XCOM 2 vs KSP 1.0 ...

[sennup2]

There probably ain't much sound in space especially when travelling, since sound is pretty slow "waves". Still KSP 1.0 has got a pleasant atmosphere. XCOM 2 has mostly got growling prey and a nasty atmosphere of danger to it.

"Daddy's here ...": In the XCOM 2 story a character appears in "intel" with darkened face and slow voice saying "Heelloooo ... Commander!" like a daddy figure you have to please/show what you can do! The story of KSP is more like a historical based re-simulation of the US space-program from the first step and then travelling to the moon.

KSP would probably not be so exciting if there weren't the high probabilities of explosions and crashing to puzzle with. And in XCOM 2 it is probably neither the logic of defeating enemies that excites, but more the sounds to it; because the characters can shoot through roofs and throw grenades with 100% accuracy while guns are less accurate and dependant on "perks".

Still KSP tries to simulate real gravity and atmosphere mechanics, which can be wonders until discovered that's what makes the game. XCOM 2 simulates troubling aliens in ugly forms. Perhaps ugliness is the game developers way of telling those aliens are no more than animal vermin. But ugliness would not exist at all if humans didn't have need for food and procreation, because the looks of things is how the human body tells/gets a taste - good/bad, want/dangerous. It is subjective and it changes that way, because as soon as the body is feed up of a certain food item or person, it grows a dislike, which is illogic since the same target previously was defined otherwise and really hasn't changed. So objectively "ugliness" doesn't exists!

There is no conclusion to XCOM 2 vs KSP 1.0 because that is also a subjective matter, something which is really true to some "brains" but not to others. So if you happen to very much like XCOM 2 "intel daddy" figure, don't let it trouble you if somebody gets a big laugh of it, since it is purely a subjective matter!

[RocketBlam]

I own "XCOM: Enemy Unknown" and the Kerbal Space Program, both on Steam.

I have 37 hours playing XCOM. Yeah!

Hours playing Kerbal Space Program, so far: 2304 hours.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Why are we comparing two games that have just about zero in common?

One is a sandbox vehicle constructor, and the other is a turn based small scale RTS. Besides the very loose connection of the topic of space? I own and play both, they are both great games in their own right.

I've seen a lot of rambling nonsensical posts in my day but this one takes the cake. I mean who is this post directed at? Whats the core message?

[sennup2]

On 3/19/2016 at 9:48 AM, Rocket In My Pocket said:

Why are we comparing two games that have just about zero in common?

One is a sandbox vehicle constructor, and the other is a turn based small scale RTS. Besides the very loose connection of the topic of space? I own and play both, they are both great games in their own right.

I've seen a lot of rambling nonsensical posts in my day but this one takes the cake. I mean who is this post directed at? Whats the core message? 

Guess it just came up as a comment, because Scott Manley has got so many videos on youtube about KSP and science, and suddenly he began a serious walkthrough of XCOM 2 ...

[evileye.x]

XCOM Long War > XCOM 2, really. 

Funny enough,  I play (only) both XCOM and KSP. 

Regarding youtubers: 

Every KSP player should watch Scott Manley Interstellar Quest

Every XCOM player should watch Beaglerush Live and Impossible S2 (Longwar) 

 

[Tex_NL]

3 hours ago, sennup2 said:

Guess it just came up as a comment, because Scott Manley has got so many videos on youtube about KSP and science, and suddenly he began a serious walkthrough of XCOM 2 ...

Yeah, and ... ?
He also has series on Xenonauts, Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen and many, many more. Sadly he never finished his Freelancer playthrough.

[Francois424]

The new X-Com reboot really missed it's first impression on me when it was released.
I think I played 5 hours before being too disgusted to continue ?  Too many restrictions in this new iteration turned me off really quickly.
Then I booted the original X-Com: UFO Defense (The one where the marrines are called squaddies haha) and played a week non-stop...

To me it's a near perfect sci-fi, squad combat/Turn-based battlefield game.  A bit like BREACH (for my AtariST)... man did I clock hours on these titles.
Of course it's comparing apples and oranges if we bring KSP into the mix.   KSP is really something else (pun intended).

[J.Random]

XCOM2  and KSP have only one thing in common: general lack of quality after "release".

[ShadowZone]

While KSP still is my favorite game of all time (no other game made me spend 2589 hours on it - with the exception of quake/quakeworld/teamfortress in the late 90ies maybe), I have to admit, the XCOM series has a certain appeal.

There is one thing in which both XCOM an KSP are alike: nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing a intricate plan coming to fruition. And in order to achieve that I quicksave-spam both all the time

But I do have some beef with XCOM2... first the aforementioned "aliens are bad for you, mkay?" narrative. The dark faceless big boss. And in fact it's a joke that I'm called "Commander" because in the end I always have to do what I am told. Retaliation mission? Admonition every time a human gets killed. Want to gather intel or supplies? No, urgent mission, get right on it!

This games has gone from intricate round based RTS global defence game to "fly here, fight now" stressful grind. Not really fond of that. I do like the RTS core part however. I like training my squad and customizing soldiers. But there is too much noise all around... you are really constrained in how you want to play the game. And this is the biggest difference to KSP. And also the reason why I will probably finish XCOM 2 and then be done with it while I will open up KSP for months and years to come.

All hail the little green men!

[FyunchClick]

Sushi and pizza really. I like em both, so why would I choose? 

[Nathair]

12 hours ago, sennup2 said:

There probably ain't much sound in space especially when travelling, since sound is pretty slow "waves".

That's a seriously fun sentence; not much sound while travelling in space because the sound waves (or rather the "waves") are so slow.

Ignoring everything else, I simply must know why waves is in scare quotes.

[Retread]

I feel like we're being punked by the author of the contract flavour text...

Also, " There probably ain't much sound in space especially when travelling, since sound is pretty slow "waves".  I feel like we should have a long talk, but I have no idea where to begin. 

[Mastikator]

17 hours ago, sennup2 said:

Guess it just came up as a comment, because Scott Manley has got so many videos on youtube about KSP and science, and suddenly he began a serious walkthrough of XCOM 2 ...

I'd hardly call it a walkthrough, he edits out all of the deliberation. It's more like a cinematic playthrough.

[Scotius]

Of all games with aliens inside you chose XCOM and KSP to compare? Why not Master of Orion or Distant Worlds - or Quake 2\3 or Half-Life 2 for that matter? Without context it looks like a random rant.

[mrclucks]

On 3/20/2016 at 0:26 AM, evileye.x said:

Every KSP player should watch Scott Manley Interstellar Quest

That is exactly the reason why I started playing KSP.  Binge watched to episode 83 or so and promptly downloaded it

[Temeter]

Both are great. XCOM2 has a bit of a problem with lacking depth tho, which results in RNG nonsense from time to time.

[sennup2]

On 3/19/2016 at 3:38 PM, Tex_NL said:

On 3/19/2016 at 11:24 PM, Nathair said:

That's a seriously fun sentence; not much sound while travelling in space because the sound waves (or rather the "waves") are so slow.

Ignoring everything else, I simply must know why waves is in scare quotes.

If you were to define what a "wave" is (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave), would you draw a picture or make a sound ? ... "A fun sentence" is something subjective irrelevant.

Anyway statement started with " There probably ain't" which expresses a wonder about KSP accuracy of rocket sound simulation. In any usual space game sounds are always expressed instantly like sitting inside a car hearing the engine. Also space movies ditto. But when hearing a siren from a car passing on the street there is a sound difference, so why not ponder about the realism of the KSP simulator?

[Nathair]

 

1 hour ago, sennup2 said:

If you were to define what a "wave" is (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave), would you draw a picture or make a sound ? ... "A fun sentence" is something subjective irrelevant.

Anyway statement started with " There probably ain't" which expresses a wonder about KSP accuracy of rocket sound simulation. In any usual space game sounds are always expressed instantly like sitting inside a car hearing the engine. Also space movies ditto. But when hearing a siren from a car passing on the street there is a sound difference, so why not ponder about the realism of the KSP simulator?

If I were to define what a wave is I'd use words. Define does, in this context, mean to state the meaning of a word. In this case the word is wave, as in sound waves, and a reasonable definition would be the one you linked; "a wave is an oscillation accompanied by a transfer of energy that travels through medium". In the specific case of sound waves we are talking about compression waves travelling through a medium like the air. In space there is no medium in which sound waves could travel. It doesn't matter if you are travelling quickly or slowly. Sure, many movies are silly and unrealistic and you can hear a Tie fighter as it whooshes by but that's just Hollywood nonsense. "In space, no one can hear you scream."

However, there would be sound within your space vehicle. The structure of and atmosphere in the vehicle would conduct sound just fine. It is just that it still wouldn't matter how quickly or slowly you were going, the compression waves would be travelling within the moving vehicle. Short version; you'd hear the engines because they're shaking the ship and the air in the ship just like sitting in a car and hearing the engine.

What I still don't understand is why you put "waves" in quotes, repeatedly. Quotes like that suggest an ironic usage or dubiousness, like if I were to call it rap "music" I would be suggesting that it's not actually music. See also modern "art", etc. So I don't see how or why you felt that sound waves should be scare-quoted like that. Sound is a wave.

[sennup2]

@Nathair, sound is a perception of energy.

KSP is like a nice advertisement for being in space, because synthesizers simulates such pleasant tones while in KSP space. To a naive mind that is just wow. But if the sounds aren't that important for a realistic space simulator, why not add some pleasant sounds? We are never going to travel there ourselves in reality, so it doesn't matter what's true!

 

[Nathair]

8 hours ago, sennup2 said:

@Nathair, sound is a perception of energy.

You're conflating two very different things. In physics, sound is the wave travelling through the medium. In physiology, sound is the perception of that energy. The compression wave exists even when there is no person there to hear it.

 

8 hours ago, sennup2 said:

We are never going to travel there ourselves in reality, so it doesn't matter what's true!

OK, I'm just going to stop now. Your supply of such statements seems limitless.

[Dafni]

What is this XCOM I hear so much about? Is there a video that captures the gameplay nicely, like a good overview in a few minutes?

[Rocket In My Pocket]

3 hours ago, Dafni said:

What is this XCOM I hear so much about? Is there a video that captures the gameplay nicely, like a good overview in a few minutes?

I enjoy honest game review so: 

Keep in mind I'm a big XCOM fan and highly recommend it, but this vid covers some of it's flaws as well which I think are important.

[Dafni]

1 hour ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

I enjoy honest game review so

that was a funny review, that guy should make a KSP one too!

it looks kinda cool, thanks for the link

[sennup2]

On 3/28/2016 at 3:01 PM, Nathair said:

You're conflating two very different things. In physics, sound is the wave travelling through the medium. In physiology, sound is the perception of that energy. The compression wave exists even when there is no person there to hear it.

OK, I'm just going to stop now. Your supply of such statements seems limitless.

Space is a tiger with a frightening growl. KSP adjust those tones and makes them pleasant (& entertaining) instead, so now it's a pussycat!
XCOM keeps the growl and displays a space-alien-snake ("reptile" is their true form) instead!

If there was a global immediate threat that a new "WWII bad person-regime" was about to invade from space, or if the human race were actually going exodus into space, there would probably be more pleasantry in accurate simulations.

Reality is what is inside and not for example "waves" existing where not to be heard ...