[Megathread] XCOM : Enemy Unknown

[Kathandira]

Did no one proof read that thing? Jesus...

LOL i was thinking the same as i read it. At least the information is accurate.

[endersblade]

Besides the several bugs I've run into (one of which caused me to lose several hours of work - DON'T FORGET TO ENABLE AUTO-SAVE!) I've become absolutely addicted to this game.

I got home from work at 8:20 last night. I stayed up until 4:20 playing XCOM. I woke up at 8 this morning, took a leak...and started playing XCOM. I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday lol. Though now that my game crashed with the previously mentioned bug, I think it's time I ate something...and got back into more XCOM.

I've had the opportunity to take the final mission and complete the game for...probably a month or more now. But I'm in no hurry to beat it, I'm just having a blast. Though I may just beat it (playing classic mode) and start a new game on Impossible mode with Ironman turned on. I rarely save, and never in missions, so Ironman isn't going to bother me much.

Also, I found out a really silly...I guess you could call it a tactic. I used two snipers to take out an entire large ship full of mutons and shit. One had Squadsight, the other Snap Shot. I just kept moving the Snap Shot guy around to find aliens and drag them into the overwatched Sqaudsight sniper lol. Hilarity ensued. Never took a hit, and killed probably 20 or so aliens. Snipers rule.

Has anyone even bothered with Heavies? They're just too slow for me, and they don't pack enough of a punch to make it worth it. Supports get the ability to move like 3 extra spaces, Assaults get Run and Gun, and Snipers with Squadsight, Archangel armor, and that last-tier ability that lets them fire without using actions if the target is outside of cover are just so much more mobile than Heavies. Even things like Cyberdisks and Sectopods aren't much of an issue without them, especially if you've been using the Foundry to boost your gear and stuff. I don't use SHIVs either. Usually one sniper ('my' character), and the rest are support/assault. Sniper flies up, everyone else moves forward, sniper pops everything it can, the rest move ahead and clear everything else. Heavies and SHIVs are just a waste of space to me.

Granted, I don't like using AoE attacks, I like to salvage everything I can, and I RP in a sense that I don't like annihilating buildings/civilian things on the maps. "We killed all the aliens, but we leveled a town to do it. Sorry!" Just not my playstyle. I prefer precision!

[SirRobin]

Did no one proof read that thing? Jesus...

Hehe... I was thinking the same thing too.

Seriously though most of that was a bit too basic in my opinion.

Short hops, use overwatch, don't cluster, flank... Might want to alternate moving the sniper and the rest of your squad too. Setting him to overwatch first before rest of squad hops. Especially if you pick up the "squadsight" ability. Of course. Name your soldiers? Not so much. Prioritize your research? Absolutely, but they should have brought up what you should be shooting for. Carapace Armor, Beam Weapons, Precision Lasers, Heavy Lasers, should all be the real "priorities," in my opinion. Also suggest the very first thing you do when you first enter your base is start building two satellites.

[Kathandira]

Hehe... I was thinking the same thing too.

Seriously though most of that was a bit too basic in my opinion.

Short hops, use overwatch, don't cluster, flank... Might want to alternate moving the sniper and the rest of your squad too. Setting him to overwatch first before rest of squad hops. Especially if you pick up the "squadsight" ability. Of course. Name your soldiers? Not so much. Prioritize your research? Absolutely, but they should have brought up what you should be shooting for. Carapace Armor, Beam Weapons, Precision Lasers, Heavy Lasers, should all be the real "priorities," in my opinion. Also suggest the very first thing you do when you first enter your base is start building two satellites.

They did touch on some of that, like i said when i posted the link. It's mainly for those who never played XCOM or any Tactical games, but don't want to be told exactly how to play. They are just some decent tips to get people started.

[Zalmanusa]

I prefer to do a "trial" run once and see what happens when you fail and what works best.
Beats reading how to do stuff.

[Kathandira]

I prefer to do a "trial" run once and see what happens when you fail and what works best.
Beats reading how to do stuff.

True, that's what i am doing as well. Yesterday was my trial run. Today i restart and shit started for real.

[unholytestament]

True, that's what i am doing as well. Yesterday was my trial run. Today i restart and shit started for real.

Even though I'm probably going to lose my current game I am going to play it until the end.

It would feel wrong abandoning my first squad like that. And who knows? We
might win!

[SirRobin]

Yeah, I've only taken on two UFOs and the second one almost destroyed my raven. Got a lot of parts from it though.

Well my starter fighter just took on a "large scout" with a laser cannon. Basically the ufo got two free shots while my fighter got closer. Ended up shooting down the ufo with a little under half damage.

[obdigore]

Has anyone even bothered with Heavies? They're just too slow for me, and they don't pack enough of a punch to make it worth it. Supports get the ability to move like 3 extra spaces, Assaults get Run and Gun, and Snipers with Squadsight, Archangel armor, and that last-tier ability that lets them fire without using actions if the target is outside of cover are just so much more mobile than Heavies. Even things like Cyberdisks and Sectopods aren't much of an issue without them, especially if you've been using the Foundry to boost your gear and stuff. I don't use SHIVs either. Usually one sniper ('my' character), and the rest are support/assault. Sniper flies up, everyone else moves forward, sniper pops everything it can, the rest move ahead and clear everything else. Heavies and SHIVs are just a waste of space to me.

I run 2 heavies. With their ability to fire twice a turn or fire then move, they are nice. I also love using suppression to make sure my ARCer isn't taking damage, especially since with upgrades you can suppress groups of enemies.

[mafao]

As a huge fun of original series I found the demo to be rather lacklustre. The UI is not well designed, there are too few tactical options (what about prone/squat/stand position?), camera is clunky. The base layout is very confusing and the demo suggests that there is no free interaction with the earth globe(??). Somehow the twenty years old original game was more intuitive. The writing and dialogues were outright horrible — again, the original game was much better without any of those. Also, what I saw in the demo lacked in originality. It seemed like they just copied the original game while dumbing it down. Based on the demo, I am really weary to buy the game - I don't want it to turn out another cheap soulless remake like what they did with Jagged Alliance...

[HAcoreRD]

I encountered my first Etheral. He had 2 muton elites guarding him. I Mindcontrolled one of them, and the Etheral 1 hit him for 17 damage (non-crit).

That guy would devastate any soldier. All my psychic attacks on the Etheral had a 0% hit chance. There must be Psionic armor to help me or something. (Yet to see item like in old game)

[obdigore]

I encountered my first Etheral. He had 2 muton elites guarding him. I Mindcontrolled one of them, and the Etheral 1 hit him for 17 damage (non-crit).

That guy would devastate any soldier. All my psychic attacks on the Etheral had a 0% hit chance. There must be Psionic armor to help me or something. (Yet to see item like in old game)

I captured a sectoid commander and their interrogation gives you bonuses to psionics research, so I have to believe there is a whole line of psionics stuff. Only thing I've seen so far is the Psy chamber.

Also, is there anything more enjoyable than having 2 snipers on overwatch and having a Chryssy charge one of your forward guys and having the snipers tear it apart well before it reaches them?

[endersblade]

I encountered my first Etheral. He had 2 muton elites guarding him. I Mindcontrolled one of them, and the Etheral 1 hit him for 17 damage (non-crit).

That guy would devastate any soldier. All my psychic attacks on the Etheral had a 0% hit chance. There must be Psionic armor to help me or something. (Yet to see item like in old game)

LOL wow. I just did that mission myself, and the Ethereal did absolutely nothing. I shot him once with an Alloy Cannon, then twice with a laser pistol, bringing his HP within capturable range. Ended my turn, he did absolutely nothing, just stood there. Next turn, captured him. As far as the Muton Elites went, two of my assaulters reaction-shot one of them to death as they were scattering for cover, and the other I head-shot with a plasma sniper rifle and one-shot him. Guess I got lucky :-P

The sectopods are freaking crazy, being able to attack twice per turn. Each hit was hitting my guys for 16-17 damage...that's ridiculous. Luckily, not sure why, but they seem to have fairly bad accuracy, because most of the attacks miss.

Btw, my entire squad is Colonel level, Archangel Armor, Plasma-level (or Alloy for Assault) weapons, and most are carrying the ARC things to capture Aliens. Two Supports, both with medkitx3 use and alien 'nades, one sniper that I usually just fly into the air and let him overwatch-kill anything in sight, and two assaults with ARCs. Three of them are Psi-ops, I have three others currently in training. My base has 20 soldiers in it, all at Colonel level, and just about every spec I can find useful.


Now, for my pros and cons!

Pros:
Graphics are really great, Unreal Engine freaking RULES.
Gameplay. This is almost exactly what I expected from this game.
The usage of cover being almost critically important is really neat. It really adds an entirely different level to your tactics - do you rush forward and hope for the best, or go slow and steady?
Base Layout. Wow, I've had a blast trying to re-arrange my base for optimal placement. I've wasted thousands of dollars + mats to do it lol.
Most engineering jobs are instant. This REALLY helps keeping your squad equipped.
Vids. I especially love the ones when you research new weapon types. The targets are pics from the original XCOM :-) Nice 'easter egg'.
NO AMMO TO JUGGLE! I ALWAYS hated getting mid-way through a two-part map, and running out of freaking ammo! Sure, you still have to reload, but you don't have to manufacture and carry clips anymore!
Customizability. Holy crap. All of my soldiers are in different looking armor, colors, helmets, hair cuts...so freaking awesome!

Cons:
RESEARCH. Sheesh, I was hoping this game would have quite an extensive research tree - instead, we get a trimmed tree from the original game. You can't research any of the non-essential alien devices (stasis pods, food pods, entertainment, that sort of thing), there are no techies, squad leaders, etc to capture, and most of the research isn't that entertaining.
Making new fighters...I can't tell you how many times I cleared my hangars, started crafting Firestorms, and my main country gets a freaking UFO that shoots down the satellite and causes insta-level 5 panic. I guess I could do them 1-2 at a time, leaving two default fighters in the bay, but that just takes too long ><
The bugs. I've run across several so far.
The maps/levels on it. It's REALLY annoying when you're trying to move a unit that has a floor above him, and have to constantly scroll down to the level he's on every time something happens.
Reactions not having any sort of AI. I'll post a few guys in front of a door, and as soon as the door opens, all of them will open fire on the first one, while the 1-2 behind it are perfectly safe. If it was real life, one guy would say 'ok, I'll take the first one, you guys get the others!' or something. Instead, one alien soaks up all the reaction fire, and the others come through and start chewing on my squad.
Flight time is limited. Even with the upgrade, it's only 12 turns. Sure, I RARELY run out of charges, but it's just really annoying that there's a limit.
Troops are so goddamn expendable. I loved having 'veterans' in the original, some packing 100+ missions and as many or more kills under their belt. In this game, if you lose one, just buy another. With the Officer Training perks, it doesn't take long at all to rush another recruit up to Colonel.

One thing I'm really on the fence about is mission types. There are a few different types of course, but after a while, you know what to expect. They try to keep it lively by changing the story behind each mission, but after a while I stopped reading them and just clicked 'go'. Escort mission? K, aliens will drop down between me and the Skyranger when the escortee gets close. So set all the squad around that area and set them to overwatch - aliens die as soon as they drop from the sky. I do really like the missions where you try to save the civilians, I seem to have the most fun with those. And going to downed UFOs is a joy too, especially once you start shooting down the bigger ones. Having several different types of aliens per mission is really cool too.

[Deleted]

One day remaining.

I'm going to have an XCOM weekend, I feel.

[endersblade]

So far, the biggest bug I've found is that the mission to rescue 'Hutch' is unbeatable. On two separate playthroughs now, and countless attempts in various ways, I can't figure out why. First time I tried, I just cleared all the aliens out, got Hutch to the Skyranger...and the next time my turn ended, it asked if I wanted to abort the mission. It asked this every single time my turn ended from then on. I then tried doing it without killing ANY aliens (that was fucking HARD). Still the same issue, although it would then go to the alien's turn. I've tried it in every way I can think of, and there's just no way for it to work for me. My friend also has this issue, so I know it's not just my computer/game. All other escort missions that I've done have worked perfectly fine.

Another bug that causes a UI lockup I've yet to be able to 100% replicate, but it happens often enough. I THINK the best way I can get it to happen is if I go into firing mode, and then tab or change over to another unit of mine. Once that happens, I'm unable to do anything at all, other than cycle through my units. Can't move, use abilities, end turn, nothing at all. However, that's not the only way to get it to happen...it just does sometimes.

I've had an issue lately where a Sniper with the Snap Shot ability pops up the message that I can't move and shoot in the same turn (Snap Shot allows you to do that). If I reload the weapon, I can then put the Sniper into Overwatch mode. This happens randomly, and I cannot force it to happen at all. Some missions it won't happen at all, some missions it'll happen once or twice.

Sometimes when an enemy moves out of my sight range, the camera will continue scrolling, until it hits the edge of the map.

Sometimes when an enemy's turn ends, my first unit is selected normally, but the camera does not center on him/her.

If I load a game mid-mission, the locations of aliens outside my view range will change. I've actually been able to exploit this by continually reloading until they're in a good position for me to clear out in one turn.

Aliens, particularly Sectopods, will sometimes spawn inside a wall. They can still fire, but they won't move.

I had an enemy Drone heal one of my SHIVs instead of attacking it. I didn't have an ARC Thrower on any character, nor did I have the Forge upgrade to capture Drones. It's only happened once, and even on several reloads, I never got it to happen again.

On several occasions I've lost perfectly healthy fighters, with maybe 1-2 hits on them. After the UFO is shot down, I get the message that I lost the fighter. I certainly hope this isn't intended, as Firestorms are NOT easy to replace.

[Howard Moon]

One day remaining.

I'm going to have an XCOM weekend, I feel.

Same here! Need to come up with some witty soldier names until tomorrow. Hmmm... *ponder*

[Deleted]

Same here! Need to come up with some witty soldier names until tomorrow. Hmmm... *ponder*

Guile Redshirt.

That's the name of ALL my soldiers.

[Feral Camel]

Same here! Need to come up with some witty soldier names until tomorrow. Hmmm... *ponder*

I think I'm just going to give all my soldiers names of horrible dictators. So if they die, I wont feel bad.

[obdigore]

Lets me think what the names of my main squad is.

Black Thunder (Heavy)
White Lightning (Sniper)
Ghillie Suit (Sniper)
Max Payne (Heavy)
Psy Ops (Assault but the only one I know has psy abilities so far)
Ima DoctorJim (Support)

[Feral Camel]

Very annoyed

Found out the game had been released. Switched some stuff around at work and went into EB games. Grabbed my copy. Went back to work.

Got home just then. Started to install it. "This game has not yet been released". Checked through steam when it will be released.

Its 10 minutes before I start work. lol... jerks