Something I haven't seen for years

[Hobbes]

I've started a game with NKF's no starting base challenge, and to make it harder I used XComUtil's Research Help From Aliens activated (to make the research take longer) and its Improved Laser Weapons (which prevent mass manufacturing of Laser Cannons to sell for cash).

 

January was spent mainly to set up the new base, which got me a negative rating and a threat at the end of the month for the project to be terminated.

Then February to June everything seemed to be going OK. My base was slowly being built and by July I had already managed to get Personal Armor and Laser Rifle researched. I even had a Snakeman terror site but lots of rockets and cannons took care of the Chryssalids.

Meanwhile I noticed that the difficulty level was set for the lowest setting so i used XComUtil to increase it to Superhuman. So, July cames and I finally have a half decent team, nearly all equipped with lasers and personal armor. Meanwhile I have 30 scientists and 30 engineers, which combined with the rest account for more than 3.5 million each month. I have to raise that amount by selling looted alien equipment and building motion scanners since funding from the countries is 0.

 

By the middle of July I fail to detect any craft but a Terror Site appears on Moscow. After the Skyranger lands I found that the landing zone has 8 Snakemen close by, together with a few Chryssalids. By turn 3 the only survivors are the HWP and a soldier so they retreat. Meanwhile nearly all Personal Armor and Lasers are lost.

Meanwhile the end of the month arrives and I am forced to sell some Elerium to foot for the 3.5 million bill. And at the end report I get a warning because of my -1350 score

So August arrives and I shot down a Medium Scout, hoping to retrieve some loot. But when my soldiers arrive they discover that there's 4 Ethereals on the wreckage (!). They fail to make any kills on the first turn, so a grenade tossed by the aliens kills 3 of them, while one of my men gets mind controlled and uses his HC to kill 4 more. Mission (and game) ends when all of my units are lost.

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

[Gimli]

Wow, that's terrible! Happened to me too on Superhuman, though. How come you only had 30 scientists, though? I almost immediatelly go for 50. Or is it something that was modified through X-COM Util?

[FullAuto]

Harsh. I need to start a new game on Superhuman, actually. It's been ages since I lost, and I may be getting soft in my old age...

[Hobbes]

Wow, that's terrible! Happened to me too on Superhuman, though. How come you only had 30 scientists, though? I almost immediatelly go for 50. Or is it something that was modified through X-COM Util?

 

Basically, because of no $$$$$$. The problem is that with NKF's challenge you start the game with no initial base (no craft, no soldiers, no weapons, no scientists) AND all the funding from countries is reduced to 0. So, at the end of the month the money in bank has to be equal to your operating costs or you'll have a negative balance after everything is paid for. Manpower isn't cheap.....

 

If you add to that the increased research time of XComUtil and the fact that you cannot mass produce Laser Cannons to bring a steady income, you are basically stuck with selling the loot from recovered UFOs. I came to August with only 1 base, and I had only researched Laser Weapons, Motion Scanners, Laser Pistol, Laser Rifle, Alien Alloys, Personal Armor and E-115.

 

Oh, and of course I played with no reloading from saved games

 

Actually this is a nice challenge and I only realized how easy the first months were when I noticed that the difficulty was originally set for the lowest level.

[Mouse Nightshirt]

Losing is tough ain't it? The PSX losing movie makes it all the more terrible too. NKF's challenge is a bugger, I gave up

[Azrael Strife]

I can lose in beginner, beat that!

[NKF]

My challenge is simple enough and it can certainly be done. Hobbes additional challenges on top of that make it seem almost hopeless.

 

Hobbes, I seem to recall that I saved and tested that game in a superhuman game. Wonder how it reverted to beginner?

 

- NKF

[Hobbes]

NKF, just rechecked and XComUtil shows the saved challenge game as Beginner level, not Superhuman. Maybe the problem is that I am using the DOS version.

 

One thing I noticed about your challenge is how critical it is to build a Hangar, Stores and Quarters immediately. Without those you will surely miss the 1st terror site (and even with them it might take too long for the soldiers/Skyranger to arrive).