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Scut posted:Does anyone feel like Will is an underused asset on behalf of the game designers? It mostly affects play in the earliest phases, then mid-game not at all, until the late-game it kinda comes back as the defense against mind control. Once you deal with a hard lesson or two against psionic aliens you adjust your tactics and then Will becomes almost irrelevant again. I think the Will burnout you're talking about is partially included as the permanent -15 Will penalty your soldiers get every time you're critically wounded. Also, does anyone else think that psionics should have been retooled to be a viable option from the start like MECs and Gene Mods were? You'd have to either make psionics their own special class you permanently change into like MEC Troopers, or make them have a significantly smoother power curve with more options if you kept the old Adept -> Specialist -> Operative prestige class structure, but it would make Will a more important stat overall. If Psi troopers got a passive bonus based on their base class like MECs do then there would be a bit more strategy in deciding who to uplift. To get around the mindfray instakill issue for sectoids, you could make psi powers follow a tier system like weapons, where to enhance a Psi trooper's current powers in terms of damage or area of effect, you would send them into psi testing for a second and then third round to augment their powers further after researching specific technologies.
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Feb 3, 2014 21:44
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| # ? Jun 7, 2024 18:53 |
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It'd be great if pre-psi lab your soldiers had a small random chance of becoming psi-soldiers on level up. It would also make Portent actually worth playing, if Annette and co were all psi-unlocked when you got them instead of having to dump them into the lab first. Having one of your starting 4 end up with Mindfray at Squaddie would be incredible, that first Council mission would be so much nicer.
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Feb 3, 2014 21:50
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But that would ruin the story about discovering psychics! It's a symptom of the game's more general disease, not casting off the shackles of its story to embrace its more procedural elements, which generate the personalised story players really care about.
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Feb 3, 2014 21:54
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SlightlyMadman posted:A vent on the second floor basically guarantees a March council mission with thin men. It's some kind of law. My logical brain tells me this must be coincidence, but as I rub my Solomon idol I start to believe it could be true. Spiderfist Island posted:I think the Will burnout you're talking about is partially included as the permanent -15 Will penalty your soldiers get every time you're critically wounded. The Will deduction on critical wounds was a good idea, except it's so rare to have a critically wounded soldier that it hardly comes into play. That's where I started thinking about how to take Will further though. I'd like to see psionics come into play earlier, but also with better balancing. Similar to Training Roulette I'd like a Psionic Roulette that makes powers like Mind Control rare. Maybe on level up a soldier could have a chance of gaining a new psionic power OR receive a buff to their existing power. Results in a divergence of psi generalists and specialists.
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Feb 3, 2014 23:12
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wolfman101 posted:If anyone is interested, I decided to make a video showing some of the more advanced tactical game strategies and tactics that I feel don't get covered or aren't used in other videos of impossible difficulty that I have seen. I didn't find the static that bad. I also enjoyed your video, and I picked up a few pointers, so I appreciate you taking the time and making the effort.
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Feb 3, 2014 23:24
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After quiting out of a first disastrous base defense mission I was much more successful the second time, thanks to reading the discussion about ghost armor, but at the cost of my sniper  Farewell Col. Ophelia Demopopolous of the 75 kills, I hope you find a place in computer sniper heaven.
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Feb 3, 2014 23:44
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So...I/I is kicking my rear end. I beat it on EU with relatively little difficulty (maybe 3 tries out of 10 I succeeded), but EW is a different beast altogether. Month 2 is the problem, since I view Progeny and Slingshot as part of the game and things that need to be completed. Meaning month 2 has 2 abductions, 1 terror mission, 1 UFO landing, 1 UFO splash, and 2 council missions. That's 7 missions in a month where I *maybe* have 6 dudes that make Squaddie. And that's only if I don't get one of the "gently caress you" maps in Month 1 like Murder Street or The Worse of the Two Cemetaries which almost guarantees someone's gonna die. I feel like if I could just get past that hump, I'd be good to go, but I have no idea how to make that happen. I'm thinking of an Asia start, and then: 1.) Starting research with MELD, since that allows me to get a MEC and attach the Gene Lab for the 10% research bonus to a laboratory 2.) Taking Scientists as my first reward so I can do the lab+gene bonus 3.) Following MELD with Alien Materials-->Experimental Warfare so I can rush a Foundry 4.) Taking $200 for the second reward (or more scientists if $200 isn't available) and using that to fund SHIV research and get me 5 SHIVs or so on rotating duty by the beginning of month 2. 5.) I'd then loop back and research xeno-biology and tactical rigging so I can approximate carapace armor with Collar + Nano vests, meaning my dudes won't get 1-shot by Thin Men or Floaters, and more importantly giving them 5 HP per mission that can get knocked off without spending the rest of the month in sick bay. 6.) Then switch research to lasers, and say "gently caress research credits" My 2nd satellite deploy would have to go to a continent that also gives engineers so I'd have 7 by month 2, and the +5 from a workshop would allow me the 12 I'd need to build lasers by month's end. Thoughts? Alternate build orders you've found useful?
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Feb 4, 2014 00:00
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Scut posted:The Will deduction on critical wounds was a good idea, except it's so rare to have a critically wounded soldier that it hardly comes into play. That's where I started thinking about how to take Will further though. I must be having a crazy game or something because pretty much every single one of my injuries is critical so far. I had to hire more soldiers because I had like 7 critical injuries healing at once.
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Feb 4, 2014 00:28
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The Fattest PI posted:I must be having a crazy game or something because pretty much every single one of my injuries is critical so far. I had to hire more soldiers because I had like 7 critical injuries healing at once. I think it depends on your tolerance level before reloading. Some people have a lot of dead guys, some a lot of critical injuries, some basically untouched. Me, I had to make secondary heart a mandatory implant for all troopers to support my "YOLO" playstyle.
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Feb 4, 2014 00:38
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Spiderfist Island posted:Also, does anyone else think that psionics should have been retooled to be a viable option from the start like MECs and Gene Mods were? You'd have to either make psionics their own special class you permanently change into like MEC Troopers, or make them have a significantly smoother power curve with more options if you kept the old Adept -> Specialist -> Operative prestige class structure, but it would make Will a more important stat overall. If Psi troopers got a passive bonus based on their base class like MECs do then there would be a bit more strategy in deciding who to uplift. To get around the mindfray instakill issue for sectoids, you could make psi powers follow a tier system like weapons, where to enhance a Psi trooper's current powers in terms of damage or area of effect, you would send them into psi testing for a second and then third round to augment their powers further after researching specific technologies. I really, really like this idea. Psi is fairly inconsequential for the player until you can get someone with insane will, all the will boosting gear, and mind control. Even then you are gimping a soldier (any high tier armor is better than psi) in order to specialize against enemies that are not the greatest threats at that point in the game (sectopods). Making psi comparable to a mech with fleshed out abilities and letting it be the player's choice who to psi sounds fantastic. Bonus points for telekinetic physics attacks that hurl things around. This could be used to make battlefields more dynamic as well, by making a TK shield work as deployable cover (that can be damaged by regular cover destruction). Toss a new mid level sectoid in with the deployable cover ability too. Bam, new expansion. You're welcome Firaxis.
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Feb 4, 2014 00:43
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The Fattest PI posted:I must be having a crazy game or something because pretty much every single one of my injuries is critical so far. I had to hire more soldiers because I had like 7 critical injuries healing at once. There are the really bad wounds that leave your soldiers hospitalized for double time, which is common in the early game, but I'm referring to when a soldier is almost killed and rescued before bleeding out. That kind of wound results in a permanent Will reduction. (unless that's what you are referring to, then nevermind)
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Feb 4, 2014 02:58
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I'm referring to when it says in the soldierlist/barracks screen "Gravely wounded" or whatever. I'm curious what the conditions are for a soldier just falling unconcious rather than dying are. Is it a shot that reduces him to 1 health + a dice roll, or is it a shot that would have reduced him to only 0 exactly + dice roll or what?
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Feb 4, 2014 03:04
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Carnalfex posted:I really, really like this idea. Psi is fairly inconsequential for the player until you can get someone with insane will, all the will boosting gear, and mind control. Even then you are gimping a soldier (any high tier armor is better than psi) in order to specialize against enemies that are not the greatest threats at that point in the game (sectopods). Making psi comparable to a mech with fleshed out abilities and letting it be the player's choice who to psi sounds fantastic. Bonus points for telekinetic physics attacks that hurl things around. This could be used to make battlefields more dynamic as well, by making a TK shield work as deployable cover (that can be damaged by regular cover destruction). Toss a new mid level sectoid in with the deployable cover ability too. Bam, new expansion. You're welcome Firaxis. Hmmm? Sectopods can be brought down by psy soldiers? I thought none of their cool stuff worked on robots. Or am I just out of it, and never tried?
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Feb 4, 2014 03:15
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TheCosmicMuffet posted:Hmmm? Sectopods can be brought down by psy soldiers? I thought none of their cool stuff worked on robots. Or am I just out of it, and never tried? They are only vulnerable to rift. All the other offensive powers have no effect on them.
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Feb 4, 2014 03:20
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Might have been talking about Mechtoids 
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Feb 4, 2014 03:21
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The Fattest PI posted:I'm referring to when it says in the soldierlist/barracks screen "Gravely wounded" or whatever. I'm curious what the conditions are for a soldier just falling unconcious rather than dying are. Is it a shot that reduces him to 1 health + a dice roll, or is it a shot that would have reduced him to only 0 exactly + dice roll or what? A hit that reduces a soldier to 1 health will still leave them conscious and on their feet, always (though they may be panicked). When they go into bleedout they need to be reduced to 0 health. I do not know the workings of the formula for how it is determined whether or not they go into bleedout or simply die instantly. Anecdotaly I feel it's just a straight roll of the dice regardless of armour type or experience. One modifier we can be sure of is the OTS upgrade that increases the chance of bleedout instead of death.
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Feb 4, 2014 03:22
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I thought it was something like: Soldier takes damage that would reduce them to 1 or more health = live damage that reduces health to less than zero = dead. Damage that reduces health to exactly zero = bleedout but maybe live.
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Feb 4, 2014 04:12
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I have recruited 6 snipers in a row. Is this a known bug or just terrible, terrible luck?
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Feb 4, 2014 04:13
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SniperWoreConverse posted:I thought it was something like: Nope. All soldiers have a chance of just going into bleedout when reduced to zero health. mlmp08 posted:I have recruited 6 snipers in a row. Is this a known bug or just terrible, terrible luck? Neither, it's what we call an RNG.
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Feb 4, 2014 04:19
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Brainamp posted:Neither, it's what we call an RNG. I have like 8 snipers now, 3 heavies, 1 assualt, and 1 support. I'm just turning all these sniper punks into MECs. If I had my way, I'd just run a squad full of support with insane movement bonuses and healing ability.
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Feb 4, 2014 04:41
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Brainamp posted:They are only vulnerable to rift. All the other offensive powers have no effect on them. I meant that putting a soldier in full psi equipment specializes them against fighting against weak targets, so they are not equipped to handle the main threat at that point in the game. That major threat is sectopods, which are immune to mind control.
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Feb 4, 2014 04:56
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EXALT's weapons suggest that there might be council requests to buy them off you, does this ever actually happen? It's been two playthroughs and I haven't seen it. Should I just dump the excess weapons I've got for some extra plasma rifle money?
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Feb 4, 2014 07:37
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RBA Starblade posted:EXALT's weapons suggest that there might be council requests to buy them off you, does this ever actually happen? It's been two playthroughs and I haven't seen it. Should I just dump the excess weapons I've got for some extra plasma rifle money? Basically. The other thing to do is use the lasers they drop to equip your extra soldiers for the base defense mission.
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Feb 4, 2014 07:47
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Rule of thumb is, sell stuff as soon as you need the money for something.
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Feb 4, 2014 07:47
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Hannibal Rex posted:Rule of thumb is, sell stuff as soon as you need the money for something. In particular because EXALT can steal upto however much you've got in cash but can't touch what's in your Armory. So money that's saved up in alien corpses and EXALT guns is safe from theft. Only sell immediately prior to purcahse and endeavor to keep you cash reserve as close to zero as possible so as to reduce the damage EXALT can do to you...until, that is, you blow their fancy HQ to hell. Then your cash is safe and it doesn't matter anymore.
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Feb 4, 2014 07:53
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Council missions can ask for their weapons though. But I only saw it happen once and it was like 8 $1 guns for $20 so not a very big deal.
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Feb 4, 2014 08:02
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There's something magical about bringing up the XCOM heroes and adding in a rookie to fill out the squad. I can almost picture the conversations between all the other soldiers in the barracks, "Oh poo poo, you're heading out with Levine and Zander? They'll say they've got your back and then tell you to run out into the open so they can murder the aliens that kill you. I'll tell your wife you loved her."
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Feb 4, 2014 08:07
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RBA Starblade posted:EXALT's weapons suggest that there might be council requests to buy them off you, does this ever actually happen? It's been two playthroughs and I haven't seen it. Should I just dump the excess weapons I've got for some extra plasma rifle money? I've barely seen any other kinds of council requests since I started EW. And they keep asking for more than I have. I've only fought laser EXALT once, no I don't have 7 Laser Sniper Rifles! Call back in a week or two. Speaking of arms deal requests, can you get them for EXALT weapons after their base is toasted? Or can you just sell them all off at that point? The blurbs for the requests wouldn't make much sense at that point.
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Feb 4, 2014 08:50
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More like Levine and Zander will watch, growing more and more disappointed by the minute, as my rookie fails repeatedly to hit a 70% shot so I can justify promoting their useless rear end to Corporal.
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Feb 4, 2014 08:52
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Watching the last single Thin Man blow away each of member of my squad, all in full cover, each turn, and dodging every 45%-65% shot back at him, is a new level of infuriating I didn't realize this game could reach.
D1Sergo fucked around with this message at 11:27 on Feb 4, 2014 |
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Feb 4, 2014 09:58
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How did Enemy Within turn out?
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Feb 4, 2014 10:04
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Great. It's not flawless - EXALT is a neat idea that isn't executed as well as it could have been, and there are a few balance nitpicks about some of the new items and genemods, but there's just a ton of tweaks, quality of life improvements, new maps, strategic options, new Second Wave options, etc. Definitely worth getting, and it completely supercedes the base game. There's also mods to look forward to, to address some of the concerns I mentioned.
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Feb 4, 2014 12:26
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Hey ah, it doesn't fix EUs flaws but adds so much cool stuff it's more than worth the cost. Going to start my I/I run tonight I think and see how long my heart survives the stress. Would you guys consider such a run null and void if I used any second wave options?
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Feb 4, 2014 13:34
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EW improved on one or two things (like making it not impossible to aim grenades and rockets and highlighting the things that will be hit) but it mostly just added cool stuff to sort of distract you from all the flaws that were in EU. Sectopods will still teleport into the middle of your squad for no reason but I guess now you have a giant robot so you can watch a  punchy robot fight when it happens.The best example I can think of is the Hunker Down button--In EU it didn't do anything, so instead of fixing it they just removed it in EW 
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Feb 4, 2014 16:58
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mlmp08 posted:I have recruited 6 snipers in a row. Is this a known bug or just terrible, terrible luck? Can I borrow some of them? I'm in month three and none of my 8 current soldiers are snipers. I only ever got one and he died before making Corporal. Right now I'm sending three rookies on an escort mission to try and get one.
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Feb 4, 2014 17:00
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quote:The best example I can think of is the Hunker Down button--In EU it didn't do anything, so instead of fixing it they just removed it in EW What? Neither of these are true.
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Feb 4, 2014 17:05
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FairGame posted:I/I stuff I feel a lot better about my current Classic Marathon run, I've only had casualties in That Cemetery so far and only because of a string of 80% misses with a topping of "seekers wandering into a 5-alien firefight." I think the game took pity on me as my terror site had a whopping 2 chryssalids and 5 floaters. In my opinion there's the workshop first -> satellite rush and lab first -> laser rush meta-strats that are both pretty flexible after the first abduction. Has anyone had much success starting in Asia and rushing Foundry upgrades? Early tactical rigging requires you to actually have the research and money to put 4 worthwhile items in those extra slots, which seems way less useful than throwing up satellites to stabilize panic or getting laser rifles to simplify the tactical level.
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Feb 4, 2014 17:31
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Gestalt Intellect posted:The best example I can think of is the Hunker Down button--In EU it didn't do anything, so instead of fixing it they just removed it in EW I haven't played EW yet but I use Hunker Down constantly in EU - well, when I don't have full cover - and it works nicely. How exactly doesn't it do anything? I might have missed something.
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Feb 4, 2014 17:36
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The keyboard binding to hunker down was broken. Not the actual action.
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Feb 4, 2014 17:44
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MMania posted:I feel a lot better about my current Classic Marathon run, I've only had casualties in That Cemetery so far and only because of a string of 80% misses with a topping of "seekers wandering into a 5-alien firefight." I think the game took pity on me as my terror site had a whopping 2 chryssalids and 5 floaters. I don't really need worthwhile items, I just need something to keep my dudes alive longer. You can't get the Foundry without unlocking at least 1 item (either Nano Fiber Vests or SCOPEs), and the secondary item is just going to be based off of the Seeker Autopsy which also doesn't take much. Plus, immunity to Thin Man poison loving rules since then you can actually Hunker Down without them getting a secondary way to ruin your day. If I'm Hunkered against Thin Men, I can take 'em. Strategy so far is going well, though I got a bomb mission in Europe (the worst possible thing since now all of Europe is at 4 panic and if Abduction 2 has Europe as an option I have to take it regardless of reward). Also, I foolishly took a squaddie sniper on my 2nd mission and she was the only casualty. I was really looking forward to turning her into a Robocop. Still, I'm almost done with the Medium UFO--just need to breach and that's much easier on Mediums than Smalls. Actually, I kind of view Small UFOs as a deathtrap since the loving Outsider will see you all the time and join the party before you're ready to deal with him. On Medium UFOs he's off in his own little room and you get to face him on your own terms. With him out of the way all you have to deal with are roving pairs of sectoids, and a halfway decent assault trivializes that problem since they can Run and Gun to the mind melder. I'll probably still lose, but I'll definitely have the expanded barracks full of SHIVs that I wanted to get me through the glut-of-missions month 2.
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Feb 4, 2014 18:17
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