Yep, very clear, thank you. I think the only thing that would get you there is a total conversion mod. I don’t know of any that really play with the story like this. Long War 2 is a possibility. It might be different enough for you. Worth checking out a let’s play for it at least. I would recommend Xwynns’ stuff on youtube.
Of course LW2 comes with a much greater length and difficulty and still passes through and ends in the same places. Maybe too much Lion King for your tastes.
Edit: come to think of it, I doubt it tells a different enough story.
I do wan’t xcom 3. However, I would also like them to figure a way to solve this problem. Civ solves this problem, too bad the AI is worthless.
In Civ, if you play a game on a pangea map vs one on an archipelago, that is a very different experience. Also different victory conditions such as science vs conquest. Mix up all that with the random terrain and you have tremendous replayability.
I am not sure what concepts Xcom can use to do this. That is where I was thinking about grand strategies might make some difference, but probably not enough. Different victory conditions might help a lot too, but again, I am not sure what those would be in an xcom universe. Perhaps a science victory might involve building a global psi shield which breaks the elder’s psionic network leaving their troops in chaos and maybe even rebelling.
I have a feeling that XCom 3 will not be a battle between the elders and humans, but whatever it is that they claimed to be protecting us from, the “true” enemy. Or perhaps that will just be something for another game. Maybe humans will go on the offensive and have to secure our solar system, and then xcom 4 will go beyond that, but that is just counting chickens at this point.
Have you played the original Terror from the Deep? That would be my guess where they go with it. At least in a general sense with their own take on it.
Ugh, me too. I didn’t like Terror from the Deep either. I do not want a game under the water. I’d much rather we take to the stars to start defeating the aliens on their planets/outposts/ships. And every planet/outpost/ship/etc you defeat adds something to your tool box.
That does not sound like Xcom to me though. Would be a cool game but not an xcom game. For me xcom has always been about defending earth against overpowering alien invaders. Going on the offensive into the stars seems a bit too far out for the franchise.
I also loved TFtD. Done right with modern technology with swimming etc it could be really something.
Honestly, I really don’t and had to Google it. I played much more TftD then the original and it has been a while so may misremember details from that game as well. Thanks for pointing that out!
I get to the big chamber in the last mission. Kill some vipers. Then the game zooms in on a door. Cutscene. Now my guys are in the chamber. Used to have to pass through that short bridge. I could be careful, set my squad up. Lines of fire etc. Now they’re plopped right near the big statue? WTF?
WOTC changed it. I believe you can still set up as long as you don’t accidentally trigger vision on the enemy. The switch isn’t all bad - you get a reuse of any “once per mission” passives.
This game is incredibly frustrating, even on the default difficulty. I don’t know how you guys play it on the harder difficulty levels. It’s incredibly fun and exciting when things go your way, but, yeah, that never happens in WotC.
Mind control remains incredibly OP’d. If they MC a high-ish ranger with the blademaster or whatever ability and they’re surrounded by allies because you’re attacking a UFO? Yeah, you’re done. Just ALT-F4 because that ranger will one-shot your whole team.
I love how the Chosen are weak against one type of the new rebel classes, but – hah! – mine are all dead due to bullshit. My templar ran up to one-shot a Muton. Missed, of course. So I ran her as far as way as possible on her second action. Didn’t matter, he just ran up to her and one-shot her instead. Yeah, that’s the breaks of XCOM - she missed, so she deserved to die. Except I sort of need these newer more powerful classes to counter the newer more powerful enemies, and mine are all dead.
I finally manage to use the Skulljack on a Commander, only to remember, oh yeah, that spawns a miniboss that would give a Chosen a run for their money. A miniboss I was totally unprepared for. Reload. Next map, there’s a Commander, but oh joy, here comes a Chosen. That Commander is going to die, no Skulljack bullshit for him.
I also love how killing a Chosen does fuck all. Here’s some AP for the classes you don’t have because they died to typical XCOM bullshit.
In the XCOM2 base game, I had to restart twice before I got a good game going. Won on my third campaign. I’m already on my third campaign in WotC.
There are mind shields you can build that make you immune. You can also field your own psi ops (a priority for me) which can radiate an aura that will protect anyone from mind control and other status effects.
