UFO Extender

[mercy]

Can you upload a save, where after you pass a few hours or days your base gets attacked with high probability? Or a savegame where the base attacking big UFO is already on its way on your radar? My base wasn't attacked by a random chance in my playthrough. Tycho loaded the same savegame and the base was attacked in his case. I would just like to see what happens after recent base defense changes.

[narical]

I really can't help much with XcomUtil incompatibility issues.

 

I don't think that's a must. Your way of modding is much better and not intrusive, so I prefer your mod more then others.

You already added possibility for changing items stats easily. Not sure if it's possible to do the same with tech tree (simply adding prerequisites for research or manufacturing costs with .ini-file) - but even if itsn't possible I will prefer your mod in case of incompatibility with others))

 

Quick question to anybody who has used Ablative Armor. Does it make the game easier or harder? Cheers.

 

I don't know if it's a bug, but sometimes there was sectoids/floaters who stayed alive after 7-8 heavy laser shots AND 15+ laser rifle shots. I was playing superhuman difficulty, so I personally think it was because of interfering "ablative armor"-mod with difficulty. Can send savegame if needed next time I face that.

[PinchIt]

2) Base Defense: when ship approaches, my base defense screen (where Plasma Defense et al. normally pop up and list their firing results) still pops up even though I have no base defense modules. This seems buggy, and is kinda annoying

3) my MAJOR issue: alien ships keep coming to kamikaze my base with no chance of defense on my part. I didn't shoot him down, so it seems unfair. Please tell me there's a way to disable this feature by INI or hex edit.

Thanks for a wonderful mod.

 

I too had this. 4 Base Assaults in Feb

 

I added Base Retaliation Loop Fix=0 to the ini File and it stopped the base assaults (after one final assault) when added.

 

Hope that helps.

[Echelon117]

Hi Tyco,

 

Ive been playing around for weeks now since release to get the screen ratio right for my monitor and I just can't do it.

 

What exactly is it that you have altered since the previous version that makes adjusting the image so much more difficult?

 

Is there any way you can help me? I don't want to play xcom on the default tiny window that is set up with the mod, I want my game to fit my 1680x1050 16:10 screen the way the previous version did.

 

This is my old INI's screen settings:

 

Video Pitch=0

D3D=1

D3D Width=0

D3D Height=0

D3D Windowed=0

D3D Window Position=1983959135 -2 0 -14849339

Screen Ratio=0.833333

Always On Top=0

Clip Cursor=1

Scale Mouse=1

Max FPS=0

HQ4x=1

Linear Filter=2

Slow Geoscape Clock=0

Battlescape Delay=0

CPU Mask=0

High Priority=0

Force Language=1

Skip Intro=0

 

The new INI's screen ratio setting appears to do nothing now, so my image is stretched and blurry no matter what I do.

 

How can I get that old result to be the same in the new version? Any help would be much appreciated thanks

[PinchIt]

Hi Tycho

 

New bug to do with stores. 16 Avalanche Missiles in stores. They use 57 store space. 2nd base I have 12 Avalanche Missiles and they use 43 store space. Not sure if other items also use too much storage space or not.

 

Thanks

[Tycho]

Hi Tycho

 

New bug to do with stores. 16 Avalanche Missiles in stores. They use 57 store space. 2nd base I have 12 Avalanche Missiles and they use 43 store space. Not sure if other items also use too much storage space or not.

 

Thanks

 

What is your current setting for base stores in the INI? From the numbers you provided I believe that that storage capacity should be equal to 150. Is this correct?

[PinchIt]

What is your current setting for base stores in the INI? From the numbers you provided I believe that that storage capacity should be equal to 150. Is this correct?

 

Yes that is correct

[ElfKaa]

Hello Tycho,

I am glad to see you are still developing this nice game patches and improovents. I will probably have some special wish to you. As I am czech - could be in the future possible to alternate some character set to be possible to modify texts and translate it to e.g. czech language? It exists the czech variation - but it is not fully czech as the czech has some special characters (diacritical marks) that I think should be added after the normal character set with some of code number and then replaced to the language translation files. I have also found the russian version of the game with modified game code and also character set. And the character set is then bigger then the normal english. I know that the game has the character coded somehow that it recognize (or must be set somewhere) the lenght of the charakter - so you could not easily replace e.g. char "i" to "m" as it is longer in space, so the char must have to be somehow signed how it is long. Then you may add the patch line to the settings as other yet implemeted like e.g. "character font small: small_czech.dat" and "character font big: big_czech.dat" which will replace the standard set if existed.

So the game then can be completely translated. I also tried to moddify the main screen which is the whole picture with success - so I have the main screen in real czech yet, but I wasn´t succesful with the charset at all.

I need from you just the possibility to change and add some characters to the character files small and big and the translation itself I don´t need from you, I will translate it by myself from the czech variation by replacing the affected chars in the language file.

Thanks.

Lukas

[Tycho]

Hello Tycho,

I am glad to see you are still developing this nice game patches and improovents. I will probably have some special wish to you. As I am czech - could be in the future possible to alternate some character set to be possible to modify texts and translate it to e.g. czech language? It exists the czech variation - but it is not fully czech as the czech has some special characters (diacritical marks) that I think should be added after the normal character set with some of code number and then replaced to the language translation files. I have also found the russian version of the game with modified game code and also character set. And the character set is then bigger then the normal english. I know that the game has the character coded somehow that it recognize (or must be set somewhere) the lenght of the charakter - so you could not easily replace e.g. char "i" to "m" as it is longer in space, so the char must have to be somehow signed how it is long. Then you may add the patch line to the settings as other yet implemeted like e.g. "character font small: small_czech.dat" and "character font big: big_czech.dat" which will replace the standard set if existed.

So the game then can be completely translated. I also tried to moddify the main screen which is the whole picture with success - so I have the main screen in real czech yet, but I wasn´t succesful with the charset at all.

I need from you just the possibility to change and add some characters to the character files small and big and the translation itself I don´t need from you, I will translate it by myself from the czech variation by replacing the affected chars in the language file.

Thanks.

Lukas

 

To be honest I don't know if this is possible or where to start. If it is, it would help alot if you might find out from the guys that work on the russian translation about how they incorporated the special characters into the game. I put all the text for the extender into a special section at their request but that is about as much as I know to do right now.

[ElfKaa]

Hello, Tycho,

I don´t have any contact or information about it but I can send you russian version so you can compare the exe and other necessary files with yours what was changed and how. Maybe you can analyze it and find the difference. So the link to my testing and slightly modified complete functional russian version with all the necessary and more with older Ufoextender version included is here:

--deleted--

 

Also please check the screen ratio functionality for the 3:4 screens of the new extender as it seems to me that it is not yet working on the new extender v 1.31.4 I have an old CRT 1920:1440 screen and I tried the old settings 0.833333 for the screen ratio and also just type 1 or 0 and also 16/10 with no success while the included older extender from the pack I am sending you with the testing russian version works well. In new version of extender the screen is slightly stretched vertically as it should be 16/10 and while I put any number higher than 1 then it is completely black.

 

Thanks

Lukas

[Echelon117]

Hey Tyco,

 

I'm experiencing a game crash upon completing the sectoid autopsy. I'm unsure if its only the sectoid because I haven't found any other races yet to see.

It crashes if I have Alternate Research Tree=0.

Xcom crashed at 0x444B67 with error 0xc0000005 trying to access 0xE946FBEA

[ElfKaa]

Hello Echelon117,

don´t you have the czech mutation of the game? It does to me wrong longer description of the sectoid. I don´t have any problem with the latest extender in english. It it is this - try another language.. Or write me I will send you my fixed czech translation files.

[Echelon117]

It's ok Elfkaa I figured out what it is. Tyco, do you remember sending me that updated patcher.dll? It appears to be causing the crash with the sectoid autopsy when Alternate Research Tree is set to 0.

 

I had a suspicion so I tried the old patcher.dll and there is no crash

[Tycho]

It's ok Elfkaa I figured out what it is. Tyco, do you remember sending me that updated patcher.dll? It appears to be causing the crash with the sectoid autopsy when Alternate Research Tree is set to 0.

 

I had a suspicion so I tried the old patcher.dll and there is no crash

 

The crash occurs because you also have the Base Retaliation Fix set to 0 as well. I know what the problem is now.

[ElfKaa]

Hello Tycho,

I have found the original russian version. Just compare the exe with the original english.

Please use the new link here:

 

---deleted---

 

It is clean version with none of my modifications present here.

 

Lukas

[Echelon117]

The crash occurs because you also have the Base Retaliation Fix set to 0 as well. I know what the problem is now.

 

Should I add "Base Retaliation Loop Fix=1" to the bug fixes section? Or just wait till you release a fix?

[Tycho]

Should I add "Base Retaliation Loop Fix=1" to the bug fixes section? Or just wait till you release a fix?

Since it is a bug fix, it should be enabled by default. It would only be disabled if you added the line to the INI and set it to 0. The fix allows alien craft to return fire on base defenses and the aliens will decide to to simply wipe out the base instead of assaulting it after a set number of failed assaults, which on Superhuman is one.

[Echelon117]

Since it is a bug fix, it should be enabled by default. It would only be disabled if you added the line to the INI and set it to 0. The fix allows alien craft to return fire on base defenses and the aliens will decide to to simply wipe out the base instead of assaulting it after a set number of failed assaults, which on Superhuman is one.

 

Hmmm, well there must be something else going on because my INI doesn't have Base Retaliation in it. I definitely haven't added it in manually.

Do you still have a copy of that patcher.dll that you sent me in our conversation a week or two ago? I can only determine that it has something to do with that. It was a new patcher.dll to fix the aspect ratio problem

[ElfKaa]

Hello Tycho,

please let me know when you have downloaded my files I am sending you from the links, then I will remove them.. It is meant just for you to try to find the solution. I know you will not have a time as many other things should have higher priorities yet, but than after that, while you will have some, please, look at it, it shouldn´t be as much difficult, and I will then make the correct translation for everyone from Czech :o)

Lukas

[Tycho]

Hello Tycho,

please let me know when you have downloaded my files I am sending you from the links, then I will remove them.. It is meant just for you to try to find the solution. I know you will not have a time as many other things should have higher priorities yet, but than after that, while you will have some, please, look at it, it shouldn´t be as much difficult, and I will then make the correct translation for everyone from Czech :o)

Lukas

 

OK. Yes. I've downloaded it. FYI: You could have sent me a PM with the link, if you are worried about other people downloading it. I'll take a look when I can get the time. Thanks!

[ElfKaa]

GEOBORD.ZIP

Hello Tycho,

these are the exact characters I need to add to the charset small and also big:

 

áčďéěíňóřšťúůýž and for slovak ĺ

ÁČĎÉĚÍŇÓŘŠŤÚŮÝŽ and big Ĺ

 

so 16 more for each set.

 

They are the same long as the normal and for the big once there is no problem to add diacritics up as there is yet a space on height for it in the big set.

 

They can have whatever code you like - I will then replace the chars by the assigned char codes and create the correct translation for everyone who would like.

 

I am also attaching the moddified czech geoboard.

 

Lukas

[scf500]

Hello,

 

having problem with interception in Extender version 1.31.4

note, that i experiencing no following problem in Extender version 1.29

 

Problem:

When i try intercept alien ship, the intercept window pops up. There i want to choose the Cautious intercept, where i use maximum range of the avalanche missile against the alien craft (medium scout).

 

No matter what approach i choose, my aircraft always approach the alien ship and keep closing, despite i choose Cautious approach which means do not approach and fire at max. range. This is really annoying feature.

 

Any way to disable this and return to classic interception, where when i choose cautious approach then my craft will keep the max distance and shoot from max range?

 

INI settings i have:

UFO Responds to Interception=0

Difficulty Level of Interceptions=0

Manual Interception Fire Mode=0

True Cautious Mode=0

 

Thanks

[ElfKaa]

Hello scf500,

I had the simmilar problem - also was using previously 1.29 patcher. I don´t know where the problem exactly is - but it helped to erase or add or modify some lines of the ini file. It doesn´t depend on interception setting curiously It works yet with my INI settings. The only thing that doesn´t is the screen aspect correction. I am sending you my ini here - you can try to find the bug comparing these two - I didn´t find it yet as it means to try to enable or disable or erase or move some lines in the INI file - it´s too many combinations to do it randomly.. Maybe you will have more luck then me if you know what this should be caused of. Don´t forget to change the EXE file to run in the INI, I am using my modified with another file name.

 

I would also like to ask Tycho to add the INI file with all of the settings possible with some help of what is possile to write after = As I don´t know what now I must e.g. write to correct aspect for 4:3 screen. In the previous version it was 0.833333 The Readme file now contain good description of what an individual setting can do, but the ini doesn´t contain all of the settings possible and no help what to write after the individual command.

 

And some note to the interception: I think it is very interesting to have this modification possible, if I saw it on first look it seemed to me very interesting. But then I also liked to dissable it to use the old style But it could be maybe better then the old one and you have to get used to it as it behaves more random like and it is not strictly given to hold the same distance as it is not possible in real live also. But - I must say that as the other mods - it should may be off before activate it manualy if you like to.

 

Lukas

UFOExtender.zip

[Nightkin]

Hello everybody,

 

I want to come back to UFO after a few years playing it with UFO Extender.

I used the the extender about two years ago and it seems like a few things have changed.

Though I have read the UFOpaedia article about the Extender there are some questions left and I hope you can help.

 

1. Does the Extender fix the difficulty bug? I see I have XCOMutil in my old game folder and I think I used it back then to fix the bug.

2. Can I install the latest version of the Extender by just copy-paste-overwrite with the new files over the old ones? or would you suggest to make a new fresh installation?

3. What is the sense of the "Battlescape Delay"? A friend told me that it slows down the smoke and the jumping yellow marker over the soldiers down nicely but also produces a huge lag when moving the mouse and clicking buttons.

4. A question about "alien screams" not really about the Extender. A friend told me that in earlier versions of UFO every alien had its own death scream. Can anyone confirm this? I can only remeber the same sound for any alien race.

 

Thanks for you help!

I really appreciate the work people put into UFO and TFTD today. That people like me still come back after nearly 20 years to play this game means you are doing valuable work!

[scf500]

Hello Lukas,

 

Thank you very much for the file, will compare the ini with my settings and check what cause that. If i found what is the cause, will post that here.

 

Anyway i totally agree with the idea for Tycho to release an INI file with all the possible variables in it and short descr. of the settings. Despite that i agree that real interception will be different or more random, giving the freedom to choose should be priority. This interception thing looks more like a bug to me than a feature.

 

Extender is really a great piece of work though and im very thankfull for it, but the clickfest with the settings, which changing version to version, where in each release are some lines missing, some have different name (chrysally efx for instance) with no clue which one is correct is, well, not very nice.

 

Thanks for all the help and the ini file.

 

(update)

just to confirm that the cautious interception bug is really caused by something in the ini.

when i apply your INI file (i just correct the loader path, and correct some video settings) with the rest of the ini settings unchanged, the cautious intercept is back. So this is caused by some variable in the ini. Well, this will be pain in the ass to find out as i have almost all settings different then you have. WIll post the result when i found out..... Million thanks for pointing me to correct direction! Thanks!