M.I.B. in Xcom

[Firinn]

I've been lurking for quite a while and thought I post an idea I just had after reading about X-Com. As it might be an interesting idea for Xenonauts.

In the original X-Com, the developers apparently were planning to add the "Men in Black" into it. But they were asked to remove it by Micropose, there publisher as apparently they had another game in development dealing with them that never saw the light of day.

So I thought it might be interesting to add them to Xenonauts similar to how they were going to use them. Kinda like spies. But with the "events' system Xenonauts has in place, perhaps they could be used in more interesting manner. The M.I.B. could be a special team that you get to selectively dispatch to different regions or have it be an abstract thing that increases with your presence in each region.

They help reduce the damage on your performance ratings that the alien attacks have in each region, by helping suppress the news of the attacks, cover it up, etc.

Perhaps they could be used generate random missions as well. For example you dispatch them to a region that has been hit hard by attacks that you haven't been able to stop or cover. Due to whatever reason. They could find traitors, hidden alien bases, or perhaps even aliens or their space ships that the regional governments have captured with out you knowing for there own use.

[Mchl]

Those are quite interesting ideas!

* Mchl puts shades on

Now would you please look at this

(* flash *)

I really like that. If implemented well (i.e. not too much micromanagement) this could be really fun.

[Sathra]

Mmm, would be a bit hard to implement without it seeming like micro-management. Could be there as a background element though, similar to how X-com had it though.

[anotherdevil]

So you're sort of suggesting agents like emissaries in the total war series? I can see what it can add, but I'm not entirely sure that it is necessary... Possibly though =]

I'm thinking that perhaps they could add specific bonuses to the areas they are located in, much like you've suggested. I'll list what we have, with your ideas and some inclusions from me too:

- reduce penalties from failed missions

- find alien bases

- get better understanding of how close a government is to turning

- rally extra support (NPC soldiers) in terror missions in that zone

- give extra bonuses for saving civilians (you not only save them, the agents make them forget there ever were aliens! way better cover up if the people who live there didn't see anything!)

- extra (alternate) secondary missions

- increase government payments at the end of the month (perhaps you're keeping them better informed?)

However there are a few downsides:

- they'd have to have continuous effects. Which means things like generating extra missions regularly etc. Without this, they are basically useless, so why have them. but at the same time, they could make the game too easy/too hard (too many extra missions etc).

- There are not that many regions, so if you can keep churning them out you'd have agents in all the regions pretty soon. Perhaps you put a limit on the number you can have, but then you'd just put them in the regions which benefit you the most (so they boost your economy, or limit the aliens control etc.). But doing it this way limits what the player will do, because theoretically they should do what is best for them, which means it's not really a choice at all (I sound like Gazz now =p)

- they have to be able to die. But how? Randomly? then it seems like there is nothing you can do to stop it. In missions? They you would have to be able to control them...

[Firinn]

@anotherdevil - Like those ideas. Perhaps to make it as simple as possible, it could just be part of the budget window you invest part of your budget in. Then it just generates benefits for you in regions you have bases in, taking the edge off the damage to your reputation.

If they were a deployable object, I wouldn't see them being able to be something you mass produce and could send everywhere. M.I.B. would be special and highly trained agents that would handle the Xenonauts intelligence gathering and interactions with civilians covertly. But would require investment from the player, either to recruit, train, or purchase there services. They could even be a separate organization you pay for assistance from.. Xenonauts not being the only organization fighting off the aliens after all. The world they are in, is a living one.

Either way it is handled, the actually in game effect would be the generation of the benefits you list. There actions would help keep your budget going, but at the same time they have an on going maintenance cost for there services. Since they aren't doing the job for free, and the cost of keeping people's mouth shut and things out of the media can be expensive depending on the events in the region they are currently stationed in. This would help keep them balance.

With the current UI on the geoscope, they could just be an object you either invest in, generating an M.I.B. Agent\team, that you deploy where you want them as you would a vehicle perhaps. Or the whole interface with them could just be another window like the researchers\technicians. You have a small list of agents, and you assign them to different tasks. Treat them like intelligence agents and have a simple choice boxes for assignments for them to handle in the background. Like many other games have handled the espionage type stuff before. Assignments such as countering alien infiltration, counter alien phys-ops, search for signs of alien bases or targets, etc.

To your downsides, they wouldn't have to always generate missions, or even do so at all. As the money you receive from the regions will be the only source of income (from what I've read) in the game. Then them just helping to keep regions happy with you so you get money, would be more then enough benefit. Long as they are limited in number, you would have to choose wisely where you need to station them or what assignments you need them to handle. I would also suggest that reassigning them have a "in transit" timer on it. Adding some strategy to the choices with them.

As to randomly removing them... being in the field, in areas as they get attack or have suspected alien bases... Things do happen. If we treat them as intelligent agents, then they should have a chance for them to fail and\or die. Chance of failing the assignment, and dieing, based on the difficult of the task assigned to them.

I don't see the M.I.B. being on the type of battlefields that Xenonauts would be deploying too. They are suppose to be secret type agents, not battlefield soldiers. As well I don't see them increasing pay from regions, just reducing the failure penalty by some. If they are currently on assignment\deployed in the region you failed the mission in.

Edited December 8, 2011 by Firinn

[anotherdevil]

But you see if you have to give them tasks (search for alien bases, increase income, reduce loss of reputation, etc.) then changing all that is just needless micromanagement, and would really turn me off using such an asset. That's why it is better to just have them, and choose where they go. Once there they can provide a number of benefits, without you having to tell them what exactly to do.

[Sathra]

Hmm, could have them as something like a 'power' or research project. Controlled through the funding screen, and you activate a team/effect/project' for a lump sum (30-150k). Limit of one 'project' per region, and they last about a month, maybe 2 depending on what type of project. Can't cancel them (you don't actually control them, its more that you're assisting with the funding and intelligence of a CoFN subsidiary), but you do get pop-ups when they expire if you want to keep funding that project (and get a discount).

While the project is active in the region, it generates various effects, positive like reduced Events, increased kudos gain, etc and negative like purges, kidnappings, and project destruction.

The more funding you put into a project, the larger the actual effect. How likely it is to create a negative effect is based on the funding you give and what project it is (a heavily funded 'secrecy' Project is going to cause much more purges than a weakly funded one, but would also cause a greater reduction in Events.)

In case you're wondering why in the world you'd want that, Project-caused negative events wouldn't add to the alien ticker like alien Events. So the alien invasion would slow, but you'd lose happiness from the region if the Project goes too crazy.

Project destruction would be based on how long the project has been running, and its funding, with low and high funding making it slightly more vulnerable. Or something.

[anotherdevil]

Hmmm that's a viable option. Still not entirely sure this is in character with the rest of the game... Will have to wait for the big man to pitch in on that

[GrumpySage]

In the game "Evil Genius" you could place henchmen on the map in various region, asking them to steal money and other things. This generated "Heat" with that region - the higher the heat level, the bigger chance that the region would kill your henchmen and send people to attack your evil base of operations.

The heat could either be from the aliens or the government. The aliens would not be fond of agents running around trying to locate their secret bases. As Sathra mentioned, the government in that region might get increasingly annoyed with secret agents running around 'flashing' their populace and generally not knowing what their goals are (it could be a foreign agent posing as a M.I.B., which would tie into the cold war theme).

I think it would have to be a choice whether to use agents or not. Perhaps they have a monthly cost, but can give some of the above benefits. If they have an upkeep cost, the agents shouldn't solely give a bonus to monthly payments.

If an agent is killed, there should be a reason why you can't dispatch a new one straight away, or a penalty to doing so. Perhaps the MIB organization has to train or dispatch another one, or when you hire an agent, there is also a one-time payment besides the upkeep.

[Sathra]

Not sure about having agents as actual units though. There aren't that many regions really, as AD said.

I had the kudo reduction not from the agents being too open, just from being too...murderous. Or extreme. Technically, the regional governments should know that you do have agents in the region, but they'd be annoyed that you aren't keeping them on a tight leash. People (or villages) disappearing is hard to hide after all. Can only blame so much on the aliens before someone starts checking on the disappearances compared to where the shiny lights were last seen...

[Joeneren]

In the game "Evil Genius" you could place henchmen on the map in various region, asking them to steal money and other things. This generated "Heat" with that region - the higher the heat level, the bigger chance that the region would kill your henchmen and send people to attack your evil base of operations.

The heat could either be from the aliens or the government. The aliens would not be fond of agents running around trying to locate their secret bases. As Sathra mentioned, the government in that region might get increasingly annoyed with secret agents running around 'flashing' their populace and generally not knowing what their goals are (it could be a foreign agent posing as a M.I.B., which would tie into the cold war theme).

I think it would have to be a choice whether to use agents or not. Perhaps they have a monthly cost, but can give some of the above benefits. If they have an upkeep cost, the agents shouldn't solely give a bonus to monthly payments.

If an agent is killed, there should be a reason why you can't dispatch a new one straight away, or a penalty to doing so. Perhaps the MIB organization has to train or dispatch another one, or when you hire an agent, there is also a one-time payment besides the upkeep.

Ah yes Evil Genius! *fond thoughts of the mission where you clubbed baby seals*

I'm gonna dig that game up now, i HAVE to play it a bit now if i could only remember where the heck i put it.....

[Firinn]

Ah yes Evil Genius! *fond thoughts of the mission where you clubbed baby seals*

I'm gonna dig that game up now, i HAVE to play it a bit now if i could only remember where the heck i put it.....

I picked it up on Steam when they had it on sell for five dollars. Figured it be worth it to have it somewhere I can keep track of. Definitely worth the investment though, very entertaining game. Do hope they get around to making another one.

[Joeneren]

well i see what you mean, but I loathe paying for stuff i already own but if i can't find it then i'll have to buy it, and nice to know that it is available on steam just in case

[Chris]

Interesting idea, but I doubt we'll put them in Xenonauts. It'd be a major new feature (as opposed to a refinement of an existing system) and I worry about overcomplicating the game in that regard - plus I want to get the game finished as soon as possible. That's not to say they wouldn't be a worthwhile addition, just not one I'm willing to take a risk on!

[admiral]

MIB confirmed for Xenonauts 2!

[Straker]

In X-Com I always thought of MIB (and my avatar's organization S.H.A.D.O.) as being in the background handling transactions for you like buying/selling your excess alien equipment and going to those monthly funding meetings.