XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Lucidvizion · 2012-10-11T10:02:20.000Z

Tim James:

There goes that surprise.

Firaxis would have ruined it for you eventually since it’s mentioned in a loading screen tip.

Black_Isis · 2012-10-11T10:05:54.000Z

Lucidvizion:

Firaxis would have ruined it for you eventually since it’s mentioned in a loading screen tip.

The first or second time you don’t intercept a UFO your situation room guy will warn you too.

Baldric · 2012-10-11T10:09:33.000Z

GuildBoss:

My first Terror Site last night on Normal (for now) went well enough but the entire mission was spent fighting on the corner of a single building a mere 25 feet from the Skyranger. There were 10 aliens and they seemed to be bunched up right there or maybe they came to me?

Frankly, it was rather anticlimactic (and disappointing), considering the size of the towns in 1994 XCOM were much larger and required far more tactical movement. Is this the norm or just my roll of the dice?

Most city maps seem to be front loaded with aliens which tends to bring everything to the initial combat zone, but I have gotten some maps that are large (other than the alien base map) and required the exploration and movement you mention.

Woolen_Horde · 2012-10-11T10:18:29.000Z

My X-Com is updating. PATCH??? Restart games everyone!!!

robc04 · 2012-10-11T10:21:13.000Z

Has anyone seen what might be a cover bug? There was an alien who was behind cover. On my first move I turned the corner so I was standing right next to him. My chance to hit was still in the 60s so I looked at the extended info, It still reported the alien was behind high cover. Not sure how that was possible since I was next to it. I tried again with another soldier and the same thing happened.

On another note, I played the tutorial some. To the point I was trying to extract a UN official. I got sloppy and did poorly. I was playing an ironman classic mode game with the tutorial on. I’m going to start over and I never played the prior XCOM.

Is it worth while to start another tutorial game or should I turn it off?
I’ve played a lot of strategy games, do you think normal or classic is a better place for me to start a real game without prior XCOM experience?

Thanks

Woolen_Horde · 2012-10-11T10:22:48.000Z

robc04:

Is it worth while to start another tutorial game or should I turn it off?
I’ve played a lot of strategy games, do you think normal or classic is a better place for me to start a real game without prior XCOM experience?

Thanks

Tutorial = off. It really helps with the pacing; you can avoid all those tedious videos that handhold you through the base basics.

Normal if you never really played X-Com. We old school grognards cut our teeth on the hilariously brutal difficulty of the original game. That’s what classic is for.

Woolen_Horde · 2012-10-11T10:23:51.000Z

1.85GB update. Ooooooo.

flyinj · 2012-10-11T10:24:22.000Z

robc04:

Has anyone seen what might be a cover bug? There was an alien who was behind cover. On my first move I turned the corner so I was standing right next to him. My chance to hit was still in the 60s so I looked at the extended info, It still reported the alien was behind high cover. Not sure how that was possible since I was next to it. I tried again with another soldier and the same thing happened.

On another note, I played the tutorial some. To the point I was trying to extract a UN official. I got sloppy and did poorly. I was playing an ironman classic mode game with the tutorial on. I’m going to start over and I never played the prior XCOM.

Is it worth while to start another tutorial game or should I turn it off?
I’ve played a lot of strategy games, do you think normal or classic is a better place for me to start a real game without prior XCOM experience?

Thanks

Shooting aliens point-blank is dodgy right now. The best thing to avoid is being in cover yourself. Place yourself standing right next to the alien with yourself not attached to cover, and you’ll have a better chance of 100%. Which sucks, because then you’re standing outside cover after you take the shot.

And yes, definitely re-start the game. You’ll be re-starting the game constantly, and the tutorial only allows you to pick 2 of the 5 potential places you can start your base.

Jason_McMaster · 2012-10-11T10:24:33.000Z

I’ve been playing on classic and it finally broke me - normal ironman now

Piemax2 · 2012-10-11T10:26:03.000Z

Well I can partially answer my question about the pacing and difficulty of the missions- I’m now seeing “easy” and “medium” missions with more advanced aliens that would destroy a newbie team. Does anyone know if this is keyed to your following the “plot line” of priority research? If so does that mean you can keep the missions easy by dragging your heels on the plot? or is it tied to the game’s calendar? (I think I’d prefer that…)

robc04 · 2012-10-11T10:30:13.000Z

flyinj:

Shooting aliens point-blank is dodgy right now. The best thing to avoid is being in cover yourself. Place yourself standing right next to the alien with yourself not attached to cover, and you’ll have a better chance of 100%. Which sucks, because then you’re standing outside cover after you take the shot.

And yes, definitely re-start the game. You’ll be re-starting the game constantly, and the tutorial only allows you to pick 2 of the 5 potential places you can start your base.

Not sure I follow. I started my turn next to cover (around the corner from my target alien). I wanted to shoot him while staying around the corner (typically your guy pops out for a shot). It still reported the alien was behind cover. At that point I moved around the corner so I was next to the alien and it still gave him the high cover bonus. There wasn’t anything between us, so I don’t know where the cover came from. I then approach the alien with another soldier from the opposite corner and stood right next to him. The expanded info still stated the alien was getting a cover bonus. Seems wonky, I should have been getting a flanking bonus.

flyinj · 2012-10-11T10:31:25.000Z

Piemax2:

Well I can partially answer my question about the pacing and difficulty of the missions- I’m now seeing “easy” and “medium” missions with more advanced aliens that would destroy a newbie team. Does anyone know if this is keyed to your following the “plot line” of priority research? If so does that mean you can keep the missions easy by dragging your heels on the plot? or is it tied to the game’s calendar? (I think I’d prefer that…)

After about 4 missions in Classic Ironman, all my missions are either Difficult or Very Difficult, and I haven’t even built anything in my base, especially not plot-furthering things.

It seems to just march on regardless of what you do.

Piemax2 · 2012-10-11T10:52:57.000Z

Thanks for the info,but note that “easy” mission midgame is tougher than a difficult one at the start: he baddies have more better weapons, new powers, etc.

Steel_Wind · 2012-10-11T10:56:14.000Z

Well, the reaction here seems overwhelmingly – if not universally – positive. It may be that we are self-selecting for the gameplay and nostalgia that this game caters to.

Dispassionately, I don’t think that the game play in XCOM is all THAT different from that in Valkyria Chronicles. VC was also an excellent game, one that was released about this time of year outside of Japan (November, actually IIRC) and which was absolutely ignored and won several awards for the “Best Game Nobody Played”.

Looks like we are through and over that hump with XCOM:EU. Are we at GOTY status potentially, or is that all just a fantasy still?

Opinions?

forgeforsaken · 2012-10-11T10:59:32.000Z

Steel_Wind:

Well, the reaction here seems overwhelmingly – if not universally – positive. It may be that we are self-selecting for the gameplay and nostalgia that this game caters to.

Dispassionately, I don’t think that the game play in XCOM is all THAT different from that in Valkyria Chronicles. VC was also an excellent game, one that was released about this time of year outside of Japan (November, actually IIRC) and which was absolutely ignored and won several awards for the “Best Game Nobody Played”.

Looks like we are through and over that hump with XCOM:EU. Are we at GOTY status potentially, or is that all just a fantasy still?

Opinions?

Based on reviews and critic reception it seems to be a GOTY candidate at some sites, depends on future releases for the year etc. but it will for sure be in the conversation. As to sales…we can cross our fingers. The amount of forum traffic at multiple boards looks promising though.

Kool_Moe_Dee · 2012-10-11T11:05:31.000Z

BTW, I LOVE the fact that the “Guile haircut” is in this game. What a great nod to fans of the original.

TurinTur · 2012-10-11T11:12:00.000Z

Steel_Wind:

Opinions?

The response is clearly, overwhelmingly positive, both fans and critic.
Now, GOTY? It will have to fight with Dishonored, Halo 4, Ass Creed 3, Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2, etc. I can see winning a pair of GOTYs.

Savillo · 2012-10-11T11:18:36.000Z

Piemax2:

Thanks for the info,but note that “easy” mission midgame is tougher than a difficult one at the start: he baddies have more better weapons, new powers, etc.

I’m not 100 percent sure, but those mission difficulty ratings seem tied closely to the likely number of aliens you’ll encounter more so than anything else.

Sarkus · 2012-10-11T11:28:37.000Z

You know what they need to do is improve the opening cutscene. The original game was great - aliens attack, X-Com responds, perfect music. None of that here, with the dull cutscene that looks straight out of that crappy Russian scifi movie from earlier this year. And then a dull monologue from the head of the council. Nothing that gets anyone excited.

Piemax2 · 2012-10-11T11:32:46.000Z

Savillo:

I’m not 100 percent sure, but those mission difficulty ratings seem tied closely to the likely number of aliens you’ll encounter more so than anything else.

Yes, I think that fits. And what determines the type/level of aliens?