Fanmade Xcom game

[luke83]

As many of you have noticed , i asked a lot of annoying questions, thing is i am trying to determine what is possible in the future as i want to have a Openxcom only game, I view my current "Mods"  as training towards this goal.

 Currently i am thinking between 2  paths, another x-com game ( which i want to do) or a nockoff of one of games-workshop game ( either necromancer or Mordehiem ). It would be easier to work into the Game workshops Universe as its very open and there is heaps of "FLUFF" on each race but still i am leaning towards Xcom. Problem is where in the Timeline can i put it without destroying it. Also the plus side to another x-com game is anything new that is created could be used in the existing games if the project is never finished.

My best guess at this stage is to ignore Apocalypse's back story ( which doesn't mention another war) and just progress on along a different Timeline. I don't want it set to far into the future ( like apocalypse) as the weapon ability start getting alittle weird ( Teleporting what a cheap move). Currently i am looking at squeezing it into this time line around the 2050 time frame unless someone has a better story for me ?https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Recovery_%28Timeline%29

Assuming i keep this timeline - here are my quick thoughts
* New alien menace - all new aliens except for the good old fashion BRAIN controlling everything as there is no reason this Hive should function to differnt to bees ( they make new queens when they want)
* Heavily modify the Pyramid UFO found in the data of original x-com , make them flying battle fortresses . Alien bases are heavily bedded in UFO on top of land .
* Maybe have a terraform UFO fly around and deposit Alien Forests to change the atmosphere more to there liking and less to ours ( alien trees release thick dark clouds to block out more light and make it colder - Yanks shading code - full-time Night missions around alien forests).
* Ice-age map in process since the dust of T-leth exploding and alien trees - causes sea levels to drop and ice to creap down from Poles ( changing maps)
* New terrains - Destroyed/ abandon city's , more interesting Ice Maps,  Slums , New enclosed Farms ( keep atmosphere out, man made lights), Alien forests, Terror mission could be at large Corporation sites instead of city's.

Onother Timeline option was to have it after Apocalypse a good 100 years after a alien race has conquered earth and make i more of a fight for resistance movement ( aliens control the world and mankind has no weapons and live only as slaves. )

At this point i am only thinking out loud, i plan to finish all my current projects before picking a story to start working towards, what i would like is community feedback on why these ideas are bad or good, what we should do and what we should not do and most of all a Good Story .

[Daiky]

I'm trying to understand your wall of text, so to summarize it:
you are trying to determine what is possible in the future within openxcom
Nobody knows I think, it depends what is contributed, what people want...

I have no idea what Game workshop Universe is.

I think your thoughts are good, they are mostly focussed around adding content. And if that is backed up with a story, so the whole thing is consistent and it makes sense, then why not.

[moriarty]

I like the idea of a "total conversion" mod. Keeping it as close to xcom as possible is probably smart to allow for mutual exchange of graphics/ideas/mods.

A kind of post-apocalyptic setting with alien terraforming sounds very nice... I always liked these storylines (in comics, games, movies - lots of examples come to mind).

From this and from what you posted in the geoscape/ natural terrain / globe editing thread I assume you want a lot more geoscape "action"? changing landscapes as a result of player or alien action... sounds good. I think I mentioned before, I'd like to see a lot more geoscape tactics.

I think this offers some great things:

 story-wise: human "resistance" movement trying to find other armed human forces, trying to protect survivors, being attacked by aliens... you could already bring in human-sectoid hybrids or even other cross-bred subspecies both hostile and potentially friendly...

 scenery-wise: fighting in destroyed cities or wastelands, those alien forests sound like creepy battlescape settings as well...

 technology-wise: all kinds of weapon technology make sense here - human weapons because it's all you have in the beginning, but then re-discovering former x-com technologies as well as capturing and retrofitting alien weapons... you'd probably have missions where you hunt for weapons caches (human/x-com technology)...

I like it.

[luke83]

Daiky , Currently i have focused on adding new content for x-com1 , the problem is every second thing i do others think is to outthere. so the thought crossed my mind to create a entire new game so i don't trample everyone else idea of what xcom is.  To start with it would be a few Mods grouped together around a story, ultimate goal ( with community support) would be a entire new game.
 FYI: Games Workshop is a company that make table top minitures that you battle with , they have a few main game universes ( war-hammer Fantasy and War-hammer 40k) and heaps of background information on each race of creatures ( they call this "FLUFF),  I found it a very good way to pass time when i was 17 and couldnt get a girlfriend ( i think that is the draw for most of the players ).
https://www.games-workshop.com

Moriarty - Yes the biggest difference to this game would need to be Geoscape features as Battlescape is already pretty awesome.  The idea is to make it different enough to the original games to justify a new story, originally i was just going to create new aliens and mix and match with originals but as Daiky said once , "it would not fit the story".
 As for new battlescape options, this would only depend of what kind of aliens are used or any new weapon designed , mostly i would like to keep them similar in use to the originals so i don't need to NAG any programs to do upgrades One " Out there " new Skill i have been thinking of would be a alien that could re-animate dead units on the battle-scape, this would require some new features . This would force you to keep protecting the Dead as a new tactic ( the current thought is it would be the Chrysalis of the game - i just did not want a direct clone) - Please note this is just a random thought

  What i would like to achieve first is have a good story as the background so we can start planning what should be included. It would take the x-com universe in a slightly new direction but looking at the 2 new x-com games being sold , no one else is worried about that.

[moriarty]

please don't refer to that FPS game as a new xcom game.    the only reference to the real thing is the name. unless they decide to completely re-make everything now... 

good background story - well I guess you've already started, right? let's see if we can find some more people willing to add their ideas...

[Yankes]

starting point of this history can be simple: X-com failed

[pmprog]

please don't refer to that FPS game as a new xcom game.    the only reference to the real thing is the name. unless they decide to completely re-make everything now... 

You do realise they're making a new XCOM game in the same vein as the original too, right?

https://www.xcom.com/enemyunknown/index.php

[moriarty]

You do realise they're making a new XCOM game in the same vein as the original too, right?

https://www.xcom.com/enemyunknown/index.php

of course I do. I have preordered that one weeks ago  

however, luke83 was saying

  looking at the 2 new x-com games

which is something I couldn't leave uncommented. there is only one xcom game coming out that belongs to that universe, at least in my book. from what I've seen of the other, that is something completely different. I could believe in the FPS XCOM being remotely related to apocalypse, which is also not really consistent with the UFO:EU and TFTD setting.

[SupSuper]

please don't refer to that FPS game as a new xcom game.    the only reference to the real thing is the name. unless they decide to completely re-make everything now... 

They might have, given the release was pushed all the way to 2013-2014 and nothing's been heard of it for years. Another cancelled official game to join the ranks?

[Daiky]

luke83, I posted a link to this page before, but if you haven't checked it out yet, it might give you inspiration, it has ideas about story and missions etc: https://androidarts.com/xcom/rebelsquad.htm

[Chiko]

This reminds me of an old "Tech Tree" I made about a different ending of the first alien war. The new ending I had in mind was inspired by a lot of games.

Basically, the aliens detonated various hidden Fusion and Biological devices around Earth when Cydonia Base was destroyed. Permanently damaging Earth's Surface.

This new ending would create a different sequel and it would take place several years later. The new game mode would allow you to choose one of your previously built bases, leaving the rest and its personnel as separate factions since all contact with them and the outside world was lost.

The game in Geoscape would be somehow different, having the land separated as territories, with some of them being home to mutated and dangerous fauna or be owned by a Faction. The members of these factions would be the remnants of the old countries and organizations, as well as aliens and other "races" that survived the destruction. I also imagined a Diplomacy feature that would let you interact with the different factions.

Races I had in mind in this are:
-Pure Humans: Your first Personnel kind at your disposal. Few factions would be comprised of Pure Humans. Normal Stats.
-Surface Humans: Most of the factions encountered would be comprised of these. Surface Humans suffer from mutations, giving them weird stats.
-Aliens: Surviving alien formed separated factions in order to survive too. Usually strong factions with underground bases.
-Hybrids: Survivors from alien experiments that used to be part of their infiltration operations. Usually found in their own factions but some of them can be part of a Surface Human faction or Alien factions. Weak Physical Stats but Strong Psi Stats.
-Androids: Born from Alien AI research done by an advanced faction, probably from one of the other X-Com bases. Strong Physical Stats, Slow stat improvement.


I still have that "Tech Tree" in a .Txt file. 

[luke83]

pop up that Tech Tree , i was planning a few re-coloured sprites to later build new factions off, Hell if StarTrek can go back and recreate the Fist StarTrek and change there time line , so can we

[luke83]

Dont something get released into the atmosphere when TFTD final mission is completed. I think any new game should come here as it then allows a greater amount of stuff to mix and match into a new game.

I see the game like this

Factions sound great , Each faction could have its own agenda and is a mix between existing aliens and/or Humans . Xcom has become the Force to defend the last UN nation on earth.

Each factions attitude towards UN ( xcom) should be randomised on startup - this will increase longevity . Faction control screen needed to make alliances through game and create missions where you need to help your allied factions out

Each faction has it own preferred weapons based on there previous Story and Tech levels - some things have changed since Elerium no longer exists in large quantity. Each alied faction provides you some of there weapons based on how much they like you - ultimately Unit sharing is possible.

EVENTUALLY ( half way point in game), New alien race attack earth, then you take your factions and fight for survival of earth ( AGAIN)

[Warboy1982]

two words: Chryssalid Queen.

don't even act like you don't know.

[luke83]

two words: Chryssalid Queen.

don't even act like you don't know.

See thats what i am talking about!

Also i was thinking the Sectoid rich faction are re-growing the BRAIN ( as there is a Big-arse Brain in a water tank tile)

So i am thinking  "XCOM : FACTION WARS"

Requires xcom 1 and 2 to play + Mod pack .

We should nut out a story and each faction , agendas , tech per Faction , etc ,etc

I think some sort of Control the globe system is needed , so if I attack City "X" i gain control of the resources . Yanks , Global shading could colour the globe on Press of button to show factions.

Once the game is planned we harrass the coders for support , i dont think there will be much support from main DEV team until TFTD is fully supported but thats cool , we can find other coders OR spend time working on everything else needed.



Then once all that is agreed , some of us can start working