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

[Alienman]

Been playing it a bit again with all DLCs I have missed out on activated, and man, even on normal the game feels very stressful. It progress way too fast. Soon you will be fighting these mega creatures that take an awful long time to kill... on almost every mission. While epic at times, but it's just so often. And there is so many negative debuffs all over the place, on the tactical level, and on the geoscape. Kinda curious how you are supposed to keep up with it all without feeling totally overwhelmed, with permitted losses and without meta-playing the whole thing. Like now I can't seem to find a replacement for a dead sniper. I just want to complete my squad dammit, but I can't since I have no snipers on the map for recruitment or through Phoenix Point channels making me waste a lot of time. Then again there isn't much more to explore because the mist is covering most of the world and the big flying thing is eating everything up.

I really wish the other factions would actually do something. They still just sit around passively and die, for some reason counting on Phoenix Point to do everything. Immersion breaking to say the least. They got thousands of soldiers and followers, but a scrappy organization that can barely get 15 men together is supposed to save the world single-handedly. I have nothing against a challenge, but it's just stressful and messy, especially with all these DLC notification/missions popping up, and other pop ups explaining things constantly, corruption levels to keep check on, flying Behemoth to keep tabs on, like baby-sitting faction bases wasn't enough already.

Oh well, will continue a bit more just to play it out. Doubt I will ever be able to finish it

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Kinda curious how you are supposed to keep up with it all without feeling totally overwhelmed

This is caused by all the DLC. In my last playthrough, it just felt like everything kept snowballing and it was almost impossible to manage. I guess it was intended on some level, but it was just way too much happening at once.

 

[Alienman]

Kinda curious how you are supposed to keep up with it all without feeling totally overwhelmed

This is caused by all the DLC. In my last playthrough, it just felt like everything kept snowballing and it was almost impossible to manage. I guess it was intended on some level, but it was just way too much happening at once.

Yeah. It's funny, I get the impression that before the activation of Phoenix Point the world (while not doing great) was pretty stagnant and humanity had a serious chance of recovery, but as soon as someone pressed the go

for the PP project the whole world just went nuts. Weird factions starting to mess around, ancient robots gaining sentience, awaken godzilla tier flying behemoth with only destruction on its mind, mutant lab escape and so on :D

All that within the first few days.

 

[ArchAngel]

Been playing it a bit again with all DLCs I have missed out on activated, and man, even on normal the game feels very stressful. It progress way too fast. Soon you will be fighting these mega creatures that take an awful long time to kill... on almost every mission. While epic at times, but it's just so often. And there is so many negative debuffs all over the place, on the tactical level, and on the geoscape. Kinda curious how you are supposed to keep up with it all without feeling totally overwhelmed, with permitted losses and without meta-playing the whole thing. Like now I can't seem to find a replacement for a dead sniper. I just want to complete my squad dammit, but I can't since I have no snipers on the map for recruitment or through Phoenix Point channels making me waste a lot of time. Then again there isn't much more to explore because the mist is covering most of the world and the big flying thing is eating everything up.

I really wish the other factions would actually do something. They still just sit around passively and die, for some reason counting on Phoenix Point to do everything. Immersion breaking to say the least. They got thousands of soldiers and followers, but a scrappy organization that can barely get 15 men together is supposed to save the world single-handedly. I have nothing against a challenge, but it's just stressful and messy, especially with all these DLC notification/missions popping up, and other pop ups explaining things constantly, corruption levels to keep check on, flying Behemoth to keep tabs on, like baby-sitting faction bases wasn't enough already.

Oh well, will continue a bit more just to play it out. Doubt I will ever be able to finish it

Yea the gameplay can get crazy and while it seems like you are only one doing something each of the factions has endgame tech that is needed to win the game. You can also win without any faction but that path is both most difficult and ending is worst storywise.

Also you have to consider 3 factions are civilization building ones, PP are scientists/soldiers with a singular goal and access to tech not available to others.

 

[lightbane]

Sounds like the DLCs are messing up the gameplay more than intended, as it tends to happen.

Soo... Is it fully complete by now?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Is that vehicle centric DLC out yet?

 

[Zombra]

Isn't that the crazy complicated game we were all hoping for?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Isn't that the crazy complicated game we were all hoping for?

No, the problem is that the DLC keeps triggering so soon after each other and in the early game. It seemed to me like they wanted people to get to the DLC ASAP, which is not a good format for these types of games.

Also, festering skies just sucks. Disable it.

 

[lightbane]

Sounds like the DLCs are messing up the gameplay more than intended, as it tends to happen.

just like nuXcum

devs themselves should have the best sense about implementing dlc in a manner that gels with what was released as the base game, but it's like devs don't play their own games

Which nu-XCOM? First one's DLCs were okay, they made you OP, but the core gameplay was more or less the same, with enemies gaining new tricks to compensate.
Second one's DLCs got comlpetely crazy, with 3 uber-bosses that would fit better in a comicbook setting, but you get so many hilariously powerful new units and options it doesn't matter. For not to mention XCOM2 works better with mods.
In PP, it looks like they're using the Paradox style of DLCs, which is to push out as many as possible, regardless of how well they mesh together.

Speaking of: How's the modding scene/base for PP?

 

[Shog-goth]

Isn't that the crazy complicated game we were all hoping for?

Complicated ≠ complex. This latter aspect is what many are looking for in a game of this genre, which would have aspired to be the spiritual sequel to X-COM. In this case, however, we had a good dose of the first: convoluted, cumbersome, without any internal logic and, worst of all, damn boring, shallow and banal.

 

[eXalted]

Waited 2 years for the "full product" only to read this.

Okay, back to XPiratez it is.

 

[Trithne]

Which nu-XCOM? First one's DLCs were okay, they made you OP, but the core gameplay was more or less the same, with enemies gaining new tricks to compensate.
Second one's DLCs got comlpetely crazy, with 3 uber-bosses that would fit better in a comicbook setting, but you get so many hilariously powerful new units and options it doesn't matter. For not to mention XCOM2 works better with mods.

NuXcom is a comic book setting though.

 

[Alienman]

Speaking of: How's the modding scene/base for PP?

Nexus site was pretty dead when I checked it out.

 

[lightbane]

Which nu-XCOM? First one's DLCs were okay, they made you OP, but the core gameplay was more or less the same, with enemies gaining new tricks to compensate.
Second one's DLCs got comlpetely crazy, with 3 uber-bosses that would fit better in a comicbook setting, but you get so many hilariously powerful new units and options it doesn't matter. For not to mention XCOM2 works better with mods.

NuXcom is a comic book setting though.

Well, sure, but somewhat low-key, especially the OG game. The OP units from both games' DLCs bring that up to straight superhero territory.

 

[eXalted]

both games' DLCs bring that up to straight superhero territory.

If I could only play Long War 2 in the LWotC engine without all the choosen, Reapers, etc. bullshit.

 

[Grunker]

Isn't that the crazy complicated game we were all hoping for?

I don't mind the complexity. What I mind is the insane amount of housekeeping for marginal effects the game makes you do. It boggles the mind why they made 50 DLCs for a game that expanded with tons of new, marginal systems with unfinished and broken design instead of making the ones already in the game feel more impactful and fun to interact with.

So the problem isn't that it's complex or that there's a lot of systems: the problem is that they are just not fun to interact with IMHO.

I really enjoyed the core gameplay of PP, but I ended up dropping it solely because of all the marginal systems that weren't fun and constantly demanded your attention from all the fun stuff.

It's really sad. I was incredibly skeptical about what the bullet model of the game would add, but it's basically the most incredibly fun system I think I've ever interacted with in a turn-based game. Every single tactical squad-game should copy Phoenix Point's bullet mechanics. It's nearly perfect.

 

[Alienman]

It's really sad. I was incredibly skeptical about what the bullet model of the game would add, but it's basically the most incredibly fun system I think I've ever interacted with in a turn-based game. Every single tactical squad-game should copy Phoenix Point's bullet mechanics. It's nearly perfect.

Check out Urban Strife and Project Haven if you haven't, coming this year I believe. Haven is basically the same, Urban is more like Silent Storm I would guess, but still use true line of sight etc.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Every single tactical squad-game should copy Phoenix Point's bullet mechanics

Even Dungeons of Naheulbeuk?

 

[Grunker]

Every single tactical squad-game should copy Phoenix Point's bullet mechanics

Even Dungeons of Naheulbeuk?

Games without bullets probably won't get much out of bullet mechanics I'm thinking

 

[Jaedar]

Every single tactical squad-game should copy Phoenix Point's bullet mechanics

Even Dungeons of Naheulbeuk?

Games without bullets probably won't get much out of bullet mechanics I'm thinking

What about arrows and magic spells though?
Imagine having your fireball scatter and dealing damage to your own frontline. Could be a lot of fun.

 

[ArchAngel]

Isn't that the crazy complicated game we were all hoping for?

No, the problem is that the DLC keeps triggering so soon after each other and in the early game. It seemed to me like they wanted people to get to the DLC ASAP, which is not a good format for these types of games.

Also, festering skies just sucks. Disable it.

I keep that DLC on for additional challenge since game on Legendary is too easy for me. But for average players, it does not add much except irritation.

 

[Serus]

NuXcom is a comic book setting though.

Truth to be told, so was the original X-com. The intro, the illustration, some of the aliens...

 

[gurugeorge]

NuXcom is a comic book setting though.

Truth to be told, so was the original X-com. The intro, the illustration, some of the aliens...

I thought it was based on the Gerry and Syvlia Anderson non-puppet (live actor) puppet show UFO?

 

[Endemic]

I thought it was based on the Gerry and Syvlia Anderson non-puppet (live actor) puppet show UFO?

That was one influence, yes. But there are some noticeable differences: in the TV series there is a human base on the moon, and the aliens don't go all guns blazing. In fact you barely see them, some episodes are literally just crew interpersonal drama.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

NuXcom is a comic book setting though.

Truth to be told, so was the original X-com. The intro, the illustration, some of the aliens...

I thought it was based on the Gerry and Syvlia Anderson non-puppet (live actor) puppet show UFO?

That too, but certain comics influences are very clear.
I think it's most notable with Personal Armour.

Compare with.