XCOM: Enemy Unknown

**Papewaio** · 10-10-2012, 23:10

Game downloaded via Steam: Check
Shortcut on Desktop: Check
Outside USA: Check

Can't play until the 12th of Oct local time...

BTW The game retailed in Australia on Steam for $69.95 US... What was the price for other countries?

I'm so used to paying $100-$120 AU (107-134US) as an Aussie tax.

**easytarget** · 10-11-2012, 00:28

I'm having a blast as well, I spend more time talking about it, but that'd be more time spent not playing, and work is interfering here enough as it is. Maybe after 3 or 4 run throughs I'll calm down and come back and chat about it. Ha!

**Monk** · 10-11-2012, 02:43

Originally Posted by Papewaio

Game downloaded via Steam: Check
Shortcut on Desktop: Check
Outside USA: Check

Can't play until the 12th of Oct local time...

BTW The game retailed in Australia on Steam for $69.95 US... What was the price for other countries?

I'm so used to paying $100-$120 AU (107-134US) as an Aussie tax.

Ouch, that's absurd.. I paid $50 US.

Second playthrough has ended in disaster. I can't get over the June hump in Classic, as that seems to be the month Cyberdisks start appearing. Does anyone have advice as to how to avoid wiping constantly on them? They totally rocked me just now.

Also.. i was forced to watch my best soldier turned into a chrysalid. You want to talk heartbreaking.. I Got pinned down really quickly in a Terror Mission and things went badly, really quickly. Dealing with floaters/Chrysalid packs pinning me and then out of nowhere a Cyberdisk warps in on my flank. You can guess what happened next..

**easytarget** · 10-14-2012, 23:55

I rather like snipers with the plasma sniper rifle at the moment. It does upwards of 19 HP in one shot.

**Papewaio** · 10-15-2012, 00:22

Playing Normal Ironman (NI)

I've already played had a few starts. Second mission was all female so I got the Valkyrie achievement. Purposely loaded up a new game to get the tutorial achievement.

Anyhow sat down to maximize the economy. Essentially only buying enough items for a single squad load out until the cash flow is running hot. Prioritizing health and armour upgrades. And keeping my rooster rotation happening in full swing.

First the economy. Satellites, satellites and more shiny orbital things. A typical satellite will pay for itself in a month, the uplink in the second and add pure gravy from there. Despite all the money, I'm trying to minimize panic so I keep a bird in the hand until the end of the month before deploying in the worst area. This would be USA or Russia by end of month two. That means I focus my abduction choice of three missions outside of NA or Europe and then on the cash.

By the end of the first month I had scored 402 credits in mission extras. By the end of the second month I was about to choose US or Russia when a special proposal popped up. USA offered me 200cr for satellite coverage. So I now have 4 birds in the sky, plenty of cash and a double steam vent asking to be tapped.

On the tactical side: I rotate squads and individuals in those squads too. Not only do I bring a rookie on every mission I alternate squads. Alpha and Bravo are my two line squads. Charlie replaces anyone WIA, Delta KIA.

Alpha has the armour plate style. Bravo the classic fatigues look. Charlie alternates.
I always pack two medi-kits, frag on rookie, nano vest on the fourth and fifth. With armour prioritized I managed to create 5 carapace suits and my first combat with them is a terror mission. The high armour has already saved one heavy from a 9 point hit. This mission has one Delta rookie, 2 Charlie squad heavies, one Support and one Sniper (cant remember which squad is on rotation.

To make things easier I rename all my troopers A.Lastname or B. or C. So I know which squad they belong to. By naming the Lastname this way you can see easily in the mission screen who is who.

Colour scheme depends on role and somewhat on squad
Rookies are hot pink
Assault are red
Heavies are yellow
Support are white if a medic, off white if an overwatch specialist (may change this to blue)
Snipers are black

**Monk** · 10-15-2012, 02:32

Originally Posted by easytarget

I rather like snipers with the plasma sniper rifle at the moment. It does upwards of 19 HP in one shot.

I have found Snipers to be the polar opposites of Assaults. While Assaults are amazing from day one, Snipers take a bit of work to rank up into something worthwhile. Once their abilities (Squad Sight) and tech catches up they become absolute beasts. Until then, though, I find them very hard to use effectively.

Originally Posted by Papewaio

First the economy. Satellites, satellites and more shiny orbital things. A typical satellite will pay for itself in a month, the uplink in the second and add pure gravy from there. Despite all the money, I'm trying to minimize panic so I keep a bird in the hand until the end of the month before deploying in the worst area. This would be USA or Russia by end of month two. That means I focus my abduction choice of three missions outside of NA or Europe and then on the cash.

By the end of the first month I had scored 402 credits in mission extras. By the end of the second month I was about to choose US or Russia when a special proposal popped up. USA offered me 200cr for satellite coverage. So I now have 4 birds in the sky, plenty of cash and a double steam vent asking to be tapped.

Impressive work, Pape

One of the harshest lessons i've learned playing this iteration of XCOM is that it will severely punish you if you aren't thinking ahead. You absolutely cannot play the game on a month by month basis, especially on Classic where Panic rises very fast. You really need a meta gameplan from the start that details what you're going to do, not only do you need to know what you're doing this month, but you need to be thinking about what you're doing next month. The economy can really get you if you're not careful.

Good to hear you've mastered it to some extent

Originally Posted by Papewaio

Colour scheme depends on role and somewhat on squad
Rookies are hot pink
Assault are red
Heavies are yellow
Support are white if a medic, off white if an overwatch specialist (may change this to blue)
Snipers are black

I'll bet your Rookies just love looking so fabulous.

I've settled on a more uniform color for my team, trying to play into some kind of idea of "realism," or if not that very much an in-character way of approaching it. All troops wear a dark greenish color (tint 22) uniform to avoid the aliens singling out who does what on a color scheme. Yes, the AI can't do that, but I always think of the Starfleet uniform conundrum. Dress all your command officers in red and sooner or later, your opposition is going to figure it out and prioritize targets.

The one change that puts my units apart, if you could consider that, is all rookies are forced to wear helmets until they rank up to sergeant and get a nickname. Until they prove themselves to me in some way I don't want to know their name. They are expendable. Demolition experts (heavies with shredder rockets, Grenadier, ect) always keep their helmets due to the volatile nature of their ordinance.