Strategy Core Members Reviews, Opinions, Rants & Raves.

[silencer_pl]

Well if you follow my videos you've seen that my steam vent although on second level was very far to the right. I think that when I reached it I had researched Elerium generator.

[Hobbes]

I've read more than a few comments over on the official forums that you should just restart if you don't get steam on the second level.

 

I've ran at least 2 CI games right up to the Gollop Chamber with no steam on the second level. But if you only get it on the last level you're better off with the Elerium Generator first.

[NoXTheRoXStaR]

I've decided to take a break from XCOM and focus on other games. However, I figure once a "Ultimate Edition", "Complete Edition" or "Super Mega Ultra Edition" (This would obviously include all Patches, DLC, etc.) is released, I'll play something else. Any suggestions? I got my eye on a few new releases from GOG.com

[NKF]

Certainly took my time (200+ days between story events), but finally decided to launch the end-game mission. What was up with that last mission though? It was just a casual meet and greet.

 

The ending played out a bit like the good end to a certain sequel, but wasn't too bad. However I think the outro was a bit too abrupt having ended it at the fireworks then bang into the game stats. I wanted a bit of epilogue with thoughtful closing dialogue between the major talking characters. Cake, have it, eat it, but not both.

 

Overall a good effort. Now to completely miss sectoids at point blank range with those crummy assault rifles on Classic.

 

- NKF

[Hobbes]

Overall a good effort. Now to completely miss sectoids at point blank range with those crummy assault rifles on Classic.

 

- NKF

 

You're only switching to Classic now? Good luck mate

[NKF]

You're only switching to Classic now? Good luck mate

 

I'm about a month behind everyone else since I've been overseas, far away from the comfort of my PC and consoles.

 

On a slightly different note, before I forget, has anyone experienced aliens that just disappear from combat? I've had several occasions where some aliens I'd been fighting had scurried off beyond view, and before I've tracked them down the mission would end after fighting some other alien. Twice with Ethereals, and one with two injured Mutons. In all cases, I've clearly seen and hurt the aliens but never got to defeat them.

 

And more on ethereals, another event had an Ethereal in a sealed room suddenly appear behind my team near the rear guard, after I'd gone in to find it had vanished. Yet another occasion saw a heavy floater throw a grenade at an ethereal but the grenade never went off. Is there a bit more to the Ethereals\ trickery than expected? Argh.

 

- NKF

[Hobbes]

On a slightly different note, before I forget, has anyone experienced aliens that just disappear from combat? I've had several occasions where some aliens I'd been fighting had scurried off beyond view, and before I've tracked them down the mission would end after fighting some other alien. Twice with Ethereals, and one with two injured Mutons. In all cases, I've clearly seen and hurt the aliens but never got to defeat them.

 

And more on ethereals, another event had an Ethereal in a sealed room suddenly appear behind my team near the rear guard, after I'd gone in to find it had vanished. Yet another occasion saw a heavy floater throw a grenade at an ethereal but the grenade never went off. Is there a bit more to the Ethereals\ trickery than expected? Argh.

 

- NKF

 

Yes. It's akin to the 'teleporting' packs of aliens. Sometimes the AI will just remove an alien(s) and place it somewhere else even if that unit is already engaged in combat. I've had also situations where I've cornered the last pack on aliens on an UFO room and after I breach it I discover they are now on the UFO's roof!

[Space Voyager]

Had a nasty piece of teleporting yesterday, too. This really is a very annoying bug... When it is a single unit, fine, but a whole squad'o'mutton...

[Sorbicol]

Horrible bug and it happens all the time. Only time it's using is if you entire squad is on over watch and they spawn right in the middle of the kill zone. I had BBQ berserker when that happened a few days ago Finger lickin' plasma roasted Goodness

[Oreolus]

Hello all, long time lurker here. Finally decided to toss in my two cents. Let me say I have really enjoyed this game. Pete's review pretty much hit everything I thought about this game, but I think my biggest gripe, aside from a couple bugs, is the music. It just doesn't add any tension to the game. In fact, the most worried I get is the first few months when you are scrambling to get sattelites up. If the music would just be more ominous I think I could almost say I liked this more than the original, instead of say that while it does great in some areas it lacks in others.

 

I understand the need for balancing and the forcing of having to make a crap decision on what country to offer aid, but, for me anyway, it doesn't really add anything but annoyance. After a few missions, if you delay researching the story items you can pretty much stay ahead of the aliens as far as threats go. What countries you can keep from turning all boils down to how lucky you are in the first few months. Whoop dee doo.

 

In battles, I haven't really ran into any oh crap moments that weren't bug related (i.e. aliens walking though floors and showing up elsewhere). Chryssalids gave me that oh crap feeling after they turned a civi into a zombie for the first time. After I killed that zombie and that was all there was to it I laughed. No fear of them after that. Seeing the same battlescapes over and over makes it rather easy to figure out what is coming up and doesn'help. I know something is going to be around the corner or int he building. I do enjoy the different missions types, even if in the end it's kill all the aliens on the map to move on.

 

I apologize if some of that looks like rambling. Few drinks into the night and thoughts tend to run together. All in all, I really enjoy this game, I just wish they would have made music to go with the setting.

[Knan]

Uh? The music fits pretty well, I think. Some form of random maps would be welcome for replay value, but it's not too annoying.

[Space Voyager]

It fits, but there isn't a whole lot of it. Maps do bother me. I don't have a lot of time to play but I already know them all. One remembers all the mailboxes soon.

[zippythezip]

A really good game. I used to get my fun from Silent storm and UFO games, which is how I found this site many years ago.

At first I found a few things odd, like camera . But now its got to be top of my favorite list. Hope they keep bringing more expansions out for the game.

Would be nice if you could choose the rookie "type", I have only started playing but out of 30 or so soldier recruits only one was a support, only snipers I get are from missions. Just seem to only get heavies. I see over at nexus there are plenty of mods for this, but I will wait it out first.

Nice comments here and reviews, just come from the "steam forums" nothing but trash talk there.

[Pete]

I'm on game 7.

 

Game 1 was on Normal, when I wrote my review I think (said it was too easy). Game 2 was Classic with much reloading.

 

Games 3-6 the aliens slaughtered me. Don't get me wrong, I played it better and better as I got used to being cautious and doing things everyone probably knows to do like "Hunker Down" more or actually retreat your scout from a newly discovered squad of aliens so you can set up the rest of your guys on overwatch, but something would go wrong to the point where the whole squad died and I was left with Rookies halfway through the game - definitely restart time

 

This time around I've been more cautious and only reloaded once. I did this because I had my crack squad of 6 guys, 3 of them died and the other 3 were injured at the front door of a supply ship so I thought I'd retreat them to the Skyranger and dust-off. At that stage I saved the game and sent them back to the UFO rather than dusting off just to see how hard it would be (can't do things like that on Ironman as you can't afford to) but that's when I experienced this teleporting bug for the first time in 7 games - well the first time I noticed anyway! It's very annoying as I was set to Overwatch and then Mutons were teleporting individually near to me then getting just to the edge of my vision and shooting my guys witn uncanny accuracy. The worst bit was that it wasn't a whole squad, as I 'd reduced them to 1 Muton across 2 squads by earlier in the game, so that left 2 to magically appear either side of me and pick off two more guys. I played that game to the very end with 1 Sniper and killed the first Outsider, but then the second one killed me. Annoyed by that bug as I was, I reloaded and took the UFO second time around with all three soldiers surviving.

 

I've encountered it since - once at a petrol (gas) station that had 3 Cyberdiscs and one was at the edge of vision, the animation for it played and suddenly it was right in the middle of my squad whilst I had all sorts of aliens to deal with on the periphery - I barely scraped by with all my guys injured after that!

 

Needless to say I will not even attempt Ironman until they fix this as I've encountered it many times on my current game. The current game, I dragged on with the alien base mission like NKF did for ages. I wanted plasma weapons and easier aliens for a while, but you can't have both and I had end-game aliens (aside from Ethereals) before and during the alien base, but at least I felt ready for them!

 

I still think the most interesting map is the Battleship - I love it, I just don't know if you can encounter it more than once in a game. Last time I played that map I took advantage of their turrets to rain down pain on the aliens, but again on that map it felt the need to spawn a Cyberdisc behind me when my squad was split up into two groups and unable to cover each other

 

Classic is a punishing step up in difficulty from Normal, but it is fun being challenged to the point where you have to restart (not too many times in a row though!). I've said it before, but I can't understand why the last patch makes Easy easier - who are these people that need it to be easier?

 

I've now got the research and development side of things memorised enough so that I can restart on a weekend one morning and after about 5 hours be equipped with laser weapons, some carapace armour and not quote up to Titan armour and nearly at the alien base, so whilst it's annoying to have to restart it doesn't have to take you forever to get up to speed again. You really do appreciate the number of missions where there's a choice of a good level soldier if you take that mission though - on Normal I was always after the cash or scientist option, but on Classic it's always about the new recruit with money being secondary if it's on offer!

 

Playing with Ghost Armour a lot more on this playthrough, but this seems to be increasing the number of times I spot some teleporting aliens, often as the rest of my squad is nearing a good position to take them out

[Hobbes]

I'm on game 7.

 

I'm currently on game 186 - lots of restarts on CI

[Pete]

186? Is that 150 epic fails on the first mission?

[Hobbes]

186? Is that 150 epic fails on the first mission?

 

Yes. That's: CI to you baby!

[Ki-tat Chung]

I'm still a little scarred from my attempts at Impossible. It was right after I finished my first Normal game. I think it was something like three or four losses, and half a dozen restarts. When I finish my current Classic game, I'll have to decide between CI or regular Impossible... or maybe I'll give it a rest and play some original UFO for a bit.

[Space Voyager]

I'm at game 8. Again I was forced to take the base mission a month early not to lose three council members. Considering I won every damn battle and have not missed a ufo, I can't see myself doing much better. I did lose some soldiers though... Good ones, too. That plasma rifle just rips through my soldiers and Muttons don't seem to able to miss - while those lumbering beasts must look like pebbles through the iron sights. Will see how it goes.

[Sorbicol]

Does anyone know if the battleship reappears? I wasn't quite ready for it when it first appeared and failed to shoot it down. It's been 2 months now and it's not come back. I'm really just kicking my heals until using the gollop chamber, waiting for it to reappear.

[silencer_pl]

Probably when you will start failing.

[Hobbes]

I'm at game 8. Again I was forced to take the base mission a month early not to lose three council members. Considering I won every damn battle and have not missed a ufo, I can't see myself doing much better. I did lose some soldiers though... Good ones, too. That plasma rifle just rips through my soldiers and Muttons don't seem to able to miss - while those lumbering beasts must look like pebbles through the iron sights. Will see how it goes.

 

You're playing Classic? Well, if you're fielding Lasers and Carapace against Mutons, you'll have to know when to pull back (usually the norm) and when to make a stand. Be very careful specially because of their Blood Call ability - they get instant extra mobility, Aim and Will. Even in full cover your Carapace soldiers will be at a risk of being killed with a critical Plasma Rifle hit without the Blood Call ability, so you really need to pull back or take punishment.

 

 

Does anyone know if the battleship reappears? I wasn't quite ready for it when it first appeared and failed to shoot it down. It's been 2 months now and it's not come back. I'm really just kicking my heals until using the gollop chamber, waiting for it to reappear.

 

I will come back but it may take months. One thing that can work is to ignore the next UFO that you detect and leave it alone. Usually the aliens will send a 2nd UFO to destroy the satellite and it will be something bigger than the first one.

[Sorbicol]

Ta, the consensus on the official forums is to let a UFO go unmolested and then take down the subsequent visit when it comes to take down the satellite. Hopefully I can close out this game soon then.

[silencer_pl]

Just remember to take few evaisve matrices or the battleship may rip apart firestorm.

[Sorbicol]

Blimey I'm that late in the game now (I think it's December) that floaters are few and far between. I'll see what I've got in the way of decomposing alien corpses.