EXLCOM is a turn-based strategy game mechanically similar to the XCOM-series. The first test versions were created by a student practicing in VBA, and after an overwhelming response from the XCOM-community it has since then grown to a full game.
The features of EXLCOM in depth:
The Tactical portion of the game is a fully developed reinvention of the classic XCOM gameplay. Many fun and engaging mechanics have been recoded into EXLCOM, while some of the shortcomings of previous titles have been replaced to create a better tactical experience.
One example of this is the removal of the pod activation system and it's replacement by an alertion system, where enemies communicate with each other and call in reinforcements if they spot you.
The Strategic Layer has been completely reimagined, having at most minor resemblance to the XCOM series (like soldier management). With a new story (see below) come new mechanics, doing away with minigames and instead making decisions like choosing the right mission to go on an important part of the game.
EXLCOM's Story is set in 2032, after the aliens have invaded the earth and set up a brutal dictatorship in the form of the ADVENT administration. You lead a small group of freedom fighters trying to free their city from ADVENT control.
How you accomplish that is largely up to you - do you perform surgical strikes against ADVENT troops, or do you create public unrest and terror to ride to victory on a wave of civilian "collateral" casualties?
View screenshot in full resolution (Art created by Tomas Rocco )
There is a lot of Mission Variety, from the classical "eliminate all aliens" through scoring objectives to escort missions and many more. Also keep in mind that not all missions can be won, sometimes aborting a lost cause is the best option.
Pairing that with the random level generation (see below), there is an incredible amount of different possibilities and no two engagements will be the same.
A lot of work was done on making a great Enemy AI. Evaluating moves is accomplished through a code inspired by chess computers, and streamlined behavioural patterns ensure each enemy will fight you to the absolute best of its abilities.
Also introduced: Different factions of AI-NPCs (allowing for allies to fight by your side), the ability to play stealthily, and even scarier chryssalids with predatory movement patterns.
Instead of having set classes, a new Perk System allows for a much deeper customization of each soldier. You can assign perks to a soldier based on his abilities and your desired playstyle, while stats like aim and movement get increased as the soldier is using them.
This allows for configurations like a stealthy ninja who turns into a medic once enemies are alerted, or a sniper who can shoot rockets if he is out of bullets. The choice is yours!
The Random Level Generation creates an infinite amount of maps from over a dozen of location sets and subsets. (And I plan on adding new locations every couple weeks in a small update.)
Depending on where a mission takes place, a map may have more buildings if it's in the city centre or be more forest-y on the fringes. While randomly generated, the code is optimised to still create maps that are somewhat resembling real places and play well.
The game also ships with a complete Leveleditor, where you can create or re-create any map you want. Levels are easy to draw; just select the type of terrain and the terrain-color from the customizable palette and start drawing.
Levels can be saved and accessed in the setup screen for custom games with ease, or can be loaded back into the editor at any time. You can even share maps with friends by sending them the level-save sheet!*
View screenshot in full resolution (The enemy list in the screenshot is from an older version. There are more enemies now.)
An Autosave function records every action taken, so that even in the case of a crash nothing is lost, and you can go back to every moment in the fight you like.
This also enables a Replay Screen, in which you can re-watch the entire mission take place again in quick succession and without fog of war, allowing you to see enemy movements and further refine your tactics. You can even jump right from the screen back into the fight to try out something new with one click!
Seperate from the campaign is a new Wave Defense game mode, in which the player has to stand his ground against increasingly big waves of enemy troops trying to reach the bottom of the map, while randomly spawned objectives with timers keep the fighters from digging in.
Each kill scores the player points which they can then spend on a variety of rewards - ranging from a puny equipment refill to a massive nuke decimating enemies and destroying terrain.
View screenshot in full resolution (and more wave defense images)
There is also a Sandbox Mode where you can load any level you want, equip your fighters with unlimited points (unlike in the wave defense mode, where a point limit exists) and just play your game the way you like it - no matter if that is one super-soldier crushing enemies with his revolver, or watching a big number of AI-controlled NPCs fight against each other.
To round the game off and to bring a bit of clarity to the complexity that is an XCOM game, a Wiki has been added, written by the developer and including all aspects and important info on the game, so that between it and voice messages from your personal computer assistant BR-FORT you never have to wonder about what is going on.
Also there is full keyboard shortcut support for missions (this is Excel, after all). Using the keyboard is not just an option for laptops, but works really well and is (in my opinion) the best way to play.
Last but not least, there are extensive Settings to customize your experience.
The game is too easy? Turn up the difficulty. You find colors confusing? Play in black and white. You want to see if that chryssalid is able to get you? Enable enemy move range display. You are epileptic and the explosion animations are hurting your brain? Disable them. It's your game, play it however you want.
All source code in the game is written in VBA and completely unlocked (in the full version), meaning that everyone can easily edit, change and add any code they want to mod in.
Also, whether you are a frequent VBA-user, are learning the language or just want to see how it all works, you likely won't find any Excel file with more code in it (this game runs on over 12,000 lines of VBA code). To power EXLCOM many of the most important VBA features are used, so this is a great example to see code in action and learn from it, if that's your thing.
*Sharing a save currently requires deeper knowledge of Excel from both parties