34 replies to this topic

[SamTMJ]

I can agree to that...

[5parrowhawk]

In base assaults, the aliens always deploy in the hangars first. If they can't find hangar space they go for the lift, then the rest of your base, but if you have 3 hangars they will not even occupy the lift. The little room at the side of your hangars with a 3-square-wide door usually holds 1 alien. No aliens will deploy in the other little rooms (the ones with 1-square-wide doors).

And of course, in the Large Scout one alien always seems to deploy in the reactor room, and pops in and out to take potshots at your guys. Hate that pesky little guy.

[Timil]

Why does alien attack doesn't follow the same rules than Xcom attack?
I mean: You need to enter the base in TFTD, but alien are already in when they attack!!

In TFTD:
- Alien NEVER hide in the moss before the gaz conduct (underwater mission)
- Alien ALWAYS hide in the 2nd floor of the magazine building (3 floor), sometime some will also spawn in 3rd floor or 1st, but never on both. (Coastal terror site)
- At least ONE alien will spaw in one of the Head monolith underground. But it will often go out before you find it! (Terror Site - Island)
- Alien will always spawn in the hotel 2nd and roof floor. (Terror Site - Island)


Tip:
In TFTD, alien never try to kill any civilian if you are in the same screen than them.. they use XRay vision?

[5parrowhawk]

*looks at top of thread*
Stewart, I think we can be pretty certain that aliens activate right at mission start. You can usually hear doors opening a long way away on your first hidden movement.

[gangsta]

:: I think there are diffrent kinds of aliens. I think some are snipers and don't move at all and wait for you to come to them. Like the ones in those barns. well they move a little but they usually go to a window. The one on the roof doesn't move at all.

[gangsta]

I think they just programmed diffrent modes for the aliens. In an Alien Invasion mission you can have your squad far away from the aliens an they will come to you. Way I would make it is I make some aliens seekers, some snipers and then there probably other types you can make.

[gangsta]

:: well what about those aliens that hide in those storage building in terror zones wanting you to open that garage door to get you. Thats not that hard of a path to calculate in those cases. Either way, I think generating aliens with diffrent types of modes is the superior method to use in our remake. Sniper aliens make the game interesting

[gangsta]

maybe sectoids and floaters? Dunno about snakemen. then again aliens do panic just like the humans do but not as often.

[War_Lord]

maybe sectoids and floaters?  Dunno about snakemen.  then again aliens do panic just like the humans do but not as often.

I think watching a snakeman panic and drop his gun is just about one of the funniest sights you get to see in UFO. The only thing better is after he's dropped his gun and his arms are hanging limp and he goes berserk and just starts shaking around like crazy. I laugh hysterically every time I see that happen.

[gangsta]

Well thing just as funny is when there is a chryssalid there that you think is going to get your guy next turn. Instead he walks back and forth like a fool wasting his turn.

[Seelie]

Some great observations in this thread. Thanks!

And I agree on the chryssalid thing. While he's rushing towards you, it's always a bit tense. As soon as he turns around, it's a massive relief. The second or third pass, it's just silly. Never seen more than three, but I did see one doing pirrouettes. He turned three complete rotations walked two squares, turned two more, walked back to the first spot, turned two more complete rotations then walked three squares and around a corner out of site. I think the sheer length of the chryssalid's potential move gives the path-finding routine fits. Since no other alien acts as weird as they do.

[War_Lord]

Yeah, chryssalid's do have more time units than most (if not all) other units and they may screw with the pathfinding routine, but I think it's possible this was also designed with some intention to give the players a good scare, because like Seelie described, there is that intense rush when the chryssalid comes pounding towards your best unit, then turns around and heads back. Lots of things could be going through the Crysallid's mind, maybe even some of the following:

* "Uh oh, look at all those X-Com units, I'm dead meat if I go over there."

* "What's that? I think I smell an innocent civilian back the way I was coming from... I should go back and eat him, he's less likely to shoot back."

* "Hehe, I'll give those X-Com agents a good scare! Watch them panic."

* "Look at me! Look at me! (Whatever you do, don't look behind you at the Snakeman who's priming that Alien Grenade right behind your squad)."

[Leo]

I think WarLord made a good point for the remake:
make the morale of units (alien or xcom) drop if they are outnumbered, enemies are getting close (especially chryssalids!), ammo is running low and such. This would add a fine realistic touch to the game.
However, I don't know how hard this is to program....

[Leo]

But if we can't see the entire map right away how would the soldiers or the aliens know the size of the attacking force?

Isn't that a point of the game: that they don't? That way their morale would be a natural reaction to what they can see.

By the way: I don't know if I'm supposed to shut up about the remake and leave that to the people involved, or that I can suggest things without hardly knowing what it's all about.....
Please light me up (not with incendiary, please )

[Leo]

OK, thanx! I guess I should catch up and read the Xenocide forum....

[wakiki]

Lots of things could be going through the Crysallid's mind, maybe even some of the following:

* "Uh oh, look at all those X-Com units, I'm dead meat if I go over there."

* "What's that?  I think I smell an innocent civilian back the way I was coming from... I should go back and eat him, he's less likely to shoot back."

* "Hehe, I'll give those X-Com agents a good scare!  Watch them panic."

* "Look at me!  Look at me!  (Whatever you do, don't look behind you at the Snakeman who's priming that Alien Grenade right behind your squad)."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

* "Ack! Did I leave the gas on?"

[Vin]

"RAARGH! I'm gonna get...hey, is that a heavy plasma gun? I, uh...forgot to lock my door. Be right back."

[Dover]

When assualting an alien bases, aliens are found here (And only here):
- In the command module (obviously)
- Around the reactcor-rooms
- Around those big, hanger-feeling places with food all over the place and a little tower in the middle
- On the second story of the little enclosed rooms with a lift, and the food on the upper level
- Rarely (Because of lack of other spawn spots I assume), they're found around the aforementioned enclosed rooms with the lift and food
- In Cydonia, in the brain room

They will NEVER be found ANYWHERE else, at least at the beginning of the match.

Oh, and alien bases only have 22 spawn spots for Xcom. In a 26-man avenger, your 4 remaining will be assigned to a random alien spawn spot. This can be bad, if you (Like me) have your psi squad be the last men on the list (Don't have to leave ships, but get screwed over on bases)

[Kratos]

Xcom base spawn points for aliens are only access lift and hangars IIRC.

[stewart]

When assualting an alien bases, aliens are found here (And only here):
- In the command module (obviously)
- Around the reactcor-rooms
- Around those big, hanger-feeling places with food all over the place and a little tower in the middle
- On the second story of the little enclosed rooms with a lift, and the food on the upper level
- Rarely (Because of lack of other spawn spots I assume), they're found around the aforementioned enclosed rooms with the lift and food
- In Cydonia, in the brain room

They will NEVER be found ANYWHERE else, at least at the beginning of the match.

Oh, and alien bases only have 22 spawn spots for Xcom. In a 26-man avenger, your 4 remaining will be assigned to a random alien spawn spot. This can be bad, if you (Like me) have your psi squad be the last men on the list (Don't have to leave ships, but get screwed over on bases)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've seen non-flying aliens on top of the mesa in the large alien habitat; they'd have to spawn there I think.

[Kratos]

Yeah Stewart, I always expect at least 1 of those.

[Dover]

Oh, duh. How could I forget? They're also scattered through those creepy alien plant rooms, in between cracks or on top of mesas...

I rarely bother with those rooms, because they piss me off so much. I usually end up blaster-bombing them apart or camping the outside and waiting for them to come out. I've been shot in the back far too many times in there...

[Kratos]

TFTD 2 part Terror ship...Aliens Spawn behind the Explosive barrels in front of the skyranger doors and at bottom of stairs immediatly to the Right ( using front doors as a reference point)

* On a rare occasion a Civilian is swapped out with an Alien behind the barrels

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That goes to the TFTD forum. Created a new topic for you.

Edited by Kratos, 01 March 2006 - 06:33 PM.

[Brick-To-Face]

Destroying walls tends to confuse aliens a little.