How I got to Cydonia

[JellyfishGreen]

For comparison to your own efforts.

Experienced/Veteran difficulty setting (can't remember)

 

* Date Score Funding Cash Bases Research (Scientists) Tech

* 2 Mar 1999 300 $6.1M $ 1.4M 2.1 HvyPla, E115, UfoPwr (65)

Capturing alien tech early is important- I've got laser rifles and these are the primary next steps on the tech tree. (Heavy Plasma, Elerium, and UFO Power Sources. I ignored Plasma Pistols and Plasma Rifles.)

* 23 Aug 1999 4000 $8.6M $21.3M 3.3 FusDef (100) Avenger up.

Essentially I've won the game now. I was a little slow on the Psionics program and should have built labs at all three intercept bases as soon as I got the tech.

* 6 Oct 1999 2000 $10M $72.4M 5.1 Corpses (100)

Now I'm just waiting for a Commander mission, nothing important left to research. Score drops from its peak of 8000 as I'm not attempting to ground and intercept every UFO.

* 7th November - I had all the trained soldiers assembled in one base and extra HWP's manufactured, so I launched for Cydonia.

 

Base number interpreted as Intercept.Radar, where intercept bases have hangars and radar bases don't.

NB. Not using the "Swap scientist" trick so paying full price for everybody. Engineer numbers approx equal to scientists. Usually no more than 20 soldiers at the main (research) base, 20 at secondary (manufacture) base, 10 at tertiary base.

[Slythe]

Interesting. I have a few questions for you.

 

- Did you go for power armor or advanced craft first in your research ?

 

- How many Skyrangers and Lightnings did you have total ?

 

- Where were your initial 3 intercept bases located ?

 

- Do you usually sack those soldiers that are too weak in psi or still bring them along on missions ?

[JellyfishGreen]

1) Power armor. Partly this makes it easier to capture intact UFOs and power sources. But also I rarely build more than one long-range radar per base, so I probably see fewer UFOs, so my urge to get advanced craft to chase them all is low.

 

2 & 3) When I had 3 intercept bases, Cambrian base was in Central North America with 1 Skyranger, Papal Sanction base was in Europe with 1 Lightning, and Tunguska base was in Siberia (covering Japan & China) with 1 Skyranger.

 

4) I usually fired rookies after their poor psi test results, and I shipped a few veterans out to Tunguska base for retirement and base defense. Next game I'll probably have such a base reserved for non-psi (Muton and Snakeman) missions.