OOC: X-COM Tribute thread. Save the earth by killing Aliens

[Jagged]

Hi I'm a major fan of the 1994 classic strategy/roleplay game UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe (known as X-COM: UFO Defense to us in North America). The first game of the series was the best and started you off in 1998 with the earth facing an alien invasion. To deal with this threat the world's finest pilots, soldiers, scientists and engineers, were put together as one multi-national force. This organization was named the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit or X-Com for short.

For those of you who remember the game it was a lot of fun, and though it let you have characters it didn't leave much room for roleplay, but there was plenty of combat. I always figured characters would hook up between missions since they were sharing space in their underground bases (undersea also). If you haven't played the game please look at the resources below to get an idea of how it all works.

Looking for pilots, scientists, engineers, operatives and of coarse soldiers. Fighting aliens around the globe and beyond is a lot of fun, and I plan to expand the original roles, and do things you couldn't do in the original game. Before I give any more details I wanted to see if there is interest. Let me know by posting or pm. Thank you

http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-COM

http://www.ufopaedia.com/
__________________

 

[Ravenloft]

I'm interested, especially if you brought story elements from Terror from the Deep into play.

 

[Radiohead]

I just wish I could play it again, not get all feltophiliac over it

 

[Ravenloft]

There's costume number two...

I'm getting nervous here, I hope Beaker does't catch me roaming around in my Goblin King tights.

Next up: The Labyrinth, staring David Bowie's crotch!

 

[Jagged]

I'm interested, especially if you brought story elements from Terror from the Deep into play.

Don't know what the second post was about, but yes I'm going to have fighting on Land, Sea, Air, and Space.

 

[Jagged]

I just wish I could play it again, not get all feltophiliac over it

So is that a yes to some alien killing fun...two interested parties is what I see.

 

[Ravenloft]

The second post was about me being stalked by a felt skinned freak. Don't worry, its an inside joke.

And you are aware that TFTD had elements of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos in it right, Jagged?

 

[MasterRamses]

I'm interested.

I'm up for playing any character. Soldier, medic, pilot, banker, tech, etc.

Add me to the roster.

 

[Jagged]

The second post was about me being stalked by a felt skinned freak. Don't worry, its an inside joke.

Okay that's cool....three interested parties now it seems.

And you are aware that TFTD had elements of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos in it right, Jagged?

Yeah it was one of the things that helped me decide to include it in this story arc. Basically Aliens will be hitting you at all sides, and you might want to cross train your troops. Back in the day I didn't bother with TFTD because most reviews set it was little more than the first game underwater, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun.

Here are some of the aspects I'm changing for the story. They might seem like small things, but they drove me nuts in the game.

-Capturing intact ships. Used to drive me crazy that you would scrap a fully functional battleship or other craft. Once you learn how their tech works you should be able to refit their ships. You'll need bigger hangers and bases, but that isn't so bad is it? The smallest alien ship doesn't have the same fuel source as the other and if you do capture one on the ground you should be able to use it after some work is done. Wouldn't an alien abduction ship be great for medvac? A terrorship to move in your troops to stop them in the city?

-Use all the alien tech. You'd find enhance clothing, but no new jumpsuits. You'd research their surgical equipment, but your troops were stuck with the same old hospital care. Alien alloys should be used on the old fighters as well as body armor. Maybe improved ammunition for your old school weapons to keep them in the game.

-Multinational force should have more access to different weapons systems. Operatives that track aliens like spies should also be available to play with undercover identities like UN observes and reporters. Always wished I could combine Jagged Alliance 2 and X-com back in the day. Soldiers should be allowed to take on all different kinds of training for land and sea combat, and learn different

-Expanded roles for the player characters. Besides being soldiers and now spies players never got to be engineers and scientists. Probably because their role was routine, but what about combat engineers and field scientists. They can make a difference on the battlefield. Also want to fly in combat?

-Aliens should be more scary. There are at least two races that can breed many fierce warriors quickly. City fights need to be larger, and more civilians. Speaking of which you never get to rescue UFO abduction victims. That needs to change along with rescuing X-COM P.O.W.'s something else you could never do in the old game. That being said is there a change that they're brainwashed or can the aliens find the location of the base from them? This could all be very nasty.

-Roleplay! In the old game you just had a character's name and his stats. Now you can have backgrounds and do things at the base and take leave. The X-com world is wide open, but I like it that your either in a city or farm country on land. With men and women isolated for long periods of time their are going to be hook ups. Also you should have more dealings with member countries.


So what do you think?

 

[Ravenloft]

I agree completely with you jagged, all of your ideas are really good tweaks on what came before. So would you be open to an X-Com agent who was altered by the aliens but was rescued soon enough that they could 'fix' him? Sort of like Picard/Locutus.

 

[Jagged]

Depends on how he was altered. Picard came away from the experience scarred, but no superpowers. Perhaps strapped down to the table just as the door is kicked in and his captors cut down. Maybe not an X-COM member yet, but a soldier, police officer or other civilian captured on a terror raid.

You can do a lot of things. As to the ideas thanks. They were all things that bothered me about the old game, and why I know roleplay table top or online like this will always be around. It just fills in the gaps. Now need more hardened alien fighters.

 

[MasterRamses]

Aliens in the game had a psionic attack.

It didn't amount to much more than losing control of your character for a couple rounds (disastrous if he was holding a loaded rocket launcher) but since we're expanding the possibilities, we could take a darker, more invasive approach to that little in-game annoyance.

After all, there had to have been some "research" to determine how to use the human psyche as a weapon.

 

[MasterRamses]

Actually, there was a test available midway through the game that allowed you to determine if soldiers were suceptible to psionic attack. Gives you the opportunity to strap someone down, subjugate their will, and play them like a meat puppet within the confines of the base.

Not a particularly interesting gameplay feature, but a gurney with straps attached to a mind-control device has limitless possibilities for guys and gals looking for some R&R in-between missions.

 

[Ravenloft]

Actually Jagged, I do believe that Picard DID come away with something, vague and indistinct as it might have been, from his short time as a borg. If you watch First Contact, there is the distinct impression that he can sort of tune into the borg still when he commands them all to fire at the one seemingly inconsequential spot on the cube...

 

[cats]

My least favorite part of this game was how it always froze when I sent my troops to attack the alien home world. That said I am enlisting here.

 

[seemoreme]

what is this thread all about ? i cant get this ! can anybody explain me briefly please !

 

[MasterRamses]

what is this thread all about ? i cant get this ! can anybody explain me briefly please !

X-Com was a tactical role-playing game developed in 1993 and it's widely considered to be the spiritual successor to the genre. While subsequent sequels fell flat of the original's success, the solid gameplay, limitless replayability, and intense customization of the player's forces (to include the budgetary and supply demands of maintaining a multinational military force) became the standards upon which Strategy RPGs are all judged and often found lacking.

What's being proposed here is an "upgrade" of sorts to the original design that fleshes out the anemic roleplaying opportunities in the game. Since a player's troops were little more than customizable pawns to shuffle around the gameboard (I'd call them characters, but first initial/last name doesn't quite fit my definition), there's plenty of opportunity to add some much needed depth to this beloved series.

Does that about cover it all guys?

 

[cats]

Aliens are attacking earth, sort of. X-com fights back.

That is the simplest version.

 

[Jagged]

Some interest...excellent. I'm sure there are more fans around...hopefully some women too.

 

[Jagged]

Aliens in the game had a psionic attack.

It didn't amount to much more than losing control of your character for a couple rounds (disastrous if he was holding a loaded rocket launcher) but since we're expanding the possibilities, we could take a darker, more invasive approach to that little in-game annoyance.

After all, there had to have been some "research" to determine how to use the human psyche as a weapon.

I was also thinking that a psychic soldier might actually be able to control a Mutant alien soldier and use him in battle....something else not allowed in the original game.

 

[Jagged]

Alien Infiltration

I don't claim any of this as mine, but cherry picked a few facts for our game.


"This Alien mission represents the worst threat to X-COM. Earth governments can be infiltrated by Alien agents which are Human in appearance. This can result in official contact between Aliens and governments at the highest level. The climax of this activity is characterized by intense UFO activity in the vicinity of major cities. The aliens will attempt to sign a pact with an earth government by offering knowledge of their superior technology. In return, the government will allow the Aliens to conduct their activity unhindered." (See Below)

"If a government agrees to a pact then its funding will cease. If successful, an alien base will also be constructed."

"Initially, several Scouts will perform investigations prior to the main infiltration attempt."

In the main Infiltration wave, A Large Scout will appear, followed by a Terror Ship, Supply Ship and two Battleships......


Alien Research

The Alien research mission is used for collecting basic data on Earth and its inhabitants. Small vehicles are predominantly used, with occasional landings in deserted areas. This type of Alien activity poses the least threat to X-COM, with little concern from governments or the public.

Alien Harvest


The Aliens have many uses for Earth's fauna. Animals are abducted secretly, and returned with various organs removed. Cattle mutilations are predominantly reported along with UFO sightings. This type of Alien activity causes great concern by governments and considerable anxiety amongst the population. This type of activity occurs mainly in farming land. The theory behind the 'Alien Harvest' suggests that Alien races originally "seeded" the planet with its flora and fauna, and now they have returned to reap the harvest they have sown.

Alien Abduction


This is the most insidious form of Alien activity. The abduction by Aliens is widely reported, despite the Aliens' attempts to erase the experience from their victims' memories. Abductees report being subject to humiliating physical examinations, including impregnation of alien fetuses and bizarre genetic experiments. The purpose behind this activity appears to be linked to genetic mutation and manipulation of the Aliens own genetic material. This activity causes great alarm, and occurs in populated areas or cities.

Alien Terror

When the Aliens terrorize a city, they will deploy some special forces with awesome powers. Civilians will be directly threatened, and governments will be forced to evacuate whole areas. The main purpose behind this activity is to generate sufficient public hysteria so that governments will threaten the X-COM project.

 

[Jagged]

Setting the Stage pre 9-11 World

what is this thread all about ? i cant get this ! can anybody explain me briefly please !

-------
Prelude
-------
1947
----
Army Air Corps personnel from the 509th Bomb Group report the crash of a "flying disk" in the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. Some reports claim that there were two objects, and that one actually housed three alien beings: two dead and one alive. Before the end of the day, Army Air Corps officials retract the story, claiming that the object that crashed was actually a weather
balloon. The existence of alien beings is categorically denied.
All of the "weather balloon" debris and other physical evidence of the "Roswell Incident" are quickly whisked away to Wright Airfield in Ohio.
----
1997
----
Reports of the UFO activity increase thoughout the world. At first, the sighting are relatively rare, and serious scientists write off the reports as hype surrounding the 50th anniversary of the Roswell incident. However, as reports continue to increase, the legitimate press joins the tabloids in plashing "We Are Not Alone" headlines across the front page of major metropolitan newspapers all over the world.
----
1998
----
Documented cases of human abductions by UFOs become commonplace in areas of sparse population in countries throughout the world. World governments step up their military readiness, and there is a general news blackout in most of the affected countries. Scientists try to make contact with
the aliens, but there is no substantial response.

Many countries begin to contemplate a direct military strike against the aliens. Japan, taking the lead with it's stereotypical blind bravery and courage, forms the 'Kiryu-Kai' , an anti-alien combat force. After five months of operation, using the best equipment available, the group is unable to intercept even a single UFO. Due to lack of funding, Japan is forced to disband the Kiryu-Kai in November of 1998. On December 11, 1998, the United Nations Security Council holds a clandestine summit in Geneva, Switzerland. After much debate, it is unanimously decided that a covert, multinational force should be formed to investigate, combat, and (hopefully) defeat the aliens. Assembling the best
pilots, soldiers, engineers, and scientists from all the funding nations, the Geneva council establishes X-COM - the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit.




Writer's Note....Though it say the UN this is a separate group within the UN, so no Blue Helmet stuff just your authorized and most member governments don't know about you.

 

[Jagged]

Never Addressed, but very interesting factors

Alien Reproduction / Alien Cloning

These chambers contain alien fetuses. The design of these containers seems to suggest that the aliens which use this process rely completely on laboratory reproduction. The rich nutrients ensure rapid development of the fetus. This factory line system could generate thousands of alien clones in a short space of time. Cell samples are placed into the units from the frozen gene banks of the Aliens. Some units contain humans or body parts.The process could be easily adapted for human reproduction, or alien-human hybrids.

Alien Learning Arrays

Utilizing Molecular Control Implants in the skulls of all Aliens these machines inject information directly into the brain. Freshly cloned Aliens are brought to these units and have racial memories and all scientific or combat information downloaded into their blank mind

Alien Cryogenics
The innumerable Aliens that have lain hidden on the Earth are held in suspended animation, cryogenically frozen. All the creatures are sealed into units, their body temperature reduced to a point where bodily functions are all but stopped.


Happy hunting....These things could change the world in 1998, and the war for those in the fight

 

[cats]

So are we doing this in the past? 1998 instead of now?

So should we start posting characters? Just for the sake of convience I assume we will all be at the same base. Is that Base the first X-Com base and what area is it located in?

 

[Jagged]

Yeah if that would be to much of a problem....Thought we'd go retro back to when the game first came out and the time line. Not a deal breaker though and I'm open to discussion.

Yeah post character ideas...I'm interested in what people have in mind. From the novel you get the idea that the soldiers at least come from all kinds of backgrounds, but mostly military (no surprise there), but if you have the skill set welcome aboard.

When I play the game generally the first base is in the Alps, it boosts radar range, but on this I'm flexible is well, but I was figuring in building the base by expanding old Swiss Cold War bomb shelters in the mountains.

Questions...comments...ideas let me hear them.