Greece is part of EUROPE, not the Middle-East

[EmperorNortonII]

I recently transitioned from V18 to V19.7... and I was kind of shocked to see Greece re-labeled as part of the ME, instead of being part of Europe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe

Geographically, Greece is separated from the ME by the Aegean. Culturally, it's Orthodox Christian, like Bulgaria, Romania, and the former Yugoslavia. While Turkey is currently seeking membership in the EU (and its European portion could be considered part of Europe, since Xenonauts doesn't separate areas by national boundaries), I'm not sure by what reasoning Greece could be considered Middle-Eastern, given that it has 0 involvement in the issues that sweep the current ME and isn't part of the same landmasses. In the time-frame we're talking about (the Cold War) Greece (as well as Turkey) was aligned with the US and not the Islamic states that routinely invaded Israel.

At any rate, why would Greek citizens care if Egyptians were being abducted?

So, ah, given that this change was recent, can I at least ask what prompted it?

Edited August 22, 2013 by EmperorNortonII

[Anon_Spartan]

We've already had this debate weeks ago.

[GizmoGomez]

Basically, for the time being they are balancing the geoscape's funding territories, and making Greece part of the ME made that easier because it makes the territories more equally sized. Or something.

At any rate, it'll be fixed, hopefully.

[thothkins]

Yes we did, but without any clear conclusions. Within a minute of starting every new game of Xenonauts, I'm struck by a clunking feeling because it gives the appearance of an utter lack of geographical/ political knowledge. Not a good first impression at all. Especially in a game using the Cold War as a backdrop.

Aligning nations according to their Cold War status has also come up and remains a very good idea, as it would enhance the world that Xenonauts is based in. But it's separate form getting the region correct. Personally, I'd have liked to have seen the map split into countries, that can then be assigned to funding blocs.

[EmperorNortonII]

Couldn't parts of N Africa/Afghanistan be rolled into the ME? Besides, a base in the Western hemisphere covers, what, 3 funding blocs at most, instead of the 4-5 I can hit in the East?

[Mordobb]

Yes we did, but without any clear conclusions. Within a minute of starting every new game of Xenonauts, I'm struck by a clunking feeling because it gives the appearance of an utter lack of geographical/ political knowledge. Not a good first impression at all. Especially in a game using the Cold War as a backdrop.

Aligning nations according to their Cold War status has also come up and remains a very good idea, as it would enhance the world that Xenonauts is based in. But it's separate form getting the region correct. Personally, I'd have liked to have seen the map split into countries, that can then be assigned to funding blocs.

Aligning to cold war status and exliciting it in the map is the best idea i ve ever heard to make COLDWAR appear to matter, it will remain irrelevant, but whatever.

[Solarius Scorch]

Yes we did, but without any clear conclusions. Within a minute of starting every new game of Xenonauts, I'm struck by a clunking feeling because it gives the appearance of an utter lack of geographical/ political knowledge. Not a good first impression at all. Especially in a game using the Cold War as a backdrop.

This. There's never enough reminding of this.

Basically, for the time being they are balancing the geoscape's funding territories, and making Greece part of the ME made that easier because it makes the territories more equally sized. Or something.

You know guys, that's exactly what I don't understand: why make various blocks equal at any cost. Sure, some will be more important while some others less so, but is it a problem?

Let's have al ook at UFO: ET, which uses a similar - well, the same - funding system. As the setting is another planet, you'd think it would be easy to make the regions roughly equal in size; and you'd be right. However, this is not the case: the regions vary greatly in size and importance. Did it make the game any worse? No, I believe otherwise; it made it more realistic, less game-y.

[EchoFourDelta]

Things usually start getting interesting when you stop pretending everything is or should be equal.

[thothkins]

Some passing thoughts as balance:-

Split the maps into countries. Assign countries to geographical blocs. (all countries in their correct places). Devs can then adjust the contributions of countries, and missions occurring over those countries will not just be lumped into a single bloc modifier.

Split the maps into countries. Assign countries to geopolitical blocs. (US, USSR, Warsaw Pact, NATO etc)

As above and have relations much lower for richest countries due to alien infiltration (looks like the invaders didn't arrive all at once)

As above. Funding relates to stability. The richest countries may have a false sense of superiority. (We are the US Army, son. We don't need your organisation. No, my voice doesn't sound alien. That's treasonous talk, son)

[Tobbzn]

Sounds like a nightmare for a newbie, mousing over every country just to find the one with best funding to place your base there.

Make it a country mod instead.

[thothkins]

Well, it would sort of lower the top funding nations down to the rest of the nations. So, it's supposed to remove an imbalance, rather than perpetuate one.

A simple example would be if you were to take something like the Majestic 12 documents at face value. US signs alien pact in the early 1950s. That pact works it's way through US military decision making and therefore through to NATO policy. Cue decrease in XENO funding following Iceland Incident (aware I've just combined tow backstories by it is just an example) and cue a variety of alternate countermeasures in 1979 that aren't XENO related. Therefore, US and NATO provide fewer resources.

As for the soviet union, they had just invaded Afghanistan, were facing serious internal issues and failing five year plans. Then there's always things like "The watershed moment in officials' attitude to UFOs came in 1978, when hundreds, if not thousands, of people in Petrozavodsk for several hours witnessed a strange luminous object in the sky." They may be funding their own alternative.