I have loved xcom xfiles. But as I play my brain keeps coming up with ideas for different things that might make the game more fun. So I thought I would post a few of them and see what other people think.
First some Lore
The aliens have always been interested in earth because it has some properties that allow access to other dimensions. Earth acts as a sort of Nexus.
A group of scientist (perhaps using alien technology) have breached the dimensional barrier resulting in some creatures crossing though. Also this thinned the barrier and now exotic energies into the universe that allows or at least easier access to magic like abilities (ex: Psionic and Mana/Magic).
These dimensional energies can also change and heighten ones mind creating essentially Mad Scientists. Here are few ideas for them
- Gain the ability to become brilliant for but lose common sense during that time.
- Allow them to warp the rules and create weird or eldritch creations
Starting mechanic: (This one may just for me)
The Council sets up a randomly picked front company for interacting with the public. Depending on which front company you get changes what bonus and disadvantages you start with. (I have been coding some of this myself but am still trying to figure it all out and how exactly some of it would work.)
Say you start with a security company you get the following
- Higher tier of starting weapons you can purchase. SMG, Riles etc.
- Faster access to weapons
- Slower access to travel options
Now lets say you start with travel agency cover.
- Special vehicles and/or basic flight
- Harder to get weapon earlier weapon purchases
- Maybe you cannot hire agents to make up for early aircraft
Other covers: R&D, Manufacturing, Investigators, Environmentalist organization, News Media
This could only be used for game start, Or you have to set up other front companies get get access the other things
Factions/Groups:
Factions that you could get to join your cause or just get in your way. Or only some of them. Some factions might not like each other.
Rival organizations: Most of which don't know about the aliens.
Creatures: Hostile plants or animals that the aliens accidentally or on purpose brought to earth. (This has happen in our history ex: rats, snakes, insects etc). Mutated animals/planets (They were exposed to mutagenic element) from either by dimensional energies or a scientist's mutagen. Dimensional Creatures: Maybe they are completely alien or maybe they look like creatures of our world but have other abilities)
- Examples include: Plant Monster (little shop of horrors), Krites (Movie:Critters), SCP-939, X-Chronicles: blindwolf, Treemen
Alien:
- Mi-Go
- Veronian (Created Leflair found OpenXcom forums and Mod.io
- Refugee/Visitors: who says all aliens and dimensional are hostile Maybe they got here by accident or are running from another force.
- Lots of examples from Men in Black: The Series
Mad Scientist: Humans that gain esoteric knowledge or maybe augmented their minds.
- Maybe you could get them to join you and a make exotic or super Science equipment There are two ways I found you could do this.
- Have them as an item. Then in the workshop have the process require so many of them. You would have to put them in as consumed then have it produce a copy of them if you want to keep them.
- Or you could have them as science soldiers then use the Clone soldier -> Turn soldier into item to have them create the equipment
Witches: Magic using humans, they use the psi and mana mechaincs.
- from another Dimension or just people who started using magic
- Maybe you could get them to join you and be magic using soldiers using psi as their combat stat and mana as the resource. There are a few ways to do this
- Have spells as weapons that use mana
- Or Have a built in weapon that uses mana
Undead: I think some of the undead are from the dimensional energies or from other dimension themselves.
Ghosts: I think expanding on ghost would also be really fun. Recommend sources of inspiration: Extreme GhostBusters, GhostFiction in TVtropes website
Jarheads expansion: Scientist group that specializing in exotic robotics, biology and Maybe psionic. Or maybe they got their hands on alien tech.
- Maybe some scientist are putting their own brains in jars as they see psionic an evolutionary step and are trying to seed up the process by removing their week flesh.
- Maybe they are trying to complete some cyberization of the human body (ex: Robo Cop, Ghost in a Shell)
- Maybe Both
New Units:
Brain in a Jar
Brain Jar on a little crawler mech, Like a robot spider
Robotic Guard
Unit Transformation
Beastman: have werewolf or werecat soldiers
Jarhead/robot: your own cybernetic robot cop or jarhead soldiers
Ninja training: Your soldiers can dodge weapon fire and have better stealth
Cybernetic prosthetic limbs: give your soldiers robot arms
Dog breading/mutagenic: Fenrir hybrid
Missions:
Rat's Nest
Dimensional Breach
Finding Old alien bases or facilities now overrun with wild lifeforms/plants
Find an old base from a previous X-com unit and are competing with MIB to get it.
A old military base is overrun by ghosts. You need to face ghost soldiers or the undead.
Little shop of Horror mission
Events:
Intercept messages or resources from one cult to another. Or messages about the cults fight each other. (Sadly this cannot be done in mission. But you could come in after a fight and deal with only the winning side of the previous conflict.)
Prison/Containment breached events
In the later game have random delivers of goods that you get from mission that no longer show up.
Item:
Use the agricultural equipment to also spray acid or chemicals
exotic or super Science weapons
Eldritch weapons
Robotic arms natural weapons for some soldiers (this one may already be in the game)
Cryo Weapons
Research/Manufacturing:
Cure for cancer: Sell it or patent it
Interception of small packages before convoys. Done in workshop.
Some shipments could be Alien Paraphernalia from non-cult collectors.
----This point on just for feedback of my own modding on expanding the game-play. And should not be part of the X-files base/stranded
Renaming: Xcom should stand for Experimental Coordination of Occult Management Unit
Promotion could go something like these:
Pre-promotion - X-COM: Occult Research Initiative
Promotion 1 - X-COM: Paranormal Activities Unit
Promotion 2 - X-COM: Paranormal Security Agency
Promotion 3 - X-COM: Supernatural Operations Division
Promotion 4 - X-COM: Paranormal Defense Command
Promotion 5 - X-COM: The Global Occult Defense Force
-OR-
Promotion 1 and 2 should take longer to get to, but you should have access to some of the weapons they grant you earlier.
Contact with other organizations under the council to get access to resources and services.
Limit starting purchasing options for agents, engineers and scientist until you get access to a appropriate front or council organization.
Counties can embrace the supernatural and make deals with occult factions not just aliens.
