Hard times

[sp1ke]

Inspired by the traffic on this forum I dusted off TFTD and got stuck in on Superhuman. I was lucky enough to get two interceptions, lucky again to down both of them, and to my amazement I was able to sortie twice with the Triton to assault both sites. That really surprised me but the Triton refuelled very quickly, as the first site was close to my base.

 

My 8 aquanauts managed to bravely massacre a lone scout aquatoid in the Very Small contact crash site, losing only one wounded.

 

On the Small Contact crash site I repeatedly had my arse handed to me by the defending GIll Men. Superhuman is hard! I'd forgotten approximately everything I thought I knew! It took me about six repeats before my squad of 7 were able to defeat the 7 Gill-Men, for a cost of 2 dead and 2 wounded. Three combat-effectives left, but reinforcements on the way. The first 24 hours of the war against the undersea alien menace were not looking so bad after all. Rarely has a victory felt so sweet and hard earned. That's what's so great about TFTD.

[magic9mushroom]

Inspired by the traffic on this forum I dusted off TFTD and got stuck in on Superhuman. I was lucky enough to get two interceptions, lucky again to down both of them, and to my amazement I was able to sortie twice with the Triton to assault both sites. That really surprised me but the Triton refuelled very quickly, as the first site was close to my base.

 

My 8 aquanauts managed to bravely massacre a lone scout aquatoid in the Very Small contact crash site, losing only one wounded.

 

On the Small Contact crash site I repeatedly had my arse handed to me by the defending GIll Men. Superhuman is hard! I'd forgotten approximately everything I thought I knew! It took me about six repeats before my squad of 7 were able to defeat the 7 Gill-Men, for a cost of 2 dead and 2 wounded. Three combat-effectives left, but reinforcements on the way. The first 24 hours of the war against the undersea alien menace were not looking so bad after all. Rarely has a victory felt so sweet and hard earned. That's what's so great about TFTD.

 

You intercepted and shot down two subs in the first day?

 

This ought to be good. *chuckles ominously*

[sp1ke]

Yeah I've rarely seen two subs on the first day before, and definitely I've never assaulted two on the first day. It was really cool!

[sp1ke]

What was not cool of course...

 

No TU/strength display on the loadout screen, grumble grumble.

First-load ammo bug messing with all the heavy weapons, grumble grumble.

Game doesn't remember loadouts, grumble grumble.

Funky fire not fixed, grumble grumble.

Smoke/fire tiles not fixed, grumble grumble.

No 'remove craft weapon' option, grumble grumble.

Loadsa random bugs randomly screwing everything up, grumble grumble.

 

Still, it feels decidedly "Old Skule" and that's kind of fun. :-)

[magic9mushroom]

Yeah I've rarely seen two subs on the first day before, and definitely I've never assaulted two on the first day. It was really cool!

 

There are always two subs on the first day, the Survey Ship of the Alien Probe Mission in your base's zone and the Escort of the Alien Surface Attacks in a random zone. The latter, of course, you usually don't see due to lack of sonar coverage.

 

Be sure to post updates on how the game goes. Because, well, shooting down two subs on the first day in TFTD on Superhuman... *chuckles darkly*

[NoXTheRoXStaR]

Hell, I once had a cruiser filled with Tasoths in my first month. If memory serves me right there was six, the gas canisters managed to knock out those I didn't outright kill, I remember using the Magna-Packs to kill the KO'd Tasoths. It took 82 turns before the mission ended, strange thing was that the enemy didn't use molecular control.

 

Fun times.

 

-NoX

[silencer_pl]

Not every Tasoth has MC.

[magic9mushroom]

Not every Tasoth has MC.

 

But plenty of those in a Cruiser do.

[Tsathoggua]

Must have taken them out before they had a chance to use MC. Or they could have been killed in the crash.

[sp1ke]

Be sure to post updates on how the game goes. Because, well, shooting down two subs on the first day in TFTD on Superhuman... *chuckles darkly*

 

Uh oh! Should I be afraid, or very afraid?

[sp1ke]

9th Jan 2040

I can now use Sonic Pulsers. Big equaliser!

Quick research diversion into Particle Displacement to give my techs productive work.

Then it will be onto Sonics for the medium term. I am going to "Skip Gauss"!. Never done that before.

No further USO contacts. I am running Barracuda patrols around USA as the graphs show that's where there was the most alien activity.

I have a full squad of 15 aquanauts, plus a Coelacanth/GasCannon.

My subs are fully equipped with DUPs, though I have some Stingray launchers and 6 torps in reserve in case I want to downgrade for any reason.

Come on, squids, show your fishy faces!

 

From Cousteau Base in the Bay of Biscay (west of France) I can maintain about 4.5 hours Barrucuda patrol time off the Maine coast.

Maybe enough to deter some aliens, even if I don't catch any.

[Tsathoggua]

Gauss pistols can still come in handy, as can the rifles, I don't bother, as, it seems, do many others, with heavy gauss, save as a novelty of sorts, or for a sniper weapon as early backup for the gas cannon on land based missions where sonics are unavailable for the time being and of course HJC and torpedo launchers are unusable. If it had autofire it might be some use. Or perhaps far better damage. As it is, its as best, backup.

[sp1ke]

Gauss pistols definitely come in handy but... my strategy decision is to make a full speed ahead dash for Sonic Oscillator, at least until such time as researching the armour-subs line is an option, which currently it isn't. I'm looking for my guys 'n gals to be packing a Sonic Pistol / Gas Cannon combo by mid Feb.

 

The PD Sensor research is taking ages, I must have 'rolled' badly, should have done that out of the starting gate. Grumble.

What I should have done in hindsight is

1. PD Sensor, to monetise my idle Techs

2. Then start on Gauss until such time as I get a Sonic Pulser and/or Sonic Pistol

3. Then switch to Pulser, then Sonic Pistol

4. Aim for Oscillator and don't divert unless I open up Armour. Even then, if I'm near to Oscillator, finish the job before switching to Armour-Sub track.

 

15th Jan, I am in another Gill Man fight just off East Anglia. I practically could have walked to this crash site.

10 aquanauts and a Coelacanth. Very uniform loadout, pretty much everyone has 1 GC-AP, 1 grenade, 1 sonic pulser. The stronger ones have a GC-HE reload.

 

It's very pleasing to advance safely behind the tank. I wonder how long this will last...

[sp1ke]

Wow that may have been my best Superhuman mission ever. 8 gill men killed in 10 turns, not a scratch on my guys. No loot damaged (apart from by DUPs during sub combat!). A superb example of long range GC-AP gunnery. Hoo-RA!

[sp1ke]

Now I will have a second intercept base up and running in Baja California by 10th Feb. Hee hee!

[sp1ke]

20 Jan 2040. A long range picket Barracuda stationed in the Gulf of Mexico (as the graphs showed activity in the US Zone) picked up a Small USO. A pincer movement of Barracudas caught and downed the sub! My first mission with Alien Containment enabled. Tazers ho!

 

(Though actually there is little point capturing anything that is not either a terrorist or at least an MC user).

[sp1ke]

22 Jan 2040. Patrolling off West Africa in response to graph intel netted a destruction of a small scout. It will win favour with the African Zones.

 

Due to the very slow reload cycle of Ajax/Stingray it's just not worth trying to intercept VS craft at all. I am toying with keeping 2 Ajax launchers and only 6 torps and trying that loadout if I see a slow moving scout. I'm even thinking maybe a permanent loudout of 1 DUP 1 Ajax will be ok for this early stage of the game, maybe even reduce the damage on size S USOs to improve loot recovery. Then with an aggressive attack so that the DUP and Ajax fire at the same time, is there a 50/50 chance of an Ajax hit and a safe splash of a small scout? What that hinges on of course is whether both torps/missiles are processed simultaneously or sequentially. A long standing mystery.

 

23 Jan 2040. The West Africa picket detects something new, a LARGE contact heading north, toward Cousteau Base, at 1174. Gulp!

 

Luckily I'm near the top of a refuel/rearm cycle so I can meet this new threat with both interceptors and 4 x DUPs, if I can get all my ducks in a row.

[sp1ke]

OK apparently 2 Barracudas with dual DUPs attacking simultaneously are not enough to take down this Large critter, whatever it is.

 

The sonar image looks like some kind of supply cruiser, but it sure fights like it's some kind of Battleship...

[sp1ke]

And on the 3rd attempt I downed it! W00t! (Er, two practice missions in the simulator?)

Time to assault a Battleship in January!!!! Who needs terror missions eh?!

[sp1ke]

We attack at dawn, armed to the tooth. Forget finesse and forget about limiting collateral damage. We have 27 sonic pulsers in the boat, 64 GC-HE shells, and we intend to use them all!

[sp1ke]

Aargh!!! Xarquids!!!!

[Tsathoggua]

Could be a harvester?

 

The one that looks like it has a second or third story on sonar but each one narrower than the one below, quite wide, three levels, medium-high threat level. Barracuda armed with twin sonics should be able to down it solo, but expect it to put up a good fight. Two interceptors will take it down if reasonably armed (DUP heads or twinlinked sonics, or one of each.

 

X-com alpha facility just caught a cruiser sneaking around whilst on patrol, base sonar detected it near the limit of its range I think, but luckily there had been barracuda on patrol, and it managed to engage and take down the enemy USO, cutting it off on the return journey back to X-com base.

 

Plenty of survivors at the crash site, randomized layout of the interior to give a greater challenge, plus properly souped up dye grenades that actually WORK....X-mas come early, so to speak

 

Rapid response tactical strike team deployed, ten men plus a coelacanth/GC to play the role of scout and occasionally, support gun, the heavy cannon it mounts has been a great force multiplier whilst facing these strange creatures that appear to be aquatic cousins of our old enemy the sectoids. Taken on a few rookies that need training experience and ready for their first live mission, one each packing a gas cannon and torpedo launcher, two heavy support troopers in training for the hydrojet cannon, carrying a great many magazines of high explosive rounds, plus a couple of incendiary clips, likewise the gas cannon, but in reverse, a mag of HE shells but primarily phosphorus incendiary slugs to flush those green bastards out of their hiding spots to escape the flames, only to run into both the heavy cannon support troopers and get themselves pulverized by a rain of explosive shells fired on full auto.

 

The men all pumped up on combat narcs, and ready to unleash hell on earth.. One trooper hit by an alien heavy sonic, the other a rookie fumbled with a frag grenade and blew himself up. The sonic casualty was moderately injured and had to be stabilized back at base, since our old sectoid war issue medkits do not function under water, but thankfully the USO was recovered, its crew neutralized. Oh well, at least I don't need to pay the grenade dropper anymore. Idiot. I said 'pull the pin and throw'. NO!, you Throw the GRENADE and drop the PIN, stupid twunt........

 

Cretin-shaped pink splodge notwithstanding, a nice serving of cream of aquatoid soup, freshly made and steaming hot for the boys back home at base.

[sp1ke]

It was a Battleship and it was a hard fight. First of all we landed surrounded by 8 Zarquids in a ring, backed up by Gillmen, some of whom had Sonic Cannon. An initial frenzy of GC-HE got us out of the bottled-up position in the boat. We then methodically cleared the field, the only casualty was an own-goal from an errant HE round. However, assaulting the battleship was a different kettle of fishoids. The GC and tazer combo is not great for close assaults. HE is too dangerous at close quarters, AP just doesn't have the assault power. GC-AP is beautiful at middle and long distances but nail biting at close range. As NKF said, close range is where a gauss pistol or even jet harpoon really comes in handy.

 

I also screwed up because I had basically convinced myself the Battleship was empty. I didn't assault it as much as wander in to it. When I realised it was populated all my guys n gals were spread over the map hunting what I thought was the "last" alien. Including my one HJC which is far and away my best close assault weapon. (Maybe I should change my mix slightly and carry 2 or even 3 of those rather than all GC except for one HJC).

 

So I got creamed. I was down to 4 aquanauts (out of 10) by the time I had cleared the battleship, the entry was carnage. And then the actual last alien, another Xarquid as it turned out, killed two of the remaining 4, and my tank, mainly just because I was too tired and impatient and (thus) careless.

 

Still, I downed a Battleship in January and successfully assaulted it, all on Superhuman, so I shouldn't complain. And I came away with loads of loot and score. And I'm sure the aliens won't mind one bit that I've sunk one of their Battleships, oh no!

 

27 Jan 2040.

Oh goody, a Small USO contact. Hopefully a mission to train up / weed out my almost entirely rookie, tank-free squad, before the month end terror mission / base assault arrives.

[Tsathoggua]

i've just yesterday started a new game due to testing xcomutil.

 

Just working on taking out a USO, medium sized, aquaturds, damn bastards cheat at research! sonic cannon from the second mission, straight from pistol to cannon!

Still, bagged one of their medics, bashed senseless but still alive, just about, after taking a walloping from the torpedo specialist's carefully aimed bullseye straight in the back from a gas cannon HE shell, direct hit, but for some reason didn't die. Parked the coelacanth on top of his head just for the hell of it.

 

Sent a trooper armed with a tazer and harpoon rifle to drag the sod back to the transport, to be watched by a trooper armed only with a tazer. Just as well, as while setting demo charges at the base of the USO, well near the entire squad throwing magna blast packs at the base of the USO. These fish fingers come with added frostbite.

 

charges set, 6-7 timed to go off in T -003

 

Damn aquatoid, one of two, the other being a soldier, suddenly gets up and legs it out of the triton for dear life, tazer guy has tons of TU due to the ultralight loadout, just a pair of grenades, two frag and a dye grenade, manages to catch the slipperly little shitbag and zap him with the new thermal tazers, much preferred to the old style electrical variety among the team for land based assaults. and fucking houdini calamari here ends up in a crumpled heap on the seabed is frisked, and found to be carrying nothing. Two agents team up to drag and drop the aquatoid medic, now put into a virtual coma by the combined incendiary torpedo, GC-HE bolt that was meant to finish him for good, and being hit by the thermal tazer.

[Tsathoggua]

Another USO spotted close to the base, barracuda sent to intercept.

 

Closing to weapons range, pilot-''target acquired, clear to engage'

 

''Gunner, target lock, all weapons free, your clear to engage, within DUP head range, tormedo loosed, closing to within Ajax seconday weapons system range. Hold your fire until shes righht in close then give 'er hell lads''

 

Pilot 'I can't get a lock on, shit, this target is nippy'' USO attempts to escape''

 

Pilot-''Gunner, target the drive system with the long range torpedoes, see if you cannae' cripple the USO before it can flee out of intercept range, we are getting low on fuel, radio X-com alpha facility and have her send out Barracuda no.1''

 

Roger that, out. Alpha base we need backup, USO badly damaged but we cannot hope to follow her for long, our DUP head loadout is spent, down to ajax short range torpedoes, and not enough of those'

 

X-com alpha base: ''Recieved and confirmed, target approaching base in attempt to flee.' Sending you secondary interceptor''

 

Barracuda alpha,, 'recieved, copy that, over'

 

Alpha crew to base: ''backup warbird sighted and closing, alpha crew returning to base. Barracuda 2, Engage, all weapons free we HAVE to bring her down quickly, propulsion system of USO damaged, you might be able to close and take this bitch down for good'

 

 

 

Warbird 2 confirmed, closing.

Second interceptor closes and flies in close.

 

USO comes within weapons range and narrowly misses our sub.

'What the fuck was that' *shockwave rips though the water, fuck me, I felt that right through me'-crew member watching sonar readout'

Pilot, Gunner-'no idea, some sort of weapons system on the enemy bird'

 

Evasive action, MOVE MOVE!

*two more shockwaves buffet the barracuda, third hitting and doing some damage;

'Damage minor, continue with pursuit; take the damn thing down fast, or were gonna have to make a run for it.

*pilot flies in with a manically aggressive attack, weaving and dodging'

 

''gunner report?''

 

''Within range of autocannon, request clearance to fire''

 

Fire at will! let these filthy bugs have it.

 

'Roger, opening fire'

 

*craft gas cannon looses off more than 100 rounds, strafing the wounded enemy bird with scores of holes, punched by the heavy caliber armor-piercing shells , THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP' Looses off an ajax, misses, peppering the USO with many many more gas cannon slugs'

 

Gunner to pilot-were going to need a little more firepower here, the cannon is hitting but doing relatively minor damage per hit.

 

'Ajax launched, missile away and on target'

Direct hit, right in the ass. USO downed with a crash.

 

Warbird two to alpha base, target eliminated, but it was a close call. Initiate recovery by tactical squadron based in triton one.

''combat team armed and dispatched on target, looks like its going to get messy lads, suit up, check weapons'

 

''Point team-weapons locked and loaded, gas cannon loadout, commander? One apiece, incendiary and high explosive, if they take cover, burn 'em out and blow anything that pops its head out or flees straight to tartarus' If the jet harpoon rifles prove as good as they seem in training then these bastards don't stand a chance''

 

Hydrojet operator, load up, high explosives only, the heavies with with the squad gas cannons can provide the necessary persuasion to force the enemy out of their holes then you two fire on full auto, these high explosive mini-torpedoes will make a hell of a mess, just remember minimum effective range and kill zone of the rounds.

 

''Roger, standard cover procedures sir?''

Commander-'Confirmed, dye grenades primed for impact, three , on my mark, left, right and a far distance dead ahead.

 

''Grenade!'

 

*dye packs explode, the new improved model dye grenades seem to be working much better sir!'

 

commander-''X-com alpha facility, coelacanth driver, take point, scout the area round the transport, take a sniper with you, and the torpedo system here, thats a dedicated weapon, the only weapon he has to protect himself up close is a dart pistol, and frankly guys, they are crap. So he'll need a gunner to cover him and to load the launcher., so take our big bruiser here with the new torpedo launcher with you.

 

*heavy weapons specialist assisted to load the torpedo launcher with a heavy, high explosive rocket, carrying several more reloads in his backpack, plus a couple more smaller rockets with an incendiary warhead, plus a second harpoon rifle and spare mag for if/when the rockets are all spent.*

 

*heavy weapons guy hefts the heavy torpedo launcher onto his shoulder and kneels down in cover, coelacanth takes point, drives a short distance before spotting a target*

 

''Over by the oil rig, right there, by the corner, a few meters away. Looks to be a green humanoid, tall, reptilian looking, carrying some sort of squat little pistol.

 

Harpoon gunner from the torpedo/tank fireteam: ''thats not one of our green sectoid 'friends', but target carrying similar looking weapon as we have seen before, don't let them get a shot off, you won't get a second chance, their weapons are devastating, some kind of pulse rifle, seems to work by means of a focused ultrasonic shockwave, according to the eggheads back at base. The lightest of those guns is capable of reducing bone and tissue to a pink and white slurry, even a glancing hit will probably snap your bones like dry sticks if that fucker hits you. We've lost several men to those pistols, and they fire fast, so do NOT let that green thing see you coming.

 

(too late for that, torpedo loosed, aimed right past the green humanoid, into the oil installation its standing next to, hitting and going off with a series of resounding concussive thumps, felt by the entire heavy fireteam, backup teams taking position down by the triton and taking careful aim with their harpoon rifles and a gas cannon, hydrojet operators complaining about the weight, so take some time to arrive, won't be here until that creature is either dead or has time to react and take out our men.)

 

*massive cloud of silt and oil bleeds into the ocean depths around the green alien, cue another one carrying a rifle of some kind, automatically locked in on and fired at twice by the coelacanth, first round missing, second one on target,dropping the screeching alien to the seabed, with a hole the size of a rugby ball punched straight through its sternum and out the other side, leaking organs and bodily fluids into the sea.

 

Rookie-''Gross'

Commander-'keep it down, do you WANT to give away our fucking position'

 

*Heavy weapons specialist, carrying a dye grenade, three frag grenades and a heavy demolition timed charge, ,gas cannon round loosed around the area that the first target was last seen.

 

*shrieking crack whips through the water leaving a trail of cavitating bubbles in its wake, showing a glowing greenish trail*

 

Commander-;Target one has spotted us, all weapons clear, go go go, take cover, suppressing fire, hydrojet operators, cut loose with all you got!!'

 

*HJC gunner too exhausted to fire for long, lets loose a three round burst, resulting in another pained squeal, after the bug cxomes running towards beta team loosing off bursts of shrieking pistol shots*

 

HJC crew ''-target down sir, taking cover'

Commander-''what the hell are those weapons? I felt those green pulse rifle things discharge right through me, made my teeth ring like a struck bell '

 

Point fireteam-''don't know sir, but damn am I glad none hit me,hurt enough just passing nea.INCOMING, WE GOT CONTACT, take cover, take cover!!'

 

*alien thrown grenade lands next to the tank, and goes off with an enormous, hugely brisant concussive explosion, knocking several men off their feet, although without injury, grenade landing many meters away'

 

Commander- 'Coelacanth operator, damage report, what's your status?'

 

Coelacanth driver-badly damaged sir but not critical, the armor held, but several systems impaired, accuracy lowered, still mobile, can continue if desired?'

 

Commander sneaks off behind some coral encrusted rocks to take a sneaky hit of the painkillers from the up and coming new submersible medkit prototype, feels eyelids relax and sag slightly, his pupils contract to pinpoints...takes second shot of ..analgesic....and would breathe a huge sigh of relief but for breathing inert, liquid oxygenated perfluorocarbon at great depths for combat diving...feels the sudden flood of analgesic hit like a truck. The medics back at base are always too tight fisted with the oxy/morphine combination to treat his decades old knee injury and subsequent hip pain...so bribed a lab tech and technician to get hold of some more directly

so to speak;)