Welcome to our second Special
Edition "Creating
Aftershock" Newsletter!
In our second of four
special editions, we'll be chatting with
David Zapletal, Art Manager at ALTAR Interactive, who's brought us an über-cool
Cyborg Elder from sketch to screen and
more in-game sound effects!
Not to be outdone by the onslaught of Aftershock material, as usual
we'll also be bringing you more from some of the other games we cover
- the X-COM series and, of course UFO Aftermath.
Contents
Please select a section to jump to by clicking on any of the headings
below, or push the boat uot and read the whole thing if you can handle
it!
Not to break a winning formula, we fired
some familiar questions at Dave Zapletal - ALTAR Interactive's Art
Manager (click the pic to the left to see Dave's pride and joy).
1) Tell us a little about yourself - what is
your name and where are you from?
Hi, my name is David Zapletal and I'm seven years younger
then Jesus was when he died. I'm currently living, and will do for the rest of
my life, in Brno in the Czech republic where I was born because it's fantastic
here!
2) What
is your job on the Aftershock team?
I have "Art Manager" written on my business card, thus
I try to be the best Art Manager I know.
3) What do you do in a typical day working
on Aftershock?
I wake up, burn myself with a hot cup of
tea, climb up a high hill and sit down on my chair in the office.
And then it begins... "Hey Dave, where I can find this?", "Dave,
we have a problem with that!", "Dave, we need this to
be done!", "Dave, will you go to pub with us tonight?" And
much more :o)
4)
What was the funniest moment for you when working in the office
while working on Aftershock? Are there any office pranks you'd
like to tell us about?
When you work so hard and so long you don't
know what day is it, you are laughing at everything or nothing!
5) What additions
in this game do you feel make it really stand out against other
squad based strategy games, and it's predecessor – UFO
Aftermath?
As soon as the office goes quiet after work
hours and I have the opportunity to play UFO as a player, I like
the game completely.
6) What
influenced your particular part of the development? What sources
did you get inspiration from?
I tried to use my experiences from the development
of UFO: Aftermath, and of course I learn from people in our team.
7) What are
your hopes for the future of the UFO series (without giving too
much away)?
I hope I will see a UFO with my own eyes in the future :o)
(Dave's little grey Reticulan's are
obviously becoming all too real to him...)
8) To finish
off, would you like to give a message to the gamers or anyone else
out there?
One for all, all for one, let's go :o)
Cheers Dave!
Media
Dave very kindly gave us some shots of the development cyle from
sketch to finished model of a Cyborg Elder. Well I know, a Cyborg
Elder probably doesn't sound too fascinating, but this guy looks cool (in
an "I pity da foo who steps on my toe" Mr T from the A-Team kind
of way!)
Once again, we've got some more sound effects from the game as well
because we're just good like that. This week tehres sounds from breaking
glass, a metal object being destroyed, a bullet hitting the ground
and a grenade explosion.
These sound effects and the screenshots above are all available
in one zip file in our files section here: http://www.strategycore.co.uk/files/?dlid=213
Competition
Update
As you all know, there are not one, but THREE prizes in
our Aftershock competition. Guess how many entries we've had? A pitiful
30!
Now, if you can do the maths - all you people that haven't entered
- the current entrants stand an amazingly good 1 in 10 chance of
winning. Are you going to just LET them walk off with their prizes?
No! Didn't think so, so chop-chop and get your entry in ASAP.
Full details of our amazingly simple competition can be found here.
A reminder of the prizes below:
As if
that wasn’t enough, all three winners
will receive a signed UFO Aftermath t-shirt and a signed UFO Aftermath poster because we’re generous like that.
So get your entry in today!
X-COM
Alien
Races Part 1
Alien races and hierarchies. Tactical brief-346, by order of Agent J.P. and
Agent D.S. Classified EYES ONLY.
By Izo Matsuka, Intel Analyst.
Good morning. Following your beloved training sergeant’s heart attack,
I have been drafted in to enlighten you about the various alien species. To defeat
your enemy, you must understand your enemy. Their motivation is just as important
as yours. The only difference is, you don’t know their motivation. Please
pay attention. What you learn might save your life. We do not know everything
about them. But we hope to.
Race: Sectoid
Associated Terrorist: Cyberdisc
The Sectoids are the initial threat in the war, and their appearance reoccurs
often. They are not ideal shock troops by any means, being somewhat less able
than an average squaddie. They do have quick reactions, but physically they are
not very resilient. As most of you already know, a double tap from an X-Com issue
pistol will drop one reliably. All weaponry is effective against them. Their
one strong point is the psi ability of their Leaders and Commanders, which is
uniformly stronger than almost every X-Com recruit to date. A Leader or Commander
can be found on the larger UFOs and in alien bases. Sectoids are relatively easy
to stun, so take full advantage of that and capture them where you can. The information
from Leaders and Commanders is absolutely crucial to the war effort.
Ranks: Soldier/Navigator/Engineer/Medic/Leader/Commander.
Cyberdiscs are alien HWP equivalents, armed with an integral plasma weapon. Although
it has no auto shot, it is still capable of delivering a barrage of fire at anyone
unlucky enough to be a target. Early in the war, heavy weapons are the only way
to bring them down. Make sure you’re clear of the resulting explosion as
the Cyberdisc self-destructs. Later on, both laser and plasma weaponry are more
than a match for them. They follow Sectoids in Battleships, on terror missions
and bases.
Race: Floater
Associated Terrorist: Reaper
Despite being considerably larger, Floaters are only slightly tougher than Sectoids,
with accurate rifle and pistol fire usually proving sufficient to kill them.
Their flying ability renders them very dangerous, with plasma fire and grenades
often coming from unexpected angles. The surgical additions and alterations every
member of this race displays are probably from the Sectoids, as they have shown
a penchant for interfering with other races. Especially ours. Floaters are much
easier to fight within the constraints of an alien craft or base, as the tight
confines negates their flying ability.
Ranks: Soldier/Navigator/Engineer/Medic/Leader/Commander.
Reapers are large and quick, possessing only natural weaponry. Their bite is
only a threat to an unarmoured trooper, but their large mass and thick fur renders
pistols and rifles ineffective, except for massed fire from multiple squaddies.
High explosives or incendiary are both ideal, the Reaper’s muscles being
especially vulnerable to kinetic concussions, and their fur burns very well.
Capable of absorbing plenty of damage, their bulk impedes their progress. They
accompany the Floaters in Battleships, terror missions and bases.
Race: Snakemen
Associated Terrorist: Chryssalid/Zombie
Snakemen, although typically lethargic and not very strong, are tough, resistant
to both pistols and rifles, and seem to take little damage from incendiary ammunition.
They are the first race that really necessitate the new laser tech, although
being so slow moving, a thick swathe of ground set alight by incendiary rounds
can kill them just as effectively. Their lack of mobility makes them possibly
the easiest race to deal with.
Ranks: Soldier/Navigator/Engineer/Leader/Commander
Chryssalids are among the most feared aliens, and deservedly so. Although possessing
only a melee attack, this impregnates the target with a Chryssalid embryo, and
the Chryssalid is quick enough to impregnate multiple targets, X-Com or civilian,
within a very short space of time. They can take plenty of damage, and are quite
capable of tearing apart the strongest armour we can make, as well as our HWPs.
Their presence at terror sites can be most problematic, thanks to the plethora
of narrow spaces and buildings. Plenty of incendiary ammunition is a must, with
all possible avenues of attack either blocked by proximity grenades or covered
by multiple squaddies. They are not stupid, they will come out of nowhere, strike
and then retreat. So when you see one, hit it with everything you have. They
partner Snakemen in their Battleships, terror missions and bases.
Zombies are the result of a Chryssalid attack, and are slow, shambling shells
of their former human selves. Their hand-to-hand attack is not particularly formidable,
but as soon as you kill them a Chryssalid bursts forth, so please make sure you
have sufficient time to reload or deploy further munitions before doing so. Think
about the ramifications of a Chryssalid in the middle of your squad before killing
a Zombie. Zombies are not particularly tough, and are best killed with incendiary
ammunition. This stops the Chryssalid ‘hatching’ from the human body.
A repulsive measure, but a necessary one.
Thanks again to FullAuto for another entertaining piece!
Fan Fiction Story
What follows is an excerpt from Skonar's excllent story "X-COM Chronicles -
Twilight":
He could feel his toes. He could feel the uncomfortable pain pressing into his
back from his equipment harness.
The figure overhead stepped back. Slick grey flesh, almost frog-like, gleamed
at the shoulders, the dome of the ridiculously large head.
He just couldn't concentrate. He felt the nagging warmth of embarrassment and
shame crawl down his spine, a desire to sleep.
He pulled out the handgun, tugging six inches more than he used to with his department
issue sidearm. He thumbed off the safety while the figure continued to back away.
Somewhere a door opened with the strange hiss of metal scraping against metal.
You can read the full story, and many other fantastic pieces here: http://www.strategycore.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=1368
UFO Aftermath
Weapons Guide
Accounting Troll was good enough to put together a weapons guide
for the rifles in UFO Aftermath, outlining their history, usefulness
and at which point they can be obtained in the game.
Part
2– Alien & Hybrid Rifles in UFO Aftermath
There are several different types of rifles in the game; human assault rifles,
alien rifles, and hybrid rifles that represent a fusion of human and alien technology.
Human assault rifles can be recovered at the end of a mission or in the arsenal
of a base the first time it is captured. Alien weapons are recovered at the end
of a mission against either the aliens or the transgenants. Hybrid rifles have
to be manufactured by your engineers.
Rifles have greater range and power than handguns, although the rate of fire
tends to be somewhat lower, particularly in burst mode. Rifles are all-round
weapons that are useful in most mission types, although more specialist weapons
such as shotguns and sniper rifles are sometimes more useful in certain situations.
The transgenants can use all the rifles in the game except for hybrid rifles.
The alien laser gun is the main weapon used by the Reticulans in the early
part of the game. It is their equivalent to human assault rifles.
Laser weapons tend to be more accurate than equivalent projectile weapons because
there is none of the recoil that has been associated with projectile weapons
since the development of gunpowder. The alien laser gun has greater accuracy
than any of the human assault rifles available in the early stages of the game,
although it is outclassed by the Steyer Aug, the HK G11 K5 and sniper rifles.
This means that it is important that you equip some of your soldiers with sniper
rifles before attempting a mission against the Reticulans in open terrain.
The amount of damage inflicted by an alien laser gun is comparable to the damage
inflicted by a human assault rifle. Light armour and clothing give no protection
against laser damage, although all other armour in the game, including enhanced
light armour, gives at least some protection against lasers.
Reload time is 6 seconds, slightly longer than the 4-5 seconds needed to reload
a human assault rifle.
The transgenants will often use alien laser guns after the first few weeks. This
has the advantage of ensuring that you will probably never run out of alien power
cells.
You need to research both alien weapons and laser weapon operation before your
soldiers can use any alien laser weapons in their possession.
It is not worth using the alien laser gun against the Reticulans because even
their most basic armour is optimised against laser weapons. Weapons firing hard
rounds are far more effective against Reticulan armour.
Alien laser guns are useful against the transgenants providing you equip your
squad with a combination of human weapons and alien laser guns. Do not equip
your entire squad with laser weapons under any circumstances because some transgenant
species are highly resistant to laser damage. Balloon fish in particular have
90% protection against lasers, although they are virtually defenceless against
projectile weapons.
As the name suggests, this is an upgraded version of the alien laser gun.
Range and power have been increased but at a cost: the rate of fire in aimed
mode has decreased. It is the Reticulan equivalent to the most advanced human
assault rifles.
The Reticulans first use the advanced alien laser gun when the Kasputin Yar mission
appears on the map. It is a popular choice for the Reticulans for the rest of
the game, although they will still occasionally use the more basic version. Curiously,
the transgenants sometimes use the advanced alien laser gun slightly before the
Reticulans start using it.
It is hardly worth bothering to use the advanced alien laser gun against the
Reticulans. Reticulan sky armour, which turns up in the game at the same time,
has 75% protection against laser damage. Fortunately, sky armour is still vulnerable
to hard rounds.
The advanced alien laser gun is highly effective against most transgenant species,
but you should still make sure you use it in combination with weapons that inflict
different damage types for the reasons mentioned above.
This is a popular Reticulan weapon from its appearance in mid-game onwards. The
transgenants will start using it soon afterwards.
The alien warp assault rifle has poor range and rate of fire. However it has
massive damage potential, particularly in burst mode. This weapon is not much
of a threat in open terrain because it is out-ranged by the weapons you will
have access to by this stage. However, it is highly dangerous in urban combat,
base defence missions, the second stage of UFO recovery missions and alien base
missions.
Alien warp assault rifles are useful at close range against the Reticulans and
most transgenant species. They are particularly useful against the octopuses
that guard the Royal Chamber in the Reticulan headquarters. Remember that the
power cells cannot be recharged or replaced in the field; Reticulan soldiers
with alien warp assault rifles usually carry secondary weapons, and you should
follow their example.
As with other warp weapons, you must research warp weapon operation before your
soldiers can use this weapon.
This is a hybrid weapon that was designed by your scientists to be the equivalent
of the alien laser gun. It has greater range than the alien original, but it
has lower power. The high rate of fire means that it has greater damage potential
in burst mode.
It takes 6 seconds to reload a hybrid laser rifle, the same as with alien laser
guns and longer than the 4-5 seconds it takes to reload human assault rifles.
Hybrid laser rifles are far more effective against transgenants than the Reticulans,
whose armour is optimised against laser weapons. Their good burst fire characteristics
makes them more useful in urban combat than alien laser guns.
You need to research laser principles, energy cell principles and the Area-51
files before you can begin manufacturing hybrid laser rifles and accompanying
power cells.
The biggest drawback of this weapon is that it becomes available for manufacture
at about the same time as enhanced combat armour and shortly before hybrid sky
armour. By this time, you will be desperate for your engineers to produce armour
that gives good protection against laser and plasma weapons. Also, the Reticulans
will have started using the more powerful version of their laser guns, which
makes this weapon less important. You will probably need to build at least one
at some stage in the game as it is a prerequisite of the enhanced version.
As the name indicates, this is an improved version of the hybrid laser rifle.
Range, damage capacity and the rate of fire have all been improved. The excellent
range and rate of fire make this the most powerful laser weapon in the game.
In order to build this rifle, you must recover and research the Kasputin Yar
files which you need to research enhanced hybrid weapons, and you must also have
at least one basic hybrid laser rifle.
This weapon is useful in any mission against the transgenants for the rest of
the game, providing you use it in conjunction with weapons that inflict a different
type of damage. Despite the damage potential, it is ineffectual against the Reticulans
because they will mostly be using sky and bio armour by this stage.
This rifle was designed by your scientists using the technology behind the alien
plasma gun. The Reticulans have no equivalent plasma weapons as their plasma
guns are medium range area effect weapons, rather like the M79 grenade launcher.
You need to research plasma principles and hybrid power cells before you can
manufacture plasma rifles.
The high damage potential of the plasma rifle makes it a powerful weapon. 1-2
shots will kill most transgenants in the game. It is also useful against the
Reticulans because the high damage potential makes up for the protection Reticulan
armour gives against plasma weapons.
The biggest disadvantage of the plasma rifle is that even an enhanced hybrid
power cell only has enough power for ten shots, and reloading takes ten seconds;
time you do not always have in the middle of a mission. In order to use this
weapon effectively, you will have to be prepared to give the reload order when
things are quiet, and not simply when a power cell is depleted. When you are
being fired on by a Reticulan, you do not want to have to wait for ten seconds
before you can return fire. Use the improved version of hybrid power cells if
possible because their capacity is twice as much as the basic version.
The plasma rifle does not have a burst mode, and the rate of fire in aimed mode
is remarkably slow. This sometimes counts against you in close combat, particularly
in the interior of a UFO when you have several Reticulans attacking you simultaneously.
Despite its disadvantages, the plasma rifle is a powerful weapon in most tactical
situations.
This is an improved version of the plasma rifle, and it has greater power and
range than the original. In order to build this rifle, you must recover and research
the Kasputin Yar files which you need to research enhanced hybrid weapons, and
you must also have at least one basic plasma rifle.
This is the most powerful rifle in the game. You will acheive one shot kills
against most transgenant species, even on the hard level. The damage potential
also makes this a highly effective weapon against the Reticulans.
Unfortunately, the enhanced plasma rifle has the same drawbacks as the original.
Ammunition capacity is limited and there is a long reload time. There is still
no burst mode and the rate of fire in aimed mode is pretty limited.
Despite the drawbacks, this is one of the most useful weapons in the second half
of the game. It is well worth equipping a couple of your soldiers with enhanced
plasma rifles for every mission you will go on, even the Moon mission at the
end of the game.
That concludes Accounting Trolls look at Rifles in Aftermath. Stay tuned for
next week's newsletter on the 23rd when he'll be bringing you
Personal Defense Weapons in Aftermath!
Accounting Troll's Conspiracy Theory
Leaving no stone unturned, Accounting Troll has noticed some interesting loose
ends and niggles from the first game that hint of something more sinister...
read on to find out more and put forward your comments and theories in our
own Cons[iracy Theiry forum topic!
Are the Reticulans puppets of another power?
There are several loose endings scattered throughout UFO: Aftermath. It is my personal contention that they fit a specific pattern for a theme that the game developers will expand upon in the forthcoming UFO: Aftershock.
Bionode material
If you complete the game by successfully winning the lunar base mission, the following message appears on your screen:
"So, this is the end. The enemy is vanquished. The great teat that fed the Biomass – the source of the mysterious greenish liquid that was turning Reticulans into Biomass nodes – lies destroyed. The scientists say that it does not come from the Reticulan home planet, but that no longer matters. Now all that matters is that the Earth is free again, free to be reborn."
There are two particularly interesting revelations in this statement. The first is that Reticulans are being turned into biomass nodes, and the second is that the Biomass liquid is not from the Reticulan homeworld.
It is known that a large and complex nervous system makes a better bionode than a more primitive nervous system. As Reticulans have larger brains than humans on average, it follows that they would make better bionodes. Although an individual Reticulan is more willing to sacrifice himself for the common good than a human would be, he would still need to know there is a very good reason for him to make the ultimate sacrifice. One wonders how many Reticulans expected to survive to enjoy the benefits of ruling the Planetmind.
The comment that the liquid used to create the biomass nodes was not from the Reticulan homeworld is particularly interesting as it means they would have had to either develop it or to obtain it in their interstellar exploration. If the liquid was developed by the Reticulans, then it would have had to have been developed in conditions of utmost secrecy.
If the Reticulans discovered the liquid during their exploration of other worlds,
then this raises a very important question: how did they recognise it for what
it was? Given that the liquid is an essential part of the creation of the biomass
and thus Planetmind, does this mean that Planetmind already exists on other worlds?
Transgenants
Research into the transgenant species encountered in Aftermath reveals one or two interesting anomalies that cast doubt on the simplistic explanation they are simply mutations of native life forms from before the Fall.
Sporeblowers
The sporeblower is no more than a biomechanical artefact designed to carry the alien spores to human soldiers on the battlefield, however it does give your scientists their one chance to examine the spores behind the Twilight and Fall. They discovered that the spores were self-organised and capable of responding to external stimuli. The spores have some means of detecting the proximity of humans, which causes them to become more active. This increased activity causes the sporeblower to explode, thus releasing the spores into the air in order to attack nearby humans.
It is possible that the spores are intelligent beings in their own right; the coordinated nature of their actions would indicate a form of group mind. This implies that the spores, the transgenants, the biomass nodes and Planetmind are all part of a complex life cycle of a single organism. If this theory is correct, then it follows that thousands or even millions of worlds have already been ruined by this organism, and the Reticulans are reduced from a position of leadership to errand boys.
The second theory is that the spores are a biological form of nanobots, and they were programmed to carry out certain tasks, such as killing people or altering their DNA. Curiously, the Reticulans and Old Greys have not managed to find any other military application for nano-technology, which leads to the possibility that it was not developed indigenously.
Octopuses
The transgenants used to defend the Reticulan Royal Chamber have several unique and puzzling properties. Called octopuses, although they look more like spiders, they appear to have been intended to be guard dogs to be used as a final defence for the persons of the Reticulan queens. Despite being the toughest transgenants in the game, they are never deployed on Earth.
However they are the only transgenant species to have been deployed in conjunction with the Reticulans, which means that they are able to tell the difference between a Reticulan and a human. This suggests rather more intelligence than that possessed by other transgenants – even the humanoid transgenants are incapable of using a door knob.
The most unique property of an octopus is its weight. It weighs 750 kilograms in a body that has the volume of a balloon fish or a flapper. This gives it a density of maybe fifty times greater than that of any species native to Earth, and greater than any of the 92 naturally occurring elements. As most other transgenant species are mutations of species native to Earth, it follows that the octopuses cannot be from Earth.
Neither can the octopuses be from Zeta Reticulum, where life has a similar biochemistry to that of Earth, although gravity is lower and there is more free oxygen in the atmosphere. Such creatures could only evolve on a planet with far greater atmospheric density and gravity than Earth.
It is possible that the octopuses were biomechanical constructions, in the manner of plecton and sporeblowers. However if that was so, why did the Reticulans only manufacture a few of them? It would have been more logical to manufacture and deploy thousands of them during the fighting on Earth. Also, why not add some sort of ranged weapon to the design?
The fact that the octopuses were only ever encountered in the Reticulan lunar base is curious. If their primary purpose was combat, why give them the same level of protection as the Reticulan queens? It is hardly as if the attack on the lunar base was expected – if it had been, the Retribution would have been attacked and destroyed en-route. The only possible explanation for the amount of protection they received is that they were intelligent beings who were supporting the Reticulan efforts.
Military Technology
Despite having been a spacefaring race for thousands of years, Reticulan military technology at the beginning of the game was not much more advanced than our own. Their fighters only narrowly outperformed ours in a dogfight, their laser rifles were no better than our assault rifles, and the only advantage their body armour had over ours was that it was lighter. One of their late game weapons is even based on pre-Fall human technology – the collapsible machine gun. Evidently Reticulan military technology evolved at a remarkably slow rate for countless centuries.
When your forces to offer effective resistance to the Reticulans, they start developing new military technology at an explosive rate, despite only being able to spare limited resources and few scientists for weapons research. Improved versions of existing weapons and armour, and many new weapons such as alien rocket launchers and microslug accelerators are developed and mass produced in a matter of weeks.
The most bizarre weapon in the Reticulan arsenal is the warp assault rifle. It creates micro-level distortions in space that shreds living tissue and rips stone and metal apart. Yet their people had never developed true warp technology before the invasion, despite having a powerful incentive; warp technology would improve the speed of their spacecraft and make interstellar travel far easier than the current cumbersome network of Qports.
If the Reticulans had access to such powerful weapons at the beginning of the game, why weren’t these weapons issued to their forces from the beginning? If they were developed during the game, how did the Reticulans manage it? Reverse engineering existing technology is a lot easier than building radically new technology.
Logistics
The Reticulans that attacked Earth in UFO: Aftermath are only a renegade faction of their race. The rest of their people, called the Old Greys, had already been in peaceful contact with humanity for decades through the Dreamland Project. The surviving Old Greys on Earth have taken up arms to stop the Reticulan plan, and their government despatched a military fleet to help Earth – this fleet is scheduled to reach Earth in the mid 2020s.
Although the Old Greys are prepared to use military force to stop the Reticulans, the attack on Earth came as a surprise to them – the first they knew about it was when the Qport was destroyed. Had they known what the Reticulans were up to, there would have been a large fleet ready to pounce when the Reticulans entered our system. As the invasion took the Old Greys by surprise, the Reticulans must have managed to carry out their preparations in secret, but this would have been no easy matter.
The Reticulans had to assemble thousands of ships, tens of thousands of personnel willing to devote their lives to their plan and large amounts of food, weapons and equipment. Not one person involved refused to cooperate or questioned the morality of what they were doing and tipped off their government. Nobody outside the project picked up on the unusual shipping patterns as the fleet was assembled.
Even the research required on the genetic makeup of native flora and fauna would have been difficult. It required frequent visits to Earth without the Old Greys noticing what was going on. Either the Reticulans were given privileged access to stealth technology or the Old Greys never read paranormal magazines.
Controlling Planetmind
The Reticulans were ultimately planning on turning Earth into a gigantic planetary computer with massive psionic powers. However, the in-game glossary and the message that appears if you accept the Reticulan offer reveal that they have no idea what the extent of its powers will be and there are doubts that they will be able to control it.
Considering how much planning was behind the invasion, it is amazing the Reticulans did not seem to apply any thought about whether Planetmind would be content to be directed by beings that it would regard as being mentally inferior, and what they would do if it refused to obey them. As the Reticulans planned to use Planetmind to destroy the Old Grey fleet upon its arrival, Planetmind would have the power to destroy them as well if it chose to.
Conclusion
It is my opinion that the most likely explanation for the anomalies and loose ends in the game are that the Reticulans are the tools of another power, probably without even realising it. This unknown power handled the technology and logistics behind the invasion and is using the Reticulans as hired hands, cannon fodder, and ultimately as biomass nodes. It has also has stopped the Old Grey fleet from coming to the aid of humanity, and it is possible that the Old Greys are now too busy fighting for their own survival to send another fleet to help humanity.
So what do you think is going on in the UFO Universe? If
you've got comments on Accounting Troll's theories, or have some ideas of your
own, why not share them in this forum topic: http://www.strategycore.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=4258
We'll see who's right in a few weeks when Aftershock is released!
StrategyCore
Next Edition
Looking forward to part 3 of our Creating Aftershock newsletter series? Here's
a look at what's coming up:
In issue 3 we’ll
betalking to Lukáš (Izmi) Veselý - Game Designer
at ALTAR Interactive. Izmi's going to show off a cool music track from the
game - over 3 minutes in length - along with more models and sound effects.
Feedback
We want to know what you think – what you liked and what you thought could
have been better. Let us know what you want to see more of. Your voice could
shape future editions, so give us your feedback here.
posted 8:44am on 2nd February 2010
posted 7:28pm on 1st February 2010
posted 12:19pm on 30th January 2010
posted 10:59am on 30th January 2010
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