Hi all,
I’m considering getting Phoenix Point soon, and was wondering if pre-ordering would still get me access to the backer builds mentioned in the FAQ.
Also, how good/complete is the current build? The screenshots look pretty good and polished, so I was curious as to what state the game is in.
Backer builds aren’t released that often and the next one is due before the end of this month. At this stage, if you’re on the fence, you may as well wait a few more days until the new build is released, check some videos/streamed content to form an opinion, and act accordingly.
Thanks very much for the ridiculously quick reply - and the very helpful reply!
It should give you that access.
How good it is? It is subjective. I was enjoying 1st build when there was only one type of enemy and only few mechanics.
Now it is more complex, but still really far away from complete game. I would say that in Backers Build 3 we could see like less than 10% of the content and even without campaign feature. Next Backers Build coming in next few days I guess will have something like 15% of content. It is just for showcasing how things works. But some people enjoy even this early build. 
That’s one thing that worries me about BB4. There’s a list of expected content on a Reddit thread and, assuming it’s accurate, it contains way too many assets that relate to the tactical game and doesn’t focus enough on aspects we haven’t seen much of yet (strategic layer, base building, research, faction interaction). BB3 strategic layer felt like a shiny placeholder, much like early inventory system in previous builds.
Thanks for the opinions/information, I think I’ll need to do more research to see if I’m on board yet. I would love another XCOM-like game, especially with some variation on the formula - partly why I enjoyed the UFO: Aftermath series.
You can try Xenonauts, which is the closest you’ll get to OGXCom feel. Xenonauts 2 is in development too.
If you’re mostly interested in turn based tactical combat, Mutant year Zero (currently on humble bundle as part of a 12€ bundle that contains other good games such as northgard) could scratch the itch.
CreativeForge games such as Hard West and Phantom doctrine can also be worth a look. They’re not masterpieces but have an interesting take on tactical combat.
Yeah, to be fair, I’ve got Xenonauts and not gotten all the way through it; Mutant Year Zero looks interesting, but I was put off by the Denovo DRM on it - I’ve bought Denovo games before and I felt they where sluggish performers because of it. Also, I wasn’t sure with the lack of a strategic layer.
Hard West and Phantom Doctrine are new to me so I might check them out and come back to this closer to its release when it’ll be more complete.
There’s a crazy amount of games that run Denuvo and don’t exactly advertise it. Can’t say I like the software, but its impact seems a tad exaggerated by echo chambers.
That said, Gog announced they would get it soon DRM free. To be fair, I found the tactical layer somewhat lacking, and more puzzle like than anything else due to the lack of procedural generation. It is enjoyable nevertheless.
Hard west has a story map with RPG elements and tactical battles. You build your characters’ skill set by using a deck of poker cards that unlock abilities and make traditional poker combinations to enhance their effects.
Phantom Doctrine blends actual cold war history (the campaign starts during the Beyrut bombings in 1983) and tactical infiltration. It suffered from annoying gameplay flaws at release but has apparently improved a lot since.
Both of the above games use a deterministic approach to shooting, with pools of “luck” or “focus” that allow characters to absorb damage to some extent until they run out and start taking HP damage (Hp drops really fast when you run out of luck by the way, bullets are deadly). It takes a while to get used to but it’s a nice change.
Here you have list of key features for me
| feature | comment |
|---|---|
| strategic randomized world | every time you will start a new game, engine will randomly construct world where strategy will happen, factions will rival or ally, havens will fight and fall, there is no strange restriction to few countries, and missions won’t be just random events thown loosely somewhere on the globe |
| multi-base organization | you will again operate from many bases around the world and you will need to maintain them, recruiting soldiers and buying equipment in each of them (however economy won’t be so robust) |
| TU based actions | soldiers are not limited in artificial way to 2 actions |
| soldiers awareness | they stop their current action if they spot anything new, so you can adjust your tactic |
| free aiming | you can aim at places even without seeing enemy, thus eliminate their cover without resorting to explosive weapons |
| bullet simulation | every bullet in burst wil again be simulated and they all could go in different directions, so you won’t have situations where all or none of the bullets hit enemy, at least most of the time |
| realistic cover | you were pissed off because curb gave enemy significant defence bonus? Here it will only secure his feets, because all objects block line of shot just with their shape, not some artificial defence bonus |
| dynamic destruction of cover | you can even modify/destroy this cover with proper use of force and it will change dynamically during gunfire |
| enemy body parts | disabling enemy abilities and crippling it’s stats by shooting their body parts is great |
| different forms of damage | to deal with different enemies, direct gunfire, explosives, fire attacks, acid? |
| inventory and picking items from the ground | we can again take anything from crates, dead enemies, dead or alive allies and use it in the same mission |
| no class restrictions on equipment | you can give whatever weapon you want to any soldier you want, some will just not be proficient with given weapon |
| melee weapons | your soldiers won’t be helpless after firing all their ammo out, there will be melee attacks |
| multi-class soldiers | not yet introduced, but we had some sneak peak for training screen (maybe not so flexible as class-less system, but giving you an idea of soldier advantages and disadvantages) |
| soldiers psychology | not yet introduced, but announced quite interesting |
| mutating enemy | every alien type will have different variants and will try to adapt to your tactic |
| big bosses | those are scary and challenging (after some balance made) and their defeat is really inspiring |
| vehicles | for now there is only Armadillo APC, and it has more bugs than use cases, but still it is interesting addition if idea will evolve further |
one thing I haven’t seen mentioned is to make sure you buy either the Platinum or Signature editions to get the backer builds. The base edition does not come with it.
Yes
More seriously, I love the build as it is now. I’ve played more of it than many games in my library, and it can only get better from now. My only doubt is regarding the factions relations, but will wait to see how it goes 
small update of above list after recent news 