•Destructible environments
No brainer.
•In the scenario they showed, one member died. Because of this the other squadmates didn't get an experience bonus
Hmmm...bonus? People might save/reload to hell for that bonus. Still, no biggie
•Without the bonus, the sniper leveled up still. He was able to choose from two abilities. Either Squad Sight(which means he can shoot anything a squadmate can see) and Snap Shot(which lets him shoot after moving. Something snipers aren't normally allowed to do)
Perks is ok.
•You can't recruit specific classes. You can only recruit rookies and then level them up to become specific classes
Not bad.
There's apparently a 'Heavy Armed Mobile Cover Platform that serves as a powerful rock on which to anchor any tactical advantage' and you can directly customize the heavy troops armor and weapons individually.
What does this even mean? Are we talking in combat here or is this a part of the base or what?
THE VAST MAJORITY OF XCOM'S CONTENT COMES IN THE FORM OF PROCEDURUALLY GENERATED MISSIONS AND ENCOUNTERS, MEANING THAT EVERY PLAYTHROUGH UNFOLDS DIFFERENTLY. (Sorry for the caps, just quoting here.)
•enemy spawns are randomized
•randomly generated missions, terrain. Developer says you'll never play the exact same mission twice outside of a few story missions which feature in-game cinematics
Good.
•fog of war is confirmed. area starts off with darkness everywhere, and the average soldier can't see ☺☺☺☺
Hmmm, ok i guess.
I take it to mean no view of buildings or terrain at all. I would prefer total view of area, but without seeing targets/civilians. I mean, they do have some recon on the ares they attack or what? (also, hopefully there will be civies).
•The base's screenshot is accurate. It is now a side shot instead of top down. You can also upgrade your base, like the satellite, with alien technology
Side view? What the hell for? I take it that also means no attacks on base, since it won't really have a layout?
•There was an example in one scenario where Japan had the laser rifle already developed before the invasion because they felt threatened, so that seems random.
Different factions develop tech according to enviroment. Sounds really good.
•You have 16 countries in the funding council you need to keep happy. Some provide more money, but others, like Africa, provide more raw resources
Good.
•The sniper units have a grappling hook ability to get on top of buildings
But not regular unit? Why? Also, does this mean enemies won't be on top of buidlings?
•Gunners have a suppressing fire
Very Good.
•you can equip your xcom guys with all kinds of different guns. customization looks like a big deal
Good. As it should be.
•Apparently there's some sort of cinematic view when your guys get killed. They didn't cite VATS or anything, so I doubt it's too in depth
Sounds really sucky, but we'll see.
•Unexperienced agents can panic, freak out, etc if something bad happens
Good.
•Firaxis designer states that the PC version will have an enhanced interface. He cites Dragon Age: Origins on PC and console as a big inspiration
Enhanced interface and DAO in same sentence? Not good.
•No black blobs in Firaxis's XCOM. The guys in suits are called "Thin Men" and they can use weapons, jump large distances, and puke disgusting goo.
What does this mean? Only two legged aliens with guns?
•No action points. The game uses a move-and-shoot (or move-and-move) dynamic. They don't want people piddling around counting individual action points. Some will call this a concession to consolitis; others will call it useful streamlining.
Fuck. That does not bode well. Could it work? Possibly.
Will it without a shadow of doubt dumb the gameplay down? Duh.
•Soldiers gain perk-like abilities when leveling up; some examples given are, for a sniper, Snap Shot (move-then-shoot, not normally a sniper option) or Squad Sight (shoot any enemy anyone on your squad can see -- not sure of the rationale there....).
Hmmm, perk like abilities but no abilities scores (or what)? That sounds fucking popamole as shit. Does this mean same amount of HP, accuracy, reflexes, etc for all units of the same experience?
•The strategic layer is extremely robust. You still need to choose which countries to send missions to, which offers of aid (in exchange for more protection) you'll accept from which countries, which alien technologies you'll research, etc. The back-and-forth between tactical and strategic play remains at the heart of the game.
Another no-brainer.
•Overwatch, duck-and-cover, etc. are all still very much present, tactically.
Overwatch is there, but is there interrupt? And if there are no ability scores, how would interrupt work?
How would duck and cover work with the two action point system?
•You can research vehicles, which take the place of a squaddie. They don't gain XP and when they are destroyed they are lost for good, but they provide serious cover and firepower. One example given is a mobile heavy weapons platform that serves as a good overwatcher for a tactical advance.
Sounds popamole. Could be decent.
•Aliens have their own special perk-like abilities as well.
Good.
Ammo is abstracted. You're assumed to be carrying enough clips to reload as much as you want, but it takes a turn to do so.
What? Bullshit.
sniper rifles are unusual in that they take a full turn to shoot
Decent enough i suppose.
So yeah, you only have one base.
Not good.
Your single base is like way more crazy awesome than any base from the original
Dumb bastard.
lots of opportunities for more decision-making in terms of digging deeper as well as what kind of expansion facilities you add on
hmmm. We'll see.
