Ultimate Sequel ideas (not expansion)

[rasuloman]

This is a topic concerning fans' wishes for the sequel, not expansion pack, so let loose your imagination. I haven't finished the game yet (problems with installation) so I'll present my idea in general concepts instead of in specific story.

 

That being said, I think the story is the most essential part of the game. Altar moved in the right direction with the story-moving missions. It's kind of like Freelancer with the story missions set apart from the other generic missions which you do until you reach a required level. If you remember the Freelancer cinematics, they weren't that bad, but if you look at Unreal 2, it looks so much better in the game itself. So I don't know how possible would it be to licence some 3D engine like that (or maybe Doom 3 or Half Life 2 engine) not for the game itself but just for high quality game cinematics. If I remember correctly, Altar developed an fps engine, but didn't include it because it was good enough. Maybe they could improve it and use it for cinematics, if licencing is too costly.

 

Anyways, I think greater characterization is a must. What if we had some background story of characters like Malcolm and Brian? And not just some short biography text, but if we followed couple of major characters through out the game. Think of how Warcraft 3 improved with the introduction of heroes; even those low quality cinematics drove the game forward.

 

So let's say we follow a character named Arnold . Somehow the aliens are back and start a campaign of terror, abducting remaining humans. Arnold's wife and daughter are abducted, but he somehow escapes (or is it that the aliens are abducting just females? maybe used as cloning machinery- like axlotl tanks from the Dune universe).

 

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Stage 1: Training

The first mission would be to escape without weapons and locate a nearby military installation. Arnold signs up as a rookie and undergoes training: this would be, you guessed it, a required training mission where you learn everything about weapons etc. Now the real game begins.

 

Stage 2: Control just one character

First couple of missions you control just Arnold and have to listen to orders. Here you would get yourself acquainted with other characters you will again meet later in the game.

 

Stage 3: Control a squad

Now you would control a squad, but you still don't get to choose missions you go to.

 

Stage 4: Control military operations

This is like Aftermath without R&D.

 

Stage 5: Control everything

As you see, this would be something like rise of Arnold to the top. Couple of other intermediary stages could be inserted between stage 4 and 5. At this point you don't have to bring Arnold to missions anymore (if he dies the game ends). How it goes from here depends on the story. But the setup could serve for many interesting missions. Maybe you don't control the whole world, but your buddies from the training days also hold key positions in the alien resistance. So some missions could involve helping them, fighting against them (you fight against brainwashed humans sometimes), etc. Then you could also maybe search and rescue your wife and daughter (like X-files Moulder searching for his sister); daughter becomes a soldier so you can send her to missions; to protect her you don't, so she escapes with a "delegated" squad, something goes wrong, so rescue her again. Etc etc. Having developed characters helps reducing the monotony of missions: rescuing your daughter or budy whom you saw in the game cinematics would mean more than rescuing a pilot.

 

Also, it would be great if there was AI to control any part of the game you don't want to bother with. Now you're on the top. You don't care about research? Assign it to your underlings, who would decide which technologies first get researched, maybe based on your previous choices. You've had enough of tactical game? Send a squad you controlled up till now, and they would perform as you would expect a highly trained team: if you would win that mission, automatic resolve should also win it. So no outright randomness involved. The ultimate ideals would be that you can the game is able to autoplay itself from start to end. However, as this wouldn't be very interesting, some limitations would be imposed: you would have to play each type of mission at least once, and also all the story missions.

 

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R&D:

I would like to see scientists and engineers similar to X-com Apocalypse where each has its own skill set. So you wouldn't have 200 scientists, but a small number of top experts whom you gained mainly through save-a-scientist/engineer missions (it's assumed that you have a greater grunt force as a part of r&d bases). To continue aftermath ideas, you would still have research bases, so more of them the better, while the scientists would serve as a significant modifier. So scientists could have values from 0.1 to 1.0, while the bases would have values in hundreds.

 

speed of research = scientists' collective score X number of bases X base value

 

i.e. 4.0 X 15 X 100 = 6000 (research speed)

 

This would also be somewhat realistic. Today, just think of how fast new technology is developing. In the future, and with the help of alien technology, this would be even faster. So scientists by themselves couldn't do much, but with powerful computers in each base (which are also useless without scientists) they can research very quickly. Other missions could be concentrated on this: capture alien scientist, alien computer, alien replicator machine (for engineering), etc.

 

It would be also cool to have a Q-like character who would introduce new technologies, or at least get back to pictures like in x-com. I must admit I don't like those research animations very much.

 

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Air combat:

The combat cinematics in Aftermath are cool, but it's still a step backwards with less control over your fighters. I would like to see something more than x-com solution, without it turning into a flight sim. Maybe something like Freelancer combat or Homeworld. I know it's too much to ask, but this is my wishlist. A role-play system for the pilots would also be great.

 

That's it for now. I can't think of anything else. Your turn :alien2:

[daishiw]

Sequel wishlist:

 

Detailed geography and actual human populations programmed into the game. What I want is a basic political map on the geoscape with the capitals and major cities programmed with stats like population size, health of the population, satisfaction with your anti-Alien efforts etc.

 

Then when aliens visit the cities they can affect those stats - kill people, make them sick or infect them with a mutating virus which would create more missions as you have to hunt down and destroy the mutants, or repel hidden clusters of aliens within a city.

 

If we have cities like this then each city can be relatively unique - for instance all the largest cities might have weapons production facilities, each city would contribute troops to your team every now and then, and certain cities can house Universities and research labs.

 

Basically replace bases with cities and give each city its own unique characteristics.

 

Then you can be "oh no I lost Constantinople to the aliens! Now I will have x% less research points and x% less recruits to draw on".

 

It would also make the big cities really important, and if the AI is programmed to try to isolate and take out these cities it could make the game more satisfying strategically.

[Bromley]

A lot more depth. For example, AI controlled human organisations that fight missions rather like your CoE troops do. These merge, or even fight for resources, and treat you just like any other player.

 

Basically, what I want is Apoc with all the AI entity features that they planned turned on .

 

I'd also like more management of the other CoE teams. I like the idea of being able to delegate to them and auto-resolve their battles, but I'd like to see their stats improve (not controlled by you). You could also allocate weapons/ammo to them (not individually, but as a whole), which would increase their effectiveness. That way I can ditch all those old armours and still get some use from them . Being able to see that it won't be a complete disaster if your entire A-Team gets wiped out will also reduce the temptation to reload all the time.

[havok316]

What stuff id reckon should be in the sequal :

 

1. Nothing is free - Everything must cost something

- There should be Funding Organisations like UFO Enemy Unknown and Apoc.

- Weapons, Equipment, Aircrafts, Ammunition shouldnt be Free! except a few

2. Research? Players always moaning about how slow research is (Do not get rid of it because its a vital aspect of the game - and its tradition )

3. Base Construction

- Takes the fun out of the game if you cant design your own base - I miss this

- You should be able to build research labs, internal base defenses, shields etc

4. Take on the germans by yur damn self? - not fair that 6 soldiers take on everything with weaponary 10 times better!

5. Vehicles? - Such as missile tanks like in UFO:EU(enemy Unknown) Hummers?

6. Enter Buildings? You chould be allowed to enter buildings likw shops etc

7. Aircrafts - Should be allowed to buy and develop aircraft

8. More Globe Units? - Why cant there be AA Silos? Sea vessels? AA Ships? Satelies?

9. Better weapons? - Miniguns, mortars, heavy weapons

10. Improved AI - Units able to return fire? Units able to pick up emeny grenades and throw em away

11. Global Fighting? Things such as napalm strike?- things that would actually happen?

12. Subterrainiun - Cant bases be underground as well as above? linked by underground tunnels etc etc

13. Disasters? - Meteorstrikes, Gales, Storms, Diseases, Plague etc etc

 

-------------------Will Update With More Game Ideas---------------------------------

 

Story Lines :

 

1. Earth fell to the aliens after 50 years of War (after the betrayal of the greys) The greys now inherit the earth which the human population almost extinct and remains are small resitant factions. But the greys faced a even bigger threatening enemy and now 3 Races must fight to claim the earth.

 

2. Its the year 2095 Earth is at peace once again. Advanced technology from the greys allowed the humans to expand to very close neighbouring planets. But then mars was destroyed (by a new alien threat) and peices hurtled towards earth causing a massiv meteor storm and most of the human population was wiped out!

 

3. Just as the alien race wiped out the entire Earth. The last remaining humans escaped to the moon where they lived for a 100 years in a hidden underground facility and now its time to strike back!

[rezaf]

Just a sidenote: I've seen far more people moan about how FAST research is in Aftermath. I mean, surely it has been sponsored by the company which does books like "Java Script in 24 hours", because you can research stuff like Laser Weapons in UFO:AM in a similar amount of time, probably even less.

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rezaf

[havok316]

Yea ok but for example :

 

Learn Javascript in 24 hours? - only 1 person

 

Research Laser Weapons - 20-30 (well educated) scientists?

 

I think thats what they are getting at - but you make a fair point

[Pete]

Nothing like the end of human existence to make scientists work that little bit harder and moan less about wages