Some Small Things.

[Longshot]

I hope this is the right place for these, I know you guys have to continually remind we, dunces, where to post suggestions. If it isn't I'll recopy it whereever.

 

In playing the latest Beta, which is far, far adavanced from the last version I played I have a couple suggestions:

 

1) It would be great if the mini-map could update as buildings are damaged.

EDIT- Ahhh...I found the in-game map on the tool bar while playing this evening. Sorry...Well done.

 

2) It would also be great if you could click on the mini-map and have the main map scroll to that point automatically. Most games with mini-maps do this, but I realize it may not have a high priority at this point- and may not be as easy when building a game like you are doing now.

Edit...yeah...see above.

 

3) It would also be great if different races had different basic stats. You could still spend your extra 70 points however you wanted but sectoids might have greater TU but less Strength or something.

 

4) The new weapon effects are cool, I'm really glad stray shots no longer explode on the edge of the board.

 

5) The default point leve of 15k seems really low now. I can barely make a team with less than 12 sectoids that has any kind of strength to it. I know this isn't that big a deal because you can change it readily, but 20k seems more reasonable given all the costs involved in adding all the extra aliens.

 

6) A couple times while playing Seek and Destroy my opponent and I have deployed on top of each other's heads. One of the two soldiers then appears to knocked unconscoius. Anyway of defaulting this placement to either the first or second player and placing the other soldier either beside or behind one another? Backs together would be most interesting, I think.

 

7) Seek and Destroy mode is Awesome. Whoever did that is one sexy bitch!

 

8) Anyway to deploy on other levels in the beginning? That would also help with the addition of all the new flying units.

 

9) Speaking of which...the chameleon with the lunarsuit should be able to fly, or at least one chameleon should be able to. (IMO- anyway)

 

10) Some of the new additions use points to crouch but don't appear to do it on screen- though they do seem to increase their hit percentage a very small amount...Will this be fixed? or do we just live with it? I'm aware that they were not added before because X-Com didn't have the images of anything crouching or walking except Mutons and Sectoids.

 

11)Don't take any of this as critisism in any way. The game has vastly improved with all the new stuff, and the new interface is also much more updated- which is nice.

 

12) It's a little harder to figure shots on invisible men (someone you've lost sight of) with that new curser though- The circular shape doesn't match well with the squares in the game. At least for an old fart trying to play the game. Anyway the effect could stay the same but be remade into a square?

 

13) Tanks? (I can guess this won't happen...but it would be really nice).

 

EDIT- 14) Something I forgot earlier. When designing teams I like to strip all the pre-made teams down and reduce all the soldiers to sectoids simply to get the sense of "building" a team from scratch. The problem is (unless I missed another control, which is highly possible) I have to do all this manually. It would be nice if there was a way (again, unless I missed it already) to at least strip teh weapons off the units, and secondarliy to set the skill points at their minimum to begin with. Then have the option to generate a pre-made team if you want one.

 

Anyway, thanks guys. I'm a long time fan of X-Com, and a longtime fan of UFO2000. All your hard, tedious, boring work is appreciated greatly, and as I said I'm only trying to throw out these thing for your consideration. No critisism intended.

Edited August 16, 2006 by Longshot

[Hobbes]

3) It would also be great if different races had different basic stats. You could still spend your extra 70 points however you wanted but sectoids might have greater TU but less Strength or something.

 

I have a system designed for race differenciated stats, unfortunately the guy who was supposed to implement it (along with HE block, amongst other things) dropped off radar (and I can't code a thing).

 

5) The default point leve of 15k seems really low now. I can barely make a team with less than 12 sectoids that has any kind of strength to it. I know this isn't that big a deal because you can change it readily, but 20k seems more reasonable given all the costs involved in adding all the extra aliens.

 

I can bring 10 power suits with 15k with enough weapons to take 15 units. Plus, 20k is murder for 2nd player if you are playing on a 5x5 map.

 

6) A couple times while playing Seek and Destroy my opponent and I have deployed on top of each other's heads. One of the two soldiers then appears to knocked unconscoius. Anyway of defaulting this placement to either the first or second player and placing the other soldier either beside or behind one another? Backs together would be most interesting, I think.

 

The reason why 1st player's units always start the game stunned when both players place them together is to give a chance to 2nd player (who has the disadvantage of moving second). If the 2 units were simply placed side to side then the 1st player would get the first shot (and almost definitely kill the 2nd player's unit). This way it gets more balanced.

 

7) Seek and Destroy mode is Awesome. Whoever did that is one sexy bitch!

 

He he he he....are you reading this, Nachtwolf?

8) Anyway to deploy on other levels in the beginning? That would also help with the addition of all the new flying units.

 

You need to place units on objects.

[Longshot]

Thanks for the reply Hobbes. I found a couple new features earlier today, and feel a little like an idiot for mentioning them now.

 

I have a system designed for race differenciated stats, unfortunately the guy who was supposed to implement it (along with HE block, amongst other things) dropped off radar (and I can't code a thing).

 

That's awesome! I hope someone can pick up the ball, it would add so much to the game.

 

I can bring 10 power suits with 15k with enough weapons to take 15 units. Plus, 20k is murder for 2nd player if you are playing on a 5x5 map.

 

You make me feel all rotten on the inside.

 

I still prefer more points and such, but then I usually play my uncle and we prefer longer, more "chess-like" matches.

 

It's just a preference I guess. I notice few on the server even have a team with as many as 25k points. If I wasn't so old I'd feel spoiled...

 

The reason why 1st player's units always start the game stunned when both players place them together is to give a chance to 2nd player (who has the disadvantage of moving second). If the 2 units were simply placed side to side then the 1st player would get the first shot (and almost definitely kill the 2nd player's unit). This way it gets more balanced.

 

Yeah, after playing quite a bit more, I see where you're coming from here. It does seem to make more sense.

 

I thought I had brilliantly pointed out:

14) Something I forgot earlier. When designing teams I like to strip all the pre-made teams down and reduce all the soldiers to sectoids simply to get the sense of "building" a team from scratch. The problem is (unless I missed another control, which is highly possible) I have to do all this manually. It would be nice if there was a way (again, unless I missed it already) to at least strip teh weapons off the units, and secondarliy to set the skill points at their minimum to begin with. Then have the option to generate a pre-made team if you want one.

 

 

Yeeeee-yah...Sorry about that guys. I found the functions today while actually reading what all those F1-12 keys say on the soldier interface...It's always fun to have to educate all the newbs and returnees on basic features that you go out of your way to make clear so you don't have to educate newbs and returnees...

 

One thing though, if someone wouldn't mind: on the copy and paste functions it says: control+ INS and shift + INS. Could someone please tell me what key "INS" is?

[Hobbes]

Insert

 

 

With 25k what you usually get is 30 fly/power suits fighting one another. Not much variety

[Longshot]

Actually I only have 3 guys in Flying armor, none in power armor, 2 with standard.

 

I have 2 ethereals, 4 floaters, and the rest are mutons or sectoids.

 

We load up on the heavier weapons though, which is probably why it takes so many more points...

[Hobbes]

Actually I only have 3 guys in Flying armor, none in power armor, 2 with standard.

 

I have 2 ethereals, 4 floaters, and the rest are mutons or sectoids.

 

We load up on the heavier weapons though, which is probably why it takes so many more points...

 

There are several things you can do to to lighten up the points:

 

- No extra clips for plasma weapons: if they run out of ammo there will surely be plenty of dead bodies to loot by then.

- Bare equipment for cannon fodder units (read: sectoids). Since they are so easy to kill and there's so many of them, fully equipping them is a waste. The same applies for scouts: they are usually the ones who get killed first.

- Restrict explosive grenades for specialized grenadier units. Most of the times a unit won't have time to prime a grenade before it gets killed - > waste.

[Longshot]

Hmmm...yeah I kinda see where I've been going wrong organizationally. I was able to squeeze out two more power armors simply eliminating redundant equipment.

 

Points noted on grenades, I've noticed in this latest incarnation in particular that grendies "ain't what they used to be". Which is both good and bad I guess. It's not as fun sneaking up on somebody without a little surprise to dump on them, but at least they now get treated like "real" weapons, which means you have to really sacrifice soemthing to have them.

 

Anyway, well done all around. It's a blast- even if you guys think I'm spoiled!

[Sporb]

people seem to underestimate personal armour too - i use Personal Armour instead of Power armour because it means i can carry bigger weapons with the same price cap. Rockets are supreme Power Armour killers but its hard to have enough of them while still having a ballanced team