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Muscle Tracer posted:One of XCOM's strengths, though, is its relatively quick pace for a TBS. That's a couple minutes for what, two moves and six shots? Plus it's only two units. I can easily see why they wanted to whittle down the squad size so much. Don't get me wrong, it looks great and it would have made a great intro movie if the UI elements were stripped.
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Jan 31, 2013 20:51
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A happy middle ground would be keep the tactical pacing tight like it is now, but journal the activity during the mission and let you review ( or share / upload / store ) the mission in a pseudo real time cinematic format.
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Jan 31, 2013 20:58
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Dush posted:
The problem is Internet Explorer. Any other browser should be fine.
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Jan 31, 2013 21:11
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What the hell man. Augh. My eyes. Why is it doing this to me.
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Henry Scorpio posted:A happy middle ground would be keep the tactical pacing tight like it is now, but journal the activity during the mission and let you review ( or share / upload / store ) the mission in a pseudo real time cinematic format.
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Jan 31, 2013 21:15
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Kalos posted:The problem is Internet Explorer. Any other browser should be fine. I'm using Firefox. But I went back to try and read it through the retinal trauma and it was looking fine so it's all good!
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Jan 31, 2013 21:23
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Strange. That is what it loos like when I tried to open it in IE though.
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Jan 31, 2013 21:27
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Is there a way to modify the Geoscape setup the game gives you? I don't particularly enjoy the randomized steam vents and would much prefer them being in a specified spot each game.
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Jan 31, 2013 21:38
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nohopeindope posted:Hey guys, you should check this out. Great read: http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/1/31/3928710/making-of-xcoms-jake-solomon-firaxis-sid-meier My biggest hope for XCOM II is a reintroduction of random maps, although from how down the article sounded on the subject it may not be technically doable/satisfactory.  I'd also like to the see the game move a bit more in the 'simulation' direction the original had, maybe add some more depth to the geoscape too.
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Jan 31, 2013 21:55
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If procedurally generated maps are impossible or too much work, could Firaxis release a kind of map builder and encourage the community to upload or download user-made maps? I would love to create my own maps and share them with some Steam buddies.
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Jan 31, 2013 23:30
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I always got the feeling that X-COM: EU was intended to be a larger game than what we got, and according to this article it was. There were little extra bits throughout that felt like they were suppose to lead into other features that just weren't there. I'd love to see what they bring to the table for an X-COM 2.
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Jan 31, 2013 23:50
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Expansions are good too, and Firaxis has a relatively great track-record with them.
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Jan 31, 2013 23:53
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FairGame posted:Game beaten on classic ironman. I...I lost 2 soldiers. I hadn't had a non-squaddie die since month 2. Ok, how? I search carefully until I bump into aliens. 90% of the time I pull back, putting everybody I can into heavy cover (but there's never enough to go around) and set up an overwatch trap. And the drat alien walks out of dark, ignores my overwatch fire, and one shots somebody in heavy cover. Yea, it's low odds, but it does happen. What are you doing to stop this type of thing?
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Jan 31, 2013 23:56
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Guess I missed any greenmangaming coupons that would have applied to Slingshot eh? Have such a hankering to start another game, but I don't want to without the DLC. $7... well that's less than a pint around here...
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Feb 1, 2013 00:13
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nohopeindope posted:Hey guys, you should check this out. Great read: http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/1/31/3928710/making-of-xcoms-jake-solomon-firaxis-sid-meier  For anyone having trouble reading that article what with the bad font, busy background, and excessive web-cruft, you should get the "zap style sheets" bookmarklet from here. It's my favorite thing for reading sites like that. Fintilgin posted:My biggest hope for XCOM II is a reintroduction of random maps, although from how down the article sounded on the subject it may not be technically doable/satisfactory. Here's the way to look at it: they went with Unreal, an engine that Firaxis didn't have history with and weren't experts at, because it's flexible and they could do rapid prototypes. If they had rolled their own, they would have needed to have the design much more solid at the beginning. Randomized maps or a built in map editor might have been in the design spec, but so would a much worse combat system. I'm much happier with the Xcom we got, complete with it's limitations, than an Xcom that looks and plays like one of the bad prototypes from that 100 Mistakes video. Olive Branch posted:If procedurally generated maps are impossible or too much work, could Firaxis release a kind of map builder and encourage the community to upload or download user-made maps? I would love to create my own maps and share them with some Steam buddies. It would be cool if they put out a call to modders who already know UnrealEd to send in new maps made with the assets in the base game. Firaxis would select the best n maps and put out a free patch with them added to the rotation. Lots of talented modders would be interested in that even if they weren't big fans of the game.
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Feb 1, 2013 00:17
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Klyith posted:It would be cool if they put out a call to modders who already know UnrealEd to send in new maps made with the assets in the base game. Firaxis would select the best n maps and put out a free patch with them added to the rotation. Lots of talented modders would be interested in that even if they weren't big fans of the game. That's an amazing idea. It seems like the best of both worlds to a game studio - they get new content for very little manpower or capital investment and can stir up more player enthusiasm. They'd probably need to offer something to the contributors for their work from a purely legal standpoint, but that's not an insurmountable roadblock. I'm sure there is some reason why this is rarely (if ever) done by major game design studios, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it must be.
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Feb 1, 2013 00:45
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Cobbsprite posted:I'm sure there is some reason why this is rarely (if ever) done by major game design studios, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it must be. Because a lot of modders aren't as great as we think they are. There are the exceptions of course, but the majority still lies in terrible.
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Feb 1, 2013 00:56
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BurningStone posted:Ok, how? I search carefully until I bump into aliens. 90% of the time I pull back, putting everybody I can into heavy cover (but there's never enough to go around) and set up an overwatch trap. I have had 2 of my ironman games hosed up by that. They some how use a denominational rift and end up next to my guys and blow them away.
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Feb 1, 2013 00:57
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Can I enable the other modes without having beaten the game and without installing anything? Just editing an .ini or something?
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Feb 1, 2013 01:35
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Decrepus posted:Can I enable the other modes without having beaten the game and without installing anything? Just editing an .ini or something? Cobbsprite posted:I'm sure there is some reason why this is rarely (if ever) done by major game design studios, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it must be.
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Feb 1, 2013 03:14
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Klyith posted:Re: Procedural maps: I'm sure it's technically possible, but it's not in the base U3 engine. So you'd have to devise a method and code your own dynamic level system. On a purely technical level they could have done procedural maps - the way the base works is basically how you would want to do procedural levels in UE3. In the base, each room you build is a mini-level that is streamed into the room grid (with its own lighting, prefabs, actors, etc.) It's not hard to envision a similar framework for the tactical game. Though there is probably a host of other reasons they opted not to go procedural, you can imagine a big consideration would have been how difficult it would be to do on the 360 and PS3. Take whatever challenges you would normally have in building good looking, interesting tactical maps on the fly in an engine that didn't already support it - and add in: CPU from 2005 with crap branch prediction(360 & PS3), ~210 MB main RAM (PS3 after reservations), may need to load all data from optical media(360), cut-down Nvidia 7800 with 256 MB memory(PS3). A sequel might find the next generation consoles giving it some more breathing room hopefully.
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Feb 1, 2013 09:29
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amanasleep posted:Holy crap that combat pre-visualization video looks awesome. Seriously that should be how Xcom 2 looks. I love the Skyranger design in the game, but holy crap the much more classic one in the vertical slice video is cool. The cargo bay opening animation is slick. Edit: on the procedural content front... it's not technically unreachable, even in Unreal, but making procedural maps that are actually fun to play on AND work in Unreal... well. That's a horse of a different color.
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Feb 1, 2013 10:42
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Slashrat posted:It occurs to me that machinima would be a crazy awesome thing to happen for XCOM.
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Feb 1, 2013 10:47
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Zizi posted:I love the Skyranger design in the game, but holy crap the much more classic one in the vertical slice video is cool. The cargo bay opening animation is slick. Couldn't they generate a poo poo load of random maps then pick out the ones that look good and tweak them? Surely that must be quicker than hand building maps one by one.
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Feb 1, 2013 11:18
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I think it's not so much "we can't do it" as it is "we can't afford to do it in the allotted time we have to spend on maps". Doesn't help that they'd have to tune the maps to make sure you don't get weird bugs like say how the line-of-sight bugs work, but applied to movement, causing your soldiers to literally walk below the level and die.
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Feb 1, 2013 11:26
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vulgey posted:Couldn't they generate a poo poo load of random maps then pick out the ones that look good and tweak them? Surely that must be quicker than hand building maps one by one. Ask Cryptic-- that's what STO's Genesis system does exactly. I suppose it's working out for them or they wouldn't keep doing it... only I don't actually know if they've kept doing it. It's a solid approach, IMO, but that's not really the same thing as generated maps, so I don't know that they've considered it. Though that approach might be vaguely difficult to manage in Unreal, perhaps. The shift from procedural to generated-and-tweaked static map could be really messy. Engines get weirder the further you go from, in this case, Gears of War or Unreal Tournament. Another solid option is to go the Torchlight route and build large sections that the engine stitches together according to rules and helper metadata. Though since TL2 dropped that in favor of hand-built maps, maybe they weren't happy with the results. All sorts of possible, just all sorts of messy. I'm sure in XCOM's case random maps got cut on the basis of deadlines and budget constraints, tho.
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Feb 1, 2013 11:34
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BurningStone posted:Ok, how? I search carefully until I bump into aliens. 90% of the time I pull back, putting everybody I can into heavy cover (but there's never enough to go around) and set up an overwatch trap. Rather than use overwatch, try using Hunker Down, which will make you nearly impossible to hit in high cover and make you immune to crits, so even a direct hit won't kill. When the aliens advance, use your turn to gun them down, reposition your guys for a flank shot, or take them/their cover out with explosives. Overwatch traps are pretty unreliable with rookies unless you do it with 4 of them and they can all see the advancing enemy. Even then, the second alien can just walk forward safely and fuckblammo. If you haven't got enough heavy cover nearby, you may have picked a bad spot to engage. Try to avoid areas where high cover is sparse. This isn't possible on all maps; if you find yourself starting in an awkward place, try to scoot along the edge of the map in a conga line until you find a defensible position.
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Feb 1, 2013 12:51
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So am I right in thinking that Beagle's "I'll update every day!" Ironman Impossible Round 2 has basically petered out by this point?
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Feb 1, 2013 13:51
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I think he's waiting for bugs to be fixed so mutons don't teleport up his anus
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Feb 1, 2013 13:57
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To be clear, when I said I had 2 soldiers die, I meant on the last mission. I had like 5 or 6 die otherwise over the course of the game. Mostly rookies and squaddies in the first couple months. I usually roll with 3 heavies in the first couple of months. NONE of your dudes can hit people worth a drat, but a 90% rocket can solve a lot of problems. 3 heavies, 2 snipers, 1 assault (to spring overwatch traps w lightning reflexes). The assault should use a rifle until he gets an alloy cannon. Seriously--use the poo poo out of explosives and don't worry about Vahlen bitching at you. Until you get a couple characters capable of hitting poo poo (hidden potential and not created equal can occasionally give you an assault with absurd aim which combines with rapid fire), just blow up EVERYTHING. If you can't blow it up, supress it with your heavies. No shredder rockets. Supression all day every day. The first foundry project you should study is ammo conservation. Nothing is more important than ammo conservation. Once you've gotten some decent characters you can scale back on the heavies and start adding in supports. Supports will keep your no-longer-fodder officers from dying. This is also usually the point where I start giving my assault and heavy an arc thrower since they can absorb a hit at point blank range.
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Feb 1, 2013 14:02
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bokkibear posted:Rather than use overwatch, try using Hunker Down, which will make you nearly impossible to hit in high cover and make you immune to crits, so even a direct hit won't kill. When the aliens advance, use your turn to gun them down, reposition your guys for a flank shot, or take them/their cover out with explosives. Overwatch traps are pretty unreliable with rookies unless you do it with 4 of them and they can all see the advancing enemy. Even then, the second alien can just walk forward safely and fuckblammo. Thanks, I'll give that a try. It's more "wait for their attack and counter" than "bait them into overwatch." Overwatch is frustratingly unreliable so it makes sense to avoid it, even if you're in a good firing position. And yes, my biggest problems seem to be when I run into enemies while near the map edge, particularly first thing. There's rarely enough cover and if you try to move around too much you're likely to trigger more enemies, which can be particularly deadly.
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Feb 1, 2013 23:32
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colbamf posted:I think he's waiting for bugs to be fixed so mutons don't teleport up his anus
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Feb 2, 2013 00:21
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Mejwell posted:I've held off on starting a new ironman run because I was assured a patch was coming soon and wanted to avoid having sectopods suddenly inside me. This poster knows what's up. Dark Souls is fun and all, but I want to shoot aliens tactically again.
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Feb 2, 2013 00:56
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Mejwell posted:He's not the only one. I've held off on starting a new ironman run because I was assured a patch was coming soon and wanted to avoid having sectopods suddenly inside me. This is the worst thing that has happened in the history of everything. I'm trying to make "sectopods suddenly inside me" not sound dirty, and all I'm getting is a mental image of Doctor Vahlen with a really creepy grin. Thanks for that.
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Feb 2, 2013 01:56
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You did it, you bastard. Now there's going to be Dr. Vahlen alien interrogation porn, dammit.
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Feb 2, 2013 03:57
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necrobobsledder posted:You did it, you bastard. Now there's going to be Dr. Vahlen alien interrogation porn, dammit.
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Feb 2, 2013 04:08
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necrobobsledder posted:You did it, you bastard. Now there's going to be Dr. Vahlen alien interrogation porn, dammit. Turns out that Mutons are just as unguardedly chatty after sex as humans. Who would have known?
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Feb 2, 2013 04:09
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The Saddest Robot posted:Is it even possible to beat the Slingshot missions on classic or impossible? I cheesed the Classic Slingshot by skipping the 2nd mission until I felt like my squad was ready to handle it. I have read that you can delay the first Slingshot mission by accepting it, sending the Skyranger, and then canceling the mission while it's in flight. But I haven't tried that on the first Slingshot mission to confirm.
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Feb 2, 2013 05:12
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I was able to delay the first mission by accepting, and then just canceling on the council screen.
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Feb 2, 2013 05:35
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On teleporting Sectopods: I had a funny story come out of this. It was way back in November, so before Firaxis accidentally changed TeleportAliens= from 1 to 10 instead of 0. Unfortunately that means I'm probably forgetting some details, but the story should hold together well-enough anyway. I was about 1/2 to 3/4 complete clearing a supply barge, after clearing out the first half of the cargo hold. I like putting my sniper up at the top at one end of the hold, looking down the main corridor down the cargo hold, so she can get elevation bonuses and guaranteed criticals and fun stuff like that. The rest of my squad is obviously on the front lines, either on the flanks or up in the rafters. Finally, I also know that there's a Sectopod stomping about because I, well, hear it stomping about. I think I may also have caught a bit of vision on it with a thrown battle scanner as it patrolled the other end of the cargo hold. After shooting up all the Heavy Floaters and Mutons and everyone else in the way, I start setting up my soldiers so I can blitz the Sectopod and take it out the turn I finally activate it. Stage one involved getting my ghost-armour assault to scout out the Sectopod so I can double-tap it with my sniper. I activate cloak and run up around the pillars on the edge. As I expected, a bunch of alien heads pop up and I start hearing the buzzing of the companion drones. Excellent, all the robots are right in the center, perfectly lined up to have 20 damage worth of long range plasma from god sent in to smite them. Time to select my sniper, select the target... Wait, why do I only see drones down at the other end of the cargo hold? I press TAB. Okay, that's the other drone, but there's 3 alien heads in the corner. I press TAB again, and the view swings around 90 degrees to target the Sectopod literally right next to my sniper.  ...clever girl... Obviously I just booked my sniper out of there. Luckily I didn't take any casualties trying to kill an elevated Sectopod in my rear lines, but in the rush of adrenaline I forgot to take screenshots.  When I realized this I saved and then reloaded an autosave from the previous turns, but unfortunately the Sectopod didn't teleport and I revealed it exactly where I was expecting it to be  . That Jurassic Park quote would have gone perfectly with a screenshot, too. (Never before has the phrase "Unfortunately the Sectopod didn't teleport" been uttered.)
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Feb 2, 2013 05:42
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OK, trying ironman impossible with every second wave option turned on is literally impossible. What mods should I have turned on for a fair but incredibly challenging I/I game?
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Feb 2, 2013 06:57
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