![]() ![]() For the main ship, we decided on a white acrylic dome 1/8" thick x 30" dia x 15" high plus 1/8 flange for $91. I placed the order by phone and they were a pleasure to work with. ![]() After a google search, I found a company called EZ Tops World Wide Inc which manufactures plastic domes and replacement skylights. So for the new incarnation, I decided to bite the bullet and order custom acrylic domes (which turned out to be the priciest item used in construction). Although inexpensive and functional, I was disappointed with the final results. In my original display, I used a children's dome umbrella which I painted as the cockpit. I've left the finished ships outside for more than a week exposed to heavy downpours with no problems. The nice thing about making the props out of umbrellas is that they are inherently waterproof. To assemble, I simply guided the top half into the collar and gravity held it in place. The key component to couple/join the two halves together was old piece of shop vac tube cut to size, which turned out to be the perfect diameter, thickness and strength. Be sure to use a back-and-forth motion while painting to simulate a metal look. It took about 20 cans of Rust-olem Aluminum 7515. Cut off the main mast with a jigsaw, then paint the outside material with silver spray paint. Open the umbrella to it's maximum and use a steel pin to keep it in position. In starting the construction, remove and discard the small top fabric vent. He was located an hour away so I didn't have to pay for shipping. I got an awesome deal when I found all four of them (two for each UFO) from one seller on eBay for about $120. The umbrellas that I used were manufactured by Pottery Barn (as seen in the picture from the catalog). I think the one's with eight panels have the best look. Saving the game is impossible in tactical mode.The body of the ships are made out of patio umbrellas. Civilians and other bystanders may be found during the mission, either being targeted by the aliens, or just getting in the way while the troops try to protect them. All actions in Tactical mode require Time Units to perform and once a soldier is out of Time Units, he or she can't do anything more until the next turn. Each soldier gets a certain number of Time Units (TUs), representing the total time they have to act during the current turn. During the player's turn the troops can be ordered to move around, fire their weapons, throw grenades or use other equipment. Tactical mode uses a turn-based system, where the human team and the aliens take turns to make moves. Instead of pushing impersonal armies around on giant maps, the players uses only the team of soldiers assigned to deal with this mission. In Tactical mode, the player takes command of a team of soldiers in various missions to combat the aliens wherever they might appear. Research will progress and items will be produced as time passes. Geoscape mode employs easy-to-use time buttons to control the passage of time, automatically pausing whenever there's an important message. The player can build, buy and produce anything available, as long as technology level and budget will allow it. Interceptor aircraft can be launched to shoot down UFOs and dispatch dropships in response to alien activity across the globe. Once researched, new technologies may be used in battle against the aliens. The player directs the activities and finances of PHALANX, controlling bases, installations, aircraft and squads of armed-response troops. Geoscape mode deals with base management and strategy. Like the original X-COM games, UFO:AI has two main modes of play: Geoscape mode and Tactical (also known as Battlescape) mode. As of version 2.5, all elements in the downloadable tarballs is released under Free Software licenses. Licensed under the GNU General Public License, UFO: Alien Invasion is free software. Currently, version 2.5 is the most up to date stable version (released 28 June 2014). Most aspects of the game are still in an evolutionary development, but it should be considered a fully playable game. However, it's neither a sequel nor a remake of any X-COM or other commercial title: "What we as a team wanted to make is a brand new experience that tries to surpass the quality of games from 1992, rather than simply recreate them with flashier graphics." The game takes a lot of inspiration from the X-COM series by Mythos Games and MicroProse. The game aims to combine military realism with hard science-fiction and the weirdness of an alien invasion and the turn-based system is supposed to give the player pin-point control of his/her squad while maintaining a sense of pace and danger. UFO: Alien Invasion is a squad-based tactical strategy game in the tradition of the classic X-COM series of games (the player controls a secret organisation charged with defending Earth from a brutal alien enemy). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |