Phoenix Point is the New Turn-Based Tactics Games from X-COM Creator Julian Gollop

[ffronw]

Phoenix Point is the New Turn-Based Tactics Games from X-COM Creator Julian Gollop

The newest turn-based tactics game from X-COM creator Julian Gollop is Phoenix Point, and it's now crowdfunding on Fig.

British game designer Julian Gollop has worked on many games over the years, but none are as popular as X-COM. Now he's working on a new spiritual successor to X-COM that's hit crowdfunding. Titled Phoenix Point, it's a sci-fi "turn-based tactics and world-based strategy game" from Gollop and Gaming Insiders founder David Kaye, and it's being developed by Snapshot Games.


The game is being crowdfunded on Fig [https://www.fig.co/campaigns/phoenix-point], with a goal of $500,000, with $300,000 open for "reservations of Fig securities that would generate a return based on the game's sales."

Gollop says of the game, "We are creating Phoenix Point by taking influences from the famed X-COM franchise. We are updating our favorite gameplay features from X-COM titles such as UFO: Enemy Unknown and X-COM Apocalypse that I designed, and mixing them with some of the amazing ideas Firaxis Games executed brilliantly in their franchise reboots, to create an entirely new game whose essence lies in the XCOM genre."

The game is scheduled to launch in Q4 of 2018 on PC, and has already been in development for over a year. If you want in on the crowdfunding, you can find it on Fig [<a href=]

[gallery=7288]

Permalink

 

[Aerosteam]

Happy to see aquatic enemies since it seems the XCOM reboot is omitting them. Also, awesome to have proper boss battles in this type of game.

And you can target specific body parts? I always felt it was a natural evolution from just selecting the whole enemy with a basic health bar associated with it, really cool... however, I'm still not a fan of percentages dictating pretty much how every attack will play out, I would've preferred it you can physically aim where your unit is shooting, I think that would add much more depth and required skill.

 

[pookie101]

Happy to see aquatic enemies since it seems the XCOM reboot is omitting them. Also, awesome to have proper boss battles in this type of game.

And you can target specific body parts? I always felt it was a natural evolution from just selecting the whole enemy with a basic health bar associated with it, really cool... however, I'm still not a fan of percentages dictating pretty much how every attack will play out, I would've preferred it you can physically aim where your unit is shooting, I think that would add much more depth and required skill.

physically aiming would involve zero skill as its turn based. it wouldnt be any different from clicking on a part and auto hitting every time

 

[Aerosteam]

Happy to see aquatic enemies since it seems the XCOM reboot is omitting them. Also, awesome to have proper boss battles in this type of game.

And you can target specific body parts? I always felt it was a natural evolution from just selecting the whole enemy with a basic health bar associated with it, really cool... however, I'm still not a fan of percentages dictating pretty much how every attack will play out, I would've preferred it you can physically aim where your unit is shooting, I think that would add much more depth and required skill.

physically aiming would involve zero skill as its turn based. it wouldnt be any different from clicking on a part and auto hitting every time

Probably not if it's played straight, there can be depth in adding moving parts so the player would have to consider timing with shots. And the aliens can follow the same rule, like have a unit with a shield and point it a certain direction to block hits at a certain angle, same goes for enemies with armour, and units from both sides would have to position accordingly. Plus, being able to physically aim allows the player to shoot at a wall and break it to create a little window to shoot through or create a passage- basically a step up from resorting to explosives only like in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

 

[TilMorrow]

So XCOM with crab-human hybrid enemies and a vats style targeting system? Eh looks interesting enough but the whole crowdfunding angle puts a damper on it for me though that's mostly due to my perception that every game that's not part of a major studio uses it nowadays and there's no guarantee of what they pitch is what you get. (Still waiting on Cryamore -_-) I at least hope they address the rng calculations of taking a shot especially when you're stood right in front of an enemy and you still manage to miss but then the computer returns fire, gets a crit and causes half the map to blow up and destroy most of your team. Oh and more interaction with base building.

Edit: So I finished watching the video and noticed Gollop said the studio he's with had already released a critically acclaimed game called Chao's Reborn. Though the fact I had to google it kinda shows how forgettable it was especially when I realised it was the infuriating game where you had percentage chances to cast spells, not too dissimilar to XCOM hit chances, and that you could spend a whole game flubbing casts or opt to summon illusions that were severely weaker. I guess that means they won't be addressing the rng as such then but at least it adds credit that they do follow through with what they pitch for a kickstarter. Though I do wonder why they went with Fig this time around.

 

[DoPo]

This game looks AMAZING! I can't wait for it to release.

Plus, being able to physically aim allows the player to shoot at a wall and break it to create a little window to shoot through or create a passage- basically a step up from resorting to explosives only like in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

That has little to do with manually aiming, though: in Enemy Within, the MECs have the ability to destroy cover with their weapons or with a punch. In XCOM 2 you can get a cover destroying weapon attack for your grenadiers, furthermore, a lot more of the environment is destructable, so you can go ahead and punch a hole in a building, if you wish[foootnote]I've had multiple occasions when I've done this in order to make my own entry or exit from a building - it's pretty awesome[/footnote].

So, this functionality already exists in-game. I do think it can be used more extensively, though - you should be allowed to target the environment more often - for example, focusing fire on a car that an enemy is hiding behind should be viable to anyone.

 

[Zhukov]

Those enemy designs look like shit.

Actually, it all looks rather ugly.

Apart from that I'm on board. The enemy evolution mechanic sounds like it could be nifty.

 

[Hawki]

I've heard people compare this to Lovecraft, and I can sort of see that (i.e. he had 'fish people' in some of his stories), but if anything, I'm reminded of the necromorphs from Dead Space.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

The animation looks a bit janky but it's a pre alpha product. I wish them well.

 

[DoPo]

It's neither, I thought even with the original X-Com trilogy's age the influence would be obvious. This is clearly a combination of Terror From The Deep and Apocalypse.

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought. I did recognise the X-COM "touches" in monsters and I've not even played those games.

I suppose you could say that the original inspiration was "lovecraftian" but...uh, even then it'd be a bit of a stretch on the term to make it closer to "scary and strange" than "absolutely otherworldly".

 

[Elijin]

Did he have anything to do with X-com 2? Because that game was at odds with itself "Don't rush in blindly, that's not very tactical and will get you in bad spots! Also you have 4 turns to disarm that objective of the other side of the map."

So long as he's not part of that team, I'm sold. I love single player turn based grid games, its just so hard to find good ones. Or...ones that aren't 8/16bit.

 

[Xerosch]

Happy to see aquatic enemies since it seems the XCOM reboot is omitting them.

I'm not that happy, I'm terrified. Well, that's mostly because I fear everything that lives underwater, soooo... But aside from that: This game looks gorgeous and hits all the right spots for me. I just hope we can get a Playstation version as my PC will probably melt when I try to install this.

 

[DoPo]

Did he have anything to do with X-com 2?

Correction - you are talking about XCOM - without a dash. That's the reboot of the X-COM (with a dash) series from the nineties. Julian Gollop worked on the latter.

Because that game was at odds with itself "Don't rush in blindly, that's not very tactical and will get you in bad spots! Also you have 4 turns to disarm that objective of the other side of the map."

Not at odds at all. The game gives you more than enough tools to handle what you encounter. If there were no time limits, the game would be quite trivial due to the range of options you get. The game is quite fair - it it wasn't, then

Spoiler: this

This is from Beaglerush's ironman legendary playthrough of the game [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXctaw5JGF4JoiYXc4lq-wvm75GwcvzZK]

would be absolutely impossible to get.

 

[Elijin]

Did he have anything to do with X-com 2?

Correction - you are talking about XCOM - without a dash. That's the reboot of the X-COM (with a dash) series from the nineties. Julian Gollop worked on the latter.

Because that game was at odds with itself "Don't rush in blindly, that's not very tactical and will get you in bad spots! Also you have 4 turns to disarm that objective of the other side of the map."

Not at odds at all. The game gives you more than enough tools to handle what you encounter. If there were no time limits, the game would be quite trivial due to the range of options you get. The game is quite fair - it it wasn't, then

Spoiler: this

This is from Beaglerush's ironman legendary playthrough of the game [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXctaw5JGF4JoiYXc4lq-wvm75GwcvzZK]

would be absolutely impossible to get.

I just don't like timed missions in any format really. Bugs me in things like Starcraft, C&C, even the Total War game I've played had a 'win by turn x' feature I couldn't work out how to turn off. I just like to play at my own pace. Find some other way to put balanced pressure on me devs!

But thanks for clearing up the initial question.

 

[Quazimofo]

I'm almost certainly going to buy this when it comes out. But, much like Wasteland 3, it's a long way away, so I'll refrain from squeeing about how awesome it looks until that day comes much closer.

 

[Quellist]

They can shove this where the sun don't shine. In yesterdays update they announced fucking DLC! And backers (other than the backers who bought the 'Luxury Edition') will have to pay for it!