this game. If you have any suggestions or things you'd like to see please let me know, thanks.

Main Features:

-Floating Base; I'd like to make a floating CVN Xenonauts base. It will have a much smaller layout than a traditional base but you'll be able to move it around the geospace much like you do with the aircraft. The idea behind it is to mimic something close to the MPPS (Maritime Prepositioning Ship) doctrine. In the begining it will be built just like a base is but you won't be able to move it, that will take some scripting to achieve. Anyway that's really the only big thing I have planned. Other than that it's going to take me quite awhile to retexture the hundreds of battle icons to reflect MARPAT.

-AOR Uniform; much like how the civilians are scripted to look different depending on which part of the world you are doing battle in, your troops will wear a different uniform. I already know how to do this but it'll be the last feature I complete.

-Pilots; I'd like to be able to assign pilots to aircraft so that they get xp and rank up just like the ground forces do. I'm not sure how I'd do this yet but I'm planning on poking around in the scripting to see what I can accomplish.

-New Rank System

-New Awards and Citations to reflect actual ones

-I'll probably incorporate a realistic weapon and aircraft mod when a suitable option is available upon release

-New Vehicles, LAV, Stryker, and something sci-fyish

-Retexture of all Xenonauts Marine Units as well as in Barracks mode

-Basic Armor will be replaced with the Marine Corps "Charlie" or "Delta" uniform to reflect MP's or MSG. The idea behind this is that when your base is attacked your MP's and MSG (lower ranks in training) will grab their weapons and defend. All of the advanced armor will be retextured, at some point I might alter it or create something new.

-Jackal Armor will be replaced with a suitable modern Marine load-out of "Deuce Gear"

Roles:

Awards:

Edited July 19, 2013 by cspruce
updating

[Ol' Stinky]

My vote's for MARPAT. Good luck with the mod!

[raziel1981]

wow thats some amazing stuff cspurce! way to go!

[Xenomorph]

The floating base idea is awesome I hope you do find the time and motivation for something like that. Just like having carriers

Might be a good idea to wait for the next stab;e version for the scripting, tho.

[thothkins]

looks impressive. Looking forward to seeing more.

- did anyone else read "marine" and think it was going to be about Terror from the Deep?

[Giovanni]

Love the Game Over and Ground Combat Loading screens!

[Solarius Scorch]

This is a very ambitious project, containing a lot of difficult, new features, like the mobile base. It'll be very interesting to watch your progress, so good luck!

- did anyone else read "marine" and think it was going to be about Terror from the Deep?

I thought about My Little Pony, because this **** is everywhere.

[cspruce]

This is a very ambitious project, containing a lot of difficult, new features, like the mobile base. It'll be very interesting to watch your progress, so good luck!

I thought about My Little Pony, because this **** is everywhere.

LOL, yeah the scripting will be the last thing done unless someone wants to help. I'm more of a graphic artist so I'll be focusing on that.

[Lionheart2]

Excellent! I cannot wait to play this! Semper Fidelis, alien s****!

[thothkins]

jeepers. excellent updates too!

[WalrusJones]

This is awesomely done.

I am getting hungry!

[cspruce]

Just putting the final touches on the first three uniforms. I have some more done but I want to wait and surprise you because I have to admit I'm pretty stoked about the advanced armors. I based all the future combat armor designs on my favorite concept artists drawings. You'll see a uniformed evolution between the Buzzard up to the Colossus.

Basic armor will be replaced by the Service Alphas.

Jackal armor will be replaced by the MARPAT Uniform.

Wolf armor will be replaced by the NBC Suit. I know it's not a natural progression but my thinking behind it was that your protecting yourself from the elements.

Detail: These were photos I found on the internet or had taken over the years. I used corel painter to give them a quick painting, and then accented the edges in photoshop with a drop-shadow, very easy. Laser glow is a brush, and then a simple red line faded. I was going to do the same thing for the armor but I have been looking for a reason so use Theo's concepts at some point in my life, mission accomplished.

and lastly a new V-22 Osprey Icon

Detail: I took a V22 drawing from google, saturated to green, re-pasted the rotor layers, blurred, rotated and faded to give it a spinning look. 10 minutes (I spent more time looking for the right image then I did working on this simple replacement).

Edited July 7, 2013 by cspruce
addition

[thothkins]

Looking forward to seeing them. I didn't appreciate how thorough this mod was going to be in that it's looking at the advanced equipment too.

[WalrusJones]

Looking forward to seeing them. I didn't appreciate how thorough this mod was going to be in that it's looking at the advanced equipment too.

Hey....

-.-

I have that as an eventual goal.

[cspruce]

Male Portraits

A little tease...

[cspruce]

Looking forward to seeing them. I didn't appreciate how thorough this mod was going to be in that it's looking at the advanced equipment too.

I think massive technological advancement is kind of a necessary evil, I'll explain. In the game we are essentially reverse-engineering alien technology, it would seem odd if at the end game we were still using cased ammunition when the aliens are using plasma. I'm sure I will incorporate the aircraft mod as well as a weapon mod at some point when they're more refined. The only other alternative would be to replace the current advancements with current USMC technology and that sounds like an awesome idea I agree but that is a massive undertaking. I'm not really much of a scripter, I know enough to get by but that's all.

[WalrusJones]

Man, I really like your artwork.

You are clearly on a level above me in that regard.

[cspruce]

Thanks but I can't take credit for the concept art of the robot, you'll learn soon though about it. I wouldn't say I'm good, alot of it is really just tricks you learn in photoshop or corel painter. I think the biggest thing that separates artists is creativity. If you take that away whats left? Skill; anyone can obtain skill through practice. I once was told when I was in school that every artist has 10,000 bad drawings in him/her. Once you get through those 10,000 awful drawings then you are done =). To mass produce images I create templates, I'll show you what I mean when I recreate all the battlespace infantry images.

Edited July 7, 2013 by cspruce

[WalrusJones]

I make templates as well, before I got assistance from laggywolf, I had several half done templates for my own versions of the SKS sprite, and I am still working on some magazines this way as well. (Albiet, some weapons I haven't even tried to make a mag for: The M1911, ETC ETC.)

It still takes me extreme periods of time to finish a single piece of good art, or clean narrow sections of art that conflicts with the UI.

The rate you are putting out work terrifies me, I am sure your mod will eat mine up someday if I don't get a fire under my ass and at least finish the early gear at the very least.

[GizmoGomez]

I like the V-22, it looks sweet. You should release that as a stand alone mod, I'd use that.

[cspruce]

This completes my armor progression. I decided to have a nice uniformed progression so I chose one concept artist, moreover my all time favorite one Theo Stylianides. Google him, he does really great work. If you like what you see and want to get involved I could always use the help. If not tell your friends about this great game! I will be going back and explaining how I achieved each of the projects I've completed so far. In addition at some point I will make my PSD files available if you want to view them or use them for your own projects. I must look for a job next week, so there won't be as many updates. I hope you enjoy what I've done so far, I look forward to releasing a beta at some point.

Detail: I used lens flare and laser brushes on these images. I duplicated the main layer, saturated it to black and used gaussian blur for a quick artsy shadow. Background is just a vertical gradient.

[cspruce]

Detail extended: Part 1 Portraits

Organization is very important, that way you know where everything is, especially if you plan on sharing a file with someone else. For the Uniformed portraits I found a couple nice flags and produced a background image with some cropping. For the uniform I used a stock image (promotion board photo). I then sorted all of the faces (heads) into color and decided how many different heads I was going to need to create. Once this was done I put them all into folders and created a head template for each race. I then wiped out the center hollow as seen in the below photo.

The next thing I did was take all of the heads and delete verything but the faces. I then resized each one to fit the head. I then used channels to adjust the hue, contrast and saturation to equalize the color to match the head. Anything that didn't match up I then used a brush and matched it to the skin tone, I then set the opacity to 30% and began to fade in until they looked close. Any images that had glasses, I created another layer on top of the main head image as the frame by the ear. I did this for all 82 portraits; elapsed time was 3.2 hours. Again like I always do I think I spent a good hour to hour and half on top of the actual work time just finding the right source images or creating something from scratch.

[WalrusJones]

I'm glad to see a healthy number of layers being used.

[cspruce]

Detail: Part 2

The source image was from an Officer Graduation portrait. I then cleaned up the uniform using the clonestamp tool. I then stamped out any awards, rank etcetera that way you have a nice neat uniform to work on. For the awards and ribbons I made each one custom using a ribbon checker. The rank I made and then skewed, warped and resized using some perspective. The sword is from a photo, if you look carefully you can see my face in the blade! Minor shadow touchups were made on the uniform and cover. You can't see it but I sorted the awards and rank by the game difficulty level.

Edited July 7, 2013 by cspruce

[cspruce]

Detail: Part 3

Just like about everything is sorted to where they belong. In each folder is the text of the avatar, with a silhouette of the weapon, rank or badge. For the infantry logos I reduced the opacity to 60%, each time I did a MARPAT logo I moved the MARPAT texture at the bottom in the camo section. I think the little things count, the more variety the better. This was really just busy work like the portraits, everything is just a source image, I didn't need to create anything from scratch. Once again I spent more time finding the right source images then actually working. I think it pays off in the end though.