KickStarter Phoenix Point - the new game from X-COM creator Julian Gollop

[Matalarata]

Yes, movement in tactical games is both a +defense and a +offense stat, as it allows you to meaningfully position to increase damage and keep your guys safe. It has a ton of emergent value as you progress on a mission, especially when playing a game blind. I can see experienced players building more static, better optimized soldiers but if you are learning the game as you go I find it invaluable.


I'm not particularly impressed by vehicles, on paper. Are they gud?

 

[ArchAngel]

People say this new interview with Gollop is good: https://explorminate.co/interview-with-julian-gollop/
Apparently he confirms Behemoths with next DLC.

when is next DLC? May halt my play-through, really want to play with behemoths. Someone could make "The Mist" Mod, although I guess that's what the game is sort of..

Certainly not before end of January, more realistic sometime in February.

I guess I will wait for DLC, this is the last one right? May as well play the game as intended with full 'vision' implemented.

But I still struggle to get past the Nu-Nu-Xcom aesthetic/design. What a disgrace they did not go with all the early design stuff and sold out to chase Firaxis audience.

Could just wait for Xenonauts 2, the actual incline...

Next DLC is not last DLC. There are two more incoming but we don't know what they will be about yet.

 

[Parabalus]

Do enemies sometimes skip turns for anyone else?

It's not panic, might be avoiding overwatch, but seems like a very long shot, mostly looks bugged.

 

[ArchAngel]

Yes, movement in tactical games is both a +defense and a +offense stat, as it allows you to meaningfully position to increase damage and keep your guys safe. It has a ton of emergent value as you progress on a mission, especially when playing a game blind. I can see experienced players building more static, better optimized soldiers but if you are learning the game as you go I find it invaluable.


I'm not particularly impressed by vehicles, on paper. Are they gud?

Game has enemies that ignore your speed stats. Snipers and rocket guys will test if you ignored your Strenght stat and Psi enemies will test if you ignored your Willpower stat. Personally I try to keep those two stats higher than speed.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

There are two more incoming but we don't know what they will be about yet.

My uneducated guesses are:
-Behemots
-Underwater mission pack.

 

[ArchAngel]

Do enemies sometimes skip turns for anyone else?

It's not panic, might be avoiding overwatch, but seems like a very long shot, mostly looks bugged.

Skin in what way? Just stand around and not do anything? Or just move and not attack your guys?
If it is the latter then those enemies probably just were not Alerted to your presence so they just do a patrol turn.

 

[ArchAngel]

There are two more incoming but we don't know what they will be about yet.

My uneducated guesses are:
-Behemots
-Underwater mission pack.

Behemoth is confirmed to come with Festering Skies.

 

[Parabalus]

Do enemies sometimes skip turns for anyone else?

It's not panic, might be avoiding overwatch, but seems like a very long shot, mostly looks bugged.

Skin in what way? Just stand around and not do anything? Or just move and not attack your guys?
If it is the latter then those enemies probably just were not Alerted to your presence so they just do a patrol turn.

No, they're def alerted.
Doing the pirate king mission (2nd part of 2nd Synd), where you aggro a bunch of enemies immediately, and they're acting extremely retarded, just shuffling around while they get gunned down.

 

[ArchAngel]

Do enemies sometimes skip turns for anyone else?

It's not panic, might be avoiding overwatch, but seems like a very long shot, mostly looks bugged.

Skin in what way? Just stand around and not do anything? Or just move and not attack your guys?
If it is the latter then those enemies probably just were not Alerted to your presence so they just do a patrol turn.

No, they're def alerted.
Doing the pirate king mission (2nd part of 2nd Synd), where you aggro a bunch of enemies immediately, and they're acting extremely retarded, just shuffling around while they get gunned down.

Human AI is retarded. They did a bit about it but more AI improvements are still coming.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Human AI is retarded.

This.
They have tendency to cluster into fires because those with healing items come help their wounded while taking damage themselves, which causes next idiot with medikit come to help...

 

[Alienman]

Human AI is retarded.

This.
They have tendency to cluster into fires because those with healing items come help their wounded while taking damage themselves, which causes next idiot with medikit come to help...

They seem to have heal as priority number one no matter what. Maybe they should randomize it a bit, maybe need a bleed before it goes into priority, or is the enemy within a certain amount of tiles etc etc.

I enjoy when the Siren mindcontrols one of my guys and have him heal the Siren

 

[7h30n]

Human AI is retarded.

This.
They have tendency to cluster into fires because those with healing items come help their wounded while taking damage themselves, which causes next idiot with medikit come to help...

They seem to have heal as priority number one no matter what. Maybe they should randomize it a bit, maybe need a bleed before it goes into priority, or is the enemy within a certain amount of tiles etc etc.

I enjoy when the Siren mindcontrols one of my guys and have him heal the Siren

My moment of LOL was when I mindcontroled a Siren, and the allied faction (in the haven defense mission) then proceeded to heal the said Siren :D

EDIT: Luckily, I never lost control of that Siren, otherwise probably half of my squad would die...

 

[Jaedar]

I'm not particularly impressed by vehicles, on paper. Are they gud?

The one you start with access to is pretty decent. It has unlimited inventory for carrying stuff in scavenging missions, and can help your heavies get around a bit faster. The twin rockets are also pretty good for dealing with enemies but the limited ammo is a problem. It's not really worth the three slots it takes in the vehicle. But it seems it distributes xp to the rest of the squad, so you level quite fast with it.

I enjoy when the Siren mindcontrols one of my guys and have him heal the Siren

Next level tactics. I actually like this.
I think the ai is decent in general, but sometimes it has a brainfart. Running into fire to heal some is one of those.

Snipers and rocket guys will test if you ignored your Strenght

How so? Seems to me I'd want speed to spot and countersnipe them, not strength. Maybe I am missing something strength does, but it seems like the least useful stat. Speed is just great in general, willpower fuels your abilities, most of which are incredibly good and strength just lets you deal more melee damage (just use a shotgun) and carry more (It's not like I can afford to outfit everyone with enough backup grenades/weapons to max out either way). Strength does help you resist paralysis, which is good. But the attacks which cause it inflict a lot so it feels very expensive to bump strength just to get an extra ap in those edge cases.

 

[Alienman]

Next level tactics. I actually like this.
I think the ai is decent in general, but sometimes it has a brainfart. Running into fire to heal some is one of those.

Yeah, I thought it was cool as well, but the illusion was shattered a bit when I realized they will always heal.

 

[ArchAngel]

Snipers and rocket guys will test if you ignored your Strenght

How so? Seems to me I'd want speed to spot and countersnipe them, not strength. Maybe I am missing something strength does, but it seems like the least useful stat. Speed is just great in general, willpower fuels your abilities, most of which are incredibly good and strength just lets you deal more melee damage (just use a shotgun) and carry more (It's not like I can afford to outfit everyone with enough backup grenades/weapons to max out either way). Strength does help you resist paralysis, which is good. But the attacks which cause it inflict a lot so it feels very expensive to bump strength just to get an extra ap in those edge cases.

Strength is best stat. Each point of strenght improves: Max HP (1 = 10 ), Paralyze resistance (1 = 1), Throw Distance, max Encumbrance (if you go over max you lose Speed, 1 = 1), melee damage with Bashing (damage = size of weapon x Strenght score, max can be 5 x strenght).
Speed will not help you vs enemy snipers. Only luck or enough HP to survive being one shot can (or hit once with that and then by some other person taking a pot shot at a weakened soldier).
I already had so many situations where my soldiers would have died if my Strenght was 1 or 2 points lower and I got 500+ hours of playing the game.

 

[Jaedar]

Max HP (1 = 10 )

Did not realize that. Good stat, I should get more of it

 

[razvedchiki]

vehicles are best used on scav missions for resources and base defence, 1 vehicle/1 muton and 1-2 soldiers are enough to defend a base.

 

[Matalarata]

So, I've been contacted by the HK-47 wannabe, he's angry ANGRY and wants me to raid Jericho. I have no fookin' idea who he's talking about, I suppose I should read the digital extras to understand that. I wanted to play this completly blind but I wasn't expecting a random minor faction to appear like that. AFAIK the Pure are another type of enemy encounter? What should I do with "a humble request"? Jericho is the faction I'm least interested in but I'm not exactly eager to raid them, I want positive relation with all 3, if I manage.

 

[razvedchiki]

dont help them, getting jericho on allied status will unlock many helpfull techs. plus jericho is the only faction that actually attacks pandoran bases (after they start bulidng satellite links in their bases).

 

[Infinitron]

Enjoy the title track from our Phoenix Point: Year One Edition "Rise of the Phoenix" by Simeon Dotkov. With this theme, Dotkov not only invokes the rebirth of humanity in its last desperate fight for survival but that the game itself is also reborn in this definitive Year One Edition.

 

[ArchAngel]

dont help them, getting jericho on allied status will unlock many helpfull techs. plus jericho is the only faction that actually attacks pandoran bases (after they start bulidng satellite links in their bases).

This is bad advice. If you don't help them you don't get access to bionics. You can get access later but this first tier gives you mind control immunity head so it is useful earlier.
You just lose a bit of reputation if you do this mission, nothing you cannot recover from.

 

[Nortar]

dont help them

This is bad advice. If you don't help them you don't get access to bionics.

I guess that's where the R part of RPG kicks in.
In my current playthrough the New Jericho is the only bros faction (even though I'm now allied with all 3 of them).
The mutants are out of the question and the communists are too busy arguing with each other instead of fighting the common threat.
So I refused to cooperate with some random cyber-psycho telling me to attack NJ just because he wants me to do it.
He did not look trustworthy, you know.

 

[Jaedar]

So I've played this game some more now, but still quite a bit to go.

But it feels like an early access title. There's blatant technical issues, basically all the gui needs a second (and third) pass. And there's weird balance issues (rescue missions where even if you move as fast as you can, they will still die before you get close for example). And rather than fix these issues, they're spending time adding new jank on top (what is the point of the ancient dlc?). So it doesn't just feel like an early access title, it feels like an early access title stuck in limbo, with a dev team that's barely staying ahead of bankruptcy.

Sucks too, because I think there is a very good game buried here. But there's constant annoyances that make me unable to play for more than an hour or two at a time. It's just very tiring.

 

[razvedchiki]

I guess that's where the R part of RPG kicks in.

its more of not abusing the faction relation system in which currently you can pillage a factions havens for aircraft/tech/resources constantly but still get 100% allied BFF.

 

[razvedchiki]

This is bad advice. If you don't help them you don't get access to bionics. You can get access later but this first tier gives you mind control immunity head so it is useful earlier.
You just lose a bit of reputation if you do this mission, nothing you cannot recover from.

its bad only if you play legend and you get sirens much earlier.
plus its debatle even then because you need the resources to build a cyber lab plus the cost of the actual cybernetics themselves, a great cost at the time period of the mission. plus the time spent doing that mission and not something else.