[SUGGESTION-UNCUT][#064] Alien Bases Geoscape - Info

[Unknown Hero]

If the player has detected an UFO (with Hyperwave Decoder), so he knows the Alien life form, and this UFO has landed on a discovered Alien Base, or if the player has already attacked an Alien Base, then show the Alien life form (ex: Sectoid) when displaying the Alien Base window.

Sometimes with lot of Alien bases, it's difficult to remember them all.



As usual, the images are for explanation only.

[Hythlodaeus]

This changes gameplay, so no.

[Unknown Hero]

The gameplay remains unchanged, the player already knows this information.

[Qpoter]

This changes gameplay, so no.

Can't argue with that, it does change gameplay. But I find it very annoying when, for example, I have decoders and know the race of the supply ship, but because I failed to remember it, and the alien base menu won't tell me, I won't know what I'm getting into. Also, when X-COM agents reveal an alien base, the race should be displayed as well. The only times you shouldn't know the race are when you find the supply ship and follow it to its base WITHOUT a decoder, or when you discover it via flyover.

[moriarty]

maybe it should be possible to rename the alien base? that would be feasible, I guess, and useful, and also possibly funny

first alien base, you know that there's floaters --> renamed "farmbase one"
second alien base, you know that it's ethereals --> renamed "no psi-wimps allowed"
third alien base, they are snakemen! --> renamed "here there be monsters"
an so on...

[Falko]

maybe it should be possible to rename the alien base? that would be feasible, I guess, and useful, and also possibly funny

+1

[Hythlodaeus]

The gameplay remains unchanged, the player already knows this information.

You're supposed to know what to discover the alien race by observing supply ships coming in an out. It's a strategy element. Thus it changes gameplay. No way in hell I would support this.

[Solarius Scorch]

You're supposed to know what to discover the alien race by observing supply ships coming in an out. It's a strategy element. Thus it changes gameplay. No way in hell I would support this.

Where's the strategy in this? Either you see a craft with known crew landing at the base or not. All you need to be concerned with is tracking the UFO.

Having said that, perhaps the rename option for an alien base would be the best compromise.

[Hythlodaeus]

Where's the strategy in this? Either you see a craft with known crew landing at the base or not. All you need to be concerned with is tracking the UFO.

Having said that, perhaps the rename option for an alien base would be the best compromise.

Picture this. You're at the end of the month, and you're midway to the month and you want to avoid having a negative or neutral score because you need the extra funding. There's an alien base right there, that will guarantee your score will suck, but attacking it without knowing which species is might prove to have an even larger impact in your finances in case the mission fails, especially if, let's say, the base is ran by ethereals. Would you wait for a supply ship to come in order to at least identify the species, or would you strike the base blindly? If it was too dangerous and your team was not ready it would make sense to wait for the next month, and you could only be sure of  this if you knew which species runs the base.

[Solarius Scorch]

Picture this. You're at the end of the month, and you're midway to the month and you want to avoid having a negative or neutral score because you need the extra funding. There's an alien base right there, that will guarantee your score will suck, but attacking it without knowing which species is might prove to have an even larger impact in your finances in case the mission fails, especially if, let's say, the base is ran by ethereals. Would you wait for a supply ship to come in order to at least identify the species, or would you strike the base blindly? If it was too dangerous and your team was not ready it would make sense to wait for the next month, and you could only be sure of  this if you knew which species runs the base.

Frankly, I have no idea how this relates to the subject.

Nobody's suggesting an option to give you full knowledge of alien bases. The point is, once you observe a UFO landing at the base, you know it's the same species. If you know that the Supply Ship was piloted by Mutons, then obviously the base is ran by Mutons too. This is something most players know, and it works every time, so the only change that this suggestion includes is including in the game what you already know anyway (especially if you take notes on paper). And forcing the player to take paper notes is not cool (well, unless it's a dungeon map maybe ).

Sorry if I misunderstood your post or something...

[moriarty]

Picture this. You're at the end of the month, and you're midway to the month and you want to avoid having a negative or neutral score because you need the extra funding. There's an alien base right there, that will guarantee your score will suck, but attacking it without knowing which species is might prove to have an even larger impact in your finances in case the mission fails, especially if, let's say, the base is ran by ethereals. Would you wait for a supply ship to come in order to at least identify the species, or would you strike the base blindly? If it was too dangerous and your team was not ready it would make sense to wait for the next month, and you could only be sure of  this if you knew which species runs the base.

oh, wait, but we were discussing displaying this only once you know the race. like, when you attacked the base before, or attacked a supply ship that landed nearby, or had hyperwave identification of a landed supply ship. of course you wouldn't get the information right from the start. at least, that's how I understood it.

that's why I suggested allowing for manual renaming of the alien base. it is probably the easiest way to implement this, because you don't need to program all these conditions for identification.

[ninja'd by solarius scorch...]

[Hythlodaeus]

You still have to wait for a supply ship to come. In a game where time is of the essence, where 1 day can make the difference between a positive and a negative score, all extra information affects gameplay. If you find a base at the end of the month, but don't know which race is inside, would you risk and attack it blindly or would you wait for a ship to come the following month?

[moriarty]

You still have to wait for a supply ship to come. In a game where time is of the essence, where 1 day can make the difference between a positive and a negative score, all extra information affects gameplay. If you find a base at the end of the month, but don't know which race is inside, would you risk and attack it blindly or would you wait for a ship to come the following month?

...which is exactly the point, this situation wouldn't be changed at all.

[Hythlodaeus]

...which is exactly the point, this situation wouldn't be changed at all.

Sorry I didn't read the previous post. Well it would make sense after attacking the base. But  that's about it.