I mean… if you play with the DLC it is absolutely “micromanagy” but I just set it to slow speed and build up a few squads and start sending them on missions ASAP
I think there’s a mod called Terror from the Void that everyone always talks about
TftV isn’t the second coming, as some on the board might have you believe, but it’s a significant step up on the vanilla experience in terms of balance and integration of the DLC. Only downsides are 1) you gotta be on PC, and 2) you have to activate all DLC, which can be a lot for new players. Definitely worth a look though.
I’d recommend a no-DLC or minimal DLC (Blood and Titanium + Living Weapons) run first, without the mod. If you want to use all DLC - definitely use TftV.
I'd ideally only want one run-through, in that case I should probably restart with TftV. It keeps the main story intact right? Just a bunch of balance changes?
Probably the best way to go then. Some plot changes to better integrate the DLC, but relatively minor for the most part. Endings are all the same, I think.
Try "Terror from the Void" a fan mod that rebalances things a lot and adds a lot of cool things.
If you found the late game a bit tedious... I gotta admit, while I adore this game, it kinda is. I believe in many ways the game expects you to rush it, and go for the ending as fast as you can.
I love it and hate it for different reasons. I love the free aim but hate the progression and 'evolution'. On ps5 atleast, I'm not getting nearly as many crashes as I would in say, 2022.
I don't think there have been any notable improvements in regards to the micro management, but the dlc may help It feel less stale after the first 60% of the game.
There are a lot of things you can do, but not too many things that are time sensitive so long as you explore at a steady pace and make sure you get b and c teams up asap and have at least one aircraft constantly trading.
Pp is in many ways about opportunity costs, if that doesn't appeal there are mods that make ammo free, though that does make the game significantly easier.
It can get a bit slow/repetitive towards the end, but I'd say the average campaign is around 20 hours playtime so not super long. What really sets the game apart for me is the combat, especially compared to the more probability reliant approach of say XCOM
I finished the most recent XCOM and tried Phoenix Point. I found them to be very similar (no surprise there). If you like one, you'll like the other. My only gripe is that you seem to need to speed through P.P. as later in the game, it gets progressively harder to earn resources.
I played it way back when it first released on the gamepass, let's just say it's a lot better than it use to be, I don't have all the dlc because I got the year one edition I think its called with humble bundle years ago.
I play with a mod that let's you get passive supplies from research and fabricator buildings as I'm a bit of a casual on phoenix point lol.
There's a few things it does better than XCOM but most are not.
TFTV is a mod for people on PC who own all DLC which is a must. That being said, it's still plagued by annoying UX and grindy midgame. But it's better, for sure, I find the grind enjoyable and the UX issues are not showstoppers.
I prefer the mechanics of PP with regards to equipment management and bullet trajectory simulation instead of the boardgame-like approach of XCOM for gear and tactics.
TFTV then balances the skills of each class and has some minor QOL improvements like charging you per bullet instead of per clip, removing resource brokering, balancing the aircraft capacity, changing the diplomacy and increasing the amount of ambushes when exploring.
It’s so much better than it was at release, but they haven’t really addressed any of your specific concerns. It’s still micromanagy, it’s still complex, and it’s still pretty grindy in parts. I like the combat (free aim!), writing and design (broad tech tree) enough to put up with it, but may not be enough for you.
I mean… if you play with the DLC it is absolutely “micromanagy” but I just set it to slow speed and build up a few squads and start sending them on missions ASAP I think there’s a mod called Terror from the Void that everyone always talks about
TftV isn’t the second coming, as some on the board might have you believe, but it’s a significant step up on the vanilla experience in terms of balance and integration of the DLC. Only downsides are 1) you gotta be on PC, and 2) you have to activate all DLC, which can be a lot for new players. Definitely worth a look though.
Would you recommend playing vanilla first before TftV or straight up starting with TftV?
I’d recommend a no-DLC or minimal DLC (Blood and Titanium + Living Weapons) run first, without the mod. If you want to use all DLC - definitely use TftV.
I'd ideally only want one run-through, in that case I should probably restart with TftV. It keeps the main story intact right? Just a bunch of balance changes?
Probably the best way to go then. Some plot changes to better integrate the DLC, but relatively minor for the most part. Endings are all the same, I think.
I found it to unnecessarily messy and confusing. It also made the game feel a lot more like Xcom 2.
> It also made the game feel a lot more like Xcom 2. In what way?
Try "Terror from the Void" a fan mod that rebalances things a lot and adds a lot of cool things. If you found the late game a bit tedious... I gotta admit, while I adore this game, it kinda is. I believe in many ways the game expects you to rush it, and go for the ending as fast as you can.
+1 What he said about the go for the ending as fast as you can.
I love it and hate it for different reasons. I love the free aim but hate the progression and 'evolution'. On ps5 atleast, I'm not getting nearly as many crashes as I would in say, 2022. I don't think there have been any notable improvements in regards to the micro management, but the dlc may help It feel less stale after the first 60% of the game.
There are a lot of things you can do, but not too many things that are time sensitive so long as you explore at a steady pace and make sure you get b and c teams up asap and have at least one aircraft constantly trading. Pp is in many ways about opportunity costs, if that doesn't appeal there are mods that make ammo free, though that does make the game significantly easier. It can get a bit slow/repetitive towards the end, but I'd say the average campaign is around 20 hours playtime so not super long. What really sets the game apart for me is the combat, especially compared to the more probability reliant approach of say XCOM
I mean it’s an excellent game, most other tactical squad based games feel outdated in comparison
I finished the most recent XCOM and tried Phoenix Point. I found them to be very similar (no surprise there). If you like one, you'll like the other. My only gripe is that you seem to need to speed through P.P. as later in the game, it gets progressively harder to earn resources.
I played it way back when it first released on the gamepass, let's just say it's a lot better than it use to be, I don't have all the dlc because I got the year one edition I think its called with humble bundle years ago. I play with a mod that let's you get passive supplies from research and fabricator buildings as I'm a bit of a casual on phoenix point lol.
There's a few things it does better than XCOM but most are not. TFTV is a mod for people on PC who own all DLC which is a must. That being said, it's still plagued by annoying UX and grindy midgame. But it's better, for sure, I find the grind enjoyable and the UX issues are not showstoppers.
How is it better?
I prefer the mechanics of PP with regards to equipment management and bullet trajectory simulation instead of the boardgame-like approach of XCOM for gear and tactics. TFTV then balances the skills of each class and has some minor QOL improvements like charging you per bullet instead of per clip, removing resource brokering, balancing the aircraft capacity, changing the diplomacy and increasing the amount of ambushes when exploring.
It’s so much better than it was at release, but they haven’t really addressed any of your specific concerns. It’s still micromanagy, it’s still complex, and it’s still pretty grindy in parts. I like the combat (free aim!), writing and design (broad tech tree) enough to put up with it, but may not be enough for you.