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chiasaur11
Oct 22, 2012



Assaults are my choice.

High risk, high reward, and the most likely units to draw a "How the gently caress did you survive that?" which characterizes my most cherished veterans.

MECs and Snipers get more kills, but when things get out of hand, assaults are my go to for getting things unfucked in a hurry.

(As for injuries, they get much less common for me late game. Armor means you can soak a hit before you get hospital time, and if you heal when injured instead of when near dead, it means another hit without wounds. Plus, with late game abilities it's easier to put a pack down before they make any trouble.)

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Agent Interrobang
Mar 27, 2010

sugar & spice & psychoactive mushrooms
Supports. They're not usually flashy or glamorous, but nobody is more critical to a squad's success than a medic-specced Support.

Archenteron
Nov 3, 2006

:marc:
If I can't vote SHIV, I vote Assault. Their job is to get huge, become untouchable, and blow things' faces away.

habeasdorkus
Nov 3, 2013

Royalty is a continuous shitposting motion.
I haven't played all the way through EW, but MECs are amazing. I love them very much. In EU my Sniper pairing was what it all about- get them in the sky and have them pinging enemies halfway across the map with squadsight when the sightlines were favorable.

FoolyCharged
Oct 11, 2012

Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

Definately heavies. But really only because no other class matches them for fun when it's the only class you use(except maybe mech). Leave every battlefield a smoking crater of destroyed terrain :black101:

Fire Storm
Aug 8, 2004

what's the point of life
if there are no sexborgs?
Sniper. ALWAYS Sniper.

Range = survival. If you can take the enemy out before it's even within their weapons range, then they can't hurt you. A max sized sniper squad (with a spotter or two) is something magical. Take a few steps, spot an enemy, everyone fires, no more enemies. Repeat.

Later missions with those things that implant in civilians/soldiers make it INCREDIBLY difficult to keep all civies alive, BUT every other mission is easy.

deadly_pudding
May 13, 2009

who the fuck is scraeming
"LOG OFF" at my house.
show yourself, coward.
i will never log off
Bit the bullet and ordered the 360 version of Enemy Within, since I know my PC will pretty much be a Sims 4 machine for my girlfriend until October.

(It will also be a Sims 4 machine for me :negative:)

This thread reminded me, among other things, how much fun it is to shoot up a fully destructible convenience store full of space jerks.

sheep-dodger
Feb 21, 2013

Personally, while I definitely like Assaults most (there ist just nothing that compares to the stopping power and utility of a Run&Gun shotgun crit to the face), I usually make sure to have at least one of every class on my team, since everybody has stuff that is super useful when combined with each other (such as In-The-Zone combined with a Danger Zone Rocket to strip all cover), so my team is usually two Assaults and one of each other class.

Feinne
Oct 9, 2007

When you fall, get right back up again.
Kinetic Strike Mec is the best class. Objectively. This is settled science.

Speedball
Apr 15, 2008

XCOM Part 7: March Mutation Madness!!!



Intercepted Communications

quote:



Hell, dad. I think I really do need glasses…or maybe gene-modded vision. I used to be able to shoot the wings off a fly, now I need to settle for the fly’s center of mass.

The people here are pretty nice, though some are annoying. The only other sniper-rated person they have here is an insane Russian who claims he is so good he has never needed to use his rifle in combat once so far. He also says that he kills squirrels with a golf club. That’s…yeah.

One more thing: This place is a chance to start fresh. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to set me up with someone.

Thanks in advance,

Hilda

quote:



Got a new card game to play with Leroy and Zinchenko in the hospital. Cribbage. It’s a game that was invented by drunk sailors, but it’s surprisingly tactical. Everyone gets dealt four cards, plus extras depending on the number of players. Then everyone gives up the extras to the dealer, who gets a second hand. You choose what to give yourself, and what to give away.

…kind of like all of XCOM’s strategic problems lately…

quote:



Colonel M,

For the sake of the mission, I have already lost my skin color, my hair color, my face, and my real name. Now I’m going to lose almost all of my flesh.

When everything physical is stripped away, the only thing left is who you are inside. And I think…I think who I am inside…is someone who’s very ashamed about lying to someone who saved her life.

Agent “Naomi Bar-Lev”

On to business!



The satellite has been launched over South Africa, ready to detect UFOs. They’ve wired their payment.
Good! Now let’s make sure we have an interceptor over there to shoot down any UFOs we detect.



Three days? We could just fly it over there in a matter of hours! Are you sending it parcel post?
Jet fuel is really expensive…



Okay, gene buddy, now that we finally have the funds for it, let’s get mutated!
What the hell. You only live once. We are going to be asleep for these three days, right?
Of course.

** THREE DAYS PASS! **



Naomi Bar-Lev, can you hear me? The operation is complete. How do you feel?



I feel…everything! This is amazing. I thought these limbs would be dead steel, but I feel everything on their surface!
Of course. The artificial nervous system allows you to interface completely with these limbs. Your whole body is like a giant touch pad now, and we’ve got gloves and things to give you a softer touch. These limbs look crude and are unsuited for combat, but give me a few years and I’ll be able to create a cyborg body for you that’s indistinguishable from human flesh. Then being a cyborg will be all benefit and no drawback.



In the meantime, this will be your weapon.



I…I could punch through a wall with this! I control this entire thing like it’s my own body!
There’s more on the way, too. Your sacrifice was great, but we’ll pay you back and more for everything.
Thank you, Dr. Shen. Give me some clothes, I want to visit Leroy in the hospital.



You look better. I’m glad to see you’re doing okay.
Awww, thanks for worrying about me, Naomi, but I was way more worried about you. Did the operation hurt?
Not at all…heh. Isn’t this usually where you say, “That’s a good look for you?”
You look strong. And that’s a good look for you.



Good, Soldiers Carol Allen and Cameron Watkins are being decanted now. Their life signs are stable.



How do you feel?
I feel…light. How much weight did I lose in there?
Weight? You weren’t supposed to lose much weight.



Hey, neat! I’m black again. …and somehow a lot more buff than I remember being. Wait a minute…



Cameron?
Carol?
AAAAHHH!
Oh, you IDIOTS! Who loaded the DNA sequences? YOU SWITCHED THEM!



Well… Actually… This isn’t so bad. I feel like I’ve got a lot of spring in my step.
Hey, this could be an upgrade for me too! Check out the biceps! And I think my vision’s sharper. Trade ya?
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…
You are being rather cavalier about this!
Eh, this is, what, the third mutation I’ve had now? Used to it.
Hah. That’s nothing. I have seen more poo poo in fifty years than you kids could dream, waking up in a different body isn’t even a blip on my radar. We’ll mutate you back next month when we can afford it, until then, trade underwear and do your job. Your aim scores are identical to each other anyway…



We are extremely impressed with the progress of the XCOM project thus far, Commander. You have exceeded our expectations, and that is not a statement this council makes lightly.
Thanks, Councilman. There’ll be a minimum of two more expected abductions in the next month, maybe some more scattered incidents…we’ll try not to let you down. We should be able to get live captures within a week.
We look forward to the fruits of the investigation.
gently caress! The computer still thinks I’m Watkins. I got a pay reduction!



Don’t even need clothes any more… but they make me feel human…
Huff…huff…yeah, this body’s definitely a faster runner than mine. Probably be a lot handier on the battlefield. No wonder Allen keeps kill-stealing from me.
Haha. Women live longer than men, my friend, if you were to stay that way you’d enjoy a longer retirement!
IF I made it to retirement. Women aren’t more bulletproof than men, Zin.
So, barfly buddy. There’s no non-awkward way to say it. Is anybody here gay?

To Be Continued!

Speedball fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Sep 4, 2014

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

I figure it's a few hours to get the Interceptor over to Africa, but then three days to jury-rig a hangar, call in the pre-screened ground crew, set up the anti-detector shields...

Bloodly
Nov 3, 2008

Not as strong as you'd expect.
Alright, I'm asking now mostly to get it out of the way. Who IS this 'Commander'? He's been through this crap 'before' and he knows things he should not know. He's just made a prediction on UFO activity that's apparently so good the Mouth of the Council is accepting it blind rather than calling BS.

Fine, he might be a veteran of 'The Bureau', but it sounds like there's more to this story.

..This is not a complaint on this guy. I fully expect he will become even stranger and am even looking forward to it a little.

Bloodly fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Sep 3, 2014

Bobbin Threadbare
Jan 2, 2009

I'm looking for a flock of urbanmechs.

Bloodly posted:

Alright, I'm asking now mostly to get it out of the way. Who IS this 'Commander'? He's been through this crap 'before' and he knows things he should not know. He's just made a prediction on UFO activity that's apparently so good the Mouth of the Council is accepting it blind rather than calling BS.

Fine, he might be a veteran of 'The Bureau', but it sounds like there's more to this story.

..This is not a complaint on this guy. I fully expect he will become even stranger and am even looking forward to it a little.

The commander is very possibly the main character of The Bureau, or else he's one of three other protagonists who may or may not have survived the game's ending; there are a few different ways it can go, and I figure Speedball is being vague so that any of them could potentially be canon.

Then again, it's hard to believe that half of them could still be alive. The youngest of them was in his 30's as I recall, and there's a gap of 50-60 years between The Bureau and XCOM.

Seraphic Neoman
Jul 19, 2011


Bobbin Threadbare posted:

Then again, it's hard to believe that half of them could still be alive. The youngest of them was in his 30's as I recall, and there's a gap of 50-60 years between The Bureau and XCOM.

Could be explained by cryosleep or meld-induced life extension.

Chard
Aug 24, 2010




SEXCOM: Orientation Unknown

Michaellaneous
Oct 30, 2013

Bloodly posted:

Alright, I'm asking now mostly to get it out of the way. Who IS this 'Commander'? He's been through this crap 'before' and he knows things he should not know. He's just made a prediction on UFO activity that's apparently so good the Mouth of the Council is accepting it blind rather than calling BS.

Fine, he might be a veteran of 'The Bureau', but it sounds like there's more to this story.

..This is not a complaint on this guy. I fully expect he will become even stranger and am even looking forward to it a little.

You are the commander.
That is why you don't have a backstory, and you don't need one.

I think 2K came out and said they kept things open for interpretation. Stories of main characters like Bradford etc. You can make up your own backstories for your soldiers, so why not yourself as well?

inflatablefish
Oct 24, 2010

Speedball posted:

Oh, just for discussion: What's your favorite character class?

Snipers, all the way. A six-man squad with two snipers isn't really a six-man squad at all; it's a four-man squad, watched over by two guardian angels ready to strike down anything they see with holy fire and murder from the sky. In the right terrain, snipers are brutal.

By far my least favourite class is the Heavy. Heavies are just goddamn slow. It's cumbersome to get them into position, their accuracy is poor, and it always annoyed me when they'd open up on an almost point-blank enemy with a massive burst of machine gun fire and accomplish precisely nothing. The MEC, on the other hand, is everything I ever wanted out of a Heavy - the speed, the toughness, the firepower (Collateral Damage is such a useful tactical option!), everything. I used Heavies reluctantly in EU, but in EW the MEC was always the front of my squad.

Speedball
Apr 15, 2008

Bloodly posted:

..This is not a complaint on this guy. I fully expect he will become even stranger and am even looking forward to it a little.

Totally already have the reveal of his identity planned, but the hat will not come off until the late game.

Chard posted:

SEXCOM: Orientation Unknown

Speaking from personal experience, a large number of people in a very small space WILL become a soap opera in short order.

Sorry, we'll get back to killing aliens in the next chapter.

Chard
Aug 24, 2010




Oh, no I really like the narrative, that just popped into my mind and I thought it would be funny. Loving, fighting, sweaters... all part of an XCOM operative's busy life!

deadly_pudding
May 13, 2009

who the fuck is scraeming
"LOG OFF" at my house.
show yourself, coward.
i will never log off

Speedball posted:

Totally already have the reveal of his identity planned, but the hat will not come off until the late game.


Speaking from personal experience, a large number of people in a very small space WILL become a soap opera in short order.

Sorry, we'll get back to killing aliens in the next chapter.

I'm really liking the narrative that you're applying to this, Speedball. I'm super on board with the idea of gathering a bunch of randos who can think outside of the box to save the world.

I also like how the game encourages you to saw off all of a unit's limbs and turn them into a robocop if they get shot in the arm on a mission :stonk:

habeasdorkus
Nov 3, 2013

Royalty is a continuous shitposting motion.

quote:

gently caress! The computer still thinks I’m Watkins. I got a pay reduction!

Yay, XCom pays men and women the same amount based upon position!

Stephen9001
Oct 28, 2013
Screw it, might as well submit a guy based on myself.

Stephen Andrew Smith (initials SAS)

A guy who loves to play all sorts of computer games, weather they be FPS's, RTS's, TBS's and games like Civ and has mild autism. Hailing from England he did a computing course at Canterbury Christ University and found difficulty in trying to focus during lectures and doing assignments, but managed alright in the end. Had dreams of being a games programmer but thought that fighting aliens would be an excellent way to honor the words of Winston Churchill, even if it means getting horribly shot at.

I can have moments of... eccentricity and sometimes be quite curious about things. Please forgive me if I do something foolish or rude.

SwissArmyDruid
Feb 14, 2014

by sebmojo

Speedball posted:

Speaking from personal experience, a large number of people in a very small space WILL become a soap opera in short order.

If there's anything that Stargate SG-1 has taught me: Yes.

Cooked Auto
Aug 4, 2007

If you will not serve in combat, you will serve on the firing line!




SwissArmyDruid posted:

If there's anything that Stargate SG-1 has taught me: Yes.

Although in SG-1's case I just generally assumed they had a chance to actually get off the base from time to time.

SwissArmyDruid
Feb 14, 2014

by sebmojo

Cooked Auto posted:

Although in SG-1's case I just generally assumed they had a chance to actually get off the base from time to time.

Tell that to Teal'c. =P

Danny Glands
Jan 26, 2013

Possible thermal failure (CPU on fire?)
I'm not gutsy enough to ask for a guy. Just maybe have a throwaway line to a "Dr. Glands" or something in the base update and I'll be pleasantly surprised.

tithin
Nov 14, 2003


[Grandmaster Tactician]



SwissArmyDruid posted:

Tell that to Teal'c. =P

Teal'c DID get off the base from time to time. Dude had his own apartment a few episodes occurred off base about him adapting to life on earth in the general populace

Michael: So your thing, that thing, on your forehead; what's it symbolize? Peace?
Teal'c: Slavery, to false gods.
Michael: Right on. So it's made out of...?
Teal'c: Do not discuss it further.

SwissArmyDruid
Feb 14, 2014

by sebmojo

Sir Shion posted:

Teal'c DID get off the base from time to time. Dude had his own apartment a few episodes occurred off base about him adapting to life on earth in the general populace

Michael: So your thing, that thing, on your forehead; what's it symbolize? Peace?
Teal'c: Slavery, to false gods.
Michael: Right on. So it's made out of...?
Teal'c: Do not discuss it further.


Indeed.

Sorry, had to sneak that in, but you know that after the avocado incident, and then what happened immediately thereafter, he had to move back onto base.

Bringing it back around, am I misunderstanding what Squadsight does for Snipers? Do I still need LOS, or something? And will I ever get a thing that lets me move and snipe in the same round? Buh, so that's what they meant with Snapshot. Meh, I'll still take Squadsight, I think.

SwissArmyDruid fucked around with this message at 01:05 on Sep 4, 2014

Psion
Dec 13, 2002

eVeN I KnOw wHaT CoRnEr gAs iS

Sir Shion posted:

Teal'c DID get off the base from time to time. Dude had his own apartment a few episodes occurred off base about him adapting to life on earth in the general populace

Michael: So your thing, that thing, on your forehead; what's it symbolize? Peace?
Teal'c: Slavery, to false gods.
Michael: Right on. So it's made out of...?
Teal'c: Do not discuss it further.


magical things happened when Teal'c went off base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1pUapH3_ng

tithin
Nov 14, 2003


[Grandmaster Tactician]



I never knew how badly I need Xcom:SG1 in my life until this moment.

Polaron
Oct 13, 2010

The Oncoming Storm

Psion posted:

magical things happened when Teal'c went off base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1pUapH3_ng

Was that the same episode as when he nailed a fleeing robber with a thrown avocado from like a block away?

Siegkrow
Oct 11, 2013

Arguing about Lore for 5 years and counting



Sir Shion posted:

I never knew how badly I need Xcom:SG1 in my life until this moment.

I'm...pretty sure that there is Fanfic about that. I have no idea if it's decent, but I know it exists.

Veloxyll
May 3, 2011

Fuck you say?!

Psion posted:

magical things happened when Teal'c went off base.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1pUapH3_ng

Magical things often happen when Teal'c is around.

RickVoid
Oct 21, 2010

Veloxyll posted:

Magical things often happen when Teal'c is around.

The episodes the actor wrote are straight up the best in the series. It was such a good show. The episode where they killed off Doc Fraiser is is probably my favorite. You know it's coming, but the moment you actually see her get shot, through the videographers eyes, it's still a shock.

All that aside, you've got a really good funny:maudlin ratio going on with this thing Speedball. I love what you're doing with the characters, please don't stop.

SwissArmyDruid
Feb 14, 2014

by sebmojo

Polaron posted:

Was that the same episode as when he nailed a fleeing robber with a thrown avocado from like a block away?

See earlier mention of "avocado incident".

Speedball: Goddamnit, I am so freaking sorry. :wtc:

Speedball
Apr 15, 2008

SwissArmyDruid posted:

Speedball: Goddamnit, I am so freaking sorry. :wtc:

What, for the horrifying derail? Yah, those are always a sign of a good thread, paradoxically, which means I'm doing something right! The ones I run into usually tend to be awesome rather than awful, at least.

RickVoid posted:

All that aside, you've got a really good funny:maudlin ratio going on with this thing Speedball. I love what you're doing with the characters, please don't stop.

Aww, thanks. It's a tricky thing to balance, but I have been writing things with that balance for years so I hope practice has improved my aim. I'm kind of going for a futuristic scifi M*A*S*H thing, with video games.

I really wish I had a better way of controlling who appears where in the barracks, it'd be so much better for staging conversations...

EDIT: There's a LOT of pissed-off countries. I think unless I get a few special incidents that reduce panic it's going to be really tricky to keep from losing a few countries in either Europe or Asia.

If I have to choose one to lose I'm probably going to lose Europe.

Speedball fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Sep 4, 2014

Deathwind
Mar 3, 2013

Ignoring europe would put you in rather good shape if you can get a relay built in time but with your current funding it'll be close. You might have been better off delaying the gene lab but I guess you needed it for narrative reasons.

Speedball
Apr 15, 2008

Next update in four hours, can I get three more posts to push it to a new page?

Night10194
Feb 13, 2012

We'll start,
like many good things,
with a bear.

I take it we're not getting very favorable abductions?

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deadly_pudding
May 13, 2009

who the fuck is scraeming
"LOG OFF" at my house.
show yourself, coward.
i will never log off

Speedball posted:

Next update in four hours, can I get three more posts to push it to a new page?

I'm helping :3:

Also, DANG. You've got a good panic building up there. Hopefully the next mission isn't an abduction.

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