R&D to Increase Squad Size

[LeFire]

I have managed to find a limited method of using an increased squadsize in a controlled manner.

 

My tests give the same results as pointed out by a previous poster... Extra squad members are either stuck offmap or under the map, or spawn in a 'pile' within sight of the aliens (the first guy to move will trigger the alien freemove). One way to get around this, is to repeatedly reload the map until a unbugged map is used (obviously impossible for Ironman play).

 

I have taken to calling the original 6-man squad the "Relief team" and the extra men the "Deep strike" team, due to how the missions typically play out... Which the deep strike team often having to fortify and hold a position (sometimes even inside the UFO itself!) while the relief team fights its way to them Black Hawk Down style.

 

Also found a method of controling who ends up in the original 6-man team (the "Relief" team) and who ends up in the 4-man extra team ("Deep strike" team).

 

1.) As previously pointed out by another poster, the first 10 persons in your roster (for squadsize 10) are loaded into the map. EQUIP ALL 10 IN THE BARRACKS FIRST!

2.) When a mission comes, go to the squad equipping screen. Replace everyone from Positions 1 to 5 with whom you want in the Relief team. Slot 6 is special and always bugged... you'll need to remove soldier multiple times for Slot 6, which will be slightly bugged in showing the wrong soldier / name match (as the game is trying to stuff details for 4 soldiers into that slot).

3.) Once Slot 6 is emptied out, fill it with the last Relief team candidate.

4.) Exit the squad selection screen. DO NOT START THE MISSION! Go back to the Geoscape.

5.) Load the squad equipping screen again. The 6 handpicked as the Relief team will stay... but the highest 4 soldiers in your Barracks (usually veteran officers who aren't in the Relief team) who have not been selected in the Relief team, will now be automatically added into the Deep Strike team.

6.) Exit the squad selection screen and save the game (as you will need to reload to find a unbugged map)

7.) Enter the squad selection screen again.

8.) Launch the mission. Reload if bugged map (Deep strike team stuck offmap or in the ground).

 

Using the above steps, you can outfit your Relief team with lighter / higher mobility armour and gear meant for open ground combat, while having your Deep Strike team staffed with shotgun Assault kitted out with the heaviest armour and vests (note: Snipers have a hard time in the Deep Strike team). The deep strikers wipe out the closest aliens and dig in, while the Relief fights towards them.

 

I am testing with my current playthrough if one can 'unstick' stuck Deep Strike soldiers in bugged maps using Archangel flight armour or Grapple.

 

I heard that bugged movement from Archangel flights have been known to get men stuck underground, so it seems possible that the reverse may come true! Will update.

[Caiman]

+1 for mapping spawn points.

 

This looks very very promising! :D

 

*with a 10-soldier-squad I´d actually try impossible! :devil: *

[nubzilo]

Thx for info )

Maybe anybody know how to increase amount of aliens? )

Edited October 17, 2012 by nubzilo

[tbkiah]

There are folders named DGN-DropShipSoldierSpawn in map UPKs

 

Within those folders are files named SoldierSpawns_DrpshipVol_Arc1.XComSpawnPoint... When used with a hex editor, they seem to differ in a couple numbers.. maybe they are coordinates for spawn points?

 

Although it doesn't help in the short run because we don't have a way to repackage those files to be used in the game...

[PepprmintButler]

Since deamonjax and consorts are opening the way to upk modding, a better-working large squad mod starts looking better and better.

We alreadyhave a lead on how to fix the spawn point problem. It's going to be a bit fastidious to do it on all maps, but it's doable.

What we will need next is a fix for the squad equip UI. Did anyone take a look at the ui elements already ? It seems still a long way off but the talented people on this forum are making progress at an amazing pace so I would not be too surprised if it became possible soon. I'll try looking for the relevant code in advance.

 

EDIT : So here it is, I believe - XComStrategyGame, UISquadSelect_SquadList - snippet :

simulated function Init(XComPlayerController _controller, UIFxsMovie _manager, UI_FxsScreen _screen, XGMission kMission, bool bNav)
{
local XGShip_Dropship kSkyranger;

PanelInit(_controller, _manager, _screen);
bCanNavigate = bNav;
kSkyranger = kMission.GetAssignedSkyranger();
m_iMaxSlots = kSkyranger.GetCapacity();
m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(3);
m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(2);
m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(4);
m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(1);
m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(5);
m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(0);
m_iCurrentSelection = ((m_iMaxSlots == 6) ? 5 : 4);
m_arrUIOptions.Add(6);
}

Honestly, I don't understand it ^^; Will work on it.

 

EDIT2 : regarding spawn points, I have trouble finding the relevant information in UE explorer. I can't find Object/Classes for map upks ?? There's only content and dependencies.

I can see XComSpawnPoints in Tables/Exports, but there's not much usable information in there (or I'm looking at it wrong. Being a noob, it's likely)

Also, is there a way to load decompressed map upks in UDK ? Mine crashes when I try to...

Edited October 20, 2012 by PepprmintButler

[Deleted2725050User]

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:

 

 

Ha! The avenger was like a giant bus with people crammed elbow to elbow, it was great.

[Caiman]

Maybe this´d work(for 8 soldiers for example; Skyranger_Capacity would have to be 8, too)?

 

simulated function Init(XComPlayerController _controller, UIFxsMovie _manager, UI_FxsScreen _screen, XGMission kMission, bool bNav)
{
       local XGShip_Dropship kSkyranger;

       PanelInit(_controller, _manager, _screen);
       bCanNavigate = bNav;
       kSkyranger = kMission.GetAssignedSkyranger();
       m_iMaxSlots = kSkyranger.GetCapacity();
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(3);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(2);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(4);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(1);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(5);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(6);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(7);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(0);
       m_iCurrentSelection = ((m_iMaxSlots == 8) ? 5 : 4);
       m_arrUIOptions.Add(8);
}

 

EDIT:

This is what we would need an Injector for, eh?

We can edit numbers, but inserting new strings is something else I guess... :pirate:

Edited October 20, 2012 by Caiman

[Mercsenary]

Maybe this´d work(for 8 soldiers for example; Skyranger_Capacity would have to be 8, too)?

 

simulated function Init(XComPlayerController _controller, UIFxsMovie _manager, UI_FxsScreen _screen, XGMission kMission, bool bNav)
{
       local XGShip_Dropship kSkyranger;

       PanelInit(_controller, _manager, _screen);
       bCanNavigate = bNav;
       kSkyranger = kMission.GetAssignedSkyranger();
       m_iMaxSlots = kSkyranger.GetCapacity();
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(3);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(2);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(4);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(1);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(5);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(6);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(7);
       m_arrFillOrderIndex.AddItem(0);
       m_iCurrentSelection = ((m_iMaxSlots == 8) ? 5 : 4);
       m_arrUIOptions.Add(8);
}

 

EDIT:

This is what we would need an Injector for, eh?

We can edit numbers, but inserting new strings is something else I guess... :pirate:

 

Im not entirely sure that will fix the UI issue.

 

It looks like right now the code is simply asking for Capacity.

 

The Capacity is found. And the relevant Items(soldiers) are filled in.

 

The question would be that what happens to the extra 2 soldiers. Will the game try to shoehorn their information into the sixth slot as a previous poster experienced?

 

And yes it looks like Skyranger_Capacity would have to be 8 or what have.

 

 

m_iCurrentSelection = ((m_iMaxSlots == 8) ? 5 : 4);

 

The original read 6 ? 5 4

 

6 being the obvious original max.

 

4 being the lowest amount.

 

The question is what is 5?

 

Did that come from a game where the person had already unlocked one of the slot or was this from the base game material.

 

Will we have to add "? 7 ? 6 ..." and so and so forth?

[PepprmintButler]

Well, it's difficult to predict what modifying the scripts will do.

Until we get the possibility to actually implement and test changes (for the moment we can only, painstakingly, change simple values or operators ; not add anything), not much can be said.

To get anywhere further on this subject, we are totally dependent on the talented people on this forum to devise a way to do advanced upk surgery. Because unfortunately no help will be coming from the devs in the near future (I'd love to be proven wrong but that just seems extremely unlikely)

[PepprmintButler]

Now that a way to activate the console has been found (see here), there is a much easier way to control the spawn point issue : use the TATC command (Teleport All To Cursor) at the beginning of a mission. No more separated teams or unusable teammates, everyone starts out at the same point. No more need for reloading either.

The interface issue stays though. I find that the method described by LeFire above does not work everytime - not matter how many times I go back from the squad selection screen, slot 6 stays garbled with multiple soldiers and I end up with only 6 on the map in a number of occasions. :confused: