XCOM: One Does Not Simply "Shoot" a Cryssalid...

[Anarion]

It took me about 20 failed tries, but eventually - behold!

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Those were separate, right? Nobody would be crazy enough to do impossible ironman. Right?! How can they be at the same time?!

[BRC]

Those were separate, right? Nobody would be crazy enough to do impossible ironman. Right?!

Unless he was able to win two seperate games at exactly the same time, yes, somebody is exactly that crazy.

[Zevox]

Ouch. Just had my first significant losses in my Iron Man Normal game. First terror mission, first encounter with Cryssalids, I still don't have laser weapons or carapace armor. Two of five dead: Mike Haggar, one of my recently-acquired Squaddie Heavies, and Morrigan Aensland, one of the survivors of my first mission, and a Seargent-rank Sniper. Haggar took a lucky shot from a Floater and then was killed by a Zombie that dropped down from an upper floor of the building the mission centered around, Morrigan was one-shot by a Cryssalid after attempting to save another squad member from it by move-and-shooting with her pistol (it was down to 2 hp at the time, so that was possible, but she only got 1 damage). That leaves me with only one Sniper - Deadpool, whose Squadsight may be bugged and not working - and only one of my three survivors of the first mission, Arthur, who is now my highest-rank unit. And he'll be seeing a lot of action soon, as my other Support, Hsien-Ko, was badly wounded in the mission as well, and will be down for 15 days.

On the up side, the mission was in China, so I got a panic decrease across Asia, something I was in sore need of. Still, the loss of Morrigan in particular really hurts. I'm going to need to start hiring new troops now, as I only have one non-classed recruit left of the original complement, and I clearly need more after these losses.

Zevox

[ShneekeyTheLost]

It took me about 20 failed tries, but eventually - behold!

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ALL HAIL THE GOD EMPRAH! Cleanse the worlds in his name! Burn the xeno, the heretic, for every cinder is a most devoted prayer!

[tensai_oni]

Those were separate, right? Nobody would be crazy enough to do impossible ironman. Right?! How can they be at the same time?!

Take a look at the timestamps.

By the way, I didn't build a single laboratory. They are pretty much useless in this game - you get enough scientists to research everything you want in time anyway. The real problem is not research, but limited resources to buy what you researched in sufficient quantities.

[RagingKrikkit]

So, I goofed around with Classic last night, and got TPK on the FIRST MISSION. It wasn't my fault, it was the damn RNG! I was awarded with a nice red popup:

All XCOM operatives were lost. The XCOM project is terminated, effective immedeately.

>Try again

>Return to main menu

[Zevox]

Okay, this is funny. I just got Deadpool promoted to the rank that gives him a nickname. The nickname he was assigned by the game? "Emo."

I'm almost tempted to keep it, really, just for laughs.

Anyway, it looks like my fears of his squadsight being bugged were either unfounded, or at least the bug has worn off, because he started actually getting to use it midway through that last mission. I'm still convinced there was at least one instance in the previous mission, probably more, where it wasn't working, but hell if I'm going to complain since it's working now.

Zevox

[Anarion]

Take a look at the timestamps.

By the way, I didn't build a single laboratory. They are pretty much useless in this game - you get enough scientists to research everything you want in time anyway. The real problem is not research, but limited resources to buy what you researched in sufficient quantities.

Yeah I figured that, being on my second playthrough now and with three classic ironman failures done as well. Do you think it's better to take engineers as your first reward so you can get a workshop, or is it better to take cash to get an extra satellite and the first satellite uplink builidng sooner?

[thorgrim29]

It took me about 20 failed tries, but eventually - behold!

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Holy crap man..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh78T--ZUxY

[RagingKrikkit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA_dMjRSSLk

[KillianHawkeye]

After four Classic Ironman games that didn't make it past the fourth month, I've decided to play one on Normal difficulty just so I can experience the the later parts of the game before I get spoiled on Let's Plays. So far I am doing quite well. I'm glad that there is still some risk of losing soldiers. You guys were making it sound like a cake walk.

[tensai_oni]

Do you think it's better to take engineers as your first reward so you can get a workshop, or is it better to take cash to get an extra satellite and the first satellite uplink builidng sooner?

Satellites. You are really strapped for cash early in the game and your second satellite pretty much doubles the monthly income. Also a satellite is a very good last-chance defense against losing a country - if its panic level is at max and it's near the end of the month, deploy a satellite there and it should drop below the "I leave X-Com, goodbye" levels.

[Anarion]

Satellites. You are really strapped for cash early in the game and your second satellite pretty much doubles the monthly income. Also a satellite is a very good last-chance defense against losing a country - if its panic level is at max and it's near the end of the month, deploy a satellite there and it should drop below the "I leave X-Com, goodbye" levels.

Sorry, I meant the second uplink. I know you always start with a satellite immediately and then build an uplink and get the three more satellites going asap as well. My question is whether getting engineers early is important so that you have enough engineers to build your second uplink/nexus (which requires 10 engineers iirc) or if you can only take financial rewards from missions and still end up with adequate engineers by the time you have 5 satellites up and need to build your second nexus/uplink?

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Sorry, I meant the second uplink. I know you always start with a satellite immediately and then build an uplink and get the three more satellites going asap as well. My question is whether getting engineers early is important so that you have enough engineers to build your second uplink/nexus (which requires 10 engineers iirc) or if you can only take financial rewards from missions and still end up with adequate engineers by the time you have 5 satellites up and need to build your second nexus/uplink?

Getting an Engineer reward or two can get you to the point where you can put up multiple uplinks.

[thorgrim29]

Seing as I'm based in Japan, that does mean I can pretty much ignore India and China right in favour of african countries right?

[Anarion]

Seing as I'm based in Japan, that does mean I can pretty much ignore India and China right in favour of african countries right?

Depends on your difficulty. It means asia is lower priority since it's neither the best funding nor working towards a continent bonus. But on higher difficulties, you should wait until just before the end of the month to launch your satellites and generally launch in order to reduce panic and keep as many nations as possible. Though feel free to let South America go, nobody cares about them, really.

[NEO|Phyte]

Depends on your difficulty. It means asia is lower priority since it's neither the best funding nor working towards a continent bonus. But on higher difficulties, you should wait until just before the end of the month to launch your satellites and generally launch in order to reduce panic and keep as many nations as possible. Though feel free to let South America go, nobody cares about them, really.

Woah now, South America may not provide much cash, but it's only two sats to get the continent bonus, and said bonus is WONDERFUL.

[Codemus]

Also, isn't the Asia bonus for satelites something like +6 engineers a month? That makes up for the less useful contenintal bonus to me.

[thorgrim29]

Anyway, just lost india and china on the first month.... kinda harsh I think but oh well.... I figure I mostly need north america and africa now, seing as my big concern is money.

[KillianHawkeye]

Anyway, just lost india and china on the first month.... kinda harsh I think but oh well.... I figure I mostly need north america and africa now, seing as my big concern is money.

Don't forget Russia!

[Zevox]

Woah now, South America may not provide much cash, but it's only two sats to get the continent bonus, and said bonus is WONDERFUL.

I wouldn't say that. It's nice to have if you get it early, but interrogations and autopsies already take very little time to begin with, so completing them instantly makes relatively little difference.

Anyway, I'm about to assault the alien base in my Iron Man run, and damn do I need to. Until a terror mission in Japan that I just now completed, I had three countries in Asia (all but China) at 5 panic, and plenty of others at 3. Now I "just" have all those threes plus two Asian countries at 4. That -2 global panic will be a life-saver at this point. I do have another Satellite Uplink in production, and satellites waiting to deploy when it finishes, though, so that's coming along much faster than in my previous file.

I've not lost any more troops since that earlier mission, but I've had some tense fights. Including that recent terror mission I mentioned, where I faced ten Cryssalids. Managed to get out without anyone being so much as hit, partially on careful use of grenades and a rocket, partially on luck. I think I wouldn't have had a one-shot kill like Morrigan suffered earlier since I now have Carapace Armor on everyone, but I rather like not having to take the chance.

I've also picked up laser weapons and the ability to use light plasma rifles from my captures, which has been very useful. They may not be any more powerful than laser rifles, but that built-in +10 aim works wonders.

Zevox

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Sorry, I meant the second uplink. I know you always start with a satellite immediately and then build an uplink and get the three more satellites going asap as well. My question is whether getting engineers early is important so that you have enough engineers to build your second uplink/nexus (which requires 10 engineers iirc) or if you can only take financial rewards from missions and still end up with adequate engineers by the time you have 5 satellites up and need to build your second nexus/uplink?

The first Uplink requires 10, the second 20. You can get them off mission rewards (4 per mission) or you can get them with Workshops (5 per), bought with cash from mission rewards (200 a pop). The cash is slightly more efficient, since building a Workshop, including excavation and power, costs 180-200 (ish) creds. Bottom line, you can get 4 engineers now or 5 half a month later. Won't you won't have is more satellites, since you'll be equally poor.

Either way you'll definitely need some source of bonus engineers aside from the monthly Council rewards to have enough of them to actually build the Uplinks in the first place, so no hoarding cash for Satellites.

[mistformsquirrl]

So now I have a Classic Ironman going, and this time it hasn't been so bad. I'm not far, I'm on my third or fourth mission (a bridge mission to save a UN General it appears), but overall things are going rather smoothly. I've only had one casualty so far, which is a LOT better than the 8 I had by this point on my last attempt.

My only real worry at this point is getting Carapace Armor ASAP. Everything else can wait; once I'm no longer in routine one/two shot territory (well, for awhile), then I'll feel safer doing other stuff. I think I'm going to prioritize plasma this time as well, as much as I thought Lasers were a good upgrade from ordinary firearms last time, plasma was a world of difference, and I see little reason not to just jump for that ASAP. I grant right now all my enemies only use plasma pistols; but that doesn't take long to change, and when it does change I want to be ready. So that's priority 2 -capture aliens!

Priority 3... I'm planning to get a SHIV up and running to be my scout going forward. Quite simply, it's too dangerous putting seasoned troops out front, and downright wasteful using rookies - a SHIV on the other hand is replacable since it doesn't lose XP; and if it takes heavy damage but isn't killed, I can just pull it back.

Went with North America this time; I'm curious if that discount applies to the parts needed for Firestorms as well as the cash...

[Zevox]

The first Uplink requires 10, the second 20. You can get them off mission rewards (4 per mission) or you can get them with Workshops (5 per), bought with cash from mission rewards (200 a pop). The cash is slightly more efficient, since building a Workshop, including excavation and power, costs 180-200 (ish) creds. Bottom line, you can get 4 engineers now or 5 half a month later. Won't you won't have is more satellites, since you'll be equally poor.

Either way you'll definitely need some source of bonus engineers aside from the monthly Council rewards to have enough of them to actually build the Uplinks in the first place, so no hoarding cash for Satellites.

You can't build your first workshop with just the engineers you start with, though. I don't remember the exact number you need, but it's at least 6, because I know I needed to get bonus engineers from my first mission in my current file before I could build a workshop.

Zevox

[shadow_archmagi]

After four Classic Ironman games that didn't make it past the fourth month, I've decided to play one on Normal difficulty just so I can experience the the later parts of the game before I get spoiled on Let's Plays. So far I am doing quite well. I'm glad that there is still some risk of losing soldiers. You guys were making it sound like a cake walk.

I recommend sticking with Classic- My fourth playthrough is the one that's looking like it'll make it to the endgame.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

I'm considering doing Classic Ironman. I've been doing Normal Ironman but after starting the game on save-scum Classic, Normal feels too easy. Case in point: Due to a misclick I double-moved Sigourney Weaver right smack-dab into the middle of three sectoids. No cover, completely surrounded, point-blank range. No Nano-weave, no Carapace armor, no smoke grenades, no nothing. Also, it was my last move, so the Aliens came up. Sectoid one fires, misses. Sectoid two... misses. Sectoid three... shoots at Will Smith, who's half a mile away behind full cover.

Wut.

You can't build your first workshop with just the engineers you start with, though. I don't remember the exact number you need, but it's at least 6, because I know I needed to get bonus engineers from my first mission in my current file before I could build a workshop.
Zevox

I was talking about building the second Uplink (third, counting the prebuilt one).

[Zevox]

I'm considering doing Classic Ironman. I've been doing Normal Ironman but after starting the game on save-scum Classic, Normal feels too easy. Case in point: Due to a misclick I double-moved Sigourney Weaver right smack-dab into the middle of three sectoids. No cover, completely surrounded, point-blank range. No Nano-weave, no Carapace armor, no smoke grenades, no nothing. Also, it was my last move, so the Aliens came up. Sectoid one fires, misses. Sectoid two... misses. Sectoid three... shoots at Will Smith, who's half a mile away behind full cover.

Wut.

That just sounds like you getting insanely lucky. I know I've lost troops to less dangerous situations than that before on normal.

I was talking about building the second Uplink (third, counting the prebuilt one).

Ah, that's where our disconnect is - when you say second uplink, I'm thinking it's counting the starting one, so your first new one.

Zevox

[Surrealistik]

Hacking and hewing my way through Impossible Ironman. Very difficult but equally rewarding. It's all about the Heavies, Squadsight Snipers, nades and rockets, and just plain not getting ganked by the RNG despite every plausible effort to minimize risk. Had quite a few 'That's X-Com Baby!' moments.

[Zevox]

All right, just finished the Alien Base attack in my Iron Man game. To my pleasant surprise, the base map was different than in my previous game, so I didn't have full foreknowledge of what I'd face.

The attack still went much better than my first time through, though. In part because of me playing much more cautiously, in part because the map worked out more in my favor than the other one did. I had no casualties, and only two troops wounded. My team was:

Major Arthur, Male Support. Healer.
Captain X-23, Female Assault. Rifle, not shotgun.
Captain Hsien-Ko, Female Support. Healer.
Captain Deadpool, Male Sniper.
Lieutenant Victor Von Doom, Male Heavy.
Lieutenant She-Hulk, Female Heavy.

Everyone armed with laser weapons or light plasma rifles, and carapace armor. Everyone but Arthur and Hsien-Ko got a promotion, so I now have three Majors.

Took down four Thin Men, eleven (!) Chyrssalids, five Drones, a Cyberdisk, and of course the Sectoid Commander. Was my first encounter with a Cyberdisk and drones in this one, too, which went pretty well. Both of my heavies hit it on overwatch shots, and both had HEAT ammo and Heavy Lasers, so it never stood a chance there. Of course, this was after a lot of missed shots, including everyone else on the team missing overwatch shots on it in that same round (it had withdrawn and moved to flank us), so I guess I was due for some luck. Actually, I had an awful lot of misses on what should have been easy shots in this one, particularly on reaction shots against Chryssalids. Still, I must have been doing things right, because even with those, I still only took a couple of lucky shots from Thin Men and one attack from a Chyssalid.

Weird thing though - right at the start of the mission, Doom started suffering a bug that I can only describe as paranoid delusions. He had one of those alien icons displayed when selected, even when there were no aliens around - and this not only lasted the whole mission, but partway through a second one joined it. Near as I can tell it had no impact on anything, but still, really strange.

Oh, something that I'm doing differently this run and liking. I've tried giving Deadpool the Gunslinger talent instead of Damn Good Ground, and I've gotta say, it works really well. It makes the pistol actually a worthwhile weapon (a laser pistol suddenly has damage output identical to a laser or light plasma rifle), giving a squadsight sniper a move-and-shoot/overwatch option worth a damn. I've killed or seriously wounded more than a few enemies with it already. Yeah I'm still mostly hitting things with sniper shots, which are certainly preferable, but that talent immensely improved his backup option. At this point, I think it's really worth giving up Damn Good Ground for that, particularly considering you already get an aim bonus from high ground naturally anyway.

Zevox

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Gunslinger vs Damn Good Ground really is a tough choice.

Gunslinger gives snipers an excellent Overwatch option, just to keep Thin Men from dropping down behind your position. After all, he's already got Squadsight (he *DOES* have squadsight, doesn't he?) so when he doesn't have a target to pop, he can take Rear Guard.

Damn Good Ground is good with Archangel suits... particularly when you double flight duration. Otherwise, it can be difficult to get to said high ground, particularly in a UFO or Base Invasion. Which means wasted ability.