XCOM EU Pick Up Items

[mossfootx]

What I think makes no sense is that you can't pick up the equipment of your dead squadmates.

 

I understand the need for balance, but you should at least be able to swap items (or just pick up if your guy currently isn't carrying anything).

 

Obviously this would require certain restraints to keep balance:

 

1) If you are carrying something in your backpack, you can swap with a corpse. If you are carrying nothing you can just pick up the backpack item. Same goes for Deep Pockets, depending on if you're full or have a free backpack slot.

 

2) You can only swap an item you can actually carry. The item defaults to the specifications it would have been had the character picking up chosen it in the first place (ie a non-medic picking up a 3-use medkit from a medic would only get 1 use out of it, a grenade picked up from a Heavy with explosive radius bonuses only pick up the default grenade, etc...)

 

3) You can swap main weapons but only if your class can use it (ie Sniper cannot pick up Assault Rifle). Unfortunately this probably wouldn't apply to a Heavy's Rocket Launcher because it's an ability, not an item.

 

4) You CANNOT pick up alien weapons, even from stunned aliens, even if you have unlocked the technology, because the game points out that some retrofitting is required before it can be effectively used by XCom members. (sure you could make it so using one would have a negative involved, but that's going to be more trouble than it's worth mod-wise)

 

 

What do you think?

[Drakous79]

Welcome to the forum :)

 

It's interesting idea.

 

I always go to a mission with all slots filled with equipment, so would have to swap. Would be great to gain/recharge arc thrower, grenades, medikits and combat stims after pickup.

 

But considering weapons, my soldiers are already given the best arms available, so as long as there are no ammo magazines or penalties like jammed or overheated weapons introduced to the game, there aren't many reasons to pick up/swap weapons. I can think of losing only laser/plasma toy I had due to bad luck or decision. Then I would be happy to salvage it anyhow. Deciding if to pick that laser/plasma instead of other action would add to tactical aspect of the fight for sure.

 

But I would be content with just adding fallen ppl stuff to loot after completing the mission.

 

Thinking modwise, we will have to wait some time for such ideas to happen.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Drakous79

[mossfootx]

You're right that swapping weapons would be of limited use. But there are those times during upgrade where maybe you don't have enough money/resources to equip everyone with the best weapons, so one or two on your squad are left with the previous generation for a couple of missions. That's where it would be most useful (and in very rare cases, if your Assault guy wanted to change from shotgun to assault rifle).

 

It's more about having options to help that bit of verisimiltude along.

 

Obviously verisimiltude only goes so far in a game like this where you can only carry ONE extra item (really?) but you roll with it, just like you roll with the idea of a squad of only four to six people saving the world, because it's a kind of cartoon abstraction. But even when you allow for that it's hard to then be okay with NOT being able to pick up your fallen medic's medkit.

 

I doubt the option would affect game balance too much in the player's favor, though it would certainly make a difference in specific tight situations.

 

Some more thoughts about it:

 

Perhaps it could be implemented like this: make it an action button the same as Overwatch or any of the others. Normally it's hidden, but if someone dies it appears in the far right of the options. Human corpses have a different color circle around them as opposed to what you see when you can use First Aid on someone (a far dimmer color, I'd suggest). And that's what you have to be inside of in order to swap.

 

To keep in the spirit of simplicity, it should be a non action point move, like swapping to pistol, in case you change your mind and need to put it swap back.

 

One difficulty here is if you include weapon swapping - do you need two buttons now? One for Backpack and one for Weapon (which only highlites if it's a compatible class). Or perhaps while in the circle swapping to pistol instead swaps main weapons?

 

The other difficulty is for Support people with Deep Pockets - do you now need a third button for those situations? Just having them alternate each time you press the button might work - unless the person you're picking up from also has Deep Pockets.

 

Now we're starting to remove from the simplicity that would be needed for this.

 

Perhaps a single button on the action bar that leads to a small pop up menu with available options listed?