[Megathread] XCOM : Enemy Unknown

[Deleted]

It depends on the map IMO. If you are raiding a building with no windows it can be difficult to use a squad sight sniper where a snap shot one would provide better utility but any kind of open terrain a squad sight sniper is far superior and worth their slot. With damn good terrain ability in higher elevation you get 100% shots with aliens in half cover and 70%+ in full.

Yes, that is precisely what I just said. Both of them are equally viable.

While the map would decide which of them is most useful to bring, you're not permitted to see the map until your troops are committed.

[Jeleh]

Dear god i love the game, I was worried that they would struggle to keep the game true enough to the series. I enjoy how it is a lot more linear as it cuts down on mission times a lot.

My preferred setup is:
sniper with squad sight and angel armour;death to all.
two supports with ghost armour; amazing scouts.
two assault for dealing the damage, run and gun and rapid fire.
a heavy for the big machines.

Loved my first play through going to reload my save before the assault on the ship and get a few more achievements and iron man on harder difficulties. Found the game to be very fun and enjoyable, very true to the xcom series and overall a very well made excellent game. Think anyone who enjoyed the first two xcom games will love this as I have, definitely gets a 9/10 for me.

[Mortezu]

I really enjoy the game and what I also like is the fact that the "lore" is quit similar to the conspiracy theory nonsense I used to read about the greys/ufo's etc. I've yet to finish the game on normal and will definitely go for Ironman next Definetly worth the 50 euro!

[Thrage]

Beat it last night for the first time ... had started on Classic Ironman to keep my old-school X-Com cred. Was less than satisfied with the game length, and the ending, but overall the game is very solid and I'd recommend it to anyone, X-Com Veteran or no.

I do kinda' miss "UFO-232". I think I only got into the teens before winning the game.

[Fencers]

The "Second Wave" mods add a lot replayablity to game and interesting quirks.

I am happy to simply build my base, shoot aliens and stuff indefinitely w/o clearing the final mission though.

[Deleted]

Really love the game, it's funny that if you make a bad move your entire squad can suffer from it.

[endersblade]

The "Second Wave" mods add a lot replayablity to game and interesting quirks.

I am happy to simply build my base, shoot aliens and stuff indefinitely w/o clearing the final mission though.

That's what I do :-) I activated that 'Marathon' mod from Second Wave, though so far I don't THINK I've seen a slowdown. I'm stuck at the Hyperwave decoder building...thing, because I need one more Beacon. I don't remember this being an issue in my other playthroughs, so maybe that's what they meant. Fine by me :-)

[kivipää]

I do kinda' miss "UFO-232". I think I only got into the teens before winning the game.

Then you'll love xenonauts when it'll eventually be finished. I think the guy I watched play alfa was up to UFO-72 in before the second month was over, and had located 3 alien bases he could assault (not that he would have stood a chance at his tech level). The UFO fighters can fly in wings of up to three, though, and bigger ones tend to have an escort wing. I'm pretty impressed by its interception-gameplay. If I miss one thing from this new xcom, tohugh, it's a cover system.

---------- Post added 2012-10-18 at 09:13 PM ----------

That's what I do :-) I activated that 'Marathon' mod from Second Wave, though so far I don't THINK I've seen a slowdown. I'm stuck at the Hyperwave decoder building...thing, because I need one more Beacon. I don't remember this being an issue in my other playthroughs, so maybe that's what they meant. Fine by me :-)

The feature is not complete and as such, does not work properly. You can't get another beacon. You can get another outsider shard, but you can't do anything with it. The only way to get past that is to og tweak ini files yourself to change the blanket requirement factor from 2 to 1, start buliding of the decoder, and then change the value in the .ini back to 2.

[Thrage]

Really love the game, it's funny that if you make a bad move your entire squad can suffer from it.

Had a VIP escort mission that just went south real fast in a new game. A rookie got shot, panicked, turned and blew the VIP to hell within the first couple of turns.

Ahh, that's X-Com style punishment for you.

[Deleted]

The "Second Wave" mods add a lot replayablity to game and interesting quirks.

I am happy to simply build my base, shoot aliens and stuff indefinitely w/o clearing the final mission though.

See, this is the kind of information I usually miss until everyone else in the world knows about it.

Second Wave looks amazing. Question, though, does installing that mod prevent you from playing the game in a normal fashion, or is it more like an extra option when you create a new game? I kind of feel like I owe it to my guys to find the time to finish the game normally once first.

[Shinzai]

Well, I find this a tragic moment for all. Nigeria Withdraws X-Com Funding, "blames gas station incident".

"Do not fear, my fellow citizens. UFO Force is being given a new base in the former gas station missing several walls and partly on fire. I assure you the fire has not spread to the important parts. Upgrades for UFO Force are also in the works, including purchasing a helicopter to be UFO Interceptor-1, as well as several berets, which are an advanced type of armor." Made me snicker.

[Fencers]

See, this is the kind of information I usually miss until everyone else in the world knows about it.

Second Wave looks amazing. Question, though, does installing that mod prevent you from playing the game in a normal fashion, or is it more like an extra option when you create a new game? I kind of feel like I owe it to my guys to find the time to finish the game normally once first.

It's just a bunch of toggles.

http://xcom.nexusmods.com/mods/7

[Moralio]

Finished it yesterday on Normal. It was really good but a bit too short in my opinion. In the end non-randomized maps become a problem because after a while you pretty much know where exactly aliens will spawn. Will definitely do a second playtrough on Classic (non-Ironman, I hate losing soldiers) when, hopefully, free DLC be released.

[Shinzai]

Finished it yesterday on Normal. It was really good but a bit too short in my opinion. In the end non-randomized maps become a problem because after a while you pretty much know where exactly aliens will spawn. Will definitely do a second playtrough on Classic (non-Ironman, I hate losing soldiers) when, hopefully, free DLC be released.

I tried Normal myself for a little bit, on the first Chrysalid mission though, you instantly see the difference between Normal and Classic. Classic Chrysalids are squad destroyers, where as on normal they're just a bit annoying.

[Zalmanusa]

I loved getting a level 5 terror mission in mexico on classic. All the enemies were Chryssalids. Yeah...

[Deleted]

I now pose unto you a question: Is Revive rubbish?

Now, before you say that it's a silly question and of course it isn't, let me first describe my last mission.

With six people going in, the mission was successful, but only two made it out - my support and my assault. All others, all of rank either Captain or Major, were butchered by Mutons. Now here's the thing - two of them were killed outright, and that's fine, I can't complain about that. But the other two suffered critical wounds, which is when a soldier is incapacitated at 1 HP, cannot move or otherwise act, and will bleed out (and die) after a number of turns. A soldier with a medkit can prevent this by using Stabilize, which stops the bleeding out timer and will allow the soldier to survive at the end of the level albeit he still cannot act in the current mission. Now, a Support with the Revive talent and a medkit cannot use Stabilize, instead having it replaced with Revive, which not only stops soldiers from bleeding out, but also gets them back on their feet and able to act in the mission, with 33% of their maximum health. Now this all sounds well and good, but here's what happened - twice.

The third soldier (Heavy) falls with his Support friend just a short jog away. So naturally, the Support hops on over there and uses Revive. The Heavy slowly gets back on his feet... and stands just outside of the full cover he had been shot behind. He can't even make a run (or walk, or even fall) over to the full cover he was behind. Instead he just stood there. In plain view of the three Mutons we were facing (we had already killed the first two, and not yet aggroed the bloody Cyberdisk w/ Beams towards the edge of the map). He was instantly killed.

The fourth one, also a Heavy, hits the pavement just the turn after. Again, the Support runs over to him and uses Revive - and the Heavy gets up, again out of cover, but not only that, but also in a position where he is flanked (had he gotten up where he was shot, he would be both in full cover AND not flanked, at least for the time being). Once again, he got horribly brutalized.

Now, with this story laid out to you, I want to point out that if another soldier than the Support had used the medkit, or if the Support had gotten Rifle Suppression instead of Revive, not only would both the soldiers be alive at the end of the mission (if gravely wounded), chances are they wouldn't even have become fatally wounded to begin with, assuming effective use of Rifle Suppression was deployed in alien faces.

So again, I ask you: Is Revive rubbish?

[kivipää]

I now pose unto you a question: Is Revive rubbish?

Now, before you say that it's a silly question and of course it isn't, let me first describe my last mission.

With six people going in, the mission was successful, but only two made it out - my support and my assault. All others, all of rank either Captain or Major, were butchered by Mutons. Now here's the thing - two of them were killed outright, and that's fine, I can't complain about that. But the other two suffered critical wounds, which is when a soldier is incapacitated at 1 HP, cannot move or otherwise act, and will bleed out (and die) after a number of turns. A soldier with a medkit can prevent this by using Stabilize, which stops the bleeding out timer and will allow the soldier to survive at the end of the level albeit he still cannot act in the current mission. Now, a Support with the Revive talent and a medkit cannot use Stabilize, instead having it replaced with Revive, which not only stops soldiers from bleeding out, but also gets them back on their feet and able to act in the mission, with 33% of their maximum health. Now this all sounds well and good, but here's what happened - twice.

The third soldier (Heavy) falls with his Support friend just a short jog away. So naturally, the Support hops on over there and uses Revive. The Heavy slowly gets back on his feet... and stands just outside of the full cover he had been shot behind. He can't even make a run (or walk, or even fall) over to the full cover he was behind. Instead he just stood there. In plain view of the three Mutons we were facing (we had already killed the first two, and not yet aggroed the bloody Cyberdisk w/ Beams towards the edge of the map). He was instantly killed.

The fourth one, also a Heavy, hits the pavement just the turn after. Again, the Support runs over to him and uses Revive - and the Heavy gets up, again out of cover, but not only that, but also in a position where he is flanked (had he gotten up where he was shot, he would be both in full cover AND not flanked, at least for the time being). Once again, he got horribly brutalized.

Now, with this story laid out to you, I want to point out that if another soldier than the Support had used the medkit, or if the Support had gotten Rifle Suppression instead of Revive, not only would both the soldiers be alive at the end of the mission (if gravely wounded), chances are they wouldn't even have become fatally wounded to begin with, assuming effective use of Rifle Suppression was deployed in alien faces.

So again, I ask you: Is Revive rubbish?

Revive is fantastic when used correctly. Here's what you're doing wrong;

1) You rushed to revive right away even though you had 3 turns to make the area safer. You are given 3 turns ofr a reason, use them well.
2) Preferrably, you want to always rock 2 supports with triple-use medkits, and adjust other peoples utility item as required. From the sounds of it, you only had one support.
3) These bring you to point three, which is always heal revived people with another medikit-user on the same turn you revive. Improved medi-kits were the first foundry thing you picked up, right?
4) I have not experience behaviour you describe with revives. The only time I have seen them displaced from the square they went down in is if somebody (usually the reviver) stands in it. This square might not be obvious since physics engine can displace the ragdolling body from the actual location.
5) Do remember that once you get your casualty is back in action and healed to acceptable hit point levels, your odds of completing your mission A) succesfully and B) Without further casualty improve significantly. Certainly more than with rifle suppression, with the cumulative benefit of still having your experienced dude in the upcoming missions.

So, unless you want to train a 3rd support to be a sort of flexible utility soldier, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive and Saviour are no-brainers.

[Thrage]

I agree that Revive sucks (at least for my playstyle). I also agree that you should wait to use it until the area is clear. I guess the way I see it is, I don't see people go critical often enough to make Revive worth getting. I'd rather get another skill (Suppression) that helps prevent casualties in the first place. Remember that suppressing the enemy reduces their aim against you - it's proactive, rather than reactive. Shit happens, but my policy is to do everything you can to prevent it anyway. I also tend to pick up skills that will get used the most often, and equip my soldiers with gear that will get used the most often (SCOPEs come to mind; these get used on every single shot. Not just for snipers!)

Also the SA article posted was good! Knew it had to be Zack Parsons by the time I'd finished the second paragraph.

[Deleted]

Revive is fantastic when used correctly. Here's what you're doing wrong;

1) You rushed to revive right away even though you had 3 turns to make the area safer. You are given 3 turns ofr a reason, use them well.
2) Preferrably, you want to always rock 2 supports with triple-use medkits, and adjust other peoples utility item as required. From the sounds of it, you only had one support.
3) These bring you to point three, which is always heal revived people with another medikit-user on the same turn you revive. Improved medi-kits were the first foundry thing you picked up, right?
4) I have not experience behaviour you describe with revives. The only time I have seen them displaced from the square they went down in is if somebody (usually the reviver) stands in it. This square might not be obvious since physics engine can displace the ragdolling body from the actual location.
5) Do remember that once you get your casualty is back in action and healed to acceptable hit point levels, your odds of completing your mission A) succesfully and B) Without further casualty improve significantly. Certainly more than with rifle suppression, with the cumulative benefit of still having your experienced dude in the upcoming missions.

So, unless you want to train a 3rd support to be a sort of flexible utility soldier, Sprinter, Field Medic, Revive and Saviour are no-brainers.

1) The first one, yes, as I was silly enough to believe he would get up in cover or at least be able to move a few steps. The second one was one turn away from bleeding out when he was revived.
2) I did have two Support classes with the away team, sadly the second one to get instagibbed was - you guessed it - a Support. For completion, the first one was my sniper.
3) As you can imagine from point 2, point 3 was not an option.
4) As far as I can tell, the Support was not in the same square where the soldier fell. Otherwise it would be somewhat ridiculous for me to expect them to revive in that square, if it's occupied. I could be mistaken on one of them, but the second one, the one who was flanked, most definately had his original square unoccupied.
5) Given my replies to the points above, I am still inclined to say that Rifle Suppression as a preemptive measure sounds more attractive than a retroactive measure that has a high chance of leaving the soldier open for brutal murder.

[Deleted]

The only big downside with this game is the lack of choice. There should be a lot more weapons and armor and planes.

Right now there are 4 classes, with everyone being able to use just one.. rarely 2 weapons. For example snipers only use sniper rifles and every new one is an upgrade.
Why not make it that the lasers are the most accurate, plasma do most damage. I kind of missed the choice. Only one I had was with the assaults as they were able to use a shotgun or a rifle but everything else was still the same. Every new weapon was an upgrade instead of offering a choice.

The game just felt too short. I never even built another lab and was out of things to research like half the game which lasted maybe 15 hours total with normal difficulty.

Oh well, cant wait for an expansion Overall, even though its supposed to be a sequel, I never really played the first part so didnt have anything to compare it with but it left a pretty good impression.