Developer Proposed Game Mechanic Updates

Phoenix Point
1

At Snapshot Games, we want to make Phoenix Point the best game it can be. That’s why we’re committed to adding new content and consistently improving the existing game, listening to our players, both veteran and newcomer, as much as we can…

As a result of that commitment, we make sure to read through all community and player feedback to see which parts of the game you like, and which parts you’re not so keen on. We use this feedback, along with gameplay analytics, and our design philosophies to identify areas where we can improve Phoenix Point the most, for the most players.

On this board, you will find some of the areas we feel are the highest priority to tweak, redesign or even completely overhaul, based on your feedback and our current capacity. This list isn’t comprehensive, but these changes have to be iterative, and we feel these changes will make a good start. We’d like your thoughts on which changes we should focus on, if any, among these, and how you’d like us to tweak them as we’re currently thinking about them, if at all.

Each topic has its own entry in our Canny feedback tool, where you can vote on which changes you’d like prioritised, and where you can leave your feedback in the comments. The possible solutions that we’ve proposed for each issue are there to provide examples for the changes we could make, but should in no way be taken as definitive.

Once we’ve got your feedback, the next stage for us here at Snapshot Games is to build and test prototypes for these changes and work alongside your feedback, putting them all together. We’ll be taking feedback on this particular set of proposals for the next month.

As we progress and changes like these begin to make it into the game, we will continue to collate your feedback and add more proposed changes to this board on Canny. We look forward, as always, to making Phoenix Point better with your help. Thank you, and happy hunting!

Pandoran Research System

Event-based Tutorial and Context Sensitive Tips

Training Gyms

Recruiting Soldiers at Phoenix Bases

Diplomacy and Research Improvements

Haven Defence Improvements

Improved Scavenging Missions

Improved Pandoran Lairs and Citadels

Phoenix Base Defence Improvements

Phoenix Project Bases and Exploration

23 Likes
3

This is hella cool, thanks!

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4

Thrown up my initial thoughts on some of the subjects.

Really neat idea and good use of the tool.

5

Overall wow! Interesting ideas. Except few points:

Suffering an amount of damage of a certain type unlocks resistance and/or immunity for specific archetypes. (E.g. fire resistance, poison resistance, paralysis resistance, immune to mind control).

I suppose that still for projectile weapons it will be body parts with armor on it. So not much will happen here. :slight_smile:

Geoscape mist increases its infection rate. + Citadels increase mist infection rates within their range.

I hope it won’t be implemented

Tactical mist gains buffs.

more WP penalty is ok, aliens regeneration and even regrow is ok, but don’t apply physical damage to soldiers and frenzy to aliens

Attack strength of specific Pandoran base types increased.

I’m not sure if that is good idea. Already players complain missions happen too often and with too high number of enemies.

Citadels prevent your soldiers from resting within their range (permanent nightmares).

I’m not sure if that is not an overkill unless you decrease citadel range. Otherwise players would need to play with soldiers having 2 or 3 AP. Or flying half the globe from “safe” base to deal with citadel

1 Like
6

I suppose it could help new players, but I think that strategy game doesn’t need to have everything explained on the first time experience.

Overall nice idea - I like it more than extensive tutorial screens.

I would prefer better interface which would help recruit from havens. I don’t think there is need for recruitment in Phoenix Project Base (btw aren’t they supposed to be hidden? So how those recruits would even get there?). Just allow to inspect personal traits and bring more basic classes to the pool. Also allow to dismiss and thats it.

Quite ok, I think. :slight_smile:

7

Fine ideas, except don’t allow to take control over allied units, and don’t create volunteers after end of the battle (unless chance for it would be really low like 10% of the times).

Solution 1 is nice except multiple evacuation points, and make those enemy reinforcements not so big, but still may be infinite

Solution 2 is great! Except I see a problem - how they evacuate with you if you don’t have free space in dropship?

Solution 3, meh

Solution 4 may work.

Changes to lairs are great except simplifying layout (pits, clutter)

Changes to citadels - great.

ok I guess

The player will know the location of other Phoenix bases, and they can be activated remotely or by aircraft.

Absolutely not! Finding them is great fun! Just take care that they are spread evenly on the globe. Or make it optional when starting new campaign. Other changes are ok and I’m more for organic exploration over the scanning.

8

I’ll surely share my thoughts on Canny! Thanks for the feedback loop.

9

Haven’t had time to look at these in detail yet, but a very good step in the right direction.

Thanks UV - and thank you Snapshot.

Here’s hoping that together we can turn this into the great game it promises to be.

10

Such news, confirms the feeling that the game is on its way to be really really good.

But please do not forget the BALANCING, which is heavily discussed here in the forum.

11

Really good news. Hope you will be able to archive this goal.
I think it would be a good idea to enhance politics. I think the next ideas are quit easy to implement and they are able to greatly enhance the non-linear game development, which really differs your game from xcom, and makes it better.

  1. Add the ‘gift’ possibility. You will able to make a gift (resources) to some faction to impove their relation.
  2. Add the possibility to share technology you have with some faction. For example share ‘counter-mist’ technology from Synedrion with NJ. This should imply a big relation penalty from Sybedrion.
    3.Make unique characteristic for bases according to their location. For example, some bases have a boost at production facilities and penalty to exploring and vice versa.
  3. Make a possibility to sell/buy mutagen in the Anu disciples havens.
  4. Make a possibility to help to the certain havens. For example make a gift for a certain haven to boost their development or improve their defence.
4 Likes
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Phoenix Project base personnel poll

Support — Phoenix Point

13

add:
Against Solution 1, don’t understand Solution 2.
I am for Solution 3 and 4.

add2:
The design for placing containers in a mission Scavenging Site (according to Yokes) - wry.
(Monsters cannot / should not attack the “abstract zone with resources” - directly)

But this can be justified if these are OUR containers, after we looting “abstract areas with resources”. For this we exclude containers on the roofs, and rewind / but take into account in the game process - packing time.

And

  • You can set an Ambush as an accident for all missions, including before the defense of the Haven (a quick stripping battle for 3 turns or a long battle involving the third participant).
14

Give Anu an own Sniper. NJ and Syn have one. Since Anu doesn`t, you are forced to raid the other factions, when longing to be aligned to them.

15

I like the idea of recruitment at the base, but please add in a soldier screen that only displays soldiers at the base.

The personal screen at the moment really works against having lot of troops, which is ok if that is the way the game is designed, but then we can have up to 9 bases, what’s the point of that if they can be taken by a surprise attack… I always thought the addition of multiple basses fitted better with having enough troops to defend them…

16

Btw, I think the XCOM before-battle squad screen (this) looks really greater, than a table in pp. This improvement doesnt need changing mechanics or rebalancing and needs only game disigner hours.

17

Please fix whatever bug is causing the Geoscape to eventually forget mouse clicks to enter areas, commit area scans, or interact with the locations on the Geoscape. I’ve only had one successful game that this bug did not activated on, and that was with the new DLC.

18

Mutog mutation in miniChiron/Mortar

1 Like
19

+1

That… orange… matrix thing where we customize and train our soldiers is really strange. It doesn’t seem like we’re sendind our boys to a desperate fight for survival, it seems like, well, anything else.

20

Glad to see this, but let me make a meta-observation. Often, when changes such as these are proposed, they are criticized by long-term devoted players of the game who (1) already understand key aspects won by long, hard experience and/or (2) feel that you are making things too easy for new players. A lot of comments I’ve seen in responses to the topics listed above appear fall into one or both of those categories. From my own game design/development experience decades ago, I eventually learned that skills and approaches that seemed natural and easy to me presented major barriers to actual paying customers, and I made changes to make the game more fun and more accessible.

It is useful to remember that the paid user base of the game only grows when new players continue to adopt it and do not find it unduly difficult or hard to understand. Without that financial growth, the game lacks income sufficient to continue development, expansion, and support. Therefore, it is a wise choice to provide sufficient ease of mastery and opportunity for success, even if it’s on a ‘newbie’ difficulty level, to let new users get sufficiently skilled and engrossed in the game to try it at harder difficulty levels.

8 Likes