X-COM, XCOM and their derivatives - Including: Xenonauts, Phoenix Point, and assorted tactical turn-based alien shoot-a-thons

Alright newbie, we see that the stats indicate that you can move very far in a single turn. Here's your jumpsuit and stun baton, you're going to rush an Etheral. No you don't get any weapons, too dangerous around psionics. If you see a Chryssalid just keep running.

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It blew my mind the first time that my base was invaded and for the first time in the game I was fighting in an environment that I knew very well(sort of).
It’s unfortunate nuCom’s base assault doesn’t hold a candle to the original’s. Rather than fighting on a layout you designed unknowingly, it’s a one time pre-made mission with no soul.

While I don’t blindly hate modern XCOM, in many ways it is a colossal regression and a reminder that the 00’s and 10’s obsession with graphics resulted in stunted gameplay and fewer simulation games. Zoomers probably think the procedural maps of the original XCOM are technologically impossible.
 
It’s unfortunate nuCom’s base assault doesn’t hold a candle to the original’s. Rather than fighting on a layout you designed unknowingly, it’s a one time pre-made mission with no soul.

While I don’t blindly hate modern XCOM, in many ways it is a colossal regression and a reminder that the 00’s and 10’s obsession with graphics resulted in stunted gameplay and fewer simulation games. Zoomers probably think the procedural maps of the original XCOM are technologically impossible.
I played a little bit of nuCom and wasn't that impressed. I hated how they re-used a few pre-made maps and how aliens, when you encounter them on the map, gets alerted and scampers off to cover in a small cutscene. And it felt like they were often in the same location on those maps.

And I do not understand how they can fuck up the depth picking in a 3D engine. I want to go forward in a train car, the soldier runs out and climbs on top of the roof instead. In really old isometric 2D engines it is understandable.
 
Zoomers probably think the procedural maps of the original XCOM are technologically impossible.
Xcom 2 has them. It's also better about hiding the seams.

I hated how they re-used a few pre-made maps and how aliens, when you encounter them on the map, gets alerted and scampers off to cover in a small cutscene.
They realised that was a problem too. EW changes the start positions so you get to see parts of the map you don't usually get to see, making it feel like there's a lot more maps.

For Xcom 2 they changed to a randomised system. It has pros and cons.

As for the alart scamper. I'm not a fan of that either. Especially when they do it on your turn, giving them 2 moves and an action. I think the rational was to stop people from gunning aliens down in the first turn since they start in the open.

And I do not understand how they can fuck up the depth picking in a 3D engine. I want to go forward in a train car, the soldier runs out and climbs on top of the roof instead. In really old isometric 2D engines it is understandable.
The amount of bugs in the game are baffling to me. If you think moving has problems with depth, there used to be an issue where using explosives would cause the game to rapidly swap between floors. There was one nasty bug where enemies teleport into the middle of your squad. How does that even happen?
 
The initial spot scamper is to reduce the amount of "getting sniped out of nowhere by an alien you physically couldn't spot" thing that the OG X-COM had. The aliens don't physically exist on the map until their spawn point is spotted, at which point the "pod" of aliens suddenly pops into existence.
 
The initial spot scamper is to reduce the amount of "getting sniped out of nowhere by an alien you physically couldn't spot" thing that the OG X-COM had. The aliens don't physically exist on the map until their spawn point is spotted, at which point the "pod" of aliens suddenly pops into existence.
lol that's so lame
 
I used to think the same. And then I remembered how many times I ragequit TFTD because half my squad got picked off at the door of the Triton even with ink grenades deployed, and I understood why they implemented that.
Thankfully Xenonauts got a little more sane with this, because I don't recall that game giving me shit like ayys spawncamping the dropship.

I wish OG X-Com did that. Maybe there are mods that do, but judging from the ongoing LP, its not enabled by default.
 
Isn't there a mod that removes that absolute bullshit? Free reactions are an absolute disaster for action-based mechanics like XCOM. Imagine fighting a boss in a TTRPG who got to pull off some bullshit every time a PC moved.
Off-topic, but D&D 5E has Legendary actions that allow this. Usually 2 or 3 different actions that can only be performed after a different creature's turn.


Eta; nearly had a riot when we were learning 5e, coming from 2e, and I used a legendary action for the first time. Once you think about it, and visualize a fight, it makes sense. The biggest and baddest enemies move a LOT compared to mooks, and it is a way to ensure deadly encounters without cranking stats up to bullshit levels. (Ancient red dragon in 2e had over 500 hp and AC of -2 or -3, plus a fist full of dice for every attack that hit. 5e ancient red has equivelant of 0 AC and 300ish HP, but attacks 3 times with 3 Legendary actions.)

Action economy usually favors PC's, but a young adult dragon can do 3 attacks in melee, plus up to 3 Legendary actions per round.
 
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Isn't there a mod that removes that absolute bullshit? Free reactions are an absolute disaster for action-based mechanics like XCOM. Imagine fighting a boss in a TTRPG who got to pull off some bullshit every time a PC moved.
I'm relatively certain there is, but I haven't gone looking for that specifically just yet. Incidentally, there is a mechanic somewhat like that for 4th and/or 5th ED D&D for boss monsters, called "lair actions" if I'm remembering correctly - and if the tales are to be believed, they are precisely as bullshit as that sounds.

E: lol nevermind i'm very late and gay with this post
 
I used to think the same. And then I remembered how many times I ragequit TFTD because half my squad got picked off at the door of the Triton even with ink grenades deployed, and I understood why they implemented that.
You should still think so. The "pod" system systematically undercuts the tactical battlesystem since all strategies boil down to "activate pod when ready, don't activate pods if not ready." The AI cannot initiate anything, the player is always in total control. All battles have the same timeline. Timed missions were an attempt to address this and were thoroughly hated by the players since it didn't address the underlying system.

Lol the OpenXcom dev actually wanted to hardcode the AI into not using explosive weapons on the first turn because he got supreme memed on by a small bomb launcher. Thankfully the Xpiratez dev convinced him this was a faggot idea.

Look at this from the flip side: in OG Xcom, the aliens can blow you the fuck up before you even look out the door. However, the player can also nuke the entire map and win without ever seeing a single alium. You cannot do this in NuCom because the aliens don't actually exist on the map until you've both made your polite introductions.
 
I wish OG X-Com did that. Maybe there are mods that do, but judging from the ongoing LP, its not enabled by default.
For the record the aliens spawn in mostly random locations. The "ambushes" I've detailed in the LP are just embellishments on my part. Its pretty rare to actually have three aliens camping you or even all in the same general location.
 
Lol the OpenXcom dev actually wanted to hardcode the AI into not using explosive weapons on the first turn because he got supreme memed on by a small bomb launcher. Thankfully the Xpiratez dev convinced him this was a faggot idea.
Part of the whole point of games like this is they're cruel and unfair.
 
The "ambushes" I've detailed in the LP are just embellishments on my part. Its pretty rare to actually have three aliens camping you or even all in the same general location.
:stress: Wait that's rare? IS my luck really this bad that I've had quite a few mission where atleast 2-3 aliens are outside the skyranger ready to potshot the first unlucky meat shield to walk out.
 
The AI cannot initiate anything, the player is always in total control.
The pods do have some ability to move around. That's how enemies can walk into you during your turn. Iirc it's also the source of the teleporting enemies bug.

Though in general, a lot of the strategy of nuXcom is not activating any pods.

The initial spot scamper is to reduce the amount of "getting sniped out of nowhere by an alien you physically couldn't spot" thing that the OG X-COM had.
Iirc, this is also the source of overwatch creep. The aliens won't shoot from outside of visual range, so the optimum strategy was to set up a line of guys on overwatch, send a guy to trigger the pod, then run back to cover. The AI would try to move the enemies into view, causing them to get gunned down by the 5 guys on overwatch. Any survivors could be swept up easily, and worst case scenario you could fall back on grenade spam. I find this tactic tedious and try to play the game as intended.

:stress: Wait that's rare? IS my luck really this bad that I've had quite a few mission where atleast 2-3 aliens are outside the skyranger ready to potshot the first unlucky meat shield to walk out.
Same. I'm frequently having trouble with farmhouse missions. Starting surround by enemies in houses and nothing but open fields for cover.
 
I used to think the same. And then I remembered how many times I ragequit TFTD because half my squad got picked off at the door of the Triton even with ink grenades deployed, and I understood why they implemented that.
First round, an alien grenade gets thrown directly into the skyranger.
First round, a grenade from a blaster launcher navigates its way into the skyranger.
First round, a soldier with a blaster launcher steps off the skyranger, gets mind controlled, turns around and fires.

But it also meant that you could get the drop on the ayys, the system would fuck them over as well, and it really felt like nuCom lacked that, it was like a turn based 3rd person shooter with combat arenas and lots of carefully placed chest high walls to hide behind.
 
:stress: Wait that's rare? IS my luck really this bad that I've had quite a few mission where atleast 2-3 aliens are outside the skyranger ready to potshot the first unlucky meat shield to walk out.
Based on what I've seen (this is mostly guesswork on my part) you have probably a 50/50 chance of at least one alien spawning in back of the Skyranger, and probably the same chance of one spawning beneath or below it. One alien is normally not that much trouble to deal with, but this seems to hurt players alot because of Sectoids and Ethereals. Both of these enemies have excellent firing accuracy, reactions, and especially the Sectoids have good night vision. Which is why you seemingly end up always faced with an alien that snipes two or three of your squad from beyond visual range. Once Snakemen and Mutons show up, the problem of facing aliens at range is somewhat mitigated.

If you always move your most experienced troops to the back of the Skyranger, don't be surprised if your team has trouble spotting aliens at a distance too. That Perception stat is good for more than just shooting. Generally you should keep at least one soldier with good eyesight close to the front row so you have a better chance of finding enemies, especially in night missions. Have disposable troops take their turns first to burn off enemy reaction fire, then use your more experienced troops to pick off the aliens.

Smoke grenades have never helped me for shit as I've said before. The veterans swear by them though, maybe they're better on Superhuman.
Same. I'm frequently having trouble with farmhouse missions. Starting surround by enemies in houses and nothing but open fields for cover.
The maps are randomly generated. I'm not sure why your Skyranger is always spawning in locations with no cover, in my playthrough it fairly often spawns near a wall, a fence, sometimes those annoying hedges and occasionally a building. It also pretty often just spawns right next to the UFO. Even if you're without any cover at all, you should use the Skyranger itself as cover, particularly its wheels which have saved my ass more times than I can possibly count. Wheat fields also obscure your troops to some extent as well, though I find relying on those for cover is iffy.
 
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First round, an alien grenade gets thrown directly into the skyranger.
First round, a grenade from a blaster launcher navigates its way into the skyranger.
First round, a soldier with a blaster launcher steps off the skyranger, gets mind controlled, turns around and fires.
Yes. Been there, done that, got the shirt.

But it also meant that you could get the drop on the ayys, the system would fuck them over as well, and it really felt like nuCom lacked that, it was like a turn based 3rd person shooter with combat arenas and lots of carefully placed chest high walls to hide behind.
I see everybody talking about overwatch spam in NuCOM, but I rarely if ever did shit in the OG X-COM without half my squad reserving TUs for overwatch. Anyway...

I enjoy both games, because in the end X-COM: UFO Defense and XCOM: Enemy Unknown are different. The OG X-COM relies a lot on praying for good RNG and making the best out of a bad situation. It's stressful but rewarding. But the new XCOM, to me at least, is a tactical puzzle game (and vastly more forgiving, which I like). Since I know I'm not likely to get my entire squad completely wiped out by a random grenade from an unspotted alien I can do cool shit like stack my guys up in position to open/breach a door, or do a focused push up one side of the map to try to find the aliens.

Of course, that half-puzzle aspect of the game has its limits. XCOM2 tried way too hard to focus on it, and it's one of the reasons I just don't care for it. The ambushes at the start of a mission can be cool, but with so many missions being timed and with some of the wonky-ass mechanics associated with the "stealth" system, it just feels like a hassle.
 
The AI cannot initiate anything, the player is always in total control.
The difficulty is knowing exactly what actions you do result in what enemy actions, and that's where the learning curve comes in. Unless you make the game boring by spoiling everything in advance, you don't know until you learn. Hence, you experience cruel defeats in the interim.
 
another thing i remembered that can only happen in OG-COM: missing a shot only to kill some other alien off in the distance. can't happen in nucom, because a "missed shot" isn't even simulated and other aliens dont actually exist, anyway.

I enjoy both games, because in the end X-COM: UFO Defense and XCOM: Enemy Unknown are different. The OG X-COM relies a lot on praying for good RNG and making the best out of a bad situation. It's stressful but rewarding. But the new XCOM, to me at least, is a tactical puzzle game (and vastly more forgiving, which I like). Since I know I'm not likely to get my entire squad completely wiped out by a random grenade from an unspotted alien I can do cool shit like stack my guys up in position to open/breach a door, or do a focused push up one side of the map to try to find the aliens.
lmao you think are more likely to lose "your whole squad to a grenade" in a game where you start with 14 soldiers than in a game where you have four? dude you know those irl tacticool door breaches are only used in situations when you have the outside completely secure right?
 
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