The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

[Pumpkinhead]

It's blatently obvious that all of us here are fans of UFO and could quite easily run off a list of good things about the game, but I was just curious to know what any of you think are the bad points of the game?

 

And if anyone's feeling adventurous, you could add what you think are the ugly points of the game? In other words, things that aren't neccessarily "bad" but are just poorly implemented.

[FullAuto]

The isometric viewpoint should be rotatable. It always irked me a little that you couldn't spin it round.

[Pumpkinhead]

Would that have even been possible back when the game was made?

[Jman4117]

Would have been viewable from 8 directions, but not completely rotatable due to the sprites.

 

1. Difficulty bug

2. Proximity grenade bug

3. Random crashes

4. GRAVITY!!!!!

[Pumpkinhead]

Besides the random crashing, I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to

 

1 & 2.What are these "bugs"?

4. There is gravity isn't there? Things that are thrown up come down?

[Jman4117]

Difficulty is set to 0 after first mission (DOS)

Armed proximity grenades can cause explosions in the next mission (Windows)

As for gravity, blow out the first floor of a building and see what happens

[Pumpkinhead]

Difficulty is set to 0 after first mission (DOS)

Armed proximity grenades can cause explosions in the next mission (Windows)

 

I had no idea. Those definately are bad.

 

As for gravity, blow out the first floor of a building and see what happens

I getcha now!

Physics wasn't really the game's strong point, was it

 

However, FPS'ers are only now implementing realistic physics into their engines, so you can't really expect much from a 1994 2D game

[Hobbes]

About the isometric view I'd toss a coin on that one. It's bad that the view is the same but it greatly simplifies map designing and gameplay. It could be possible to have four different views without having to add too many extra elements and that would be a plus.

 

I also agree with the lack of Gravity: it's bad when you demolish the first level of a building and the upper levels are left standing.

 

Another thing is that the explosions aren't completely vertical, although the upper levels can be affected, especially by fire.

 

Let's see, what else? A better Aggressive mode for the aliens. When they spot Soldiers/Civilians they either shoot or take cover. They never move around or circle to attack from different positions after seeing an enemy. The only times when that happens is when the AI orders distant units to converge on your soldiers.

 

Bigger sized maps would also be nice, although you'd need to be able to move your soldiers as a group otherwise it would be too tiring. I also think that they could have developed scripted missions: occasionally on the game you'd have to complete a mission on a special setting in order to advance your research.

 

Maps tend to get dull, especially the Farm ones. More buildings and the possibility to get maps with a bigger height.

 

The use of Psi-Amps completely takes away any chance for the aliens to win missions later on the game. They should be more difficult to use.

[Lleshap Johari]

I'd definately like to see a rotateable map. Wouldn't be too hard if they just made the 4 different views. I'm sick in TFTD of not being able to go in certain buildings because of some bug where my aquanauts wont go around a corner that has a wall between it and my view.

[NKF]

I like this game, and because I like it, I have a right to complain about it. But curiously enough, I can't think of anything at the moment. (well, at the time of typing. And I had to edit this post because I was starting to get into the realm of 'Things I want to see'.

 

Let's ignore the bugs. We know the game is terribly buggy. No good game should come with bugs. What about game-play aspects? I for one would have loved an ability to abort a command. How many times have you, when you were selecting another soldier, missed by a few tiles resulting in the current unit wasting all of his or her time units walking to that location? Apocalypse addressed this rather well.

 

Psionic combat should really be watered down, though the scope of its abilities ought to be increased. Various disciplines can be made up beyond mind control. From defense, offensive, control, telekinesis. Heck, you can even go so far as to make it a medikit replacement (though not so much that the medikit is removed entirely). It should be a useful tool rather than an overpowering tool. A swiss army knife if you will. It doesn't do the job as good as the real thing, but it can come in handy in many situations.

 

Speaking of the medikit, more situations where the pain killer pills actually come in handy would be nice. You get panicked so quickly that it really doesn't make a difference. Stimulants are handy. Oh, and more importantly, the ability to use the equipment on yourself. Apocalypse did this, but it stupidly removed the medikit's versatility and, I'm sure a lot of you agree, removed the ability to use it on other people.

 

Ooh, the game lacks hand-to-hand combat. Would be nice to have some. I mean, real hand to hand combat, as in being able to punch your enemy with your bare fists. (with damage being augmented by strength and whatever object you're carrying)

 

The lack of proper stealth. I've been spoilt by games like JA2, Thief, Deus Ex, etc. Okay, you can sneak up on enemies in the game, but it's so difficult to perform without hiding well out of sight every turn, as they seem to know whenever there's someone within visual sight of them (not always, but most do).

 

There's an eerie lack of wall climbing. Would have been nice to have a grapple or just a simple rope for those occasions where the stairs have been blown away and there's no other way of getting to a certain area that you simply must get to in order to get that last alien.

 

I've said this before. Disposable riot shields. Walking through doors tends to be a true test of patience. TFTD's ability to open doors was a good work-around.

 

Proper laser weapons. Not lightning guns like we have now. But real lasers with a light beam that can be tightened or widened depending on how intense you want it (I was inspired by the laser weapon in Syndicate Wars). Use a wide beam to let everything it hits to be uncomfortably warm, use a tight beam to burn a hole through tough armour. Perhaps an ammo bar that recharges rather than unlimited ammunition would tone the weapons down a bit.

 

As for the view, if anyone remembers Sim City 2000, it has an isometric view that you could rotate. The only problem with it was that they didn't make enough sprites for all the buildings. A hydroelectric dam would look as though it's damming air in some views, for example. It just means more tiles. With 3d graphics, this is no longer an issue. And a visible compass would be essential so you would't get confused after rotating views.

 

Torches (flashlights). Built into your power suit/tank or carried (in the hand or taped to your gun). Never did like the fact your soldiers walked about and glowed in the dark. Switching them off would mean you'd be blind in the dark, but you'd at least draw less attention to yourself.

 

Oh, and speaking of light, subject the aliens to the same visual limitations your soldiers have in the dark. 'tis only fair.

 

I think I'll stop now or I'll go on all night.

 

- NKF

[Stewart]

For an exhaustive answer to the question: what's "wrong" or "bad" about Xcom1, please read the What-I'd-like-to-see or My-Xcom threads on this website or any other Xcom related website say . . . oh . . . XcomUFO, for example.

[Pumpkinhead]

"What I'd like to see" and "My X-COM" aren't exactly where I was hoping to go with this thread. I was more concerned with what's wrong and/or lacking, than what's not there at all.

[Jman4117]

I think MIB was something that never made it in.

[NKF]

Well, in some ways, saying 'what I'd like to see' does cover improving aspects of the game that are lacking. But it sits so precariously on the line between 'this could have been done better' and 'this is how it should be!'.

 

Fire, fire for one could have been done better. As it is now, if you shoot one person with an incendiary round and then shoot someone else, the last person dies. That's very inconsistent.

 

Grenade timers. The timers aren't very easy to understand until you've experimented with them a bit. I mean, it goes all the way to 31, but that doesn't mean it'll wait 32 turns before it explodes. It'll wait 16 turns. Each turn is actually two turns, your turn and the aliens (0 = after your turn, 1 = after aliens turn). But the 'turn' that you see between turns is all the turns put together and halved. So it does get a bit confusing.

 

Grenades should also not go through ceilings (unless there's a grate, a hole or it's a lift)

 

Medikits shouldn't work through walls.

 

Large units shouldn't receive more damage from area effect weapons.

 

Blasters shouldn't leave duds behind after 1-waypoint attacks.

 

Cyberdiscs should explode on the level their corpse falls to. Not on the level they were on before they were disabled.

 

Large units shouldn't be allowed to climb up narrow stairs (the top left corner). Also, they shouldn't fall off the edge of a building and get stuck in the wall (The top left edge, again). Heck they shouldn't be able to move through the cave in the mountain terrain. It's only 1 tile wide!

 

Soldiers shouldn't be able to fall onto an odd level and then be allowed to climb up onto levels that normally cannot be reached by foot. (happens a lot in mountain maps. You'll end up having a soldier climbing up a hill that's not cannot be climbed normally). See below, as it's related.

 

Non-flying soldiers walking from a lower level or a higher level ending up walking through walls on a different level can cause some comment.

 

Again, with the above, having soldiers walk through the north and west walls of UFOs is just wrong. (these are fake walls by the way, walls that ocupy the entire tile rather than the edge. You'll notice these as you cannot step into the tile, even though it looks as though you can).

 

Explosive damage that goes through the ceiling should also destroy the ceiling. Always bugs me in UFOs where I fire a rocket up at the ceiling and kill everything on the level above, but the floor remains.

 

The Lightning walls. This ship would be just as good or even better if its walls were truly solid.

 

- NKF

[Pumpkinhead]

I think MIB was something that never made it in.

Yeah, I read that in some interview too. Would have been a cool feature, definately.

 

Also would have been good if they'd got in before the whole MIB film thing, because now anyone mentions MIB most people think that that movie came up with the idea. The public can be so naïve sometimes

[Pumpkinhead]

Medikits shouldn't work through walls.

Medikits work through walls!?!

 

Large units shouldn't be allowed to climb up narrow stairs (the top left corner). Also, they shouldn't fall off the edge of a building and get stuck in the wall (The top left edge, again).  Heck they shouldn't be able to move through the cave in the mountain terrain. It's only 1 tile wide!

I didn't even know they could. I always looked at it and said, "It won't fit, better send in a soldier."

 

Again, with the above, having soldiers walk through the north and west walls of UFOs is just wrong. (these are fake walls by the way, walls that ocupy the entire tile rather than the edge. You'll notice these as you cannot step into the tile, even though it looks as though you can).

I always thought it was funny being able to walk through the back right corner of the Avenger

 

Explosive damage that goes through the ceiling should also destroy the ceiling. Always bugs me in UFOs where I fire a rocket up at the ceiling and kill everything on the level above, but the floor remains.

Again, physics wasn't the game's strong suit

[Zombie]

Let me add a little here:

 

In the PC version of this game you cannot just open a door. You have to completely step through, which sucks! You should be able to right-click just beyond the door to open it - like the PSX version allows.

 

A soldier standing on a hay bale on the first floor of a barn should not allow him/her to see or shoot at aliens on the second floor!

 

A Blaster Bomb shot at an X-COM craft should damage it! (Sure, explosives do damage to landing gear/ramps in mountainous terrain, but it does not effect the outcome of the mission). Too many hits from blaster bomb or heavy plasma should damage it as much as an alien ship - but alas, it does not! Would be more realistic if your soldiers were marooned because their ship was destroyed by alien fire!

 

And yes, Medi-Kits work through walls - even UFO hulls, if there is a unit standing on the other side. Try it sometime, it is pretty amusing pumping a soldier full of stimulant through a UFO's 3rd floor (level 2)!

 

NKF Posted on Jun 17 2004, 11:47 PM

 

Large units shouldn't receive more damage from area effect weapons.

 

Explosive damage that goes through the ceiling should also destroy the ceiling. Always bugs me in UFOs where I fire a rocket up at the ceiling and kill everything on the level above, but the floor remains.

 

Area effect weapons do what their name implies, effect an area with some sort of damage. If a large terror unit, such as a Reaper or a Sectopod, is shot at with a stun bomb, they should take more stun damage. This is because they have twice as much surface area (as seen head-on) as a singlewide unit. Remember that area effect weapons have spillover damage, so if two soldiers are standing side-by-side they each take roughly the same damage. So a doublewide alien will take almost double damage from an area effect weapon depending on resistance!

 

Umm... Remember that UFO floors and hulls are made up of alien alloys? I quote the UFOpaedia for alien alloys: "Alien craft are constructed from special alloys with unique properties. They are extremely light and durable, and can be moulded by electro-magnetic methods. This material can be reproduced and used in many kinds of manufacturing processes." Remember that small or large rockets do not damage hulls when you shoot at them? Terrestrial rockets should therefore be unable to damage UFO ceilings/floors because they are also made of alien alloys! Terran floors/ceiling can be damaged by conventional explosives because they were constructed using materials from earth!

 

By the way: Blaster Bombs can punch a hole in a UFO's ceiling because this is alien technology. Ever hear of the old chemistry addage "Like dissolves like"? It applies to conventional/Terran vs. alien damage. Damage from a terrestrial weapon can damage terrestrial objects if they have enough power. Alien weapons can damage alien objects if they have enough power to do so. In this case, alien weapons can easily damage most terrestrial objects too!

[NKF]

Ah, the good old saying, 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall'? Still, the way the game is implemented, large units are just four units that share the same vital stats. And whatever happens to each part affects the same set of vital statistics.

 

But as for the UFO floors, sure, light explosives wont destroy them, but then the explosive effects should not effect anything standing on the tile as well. Or, look at it this way: the floor survives sure enough, but it's got holes in it that lets the nastiness through!

 

- NKF

[Zombie]

Last time I checked, explosions form shockwaves. This is why stuff gets destroyed on the floor above, even though the floor itself remains undamaged!

[NKF]

Yes, that's what I thought.

 

It also goes to show that stun bombs not only have an EMP effect (on robots), but they have a shockwave effect as well. It literally knocks the air out of you (through the floor). Probably even freezes you at the same time. Man, this is one multipurpose stun weapon that attempts to cover all eventualities!

 

As for incendiary effects... stove, fire, pot.

 

- NKF