XCOM Enemy Unknown

[Amaror]

Only 4 Soldiers?
That's so stupid i don't even know what to say.
Guess it will be xenonauts for me, thank you.

Btw: xenonauts has a kickstarter going with a public demo for everyone. So everybody who wants to try a remake that is nearer to the original should definitly look at this!

 

[ThriKreen]

What I got from the feature here was that we can build multiple bases, it seems, though we only get one headquarters.

I'm also really excited about this game, I haven't played the originals, but the concepts involved are just so facinating, I'm willing to jump right in.

That's correct - You have your main HQ that houses your team and facilities, then you can build multiple bases around the world that act as interceptor bases, where you launch your jets that shoot the UFOs down.

The locations of the interceptor bases are very important, just like the original game.

 

[Wereduck]

4 or 6 soldiers is just stupid. It doesn't create a more tense tactical mission, it creates save/load exploitation and that replaces tension with annoyance while simultaneously ruining immersion - oh joy.

All of my best X-COM memories involved my squad getting hit hard, taking significant casualties, then regrouping and finishing the mission so their comrades' sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. Even when things went according to plan I'd still lose the occasional scout, sometimes I'd even lose someone important to an ambush, stray fire or my own overconfidence - it kept the aliens a credible threat. Without the numbers to absorb a little punishment though, the only way the game can stay winnable is with OP agents, nerfed aliens or quicksave abuse and any of those will ruin the experience.

Well, at least there's still Xenonauts.

 

[Bostur]

Will it even have a Geoscape or will missions be a linear series of events? Most of what I heard would suggest the latter and really take away from the management and planning.

 

[Tiamat666]

The new XCOM even goes one better than the original by allowing you to open doors quietly without having to barge right into the room. >

What do you mean? I can open doors in X-Com without barging into the room. Right-click other side of door while facing door.

That's only possible in "Terror of The Deep" or with an extender mod.

Oh, ok. I only played Terror from the Deep because I got it first and the creepy atmosphere felt superior to the somewhat cheesy, cliché Sci-Fi setting of the original X-Com. Never realized that this open-door ability didn't exist in the original.

 

[Tradjus]

Squads of four huh? Heh, alright, but the soldiers in XCOM were about as well armored as a French Fancy with a bite taken out of it to begin with. So hopefully we won't lose about a hundred million missions before our little tykes are leveled up enough to survive a plasma pistol shot to the face.

 

[The Critic]

Will it even have a Geoscape or will missions be a linear series of events? Most of what I heard would suggest the latter and really take away from the management and planning.

From what I've heard, the game is mostly freeform, with a few "tentpole" missions scattered through the campaign. So, no two playthroughs will be exactly the same (we can choose which missions to take, what research to do, where to place our bases, etc.), but everyone has to experience certain critical moments, it looks like.

As for the 4-6 man squad limit, I really don't see the problem with this. Since the combat system would seem to focus around tactical planning and proper gearing of troops, rahter than pulling a Zerg-rush on the aliens, a small number would seem to be about right. Hopefully, as someone above me pointed out, this means that our troops will be exempt from "bullshit deaths" caused by lucky breaks/rolls for the AI, and that our decisions are going to be what determines who we lose.

I just hope that the 6-man limit upgrade can be researched fairly early on, or at the very latest, be researched mid-game. It would suck if we spend the whole game developing great 4-unit tactics, then suddenly have to learn how to use 6 units in the last few missions.

 

[Bostur]

Will it even have a Geoscape or will missions be a linear series of events? Most of what I heard would suggest the latter and really take away from the management and planning.

From what I've heard, the game is mostly freeform, with a few "tentpole" missions scattered through the campaign. So, no two playthroughs will be exactly the same (we can choose which missions to take, what research to do, where to place our bases, etc.), but everyone has to experience certain critical moments, it looks like.

I suppose thats possible to do the old way without showing an actual global map, and my assumption that it wont have a map is still unconfirmed.

One rumour I heard that made me skeptical was that bases beyond the first have very limited functionality, that made think that they wanted to simplify the UI in this area.

One of the most characterstic elements of X-Com was the way the strategic and tactical gameplay melded together. Most of the preview information about the new one focuses on the tactical elements though. This have made me a bit concerned that it will be a mostly linear campaign.

 

[Saviordd1]

I'm going to do the sensible thing and WAIT AND SEE.

The designers have made it very clear that this game will love to kick your ass up and down, and losing people will be common.

Again, wait and see, I'm not gonna cry "RUINED FOREVER" when its not even out yet.

 

[2fish]

I never played X-com until a few years back and it was fun but I never had the time to get into it. I did play enough to get the feel of the game and to start my second base. The idea of 4 soldiers, soldier classes, and the perk tree kinda turns me off.

I hope the game works out but I think I may enjoy Xenonauts more at this point. I hope for a demo of X-Com to try the ideas rather than just dismiss them.

Time Units never bothered me as I still play Blood Bowl LE. The movment concept is close enough to TU.

 

[tmande2nd]

So...like Dawn of War 2 then?
I liked it but it was a far cry from my table top days.

So instead of fighting with an army we are fighting with a special ops team?
Hopefully there is a rez option.

 

[Rabid Toilet]

I suppose thats possible to do the old way without showing an actual global map, and my assumption that it wont have a map is still unconfirmed.

One rumour I heard that made me skeptical was that bases beyond the first have very limited functionality, that made think that they wanted to simplify the UI in this area.

One of the most characterstic elements of X-Com was the way the strategic and tactical gameplay melded together. Most of the preview information about the new one focuses on the tactical elements though. This have made me a bit concerned that it will be a mostly linear campaign.

Don't worry, the Geoscape is here and intact. Much like in the original, you watch the globe until your radar picks up a UFO, send interceptors to shoot it down, then send your soldiers to clear the wreckage.

The thing with the bases is true, however. You have one main base where all of your research and development happens, and can put smaller bases all over the globe that function solely as interceptor launch points. Personally, this doesn't concern me too much, since that's pretty much all I ever used my secondary bases for in the original anyway.

 

[octafish]

Hmmmm, I am concerned over the small squads, seems like it will encourage save-scumming. I blame consoles and their awkward controllers. Then again I blame consoles for everything, ran out of milk, global warming, the Kennedy assassination...

 

[yayforgiveaway]

And since you can only take four soldiers with you on any given mission, getting the right mix is imperative.

Lol this is more stupid than the x-com shooter

 

[Vault101]

dumb qustion but...

is this thing turn based?

 

[Vankraken]

4 man missions???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But seriously 4 is a bit low. Sure 26 from an avenger was too much (that 80 item limit....). Four man seems really limiting as a casualty is a 25% manpower reduction (i know dat math yo) and I feel that if death is a real concern then you wouldn't want to break away from keeping the entire 4 man team close and rarely risk splitting off to cover more ground. Gotta play it to tell for sure but im not exactly thrilled by this change. The upgrade to 6 is better but I would rather see it scaled up to a minimum of 6 baseline and 10 max.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

I didn't even know what X-Com was until this article. It looks... alright, I guess?

 

[salinv]

dumb qustion but...

is this thing turn based?

Firaxis's new version of XCOM streamlines a few of the features. Gone are the reserved time units for varying shots. In their place is a two-action per turn policy where soldiers can either move and shoot, move and prepare to fire during the aliens' turn, or simply burn both moves to dash ahead on the battlefield.

In other words, yes, it is.

 

[octafish]

dumb qustion but...

is this thing turn based?

But of course, it's X-Com. Only with less soldiers.

EDIT:

NIIIIIIIIIINJAAAAAAAAAAAS!

 

[Vault101]

dumb qustion but...

is this thing turn based?

But of course, it's X-Com. Only with less soldiers.

EDIT:
NIIIIIIIIIINJAAAAAAAAAAAS!

ah, cool

I had never plaed or heard of XCOM before all of this, so yeah

only turnbased thing Ive ever been able to tolerate is pokemon