XCOM spreads CIV love!

[Leoreth]

I never palyed the original, so I don't know how 'dumbed down' it is (hardly at all judging fromt this article that I tend to agree with).

Oh, good article. I'm keeping it bookmarked for later use when I start rambling about complexity from simplicity again.

 

[PhroX]

I never palyed the original, so I don't know how 'dumbed down' it is (hardly at all judging fromt this article that I tend to agree with).

Love that article. I see so many complaints of "dumbing down" in games, when most of the time, while the original mechanic was more "complex", it added nothing to the game except perhaps tedium (the most obvious example I can think of off the top of my head was Mass Effect 2's weapons/inventory system compared to the first - ME1 had essentially 1, maybe 2 weapons of each type, with loads of unnoticeably small variations. All the different makes and mods didn't change the way the gun played in the slightest. ME2, especially with DLC, had 3-5 genuinely different weapons within each type. The latter was accused of "dumbing down"....). It's not always so, and there are some things I will agree that "dumbing down" has hurt, but more often than not it's idiots on the internet whining rather than any real problem.

In this case, I think Firaxis got it right. I loved UFO (the real name of the original...) when I was young, but when I played it again recently, while I still enjoyed it, it seemed so fiddly. The interface was clunky, and the whole time unit system was more "depth" than the game actually needed in order to be fun. XCOM streamlines it while keeping enough depth to challenge me, and while there might be the odd loss here and there, overall the game achieves the most important goal: it's great fun to play.

 

[BvBPL]

Thanks. Unfortunately, that doesn't help when the 9 Mutons and 3 Commanders are hidden inside a UFO with crummy sight lines to the interior. Looks like Brazil will have to fend for itself on this one.

Have you tried SHIVs?

 

[Ajidica]

They are just coming online now. I really should have built a Foundry earlier but I was trying to get Sattelite coverage to keep Europe from abandoning the Council.

 

[AlpsStranger]

Protip for everyone: Play on Ironman.

I'm serious. You might not usually roll that way. You might be skeptical. Just do it. Ironman makes the game a thousand times cooler.

Have you tried SHIVs?

This too. SHIVs also act as moving cover!

 

[AlpsStranger]

In this case, I think Firaxis got it right. I loved UFO (the real name of the original...) when I was young, but when I played it again recently, while I still enjoyed it, it seemed so fiddly. The interface was clunky, and the whole time unit system was more "depth" than the game actually needed in order to be fun. XCOM streamlines it while keeping enough depth to challenge me, and while there might be the odd loss here and there, overall the game achieves the most important goal: it's great fun to play.

Hallelujah brother! Another one sees the light! Step out of the darkness and enjoy some good, streamlined games with me.

 

[bhsup]

I loved UFO (the real name of the original...)

That actually amused me. A lot of folks don't realize that outside of the US it was UFO: Enemy Unknown rather than X-COM: UFO Defense. I really liked how they combined the two into XCOM: Enemy Unknown for this one

EDIT: And I just broke down and stupidly ordered the strategy guide. I am -really- struggling mightily with finances/resources and am hoping to find a brilliant insight in it. Won't find one, of course, but here's hoping. Eh, if anything, maybe it'll have the stuff that a manual might have normally had, since there doesn't seem to be an actual manual for this beyond the four page thing available from Steam.

 

[BvBPL]

I got my tail handed to me in what I assume to the be the final part of the final mission last night. And I was playing on Ironman. Thankfully the game lets you restart that last mission if you muck it up.

 

[Disgustipated]

Okay, you guys convinced me. I'll try to find X-com tomorrow at the store. But if it's not good, I'll be coming back to this thread to raise all kinds of hell. Because personally, I can't see how controlling only a 4 person squad would be nearly as fun as the original X-com. It seems like they are tuning the game into a rpg which I don't think is a good idea.

This is my biggest problem with the game. Only 4 people? What gives? It seems to me they had performance problems, so they restricted the number of x-com member. An organization consisting of many nations can only field 4 agents against the aliens? Ridiculous. I just hate the fact you can only have 4 (or 6) people. And I have a feeling I'm going to hate the game.

As for the article above, I still don't agree with it. More options is still better. The best of both worlds is to automate things so if you don't want to utilize the options, you don't have to.

 

[bhsup]

You unlock two additional squad slots as you progress (among other squad improvement thingies) your highest ranked soldier through the ranks.

EDIT: Oh dur, you had the 6 hidden there so I guess you knew this.

So anyway, I'll just use this post to talk about SHIVs. I've used an alloy shiv w/laser now and to be honest, while yes a rolling cover is nice, I actually find the loss of a soldier not worth the addition of the SHIV. I guess maybe if it was the SHIV or a recruit or squaddie maybe, but I don't think it is a good swap for a captain or even Lt.

 

[BvBPL]

I just beat the game. I also tried the multiplayer for a session.

 

[Ajidica]

The small squad sizes really helps with the whole concept of 'choices' that runs throughout the game. Do you take the extra Heavy to help with supression fire, the Assault to run to close range and give the Muton a terminal case of "Shotgun to the face", the Support to fulfill various roles including keeping rookies alive, the Sniper to take care of enemies at range (better hope the map is open), or one of the rookies to help level them up? I know you had to make those decisions in the original XCOM but here those decisions have a much greater impact. While I have never played the original XCOM, I have plaed UFO:AI which is essentialy XCOM with 3d graphics and non-destructable terrain. The large number of soldiers you could take with you made the "Assault v. Heavy" decision easier as it was relatively easy to find a place to stick the rookie. Also, the battles go much faster and the stakes feel higher. Plus when one of your soldiers dies it is a far more visceral feeling of loss. At best your team combat strength is down by 1/6. Even a rookie can provide a valuable service in flanking bonus' or simply proving more lead in the air.

I will say that air combat sucks. You can only send one Interceptor after a UFO at a time and the only options you have in combat are some wierd 'powerups' that you have to research and consume alien corpses seemingly at random. (Sattelite Targeting consumes Sectoid corpses?)

 

[uppi]

Any tips for handling Sectoid Commanders? I finished the first Alien Base mission and now I am facing Mutons and Sectiod Commanders on a regular basis. While I can handle the Mutons (keep them pinned down, then blast them to little bits with an Assault soldier), the Sectiod Commanders are really damaging my precious Assault troopers.

When storming an landed or crashed UFO, the commanders tend to hang around in the "control room" of the UFO. Once you have encountered the type of UFO already, you should know where that room is. Stay clear of that room until nothing else is left on the map and then plan that assault really well: Position your troops at the entrances of that room, let them all reload and heal up as much as possible. Then open the door as the first action of the turn and concentrate all firepower on the commanders. Don't bother with cover (useless against Psionic attacks anyway), run in and shoot them at point blank range. When a soldier gets mind controlled, ignore him and focus on the alien doing the mind control instead.

 

[MobBoss]

I will say that air combat sucks. You can only send one Interceptor after a UFO at a time and the only options you have in combat are some wierd 'powerups' that you have to research and consume alien corpses seemingly at random. (Sattelite Targeting consumes Sectoid corpses?)

Uhm, no, thats not all. There is also tech you can buy to add onto the interceptors that arent power-up in nature. But beware, you have to plan ahead as it takes a few days for the new equipment to get their and be installed.

And i'm on my third reset in Ironman mode. Each time I seem to get a bit further....prior to losing all my troops that is.

 

[Winner]

Got it yesterday.

I am very positively surprised. The game has a lot of depth concerning researching, developing and improving stuff, it plays well, and it is CHALLENGING both in missions and the "geoscape" mode. It was dumbed down/streamlined in some aspects I'd like to keep from the original, but generally the changes have been for the better.

One thing I kind of don't like though is that I have no say in assigning classes to soldiers. I understand that if I could do it all on my own it would make the game easier, but now I am seriously lacking "assault" and "support" troopers, while having too many snipers and heavies. I guess the classes are assigned based on what you do with the rookie on his/her first mission, so my style of play leads to this, but I still don't like it.

Other things on my mind:
- money is a problem! I am surprised, I have never had a problem with my finances in previous X-COM games, I was usually awash with money. Here I am permanently struggling to scratch up money for building weapons and armours for my troops.
- resources - alien alloys are permanently in short supply. And no "I have tons of alien weapons from missions" any more - unless you are willing to risk getting them alive, which gets pretty hard pretty soon.
- Air combat is a bit of a disappointment, shooting UFO's is pretty rare, and even the "interception screen" is too simplistic. I haven't yet developed advanced X-COM crafts.
- Soldiers' stats: rookies are all the same? Ahh, I kind of liked sifting through rookies in the original game.


I'll add more things as I remember them So far so good, I must say.

 

[BvBPL]

Re: assigning solider classes. I've generally found that the game likes to promote soldiers to the classes you are weakest in. So if you lose your assault guy you'll probably get another when you promote your rookie.

That said, some classes are more inherently dangerous than others. Snipers tend to stay pretty safe, whereas assaults probably have the highest life insurance premiums.

 

[Winner]

I don't know about that - I've got tons of snipers, a few heavies, but very few supports and assaults (the two most valuable types, if you ask me).

BTW, you can't sell your weapons? (Lasers, plasma, etc.?)

 

[Disgustipated]

I'm a bit pissed off no stores carry this game (PC version) and I'm forced to buy it from Steam. Argh. I'll be knocking my review of the game down because of that. For that alone the original is better because at least I own the original. I have low expectations of this game, and expect to get bored of it in 20 or 30 hours, but we'll see.

So I tried Fry's which used to have an awesome selection of PC games, but I admit I haven't been in Fry's to buy a game in probably 5 years. I either buy from Target or Online. The only games they had in quantity was World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2. They must think the only thing PC games play is MMORPG's. Fry's lost my loyalty for this one, I'm never shopping there again. They had like 3 complete shelves full of the new WOW XP. I used to be a huge WOW fan, but can't play due to the addictiveness of it. But even I admit the new XP looks horrible (it looks like they are providing fuzzy pandas for the young fans of the game, it looks to be aimed at 10 year olds).

I checked Target again thinking new shipments of games come in on Tuesdays. Nope, not there. So then I tried Best Buy. I couldn't find the games so I asked. They also looked it up in the computer for me. They only had one edition of the special edition. I was unwilling to pay $60 for a game I may get bored of in a week, so I passed. Not to mention all the gas I wasted running around today.

So I'm stuck downloading this monster of a game on my slow internet connection. . Maybe next week I'll finally be able to play.

Anyways based on all the amazing reviews, this game better be good... or else.

I guess the days of buying PC games in brick and mortar stores is over.

 

[bhsup]

Even if you bought it at a store, it's just like Civ V in that it installs into steam and you have to have steam to run it. THere is no way around it, so it doesn't really matter in that regard that you bought it from steam... other than download time.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It's crashing

this game is currently unavailable ( application running )