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[web01]

Man that DLC is super lame because for one it is obviously content that was held back from release and two because a 3 mission mini story arc is the last thing this game needs.

No one should be surprised though Firaxis is one of the absolute worst companies when it comes to DLC rip offs and scams.

 

[Ken]

Some images from the DLC:

That's cool.

 

[Nocebo]

This is not DLC for a xcom game. ;_________;

 

[duckroll]

This is not DLC for a xcom game. ;_________;

Maybe it was DLC planned for the other XCOM game. (lol)

 

[Nocebo]

Maybe it was DLC planned for the other XCOM game. (lol)

Haha, it would certainly make more sense there.

 

[Jintor]

Man that DLC is super lame because for one it is obviously content that was held back from release and two because a 3 mission mini story arc is the last thing this game needs.

No one should be surprised though Firaxis is one of the absolute worst companies when it comes to DLC rip offs and scams.

Expansion Packs though...

 

[Donthizz#]

when you have mind shield on enemies can't mind control you right?

 

[web01]

Expansion Packs though...

You ever see how much DLC they sold for Civilisation Revolution & Civilisation 5?
Firaxis sold monument / wonder packs in revolution. Specific random map generating configurations are also completely locked out if you do not own certain DLC map packs.
Not to mention all of the content was obviously held back or carved up as preorder bonuses and later sold.
That is disgraceful DLC tactics is you ask me.

Firaxis do ok with their expansion packs but they are guilty with their other DLC of anti consumer practices.

And you can see it is continuing in X-Com, locking out anyone who did not preorder from the ability to change the colour of their soldiers armour or pay $8 AUD for the privilege. And now held back mission packs... in a game severely lacking in levels variety.

 

[Tess3ract]

I named a guy named Dan, got him up to lt...but then he got gangbanged and crit killed.

rip lt dan. You shall be missed

 

[Sloane]

Man that DLC is super lame because for one it is obviously content that was held back from release and two because a 3 mission mini story arc is the last thing this game needs.

Seriously, wtf? I hope they do a proper add-on eventually, I love the game but there is so much that can be expanded / fixed.

 

[GlenChivas]

I'm playing on 360 and I'm loving this game so much but some of the bugs are killing it for me. Almost done with my Classic Ironman run and while in the middle of a turn my Hover SHIV bugs out and I can't attack or move. Tried reloading my save several times and it happens every time. And since the fun part of Ironman is the saving after every move I'm completely fucked and get to start all over again.

Still love the hell out of it though. Just really needs a patch soon.

 

[Jintor]

You ever see how much DLC they sold for Civilisation Revolution & Civilisation 5?
They sold monument / wonder packs in revolution. Specific random map generating configurations are also completely locked out if you do not own certain DLC map packs.
Not to mention all of the content was obviously held back or carved up as preorder bonuses and later sold.
That is disgraceful DLC tactics is you ask me.

They do ok with their expansion packs but they are guilty with their other DLC of anti consumer practices.

And you can see it is continuing in X-Com, locking out anyone who did not preorder from the ability to change the colour of their soldiers armour or pay $8 AUD for the privilege. And now held back mission packs... in a game severely lacking in levels.

Then don't buy it?

It's all market forces at this level...

I mean shit, seven bucks for that cosmetic DLC is bullshit all the way. not gonna lie.

 

[Castor Krieg]

Stabilized the situation, teched to Plasma weapons, all remaining countries have satellites. Lost my Colonel sniper to chrysallids though, but on the other hand I need to replace my squad anyway, the starting guys have terrible Will numbers.

Seems I'm at the point where I can comfortably stretch the game however long I want.

 

[web01]

Then don't buy it?

It's all market forces at this level...

They choose to hold back content and carve up their game to sell DLC. This is at the expense of people who do not buy the DLC because they miss out on features they would have been included in the base game otherwise. Nothing forces Firaxis to do that.

They have shown they can make expansion packs but they are greedy and want to to milk consumers for as much money as possible to the point they will deliberately remove content and features from the game to sell. Its disgusting. Make DLC and expansion post release please, but dont gimp your game and remove features and missions to sell!
It shows a lack or respect for consumers and your own game as a complete experience.

Anyone who defends that is a fanboy or just plain stupid. The do not buy it argument doesn't stop them from doing it, they should be called out for their anti consumer DLC practice. Thats all I have to say because this always ends up going in circles.

 

[duckroll]

I'm really not convinced this is "held back" content at all. It sounds like something extra which really would have no place in the standard game package. Why would there be a specific emphasis on China in the main game and a named hero unit there as opposed to any other country in the world? As bonus extra content, it makes sense to create a set of themed missions which gives it its own identity and flavor. But it really doesn't strike me as something which would have been in the standard game at all.

If every country had special themed missions like this, and China and some other countries were missing them, and they release this as DLC later, then sure, it would appear to be content cut out from the game or held back. But as it is, even as a DLC bonus pack, it sounds kinda forced and extraneous, which is usually a good sign that it was conceived separately from the main game.

 

[Jintor]

Because calling them out is going to worry 2K so much! The only statement that matters is buying power.

 

[Basileus777]

Because calling them out is going to worry 2K so much! The only statement that matters is buying power.

The only statement you are likely to make is, XCom DLC doesn't sell, move everyone at Firaxis onto the next project.

I agree with Duckroll though, this DLC does not appear to be something cut out of the game. It feels like their attempt to make DLC for a game that isn't designed in a way that makes that easy.

 

[Dmax3901]

So I wasn't aware autosave had to be turned on, game just crashed, lost a few hours of gameplay.

Due to the nature of the gameplay (occasionally long battles and queuing up research/buildings) I really don't think I'll even bother playing now. Not for a while, anyway.

Is there anyway for me to get someone else's save somewhere? I'd just researched the shard energy alien thing.

 

[Aaron]

They should just integrate more stuff into the main game to make it more replayable. Story missions are completely worthless, and just going in the opposite direction of what I want.

 

[Jintor]

The only statement you are likely to make is, XCom DLC doesn't sell, move everyone at Firaxis onto the next project.

Don't you just love consumer aggregate power

it's like a scalpel in its precision messaging

 

[Nocebo]

I'm really not convinced this is "held back" content at all. It sounds like something extra which really would have no place in the standard game package. Why would there be a specific emphasis on China in the main game and a named hero unit there as opposed to any other country in the world? As bonus extra content, it makes sense to create a set of themed missions which gives it its own identity and flavor. But it really doesn't strike me as something which would have been in the standard game at all.

If every country had special themed missions like this, and China and some other countries were missing them, and they release this as DLC later, then sure, it would appear to be content cut out from the game or held back. But as it is, even as a DLC bonus pack, it sounds kinda forced and extraneous, which is usually a good sign that it was conceived separately from the main game.

Agreed it would have no place in the main game in the first place. I'm actually glad this is DLC and not in the main game so I can ignore it. I just hope not all DLC is going to continue in this vein.

 

[dentoomw]

So has anyone managed to successfully keep ALL member nations in a Classic playthrough? I barely managed to do it on Normal, but I'm starting to feel Classic is impossible :\

 

[Wunder]

Jintor reply to my PM

 

[Jintor]

Never!

Spoiler

Later

 

[Castor Krieg]

So has anyone managed to successfully keep ALL member nations in a Classic playthrough? I barely managed to do it on Normal, but I'm starting to feel Classic is impossible :\

Satellites are the key. Do not launch them until the last day, and then target nations that are 5/5 in Panic. Launch on other dates only if you can grab continent bonus, the abductions will stop then and the panic will not increase if you can keep the satellites up.

You should be aiming at 1 satellite in the first month, 2-3 in the second one. On Normal that shouldn't be a problem.

I have to say I love the satellite/panic system. Probably the best feature of the game. I would love DLC with more things effecting Panic levels.

 

[Darkone]

Any advice on how to get money?
i am taking missions that gives money but still its not enough.
i am always on low cash, i have 2 satellites up and building the third one now.

 

[Rentahamster]

So has anyone managed to successfully keep ALL member nations in a Classic playthrough? I barely managed to do it on Normal, but I'm starting to feel Classic is impossible :\

Yeah, it's not that bad.

Impossible is impossible.

 

[Fragamemnon]

So has anyone managed to successfully keep ALL member nations in a Classic playthrough? I barely managed to do it on Normal, but I'm starting to feel Classic is impossible :\

I just did it on Ironman Classic. Check out my post a few pages back on some hints. I think there is some luck involved, but honestly not too much. On Classic the rate of panic gain is not as high as Impossible and is manageable as long as you aggressively build sats and have a plan to launch them.

 

[KO Traveling Hobo]

So has anyone managed to successfully keep ALL member nations in a Classic playthrough? I barely managed to do it on Normal, but I'm starting to feel Classic is impossible :\

When choosing which abduction mission to take, keep in mind that panic rises across the entire continents of the two countries you neglect. Sometimes it's better to take a country with lower panic or worse rewards if one of the other countries in its continent is close to full.

 

[Zeliard]

I just did it on Ironman Classic. Check out my post a few pages back on some hints. I think there is some luck involved, but honestly not too much. On Classic the rate of panic gain is not as high as Impossible and is manageable as long as you aggressively build sats and have a plan to launch them.

Have you or are you going to try any of those hidden bonus options that the mod opened up?

A few of those may be a viable way to make Classic Ironman tougher and offer a middle ground of sorts between Classic and Impossible.

 

[duckroll]

So has anyone managed to successfully keep ALL member nations in a Classic playthrough? I barely managed to do it on Normal, but I'm starting to feel Classic is impossible :\

It's very possible. I fucked up my first two months in Classic, so I lost the entire African continent, but I've had no issues with all the remaining countries since then. When I complete the game and do a Classic Ironman replay, I'm definitely aiming on keeping all countries in.

 

[Nocebo]

Any advice on how to get money?
i am taking missions that gives money but still its not enough.
i am always on low cash, i have 2 satellites up and building the third one now.

Gray market?

 

[Wunder]

Gray market?

Man I fucked that part up a bit. I hadn't read any tips on Gray market stuff so I was just selling shit that didn't say NOT RESEARCHED, instead of selling the 'junk' stuff like damaged power sources or whatever. Kind of bit me in the ass now since I have a shortage of Alloys and very few sectoid/thin men corpses and all I'm facing are damn mutons.

 

[fanboi]

It's very possible. I fucked up my first two months in Classic, so I lost the entire African continent, but I've had no issues with all the remaining countries since then. When I complete the game and do a Classic Ironman replay, I'm definitely aiming on keeping all countries in.

I have.
Ironman Classic mode!

 

[Darkone]

Gray market?

I Sell stuff that are damaged and i have a really big QTY, i am afraid to sell to much items and when i will need them i wont be able to buy or research.

Do i need to keep alien corpses after i research them?

 

[Nocebo]

I Sell stuff that are damaged and i have a really big QTY, i am afraid to sell to much items and when i will need them i wont be able to buy or research.

Yea, I can't give you advice about what to sell and when. Because it depends on your situation. But I have to say that there were many times when I was out of cash and still many things I wanted to buy. You just have to prioritize and keep yourself afloat.

 

[Castor Krieg]

Any advice on how to get money?
i am taking missions that gives money but still its not enough.
i am always on low cash, i have 2 satellites up and building the third one now.

Do not take missions that give money just because you lack it. You should follow the pattern:

Panic in a given country is high > Panic on a continent is high > Engineers >>>>>> Everything else

As for things to sell: sell corpses, keep 5-10 of each, sell all the UFO stuff, you won't need it in the first three months.

 

[Astery]

So has anyone managed to successfully keep ALL member nations in a Classic playthrough? I barely managed to do it on Normal, but I'm starting to feel Classic is impossible :

Very possible. I did it in all my classic play throughs. It's easier if your base has 2 steam tiles connected to each other in the 1st / 2nd/ 3rd row

 

[Nome]

They choose to hold back content and carve up their game to sell DLC. This is at the expense of people who do not buy the DLC because they miss out on features they would have been included in the base game otherwise. Nothing forces Firaxis to do that.

They have shown they can make expansion packs but they are greedy and want to to milk consumers for as much money as possible to the point they will deliberately remove content and features from the game to sell. Its disgusting. Make DLC and expansion post release please, but dont gimp your game and remove features and missions to sell!
It shows a lack or respect for consumers and your own game as a complete experience.

Anyone who defends that is a fanboy or just plain stupid. The do not buy it argument doesn't stop them from doing it, they should be called out for their anti consumer DLC practice. Thats all I have to say because this always ends up going in circles.

Hi there! It appears you know nothing about video game development! You see, in the real world, projects have budgets and goals. So what to do after your product drops... whoops, got an idle staff, so better lay them off! BUT NO, WAIT! A responsible studio will dynamically plan development goals and staff allocations based on projected product success. What does this mean? Working on DLC as soon as the core product is ready to ship! Wow, who woulda thought?

 

[Visceir]

I did a mission in Nigeria and while doing some battling in the store there were those really weird moments where there was usually silence but then whenever it zoomed into an enemy or your character there was this weird bow chicka wow wow porn music playing, example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qrh4jh0yLM

I think I'm much too impatient to fully enjoy this type of game. Always hated having to progress slowly in the beginning of a map, not knowing how far ahead the aliens might be, seemed just like a waste of time. Also lacked a sense of exploration that you would usually get in this type of games and I wished there had been more variety in classes and environments. First half was really fun, second half felt more like work.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

No one should be surprised though Firaxis is one of the absolute worst companies when it comes to DLC rip offs and scams.

That's cool, I'm off to destroy Hawaii now.

 

[mikeGFG]

Hi there! It appears you know nothing about video game development! You see, in the real world, projects have budgets and goals. So what to do after your product drops... whoops, got an idle staff, so better lay them off! BUT NO, WAIT! A responsible studio will dynamically plan development goals and staff allocations based on projected product success. What does this mean? Working on DLC as soon as the core product is ready to ship! Wow, who woulda thought?

lmao

just be honest, bro. you need to make a 90 dollar video game to survive. but you know damn well that no $90 msrp game is going to fly on a store-shelf.

 

[xenist]

Done with my initial exploratory playthrough on normal. Improved SCOPE, Archangel armor, plasma sniper riffle, opportunist, double tap, psionic snipers almost break the game. So much damage, such high percentages. I almost never had to take a shot below 85% once fully ready and most of them were 100%. Basically by the end of each round there were two aliens dead or dying. Every single time.

Now that I'm familiar with the mechanics it's time for Classic Ironman. In a few days though. I'd love a camera fixing patch for that. Because the way things are now there no way that you won't lose people to weird glitches once Skeleton and Ghost armor open up multiple elevation levels.

 

[TTG]

Finished a run through classic, went by really quickly. After building the hyperwave station, why wait? I wasn't delayed by research progress and resources were piling up. And I had tried out most things on my first playthrough... I only regret not trying drone capture, I had the ability for some 3 missions? Opportunity didn't come up. It would take serious balls to leave a sectopod unharmed when you're that close, to zap a drone instead. Stats:

190 days
30 missions
1 country lost. This was out of my control, happened in the first 2 months.
Average shot: 73% Happy about that. Patience, grasshopper!
Days until second satellite: 20, third in 36. Nigeria bailing out really was out of my control! I bet the 4th went online 36 days out as well, because that must have been the day my second uplink finished construction.

Anyway, we talk strategy all the time, so I won't make a huge post out of it... but a couple of thoughts on higher difficulty stuff:

-Learn to move in a way where you're only facing 1-2 groups of enemies at a time and you're the first to draw blood. Danger escalates exponentially when the number of bad guys grows on screen or the number of fronts you're fighting on goes up.

-Always be flanking. Flanking someone isn't always represented well on screen, so look at that diagram someone posted earlier if you have to. If you're moving from point a to point b to only close distance between you and the target, you're doing it wrong.

-Cryssalids never stop being scary. Even though reaction shots will pick a lot of them off and they're one shotted by everyone later in the game, spooky stuff! A lot of the really powerful aliens don't make this impression. Not their fault, but when a sectopod or an ethereal saunters on screen, they get the undivided attention of 6 soldiers. They're toast.

-Take care of your snipers. They're your get out of jail free card. A sniper with squad sight, double tap and a plasma gets first priority, before assaults with ghost armor and alloy cannons, before anything really.

 

[xenist]

-Cryssalids never stop being scary. Even though reaction shots will pick a lot of them off and they're one shotted by everyone later in the game, spooky stuff! A lot of the really powerful aliens don't make this impression. Not their fault, but when a sectopod or an ethereal saunters on screen, they get the undivided attention of 6 soldiers. They're toast.

To tell you the truth save for one almost disastrous Starship Troopers like terror mission I was two shotting them with ease. Never much bothered me. And after a little while one shotting them. In the end my guys were such monsters that I was only really in trouble against multiple Sectorpods or multiple Ethereals. Even though they were pushovers I HATED the Thin Men. They upset me.

 

[ElyrionX]

Any general consensus on best version? PC, 360 or PS3?

 

[Jintor]

PC because the patching will be easier

 

[duckroll]

PC supports both KB/M and controller schemes, so unless you can't run the game on your PC there's little reason to go with console. It's cheaper too.

 

[Tacitus_]

So has anyone managed to successfully keep ALL member nations in a Classic playthrough? I barely managed to do it on Normal, but I'm starting to feel Classic is impossible :\

I didn't even get a single country to go to max panic and I botched my satellites horribly.

The key is managing your terror missions - I took a lesser reward a lot of times because a successful terror mission lowers panic on the whole continent.

 

[Castor Krieg]

-Learn to move in a way where you're only facing 1-2 groups of enemies at a time and you're the first to draw blood. Danger escalates exponentially when the number of bad guys grows on screen or the number of fronts you're fighting on goes up.

-Always be flanking. Flanking someone isn't always represented well on screen, so look at that diagram someone posted earlier if you have to. If you're moving from point a to point b to only close distance between you and the target, you're doing it wrong.

These two contradict each other. When you try to flank you will run into a lot of hidden terrain, most of the time with extra group waiting for you.

The key is managing your terror missions - I took a lesser reward a lot of times because a successful terror mission lowers panic on the whole continent.

How did you manage to built a satellite in 8 days? They take 20 days, not dependant on the number of engineers. Also, terror missions are too infrequent to matter much and you shouldn't rely on them - I'm in September and only had 3 missions till now.