ANYBODY WANTS TO MAKE UFO MOD?

[samsam]

Hi.I dont know for sure if its possible but the ideia is to work together to remake ufo enemy unknow, trying to achieve this goals :

 

 

1-enhance graphics and change them

2-Modify combat, with reaction movement linked with reaction fire

3-Replay saved missions as a movie ( much like myth 1 ), if "Tactical building" is constructed

 

My ideia is to work with others, in order to remake ufo with changes that remake is gameplay and graphics but in a smaller scale then other projects out there.

Its possible?

 

SAM

 

 

samoes28@hotmail.com

[NKF]

Excellent ideas, alas, these are not possible with the current tactical combat engines, unless the owners suddenly decide to be generous and release the source code. If that ever happens, we can mod the games to our hearts content (after repairing all the bugs, of course).

 

Changing the graphics is easy enough, but the display resolution cannot be changed.

 

Using reactions to dodge has always been an idea I've toyed with (and reaction 'blocking'/'deflection' too), but this definitely cannot be done with the current games.

 

Mission replay would be great. I've always wanted to save those wonderfully excellent missions for posteriety. They would be great for showing off, or at least use them for illustrating strategy tutorials. Odd that Microprose didn't implement it, when they implemented it for some of their other games that came out around the same time, such as Gunship 2000.

 

One other option would be to make your own tactical.exe. In effect, it would be making an entirely new game which works in tandem with the Geoscape (or Apocalypse's cityscape) and passes the apropriate information back and forth. Not too bad an idea, but would it be worth it?

 

Actually, there is already the X-Com Gladiators/X-Com 2000 project up and running that is attempting to recreate the battlescape portion of the game and add new features like higher resolutions, in addition to being multiplayer. But it's more of a stand-alone game that uses the graphics and sounds from the game.

 

- NKF

[samsam]

well, to bad that anything must be build from scratch, but is there any legal deadline for source codes to be public, as in freeware ?

Ive seen some forums and i think that there are sufficient man work and people

interested and make a more enhance xcom, do you think its possible?

I know xcom2000 and xenocide, but both as its good sides and downsides.

Thanks

 

 

SAM

 

 

[Ki-tat Chung]

i know it isn't very possible, but how do you define "dodging"? like apoc where they straife, or are they still in the same square, but they do a matrix?

[NKF]

Hah, they already do a 'matrix' in UFO/TFTD sometimes - without moving! How cool is that? Heh, alright, those are really just flukes or graphical illusions.

 

A dodge is simply evading the attack. Either by leaning aside, jumping aside, ducking or some other activity that results in the bullet not striking its target.

 

There are many ways a 'dodge' can be handled, I suppose. I imagine your unit, given enough reactions, will move aside (or randomly move in a tangent away from the bullet's trajectory). Of course, this can put you in the line of fire of another alien (or make you activate any proximity devices, etc). Players definitely won't want that.

 

Or perhaps we could take the Jagged Alliance approach to opportunity moves. Leave enough action points behind, and when the units wins its 'reaction' roll during the enemy's turn, the game halts and returns control to the reacting unit temporarily. This in effect combines all sorts of possible reaction moves. Dodging(running away or getting behind cover) or even shooting back at the enemy. It would be more dramatic if you were allowed to take this reaction move even while a bullet is in mid-flight (i.e. the game pauses and gives you one free move to save your life - given you have enough action points to pull off the move). Imagine shooting back at the bullet to destroy it... the bread and butter of action movies everywhere!

 

But I never liked JA's reaction moves. UFO/TFTD's are more spontaneous, and thus a bit more exciting (and unpredictable, sadly as you lose control). They just happen on the spur of the moment. Perhaps you could have a few simple reaction modifier buttons (such as the save-TU buttons) that give the unit a general idea of what it should attempt to perform when dodging on instinct (i.e. jump sideways, duck, step backwards (for melee attacks), return fire at shooter (same as reaction fire - but is performed simulataneously with the enemy's shot), shoot at projectile, do nothing)

 

Then there's the easiest approach. Just have the unit do an evasion roll, and if it succeeds, run a 'dodge' animation (like leaning aside slightly) whenever receiving a blow or a bullet arrives in the tile (the bullet will then just fly right past). And that would be that. Simple, but less satisfying.

 

There's all sorts of possible implementations, I guess. It's just a matter of finding one that doesn't imbalance the game and provides the player with the right balance of control, and most importantly, does not inconvenience the player (such as automatically sidestepping onto a proximity mine - unless you're directly responsible for this action)

 

- NKF