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[Mephansteras]

I'm ok with some automation, too. Especially near the end game, where you still need to shoot down all those scouts to keep your funding nations happy but actually going out and cleaning up the crash is more chore than interesting challenge. So being able to send groups out and do an auto-calc on the battle would be nice.

[Darkmere]

I'd be satisfied if the game just remembered the gear loadout for each soldier and auto-equipped that at the start of every mission. The 15th time I had to redistribute heavy weapons, pack sidearms/backups on my sniper, and setup the psionics with medi-kits was beyond annoying. Even a "default kit" setup button you could click would be welcome.

[Mephansteras]

I'm sure stuff like that will be done. Heck, some of the Utilities people made for the original X-Com do that.

[Domenique]

I'm ok with some automation, too. Especially near the end game, where you still need to shoot down all those scouts to keep your funding nations happy but actually going out and cleaning up the crash is more chore than interesting challenge. So being able to send groups out and do an auto-calc on the battle would be nice.

I'd like a Age of Wonders style quick battle, though nowadays I think they could simulate the whole battle in a sec.

[Itnetlolor]

I wonder if both developers of the XCOM games will be implementing more of the alien lores throughout history as part of XCOM research. gain a better understanding of the aliens after more recent encounter events, and lining that up with historical accounts, and making reference to them.

Then again, it could end up resulting in somebody modding in a double-down as a replacement for a med-kit or an achievement.



EDIT:
Couldn't resist but to also add this one, since there could be achievements with the game sooner or later:

[Muz]

Screenshot seems rather unimpressive, reminds me of the UFO Aftermath/Afterlight games, which were yeah, not too gloomy. Interface seems a little simple, but the UFO games use a similar interface, and they handle tactics just fine. I love that they used hexes

And that hangar is awesome. I'll probably make a wild guess and expect the base to be 3D, which could be quite Fun.

Is this going to be dumbed down for the "wider console audience"?
Firaxis is undeniably streamlining aspects of the game and removing no small amount of micromanagement, but from what I've seen I wouldn't call it "dumbing down" the game so much as getting rid of tedium and uninteresting mechanics. Soldiers still die permanently, fog of war and line of sight are hugely important in combat, and you absolutely can lose the game if you screw up too badly.

"tedium" and "uninteresting".

Considering that I considered no part of the original X-Com to be tedious or uninteresting, that means that something I like will get cut.

Uh, there was a LOT of tedious things about the original X-Com. IMO, missions were too long (and the whole last alien bit). Arming your troops was a bitch, I'd have loved it if you could just preset starting equipment. And the whole bug hunt thing was very tedious, especially somewhere mid game when you could just beat them so easily. Those are the things keeping me from finishing all the X-Com games. I know there's a mod to fix one of those problems, but I'd be so happy to get a X-Com game without any tedium.

[Ozyton]

So apparently you guys aren't too concerned that the game will likely be using hexes... but am I the only one that thinks the hexes are about twice as large as they should be?


Oh, and if you cannot rename your troops...

EDIT: Personally, I think it would be ideal if they didn't use any kind of grid, and soldiers can only move a certain number of steps or feet/meters per time units/seconds. I think I heard a game called 7.62mm did something like this but I've never played it or seen gameplay so I don't know.

Something like Silent Storm where the squares were relatively small would work fine too, being able to put your guys just where you want them would be best.

[lordcooper]

I think the sizes look about right.  Maybe a 10-20% reduction would be nice, but no more than that.  It makes sense to keep a little distance between your troops when unsure of where the next shots may come from.

[Ozyton]

I think the sizes look about right.  Maybe a 10-20% reduction would be nice, but no more than that.  It makes sense to keep a little distance between your troops when unsure of where the next shots may come from.

It's not so much that, it's that you might want to position your guys in a specific spot instead of in the middle of the open, where if they move a bit to the right they'd be in better cover.

Besides, if you wanted more space between your squad mates, don't put them close to each other, maybe?

EDIT: Being able to move to a certain point inside the hexagon would work just fine, though, I suppose, but in that case might as well just use the Silent Storm method.

[Muz]

So apparently you guys aren't too concerned that the game will likely be using hexes... but am I the only one that thinks the hexes are about twice as large as they should be?

Concerned? I'm quite excited about it. Hexes are as close to free movement as you get while abstracting movement out into tiles (and not overcomplicating tile movement with bigger polygons). If they're too big... zoom out?

[Virtz]

So apparently you guys aren't too concerned that the game will likely be using hexes... but am I the only one that thinks the hexes are about twice as large as they should be?

Concerned? I'm quite excited about it. Hexes are as close to free movement as you get while abstracting movement out into tiles (and not overcomplicating tile movement with bigger polygons). If they're too big... zoom out?

I think he means like each guy has too much space for himself on the hexagon.

I actually ain't totally convinced there's hexagonal tiles in this yet. Like you've got that blue line running through the screenshot? Near the right tree it sure looks like a hexagon, but near the middle where that woman is standing? Doesn't exactly look like a hexagon. I also dunno how you'd stick a hexagon between those two trees without leaving out some space. Like there's just some odd angles that make it look a bit assymetric. Though I'm probably grasping at straws. Maybe it just looks weird in perspective view (since hexagons are usually used in parallel projections), but I dunno.


Personally I'm more concerned with the base view. Look at the hangar bay. It's gigantic. I'm not even sure you'd be able to fit a second one anywhere. And it houses like 6 ships apparently? Like there's no reason to have more than one hangar bay? It makes it look like a set-piece you cannot modify or something.

But maybe there is a top-down view of the base for each z level, and there's like more place to fit these? Wish they'd show both views if that's the case, though.

[Denzi]

Sweet they are using hexagons! Instant 6/10, can only go up from here.

Sounds like they might have the right idea with the game, keep a lot of the core concepts while trimming the fat and (hopefully) expanding the universe in some way. Still I'm predicting bonus DLC techs out the wazoo. And the obligatory expansion pack that completely changes the game.

Edit: And don't forget the special Steam-only ballistic armor that is 10% better.

[EuchreJack]

So apparently you guys aren't too concerned that the game will likely be using hexes...

Oh, I certainly don't like the hexes, but it's only one part of the game.

[Cthulhu]

Hexes are fine with me.  They seem a little big but the two Men in Black in the screenshot are using cover pretty well so I think people are probably going to be able to move around within their hex at least to take cover and stuff.

While I was working on writing the rules for the X-COM wargame something just came up that makes me wonder.  If X-COM is drawing their agents from Delta Force, the Spetsnaz, Navy SEALS, SAS, and all that, where are all the women coming from?  As far as I know none of those units take women, and when I think about it I can't think of any elite military units with women in them unless you count Mossad.  Maybe they're just glossing over that kind of thing, and I'm thinking too hard about it.  I'm not trying to imply that women can't be elite soldiers or shouldn't be in the game or anything, I'm just wondering where X-COM gets their people.

Oh wait, mercenaries and paramilitary groups, probably.  The way the buying and selling works (And the creepy guy with the suitcase full of cash) suggests X-COM does a lot of black market dealing so it makes sense they'd draw their agents from less mainstream sources.

[ZebioLizard2]

X-com quite traditionally worked with both black market, national forces, and anyone that could help. And restaurant owners! Cannot forget the blessed Restaurant owners from X-com Terror from the deep. Always buying those fish corpses for some fine "alien" sushi!