Because no one uses the Other Games Forum: X-COM

[snoopy369]

Why was your first a B? I think you should always manage an A in the first month, unless you screwed up a mission or planned badly, or had the bad luck of a mission you couldn't complete like an early terror (can those be that early?) or a very early council mission of a type that is difficult.

[Docfeelgood]

The mobile infantry units are good for drawing enemy fire.

[Kuciwalker]

No tips on the strategic game? I'm not an idiot so I didn't completely bungle the start unless there's a very set order way you must spend money in the early game on Classic?

This was my build order:
Alien Containment Facility
Elevator (to get to steam)
Thermo-generator
Satellite Uplink

WRONG.

Your build order should be something like:

Satellite Uplink
Satellite Uplink
Satellite Uplink
Satellite Uplink
Satellite Uplink
Satellite Uplink
Satellite Uplink
Satellite Uplink
Satellite Uplink

And then another Satellite Uplink.

[Hauldren Collider]

Gotta have power in there somewhere, Kuci.

[snoopy369]

Gotta have power in there somewhere, Kuci.

I know you have trouble with humor, but that was bad even for you

[Hauldren Collider]

[Al B. Sure!]

Why was your first a B? I think you should always manage an A in the first month, unless you screwed up a mission or planned badly, or had the bad luck of a mission you couldn't complete like an early terror (can those be that early?) or a very early council mission of a type that is difficult.

I was flawless in my first month. Every UFO was shot down and every mission was taken and a success. I sustained no casualties. I don't quite remember if it was the end of the 1st month or the start of the second, but I even captured multiple Thin Men.

I did lose China, though, which is probably why it was a B. I lost China because I picked a different abduction option and they immediately went to full panic.

[Al B. Sure!]

The ground game went really well for a while. I know how to play. I divide my fire-team into two buddy pairs and advance cover to cover. I put my front guys on overwatch and move my rear guys ahead of them and then overwatch. On the next turn, I repeat, advancing forward like the buddy rushes we did in OCS

I use grenades liberally and use my soldiers' abilities as best I can: my heavies suppress, my assaults use run & gun to get right on enemies and blast them, and everything is done with the benefit of an overwatch.

Once the cutscene happens in which the aliens 'change their tactics' by assaulting Moscow and DC directly, things went to hell and I realize that good tactics no longer mattered because my guys were far too outgunned, still using default weapons and armor, and only having so many hitpoint blips.

Too often, I would have guys get one shotted by the aliens.


I had some shining moments, though. After losing one soldier to a bunch of floaters, I encounter mutons for the first time with an assault Lt. and two support squadies. I let them come to me (one by one) and I wiped the floor with them with only my Lt. getting wounded. My next mission with the mutons resulted in 3 casualties, however, and a hurried retreat with only one muton dead from a rocket blast.

[kentonio]

I was flawless in my first month. Every UFO was shot down and every mission was taken and a success. I sustained no casualties. I don't quite remember if it was the end of the 1st month or the start of the second, but I even captured multiple Thin Men.

I did lose China, though, which is probably why it was a B. I lost China because I picked a different abduction option and they immediately went to full panic.

Keep on top of your panic map better then, there's no excuse for losing a country in month one. Just remember that when you choose missions it's not just about the country, its about the continent.

[kentonio]

Once the cutscene happens in which the aliens 'change their tactics' by assaulting Moscow and DC directly, things went to hell and I realize that good tactics no longer mattered because my guys were far too outgunned, still using default weapons and armor, and only having so many hitpoint blips.

Too often, I would have guys get one shotted by the aliens.

Tactics do still matter, you just need to change yours for terror missions. You should have either lasers or better armour pretty soon after that anyway. Try fast tracking to one or the other instead of trying to research everything gradually.

[Al B. Sure!]

Keep on top of your panic map better then, there's no excuse for losing a country in month one. Just remember that when you choose missions it's not just about the country, its about the continent.

They were giving me scientists (I think) and it was a "Difficult" or "Very Difficult" mission. A "Moderate" alternative was giving me engineers.

[Al B. Sure!]

Tactics do still matter, you just need to change yours for terror missions. You should have either lasers or better armour pretty soon after that anyway. Try fast tracking to one or the other instead of trying to research everything gradually.

Wut?

How can I have lasers or better armor? That's impossible. Even if it's researched, I wouldn't be able to afford it. Carapace armor research time was like 20 days.

I did have a bunch of captured plasma blaster things from Thin Men but couldn't use them.

[kentonio]

They were giving me scientists (I think) and it was a "Difficult" or "Very Difficult" mission. A "Moderate" alternative was giving me engineers.

Getting the extra engineers is important, but your first mission is basically a free choice so you can get that immediately anyway. Scientists not so important. After that though I'd recommend pretty much ignoring the reward/difficulty for the next couple of months and just going for the missions that you need to keep your danger continents under control until you can get satellite coverage.

[kentonio]

Wut?

How can I have lasers or better armor? That's impossible. Even if it's researched, I wouldn't be able to afford it. Carapace armor research time was like 20 days.

I did have a bunch of captured plasma blaster things but couldn't use them.

Not by the end of your first month, but you can get one or the other well before you're totally outclassed by the aliens. If you don't have either by the time you're fighting mutons, you're doing something wrong.

[Al B. Sure!]

Getting the extra engineers is important, but your first mission is basically a free choice so you can get that immediately anyway. Scientists not so important. After that though I'd recommend pretty much ignoring the reward/difficulty for the next couple of months and just going for the missions that you need to keep your danger continents under control until you can get satellite coverage.

And what happens when I fail the difficult missions?

If I had chosen China and even succeeded, then I would have lost Brazil or whatever country it was I did intervene in.