Victory Conditions - Proposal

[ProtoArmor]

Here's an idea for victory conditions.  Hopefully this is useful?



Multiwave Stealth Generator

An alien ship appeared at a terror site without warning or detection.  Observers say that it seemed to appear out of thin air, hovering 5 feet above the ground and then landing.  Upon researching this component found at the landing site, we can tell that the aliens have achieved stealth technology which is able to redirect not only light, but other types of waves employed in radar technologies.  Upon researching other alien hardware, we may be able to recreate the components needed for a working stealth system.

-requires Alien Palm Computer
-requires Multiwave Stealth Generator from large alien ship


MW Stealth Detection

It appears that with current human technology, detecting ships with Multiwave Stealth radar is impossible.  We can only hope to obtain research data on Alien Radar Technology in the future.

-requires Multiwave Stealth Generator


MW Stealth Carrier

Carrying up to twenty soldiers, the MW Stealth Carrier is a heavy transport vessel employing an enhanced version of the alien Multiwave Stealth Generator.  Using our knowledge of alien radar, we can now evade it's detection.  Completely invisible to alien radar, this ship could be the key to ultimate victory.

-allows production of MW Stealth Carrier
-requires Ion Technology
-requires Alien Radar Technology


Dark Radar

Using data obtained from alien computers and hardware, Phalanx has created a design plan for a radar system that employs subatomic-particles much like alien radar does.  Once built, this new device could be the key to locating the alien mothership.  Using a MW Stealth Carrier, Phalanx could board the ship and hope to destroy it from the inside, which seems to be the only possible way to defeat it.

-allows production of Dark Radar (building)
-requires Alien Radar Technology
-requires Alien Mothership
-requires MW Stealth Carrier


Ion Condensor

This device, discovered in the engine room of an alien vessel, is the key to UFO propulsion technology.  Unlike previous human experimentation with Ion propulsion, the Ion Condensor accelerates the ion buildup using previously unknown particle technologies, making it possible to achieve incredible amounts of thrust in an instant.  Research into Ion Technology could allow us to create usable devices employing Ion propulsion.

-requires that an Ion Condensor was obtained from a large alien ship


Ion Technology
Phalanx is now able to recreate the advanced Ion Technology found in alien propulsion units.  With a more complete understanding of the technology, we can now start designing working vehicles.

-requires Ion Condensor


Alien Translation Device

This device, discovered on an alien general, is the key to alien interspecies communication.  This will enable us to research Alien Language and eventually translate it to human language.

-requires that an Alien Translation Device was obtained from the unconscious body or corpse of one of the rarely encountered Alien Generals.


Alien Language

Though each alien race seems to have a native tongue that matches its physical communication abilities, the group of alien races invading earth have developed a common lanuage of communication used in all text communications and computer hardware, enabling interspecies communications. 

Alien langage will help us unlock alien devices and possibly uncover information critical to the invasion.

-requires Alien Translation Device


Alien Palm Computer

This device is an amazing combination of nanotechnology and optical circuits.  The data on this device would be impossible to decode without researching alien language.


Alien Mothership

According to data translated from an alien palm computer, the Alien Mothership is the command center of the alien invasion.  It's armaments are such that it could destroy a whole fleet of human vessels in a short time, making a direct attack impossible.  We can only hope to find a safe way to board this ship and destroy it from the inside.

-requires Alien Palm Computer
-requires Alien Language


Alien Radar Technology

Alien Radar gives us an brief insight into subatomic-particle radar systems.  This data from an Alien Palm Computer, combined with research of alien stealth hardware, could lead to production of a device that could detect alien stealth ships, or a stealth drive that prevents detection by Alien Radar.

[Hoehrer]

I think "victory conditions" is a bit exaggerated, but i like most of your proposals
We may need to tweak some of the descriptions [1] to fit in with the rest of the existing technologies though.
I bet BTAxis or Mattn have some suggestions/comments/changes as well.

EDIT: I'll upload a first draft of a combined list of descriptions for the tech tree into SVN soon.

Werner

[1] Mainly the ones related to "Ion" technology which is currently implemented as the "Advanced plasma technology" ... mind you that plasma is nothing else than ionized gas ... commonly called the fourth state of matter ... But i think we can create something like the ion technology that depends on research on plasma first.

EDIT: fixed link + SVN comment

[Hoehrer]

See this forum post for an update.

Werner

[ProtoArmor]

I think that's a good idea.  Changing Ion Tech to something using Plasma, like "Plasma Propulsion" or something, would make the game more unique (by distinquishing it from X-COM II).

[Hoehrer]

I think that's a good idea.  Changing Ion Tech to something using Plasma, like "Plasma Propulsion" or something, would make the game more unique (by distinquishing it from X-COM II).

I actually kept ion technology (see the file in svn), but changed it to "ion thruster" technology. This technology already exists in real-life, but isn't efficient enough yet  to be used for every space-travel task you can imagine. e.g some long-flying space-probes use this tech to travel through our galaxy and some geostationary satelites use it to keep their stable position in orbit.
... but that doesn't hinder us from using a further advanced version of it reverse-engineered from the aliens technobabel will help us alot here

Werner

[ProtoArmor]

I modified my Ion Technology entry a bit in case you still need a description for Ion Thruster:


Ion Thruster

Phalanx is now able to recreate the advanced ion technology found in alien propulsion units.  We have produced a complete working model of an ion propulsion system that provides instantaneous and controllable thrust, using advanced particle technologies to reduce power requirements.  We can now start designing working vehicles that implement this technology.

[Hoehrer]

Commited your the description (with a few minor changes) to svn:
trunk/src/docs/techtree.txt

Werner

[XCOMTurcocalypse]

I have another proposal inspired by Alien Legacy which has multiple solutions to its main quest.

Destruction of the Mothership should be done in these ways.

(Assault - Tactical Mission against a whoop-de-doo large army of aliens OFFENCE)

(Detonation - Persuading the Earth Governments to donate a Massive Nuclear Warhead (Megatons of yield),and smuggling it inside the ship with a robot controlled mechanism:however,as the ship carrying the Nuke tries to take off the hangar,the base is Ambushed with a larger,whoop-de-doo-de-doooo large army of aliens blocking the Hangar,since a base defense is extremely different than an infiltration.IN SHORT,DEFENCE INSTEAD OF OFFENCE WITH MORE ALIENS)

(Last Research - Last Building You find out that these Aliens are merely renegades of a larger,kinder,benevolent and more just Empire,and you erect a Hyper-Space-Time-Whatever-it-is-beyond-Euklides-Geometry-and-these-College-Physics-Laws-AssKicking communicator to entice them to aid,which counts as a last building inside a base,and needs to be defended,tower defense style,as hordes of aliens charge at it,you defend it both from air,and when they get inside the base,you fight them in short,increasingly annoying Base Defense missions)

[ProtoArmor]

My plothole fixed -- option:
Alien Mothership

According to data translated from an alien palm computer, the Alien Mothership is a very large, cloaked "civilian" landing ship, the last stage of the alien invasion.  It's shielding mechanisms and physical attributes are such that a direct attack would prove useless, and only provoke a response by military vessels.  The Mothership also houses the high alien officials, wartime commanders, and reserve troops, making it the ideal target--we can only hope to find a safe way to board this ship and destroy it from the inside.

[BTAxis]

Can we have Twin Ion Engines? I guess not.

Otherwise, I like it so far. I think we can go with any or all of the scenarios proposed by XCOMTurcocalypse, too. Well, okay, not the third one, that's too far-fetched. As for the assault alternative, how about fighting your way to the central navigation system and hardwiring a set of instructions that will send the mothership on a collision course with the moon? That way, you could also add a sort of "get out in time" followup scenario. I always hate it when the heroes go down with the enemy mothership, like in X-COM 2.

[Hoehrer]

Can we have Twin Ion Engines? I guess not.

Depends on what exactly you mean by that ... ?

Otherwise, I like it so far. I think we can go with any or all of the scenarios proposed by XCOMTurcocalypse, too. Well, okay, not the third one, that's too far-fetched. As for the assault alternative, how about fighting your way to the central navigation system and hardwiring a set of instructions that will send the mothership on a collision course with the moon? That way, you could also add a sort of "get out in time" followup scenario. I always hate it when the heroes go down with the enemy mothership, like in X-COM 2.

The collision scenario sounds quite cool

Heros dying in the showdown is fine with me in any way (At least i've save the earth and humanity) But i don't mind if there exists a chance (if as small one) that i can save them .... so i would suggest to make this "get out of time" - timeframe very small. We'll see what we can come up with

To make the showdown even more realistical we could add a "post - mothership down" scenario where you need to purge the rest of the alien forces of the planet (i doubt they will vanish  .. all of them) ... but of course this would be a choice the player has to make.

Werner

[BTAxis]

Can we have Twin Ion Engines? I guess not.

Depends on what exactly you mean by that ... ?

Twin Ion Engines, or TIEs, are what propel the TIE Fighters from Star Wars. That's what I was referring to.

To make the showdown even more realistical we could add a "post - mothership down" scenario where you need to purge the rest of the alien forces of the planet (i doubt they will vanish  .. all of them) ... but of course this would be a choice the player has to make.

Hm, an "after victory game, huh. That'd work for me. You could even save all soldiers after the end of the game in some encrypted format, and allow players to pit their "winning teams" against each other in multiplayer and see whose team is the best. Though, that's probably too outlandish. You'd expect something like that from a handheld console game, not from UFO.

[XCOMTurcocalypse]

 Well, okay, not the third one, that's too far-fetched. As for the assault alternative, how about fighting your way to the central navigation system and hardwiring a set of instructions that will send the mothership on a collision course with the moon? That way, you could also add a sort of "get out in time" followup scenario. I always hate it when the heroes go down with the enemy mothership, like in X-COM 2.

OK third one was way too complicated,

but hard-wiring the ship seems a bit "Independence Day".Provided there is a possibility that we can WIN the battle,by killing every last Alien,CAPTURING their ship and sending a message to the Alien pockets on Earth might be superb:

"*****(enter race here),we have captured your mothership.It is useless,surrender and we might allow you to return to your homeworlds(of course not,we will execute them so that no one hears of them haha),we know where you hide and with the ship we have taken,it is a matter of time before you all are dead.SURRENDER NOW."

[BTAxis]

Yes, the collision scenario is derived from Independence Day. It could be any number of alternatives, though, like blowing up, in succession, the alien reactor control room, the alien reactor security override system and the alien reactor coolant system, causing the reactors to overheat and go critical, destroying the ship from the inside.

It is implied, though, that the alien mothership is VAST. You don't kill every last alien on board with a team of eight soldiers. That's not realistic in gameplay terms, as the last battle would take so long that even the most ardent gamers would give up on it. You could also just consider the mission "won" after killing all the "battle-able" aliens, but then you would imply that a) the mothership is REALLY poorly defended and b) your soldiers massacred defenseless civilians after the mission, which would kind of make them as bad as the aliens.

[XCOMTurcocalypse]

b) your soldiers massacred defenseless civilians after the mission, which would kind of make them as bad as the aliens.

Why would they?! :?:  :shock:

Anyways,I guess you are right.Best way is to blow it up.Either with an ICBM in exhaust port,or an assault.