2921

Easy, he was one of the 10% who misses :)

2922

I am the commander of the organisation to save the earth, and all the nations chipped in and gave me 285 dollars?

Lots of nice things, But also lots of stupid decisions like the one grenade people have mwntioned. Its xlearly Xcom But I suspect things like the very small maps, only 6 soldiers and other stuff is the result of it having to fit in a console which I find a little sad.

The tactical combat is pretty fun though, and as always the rainy maps are my favorites! Heres to a giant success for firaxis so they can make a srquel that is even better! :)

2923

The to hit chances doesnt seem to match the percentages indicated, unfoetunately

2924

No, they gave you §285, which is way better!

Edit: Also, I’m pretty sure the hit chances DO match the percentages, otherwise that’s a huge problem! Missing a 90% shot happens 1/10 times – not something that will never happen.

2925

As long as it isnt 285 microsoft points I guess I should feel lucky ;-)

2926

I like to think that number is in BILLIONS of dollars.

2927

So what difficulty level should an experienced gamer play on? I’ve never played XCOM but I like a bit of a challenge.

2928

This game is better than the original, and I loved the original. The combat is much better and more tactical IMO. The smaller squads are also better, they keep the game moving quickly, and invests more attention in each individual soldier. Exploring the map is no longer “send a Rookie into that wheat field so that any aliens can take a pot shot at him”.

I also owe Adam of Game Informer an apology for casting doubt on the early review.

I see the smaller maps, smaller squads and gear restrictions as good design decisions, not holdovers from the console. I don’t mind abstraction for the sake of interesting decisions (like the one grenade rule), even if its not “realistic”.

Tony

2929

Normal, no ironman is fairly easy. Normal with ironman is a bit of a challenge because even on Normal, the occasional mission presents unexpected difficulties, plus you still have to choose how to spend your resources wisely and you can’t back out of your mistakes. Classic is hard unless you really save-scum the hell out of it.

2930

Classic, fleshman. (Normal is silly-easy, IMO).

Tips

Tactical layer:

  1. Flank
  2. Use heavy cover if at all possible
  3. Liberal use of overwatch

Strategy layer

  1. Always be building satellites
  2. You will have very little alien materials early game, use them very carefully
  3. Get an officer training school running quickly so you can increase your squad size.
2931

Which would make a medkit and a bodyarmor cost 60 billioner dollars? Its part of what makes the game so damn gamey.

2932

Have you finished the game in Classic Giaddon?

2933

Hee hee.

Not yet!

I’m only playing ironman, so progress is very slow. :)

I have a normal game where I am much farther along.

2934

Which you certainly have every right to do. I just dont neither agree nor believe it :)

2935

Inflation good sir! It is 2015 after all!

:D

2936

I ask because your answer to Jazar of playing in Classic. Normal maybe is too easy, but I have some reports of really veteran strategy players (including old X-com players, of course) that Classic is really tough as nails, and more and more as the game advances.

2937

Classic is quite tough, but normal is far too easy. Classic w/ saves is a great option. You get a stiff challenge, but misunderstandings or mistakes can be undone by reloading old saves.

Basically, Jazar should decide if he wants to preview the content (normal), or commit to a tough strategic challenge (classic).

Nothing wrong with playing on normal. Like I said, I have a normal game going myself, so I can see what I will be up against in my classic ironman. But when asked which I would recommend, it’s classic, no contest.

I also think I prefer this game to UFO Defense (and Terror from the Deep, which I liked even more than UD (I know, that’s dumb)), as well. At least, now that I have this, I can’t imagine playing the others for anything other than nostalgia reasons.

I wish Firaxis was more adventurous with the tactical combat. The abilities add a lot, but it’s still mostly all about straight firing lines with high damage weapons. I’d have liked to see different status effects, area denial weapons, weapons that can’t hurt enemies but damage cover (grenades are kind of like this, actually), just a few things more to think about other than “is this soldier in cover? does he have a straight shot to the enemy?” The psi elements do mix this up a tiny bit, but they still rely on line of sight. I would also like if soldiers could recover downed soldiers’ items or swap items during a mission. A mix of mission objectives would also be nice. In playing for 20+ hours I have only done bomb disposal once. That was a nice, tense change of pace. The game needs more stuff like that.

I like the strategic layer a lot, but the one thing I wish for is greater interaction with the council nations. Special missions, special objectives, some kind of negotiation or barter system, would have added a lot, I think. As it is, you put your satellites on the board and wait for another alien attack.

Ultimately, though, this game does a ton right. And the rhythm (both within battles and across the game as a whole) is incredibly propulsive and engaging.

Oh, and the music is really, really awesome.

2938

It’s really really not. Playing Ironman, relatively late game and I just almost had a squad wipe from a bad chain of events. I wouldn’t even say I made a bad move really. Lost 3 troops with the other 3 just barely pulling it off. Normal certainly has its moments where you are just trucking along feeling pretty good but the one false move or bad luck leading to catastrophe is still ever present.

2939

This time absolutely no input worked. Escape didn’t even bring up the menu.

I had to ctrl alt delete and reload. Thankfully I turned auto save on, but because I have the save game order bug too, I needed to go hunting through my saves to find the right one.

2940

In my classic games I’ve tried, I have had a hell of a time building an officer school in any reasonable amount of time. Does anyone know what triggers the availability of facilities like workshops? In several games I have to sit around unable to build things due to lack of engineers.