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XCOM: Enemy Unknown |OT| Neo GAF is Under Alien Control

Mr Cola

Brothas With Attitude / The Wrong Brotha to Fuck Wit / Die Brotha Die / Brothas in Paris
any word on whether we may see a sequel or expansion? Be\st game ive played in years
 

Petrie

Banned
Just started playing this on 360. The lack of any sort of "auto-save" is really lame, unless there's something I'm missing.

*edit* I have to enable it? The fuck?
 

Alo81

Low Poly Gynecologist
Just started playing this on 360. The lack of any sort of "auto-save" is really lame, unless there's something I'm missing.

*edit* I have to enable it? The fuck?

The games funner without the autosave. Once you feel comfortable with the mechanics, you should play Ironman mode.
 

Petrie

Banned
The games funner without the autosave. Once you feel comfortable with the mechanics, you should play Ironman mode.

Honestly, not with how I tend to game. I'm so accustomed to autosave in games, that when I'm done I simply hit the guide button and exit to dashboard, never thinking to save my progress. It's a habit that isn't likely to change unfortunately.
 
Yeah, laboratories are useless. Build workshops instead.

The difference between a lab and a workshop is that you get engineers with the workshop, but you don't get scientists with the lab. And it's the amount of engineers or scientists that determine research speed and price of manufacturing.

Also Squad Sight is a fantastic skill on a Sniper. You should get that on one.

Don't labs directly reduce the research time for a given project? I thought it was a 20% boost per lab + 10% adjacency bonus?
 

Alo81

Low Poly Gynecologist
Honestly, not with how I tend to game. I'm so accustomed to autosave in games, that when I'm done I simply hit the guide button and exit to dashboard, never thinking to save my progress. It's a habit that isn't likely to change unfortunately.

You should still be open to the prospect. If you find yourself enjoying the game and wanting to play more after you finish it once, it's worth trying.
 

McNum

Member
Don't labs directly reduce the research time for a given project? I thought it was a 20% boost per lab + 10% adjacency bonus?
Well... yes, but research doesn't take very long in the first place. And the scientists you do get push research time down even further. Even without labs, it's plausible to run out of research topics before being able to launch the endgame mission. Plus if you research speeds ahead of your manufacturing ability or resources, it's useless. Besides, it's much more useful to just capture one of each alien (except mechs and Chryssalids) and get a whopping 50% research discount out of it.

Adjacent workshops give a refund when building stuff. You get money and resources back, the more adjacent workshops, the more rebate. And each workshop is more engineers which makes guns, armor, and other engineering projects cheaper. Workshops make it possible for your manufacturing to keep up with even the basic research rate, something it might struggle with otherwise. Also, more engineers and workshops = cheaper satellites = faster access to more funding and faster access to more scientists lowering research time. Making workshops do double duty as labs in the end.

Workshops are just much more powerful than labs, and the basic research speed is fast enough that you'll run out of alloys and elerium before being able to build a full set of armor or guns.
 

Ushae

Banned
any word on whether we may see a sequel or expansion? Best game ive played in years

Nothing certain. But the ratings were very good and the publisher 2K games have stated that XCOM did 'very well'.

My guess we'll defo gets sequel. Id be there day one.
 

brentech

Member
Beat an easy and normal play through. Just started a classic iron man. Shall see how quickly I'm destroyed, lol.

So far I finished first mission with no KIA, but 2 in the second.
 

Mr Cola

Brothas With Attitude / The Wrong Brotha to Fuck Wit / Die Brotha Die / Brothas in Paris
Nothing certain. But the ratings were very good and the publisher 2K games have stated that XCOM did 'very well'.

My guess we'll defo gets sequel. Id be there day one.

Indeed, only slight qualms are the ending and repetitiveness of the terrain, other than that I found it had just the right mix of challenge for someone who has never played the series before and was very intimidated (played it on normal).
 

Lunchbox

Banned
is there a way to sell older weapons you made other than giving them away when countries ask for them?

like i have 5 light plasma riffles sitting there while im struggling for money to make my 4th actual big plasma riffle
 
I might be playing on an older system, but the FPS drop when I play with a 360 Controller is disgusting on my machine. I'm going to try disabling the 360 support and fake it with Xpadder to see if anything improves. I just don't want to sit so close to the screen and see the jaggies I can't smooth. :(
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
Yeah, laboratories are useless. Build workshops instead.

The difference between a lab and a workshop is that you get engineers with the workshop, but you don't get scientists with the lab. And it's the amount of engineers or scientists that determine research speed and price of manufacturing.

Also Squad Sight is a fantastic skill on a Sniper. You should get that on one.

A lab's usefulness is much greater in the first month, since the addition of one lab is a substantial percentage increase of your research potential. It only really works for fast tech, though, and fast interrogation method is arguably better anyway.
 

Alo81

Low Poly Gynecologist
I might be playing on an older system, but the FPS drop when I play with a 360 Controller is disgusting on my machine. I'm going to try disabling the 360 support and fake it with Xpadder to see if anything improves. I just don't want to sit so close to the screen and see the jaggies I can't smooth. :(

Since when was there an FPS drop? Is it a new bug?
 

Guri

Member
So, guys, I need your help. I'm going to buy BioShock Infinite on Steam and there is the possibility of Xcom as a pre-order bonus. However, I never really got into strategy games. I never passed the first minutes of Warcraft, Starcraft and others. Since 2010, I stopped trying. But it always bothered me that I couldn't get into strategy games. Yes, I know it's okay to not like them, but maybe there would be a game for me.

And I'm wondering if Xcom would be that game. I know I like the concept, I just don't know if I could play it. And I don't like to have a game that I won't play. So, how it is Xcom's learning curve? Is there a way for players like me to understand things? Also, I really don't have time to play hours in a row. For example, the last time I played a game was last week. Would I get lost?

To sum up: I know it's a fantastic game, but it's worth a try for me?
 

brentech

Member
So, guys, I need your help. I'm going to buy BioShock Infinite on Steam and there is the possibility of Xcom as a pre-order bonus. However, I never really got into strategy games. I never passed the first minutes of Warcraft, Starcraft and others. Since 2010, I stopped trying. But it always bothered me that I couldn't get into strategy games. Yes, I know it's okay to not like them, but maybe there would be a game for me.

And I'm wondering if Xcom would be that game. I know I like the concept, I just don't know if I could play it. And I don't like to have a game that I won't play. So, how it is Xcom's learning curve? Is there a way for players like me to understand things? Also, I really don't have time to play hours in a row. For example, the last time I played a game was last week. Would I get lost?

To sum up: I know it's a fantastic game, but it's worth a try for me?
I'd say it's nothing like those other games, as those are RTS games. This is a turn based system which allows for a little more thinking. The learning curve is isn't too bad on the lower difficulty levels, but there are some tips you'll figure out or want to hear progressing even into the end of the normal difficulty play through. If you were to start on classic difficulty I'd say the curve is very steep, but if you just take your time and and always move short distances each move it still shouldn't be horrible.

I hadn't played a game like this in a long time and while I liked Warcraft when I was younger it's not my cup of tea anymore. XCOM on the other hand is spectacular. Give it a whirl.
 

Guri

Member
I'd say it's nothing like those other games, as those are RTS games. This is a turn based system which allows for a little more thinking. The learning curve is isn't too bad on the lower difficulty levels, but there are some tips you'll figure out or want to hear progressing even into the end of the normal difficulty play through. If you were to start on classic difficulty I'd say the curve is very steep, but if you just take your time and and always move short distances each move it still shouldn't be horrible.

I hadn't played a game like this in a long time and while I liked Warcraft when I was younger it's not my cup of tea anymore. XCOM on the other hand is spectacular. Give it a whirl.

Ok, thanks! I'll give it a shot!
 

Dunkelgrau

Member
When does this game end? I am nearly 40 hours in the game but nothing seems to happen.

Is it worth to catch a living alien? Never had the chance to.
 

brentech

Member
]blacky[;50260743 said:
When does this game end? I am nearly 40 hours in the game but nothing seems to happen.

Is it worth to catch a living alien? Never had the chance to.

Well, that's why. You have to.
Sidebar: it ends when you want it to, but catching an alien is required. Once you have one you can research and develop items needed to progress further. When you have everything you need, it's your choice when to attack those missions. (very vague, don't want to spoil)
 

Alo81

Low Poly Gynecologist
Well, that's why. You have to.
Sidebar: it ends when you want it to, but catching an alien is required. Once you have one you can research and develop items needed to progress further. When you have everything you need, it's your choice when to attack those missions. (very vague, don't want to spoil)

]blacky[;50261367 said:
Fuck, I am such a stupid idiot.

Isn't there a reminder like, every single mission that tells you "HEY YOU REALLY SHOULD CATCH AN ALIEN FOR REAL THO"?
 

Dunkelgrau

Member
Isn't there a reminder like, every single mission that tells you "HEY YOU REALLY SHOULD CATCH AN ALIEN FOR REAL THO"?
IMHO: Not really.
There is a small reminder when you set up you’re group for the next mission. I always thought it was optional. The walkthroughs I read do not clearly say that you have to do this to move on in the game progress, too.
XCom seems to generate random missions without to stop. That is really annoying! A dealbreaker.

Seriously, how much time have I lost? I want to play Bioshock, Lego City and Monster Hunter over my holidays. But I want to finish XCom before.

And are there any other things like this one, which will prevent me from finishing the game?
 

McNum

Member
The current objective needed to finish the game will be in the Situation Room in the top right of the base view. The tutorial is also very insistent on you capturing aliens. I think you more or less have to to end it.

But there is one non-obvious thing you need to do to unlock the very final story mission, as the exact way to unlock that isn't spelled out and can take a while to stumble onto playing normally. When the word "Gollop" makes sense to you and if you're still stuck, come back and ask.
 

brentech

Member
One of my best soldiers just got killed outright in battle, I thought you could revive guys? :(
They have a chance to go into critical state where you can revive them. They can die as such as well. I think it's based on will?
They can also get a training that gives them a better chance to go critical based on ranking up.
 

edgefusion

Member
They have a chance to go into critical state where you can revive them. They can die as such as well. I think it's based on will?
They can also get a training that gives them a better chance to go critical based on ranking up.

Well damn, thanks. Emma Vos was my most badass chick, she will be missed.
 

Himself

Member
is anyone playing on PS3? How does it run? I heard there were some performance issues and im hoping some of these were patched.

Mutant Blobs Attack got me in the mood for some weird sci-fi stuff.
 

brentech

Member
is anyone playing on PS3? How does it run? I heard there were some performance issues and im hoping some of these were patched.

Mutant Blobs Attack got me in the mood for some weird sci-fi stuff.

That's what I play on. Very few issues. Nothing that ruins the experience by any means.
 

brentech

Member
Excellent. Thanks for responding.
Was trying to think of anything. I knew there wa something that happened a it just came to me.

Every now and then after you choose the attack action you'll hear the gunshots but it won't happen on screen. Then it will show it.
Only bug I'm really aware of. Being a turn based game it doesn't really bother me.
I'm sure others might be able to be more picky than I.
 

-tetsuo-

Unlimited Capacity
The legacy of this game lives on at my arcade. Whenever someone sees me playing something new, almost always I get "This looks pretty good but it aint no XCOM".
 

Taborcarn

Member
I picked this up for $16.50 on Amazon for the PC download version. I've been waiting for it to go on sale, now I'm really looking forward to getting in to it.
 

Dunkelgrau

Member
I am in one of the three last missions now. Damn, after “my” mistake I mentioned above, I am really happy to finish XCom before all the other games of this month will arrive.

Currently thinking about buying Bioshok Infinite via Steam: Does anybody want to trade something for XCom?
 
]blacky[;50260743 said:
When does this game end? I am nearly 40 hours in the game but nothing seems to happen.

Is it worth to catch a living alien? Never had the chance to.
It is worth catching aliens, especially early on because you then get to capture & use their weapons. You also get certain bonuses and whatnot from interrogating them.

Besides, it is a fun challenge.

Tip: You can get the sniper ability to cause an enemy's weapon to malfunction, that is a nice way to run up close to them and zap them.


Any other new players that picked up XCOM from Bioshock?
 

Jtrizzy

Member
Yeah I just got this from the Bioshock promotion...wow. This game is awesome and I only wish I'd bought it at launch. I'm enjoying it so much I feel guilty not supporting the devs. I'm new to the genre, but they make it pretty easy to learn.

I'm taking a break right now to read up on some tips in the thread.

What other games would fall into this genre?
 

McNum

Member
Yeah I just got this from the Bioshock promotion...wow. This game is awesome and I only wish I'd bought it at launch. I'm enjoying it so much I feel guilty not supporting the devs. I'm new to the genre, but they make it pretty easy to learn.

I'm taking a break right now to read up on some tips in the thread.

What other games would fall into this genre?
XCOM is kind of its own genre, really, but if you like it, you might want to check out Valkyria Chronicles and Fire Emblem. XCOM is part Strategy RPG and part 4X game. If it's the strategy part you like, consider the Civilization series. Civ 4 and 5 are both somewhat easy to get into.

And of course the grand old man: UFO: Enemy Unknown aka X-Com: UFO Defense. See how it started, and get utterly destroyed... on Beginner difficulty. Old school X-Com does not care about playing nice. Fair, yes. Nice, no. I'm not sure if going from new XCOM to old X-Com is going to be pleasant, though, new XCOM has a much, much improved UI from the old one at the cost of some simulation elements.

Personally, I got into the OG X-Com from playing Fire Emblem, then into new XCOM to see how old X-Com worked re-imagined.
 

McNum

Member
steam downloaded like 80-something megs for this game last week yet no word on what it was.
An attempted fix for the bug where aliens could appear instantly within your soldiers' line of sight during the alien turn. They call it the Teleport Bug, and this fix, sort of, kind of, mostly fixed it. Mostly. Turns out it's hard to pin down, apparently.
 

The Stig

Banned
An attempted fix for the bug where aliens could appear instantly within your soldiers' line of sight during the alien turn. They call it the Teleport Bug, and this fix, sort of, kind of, mostly fixed it. Mostly. Turns out it's hard to pin down, apparently.

right.

but no patch notes. even o the official site. sounds liek they dont know what theyre doing.
 
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