Author Topic: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace  (Read 6705 times)

Offline Hobbes

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[WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« on: January 15, 2022, 06:54:55 am »
Hello all,

2022 will be a special year for me because it marks the 20th anniversary of my first major fan project related to a videogame, the fanfic novel XCOM: The Unknown Menace, which tells the story of the First Alien War in a whooping 692 pages.

And that year also kinda marks the beginning of my XCOM modding with the first map mod I ever made as a replacement for the original game's Terror Site terrain, originally called 'City' and later adapted to OpenXCom as 'Commercial'. My map modding then extended to making part of the UFO2000 project, a multiplayer clone of the original game, where I created several terrains that eventually I later adapted to the Terrain Pack and Area 51 OXC mods, which included even more new terrains I made, and that have been unavailable for the past years due to a number of issues and the lack of time to solve them, which caused me to make a pause from XCOM/OXC modding, after a really long time involved. 

But my personal love for XCOM modding has never disappeared, and over the past years I received requests and feedback to make my mods available once again, for the OXC community to play and enjoy. It is then my pleasure to announce that I'm currently actively working on a new OXC mod, called the XCOM: The Unknown Menace in homage and inspired by my original fanfic (which also inspired Area 51, thus the circle becomes complete).

I won't provide more details at his point, other that it will be an expansion to the original game built upon my previous work and new original material, and it will include selected features from other mods that I'm currently in the process of contacting the authors to obtain their permissions, in order to add them. It won't be a mod pack though since I'm done for good with that kind of projects, so those contributions are going to be on a needed basis and I won't take requests to add additional features.

ETA is currently unknown but stay tuned: there's a fast mover on its way. ;)

PS (January 18th, 2022) - Things have changed after I posted this, because of my decision to make Terrain Pack to go open source. So the stated above will not be exactly like it turns out.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2022, 03:12:06 pm by Hobbes »

Offline zombiewhisperer

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Re: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2022, 08:36:54 am »
i started your fan fiction but is there a way for you to turn it into an ebook or pdf to read it on the go?

Joe

Offline Hobbes

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Re: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2022, 02:31:05 pm »
i started your fan fiction but is there a way for you to turn it into an ebook or pdf to read it on the go?

Joe

Hi. Yes, I have it on .pdf. I'll send you the link through PM later.

Offline Slaughter

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Re: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2022, 08:05:04 pm »
Hey, I remember your novel! Takes me back! It was fantastic! Pity you never finished the TFTD sequel, the direction it was being taken on seemed fairly interesting.

A mod inspired by it can only be good! Watching.

Offline Hobbes

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Re: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2022, 08:40:30 pm »
Hey, I remember your novel! Takes me back! It was fantastic! Pity you never finished the TFTD sequel, the direction it was being taken on seemed fairly interesting.

A mod inspired by it can only be good! Watching.

Well, there was a change of plans recently, which I'm going to announce soon. ;)

Offline Whettingstone

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Re: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« Reply #5 on: March 18, 2022, 02:04:13 pm »
Hi. Yes, I have it on .pdf. I'll send you the link through PM later.

I also remember reading this. I must have read it somewhere in 2002-2003.

Anyway. I'd love to have that pdf as well. (I actually registered on the forums to ask for the pdf :) )

Offline Hobbes

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Re: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2022, 03:55:36 am »
I also remember reading this. I must have read it somewhere in 2002-2003.

Anyway. I'd love to have that pdf as well. (I actually registered on the forums to ask for the pdf :) )

I sent you the link through PM :)

Offline Sandwich

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Re: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« Reply #7 on: December 18, 2023, 12:43:06 am »
Sorry to necro the thread, but I've always wanted to get around to reading your fanfic, Hobbes. I do have it as PDF already, although I don't think it's the "official" PDF—I believe it's just something I created from the online version.

Anyway, I have one question, and one "fanfic" of my own to offer you.

Question: I've tried a number of times to get into TUM, but I always found the grammatical issues frustrating (although understandable). I've often thought about proofreading it, but I'd rather not do something like that without your permission. So, have you ever considered having it proofread?

Fanfic: As part of creating that online PDF version, I wanted to convert it into an EPUB so I could read it on an e-reader. But, it really kinda needed a cover... so I made one! Figured I'd share it here. :)


Offline Hobbes

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Re: [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2023, 04:00:18 pm »
That .pdf is as official as it can get... BladeFireLight made it like 20 years ago.

A lot of people tried proofreading the novel... with 692 pages is not an easy task. If you are willing to give it a try, good luck, and if you finish the job, I'll definitely be interested on it. :)