2761

Loving this game.

Equipping squaddies is still a pita, though. It could be easily improved in numerous ways.

I lost my Classic game, so I’m replaying on Normal. Even still I’ve lost some countries. Seems like it’s really a “doomsday countdown” – if you ignore the plot missions you’re going to lose sooner or later no matter how well you play.

2762

It is fun, but the difficulty is ramping up fast. I just did a regular abduction mission which had a floater and 6 of the super tough guys and 3 of the thin men. I managed to get out without any deaths, but now my entire team is in sickbay, most for over a week. This does not bode well for any missions that may pop up during that time.

BTW does anyone know if you can have multiple interceptors engage a UFO? I have had just one per area that I had satellite coverage and a large UFO shot it down. If I had like 3 of them, could all 3 of them engage and take the UFO down? I am build a new kind of interceptor now, it is very expensive, I hope it is a huge upgrade.

2763

I don’t know if I’m getting better, or they tweaked some hit percentages, but post-patch I’ve survived in my new ironman classic game for about 10 missions and am doing quite well. The longest I’ve lasted without giving up pre-patch was about 5 missions.

I really think you just need to start over if you get a squad wipe before the fourth mission. It’s near impossible to kill the advanced enemies without some abilities to help you.

Also, post-patch, the left stick map scrolling is about twice as fast. It’s super smooth and useful now.

What I REALLY want is the back/next turn button to be assignable to “overwatch everyone else” and have it prompt you if you have a sniper who can’t overwatch. Pressing overwatch for four squad members is a total pain in the ass… especially seeing how it lingers for 2-3 seconds over the person you pressed overwatch on to let you really appreciate the floating “overwatch” label that appears over them before you’re allowed to overwatch the next person.

2764

If those three interceptors are on the same continent as the UFO, you can use them all.

2765

Oh man, the missions I’m on now (like September or so game time) are SO MUCH worse than what you are describing. I’m not sure this late in the game is viable without some very high ranking soldiers coupled with the incredible gear I have. Even then, I still lose a dude now and then and am having a real problem with the UFO’s now, too. Scary.

As to the second question, I believe you can have one damanged interceptor bail, and then you can send another one after it. I haven’t done it yet, but when I’ve retreated (or lost) a fighter, I’ve been taken back to the “no Interceptors in Range / Ignore Contact” screen.

2766

But it was urban warfare with multiple buildings to breech and search, narrow alleys, streets to race across, etc. All the while with townies screaming and getting blasted by plasma fire which gave you some urgency. Sure there was certainly an occasional bug hunt but the larger town and the duty to protect civilians meant moving less cautiously to try to save some so it didn’t feel like trudging…at least to me.

Are the maps small in the new game? Yep. But they’re packed with cover and approach points. There’s just enough room to manuever and make meaningful tactical decisions without having to ctrl-c ctrl-v things up.

Yes, I get that but my ENTIRE terror site mission took place on a spot no larger than a tennis court. Didn’t feel nearly as terrifying and urgent as I was hoping. But again, it was my first TS mission so maybe it was a fluke.

As you can tell, I’m pretty happy with the small maps and the general signposting of which way your operatives need to go. This design decision, and many others, shows that XCom respects my time, which not something I have as much of when I was in my slacker 20s rolling UFO:EU :)

I gotta say, I had seemingly ENDLESS amount of time to play XCOM in 1994-95 too, before family and real job! So overall I AM appreciating the smaller mission maps. Having said that, I was squealing with excitement when I got my first terror site but came away feeling like my 3-scoop ice cream just fell out of the cone.

2767

You can switch to the next soldier immediately after hitting OVERWATCH and it works as fast as you can press those buttons alternatingly (TAB and Y on the keyboard).

2768

I meant at the same time. You can’t scramble them all at once? Or you can recall one, and send another and the UFO will still be damaged and so you can whittle it down? I guess what I am really asking is, how to deal with tougher UFOs.

2769

Quick question, that’s probably been asked and answered several times but the thread is moving too fast: Anybody playing on console? Recommended? I’ve heard several places say that the interface is pretty controller-centric, but I’m still leery about some of the menu / equipment kind of stuff.

2770

Yes, the interface is fantastic with the controller. So much so that I play the PC SKU on my big 1080p tv with a controller on my couch.

Xcom on the couch. I never thought I’d be doing that!

2771

I did on the PSOne. :) One of my first and easily best purchases on that console.

2772

Are you sure about this? I swore I tried this on the 360 pad, and it locked the “next soldier” button until the floating overwatch label faded.

I really just want “back/next turn” to default to overwatch.

2773

I gotta get a new virus scanner or something.
Finally I get to play, and some jerk hacked my copy so it plays like a TBS variant of Gears of War, with dull narrow-tube levels to boot.

rezaf

2774

It’s a very good skill. Because the sniper can’t move and shoot in the same turn, extending his/her range through the sight of others is very useful.[/QUOTE]
Mostly true.

The other perk you can choose from when selecting Squadsight is Snap Shot, which allows you to move and shoot - or move and select overwatch - in one turn. So you can either shoot at anyone in any squad members line of sight, or move/shoot like everyone else.

Personally, I had trouble with Squadsight. I could rarely get the LOS thing to work out, and ended up always using the Sniper that had the Snap Shot perk instead.

2775

I’m 100% sure on the PC Keyboard/Mouse, I do it all the time. But I know I’ve seen in streams the 2K guys set a move order and then cycle to the next unit while the first is moving, so unless something got changed (or broke) from the build they used to stream/demo the game around and the gold release, it should work for you to. Give it a try and let us know if you get a chance, maybe?

2776

I started a new game on Normal this morning. I’m barely halfway through April and I get hit with a Terror mission. Really, game? I don’t have a single officer above the rank of Sergeant, I haven’t even begun to research lasers, I only have two of those mesh undershirts, and you hit me with a Terror mission? In Europe where I have no satellites so I pretty much have to take it?

WTF, game? WTF?

2777

That’s about when I got my first terror mission. What’s the big deal? Note that you don’t have to save everybody to get the terror-reduction effect.

2778

Same happened to me on normal early in the game last night. April, too, i think. However, I was incredibly lucky and all the baddies jumped right in front of me for the most part. Put down a couple, a couple more down to reaction fire and then I maneuvered to get the last ones. 17 of 18 saved. Really lucky.

2779

I think his concern is that the terror mission is the first really, really tough mission in the game, comparitively, and he HAS to take it or scrap the entire game, and it sounds like he’s a little under equipped (maybe). I would be worried to, but terror missions are ALWAYS rough. To be fair, I don’t think I had lasers or anything on my terror mission, nor did I have any one of any significant ranke.

Though, I also lost everyone except the sniper that made it back to the LZ and boogied out of there, then the game spiraled out of control from there!

2780

I love this game so much I’m wondering if I should get a nvidia card for PhysX. Am I mad? Is it a big deal.