X-COM Enemy Unknown

[Mr March]

I could have sworn there was a topic for this game, but it appears this will be the first thread for X-COM: Enemy Unknown. For me, this video game kinda came out of nowhere; in development for 4 years, I wasn't even aware it existed until 2012. Since the early part of this year I've been following this game and each new video looks better and better. Details are as follows:

• A reimagining of the original 1994 PC Game UFO- Enemy Unknown (aka, X-COM: UFO Defense in North America)
• Turn-based squad game
• Made by Firaxis (makers of Civilization)
• Release date is October 9, 2012
• Available for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

Premiere video game website Giant Bomb just released a "Quick Look" at the new game and it's everything an X-COM fan could hope for. I just finished watching this almost hour-long video and I wanted to share the love. http://www.giantbomb...nknown/17-6601/

Pre-orders are available now from most of the major game distributors, including digital via Steam. Check it out!

[F-ZeroOne]

The demo is out on Steam. I haven't had a lot of time with it, but... It's not quite your Daddy's X-Com, but first impression is that's its going to be a very worthy heir.

It's also every bit as cruel as you remember -something you'll learn in the *tutorial*!

[Axelay]

I am WILDLY excited about this game. I played the original(s) religiously when I was in college, and even built a few custom graphics mods. Tinkering with the game's rules made me appreciate it so much more than I would have ever expected, and is one of the huge factors which got me into teaching programming. My guys were carrying around rifles with underslung grenade launchers capable of launching HE or stun rounds. I sincerely hope that Firaxis will see that there is a great desire to have the tools to be able to customize certain aspects of the game.

I played through the demo, and while it's really short, I enjoyed it a great deal. Of course, the whole first mission is practically on-rails for the newbies who never played the originals. I almost found myself ready to scream at my monitor when I was seeing some of the movement decisions which you're forced to carry out. I turned around and played the second mission my way and walked out with eight dead aliens and zero casualties. Hooah.

[Mr March]

F-ZeroOne

Oh yeah, it's still going to be challenging that's for sure. One of the funny features in the Quick Look on Giant Bomb was the inclusion of a Memorial at your base

Axelay

I figured you would be. I recently reread some of the old X-Com threads we had here in the archives and there's more than a few of us who were big fans of the original. If you watch the Quick Look I posted above, the Firaxis fellas talk about mod support, so i wouldn't worry. It's on their radar.

[Mr March]

So has anyone else had a chance to play the new X-COM yet? It's been a very busy week, but I've put about half a dozen hours into it. It's really fun. One thing that is much different from the original is the pace. This game moves along much faster than the old game. I does bother me a bit, but can't deny I'm haivng a ball. I really like the skills your soldiers can attain. These skills add a lot to the gameplay. The implementation of a lot of the X-COM gameplay functions feel really streamlined and improved, though again, I do miss having manual control over some of the old mechanics. Overall, I'm really getting into this game and I can definitely feel the urge to replay with different skills and more efficient research/building trees

Edited October 19, 2012 by Mr March

[renegadeleader1]

I'm playing X-com for the 360. I agree the game does move fast, maybe a little too fast. I was actually having quite a bit of trouble untill I figured out building a satalite uplink and satalite are directly responsible for earning money and shooting down UFO's. I also noticed that capturing enemies gets you their weapon intact and shooting them gets the broken parts. Exploding them gets you nothing.

[Sandman]

A friend bought me this game for my birthday back on the 14th. Never even knew it existed. I had vague recollections of seeing a game called x-com years ago but knew nothing about it. I though my buddy just got me a first person shooter (i hate those games) and was pleasantly surprised with what i got. This game is pretty sweet. It's hard to find decent turn based squad games.

[VF-19]

Being a huge, huge fan of the original (not so much of the sequel), I am delighted and somewhat disappointed as to how this turned out. I like the overall atmosphere, and the turn based combat, but I don't like how they severely limed the tactical options of the combat. Why can't I pick up the dead soldier's stun weapon, or carry more than one accessory (across most classes)?

[Uxi]

Damn I used to pick up troopers fallen equipment in the original, too. Is there still a geoscape?

I always wanted a multi-player mod for the original thinking to have 2-5 players on a LAN as opposing human factions, dividing up the funding nations sort of like Risk and attacking each others stuff to lower their support, if not launching infiltration missions, etc. Maybe having a toggle to have the aliens as a random computer controlled chaos.

Any multiplayer options? Any benefit to PC over PS3 other than graphics settings?

[VF-19]

Geoscape is still there. It's actually a room in your base. Also, speaking of bases, you can't have more than one (aka, the super-base strategy of the original). But, you can have multiple hangars around the world to intercept UFOs in countries you have satellites over.

My usual tactic in X-com (original), was to have one big base, and a bunch of radar pickets around the globe with interceptors. The Radar pickets were designed to be super easy to defend, as long as I didn't do anything stupid.

[dizman]

I'm really enjoying the new xcom. It's a nice take on the old games while bringing a bit of the new age of gaming to the table. I don't get why so many people are so pissed that it isn't a carbon copy of the original 2. I say if you want it to be like the original then play the original or wait for Xenonauts.

[UN_MARINE]

I got X Com a week ago & it's a very good, I've lost sleep for about as long as I first got it. It streamlines a lot of the gameplay for practical reasons. Sure, I miss a couple of mechanics from the original game, but who really needs to spend time packing a dead alien & all their sweet alien gear into a character's backpack? The "story" progression moves pretty fast, at about 1/4 to 1/8 the time it took in the original. It removes the incredibly slow pace the original had and you still get to take down a lot of aliens in the process.

The single base & Skyranger doesn't seem to be a problem IMO. In the original, even if you had a bunch of bases & Skyrangers, you could still only respond to 1 event at a time. It's a slimmer, faster version of the original and it's awesome, think Solid Snake compared to Big Boss.

[Mr March]

The mechanics for the new X-COM are indeed somewhat different than the old, but they all serve the gameplay very well. This game knows what it's doing and does it well. Very much enjoying it.

[VF-19]

I do like how the aliens ramp it up in response to you learning how to use their guns. Keeps me on my toes. No matter, however, as a sniper equipped with the plasma sniper, archangel armour, and squad sight, can hit just about anything on the map, provided there's a line of sight to the target.

[Mr March]

I've not had much of a chance to use the squad sight pick for the Sniper, but the usefullness of that skill is just so good I can't imagine choosing any other pick from now on

[VF-19]

I've not had much of a chance to use the squad sight pick for the Sniper, but the usefullness of that skill is just so good I can't imagine choosing any other pick from now on

I have another sniper with the alternate skill (ability to fire after the first move), and it's also quite useful, albeit, not quite as useful as squad sight. It really depends on the types of maps I'm going to face, as a cluttered map will reduce the effectiveness of suqadsight, even with the archangel armour.

[Mr March]

I can see the usefulness of run and gun for Snipers in close quarters, like ship interiors. I suppose the usefulness of that will become apparent in later levels. I have three snipers so far, so I guess I'll choose the alternate skill on the 3rd guy when he ranks.

Funny thing is the squad sight skill is a little TOO useful. I just finished up my second UFO recovery mission where you capture an Outsider and my Sniper ended up taking 4 kills for himself. I have to leave some for my other guys

[Mr March]

I finished the first month of the game and just like the original, I begin to realize all the things I've done wrong, LOL. Mostly I'm finally getting a handle on how the panic levels and base construction works. Gotta say just like the original game, the creators do a poor job explaining what direction you need to go and what needs to be prioritized when building a base. It's taking forever just to get another damn satellite and I have three countries at level 3 panic. I think the game is definitely salvagable, but next time I play through, I'm selling everything, excavating everything and getting more satellites before the first month is even out. Money and satellites seems to be how this game runs, so I'm going to maximize both next time.

[Max Jenius]

I've been playing it every chance I get! I'm new to the series, but I love it!

[Mr March]

Glad to see X-COM EU bringing in new players. I just read on Giant Bomb that new DLC is coming in the near future.

http://www.giantbomb...e-content/4428/

Talking strategy...

Maybe others figured this out faster than I, but if I have one piece of advice for new players, it's PRIORITIZE a second Satellite Uplink IMMEDIATELY. I'm in my second month and now it looks like I'm going into my third month before I get a third satellite. Absolutely brutal. The build progression is so ridiculously convoluted just to get a third satellite you want to start the process without delay. I basically wasted a month because I had no idea how the build trees and resource dependencies functioned.

As far as I know, you need Engineers to get Satellite Uplink. Workshop gives you more Engineers but you can also take ANY mission that gives you Engineers (or start on a continent that grant Engineers as a bonus). Most likely you'll want to get excavating and building a Workshop ASAP. Start doing that right away, when you first visit your base. Depending upon how you're building your base you may have to build a Power Generator before proceeding onward, but if you didn't build anything else except a Workshop I think there's enough power to go straight into a Satellite Uplink. Do so. It takes a painfully slow 14 days to build a damn Satellite Uplink, one of the longest build times for the early structures.

I read a strategy where some fella started either in Africa or South America and with a little luck was able to get 5 satellites by the end of the first month!

[Ghost Train]

I will be getting this game soon. I loved the original and Terrors of the Deep... took a nice chunk out of my teens.

Is there a vehicle research tree or something like that? I loved the Avenger from the original game, when I got it Battleship sized UFO's started dropping like flies .

[Mr March]

There's a bunch of guides and charts out there. Just google search X-COM EU Tech Tree and you'll find stuff. Alternatively, there's tech trees and notes about research to be found at sources like the UFOPaedia.

http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Hope that helps.

[Uxi]

Just played the Demo on PS3 and enjoyed. Definitely gonna get this. What version is everyone playing? Any benefit to PC over PS3 or vice versa?

[renegadeleader1]

Just played the Demo on PS3 and enjoyed. Definitely gonna get this. What version is everyone playing? Any benefit to PC over PS3 or vice versa?

I have the Xbox 360 version. The cool thing is there's not much of a difference between versions. The only advantage a pc version has is like all PC games: the ability to mod the game. The developers definatly didn't dumb this thing down for the consoles.

[UN_MARINE]

I have the PS3 version. The PC version has maybe a couple of options that aren't available on console, like "end turn for the entire squad" , the visible terrain grid, and "click to center on target". There's also a slight difference in processing time during the alien activity phase - the console version seems to process alien activity faster. Other than that, pretty it's solid on any platform.

I just got back from the last mission and...

The last area was really something, 3 Ethereals performing mind control with a pair of Muton Elites for good measure! I took about 3 restarts to finish on normal difficulty.The ending wasn't much, but I'm hoping for a sequel.

Also:

After reading around in the official forums, it seems like the game definitely starts seizing up when you build the Gollop Chamber. general advice is to not build it until you're set on finishing the game.

[renegadeleader1]

I'm pretty sure the "end turn for the entire turn button" for the PS3 is select. On the 360 its the back button.

[Mr March]

Just played the Demo on PS3 and enjoyed. Definitely gonna get this. What version is everyone playing? Any benefit to PC over PS3 or vice versa?

I'm playing the PC version. Naturally there are the usual "benefits" to playing any PC version (much higher resolutions, far shorter saving/loading times, smoother gameplay/frame rates, etc), but the actual game and gameplay is identical across all three platforms. No additional "stuff" exclusive to any particular port of which I'm aware.

[Mr March]

OMG, Engineers. I'm crying out to them in my nightmares. This whole game is dependent upon Engineers. Get them. LOTS of them. Anyway you can. Gag them and kidnap to work forced labor in your base if you have to, but the entire game revolves around them.

[VF-19]

Beat the game with my "Ultimate Squad of Badasses", as I like to call them. What they saw, they killed. What they didn't kill, they mind controlled.

Had a ton of fun equipping the ghost armour onto my assaults, and archangel armour on my sniper. Cloaked my assaults, ran as far as I could, and used the sniper to pick off all the aliens in the open.

Yah, you could horribly abuse your power just like the original.

Ending is a bit weak and slightly melodramatic, but no better or worse than the original, either.

All in all, considering I'm a HUGE fan of the original (and play it to this day, thank you steam!), I'd say this is a great remake.

[Mr March]

I agree. There's no doubt to me this is an amazing remake. Just the level of effort and creativity that went into the game is worth celebrating, even if the game wasn't a ton of fun. I love the customization of your soldiers, including nicknames. So much fun. For those who have not obtained it, I highly recommend the Elite Soldier Pack. So much fun.

I finally had a chance to spend time playing several real gaming sessions of X-COM this week. I'm 5 months in now and I've got 3 full squads of Major-rank soldiers (6 skills each) on rotation and most of the Officer Training School perks. Satellites and Engineers are still slow to come, but at least I have two continents completely covered now. Laser and Plasma weapons in use and working on my first New Fighter Craft. Got the Thermo Generator and Hyperwave Relay built as 3 of the four structures for both Satellite Uplink and Workshop. Got 29 Scientists and 34 Engineers at this point and about 500 credits on hand. Haven't lost a country yet and panic levels are all really low. I'm not sure if this means I'm doing well or not. I made several missteps along the way (my first month was wasted) and I have no idea how to manage my tech tree so I assume I'm behind on that too.

But overall, not bad for my first try. I think I have a good chance to beat the game the first time out, which was a far cry from my performance on the original back in 1994

[renegadeleader1]

Word of advice keep building satalites, even if you don't have the uplink or nexus for them. They take forever to build so stockpiling while you can saves time.

[Mr March]

I've taken your advice and built two more Satellites above the eight I can deploy. That's a good strategy in more ways than one. Not only can you deploy immediately once new Satellite Uplinks/Nexus (Nexi?) facilities are built, but the Satellites in storage can act as replacements. Though it's not happened to me yet, I read on the 2K forums that UFOs can shoot down your satellites.

I'm into the sixth month now and have my first combat-ready PSI soldier and the Firestorm Fighter with Plasma Cannon. I've only encountered one UFO that consistently eludes my old Interceptors and it's a purple craft labeled "Overseer". This Overseer has been detected twice and evaded my forces both times since my Hyperwave Relay was built. Now with a Firestorm, I'm looking forward to blowing that bitch out of the sky with my new ship

[VF-19]

I found that delaying the story missions makes the game much, much easier. On my first playthrough, i rushed to get to the story missions, and I found myself severely strapped for resources and cash.

[UN_MARINE]

I'm at my 2nd playthrough, I just had a satellite shot down! The stealth research isn't a guarantee they won't get blown up. Maybe the type of UFO is a factor? I remember it was one of those large abductor ships that got away twice that got my satellite. Oh, and capturing a 2nd Outsider seems like a waste of time, the item related to it will just sit in the inventory - I was hoping you'd get to do more missions like that, but it seems to be the only one.

...I lost Nigeria on this playthrough. The last time, it was the entire African continent + Germany.

[Mr March]

VF-19

I know what you mean. Only problem is understanding what research, building or equipment trigger a story mission. If I had known the Hyperwave Relay would trigger that Overseer UFO, I wouldn't have built the facility for another month. I would have the Firestorm Fighter FIRST and then built the Hyperwave Relay. I had to play catch up with that one. I do feel the squeeze right now for cash so I think in my next playthrough I'm going to slow down those "URGENT" build things. They're not so urgent

UN_MARINE

If the X-COM EU is like the original X-COM with regards to countries and economy, you're always going to lose some countries before the game is out. I recall even in my best games of the original X-COM, I would lose at least a few countries.

Six months in and I've not lost a country, so I assume that's good. I get mostly Grade B on my monthly reports, although this past month I got a C and I still have two countries sitting at level 3 panic.