XCOM

[Fanatical Meat]

I tried the demo & it felt odd, not sure how else to say it. I guess I never felt like I could lose a trooper. Does it get more scary and risky? Not sure if I should pick it up?

 

[Madia]

The demo is a very poor indicator of the complete game (I'm assuming you mean the new XCOM). Not only will you lose veteran squadmates but it's possible to make choices that will make the game unwinnable. The game itself is excellent and I highly recommend picking it up on the steam sale.

 

[irishScott]

Depends on what difficulty you play on. On "normal" I breezed through the entire game with aggressive tactics and felt badass. Then I switched up to classic and discovered all of the dumb moves that the AI had been letting me get away with.

On classic I've had missions where all but 1 member of my squad was wiped out and my victory was by sheer luck. So yeah, it definitely gets a lot more tense and risky.

 

[AlexAL]

Never played the demo but finished the full game. The question is not whether a soldier can get hurt but whether if you make the wrong next move you can lose your whole squad.

 

[Zorander]

Never played the demo but finished the full game. The question is not whether a soldier can get hurt but whether if you make the wrong next move you can lose your whole squad.

Truth. A stray rocket or even a lucky hit from a sectoid can spell doom for the whole squad.

I completed Ironman Classic by Overwatching a lot and stepping forward really slowly (I have to skip all bomb disposal missions with this tactic). I had only one surviving Support near the end of the game so losing him would have spelt the end of the entire game for me. Hair-raising indeed.

 

[irishScott]

Truth. A stray rocket or even a lucky hit from a sectoid can spell doom for the whole squad.

I completed Ironman Classic by Overwatching a lot and stepping forward really slowly (I have to skip all bomb disposal missions with this tactic). I had only one surviving Support near the end of the game so losing him would have spelt the end of the entire game for me. Hair-raising indeed.

Yeah, bomb disposal missions on classic are a dice-roll. I think my record is repeating the same mission 8 times before I beat one, and by that point I'd just memorized the map and what enemies would spawn where and when.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Game is fun, but dice rolls can get infuriating over the crap the game can throw at you and no way to react to it.

Also it gets very boring about 3/4 of the way through, there isn't much variation at all in missions after about 50% in, and it gets repetitive fast.

 

[Zorander]

Also it gets very boring about 3/4 of the way through, there isn't much variation at all in missions after about 50% in, and it gets repetitive fast.

So battling Muton Elites and an Ethereal (with a Sectopod patrolling somewhere nearby) is not fun enough for you?

 

[NikolaeVarius]

So battling Muton Elites and an Ethereal (with a Sectopod patrolling somewhere nearby) is not fun enough for you?

It was great fun the first 5 times or so, and then it gets annoying very fast.

Its not like you have that many choices in what guns you use. The upgrades in guns are merely damage upgrades and barely change how the game is played, except possibly the plasma gun because I think thats the first gun that can blow up cover.

But otherwise the assault weapon shoots bullets, heavy weapons shoots lots of bullets, and sniper shoots a bullet at long range etc etc etc.

There are only like, what 5 psychic powers that are worth using, and rarely are they worth using over a normal gun.

Every single encounter after about 50% of the way through is almost exactly the same, you inch up, you find guys you blow them up, game throws RNG bs at you from time to time, or some stupid glitch causes your entire team to get killed, and at the end there is usually an ethereal that I always kill within two turns because its damn easy to do so.

The elite mutons aren't anything special, they're just stronger versions of the mutons you've been fighting for a while, and your guns have been getting proportionally stronger anyway. And etherials were effectively giant beatsticks.

And yes, I'm saying this after beating the game on classic. The last 25-35 % of the game was such a trudge.

 

[irishScott]

It was great fun the first 5 times or so, and then it gets annoying very fast.

Its not like you have that many choices in what guns you use. The upgrades in guns are merely damage upgrades and barely change how the game is played, except possibly the plasma gun because I think thats the first gun that can blow up cover.

But otherwise the assault weapon shoots bullets, heavy weapons shoots lots of bullets, and sniper shoots a bullet at long range etc etc etc.

There are only like, what 5 psychic powers that are worth using, and rarely are they worth using over a normal gun.

Every single encounter after about 50% of the way through is almost exactly the same, you inch up, you find guys you blow them up, game throws RNG bs at you from time to time, or some stupid glitch causes your entire team to get killed, and at the end there is usually an ethereal that I always kill within two turns because its damn easy to do so.

The elite mutons aren't anything special, they're just stronger versions of the mutons you've been fighting for a while, and your guns have been getting proportionally stronger anyway. And etherials were effectively giant beatsticks.

And yes, I'm saying this after beating the game on classic. The last 25-35 % of the game was such a trudge.

Haters gonna hate.

 

[Zorander]

And yes, I'm saying this after beating the game on classic. The last 25-35 % of the game was such a trudge.

While I agree that the nature of weaponry and armors don't change at all (i.e. stat upgrades only), I think there is great dynamics between your upgraded soldiers and progressively stronger aliens. The introduction of psi-enabled combatants late into the game also require a change in tactics.

Did you play Classic in Ironman mode? I honestly derived great enjoyment from this. Every single step was filled with the dreaded "what if" thoughts. Often my squad would suddenly plunge deep into trouble (e.g. enganging too many enemies, missing vital shots at an Ethereal/Sectopod, etc) and it was adrenaline-pumping trying to survive those situations. No reloading in Ironman mode of course, which makes it all so exciting.

 

[Revolution 11]

Haters gonna hate.

And nothing he said was incorrect. The game is indeed a sludge in the last portions.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Often my squad would suddenly plunge deep into trouble (e.g. enganging too many enemies)

It's generally too easy to exploit the encounter triggers, though, so once you pull one pack of aliens you can almost always be careful enough to not pull another one until the first is dealt with. An alien wandering in on you from a different direction than your main engagement isn't something you really need to worry about in this game.

 

[Agent11]

There are some pretty OP abilities that you can choose, if you choose to not take them it does make things a bit more interesting.

 

[irishScott]

And nothing he said was incorrect. The game is indeed a sludge in the last portions.

In your opinion. I remember getting enough variety of ships and enemies that no mission was quite the same. Sure my overall tactics were standardized by the end, but that didn't stop an alien from doing something new and forcing me to adapt, sometimes taking out one of my squad-mates in the process; or random luck causing a critical shot to miss. I'd hardly call that a "sludge".

If you require constant new sources of stimulation and can't bear playing similar scenarios for very long, I suggest you stick to FPS.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Update: thanks guys I picked it up and so far I like it. Not that far in though. I like the ant farm base and seeing people doing stuff in the base. I miss having multiple bases and radar coverage. I also assume there never is any alien base assults.
I'm playing classic mode w/random stats.

 

[Zorander]

I also assume there never is any alien base assults.

There will be a few alien base assault missions. In fact they serve as progress points (with the final base assault a final mission).

 

[DaveSimmons]

Tips for classic mode:

- Satellites are your main source of income, loot is much less of your income than in the original. Also note that it takes 21 days to bake a satellite, so plan ahead on ordering them.
- You want the Foundry ASAP, and to use it to get stealth satellites
- Stunned alien = captive to interrogate AND a free gun!
- Don't sell weapon fragments, you'll need them later

 

[irishScott]

Yeah, to reiterate: Satellites are EVERYTHING. Also for satellite launches and abduction missions, prioritize panic reduction over everything else. It may delay your overall progress, but "you'll be grateful later" has never been more true in a video game.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

There will be a few alien base assault missions. In fact they serve as progress points (with the final base assault a final mission).

I misspoke, I meant that the Aliens assult my base, thanks for the tips guys!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Been having fun with this, thanks guys it was a good recomendation.
Last night I was thinking why does the Sky Ranger have wheels? It seems to take off and land vertically all the time.....

 

[DaveSimmons]

To taxi into and out of hangars, other movement while grounded?

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I'm thinking its because they look cool but Dave you have a great theory.

 

[Ganeedi]

Same reason Airwolf had (retractable) wheels?

Yeah definitely to look cool!

 

[Fanatical Meat]

thank you for recommending this game, I had tons of fun with it. I started a second wave on classic with modifiers plus the no extra saves option