The gods have descended!!

[Martian base commander]

Having won countless battles against the Beastmen I was beginning to think it would get no harder.How wrong I was! Having decided to try to recapture my territory that was attacked by the Ret rebels I instantly aborted .Admittedly this WAS fought at night,but no sooner had my squad took time to gaze at the stars 2 of them fell to the ground almost vapourized and from no apparent direction! then my squad commander started to hear voices in his head and began to pummel his team mates with his shotgun,then he fell to the ground from a terrific blast fired from...something

Have the Reticulans been made TOO difficult?.Their Psionic abilities are almost godlike,and I dont really fancy trying to fight gods,you know what I mean?!

I did manage to pull out my trusty camera and snap this gem of a shot before I reload this nightmare and try again.

 

https://img413.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s...18234242fk5.jpg

 

[Martian base commander]

I think I may have found a culprit.This little b*****d seems to be carrying a modified Reticulan rifle of some sort.

WARNING: reload the mission and abort whenever you see (if ever you DO see it) that weapon!

 

https://img251.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s...19001116uu6.jpg

 

Whatever it is it vapourised most of my squad in one shot! not to mention the little coward mind controlling my men SOMEWHERE on the level! if I cant see him how the hell does he see ME?! (must be telepathic).

I am not sure if making the game this difficult was the right move,but making it too easy would have been just as bad. *sigh*

I must keep plugging away.I have no option but to postpone my attack on the Rets and let them have the territory.I will return when I have better equipment

 

hmm,I just noticed something strange with my squad,see if you can spot what it is. HINT: it has something to do with Diego.

[duezeone]

haha! that isnt a psi weapon; the weapon with the white head and purple body is. The psi can go through walls, but I have successfully gone through a few reticulan territories without getting mindcontroled at all. I think it is because I have the Major Leadership training on one of my vets. That increases resistance to psi attacks.

 

BTW is that the reticulan base? it looks different than most of my missions on that mini map.

[Crazy Gringo]

*Begins to sing: Send in the drones.*

The expedition are a tough bunch compared to the rebels so I let them be and became their allies so they would stop doing their probing attack on my territorial borders. Once I get my drones up and running (they were nerfed due to a lot of other things being more important) the Reticulan Empire will feel the wrath of my Robots.

[Martian base commander]

duezeone.

 

My leader has secondary training at the moment,I think the problem is as Gringo said,this expedition bunch are significantly tougher than the rebels.Nonetheless,I will prevail.

This was my first assault on the Expedition (I still maintain an alliance with the original Rets),and I have ordered my scientists to shift their attentions to researching Reticulan techs from now on as this may be my only hope in understanding the Rets more,to fight fire with fire in other words.

I dont know if its THE Ret base (dont want to know either) but it was 'A' base as you can see,and a damn big one! there also appeared to be robots (static) guarding the perimeter too.

I think Gringo may have one possible answer,at least partly,and that is to use robots as they cannot be manipulated.

Oh,I DID snap this shot,showing the effectiveness of the simple grenade,as they were lobbed right over the base rooftop and slammed into a few Rets.The grenades prove great for deep penetrating attacks where the eyes cannot reach! This was not possible in :AS .Every member of my assault squad now carries 2 of each grenade...just in case

 

https://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s...19010506zu9.jpg

[Sorbicol]

I'm still in an alliance with the original Rets, but I'm beginning to think it's time to turn traitor and launch a sneak attack on the Crystal mine that they have but I need!

 

As for repelling the skirmishes I had with the Expedition Ret's, I go for the following Tactics:

 

2 x Scouts with light armour - they must be able to run - armed with shotguns.

2 x heavy weapons in heavy armour - armed with grenade launchers for preference, but must area of effect weapon!

2 x Drone backup - rocket launcher each (I find dual launchers to be unnessary)

 

Get your scouts to sprint around looking for the rets. They should be qucik enough to dodge any rockets coming their way BUT KEEP THEM MOVING! Once spotted spray fire with your grenades launchers - the reticulans never stay on their feet when hit with explosives, and this is critical to your strategy. Once they are all on the ground rush in with the scouts, put your shotgun on scatter and blast away. any unarmoured rets will go down instantly, although the armoured kind will take a couple of shots to put down permenantly. The drones are good backup for having following up missle strikes. Just keep shooting! Aim for the ground if you can't hit a specific target.

 

this has got me though every mission against them with no losses, although the two heavy weapons guys do take a few hits. The armour and the "major stability" skill has kept them on their feet no worries so far.

 

As for mind control, I've only had this happen once. Make sure your guys have good willpower and also make sure that at least one has minor leadership, preferably major. The guy who got taken over was healed by the Rets first (which was nice!) so I didn't realise he was under control until he started firing at one of the heavy weapons guys - but he did little damage and some random sprayage with the launcher soon put his controller on his backside and broke the connection. I gave the controlled guy the satisfaction of rushing up to the controller and filling it with hot lead before it had a chance to recover

 

the other thing I'll say is never take on Rets at night, you need to see them coming otherwise those rockets come in from all directions!

[Martian base commander]

Finally,I have just proven to myself that the Expedition CAN be fought against,albeit sustaining lots of damage of course,but this will surely be alleviated as soon as I boost my squads' resistance to mind attacks ect.And it was all down to the humble grenade Upon initial deployment,I got my squad into their usual battle formation,but this time I armed my leader with attack grenades and placed him on a small hill at the base of the Ret HQ.He was ready and primed to go.As soon as we made audible (I think it was sound based) contact my C.O immediately let loose both grenades over the roof and towards the suspected location of the mind control unit (MCU).The munitions erupted and took him and 2 of his pals off to Reticulan heaven.Without further ado my squad rushed for the rear entrance and blew a gaping hole into the gate and stormed inside into what looked like a sewer complex (do they shit? LOL).There my 2 pointmen got their shotguns out and waited for the inevitable next move.You know the rest by now...Ret brains began to paint the walls!

However,I DID lose my squad scout and I am considering playing this again (without the loss) or carrying on and going full ironman mode.What would you do?.

 

Current Assault squad composition (this could all change later of course).

 

1 C.O. (thats Commanding Officer for the rookies hehe).

1 x Scout (serves obvious role and will give crucial observation and target possibilities for the sniper).

1 x Heavy Weapons Unit (Harald fits this nicely,and he will carry the biggest toys,and will also provide area effect rocket support).

2 x Marines (covering each flank and providing support for Harald).

1 x combat medic (again this is self explanatory and lends further support for the front line if needed).

1 x Sniper (my Reticulan is going to fill this role,for eliminating high priority targets like Beastmen Captains ect,and MCUs!).

 

See you all tonight!

[Cpl. Facehugger]

Egads! It sounds like we've gone back to the Aftermath days, with the Reticulians kicking inordinate amounts of ass due to their nearly unbeatable rocket launcher/psi/railgun combo!

[Sorbicol]

Egads! It sounds like we've gone back to the Aftermath days, with the Reticulians kicking inordinate amounts of ass due to their nearly unbeatable rocket launcher/psi/railgun combo!

 

 

Well, it is a bit but they are beatable with the right tactics. In this game willpower does seem to give a lot of resistance to Psi based attacks, and the scouts can dodge the vast majority of incoming fire. To behonest once the Rets are on the ground due to explosives damage they are pretty easy to kill.

 

I'm more worried about the beastmen at the moment, they are getting harder to kill with some significant fire power behind them. Thank God they don't have rocket launchers!

 

So far I'm really loving this game. The tactical missions are certainly a challenge, but they are beatable with the right tactics. This is something that I could never do in Aftermath

[Martian base commander]

Ironic isnt it,I actually think the BM are easier to deal with,for obvious reasons.They are in no way as advanced or DIRTY as the Rets! I am having real problems against the Expedition forces,mainly their Psi attacks.Right,explosives are great,and do the job,but the Rets seem so hard to hit (% to hit) compared to BM,I have had moments where my entire squad is trying to lock onto 1 Ret and he manages to hit my team no problem!.

BM require basic tactics,set your front line up and let em have it,on the other hand the Rets require a different approach entirely,and I am currently doing some homework on them at the moment.

By the way,how do you increase your main attributes like Willpower?,is it the same process as giving them new skills?.

[Crazy Gringo]

Same place under peoples section under the level tab. Same method/concept as in UFO: Aftershock.

I have reached a point in the game where the going is a bit more tough but I manage as I know the weaknesses of my enemies....

The expedition will face an robotic onslaught once I get produced the right turrets and weapons. I'll see how that turns out....

[Martian base commander]

While i'm here I may as well post 2 shots from my last mission against the Expedition Force (EF from now on).As you can see my squad got into a nice position and formed a rough base,while my scout who I have made more mobile for a change legged it to the top of the cliff to get a quick fix on the enemy approach.Note also the use of lasers (basic I know) in the hope of at least not being out of range this time.

Sure enough the onslaught came,in the form of not 1 but about 3 rocketmen and numerous soldiers!!.I immediately tried to open fire but I wasnt in range (sigh) and they were,naturally.I was instantly caught in a vicious crossfire of energy and rockets,not to mention some bleedin MCU doing his shit on,Benat is it?,I forget now.I faced the fact that no way could I avert this disaster,and aborted (having saved it of course).

What I plan to do now is let these twats take my lands if they want to,as I pull back and invade BM territory and take theirs at the same time,and it is working.I know exactly how to deal with them,all I need is a nice big rocket,that is all,and a good sniper rifle,you wait and see.

I WILL wreak terrible vengeance on this new cheating strain of cowards in the end,mark my words! countless times I have pathetically pleaded with them to stop this war and they wont have it.

...Mercy is not an option now.

 

Preparation:

https://img258.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s...19205601bk6.jpg

 

Not a prayer of hope:

https://img116.imageshack.us/my.php?image=s...19205750tf1.jpg

 

See you in a bit no doubt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I reckon you may have got the right idea Gringo about using machines against them.Makes sense really,they dont have a bloody brain

[Crazy Gringo]

I gotta ask you, Blueblood. How are those scientific lasers working against the EF?

I never ever use lasers against them as they even in their most basic armor have extreme high resistance to laser damage.

I would suit up with dual-wield pistols/shotguns to some fast runners and bumprush the heck out of them. Heck even rifles on fullauto will do the job. Just any weapon that there is faster then the mind controller (3 seconds worth).

And if one of your team gets MC'ed then run like no tomorrow away from him and find that MC and end it's day.

[Martian base commander]

First off CG the answer to your question is "absolutely shit",the basic lasers in my opinion are a bleedin waste of time and should be left for the damn welders to do the pipework ect.I only tried them because on paper their range looked good and I was hoping to outgun the EF purely on range and sacrificing firepower.Sadly,they dont even TRY to come close to the Ret rifles in either dept.

The best tactic so far for me is to use grenades,and lots of em.I set up my base of fire as usual and when I get a feeling they may be coming close I create a sort of blanketing screen with the grenades and it bloody works.Smoke grenades could be great here

I have also found my fast running scout is able to kill off MCUs quick enough,by arming him with the standard of 2 DGs and 2 AGs he is no longer a sitting duck when he zeros the enemy .

I CAN actually fight the EF fairly competently,its just the MCUs that are the danger so far,and their extreme range

[Cpl. Facehugger]

So I take it that Reticulian armor and shields aren't particularly vulnerable to human projectile weapons like they were in AS/AM?

[Accounting Troll]

The most dangerous weapons that the two Reticulan factions have are their mind controllers. Although mind controllers can work through walls, they have a slow rate of fire and their range isn't all that great.

 

Don't fight the Reticulans at night time. Human soldiers can't see very far, but Reticulan soldiers can detect a human or Reticulan opponent halfway across the map, and they don't need a visual sighting to be able to target an opponent.

 

Look for a good vantage point where you can gun down the Reticulans before they can get close enough to mind control your forces. Remember that your Reticulan soldiers can psionically detect enemy Reticulans before they enter visual range.

 

Reticulan armour is highly efective against lasers, but poor against projectile weapons. The Gatling gun is ideal for going up against the Reticulans as it has excellent range, damage capability and rate of fire.

[Cpl. Facehugger]

Reticulan armour is highly efective against lasers, but poor against projectile weapons. The Gatling gun is ideal for going up against the Reticulans as it has excellent range, damage capability and rate of fire.

 

Ah-ha! I knew that good old bullets were the way to go! There's no kill like kinetic kill!

[Martian base commander]

Well I finally succeeded against the EF! and no casualties too,however much damage was sustained mind you.What I learned was this:

 

Speed is crucial above all else.You must be able to react quickly enough to threats when they arise,and heavy armour puts you at a severe disadvantage here.The MCUs MUST be eliminated as top priority targets,which makes a sniper or two even more important for anti EF missions!.My scout performed admirably behind the front line,lobbing grenades where needed .

I also learned that my Medic needs to operate more quickly,so next time he will be in the lighter ballistic suit.

I actually think that speed and movement is better than armour and immobility (not always though).After all,the very same thing helped to outdo the mighty German 'King Tiger' tanks in WWII.Having said that though the punishing '88 that the Germans used (on their tanks too) proved that range and firepower is also crucial together with all other factors.

I still need that sniper though,who will excel in anti MCU operations hehe.

 

Interesting Troll what you said about Reticulan observation skills,therefore they would make great scouts,on the downside their speed as not as good as a human,or is it?.

 

Time to get all that Ret gear I salvaged studied now

[Crazy Gringo]

Just for the fun of it I fooled around with the various vision modes and discovered that the reticulan expedition basic armor shields them from infrared detection.

I knew those buggers were coldhearted SOB's. I guess that's confirmed now.

[Sorbicol]

That's good because beastmen are invisible on infravision as well! Thanks for tip Gringo

 

Lasers are ineffective against the Rets - use explosives and projectiles instead. I'm also getting to the point that the rets are really really tough to kill. I've also noted that their medics appear to be able to resurrect the dead! Once of my scouts laid waste with the shottie last night only for the buggers to start reviving Zombie style while he was reloading.

 

Can't stress enough here that rockets and greade launchers are the way to go here. Rets get knocked over so easily and one they are down very easy for your scouts to rush in and finish off. Just keep and eye out for the mind controller hiding round the corner

 

Lasers (especially the cannons) are highly effective against robots and martians, plus they have a good range (more so when scoped) so I do find them very useful for covering fire against Beastmen. Don't under estimate the human laser weapons. They certainly have their uses. I had two drones take out about 10 robots last night just armed with twin laser cannons

 

Also noted in the library that ret armour appears very vunerable to fire as well. Might be worth some phosphorus missiles or 'nades? Need more chemicals before I can make them myself!)

 

I am also debating breaking my alliance with the original Rets as well so that I can ally with the expedition forces. I have to admit going up against them is becoming increasingly difficult so I guess an alliance might well be the way forward so I can irradicate the annoying but beatable beastmen! So far the Martians and Robots appear very very easy to beat. Bit worried about that, they must have something really nasty hidden away somewhere!

[Accounting Troll]

Don't forget that when you break your treaty with the Reticulan rebels, they will start attacking you. The soldiers they sent you will quit, bhut you will get some replacements once you have your alliance with the expedition force. I *erm* flushed mine in a suicide attack on the Beastmen before I broke the treaty.

 

The EF will automatically call off any attacks they are in the middle of conducting on your teritory.

 

EDIT: oh yes, and I find that Reticulans are pretty good medics as well as scouts thanks to the Reticulan psionic healing device.

[Crazy Gringo]

Somehow the Reticulan Rebels that joined me stayed when I decided to remove their fellow beings from the surface of Mars.

The Proof!

[Accounting Troll]

You mean I flushed them for nothing? Aren't there even any fights between them back at your base?

 

I've just discovered that your drones can be very useful against the rebel Reticulans once they've completed one or two missions and been given the chip upgrades. Drones are immune to Reticulan psionic weapons, but lasers and rocket launchers need to be treated with respect.

[duezeone]

when I broke my treaty they left me, but when I me the expedition race I was given 3 new ones.

[Sorbicol]

when I broke my treaty they left me, but when I me the expedition race I was given 3 new ones.

 

Ditto.

 

 

As for war with the reticulans I had one last skirmish with the EF Rets which left 5 of my team in hospital, Pierre in the morge and two of my most experiences drones in little piles of metal So far Pierre is my only loss.

 

After this I broke my alliance with the original rets and made peacy with the EF forces. The original Rets are much easier foes to deal with, it would just be nice if I could get some decent armour for my new reticulan buddies you get after allying with the Expidition forces.

 

Anyway, one thing I have noticed if you are looking for super weapons against reticulans generally - us the Phosphorus missiles. Might not look like they do a lot of initial damage but after the hit they all burn to death in a very satisfying manner. I was having continual problems with other Rets healing the soliders I had crippled but not quite killed, but the phosphorus missle put 10 down at once in one mission and they didn't get up again

 

Highly effective!