Messages

1

Offtopic / Re: How do we lose?

« on: September 12, 2013, 02:13:08 pm »

I now quote the quoter,

"In this new mode, will also have the option to defend Terror-Sites or let them fend for themselves. Score no longer affects you."

I would have said you have the option to harvest Terror-Sites.

I think the OP was about the game being too easy. I'm not sure if the Juju is save scamming or quits and restarts when the whole team dies, or is just a TACTICAL GENIUS. The game is blocky and pixelated, but when you get used to that it is the best game ever. You can use tactics to improve your chances of bring un-plasma-melted troops home. Ever try some of the old school challenges? I recommend the technophobe one - you hate the aliens so much that you refuse to use their technology. Research it, yes, but only so that you can get to Cydonia and end the war. Their filthy heavy plasmas can rot. 

Admittedly, the balance is out of whack (too hard early game, too easy late game... psionics, anyone?) but the 2012 XCOM is just the same. (as well as the name, thay have that in common too. just those two...) The 'challenges' were issued to add a new way of playing a very versatile game, which allowed you to skip this or that and still play. If you kill the alien brain with an X-COM standard weapon, having used only the start weapons throughout the entire playthrough, I whill give you the internet award.
(I once won the internet award for making a game with zombie koalas in it. They haven't expanded into the world yet, but wait and see... )

I go on and on, but I will say, once again, the gap between XCOM and X-COM is that X-COM allows you to PLAY IT YOUR WAY.

2

Offtopic / Re: How do we lose?

« on: September 11, 2013, 12:48:21 pm »

Finally god intervened and caused my child to notice my ASC box... while she is trying to reach it I quote from The Official Strategy Guide -
p15 - LOSING THE GAME
A number of conditions result in losing the game:
*If you stay in debt over $1 million for two cosecutive turns[... read months], the X-COM project is canceled and the game is over.
*If you have two consecutive "bad" months in terms of score, the X-COM project is canceled and the game is over. [..."bad" score varies by level....]
*If all X-Com bases are captured by aliens (if no X-COM bases remain in the game), the game is over.
*If you fail in your attempt to destroy the final alien base on Mars, the game is over.

[Chapter ends...] Nowhere does it say that because the Governments all caved in, you have to as well. Even nations who signed pacts will want wepons for 'insurance'.

And if you quit and start again when you 'might' lose, you aren't playing it X-COM style.

3

Offtopic / Re: How do we lose?

« on: September 11, 2013, 12:18:38 pm »

I'm not sure if it was originally planned, but clever commanders go into arms dealing. With weapons/items requiring no special resources, you can manufacture them as long as you have the capital. My daughter is scribbling in my 'official strategy guide' by David Ellis as I type, and only god could pry it from her hands. he chooses not to, so I can't tell you what is most profitable right now.
The point is that, after a certain point in game time, X-COM becomes self-sufficient. Even if all countries pulled out, the only real impact is funding FROM NATIONS. Do you think I won't go into 'your' country to get that alien leader, just because you bent over? While the grunts are playing with you, WE are moving up THEIR rear. Stopped funding?!? OK. Sorry for the inconvenience, we will leave (and take this big black bag with us. YOU QUIT, not us.)  After some time, X-COM no longer needs the world's support. They just get on with the job.

The 'doom meter' is a way to end games artificially. Wars and fights don't end like that. One enemy of the aliens could still make a difference, even if they had only one grenade, and had gotten to Cydonia.

4

Offtopic / Re: So what do you think of the firaxis Xcom 12'?

« on: September 11, 2013, 11:51:52 am »

Greetings, I recently posted my feelings about this game on the Unity forums, only to be told that consumer views can be expressed elswhere and my post deleted.
I make games to teach Japanese kids English, and while that is far from squad tactical simulations, WHY can't I shoot and then run? WHY can I only have one item (ONLY F%*KN' ONE!?) ?? WHY can't an assault 'class' soldier pull a trigger on an LMG, or a sniper point a shotgun in the general direction of a nearby enemy??? Never use pistols? Well F$#K you, you will forego the extra grenade and carry one anyway!? Need more engineers/scientists? F$&K NO!!! Be happy with what you are given, even if it screws you. You can't choose a strategy. WHY NOT??
If I made a game in which children had to find letters in alphabetical order to finish the game, then I guess they would play it once. maybe.
If i made a game which required kids to find letters of the alphabet and put them in the correct slots in a wall, but each letter gave them a new 'power', they could find the letters in any order, put them in in any order, and decide on tactics based on their (next) plan, the next time they try to beat the game.
When I finished the game, i just started playing the first mission with all rookies again and again, and trying out different tactics. I am yet to start the game properly for another go. It is a good tactical game, but it isn't X-COM.

5

Offtopic / Re: Your X-COM base names

« on: September 11, 2013, 11:20:19 am »

Eat at Joes.

hint - today's movie skyfox ?? ... TooOldCantRememberTheNumber..

they are ads shown on the wall of a certain spaceship. Can you name the ship?

although I now name bases by country and purpose, such as SRT, OBS, LAB, and TET.

6

Offtopic / Hardcore fan has arrived (NO, even more hardcore than that...)

« on: September 11, 2013, 11:07:31 am »

Hello to all, I am glad to be here.
Signing up was quite difficult, I got the name of the project wrong. It seems that it isn't OpenX-COM. Capitals... it seems size does matter. Then I got the OCR check that you humans seem to love so much wrong 4 times. At least I got the Roswell bit right. Not that that means anything...

Firstly no, secondly, I would like to say that openxcom has both saved my sanity and destroyed my dream. It saved me becasue I tried the 2012 XCOM, looked into xenonauts, but still play the original. I finally tried the openxcom version, and I can now say I will need nothing more from this gaming life. The ability to use mouse back and forward buttons, scroll wheel and right click exit have done wonders. Fixing the original problems and gripes about the game has only proven that classics are classics, although in need of refinement. Your team has brought the best game ever back, to a whole new audience.
SOMEONE said "I became a game designer because of X-COM.", and I say "well so did I." Unfortunately, my 3D recreation of the original, as faithful as openxcom is, has now been cancelled outright because ;
1. I should be working on paying jobs.
2. This project lowers my insane cravings for the next X-COM.

I plan to post in other threads about my opinion (as a game developer) of the 2012 XCOM, and that may involve some crazy ranting. I also plan to discuss why it is/would be so hard to make a good remake, although that may be old news.

I am an Aussie living in Japan, and I have a little girl who laughs and points at sectoids, say "there it is". (She mostly laughs when they appear suddenly, moving and then shooting one of 'us'.)

I use Blender, and am now planning to release my X-COM UFO building blocks on blendswap, and I use Unity, but that doesn't make me a programmer,does it?

I hope to have many good exchanges on this forum.

Sean.