KickStarter Phoenix Point - the new game from X-COM creator Julian Gollop

[PanteraNera]

 

[PanteraNera]

So with Phoenix Project the theme seems to be "sports".
The heavies shoulder pads certainly look like it incorporates a football.

Mission accomplished, a great success :D .

 

[Alienman]

When the shoulder-pads are so big they block your aim.

 

[PanteraNera]

When the shoulder-pads are so big they block your aim.

But he fires from the hip

 

[Alienman]

When the shoulder-pads are so big they block your aim.

But he fires from the hip

Looks like he bends back and raise the shoulder in front of his face.

Actually not sure what he is doing in that animation when I think about it.

 

[PanteraNera]

Looks like he bends back and raise the shoulder in front of his face.

Actually not sure what he is doing in that animation when I think about it.

Duh obviously he is flashing ... his gun.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

When the shoulder-pads are so big they block your aim.

But he fires from the hip

Looks like he bends back and raise the shoulder in front of his face.

Actually not sure what he is doing in that animation when I think about it.

Maybe its a reload animation? He does appear to be pulling that lever thing in the front. Maybe that cycles a new projectile into the chamber? It looks more like a grenade launcher than a machine gun.

 

[Mustawd]

I really don't see the problem. Big dumb shoulder pads are a part of sci-fi armor design. Even Fallout had it.

Big dumb shoulder pads Im ok with. But what thesheeep said.

 

[PanteraNera]

Another shot of the Heavy from discord:

Maybe its a reload animation? He does appear to be pulling that lever thing in the front. Maybe that cycles a new projectile into the chamber? It looks more like a grenade launcher than a machine gun.

It actually is a grenade launcher
Or maybe it is a animation related to an weapon specific skill.

 

[Kitchen Utensil]

 

[Zombra]

To be honest, I agree that the shoulder pad thing needs to die. I've hated it at least since World of Warcraft.

 

[PanteraNera]

To be honest, I agree that the shoulder pad thing needs to die. I've hated it at least since World of Warcraft.

Well I do think it is hard to do a good silhouette that is easily read-able and for that matter distinguishable from top-down / iso-view while not looking silly up close.
On the other hand shoulder-pads have quite a tradition in X-Com:

 

[Alienman]

Futuristic armor must have shoulderpads or you will be shot. Think it's a law.

 

[PanteraNera]

Futuristic armor must have shoulderpads or you will be shot. Think it's a law.

Crysis-guys beg to differ:

Fortunately the only image we saw since fig showing Synedrion showed that it was going to be Crysis-like. So there is hope that at least one faction might be shoulder-pad-free .

Also the head on the left building in this concept really remind me of Fallout 1:

But could be just me

 

[Mustawd]

Well I do think it is hard to do a good silhouette that is easily read-able and for that matter distinguishable from top-down / iso-view while not looking silly up close.
On the other hand shoulder-pads have quite a tradition in X-Com:

 

[hello friend]

To be honest, I agree that the shoulder pad thing needs to die. I've hated it at least since World of Warcraft.

Same.

Man, I was so excited about this game for a while. Recently, with each update I want to play it less and less.

 

[Grotesque]

The first time I saw the still image I really thought it's another of Shog-goth photoshopped image for another round of laughs.
That soldier looks like a 3 year old's cheap plastic toy.
Well, if Gollop likes it, it's law and everybody must... gobble it up!

Same.

Man, I was so excited about this game for a while. Recently, with each update I want to play it less and less.

Spoiler

 

[Mustawd]

The first time I saw the still image I really thought it's another of Shog-goth photoshopped image for another round of laughs.
That soldier looks like a 3 year old's cheap plastic toy.

I thought it was a joke at first. Ugh.

The only hope I have is that modders will fix the look. Please god modders...fix the look.

 

[warci]

It's not about the shoulder pads per se, it's the mindblowing 'muricah blandness of design that hurts my brain. Even looking at the low-res original, you've got a bunch of dudes in purple spandex suits evolving to some kind of cosplay fail thing built from cardboard boxes and empty bottles (the power suit). It looks like it was barely past the prototype stage but immediately rushed to the frontlines. the art tells a story here.
the nu-art just smells like the game is probably in the unity engine.

 

[HansDampf]

On the other hand shoulder-pads have quite a tradition in X-Com:

Different art style.

 

[PanteraNera]

It's not about the shoulder pads per se, it's the mindblowing 'muricah blandness of design that hurts my brain. Even looking at the low-res original, you've got a bunch of dudes in purple spandex suits evolving to some kind of cosplay fail thing built from cardboard boxes and empty bottles (the power suit). It looks like it was barely past the prototype stage but immediately rushed to the frontlines. the art tells a story here.
the nu-art just smells like the game is probably in the unity engine.

Different art style.

Well, you guys should know me by now.
I certainly liked the initial pitch a lot more. For example the New Jericho faction, that looked post-apocalyptic but not silly like Fallout 3&4 raiders, it had seriousness and grittiness. By the concept you could tell that they have to use what they can get their hands on. Don't get me started at the "Thing-like" alien creatures. Or regarding the current topic the Phoenix Project soldiers. Or the other factions.

While I still am very unhappy with the direction the game is heading to, visually, I am actually quite positive about the game as I really have a blast with Backer Build 3.
As my codex preview takes some more time, just some quick words: this game is in a sea of 2AP clones a glimm of hope, as it does use a TU system that lets you do a lot of stuff, just like in the original. It does not go all the way, it introduce some new game mechanics and it is visually very similar to Firaxis XCOM, but the gameplay is fun!
Currently I am having 8 PP bases, with 6 aircraft all of them with up to 8 soldiers. I cover most of the world, can do missions were they pop up, and they do pop up not "artificially" (scripted) but "organically" as the alien thread tries to expand. While there are still a lot of features missing, the combination of the current GeoScape and BattleScape are enough for me to make this game highly enjoyable even so far as stating: "Phoenix Point might become the true X-Com successor after all".

As UnstableVoltage said several times, yes they want to make this a financial success. I can life with them changing the art-style to be more appealing to the NuXCOM-Players, because if they are successful this might be a chance that other developers will also make more complex games as well.

Still I am with anyone that says, that pretty much everything looked better as in more distinct, grimm, horrifying, interesting, "realistic" in the original pitch.

 

[Galdred]

I'd call it a minor gripe, too, but you can't really deny that there's a certain difference between a Space Marine tank like that and a guy in military outfit... with football shoulder pads.

yes, the guy with football shoulder pads can still raise his arms!

Another shot of the Heavy from discord:

Maybe its a reload animation? He does appear to be pulling that lever thing in the front. Maybe that cycles a new projectile into the chamber? It looks more like a grenade launcher than a machine gun.

It actually is a grenade launcher
Or maybe it is a animation related to an weapon specific skill.

Ok, this one probably can't either...

Now look at how the problem was solved centuries ago, by having articulation on the pauldrons:

 

[hello friend]

Honestly, I don't think the bland artstyle makes it more likely that people will buy it. Just because NuXCOM looked a bit like that doesn't mean that's all people want, it's just what they got.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

To be honest, I agree that the shoulder pad thing needs to die. I've hated it at least since World of Warcraft.

Well I do think it is hard to do a good silhouette that is easily read-able and for that matter distinguishable from top-down / iso-view while not looking silly up close.
On the other hand shoulder-pads have quite a tradition in X-Com:

Pads have been in Gollop's games longer than that.

Its one of those cases where concept that look good in pixels turns horrible when presented in more "realistic" fashion.