The Definitive X-Com Commanders Guide - Let's Play X-Com Enemy Within

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Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Psion posted:

Sure is. Rename your soldier Otto Zander. Then look at his avatar. I still think that's insane and/or awesome.

That's getting the order of events backwards. Otto Zander was the main hero of Guava's narrative in the original X-COM LP, and that fictional guy got added to XCOM. Then Guava got the avatar change (or, more likely in this forum, changed for him) to celebrate. Still awesome though.

For folks who don't know, other XCOM special hero easter eggs are Sid Meier (super psionicist, video game living legend), Ken Levine (sniper who always hits, made Bioshock), Joe Kelly (comic writer, no special unit abilities), Chris Kluwe (random guy who beat a programmer in a pvp match), and William Carter (main character of The Bureau: XCOM Declassified). Otto has 100 health as his special ability.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2014 04:43

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 01:19

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Shogeton posted:

I've thought about the whole 'the best' thing, because in game, Dr. Vahlen suggests at points that the soldiers we have ARE among the bests. It might be that 'your average soldier' has an aim of 40, and their weapon and armour are inferior to our basic X-com stuff. That 65 aim rookie that gets scoffed at might just be among the best, promising recruits there is. Which would explain why the world's armies are getting their asses kicked. Not only are they fighting with inferior weapons, but most of their soldiers can't measure up to even the worst statted rookies.

Just our luck, the first strike took out almost all soldiers on the planet. The only ones left are members of the Imperial 501st.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2014 04:45

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Mordaedil posted:

Huh, I just realized I never did the challenge to complete the game from every landmass. I should get back on board with that as well as try out these new DLC stuff.

I wish that one had a checklist.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2014 10:06

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Pvt.Scott posted:

I thought snipers were for handing awesome pistols to and scouting half the map with a couple scanner grenades, and as an added bonus they also lug around a big-rear end rifle they get to use occasionally. Gunslinger 4 lyfe.

The main problem with scanner grenades is they're a front-liner item given to a back-liner unit. I find them a lot more useful when I play with Training Roulette and they wind up on an assault or heavy. Works well with gunslingers, I suppose.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2014 08:13

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Perfect chance to hit,
turns out it was ninety-nine.
That's XCOM, baby.

Tactical genius
there's no way my foes can -- wait,
where'd those guys come from?

Three countries in red
two satellites building, but
five creds short on third

Always overwatch
move one inch over ten turns
hard is fun, honest!

# ¿ Feb 8, 2014 23:45

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

SpRahl posted:

You know Im fairly good at math, but for the life of me I cant do Haikus without using my fingers.

I do stealth haikus; make it sound like normal speech and just sneak it past. It's gotten so bad that I tend to do them now without noticing.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2014 02:56

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Years of seeing LPs where people say "I felt like doing some fanart so here's a crappy thing I threw up in a minute" followed by something the rest of us will never manage to do has led to a lot of art-shyness.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2014 06:55

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

The only thing better than pockets is things to keep IN the pockets.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2014 17:16

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Tony "White Tony" White clearly he's an ex-goodfella.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2014 02:53

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

I find SHIVs are mainly useful if things go bad, since they're better than rookies and expendable. If you're not getting high turnover, there's not much a SHIV brings to the party that another soldier wouldn't. That said, I love the little guys, and a 6-SHIV mission with them trundling all over the field is fun.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2014 02:17

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

When playing with Training Roulette on the value of battle scanner goes up significantly for me. Even a snapshot sniper tends to be toward the back of a group, but if it winds up on an assault or support it can be an incredible sight bonus.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2014 02:23

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Veloxyll posted:

I thought it was meant to be the game of maximum offense v maximum defense. And one team won HARD (I was at work while the game was on, okay.)

That's how it was billed. It turned out to be Seattle running circles around Denver while they just stood there and threw interceptions.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2014 16:26

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Pvt.Scott posted:

So, as a guy that actually enjoys third-person cover shooters (and the awesome first-person cover mechanics in Far Cry 3) is The Bureau with checking out?

If you don't go in expecting game of the year it's pretty good. Like a lot of games, what really did it in was hype backlash. And that wasn't its own hype, but spillover hype from Enemy Unknown.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2014 18:30

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Mighty Dicktron posted:

Heavies are useful. I like 'em.

They're probably the hardest class to know how to use effectively, though. Whenever a friend starts out on XCOM, I usually hear them complain about heavies, because they don't know how to position them right to get maximum use out of rockets. They make the mistake of letting them fall behind. Don't do that! They're Heavies; they're tough. The LMG functions best in close and medium ranges. Moving them out in front means you've plopped them into position to use a rocket next turn. Heavies are rad. You don't make an entire squad of them like you can with Assaults and Supports and be fine, but you should probably have one in any squad.

Agreed. Once you get used to playing them a bit recklessly (by ironman impossible "we hate having fun" standards) it tends to open up a lot of opportunities for good rockets.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2014 08:53

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

"1-Die"
"Lucker"
"Lone Wolf"
"Levelhead"
"Camper"
"Bob"

# ¿ Feb 21, 2014 00:51

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Psion posted:

Either of these pairs should be Statler and Waldorf.

Definitely the snipers, they sit in the balcony throwing deadly attacks at the guys at the front.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2014 02:03

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

The Casualty posted:

Hilda "Colombian" Kartal? "Drug" Kartal? Eh...

That's where I was gonna go too. Kingpin (or Queenpin) perhaps.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2014 09:01

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Well, Tiny Turtle
isn't so tiny when he's
inside a big mech.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2014 03:20

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Felinoid posted:

Can a punchy MEC also explode things? If so this is the best option.

My personal best is punching through a wall into an enemy, who then flew into a car and blew it up, killing two other aliens. Wish I'd taken a picture.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2014 03:30

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Thin Men were not the aliens' first attempt at infiltration.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2014 23:05

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Crysalid Boo, what's the matter with you...

# ¿ Feb 25, 2014 07:28

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

FredMSloniker posted:

Also, while I'm thinking of DLC: Jade Star, GuavaMoment, what are your opinions on the various bits of DLC (including Enemy Within)? Maybe offer a +/- breakdown like you have been for skill choices?

I'll try to be vague for stuff we haven't done yet

Elite Soldier Pack (preorder bonus):
+ New outfits, guile hair
- 5 bucks. Geez. Maybe worth it on a steam sale depending on your taste.

Slingshot:
+ more hats
+ kinda interesting the first time
- like any pre-made mission, gets old fast on replays
+/- winds up giving a lot of loot at the end. You need to earn it though.

Enemy Within:
+ A lot more gameplay options.
+ Seriously, a LOT of gameplay additions. We're talking "Civilization expansion" scope here.
- getting one of the old maps really feels its age once you play a new one, particularly the no-cover forests.
- Portent (comes with this though it was originally gonna be a Slingshot-style DLC) missions aren't as fun as Slingshot.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2014 08:33

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

anilEhilated posted:

You need to capture and interrogate something else before you get the Outsider objective.

You need to do that before you can finish it, but you can get the item early. I usually lag on containment/interrogation so I zap him early, and it sits in a warehouse next to the Ark of the Covenant until I learn what to do with it.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2014 09:20

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

The main point at which One For All fails is when you realize it's not "make the guy behind the MEC harder to hit" it's "make the alien shoot the MEC". One can make arguments for cases where that would be useful, but if you're prone to those kind of situations it's better to bring an Alloy SHIV for that job, they're a lot more replaceable than a MEC. If it also put the MEC into high cover I'd find it a much more interesting choice, since the MEC's lack of cover is a major vulnerability. Even if you don't end the turn on high ground good jumpjet use can massively boost a MEC's range in obstacle-heavy areas.

The main problem with Automated Threat assessment is kinda similar. It offers defense on overwatch, but the moment your MEC fires that overwatch shot the defense is lost. If one alien moves the skill does nothing to protect against any other aliens.

# ¿ Mar 9, 2014 04:01

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

anilEhilated posted:

I'll never forget the first time I got this mission; it was in the second months, I didn't have a single laser and the entirety of my A-team was recovering from a terror mission that went FUBAR. I had to send in Zhang and four rookies - and Zhang was the only one who made it back.

Also, another way to get up the deck is a ladder near the second hole in the ship's hull. I never even approached the goddamn whale.

First time you play Enemy Within it favors the new UFO maps and gives this mission in month 2. For everyone.

# ¿ Mar 9, 2014 10:10

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

MadDogMike posted:

She IS standing right next to an unknown artifact. I'd stick to using the videophone myself, rather than find out whether Vahlen made a little oopsie with containment.

"I've called you here to tell you there's a strange gas leaking from the artifact."
"You called us HERE?"
"With more test cases for any effects, the lab has a better chance of counteracting them."

# ¿ Mar 17, 2014 06:38

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

FredMSloniker posted:

So if you fail Progeny, do you just not see Exalt at all, or do you just not get the two followup missions?

Just the follow-up.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2014 01:06

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Have you heard of the Pauli effect? Experiments would go awry whenever physicist Wolfgang Pauli was around, including one where his train happened to be stopped at Gottingen station exactly when an expensive piece of equipment broke at the university. It's the reason some theoretical physicists stay theoretical.

Anyway, Jade has the same thing for computers. Typhoid Mary of the LP curse. The black cat of bluescreens. The guys behind OpenXcom specifically recruited him to test it, and he's found some doozies.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2014 22:52

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

I agree with you Jade. There are ways to make an awesome operative, but as long as you don't stand them in the open shouting "shoot me," there's no need to do so. Exalt just doesn't ever pose much of a threat, staying one step behind Xcom while the aliens tech up one step ahead.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2014 09:29

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Well if Vahlen said the meld was full of micromachines the entire base would get sidetracked by 80s/90s nostalgia.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2014 18:29

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

notZaar posted:

I've also had some devastating rocket misses. I'm talking about going haywire and blowing up a car I was using for cover, or hitting an adjacent wall and exploding on half my squad.

I like to keep my guys in as much cover as they can get, and so often end up with thread-the-needle rocket shots through two doorways and a window. That means that 10% of the time the rocket blows up in my face, because there's no room for it to actually wind up "two squares over from the target" or whatever.

Exalt grenades seem to be finicky in a similar way. On that map Jade did for them I had one hiding by the scrambler lob a grenade into the wall in front of his face, blowing himself and it up. Then more units deployed right on top of the transmitter on the other side of the map and I couldn't get there in time. I hate that level for Exalt missions.

# ¿ Apr 21, 2014 20:09

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Hopeford posted:

I was honestly totally gonna try that, but I don't know the first thing about dubstep.

Neither do the people who make it HEY-OOOOOO!

# ¿ May 4, 2014 03:51

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Jade Star posted:

Hey thread, going to be a little while for the next update. Sick as gently caress and have spent last 3 days in bed miserable. Sometimes the JAIDS affects the biological too

Time to just give in and buy a new Jade Star. I'd recommend pre-built, you can make your own from parts if you have decent thunderstorms but when everything winds up "we belong dead" and the pitchfork hits the windmill it's helpful to have a warranty.

# ¿ May 12, 2014 03:07

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Rio Diamond Delgado, because of the Copacabana song. "His name was Rio, he wore a diamond" et cetera.

# ¿ May 18, 2014 11:47

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Due to a hilarious pileup of injuries one SHIV takes on an entire large UFO?

# ¿ May 26, 2014 09:26

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Archenteron posted:

When a 'Disk hits your eye
As it's booshed through the sky

When a rocket, off-track, hits the VIP's back
:xcom:

When your team's beat up and bleeding, then the rookie string fights that terror thing
:xcom:

And the panic's so high that you know if they die
it's game over!

# ¿ Jun 12, 2014 10:52

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

You forgot to writeup Healing Mist vs Grenade Launcher.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2014 08:15

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Triggerhappypilot posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax3hmhHScc0
Every time you get one of those exalt base clues, I imagine this happening at XCOM HQ.

I get more of a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGufyFt6zQc vibe. "In order to find us, Player, you'll need all the clues."

# ¿ Jul 7, 2014 01:19

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Canuck-Errant posted:

And ~~Biomass Shock Effect~~ Bureau.

The Bureau is a fine game that makes a commendable effort at a nifty ending, despite the attempt falling a bit flat. The main flaw in the game is that it came out riding on X-Com's hype.

# ¿ Jul 17, 2014 00:22

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 01:19

Bruceski: Aug 21, 2007; The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Speedball posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0apUcfVt6nA

Yeah, this was pretty much my reaction too the first time I booshed.

You can select a specific time by putting ?t=**m**s after the youtube link, with the minute and second in place of the **. Don't link 20 minutes of video to point at a single moment, ain't nobody gonna sit through the whole thing to figure out what you're trying to say.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2014 06:43

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