Game Progression

[Mattimeo78]

I would like to note that I am new to the forum, and although I have read only the odd topic that has caught my eye, I can see that this seems to be a friendly place. It is nice to meet everyone.

 

I have been playing UFO - EU for some time now, although because of my constant alternating between the three games and the fact that I too play games in 'Phases', I can still be considered perhaps somewhat of a noob. I had just started playing UFO - EU again a day or two ago so that I can better assist my girlfriend when the need arises, for she too has found an interest in it (Alongside Half-Life, another of the games she pinched off of me to pass the time until she can find an X Box for sale), and I have come to be somewhat proud of my progress.

 

I am currently maybe three months into the game now (Game time, of course) and I am building the 'Ultimate Craft' (Avenger? I forget which one it is), have several Sergeants and Captains (All in Power Suits), am using Laser weapons (I know, but I have been doing quite well without the heavier weapons), and am facing almost every alien encounter with fair success (Rookie or Squaddie casualties mean little thanks to my Rookie stockpile, though the death of any higher ranks is upsetting). I only have one base at the moment, though I plan to construct another soon enough, perhaps after I raid the alien base residing within Africa?

 

I was curious to know what everything thinks of my current progression and to hear how everyone else can compare.

 

As a side note, I had my first major encounter with Chrysalids (Nearly a dozen of them with an ensemble of Snakeman guards and several Cyberdisk jockeys occupying a fairly small terror site) and I believe I had seen my first zombie (Hunched fellow, looks like he has a running nose). When I shot him he ripped open like an old serpent skin and a new Chrysalid climbed out. Is this multiplication a side-effect of their assaults, or do they just hide inside people (Thus creating zombies) and I did not happen to spot this one prior to his actions? Perhaps the ability to multiply like this is what makes them so dangerous? Nothing a laser beam or two could not handle. This is off topic, yes, but a question that had been nagging at me. I thank anyone who is willing to read all of this and still give me an answer.

[Zombie]

Welcome, welcome, welcome Mattimeo78! It's nice to see another fan of the game.

 

Well, you seem to be progressing fairly good in your game. Building an Avenger 3 months in is excellent indeed. How does that compare to my play? Unfortunately (or fortunately), everyone has a different style of play so it's not a matter of skill, but priorities. Some people weigh different research projects higher on the scale than others.

 

For instance, my focus in the first parts of the game is one thing: radar coverage. The more radar coverage I have, the better the governments will like me since I can respond to a situation which would normally be hidden. To accomplish this, I try to build as many "listening posts" as I can without going into the red. Three months into a game and I usually have 3 bases: the main one and 2 smaller radar bases with a few soldiers and perhaps a Skyranger. If I get really lucky and capture a live alien navigator, I drop everything and research it for info on the Hyperwave Decoder. Since the HWD has the best range (and success rate) the faster you get this facility, the more missions you can detect.

 

Zombies are created when a Chryssalid attacks a human. It impregnates the host with an egg and a toxic venom. The venom "zombifies" the host and allows the egg to form into a new Chryssalid. But the final transformation from Zombie to Chryssalid only happens when you kill the zombie. From that point forward, you now have 2 Chryssalids. Some people insist that Zombies automatically hatch on their own without outside intervention, but those claims are unsubstantiated at the moment. :mad:

 

- Zombie

[Bomb Bloke]

Most likely some Chryssalids would have caught some civilians. Very common in terror missions - once you find the Zombies, you can expect to find the original alien near by.

 

Loosely put, to win the game you must capture, research, and build stuff before the funding nations sack you. The more stuff you fight the more resources and cash you have to work with, so the higher the difficulty level the faster you can win. The more scientists and engineers you have the better, but you have to be able to pay and accomadate them all.

 

Building the "ultimate craft" usually takes the best part of a month anyway, with about two full workshops on the job. So does repairing it - think carefully before sending that thing up against a Battleship!

[uriaheep]

Welcome.

 

I do exactly the same as Zombie, bases as soon as pos. to try to stop countries leaving the project and taking their money with them and get that Hyperwave decoder.

 

I have just started a new game on the hardest level and I have 3 bases and a listening post. I can't afford to fully equip the bases yet but that will come. I then tend to develop 'specialist' units which I find useful as well as interesting for the game.

 

What level are you playing at - this can effect a great deal in the game.

[Mattimeo78]

I have never tried the 'Listening Post' idea because I am not the most versatile of people and rather stubborn. I know it can be somewhat problematic and expensive, but I try to make all of my bases 'Main' bases; ones that can do everything, as the manual suggests. I suppose I should give the listening post idea a try, and spend more time on the game as a whole (I tend to research whatever I feel like, but not necessarily what is important, and sometimes even skip missions... Elerium-115 has not become as hot a seller for me as it has for you quite yet). If I put my first base in Northern Mexico/Southern United States of America, where should I put my 'Listening Posts'?

 

I am playing UFO - EU at beginner, though I suppose I could play on a higher difficulty. There is still the odd thing here and there I have not experienced in the game (Even some monsters... The robed, psychic ones are still foreign to me... I think I have seen a Muton or two, and I have definitely not seen the one that looks like a robotic Reaper) and do not feel need to push my luck.

 

As for the construction of the Avenger... I was just psyched to build something that does not fall apart when it gets too close to one of the larger enemy crafts.

 

I never make a big deal out of researching plasma weapons, either. I have found that, as far as I have ever gotten in the game, Laser weaponry has been sufficient in dealing with the opposition (With the acception of Cyberdiscs, who prove to be troublesome in some missions despite my two rocket launcher troopers and Launcher HWP. They always seem to have surrounded the Skyranger whenever I begin a terror mission; I do not know how many times I have lost an HWP or a soldier on the way down the ramp.

[Bomb Bloke]

Heavy Plasma weapons are about the best in the game, and unlike conventional rifles, they hold a huge clip. Don't sell your ammo for these guns unless you really have to, keep it on hand should you ever need the extra firepower. Nothing wrong with laser rifles, but Heavy Plasma messes just about anything up.

 

Same goes for Blaster Bombs. And you do not sell Elerium under any circumstances.

 

Don't ever skip terror missions, it takes a hefty chunk out of your monthly score. Always turn up. If you really don't want to handle them (and a night time mission against those orange robes really is painful), leave right away - you'll still lose less points.

 

On the other hand, you don't have to raid every UFO you shoot down.

 

Stun bombs aren't exactly in great supply, but for some reason CyberDiscs hate them.

[NKF]

They massace Reapers too - and on easier difficulty levels, they eat Sectopods for breakfast (The ethereal terror unit - the biped mech horror that just won't go down). This keeps them useful long after you've captured all the aliens you need.

 

The laser rifle is a great all-rounder that will get you all the way through the game. However, you should take the time to research the plasma weapons just for the Plasma Beam cannon, a ship weapon. With just one of these mounted they allow the plain vanilla Interceptors to shoot down every type of UFO except the battleship. Just research the gun and clip pair for the Heavy Plasma or Plasma Rifle. It's also good to be able to pick up a heavy plasma in the field just to use as a cutting device to break through interior UFO walls and ceilings.

 

As for listening posts, scatter them all over the place. Just don't make them overlap too much. Go ultra cheap at first and leave them simply as an access lift and a radar of some sort. This way if you lose them to an attack, it won't cost you much to replace. Slowly upgrade them to interception outposts by adding a single hangar, or two and some space for troops and equipment. Listening/Intercept outposts are best managed as small bare-bones bases. For defences, I suggest stationing a few Fusion/Hovertanks here with no ammo. As you get a free load of ammo for base defence, they're much more effective than base defence modules. Top off the construction of your listening/intercept outpost at the end with a mind shield. Nothing like reduced base assaults.

 

If you have main bases in northern Europe or America (USA or Canada), good places for listening posts are South America, the middle of Africa, Japan/China or go inland a bit, Australia and if you want, Hawaii. The polar caps are useful for specialty bases, like psi academies or massive manufacturing plants. But it's really up to you and how you want to place your bases.

 

By the way, don't change your entire fleet to Avengers. They use elerium for fuel, and although they are very efficient with it, they're still elerium guzzlers. It's quite a shock when you suddenly realise you need to launch your ships only to find they're out of fuel. Hang on to a few ancient Interceptors and maybe a Skyranger. They may not be the fastest ships, but they are certainly more reliable.

 

- NKF

[Mattimeo78]

I know quite well that you do not sell Elerium-115 under any circumstances, and that you should also research weapons like the Plasma Rifle and that just on the off-chance that one will be in the field (Never hurts to pick one up as a bonus insult after you blast an unsuspecting Sectoid). I never skip terror missions, and almost as rarely flee them because I found out the hard way how bad such an act can be.

 

I currently have my listening posts as just a Gravity Lift, a Long Range Scanner (To be replaced by a Hyperwave Decoder later on), a Storage Facility, and a Living Quarters. Fairly cheap, and eight armed guards are sufficient to cover the lift (I have it made into a small square, so everything boxes in the lift). Your advice does help, as despite my thorough knowledge of the game, there are some things I have not quite gotten the hang of. I thank you for the assistance, and do not be surprised if I have more questions in the future or just some stupid comments. Always room for idiocy with me.

[Silverblade-T-E]

Boxed in the lift?? NO NO NO!!

 

Always rememebr the enemy attack through the hangars and lifts, you want ot FUNNEL them.

 

.....H...H...H....

..........L.........

..........S........

.........LQ...R...

..........S........

 

That's a good base design, H hangar, L Lift, LQ living quarters, R radar, S Stores

or any kind of design off that: see the enemy must funnel through the lift.

There you can leave proximity grenades to mess theem up, hide tanks and troops behind doors and corners, send tank out to scout, snap shots with troops, throw prox grenades etc.

 

It really works a treat

[Zombie]

There is actually nothing wrong with boxing the lift in. It can be a viable offensive strategy, especially if you build Living Quarters and General Store modules around it. Depending on soldier abilities, you could kill 4 or more aliens in the first round alone.

 

Recently I started to build bases according to NKF's suggestion with the Access Lift remotely isolated off the Hangars. This seems to work quite well also. My "funnel" structure is a General Store located off the middle Hangar. Stewart's Base defensive strategy is also very good at providing a very secure choke point.

 

Whenever possible, I build my bases so that if the aliens do somehow find it, they can never show up inside. I count the total number of spawn points within my base and station that many soldiers there (only works up to 40 soldiers/spawn points). Since my men now occupy every possible spawn point in the base, the aliens never show up and I win the mission automatically. The best part is that you don't have to worry about how the structures are placed.

 

- Zombie

[Bomb Bloke]

@Silverblade-T-E: You might like to experiment with the 'code' tags. They force all text characters to be the same size, so it makes it much easier to arrange them in perfect rows and columns.

 

My tactics are more of the brute force variety - all the aliens spawn in the hangers and lift, but I don't box them off - I simply don't give them time to escape from these locations.

[JellyfishGreen]

Zombie: Do you know the number of spawn points per module

(Living quarters/stores/lift/hangars)? I could throw it into the Wiki.