great interview with some intresting new news

[tazong]

http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/xcom-ene...1224797p1.html

Picking your base location determines more than your starting radar coverage, it also determines what bonuses you'll have.


North America, "Air and Space" - All aircraft and aircraft weapons cost 50% less to purchase, build and maintain.

Europe, "Expert Knowledge" - Labs and workshops cost 50% less to build and maintain.

Asia, "Future Combat" - All projects in the foundry and the Officer Training school cost 50% less.

South America "We Have Ways" - Autopsies and Interrogations are completed instantly.

Africa, "All In" - Monthly XCOM funding increased by 25%.

[SectoidSquisher]

http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/xcom-ene...1224797p1.html

Picking your base location determines more than your starting radar coverage, it also determines what bonuses you'll have.


North America, "Air and Space" - All aircraft and aircraft weapons cost 50% less to purchase, build and maintain.

Europe, "Expert Knowledge" - Labs and workshops cost 50% less to build and maintain.

Asia, "Future Combat" - All projects in the foundry and the Officer Training school cost 50% less.

South America "We Have Ways" - Autopsies and Interrogations are completed instantly.

Africa, "All In" - Monthly XCOM funding increased by 25%.

I don't like the sound of this at all:

Bradford then gave me a choice of two missions, one in the US and one in China -- and I could only do one. The choice becomes important because the neglected country's terror level will increase, causing them to become less generous when the monthly alien defense bill gets passed around. Unfortunately I only got to play a couple of turns of the Chinese mission (a standard hunt-and-kill sweep) before I was pulled away to watch a demo of where all this is going.

Unless that's part of the 'ease-you-in' tutorial; part of the best bit of the original game was the way the alien invasion proceeded dynamically - they were running missions that may look insignificant at first, but actually turn out to be the first step towards an alien base on earth. If the new game doesn't have that mechanic, it's going to hurt it a lot in my opinion.

Neither do I like this much:

Meanwhile in the barracks, as a reward for not dying Johannessen was promoted from Rookie to Squaddie, which revealed his talent for heavy weapons (AKA rocket launchers). He was teamed up with three fresh Rookies from the base's stock of nine to take on the next mission.

Only four men in the field is one thing, but only nine men at base?

This however, I do like and I hope it can happen in the main game and that it's not a scripted event:

The first man, Richard Hadir, dies when he falls for the trap: a German soldier calls for help to lure him in, then -- at the bidding of the Sectoid Commander controlling his mind -- pulls the pin on a grenade, killing them both.

After seeing that interview, the only thing I want to see now is a video of the Geoscape, with alien craft zipping around it - that might restore my faith that the missions will be generated dynamically based on what the aliens are doing, rather than how it's described here.

[TheFinn]

Only four men in the field is one thing, but only nine men at base?

Could be how many you start the game with - not necessarily the maximum.

This however, I do like and I hope it can happen in the main game and that it's not a scripted event: The first man, Richard Hadir, dies when he falls for the trap: a German soldier calls for help to lure him in, then -- at the bidding of the Sectoid Commander controlling his mind -- pulls the pin on a grenade, killing them both.

This is scripted. It's part of the first tutorial mission.

After seeing that interview, the only thing I want to see now is a video of the Geoscape, with alien craft zipping around it - that might restore my faith that the missions will be generated dynamically based on what the aliens are doing, rather than how it's described here.

I think the reviewers are given scripted events to show off specific features without showing too many spoilers or perhaps because aspects of the geoscope aren't done enough to allow playthrough yet. For example - maybe the new interception routine isn't done, or it is done and they want to save it as a surprise for closer to release.

I have faith it's still dynamic like the original. They've stated that mission difficulty isn't artificially tied to your progress (like Skyrim for example) but strictly based on the alien's plans. To me, the dynamic mission aspect ties into that. If Firaxis had made the decision that mission difficulty should be based on player progress then yeah, I'd be pretty worried they also did something to take some of the randomness of the geoscope.

It might even be to try and avoid negative comments about the randomness of the dynamic mission structure... most of the time I had my first interception and downed alien craft in week 1 - and occasionally had 2 or 3 downed UFOs in the first week.. but I've had the occasional starts where I didn't get my first tactical combat until week 4 or 5 (due to alien craft outrunning my interceptors or being finally caught just off a coast).

[Inkidu]

I don't like the sound of this at all:


Unless that's part of the 'ease-you-in' tutorial; part of the best bit of the original game was the way the alien invasion proceeded dynamically - they were running missions that may look insignificant at first, but actually turn out to be the first step towards an alien base on earth. If the new game doesn't have that mechanic, it's going to hurt it a lot in my opinion.

Neither do I like this much:



Only four men in the field is one thing, but only nine men at base?

This however, I do like and I hope it can happen in the main game and that it's not a scripted event:


After seeing that interview, the only thing I want to see now is a video of the Geoscape, with alien craft zipping around it - that might restore my faith that the missions will be generated dynamically based on what the aliens are doing, rather than how it's described here.

Um... yes... the China and US choice is part of the tutorial if all the implications from all the people who played it are correct.

Second, there's no indication that you can't hire more, the might start you out with nine like the original which gave you eight. However nine should be plenty to get you started. So I mean starter troops aside.

The missions are generated dynamically based on what the aliens are doing. The G.I. article and all the Faraxis staff are saying that.

[LuckyLindy]

What I would really like to see is development of more that one base and greater than 6 soldier missions (upwards to 12). Visully, the game looks cool, but I would love to see more of the original game aspects. Btw, I would love to see some eye candy on some of the alien ships (hopefully, we will get to investigate them...).

[SectoidSquisher]

Um... yes... the China and US choice is part of the tutorial if all the implications from all the people who played it are correct.

Second, there's no indication that you can't hire more, the might start you out with nine like the original which gave you eight. However nine should be plenty to get you started. So I mean starter troops aside.

The missions are generated dynamically based on what the aliens are doing. The G.I. article and all the Faraxis staff are saying that.

Thanks for the info - you know me, I'm a staunch supporter of this new Xcom - so it's good to have that cleared up.

Still, it would be cool if the aliens could MC troops to do things like they do in the tutorial - on an unscripted basis, that is.

[Inkidu]

Actually that's pretty much in their too. They get them to pull the pin and drop. You can do that to aliens too. One of the Faraxis guys talked about their psionic guy Sid Meier (lol) making aliens do the same thing. I think the tutorial is high scripted in that it makes the player follow the path to complete it so they can show you these things.

[DazzD]

I have read at least 3 interviews talking about the same choice to make... A mission in China or the USA. I thought it might just be a demo they have setup for interviews or the tutorial mission at start of game. I hope there's not always the choice of pick one or the other for missions. It would feel like the whole game is running from a script instead of free flowing. Since the first interview that mentioned it I just imagined the missions popping up at random around the globe. If you we already on your way to a mission and a second one popped up you had the choice about which one you can attend.

Lovin the sounds of the pulling the pin and dropping the nade. I can see that causing havoc in a mission that was otherwise going well. Just wanting to clean up that last alien and he does that to one of your troopers next to a car... There goes your squad.

[Severene]

The most elite base in the world and they can only run 1 mission at a time. And they can only figure out how to put 4 men in a transport. And apparently they can only have 9 soldiers at the main base? This is getting more and more absurd the more they "reimage" it. If this gets any worse I will wait until 2014 to purchase it when it only cost $5.

[LeftyRighty]

I hope there's not always the choice of pick one or the other for missions. It would feel like the whole game is running from a script instead of free flowing.

I wouldn't be too worried... there are alot of hands on interviews floating around and they all talk about the exact same experience. There is one in particular (the aus interview I posted on these forums, have a look at it, it's quite good) that talks about the gaming press people at the show and tell event being given the TUTORIAL CAMPAIGN (caps for highlight). So the whole experience is very heavily scripted. The first mission plays out exactly, always the heavy being left over, the rest dead etc. The next mission is always a choice between usa and china... why? so the tutorial can show you what happens when you don't help a faction etc.

The same article speaks of two other campaigns, and the devs have said in a few vids that the tutorial is completely skippable (ie, don't choose to play the tutorial campaign, pick one of the others).

We don't have anything concrete about the actual "main game" strategy layer/geoscape... looks like they've got the polish on the tactical game and are pushing that out now to get the headlines and hype going.

There have been hints that there will be a new(?) demo for E3, but that might just be the same tactical / tutorial campaign thing...

[DazzD]

Cheers LeftyRighty, that comfirms that it was jsut the tut mission. Be interesting to see waht they do for E3.

[Inkidu]

Now I think you will see a lot of choices for missions, possibly more than a single one especially as the game goes on. However, it won't always be the same nations or the same reward, and the penalties might not be as high. This is conjecture and extrapolation from everything I've seen, read, watched, and heard; but I don't think we have to worry about it being samey. They really want to drive home the idea of making choices and not being able to do everything all the time. Which I like. I get bored if it's a curbstomp war.

[ShredZ]

The most elite base in the world and they can only run 1 mission at a time. And they can only figure out how to put 4 men in a transport. And apparently they can only have 9 soldiers at the main base? This is getting more and more absurd the more they "reimage" it. If this gets any worse I will wait until 2014 to purchase it when it only cost $5.

JS has already stated that he had over 12 soldiers in his base with some in the hospital etc. so do some homework before you spread these rumors to other readers that don't do their homework either and think what your saying is truth. Also they figure out how to transport 6 soldiers by the end of the game :P

[Severene]

I just read on here 9 soldiers in the base - im not going to double-check all the dribble that spews forth from every post I read here. And if it takes research on how to transport 2 more members by the end of the game I call bull. "Programmers Convenience" is a poor excuse to overlook/limit something as important as how many units I can deploy. Especially since they have reduced it to such a ridiculously low number of troops. I curse the day I ever heard this news. I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat screaming "KHAAAAAAAAAN!" when I have nightmares about it.

[SectoidSquisher]

I still think four is too small a starting number but I'm (very) willling to play the game to find out.

[Inkidu]

I just read on here 9 soldiers in the base - im not going to double-check all the dribble that spews forth from every post I read here. And if it takes research on how to transport 2 more members by the end of the game I call bull. "Programmers Convenience" is a poor excuse to overlook/limit something as important as how many units I can deploy. Especially since they have reduced it to such a ridiculously low number of troops. I curse the day I ever heard this news. I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat screaming "KHAAAAAAAAAN!" when I have nightmares about it.

QQ more, noob.

[carldivine]

greetings fellow xcom fanatics! a big fan of the original game and very much looking forward to this new game. october seems like lightyears away, WE WANT IT NOW!

we have to bear in mind that we get 1 squaddie(the lone survivor from the intro mission) along with the 9 rookies in your barracks so that makes it 10 initial operatives. in the original xcom you start with 8.

4 - 6 man squad limitation imo conveys a sense of overwhelming odds. but i have faith that xcom operatives are no push-overs.

[Inkidu]

greetings fellow xcom fanatics! a big fan of the original game and very much looking forward to this new game. october seems like lightyears away, WE WANT IT NOW!

we have to bear in mind that we get 1 squaddie(the lone survivor from the intro mission) along with the 9 rookies in your barracks so that makes it 10 initial operatives. in the original xcom you start with 8.

4 - 6 man squad limitation imo conveys a sense of overwhelming odds. but i have faith that xcom operatives are no push-overs.

Initial post of outward optimism? Not complaining about months old information? My heart! *chest clutch* Welcome to the board by the way.