GreatGold Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 Hey - I was just browsing the "Human Psionics" thread, and saw the Deimos wants something on crop cicrlce. So here it goes. Crop circles serve a purpose for the aliens. Thats right, you guessed it, they have nothing to do with Psionics...but everything to do with navigation and alien bases. How, you may ask?! I propose that some mathamatical person on the board create some sort of algorithm that randomly picks a pattern with each game. The pattern is never the same. What this pattern should do, is create "Crop Circles" on the geoscape, which randomly pop up. When they do, at first you don't know what they are. Also, they should not pop up to often, unless intended to make the pattern harder on higher level played games. After a Navigator has been interragated, you find out that crop circles are an indicator of alien bases. Now, it doesnt tell you were they are in the least, just that they are somewhere in the area. Hence the random pattern of crop circles in every game. If the person can figure out the pattern, in relation to actual alien base location, then viola...it may be useful in hunting down alien bases. The harder the level played, the more difficult the pattern to discern. So now, Crop Circles, a favorite of UFO history, have a place in Xenocide. This is just a rough idea of how they could be used, and I'm sure a better implementation could be thought up. So lets figure it out! Gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 woah, that would be great help indeed! Maybe too much help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatGold Posted June 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 Yeah - It would need to be a VERY tricky algorithm...or perhaps come later in the game after another tech is discovered. Could be fun though. Gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breunor Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 (edited) I think you could mention them in the game, with navigator interrogation explaining that they're used for navigation aids as you said. We were going to make some farm battlescapes that would have an occasional crop circle in it for fun. There was the idea of having geoscape overlays for v1+, and I guess this could be something for that, but really it's nothing different from the alien activity graph you get each month. The crop circles just verify the reported activity. I think trying to develop patterns that would point to the alien bases would be yet another feather in the human's hat, so that you don't have to hunt for the alien bases so much as 'figure out' the crop circles. btw, this should be kept in the story forum for now, as really the workshops forum is for working on approved items for the v1 geoscape IIRC. I've asked this thread be moved to the story forum, just an FYI if it disappears from the Geoscape forum... Edited June 11, 2003 by Breunor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blaa Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 Bleh, let's skip crop circles altogether. I suppose one could show-up occasionally as part of the Cultivated landscape in Battlescape for a joke. But it's better to explain them away as actually being a college prank or something like that rather than actually alien. Honestly there's no reason for aliens to make them so let's just say they don't. Besides everyone knows they REALLY ARE fake while UFOs themselves can be debated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guus Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 Actually, I like the idea. However, since the aliens will have their own communication and localisation methods, this seems a bit redundant. Also, crops are harvested every few months, so those signs would not be a good way to be some sort of permanent roadsign (they dissapear with each harvest). I suggest to use them to point to alien bases under construction. Make up some story about the alien base not having finished building its localisation beacon, or something like that, which is why the aliens build a hughe, visible sign... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatGold Posted June 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 Hey - Just as a private pilot... In real life, we humans have amazing GPS, radar, radio nav, etc...yet we also use huge poles with a small flashing light on top... So, my point is, it isnt all that redundant... Gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red knight Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 This is out of the scope yet, i suggest to move this to the lab... But keep looking for balance, in the first you dont know where Alien Bases are... with crop circles you have... By the way a big powerful army will be so stupid to put crop circles to give us a clue where you have to look for them... I guess not. GreetingsRed Knight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatGold Posted June 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 Yeah Perhaps this out of the scope. I like Breuners take on it, though, we'll work in to the interrigations some way. Gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breunor Posted June 11, 2003 Report Share Posted June 11, 2003 Yeah, it's much easier to make it part of the text you get from the research than to try and integrate it into the game. The navigator could even tell you it's a prank they perform to distract us from where they really are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge_Deadd Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 Aliens could make crop circles, because thay think humans aren't wise enough to make out base location from these circles. And, what's with the algorithm? It would be nice to have some logic riddles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Yeah, but should we program all the diffrent possibilities, or should the computer do it? If the AI should develop some, then it would be tuff making such a program. And if it suddenly pops out, then you know that there is a base somewhere, and check the graphs for the cuntry with the highest. A bit offtopic, but alien bases should not be able to be almost next to each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blaa Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 The explation for crop circles of alien origin are lame: 1 ) why can't they just use a transponder.2 ) the circles are at the mercy of pissed off farmers, hungry crows, meandering bovines, etc. and can be damaged.3 ) THINK, they just plain wouldn't do that for the reasons described. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatGold Posted June 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Hehe - I think Stewarts trying to make a point... . I think we should eventually leave it out of the game, in any physical sense, and perhaps tie it in with writing. We could do that in the beta, and see how it works. If we get comments like "Hey, where are the crop circles?" or "I liked reading about them, shame they werent implemented" then we can put em in. Likewise, if no one ntices their absence, then absent they stay. Golf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warhamster Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Maybe the circles are there as some sort of psychological scarecrow to keep the farmers and other such people a little more scared to snoop around. I really can't think of any other reason aliens would put them there at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blaa Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Someone mensioned earlier that there should be things in the UFOpaedia that lead to dead ends. Maybe this could be one. It turns out it REALLY a bunch of engineering student during fall rush, or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 My view is that it should be left up to the player to decide why there are crop circles. We just put them in battlescape as eye candy. That way everyone is right and no one gets alienated (excuse the pun). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breunor Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 But are the college students under alien CONTROL??? And if they are, which faction is manipulating them to expose the conspiracy?!? I agree, we should leave it as battlescape eye candy, fluff text if need be. The activity reports give all the info a player needs, tying in circles would require LOTS of work for limited/no benefit, other than a 'hey that's kinda neat'. All that work could improve the game in other areas much more IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatGold Posted June 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 Haha - We could make an Easter-Egg UFOpedia entry...explaining how all along it was the Xenocide development team trying to hype up publicity for their game...!!! Gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 ! that would rock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 That has to be it. That should bring a huge smile to the face of anyone that reads it. It did for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kha Khan Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 I liked 'dat Easter Egg idea Seriously, though, I agree with Breunor that the circles should be limited to the realms of text and graphic display... I like to zoom in the view at crash sites and LZ's just before landing, and crop circles would be nice eye candy there, or on the battlemaps, or both. As to their purpose, I agree with Stewart that they would only be temporary-- i.e., bovines and whatnot mangling them , but here's an idea: What if they are created by BOTH aliens AND human elements, and are communications/negotiations involving alien infiltration? "Brazil has signed a pact... and withdrawn from X-Com" etc. This information would not neccessarily come from a navigator, but maybe a commander, leader, or other, new class? In any case, I think the crop circles need to be included in some form... :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meddik Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 If you included it in the battlefield graphics, (Which I think would be incredibly neat...) But didn't want a complicated explanation, you could always make them Graffiti. Basically, The Alien Teenage equivalent to spraypaint and an overpass. Even Human soldiers, etc. do this sort of thing quite often ("Kilroy was here!") basically, make them into a juvenile prank by teenagers... just not teenage humans. =) But If you did that, It would be a great easter egg to have a very small craft every once in a blue moon whose mission is something along the lines of "Crop Circles" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatGold Posted June 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 Oh, I definately like that "Crop Circle" mission idea. It would be real funny... Gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blaa Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Equivalent to the Diablo "Cow Level"? There would be a special set of IMPOSSIBLE to beat aliens called: Red Knight, Stewart, Micah, etc. . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revenant4 Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Equivalent to the Diablo "Cow Level"? There would be a special set of IMPOSSIBLE to beat aliens called: Red Knight, Stewart, Micah, etc. . . . .Don't forget....Revenant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikker Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 hehe. a cropcircle mission would be nice, but along the lines of a terror mission, but without civilians.... You get quite a penalty if you ignore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deimos Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 Equivalent to the Diablo "Cow Level"? There would be a special set of IMPOSSIBLE to beat aliens called: Red Knight, Stewart, Micah, etc. . . . .That reminds me of a roleplaying game called Feng shui. Basically its a hong kong action theater roleplaying game. Anyway in it you have hoards of cannon fodder called 'mooks' (pretty good insult too ) that the players can gun down. The only time they have to worry is when a mook turns up and announces his name. Named characters are hard as nails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jim69 Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 here's an idea: What if they are created by BOTH aliens AND human elements, and are communications/negotiations involving alien infiltration? "Brazil has signed a pact... and withdrawn from X-Com" etc. This information would not neccessarily come from a navigator, but maybe a commander, leader, or other, new class?That's a good idea I recon, could use them in the same way the vamps used glyphs, marking out "safe" areas for the aliens, like countries that have signed pacts with aliens, and make u think "Oh crap, alien controlled area, gonna be some toughies here." Would also add to the atmosphere I think was slightly lacking in UFO, as I suggested in another thread I started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred the Goat Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 Alright, I just suggested another idea in the cattle mutilations thread - that crop circles are sampling of human agriculture, and now I'm going to simply suggest the obvious - crop circles are where UFOs have landed. I know it's boring, but what about it? It could be a way to know where they were active, as somebody else suggested, in addition to the month by month activity graphs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warhamster Posted June 27, 2003 Report Share Posted June 27, 2003 I'm sure someone threw this idea out, but maybe we can check out one of those websites dedicated to UFO's and find something to include in our texts. I like the idea of crop circles as flavor to the game. it put's a bit of mystery into the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts