xcom: ufo defence, worth a purchase?

[The_root_of_all_evil]

This handsome reviewer thinks so [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/6.74218-Review-X-Com-Revival-Package]

obviously no shameless self advertising there ;P

Obviously

btw i remember you from krakens LP of dwarf fortress! did you die again or what happened to you?

Kraken's had to take a break for college, but FemRoot is still making Aidinthel's life a misery. She has two daughters now

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Yeah, sadly the influence stuck more with players than with developers.

But, quite frankly, as I get older I turn more and more towards classic, 'outdated' games. The challenge level is so much more intense. My pet project now is finishing Fantasy General. So hard it makes Baby Jesus cry, just the way I like it =)

Oh LORD I know. I revisit FG every few years. I think "This time I'm going to finish you, Fantasy General". And every time I do really well. Really, really well. And I think "this isn't so bad...clearly I've matured to the point where the challenges of Fantasy General are no longer a match for my vast experience as a gamer". Then I reach a certain point and it's "Oh...right. Fuck you, Fantasy General!".

I strongly recommend you look into an obscure series of games called "Elven Legacy". The story line is atrocious (but easily ignored), but in all other ways it basically IS Fantasy General. Not an homage. Not a "similar to" type of situation. It's basically the same bloody game in a slightly different setting. And it's just as ball crushingly difficult. But with a graphical update!

PS - You might want to try the 1.13 mod for JA2 as well, there's some cruel difficulty options in there for a game that was already punishing.

 

[gonzo20]

This handsome reviewer thinks so [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/6.74218-Review-X-Com-Revival-Package]

obviously no shameless self advertising there ;P

Obviously

btw i remember you from krakens LP of dwarf fortress! did you die again or what happened to you?

Kraken's had to take a break for college, but FemRoot is still making Aidinthel's life a misery. She has two daughters now

rofl omfg i remember you "made" that poor husband of yours have sex with you and your ingenious blood armor!

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

rofl omfg i remember you "made" that poor husband of yours have sex with you and your ingenious blood armor!

Of all the things I've done....this is what I get remembered for...

 

[StrixMaxima]

Oh LORD I know. I revisit FG every few years. I think "This time I'm going to finish you, Fantasy General". And every time I do really well. Really, really well. And I think "this isn't so bad...clearly I've matured to the point where the challenges of Fantasy General are no longer a match for my vast experience as a gamer". Then I reach a certain point and it's "Oh...right. Fuck you, Fantasy General!".

I strongly recommend you look into an obscure series of games called "Elven Legacy". The story line is atrocious (but easily ignored), but in all other ways it basically IS Fantasy General. Not an homage. Not a "similar to" type of situation. It's basically the same bloody game in a slightly different setting. And it's just as ball crushingly difficult. But with a graphical update!

PS - You might want to try the 1.13 mod for JA2 as well, there's some cruel difficulty options in there for a game that was already punishing.

Tee hee, very similar experiences, indeed. I am already done with Elven Legacy, nice little title.

The good thing about talking about golden oldies is meeting more old farts like me =P X-Com threads are the Holy Grail for grizzled gamers.

 

[gonzo20]

rofl omfg i remember you "made" that poor husband of yours have sex with you and your ingenious blood armor!

Of all the things I've done....this is what I get remembered for...

hehe i almost died because some dum ass recruits didnt cover me and i fell into a ravine, luckily i crawled my way out (i like to imagine the skyrim music playing in the background)

 

[BloatedGuppy]

The good thing about talking about golden oldies is meeting more old farts like me =P X-Com threads are the Holy Grail for grizzled gamers.

Indeed. I feel like a relic of a bygone age in here sometimes, prattling on about my Ultima's and my X-Coms and my Starflights. You name an ancient PC Game, and I probably played the crap out of it.

If you know of any more Elven Legacyish types of games lurking out there, please let me know. A recent replay of JA2 reminded me just how much I miss good turn based gaming, and Civ 5 just isn't scratching the itch, and I don't have 6 months to finish 5 turns of a Total War campaign.

 

[StrixMaxima]

Indeed. I feel like a relic of a bygone age in here sometimes, prattling on about my Ultima's and my X-Coms and my Starflights. You name an ancient PC Game, and I probably played the crap out of it.

If you know of any more Elven Legacyish types of games lurking out there, please let me know. A recent replay of JA2 reminded me just how much I miss good turn based gaming, and Civ 5 just isn't scratching the itch, and I don't have 6 months to finish 5 turns of a Total War campaign.

I just fall back to Heroes of Might and Magic 3 when I feel the need of some good turn based combat. If you fiddle with the difficulty sliders, it can be pretty taxing.

Great game, stood against the test of time.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I just fall back to Heroes of Might and Magic 3 when I feel the need of some good turn based combat. If you fiddle with the difficulty sliders, it can be pretty taxing.

Great game, stood against the test of time.

Ah, HOMM. I do believe King's Bounty gave me my HOMM fix for the year. I think HOMM2 was my favorite of the series. Something about those Hanna Barbera quality graphics triggers a nostalgia flood.

Of course, the AI in HOMM cheats like a ************, so my enthusiasm for it always wanes quickly once I start actually playing. How did you get all those troops, AI? YOU HAVE ONE CITY.

 

[StrixMaxima]

Ah, HOMM. I do believe King's Bounty gave me my HOMM fix for the year. I think HOMM2 was my favorite of the series. Something about those Hanna Barbera quality graphics triggers a nostalgia flood.

Of course, the AI in HOMM cheats like a ************, so my enthusiasm for it always wanes quickly once I start actually playing. How did you get all those troops, AI? YOU HAVE ONE CITY.

HOMM 3 is my favorite, because the artwork is still goofy, but the playing field and types of races are much more interesting, and there's an actual strategy curve involved.

The AI cheats like there's no tomorrow, but CIV games are also notorious offenders. Being stormed by Egyption Musketeers around 300 AD is not funny.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

HOMM 3 is my favorite, because the artwork is still goofy, but the playing field and types of races are much more interesting, and there's an actual strategy curve involved.

The AI cheats like there's no tomorrow, but CIV games are also notorious offenders. Being stormed by Egyption Musketeers around 300 AD is not funny.

Yeah Civilization and HOMM share the cake for most egregious cheating in a strategy game. Trireme's crossing ocean tiles and all that good stuff. The good news if you're a fan of the series is the AI took the game off for Civ 5. If they're cheating to get a leg up, I'm not seeing any evidence of it. In fact, I have no idea what it is they're meant to be getting up to. It's certainly not "winning the game".

 

[Savagezion]

hey guys ive heard mostly good things about xcom ufo defence from the people who generally rage at the new xcom so im wondering, is it worth paying 3 pounds for this game? i played fallout tactics and i enjoyed that

Once you get a few missions under your belt, I bet you will agree it is worth 10 euros even as dated as it is. More if the graphics and UI weren't as dated.

 

[gonzo20]

HOMM 3 is my favorite, because the artwork is still goofy, but the playing field and types of races are much more interesting, and there's an actual strategy curve involved.

The AI cheats like there's no tomorrow, but CIV games are also notorious offenders. Being stormed by Egyption Musketeers around 300 AD is not funny.

Yeah Civilization and HOMM share the cake for most egregious cheating in a strategy game. Trireme's crossing ocean tiles and all that good stuff. The good news if you're a fan of the series is the AI took the game off for Civ 5. If they're cheating to get a leg up, I'm not seeing any evidence of it. In fact, I have no idea what it is they're meant to be getting up to. It's certainly not "winning the game".

btw i just want to say, your avatar is awesome, where did you find it?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

btw i just want to say, your avatar is awesome, where did you find it?

Do a Google image search for "Bloated Fish" and you'll see the happy little bastard about two pages down. I know he's not actually a Guppy, but as it turns out actual Guppies don't really get all that bloated. Plus, look at him! He's so jolly. I couldn't resist.

 

[gonzo20]

btw i just want to say, your avatar is awesome, where did you find it?

Do a Google image search for "Bloated Fish" and you'll see the happy little bastard about two pages down. I know he's not actually a Guppy, but as it turns out actual Guppies don't really get all that bloated. Plus, look at him! He's so jolly. I couldn't resist.

may i ask why you chose a bloated fish for your avatar and name? lol

 

[BloatedGuppy]

may i ask why you chose a bloated fish for your avatar and name? lol

Bit of a long story. Back in the days of Starcraft 1, you could "smurf" yourself by constantly creating new accounts with a 0-0 record. This way you could get into more relaxed games and not constantly be up against the wall by playing at your actual skill level (something that made Starcraft 2 impossibly stressful for me...I'm a Diamond? The FUCK I'm a Diamond. Put me back in SILVER). So I'd make new accounts on those occasions I just wanted to muck around and not get gang banged by three Korean Robots. I'd use "Adjective" + "Animal Name" when doing this. CandiedLlama. SoftPanda. MildRaccoon. Eventually I settled on BloatedGuppy and liked it so much I ended up playing over 900 games on that account.

I BET YOU DIDN'T EXPECT TO GET SUCH A DETAILED ANSWER, DID YOU? I BET YOU'RE SORRY YOU ASKED NOW!

 

[Wereduck]

One thing you should know about X-Com: although it is the best game of all time it takes a long time to play through.

 

[derelict]

It's an old game. That's my warning. It's a very old game. Some of the interface peculiarities have not improved with age.

That said, it's quite arguably the best tactical strategy game of all time.

Yaknow, this is slightly off topic, but Ive just recently seen Frozen Synapse, and I bet that game engine would lend itself so, so well to an X-com title, one that'd sort of hearken back to the original gameplay without aping it directly.


OT, OP: If you do get it, I advise looking up the X-com steam lag fix, which involves fiddling with the dosbox config, else it runs like crap.

 

[Anthony Wells]

If you're okay with outdated (extremely so) graphics and UI, and if you enjoyed Tactics I'd said that you are... Then yes, definitely.

games should never be judged by graphics. only gameplay and such should be taken into account. if its fun why should what it looks like matter?