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Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

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Phantom Division Info

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11 Feb 2021 22:12 - 11 Feb 2021 22:16 #319156 by hotseatgames
I'll be posting more pics here once I get my prototype which is being sent from Elzra, but for now, they posted this picture of all of the maps in a pile.

You can already see that they are very colorful compared to SEAL Team Flix. Maps are 12" x 24", and 12" x 12", with 1" squares. Walls have to be assembled every time, but we are working to make this process as painless as possible. I think a map will assemble pretty quickly.

Just posting a link to their tweet since the image upload functionality doesn't work for me here.

Last edit: 11 Feb 2021 22:16 by hotseatgames.

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11 Feb 2021 22:40 #319158 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Phantom Division Info
I love it, actually. Absolutely surrounded by somewhat dour sci-fi in the hobby around a vaguely Aliens aesthetic.
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12 Feb 2021 00:32 #319160 by Ah_Pook
Replied by Ah_Pook on topic Phantom Division Info
Lookin good, I'm pretty excited to see more of this :)
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12 Feb 2021 04:33 #319161 by mezike
Replied by mezike on topic Phantom Division Info
Love the look of it. All the bright neon colours remind me of the early Tyranid/Genestealer stuff when they were the very alien counterpoint to the drab industrial empire. There was a Marines v. Tyranid game at one point that had brightly coloured room tiles, but not quite as refined as this.
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12 Feb 2021 08:27 #319162 by Sagrilarus
Replied by Sagrilarus on topic Phantom Division Info
Imagine how cool the camouflage uniforms would look.

That's a great look. Lifts the game out of the same-old same-old and gets it into its own space. Whoever is doing your art deserves credit for bold decisions.
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12 Feb 2021 09:35 #319165 by hotseatgames
Replied by hotseatgames on topic Phantom Division Info
Ivan Potter-Smith did the board art. I don't know if he will be doing any other art for the game. He LOVES neon and bright colors.

At one point I had to actually have him tone one down... there is an updated train map. STF had two trains in a subway. This game has two trains intended for use in a large planetary mining operation, and I thus wanted a fairly industrial look. The first version I saw looked more like party buses. The final version is still fairly bright, but has this "colored lighting on steel surfaces" look that reminds me of the original Unreal, which has a very industrial feel to it.
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20 Feb 2021 12:23 #319383 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Phantom Division Info


Some digital mockups of what the walls setup will look like this time, since they won't get embedded into the boards like in Seal Team Flix. I'll be curious to see how it works, the Seal Team walls worked pretty well but I can see why they moved away from them from a production and time to first play perspective.
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20 Feb 2021 12:39 #319384 by hotseatgames
Replied by hotseatgames on topic Phantom Division Info
Elzra is spending a lot of time working out the best way to do the walls and doors. I sketched out what I wanted to be able to do, and it's been up to them to figure out how to accomplish it. One thing the above shot doesn't show is that the various posts (the circular "junction" pieces) will have various configurations, like a plus sign (shown), or a 90 degree corner, etc. That way you don't have these chunks of plastic impeding shots around corners.

The walls themselves will be either plastic or cardboard, I'm not sure which yet. Considerations are durability and cost. The fact that the maps have to be assembled every time is also a STRONG consideration; we don't want it to be a chore.

This project is taking so long. I signed the contract in July 2019.
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20 Feb 2021 13:03 - 20 Feb 2021 13:05 #319385 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Phantom Division Info
Very very excited for this project. The base mechanics of Seal Team are extremely solid and thematic, but the sci-fi angle gives you so many opportunities for weird enemies and such, and (imo) more opportunities for hot missions or situations. For good reason, in Seal Team successfully staying quiet was always the superior tactical option.

Does sound still play as big a role in this game as Seal Team in most missions?
Last edit: 20 Feb 2021 13:05 by Gary Sax.
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20 Feb 2021 13:19 - 20 Feb 2021 13:20 #319386 by hotseatgames
Replied by hotseatgames on topic Phantom Division Info
Sound is gone, replaced with a more general concept of Threat. Threat is tracked on the round tracker, and NOT on the board, so fussy sound token management is a thing of the past. The "Threat token" (formerly the Alert token) goes on the board in the area of the last weapon fired or if a Phantom gets spotted. Enemies move towards this token at all times, only resuming patrol when the token leaves the board.

This streamlines a lot of the AI management. The threat tracker also has hard determinations on when enemies spawn; no more rolling a d10 8 times to see if enemies are coming; you will know they are coming... but you won't know WHERE they will spawn. For that, you still roll the d10, and the "10" result will ALWAYS result in them spawning at all points.

We have endeavored to streamline and simplify a lot of the ruleset, without sacrificing the tactical elements of STF. I would say that you can play Phantom Division a lot more "fast and loose" than you could STF, simply because you are playing more powerful characters with more wide ranging abilities. The enemies are also more powerful, but most of them can still be taken down with a single hit. Tracking health is a drag, this just makes things easier.
Last edit: 20 Feb 2021 13:20 by hotseatgames.
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20 Feb 2021 13:29 #319387 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Phantom Division Info
Your last paragraph kind of reminds me of how Xcom 2 base game was not as good as the Xcom 2 expansion War of the Chosen where the troops became relative superheroes---it gave you a lot more to do and choices to make with powers.
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20 Feb 2021 13:34 #319388 by hotseatgames
Replied by hotseatgames on topic Phantom Division Info
One other thing to mention is that the actual dexterity elements are increased in PD. Shots can be up to 2 feet long, and there will be less "flick at an enemy 1" away".

The kinds of dexterity challenges are also more varied. A steady hand will be very helpful... something I'm not great at personally. I think people will be surprised when they see the new bomb type I devised. mwuhahahahahaha
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20 Feb 2021 13:36 #319389 by Gary Sax
Replied by Gary Sax on topic Phantom Division Info
Sounds great, I think at times the most challenging dexterity parts were getting your fingers into an awkward and cramped corridor for a flick, even if it's a relatively easy (thematically) shot.

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20 Feb 2021 22:10 #319403 by Sagrilarus
Replied by Sagrilarus on topic Phantom Division Info

hotseatgames wrote: One other thing to mention is that the actual dexterity elements are increased in PD. Shots can be up to 2 feet long, and there will be less "flick at an enemy 1" away".


This is starting to sound like a no-tequila title. Are you sure you want to walk down that path?
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20 Feb 2021 22:17 #319404 by hotseatgames
Replied by hotseatgames on topic Phantom Division Info
Ha! You can still suck at flicking and get by. Good thing, or I'd never make it.

I'm just saying that the flicking has been dialed up in this game vs. SEAL Team.

Sniping is out, too. That mini game was way too hard. Its replacement is very satisfying, but I'm not ready to reveal that yet.
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