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XCOM 2 (PC/Mac/Linux, Firaxis, November 2015) announced [Up: New info/screens in OP]

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Nete

Member
what's this?

Any character you create/customize/develop in XCOM 2 can be added to the pool where the game takes the rookies from, so you can use them on next playthroughs... or can be shared with anyone.

Imagine leading GAF-customized soldiers (names, appearances, bios...) to their painful death instead of random rookies. With just a few clicks.
 

mbpm1

Member
Any character you create/customize/develop in XCOM 2 can be added to the pool where the game takes the rookies from, so you can use them on next playthroughs... or can be shared with anyone.

Imagine leading GAF-customized soldiers (names, appearances, bios...) to their painful death instead of random rookies. With just a few clicks.

Ohhhh, I thought you meant GAF members as Xcom soldiers lol
 

Nete

Member
Ohhhh, I thought you meant GAF members as Xcom soldiers lol

And you thought correctly :p

I mean. The idea would be, for anyone who wants to be in, to submit a single soldier customized however he/she desires, and pack all the submissions into a downloadable GAF-pool. Some may create something not really related to them, but I'm pretty sure most would be recognizable one way or another.
 

Erheller

Member
So... has anybody claimed the creation and maintenance of the GAF character pool? There's only 4 days left :p

If no one else will do it (and assuming the game runs on my computer), I'd be down for maintaining it. What would be the easiest way to collect the character files from other people? A Google survey (do those allow you to upload files?)?
 

mbpm1

Member
Should I hold out for 2? Or pull the trigger on Enemy Unknown which is on sale right now?

XCOM 2 is an improvement on its predecessor in every way and the vast majority of those improvements have been applied so intelligently that they risk making Enemy Unknown obsolete. That game was a smart remake of a classic. XCOM 2 is a classic in its own right and as good a sequel as I can remember.
From one of the reviews
And you thought correctly :p

I mean. The idea would be, for anyone who wants to be in, to submit a single soldier customized however he/she desires, and pack all the submissions into a downloadable GAF-pool. Some may create something not really related to them, but I'm pretty sure most would be recognizable one way or another.

Ah, I tend to make characters from fiction instead, but that still sounds cool.

Any info about a pre-load? Being 45go basically guarantees it releasing on the 6th for me, lol

I hope there's a pre-load too. That download will be hefty.
 

Nete

Member
If no one else will do it (and assuming the game runs on my computer), I'd be down for maintaining it. What would be the easiest way to collect the character files from other people? A Google survey (do those allow you to upload files?)?

I don't think Google Forms allows you to upload files, but you could always upload it somewhere else and just link the url into the appropiate field in the survey. Actually, that's exactly what the /r/XCOM/ guys are doing.

Another possibility would be to just set up an e-mail and send the files (and maybe the extra requiered info) there. And even a full Google survey with all the options to select for those who can't upload a shit or haven't bought the game yet.

I would be glad to do it, tho. I'm already creating a pool for certain (much smaller) group, but I guess it won't be a problem to do both with some good old file switching when I may need to update one or the other.
 

Erheller

Member
I don't think Google Forms allows you to upload files, but you could always upload it somewhere else and just link the url into the appropiate field in the survey. Actually, that's exactly what the /r/XCOM/ guys are doing.

Another possibility would be to just set up an e-mail and send the files (and maybe the extra requiered info) there. And even a full Google survey with all the options to select for those who can't upload a shit or haven't bought the game yet.

I would be glad to do it, tho. I'm already creating a pool for certain (much smaller) group, but I guess it won't be a problem to do both with some good old file switching when I may need to update one or the other.

I'll leave it to you, then! You seem to have a good idea of how to run it.
 

Sober

Member
Oh look a map without time limits is also much bigger, while the ones with objective seem to be much smaller. Not surprised, really.
 
So does that mean we can create soldiers and they will reappear in new games?

Not just soldiers, but also VIPs, base-workers (scientist, engineer), and some sort of agent. You can specify exactly or randomise it on a per-character basis. I'm also pretty sure you can import them from outside the game.

It's so cool.
 

Dezzy

Member
Is GMG sold out of keys or something? I get "Unfortunately this product is not yet available in your region." I'm in the USA. I like to wait for reviews, now that they're out, it might be too late!
 

AJLma

Member
Here's some multiplayer gameplay


surprised they kept it in and expanded it from EU/EW. I liked it but most people I know barely played it past a game or two if that.

Thanks. XCOM's multiplayer was fantastic, a surprisingly balanced multiplayer game from what I played pre-EW, the XCOM formula can produce some really intense strategic duels. Really good for a quick 5-15 minute game.

I was wondering if there would be a multiplayer mode at all this time since it did go really under-appreciated last time. With the huge emphasis on post-game support and modding hopefully the multiplayer scene will find it's legs somehow.
 

mbpm1

Member
Not just soldiers, but also VIPs, base-workers (scientist, engineer), and some sort of agent. You can specify exactly or randomise it on a per-character basis. I'm also pretty sure you can import them from outside the game.

It's so cool.

Whaaaaat

Wish I could put more than one in the pool then
 

mbpm1

Member
Can't you? The whole idea of a character pool would be silly if you were limited to one character.

Oh, but Nete said one soldier I thought

And you thought correctly :p

I mean. The idea would be, for anyone who wants to be in, to submit a single soldier customized however he/she desires, and pack all the submissions into a downloadable GAF-pool. Some may create something not really related to them, but I'm pretty sure most would be recognizable one way or another.
 

epmode

Member
Oh, but Nete said one soldier I thought

Oh, I get it. Nete is talking about a GAF-specific thing. Suggesting a limit to keep the pool manageable. I missed that post until now.

GAF pool aside, the character pool system in XCOM2 can be stuffed with any number of user-created characters. Doesn't matter if it's your own creation or someone else's.
 
The only thing that puts me off is hearing about god damn time limits. How many percent of the missions features this annoying thing? It could definitely be a dealbreaker for me.
 

mbpm1

Member
Oh, I get it. Nete is talking about a GAF-specific thing. Suggesting a limit to keep the pool manageable. I missed that post until now.

GAF pool aside, the character pool system in XCOM2 can be stuffed with any number of user-created characters. Doesn't matter if it's your own creation or someone else's.

Oh okay. Not sure how that would work, or if you'd be able do making all those VIPs and sucg before the game, or they would appear in subsequent playthroughs, but it sounds neat.
 
The only thing that puts me off is hearing about god damn time limits. How many percent of the missions features this annoying thing? It could definitely be a dealbreaker for me.

Probably rescue/escort missions, primarily. Enemy forces swarm you even before that point.

Giant Bomb's Quick Look EX of XCOM 2 (with Firaxis devs) is a pretty bad showcase of the game, but the VIP escort mission they play in the second half is superb. It goes down in true XCOM fashion.
Oh okay. Not sure how that would work, or if you'd be able do making all those VIPs and sucg before the game, or they would appear in subsequent playthroughs, but it sounds neat.

The character creator is available from the main menu, yeah.

With the sheer number of character customisation options, I see myself wasting hours in that alone...
 

Nete

Member
Oh, but Nete said one soldier I thought

Oh, I get it. Nete is talking about a GAF-specific thing. Suggesting a limit to keep the pool manageable. I missed that post until now.

GAF pool aside, the character pool system in XCOM2 can be stuffed with any number of user-created characters. Doesn't matter if it's your own creation or someone else's.

Yeah. The one soldier (or VIP, or whatever) thing was to make it manageable and to try to keep their GAF counterparts more or less recognizable. Maybe we could increase to two characters per person, but at the same time you won't have any problem to add yourself whatever extra character you want before starting a game.
 

epmode

Member
The only thing that puts me off is hearing about god damn time limits. How many percent of the missions features this annoying thing? It could definitely be a dealbreaker for me.

The Eurogamer reivew discusses exactly this:

This time around, Firaxis wants us to shine: to take risks, to react smartly but also swiftly - and sometimes, to crack terribly under pressure. The very best examples of this can be found in the way that players are encouraged to move. Whereas Enemy Unknown usually had us terrified to do anything other than tiptoe forwards and overwatch (an ability that prompts soldiers to shoot at enemies that appear during the alien's turn), XCOM 2 thinks you should be a little more adventurous than that. For a start, most missions have some kind of timer to worry about. Rescue/retrieve/destroy the objective in a limited number of turns, or risk failing the mission and losing your reward. Harsher still are the missions that ask you to reach an extraction point with your team within that very same time limit, or watch as your soldiers are left behind. Yeah. I know. It's brutal.

I thought I'd hate this setup, to be honest. The occasional time limit - think bomb disposal missions in Enemy Unknown - doesn't seem so bad, but make them the norm and surely it just feels exhausting? Well, I was wrong. This extra motivation is exactly what the series needed. Combine the added time constraint with a near-infinite pool of map designs (they're procedurally-generated this time around) and you're inevitably going to run into more surprises. You're inevitably going to make more mistakes. And those moments, as you scramble to counter a group of enemies that you weren't quite ready to discover, are when XCOM is at its absolute best.
 
Is GMG sold out of keys or something? I get "Unfortunately this product is not yet available in your region." I'm in the USA. I like to wait for reviews, now that they're out, it might be too late!
I got that, too. Search for it rather than using the link on their front page. The linked one is out of region in the US for whatever reason.
 

Miletius

Member
The Eurogamer reivew discusses exactly this:

That sounds pretty amazing, actually. I enjoyed the bomb missions a lot, because they encouraged you to take risks in a way that the main game did not. Glad to hear they are putting more in and encouraging people to adapt to win.

Except for when you get Bomb Extraction on the first special mission of an Iron Man/Impossible run. Then... not so much.
 

Dezzy

Member
I got that, too. Search for it rather than using the link on their front page. The linked one is out of region in the US for whatever reason.

That did the trick. Sadly, the 25% and 27% codes don't work anymore. Only 20% off now. :( I'll just wait.
Edit: VIP price seems to be 23% off.
 

crap game, gonna wait for the bargain bin now smh firaxis


does anyone know if there's an option for subtitles solely for international squadmate dialog? I liked having them talk in their native language (even if there weren't any chinese or japanese options) but it'd be cool to hear what they were saying exactly as well
 

Gala

Member
I really hope GMG is sending out the codes soon. I wanna preload the game to directly play it after my university test :(
 

Nete

Member
Humble Store keys seems to be out.

TxLW59U.png


So with a bit of luck, GMG keys will be there tomorrow.
 
This is the downside of ordering from a no-name retailer, lol.

Anybody have any idea when Funstock Digital is going to be shooting codes out?
 

mbpm1

Member
Neither do I, it's just annoying.

I'm super happy that we have voice options though. Can't tell you how many times I was annoyed to have my native Hong Kong soldier speaking American accented English.

Voices were one of the big selling points for Long War for me.
 
Neither do I, it's just annoying.

I'm super happy that we have voice options though. Can't tell you how many times I was annoyed to have my native Hong Kong soldier speaking American accented English.

Voices were one of the big selling points for Long War for me.
For the record EU/EW did have voices - just lacking. off the top of my head there was English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Polish and Russian.


and has it been confirmed on whether international voices will have subtitles for chatter or not? If not I'll throw in my request for a mod.
 
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