Question for David Heath

[Deadaim]

David,

I was wondering if you could answer a big question thats on everyones mind right now...I am assuming some of you at Matrix have had the chance to play UFO or at least can try it if you want to. My question is have you ever had a soldier die on a mission or is it true that they cant be killed? Could you try this for us and tell us if its true? I am not convinced that you cant die as stated in a review of the game, and even though it wont change my decision to buy the game either way I know it will for many others.

Thanks.

[Falesh]

Latest info is that when your soldiers die in battle the armour preserves the brain. Then when the body is returned to base they grow a new body and transplant the brain into it. Because they need the body if you lose the mission all bodies that died are lost forever.

See: http://www.ufo-extraterrestrials.com/fo ... php?t=1426

[Widell]

ORIGINAL: Falesh
Latest info is that when your soldiers die in battle the armour preserves the brain. Then when the body is returned to base they grow a new body and transplant the brain into it. Because they need the body if you lose the mission all bodies that died are lost forever.

See: http://www.ufo-extraterrestrials.com/fo ... php?t=1426

[Falesh]

?

[sage]

ORIGINAL: Falesh

?

I think that's the smily for, "That's the stupidest idea I ever heard. What kind of crack were the devs smoking anyway?"

[Falesh]

We can clone animals (Dolly the sheep), we can transplant a number of organs, someone has even transplanted one monkey head onto another monkey (not sure how long they survived). We are not a million miles away from being able to do the procedure ourselves. So please tell me why it is odd for people in the future to have somewhat more advanced tech?

[sage]

ORIGINAL: Falesh

We can clone animals (Dolly the sheep), we can transplant a number of organs, someone has even transplanted one monkey head onto another monkey (not sure how long they survived). We are not a million miles away from being able to do the procedure ourselves. So please tell me why it is odd for people in the future to have somewhat more advanced tech?

Out of curiousity, how much X-Com did you play?

Because, judging from the review, it is illogically implemented, and breaks one of the core elements of the original X-Com game. I think you've been pretty thoroughly refuted on the ufo developer board, so there's not a lot to add. But I'll humor you for a second and add a few new points:

* If the game truly doesn't add death, then your soldiers are essentially fearless, which breaks one of the other core elements of X-Com -- morale. God help the devs if they didn't implement morale. I'm only speculating, but I hope I'm not right.
* If permadeath can only occur when you lose all of your guys, then the lame and gamey solution is to just leave a guy on the shuttle. Lameness!
* Leaving the characters in the hospital for awhile is != death. If it's such a bad penalty, anyway, then just kill them.
* Why not have made cloning / brain transplants as described an advanced technology that one has to pay for for one's best soldiers? I.e. it requires a clone in the refer and special armor AND recovering the body. Then it becomes a natural part of the game play vs. some random a** lamo carebear decision on the part of the devs.

When I played x-com, I for one NEVER reloaded battles after my guys died -- that was one of the best features of the game. One of the tactics I used relied on this -- I simply hired any and all recruits I could, used crapy human technology only, and human-waved accross maps. It sounds like the trickle-through replacements and the no-death thing may make this impossible.

[Hanal]

Well I'm starting to be swayed by the concept no mater how strange the notion... if it means that my Commander with a 106 firing accuracy "dies" but then returns later with a revised accuracy rating of 40, then I can live with that..... 

[sage]

ORIGINAL: J P Falcon

Well I'm starting to be swayed by the concept no mater how strange the notion... if it means that my Commander with a 106 firing accuracy "dies" but then returns later with a revised accuracy rating of 40, then I can live with that..... 

That would be painful... but why not just make him dead?

[Hanal]

ORIGINAL: sage

ORIGINAL: J P Falcon

Well I'm starting to be swayed by the concept no mater how strange the notion... if it means that my Commander with a 106 firing accuracy "dies" but then returns later with a revised accuracy rating of 40, then I can live with that..... 

That would be painful... but why not just make him dead?

I think because they are not allowing you to buy recruits anymore and only parcel out replacements piecemeal....this then prevents one from buying soldiers in bulk, like they came from Walmart, and only keeping those who had decent ratings, dumping the really awful ones in the process....It seems the developers are trying to prevent some "gamey" tactics by doing this...we will all just have to wait until later in the week to see how it works out......

[LitFuel]

Maybe but you can be just as gamey on the other side of it..if that great rated guy get's injured you can always do the save and reload thing...or if you never want to lose a guy always leave one guy in the ship. I don't know, I just wish they had stuck with the original system and no one would have said a thing.

This post just in now:

"To be honest, i think that another issue is much more troubling that immortal soldiers.

It *seems* that you can only have one main base. The rest - you can only build hangars, radars and base defense systems. You even cannot have troops on other bases, not to mention labs and workshops. I still hope that some tech later in game will allow me to build proper secondary bases, but i don't hold high hopes for that."

Ugh!!...they dumbed it down too. This brings up some new questions now.

[Hanal]

This could be a problem but it also might make the game more challenging.....no more simultaneous research projects, manufacturing and experienced platoons allowed and if the troop count is low, then you probably could not defend all of your bases anyway....
All I know is that the Original XCom is still on my notebook hard drive, so I'll always have that comfort to return to...[;)]

[LitFuel]

I wonder if it means your bases can't be attacked now though? I liked it when the aliens took it to you and came knocking on your door.
 
Yeah I still have the original and Terror From The Deep installed. Though the graphics are getting harder and harder to look at. I wish I could get the third one to run, you would think it being newer that Apocalypse would be easier to get to run on XP. But no suck luck.

[Erik Rutins]

Your bases can definitely be attacked and if you don't build bases in all the nations on the planet, aliens can build bases in those nations and effectively take them over. They can attack your bases, you can attack their bases. I'm doing a bunch of simultaneous research projects right now.

[sage]

Good gawd, I hope this isn't true.

*cry*

ORIGINAL: LitFuel

Maybe but you can be just as gamey on the other side of it..if that great rated guy get's injured you can always do the save and reload thing...or if you never want to lose a guy always leave one guy in the ship. I don't know, I just wish they had stuck with the original system and no one would have said a thing.

This post just in now:

"To be honest, i think that another issue is much more troubling that immortal soldiers.

It *seems* that you can only have one main base. The rest - you can only build hangars, radars and base defense systems. You even cannot have troops on other bases, not to mention labs and workshops. I still hope that some tech later in game will allow me to build proper secondary bases, but i don't hold high hopes for that."

Ugh!!...they dumbed it down too. This brings up some new questions now.

[sage]

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Your bases can definitely be attacked and if you don't build bases in all the nations on the planet, aliens can build bases in those nations and effectively take them over. They can attack your bases, you can attack their bases. I'm doing a bunch of simultaneous research projects right now.

Can you comment on how death is handled, and whether your soldiers suffer from morale failure in the tactical game?

[Da_Junka]

ORIGINAL: Falesh

Latest info is that when your soldiers die in battle the armour preserves the brain. Then when the body is returned to base they grow a new body and transplant the brain into it. Because they need the body if you lose the mission all bodies that died are lost forever.

See: http://www.ufo-extraterrestrials.com/fo ... php?t=1426

No, no, no, this just don't work for me, sorry.
But I'm just going to have to put up with it because I'm still going to buy it.

[Falesh]

Out of curiousity, how much X-Com did you play?

Lots, it has been one of my favourite game series.

I think you've been pretty thoroughly refuted on the ufo developer board, so there's not a lot to add.

Excuse me? Instead of building straw men how about just answering my posts if you want to.

But I'll humor you for a second and add a few new points

How nice of you, I think I'll ignore you.