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Proposed Kickstarter reward tiers!


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Might be too late, but here's a high-end tier suggestion that might be a pretty cool addition to the game:

Have a limited number of "mercenaries" or special soldiers that you might encounter in the field when you battle the aliens. These would be strong allies that fight on your side. Some might be willing to join you for a fee after the battle, or if you rescue them from an alien base. Or they might just be one off special events where you get to see a very cool special unit in the game.

Possibly, you could even have whole squads of allies that you can run into that fight the good fight separately from you. These squads could have cool name / unique weapons they've designed from the alien tech / own emblem. Emblem could be shown on a helicopter that appears on the tactical map if they are around or wherever.

I guess you could even have squads that might not even be your allies but rather hostile scavengers who want to loot the alien tech for themselves. I guess you get the picture; a lot of options on how this kind of stuff would actually be implemented.

For a very high donation sum a donator would get to either have their own mercenary that you can run into and choose what strengths it has (good sniper, some bad ass weapon) etc, choose a portrait and a name. Even higher tier donations would grant to have their own squad.

The donators could also choose the area were these guys operate, so they could have their own special soldier appear near their home town. I know I'd pay a lot for something like this.

Just a suggestion, of course. I know it's a feature that's not in the game yet but this would be something cool that would make the Kickstarter tiers a lot more interesting. I've noticed that these sort of gameplay additions from donations are very popular, and I believe they bring in more donations even if people don't get such a high tier just because the project seems a lot cooler. Give it a thought.

This was the kind small random stuff that made Fallout 1 & 2 so enjoyable, I feel random encounters like these would make the world in Xenonauts feel a lot more alive for just a little more effort.

I can't tell if you meant any of that to be donor only content (I'm a bit confused by the wording but I'm assuming you want to implement new features and then base rewards on those features.), in that case I will refere you to this post:

It's very difficult to add additional content to the game specifically for Kickstarter pledgers because we don't have an online element. Basically adding things to the game has to be done for everyone or for nobody at all I'm afraid. Although in many ways that's for the best.

Regardless if it is donor-only content or not this is ALOT to work in. Unique features that are not even close to any features in or planned to be in the game. Goldhawk have already put friendly local forces into the game.

But named friendly NPC, special stats, own development tree, onsite recruitment... It feels out of place and like it will not bring anything to this game per se. It breaks with the "soldiers are equal and expendible" theme a bit too much. Sure you want this game to encourage the player to care for his soldiers, but not because they are named npcs or special.

I think the "reward" will undermine some of the core of this game.

I realise this may come off as a bit harsh but please don't take this as an attack on you or think that you should stop posting suggestions. this is just my immidiet knee-jerk response and I might warm up to the idea if you continue to argue it :)

Edited by Gorlom
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No problem, I don't mind criticism :)

For clarification, I meant that this content would be included with the game for everyone.

I didn't know friendly local forces were already in, cool! In that case though i dont really understand how this suggestion supposedly isn't close to any features in the game. My idea is really just unique friendly local forces. If keeping all soldiers equal is important, they could be made npc only, so no hiring or rescuing possible.

From a coding perspective (im a programmer by trade atm) I wouldn't be sure that thi

even was that much work if friendly NPCs are already in.

I think you misunderstood what I meant about special stats. I meant you could have the unique npc be just a really good sniper, or move fast and get multiple shots a turn or be a heavy weapons guy or whatever.

I dont know what you meant about a development tree.

For x-com purists, i guess you could always have an option to turn off random encounters.

You are already going to have both unique named soldiers via kickstarter and friendly local forces via kickstarter. Are friendly local uniquely named special npcs really that much of a stretch? Especially if it means, say $500 more development budget per unit?

Sorry for being a bit brief and foe typos, im writing this on a cell at an airport ä. Thanks for the feedback :)

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No problem, I don't mind criticism :)

For clarification, I meant that this content would be included with the game for everyone.

I didn't know friendly local forces were already in, cool! In that case though i dont really understand how this suggestion supposedly isn't close to any features in the game. My idea is really just unique friendly local forces. If keeping all soldiers equal is important, they could be made npc only, so no hiring or rescuing possible.

From a coding perspective (im a programmer by trade atm) I wouldn't be sure that thi

even was that much work if friendly NPCs are already in.

Oh sorry as far as I could tell there seemed to be a lot of new function and graphics. And functions requireing new graphics like the hireing friendly forces after the battle thing. It seems complicated because how would you know which base to send them to? Would they ride in the chinook so you would have to have room for them?
I think you misunderstood what I meant about special stats. I meant you could have the unique npc be just a really good sniper, or move fast and get multiple shots a turn or be a heavy weapons guy or whatever.
This sounds more like the Firaxis game then Xenonauts really... I'm not sure this is possible to do with the mechanics ingame.

Anything that seperates them from normal soldiers make them special. And per the reasoning in my last post makeing them special is bad. And haveing them be normal just makes the function pointles and extra work with no reward.

From an ingame viewpoint I'm also unsure about hireing someone on the spot like that, when you oversee a global organisation that take applications from all over the world. Are you just going to scrap the aplication and screening process? And is the local army and the soldier in question just going to agree to this like that on the spot?

I dont know what you meant about a development tree.

I was referring to this:

These squads could have cool name / unique weapons they've designed from the alien tech / own emblem.

I thought this meant they had their own tech/development tree.

For x-com purists, i guess you could always have an option to turn off random encounters.

You are already going to have both unique named soldiers via kickstarter and friendly local forces via kickstarter. Are friendly local uniquely named special npcs really that much of a stretch? Especially if it means, say $500 more development budget per unit?

Local forces doesn't have any names as it is now nor any interface showing anything about them. It just feels out of place to me.

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The $150 option is strangely compelling... though a part of me finds it odd people worldwide might be sending me into UFOs as rookie bait heh. I'd second (or third or whatever) on adding the digital artbook PDF to all tiers after it first shows up, it's handy to have it in digital as well as physical form, and it doesn't cost anything.

Is there a listing of all soldier portraits somewhere? That'd be helpful in people deciding whether there is one they like in particular for $150, or if they'd want a custom one done for $200. Plus I realized the $200 probably wouldn't be able to have a "contact me later to upgrade $30 deduction" due to the fact it's limited quantity on KS. Or could I (possibly) pay $170 and contact you to get that in?

BTW, you realize that having the $200 option basically forces you to include female units right? ;)

PS - I like Linque's idea, though I don't know about having their own alien tech (research/manufacture?)... they could possibly have some of the extra soviet weapons perhaps, maybe a unique MG or sniper rifle might be worthwhile but not too OP / extra work (use an existing in game sprite). They'd also have to be balanced to not to be unreasonably strong for their rank. Having a low x% chance of a named NPC to appear in a battle, and if alive at the end enlisted into your group sounds reasonable.

Edited by erutan
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No problem, I don't mind criticism :)

For clarification, I meant that this content would be included with the game for everyone.

I didn't know friendly local forces were already in, cool! In that case though i dont really understand how this suggestion supposedly isn't close to any features in the game. My idea is really just unique friendly local forces. If keeping all soldiers equal is important, they could be made npc only, so no hiring or rescuing possible.

From a coding perspective (im a programmer by trade atm) I wouldn't be sure that thi

even was that much work if friendly NPCs are already in.

I think you misunderstood what I meant about special stats. I meant you could have the unique npc be just a really good sniper, or move fast and get multiple shots a turn or be a heavy weapons guy or whatever.

I dont know what you meant about a development tree.

For x-com purists, i guess you could always have an option to turn off random encounters.

You are already going to have both unique named soldiers via kickstarter and friendly local forces via kickstarter. Are friendly local uniquely named special npcs really that much of a stretch? Especially if it means, say $500 more development budget per unit?

Sorry for being a bit brief and foe typos, im writing this on a cell at an airport ä. Thanks for the feedback :)

At the moment there is no way of interacting with the friendlies.

That would mean no way to know their names or anything else about them.

They are nameless randomly spawned troops who use the basic human tech.

To add things like emblems, names, special stats, equipment etc they would need to be reworked quite significantly.

That might even bring them up to par with the xenonauts troops.

If there are so many groups around who can do the job why are xenonauts the ones who get all the funding?

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I would see them more as more random PRG type characters in rural/random maps (omg big guy with a 50 cal sniper rifle on a hill surrounded by aliens, lets save him), not national guard people in a city... though I guess that really doesn't fit the Xenonauts vibe now that I think about it. Hmmm. It would add some color/variation to the missions though. It might be better down the road as a DLC pack or something.

I do agree that the general npc troops should be clearly inferior.

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Yes, it doesn't really fit with the style of Xenonauts.

Super stoked for the kickstarter tomorrow though. I'll be on a course in how to not kill my firemen when dealing with LNG, but be sure to tweet when it's up Chris!

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BTW, you realize that having the $200 option basically forces you to include female units right? ;)

maybe just the portrait is female, after all what about all the bearded long hair men out there? neither would fit too well as military personnel, though working them into the game in other places might be easier setting wise.

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maybe just the portrait is female, after all what about all the bearded long hair men out there? neither would fit too well as military personnel, though working them into the game in other places might be easier setting wise.

I'm not shaving off my beard! I will trim it however. As an elite unit facing immediate destruction, I'm sure some allowances are made. :P

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