10 replies to this topic

[shabbs]

I know this would be a diversion from the original, but I was thinking it'd be great if instead of having turn-based combat, it would be FPS style. Like as soon as you land you take command of one of the troops (and could switch at any time to a different one) and fight the aliens in real-time in a first person view. There are a number of things that could be added this way to 'offset' the loss of turn-based combat, to make things interesting still.

Don't get me wrong, I love the original and I love what you guys are doing, it's just an idea I had I wanted to share. Since the game already mixes RTS with turn-based, it might as well mix RTS with FPS

Edited by shabbs, 29 July 2005 - 07:13 AM.

[NKF]

I'm pretty sure a first-person-shooter type game would be out of the question at this stage.

However, the thought does inspire another idea.

Rather than as a first person shooter exclusively, you could keep it turn-based but have a first person camera view that you could switch to, where you could make your move from a first person view. Great to get a close-up view ideal for searching through heavy foliage, or so that you can look down at your feet to watch for mines hidden in said foliage or would otherwise be hard to see in a higher-up camera view, etc. Or to rifle through containers to pick out specific items, etc. You could even make it so that you could make manual or more controlled moves via this method, such as grenade tosses or to fire/throw something at an unusual angle. Or for using binoculars... and yes indeed, accessing a sniper-scope.

And for eye-candy, imagine the effects you could have - helmet/goggles/other bits of headgear and armour blocking the view, rain splattering on your visor, your visor misting up (on cold missions and you've been running a lot), cracks in a damaged visor, night vision, thermal vision, etc. Okay, so this is just a pipe dream, and graphics do not always make a good game. But we are all entitled to dream, aren't we?

It would take quite a bit (well, a lot) of effort to make it work at this level of detail, but for a simple change in camera view and perhaps a few brief first-person-specific changes in your interface when in this view, it may just work. Either way it's certainly more possible to achieve this than to rework the engine from scratch to accomodate a completely different style of play.

- NKF

Edited by NKF, 29 July 2005 - 07:32 AM.

[Blehm 98]

FPS xenocide is out of the question. Way too much programming
however, NKFs idea might work, but i don't think we'll get much closer to that except in later versions. I'm pretty sure that xenocide will be like xcom, but it will function in combat closer to UFO:aftermath, with perhaps zooming in and such. But FPS mode would be too far to make

[Dr Lang]

http://www.xcomenfor...m/Enforcer.html

[Blehm 98]

enforcer was a failure though. I don't think very many people wnt to plan that game

[ATeX]

I think I already mentioned that a very very very long time ago

over here:

http://www.xcomufo.c...indpost&p=76799
http://www.xcomufo.c...indpost&p=57722


cheers!
ATeX

[Rory_20_uk]

Hmm, that's something I don't want in a game and would as has been said take ages to do in any case. I LIKE the squad based dynamics and as it is something that is so rarely seen let alone seen done well I'd rather have an update to what I already know and love.

[Snakeman]

I think it might be easier to eventually update the Craft Visual button on the interface screen to show sensititve subsystems, based on what equipment is currently able to disseminate that onboard the intercepting craft.

You could still use the attack orders on the regular menu, only now you'd be able to try and specifically target a subsystem directly as you do it.

The trick then would be to coincide the damage dealt to them with what you'd see next on the battlescape. i.e. If engines were targetted, there shouldn't be any power sources or elerium to take, engine compartment should be damaged, and in addition to this, there probably wouldn't be any surviving Engineer ranked aliens alive.

So, from the perspective of damage dealt too, it ought to transfer I feel, to the opposition you ultimately faced down below.

You could flip that coin for your side as well, in terms of the damage dealt to the intercepting transport craft if it also was doing the mop up. i.e. You might not have use of your HWPs if they were mounted externally, other weaponry or gadgets also mounted externally, engine damage, and most importantly - if the cargo/troop compartment got compromised, you'd start off the map with a few dead dudes.

Slightly more realistic and challenging I agree, but the aspects that relate to the player's side sound more intended to a difficulty option.

Edit: The Craft Visual Button on the intercept screen interface wouldn't have to be a moving video of the UFO, but I suppose it could. For the purpose of this example though, I think a picture would suffice w/highlighted subsystem points on it that you could click on after you'd selected your attack type. Not that you'd have to select a subsystem, though the results of the attack should be more random than if you had.

Edited by Snakeman, 08 August 2005 - 07:47 PM.

[PezzA]

I think it might be easier to eventually update the Craft Visual button on the interface screen to show sensititve subsystems, based on what equipment is currently able to disseminate that onboard the intercepting craft.

You could still use the attack orders on the regular menu, only now you'd be able to try and specifically target a subsystem directly as you do it.

The trick then would be to coincide the damage dealt to them with what you'd see next on the battlescape. i.e. If engines were targetted, there shouldn't be any power sources or elerium to take, engine compartment should be damaged, and in addition to this, there probably wouldn't be any surviving Engineer ranked aliens alive.

So, from the perspective of damage dealt too, it ought to transfer I feel, to the opposition you ultimately faced down below.

You could flip that coin for your side as well, in terms of the damage dealt to the intercepting transport craft if it also was doing the mop up. i.e. You might not have use of your HWPs if they were mounted externally, other weaponry or gadgets also mounted externally, engine damage, and most importantly - if the cargo/troop compartment got compromised, you'd start off the map with a few dead dudes.

Slightly more realistic and challenging I agree, but the aspects that relate to the player's side sound more intended to a difficulty option.

Edit: The Craft Visual Button on the intercept screen interface wouldn't have to be a moving video of the UFO, but I suppose it could. For the purpose of this example though, I think a picture would suffice w/highlighted subsystem points on it that you could click on after you'd selected your attack type. Not that you'd have to select a subsystem, though the results of the attack should be more random than if you had.

*bump*!

A FPS perspective on a turn based system sounds a lot like the old amiga game Hired Guns. This was a great game. Taking this into a 3D turn based game, you could have soldier-POV displays (or even soldier placeable cameras) during the alien turn.

[Sorrow]

FPS turn-based kinda kills the point of FPS.

Anyway, I think that it would be interesting to try out something different from TB/RTwP.

It could be something, like having a connection to verious sensor devices (on-helmet cameras, weapon cameras, recon drones, etc.) and a communication network.
Add to that an ability to create point and click battleplans (setting waypoints, conditions for activating various part of plans) and intelligent soldiers that would act both on individual and squad level and it could create an unique experience.
It could take rookie slaughter to another level .

[PezzA]

FPS turn-based kinda kills the point of FPS.

Anyway, I think that it would be interesting to try out something different from TB/RTwP.

It could be something, like having a connection to verious sensor devices (on-helmet cameras, weapon cameras, recon drones, etc.) and a communication network.
Add to that an ability to create point and click battleplans (setting waypoints, conditions for activating various part of plans) and intelligent soldiers that would act both on individual and squad level and it could create an unique experience.
It could take rookie slaughter to another level .

I wasn't suggesting a turn based FPS, I actually meant to say FP , it was more a suggestion for what to display during the alien turn, which is where I think a fixed FP perspective would be a viable , tension adding element.

I like the idea of having various sensor devices that can be monitored and a number of which can be activated at any one time (say 4). During the alien turn you could monitor the 4 nominated cameras, shown in a 2x2 grid (whether the monitored item is placed on a tank, helmet, or a new-to-the-game equipable and placeable surevilance camera).