Tactical mission map ground usage.

[CompoTheSmoggie]

I've said it with XCOM-2 and Xenonauts-1 before (I think...) and it's the usage of the ground level in the tactical mission.

Every turn-based game, with the exception of Julian Gollop's 'Laser Squad' back in the day, you could access the map sub-level.

Now, technically, on XCOM-2, you get the sewer missions and town missions, I don't mean this. You could get elevations above ground that had voids underneath that you could access at ground level, but they weren't sub-level.

On a tactical mission, if you get the jetpack and can elevate up 3 or 4 levels above the ground, why can't you say, throw a grenade and blow a hole/crater in the floor?

Okay, forget demolitions, think more trenches, commencing a mission in a raised position on a hill or moving up a hill or moving underground through a sewer system to negate an invulnerable obstacle or wall?

Bridges, caves, waterways... assaulting an alien base on ground level before going down lifts or stairwells into the actual base?

[Chris]

On 10/6/2023 at 10:13 PM, CompoTheSmoggie said:

I've said it with XCOM-2 and Xenonauts-1 before (I think...) and it's the usage of the ground level in the tactical mission.

Every turn-based game, with the exception of Julian Gollop's 'Laser Squad' back in the day, you could access the map sub-level.

Now, technically, on XCOM-2, you get the sewer missions and town missions, I don't mean this. You could get elevations above ground that had voids underneath that you could access at ground level, but they weren't sub-level.

On a tactical mission, if you get the jetpack and can elevate up 3 or 4 levels above the ground, why can't you say, throw a grenade and blow a hole/crater in the floor?

Okay, forget demolitions, think more trenches, commencing a mission in a raised position on a hill or moving up a hill or moving underground through a sewer system to negate an invulnerable obstacle or wall?

Bridges, caves, waterways... assaulting an alien base on ground level before going down lifts or stairwells into the actual base?

The problem is the interaction with the camera. The problem is for any of the map to go below the ground level, the entire map has to support going below the ground level. It can be very confusing if you accidentally hit the mouse scrollwheel and scroll down a level and end up underground, because in 99% of cases everything is black and you can't see anything and many players don't know why.

I actually can't remember a game that did this - the only one that springs to mind is Jagged Alliance 2, but I seem to recall their underground levels (like in the prison) were entirely seperate maps to the level above and you just transitioned from one to the other. The same was true for Fallout 2, I believe.

[Skitso]

1 hour ago, Chris said:

I actually can't remember a game that did this - the only one that springs to mind is Jagged Alliance 2, but I seem to recall their underground levels (like in the prison) were entirely seperate maps to the level above and you just transitioned from one to the other. The same was true for Fallout 2, I believe.

Sounds about right. Just concentrate expanding the maps upwards.

When I was mapping X1 back in the days, I had an idea where alien bases' player start areas would have been up on level 4 or 5 where it would have had a small outdoor area (region biome matched of course) with an actual alien building with a proper base entrance. Players would have then needed to fight their way down to floor 0 to raid the command room.

It never ended in the game as it would have needed extensive CE code changes, but I'm sure it would have been really cool to play.