Super cool, fun idea! Occasional super-NPC! Easy to program too!

[StellarRat]

Every one in 20 or one in 40 armed NPCs should be a Rambo or Dirty Harry type guy/girl. That would be a hoot!

Check out this thread: http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/7199-Local-Forces?p=83615&viewfull=1#post83615

[SalsaDoom]

Every one in 20 or one in 40 armed NPCs should be a Rambo or Dirty Harry type guy/girl. That would be a hoot!

Check out this thread: http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/7199-Local-Forces?p=83615&viewfull=1#post83615

I like this idea, because part of the fun is random things happening. It leads to entertaining situations. As a rarely occurring event it would make for a treat from the predictable monotony that can/does happen.

[TrashMan]

Yes.

Multiple levels of NPC's with their own stats.

CIVILIAN - all around low-stats

TOUGH_CIV - (guys who have a gun) slighly better stats, mostly in the accuracy department

COP - even better stats (+5 on everything at least), better accuracy

DIRTY HARRY - decent stats, skilled shot

ARMY - better than a cop, but mostly better equipment

VETERAN - better stats, same equipment

COMMANDO/RAMBO - great stats, best equipment

[Ishantil]

"Wait...why does that civilian have an M-60?!?"

[GizmoGomez]

Unfortunately we're limited by the available sprites.

Should we make Rambo the same sprite for every tileset? I think the "random dude with a shotgun who shows up on every map dressed the same way" could become quite legendary.

[SalsaDoom]

"Wait...why does that civilian have an M-60?!?"

Eh, in parts of the US I think this would probably be fairly normal.

[GizmoGomez]

The only problem would be making a civilian sprite with the FN Minimi. (No M60s in the game, sorry. )

EDIT: Least, if I remember correctly it's the Minimi.

[Ishantil]

You might be right, Giz, I don't remember the exact machine gun they are using. I'm pretty certain it's not actually an M-60 (too big of a weapon)

[EchoFourDelta]

You might be right, Giz, I don't remember the exact machine gun they are using. I'm pretty certain it's not actually an M-60 (too big of a weapon)

The gun in-game is the Belgian FN MAG, a medium machine gun chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, and the precursor to the US military's M240 series of machine guns.

It looks very much like a bigger brother of the Minimi, and shares some vaguely similar guts and design characteristics, but is a good deal larger and heavier than its little brother, as well as most other medium/general purpose machine guns, and especially so compared to light machine guns and automatic rifles designed for operating in a capacity like we see in-game. A Minimi would actually be a great deal more appropriate for what we see the Xenonauts doing; the MAG/M240 is usually relegated to deployment with dedicated machine gun teams of two or three individuals, or mounted on light armored/utility trucks, due to the weight of the system and the ammo it fires (and the rate at which it expends it in combat).

If anyone's curious, the rest of them are the Italian Beretta 92S, an earlier model of the line of handgun the United States ended up selecting to be the M9, chambered in 9x19mm.

The assault rifle's recognizable enough to most people: what appears to be an M16A1 (but which is apparently lacking a fully auto setting, if you look at the illustration), adapted from the AR platform designed by Eugene Stoner in the United States.

The shotgun shares similar roots; it's an American Mossberg 590 series 12-gauge shotgun - the specific model we see in-game is likely intended to be a military adaptation of that gun type classified as the M590A1, distinguished by the heat shield, but the in-game model is missing its bayonet lug.

The "Precision Rifle" at first glance appears to be a a 7.62x51mm NATO-chambered G3/HK91, manufactured by Heckler & Koch of Germany; closer inspection marks it as being modeled off an American PTR-91, the civilian model - better trigger and a different stock, still an odd choice for the Xenonauts, though, considering the reliability issues and a tendency to mangle the hell out of brass.

The last is the "rocket launcher," actually an Israeli B-300 recoilless assault weapon, firing 83mm projectiles with various payloads; this weapon was eventually adapted into the Mk153 SMAW the US Marine Corps uses.

Edited August 28, 2013 by EchoFourDelta

[Ishantil]

So my usage of pistol damage x9 for a shotgun round isn't actually that unrealistic (I have mine set to 15x9 damage, which is probalby too much, but it's extremely satisfying).

What would have been your sniper rifle of choice? Maybe a PSG-1?

[EchoFourDelta]

The weapon we see in-game is a modern civilian version of the PSG-1 that came out a little over a decade ago, except with a better trigger group than the original (we couldn't get G3s or PSG-1s due to how H&K sales practices work sometimes; that, combined with the ban of certain weapons features and cosmetics at the time led an American-based manufacturer to start building their own). PSG-1s are a massively overhyped weapon system; the cost that goes into them to get the rather baseline performance that comes out is an absolute abomination when it comes to weapons design (not to mention that the PTR-91 wouldn't exist for another 20 years, but that's neither here nor there). It's more or less an accurized G3, which in and of itself isn't saying a lot.

If you're looking at actual sniper rifles, any of the militarized Remingtons or Winchesters of the day would make a great deal more sense (and give us an excuse of why our marksmen aren't popping out a round from their rifles every second or so). As bad as the M14 is (it's an incredibly heavy, overmachined weapon for what it does), it would be a better option in the role we see in-game, as well as offering the marksman a fully-automatic option at close range (not exactly something that's ever viable or used in actual combat, but I imagine such a thing would be a good bit more practical if we were engaging 7-foot-tall lizards that could take three to the chest and keep coming).

Also, considering what is half of our concerns most of the time, those are all hella cheaper.

Edited August 28, 2013 by EchoFourDelta

[Ishantil]

In which case, I'd go with the M21, which would been easily available at the time.

Granted, in a few years, you'd be able to get an M82 Barret. Which would stop a Reaper.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Ishantil

[EchoFourDelta]

But yeah, back on subject, as long as the mission was taking place in the United States... civilians can have access to just about everything on the list... with enough cash, background investigations, licenses, and tax stamps.

[Ishantil]

Some of it easily, some of it not. You can't get explosive munitions, not even in 1979. But something like any one of the firearms on the list would be easily available.

[Snarks]

This sounds really neat. It'll be rolling a critical success on a D20. Rare, but common enough that it'll trigger a memorable moment every now and then.

[StellarRat]

This sounds really neat. It'll be rolling a critical success on a D20. Rare, but common enough that it'll trigger a memorable moment every now and then.

Exactly! The stuff of gaming legends!

"One time I was doing the terror mission from hell, 20 Androns were shooting up my guys and I was down to four soldiers and then I hear civilian gunfire. Two of Androns go down, then next turn another two! All of sudden I see this NPC gunning them down left and right. I'm saved!"

[EchoFourDelta]

Little things like that can totally make a game.

[Zekram Bogg]

This is a pretty cool idea.

I especially like the idea that if this "Hero of the Alien Resistance" survives the mission, you can recruit them into the 'nauts.

Also, seriously, if something like this is implemented, they need to make the model look like Rowdy Roddy Piper from They Live:

[GizmoGomez]

Recruiting them into the Xenonauts wouldn't be possible, and I'd rather not have that in the game even if it were.

I mean, this guy's a loner, a legend. He's like the Mysterious Stranger from Fallout; he goes and comes as he pleases, but when he does come he wastes whatever you're fighting.

There are blond blue checkered shirted sprites already there. With a shotgun, I believe.

[gshuford]

Recruiting them into the Xenonauts wouldn't be possible, and I'd rather not have that in the game even if it were.

I mean, this guy's a loner, a legend. He's like the Mysterious Stranger from Fallout; he goes and comes as he pleases, but when he does come he wastes whatever you're fighting.

There are blond blue checkered shirted sprites already there. With a shotgun, I believe.

1) I like the idea of the random badass, but for any country he appears in, he should always be the same guy.

2) Definitely no recruiting him. That just sounds cheap.

3) He should have the "Guille" haircut if he's American.

[TrashMan]

No need for new sprites. Just a randomy generated name above the "hero" unit.

The name being generated from it's own table, depending if the hero is a cop or soldier - using names of famoves movie heroes.

so you get names like:

Harry Murphy

Alex McLane

John Callahan

Jack Kimble Tasker

Ivan Danko

Cordell Slater

John Walker

for soldiers:

John Matrix Trench

Barney Kruger

Lee Booker

Gunnar Dutch McQuade

Scott Rambo

John McCoy

[GizmoGomez]

Ha, maybe his name should be Chris England.

I'd have lots of good laughs about that.

[a333]

Bullets! Lasers! Plasma! MAG! By your powers combined, I'm Chris England!

[SteelSoldier]

We need Duke Nukem, TO KICK THOSE ALIEN ASSES.

Dual Wielding Rocket Launchers.

[GizmoGomez]

Pshh, Duke Nukem. I'd be more afraid of Rambo.