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« Last post by homunculus on February 20, 2023, 01:32:32 am »
I think I solved the problem.
Summary
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1. Why aliens start slow?
The first version of XVI did not work as expected and needed more development. The aliens are gathering samples and only fighting as much as necessary.
2. Why is PHALANX secret?
PHALANX is considered illegal and is supported by international secret organisations of conspiracy theorists. If you use the 2D geoscape the Flat Earth theorists might also like you.
3. Bonus1: Why is the game turn based?
It is because of the first failed XVI attempt by the aliens. Has the game being turn based ever been explained before?
4. Bonus2: Why are the soldiers untrained (without the catastrophic war where all trained soldiers died, that is)?
Because they are not soldiers but conspiracy theorists.
5. Bonus3: Could kids learn some real political geography?
Yes, because the financing organisations and countries would not be the same thing.
Story
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Nurse: Good morning, gentlemen, here's your coffee and medication.
Cdr. Navarre: Good morning, thank you.
Dr. Connor: Good morning.
(Nurse leaves)
Cdr. Navarre: I noticed an interesting file on the psychiatrist's table yesterday, and took a peek when she was busy with the coffee I spilled. It was about a syndrome that makes people absent-minded in a fight except one fighter. The rest are as if in a stupor, only able to execute a basic predetermined response. It is called SA-GM, the Single Actor and Grid Movement Syndrome.
Dr. Connor: That must be the result of too much smartphones, unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise. You know the youth nowadays.
Cdr. Navarre: Those affected include trained military people, it is not limited to some feeble smartphone enthusiasts.
Dr. Connor: Does it mean that war has become boring? Could be a good thing.
Cdr. Navarre: On the contrary. It amplifies interesting tactical coincidences. Remember the game X-COM?
Dr. Connor: Jagged Alliance was better.
Cdr. Navarre: This is not happening in a game but in real life. It started small and was kept secret by the militaries, but now it is everywhere. Do you have any ideas what could cause such a thing?
Dr. Connor: You mean, only one fighter is conscious at a time, as if the fight was controlled by a malfunctioning hive mind? Perhaps the possibility of alien influence should be investigated. What is the Government doing?
Cdr. Navarre: It appears all the Governments would consider such an investigation illegal, on grounds of spreading conspiracy theories.
Dr. Connor: You are the military engineer, can you figure out a way to get out of this institution? There is a lab in the old bunker. If it is indeed aliens, we should get some soldiers and finances. Even from conspiracy theorists, if we cannot get real soldiers. And we might need to hide and trade on the black market.
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