USCM - Battlefield

I make here a single thread talking about USCM-B.
All news and work in progress will appear here.

As well as any question you may have.

About the mod backstory....
It takes place on an uncharted planet at the fringe of the known galaxy where a few explorers have ever been.

Seeing how it'll work, I might add one or more planet, and enable space travel and combat things like in the old USCM.

I won't hide that I'm getting lots of inspiration from Wh40K novels [got addicted to them ].

It is mainly a big faction war, featuring 3 playable races and a bunch of joinable factions for each of them. Each race has its own technology, edges and flaws,...

- Human
- Ork
- Elnhyn

Territories are conquerable, bringing its load of resources and stuff.
There are also buildings to capture, enabling the productions of certain type of technology.

The mod will feature questing and dungeon-exploration as well, with multiple creatures and NPCs.

USCM-B uses the last of my Core Rules System [LoS's], with major improvements. Some parts of gameplay from USCM are taken as well, though receiving lots of improvement.

*Ranged Weapon Improvement*

- Reloading Time is now featured again.
- Each weapon can have its own custom fire modes now. Much more improved than in USCM [and working better concerning the ammo feed ].

***

Today, let me introduce my new friend, the Ehkarayn.
Made by the vile Elnhyn, this weapon is quite deadly.
Classified as a Heavy Energy Weapon, it uses the Plasma Technology and its well known destructive power.
Features a 10 shots magazine and uses Plasma Cells.
The ehkarayn can be set into Normal and Heavy mode.
The latter consuming 2 times more ammo, but increasing the destructive power of the weapon.
The weak point would be the use of the Plasma Technology and its poor reliability.

No one in the Verse will ever stop you and your Ehkarayn.

I just made a complete Ork voiceset
Obviously usable by PCs.

Motion Tracker added

It works like the ol' good motion tracker heartbeat sensor from USCM, though now it works as an actual motion tracker
It displays the blips and makes a sound when a moving creature is detected.
It also displays the distance between the user and each blip.

I wanted to add the direction as well, but my brain was smoking with the math, so no direction till i find a way to do it.

Unlike USCM's, this motion tracker does not report IFF beacons, for now at least.
I am going to work on sentry guns smartlinked to a motion tracker with IFF recognition. I'll add the function from there.

Plus the mine detector function that will come at the end.

Wow wow 'ow !!!!

EXCELLENT!!!

I wana play

I haven't talked about in the features, but there's obviously much more planned than that.
Especially depending upon the faction your character will join.

Plus the magic system from LoS is not forgotten!

There will be Psykers for example, and Sorcerers [I might find another name for Chaos, though I like it ]

And one might become a Daemon Prince as well [Like the Red Prince..]

In fact, with all that I made for LoS before, this mod [minus much of the features] would be playable in one week from now I think. [I do not take the hak files into consideration though, not even a hosting server ]

Direction finally added to the Motion Tracker.
IFF recognition as well.

A IFF can be set on the Motion Tracker so that it doesn't BLIP when detecting a matching IFF.
Useful to avoid your team mates jumping each time they hear a BLIP when exploring a wreckage full of aliens

I've found a way to bypass NWN combat system
At least for ranged weapons [and PC only till I code an advanced AI for NPCs ]

Now I can fully enable my own combat system, and shooting is arcade-like

Got the idea from the way I make spacecrafts and tanks firing.

Though for it to look better I would need someone good at animations [Q, you there? ]

Worked some more on my new ranged weapon system, and it reveals itself even more interesting than I first thought.

The possibilities this system offers are simply great

- Fully integrated into the Core Rules System. Meaning that skills and lots of other parameters can apply on it.
- Dual Wield. Two ranged weapons or melee + ranged.
- Ranged Weapons can be used as melee weapons.
- Rate of Fire has a meaning now, with arcade-like gunfights. You can fire your weapon[s] as often as its rate of fire permits it. You are no longer prisoner of a stupid turn-based gameplay.

What I really need now is proper animations.
I need 3 fire and forget animations that don't last more than 0.2 seconds.
Those would take place as Animation_Custom 01, 02, and 03.
* The first one would be a one handed firing animation, with the firing position and movement of the right arm and whole body when lifting the weapon at eyesight. Besides the recoil of the weapon.
* The second one would be a one handed firing animation, with the firing position and movement of the left arm and whole body when lifting the weapon at eyesight. Besides the recoil of the weapon.
* The third one would be a two handed firing animation, with the firing position and movement of the arm and whole body when lifting the weapon at shoulder height. Besides the recoil of the weapon.

If someone comes here and can do that, I would be very thankful

***
Further testing made me draw the conclusion that this system could be spread to everything concerning combat, including melee. And would provide countless possibilities.
I would need to code a full combat system replacing NWN's, Meaning factions aqnd the whole as well.
But what I've got in mind for that promises great things.

It would require lots of animations, some are already in NWN, but need to be put as custom anims, so that they are usable via scripting.
Most of the 20 custom animations slot would be used though.


***

A Space Marine [lol] equiped with a Power Sword and a recovered Ekharayn.

Ranged Weapon Combat System, so far:

Statistics:

- Accuracy / Modifier that applies to the roll to hit a target.
- Point Blank Range / Range and modifier applied on the roll to hit on a target within PB Range
- Short Range / Range and modifier applied to the roll to hit on a target within Short Range
- Medium Range / Range and modifier applied to the roll to hit on a target within Medium Range
- Short Range / Range and modifier applied to the roll to hit on a target within Long Range
Note: Each range extends from the previous range to the Range value.
I.e 0>=PB<=1>S<=10>M<=25>L<=50 The Long Range value also indicates the max range of the weapon.
- Reliability / Poor, Average, Good, Very Good | Depending of this value your weapon may jam after a shot. Something bad could happen as well. [Imagine a plasma cell or a napalm tank exploding ]
- Fire Mode / Your weapon can feature one or more fire modes. Those could be single shot, burst, auto, heavy, flamer barrage, etc
- Reloading Time / The time needed to reload the weapon. The time decreases depending on how good you are skilled in this type of weapon.
- Rate of Fire / The time between two shots.
- Ammo Type / The type of ammo the weapon is chambered in.

Roll to Hit modifiers:
Weather condition, night/day, light, health, weapon condition, environment modifiers, miscellaneous...

Ads:
Depending of the weapon, you can upgrade it with Ads. The number and types of Ads is different from one weapon to another.

A few examples are:
Scope, LLV Scope, Thermo Scope [might add this one depending on how i manage to give walls hardness in the case someone wants to fire through ], Laser sight, Grenade Launcher, Telemeter, Recoil Compensator, SmartLink system, Suppressor Device, Laser Designator for air strike, artillery or orbital bombardment, ...

Miscellaneous:
You are able to choose a location on your target, or simply fire at her.
Ballistic and location system will be improved. [Shoot in your target's napalm tank worn as a backpack and it might be funny The reversed situation as well ]
Weapon with a high long range value, such as a sniper rifle [or any weapon featuring a scope] will get a modified version of the Seek Target System I created with the Siege System for LoS, so that you'll be able to bypass NWN camera limit.

Good news!

I worked on NPC AI, and they are now able to use the new combat system!

It still needs some work, but at least it works!

uh, though I did not understand why they hurled moaning cows to each other when firing

I created a faction system that replaces NWN's, persistent and working a lot better
It enables lots of possibilities, such as scripted behaviors depending on situations, and much more.

Each faction reaction may change towards another depending of the deeds of their members, owned territories, wealth, strength, etc...

Each NPC has her own feelings and behavior. NPCs can even act against their own faction.
Named NPCs don't have their data reset when the server reboots [LoS NPC Saving System], so they can hold grief against other NPCs or PCs over time.

A few examples of tested things:

- I Attacked a NPC with one of his faction-mate standing aside who didn't like the other guy, so he just watched and enjoyed me killing the thug.

- I wanted to pass a door guarded by an enemy faction. My character was not wearing any sign showing that she was belonging to her faction.
So they let her pass.

Note: When a creature [NPC or PC] is not showing any sign of belonging to a faction, the creature is considered as Unaligned.
Still, if the creature's Fame is high enough or known by others creatures around, you might get recognized as belonging to the faction you are known to be part of.
The same applies with named NPCs. If they know you, and know your faction, they will recognize you and you won't be able to blend in.

You start the game as Unaligned and of course you are not forced to join a faction.

This doesn't mean that being Unaligned you won't get harm.

Some factions or individual creatures might dislike Unaligned people.
[Such as a wild creature that doesn't even know what a faction is Good example as well, because this animal would be Unaligned and can attack other members of its faction.]

***

It fully works inside the Core Rules System, and includes the new combat system.

Raaaah
I wana play !!

**SENTRY GUN SYSTEM**

Brand New Feature! Was not even featured in USCM!

Here comes the Sentry Gun System!

Sentry Guns are placeables [In further update players will be able to carry and deploy them] that can fire on target creatures.

They come with an integrated motion tracker that scans every 6 seconds within the long range value of the SG and a 90 angle front of it.
It works on IFF, so you better set the IFF on the Sentry Gun prior activation.

Sentry Guns use the Ranged Combat System, so they can fire everything, from bullets to rockets and napalm.
As they use this system, SG are subject to everything affecting a firing creature [range modifiers, skill check failure, jamming, etc...].

You can click on a Sentry Gun to bring up a Conversation Menu.
In this Menu, you will be able to switch the SG on/off. [There's a beep produced by the SG each time it scans, so you know when it is ON...just don't stand in front of it ]
You can also load ammo into the SG. Target the ammo in your inventory then click on this Menu Option. The ammo need to match those used by the SG.
And of course, you can set a IFF on the SG.

***
Sentry Guns will receive an update when I'll be re-working on the Informatics System from USCM.
They will be provided with Wi-Fi Units and so players will be able to control them via WCPIP and be subject to everything this implies [like hacking that'll be fun]

* Added a random target location function for rockets missing their target.
* Added a template function for flamers.
* Added a blast wave effect to any explosion.
* KD are resisted upon a successful Stamina/2 check roll.
* Damaged placeables and items might explode.

*****
Rockets have a radius of effect, the size depending on the rocket.
The blast wave effect is extended to radius + 3 meters.
The rocket's effect might be different, going from simple explosion, to chemical, bacteriological, nuke, and so on...

*****
Hitting something with a flamer is quite easy
Just aim and pull the trigger...Everything in a 30 angle between you and the targeted location will be subject to the flamer's effect.
Though you can miss your target, in that case your character will fire in a random direction.
Most of the flamers have an Average Reliability...you really don't want it to misfire..

***
Note: Rocket Launchers and Flamers use a targeted location, meaning that your shot will not follow a moving creature but will be aimed at the location you have Targeted. You better aim on the creature's path than on the moving creature itself.

*****
Some placeables and items might explode when reaching 50% of their HP or CON.

I think I've got my final background for USCM-B

The event should take place on Earth...right after the Great War..You will soon discover what really happened to Earth and that the truth is not what you've learned aboard the USS WidowMaker.

Anyway no one ever told anything true aboard that damn ship.
And no one ever discovered what was going on either.
This, you will never know...