Jump to content

Chinook/drop ship related ideas!


Recommended Posts

I've always figured there must be some kind of unmentioned background support going on. Like when you shoot down a UFO and somehow you are able to recover the alloys and all the loot.

If I remember correctly, the Majestic-12 organisation that X-Com is largely based on their Red & Blue retrieval teams. They were the ones that went in and shipped things back to base.

So you'd get the feeling of really having to fight to get a hold of new alien tech. You could tie in alien response to the materials/technology captured.

That would be quite a mission. Protect your retrieval teams form Alien counter attack. Although, they probably would just blitz it from above to destroy any pesky artefacts falling into human paws.

nice! so there's a chance those shot down over water will live?

Unless the % cahnce over water is 0 and it's a little bit more for being over land. :)

Edited by thothkins
Dodgy spelling in a key word. Bad me.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey guys, genius idea here! Let's install ejection seats in the helecopters. :D

That wasn't a monocle was it... you really are a three eyed alien aren't you!?!

You will not succed in your diabolical plan to make minced meat out of our brave xenonaut pilots. I don't know who will stop you or how... but I have a feeling it involves Sathra, lots of dead rookies and fire or explosives.

:P

Edited by Gorlom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I imagine if the aliens are sent to hunt and destroy your teams they would probably just make sure the transport was destroyed.

They are dealing with a defenceless and fragile target they have been sent out to totally destroy.

If the helicopter was damaged and attempting to land the alien fighters would just shoot it a few more times surely?

Same goes for parachutes or the wreckage itself.

On the other side we are dealing with tough and well armed vessels that we would like to take down with minimal damage in order to salvage and research them.

Big differences to both the craft and the amount of force used/required to take it down.

That accounts for why aliens can survive their crashes while our transports are death traps.

It could be a case of them thinking "They're all dead let's go now"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I remember correctly, the Majestic-12 organisation that X-Com is largely based on had Red & Blue retrieval teams. They were the ones that went in and shipped things back to base.

Until now I never realised that Majestic 12 were anything other than the antagonists in Deus Ex. The things you learn...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also other reasons why the aliens may no go in for a strafe are:

1) They would have to fly reasonably low in order to get a good aim and the alien ships aren't designed for atmospheric flight so they aren't stable so the risk of it suddenly having a drop or swerve crashing you into the floor.

2) Local forces with AA, they would have it if they knew the threat was in the sky.

3) They would be so traceable...

4) Their weapons aren't (I'm presuming) as useful on ground attacks as a good ol' chain gun.

Edited by ninjaed13
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also other reasons why the aliens may no go in for a strafe are:

1) They would have to fly reasonably low in order to get a good aim and the alien ships aren't designed for atmospheric flight so they aren't stable so the risk of it suddenly having a drop or swerve crashing you into the floor.

2) Local forces with AA, they would have it if they knew the threat was in the sky.

3) They would be so traceable...

4) Their weapons aren't (I'm presuming) as useful on ground attacks as a good ol' chain gun.

5) They might want to take prisoners to determine the location of the Xenonauts base.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Until now I never realised that Majestic 12 were anything other than the antagonists in Deus Ex. The things you learn...

There's not much in the original game that *isn't* a nod to UFOlogy and related fun. I read about the game in an issue of the Fortean Times way back in the day, for example.

I'll need to put together a post on it...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the idea of the shot-down team having to defend themselves from attackers until rescued; this could be put down to a local military rescue team rather than having to dispatch a mission yourself. Starting the mission with wounded troops, with medics trying to get people back functioning while the least-wounded guys hold off the first wave; that has some potential to be quite cool.

I agree. . That mission would be epic!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really think that having it be more of a survival mission where you have to heal up your guys and their morale would be low and enemies are closing and they have to make it to some extraction point or survive x # of turns until "reinforcements" show up would be really fitting in the type of game this is. That would be a great addition!

I'm will say right now I would NOT like giving up control of my xenonauts to the AI.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think a rescue mission is a great idea. Make it a sort of survive/deathmatch thing: you're goal is to survive x number of turns or kill all the aliens sent at you. I think there are some good reasons to include this, despite the reasons floated against it: First, it would add a cool new type of mission, turning an otherwise rage-inducing event into a 'well I know this will wipe out half my veterens, but its such a cool mission that I don't care' sort of thing. Secondly, the time limit can be justified by local forces closing in. In fact, instead of a time limit ending the game, you could have it that infinite waves of local troops start arriving to help until you've won or lost. Thirdly, I think the aliens would be interested in recovering everything from a xenonauts crash-site for much the same reasons xenonauts go to recover things from an alien crash site. These soldiers are presumably peak specimens of the human race, good for research. They may want to recover the technology humans are using, even if they just want to see what they're up against. They will want to damage the only organisation that really resists their attack by killing the survivors and perhaps also inflict a bit of morale damage back at base. A sort of 'this is what you get when you mess with us' type of affair. Mainly though, I think it turns a really frustrating game loss into a cool mission about mitigating your losses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think it's a priority (having an x% of survivors works) but I would like to see this in the game at some point. It'd be a decent amount of work for a rare gameplay scenario, but it's a fun idea... and a little unique from normal missions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that this is a quite rare scenario. After my first lonely chinhook was shot down, I've started to always send it out with at least 1 fighter escort.

A survival mission would be cool, however. The injured and/or alive soldiers could also defeat the Alien landing party.

There could also be another scenario: when an unarmed chinook has an alien craft in sight, it could simply automatically land. In this way the Chinhook could be recovered undamaged. As also the aliens land, a cool ground battle could start. This would be a standard mission, with the only difference that both Xenonauts forces and the Aliens have landed.

Obviously this second scenario could be applied only when the chopper is on a land tile.

If an alien craft intercepts a chinook while over the sea, a quick prayer would be the only choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No other basic vehicles will be added I would guess.

They would have no real roles that the current ones don't fill.

It is added artwork and balancing for the sake of complexity with no gameplay gain.

Chris has said that around the end of the current demo is the sort of time you would be working on getting the first of the higher tech interceptors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...