aenemic
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Snackpack said:
cool, I have dosbox somewhere. I'll check it out.
X-Com
- Thread starter rcorporon
- Start date
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
cool, I have dosbox somewhere. I'll check it out.
Downloading UFO Defense now - ah, the memories.
LogisticEarth
First time out of the vault
To anyone having trouble on the battlefield with this game try some of these tips:
1.) Only keep the cream of the crop as far as recruits go. If you hire 5 new soliders and 3 of them have 18 strength and 0 bravery, then SACK THEM. Hire new ones and repeat untill you have a crack squad. It costs some money but it's chump change in the long run.
2.) Your guys stats do matter. Dont give a rocket launcher to a weak, slow, or cowardly character. Give your most accurate weapon to your most accurate shooter with the most TUs and use him as a crack marksman.
3.) Form your guys into squads with defined roles. Trust me this helps immensely. Normally, I add a small tag on the end of a soldier's name when I hire them to give them a defined roll, and might change it as thier skills advance. The tags on the names also help you identify who's supposed to do what in the pre-mission loadout screens. Normally, here are the roles and tags I use:
3-4 Riflemen
1 Marksman
0-1 Demolitions
1-2 Heavy Weapons
1 Commaner
1 Scout
+1 HWP (Don't bother with the cannon tank, just go rockets, then laser, plasma, etc.)
Move these guys in fireteams. For example, two riflemen on point, with the HW guy and Marksman behind them.
Dont' fret if you lose riflemen, they can be replaced. And don't be afraid to use FIREPOWER! Use grenades, use HE packs, and especially once you get a Rocket HWP, blow the crap out of buildings if you see one or two enemies in there. If anything, it will take down the wall, removing the enemy's cover and allow your riflemen to pick them off.
Blarg, now I have to go play it again.
1.) Only keep the cream of the crop as far as recruits go. If you hire 5 new soliders and 3 of them have 18 strength and 0 bravery, then SACK THEM. Hire new ones and repeat untill you have a crack squad. It costs some money but it's chump change in the long run.
2.) Your guys stats do matter. Dont give a rocket launcher to a weak, slow, or cowardly character. Give your most accurate weapon to your most accurate shooter with the most TUs and use him as a crack marksman.
3.) Form your guys into squads with defined roles. Trust me this helps immensely. Normally, I add a small tag on the end of a soldier's name when I hire them to give them a defined roll, and might change it as thier skills advance. The tags on the names also help you identify who's supposed to do what in the pre-mission loadout screens. Normally, here are the roles and tags I use:
- RF - Rifleman: Generic foot solider and most common. Has average to good stats overall. They're kind of expendable. Usually equipped with a rifle of whatever variety, and a few grenades. Don't load them up to much as a million grenades and stuff will slow them down. Don't give him a pistol, it's dead weight.
- HW - Heavy Weapons: The big guns, high strength and decent TU's and high bravery. You don't want the guy with the rocket launcher panicing. Usually equipped with a rocket launcher and a few rockets or auto-cannon, and later Fusion Launcher. Has a pistol for close range use or backup.
- MK - Marksman: Simply a Rifleman with exceptionally high accuracy. Use him to shoot first, and if possible reserve your riflemen to protect him in between turns (with interrupts). Give him a few more mags because he'll be shooting more than anyone else.
- SC - Scout: Speedy and sneaky. This is your solider with the highest TU and best reaction time. They're a quick support class. I usualy equip them with several grenades, a bunch of electroflares at night, a pistol, and a stun rod/stun launcher. That's right, the main combat weapon is a pistol. This keeps him fast and can provide the key close range snap shots if you get surprised. Also, it's always good to have stun weapons on you in the event that you run into a new species or commander. He also works as an effective grenadier.
- DM - Demolitions: Another modification of the rifleman class. Carries extra grenades, and one or two high explosives. People underestimate the HE packs. Have a few pesky aliens in a barn and don't want to risk getting shot climbing up the stairs? Just level the damn thing and fill the rubble with rockets.
- CM - Commander: Simply your highest ranking soldiers. You want to keep these guys protected, not only because they usualy have the highest stats, but also because the moral hit your troops take from having a squaddie killed are directly related to thier rank. Give this guy a rifle, and grenades/electroflares. Later you can train your commanders to be psionic troopers so they can be even more effective when they're hanging back.
3-4 Riflemen
1 Marksman
0-1 Demolitions
1-2 Heavy Weapons
1 Commaner
1 Scout
+1 HWP (Don't bother with the cannon tank, just go rockets, then laser, plasma, etc.)
Move these guys in fireteams. For example, two riflemen on point, with the HW guy and Marksman behind them.
Dont' fret if you lose riflemen, they can be replaced. And don't be afraid to use FIREPOWER! Use grenades, use HE packs, and especially once you get a Rocket HWP, blow the crap out of buildings if you see one or two enemies in there. If anything, it will take down the wall, removing the enemy's cover and allow your riflemen to pick them off.
Blarg, now I have to go play it again.
aenemic
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
that's some great advice. I'd just like to add one thing: use cover - it helps tons!
LogisticEarth
First time out of the vault
Oh, and I forgot one thing: One item that's easy to overlook is the medkit. So often you soliders are killed outright in one shot, people forget about them by the time they have armor and thier troopers can take a few hits and survive. Even in the begining it's always good to have one or two kits available (I have the Commander and Scout carry them). They do more than heal. Stimulants can perk up soliders who have become exhausted, and pain killers can restore the morale of wounded troops. Plus, if your favorite marksman or heavy weapons guy gets torn up by a grenade, you can at least heal him up and limp him back to the ship rather than just letting him bleed out (or loading a new save 
)
)
A couple more tips for the mid to late game:
*Tech Spoilers*
When you have flying armor and the guided missile launcher (blaster launcher) heres a fun little trick I use when taking on the medium and large alien ships. Use the blaster launcher like a can opener, set a waypoint on the roof of the ship, and then the last one right beneath it inside the ship. This will usually punch a single hole into the roof that you can then fly your squad into. Much safer than going up the elevator deathtrap entrances.
Elerium farming: When you know the location of an alien base, especially if you see it at the beginning of the month, don't take it out right away. Large alien supply ships will arrive and land there for a half day or so. These ships have something like 5 engines each, each in tact engine gives you 50 elerium. You can rack up tons elerium, alloys, and ship components this way.
*Tech Spoilers*
When you have flying armor and the guided missile launcher (blaster launcher) heres a fun little trick I use when taking on the medium and large alien ships. Use the blaster launcher like a can opener, set a waypoint on the roof of the ship, and then the last one right beneath it inside the ship. This will usually punch a single hole into the roof that you can then fly your squad into. Much safer than going up the elevator deathtrap entrances.
Elerium farming: When you know the location of an alien base, especially if you see it at the beginning of the month, don't take it out right away. Large alien supply ships will arrive and land there for a half day or so. These ships have something like 5 engines each, each in tact engine gives you 50 elerium. You can rack up tons elerium, alloys, and ship components this way.
aenemic
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Snackpack said:
THIS is why I love these games! how often do you see this level of detial in only one part of the gameplay?
I normally skip researching the laser weapons and just go straight to plasma once I capture a few from my dead little sectoid friends.
If you're having trouble on missions try leaving your squad members with enough TUs for a crack shot when you end the turn. If any aliens walk into their vision during their turn your squad member will take a pot shot at them.
I love loading my squad up with blaster launchers and leveling the entire area; tends to greatly reduce salvageable matierials from the mission. Ah well its still fun. Great game.
Also if you're a big fan of the battles then check out Warhammer: Chaos Gate, quite fun as well, no base building or geomap however.
If you're having trouble on missions try leaving your squad members with enough TUs for a crack shot when you end the turn. If any aliens walk into their vision during their turn your squad member will take a pot shot at them.
I love loading my squad up with blaster launchers and leveling the entire area; tends to greatly reduce salvageable matierials from the mission. Ah well its still fun. Great game.
Also if you're a big fan of the battles then check out Warhammer: Chaos Gate, quite fun as well, no base building or geomap however.
TheWesDude
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
yea, i think i got it figured out, other than the elerium problem.
i have 2 foreign bases near my secondary base and i cant fuel my ufos because im out.
and my interceptors cant intercept their aircraft so i am having real problems getting any.
i had to use the money cheat
i have 2 foreign bases near my secondary base and i cant fuel my ufos because im out.
and my interceptors cant intercept their aircraft so i am having real problems getting any.
i had to use the money cheat
Try researching plasma cannons and fusion balls and putting those on your interceptors instead of the weapons they come equipped with. They should be able to take down any ship, just keep your distance the interceptors cant take much of a pounding, if any.
M
moyogo
Guest
Man I love me some x-com. Holds up so well, I really can't believe it's 15 years old.
I never got my team as strong as in that video, I think when you start playing you should expect to be dead/reloading a lot. At least that was my experience.
I never got my team as strong as in that video, I think when you start playing you should expect to be dead/reloading a lot. At least that was my experience.
Alphadrop
A right proper chap.
Once my semester is over and dissertation handed in (on Friday, go go gadget fast writing) I am so going to install some tactical goodness. This thread has really got me in the mood for them again.
Maybe this time I won't also limit myself to conventional weapons because I think their cooler than the plasma and laser rifles :p
Oddly my guys were still pretty effective when I did that, mostly because the research went towards armour, shields and other support equipment.
Maybe this time I won't also limit myself to conventional weapons because I think their cooler than the plasma and laser rifles :p
Oddly my guys were still pretty effective when I did that, mostly because the research went towards armour, shields and other support equipment.
aenemic
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
I'm really aching for some x-com fun too... but I can't decide if I want to play UFO Defence or Terror From The Deep. both are good in their own ways.
UFO is easier to begin with and doesn't take as long or require as much from the player.
TFTD loohas way cooler setting and has more interesting enemies and weapons. it's a lot harder though and then there's that nasty research bug which pretty much makes the game impossible to finish if you run into it...
UFO is easier to begin with and doesn't take as long or require as much from the player.
TFTD loohas way cooler setting and has more interesting enemies and weapons. it's a lot harder though and then there's that nasty research bug which pretty much makes the game impossible to finish if you run into it...
The whole underwater setting didn't really do it for me in TFTD, I liked the armaments and crafts of the first one a lot more. Maybe I should go back to it sometime though, I only played it once. Maybe the sour taste it left in my mouth was because I hit that research bug on my first and only attempt at it, and yeh it makes the game impossible to complete. Not only that, but you won't know if your game is bugged or not until you've already invested tons of time and are towards the end game.
Did they ever make a patch for that?
Did they ever make a patch for that?
Great Satan! It's been 15 years...... my life.....moyogo said:
Alphadrop
A right proper chap.
I think the main reason I like Apocolypse is because of the politics it has. The other factions add more depth to it and it is nice seeing the police helping you against the enemy UFOs.
Though their patrol cards and bikes are killed in one shot which makes them a bit pointless but it is still cool.
I would also suggest people (damn censor) to take a gander at Laser Squad Nemesis. It's quite a fun tactical turn based combat game in the same vein as X-Com and isn't half bad for an indie game.
Though their patrol cards and bikes are killed in one shot which makes them a bit pointless but it is still cool.
I would also suggest people (damn censor) to take a gander at Laser Squad Nemesis. It's quite a fun tactical turn based combat game in the same vein as X-Com and isn't half bad for an indie game.
TheWesDude
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
what research bug in the 2nd one? i havent installed it yet.
i went to try the last one ( enforcer ) and its a fucking third person shooter...
so i was like wtf.. look up the 4th one and its a flight sim???
i went to try the last one ( enforcer ) and its a fucking third person shooter...
so i was like wtf.. look up the 4th one and its a flight sim???
BloodyPuppy
Look, Ma! Two Heads!
Yeah the later entries are... I'll be generous and call them mistakes.
In TFTD you need to capture a "commander" alien alive and research it to be able to travel to the aliens main base and win the game. The bug prevents the captured alien from showing up in your research list. I thought I was knocking out the wrong guys at first, but I captured at least 6 or 7 alien commanders to no avail.
This could have been patched at some point, I'm not sure. Don't know what causes it either.
And yeh, the series died in failed spinoff land. Take 2 (I think?) acquired the X-Com IP in the last couple years and may be making a new one though. I'm not holding my breath.
This could have been patched at some point, I'm not sure. Don't know what causes it either.
And yeh, the series died in failed spinoff land. Take 2 (I think?) acquired the X-Com IP in the last couple years and may be making a new one though. I'm not holding my breath.
aenemic
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Snackpack said:
from what I remember, there's also something about you not being able to research a technology required for the best armor and ships if you research some things in the wrong order. can't remember exactly how it works now, but I remember looking at a research tree to make sure I did everything in the right order last time I played.
these two may be connected or there are more than one major research bug.