X-Com Mod?
 

Hello guys!

After, seeing about all the mods and tinkering a little with the txt archives (I did some modding to Proportions, added techs, weapons, components, I even think some of them are good original ideas)

I did a fairly detailed log of modifications with what's stolen and what´s original,If someone tells me how, I can upload it, may be it can give some ideas to someone.

Well, after that, I though about creating an X-com Race, I have some ideas about tech and weapons, but I am needing help with AI and images, I have a lot of images of X-com devices, some of them would be nice components, but I don´t know how to incorporate them in the correct file shape/size. Where can I find info on how to make shipsets and new components?

Anyone interested in the idea? Any X-com Players over there? That game is still in my HD and from time to time I play it. It´s great!

I´m waiting for some input on this idea. Thnks!

[ February 12, 2003, 02:25: Message edited by: leo1434 ]

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

man I remember X-Com 2... fun game

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Yes, X-com 2 was fun, but the first one was better!

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

hey leo, my full support to you! X-Com rules, a pity i never got Interceptor. Still, all the rest are fun. And yes, X-Com 2 is better but X-Com 1 has that special feel to it.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

For the love of God man, post it!

I'd love to see what you did to get an X-Com mod.

As far as uploading goes you just have to go to the new scenario/mod forum and post a reply in one of the appropriate threads (usually data/sound/graphic or AI races/shipsets). There is an upload button to use. When you are done you'll be given a string of computer code/techno-crap to coppy and paste into a messeag here (it provides a convenient link).

As far as the pic sizes and such take a look at the "Important SEIV Information & Stuff" sticky thread at the top of this forum. Scroll down till you see a bunch of links for a lot of good sites. The modding and shipset tutorial should help quite a bit.

Also ACDSee is a great program for adjusting pic sizes etc. You can drab the demo at download.com.

[ February 12, 2003, 20:42: Message edited by: QuarianRex ]

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Yeah, a X-Com race would be great. Love these games, still playing them from time to time.
I could offer some experience in AI modding if you are interested.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hi to all!

Good to know there is some X-Com members alive and kicking!

Well about the uploads:I will try to upload two files, one is a short note with some rough ideas about this X-Com mod (it appeared in my head some three days ago,more or less) and the othe one (bigger) is a detailed log of the modifications I stole or invented in my Proportions Modded Game.

Sorry I can give you some hard file info about X-Com in Space Empires, but for now is only an idea I have, but with your help we can do it!

Besides, i will try to cpy and paste the first (smaller) X-Com related file, just in case...

I would be enormously pleased to know what you think about it, and of course I will welcome ideas from everybody.

--------------------------------------------------
X-Com Ideas File v1.0 - February 12 th, 2003
--------------------------------------------------

X-Com Race:

I imagine this race as a splinter colony, long time isolated from terrans.

They inherited all the ufopaedia data compiled by their predecessors (the original X-Com
team of scientists, engineers, soldiers) So, they have some special technologies.

As they are strong in some areas, I think they have to be weaker in others: for example,
if they have very good armor (because of an "Alien Alloys" technology) they would have weaker shields.

My idea is not to develop an exlusive tech tree with technologies available only to this race.
Instead, I think they can have access to the same common technologies, but the X-com racial trait would enable them to research technologies which in turn give them MOUNTINGS to improve some of the components or facilities. On the other hand, some special mountings would be present to degrade their technologies in other areas, to balance the race and not to make them godlike. It´s not my idea to make the "most powerful race to take all others by assault".

Quick IDEAS:

Areas in which they can be stronger than the average of other races:
(Having in mind the original X-Com game research tree)

Plasma Weapons

Armor (Alien Alloys)

Supplies consuption (As Elerium-115 based powerplants are very energy efficient, 99% of the matter is transformed to energy as quoted by the original game).
Difficulty in refining or sintetizing Elerium-115 can be represented by giving the race a low
radioactives refining percentage. Or, may be, an "Elerium Power Plant" element can be modelled,
having a very high cost in radioactives and the supplies generating ability to feed the ships engines.
This Last comp can be combined with the elimination of the supplies bays for this race.

Troop weapons (this will not be very useful because of the nature of ground combat resolution in SEIV)
But: I hope some future Version of S.E. WILL allow surface tactical combat with maneuvering units!!!
Of course, you will be able to switch this option off if you don´t like it and resolve ground combat as in the present way.

(Please: let everyone know about this Last thought in order to ask the people at Malfador to implement it!)

Gauss Weapons (they can be some kind of improved projectile weapons)

Fighters (?) As they intercepted so many UFOs, they would know a litle bit about making efficient interceptors!

Fusion Ball Launcher: A kind of guided projectile launcher, very powerful, but low rate of fire and bulky.

Some weapon to hit advantage: The use of improved communications improve the tactical combat coordination derived from the use of some "Hyperwave Decoder" component.

COMPONENTS: I would like to "import" some of the X-com images as components or facilities to use in SE IV.

Help in the race AI area will we be kindly accepted, as I don´t know anything about tweaking AI files.

I will try to learn and make a decent shipset (ugh!)

--------------------------------------------------

Of course, feedback and additions to this humble start wil be MOST WELLCOME!!

Let me know what you think about it, and best of all think some new ideas!

See you! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Sorry guys, my computer have some problems related to javascript (or something) I can´t link from one page to another different one, only internal ones seems to work. In consequence I can´t open the "upload form" in the Data/Ai thread.

The two files are 1,6 and 6,6 kb txt files, I copied the smaller one in my previous post. If someone wants to read the other, I can send it by e-mail, providing you give me an adress.

Mine is: willip@uolsinectis.com.ar

I don't know if the other file is too big to paste in this forum thread, if someone know better, please tell me.

Thanks to all

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Here are a few pictures from a race I'm helping my brother with that is based on the lobstermen from x-com 2.

1045143792.zip

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Try this link then:
File Upload Form

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Just some input off the top of my head:

Modify the X-COM racial traits to have a bonus to research (this was, after all, part and parcel of X-COM operations).

If you're making the Sectoid race, it only makes sense that they be Psychic.

--Raynfala

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hello guys!

Thank you for your feed back.

Raynfala: Your suggestion about the research bonus is a good one. About Psychic races, you are right, I think Sectoids and Ethereals HAVE to be psychic to simulate their use of mind control. Those two will be incorporated in my ideas file.

Suicide Junkie: Thank you for giving this link, I think I can read the URL by pointing on it with the mouse cursor and then retype it in the Explorer direction bar. I will try. Anyway, I sent the files by e-mail to Rexx in order to be uploaded by him in case I could not.

Everyone feel free to use them as you see fit. Than you a lot to all!

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Well! I think it is correctly done!

I uploaded succesfully (I think) the files I told you in the Data/sound/graphic thread.

Please drop me a line with some comments,if you like.

By the way: I read a post from Raynfala in the wishlist about hexagon based maps replacing the square grid. Now this is an excellent idea, no more faster diagonal riding ships! Stellar systems maps AND planetary surface tactical maps should be hex-based. SE IV rules!
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I loved the X-Com eries.

I got Interceptor based on the prior games.

It spent THREE HOURS on my hard drive, before I ripped it back off and put the disk away again.

XCOM: Interceptor SUCKS. There's nothing better I can say about it (but plenty worse!). Wonderful concept beyond horribly executed ...

.... Executed, there's a thought ... teh hacks who put Interceptor out shuld all be executed. SLOWLY.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hello:
Yes you are right, Interceptor wasn´t a good game, first I dont´t like flight sims a lot, so to pilot a UFO spaceship is not my idea of fun. Besides when I start to play a game I like to read most of the documentation and manual first in order to take the most from it. With Interceptor I did just that, installed, read, tried some features... and I did not get traped by it. I don´t know if it was so good or so bad, a game has just to trap me as was the case with SEIV. No so with X-Com Interceptor. But the first and second X-Com games, well, I cannot count how many sleep hours I have lost because of that battles!

And now: Thank you very much to Atraikius for sharing that pictures with us. I hope to see the lobster-men race upagainst all the others in the SE Universe(specially against the valiant soldiers and crewmembers of X-Com!)

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hello:

I will upload a small archive with design names for the future X-Com ships. They are taken from ships and weapons names of X-Com 1, 2, Apocalypse and Interceptor.

Look in the Data thread.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hey, just tried to load and run X-com Apocalypse on my new computer. It loaded OK, but when run it just exited the program. No error msg, just an exit back out. I'm running on a Dell 2.4Mhz machine with Windows XP. any ideas??

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That has happened to me every time I've tried to install it in a directory other than the default one.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

I don´t think X-Com Apocalypse is compatible with Win XP. Well may be the other way: Win XP is not compatible with a lot of older programs.

I had a similar problem (the program just quitting) when I tried to play X-Com 1 in a Pentium I machine. I even bought a second hand 486 to play it!

Now, I don´t know why, but I can play the three Versions of X-Com in a Pentium III 750 with Win 98 SE.

X-Cm 1 and 2 are still resident in my HD!

Have you tried to install a second op. sys. in your PC? There are a lot of programs which allows to use different OS in the same machine.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

It is most likely an OS issue - Win 95 and 98 are secretly running on top of MS-DOS, and so programs looking for all the old DOS functionality find it (with a few exceptions). However, with XP, Microsoft may have just succeeded in eliminating DOS, and with it the possibility of backwards compatibility.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

I had the same problems with X-Com Apocalypse as well. One day I had a craving to replay this game but my new system just wouldn't support it. I ended up spending $10 on a clunker system just so I could waste some lobstermen and crysalids. Best ten bucks I ever spent.
Atraikius, that shipset looks VERY promising. Any ETA on that fleet?

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hi X-Com soldiers, techs, and scientists:

I posted two images for the X-Com shipset in the Graphic/Data thread, as well as a help request.

A bonus file is given in the form of some little pop portrait pictures to be used with any shipset, Someone liked to play Master of Orion II commanding the Mrrshan warrior race? Well they can tarvel to the SE4 universe and continue their conquest, as they were not included in the MOO 3 game. Long live the Mrrshan tiger warriors!

Someone would like to make some ships for them?
some tiger striped-yellow and black ships will look really fearsome!

Waiting for comments!

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hello X-Com staff:

There is a small file to download at the AI/Shipsets thread, it contains four components images for X-Com Mod.

More are on the way!

May be it would have been uploaded in the Data/Graphics, but... sorry, look in AI/Shipsets.

Thank you!

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Ive managed to get Xcom to run on newer XP systems. Go into windows explorer, right click on the xcom program, and set its options to run as a Win95 program or something similar. It will let you run the game, even if greatly speeded up.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hello Taera!

Thanks for asking, friend! I was wandering why nobody seemed to care about this project.

The status is as follows:

I am writing notes about a lot of ideas that are coming out of my mind.

I am trying to complete a shipset (with some non standard pics) using as much of the original X-Com images as it´s possible. The fighters are ready, also the pop portraits, some troops, drones and assorted small other units. Don´t know how to make desings for all the warship and support ships. I suppose I will use some other ship desings and modify them (have to ask for permission!) I have no knowledge of graphic edition programs, I'm using Windows Paint, Irfan View and a little of ACD See v4.01 to adapt images I have stored in my HD, but I am just learning to use them. Help is always welcome! When you see what I have done may be you can make some suggestions or give me some help!

I will post tomorrow a file with what it is done at present.

After the shipset, it comes what is more complex: Components (I made some new comps pics, I think they are good), TechAreas, Mounts, etc... I am editing a log file with my ideas, which I will also post for everyone to read. Fortunately I'm not out of ideas.

Wait for news, the proyect is going at full speed ahead!

See you all at X-Com Central !!

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Attention to all!

I have uploaded two files with what it is done at present about the X-Com mod. They are mostly the images (for the shipset, components and an important facility). There are some txt files too (a rough text with some ideas and credits for the sources of images) Feel free to make comments and suggestions. Feedback and help is always welcome.

You can look for the files at the Data/Sound/ Graphic thread

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

leo: for some reason i cannot seem to be able to download the files you put Online. Would you care to e-mail me @ thachi@solar-outpost.com with these images? (all of them - cant download anything)

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

No problem, partner, Iwill send the files righ now.
And please feel free to upload and/or send the files to everybody. Maybe is a problem of my Pc the reasonyou can not dowload the files, and perhaps others will not be able to download either. So, can you upload them for me in case of more problems?

Thanks!

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Yeah. Me too. If I try and download any of your .zip files, I get a zero byte file. I don't even get an error message. All the other downloads work fine.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Now, I think it is confirmed, my Pc is not working right. It is some java related problem...

Well, Taera: Would you like to upload the files I have sent you for me please?

Thanks!

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

News:

I modified the Pictures/Components and Pictures/Facilities Files and integrated them in the Components.bmp (the one with the small pics) file!

Now they have "compilant" comp numbers. Anyone interested in helping with the upload?

I still have Internet Explorer problems and I don´t think I will be able to upload any file (****ty windows!).

Anyone wishing to help? Someone could download the previous posted files? What any of you think about?

Waiting for comments...

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

If you upload the images to shrapnel, I can add them to the Imagemod for you.

Upload Area
If you go to that link, and make a reply, there will be a little link on the left to open window where you can upload your file.

Send it there and post a link to it for me.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Sorry SJ, I cant open that link, but I have another Link to the upload thread as a favorite and I will try to upload the files there, but previous uploads could not be downloaded by anyone
so after I try and there are problems, then you can give me an e-mail I will send the files to you in order to make the files available to everybody by yourself.

1046500754.zip

[ March 01, 2003, 06:40: Message edited by: leo1434 ]

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Attention to all:

I just uploaded my X-Com mod files in tyhe Data/graphic thread. Everything is there, with a brief info about its contents in the post text.

Enjoy!
Waiting for your comments...

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hello to all:

New uploads in the Data/Graphic Thread: This time comps images only. The big image of 36x36 pixel comps was replaced for a correctly displayed one. And the new components were renumbered to be compilant with the Comp Image pack v1.13.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hello:

Can anyone explain a little about the ability:
"Sector - sight obscuration" I think it will be useful for a "mind shield" x-com facility or component. I couldn´t find anything about abilities in the Newbies FAQ.

Someone wanting to help?
Thanks http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

"Sector-sight obscuration" is basically a sector wide cloak. Everything in the sector is cloaked even enemies. If you put this on a planet or storm cloud you can still see the planet/cloud. If you put on a component (base, weapon platform, ship, etc.) it will cloak everything and look like the background (usually a starry sky).

I don't think that it works when placed on facilities though. Someone else might know better.

Re: X-Com Mod?
 

Hello to all:

New upload of X-Com comp pics.

Format: Zipped .bmp files.
No path info included in .zip file.
Portraits and mini pics files in one .zip file.
Comp numbers compilant with Image Mod comp pack.

Please tell me if you have any problem to download.

Look in Data/Graphic thread. Thanks.