Author Topic: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)  (Read 42902 times)

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #90 on: October 10, 2012, 05:14:51 pm »
Keith: No, you're no longer leveling the landscape... not even close.  You get to blow up some boxes on occassion.  If you've got a heavy with you, however, you can use your *1* rocket (ONE!) to pop a hole in a wall to get at a particularly annoying target.
Argh! ... well, I can understand it, if the game is to be a tactical game and not a "after a certain point the optimal approach is to stay near the landing craft and level everything from range".

Quote
What I *really* don't like is mid-mission spawns.  That's just crap, particularly since they're not map-edged.  Highly annoying.
Wait what? Not even from the edge of the map, but anywhere?  Is it literally out of thin air or is there some kind of indicator where they could come from?  If it's not at least somewhat predictable (assuming proper scouting) that could be a dealbreaker for me.  I'm not looking for a new game here, I'm looking for xcom.  I'll take a new game that's xcomish, but not if it drops aliens on my head with no explanation in the middle of the mission.

Quote
Reaction fire is crap.  It's not working the way I'd expect, ie: enemy moves from cover, SHOOT IT.  No, it only works on newly seen enemies.  Seriously?  I wonder if I'm just not using it right.
That would also be in the dealbreaker range for me except that I'm imagining they'll fix that one, or it was a pebkac thing like you're wondering, etc.

Quote
The whole 'one item in backpack' bit is very tactically limiting.  You want to bring a taser?  No grenades for you!  Medkit?  No grenade, no taser!  It really eased the balance of the game on the developers, I'm sure, but frack, really?
Not nice, but sounds adjustable-to.

Hmm, well, will see if they fix that reaction fire thing, and hope something can be done about the mid-mission-mid-map spawning... otherwise I guess it depends on how low the discount goes.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Wanderer

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,579
  • If you're not drunk you're doing it wrong.
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #91 on: October 10, 2012, 05:24:58 pm »
Quote
What I *really* don't like is mid-mission spawns.  That's just crap, particularly since they're not map-edged.  Highly annoying.
Wait what? Not even from the edge of the map, but anywhere?  Is it literally out of thin air or is there some kind of indicator where they could come from?  If it's not at least somewhat predictable (assuming proper scouting) that could be a dealbreaker for me.  I'm not looking for a new game here, I'm looking for xcom.  I'll take a new game that's xcomish, but not if it drops aliens on my head with no explanation in the middle of the mission.
It's semi-predictable but the range is nasty.  Basically, as an example, there's a 'disarm the bomb' mission.  Well, when you disarm the bomb, enemies drop from the sky and surround you, so you need your entire team setup on reaction fire before you hit it.  It's somewhat predictable but I'm not happy with the implementation.
... and then we'll have cake.

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #92 on: October 10, 2012, 05:28:02 pm »
It's semi-predictable but the range is nasty.  Basically, as an example, there's a 'disarm the bomb' mission.  Well, when you disarm the bomb, enemies drop from the sky and surround you, so you need your entire team setup on reaction fire before you hit it.  It's somewhat predictable but I'm not happy with the implementation.
So the spawn variation is big enough or the munitions capacity low enough that just leaving a ring of prox mines at a particular radius is ineffective?
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Lancefighter

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,440
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #93 on: October 10, 2012, 05:31:37 pm »
ACtually not really going that badly. I am however about to send a full squad of rookies (and my cpl sniper) on a difficult mission. This can go pretty much one way, I think.
Ideas? Suggestions? Concerns? Bugs to be squashed? Report them on the Mantis Bugtracker!

Author of the Dyson Project and the Spire Gambit

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #94 on: October 10, 2012, 05:37:24 pm »
ACtually not really going that badly. I am however about to send a full squad of rookies (and my cpl sniper) on a difficult mission. This can go pretty much one way, I think.
Only fair that the aliens get to do some of the autopsies!

But xcom is not a game about fair, it is a game about blaster launchers
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Wanderer

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,579
  • If you're not drunk you're doing it wrong.
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #95 on: October 10, 2012, 05:37:38 pm »
What are these 'mines' you speak of?  They are non-existant.

I'm going to restart this game, I've taken too bad a beatdown at the early stages here.

One another highly annoying point.  In the original XCom you could, in theory, handle all of the terror missions... you can't anymore.  You get a selection, pick one.  I don't know if you can shoot them down before they arrive yet as my satellite coverage is still horrendous but you WILL be forced who to defend and who to let go... I'm not sure it's possible to protect the entire world.
... and then we'll have cake.

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #96 on: October 10, 2012, 05:45:55 pm »
What are these 'mines' you speak of?  They are non-existant.
... my xcom, what have they done to you?

Quote
One another highly annoying point.  In the original XCom you could, in theory, handle all of the terror missions... you can't anymore.  You get a selection, pick one.  I don't know if you can shoot them down before they arrive yet as my satellite coverage is still horrendous but you WILL be forced who to defend and who to let go... I'm not sure it's possible to protect the entire world.
I can live with that as long as the penalties aren't as bad as they were in the original; in the original totally missing a terror site was enough to put your monthly score into the "you lose if this doesn't get better" range.  Which was bad if you only had one base and the terror site was on the opposite side of the planet.

Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Lancefighter

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,440
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #97 on: October 10, 2012, 05:46:34 pm »
ACtually not really going that badly. I am however about to send a full squad of rookies (and my cpl sniper) on a difficult mission. This can go pretty much one way, I think.
Only fair that the aliens get to do some of the autopsies!

But xcom is not a game about fair, it is a game about blaster launchers
Thanks to some absolutely amazing shooting by my sniper (who received a promotion and a nickname off that mission), two of my squad survived. Exceeding expectations.
Ideas? Suggestions? Concerns? Bugs to be squashed? Report them on the Mantis Bugtracker!

Author of the Dyson Project and the Spire Gambit

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #98 on: October 10, 2012, 05:52:11 pm »
I have to admit, "sniper" does go a long way towards making me willing to give the game a chance.  I had decent riflemen and rocketdudes in xcom 1, but iirc true sniper weaponry didn't come along until xcom 3.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline madcow

  • Hero Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,153
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #99 on: October 10, 2012, 05:55:11 pm »
So the question that remains, is this a good game in its own right.

I doubt there's anyway it could live up to the expectations from the first one, so I won't even ask that. I doubt the first game even lives up to its own expectations even if it was played without the nostalgia-shaded glasses ;)

Edit: And while it wasn't called a sniper rifle, the laser rifle in the first xcom seemed like that's the role it was meant to fill, and that's how I used it. It just didn't really have the damage to last in that role late game without a real replacement.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2012, 05:57:26 pm by madcow »

Offline Lancefighter

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,440
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #100 on: October 10, 2012, 05:58:25 pm »
For the moment it seems to have enough strategic and tactical depth to be worth getting.

With that said, I just lost an entire squad to one of those damn bomb missions, and with france already panicing, I may just call this earth dead.
edit; just lost my good sniper. Apparently floaters can randomly appear wherever they want.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2012, 06:07:25 pm by Lancefighter »
Ideas? Suggestions? Concerns? Bugs to be squashed? Report them on the Mantis Bugtracker!

Author of the Dyson Project and the Spire Gambit

Offline Wanderer

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,579
  • If you're not drunk you're doing it wrong.
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #101 on: October 10, 2012, 06:09:20 pm »
So the question that remains, is this a good game in its own right.

Get back to you on that.  So far, as a stand alone game it's good except for choppy interfacing.
... and then we'll have cake.

Offline Wanderer

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,579
  • If you're not drunk you're doing it wrong.
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #102 on: October 10, 2012, 07:52:38 pm »
Okay, get deeper into the game and it's a good game.  It's not the old XCom, but it's fun and a decent successor.

I just witnessed Dwarf Fortress levels of pain... XD  My heavy guy with his shiny new armor gets deployed with the assault guy and 3 rookies (all I had left) to a Terror mission.  First up are some critters that it would take my entire squad to drop in a single round.  They insta-gib the heavy who didn't even get a chance to shoot, the assault guy MISSED at point blank range, and the 3 rooks went into panic at the insta-gib.  Now the zombies that rise from the dead splatter the hunkered down and cowering rookies who were at 2 squares away from all this, not shooting.

With the terror mission failed, Brazil has withdrawn from the council, never to be heard from again.  I don't have enough money to hire new soldiers, and my economy is failing under maintenance costs... and we restart again.

This is !!fun!!. :)
... and then we'll have cake.

Offline Lancefighter

  • Core Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,440
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #103 on: October 10, 2012, 08:11:06 pm »
Indeed. I experienced something similar. Why do alien guns hurt so much, yet human guns deal no damage? (like, seriously. How do I fail to kill a 3hp target despite hitting, while my enemy never fails to kill a 6hp target?)
Ideas? Suggestions? Concerns? Bugs to be squashed? Report them on the Mantis Bugtracker!

Author of the Dyson Project and the Spire Gambit

Offline keith.lamothe

  • Arcen Games Staff
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 19,505
Re: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)
« Reply #104 on: October 10, 2012, 08:15:02 pm »
(like, seriously. How do I fail to kill a 3hp target despite hitting, while my enemy never fails to kill a 6hp target?)
Because you clicked the "I would really prefer to lose, thank you" button at the beginning.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games? Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!