XCOM: Enemy Unknown

[Monk]

OH GOD. OH JEEZE. OH

XCOM DEMO OUT ON STEAM. DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR.


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

please dont be a let down!

edit: Played through the entirety of the demo, as expected it's essentially the first two tutorial missions. Mission 1 is entirely linear and teaches you the fundamentals of the game. How to move, how to shoot, ect. In mission 2 you get your choice of one of two maps responding to abductions. At the start of mission 2 your mission controller guides you a bit but after the initial engagement the game abruptly stops holding your hand and allows you full tactical control. It was like the game was teaching me how to ride a bike and just as i started to wobble a bit, it let go.

The demo was fairly easy I think, but I have a feeling it was set on the lowest difficulty (and I still managed to lose my best guy in the second mission), but despite the difficulty it was a lot of fun. It also ends way too soon. Just as you're getting comfortable and the narrative of the game is unfolding, the demo ends.

Despite being a tutorial mission 2 had some fun moments. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at my sniper who missed two shots that needed to be made on floaters. Two shots that were outdone by my medic with a normal assault rifle, who ended up gunning down the entire alien recon team. I saw my veteren (who is given for free from mission 1) taken down by Thin Men, who was avenged by my assault specialist who was packing a shotgun. Watching Thin Men erupt into poison clouds after taking a slug to the face? Priceless.

Damnit. I want this game, now.

[Monk]

Double post:

http://asia.gamespot.com/shows/now-p...com_eu20120924

Two hour stream of the game with commentary was just posted at the link above. I haven't watched it fully but it includes early game stuff as well as "late game" missions. Be warned though, most people directing me toward it warned the guy playing was "pretty bad"

And! The demo seemed a bit large for just two missions, both of which were the game's tutorial. 6gbs! Wonder why that was? Well, it's because they included every .bik video from the campaign in the demo. Obvious spoilers contained there, but if you have a video player that can open .bik files and don't mind spoils, have at it!

[easytarget]

I'm getting very impatient at this point...but fortunately, I've not got expectations set too high. I simply want to start playing the game, and I'll take it on it's own terms and not compare it to the original.

Thing is, been hanging out too much on the 2k Xcom forum, so I've seen a couple week's worth of videos of other people playing the game, and I want to too!

[Monk]

I'm getting very impatient at this point...but fortunately, I've not got expectations set too high. I simply want to start playing the game, and I'll take it on it's own terms and not compare it to the original.

I think that's a very healthy attitude to have, honestly. From what I've seen and experienced with the demo (modded the ini files to let me play on impossible) the gameplay isn't exactly the same as the originals. There's noticeable differences and changes in the design philosophy that become apparent the more you watch footage, and the more you play. However it does come very close and doesn't lose the same 'xcom feel', imo. For example I've been playing Xenonaughts a lot. Xenonaughts has been striving to be as close as possible to the original games, and while both new efforts have much different systems (Squad size, inventory management, and action points all handled differently) they still invoke the same feelings and emotions in me, as a player. Which is probably the most important thing they can strive for.

The one negative I have to say about Firaxis' efforts is the UI. I really don't like it, it just feels very clunky with a mouse and keyboard. It doesnt get in the way, exactly, but it does take serious getting used to.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

You can mod the demo to be more difficult:

http://forums.2kgames.com/showthread...-Settings-here

Managed to beat it on the hardest (I guess?) difficulty, but lost 3 of 4 squaddies on the second mission. Stupid floaters.

Also, the UI is very odd. I might have to invest in a gamepad. :/

[Monk]

You can mod the demo to be more difficult:

http://forums.2kgames.com/showthread...-Settings-here

Yup I did that too. +3.0 is indeed 'impossible.' I managed a perfect score on the second mission but had 3 out of 4 squadies critically injured, putting them out for weeks. Because i had meta knowledge of alien placements I dealt with the sectoids with a well placed grenade, took out the floaters with a rocket, and moved in on the Thin Men. They proved to be my downfall. Two really bad shots and their poison is absolutely nothing to joke about.

If i didn't have that meta knowledge (and the encounter wasn't scripted) it probably would have gone much worse.

As for the UI, yeah I hear you. I'll stay with mouse and Keyboard personally but it doesn't feel at all like they put much effort into it. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Skyrim's UI. Can you use a mouse/keyboard for it? Yes. Was it designed with it in mind? Noooo.

[HopAlongBunny]

Ghost Armor + (Run+Gun) = Awesome! :)

[HopAlongBunny]

You should be all set; the Sectopods are nasty! (I save at least one rocket for them) All you can really do is keep spread out and blast with everything you've got.

The final encounter is actually easier than it looks but I don't want to give anything away. Just use anything to even the score; one run through I mind-controlled the Mutons and that gave me time to get up close and personal with the Ethereals.

[HopAlongBunny]

I think I'm up to 3 complete run-throughs; In any case, I've had 2 Psionic soldiers each time. I take the time to test every soldier on my roster (including Rookies)

I also give everyone a Mind shield thingy; I hate having my soldiers shooting their friends; usefulness is questionable though-I have only seen 1 attempt blocked.

[Arjos]

Is it possible to have more than one Psionic soldier?

If you mean, soldiers with the powers to mind control etc, yes, they aren't common, but you can have a few (I had a complete team of 6 for example)...
If you meant the soldier, who can access the ethereal device, I do not know tbh, didn't lost mine, so I've no idea whether another can take his place...

As for the final battle:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I had my sniper right in the middle, when I accessed the last room...
Heavy got in and shot, with holo-targeting, then squadsight took care of the rest lol
All you need to do is kill the boss, the rest of the aliens can be ignored :)

[HopAlongBunny]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Yay!

[Monk]

If you mean, soldiers with the powers to mind control etc, yes, they aren't common, but you can have a few (I had a complete team of 6 for example)...
If you meant the soldier, who can access the ethereal device, I do not know tbh, didn't lost mine, so I've no idea whether another can take his place...

As for the final battle:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I had my sniper right in the middle, when I accessed the last room...
Heavy got in and shot, with holo-targeting, then squadsight took care of the rest lol
All you need to do is kill the boss, the rest of the aliens can be ignored :)

The last fight was a bit.. anticlimactic for me. I just identified which was the "boss" and let my Squad Sight, Double Tap Sniper (with a Plasma Sniper Rifle) have at it. Two crits for 19 damage each. Nothing says "Welcome to Earth" quite like that.

As for the double Sectopods, that's where rolling with two heavies really comes into play. A Heavy Plasma Rifle with HEAT rounds does like 13-16 damage on a non-crit to sectopods. Two heavies with bulletstorm? Dear lord, the amount of damage you're putting out is insane. The trick is getting them into position and not getting killed by the magical beam of death.

[HopAlongBunny]

The last fight was tough. I was lucky because the boss mind-controlled a heavy; I hate mind-control so I just focused on that Ethereal. I was shocked/relieved when everything disappeared as soon as it died :)

That encounter becomes almost trivial once you learn the "trick".

[HopAlongBunny]

Tactically it seems to be safer to use a standard "pull to kill group"; I really like SHIV's for pulling (cheap and no skills to lose) You will lose ppl, so it is nice to "cultivate" 2 full squads to try and keep a good flow of quality troops to the front.

Strategically, you start in a deeper hole. The balancing act firepower/armour/air cover becomes a lot more important.

[Sir Moody]

a few helpful tips when it comes to equipment which helps when playing classic

Which armour should I be using

Ghost > Titan

Titan armour may seem great - the massive hp boost would make this the best armour right? well no...

Ghost armour has a grapple, can phase (hiding you) and comes with a built in +30 defense - the equivalent of being in low cover when in the open... better still you can use one of the hp boosting items to put it ahead of titan in hp... its win win

The same is true of skeleton and Carapace - Skeleton comes with a grapple and +15 defense

Who should be equipping the Arc Thrower

I spent most my first run through giving this to my shotgun wielding assaults - I realized part way through my second run through I was doing it totally wrong - by giving the Assaults Arc throwers I couldn't give them HP boosting equipment which meant they would often spend more time in the med bay (when your soldiers take damage if the damage is less than the Armour + Item hp boost they wont have to go to the med bay) since they were nearly always the closest to the aliens and thus drew more fire.

The best soldier to receive the Arc Thrower is the Support (preferable with Sprint) - why? once they level enough you can give them a med kit and a arc thrower - allowing them to fill both roles - and with sprint they don't have to be quite so close so they will (hopefully) draw less fire

alternatively they should be used by Recruits/Squadies since they are more "disposable"

How do I maximize my Psi soldiers

the power of a Psi trooper is directly related to their will - the higher their will the stronger their psi attack (and defense).

if you want to maximize the Psi troopers (to mind control an Ethereal for example) you will want to give them Psi Armour and a Mind shield (which doesn't just add to psi defense - it is actually the equivalent of the psi amp from the classic game) and use the Psi Inspire ability the turn before

truthfully however this isn't required

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

outside of the final mission where having +will is incredible helpful

Most of the time you don't need more than the occasional Mind fray for a hard to hit biological and it is generally better to not focus on Psionics at all

[Lemur]

Dang it, all of you going on about this game ... I suppose I may have to buy it. I'm guessing there's low to no chance of a Steam sale between now and Christmas?

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Ask and you shall receive - the turducken weekend-ish sale includes XCOM for $34.

[Xiahou]

Ask and you shall receive - the turducken weekend-ish sale includes XCOM for $34.

Sold!

I've been waiting for a sale to justify buying this.

[HopAlongBunny]

... some thin men bastards will get a series of lucky crits on my experienced troops.

Misery loves company!

[Papewaio]

In CI you have to remember it is best to hunker down for a turn then move the last person into a new line of sight.

Classic is all about cover and situational modifications. For instance skeleton suit adds +10 defence so it is actually better then carapace for overall defence. Combine that with hard cover and you had +50 defence. Suppress enemy flankers to reduce their aim by -30 and wham the enemy are -80% to hit you.

However when it comes to enemies with area of effect weapons which always have a 90 or 100% chance to hit your best defence is back off and overwatch or kill 'em quick. So I reserve my rockets and grenades for thin man and mutons. Also don't fret about thin men poison cloud it is minimal damage (1 per turn for 3/4 turns) much better then a plasma shot to the face.

Early on medi kits are expensive and one shot. A grenade is a better option until you get at least a sprinter medic. Later when you have more advanced specialists and tougher aliens the damage value of grenades diminish. However their secondary effect of removing cover is great. A grenade is handy for wall breaches to see who is on the other side and to provide a quick exit.

The best cover in the game is the silver alien pods. Hard cover that I've yet to see been blown up. On the other hand cars used to kill half my troops. Do not have a person behind a vehicle fire on an alien then another person further back fire along the same track. If they miss and hit the vehicle your guy is hiding behind they now cannot move away and they face certain death when the vehicle blows up at the start of your next turn. Only way to save them is to kill all the aliens before your next turn... Not a great plan B. For that reason it is often good to grenade a forward vehicle to make it blow up and then run upto the wreck for cover.

[Lemur]

Should have read more reviews. I'm not enjoying this game much at all.

Sigh.

[Sarmatian]

You can turn the "action sequences" off, and the cutscenes in the beginning are for the tutorial (which you can also turn off).

The game really opens up after the first month

That's when the game becomes boring for me. After the first few months, the novelty wears off and you see a very repetive game, with same maps, just different graphical design. All missions are basically kill 'em all stuff. The research adnd inventory parts of the game are seriously dumbed down compared to the original.

[HopAlongBunny]

In some ways that's exactly what I like about this game. It's like running 100m; it's the same every time, the goal is to do it better each time out.

When I rip up the game with 0 casualties in Ironman (let alone Legendary) I'll set it aside :) My minor goal seems unattainable at this point so I'll continue 'til I figger it out.

[Sarmatian]

I don't know, I miss the feeling from the first UFO or from Apocalypse where you didn't really know what you're gonna get until you land, and how geoscape affected missions. If you take down a UFO, it was actually damaged in a mission. Sometimes just one alien survived the crash (sometimes none, sometimes all of them).

Here, it's the same thing every time, the only difference is whether you're gonna hide behind a tree or a mailbox. Same number of aliens, same groups, same tactics, same maps, dumbed down research, practically no inventory, just a few equipment gadgets... I got bored pretty quickly.

It's Civ 5 compared to Civ 4.

[easytarget]

Can't say I agree with all the negativity. Still enjoying it, and having fun with the DLC, which I just picked up for less than 5 bucks (god bless GMG, ha!).

[Sarmatian]

Can't say I agree with all the negativity. Still enjoying it, and having fun with the DLC, which I just picked up for less than 5 bucks (god bless GMG, ha!).

It isn't all negativity. The game is decent to good on its own. As a successor to a legendary franchise, mediocre to bad.

I never played the first xcom games, but i can safely say this one is difficult and fun. A little repetitive, but plenty of it is random. 8/10 imo

You should give them a try. I believe the original UFO: Enemy Unknown and Xcom: Terror from the Deep are abandonware now. Xcom: Apocalypse (the last) isn't, IIRC.

I still remember how fascinated I was with UFO and was unhappy that it was painfully slow on my Amiga 500. When I got Amiga 1200, that was the first game I got.

EDIT: I was mistaken, none of the original games is abandonware. I remembered seeing all three on Abandonia, but didn't see that you can't just download them, you have to buy them.

[Papewaio]

You can get them all on Steam cheaply and the orginal one works on my Windows seven PC unlike the latest fallout.

[easytarget]

It isn't all negativity. The game is decent to good on its own. As a successor to a legendary franchise, mediocre to bad.

It's not a successor. And take off the rose colored nostalgia glasses, I played the original when it came out, it had issues as well.

[Sarmatian]

It's not a successor. And take off the rose colored nostalgia glasses, I played the original when it came out, it had issues as well.

It had many issues but it also had -

1) Actually diverse maps, with diverse opponents. If you shoot down a UFO over Sahara, you're gonna get a mission in Sahara.

2) You could take up to 20 soldiers on a mission and losing a few meant acceptable casualties (like it should in a strategy game).

3) You could actually equip your soldiers from top to bottom, they actually could carry a grenade, rocket launcher and a stun thing at the same time, and the more weight you put on a soldier, less action points he has.

4) You had action points which allowed you to adapt to the situation. Do you need to take 3 shots or do you need to run really, really far.

5) You had a much more complex tech tree.

6) You had to balance the budget as you had to pay upkeep and salaries for everything.

7) You could produce stuff and sell it to other nations (corporations)

8) Weapons were diverse

I could go on and on, but the biggest problems I have is simplified control (move and shoot), small, bland and repetitive maps and lack of real options when equipping your soldiers.

[easytarget]

It had many issues but it also had -

1) Actually diverse maps, with diverse opponents. If you shoot down a UFO over Sahara, you're gonna get a mission in Sahara.

2) You could take up to 20 soldiers on a mission and losing a few meant acceptable casualties (like it should in a strategy game).

3) You could actually equip your soldiers from top to bottom, they actually could carry a grenade, rocket launcher and a stun thing at the same time, and the more weight you put on a soldier, less action points he has.

4) You had action points which allowed you to adapt to the situation. Do you need to take 3 shots or do you need to run really, really far.

5) You had a much more complex tech tree.

6) You had to balance the budget as you had to pay upkeep and salaries for everything.

7) You could produce stuff and sell it to other nations (corporations)

8) Weapons were diverse

I could go on and on, but the biggest problems I have is simplified control (move and shoot), small, bland and repetitive maps and lack of real options when equipping your soldiers.

I'm sure you could go on, but really, why? All you've established so far is you think these two games are somehow mutually exclusive, as if liking this new interpretation precludes liking the original or vice versa. You'll no doubt feel better about this, and most things actually, when you come to the realization most every thing exists along a spectrum.