UFO: Enemy Unknown, remake by Firaxis

[Minor Annoyance]

How are SHIVs built and equipped? Do they all have improvements if you've researched them? Or do you have to buy those improvements and equip them manually? How do they play out in battle? I'm just going to take my time on my first(Normal) game for now to tinker with all the toys the game gives me.

They automatically get upgraded with new weapons and the suppression ability. The SHIV, Alloy SHIV and Hover SHIV are separate builds though so you have to build each one separately, but if you build a SHIV right away and then later get laser/plasma SHIV weapon or SHIV suppression your existing SHIVs get it without having to build a new one.

 

[DaviddesJ]

I've come to the conclusion that the game just isn't balanced on higher difficulties.

Is this inherently bad? Why should it be precisely balanced? Is there supposed to be someone out there who's sending you alien attackers that are exactly as difficult as you can beat, but no more? My feeling is that in an alien invasion at "Impossible" difficulty you might think, yeah, maybe the aliens are just going to be too tough for you!

 

[coanda]

Is this inherently bad? Why should it be precisely balanced? Is there supposed to be someone out there who's sending you alien attackers that are exactly as difficult as you can beat, but no more? My feeling is that in an alien invasion at "Impossible" difficulty you might think, yeah, maybe the aliens are just going to be too tough for you!

Sorry, but you're just mistaken here. As I said, I'm not complaining about overall difficulty. I have no problem with the fact that it takes near-perfect play, a dozen tries, and significant luck to beat Impossible (in fact, that's what I enjoy about it).

What I am complaining about inconsistent difficulty. The first crashed alien ship is boring because it's so easy compared to what you get used to. The Bomb Defusal mission is so hard compared to surrounding missions that you don't even attempt it if it comes up, and take the panic hit; hardly a fun way to play. And the game doesn't get harder as you go along; it gets easier... the exact opposite of the most interesting and rewarding difficulty curve, because it means once you make it past the first 4-5 missions the challenge starts fading and it becomes a grind to the finish.

Arguing that one shouldn't care about difficulty curve would be like if you said, with respect to Civ4, that it would be fine if the Deity difficulty was just Noble AIs who started the game at war with you, with 4 cities and Medieval-era techs. Yes, it would be hard to make it to the Classical Era... and then the game would be boring.

 

[DaviddesJ]

Sorry, but you're just mistaken here. As I said, I'm not complaining about overall difficulty. I have no problem with the fact that it takes near-perfect play, a dozen tries, and significant luck to beat Impossible (in fact, that's what I enjoy about it).

What I am complaining about inconsistent difficulty.

I can't be mistaken about a question. Thanks for answering some of my questions, although I'm not sure why you have to be snarky about it.

I think it's fine for there to be inconsistent and unpredictable difficulty. That's what real life is like, after all. I don't mind sometimes losing through no fault of my own (Deity difficulty in Civ can often be like that). But if it gets to the point where some missions aren't even worth trying, or others are too easy and therefore boring, then it certainly makes sense why that would be bad for the game.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

So what's the most hair-raising encounter you guys have had? For me, I don't think it could get worse than fighting 3 Sectopods in close quarters with not enough Medikits.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Can i sell stuff like Alien Entertainment/Surgery ? Is there absolutely no use for things like these ?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Yes, feel free to sell them along with Stasis Tanks and Food.

 

[Minor Annoyance]

So what's the most hair-raising encounter you guys have had? For me, I don't think it could get worse than fighting 3 Sectopods in close quarters with not enough Medikits.

Mine was in a long alleyway. I just a sniper on a roof and ran my assault ahead. Took out a cyber disk easily and then had some Mutons right behind a door. I used a rocked to take down the wall they were behind and killed most of them. Then Muton Elites and Berserkers just came pouring out of the buildings and scaling the walls. There was at least seven new targets. One Muton Elite set up two tiles away from my sniper. I had him sprint back to the other end of the building. My assault was cut off from the rest and had to sprint in the opposite direction and hide behind a truck by himself. Everyone else hid too. One guy got knocked down to one hit and someone was critically wounded and I didn't have enough medkits to help both. I still managed to not lose anyone but I was ready to write the mission off at that point.

 

[sherbz]

So what's the most hair-raising encounter you guys have had? For me, I don't think it could get worse than fighting 3 Sectopods in close quarters with not enough Medikits.

Probably when i had 6 mutons and 3 floaters (i tripped 3 lots of aliens) in and amongst my soldiers. Fortunately, and perhaps more satisfyingly, I managed to kill the 3 floaters with my heavy via a rocket attack; 1 shot insta kill 1 muton with my sniper; then kill 2 more mutons with the rest of my soldiers. In the counter attack, i managed to soak up the damage with only 1 critical wounded, then i killed the rest the next turn. It was a resounding victory, but because im only playing on iron man, having 9 aliens in sight is a rather hair raising situation. I actually think that my assault was the real winner here, because she soaked up the damage on 2 of the aliens with her special ability.

Not doing too bad in my classic iron man game now. I have a decent base, decent satellite coverage, and decent set of soldiers. Im losing way more soldiers than i did on normal. Im still a bit undecided on when to attack the alien base. I think lasers are essential, but you can attack it before you get any of the heavy armours. All in all im thouroughly enjooying my second play through. The more i play, the more impressed i am with the game. There are a few niggles, but i think it really is an excellent game. Certainly the best I have played for a number of years. Civ 4 was probably the last time i have had as much fun.

 

[Bibor]

Is there a chance of X-COM Getting its own subforum here on Civfanatics? Please say "yes"

 

[sirtommygunn]

Considering how dead the other games subforums are? I think it'd be unlikely.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Mine was in a long alleyway. I just a sniper on a roof and ran my assault ahead. Took out a cyber disk easily and then had some Mutons right behind a door. I used a rocked to take down the wall they were behind and killed most of them. Then Muton Elites and Berserkers just came pouring out of the buildings and scaling the walls. There was at least seven new targets. One Muton Elite set up two tiles away from my sniper. I had him sprint back to the other end of the building. My assault was cut off from the rest and had to sprint in the opposite direction and hide behind a truck by himself. Everyone else hid too. One guy got knocked down to one hit and someone was critically wounded and I didn't have enough medkits to help both. I still managed to not lose anyone but I was ready to write the mission off at that point.

Probably when i had 6 mutons and 3 floaters (i tripped 3 lots of aliens) in and amongst my soldiers. Fortunately, and perhaps more satisfyingly, I managed to kill the 3 floaters with my heavy via a rocket attack; 1 shot insta kill 1 muton with my sniper; then kill 2 more mutons with the rest of my soldiers. In the counter attack, i managed to soak up the damage with only 1 critical wounded, then i killed the rest the next turn. It was a resounding victory, but because im only playing on iron man, having 9 aliens in sight is a rather hair raising situation. I actually think that my assault was the real winner here, because she soaked up the damage on 2 of the aliens with her special ability.

I hope you guys aren't advancing too much and are keeping your squad in a coherent formation. Good job keeping everyone alive though.

Not doing too bad in my classic iron man game now. I have a decent base, decent satellite coverage, and decent set of soldiers. Im losing way more soldiers than i did on normal.

Yeah, Classic is far, far less forgiving of your mistakes. That's why I'm trying to play Normal with nobody taking any hits. Because those hits could very well be insta-kills on Classic.

 

[The_J]

Is there a chance of X-COM Getting its own subforum here on Civfanatics? Please say "yes"

I'd say that depends on this thread's activity and how many other threads about XCOM are started...

 

[Camikaze]

Firaxis are kind, so I unexpectedly got a copy of this, and I have to say, I'm loving it. They could've fleshed out the post-Alien Base assault part of the game, because there's not much of an opportunity to fully explore the possibilities of psionic stuff, but that and the occasionally god awful camera controls are the only complaints I can think of at the moment.

MadDjinn and Bibor are doing some videos, which is nice viewing for anyone interested.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I wasted half an hour on a foolish and irresponsibly danegrous attempt to capture a Chrysalid alive .
At least (almost) everybody survived.

 

[Disgustipated]

I don't even think there is research for Chrysalid interrogation is there?

As for the subforum, I think this thread is dying down a little. I myself, have no desire to replay the game. I'm not sure why. I really enjoyed the game, I just think a replay will be too much like the original. Although I'm sure I haven't seen more than half the maps. I only noticed one map that I think I seen twice (aside from the extra large UFO which takes up the whole map), and that was the gas station one, although it was at a different angle.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I don't even think there is research for Chrysalid interrogation is there?

The Arc Thrower doesn't even work on them.
I kept a zombie busy and alive for one more Chrysalid to hatch until my rookie -who was halfway acoss the map could get in range. All for nothing .

 

[Arakhor]

I believe that you can't capture any of the mechanical aliens (Chryssalids, Sectopods or Drones), but I'm still hacking my way through my first game, so I could well be wrong.

 

[sirtommygunn]

I believe that you can't capture any of the mechanical aliens (Chryssalids, Sectopods or Drones), but I'm still hacking my way through my first game, so I could well be wrong.

There's a forge upgrade for the ARC thrower that lets you capture drones, but they don't open any research and you lose a drone wreck by doing it, so it's pretty pointless.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I really have to say that Ironman is so much more fun than normal. I'm the kind of guy who reloads and gets progressively angrier if the results don't improve or the autosave comes just at the wrong time (and the game seems to always save after a highly promoted soldier has died).
Although I screamed and cursed at no one in particular after losing my four highest ranking soldiers in a single mission, I'm learning to accept my fate.
The sole survivor of the mission is in the infirmary for the next two weeks and I'm down to three Squaddies and two Rookies.