16 replies to this topic

[TomVD]

August 2010: I edited this post, because it is not all up-to-date anymore

Hi, I'm a 2630y.o. programmer from Belgium. I am also an XCom:Ufo game lover, and with a lot of you waiting for a real remake. I have respect for all people doing XCom-alike remakes. But I want the real thing, with the sectoids, snakemen, heavy plasma, destructable environment, screaming, creepy music, etc.

I waited for over 10 years now, and that was long enough to say, if nobody does this exact copy 3d remake, I'm going to create my own game. I don't care about intellectual property, because I'm not going to make my game public, when it is finished, you can come to my place and play it if you want. You can compare it with people building an airplane model - they put a lot of time and effort in making it, but it will never really be used to play a lot with it, or to sell it, but they can put pictures of it online, and tell about how they made it, and how much free time they put into it

I started just a week ago with the tactical part. (the game has 2 seperate EXE file, the tactical and geoscape program-just like the original! )
The tactical part can now read the original MCD files, so every single object of the original game will be in here, but modelled in 3D. It reads the original MAP files, so the blocks of which the tactical levels are created, will be exactly the same as the original game. Every object that was destroyable in the original game will be destroyable in XCom:Ufo3D ofcourse.
It is real 3DIt's a mix of 2D(sprites) and 3D(shadows/lighting/particles/...), but the funny part is, I use a orthogonal projection for my camera, so it looks like an isometric game. Some extra's that I have with the 3D is, there are lighting and shadows and particle effects, like fire, smoke and explosions.
I used the original XCom soundtracks (both ufo defense and tftd music, because I liked the tftd music very much), but I reworked them with some up-to-date instruments instead of plain MIDI.
In the background will also be ambient sounds, like distant animal sounds(dogs,owls), wind, etc, depending on the terrain type.

I have put a screenshot online. Note that I am not a graphical artist! I ripped the body mesh, created a some simple objects, just to test my A* pathfinding algorithm, loading of maps and objects. I can make the character walk around (pathfinding is a lot better than the original), look around, scroll the screen, so it is just an early stage.
You will also notice that I use the Irrlicht engine to do the graphics.
I'm going to get some experienced artist to get all the 3d models finished, every alien and object will have to be extactly modelled as the original game, upto the smallest detail.

If you want to know how the refurbished music will sound like, I put up an example of a geoscape track (originally from tftd).Soundtracks online when new site is online

That's all folks!
I just wanted to share this with you guys. You can give comments or ask questions if you want. If people are interested I will post updates on the progress of my little home project.

Tom.

Edited by TomVD, 27 August 2010 - 01:54 AM.

[gu35s]

May we convince you to join Project Xenocide and put your skills at doing a game worthy of X-Com?

And then you'll help him finish his version?

It looks preety good so far. I also would like to play the 3D version of remake

Edited by gu35s, 24 August 2006 - 04:38 PM.

[TomVD]

May we convince you to join Project Xenocide and put your skills at doing a game worthy of X-Com?

And then you'll help him finish his version?

It looks preety good so far. I also would like to play the 3D version of remake

He wants a real X-Com game, if Xenocide is to become one, why would he want to make another one? (that is, unless his aim is to make his own game, that is a different story)

Well, it is possible that at some point in the future I don't feel the urge to develop this game anymore, because of Xenocide may become that real next-gen X-Com game...

But in that case I have already another project that I want to develop: a fast multiplayer shoot em up, with hoovercrafts and of course a large dynamic/destroyable environment.

[Slaughter]

Sounds good to me TomVD! The more projects like this, the more likely one of them will actually finish (none have so far...). Keep us posted on your progress!

Edit: The music sounds sweet

Edited by Slaughter, 26 August 2006 - 10:11 AM.

[Sporb]

Just what ive always wanted! Xcom UFO3D! id definately like to see this one finished (or at the very least, playable)

[Gimli]

Wow TomVD, you just made me write my first post here, even though I've joined several months ago, and that says a lot.

While I think the visuals need further polishing (although its definitely a good start), the music is quite brilliant I must say. You completely caught the original feel of the music for me, and further enhanced it. If there's more music, please post it. Also, do you mind if I keep the music file(s)?

[Sporb]

i surely hope you do not take the shots at your remake Seriously TomVD, im sure most people would still love to see you progress with it. BTW if you should require somone to run the original Xcom midis thru a proggie like reason, id be keen as mustard to help!

edit by kratos: just clipping off topic things that I started, sorry about that

Edited by Kratos, 09 September 2006 - 11:35 AM.

[TomVD]

Wow, thanks for the nice feedback guys, I did not expect this at all. The good news is, this all encourages me to definalty go on with this project. There is also little bad news, and that is I will not be able to do a lot of Ufo3D work next month.

@Sporb: The remaking of the music was one of the easier tasks, so that has already been taken care of, but thanks for the offer
@Gimli: Once I get a website up, I'll put some more music online.

[Sectoid Navigator]

Well, as with Gimli, i registered a few days ago and haven't posted yet, but I would love to help you in this project. I made a few models for Last Hope before it died (or has it died? who knows? I'd like to see a Half Life 2 version actually completed) and i have a few still hanging around on my drive (very poor but I have got much better, i've made a Tank/Cannon and a Cyberdisc, like i said very poor but i can tidy them up for ye)

I am fairly good at 2d art, If you check my deviantart (my username is squirejames, so the link is http://squirejames.deviantart.com) i've made what I call "Gun Layouts" which show a side view of a rifle or such, and some information on it. After doing a fair few real world weapons, I decided to go back to my roots as it were and make this.



As my description says,

Introduced in 2063 to quell Elerium Miner Riots on the Martian Colonies, the XM4000A1 (later standardised in 2070 as the M4000) is a good old fashion "Tommy Gun", blowback operated .45 Calibre Sub-Machine Gun. Obviously machined far better than its 20th Century Counterparts, and using far better ammunition, the M4000 later became the Stalwart of X-COM Squads in AW-IV in 2084.

First X-Com game I played was Apocalypse, although I enjoy Ufo:EU and TFTD more now, but my favourite for a long time has been Interceptor. I know purists don't like it but, i love the X-Wing Games, and to fly against Sectoids and such, in such a well made and still, very pretty game like Interceptor, and even better have the strategy part where I can upgrade my ships and so forth, its brilliant. I only wish X-Wing Alliance had been more like it, where you managed fleets and fought battles. Anyways I digress, If i can be of assistance, just say the word. Oh btw I love your remade TFTD Music, I searched the net for music from the PSX version of TFTD but I can't find it, and yours is exactly how I imagined TFTD music to really sound (if it was really played, rather than midi, if that makes sense)

Sectoid Navigator

edit by kratos: just clipping off topic things that I started, sorry about that

Edited by Kratos, 09 September 2006 - 11:37 AM.

[Horoma]

Now this is an interesting topic. Go go TomVD !
And I'm lucky to live in Belgium, so perhaps someday I'll have the opportunity to come by your place to play some Ufo3D.

[TomVD]

great!
well, I have been a lot out of country for my job last week and so.
But I have put a some kind of website in my free time over there: http://www.xcomufo3d.com/
I don't want to make it something very fancy, because I rather spend time on the game, but later on it will contain screenshots and a forum.

Currently I am working on the line of sight / fog of war implementation and light/smoke stuff in the tactical combat view. I am carefully following every detail described in www.ufopaedia.org - That site is a gold mine to me! The main contributors of ufopaedia.org will surely get in the credits of the game.

@Sectoid Navigator. Nice that you want to join. But currently I feel that is still a bit too early to already get other people involved, I have not yet decided how detailed we want the models, animations, etc. I first like to get some code working and then get an idea how graphics will look like... I let you know when we are ready to get some artwork into the game.

[Sectoid Navigator]

Thats fine, its your babym I understand (been there myself)


I am a bit of a jack of all trades as like yourself, my mods have been started as private project).

If you ever need help from another real X-Com Enthusiast, who can do some 3d models (I'm alright, I think) and 2d art, and even a little coding and such,, just drop me a line.

[Jamaru]

The X-com UFO3D remake sounds really cool. Keep it up!

[kafros]

zzzZzzzZzzzZzzz

As always

[TomVD]

It's alive!!! ALIVE!!!
After all these years... yes I picked it back up
But no 3D, because I could not find 3D modelers here in Belgium that want to join (I want to meet people I work with IRL, that always works best) , altough still in a 3D engine and some sort of semi 3D (still isometric sprites, but with 3D lighting and shadows)...
When I got a nice tech-demo movie, I'm going to create a new site and I'll let it know here.

Edited by TomVD, 27 August 2010 - 01:55 AM.