XCOM EU Interview - We need your questions!

[Pete]

Hi folks

 

I've been in touch with the nice folks at the 2K Games UK PR department and they're happy to pass on questions to Jake Solomon at Firaxis about XCOM Enemy Unknown.

 

Rather than staff keeping this to ourselves, we thought some/most/all of you would like the opportunity to ask some questions.

 

If you've not already seen the plethora* of other interviews then there are many to be found in this very forum and it's recommended you take a look at a few so you're not repeating what's already been asked.

 

I'm intending to send the questions off toward the end of next week, so if we set Thursday as the final day for questions then I'll email them across on Friday.

 

Remember, stay sharp and stay sane

 

 

* ah, how I fondly remember the many lessons the Three Amigos taught me all those years ago

[ShadowBlade]

Ah, wonderful. You know when you have lots of questions in mind, but when it comes the time to ask them said mind goes blank? This is it.

 

The only thing I can recall right now is a bit snarky and picky: why use satellite instead of radar coverage, when in the face of an alien invasion the last thing you have is space superiority? But I had more productive questions in store, I swear! They'll come back to me eventually.

[Kret]

I'm not certain they meant actual satellites launched into orbit, but rather satellite bases for radar and/or interception purposes only. Of course, this could be one of the questions in order to clarify any misunderstandings. Definition of satellite (3rd one)

 

One question that interests me is the possibility of saving tactical replays once the mission is completed (or failed for that matter) that can later by viewed, even shared in the community to show of tactics or just to exhibit wanton destruction.

[Pete]

One question that interests me is the possibility of saving tactical replays once the mission is completed (or failed for that matter) that can later by viewed, even shared in the community to show of tactics or just to exhibit wanton destruction.

 

I was wondering this myself earlier today - it would be awesome to share missions with friends but also being able to upload them to YouTube as videos would be great.

[ShadowBlade]

There's an important difference between game replays and a recording that could be shown as standard video independently from the game (i.e. on YouTube). Replays tend to be much smaller than actual videos, as they're but a series of instructions and parameters that rebuild the mission in question and the events that made it happen the way it did, all within the game. To record real videos you'll very likely have to use Fraps or a similar program.

 

But at any rate, asking about tactical replays sounds good.

 

And about satellites, yes, technically "satellite" can mean a secondary thing. But in this case they've frequently used it in a "satellite coverage" context, so I doubt they're trying to use a non-evident definition of the word.

 

OH! I have a good one! We should ask if trooper classes impose a physical stereotype on the soldier in question. In the videos we've seen, heavy weapons roles are always filled by big muscular types, assault soldiers look a bit more normal, snipers are skinny guys (we've only seen one, though), and women only seem to have one body type. Or are physical builds randomized on soldier recruitment? If so, are they customizable like other features, or do they depend on specific stats? Fixed body builds per class may be more recognizable at a glance, but it's more generic and boring as well.

[Kret]

Then it's settled, a question clarifying the use of orbital satellites, base satellites or even both is needed.

 

Following the theme of classes, we could ask if any new classes have been comfirmed since PAX East and what are they as well as any changes or drops for the known classes so far. How deep or complex is the skilltree going to be for each class? Can we have two or more soldiers of the same class with completely different skills? Can we unlock new classes with R&D like a Psionic class (if there is such a class)?

 

How much of an impact will psionic abilities have in this remake compared to the original? Can we expect heavy psy combat vs certain alien types?

 

Will cybernetics play a role in the game? If so, could a soldier suffer such an ammount of damage to a body part (without dying) that it would require replacement with a robotic version?

 

Other than visual contact and sound cues, what alternative methods/tools of detection is there or may become available with R&D for use in tactical combat? Will they improve with research?, like for example your 1st detection could start of by just showing the location of a group of enemies (or civilians), but later on they can actually give you details on the alien types in the group and exact numbers.

 

We've seen a destructible environment, can we actually cause a building to collapse with enough damage dealt to it's holding pillars?

 

About suppression fire, what advantages and or disadvantages it gives compared to covering? What limitations and/or risks does the suppressed target take when performing actions under such fire?

 

When trying to access the inside of an UFO, will you have the option to breach into it rather than walk in through the main gate?

 

How does the recruitment of new soldiers work? Does the game randomly assign you new soldiers as you progress? do you recruit a number of soldiers like in the original, or do you get a roster with available recruits and see their stats before you recruit them?

 

Any information on interception mechanics yet?

 

Will there be hostage situations during combat? Not as in a rescue mission of a sort, but in a terror site, could aliens try to use civilians as shields forcing the player to become cautious when attacking that alien or risking a high penalty if they decide to fire away anyway?

 

One of the most infamous aliens of the original was the Chrysalid, any info on such a creature making the ranks of today's alien forces? Will there be terror striking pairings like in the original (IE: Snakemen - Chrysalids) were you would see the "basic" unit and go "Oh, crap, these guys are pushovers, but if they're here then that other THING is here too!"

[silencer_pl]

You don't need to be Arnie or Sly to use SAW

 

My questions are:

1. Will there be Psi attacks ? If yes how it will be applied - will it be game breaking like in UFO:AM, or very annoying like in original X-Coms (EU, TFTD).

2. Will cover be destroyable like in FSW.

3. X-Coms Heavy Weapon Platforms - what they can tell about it.

4. Perks - how will they affect soldiers - some examples.

5. Will weapons have attachments like in UFO:AS/AL ?

6. Difficulty levels - are there going to be some? How they will differ?

[ShadowBlade]

Guys, keep in mind that, if this interview is anything like the others, they won't have the time to answer 124 questions. Sorry if I seem to try to 'pre-answer' questions, but some can be discarded with safe speculation or common sense. I don't mean to sound snarky either.

 

When trying to access the inside of an UFO, will you have the option to breach into it rather than walk in through the main gate?

I'd say this is quite likely, considering how they've been stressing destructible environments. Though you'll probably need some serious explosives to breach the outer hull, as you did in the original. Still, might be worth the question to gain some more insight into terrain destruction.

 

One of the most infamous aliens of the original was the Chrysalid, any info on such a creature making the ranks of today's alien forces? Will there be terror striking pairings like in the original (IE: Snakemen - Chrysalids) were you would see the "basic" unit and go "Oh, crap, these guys are pushovers, but if they're here then that other THING is here too!"

The Chrysalid's one of X-COM's most iconic aliens, so I really doubt it'll be skipped. We could ask for a sneak peek of its 'reimagined' look, however, and if there's any changes to its traditional modus operandi. And about the pairings, we have solid intel from one of the interviews: fixed pairings are gone, the alien species you encounter in a mission are randomized (presumably from those you can encounter at your current game stage), and there can be more than two species in a single op.

 

1. Will there be Psi attacks ? If yes how it will be applied - will it be game breaking like in UFO:AM, or very annoying like in original X-Coms (EU, TFTD).

Kret kind of covered this with one of his questions. But two things: the UFO AM/AS/AL series is completely unrelated to the X-COM series (just inspired by), and secondly it's obvious they won't say "oh, yeah, it's overpowered and completely game-breaking!"

 

2. Will cover be destroyable like in FSW.

I'm not sure what FSW is, but we've seen cover be destroyed in all the gameplay footage they've released so far.

 

3. X-Coms Heavy Weapon Platforms - what they can tell about it.

Some more info about this would be nice. Though we've seen one in the early screenshots, looking like an unmanned, drone-like weapons platform. Essentially a gun on tracks as opposed to a mini-tank.

 

6. Difficulty levels - are there going to be some? How they will differ?

They've already said there will be a number of difficulty levels, the hardest one called "Classic". Plus there's gonna be an "Iron Man" mode, independent of the difficulty setting, that will prevent exploity save-reloading.

[Kret]

I wouldn't discard questions unless they've been clearcut answered in a known interview and certainly not before we've reached a reasonable number of questions. I do believe we all know not every question will get asked as the most interesting ones should be prioritized, but this should not stop anyone from putting up a question they would like answered. Anyway, by what I've seen, pairings aren't completely gone, what they've seem to have done is mixed alien groups, but cyberdiscs still accompany sectoids and it's possible the bezerker is paired with mutons but I don't believe they've made it completely clear. And as for the chrysalid, they've been so elusive about comfirming or denying it's appearance in the reamake that I thought it necessary to ask again, just in case we get lucky and something "slips out".

[Bomb Bloke]

FSW would be Full Spectrum Warrior.

 

The one about body shape in relation to class is a good one. Another class-related question or three, will there be any that aren't combat-centered, like a medic? Will psi be a class of its own? Can, say, an assault trooper use a heavy weapon if you don't have an actual heavy unit available to bring on a mission?

 

In the original game, your dropship started out with eight soldiers on board and most players quickly hired more to fill up the extra space. Are we eventually going to get access to larger squads in this new game (say, double digits), and if not, what options will we have in battle if we lose a couple of units as, say, chryssalid zombies? Will evac be a regular occurrence in missions, will a few soldiers be enough to polish off most groups of enemies, or are we just not going to see that many soldiers dying in the first place?

 

(I imagine they must've been asked that one a million times, but I can't remember ever seeing a logical or straight answer.)

 

Have we seen anything about morale? The original title saw combatants on both sides potentially losing it if their side is taking heavy losses, an effect that could be mitigated by keeping ranked officers around or amplified if those units were killed! Are we going to see units freak out and run / berserk if things start going badly for them?

 

Capturing and interrogating aliens was key to tracking down their base of operations in the original game. Will we be seeing similar procedures here, and if so, might they escape, or will their buddies put any effort into trying to reclaim them? In turn, will we see our soldiers taken prisoner?

 

We've heard that certain base modules will gain bonuses if placed near certain other modules. Any chance the trooper mess hall gets any benefit from being located next to the alien bio-research laboratory?

 

Yeah, I'm running out of sensible ideas now. Though I'd love to pose a question about the "TUs being too hard to track" thing vs the "reserve TUs" buttons, or the "Classic" difficulty thing vs the original game always locking you into Beginner mode...

[ShadowBlade]

I wouldn't discard questions unless they've been clearcut answered in a known interview and certainly not before we've reached a reasonable number of questions. I do believe we all know not every question will get asked as the most interesting ones should be prioritized, but this should not stop anyone from putting up a question they would like answered. Anyway, by what I've seen, pairings aren't completely gone, what they've seem to have done is mixed alien groups, but cyberdiscs still accompany sectoids and it's possible the bezerker is paired with mutons but I don't believe they've made it completely clear. And as for the chrysalid, they've been so elusive about comfirming or denying it's appearance in the reamake that I thought it necessary to ask again, just in case we get lucky and something "slips out".

 

Yeah, I'm sorry. It's not like we've a billion questions already, so I kinda jumped the gun there.

 

To be honest they've been elusive about everything they haven't shown on released videos or screenshots so far. Interviews lately seem to be about the same thing over and over, so I guess they'll start showing talking about new stuff (probably in batches) once they're 'cleared' to do so. With any luck, this interview will encourage them to spill the next bundle of information.

[Pete]

To be honest they've been elusive about everything they haven't shown on released videos or screenshots so far. Interviews lately seem to be about the same thing over and over...

 

I'm going to ensure we don't repeat what's been said elsewhere and that we've got a good batch of questions - you guys just keep 'em coming.

 

I for one would love to know if they just played vanilla Enemy Unknown during their research or if they used and mods or utilities

 

I am also going to put in a request that if they are going to drip-feed info on new enemies up to the release that they don't release anything about the Chrysalids or the Ethereals, but mostly the Chrysalids. I want to be terrified by both of them, much as I was the first time I played the original, though I realise my wish is unlikely to be granted and I may have to stick my head in the sand when things like this start getting released.

[Hobbes]

I got a couple that I haven't read anything yet about: are they sticking to the original plot? Or is the end different from the original one?

[Space Voyager]

Am I the only one with a writers' block?! Great questions, all of them!

[Kret]

- Will the tech tree be semi-random on a per game basis or even difficulty based? Will there be multiple paths to unlock a certain tech?

 

- How varied is the starting arsenal and equipment of your soldiers. Will it expand beyond lasers and plasma?

 

- Does capturing an alien work like in the original or has it been changed? (if changed) How does it work now?

 

- Are some weapons and tools restricted to certain classes? Will there be degrees of restriction, as in some items may be exclusive to a class, other items may be used by different classes but are best used by one in particular and the remainder are freely available for all?

 

- I've heard there'll be unlimited ammo for the main weapon of your soldiers. Does that also remove reloading the weapon? What about aircraft, will the main canons also have unlimited ammo?

 

- Will aircraft be more configurable than in the original? Not just upgrading their weapon systems, but engine, hull and special components too?

[Pete]

I'm really liking the questions you guys are asking so far, so please keep them coming

[ShadowBlade]

- I've heard there'll be unlimited ammo for the main weapon of your soldiers. Does that also remove reloading the weapon? What about aircraft, will the main canons also have unlimited ammo?

 

I think they've said that while you have unlimited ammo for main weapons, you still have to reload and that costs an action. Some special weapons have limited ammo, however: the rocket rauncher seems to be a one-shot weapon (per mission, I presume).

[Hobbes]

* How do you lose the game? Countries getting mad at your after repeated bad scores? Creditors banging on your door after finances dip into the red for the 2nd time? Aliens overrunning your (single) base?

 

I am also going to put in a request that if they are going to drip-feed info on new enemies up to the release that they don't release anything about the Chrysalids or the Ethereals, but mostly the Chrysalids. I want to be terrified by both of them, much as I was the first time I played the original, though I realise my wish is unlikely to be granted and I may have to stick my head in the sand when things like this start getting released.

 

I second that about the Chryssalids I'd rather be taken by surprise again...

[ShadowBlade]

A tricky proposition. Ultimately preserving the mystery is a personal choice. You'd need the willpower to stop checking out preview material.

 

Anyway, bit of a non-essential question: many alien items in the original game became usable straight away once your scientists researched them; will it be the same in XCOM:EU or will alien technology be the base for more advanced human weaponry (i.e. Terran plasma rifles as opposed to using the same aliens do)? Might make more sense, but who knows.

[silencer_pl]

I think this wasn't covered. Since we will have one base of operation and multiple interception bases. What will happen if one of such bases will be attacked ? Can be attacked at all ?

 

I'm not sure what FSW is, but we've seen cover be destroyed in all the gameplay footage they've released so far.

 

I meant by firing HMG not blowing it to kingdom come with rockets

 

Kret kind of covered this with one of his questions. But two things: the UFO AM/AS/AL series is completely unrelated to the X-COM series (just inspired by), and secondly it's obvious they won't say "oh, yeah, it's overpowered and completely game-breaking!"

 

Well if they say it is like in X-Com Apocalypse then I will be more than happy.

 

In EU/TFTD it was extremely annoying and overpowerd on X-Com side in AM it was so broken in last stage that I would have to send to base / ufo guys armed with their psi projector and make aliens kill themselves and de-capture my own guys.

[Kret]

Found this thread over the 2K forums. Could be usefull for filtering questions that have been answered in a way, rephrasing other questions to get a more detailed answer or ask new ones based on the info found there. There's even links to videos and other interviews.

[Pete]

Yup - we'll be tweaking the questions as necessary. Thanks for the link

[ShadowBlade]

Great summary!

 

I've a question: given we'll only be able to take 4-6 troopers to a mission, what kind of advantages will more advanced transport aircraft (i.e. Lightning and Avenger) bring beyond speed and maybe weaponry, if any?

[CapnKill]

1. If there is multiplayer, will there be a co-op feature, where you and one or more people can navigate the game story together?

 

2. Will psionics be in this game and to what extent?

 

3. Will the blaster launcher be in this game? (the way point weapon)

[ShadowBlade]

Any news, Pete?