Civilians

[Snikers]

Okay, all of you here, when you search for aliens in a building, do you really care if

the civilians get killed? I mean, in UFO, you lose points for a civilian death, but even

if you didn't, I think I'd feel bad if I saw one of those guys be taken down in a crossfire.

But in Apoc, when those annoying weird-suited little jerks eats a hail of bullets and buys

it in the middle of the hallway, I generally think "well, idiot, I guess you should've

ducked. Idiot." In fact, on one mission in a Government building, I had a hybrid agent

deliberately pull his guns and take down a cluster (as in ants) of civilians as an outcry

against the way Mega-Primus is run. It turned out to actually be a Sensovision building

instead, but I know what I meant.

Anyway, I usually find the penalty in inter-company relations too tiny to interest me. But

what's your opinion?

[Warlord]

As a point of personal pride, I tend to avoid civilian casualties whenever possible. I've gone as far as to restrict my investigation teams to toxi-guns, and later anti-alien gas, only. My main combat team is another matter entirely. Those guys are just psychotic. Devastator Cannons, High explosives, incendiary weapons, and Dimension Missiles are the only way to go for those guys. Of course I only turned those guys loose on alien buildings and the Cult of Sirius. And of course, anyone else that turned hostile on me. Before I sent in the annihilators to level every building the organization owned in the city. I actually managed to put CoS more than 5 million dollars in debt between my raids and destroying their temples. :devil:

[The Veteran]

I personally agree with Snikers. They are complete morons. I hate civilian casualties as the next non twisted person but the Apocalypse people are not normal! They all look anorexic!

[NKF]

I think the most logical explanation for their ... uh, dimness is to have a look at their sprites. They don't have any other sprites apart from walking about like headless chickens, or running like headless chickens. (One exception is the android civilian sprite, which is never used, has a separate head that appears to swivel independantly of the body. Amazing... but that's that). Now give them crawling, kneeling or even leaping sprites, then they'll have an all new way to make complete fools out of themselves.

 

I think they might have used the civilian AI from the previous games, only it just doesn't translate too well in real-time. As it is, they all act as though they're in a psyclone induced stupor. I mean, I saw one run away from me and walk staight towards the aliens... Heck, even the civilians in the Syndicate series had enough brains to run away from any non-police/military unit that's armed.

 

Nevertheless, I've noticed that, unlike UFO, the aliens don't appear to actively pursue civilians. They only seem concerned with X-Com personnel.

 

- NKF

[Tammy]

I personally agree with Snikers. They are complete morons. I hate civilian casualties as the next non twisted person but the Apocalypse people are not normal! They all look anorexic!

Anorexics are people, too.

Yes, those civilians are incredibly annoying, running back and forth in front of my agents. The woman in the yellow dress and hat annoys me most of all.

[Snikers]

Nevertheless, I've noticed that, unlike UFO, the aliens don't appear to actively pursue civilians. They only seem concerned with X-Com personnel.

I know! They should at least brainsuck the civilians...

[The Veteran]

That's a good point. The brainsucker pods are supposed to go straight for the nearest human... I've never seen a civilian get sucked...

[Carlos the Jackal]

The game wasn't finished, guys.

 

They never would have left it like that.

[The Veteran]

It puzzles me though that they never finished it and put free patch downloads on the web...

[NKF]

Bureaucracy. Hate it, need it. No patches were ever planned. It was as if it was released, and everyone just forgot about improving the game.

 

Anyway, even if the civilians were brainsucked, I really don't think they'd be able to do anything with them. just by looking at their sprites, one can conclude that they're only there to run about and making a mess. Of course, if they had put the android civilian in, it might swivel its head around and leer menacingly at you.

 

 

Seriously, why did they cut out the movement speed settings in Apocalypse? The civilian move turn really really put me off turn based combat. I enjoy turn based combat from time to time, but I really don't see why the civilians take so LONG to end their turn, and why do they track the civiilan movement everytime Joe civilian decides to do a morris dan...uh, run about in circles in front of your soldiers. Argh!

 

- NKF

[The Veteran]

The civilian turn is crazy isn't it. I mean what is the point? What would be good for the game in a way is if the humans DID get brainsucked but when they did they continued running about. Just more aggressively...

But point being, you should be required to stun all brainsucked civilians in an attempt to save them at base. (Soldiers can't be saved as stunning them would be too dangerous)

[Carlos the Jackal]

When the annoyance becomes too much, Jane Doe and the like begin to start dodging plasma fire from yours truly.

[The Veteran]

I tend to kill them deliberately if they get close enough and they keep running around... They're so stupid they deserve to die!

[Warlord]

I've found incendiary grenades to be highly effective against civilians when I've had enough of their antics.

 

For some real fun, try playing as the X-Com terrorist faction. Raid everything, cause as much death and destruction as possible, and then raze the city with your annihilators. It's great for stress relief.

[The Veteran]

I destroyed the whole city once... I believe I pointed out in the old forums that if you do that the Cult of Sirius will ally with you of their own accord. Even if you destroy their buildings too!

[Ki-tat Chung]

I've found incendiary grenades to be highly effective against civilians when I've had enough of their antics.

 

For some real fun, try playing as the X-Com terrorist faction.  Raid everything, cause as much death and destruction as possible, and then raze the city with your annihilators.  It's great for stress relief.  

Kilam used to do that as the actuall game. after i get off, he just used xcom agent to firre at.....other xcom agents! and civ's of course.

 

I destroyed the whole city once... I believe I pointed out in the old forums that if you do that the Cult of Sirius will ally with you of their own accord. Even if you destroy their buildings too!

hrm...thats interesting.

[The Veteran]

No maybe not :hmmm: Damn good fun though!

[Neo]

I try and defend them in UFO but in apoc they are so strange and weird but i try to avoid them. But remember this next time your enemy is trying for cover behind a civilian, if u were the civilian what would you do, would you like it if first you S**T yourself because the aliens have landed and next thing you know a craft lands in you garage equipped to the max firing a hail of bullets evrywhere (and these are the good guys) with disconcern to the building around him just so he can kill a pesky alien. Now how would you react if you were that civilian. Personally i would be running evry where too

 

But another thing dont you think they should evacuate the building b4 they let a group of heavily armoured soldiers in to combat the menace!!

[Psy Guy]

I personally don't care about them. Yes there dumb and they can be annoying but i never "try" to kill them. They do get in the crossfire a lot (but the sight of all those dead civs make the battle look more realistic. (shame on the aliens for "killing" all thoes civs ) (One thing i was wondering was what ever happened to the NRA? You would think some civ would grab a gun and try to kill them. Personally if I were a civ I wouldn't mind taking a baseball (oh i mean a "graveball") bat and beat the extraterestial s**t out of a skeletoid.) Anyway sence civs don't seem to count in the score and they don't do anything, I just arm up with HE Auto Cannon rounds and set it to auto... I hope they have good insurance :devil:

 

-PSY GUY-

[Outlawstar15a2]

I actually kill them every step of the way i'll throw a grenade in their path to make room for my agents or kill so i can get a better shot if they die on my watch soo fucking what you can always produce more people(procreation parks,good old sex,artificial incemenation,etc.) but you can't always produce another good organization or strategic position so people are first on my expendable list.

 

Same thing with buildings and stuff though I weigh out the pros and cons in this arena but i'm not afraid to nuke the city hall with retribution missles if they cut me a bad check or something.This is fucking war to save the earth guys!

 

[Psy Guy]

Civs are expendable but City Hall?!!? (I assume you mean The Senate Building)

Hmm its really funny when you defeat the aliens and find out that you ended up killing everyone in the city which means you actually loss because x-coms job is TO SAVE THE CITY!!!.

Tip: Never kill those that give you money and don't kill those that supply you with goods (even late game)

Are you sure you know what your doing or are you just an anti-alien psyco?

 

-PSY GUY-

[Pete]

I try not to kill them. I stun them where possioble, but every so often, when I'm trying to clear out a group of aliens, several civilians will just happen across a vortex mine or the business end of a Dimension Missile... :devil: :angel:

[destroyteenangst]

generally i just ignore them, but if they get in my way i usually stun them. i'll riddle them with bullets if they really start getting on my tits though.

 

i hate that woman with the yellow hat... die fashion victim *BAM!*

 

"don't worry sarge, we did the right thing. those colours were soooo 2059."