<s>
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Alliance	I-Application
is	O
a	O
cancelled	O
video	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
X-COM	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
had	O
the	O
player	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
commander	O
of	O
the	O
militarized	O
scientific	O
mission	O
lost	O
in	O
space	O
during	O
the	O
aftermath	O
of	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Terror	I-Application
from	I-Application
the	I-Application
Deep	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
X-COM	O
series	O
,	O
most	O
of	O
which	O
were	O
strategy	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
Alliance	O
was	O
a	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
having	O
"	O
strategy	B-Application
,	O
adventure	O
,	O
and	O
role-playing	O
elements	O
too.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
being	O
officially	O
announced	O
in	O
1998	O
for	O
a	O
planned	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
half	O
of	O
1999	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
repeatedly	O
delayed	O
and	O
put	O
on	O
hold	O
,	O
before	O
eventually	O
becoming	O
vaporware	B-Application
;	O
it	O
was	O
eventually	O
cancelled	O
in	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
of	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Alliance	I-Application
would	O
emphasize	O
team	O
management	O
and	O
tactics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
the	O
single-player	O
mode	O
,	O
multiplayer	O
co-operative	O
,	O
deathmatch	O
,	O
and	O
capture	B-Application
the	I-Application
flag	I-Application
modes	O
were	O
being	O
planned	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2062	O
(	O
22	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Terror	I-Application
from	I-Application
the	I-Application
Deep	I-Application
and	O
five	O
years	O
before	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Interceptor	I-Application
)	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
research	O
vessel	O
UGS	O
Patton	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
crew	O
of	O
top	O
scientists	O
and	O
engineers	O
and	O
team	O
of	O
X-COM	O
soldiers	O
,	O
travels	O
to	O
a	O
site	O
of	O
the	O
former	O
alien	O
base	O
at	O
Cydonia	O
on	O
the	O
surface	O
of	O
Mars	B-Application
to	O
retrieve	O
alien	O
artifacts	O
and	O
establish	O
an	O
Elerium	O
mining	O
facility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
Patton	O
goes	O
through	O
an	O
unexpected	O
dimensional	O
wormhole	O
gateway	O
and	O
ends	O
up	O
stranded	O
60	O
light	O
years	O
from	O
Earth	O
,	O
finding	O
the	O
alien	O
invaders	O
from	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
UFO	I-Application
Defense	I-Application
to	O
be	O
engaged	O
in	O
a	O
war	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
alien	O
race	O
,	O
the	O
Ascidians	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
work	O
began	O
in	O
1996	O
at	O
MicroProse	O
's	O
UK	O
Studio	O
in	O
Chipping	O
Sodbury	O
,	O
then	O
led	O
by	O
the	O
Terror	B-Application
from	I-Application
the	I-Application
Deep	I-Application
producer	O
Stuart	O
Whyte	O
and	O
designer	O
Andrew	O
G	O
.	O
Williams	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
also	O
worked	O
together	O
on	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
ports	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
X-COM	O
games	O
(	O
Williams	O
was	O
also	O
simultaneously	O
a	O
co-producer	O
of	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Apocalypse	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
such	O
cameras	O
was	O
also	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
1993	O
video	O
game	O
Hired	B-Application
Guns	I-Application
,	O
co-created	O
by	O
Scott	O
Johnston	O
,	O
a	O
programmer	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
development	O
team	O
of	O
Alliance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X-COM	O
Alliance	O
used	O
the	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Deformable	O
and	O
destructible	O
environments	O
(	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
X-COM	O
strategy	B-Application
games	I-Application
)	O
were	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
planned	O
features	O
;	O
the	O
game	O
engine	O
later	O
created	O
for	O
Red	B-Application
Faction	I-Application
employed	O
a	O
similar	O
concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
1999	O
,	O
when	O
"	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
foundation	O
work	O
had	O
already	O
been	O
set	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
then	O
taken	O
over	O
by	O
MicroProse	O
's	O
Hunt	O
Valley	O
studio	O
(	O
creators	O
of	O
Klingon	B-Application
Honor	I-Application
Guard	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dave	O
Ellis	O
provided	O
game	O
design	O
advice	O
,	O
helping	O
to	O
coordinate	O
elements	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
featured	O
weapons	O
and	O
alien	O
races	O
for	O
canon	O
compatibility	O
between	O
Alliance	O
and	O
the	O
other	O
X-COM	O
title	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Genesis	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
supposed	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
heavily	O
modified	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
,	O
featuring	O
skeletal	O
animation	O
,	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
,	O
a	O
completely	O
different	O
AI	B-Application
,	O
a	O
new	O
sound	O
system	O
able	O
to	O
store	O
and	O
playback	O
large	O
amounts	O
of	O
speech	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
DirectMusic-based	O
dynamic	O
music	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Julian	O
Gollop	O
,	O
main	O
designer	O
of	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
UFO	I-Application
Defense	I-Application
and	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Apocalypse	I-Application
,	O
said	O
MicroProse	O
had	O
problems	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
engine	O
to	O
work	O
properly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Infogrames	O
Entertainment	O
bought	O
Hasbro	O
Interactive	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
postponed	O
again	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
departure	O
of	O
a	O
key	O
team	O
member	O
(	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
innovative	O
AI	B-Application
system	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gollop	O
commented	O
:	O
"	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Alliance	I-Application
was	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
a	O
long	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
