It seems to me that it would benefit sniper classes and the like more, but I havent used it yet. Sounds like you have to be in cover without being flanked for it to work I guess?
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XCOM: Enemy Unknown |OT| Neo GAF is Under Alien Control
- Thread starter Jintor
- Start date
It seems to me that it would benefit sniper classes and the like more, but I havent used it yet. Sounds like you have to be in cover without being flanked for it to work I guess?
You get 4 charges of cloak. You can use it without spending one of your actions for a turn, but you're revealed at the start of your next turn. It's amazing for scouting since a lot of enemies are just milling about waiting for you, but the real benefit of the armor is imo its +20 defense (defense makes you harder to hit). The grapple and move speed bonus are nice too.
Titan armor has the largest hp bonus in the game and makes you immune to fire/poison. However fire is kinda no big deal and thin men are pretty harmless by the time you have that armor. Do keep in mind that if you don't lose enough hp to get through the armor's bonus then your soldier won't have wounded downtime, so it can be very nice.
Yeah, between the camera being somewhat spastic and temperamental inside multi-level structures and the free aim being twitchy (at the very least they could add a confirmation to the free aim target selection like regular shots), that part of the game definitely needs some TLC.
Snap shot seems to be bugged, too, in that the aim penalty is applied to overwatch when you havn't moved. Definitely not worth the squad sight tradeoff right now, and I'm regretting picking it for my second sniper.
Also, I still havn't managed to figure out what those percentages are above the alien heads in the PC UI. Maybe someone here knows? It's either that enemy's chance of hitting your selected soldier or a partially broken shortcut to the selected soldier's chance to hit that enemy, I think.
Think of it this way: if you're launching your satellites in response to panic levels or going on abduction missions based on panic levels you're basically doing nothing but respond to what the aliens are doing. They're making your plans for you. Do you really expect to defeat the alien invasion if you're basically doing whatever a bunch of reedy ESPers, emotionally unstable cyborgs, and hideous insects tell you to do?
What Earth needs isn't an equivocating people-pleaser. What Earth needs is an iron-fisted autocrat who responds to emotional appeals and human suffering on an almost unimaginable scale not with empathy, but with indifference and occasional derision. We're dealing with an unprecedented global disaster instigated by an inscrutable malefic force here. Not everybody is going to get out of this alive, and if we want to win we're going to need to just accept that and start deciding who's expendable right out of the gate.
As luck would have it, the answer to "Who's expendable?" is "Pretty much everybody."
I always equip new recruits with a helmet and paint their armor red the minute they show up, just so that they never forget that they are both faceless and expendable. Sometimes I replace their names with numbers, and when #137 asks what happened to #1 through #136 I laugh because it thinks it gets to ask questions.
I also think that the lack of free aim is tragic because it makes it impossible to shoot civilians during terror missions. Or, should I say, it makes it impossible to shoot future Chryssalids during terror missions.
Incendiary
Banned
Yeah, that's my biggest problem. The chrysalid mission where I died, the problem was that my guys would see chrysalids and "activate" them when they shouldn't have ever been able to see them. Guys shoot through walls, see through walls...hell, one time in a UFO mission I scored an overwatch because one of my guys was on the roof of the UFO and he shot through the roof into the UFO to hit a Muton.
They really need to fix line of sight if they make a sequel.
Basileus777
Member
It depends on the class and how you use the unit. Ghost is better for scouting (ie supports). For assaults it's a bit different because that extra hp matters and assaults also get conditioning which gives bonus hp when wearing heavy armor. What's better, 5 more HP or the ability to cloak 4 times a map? I don't think there is a definitive answer to that.
Snipers should never use anything but archangel armor late game, flying is pretty broken for them.
Further proof on why Firaxis denied Tom Chick a review copy.
http://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2012/10/09/does-firaxis-really-get-x-com/
Really Tom?
http://www.quartertothree.com/fp/2012/10/09/does-firaxis-really-get-x-com/
Really Tom?
I think the main threats to assaults are melee enemies and getting caught with your pants down after missing that 99% shotgun blast around the corner. In which case extra HP is absurdly useful. But on the other hand I use assaults as scouts and being able to cloak is amazing, plus I always take the defense bonuses so they're even harder to hit at range. And extra movement is great too.
What I ended up doing for a while was having a shotgun assault in titan armor and an assault rifle one with ghost armor. Combined with chitin armor even a berserker was not really a threat to the shotgun guy.
What I ended up doing for a while was having a shotgun assault in titan armor and an assault rifle one with ghost armor. Combined with chitin armor even a berserker was not really a threat to the shotgun guy.
whalleywhat
Member
What damning evidence am I supposed to be seeing here?
Derrick01 said:
It's probably better if you have the training school thing that adds will with every rank gain. New squaddies all seem to be around 45 Will. I want to see how high I can get one.
Snapshot King
Member
Is that skill retroactive?
He's saying the XCOM archive should've been named a ufopaedia? I thought it was, maybe i'm not paying attention. Either way he might just be joking.
bigboss370
Member
do rookies ever have it? i thought psi was dependent on rank.
Metalmurphy
Member
Holycrap, I just took down a
and it only took 1 interceptor (not firestorm) to take it down. I think it had lasers equipped.
And I managed to do the whole mission without 1 single death. For some reason my heavy would not take cover, no cover symbol and he wouldn't even crouch, so half way through the mission I simply left him behind.
Finally I can say the game is being challenging and fun, instead of just challenging and punishing.
big ass UFO, bigger the the first Alien land base
And I managed to do the whole mission without 1 single death. For some reason my heavy would not take cover, no cover symbol and he wouldn't even crouch, so half way through the mission I simply left him behind.
Finally I can say the game is being challenging and fun, instead of just challenging and punishing.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Mr_Appleby
Member
Squaddies are like chickens.
Don't give them names, 'cause it only hurts more when they get eaten.
Don't give them names, 'cause it only hurts more when they get eaten.
Question about the psi lab. It says that the higher the will the more likely they are to have psi powers, but do they also have to be max level as well? I had a low level support with more will then my veteren heavy who turned out to have the gift. Also, can you send the same person back to the lab again to keep trying to get psi powers or is it a one chance thing?
bigdaddygamebot
Member
Oh great. After having a Muton punch my favorite support into critical and then one shotting my only guy with a medkit the next turn I should probably get to that ASAP.
My squadmate was Col. with 80 Will and had the gift. I tried all my other squadmates too (varying degrees of Will 50-85 and ranks) and they did not have the gift, so possibly random. It's a one time only thing too, the names will be greyed out so you can't throw em in again.
For Classic difficulty, how are people approaching the aerial war, once the enemy ships start growing in menace?
After six, I think, attempts, I've finally managed to puzzle out how to hit May 1st with five satellites, lasers and carapace. I'm feeling good. Dare I say it, even hopeful. My concern now, the weakness that I see in my next month, is the coin toss of Interception, cases where a vanilla Interceptor is tossed against a medium-size UFO. I've seen the vanilla ship (with no consumables spent) win - once, and I've seen them lose - twice. So, low sample numbers, but it's enough to make me nervous, since I'm expecting medium-size UFOs to become more common from here on out.
For those who feel they've got, or are getting, a handle on Classic difficulty, any tips on how to play that particular airspace tech curve? I have access to Laser Cannons right now but I don't have the alloys to spare on outfitting all my ships. Is it possible to get by solely on the consumables, Sectoid eyes and Floater shoulders or whatever it is? If so I really need to get on with their autopsies.
After six, I think, attempts, I've finally managed to puzzle out how to hit May 1st with five satellites, lasers and carapace. I'm feeling good. Dare I say it, even hopeful. My concern now, the weakness that I see in my next month, is the coin toss of Interception, cases where a vanilla Interceptor is tossed against a medium-size UFO. I've seen the vanilla ship (with no consumables spent) win - once, and I've seen them lose - twice. So, low sample numbers, but it's enough to make me nervous, since I'm expecting medium-size UFOs to become more common from here on out.
For those who feel they've got, or are getting, a handle on Classic difficulty, any tips on how to play that particular airspace tech curve? I have access to Laser Cannons right now but I don't have the alloys to spare on outfitting all my ships. Is it possible to get by solely on the consumables, Sectoid eyes and Floater shoulders or whatever it is? If so I really need to get on with their autopsies.
TemplaerDude
Member
I give them all names, makes visiting the memorial a little more "Oh, yeah, that cross-eyed fuck" then "Who the fuck were you again?"
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Multiplayer PC warning: I think there is a glitch you can do so that you can make the match freeze so that it is on your opponent's turn forever. I had this happen twice where I was winning and then it just stuck on "opponent's turn" forever.
Both times that happened, I just browsed GAF, and when I came back, the other guy left.
Maybe it's just a coincidence.
Both times that happened, I just browsed GAF, and when I came back, the other guy left.
Maybe it's just a coincidence.
Those aim/dodge powerups and plasma cannons on a regular interceptor are enough to take down nearly anything from my experience.
Incendiary
Banned
I name them all after my friends, and whenever they die, I hire a new one and name it "Friend II" or "Friend IV" or "Friend VII" depending on how many times they've died. It lets me keep track of which friends are competent in battle and which ones are cannon fodder.
I agree with taoofjord that it's more like a board game, or maybe more like a console strategy game, which is not a bad thing 
Judging it in a bubble I'm really enjoying it and it's a great game, but as a fan of the original it just doesn't really capture what made UFO special for me. It seems to me so far that a lot of the difficulty comes from the lack of choice rather than the game actually being difficult which is in contrast to the original. Things like not being able to pick up downed soldier's weapons, not being able to move bit by bit forward in one turn or even the small squad size all reduce how how you can play the game and how you can react to a situation turning sour. You are really locked into a lot of your choices when you leave the base which is out of sync with the original.
Firaxis have carved out their own version of the game, and it's a very good one, but do wish it had more of the flexibility of the original.
Judging it in a bubble I'm really enjoying it and it's a great game, but as a fan of the original it just doesn't really capture what made UFO special for me. It seems to me so far that a lot of the difficulty comes from the lack of choice rather than the game actually being difficult which is in contrast to the original. Things like not being able to pick up downed soldier's weapons, not being able to move bit by bit forward in one turn or even the small squad size all reduce how how you can play the game and how you can react to a situation turning sour. You are really locked into a lot of your choices when you leave the base which is out of sync with the original.
Firaxis have carved out their own version of the game, and it's a very good one, but do wish it had more of the flexibility of the original.
Fragamemnon
Member
This game has such a frustrating difficulty curve. There is zero real threat or challenge past month three or so, the challenge is all frontloaded even worse than Civ 5 (Firaxis' last game) on Deity. I didn't think that shape of difficultly curve would ever be replicated in one of their games. This is on Classic and mildly save-scummed Impossible (I allow one save per month[1]).
They should have integrated the point buy system from multiplayer into single player to prevent "runaway" squad builds, and compensated for the loss of choice via upgrades to the point cap at the OTS and through solider ranks (so getting high level troops is still rewarded). The panic system is haplessly frontloaded and if you ever have a country panic out on you past month three or four you don't understand the way panic works or lost already due to squad loss.
I love the game, and in general the system design is great, but it needed someone to throw the red flag on game imbalance at some point. Granted the original was also very very easy once you understood how things worked and got through the newbie-bloodshed part, but I would have expected the experience to be smoothed out more so it's harder later in the remake.
[1]-Ironman Impossible sucks because you have to grind the start over and over until you get good map and first abduction mission RNG. I'm too busy and can't waste a whole weekend spamming attempts. This is my personal compromise for Impossible, Classic Ironman is fine because the start is so much less savage.
They should have integrated the point buy system from multiplayer into single player to prevent "runaway" squad builds, and compensated for the loss of choice via upgrades to the point cap at the OTS and through solider ranks (so getting high level troops is still rewarded). The panic system is haplessly frontloaded and if you ever have a country panic out on you past month three or four you don't understand the way panic works or lost already due to squad loss.
I love the game, and in general the system design is great, but it needed someone to throw the red flag on game imbalance at some point. Granted the original was also very very easy once you understood how things worked and got through the newbie-bloodshed part, but I would have expected the experience to be smoothed out more so it's harder later in the remake.
[1]-Ironman Impossible sucks because you have to grind the start over and over until you get good map and first abduction mission RNG. I'm too busy and can't waste a whole weekend spamming attempts. This is my personal compromise for Impossible, Classic Ironman is fine because the start is so much less savage.
Fragamemnon
Member
- Backup interceptors where you have multiple sats. This, along with the US's huge income, is why players reluctant to give up a North American country early on at the end of the first and second month, it saves you so much money up-front and per month once you have a fleet of interceptors going.
- Phoenix cannons are not bad if you are largely skipping lasers (i.e. you got two early snipers and plan on capping early w/ Disabling Shots for guns), otherwise Laser Cannons are cheap and excellent. If you go the Phoenix route you will need plasma cannons right after rifles and plasma snipers. Backup interceptors HIGHLY recommended if you are doing this.
- Firehawks around month 4/5, I get them right after titan armor. One per continent.
Mr_Appleby
Member
cross-eyed? definitely chickens.
Aaronology
Member
Wow! Sounds like we just had the same mission. I just shot down my first
battleship
The three mutons weren't a threat, relatively speaking. The main danger were the heavy floaters, who've recently gained a penchant for flying above my troops and lobbing grenades. I lost a psionic assault rookie to that tactic the mission prior, and I thought for sure I was going to lose some more guys this time, too. BUT NO. My psi-support Lieutenant Dark Athena went all Invisible Woman and totally saved the day.
Within the force field my squad managed to survive the onslaught that came in the next turn. Someone said a few pages back that mind control was the superior skill. I agree that it's pretty cool, but it wouldn't have kept my entire squad alive the way force field did on this occasion (and a few more). It's the reason I was able to get this screen:
I'm pretty late game. Not much left to research and I've gotten every weapon upgrade (I think! >_>). Unlike a lot of people I'm having much more fun now. I've been experimenting with psionic abilities and getting the hang of the Ghost and Archangel suits. More, I've finally gotten two supports who haven't died on me. I absolutely love this class.
Dark Athena is the definition of a ninja. Sprinting, cloaking, grappling hooks, smoke bombs and psionics. You can't get more awesome than that. Once she reaches Colonel my snipers are going to become her support and not the other way around. In 7 missions she's gone from a no-name rookie with the psionic gift to being the rising star of my squad. Her inclusion in my roster has had such a drastic impact on how my missions play out. With sprint and under cloak, Dark Athena was able to completely bypass the sectopod and elite mutons guarding the Ethereal and assassinate it before my more mentally vulnerable troops could come into range of its powers. Risky? Yes. Badass? YES! Felt like I was playing Metal Gear Solid! In my next game I'm going to keep the Ghost/Support/Psionic combo in mind as my goal. Move over flying snipers, I want an entire SQUAD of psychic invisible ninjas! The sectoid/ethereal mind rapers won't know what hit them.
I love this game so much.
electricpirate
Member
Mutons on day 61 are you kidding me?
The amount of bugs in this fucking game is ridiculous. Half the time Im lucky if I get in a map because the menu will bug out or my characters in the squad select wont appear properly, or it'll make a duplicate of a charater I already made. Im really surprised reviews didnt cover this problem because it's extensive as hell.
Incendiary
Banned
That sounds absolutely awesome, but I wonder how hard it is to get a soldier to evolve into the Support class AND have Psionic. Getting both to line up would be tricky.
JustProgress
Member
Anyone try running this on a Macbook Retina or the like? Was going to dial down the res and see how it plays, but don't have the room so want to know if its worth it before I uninstall stuff. Can You Run It said I'd be fine, but you never know.
forgeforsaken
Member
If enough nations pull funding you lose.
RealDeadOne
Member
God damn, that's badass. It's amazing that this game can actually make you think of some of your troops as badass, actually.
It's going to be painful when she inevitably dies
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Maybe those reviewers didn't encounter these problems, this thread is the first time I hear of them myself, it's been smooth sailing for me outside some interface issues (that aren't bugs, just bad design). I hope this doesn't change!
As for those interface issues, I've switched to a 360 pad, now that I've experienced this scheme it's clear the game was primarily designed with it in mind. You may still prefer the mouse controls, I may go back to them myself, but there are far less annoyances and counter intuitive design approaches when considering the limitations of the controller and how they've handled it, I think.
Now I'm only disappointed in how small most mission maps have been and the inability to have multiple bases and so on. Also that I can't sell crap gear I've created and don't use and other such things (I think) the original handled better and in more detail. The game also seems too easy on Classic Ironman but I'm just in the beginning, I'm sure it will kick my ass soon enough.
The seed of the random number generator persists through saving and loading. So if you do the same thing after loading every time it'll end exactly the same way.
If you want to manipulate the odds you'll need to do something different before your sniper shoots. Have someone else shoot first or something. Then you'll have a new random number for your sniper to work with.
I salute you, Wardog, an Assault and the definition of a team player. I was awarded him as a reward for an abduction mission, he was promoted on his first op with me, and in his second mission he was pinned down by a trio of Mutons, so in a heroic last stand he stunned a Muton for capture before being gunned down by the other two.
*bagpipes*
*tear runs down my cheek*
Then after that mission, most of my vets were recuperating when I was called in for another abduction mission. Earth's defense fell to a lieutenant Support with a motley crew of squaddies, but somehow she got them to pull their shit together for the victory.
*bagpipes*
*tear runs down my cheek*
Then after that mission, most of my vets were recuperating when I was called in for another abduction mission. Earth's defense fell to a lieutenant Support with a motley crew of squaddies, but somehow she got them to pull their shit together for the victory.
Just a non-spoilery progress check. In spoiler tags, of course.
How far am I in the story missions?
I'm asking, because I'm starting to make endgame tech now. Plasma weapons, Titan Armor, and so on. Still really want that
, but I need another Heavy. My last spare kind of got critted by a Cyberdisk. That hurts. Briefly. My original Heavy is high level, but he's been down a few times so lower Will. He's Gifted, though.
How far am I in the story missions?
I need to build the Hyperwave Decoder next.
I'm asking, because I'm starting to make endgame tech now. Plasma weapons, Titan Armor, and so on. Still really want that
Blaster Launcher
I just finished doing that(and it's sitting there doing nothing). I'm going through it on normal at the moment, so it's not the best barometer; but I figure there are like 14 species total? I remember hearing that before launch. So, if you count
laser disk and drone
-tetsuo-
Unlimited Capacity
This is so godlike. We found out that system link IS ACTUALLY in the game. People that were in a yugioh tournament are dropping $10 a game in money matches. Shit is ridiculously hype at this point. Like, every single shot is just super tense and if it is a hit everyone is just going nuts.