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2426
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Re: Inconsistant capitalization of "Anti-matter"
« on: October 14, 2016, 05:40:39 AM »
I was wondering when someone would point that out 
This isn't the only case--there are a few other hypenated words that are not entirely consistent (or correct), because the first major batch of objects was all written during the 7DRL (under the serious time constraints), then I came back to it a year later and started working with it again, but didn't decide on a consistent way to deal with it...
The perfectionist in me has been trying to ignore it because I'll have to go through everything, collect the relevant info, decide on a system for optionally hyphenated words, and actually apply changes to numerous areas... SO, now that you've brought it up I guess I have to finally do that xD
Fine then!
This isn't the only case--there are a few other hypenated words that are not entirely consistent (or correct), because the first major batch of objects was all written during the 7DRL (under the serious time constraints), then I came back to it a year later and started working with it again, but didn't decide on a consistent way to deal with it...
The perfectionist in me has been trying to ignore it because I'll have to go through everything, collect the relevant info, decide on a system for optionally hyphenated words, and actually apply changes to numerous areas... SO, now that you've brought it up I guess I have to finally do that xD
Fine then!
2427
Ideas / Re: Allow backwards manual commands?
« on: October 14, 2016, 01:26:46 AM »
Alright, I just came back from a bike ride (where pretty much all my better ideas come from ), and have a new feature that will solve all of these usability issues in one go. So say no more, Alpha 12 will include something cool... I'll get back to this thread after I implement it at some point
), and have a new feature that will solve all of these usability issues in one go. So say no more, Alpha 12 will include something cool... I'll get back to this thread after I implement it at some point
2428
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 11 Discussion/Feedback (spoiler-free)
« on: October 13, 2016, 08:59:51 PM »
Behemoths were definitely weak back then. They've been buffed incrementally over the past few releases, and there's still one more buff I'm planning to add... Now they finally live up to their intended scare factor!
And congratulations on your first Alpha 11 ascension--been away for a while and already back to winning
And congratulations on your first Alpha 11 ascension--been away for a while and already back to winning
2429
Everything REXPaint / Re: Paste text with background colors
« on: October 13, 2016, 08:47:36 PM »The new command is Shift-Alt-w to swap the foreground/background colors throughout the active layer (or Ctrl-Shift-Alt-w to do this for all layers simultaneously). Just use the process I suggested above and you should be able to combine the images as needed!
Here's a sample of the new swap feature in action:
2430
Everything REXPaint / Re: How to create a custom font?
« on: October 13, 2016, 08:44:33 PM »
mbartelsm: Alrighty, got a patch for your new feature there. Just drop in this exe, run REXPaint once, then close it. (Edit: Feature now included with v1.04) It'll create a new entry in the cfg, fontKeyColorOverride, where you can force the background color to be anything you want instead of using the automated detection. In your case just set the RGB values to 0,0,0!
2431
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 11 Discussion/Feedback (spoiler-free)
« on: October 13, 2016, 07:09:21 PM »
Hey Happylisk! Was wondering when you'd make your return, and this is certainly a good opportunity with pretty much every route now open 
The Research branches are significant game changers, as zxc, Sherlockkat, magi163 and others have been finding--lots of fun discoveries in only the first few days...
The armor changes could be considered a slight buff to armored enemies like Sentries, but you generally tend to core them before outright destroying their armor anyway, so it doesn't make too much difference in that regard (since they retain their full coverage before that point, anyway).
I was certainly going for "noticeable without being OP" there, mainly to compete with the previously semi-optimal strategy of using excessive heavy propulsion as alternative protection. Now armor is without question the better way to go.
The Research branches are significant game changers, as zxc, Sherlockkat, magi163 and others have been finding--lots of fun discoveries in only the first few days...
The armor changes could be considered a slight buff to armored enemies like Sentries, but you generally tend to core them before outright destroying their armor anyway, so it doesn't make too much difference in that regard (since they retain their full coverage before that point, anyway).
I was certainly going for "noticeable without being OP" there, mainly to compete with the previously semi-optimal strategy of using excessive heavy propulsion as alternative protection. Now armor is without question the better way to go.
2432
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 11 Discussions [SPOILER VERSION]
« on: October 13, 2016, 07:01:53 PM »Also, this is one of the coolest screenshots I've ever taken, from the third win: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/205347246147895297/235832758411198467/COGMIND_2016-10-13_05-29-13.pngIt's fun to do that, eh? Also kinda scary...
Out of curiosity, is that cave attached to Zion now accessible?Zion will be getting an expansion in the future (probably Alpha 12, though I haven't decided), on top of a way to access those doors in the back.
All other doors and exits are now open except for Command
2433
Ideas / Re: Allow backwards manual commands?
« on: October 13, 2016, 06:26:59 PM »
It's true that the nouns and verbs don't always appear in the same order (it would be ideal if that could be consistent...), though that was unfortunately required in order to maintain a more important prioritization where multiple related hacks share the same first word.
I feel that also allowing reversal would lead to more confusion--I'd prefer players learn the logic behind the existing commands rather than allow multiple different commands for the same hack, so this isn't a change I'd really like to make. (That said, I've been thinking of another potential solution to your issue which I'm not ready to talk about right now.)
Anyone else feel free to chime in on this, too, though!
(Also, for common manual hacks you do make use of the command buffer, yeah?)
I feel that also allowing reversal would lead to more confusion--I'd prefer players learn the logic behind the existing commands rather than allow multiple different commands for the same hack, so this isn't a change I'd really like to make. (That said, I've been thinking of another potential solution to your issue which I'm not ready to talk about right now.)
Anyone else feel free to chime in on this, too, though!
(Also, for common manual hacks you do make use of the command buffer, yeah?)
2434
Ideas / Re: One-Click Equip
« on: October 13, 2016, 08:08:48 AM »
Your opinions as a beginner are valuable in their own way, yes. Though I'm sure you'll come to a different understanding of many features as you play more
I wouldn't say* keyboard is king at all (except for the hardcore), nor was that the intention--that's why the mouse is so useful! It even got drag-drop, which is the most intuitive for mouse players to interact with the inventory.
Assuming you first click on a destination to path there, the 'a' key does what you are talking about (and more! all automatically!), though the mouse is only so capable without context menus.
But I would never add context menus. That is a very conscious decision with regard to the control scheme. I agree they have their benefits, which is why they are so popular in games, but they also create an extra layer of abstraction between the player and the main interface which I don't want to see in Cogmind.
(*Data point: Two-thirds of current players use the mouse.)
I wouldn't say* keyboard is king at all (except for the hardcore
), nor was that the intention--that's why the mouse is so useful! It even got drag-drop, which is the most intuitive for mouse players to interact with the inventory.Assuming you first click on a destination to path there, the 'a' key does what you are talking about (and more! all automatically!), though the mouse is only so capable without context menus.
But I would never add context menus. That is a very conscious decision with regard to the control scheme. I agree they have their benefits, which is why they are so popular in games, but they also create an extra layer of abstraction between the player and the main interface which I don't want to see in Cogmind.
(*Data point: Two-thirds of current players use the mouse.)
2435
Ideas / Re: Slots in scorehistory.txt
« on: October 13, 2016, 02:25:10 AM »
Ah, I thought you were referring to adding the number from the score sheet, the total number of evolutions, not evolutions per slot
Well, in this case you can still simply subtract out the number of starting slots, yeah? Like if it shows 3 final propulsion slots, you know you added 1. To me the actual number is somewhat more informative than only showing what was evolved, since that's what you had to work with at the time. Unless of course we actually showed what you evolved at each depth which would be nice and useful but will probably only come with a planned future update to the score sheet itself, not scorehistory.
All that said, based on the information you've shown above, it looks like your totals are referring to how many actual parts you have attached (?) at death/win, not slots (but you're referring to evolutions and slots, so I'm only guessing here). That's even less useful as a general metric since most Cogminds die mostly naked. (Yes, so sad...) Seems like you're implying the lack of propulsion was what caused the death? That's a fairly interesting way to look at it now, though won't altogether be incredibly useful in the data since you are more often than not stripped of other parts as well before actually falling to core destruction.
(On a related note, I view scorehistory as a summary of the most crucial information which can always lead you to more details if necessary by checking out the date stamp and opening the full score sheet.)
Well, in this case you can still simply subtract out the number of starting slots, yeah? Like if it shows 3 final propulsion slots, you know you added 1. To me the actual number is somewhat more informative than only showing what was evolved, since that's what you had to work with at the time. Unless of course we actually showed what you evolved at each depth which would be nice and useful but will probably only come with a planned future update to the score sheet itself, not scorehistory.
All that said, based on the information you've shown above, it looks like your totals are referring to how many actual parts you have attached (?) at death/win, not slots (but you're referring to evolutions and slots, so I'm only guessing here). That's even less useful as a general metric since most Cogminds die mostly naked. (Yes, so sad...) Seems like you're implying the lack of propulsion was what caused the death? That's a fairly interesting way to look at it now, though won't altogether be incredibly useful in the data since you are more often than not stripped of other parts as well before actually falling to core destruction.
(On a related note, I view scorehistory as a summary of the most crucial information which can always lead you to more details if necessary by checking out the date stamp and opening the full score sheet.)
2436
Competitions / Re: High Scores
« on: October 13, 2016, 01:44:10 AM »
The final Alpha 10 stat summary is in! (Scores have been reset, with old scores archived at the bottom.)
Of 915 uploaded score sheets, 618 had a high enough score (>=500) to be included in the stats. 95 unique players opted in to stat reporting, and we had a total 11 wins by zxc (5), Sherlockkat (2), Decker (2), Amphouse (1) and PleasingFungus (1). Decker blew everyone's score out of the water with his alert farming tactics, earning a 50,390 high. I can see scores continuing to rise as Cogminds have access to increasingly powerful components, plus numerous sources of bonus points via the new plot elements.
(note: some basic stats are not all that different from previous releases, and are omitted here--I'm just picking out things which might be interesting)
The highest number of bonus points earned in a single run was 27,640, by Sherlockkat, much of them from winning in only 3,131 turns.
920 garrison reinforcements were sent out, making up 13.2% of all squad dispatches. The most garrisons entered in a single run was 3, by ATM. 43 were visited in all, 248 were disabled from the outside, and 7 phase generators were destroyed during infiltrations.
36,321 robots were destroyed, 749 of them in the single-most destructive run by Decker. 26 Saboteurs were downed before they could detonate. Only 4 ARCs were destroyed before they could deploy. On the large end, 70 Behemoths were brought down, as well as 23 Compactors.
356 robots were corrupted; chain reactions were caused in 941 power sources.
48,175 parts were attached, 43% of which were lost. 34.7% of all parts attached were weapons, the most common category.
25 pieces of alien tech were recovered in all.
The highest speed achieved, by Sherlockkat, was 588%, or moving nearly 6 times per turn.
The most number of wheels used at once was 6, by Geralt.
Highest temperature reached was 2,446, by BoomBlip.
468 drones were launched, 33 recovered.
83 data cores were recovered, of which 29 were used. Of 22,780 machine hacks, 22.9% (5,211) were manual. 99 squads were recalled, including 54 investigations, 28 reinforcements, 15 exterminations, and 2 assaults. 2 Fabricators were overloaded. 40 robots and 155 parts were built. 322 parts were repaired.
54 traps were reprogrammed.
272 robots were rewired, 312 were successfully hacked (most commonly links and reboots, but there were 55 assimilations as well).
The average system corruption on death/winning was 2.6%, while the highest was 50%.
Meta stats:
Of 915 uploaded score sheets, 618 had a high enough score (>=500) to be included in the stats. 95 unique players opted in to stat reporting, and we had a total 11 wins by zxc (5), Sherlockkat (2), Decker (2), Amphouse (1) and PleasingFungus (1). Decker blew everyone's score out of the water with his alert farming tactics, earning a 50,390 high. I can see scores continuing to rise as Cogminds have access to increasingly powerful components, plus numerous sources of bonus points via the new plot elements.
(note: some basic stats are not all that different from previous releases, and are omitted here--I'm just picking out things which might be interesting)
The highest number of bonus points earned in a single run was 27,640, by Sherlockkat, much of them from winning in only 3,131 turns.
920 garrison reinforcements were sent out, making up 13.2% of all squad dispatches. The most garrisons entered in a single run was 3, by ATM. 43 were visited in all, 248 were disabled from the outside, and 7 phase generators were destroyed during infiltrations.
36,321 robots were destroyed, 749 of them in the single-most destructive run by Decker. 26 Saboteurs were downed before they could detonate. Only 4 ARCs were destroyed before they could deploy. On the large end, 70 Behemoths were brought down, as well as 23 Compactors.
356 robots were corrupted; chain reactions were caused in 941 power sources.
48,175 parts were attached, 43% of which were lost. 34.7% of all parts attached were weapons, the most common category.
25 pieces of alien tech were recovered in all.
The highest speed achieved, by Sherlockkat, was 588%, or moving nearly 6 times per turn.
The most number of wheels used at once was 6, by Geralt.
Highest temperature reached was 2,446, by BoomBlip.
468 drones were launched, 33 recovered.
83 data cores were recovered, of which 29 were used. Of 22,780 machine hacks, 22.9% (5,211) were manual. 99 squads were recalled, including 54 investigations, 28 reinforcements, 15 exterminations, and 2 assaults. 2 Fabricators were overloaded. 40 robots and 155 parts were built. 322 parts were repaired.
54 traps were reprogrammed.
272 robots were rewired, 312 were successfully hacked (most commonly links and reboots, but there were 55 assimilations as well).
The average system corruption on death/winning was 2.6%, while the highest was 50%.
Meta stats:
- 83% of players use fullscreen
- 9.5% use hjkl for movement
- 26.3% prefer ASCII
- 30.5% don't touch the mouse
- Smallcaps (the default) is the most popular font choice (64.2%), followed by Terminus (16.8%), and X11 (8.4%)
- 1080p is the most common resolution (59.0%), with 30.5% of players using something lower, and 10.5% higher
2437
Ideas / Re: Slots in scorehistory.txt
« on: October 13, 2016, 01:42:22 AM »
(No problem, moved it for ya )
I was trying to keep the scorehistory file as simple as possible, and technically both slot counts and the location carry the same info as an evolution counter.
Certainly with slots you have to add them up and subtract out 7 (for the starting number), which isn't immediately obvious, but the location column already shows your depth, which directly correlates to the number of times you evolved (unless you died in the Proximity Caves, but that's a special case). I think location and that depth number are going to be more telling than evolutions itself in terms of progress, no?
)I was trying to keep the scorehistory file as simple as possible, and technically both slot counts and the location carry the same info as an evolution counter.
Certainly with slots you have to add them up and subtract out 7 (for the starting number), which isn't immediately obvious, but the location column already shows your depth, which directly correlates to the number of times you evolved (unless you died in the Proximity Caves, but that's a special case). I think location and that depth number are going to be more telling than evolutions itself in terms of progress, no?
2438
Ideas / Re: Usability / Simplifying Cogmind [Item Rating in Labels]
« on: October 12, 2016, 07:39:54 PM »
I did consider that before (you'll notice that hostile robot labels are already color coded for integrity), though in practice it's generally more important to use color for distinguishing between common items, prototypes, items outside your view, and a third more important category of parts you won't have discovered yet .
I'll definitely look into adding item label integrity coloring as a new optional feature (though it would only work for items currently in view, not those in previously explored areas).
.I'll definitely look into adding item label integrity coloring as a new optional feature (though it would only work for items currently in view, not those in previously explored areas).
2439
Ideas / Re: Usability / Simplifying Cogmind
« on: October 12, 2016, 07:06:28 PM »
Hey JonnyCog!
You will be happy to know that's already a feature, you just have to turn it on
Press Ctrl-F7, or go into the options menu and activate the "Tactical HUD," which gives you way more information about stuff! (including ratings directly in item labels like that)
That feature is off by default to avoid overwhelming new players with too much information (there really is a lot to take in even without that feature!), though there is a tutorial message that appears later on to suggest you activate it once you know what you're doing.
There are quite a few other options in that menu (and even more in /user/cogmind.cfg itself) which players can use to tailor the experience, but I set all the defaults to what I feel is most appropriate for a complete beginner.
(And thanks for the support!)
You will be happy to know that's already a feature, you just have to turn it on
Press Ctrl-F7, or go into the options menu and activate the "Tactical HUD," which gives you way more information about stuff! (including ratings directly in item labels like that)
That feature is off by default to avoid overwhelming new players with too much information (there really is a lot to take in even without that feature!), though there is a tutorial message that appears later on to suggest you activate it once you know what you're doing.
There are quite a few other options in that menu (and even more in /user/cogmind.cfg itself) which players can use to tailor the experience, but I set all the defaults to what I feel is most appropriate for a complete beginner.
(And thanks for the support!)
2440
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / scorehistory.txt Carried Avg value bugged
« on: October 12, 2016, 06:38:12 PM »
The new scorehistory feature incorrectly outputs Carried Avg. Will be fixed in Alpha 12...
(reported by zxc via Discord)
(reported by zxc via Discord)
2441
Everything REXPaint / Re: Paste text with background colors
« on: October 12, 2016, 10:40:19 AM »
I see what you mean, so you have background colors and want to apply them to the foreground text... There is currently no command to perform that action, so it would have to be done cell by cell using color swapping. Yeah, obviously not going to happen, I know .
I'm going to do a little update to REXPaint soon for another feature request, so I'll see what I can do for you in this regard and get back to you. I think one option that would work here (and possible have applications elsewhere?), would be to create a command that simply swaps the foreground and background colors throughout an image, so you could fill colors.xp with the solid foreground character (any color), then swap background/foreground colors, then use the copy feature to copy the entire thing, then paste it over the text image (with glyph application turned off--just the foreground color). How's that sound?
.I'm going to do a little update to REXPaint soon for another feature request, so I'll see what I can do for you in this regard and get back to you. I think one option that would work here (and possible have applications elsewhere?), would be to create a command that simply swaps the foreground and background colors throughout an image, so you could fill colors.xp with the solid foreground character (any color), then swap background/foreground colors, then use the copy feature to copy the entire thing, then paste it over the text image (with glyph application turned off--just the foreground color). How's that sound?
2442
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Re: Backup lasers on an operator
« on: October 12, 2016, 03:42:32 AM »
Hehe, that's a good one! Yeah I agree they should probably be ignored by Mechanics out and about performing repairs. Operators aren't meant to engage in combat--the Mechanic is just finding any nearby allies that lost all their "weapons," and technically the Datajack is considered a weapon. Will need some more selective checks on that, thanks.
And getting two weapons is normal--combat robots get two backups per part type. (But the Mechanic can run out of supplies and need to get more from the Repair Station, so bots also may not always be fully repaired.)
And getting two weapons is normal--combat robots get two backups per part type. (But the Mechanic can run out of supplies and need to get more from the Repair Station, so bots also may not always be fully repaired.)
2443
Strategies / Re: Early Game Strategy?
« on: October 12, 2016, 03:16:56 AM »While decker's tips are effective, the mass storage unit inventory micromanagement technique is not fun.I imagine this situation has been significantly improved with the release of Alpha 11's item swap assist feature
. And it's a pretty effective strategy if you can keep a large inventory full, probably one of the "safer" ways to play aside from a proper stealth setup (but the latter isn't viable right from the start--have to work your way into it).
2444
General & Off-Topic / Re: xcom ufo defense interceptor dwarf fortress homeworld planetary annihilation
« on: October 12, 2016, 02:34:35 AM »
You start now and we'll see where you are in another decade! I'm sure you'll get plenty of great input over in the Bay 12 forums
I certainly spent my fair share dreaming about a much more grand space game with all kinds of elements like that. It was what I wanted to make (and started to make in console/text form) back in the late 90s when I was first getting into programming. Earlier than that I made a PnP version with a vast setting and mechanics spanning all sorts of possibilities and "modes of interaction," but of course that's much easier than coding it out, hehe. Oh to have some hundreds more years of life to see some things like this come to fruition! I occasionally mull over and flesh out minor elements of my ASCII megagame, but at the same time it's also kinda depressing thinking that by the time it's done, if it could ever be "done," I'd be really really old...
"ASCII Homeworld" actually doesn't sound half bad.
I certainly spent my fair share dreaming about a much more grand space game with all kinds of elements like that. It was what I wanted to make (and started to make in console/text form) back in the late 90s when I was first getting into programming. Earlier than that I made a PnP version with a vast setting and mechanics spanning all sorts of possibilities and "modes of interaction," but of course that's much easier than coding it out, hehe. Oh to have some hundreds more years of life to see some things like this come to fruition! I occasionally mull over and flesh out minor elements of my ASCII megagame, but at the same time it's also kinda depressing thinking that by the time it's done, if it could ever be "done," I'd be really really old...
"ASCII Homeworld" actually doesn't sound half bad.
2445
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / [Spoiler] Extremely rare item can cause inventory size > max
« on: October 12, 2016, 01:08:36 AM »
Stepping on a Subatomic Replicator and attaching it directly will put it in the inventory instead, even if the inventory is full, resulting in an inventory size greater than its maximum capacity. (Size restriction returns to normal after taking other inventory actions.)
(reported by zxc via Discord)
(reported by zxc via Discord)
2446
Fixed Bugs & Non-Bugs / Re: Core energy capacity in the manual
« on: October 12, 2016, 12:00:38 AM »
Hehe, whoops! No, this is a bug of a different nature
The manual is correct, it's supposed to be 50 as it has been in all previous releases, but a change to the handling formula to incorporate a new feature you'll find later in the game overlooked something and I accidentally gave the player twice the base storage.
So until Alpha 12 everyone gets a free extra 50 energy storage! Not a huge amount anyway, so that's okay
The manual is correct, it's supposed to be 50 as it has been in all previous releases, but a change to the handling formula to incorporate a new feature you'll find later in the game overlooked something and I accidentally gave the player twice the base storage.
So until Alpha 12 everyone gets a free extra 50 energy storage! Not a huge amount anyway, so that's okay
2447
Ideas / Re: Graphics settings - Borderless window
« on: October 11, 2016, 03:18:29 AM »
Always much appreciated
2448
Ideas / Re: Graphics settings - Borderless window
« on: October 10, 2016, 11:56:07 PM »So when are you getting around to finishing x@com !!So mean!
I do need a clone. I'm raising one right now, but he's not interested in computers yet, and is only 4 years old
2449
General Discussion / Re: Alpha 11 Discussions [SPOILER VERSION]
« on: October 10, 2016, 11:54:30 PM »
You're always so fast . Yeah I see you died with the alien in your inventory there, aw...
And thanks for the bug report--I fixed it and included it in the hotfix for those who jumped on the download as soon as Alpha 11 hit.
. Yeah I see you died with the alien in your inventory there, aw...And thanks for the bug report--I fixed it and included it in the hotfix for those who jumped on the download as soon as Alpha 11 hit.
2450
Ideas / Re: Graphics settings - Borderless window
« on: October 10, 2016, 10:29:49 PM »
Playing on your tablet?! Oh my
Yep, I do plan to look into a borderless window option. It's been requested a couple times before and is on my (still very long) list of things to do! I've just moved it to the top of that list. I'm not sure if or how well the engine supports it, since I haven't done it before, but if it's possible it will be a thing.
Yep, I do plan to look into a borderless window option. It's been requested a couple times before and is on my (still very long) list of things to do! I've just moved it to the top of that list. I'm not sure if or how well the engine supports it, since I haven't done it before, but if it's possible it will be a thing.