UFO: Afterlight interview at Tacticular Cancer

[Slaughter]

Our affiliates over at Tacticular Cancer just posted their fresh UFO: Afterlight interview. It covers most areas of the game, and has some interesting new details in it.

 

Are there multiple ways to handle combat situations? What about non-combat situations?

 

Rumun: We plan to largely expand the options how to solve tactical missions. Different objectives will demand different approach - sometimes all-out attack, sometimes more of stealth action. Parameters of the weapons, armors and other equipment are set that the player may choose among different combat styles. The pre-prepared missions (instead of generic ones in previous sequels) give us the more control of combat situations, and consequently more elaborated tactical challenges to the player.

 

Karel: As mentioned before, the player’s diplomatic decisions may completely change the course of the game. The player may also decide to betray his allies and attack them suddenly, with expectable consequences of this action.

 

One of the specific moments in Afterlight will be terraforming of Mars. The impact of this change will be clearly visible on the globe and it will affect largely the tactical game as well, for example the characters will be allowed to use lighter armors.

 

You can read the full interview over at Tacticular Cancer.

[Thorondor]

Interesting tidbits indeed, Olav:

 

"It is important to emphasize that the scientists will grow in experience, higher levels making them much more effective researchers. This is furthered by their specializations in one of the fields, making them just as personalized as the soldiers. The same is true for the third of the classes in the game - technicians."

 

This reminds me of the individualised research and manufacturing personnel model in X-Com, but with the added advantage of having the ability to shape their respective fields of expertise.

 

::

 

It also made me ponder, at another level, if having the guts to take casualties when they happen will have any psychological repercussions on the survivors' performance due to the dwindling numbers (greater vulnerability to mind-control attacks or temporary unit stat boost/alteration due to a more aggressive stance for instance).

 

"Payback time!!"