Game guide for FNGs wanted

[Tepid tasoth]

I plan on purchasing Apocalypse in the not so far future. I've played EU and TFTD before and saved mankind and earth numerous times (yeah, I'm a hero I suppose... ). Can anyone give an Alien War 1&2 hardened veteran some tips on proper Apoc game play?

 

Edit: I already know that I should let the CoS have a hard time.

[Bomb Bloke]

Aliens that are high up can be killed by shooting out the floor supports.

[Tepid tasoth]

Great, that means they'll gonna drop like flies, hehe. Do I get some sort of penalty (repair bill or something) for destroying the floor, or can I blow up the whole place just like I used to do in TFTD and EU?

[NKF]

Unfortunately, companies care a lot about property damage. So if you want to keep them happy, do as little damage as you can to the building when clearing them out. This means means use your rockets and other explosive weapons sparingly. Don't worry about the civilians. The owners of the building don't care for them, nor do the aliens.

 

There are lots of tips for efficient playing of this game, it would take forever to suggest even a good portion of them. But here's one:

 

If you're playing real-time combat, grenades can be set to detonate on impact with a right click. You can't set them to this mode in RT combat otherwise. In this mode the grenade won't explode until it hits the ground. Great for when you really can't be bothered picking the exact timer setting.

 

- NKF

[Tepid tasoth]

Oh... So that means Apoc is the exact opposite to EU when it comes to property damage and civvies.

 

Will the grenade go off when it is actually thrown and then hits the ground or really ANY time it hits the ground (like soldiers becoming uncoscious, panicking, etc.)?

 

BTW, what do you prefer, RT or TB battle? I think I won't be able to wrap my mind around RT combat, TB just seems so much easier because I have all the time I need to think about my next moves.

[Kret]

Well, you can still pause in RT, so you can spend time thinking either way. In regards of being easier, don't make that mistake, in one mode you will face dangers that you normally wouldn't concern yourself too much about in the other mode. BTW, RT is the only one of the two that allows for grenades to detonate mid-air . Nothing like gasing flying aliens for the fun of it.

 

In regards of the grenade detonation in RT, I think I remember it being when it hits the ground no matter how it reached there, this method can also be used with mines. However, since you don't use TU in RT, there really shouldn't be a reason for you to pre-prime them for later use, just prime them as you're about to throw them.

[Gimli]

Personally, in Apocalypse I prefer RT, simply because pathfinding in TB is not quite perfect. However, I recommend playing both, each is a different experience. One important difference between the TB of UFO and TFTD on one side and Apoc on the other is the reactions system. While in the first 2 the only reaction was shooting, in Apoc it can be movement as well. If the aliens opt for moving then they'll search for a hiding spot, which means you won't be able to shoot them. For your units it will be determined depending on the agression mode you chose.

There are many differences, some are better some are worse, you'll have to see that for yourself.

 

On an unrelated note, recently I noticed a button that I am unfamiliar with. In the tactical game, the briefing button changes to this human icon. However, I can't press it, so what I'm wondering is what it's for? Didn't find this in the manual.

[Kret]

In the briefing you say? You mean after the game's done pre-loading tactical where you can choose RT or TB? I think it was to access your teams and change them before actually starting the mission. I'm not absolutely sure tho. You sure you can't press it?

[Gimli]

This one:

[Kret]

Oh, isn't that the button to access the soldier equipment screen? Try selecting a unit and see if you can use it then.

[Gimli]

Nope, when it's my turn it's the Mission briefing button, and the equip agent button is above the level buttons.

[Kret]

Guess I'll have to fire up the game and find out then.

[Bomb Bloke]

Apocalypse has a "complex" (read: semi-random) political scene. Certain organisations will ally with others, or wage war on them. Beating up one organisation will influence their opinion of you, as well as the opinions of companies who are with and/or against your targets.

 

This means that beating up the Cult may make enemies out of more important powers on the map.

 

If you make an organisation unhappy, they will start to demand money. This is the common response if you deal too much damage to a building, either with your soldiers or your craft. They have to pay to repair things, but don't let this encourage your destructive urges. You lose points with the goverment for razing buildings, and even if you throw your enemies way into the negative funds range, they'll still equip their soldiers/craft with the latest and greatest weapons.

 

Aliens attacking buildings lowers your score, but makes the afflicated companies like you. Better yet, they'll usually scramble their forces on the spot to attack the rouge UFOs. Perhaps for this reason UFOs usually won't fire unless they see a threat. Megapol police cars will (usually) fight by your side with no provocation from the aliens.

 

Bully someone too much and they will ally with the aliens. This is different to where the aliens infiltrate them, but has much the same end effect. You can sabotage alien infiltration not only by killing greys, but by hunting down transport craft that belong to known defectors.

 

Not all alien incursions are reported to you, so if you believe there to be an alien presence in a certain building feel free to send your forces there to take a look. Don't expect the structures owners to be too happy if you don't find anything there, though.

 

Other companies will fight amongst themselves, both in tactical battles (which you can't see, but which are reported to you) and in the air above the city (allowing you to send in your own craft to tip the balance, if you wish). Stray shots often lead to ill feelings between certain factions; the police may announce war on the goverment, who might end up allying with the crime syndicates against the medical authorities... You'll see a different system emerge with each and every game.

[Gimli]

One important note: there are companies that you definitely should not lose, especially early on, when you depend on them. Government, Marsec and Megapol are some of the most important. I had the bad luck of loosing Marsec very early on which almost led to a complete disaster. The only thing that saved me was that prior to losing Marsec I managed to shoot down a Transporter UFO, which allowed me access to the Dimension Probe and the BioTransport. I believe however that even without these it is possible to beat the game, but it becomes VERY difficult, to the point where it depends purely on luck meaning the aliens sending a mothership on a destruction rampage and the city organizations shooting it down. However, the destruction missions happen are pretty rare, and it is possible that you don't survive long enough.

Right now I have a fleet of 1 Valkyrie, 1 Hoverbike (both are what survived of my fleet before Marsec turned its back on me), 1 Dimension Probe and... 12 BioTransports armed with Light Disruptor Beams. I got lucky and the aliens went on a destruction mission, resulting in a Mothership crash, which led to getting Light Disruptor Beams. I have managed to shoot down a Mothership later and got Medium Disuptor Beams, but I don't have any vehicles that can carry them. Now I have to get UFO type 5 to get the Explorer. Sadly, I don't know which one is type 5, I assume it could be Assault ship, or possibly the Destroyer.

By the way, I've managed to take out about 1/3rd of the alien dimension fleet with the Biotransports before they were wiped out.

[Kret]

Another organization you probably don't want to get on bad terms is Transtellar. Without them, people will have to walk from base to base when transfered or you can "manually" transfer them with the vehicles. And you won't be able to transfer equipment either, but you can bypass this by selling the stuff from one base and buying it from the other. If it's X-Com produced, the transfer will be instant, if it's produced by another organization you'll have to wait for the deliveries.

 

Additional notes on the alien attacking buildings is that while the organization that owns it will "hate" the aliens and thus start to like you when you down their UFOs and eliminate the alien forces it will make the organizations that "hate" the attacked one "like" the aliens and effectively make them "hate" you as you kill aliens. I think I've made it sound more complex than it really is.

[Bomb Bloke]

Another organization you probably don't want to get on bad terms is Transtellar.

Keeping in mind that they own every second tile or so... And that destroying one often leads to a chain reaction that wipes out an entire series of transport tubes... There's no real way to keep Transtellar happy.

[Kret]

Actually, since most damage comes from the UFOs themselves it should make it easier to keep transtellar happy with you as they'll start to hate the aliens when that happens.

[NKF]

In theory, it should keep them very happy. In practice, they're the one organisation that gets ticked off anyway. They've got one of the lowest infiltration factors, which I guess also makes them less tolerant to any damage done by you.

 

One, some rather important notes to keep in mind:

 

When you're just starting the game, don't go overboard with the resource raids on enemy organisations. You've got plenty of equipment that you can use at the start, but don't go squandering it. If you must pump an enemy full of bullets, get right up close to it. Don't waste your time taking autoshots from half way across the map. If you're concerned that your agents will not be able to train thanks to taking minor damage from moving up to the enemies before you open fire, hire a couple of androids. They can't train but have generous starting stats, which makes them as valuable as HWP/SWS for attracting enemy fire. Also, make as much use of the stun grapple as you can. It's amazing how much ammo you can save with this device. Also if you don't mind a bit of daylight robbery, nip into the Marsec Arms Factory (Squat yellow structure, Megapol has the only other armoury in the city) and steal a power sword. This weapon is slightly more powerful than the alien's most powerful bread-and-butter troop weapon the devestator cannon, but lacks the range. It's a recharging weapon, so you can save some of your precious ammo.

 

The reason why I say you shouldn't go overboard on enemy raids early in the game (of any type - real raids or the nasty 'stun' raid) is that alien tech is triggered based on your score level. If you accelerate your score too quickly, you may find yourself struggling to keep up. So take it slow and easy at the start. Don't go out of your way to shoot down every UFO that pops into the city, just shoot down key UFOs or the one or two that you can, but leave the rest alone. To keep battles in the city short, handle the core terror sites (i.e. the initial drop site) as quickly as you can to minimise the infestation of the area (try to remember these spots for a few game hours, and use the top 10 graph to get an idea of which organisations in that area are being infiltrated). To get a quick bead on who owns what in the city, go to the cityscape's overhead map display. Go to the relations tab and select the company that you want to look up. All buildings owned by whatever company you selected will be surrounded by a white selection box. You can often make a fairly accurate guess of where the aliens may be festering this way by looking at buildings close to the terror sites.

 

Also, though it may sound strange to you, don't worry about letting any aliens flee the map. This keeps your overall points down and fleeing aliens do not amount to any heavy changes in infiltration levels in adjacent building. Even if you manage to wipe all the aliens out before any flee, adjacent areas may still get some infestation.

 

One more very important note: One of the first medium sized UFOs that you meet, the type 3 Alien Transporter, is a very rare UFO that will only appear very briefly. It's larger than the first two UFO types that you encounter and is purple. Whatever it takes, shoot one of these down and capture it. It bottlenecks your advanced ship research, and if you don't get one, you may never get it again. At least, not that easily as it will not show up very often (if at all) later on. Getting it and the related UFO components will unlock the dimension probe, which you can skip and head straight onto the Biotrans (not to be confused with the module).

 

Finally, one more quick note: when going into a mission zone, only one bio module and storage module are needed to grab ALL the stunned aliens and loot in a mission. No matter what their capacity reads, you your agents can cram anything into them. Seriously. Don't be surprised if you leave a mission with a storage module reading 1456/50. This means no more than one storage and bio module are necessary at a mission site.

 

- NKF

[Gimli]

One more very important note: One of the first medium sized UFOs that you meet, the type 3 Alien Transporter, is a very rare UFO that will only appear very briefly. It's larger than the first two UFO types that you encounter and is purple. Whatever it takes, shoot one of these down and capture it. It bottlenecks your advanced ship research, and if you don't get one, you may never get it again. At least, not that easily as it will not show up very often (if at all) later on. Getting it and the related UFO components will unlock the dimension probe, which you can skip and head straight onto the Biotrans (not to be confused with the module).

 

What he said. Not getting the BioTrans effectively means you won't be able to finish the game, unless you have a huge amount of luck and get a Type 3 UFO again. I think it has been at least a month or possibly two since the aliens have started sending the Type 9 and 10 UFOs, and no other ships (apart form the escorts and the Overspawn) have ever come to the city again. Although I have a sneaking suspicion it might be related to me not shooting them down.

 

Let me repeat once again: do not lose Marsec, Megapol or the Government or you will feel serious consequences. I lost Marsec and have been struggling to survive. While I had a period where almost every organization not under aliens was allied with me, it is getting worse again, so I'll have to work quickly and destroy the alien dimension before everyone turns against me. Actually, it wouldn't be so bad if the UFOs didn't explode upon impact with the ground in the alien dimension. Because I can shoot down the UFOs there, but I can't initiate a mission (probably due to the landscape).

 

You know, the more I think about it, the sadder I am that the game was never finnished. It had so much potential it could have been a masterpiece, despite the story being very tangential. Just think of all those items that where planned, then the VIP missions... I wonder if the VIP missions were conducted to rip an organization out of Alien control. I wish more organizations had an effect on you. You know what would have been interesting? A black market of a sort where you could get equipment, but at an increased price. So if you're in a situation like me, for example, you would be able to ally yourself with criminal organizations to get equipment. Of course, this would yield consequences.

[Bomb Bloke]

Hunting down those pesky UFOs can be tricky as they're fast and they usually don't appear anywhere near your bases.

 

Leaving your craft in the sky near the portals isn't an option (at least, not in the earlier stages of the game), but there's nothing to stop you from choosing some random hanger to park them in. Doesn't matter who owns it.

[Stun Grenade]

Hunting down those pesky UFOs can be tricky as they're fast and they usually don't appear anywhere near your bases.

 

Leaving your craft in the sky near the portals isn't an option (at least, not in the earlier stages of the game), but there's nothing to stop you from choosing some random hanger to park them in. Doesn't matter who owns it.

 

Save the game. Play until you know when the UFO's arrive. Note the time. Re-load the game. Wait until the time approaches and send the craft to all the portals. BLAM!

 

Cheating? Nah....

[Gimli]

This is a very good FAQ, it has virtually everything you need to know apart from a tree view of research, but Gamespot has that.

 

Edit: Note that if you search for "Fermier" in that guide, you'll notice that the FAQ writer reffers to one Rob Fermier. This is also the name of one of 3 founders of Irrational Games. While it is possible that it's another person, it doesn't seem very likely. In this case, all 3 of the founding members are fans of X-COM. If X-COM is in their hands, then it seems it is in good hands.

[Tepid tasoth]

Wow... so many great replies. Thanks guys!