Fireman

Thanks, brandeburg.
I'm glad you liked the update.
 
I just checked your classes info (in your other thread) - very practical perk assignments. I think the "saboteur" pulled a short straw somehow and some of the marksman perks I am not totally convinced about... But overall, it's a very nice and balanced chart. Great work!
I am looking forward to seeing those perk tree charts and having a discussion about them.
I think it'll be very helpful...
--------------------------------
[EDIT] When preparing those perk trees, please consider adding the "Look for free" too. I changed the default Crawl rotate cost from 4 to 6, the Rotate from 2 to 4 in RPG APs, and changed the parameter in RPG Perks from 0 to 2.
I already tested it. It's 2 APs for all rotations now after applying the perk.
So, no freebies anymore.
What would we call it now? "Born Curious"... "Reduced AP cost for looking"... "Observant"... "Spinner"..?
--------------------------------
Scar and Kat are not military trained, so I wouldn't expect them to have skills and abilities that make sense from a "let's create a class that is efficient and serves a specific purpose" type of approach. Their skills/perks are a mixed bag, some might have certain synergy but most probably won't. That's why I was asking about perk ideas for a civilian medic-turned-sniper, and a civilian mechanic-turned-bandit. They'd be separate classes, specifically tailored for Scar and Kat, not available to any of the possible mercenaries or the main character. Would they be a pain to play? I don't know...maybe... well, if I add all the bizarre conversations I've imagined they could engage in, yeah...a very strange couple of folks, indeed.
 
I am also thinking about adding rare, unique perks.
From the start, Scar would have an "addict" or "alcoholic"; ex.: he'd be the only person who could use spiked alcohol and heroin.
Kat could have a "bookworm" perk that wold allow her to use magazines and other literature, we find in the game world, to temporarily increase her medical, engineering (or some other) skill above the normal levels.
 
The same goes for the main character... based on the class we chose for them.
- It might be a "Diplomat" perk (that would help us with various negotiation and persuasion checks),
- "Eagle Vision" would have a higher than normal Spot value.
- "Commando training" would add an otherwise unavailable "Good Evasion" perk (???)
... basically minor, not necessarily critical but a decent helpful boost to something...
 
They'd be 'attached' to different classes with proper visual representation but without any visible prerequisite, basically not selectable by the player...can only be given through a script.
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Well, all that was about our average grunts/mercenaries/hirelings or whatever we call them.
Now, what about the officers?
I think "inspiration" should have a huge aura and be available only to officers. With that in place, eliminating them as soon as possible would finally make sense. Seriously, in vanilla, they were restricted to pistols, had no perk panels, nothing special or outstanding except for Acks, and even those were kinda meh... I think they need a major boost: proficiency in most weapons, higher Spot and stealth values, plenty of VPs, higher interrupt etc. (maybe even some 'evasion' skills, not too much... just a little bit...)
-----------------------------------------------------------
You know, redesigning all the item sizes is a big undertaking. If we have our bike with us then the whole "increased difficulty" goes right out the window, since we can access anything we need right there in the zone (once the objective are completed). Besides, aligning every item in the backpack, x, y, z and the distance adjustment for thousands of items (because for most items it's not just a size increase)... is a lot of work... and could potentially be worth it if we had a lot of zones (25-30) to visit and could really appreciate the new challenge. At the moment - there are only 2 completed zones.
 
In short, I hear you and get your point... Actually, I agree with you to a certain extend. Carrying two MGs in one's backpack is pretty unbelievable.
But right now, I'd rather get on with developing the plot and building more encounters.
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I think using snapshot is somewhat similar to shooting from the hip... no aiming is necessary or required. At least that's my understanding of it. (...and that's based on the fact that we already have the "aimed" and "careful" shooting modes using the iron sights, and also the low AP requirements and relatively low accuracy when in snapshot mode just screams 'not aimed'.)
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I haven't decided what the main character's rank and specific branch are.
They could be a Senior Lieutenant of State Security, from Department 3 (counter-intelligence) or 4 (special) ... not sure... they are gonna be dealing with quite a few of doppelgangers here... more like Department 13 (ghost-busters???)
 
Main task: discover what happened to the missing agents (4 NKVD agents disappear without a trace in Lubni/Poltava areas)
- check if any of the safe houses have been compromised
- ensure competency and loyalty
- find and eliminate traitors (we don't know about the doubles yet)
- once we find out what's really going on - find their training facility and destroy it, find both surgeons and kill them, capture the Intel on the remaining doubles and deliver it to the drop.
 
Opportunity objectives (while keeping a low profile):
- kill any doubles you come across
- assist allied groups and forces in the area (partisans, civilians, resistance...)
- capture any Intel we encounter
- eliminate or compromise any targets of opportunity
- sabotage German military installations
- increase tensions between UPA and Wehrmacht/SS
 
There will be a time when we are joined by a couple of other State Security agents (if we use your classes then they'd probably be a Skirmisher and an MG gunner)...but that's going to be later... in the winter...
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As far as I am aware the vehicles don't move...
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In Sentinels, there is no way to determine the type of uniform a character is wearing... UnitGetUniform() is not a valid function is S^3, unfortunately.
---------------------------------------------------
Thank you for bringing up some excellent points, brandeburg.
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
 
Now, I have a question:
What was the correct German radio communication procedure for the tank and aircraft crews?
Why I am asking is because when we find our first radio in a destroyed/abandoned Tiger (transceiver's operating radius around 150-200 km) we'd need to pretend we are not who we are while trying to reach the right 'audience'. So what would that exchange be like?
- An example of a successful (we get to talk to one of our operators in the area) and unsuccessful (we happen to get someone else) transmission would be great.
 
Perhaps this will help. I've found it somewhere (I think it was on axisforums.com):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. to call another radio operator (otto calling ida):
Ida, von otto. Ida, von otto.
Wait 5 seconds
Repeat if no answer
 
1a. to call with priority:
Ida, von otto. Ida, von otto. K R. (I have no idea what K R stands for)
Wait 5 seconds.
Repeat if no answer.
 
1b. to call with message and no reply required:
Ida, von otto. Ida, von otto. Keine quittung, Keine quitting
Send message.
Repeat.
 
1c. to call with message and ask for verification:
Ida, von otto. Ida, von otto. Bitte prüfen, bitte prüfen
Send message.
Wait 10 seconds for reply.
If no reply, repeat.
 
2. to answer (ida answering otto):
Ida empfäng. Ida empfäng. Kommen.
 
2a: to answer but not ready to receive:
Ida empfäng. Ida empfäng. Warten.
 
2b. to answer 1c.
Ida quittung, ida quittung.
 
3. to report signal strength:
Lautstärke ...
- eins (weak)
- zwei
- drei
- vier
- fünf (strong)
 
3a. to ask for a repeat:
Bitte wiederholen
 
4. to end a message:
ende.
 
There are 3 bullet points at the bottom, written in red, which I assume are important:
- speak clear
- speak monotone
- speak short (I assume this means keep it brief!)
Underneath that is the mnemonic: KMK (klar, monoton, kurz)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Does anyone have any ideas?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
 
Hey, Tsylie, thanks for editing.
(Corrections entered!)
 
I added a full canister to the first mission's template.
____________________________________________________________________
 
Oh, and here is one of the female models Heruvim shared with me.
 

 
Doesn't she look fantastic?
______________
~ Blunter ~

Hey, folks. It's me again!
 
Our next topic is the bike, its enormous hunger for refined hydrocarbons and the available to us options to satiate that hunger.
 
I remember Heruvim and I brainstorming on this very topic.. we talked about fuel consumption, some kind of fuel storage (possibly at the camp site), various ways to refill the gas tank, time limited missions relying on speed (on foot it's about 6 times slower) etc.
 
It took me a few days to process it and to come up with something I was happy with...
 
What is this bike to us, as players?
 
- A convenient way to collect the loot... Check!
- A very convenient way to access our storage... Check!
- An extremely powerful stationary MG (particularly at the beginning of the game)... Check!
- And now a fast, reliable transport that would allow us to get wherever we need to get to -ON TIME! ... Check!
 
Now, what do we do to keep it with us?.. Well, not much, except for maybe keeping it from being destroyed...an unlikely occurrence, really.
 
That was the driving (excuse the pun) reason behind creating the refueling/refilling mechanic.
 

 
If we didn't pay attention to the "place, month, weather, fuel, hours" notification after entering the encounter, we can always check fuel levels later.
______________________________________________
 

 
 
66%? And how did you arrive at this magical number, Blunter? (now imaging Bill Burr speaking in a mocking voice)... that's pretty arbitrary!
 
Okay, the list of assumptions I made in this case:
 
- bike is important (we don't want to lose it)
- bike should not be taken for granted (we should do something to keep it operational)
- bike's speed (loaded) is ~ 30 kmph (18-20 mph)
- long trips utilize some paved highways (at least part of the way)(higher speed, lower fuel consumption)
- short trips primarily use secondary roads (lower speed, higher fuel consumption)
- since "camp" can be anywhere on the map, and there no way to tell which sector it is in - it's in the same sector as our last encounter, just 30 min (0.5 hour) away.
- if we run out of fuel (<14%) the bike is left at the camp (can't use it until it's refueled)
- And the last one (partly derived from the one's above) - any one way trip on a chapter map consumes around 29% of the tank (+1 - 3%)
 
In essence, we can travel 3 (maybe 4) times between refueling.
 

 
 
________________________________________
 
 

 
 
______________________________________
 
 

 
 
__________________________________________
 
 

 
 
_____________________________________
 
 

 
 
____________________________________________
 

 
 
_____________________________________
 
Canister refills are pretty straightforward:
 

 
___________________________________
 
 

 
___________________________________
 
 

 
 
____________________________________
 
 

 
___________________________________
 
Right. There is another thing I introduced the OnExit() check:
 

 
This is currently the only way to lose the bike.
 
Not sure if anyone is interested in any scripts. If you do - let me know...
____________________________________________________
 
These are our Globals, set in the "Escape" mission:
 
------- SET COORDINATES ---------------------------------
SetGlobalGameVar("Column", 1) --C1-to-C6-
SetGlobalGameVar("Row", 1) --R1-to-R3-
------- SET TIME ----------------------------------------
SetGlobalGameVar("Hours",3.5) --cumulative--
SetGlobalGameVar("Time",9) --Evening--
------- SET VEHICLES ------------------------------------
SetGlobalGameVar("BikeStatus",2) --1(Broken)--2(Present)--3(NoGasLeftAtCamp)
SetGlobalGameVar("Gas",100) -- Full
--- INTERACTIVE CAMP OBJECTS ----------------------------
SetGlobalGameVar("LabStatus",1) -- 1 No -- 2 Yes
SetGlobalGameVar("WorkshopStatus",1) -- 1 No -- 2 Yes
SetGlobalGameVar("RadioStatus",1) -- 1 No -- 2 Yes
----- REPUTATION ---------------
SetGlobalGameVar("RepP",10)
SetGlobalGameVar("RepSS",10)
SetGlobalGameVar("RepW",10)
SetGlobalGameVar("RepUPA",10)
SetGlobalGameVar("RepC",10)
SetGlobalGameVar("RepNKVD",10)
----- FOR LATER ----------------
--SetGlobalGameVar("PriorkaDoctor",2) -- 1-Dead / 2-Alive
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
 
Oh, I forgot to show the "Reputation" color coding scheme:
 

 
______________________________________
 
...and some silly stuff for last:
 

 
________________________________
 

 
Unless you guys are interested in the character Acks, that's it for now.
__________
~ Blunter ~

All right, to the rest of the "Supplies" mission...
 
The medical supplies package is located in the back of the second truck (the one that's broken).
 

 
The thread checking its presence in our inventory runs in parallel with the other two objectives, so it doesn't really matter when we pick it up. Whenever we do - the objective gets updated...
_________________________________________
 

 
...almost there...
_____________________________________________
 
...and viola!
 

 
...the partially blocked message says: "The package contains a wide variety of wound care items and a field med kit. You might have also noticed the "Suture Kit", I added, among the spawned items.
_______________________________________________________
 

 
...a couple of PDMs an engineer of 1-2 lvl should have no problem removing...
____________________________________________
 
And finally, one of the bandits in the opposite (to our starting position) corner drops a scoped 33-40. I think the girl was quite happy with that.
 

 
_______________________________________
 
Okay, about the scoped rifles... I feel the need to limit all of them to a "snap" and a "scoped/sniper" shooting modes only. I am also thinking about slightly raising their snap shot AP requirement... by 5-7% (bulky, scope is in the way...) and maybe (just maybe) increasing their damage. Their counterparts, carbines especially, should probably have slightly cheaper snap shots. We'll probably need to have a discussion about this. Pros and cons, the observations and the wishes...
 
____________________________________________________________
------------------------ NOTIFICATIONS --------------------------------------------
____________________________________________________________
 
Well, not being a programmer, it took me a while to figure out the scripts that could support the ideas Heruvim and I talked about.
 
Some of those ideas were:
 
- Fully scripted transport (Loot, storage, loss upon destruction..)
- Fuel consumption and refueling
- Daylight cycle
- Time tracking
 
So, here it goes:
 

 
The place and month will change with each chapter where as other variables are tracked through various behind the scenes counters.
but before we touch upon those subjects let's look at the new chapter grid that started it all.
 

 
 
...and the chapter view after the grid's been applied.
 

 
 
I remember looking through Novik's scripts for H&S's traveling routine that covered all possible variations (for all 11? zones) with a separate calculation/value assigned to each and every one of them. You can imagine A, B, C, D, E, ...etc. A to B, A to C..., B to C, ... so on and so forth. That seemed a little too bulky, so I decided to do it differently.
...now we have 6 columns and 3 rows dividing the map into 18 sectors. I also made several assumptions:
 
- minutes don't count when we travel on the Chapter map. Hours do.
- it takes around 2-3 hours to travel 30-50 km using secondary roads to any adjacent sector on a fully loaded Zundapp K750
- it takes 2-3 hours for any major light change to happen.
- we don't spend more than 2-3 hours in any given encounter.
 
Then I created 10 Daylight cycle phases: Moonrise, Moon, Moonset, Dawn, Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Sunset, Evening, and Midnight.
 
 

 
 
Traveling from C1R1 - Nemyeshaeva ("Escape") to C2R2 - Priorka ("Supplies") would equal
(C2-C1) + (R2-R1) = 2 light cycle zone skip would determine the light and the time in the next one.
then multiply that by 2.5 (approx. amount of time it takes for one light state to change to the next), so 2*2.5 = 5 hours
I didn't use the 2.4 because it created a very long decimal and I haven't found a way to round it down. (Yes, I read the various LUA manuals and forums already )
I also added a small random number to that result to make it look more natural.
So, after the initial global for "Time" (as in time of the day) was set in "Escape" for Evening ("9") then when we arrived at Priorka outskirts it moved two daylight phases forward to "Moonrise".
 
There is a behind the scenes "hours" counter as well.
-----------------------------------
I don't really know how interested you guys are in the mechanics of it all...(???) so I'm gonna stop here. But if you'd like to see the script itself I can definitely copy/paste it in the thread.
_______________________________________________________
---------- R E P U T A T I O N -------------------------
_______________________________________________________
 

 
All the Globals are set to "10" in "Escape" then constantly readjust based on our actions:
 

 
After all, we were on the roster (Germans were famous for excellent record keeping, right?) and now we are gonna be gone leaving a bunch of dead SS faithful behind. Thus -2 to RepSS.
On the other hand we risked our life and helped the partisans... as a result +2 to RepP. (only +1 if their leader doesn't survive, and 0 if none of them survive)
 
Of course, if we hide the bodies then...
 

 
...the reputation returns back to its default value.
 
It works the same way in "Supplies". If the doctor lives civilian reputation RepC goes up +1 and so does RepP.
 
__________________________________________________
------- E S C A P E ----- C H A N G E S ------------------------
__________________________________________________
 
There were a few things I thought were necessary to address:
- the strange key
- the source of "Supplies" marker
 

 
___________________________
 
At first, I wanted to introduce the med supply raid through a somewhat heated conversation between Kat and Scar:
 
It went something like this:
 
Kat (screaming): That's not what I said!
Scar: You are gonna get us all killed.
Kat: It's pointless talking to you! Pointless!
 
You: What are you arguing about?
 
Kat: I want to get some medical supplies, if I am to be of any use to you. I heard them talking about a delivery to Priorka today.
Scar: All I heard was "...medikamente.."
Kat: Well, you didn't study German at school and then at the university like I did.
Scar: Right! That's all I need...a bookworm covering my ass in a firefight! Bah!
 
You: Armored convoy?
Kat: No, just trucks. "LKW"...and a medical facility in Priorka was mentioned.
 
You: I see. Hmm... We could check it out but if's anything other than a lightly guarded convoy we withdraw immediately.
------------------------------------
 
Eventually, I scrapped it and found a shorter way to introduce that encounter:
 

 
 
________________________________________
 
Oh, and the new global map marker:
 

 
 
(to be continued)
______________
~ Blunter ~

Hey, brandeburg. Thank you for the info and the ideas.
 
I have a few questions (thoughts, if you will) for you:
(if anyone else wants to chime in - go for it. The more the merrier!)
 
1) If I am to create an encounter where we need to lay some mines (I assume they'd be given to us) then what would stop us from just taking them?
There is no script support for checking if the mines were actually placed, is there?
Did you develop that encounter any further? (How do we learn about this secret place? Why would they want our help? What is the threat and how would it affect us if we helped? If there is a fight - what kind of fight? If thee is a trader - what do they offer? What is the payoff if we succeed (aside from a reputation boost)? We are going to be moving eastward, how do we re-establish contact when we are in a different chapter?)
 
2)I really enjoyed your perk assessment and new class ideas in another thread.
 
Did you work out any perk panels/ perk taking order for each/any of those classes? I don't mean panels themselves, I can make them no problem... what I mean is this: 1 > 12 > 4 and 17> 68 >43 and 3 and so on... (where the numbers are perk IDs). I would love to have a discussion on that.
 
Since in the "Partisans" scenario we don't have any standard "mercs" here are the classes I am especially interested in creating:
- a Engineer/Scout hybrid for Scar
- a Doctor/Sniper hybrid for Katya
- any hybrid (or not) ideas for the main character.
- any enemy classes (with specific flaws and advantages)... from Bandits to Wehrmacht, from crazy SS chicks to insane asylum patients and perhaps even uber-soldat types.
 
I realize you don't necessarily favor the "free look" and "I am a rabbit" perks.
And I also share your concern about the ridiculously powerful 'Evasion' attribute.
 
3)Now about ammo and weapons.
 
If I understand correctly, all the "Partisanskiy..." stuff is going to be produced and/or sold by the partisans. Of course, we could (theoretically) acquire the blueprints and make those ourselves at the worktable. The worktable is already scripted to produce some pretty complicated contraptions... provided we have a skilled engineer in our party but still...
 
Anyway, the thing I am still unsure about is if there is an actual niche for them in the game.
We are already picking up a lot of 9x19 Parabellum and 7.92x57 Mauser rounds along with a few others. How would a homemade/makeshift ammo and weapons compete (in desirability) with much superior, already in abundance German made counterparts. There are only 2 ways I can think of:
- to delay/limit the introduction of weapons like silenced Mauser pistol and Kar98 silenced and make the partisan weapons the only ones available
and/or
- to make partisan weapons truly silent, but then the question of balance creeps in immediately... and this one will require quite a bit of testing.
 
Hmm... very interesting, brandeburg.
I appreciate the opportunity to brainstorm about this issue, thank you.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
 
All right, moving along.
 
There are a few changes I've introduced into the game:
 
- a fully functioning "Reputation System" for RPG purposes: faction reactions, levels of hostility, scale of resistance (opposition numbers and overall skill), trade possibilities, random help or ambush probabilities.
- Traveling time (to set markers for timed missions)
- Fuel consumption/vehicle refueling/canister refill routine
- Daylight cycle routine, 10 light variations (each 2-3 hours long)
- Map quadrants (with columns and rows) to all chapter maps
 
Other things done:
- cleaned up some of the scripts
- added SS and partisan reputation adjustments to the "A1Escape" mission
- introduced new global variables to better control the plot.
- finished the "A1Supplies" mission (intro and dialogues, combat scripts, variables, vehicle dialogue mode, etc.)
- new RPG item: Suture kit (blood stopping med item), full gasoline canister, empty gasoline canister.
- wrote new Acks for the main character, Scar and Kat (500 - 600 replies in total)
- ...other things I don't remember at the moment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Well, let's start with the "Supplies" mission.
Here is its PWL image:
 

 
It is foggy and rather dark.
_____________________________________
 
The template is the same size as the previous one (64x80). Since we don't have any range boosting perks yet, no "Night Vision" and no weapons to justify a larger template I decided to go with this. I think it's big enough...
 

 
 
___________________________________
 
 

 
[ready for editing]
 
A1Supplies_Dlg1:
 
Scar (whispering): Hey Chief. There are three trucks, one is broken…stuck in the mud. I spotted six Germans and a civilian doctor.
 
You (quietly): That's too many. Besides, there might be more of them...What are they waiting for, anyway?
 
Scar: I don't know. They unloaded the broken truck but didn't move the cargo to the others. It seemed like they were checking the road for something.
 
You: What are you thinking... mines?
 
Scar: It's possible. You know Chief, I think there was someone else in the forest. Not German… but I didn't get a very good look at them. It's too dark.
 
You (thinking): Hmm… That's strange...
_____________________________________________________
 

 
[ready for editing]
 
A1Supplies_Dlg2:
 
You: Well, a three way fight is a different story altogether.
 
_____________________________________________
 

 
That's the new notification feature, I mentioned earlier, we'll see at the beginning of every encounter.
_______________________________________
 

 
 
____________________________________
 

 
I won't be posting the detailed fight pictures... I'll just say that it was somewhat unpredictable... sometimes Germans had the upper hand, but most of the time it was a tie...
_____________________
 
Once we cleanse the place of evil we are presented with a hint:
 

 
[ready for editing]
 
Scene staging
 
There will be situations where hiding or destroying the bodies, planting evidence, inciting one group to attack another could turn out to be useful. You can get what you need and even earn favor with certain factions and individuals as a result.
 
In this case, however, the stage had already been set before you arrived. The highwaymen set a trap, killed the German guards and made away with the supplies. That's what the evidence would indicate anyway. As long as it's plausible... and in this instance - it is.
_____________________________________
 
 
There is a whole line-up of various bandit types. This is one of the local bandit bosses:
 

 
 
_______________________________________
 
I'll probably need to create a few new uniforms for us to change into.
 

 
I didn't include the Russian helmet and the fleece hat ("Papaha") on purpose... I'll save those for the partisans.
Although a white fleece hat could fit the bandit theme... hmm...
 
_______________________________________
 

 
After all the hostiles are eliminated the doctor is 'set to talk'.
______________________________________
 

 
[ready for editing]
 
A1Supplies_Dlg4
 
Doctor: Thank you for sparing my life.
 
You: Sure… What's your name and what are you doing here exactly?
 
Doctor: Svetlana Sed'yih… Well, I am working… was working. We were transporting medical supplies to the local hospital before all this… started.
 
You: How did you end up working for the Germans, Svetlana?
 
Doctor: I am NOT working for the Germans! I service local population…primarily… Look, it was either tend to the locals or go to a concentration camp. I volunteered… it was an easy choice.
 
You (pondering): Hmm...All right. You can go.
 
Doctor: Thank you. I'll go check on my brother. I think he is in trouble... Oh, and if you are in Brovari, please stop by.
________________________________________
 

 
Don't worry... we'll see her again...very soon.
____________________________________________
 

 
 
_____________________________________________
 
 

 
 
____________________________________________
 

 
[ready for editing]
 
As the fragment falls apart in your hands you manage to make out "...sis..." and "Bravari" on it.
_________________________________________
 
On a completely unrelated subject of... drinking...
when I noticed it...I had to take a screenshot of that...
 

 
____________________________
 
(to be continued)
_________
~ Blunter ~

Just a small update (well, it's actually a pretty significant step for me... new models and all).
 
Heruvim was kind enough to share some of his models with me... so I took a few screens with them in the pictures.
 

 
 

 
Thank you, Heruvim!
____________
~ Blunter ~

brandeburg,
 
It's all right, I appreciate your comments. No need to apologize.
 
I'll need to think about it. I don't have a problem with creating new ammo types. I think it adds extra depth to the game, if balanced properly. But the naming conventions in this case might create some confusion. I mean, picking up a clip of subsonic 7.62x25 Tokarev rounds and not being able to use them in a PPS 43 or a PPSh 41 is a bit confusing. We'd probably need to give them a different label altogether. Something like "Partisanskiy Patron" or use some mysterious number or a code...
--------------------------------------------
Now, I am very interested in making unique classes for Scar (Eng/Scout)?? and Kat (Medic/Sniper)??... as well as completely new classes for the main character. We could initially try them out through the 4 pre-built heroes and later overhaul the rest of the 6 class selections available on the customize your hero screen.
So any ideas about hybrid classes, their strengths, weaknesses and proposed perk trees are welcome and encouraged.
______________________________________
 
All right, back to our A1 camp.
 
Here I'm going to cover the currently available vehicle interactions.
 
_____________________________________
-------- VEHICLE ---------------------------------
_____________________________________
 

 
This switch is a recolored Switch01 found in the "Buildings"/"Underground" sub-folder in the editor. It doesn't seem to interfere with the bike's MG function and doesn't appear to damage the object ("Zundapp") it intersects...
_____________________________________
 
it looks like this on a template:
 

 
Now you know why the bike will always have a log, a rock or some other object under its rear wheel...
 
_______________________________________
 
 

 
_____________________________________
 
 

 
Pretty self-explanatory, I think.
_________________________________________
 
 

 
____________________________________
 
 

 
 
_______________________________________
 

 
The Engineering requirement is currently at 40...
__________________________________________
 
 

 
I added a "Wrench" (a new weapon repair engineering item) and fixed the oiler which for some strange reason had an overlapping ID with an "unnamed melee" RPG item and wouldn't show up if placed on surfaces, etc.
_________________________________________
 
 

 
 
_________________________________________
 
 

 
Sob...
________________________________________
 
I forgot to mention the hint that pops up after our first attempt to use the bike's storage in A1 "Escape":
 

 
The text:
------------------------------------------------
Using Your Vehicle,
 
Your newly acquired Zundapp motocycle can be used for accessing your storage and loot screens and it can also act as a stationary machine gun (MG).
The button to access your bike's interactive menu is located below the back seat. You can only access your storage or loot in real time.
Sometimes, during certain missions, you might be blocked from accessing your storage or loot screens until you complete the objectives.
In case the vehicle is damaged a character with high engineering skill can try to fix it. Having a screwdriver, a wrench or an oiler in their inventory is necessary for a successful repair attempt.
If you vehicle is destroyed there is nothing you can do but abandon it and hope to find another one elsewhere.
Later in the game you'll be able to acquire larger vehicles able to transport more people and some important equipment.
-----------------------------------------------
(Please, feel free to edit if necessary)
________________________________________
------------- WORKSHOP ----- LAB ---------------------
________________________________________
 
The workshop and the lab menus, possible recipes and associated with them requirements are the same as in the previous version of the mod.
 

Only the first 3 are fully scripted and functioning. Special ammunition and weapon mods and upgrades need to be developed further.
_________________________________________
 
 

 
This puppy is finished and ready for use.
__________________________________________
-------------- CURRENCY ------------------------------------
__________________________________________
 
 
If you remember we brought different currencies into use in BlunterMod. Well, this version is no different.
 

 
______________________________________
 
 

 
 
__________________________________________
 
 

 
 
_______________________________________
 
Talking to the bank clerk, in order to convert banknotes into funds, is not an option here, well stashing them away in a chest seemed like the next best thing:
 

 
 
_____________________________________
 
 

 
 
__________________________________________
 
 

 
Ta-da! Transaction complete!
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
 
Oh, and if you run your editor for too long - this might happen :
 
 

 
 
That's it for now.
__________
~ Blunter ~

Sadly I can't see most of the screenshots ("goals" and "knock-knock" are visible though).
 
But who am I kidding?! I would like them if saw them anyway (really love your map design).
 
https://s8.uploads.ru/t/craTA.jpg
Better texture for destroyed tigers (the one on the right).
 
https://s6.uploads.ru/t/W5KOe.jpg
https://se.uploads.ru/t/zkwQc.jpg
https://s3.uploads.ru/t/jXx3m.jpg
Tried to make a new weapon — partisans' special smg. They used to craft a lot. This model is my attempt to create something they could build. Basically I used Stg 44 mesh, but tried to imitate some MP-38 parts and PPS-42 (e.g. clip). Texture looks satisfactory, I believe it could be improved later.
You could see a new tank here. Here is another view.
 
https://s0.uploads.ru/t/uO3yz.jpg
https://s5.uploads.ru/t/0UBi3.jpg
 
PzKpfw IV (or Panzer-IV if you like) — the most mass produced tank of Wermacht.
 
https://s5.uploads.ru/t/gLEW8.jpg
https://se.uploads.ru/t/reuKF.jpg
 
Punishers used to hunt partisans with these armored vehicles (SdKfz 250).
 
https://sf.uploads.ru/t/AIgd3.jpg
https://se.uploads.ru/t/hM3Tu.jpg
 
SdKfz 251 with MG34 (former Tripod version). The game won't let me create a special one for these vehicles, so I had to play safe. Now MG-34 Tripods looks like bare MG34, and to compensate that I created a tripod object and put them together.
https://s7.uploads.ru/t/J2MIu.jpg
Looks like usual.
Inventory camera is not fixed yet (to do stuff for later).
 
https://s3.uploads.ru/t/f49UW.jpg
"Let's make it crazier," - I thought. I mean... why not?
 
Well actually this new "feature" will make some interesting fights...
 
And I believe all these models will be a very nice addition for Partisans mod. Soon I will try to port something from H&S and add it to this list. Partisans made a lot of makeshift guns and explsoivesm so I need to search for those (or create them like I did with ex-Stg smg).
 
P.S.: Since modding is a great thing, I decided to revive this. The more new mods, the merrier! Both of them will benefit greatly from new objects. Will make a post in my thread in a couple of days.

brandeburg,
 
Although I appreciate the ammo info, I don't think we can make subsonic ammunition in the game. That mechanic is defined in the RPG Weapons DB table column called "Silencer". 0 - completely silent, 1 - some noise,... 40 a whole lot of noise. Basically, in S^3 ammo doesn't/can't determine how much noise any given weapon will produce, the weapon itself does......So for now we are stuck with weapons not ammo types making them silenced or suppressed...unless, of course, you discovered some other way (I don't know about) to achieve that.
______________________
 
Heruvim,
 
Very good write up. Thank you.
 
I've taken a lot of screenshots, so it's going to be a long post
______________________
 
 
All right, A1 "Escape" is fully finished.Tsylie and I tested it in the editor and in the game. It works fine, the fight is really unpredictable... which is a good thing.Quite a few bugs were found and dealt with in the process.The encounter begins with a short cut-scene and a couple of dialogues:
 
 

 
It was a dark, foggy evening...
______________________________________
 

 
 
"A1Escape_Dlg1"
 
Officer (admin): (in German) What do you think you are doing bringing them here, Unterscharfuhrer? I don't have any room for all these…
 
Officer (convoy): (in German) It's just till dawn, Herr Obersturmfuhrer. I don't think it's safe for us to continue to Korosten' right now. Several supply convoys have been attacked in that area recently by the UPA. Those nationalists are getting bolder and bolder every day.
 
Officer (admin): (in German) ... right, well, it doesn't change the fact that I don't have room for all of you in here... (whispering) ...besides, why don't you just get rid of them... in the forest, huh?
 
Officer (convoy): (in German) (frowning) I can't do that, Obersturmfuhrer. I've been ordered to bring them to Korosten' for questioning, especially one of them…Officer (admin): (in German) (interrupting)... This is ludicrous! I have only 2 cells, no decent living arrangements for my staff... Hell, I myself sleep on a hay bale in the attic above my office. No, no, no! I'm going to call the Kiev Reichskommissariat and complain about it right now!...
 
(this is an almost exact copy of the one I posted earlier)
 
__________________________________________
 
 

 
"A1Escape_Dlg2"
 
Prisoner: (in Russian) Korosten'? They've butchered several hundred of ours there... just in the past few months. Bastards!.. (to the rest) Wait till the officer goes back inside and then let's jump them... (to you) ... here take this. (sneaks you a knife).
 
(I think this one works okay. Edit if you feel there is a need...)
 
____________________________________________
 

 
We end up with a Finnish Knife (I believe the Russians call it "Finka") in our inventory.
__________________________________________
 

 
I removed the MP40-II later. The best MP we can get our hands on here is MP-40.
__________________________________________
 

 
__________________________________________________
 

 
...a rare opportunity, indeed!
________________________________________
 

 
In case all the Partisans are dead we get a message on the screen notifying us about their demise. No dialogues, obviously.
__________________________________________
 

 
The interesting dynamic is that our allies pick up the dropped weapons and use them pretty effectively. The downside is - sometimes, we end up running around without any firearms...
________________________________________
 

 
 
There is a folder ("Intel") and a "Strange Key" in that chest.
__________________________________________
 
 

 
______________________________________
 

 
For Silent Storm veterans it might feel like I'm holding their hand too much here... well, I am... it's an introductory mission, after all. Right?_________________________________________
 

 
 
_________________________________________
 

 
 
...various warnings and unsuccessful interactions are sometimes accompanied by eerie or sad sound ques. ___________________________________________
 

 
 
... knock, knock...
___________________________________
 

 
 
"A1Escape_Dlg4":
 
Prisoner: (speaking fast) Oh, thank god… finally! There was all that noise and commotion…
 
You: (staring at her) Name?
 
Prisoner: Oh, Katya, I mean Ekaterina Ivanovna Sharapova. I've been with a group of…
 
You: (speaking over her) Kat', what can you do?
 
Katya: Oh, I… err… I can be useful, I can patch you up and I can shoot too… (begging) Please, don't leave me here! Can I come with you?
 
You: Fine. Follow me.
 
(Like with any other dialogue - please, go ahead and edit it, point out the parts that don't work or don't make sense and so on...)
 
_________________________________________
 

 
 
"A1Escape_Dlg6":
 
Prisoner: (sizing you up) Thank you, Chief. I owe you one. Name's Yakov, but…(pointing at his face)… they dubbed me Scar.
 
You: (staring at him) I see. Occupation?
 
Scar: A little bit of this and a little bit of that. I used to be a mechanic before I got mixed up with…
 
You: (interrupting) Just a mechanic, nothing else?
 
Scar: Well, I know my way around guns, explosives…
 
You: Good. Let's go.
 
(I know it needs work, so please, feel free to edit, reap it apart, etc..)Possible points to make:- we are an officer and he senses it- we are in charge and he knows it- he reveals some information, we reveal none.- we need him and he feels that- he needs us and we use that
 
______________________________________
 
 

 
___________________________________________
 

 
 
It's not the Curse of Monkey Island's bottomless mug but... similar...
 
_______________________________________________
 

 
 
______________________________________________
 

 
Spooky! BTW, partisans took care of their killed comrades.
The XP we get is 1/2 a level or so...Not much but still...
 
______________________________________________
 

 
 
Yup! This little guy ("Zappy") is fully scripted and functioning properly.
 
________________________________________________
 

 
______________________________________________
 
 

 
 
...and now off to our base "Camp"...
______________________________________
 
 
(to be continued)
___________
~ Blunter ~

I think factions will do very well. Since I read a lot about the situation (for the period the game will take place), I will try to provide as much helpful feedback as possible.
Wall of text incoming!
 
I will use this format to better represent my thoughts.
Faction name: ...
Known members: ...
What they do: ...
Allies: ...
Enemies: ...
Description: ...
Thoughts: ...
****
Faction name: NKVD
Known members: player character
What they do: deal with traitors and spies (outsmart or eliminate them), defend home front
Allies: partisans, civilians, Red army
Enemies: Wermacht, fake partisans, SS punishers, UPA
Description: When on the enemy territory, they like to remain unseen/unwatched. Can be suspicious but not paranoid. Smart and intelligent. Very patriotic.
Thoughts: There were a few NKVD squads remaining in Ukraine, primarily to defend railways, communications, critical objects. Many of them were MIA (probably dead). I believe player should encounter at least one of their own and get some info or advice (like join the partisans and help each other).
If there are more of them, then this faction should me "active" and have a reputation bar as well.
min reputation = player is declared as a traitor. Game over. -- In my opinion, this is necessary.
ok reputation = when we start the game
good reputation = additional help or info -- since a player proved to be loyal and resourceful his/her faction provides its agent with some additional goodies
 
*****
Faction name: Partisans
Known members: NPC you may encounter, partisan leaders etc.
What they do: fight the enemy, defend civilians, try to salvage weapons/supplies, sabotage the enemy in any way possible etc.
Allies: NKVD, civilians, Red army
Enemies: Wermacht, fake partisans, SS punishers, UPA
Description: they try to be as sneaky as possible. Can be very talented with explosives and tinkering (good mechanic skills, etc.), like using traps to crush unaware enemies.
Thoughts: pretty much the only logical choice for a player to join and support, and they have the same goal. Player should stick to them. However this faction should be somewhat weak, in need of our help (until 1943-44 partisans were very undermanned, undersupplied and had to craft a lot). So player should have a choice: just use them and move on (complete his/her objective > these people's lives) or help them as much as possible (more patriotic way, plus they will help back).
typical missions: help recruiting, salvage supplies, help with wounded (if enough med skill) / tinkering (same for engineering), find a traitor or a spy (just one mission would be enough), sabotage something etc.
Best way to introduce them would be with the help of another NKVD fellow (he gives us a password and coordinates for a meeting, then he leaves to continue his mission or dies probably)
min reputation = player is declared as a traitor. Game over. -- In my opinion, this is necessary. Shooting allies is a no-no.
low reputation = very suspicious, they tolerate you, but never help or provide with info or "services" (trading, healing etc.)
ok reputation = when we meet them, a bit suspicious, won't trade but let us help them
good reputation = additional help or info -- since a player proved to be loyal and helpful partisans are willing to help: they let you walk anywhere you want, take some stuff, trade with you etc. Some partisans will even want to travel with you.
max reputation = they will support you in any way possible (including final missions). Just ask.
****
Faction name: Wermacht
Known members: NPC you may encounter, german soldiers and officers
What they do: fight partisans (in 1942 Ukraine was almost "free" of Red army, so the only enemies were partisans), defend critical objects, be careful in the forest, try not to be ambushed (well actually the last two never worked for them)
Allies: fake partisans, SS punishers. Special mention: UPA (neutral), civilians (overall neutral)
Enemies: NKVD, Red army, partisans
Description: we all know what germans were doing there. Also they tried to stabilize the area and eliminate any threat. Used all military resources to fight partisans, however they were not very successful. Were looking for partisans everywhere, especially in villages, however tried to avoid violence against those who didn't seem to pose any "threat" (e.g. didn't help partisans)
Thoughts: main type of enemy. They have powerful resources, equipment etc. Fighting them with no help would be a suicide. However small groups or patrols can be eliminated without too much trouble.
*****
 
Faction name: Civilians
Known members: NPC you may encounter, living in villages, or in small towns (occupied by germans)
What they do: just trying to survive. Some of them may help germans or their allies, but the majority would always prefer to aid partisans.
Allies: mostly neutral to everyone
Enemies: mostly neutral to everyone
Description: civilians. They hate german invaders (however some minority of civs hates the Soviets) Nothing to add.
Thoughts: depending on missions their role or affinity of some of them may wary.
min reputation = won't talk or do anything, trying to hide or run away. they fear you (always aggressive and trying to cowardly runaway)
low reputation = suspicious, will try to avoid your company
high reputation = they know you are a good guy. they trust you and may provide with some useful info.
****
Faction name: Fake partisans
Known members: NPC you may encounter, especially may be found in partisans' camps
What they do: they try to infiltrate partisans groups and sell them to SS punishers. Fake partisans are spies who try to avoid conflict and let SS do the dirty job.
Allies: Wermacht, SS punishers. Neutral (UPA, somewhat neutral to civilians)
Enemies: everyone else
Description: former bandits, outlaws or civilians. Scavengers. Rats. Spying for SS most of the time. If they succeed, then a punisher group will probably come to a partisan camp soon. Can gather some information for SS (like where partisans' families live so they can be caught and... you figure out the rest)
Thoughts: Some encounters possible where they pretend to be partisans. They are not. Player can expose them end eliminate them if possible (since they will only bring more trouble later). If found in partisans camp, player has to prove they are traitors.
min reputation = they stop infiltrating partisans camps, they are afraid to get caught and eliminated. now they are hunting us (with vengeance) -- they are bandits after all, so they finally decide to act like they should.
max reputation = start of the game. They feel safe, neutral to you.
 
exposing or killing them will get you - to the reputation. As NKVD agent you will want to do that and only that.
If you want to get +, just frame UPA or hide/destroy bodies like you would do with Wermacht soldiers.
However in some cases you may want to use them (if mission requres this), but their ending should be the same (shoot or capture them)
 
Faction name: SS punishers
Known members: no
What they do: kill partisans, eliminate their camps, murder or torture their families, deal with some UPA groups if necessary
Allies: Wermacht, fake partisans
Enemies: NKVD, partisans
Description: best of the worst Wermacht could ever offer. Undisciplined officers, sadists, maniacs, almost outlaws - anyone would do well here. They were brutal and violent. Still very talented. Wermacht never liked them actually. However punishers were effective. Brutal murdering parisan sympathizers was a typical thing. Used the best equipment (for reference see elite soldiers in S2 or S3) and armored vehicles.
Thoughts: I believe player should encounter their work first, e.g. small village with everyone dead (people burned alive or shot to death because they were helping partisans -- or destroyed partisan camp, with activated mines left for any rescuers), so he/she will have an idea what they are. SS units may guard some locations however their main goal as punishers here — to be a boogie man for a player character (partisans). When they come, prepare for the hardest fight.
 
reputation +/- same as Wermacht, however since they are rare type of enemy, killing all of them will not trigger the last state (mass hunting of SS units). Reasons:
* no one left, no one can hunt you.
* killing SS punishers should be encouraged. this would be... right, I guess.
* Wermacht really didn't want them to interfere with their campaign, so they wouldn't go full crazy on you
* SS would be pissed however they would need time to rebuild those squads (e.g. months)
so min reputation = SS destroyed (for this game ofc) but Wermacht will get a bit nervous, so you get a few point minus with them
 
 
Faction name: UPA (1942)
Known members: Some NPCs
What they do: kill partisans and any pro-soviet people, murder or torture any pro-soviet people, hate USSR
Allies: no (affinity to Wermacht may vary)
Enemies: NKVD, partisans, Red army -- anyone who would support USSR (civilians especially)
Description: former civilians, deserters, outlaws, even fanatics. Tried to stay neutral to Wermacht. Their goal — kill everyone who supports the Soviets and make every friend of USSR fear (so they used pretty much the same practice SS punishers did — torture, murder, death by shooting, executions... plus raping, butchering etc.)
Thoughts: basically evil version of partisans, enemies to the Soviets and any party allied with the Soviets. Some may call them war criminals too since during and after the War many Ukrainians witnessed their crimes and had no illusions. It should be mentioned though: they considered themselves patriots and rightful warriors etc.
Gameplay-wise UPA — another enemy of the partisans.
min reputation = they become full-time allies of Wermacht and SS punishers
ok reputation = neutral to a player, neutral to Wermacht, hunting partisans only
max reputation = friendly to a player, neutral to Wermacht, stop hunting partisans (however they will shoot any known partisans or pro-soviets on sight)
+rep = I will copy BlunterII here
hide the bodies/ destroy the bodies with acid (in a tub, with nitric acid) or in an incinerator if present
make it look like an accident (a gas/munitions/gasoline explosion)
plant evidence (incriminating fake partisans or a specific person or a group of people)
kill all the witnesses (prevent enemies from escaping)
reaching objectives in a non-violent way.
 
maybe kill fake partisans and say they were true partisans
 
- rep = simple. kill them or make their life feel like hell (probably depends on missions)
 
General thoughts:
Player character is NKVD agent (not a mercenary or foreign citizen), so going against their own should not be allowed. Player possibly can do some questionable stuff (like stealing something or selling out an ally etc.) in order to complete the mission easier, but it shouldn't be encouraged in any way. If player decides to mindlessly start killing partisans in their camps, it should be game over. Period. Same goes both for NKVD and Partisan factions.
That would definitely prevent abuse for these two.
For Wermacht this one will do very well = "the worse the relationship is and the larger the numbers of attacking/defending enemies the lower their levels are (less XP)/ higher spot and VP values (harder to kill and to hide from.)"
 
Player can probably use and outsmart UPA/fake partisans to get what he/she wants. Without helping these factions directly of course (like eliminating partisan camps, providing them with critical info etc.). By playing this smart game player shall be careful not to trigger something unpleasant (like letting some of partisans be eliminated, critical info stolen etc.) which will lead to rep minus.
 
TLDR; let player character be patriotic in general, all factions shall stick to their agenda, smart way of playing should be encouraged
 
Oh, and we will definitely need a design doc for all that.
 
*** UPDATE:
Made some corrections.

That was what I ment, I wasn't worried about the state of the mod

I already announced a new mod in another thread. I am going to post here some info and pics on a weekly/monthly/... basis (depending on activity in this thread).
So yes, this is basically Allies campaign remake made on Sentinels engine with broken/jammed weapons, money and some cool stuff. But that's only the beginning!
 
ALLIES CAMPAIGN
You will play as a male/female British soldier (scout, sniper, grenadier, medic, engineer - take your pick) and start as usual. Voiced like in S2, of course. The only downside: your face will be a preset with no way to change it.
Silent Storm missions will be reconstructed and linked to each other with clues, just like it was in S2. Unfortunately, clue mechanism as well as old scenario system was broken in Sentinels, so this mod does not support 100% parity with S2. But restoring old clue logic with scripts was possible.
 
New Clue System (NCS). Status: Ready. Alive and kicking working. Next step – restore all S2 missions and inject NCS where necessary. A few missions (with all possible clues/outcomes) restored so far.
 
Defending your homeland. In S2 you were supposed to be careful when fighting in England, trying not to damage much property, kill allied soldiers, civilians etc. But the game did not care, so you could just do whatever you wanted with the only possible thing to lose — medals. In this mod you will face consequences for such behavior.
 
Fighting on enemy territory. In S2 you were uncontrollable: kill everyone in Brandenburg, blow up everything in Hannover, ravage etc. No one would punish you, so you could feel pretty safe. In this mod you will have to be very careful, or you will be surrounded and possibly will die in seconds. As for the Germans, they always have some reinforcement ready to deploy. And hunting squads, in case you try to escape after big chaos you created. And Abwehr, of course.
 
WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
You will have access to everything SE2 has to offer. You will not have to buy guns and rifles, but as a commander of SE2 squad you will have an option to order some prototypes or special weapons/equipment.
 
MONEY
After mission is completed, you will be paid like in S3, as well as gain some Prestige. Money represents your squad budget, for special purposes.
 
SPECIAL WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
Any stuff looking unusual for a typical WW2 soldier: silenced weapons, weapon prototypes (e.g. Sterling), body armors, PK weapons etc.
 
PRE-MISSION CHOICES
Almost any operation will have some options for you to choose. The choice will be granted right before this mission starts. E.g. for Germany you may try bribe someone to receive a special opportunity, or hire someone to make that hard mission be easy on you. When in England, you will not have to pay someone, as all resources will be yours for free. But in order to use them, you will have to gain enough Prestige.
 
PRESTIGE
This new game mechanic will be essential if you want your store to refresh regularly and new mercs to appear (like pre-mission options – especially useful for operations held on British territory). Any job well done will lead to increasing your Prestige, any job failed will take away some precious Prestige from you. Try to help your allies and complete objectives in order to have full support from HQ. You will need it, because...
 
ENEMY POWER
Enemies will vary or become stronger, if their presence level is higher than normal. Enemies will have their own objectives, and if they succeed, then their Power Level will grow. E.g., right from the start Germans will have this level at Medium, so depending on your actions, you may increase it, or decrease to nothing. With less Power they are weaker. The more power they have, then more trouble will await you. Especially if you decide to visit Germany and fight enemies while standing with no cover.
 
IMPROVED TACTICS
Almost all enemy squads will have a "plan". Enemy squads will have medics, engineers, snipers etc. Officers will grant commander auras for their teammates (bonus accuracy, evasion etc.). All important officers will always try to escape, and their men will try to cover VIP's. Some enemies will be very special and will require unique approach. Winning tactics for different missions may vary, so try to choose your squadmates wisely.
 
NEW MERCS
Two of them so far.
Lt. Karen Presley, USA female sniper.
Rosemarie "Rose" Friedrich. german (!) female scout.
 
Need more info? Do you have anything to ask or idea to share? I will make sure your questions will be answered.

All right, here is a small update.
 
I've been working on a variety of different things in the past two weeks:
 
- Bernau scenario zone(still in development),
- fixing various scripts (especially the "Ruins". Occasionally it used to heal damaged enemy units. Thanks for testing, Tsylie ...),
- making new random encounters (Poland primarily),
- creating new RPG items ,i.e.mushrooms and Zloty - Polish currency,
- testing the crafting system at the base,
- correcting some of the texture inconsistencies, etc.
 
(I caught a cold a few days ago so it's taking longer than I anticipated).
___________________
 
VB,
 
I am not working on the ammos at the moment, but I'll keep your feedback in mind for any future references.
 
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 
 
Anyway, here are a few screenshots of the Poland REs I've created:
 
 

 
Most of the RE templates in the mod are 48x64 with some notable exceptions (like "Castle Linden", "Ruins", etc.)
 
...that reminds me - I need to redo the "Castle" completely from scratch when I have time.
________________________________________
 
 

 
 

 
I haven't added any enemies yet...
______________________________________
 
 

 
 
_________________________________________
 
 

 
It took around 600 texture spots to finish the terrain here. I think it looks all right now. What are your thoughts?
 
___________________________________________________
 
 

 
Yes, it's pretty dark.
The probability of that light setting is set to 5%. I usually use it for testing, to see how efficient various sources of light are.
 
_____________________________________________
 
 

 
______________________________________________________________________________
 
...and another encounter in the forest:
 

 
This one features even more terrain spots (700+).
______________________________________
 

 
What was the name of that painting by Vasnetsov... err..."The knight at the crossroads" Well, it's the "knights" in this case...
_____________________________________________
 
 

 
The earlier mossy textures were a bit too saturated and bright. I felt I needed to tone them down a bit.
_____________________________________________
 

 
I had to create it. Having mossy logs on the ground right next to some regular looking stumps - just didn't feel right.
___________________________________________
 

 
It appears pretty cheery in the morning light.
 
_____________________________________________
 
 

 
Hmm... A box, in the middle of nowhere?..
Suspicious!
_____________________________________________
 

 
I like the way the campfire illuminates the surroundings... feels warm and kind of homie...
No wonder the moths are attracted to it...
______________________________________________
 
 

 
...proceeding to the second round of our log tossing competition. So, who goes first?
______________________________________________
 
 

 
It's surprisingly dry under the pine trees (i.e. large spruces).
Rain or shine...
_______________________________________________
 
 

 
Mushu would approve. No doubt about it!
_________________________________________________
 
Right, the mushrooms!
 

 
I've had this idea for a while... I just didn't know how to implement it until now...
 
The behind the scenes mechanics:
 
- The models: one is of the "oil lamp"(with side handles removed through alpha testing) and the other (larger one) is of the "flower vase 01" (with its glass material removed). They come is two varieties: regular red Amanita Muscaria (Fly Amanita) and its yellow (tan) cousin. I lumped them together because they share identical pharmacological properties.
- Stability: well, the vase01 was very unstable. It would break every time a usable object in its vicinity was activated. You might have experienced that when opening different drawers and cabinets in various original encounters. The oil lamp, on the other hand didn't have that problem. So, I combined those two via child object and voila!
- Collection: (see below)
 

 
...achieved by placing an indestructible "Vent" (usable object) underneath the mushrooms. When activating it the mushroom objects and the vent are removed and the corresponding RPG items are added to the forager's inventory.
 

 
I might need to substitute the bags for something else since the I.V. geometry used here (even though I removed the tube texture) still shows when pressing ALT.
 
I am planning to add them to the base lab "Create Medicine" queue.
One of the possible conversions/ crafting recipes could be:
 
- strong alcohol + fly amanita = spiked alcohol
- strong alcohol (spiced) + fly amanita = spiked alcohol (extended duration) ???
 
I am not sure about the exact naming conventions yet... still thinking about it...
 
Thoughts?
_______________________________________________
 
(to be continued)
 
~ Blunter ~

Thanks for the feedback, folks.
____________________________________
Tsy,
 
Thank you for editing, Tsy. All the recommended edits have been entered. Gracias!
 
I am not sure what to do with all the extra documents and clues. Maybe bring them to the local authorities/ police and file a report - for a fixed amount of XP per report, or submit the found evidence one piece at a time - for a small amount of XP per item or both? We could even add a police liaison/ representative to the base for that I suppose.
 
The mistress was having an affair with the striped man. Do you think I need to make it more obvious?
The documents we find at the clinic and in Wansdorf should imply or point to:
- There is some kind of a secret facility in Wansdorf (from the Nurse's Diary).
- Professor's henchman named Kruger is looking for a lab in Wandsorf (from Lab Notes and Mistress' Journal)
- Kruger pretends to be a botanist and pays the manor owners to look the other way (from Lab Notes and Mistress' Journal)
- Kruger brings his own associates to the lab but is soon blocked from easily accessing it from the surface (from Lab Notes and Mistress' Journal )
- The mistress hires guards and starts having an affair with their leader, the striped dude. (From Mistress' Journal)
- The striped dude is paid to eliminate the owners, possibly by Kruger (from striped dude's note), he also gets tricked by the nurse who he might have had an affair with as well?.. (from Dialog 2)
- The striped dude double-crosses Kruger and after killing the owners decides to go and check out the lab himself (from striped dude's note and Dialog 2)
- We arrive and convince them that early retirement is a better deal for all of them.
_____________________________
 
VB,
 
I wish I knew what caused that strange phenomenon with the criticals. I'd fix it in a heartbeat.
_____________________________
 
orc,
 
I'd postpone the weapon damage modification till later time. There are several reasons for that:
- it's a lot of work to re-balance all the weapons in the game, as I am afraid that simply increasing the Min-Max Dam by x 2 is not going to be the end of it.
- some weapons are 'designed' to be somewhat useless. I suspect the whole MP line belongs to that category. 'Fixing' (changing) them might not resolve any of the perceived weapon damage vs. enemy hit-point pool inconsistencies. If we wanted to make the combat deadlier I guess reducing everyone's or enemies' HPs might be an easier way to address it, though...
 
I'll have to think about it.
 
P.s.: Well, keep in mind most of the stuff I am working on right now is experimental in nature and can and most likely will be changed or re-adjusted as we go along...
____________________________
 
Kataklismik,
 
Thanks.
 
So, you didn't get Zepernick marker? Hmm... Which path did you take? (Falkensee >> Bredow or Paretz >> Blumberg)
Did you try using the Brandenburg camp zone to travel to Lt. Col.'s HQ?
 
Bernau is not ready yet.
____________________________
 
P.S.2: Just finished testing the uiShowLoot() in-game after Wansdorf - Success! Attaching it to OnExit() as a dialogue choice instead of OnRealExit() as one of the steps did the job...
______________
(to be continued)
 
~ Blunter ~

Edits are here! I have looked over the requested sections. Let me know if I missed a section to edit. Additionally, I have included comments to ask for clarification. They will be designated by (E.N. text here). E.N. is for Editor Note.
 
Kruger's Notebook
 
These are the lab notes you found in a secret bio-laboratory in Wansdorf, at the time occupied by a rogue scientist, Dr. Kruger, and his associates.
 
The notes describe how Dr. Kruger discovered the laboratory as well as his goals, methods and findings.
 
Some of the text refers to the doctor's employer named The Professor. His specific goals and location are not revealed in any of the documents.
 
Apparently, one of Kruger's primary objectives was to obtain and experiment with a mutagenic substance called ZMX. In one of his trials, he appeared to have discovered that exposure to a strong electrical current changes ZMX into a potent restorative agent.
 
The rest of the notebook is filled with various chemical equations, mathematical calculations, Kruger's complaints about the lab and the issues he encountered with the owners of the manor. It also contains code sequences for the exit switch and the medical storage area.
 
You should definitely hold on to these documents.
 
(E.N.--This is much better!)
___________________________________________
Owner's Journal
 
The journal is relatively new and covers only several months of the manor's mistress' life.
 
While being full of trivial observations, unremarkable social events and usual lamentations one would expect from a surviving member of Brandenburg upper class, some more pertinent information towards the end catches your attention.
 
Apparently, Three weeks ago, the owners had been contacted by a botanist, Herr Kruger, who offered them quite a bit of money to allow him access to their land. He would come and go as he pleased, bringing other researchers along with him.
 
But Something didn't sit right with the mistress and she gradually became suspicious of Kruger's activities. A few days ago, the owners revoked Kruger's access to their lands and even hired someone to look after guard the property.
 
The last entry is unfinished:
 
"...if he leaves that fancy striped suit of his in my bedroom again... my husband is going to kill us..."
 
(E.N. --what does she mean with her final comment? Is she having an affair or is Kruger setting her up?)
~~~~
The note you found on one of the looters in Wansdorf.
 
Most of the writing is illegible or smudged except for a few lines you manage to discern:
 
"She pays me to guard...(smudged) pays to kill her. ...be easy choice to...(smudged)"
 
"(ripped) the floor collapsed I wonder what's in there (smudged) ...screw Kruger, we're going in."
~~~~~~
WansdorfManor_Dlg2
 
Boss: Have you seen her yet? It's been over an hour…
 
Looter: The nurse? Nah, after I caught her sneaking into the mines, I don't think she's gonna show up.
 
Boss: You're probably right. Dammit! I can't believe I fell for her little story… and now this business with the owners. What a mess!
 
Looter: (Thinking) Boss, you don't think the nurse was working for Kruger, do you? I mean, he was the one who 'hired' us to take care of the Frau and her husband.
 
Boss: I doubt it. But if he finds out what we're up to...(Shrugging) I just don't want any surprises.
 
Looter: We'll deal with him and his guards. I already sent a few men in to secure the mines.
 
Boss: Good, just finish cleaning it up over here and we'll be ready to join them. I'll go and get the rest of the stuff we found upstairs.
 
Looter: You got it, boss.
(E.N.--I am confused. The looter was the guard and also hired by Kruger? But now the looters are rebelling against Kruger? Is this a correct perception of the faction divisions?)
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Alright. Finished with this batch. I included little notes to seek clarification as some of the text seemed contradictory. Also, will the notes and journals be removed from the player's inventory? Considering how many there are in the mod, it may build up a little too much.

::
 
Learn all about Mafia III Collector's Edition here.

https://images.eurogamer.net/2015/articles//a/1/8/1/1/5/5/7/2016_02_12_00006.jpg.jpg
 
::
 
Eurogamer's Robert Purchese writes about Torment.

::
 
Now out and available on Steam. In celebration the base game is now 50% off as well.

::
 
RPS' Adam Smith tells us what he thinks of Dying Light - The Following.

::
 
Humble Bundle's Humble Ubisoft Bundle might deserve a little U turn to have a look at it.

Mount and Blade: Bannerlord Developer blog #12 is out read it here.
 
Contains information about the map and the factions are described. And a showcase of the season system.

So, I finally finished with my modification for S3 and decided to release it.
 
Short Description:
 
At around WW2 people were constantly looking for new ways of making income. In the deep forests of Siberia, there lied huge treasure. Only few people realised that they could make serious amount of money by selling some wood and if skilled enough one could even enhance a product and make it better than the rest.
 
And so began the fierce competition of chopping business. Many parties were involved. Some tried to work together but in the end it got bloody.
 
This mod tells a story about two guys, Hösenberg and Lassie, who got involved in the wrong side of the business.
 
Very loosely based on the Breaking Bad tv-series
 
Main features:
- main goal was to give player multiple options and not be just forced to fight in small 4x4 area. Straight ahead attack might not be the best option. Explore...
- some new enemy types, some scripted logic included
- new scenario, around 10 maps
- some suprises
 
Hints should be enabled from the settings as some letters etc. are given as hints.
 
You can download the mod and find more screenshots from the mod's web site. https://chopping.kkopone.com
 
https://chopping.kkopone.com/img/ScrnShot_7.jpg
---https://chopping.kkopone.com/img/ScrnShot_12.jpg

I think you're a good nuisance tofu, nice eye for details as well.
 
As for the game currently being unbalanced, that has been discussed before and as Havoc said, it's for testing purposes and thus you can do the mission at the start of the game (imagine if you wanted to test something at the end of the game and having to start a new game all the time). Missions will probably be shuffled around and get a new order.
 
What I do agree with (currently) is the AMOUNT of IP/HE ammo, but this is probably due to the same reason as above; If you never find any, you won't be able to test them. I'm sure the amount of this ammo will be reduced in the future.

A happy new year everybody,
 
I take full blame for not reading the whole thread before commenting on balance .
And as far as I understand warfare the deadliness of real life guns has lead to the tactical implication that he who hits first will live, while the other one will not.
No matter if the caliber was a lowly .303 or a mighty 7.62x54R (did anybody else notice how it is russian guns that hit the hardest in this game?).
Though I share in the sentiment, that it makes for a more exciting game if you have to hit the other guy A LOT until he quits and you can progress through stages that make it increasingly easy to do so.
Maybe a layout of that progression and the place of everything within it might help clear things up.
 
A small update or several:
 
1) A few months ago a helpful zombie has uploaded the editor to this forum. I am installing sql on my main machine as I type this. Finally I can put my big foot where it belongs: In my big mouth .
Truth be told: I would have believed you if you told me LUA was a malayan fish-dish 5 days ago.
 
2) Disclaimer: This shall in no way be construed as implying that Blunter and the crew of this mod are anything but completely awesome in what they are doing here. This is just an attempt to share my experience using the fruit of their labors.
 
I was curious about my feeling, so I reran castle Linden, doing nothing. I just sat my group in the living room, and guess what happened: The Dust group (aka gun turrets)did take care of everything. I only had to intervene twice, when some bad guys were camping in blind spots.
Case 1: There is a kink in the palisade on the west side, just before the stairs up to bruiser´s post. That position is blind to all of the gun turrets. And this is where one zombie parked, holding up the whole goddamn war.
Case 2: The southeastern corner has a comfortable place for three bandits to take cover, which is what they did, only moving to their shallow graves when I submachinegunned them.
 
Also: this very piece of wall has room for 1 figure to be on it, which is bad for the zombies, as they cannot get up, but they still try to, comfortably being mowed down by whoever is slinging his gun up there (Dani with her bigass Sauer comes to mind IF somebody tosses her spare ammo).
 
Apart from that I did NOTHING, through the whole siege. The PK never even got into Bruiser´s arc of fire. Dust took him alone.
Even the Tesla team (who have relatively human stats right now) were relatively unscathed in the end.
 
3) If I am boring you with tech, please don´t read the following paragraph.
 
I still think that a cable is way too mundane for Compton´s needs. If you really want to transfer a shitload of current from a to b, you can just steal a piece of railtrack and weld it in place - its sliceplane is large enough that the inferior conductivity of iron vs copper (1:6, meaning copper is 6 times better or iron has to be 6 times bigger to be as good) does not matter.
If you are a snob about conductivity you would use a silver cable anyway (~5% gain on copper).
 
However, there are other devices that I would think of.
If I was the mechanic in charge of setting up a device to produce powerful electric pulses the result would be something like this:
 
A mobile generator or three (what is available? How much power do you want? Chaining is always an option), because it does not interfere with regular operations.
Your typical mobile generator is powered by a truck-engine and it delivers AC-power. The engine of an M3 halftrack would by my best estimate throw ~70 kw in generator mode.
A capacitor (or a bank of capacitors, if you cannot find a single one to suit your needs) is dependent on DC-power for its operation, so you would first need a transformer to give your power the desired Voltage, then a rectifier to convert it, then the capacitor bank and finally a bigass contactor to release the pulse.
 
The transformer would need to be custom built, as it needs a specific relation of threads on the input and output sides.
If you have a machine shop (the armory of a special forces base would be sufficient) you can do this yourself.
For raw materials you would need one or more kilometers of basic cable and a solid iron core.
A low power (everything is relative) rectifier is used for consumable electrode arc-welding, so you could cannibalize a number of welders (using portable machines about 20 would be sufficient) and set them up in parallel. Or you could find yourself 4 titanic diodes and voila - instant rectifier.
 
The last piece is the contactor, which can not be synchronized from smaller pieces and thus must be a single device.
 
From that grocery list I think the piece most likely to be troublesome to find would be the contactor.
Diodes would be nice, as a bank of ~20 small rectifiers (IF the power from a single truck is enough) is a bit cumbersome.
 
Assuming you could not find a contactor on the open market, you would have to take one from a power station (don´t be shy, take the main circuit breaker from the installation - in itself only barely portable, I would guess, but as our heroes are capable of lugging around a solothurn AT-weapon this should be no trouble).
If you would also want to hide what you have taken you would also have to blow up the whole installation and either fake an accident or plant evidence to blame a convenient scapegoat.
As a side-effect you might have to have your conscience overlook what effect that loss of power has on the civilian populace of the area.
 
Sketch of the mission:
Steal the main switch, plant evidence blaming Die Wölfe (anything to diminish popular support for their cause is good). Blow it up. Thank the Heavens it was just a coal powered installation and not a nuclear one.
What did we learn today, Children? asks He-Man Adam. Yes, correct. Only those who get blamed in the end are terrorists, the others are just unsung heroes, doing what is necessary for the greater good.
 
 
Now for the oscillograph. Oscilloscopes were introduced in the thirties, but the familiar device with vertical and horizontal calibration was introduced commercially in 1946, if wiki does not fail me.
Their use is in visually showing waveforms (rhythms) of fluctuating energy. Like the reflections of a radar wave. I understand how Compton would want such a device to study how the sphere reacted to different patterns of stimulation.
The obvious path to get one would be anywhere a radar is.
That should yield a long list of targets, almost all of them military in nature. But what if a clandestine group used a radar base, say for timing smuggling flights to avoid air-patrols?
Smugglers would object to handing over their precious technology, if the heroes are lucky, gunslingingly so. But they would not go running to the authorities if their objections were overruled - which is what makes them a target. And if you can confiscate some pirated copies of Windows 48 while you are at it, so much the better.
 
 
If you are bored by tech, you can switch back on HERE.
 
4) The installation has finished, now I have to figure out how to make the MSSQLSERVER service available to the editor.
Life never gets boring.
 
This has - once again - gotten longer than intended. Now I just hope that some of it has been useful to somebody and take my leave.
 
Bye.