X-COM Firaxis - XCOM: Enemy Unknown + Enemy Within Expansion

[Jarpie]

I predict that this remake will be pretty much utter failure, old fans won't like it because it's too much dumbed down, and new players won't like because it's not dumbed down enough.

 

[Achilles]

It's certainly possible but for the moment I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[J_C]

Sid Meier sez pretty graphics equals easier access

No need to bash Sid, he is just stating the truth. The tard gamers of today won't even look at a game if it hasn't got pretty graphics.

 

[Raghar]

Looking at 1920x1080 monitor from 1.5 meters isn't pretty. Yes I understand I can use projector and a wall, but I have large wall and I want to use it whole, not just tiny small space. So proper GFX which will not kill you eyes are important, they must be at least decent, or abstract.

 

[Infinitron]

Sid Meier sez pretty graphics equals easier access

No need to bash Sid, he is just stating the truth. The tard gamers of today won't even look at a game if it hasn't got pretty graphics.

Only if you don't define 'pretty' as UBER HIGH-BUDGET GRITTY SUPER-REALISM.

 

[spectre]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/01/xcom-enemy-unknown-preview/#more-92040
An interview with Jake Solomon.
It starts pretty awkward.

Jake Solomon: Alec! I was hoping it would be you.

RPS: Really?

Jake Solomon: Yes Alec, I’m a long-term reader so I know who you are. I have the advantage here. I love your stuff and I know that I’m talking to a real fan here so this’ll be an easy conversation (laughter)

Reading it as we speak, will report if there's anything worthwile.

Edith:
The guy really wants to make an impression that they've been as faithful to the originals as it's feasible in 2012.
Only semi-interesting tidbit is that the PC version will be made with Pc controls in mind and should allow for a more zoomed-out view, so I'm guessing the ots, cinematic camera is intended for consoles. Oh well, they know their audience.

Then comes this gem:

The first prototype I wrote was basically a recreation of the original game, so we started with everything: time units, which I know you’re going to ask me about [laughs], time units, ammo, everything, a recreation of the original game.

That's some quality trolling from the dev if you ask me.

Apart from that, lots of blah blah and little new info. Part II and III is supposed to talk the more interesting stuff.
Also, where the fuck are the editors, I know it's a transcript, but this thing is painful to read.

 

[Trash]

Read a preview in Belgian gameplay magazine which might give a little more hope. Squads, permadeath, rookies not getting a class untill after the first mission, funding made a little more involved with some communication with and side-missions from donor countries, base management now being down from a side-view instead of the top-down, satellites being used to track ufos, first shot of the geoscape which looks an awfull lot alike. It sounds like it might be xcom but I won't hold my breath.

I mean, where is my muton in spandex? Seriously.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/02/firaxis-xcom-preview/#more-92264

Second part of the interview is up and there are some tasty morsels in there. Biggest gripe is me wondering if they removed base defend missions. Biggest pros are me liking how wounded troops will also have a permanent effect. I also dig the idea of seeing people walk around the base and there being a memorial wall. Seems they at least really thought about the game but the more I hear the more questions pop up.

 

[hiver]

The third part is up too.
For someone that never played the originals this third part sounds very promising. It even looks good enough that im considering buying it, after reading it.
Of course, if they actually deliver.

 

[kyrub]

Biggest pros are me liking how wounded troops will also have a permanent effect.

You like it? Did you notice the whole story? It's terribly implemented. He said: after the critical injury, soldiers will loose part of their strong will (= resistance to Psi). So, after you organize a fantastic rescue mission for a near-dead guy, he will become potentially fragile to mind control - the one reason to sack him immediately. You will make a personal connection to the lad, then kick him out for the sake of the team. Mad. (Plus, it is nonsense. Most people who live near-death experiences come out of that stronger in terms of life balance. The people who witness others die may become fragile for a longer period.)


As a feature, I would love to see "panic" reaction shots on civilians - from less brave soldiers. That is perfectly realistic, some movement occurs and the freak shoots like a mad.

 

[Average Manatee]

Read a preview in Belgian gameplay magazine which might give a little more hope. Squads, permadeath, rookies not getting a class untill after the first mission, funding made a little more involved with some communication with and side-missions from donor countries, base management now being down from a side-view instead of the top-down, satellites being used to track ufos, first shot of the geoscape which looks an awfull lot alike. It sounds like it might be xcom but I won't hold my breath.

Second part of the interview is up and there are some tasty morsels in there. Biggest gripe is me wondering if they removed base defend missions. Biggest pros are me liking how wounded troops will also have a permanent effect. I also dig the idea of seeing people walk around the base and there being a memorial wall.

If there is a memorial area, it HAS to be done in a Cannon Fodder style. No exceptions.

I'm not too upset about base defense missions (they were ridiculously easy to avoid anyway), but not having multiple bases will be a very large step back. Some of the additions are good ideas though (specifically special side mission is a really good addition).

Biggest pros are me liking how wounded troops will also have a permanent effect.

You like it? Did you notice the whole story? It's terribly implemented. He said: after the critical injury, soldiers will loose part of their strong will (= resistance to Psi). So, after you organize a fantastic rescue mission for a near-dead guy, he will become potentially fragile to mind control - the one reason to sack him immediately. You will make a personal connection to the lad, then kick him out for the sake of the team. Mad. (Plus, it is nonsense. Most people who live near-death experiences come out of that stronger in terms of life balance. The people who witness others die may become fragile for a longer period.)

You can be 99.9% certain that Psi resistance is an improvable stat.

 

[Marobug]

I kind of like where this is going.

 

[hiver]

Well, maybe the Psi resistance is lowered only for the duration of the injury...? And saving and patching them up could affect that?

 

[kyrub]

Well, maybe the Psi resistance is lowered only for the duration of the injury...? And saving and patching them up could affect that?

It did not sound so in the interview.

One more thing (if anyone from the dev-team is reading this forum by hazard), could they (you) please *not* separate the "civilian" turn from the "alien" turn? Mix them together! So that the player doesn't know who makes that door noise etc.? So that you are unsure how many aliens are still moving, so that you fear who comes from behind the corner - and it's a girl in bikini.

Separate civilian turn is one basic mistake that takes away half of the suspension during enemy turns. JA 2, X-COM and many other great TB games did it badly. Let's improve.

 

[Raghar]

Is there a transcription of that podcast?

 

[spectre]

kyrub
There's one problem with the interview, it's so vague it's virtually impossible to draw any specific conclusions out of that.
I have to admit though, the guy pulls all the right strings for me. Having spent some time on the new jagged aliance remake forum yesterday, damn that felt refreshing.

Separate civilian turn is one basic mistake that takes away half of the suspension during enemy turns. JA 2, X-COM and many other great TB games did it badly. Let's improve.

That's actually a pretty important thing. Hopefully they keep the Hidden Movement message too. Small things like that add up.

 

[GarfunkeL]

After Civ 5 I have no trust left in Firaxis. And 2K knows how to coach people for interviews, just remember Bioshock and how it was supposed to be a faithful successor to SS2.

 

[Trash]

Biggest pros are me liking how wounded troops will also have a permanent effect.

You like it? Did you notice the whole story? It's terribly implemented. He said: after the critical injury, soldiers will loose part of their strong will (= resistance to Psi). So, after you organize a fantastic rescue mission for a near-dead guy, he will become potentially fragile to mind control - the one reason to sack him immediately. You will make a personal connection to the lad, then kick him out for the sake of the team. Mad. (Plus, it is nonsense. Most people who live near-death experiences come out of that stronger in terms of life balance. The people who witness others die may become fragile for a longer period.

Nope, I must have skipped that part. I just assumed they would go with stat penalties and possibly traits like one eyed, brain damaged, deadly afraid of mutons and the like. Disappointing, though after looking through the article again I do get the idea that stats can be improved. Presumably even crippled ones. Still, disappointing as many aspects seem under scrutiny. No more base defense missions? Rage.

 

[Infinitron]

How often did base defense missions actually happen? You had to fuck up pretty badly to allow one of those battleships to come near your doorstep.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Quite often, in my experience. Those base defence facilities weren't worth the money until the last ones and early-to-mid game you had to be quite lucky to be able to shoot a battleship down.

 

[Raghar]

11 times in UFO:ET in about 8 months. After six months I researched some alien tech and was able to sell some expensive stuff, which allowed me to have electricity for whole month instead of shutting electricity for half month because of inability to pay electricity bills. It speed up a research and allowed to manufacture proper amount of weapon ammo.
Interceptors were often hidden to avoid paying for yet another interceptor shot down.
And these defenses were quite brutal, screams not that weapon platform, wow it survived, do you know how expensive it's and how many engineers and for how long it's made, and no not yet another crew down, it would be month and half yet again in hospital and I need to have some soldiers for these shot down missions, not to mention for base attack missions to get money.
Now the brutal stuff is to avoid losing soldiers and transport plane on missions. These soldiers don't grow on trees, it takes while until a some volunteer insane enough to accept the pain and stuff like: He was splatered by alien gun and there are just few remains with spine. Spine? Did you take it with you? No. Then go back and retreive it, we need it for the regeneration of the soldier. And these who took these pieces of brains with dirt included did great, but next time try to avoid to mix pieces of brains of three soldiers... Four. ...together, it's pain to separate them in time to avoid further damage, and we need the pieces of brain to keep theirs abilities. Try to place each soldier brain into separate well ventilated cool box.

If you wanna challenge, start on normal, sell everything and demolish all facilities, and then build them again and buy equipment again. It would be much more challenging, and in the proper way.

Attack on alien bases, to force other countries to pay again, were cruel as well.

 

[Average Manatee]

I can't remember the last time I got a base defense mission that I wasn't actively trying for. As long as you shoot all of the scouts down none will ever come, and this is easy since even the human missiles outrange everything smaller than a battleship.

XCOM is bugged so that base defenses are useless. If you shoot the battleship down with them then aliens instantly send another.

 

[Forgotten Friend]

Any time I shot one down they were just gone, but shooting down a battleship takes so many defenses it's not worth it to avoid the mission. Damaging them will decrease the number of attackers, but the attacks are only hard because you have the 80 item bug which can be avoided by selling stuff off right before the attack.

 

[zeitgeist]

Separate civilian turn is one basic mistake that takes away half of the suspension during enemy turns.

This is a pretty good point, I'd like to see that as a mechanic too, including reaction fire against civilians, panic (in player and characters both) due to not being able to know who's an enemy and who's a civilian at first glance, and so on. It would also add more variety to the game and character/party building, like choosing a character who's very quick but doesn't really differentiate between enemies and civilians, resulting in too many civilian casulties, or a character who's more level-headed but slower and similar tradeoffs.

 

[kyrub]

Exactly. These small things really count. I would love to see a small sequence like: a civilian guy runs out of the apartment as your soldier watches nearby... suddenly (interrupt!) a non-visible alien shoots from inside the house... then the alien walks out of the apartment... your soldier (interrupt!) blasts him dead... another woman runs out on balcony, screaming... this time you get the other alien before he gets her.

Is this so hard to program? I doubt it.

choosing a character who's very quick but doesn't really differentiate between enemies and civilians, resulting in too many civilian casulties, or a character who's more level-headed but slower and similar tradeoffs.

Some psychic profile/background would be great but I cannot see it in this game. Ja2 had them, visible, hidden etc.

 

[Forgotten Friend]

Since that's how lots of training goes it would make sense to have as a stat, even.