b1ueman

Join Date 04/2009

Will/should Stardock consider revamping other games from the microprose bucket!!!! ? :D

*WARNING READING PAST THIS POINT IS THE WRITTEN VERSION OF MARMITE, you will like or dislike the idea*

Hi all,

i'm really looking forward to getting to grips with EWOM, anticipating being part of the beta ... its really good to see that stardock are making a game that even though they couldn't phyiscally be the true successor of the MOM franchise, in spirit it seems from whats been said on the forums thus far, it may well just be that!

To be frank, i wasn't 100% sure who made masters of magic originally only that i remembered it as being the first game of its type, now referred to as x4 rts... i also couldn't really understand why even to this day. to me, that other companies nevermade a game that had as much depth and relayability to it as masters of magic had/has.

Only recently it dawned on me that microrpose made masters of magic. I was fairly young at the time never took much notice of who made the game as long as i enjoyed it.

Which brings me to the reason of this thread...

i would very much like to see another XCOM game remade,

O- it would have to be 3D, instead of isometric.(probably goes without saying )

O- it would also have to have a multiplayer aspect to it ( this could just be for 2 to 4 players or more ? )

i want you thinking "Laser Squad Nemesis" here, but even more awsome!!!! if you've never played, just try it for one month to see if you enjoy it ( its bascially multiplayer xcom type game which is made by the founders of xcom series itself ( the Gollop Brothers, or Julian and Nick Gollop they showed their game to microprose who lapped it up and turned it into the xcom series we know and love today!)

O- also multiplayer would be nice to have a co-operative option for the regular game, which would be nice

O-like in apocolypse being able to choose turn based and real time playing modes would be good ( though personally i'd used real time all the way some still prefer turn based )

O- The geoscape would have to have an economy again, buying and selling was part of what made this game

those that tried to remake the XCOM series always felt something was and is missing without it.

***THIS POINT ONWARDS SOME MAY NOT AGREE***

O- I also would like to have the option to switch between over head view to first person view,

O- being able to play the game in FPS mode and for it to feel like a FPS while ur playing,

O-If you can't imagine this, i'd like some of you to imagine Natural Selection ( originally a HL1 Mod soon to be a stand alone game as Natural Selection 2 ) the mechanics in that game were awsome!!!

***No, nothing like the patheticness of Xcom : Enforcer, that game really let the franchise down in my opinion***

O-so basically all these bullet points amount to are, make an xcom game, stay true to the original, whilst all the while allowing players to choose if they want to play in FPS mode, and for it to feel like NS1 felt, only in the XCOM universe and it would totally be amazing, and DARE I SAY IT, if done with as much love and affection as microprose seemed to do time and time again ( before they hit financial hardships ) it would be AMAZING!!!!!

Atari still have the Intellectual Property for the XCOM series as well Master of Magic... so if this idea ever came to light does that mean it could legally be called ZCOM ^^ and the gaming community could put it down to a typo sorry had to run that by yas.. heh

SO GUYS:: tell me what you think of this idea, would it be a yay or a nay... more so, if some of the ideas i've mentioned aren't you cup of tea, what about some other ideas all related to bringing back a totally amazing xcom game on the off chance stardock decide to put it on thier to do list...

you might think that some xcom games have already been there and done that however for me none of them actaully had that X factor of the xcom series. Afterlick aftershock aftemath... all ok ( apart from cheesy accents in game ) but didn't have that certain something about them, for me mainly the lack of economy lets them down most.

Also none of the xcom remakes had or have any multiplayer side of things which i also feel should by now have been put in an xcom game,

one last time, please comment lets get this debate on the road

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No, stardock has enough creative force that they can do better than microprose and all the constraints they had to deal with in their time. And did you seriously propose turning X-Com into an FPS....?

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not the whole game, but as an optional mode for the game,

for example

regular mode :: single player based game ( amazing )

Co op mode :: co operative player version of single player game, with options to increase level difficulty due ot having 2 or more humans co operating ( even more amazing )

skirmish mode :: multiplayer maps, much like Lasersquad Nemesis game. with perhaps the maps being slightly large and have the commander unit from Natural Selection

FPS mode :: similar in every way to the game types but obviously in FPS mode, it would allow a much wider audience into this type of game, and i think it could really work... i understand its not everyones cup of tea... however i'd see it as being similar to natural selection type of play style.

Since the squad members would still level it could be made that real time FPS mode shooting wouldn't be as accurate as other fps games as you would need to level them up first, and also you wouldn't be able to sprint away from danger or start rocket jumping.... as its not meant ot be that type of idea of and FPS game.. as just like in the other xcom games all your units leveled up... maybe near end game where you have those super soilder units that seemed to be able to do rambo missions for fun.... but that'd be very near end game.

even when the aquad member would be really high level, it would then fall to skill with the mouse and keyboard as the aquadmember stats would no longer hiner the players accuracy shooting or throwing grenades.

so not an FPS in the sense of quake, more realistic.

and i still must stress i know this idea, to many xcom fans will be unthinkable, thats why it would be a mode of gameplay, i just want ot hear if any others ever thought about it or have any other ideas about this genre.

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Alstein

Join Date 07/2004

+55

if Stardock was to make an RTS-type game, I'd rather them remake Kohan then X-Com, especially since Timegate jumped the shark immediately after KAG.

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I'd love Stardock to make a Civilization game (of the kind 4000 BC - 2050 AD). It seems to take ages before a Civilization V arrives from Firaxis. Stardock's experience from GC1 and 2, and from Elemental, will be usefull indeed.

I bet the Frog would love to develop such a game too, he is a Civilization fan I've heard.

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X-Com as an FPS would be a terrible idea. I think I would have to consider boycotting any company that would turn an incredible strategy game like X-Com into some sort of blockbuster FPS. Now if a company wanted to consider doing a new X-Com game and did it well, worship may soon follow.

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I will point out that they did almost make an X-Com FPS, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-COM:_Alliance , and it didn't actually look too bad. But admittedly I would prefer a proper X-Com game.

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I just have to quote this from the link Terazziel supplied:

Also unlike most of the previous games, especially the first, X-COM: UFO Defense, most of the squaddies would be female (in the initial two games, females comprised about 25-40% of the squad members). This was done apparently in attempt to appeal to the mostly male gamer demographic.

A classic example of stupid. Yeah, we males definitely go crazy over the idea of seeing female ass being kicked around by slimy aliens.

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Ah X-Com, very good.

X-Com is a stratergy game - most of the game is about managment of resources, allocating them and building up your capabilities. This is why the later games failed, they focused more on 3D action and had less resources to do good stratergy.

Total war follows this model pretty well. Its my favourite type. Strategic scale and tactical scale. Massivly diffrent unlike the games which try to fit it all into one.

Anyway what I want to see:

coop squads, real time action, light vehicles, cover based firefight system... wait a second I just described down of war II!

But closer in camera and less proclimations.

Thats what I want to play, remember the random maps? The destroyable buildings? (just blow the wall out and fire a few rockets in to clean out the house).

The only thing I don't know yet is how you do good coop strategic level when your essentialy waiting for something to happen. I guess its deligation of tasks, "you setup the squads for the next mission, ill check the research and manufacturing - what are we low on? - and send out the aircraft on patrol".

Definatly cut down the number of soldiers on a mission to max 8. Up to 4 squads you can configure who goes in what squad. This obviously leads into coop so each player controls a squad or more.

Keep it lower tech for a lot of the game, starting off with todays stuff advancing up trough combat armour and infantry miniguns (thanks predator!). Eventualy your getting you plasma and the like.

Morale was always simulated in x-com, just add in suppresion and cover and you have an ultra morden tactical component.

CAS (close air support) and bombing missions avalbile from base modules, deployable mortar teams, static heavy guns and an awesome advanced landing craft which clears the LZ with player controled side weaponary at the start of most missions not to mention provides a safe zone to rearm and heal up in (think control point in DoWII).

I better stop before I need to change clothes...

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i second the KAG idea. an updated & expanded KAG would be an awesome thing. KOW was horrible & i doubt they will ever go back now that they do FPS. i am still hoping for a warlords 5 & wbc 4 too but i2 has also jumped the shark imo after their 1st puzzle quest game. also, there is always hope for a true MOM 2 to go along with E-WOM!

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That's even the reason cause Silent Storm, in spite of an amazing turn based combat, fails badly to match masterpieces like UFO and Jagged Alliance 2.

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Master of Magic was made by SimTex, as was Master of Orion.

I do wish that someone would give the Gollop brothers, who made the first few X-Com games, a dollop of money to go and make cool stuff. Laser Squad Nemesis just doesn't really do it for me: I need campaign map stuff, can't survive on tactical combat alone. I mean really, how many 'best games ever' lists has X-Com been top of? Bit of investment here people.

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There is an attempt to make a freeware spirital successor to X-com. Google UFO- Alien Invasion. It is a very good game and is reasonable 3d(ish), unfortualy it is incomplete. But its worth a play through. Hopefully they will eventually get it more complete.... *

*I would help but I'm a little underskilled

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Quoting Aractain,

reply 8

Ah X-Com, very good.

Anyway what I want to see:

coop squads, real time action, light vehicles, cover based firefight system... wait a second I just described down of war II!

But closer in camera and less proclimations.

Thats what I want to play, remember the random maps? The destroyable buildings? (just blow the wall out and fire a few rockets in to clean out the house).

The only thing I don't know yet is how you do good coop strategic level when your essentialy waiting for something to happen. I guess its deligation of tasks, "you setup the squads for the next mission, ill check the research and manufacturing - what are we low on? - and send out the aircraft on patrol".

Definatly cut down the number of soldiers on a mission to max 8. Up to 4 squads you can configure who goes in what squad. This obviously leads into coop so each player controls a squad or more.

you definately on my wave length here, these ideas are good, as long as it wasn't exactly like a war game, i do like to do one man missions sometimes... wouldn't want to be stuck into a sqaud format at all times.

For me i'd like to see real time with todays standards of gfx, still keeping the pause button handy and optional turn based mode for those than need it.

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I agree.

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Quoting Terraziel,

reply 6

I will point out that they did almost make an X-Com FPS, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-COM:_Alliance , and it didn't actually look too bad. But admittedly I would prefer a proper X-Com game.

ye i wanted to try that game, though i'm in a way glad it never came out, as from memory it when i first heard it got scrapped.. i think it was missing alot of the techs from the original series. one day.... one day someone will make a good version of Xcom again. one day!

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I'd rather it be Kerberos Productions that does a re-make of X-COM. They already have an excellent engine for it that's being used to develop Northstar, plus Kerberos has already established quite the universe with all of the backstory to Sword of the Stars. If Kerberos re-made X-COM into a turn-based tactics game set in the SotS-verse they just might manage to resurrect the turn-based tactics genre.

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