X-Com Apocalypse LP

[Nookrium]

Sorry folks, Gravball has been cancelled...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Fc4Ge8GhA

 

 

I noted a point where you seemed to want to put a waypoint in the movement of your secondary team to path them towards the combat. You didn't say anything, but it felt like it. There is a way you can add waypoints to your agent movements, but my brain's failing me as to which key it was. It is one of the ctrl, alt or shift keys.

- NKF

I'll have to try messing around with a few keys, it could come in very handy at times. I don't see it on Zombie's hotkey page.

[NoXTheRoXStaR]

If for whatever reason. Here's the link to the official Apocalypse manual that came with the original box edition. And if NKF, Zombie or any of the other admins want to add this to the files section as it is not there.

 

The hotkeys list is under Tactical in the index. Or pages 196-198 in the .pdf file.

 

-NoX

[Nookrium]

If for whatever reason. Here's the link to the official Apocalypse manual that came with the original box edition. And if NKF, Zombie or any of the other admins want to add this to the files section as it is not there.

 

The hotkeys list is under Tactical in the index. Or pages 196-198 in the .pdf file.

 

-NoX

 

Nice find, NoX. Looks like Ctrl + LMB sets the waypoints.

[Zombie]

One thing before you start the LP proper is to study Zombie's input device reference guide:

 

https://www.strategyc...lypse/controls/

 

I'd just like to mention that I created the page based off of the manual and also NKFs invaluable help in verifying the controls and submitting his own.

 

If for whatever reason. Here's the link to the official Apocalypse manual that came with the original box edition. And if NKF, Zombie or any of the other admins want to add this to the files section as it is not there.

 

Added here. I think the reason why we didn't have it in the files section already was two-fold:

1. Intellectual Property (IP) rights
   
2. Because it was originally at the underdogs which was allowing folks to download the game for free
   

- Zombie

[jgatkinsn]

Looks interesting so far after 4 episodes. My son and I have been watching it. Sign me up as JG on the waiting list. I'll gladly be a hoverbike or some craft if need be. My son would like to put on the waiting list as well as either soldier or craft. Name is Jachin.

[Nookrium]

Looks interesting so far after 4 episodes. My son and I have been watching it. Sign me up as JG on the waiting list. I'll gladly be a hoverbike or some craft if need be. My son would like to put on the waiting list as well as either soldier or craft. Name is Jachin.

Jachin pronounced JAY-kin?

I have 2 more episodes already recorded but I'll get the 2 of you in there after that.

[jgatkinsn]

Jachin pronounced JAY-kin?

I have 2 more episodes already recorded but I'll get the 2 of you in there after that.

 

You got it. JAY-Kin. Also, he does prefer a solider first, but will take a craft if none available.

[Nookrium]

Oh Poppers, I sure would love some more flying armor...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaQclRd7diE

[jgatkinsn]

Absolutely brutal way to end the mission

[NKF]

Oh Poppers, I sure would love some more flying armor...

 

Surprising bit of trivia, but Marsec Armor has 10% higher high explosive resistance than Megapol Armor. Not that it really matters considering how powerful all of the alien explosives are.

 

You've learned it first hand, but don't kneel too close to UFO doors. That first popper was a very good reason not to do this. Have some troops hang back, spread out and watch over the door while a few others creep up towards the doors from the sides before they jump in. Motions scanners can be handy for watching out for poppers before you run through the doors.

 

Poppers blow up when hit by ballistic projectiles or other explosions. Energy (laser, plasma, disrupters) and bio weapons (stun, toxin) can kill or knock them out without causing them to explode. One of the reasons why I suggested getting Plasma guns. They wouldn't have saved you from the two popper encounters in this video, but they will certainly help.

 

The Medikit by the way needs you to be standing in place for it to work. Also you must be standing firmly on the ground, so no flying. Moving away from the tile will switch it off. Also it may sometimes appear to be working when you're on the move, but you will continue to lose health.

 

- NKF

[silencer_pl]

In RT, if your soldier gets critically wounded and has I think 3 or less health he is dead already. Medikit heals on 4th tick I believe and restores 5HP. Also sometimes therere might be a bug with medikit that despite being on and unit not moving, the soldier doesn't get healed. Not sure what causes this. Also the values I've said are from memory. But probably aren't that far from reality.

 

And about the UFO door. It's best to park on the door tile itself. UFOs have lots of room between doors and lifts so you know what to expect. In the first mission I've already knew it asked for trouble and you've got it. In the second you've decided to do it again. Don't know why you didn't operate the second team if the first one was in danger. You don't have to hurry with the missions.

[Nookrium]

My TB tactic is to head up to the doors, have the whole squad ready (2 in front crouching with 2 behind standing) then have 1 soldier step up into the door on each side and shoot whatever comes down the lift. This certainly needs to be revised for RT Would having 1 flying soldier open the door with the rest hanging back work? It seems like it may give a little better LOS for the 3 hanging back without risk of shooting the opener in the back.

 

Anyways, next part! We have some angry farmers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hjE9_mgYug

 

 

Poppers blow up when hit by ballistic projectiles or other explosions. Energy (laser, plasma, disrupters) and bio weapons (stun, toxin) can kill or knock them out without causing them to explode. One of the reasons why I suggested getting Plasma guns. They wouldn't have saved you from the two popper encounters in this video, but they will certainly help.

Do you think the plasma is worth going for instead of disruptors? I was planning on skipping it and getting disruptors then toxiguns.

[silencer_pl]

If you are going for toxiguns, then skip distruptors / devastators completely. With ammo type B, you'll just kill any alien in few shots and they bypass disruptor shield. Type C ammo comes far too late, but it then just one shots almost any alien. And also toxiguns just pray and spray like M4000.

[NKF]

When you're as low on ammo as you were in the farms, perhaps aimed shots would have helped while your team was fighting that group of Anthropods.

 

Speaking of Anthropods (and the Skeletoids), you will often find them carrying a Megapol smoke grenade. Not always, but when they do, the AI is clever enough to use them to put out stun gas clouds. This habit can get quite annoying if you're trying to capture something, so it's not a bad idea to pack a few extra stun grenades.

 

There is a work around for not being able to access your inventory when a brainsucker is on your head. Access another agent's inventory screen then go to the portrait of the agent being brainsucked. I think the programmers wanted to be a bit mean and make it harder for the player to drop a 0.25sec AP grenade once the brainsucker is attached.

 

 

Would having 1 flying soldier open the door with the rest hanging back work? It seems like it may give a little better LOS for the 3 hanging back without risk of shooting the opener in the back.

 

That would work. The majority of enemies will be on ground level, so if you had to shoot at anything in the doorway, then at least you won't be shooting at the person opening the door in the back.

 

Of course, later on you have the luxury of just blowing away the doors with Devastator cannons. Continuous synchronous fire from six agents with dual devastators at low accuracy is heaps of fun to watch!

 

Do you think the plasma is worth going for instead of disruptors? I was planning on skipping it and getting disruptors then toxiguns.

 

Rather than treating it as a choice of using one or the other, think of it more as a case of "why not use them?". You do want to upgrade to the alien weapons, but at the same time the Plasma Guns are ready and available to use right now. You should be able to buy and outfit a good portion of your crew with them until you can get enough alien weapons for everyone. And if there aren't enough, the cult or your favourite gang should be more than willing to share some.

 

It's a fair match for the Disrupter Gun that you're researching. One's smaller and more accurate, the others faster but bulkier. There's no harm equipping either of them until you get the Devastator.

 

If you are going for toxiguns, then skip distruptors / devastators completely. With ammo type B, you'll just kill any alien in few shots and they bypass disruptor shield. Type C ammo comes far too late, but it then just one shots almost any alien. And also toxiguns just pray and spray like M4000.

 

The toxigun's a great weapon and becomes a bit OP towards the end. However the main problem with going Toxigun only is that it only works against aliens and is not practical for fighting human enemies. You could get into trouble if the cultists or a hostile organization suddenly decides to attack.

 

Judging by Nook's RT matches so far, I think ammo may become a very real issue considering how little ammo the Toxiguns carry. With their recharging batteries, Devastator cannons may prove to be more useful in the long run.

 

Of course, having both options available is preferable as you can always use Devastators as the primary weapon for dealing damage, but also carry a Toxigun on the belt for harvesting Disrupter Shields.

 

- NKF

[silencer_pl]

You still can kill humans with toxigun. Yeah it takes a lot of bullets. Toxigun ammo is easy to manufacture so in few days everyone should have whole belt of it and plenty more in stores. My first playthrough of Apoc was using Devastators, but on next one I've used toxigun and used it even when fighting humans.

[Nookrium]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx2RavHtowY

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFT8wDtIzow

 

 

The toxigun's a great weapon and becomes a bit OP towards the end. However the main problem with going Toxigun only is that it only works against aliens and is not practical for fighting human enemies. You could get into trouble if the cultists or a hostile organization suddenly decides to attack.

 

I know Toxiguns are pretty OP and pretty much carry you through the game, do think I should avoid them and try something a bit more challenging?

[silencer_pl]

If you want more challenge then don't user alien weapons.

[Space Voyager]

Not using Toxiguns does up the challenge. I'm all for it.

[NKF]

When setting up an ambush at UFO doors, spread out to the sides so that anyone leaving will not be able to immediately shoot at you from inside the UFO. Take the time to individually move each agent into position.

 

One problem you had when attacking the UFO was the smoke in the entrance obscuring your attackers. When that happens, use a stun grenade to quickly clear up the smoke.

 

Similarly, if you accidentally drop a stun bomb at your feet, you can drop a smoke grenade to neutralize the stun gas.

 

To make a new squad, select the team members, click on that button with the man and winged shield, then click on the squad you want to shift them to.

 

If you want to train up a good psionic, remember that they can only have a maximum of 3 times their starting psi stats. Say they start with 25 in one stat, then the max for it will be 75. So pick out the ones with the highest stats and mark them for psi training. All the stats are important, though try to get as much psi energy as possible. In real-time, you have to pay an extra maintenance cost on top of what it costs to perform the psi skill. So the more energy, the better.

 

Real time's not a bad mode for capturing poppers as long as you are aware of the popper. If you see one, have the nearest agent (or agents) pull out dual stun grapples and set them to auto-fire and focus on it. The poppers are weak enough that a well placed grapple hit or two should knock it out instantly. Try to set down some stun grenades in its path if you can as every bit helps.

 

A really cheap way to capture a popper is to fly high enough to not trigger the popper. Then drop a stun grenade on it. Requires most of the team to be wearing Marsec torso plates, but certainly one of the safer capture methods.

 

On ammo, your agents have been running empty over the last few missions. There will be some missions later where you'll be facing a huge number of enemies and possibly even huge enemies. I do recommend packing two or three extra clips on everyone.

 

 

I know Toxiguns are pretty OP and pretty much carry you through the game, do think I should avoid them and try something a bit more challenging?

 

For the purpose of your game, I'd say keep going as you have been for the time being and see how you go.

 

Try them out at least. Once you have more alien tech, you can make the call if you'd like to keep using them, drop them, or use them to a limited capacity. Your personal disrupter shield supplies will most likely help you decide how you want to proceed.

 

If you want more challenge then don't user alien weapons.

 

One of the more memorable challenges I've attempted was the power sword challenge. All gear as normal, but limit ranged weaponry to just the Power Sword and Stun Grapple. You have to steal a few from the Marsec Arms Factory at the start as they don't appear for sale until late into the game. Even then only in very limited quantities. It's a mad and frustrating challenge, but also lots of fun once you get into the swing of it.

 

Still, I wouldn't recommend doing anything silly like this for this play through.

 

- NKF

[silencer_pl]

Not using Toxiguns does up the challenge. I'm all for it.

 

Devastator cannons are also OP.

 

One of the more memorable challenges I've attempted was the power sword challenge. All gear as normal, but limit ranged weaponry to just the Power Sword and Stun Grapple. You have to steal a few from the Marsec Arms Factory at the start as they don't appear for sale until late into the game. Even then only in very limited quantities. It's a mad and frustrating challenge, but also lots of fun once you get into the swing of it.

 

Still, I wouldn't recommend doing anything silly like this for this play through.

 

- NKF

 

You don't have to send all 12+ people on mission

[Nookrium]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bts3ydwMsCA'>I've decided to rename this school, The X-Com Fine Arts Center. I think we deserve it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bts3ydwMsCA

[NKF]

I feel rather sorry for that school. It's not doing your relations with Lifetree any good either.

 

Your current hoverbike setup is fine, but just thought I'd point out that those default miniguns on the hoverbikes are quite nice weapons. Per bullet they are weak, but they fire fast and are accurate. They can do reasonably good damage to the early UFOs yet not do too much damage to the city. Not so good against the later UFOs, but they do rip apart the shields quite nicely. But as you're not using them, you may as well sell them off and reclaim some space.

 

 

The illegal flyer event does have one useful side effect: the gangs are dealing damage to the city with all the misfires. This has the potential for them to make plenty of enemies. So, when you raid that gang, the other companies may become friendlier towards you.

 

To save some time when re-equipping troops, use the mutli-select to quickly rearm all your grenades.

 

Finally, when you get a bit of money, consider building some security stations next to your grav-lift and repair bays. They may not always be able to completely stop an attack, but they'll often hold back enemies long enough for you to get your techs to safety and move your soldiers forward. Note, only three stations will work at a time, but enemies will still attack the non-working guns.

 

- NKF

[silencer_pl]

Does the accuracy boost thing work on beam weapons or is it only for rockets?

[NKF]

Does the accuracy boost thing work on beam weapons or is it only for rockets?

 

They do work. but I often question whether they (edit: just to clarify, I'm thinking of small modules and hoverbikes here) are entirely worth it considering the accuracy is only the chance-to-hit on a stationary target. Like many other games with some form of auto-targeting, they don't appear to know how to lead the target so a UFO will often have moved away by the time the shot arrives.

 

Missiles auto-home on their targets, so I doubt it would make any difference whether or not the accuracy mods affect them once they've been fired.

 

- NKF .

[Nookrium]

I feel rather sorry for that school. It's not doing your relations with Lifetree any good either.

We're still not done with it, I'm starting to feel sorry for those kids. Not the ones that get in front of my operatives though...

 

Here's the next parts:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ohAC0tIrD8

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rKEHvUaP60

 

Not sure what happened to my game there, I looked up the bug and it seemed to be a popular one but only on superhuman? I tried loading a few times and it always froze as soon as I closed the daily report at midnight. I had to back up a couple saves before those 3 infestation missions.