Kickstart Xenonauts: a true successor to x-com

[Manningham]

If you haven't already heard about this game, then go take a look and, better yet, SUPPORT a true successor to the X-com games some of us grew up with while others have to constantly hear us late 20's types drone on about.

I've been following this game for quite some time and it appears to be coming along brilliantly. To give you an idea of the enthusiasm about this title, it has raised $48,000 in two days on Kickstarter and every dollar goes to added features and improved functionality. So why not throw in a $20 backing? You'll have saved 5 bucks on the game upon release and every dollar given now increases the quality of the final product - a win-win

Looking forward to the release, later this year I believe

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/69341191/xenonauts

[Ketzerfreund]

Bad timing, I guess, given that Firaxis is working on a "worthy successor" to the old X-Com games. I think many of those who wait and see whether Firaxis messes it up might hold back on financing what seems to be another Xcom-inspired remake. The Firaxis game does have a lot of potential. I think that Xenonauts' kickstarting could've gotten a better kick if it wasn't initiated at this time.

[Jean=A=Luc]

Xenonauts has been in development since long before Firaxis announced their remake. It's now entering the late stages of development so there's no going back. The devs can't sit on their ass and wait for the Firaxis release to pass and then put up a Kickstarter.

X-nauts is quite different from the official remake (very close to original gameplay with subtler changes) and it's enjoyed great support from the press and community in general so it's pretty safe.

In any case it's reached 100% funding in like 50hrs so now it's simply a question of how much better it can get. I personally pre-ordered it like a year ago, had a very good feeling about it.

Here's some screens:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I can list a lot of the changes Xenonauts makes compared to the original X-Com if anyone cares.

[Manningham]

In any case it's reached 100% funding in like 50hrs so now it's simply a question of how much better it can get.

Yep, that's the way of it, funding no longer appears to be an issue for Xenonauts.

TBH, the Firaxis product looks more cartoony and shallow every time I look at it, so I think Xenonauts will actually benefit from the timing of its release. It's also important to note that Xenonauts has been designed with modability in mind.. I think Firaxis has claimed the same, but a game of its scale isn't likely to be as malleable as an indie effort like Xenonauts, wouldn't you think?

[Jean=A=Luc]

Let's please not get into the mutual game bashing, there's been enough of that and discussions easily veer that way even from relatively innocent comments. In any case it's perfectly feasible to enjoy both, it needn't be either or.

Here are the articles with XCom and X-nauts devs talking about the other game (just a bit though) for anyone interested in the "competition aspects" of this.

- http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...utdoing-x-com/ (it's several months old now)

- http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...onal-kill-cam/ (new Firaxis interview)

[Ketzerfreund]

Activision and EA should cut a slice, as we say in Germany, from the civility with which these two devs talk about each other's projects.

[Kanaric]

Is this like the 5th true successor to xcom tha has been coming out the past 10 years? All have failed.

[Ketzerfreund]

For UFO:AI (which is actually only missing destructible walls due to the Quake2 engine) you don't have to pay, at least.

[Manningham]

Is this like the 5th true successor to xcom tha has been coming out the past 10 years? All have failed.

So much hate! Really, I think this game warrants a second look if that's the way you're thinking about it. The developers have taken cues from the forum community at every turn and the final product appears to be becoming something really special... from the game's atmosphere to its core mechanics.

I think its safe to put the pessimism aside, Xenonauts is for real!

[Jean=A=Luc]

Is this like the 5th true successor to xcom tha has been coming out the past 10 years? All have failed.

Even though I sort of understand where these statements are coming from I find them a bit blind and unthinking.

The After series had 3 titles so I wouldn't say it's failed. UFO: Extraterrestrials was kinda wonky but improved with mods and a sequel ought to come out sooner or later. Xenonauts and the Firaxis remake are both well on the way to being successful titles as well.

The "failed" remakes were mostly various community and open source projects.

If you're simply talking about capturing the original's atmosphere than I can only tell you to either look at the screens I posted or read these RPS articles, play the public demo (link on the KS page), read the forum or read these RPS articles:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011...nauts-preview/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...nauts-preview/

For UFO:AI (which is actually only missing destructible walls due to the Quake2 engine) you don't have to pay, at least.

There are a lot of free games out there of all genres yet people still pay for games. I'll let you figure out why that is.

Edit:

Stephen Lee (author of the Epic Universe series) will be writing a novella (for free) about the Iceland Incident and the founding of the Xenonauts organization. This is his official statement.

I'm not familiar with the series but apparently it's a best seller in the US. Either way, this is very generous of him (he's a big X-Com fan).

[Kanaric]

The "failed" remakes were mostly various community and open source projects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubat...Is_Running_Out - failure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abomina...emesis_Project - failure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dre..._Freedom_Ridge - didn't even get released
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_Squad_Nemesis - spinoff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Aftermath - failure game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Extraterrestrials - failure game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_Afterlight - failure game

[Ketzerfreund]

Laser Squad isn't a spin-off of X-Com... It's just of the same genre. And the original Laser Squad is older than the original X-Com games.

[Jean=A=Luc]

Incubation isn't an X-Com type of game nor is it a failure.

LSN isn't an X-Com game as you've been told.

The UFO: After series weren't a failure, the fact that there were 3 titles should tell you that (not as good as X-Com but not a failure).

UFO: ET pulled through with Bman's mod (which became part of an official patch). It had a shaky run but I wouldn't say it failed. A sequel is in the works as well, it's a bit comatose but it is being worked on, I think the devs want to wait for Xenonauts/Firaxis releases to pass, too much competition atm.

Ultimately success or failure of one game can't be a valid argument on whether another game will do well or not.

I think I've presented a good number of signs pointing to Xenonauts' success: large press coverage, a lot of community support, quickly funded KS, a professional author writing an introductory novella for free, demo, screenshots...

The Firaxis game is pretty much ensured success for obvious reasons barring any catastrophic blunders like an unfixable game-breaking CTD.

You're free to be pessimistic though, if you like, I mean anything could happen.

[Tankfriend]

I also don't agree on the UFO: After... series being a failure. They did a lot of things differently from XCom, but that didn't mean they did things bad, on the contrary: The things the After... series did were good in their own rights and they also improved with each game in the series.
The main problem I can see about it that made it less commercially succesfull was that so many people expected a 1:1 XCom clone with better graphics, which obviously wasn't what they got. But as Jean=A=Luc has said, that didn't stop them from being successfull enough to warrant a series of three games.

[MrBoBo1]

To me this game looks more promising. All of the screenshots of Xcom:EU have been running on a control pad. Thats usually a very bad sign.

[Ketzerfreund]

Well, it's not as if turn-based genres were totally foreign to consoles (Advance Wars etc.); that's not a matter of concern to me regarding the Firaxis game. Regarding this one: I really hope for the makers of Xenonauts that they get the mechanics right (including whatever subtle changes they made here and there as mentioned in the interview), for the looks of that game are certainly not its strong point. Ah well, whatever, if both teams mess their games up, I guess it's back to Dosbox again.

[Jean=A=Luc]

Update #6 introduces boxed copies of the game at the 50$ level (along with a few new reward tiers) and also a preview of the art book with developer commentaries. The KS is sitting at 81k as I'm writing this.

...for the looks of that game are certainly not its strong point.

To me they are but such is life.

[Jean=A=Luc]

Latest update #7 with a preview of female portraits. KS at over a 100k now.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Also a Reddit AmA (ask me anything), started less than an hour ago as I write this: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comment...ho_broke_into/

The intro:

I am the lead developer on the indie strategy game Xenonauts (http://www.xenonauts.com), which is a spiritual successor to the classic X-Com games from the 90s.
Three years ago, age 22, I decided I didn't enjoy my previous career and I wanted to develop video games instead. Only problem was that I couldn't (and still can't) code, do any form of 3D modelling or any 2D art. All I knew is that I'd been playing video games for fifteen years and figured that somehow qualified me to design them. Unsurprisingly we screwed up quite a bit of stuff at the start.
Three years later Xenonauts is an established indie project, and I quit my job and went full-time 8-9 months ago. We launched a Kickstarter a couple of weeks back which is sitting at $103,000 with just under two weeks left to go. Kickstarter link, which includes a free demo of the game, is here here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...=home_location
I used to be an internet warrior telling developers on forums that they were doing it wrong, but my perspective has changed somewhat since I tried it myself. More than happy to discuss any element of video game development with you guys, advice on how you could do something similar, or anything unrelated you want to chat about. I'll be here for the next few hours and will sweep up any questions I've missed tomorrow.

[MrBoBo1]

Really liking the 2d art style. Alot of respect for the guy doing this as he basically put his life savings into it. It's fantastic to see him getting so much boost from kickstarters.

[Bernhardt]

To me this game looks more promising. All of the screenshots of Xcom:EU have been running on a control pad. Thats usually a very bad sign.

Yet another dumbed game? Oh well.