My current gripes with the mutations and augmentations

Phoenix Point
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So i tried playing phoenix point again after being away for so long, didnt get very far because i read the next update would be on the 30th of july, so hope those changes can help phoenix point get out of the muddy start it had.

I did get far enough to get some mutation tech from the anu dudes and some augmentations.
So their concepts are very interesting but their execution is severly lacking (im also a bit annoyed with the 2 slots per guy, i feel cheated.)

So in general i honestly feel that the augmentations and mutations should not be instantaneous, it should take a bit of time depending on how much you are modifying him/her. DUring that time the soldier is unavailable to be used.
I also think that the soldiers will should come into play because it feels odd that right of the bat you can turn the rookie into a mutant or machine and hes perfectly fine, but a third thing and nooooo he cant handle it. Its nearly the end of the world i doubt “morals” are really going to hold phoenix point back from doing whats necessary and the need every advantage they can get.

So what i propose is every 10 points in will allows a safe addition to the mutation augmentation. You can try to do it even when you dont have those 10 points but there is a risk of the soldier going insane and generating a mission with the soldiers currently in the base having to gun him down. The closer you are to those 10 points the smaller the risk.

This would prevent players from transforming their entire squad right off the bat while still allowing them to go full mutation/machine if they want to. (Especially because it pisses me off when I want to make a tanky guy but i cant cover him completely resulting in the enemy just target the untransformed part.

As they are I think augmentations are fine, they are much easier to have than mutations and bring unique benefits and weaknesses. Sure I would love even more variety but that not a live or die decision.

However, I have the complete opposite feeling for the mutations. When I use them I dont feel like I’ve changed my soldiers very being i feel like ive just given them some slightly different equipement. It doesnt feel organic. Also compared to the augmentations I feel like the benefits given by the mutations considering how much more dangerous it is to procure the material to make them are not big enough. (Like the regenerating torso a mere 20 health is not enough.)

I’m not suggesting just immediately make the mutations stronger but make them feel like actual mutations. When the soldier first gets the mutation it would be a first “phase” and as he gets to use it more and it settles in he can let it go further (maybe go through sub paths). Kind of like how the arthrons keep the carapace and gun but they change appearance and have better stats they “evolve” and thats what the anu dudes are all about but their tech doesnt feel like it as some mutations are useless while others are a must have.

An example of what I mean, lets say I give one soldier the regenerating torso, he uses it and gets enough “exp” i can have him mutate further into three choices.

  • He either goes for a more supportive role where he passively sprays a healing mist around him effectively sharing his regeneration with nearby members.
  • He might boost his regeneration further and gives him an ability to crouch down and enter a healing state mending broken limbs and such but being unable to do anything for a turn or 2
  • Maybe extra armor or something like that, why not even perhaps his own chitin shield.

Having the ability to have “organic” weapons would be cool too, like turning your berserkers hands into claw and stuff.
In total I think three phases would be best and it would give you reason to try to keep your guys alive beyond levels and allow you to modify the soldiers role on the battle field.

I also think mutogs should be the same, they start out as a “blank slate” but unlike vehicles they can obtain exp. Once they got enough exp you can choose a limb mutation allowing you to choose what role it will fill (because its far too weak compared to other vehicles despite being a warbeast). Do you want it to be a super armored regenerating monstrosity that charges straight into the fray or maybe as a living artillery piece like the charon’s allowing it to bombard the areas with projectiles of its own. Maybe have the option to give it abilities like roaring after a kill sending allies into a frenzy while taking away will points of nearby enemies etc.

But yeah those are my thoughts on those things right now, would love to hear what you guys think of them or my thoughts on them.

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I also wish that mutations and bionics were not grafted onto operatives instantly. Realistically, the whole process of mutating humans with modified strains of the Pandoravirus would take quite some time. No way it would be instantaneous what with all the genetic modifications, xenotransplantation, phenotypic expression delays and patient recovery time that would be required. Bionic augmentation would also require first manufacturing the bionics, then surgical installation then patient recovery, also adding up to some time for the whole process.

I think it would have been good if the developers retained the negative trait system for operatives that was originally planned for the game. That way, the system could have been set up so that the extra stat bonuses and abilities that mutations and bionics have over wearing armour, could be balanced by placing a negative trait on operatives for each bionic and mutation the operatives have. These negative traits could inflict slight or significant debuffs that reflect the physical and psychological effects of changing the operatives body so drastically. That way, the player would have to consider if the trade-offs involved with fully mutating and augmenting their operatives would actually be worth it. Higher-level operatives would not be quite as badly effected since their stats are generally higher than those of lower-level operatives. The player would have an incentive to mutate and augment their operatives gradually over the course of the game instead of turning operatives into transhuman supersoldiers right at level 1.

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devs will hear your wishes :wink:

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As much as i wish that was true I doubt they will notice this, pretty sure they either have their own solutions to it or are going to leave it as it is. Would be surprised if they actually take this into account. I just hope they will be able to do like paradox with Stellaris who was a diamond in the rough but with effort and dedication they make that diamond shine.
Phoenix point has so much potential and they had to cut so many things already (behemoths, juggernauts, pandorans capturing your characters to infect them etc.) I really hope they can get this game the polish it deserves.

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Honestly they could have taken xcom enemy within as an example, their meld stuff is a perfect example of what the mutation/augmentation system should have been like.

It takes time and resources to invest in those modification that are mutually exclusive (which is something that is weird in PP, having a metal head and a mutated body) each with their own benefits and drawbacks.

Gene troopers were as fragile as regular soldiers but they offered greater flexibility on the battle field. but you had to get the right organs first, the meld and only then could you put them through the process to modify their body parts.

Mec troopers had to first go through surgery to get their robotic parts, then build them their armor and only then could you deploy these bad boys. They couldnt take cover and were vulnerable to psionics but the fire power and their durability compared to other soldiers made up for it. If you needed a big brute that trades flexibility for raw damage then you got yourself a mech. The fact that you could recover the suit itself if the pilot died but completed the mission was an advantage over gene troopers as you got some of your cost back while you lost everything you invested in with gene troopers.

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Of course they won’t implement it exactly as you describe, but definitely one of councilors will link to this topic to show it to devs. I suppose it can evolve into something that will make augmentations as more deep mechanic.

1 Like
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True one can hope.

Making them more deep is definitely something that should be done although i feel mutations are the ones that need the most love.

Honestly I think across the board the game could use some love and has a lot of potential hidden underneath its problems just right now those issues are overtaking those things. (Like atmosphere, during a supposed haven attack everything is pristine like usual, wheres the fire, the screams etc its meant to be an attack not an infiltration. Or phoenix base attacks the images show turrets and stuff yet the aliens just walk in like they were nothing.)

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