Xenonauts 2

[Boontaker]

After reading some reviews, I decided to buy this game and try it myself. Most of the negative reviews were about gameplay balance and the game being "too hard". I'll bet money these people just really suck at playing strategy games

[rusty_shackleford]

After reading some reviews, I decided to buy this game and try it myself. Most of the negative reviews were about gameplay balance and the game being "too hard". I'll bet money these people just really suck at playing strategy games

Is this a tactics game or strategy game tho

[Atlantico]

After reading some reviews, I decided to buy this game and try it myself. Most of the negative reviews were about gameplay balance and the game being "too hard". I'll bet money these people just really suck at playing strategy games

The game is way too easy. There's a slight learning curve so you know, yeah 95% of people will give up and claim it is "too hard".

There are so many broken tactical units in this game, like a shield/shotgun assault team is just lmao roflstomp

[Cipher]

What are the major differences from the first one? I tried to get into that one a few times but ended up getting bored pretty quickly.

Not much, it's the first game but bigger and better. I think the cleaners are new, but it has been such a long time since I played X1. The OP mechanics are definitely new. One thing I did notice very early is that dangerhaired and weird looking soldiers are 100% gone from the game. Now everyone looks normal, which is very nice. Also:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/538030/d ... 118196216/

I don't recall seeing danger haircuts on the 1st game. Almost everyone looked like soldiers. But, there was, IIRC, a 50% chance for the soldier to be female. However, it was very easy to change it to 5% like it should, or better yet, 0.

Not sure about this one. From what I've seen on stream we got talking heads like the NuXcom games and one of them is a woman.

[asf]

writing was awful in first game

i might try this

[Eyestabber]

I like that the game presents some nuance to the alien invasion. Sure they are ruthless conquerors abducting people, BUT:

Xenonauts2_IQSCwTLeuZ.jpg

I mean, do I really HAVE to stop the laser thing?

[asf]

what is this ******** ufo delegation garbage

[ThulsaDoomer]

I like that the game presents some nuance to the alien invasion. Sure they are ruthless conquerors abducting people, BUT:



I mean, do I really HAVE to stop the laser thing?

Mine hit Caracas the very first time when I was playing sometime after that whole event. Linked this image to a Venezuelan friend with the caption "The aliens did what Trump could not." and he called me a slur.

Xenonauts2_Screenshot_2026.02.14_-_08.12.19.41.png

[asf]

i played for a while, it seems the line of sight through the corners/windows is even more broken and nonsensical than in the first game

they still doesnt seem to understand the abstraction of turn based mechanics, with things like chances to hit friendly units in a line and similar garbage

the lame 'operative' game is a copy of systems like in terra invicta (where it is pretty crappy) and it is crap here also

1/5, does pirate bay takes refunds?

[asf]

a side note, these 'civillian tubes' are probably one of the most ******** things i have ever seen in a so called strategy game

[Eyestabber]

what is this ******** ufo delegation garbage

A decent enough solution for late game mission fatigue. You can disable it at campaign start.

i played for a while, it seems the line of sight through the corners/windows is even more broken and nonsensical than in the first game

I had zero issues with LoS.

they still doesnt seem to understand the abstraction of turn based mechanics, with things like chances to hit friendly units in a line and similar garbage

Yeah, I don't think soldiers shoot each other in the back half the time they pull the trigger. I'm not 100% sold on the ballistics of the game, especially when you realize it's very much possible to miss shots at point blank range.

the lame 'operative' game is a copy of systems like in terra invicta (where it is pretty crappy) and it is crap here also

It adds a meaningful layer of resource management and decision making. Do you take another supporter? Kill an infiltrator, or ask for money/materials? It's a decent system. In fact, I think this game has the strongest economy management layer out of all X-Com clones/successors.



Anyway, I think I'm close to the end. I already have all the final versions of every piece of equipment and I'm fighting my first not-ethereal.

[rusty_shackleford]

Did you remember to save the environment from the evil humans?

[Eyestabber]

Did you remember to save the environment from the evil humans?

Rusty, you're allowed to not talk about subjects that don't interest you. I do it all the time in all those threads for console gay garbage you kiddies enjoy so much these days. This constant low effort baiting just drags the forum down. For real.

[Tweed]

Any interest I had in playing this **** just went away with the ozone layer.

South Park - Global Warming Attack

[Cipher]

Yeah, I don't think soldiers shoot each other in the back half the time they pull the trigger. I'm not 100% sold on the ballistics of the game, especially when you realize it's very much possible to miss shots at point blank range.

Which is crazy when you really think about it. Original X-Com figured that one out. Point blank is a sure hit and the ballistics, for the time, are extremely impressive. I can't believe no one has figured it out after more than three decades.

[Eyestabber]

But shooting your buddy in the back was a HUGE deal in og X-com. Hopefully modders come up with something, x1 had a massive modding scene and this one should be no different.

[asf]

no, the game is still completely ****

weapon damage is lolrandom anything betwen 1-1000

those bullets doing curves just to hit a friendly troop is fascinating

full of arbitrary garbage like noooo you cant just like close a door after opening it, what are you thinking

suppression mechanics is some random stuff that makes no sense

have they removed those regenerating and teleporting garbage already

quality of the tactical game is still miles below original xcom, the strategic layer seems to be even worse than the first xenonauts

[Eyestabber]

https://steamcommunity.com/app/538030/d ... 029449766/

Someone is angry the game doesn't have enough *******.

[ghardy]

https://steamcommunity.com/app/538030/d ... 029449766/

Someone is angry the game doesn't have enough *******.

Is there a jail mod?

[Atlantico]

writing was awful in first game

i might try this

Somehow it's even worse this time

[Atlantico]

no, the game is still completely ****

weapon damage is lolrandom anything betwen 1-1000

those bullets doing curves just to hit a friendly troop is fascinating

full of arbitrary garbage like noooo you cant just like close a door after opening it, what are you thinking

suppression mechanics is some random stuff that makes no sense

have they removed those regenerating and teleporting garbage already

quality of the tactical game is still miles below original xcom, the strategic layer seems to be even worse than the first xenonauts

Even thought the writing is ****, the tactical part is better than in X1 because now the aliens or "aliens" can't shoot through walls as if the walls are not there. That was annoying.

But yeah weapon damage is a dice-roll and you can high-roll and low-roll. I'm fine with that.

The game tells you that hiding behind a corner doesn't give you complete protection from the other side of the corner.

It's stupid I suppose, but it is not hidden - it is explicit, so effectively if you do want to hide behind a corner you have to do it one extra square from the "actual" corner. Then you're hidden. It's a long corner, I don't know!

Suppression mechanics just costs the suppressed half their Action Points and they can't retaliate.

Some aliens regenerate. The lizard ones.

Some "aliens" can use healing. Robotics can be repaired.

[Eyestabber]

Well, finished the game. I would like to point out that this:

Did you remember to save the environment from the evil humans?

And this:

Any interest I had in playing this **** just went away with the ozone layer.

South Park - Global Warming Attack

Are probably the result of people asking chat GPT or believing memes blindly. There is no "aliens want to save the earth from humans" plot. It's made very clear that the Eternal's goal is to take a new fresh planet after they ****** up their original one.

► Show Spoiler

Xenonauts2_Uw1ElpYCKK.jpg

One line clearly meant as "oh ****, they are gonna do to their planet the same we did to ours" was misconstrued to paint the game as having an agenda it simply doesn't. There are many things to ***** about this game and believe me I'm compiling a long list, but intellectual honesty demands you don't make up ******** reasons to do so.

[asf]

Even thought the writing is ****, the tactical part is better than in X1 because now the aliens or "aliens" can't shoot through walls as if the walls are not there. That was annoying.

But yeah weapon damage is a dice-roll and you can high-roll and low-roll. I'm fine with that.

The game tells you that hiding behind a corner doesn't give you complete protection from the other side of the corner.

It's stupid I suppose, but it is not hidden - it is explicit, so effectively if you do want to hide behind a corner you have to do it one extra square from the "actual" corner. Then you're hidden. It's a long corner, I don't know!

Suppression mechanics just costs the suppressed half their Action Points and they can't retaliate.

Some aliens regenerate. The lizard ones.

Some "aliens" can use healing. Robotics can be repaired.

except they still shoot through walls and the angles are total nonsense, los through some, same geometry elsewhere no los, etc

suppression is random, alien shoot some civillian 20 meters always, you get 'suppressed' unload 30 rounds on alien, no suppression, it is just moronic design

[asf]

of course of all the egregious garbage in this game, the damage 'range' is by far the most ******** thing

[Atlantico]

except they still shoot through walls and the angles are total nonsense, los through some, same geometry elsewhere no los, etc

If you mean the corners, then yeah that's how the corner system works - but in X1 they literally shot through unbreakable walls.

I mean I don't demand you like the system but it is consistent and predictable.

suppression is random, alien shoot some civillian 20 meters always, you get 'suppressed' unload 30 rounds on alien, no suppression, it is just moronic design

idk about the first part, I don't remember always getting suppressed - but it happens. Unloading 30 rounds doesn't mean much because they have to be close to hitting. So 30 rounds at 10% chance is probably (but not always depending on the dice roll) going to suppress, but 30 rounds at 5% are probably not going to suppress.

Basically it sucks in the early game, but in the late game you'll be suppressing those fuckers like a boss.

[asf]

i am not sure what it is to like, the corner system often has aliens being able to shoot you but you cant shoot back because of the insane los calculation

[Eyestabber]

ITZ HAPPENING:

viewtopic.php?p=364809-xenonauts-2-review#p364809

[MeatEatingStork]

Yeah, I don't think soldiers shoot each other in the back half the time they pull the trigger. I'm not 100% sold on the ballistics of the game, especially when you realize it's very much possible to miss shots at point blank range.

Which is crazy when you really think about it. Original X-Com figured that one out. Point blank is a sure hit and the ballistics, for the time, are extremely impressive. I can't believe no one has figured it out after more than three decades.

I'll have you know Phoenix Point's free-aim system is bafflingly good. Half your shots in the inner circle, the rest within the outer circle. Location based damage, meaningful effects for limb destruction (head isn't instakill, so there's a point to aiming for torso or a weapon arm instead), and somehow the system is useful without being mandatory- just telling your guy to shoot works fine if you don't specifically want to try shooting something's **** off.

Soldiers shooting each other isn't a problem because it has NuCOM squad numbers, but also because you can tell how in the way someone is immediately and intuitively.

[Eyestabber]

Yeah, I don't think soldiers shoot each other in the back half the time they pull the trigger. I'm not 100% sold on the ballistics of the game, especially when you realize it's very much possible to miss shots at point blank range.

Which is crazy when you really think about it. Original X-Com figured that one out. Point blank is a sure hit and the ballistics, for the time, are extremely impressive. I can't believe no one has figured it out after more than three decades.

I'll have you know Phoenix Point's free-aim system is bafflingly good. Half your shots in the inner circle, the rest within the outer circle. Location based damage, meaningful effects for limb destruction (head isn't instakill, so there's a point to aiming for torso or a weapon arm instead), and somehow the system is useful without being mandatory- just telling your guy to shoot works fine if you don't specifically want to try shooting something's **** off.

Soldiers shooting each other isn't a problem because it has NuCOM squad numbers, but also because you can tell how in the way someone is immediately and intuitively.

I wasn't too impressed when I played it. I felt like the progression was pretty bad in general, that accuracy was somewhat fixed. Breaks the RPG progression and that lost me.

[rusty_shackleford]

I liked phoenix point's hit calculation per bullet