R&D to Increase Squad Size

[Beknatok]

Wanted to start a separate discussion, to talk specifically about increasing XCOM squad sizes. 4-6 soldier limit bugs me to no end.

 

DefaultGameCore.ini contains a specific setting that is the first piece of the puzzle -> SkyRanger Capcity = 4. Using the technique discussed elsewhere, I changed this value to 8. What happens is that you are now allowed to select 6 different soldiers on the pre-Launch screen, but additional soldiers from your roster get loaded up and deployed.

 

Unfortunately here is where we hit our next roadblock: Landing Zone settings on the map. Testing last night, I started a fresh game and 8 soldiers were deployed. However, only 6 were deployed into the LZ, while the remaining two were overlaid & stuck on a single block inside the Skyranger. They would receive turns, but are completely trapped!!

 

From what we know from the Devs, while there are a static set of maps, starting points are "dynamic." This leads me to speculate that there is a chance that we can programmatically adjust the size of those starting points. I am hoping that those settings are not stored on a map by map basis, but controlled in a shared codebase. Otherwise changing each and every map file is not a very feasible solution.

 

At this point, my next steps are as follows:

 

1. Dig through the .ini files to see if there happens to be any sort of setting that controls LZ size. I'm highly doubtful that I'll turn up anything there.

2. Pick a map file or two and attempt to dissect it to find LZ sizing code.

 

I'll be documenting my efforts here. Would love to hear from anyone else who has time to poke around and share.

 

Thanks all...

[Sondar]

If you've ever made an FPS map or something similar, you have to manually place the points where players can spawn.

 

I'm positive there are multiple sets of 6 points included in the map for spawning. So the game will place as many as it likes into the skyranger, but can't place them on the map.

 

Just my thoughts, anyway.

 

Sondar

[Sebmono]

+1 to being supremely bothered by squad size limit, particularly on Classic Ironman where you are outnumbered, outskilled, and outgunned from the 3rd mission onward. Really would make absorbing losses a little easier when you could include a couple more rookie meatbags to draw fire.

 

Any thoughts on where to look besides the ini files? Maybe the exe unpacker idea could yield some fruit?

[Beknatok]

Didn't have any spare time last night to explore, between having to run unforseen errands & actually playing a few missions.

 

Will see what turns up this weekend... I downloaded the Unreal Development Kit, in the hopes that that will also assist.

[falloutbr]

Unfortunately here is where we hit our next roadblock: Landing Zone settings on the map. Testing last night, I started a fresh game and 8 soldiers were deployed. However, only 6 were deployed into the LZ, while the remaining two were overlaid & stuck on a single block inside the Skyranger. They would receive turns, but are completely trapped!!

 

Beknatok,

 

I did the same thing as you, changing the SKYRANGER_CAPACITY to 8 using the modpatcher made by Dreadylein, and during the first mission I had 8 soldiers under full control. Six of them started in the regular landing zone e the two others started overlaid in another square, but they were not stuck at all, I could control them normally and finish the mission. I did that 3 times and the excess soldiers always spawn very near an alien spawn point. After the mission only the first six show up on the Debrief screen (proabably wasn't programmed to have a slider). The others show up on the barracks normally with the right number of kills they got during the mission, even ready for promotions.

 

Seems like all the code need to fully control bigger squads is already in-game. People would just need to sort the spawn points. Too bad maybe that means that you'd need to go through every map file and manually edit each one. By the way, I attached a picture just to prove it did happen.

[Beknatok]

Unfortunately here is where we hit our next roadblock: Landing Zone settings on the map. Testing last night, I started a fresh game and 8 soldiers were deployed. However, only 6 were deployed into the LZ, while the remaining two were overlaid & stuck on a single block inside the Skyranger. They would receive turns, but are completely trapped!!

 

Beknatok,

 

I did the same thing as you, changing the SKYRANGER_CAPACITY to 8 using the modpatcher made by Dreadylein, and during the first mission I had 8 soldiers under full control. Six of them started in the regular landing zone e the two others started overlaid in another square, but they were not stuck at all, I could control them normally and finish the mission. I did that 3 times and the excess soldiers always spawn very near an alien spawn point. After the mission only the first six show up on the Debrief screen (proabably wasn't programmed to have a slider). The others show up on the barracks normally with the right number of kills they got during the mission, even ready for promotions.

 

Seems like all the code need to fully control bigger squads is already in-game. People would just need to sort the spawn points. Too bad maybe that means that you'd need to go through every map file and manually edit each one. By the way, I attached a picture just to prove it did happen.

 

I'm confused. You first said they started out inside the Skyranger but then you said they spawned at an alien spawn point? So they were operational/available to you? Did you have to wait a turn/move them/? I'll fully admit that once I saw them "stuck" on the Skyranger, that I didn't try anything further, as I had tried it in the Demo and they could not move anywhere.

 

Hmm, this warrants another try tonight. Thanks!

[falloutbr]

Actually I tried doing the same thing on several different maps. In one of them they were stuck in the Skyranger, outside the map boundaries. But in most of them, the extra soldiers spawned around the middle of the map. In the cemetary map they start just next the normal LZ, so it makes for an almost perfect playtrough (wish all were like that). Here is a little video I made with a 12 man squad.

 

[akab20032002]

You're my hero ... I missed my good old squads. :sad:

When my Avanger landed on Cydonia with 26 marine ... aliens escaped through the back door. :devil: :devil: :devil:

[Monglor]

I think this would be a very good change to make. The original game was harder in some respects but you were able to go into missions mob-handed. Sure maybe I'd lose ten guys on my first terror mission, but the job would get done anyway. In the new game you're in a world of trouble after just a couple of losses, particularly in the early game.

 

From a mod perspective I suppose the thing to do would be to go over the maps and just add a bunch of new spawns. Maybe a dozen or so, just in case people wanted to go that high with the numbers.

[snwkill]

I think this would be a very good change to make. The original game was harder in some respects but you were able to go into missions mob-handed. Sure maybe I'd lose ten guys on my first terror mission, but the job would get done anyway. In the new game you're in a world of trouble after just a couple of losses, particularly in the early game.

 

From a mod perspective I suppose the thing to do would be to go over the maps and just add a bunch of new spawns. Maybe a dozen or so, just in case people wanted to go that high with the numbers.

 

 

Has anybody been able to get anywhere with the Unreal SDK on this front?