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I too am intruiged by our mysterious Commander. I also look forward to deploying Metal Gear.
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Aug 29, 2014 20:34
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I hate Not Created Equally because it feels as if the RNG is constantly loving me over by exactly the things like Snipers with absurdly low aim or super slow assaults.
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Aug 29, 2014 20:38
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Where are the guys from the old X-COM LPs? They'd probably want in on this (again).
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Aug 29, 2014 20:50
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Mycroft Holmes posted:Where are the guys from the old X-COM LPs? They'd probably want in on this (again). They currently in fact have an X-COM LP, the Commander's Guide.
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Aug 29, 2014 21:27
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Speedball posted:
Haha nice callback. I really enjoyed your Civ LP and I'm working my way through Tropico now. XCOM is an extremely excellent game and I look forward to reading your version of the plotline!
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Aug 29, 2014 21:40
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BULLSHIT. Psychic powers do not and have never existed and there is no scientific basis for them. Larry Niven just wrote psychics into all his hard SF stories because even he wanted space wizards. Unless you can get a scientist or twelve out here to write a whole bunch of math that I can understand about which of the four fundamental forces of nature account for shooting glowy poo poo out of your head, it's loving magic and aliens are evil sorcerers.
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Part 3: Something “Outside” Your Experience  So, let’s see how the soldier ants are doing on the ant farm today…  Hey, treadmill buddy, how’s it going? Who are—Allen? CAROL? What the hell?! You’re Asian! Vahlen needed one more test subject for the thing that changed Bar-Lev’s skin. I figured, “What the hell. It’ll either kill me, or give me superpowers.” Actually, Dr. Vahlen pretty much outright said it might give me superpowers…maybe next time… But she said that from now on there shouldn’t be any more goo accidents, so my sacrifice of melanin was not in vain! Well, it’s not a bad look for you. Why do you keep saying that!? I’m an out-of-work fashion designer who enlisted. What’s your story? Third-generation comic book store owner. Digital’s killing us, so I needed the cash… Hmm, what’s Bar-Lev up to back there?quote:
(So, she’s a spy, huh? Heh. If she tries to leave she’s in for a surprise, but I’ll let her send this message, maybe it’ll get one more nation to fund us.)   Bottom-line it for me, docs: what is this stuff? This ”Meld,” as we call it, is filled with nanomachines and proteins. It’s…well…amazing. Their structure is— That’s not bottom-lining it for me. How. Can. We. Use. It?  I could use it to grow an artificial nervous system, which would allow me to create cyborgs of incredible power! OR we could use it to create super-mutants with the same powers as the aliens! I’d prefer cyborgs, myself… Super-mutants! Cyborgs! ENOUGH! We’ll build a lab for each, okay? Jesus Christ, you people…and by the way, Vahlen, you’re not cleared for the files from the 1960s. Yet. I’ll let you know more later. Now, what kind of stuff do you specifically think you’ll be able to turn our people into?   Just for starters, I could give our soldiers regenerating health and better vision. The more alien bodies I inspect, the more useful traits I’d be able to splice. I wouldn’t just turn our volunteers into a normal human-sized cyborg…I’d replace most of their body and allow them to interface with a huge MEC suit larger than a standing polar bear, armed with a vulcan cannon and various other armaments of our choice. These all sound too good to pass up. We have some money, I’ll order the construction of both facilities. We’ll need more power soon, but we’re digging towards a thermal vent that’ll help us out with power. Meanwhile, Dr. Vahlen, start researching those alien bodies! Commander! Our “special satellite” over America has detected an alien craft, just as you said it would! Launch interceptors and down it!  Who programmed this interface? This isn’t to scale! What, you don’t like it? Game interfaces that are always to scale are so boring and tedious, so I improved it. Actually, this is a lot less eyestrain-inducing than “tiny dot on radar…” It’s down! And still in one piece. Get the strike crew to the Skyranger, we’re raiding THEM for a change! Hit it, troops!  It’s somewhere up ahead, I can see a burning log… Keep your ears open. We may hear them before we see them. Shouldn’t you say, “Stay frosty?” They always say “stay frosty” … No they don't. Contact! Two on the right! Two on the left! Aaah! Looks like they’re just as surprised to see us, they’re scrambling for cover. You’re not kill-stealing me today, Bar-Lev! Take this! Too far for grenades…let this hit, please… X-ray down! Allen, Leroy, it’s up to you! Too far away, but I can flank ‘em if I rush him! I’ve been doing sprints!  Huff-huff—goo found, not it, now DIE! X-ray down, but the other one’s right on top of me! Can’t get to the last one, Allen, but I’ll give you some cover! Try not to breathe in, okay? I’m good! …huh, this smoke tastes like mint? Angle’s bad…frag out! Sorry, Dr. Vahlen! It’s fine, you shot the other three conventionally… All currently visible aliens dead, move up to the saucer! It’s not very saucer-y…more like…pancake-y… Got something up there! Floating…energy crystal? Holy poo poo! The crystal summoned armor around itself! It’s a summoner! …I’ve seen instant-construction technology! Alien is now identified by callsign “Outsider!” Make it your priority! And it’s got a bigger version of the Sectoid weapon! Help! It’s in heavy cover, but that wall looks weak, I bet I can blast it with a grenade. Frag out! I got it! Hey, the armor vanished right after you shot the crystal thing. It is a summoner! That’s it? Four sectoids and one…outsider? Good job, everyone. I’ll get the meld…hey, cool, the new disarm technique works! No spray! Good job, Watkins, you’re promoted! Pick out whatever weapon you want! Not bad for a failed comp sci major, huh? Just don’t reprogram any more of our computers without my permission. Now…time to wait and see how long it takes Vahlen to come up with more goodies…
Speedball fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Feb 10, 2015 |
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Aug 29, 2014 23:30
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Sectoid cakes!
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Aug 29, 2014 23:41
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I kinda like that X-COM has a couple callbacks to the Bureau in it. Despite The Bureau probably having been better off if it hadn't been in X-COM's wheelhouse, I still really enjoyed it.
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Aug 29, 2014 23:45
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The Bureau had perhaps one of the most batshit insane ending twists. That alone made the game worthwhile. Just a shame the original XCOM FPS they announced didn't pan out, that seemed pretty cool. And I'm still waiting on somebody to tackle X-Com Alliance! 
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Aug 30, 2014 00:15
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HerpicleOmnicron5 posted:Just a shame the original XCOM FPS they announced didn't pan out, that seemed pretty cool. And I'm still waiting on somebody to tackle X-Com Alliance! Heck, there's been a couple of XCOM-ish games that never panned out, a couple of years ago I remember reading about something called The Dreamland Chronicles that was supposed to be a unofficial remake of the first game made by the original makers but that never really panned out. Oh hey, didn't know it even had a wiki page about it.
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Aug 30, 2014 00:31
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Night10194 posted:I kinda like that X-COM has a couple callbacks to the Bureau in it. Despite The Bureau probably having been better off if it hadn't been in X-COM's wheelhouse, I still really enjoyed it. The Bureau bit off a little more than it could chew and had some quirks (targeting reticle based on movement so you had to move it around barricades and couldn't target airstrikes across pits) but it tried hard. The main "sin" is simply being on the heels of Enemy Unknown, which blew everyone's expectations through the roof. Also apparently they got a major re-write for the script after dialogue had been recorded, which is why people sometimes talk about things that come out of left field or haven't happened yet.
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Aug 30, 2014 00:44
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I'm actually playing through the bureau again. I think the weakest thing is the difficulty curve. It tosses bulletsponge mutons and sectopods, and the gunship before you really have guns that can hurt em. Then, afte getting some pretty crappy laser weapons, you get the blaster launcher in like, the second mission.
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Aug 30, 2014 01:13
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I'd say another big problem is lovely checkpointing. Lots of repeating the same firefight you'd mastered to get to the part that's actually killing you.
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Aug 30, 2014 03:15
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Hmm, is this 'meld' going to mess up the appearance of everyone who gets near it? No, Doctor Vahlen looks the same as the day I met her. Well, interesting opinions, losing limbs or getting new organs.
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Aug 30, 2014 03:44
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Some of the later MEC options are completely insane, as are the gene mods. Those are going to be fun to read.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:44
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My only problem with the gene mods is that they force your guys to lose their armor, which can be annoying if you had a certain Look you were going for with your squad. They're a lot of fun otherwise.
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Aug 30, 2014 04:56
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Polaron posted:My only problem with the gene mods is that they force your guys to lose their armor, which can be annoying if you had a certain Look you were going for with your squad. They're a lot of fun otherwise. There's a mod called "Revenge of the Sleeves" to fix that issue.
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Aug 30, 2014 06:09
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I'm surprised you're not playing with the Long War mod on, considering the Civ V run was modded.
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Aug 30, 2014 06:16
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BenRGamer posted:I'm surprised you're not playing with the Long War mod on, considering the Civ V run was modded. Speedball did say in his OP that mods are finicky on his computer with regards to XCOM, so you can't really say it was unexpected. Dunno why it's finicky though, since as you said, all those Civ V mods worked out for him. \/\/\/\/\/\/EDIT: Ah, that makes sense... Seriously though, that's a shame. GhostStalker fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Aug 30, 2014 |
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Aug 30, 2014 06:21
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Macintosh. To get Long War to run on XCOM I would have to do a heaping helping of crap and the last time I tried it was a nightmare that ended in failure.
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Aug 30, 2014 06:48
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Last I checked revenge of the sleeves was outdated and no one could get a response on whether it was going to be updated if that changed I'd like to see if I could get it working. Because really its dumb that gene moded soldiers have to remove their sleeves and use less impressive looking versions of their armor just for a simple effect that isn't even noticeable in actual missions.
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Aug 30, 2014 06:58
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Part 4: Four-Star Badassquote:
WATKINS! Report back to duty on the double! Emergency mission from the Council! What?  Commander, time is precious, so we will be…brief. You will be compensated substantially if you are able to save a VIP, General Van Dorn, from being kidnapped by aliens. The attack began fifteen minutes ago and his bodyguards will not able to hold out very long. You heard the big man, Squaddies. Into the Skyranger! Glad I didn’t take any sleeping pills… Hope he can hold out, it’ll take over an hour to get there. Hold up. XCOM is protecting the earth from aliens. Why don’t we already have the best of the best working for us? *cough*Bradford*cough* No, it’s not just that. Look at us. An out-of-work fashionista, a hardcore comic book/fantasy geek and a Computer Science Major drop-out, as soldiers to fight space aliens with superior weaponry? It doesn’t add up. Keep your mind on the job, please. Also: thank you for implying I am a screw-up like the rest of you. It means a lot to me. Erp! I’m the squad leader today. Move forward and check for survivors, especially Van Doorn. Somebody sure blew the poo poo out of this place. Lots of green plasma scars…stay frosty! Nobody in real life says “Stay Frosty!” Now move!  *Cough* *gasp* *wheeeze* A survivor! Can you walk? *wheeeeeze* *gasp* There’s a man… a man in a suit… Huh? The general’s up ahead…watch out for the man in the suit! The Thin Maaaan! The Tall Man? Like, from Phantasm? Thin Maaaaan! Hrrm… General Van Doorn’s GPS signal is right ahead, in that depression where the highway partly collapsed. Hope he’s not dead. Just keep an eye open for that Slender Man. Thin Maaaaan! THIN Man. Whatever. AAAAH! THIN MAN! It’s an alien that looks like a human! With a loving big gun! And a really cheap suit! Looks like Action Wada brand! …what? I told you, I’m a fashion designer, it’s my job to know! Anyway. He’s behind a car door. I’m gonna blast him out!  He’s still up! I’ll back you up! Thin man down! Jesus, why weren’t you classified a Sniper, Naomi? I don’t like camping. Aaah! He left behind this huge…cloud…of gunky ugly-looking nasty poo poo! How high-pressure was his blood? I don’t want to walk through that, I just cleaned my uniform! NOBODY walks through it. We’ll just…wait for it to settle or go around.  HEY! What the hell is going on over there? Friendlies? Yeah, friendlies! About loving time! I’ve been out of ammo for hours! I had to kill one by beating it to death with my shoes! Sectoids! Lost my knife trying to cut a hole where the grey’s mouth oughta be. Fulla filthy yellow poo poo, they have piss for blood. Nice ’n’ clustered, I’ll take ‘em out with a grenade… Challenged the big purple gorilla one to an honorable fist match, broke my left hand breaking its face… Purple gorilla? Killed two more by turning my car into a battering ram, killed SIX more by lighting its gas tank on fire afterwards… Dude, shut up! I just killed two more sectoids while you were busy yapping! Get up here! Throw me a gun! I ain’t done killin’ and there’s more out there! No can do, General Van Doorn, our guns are encoded so nobody but us can use them. Sorry. Look, just run back up the way we came, we’ll cover you. Blue hair!? That ain’t loving regulation! What the hell kind of outfit are you from, soldier?! The kind where accidentally getting permanent blue hair is par for the course! Oh, you mean the orange goo stuff? Huh, guess you are the right people. Yes. Please let us do our jobs and get you out of here, sir. Fine… almost made it to a hundred, though… Leroy, get up here with the VIP. Everyone else, keep an eye out for anything that moves. If one those sectoids across the chasm pops it head up, I want us to blast it. Strike-one, there’s some sort of small heat signature heading your way. Behind you! AAAH! THIN MAN! poo poo! KILL IT! I think we got him, guys! Stop firing! Christ, he just dropped out of the loving sky! Can they fly? Nah, but they can jump good! There’ll probably be a few more of ‘em dropping down outta nowhere as we go. Keep an eye out! Okay, so, we have to keep a sharp eye going back, and remember there’s still a sectoid or two behind us. Stay frosty. NOBODY SAYS THAT! TWO MORE! Open fire! X-ray down! I got the other one! Van Doorn, move up! And stay out of the poison clouds. Whew. Thanks. Sorry for busting your chops, girls, I get mean in the heat of the moment. Hey, we’re not all girls! Whatever. Circle back and kill any straggler sectoids, team, and then we call it a day. CRAP! Found one! I’m staring it right in its eyes. … …you have such pretty eyes… … … … …yes, master… NO! Get outta my head! DIE!   Allen, you okay? I’m fine, I’m fine… fuckin’ sorcerers… All aliens dead! Prepare for return trip!  Kids, you saved my life, but your coordination is poo poo! You need a proper officer program. And I’m sending you my best killer to keep you company and straighten you out. MY DAUGHTER! Your what?!  Congratulations, Allen, you killed four aliens in one mission, that’s worth a promotion. Learn anything out there? Yessir, I learned to keep my head the hell down! Perfect! Now, everyone get some rest. Bradford, put our new recruit through orientation. Of course.
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Aug 30, 2014 23:41
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Thin Man? The aliens are impersonating Nick Charles now? (Or Clyde Wynant to be more accurate to the book)
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Aug 31, 2014 00:00
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Thinking of, where did the Thin Men get their suits? Like....they seem too human to be alien made, so I guess that is what they are actually doing when raiding worthless warehouses? 
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Aug 31, 2014 00:09
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I always assumed the Thin Men got their suits from something akin to a replicator. Made outta some kinda space age spandex stuff, given how fluid their movement is. Loved the general in this, hoping his daughter will be just as big of a ball buster.
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Aug 31, 2014 00:22
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Please tell me General McAwesome will show up later, please?
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Aug 31, 2014 00:58
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xanthan posted:Please tell me General McAwesome will show up later, please? Well, every time you have to rescue a general, it's him, so, who knows?
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Aug 31, 2014 01:41
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Michaellaneous posted:Thinking of, where did the Thin Men get their suits? Like....they seem too human to be alien made, so I guess that is what they are actually doing when raiding worthless warehouses? I always assumed it was part of them.
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Aug 31, 2014 02:03
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submitting Frank Jaeger aka Frank Hunter, Frankie, Perfect Soldier, Null, [Solid Snake's] number one fan, Cyborg Ninja, Deepthroat, for a Cyborg
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Aug 31, 2014 02:27
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I was under the impression that, yeah, they popped out of the clone vat wearing that suit. The autopsy implies as such, I think. Not sure if that's spoilery but wanted to be safe!
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Aug 31, 2014 02:29
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venom3053000 posted:submitting Frank Jaeger aka Frank Hunter, Frankie, Perfect Soldier, Null, [Solid Snake's] number one fan, Cyborg Ninja, Given XCOM's recruiting standards so far, I think someone different might be a better choice. A former next generation special forces agent, forced to turn to mercenary work after his government turned on him, but he returned home when his nation needed him most. A man alone, his comrades cut down time and again. With the genes of the perfect soldier, and topnotch VR training, he's sure to... ah. Excuse me a moment. My client needs to take a quick visit to the gentleman's room. I vote Johnny Sasaki.
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Aug 31, 2014 02:34
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For the survivor I was gonna go with Hudson from Aliens, but I decided I wanted to throw a little Classic X-Com in there just for fun.chiasaur11 posted:Given XCOM's recruiting standards so far, I think someone different might be a better choice. I'm not sure I can pass this up! ...I also figured out how to make a pretty good Hulk Hogan lookalike. Heh. It's kind of too bad there's only one body type between men and women, the dudes are all a bit too roided out.
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Aug 31, 2014 03:23
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Don't suppose I'm able to sign up as a character? The General owns, and you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't make him a recurring feature. I'd love to hear more of his war stories.
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Aug 31, 2014 06:09
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I'm very worried, my friends. Very worried. 
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Aug 31, 2014 12:09
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I forgot to mention Speedball: Very fun LP so far, I hope you keep going. Message me on steam and I'll give you a game or some poo poo.
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Aug 31, 2014 12:31
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The bad combover toupee is truly the most terrifying aspect of Thin Men
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Aug 31, 2014 14:12
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So I take it that you don't have either of the special Council mission packs enabled, since if you do, the first Council mission you get is a prompt to start one of them, IIRC. Either that, or you turned down the mission to start them when given the option and just did a regular Council mission instead. Also, Thin Men are supposed to be the replacement for Snakemen from original X-Com, right? Infiltrators and all that, I guess.
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Aug 31, 2014 14:15
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Speedball posted:
A little Samurai Jack to spice things up. Why not? 
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Aug 31, 2014 14:31
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GhostStalker posted:So I take it that you don't have either of the special Council mission packs enabled, since if you do, the first Council mission you get is a prompt to start one of them, IIRC. Either that, or you turned down the mission to start them when given the option and just did a regular Council mission instead. No, it's just very likely to give you one of the special ones first. It's still possible to get a normal one first, that happened to me yesterday. Also, Speedball, this is a wonderful LP so far! You're really great at narrative ones. Telum fucked around with this message at 14:43 on Aug 31, 2014 |
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Aug 31, 2014 14:40
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 00:06 |
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Yeah, I have both special mission packs activated, but somehow I got Van Doorn instead. Too bad, Friends in Low Places would have given me 2 engineers, 2 scientists and more money, AND a sergeant. Thank you for your kind words!
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Aug 31, 2014 14:46
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