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[Parsely]

The Outsiders are psionic avatars of the Sectoid Commanders, so the Commanders can pilot UFOs without actually having to risk their lives.  They use the Hyperwave Beacon to remotely project their mind to an Outsider Shard, which acts like an antenna and focus for them to form a psionic construct.  Psionic energy in XCOM is also physical, as evidenced by the fact that abilities like Mindfray and Rift can destroy cover, so the Outsiders can interact with the  ship controls despite being composed of "almost pure energy".
Once XCOM takes the Hyperwave Beacon the Commanders can no longer project so they have to actually start being there physically.

Except you made that up... AND if that was true, it would still be usable.

Since the Hyperwave beacon was... well... A set up.

AND the hyperwave beacon wasn't anywhere near those people.

Psionic energy in XCOM is also physical

Well... Specifically it is that the energy can affect physical things. In a similar way that electricity or gravity does.

It's actually a good explanation, I dunno what you're trying to prove now.

[Neonivek]

It's actually a good explanation, I dunno what you're trying to prove now.

He made that up. It doesn't matter how good an explanation it is. I could probably make up a good reason why the Lizardmen never got a enhanced version.

As well even if it was true, which maybe out of game info validates, it doesn't prove why they stop showing up given that the Hyperspace beacon was a ploy, a phony, specifically set up as a lure.

In fact it only gives more reason why they would have a second, hidden, beacon. Perhaps in orbit or under the sea.

I am not trying to "Prove" anything, I am trying to "disprove" the statement.

The reason they don't show up again is simply that the developers didn't completely finish the game. Even if everything they said was true... The outsiders still would have made one other appearance.

The Outsiders were simply a tool to an end and not useful for the invasion as a whole (They were a essentially a lure to allow humanity to get vital information without it seeming like they were being fed). Yet they still lacked the one vital appearance.

As well even if they were "Remote controlled beings" their mannerisms do not match that of any of the species you face.

[10ebbor10]

For something to be illogical, you need to denounce all logical explanations.

Also, the reason that there wasn't a second beacon or why it wasn't used, is that it's quite a security risk. You don't want to rely on a remote guidance system for all your crafts when the enemy just captured one of the transmission units.

[MorleyDev]

The game does explicitly state they are being used by the sectoid commander to control his troops, since when you wipe out the base the commanders and ethereals and whatnot come down to take control of the invasion directly, they simply weren't needed anymore. At least that's the impression I got from the game, always assumed that was the idea.

Lizardmen are heavily implied by the game to have been turned into The Thin Men. Like, *really* heavily.

[Neonivek]

is that it's quite a security risk.

Yet that was the intent. As well the game tells you how the beacon works and that multiple wouldn't present a security risk as each one has such a unique signature that you couldn't just crack it (It was why you NEEDED the Outsider)

I really mean it when I say that the beacon's existence was only to be taken though.

You don't want to rely on a remote guidance system for all your crafts when the enemy just captured one of the transmission units

Oddly enough the game doesn't stop the implication that they still do that... Then again the game outright shows you multiple alien bases. Which also implies multiple beacons (sorry not imply... outright tells you there are)

Lizardmen are heavily implied by the game to have been turned into The Thin Men. Like, *really* heavily

Not heavily... Outright told you.

[Sharp]

Oh please Neon, your gripe is that they don't explain why you don't see Outsiders anymore after capturing the base is so sad. There are a lot of unanswered issues in many games and more in XCOM then just this one, whether that is due to laziness in writing and development or intentional to keep players guessing it doesn't really matter. Why are you so sad you don't see outsiders anymore?

From a gameplay perspective they are not needed anymore, it might be an intentional issue because once outsiders are gone for every UFO mission there is at least one psi-capable unit, this might just be gameplay again because before you need outsider shard to enter base then after you need psi for psi-lab and psi-powers and psi-crap but if there is a plausible theory that holds up then it doesn't matter if they explain it or not especially if you have your own made up explanation.

I would rate the story of XCOM EU as pretty poor but the gameplay is fun. The immersion already gets lost for me when my German Heavy sounds like he is from NY (5th columnist bastard!) and the overall plot is pretty weak but the gameplay makes up for it. Who really gives a shit that you don't see outsiders anymore?

[Neonivek]

Dear goodness... I know I was being a little hostile but goodness I don't care about the Outsiders.

Only so much as saying that it is one of the gaps in the game. It isn't "lazy writing" it is just that the game didn't have the time.

I would rate the story of XCOM EU as pretty poor

Ok now this I agree with. I think they should have went a more "Show, don't tell" route with the alien's ultimate plans and motivations being mostly unknown... with their final actions done due to just outright desperation.

Their current story, while passable, opens so many questions and relies on so much coincidences.

Who really gives a that you don't see outsiders anymore?

Well just because a story is BAD it doesn't mean I want it to continue to be bad. As well noticing gaps in the gameplay in a tense hostile situation kind of points attention to a few things.

[Krevsin]

The stories of X-Com games are usually either bad or B-Movie material, something which is fun to have but not really the thing that drives the games forward. I find that the more to the end you get, the worse the stories are.

The spin-offs games usually suffer from the same problem (although I did like the story in UFO: After... series.)

[Neonivek]

Well that is why X-com always worked its best when it gave a little story as possible while still making you feel like you are uncovering the plot.

Well, I guess except for Xcom Apoc... that gave the whole story away and worked pretty well (its story was rushed though) and gave plausible reasons why they didn't just outright full scale invade.

[MorleyDev]

It's more the things you're picking on are things the game does give an least an indication of an explanation over. There's a lot more flaws in that story, you went for the lesser and more explained examples.

The aliens entire idiot plot of "We shall make them strong then...something...and they'll join us, what could possibly go wrong?" for example xD

If I had to guess, they knew what they wanted to happen gameplay wise and they just needed to make the story match that and so they hammered something in that fit. I'd say it didn't feel like much time was spent on the story because they didn't feel like they needed to spend much time on the story.

They just wanted the ending to be "Storm the alien mothership" and realised "oh crap we have to somehow explain why they didn't just nuke us from orbit! Um......all a test!"

[Neonivek]

Well of course there is more. It is just what I like to reference.

Others include multiple bases shown but only one base is explored.

If I had to guess, they knew what they wanted to happen gameplay wise and they just needed to make the story match that and so they hammered something in that fit

Dear goodness, I would not be surprised if that is EXACTLY what they did. "Ok we need a story, can we cobble something together with what we got?"
"Well this Xcom has RPG elements... can we somehow combine those into a story?"
"YES!!! Of course... Humans level up but aliens don't... That is clearly important"

Mind you whether or not the story is "bad" is actually up for debate. I am personally in the "The story is pretty bad" category, but I've heard a few people who say it is pretty good.

They just wanted the ending to be "Storm the alien mothership"

I honestly thought it was going to be a series of missions (or one long mission) of sabotage and demolition as you try to disable the giant ship.

[Krevsin]

Eh, I put the XCOM:EU story in the "serviceable" compartment. It holds up well enough to bring you the fun pf the gameplay and has some major flaws (plot holes, deus ex machinae and dumb characters, oh my!), but it didn't ruin the game for me.

[Neonivek]

Eh, I put the XCOM:EU story in the "serviceable" compartment. It holds up well enough to bring you the fun pf the gameplay and has some major flaws (plot holes, deus ex machinae and dumb characters, oh my!), but it didn't ruin the game for me.

Well in many ways its story is also bad but in an entertaining way as well. In that it hinges on outright luck to succeed.

[Sharp]

The spin-offs games usually suffer from the same problem (although I did like the story in UFO: After... series.)

Really? That Earth was just the mating ground of some freaky giant aliens?

[WillowLuman]

Um, WHERE in EU does it show multiple alien bases?