The Incredible Destruction Physics of X-Com: Apocalypse
Why are all my favourite X-Com memories from Apocalypse? Is it the blend of real-time combat with the notoriously punishing tactical difficulty the series is known for? Or is it just goofing off to play stupid games and ruin people's buildings while they stand by, unable to do anything because the weapons have been edited right out of their hands?
Predictably, it's BOTH.
I explain why my favourite variety of X-Com is real-time, provide a little historical context that turn-based strategy wasn't quite so universally loved as you might think, and naturally dive in to how physics which let you collapse entire buildings work without also collapsing your 486.
Undermined foundations:
0:00 We've been here before
0:45 "Weird" doesn't narrow this down much
1:09 No Internet, just Teletext
1:30 An interesting pronunciation of "start".
2:25 That TV probably didn't support Teletext, did it now.
3:09 Real time and its consequences
4:55 Scaled down geography and scaled up furniture prices
6:38 Keeping up the difficulty
7:20 Time to get the editors out
8:32 Yes, you can see what else I've got installed!
8:49 Elerium Catch League 2084
9:26 Base layout editing
10:00 Unexpected equipment miniaturisation programme
10:44 Overkill
11:32 I finally get to the point
12:24 Fred Action: Space Asshole
13:10 Teardown lives up to its name
13:50 X-Com: Demolition Team
14:45 But how does it work?
17:04 Back to "why I likes it"
17:40 Such a thing as too much destruction
18:20 Shuddering to a conclusion
Games Featured:
X-Com: Apocalypse
X-Com: Terror From The Deep
Red Faction: Guerrilla
Teardown
Digitiser is a trademark of Paul Rose, content used with permission. Teletext images kindly provided from Chris Bell via Super Page 58, ultimately copyright DMG Media Ltd. Moc moc!
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Bonus fact: X-Com Apocalypse was originally intended to have a vastly richer and more complex series of alien dimensions with procedurally generated cityscapes, as opposed to the single fixed dimension which ended up in the game. Once the Organic Factory building is destroyed the aliens will lose all capability to access Mega-Primus, meaning the game can be played indefinitely with no opposition other than any hostile organisations X-Com refuses to repair relations with, or any that became infiltrated earlier in the game.
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