UFO Rumor Control: Some Gameplay Comments

[Erik Rutins]

Allright, I just loaded it up again to make sure I had my facts right. First of all, I don't have any information regarding why certain decisions were made, I can only comment on them from a gameplay standpoint as an end-user. Secondly, I have also not yet played through the whole game. With that said...

It plays like X-Com, it feels like X-Com and it's as addictive as X-Com. The issues mentioned here really do NOT yank me out of the game or change the feel of the game from the original in any significant way. For example, let's take trooper mortality.

The UFO Pedia explains that the medical bays on this world at this time are advanced enough that if enough of the brain is left intact, they can regrow a team member. However, this is a time-consuming process and is not always successful. The worst case scenario results in a patient with significantly impaired capacities. After playing for a while again this evening, I can confirm this. Soldiers still go down quickly when hit by Alien weaponry and I've had them show up after the mission requiring 40+ days to heal. I don't find it unrealistic that every time one of my soldiers is taken down, it's not an instant or unrecoverable kill given this technology. Your vehicles don't recover, but given how they explode when destroyed, it's not a stretch to imagine there's not much to recover in there. You buy another vehicle and move on.

I was doing well with missions on downed scouts, but my first mission to a downed fighter was quite an education. Between an alien melee-monster and some other nasties, I lost my entire team. As noted here, once that happens, they are gone. There's no one to bring the wounded or even just the remains back, so it's permanent. I should also mention that the way wounds are handled in combat is, IIRC, more detailed than the original X-Com as far as their effects and their ongoing need for stabilization.

This game is not easy (and I'm playing on the Easy level). New soldiers arrive as the nations of the world send them to you and this contributes frankly to the sense of trepidation whenever one of your existing soldiers is wounded (or in the case of losing an entire team, killed). Each recovering soldier is unavailable for duty and may be permanently impaired. Each dead soldier is gone and your remaining team is significantly smaller until the next recruit(s) arrive. I have felt pretty constantly a feeling of needing to conserve my men and avoid throwing them away. As they gain experience and improve, as with the original X-Com, your attachment to them grows.

I don't find the change in the design actually changes the gameplay experience. They tweaked it in one direction, but then tweaked a few other things to bring us back to much the same place we started in terms of the feel of mortality, danger and limited resources.

Moving on... I researched a new weapon technology and built some in my workshop and was able to sell them to gain more funds for my budget. I'm not sure where the idea that you can't sell what you build came from, but it seems to be false.

I would not be as concerned about this as you guys are, every time you hear about something that's a bit different. As far as I can tell, the developers had a very good understanding of what made X-Com outstanding. My $.02 from playing this, after playing the heck out of the original X-Com back in the day, is that it's the real deal.

Regards,

- Erik

[evilferretvictim]

Sounds good.... Could you throw in some things you *didn't* enjoy about the game (frusterating moments ect), er at least give a mini-reveiew score...Such as 1-100...What could you rate it?

Also, release the game and stop teasing us  [:'(]  I got the feeling that you mostly wanted to hold the game over us while yelling "Haha, n00bz~ I've got the game and you don't...So there!!"  [:D]

[Plodder]

Thanks for that Erik.I was originally against the no-death thing but after that explanation and the more I think about it, it does make sense.It is the future after all, anything is possible.X-commers seem as conservative as ASLer's when it come to change. [:D] I've got a couple of questions on gameplay though; can you go prone? And can you open doors without actually having to walk through it?They were my two annoyances with X-com.

[sage]

ORIGINAL: evilferretvictim

Sounds good.... Could you throw in some things you *didn't* enjoy about the game (frusterating moments ect), er at least give a mini-reveiew score...Such as 1-100...What could you rate it?

Also, release the game and stop teasing us  [:'(]  I got the feeling that you mostly wanted to hold the game over us while yelling "Haha, n00bz~ I've got the game and you don't...So there!!"  [:D]

Since Erik is a representative of a company selling a game, with a contractual obligation to another company, I don't think he can offer a 'good / bad' type opinion. But he can offer facts, which he has done, which we shoud appreciate. :=)

[sage]

One of the reviews commented that the trickle of replacement troops was extremely / frustratingly slow. Is that true?

I'm really hoping that I can re-create my human-tech only - human-wave tactics.

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Allright, I just loaded it up again to make sure I had my facts right. First of all, I don't have any information regarding why certain decisions were made, I can only comment on them from a gameplay standpoint as an end-user. Secondly, I have also not yet played through the whole game. With that said...

It plays like X-Com, it feels like X-Com and it's as addictive as X-Com. The issues mentioned here really do NOT yank me out of the game or change the feel of the game from the original in any significant way. For example, let's take trooper mortality.

The UFO Pedia explains that the medical bays on this world at this time are advanced enough that if enough of the brain is left intact, they can regrow a team member. However, this is a time-consuming process and is not always successful. The worst case scenario results in a patient with significantly impaired capacities. After playing for a while again this evening, I can confirm this. Soldiers still go down quickly when hit by Alien weaponry and I've had them show up after the mission requiring 40+ days to heal. I don't find it unrealistic that every time one of my soldiers is taken down, it's not an instant or unrecoverable kill given this technology. Your vehicles don't recover, but given how they explode when destroyed, it's not a stretch to imagine there's not much to recover in there. You buy another vehicle and move on.

I was doing well with missions on downed scouts, but my first mission to a downed fighter was quite an education. Between an alien melee-monster and some other nasties, I lost my entire team. As noted here, once that happens, they are gone. There's no one to bring the wounded or even just the remains back, so it's permanent. I should also mention that the way wounds are handled in combat is, IIRC, more detailed than the original X-Com as far as their effects and their ongoing need for stabilization.

This game is not easy (and I'm playing on the Easy level). New soldiers arrive as the nations of the world send them to you and this contributes frankly to the sense of trepidation whenever one of your existing soldiers is wounded (or in the case of losing an entire team, killed). Each recovering soldier is unavailable for duty and may be permanently impaired. Each dead soldier is gone and your remaining team is significantly smaller until the next recruit(s) arrive. I have felt pretty constantly a feeling of needing to conserve my men and avoid throwing them away. As they gain experience and improve, as with the original X-Com, your attachment to them grows.

I don't find the change in the design actually changes the gameplay experience. They tweaked it in one direction, but then tweaked a few other things to bring us back to much the same place we started in terms of the feel of mortality, danger and limited resources.

Moving on... I researched a new weapon technology and built some in my workshop and was able to sell them to gain more funds for my budget. I'm not sure where the idea that you can't sell what you build came from, but it seems to be false.

I would not be as concerned about this as you guys are, every time you hear about something that's a bit different. As far as I can tell, the developers had a very good understanding of what made X-Com outstanding. My $.02 from playing this, after playing the heck out of the original X-Com back in the day, is that it's the real deal.

Regards,

- Erik

[thenightgaunt]

Erik,
Thanks for this man.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: The Plodder
can you go prone? And can you open doors without actually having to walk through it?

No (not that I've found, though you can kneel) and Yes.

Regards,

- Erik

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: sage
One of the reviews commented that the trickle of replacement troops was extremely / frustratingly slow. Is that true?
I'm really hoping that I can re-create my human-tech only - human-wave tactics.

The replacements are slow, though I don't know what's factored in there (i.e if you have more bases and more nations under your protection, does the rate speed up?). It definitely is more of a feel where these are the best of the best and they just don't grow on trees. I know I will be doing my utmost to avoid another total team wipe as it takes a while to recover from. I am just at the point now of starting to arm up with laser rifles though, so I don't claim to know how things evolve as far as replacement rates, budget and options, but from what I've seen so far human-wave tactics will not be a good bet as far as keeping up with losses.

[Plodder]

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

ORIGINAL: The Plodder
can you go prone? And can you open doors without actually having to walk through it?

No (not that I've found, though you can kneel) and Yes.

Regards,

- Erik

Thanks for that.I can live with kneeling and opening doors helps gets rid of the old bait with rookie tactic, which leads me to..

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
It definitely is more of a feel where these are the best of the best and they just don't grow on trees.

So no more cannon-fodder then?[:)]

[Deadaim]

Thank you very much Eric for taking the time to play the game and address many concerns people are having over the recent flood of rumors. I for one have remained dedicated to trying the game and supporting it no matter what.

Thanks again.

Robert

[owl208]

Erik.

Thank you so much for that explanation. It makes me a very happy future customer. We are not worthy. [&o]

One question I have: I am not an immortal soldier purist and I enjoyed reloading during combat in XCOM if I got wiped out after making a bonehead mistake so as to not lose an entire team, etc. I got very attached to my peeps. [:D]

So, can you save and reload during combat like in XCOM UFO Defense?

Thank you.

[Widell]

First of all thanks for the feedback Erik. As I stated somewhere in another thread, this kind of response is part of what Matrix a great source of games. Then on to UFO....

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
The UFO Pedia explains that the medical bays on this world at this time are advanced enough that if enough of the brain is left intact, they can regrow a team member. However, this is a time-consuming process and is not always successful. The worst case scenario results in a patient with significantly impaired capacities. After playing for a while again this evening, I can confirm this. Soldiers still go down quickly when hit by Alien weaponry and I've had them show up after the mission requiring 40+ days to heal. I don't find it unrealistic that every time one of my soldiers is taken down, it's not an instant or unrecoverable kill given this technology. Your vehicles don't recover, but given how they explode when destroyed, it's not a stretch to imagine there's not much to recover in there. You buy another vehicle and move on.

OK, that's an explanation of how this idea came into the game, but it still is a poor decision, specially given the new and more realistic situation in getting good replacements. I mean, honestly, I eat an alien rocket through the nose, the only "surviving" team member steps on my burning carcass on his back to the ship and enough of my brain sticks on his boot for me to rebuilt in 40 days. That just doesn't "do it" for me (the real life me that is [;)]). I can live with this explanation, and have fewer KIA's based on better technology to recover injured soldiers from the battlefield and treat them at bases/hospitals, but to say "as soon as there is one soldier returning from a mission, all other soldiers on that mission will recover" is just over the top. Sorry. I understand there are others with other opinions, but please, please, please, at least provide an option for this game setting

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins
I would not be as concerned about this as you guys are, every time you hear about something that's a bit different. As far as I can tell, the developers had a very good understanding of what made X-Com outstanding. My $.02 from playing this, after playing the heck out of the original X-Com back in the day, is that it's the real deal.

I hope you are right, but (and this is the grumpy old fart speaking), it's not the real deal if soldiers don't die (unless the whole squad is killed etc etc). Nevertheless, I'll bet I'll end up enjoying this anyhow [:)]

[Bromley]

They should have stolen from Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon universe.  All soldiers make it back only if your last soldier runs around cutting out their cortical stacks [:D] .

[Faenaris]

Mr. Rutins, thank you VERY VERY much for the information. It made me decide on wheter I should buy this game or not and your answers have taken away all doubt I had. Expect to see an order around the 4th.

Now, if I may be so bold, I have one question: Can you rename your soldiers? A great feature in the entire Xcom series and I'm sure it is present in UFO:ET, but I just want to be sure.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: owl208
One question I have: I am not an immortal soldier purist and I enjoyed reloading during combat in XCOM if I got wiped out after making a bonehead mistake so as to not lose an entire team, etc. I got very attached to my peeps. [:D]
So, can you save and reload during combat like in XCOM UFO Defense?

Yes, absolutely, you can save right in the middle of a mission.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: Faenaris
Now, if I may be so bold, I have one question: Can you rename your soldiers? A great feature in the entire Xcom series and I'm sure it is present in UFO:ET, but I just want to be sure.

Yes, you can certainly rename your soldiers. [8D]

Thanks for the questions and comments, everyone. I'm glad this gameplay feedback was helpful.

[Andy Mac]

Thanks Erik it was very helpfull now all I need to do is wait 3 days.....

[WKB]

A few more questions:

Can you adjust the firing speed and whether or not the camera centers on your shots all the time? If so, can it be done separately for your forces and the aliens?

Can you abort mission in the middle? If so, how does it work? Do your troops have to be inside the ship in order to abort (including incapacitated ones)? Can you carry incapacitated troops to the transport to save them?

Do the aliens use explosive grenades? If so, is it possible for them to completely annihilate an incapacitated soldier's body? (we've seen that grenades can destroy terrain, so I'm curious if they could destroy bodies as well)

Thanks.

[evilferretvictim]

What about the option to set reserve AP (action/movement points)?

[Faenaris]

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

ORIGINAL: Faenaris
Now, if I may be so bold, I have one question: Can you rename your soldiers? A great feature in the entire Xcom series and I'm sure it is present in UFO:ET, but I just want to be sure.

Yes, you can certainly rename your soldiers. [8D]

Thanks for the questions and comments, everyone. I'm glad this gameplay feedback was helpful.

Cheers, mate! Now to kill time till Friday ...