Finnish book about the X-COM series - ENG translation

Pages 220-221

With the lead of Jake Solomon, Firaxis went to a wholly different direction whereas
Xenonauts offers an updated version that pulls all the right strings, differing
from Solomon's vision by being delightfully merciless albeit graphically inferior.

In 2010s the legacy of X-COM is in good hands with the amount of variety available.
New games also take into consideration the amateur developers. Goldhawk picked
prominent members of the community to develop the Community Edition, built on
the source code of Xenonauts. This was a clear countermove to Firaxis' idea
to make XCOM 2 a freely modifiable playground.

XCOM renewed, UFO: Extraterrestrials and Xenonauts modernised but there is a
neoclassical take on the alien wars whose roots are deeply seated in 1994.

OpenXcom

Released: Still being developed
Developers: SupSuper, Warboy, NineX, Daiky and countless others
Platform: PC, Mac, Android, Linux
________________________________________________________________

If Xenonauts or UFO: Extraterrestrials don't quite hit the mark and you don't
care for the streamlined XCOM by Firaxis, there exists a new version of X-COM which
could be compared to a carbon copy of the original. The unofficial main rule of
UFO: Enemy Unknown states that a clone will probably be more succesful the closer it
is to the original. This rule is made true by OpenXcom which provides for free
what many have dreamt about since the last millennium.

Sometimes new things can be created straight from the old and there's no point in
modifying the original. OpenXcom returns straight to the source of UFO by constructing
a new technological core hidden under the graphics of the original breakthrough game of
Mythos Games. The OpenXcom project was born in the early 2010s, started by programming student
Daniel "SupSuper" Albano's will for experimenting different things because after creating a Tetris
clone he wanted to jump straight into the deep end of the pool.

The end result was OpenXcom. This clone utilizes the original UFO: EU data files while fixing
a slew of the original games problems and offering tools to modify the game. The goal of Albano
and the active community is to restore the original's atmosphere without it's problems. The
codebase is self written from scratch, distributed free of charge to everybody. Where
Scott T. Jones' and others XcomUtil attempted to fix the original UFO by updating it
through utility programs, Albano and his companions decided to build the game up from scratch.
On top of that OpenXcom enables the original UFO to be compiled to practically any platform.

FIRST TETRIS, THEN X-COM

Living in Portugal, Albano began his university studies in the year of 2009 and to balance the load
of schoolwork he had to think of something to do. The answer was the computer lab of the campus
but the computers there only had some development tools. "Since I didn't have my own computer, I had to think
of something to do on my free time. The computer lab only had software development tools so I began doing
small projects to pass the time", Albano says.

He took the modernizing of UFO: EU's program code as his modest goal. The re-coding of the Gollop brothers'
brainchild was quite an unusual idea, considering Albano only had one Tetris-clone on his list of merits.
He wanted something to do and was looking for a challenge so in this case X-COM was a perfect choice.
"I can't say why I chose X-COM in the end. It was often in the headlines and a lot of fan projects
were being made at the time. I began searhing information about the inner workings of the game from
the UFOpaedia website and applied those on my own programming experiments."

Albano scoured the web, familiarized himself with the basics of programming and got to work.
The task was made easier by the UFOpaedia website - maintained by active X-COM enthusiasts -
which holds detailed information about the inner workings of UFO: EU. At the same time he
came up with the approach to his project: UFO programmed from the ground up with a codebase
that everybody could use for their own projects. In the sea of new versions made by fans, Albano's
solution was quite original. "I was really surprised that others hadn't thought of it.  I had followed the
progress of many fan projects and had taken part in a few of them. None of them felt like the original game so
I decided to return to that. Even though MicroProse and the fans had done some things to upgrade and fix
the game, there were a lot of things that I wanted to tune up. I also wanted to stand out from the crowd and
offer the codebase for other people to work with."

Albano didn't have access to the original game's source code and on the other hand no interest
to examine it. He started from ground zero and began programming. Though the workload was massive
he kept at it working piece by piece towards his final goal of an updated X-COM. "I simply started by writing
code and solving problems as they appeared. As the project grew, I could see the big picture more clearly
enabling me to arrange my work to functions and classes. I knew nothing about the inside mechanics of UFO
but the UFOpaedia site had much details about everything. From there I got accurate descriptions of the game
mechanics and the game's way of reading data files, which I used as the basis for my project."

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For example, OpenXcom offers better resolutions enabling a larger view of the game area.
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Pages 222-223

The beginning was all about research as Albano thought of ways to build the game's functionality by loading
information from the data files and how to draw graphics on the screen. The project advanced but at a
snail's pace. During the year 2010 Albano uploaded his work to SourceForge so he could access the code from
anywhere. His fear of hitting a brick wall and the project sinking kept him silent.

However a user with the handle of Michal found the project and contacted Albano. Michal was working on the
multiplayer focused UFO: Two Sides fan project at the time. A user operating by the name of NineX joined the
crew and the three of them unveiled the OpenXcom project on May 2010.

The year 2010 was a busy time for fan projects of X-COM. Multiple projects rose and fell in the blink of
an eye. Meanwhile, official X-COM was exhibiting signs of life with 2K Games announcing their infamous
action game which was later refined to The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. OpenXcom progressed but in a tense mood.

Albano and his team hit their first major problem when trying to add the strategic Geoscape view to OpenXcom.
The globe was a mystery as only a few people were familiar with the code running behind it. Finally the team
prevailed even though the first few attempts bore no fruit. According to Albano the Geoscape is one of the oldest
and most complex pieces of OpenXcom. When it was in working order they released the first version. They still only
had a half a game on their hands.

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OpenXcom supports UFO: Enemy Unkown and also X-COM: Terror from the Deep.
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SUBCONTRACTING TACTICS

Albano had purposefully hesitated with the Battlescape as he was not sure how to get it to function or even where
to begin the development for it. Then came a stroke of luck as Tom Van Dyck known by the handle Daiky offered
Albano his version of the Battlescape. It was added to OpenXcom and the two separate projects were merged and
began development as a whole. Albano would keep improving the Geoscape whilst Van Dyck was in charge of the
evolution of the Battlescape.

By the year 2012 Van Dyck and Albano, with the help of other voluntary workers, had the basic blocks of OpenXcom
assembled and the project was nearing completion. At this stage student life was taking it's toll and Albano
teetered on the brink of a burnout. By 2013 Van Dyck left the project for personal reasons and the future of
OpenXcom was looking rather bleak.

Edward "Warboy" Zanon who had modded his own version of OpenXcom came along. He instructed Albano on many of
the missing features and became a part of the team. Zanon built the basis for the modding community and thanks
to him many tools enabling user created content were added to OpenXcom. Albano and Zanon pushed OpenXcom over the
finish line and a version containing all the important features was released in 2014.

During spring 2016 the leading people of OpenXcom were working to fix up X-COM: Terror from the Deep.
Since these two original games share a lot of the same code it has made working on TFTD a tad easier.
"The first two games' program code is practically identical so it made sense to make both games part
of OpenXcom. All the user has to do is choose which one of the campaigns they want to play", comments Albano.

A remodeling of X-COM: Apocalypse is also underway  but this third installment of the franchise differs heavily
from the previous two so proper research is needed before any work can begin. By spring 2016 OpenApocalypse is
still a work in progress with Albano and his team taking part in the project. "Since this game is not built on
the same codebase as UFO and TFTD we cannot make it compatible with OpenXcom. We thought about it but it made
more sense to create a new implementation for the third X-COM."

Apocalypse's excessive complexity also causes difficulties and only a few have scoured it's source code with
the same kind of zeal as was the case with the first two games. When even the creator of the series Julian Gollop
has no idea of how the AI of the game works the fans are sure to have a load of work on their hands.

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I can't make out this part of the text fully. Something about
modding enabling the player to field the Enforcer robot on the Battlescape.
//Image3 Text End

OLD CHASSIS, NEW ENGINE

UFO: EU benefits from a load of enhancements when the code running in the background is brand spanking new.
Part of the upgrades are purely cosmetic as other ethnic groups can now be seen on the battlefield besides the
original blonde haired soldiers. "The biggest individual factors are compatibility and stability. The game
runs on modern setups and you don't have to worry about technical limitations or crashes", Albano states.

The graphics support higher resolutions and you can get a larger view of the Battlescape. "As far as game
mechanics are concerned OpenXcom is tit-for-tat with the original game but the functionality

Pages 224-225

has been obtained through self programmed code. I never had a peek of the original source code so each line
of code is self written."

Usability of the game has also been improved. Radar coverage is now displayed on the world map and the player can
build his own starting base. Item limitations have been removed and the pathfinding is more sensible. Albano and
his team deserve a tip of the hat because this classic X-COM with a new game engine has shed it's skin absolutely
magnificently. Moderate enhancements keep the feel of the original while cleaning up some of the nuisances.
Along with graphics the controls are also improved. At last X-COM supports the mousewheel.

It's easier to copy the success of UFO: EU the closer you keep to the original. On this relation OpenXcom truly
is the successor of this legendary game as Albano and co. understand the things from which this Gollop brothers
game's cult renown stems from. Botox and scalpel have been applied to just the right places. OpenXcom refines
the original game even above Gollops own vision. "The original UFOs game mechanic just simply works: rookies
are bad at hitting things, the aliens are ruthless and the mix of the two gamesystems is balanced just right.
Basic level stuff is easy to screw up because balancing is precise work. Randomization and the mechanics
derived from that are at the very core of the original game", states Albano.

On top of that OpenXcom includes comprehensive modding tools which enable the magnificent core game to be
used in totally different ways. While being a great fix for the original game, OpenXcom is also a valid
game engine built solely for the needs of the best known game of it's genre. On this backbone it's easy for
others to build their own castles in the air. "The users have made loads of content for OpenXcom. In addition
to weapon and enemy updates they have made complete games which take place for example in the Caribbean and
focus on piracy", Albano states.

One of the most ambitious fan projects sails under the Jolly Roger and is known as X-Piratez. It takes X-COM
to the far future where humanity who lost the alien war has regressed back to the era of eyepatches and peg legs.
X-Pirates is a superb testament to the moddability of Albano's code as it feels like a whole new game.

Even though OpenXcom fixes lots of UFO's problems an user interface reform has not been done. This open source
fix is still as ruthless as the original so players who want to be treated with silk gloves should look to
Firaxis' XCOM.

Albano believes that some of OpenXcom's reputation and success can be attributed to the rebirth of XCOM.
"The sequel made by Firaxis brought XCOM to the surface again and many want to see how the series began.
Fans want to play X-COM as it's supposed to be played. Nostalgia and the ongoing retro gaming craze also bring
new players to OpenXcom."

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The european versions box art cover alien can be added to the enemy pool in OpenXcom.
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This community project is also pleasing to the father of UFO. "Regrettably I haven't acquainted myself with it
very much but it is a fantastic project. It's great how volunteer work can give birth to something like this",
Julian Gollop rejoices.

Managing this successful amateur project has got Albano occasionally thinking about the wonderland of commercialism.
"The thought of making my own game has crossed my mind but after the success of Firaxis' XCOM there will be
a lot clones flooding the market. At the same time turnbased games are making a second coming. It's hard to
differentiate oneself from such a big crowd."

To run OpenXcom you need the data files of UFO: EU or TFTD which you can buy from digital retailers for
a few dollars. The application itself costs nothing. Cheap is never good but in the case of X-COM you get
the best for free.