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

[Parabalus]

The new aircraft battles are banal shit boring. Don't see much value added by the whole behemoth thing.

They are not banal, you can get easily owned in the air. But main change of air stuff is that your resources are now more stretched out as you need to defend vs this as well. And new Myrmidon enemy is nasty in the evolved forms. It an enemy that if you ignore thinking you can deal with it later it will devastate your squad. Reminds me of UFO's Crysallids. Crysallids one shot your guys, these little fuckers 2 shoot them.

I called it banal because it all just boils to cooldown management. Personally, I hate such thing in a game that was supposed to be turn based.

It is not just that. I don't know how long you have played but a bit later when you got access to more weapons and modules you want to keep your intereceptors in base and equip them with right weapons before you send them out. And you don't really know what kind of weapons enemies have until you fight them a bunch and learn this (you only see details of their weapons once you get to first Engage/Disengage screen before the battle).
Each weapon has different aiming mechanics (4 in all) and there are a couple of different damage types. Then it also matters the range of your weapon and then the cooldown as well.
Air combat is most similar to UFO 1994 and certainly more complex than Firaxis Xcom. And even Xenonauts does not have turn based air combat.

Played a bit and before the first submerge it's a bit banal since you just have the starting Gift.

After it reappears it's as Archangel says, enemy flyers have more weapons/hp than you so it's easy to get rekt.

 

[Visperas]

So, is it worth the addition? I got the Year One version and I'm about to start playing it but I'm not sure if I should get the last expansion or not. Comments?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

So, is it worth the addition? I got the Year One version and I'm about to start playing it but I'm not sure if I should get the last expansion or not. Comments?

You're probably better of without it.

 

[geno]

Can I mod out the air combat? I never liked it in these games and this one seems to be specially unfun.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Can I mod out the air combat? I never liked it in these games and this one seems to be specially unfun.

When you start a new game you choose which DLCs will be active in it. You can disable Festering Skies.

 

[baud]

*turn-based
That said turn-based air combat is pretty rare in games.
There's ancient Flight Commander 2 and beyond that I got nothing.

There's also Sid Meier Ace patrol

 

[geno]

Can I mod out the air combat? I never liked it in these games and this one seems to be specially unfun.

When you start a new game you choose which DLCs will be active in it. You can disable Festering Skies.

What if I want the content besides the air combat?

 

[ArchAngel]

Can I mod out the air combat? I never liked it in these games and this one seems to be specially unfun.

When you start a new game you choose which DLCs will be active in it. You can disable Festering Skies.

What if I want the content besides the air combat?

Then you are out of luck.

 

[cretin]

252 pages and I cant get a bead on whether this game sucks or not

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

252 pages and I cant get a bead on whether this game sucks or not

It's pretty good, but not Battle Brothers, Templar Battleforce or Troubleshooter -tier, if you're looking for current-ish tactical game.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

It's the most meh game I have played in a long time. There is enough good in there to keep playing it for 10+ hours, though not enough for 20+ (for me at least). There are cool concepts, like the enemy evolution, executed poorly. The graphics style feels bit shovelware-ish, with UI feeling like a placeholder programmer art. There's quite a lot of variety in soldier and enemy abilities. There are systems that feel very shoehorned in, at least in my opinion (air combat, augmentation).
There is really nothing in this game that would make me say it's bad, but there's nothing to make me crave more of it. It's basically big mac of tactical games - you know it's not healthy, and it might be a bit bland, but you most likely won't get poisoned eating it, and it looks much better on paper ads then in actuality.

 

[oSiyeza]

Part of the Epic vs Apple lawsuit documents currently ("MM" indicates how much Epic paid for the exclusivity).

Not sure if posted. Epic Games paid 11 million for Phoenix Point.

Are you sure?, I find this claim extremely weird.

• That would have been a very bad deal for EPIC.

• According to the SG reported figures I have found, the number would have been below $0.6MM https://forums.snapshotgames.com/t/phoenix-point-declining-player-base/13234/314?u=osiyeza

• I looked the documentation on the case, published here by the United States District Court Northern District of California: https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/cases-e-filing/cases-of-interest/epic-games-inc-v-apple-inc/ . It is obvious that the posted image does not come from the documents of the case, but that hardly matters. I have searched through the files and I have not find any specific claim about Epic Deals, or any reference at all to Phoenix Point, Snapshot Games or Julian Gollop in any of the documents. There really aren’t actually specific numbers on the documents, as those seem to have been redacted. Furthermore, the only actual game I have seen mentioned in the documents is Fortnite.

So... Is this coming from an actual source or is nothing but made up information? Can anybody point to the alleged document this information is in? Or the actual source of the claim?

 

[Visperas]

So, is it worth the addition? I got the Year One version and I'm about to start playing it but I'm not sure if I should get the last expansion or not. Comments?

You're probably better of without it.

That bad, huh? Could you elaborate? What makes it not worth it?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

So, is it worth the addition? I got the Year One version and I'm about to start playing it but I'm not sure if I should get the last expansion or not. Comments?

You're probably better of without it.

That bad, huh? Could you elaborate? What makes it not worth it?

I'm not saying its bad, but from what I've seen aircombat adds relatively little to game besides some busywork, additional resource sink and even more story missions to a game that already has quite a lot story set pieces in it.

 

[Nightfall]

Are you sure?, I find this claim extremely weird.

• That would have been a very bad deal for EPIC.

• According to the SG reported figures I have found, the number would have been below $0.6MM https://forums.snapshotgames.com/t/phoenix-point-declining-player-base/13234/314?u=osiyeza

• I looked the documentation on the case, published here by the United States District Court Northern District of California: https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/cases-e-filing/cases-of-interest/epic-games-inc-v-apple-inc/ . It is obvious that the posted image does not come from the documents of the case, but that hardly matters. I have searched through the files and I have not find any specific claim about Epic Deals, or any reference at all to Phoenix Point, Snapshot Games or Julian Gollop in any of the documents. There really aren’t actually specific numbers on the documents, as those seem to have been redacted. Furthermore, the only actual game I have seen mentioned in the documents is Fortnite.

So... Is this coming from an actual source or is nothing but made up information? Can anybody point to the alleged document this information is in? Or the actual source of the claim?

DX-3399 Redacted.pdf

 

[oSiyeza]

recover, from the profits of the deal.

Are you sure?, I find this claim extremely weird.

• That would have been a very bad deal for EPIC.

• According to the SG reported figures I have found, the number would have been below $0.6MM https://forums.snapshotgames.com/t/phoenix-point-declining-player-base/13234/314?u=osiyeza

• I looked the documentation on the case, published here by the United States District Court Northern District of California: https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/cases-e-filing/cases-of-interest/epic-games-inc-v-apple-inc/ . It is obvious that the posted image does not come from the documents of the case, but that hardly matters. I have searched through the files and I have not find any specific claim about Epic Deals, or any reference at all to Phoenix Point, Snapshot Games or Julian Gollop in any of the documents. There really aren’t actually specific numbers on the documents, as those seem to have been redacted. Furthermore, the only actual game I have seen mentioned in the documents is Fortnite.

So... Is this coming from an actual source or is nothing but made up information? Can anybody point to the alleged document this information is in? Or the actual source of the claim?

DX-3399 Redacted.pdf

So... this could clarify the issue... but actually does not... at all. I crossrefferenced the document with the information of the United States District Court Northern District of California: https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/cases-e-filing/cases-of-interest/epic-games-inc-v-apple-inc/
Things that inmmediately come to mind:

Consistencies;

• The document "DX-3399 Redacted.pdf" is indeed marked with the case number "Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple, Inc."
• The document it is marked with "HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL - ATTORNEYS' EYES ONLY", and there are indeed other documents available with these remark. Also available and redacted.

Inconsistencies:

• The document is NOT on the available exhibits of the case (http://tinyurl.com/epicvapple)
• The mark is different than the all the other available marks in the exhibits available, all other exhibits I have seen have the case mark as a non editable image on the PDF. The mark in this document has an editable mark.

Weird, isnt it? Where this document really comes from? If the document is NOT on the available link, it means it is not a part of the exhibits and demonstratives used on a particular day of trial. which means that it is a fabrication, or it has been illegaly obtained from the lawyer office. Which I doubt.

Regardless, I will assume this document is actually real, even if I dont believe so, for the purposes of the discussion. Would this mean Epic paid $11MM for phoenix point?... Actually not, MG = would actually mean "minimum guarantee".

And This is an extrac from a news media:

The community manager went on to clarify the terms of the deal, saying that Epic's promise didn't come in the form of a single paycheck. Instead it was "for a minimum guarantee - which means Epic will guarantee that we will sell X number of copies. Even if we don't hit that number, they still pay us."

 

[Shog-goth]

https://forums.snapshotgames.com/u/osiyeza/summary

Just for reference.

 

[oSiyeza]

https://forums.snapshotgames.com/u/osiyeza/summary

Yes, that is me, I saw the document here, and wondered where it came from. So I asked. And yes, hardly my profile would be surprising to anyone, because I included it in my first post.

So I checked, asked from the origin of the document, cross referenced it, and realized it does NOT come from the official exhibits of the case. The information is public for anyone to see, the document is not listed or accesible in the party exhibits and demonstratives used on the trial, it is just not there. If the document does not come from the "Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc." public files where from? Does anybody know?

I thought it was a reasonable thing to ask. But it seems people is bothered by commenting on it. Thank you regardless.

 

[Nightfall]

https://forums.snapshotgames.com/u/osiyeza/summary

So I checked, asked from the origin of the document, cross referenced it, and realized it does NOT come from the official exhibits of the case. The information is public for anyone to see, the document is not listed or accesible in the party exhibits and demonstratives used on the trial, it is just not there. If the document does not come from the "Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc." public files where from? Does anybody know?

https://forums.somethingawful.com/s...rid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=131#post514583605

so that comes from the 1 document uploaded and hastily removed that i never caught live, DX-3399 Redacted. it's got orders of magnitude more info on how EGS operates than all the other documents combined, 222 slides, 50MB, from 24/09/2020

https://forums.somethingawful.com/s...rid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=132#post514627297

there should be only one copy of 3399 and the judge made an order that marked it as sealed (a bit late mind)

 

[Parabalus]

ArchAngel

Why haven't they touched melee?
Or at least the interaction with Rapid Clearance.

 

[ArchAngel]

ArchAngel

Why haven't they touched melee?
Or at least the interaction with Rapid Clearance.

They didn't have time to go into skill nerfs. That is planned for a bigger future patch although we got no clue what exactly are they looking to change. We only know they are looking at a wider range of skills to nerf or change.
As far as Rapid Clearance most people in CC want to see it changed so it cannot be abused with 1 AP attacks.

 

[Visperas]

What is the recommended difficulty level at this stage of the game?

 

[Parabalus]

ArchAngel

Why haven't they touched melee?
Or at least the interaction with Rapid Clearance.

They didn't have time to go into skill nerfs. That is planned for a bigger future patch although we got no clue what exactly are they looking to change. We only know they are looking at a wider range of skills to nerf or change.
As far as Rapid Clearance most people in CC want to see it changed so it cannot be abused with 1 AP attacks.

Probably enough, just limit it to 1 AP in that case.

How do you deal with the hoplites?
Easy enough currently to kill all of them with melee/RC, but outside of it they're a huge pain.

 

[ArchAngel]

ArchAngel

Why haven't they touched melee?
Or at least the interaction with Rapid Clearance.

They didn't have time to go into skill nerfs. That is planned for a bigger future patch although we got no clue what exactly are they looking to change. We only know they are looking at a wider range of skills to nerf or change.
As far as Rapid Clearance most people in CC want to see it changed so it cannot be abused with 1 AP attacks.

Probably enough, just limit it to 1 AP in that case.

How do you deal with the hoplites?
Easy enough currently to kill all of them with melee/RC, but outside of it they're a huge pain.

Snipers and grenade launchers

 

[ArchAngel]

What is the recommended difficulty level at this stage of the game?

If you played other Xcom like at hardest difficulty you can play this one on Legendary as well. If not you might want to start on Veteran first.