The real launch on GOG at the same time as the Steam launch wasn’t so clear, to be honest. Their announcement (for after the end of the exclusivity deal) was only for Steam, and I asked on both Twitter and their subreddit if they forgot to mention GOG only by accident. Their reply was a very vague non-answer. On Twitter it was in the vein of “There is no info, but we like GOG very much, too” (my question wasn’t if they liked GOG), and on reddit their anwer was similar, along the lines of “We have no info on a GOG release so far”. It sounded more like they weren’t sure about the GOG release themselves, at least at that point in time.
And it wasn’t very reassuring, considering the move to one-year exclusivity on Epic that came out of the blue, contradicting their own promise to release the game on Steam and GOG on day one. It looks like the Epic deal happened so quickly that they even forgot to remove the release on GOG and Steam info on their own website until a while after they made the Epic deal, with the well-known reactions by a lot of backers.
Do I think this deal helped Snapshot Games to secure their own existence and the quality of the game? Yes, it obviously did. The way they did it was, let’s say, suboptimal.
Do I think the fact that Snapshot Games got bought by the video game holding company Embracer Group (formerly known as THQ Nordic AB) three weeks ago will further improve Phoenix Point (and secure the production of the next game planned for 2023)? We’ll see, but I hope so.
I think it’s also worth remembering that the developers are at the mercy of the platforms to a certain extent as well.
CAn’t remember the details, but I remember being told that X hadn’t happened on Epic because Epic hadn’t yet given Snapshot Y, so they couldn’t do what everyone was asking them to do at the time.
Similarly, it may well be that GoG simply hadn’t given them the info they needed to be able to announce a GoG release at the time that people were asking about it.
For a lot of reasons, I didn’t like X-Com 2, but after some reviewers said they wouldn’t even return to the base game after the War Of The Chosen release, I returned to the game and it came out as one of my all time favorites. I’m still hoping something like that can go for Phoenix Point as well.
C’mon, as everything in life, there are pros and cons. PP tops XCOM2 easily in basic mechanics and strategy. However XCOM2 rolls over PP in presentation, audio and some specific mechanics. Story-wise PP takes the lead but also loses in its presentation - a point that just began to get better with the new tutorial. If that kind of presentation with more characters would spread to the rest of the game, it would be awesome.
We of course hope PP will get there with time or that PP2 (if it’s a thing) can be a match in everything to XCOM 3.
Its worth a buy if you like this genre. Is is a much better state then a year ago and is fun if you can put up with some rough edges that remain
In detail: I have played the original UFO games and the remakes + Xenonauts and PP in its current state feels better then all of them as far as depth goes and keeps up visually with the Firaxis remakes.
There are rough edges though: Its still a resource hug (thouhg imprived a lot from past versions), and it has very bare-bones diplomacy and base building UI and functions. Yes there are numerous factions but only the 3 major are listed under diplomacy and the UI is a bad design and offers almost no interaction (the whole menu could have been a coule of CM wide status bar in a corner). Yes the story is more fleshed out but then it also makes the mistake of scripting a lot of missions and diplomatic events which means a huge level of redundancy and less player agency. Yes there are wehicles but they need more research, upgrade options, and while planes are listed as having x health they canot engage in combat (yet)
Still, like I said: good game, the best in my opinions mechanically, but need to look past a couple of “Under Construction” sites in its mechanics - if this bothers you worth a couple of updates wait
Of course, PP beats XCom2/WotC not in any fields but in general I stick to my statement. I tried a little time ago another WotC start and honestly, I broke up because I simply don’t like the whole mechanics. Presentation, Videos and Audio is probably a big step ahead but it’s no good if I just can’t no longer enjoy the game.
For me, Snapshot and PP has done many things right in this year and it will go on, here I’m pretty sure. And since Chimera Squad, also released this year, Firaxis has a much bigger problem to get me back to them. XCom 3 has to be light years ahead of this post-WotC-pre-XCom3 interlude to surpass what I am now given by Snapshot.
But in the end it is personal taste that decides here, many will see it very differently from me and that is a good thing.
This is true, it was very difficult for me to go back to “% chance to hit” when playing Chimera Squad. I never liked it in the firaxcoms, as well as pods. I hope XCOM3 takes the best of PP and vice-versa, so that both can compete and bring us great games.
Of course, for me, each dlc that has come out has moved the game forward towards what I think the game should have been at launch. With every new DLC the game has improved, in my experience, to one that is beginning to mirror the original xcom more and more. I’m not describing game systems but the feel and experience of what I remember. Hope that helps.
Yok, what happens if e.g. Firaxis makes “some XCOM3” as UFO (improved PP = ballistics, inventory, time units …)?
Will that give you reason to let go of Gollop & SG?
To assess the chances of Phoenix Point without the influence of the thought that this is the “Last UFO”?
Look at this Forum, this is the Remnants of the former Fanbase. SG stretch the PP wanting to resist the situation = Command to learn to sail on a sinking ship. Canny is advice on how to sink slowly.
And the modding tools are real people who are ready to help Save theShip, but they are not specifically given the Team to learn to swim.
I wasn’t agreeing to a draw, I just don’t agree with you. On line arguments tend to be a waste of time. We have differing views end of. Carry on if you wish I won’t be. Thank you.
They might arise in time, sometimes most popular ones get included, generally devs decide what is feasible and priority. I dont know do counselors like Mr. Barta there play any role in decisions. Game can be greater, but good news is there is still time. I hope it will become greater in 2021.
From one point, I understand the devs - you cant do them all.
But I do hope in end of 2021 it will be even more fun (the PP)
I dont know about you, but looking at bugfixes and balances (the changelog of updates) I have a feeling lot has been done and that result is getting better. Most of fixes relate to base game.
