TFTD Extender

[Tycho]

Extender for X-COM Terror from the Deep

This is the conversion of UFOloader. It contains most of the same features as Seb's original UFOloader with many fixes and modifications specifically for TFTD.



For a detailed list of the features see the UFOpaedia page.

Click here to download version 1.07.3beta

[darkestaxe]

Corrected a couple minor things (aquanaughts ) and retabbed with space chars.

 

Assign All Personnel has been removed for now due to the Manufacturing Rate Limit Bug (TFTD).[/Quote]

waaaa?

 

Does that mean that the MRLB was related to the assign all personnel crash or is the idea that someone is more likely to remember not to assign to many technicians if they have to hold the button down?

ExtenderINIref.txt

[Tycho]

The crashes are due to different registers being used by the two programs and TFTD introducing some new elements. I need a lot more time to study both programs routines to get an idea of what changes need to be made and where to make them. Since another problem would arise due to the MRLB, I decided to not include it in this release. I'll need to look into the MRLB before I get to Assign All Personnel.

 

Thanks for the feedback on the INI. I corrected each of them.

[darkestaxe]

In base defence missions TFTD places x-com aquanauts differently from how UFO placed soldiers. TFTD shows no prefference for General Stores or for Living Quarters. It starts in the top right facility tile and uses all of the open spawn points before moving left. Once it reaches the left side it moves down and back to the right side of the base. This continues until all aquanauts are placed. This affects what is /isn't a defenseable starting base layout.

 

in the following base layout:

[HANGAR --------] [HANGAR --------] [HANGAR --------] <<<--- Aliens in hangars

[lift -----] <<< ---- Aliens in lift

[stores ] [Qrtrs --] [Lab -----] [shop ] [sonar ---] <<<---- soldiers start in sonar and workshop.

 

Solution: Stick the access lift on the other side of the base. Spaced in the txt

[initial Base]

Apply=0

row1=SubPenTL SubPenTR SubPenTL SubPenTR SubPenTL SubPenTR

row2=SubPenBL SubPenBR SubPenBL SubPenBR SubPenBL SubPenBR

row3=Empty Empty Empty Empty Empty AirLock

row4=Empty Empty Empty Empty LivingQuarters GeneralStores

row5=Empty Empty Empty Empty Workshop Laboratory

row6=Empty Empty Empty Empty Empty StdSonar

Base Layout TFTD.txt

[Tycho]

In base defence missions TFTD places x-com aquanauts differently from how UFO placed soldiers. TFTD shows no prefference for General Stores or for Living Quarters. It starts in the top right facility tile and uses all of the open spawn points before moving left. Once it reaches the left side it moves down and back to the right side of the base. This continues until all aquanauts are placed. This affects what is /isn't a defenseable starting base layout.

 

Thanks for the report, darkestaxe. That sounds like another problem that I'll look into. I guess this also means that the video issues are fixed?

[darkestaxe]

Yes the video issues are resolved, all working as expected.

 

You should be able to just copy and paste the starting layout I did from the .txt file I uploaded into the TFTDExtender.ini. The important thing was to have the access lift on the right side of the base instead of the left.

 

other bugs:

• Built in midi music does not play on a computer with Windows XP SP3, it works on a different PC with win 7, using the same copy of the game.
  
• Attempting to fire a weapon in an underwater mission when 'Underwater Weapons on Land' is turned on crashes the game. I have not tested what happens if on terror sites. "XCOM crashed at 0x40DA12 with error 0xC0000005 trying to access 0x0000001" (error is always the same)
  

other requests:

• general stores capacity mod
  
• ranged based accuracy mod also increase accuracy at shorter range (only if it's easy to do)
  

Your work on tftd extender has been awesome, thanks. If I had a daughter you could marry her lol

[Tycho]

Yes the video issues are resolved, all working as expected.

 

You should be able to just copy and paste the starting layout I did from the .txt file I uploaded into the TFTDExtender.ini. The important thing was to have the access lift on the right side of the base instead of the left.

 

other bugs:

• Built in midi music does not play on a computer with Windows XP SP3, it works on a different PC with win 7, using the same copy of the game.
  
• Attempting to fire a weapon in an underwater mission when 'Underwater Weapons on Land' is turned on crashes the game. I have not tested what happens if on terror sites. "XCOM crashed at 0x40DA12 with error 0xC0000005 trying to access 0x0000001" (error is always the same)
  

I located and fixed the problem with the crash for underwater weapons. The changes to the INI are a good stop-gap measure for the problem but it still needs fixing (if possible). I started looking at the code and my eyes were swimming after a few minutes.

Can you test the game without the extender and midi plays? That is really strange since I'm running XP SP3 and never had a problem with midi. Do you have a saved game just prior to the base defense occuring? If so, could you zip up the game folder and post it to me?

[darkestaxe]

We ran TFTD on the computer with winXP SP3 without extender and there was no midi. Extender is exonerated.

 

I don't have a base defense mission save onhand, I'll see about getting a game to that point for you to test with. Just to clarify I don't think it was a bug but more of a design oversight. TFTD just places soldiers differently in a base defence mission, going from right to left instead of left to right, and has significantly more spawn points in facilities other then general stores and living quarters. I don't see how TFTDExtender would be able fix it. The best fixes I can think of would be to randomize which spawn points are used or to somehow force the game to prefer spawn points in general stores and living quarters.

 

When u say 'I started looking at the code and my eyes were swimming after a few minutes.' I assume you were looking at extenders code, unless u found the TFTD source code somewhere... If I get a base defence mission loaded up I'll test this, but I really don't think TFTDExtender is doing anything. Well, except setting up the initial base in a 'defensive configuration', exactly as described in the ini, that's not so defensable in TFTD. Also to clarify, there are no aquanauts spawning in hangars or the access lift or aliens spawning in labs n stuff, everyone is spawning in the parts of the base that they should be able to and not in parts they should not be able to.

[Tycho]

Not exactly the source code. I use IDA on the executable so I can see the code ...just not with convenient names for the routines or variables, except what I or someone else has given them from understanding their usage.

 

As to the base defense spawning, the game is supposed to give a preference to certain areas: usually general stores and living quarters. From what I can gather so far, there is a table in the routine which is randomly accessed. This database has reference numbers to each type of area in the base. There are a lot more references to general stores and living quarters than any other area.

[localhosed]

Do you plan to upload a version with the fix to 'underwater weapons in air' soon, tycho? I'm really wanting to try Bomb Bloke's Combomod for some time with TFTDextender and some other data mods I put in with Jenny's xcom editor and HxD, etc. Thanks for your extending of TFTD!

[Tycho]

Here is the updated file with the fix for the "underwater weapons in air" mod. This is not a full version just the .dll file that contains the fix. If you have 1.3 already, just extract this into your TFTD folder and overwrite the file that is already there. Enjoy. Edited July 8, 2012 by Tycho

[localhosed]

Hmm..underwater weapons in air mod seems to not be working. I replaced the new patcher.dll (1.031) on top of my TFTDextender 1.03. Added 'Underwater Weapons In Air=1' to the mod section of my INI (both of mine with combomod) , started new game and tested on a crashed USO on land, and a port terror site but neither torpedo launchers nor hydro jet cannons would fire. Other weapons fired normally. I can't find discussion of the mod before this thread..

 

I also then tried the same thing with an unmodded TFTD, re-extracted all TFTDextender files and then the new patcher.dll over it ; Torpedo launcers gave the same 'underwater weapon' message on an island terror site, they wouldn't fire.

 

But underwater weapons seem to now fire underwater without crashing the game with ..air = 1 in the ini. I tested with the old patcher and it crashed, and then with the new patcher from today, firing a torpedo underwater..no problems there..

 

I don't know what to do to help debug it, if the mod is supposed to be working. Here's the INI I used for the unmodded game :

 

Edit : reuploaded file in zip, edited text lots of times because I was confused and hope my message is understandable.

usedthisINI.zip

[Tycho]

All the logic was correct, just used the wrong character. This one works correctly (even tested it myself!) Sorry about that!

note to self: the byte values for 0 and the character "0" are different...

 

If you have TFTDextender 1.03, just extract this file into your TFTD folder and overwrite the current file.

 

new patch is available, see newer entries in this topic. Thanks for supporting TFTDextender!

Edited July 16, 2012 by Tycho

[Bomb Bloke]

We ran TFTD on the computer with winXP SP3 without extender and there was no midi. Extender is exonerated.

Double-click the Windows volume icon to bring up the mixer. There are two channels of interest; wave, and the SW synth. The synth is used specifically for MIDI playback. If it's low or muted the game won't be able to produce any music.

 

Under Vista/7 the synth/wave channels are locked together and can't be changed independently through the OS.

 

The UFO/TFTD ComboMod has a handful of TFTD Extender tweaks in it already, only instead of using a loader they're patched permanently into the executable file when you install it. I don't have a clue how they work (kryub coded them for me), but I would expect the use of any Extender "weapon on land"-related effects to override the one ComboMod already has. I'll give it a test.

 

I would like to be able to remove as many of the patches from my installer as possible, as I feel relying on Extender for them is more flexible. I doubt they can all be removed though (for eg, along with the code changes kryub made, I also re-wrote two data tables in the EXE as well).

[localhosed]

Oh my only inconvenience might be that I can't write or understand the stuff you do without the learning necessary! Fantastic work, I'll get it going now. About 0 and O..I wish I could override everything with Deja Vu Sans Mono font everywhere (without GUI alignment problems), it is much easier to see the difference in that font (and ones like it). 0, the dreaded O's, 0's, l's(L) I's(i), rn's m's! I just bought a new keyboard and the O key is closer than before to the 0 key...!

Now I go underwater again to save the world.

[Bomb Bloke]

You didn't see a difference between them because there was no difference between them. Heeheeheehee...

 

(Tycho is referring to the fact that the character 0 happens to be represented by the number 48, or 0x30 in hex. Easy to forget at times. )

 

Sometimes I'm too easy to amuse.

[Tycho]

Thanks for clarify stuff for me BB!

[localhosed]

Oh yeah I understand what you mean. Zero, 0 , null, O, 0x30, 0x4F, 0x6F, 0x00...0h30!

I confirmed real quick for me that 1.03p2 seems to be working fine, no crash with underwater weapons under the water, and torpedos work on land. One unlucky aquatoid was blown to bits right from the triton in the process and also a huge heap of coral. The aquatoid(and pieces) stands and bows.

 

Oh, I read bomb bloke's post edit. I didn't know tftdextender hacks were in combomod. But how could 'underwater weapon in air' hacks have been in, if torpedos weren't firing on land? Or maybe I misunderstand, were only some water weapons meant to work on land?

[Bomb Bloke]

Long story short I'd assume that Extender conflicts with the patches in ComboMod to an extent. kryub wrote the ones for CM quite some time before releasing his version of the Extender, which has had further changes still made to it since then.

[Nilex]

Hello from an 30yr guy riding the nostalgia wave I'm experiencing a crash but I'll get to that little later.

 

Firstly i would like to express my overwhelming gratitude for the guys responsible for UFO/TFDT extenders which make the game playable for me again. Amazing stuff u did. I'm sure i speak on behalf of many more .

 

It's been few months since i finished UFO again but first time with the help of extender. I couldn't play TFTD with same acceptable comfort (mouse goes off screen, it's too fast, game is too fast, etc) so the last time i finished it is still from DOS times . So after finishing UFO, to continue the series in order, out of pure wishful thinking i googled the TFTD extender hoping that by some unbelievable chance i could just carry on playing even tho, realistically there were zero chance. You can imagine my surprise after google sent me to Kyrub's TFDT extender which he posted just a few days earlier. Wtf were the odds of that lol.

Anyway, there were some problems with it which showed its presence shortly after start making it unplayable. So i bookmarked it and waited patiently for a solution

Now i believe is the right time to post cause the most bugs seem to have been fixed and i could actually help rather then dragging you by posting some obscure errors which were probably already known to previous programmers and worked on

 

Now i can only help with describing the problem accurately and the conditions under which it occurred. That is because i know nothing about programing .

The crash occurs when i intercept a landed alien sub, after i click YES, then OK. Just before entering soldier equipment screen for the tactical mission i believe. It happens on the first day game time so not much happening. I'm hoping it will help locating the problem more

I have attached the savegame folder, the screenshot of the error and my 'TFTDExtender.ini' file (in the rar). I'm using vanilla TFTD Gold + your extender from the first post with minimal changes to the original game, on WinXP 32bit. I think that's all. Hope it's just the wrong ini line

 

Massive respect

GAME_4.rar

[darkestaxe]

For some reason having Alternate Tech Tree={0,1,2} results in aqua plastics haveing no reaserch requirements, meaning you can reaserch it at the begining like medikit/gauss weapons/motion scanner. Alternate Tech Tree=3 works correctly however and aqua plastics becomes available for reaserch when it's in the general stores. Since it happens with Alternate Tech Tree=0 I assume some other mod/fix is actually causing it to happen in the first place.

[localhosed]

I don't think I had aqua plastics appear that way. I have been using tech=1 and started a new game and only saw aqua plastics available after the first sub recovery like usual.

 

Edit : Hmm..No, I think I am confused about the tech tree. Now that I read what the tftdextender tech changes do, I'd like to use tech=3, i'll see how it goes.

 

I haven't modified research.dat or the exe as far as research goes, only using combomod otherwise.

[localhosed]

New game, combomod, tftdxtender latest patch. aqua plastics isn't available for research when i have aqua plastics in stores (8) and tech=3 in the INI. This missdat is from the sub recovered that had 8 aqua plastics. A landed gillman sub. (escort). Savedgame is afterward.

 

I like the sound of the other research tree changes in tftdextender.

aq_missdat_game10.zip

[Tycho]

One thing I should make clear: once you choose a level of the tech tree mods to start with, some of the changes will be saved in the game files. Changing the tech level option later won't undo these changes as the game loads the data from the files after the extender has applied all of its changes. They only way to undo or alter these changes would be to edit the dat files of the saved game. I added more explanation to the INI readme file and changed the INI entry to be "Start with Alternate Tech Tree=0"

 

Hoever, I rearranged a few of the commands which I think will resolve some issues. I did some quick tests and they seem to work.

Thanks for all your feedback and help guys!

 

update: new patch version is available. See new entries in this topic. Thanks for supporting TFTDextender!

Edited July 16, 2012 by Tycho

[Tycho]

Hello from an 30yr guy riding the nostalgia wave I'm experiencing a crash but I'll get to that little later.

 

Firstly i would like to express my overwhelming gratitude for the guys responsible for UFO/TFDT extenders which make the game playable for me again. Amazing stuff u did. I'm sure i speak on behalf of many more .

 

Thanks, Nilex. I'm glad its useful. .

 

I checked into your crash. It's not anything to do with extender as I loaded your game up with the plain patched executable and it crashed as well. As much as I can tell, the game generated some bad data about that site. Not much that can be done about that. I let the sub take off and land again and I was able to start a battle at the new site with no problems. Does this type of error happen often?