XCOM: Enemy Unknown PC gameplay demo and Multiplayer footage

maademperor said:
I had a miss that hit the box the alien was using for cover...I wish I had tried actually shooting the box on purpose..I had another squaddie that would have had an unimpeded line of site if he hadnt already missed (shot wide and hit nothing).
Click to expand...

I think it's slightly different when the character is hiding behind a wall/box/etc. What I tried was a character in the open.

When you said shot wide, do you mean it went completely off like 2 boxes away? I haven't seen that, but if that's true, that alleviates the game a bit better. As for trying to hit the box, you won't be able to, at least I haven't. The only time it let me was when I used an AOE attack. It didn't let me shoot in front of an alien.

Maybe it was due to the tutorials forcing you to do things? I dunno. I can go in and try again.. maybe later.

I agree, the pointer to grid positioning seemed off and at times the game seemed to run kinda badly. I'll give the performance a break since its a demo but the mouse thing and the camera scrolling sucked.

maademperor said:
only one base in the retail game too? that sucks, I got the impression I could eventually add others and perhaps be able to field more than one team or specialize bases...
Click to expand...

I actually did not mind the idea of that too much. Though I sort of wonders what will happen in terms of gameplay and chasing UFOs. From what I've heard, you put up satellites to track the UFOs instead of having multiple bases.
 
God why do people keep resurrecting classic IP and fucking them up so spectacularly? As feared, this title is a fucking disaster. I don't need to play the full game. The demo demonstrated all too clearly they went the cheap, lazy route in cashing in the XCOM name, and these fools are not getting my money. Disgusting. Appalling.
 
Played the demo last night, not impressed one bit.

I still don't like the small squad. I also dont like the way that you only have two actions? what happened to the movement points? The two actions seem like console thing. I'm ok with there being two actions so to speak in that, action one will let you move far enough to have enough time to make a shot, and then you can also use action two, but no shot made. The original had that and it worked.

The class system seems ok, but not great. You almost have to take one of each, but then you should have a squad of 6-8, not of 4. And how you can load your squad out is also very limited. Not a fan of the soldier load-out. What happened to all the customization? It's so dumbed down now. I like to have a grenade thrower solder with a pistol, but i don't think i can have that in this game.

I kind of liked the way the base looked, that's about it. Everything else felt too much like a console.

Excitement dashed. Expectations lowered.
 
I never put too much faith in demos. Most of the time they are beta builds of the actual game. I just wait until I see bunch of reviews of the full game before I make a decision.
 
ccjames69 said:
I'd check out RPS (Rock, Paper, Shotgun) for an article they published today as they actually call it "Some Things You Should Know About The XCOM Demo" where they basically tell people the demo isn't anywhere close to the quality of the finished game and was purely an on-rails tutorial.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/09/25/some-things-you-should-know-about-the-xcom-demo/
Click to expand...

They shouldn't put out the demo then. Bad demos can hurt a product much more than the help.
 
ocellaris said:
They shouldn't put out the demo then. Bad demos can hurt a product much more than the help.
Click to expand...

+1

If they can't polish up a DEMO it makes me worried about the actual game.

I have downloaded the demo but have not got a chance to play it yet. Been real busy.
 
Megalomaniac said:
Played the demo last night, not impressed one bit.

I still don't like the small squad. I also dont like the way that you only have two actions? what happened to the movement points? The two actions seem like console thing. I'm ok with there being two actions so to speak in that, action one will let you move far enough to have enough time to make a shot, and then you can also use action two, but no shot made. The original had that and it worked.

The class system seems ok, but not great. You almost have to take one of each, but then you should have a squad of 6-8, not of 4. And how you can load your squad out is also very limited. Not a fan of the soldier load-out. What happened to all the customization? It's so dumbed down now. I like to have a grenade thrower solder with a pistol, but i don't think i can have that in this game.

I kind of liked the way the base looked, that's about it. Everything else felt too much like a console.

Excitement dashed. Expectations lowered.
Click to expand...

It looks like you can have 6 people on your squad after a full upgrade, probably something base related. And 6 was what I used to go with in the original so I'm not too bothered by it.

I do agree on the point system instead of the move-shoot system, but I don't think it'll kill the game.

Like I said in my first post, thought mainly on one subject that it'll probably change.


ocellaris said:
They shouldn't put out the demo then. Bad demos can hurt a product much more than the help.
Click to expand...

I'm inclined to agree, this demo, seems to have hurt it more than not.

And thanks, ocellaris, I will have to read that, hopefully it'll give me something to hope about.
 
Finally played the demo. Its a mixed pack, mostly leaning to bad but potential is there.

I'll say right of the bat because I have to get it out of my system, the music SUCKED. I mean, it didnt "suck" as it was still good music but it is in wrong game. Where is the sense of dread? This kind of music fits to Deus Ex and Mass Effect, not X-Com.

THIS is X-Com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B15jcaamVz8
not this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAljZX-9HMI&feature=related


Okay, back to more important things. Max squad size of 6 is bit too small for me. Original started with 8 and that was a good amount. And in the end I kept that size, just added couple of tanks once I got Avenger. I hope I can add atleast 2 tanks on top of the 6 soldiers or I will be dissapointed.

The two actions per turn is actually pretty genious. If you forget that its there the game plays out almost (keyword: almost) like original, just simplified (for good or bad, depending on POV) by taking out the maths. Move and shoot, or move further. However, problems arise if you want to do multiple things, IE shoot two different aliens or shoot and so on.

Most likely related to above I didnt like the lack of multiple firemodes. No full auto vs quick snapshot vs carefully aimed dilemma. Since movement points are gone they probably went with it.

I wont say anything about railroading. If you have been following the interviews and such you should know that this game starts that way to get the story going before it gives you full control. Apparently demo cuts of just before that. I hoped we would have gotten a glimpse of that though, to explore our base a bit or maybe even give us one research option that can be finished. I am sooo looking forward to autopsies!


Oh, and DarkD3 shader works great in this game, and it looks gorgeous!

*edit* I agree, they shouldnt have released this demo as it is now. It gives us a sample of things were are not particularly looking forward to, instead of things every X-Com fan are craving for.

*edit2* Oh yeah I totally forgot this. Controls were baaad. Whats up with "press this and then press that and finally press this" crap? Whats wrong in clicking the action you want and then click the target? Only way to make it fluid is to use keyboard a lot. Kinda reminds me of the way Skyrims inventory worked, and we know how much PC gamers universally hated it.

*edit3* Oh, and how many times do we have to edit/rename the unskippable intro BIK video files before developers realise we hate that shit!? Not directly related to this game, but games in general...
 
Last edited:
maademperor said:
I had a miss that hit the box the alien was using for cover...I wish I had tried actually shooting the box on purpose..I had another squaddie that would have had an unimpeded line of site if he hadnt already missed (shot wide and hit nothing).

I agree, the pointer to grid positioning seemed off and at times the game seemed to run kinda badly. I'll give the performance a break since its a demo but the mouse thing and the camera scrolling sucked.
Click to expand...

Just saw a new vid they put up. And I did see a shot go wide while they were aiming for an alien behind cover.

I'm probably going to play again to check out some other stuff.

Also, I did not know this... but apparently in the old game, you can go "Rogue" with no countries supporting this. Which sounds pretty cool. But that has been taken away as after 8 country pulls support you lose. Which..... is lame.

One thing I did notice in the Giant Bomb video, it seems that when you find enemies, they run to cover... seems like you can't actually "surprise" them. Dunno for sure though.

---------> Oh, just saw another video, Game Trailers, and it didn't do that. I guess they saw eachother mutually in the Giant Bomb vid. Thank god.

http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/ns2k61/xcom--enemy-unknown-team-gt-ufo-walkthrough
 
Last edited:
I agree that it isn't exactly very long, consists mostly of the tutorial, and doesn't allow for any freedom, but it's just the demo. Combining what I saw, with what I know is in the full game, I think this is going to be a GOTY contender.

What confuses me most is that people are complaining about the lack of action points, as though this was a surprise. They went over this countless times, and I think the change is for the better - I'm now more focused on tactics than I am micromanaging how many APs I need to shoot my pistol x times after walking y squares. To me, this method achieves the same effect of the APs (restricting squad member's from doing too much in one turn) while making it easier to manage. I'm sure it's a polarizing decision, but in my opinion this change is definitely for the better.

Regarding the performance problems, I didn't have any issues whatsoever on my rig. Perhaps it's a driver issue? Running the latest from nvidia here.
 
quadnad said:
I agree that it isn't exactly very long, consists mostly of the tutorial, and doesn't allow for any freedom, but it's just the demo. Combining what I saw, with what I know is in the full game, I think this is going to be a GOTY contender.

What confuses me most is that people are complaining about the lack of action points, as though this was a surprise. They went over this countless times, and I think the change is for the better - I'm now more focused on tactics than I am micromanaging how many APs I need to shoot my pistol x times after walking y squares. To me, this method achieves the same effect of the APs (restricting squad member's from doing too much in one turn) while making it easier to manage. I'm sure it's a polarizing decision, but in my opinion this change is definitely for the better.

Regarding the performance problems, I didn't have any issues whatsoever on my rig. Perhaps it's a driver issue? Running the latest from nvidia here.
Click to expand...

I suppose with the dev being Firaxis, it makes sense they would basically use thier functional movement vs fighting vs preparation system from the Civ games rather than try and emulate what sounds to have been a more complicated (but more strategic) system...I think I'll enjoy the game either way.

Serpent said:
When you said shot wide, do you mean it went completely off like 2 boxes away? I haven't seen that, but if that's true, that alleviates the game a bit better. As for trying to hit the box, you won't be able to, at least I haven't. The only time it let me was when I used an AOE attack. It didn't let me shoot in front of an alien.
Click to expand...

thats exactly what happened, the shot was just high and to the right of the alien, hitting nothing and going off into the night sky.
 
quadnad said:
What confuses me most is that people are complaining about the lack of action points, as though this was a surprise. They went over this countless times, and I think the change is for the better - I'm now more focused on tactics than I am micromanaging how many APs I need to shoot my pistol x times after walking y squares. To me, this method achieves the same effect of the APs (restricting squad member's from doing too much in one turn) while making it easier to manage. I'm sure it's a polarizing decision, but in my opinion this change is definitely for the better.
Click to expand...

I definitely like the action points better, it allows for more varieties in strategies like the other person said. It won't kill the game, as the move then shoot doesn't exactly fail. But I think it's an unneeded simplification.

I mean, how hard is it to check how many ap you got to move and still shoot. On the other hand, they could've just grayed out your bar depending on where your cursor is pointing.
 
Serpent said:
I definitely like the action points better, it allows for more varieties in strategies like the other person said.
Click to expand...

No doubt the game would take at least twice as long to complete with APs. Having recently played the Jagged Alliance reboot, I think perhaps this is a justified simplification.
 
eloj said:
No doubt the game would take at least twice as long to complete with APs. Having recently played the Jagged Alliance reboot, I think perhaps this is a justified simplification.
Click to expand...

Explain?

I think that's not quite right. From what I've seen, the soldiers in the new x-com have a greater moveemnt grid, true. But if you change it to AP, they'll have more AP than they had in the older one. Which would allow for the same time to complete and maybe even faster because you can shoot twice.
 
Serpent said:
Explain?

I think that's not quite right. From what I've seen, the soldiers in the new x-com have a greater moveemnt grid, true. But if you change it to AP, they'll have more AP than they had in the older one. Which would allow for the same time to complete and maybe even faster because you can shoot twice.
Click to expand...

He must be thinking of kids trying to play original XCOM who don't know how to do math yet.
 
Game of the Year material....I don't even....

When i play a turn base strategy game I am not worried about how long it takes, I am not adverse to micro-management (although how it is presented as to not make it overly tedious is a factor). How to manage your resources is part of the strategy. I'll check it out when it hits the bargain bins unless I see proof that the full game brings more to table. Not holding my breath though.

I do agree with one of the other poster about the atmosphere of the original game, I don't really think it can be recaptured tbh.
 
I like the idea of the the two APs in concept, but not the implementation. And as max movement area and max move net and still can shoot area would be a great addition to the game, if the game used old school APs.

I am playing the new JA Back in Action game now, I almost beat it. The real time action and the turn based action transition is pretty good. Xcom Apocalypse did it, I like that game a bit, it was fun enough to play, it had it's quirks.

In XCOM, even the amount of ammo in the gun is represented cartoonishly, so i think you are right, its for kids that don't know math yet...
 
Megalomaniac said:
In XCOM, even the amount of ammo in the gun is represented cartoonishly, so i think you are right, its for kids that don't know math yet...
Click to expand...

It's a console game, so they had to make it so even the average eight year old could play it.
 
Just downloaded the demo and man does it bring back some memories. Basically the original XCOM game on steroids. If you enjoyed the original you will love this one, however I will probably wait until it goes on sale before I pick it up. Still have to finish Borderlands 2.
 
I downloaded the demo as well and its everything it can be and more.
This should not be called a remake of Xcom if you want that go purchase www.Xenonauts.com.
This Xcom is a reimagining of the original and I dare to say a hell of a reimagining.

Bargain Bin..lol thats where I purchased the original one back in 1996 I wont make the
same mistake twice. This game has so much going for it that Im going to purchase the
DVD copy from gamestop which comes with the Elite Soldier pack and customization plus
some bad ass map of the base a patch and an Art Book and YES it will be worth every penny.
 
BladeVenom said:
It's a console game, so they had to make it so even the average eight year old could play it.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure i was about 8 when i first played XCOM. I figured it out just fine, and had a blast. Sure i never beat the game, and it was hard as fuck, but i had fun getting my ass kicked.

WTF is wrong with kids these days?
 
NastyNative said:
I downloaded the demo as well and its everything it can be and more.
This should not be called a remake of Xcom if you want that go purchase www.Xenonauts.com.
This Xcom is a reimagining of the original and I dare to say a hell of a reimagining.

Bargain Bin..lol thats where I purchased the original one back in 1996 I wont make the
same mistake twice. This game has so much going for it that Im going to purchase the
DVD copy from gamestop which comes with the Elite Soldier pack and customization plus
some bad ass map of the base a patch and an Art Book and YES it will be worth every penny.
Click to expand...

Graphically, it doesn't look bad. I will have to look at that sometimes.
 
chockomonkey said:
WTF is wrong with kids these days?
Click to expand...

Their brains have been rotted by video games.
They don't spend hours a day learning tactical combat skills from G.I Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or Voltran, the strategic thinking of Pinky and the Brain, or absorbing the puzzle solving experience imparted by Scooby Do.

Also, being 8 had nothing to do with X-Com being hard. Go play it today, it's still really hard.
 
the GMG link is $44... anyone got a cheaper one?
nevermind looks like steam at $49 is the best deal since you get the tf2 items and a free copy of civ5...
 
Last edited:
I don't know if its trolling or not, but there are a few n00bs that are saying that they will pick it up, but don't mention how good it is... :confused:
I also find that type of post confusing and, as i said, bordering on trolling/shilling since A) you're a n00b b) all you do is say that something is great without saying why, while other have pointed out that no, no it's not, and have stated why it's not so great. ... We may be cynical, but time will tell.

Other than the name, and that you have a team that will fight aliens, there aren't all that many parallels with the original that I can see (No attacks on your base??? really!? Even the UFO series had that) The game could have been called something else and it would have been ok, like Xcom: Tactics.

I know that you will almost never please everyone when you are redoing a classic.

One thing that I don't like, and im not sure how it will play out, is that rank, in the original, was an honorary title, here its tied with skills. So i wonder if at the end, you will have 4 colonels as your primary team, since that's the only way you will unlock all the skills.. just seems silly.
 
Zoson said:
the GMG link is $44... anyone got a cheaper one?
nevermind looks like steam at $49 is the best deal since you get the tf2 items and a free copy of civ5...
Click to expand...

It's $34 with the voucher GMG25-EVFWS-4Z4ZN (good till oct 8)
 
Megalomaniac said:
I don't know if its trolling or not, but there are a few n00bs that are saying that they will pick it up, but don't mention how good it is... :confused:
I also find that type of post confusing and, as i said, bordering on trolling/shilling since A) you're a n00b b) all you do is say that something is great without saying why, while other have pointed out that no, no it's not, and have stated why it's not so great. ... We may be cynical, but time will tell.

Other than the name, and that you have a team that will fight aliens, there aren't all that many parallels with the original that I can see (No attacks on your base??? really!? Even the UFO series had that) The game could have been called something else and it would have been ok, like Xcom: Tactics.

I know that you will almost never please everyone when you are redoing a classic.

One thing that I don't like, and im not sure how it will play out, is that rank, in the original, was an honorary title, here its tied with skills. So i wonder if at the end, you will have 4 colonels as your primary team, since that's the only way you will unlock all the skills.. just seems silly.
Click to expand...
Title was not an 'honorary' thing in original X-COM UFO Defense. Each time a unit 'leveled' in the old game, it got additional stats. You couldn't set the stats, and the amount/ones that got boosted were random, but it did have an appreciable effect.

Edit: went with the steam preorder to get the tf2 items... and I figure a civ5 gift to someone isn't a bad thing. I've got civ5 and would like to play multiplayer at some point...
 
Last edited:
I never played the original XCOM (I am old enough by far but it just never registered on my radar for some reason) and I like how the cover system, upgrades and squad combat seems to be playing out (I hope the community can do some modding and DLC to maybe plug the gaps) but what I really want is for the guys at THQ to see this and make me a Warhammer tactical strategy game with similiar gameplay and space marines, eldar, necron, orks, tyrannids and chaos marines all fully fleshed out as playable races with seperate campaigns and whatnot.
 
maademperor said:
I never played the original XCOM (I am old enough by far but it just never registered on my radar for some reason) and I like how the cover system, upgrades and squad combat seems to be playing out (I hope the community can do some modding and DLC to maybe plug the gaps) but what I really want is for the guys at THQ to see this and make me a Warhammer tactical strategy game with similiar gameplay and space marines, eldar, necron, orks, tyrannids and chaos marines all fully fleshed out as playable races with seperate campaigns and whatnot.
Click to expand...

Chaos Gate remake.
 
Megalomaniac said:
I don't know if its trolling or not, but there are a few n00bs that are saying that they will pick it up, but don't mention how good it is... :confused:
I also find that type of post confusing and, as i said, bordering on trolling/shilling since A) you're a n00b b) all you do is say that something is great without saying why, while other have pointed out that no, no it's not, and have stated why it's not so great. ... We may be cynical, but time will tell.

Other than the name, and that you have a team that will fight aliens, there aren't all that many parallels with the original that I can see (No attacks on your base??? really!? Even the UFO series had that) The game could have been called something else and it would have been ok, like Xcom: Tactics.

I know that you will almost never please everyone when you are redoing a classic.

One thing that I don't like, and im not sure how it will play out, is that rank, in the original, was an honorary title, here its tied with skills. So i wonder if at the end, you will have 4 colonels as your primary team, since that's the only way you will unlock all the skills.. just seems silly.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by your first sentence there...

And ranks definitely mattered in the older games, if you went out with a group of rookies, you would've been slaughtered if you fought against the bigger aliens like Ethereals in the old game.

And of course, no one would be perfectly happy when a remake is done. Some people like it the same, some people like it different.

This one, has some questionable changes, but nothing has shown itself to be absolutely horrid, with the exception of how they did the demo with the tutorial. It leaves a horrible impression. Of course, such stuff is alleviated in the actual game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top