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X-COM

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Re: X-COM

#211

Post by adamnew123456 »

iso8859-1 wrote: post #182

How do I run this smoothly on Linux?

The series overall has a pretty good cross-platform story:

- The original DOS versions run well on DOSBox from what I've heard, although I've never tried them personally.

- There's also a re-implementation of the game engine in the form of OpenXcom [1], which supports UFO Defense and TFTD (there's a separate version for Apocalypse around somewhere). Requires the original assets but includes a lot of small changes over the base game that make it less annoying to play overall, in addition to not requiring DOSBox.

- The Firaxis games both have native versions. I can't currently get stock XCOM 2 to run due to library link issues (the joys of running on an unstable distro), but both Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within and War of the Chosen run fairly well.

https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php/Installing_(OpenXcom)

Re: X-COM

#212

Post by JohnBooty »

Delk wrote: post #176
hooande wrote: post #15

I loved, loved X-COM. It had an ability to capture imagination in a way that few turn based strategy games do. The randomly generated soldier names still loom large as heroes in my mind. I was affected when they were killed in action. "Bernard Dujardin", wherever you are, I salute you

It did get slightly comical when one of them died (or you started another game from the beginning) and you had the second or third guy with the exact same name down the road, though. But it's true, you did grow attached. Since in some sense the nature of the game is also that your soldiers will die -- and sometimes a lot of them -- because of a small mistake or just due bad luck, that creates a weird dichotomy where…

The reboots are a bit of a different beast, but they really lean into the soldier attachment thing. You can deeply customize your soldiers, and in XCOM2 they even gain visible scars (!) and emotional wounds (!!) and form bonds with other soldiers based on their experiences.

It's all bait, of course. Because they are gonna die. A lot. A rather deliciously sadistic design choice, encouraging you to form attachments like that. =)

My general rule of thumb in XCOM is that rookies are lower than dog crap. Not even human. You do not rename rookies because rookies don't even deserve a name in the first place, much less a new name. If there was an in-game mess hall I wouldn't even let them eat with the other soldiers. If they somehow survive a few drops... well, then we can talk lol.

Re: X-COM

#213

Post by _dps »

TheAlchemist wrote: post #165
tomalpha wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Completely agree. For me the upbeat music really made the atmosphere of the original Colonization, and the later remake (based on Civ 4?) with its more downbeat soundtrack was much less enjoyable.

Oh yes ! I've recently, by accident, found some of the tracks on Spotify: Old Joe Clark - Fiddle Fiddle Fiddle: https://open.spotify.com/track/7HgGcA99K6wvF2nBwTY8nm?si=f-A... Music for a found harmonium - Patrick Street: https://open.spotify.com/track/5vKaYFrSdHcFYsSz9gaDQg?si=pv-... Here you go back to teenage years :D

(Almost) entire game soundtrack by various artists, including a nice version of my favorite piece, Fisher's Hornpipe (note Yo Yo Ma also has a version)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0jHjEJUeGqKisKEagkh46N

Re: X-COM

#214

Post by Andrew_nenakhov »

PhaedrusV wrote: post #207
Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TIL about the existence of OpenXCom, so I guess I know where my next weekend will go...

Yeah, it breathed new life into the basic game in a big way. The mods, on the other hand, get pretty different.

Unfortunately, their website appears to be down, at least for the last couple of hours..

Re: X-COM

#215

Post by Andrew_nenakhov »

Natsu wrote: post #195
Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #134

I love the original X-com and take it for a spin every few years. By far the greatest thing original X-com had was the sense of mystery and dread of the unknown on your first playthrough. You didn't know what lies ahead, you didn't know what technologies to research, and how to do what. New aliens were catching you by surprise all the time, and Chrysalids, god, they were so so scary. When I got to flying armor my guy…

> I actually managed to beat X-Com 2 in Ironman mode on Commander difficulty without losing any soldier, and THAT was a major feat, I tell you. Dodging save corruption is itself impressive :)

Actually I did backups every few hours, but so far I never encountered savefile corruption in x-com games. Happened to me a few times in ck2/eu4 though.

Re: X-COM

#216

Post by b0rsuk »

neilprosser wrote: post #102

Definitely one of my favourite games growing up (along with Colonization). I'm reminded of one of my best gaming facepalms which occurred playing X-COM. We'd been playing the game for ages and had found it very difficult to kill all the aliens during the ground missions. We'd go round the whole map attempting to find the last remaining aliens before having to give up. It was only when one of us accidentally clicked i…

I finished most of Terror From The Deep (until the tasoth medic/commander bug) without realizing you can shoot at targets spotted by other aquanauts.

Re: X-COM

#217

Post by gabereiser »

wazoox wrote: post #204
gabereiser wrote: post #194

12 year old me saw the box art at babbages and begged my mother to buy me the game. I didn't have a machine it could run on well. All I had at the time was a 486DX 66mhz IBM PC and I didn't care, lag and all, it was one of the most complex and satisfying gaming experiences. It's up there for me with Doom 1 (Ultimate Doom by the time I could afford to buy it). Quake. Ultima Online. Descent. SW: Tie Fighter. X-COM.

Man I've played X-Com for nights and nights on a 386SX16 with 2 MB RAM. The floppies where damaged for some reason, so some of the later levels (particularly on Mars) were heavily corrupted (missing maps parts with black holes, etc). The machine was so slow that the screen "hidden enemy move" sometimes lasted 10 minutes or more. Fun times.

Yesss! Leave it running while you went to school because you were too busy waiting for turns to save.

Re: X-COM

#218

Post by JohnBooty »

zenojevski wrote: post #105
JohnBooty wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know what you mean. So many things are like that. =) But I'd really like to hear the case in favor of TFTD. I might go so far as to call it objectively worse!

Of course it's a matter of personal taste. But disclaimer, TFTD was indeed my first entry to the series. And yes, I hate the ship as well. The atmosphere is absolutely terrifying. It really made me clutch for the life of my soldiers as if it was mine. It was unfair, but not without reason, as even today our submarine warfare would pale against T'Leth. So close yet so powerless. The superb work on the graphics brings…

I didn't find TFTD to be scarier than X-Com/UFO Defense! Not arguing; just funny how different people have subjective experiences.

I think the game you played first will be scarier. Once you've played one, the other one is obviously just a bit of a re-skin, and just doesn't have quite the same fear factor. =)

Re: X-COM

#219

Post by chaostheory »

sandworm101 wrote: post #175
Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #134

I love the original X-com and take it for a spin every few years. By far the greatest thing original X-com had was the sense of mystery and dread of the unknown on your first playthrough. You didn't know what lies ahead, you didn't know what technologies to research, and how to do what. New aliens were catching you by surprise all the time, and Chrysalids, god, they were so so scary. When I got to flying armor my guy…

Try "Xenonauts", a recent remake of X-com using the original mechanics. It isn't a direct port, they have added a couple mechanics in areas like air combat, but it is 95% x-com with better graphics. My want: Xenonauts + TFTD. TFTD was the pinnacle of the x-com franchise imho. That opening sequence, and all the sound, was amazing. I still hear TFTD sounds being reused in modern scifi.

One of the creators of X-com released his own game recently: Phoenix Point https://phoenixpoint.info/
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