XCOM Enemy Unknown

M

Maebe_sl

shitlord
67
0
aegdaien_sl said:
Is there a reason other than that to use a SHIV?
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SHIVs are able to take a fine bit of punishment, can fly, have high ammo and are easily interchangeable with another SHIV. I use them as light weight scouts or to give the aliens an alternate target so they don't shoot troops.
Setting up my snipers on high ground behind cover and sending a SHIV up high and scouting stopped me getting flanked and avoided some problems I had attacking high ground. Often if you just peak at the aliens it activates them and they will come walking into your troops.

Spectre armour is pretty cool for scouting and once you have it and a decent scouting support char I favour them over the SHIV.
 
Brando

Asshat Brando

Potato del Grande
<Banned>
5,346
-478
Is the terrorizing a city mission thrown at you way to early for your squads capabilities? I've had to start over at least 2 or 3 times now as I'll lose my whole squad on that mission and then just will have rookies left and it's just downhill from there.
 
K

Kuldiin_sl

shitlord
13
0
Brando_sl said:
Is the terrorizing a city mission thrown at you way to early for your squads capabilities? I've had to start over at least 2 or 3 times now as I'll lose my whole squad on that mission and then just will have rookies left and it's just downhill from there.
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If you find you are getting wiped out on this mission, go defensive as soon as you can in an area near where you start (depends on the map), but try to tag at least one person. As long as you save a single person the mission is a success.

Dont charge in too fast on Terror missions, you will get taken down hard
smile.png
 
Dandain

Dandain

Trakanon Raider
2,092
917
Brando_sl said:
Is the terrorizing a city mission thrown at you way to early for your squads capabilities? I've had to start over at least 2 or 3 times now as I'll lose my whole squad on that mission and then just will have rookies left and it's just downhill from there.
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No its just the story event/escalation it is also a global terror reduction on success. The abductions always make you pick 1 of 3 continents generally - so its a net panic increase the terror missions in the cities are a net panic(global) reduction. In the higher difficulties that mission is the break point about how you approach the first month, you can have 5 satellites launched and Laser weaponry in an ideal first month.
 
Braen

Braen

<Medals Crew>
1,027
531
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/08/xc...gameplay-opti/

Today marks the announcement and release of XCOM's second batch of DLC, "Second Wave," on all available platforms. The new content comes via a free update, adding multiple new options designed to appeal to players looking for a new and different challenge. Specifically, the update adds a new menu of options that significantly alter the way XCOM is played.

Damage Roulette, for example, gives all weapons a much wider range of damage ? potentially stealing a killing blow or possibly bestowing a last ditch pistol shot with extra punch. Another option, Not Created Equally, gives all rookie soldiers random stats, while Hidden Potential causes stats to increase randomly with each promotion. Firaxis designer Jake Solomon tells Joystiq these options allow for more versatile soldiers, even some that go against the grain of their classes. Heavies with incredible accuracy? It could happen.

The goal in creating Second Wave, he says, was to offer experienced players more extraterrestrial bang for their buck. "One of the values we offer people who play our games is [that] we really want to reduce the dollar cost per hour spent on our games. We want to consider ourselves to be one of the greatest game values that there is."

Furthermore, many of the new options make XCOM much more difficult and demanding, something fans of the original game are sure to appreciate. Marathon, for example, makes the campaign take much longer, confronting players with higher costs and longer research periods and soldier healing times. Diminishing Returns, meanwhile, raises satellite construction costs for each satellite built. You know, because they didn't cost enough already.

Some options are available immediately to new players, while others are unlocked by completing the game at different difficulty levels. Again, The Second Wave is available today on Xbox, PS3 and PC, so get to cracking some alien skulls. See the full list of new options below.

Damage Roulette: Weapons have a wider range of damage.
New Economy: Randomized council member funding.
Not Created Equally: Rookies will have random starting stats.
Hidden Potential: As a soldier is promoted, stats increase randomly.
Red Fog: Combat wounds will degrade the soldier's mission stats.
Absolutely Critical: A flanking shot guarantees a critical hit.
The Greater Good: Psionics can only be learned from interrogating a psionic alien.
Marathon: The game takes considerably longer to complete.
Results Driven: A country offers less funding as its panic level increases.
High Stakes: Random rewards for stopping alien abductions.
Diminishing Returns: Increased cost of satellite construction.
More Than Human: The psionic gift is extremely rare.
 
Gavinmad

Gavinmad

Mr. Poopybutthole
42,381
50,443
Braen_sl said:
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/08/xc...gameplay-opti/

Today marks the announcement and release of XCOM's second batch of DLC, "Second Wave," on all available platforms. The new content comes via a free update, adding multiple new options designed to appeal to players looking for a new and different challenge. Specifically, the update adds a new menu of options that significantly alter the way XCOM is played.

Damage Roulette, for example, gives all weapons a much wider range of damage - potentially stealing a killing blow or possibly bestowing a last ditch pistol shot with extra punch. Another option, Not Created Equally, gives all rookie soldiers random stats, while Hidden Potential causes stats to increase randomly with each promotion. Firaxis designer Jake Solomon tells Joystiq these options allow for more versatile soldiers, even some that go against the grain of their classes. Heavies with incredible accuracy? It could happen.

The goal in creating Second Wave, he says, was to offer experienced players more extraterrestrial bang for their buck. "One of the values we offer people who play our games is [that] we really want to reduce the dollar cost per hour spent on our games. We want to consider ourselves to be one of the greatest game values that there is."

Furthermore, many of the new options make XCOM much more difficult and demanding, something fans of the original game are sure to appreciate. Marathon, for example, makes the campaign take much longer, confronting players with higher costs and longer research periods and soldier healing times. Diminishing Returns, meanwhile, raises satellite construction costs for each satellite built. You know, because they didn't cost enough already.

Some options are available immediately to new players, while others are unlocked by completing the game at different difficulty levels. Again, The Second Wave is available today on Xbox, PS3 and PC, so get to cracking some alien skulls. See the full list of new options below.

Damage Roulette: Weapons have a wider range of damage.
New Economy: Randomized council member funding.
Not Created Equally: Rookies will have random starting stats.
Hidden Potential: As a soldier is promoted, stats increase randomly.
Red Fog: Combat wounds will degrade the soldier's mission stats.
Absolutely Critical: A flanking shot guarantees a critical hit.
The Greater Good: Psionics can only be learned from interrogating a psionic alien.
Marathon: The game takes considerably longer to complete.
Results Driven: A country offers less funding as its panic level increases.
High Stakes: Random rewards for stopping alien abductions.
Diminishing Returns: Increased cost of satellite construction.
More Than Human: The psionic gift is extremely rare.
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Fucking finally
 
Budos

Budos

Golden Knight of the Realm
592
10
Braen_sl said:
patch notes
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Some of those options (except Marathon and randomness) you could add into the game via modding; I'm glad it's a free update. After I beat the game on normal & classic, modding added another option for me aside from Impossible.

I would suggest looking into it if small tweaks would make you enjoy the game again.
 
A

Azziane_sl

shitlord
541
1
What does marathon do exactly? Does it mean panic rises more slowly, buildings cost more etc...?

And how would one go about getting Second Wave to trigger without beating the game. Is it as simple as some .ini setting somewhere?

**

Also got a couple questions - how the hell do people claim they manage to lose no country on iron man? I have not played much yet and I assume that in later months you start getting enough satellite up and that more coverage means less panic. But at the end of month 1 I have 4 countries at 4 panic. And one satellite built. At the end of month 2, building satellites and satellites "facilities" (forgot the name) non stop I still get 3 countries in panic mode. Only 2 of them actually withdrew - I was not aware it was not a 100% chance.

And I started building the satellite room as early as humanly possible, I think. My 2 first missions I chose the + engineer rewards and got to 10 within a few days.

So how do you pro dudes handle the first 2 months of your game? What do you build, how do you pick missions (based on what criteria), what do you research?
 
Gavinmad

Gavinmad

Mr. Poopybutthole
42,381
50,443
Aside from carefully choosing your missions, assaulting the alien base is a global panic reduction. If you can complete that mission before anyone withdraws, it should be smooth sailing the rest of the way.
 
Brando

Asshat Brando

Potato del Grande
<Banned>
5,346
-478
Building the stuff needed to advance the story line just slows down your Sat production though, do people advance the story line as each option comes up or do they wait until they have the extra funds? I've been going Africa and just trying to get full sat coverage by month 4 or 5 regardless of anything else. I'll even ignore the first small scout that you can shoot down so I can shoot down a medium one and have more stuff to sell.
 
D

Dynalisia

Lord Nagafen Raider
55
23
Brando_sl said:
Is the terrorizing a city mission thrown at you way to early for your squads capabilities? I've had to start over at least 2 or 3 times now as I'll lose my whole squad on that mission and then just will have rookies left and it's just downhill from there.
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Don't let yourself feel rushed by the civilian counter on terror missions. It is MUCH more important your team kills all the baddies and live than it is to end the mission with a handful of additional civilian lives saved. If you're a new player, just start out by ignoring the civ counter entirely and playing defensively; you'll see that in the end your score won't be so bad at all. Then, as you get better, your score on future missions will too.
 
Gavinmad

Gavinmad

Mr. Poopybutthole
42,381
50,443
So is project slingshot just a miniature story arc that you play throughout the normal course of the game? How does that work? Deciding whether or not I should pick it up. Also, what exactly comes in the elite soldier pack, is it all just fluff or does it actually add something to the game?
 
cyrusreij

cyrusreij

Trakanon Raider
1,713
576
Elite soldier is just fluff, allows you to change soldier outfit colors, hairstyles, and some alternate armor graphics. Slingshot is a set of 3 council missions that essentially lets you kill an alien battleship really early in the game with the worst thing i fought being only a cyberdisc. Thus if u want to spend the time researching you can get the two fusion weapons earlier. Also it adds more fluff, some helmets and some more armor options.
 
Joeboo

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
140
Is there anyway to keep all nations from withdrawing? Even playing on normal I always lose 1 or 2 nations before I can get full satellite coverage. Is it just pure dumb luck, you have to hope the same areas dont get attacked multiple times while you don't have satellites there to detect it?
 
Gavinmad

Gavinmad

Mr. Poopybutthole
42,381
50,443
You can build satellites even when you don't have enough capacity for them, can't remember if you can start them even before you have your first satellite room though, probably not. Assaulting the alien base is worth -2 global panic reduction, so if you can get to that point without any nations withdrawing, you should make it for the rest of the game. You also have to choose your initial missions carefully to manage panic and get the engineers you need asap.
 
Brando

Asshat Brando

Potato del Grande
<Banned>
5,346
-478
You can build a satellite on Day 1, I always do so I can get one over the US if nobody is about to withdraw at the end of the month.
 
A

Azziane_sl

shitlord
541
1
It's mostly luck, it seems to me. I kept getting SGT Supports as rewards for the abductions in countries I had to reduce panic in on my second game. I had 4 extra supports that I was never going to use by the end of month 2 or so. I don't care about losing countries if it's part of the game. I don't think you re supposed to keep them all. But the luck factor can be crippling, which is just plain dumb in a strategy game.

That being said my third game (reloaded an early save of my first game) is going much better. Month 3 is almost over and no sign of anyone leaving yet. 3 countries in the red but I have 3 sats I can deploy. I think I am way behind on research though. I went full Engineer for rewards, 0 scientists and I already detected a "large" ship. I don't think it's possible to kill it with the starter weapons. Maybe if I had multiple interceptors and aborted/re-attacked a lot... No way I could have 3+ interceptors in each hangar though.

Does the first large ship always come this early? All I researched was the regular beam weapons (rifle/pistol) so I doubt research triggers it. Is it also dumb luck?
 
Brando

Asshat Brando

Potato del Grande
<Banned>
5,346
-478
I wanted to try my first Classic Ironman after basically completing Normal. If you fuck up on any of the first month missions do you just restart or keep plugging along? I just failed a bomb one as I had no way to run to the next timer with 2 thin man sitting next to it, rookie and squaddie level accuracy is just horrendous.
 
Gavinmad

Gavinmad

Mr. Poopybutthole
42,381
50,443
So I started a game with operation slingshot, went ahead and picked that mission first. Now the second mission has come around, and it's saying something about diverting an enemy battleship. I'm not going to have to shoot the fucking thing down am I? I mean I assume not, because I haven't researched a single interceptor upgrade yet.
 
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