Upcoming Projects - (Very) Basic Details

Lightzy, please read the OP. It's quite important you read it. In fact, it's very important you read it, so you don't get the wrong impression.

Max, why should I read it again? I read it before posting, is there anything new?

Yeah, the big game isn't an X-Com style strategic game though. It's a Jagged Alliance style strategic game (which plays out quite differently).

i will playtest all the good time

Lightzy, the impresion of your post was "Yay! Jagged Alliance!", when the OP indicates that it takes elements from Jagged Alliance, rather than the whole shebang. I'm trying to stop you from getting all pissed when your image of what it might be doesn't marry up to the reality of what it is.

JA2 *strategic* view. The actual combat is a mix of new XCOM, JA2 and Valkyria Chronicles. You'll have to wait a little longer to see exactly what that entails though.

I just really hope that you plan on making powerful yet easy to use editor tools in the new game regardless of it being 3D.

JA2 *strategic* view. The actual combat is a mix of new XCOM, JA2 and Valkyria Chronicles. You'll have to wait a little longer to see exactly what that entails though.

Dammit, if you're doing *exactly* what I'm trying to do and learn for at the moment I will shoot myself in the foot.. Looking forward to it.

I second Skitso's suggestion for good editor tools. IMO, the best two decisions you ever made for Xenonauts was 1) allowing modding, and 2) giving the community the ability to make the community edition. These have definitely increased the life of the game, and I hope you retain large amounts of modability in your future games.

Yes, by all means, as others have said plz give us a heads-up here when/if you kickstart. I'd give you my money right now based on nothing but a concept

If you institute elements of JA2 please dear God not the excruciating endless scrounging for ammunition which killed that game for me

how much do i have to pay to playtest?

I very happy with the forecast of the new "big game"! But try to make it more like Jagged Alliance 2 and less with the new XCom... I hate the new XCom... it over simplifies squad management turn-based strategy game... I was very frustrated when I first played it. On the other hand, Xenonauts lacks all that very good graphics of the new XCom, the AAA budget, all the press attention and still manages to be a better strategy game in every ways.

Be inspired more with your own game... Xenonauts is awesome and way more fun and deep than the new XCom! If the new XCom was an isometric sprite-based game with the same mechanichs it would NEVER had any form of success. Xenonauts had 'cause what it lacks in graphics (when compared to the new XCom) it excels in gameplay value!... and mods!

If there is going to be a Kickstarter for the big game I would be happy to contribute. Is it going to be based on the X-Com/Xenonauts universe ? The aliens had a fleet 20 light years away so about 20 years have passed since the end of Xenonauts...or something like that ?

They've said in the past their next game will not be a sequel.

It will be... a prequel, great!!!

Fighting aliens with cavalry charges, awesome...

Lightzy, the impresion of your post was "Yay! Jagged Alliance!", when the OP indicates that it takes elements from Jagged Alliance, rather than the whole shebang. I'm trying to stop you from getting all pissed when your image of what it might be doesn't marry up to the reality of what it is.

Thank you sir

Yes, I understood that from the first post.

My meaning was to, in a way, ask for as many elements from JA2 as possible.

Combat in JA2 for example far far far surpasses anything from xcom, chronicles, xenonauts or any other tbs format so far in terms of depth and available choices for pretty much every single thing from equipment to stats to how to use your turn, place your soldiers etc.

Makes for a superb game that I think I replayed more than any other game bar master of orion 2

so there you go.

If they make it as much JA2 as possible I will be extremely content.

I'm pretty sure that anything less would indeed be ... less. And that attempts to combine a flawless system with all kinds of other ideas would only create flaws.

Of course the actual game, content, story, setting, etc would all be different, but the mechanics of JA2 are perfect and it is quite respectful and even behooves a person of good taste to try and copy something that is flawless

As long as they make it destructo mania like Silent Storm, and human mechs with greande launchers like Silent Storm's panzerkleins, and awesome ballistic physics and combat system like Silent Storm's.........

Heck, you know what, I'm just happy if I can blow stuff up and demolish a whole building in 3D with a robo-assault vulcan mech.

sweet!

just not the awfully broken leveling system of silent storm, that was utterly broken

There's already a remake of JA2 going on, though - with the official license and all. We're shooting for something a bit more unique.

I vote for Syndicate Wars, this game with the actual capacity of OS, processors and memory management, can lead to a overwhelming and stunning game if you have the right creative director.

The humankind is more involved in Sci-fi plots right now than in 90s.

I vote for Syndicate Wars, this game with the actual capacity of OS, processors and memory management, can lead to a overwhelming and stunning game if you have the right creative director.

The humankind is more involved in Sci-fi plots right now than in 90s.

There is already one remake of this game and devs are people who originally made Syndicate wars,so I don't really see point of another remake (unless this one proves to be bad or never get released ).

When I call for something like JA2 I dont exactly means JA2, but a strategic squad-management game where every bullet counts and a soldier cant take a hit and walk away with it. I mean, even if that hit dont kill him, it will probably make him bleed, scare the soldier out and make him loses stamina, giving him less AP and perform worst in every task while wounded, even shooting.

JA2 battles was awesome 'cause it was the only squad game that truly made me thing that the important is not hit the enemy, but not being hit, just like in real-life. You cant fight if you are wounded. The first step is to be safe, them try to hurt someone. Even in a modded Xenonauts I'm used to do some dare movements. In Jagged Alliance 2, more specifically in a modded one, even if you do a smaller slip you are potentially screwed. Was the only game that truly made me use sniper, support weapons and ambushes the way I would like to.

But I think that what made JA2 great wasn't just "superior battle mechanichs". The devs just wasn't scared to do a hard and tough game supported by a solid engine who didn't held the game down. Add to it map conquering, militia training, skills levels, galore of weapons, galore of equipments, galore of itens, galore of attachments, open world, cool characters with awesome voice acting, tons of well placed little small details and depth without drowing you in micro-management, character creation, virtual economy, vehicles, diferent land scapes, easily moddable and... man, this game have a lot! I wish I could know how that game project was managed! I was to young to bother with those things at the time...

But unfortunately JA2 was victim of it own advantages... it complexity and depth of gameplay made it hard to get into and keeped the big crowd away, turning it into a legend amoung strategy game lovers but unknow to the default gamer... all sequels who tried to copy the old game and streamline the mechanichs failed. I wish I was rich like Bill Gates just to fund a game project and say "screw commercial success, boys! Give me hell!"

Yeah... I'm still in love with JA2, that old nag, and always start to day dream when it name comes around... By the way the "again new sequel" dont look very cool. I'm more excited with your project, Chris, not because I think you will give me JA2 back, but because you already gave me XCom-like back! So screw JA2, I know you guys will do an awesome job and already are making a name of your own, just like Xenonauts already is burying his roots in squad games to me!

I hope in ten years people will be talking about a game saying things like "I wish this game was more like the Goldhawk one"... wait, not a good idea. I hope in ten years you guys will still be around and kicking asses!

I suppose GH could crank out spiritual successors to a lot of games. Especially now as the kids of the 80's and the 90's are of an age when they hunger for memories of their youth (me included) and have the capital to indulge those memories. There's no shame in doing that if all you want your company to be known for is as a plastic surgeon giving old dears the digital version of a total body resculpt, but if you were in charge of your own company, is that what you'd want to do? Or would you rather make something which you could really call your own?

EDIT: This was not written in response to victor's post.

Actually, I'd think that Xenonauts is a somewhat it's own game, since there is a whole fleshed out cold war setting and the game has it's differences to the original, but unfortunately, the game relies on the shoulders of X-COM and for the fact that it isn't that an appealing dish from first impressions was initially a letdown. Perhaps if Chris has made a controversial stir he might be made something new, but then again he won't have that much support from old X-COM fans in that case.

The problem with with spiritual successors to old series comes more from the idea that it would seem backward in this day and age to rely on old game mechanics on what used to be fun, and that's true, we seemingly could have advanced with newer ideas and better innovation if not for A) Dumbed down gaming industry, and B) Old School Gamers clinging on to their old game styles. Before anyone point out that I'm a bitter old person(which I am not old), I am a bitter old school gamer that liked the retention of solid game mechanics of the old and yet wanting for the tasty new ideas that aren't flashy gimmicks or quick-time murder events.

To Max's point, there is pretentiousness in making spiritual successors, like how Xenonauts was criticized upon as an X-COM remake rather than a game of its own, or at least the point of view as a different direction. If we are to venture in the capital of Great old games that rather pulls into the noses of nostalgia, then it has to hold on it's own AND be better, two strengths it has to stand up upon, or old people are going to pick on it like a rubber duck in a shooting gallery.

Yes you have to make it different and better but without changing anything.

As long as the mechanics aren't too simplified (for example, fixed soldier roles, so only a heavy can pick up or use a heavy weapon), the big project sounds fun.