DIARY (rants)
December 16th, 2004
The first version of Native for UFO
is now ready at the mods section.
December 16th, 2004
Native now runs on the original UFO.
It is still not perfect since most likely I will have to make adjustments on
the routes and terrain to allow the aliens to move easier but the hardest part is
done. I had played it several times in UFO2000 and so I had my first mission on
UFO at night, which makes everything so much spookier. Blaster
launchers, Chryssalids running towards you from
buildings, hehehehhe, fun.
December 13th, 2004
3 months????? I hadn’t realized how
much time I had passed since my last update here.
As you might have noticed the page
has moved to another server, and there are also several new updates all around
the place. Just look for the Alert signs on the sidemenu
to check them.
First, there is a new section
dedicated to terrains for UFO2000. I will later post some game screenshots of
them because they are really different from anything seen on UFO or TFTD. I
would wish it was possible for some to be playable on UFO, especially Native,
which is one of the best terrains I ever made. It might be possible to use it
to replace a Terror site using XComUtil but I just
had this idea now and I don’t know if it would be possible, especially
considering the routes for it. Wait, just made a little check….it might be
possible to make an adapted version of Native for it. Most likely some maps
will be impossible to use but I think I can do it. Hmmm, great just more work
ahead.
The updated UFO2000 version of
Area51 is almost completed (only some maps left to design). It will comprise 5
different terrains with additional graphics than the version for the regular
game (which leaves me a little pissed off that I have to leave so many things
out). There’s still work to be done on the regular version but that shouldn’t
be much of a problem.
As you might have noticed, the
screenshots section is being redesigned. Nearly all of the buildings of Area51
have been redesigned plus I want to add pictures of the UFO2000 terrains, which
leaves the section a little bare.
Well that’s it for now. More news
soon.
September 10th, 2004
The Area51 terrain for UFO2000 is
almost completed but there are still a lot of things to fix before I can
release it. Meanwhile I've started studying for my September exams so I won't
have much time available but I will work on it when I can.
I think I am going to take a break
from terrain designing afterwards. I've spent the last 4 months modifying the
existing terrains and I am starting to feel the need to write more, especially
on the fan fics. During the past days I've finally
come up with the plot for the 3rd novel, Nemesis and I finally found what I was
looking for that sums the message I want to pass with the entire series.
Obviously I won't say it here but like the characters on Dune would say: plots
within plots within plots.
But first I need to restart writing
on Abyssal and to set some short terms goals to progress in the story. I am
finding it interesting to see how the events are starting to converge into a
fulcrum on the story. The same thing happened on the Unknown Menace with the
Russian laser facility and the underground alien base on
Well, that's it.
September 4th, 2004
I have been making extensive changes
to the .mcd files in order for the regular Area51
version to use some of the new textures I've created. This has added some work
since I need to redo the maps afterwards. But it's well worth it because the
entire battlefield area has turned into something much more
darker than before. It is not possible yet to use it during night
missions because the UFO2000 version is taking all of my time but I am getting
curious to see the final look.
What else? The terrain files are
nearly completed although most likely there's still a couple of wrongly placed
tiles around that I haven't been able to figure out. Another thing that will
need to be done is to set map generation rules in order for the runways and
taxiways to be properly alligned. But so far I've
liked what I've seen on the hot seat trials. I've added more open spaces to
help movement which should provide for a variety of randomly generated
terrains.
When the UFO2000 maps are done I am
going to update (and sort better the files at the site) the pictures
available.
August 27th, 2004
I have been working on the new mcd file for the past days and completing the Area51
buildings. The new graphics look good. I have created or adapted several new
textures for the walls and ground, and also objects. Overall I the UFO2000
version should become more somber because I am going to use grey and
camouflaged tones more. It probably would look more menacing during night
missions but that will have to wait.
I've been wondering what to do
considering the regular game version. It will be impossible to replicate things
on it like organized runaways or buildings larger than 20x20. Furthermore I've
been designing and sorting out the whole 38 current maps like an unique group to maintain a certain pattern and style to
it.
I am scrapping design on 60x60 maps
for now because they are not worth the trouble. Even some of the 40x40 ones
will be scaled down to make them simpler. Too much construction tends to lower
down their unplayability.
August 17th, 2004
Yesterday I finished the Skyranger Factory for UFO2000, hurray. It was hard to
create such a large map but the work seems to have paid off. Furthermore I am
getting ready to add the additional mcd file to make
use of the tiles made vacant by the lack of the Skyranger
to the Area51 terrain.
This will add a little more
diversity and detail to the maps. I have also redone some of the original
objects in the past weeks to give them the dominant grey tone of the terrain.
The new features include lifs, stairs facing South
and East (all stairs on ufo
face north or west, with the exception of the Skyranger
ramp), animations for some of the objects and a couple new textures to place
around.
Unfortunately those changes will
only be possible for UFO2000 so it means that I have to create a complete set
of new map files that use them then rework all available Area51 buildings into
them. The good news here is that it might be possible to use maps larger than
20x20 on UFO2000, in which case I will be able to import the entire set to the
multiplayer version without significant changes to the disposition of the map
files.
The entire map pack is going to be
very large, the way I am imagining it right now, with several new 10x10 and
20x20 maps, with a couple 30x30 and 40x40s. And the multiplayer version should
allow for plenty of variety, including the Skyranger
Factory subterrain and the others 60x60 maps I got
planned.
And after it, it's simply a matter
of graphics. The Apartment/City mod will benefit also from this process, and I
am converting the Movie Theatre to a 40x40 version that will use additional
graphics.
August 13th, 2004
I'm removing the Area51 conversion
to UFO2000 for the time being because I really need to rework the files and
it's no good to have several versions of it around. I should upload a new version
of the Area51 Terror Site mod for UFO in the next days but there won't be any
new maps yet included, only corrections to the maps and tilesets
that I've been doing in the past days.
I am completing two 60x60 maps for
UFO2000: the HWP and Skyranger Factories. The Skyranger factory is getting pretty big, with 4 built
levels like the HWP Factory and lifts to help getting upstairs. Right now I
have completed the basic design and am adding furniture and other eye-looking
features to it. I might be an interesting map for regular UFO but it is simply
impossible to use it there at the moment for several reasons.
The HWP Factory is simply an
enlarged 60x60 version of the one for UFO, although I am hoping to finish
rebuilding a .mcd file to use the entries normally
occupied by the Skyranger. I already have a wish list
of several existing and new tiles to include, although they will only be usable
in the version for UFO2000. The problem is designing the graphics, I have made
stairs that face south and east (nearly all stairs on UFO are north and east,
with the exception of the Skyranger and Avenger
ramps) but they still need a lot of adjustments, plus there's several other new
tiles than I want to add.
Overall, when the new .mcd is complete I shall use it to improve all existing and
future Area51 maps for the UFO2000 version. I will end up developing three
versions of it actually, one for regular UFO, one for XComUtil and another for UFO2000, which is giving me slight
headaches and a lot of work during these days. Plus, I want to create at least
one 60x60 cinema with additional graphics, which will be also a lot of work.
And finally, I am also working on
the Assault mapset for UFO2000. I might create a
version for XComutil later since some maps might lead
into some interesting battles.
Well, that's it. Later.
August 11th, 2004
Eh. Not much lately on the matter of
updates on the site but that should change in the future. The Skyranger factory is half done and it should be the next
thing I'm going to publish. The 60x60 Cinema is more complete but I need to
revamp the tilesets and create new tiles before I
release it.
One problem that requires my
immediate attention before publishing more stuff for Area51 is to sort things
out between terrains for the regular game, to use with XComUtil
and to play in UFO2000. The set for the regular game only needs the upgraded
terrain files since for the moment I won't create the Beta alternative
set.
The XComUtil
version will contain some 33-35 maps, including a couple of the UFO2000 Assault
mapset, basically 40x40 maps like paintball areas
where the AI will be designed for quick and nasty battles.
August 4th, 2004
The Area 51 mod is horribly late but
I've been addicted to UFO2000 in the past days. Besides playing it I am
designing a 40x40 version of the cinema along with a 60x60 Skyranger
factory. I still have no idea if the factory will be playable on UFO2000
because of the mcd files but it will look nice.
July 30th, 2004
What a mad month this has been.
First the newest version of Scott Jones' XComUtil,
which allows to play up to 40x40 buildings and now I've just discovered
UFO2000. Somehow I even forgot to finish and publish the post below this one.
It's so much better to play against
a human player because everything is so much more unpredictable and you're
always coming up with new ways to deal with the terrain. Plus the tactics are
completely different from an UFO game. Most of the same techniques still apply:
kneel, maintain enough points for reaction fire, etc. But you have to really
get ready for the worst and snickiest attacks, because you never know what the other guy might
came up with.I love it because I like to include
alternative paths and obscure corridors that allow for sneak attacks and
locations for ambushes.
And probably it will possible to
include some different maps, especifically designed
for multiplayer, based on training ranges. I've been working on a couple of
them and since it's unlikely that I'll use them (or even impossible to use, due
to the limitations of the original game) on the game mod, work goes faster
since I don't have to do the routes for the aliens. Another thing that is
really a blessing is the specified starting areas for the players since there's
no need for planes. This freezes up almost a quart of the MCD entries and
although i'm not sure I can use them since I have no
idea of how to add new entries to the MCD files, I'll find a way to use them.
I've always wanted to add Skyrangers or other planes
to the scenery of Area 51 but they took too much space.
Another possibility mentioned to me
by the UFO2000 team is the inclusion of 8 level maps, which would add the game
into something gigantic, approaching it to Apocalyptical
dimensions. Still, even if those maps are possible they need to be very well
designed, otherwise they'll drag for hours. So far my UFO2000 games tended to
be very fast battles with lots of action, although I had quite a few
interesting long ones. Of course, this is all wild guessing.
But due to it I haven't progressed
as much as I wanted on the rest of the AlphaBeta
add-on to Area51. Many of the buildings are already done graphically but I
haven't started working on any routes. And I want to finish the tiles first so
that I can try them before with UFO2000.
July 20th, 2004
I've done the basic design of nearly
all new buildings in the lists below. Set Alpha should be completed shortly
after XComUtil 9.60 gets released and Set Beta soon
afterwards. And afterwards I'll be able to also add new buildings if I have new
ideas for them, although I'll soon get tired of the Tiles I'm working at.
It's amazing how much possibilities
have been made possible with the new map dimensions, because of the geometric
growth of the area available. A 20x20 looked big before, although it had an
area of only 400 tiles. A 30x30 map has 900 tiles and a 40x40 1600 tiles' area!
And there's always the possibility of 50x50 or 60x60 maps but with those there
couldn't be a Skyranger and for now I'm having a
great time with the 30x30 and 40x40 maps, which can still be combined with
others.
But now the problem is about the
number of Tiles available for each terrain.
July 19th, 2004
I've done some brainstorming to
organize all of the buildings, current and planned, of the Area 51 mod.
There will be two terrain sets: each
one will consist of 5 10x10, 5 20x20, 2 30x30 and 2 40x40 buildings, together
with 5 10x10 'Road' common maps. Although the 30x30 and 40x40 buildings will
only be playble through XComUtil,
the rest won't require it.
The already existing 10x10 and 20x20
buildings will be a part of the Alpha set, along with the HWP Factory and other
large buildings. The Beta set will consist of expansions of already existing
buildings, older ideas and new concepts. Each one will be playable without XComUtil, although only the 10x10 and 20x20 buildings.
And for those using XComUtil, one very likely possibility will be to use both
Alpha and Beta sets together! That way the Battlefield will be composed
from 5 'Road' maps, 20 10x10 and 20x20 buildings, 4 30x30 buildings and 4 40x40
buildings, at least! This doesn't mean an increase of the battle area, simply
that there will be a lot more of available map choices to appear on a Terror
Site.
Here's a list of both
versions.
Size
Alpha
Beta
|
10x10 |
Road |
|
Road |
|
10x10 |
Road |
|
Road |
|
10x10 |
Road |
|
Road |
|
10x10 |
Road |
|
Road |
|
10x10 |
Road |
|
Road |
|
20x20 |
HQ |
|
Mod. Barracks |
|
20x20 |
Bunker |
|
|
|
20x20 |
Hangar |
|
Repair Facility |
|
20x20 |
Research |
|
Armory |
|
20x20 |
Heliport |
|
|
|
40x40 |
HWP Factory |
Fortress |
|
|
40x40 |
Penitentiary |
Aircraft Terminal |
|
|
30x30 |
Repair Facility |
Mod. Hangar |
|
|
30x30 |
Defense Complex |
Mod. Heliport |
|
|
10x10 |
Depot |
|
Workshop |
|
10x10 |
Outpost |
|
|
|
10x10 |
Storage |
|
? |
|
10x10 |
Barracks |
|
? |
|
10x10 |
C. Tower |
|
? |
July 19th, 2004
Work, work, work. I've just started overhauling the entire
Area 51 mod to be able to introduce several different type and size buildings.
Thanks to Scott Jones and XComUtil it will be
possible to use 30x30 and 40x40 buildings on Terror Sites, which will allow
several different combinations of buildings to be played.
This is the new project for the
entire mod:
- 5 'road' 10x10 maps for the Skyranger to land
- 5 10x10 maps: Depot, Storage Area,
Control Tower; two new buildings: Workship,
- 5 20x20 maps: Hangar, Bunker,
Research Facility; two expanded (from 10x10 size)
buildings, Barracks, Outpost.
- 2/3 30x30 maps: Heliport,
HQ/Armory, Hangar?
- 2/3 40x40 maps: HWP Factory,
Penitentiary, Fortress?
I still haven't definitly
made my mind considering the number of buildings available.
Although the 30x30 and 40x40 will
only be playable using XComUtil, the mod can still be
played without it, although it that case only the 15 'basic' buildings will be
used. But with XComUtil there will be at least 19
different maps, with combinations that go from a single 40x40 building down to
several 10x10s.
July 15th, 2004
Yesterday I had one of the best news
ever. I finally used a 30x30 building in UFO, thanks to XComUtil.
Today I tried a 40x40 building also with success (the HWP Factory), although
the larger the building the more difficult it is to get it, due to the
randomness and the space occupied by the Skyranger.
Nevertheless this is great since
I've been wanting be able to design really large
buildings for a long time. I've already done most of the HWP Factory, which was
based on an early Factory design and also on the Research Facility of Area 51.
Another building that I've already started working is a Penitentiary and
another will be a Bunker/Fort.
Lots of work ahead but this is will
be fun playing. It will require XComUtil to work, but
only for the 30x30 and 40x40 buildings.
July 14th, 2004
Just done the
first revision of the City to correct a few terrain bugs. I still need to revamp the Routes to keep
the aliens to the top floors.
July 2nd, 2004
Took a break from working on the
City because I've decided to take some time and play some games to relax a bit.
I've started re-reading the Frank Herbert's Dune series of novels (I'm on #4,
God Emperor of Dune) and because of it, I've played a couple of Dune 2 games.
My first game was
And yesterday I took a 10 man + 1
HWP squad back to Area 51 against Sectoids/Cyberdisks.
That was one tough mission:
Mission Successful:
XCOM saved game at
Superhuman difficulty level (EXP:4) with $6414599
Bases: HQ,
Resistance, Area 51, Outpost Afrika, Outpost Aussie
Killed: Sergeant
Gamma Scout 19/12
Killed: Sergeant
Delta Sniper 10/10
Killed: Sergeant Eta Sniper 14/9
Killed: Sergeant
Theta Rifle 10/20
Killed: Sergeant Nu Assault 19/17
Killed: Captain Rho Assault 13/19
Killed: Squaddie Sigma Assault 11/10
Probable Base of
Origin for Combat: HQ
Human/Power Armor:
10, Dead: 7
Tank: 1, Dead: 1
Sectoid: 21, Dead: 21
Cyberdisc: 8, Dead: 5, Wounded: 3,
Stunned: 1
Civilian Male: 11,
Dead: 7
All of the Sectoids
were Leaders/Commanders (but with the Psi attacks
deactivated). There's a Cyberdisk close to the LZ
that kills my HWP and after it gets destroyedI had to
assault an Heliport. A lot of aliens get killed in the
assault, with a large cluster taken by one of their own grenades but as I move
to collect spare clips and grenades there's still a sniper on upper room at the
third level that kills 3 of my soldiers. Since there was no way to reach that
room (the floor was busted) I had to take it out with grenades. It was annoying
as hell because first I suspected that it was a Cyberdisk
that had flyed upwards and now was hiding outside the
building.
Afterwards I had to find and destroy
the remaining Cyberdisks, and there I lost 4
soldiers, because their positions completely surprised me, since I know what
patterns they seem to follow on the routes and I wasn't expecting them changing
their position so much. At the end I only had 3 soldiers but I was a great
game.
June 29th, 2004
I'm almost completing the graphics
and the building architecture for the City mod. The large buildings (20x20) are
almost done and the 10x10 ones are in good progress. There will be a
restaurant, a butcher shop, a bar and two others that I still haven't decided
what they are. The most demanding part has been defining the graphics: overall
I've completely redesigned the 4 terrains used in Urban
maps. I had to create quite a few new ones, based on already existing UFO and
TFTD tiles. I haven't perfected the process and they need a couple of
retouching but for now they will do. The LOS files haven't been modified yet to
correspond with the new objects and that will be boring and I've decided not to
modify the Scang entries (that define what shapes
appear on the game's overhead maps) because of the different colors used.
Playing it on UFO will definitly look weird because
I've used so many things of the TFTD terrains.
June 25th, 2004
Phew....this has been tiring lately!
I won't work more in the Hive for now because I'm not that happy about it and
plus I've just found something else to entertain myself. If you haven't checked
the Theatre on the start page, do so. This
June 16th, 2004
Yup, it seems that 9.50 is the
definite version. More playtesting will be needed but
otherwise the Maps and Routes are all done. The only thing left to do is to get
some military uniforms for the civilians (it's a military base after all),
which will take a godly amount of time to finish but I got it mostly figured
out now. I'm planning to start working on other terrains by then. I still
haven't made my mind about which ones I will use, although I'll be borrowing
heavily from TFTD. One neat thing that could be done would be to transform the
Mountain terrain into some sort of hidden Maya temple hidden in a jungle but I
still have to check how many space these files have
that I could use.
June 15th, 2004
Just finished some
major changes to the Routes.
The aliens will now patrol more the inside of buildings instead of just lurking
outside. I also changed the appearance of the Heliport. I just need to do a
couple more testing and to edit some minor things regarding the objects'
properties until this mod is complete.
June 8th, 2004
And yet another
updated version (9.40).
Last night I made an overhaul of some minor buildings (the Radar Outpost and
the POL Depot), because they were rather dull, still with most of their
original architecture. All buildings on the terrain now have three
levels.
One other thing that I redesigned completely
was the nodes that link the different buildings. In the process I had to make
minor changes to the maps but this way the aliens will be able to better move
around the battlefield (or so I hope), rather than just lurking on the
buildings.
June 7th, 2004
And another
updated version (9.35). I
made a couple of changes on the alien routes in a couple of buildings because
they weren't working properly. Even so, the AI simply doesn't use some of the
routes, especially when it spots X-COM soldiers, because the aliens
response is very limited. But since I can't do anything about it, I'll simply
have to keep upgrading the routes to see if I can tackle the problem in a
different way.
Still, on my test plays I have been
having problems defeating the aliens. Some buildings, like the
One hellish scenario is to drop down
to a terror site, save it and then replace the aliens only with 30+ Chryssalids (to resemble the movie Aliens), using XComUtil. It usually turns into a big nightmare: I kill 7
to 8 aliens right on the first turn, only to have half my squad impregnated
during the aliens turn. You can guess what happens afterwards (retreat!
retreat!)
June 1st, 2004
A new version is available (9.32),
with some minor changes/upgrades. Still no word about the editor to allow for
big buildings on the game, but I've started designing some interesting (and
large) facilities. I'm recreating the Research Facility, because lately I've
been having some tough fights inside.
May 29th, 2004
Not much in the way of updates
lately but then I haven't made much play testing, because it gets tiring
(although not boring) to play terror missions over and over. However, I've been
trying some weird alien combinations like Mutons/Cyberdisks/Chryssalids
or the ultimate challenge: Ethereals/Mutons/Sectopods/Chryssalids.
It's simply nuts because you suffer psionic attacks, Chryssalids scrambling towards you, and the Mutons and Sectopods simply
firing. Add the fact that I never take psi-amps or
blaster launchers and the game really gets interesting...
That reminds me of something you
should get ASAP to complement UFO and TFTD: XComUtil.
It's an....editor? patch? mod? It's all that and more since it automatically fixes a
couple of bugs while allowing you (if you have the patience to go through the
documentation) to spice up your game.
Also, the next buildings I'm
designing will require XComUtil to work. I still
haven't been able to run a game in a 60x60 building but it might be possible to
design large buildings and use them on the game. Most likely the maximum size
will be 40x40 but that's 4 times the size of the
largest buildings available on the Area 51 mod. Even limited to 4 levels,
there's a lot that can be created and some of the concepts I've come up so far
resemble the buildings inside Apocalypse, the third game of the series.
May 26th, 2004
Ouch! I was playing a game and
trying to get control of an alien infested bunker. The upper floor was full of Chryssalids and Snakemen and they
kept getting into cover so I decided to move several high-reaction soldiers
inside to kill any alien that showed up before moving up the stairs. They
killed two aliens but one of the Snakemen threw a
grenade downstairs that ignited several of the barrels. Six of my soldiers died
on that turn...
I think I've cleared the bugs on the
alien placement, plus I made a complete rework of the bunker's walls, using my
latest changes on the graphics. As usual, v9.25 is available in the downloads area.
May 25th, 2004
There hasn't
been much of updates lately but work is still progressing. There's still a
number of bugs on the alien placement that need to be fixed when I have the
time (concerning Cyberdisks stuck on walls) and I
have completed the rearrangement of the terrain files, borrowing a lot of
objects from the Port terrain of TFTD. More and more I found TFTD to be a complete
blessing: the fact that the graphics files are identical to UFO allows a lot of
new features to be added to UFO, like different walls, ground and ceilings and
objects. I think one could use TFTD to completely replace the terrains on UFO:
although it wouldn't add anything different in game dynamics, it would allow
different settings to be played with UFO. XComUtil
already allows Hybrid games, where you can play UFO missions on TFTD terrain
and vice-versa, but because of the different palettes the colors came out
weird.
One of the things that was really fun to do was to add all of the different barrel
types existent on TFTD. The mod now has 7 different types of barrels, each one
releasing a different smoke or HE explosion when hit. Overall, the mod now has
features from Urban, X-COM base (UFO and TFTD), Port,
You might have noticed the link to
the .gif file on the start page. If everything works out, that will be the next
project: to create a series of unique terrains that can be loaded into UFO
using XComUtil and a program being designed by BladeFireLight. They won't be randomized (it's a single
building for every map) but I hope that they will add another dimension to UFO
(at this point they'll supposely only work on TFTD
but they haven't been tested yet).
Like you can see on the .gif, the
60x60 dimensions really allow big buildings to be designed. One of my gripes
towards TFTD is the time to complete the ship missions, because of their size
(two-part mission) and their complexity (all of the small rooms you have to
check), which can be really exhausting and time-consuming. This way I hope a
player will be able to fight in a large and somewhat complex
building/ship/whatever. It will take away the random part but I'll try to
create some hard facilities to conquer/defend from the aliens, like a fort,
factory, etc.
That's all. Back to work.
May 22nd, 2004
And it's published! I wanted to make
more playtesting before releasing the files but the
new terrain is much better with the new graphics and object properties. I had
no idea that the data of the reworked graphics doesn't get stored on a saved
game. This way the full modifications can finally be played by everyone and
I'll be doing the testing meanwhile.
Things literally went explosive on
the terrain. I've made a couple of tries and it can get dangerous to shoot at
some objects (surprise, surprise) at a close distance. All of the walls have
been hardened against gunfire and blasts and now it's much harder to break into
buildings (but not impossible). And there's barrels,
oh there's lots of barrels indeed...
And, finally, I've include a uniform
mod that Bagirov sent me that replaces the power
suits with some neat urban camouflage. It replaces the power suit with standard
combat clothing and helmet in grey and blue streaks. I'd like also to have
power suits with the same camouflage pattern instead of their white color,
maybe that's possible.
May 21st, 2004
Just made an amazing discovery: an
editor that allows you to change the properties of the tiles used in the game
on the MCD files! This is something I had thought about before because of the
possibilities it allows: reinforcing the strength of walls; adding more
explosive objects and a bunch of other things possible concerning light, smoke
and explosions! I've already used it to make several changes on the new version
v.910s: more objects are prone to explode when hit now (some with potentially
catastrophic effects) and it's much harder to demolish or open holes in walls.
This is something I really wanted because a military base would be hardened
against explosions and incoming fire.
May 20th, 2004
I've just got entirely pissed off
from the fact that I accidentaly blew up the stairs
on the first level of the Bunker while trying to kill a Chryssalid
three tiles away from my soldier. This has happened a lot and the end result is
that there's no way to reach the second and third level afterwards. And the
more frustrating is that the only way to kill the aliens inside is to literally
demolish the building (took me nearly 50 turns using
plasma/laser/explosives).
I'm pleased (but my soldiers are
not) to see how the AI uses the terrain and the height: grenades dropping into
my soldiers out of nowhere; invisible aliens sniping at me from unknown
directions; Chryssalids running downstairs from a
room hidden from view and zombifying the troops....oh
well.
Regarding the terrain, I want to
release the files until the end of the month. I've started designing another
modification of the Terror Site terrain, with a different flavor from Area 51.
I've imagined a number of structures for buildings that might be fun (read:
dangerous) for the Terror Sites. Unfortunately there's no more room for large
buildings on Area 51, since the five 20x20 buildings allowed have been already
occupied.
And PCKView
has this neat feature of allowing you to convert pictures from TFTD to the UFO
palette, and use them to replace any objects on the UFO terrain. I've already
added a couple of TFTD items to the Area 51 terrain: the green/blue chairs, the
gray tables and the winch. By using the technique again, I want to combine the
Terror Site terrain together with the
For now I have published pictures of
the new buildings on the screenshots page. They're not much to look at (no
furniture and I want to replace the walls/windows) but they give an idea of my
goal.
May 17th, 2004
Seems that the new
AI has gotten a good start: aliens and civvies start where they're supposed to,
but it still feels that the aliens aren't moving as much as I expected. The new version, v905e is the
lastest to be finished and is ready for
download for tryout. I think all the major work is done, and it only (what an
understatement!) needs to be tested to see if the routing is doing what's
supposed to.
May 16th, 2004
Just completely
reworked the AI on the major buildings. Version 1.13 (I need to get a better numbering system - next
saved games will start with 9.xx something, otherwise it will look like it will
take a long time finishing this thing) is the newest version with the
redesigned AI. I still need to finish the AI on most of the smaller buildings
(the reason why there's no aliens on the Barracks or the POL depot. I'm still
trying to figure out some things about the AI though.
One of the things that was a nice discovery is to see how the illumination plays a
part on designing buildings. I've been playing nearly only night missions
because it's fun to see the light effects that the street lights and the abatoirs make on rooms and the overall setting. Sometimes I
get an eerie feeling approaching the Hangar, because all the entrance is pretty
well lit but the outside hasn't any light source at all. Makes some buildings
look scaaarry.
I'm going to play some test missions
tonight (I'm sending only soldiers at the time, and avoid contact with the
aliens, if possible) to observe how the new AI sends the aliens on their
patrols. Let's see how it works.
May 14th, 2004
Well, the page isn't too well
designed (it shucks, I know) but it fulfils its purpose. :P
I have finished the design process
of the buildings last night. The old Base Mess is out, replaced by the Hangar
and I created four new small buildings (Radar Outpost, Barracks, Control Tower
and POL Depot).
I have only tried yet the Hangar but
it was nice. I used XComUtil to increase the number
of Chryssalids to 20(!) on the game before I played
it, and accordingly I got squashed by the aliens by turn 10. But it was fun,
because the Skyranger landed right next to the Hangar
so I could try to hold the aliens inside and see how the building worked.
There are some nasty sniper
positions on the hangar: the two rooms on the third level are killers for
anyone there overlooking the hangar doors. But it can be a real pain getting to
them: the catwalks are death traps if an alien outside can see inside the
hangar. But the worst part was the beginning: five soldiers (!) impregnated by Chryssalids on turn three.
One of the things I have been
noticing is how much the game is starting to resemble TFTD in aspects of game
length and also of alien behaviour. It feels like the
aliens now use more grenades and their snipers sometimes are a pain. I lose two
or three soldiers without even seeing the alien, who is shooting from a window
somewhere. That comes also from getting hit from a different level, which
should increase the chances of a head or below
shot.
Well, more news later.