New Skirmish/Sim Missions?

[thetommyboy2002]

More Maps, Sir?

I copied the danger room maps from XML2 and added the arenas to the start of Simulation.engb, et voila!
Of course the downside is that this is now the ONLY map I can play on, still, proof of concept eh?

[thetommyboy2002]

A little bit of juggling in Simulator.engb and I now have all the maps I could want (i all the normal ones plus XML2 Danger room ones).


I even got rid of the "blue health bar" problem (took out references to conversations).
So now I get stomped by a dozen villains in an XML2 Dangerroom map.
Neato.

[Noelemahc]

Duuuuuude! You rock! This potentially means the next step towards a proper Skirmish mode! I've been quietly pondering if it would be possible to straightforwardly port the Skirmish menus from XML2 (because the only thing that stopped me from doing the same to XML2's character menus was the horrific panoramic selection code which turned out to be hardwired into the game) and modify the extra details to at least give us an ability to pound the living daylights out of each other in MP using more than just X-guys.

[thetommyboy2002]

I've been changing some of the maps on the "extra" missions (paibok, superskrull, thunderball etc) to use the XML2 maps instead, and whilst it adds some much needed variety to the game, there are problems.
1.Since they are on average much smaller, and have no "boss rooms" (at least none of the ones I've tried so far), you get no Boss, just lots of cannon fodder in what is often a restricted space.
2. No crates or barrels or smashable furniture, maybe I need to copy across some models for those from xml2. I'm not familiar enough with tat game to know if these DR maps SHOULD have crates etc.
3. Some doors and pits where if you go through you die. Again I dont know if that how they function in XML2.

However even with these problems it means that there are about 26 new maps (some may be duplicates, or even triplicates, but I'd say there are at least ten originals for sure), which is a boon.

[Noelemahc]

1. Can we maybe reuse XML1 LEVEL maps for that purpose? Might turn out mighty fun. If they'll transfer as easily as the characters did... Mmm-hmmm!
2. They should, they all do (be it crates or barrels or munitions or destroyable rocks, pillars and shtuff). Maybe you should, yeah.
3. Pits - yes. Doors - WTF?

[thetommyboy2002]

I copied across the stuff in "models" and now have barrels and furniture a-plenty in the XML2 maps.

The doors thing I saw in the egyptian level, its like a square with four doors at the top of steps in the middle of each wall. The dooes are black. Go in, and die.
Maybe its somwe other missing bit, like a teleport.

[Noelemahc]

Yay for barrels! Barrels are fun! [/old-skool DooM player speaking]

its like a square with four doors at the top of steps in the middle of each wall. The dooes are black. Go in, and die.

I honestly don't remember, and I don't have the saves on this machine to check with. Maybe you're still missing something.

Me, I'll look into the XML1 level issue -- chances are, some of the PCers hadn't played it (I know I didn't), so they definitely won't mind the 'new' old levels. And they might be tweaked to meet the comic book requirements, no?

[BliZZ]

One good thing about XML levels in a skirmish mode is the possibility of no limit on chars. So even if it isn't possible in story mode, you could conceivably play as Cyc, Jean, Kurt, and Remy with NO story mode character removals. Yay.

[Noelemahc]

Speaking of which. Maybe we should look into the Skirmish mode's character selection code to see how it works? Because I sure as heck don't remember Deathstryke or other Skirmish playable bosses being in the XML2 herostat...

[thetommyboy2002]

Speaking of which. Maybe we should look into the Skirmish mode's character selection code to see how it works? Because I sure as heck don't remember Deathstryke or other Skirmish playable bosses being in the XML2 herostat...

Isn't the same true in MUA, since you can play as some of the villains in the Similator?
It might make the NPC>27 project easier.

[cvc]

Is there a way not to have to start over every time I change something in the sim? After a millon restarts I ask.

I not changeing the herostat...alt/tab

[Noelemahc]

Nope. The ENGBs are read on the game's startup, so ALT+TAB with an ENGB hotswap leads to scary aftereffects; even if we're not talking Herostat.

[thetommyboy2002]

I'm not 1000% sure of this, but I THINK NPCstat can be altered without restarts or disasters, at least as long as we are talking about relatively small changes like editing a character's starting level.
I'd guess that adding or removing whole characters to/from it would lead to trouble, but it seems OK with small changes. This is not a guarantee.

[Noelemahc]

Random Q: can't we define entry into custom levels (XML2 or XML1 levels, if all else fails) via dialogues and scripts, like it was done with quite a few XML2 and MUA levels? They will THEN function as separate comic missions if we figure out how to build custom mission goals, right? This will remove the necessity of even bothering with the SIMULATOR.ENGB, won't it?

Granted, this will mean building the new stuff from scratch, without the comfy prefabness of the Simulator interface, but we can't have it all...

[BliZZ]

I don't remember that kinda thing in XML2 or MUA, but the XML1 Flashback missions are a very good example of this. And XML1/2 missions are perfect for this:

A convo w/ Wolvy recalls his Weapon X flashback from XML1 (just wolvy)
A convo w/ Iceman recalls the Juggs flashback from XML1 (chars: cyc, jean, iceman, beast)
Spawn Cyc on a map, and have a convo w/ him recall the Sentinel flashback (chars: cyc, wolvy, jean, kurt (just like xml1))
A convo with Prof X spawns the Astral Plane level from XML1 (the chars were Charley, Jean, Emma, but we can add Betsy)

So on, so forth. You get the idea.