XCOM 2 Catch-All

You know what would be interesting? Having our squad start right in the center of a map, and completely surrounded. I totally get you Aetius, I´ve clocked over 1200hrs of EU, EW, and LW, and I know every map by heart. We just need more variety in every regard, not just maps, or class composition. We should have different layouts, different objectives, different enemy spawns, different pods, different everything, where possible. One of my favorite missions was the Fishing Village, because the idea of ONLY chryssalids was terrifying. I moved so damn slowly and carefully the first few times I played it.

XCOM 2 Mod Support

Either alongside or shortly after the turn-based strategy sequel’s launch in November, Firaxis plan to release tools they used to make the game, sharing the gameplay source, the editor, and the assets. It’ll have Steam Workshop support too. Expect grand mods.
Asked about what kind of mods he expects to see, Solomon predicts free-aiming will be one “one of the first mods”, and speculates that someone will bring back time units from dear old X-COM to expand options in turns.

Solomon also talks up the XCOM mod Long War saying “We’re basically a 20-hour tutorial for The Long War, and that’s okay.”

All of the new innovations like more randomized maps and mod support that they are making for 2 could be applied back to XCOM and make it better game. I hope they do, it deserves it.

As cool as Long War is, it's not without it's problems. The developers are basically masochists who balance the game towards the top .1% of players who keep telling them it's too easy. A lot of the difficulty in Long War feels totally artificial and comes from inflated stats versus tactical complexity. Which is a real shame because the complexity is there, it just gets overshadowed by the ball-crushing rigged gameplay.

Love everything I´m reading.

It reads kinda like Cities: Skylines, and if it's that simple, man, the things we'll find!! Personally, I can't wait until someone mods in Garrus and Wrex as soldiers.

That, and original Chryssalids.

The XCOM accuracy was way too high for any of that to be believable.

Looked really good! I hope the snake pull isn't actually that lethal because that was ridiculous. The sword attack is cool but put her completely without cover. Hopefully that's just for demo purposes.

It would be cool if sword attack worked with movement(like it appeared to), so you could move up and hit someone within your regular zone of movement but could then move back into cover with your second action.

b12n11w00t wrote:

It would be cool if sword attack worked with movement(like it appeared to), so you could move up and hit someone within your regular zone of movement but could then move back into cover with your second action.

That's what we've assumed so far. With how the cover system works it would be impossible for XCOM troopers to just smack things in melee and end the turn out of cover the way the aliens do. It could be that they get a low cover bonus for being "in motion" the same way flying units don't count as being out of cover.

Koz wrote:

The XCOM accuracy was way too high for any of that to be believable.

Looked really good! I hope the snake pull isn't actually that lethal because that was ridiculous. The sword attack is cool but put her completely without cover. Hopefully that's just for demo purposes.

It does look really good. Also, that host is incredibly observant or he took notes during the demo

I like it. Love the tension level, like it's definitely been amped up a bit.

My only real concern there was... where's Central Officer Bradford?!

It's been 20 years and he's part of the original XCOM initiative. He could very well be dead.

LarryC wrote:

It's been 20 years and he's part of the original XCOM initiative. He could very well be dead.

Better if he's old and scarred, veteran of the XCOM resistance.

LarryC wrote:

It's been 20 years and he's part of the original XCOM initiative. He could very well be dead.

While this makes logical sense, it certainly doesn't make for a satisfying narrative! I imagine he'd be in his 50s at this point. As MikeSands said, a grumpy, scrappy old Bradford (same voice actor of course) would be much better than a dead Bradford.

Oh oh! Going in to full useless speculation mode, it'd be cool if the first mission was busting him out of some Advent prison.

It'd a lot more in keeping with New XCOM for you to bust Bradford out, have him help the Avenger or function as a squaddie for a while, and then have him screw you in a major way and then you have to kill him. All against his will, of course. Some part of Bradford is horrified that he's trying to take down XCOM, but he's the aliens' thing now.

Redwing wrote:

My only real concern there was... where's Central Officer Bradford?!

Pretty sure he was there on the little video-com link in the corner. Older and a little grizzled, but definitely still there.

Really looking forward to this one, the game play video just increased my enthusiasm.

kazooka wrote:
Redwing wrote:

My only real concern there was... where's Central Officer Bradford?!

Pretty sure he was there on the little video-com link in the corner. Older and a little grizzled, but definitely still there.

And by my ear sounds awfully a lot like Lance Henriksen.

Either the wait for Arkham Knight's getting to me or I really hate success, for I've started an Ironman run in XCOM1. At least when I fail, I know it'll carry over into the sequel.

Rat Boy wrote:

Either the wait for Arkham Knight's getting to me or I really hate success, for I've started an Ironman run in XCOM1. At least when I fail, I know it'll carry over into the sequel.

Is this your equivalent of getting your parent shot in perperation?

Mantid wrote:
Rat Boy wrote:

Either the wait for Arkham Knight's getting to me or I really hate success, for I've started an Ironman run in XCOM1. At least when I fail, I know it'll carry over into the sequel.

Is this your equivalent of getting your parent shot in perperation?

The near squad wipe thanks to the Mutons in an abduction mission a little while ago comes close.

Yeah, so I probably shouldn't have turned on Damage Roulette. Also probably shouldn't have turned on the thing that randomly leveled up stats to the point where a soldier getting winged causes others to crap their Titan armor. On the other hand...canon!

Was looking at an interview over at GameTrailers. Officer Bradford confirmed!

Interview has nothing else new. Footage of 2nd video with Viper and Berserker.

tanstaafl wrote:

XCOM 2 Mod Support

Solomon predicts free-aiming will be one “one of the first mods”,

Anybody know what this means? I've got 400hrs on EU and EW and I don't know how free-aiming would fit into this game.

Also I want to put in my vote for controller support. It's the only way I played the PC version. I wonder if it can be modded in before Firaxis adds it officially. And we need "overwatch all" on the controller. The keyboard had that but the controller did not (or at least I could never find it).

Questengine wrote:
tanstaafl wrote:

XCOM 2 Mod Support

Solomon predicts free-aiming will be one “one of the first mods”,

Anybody know what this means? I've got 400hrs on EU and EW and I don't know how free-aiming would fit into this game.

Also I want to put in my vote for controller support. It's the only way I played the PC version. I wonder if it can be modded in before Firaxis adds it officially. And we need "overwatch all" on the controller. The keyboard had that but the controller did not (or at least I could never find it).

I believe Firaxis said they would work on controller support at some point. You could always get a Steam Controller. It's great that that thing will be able to work with basically every PC game ever so games without controller support will have controller support. UI and text size will still be an issue though if you are playing from a distance.

I think free-aiming means you will be able to aim at aliens like a shooter. So you would select fire, then it would go into a free-aiming mode where you can target parts of the bodies. Then I guess it's up to the mod how accuracy works.

I'm kinda torn, in that I want controller support, but I don't want a UI that is somewhat crippled for mouse/keyboard because it was built for controller like last time.

I already have a Steam Controller on preorder.

BNice wrote:
Questengine wrote:
tanstaafl wrote:

XCOM 2 Mod Support

Solomon predicts free-aiming will be one “one of the first mods”,

Anybody know what this means? I've got 400hrs on EU and EW and I don't know how free-aiming would fit into this game.

I think free-aiming means you will be able to aim at aliens like a shooter. So you would select fire, then it would go into a free-aiming mode where you can target parts of the bodies. Then I guess it's up to the mod how accuracy works.

"Free-aiming" refers to the ability in the original X-Com games to shoot at a specific tile as opposed to an alien. This allowed you to shoot into the fog of war to potentially hit an alien or to target walls/objects to destroy them. As opposed to XCOM:EU in which to shoot your gun, you must target an alien.

Tkyl wrote:
BNice wrote:
Questengine wrote:
tanstaafl wrote:

XCOM 2 Mod Support

Solomon predicts free-aiming will be one “one of the first mods”,

Anybody know what this means? I've got 400hrs on EU and EW and I don't know how free-aiming would fit into this game.

I think free-aiming means you will be able to aim at aliens like a shooter. So you would select fire, then it would go into a free-aiming mode where you can target parts of the bodies. Then I guess it's up to the mod how accuracy works.

"Free-aiming" refers to the ability in the original X-Com games to shoot at a specific tile as opposed to an alien. This allowed you to shoot into the fog of war to potentially hit an alien or to target walls/objects to destroy them. As opposed to XCOM:EU in which to shoot your gun, you must target an alien.

Like the old trick of hanging around a gas station surrounded by Chryssalids and going out in a big and honorable fireball.

b12n11w00t wrote:

It would be cool if sword attack worked with movement(like it appeared to), so you could move up and hit someone within your regular zone of movement but could then move back into cover with your second action.

Even if that's not the default mechanic, it might be something unlocked by a class ability.

Like "Hit and Run" or "Close Combat Specialist"