X-COM THINK TANK (Out of Character Discussion about X-COM and the Series)

[Sarge-Pepper]

"For the odds to even out"? I see what you did there.
This discussion has made me happy that my soldier didn't get in. As a scientist, I wouldn't have to worry about this trivial thing you mere mortals call "death".

You forget about the Base Defense.... You could write about the scientists holding a small wave off themselves.

 

[Frozen Messiah]

"For the odds to even out"? I see what you did there.
This discussion has made me happy that my soldier didn't get in. As a scientist, I wouldn't have to worry about this trivial thing you mere mortals call "death".

bah, all the really cool scientist were journeymen who strayed out into the greater world of discovery with full understanding of the dangers inherent.

 

[Dragonivon]

bah, all the really cool scientist were journeymen who strayed out into the greater world of discovery with full understanding of the dangers inherent.

True. We actually have a pic on facebook from one of the scientists who decided to go out on her own outside the base. Let me just share that with you all:

Latest Post: "Having a great time in Detroit, looks like the aliens haven't even gotten here yet, the place looks the same as always! Hopefully nothing bad will happen to me h... did you hear something?"

 

[Meaningofbread]

True. We actually have a pic on facebook from one of the scientists who decided to go out on her own outside the base. Let me just share that with you all:

Latest Post: "Having a great time in Detroit, looks like the aliens haven't even gotten here yet, the place looks the same as always! Hopefully nothing bad will happen to me h... did you hear something?"

Going 2 fite aliens lol #YOLO #Plasma #XCOM

 

[too_spooked]

Going 2 fite aliens lol #YOLO #Plasma #XCOM

#AbducteeSwag

 

[Adrammalech]

suck it @Vahlenator lol usng grenade 2 tak out a bunch #bangbang #squaddie

 

[Gahlo]

Going 2 fite aliens lol #YOLO #Plasma #XCOM

There's so many of them, help me out of here. One like = one prayer. #swagcannon #thatsadelicatezone

 

[Dragonivon]

You know... this gives me another crazy idea. What if we created a twitter feed for reports from the battlefront? I mean, a literal twitter account dedicated to the war? Anyone could write in from any account 'sharing' other posts about what's going on in the world. Admittedly it probably would get very chaotic and would include a few goat memes but for those who would chafe at the one journal a week limit, it might be something else to do.

Brainstorming and not sure if it's a good storm or if I just fried my brain with a thunderbolt of dumb. What do others think of something like that?

 

[Thenlar]

That would be pretty interesting. Very meta. It's funny you say that, there's actually a pretty neat twitter account (https://twitter.com/RealTimeWWII) that tweets as if World War II were going on right now (events 72 years ago on this day, the account is on 1942 now), including historical photos and everything. It's pretty cool.

Although, it does kinda circumvent the 1 post rule, if we start referring to the twitter account in our journals, it may cause people to get lost, because those who aren't following those feeds would have no idea what we were talking about. That may cause problems.

 

[Dragonivon]

That would be pretty interesting. Very meta. It's funny you say that, there's actually a pretty neat twitter account (https://twitter.com/RealTimeWWII) that tweets as if World War II were going on right now (events 72 years ago on this day, the account is on 1942 now), including historical photos and everything. It's pretty cool.

Although, it does kinda circumvent the 1 post rule, if we start referring to the twitter account in our journals, it may cause people to get lost, because those who aren't following those feeds would have no idea what we were talking about. That may cause problems.

Hmmm... maybe it should exist within the thread itself then. While the journals are the best form for near-novel recounting of the events during the war, the new way of dispensing information through twitter is too pervasive to ignore entirely as an influence even within the bowels of XCOM central. So it would be a 'faux' twitter feed like:

"@ChilongX Noticed that the mess hall cooks just came from Vahlen's lab right after a Bezerker autopsy. Tomorrow we are supposed to have 'steak surprise' for dinner. Coincidence? #tasteslikechicken"

It could be a more organic transition and introduction of the minutia of Base Life as well as spark journal stories and rants as a result. Again, the writer in me keeps looking for the opportunities to be able to introduce plot-twist seamlessly and believably into the world just before I ruthlessly destroy the character's hopes and dreams forever in a vortex of inescapable pain. Er, sometimes I write about puppies and kittens too. Honest. I'm not crazy.

From a reader's point of view these smaller sized reports can be digested in small bites, easier to read and assimilate into the overall experience. Again, just spitballing here. I realize that the official Twitter feed, post invasion, may be spotty at best but not likely to be fully extinguished. But since communication is vital to the fight against the aliens, there would have to be some form of official communication between soldiers and bases. And where there exists the official method, the unofficial method will inevitably be created in tandem. Just something to think about.

 

[Sarge-Pepper]

Maybe we could have some sort of inner-work communication like that? Most businesses have them on an intra-net as a way for the employees to blow off steam, and stupid shit like that gets posted all the time. Whether it is strictly 'official' or not, is a different story entirely. I think this would be a great way to really bring home the feeling of work time.

I don't think many people realize how isolated this kind of place is. No base leave (I'm assuming), no contact with family or friends, this literally is the soldier's lives now. These other recruits are now your family and are just as dysfunctional as your one from home. In fact, they may be the only ones you can turn to when your dad sees you as a Mechanized monstrosity after the war and disowns you as a 'heathen abomination to god's eyes.'

They'd have after hours, they'd have amusements of some sort (Probably movies and the like to keep them sane), fights, relationships, office communication, sexual harrasment, alpha and beta behavior, silly pranks, the scientists calling the soldiers Jarheads and Monkeys, the soldiers calling the scientists Eggheads and Braniacs, egos, love, hate, bad food, bad hair days, impromptu pushup tournaments, Writeups for shitty behavior, reprimands for slugging the racist on the team, black eyes, broken hearts, suicide attempts, anxiety over the next mission, PSTD, addiction recovery, therapy, basketball after hours, haircuts, and sooooo many more things that I just can't cover due to alien Gene therapy, Machine mods, psychic troops, live weapons, alien attacks, exalt infiltrators, Security constrictions, and the general atmosphere of a WAR being fought at your doorstep, and a disconnect on realizing that the world at large will never know that you died, though you can see your house on fire from the display.

This shit is deep.

 

[Gahlo]

Or we could just use our forum account statuses.

 

[Adrammalech]

I always assumed that XCOM soldiers lived their lives very normal-ish when it came to the minute details (they can text and e-mail each other through some kind of LAN set-up, roam about in their sector of the facility, etc) so they would be more receptive to being cut off from the world and more comfortable when it came to game time. I think we should be careful about making communication too mundane, though. "Jake e-mailed Jane" then "Jane e-mailed Jake" would be a lot more boring than "Jake met Jane playing on the pool table" then "Jane found Jake in front of the memorial plaque". The antfarm has a lot of setting opportunities hidden within it's sterile steel walls, it'd be a waste not to use them.

 

[too_spooked]

I have a feeling that X-COM personnel are professional enough not to use social media as a way of communication. I think e-mail, radio and just interactions around the base are probably the main ways our characters are going to communicate with other characters and Central HQ.

 

[PrismaCube]

Speaking of Soldier life, has there been any plans about bunkmates, last season was fine although I agree I might have over done it with room members, I would say there should be a limit of max: 4 people in one room. Or we can make it that everbody gets there own room. Personally I do not care, but if we do make bunkmates they should be chossen randomly by someone who the post a list of who bunks with who and such. I think that sounds fun tell me what you guys think. Also its a great opurtunity to meet one another I mean even if we can only post one journal per vid. I bet we can make this work fine as a private conversation in the background that doesnt need to be posted. Anyway I will shut up now since I was only curious if there have been made any plans.

 

[Brian]

You forget about the Base Defense.... You could write about the scientists holding a small wave off themselves.

Now I imagine I scientist cowering behind a desk and suddenly a soilder comes in and is like "TAKE THIS" ad slides a pistol and then the scientist takes off the suit and has armor under it. .-.

 

[Brian]

Do we already know who the charcters like the engineers and scientist are?

 

[MariusDeRomanus]

Man Im gonna try to keep track of this closely so i can get a recruit form in for another season XD

 

[Gahlo]

Do we already know who the charcters like the engineers and scientist are?

Dude, seriously, there's an edit button. For scientist/Engis, from the enrollment video it sounds like Odd wants to go head + 2 assisstants per.

 

[Cpt. Lokken's Moustache]

Or we could just use our forum account statuses.

No. I refuse to encourage Xenforo's social media hybridization. I am not an enabler!