Features

heniv over at the 2K forums has kindly allowed us to reproduce his list of known features from the game, which we'll be updating with his findings over time.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list as the game is still in development, and some speculative information will likely be corrected as more details are released from the developers.

General

• Release Date [33]
• October 9th North America
• October 12th International
• Collectors Edition [33]
• PC only
• "several goodies like an art book, fold-out poster of the XCOM headquarters, XCOM insignia patch, and even some digital stuff like the soundtrack, special art, and more." - 2K Greg
• Difficulty settings [E]
• Easy
• Normal
• Hard
• "Classic"
•  Ironman mode [E]
• Toggle at campaign start.
• No manual save only automatic, one savegame.
• PC version will have an "enhanced" UI compared to the console. [12]
• Soldier customization, name, looks, voice, country [13, 14]
• Nicknames at Sergeant rank. [15]
• Randomly generated mission names [20]
• "Glam-Cam" on/off setting. [31]
• Soldier voice on/off setting. [31]
• Possible HP-bar and damage hide/view in-game setting. [31]

Strategic

Funding Council [9]

• 16 Countries, funding and resource bonuses varies [12, 16]
• Trade & Missions continually [9]
• Bonus for complete satellite coverage of continents. [16]
• One base only [27]
  - Hangar bases for Interceptors on multiple continents
  - North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Europe confirmed [C]
  - Up to 4 Interceptors per interceptor-base. [C]

Missions

• Mission types/objectives, (a "handful" of different types) [14]
  - Terror missions
  - Hostage Extraction [27]
  - VIP rescue [27]
  - UFO crash clearing [32]
• Story or "Set type" missions. [14]
• Large number of hand-crafted maps. [20]
  - Unit placement procedurally generated.
• Mission Accomplished Screen [D at 15:25]
  - Aliens Killed (6, Excellent!)
  - X-Com Operatives Lost (1, Good)
• Mission Debrief Screen
  - New Research Available (Xeno-Biology, Weapon Fragments, Alien Materials)
  - Artefacts Recovered (2x Sectoid Corpse, 2x Muton Corpse, 14x Weapon Fragments)
• NPCs confirmed
  - Targets for aliens.
• Multiple attacks at once, player have to choose.
  - ""There is not just one group of aliens invading, they are hitting 2 cities at once, or three, or four. You have to make a decision, am I going to Hong Kong or ....."
  - "..where ever they don't respond to, they have the risk of loosing that country or increasign the panic-meter....." -Casey O'Toole on PAX. [E at 4:16:00].

Craft [D at 17:28]

• Interceptor [D at 17:28]
  - One weapon mount (Cannon may be standard side-arm)
  - Avalanche Missile

Research

• Item capture and resource requirement for research. [A, 31]
• Each and every research grants some gameplay bonus, not some only narrative. [31]
• Xeno-Biology
  - Slow (12 days)
  - Project Cost: 3 Sectoid Corpse
• Weapon Fragments
  - Normal (6 days)
  - Project Cost: 5 Weapon fragments
• Alien Materials
  - Normal (6 days)
  - Project Cost: 5 Weapon fragments

Base facilities [17]

• Static facilities [17]
  - Hangar
  - Mission Control
  - Situation Room - funding council
  - Armory
  - Barrack
  - Science Labs (?)
  - Engineering (?)
  - Infirmary (?)
• Expandable facilities
  - Alien Containment
  - Officer Training School - global perk unlocks for squad
  - Laboratories - boosts Science Lab
  - Workshop - boost Engineering, "Random resource rebate on whatever you built". -GI
  - The Foundry - large manufacturing projects
  - Power Generator [A]
  - Thermal Power Generator - more power, require steam vent [B]
  - Satellite Nexus [A]
  - Satellite Uplink - "monitor the airspace over different countries around the world." [A]
• 24 facility expansion slots [27]
• Bonus depending on adjacent facilities [D]
• Base resource: Power [A]

Tactical

Gameplay Mechanics

• Fog of War [3,9]
• Panic [9,12]
• Cover, looks like three types [screenshots]
  - Ability: "Hunker down", double defence, penalty to vision and cost one turn. [16]
• Line of Sight [3,9]
• Day and Night [9]
• TUs replaced with Move-Action mechanics instead. [9,12,13]
• Displayed by two small "play" arrows in UI.
• Two movements possible, UI displays range of Move-Action on ground. [D]
• Inventory grid page removed, replaced with an Ability Bar. [3, 14]
  - Still some type of inventory "slots" pre-mission.
• Critical Wounds, possible to revive but suffers permanent penalty to Will stat (panic). [14,15]
• SHIV, Mobile Weapons Platform [13]
  - Takes place of 1 soldier.
• Destructible environments [10,12]
  - Walls and Cover destructible, Roofs or Ground are not.
• Overwatch [21]
• Weapons explode into weapon fragments [Video A at 4:06]
• Auto-deployment, no Skyranger unload. [27]
• Free movement, no grid [27]
  - PC UI may feature a grid overlay for easy clicking. [E]
• Doors can be opened in several ways [27]

Aliens

• Weapons [D,E]
  - Plasma Pistol
  - Plasma Rifle
  - Alien Grenade
  - Alien weapons disintegrate to fragments upon death. [31]
  - Alive captured aliens keeps weapons intact (required for high-tier tech capture). [31]

• Sectoids
  - Ability: Mind Merge, extra health (but can kill both aliens). [11]
• Mutons
  - Ability: Blood Call, group combat bonuses. [7]
• Cyberdiscs
  - Two forms [7, screenshots]
• Thin Man (new alien type)
  - High mobility, poison [7]
• Berzerker (new alien type) [23]
  - Muton like, Heavy armoured, Close combat
  - Can destroy environments.
  - If damaged, will move torwards attacker regardless of turn. [E]
• Floater [29, F at 13:29] *NEW*
  - Flying
  - "Teleport"
• Alien "Hero" units, (psionic type hinted at) [14]

Soldiers

• Squad size start at four and can later upgrade to six. [9,12,20]
• Permanent death for soldiers [9]
• Classes/Perks confirmed. [10,11]
• Classes hidden until level up. [13]
• Choice of two abilities on level up (exclusively) [13]

Classes

• Sniper
  - Ability: Squad Sight, fire at enemy seen by any in squad. [13]
  - Ability: Snap Shot, quick shot after movement. [13]
  - Ability: Double Tap, Allows both actions to be used for Standard Shot, Precision Shot, or Disabling Shot. provided no moves were made. 1 turn cooldown. [D at 16:27]
  - Improved Overwatch, unit turn does not 'end' as long as he keeps landing hits on aliens. [22]
• Heavy
  - Ability: Supression, reduce target Aim by 30 and take free shot if the target moves. [D]
  - Ability: Focused Suppression, reduce target Aim by 65 and take free shot if the target moves. [11, D]
  - Ability: Tracer Beam Rounds, if hit alien takes extra damage from entire squad. [22]
• Assault
  - Ability: Run & Gun, on the turn you activate Run & Gun, you can fire after Dashing. [GI screenshot]
• Support
  - Ability: Smoke Grenade [14]
  - Ability: Rifle Suppression, reduce target Aim by 15 and take free shot if the target move. [14, D]
  - Ability: Some type of Improved Heal [14]

Equipment

• Weapons
  - Sniper Rifle (takes two actions to fire) [12] - Unlimited
  - Assault Rifle - Unlimited
  - Shotgun (Assault class only) - Unlimited
  - LGM (Heavy Class only) - Unlimited
  - "Arc Thrower", close range stun weapon. [31]
• Armour
  All soldiers can wear all types of items and armour. [14]
  - Body Armour - unlimited (start armour presumably) [D at 16:27]
  - Skeleton Suit, grapple hook to get to higher ground. [11]
  - Carapace Armour (Requires research) [D at 16:27]
  - Titan Armor (Requires research) [D at 16:27]
• Throwable
  - Frag Grenade, Grenades explode on impact.
  - Smoke Grenade, upgrade: stats enhancing drugs for soldiers inside. [22]
  - Battle Scanner, throw able sight improvement mechanic. [14]
• Laser Weapons [14]
• Medkit
  - Temporarily patch up a soldier's wound in combat, 2 charges. [B]

Sources

Videos

A. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=3uHHmTSDCvA
B. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJdPB...eature=related
C. http://www.gamestar.de/index.cfm?pid=1589&pk=65229
D. http://www.twitch.tv/2k/b/314356244 2KGames Pax Stream
E. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4a5biRyFLA Curse cover of PAX Panel
F. http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/...rs-tv/152?ch=3 [at 13:27] GameTrailers TV ep. 516

References:

1. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/a...y-unknown.aspx
2. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...oves-xcom.aspx
3. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...y-unknown.aspx
4. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...y-unknown.aspx
5. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...y-unknown.aspx
6. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...y-unknown.aspx
7. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...s-enemies.aspx
8. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...y-unknown.aspx
9. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...ize-x-com.aspx
10. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...at-part-1.aspx
11. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...at-part-2.aspx
12. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458283 [Second hand accounts, from the GameInformer 226 Article]
13. [GI 226 article].
14. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/podcas...onpodcast.aspx
15. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...-xcom-preview/
16. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...n-xcom-part-3/
17. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/featur...xcom-s-hq.aspx
18. http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/xcom-e...8,2565075.html
19. http://www.pcgamer-magazine.com/pcga...g=36&pm=2#pg36
20. http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/89...ufo-conspiracy
21. http://www.shacknews.com/article/727...enemy-unknown#
22. http://www.nowgamer.com/pc/pc-previe...or_reborn.html
23. http://techland.time.com/2012/03/06/...re-alien-alien
24. http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...fuR_story.html
25. http://kotaku.com/5890749/how-a-rabi...-enemy-unknown
26. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...ig-budget-game
27. http://au.pc.gamespy.com/pc/xcom-ene...1220087p1.html
28. http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/03/16/xc...c-tactical-ui/
29. http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mis...-enemy-unkown/ GamteTrailerTV Floater Preview.
30. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...ties-floaters/ Second RPS Interview
31. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...onal-kill-cam/
32. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FDel...961&playnext=2 IG Extended
33. http://www.2kgames.com/blog/xcom-ene...ition-and-more

Last updated 30 May 2012