5004

Not to diminish your frustration, but in the scheme of things that’s a relatively minor bug compared to what was lurking after last year’s release. Though I guess I rarely used suppression, so maybe it’s more infuriating than I appreciate.

5005

I don’t know how you could “rarely” use suppression unless you are playing on normal or lower.

5006

I always take suppression on heavies and supports but hardly use it on classic or impossible - haven’t noticed that bug probably because if I am suppressing I’m definetly not in half cover.

5007

The question is how many to keep around? I’ve been trying to keep ~15 Sectoids/Thin Men around in case I need them for research/upgrades/council requests, etc. but I’m pulling that out of my ass. I do recall some upgrades needed Sectoid/Thin Men corpses, AFAIK, but I can’t remember what the counts are for them (I still haven’t finished a game on normal - but I think I’m on my way…).

5008

I found this information about Alien corpses in the XCOM Wiki to be helpful.

5009

Really? I play exclusively on IC and have never taken suppression. I find my guys take hits too damn often even in full cover, so my rule is that except when absolutely necessary, I don’t leave anyone even visible to the enemy, little lone in cover of some sort.

I know I’m not necessarily maximizing the utility of the heavy class, but I much prefer to have access to a shredder rocket (particularly early on) than an ability that requires 66% of a heavy’s ammo until you can research ammo conservation.

5010

Thanks, that’s fantastic.

5011

So, I recently tried to replay XCOM. The first time I played it, I remember going through it in two sessions that lasted quite a lot of hours. But i didn’t really feel it had any replayabilty.

Now I am replaying it, and added some of the second wind or whatever they were called options to the game… and I find myself playing like this:

10 Launch a mission to a area that looks a lot like areas I have already been to many many times
20 Move Unit 1 my its max normal movement range, double-tap overwatch,
30 Next unit, repeat 20,
40 Next unit, repeat 20
50 Next Unit, repeat 20
60 Press End of round
70 Goto 60

– Any suggestions on how I can enjoy the game as if it was the first time I played it? :)

5012

Do you have enemy within?

5013

You’re welcome.

5014

Outside of Enemy Within, yes the normal game is boring even with the second wave options enabled for exactly the reason you mention. If they’d written proper AI for the aliens instead of pure scripts, it would be way more fun. Instead you’re just playing against your own patience, not aliens and no matter how many different scenes there are, it’s the same thing over and over again.

5015

Guess I’ll see if I can grab the expansion at a bargain then, cheers :)

5016

I am really, really happy with the expansion.
The new maps are great, and the new mechanics help force you to play the game in a more aggressive and/or fun way.
Yeah, there’s still some stuff I don’t love (I still find the big UFO maps tedious; I don’t even bother playing the last mission).

But I was surprised how much the new stuff livened up the game.

I just started another playthrough with the “randomize the soldier trees” turned on, and I think this may actually be the best option of all: It makes each soldier unique. It also helps justify why you might ditch someone (other than bad aim or weak mind).

Anyhow, my only gripe is I wish there were more more more!

5017

I think i have the problem that i get too attached to my soldiers, so i hate when they die and makes me want to reload too much.

That didnt happen as much in the old xcom were everyone was sort of expendable for me.

5018

I really like the randomize skills option. I like the idea that my soldiers are really nervous right after they get promoted, wondering if I’m going to be unhappy with my choices and chop off their arms and legs instead.

5019

I got Enemy Within for Christmas, and man, I’m finding my return to XCom frustrating. I’m playing reasonably well - I’m not making newbie mistakes on Classic like losing the first mission, which is what happened the first time I bumped the difficulty in Enemy Unknown - but I inevitably make some mistake which I feel is crippling, give up, and start over.

Like losing a country where I’ve already put up a satellite. Losing a country that you haven’t covered isn’t that bad really, though it feels awful, since you’re only losing late-game income and maybe a continent bonus. End game you’re swimming in money and you don’t need all 16 countries to win by any means. But if you lose the country after a satellite is up, that’s a lost satellite slot since you can’t move satellites. Satellite slots are precious in the early game when money is tight, and losing one is a very serious blow.

The new maps make it harder. Knowing the old maps cold is a big advantage, particularly in Council missions. I failed one council mission for example because it spawned a Thin Man where he could shoot at the NPC, and I didn’t have enough people with LOS on him to kill him in one turn. Scratch one NPC. If you know where the Thin Men are going to drop from the sky, that doesn’t happen, you just don’t expose the NPC to fire ever.

I think I need to build a cybernetics lab early. In my first 5 games, I’ve tried for the traditional 4-satellite start, and that takes up all the available money and power, with no real room for additional facilities. I’ve heard getting an early MEC or two can make the game much easier.

5020

The scripted Council Missions that spawn aliens were some of the toughest for me as well (won’t spoil it, but watch out for the Fishing Village!). Usually I play offensively, using stealth to spot aliens and steal Meld. But these I play very defensively with my entire team moving as a group, since there seem to be “trigger points” that activate the alien drops.

Impossible is too scary for me, but overall on Classic I found EW easier than the original because of all the tech additions. Early Thin Men were some of the most dangerous fights in the game oddly enough (except for the newly buffed Sectopods), due to a lack of useful techs. Ghost Grenades are awesomely useful and fun, and can be obtained much earlier than Ghost Armor. The Gene mods are mostly meh, except Mimetic Skin which is arguably cheesy/overpowered. Together they can actually transform the battles into something like a stealth-action game.

5021

Just gave up on my 5th game because I wiped taking on a landed saucer. Essentially, it was one of those “XCom moments” - I was doing pretty well, and then my MEC trooper ran for a Meld container and triggered 3 Floaters and the Outsider captain. The floaters killed the MEC, and the Outsider killed another trooper, and it was all downhill from there. As with most such disasters, it was mostly about pushing too fast, though in this case it’s due to the redesign which has you chasing expiring Meld resources. If I’d held off on advancing with the MEC until the rest of the group was ready it wouldn’t have happened.

5022

Wiped again, and this was more the game screwing me than something I did. 3 Floaters + 3 Thin Men is more than I can handle with basic equipment and 4 men. I can’t seem to progress to the point where I have laser weapons and carapace armor without suffering a setback that I feel guarantees an eventual loss. The early game has always been the hard part, and it feels much harder than it was.

5023

Damn it Gus. Now you have me jonesing for my own game. I just got back from work though, so I’m going in!