Cataclysm: Metal Gear Solid

[LazyCat]

Animations work perfectly fine on my Windows laptop

You mean with this build, Cataclysm: MGS, not with vanilla Cataclysm: DDA?

Also, I have been experiencing a bit of gun-related oddities lately. Whenever I try to shoot, the aiming cursor tends to move to the ammo type's maximum range (which is normally between 14-57 tiles) to the northwest of me. Often times, the view-port goes black, the game freezes at 100% CPU usage, and I'm forced to CTRL-Alt-Delete out of the game--I always save before actually firing to avoid losing progress.

The guns and ammo I’ve been using are:
Savage 111F & 7.62x51mm
Ruger Mini-14 & .223 Remington
H&K UMP-45 & .45 FMJ
SIG Pro .40 (which should actually be called SIG P226) & .40 S&W

Has anybody else noticed these types of problems with their firearms?

Sorry about that, it’s a bug only in the last build “MGSmod rev.23b”. I left that unfinished as I went on to implement above ground levels and jumping action, I wanted to upload that quickly so people can try it out and give me some feedback in the meantime while I’m polishing other stuff. I should have taken down that download and replace it with fixed one, but I didn’t, possibly because I’m lazy.

However, to make it up I’ve been testing the latest build for the last three days, went everywhere, tried everything, polished many little things and sorted out tons of little details along the way. I’m happy to say it’s extremely stable, the game didn’t crash on me once and everything works nice and smooth. I’ll put it up for download later today or tomorrow.

[LazyCat]

Perhaps you’d be interested in something like this, LazyCat.

That is interesting indeed. Did you make that? Are you suggesting some new mechanism for sniping that could be implemented in the game? Can you describe in more detail how would that work?

[LazyCat]

So, did anyone manage to get to the roof of the shelter? There are three ways to get there, which path did you discover first?

And on the roof there is a rocket launcher, has anyone tried it, what do you think of new rounded yellow/red explosions?

What do you think of new jumping action? You can jump over traps, fire and acid, and you can also use it as a charging attack to smash through a door.

I expected people would be excited about features like that, especially with above ground z-levels since there was a lot of talk about it previously and it seemed many people wanted it, yet now that it done no one seems to care. What gives?

[TheRealTenman]

So, did anyone manage to get to the roof of the shelter? There are three ways to get there, which path did you discover first?

Yes… I tried the left window first…Missed every time.
Then after about 30 attempts I noticed the other ledge and used that. Just to say Yes I want to be an idiot and drop down.
Finding the stair case down was just annoying though. I was just …oh for fucks sake facepalm

1. the right window ledge
2. the stairs
3. ??? the left window?

And on the roof there is a rocket launcher, has anyone tried it, what do you think of new rounded yellow/red explosions?

Got it and loved it. Loved the affects too though I am new to animations.(stupid vanilla windows build)

What do you think of new jumping action? You can jump over traps, fire and acid, and you can also use it as a charging attack to smash through a door.

I love it…but it doesn’t have that many uses IMO. (contradiction right there Fact is opinion.)
At the same time it is probably OP until you get enemies that can use it. Imagine a jumping hulk…

Also…Is there a failure chance or is it a Yes on No thing? Eg if you jump over a spike pit can you fall in? Or over an obstacle, can you trip?

I expected people would be excited about features like that, especially with above ground z-levels since there was a lot of talk about it previously and it seemed many people wanted it, yet now that it done no one seems to care. What gives?

I under stand the want and neglect of response. People don’t know what they want…they just want it and they want it now.
People should be hyped like hell on doomsday for z levels, but alas, now they will want the next thing.
Also they wanted it in DDA…(insert comment about you learning to use git with random stabs at your ego and attitude here :3)

I personally love it.

Do other buildings have upper floors?

I stopped playing recently because of a wave of bugs on all versions and a lack of animations on windows.(stupid vanilla windows build)
Aiming bugs, Misc crafting was crashing the game. In MGS as well as DDA

It is funny…
I want to play the latest build but want animations.(stupid vanilla windows build)
I want to play MGS but don’t want the MGS setting (and I don’t even know what that changes in-game.)
I want to play Cataclysm but don’t. (why? WHYYYYY?)
I love what you are doing but dislike certain things about how you do it.
I want to criticize you about being lazy but I couldn’t be arsed.
I also hate hypocrites and am one myself.
I don’t like action speak but head explodes

[LazyCat]

[quote=“TheRealTenman, post:84, topic:528”]Yes… I tried the left window first…Missed every time.
Then after about 30 attempts I noticed the other ledge and used that. Just to say Yes I want to be an idiot and drop down.
Finding the stair case down was just annoying though. I was just …oh for fucks sake facepalm[/quote]

Good, I was afraid it was too easy. To jump through the left window on the platform outside stand next to the door on the right. From there you will be able to place yellow cross on the leftmost window and then red cross will automatically be placed on the red floor platform, but to successfully jump over break or open the window first or you will fall short.

I love it...but it doesn't have that many uses IMO. (contradiction right there Fact is opinion.) At the same time it is probably OP until you get enemies that can use it. Imagine a jumping hulk...

I was thinking to use jumping mostly for platforming puzzles like that one in the shelter.

Also...Is there a failure chance or is it a Yes on No thing? Eg if you jump over a spike pit can you fall in? Or over an obstacle, can you trip?

There is no chance or any other additional calculation than what you see with yellow and red cross. In between yellow and red cross character is in the air and does not step on anything below. Better version of jump action should take into account character strength and stamina to calculate jumping distance, possibly with a chance of failure to actually reach the red cross.

Only obstacles to jumping are walls, doors, windows, trees… and whatever else you can’t normally walk through. When you hit an obstacle like that in mid air you will automatically bash it, and if it breaks you will fly through, but will also slowed you down and shorten your jump distance.

Do other buildings have upper floors?

No, just shelters. It’s very tedious to design buildings, so I’ll probably just add some random roofs to houses and shops, like there are basements now, and leave it at that.

Aiming bugs, Misc crafting was crashing the game. In MGS as well as DDA

Tell me more, so I can reproduce it.

I want to play MGS but don't want the MGS setting (and I don't even know what that changes in-game.)

There is really nothing MGS in this mod except background music and Metal Gear vehicle. Once I’m happy how everything works I’ll add some missions and story line that will be loosely based on Metal Gear, but even then the gameplay will stay the same.

Music can be changed by simply replacing media files in /data/audio folder.

I love what you are doing but dislike certain things about how you do it.

Tell me more.

I want to criticize you about being lazy but I couldn't be arsed.

Go ahead, I have explanation for everything.

[Slax]

That is interesting indeed. Did you make that? Are you suggesting some new mechanism for sniping that could be implemented in the game? Can you describe in more detail how would that work?

It’s how I see sniping working out, yeah. We’re having some disjointed discussions about it over here. Should contain some informative posts. The comic’s a mockup I threw together.

I’d try going into detail but you’ll have to skim the other thread for now.

Ok, I’ve eaten and now my brain is somewhat functional.

Your everyday survivor has a natural view cone of 360°. Say he or she peeks down a scope. The cone would get much smaller but they'd be able to see farther. Let's say they get a 30° view cone plus a roughly doubled vision range. Sounds like a dang powerful scope with an equally powerful penalty. Shifting the scope left or right would take some time, allowing the world to move while you scan the environment. Say you've put your x10 scope or whatever on a fancy hunting rifle. Whenever you pull the trigger, perhaps the game would treat the target as being 10 times close than it actually is. Well, barring that the target isn't in effective range of your scope. Too close and you'll have a hard time getting the shot.

[size=6pt]Quote edited for clarity. Too bad some of it still manages to sound grimy.[/size]

I hadn’t thought of the rectangle or zoom mode at that point but it sort of captures the whole idea. An aiming mode to allow for (perhaps) more accurate shots and the use of optics. And a proper use for binoculars for that matter. Guns get the rectangle and optics in general just get the extended view. Moving your aiming reticule outside the rectangle would move the rectangle and pass some time, and of course move (re-center) the view cone as well. Shift+direction would do bigger jumps and pass less time. Something like that.

It’s a bit finicky to explain but I hope you get the idea. Or at least, I hope it might inspire new ideas.

[LazyCat]

Slax, is aim supposed to be able to go outside of usual max. visibility range of 60 tiles or not? You are talking about some “zoom rectangle”, what about that “cone of vision” people were talking in that thread, what would you rather have?

How about simply make it look something like this:

…and leave everything else as it is? Do we really need anything else? I guess moving the aim in sniper mode could be using time and make it a bad choice for use when danger is near. But then we could make aiming takes time with any other weapon as well, so to aim at further away targets would take more time than to aim at closer ones, and thus also moving the aim from one target to another would take time and expose you to danger as well. Basically, as you move your aim the monsters would accordingly move too, only aiming with sniper, or say longbow, would cost more move points than aiming with a pistol. That could possibly make the whole game more tactical by requiring further consideration of what weapons to use and from what distance in any given situation.

[Slax]

The cone of vision only applies when you’re aiming. Big cone for aiming without a scope since you don’t have eyes in the back of your head but you’re still able to keep an eye on the general area. Small cone on a scoped weapon since… well, you’re focused on your scope, not your surroundings. The scope would naturally allow you to see farther away as well. Pros and cons. (I like the idea of having an aiming mode.)
The rectangle (or perhaps a circle would be better in this case) is the general area where you’re aiming at. As in, you’re able to adjust your aim freely within this space without wasting turns/time. Just because I think it’d be hard to judge how much time it takes to move your aim one square. But maybe I’m wrong. Moving your aim outside the square would recenter it to that location and jump time forward some, depending on your dexterity or some such. Moving the square outside the cone would force you to spend even more time since your pose will change as well. But I dunno, it’s just a loose idea.

Let me build up a scenario.
You see 5 zombies scattered about to your north. One is close enough that you don’t need to aim. The others are in two separate groups.

• You fire some snap shots (current system, but probably reworked to some degree) with your pistol at the closest zombie and he goes down. Quick and easy.
• The closer pair of zombies are coming for you. They are about 12 squares away. You take aim. The game allows you to place your aim and an aiming circle is placed within your cone of view. Both zombies are within the circle. Time has passed but aiming the pistol was quick so the zombies haven’t been able to move yet.
• You fire a shot at one of the zombies. Time passes after the shot and the zombie moves towards you. Since you’re aiming at the zombie, the center of the circle locks on him and recenters every time the target moves.
• You wait to reduce recoil. The zombie moves again and the circle follows.
• Two more shots and the zombie dies. The center of the circle is now where the corpse is. The other zombie is within the circle. (Everything else within the cone is still visible. Traits, skills and stats could probably tinker with this awareness.)
• You move your aim to the other zombie without passing any time. The circle recenters on your new target as you fire.
• The zombie dies. The two remaining zombies are far away. 20 tiles or so. You could now move your sight manually or hit the ‘aim at closest’ key, just like usual. The game would calculate how long it takes to move and redraw the circle until you reach your target either way. Or you could drop you aim (leave aiming mode) and aim again. (Leaving aiming mode needs to cost a minuscule amount of time too, I suppose.)
• You take aim at one of the zombies and keep your bead on him until he comes into range. You fire as soon as you feel comfortable with your chance to hit. (Chance to hit should probably still be hidden though.)

Something like that. I may very well be over-complicating things but I like the sound of this overall. Could also allow you to aim at various parts of your enemy.

[LazyCat]

… editing

[Ferodaktyl]

just a quick question : why do you insist on a 12x12 FoV? Is it a technical problem? It’s probably the main thing that stops me from playing your version of Cataclysm. I gave it a try, but that wide window with small play area makes me dizzy and disoriented.

[LazyCat]

just a quick question : why do you insist on a 12x12 FoV? Is it a technical problem? It’s probably the main thing that stops me from playing your version of Cataclysm. I gave it a try, but that wide window with small play area makes me dizzy and disoriented.

I bet you would get used to in a five minutes and would not believe how could you ever play it any other way. There are more than few reasons why I think the default setting is ideal, but in any case you can change the size of both FOV and font. Edit …/data/FONTDATA file to change the font size, use option menu or edit …/data/options.txt file to change the FOV.

Try MGSmod rev.19, as rev.23b has targeting bug and is only meant to showcase above ground z-levels. Or better yet wait a few hours when I will be uploading newer version featuring sniping scope mod and “moving targets”, new feature that changes the gameplay quite a bit. See here: http://www.cataclysmdda.com/smf/index.php?topic=1052.msg12365#msg12365

[deadmerits]

I’ve been watching your mod since I read a post you had made (or a reply to someone else’s) which described a speed fix that eliminated the minor wait between turns. I tried it because of that comment but was very surprised when I blew up a gas station and what was that? Animation? I’d never seen anything like that before so you have my attention.

[LazyCat]

I’ve been watching your mod since I read a post you had made (or a reply to someone else’s) which described a speed fix that eliminated the minor wait between turns. I tried it because of that comment but was very surprised when I blew up a gas station and what was that? Animation? I’d never seen anything like that before so you have my attention.

I was just as surprised when I tried it on Linux for the first time since I already invested more than few days playing it on Windows. I found a car, which I didn’t know existed and was very pleasantly surprised. But when I started driving it was all wrong, glitching and slower than walking on foot. Then I tried it on Linux, and whoa, there are explosions and bullets and shrapnel, huh?! Why is no one mentioning anything about it, I was wondering in disbelief and I wished I never played it on Windows at all, it felt like waste of time, strangely enough. I wanted to wash that experience off of me, somehow, and this is it. Now I can go back to play the game.

[nadia911]

Thanks Lazy, testing now

[LazyCat]

DOWNLOAD (03. May): MGSmod rev.30b

Cataclysm-MGS_rev30.zip

• TESTING: “moving targets” and sniping mod

I deleted by accident my previous post. Here it is again.

Sniper scope activates automatically with Remington 700, Browning BLR, or if your rifle has sniper conversion.

[LazyCat]

Thanks Lazy, testing now

Cheers. I am too going to test it properly just now. Looking forward to hear what you think about “moving targets” thing. It makes the game radically different for certain situations. If you have monsters all around you will get swarmed pretty quickly. But the window trick or funnelling hordes otherwise is still the winning strategy. When fighting more than few monsters you always want to try to group them on only one side and be ready to run away if more than few manage to get close. – The game became too easy for me, I just hope this doesn’t make it too hard. Well, lets play and find out.

[Slax]

Looks like you’ve linked the wrong build. That’s rev23.

[LazyCat]

Looks like you’ve linked the wrong build. That’s rev23.

Thank you. Fixed.

[LazyCat]

Looks like you’ve linked the wrong build. That’s rev23.

By the way, you should probably create “New World” before starting the game or delete save folder unless you want to play with Metal Gear vehicle, which is somewhere on that map, because that is old save file and is not fully compatible with this new version. And don’t forget there is jumping action from the previous release, even if there is nothing much to jump over right now except acid and fires it’s still pretty useful if you need to smash a door quickly. Perhaps I should make you can’t just walk over bushes and such but need to jump over, similar like you have to climb over chain link fence now?

[Slax]

I’ve a handful of gripes already but I’ll keep it short for now.

-So, the moment you pull your gun your eyes are glued to the crosshairs. You’re forced to aim at your feet and slowly continue from there. Not really effective in a combat situation, especially since there’s SO MUCH movement going. Doesn’t seem to make much sense from a realistic perspective. [size=7pt]Pretty much why I came up with the target sector rectangle. See place, raise gun (f, snap to selected target area), take aim (adjust cursor to actual target in case you’re off). Stats and skills come into play for precision and speed.[/size]
-There doesn’t seem to be any variation between weapon types. Aiming a handgun is just as slow as looking down a rifle scope. Oh, and scopes are effective at any range. Tried using a sniper conversion kit on a G3 and got a superb close combat weapon. Seems cooky.
-Rifles in general could very well do with a lock-on feature for long range shooting. Trying to get a bead on a far away bear proved to be very amusing.

We may very well have different visions but right now, I don’t see this working out too well. It’s just too simple and straight forward. There’s a lot to be done.