The future of the UFO series

[Martian base commander]

Just a short post here,but an important one nonetheless.

Being an ardent X-COM fan and owning all the UFO games I think I would really like to see this saga continuing for a while yet.Does anyone have any insight into a possible 4th release?,and if so could they post the relevant links to the info?.

The most important changes for starters would be to make the game have a more sinister and daunting feel to it,graphically (with gore,slime,bloody corpses) at least.The sound effects could also be made to emulate the almost futile resistance and survival of mankind,like more serious squad voices,screams and moans ect,the music should also inspire doom and melancholy.

Maybe it could even take us to the far reaches of our KNOWN solar system?,and could re introduce the classic interceptions from X-COM!

This game in my opinion should be directed more at the adults among us and feature things like more advanced tactics,and user defined battle formations that could be saved and activated when needed.

More destructive weapons and munitions should now be employed with the advancement of human technology over the years,with the ability to level cliffsides,buildings ect,taking out even more enemy numbers than ever before!

We should really take this and our ideas to the developers,maybe they may consider it?

 

UFO: The Final Conflict! (or is it?)

 

Thanks.

[Pete]

I can't see why there wouldn'y be a fourth one. The third one was announced VERY shortly after Aftershock was released, so it might be an idea to start off a wishlist thread for the developers.

[Space Voyager]

The developers said they are taking a leave from UFO series for the moment. That does not mean they won't continue with it, but I'm sure after developing three games of the same kind in a row you get tired of it. So my guess is a pause but not in the least the end.

 

My pleas (crying, begging etc.) for a game where you have plenty of soldiers to hire and loose - meaning far less RPG elements for individual soldiers - have not completely convinced them. Yet.

[Martian base commander]

Thanks for the replies here.

I agree Pete,a wishlist is definitely in order.

I think we should keep this post very much active (among ourselves anyhow),and post all our ideas/likes/dislikes ect,and what could be a potential future for a very successful story.

I agree with what you said about less RPG elements SV,having more battle casualties would make it more realistic and emulate the war that is upon us,after all it is impossible to imagine superhuman people never dying or being allowed to die against what are probably far superior beings than any of us are!.

 

R.I.P. X-COM (you were truly an inspiration to some of us). *sniff*

[Space Voyager]

X-COM, you are truly an inspiration to all of us.

I took the liberty and fixed the sentence to make it more... Strategy Core.

[Martian base commander]

Long live the king

[Azrael Strife]

I don't think they will, but would be nice if it happened.

 

I'd be content enough with a balanced re-release of UFO:AM, a bug-free re-release of UFO: Aftershock and a memory-leak-free re-release of UFO: Afterlight.

 

UFO: Afterbugs...

[Slaughter]

As SV says, there will be no new UFO game from ALTAR anytime soon. They may pick it up again in a few years, but I think they've had enough for a while.

 

That being said, a wishlist is all good!

[Azrael Strife]

You're in contact with them, Slaughter, do you know what their plans are? are they planning on working on more strategic games a l

[Slaughter]

I haven't really asked what they're working on now. I'll see if I can pump some information out of them. It's a shame they never got a publisher for the RPG Vision (at the bottom of the txt file if you're interested), as it has bundles of potential. My guess is that they'll try something different with the next project. They've done RTS before in Original War, and puzzles in Fish Fillets (do try them, great!), so hard to tell what is next.

[Space Voyager]

I asked at their forums as I'm sure you'll notice. If you think it's not an appropriate forum please move the topic, but I wanted to keep it less public. We'd like some "exclusive info", right?

[mockingbird]

I'd really love to hear some info myself.

Looking at BlueBlood's first post, I think he would very much want the next UFO to be XCOM...

Well, I think Altar's been bugged about the issue since Aftermath, and their reply is as follows - better squad control & development, less and less gritty atmospher, more pastel colours.

Thus, I don't feel they're ever turning back to the AM atmosphere (which, I must add, is unfortunate in my books.)

 

Speaking story wise, I think the After____ series got a little bit exhausted. Personally, I would take a break form the whole humans vs. reticulans vs. even weirder races in an even weirder environment scheme (and thus I cannot blame ALTAR for moving on to something different for now.)

Actually, I relly enjoy the strategic feel the whole series have introduced - the simulatneous action system, squad development thru training & experience, down to the little aesthetic bits such as different vision modes and customizable weapons, and would really love to see it perpetuated in some way.

 

Of course the whole thing would need more fine tunig - weed the bugs, optimise load times, add destructive environments. That would make me a happy man.

 

On the other hand I would enjoy the color being more toned down, the aliens more scary and less straight outta plastic toy store.

 

Yeah, In the ideal world I would really enjoy a remake of AM using the upgraded engine of AL, much as I enjoyed the atmosphere back then I was a bit dissapointed by squad controls.

So, If i were god, I would lock them ALTAR dudes in a cold cellar and say: Thou shalt make me an X-comme re-make.

But that's probably never gonna happen (-:

 

(And this means I am back to waiting for Jagged Alliance 3 and JAZZ Hired Guns... unless we get together a crack-team of modders and... but that is just wishful thinking. (-:

[Schuesseled]

Personally what i would like in a wish list, is a 2 parter.

 

Some form of human spaceship game this is waht i cam e up with ages ago.

 

Basically your on an attack vessel that has left the solar system on a missiopn to attack back at the wargot or the reticulans or whatever, the first part of the game starts like this a group of cultists have invaded the ship, they were hiding in the cargo bays, they have taken over key sections of the ship. You have to take back the key sections in true ufo country conquering style, once there all under control you have to resume course for the alien homeworls, q-gate what ever, aliong the way you'll have time to research and produce some techs and equipment. When you arrive you have to assualt a country and make your home base thier, build buildings kill off the inhabitants and colonise the planet, mayube you'll need to terraform it too. the game could be extended into several games or one long one by having to conquer several planets.

 

One change to the normal gameplay id like to see is to be able to have your soldiers ride around in a jeep ior tank which you have to research and oufit, this would mean that the maps could be made in two stages imagine a driveway filled with aliens and vechiles, and they a office block filled with campig aliens, you use the tank/jeeep/tuck/gunship to get there, then you hopoff and rush in and blast everyone.

[Schuesseled]

Also waht might be cool, is too later in the game be able to outfit your soldiers with awesome nanotechnology, imagine one of your guys walking up to an enemy lifting him up and tossing him 50 feet into a truck, then hes shot in the leg by an enemy riflr, his skin bone and muscle are instantly regenrrated by nano tech, now you really can have supersoldiers, without the didgy sense that you should have some of these guys dieing when there shot several times in the face.

[Space Voyager]

Played Crysis lately?

[Schuesseled]

wahts a crysis?

[Azrael Strife]

What's a Google and a Wikipedia?

[Schuesseled]

The point is was trying to make was taht i didnt sponge my idea off some other game.

[subdane]

Well I would agree that, The war with the Reticulans, has been great. But we should look for something new now.

The X-com series was great, a little darker?? yes please

 

I liked the X-com Apocalypse. Shooting down the ufo

[MoonDragn]

I wouldn't mind seeing an X-com type game with some Stargate SG1 elements thrown in.

 

Hyperdimensional gates that lead to other worlds where you can put bases and gain resources. A chance to meet infinite amount of challenges and unknown alien technology etc.

 

Instead of a war against the Goul'd you'll be fighting some other alien race but the premise is similar. Search the universe for anything you can use to fight the seemingly all powerful aliens at your doorstep.

[doctordark]

I'd like to see games (whatever the subject, threat or enviroment chosen) to be more open-ended, variable and less scripted. IMO all 3 X-com and all 3 UFO's were great games, but once you new the plot and the solution, the tactical battles became simply annoying obstacles on the well trodden path to end game solution. Using the above example of Hyperspace gates would work well as you could probably play the game 6 times, and have 6 different conclusions using 4 different technology trees, (arbitary numbers used for example only). This would give the game much more life and variance.

 

Another wish would be a deeper strategy element to the game. With greater benefits to peace rather than the Total Unending War leading to Final Confrontation scenarios that all 6 games have given us. Altar do really good Tactical simulations, they've proved that, and deeper strategy doesn't have to mean weaker tactical.

 

And without wishing to start a flame war here, but it's something of a bone of contention amongst a lot of players. My last wish is for greater play and compatibilty testing at Beta stage. Some of the games, particularly AS and to a certain extent AL have some real problems in this area. I know Altar are a small independant, and time is money, but the fan following they've built up, the customers, should have something that feels finished, rather than rushed, and on-box requirements should be REQUIREMENTS...... not GUIDELINES!