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a few words about "UFO: Alien Invasion"

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Negator_UK:

--- Quote from: Aiki-Knight on May 19, 2008, 06:25:08 am ---UFO:AI is a game for the thinking player.

--- End quote ---

Thats the beauty of turn based games - you get to savour the tension of every shot and even when you get rapid-reaction firefights you can still see what going on. Real time games can't possibly compete with this kind of detailed involvement. You look away from the main battle to some soldier on a minor task and when you pan back out again the battle was already won (or lost) - soooo boring by comparison.

Unfortunately real-time games are better at multiplayer ( no hanging around waiting for the other guy to move) and every marketing and magazine monkey in the business seems to consider a game with no multiplayer inferior (yeah I know ufoai has multiplayer anyway, but I prefer the single player side).

Still, it leaves the turn based market open for "games by gamers" like this one   :)

Winter:

--- Quote from: Aiki-Knight on May 19, 2008, 06:25:08 am ---I have to say, this game is phenomenal. The latest in-mission music is just outstanding. Why, one track has whispering voices in it, and it's downright terrifying. I don't generally find horror movies scary at all, but UFO:AI with its scary music turned up loud is real terror. Aliens pop out and there are spiders hiding all over the place... This is a magic game.

I was remarking to a learned friend about the intense psychological pressure the game exerts on the player. The aliens kill civilians every chance they get. They're cruel and ruthless about it. I really do want to save civilians, but I don't want to stumble into alien traps and lose the squad, either. That conflict of motives makes the game incredibly intense and has me on the edge of my seat. Where are the aliens? Have I covered all possible enemy approaches? Who are the aliens shooting at out of sight? How many civilians are dead? How many can I save? The player wants, needs, to save civilians, and yet must accept that the player will watch some die. Every time.

The aliens aren't cartoons, and they aren't dumb. They're dangerous, and far more dangerous to us up close than our agents are to them. They're monsters, and they mean business. A stupid tactical mistake usually means a dead agent. This game really forces the player to take the game seriously, every single moment. It's an experience I haven't felt since the game that got this entire genre started. I for one think that UFO:AI has taken the entire genre to a much higher level. The writing, the planning, the detail, the tension - this is what gaming for adults is all about. A story, a real story.

Bravo, everyone, bravo. Even in beta, this game is the one I've been waiting for.

I'd like to say how sensible and smart this game is. I have a friend who likes to play Gears of War on his XBox, and loves chess. But he doesn't try this game simply because it's too hard for him. You can't charge in and take everyone out because you're good with the controller. He asked me to play Gears of War with him, and his play-style was to charge in, and die, and charge in, and die, endlessly. I don't play XBox, but I told him, "Look man, that's not how this is done. If you want my help, we do it right." And so, using only my tactics from years of XCOM and now UFO:AI, we went right through the campaign. Cover each other, move carefully, always use cover, watch arcs of fire, cover choke-points, wait, win the firefight, move, repeat. Maybe two or three scenes of Gears of War are hard because the missions rely on just reactions. The rest of the game, an XCOM / UFO:AI player can walk right through. UFO:AI is a game for the thinking player. And it's so rewarding.

I'm bowled over by the realism and details of the maps. I love the snow effect in the winter maps. I tell you, this game has detail and love in it that no commercial venture has.

It's simply brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Thank you.

--- End quote ---

It's really nice hearing from someone who so totally gets what we're trying to do here. Gaming for adults indeed!

Cheers!

Regards,
Winter

bri49:
I wholeheartedly agree about the excitement of turn based vs. real time play. The only other alternative I found interesting was the "Combat Mission" game series that used a "we go" system where the turn is plotted and you watch the action unfold as the clock runs for a designated period of time.

But no other game comes close to the bone chilling excitement level that UFO ai achieves. This has so much potential. Kudos to the design team!

Captain Bipto:
The excitement for me comes from the fact that I do not have to pause the game every time my dudes have finished moving (UFO Aftermath/Afterlife anyone?) This game is totally awesome and I'd be content to just play the beta.

Darkpriest667:
this guy has it right on the mark

When i was 12 years old UFO was one of the only games that could make me stay up hours on end staring into the screen... Master of Orion 2 also but Xcom was first.... and this ufo alien invasion just brings joy to my heart.... Im 26 now and ive been beta testing ufo ai since v 1.2.1 (i think)

you guys have come so far... i remember when youc ouldnt shoot a ufo down this game is so beautiful you guys are truely progressing.. I'd go so far as to say that every person that is playing the beta would probably purchase a full version. I know i would


I am so happy and excited to see that so many others appreciated the genre..

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