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 Pictured: 3 jerks who never stop talking, my god When I finished my XCOM Long War LP, I said to myself, "no more XCOM for a while!" But, y'know...I've finished Yakuza 6, my gaming computer is mothballed so that I have a proper workstation during quarantine, and suddenly the PS4 is really the only thing I've got for gaming. So...to hell with it. Let's kill some more aliens. XCOM2: War of the Chosen is the expansion (but much like XCOM Enemy Within, it integrates with the base game to the point of basically changing the entire thing) to XCOM2. XCOM2 was, in all honesty, not a very good game. Had some interesting ideas, and I enjoyed playing it, but it lacked the tactical flexibility of its predecessor, was too easy, and just not what I'd hoped for in an XCOM sequel. Really, the only thing you need to know about XCOM2 is that it takes place a generation after the events of XCOM1, and also humanity got its rear end beaten pretty quickly in the first invasion. The XCOM project failed, canonically, and Earth is now occupied by a seemingly-benevolent alien government. Then War of the Chosen came out and made XCOM2 into a great game. It's still an XCOM game in the sense of "it's a tactical RPG about shooting aliens as you race to develop alien tech that can stop the invasion once and for all. And also your guys are probably going to die a lot." But it changed a lot of the formula. It added 3 prestige classes as rival factions, each resisting the alien occupiers in their own way. It added a new type of mission, the covert operation, where you can send your dudes out to gain minor bonuses both for themselves as well as the overall mission. It added The Lost, which are zombified (but not the kind that turn into cryssalids like in XCOM1) humans that were victimized by those green gas pods the aliens used in XCOM1 cutscenes. Think basically husks from the Mass Effect series. And it added The Chosen, a series of alien bosses that are comic book villians that fight with alien hanzo steel, comically oversized sniper rifles, and, well...magic. It's all kind of ridiculous and turns XCOM2 into a superhero game rather than the gritty sci-fi "realism" (yeah, yeah, I know) of XCOM1. It's incredibly silly and it works so incredibly well. We will be playing an ironman (though not with the box checked; more on that in a moment) campaign on legendary (the hardest) difficulty. That might mean I lose a campaign or three early on; the early game (particularly the very first mission) in legendary difficulty is just obscenely difficult. But we'll get through it eventually. Some down-sides, though: 1.) I'm playing on a PS4 Pro. XCOM2 is...well...not very stable on console, and on missions with The Lost, it's drat near a guarantee that the hardware chugs. On LONG missions with The Lost, it's drat near a guarantee it'll bluescreen the PS4--or hard lock it entirely if I'm unlucky. That might mean some weird video breaks at times. 2.) Because it's unstable, I can't actually check the ironman box because then I'm in a fight not only against the aliens, but also the poorly-optimized code of this game. I can win the former. I can't win the latter. 3.) I've never really recorded to YouTube from the PS4 before, so there might be some kinks to work out there. I'll get it sorted though, I'm sure. But if you're looking at an XCOM LP, I know what you're thinking: "how can I get a digital version of me in the game?" So... Before we start, I'll want a couple of things from the thread: 1.) Do you want to be in the LP? Cool. Lemme know: Name Gender General appearance (speak like a normal human here; don't be like "wears glasses #6 and shirt #2"; just kinda describe how you want the person to look and I'll do my best), Soldier class (ranger, grenadier, sharpshooter, specialist--that's shotgun samurai, demolitions dude, revolver ocelot, and gadget nerd respectively if you haven't played before) Or if you don't want to be a soldier... (friendly scientist, friendly engineer, alien sympathizing VIP who we will rendition at various points in the game) Or if you don't want to be a human: you can be a robot (though I'm probably not going to have more than like 1-2 robots) 2.) We get a prestige class to start the game with. You can choose which one: a.) Reapers: their leader is voiced by Commander Riker. Reapers are useless in direct combat but can remain concealed basically all the time, serving as scouts. On urban maps they're an absolute wrecking ball because they can explode cars, gas tanks, cats, etc. b.) Templars: the most anime prestige class. These guys eschew guns so that that they can be ridiculous dual-wielding psionic swordsmen. They get some other cool tricks too but mostly their whole thing is MIND SWORDSMAN: BRAIN ELITE. Kinda flimsy early on, but if you can get one even a couple levels up, s/he can carry an entire mission in the early game. c.) Skirmishers: renegade aliens who hate the invaders. They don't do anything particularly well, but they're incredibly mobile, can shoot a lot, get a melee move, and can buff their allies. Probably the worst of the starting prestige classes, though a high-level skirmisher is a LOT of fun. It's just that they tend to come into their own later in the game when having a single strong hero unit makes less of a difference. TABLE OF CONTENTS First Campaign                                                                EPISODE 1-60: THIS WAS YOUR GREAT CHAMPION?          FairGame fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Jan 9, 2021 |
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Apr 11, 2020 23:01
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I’m slowly making everyone now. Keep em coming; even if someone doesn’t get into the rotation, I want a lot of people so that the recruitment menu is ONLY y’all. Also, I neglected to realize that I can’t actually control soldier class until later. So some of you who are in the early missions might end up as something else. Once I get the base upgrade that allows me to promote into each class, I’ll route soldiers per specification. Can someone tally the prestige vote for me? I think reapers are either ahead by 1 or tied with templars, with skirmishers a little behind both.
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Apr 12, 2020 12:24
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I'll play whatever y'all vote on, but if I get my own vote, I'm now voting for SKIRMISHER. I thought the bonus you got from each faction was randomized, but it turns out it's hard-locked. And skirmishers, while the hero class is the weakest (imo) early on, get a bonus that lets you excavate and build base facilities faster. And that seems just exceptionally good. And yeah there are a LOT of TNG voices in this. Frakes/Riker (Reaper leader), Sirtis/Draganova (Reaper soldier), Dorn/Worf (Skirmisher soldier), DeLancie/Q (Templar leader).
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Apr 12, 2020 14:30
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I’ll get Billy and Junpei in later. Holy crap this takes forever! Time to bash my head against gatecrasher a few times until I get it right. Will do subtitles as a result since I’m not commentating videos I’m not sure will work! e: got it in one try? That...that can't be right... FairGame fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Apr 12, 2020 |
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Apr 12, 2020 18:51
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Apr 12, 2020 21:15
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Chuu posted:Oh hey just like the LW LP, first contract is overwatch taking out an enemy squad against all odds. I defer to y'all here on this one. I'm pretty sure the answer is just "this is what XCOM2 looks like on the PS4."
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Apr 13, 2020 04:13
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Apr 13, 2020 14:51
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cambrian obelus posted:"This video is private." Dammit, my apologies. Try it now.
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Apr 13, 2020 15:17
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eating only apples posted:If it's not a bother can I get my guy's voice changed to one of the UK ones? I think UK 1 is the good one while 2 is horrible but either will do (3 and 4 are Scottish and Irish iirc) Thank you Sure. Junpei posted:Since I'm apparently a Sharpshooter now, I'd like to change my nickname/codename to "Chained Lightning", and I'd also like to be a pistol Sharpshooter. The nickname field won't support that much. You remain "Lightning," I'm afraid. As for pistol sharpshooter, that's not a problem. I basically don't bother with rifle sharpshooters until later (at which point I can just re-train a couple pistoleers.) I really hate riflemen. Robert Deadford posted:Sharpshooters have their uses. Once FairGame has some better toys at his disposal, and his Sharpshooters have a few levels under their belts, they can become incredibly deadly. It's a combination of skills and gear. But you could make that argument about any of the classes really. Even Specialists, yet Sharpshooters have some spectacular tricks up their sleeves. Yeah, this is correct. A good sniper is very handy to have on certain missions. It's just that those missions tend to be few and far between, and basically non-existent during the first couple months of the campaign. When we start assaulting research facilities where we can take as much time as we want and set up on a nice rooftop, I'll absolutely be bringing a rifle-specced sniper.
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Apr 13, 2020 20:35
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Will do re: sub timing, though I did the next video last night. Will extend the length thereafter. I think I will just do subs throughout, I don’t really like the audio quality of the ps4 mic.
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Apr 14, 2020 12:29
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Apr 14, 2020 13:27
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sincx posted:For really long missions (like the final mission), it is possible to record multiple 60 minute videos on the PS4 right? oh, of course. I shouldn't lose any content; I'll just split into multiple missions. I've got a stopwatch that I turn on now that I realized it'd be a problem.
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Apr 14, 2020 19:54
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SugarAddict posted:Name: SugarAddict I don’t know what that is. So no. Enlighten me? Dancer posted:W00p w00p this is happening. Hope I'm not too late to the party. Forgive my ignorance: what’s a UK non-English accent? Like...Scottish or Irish?
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Apr 15, 2020 00:11
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SugarAddict posted:Bit of a terrible video. Bit of an understatement. I probably just don’t understand YouTube people, but HOLY poo poo GUY GET TO THE drat POINT AND STOP WITH THE RANDOM IMAGES Anyway, I wonder if that got patched out in WotC.
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Apr 15, 2020 00:37
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Sadly, on the PS4 I'm limited in the voicepacks I get. I'd love to have Mr. Drippy fight some aliens, but alas.
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Apr 15, 2020 01:52
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Apr 15, 2020 15:36
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reignofevil posted:One thing I think I might like, from an audience perspective, is if you didn't tell me things like "having an extra action would have been super useful" until it comes up in the mission that we needed it. The suspense is half the fun! Yeah, that's the downside of me doing commentary in post instead of hearing my thought process as I fight it out in real time. I'll try and be better about not having oblique spoilers going forward.
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Apr 15, 2020 18:23
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Akratic Method posted:Hey, the game has smiled upon my character and dumped him into the roster. I'm digging the dreads, thanks. But do re-equip me with the Resistance Kevlar if you get a chance! I want to get shot wearing a dumpy sweatshirt, not some ballistic vest. I don’t think I HAVE the resistance kevlar. Remember I’m on PS4, not PC. (If I do have it, what option is it?) Also, yeah, the first thing I thought of when I heard Frakes and Sirtis was “cool, Xanatos and Demona.”
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Apr 16, 2020 12:32
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Munin posted:Where did "Sixto" come from btw? https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lezcasi01.shtml
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Apr 16, 2020 15:49
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Xelkelvos posted:So what do those effects that got picked up at the end do? "Fear of Panic" and "Cautious" Great question! So...soldiers develop maluses if bad things happen in combat (they go into combat tired, their willpower dips a TON, they get beat up badly or see an ally get wrecked). Some of these are random (like cautious). Some of them are tied to the bad thing (watching an ally get eaten by Lost might result in developing "Fear of the Lost".) For "Fear of X" maluses (robots, sectoids, the lost, the chosen, fire, etc.), the FIRST time in a mission that soldier sees the met condition, s/he will panic and lose their turn. There's also fun ones like "fear of missed shots" so you get to watch your missed 95% be much worse than just a single missed shot. Then there are the generic ones like "cautious" and "compulsive reloader". Most of those are just "after the soldier's first action, there's an X% chance on ALL turns that s/he will hunker down, or use their last action on a reload." Because they can appear more than once on a mission, they're very annoying, but they're generally not as debilitating as the one-time PANIC in the "fear" tree. Once we develop an infirmary, we can send a single soldier at a time to clear his/her maluses, 10 days per malus.
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Apr 16, 2020 18:45
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I just had the most incredible mission and I can’t wait to share it.
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Apr 17, 2020 04:11
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Apr 17, 2020 17:59
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Robert Deadford posted:I'm a little uncomfortable at exactly how naked you made my character.  Robert Deadford posted:This LP is a welcome sight! Seems to me like I've given you excellent customer service, friend  You're missed in the SL, btw
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Apr 17, 2020 19:43
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Servetus posted:At some point you're going to have to let Megane rest She can rest when she’s dead. Or when deploying her into so many missions without rest results in developing so many neuroses that it’d take a full month to fix.
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Apr 18, 2020 13:44
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Apr 19, 2020 02:32
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The more I play, the more I realize I don’t know how to use a sharpshooter. Self fulfilling prophecy. Also my strategic game has suffered.
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Apr 19, 2020 12:01
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Note: there's no fighting in this video. It's all base layer.
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Apr 19, 2020 14:54
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Apr 19, 2020 20:59
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I consider the thing you get from faceless to be cheating and don’t use it. It’s not cheating, mind you. But it trivializes any challenge the game had, and does so at a point where you haven’t earned it. Makes me not enjoy it. As you might imagine, killing the chosen assassin gets you her gun and her hanzo steel. They’re really strong, but I feel like it’s earned because she’s incredibly challenging. Shooting some goo guys early on...less so.
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Apr 20, 2020 13:22
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Josef bugman posted:What?! I mean...I said in my post that it's not cheating. It's my personal viewpoint. Not an uncommon sentiment, mind you, though I'm definitely in the minority and I don't begrudge someone else using them. They're just not for me. THERE ARE DOZENS OF US! DOZENS!
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Apr 20, 2020 15:46
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Qwezz posted:
oh my god I think I completely missed creating your dude. I was really pleased with myself because I thought EVERYONE in the thread was contributing at some point in the campaign. I'll name a faction soldier after you eventually.
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Apr 20, 2020 18:15
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Don't worry, we won't be using that other unbalanced item after a while, either.
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Apr 20, 2020 20:31
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Xelkelvos posted:I don't really understand why the Mimic Beacon is different from the Shadow Device in terms of being a Panic button for getting out of a hot situation other than the latter requires you to bunch up to do it while the former shuts off after ~3 or less attacks against it (the stats you gave are wrong in the video). The shadow device is also bullshit tbh, but so is Long War. And you have to PLAN to use the shadow device with bunching up, whereas the mimic beacon can just be tossed as an "oh poo poo" flag. I'm glad it apparently got nerfed in WotC; that's news to me so I'm glad y'all told me. Still not using it, but I understand the pushback now! Robert Deadford posted:
Quoted for truth. "Barrels of Fun" is also bullshit, but was at least fun bullshit in our favor. Some of the others, man...
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Apr 20, 2020 22:07
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Ugh, I seem to have lost a couple videos. I hope that's all I've lost or I may have to start over. e: going to check and see what I lost. I had a hardlock today, and all the videos TODAY aren't there (but there are only 2 of them and I can summarize when necessary.) If it wasn't a function of the hard-lock, then...we're starting over. FairGame fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Apr 21, 2020 |
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Apr 21, 2020 01:12
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megane posted:The Assassin gained enough knowledge from Ricky's brain to sabotage FairGame's PS4. It's just 1.5 missions. Though a VERY important character dies offscreen in one one of them. edit: hrm, I still have the savefile from before the two missions in question. I'm going to continue rolling with the character death, but I guess I can replay those mission in an "alternate universe" sort of thing like I did with the XCOM Base Defense in my Long War LP. FairGame fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Apr 21, 2020 |
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Apr 21, 2020 02:46
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Apr 21, 2020 13:34
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Tuxedo Ted posted:I'm guessing that's just "dies during the lost footage". Yeah. That's all it means.
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Apr 21, 2020 14:03
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Natural 20 posted:So do Chosen get Ruler reactions or what? I'm kinda having trouble parsing exactly what goes on with them. Chosen get 3 actions per turn, but no Ruler Reaction (I'll explain what Ruler Reaction means when we meet a Ruler. It'll be a while because I'm intentionally not bothering with them. I hate them.) Some of their stuff is a free action, though. And also the PS4 lags so much when they're doing stuff it's difficult for me to tell what's happening in what turn order. The Assassin gets a skill kind of like the Templar's Momentum, where she gets a bonus move after attacking in melee. And her move radius is absurd and she can jump to any height. So it's not uncommon to watch her come out of nowhere, from across the map, cut a dude down, and then scramble for cover nowhere remotely close to where you are. As the campaign continues, the Chosen level up and they get more abilities. Mostly these abilities are less harmful than their initial abilities. The Assassin in this campaign can summon ADVENT soldiers. But like...ADVENT soldiers are pretty easy to kill, and I'd much rather she waste a turn doing that than doing damage to my troops, or knocking them unconscious, or whatever.
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Apr 21, 2020 16:14
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Kibayasu posted:I didn't see anything in the subtitles for the video, was there something about the lost videos in there? Nah, thread only. I have played ahead in the campaign, went back to review videos after a crash (there are a lot of crashes! It’s not remotely stable!) and saw most of two missions were missing. Seems to be the extent of it though. Honestly neither mission is terribly important and other than dates being wrong I doubt anyone would notice but for the conspicuous absence of a soldier. I don’t like doing the “Aunt Rachel, Cousin Richie, and Grandma from Family Matters” treatment so I’ll be upfront about it when it happens.
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Apr 22, 2020 05:31
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 19:42 |
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Apr 22, 2020 12:58
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