6 replies to this topic

[PezzA]

I don't know about anyone else, but I always felt a little cheated when a country sided with the aliens, as without decoders there no real way of knowing what's going on, and the real bummer is that once their gone, there gone forever.

What I'd like to introduce is a last-gasp mission to stop them cosying up with the aliens, and most importantly, a new type of mission that won't involve the battle-scape.

Imagine getting this at the month end:

TOP SECRET CODED TRANSMISSION

I am under a lot of pressure to side with the aliens, and I'm struggling to justify the XCorp budget. The senate need to know that XCorp can provide the goods to help win this war.

We require the following in the next 10 days or we will have no alternative to go our own way. I wouldn't bother denying it, I know you can get access to this equipment.

• 10 Heavy Plasma Rifles
• 10 Heavy Plasma Clips
• 100 Alien Alloys

Don't let us down.

Satisfying this will give a boost to their happiness and give a stay of execution from them leaving the project. The mission objectives could vary as well:

• A UFO artifact item sink (with amounts required based on how unhappy they are and what items are researched.), finally a use for alien-entertainment!
• A one-off non research tree research item that will hog lab time
• Something that needs to be made, hog's workshop time
• Get rid of that base!
• A devious, no xcom activity in area 'x' please.
• one .... million ... dollars!
• <x> live specimen(s) <of species> <of rank>

The mission flavour text can be tailored for what is being asked, so plenty of work for CTD!

If more than one country is unhappy you could have more than one mission a month, so you may be tracking multiple missions at any one point.

I would hope that this will add another subtle tactical layer to the geoscape, and provide a useful, non-sell sink for all the unwanted crap you normally get from missions, and hopefully would alter your strategy to achieve it and provide an alternative reason to going into a battlescape other than just because it there.

It would need balancing, but I think this would be a engaging, tension adding element to the game.

Edited by PezzA, 16 November 2009 - 05:58 PM.

[Loshult]

I like this suggestion. I always missed the strategic long term missions in X-COM.

This system could even build in rivalries between different countries, such as; USA wants you to stop all activities in Russia for a month otherwise they will join the Alien side.

This will give you the option to let USA leave or take a chance that Russia wont "notice" that you don't help them anymore.

[Mad]

Yes this suggestion sounds very good indeed - plus it should not be too difficult to implement when the time is right...

[kafros]

Very nice .

1) That would also add an X-Com: Apocalypse element to the game
2) Something similar happened in UFO: Extraterrestrials. When the Aliens got hold of a country, you could attack them and regain it back. But, your idea makes more sense and is far more interesting.

In addition, in case they sign a pact with the Aliens, a very positive score rating could gain the country's trust back. That, of course, would agitate the Aliens, and activity would multiply.

[PezzA]

Very nice .

1) That would also add an X-Com: Apocalypse element to the game
2) Something similar happened in UFO: Extraterrestrials. When the Aliens got hold of a country, you could attack them and regain it back. But, your idea makes more sense and is far more interesting.

In addition, in case they sign a pact with the Aliens, a very positive score rating could gain the country's trust back. That, of course, would agitate the Aliens, and activity would multiply.

I've never played XCOM past TOFTD, (but make up in gameplay hours what i miss in coverage!), are the games after the first 2 any good and still worth a look?

[PezzA]

I like this suggestion. I always missed the strategic long term missions in X-COM.

This system could even build in rivalries between different countries, such as; USA wants you to stop all activities in Russia for a month otherwise they will join the Alien side.

This will give you the option to let USA leave or take a chance that Russia wont "notice" that you don't help them anymore.

I've hadn't thought about in terms of faction, but that could be a good idea, especially coupled with Kafros's note about vying for a country, effectively turning a funding nation into a battleground theatre of increased XCorp and UFO activity. Waging such a battle with a single base on the other side of the globe might be difficult, and might required tactical placement of bases and deployment of resources.

[dteviot]

If you want to work on something like this, go ahead.