Jim McMaster

I think I have a greater understanding as to why I got such a ...cool...reception with this idea. It's already been done. but in a DIFFERENT x-com 'homage'. A freeware called "UFO:Alien Invasion" Their UFOpaedia is well thought out; & quite well composed.

If I alter or add to the stringfiles (Data only) will the game still recognize the appropriate item? I'm not trying to change what things DO, I'm trying to fill placeholders & alter what I consider inaccurate descriptions of items & equipment. Items like 'precision rifles', errors in well-known technical specifications from items in the era. Consistent colloquialisms; such as references to neanderthalic techs & their inability to understand the reports. 'Weak-words' that indicate generalities where specifics would be known, & mistakes in spelling & grammatical errors to name a few. I believe such things would & should be 'post scripts' at best to the reports, & otherwise would not be placed in print.

I understand. Alot of people liked Brent Spiner's character in Independence Day. I didn't buy him. ( I am however buying three more copies of this game to send to friends whom loved Xcom & TFTD; I meant no disrespect at all Chris! Please believe that! )

Well, we all have a right to agree or disagree with what we thought was excellent in the previous version of the game. Your points are valid, & I understand this is someone else's dream not mine. (Though I would point out this is a virtual clone of another game, & I am wondering why these specific things have been changed, the game was challenging as it was to be certain.) I can also see from your prose & arguments that we have a culturally different point of view on the world & how it functions. No doubt due to different life experiences. Indeed, that's what modding is for. I'm not unskilled myself in such aspects, (1098hours spent modding Skyrim alone, & it started out an AWESOME game) & as long as the game is an open-ish platform, I'll do what I can to make (my version) the way I believe it would be. *Heads to the modding forums to figure out the methods to the madness* ~Jim

Pleased to see such is still quite under construction Chris. As mentioned in a previous post; (I have no doubt these have been compiled by multiple people, & am sorry if this comes off poorly.) While overall well done so far, (again; please take this in the vein it's meant) ..several of the 'reports' sound plebian. They lack 'official' prose, have multiple misspellings, & rely on hyperbole & other misuse of the English language that wouldn't be present today, & dare I say; even less so in 1979 (yes, I was around & quite aware during those years) They should be scientific and/or technical reports of a very specific nature. Regarding not only the aliens, but equipment. "suppositions" & generalities, especially in speech & capabilities would be kept to a minimum, & would appear only as a post-script to otherwise nearly clinical data. (As a 'for instance'; there are ways to state gaps in, or outright lack of information in such a way that makes it clear you were doing your job, but that your team doesn't have the time or the resources to properly report on a situation at this time, these are not done, instead relying on 'personal hypothesis' that sound decidedly un-official.) as such I feel the Xenopaedia & the like is in need of substantial polish before it is sent into the firestorm of public opinion representing the minds behind the game. As part of the community that enjoyed the previous Xcom titles when they came out, I am fascinated by the work you have done to this point. It is without a doubt a monumental undertaking, & my hat is off to you good sir(s) Make NO mistake, your work is a gem in my eyes, I want you to be a fraking MILLIONAIRE off of this title alone, you deserve it for having the bollucks to even attempt such a game in the face of AAA titles such as are offered. If there is ever ANYthing I can do to be of assistance, I would be pleased to be at your service. (Spellchecking? basic fact-checking to insure data is on target?) Either way, you've no doubt got several already working on such. Here's to a good game, & to Xenonaughts Terror from the Deep as your sequel~ ! ~Bronco Jim EMTIII/Paramedic Anchorage, Alaska

I hate to say this (But considering its an accepted fact this is a remake, not even a re-envisioning of the game) I will *inserts whine* "in Xcome before...blah blah blah yada yada" I'm certain that's what the mods & devs actually HEAR when they read these, but I believe it's a valid point. Bodies were stored for scientific study, & if your scientists thought they had all the data they could ( or the morgue was getting full) you could always sell them. (Who wants alien bodies? WHO doesn't! Not everyone would have access to "your research" as it were, not to mention the world is always on the hunt for it's next little blue pill, pharmacy companies alone would give millions for such access. Everything you made in Xcom had a cost; but it ALSO had a sale value. You're worried about people making a thousand laser pistols once they can & removing their need for funding? Please...If THAT is how they wanted to play the game? Why throw an arbitrary stumbling block that has NO basis in reality into such an interesting scenario? If you MUST keep things somewhat balanced, than have countries who disagree with your methods dislike you & withdraw funding due to your actions. ( Not very plausible, but it could happen) You begin the game with "Bad" relations with every country anyhow. (Baloney btw) ...Aliens showing up en-masse would change the ENTIRE way we do things on planet earth, trying to press additional methods of controlling finances while the reality of such a situation is being ignored simply wouldn't be supported; & is faulty. The previous method Xcom had in place was excellent, & one of the things that made it still a playable game when half the world had signed treaties with the aliens & withdrawn funding completely from the xcom project. Things cost to produce, alien tech you've studied, or human tech we've studied Things have a set sale value, regardless of what they are, they take up your storage room & force you to consider what's important enough to keep & what should be garage-sale'd to the middle east. Hitting alien material haulers & coming back to the base with dozens of new alien entertainment holos & alien alloys, foodstuffs, etc. was ALWAYS a major coup in the old games, could change the next few missions for the positive even when things were going poorly... ...to remove that is a bad plan. *Edit* Awesome Goober Cat! ya ever make it to Anchor-town look me up! If I'm not on shift we'll hit the Bush company & have a beer, yak about Zombie survival plans or the like! ~Bronco Jim

The post mission items get automatically sold as A, you can't use them, since that would mess up the game balance (and probab;y other reasons), and B, you'd sell them anyways because of A. Income is meant to be limited so you don't end up with the OG scenario where you can just churn out laser cannons or something and completely ignore funding as a result. Its meant to be a struggle against heavy odds (and its still being balanced so its a bit off atm). Okay, I understand the concept of wanting to keep some form of eco-balance in the game. But it's an arbitrary way of doing it. Selling the spoils of war is a tried & true method of bolstering your forces. It is frowned upon by some (especially if the war is ongoing) & completely expected by others (i.e. me & most of those who would go to war over resources) To claim it's game balance when there IS very little game balance is poppycock. The overall of it is this: As I said there would be a black market for such things if anything, perhaps selling them would decrease funding from countries that disagreed with your methods? & not wanting to build a bunch of things for sale & outstrip your financing? Again, contrived game balance that has no place in a game about alien invasion. Any more than the overall "Oh, you get $30,000" for the month from the USSR to protect against alien invasion. That's simply not how it would work. imo to backslide further into that scenario in an effort to make the game difficult is like making up physics rules like "in my world cars drive on walls because you can get around traffic jams faster" ...Might be the case, but it's still unrealistic in an accepted, well-known environment. & you can argue it as game balance all you want, I still think it's wrong. ~ Just trying to do my part. Jim McMaster PCMA-Anchorage AK

First let me start by saying "Thank you." Xcom; & the followup Terror From the Deep are still among my most beloved of games from my early twenties. Your effort to re-create them, not only for the current generation of gamers, but for those of us who enjoyed Microprose' take on the game, & were underwhelmed by the most recent additions to the title is appreciated more than I can say. That being said, obviously; everyone has a different opinion as to what made those games kick so much ass, even by todays' Farcry (ha) standards; they hold well to the test of time. I would like to say that I absolutely love your take on interception of alien aircraft, the air combat mode is much better obviously, & has received some interesting changes. The hot spot messages add an interesting flavor to the game, excellent idea! I would like them to be investigatable in the future? Is that already planned & I missed it? The straight-forward encumberance/vs TU points is a welcome change also, making it easy to decide "Who carries John's extra magazines" & the like. Nicely implemented, in fact, the entire squad equipment screen is well done, if a work in progress. (placeholders on descriptions etc.) A few things I wonder: The time listed...What time zone is it? I've tried to follow the "dawn" & figure out when it's five am & the sun is rising ...where?... The cities listed are woefully few, PLEASE, even if they are simply there for flavor, never intending to be terror sites or the like, show more than a few chosen metropolis' on the global map. I disagree with your inability (stated in the forum sticky) to sell items garnered from missions, & to be honest the overall "Corpses destroyed" & lack of saleable items irks me greatly. There should be a "regular" market for things, & a "Black market" for things, (both weapons & corpses) An arbitrary "Two alien pistols recovered, you get $45,000," & your assertion that your income should only come from the nations supporting you is a HUGE step away from Xcom, & a massive crimp in the game I believe. (The overall assertion that governments would be lax in pouring funds into such a project were a threat like this truly materializing is preposterous, we all know funding would be for all intents & purposes "unlimited" the first time (extraterrestrial) aliens landed in a major city & shot it up.) That always was a bogus part of Xcom to begin with & you think it's a point to take even further? While overall well done so far, (please take this the right way) several of your 'reports' sound plebian. They lack 'official' prose, have multiple misspellings, & rely on hyperbole & other misuse of the English language. They SHOULD be scientific or technical reports of a very specific nature. Regarding not only the aliens, but equipment. Even for (dare I say 'especially for' 1979) they are substandard at this point in the game. Consider allowing interceptors to hopscotch, (Even perhaps landing craft) along a chain of bases with open hangers to refuel for a long flight. ( Say to reach an anomaly listed? check it out & maybe find something....did I mention that's an awesome idea? ) ... in-flight refueling was already well in use by this time & to limit aircraft to a circle around their home-base equaling 50% of their fuel doesn't make sense. Please, please, don't think I don't like the game; it is an 'advanced' xcom even at it's stage of completion, & with the promise of more work, perhaps even an undersea sequel? You've got not only my $20 & that of my friends'; but you've got a HUGE word of mouth fanbase for the continued evolution of your game. One other thing; the "reports" would benefit from fleshing out the world map abit as well. recently an attack "Near Anchorage Alaska" left several dead & several more suspected abducted...The actual location of the incident was WELL into Canada; nearly as far away from Anchorage (wherin I live btw) as Boulder is from say, New England. Even if unable to DO anything about them, accurate information helps suspend disbelief. Thanks for the spectacular work so far you guys, if there is ever anything I can do to help I'd be pleased to lend a hand. ~Jim McMaster

Quite pleased to see games such as Xcom & Syndicate were enjoyed enough that developers are willing to take a chance with such 'retro' playstyles. Not everything HAS to be cutting edge to be fun, & while I love Bioshock, & Farcry 3; I was less impressed with the new Xcom than I was the original & Terror from the Deep. You've got my $20 guys, as well as my thanks for taking the time to build something with a nod to something great from the past. I'll check out gameplay & if it's close enough to what we used to love about that series, I'll be certain to buy a few more copies for friends & get the word out! ~Jim McMaster