XCOM Apocalypse?

[Zaphod]

The short video reminds me very much of the damage model of XCOM apocalypse. That was truly one of the games where you felt that you brought the pain onto the enemy. Especially when incendiary and high explosive where combined, you would create hell-on-earth on those confused and panicking aliens.

Especially in that slow-time mod where you could get every soldier to bear down on the xenos at the same time.

Are there any XCOM:A nostalgics who can confirm that this new game delivers?

[Lurker]

I'm not the guy who plays Extraterrestrials2 right now, but whenever I see UFO Apoc, I can't get past. Apocalypse is the best XCOM ever and probably will be.

Anyhow, I've just got a conformation from an old-♥♥♥ forum that game delivers. Go for it brother.

[Andy BitOff]

Originally posted by Lurker:

Apocalypse is the best XCOM ever and probably will be.

it's true, bro

[Zaphod]

So, if this is a game that captures the same firefight dynamic, then it would definitely be something to look into :)

[snowhawk17]

I would say this game is much more like XCOM:UFO Defense (the first one from the 90s). Xcom APOC was the 3rd in that series, so it shares some of the nostalgia.

[JoeShmo]

Xcom APOC also had a fundamental change in it's gameplay.

- You had realtime combat as an option.
- Geoscape fights were in real time, and 3D based, there wasn't a secondary mini game like originally.
- Destructive environments in a 3D landscape ( Orignal was more like layers of 2D tilesets )
- You had diplomatic expectations with various factions, that affected available recruits and gear.
- You actually had Geoscape and Unit combat outside of earth
- You actually had landmark awareness in the Geoscape and Investigation areas, instead of just a flat background. Factions were at particular parts of the city, buildings had distinctive value and tilesets, and Investigation areas had specific "zones" where civilians, particular aliens, etc. would stick to ( Akin to the UFO being a different experience than outside of it )
- Soldiers had a more robust allotment of gear choices, including being able to mix and match armor pieces, which could offer you special effects for just wearing that particular piece.

All in all, Xcom Apoc felt more like a grand strategy 4x game than it's predecessors. You could see and feel the importance of location, distance, and response time. The city moved on whether you interacted with it or not. It was cool seeing the city police force engage the aliens and cult members, and how combat decisions / outcomes affected the geoscape itself since it was all a destructible environment.

Frankly, I'm amazed they managed to pull that game off at all. It's like watching a gaming company go from making Wolfenstein 3D to Call of Duty with nothing in between, and in the 90s. The sad thing was what happened to the franchise afterwards. They really should have stuck to the Apoc formula.

[skalisko]

The UFO2 ET is sticks to 1993 X-COM:UFO Defence (UFO:Enemy Unknown) gaming system. UFO2ET hosts many improvements, unique items, it is made in 3D and provides bunch of new levels - islands, underground bases, naval boats... It is also tribute to UFO:S.h.a.d.o that is alma mater to UFO2ET and X-COM:UFO Defence.

[Lakota Pride]

I bugged them for an Apoc reboot for years .. and i got a reply from one of the original devs.. it cannot be done with the tech they have today.. i was like hell you can't ...
The one who manage to make an apoc style game with collapsing stuff and all apoc had in game .. man.. you be rich lol .. i was extremely dissapointed that they cannot remake it at all right now

[snowhawk17]

More than likely the resources to make an APOC style game would not pay off. APOC itself did not pay off IIRC.

[Lakota Pride]

Actually he told me about the complicated game ai and issues with collapsing stuff etc...like that todays new engines have problems with it seems ... ... they may be able to replicate it.. but the resources indeed needed today would be huge ... i know ... looking at for instance metal gear solid V .. they couldnt even manage to do that stuff and you know how many millions went into that project and the game was never totally finished ... they are still far behind .. maybe one day we get lucky and we get a new engine where it gets easy to program stuff like that

[Zaphod]

I remember the avalanche of collapses that could happen. It showed some performance issues, but the whole thing was in slow motion anyhow, and often times it almost seemed like the game purposely slowed down for dramatic effect as your heavy rockets and incendiary ordinance impacted upon the hapless aliens.

Once you had your heavies barreling down on them, the term "suppressive fire" doesn't even begin to describe the mayhem you could bring to bear.

And the tactical dynamics resulting from the destructible nature of the map was too complex for the enemy AI, so it almost felt unfair when they were lured into the killzone.

XCOM:A was downright awesome.

[Lakota Pride]

Yea still one of my fav games and hopefully they will one day bring something simular out including the physics etc they used in apoc ... i love the game

[Burninator]

Originally posted by Lakota Pride:

Yea still one of my fav games and hopefully they will one day bring something simular out including the physics etc they used in apoc ... i love the game

I feel like nobody on this thread has played the X-Com reboots? You can absolutely ravage structures with heavy weapons in that game so I'm confused about this nostalgia for 20 yo games and saying new engines cannot do this.

My rocket guys and mech units in the new XCom routinely blast giant holes in buildings or knock whole floors down. *shrug*

[Lakota Pride]

Originally posted by Burninator:

Originally posted by Lakota Pride:

Yea still one of my fav games and hopefully they will one day bring something simular out including the physics etc they used in apoc ... i love the game

I feel like nobody on this thread has played the X-Com reboots? You can absolutely ravage structures with heavy weapons in that game so I'm confused about this nostalgia for 20 yo games and saying new engines cannot do this.

My rocket guys and mech units in the new XCom routinely blast giant holes in buildings or knock whole floors down. *shrug*

Not comparable.. apoc is a whole different game and on a whole different level .. i know what you mean .. but it's not comparable to apoc at all .. the physics in apoc are way different .. i have yet to see chain collapse reactions in games .,.. i still find apoc more realistic as the other physics they used ... also its not just about physics but also the AI and how they handled things way back
and yes i played every xcom and UFO game there is in the market and even those that are not

[Lurker]

Originally posted by Lakota Pride:

I bugged them for an Apoc reboot for years .. and i got a reply from one of the original devs.. it cannot be done with the tech they have today.. i was like hell you can't ...
The one who manage to make an apoc style game with collapsing stuff and all apoc had in game .. man.. you be rich lol .. i was extremely dissapointed that they cannot remake it at all right now

I'm a developer myself and constantly was thinking about something like XcomApoc, and I would say that it is almost impossible to pull off Xcom Apoc with a modern graphics and keeping same level of game mechanics. Xcom Apoc has an immense amount of functionalities. Not a single sane gaming company is going to commit to such grand challenge, neither an indie nor the AAA , they will drown in development for 5+ years, each for their own reasons.
Sad story, I know...

[Lurker]

Originally posted by Burninator:

I feel like nobody on this thread has played the X-Com reboots? You can absolutely ravage structures with heavy weapons in that game so I'm confused about this nostalgia for 20 yo games and saying new engines cannot do this.

My rocket guys and mech units in the new XCom routinely blast giant holes in buildings or knock whole floors down. *shrug*

It's like comparing Red Faction Guerrilla destruction with Battlefield destruction.

Feels and plays absolutely different. And considering Apoc "physics", it was part of a tactics. Starting from intentional raid with setting Cult of Sirius house on fire and ending with an unlucky grenades which fell from a dead alien's hand and melting levels "alien the movie blood-acid" style.