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Chris

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Blake's 7 is one of the most original sci-fi shows I've ever seen. Its ending is pretty much unique as far as I know. I found out about it because I read somewhere that it served as inspiration for Firefly.

Space 1999 is more like silly late 70's Star Trek although it tends to be a lot less concrete and more esoteric. Events of some episodes are deliberately left unexplained leaving you with only your own speculation about what it is that you've seen.

I'd say that B7 is a must for any sci-fi fan were it not for the very low production value and the over the top 70's style.

Both are jewels of British sci-fi but from today's perspective they're an acquired taste that many can't stomach (with good reason I suppose).

Nah Max, this is V.

jane-badler-as-diana.jpg?w=962

V is early 80's.

Edited by Jean-Luc
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Just to be clear, we do not wish Goldhawk to depict xenonauts the way a 70s science fiction TV show would have depicted them. We're advocating using 70s real clothing and accessories to depict how a real xenonauts would have looked like in the 70s.

Real factories had room sized computers. Actual people wore kickass glasses and hats. Bill Gates do exists.

That just needed to be made clear. We don't want to resurrect the way scifi was perceived in the 70s. No one should. Ever.

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Both are jewels of British sci-fi but from today's perspective they're an acquired taste that many can't stomach (with good reason I suppose).

With good reason. Blake 7 is possibly more outdated than ST:TOS, despite being only 30, not 50 years old. It's campy in the way of seriously old shows, but with a much more modern, early-1990s-like narrative. As a result it doesn't quite have the "special" charm of something you laugh at and enjoy that way.

Simply put, I can see people watching it, and even myself, if there wasn't so many other shows. Notable, but it's more a peculiar piece of history (unlike Dr.Who and TOS which are textbook classics) than a show that could seriously hold its own today.

As much as I hate the style, I so agree to irdr and Nemeo: a 70s game should look seventies.

And give it some roguelike graphics, too!

edit: But I agree that placing around some cues that it's 1979 would be a great idea. Lest players forget. Ideally you should be able to search-rep all references to timeframe out and yet a person with cultural and trivia awareness would still have a shot at pinpointing the year.

Edited by HWP
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a 70s game should look seventies.

70s game can looks only like this

Pong_bs.png

We've gone for rounded edges on the UI as opposed to the hard corners we had on the earlier UI because they look better, even though rounded corners and sleek design is all post-iPod stuff.

.

Why ipod?

I can remember(the fist what comes to mind) simsity 2003(seven years before) has similar rounded design, and I sure something was earler but i can't remember

sc4_screen008.jpg

Maybe it's not enough "sleek" but certainly not hard corners.

Edited by zzz1010
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Notable, but it's more a peculiar piece of history (unlike Dr.Who and TOS which are textbook classics) than a show that could seriously hold its own today.

It did hold it for me. I think I saw it like a year ago, maybe a bit more. While it was campy I actually took it seriously and the main story (and its resolution) were quite dark. It wasn't really a light hearted kind of thing. It only looks silly because of the low budget and retro style. It had superb dialogues, some of the best I've seen.

It's actually looking to be remade but sadly it's Syfy that's got its dirty paws on it: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/22/blakes-7-us-remake (massive spoilers in the article)

Same with Space 1999: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/space-2099-television-remake-288601

Parts of the FAQ make it look very promising:

Q: What Space:1999 elements, if any, are guaranteed to be a part of the new Space: 2099 series?

A: While we can’t go into detail at this time what we can say is that there are 3 key axioms that Space: 1999 presented that we have identified as critical to our new vision.

The true sense of fear, awe and discovery when dealing with the unknown – particularly the final frontier that is the wide-open universe.

The human experience existing at extreme disadvantage being a driving force in the cooperation of disparate interests and agendas for the purposes of survival. To realize that all we have is each other.

The very real near-future plausibility of the technology depicted; its practical design, use and impact on how people interact with each other and accomplish tasks.

Q: Are there any overall guidelines in Space:2099 that are being particularly focused on?

A: Yes. Plausibility. Plausibility of everything. From the technology used, to how people would realistically behave under certain circumstances. In fact, the way we plan to shoot the series for “look and feel” takes into account as much “realness” as possible. We want to engage and immerse the audience as much as possible, so that they will regularly feel “that could happen” or “that’s what I would do.” Keeping things very real, relevant and relatable will help us in that endeavor.

Q: I'm curious about your sensibilities. What do you consider to be good science fiction?

A: This is a very broad question and there are numerous variables to consider such as what kind of mood a person is in, or do you want action or drama, etc.

However, with that being said we would like to give some insight...

Generally speaking we enjoy science fiction that gives the audience something to ponder or at the very least provides an interesting perspective / comment on the human condition. Stories like GATTACA, MOON, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, ALIEN, DISTRICT 9, 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, THE MATRIX and BLADE RUNNER are the kinds of things that excite us.

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We're advocating using 70s real clothing and accessories to depict how a real xenonauts would have looked like in the 70s.

Real factories had room sized computers. Actual people wore kickass glasses and hats.

If you look at some of the tiles recently posted as a kickstarter update you will notice that the computers used look like large tape driven ones, that should cheer you up a bit ;)

The majority of the people in the game are soldiers.

They would have looked pretty much like any other soldier.

I doubt many people wore kickass glasses and hats to their day job on a military base.

They would likely be wearing functional clothes so as to be taken seriously by the military types, who would be in uniform.

The scientist is wearing glasses that would probably not have been available to the public until the 80's but that isn't far from the 1979 starting date so doesn't concern me overly.

Search outside of the USA and have a look at more global images for the late 70's and you will see a much wider variation of styles.

Footballers in the UK for example were not particularly fond of the Ronald Reagan hair style.

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Does saying "UFO" earn me a cookie?

Is some one asked about UFO? I think all who interested in xcom is know it(but no one actually saw it)

Interceptors, crashsite, dropship, alien interrogation?

I think UFO:EU was something like UFO:The Game

About style - all this old movies tried to be "futuristic", but xenos don't try to be "retro-futuristic", just little retro, as examles must be not fantasic movies, if there was some movies about just army it will be more relevant

mash.jpg

Edited by zzz1010
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On Fa-fa-fa-fa fashion

Oh god, 70s people look awful. I'm glad we don't have them looking like that

Xenonauts Briefing in the '70s

Cameo2.jpg

On awesome Sci-Fi

The concepts behind Blake's 7 are very good indeed. Your heroes are a group of convicted criminals alternately trying to evade/ gain revenge on/ topple/ make a buck out of a an empire (with parallels to a lot of regimes we've seen since) depending on whose personality/ manoeuvrings won through on that occassion.

Some of them were idealistic, some of them were cowards, a number of them were in fact guilty as charged, and one was very, very manipulative indeed. Quite a few hated each others guts and were together mainly as they had few other choices.

So much moral greyness, while still letting you support the "good guys" puts it streets ahead of nearly anything else.

I imagine that a show where a terrorist cell are the heroes; where the two leaders are a zealot dissident and a guilty, scheming felon in today's TV world may not go down too easily. Lots of hand wringing I suspect.

Come on a show called Blake's 7 that doesn't have Blake in it for the most part and only gets to 7 after the first episode if you really fudge the numbers. How cool is that?

blakes7.jpg

On game development

"70s game can looks only like this"

Pong_bs.png

What have you been doing all this time? If the little block gets past the player on the right it's a Xenonaut mission win. If it gets past on the left it's a victory for the aliens. Now that's a Battlescape. What have you been wasting your developing time on?

On more Cool Sci-Fi

UFO is recommended viewing for any X-Com fan. If only so you can see where so many of the ideas came from and get a little kick of extra nostalgia/enthusiasm. This forum had a regularly posting Straker on it at one point.

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Cameo2.jpg

blakes7.jpg

Pong_bs.png

fanCard01-08.jpg

Cameo2.jpg.86209c33709d3bd75a09fea86a7c0

blakes7.jpg.5e3e135d1b1c0b552105027b42d6

Pong_bs.png.48c02fe7ddcfa2f96f6fbef808cc

fanCard01-08.jpg.37068bad3cfd08b968b6fe6

Edited by thothkins
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Hah, thothkins is the best.

If "magnificent bastard" was a dictionary term Avon's face would be right besides it.

b7blog6.jpg

And "supreme commander" for supreme dominatrix.

j9n0us.jpg

And so the dance begins.

[video=youtube;hkXrXOR9e8A]

Never seen UFO but I have it in the back of my mind, should get to it at some point. I remember Straker too. :)

Edited by Jean-Luc
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Does saying "UFO" earn me a cookie?

I only ever remember watching about half an episode of that; was that the one with SHADO?

Yes, that was SHADO. I watched it as a kid and have the entire series on DVD. I thought everyone knew that just about everything in the original XCOM was either taken, inspired or closely resembles things that were in that TV show. If you haven't watched it before you ought to. It was the first live action series done by the same people that did the "Thunderbirds" and a bunch of other marionette Sci-Fi shows.
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A selection, and only a selection, of some of Avon's put downs.

Remember when I typed that they really hated each other's guts. I was wrong. They really hated each other's guts.

[video=youtube;SWHLU8fwi80]

I remember the time he had to pick from a number of weapons for a rather savage duel. He wanted his glove back, so he didn't damage his hand beating the cr@p out of his opponent.

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While it was campy I actually took it seriously and the main story (and its resolution) were quite dark. It wasn't really a light hearted kind of thing. It only looks silly because of the low budget and retro style.

Yes, that's what I meant. A dark and serious story like 1990s shows, but it's done with the production values of a student film. I never got past these two not fitting together. While TOS, on the other hand, matches its simple storytelling match with simple (but good for the day) looks.

On Fa-fa-fa-fa fashionI imagine that a show where a terrorist cell are the heroes; where the two leaders are a zealot dissident and a guilty, scheming felon in today's TV world may not go down too easily.

Aren't Breaking Bad and Homeland pretty much that? I mean, they're not sci-fi. But if you consider that they are not criminals in teh Evil Empire - fighting which makes Blake's 7 freedom fighters, not terrorists (the distinction is based solely on why you sympathize with) - but in today's USA, that's certainly bold enough.

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Remember when I typed that they really hated each other's guts. I was wrong. They really hated each other's guts.

Poor Vila, I don't think he hated Avon as much as Avon hated him (or was at least too afraid to express it).

As much as comic relief-y thos scenes were I really felt sorry for Vila sometimes, I felt there were moments where you could see a kind of sadness of his come through and a deep longing to make a better life for himself, the tragedy being that he's stuck with Avon and Co. because he has nowhere else to go (or run rather). After all Vila was just a humble thief, not a cold, calculated megalomaniac like Avon.

And like you said, there were the "good guys". :P

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I think the new art is very nice and look much more coherent than before. With that in mind i think consistency in the load out screen will be nice,

Right now the agent and vehicle load out have a isometric perspective while the aircraft and carrier have a 2D top-down view, I think at least the aircraft should be made into isometric i know the carrier will make rather difficult to have an isometric perspective and display the agents location, but maybe it could be done.

Another thing i agree with someone somewhere in this thread, the medals right now seem like "Oh i am missing this one i need to get it" from what i remember the medals were more towards "oh wow i did this and for that i got a medal" In any case i think a "tab" should be created to split the screen between the Awards and Statistics, that will also allow for the medals to be a little large and leave them blank so if a soldier doesn't get a medal the player will never realize it.

And lastly going back to the load out screen it will be nice it the vehicle bay would look more like a motor pool, you know some tires here and there maybe a mechanic working on the engine, same goes for the aircraft, someone checking the aileron, the landing gear or whatever or the vehicle refueling something that gives the image some character.

the rest about the people looking like they are from the 70's, 80's, 90's or whatever who cares civilians will dress however they want in a military installation they do not follow the same rules :)

just my $0.02

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I like the little comments from the various characters. It seems like it will add to immersion.

I especially like how the little comments are kept out of the way. They are present, but don't distract from the from theinformation the screen is presenting.

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I dont mind if theres no woman in chain-of-command but i like how the military man is chubby lol he looks like my bf!! anyways i like him so dont change him!!!! hahaha i saw all the pics and most of them are chubby hehehehe neat style :) and i like the chubby man in equip who has the neat hairstyle.

So you hire some smart man for organisation even if there not fit for combat. wish you can see them in base defense!!! please put them in the game so i run to protect my bf first!! and he can use his9mm gun to defend himself too!! will we see some engis and scis running around in the base defense?//

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