Solarius Scorch

My game crashed on my second tactical mission. Other than that, I am impressed; the game (on average) is hard, dynamic and exciting. I'm particularly hppy with the AI. Good job!

Thank you, good sir!

Confirmed - it doesn't download as of now. By the way, do I still need to download the experimental patch Chris uploaded on Monday, or it's entirely included in this version?

And then I'll have to wait another year for a new UNIMOD.

I would like to reiterate that I find this armour/health display a poor idea for the final game (except maybe for balancing, but that's not what the end user normally does). Like several people mentioned, this disables your instincts and turn you into an accountant, and that's just bad for the experience. There are games where data should be disclosed, but IMHO a tactical combat game, especially with aliens, is not. I do however agree that introducing some combat information in sound form only isn't justified. Now, how can this be done? The only thing I came up with are additional, distinct animation sequences when being hit, for small, medium and massive health loss. I don't think it'd be easy to do though.

Oh yes, I must agree that you can't cycle through troops as much as in X-Com, so perhaps you need an extra hand (although this may still change). Still, I hope that if necessary, this can be achieved by some more subtle means. I don't know how to do it though.

Pay attention to your battles. Gather experience. Learn from your observations. Hone your instincts. After all, we're fighting an Enemy Unknown. That's why I think giving the player bare numbers is a bad idea. It hurts the setting/mood IMHO.

I didn't think I had to explain this in greater detail, but very well. Basically what I meant was that including this information would be far too technical and detracting from gaming experience. Showing HPs does this already, but it is a compromise between playability and abstraction of a game - it is justifiable if soldiers in many cases could be more or less able to discern how efficient their attack was (if for example there was a head shot, which is not represented in the game). Armour however would be too much. Additionally, having too many numbers showing up would be confusing and uncool. I guess we could have the option to turn armour degradation on, but I'm not too fond of this either; after all it's significant data, so who would turn it off?

It would be somewhat helpful, but also clunky, unprofessional and ultimately unnecessary. Games aren't made this way for a reason; you can easily take armour into consideration even without the numbers, just by analysing what you see (actually, even without HP lost shown it would be possible). I am definitely against it with all my game designing instincts.

Ah thanks. I returned to the game after a few months and was a little confused about this "bug".

Why thank you. I'm just awkward with requests' date=' because then I feel obligated to do it myself since I officially want it. These aren't bad paths to go, even if some of it was done already. I'm a sociologist, but I nonetheless worked in several factories as a process operator and they look very different depending on type: clean rooms are wide, bright and empty, while hi-tech assembly areas are crowded and maze-y, car assembly lines have these big structures you can see on TV, oil refineries have enormous tanks and hanging catwalks but otherwise plenty of open areas, chemical plants are similar but more claustrophobic, food plants that are also completely different etc. Plus there are at least two major geographic regions where manufacturing plants may look different. Therefore I don't think you should stop with making factories, only because there are some! As for the mines, it's really cool that you started with an underground mine. However, there are also other types that look easier to do, like: quarry (simple, open space with some heavy machinery and perhaps an insurmountable wall at one end, if it's doable), oil field (whatever it actually looks like apart from the giant pumps), offshore oil platform (ultra-industrial, but rather open), strip mine. Back in the 70's, a significant percentage of humanity worked for industry of some kind, so I guess we could get a bit crazy here. PS. I'm not even starting on other possible industrial locations, like various types of power plants.

Not sure if it's the right place for requests, but I think we need more city buildings with identifiable function. I mean buildings we can relate to on a personal level, like schools, post offices or bars. We already have (in the game or mods) a supermarket, a gas station and a restaurant, these work great for player immersion (as long as they're not too prevalent over residential areas).

A co byś chciał, paladynów na białych rumakach? To jest gra o zawodowych żołnierzach, często z doświadczeniem, którego nie zdobywa się zabijając smoki i nosząc wodę. Zresztą żołnierze innych narodowości wcale nie są lepsi.

Well, I disagree. There's not really much to add, and I do not intend to try to sway you to my side; I guess we feel different about this, that's all. To me, more random maps mean a whole world of difference, and not just in tactics, but in general immersion. Knowing a map by heart really kills it for me and I wanted to make it known, just in case the Devs see it.

These are valid points. However, I am under impression that they'll be addressed anyway in later releases.

This. There's never enough reminding of this. You know guys, that's exactly what I don't understand: why make various blocks equal at any cost. Sure, some will be more important while some others less so, but is it a problem? Let's have al ook at UFO: ET, which uses a similar - well, the same - funding system. As the setting is another planet, you'd think it would be easy to make the regions roughly equal in size; and you'd be right. However, this is not the case: the regions vary greatly in size and importance. Did it make the game any worse? No, I believe otherwise; it made it more realistic, less game-y.

I agree with Skitso. Tabletop wargamers have a rule that "the more cover, the better", and I generally agree with that. Doing battles on open terrain is significantly simpler - not necessarily easier, but simpler - and also more frustrating due to aliens having good sight range. While there should be diversity, I believe most maps ATM are too open, especially the original ones.

wat.jpg Of course the AI will try to make use of a beneficial piece of terrain. In real life, if there is an obvious cover, soldiers will often try to use it, even though the enemy expects them to. It does not mean that every skirmish involving a barn and a tree will be the same, right? Yes, and the enemies will be aliens. That's what the game is about, basically. Look, I fully realize it's pointless to bicker about random maps at this point, because they will happen; and if they don't, you can do it yourself instead of complaining. That's fair. However, saying that random maps do not add anything to the game is an outrageous claim.

I agree with all points (well, on those I'm familiar with anyway). however, I would like to add that if you're not averse to visual novels, I'd really recommend you to play at least Kanon and Clannad - a VN has a bigger impact than an anime, on me at least. I prefer to watch anime later.

Honestly, the only ongoing show worth watching that I know of is Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!, known to the ignorant masses as Watamote. It's fun to watch a person even more deranged and lame than yourself.

Yup, I agree with the above entirely. Also, I wonder how Christine England would be like...

Nooooo! Don't take away our semantic wars! What are we gonna do without them?! On a side note, I'm trying to include Xenonauts in various trope pages now. It's taking a surprising amount of time.

No, but there would be female versions of them. That's who Strike Witches heroines are: basically, 63'd and moefied WW II pilots! Look at their names: Charlotte Yaeger, Gertrud Barkhorn, Sanya Litvyak... EDIT: Dicslaimer: no, I'm not an SW fanatic. I think it's an enjoyable series though, with great characters.

Yes' date=' that would be extremely helpful. I think displaying an appropriate message on the map, event-style, would do the trick. But small scouts in the original game were tiny, had only one crew member and were overall just a small variation. In Xenonauts they are more like medium scouts of old. I don't really think they're so "tutorial level" - they're smaller, but still pose the same challenges as any other UFO.