If you're making a X-com i beg you to read this

Hi,

You're one of the last remaining fortress of proper games. Even though i was actually a bit disappointed with BioShock for being aimed too much at teenagers and casual gamers, i understand this design decision. Personally i don't think you need to "water down" a game to suit more casual players.

I believe you can make an x-com game that is complex but user friendly.
The main problem average users face is hard learning curve and slow pace.
To solve the learning curve issue you'd have to make a proper tutorial by that i mean something that explains certain basics along the way as you play and repeat them over time, also pop up info is very helpful on buttons and other options. You'll see that after a short time most people will understand it and with that you won't have to sacrifice complexity for older players.
-Probably easy thing to do

Slow pace...best thing to do is to add more events or make the tension higher so players don't feel bored.
-Might require a bit more effort

I'd really love if you'd make the game also for adult users. We're shooting aliens here so no need to be shy.
Most of all...keep it real, serious, tense and scary. It's the selling point of the game.
If you make efforts to properly initiate a newbie you'll gain the short term profits as well as long sale life.
I swear that once the newbie get's a hang of things hell enjoy the added complexity.

If you plan to cater to the 14 y.o. you have competition like Crysis and similar games...almost no chance you'll match it, so why bother.
There are alot 17+ y.o. that can handle a proper game, that is the market you should be catering to.

BELLOW IS A LIST OF IDEAS YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK IF YOU HAVE THE TIME OR NEED SUGGESTIONS (THEY RANGE FROM SPECIFICS TO MORE BROAD ISSUES)

Critical issues:
-please don't water down the game, keep it serious, scary and real
-don't trash micromanagement, but automatize it for beginner players. I guarantee you that once that newbie is half trough it he'll appreciate the added custom-ability. Add proper help tips easily accessible, even the average Xbox player will eventually learn it.
-All i need is two or three difficulty modes...BEGINNER (for newcomers), HARD (for old fans)
-don't make it too short, replayability! (more possible endings)
-...that's all i can think of the critical issues right now

Story/plot:

-a complete restart. I think the x-com series went too far story wise, besides i love contemporary times mixed with high tech future equipment. I'd start it at 2010.
-Even better if set in an after-war world (major cities destroyed,...), but not critical
-I'd love it if the first half of the game you're more or less reliant on homegrown equipment.
-If anyone watched "The andromeda strain" you'd realize that it kept you tense till the very end. Therefore try to keep the plot as mysterious till late in the game. This is basically the essence of x-com!

Playing style:

if 3D tactical shooter (no plane/base management...)->

-one word (and a number) SWAT 4. Of course many more tactical features. But the core should be tactical like the SWAT games, not some arcady sh**.

if old school style->

-minimum everything Xcom1 had, plus elements of Apocalypse.
-i'd like active pause more than turn based
-3d view is the only logical decision.
-please make graphics and physics count. Shadows for stealth and destructible environment for...hehe
-make dogfights more interactive, i don't want a Flight sim, but at least let me choose fight attitudes, weapons, aircraft types, equipment (radars,...). basically an Xcom1 on steroids (apocalypse would be a bit un-fiesable for the whole geoscape)
-base managment, meh...more or less like the first game

Ideas from other games (UFO series specifically and fallout tactics):

-give those games a look.
-i like the added mission varieties
-smaller but memorable squad
-incapacitating enemies, soldiers a good idea (plus look hot fallout tactics handled medics)
-i loved the larger arsenal of homegrown weapons
-also the ability to distinguish handguns, rifles, heavy,...
-MAJOR AWESOMENESS was the fact that enemies were more damage specific or resistant to certain attacks
-the fact i could use earth weapons late in the game (major plus IMO)

Random ideas:

-it feels really gratifying if you can see the actual effect the weapon has on enemies (gibbing, blood, blows them away)
-i'd make it so that you have to research and later develop your version of an alien weapon, not that you can just use what aliens drop off. (see District 9 for ideas)
-as for tactics, take a look at modern low intensity warfare

Thanks and have a nice day

Hey, matching Avatars!

While I agree that they need all the support/ideas they can get, I'm pretty sure that any project that they have is already long in development. Remember they haven't touched anything since Bioshock, and that was released in 2007. It's already been 2 years and some change, if an X-COM is indeed coming, I'm sure that most of the design decisions have been taken.

From your points, I'm betting that it's a SWAT 4 type of game. Still, they could surprise us with a true turn-based top down experience.

I'd be shocked if they weren't working on something that's mainly a shooter, given the positions they've been hiring for (and are still hiring). I'm just hoping that they've taken a Bioshock level of immersion in the world and wedded it to deeper (but not necessarily more complex) progression. An X-Com-like strategy layer would be great, but it's having progression unlock different ways to interact with the game itself that is compelling (like the plasmids provided in Bioshock). I'd rather have that than research trees and base-building (though both would be nice...)

I personally think that IG could do a good job in how they handle X-Com. After all, Fallout 3, handled by Bethesda was miles apart from FO1 and FO2, despite NMA forum members and angry doubters around the world, they created a great game that took the franchise to the new millenium.
Even if IG changes so much about X-com, I think they will likely do a good job.

That said, they did Freedom Force and that could indicate an ability and willingness to build a game like the old ones.

I'm gonna go ahead and guess that it might be a little bit too late for such advice.

progglerock said:<P>I'm gonna go ahead and guess that it might be a little bit too late for such advice. </P>

You never know, maybe Irrational has adopted the 3dRealms approach to game development.

wharfinger said:

progglerock said:<P>I'm gonna go ahead and guess that it might be a little bit too late for such advice. </P>

You never know, maybe Irrational has adopted the 3dRealms approach to game development.

I hope not...

Even though i was actually a bit disappointed with BioShock for being aimed too much at teenagers and casual gamers,

I know this is off topic for your discussion but, really? Did you really feel that Bioshock was made for teenagers and casuals? Bloody splicers, creepy atmosphere, shooting up drug-like substances, little girls stabbing needles into corpses, hulking men in diving suits drilling people through the gut, a story based around philosophical ideas of Ayn Rand - they don't sound like the target market to me.

Anyway back to your actual topic , I have great faith in whatever Irrational is cooking up. They have yet to make a bad game. The one game they themselves didn't feel met their high standards (The Lost, I think it was called) was canned and never saw release. If Irrational releases a game, you can bet it'll be darn good.