UFO Terrain Mod

[Hobbes]

*drum rolls*

 

And here it is - the Alpha version of Dawn City Terror Site terrain

 

Just finished all major work tonight, all needed is playtesting now. To install it, first make a backup copy of the /MAPS, /ROUTES and /TERRAIN subfolders on the UFO Defense folder. Afterwards simply unzip the attached file you to the main UFO folder and answer Yes to replace the files. All new Terror Sites will now use the new terrain instead.

 

Have fun

 

EDIT: You can now download the Alpha on the first post of this thread.

[Bomb Bloke]

Gave it a spin. All seemed to work well, with Ethereals merrily wandering around slaughtering things.

 

The place is a lot denser, making it a little difficult to get tanks around. They'll need to shoot their way through at certain points. The battles will definitely take longer without the roads, having multiple spawn points in the replacement buildings is just nasty, though I understand it's necessary to stop things being too predictable.

 

The one thing I don't get is module 17, the one with two cars in a garage, but no car sized door...

[Hobbes]

Gave it a spin. All seemed to work well, with Ethereals merrily wandering around slaughtering things.

 

The place is a lot denser, making it a little difficult to get tanks around. They'll need to shoot their way through at certain points.

 

Also happened on the original terrain that sometimes you couldn't move tanks past certain combinations of buildings but yeah, also planned.

 

The battles will definitely take longer without the roads, having multiple spawn points in the replacement buildings is just nasty, though I understand it's necessary to stop things being too predictable.

 

The roads made the battles too easy to win using scout and snipe tactics, imho. I've also increased the constitution and HE blockage values so that now Auto and Heavy Cannons HE rounds are almost useless against walls and Large Rockets will only punch a single hole (explosives also make things easy)

 

The one thing I don't get is module 17, the one with two cars in a garage, but no car sized door...

 

Meh, me neither. It was supposed to be some sort of a car stand originally (there used to be more roads).

 

Ah! And I'm running the UFObeta using the new terrain while exploring the debug function

[kyrub]

Capital. Just capital.

I will give it a go tonight. Multiple spawn points... sounds great.

[Hobbes]

Capital. Just capital.

I will give it a go tonight. Multiple spawn points... sounds great.

 

I just made some quick fixes and put the file on the first post. Have fun

[kyrub]

I just made some quick fixes and put the file on the first post. Have fun

 

OK, I have played two quick missions with 8 rookies, basic guns, against Floaters. First one was more of a test, second time I actually tried. It went rather bad, hehe. The map is pretty hard, and I like it.

 

Positives

1) It feels great. I really enjoy the possibility to play another terror map. No gas station, no roads, ahh. Really. Love it.

2) I had rookies but these were floaters only, so I though I could manage. They did pretty well against me, however.

3) Nice sniping from distance, side, from the rear (!). Once there was a floater appearing behind my guy seemingly from nowhere. He may have come from the roof (?). Nice... I mean nasty.

4) I like a few map tiles. Parking place with vans is simply great, it offers continuous cover so you may come really close to enemy. Big U-shaped-inside-corridor building is nasty (nasty means good).

 

Problems

1) The glass. What the hell is with this? An X-COM girl ran to a glass building, spotted a floater through the big glass window. She couldn't fire at it (message). She tried to break the glass with autofire, but somehow, from 1 tile distance, she never hit it. While doing this x2, she ran out of time. Click end turn, the floater does not move, it fires THROUGH the window, without breaking it, three times. She dead. Grrr. Big windows seem to be everywhere, but can the game handle them?

2) I had a reaper inside relatively small building with a small door. We greated ourselves a few times in the doorway before he died from repeated close fire.

3) Another X-COM girl was standing behind a van in that great parking place. A spotter from a much bigger distance sees a floater in 2nd floor, in the "sniper lounge", 5 tiles from the van. The girl behind van? No eye contact. End turn, the bastard shoots my girl without moving. She did not see it coming. MCD geometry?

4) The floaters were a bit lost behind the small fence on the second floor. Moving forth and back, forth and back. (They cannot go downstairs in UFO). Maybe, without the fence... (or was this by desing?).

[Hobbes]

OK, I have played two quick missions with 8 rookies, basic guns, against Floaters. First one was more of a test, second time I actually tried. It went rather bad, hehe. The map is pretty hard, and I like it.

 

Positives

1) It feels great. I really enjoy the possibility to play another terror map. No gas station, no roads, ahh. Really. Love it.

2) I had rookies but these were floaters only, so I though I could manage. They did pretty well against me, however.

3) Nice sniping from distance, side, from the rear (!). Once there was a floater appearing behind my guy seemingly from nowhere. He may have come from the roof (?). Nice... I mean nasty.

4) I like a few map tiles. Parking place with vans is simply great, it offers continuous cover so you may come really close to enemy. Big U-shaped-inside-corridor building is nasty (nasty means good).

 

There's still a gas station and roads but they take a lot less space than on the original.

The floater coming from behind must have been unnoticied before. There are no spawn points on the roofs at this point.

Not sure which U-shaped inside building you mean, but good

 

Problems

1) The glass. What the hell is with this? An X-COM girl ran to a glass building, spotted a floater through the big glass window. She couldn't fire at it (message). She tried to break the glass with autofire, but somehow, from 1 tile distance, she never hit it. While doing this x2, she ran out of time. Click end turn, the floater does not move, it fires THROUGH the window, without breaking it, three times. She dead. Grrr. Big windows seem to be everywhere, but can the game handle them?

2) I had a reaper inside relatively small building with a small door. We greated ourselves a few times in the doorway before he died from repeated close fire.

3) Another X-COM girl was standing behind a van in that great parking place. A spotter from a much bigger distance sees a floater in 2nd floor, in the "sniper lounge", 5 tiles from the van. The girl behind van? No eye contact. End turn, the bastard shoots my girl without moving. She did not see it coming. MCD geometry?

4) The floaters were a bit lost behind the small fence on the second floor. Moving forth and back, forth and back. (They cannot go downstairs in UFO). Maybe, without the fence... (or was this by desing?).

 

1) Hadn't seen any problems with the glass yet. It is designed to allow shots to go through it (like one of the game windows), the logic being that plasma/laser would simply burn through the glass instead of destroying it (and most likely the shot will miss and hit the window and destroy).

The situation you described could be explained in several ways - the soldier couldn't fire because of a weird LOF angle where you have to find the precise spot that allows shooting. The soldier then missed because, well she was a rookie

I'll try it more to see how the windows work though.

 

2) Thanks, I'll fix that later.

 

3) 'sniper lounge' being the 2nd floor of the row of houses, I assume Sounds more like LOF angles again - I'm going to run Bomb Bloke's LOF terrain converter and see if I can find anything wrong

 

4) The AI could always send the Floaters flying over the fence. Floaters and Ethereals will always be a problem with stairs - I'll look into it.

 

Thanks!

[kyrub]

1) Hadn't seen any problems with the glass yet. It is designed to allow shots to go through it (like one of the game windows), the logic being that plasma/laser would simply burn through the glass instead of destroying it (and most likely the shot will miss and hit the window and destroy).

The situation you described could be explained in several ways - the soldier couldn't fire because of a weird LOF angle where you have to find the precise spot that allows shooting. The soldier then missed because, well she was a rookie

I'll try it more to see how the windows work though.

 

The situation is in the save. It claims: no line of fire, while it does not seem to be so, even by strange UFO standards.

GAME_6.ZIP

 

 

'sniper lounge' being the 2nd floor of the row of houses, I assume

No, I actually meant 2nd floor of this building in point 3): https://www.strategycore.co.uk/forums/post-...AN00-2.gif.html

 

While in point 4) it was the row of houses, indeed. Sorry for confusing post.

[Hobbes]

The situation is in the save. It claims: no line of fire, while it does not seem to be so, even by strange UFO standards.

GAME_6.ZIP

 

If I saw correctly, the described situation happened on the top corner of the map. What it looks to me is a case of weird LOF angles (nothing new to UFO) and your rookie simply hit either the window or the walls.

 

No, I actually meant 2nd floor of this building in point 3): https://www.strategycore.co.uk/forums/post-...AN00-2.gif.html

 

While in point 4) it was the row of houses, indeed. Sorry for confusing post.

 

I call them the Warehouse and Apartment rows. No problem

[Hobbes]

OMG!

 

Just got trashed by Snakemen and Chryssalids - the aliens did really used those apartments into win - snipers on the top floors while Chryssalids mowed down the guys who tried to advance on the ground floor.

 

That also gave me a few ideas for a few more map changes... Alpha 2 should be uploaded in a few hours, including more MCD fixes.

[Bomb Bloke]

Dunno if this is any use to you, but I've just written this up by request. It allows easy importing of sprites from one terrain to another. May be handy for creating place holders and so on.

 

https://www.strategycore.co.uk/files/index.php?dlid=798

[Hobbes]

Dunno if this is any use to you, but I've just written this up by request. It allows easy importing of sprites from one terrain to another. May be handy for creating place holders and so on.

 

https://www.strategycore.co.uk/files/index.php?dlid=798

 

Ah, luke83 had already mentioned it to me. Thanks

 

I've updated the version to Alpha 2, main changes are related to MCD properties and some maps have been redesigned.

[luke83]

Ah, luke83 had already mentioned it to me. Thanks

 

I've updated the version to Alpha 2, main changes are related to MCD properties and some maps have been redesigned.

 

Sorry Bomb Bloke , i mentioned it to Hobbes also so i though he would like it , i have not been able to get it to work yet ,looks like i am doings something wrong ( or there is a bug) i sent you a email about it

 

One more Night Hobbes and i give your map a Run

[Hobbes]

Sorry Bomb Bloke , i mentioned it to Hobbes also so i though he would like it , i have not been able to get it to work yet ,looks like i am doings something wrong ( or there is a bug) i sent you a email about it

 

One more Night Hobbes and i give your map a Run

 

I hope I have Alpha 3 ready by then - I remembered last night about the 255 limit for route nodes (but now I'm wondering if it exists) and I'm going to need to do some serious route redesign because I think the terrain goes over the limit.

[kyrub]

On this map tile

 

 

in the bottom ("south") corner, where the bush meets the wall, the MCD data are wrong. You cannot step on the tile (besides the bush) somehow.

[Hobbes]

On this map tile

 

in the bottom ("south") corner, where the bush meets the wall, the MCD data are wrong. You cannot step on the tile (besides the bush) somehow.

 

Got it thanks.

 

I've installed your AI patch, Reapers sure do charge more, although I haven't noticed any other effects yet.

[luke83]

copied all your data into my dos version , couldn't make out the battle map at all the graphics went loopy , will try again tomorrow night

[Hobbes]

copied all your data into my dos version , couldn't make out the battle map at all the graphics went loopy , will try again tomorrow night

 

It sounds as if were you trying to load an already saved game with the new graphics? Try starting a new terror site - it doesn't matter the version (DOS or CE) for it to work.

[luke83]

No, it was a brand new campaign and a brand new map , not sure what the problem was

[kyrub]

Had some time for another playthrough. I had some more fun with Reapers, the bastards got 3 soldiers (with AI patch). The map is more favorable to them then the original, I think, more hidden spaces and corners. They came out of nowhere, twice, once I was outnumbered by three of them. Huh.

 

 

 

Now I know I'm just a tester but... This building should really really change in some way.

 

 

I like the general idea and it is hard place to clear which is good. The snipers are nasty from the distance. But there is "to be hard" and then there is "to be hard and frustrating on top of it". The latter is like TFTD ships, and this building comes pretty close to the meaning as well. Reasons:

 

a) It's a damned labyrinth. You want to enter the yard while being on the gallery to snipe a guy from the side. (Sniping from the side = fun). Now, to exectue this, you have to run all the way to the side, then get down, then run through the yard. For about 3-4 turns. Grrr. Or you want to drop down and run through that big doors to the front of the building, from the up gallery. The door is 3 tiles away, one floor below. No damned way. You have to run to the side of the map, downstairs, etc see above. TFTD ship all the way. It's hard to navigate through the place, which makes every move super frustrating. (OK, I got the idea, that with better weapons I will probably be able to shoot my way through the wall. But still, shooting through the wall = no surprise attack. Also aliens cannot do it.).

 

b) I got an Alien hidden in that small room inside the damned place (not on the picture). He did not move. Walked in, got burst in the face. I know it happens, this is UFO, burst in face twice an hour etc. Just usually the bastard is *not* sitting somewhere in a tight place making it impossible to know/wait/do something against it. Reload, grenade him out, I can do that (I did). But it's no fun, it's frustrating and it's TFTD ship all over again.

 

This needs more doors, more ladders, more ways to get the guys. More ways to sweep the place quickly. Remember, people want to outsmart the aliens, flank them. Shoot them from above, descend on them from the roof. If the place has just 1 door (or the 2nd door is miles away), you won't outsmart anybody. I suggest you take a soldier and let him run through that building and see how many turns it takes. It's a good measure for frustration.

[Hobbes]

EDIT: Alpha 3 just released, on the first post.

 

The building already had a few changes for Alpha 3 - I decided that it was better to allow movement between warehouses so now you can walk through one to the other by the 2nd floor (now when you get to the 2nd floor you have access to all warehouses). I also increased the width of the catwalks to allow for better alien movement. I thought also of placing all the stairs on the same location but that would make it a lot easier now that you can walk through all warehouses. When I release Alpha 3 please let me know what you think.

 

b) Like you said, that happens. There are no spawing points next to those stairs, so the alien moved there and decided to go to 'Sniper' mode or whatever. And to be honest, to be this is one way (small spaces) the aliens have a chance against players who are experts at scout and snipe tactics (the other being terrain/line of fire blocking features).

 

I'm paying attention not to repeat TFTD (the yellow hotel 2x2 building is replaced Alpha 3 with a 2x2 park - too big, too many rooms, etc. And please keep sending me this kind of feedback - much appreciated.

[kyrub]

When I release Alpha 3 please let me know what you think.

OK. Will have a look.

 

b) Like you said, that happens. There are no spawing points next to those stairs, so the alien moved there and decided to go to 'Sniper' mode or whatever.

I hope you mean the same place as me, small room with some containers. It the alien MOVED there, scratch what I just said. The door was open - if the alien does not spawn there, I an guess by the open door he may be in. Then the grenade method is justified and can be done without reloading, as a precaution. It's actually great feature.

 

 

----

 

Other terrains: Forest - could you put there a medieval castle (a ruin of a castle)? Or in the mountain? I would love to have a terrain with many "boulders", big things you can crouch behind completely, a castle could produce these situations. See JA2 maps for example. X-COM is lacking in this respect, the cover is poor.

 

I like some TFTD ideas, like crashed plane. A boat caught in the ice (lend graphics from TFTD, use BB's tools?). The temple lost in the jungle... Ahh, a Kipling theme, that would be great. Otherwise you just burn the jungle with fire, no matter how dense it is.

 

 

When you have 3 terrains done, I will start to advertise your work on other forums. Go ahead, it's great.

[Bomb Bloke]

Check out his website sometime, he's already done a few more then three.

[luke83]

Check out his website sometime, he's already done a few more then three.

 

Yes Hobbes is the master of map blocks, i thought he was on of the few names every xcom player already knew. BombBloke would have to be is pretty close also

[Hobbes]

Check out his website sometime, he's already done a few more then three.

 

I'm actually trying to get away from those old terrains on my site as much as possible - some of the graphics are just awful (due to the fact that I can't create new graphics but simply use what's already been done) and the map design tends to suffer from too much complexity. Dawn City is the exception since most of the graphics were done by Nachtwolf but the map design for the UFO:EU version is turning out very different from the original UFO2000.

 

I'm still trying to figure out where to go exactly after the Terror Site is done. I want to redo the XCom and Alien bases, and Cydonia with the existing graphics with a few additions. But for the other maps I think the priority would be more to redesign the inside of the UFOs, since they are the main feature present.