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Author Topic: feature request: crop circles & investigation teams.  (Read 2966 times)

Offline JHawx

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feature request: crop circles & investigation teams.
« on: September 27, 2011, 09:56:48 pm »
1. General idea
2. Helipad
3. Investigation agents
4. Gameplay concept


1. May sound lil old, but what id like to see is that when some area is showing increased alien activity, the appearance of crop circles would also increase on these areas. 
1.2 Also maps of farm areas with crop circles and mutilated cows would be nice.
1.3 Purely cosmetic you say? deffo not. When you see theres a report of increased crop circle sightings, it would also tell a presence of harvesting base nearby the area. This could also trigger a map tag: a symbol where the crop circle has been detected. (see sections 2 and 3) Now you can send your anti UFO airplane there to scout OR you could send your jet/copter with investigation agents.

2. I suggest new type of building and a new type of buyable vechile. This would be a non-militaristic vechile, a helicopter of sorts with a turbine engine to make it lil faster, it would land on a helipad on the base for refuelling purposes.
2.1 What it does it is to be sent to crop circle areas to seek out hints of possible alien bases and to seek out new hints for alien origins. As a nonmilitaristic craft, this UNARMED vechile could transport a team of investigation XBI agents (similarry to FBI, but Xeno Biological Investigation) to the site, and if there is a alien base nearby, they would detect it. They could also possibly find something like alien unmanned propbes, old crashsites or dead aliens from the site...

3. XBI (Xeno Biological Investigation) agents, part scientist, part highly organised damage controll and panic suspencion unit designed to investigate paranormal extraterrestial activities on earth. Trained from agents onboard other 3 letter organizations, theyr mission is simple: Seek out hints of alien activity amongs the civilians, and suppress panic caused from theyr sightings.
3.1 What effect they have? a.) They help out to find alien bases nearby b.) they lessen the damage to budget cuts that alien invasions cause on countries contribution to xcoms operation c.) they could open up a new kind of storyline on research and bring valuable researchable and sometimes even moneymaking items back to base
3.2 What they dont do:
- they dont participate on battles, these are civilians operatives and they are only armed with conventional guns, weapons and chemica... memory reduction medicines.
- they cant shoot down ufo:s
- they are not so fast: they travel by helikopter, not by jet, so sending a team to investigate takes 3x longer and they visit the area for couple of days, before returning to the base.

4. How this works in theory?
- First you will research an investigation tech tree
- Then you can buy an helikopter (heli for short) & buy civilians for XBI agents training
- Train those agents for different purposes (each agent could have attunement for interogation, media sensitivity, internet hacking, scientific investigation etch)
- Occasionally you receve a report of crop circle in some area (similarry to raid report of alien invasion)
- On the map appears crop circle symbol, which you can send your heli to investigate.
- Heli will stay in the area for certain amount of time, there wont be a mission on it, agents will do what they do in the area untill the mission is done.
- After they return to base, the investigation results could be told to you: they could find a dead alien bodies, some unmanned probe remains, broken down alien tech, or hints if there is a alien base nearby: they can find it directly or tell if further scouting in the area is needed.
* you can send these agents in the area without crop circles also, and they will perform scouting in the area, but without crop circle sighting, you wont do the media suppression act, which will lower down the uneasiness of the civilians due alien activity.
- This will improve the relations of country towards xcom, affecting partially to the budget, more aliens in the country, more frequent the crop circles will become.

* There could be some ancient alien sites (like egypt or mayan, stonehenge) where these investigation teams would get some storytelling data, hidden easter eggs, so to speak.
« Last Edit: September 27, 2011, 10:01:35 pm by JHawx »

Offline Hertzila

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Re: feature request: crop circles & investigation teams.
« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2011, 11:29:03 am »
*suggestion*

Sadly, this suggestion seems to be incompatible with the aliens we presently have. They have no reason to do any kind of cow mutilation or crop circle (what would they be, anyway) stuff. There's also no need for PHALANX to keep the media in check, as that's done by the nations themselves.
The general idea of an investigation 'arm' for PHALANX may have better hope, but there would have to be uses for it.

How far have you played this game, BTW?


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Offline JHawx

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Re: feature request: crop circles & investigation teams.
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2011, 12:54:51 pm »
Oh sorry, just started to play the game yesterday, and mixed this game to previous xcom games.
Crop circle are signs made by aliens. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Silva) on crop fields, aka agricultural fields of plantation.
there are several suggestions why they are made, from being signals from extraterrestials to being navigational markings for UFO´s. Kinda like being map points or targetting markings. Some even suggest they might be a landing points for UFO´s.

havent you seen movie signs?

Also, as for cow mutilations, there is a theory that aliens have visited earth previously and mutilated cows and humans in order to map genetics (also the propostrous note to the anal probing), further speculations in ancient extraterrestials state that aliens have perioidicly studied humans and altered them over time for some purpose, maybe even to fix something in themselfs, maybe even alter us to be more like them, so they might have genetic material in order to colonize earth. As in having genetic material closer to themselfs, so they can adabt us to give enough genetics in order so they can alter themselfs to be suited more to the earth enviroment... prelude to colonization maybe?
Cow mutilations were term used in these forms of assaults, where cows were found dead in the field, and there were ogans removed from em in an manners not explainable by earth science. There were drillings to the teeth so small, it could not have been made by current technology, missing ears, hearths etch, but each case showed unexplainable means of extraction. These were common in early stages of ufo sightings, during 60s and 70s. Next innovation on ufo sightings, were implantations of alien technology within abductees... The latest one was alien impragnation of human females.

This suggestion would make sense in the old xcom series, havent been playing enough so i could say if it would fit to the UFO:AI.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2011, 01:09:57 pm by JHawx »

Offline Hertzila

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Re: feature request: crop circles & investigation teams.
« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2011, 04:51:41 pm »
Oh sorry, just started to play the game yesterday, and mixed this game to previous xcom games.
Crop circle are signs made by aliens. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Silva) on crop fields, aka agricultural fields of plantation.
there are several suggestions why they are made, from being signals from extraterrestials to being navigational markings for UFO´s. Kinda like being map points or targetting markings. Some even suggest they might be a landing points for UFO´s.

havent you seen movie signs?
I see. I must admit, using them as navigational/targeting markings could make sense for our aliens too, if it wasn't stressed that their navigational/targeting computers are so damned good (and they could very well abuse human GPS systems).

Nope, haven't seen it. Heard of it though.

Also, as for cow mutilations, there is a theory that aliens have visited earth previously and mutilated cows and humans in order to map genetics (also the propostrous note to the anal probing), further speculations in ancient extraterrestials state that aliens have perioidicly studied humans and altered them over time for some purpose, maybe even to fix something in themselfs, maybe even alter us to be more like them, so they might have genetic material in order to colonize earth. As in having genetic material closer to themselfs, so they can adabt us to give enough genetics in order so they can alter themselfs to be suited more to the earth enviroment... prelude to colonization maybe?
Cow mutilations were term used in these forms of assaults, where cows were found dead in the field, and there were ogans removed from em in an manners not explainable by earth science. There were drillings to the teeth so small, it could not have been made by current technology, missing ears, hearths etch, but each case showed unexplainable means of extraction. These were common in early stages of ufo sightings, during 60s and 70s. Next innovation on ufo sightings, were implantations of alien technology within abductees... The latest one was alien impragnation of human females.

This suggestion would make sense in the old xcom series, havent been playing enough so i could say if it would fit to the UFO:AI.

Well, no cow mutilations for our aliens, but plenty of human ones during and after the initial attacks happened. Research kerrblade when you have extra lab time/want melee units.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2011, 04:55:58 pm by Hertzila »

Offline JHawx

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Re: feature request: crop circles & investigation teams.
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2011, 07:03:01 pm »
I see. I must admit, using them as navigational/targeting markings could make sense for our aliens too, if it wasn't stressed that their navigational/targeting computers are so damned good (and they could very well abuse human GPS systems).

Well every navigational system needs points of comparisons in order to navigate, so maybe these crop circles could be results of end side energy formations of "catchers mit" or end results of pulse being fired across the universe in order of a snipers laser sights to see where the ship will be travelling, or a pulsefield landing sites generated on earth, because ufos travel faster than light to reach earth. There must be a endside buffer in order to stop ship fram simply crashing to the earth.

so maybe aliens in the planet a fires a targetting pulse across the universe, it ends up in earth, aliens fire UFO in faster than light travel from theyr planet. This targetting beam will form a (insert your energy type here) field that will result forms in the earth (crop circle) and generate a cloud of receving energy on earth. This will act as a buffer that will slow UFO down when it arrives to earth.
maybe like this, but i do see a dilemma how to fit it onto the game.

also, i arrived at my first battle, but it keeps shutting game down, is this a bug?

There's also no need for PHALANX to keep the media in check, as that's done by the nations themselves.
The general idea of an investigation 'arm' for PHALANX may have better hope, but there would have to be uses for it.
Well it fits the game and would serve same purpose as suggested agents, and that is just it: how does the countries keep citizens in check? Prevention of hysteria? meaning restriction of information and elimination of sources of information is best way to do it. How many times you have seen "G" men in some weird accident sites? or military intelliance expecting UFO crash sites? kinda same kind of deal here, army knows there is an alien invasion force comming, but in order to preventcivilian accidents of paramilitaristic forces forming, and starting to make rucus, starting to loot peace loving citizens, goverment is doing everything to cover theres a problem.
I assume theres several steps how it would go as the threat progresses:
1. first they would try to hide the fact (like nowdays, there are ufo sightings, but most are tried to be explained by "mass hysteria")
2. then hide the evidence and launching misinformation propaganda
3. then contain any possible whitnesses, preventing leaks from being created from secret technologies
4. downgrading and belittleling problem and telling the threat is not that high (our superior army technology can prevent the invasion)
5. and finally when all other things are lost, army taking over peacekeeping of citizens by martial law.

these agents would fit first 3 steps on the program on civilian controlling, basicly, they would investigate and try mainly to find nearby alien bases, they are just slow.
to make fun out of it, othervice there would not be a point to making this trouble true (you allready have units that can do the same) there could be that mentioned research items or occasional moneyworth items.

But again, its only an idea, the "g" men and agents on aliens... ok, im not referring to x-files... but similar ones.
« Last Edit: September 28, 2011, 07:28:17 pm by JHawx »

Offline Hertzila

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Re: feature request: crop circles & investigation teams.
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2011, 10:25:17 pm »
also, i arrived at my first battle, but it keeps shutting game down, is this a bug?

Most likely.

Well it fits the game and would serve same purpose as suggested agents, and that is just it: how does the countries keep citizens in check? Prevention of hysteria? meaning restriction of information and elimination of sources of information is best way to do it. How many times you have seen "G" men in some weird accident sites? or military intelliance expecting UFO crash sites? kinda same kind of deal here, army knows there is an alien invasion force comming, but in order to preventcivilian accidents of paramilitaristic forces forming, and starting to make rucus, starting to loot peace loving citizens, goverment is doing everything to cover theres a problem.
I assume theres several steps how it would go as the threat progresses:
1. first they would try to hide the fact (like nowdays, there are ufo sightings, but most are tried to be explained by "mass hysteria")
2. then hide the evidence and launching misinformation propaganda
3. then contain any possible whitnesses, preventing leaks from being created from secret technologies
4. downgrading and belittleling problem and telling the threat is not that high (our superior army technology can prevent the invasion)
5. and finally when all other things are lost, army taking over peacekeeping of citizens by martial law.

these agents would fit first 3 steps on the program on civilian controlling, basicly, they would investigate and try mainly to find nearby alien bases, they are just slow.
to make fun out of it, othervice there would not be a point to making this trouble true (you allready have units that can do the same) there could be that mentioned research items or occasional moneyworth items.

But again, its only an idea, the "g" men and agents on aliens... ok, im not referring to x-files... but similar ones.

The thing is, there is no secret to keep. The big attacks at Mumbai and other big cities made it very clear to everybody that we are under attack. The panic has already happened and it did spread all the way to the top. Everybody already knows about aliens and that they are hostile, so there's no reason to go 'conspiratorial' with it.
PHALANX is another thing completely, admitedly, but not by much. The term 'open sercet' would be fairly accurate. Simply put, everybody also knows that something exists and fights the aliens but for the most part, that's the only thing they know. No names, employees are most likely pulled up with a 'peacekeeper' excuse (you are working for the UN, after all) and clearence for knowing anything else is only for the top UN personnel and each nation's top military brass and varying amounts of the government (most likely everybody's/UN's FBI equivalent is also keeping it that way, whether knowing it or not). There simply put isn't much to do for an investigative PHALANX branch that isn't already done by someone, whether internal (the occasional research project would qualify as an investigation) or external (UN and everybody else keeping things as secrets).
Admittedly, keeping PHALANX's internals as secrets might have a slight potential but it would seem wasteful to keep a whole seperate branch for that as opposed to letting the UN do it.

(Spoilers in the link) The wiki can tell you a lot of this stuff but, you know, spoilers.

Offline JHawx

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Re: feature request: crop circles & investigation teams.
« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2011, 01:25:52 am »
Okies, im starting to get the picture.
So basicly, unlike in the xcom series, UFO:AI is based on open assault concept, there is clearly a war (right, intro did mention declaration of war) between worlds, open war in that.
On xcom this concept was left in the middle, not explaining the whole situation, but on it was this concept: if you made a big damage in the area, it would make you loose funding rapidly. (apocalypse) while on xcom 1, loosing people would loose you rep fast. I assume it is the matter in the UFO:AI also. The game does look promising, but even tho it is travelling in the footsteps of the XCOM, it clearly is separate entity alltogether.
just beginning to get that... lol.