Ufo Ala Third Person

[Azxel]

wondered if anyone here played "Freedom Figther" (from EA)?

the game is played in 3rd person view, and gives simple, basic commands for you to control NPCs that fight with you against the enemy. NPC AI pretty good, they cover you, dont die easily and attack/defend areas like you.

 

now wouldnt this make another great UFO game? if only work on X-Com Alliance (was it Alliance or Genesis? i forgot) would continue.

[Slaughter]

Guess it could. But there are way too many ifs and maybes in regards to the X-Com games for my taste. I prefer a sequel to Aftermath

[Pete]

As far as I know, Alliance and Genesis code is right out of the question due to stupid legal reasons. Genesis more definitely so than Alliance, but since Alliance was supposed to be released in 1999... erm... you get the picture

 

That doesn't mean that they can't simply rewrite it in the Half Life 2 engine and call it "Band of Brothers in Space" or something. These things are never as easy as they blatantly should be...

[Azxel]

such a pity, always looked forward to some first person tactical squad based combat and the ability to kick some Rect's b@lls!!

 

what actually happened to Alliance and Genesis? what kinda legal problem was it?

[Cpl. Facehugger]

and the ability to kick some Rect's b@lls!!

 

Well, if altar decides that they want to make a 3rd/1st person shooter, then you may get your wish. If you want to kill sectoids or another classic Xcom race, you should probably look at the last hope mod.

 

Remember that Xcom and Aftermath are two completely seperate stories.

[Azxel]

yup, i'm still sane enough to remember that both are different games

 

but sometimes i just cant help it that UFO:AM was created in the spirit of the X-Com.

 

for me, X-Com did set the standard this genre. As great as UFO:AM is, I just cant help but get excited (its like a REVIVAL!! ) as to think of what the future has installed for UFO:AM.

[rocksk]

AI in Freedom Fighters is super good, AI auto take cover when under fire or spotted enemy. They will fire from behind box, around walls, fire and move. It is pure fun being the commander, i had run through the game 3 times now.

 

Imaging UFO strike team in UFO mission.

Player: You scout ahead, look for alien present

AI1: Scouting

AI1: Alien spotted, taking cover.

Player giving fire cover for the AI1 while following a short distance away.

Player give orders to other AI members who are already giving fire support to AI1 pinning the enemy down.

Player: You you you go defend AI1.

AI2: Roger, Defending.

AI3: Roger, I will look for cover.

AI4: Yes sir.

 

When they reach AI1, they all move to the nearest reasonable cover and fire from there.

When under heavy fire, AI will hid behind cover for a few seconds before stand up to look and shoot before taking cover again. When enemy is pinned down. One or two AI members who are under scout order will advance to a new better position to shot at the enemy hiding behind a wall or box.

 

Then one alien throws a ‘green evil looking alien present’ into the mist of your AI members. When one AI spotting it landing at his foot, he shout, take cover!!

 

While firing from you cover, you saw your AI guys run in all direction away from that ‘Evil lookin alien present’. BBBOOOOMM!! You saw some of your guys make the last minute ‘action man’ jump away from the explosion, while others who failed to make the distance are throw away like dolls.

 

The Aliens took advantage of the situation to fire at your displaced AIs at fire multi shots at them.

 

You immediately ordered the few remaining guys who is still with you to charged the enemy position.

 

Your charge take the Alien AI by surprise who still busy firing on those who had being knock out by the explosion.

 

Bang bang bang, all alien are dead.

 

That is a normal attack encounter in Freedom Fighters happening now and then.

 

Also if alien attack from behind, AI member will run to the other side of the cover or look for a new cover for protection from the more immediate thread.

 

When ask to defend a doorway, two AI will deploy themselves at either side of the door and one will take periodic look around the door for enemy while the other standby to shot.

 

That is the kind of AI I wish to see in future UFO games. Apoc and take a step, but Freedom fighters had nearly perfected it.

[Matri]

You can always mod it!

[rocksk]

Not possible for me. I am thinking of AM2 will include this.

 

As for the AI in Freedom Fighters, i believe, the map is dotted with possible 'cover point'. AI will determine which cover points to use and a default string of action will be given to the AI to choose. Take cover or chose a new cover...

[Azxel]

nice post rocksk, you read my mind... and went miles ahead in sharing what you saw. it would make an awesome game indeed.

 

i hear you can take up to 8 men in missions in Freedom Fighter..?

 

I simply cant wait for sequel/follow up to UFO:AM, wonder how they would do it. so many executions, playing from 3rd person/1st person view does add dimension to strategic thinking. (i do love the current style of play where you see (almost) everything)

 

its all in the programming isnt it? its coming up with ways to help enhance the AI in games.

[rocksk]

In Freedom, you can take up to 12 guys. With them, your team become very powerful, so most of the time, the game allows you to use around 6-8, unless you play non stop throughout one mission without return to base.

 

Image, controlling 12 guys with only three keys

1. (regroup)

2. (Scout or attack)

3. (Defend position)

Most ammazingly is it works every well.

 

I too hope for a Xcom Alliance but i will benchmark all NPC AI with Freedom now. Too many games with stupid NPC AI (ghost recon).

[Azxel]

haha.. Ghost Recon had pretty dumb NPC/Enemy AI but they were pretty good shots. Feel the same about Freedom's AI being the benchmark for a lot of games to come.

 

Is Freedom Fighter mod-able?

be nice to see someone do something else with it.