[Concept] Retcon Xcom Aliens and Misc

[SuperCaffeineDude]

My big gripe with original xcom is the ufopedia images, and lore, never seemed as cool as I thought it could be, so I'm enjoying re-imagining what units, races and rosters could be in one game. For instance combining floaters and mutons, combining some TFTD units, changing snakemen to have swarming units.

I've been busy with my retail job, but I recently saw a TFTD stream, and since I had some free time I wanted to improve on some of the stuff I made prior. I'm not so sure what I'm doing with this, I tend to get bored doing sprite-sheets and such. I'll put together my concept and go from there. I'm kind of thinking I'd like to mitigate the end game advantage you gain from loot, that renders creating your own equipment silly, and curb the blaster-bomb psionic fest on higher difficulties.

Up to date Drawings...



I'm pretty happy with most of the units drawn, I may revamp some of the weaker looking portraits. Let me know if there's anything you particularly like,

Notes

Spoiler:

I like the idea of the muton's getting a big dinosaur unit from their homeworld.

Ethereals I kind of want to make less hands on and a bit more strange, haven't really settled on how that might look.

Sectoids I like the idea of giving them a limited weapon pool of small-arms, with melee bio-drones, rather than the saucer or sectopod (on normal missions at least).

Chryssalids I like the idea of them being a separate race, with less well armored "nymph" units born from zombie hosts, but I don't know how that'd fit in.

Advent/New-Terran-Allience Is kind of a race I'm toying around with the idea of, but I think a cyberman unit might be cooler.

I kind of like the idea of sonic weapons being like high level shotguns, with stun damage.


Ethereal Flock
Ethereal: a tall fragile creature with a large 3rd eye, able to perceive every known light-spectrum, it uses great psi-strength to tackle its foes.
Psi-Drone: Used as a hands-free blaster by the ethereals
Toiler: A sectoid used for labor unworthy of the ethereals, they are meeker than other sectoids, most loose their will to live without their masters, due to their psionic fallibility, they are not trusted with ranged weapons, instead they use ceremonial-esk melee equipment to swamp hostile forces.

Neo-Terran Aug: Outside of x-com governments and corporations may be tempted by the offer of mercy and progress by the aliens on the basis of their absolute cooperation, it is rumored the bodies of many poor beggars have been torn apart, augmented, and then sealed in these powerful battle-suits.

The Collective
Sectoid Conduit: A sectoid caste that provides direction for their cousins, it is only through them that the sectoids collective psionic ability can be channeled at foes. A strange recess indents their skull,
Sectoid: A hive of intelligent yet individually stupid drones, the sectoid has only one orifice from which it consumes food, expels waste, and regurgitates its young, this is done asexually when they have over-consumed, it is perhaps no surprise they prefer easy to digest food, and in moderation. These are not perfect clones, rather the offspring feature elements of their parent's diet, human DNA not being uncommon in many.
Bio-Drone: Human minds are useful for more than protein paste to the sectoid, their comparative robustness over the sectoid mind means with only a little lobotomization a serviceable general-assistance robot can be made, these small creations possess a spiteful assortment of close-quarters equipment and pack a small explosive device.

Concept Log

Spoiler:

Bunch of recent-ish concepts


Initially I really fancied having some miscellaneous stuff 


Redesigned many of the armors, gave them pretty bad names and fiction that I'd want to scrap

[Bloax]

It looks pretty cool, but I'd like to remind you that inventory pictures don't have the UFOPaedia background:

and use a different palette while at it


Also, the raider armor doesn't look nearly as bulky as it should be to signify its purpose as a Don't Get Killed When Shot As Much armor.

[chaosshade]

That is awesome!  I'd play that mod a ton!  I love the cyberpunk feel of it.  The Disruptor Armour really reminds me of the TL-12 Combat Armour from the Traveller universe.

[Xeno Wiper]

Specially interested on kevlar and sonic-blasters. Never liked that vase-like Sonic Cannon. Imagine a sniper trying to hit something with it.

[SuperCaffeineDude]

I've updated the concept with some prettier images (see above), I'm not sure if and when I'll follow this up, I'm still mucking around with integrating a shield unit.

[Solarius Scorch]

I absolutely love these designs. Really impressive.

[SuperCaffeineDude]

Cheers Solarius, I've updated the Wyrm, I'll probably adjust the gill-thrall look a little meaner.
Probably do the sectoid and some weapons next.

[Mr. Quiet]

I'm impressed! Took the time to read the descriptions. Feels canon!

[SuperCaffeineDude]

Cheers, I'm not looking to implement these concepts for long while yet, but I have fun thinking of them.

Here is some minor progress...


For the matriarch I was thinking of giving her a hood an "acid-shotgun" spit, and I was redesigning the look of the snakemen to be more alien looking. The newts are still not looking right in my mind. I went for a cthulian vibe on the ethereals.

A unit I've been thinking of is a Goo type enemy that starts as a tftd CALCINITE and on death spawns goo that "kills itself" to infect a soldier that becomes a zombie that when dead spawns the same goo, and so on. The idea being the goo needs a host to survive. The goo would be weak to fire but highly resilient to conventional damage.

And to keep the variety going the chryssalid would no longer spawn zombies, rather the unit it "kills" would remain fully in control of their own actions until they birth a chryssalid-nymph. This'd make infected civilians harder to spot and allow infected troops to go out in a blaze of glory.

These are still just ideas atm though.

[xracer]

very nice concepts i really like a lot of the new aliens

[Angelus_EV]

cool excellent work.