tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75596550263322775912024-03-14T17:12:19.710+08:00X@COMThe X-COM RLKyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-8225853646775599902014-11-06T13:34:00.000+08:002014-11-17T13:57:09.059+08:00Why X@COM?Time for another obligatory "It's not dead, really!" post ;)<br />
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Not that you'd think it's dead, because if you follow my work you'll know that even now I'm still enhancing the engine as part of ongoing work for the development of <a href="http://www.gridsagegames.com/cogmind/" target="_blank">Cogmind</a>. (When I introduce all these new features to X@COM it's going to blow you away.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, I've been asked before by those outside the roguelike community about why one would bother creating an "ASCII X-COM" when we already have so many <a href="http://openxcom.org/links/" target="_blank">graphical options</a>. Surely you could just write an ASCII renderer for OpenXCom and get the same result!?<br />
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May as well take this opportunity to address that question while the project waits on the sidelines for its day in the sun.<br />
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<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What XCOMRL is Not</b></span></span><br />
<br />
First of all, X@COM is not at all a "demake."<br />
<br />
ASCII tends to appear "simpler" to the untrained eye, but looks are deceiving--while ASCII is certainly a more abstract representation of the environment, the higher visual density makes it possible to tightly pack a much greater amount of information into a given viewing area, as well as more clearly present that information (a classic "ASCII vs. pixel art" argument). The abstract representation is <i>intentional</i>, and comes with numerous benefits which we'll get to later. Moreover, as you're starting to see with the Cogmind interface style and content (and even art!), ASCII does not have to be "simple."<br />
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Nor is X@COM a clone.<br />
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Sure you should be able to mod it to recreate a mostly vanilla experience based on UFO Defense content. And it would be great--the original mechanics have proven throughout the years that they are simply <i>a lot of fun</i>. So X@COM takes that as a base and expands on it significantly, because there's still so much that can be done to make the game even more fun. Already the demo battlescape scenarios released over the initial 2011-2013 prototyping phase feature plenty of new mechanics and additional content. (Note: Much of it exists to test new features, not as a sample of specific things to come.) There's really nothing out there like X@COM, which promises to be a very deep squad-based tactical roguelike<br />
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<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The ASCII Aesthetic</b></span></span><br />
<br />
Obviously the use of ASCII is a conscious choice here, but why take a deep game and bury it behind a screen of symbols?<br />
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Two metrics by which we can measure games are their 1) visual entertainment value and 2) mental stimulation level. These are not mutually exclusive, and while many games might fall somewhere in the middle for both, when either component is taken to an extreme it may limit the degree to which we can apply the other. X@COM strongly emphasizes the latter, games that present the player with lots of information (not necessarily
synonymous with "deep," but true in this case) should ideally display it
in a form that's easy to parse in order to facilitate decision making. (In many ways the ASCII style can be handled in visually pleasing ways, but that is always secondary to clarity/readability.)<br />
<br />
One example is reflected in the map size. ASCII can effectively condense an entire "large" (60x60) map's worth of information on the screen alongside the full HUD/UI. This is a great boon for any tactical strategy game. Sure, most such games provide some form of mini-map or zoom out feature, but X@COM is <i>designed</i> to be played at its native zoomed-out distance--no multiple unique zoom levels in which each object appears differently at each level, no need for disorienting rotation (the world is 3D, but the presentation is overhead 2D)... Moreover, the same large map is entirely visible at even the smallest resolution (800x600), with each individual element just as discernible.<br />
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ASCII isn't just convenient, its abstract appearance is also capable of being more meaningful to the active player, in the same way that reading a book is more engaging than watching a movie. At a game mechanics level a given object/symbol represents whatever the developer says it is. An in-game description, or even just a name, provides all you need to know, while details beyond that are open to interpretation.<br />
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The style is not for everyone, but there are still plenty of people out
there who enjoy exercising their imaginations while playing games (hopefully this will still
be a thing in another generation or two).<br />
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This leads us to another great strength of X@COM: The modding potential.<br />
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<span style="color: lime;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Epic Modding!</span></b></span><br />
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In the world of amateur gamedevs (or avid players--sometimes the line is a bit blurry), it's well known that there are countless ideas floating around, only a minuscule portion of which are ever born and reach a playable state. Some were never meant to be, but others fail for lack of technical ability or the potentially large amount of time or money required (these two being essentially the same thing). After all, it's far too easy for ideas to quickly outpace the rate at which a game can be developed.<br />
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We can even see normal asset requirements as roadblocks to both the creative designer and player. Thus another cool thing about ASCII is it enables us to circumvent these requirements and lift limits on content creation. New content is composed of numbers and text, not pixels, textures, frames, meshes and all that crazy time-consuming stuff.<br />
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Games like X-COM are especially fun to mod due to the familiarity of the modern Earth setting. Of course even the setting can be changed to build a whole world from scratch. Several mods have already done just that, creating total conversions to <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/01/fantasy-x-com.html" target="">fantasy worlds</a>, or <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/08/mod-union.html" target="">futuristic sci-fi</a>.<br />
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OpenXCom is a wonderful remake and open source to boot, giving it plenty of modding potential, but it still has a couple drawbacks: 1) It's tied to cumbersome unique file formats created two decades ago, and more importantly 2) Modding in extra content still requires providing additional assets for that content. If you have programming/art skills and want that kind of visual representation it's a great choice.<br />
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The aim with X@COM is to ensure that modding is even more accessible. I envision eventually having a community of modders making scenarios or even their own strategy games, which doesn't seem too far-fetched given that the early prototype stage already resulted in half a dozen mods by individuals other than myself. And that's with map editing based on text files--not the best way to design a 3D world! In the future we'll have a dedicated map editor.<br />
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It's an appealing proposition to be able to create a complete and detailed interactive world with no prior experience.<br />
<h2>
</h2>
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Importance of Sound</b></span></span><br />
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Few ASCII roguelikes explore the usefulness of sound effects, which to me are an incredibly powerful way to augment the experience, stimulating the imagination without completely hijacking it like visuals do. Of course sound effects also have the same benefits they do in non-ASCII games, e.g. providing audio feedback from the environment while also setting the tone and atmosphere.<br />
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My focus on sound should be apparent in the prototype, which already includes far more <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/04/r9-sound-like-hero.html">audio detail</a> than you'll find in UFO Defense. Over a thousand recorded sound effects in all... hear the breeze rustling leaves on a nearby tree, boots crunching over glass from a smashed window, material-based impacts and destruction, bullet ricochets, spent shells rattling across different surfaces, alien machinery...<i> everything</i> can be heard.<br />
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I must stop here, because it's making me want to start working on this again immediately :)Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07105536141754990006noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-44125156419952315082014-06-14T10:06:00.000+08:002014-06-14T10:06:04.150+08:00OpenXcom 1.0Can't get enough X-COM? If you love the original game, then you'll definitely love <a href="http://openxcom.org/2014/06/openxcom-1-0/" target="_blank">OpenXcom</a> even more since it's a cross-platform, moddable, open source remake using the original data! After years in development, today they released 1.0, including a massive number of interface enhancements that bring this classic into the modern day.<br />
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If you know about X@COM it's likely you've already heard of OpenXcom (it's also been in the sidebar since... the beginning),
but it doesn't hurt to give a shout out to this great project! There is already a large and growing number of mods, so check it out--and check out the updated bgm in this video that shows off all the goodies!:<br />
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<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GL2x-Sz9Oa8" width="420"></iframe></center>
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X@COM development is still slated to resume some time next year. See the previous post for a summary of the current state of things.Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07105536141754990006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-56717093910596244962013-12-23T10:39:00.000+08:002014-02-06T06:44:47.489+08:002013 and BeyondAnd another year comes to a close...<br />
<br />
2013 started out extremely strong with six months of heavy development, probably the number one highlight of the year being SOUND. We expanded beyond UI sound effects to gunfire, impacts, explosions, destruction, screams, ambiance and much more (850 sounds in all). It's definitely the most extensive use of sound in any ASCII roguelike to date, and it's only the beginning.<br />
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If you haven't checked any out yet, I highly recommend testing one of the full sound-enabled mods. My own mod, <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.tw/2013/04/r9-sound-like-hero.html">Ground Zero</a>, has a lot of special content if you're looking for a unique X-COM experience. Farm and <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.tw/2013/05/mod-terror.html">Terror</a> are what you'll want for the traditional game plus X@COM sound effects. And for something completely new (mech warfare!), try out <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.tw/2013/08/mod-union.html">Union</a>.<br />
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The past six months have been less active, though I have been working behind the scenes in several capacities including providing support and development builds for mods, as well updating the engine with features that can be shared by Cogmind and X@COM. So while we haven't had any major releases, the internal change log is still chugging along. Even so, the blog still attracts a lot of visitors and many downloads daily.<br />
<br />
Once again it's time for the <a href="http://roguelikedeveloper.blogspot.com/2013/12/request-for-votes-ascii-dreams.html" target="_blank">Roguelike of the Year poll</a>, so if you enjoy the game and all the new features added please consider throwing in a vote for X@COM. You can vote for more than one game, so be sure to pick all the roguelikes you support (or check out some that you've probably never heard of!).<br />
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Showing your support for X@COM will help maintain the game's popularity and build more latent potential for when development picks up steam again, hopefully in 2015. I'm sure looking forward to getting back to X@COM, but 2014 will be the Year of <a href="http://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/" target="_blank">Cogmind</a>, and a wonderfully destructive robot-filled year it will be!<br />
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<i>I was hoping to release a new mod by Aves Dominari by this month, but it's a rather big one being worked on in spurts so I guess it'll be done some time next year (no pressure, dude!).</i><br />
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<i>1/13/2014: As usual X@COM fared well in the poll, again beating the previous year's record by accumulating 172 votes this time, coming in 14th out of several hundred. This year didn't feature any categorical breakdowns (of which X@COM is likely to top several), but you can check out the overall list <a href="http://forums.roguetemple.com/index.php?topic=3784.0" target="_blank">here</a>.</i>Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07105536141754990006noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-66826254669928372002013-09-22T09:01:00.000+08:002013-09-22T09:01:52.452+08:00ARRP 2013This weekend is the <a href="http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=2013_ARRP">Annual Roguelike Release Party</a>, but unless there are a lot of late comers and devs who didn't pre-announce releases, it's certainly a lot less lively than in recent years.<br />
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I usually like to release something myself, but ARRP is sort of a non-event for X@COM itself this year, so here's a little progress update instead.<br />
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As mentioned in the <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/08/no-guts-no-glory.html">previous post</a> I've been working on Cogmind, but at the same time it's been leading to improvements in both the engine and X@COM's source. Most are internal improvements you'll never see, but there is one significant change in the latest development build that optimizes the X@COM GUI to give another 7% boost in FPS. \Awesome/<br />
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We also have a nice X-COM mod in the works featuring greatly expanded psionics and selection of tech level, squad, equipment, and alien opponent. Would've been nice to release that for ARRP, but it's a rather big project (though well on its way to completion). If interested in playtesting and offering advice on content etc., feel free to grab a development copy and join the discussion on the <a href="http://xcomrl.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=mods&action=display&thread=35&page=1">forum</a>.<br />
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R9.5 will be released with the mod when it's completed.<br />
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<h3>
Cogmind</h3>
While I don't have anything to release this weekend, seeing as how ARRP is all about not developing in silence, in that spirit I hereby officially "announce" Cogmind. You can get information through the <a href="http://www.gridsagegames.com/blog/">dev blog</a>, and/or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Cogmind">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/GridSageGames">Twitter</a>.Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07105536141754990006noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-82476619271636066522013-08-25T21:30:00.000+08:002013-08-29T15:00:31.672+08:00No Guts, No GloryA competing title for this post would be "No Time, No Game," but that's decidedly more negative so I'll go with with guts and glory.<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Problem:</span>
</b><br />
Aside from my other real-life responsibilities right now, I have about 6-8 hours per day for both work *and* play. (Helpful tip: When you have a kid be prepared to sacrifice most of your free time, at least in the short term.) As such, I don't have enough time to give X@COM the development love it needs to progress to the next stage.<br />
<span style="color: lime;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red;"><b>Non-solution:</b></span><br />
Trying to fund this project is not feasible until it's further along, mostly because it's a large project with still 12 or more months of full-time work required to reach a respectable 1.0. I need at least $1k/month to get by, which comes out to a rather large investment for something that even once re-branded and sell-able (discussed <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/06/do-it-for-earth.html">earlier</a>) may not be able to raise much money.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Solution:</b></span><br />
My entire life I've enjoyed making games, and losing all my project time to boring work obligations is a situation I'd prefer to avoid if possible. So I'm going to go out on a limb and try something new by creating a smaller game for sale. Smaller, but fun, polished, and completable within a shorter time frame. Even if the game doesn't exactly recoup all the expenses incurred (although I hope it will), the required investment of time and money will be worth it simply for the experience.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Where does this leave X@COM?</b></span><br />
It's actually not as bad as it sounds, especially considering that the alternative is me doing nearly no coding at all. Because the new game is using the X@COM engine and code base, I can use working on it as an excuse/method to continue improving X@COM. While they will mostly be internal improvements (which have honestly been long overdue), beyond that the secondary goal of creating this new game is as a "pilot project" to see how feasible it is to market a slick console-based game. If it looks doable I'll fund an X@COM spinoff tactical project myself. So this could be very good news for X@COM.<br />
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In fact, I recently started work on this other game behind the scenes and it's already led to upgrades in X@COM, one of the largest being a re-write of the data loading system that will enable selective add-on content instead of just full mods.<br />
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In general I'd say the situation is less than ideal because X@COM already has a fairly
strong (if not broad) following, and I don't want to leave you guys
hanging, but this is the best option I can see for X@COM right now. Know
that I've by no means lost interest in this project--I really want to
continue, but reality can be annoying like that!<br />
<br />
In the meantime, mod support will continue and new mods will be posted here as usual. Occasional minor updates to the game may also occur, but the next phase (R10+) is a major step in development so that won't be happening until I can dedicate the chunks of time necessary.<br />
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What can you do? Show support for development of the "other game" and if it's somewhat successful then I can more easily justify making a larger investment to create the full game X@COM is intended to become.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Tell me more about this "game":</b></span><br />
It's actually no stranger to anyone who's been following my projects for a long time:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFEQhO4jm_OjVhvrL52XIt-Ffn7op_81eO5YwhKiZbVNez3LJJaxUOaIXDJqPSYRyepnbhRU44UWM_yMkVMwoocTR9Jbe0ZZnieYEzg7BNkq4_2oR0eVYy2sQuqRl9UEbG2YjB8eS4R8/s1600/cogmind_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFEQhO4jm_OjVhvrL52XIt-Ffn7op_81eO5YwhKiZbVNez3LJJaxUOaIXDJqPSYRyepnbhRU44UWM_yMkVMwoocTR9Jbe0ZZnieYEzg7BNkq4_2oR0eVYy2sQuqRl9UEbG2YjB8eS4R8/s1600/cogmind_logo.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Yes, Cogmind is making a return. This time with a real story, greatly expanded gameplay, and a much-improved interface. It's going to rock.<br />
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After some initial coding I've been busy putting together a new website and devblog where you can follow my progress, but it's not live yet so there aren't any links to hand out.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>More X@COM news, please:</b></span><br />
Actually there is a bit of an update to tack on to this post. 10101 has updated his Terror missions mod to the latest R9.4 (means you get access to the new label system) *and* added some nice new content: Now you may find a <span style="color: red;">large police station</span> (complete with police officers who need your help!), or an even larger <span style="color: red;">apartment complex</span> (one-quarter of the map!). Some laser rifles come with attached <span style="color: red;">grenade launchers</span> ('u'se them), and instead of the missile tank you may spawn with a new <span style="color: red;">prototype tank</span>.<br />
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Happy hunting!<br />
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<br />
<i>EDIT: A couple days after posting Strange guy also released a little update for his latest mod Union: "I merged the light sniper and carbine, fixed a few rubble in walls problems, made the shockers and mk8cs weapons a bit stronger and longer range, made what mode executors and mk8cs are in part of their name and reduced the score loss for plasma trooper death a bit with them being short range and fragile." The download page has been updated with the new version.</i>Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06357599282401983039noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-16489346633352631112013-08-07T06:39:00.000+08:002013-08-07T06:39:43.855+08:00Mod: "Union"Strange guy has finally released his mech warfare mod, Union.<br />
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The target, a garrison town controlled by the United Planetary Federation, has already been bombarded prior to your arrival, but the enemy presence is still strong. Lead a mixed squad of Union troops including infantry, special forces, and mechs to clear out the opposition.<br />
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I've played this one several times already, and it's full of good old mech-blasting, tree-stomping action. Torch infantry squads with mech-mounted flame throwers, use laser targeting to call in artillery and air strikes, launch disposable rockets carried by special forces, switch some mech shields to different modes depending on the situation, and (lots, lots) more.<br />
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Of course, you need to be careful lest an effective assault is turned into horrible losses in the blink of an eye when a unit of patrolling mechs finds you exposed at the wrong place. One of my more recent runs was going swimmingly, having already taken out five enemy mechs and a few infantry before a flamethrowing mech emerged from the darkness and melted one of my own to scrap. In that same turn I'd thought I could sneak up behind a soldier manning his mounted heavy machine gun, but ran out of TUs right before getting to him--he swiveled it around and opened up, blowing through both that guy, the door behind him, and my other special forces guy providing cover outside. (I got sweet revenge with my snub-nose cannon, which caused a *much* bigger explosion than I expected, much to my satisfaction ;p)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcIzYsUep4dbkUGLJIV4VPkV6mTi-4Hx5MW4DJg9yHAPexOGI4poC8B5MvIlnssu93dw-9GXfIw1hw4kUDfLi-2_ilKje9kSZ2kghPMJsry0RC4fIlPmgFJiYT6Wm_lWBqCuUy-6his-v/s1600/union_cleanup.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcIzYsUep4dbkUGLJIV4VPkV6mTi-4Hx5MW4DJg9yHAPexOGI4poC8B5MvIlnssu93dw-9GXfIw1hw4kUDfLi-2_ilKje9kSZ2kghPMJsry0RC4fIlPmgFJiYT6Wm_lWBqCuUy-6his-v/s1600/union_cleanup.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here most of the fires have already died out after the advance across town.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrgzsAmfDOh8Cqiaupl8GMk4HCmwvCn7g7L6xUvTTvQf_9813rjDxK3xR-kpEwPImkX6jhCRT2qcp_eqQmOdt9PbnDYJG2kcV_e78DArUE7HtupsqehHb2Qo8JYkFCneVxYinMnpPFoDI/s1600/union_units.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrgzsAmfDOh8Cqiaupl8GMk4HCmwvCn7g7L6xUvTTvQf_9813rjDxK3xR-kpEwPImkX6jhCRT2qcp_eqQmOdt9PbnDYJG2kcV_e78DArUE7HtupsqehHb2Qo8JYkFCneVxYinMnpPFoDI/s1600/union_units.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting squad in one mission, labeled.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsHWOyTuNzSQv-xcWepDcu4fb7a1X-4b_NIBugw0cpTlxMDMenL6mM0pmMc08GwUIsWvaJVYq9jPTGWFCmRD_PzjIR0hXeKVauVRSmM_xir7jLJQOOWx5ExWcg5ycFLC2Rp0TUCMl4hKt/s1600/union_score.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsHWOyTuNzSQv-xcWepDcu4fb7a1X-4b_NIBugw0cpTlxMDMenL6mM0pmMc08GwUIsWvaJVYq9jPTGWFCmRD_PzjIR0hXeKVauVRSmM_xir7jLJQOOWx5ExWcg5ycFLC2Rp0TUCMl4hKt/s1600/union_score.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best run so far.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In a way, this mod is a little before its time, as Strange guy has included a lot of interesting mechanics, details, and lore which aren't accessible within the game itself. Seeing how the game still lacks support for in-game reference information, you'll want to at least skim over the accompanying README-Union.txt file to get the most out of this mission. (Several times I've considered supporting that feature immediately, specifically for Strange guy's mods which generally have a lot of detail, but due to the level of integration necessary and the fact that the HUD isn't ready yet, from a development timeline perspective it's better to put it off rather than have to rewrite it later.)<br />
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<br />
<b>R9.3 </b><br />
<br />
I've also taken this opportunity to upload the latest build: R9.3.<br />
<br />
The most notable features (as seen in the <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/06/paramilitary-intelligence.html">previous post</a>) are the <span style="color: red;">new map labels</span>, <span style="color: red;">animated explosion AOE previews</span>, a <span style="color: red;">new explosive priming interface</span>, and <span style="color: red;">glowing indicators for primed explosives</span>. See the <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/p/changelog.html">change log</a> for a complete list.<br />
<br />
Union uses R9.3 so you'll get to see all these features in this mod as well.Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06357599282401983039noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-63871229000322732032013-06-29T14:30:00.001+08:002013-06-29T14:49:12.796+08:00Paramilitary IntelligenceAs part of the beginning of the UI update, the latest additions have been about getting more info on the battlescape map.<br />
<br />
Holding different number keys will identify visible objects by name. Here you can see labels popping up for enemies, then soldiers (much more fun with sound):<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudcNS9T466pL8EHIP3HR_HJ_WvxjN1i7p3CsNFVU3cx1sdoHBN1kWiQSAyT5WGq6HE5pr4BeDIU1kDG0ezqANGy72SOFLrcpToLdLu7IYbu6wB8Voqh-7LutLa33ShU79bUcPDiTfUh3t/s564/labels_units.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudcNS9T466pL8EHIP3HR_HJ_WvxjN1i7p3CsNFVU3cx1sdoHBN1kWiQSAyT5WGq6HE5pr4BeDIU1kDG0ezqANGy72SOFLrcpToLdLu7IYbu6wB8Voqh-7LutLa33ShU79bUcPDiTfUh3t/s564/labels_units.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your soldier names can also be color-coded by their remaining health.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Enemies are also identified this way when first spotted, as are all of those in line of sight at the beginning of each turn.<br />
<br />
Also use labels to quickly check what items your soldiers are currently holding, and those that are lying on the ground (for stacks of items, it will cycle through them as you hold down the key):<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fncYJfqYVSQKiRgpCGcFOHpNWmJRLqtpiDh0b5IdyALCAARfQMv9C3QgYGRgZ8ZRBu7pe8FurHGx8jXz88aOdvNOw2tZ0lKP9HeKiPhNlpvdtYu4ERCMsJsweyey8BufYusKHRlQS7bA/s535/labels_items.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fncYJfqYVSQKiRgpCGcFOHpNWmJRLqtpiDh0b5IdyALCAARfQMv9C3QgYGRgZ8ZRBu7pe8FurHGx8jXz88aOdvNOw2tZ0lKP9HeKiPhNlpvdtYu4ERCMsJsweyey8BufYusKHRlQS7bA/s535/labels_items.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your soldiers' armament is also color-coded by percentage ammo remaining, where applicable.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Any number of types of labels can be displayed simultaneously, depending on how many keys you want to hold down.<br />
<br />
Explosives will be (somewhat) safer to use, now that you can see their area of effect without resorting to square counting. It works for both firing explosive projectiles and throwing primed explosives, and uses brighter colors for higher damage--the blaster launcher calculation looks like... a super nova :) Here's a small rocket:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hW3w_kHqnxOBr5wK0UI6gZghWj6BxuOS8wt1PzUvJ_rFzgU84DuY91eqm0WLAwC4Uthh-a-htx3dJbiOCbvYTahChY_klCrd0wOrzNspr1hIVB68oNA7g3En4ZiPlVvBcW7QCAOjW88u/s337/animated_expl_targeting.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hW3w_kHqnxOBr5wK0UI6gZghWj6BxuOS8wt1PzUvJ_rFzgU84DuY91eqm0WLAwC4Uthh-a-htx3dJbiOCbvYTahChY_klCrd0wOrzNspr1hIVB68oNA7g3En4ZiPlVvBcW7QCAOjW88u/s337/animated_expl_targeting.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The animation will properly predict explosion dampening by various obstructions based on their material.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There's also a new (proper) grenade priming interface that replaces the old (okay, ancient) placeholder input method.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOi9uCq3dsfs7ksVsfoalRaZaDkge8g2-RxVi0GuNhf7BKLqTbm3t1K-eIXgJ3rDyHTOyaOIS10uf05Q6Uj3dWAYGdgYQvQUESnBAKVBIGKv3BKbkQHm3lwaKJO57n2NX1lKW0WQD0hyUI/s266/cprime.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOi9uCq3dsfs7ksVsfoalRaZaDkge8g2-RxVi0GuNhf7BKLqTbm3t1K-eIXgJ3rDyHTOyaOIS10uf05Q6Uj3dWAYGdgYQvQUESnBAKVBIGKv3BKbkQHm3lwaKJO57n2NX1lKW0WQD0hyUI/s266/cprime.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Since there's rarely reason to prime a timer to anything but 0, that will be the default behavior (skipping the window entirely) unless you press an extra key to manually open the priming interface.<br />
<br />
Props and items can now be animated, though I don't plan to go crazy
with the feature myself, as it could get distracting. UFO power sources
do have a gradual glowing effect now, and explosive devices primed by your
soldiers and thrown or left lying in the open will glow, too. Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06357599282401983039noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-14714640976858633542013-06-08T14:19:00.000+08:002013-06-08T14:19:59.264+08:00Two Years of X@COM<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImP_zDFMlyyrhB95EQMTCyedGEORWIKSsxzTTQalgfG-TxE5iSbVNt-YMgaHBQsAt8ZoxkYdG4bPTXWZt53zzj3PfeYRqJSDtlR_zDJwd1GcaO-JJtgRz3_3cFzhdW0QYvCi0dEuuSgA/s1600/XCOMRL+2nd+anniversay+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImP_zDFMlyyrhB95EQMTCyedGEORWIKSsxzTTQalgfG-TxE5iSbVNt-YMgaHBQsAt8ZoxkYdG4bPTXWZt53zzj3PfeYRqJSDtlR_zDJwd1GcaO-JJtgRz3_3cFzhdW0QYvCi0dEuuSgA/s1600/XCOMRL+2nd+anniversay+collage.jpg" height="400" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two years of development squeezed into "one" image. Imagine that. Okay, no imagination necessary--it's right there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It might change at some point soon (if/when I move), so here's a shot of the X@COM dev station as it's remained since the game's inception:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpMPReKJpl70u0YBNGFFoAN7NkmfIfHXK8HXHD4k915DvJmRESRT1AnXtVxaUO3c_RjQidA8IXYuhM0uiVqbHyq0oEIXBbX8s4ouCPME947Ks27RWmpRLZW3NoDddR4B5_wiRZVXnF68/s1600/xcomrl_devstation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpMPReKJpl70u0YBNGFFoAN7NkmfIfHXK8HXHD4k915DvJmRESRT1AnXtVxaUO3c_RjQidA8IXYuhM0uiVqbHyq0oEIXBbX8s4ouCPME947Ks27RWmpRLZW3NoDddR4B5_wiRZVXnF68/s1600/xcomrl_devstation.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For the curious.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The screen setup is me working on the 3D particle system yesterday, adding support for more dynamic map objects as a first step towards an improved battlescape UI.<br />
<br />
The IDE scrollbars are especially useful, since they show the code formatting/indentation and other important information for reference. Here are some examples, because they just look neat by themselves:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftPla5YD5Z2RAXVLhiYDYydxxckqBaS4LW9xesJ1QJxOBTck-RbH6IbYUokRO9b-rJrDoORkJ-xuGFcj0IS2XVJ4cQepa9uRQ-0O-1WCXx7WqRCa3ACaWixC1rAxq50h5DsOrjHqLh_E/s1600/xcomrl_sourcebars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftPla5YD5Z2RAXVLhiYDYydxxckqBaS4LW9xesJ1QJxOBTck-RbH6IbYUokRO9b-rJrDoORkJ-xuGFcj0IS2XVJ4cQepa9uRQ-0O-1WCXx7WqRCa3ACaWixC1rAxq50h5DsOrjHqLh_E/s1600/xcomrl_sourcebars.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">X@COM source! Sort of.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i>Beginning tomorrow I'll be out of town for a couple weeks so there won't be much to show in the near term.</i><br />
<br />
<br />Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-46890302410660570992013-06-01T10:25:00.000+08:002013-06-01T20:58:47.158+08:00Do it for the Earth!The project will be going on two years soon. Wow.<br />
<br />
Interestingly enough this is the result of a... slight deviation from the original plan. I started with the intention of making a simple, quick X-COM project--after all, the game mechanics are widely documented, and I could've made a complete clone in a year if I stuck to that plan.<br />
<br />
But after only the first few months of development it became apparent that this could be much more epic, and therefore much more meaningful (on its own, an exact remake in ASCII has gimmicky appeal at best). So it's taken a while to get to this stage as I created a flexible engine and tested it with a long series of increasingly feature-rich demo missions. While there's still a long way to go, we now have a strong foundation to build on and the potential is evident.<br />
<br />
And there's been a lot of fun along the way--the semi-regular blog posts have been well-received, and at least some of you have already gotten many hours of enjoyment out of the alpha demos. I know many more are waiting on the sidelines for the geoscape and sacred 1.0 release. We'll get there.<br />
<br />
<strike>In the meantime, I'm finally opening the project to donations. Check out the new "Donate" page for more details. Tell your neighbors! Tell your parents! Tell your rich uncle! On second thought, tell people who might give a damn ;p</strike> (Later that day...: Okay, I changed my mind for now. No donations. They were available for about a nine-hour window but fortunately (?) no one took advantage of that, so this change affects approximately 0 people. After thinking it over some more, I don't think donations will be significant enough to enable me to continue putting lots of time into development (big assumption but I don't want to take the chance), and a lack of progress would rub people the wrong way. So from here on out things might slow down a bit while I work on something that will actually be at least a little profitable for a change. But hey, though short-lived at least donations were a good reason to finally put up the associated post containing my first geoscape mockups--now back to that post...)<br />
<br />
<br />
And because I do try to have <i>something </i>visual for you with every post, here's a little peek at what I've been researching lately. (Plus it was a good tie in for a post title :) Keep in mind these are MOCKUPs (and rough ones at that) thrown together with a combination of REXPaint and Photoshop. The geoscape still doesn't even exist in the source code aside from that global pointer I wrote in when I first started the project. (FYI: It is currently NULL ;) The geoscape will most likely end up looking very different from these, but hey, they were fun to make!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zBVt0SrLNY9DUWBi3SlFR1tNWD7cgNHtgPUqpkZgNWQ-TW9JK2NjOAicwVSQx51V8eK91BN89Iazo47Abz2vi3ddaGOYuSDEc9WUVBzD4oj0bk3qJ8poiw6gmKd7A4YAUoMk9PFGObw/s1600/geoscape_concept_green.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zBVt0SrLNY9DUWBi3SlFR1tNWD7cgNHtgPUqpkZgNWQ-TW9JK2NjOAicwVSQx51V8eK91BN89Iazo47Abz2vi3ddaGOYuSDEc9WUVBzD4oj0bk3qJ8poiw6gmKd7A4YAUoMk9PFGObw/s1600/geoscape_concept_green.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's the obligatory terminal green map. While simple, it's nice that all the important dynamic stuff is easy to spot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-wOg7g71Qv49-ZYBIiGw63d4UlhmHBHnT8YNEzE40bgitv1SK6HOUoNvSnhUQBGc1uSwV5LGjHaZLELx0Qi69nlVxJ0KOxn4_719Pb4oLH3k-w3sjjgc8tPQS44dcXKmkliM8f7_GZ4/s1600/geoscape_concept_dark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-wOg7g71Qv49-ZYBIiGw63d4UlhmHBHnT8YNEzE40bgitv1SK6HOUoNvSnhUQBGc1uSwV5LGjHaZLELx0Qi69nlVxJ0KOxn4_719Pb4oLH3k-w3sjjgc8tPQS44dcXKmkliM8f7_GZ4/s1600/geoscape_concept_dark.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one just looks neat. And besides, land is where most of the important stuff is anyway (this not being TFTD), so having it clear is helpful, too. Unless of course you want terrain details...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7HvHOR7eS2x9tmCdkIr5X6y44G_a_l1TD-0uYJUJRj5pNDQ6RhPNHpMOK2UlHI-CzXl9U1ZhNfPkwkQViq_q8lRCCKeal6Svv31CKE3Ju67865RemGuL4PCcp5h533r41qfxmbvU-Sw/s1600/geoscape_concept_terrain.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7HvHOR7eS2x9tmCdkIr5X6y44G_a_l1TD-0uYJUJRj5pNDQ6RhPNHpMOK2UlHI-CzXl9U1ZhNfPkwkQViq_q8lRCCKeal6Svv31CKE3Ju67865RemGuL4PCcp5h533r41qfxmbvU-Sw/s1600/geoscape_concept_terrain.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A colored terrain-based map is useful, though this version doesn't yet look very ASCII-ish (or X-COM-y). (Each terrain should have its own ASCII, but I did those you see manually using PS patterns, and I wasn't going to spend forever choosing ASCII and placing them properly!) Ideally the foreground (character) would have the primary color, and the background would probably be black, but since it currently only contains two different characters that version is *very* hard to read, so I tried this one out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The geoscape isn't a near-term development goal, mind you, but it's definitely something I've been researching a lot lately because getting it right will take some time--there are a <i>lot </i>of issues to consider, mostly surrounding how to best store and display Earth data (everything else is trivial by comparison).<br />
<br />
I'll start an in-depth discussion of the geoscape once the forums are up and running.<br />
<br />
<i>In case you haven't seen it yet, there is an ongoing discussion regarding a new name for X@COM. See the <a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/05/taking-x-com-out-of-xcom.html">previous post</a>, and the Bay 12 thread starting <a href="http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=93822.msg4273460#msg4273460">here</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<br />Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-52685119226082856082013-05-27T22:51:00.000+08:002013-05-27T22:51:47.857+08:00Taking the "X-COM" out of X@COM?Well, yes and no.<br />
<br />
What I mean is the game is going to be re-branded with a different name and content while keeping the same mechanics and premise--you'll still be leading an organization tasked with defending Earth against aliens; soldiers, battlescape, geoscape, bases, craft, and all. This will enable more freedom in both design and fundraising. (If you
*really* want to play the original in ASCII form, I'm sure a mod will be
able to help you with that--we more or less have one already, minus the
geoscape.)<br />
<br />
We don't really need <i>another</i> X-COM clone, anyway, which X@COM is already decidedly not, so... first thing's first: we need a <span class="bbc_u">new name</span> to<br />
<ul class="bbc_list">
<li>preferably represent what the game will be (or at least some aspect thereof)</li>
<li>get at least a little further away from "X-COM"</li>
<li>be easier to search for, '@' characters not being all that search engine friendly</li>
<li>be pronounceable ;p</li>
</ul>
Since
this plan has been in the back of my head for a quite a while now, I've
already had plenty of time to come up with, mull over, and throw out
the window lots of ideas. The only one that's stuck to date: <span style="color: red;">Company X</span>.<br />
<br />
While X@COM is not a clone and does/will include lots of additional
features, it obviously has its roots in X-COM (as well as some of the
trunk as well, considering core mechanics and gameplay), so I preferred a
name that still embodied those roots (okay, trunk), hence the 'X', and
"Com..." (cleverly reversed, mind you!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>In 1973 a close group of respected scientists exploring the
entertaining possibility of alien life on Earth made an important
discovery. Although based purely on a confluence of soft evidence, it
appeared that aliens really could be responsible for a series of
unexplained and seemingly unrelated events across the globe in recent
years.<br /><br />While they couldn't take their views to the public without
risking their reputations in the scientific community, they were
convinced that given more time and information it might be possible to
piece together enough evidence to prove the Earth was in fact under
alien surveillance for an unknown purpose.<br /><br />They called themselves "The Company," a joking reference to not being alone on the planet.<br /><br />Uniquely
positioned to gain access to normally restricted data, The Company
slowly pieced together behavioral profiles and hypothesized about
technological advancements behind various unnatural phenomena, all
rooted in real science. For several years they silently investigated and
monitored suspected alien activity, even developing technology capable
of detecting Unidentified Flying Objects and tracking them for a short
distance.<br /><br />It is now the year 1985, and the aliens are becoming
more aggressive. No longer are incidents limited to brief sightings and
random abductions. Inexplicable small-scale attacks have begun to shake
the public psyche even as governments are quick to initiate cover-ups
and attribute them to terrorists.<br /><br />The Company decides it's time to act.<br /><br />Through
one part pattern analysis, one part behavioral science, and two parts
luck, they successfully predict the next target site. Acting in
coordination with local law enforcement contacts, they have an entire
squad of officers briefed and waiting in ambush when two armed aliens
arrive at the scene, immediately surprising and subduing them before
they can react.<br /><br />Major world governments are impressed at the
group's success, and unanimously agree to fund them as a new independent
initiative tasked with combating the alien threat in all its forms.
Knowledge of the alien threat is not yet ready to be brought before the
public, thus the deal is kept secret and for now the group appears on
government defense ledgers as simply "Company X."</i><br />
<br />
<br />
The term "Company" can be taken in the military, economic, or even
"group" sense. Obviously you're leading a paramilitary organization, as
well as essentially a company what with manufacturing and selling
equipment on the side to supplement income...<br />
<br />
The story is not
incredibly unique, just another possible way such an organization could
be formed that covers most of the necessary bases while keeping it
generic enough that it could play out in any number of ways from your
starting point.<br />
<br />
More or less this same news was first posted <a href="http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=93822.msg4273460#msg4273460">yesterday on Bay 12</a>, so you can check there for other responses if interested. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately while the name fits the theme, series, and story fairly well, it isn't all that amazing on its own as a name, which is definitely a drawback. I've also come up with an alternative which stands on its own pretty well and you may prefer instead: <span style="color: red;">Xenocorps</span>.<br />
<br />
The good thing is, either name could essentially use the same logo concept I'm rather fond of (which is really just a modified X@COM logo, at that):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_cAqTTH2TRg42swzJc3jKYVtGaOlGELDrfj44dkGAEJ9jyCqNpIZ5sfuODPhk7glk2kgJpvOSdG6p9MzvlPI0yn7u-4HT8y3dUez_0RBb-3mPi1ANdf3dT7YQ4z6gSWtEIgT83rJqbW2/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_cAqTTH2TRg42swzJc3jKYVtGaOlGELDrfj44dkGAEJ9jyCqNpIZ5sfuODPhk7glk2kgJpvOSdG6p9MzvlPI0yn7u-4HT8y3dUez_0RBb-3mPi1ANdf3dT7YQ4z6gSWtEIgT83rJqbW2/s1600/logo.png" /></a></div>
<br />
What do you think about all this? (Before you suggest it, just this afternoon I was thinking of other names
and already came up with <span style="color: red;">Hot Pink Elephants From Space Ate My Pajamas</span>.
I'm a little on the fence with that one.)<br />
<br />
<br />
This re-branding is not happening right now, but will come eventually once the project enters the refactoring stage where I clean up all the crap I've been stitching together just to keep the project playable and fun while new features were added.<br />
<br />
What are the specific implications? I'm glad you asked, because you'll get...<br />
<ul>
<li>new races!</li>
<li>new weapons!</li>
<li>new... everything!</li>
</ul>
Well, under the hood you'll still have X-COM's familiar core mechanics which are, after all, what I developed this elaborate prototype for in the first place...<br />
<br />
In time there will be plenty of room for discussion regarding the new content and overall game design. Before then, once the new name is determined we'll likely have a new general forum to help direct future development and provide a place for players to interact.<i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Several days ago I had a nice post ready to publish, complete with geoscape mockups and all, but the focus was the announcement of donation support and I discovered only at the last minute that PayPal donations aren't allowed in my country (seriously, they told me to "start a company and sell a product or service"...), so... we're suddenly talking about this instead.</i><br />
<br />Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06357599282401983039noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-67579943201783654482013-05-17T15:19:00.000+08:002013-05-17T15:19:53.317+08:00XCOM2GIF.exeSo... now that I've got some ASCII art lying around, I figured I'd see what it looks like in the actual game, where it is in fact intended to go one day...<br />
<br />
After writing a simple base class for importing and displaying images from REXPaint (*.xp), I decided it was pretty boring just throwing the images up there on the console. Our UFOpaedia's going to need a little more pizazz than that. What to do...<br />
<br />
I know, why not integrate the image display class with the particle system? All we need are commands that particle scripts can use to interface with the various components of a REXPaint image (ASCII, foreground/background colors). Done. Particles are now capable of drawing their data from images, and thereby manipulate their appearance.<br />
<br />
Here are some simple examples recorded from a test console running in the game: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnd95Hy_w5YhsdlwGGCnI07dackPpboLd0IQQBLS-zMTWl1oSpzrN60J_LK86WupbohTopg8lJ9o9nE67tAvvb1W6TF6ZKWOyxZ5jDUEgPknXzozzahqgykNcdmOnW4jrHyThDAMkPk-4/s1600/draw_ethereal.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnd95Hy_w5YhsdlwGGCnI07dackPpboLd0IQQBLS-zMTWl1oSpzrN60J_LK86WupbohTopg8lJ9o9nE67tAvvb1W6TF6ZKWOyxZ5jDUEgPknXzozzahqgykNcdmOnW4jrHyThDAMkPk-4/s1600/draw_ethereal.gif" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyPzHB83FgB_6_9R_t6GR9Aj2dptOXN0ftuqJv20jBjmRosisq5umcpQN6sqY__5jbY2wJsQaLJNIpT1VJokxGTwc7wseHfr_ci7Eq9tpfQp-80ECSbfXViJkMt3OfkQyc98igt5YWhk/s1600/draw_rocket.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyPzHB83FgB_6_9R_t6GR9Aj2dptOXN0ftuqJv20jBjmRosisq5umcpQN6sqY__5jbY2wJsQaLJNIpT1VJokxGTwc7wseHfr_ci7Eq9tpfQp-80ECSbfXViJkMt3OfkQyc98igt5YWhk/s1600/draw_rocket.gif" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgXqvm2WuZtpONipSv83_P8GnBzMT6-p8ny-T0AMR5J72JOV3FP7s2uAZIo6Shlruwai7FaTGeucxVVaWzuRxPGliJbwZcPPk1tw4I_S0yRkejHMVzM33nHi5-H_TRGYOCwTPJrUL8co/s1600/draw_plasma.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgXqvm2WuZtpONipSv83_P8GnBzMT6-p8ny-T0AMR5J72JOV3FP7s2uAZIo6Shlruwai7FaTGeucxVVaWzuRxPGliJbwZcPPk1tw4I_S0yRkejHMVzM33nHi5-H_TRGYOCwTPJrUL8co/s1600/draw_plasma.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
And those examples use only <i>one</i> image layer, while the system is capable of reading each layer of the image individually, some of which could be pure color/ASCII effect layers designed in REXPaint to enable a mixture of procedural and designed art. Theoretically the system could be used to create some far crazier effects, or even animate images (though I don't imagine going that far myself).<br />
<br />Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-67287390334867125882013-05-11T21:15:00.000+08:002013-05-12T23:08:54.705+08:00Paint Me an Alien InvasionREXPaint is ready for use/abuse.<br />
<br />
For any of you interested in the modern computer-aided impressionism/abstract art scene, and I'll bet there are at least 0.63 of you, this announcement should be cause for an immediate download! :)<br />
<br />
I've set up a separate blog for it <a href="http://rexpaint.blogspot.com/">here</a> where you can download the latest release and read about the features, find more screenshots, etc. All further REXPaint related news will be posted over there.<br />
<br />
Here's the main paint mode interface in action, along with a floater for all of your ASCII floater needs:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ZnTTVtn65dWw3TJRuL-zCoEAXWisZJDwaDFzdehvIgDS2joiVpIaUKvD8lkuK408zU1Jsgme2wJK0QWwVVpV5v6-inIIX2oyzDaRltxIiCm3Rzmu_67JP7v0q7BhMSvGj93-bj5vIOA/s1600/rexpaint_paint.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ZnTTVtn65dWw3TJRuL-zCoEAXWisZJDwaDFzdehvIgDS2joiVpIaUKvD8lkuK408zU1Jsgme2wJK0QWwVVpV5v6-inIIX2oyzDaRltxIiCm3Rzmu_67JP7v0q7BhMSvGj93-bj5vIOA/s1600/rexpaint_paint.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see earlier stages as I worked towards the "final" design (though not really final--just me doodling). </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Check out the <a href="http://rexpaint.blogspot.com/">REXPaint blog</a> for more.Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-91761261607844358662013-05-04T21:07:00.000+08:002013-05-04T21:16:22.299+08:00Mod: "Terror"10101 has done it again and brought us another mission from the original X-COM. Remember scurrying through malls, shops, gas stations, and warehouses searching for civilians before the aliens found them, only to hear the screams of their death when you're too late?<br />
<br />
Yep, it's a terror mission.<br />
<br />
Like the Farm mod it has high replayability given that you can start with different squads and craft, and face off against different randomly chosen races (intel will tell you which at the outset, in case you'd like a different opponent).<br />
<br />
While it's probably not too difficult to at least survive this mission, getting a reasonable score is an entirely different matter.<br />
<br />
One advantage you'll have compared to the original game is you can press 'n' when a soldier is facing a civilian to have them follow that soldier, and even lead them to an evac zone if you want to get them off the map (to make room for bigger explosions, of course ;p).<br />
<br />
Another change from X-COM is that the Lightning squad can carry sniper rifles, described here by 10101:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>Light Sniper Rifle:<br />Weakest of the sniper rifles. Only slightly more damage than a normal rifle. Slow but accurate aimed shot and a snapshot like the rifle, but slightly slower (best snap of the sniper rifles). Eight shots per clip.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>Laser Sniper Rifle:<br />Superior to the light sniper rifle in everything but the snapshot which is horribly inaccurate as you have to aim while waiting for the beam to charge. Damage ranges between laser rifle and heavy laser. Unlimited ammo like all laser weapons. </li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li>Heavy Sniper Rifle:<br />The mother of all sniper rifles. Due to its bulk the snapshot is both innacurate and slow. Aiming takes even longer than with the other sniper rifles (90% TU) and you have to load each bullet seperately. On the other hand it is the third most accurate weapon in the game (after the blaster launcher and the HWP-blaster) and its damage is as high as other explosive weapons (approximately equivalent to an alien grenade or small launcher).</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcbtNXWqcwF9a2CnkZf92T5UjQml8odSrhV0suiqSEn2T_QRNq93D9RFyxL9Nb8yeqEFczxo3uIG0SexRGpFozPVZ4v4G2tDkjD9-j-NGQo40vmuK1-eG2s6iLC08dBMb4VBxndOXZZw/s1600/avenger_tanks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcbtNXWqcwF9a2CnkZf92T5UjQml8odSrhV0suiqSEn2T_QRNq93D9RFyxL9Nb8yeqEFczxo3uIG0SexRGpFozPVZ4v4G2tDkjD9-j-NGQo40vmuK1-eG2s6iLC08dBMb4VBxndOXZZw/s1600/avenger_tanks.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've so got this--an Avenger carrying four tanks, and two mutons with their backs facing us... (First tank rolls down the ramp and is shot to pieces by plasma fire from a different angle.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
10101's Farm mod has also been upgraded to X@COM R9.1, which fixes the ambient sound bug on restarts.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>REXPaint update: X@COM's ASCII art editor is almost complete--the only bit remaining is its built-in file browser, so the next post will most likely introduce the new development tool and its features.</i>Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-67133068127391606652013-04-27T23:04:00.000+08:002013-05-10T22:37:04.307+08:00If Picasso Sprited X-COMThe next stage of development is focused on re-working and fleshing out the interface, and you'll notice on the roadmap that among the new elements is the UFOpaedia database. As I imagine it, you'll be able to access the database directly from the battlescape for detailed information about items, creatures, terrain, and more.<br />
<br />
Ideally each entry will be accompanied by an image, albeit drawn as ASCII art. Note this does not mean conversion of images to ASCII (which doesn't count as "ASCII art" in the same way that simply lowering the resolution of an image doesn't qualify it as "pixel art"). According to the current plan, images will be comprised of the standard 256-character code page 437, probably including at least some use of background colors as well.<br />
<br />
ASCII art fits well with roguelikes since both tend towards abstract representation of objects,<br />
so I figure that many RL players can also enjoy ASCII art. That said, enjoy these samples I've been working on while testing concepts and tech/tools:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgq7Zgxp-hUYZPxvYryV-_g14bx8OX-aUowkHG1INb66XHApIRoZOpMW4oonh8Ziu6CoPxJrdqkCiNgrKuwFE5MLT4eYALujOpsc6WHElwVBSegxQoz14Ir-dWXKicsWK09qAPDUWRX4/s1600/xcom_ascii_concept.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgq7Zgxp-hUYZPxvYryV-_g14bx8OX-aUowkHG1INb66XHApIRoZOpMW4oonh8Ziu6CoPxJrdqkCiNgrKuwFE5MLT4eYALujOpsc6WHElwVBSegxQoz14Ir-dWXKicsWK09qAPDUWRX4/s1600/xcom_ascii_concept.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ASCII concept art, who would've guessed...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm still a beginner at this ASCII art thing (this being my first attempt ever), but your discerning eye should be able to recognize them. One can hope.<br />
<br />
When doing RL GUI mockups a few years back I used <a href="http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=14588.0">ASCIIPaint and WEPaint</a> over on the TIGForums, but they suffer from clunky interfaces and are a pain to use, especially when compared to eigenbom's <a href="http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=14588.msg597761#msg597761">ASCII Paint fork</a> which I discovered only recently. He's done an awesome job of making this type of software relatively user-friendly, and his fork is what I used to draw the above images.<br />
<br />
I used only the colors provided in his standard libtcod palette, which was in some cases limiting (sure there's the whole "limitations breed creativity" idea but in this case I was missing a few shades that would've helped a lot). The point of my tests was elsewhere, anyway: Attempting to determine whether ASCII art looks good enough at large sizes using a square font, the main issue being code page 437 is traditionally represented using the non-square IBM font, and trying to force it into square cells tends to result in far too much empty space that can impact the density and thereby cohesion of an ASCII image.<br />
<br />
Obviously we want the art to work at any size X@COM can be scaled to, so I drew the above with a 16x16 font, then reloaded them with a smaller font to test their appearance. What do you think? Both look viable to me.<br />
<br />
<br />
Having said all that, I'm pretty sure that my next task here will be to take a quick detour and code a new ASCII editor, one that will write to a format that X@COM can read and display directly in game. While the main purpose is to create a tool to streamline creation of the game art, and there is a chance it will later be used to create multi-cell UI pieces that could be a component of for map overlays (though at this point I'm not sure whether that will be necessary), and it will also be useful for drawing UI mockups in the near future. I also enjoy seeing what creative works users come up with, as seen in the TIG thread (there is some cool-looking stuff over there), though it would seem that by now everyone is kind of ASCII'd out so I'm not too hopeful on that front.<br />
<br />
The editor of which I speak, likely titled REXPaint after the engine it's based on, is feature-wise more or less eigenbom's fork minus a few elements I don't need, plus a few I do need that it lacks.<br />
<br />
On the new/different side you'll be able to<br />
<ul>
<li>browse through all art assets from within the editor itself and switch over to painting mode at the press of a button</li>
<li>do in-program palette editing and manipulation (with a true color picker)</li>
<li>use layers for easier tweaking (and possibly other advantages later)</li>
</ul>
I have a more detailed design doc outlining features-to-be, but those
are the highlights. Feel free to make suggestions or feature requests.
Besides saving to the X@COM art format (*.xp), the editor will export PNG images so it's perfectly possible to use it as a general purpose stand-alone ASCII art editor. <br />
<br />
Below are some REXPaint UI mockups, not exactly feature complete (or even correct, since I've changed my mind on a few parts since drawing these up). The second one includes the concept for a browsing mode interface.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o36tpA8q151UfR_Crr-HExR4z4NDRqmJe-E6xWKR700kvDXv6d3-XPWCALA5uaZBcYvgr56RqlS7BydJ0BIKfFLyNjQfSsSD77PXUWray_XulNE1yobY1GACVjGes98UrWcvtnxc7Vc/s1600/REXPaint_concept_dark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5o36tpA8q151UfR_Crr-HExR4z4NDRqmJe-E6xWKR700kvDXv6d3-XPWCALA5uaZBcYvgr56RqlS7BydJ0BIKfFLyNjQfSsSD77PXUWray_XulNE1yobY1GACVjGes98UrWcvtnxc7Vc/s1600/REXPaint_concept_dark.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PVDcvmUKix_r_tmpA7XxbMx-kL-NWLahwNqPmtkrgLF1sJWSREo4E3DlBwl-I6BHr2eLNpY2qWfTaQZVFSaWhnYVQCpoKI851OVpl5bA6TqGDwfp6fcQxYDfTMAe3t268PBV26UWVMU/s1600/REXPaint_concept.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PVDcvmUKix_r_tmpA7XxbMx-kL-NWLahwNqPmtkrgLF1sJWSREo4E3DlBwl-I6BHr2eLNpY2qWfTaQZVFSaWhnYVQCpoKI851OVpl5bA6TqGDwfp6fcQxYDfTMAe3t268PBV26UWVMU/s1600/REXPaint_concept.png" /></a></div>
<br />
The color choices aren't too important at the moment, since re-skinning the interface will be <i>very</i> easy.Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-1988142852229025842013-04-22T21:15:00.000+08:002013-05-04T20:30:01.927+08:00Mod: "Farm"Remember those eerily vacant farms? Wading across cornfields and searching barns while looking for the UFO crash/landing site? Modder 10101 has done an excellent job of recreating that experience in his aptly-titled mod "Farm".<br />
<br />
This mission varies widely in scale since your squad lands in either a Skyranger, Lightning, or Avenger and begins with tech-level appropriate equipment as you face off against any of the possible UFO types including the scout, harvester, supply ship, terror ship, or even a massive battleship. (It's an impressive job considering the current limitations of the modding system.)<br />
<br />
HQ will notify you of the class of UFO at the site (which may be either crash-landed or on the ground carrying out its own mission) and you can opt to press F10 to randomize the mission. As usual, beware facing off against against psionic races since they won't hesitate to mind control your soldiers with perhaps dire consequences for squadmates...<br />
<br />
While the experience should be very similar to the original, at least one tactical difference I noticed while playing is that you'll be able to smash through hedges instead of always shooting your way through (jumping over low walls and fences would've been another option, but we decided to postpone the parkour functionality). Then of course there's the fact that we have gravity in X@COM, so you can literally bring down an entire barn with explosives if you like, or collapse upper floors by shooting out lower walls.<br />
<br />
Get it on the files page, of course.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftzm6TP4Zr4KVyxE_8mwKUP6ljmX5TqAbaMFUjoO3BAMR8dOSiTL4LzgLFajtATOfup_OTvQeNrZndNtfIK89bDiXVMdfcFOL-NuwYXzBQ-GpJeF5yGTbALWj7tpn6tFUHfrjhvqY_dc/s1600/farm_battleship.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftzm6TP4Zr4KVyxE_8mwKUP6ljmX5TqAbaMFUjoO3BAMR8dOSiTL4LzgLFajtATOfup_OTvQeNrZndNtfIK89bDiXVMdfcFOL-NuwYXzBQ-GpJeF5yGTbALWj7tpn6tFUHfrjhvqY_dc/s1600/farm_battleship.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you guess what's on top of those four round things?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-55329007246880790282013-04-01T11:14:00.000+08:002013-04-06T11:21:39.027+08:00R9: "Sound Like a Hero"Hear that?<br />
<br />
It's the<br />
hum of nearby power cores,<br />
the twittering of alien terminals,<br />
the footsteps of soldiers making their way across a lawn, pushing their way through foliage, and trampling crushed glass as they investigate a decidedly large opening in the side of a now-abandoned house, or the sound of aliens sneaking down a wooden hallway towards that very opening. Or not sneaking. You'll definitely know a sectopod when you hear one--let those mechanical steps strike fear into the heart of many a brave field commander!<br />
It's the <br />
charging of powerful laser cannons,<br />
brick walls crumbling from an explosive impact,<br />
spent shells rattling across the concrete,<br />
bullets ricocheting off UFO hulls,<br />
grenades bouncing down the hall (if you're close enough to hear this one, um, was nice knowing you),<br />
glass storefronts being blown out (try the pressurized gas explosion of a small launcher for the coolest effect--since it just gets the windows ;p)<br />
falling furniture smashing into a lower floor,<br />
a growling reaper that must be right around the corner,<br />
and the roar of a massive... well, you'll hear it when you do (hopefully before you see it so you still have time to run).<br />
<br />
And that's just the beginning.<br />
<br />
Weighing in at <span style="color: red;">850 sounds</span>, R9 is the true beginning of creating the sense of immersion I envision as being core to the X@COM experience.<br />
<br />
It's been a while since we had a nice whole number release following the modding bonanza that was R8 (which resulted in some very beneficial iterative development).<br />
<br />
The highlights of this release are a <span style="color: red;">super fast</span> (relatively speaking) <span style="color: red;">engine refactor</span> (<a href="http://xcomrl.blogspot.com/2013/02/closedgl.html">old post</a>) and, of course, the <span style="color: red;">new sound system</span>, which I've posted a bit about recently, but here's a quick overview:<br />
<ul>
<li>Ambient sounds are sourced from objects in the surrounding environment (area-based ambient sound will come at a later time when the map generation supports it)</li>
<li>Volume is distance-based, and allows for different falloff models depending on what makes the most sense</li>
<li>Weapons and explosions currently use a temporary set of sounds, a quick job meant just to cover the basic X-COM content</li>
<li>The system is, as usual, easily moddable: there are hooks in the data/code for weapons, destruction, various types
of impact, death and injury, ambience, item interaction, etc.
</li>
<li>Sound is also integrated with the event/ability scripting system, meaning just about anything can be audible if necessary</li>
</ul>
<br />
Among the smaller additions, melee attacks that fail to destroy terrain objects now show <span style="color: red;">messages indicating how effective the hit was</span>. This was a great community suggestion, since you generally don't have any idea whether what you're using to bash down that heavy door is going to knock it down anytime today. Later this will be slightly less of an issue once you can examine damage and integrity values in-game, but for now it could save you some time, especially useful in Rookie's Tale where melee items are the norm.<br />
<br />
The log now implements <span style="color: red;">message folding</span>, so consecutive identical messages will just increase the count on the first one by using a suffix: "<x#>" <br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">Proxy grenades now require priming</span> as in the original. Don't drop them at your feet after priming them! Dropping them and picking them up again will deactivate them (of course you can only do that if you haven't moved from their location, or you use some kind of psionics to move them, entirely possibly one day as we've seen in Rookie's Tale--unlike the original, flying units cannot drop down to pick them up.) The game still supports grenades that auto-activate when thrown, for modding potential (that and X@COM smoke grenades still automatically explode). <br />
<br />
On the scary side, <span style="color: red;">aliens can use grenades</span>! Oh my... This feature has not been retroactively added to old missions, though--it's only available in mods, and only where the modder intends it (by putting 'nades in alien hands ;p). At least there's only a *chance* they'll throw it at you.<br />
<br />
So you want to finally hear all these new sounds? There are currently three ways:<br />
<ul>
<li>The simplest (though not quite as fun) is to download the demo and run the sandbox, where you can play around with the weapons, shoot the house, etc.</li>
<li>You can also replay the old demo missions, but because game sounds are *deactivated* by default, you'll have to turn them on manually by editing the mission's .bat file: add the "-fullSound" command line switch. I recommend against this option since the experience will be fairly inconsistent given that they contain additional non-standard content for which there are no sounds.</li>
<li>Or... play this <span style="color: red;">new mod</span> created specifically to show off sound effects!</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxycye5guC61UJQG1mnhlD5PKb7FdwI3Zwyk-ccpKZleQZ_z-ZBAuTodhA8wRMhSVWip_ySyQVacnD_Pmwk0uufyRBUcKId6DQynFIyFa5XJmqkSTG9N4DyxXMHhv7_vSUCptAPOX8jQ/s1600/groundzero.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxycye5guC61UJQG1mnhlD5PKb7FdwI3Zwyk-ccpKZleQZ_z-ZBAuTodhA8wRMhSVWip_ySyQVacnD_Pmwk0uufyRBUcKId6DQynFIyFa5XJmqkSTG9N4DyxXMHhv7_vSUCptAPOX8jQ/s1600/groundzero.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Ground Zero.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So after years of playing X-COM you're a pro at taking on one landed UFO, sure, but how about <span style="color: red;">multiple UFOs</span> at once?<br />
<br />
The weakest opposition you could face will be two medium scouts, plus whatever has taken up defensive positions in the surrounding structures, plus whatever else decides to show up depending on your performance. On average there will be around 3-4 UFOs, though, among them sometimes a large scout or even a terror ship.<br />
<br />
As usual, expect some surprises along the way, though this is still a more traditional tactical mission, so don't bother using anything in the environment--I didn't go crazy with that system like I did when testing it in Rookie's Tale.<br />
<br />
Beware of sectoid and ethereal leaders, since some of them may be capable of <span style="color: red;">mind control</span> (requires LOS though), and also try not to bunch up too much lest a well-placed alien grenade wipe your whole team out.<br />
<br />
If you feel outgunned, Malachai can be a useful ally if you can find him early. He'll join you and follow around, hopefully covering your back with his minigun and super deadly skill with throwing knives (close combat only). Once he's joined, shift-f to highlight his position since he's an allied unit not under your control. (Malachai is one of our fans from YouTube whose enthusiasm for R9 has earned him a place in this mod =p)<br />
<br />
Like exodus, completing this mission "successfully" shouldn't be too difficult (you could always hide, wait most of it out, and at least <i>survive</i>...), but scoring well will be quite difficult due to the various penalties for failure to achieve objectives.<br />
<br />
Your primary goal is to take out power sources, and for that purpose you have a good number of remote charges. As a reminder of how to use them, (p)rime them with an empty hand to create a detonator, then place the charge and (u)se the detonator when ready to set it off. Make sure to place/throw them close enough to the power source to be able to destroy it!<br />
<br />
This mod also includes a special new kind of remote explosive, the <span style="color: red;">Hull Breacher</span>, designed specifically for breaching UFOs and giving you a different point of entry for alternate tactics. Make sure you place them immediately adjacent to a UFO hull or wall, flip the switch, and surprise some aliens from behind!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKE9OekMDIihVHW283GjkNbFKbP5sAIs_p-enICT2pccxihegtNyDnP9UMqhyrhUnbGk6bbumbZAGlXQpjw4_TZ4UsIaDB144RXamfv9Hc8Wo1aaGiCj73OSCBjLN3kFNZQ6datTWV1g/s1600/terrorship.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiKE9OekMDIihVHW283GjkNbFKbP5sAIs_p-enICT2pccxihegtNyDnP9UMqhyrhUnbGk6bbumbZAGlXQpjw4_TZ4UsIaDB144RXamfv9Hc8Wo1aaGiCj73OSCBjLN3kFNZQ6datTWV1g/s1600/terrorship.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackpot! Look at all those power sources...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So now's your chance to command a newly audible heroic squad to prevent the equivalent of a local Armageddon. Good luck if you're forced to land at night...<br />
<br />
My advice: Move quickly, because the longer you take the harder it will get.<br />
<br />
X@COM is finally getting some truly video-worthy content (sound makes a <i>huge</i> difference), and I was working on a Ground Zero compilation to show off this release, but
lacking the time to edit and polish it I've put that aside for now. In
any case, you can always download and play a round if you'd like to experience it now, or wait until I do get a video out there--now that sound is
mostly in place the visuals/UI are going to start improving in leaps and bounds.<br />
<br />
<i>I'll be leaving for a couple weeks soon so there won't be any new posts for a while, but when I return in late April there will be a brand new sound-enabled mod ready from one of our modders.</i>Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-46486761970394398702013-03-19T12:46:00.001+08:002013-03-19T12:46:43.397+08:00The Sound of FluffMore than <i>750 </i>sound effects later, I'm done (for now).<br />
<br />
This phase of development only goes as far as implementation of the core sound system, and inclusion of a majority of the "generic" sound effects that we know we need:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>bullets/projectiles colliding with different materials</li>
<li>spent shells hitting the ground (again, material based)</li>
<li>item throwing and colliding/landing/falling/dropping (not all the same thing)</li>
<li>melee swings and strikes (dependent on object struck--and whatever is swung, but for now that's mostly the same metallic objects)</li>
<li>door manipulation</li>
<li>grunts/screams from injury (pretty limited for now, esp. on the alien side)</li>
</ul>
<br />
So nearly none of the "unique" content you see in the demo scenarios has sound, instead all I've done so far are the parts that are sure to go into the final game. Obviously as you heard in the recent video there are sounds for the core weapons and explosions, for testing and, of course, fun :)<br />
<br />
As for ambient sounds, while I had previously labeled them "unlikely", they are just so easy and beneficial to the atmosphere that I had to implement them, too. So now your soldiers can hear the pulsing hum of the UFO power core, beeping of terminals, wind in the trees, and fire. More will come later with the actual game content, although yesterday I couldn't help myself and added an event-based sound that plays on mission start if you have a Skyranger: the sound of the craft bay doors opening and lowering the ramp. Ambient sounds are heard by the currently selected unit, if any, and fade in slowly when selecting a new unit so as not to get too annoying while cycling through many units.<br />
<br />
Check out this debug shot visualizing the volume of ambient sounds heard around a UFO:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzmdLx9PXpXlUHMl_d1wJhguuirwVwyBIAlxI-c_O-pZukJsClr8arvzgOMe5YX08pQ40sCg1Rk4ekMFaPg9au93WdAoFQSpevQmWzltaolV5kacfFBaNeUAgQyGqRLQboBOxuu8jqf8/s1600/ambient_sound.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzmdLx9PXpXlUHMl_d1wJhguuirwVwyBIAlxI-c_O-pZukJsClr8arvzgOMe5YX08pQ40sCg1Rk4ekMFaPg9au93WdAoFQSpevQmWzltaolV5kacfFBaNeUAgQyGqRLQboBOxuu8jqf8/s1600/ambient_sound.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obviously you have the UFO power generating the strongest source of source in there (though it falls off quickly), with the terminals on the left chiming in. Outside is a tree, and if you're not too far away from it you'll hear a gentle breeze occasionally blowing through the leaves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As mentioned before, sound volume is distance based, so the amount of control the engine now provides over falloff rates (attenuation) is useful for making different kinds of ambient sounds more realistic and changes in distance sound less harsh as units move nearer/further. The engine supports linear, logarithmic, reverse log, and inverse rates (you can read about them and see their graphs <a href="http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DistanceModelAttenution.html">here</a>). They don't work absolutely seamlessly, this being a grid world with discrete positioning rather than one with the more fine-grained resolution you'd see in a normal 3D game, but they get the job done well enough.<br />
<br />
As with everything else, the <i>entire </i>sound system is controlled through text files. You just drop files in the audio directory, add their path to the sound definitions (along with their ranges and falloff model), and use them wherever in the data. The engine also supports the creation of sound channel groups for more precise control through particle script commands.<br />
<br />
For the player, sound control is divided into three groups, UI, game, and ambient, which you'll be able to toggle and set volume for individually, though for now I'm not going to include commands for that since it will be handled through an options menu.<br />
<br />
With this R9 is pretty much done, though I'm thinking of creating a quick mod that can better showcase the sound system, as all these cool new sound effects will be deactivated in the normal demo scenarios (you can manually activate them, but the overall experience will be inconsistent).Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-53486820233956144292013-03-16T23:31:00.000+08:002013-03-16T23:32:12.683+08:00Disaster AvertedSo this "dark cloud" previously mentioned, the one that was threatening to hinder development in a big way (= stop it for a year), has thankfully dispersed! I'll still have to be away for a couple weeks next month dealing with related matters, but once that's done nothing will stand in our way!<br />
<br />
Okay, maybe there is another little cloud brewing out there, just about the only other thing that could get in the way... like the funds to continue at a good pace.<br />
<br />
To date I've put all my own money (+= lots and lots of time) into this project, but it just so happens that my current sources of income are drying up in a few months and rather than looking for more of the same type of work I've been considering using the opportunity to try something different. I'd love for that to be game development, but X@COM is probably not something that can really make money, and working on an alternative simpler game would essentially mean putting this project on hold, which we obviously don't want. So after a few months development may start to slow down depending on how the money situation develops.<br />
<br />
I may open up the project to donations and see how that goes--who knows, maybe we'd be surprised. Given that the game is generally well-received, a full-on crowd-funding campaign (assuming the necessary re-branding of the content) would almost certainly be successful enough to work full time long enough to bring the project to completion, but non-U.S. citizens can't use Kickstarter which is still the only truly viable platform these days (barring a few exceptional projects), making that a non-starter for me.<br />
<br />
We'll see what happens. For now it's back to regular development and we'll see about getting R9 out there before I have to take that short leave.<br />
<br />
<i>Progress: I'm still expanding the sound system, which is now almost complete and includes some great stuff, but I'll save the juicy details for another post when everything's in place.</i>Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-76188432118769347892013-03-07T10:29:00.000+08:002013-03-07T10:30:16.173+08:00"Testing, 1, 2... *KABOOM*"There's finally something new worth a video: sound effects! Hear footsteps, guns firing, shooting through windows, blasting down walls, a stompy colossus wrecking houses, and finally the almighty blaster launcher.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IZd7nDW1qYw" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
The video doesn't include all the new sounds (by far)--for that you can play with the R9 sandbox (when it's available).<br />
<br />
The weapons and explosions you hear are quick placeholders I put together for testing, but footsteps, destruction, and impacts are about where I want them to be besides still needing to be expanded. Right now there are 372 sound effects that fall under the above types, with still more categories to be added.<br />
<br />
Sound effect volume is based on distance from the nearest unit under your control (and the inherent range of the sound itself), but most of the action takes place up close so you won't really notice it here.Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-27486715972822032602013-02-23T10:53:00.000+08:002013-02-27T23:04:06.064+08:00Into the 4th DimensionAs we're all aware, atmosphere is an integral part of the X-COM experience, and an important element for building that atmosphere is sound. The sound of unfriendly footsteps echoing through the darkness; civilians screaming as the aliens find them before your squad does; hearing gunfire pierce the silence as unseen aliens fire on your
position, but miss their mark so you still have no idea where
they are. These add to the suspense, while also making the "hidden movement" phase that much more interesting (and informative).<br />
<br />
This aspect of the game has been on the back burner for quite some time while we squared away the core mechanics, and with that done it's now time to decide what needs to be heard.<br />
<br />
Items:<br />
<ul>
<li>Weapon fire / attacks</li>
<li>Projectile impacts (projectile+material-dependent)</li>
<li>Explosions </li>
<li>Throwing/landing (latter could be material-relative)</li>
<li>Dropping (essentially same as landing)</li>
<li>Picking up</li>
<li>Melee swings / misses</li>
<li>(Ammo loading/unloading probably unnecessary for now since only possible through inventory window, which has its own sounds)</li>
</ul>
Units<br />
<ul>
<li>Footsteps (usually terrain-based, but units may override that in special cases, such as flight or huge stompy aliens)</li>
<li>Death</li>
</ul>
Terrain<br />
<ul>
<li>Footsteps (us. material-based)</li>
<li>Door open/close</li>
<li>Destruction (us. material-based)</li>
<li>Falling prop impacts (unbroken, us. material-based) </li>
</ul>
<br />
Aside from the lists above, the sound system is already accessible through special abilities scripting, so sounds can be connected to just about any game element to create unique situational sounds like a terror unit roaring on spotting a target, or a chryssalid screaming on injecting a victim, etc.<br />
<br />
Much of the functionality already exists, as particles and anything that uses them (attacks, explosions, throwing, melee...) are already capable of playing and controlling sounds (which is how the UI emits sound). We still need control for sounds related to non-particle objects, and to [elegantly] deal with various issues like the extreme cacophony that would result from huge explosions destroying wide areas of terrain, footsteps out of sight (it will slow down turns to always have NPC unit steps heard--not sure by how much), and many more I no doubt have yet discover.<br />
<br />
After that it's mostly a question of putting together the assets, but I won't be doing all that now, just a core set used for testing/R9.<br />
<br />
Fortunately I have handy a nice library of 157 footstep sounds I put together for an old game, so hopefully they'll work well for X@COM without too many adjustments (although I may have to edit them all--doh--to get them to work with the faster movement speed than the game they came from). Categories include dirt, grass, gravel, metal, mud, puddles, water, wood, rocky, snow, stone, and undergrowth. Because you need something other than my wall of text to look at, here's a color-inverted shot of one of the snow footsteps in Audacity (my primary sound editing tool):<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vNmiwOWVbkgtupEcmpnhbIbOJ6rjz0hQyydKN6yM8DlYA9MH9ikgmYaOiZ9mHIGOP_Y9GEE8jtwPLZ6B9QffkYwh_1i6JPQ_Ts_BCdszlnziU2OqHcR-mqTYY9GJgCrwJN_ScpcCpVY/s1600/snowstep.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4vNmiwOWVbkgtupEcmpnhbIbOJ6rjz0hQyydKN6yM8DlYA9MH9ikgmYaOiZ9mHIGOP_Y9GEE8jtwPLZ6B9QffkYwh_1i6JPQ_Ts_BCdszlnziU2OqHcR-mqTYY9GJgCrwJN_ScpcCpVY/s1600/snowstep.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*crunch*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another issue at hand is to determine what level of control the player needs over sound. Besides the obvious option of muting the game entirely, will it be sufficient to split sound effect control into two categories, UI and game? That's what the plan is, in any case.<br />
<br />
Other features under consideration (any opinions?): <br />
<ul>
<li>Dynamic sound effect volume based on the distance of the source from the nearest unit under the player's control</li>
<li>Music isn't appropriate, but some kind of ambient drone or beat as heard in X-COM can help set the mood (as long as it's not too intrusive).</li>
<li>[Unlikely:] Very subdued map-wide ambient/background sound effects, like distant
shouts and screams in a densely populated urban map, wind through the
trees in forests, etc.</li>
<li>[Unlikely:] Environment sounds emitted by props, and heard only by the
currently selected unit; examples would include fireplaces, gushing
streams, machinery, alien facilities, etc. </li>
<li>Radio chatter?</li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>I'm not going to press forward on all this immediately. First there are a few little items sitting on the to-do list that need cleared away while awaiting any comments/input you guys have to offer.</i>Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-3053981221319998672013-02-15T12:07:00.002+08:002013-02-15T12:07:58.720+08:00ClosedGLThe game has always been a bit demanding on older computers when sub-windows are open (it causes those funny graphical anomalies you see with the text and borders), and I figured now was a good time to deal with that.<br />
<br />
Of course the first option that comes to mind is... hardware acceleration! So I spent the previous weekend attempting to integrate OpenGL into Rogue Engine X. It sure brought back memories of the times I used DX9 in years before, trying to figure out what the heck was going on in the background when all I wanted was some simple result. Several days later, after fiddling with OpenGL and pulling my hair out, I pulled the plug on that idea.<br />
<br />
After all, this is a 2D game, so using the GPU shouldn't be entirely necessary.<br />
<br />
Approaching the problem from a different angle, I decided to profile the game code itself and look for bottlenecks. (Bonus: I learned of an awesome application profiler called <a href="http://www.codersnotes.com/sleepy">Very Sleepy</a>--so easy to just attach it to a running program and go! And it should perhaps be called "Very Fast", because it really is. Before I was always copying the source over to my XP VM and testing it with a very old profiler.)<br />
<br />
As suspected, the engine code handling preparation of the screen data to be sent to the renderer was eating up a majority of the processing time. It was using a method I called "drill blitting", checking for all screen objects positioned over a single cell and blending them together to create the screen's final appearance at that location. It was the easy way to write the code back when the engine was first created, but the game has become more complex since then with lots more objects to handle. So I completely re-thought the way the screen is drawn and switched from cell-wise to layer-wise blitting, merging one horizontal layer at a time rather than doing it cell by cell.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHJZoG0PHlMufTZdQ7m6z09rptlW7bdvqgrBPqDg8kcjQI2W2UKavYH3P8tm9TRkMFgm3IYD4Kv0d8llLiMHdPVmqI4zeGwKydZQTQhQD6n1tJBGouPiUCmRyuDshM9glZY6UliRMe_M/s1600/rex_renderer_optimization.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHJZoG0PHlMufTZdQ7m6z09rptlW7bdvqgrBPqDg8kcjQI2W2UKavYH3P8tm9TRkMFgm3IYD4Kv0d8llLiMHdPVmqI4zeGwKydZQTQhQD6n1tJBGouPiUCmRyuDshM9glZY6UliRMe_M/s1600/rex_renderer_optimization.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hell yeah!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This was tested on a full-sized, fully-revealed Rookie's Tale map using
the default font, the first time with just the default map view open,
and the second with a simple inventory open on top of that.<br />
<br />
As you can see, the more window objects on the screen the bigger the savings, so opening the inventory and other sub-windows won't cause as big a hit to the FPS as it used to. FPS used to take a 23% hit while the inventory was open; now reduced to only 3%! (We're definitely going to need this boost, because the new UI will have a lot more little windows and interactive parts.)<br />
<br />
Obviously your actual FPS will likely be lower unless you've got one of these wicked core i7 chips (or whatever better stuff has come out since). I captured those shots from my title bar FPS readout (F5), but you won't see values this high unless you uncap your FPS (Ctrl-F5).<br />
<br />
I'm guessing it's possible to improve on this even more with some tricky
OpenGL shaders, but that's beyond me--we'll be sticking with software
rendering for the foreseeable future.<br />
<br />
As there always is with any rendering WIP, there were several blooper-worthy screenshots (from the OpenGL attempts).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP0H7diB06hU2IkLMntcBUYf52hieLtrRHSGipgiYdmCowj_rVxSzKnE-3u4emG_5eNxx-MJTl8dApUtXTLa7TB0GGJrU-MQnw2GAtauLvTJVWWtH0TEGrqoP3fzTEJ1Ph85VFbERS-Q/s1600/blooper_rookieintro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKP0H7diB06hU2IkLMntcBUYf52hieLtrRHSGipgiYdmCowj_rVxSzKnE-3u4emG_5eNxx-MJTl8dApUtXTLa7TB0GGJrU-MQnw2GAtauLvTJVWWtH0TEGrqoP3fzTEJ1Ph85VFbERS-Q/s1600/blooper_rookieintro.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rookie's Tale intro, as written in alienscript.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDgUiRUQ9hx2cCbFyf6ou4PIbtjo6VgYVG3GPMpSB8DxFtlqTozi4Zh1heKWFPyHuQsHJqFjDPDboK-mTHIgofg7wHZQHC1-Mh8KVlJ0UCTAiJU_Ae5f9297Hw7aQMZmomusbjVn6Ack/s1600/blooper_dark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDgUiRUQ9hx2cCbFyf6ou4PIbtjo6VgYVG3GPMpSB8DxFtlqTozi4Zh1heKWFPyHuQsHJqFjDPDboK-mTHIgofg7wHZQHC1-Mh8KVlJ0UCTAiJU_Ae5f9297Hw7aQMZmomusbjVn6Ack/s1600/blooper_dark.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Complete mess.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNn9_J3kBT9BuInEJBwOtZxwsLU0uamzJd-48eJU5-holMhHe3rC2fvz3YsdS3NJE5WZx_K4Lz4BnN5Ds77yY256sVj6dxgbp_J6XUJqLJcQG2QADebyxx5XZuEkit-FindVPnETvvPU/s1600/blooper_dark2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNn9_J3kBT9BuInEJBwOtZxwsLU0uamzJd-48eJU5-holMhHe3rC2fvz3YsdS3NJE5WZx_K4Lz4BnN5Ds77yY256sVj6dxgbp_J6XUJqLJcQG2QADebyxx5XZuEkit-FindVPnETvvPU/s1600/blooper_dark2.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More alienscript.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiul9hF-z82guXDaul-NHoiwyRqsTJotUKUZZnUzQ7tvID0WEasBHYHxd2JFEzJnw07PAqcHO67XgeYQRuh9nPXM2TjKEf2LD079Y_vEycjs2jyNMt4zwHaQJwT4D-H9GlsoLgXRe3nb8o/s1600/blooper_light.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiul9hF-z82guXDaul-NHoiwyRqsTJotUKUZZnUzQ7tvID0WEasBHYHxd2JFEzJnw07PAqcHO67XgeYQRuh9nPXM2TjKEf2LD079Y_vEycjs2jyNMt4zwHaQJwT4D-H9GlsoLgXRe3nb8o/s1600/blooper_light.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inversion of foreground and background colors.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
These were the fun ones. The most annoying, and prevalent, screen was the seizure-inducing flashy yellow one. Ouch my eyes!<br />
<br />Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-69587875085505656492013-02-06T17:32:00.001+08:002013-02-07T16:32:43.743+08:00Pen, Paper, and ElectronsX@COM started back in 2011 with a single text file, a quick brainstorm listing essential features and examining the feasibility of such a project given the technical challenges. Among other topics, it touched on 3D, unit facing, and extant/previously attempted X-COM and 3D roguelikes.<br />
<br />
After that came a rather short file considering what the underlying architecture of the program and its data should look like. Do we want component-based objects? Inheritance? State machines?<br />
<br />
Both files were quickly tossed to the wayside when coding actually began and a pair of somewhat organized files took over:<br />
<br />
"Program notes" covered implementation details but grew excessively long when its "to-do" section began including things that could be quite a ways off, or may never even come to be, so aside from its "known issues" section to which I occasionally tacked on new items as they appeared, I retired that file. <br />
<br />
"Design overview" was a design doc in the traditional sense, summarizing the game's appeal, gameplay, GUI, etc., and it was onto that file that I started pasting more and more "ideas" that will become the future of X@COM.<br />
<br />
All that information became fairly useless, though, since it was just one massive list. Seeing as how we've come to a rather big milestone, with the Battlescape very playable and many of the core mechanics not only complete but fleshed out, this was a good opportunity to organize that information so it can be useful today (or one day). "Fortunately," X@COM's scope has grown beyond what can be efficiently handled by a normal text file :)<br />
<br />
Ever since the good old days of DOS edit, I've been using .txt files to keep notes. I still have thick binders of game rules printed out from
the DOS edit days (as much as I'd like to have them, the floppies have all disappeared). Even a more recent game I worked on was documented through dozens of text files, some containing dozens of pages themselves, mostly written in... Notepad. <br />
<br />
Switching from this familiar medium is going to take a bit of getting used to, but I'm testing the waters with some new software. After a day searching around for what's out there, I found a few of the better programs more suited to my needs, and settled on a program called CintaNotes. *All* of the X@COM notes have now been migrated a local database file and organized with tags (this alone took a couple days):<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAzfXNeW4-ATphH7iBQIuez8pPFTsGl4u9Su00UWRJuBGp0XSwmf8ldvCYfmLRJrZIHC_pM05yHUnQNDACMczDieruzObSRAnyUJXQMcY1eA1KrJKRfe7ElISFS-OT1OvLBJ84dvsdMA/s1600/cintanotes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAzfXNeW4-ATphH7iBQIuez8pPFTsGl4u9Su00UWRJuBGp0XSwmf8ldvCYfmLRJrZIHC_pM05yHUnQNDACMczDieruzObSRAnyUJXQMcY1eA1KrJKRfe7ElISFS-OT1OvLBJ84dvsdMA/s1600/cintanotes.png" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm not really used to the idea of tagging things, but we'll see how it goes. In any case, I still prefer and will continue to use text files, at least in spurts, after which their content will be integrated with the note database.<br />
<br />
The database is for storing mostly long-term ideas that are still way out there. For near-term work I keep a separate to-do list at the top of the internal changelog, and for exploring the details of whatever I'm currently working on, nothing beats pen and paper, which I use most frequently.<br />
<br />
Below are some sketches from Rookie's Tale design (colors inverted because they look better that way). The final blueprints didn't necessarily adhere to these; their purpose was to get an idea of the general layout, flow of movement, and choke points.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXuB_lTUoeqkBjG_-UTspNK7YsT2wWOZc-BitMMBSZX7oZCVAG3pIaEgWzgmqLS62IsLoGIo1HpPMKEuE8uRJ8kcTmj1uUO3ZDoZOdYDvrc3pva-2ClgaRJ0diRAOJNbovOc5eZnSnX4/s1600/sketch_keep.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXuB_lTUoeqkBjG_-UTspNK7YsT2wWOZc-BitMMBSZX7oZCVAG3pIaEgWzgmqLS62IsLoGIo1HpPMKEuE8uRJ8kcTmj1uUO3ZDoZOdYDvrc3pva-2ClgaRJ0diRAOJNbovOc5eZnSnX4/s1600/sketch_keep.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Warlord's Keep.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmOBt9RQp58FwFg3itLDPG-_Nt375SIng4J6ZN6ggGR_OS3rWASFq74c35mG9uBOWX02qO3xvJER-DSfOkcv_PsmB0gAUPLBQhFiesfzqHo_VL5vXCOfEdVb0RHOvoEh5xmGJ7eV7a7c/s1600/sketch_ruins.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmOBt9RQp58FwFg3itLDPG-_Nt375SIng4J6ZN6ggGR_OS3rWASFq74c35mG9uBOWX02qO3xvJER-DSfOkcv_PsmB0gAUPLBQhFiesfzqHo_VL5vXCOfEdVb0RHOvoEh5xmGJ7eV7a7c/s1600/sketch_ruins.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The huge crypt housing the Greater Lich and full of nasty traps.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MzW0P866sw5bmzDcVkGY_bIhhDLjj61o0L08nc4bFRtctqci9leqLvLX3KAzLbPK5X4cbbmB1k-ZJViAnbjf_JrkhzRCjOensDxT9k3y3eizMBi04C5uSO1JaToj4ZiWB-f0bM70Exo/s1600/sketch_siege.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MzW0P866sw5bmzDcVkGY_bIhhDLjj61o0L08nc4bFRtctqci9leqLvLX3KAzLbPK5X4cbbmB1k-ZJViAnbjf_JrkhzRCjOensDxT9k3y3eizMBi04C5uSO1JaToj4ZiWB-f0bM70Exo/s1600/sketch_siege.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garrison under siege by the Half-Orc mage and his followers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When working on any major new feature set, there's an interesting nested development process where feature/element 1a ends up requiring element 1b and 1c, which then perhaps require even more elements, or even feature 2, and each of these has a piece of paper (or two or three), and they get stacked on top of each other and/or spread out until the pile/surface area begins to get a little daunting. As with coding any program, they just have to be tackled one at a time, piece by piece, and they *will* eventually make their way to the recycle bin. Always quite relieving to finally reach that "oh, so that's what my desk looks like" moment, as I did recently. A temporary state, of course, as we prepare for the next major step.<br />
<br />
<br />
R8.7 Already?<br />
<br />
Well damn, R8.6 had a pretty serious regression due to not fully testing code handling the new burst-fire mechanics that allow for alternate rates of fire: unlimited-ammo weapons were allowing an endless barrage of fire. That means we've already got an R8.7, and anyone playing R8.6, who I would assume are likely to have already encountered this bug, should definitely update. (Save games are compatible if you have a game in progress, by the way--just copy over the save file.) Both Rookie's Tale and Aggression have also been repackaged with R8.7.<br />
<br />
This update also comes with another modification to pathfinding: You don't have to change your map level to move to a location on the ground, such as when descending slopes or the Skyranger ramp--just click in the air and the unit will move to the ground below that (obviously this doesn't work for flying units, which can just fly to the above-ground position itself). Not a big deal to seasoned players, but newcomers are often confused by the multi-level map and become frustrated from the very beginning (despite the basic tutorial mentioning it explicitly), so maybe now the demo will scare away fewer potential players.Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-30360342093516300912013-02-03T17:07:00.000+08:002013-02-18T22:45:19.003+08:00Missiles/8.6 Away!The people have spoken! Truthfully, not a whole lot of them, but the handful of voices heard make it fairly obvious that overall you guys would prefer to avoid too many intentional roadblocks (a.k.a. feature creep) on the way to 1.0. Probably a smart move.<br />
<br />
So as discussed in the previous post, I've postponed parkour and plowed through a series of quick features while clearing up the near-term to-do list in preparation for the Next Big Thing.<br />
<br />
While these new features come with R8.6, uploaded today, some of them consist of engine support for future content and mods, not something you'll immediately have access to in the game. Nonetheless, I'll mention them here so that you know what's going on, and so I have an excuse to put up some related screenshots :)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">Hand-held light-emitting items</span> will now illuminate the nearby environment (I'm talking mechanics here, not some new visual style). This means little to X-COM right now since their own unit-based light is equivalent to that given off by an electro-flare, but it could have some interesting implications for mods where you might not have so much light available and have to carry a source of light (which may not last forever, like a lit torch). Varying amounts of light may also be emitted by armor itself.<br />
<br />
Pathfinding has been slightly modified. I believe most players will prefer the <span style="color: red;">more predictable direct route</span> when allowing the game to take you to a chosen destination (as in X-COM), even though that route generally costs a tad more TU due to extra turning costs. I could add an option to disallow this behavior, but if you're in a tight situation where a few TU will really matter, you can always move in shorter sprints (which you should probably be doing, anyway) or use the keyboard. Do note that if the direct path (meaning a straight line towards the destination) is blocked, the normal pathfinding calculations will take over and will always take the cheapest path, which is not straight.<br />
<br />
Burst fire weapons now support numbers of projectiles other than three, so some weapon could theoretically go <span style="color: red;">full auto</span> on a target with six shots, or more. For even scarier stopping power, burst mode supports a <span style="color: red;">"salvo" setting </span>that fires *all* those projectiles <i>at once</i>. Of course, my first inclination was to make a launcher that fires 12 large rockets simultaneously. Just a test, mind you ;p<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVw-tAuovjL4aIuLapcXsiCjHABA09yzvc0ccSsTeUTvbtYAtsbT-4b5INxXyKVn8mtutEi3N4rZ61fHc5gXsyiiWgE2DrdCcxHdN-tonXyh6xlkkubkuEFrNMP0EEJ6J1oLkeephbdk/s1600/rocketx12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVw-tAuovjL4aIuLapcXsiCjHABA09yzvc0ccSsTeUTvbtYAtsbT-4b5INxXyKVn8mtutEi3N4rZ61fHc5gXsyiiWgE2DrdCcxHdN-tonXyh6xlkkubkuEFrNMP0EEJ6J1oLkeephbdk/s1600/rocketx12.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">X-COM sends primitive village back to the stone age?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When first testing I had all the rockets moving at insane speeds, and blew a path of destruction right through the Exodus city map (it looked even cooler when animated):<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwazdvtszaUZJzBc7EtH9FeIRtibZ-Agge7dEbNPGYwUCgiN3L1ZL6my52kCnz1jOScRFS73p3b72nTImuESaabim62GhUcq_HWZ7hO0naaMrF69ilXS0rr8-0UQwSDqofYES6IeqdCiE/s1600/rocketx12a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwazdvtszaUZJzBc7EtH9FeIRtibZ-Agge7dEbNPGYwUCgiN3L1ZL6my52kCnz1jOScRFS73p3b72nTImuESaabim62GhUcq_HWZ7hO0naaMrF69ilXS0rr8-0UQwSDqofYES6IeqdCiE/s1600/rocketx12a.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hope there aren't any civilians in those buildings...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl7VPy_JMqQhDJ3tLY52Y2Oq9O2f6E2Vqc09ejm_GPv32pcAaxwA7hNCTvbKALymYE1JEmJDLPwnZzDk-6v1ZN8hc-QkUFsK7qLzOrW3jD5B8nptvz1nXjzk82zvAwXi-mYO4eHP0uZE/s1600/rocketx12b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfl7VPy_JMqQhDJ3tLY52Y2Oq9O2f6E2Vqc09ejm_GPv32pcAaxwA7hNCTvbKALymYE1JEmJDLPwnZzDk-6v1ZN8hc-QkUFsK7qLzOrW3jD5B8nptvz1nXjzk82zvAwXi-mYO4eHP0uZE/s1600/rocketx12b.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The aftermath. This is what 12 rockets can do for YOU!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Finally got around to adding <span style="color: red;">ammo counters to the inventory window</span>. This was postponed a looooong time ago when the original inventory
window didn't have much room because it used the full-width font. Now you can actually identify at a glance what weapons are loaded with how much ammo, and the amount remaining in each clip in your inventory without having to remember / check all these values manually. Always one step ahead of the aliens, we are! (I also went ahead and made the HUD prioritize the display of remaining ammo, even though we'll be getting a new HUD in a few versions.)<br />
<br />
News:<br />
<ul>
<li>Rookie's Tale has been updated with a few fixes and a new sword (Vampiric Blade).</li>
<li>10101 has again updated the Aggression mod, this time with a huge garrison. Woe to the orc raiding party that runs into <i>that</i> thing (10%<i> </i>chance; you'll know at the beginning there's one nearby because you'll hear the commander's call to arms at the end of your first turn--keep retrying with F10 until you get it if you've played before and are just interested in the garrison).</li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>Around the corner: A bit of optimization, and sound++.</i>Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-32899897828823241432013-01-25T20:25:00.000+08:002013-02-01T15:59:29.719+08:00X-COM TriathlonOkay, so there's no swimming, we already have running (though X-COM <span style="font-size: small;">soldier</span> endurance leaves much to be desired), and we aren't going to have high-tech bikes.<br />
<br />
Today we instead have climbing, jumping, and hurdling for you. (Maybe.)<br />
<br />
Climbing:<br />
<br />
This could open up a lot of new strategic options for movement. Terrain would have a "climbing difficulty" while units would have a new climbing skill that determines how easy it is to climb different terrain, if they can at all. Unless climbing something far beyond a unit's skill level, failure would usually just mean wasted time and stamina rather than outright falling to the ground.<br />
<br />
You'd simply face the terrain you want to climb and use the standard upward movement commands (or let the pathfinder do it for you). You can change facing while climbing to look around, but must again face a surface in order to climb it. Reaction fire is also allowed while climbing, but only with one-handed weapons. If shot while climbing, there's a chance you'll fall. Upon reaching the top you'd climb up onto the roof or whatever flat surface is there. To climb down rather than jump down, you simple walk backwards (this would be a new command) over an edge.<br />
<br />
Jumping:<br />
<br />
The ability to leap across gaps would be nice, even better if jumping allowed you to fly off a roof and crash through a window in another building.<br />
<br />
Hurdling:<br />
<br />
It would be useful to quickly jump/slide over shorter movement-blocking terrain objects like bushes and tables, rather than going around them.<br />
<br />
<br />
So... none of this is implemented yet, but I've been thinking about them for a while and still there are quite a few details to be ironed out before coding could begin. Because it may take some time, I've decided to put this up to a vote! Let's decide whether all this should wait until later (in the interest
of actually making it to 1.0 this century), or go in now. Rather than using a poll, I ask that anyone with input leave thoughts in the comments section. There are certainly some gameplay implications to consider here, like the ability to climb trees to escape zombies (which would then
attack the tree and bring it down?), and no doubt a lot more interesting aspects than that.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind all of these features can/will be optional, and that even if not implemented in the current version they would still probably make it in one day, so even if you want to vote nay, feel free to bring up any relevant details I may want to consider when the time does come to add these features.<br />
<br />
As cool/fun as these would be, I'm somewhat tending towards skipping them for now, even though I've already put a lot of thought into them. They're fairly complicated and there is a good bit to take into account and test so these systems work smoothly with everything else.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'll leave this topic in the incubator and work on the list of assorted loose ends and general improvements for now.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>EDIT 2/1: </i><i>Well, not as many opinions came in as expected based on the readership, but I think the general trend is apparent: Hold off on this until later (I am combining responses from here and Bay 12). So the parkour skill/actions have been pushed back to 1.0+ territory.</i><br />
<br />
<i>In the meantime I've heard that Linux/Wine and some Windows users have been unable to play the mods using the new standalone format. I've repackaged them all with a second batch file inside the actual game directory which should work in cases where the original/primary batch file does not.</i>Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7559655026332277591.post-72691910653991331442013-01-24T22:47:00.000+08:002013-01-24T22:47:11.626+08:00Science or FictionAndrew has put together a well-written short about Victor Wade's dilemma in Rookie's Tale. You may have to play Rookie's Tale a few times before getting the underlying idea he's presented here. It's not something I'd considered when originally designing the scenario, but works well given the premise:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Kaol was sick and tired of the piss that passed for booze in this damn shack.<br />Taking another swig of the ruddy liquid, he longed for a glass of real alcohol. A beer would be amazing right now, and it would help take the edge off of the sword wound on his neck. Damn lucky, he was, that the goblin hadn't taken his head clean off; his last potion had stopped the worst of the bleeding after he had bashed the last of the bastards into paste, and after he had crawled his sorry ass back here a priest - the same man sitting across from him, actually - had stitched his flesh back together with a kind word to his deity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />Leaning back in the creaky three-and-a-half-legged chair, he spent a bit of time wondering where the nearest pub was before shrugging resignedly, realizing that he'd have to walk for a few days to get anywhere more civilized than the collection of huts the locals had dubbed a "town."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />Kaol's pleasant thoughts were interrupted, however, as a stranger banged through the front door. The unshaven man stood a tad bit taller than he did, wearing the tattered purple scraps of an armor made from a metal Kaol didn't recognize. Some sort of weapon was slung over his shoulder. The man stumbled, catching his fall on a table nearby and leaning on it for support.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"No..." he croaked.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"Somethin' wrong?" the barkeep called from behind his counter; the newcomer waved at him dismissively, looking at Kaol's priest friend with strange, hungry eyes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"This isn't right," he whispered. "Where... where's Zilith?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"What the 'ell are you talkin' about?" Kaol asked. This fellow didn't seem drunk, or on anything Kaol had ever taken before; despite that, the strange man didn't quite seem there. Maybe he was mad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"You... were there," the man muttered, ignoring Kaol's question. His eyes swept through the cramped room, taking in the dingy furniture, dying hearth and the wizard sitting silently at the far end near the embers. Despite his apparent attentiveness his eyes were glazed over, seeing something only he could see. Definitely mad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"You... Tsek... you were there, that's right..." the madman said, pointing to the robed figure; by the look of shock that flew across the wizard's face Kaol figured he didn't know the man. "And you... Kaol... you were there... but <i>you </i>weren't," he continued, pointing at the priest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"Now jus ow in tha 'ell do ya know me?" Kaol asked, standing up and knocking his flimsy chair over. "Who tha 'ell are ya?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"Victor," the madman said, nearly whispering. "Tsek is here... Kaol is here... where's Zilith?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />Kaol drew his mace from his belt. "Ya got one more chance, ya bastard. How in tha name a Belthas do ya know me?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />Victor's unfocused gaze sharpened, boring into Kaol's own. Despite himself the fighter stepped back; the ferocity behind those eyes scared him. "You were born in a town, a far distance away from here. Your father was a blacksmith, your mother died during childbirth. For your fourteenth birthday your father made you a sword; you lost it three years later to a dragon and you never forgave yourself for it. I can get it back for you." Kaol was struck by a wave of confusion, anger and a tinge of long-buried regret as those events flashed through his mind's eye. Was this Victor a psychic? An oracle? How did he know...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"And you," the madman said, turning to point at the mage - Tsek. "Your mother was a mage and raised you into the profession. You are ashamed that you can only cast a single spell and are hoping that adventuring will help you learn more to finally prove yourself to her. I can help you do that." The man in question just stared at Victor, shock written across his face. "But you... priest of Belthas... I don't know you... Zilith should be there... was there..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />The stranger slumped to the ground with a groan, leaning against the wall and holding his face in his hands. Kaol shared a look with his priest and the mage, and by silent agreement the priest stood and walked over to the madman.<br />"My name is Shentong," he said softly, crouching in front of Victor. "I am, as you guessed, a priest of Belthas." Victor looked up, tears streaming down his face. "What happened to you?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"She died," the man whispered; Kaol struggled to hear him, even from a few feet away, and he struggled with the urge to creep closer. The priest might be able to strangle some sense out of the loon and figure out how the hell he knew so much... how he knew about Kaol. He didn't want to scare the man away, and kept his distance. "I... it's all so foggy, but... I remember her smile, her hair, her kindness... I remember her. And I let her die."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"What happened?" Shentong asked softly, concern and kindness etched across his face. "Do you remember?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"I... there were monsters... no, aliens... they sent me here... I was, we were looking... I can't remember, it was something important..." Shentong met the barkeeper's eye, gesturing upstars; the barkeep responded with a nod. "Let's get you upstairs. See if some rest will help you remember."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />Victor nodded wordlessly and allowed himself to be led upstars; as Kaol watched the two of them stumble out of sight, the mage approached him. "Do you know that man?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"No," Kaol growled. "An' I'd guess ya don', either." The mage shook his head.<br />"I have no idea how he... found out..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />"Nor I." Kaol cracked his neck and rested a hand on his mace. "But I intend ta find out." With that, he followed the priest and his charge upstairs. No matter what this Shentong said, he wasn't going to let the madman rest until he had answers. With the mage trailing him, he stomped upstars to confront the madman.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
You can read a couple more fan fiction stories on the forum <a href="http://xcomrl.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=private&thread=15&post=445">here</a> and <a href="http://xcomrl.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=private&thread=15&post=477">here</a>, though they appear in the members-only board for now. (We'll have a dedicated public fan fiction board later once the game gets bigger.)<br />
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<i>"You are ashamed that you can only cast a single spell"</i>... I love that line, so fitting.<br />
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Another memorable excerpt from one of Andrew's stories<i> </i>that I'm sure anyone can appreciate:<br />
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<i>"It's a good plan and we're a lot better equipped than last time, so I think we can pull it off. What do you think, Kyzrati?"</i><br />
<i><br />The erratic mage hummed in thought for a moment. "I'd give it a good thirty-three percent chance that one of us, at least, will survive."</i><br />
<i><br />"Better than X-COM usually does," Victor muttered. "You guys ready?"</i><br />
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<br />
10101 has posted a screenshot showing what could be the "worst start ever" in Rookie's Tale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltzINB63fsxvqq_3-iltZIk_pAu3HyAT0Zzn3IiqdxLvGB7xIhdmYDMTe8Jq7yDrxXHzpMzyyd-au7e-wM8_55Lw5jrcy8ehhVt6pQRu2CiJESf54tVmgw0QZFy8rQK-JxXQJPwE3Bc8/s1600/badstart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltzINB63fsxvqq_3-iltZIk_pAu3HyAT0Zzn3IiqdxLvGB7xIhdmYDMTe8Jq7yDrxXHzpMzyyd-au7e-wM8_55Lw5jrcy8ehhVt6pQRu2CiJESf54tVmgw0QZFy8rQK-JxXQJPwE3Bc8/s1600/badstart.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good luck, Victor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Development on the game itself has been slow of late. The only new feature worthy of mention is the ability to show all destinations within range of a unit given its current TU/EN. This is a pretty much a standard feature for TBS games and has been on my to-do list for a while, so I threw it together a few days ago since I had recently added Dijkstra processing to the pathfinding class for other uses.<br />
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It's nice because it updates as you move, so you can see the area reduce in size as you take each step (most useful while using a keyboard). Another advantage is it's a way to easily see what spaces can and cannot be occupied. It has a couple of [unimportant] known issues, but should work fairly well.<br />
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Various News Items:<br />
<ul>
<li>There have been a few new unannounced minor updates to X@COM, and we're now at 8.5. The latest version of Rookie's Tale has been repackaged with the current version.</li>
<li>A Rookie's Tale has been updated several times since it was first released, mostly minor fixes and improvements. If you're playing now and plan to create golems, I recommend the new version since I had apparently broken that spell before the original release. Thanks to 10101 for finding almost everything that needed fixing so far. There may be more silent updates in the future, if anything else is reported.</li>
<li>"Aggression" the mod has been updated by 10101, who added a possible mage tower and burned mill to the map generator and gave the Elder an extra healing spell. (The mod's original author is Andrew Sundberg.)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></li>
<li>By request, the blog has been reopened to anonymous
comments for anyone who has something to say. I'd still prefer you
leave some name that we can know you by (which you can do without
logging in) in case you end up with multiple comments. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
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The next post will come fairly soon, as soon as I can organize my notes on potential new features to seek some feedback.Kyzratihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17220878983726728132noreply@blogger.com0