X-COM: UFO Defense
Encyclopedia
UFO: Enemy Unknown is a critically acclaimed strategy
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...

 video game created by Julian Gollop
Julian Gollop
Julian Gollop is a British designer of strategy video games and founder of the defunct game studios Mythos Games and Codo Technologies.Gollop's career spans over 25 years, during which he has designed games for numerous systems over the years, from the early 8-bit home computers to 32-bit PCs...

 and published by MicroProse Software
MicroProse
MicroProse was a video game publisher and developer, founded by Wild Bill Stealey and Sid Meier in 1982 as Microprose Software. In 1993, the company became a subsidiary of Spectrum HoloByte and has remained a subsidiary or brand name under several other corporations since...

 in 1993. It is the first entry in the X-COM
X-COM
X-COM is a series of strategy games created by Julian Gollop. In 2010 2K Marin announced the official reboot of the series, entitled simply XCOM. The original game has a cult following.- Original series :...

series and is often regarded by critics and in polls as one of the best video games ever made.

Plot

The story of X-COM begins in 1998. The initial plot centers around increased reports of UFO
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...

 sightings. Tales of abduction and rumors of attacks by the unknown aliens become widespread. The nations of the world come to perceive this as a threat and attempt to form their own forces to deal with this, such as Japan's Kiryu-Kai force; these forces fail miserably, the Kiryu-Kai not intercepting a single UFO in its five months of operation. On December 11, 1998, representatives from some of the most powerful nations in the world meet in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, to discuss the issue. From this meeting was born the secret paramilitary organization Extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...

 Combat Unit (X-COM), over which the player assumes control at the start of the game.

The player manages X-COM throughout the game, battling aliens. As the game progresses, the player learns more and more about the enemy, their species, sub-species, mutated creations and technology. It is revealed that the aliens are led by creatures of immense mental power called Ethereals, and that their main base is located on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

, in a region known as Cydonia. It is up to the player to fully prepare the final assault team, attack Cydonia and destroy the mastermind behind the alien invasion, the Alien Brain.

Gameplay

The game takes place within two main views: the Geoscape and the Battlescape. Gameplay begins on January 1, 1999, with the player choosing a location for their first base on the Geoscape screen: a global view representation of Earth as seen from space (displaying X-COM bases and aircraft, detected UFOs, alien bases, and sites of alien activity). The player can view the X-COM bases, make changes to them, equip fighter aircraft, order supplies and personnel (soldiers, scientists and engineers), direct research efforts, schedule manufacturing of advanced equipment, sell alien artifacts to raise money, and deploy X-COM aircraft to either patrol designated locations, intercept UFOs, or send X-COM ground troops to a mission (using transport aircraft).

Funding is provided by the sixteen founding nations of X-COM. At the end of each month, a funding report is provided, where nations can choose to increase or decrease their level of funding based on their perceived progress of the X-COM project. Any of these nation may quit, if the nation's government has been infiltrated by the invaders. Through reverse engineering
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...

 of recovered alien artifacts, X-COM is able to develop better weapons, armour and vehicles to combat the alien menace, and eventually uncover how to defeat them.

Gameplay switches to its tactical combat phase whenever X-COM ground forces come in contact with aliens. In the Battlescape screen the player commands his soldiers against the aliens in an isometric
Video games with isometric graphics
In video games, "isometric" refers to some form of parallel projection where the viewpoint is rotated slightly to reveal other facets of the game environment than are visible from a top-down perspective or side view, thereby producing a three-dimensional effect...

 turn-based
Turn-based tactics
Turn-based tactics , or tactical turn-based , is a computer and video game genre of strategy video games that through stop-action simulates the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics in generally small-scale confrontations as opposed to more strategic...

 battle. One of three outcomes is possible: either the X-COM forces are eliminated, the alien forces are neutralised, or the player chooses to withdraw. The mission is scored based on the number of X-COM units lost, civilians saved or lost, aliens killed or captured, and the number and quality of alien artifacts obtained. Troops may also increase in rank or abilities, if they made successful use of their primary attributes (e.g. killing enemies). Instead of experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...

s, the combatants gain points in skills like Psi
Psi (parapsychology)
Psi is a term from parapsychology derived from the Greek, ψ psi, 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet; from the Greek ψυχή psyche, "mind, soul".-Etymology:...

 or Accuracy, a semi-random amount depending on how much of the action they participated in. In addition to personnel, the player may use unmanned ground vehicle
Unmanned ground vehicle
An unmanned ground vehicle is a military robot used to augment the soldiers capability. This type of robot is generally capable of operating outdoors and over a wide variety of terrain, functioning in place of humans....

s, outfitted with heavy weapons and armour but not gaining experience. Recovered alien artifacts can then be researched and possibly reproduced. Captured live aliens may produce information, possibly leading to new technology including psionic
Psionics
Psionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...

 warfare.

The game has eleven fictional races of aliens
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...

. Each race has various strengths and weaknesses, and some races are dependent on other races. The aliens come to Earth from a large base on Mars, but their origins are unknown. One reason for the game's success is the strong sense of atmosphere it evokes. Soldiers are vulnerable to alien attacks even when armoured, and the use of features such as night-time combat, line of sight
Line of sight (gaming)
Line of sight, sometimes written line-of-sight or abbreviated to LoS, is a term used in wargames and some role-playing games . It refers to visibility on the playing field. Many abilities can only be used against an enemy within line of sight.In some games, miniature figures are used to determine...

 and opportunity fire allows for alien sniper attacks and ambushes. The enemy comes in numerous forms, and players run into new, deadly aliens repeatedly without any knowledge of their characteristics and capabilities beforehand.

The game may end in several ways. If the player's performance is poor for two consecutive months, the player runs a deficit for two consecutive months, all the player's bases are captured, or the player mounts an assault on the aliens' main base and loses, the game ends in defeat. If, however, the player is victorious in the final attack, the game ends in mankind's victory.

Unofficial game editing software is available allowing players to change the qualities of weapons and equipment, and to change the standard maps and layouts of UFOs that were provided with the game. Fan-made patches also fix a bug which results in the player always playing the game on the easiest difficulty, no matter what difficulty level has been selected (which was not fixed in the official patches).

Development

X-COM was originally conceived by Julian Gollop and his brother Nick as a sequel to his 1988 game Laser Squad
Laser Squad
Laser Squad is a turn-based tactics computer game, originally released for the ZX Spectrum and later for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Amiga and Atari ST computers, as well as PC computers. It was designed by Julian Gollop and his team at Target Games and published by Blade Software...

. The initial 1991 demo presented a relatively modest, two-player tactical game. The Gollop brothers approached several global publishers including Krisalis
Krisalis Software
Krisalis Software Ltd. was a video game developer and publisher founded by Tony Kavanagh, Peter Harrap, and Shaun Hollingworth in 1987 under the name Teque Software...

 and Domark
Domark
Domark Software was a video games software house based in the United Kingdom. The name was derived from the given names of its founders, Dominic Wheatley and Mark Strachan...

 with an early demo of the game for the Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...

 (then known as Laser Strike 2), eventually brokering a deal with MicroProse, producer of Sid Meier
Sid Meier
Sidney K. "Sid" Meier is a Canadian programmer and designer of several popular computer strategy games, most notably Civilization. He has won accolades for his contributions to the computer games industry...

's Civilization.

Although supportive of the project, the publisher expressed concerns that the demo lacked a grand scale in keeping with its just-released Civilization smash hit. Under MicroProse's direction, Gollop changed the setting to modern-day Earth and expanded the strategy elements, among them the ability to capture and reproduce alien technology. MicroProse graphics artists John Reitze and Martin Smillie helped Gollop provide visuals for the PC version; John Broomhall composed the music. Another working title was X-COM: Terran Defense Force. The game was nearly canceled twice, first due to the financial difficulties and the second time under the pressure from Spectrum HoloByte
Spectrum HoloByte
Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher originally based in Alameda, California.The company was founded in 1983 and was most famous for its simulation games, notably the Falcon series of flight simulators and Vette!, a driving simulator from 1989...

 after it had acquired MicroProse, but eventually completed in March 1994.

Gollop has cited the television series UFO
UFO (TV series)
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...

, as well as the writings of Timothy Good, as influences for the storyline of X-COM, particularly the psionic
Psionics
Psionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...

 powers of the various extraterrestrials. Good's 1991 book Alien Liaison provided inspiration for several of Gollop's revisions, including the notion that world governments might seize alien technology or secretly conspire with the invaders (a negative result which can occur in-game). Despite numerous changes from the demo, X-COM remains true to the turn-based strategy layout of Laser Squad and the Rebelstar series, also developed by Gollop. The artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...

 of those games formed the basis for X-COM's enemy tactics, with Gollop programming his own unique algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...

s for pathfinding
Pathfinding
Pathfinding generally refers to the plotting, by a computer application, of the shortest route between two points. It is a more practical variant on solving mazes...

 and behavior; in particular, X-COMs aliens were purposely given an element of unpredictability in their actions, giving the illusion of a lifelike, resourceful enemy.

The finished product was marketed in Europe and Australia as
UFO: Enemy Unknown, and in North America as X-COM: UFO Defense. The game was released to great critical acclaim, selling more than 600,000 units on the PC platform alone, not counting the later ports
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...

 to the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...

 computers, Amiga CD32
Amiga CD32
The Amiga CD32, styled "CD32" , was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year...

 and PlayStation. Half of
X-COMs net sales were in the United States, a rarity for a European title at the time. Gollop has attributed the game's stateside success to its title, as the television series The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...

had premiered a year earlier.

Ports

Two ports were created by the MicroProse teams in 1994-1995:
  • The Amiga OCS/ECS versions display lower-quality graphics than the PC version (the AGA Amiga version does not, only shadows left out), however the sound is improved. A Limited Edition for the Amiga CD32 included a MicroProse travel alarm clock.
  • The PlayStation (PSX) port retains the original graphics and features much higher-quality music than the PC version (several CD tracks instead of MIDI
    Musical Instrument Digital Interface
    MIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other...

     music). It is compatible with the PlayStation Mouse
    Playstation Mouse
    The PlayStation Mouse is an input device for the PlayStation console that allows the player to use a mouse as a method of control in compatible games...

     and requires five PSX memory card
    Memory card
    A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...

     blocks for a Battlescape saved game.

Reception

As of 2010, the game holds an average magazine review score of 93.60% for the PC version and 92.90% for the PSX version, according to GameRankings. According to Amiga HOL database, the various Amiga ports hold the average ratings of 79% on ECS/OCS Amigas, 82% on AGA Amigas and 73% for the Amiga CD32
Amiga CD32
The Amiga CD32, styled "CD32" , was the first 32-bit CD-ROM based video game console released in western Europe, Australia, Canada and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London, United Kingdom on 16 July 1993, and was released in September of the same year...

 version.

Since its release, the game was named the #1 PC game of all time by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 in 2000, 2007 and 2009; the #8, #12 and #21 best video game of all time by IGN in 2003, 2005 and 2007; the #7, #15 (by readers), #3, #8, #10, #10 and #11 best computer game of all time by PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...

in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010; the #22, #3 and #10 (by readers) best computer game of all time by Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...

in 1996, 2001 and 2001; the #2 best video game since 1992 by Pelit
Pelit
Pelit is a Finnish video games magazine published 11 times a year by Sanoma Magazines, a division of the Sanoma Group. Being by far the largest of its kind in Finland and covering both PCs and consoles, it has for a long time lacked serious competition and is thought by many to be the magazine of...

in 2007; the #35 best video game of all time by GameSpy in 2001; and the #78 best video game "to play today" by Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....

in 2009. The game was also inducted into Computer Gaming World, IGN and GameSpot's Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...

 or equivalent in 2005, 2007 and 2003 respectively. In addition, the notorious Chryssalid alien race was ranked fourth on the GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...

's 1999 list of the best monsters in gaming, in which X-COM was called "one of the scariest computer games ever".

Re-releases

The game has been re-released as part of the compilations X-COM (Collector's Edition) by MicroProse in 1998, X-COM Collection by Hasbro Interactive
Hasbro Interactive
Hasbro Interactive was an American video game production and publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the large game and toy company.Hasbro Interactive was formed late in 1995 in order to compete in the computer and video game arena. Several Hasbro properties, such as Monopoly and Scrabble, had already...

 in 1999, X-COM: Complete Pack by 2K Games
2K Games
2K is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games. 2K Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series...

 in 2008 and 2K Huge Games Pack in 2009. It can be also found on the "Classic Games Collection" CD featured with the July 2000 issue of PC Gamer. Steam has also released all five X-COM games for download, with Windows XP and Vista support.

Novelisations

X-COM: UFO Defense - A Novel is a 1995 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 by Diane Duane
Diane Duane
Diane Duane is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her works include the Young Wizards young adult fantasy series and the Rihannsu Star Trek novels.-Biography :...

 based on the game, which takes place during a late-game period. The book tells the story of Commander Jonelle Barrett of X-COM in her fight against the aliens.

Another novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...

 of the game, Враг неизвестен ("Enemy Unknown") written by Vladimir Vasilyev
Vladimir Vasilyev (writer)
Vladimir Nikolaevich Vasilyev is a Russian science fiction writer and musician. His first book was published in 1991. Professional writer since 1997...

, was published in Russia in 1997. The book tells the story of one of the original eight X-COM troops from the beginning of the conflict to the destruction of Cydonia base.

Board game

X-Com: Tactical is a 2004 board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...

 aiming to faithfully reproduce the squad tactics element of X-COM: UFO Defense. It also borrows the graphics from the original.

Fan projects

  • UFO: Alien Invasion
    UFO: Alien Invasion
    UFO: Alien Invasion is an open source strategy video game in which the player fights aliens that are trying to take control of the Earth. The game is heavily influenced by the X-COM series . It is based on a modified id Tech 2 engine, and runs on Linux, Microsoft Windows, AmigaOS 4, and Mac OS X...

    : a free, open source game in the spirit of Enemy Unknown, based on a modified Quake 2 engine.
  • UFO2000: a free, open source, multiplayer, turn-based tactical squad simulation based on Enemy Unknown.
  • UFO: The Two Sides: a freeware (not open source) remake of the original game, featuring single/multiplayer mode, better graphics, gameplay balancing/changes and new features.
  • OpenXcom: an open-source, multiplatform reimplementation meant to faithfully mimic the original game, with optional add-ons.
  • Enemy Unknown Extended: a set of mods which fixes bugs and add new features
  • Pocket UFO: a re-implementation of the game for the Windows PDA
    Personal digital assistant
    A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...

     platform.
  • XcomUtil: a utility that began as fix for a bug in X-COM, which causes the game's difficulty to reset to "Beginner" after the first mission. Later versions added support for additional bugfixes, changes and enhancements to be easily made to the game. It can even allow two-player battles. XcomUtil is also compatible with X-COM: Terror from the Deep
    X-COM: Terror from the Deep
    X-COM: Terror from the Deep is a strategy video game released in 1995 for the PC. It is the sequel to UFO: Enemy Unknown, and the second part of the X-COM series.-Gameplay:...

    .
  • Dimmignatt, Floaf - X-Com V2: a remake of the game's introduction music.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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