UFO: Aftermath

[Hertston]

Thought I'd post a mini-review thingie as some folks posting in the "redone games" thread seemed interested.

First up, UFO:AF is NOT an X-Com sequel, but it would be pretty futile to attempt to review it without referring to those games (a lot), if only as common frame of reference with those interested. They do have an awful lot in common. So here goes.

Strategic layer. Different, and somewhat limited. No money management, base building or recruitment - bases and territory are captured rather than constructed. Character development is very good.. effects are (generally) noticeable, and you do start to "care" about your boys (and girls) at least to some extent. R&D is implemented very well... it has a nice logical structure and you have a lot more control than X-Com over the paths your R&D takes. X-Com was pretty much "do everything" - in Aftermath you need to choose, at least in the first half of the game. I like the touch of intercepting UFO's with Eurofighters, MiG 29s and such - adds a nice "Independence Day" feel. Overall though, though things do get more complicated as your territory (and the biomass) increases, the strategic side is pretty much just a framework for the tactical game.

Tactical game. There will be a lot of opinions on this, and personal "tilt" is very important. Totally different from X-Com in any of it's incarnations, and LSN, it's basically a "real-time that stops when anything happens" approach. You have full control to pause and amend orders etc at any time. It actually works very well IMHO. There is an awful lot of tactical subtlety possible that initially you don't appreciate (most comments to the contrary are from those who have only played a few "simple" intro missions), and as the game progresses you need to learn how to apply it to succeed. The interface is easy to use, and easy to customise (turn off the voice sounds asap - unbelievably annoying even if the voice acting had been good - it isn't), and tactical missions flow very smoothly. "Random" or not, they can get a little repetitive, but so did X-Com. Best feature though is the variety of weapons, everything has it's use and it's place - and needs different tactics to use succesfully. Don't overlook some of the early stuff, even as the alien technology becomes available. Worst features are limited AI (this gets propped by "porked up" firepower) and maps which get a little tight.. in the UFOs particularly just orientating your troops correctly can be an (often fatal) annoyance.

Overall. Review scores have been in the mid-high seventies which is probably about right. You'll see a lot worse games scoring higher though. The biggest problem with UFO:AF is the X-Com hang-up on the part of just about everyone, Aftermath isn't as good, but it never could have been as good. You can never top nostalgia.. as UFO:Apocalyse demonstrated. Take UFO:AF on it's own merits, and while it won't have X-Com longevity, you'll get your money's worth and some entertainment until EYSA is released, anyway

[Zakhal]

The Bucket: 2003-10-06: "UFO: Disappointment"

[Hertston]

You don't like it, then ?

Perhaps you might take the trouble to tell people why ?

[Zakhal]

Even if UFO:A is not xcom sequal (they could as well have named it as "Alien Shoot'em-up") it doesnt explain the fact that the game is very very poor. Strategical part is totally lacking and tactical combat simplified, boring, ugly, sounds stupid, plays stupid and looks like one too.

If only atleast the combat had been interesting it might have saved som of the game. But it wasnt.

UFO:A fits nicely next to moo3 in the garbage bin.

[Firefly]

Personally I'd rank it behind Enemy Unknown, But ahead of Apocalypse, which was just plain tedious, and TFTD, which was an expansion pack disguised as a full game.

I've had a couple of CTDs though, which may be due to me sticling with Nvidia's 30.82 Detonator Drivers until they come up with something better. I checked the Tech Support board at their site and it looks like there are a few other issues, which I've not encountered myself, so people might want to wait for the patch.

[NefariousKoel]

Well, thanks for the reivew Herts. I don't like the idea of how the strategic layer is so limited, but most of them are when the bread and butter is up close. I think the reason I was so nostalgic of X-Com was the setting and the fact that the it just "felt" creepy. I'll have to check this one out sometime.

[Spickle]

I like it. It isn't UFO1 nor XCom, but its a good game in its own right. Yes its simplistic and yes you'll cry that it could've been so much more, but that doesn't mean its bad. I'd liken it to Syndicate.

It does have a ground breaking element though. IMHO the realtime/turnbased combat system they have is excellent. The best combination of both worlds and I'd I think it should be used in every single strategy game coming out.

[Hertston]

I'd liken it to Syndicate.

Now THERE'S a game that could do with a remake It's a pretty good comparison, actually.

I like the combat system too... it has it's faults in Aftermath, but none of those are inherent to the way the system itself works. Has anyone played both Aftermath and the EYSA beta... isn't EYSA supposed to operate in a similar way as an option (i.e pausing when "things happen" to change orders etc) ?

[Spickle]

Now THERE'S a game that could do with a isn't EYSA supposed to operate in a similar way as an option (i.e pausing when "things happen" to change orders etc) ?

Its not just the pause option, but the way you can stack up orders and the easy at which they can be changed should the unexpected happen. Its all very simple to use.

[NefariousKoel]

EYSA doesn't pause when something happens... it pauses at set time intervals of which there are a few to choose from.

Pausing when something happens (and going turn-based) is what the Fallout series did. That was fun stuff.

[Firefly]

The turn system in UFO doesn't pause and turn turn-based, though, it just pauses so you can issue orders and reverts to real-time when you press 'go'. The nearest thing I've seen is the system used in the Baldur's Gate/Planescape Torment games, although they didn't allow you to 'stack' orders.

[Zakhal]

If you want some real post-apocalyptic squad based combat, wait for the fall: last days of gaia. Time to raise fallout from the dead! Release in 2004 Q1.

Description: A post-apocalyptic 3D-RPG set in 2083
- 1000 NPCs
- 150 subquests

www.the-fall.com

english interview

pic1

pic2

[Fallschirmjager]

Dont liken this to fallout...

[Zakhal]

Its not an official sequal but definetly close enough to be a clone. A fallout-wannabe like arx fatalis was the unofficial ultima underworld 3.

*non-linear story
*lots of npcs (different sorts of gangs, Indians, mutants and a lot of other very interesting groups and freaks. Mostly it’s up to the player if he fights against them or decides to talk his way through) and subquests (different options to solve each quest)
*Simulation of a complete post-catastrophe world (SW USA wasteland, dozens of towns, villages, caves and other places)
*party upto six members, each with their own characteristics
*Day- and night-cycle effects plus lifelike daily routines for every single NPC enhance realism
*vehicles like pick-ups or buggies
*fight system for real-time and simulated turn-based battles and countless tactical options
*interaction with the environment such as digging for water,hunting and gutting animals,building & modifying weapons and vechiles
*More than 300 different weapons, armor and other items
*camera perspectives from ISO to 3rd person.
*6 attributes, 14 skills, perks (i.e headshot or fast-loading for light weps), life experience, body features, etc.

[Spickle]

The turn system in UFO doesn't pause and turn turn-based, though, it just pauses so you can issue orders and reverts to real-time when you press 'go'. The nearest thing I've seen is the system used in the Baldur's Gate/Planescape Torment games, although they didn't allow you to 'stack' orders.

But Baldur's Gate and Planescape are technically turn based, the turns just run continously. Its the same in UFO. Every actions takes a number of turns to complete and a turn lasts about 0.5-1 second.

That Fall game looks interesting.

EYSA doesn't pause when something happens... it pauses at set time intervals of which there are a few to choose from.

See I'd prefer being able set pauses for incidents, although one might argue that the game loses its frantic appeal that way. However, as in UFO, you could have options for what actions cause a pause. Stacking orders are also important. IF we're going to talk about EYSA then look at CC. One of my biggest problems with the latter is that I can't really stack orders. I can set waypoints, sure, but I can't tell a unit to move fast from A to B, sneak from B to C and then once reaching C go into ambush mode, or start firing at a certain area of the map. Wait orders are important to. It'd be nice to be able to tell you your ment to move somewhere, hold for a few seconds, then move on.

[Zakhal]

Anyone interested of squad based combat such definetly check out soldiers of anarchy. Its a roadwarrior/twilight2000 style post-apocalyptic game. Combat is realtime *but* it works ok and feels a bit like jagged alliance. Thers plenty of cold war era stuff in it from submachine guns, kevlar vests to humvees, helicopters and t80's. Ok grafix and lots of nice animations like when people jump into the humvee they open the door and slam it closed. Gun sounds are good, shotgun sounds like shotgun instead of popgun like in UFO:A i.e. Soldiers can crouch, crawl and climb over fences. Houses and other stuff is destroyable.

Its mission based but each mission is a large area (you really need vechiles to drive around, walking is out of question) and it branches according to your decisions. Missions are very nice done, thers lots of stuff to explore in each, scavenge arms and recruit more soldiers. Lots of suprises and stuff.

Between mission you can tune up your battle team in your base, trade weapons (couple of dozen uzis for a rpg7 launcher and some ammo i.e), modify&repair your vechiles and aircraft (slap som extra armor and "grenademachinegun" or M60 into your humvee), equip your squadmates (binocs, molotovs, grenades, ammo, medpaks, drugs, combat vests, small&heavy arms, etc), treat your wounded in the field hospital, produce drugs and medicine, brief for next mission, examine details of all ingame weapons&vechiles and other items.

The development team for soldiers of anarchy (silver style entertainment*) is the same that is developing the fall: last days of gaia. The Fall uses the same engine (with lots of improvements of course).

Soldiers of Anarchy - reviews:

Video Game News - 89%
[...] Overall, however, Soldiers of Anarchy is the best squad based strategy game I've played in years. For fans of X-Com and Jagged Alliance, SoA is a must buy.
- Kevin Walker (Video Game News

US Military - 5 Stars
Sometimes you get tired of saving the World by controlling vast amounts of air, sea, and land power, and you just want to go back to the good old days when you were an NCO in charge of a squad. Enter Soldiers of Anarchy [...]
- Rod Powers

screenshot1
screenshot2
screenshot3

Soldiers of Anarchy features:

• 3D-realtime tactic at it's best, vast 3 dimensional landscapes full of action
• Thrilling non-linear story
• Comfortable 3D-editor for building single and multiplayer levels
• Complex ecological system with varying flora and fauna
• Realistic environmental elements; rain, snow, daylight and darkness
• Dozens of realistic war units with multiple weapons systems
• Knock over walls, push boulders, fell trees; nearly everything is destructible
• Special skills and military rank for every soldier
• Atmospheric music and 3D-sound
• Intuitive control of the camera
• Thrilling multiplayer missions for up to 8 players
• ...and many more surprises and exciting details

*The Fall: Last Days of Gaia is in development by the accomplished development studio Silver Style Entertainment ( www.silver-style.com ), which is located in Berlin/Germany. Silver Style Entertainment's most recent product was the award-winning Soldiers of Anarchy ( www.soldiers-of-anarchy.com ), which received great appreciation worldwide.

[gunny]

Anyone interested of squad based combat such definetly check out soldiers of anarchy. Its a roadwarrior/twilight2000 style post-apocalyptic game. Combat is realtime *but* it works ok and feels a bit like jagged alliance.
[/i]

Been playing SOA for 7 months or so now. Yeah its good for the most part. But I really hate the AI. The enemy is heavily scripted and reacts to triggers only, with no tactical AI.

Your objectives are behind a sentry that marches the same pattern until triggered by your approach for example, so the replay value is not there. The game would've been a contender if the AI was a little more pro active and random.

[NefariousKoel]

I've had SOA for a long time and just never got into it very heavily. I'm sure I'll come back to it, but those homely bright green berets they wear just pizz me off. And jumping from soldier to soldier when I'm trying to sneak up or ambush is a pain since they'll die very quickly when you're elsewhere. Maybe I'll give it another run sometime soon.