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The only thing lacking is tone setting.


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I've not played this since a few releases ago, but I dont see any addition of a good opening cinematic or story intro or any story at all really.

Frankly how is anyone supposed to get invested in saving the world, or fighting the enemy when there is zero context?

The lack of an narrative hooks is one reason why this game will never be anything more than a curiosity for the vast majority.

A real shame that no time was spent on building an interesting setting and story. It doesnt need to be anything like the XCOM - EU narrative, but there should be something to hang the game play on.

Very disappointing. and a real shame.

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Step 1: Launch Game

Step 2: Click Extras

Step 3: Click on the Prologue

Voila! Story (and a pretty good one, too)

As for a cinematic intro, I for one much prefer that development funds were spent on tuning game-play rather than a pretty cinematic intro that I would be hitting "escape" to bypass after the first couple times I watched it. :)

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X-COM and Xenonauts are games that thrive more on design narrative than the use of cinematics. The context, and details of the world are told through the look and feel and by game play experiences.

There's also no shortage of text in the xenopedia entries that build upon the mood. I've found the overall presentation to be more than enough for my own imagination to fill in the rest. Also, because I interpret the universe through these narrative cues in my own way, my mental model of the world is more personal and more memorable.

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I like the way Xenonauts do it. Story is there if you want it (as stated extras, and you find the first incident info at Xenopedia too), and it is told by the mechanics/events and by the progression of tech-tree. The invasion gets more hectic by time, and you feel you progression in terms of research, expansion, and such.

It doesn't try to force it down my throath, but gives it to me if I want it (I did for my first run, and I liked it). In a game like this, more subtle/vague way that doesn't get in the way of gameplay fits game in like this imo. You don't need cinematic to tell me of they are attacking cities now, what next? To realize the invasion is progressing.

I already disliked the notification boxes "There is alien here, stun it", or how X-Com was like "Oh look new alien, let me tell you what it seems to be". I have eyes, I know when I see something new, and all that kinda takes away some of mystery/figuring out things already.

There is the Lore+ mod, I haven't tryed it yet (I too should propably), and I saw one which gave research and such for different alien-missions and such, but it might be in the Lore+ already.

EDIT:

If something I think was underwhelming, it was the actual "progression-tree" for main-missions. Stun couple aliens, that is it. And the game sure do like to hold your hand that you won't miss if one of those is in the level.

Edited by kahvipannu
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The cold war setting was an important factor in drawing me into Xenonauts. The bleak tone of the art and the rapidly escalating alien threat sets the game apart form other X-Com type games.

I would have loved for that to have been taken further (a changing cold war political world based on the game events), but I totally understand where the resources had to be used. I'm not sure a title video would have added much more than the in game art already did. It would have been nice to see. But in the same way that a lot of features would be nice to see. I'd always prefer resources spent on the game itself.

As someone has said, the Lore+ mod should add more of that original X-Com flavour.

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SkaianDestiny actually just posted Rock Paper Shotgun preview here, and taken from Adam Smith there, for the story progression:

"The best way to describe what is possibly my favourite aspect of Xenonauts is to compare it to Firaxis’ XCOM. In that game, the narrative of the invasion is told using a few characters, delivering fully-voiced connections between one ‘stage’ of the game and the next.

The ‘stages’ might be tied to specific missions, progress or research results, but they serve to provide a connective tissue between the strategic long-game and the scattering of tactical missions that make up a campaign. Xenonauts does something similar, although it isn’t obvious at first. Instead of talking heads, Goldhawk’s game constructs its connective tissue with text and illustrations. Xenonauts contains a lot of text and it’s engaging stuff, whether describing an alien’s guts or the reasoning behind an interceptor’s upgrade costs."

And for the caring part:

"It’s the reasoning that grips me. Everything in Xenonauts justifies its place, as if a constant demand of the design document were that elements must contribute to the experience and the fiction at the same time. Some people might find that a small detail to focus on but it’s the kind of fine texturing that explains a lot about the project its contained within. Xenonauts strives for credibility, explaining why an alien behaves as it does, and why refitting a vehicle takes so much time, money and effort. That credibility bleeds through into the characters and I find myself caring for them, as individuals, far more than I do for XCOM’s super-marines."

Link to the article:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/07/10/impressions-the-triumph-and-struggle-of-xenonauts/

This is how I feel, he just expressed it in way better way. Xenos stuff is subtle, and non-distracting. I like that way of doing things.

Edited by kahvipannu
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I like the way Xenonauts do it. Story is there if you want it (as stated extras, and you find the first incident info at Xenopedia too), and it is told by the mechanics/events and by the progression of tech-tree. The invasion gets more hectic by time, and you feel you progression in terms of research, expansion, and such.

It doesn't try to force it down my throath, but gives it to me if I want it (I did for my first run, and I liked it). In a game like this, more subtle/vague way that doesn't get in the way of gameplay fits game in like this imo. You don't need cinematic to tell me of they are attacking cities now, what next? To realize the invasion is progressing.

That`s how I like it too. I know a lot of people nowadays like a story to take them along rails, but i like a game that provides the background and allows YOU to make the story. Everyone knows the basics: Y`know all those lights in the sky and unexplained UFO phenomena seen since the 1950s? Well, guess what, Aliens have been scouting Earth and we now know there`s a full on invasion on the way. Here`s a load of money, an HQ and some military stuff plus a couple of jets- Go stop the invasion!

The story writes itself!

You don`t need any more than that.

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Hey yeah lets read a 100 page book eternal from the game to set up the tone and setting of the game. Thats utterly ridiculous.

My issue isnt with story progression, but the initial setting of the tone, and whats happening. I'm not looking for some costly pre-rendered intro cinematic, just a narrator some stills and an explanation of whats happened, what now happening. Thats it.

The fact that noone bothered to give the game that initial narrative hook is all I'm talking about. Its just plain poor game design. Everything else is great, but without that opening the initial game experience lacks context and thats a failure.

I am not talking about how the game progresses, just that opening setting the scene.

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You have Xenopedia entry for the incident, alongside other stuff if you want to, hardly 100 pages, and it has even pictures so it won't feel like reading at all (har har)! After that, the game happens, you are Xenonauts, UFOs are a thing, and... Play more to know more, that is it.

If missing an opening thrown at you takes away context for the whole experience for you, I don't think the problem is in game design. You call it lazy and failure, yet you see many examples here people having no problem establishing connection to the game and its world.

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We get what your saying, but you don't seem to get what everybody else is saying. It isn't about intro, it is about development. You can play the game without even knowing about the incident, and get the full mood of it.

Tone build during the game is irrelevant? To me game like this, going for the unknown is the very key of the atmosphere. I'm in totally different mindset about this, I guess we can agree on that.

As stated many times, it is real world 1979, you have a base, aliens are a thing. You could argue beginning of the game is when you pick your base, and you start checking out ok, what we got here? You check the facilities, soldiers, options, and most propably Xenopedia. Then reports start coming up on UFO signs, you might see one, shoot down, or local forces do it, you set up your troops, and go for the unknown.

If you getting overhelmed by that, without having (obvious) things hamfisted down your throath, don't blame the devs being lazy or bad game design, it is just different what your used to.

I don't know what else there is really to say. Maybe try making a mod for introduction yourself?

Edited by kahvipannu
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Hey yeah lets read a 100 page book eternal from the game to set up the tone and setting of the game. Thats utterly ridiculous.

My issue isnt with story progression, but the initial setting of the tone, and whats happening. I'm not looking for some costly pre-rendered intro cinematic, just a narrator some stills and an explanation of whats happened, what now happening. Thats it.

The fact that noone bothered to give the game that initial narrative hook is all I'm talking about. Its just plain poor game design. Everything else is great, but without that opening the initial game experience lacks context and thats a failure.

I am not talking about how the game progresses, just that opening setting the scene.

Does the Alien Invasion tech which completes right at the start of the game not do this?

The only problem with it - for me anyway - is that it doesn't quite unlock quick enough. The first alien wave spawns immediately bu the alien invasion tech only finished after a day. Ideally, it would complete before anything starts happening, but it's close enough (for me, anyway, but I'm quite familiar with the game at this point).

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I see a bunch of responses missing the point

ALL I am referring to is SETTING the tone, building the world, and giving context at the VERY beginning. Anything that develops during the game is utterly irrelevant.

Read the prologue. It's not a cinematic, but it does what you're asking for.

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I agree that the intros were nice. but the absence of one in Xenonauts has not made me feel any less invested in saving the Xeno-world or made me feel that there was a lack of context.

While the setting was always a fairly breif cover to get to the focus of the game: the battle scape, the Alien Invasion research that appears after a day or two, the novella and the web site back story were always more than enough for me. Point taken that tow of those are outwith the game itself.

I'd argue that the all action, jumping X-Com soldiers form the original game intro don't quite match the terrified, wounded X-Com soldiers creeping through a corn field to certain death in the actual game :)

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I agree with OP. An encyclopedia entry is not a story. Stories need characters with emotions. It doesn't move the audience to note that a million people are afraid. It moves the audience to show that one specific person we care about is afraid.

I expected the Cold War setting to practically write its own fascinating story. It could have been told as a series of conversations between world leaders. The main characters would be the US president and Soviet Union lead. Maybe add a character as the leader of the UN controlling Europe and Africa, then add Chinese domination of Austronesia. Now you've got a handful of relatable characters with interpersonal conflicts representing global political conflicts. And the player represents this independent group that must balance political forces as it fights aliens. For example, ignoring that terror attack in Moscow might win you lots of friends in Washington.

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I think that Goldhawk was going for replay ability here, and not a focus of resources on a one-off story that would annoy subsequent playthroughs for some. Funny thing is, this was complained about in the Firaxis version - people just couldn't deal with slugging through story content repeatedly. The quintessence of XCOM is being able to enjoy it over and over without there being a heavy linear story driven narrative. As a few have said already, the player creates the situation as they go along.

Edited by Zealin
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The way Firaxis dealt with storyline reminded me of Santa Barbara. So much unnecessary relations and drama it hurts. Xenonauts sort of has the same, with all that weird hate for engs from the head scientist guy and too informal research reports all over the place, but at least it's not in cinematic.

So, i guess we're on the opposite spectrums.

Also, the intro story was ok. The alien invasion research picture was very good. The original x-com intro was pretty lame. Firaxis intro... wait, i already forgot how it was. The only intro i actually liked was in apoc. Tftd was okay, tho.

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The abscence of an intro and an outro is polarizing. You either care or you don't. I personally don't care, but I can see that for people who do care that something essential is missing. It's like a tooth that's been pulled and your toungue keeps sensing the gap. At the end of the day, a lack of intro and outro hasn't hurt the setting so badly that most complaints have been focussed around "why isn't there an intro/outro" rather than the more histrionic "THIS IS A GAME BREAKER!".

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