What Alien Invasion needs in order to replace XCOM1 as the best game

[Sirine]

『homunculus』: yap, the enemy unknown. I can see you still having fun with that tactic of yours...aren't you?

『Another Guy』: Will that be call the element of surprise?

[Another Guy]

Yep. No psi gun or line of sight required for alien psionics kinda compensates for some bugs in the AI and helps on the scary feeling. One of the best games I've ever played!

[odie]

Nobody's "concentrating on 3D graphics". Bullshit - ignored.

Lol!!
I like BT's way of rebuking bullshit.

Here's another:
*Aiiiiik Choooooooooo* I juz sneezed. okie, i am allergic to bullshit (referring to nobody's concentrating on 3D graphics). OMG! Poor graphics team. Pls go look at the threads on graphics! TONS OF EM! Grrrrr

Yep. No psi gun or line of sight required for alien psionics kinda compensates for some bugs in the AI and helps on the scary feeling. One of the best games I've ever played!

once you get your hands on the psi weapons the game becomes quite unbalanced imo.

Ooooooo, freaky...... freaky.... i always hated psionics on xcom...... but love it when I HAVE Em!

And yeah homunculus, it does..... IMHO too.

I've voted no.4. (Just make a bug-free clone of XCOM1 with better graphics and music)
Here are my reason:- (SNIP)

Mine was 2. More equip and research and stuff. it would be FUN if there are alot more stuff to research! And making this battle against this onslaught of invaders a slightly longer than expected storylines, perhaps with TWISTS!

[BTAxis]

Erm, Odie, I think you're missing the point. He was saying the game was bad BECAUSE it uses 3D graphics. Which isn't true, it's just the old "blah blah 3D graphics are all that matters in games these days blah blah need to go back to the old days when games had to be good to be successful blah blah" argument, except he doesn't know what he's talking about and is just trying to seem like a "better gamer" than the rest of us.

X-COM was a great game. It also had its flaws no matter what anyone says. UFO:AI aims to be a different game, and you can like that or not, but if you don't like it why are you even still here?

[Sirine]

BTAxis: please calm down...

   1. Gently and quietly, breathe through your nose and back out through your mouth for as long as you're angry or disturbed. If you feel light headed, slowly stop. However, if you are very emotional and breathing too fast, use a paper lunch bag to breathe into to slow your system down.
   2. Shake your shoulders to release tension.
   3. Talk to friends or go on/off the computer to forget about the stress.
   4. Lie down in a safe place. Close your eyes and listen to slow music to take your mind off of emotional pressure. Let all tension in your forehead, neck and hands fade away slowly. Imagine every part of your body relaxing. Start with your toes and as you breathe, imagine them becoming one with the Earth. Remember to breathe from your stomach and not chest, and to spend several breaths on each body part until you feel all the muscles there completely relaxed. Try to be as still as possible.
   5. Take a piece of paper to write logically about what has happened and list steps of action to sort it out properly. After you write it down, shred it and throw it away. It's symbolic of throwing away those feelings you just want to get out.
   6. Take time to privately relax, meditate, or pray. Great peace comes through purposely focusing on quieting one's being without worrying about distractions of the world.
   7. Squeeze a stress ball, sponge, or other pliable object at least 50 times.
   8. Take a walk outside alone. Go to a store or the park or even your backyard! A good breath of fresh air always feels good.
   9. Realize that you can not control what will happen today. Know that you can control how you react to the problems that will happen every day. When you find yourself getting anxious, worried or stressed because life seems to be out of control, pause, take a few deep breaths and then tell yourself a positive affirmation such as: "Life is crazy but I am calm." Repeat this ten times and you will sense calm.
  10. Carry a picture with you of an image that makes you feel calm in a crazy world. It should have scenes of nature, not people. Some people find images of water very calming. Carry this in your purse, wallet or briefcase, and keep it with you. When you sense you are getting anxious, you have the calm image available to look at while using your positive affirmation. Place a calm photo image at your office desk and look at it several times in the day while saying a positive affirmation like "Life is crazy but I am calm."
  11. Make it a goal to live more and stress less. Remember, you manage your feelings. Don't let your feelings and worry manage you!
  12. Consider events in your childhood: How has your upbringing contributed to how you react and feel about the world? Think of traumatic, crazy events that occurred between age 5-10 and isolate them. Write them down on a piece of paper, crumple it and throw it out.
  13. Identify the people in your life who are making you feel like the world is out of control and consider what TV shows, websites and media you view or listen to that make you feel like the world is crazy. Surround yourself with other people who are calm!
  14. Think about the situation from a different perspective that doesn't result in you being so stressed. Consider the points of view of others around you.
  15. Think about all of the good things in your life and make a list of them on paper in a journal. Never look back at what you wrote.
  16. Write the feelings of your day in a journal, because sometimes you need someone to talk to but you want them to be silent, so write the feelings in a journal.
  17. Always try to stay positive no matter what and remember everything happens for a reason and you're not the only person dealing with these issues.
  18. Count to ten if you're mad and you're about to say something really mean to someone you love.
  19. Remember that there are many people in your life who love and care for you. They might be disappointed at you for a little time, but they will get over it eventually.
  20. Don't get down on yourself. If you're having a bad day, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself good things. Say "You are smart, beautiful/handsome" keep your confidence up. Don't let other people bring you down!!!!! Stay Strong!!!
  21. Be strong and convince yourself that you can control yourself because you have the power of choice in one little tiny moments, so don't waste it, and make the right choice.

[homunculus]

Aliens can do pretty much the same (specially ethereals), and often do, panic/beseking 1/3 of ur soldiers and mind controling one or 2 of them.
[...]

the aliens can never do anything psi-related to 1/3 of your soldiers in xcom!
because you don't take low psi soldiers to a fight.
and aliens picking up weapons would not be such a big deal because they don't have time units to use them.

seems like you missed this part:

[...]
when you do some planning, you build yourself a few psi-labs (10 or more) and recruit a lot of soldiers to get a team of 80+ psi soldiers asap after capturing sectoid leader from a terror mission.
[...]

now, you could say that if the psi success rate was lower on aliens, then it would have been better balanced.
but guess what, it wasn't.

actually i think that making psi success lower would not have been such a great idea.
i think that, in order to psi control someone, you should need team work with different kinds of psi attacks.
the basic psi attack would just remove some time units from a soldier, something like temporary disorientation or paralysis.
a more advanced psi attack could make time units of a soldier controllable by another psi attack.
the basic psi attack on those controllable time units would be attracting the soldier to walk towards the alien, and the purpose of it would be alien abduction.
an advanced psi attack on controllable time units would be mind control.
and, i think every action that the mind controller would order, could be a psi attack with a success rate.
both the paralysis attack and controllable time units attack would only affect a few of the soldier's time units, not all of them.
to get mind control on a soldier for a whole turn you would need a lot of such psi attacks.
it would be somewhat reliable, but getting a significant effect would require more effort from the team.

[odie]

BTAxis: please calm down...

   1. Gently and quietly, breathe through your nose and back out through your mouth for as long as you're angry or disturbed. If you feel light headed, slowly stop. However, if you are very emotional and breathing too fast, use a paper lunch bag to breathe into to slow your system down.
   2. Shake your shoulders to release tension.
   3. Talk to friends or go on/off the computer to forget about the stress.
   4. Lie down in a safe place. Close your eyes and listen to slow music to take your mind off of emotional pressure. Let all tension in your forehead, neck and hands fade away slowly. Imagine every part of your body relaxing. Start with your toes and as you breathe, imagine them becoming one with the Earth. Remember to breathe from your stomach and not chest, and to spend several breaths on each body part until you feel all the muscles there completely relaxed. Try to be as still as possible.
   5. Take a piece of paper to write logically about what has happened and list steps of action to sort it out properly. After you write it down, shred it and throw it away. It's symbolic of throwing away those feelings you just want to get out.
   6. Take time to privately relax, meditate, or pray. Great peace comes through purposely focusing on quieting one's being without worrying about distractions of the world.
   7. Squeeze a stress ball, sponge, or other pliable object at least 50 times.
   8. Take a walk outside alone. Go to a store or the park or even your backyard! A good breath of fresh air always feels good.
   9. Realize that you can not control what will happen today. Know that you can control how you react to the problems that will happen every day. When you find yourself getting anxious, worried or stressed because life seems to be out of control, pause, take a few deep breaths and then tell yourself a positive affirmation such as: "Life is crazy but I am calm." Repeat this ten times and you will sense calm.
  10. Carry a picture with you of an image that makes you feel calm in a crazy world. It should have scenes of nature, not people. Some people find images of water very calming. Carry this in your purse, wallet or briefcase, and keep it with you. When you sense you are getting anxious, you have the calm image available to look at while using your positive affirmation. Place a calm photo image at your office desk and look at it several times in the day while saying a positive affirmation like "Life is crazy but I am calm."
  11. Make it a goal to live more and stress less. Remember, you manage your feelings. Don't let your feelings and worry manage you!
  12. Consider events in your childhood: How has your upbringing contributed to how you react and feel about the world? Think of traumatic, crazy events that occurred between age 5-10 and isolate them. Write them down on a piece of paper, crumple it and throw it out.
  13. Identify the people in your life who are making you feel like the world is out of control and consider what TV shows, websites and media you view or listen to that make you feel like the world is crazy. Surround yourself with other people who are calm!
  14. Think about the situation from a different perspective that doesn't result in you being so stressed. Consider the points of view of others around you.
  15. Think about all of the good things in your life and make a list of them on paper in a journal. Never look back at what you wrote.
  16. Write the feelings of your day in a journal, because sometimes you need someone to talk to but you want them to be silent, so write the feelings in a journal.
  17. Always try to stay positive no matter what and remember everything happens for a reason and you're not the only person dealing with these issues.
  18. Count to ten if you're mad and you're about to say something really mean to someone you love.
  19. Remember that there are many people in your life who love and care for you. They might be disappointed at you for a little time, but they will get over it eventually.
  20. Don't get down on yourself. If you're having a bad day, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself good things. Say "You are smart, beautiful/handsome" keep your confidence up. Don't let other people bring you down!!!!! Stay Strong!!!
  21. Be strong and convince yourself that you can control yourself because you have the power of choice in one little tiny moments, so don't waste it, and make the right choice.

  WOW! Sirine

[Ildamos]

While sometimes I do not agree with how the admins on this board deal with some suggestions, lengthy posts that aren't relevant to a thread should not be made. Do I smell a troll?

Regarding 3D graphics, the devs of UFO: AI have made the right decision in making the game 3D. There are many 2D X-com clones already. There's no need to add one more drop to the deluge.

Regarding this being an X-com clone/users wanting this to be one: the devs of UFO: AI have never meant this game to be one. Deal with it. You are free to make your own game.

This game is free. They're doing it for free. I can't believe there are even people who are disrespecting BTAxis and the valiant effort in making a game for gamers just for the sheer enjoyment of it.

Back to topic:

IMO, the AI of a game makes or breaks a video game for me. All the flash, all the innovations, all the balance will be for naught if I'm faced with morons.

This game has a competent AI and it's one of the reasons why I keep going back to it.

Of course I'm not saying the other elements are not important. Certainly, the researching and the equipping of soldiers and bases are what makes X-com and its clones/spiritual successors special but placing a lower priority on the AI will be the death of any game.

[BTAxis]

Ildamos, the "decision" to make the game 3D wasn't anyone's who's around now. Remember that this is the second life of the project. Also, bear in mind that I'm not personally creating this game single-handedly. I'm merely the spokesperson for those who do.

[Ildamos]

the "decision" to make the game 3D wasn't anyone's who's around now. Remember that this is the second life of the project.

Yep, I understand that perfectly. I wasn't referring to the current group.

Also, bear in mind that I'm not personally creating this game single-handedly. I'm merely the spokesperson for those who do.

Of course. One can't make a video game all by himself. (Though I've read only two people made "Light of Altair.") You being "merely" a spokesperson doesn't delegate you to the status of being a "merely" anyone; I have a huge respect for people who make freeware just for the sake of bringing fun to the gaming community. It still doesn't give anyone the right to make lengthy posts about you "relaxing."

[slothlord]

game could use:

1. Prone position (lying belly down on the ground) in addition to the kneel/stand.  it would probably screw the TU costs to hell, but improve accuracy and cover.  *much like Jagged Alliance 2

2. More aliens - perhaps extremely large aliens (think reapers from x-com but bigger) that the aliens use as "tank" or meatshield.  fast, scary aliens like the chryssalid or aliens in some form of power armor. 

3. Aliens that require different methods of killing - weapon types dont seem to make much difference when it come to killing aliens.  aliens with a force field only penetrable by melee weapons or kinetic/energy resistant aliens/alien armor.  that would make weapon loadouts more important and add another tactical element.

4. More bolt weapons - perhaps a "heavy" bolt rifle similar to the autocannon from x-com and a bolt pistol. it's an entire weapon tree with only 1 weapon. almost feels pointless to research it (i much prefer laser rifles/sniper rifles to the bolter).

5. Tweak the worldview UI - the 3 "hidden" buttons and screen take up a lot of space.  shrink them and move the buttons to the top or side of the screen. 

Overall the game is pretty damn solid.  I know suggestions 2 & 3 will be pretty hard to implement as the bottleneck seems to be 3D modeling and stuff, not the coding. 

hmm, forgot about the AI...

Alien AI should be based upon 3 things: race, weapon, rank/role.  Heavy, durable aliens (ortnoks) should act more aggressively (constantly advancing forward, rapid-fire weapons, grenades, etc.).  Weaker aliens (tamans) should move more cautiously (staying in cover most of the time and relying on reaction fire).  Aliens equipped with sniper rifles should stay back, look for high ground.  Assault aliens (rifles, heavy) should "leapfrog" from cover to cover providing covering fire for shocktroops/recon.  Shocktroops (heavily armored, high damage weapons/melee) charge forward to soak up reaction fire.  Recon (pistols, grenades)
aliens would scout ahead, locate enemies and try to lure them back to the rest of the troops or try to backstab lone phalanx soldiers (esp. snipers). 

most of this seems to be true, so the alien AI is okay (although the taman have a bizarre fondness for the kerr blade...).  however, alien AI (or tactics) should make more use of the different alien types.  those little metal bugs should be used to scout the area and flush out hidden enemies, while the alien "handlers" would follow behind at a safe distance.  commanders should stay back with several bodyguards, "forting up" in hopes of rescue.

that lead me to one last suggestion for more varied missions: enemy reinforcements/rescue.  as it is, there is an unlimited number of turns for a mission.  enemy reinforcements arriving after some time would make add a little pressure to the mission.  alien commanders could get rescued before they get captured, making capture missions more difficult.  however this could add another layer to strategy.  waiting for alien reinforcements and try to ambush them in order to gain more alien tech or capture a ship (the reinforcements dont simply just appear from nowhere).  of course this is pretty damn risky, but would be very cool.

sorry for the extremely long post. i think i'll put some of these in the requests section.
 

[geever]

5. Tweak the worldview UI - the 3 "hidden" buttons and screen take up a lot of space.  shrink them and move the buttons to the top or side of the screen. 

Are you speaking about 2.2.1? You should check the current one before suggestin' anything IMHO.

-geever

[nerf5000]

From a different barrel, favorite XCom moment and somewhat unrelated to the original thread but I guess to put it out there
(BTW I hope this could be recreated, but I think its one of those things that you get to experience once and once only, because later you expect them to happen and are ready):

A bunch of rookies and a vet or two come out on the second skyranger and proceed to land at a terror site... first encounter with ethereals, everyone tries to disperse from the 'ranger and take up positions... spread out a bit and the troops come under heavy fire from a sectopod I think it was, and a bit of a firefight ensues. One fella bites the dust but so far they're holding.... then an ethereal comes into view... another soldier gets beserked/MCs... by now I'm like OH SH-... so he turns to the guy standing near the gas station and unloads whatever heavy weapon he was holding (I think HE-AC), my guy, the gas station, and some other things go up...
My turn begins and the other soldier that didn't make it as far as the gas station to shoot at the ethereal, but he can't see it in all the smoke... but wait, there it is, only a few squares away... lets check out what it was... oh it's still alive just passed out from the explosion and smoke!... last TUs are spend putting the guy in the backpack (I think that was a strategy for not having them wake up if I remember correctly)...
ok some more movement out, so far only 3 soldiers down, still 7 or so left... the MC guy is still around but I figure he'll be ok next turn (the thing that was trying to take him out is now in my backpack...)
next turn... two guys get PSId, one shoots a soldier, but he's not dead the other shoots into the sky... the guy that picked up the ethereal doubles back to the 'ranger, and shoots the rookie getting MCd... another guy runs out to the downed soldier and picks him up... they try to make it back as far as possible...  the beserked soldier is the furthest out and he finally gets MCd... another guy gets panicked.. the rest scramble madly and get into the ranger....
damn... the MCd guy is back and he tries to make it to the ranger but he's still off the ramp... I hate to leave him out there but if we stay the guys inside will succumb and turn on each other...
I hit abort....
I think the guy that got left behind was Buchard...
Anyway, they make it back to base with I think 4 guys and the ethereal something Navigator? Medic?... lets me do my PSI research and build my PSI lab... for a while I send tanks to these terror missions and shoot down ethereal UFOs over water as much as I can... eventually I screen out enough soldiers to create an invincible PSI taskforce and rip into the ethereals with their own weapons like no-one's bussines... I was grinning like an idiot every time I would have them shoot each other...
The sacrifice of Buchard and his buddies on that fateful mission will always be remembered

Oh there might be some discrepancies in the above turn account wise as it was back when the game first came out, but when that gas station went up I was basically thinking "that's not good"... and when I got that ethereal I knew the guy holding him had to go back no matter the cost... not sure if I knew by then that I needed the guy to get PSI research but I had to find out what happened there I guess

Anyway, best moment in XCom I ever had hands down

[Sirine]

.... It still doesn't give anyone the right to make lengthy posts about you "relaxing."

You are referring me... I'm sorry If I make you feeling mad, because I'm poking BTAxis?
@Ildamos: You have a gift to start a fire... You have a gift for making people angry... If you know your power, use it cautiously...

@nerf5000: Great story... I have something to share too... this is in the x-com1.

Square Alpha: Rockies of 4.
Mission: Alien crash site. (Night)

1st Turn:- Equip soldier with flare, throw out.
              - Reaction fire from Little Grey, Soldier down. ==" <----Sweating
              - See nothing in the dark still... I think I just move back abit inside the drop ship, for safe...
              - End Turn.
Alien Turn:- Something drop inside the cabin, what is that round things? Kaboooomm......

Mission End :-

Hope this situation WILL happend in UFO:AI. [Dark Night]...really means it... you can't see even few meters aways... but the alien does... clearly. Ambush around drop ship.... If I'm aliean, saw something drop by... I will do that too... drop ship "door" open? Just throw in few "corn". Say Hi later....

[nerf5000]

LOL, yes!

Or moving through an alien base in twos, with decent soldiers, veterans of many a raid and ufo mission and all of a sudden something flies around a corner and BLAM! The squad leader is down, the guy next to him bleeding to death, help too far away...

The blaster bombs were kind of a cool curve ball halfway through... but I think the reason they were so cool is because they were innovative and the game set you up in the right way for them. You learned not to bunch up, but to have the squaddies cover each other and move up... you pretty much expected that you will see what will get you, and if you set yourself up down a corridor you can see, you would probably be ok... esp since even the first armor would give you ok chances against an alien round.... then you get the gift of a blaster in the face and nope you were wrong... back to the drawing board of strategies...

In my opinion this is where Aftershock failed... the missile launchers were spam weapons and not very cool... and no defence against them either