Changing Constants

[Acid81]

Does editing constant values have any effect ingame ?

 

I was curious because it almost seems as if they have no purpose.

[Krazyguy75]

Depends on the constant, I believe.

[Amineri]

If you mean where the constants are defined, I believe that it has no in-game effect. (stuff like the low and high cover value, for example).

 

The final compile/build that Firaxis did had optimizations turned on that replaced the constant values with the values directly, so you'll see odd constant value constructions sprinkled throughout the code.

 

Also, many of the declared constants were setup to be available to the native code in xcomgame.exe. As far as I know no one has listed up the constant value locations within the executable, though. This includes most of the things related to to-hit values, such as cover as well as aim bonuses like smoke grenades and combat drugs.

[Acid81]

Also, many of the declared constants were setup to be available to the native code in xcomgame.exe. As far as I know no one has listed up the constant value locations within the executable, though.

So could it somehow be easier to find these value locations in the executable or setting and searching through hundreds of lines of code script ?

 

It would be kind of nice to know how or maybe give some sense of direction as to how incase someone may not have time to do it them selves.

[Amineri]

Unfortunately there really isn't a very easy way to find these constant value as they are used in the unreal code.

 

A reference such as

const RIFT_DAMAGE_RADIUS = 6.75;

ends up being replaced (presumably by the compiler or linker at compile/link time) as :

        fDamageRadius = XComGameReplicationInfo(class'Engine'.static.GetCurrentWorldInfo().GRI).m_kGameCore.6.750 * float(64);

Using consts like this really isn't very conducive to re-balancing, as the entire code project has to be re-compiled in order to change a value, so I'm hoping that the Enemy Within expansion converts all of these consts into config variables.

 

Until then some are a pain to find/change (if used in the unreal code) or effective impossible to change (if used in native code)