Few companies have mastered the art of making turn-based strategy games quite likeFiraxis. The studio’s work withSid Meier’s CivilizationandXCOMhave resulted in some incredible experiences in both franchises. What’s interesting is how Firaxis were able to reboot MicroProse’sXCOMfranchise without sacrificing much of the depth the older titles had.
RELATED:10 Video Games That Need A Sequel Or Reboot
As with most games, however, the answers didn’t appear overnight. Constant iteration throughout development is whyXCOM: Enemy UnknownandXCOM 2are such great games. Even the originalXCOMtitles such asX-Com: Apocalypsewent through quite a chaotic development cycle. Here are 10 facts about theXCOMfranchise’s development most don’t know about. This list is in no particular order.
10Originally A Sequel To Laser Squad
TheXCOMfranchise hasLaser Squadto thank for its existence. This turn-based strategy game would set the foundation for many ofXCOM’sgameplay systems such as action points and panicking soldiers.
Julian Gollopwanted tomake a sequelwith an isometric view. Since MicroProse was publishing the hitCivilizationat the time, they asked if Mythos Games could implement more strategy elements to the game. This is how the foundation ofXCOM’sstrategy layer was born. Firaxis paid tribute toLaser Squadas well by imitating the game’s cover art forXCOM: Enemy Unknown’sbox art.
9The Bureau Was Originally An FPS
The Bureau: XCOM Declassifiedis theblack sheep of the series, being a third-person shooter instead of a strategy game. Even though the game’s overall setting and systems reflect a typical third-person shooter,The Bureauwas originally ahorror-themed FPS titleunder the nameXCOM.
RELATED:The 10 Best First-Person Shooters Ever Made (According To Metacritic)
A reveal trailer was shown in 2010 to mixed reception. Fans thought the game was not true to theXCOMname with aliens being black blobs of goo instead of classical extraterrestrials. With the game’s development in trouble, 2K Marin oversaw the development and overhauled the game toThe BureauthatXCOMfans know today. If it wasn’t for this redesign, the game would likely never have released.
8XCOM 2’s Funky Hit Percentages
SomeXCOMplayers swear that the percentage chance they have to hit a target isfactually incorrect. Incredibly unlucky players have expressed that they miss 100% shots even though they should always land while players have sworn that an 85% chance to hit almost always lands.
That is becauseXCOM 2lies to the player about a character’s hit percentage. In actuality, the game gives players a much higher chance of hitting than what’s on display. On easier difficulty settings, an 85% chance is closer to a 95% chanceaccording to an interview with Jake Solomon, the lead designer forXCOM 2. As for why 100% hits can miss, the game rounds up if a shot has half of a percent chance or higher of hitting. Don’t expect this sort of percentage leniencyon Legendary difficulty, however, as this percentage favoritism towards the player is disabled on higher difficulty settings.
7Mutator Mondays
Rebooting a beloved turn-based strategy franchiseis no small feat. Firaxis did a fantastic job streamlining the originalUFO DefensewithXCOM: Enemy Unknownwithout compromising on moment-to-moment strategy. It took almost the entire development cycle to get here, however.
During the game’s development, Firaxis had difficulty determining how to handle core systems such as weapon range, displaying information to the player, and how to handle actions. As a means to quickly fix the game’s unfun state, Firaxis imposed a “Mutator Mondays” event where staff could add a single change to the game that lasts a week. It is thanks to these events that grenades instantly explode, set weapon ranges were removed, and the game’s UI is much cleaner.Eurogamer goes into more detailon how this system saved the game’s troubled development.
6First Firaxis IP Without Sid Meier’s Name
While not a major development fact, theXCOMfranchise was the first IP Firaxis worked on that did not have Sid Meier associated with it. Sid Meier is the Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games and responsible for many of the games developed by Firaxis, such asCivilizationandtitles from MicroProse.
Even without his involvement during development, Sid Meier is a possible hero character inXCOM: Enemy UnknownandXCOM 2who can be generated by changing a solider’s name to “Sid Meier” with no nickname.
5XCOM 2’s Difficulty Changes
Everything inXCOM 2is cranked up to 11. The game’s difficulty and a plethora of new skills are the most noteworthy changes, with a small subset of players criticizing the game’s overabundance of timers and tough enemies.
RELATED:10 Best Civilization Abilities In Civ 6
However, Firaxis planned for the game to bemuch easierduring most ofXCOM 2’sdevelopment. The game’s implementation of stealth and a wide range of group-clearing skills had made the game too easy. This resulted in Firaxis rebalancing the game rather late in development to give it the same sense of challenge as the original. Even with the mixed reception of mission timers, most agree that this change was for the better.
X-Com: Apocalypseis arguably the most forgotten main-entry in theXCOMfranchise. This game is the most ambitiousXCOMtitle ever that revolves around a major city and managing multiple organizations instead of simply stopping an alien invasion.
Needless to say, the game’sdevelopment was a nightmare. The main issue was a development split between MicroProse wanting to create the visuals of the game while Mythos Games developed the other systems. Since MicroProse didn’t understand the isometric view the title was going for, however, the two teams ended up harming each other’s progress towards finishing the game.
3Terror From The Deep Was Made In Six Months
After the success ofUFO Defense, MicroProse wanted Mythos Games to create a sequel to the game in onlysix months. To reach such a short deadline, the game would need to remain mostly the same with a few visual and mechanical tweaks.
That is whyX-Com: Terror from the Deepis functionally the same asUFO Defensebut set underwater and with a few new weapons.
2Enemy Unknown’s Messy Prototype
Despite the well-polished mechanics and systems present inXCOM: Enemy Unknown, Firaxis struggled with making the game easy to understand while still adding new systems.
According to Eurogamer, the game’s prototype was a complete failure. This version of the game lacked cover, used a movement and action point system similar to the originalUFO Defense, and also hadEnemy Unknown’shost of class and weapon systems that cluttered the game more than helped. Even though it took a year to develop, Firaxis deemed the prototype to be below standard and started from scratch.
ManyXCOMfans were shocked that Firaxis announced and released a newXCOMgame within the same month.XCOM: Chimera Squadis a strange title that changes much of the coreXCOMformula. Regardless of someone’s stance on the game’s changes, it was intended to be a giant experiment and entry point for the series.
Firaxis made it clear that this game was focusing on telling interpersonal stories andexperimenting with game mechanicsrather than making a full expansion forXCOM 2orWar of the Chosen. The game’s unique characters and removal of permadeath mainly stem from Firaxis experimenting with storytelling components. While it hasn’t been outright confirmed, it’s safe to assume that Firaxis madeChimera Squadas a way of testing the waters for major mechanical changes in a futureXCOMtitle.
NEXT:The 10 Worst Turn-Based Strategy Games Of All Time (According To Metacritic)
