ysbreker

XCOM 2

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Me wants! Although I haven't played Enemy Within yet.

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I'll just repost here the two quotes I pulled out in the random thought thread, which are some of the really exciting things to hear about this sequel (super exciting things bolded):

 

Tomorrow you’ll get an in-depth overview and interview with Creative Director Jake Solomon that’ll highlight the major new features, including new soldier classes, new aliens, stealth-infused tactics, procedurally generated maps, and more.

 

the bold move to take XCOM from a multiplatform series to a PC exclusive, and how XCOM 2 will be tailored to take advantage of that single platform’s strengths – followed by Firaxis’ exciting plans to support modders and their work.

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They'll probably do console versions eventually. My guess is they just wanted to focus on the PC version as the lead.

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I'll just repost here the two quotes I pulled out in the random thought thread, which are some of the really exciting things to hear about this sequel (super exciting things bolded):

 

 

Proceduraly generated levels would be the best. I've been watching some high-end Long War play and it disappoints me that so much on high difficulties revolves around memorizing the maps and knowing all the best places to stand.

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Procedural generation is definitely a big deal. I've put 257 hours into Enemy Within, at this point every map feels like de_dust2.

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They'll probably do console versions eventually. My guess is they just wanted to focus on the PC version as the lead.

 

According to the devs on twitter, there are no plans for a console version right now. Personally I think that's fair considering their goals: Firaxis has always supported modders, and there was a decent mod community around XCOM. Plus when it came to releasing the expansion, it was too complex to integrate as DLC so they had to release another disc, which was a difficult pitch for a game that reportedly didn't do so well on console. Firaxis just seem to be more comfortable with the PC ecosystem, so I don't blame them to sticking to what they know. I played XCOM on PC though, so maybe I'm biased. I'm sure it sucks to be a fan of XCOM who won't have a chance to play the sequel.

 

Anyway, I am fucking STOKED about another XCOM. I loved the original and I thought the Firaxis version was absolutely incredible. It seems like they've really taken the lessons of the first to heart (They've mentioned procedurally generated levels and being able to carry wounded squadmates back to the Skyranger). What I really like about this is that they're actually paying tribute to the concept for X-Com: Genesis, which was planned to be the next major sequel to X-Com before Hasbro shut down their games division. This interview has a good explanation of what that would be.

 

With no warning, all communications with Earth installations on Mars and in the asteroid belt are lost. Patrols sent to investigate are lost without a trace. X-COM places its Earth forces on alert, but they are still scattered and disorganized in the wake of the Third Alien War. To top it off, all the new weapons and defense systems based on the trans-dimensional aliens’ disruptor technology ceased to function the moment the dimension gate was shut, leaving Earth forces with ships and troops that are poorly equipped to deal with any major threat. 

Less than a half hour later, communications with Tranquility and the rest of the lunar colonies are cut off—no warning of impending problems, just a complete cessation of comm traffic. Moments later, the Earth Defense Network satellites detect a massive alien fleet moving toward the planet. Every X-COM ship is immediately scrambled, but the battle is short and bloody. Less than an hour after its initial detection, the alien invasion fleet settles into Earth orbit. 

Moments later, the alien ground assault has begun. 

In the Frontier, 100 light-years from Earth, all official communications traffic from Earth and her in-system colonies and outposts is cut off without warning on September 8. Not knowing what has caused the situation, an immediate ban is placed on all commercial and military starship traffic between the Sol system and the Frontier. 

For weeks, there is no word whatsoever from Earth, and unmanned probes sent to investigate disappear without a trace. Then, starting on September 22, several tight-band transmissions are picked up by X-COM listening posts on the edge of the Frontier. 

The messages come “Earth Force”—an ad-hoc group of human freedom fighters. The messages detailed the alien invasion. Every major city on the planet was now under alien control. Mega-Primus, the center of all X-COM forces on the planet, had been the first to fall. Every day, the aliens were spreading their forces farther over the face of the planet to either eradicate or enslave all humans in the outlying areas. 

For the time being, the soldiers of Earth Force were holding their own. Steering clear of the major cities, Earth Force squadrons had managed to secure and hold a number of small population and raw material acquisition centers on several continents, but the aliens were gaining ground daily. For security reasons, the individual Earth Force cells are not aware of the location of all of the other cells. The unfortunate consequence of this is that they are unable to mount a large-scale campaign against the aliens. With their forces thus scattered, it was only a matter of time before they had captured or killed every human on the planet. 

The leader of the freedom fighters, an ex-X-COM Captain named Carrie Ogawa, ended the last of the short transmissions with a plea for help. The aliens were pressing their offensive and forcing Earth Force troops into a purely defensive role. At best, the freedom fighters in the hardest hit areas could only be expected to survive for a month to six weeks. Unless X-COM could muster forces on the Frontier and send aid, Earth would be lost altogether. 

The X-COM commander makes immediate plans to send a huge force of X-COM ground troops, armed to the teeth, to investigate, and decides to take command of the mission personally. Accompanying the soldiers is a contingent of scientists and engineers to act as support crew to the military personnel. Their goal: to retake Earth and return humankind to dominance. 

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I really liked Enemy Unknown, but I never finished it. When one of my Top Mans died I got really sad and never loaded it back up.

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I just really hope that they plan to still support controllers on the PC version.  I played all of Enemy Unknown on a controller on my PC and it was my preferred way to play, so I'm gonna be bummed if they don't bother with the support because they're not doing console releases.

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I played both the 360 and PC versions, and the PC version was a much better experience, which is one of the reasons I'm excited for it being the only/lead platform.  The game went much faster on PC, just thanks to hotkeys and not having to do things like cycle through all your soldiers.  Plus control was much better.  I lost a couple of people do to slight innacuracies in the 360 version, something that never happened in the PC version. 

 

And assuming they do it well, procedurally generate maps will be a godsend.  I've played 5 or 6 full campaigns, and map repetition/similarity were real downers even by the third playthrough. 

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But can you crouch yet? Seriously though, this is exciting (Although I did expect there's be a sequel eventually). I just hope they iron out more of the bugs before release this time around. I'm disgustingly not interested in whatever the plot is, because I am bad, unless they forget to write in aliens which I guess would be a problem.

 

I hope they add customisable difficulty options (Like what New Thief had). Would be cool to set a specific set of challenges and all that.

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Austin Walker hit the ground running at Giant Bomb when he pointed out that there's a strong colonial flavour to the premise of XCOM 2. I'm sitting here thinking, 'yes, I guess I do expect XCOM 2 to touch on the experience of humans who have a technologically superior colonisation force take over their homeland and tell them it's for their own good'.

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Ah yes, the second XCOM.

 

In other news, video game sequel number is still nonsense.

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Totally two thumbs up on this, like everyone else.

Just wanna throw it out there that Jake Solomon, Enemy Unknown's designer, is so much fun to listen to. He's got super passion for being in the role he's in, similar to Brad Muir. Looking forward to the interview!

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I would have been pretty happy if they called it XCOM: Enemy EVERYWHERE

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procedurally generated maps

 

If they want to make the most life-ruining version of this game possible (the last one cost me 175 hours), I hope they go further in the direction of more randomization. It seems to me that everybody played the first XCOM as a regular strategy game once, and then for the next dozen or so games flipped on Ironman and started treating it as a potentially 20-hour long roguelike. Except it got a bit dull when you treat it as such, not only because the maps start repeating, but also because the structure and pace of the overarching storyline are mostly set in stone. Either you do well or you don't, but once you're on the road to ruin there's not really anything that can get you back on track (say rare random events that give you a small boost with new technologies or some high-ranking officers) and once you're doing well there's not really anything to shake up your march to victory, safe for that one-time thing they added in Enemy Within.

 

So hopefully this one ends up with a bit more dynamic structure. Or hopefully it doesn't, because I would never get anything done ever again.

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Procedurally generated maps sound interesting, I do hope there will be controlled randomness in the generation so you don't end up with totally unbalanced maps. But it will add a lot to replayability. 

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Ah yes, the second XCOM.

 

In other news, video game sequel number is still nonsense.

 

But it's XCOM, not X-COM. So it all makes sense.  B)

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Oh hey guys, since we're getting Xcom 2, do you think we'll get a companion sequel to The Bureau?! 

 

 

 

I am probably the only person in the world who would be excited about that. 

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Oh hey guys, since we're getting Xcom 2, do you think we'll get a companion sequel to The Bureau?! 

 

 

 

I am probably the only person in the world who would be excited about that. 

 

That seems... unlikely.

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I know, I'm completely familiar with all that.  The game was a trainwreck, but a trainwreck with some interesting ideas in it and I liked the idea of having some of the more personal, ground level stories told within the XCOM universe. 

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I know, I'm completely familiar with all that.  The game was a trainwreck, but a trainwreck with some interesting ideas in it and I liked the idea of having some of the more personal, ground level stories told within the XCOM universe. 

 

The studio you're looking for is Telltale.

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