Is it at all possible that the people who enjoy X-Com are also people who enjoyed it when it first came out, or soon after?
Because I tried it, and got turned off straight away. Perhaps nostalgia plays an important part in its continued fan-base.
Nope. The only X-COM I ever played and even heard of until recently was Enforcer. Then I got the original and it's fantastic, a real shame there's nothing else out there close to that perfection.
Jagged Alliance 2 not only comes close, it's better than X-COM, and by a pretty wide margin.
This is absolutely true in every way. In fact, I would even say that JA2 is about perfect.
But JA2 does only a third of what X-COM did. Where's the base management, the tech research and the political juggling?
You have a boatload of other things going on instead. Merc personalities and morale, a more involved and in-depth financial managment system, the whole mechanic of taking over and holding towns and other areas with training militia, the plethora of NPCs and missions outside of the main plot. And then tonnes of other things like weapon and equipment upgrading, macguyver style crafting, vehicles, fatigue etc etc etc.
To say that Jagged Alliance 2 is lacking in content compared to X-COM or to act like the entire game is merely the combat is hilariously misrepresentative. Jagged Alliance 1 is fairly comprable in the level of what's going on to X-COM. 2 is miles ahead.
You can go on the internet in-game and send a boquet of flowers to the enemy leader and it shows you them arriving at her palace.
Which X-Com games were bad and which one should I start with?
You should totally start with Terror from the Deep.
Don't you think he should learn to properly fear Chrysalids before encountering ones that fly?
I'd recommend UFO Defense then TFTD. They are essentially the same game with a reskin, but TFTD has a higher difficulty due to some small but significant changes to the enemies. Personally, I ignore every other X-Com game after that but some people do like Apocalypse.
Which X-Com games were bad and which one should I start with?
Traditionally, UFO Defense and then Terror.
Most people agree that Defense,Terror and Apocalypse are the best in the series. I found Interceptor to be okay but the space battles get old fast.
Enforcer is bullshit.
Ferrus on
I would like to pause for a moment, to talk about my penis.
My penis is like a toddler. A toddler—who is a perfectly normal size for his age—on a long road trip to what he thinks is Disney World. My penis is excited because he hasn’t been to Disney World in a long, long time, but remembers a time when he used to go every day. So now the penis toddler is constantly fidgeting, whining “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How about now? Now? How about... now?”
And Disney World is nowhere in sight.
Ok. Borderlands is fun as shit. Me and buddy got it and just sat down with it for 4 straight hours. Its hard, it satisfying, well, its everything I wanted.
Later today, Saints Row 2...and of course whatever I buy
Which X-Com games were bad and which one should I start with?
The first one (XCom: UFO Defense) and the second one (XCom: Terror From the Deep) are generally considered the best. The first one is slightly more accessible than the second one, which is crush your balls hard. The third one (XCom: Apocalypse) is different from the previous two and an aquired taste, but is grudgingly accepted as canon. The rest of the games are shit, plain and simple.
The Jagged Alliance games (available from GOG) are brilliant and among of very few who have managed to capture the magic of the first XCom games.
Ugh, the front Steam Store page isn't loading properly for me since thursday, I believe. The rest of the site is fine, but the front page is all scrambled stuff and it's pretty hard to figure things out.
Is it at all possible that the people who enjoy X-Com are also people who enjoyed it when it first came out, or soon after?
Because I tried it, and got turned off straight away. Perhaps nostalgia plays an important part in its continued fan-base.
Nope. The only X-COM I ever played and even heard of until recently was Enforcer. Then I got the original and it's fantastic, a real shame there's nothing else out there close to that perfection.
Jagged Alliance 2 not only comes close, it's better than X-COM, and by a pretty wide margin.
This is absolutely true in every way. In fact, I would even say that JA2 is about perfect.
But JA2 does only a third of what X-COM did. Where's the base management, the tech research and the political juggling?
Political juggling? Pretty early into the game you can just let all the balls drop when funding becomes inconsequential compared to sales of goods. It's not really an integral part of the game, except maybe in Apocalypse.
Which X-Com games were bad and which one should I start with?
You should totally start with Terror from the Deep.
Don't you think he should learn to properly fear Chrysalids before encountering ones that fly?
One of my favourite things about XCom is that the second game had a bug that accidentally set all games to Superhuman difficulty. It was generally considered insanely hard. The first had a bug that accidentally set all games to Beginner difficulty, and it was still considered insanely hard.
.edit Also Beat Hazard is amazing, but i really shouldn't be playing it at midnight when I have a cold and I can't keep my eyes open. FLASHING SEIZURE ROBOTS
So, Beat Hazard. After about 10 deaths, I don't think I've ever died to being hit by a weapon. Every single time I was hit by something on the edges of the screen that I couldn't see coming in. I like music games. Nay, love music games, but godddamn Beat Hazard is trying it damndest to make me not like it.
I can't play music games because I've accepted that my taste in music makes for lame games. I like slower jazzy or bluesy music, and that doesn't provide much of a challenge.
I wonder why Steam is selling them together in a bundle for 12 bucks then, it was pretty confusing for a while there. So if I am buying Pirates it just means that I will only be missing out on the original campaign or something right?
No, if you only buy Pirates, you are not missing out on anything. Pirates contains everything that the original does, and if you own Pirates, there is no reason whatsoever to own the original.
Edit: D2D is currently selling the entire Penumbra collection for $5. Hard to pass that up.
It has pretty awful performance issues. The SR2 thread has some recommendations, but ideally you should just put the entire thing on a bloody solid-state drive - any time it has to load from disk it starts to stutter, so driving fast can get really choppy.
That said, I had tons of fun with it even though I was lucky if I got 30 fps.
Hmm, that almost makes me regret buying saints row 2. But on the other hand it was THREE AND A HALF DOLLARS. So I think I'll live with that purchasing decision.
Ugh, the front Steam Store page isn't loading properly for me since thursday, I believe. The rest of the site is fine, but the front page is all scrambled stuff and it's pretty hard to figure things out.
Anyone else like this?
Had that problem yesterday but was fine by the end of the day.
I'm interested in Saint's Row 2 after reading about it in this thread, but is there any downside to just getting it on a console? Why bother with a bad port?
PolloDiablo on
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SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
I can't play music games because I've accepted that my taste in music makes for lame games. I like slower jazzy or bluesy music, and that doesn't provide much of a challenge.
You'd probably find Beat Hazard to be very challenging with that type of music. But it also probably wouldn't be very fun. The intensity of the music determines how intense your ship's weapons are. Never before have I gotten annoyed at Opeth's acoustic interludes.
I'm interested in Saint's Row 2 after reading about it in this thread, but is there any downside to just getting it on a console? Why bother with a bad port?
I can't play music games because I've accepted that my taste in music makes for lame games. I like slower jazzy or bluesy music, and that doesn't provide much of a challenge.
You'd probably find Beat Hazard to be very challenging with that type of music. But it also probably wouldn't be very fun. The intensity of the music determines how intense your ship's weapons are. Never before have I gotten annoyed at Opeth's acoustic interludes.
DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
edited July 2010
Apparently this Sniper: Ghost Warrior game is built on the Chrome engine.
The first time I saw the game, I didn't really think anything of it. Now that I'm having a lot of fun with the Chrome Pack I picked up dirt cheap in this sale, I'm really interested in this Sniper game all of a sudden. The engine has been really solid while playing Chrome. I haven't fallen through any level geometry (I'm looking at you, Crysis) or seen the AI aim in one direction while the bullets travel in another (STALKER, why you gotta be like that). The engine does a lot of neat things, one of which is insane draw distances. If these guys actually have nailed a realistic sniping experience with the ballistics, gear and tactics I'm seriously down for some Sniper: Ghost Warrior.
Once it gets super cheap.
Disclaimer: I absofuckinglutely love STALKER and Crysis, so I don't wanna hear any shit.
Apparently this Sniper: Ghost Warrior game is built on the Chrome engine.
The first time I saw the game, I didn't really think anything of it. Now that I'm having a lot of fun with the Chrome Pack I picked up dirt cheap in this sale, I'm really interested in this Sniper game all of a sudden. The engine has been really solid while playing Chrome. I haven't fallen through any level geometry (I'm looking at you, Crysis) or seen the AI aim in one direction while the bullets travel in another (STALKER, why you gotta be like that). The engine does a lot of neat things, one of which is insane draw distances. If these guys actually have nailed a realistic sniping experience with the ballistics, gear and tactics I'm seriously down for some Sniper: Ghost Warrior.
Once it gets super cheap.
Disclaimer: I absofuckinglutely love STALKER and Crysis, so I don't wanna hear any shit.
This makes me excited about that Sniper game. I was interested in the idea, but it looked like shovelware. Hearing that it's on a decent engine makes me happy. I bought the Chrome pack as well, but with everything else this week, I haven't gotten around to playing it.
Is it at all possible that the people who enjoy X-Com are also people who enjoyed it when it first came out, or soon after?
Because I tried it, and got turned off straight away. Perhaps nostalgia plays an important part in its continued fan-base.
Nope. The only X-COM I ever played and even heard of until recently was Enforcer. Then I got the original and it's fantastic, a real shame there's nothing else out there close to that perfection.
Jagged Alliance 2 not only comes close, it's better than X-COM, and by a pretty wide margin.
This is absolutely true in every way. In fact, I would even say that JA2 is about perfect.
But JA2 does only a third of what X-COM did. Where's the base management, the tech research and the political juggling?
Political juggling? Pretty early into the game you can just let all the balls drop when funding becomes inconsequential compared to sales of goods. It's not really an integral part of the game, except maybe in Apocalypse.
So JA2 is $7 on Steam right now. Is that a thing that you people are telling me I need to buy or what?
Is it at all possible that the people who enjoy X-Com are also people who enjoyed it when it first came out, or soon after?
Because I tried it, and got turned off straight away. Perhaps nostalgia plays an important part in its continued fan-base.
Nope. The only X-COM I ever played and even heard of until recently was Enforcer. Then I got the original and it's fantastic, a real shame there's nothing else out there close to that perfection.
Jagged Alliance 2 not only comes close, it's better than X-COM, and by a pretty wide margin.
This is absolutely true in every way. In fact, I would even say that JA2 is about perfect.
But JA2 does only a third of what X-COM did. Where's the base management, the tech research and the political juggling?
Political juggling? Pretty early into the game you can just let all the balls drop when funding becomes inconsequential compared to sales of goods. It's not really an integral part of the game, except maybe in Apocalypse.
So JA2 is $7 on Steam right now. Is that a thing that you people are telling me I need to buy or what?
In this case, you actually want the GOG version. The Steam version is borked up somehow.
Still can't bring myself to appreciate Beat Hazard. Your stream of projectiles is far too bright and wide, completely obscuring any attacks that are coming in on you (which also happen to look exactly like the pulsating stars in the background). Good thing they destroy you in one hit!
And I think I'd have problems with X-Com too, so I've been putting off trying that for ages. People's fond memories of it raping you, obliterating your men before you even understand what's going on, sounds like total bullshit. That doesn't make the game hardcore it makes it a nuisance that can go suck a dick.
Challenge is about presenting a player with clearly defined obstacles and having them react within a reasonable amount of time/devise the right countermeasure to succeed. It shouldn't be about throwing losses at the player until they manage to just scrape by.
.Tripwire. on
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MongerI got the ham stink.Dallas, TXRegistered Userregular
Is it at all possible that the people who enjoy X-Com are also people who enjoyed it when it first came out, or soon after?
Because I tried it, and got turned off straight away. Perhaps nostalgia plays an important part in its continued fan-base.
Nope. The only X-COM I ever played and even heard of until recently was Enforcer. Then I got the original and it's fantastic, a real shame there's nothing else out there close to that perfection.
Jagged Alliance 2 not only comes close, it's better than X-COM, and by a pretty wide margin.
This is absolutely true in every way. In fact, I would even say that JA2 is about perfect.
But JA2 does only a third of what X-COM did. Where's the base management, the tech research and the political juggling?
Political juggling? Pretty early into the game you can just let all the balls drop when funding becomes inconsequential compared to sales of goods. It's not really an integral part of the game, except maybe in Apocalypse.
So JA2 is $7 on Steam right now. Is that a thing that you people are telling me I need to buy or what?
In this case, you actually want the GOG version. The Steam version is borked up somehow.
Which isn't $7. Sweet. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to not spend money.
Still can't bring myself to appreciate Beat Hazard. Your stream of projectiles is far too bright and wide, completely obscuring any attacks that are coming in on you (which also happen to look exactly like the pulsating stars in the background). Good thing they destroy you in one hit!
I only played the demo of it. Could not stand it. I might forgive how thoroughly subpar the shooting and enemy design are if the game had more robust music analysis and level creation on the level of Audiosurf. And I might forgive the procedural stuff if the shooting approached being as tight and interesting as Geometry Wars. As it stands, I'd rather be playing Audiosurf or Everyday Shooter.
Posts
You have a boatload of other things going on instead. Merc personalities and morale, a more involved and in-depth financial managment system, the whole mechanic of taking over and holding towns and other areas with training militia, the plethora of NPCs and missions outside of the main plot. And then tonnes of other things like weapon and equipment upgrading, macguyver style crafting, vehicles, fatigue etc etc etc.
To say that Jagged Alliance 2 is lacking in content compared to X-COM or to act like the entire game is merely the combat is hilariously misrepresentative. Jagged Alliance 1 is fairly comprable in the level of what's going on to X-COM. 2 is miles ahead.
You can go on the internet in-game and send a boquet of flowers to the enemy leader and it shows you them arriving at her palace.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Don't you think he should learn to properly fear Chrysalids before encountering ones that fly?
I'd recommend UFO Defense then TFTD. They are essentially the same game with a reskin, but TFTD has a higher difficulty due to some small but significant changes to the enemies. Personally, I ignore every other X-Com game after that but some people do like Apocalypse.
Traditionally, UFO Defense and then Terror.
Most people agree that Defense,Terror and Apocalypse are the best in the series. I found Interceptor to be okay but the space battles get old fast.
Enforcer is bullshit.
And Disney World is nowhere in sight.
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
Later today, Saints Row 2...and of course whatever I buy
The first one (XCom: UFO Defense) and the second one (XCom: Terror From the Deep) are generally considered the best. The first one is slightly more accessible than the second one, which is crush your balls hard. The third one (XCom: Apocalypse) is different from the previous two and an aquired taste, but is grudgingly accepted as canon. The rest of the games are shit, plain and simple.
The Jagged Alliance games (available from GOG) are brilliant and among of very few who have managed to capture the magic of the first XCom games.
I mentioned doing that earlier but never got around to it. I can make one up today; I have some good content for an OP.
Robots Will Be Our Superiors (Blog)
http://michaelhermes.com
That would rock.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
You should do it. It would fill a needed gap.
Anyone else like this?
Political juggling? Pretty early into the game you can just let all the balls drop when funding becomes inconsequential compared to sales of goods. It's not really an integral part of the game, except maybe in Apocalypse.
One of my favourite things about XCom is that the second game had a bug that accidentally set all games to Superhuman difficulty. It was generally considered insanely hard. The first had a bug that accidentally set all games to Beginner difficulty, and it was still considered insanely hard.
.edit Also Beat Hazard is amazing, but i really shouldn't be playing it at midnight when I have a cold and I can't keep my eyes open. FLASHING SEIZURE ROBOTS
No, if you only buy Pirates, you are not missing out on anything. Pirates contains everything that the original does, and if you own Pirates, there is no reason whatsoever to own the original.
Edit: D2D is currently selling the entire Penumbra collection for $5. Hard to pass that up.
It has pretty awful performance issues. The SR2 thread has some recommendations, but ideally you should just put the entire thing on a bloody solid-state drive - any time it has to load from disk it starts to stutter, so driving fast can get really choppy.
That said, I had tons of fun with it even though I was lucky if I got 30 fps.
So, I got Tropico 3. Damn, this is fun.
Had that problem yesterday but was fine by the end of the day.
The Pipe Vault|Twitter|Steam|Backloggery|3DS:1332-7703-1083
You'd probably find Beat Hazard to be very challenging with that type of music. But it also probably wouldn't be very fun. The intensity of the music determines how intense your ship's weapons are. Never before have I gotten annoyed at Opeth's acoustic interludes.
My Backloggery
You can't mod your game on the console.
The Pipe Vault|Twitter|Steam|Backloggery|3DS:1332-7703-1083
It was pretty rad.
The first time I saw the game, I didn't really think anything of it. Now that I'm having a lot of fun with the Chrome Pack I picked up dirt cheap in this sale, I'm really interested in this Sniper game all of a sudden. The engine has been really solid while playing Chrome. I haven't fallen through any level geometry (I'm looking at you, Crysis) or seen the AI aim in one direction while the bullets travel in another (STALKER, why you gotta be like that). The engine does a lot of neat things, one of which is insane draw distances. If these guys actually have nailed a realistic sniping experience with the ballistics, gear and tactics I'm seriously down for some Sniper: Ghost Warrior.
Once it gets super cheap.
I don't hate X-Com. What are you talking about?
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (2017, colorized)
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (2017, colorized)
You want to know what? I think the Soulless Husk is probably the guy going around accusing people of being Soulless Husks.
I bought the game on a whim. It's been a great deal of (epileptic) fun so far.
Two posts above your post, Rami expressed his dislike of XCom.
This makes me excited about that Sniper game. I was interested in the idea, but it looked like shovelware. Hearing that it's on a decent engine makes me happy. I bought the Chrome pack as well, but with everything else this week, I haven't gotten around to playing it.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.
In this case, you actually want the GOG version. The Steam version is borked up somehow.
No, it's a stand-alone.
Not having the first one installed may limit your online multiplayer options, though.
Doesn't the THQ pack come with both of them?
Yeah I have the first one already, but not installed.
And I think I'd have problems with X-Com too, so I've been putting off trying that for ages. People's fond memories of it raping you, obliterating your men before you even understand what's going on, sounds like total bullshit. That doesn't make the game hardcore it makes it a nuisance that can go suck a dick.
Challenge is about presenting a player with clearly defined obstacles and having them react within a reasonable amount of time/devise the right countermeasure to succeed. It shouldn't be about throwing losses at the player until they manage to just scrape by.
edit: I only played the demo of it. Could not stand it. I might forgive how thoroughly subpar the shooting and enemy design are if the game had more robust music analysis and level creation on the level of Audiosurf. And I might forgive the procedural stuff if the shooting approached being as tight and interesting as Geometry Wars. As it stands, I'd rather be playing Audiosurf or Everyday Shooter.
All right, people. It is not a gerbil. It is not a hamster. It is not a guinea pig. It is a death rabbit. Death. Rabbit. Say it with me, now.