XCOM Unit: Beckoning for a Fully-Fleshed out Futuristic Military

[MerchantCo]

Part of the Brave New World expansion was the XCOM unit, futuristic soldiers which specialize in paradropping, plundering, and destroying. It upgrades from the Paratrooper, but has almost two times the strength [65 str vs. 110 str]. However, that's not even the best part: it can paradrop forty hexes away, making it the fastest unit in the game. The XCOM opens up new strategies that makes end-game conquering much more interesting. This is where the XCOM comes in handy...

When you have run out of Uranium/Oil/Aluminum but need a powerful unit.

When you want to jump behind enemy lines and knock out their relatively vulnerable artillery units.

When you want to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's capital before they can react.

When you need a unit that can reach the action quickly.

When you want a unit that can heal itself easily (paradrop and pillage!).

When you want a unit that can destroy tile improvements very easily (paradrop, then pillage aluminum mines, oil wells, uranium mines, to weaken the enemy's units which require these resources).

I could list many more things, but I think I've made my point: the XCOM is very useful, and opens up many strategic possibilities. With that having been said, the XCOM could be the first of many new, unique futuristic units being added to the game. The information era could be the most interesting era to wage war in, with plenty of new strategies unique to that era alone. This would improve Civilization V's endgame, along with BNW's new features.

TL;DR: Giant Death Robots and XCOM units? Why stop there?

 

[Ryoga]

Yeah there's just a small problem with the XCOM squad is that you need to see the land before paradropping there. So it's not like you can really paradrop everywhere in the planet as you wish.
It becomes a lot less appealing when the awesome ability of the XCOM becomes "It can go instantly where you already have a unit in the world"

The other obvious problem is that they come so late in the tech tree that your game is probably already done by then unless you disabled the peaceful victory conditions. Pretty much the same problem you have with the GDR.

 

[leif erikson]

Moderator Action: We have been through this subject several times and it has ended each time in a troll fest. Keep your comments on game play aspects, or this one will be closed as well.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[MerchantCo]

Yeah there's just a small problem with the XCOM squad is that you need to see the land before paradropping there. So it's not like you can really paradrop everywhere in the planet as you wish.
It becomes a lot less appealing when the awesome ability of the XCOM becomes "It can go instantly where you already have a unit in the world"

The other obvious problem is that they come so late in the tech tree that your game is probably already done by then unless you disabled the peaceful victory conditions. Pretty much the same problem you have with the GDR.

This is why the XCOM is balanced. Otherwise, it would be blatantly overpowered. It's still very useful.

 

[Jaymax]

Can't you just have a naval unit somewhere to see the land? I've never personally used XCOM units so..

 

[Ryoga]

This is why the XCOM is balanced. Otherwise, it would be blatantly overpowered. It's still very useful.

Yeah I agree, my point is exactly that it's not a "gambreaking" unit or a " super awesome" unit depending your pov.

Can't you just have a naval unit somewhere to see the land? I've never personally used XCOM units so..

The best you can have is a carrier with an fighter inside. However you need to consider that when you are that late in the game the city borders tend to be huge so you won't even get closer to the coast if you don't have an open borders treaty.

Naturally it would be meaningless to paradrop an XCOM in a territory of someone that you want to attack if you aren't at war already. Your unit would just be pushed away after the DoW.
So you need to be at war first, but that means you can't easily send a scouting unit in that territory unless you plan to sacrifice it. Or you can directly send your army there, but that means the XCOM will simply join the rest.


That being said now I just realized that there might be a few things that you can use for that. For example you can ally a CS that is pretty close to the enemy's capital or strategical area, that should provide the sight that you need.
You can use submarines, but those don't see very far.
I guess you could even use multiple XCOM to create a chain of paradop+move until you can send one exactly where you want, like uranium resources. That would be pretty costly though.

Another thing that I thought it's the limited sight of spies and diplomats. Would that work? I haven't really tried.

 

[MerchantCo]

Exactly, Killbray. I'm quite sure that spies/diplomats would work.

 

[Chronicle]

Pretty sure you need to have influence within 9 tiles of the place you want to drop, you can't drop anywhere.

 

[MerchantCo]

@Chronicle: No?

 

[Talcove]

Even if you need another unit nearby, it's still very powerful to instantly bring a unit from the coast of one continent, all the way to the middle of the other in just one turn. Also, don't forget the line of sight you get from spies, that will help with sending out your XCom Squads.

 

[MerchantCo]

@Talcove: That'll make an instant attack on the enemy's capital easy.

 

[Nyanko]

Get it Blitz, and it becomes the perfect unit to capture post nuked cities.

 

[Arte_Et_Marte]

I'd be happy if all the future tech was from XCom. Firestorms? GDRs re-skinned as Sectopods? Yes thank you.

 

[ggmoyang]

Yeah there's just a small problem with the XCOM squad is that you need to see the land before paradropping there. So it's not like you can really paradrop everywhere in the planet as you wish.
It becomes a lot less appealing when the awesome ability of the XCOM becomes "It can go instantly where you already have a unit in the world"

That's where spies shine.

1) Put spy in their capital
2) XCOM
3) Profit!

 

[Princeofnigeria]

I'd love to see some future tech units!!! Not too bizarre (Atomic cyborg supermutants with plasma firing rocket machine guns) but some speculative near future units (remote controlled attack drones for mobile infantry upgrades, jump jets/ combination fighters to replace helis, mortars INSTEAD of bazookas, and satalite laser guiders as an upgrade to artillery). I am currently fine with gdr and Xcom.

 

[Gamgee]

I want to see Railgun battleships since this might really be a real vessel in a few years.

 

[MerchantCo]

Nice idea, Gamgee.

 

[funkymunky]

What if you have a spy in the city you want to drop into? Can the fact that the spy reveals that city & surrounding hexes allow you to paratroop your X-Com there?

Sorry, didn't see one of the earlier posts. Guess the spy strategy can work. How do I delete this post now?