Xenonauts - Preview @ StrategyInformer

Couchpotato

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StrategyInformer has a short preview of Xenonauts.
This is most definitely not a final release, as Goldhawk warn early adopters on the Steam store page that the Early Access version has “inconsistent game balance, occasional missing art and UI elements, and bugs or crashes”. I certainly encountered all of these, including my savegames getting corrupted.

Think of the Early Access of Xenonauts as a cheap pre-order that allows you to play an incomplete version of the game right away and gets you the final version on release. A taster if you will, and right now it’s a very good taste. While I was satisfied with XCOM: Enemy Unknown I don’t deny that a tougher and more deeply strategic version closer to the original would be very much appreciated, and Xenonauts is looking to be the best around.

I think it’s ironic that after 15 years of imitators never getting the X-Com formula quite right the game that finally does only turns up after the series has returned. Fortunately however there’s still a place for both reboot and spiritual successor in the hearts of X-Com fans, and for the hardest of the hardcore Xenonauts could well be the game they wanted all along.
More information.
 
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I backed this one, but do hope they will have some options for non masochists, who don't appreciate their entire party being wiped out by a random event before they've gotten off the jump ship.
 
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I backed this one, but do hope they will have some options for non masochists, who don't appreciate their entire party being wiped out by a random event before they've gotten off the jump ship.

Really? That hasn't happened to me...what random events are you talking about?
 
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Really? That hasn't happened to me…what random events are you talking about?

Just meant that I was hoping they don't replicate the mechanics of the original XCOM *too* closely. Haven't played the beta yet, as I tend to avoid burning out on games before they are finished.
 
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Just meant that I was hoping they don't replicate the mechanics of the original XCOM *too* closely. Haven't played the beta yet, as I tend to avoid burning out on games before they are finished.

Oh heh...I was like....what? I thought I was missing something.
 
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Well, since Ironman is optional, you just save and reaload. ;)

I would like to be hardcore enough to always go for Ironman, but I just don't have the time and patience for it. I also have a computer that freezes up pretty often...
 
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I would like to be hardcore enough to always go for Ironman, but I just don't have the time and patience for it. I also have a computer that freezes up pretty often…

I think ironman modes are just too punishing in these games (especially with the small squad sizes in Enemy Unknown). On the other hand I dislike the security blanket of always being able to save and reload if something goes wrong, which removes all tension from the gameplay.

What's needed is some intermediate mode such as an extension to the "critically wounded" idea, combined with out of combat recovery periods - not so far fetched to imagine that medicine will be more effective in the future (and how about some bionic repairs!).

Of course if you really are an "ironman" you don't need ironman mode, you can just say to yourself "I won't ever reload a saved game" ... yeah right /sarcasm :).
 
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My opinion: separate save functionality (iron man saving) from difficulty, so I can play at normal difficulty but with the great tension of not being able to save and recover after a bad mission.
 
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