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SlothfulCobra posted:It's a lot easier to take away your soldier's robot arms when they retire than their genetically engineered laser eyes. Sent back home? That costs money and there's only one skyranger. And UPS doesn't make stops at X-Com HQ. Family gets a form email.
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Oct 3, 2013 02:26
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SlothfulCobra posted:It's a lot easier to take away your soldier's robot arms when they retire than their genetically engineered laser eyes. Why play up the "sacrifice" angle at all, then?
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Oct 3, 2013 03:55
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Mr Dog posted:Why play up the "sacrifice" angle at all, then? Because strategy is dry and Gupta has to play up hype somehow.
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Oct 3, 2013 03:56
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Mr Dog posted:Why play up the "sacrifice" angle at all, then? Because X-COM basically lets you create your own mini-narratives and that plays into it.
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Oct 3, 2013 07:23
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I'm always surprised how negative some people are on cybernetic augmentation. As the article says, the mind is what makes a human not their limbs. And personally i feel that limb replacement is way less invasive than genetic or psionic enhancement. On some level the mecsuit is not that different from the powerloader from alien, it's just a tool that helps hold a bigger gun and punch aliens harder, genetics and psionics give you new senses and abilities completely different from what you could do before and they'd be much more part of you than a robot arm. If they want to go back to a normal life later on a MEC can just slot in civilian grade limbs and they're good, it'd be like stepping out of a forklift/powerloader. Solicers and psionics either have to constantly refrain from using their abilities in everyday life or they undergo some sort of reversal process which would probably be like going half blind and mute as they lose their new senses and ways of interacting with the world. If i had the choice between cybernetics, genetics and psionics i'd definitely go the mec route. Hell, if better replacements were available i'd have my limbs chopped off even without an ongoing alien invasion.
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Oct 3, 2013 08:42
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SlothfulCobra posted:I still maintain that Vahlen should easily have the technology to properly store the soldier's human limbs when not in use and then reattach them when the soldier is retired/sent back home for a funeral. They should have this, but it should be a researchable technology. What do you do when you have to chose between laser guns and....your HUMANITY? choose laser guns
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Oct 3, 2013 09:48
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Am I the only one who remembers that these are actual soldiers, and not guys who wandered in off the street with a "101 things to do before I die" list? After the alien war, most of them won't be going home, they'll be going on to fight in their own countries. I don't think they'll think of battle-ready augmentation as a negative thing.
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Oct 3, 2013 10:13
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MechPlasma posted:Am I the only one who remembers that these are actual soldiers, and not guys who wandered in off the street with a "101 things to do before I die" list? After the alien war, most of them won't be going home, they'll be going on to fight in their own countries. I don't think they'll think of battle-ready augmentation as a negative thing. I can see the Council requests now. "Remember that order for twelve alloy cannons? gently caress that, give us two dozen laser eyeballs and we'll give you 500 dollars and still leave the X-Com program at the end of the month."
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Oct 3, 2013 11:26
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I always wondered what the exact unit of money X-Com uses is, because it seems weird that hiring a soldier costs only 5 whatevers less than building an interceptor.
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Oct 3, 2013 12:23
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Bistromatic posted:I'm always surprised how negative some people are on cybernetic augmentation. As the article says, the mind is what makes a human not their limbs. 'Sup pro-augmentation buddy.  If they have surgery advanced enough to connect nerves to an artificial limb in the same way they work on a biological one, reattaching your old fleshy arms would be child's play. Not to mention, who the hell would say no to being Adam Jensen? I know I wouldn't, war or no war.
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Oct 3, 2013 12:40
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The very first time my buddy next to me gets turned into a smoking pair of boots by green alien plasma, I'm singing up for the amputee brigade. gently caress limbs, I'll take the giant fuckoff armored mech suit please! We'll deal with being the guy from Metallica's One video after I survive the war.
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Oct 3, 2013 13:03
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Mr Dog posted:There's a bunch of new Steam achievements depicting enemy human snipers and medics, and kills scored by "XCOM base defense" personnel. It's kind of confirmed at this point. I've been out of this thread for a while, but has anything dropped about having more than one Skyranger yet (yea/nea)?
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Oct 3, 2013 15:25
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meatsaw posted:I've been out of this thread for a while, but has anything dropped about having more than one Skyranger yet (yea/nea)? No. gannyGrabber posted:I always wondered what the exact unit of money X-Com uses is, because it seems weird that hiring a soldier costs only 5 whatevers less than building an interceptor. Generally it's accepted that it has roughly three or so zeros after it. Brainamp fucked around with this message at 16:15 on Oct 3, 2013 |
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Oct 3, 2013 15:33
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Brainamp posted:Generally it's accepted that it has roughly three or so zeros after it. Though I do like calling them Bitcoins, because that can explain the unrealistic conversion rates as random swings in the bitcoin market. I bought a medpack yesterday and bitcoins were worth $4, but today I bought a UFO-tech superfighter when they were selling at $250!
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Oct 3, 2013 16:36
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gannyGrabber posted:I always wondered what the exact unit of money X-Com uses is, because it seems weird that hiring a soldier costs only 5 whatevers less than building an interceptor. Well the soldiers are the best of the best in the world so governments don't give them up for cheap, while the interceptors are from Uncle Joe's Interceptor Rodeo ten miles down the road.
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Oct 3, 2013 16:38
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That's pretty much the reason they use X-Bucks instead of a real currency. Because adding three zeros might make sense for a soldier... $5,000 to recruit a new soldier? I can buy that. ...but be ridiculously low for an Interceptor. $40,000 for the best combat aircraft in the world? Try $40,000,000! By having X-Bucks represent a vague "resources" kind of currency, the game designers aren't bound by how much things cost in real life and can instead balance things based on how they want the economy to work in-game. It was a pretty canny decision on their part, really.
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Oct 3, 2013 16:55
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I always liked to think the Council just gave you a bunch of Tricky Dick Fun Bills that were only good with them.
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Oct 3, 2013 17:04
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I dunno, whatever the salary of ordinary army dudes is, you're probably gonna get paid a shitton for being one of the 10-20 soldiers charged with defending all of humanity from alien invasion. Footballers get paid a cool few million, we can shell out that much for the best soldiers in the world. *misses Muton at point-blank range with shotgun*
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Oct 3, 2013 17:45
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I have to say that it's kind of funny how some of the discussions this thread in general has gone from: "What do you mean I can't send a squad of 10 newbies out to die like lemmings in a meatgrinder?  "to "Omigosh, do you mean that they need to cut off the arms and legs of my poor soldier if they are going to be a mech?  "
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Oct 3, 2013 17:48
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Boing posted:I dunno, whatever the salary of ordinary army dudes is, you're probably gonna get paid a shitton for being one of the 10-20 soldiers charged with defending all of humanity from alien invasion. Footballers get paid a cool few million, we can shell out that much for the best soldiers in the world.
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Oct 3, 2013 17:52
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Boing posted:I dunno, whatever the salary of ordinary army dudes is, you're probably gonna get paid a shitton for being one of the 10-20 soldiers charged with defending all of humanity from alien invasion. Footballers get paid a cool few million, we can shell out that much for the best soldiers in the world. Aww, you think that. Those soldiers are getting minimum wage, and that's probably minimum wage for the country they come from. Also there needs to be a random event where the US just decides it won't pay its funding that month.
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Oct 3, 2013 18:04
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Well, the original X-Com had the soldiers paid 20K a month, with a 40,000 signing bonus. Plus free lodging and food, full medical and dental, all the good stuff. Plus, I doubt those earnings are taxed. That's all in 1999 dollars. Compared to PMCs, even ignoring the benefits, that's more than double standard. That isn't just "not bad". X-Com employees are the 1%.
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Oct 3, 2013 18:50
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So XCOM: Enemy Within is on Steam now if you guys wanna get it for a little bit cheaper.
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Oct 3, 2013 18:56
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FauxGateau posted:So XCOM: Enemy Within is on Steam now if you guys wanna get it for a little bit cheaper. $27 
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Oct 3, 2013 18:58
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Groetgaffel posted:Not to mention, who the hell would say no to being Adam Jensen? I know I wouldn't, war or no war. While I haven't found the time to play Human Revolution, the internet has made me aware that Adam Jensen himself, in fact, never asked for this. Also I love the XCOM uses Simoleons for currency and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Oct 3, 2013 19:01
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X-Com has trading cards now.
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Oct 3, 2013 19:11
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Also it has a free weekend so (a) anybody interested in trying the game should download it and play and (b) multiplayer will probably be a pubstomping dreamland 
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Oct 3, 2013 19:14
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Well, I just pre-purchased Enemy Within and jumped in there... and there's nobody 
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Oct 3, 2013 19:34
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The more I read about the MEC class, the more my response becomes "meh". I'd rather have a SHIV on steroids, but maybe I'm a cranky rear end in a top hat.
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Oct 3, 2013 19:37
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Crazy Ted posted:The more I read about the MEC class, the more my response becomes "meh". I'd rather have a SHIV on steroids, but maybe I'm a cranky rear end in a top hat. Yeah but can a SHIV punch a sectoid into a tractor so hard that it explodes? I thought not.
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Oct 3, 2013 19:38
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BenRGamer posted:Well, I just pre-purchased Enemy Within and jumped in there... and there's nobody The steam page doesn't have a release date... is it already out? Oh right the checkout cart tells you that  What do you mean by 'jumped in'? immortal flow fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Oct 3, 2013 |
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Oct 3, 2013 19:38
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immortal flow posted:What do you mean by 'jumped in'? He probably means multiplayer, given that it's a promotional free weekend of Enemy Unknown.
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Oct 3, 2013 19:46
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immortal flow posted:The steam page doesn't have a release date... is it already out? Went to play multiplayer to curbstomp some pubbies. Gotta love my three-man team of blitzkrieging destruction.
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Oct 3, 2013 19:47
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In the TMA podcast Gupta said the genetic upgrades are available to everyone and that the Mech warrior is its own class, like sniper or whatever. Also the mech warrior advances up her skill tree and at the same time you also advance the tech of the suit. At least that is what he said on the podcast.
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Oct 3, 2013 19:54
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You should be able to get a genetic upgrade where you have a soldier yell gently caress YOU at a Thin Man and it instantly dies of fright because of the soldier's newly terrifying voice.
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Oct 3, 2013 20:17
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The only problem my wife has with MECs is they are not available in the real world so she can shed her mortal form for some sweet cybernetic chassis. My first MEC is probably going to have to be made to look like her.
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Oct 3, 2013 20:20
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Crazy Ted posted:You should be able to get a genetic upgrade where you have a soldier yell gently caress YOU at a Thin Man and it instantly dies of fright because of the soldier's newly terrifying voice. Every single soldier I have would get this. Every one.
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Oct 3, 2013 20:21
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You know what would have made the Thin Men better? If they were dressed up as creepy clowns instead of just Dude in Suit #73.
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Oct 3, 2013 20:49
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gannyGrabber posted:I always wondered what the exact unit of money X-Com uses is, because it seems weird that hiring a soldier costs only 5 whatevers less than building an interceptor. This might be a bit late but they appear to be using a form of Special Drawing Rights.
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Oct 3, 2013 20:57
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Crazy Ted posted:You know what would have made the Thin Men better? If they were dressed up as creepy clowns instead of just Dude in Suit #73. 
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Oct 3, 2013 21:23
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