XCOM 2 - Various News

[Myrthos]

Eye rounded up several newsbits about XCOM 2 a while ago, which weren't posted yet, so here they are:

PCGamesN explains how concealment works.

But Firaxis have taken the idea further with XCOM 2. Now cast as the underdog revolutionary force on a captured Earth, the player is forced to rely on guerilla tactics to overcome greater numbers than before. A concealment mechanic shown at E3 allowed a squad to sneak around the map unseen by their enemies, but it wasn’t clear just how powerful that tool was. Had XCOM gone full Invisible, Inc.? We asked lead producer Garth DeAngelis.

Also at PCGamesN, information about why Firaxis is redoing the strategy layer.

From the beginning, the XCOM 2 team had a design goal to make the global strategy layer more open-ended. What they came up with was the Avenger: a repurposed alien transport ship and mobile base. Players could research, engineer and train, but they were no longer waiting for blips to appear on the geoscape - they were jetting off to new continents, establishing contact with pockets of resistance around the world.

Shacknews has info about mod support and procedural levels.

Mods are one standout feature of XCOM 2, and one major reason it's a PC exclusive. The studio plans to release the Unreal editor it used to build the game, along with 50 GB of art and design assets. With the designers opening up so much of its work to the mod community, I wondered if it would follow suit if any downloadable content was released. While the team was careful to note it couldn't confirm any DLC coming, it did suggest it would be just as open in that eventuality.

On the XCOM site is some info about the dangerous Archon deity.

As witnessed during the invasion in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the aliens unleashed hordes of Floaters to attack and subdue the human population; however, the aliens quickly found out that humanity did not respond well to the Floater’s horrific marriage of flesh and robotics. Something had to be done.

And so the Archon, an evolutionary step forward, was born. Archons were designed to be more regal and present humanity with a god-like visage, but behind that countenance is a calculating killer.

More information.

 

[joxer]

A new trailer is out just two months before the release:

Another thing is also known.
The price for the "full package" (deluxe edition) is 65 dollars and it's actually a scam.
It's not the full package. It's the game and season pass scamware combined. And for whatever reason they've renamed season pass scam as "reinforcement pack" like noone will notice.

Season pass scam contains these three things:

- Anarchy’s Children: Rebellion-themed content with more dramatic soldier customizations. Available Spring 2016.
- Alien Hunters: New gameplay highlighting an elite alien hunting unit of XCOM as it tracks down “Ruler” aliens, plus a new mission, additional soldier customization options and more powerful weapons and armor. Available Summer 2016.
- Shen’s Last Gift: Introduces a brand-new sixth soldier class with unique upgradeable weapons, armor and customization features, as well as an additional narrative-driven mission and map. Available Summer 2016.

I was so excited about the game and was prepared to preorder it. Honestly I was.
But selling additional CLASS as DLC?
Well, ha-ha. Someone at Firaxis thinks Total War: Warhammer scandal wasn't enough.

Well, now, because of the scamware presence revealed, I'll wait till everything is released and then I'll buy that everything in a package on some 75% sale, not less.
Which is a good thing actually, not only I save the cash, I'll get enough time to play some stuff from my backlog that didn't have scamware included (Grimrock2? Blackguards2? etc… We'll see…)!

 

[ChaosTheory]

First of all, thanks for the trailer link Joxer! Lots of new info/teasers in that. I wonder if the "recovered weapon" is your 'chosen one' character? Didn't they say that save games will have some effect-- perhaps to pull that character into the new game?

So... I was super excited until I read the DLC trickle release plan.

Seriously WTF? I'd rather they have major expansions than to keep giving me the game one piece at a time. I'm tempted to wait now too.

 

[Archangel]

First of all, thanks for the trailer link Joxer! Lots of new info/teasers in that. I wonder if the "recovered weapon" is your 'chosen one' character? Didn't they say that save games will have some effect-- perhaps to pull that character into the new game?

So… I was super excited until I read the DLC trickle release plan.

Seriously WTF? I'd rather they have major expansions than to keep giving me the game one piece at a time. I'm tempted to wait now too.

Or you can have your cake and eat it too. Get a "demo" version on release and full version on Steam sale 1-2 years later.

 

[sakichop]

Thanks for the post Joxer, the season pass sounds fantastic.