Playing the original X-com for the first time

[thespyder]

You just need to set your guys to aggressive so they stay where you tell them to be and not run off on their own. On normal stance they will try to run away and find cover when under fire.

Maybe. On the other hand, I actually like taking the time to do step by step where they go. To check corners and to set up 100% cover fire whenever necessary. and I just like turn based combat. Pure and simple.

 

[Daverino]

TFTD on the hardest level is still so so so damned tough. Molecular control is just insanely hard to get around. It's a race to the MC lab and start screening my aquanauts in a desperate hope to survive without losing too much money.

Although TFTD is wonky in its premise (throw a grenade underwater? OK!) and the two stage terror missions are a PITA, I still prefer it over the original just on the grounds that you can right click to open a door without walking through. That made the gameplay infinitely better over the original.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I think that Apocalypse was definitely an improvement on the original as well. However, i thought the real time combat was a complete failure. I tried it two, maybe three times and just found that I didn't have the fine control over my soldiers that I needed to survive even the most basic missions.

I like the real-time combat in apoc better than its turn based. I love EU turn-based, but something just seemed off playing apoc in turn-based mode. This might not make a difference in how you like it, but there's differences in how you need to play to be effective in real-time vs turn-based in apoc.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Although TFTD is wonky in its premise (throw a grenade underwater? OK!) and the two stage terror missions are a PITA, I still prefer it over the original just on the grounds that you can right click to open a door without walking through. That made the gameplay infinitely better over the original.

Too bad that XCOM Util mod lets you do this in the original now.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Too bad that XCOM Util mod lets you do this in the original now.

It does? I didn't see the option for that and I thought I got the latest release.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Hmmm... perhaps it wasn't XCOM Util... but I definitely used some little mod like that that lets you open doors TFTD style.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Aha... got it. XCOM Extender: http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=User:Seb76

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I play through TFTD every christmas. Best. Game. Ever.

 

[QuantumPion]

I've actually never played TFTD more than 2 missions in. It was just too ridiculously hard for me >_< . It felt like trying to play X-com on hard where the aliens were all Etherials with blaster launchers from the first mission.

 

[stevty2889]

Never made it through a full game of TFTD. Always get too frustrated with the cruise ships, takes to long to track down that one last alien.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Never made it through a full game of TFTD. Always get too frustrated with the cruise ships, takes to long to track down that one last alien.

The trick is to fuck the civilians and use a lot of explosives and sonic displacers. Sure, your score is crap, but it's fun blowing everything up.

You can also savescum, control-c and hope for a cargo ship map instead.

 

[Agent11]

Just wait til you start getting missions with Etherals. I've had them mind control a guy with a blaster bomb and kill my entire squad.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Just wait til you start getting missions with Etherals. I've had them mind control a guy with a blaster bomb and kill my entire squad.

Psi attacks will always be done against your lowest psi-power troops (they can only target people that have been seen by an alien though). So equip them with pistols or stun-rods.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

So I started up a game on beginner to see how much easier it would be (was playing on veteran), and I found I can't stand playing on that difficulty. The AI is actually crippled on it. On higher difficulties the aliens will be prone to hunt you down much more, but on beginner I run into a lot more missions where I'm searching every nook and cranny for the last alien left.

 

[irishScott]

So I started up a game on beginner to see how much easier it would be (was playing on veteran), and I found I can't stand playing on that difficulty. The AI is actually crippled on it. On higher difficulties the aliens will be prone to hunt you down much more, but on beginner I run into a lot more missions where I'm searching every nook and cranny for the last alien left.

Really? Might have to upgrade to normal. I was always told to wait for the aliens to come to me and lure them into traps, but then the aliens never really came. Searching every nook and cranny just became routine.

 

[blastingcap]

See this thread. Some advanced tactics and stuff in there. http://www.abandonia.com/en/forum?url=showthread.php?t=73

 

[irishScott]

See this thread. Some advanced tactics and stuff in there. http://www.abandonia.com/en/forum?url=showthread.php?t=73

lol. Part of the fun is I've been using some paramilitary tactics for entry/room clearing. Stacking people up, assigning everyone a zone to clear, etc.

 

[Baked]

Best part and worst part of TFTD is playing hide and seek with the lobstermen. I have all 3 original X-Com games from steam. The 3rd one with updated graphics is awesome! The guided missiles are ridiculous!

 

[iCyborg]

Psi attacks will always be done against your lowest psi-power troops (they can only target people that have been seen by an alien though). So equip them with pistols or stun-rods.

If I know their Psi Strength is below about 70, I will sack them. Or if they've been around from the start and have some nice stats, keep for base defense or something. But until you have Psi labs and you spend a month training, you don't know which soldiers have low and which ones have high psi strength. Unless they do something nasty like the aforementioned wiping off a team...

I sort of wish they didn't include Psi, once you get that capability, the game becomes very easy, sometimes I would be lining up aliens for a shooting training. It's too powerful a feature...

 

[thespyder]

The guided missiles are ridiculous!

Once you get teleporters, it becomes stupidly easy. Teleport into a space. Guide a missile into the enemy nest. move on to the next space.

 

[irishScott]

Just messed around with Xcom Util, nice program. Fixed all of the bugs and features, didn't go for any "extensions". Also started a new game on "experienced".

 

[Born2bwire]

Just messed around with Xcom Util, nice program. Fixed all of the bugs and features, didn't go for any "extensions". Also started a new game on "experienced".

I'll just point out this thread where I tried to do all the hard work for everyone:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2218181

Regardless, the UFO Extender is nice.

 

[Harrod]

For some reason I could never really get into Apocalypse at all. I did actually beat it, but it was more of a get it done type thing. I remember at one point instead of clearing out the high rise level, just dropping grenades at all supports and letting the building fall down. To me this was the equivalent of the cruise ship missions in TFTD.

 

[Born2bwire]

For some reason I could never really get into Apocalypse at all. I did actually beat it, but it was more of a get it done type thing. I remember at one point instead of clearing out the high rise level, just dropping grenades at all supports and letting the building fall down. To me this was the equivalent of the cruise ship missions in TFTD.

Hah! If only we could do the same in TFTD by torpedoing the ship.

 

[thespyder]

For some reason I could never really get into Apocalypse at all. I did actually beat it, but it was more of a get it done type thing. I remember at one point instead of clearing out the high rise level, just dropping grenades at all supports and letting the building fall down. To me this was the equivalent of the cruise ship missions in TFTD.

Honestly, towards the end of Apoc, I did this a lot. Smash the entire board before they got to the mind control. And once teleporters, it was a smash fest twice as fast. Earlier on, you had to track them down so that you could capture aliens and alien tech, like Torchwood.