Alienkiller

Nothing is perfect and we Founders / Betatetsters as well as the Devs explained it often enough very friendly why. We integrated the Community in a Main-Important-Part. They decided it and that´s why the Game-Dev strengh over several Years. So don´t cry why that and that takes longer then expected. So we take us time for the implementation from all other Features now. Short enough for you Guys!

Critical Thoughts are good, but not with an Time-Limiter or Rushing someone. Sadly the young Guys / Medium Guys Community which have begun playing first in the 2ks after the I-Net were established, took over the worst bad Thing from Publishers: Set an Time-Limit and Rush the Devs / Testers to bring out an Game which isn´t ready for Public. The Result: Over 80 % up to 90 % on the Market since the last 15 to 20 Years are unplayable Scrap. If you try to help make them Playable you get mostly courtmartialad or similar. And that´s no single Case. The remaing 10 to 20 % of Dev-Studios which make good to very good Games are the smaller independed Companys (like Goldhawk, Chaos Concept) or linked Companys to a very nice remaining existing Publisher (like Paradox, 2K, Sega). One more thing you have to think about: The Teams which bring out very good Games like Goldhawk Interactive, Chaos Concept, Studios in the Ukraine which are self-contained aren´t big. Mostly they are very small or medium (5 to 50 People as Core-Staff). The Remaing contains on Founders (like here) which are Betatesters too and some Freelancers which help the Devs [Translation, Graphics, Storywriter or whatever the Devs ask them for]. In our Case here an other very big Part you have to look at, which get said a last time very friendly: The most things from the planed Gameplay on Kickstarter shows itself as not realizeable. In the last 4 Years the Devs, Freelancers and Betatesters have Refited, Reworked and Upgraded the Game as good as possible to give it a stable Ground with the realizable Features of Kickstarter. Big Parts of the Game are not integrated yet [R & D, Storyline, Geoscape-Secrets etc.] and many Parts from already tested Features, which will come in hopfully hardcoded are in Rework / Upgrade for the fix Ground-Platform. To Rush us or give a Time-Limitation from the Community isn´t productive. That´s bad overtaken Thing from the Community is what all of us, which working on this Project [Devs / Freelancers / Founder-Betatesters], make us very angry. Esp. the Beta-Testers which have to beginn completly new from 0 on after an new big Version or an Hotfix comes out. Only for the Community we get hundreds and thousends of Hours of Testing, Bughunting etc done with upcomming more hundrets / thousends Hours. That´s no self Evidance after we come home from Family, Friends, Holidays and the needed Work / Sporting Activitys. Otherewise we could do it like the bad big Companys and let the Community test the Game after they payed the Full Price. The Choise is yours now: 1. You get an unfinished Product like above on Top announced, which you all are Beta-Testers for a full Price-Product. 2. Or you let us Calmly do our Best and get an maximum tested Product before it goes to an Early Access Status where the Finetuning get done.

Thanks Kameh. No more to say about that.

Good Point, haven´t used an Servosuit yet in my Tests. But it´s good to see that the Beta-Tests-Comrades tested it already. Let´s hope here too that the Devs could fix it for the upcomming Version.

That get announced from some other Beta-Testing-Comrades too. Let´s hope that the Devs could Fix it in the next upcomming Version.

I speak as a Founder of that Project as well as an Betatester from first Day on. An third thing I can evaluete when a Game is ready for Public is my about 36 Years Expierance of Playing Games since the 1980s. And as both as well as my Experiance I can evaluete when a Game is finished. And it´s not finished rudimentary about the nessecarry Chances, Reworks, Refits etc the Devs have to do. I don´t repeat everything what I have announced VERY FRIENDLY A LOT OF TIME. We Founders all trust the Dev Team and the Freelancers, if not we wouldn´t have been big Founders and Main-Betatesters. The Base-Game with everything what we need to have in against the direct Rival [the UFO ET-Row] must be fully ready without big Bugs etc., then we can think about an DLC with missing Content and so on if the Community is Nice. Like said, the Base-Game isn´t stable for the Public to get into Early Access. 4 Years is nothing in Development. The Game-Studio in England, which is making the first officall licenced F1 Manager since over 22 Years (F1 Manager 2022) is working on it since Years on it. Yes it have the licence since 2 Years (F1, F2 and F3) officially. They know too that only an playable Game and esp. with so high Forecast can hold a long time or bring the fast fall. An good to very good Game-Development is with big Changes minimum 6 Years after the first Idea and Paper-Thing. The Devs and Freelancers are doing what they can to bring a good to very good Game out in the last light Tests [Early Access] and full finished Game [Basegame]. The Betatesters are the ones which can say an Game is playable or not, like you can read in the Bug-Section. They are the ones, which test the Game from beginn to End with all Risks such an Test can have [full CTDs, Breakdown of the Full Computer in Worst Case etc.]. So be happy that you have such People, which say the Devs if an Game is ready for the Community or not. And the Devs here don´t have an bad Publisher which is saying after that or that Time the Game have to be ready, playable or not. That very sad Place [bad Publishers] takes the Community instead. There you don´t have to gawp when Xenonauts 2 isn´t playable, finished and so on if the Devs and Betatesters get rushed. Exact the same Failure get done in UFO 2 ET [Battle for Mercury] Basegame. And an last time friendly said: That You all don´t wanna have. Point!

We will see what the Devs have done in the next Version. There an Rework from the Fighters in several Parts were announced.

@ooey: If you wanna have unplayable Scrap like you announce in your latest Post, then go to other Game-Companys which makes 1 Year-Developments. We here don´t let us rush, hurry or whatever. I said and expalined it very friendly SEVERAL TIMES with many examples what happens if you rush Game-Devs and Private Founders (small, medium Teams) / Game-Devs with patient Publishers (same Teams), then you will get UNPLAYABLE SCRAP as an Game. There are enough Standard-Publishers (and I know some of them from the big Names) which push the linked Game-Dev-Studios to overflow the Market with unplayable and as biggest Minus unfinished Games. If you all unpatient Persons need an Lesson for Patience, then we Founders as well as Main-Testers will give it to you. Otherwise go to the unplayable and unfinished short-Time Projects, so that we others can do undisturbed bring out an fully playable and best testet Game on the Market. No more to say about that.

When it´s ready for Beta-Testing. There are so many Fixes, Reworks, Refits and Ballances as well as new Implementations to work on for V.23. We don´t wanna have an Desaster like in the last Beta-Test-Version, esp. with V.22.6. Don´t rush them, that won´t work. They do what is possible, esp. in that Crisis-Situation we have worldwide.

I have paused for 1,5 or 2 Month too that the Devs can Bugfix the big Things which get found in V.22, esp. after Upgrade 6. So I wait with Patient for V.23 too.

When it´s done and ready for Beta-Testing. The Devs wrote it should be after the Week from 7th to 13th March if all goes well. More accurate Information they couldn’t give. We Testers can only wait and drinking Tea / Coffee until it comes out.

I will let me surprise what the Devs and helping Freelancerhands have done in the last 2,5 Monthes. All Aliens and Humans have Advantages and Disadvantages. That is true and there I agree fully with you. All that is explained in the Autopsy-Reports (Organic), Dismentle-Reports (Robots and similar Electronic-Things) and Interrogations of Organic living Enemys. The Problem is to bring in that Advantages / Disadvantages and the Idea without to overflow the Ying and Yang-Principle in the Ground-Fight-Maps as well as Alien-Inetneur. Means it have to be stable for both sides [Aliens and Humans]. That´s not easy to solve. I personaly hope that the Devs and helping Freelancers have found an solution for it with all the new Oportunitiys which come up the last 8 Years.

The best Explenation of the Airfight-Feature and the Fuel-%ige of the Geoscape I can give is that: You mean the Geoscape-Fuel in %. The 53 to 57 % is the complete Fuel you have left. That´s includes the Geoscape-Fuel and the Fuel for the Airfight-Screen. Normaly you choose the Fighters to make the shortest Run to the UFO to have enough fuel for the Geoscape (to the Fight-Zone and Back to Base) as well as in the Airfight-Screen left. You see the Fuel you have for your fighters in the Airfight-Screen where you make the Speed, Weaponoptions etc. That´s the Standard-Fuel you have left from the flight to the Fight-Zone (Geoscape). If it´s low already at the Beginning of the Airfight, then it´s better not to fight. That´s much better then the Alternative which brings you out of Business for a long time. There are enough examples in the History, where to long Ways to the Fight-Zone and the Way Back made it impossible to fight with the enemy Planes. The same Effect you have here too. Short Said: That Warning you get in the Airfight-Screen is not for fun (it´s the last Chance to cancel the Battle and fly Home). It means you won´t have enough fuel for flying Back to Base on the Geoscape after the Battle if you wanna still fight. If that Info shows up and it will show up at the badest Point of Battle (I had that often enough), brake off the Attack as it plopps up and fly home.

It´s not a Bug. It´s an intended Mechanism, which is in real too. If you have no fuel anymore or you are on reserves, you can´t make an Airfight and fly back. Either you choose to make the Attack and loose all of your Fighters with eccecting Pilots if you have luck or you cancel the Attack and try to fly home.

I haven´t read everything here about the Development Hell, only overflow it. Xenonauts 2 is an complete new Game with many best useable new Features, which are doable since a few Years (8 or so). New XCOM 1 Enemy Unknown / Enemy Within hadn´t had them in comming up 2012 / 2013. The first try with them are done with the 2016 XCOM 2 and his DLCs and the smaller XCOM: Chimera Squad. Xenonauts 2 isn´t the only Game which have the best new Features to upgrade your Ammo, Armor, Vehicles, Fighters and so on as well as give the Geoscape, Basefeatures etc. the best it can give until in the next Generation get more and / or better things doable. There are only 2 Game Companys which uses this Features fully as best they can. That´s Goldhawk with Xenonauts 2 and Chaos Concept with the UFO ET-Row. That Dev-Teams are small or Medium and get the newest Features in, which the big Companys couldn´t do. Such Games need Time to Develop, Implement and the most important Thing "TEST" them in ALPHA- and later BETA-VERSIONS until they are Stable integrated for an Early Access Version and last but not least Full Version with the complete Storyline etc. No one wanna have an 1:1 Copy from the prevouis Game. That was possible in the 1980s / 1990s, but not in the 21 Century. The Devs from Goldhawk have noticed that and worked on it since beginning on Xenonauts 2. What happens if someone Pushes the Devs you can see in UFO 2 ET Basegame "Battle for Mercury". The Storyline is there, you can play it fully, but many important Things get is missing. That´s only why the People can´t wait until the already useable Features and / or best new Features which are implementable are stable. With the Help of 2 Freelancers the Basegame there get more improvement, which the Devs wanna bring in already in an improved Basegame "Battle for Mercury". But much more they wanna brought out the Advanced Version "Shadows over Earth". Both couldn´t be done in Time. Short said: Wait and See, the Game is not Ready for the Public yet. UFO 2 ET wasn´t it too, so the Devs had to cancle (better said outsourcing for the big DLC) much things there to bring the playable Basegame on the Market. The Basegame is stable, fully playable and have about 1/4 of the already useable Features are useable with the Help of the 2 Freelancers. But the other 3/4 of new Features what can be done of the cool Stuff is still Missing and have to implemented with an DLC. You see that Patientce from the Gamers is the Key. Only that gives the Founders and in many Founded Projects Main-Betatesters, Developers incl. Freelancers the Time they need to make everything stable. If you hurry someone, only Scrap comes on the Market. In our Case if we get pushed and to much seen happend: An 30 % to Maximum 50 % Playable Game with CTDs etc. and the Money sacked. Exactly that you all don´t wanna have.

Sadly nope. We have to wait and see. Evtl. the next Dev Diray will give us more Information, which should come the next time.

Hmm..... that´s strange. V.22 seems to have it´s Problems with Laser-Weapons. Let´s look in the upcomming big V.23-Version if that Problems with Lasers get solved. Shouldn´t be to long anymore that she comes out for Beta-Testing.

It belongs what Version you play. The more stable (Standard-Version but older) or the newest (unstable but with the newest Features, Overworks etc.). And atm the stable Version is the highest V.18 or V.19, which is normal playable. The other Difference is, that the Unstable Versions are slower to make an background Data File to find out easyer Bugs, not working Features etc. That´s what you mean. What the CTD belongs, it´s nothing unusal in Unstable Versions. We all had that too ealyer or later in older Test-Versions after an Version-Upgrade (like for example V.1x.1 to 4). In the next big Version the Game run without Problems again. Therfore we are Betatesters and not guina Pigs with an overextensive Full Version.

In the last 30 Years many things have changed in that to the Good. That with the Maximum 30 or 40 Soldiers you can have is a good Middleway incl. other Limits like Money, high Costs for Payments and upkeep etc. And with the Morale, Stress or whatever system (in JA Sleep; in new XCOM, Phoenix Point and Xenonauts 2 Stress) it makes more sense. In that Case you have use your Brain and make the annocunced wisely Chooses in Main-, Secondary- and Tertairy-Missions. Such things makes the Games much interresting. With new Features, Polishsment, Bugfixes, fixed Settings etc. in the upcomming Versions the Game get an very good Competitor to similar Games [like upcomming JA 3, upcomming UFO 1 ET Platinum, upcomming Refreshment for UFO 2 ET without DLC etc.]. I like Xenonauts 2 a lot and I know that the Devs will choose the correct Decission what our Discussion of that belongs, esp. with the integrated Features and upcomming to integrate Features. But the Topic was the new Implementations, Fixes, Changes and steady implementation in the Development. What the Game have as steady Development and Fixes is great already. Some Changes go in the false Direction, because good things are atm not there anymore. Some for Refit / Rework (f. e. the Personal-Use internaly in the Bases [like in XCOM 2] / Outposts and similar) others forever. We will see what the Devs gives us to test in the new Version, the new Combat-Thing for Ground-Fights looks good. And the best surprisse is the Annoucnement for more Air-Combat-Fight-Refits.

I hate to discuss about an Threat, which is finished already. 1. You will have more then enough battles left. The Devs said it already and have an Hard Limiter that you have to choose wisely what Missions you wanna do and what not. Either you make only UFO- etc. Missions and loose your Founders about Terror Missions etc. or you priorise them in Important [Anti-Alien-Terror etc.], Secondary [Alien-Base-Missions, big UFOs later on and such] as well as Tertiarys [all the Remaining like small UFOs] and get a chance to choose an Win-Option. Otherwise you will loose. 2. You have several Limiters to reduce your Troops and use them with rhyme or reason. That belongs the respectively the Ground-Troops. In old X-COM it was the same, you have limited Money and have to choose what you wanna do. In old X-COM you never had more then 3 Bases (1 fully and 2 Medium ones) if you had luck. There you had to whatch the first Time fully for your Soldiers and hope that 40% of the Troopers could come very good trained to the Endfight. The Founding changed in the Successors a little to have more Buildup-Options, Production-Options etc. The cool thing is that the Money don´t get enough to get big Soldier-Troops. You need the Ressources for much more important things [f. e. Refit from Transport, Fighters, Base-Buildings, Weapons & Armor for existing Soldiers]. 3. An other often named Game-Row to the old X-COM-Row in that Discussions is the JA-Row. In the JA-Row you have several Limiters too to finish the Main-Objects and linked Secondary Objects as fast as Possible. The Limiters here (and I have played all JA Games on the Market) are Money, maximum timed Contracts and the Refreshments from them, Ressources and the Opposition, which get harder to beat if you let you to much time. All 3 Points you have in all this Games, dosen´t matter if it´s JA-Row, older Games with Chars [like Ultima-Row, Strike Commander or whatever] as well as newer Games [like a Manager Game]. Short said: Either you choose correctly an win or you choose wrong an loose. An easy check in all Games in the Past, Present and Future. And now back to the Topic. Let´s look what the Devs have for us in the next big (bugfixed, refited and refreshed) Beta-Version. Hope to see cool Tested stuff comming back (like Outposts and similar).

OK back to Topic here. The Announcement is great and we will see what the new big Version contains and Limiters for Soldiers it will have. And I bet on the Limiter you will ever have: Money!

Komandos your Post are reading like you were in the 19th century (an other Example Roman Empire etc.), where 50.000 or more Soldiers fight in Rows head to head. That Time is gone, now you are fighting in a small Group incl. small Fight-Support-Vehicles with a global Strategy and Tactic like UFO-ET-Row, UFO-After-Row and Xenonauts-Row is doing at the End with Maximum 16 Places or 20 Experts incl. small Fight-Support-Vehicles in the final Fight. And if Xenonauts 2 get more ballanced (you have to know we are still in Beta and Buildup), then you got more to do then you think. Like in new XCOM where you have Maximum 8 Soldiers incl. small Fight-Support-Vehicles or UFO ET Gold with and without one of the 2 big Modifications / Platinum (in Buildup from Gold-Version). An other Example is UFO 2 ET where you think it´s easy going, but after the Newcomerbonus get to an End (which belongs what Difficulty you have set) and you are not prepared then you get overrun. In all Games you have an Soldier-Limit, which either belongs on the Payment you have monthly to pay, on Metall- etc.-Ressources you have availible or it´s hard Limited (not more then 20 f. e.). That makes such Games much interessting, because you build up an Liason to your Soldiers, esp. if it´s your own Soldier. So you have to handle them with Respect, not like an 08/15 Game where you have unnamed Millions of them.

Yeah, Blade we have noticed that too. The Devs working on it to fix such Bugs fully. The best you can do atm is to wait for the next big Version, which should come soon (this Month).

I like the Development from X2 and trust the Devs. The direct Rival is getting Upgraded too to the new Level-Era with thing we never thougt to be possible in the last 20 Years. The new XCOM-Row showed that new Features are possible, the Gollop Brothers upgraded and upgrade that showing with more Features in the Phoenix Point Game. And the UFO ET-Row / Xenonauts 2 bring it fully in and will try to bring the Maximum Level. Which Series we will see. There the Military-Concepts with Platoons from the Stoneage-Thinking have no room. The UFO ET-Series way / Xenonauts-Row way is the best after playing a lot of such of that SciFi-Projects. That were: fully old X-Com, fully new XCOM, UFO Alien Invasion (Fan Project), UFO After-Series and a lot more, which I have forgotten. Some of them testet such Stonage-Thinkings and failed completely. That will happen to X2 too if such thinking get used. Short said: Belongs on the Game which you wanna make. Historical Military Games (like Hearts of Iron, Command & Conquer or an good Jagged Alliance) is interessting for it. Games like our here not. The best way is the single Soldier System which get the old X-COM-Row, new XCOM-Row, Phoenix Point, UFO ET-Row and Xenonauts-Row. Kommandos I suggest you play the UFO ET-Row and there you see that at the End Maximum 16 Seats are free for the Final Battle. And it´s easy doable. I used for it 8 Soldiers and 2 Support-Vehicles and won it very easy.

We have to wait and see. Very cool Things are in X2 implemented which weren´t possible in X1. Yes X2 is still in the Buildup-Phase and it´s good so. We will test it first and see then. In X1 (which I have played too before a little and tested some Mods too) I haven´t noticed the Feature with the UFOs get stronger when you send more Fighters. Could be interesting to see the Difference between the both Titels. On the ohter Side I can understand your Fear that it get unballanced, not winable etc. But I trust the Devs (otherwise I wouldn´t Test the Game from Beginning on with all up and downs in the Beta-Versions) to know what they are doing. The UFO ET-Row is going the normal way with R & D and Gamestages from the Easyest to defeat UFO Step by Step to the Hardest to beat one. It´s not an Secret that the UFO-ET-Row get Refited to the new Feature-Era too with Maximum speed, Manpower, Modders etc. The Founders & Main-Beta-Testers trust the Devs from Goldhawk and if we can do it, you all can do it too. X1 is good but outdated, X2 get much better. And that getting better is absolutely nessecarry.