News

Firaxis split XCOM teams into PC and console UI development
Posted: 09.09.2012 17:57 by JonahFalcon Comments: 6
Firaxis is taking special care to make sure that the PC and console versions of XCOM: Enemy Unknown have their own specialized user interface, so much so that two separate teams made sure the UI was optimized for each type of platform.

Console version features a "free movement" UI.

According to game designer Jake Solomon, "The PC version for us is a big deal. With a shooter or an action game you may be able to fall into the dangerous trap of porting the UI, but for us that was never an option."

As such, the PC version allows gamers to play with the original game's classic grid as an option, because the "free movement" version of the console version was "a pain in the ass" on PC.

"We've had two separate teams working the whole time on the UI, one on PC and one on console. We're pretty excited that they look very different and feel very different," Solomon explained, "We don't have a grid in the console version, it's all free movement, but on the PC version it was such a pain in the ass to not have a grid that we went back and added it."

XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be released on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on the 9th October in North America, and 12th October worldwide.

Comments

By nocutius (SI Elite) on Sep 09, 2012
nocutius
Good move Firaxis :)
By SirRoderick (SI Elite) on Sep 09, 2012
SirRoderick
Would you look at that, someone on that team realises a keyboard and mouse is different from a controller! How delightful ^^
By lichlord (SI Core) on Sep 10, 2012
lichlord
I am happy to see this aswell its about time pc deserves the diffrent approach over the consoles not everyone feels like getting a controller for the pc -.-
By FoolWolf (SI Elite) on Sep 12, 2012
FoolWolf
Well, lets hope that this realisation can stay for awhile so we get some good games to hold us once the new Xbox and PS3 comes back everyone will be back on the bike screaming the "PC is dead" streamed console gaming only FTW!
By lichlord (SI Core) on Sep 13, 2012
lichlord
pc gaming is far from dead its only considered so by companies because of piracy rates in my eyes the pc deserves more then to be pushed away because of that besides having them releasing some more games worth playing would make a change to that too
By FoolWolf (SI Elite) on Sep 13, 2012
FoolWolf
I know, I forgot the " aroiund the fake quote" but still - I think we will see the trend come back once the new consoles hit the market...