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Shalinor
Jun 10, 2002

Can I buy you a rootbeer?

RBA Starblade posted:

My new sniper to replace the one who died in the supply barge has hit exactly once and has never, even flanking with height bonus, gotten about 50% to hit, ever. My alloy plasma SHIV, however, has missed never. It hits most targets with a aim status of 100. Sorry Mary, you're obsolete. :psylon:

I now have 2 alloy shivs and 2 hover shivs. As long as my psychic heavy doesn't die, I don't give a poo poo about the others any more. They are superior in every way except I can't trick them out like my soldiers. :v:
It feels that way now, but then you unlock the next tier of armor, and your humans have twice the health of SHIVs, better weapons, awesome abilities, etc.

Definitely don't neglect your humans, or you will regret it. Every kill a SHIV makes is XP that didn't go toward your unstoppable squad of elites. I never run more than two SHIVs for that reason... except on early terror missions. Feeding SHIVs to those is kind of funny :v:

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Category Fun!
Dec 2, 2008

im just trying to get you into bed

RBA Starblade posted:

Holy poo poo you can use SHIVs as cover?!

It's an upgrade you get for them in the foundry, and I don't think it works for hover SHIVs.

Gloryhold It!
Sep 22, 2008

Fucking
Adorable
Not all SHIVS. I think only the alloy and possibly the normal SHIV. Even then, it's half cover not full. It's useful, but not so much that you'd take one just for that feature.

jackofarcades
Sep 2, 2011

Okay, I'll admit it took me a bit to get into it... But I think I kinda love this!! I'm Spider-Man!! I'm actually Spider-Man!! HA!
Yeah, but while your guy is in half cover, the shiv is in the open, so they tend to shoot the SHIV

BurningStone
Jun 3, 2011
Some semi-newbie questions. Do people start by focusing on leveling one group of solders as much as possible? Or do you work in a few rookies to see what classes they get? Or do you try to get a bunch of soldiers up to a "nickname" level? In other words, a single group of elites or a larger group of pretty good?

I'm also not clear on the upgrade paths for air coverage. I know only one interceptor, with missles, will be good enough for small scouts and maybe large ones, but I'm not sure what to do from there. A second interceptor? Upgrade to one of the better weapons? Which one?

Nephilm
Jun 11, 2009

by Lowtax

BurningStone posted:

I took that into account (that's why I gave North America an extra $80) but if you've got the amounts right, my numbers are a little off. Then North America has a $90 advantage, not $80, and Africa $52, not $30.

I'm still not seeing where your numbers are coming from.

Compared to Asia, NA starts with $110 more money and by the end of the first month, assuming everything else is the same, will pull ahead by a further $110 (USA has +80 over Japan and maintenance discounts on the initial interceptors and skyranger add up to 30).

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Shalinor posted:

Definitely don't neglect your humans, or you will regret it. Every kill a SHIV makes is XP that didn't go toward your unstoppable squad of elites. I never run more than two SHIVs for that reason... except on early terror missions. Feeding SHIVs to those is kind of funny :v:

The problem is that they've killed off half my pros, and the rookies. Well, the rookies have hit a total of one thing. Ever. It was a thin man. It took five shots. So they're not leveling up. This leaves my potential volunteer, in Titan armor with heavy plasma, two assaults, and a support, because none of my rookies will level up, and I really, really don't want them freaking out against the muton elites, ethereal, and chryssalids I now get to deal with because now I'm out of elerium. I'm pretty much on the brink of ruin at the last second here.

RBA Starblade fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Jan 20, 2013

Wildtortilla
Jul 8, 2008
I just had a perfect first mission, every member leveled up. I had a great base layout. Got an easy to deal with UFO almost immediately. I had the ethereal/whatever it's called pinned and shot a rocket to expose him. But instead the rocket misfired and killed 3/4 of my squad. This god drat game. First time in 50 hours I've had a rocket incident.

jackofarcades
Sep 2, 2011

Okay, I'll admit it took me a bit to get into it... But I think I kinda love this!! I'm Spider-Man!! I'm actually Spider-Man!! HA!

BurningStone posted:

Some semi-newbie questions. Do people start by focusing on leveling one group of solders as much as possible? Or do you work in a few rookies to see what classes they get? Or do you try to get a bunch of soldiers up to a "nickname" level? In other words, a single group of elites or a larger group of pretty good?

I'm also not clear on the upgrade paths for air coverage. I know only one interceptor, with missles, will be good enough for small scouts and maybe large ones, but I'm not sure what to do from there. A second interceptor? Upgrade to one of the better weapons? Which one?

Keep one person in to get them to Major so you can get all of the OTS upgrades. Rotate everyone else in. I recommend keeping an assault in so you get to Lightning Reflexes and not worry about enemy overwatches.

BurningStone
Jun 3, 2011

Nephilm posted:

I'm still not seeing where your numbers are coming from.

Compared to Asia, NA starts with $110 more money and by the end of the first month, assuming everything else is the same, will pull ahead by a further $110 (USA has +80 over Japan and maintenance discounts on the initial interceptors and skyranger add up to 30).

By "first month" I mean the start of the first month. The end would be the start of my second month. And yes, I messed up the math - twice. I forgot about the Skyranger.

Even so, I don't think you can come to any conclusion other than Africa is the best start, but if you're going to hit the OTS early Asia isn't far behind. NA is also competitive.

Nix Panicus
Feb 25, 2007

Nephilm posted:

I'm still not seeing where your numbers are coming from.

Compared to Asia, NA starts with $110 more money and by the end of the first month, assuming everything else is the same, will pull ahead by a further $110 (USA has +80 over Japan and maintenance discounts on the initial interceptors and skyranger add up to 30).

One thing to consider when working out end of month funding between different starting areas. Anyone not starting in NA can grab the US for $180 and Russia for $150. If you start in NA you can grab Russia for $150, but your second satellite can only bring in $100. A lot of NAs funding advantage over the other continents evaporates after the first month, although Air and Space is still a nice little bonus.

Basically NA nets you a few extra dollars right off the bat, but in month two only nets you maybe $30-100, depending on how many new interceptors you buy. Africa starts with a few bucks less but can earn you $150-$200 in month two if you grab USA and Russia. Asia saves you quite a bit in the long run, but the savings don't start adding up til month two or three, when money is less tight and Africa would have made you more anyways. Europe can save you $70 in month one, and make building a workshop/lab complex significantly cheaper, but again Africa would have made you more earlier when cash was more crucial. SA is just a terrible place to start overall.


BurningStone posted:

Some semi-newbie questions. Do people start by focusing on leveling one group of solders as much as possible? Or do you work in a few rookies to see what classes they get? Or do you try to get a bunch of soldiers up to a "nickname" level? In other words, a single group of elites or a larger group of pretty good?

I'm also not clear on the upgrade paths for air coverage. I know only one interceptor, with missles, will be good enough for small scouts and maybe large ones, but I'm not sure what to do from there. A second interceptor? Upgrade to one of the better weapons? Which one?

On Impossible I usually try to get two good soldiers early on and use them cautiously for things like overwatch traps, while the other two soldiers I generally use as scouts/bait. I mean, I try to keep everyone alive, but I'm a little more protective of my two 'focus' guys. Once they get a few ranks I can use them to soften up enemies to train new rookies. I usually like to have an A Team (six main dudes I train up to major/colonel, barring deaths) but once they start maxing out I mix in rookies and train them up so I have back up soldiers for when someone inevitably dies. Loosing your colonel sniper to a bullshit shot is rough, but at least I usually have a captain/major sniper back at base to replace him with for the next mission.

On interceptors, I usually start the game researching armor, then laser weapons, and keep going with lasers until I get the interceptor lasers. Laser cannon + dodge matrix is usually enough to shoot down a terror ship, and if I'm lucky with council rewards I can get it by mid-May or earlier. From there you need to research New Fighter Craft, which requires UFO Power Source and UFO Navigation (and a whopping 70 weapon fragments), so you can build a Firestorm. Research EMP next. A Firestorm with EMP can shoot down anything, although the Overseer and battleships may require a consumable or two.

BurningStone
Jun 3, 2011

jackofarcades posted:

Keep one person in to get them to Major so you can get all of the OTS upgrades. Rotate everyone else in. I recommend keeping an assault in so you get to Lightning Reflexes and not worry about enemy overwatches.

The Assault's first four upgrades really do fit together wonderfully, don't they? It seems each class has a level where they get a key upgrade: Squad Sight completely changes a Sniper, I love the three use medkits on the Support. I guess a Heavy doesn't have that one defining ability early on.

Nix Panicus
Feb 25, 2007

BurningStone posted:

The Assault's first four upgrades really do fit together wonderfully, don't they? It seems each class has a level where they get a key upgrade: Squad Sight completely changes a Sniper, I love the three use medkits on the Support. I guess a Heavy doesn't have that one defining ability early on.

Rockets. Its a do over button once per mission. At squaddie no less.

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

BurningStone posted:

The Assault's first four upgrades really do fit together wonderfully, don't they? It seems each class has a level where they get a key upgrade: Squad Sight completely changes a Sniper, I love the three use medkits on the Support. I guess a Heavy doesn't have that one defining ability early on.

Shredders and bulletswarm have saved my soldiers' lives more times than I can count.

Welp there goes my volunteer because of a continuous stream of teleporting loving aliens. At least I've stabilized him. Really though, they're doign well for fighting off fourteen, holy poo poo, fourteen aliens turn after turn. Three teleport in.One's a muton so he runs immediately, despite having every advantage. This pulls every single other alien left that isn't the ethereal. They form a semi-circle.

RBA Starblade fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Jan 20, 2013

Shalinor
Jun 10, 2002

Can I buy you a rootbeer?

Not a Step posted:

Rockets. Its a do over button once per mission. At squaddie no less.
The Heavy comes into its own when you get the second rocket, and can kind of throw them around with wild abandon. When you eventually get 3 rockets - it gets even better.

... that said, I may feel that way mostly because I never run grenades. Does anyone run grenades? I can never convince myself to outfit a heavy (or really anyone but a flying sniper, once I have enough) with anything but the extra carapace armor.

doomfunk
Feb 29, 2008

oh come on was that really necessary
all over my fine carpet!!
I have yet to field a 3-rocket heavy and may never. I mean, it's an attractive option but so is what amounts to +50% damage on a rocket - makes softening muton elites and other tough nuts to crack that are often clustered together a cinch, clearing their cover and enabling normal-weapon kill shots or rendering stuns easier.

I use alien grenades all the time, particularly on combat supports. If you can pack two items and you're meant to be a high-will defensive frontliner, well, no harm in packing a grenade.

Nix Panicus
Feb 25, 2007

Shalinor posted:

The Heavy comes into its own when you get the second rocket, and can kind of throw them around with wild abandon. When you eventually get 3 rockets - it gets even better.

... that said, I may feel that way mostly because I never run grenades. Does anyone run grenades? I can never convince myself to outfit a heavy (or really anyone but a flying sniper, once I have enough) with anything but the extra carapace armor.

I carry grenades on everyone until I get a support up to the Medic skill. Then he starts carrying a medkit. As my guys start becoming more competent marksmen I start trading out grenades for SCOPES, because that 10% boost makes a decent shot into a reliable one. I usually give my assaults arc throwers, at least until I've captured enough weapons for the squad, then its back to SCOPES. If I can reliable shoot enemies as I activate them, I shouldn't need more HP then a Titan suit.

Heavies I'm never sure how to equip though. SCOPE + Bulletswarm usually provides at least one hit out of two activations, along with a chance to destroy cover at long range, but grenades are a much more direct way to expose an enemy.

Ravenfood
Nov 4, 2011
I don't use grenades once you're out of the rookies v sectoids/thin men phase, because you can generally hit what you want to and can avoid dying (in most cases) in one turn. And grenades get better the more people on your team can use them, so once you start putting other things on people, they stop being useful. 3 or 5 guaranteed damage vs a very good chance of 8+ damage just isn't worth it, and that's on the only class that doesn't have a more attractive damage option. Why would I ever throw a grenade when I could rapid-fire something? One dead thing is much better than two wounded things, in my opinion, so I'd need to have 2+ Mutons (and nothing tougher than Mutons) in a grenadable area with two soldiers using grenades to make it worthwhile.

When I'm going Muton-hunting for my first plasma rifle, though, I'll bring normal grenades just because one stock rocket and one grenade will bring them down to 1 health guaranteed.

edit: Shotgun assaults get chitin carapace, snipers and rifle assaults get scopes, supports get a medkit and scope or mindshield if they're psychic, and heavies usually still hold onto a grenade for cover-destroying stuff. Or a scope if I went bulletstorm.

Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Jan 20, 2013

Voyager I
Jun 29, 2012

This is how your posting feels.
🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥

Shalinor posted:

... that said, I may feel that way mostly because I never run grenades. Does anyone run grenades? I can never convince myself to outfit a heavy (or really anyone but a flying sniper, once I have enough) with anything but the extra carapace armor.

Grenades are basically the cure for the early game, and the best way to keep your initial soldiers alive to get levels is to ignore Dr. Vahlen completely and throw one out whenever the fight looks even remotely dangerous. Their usefulness does taper off quite a bit once you stop fighting Sectoids all the time, but they are amazing in their prime.

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

My hover SHIV landed inside the spaceship and is now stuck there forever. :saddowns:

Well, I've got Psi armor, titan armor, one ghost armor, all plasma weapons, four humans remaining, one I'm training in a council mission since it's nothing but thin men, two hover shivs, and one alloy shiv. Guess there's not much else I can do but wait for the Gollop chamber. What happens if the Volunteer dies in the temple ship?

RBA Starblade fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Jan 20, 2013

Klyith
Aug 3, 2007

GBS Pledge Week

Shalinor posted:

... that said, I may feel that way mostly because I never run grenades. Does anyone run grenades? I can never convince myself to outfit a heavy (or really anyone but a flying sniper, once I have enough) with anything but the extra carapace armor.
I had an idea for a late-game heavy built around alien grenades with grenadier and mayhem. But it turns out that mayhem doesn't add any damage to alien grenades, so scratch that. That pretty much insures I'll never use the Grenadier skill, Danger Zone is just better.

I put grenades on supports with deep pockets quite often, even just regular grenades when I don't have alien ones yet. They don't get shot at very much so extra HP isn't a priority, and using a support to blow up some cover gives the other guys free reign. e: The people saying grenades are useless once you're not fighting sectoids are wrong. Grenades take down cover, and they are 100% accurate kills on wounded but still dangerous aliens.


Not a Step posted:

Heavies I'm never sure how to equip though. SCOPE + Bulletswarm usually provides at least one hit out of two activations, along with a chance to destroy cover at long range, but grenades are a much more direct way to expose an enemy.
Scope is good, grenades are good, extra HP is good. Combat stims are pretty loving great once you get them. Stims + will to survive + LMG = the full John Rambo effect.

Klyith fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Jan 20, 2013

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Klyith posted:

Scope is good, grenades are good, extra HP is good. Combat stims are pretty loving great once you get them. Stims + will to survive + LMG = the full John Rambo effect.

What do combat stims actually do? I've never bought any.

Ravenfood
Nov 4, 2011

RBA Starblade posted:

What do combat stims actually do? I've never bought any.
Boost will, halve damage taken, provides immunity to critical hits, and increases movement speed by 3 spaces. They'd be really good if they were instant-use, but with taking your whole turn, they're kind of limited.

edit: vvvv Wait, really? infinite uses? Holy poo poo, that might actually make them wortwhile.

Ravenfood fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Jan 20, 2013

Klyith
Aug 3, 2007

GBS Pledge Week

Ravenfood posted:

Boost will, halve damage taken, provides immunity to critical hits, and increases movement speed by 3? spaces. They'd be really good if they were instant-use, but with taking your whole turn, they're kind of limited.
Yes, 3 spaces. They do take a turn to activate, which isn't that big a deal in SP -- I have tons of spare turns where I'm reloading or moving slowly that you can use stuff like that. And they have infinite uses in SP, contrary to the description.

1337JiveTurkey
Feb 17, 2005

I'm trying to decide if I could ever justify taking a sprinter in skeleton with combat stims just to see how fast they can run. That'd be close to a full sprint in a single move.

Irony Be My Shield
Jul 29, 2012

Klyith posted:

And they have infinite uses in SP, contrary to the description.
Wait, seriously? So you can just keep one of your guys permanently stimmed up?

RBA Starblade
Apr 28, 2008

Going Home.

Games Idiot Court Jester

Klyith posted:

Yes, 3 spaces. They do take a turn to activate, which isn't that big a deal in SP -- I have tons of spare turns where I'm reloading or moving slowly that you can use stuff like that. And they have infinite uses in SP, contrary to the description.

Jesus Christ I've been using items all wrong. :stare:

Iceshade
Sep 15, 2007
Tactical Ignorance
Okay, can someone tell me what Marathon actually does?

I was hoping it'd make the game twice as long. And by twice as long I don't mean padding out just the research and building times, and increasing the cost. I'm in my early 3rd month and I've got mutons all over me. :psyduck: Why the hell doesn't Marathon slow down the progression as well? I am still in standard armour and ballistic weaponry, because it takes a full month to research even the smallest thing.

Goddamnit. Looks like I'll be restarting without marathon.

etjester
Jul 14, 2008

[insert text here]

Iceshade posted:

Okay, can someone tell me what Marathon actually does?

http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Second_Wave_%28EU2012%29

quote:

-> Time for research: *3, Time for facilities building: *2, Cost of items and facilities: *2, Days in infirmary: *2.
-> Item requirement for researches, foundry upgrades, cost of soldiers, interceptor costs, OTC upgrade costs remains the same.
-> Alien progress is slowed too. For example, first Mutons and Abductor UFOs show up in June, rather than May.
-> Marathon don't work if tutorial is activated.

Shalinor
Jun 10, 2002

Can I buy you a rootbeer?
So it slows aliens down by a paltry month, but triples research time? drat. How would that ever be "fun"? Even an Impossible game seems more fair than that.

Iceshade
Sep 15, 2007
Tactical Ignorance

Okay, that is dumb. Really dumb. I hope someone manages to find a way to change the progression someday. That has always been my biggest gripe in this game. Linear progression that also progresses too quickly.

The original was way more interesting in that regard.

Sectoids + Discs, and later on led by Commanders (that weren't just kept in their cage in a UFO)
Floaters + Reapers
Snakemen + chrysalids
Ethereals + sectopods (again, not trapped in their cage so they pose no threat whatsoever)
etc.

Where are those mod tools already.

FairGame
Jul 24, 2001

Der Kommander

Man, playing with damage roulette is kinda fun.

Had a cryssalid ambush my SGT Support in the first terror mission, which then spawned a zombie that punched my CPT Assault in the face for...1 damage.

Still lost 2 Sergeants in that mission, but it could've been much worse.

Nephilm
Jun 11, 2009

by Lowtax

BurningStone posted:

By "first month" I mean the start of the first month. The end would be the start of my second month. And yes, I messed up the math - twice. I forgot about the Skyranger.

Even so, I don't think you can come to any conclusion other than Africa is the best start, but if you're going to hit the OTS early Asia isn't far behind. NA is also competitive.

Actually, I did the math for how you start the first month focusing on satellites and here are the results:

Africa start, build 3 sats first month:
75 + Nigeria + USA + Russia + Canada/Germany = 786-40(interceptor for coverage) = 746

NA start, build 3 satellites first month:
75 + USA + Africa = 656 + 30 (net gain from aircraft maintenance) + 58 (money difference with Africa) = 744

Africa start, 4 sats:
75 + Nigeria + USA + Russia + Germany + UK = 916 - 40 = 876

NA start, build 4 satellites first month:
75 + USA + Africa + Russia = 851+58+30 -20(cost of interceptor to cover europe) = 919

So Africa slightly edges out over NA in the case of 3 satellites, and loses if you manage to pump out 4. Either way, I'd grant NA the win because the higher starting funds increases your chances of getting more satellites in the air.

There's actually a special case where Africa start edges out over NA if you build 4 satellites and cover Europe and then build a second and third workshop over the course of Month 2. The difference is 10 bitcoins.

Not a Step posted:

One thing to consider when working out end of month funding between different starting areas. Anyone not starting in NA can grab the US for $180 and Russia for $150. If you start in NA you can grab Russia for $150, but your second satellite can only bring in $100. A lot of NAs funding advantage over the other continents evaporates after the first month, although Air and Space is still a nice little bonus.

Yeah, but that's the point of it - the net benefit you've gained by the end of Month 2. If you're focusing on money you get a slightly better mileage out of starting in NA and getting coverage on Africa on your first month. You also get an easier time with rushing an OTS out of NA unless you also want to start your Foundry stuff beginning Month 2. Europe is pretty terrible in non-Marathon as a starting location, Asia's only gimmick works in the aforementioned case of building both OTS and Foundry early at the expense of satellite coverage and doing a reasonably early Alien Base, and South America is poo poo since you could also just start NA or Africa and then place two satellites on it if you really want the instant interrogations so much.

Nephilm fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Jan 20, 2013

Leb
Jan 15, 2004


Change came to America on November the 4th, 2008, in the form of an unassuming Senator from the state of Illinois.

Iceshade posted:

Okay, that is dumb. Really dumb. I hope someone manages to find a way to change the progression someday. That has always been my biggest gripe in this game. Linear progression that also progresses too quickly.

Despite how it might appear, Marathon actually makes the game easier in practice, as you'll have an absolute shitton of UFO resources (enabling you to actually purchase and utilize labs) and you'll likely be able to beat the game before heavy floaters/muton elites ever show up.

Iceshade
Sep 15, 2007
Tactical Ignorance

Leb posted:

Despite how it might appear, Marathon actually makes the game easier in practice, as you'll have an absolute shitton of UFO resources (enabling you to actually purchase and utilize labs) and you'll likely be able to beat the game before heavy floaters/muton elites ever show up.

I noticed that too. I thought the increased materials were necessary to balance out the increased costs, but it really allowed me to sell a shitton of stuff on the market and buy everything I need without having to worry about actually lacking in materials.

It seems to be really unbalanced. Probably not playtested much, if at all.

Honest Thief
Jan 11, 2009
Probation
Can't post for 24 days!
I don't like my current Classical run team, all the soldiers I liked their digs turned out support units; I'm really considering getting the pretty-them-up dlc just to put some pretty colours on them. On my fifth game and only finished once.

Dush
Jan 23, 2011

Mo' Money

Leb posted:

Despite how it might appear, Marathon actually makes the game easier in practice, as you'll have an absolute shitton of UFO resources (enabling you to actually purchase and utilize labs) and you'll likely be able to beat the game before heavy floaters/muton elites ever show up.

Even so, Marathon should ideally not alter the game balance at all. It shouldn't be easier or harder, just longer. But I can see why that'd be difficult to set up.

MrXmas
Apr 10, 2006

Let's Get Sweaty

Klyith posted:

Yes, 3 spaces. They do take a turn to activate, which isn't that big a deal in SP -- I have tons of spare turns where I'm reloading or moving slowly that you can use stuff like that. And they have infinite uses in SP, contrary to the description.

Pretty sure it's actually two uses.

Coolguye
Jul 6, 2011

Required by his programming!
Regarding SHIVs, remember that half cover + Hunker is basically full cover. SHIVs make an utterly amazing stopover point for an Assault who's working up to a Run & Gun.

Regarding Grenades, I usually bring them on Supports after they get Deep Pockets, and Assaults prior to that. Grenades are really useful for demolitions, even on Impossible. On Imp they're also really nice for weakening enemies for capture. I'll usually keep one grenade around no matter what for an emergency demolition - if you have a Heavy with 3 rockets and danger zone that's plenty of booms, but the Heavy isn't mobile when firing, so if I need to move someone into position and throw a hot potato to kill someone NOW, a Support with Sprinter and Skeleton Armor is the ticket.

Also, holy loving poo poo @ the Combat Stims effect. I had never bothered to use them before, but that's huge.

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monkeu
Jun 1, 2000

by Reene
I bought this game a week or so ago, and I'm loving it. I tried out classic to begin with, but was losing at least two or three soldiers per mission and bleeding out countries left and right, so I decided to drop back to normal to learn the basics. Now I'm about halfway through a normal run (I think? I've invaded the alien base and found the whosits or whatever it's called) and finding it a bit too easy. I hardly ever lose dudes, I think I've only lost 2 or 3 soldiers total and they were all rookies. I've got like 10 soldiers at pretty high levels, and everyone's rolling with plasma weapons and I've just finished researching titan armor. How far into the playthrough am I? Do you guys think it's worth finishing my normal run, or should I start a classic run instead now that I have a much better understanding of the basics of the game?

I'm planning on playing classic after this whether I finish this normal run or not, and I'm toying with the idea of playing on ironman too. I really like the idea of everything being final and having to deal with the consequences no matter how badly everything goes to poo poo, and not even having the temptation of savescumming as an option. My question is, how does ironman actually work in regards to glitches and stuff? I'm playing on 360, and so far I haven't seen any of the teleporting or whatever. I did have one mission where a muton had its turn and then the mission froze up. I couldn't have my turn, I couldn't get to the pause menu, and I ended up having to go back out to the Xbox dashboard and restarting the game. If I play on ironman and something like that happens am I absolutely hosed? Would that mean I'd have to start again all over from scratch?

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