UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-Com: UFO Defense in USA) is a popular strategy videogame made by Mythos / Microprose, where you take control of the X-Com organization to fight off the alien menace invading Earth.
OpenXcom is an open-source reimplementation of that game, licensed under the GPL and written in C++ / SDL, which was started back in February 2009 by a bored old university student who loves X-Com way too much.
The problem is by now the original game is very old, buggy and dated. So the goal of this project is to bring back the tried and true feel of the original with none of the issues! All the same graphics, sound and gameplay with a brand new codebase written from scratch without disassembling the original executable. This should give it:
- Fixability: Play the game natively without any need for emulators or fancy hacks, with none of the limitations and bugs that plagued the original. No more 80-item-limit, personnel limits, funding overflows, disconnected facilities, broken proximity grenades, floating soldiers, etc.
- Moddability: Tweak the game to your heart’s content. Sure the original was pretty good, but maybe you just think it could be that bit better. A nicer base layout, better laser weapons, maybe challenge yourself with a custom game mode, or just put in all the crazy stuff you’ve always wanted! None of it is hardcoded.
- Flexibility: Port the game to any platform you like, put in your own resources, or use it to make your own far-fetched remakes. The code is fully documented and free to use by anyone in accordance with the GPL.
