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I love XCOM 2 a lot more when I deliberately decide not to use phantom or conceal so stealth is a one time thing and that's it. Like it's a game where if you activate pods one at a time from decent positions you're going to win those fights every time so being able to scout out enemies before you move is just so good it breaks the game when you can rely on having that scouting pretty much all the time. Going back to having every move into to the darkness be a calculated risk is just so much more exciting and leads to more dangerous fights where you have to get creative. It's really, really good.
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Nov 23, 2016 05:25
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I really hate the pod system. I don't know what would replace it exactly in Xcom's weird board-gamey mechanics but I still hate it
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Nov 23, 2016 16:36
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Lunchmeat Larry posted:I really hate the pod system. I don't know what would replace it exactly in Xcom's weird board-gamey mechanics but I still hate it Real time movement outside of combat into turnbased combat worked pretty well in the Baldurs Gate-style rpgs, Jagged Alliance etc.
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Nov 23, 2016 18:24
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Lima posted:Real time movement outside of combat into turnbased combat worked pretty well in the Baldurs Gate-style rpgs, Jagged Alliance etc. Ew, no it absolutely did not and would open up a ridiculous amount of idiotic edge cases that would destroy any challenge in the game
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Nov 23, 2016 18:30
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XCOM1's non-pod system also opens itself up for spontaneous potshots and snipers whittling down your team with virtually no recourse, but also a big part of that was desperately scouring each gigantic map for traces of aliens so I'd often split my team up just because it was taking forever to canvas the map and I'd get bored.
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Nov 23, 2016 19:54
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Lunchmeat Larry posted:I really hate the pod system. I don't know what would replace it exactly in Xcom's weird board-gamey mechanics but I still hate it A patrolling scout unit that gives the position reveal penalty if it spots you out of cover/concealment so that every pod on the map is alerted to your presence. Kind of like a mobile scan tower, so that you have to pursue upgraded gremlins and whatnot to avoid revealing your squad to everything. Or even making it so that Officers and Psy units can ping you on the map to nearby pods or call in reinforcements if the rest of their pod dies. Just something that conveys in gameplay that you are combating a well organized and much more capable occupation force with a powerful communication network. Not that you are just picking off stragglers while you blow up an entire city block and happily skip to the Skyranger
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Nov 23, 2016 22:28
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Yeah, the problem with that of course is that pretty much everything will need rebalancing to make it work. XCOM as it stands is more like a series of random encounters in an RPG, than a whole battlefield. Sometimes those random encounters overlap, but it's more or less about taking the map one encounter at a time rather than treating the map as one big encounter. But yeah, this would be a great goal to reach: "Just something that conveys in gameplay that you are combating a well organized and much more capable occupation force with a powerful communication network. Not that you are just picking off stragglers while you blow up an entire city block and happily skip to the Skyranger"
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Nov 24, 2016 00:42
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drat this game is tense some times. Retaliation mission with all but one soldier injured, two down to a single health left and only the barest minimum civilians surviving, somehow kept it all together. 
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Nov 24, 2016 12:59
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With the game currently on sale on Steam, is it worth getting the Digital Deluxe edition with the DLC as well?
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Nov 24, 2016 16:11
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I'd tend to say the DLC isn't really worth it.
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Nov 24, 2016 16:19
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OTOH it's 4 bucks and the SPARKs are fun (if slightly underpowered without mods)
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Nov 24, 2016 16:49
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Wow I did not realize how good the rapid construction bonus at the resistance HQ is until now, especially on legendary. You can get the big four buildings up so goddamn fast with that, that's way better than most of the things you could be doing in the early game.
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Nov 25, 2016 03:51
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I just picked this game up for Black Friday and oh my god, Bradley is even worse at his job than he was in the first game. According to cannon I lost the war the first time around. Having considered all his options; Bradley's master plan is to get half his squad killed trying to rescue me so I can lose the resistance too? C'mon Firaxis; at least say that national leaders sold X-Com out instead of the Commander having been straight up too incompetent to defend his own HQ.
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Nov 25, 2016 04:14
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I thought that was what happened- XCOM was doing well, the national leaders sold out XCOM, the aliens learned the base's location and raided it, the Commander got kidnapped, since the Commander was highly competent and literally the only thing holding XCOM together Bradford tried to find him and rescue him (well, apart from the novel where he spent decades hiding and getting drunk).
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Nov 25, 2016 04:20
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Yeah. Add that to the fact that the aliens were throwing Sectopods, Sectoid Commanders, and Mutons at X-Com from the word go? They didn't have a chance.
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Nov 25, 2016 04:59
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Bogart posted:Yeah. Add that to the fact that the aliens were throwing Sectopods, Sectoid Commanders, and Mutons at X-Com from the word go? They didn't have a chance. Yeah, the first time your see a sectopod it is said that they were one of the main weapons used in force to take out the original x-com. Without funding from member countries there is no way that x-com could have sustained a fight against any significant number of them.
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Nov 25, 2016 07:08
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Which is why after the aliens are defeated, we all learn about the beauty of working together and capitalism is defeated. 
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Nov 25, 2016 08:56
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XCOM 2 had pros and cons as compared to the original game. It did most things better, it did a handful of things worse. Ultimately my conclusion is that I want more loving XCOM. Either significant, game-changing DLC like Enemy Within or XCOM 3 proper, I care not which, I just want more. Get on it, Firaxis.
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Nov 25, 2016 14:53
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Great new Beagle video. Proof that not even the aliens should trust codexes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qfw1SbTX10 One of those great missions where everything just falls into place perfectly. Colapops fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Nov 25, 2016 |
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Nov 25, 2016 19:06
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Count Uvula posted:OTOH it's 4 bucks and the SPARKs are fun (if slightly underpowered without mods) What mod best balances the SPARKs without completely changing them or making them overpowered? I want to play a vanilla game for the first time with expansions, but don't want SPARKs to be a suboptimal joke either, because then they're just a waste of time/resources.
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Nov 25, 2016 21:16
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SlyFrog posted:What mod best balances the SPARKs without completely changing them or making them overpowered? Metal Over Flesh lets you upgrade specific elements of your SPARK through Proving Ground projects. I'm a big fan of it and it seems balanced enough.
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Nov 25, 2016 21:19
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I use Moddable DLC Weapons and I'm currently using a spark on legendary ironman without it feeling underpowered. Just the ability to slap a decent scope on its gun has made it a lot more useful. You may want to resist the urge to slap weapon mods on the hunter weapons, though. A boltcaster is a tad strong with more than one shot.
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Nov 26, 2016 03:37
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Hats Wouldnt Fly posted:I use Moddable DLC Weapons and I'm currently using a spark on legendary ironman without it feeling underpowered. Just the ability to slap a decent scope on its gun has made it a lot more useful. That said I will happily use Grimy Loot versions of SPARK weapons. I didn't realize but you can actually get bonus Icarus suits after unlocking the first one, by means of high level loot crates. I'm doing an extended victory lap and trying to see if I can get my entire team decked out in icarus suits.
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Nov 26, 2016 08:27
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I'm not sure what to pick between Implacable (free move after a kill) and Bladestorm (free melee attack when melee attacked) for Rangers. Implacable seems like it would be useful to get back into cover after slashing an alien, but the main time you need to get back into cover is if the Ranger didn't get the kill. What's the point of bladestorm? Is it ever useful?
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Nov 27, 2016 01:42
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Bladestorm fucks over stun lancers, chryssalids, berserkers, sneks going for a tongue grab or constrict, and enemy reinforcements scattering from a drop zone (if you can get there first.) It's also quite useful against Snake Dick if you have the Alien Hunters DLC enabled. Both abilities are good and they're both useful, but I tend to prefer Bladestorm. Situational as it is, it can save your bacon on occasion. Still, it's a valid choice either way. Take whichever you prefer.
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Nov 27, 2016 01:57
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Lunchmeat Larry posted:I really hate the pod system. I don't know what would replace it exactly in Xcom's weird board-gamey mechanics but I still hate it Since we're backseat game deving, I'd suggest one solution is to take a look at Invisible Inc's alarm system. That's to say, have alien alertness levels slowly tick up over time/when you engage enemies, which then alters behaviour from 'you're basically in concealment' at one end, up to 'everything on the map is rushing at you and there's infinite reinforcements coming out of spawners oh poo poo oh poo poo'.
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Nov 27, 2016 02:56
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Yeah with a well placed bladestorm you can shred/heavily injure a whole group of guys when they jump out of the dropship. edit: actually forgot that "shred" is a specific term in this game when I just meant Kill Em Real dead Chexoid fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Nov 27, 2016 |
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Nov 27, 2016 02:57
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Implacable is extra useful when combined with Untouchable, it lets you use your ranger as sort of a mimic beacon if you place them out of cover where only one enemy can get to shooting at them.
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Nov 27, 2016 02:58
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Bladestorm is especially good with the upgraded blades. Having a chance to either stun or set on fire enemies without spending an action point is great.
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Nov 27, 2016 03:00
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I always take Implacable because a ranger with a laser sight and talon rounds can run right up to someone's face and get a guaranteed high-damage crit and retreat to safety every round. Bladestorm is a free attack but it won't happen all the time and even when it does, it's blade damage instead of crit shotgun damage.
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Nov 27, 2016 05:44
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LLSix posted:I'm not sure what to pick between Implacable (free move after a kill) and Bladestorm (free melee attack when melee attacked) for Rangers. Implacable seems like it would be useful to get back into cover after slashing an alien, but the main time you need to get back into cover is if the Ranger didn't get the kill. What's the point of bladestorm? Is it ever useful? Implacable is really good. You can delete any alien on the map with your shotgun and then move to good cover. Bladestorm is mainly useful if you're scouting for chrysalids and don't want to/don't have time to overwatch creep. Any use outside of that is super niche and not something you should really plan for.
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Nov 27, 2016 09:59
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Bladestorm is great if you are playing with sword heavy class mods though.
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Nov 27, 2016 13:28
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I really like the pod mechanic. I like it when you can go 'well if I abandon cover I can go and stand over here and take this great shot' and then you're doing the maths on whether you can wipe all the enemies out this turn and you end up with four people not in cover but it works. If enemies could just wander in and shoot you you'd lose a lot of creative tactics because it would be lower risk just to stay in cover at all times even if that means trading potshots a bit.
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Nov 27, 2016 14:02
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Let's say i never used XCOM 2 mods before, what the best recommendations for quality of life and neat gameplay\content improvments?
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Nov 27, 2016 14:31
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Amused Frog posted:With the game currently on sale on Steam, is it worth getting the Digital Deluxe edition with the DLC as well? SPARKS are fun and bring back fun memories of stomping aliens with MECs, but get the Metal Over Flesh mod to make them worth using. The Alien Hunters costumes are a bit...weird. But the bonus weapons are fun and the ruler aliens are a fun challenge to fight.
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Nov 27, 2016 16:24
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Mans posted:Let's say i never used XCOM 2 mods before, what the best recommendations for quality of life and neat gameplay\content improvments? For little QoL stuff: Stop Wasting My Time is pretty awesome. It removes various pauses between combat animations and otherwise tweaks them to be more fluid, and removes some of Bradford's nagging. Collateral Demolition makes the Demolition skill not a janky useless piece of poo poo, by making it a freely aimed area of effect just like Collateral Damage was in XCOM EU. CapnBubs Accessories Pack is some really good quality props, a must if you give a poo poo about character customization. Seriously. EU Aim Rolls separates the aim and crit rolls so that "20% crit" means 20% of HITS will be crits, instead of 20% of shots will be crits. Now every hit the aliens land on your smoked-in-high-cover soldiers won't crit them dead. Cost Based Ability Colors colors the ability buttons according to how many actions they take. Green is free, blue takes an action but won't end your turn, yellow is a full turn. I'm finding it handier than it sounded like at first. BleedOutMod makes it so lower ranked soldiers actually have a chance to go into bleedout instead of dying outright when going down. Stabilize Me! lets you stabilize a bleeding out soldier with their own medikit if they had one. If you want to ruffle your game up some more, I've been playing with and can recommend the following: A Better Advent 2 adds a ton of new enemy variations, makes the pods bigger and generally buffs the enemy side. You'll probably want some "buffs" of your own so you won't get horribly murdered. A larger squad size mod is pretty much a must. Long War Perk Pack changes the 4 base classes into 8, gives soldiers a choice of 3 instead of 2 perks per level and adds one more level after Colonel. Personally I can't imagine ever playing without again. Grimy's Loot Mod adds loot crates to the enemy loot drops that you have to do a research project on to get a random piece of gear with random mods. It also adds like several dozen new equipment mods to keep it more varied. Some of the better stuff gets pretty ridiculous so avoid if you're a difficulty grognard, I guess. I find it compensates for ABA 2 nicely. Requires some other mods, which are mentioned in the description. Also, I already harped on about them earlier, but I recommend looking into voice pack mods if you like your soldiers to have more variation. There are plenty of legit good and fitting packs that aren't just silly novelties, and some real good funny ones too if that's your jam. Nordick fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Nov 27, 2016 |
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Nov 27, 2016 20:28
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Nordick posted:For little QoL stuff: Good suggestions. I'd add: Numeric Health Display: no more counting health pips on that sectopod! Gotch (Flank Preview): extends the existing line-of-sight indicator to also show flanking spots. Also shows line-of-sight to mission objectives.
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Nov 27, 2016 22:42
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i will download all of those mods. thank you for your patriotic duty.
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Nov 27, 2016 23:02
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Has this game been fixed yet? I didn't get it on release because of the many reports of crippling performance issues and super-lovely bugs (like snakewomen yanking your dudes through solid walls and poo poo). Now it's on sale for thirty bucks and I'm wondering if it's still hosed?
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Nov 27, 2016 23:30
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Sjonnar posted:Has this game been fixed yet? I didn't get it on release because of the many reports of crippling performance issues and super-lovely bugs (like snakewomen yanking your dudes through solid walls and poo poo). Now it's on sale for thirty bucks and I'm wondering if it's still hosed? Performance has improved. Many bugs fixed. Snakes can't pull anything when they're dead. 
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Nov 28, 2016 00:29
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