Xenonauts 2 __________________________

[Name]

So this is about a Xenonauts sequal (doy!)

I would hope it takes after xcom apocalypse it had so much potential and Chris and co are epic it would be awsome.

I don't think they'll be able to crap out 4-5 sequels so let's make this one good then I wrap it up in a pretty bow send send it to Chris :-)

Thoughts? Additions? Etc. etc.

Criteria

Title

Description (preferably long and descriptive)

An epic face/coolthing made by typing (wouldyoukindly)

Edited August 20, 2012 by Name

[Vivisector 9999]

If by "after xcom 3 apocalypse", I presume you mean the space-based Interceptor setting. Expanding into space would be a logical step for mankind after successfully defeating an alien invasion. There's a lot of different ways you could do such a game, though.

Interceptor was a flight sim, but I would prefer a 4X strategy game like the MOO or GalCiv series - albeit with less emphasis on the empire-building and MUCH more on tactical starship/ground battles. It wouldn't be hard to give such a game its own flavor, either.

Instead of the usual 4X grind where you build massive invasion fleets, it could turn out that's too impractical, which is why the aliens were so subtle and slow in the first game. (Even with thousands of UFO's, they just didn't have the forces to overrun Earth directly.) So if you want to capture an enemy planet, you've got to do it the slow way, too - or just ram a meteor into it and accept the penalty of starting your own colonization from near-scratch. Even if you colonize an uninhabited planet, you might need to research so that your ships can function properly there (like the aliens did in Xenonauts 1).

Another touch that would reflect on X-COM/Xenonauts mood would NOT letting your planets/colonies be inexhaustible pools of resources. Maybe you'd have your core world that functions like that, but only because it's been developed by billions of your race for centuries. Your other colonies are a relative trickle, or there for some military (not economic) purpose, or they only have finite levels of whatever resources they're collecting - forcing you to move on, looting world after world like the first aliens did.

Speaking of the aliens, their alliance could still be around, butting heads with you wherever you met. To keep things fair, though, they could be crippled by their defeat in Xenonauts 1, so they wouldn't be TOO far ahead of you in the beginning.

There could be other factions, too. Other races who were overlooked by the invaders (or managed to defeat them too), newly-arrived explorers into your area of the galaxy, races who rebelled from the original alien collective, an X-COM Apocalypse shout-out race that infects others and only lives in a weird hyperspace realm, whatever. You might also find other underdeveloped pre-spaceflight races - and have the option of trying to infiltrate/assimilate them the same way Earth was attacked. Another nice touch would be finding burned-out planets that the original aliens conquered and strip-mined before they got to Earth.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Vivisector 9999

[Betuor]

Or you could do a type of TFTD game. For story, how bout we put on a gas giant which is some kind of uber-alienum source. You raid it to gather resources and to destroy some kind of alien staging facility.

[Name]

Errrr no xcom intercepter was called that and a separate game. I added the 3 for some reason fixing......

[Gorlom]

Vivisector that sounds kind of fun.

What would the victory condition be though? annihilating the would be invaders? conquering the hole galaxy or just becoming large enough alliance that the aliens will not think about attacking you again?

Would research still be dependent on savaging from the enemy or would it be humanities finest that comes up with the new stuff this time?

Edited August 20, 2012 by Gorlom

[Max_Caine]

Without wanting to rain on the parade, I'm pretty sure Chris has said somewhere (on Kickstarter, I think) that Goldhawk's next project won't be a sequel.

[Gorlom]

I think I recall seeing that too. But I still want to know more about this 4X/TBS crossover vivisector is talking about

[Gauddlike]

Errrr no xcom intercepter was called that and a separate game. I added the 3 for some reason fixing......

I think the confusion was from the phrase 'takes after xcom 3 apocalypse'.

I think it was assumed you meant 'takes place after' rather than 'follows a similar path'.

I would like to see a sequel where you are the aggressor for a change.

For example:

Your exploration/colony fleet arrives in a star system that has been taken over by the aliens already.

Your ship captains decide to stand and fight, mainly because the fleet was designed to be one way and can't easily leave.

You then sit in your fleet base and plan the invasion of the system.

This system would be randomly generated but have many celestial bodies in it with a variety of colonies, military bases, POW camps, weapon sites etc on them.

You can design and build new ship types to assist in your invasion.

Small scouts to locate enemy positions, heavier fighters to protect your fleet, bombers to assault enemy strongholds, dropships to launch ground assaults etc.

Most facilities will be able to be destroyed from orbit with enough firepower but ground assaults allow you to capture technology and resources you would not otherwise have access to.

It may also allow you to recruit survivors of the original owners of the system liberated from POW camps/slave labour.

They could also be randomly generated.

Sometimes they would make good troops while the next playthrough they would make better researchers.

Research will allow you to build newer, bigger ships and more effective weaponry as well as the ability to fit salvaged gear to your craft.

As you take out their defences and strengthen your fleet you can work your way from the gas giant moons and small facilities towards the core worlds and their heavier fortifications.

Eventually once you have taken enough mining facilities to build up your fleet and weakened their defences you can move in on the Earth type planet housing the largest colonies.

You can assault this planet from space and capture it area by area, taking the resources for yourself and depriving their defence organisation of funding as you do.

Note that these are not heavily populated worlds where a small ground battle would be unlikely to allow you to capture an area.

Just a bunch of random ideas thrown together as stuff I would like.

Oh forgot to mention the enemy would be actively trying to recapture areas from you so you would need to garrison taken facilities.

Good use of natives there, assuming they stay loyal.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Gauddlike

[Name]

Yes very nice Gauddlike +1

[Corporal Hicks]

Maybe not a sequel per se, but a related game? Related to the first game, but not a sequel.

Maybe humans are colonizing MArs and you have to defend the colony from alien attack, something like this would be cool. Same game mechanics, but not Xenonauts title.

[Jean-Luc]

Maybe humans are colonizing MArs and you have to defend the colony from alien attack, something like this would be cool. Same game mechanics, but not Xenonauts title.

I'm pretty sure Chris wants to get away from the whole concept (at least for a few years or more).

[Corporal Hicks]

I'm pretty sure Chris wants to get away from the whole concept (at least for a few years or more).

Noooo! haha

What about a breed between Xcom and Fallout 2???

[Name]

Noooo! haha

What about a breed between Xcom and Fallout 2???

Errrr explain?

[Corporal Hicks]

Errrr explain?

A game using the same mechanics as fallout 1 & 2, but with the story line a la Xcom??

[Name]

So I like the idea of going on the offensive.

Ideas!

Radar man: Nautilus Xenonaut dreadnought orbiting moon

Commander alien vessels entering the system 100+ craft. It appears to be 2 separate fleets one matching signatures from 1980 and unknown.

Wait they're fighting.

Both fleets are damaged, should we finish them off.

You: Yes.....

*Transition from Motilus*

Tech expert Ralph: Sir data recovered from various command ships indicate both fleets where send to secure staging areas for large invasions. After pasting together some stuff we have discovered there are massive fleets battling for domanince in an unknown number of systems destroying or enslaving many life forms. I recommend capturing alien vessels to determin how they travel between systems.

*End transmission*

Blablabla defend our system for a bit. then send expiditionary forces then pick a system to attack.

Tada!

Pros

Allows us to keep current guns aliens and add some more.

Is epic.

Allows larger air battles (turn based or real time option Mabye)

And epic liberation assault mission

Cool choices ie keep local slaves as slaves or uplift them to your federation

Cool diplomacy stuff with locals not major powerhouses.

Cons

DIFFICULT to impliment.

Errr I'll rely on you guys to tear this apart :-)

Edited August 21, 2012 by Name

[Name]

A game using the same mechanics as fallout 1 & 2, but with the story line a la Xcom??

So a game where you have no control over your party, repetitive random encounters, no interception missions, no monthly bills, no base management, and lots of post nuklear war?

Edit: and aliens?

[Gorlom]

So a game where you have no control over your party, repetitive random encounters, no interception missions, no monthly bills, no base management, and lots of post nuklear war?

Edit: and aliens?

I take it you don't like fallout since you listed that in such a negative manner. You don't list RPG elements, perks, the humor, the storytelling or any positive features ... save possibly aliens in the edit

It doesn't need to be a carbon copy of the fallout mechanics. You could allow the player to control the whole xenonaut soldier squad.

BTW how were the random encounters more repetitive then the standard ground battles in X-com?

[Name]

O nonononononooooooo I love fallout and have 1,2,and tactics on my CPU..... I just like xcom and Xenonauts more.

Btw well in xcom you could change the scenery by blowing it up :-)

This sequel might be interesting and I think modeling after fallout tactics would be better.

[bloodlazio]

To be honest, this game is so big, that it is almost impossible to make a sequel... The fun in X-Com and Xenonauts is you are defending earth (something you know and can relate to outside of the game and lore) against aliens (something you have an idea about, but do not really know).

One option for a sequel is a second invasion in some other element (ie terror from the deep), but that will in the end turn out to be the same game, so this should not be a sequel. It should be an expansion.

Taking this game of the grand strategy, strategy and turn-based-tactical mix will kill it. I for one am not buying something other, than a "real" X-Com/Xenonauts game.

The original X-Com is still playable today, so i see no reason to just go sequel. Make expansions and add new content. I do not have a problem getting a yearly DLC pack for 10 euro with extra content and a 30 euro (terror from the deep style) expansion down the line. This game should have a 5 year cycle easy, maybe even more... Then the game can be remade again in 5-10 years...

But the X-Com formula, can be used on other things. Other settings and stories can be set up using this formula. You could make a swat style game or play the mexican government in a fight vs. the different drug cartels. The special forces element is great, and can fight other enemies than aliens... Historical settings could also be an option.

Or if you want to go full retard, make a game where we play the aliens and have to invade earth and fight the X-Com/Xenonauts

[Gazz]

It doesn't have to be a sequel.

Could be... Alienville where you vivisect passersby creatures to harvest their genetic code, then splice and breed them, sell those so you can buy extra-rare DNA sequences or more breeding vats...

Of course you can speed up the process by buying growth boosters or unique strands with real money!

[Gorlom]

It doesn't have to be a sequel.

Could be... Alienville where you vivisect passersby creatures to harvest their genetic code, then splice and breed them, sell those so you can buy extra-rare DNA sequences or more breeding vats...

Of course you can speed up the process by buying growth boosters or unique strands with real money!

Curse you!

[Name]

curse you!

no cursing on ma thread!

[Hiraga]

It doesn't have to be a sequel.

Could be... Alienville where you vivisect passersby creatures to harvest their genetic code, then splice and breed them, sell those so you can buy extra-rare DNA sequences or more breeding vats...

Of course you can speed up the process by buying growth boosters or unique strands with real money!

I don't think it could be called xenonauts 2, maybe evilnauts?

[thothkins]

Xeno(phobe)nauts

[TheTomahawk]

First time, long time.

I haven't been able to play much of the Alpha as my Mac isn't really letting me enjoy combat yet. I guess I'll cool my jets until the Beta.

At any rate, here's my idea for a sequel.

Arriving at the final showdown, the crew realizes that they'd bought themselves a one-way ticket. They secure victory and manage to commandeer a lightly-armed alien warship to limp back home. After approaching the Earth, the surviving members of the expedition have an Admiral Ackbar moment: It's a trap! Relativity played a trick on the intrepid heroes in that ten years have passed since they left. And another trick was played on them, this time by the villainous aliens. It turns out that the invasion was a red-herring and a means of testing our response. The aliens, lizard people, had infiltrated all levels of government ages ago and helped create Xenonauts to control the only organization and people that might be able to stop them. They then turned the Xenonaut technology and personnel, as well as heretofore unseen weapons and aliens, against the returning heroes. Worst of all, they managed to turn public sentiment against the original Xenonauts. They hide their alien identities and convince the human populace that the returning Xenonauts must have been complicit in the original alien invasion to be returning in the alien spaceship.

Our heroes realize that they are again outgunned and outclassed by the aliens. They have some gear aboard their stolen ship and it turns out that there was one secret base that they kept hidden from both the Xenonauts who stayed behind and the alien usurpers. They must now assault their former bases, scavenge fuel and equipment, recruit conspiracy theorists to bolster their forces and stop the usurpers' propaganda, and use insurgent tactics to disrupt the enemy and generally make Earth too inhospitable for them to stay. Oh, and for an added measure, they discover that aliens in cryosleep on their ship feel betrayed by the new reptilian masters of Earth and want to aid the returning Xenonauts in attacking them, though a disruptive 5th column element may exist amongst those forces.

The game would feature the good guys conducting raids for resources and terror missions to disrupt the status quo. Along the way, they recruit (or kidnap) other humans who may be amiable to joining the resistance. They also abduct political, business and military leaders as there's no way to know who the aliens and humans are without examining them. They manage to turn some of the human leaders too and merely experiment on the ones found to be reptilian. While much of the technology is pilfered, captured scientists, engineers and bases keep the research tree and manufacture of assets part of the game.

Despite the grim and gritty feel, this game has a science fantasy aspect too. In the intervening ten years, technology like micro-mech (think a two-by-one unit that houses a single character who can dismount), cybernetics and genetic manipulation (nascent human psionics and super soldiers through alien hybridization) have become a reality. Our heroes are hopelessly outgunned and must stealth, melee weapons (like ka-bars, TFTD-eque power weapons and my eponymous tomahawk), guerrilla tactics and alien co-conspirators to win back the planet.

We are Earth's greatest heroes, we are pariahs, we are the resistance.

Anyone else amped about the having the Beta in six weeks and change?