XCOM Enemy Unknown

[Bostur]

"Procedurally generated" means random. The units are still randomly distributed, and you won't know where they are beforehand.

Not if they are generated to within a small section of a level where the variety of which will be small and predictable, vs random distribution of all enemies at the start.


It's a bit like a D&D game where the GM makes up "nice and neat" encounters as travel down a path in comparison to a game where encounters are completely random or enemies have already been placed in specific areas.

X-Com shouldn't be "nice and neat" it should be harsh and unforgiving where shit happens all the time.

'Nice and neat encounters' is the opposite of procedurally generated. In games it simply means that it isn't determined at design time. A procedurally generated map will be different every time, unlike a designed map that will be the same each playthrough.
In practice procedurally generated is what most people call random. There are many different ways to do it in practice, and exactly how random it will feel is impossible to determine based on this description. It can be predictable, but it doesn't have to be. That depends on the ruleset they choose use.

 

[RobotDinosaur]

So, here's my take: I really tried to like XCOM but it wore out its welcome before I was able to capture a live commander to unlock the final missions, and the fun started to wear out well before that. The streamlining of the battles alone makes me super interested in this new version. One problem I had with the original is that battles took a LONG time - you had to be careful if you didn't want your party wiped out. Which was fine, it's supposed to be a challenge. But then you have to fight SO MANY battles, and eventually I just got tired of the micromanagement needed both in and out of battles that's necessary to get through the game.

I'll also say that yeah, maybe the purists have a right to be aggrieved by some of this. But Firaxis isn't making the game for purists, they're making it for gamers, so they need it to be fun for a wider audience. Watching my squad get murdered by aliens and failing miserably isn't fun, and if that's what I can look forward to in a game then I'm more likely to spend my scarce gaming time and money elsewhere.

 

[Sven Liebe]

Edit: The video you posted is funny, but exaggerated. Once you have Sonic weapons, Lobster Men are not much harder to kill than any other alien.

The difficulty is not the point of the video. There is also a link in the description of the video which leads to "The Improper method of dealing with Cruise Ship Terror Missions" on viddler... which is 96 minutes long. Lobster Man Cruise Ship Terror Missions tend to be a bit longish and can at the end degrade to a bughunt where you basically start searching every container, every corner for that last alien... Definitely not fun.

 

[cefm]

The reduction to 4 seems ill-conceived. It means you no longer have a true multi-squad force, so you aren't engaging the battlefield with the same approach of sending out multiple squads to work as a team.

But my bigger complaint is that it is coming out NOW, when I no longer have enough free time to play an XCOM title!!!

 

[benvorbeck]

Everyone appears to be freaking out about the small squad size. I'll admit, that I enjoyed having a large team in the original, but I think with the streamlining of mission actions and the unit promotion system, the developers are trying to make it seem like more of an elite unit.

I will reserve judgement until the game comes out but I trust that the developers are doing the right thing, considering that they are all supposed to be fans of the original.

Exactly!!! so stop complaining bitches, you are going to buy and enjoy it anyway

 

[deathninja]

Cenega's homages had something like 5-6 troops, with battles ranging from 3-4 mobs at first up to dozens by endgame, Aftershock and Afterlight only had to one base too.

They worked well, so I keep an eye on this, especially with Firaxis at the helm.

 

[Zulnam]

FOUR soldiers?! What the fuck!! FOUR?! With the squad size upgradable to SIX?! What is this shit?!!?!

I have never been infuriated over a franchise taking a turn I didn't like and I never understood people who got angry over these kind of things, but NOW... Now I understand.

One of the funnest parts for me in the original game was having incredible tactical flexibility. When I didn't know where the aliens were or they were spread on more fronts, I would break my 12-man unit into 3 squads and engage them on all fronts, providing one squad for flanking. Why? And, at least, why not 8? Is it because the game is too easy with a larger squad? Well then, crank up the fucking difficulty!

And don't get me wrong, I like what I've seen about this game so far. I like the cover system or the zoom-in to third person when you're firing. It gives the series a fresh gameplay mechanic... But a max 6-man unit? That's... just wrong.

 

[Atmos Duality]

4-6 Units would is good enough for me if it were a limit per team (for multiple teams).
I used fire teams of 3-4 units in X-COM Apocalypse, which worked out a bit better than the usual meatgrinder that was X-COM 1 and 2 (well, luck with Brainsuckers pending).

Of course, this is just ONE team of 4-6 agents.

"Procedurally generated" means random. The units are still randomly distributed, and you won't know where they are beforehand.

Not if they are generated to within a small section of a level where the variety of which will be small and predictable, vs random distribution of all enemies at the start.


It's a bit like a D&D game where the GM makes up "nice and neat" encounters as travel down a path in comparison to a game where encounters are completely random or enemies have already been placed in specific areas.

X-Com shouldn't be "nice and neat" it should be harsh and unforgiving where shit happens all the time.

Most "procedurally generated" games I've played (a lot of roguelikes) has been exactly as you desire. Everything from Nethack, to Diablo 2 to A Valley Without Wind. The full encounter zone (enemies and their positions included) is generated when you load the area.

The only major exception, ironically, is Left4Dead. But that's because that game takes the player's status into account for when it generates items, mobs, and special infected.

I see your concern though. It'd suck if it everything were tailored to your situation, rather than punishing you properly for fucking up. This is war, after all.

 

[Breywood]

I took a double take when I saw X-COM. It's a game that always deserves honorable mention when taking a trip down memory lane. I knew there were some independent projects people were working on a redux in their spare time, but I had no idea that it was actually reaching fruition. I'll agree with the others that you need some more room for redshirts, but I was one of those people who would save VERY often during combat, and come out with few losses, if any.*

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one.


*If you like playing realistic and taking the nasty losses, that's fine, in fact, you've got my admiration, but I hate casualties and it's just a game. An awesome game.