UFO: Enemy Unknown/Defense question

[mikeymikec]

(I'm talking about the original 1994 version by Microprose)

Despite completing the original many times, it always irked me that going up against say a large UFO with Ethereals in it would have a 75% probability of my troops walking around like puppets nailing each other. Basically I sucked at psionics.

I'm wondering whether the reason for this was due to my tactics earlier in the game - I generally waited until I had the small launcher before I started intentionally grabbing live aliens. Since playing the newer version and having to get close with the Arc Thrower, I'm wondering, do people who do well with psionics use the stun rod in order to get live alien research going far sooner?

 

[Martimus]

I always took my troops with the most action points and gave them a laser pistol in one hand and a cattle prod in the other. I paired them with a second person with a rifle, in case they were unsuccessful at stunning, so he could kill the alien. It worked very well for me, to the point that I never even used the launcher.

 

[mikeymikec]

Would you do that the moment you've got laser weapons?

Presumably the plan there is to get engineers and navigators, does that allow you to get a psi-lab and hyperwave decoder early on?

Can you remind me about psi-strength and whichever the other one was? Also, how much of either/both does a unit need to be safe from ethereals?

I love the small launcher because it could stun multiple units in close proximity to the blast point, that and the range of it.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

you need a sectoid leader or commander to get psionics before ethereals.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yeah - you need to shoot for psionics (at least resistance) first, alien weapons second, armor third.

 

[kevinsbane]

(I'm talking about the original 1994 version by Microprose)

Despite completing the original many times, it always irked me that going up against say a large UFO with Ethereals in it would have a 75% probability of my troops walking around like puppets nailing each other. Basically I sucked at psionics.

I'm wondering whether the reason for this was due to my tactics earlier in the game - I generally waited until I had the small launcher before I started intentionally grabbing live aliens. Since playing the newer version and having to get close with the Arc Thrower, I'm wondering, do people who do well with psionics use the stun rod in order to get live alien research going far sooner?

Get the cattle prod. Learn to use it early on as soon as possible. Always, always try to get a sectoid leader alive ASAP. Getting navigators is easy early on (small sectoid UFOs) and it gets you hyperwave beaons too.

If you're facing Ethereals and you still don't have psionics, you're in for a rough time. If you find that some soldiers are prone to getting MC'd... give them a cattle prod and bring them along. Psionic aliens will always target him first.

 

[Born2bwire]

(I'm talking about the original 1994 version by Microprose)

Despite completing the original many times, it always irked me that going up against say a large UFO with Ethereals in it would have a 75% probability of my troops walking around like puppets nailing each other. Basically I sucked at psionics.

I'm wondering whether the reason for this was due to my tactics earlier in the game - I generally waited until I had the small launcher before I started intentionally grabbing live aliens. Since playing the newer version and having to get close with the Arc Thrower, I'm wondering, do people who do well with psionics use the stun rod in order to get live alien research going far sooner?

Well, what a lot of people will do is hire a large number of soldiers at the start and fire all the ones with low will. This allows you to get a group that will be resilient to psionics. I never had the patience to do that myself but I could see it being necessary for the higher difficulties. And definitely you would need to start using the cattle prod on the aliens earlier. You miss out on some key technology branches. There would also be the benefit of getting psionic training earlier. I can't remember, but I would think that the psionic training would also increase will.