Opinions about my performance, and ask for advice

[fjgaspar]

Help,

 

I have just begun to play this game some days ago, in the beginers level. You are probably veterans here, and probably you find it easy. But it's my first time playing this game, and I guess I'm doing badly... in some sense.

 

I'm at begining of June, first year. I have one main base, in USA, and I have just begun to build second one in Europe. In research and manufacture, I have yet plasma cannon for my interceptors (which leads me to another question later on). I have about 14 million $ in cash, almost 6 million each month in manteinances, and a few thousands dollar more than 6 millions of income from XCOM members. I also have flying suits. So, in research, I got not so bad. Also, in missions, I have just been killed two or three soldiers. So I think I'm doing not so bad here too.

 

100 Scientifists, 20 engineers, and 22 soldiers. One Captain, two Sargents, the rest, soldiers and rookies.

At the begining of the game, I let pass the oportunity of capturing a Sectoid leader, who would lead me to psi research. I didn't know about stun rods, and from then, I only get UFO's with leaders and Terror Sites without Sectoids, so I am not able to manage the PSI research. I'm very afraid of the arrival of Ethereals. Is there any thing that can be done to force a Sectoid leader appearance?

 

Another question is that each month, I only get about one/two missions, both UFO intercepting, or terror sites. Is normal so little activity? By the time I build new facilities and bases, and hire more soldiers, the monthly expenses are going to increase very much above the nations income, so I need to get money from missions with UFO's and Terror Sites (and soon, bases, but I would prefer have trained PSI soldiers before search and assault any alien base).

 

Last question. As I say, I have very little UFO activity (no more than 3 or for detectings a month, and, of those, 1 or 2 escape from my interceptors, so it leaves just two or three missions a month). If I equip my interceptors with plasma cannons, I'm going to destroy every UFO smaller than LARGE UFO's, so no money from them, also. It's worth the risk of spent one whole month without any revovery mission, with the benefit of been able to got down a LARGE Ufo, which will have more stuff to recover?

 

Thanks

[silencer_pl]

Tip nr 1.

 

In UFO you can destroy every large UFO except V.Large with interceptors. Though plasma cannon have lower range than avalanche, every UFO has shorter attack range. When using avalnaches you need luck with 2 interceptors that each missile hit.

 

Tip nr 2. Although USA is good starting position because it funds you the most, in many playthroughs USA has the least UFO encouters.

 

In my recent playthrough (Superhuman) I am at February and have flying suits - yeah I surprised even myself.

My first base was in Tibet mountains and by the end of january I have accumualted 400 Elerium. Had plenty of landed UFOs. I guess I was lucky, but Central Asia is a very bountiful in UFOs in all my playthroughs.

 

Tip nr 3. Check the graphs regualry it shows UFOs activity over regions so you can check where you should build base or try to patrol the region.

 

Tip nr 4. You should hire more engineers. Building Ultimate craft takes ridicolous ammount of time. With 3 workshops you can assign 114 engineers for it

 

About sectoid leader - no you can't force it - they might be gone on the mid part of the game, there might be occasion that they will build base or attack your base. You must capture navigator to get the Hyper wave decoder - this goes to :

 

Tip nr 5. No of missions per month is random and depends where aliens do their missions. Your basic radars have very small chance of detecting UFO - 30% for large one 15% for small one (someone correct me if I am wrong). The numbers of radars dosen't increase the chance, but there is a trick with combining large and small one. The Hyper wave decoder that you will get after researching Alien Navigator has 100% chance of detection. Also you must take not that radars check are made every 30 minutes of game time so it can happen that UFO may flyby your radars and never be detected beacuse of the time check

 

Tip nr 6. Many information you can find at https://www.ufopaedia.org/ This page contains many usefull information about the game mechanics.

 

My final conclusion - if you are not failing at playing this game, you are doing OK.

[Bomb Bloke]

X-COM is sorta like chess - it's possible to do very badly throughout the game yet still win, and doing it like that is much more satisfying in the end.

 

You have lots of money. Go spend some. More engineers would be good, just as silencer says - try not to drop below about 8-10mill, but don't worry about it too much, heavy plasmas sell for a fortune and you only collect more of the things as the game goes on....

 

Re the plasma cannons, make sure you only order your interceptors to make "standard" or "cautious" attacks while using them. This means your ships will fire from their maximum range, which exceeds that of any UFO other then the battleship (preventing the enemy from returning fire at all, assuming the range is maintained).

 

Some UFOs will charge your interceptors anyway, forcing you to either break off or take heavy damage. But long story short, plasma cannons essentially allow you to shoot down nearly as many large craft as you encounter, so long as your interceptors have enough time to catch them.

 

The aliens will create hidden bases around the world. You can find these by ordering your ships to locations you think they're at, then having them patrol for a short period. Do this if the aliens have a high activity rating in an area. Likewise, if you see a group of UFOs land in a single zone, odds are a base will be there shortly afterwards.

 

Once you've located an alien base and determined the race that inhabits it, don't think you have to destroy it right away. If it's a Sectoid base, then the supply ship that regularly lands nearby will always have that leader you're after. If it's a Floater base, then consider building a base of your own nearby! Raiding their supply ships as they land means you don't risk your interceptors, you don't risk having the UFO power supplies explode, and Floaters just so happen to be the weakest alien race overall (as their one "gimmick", flying, is not one they take advantage of).

[NKF]

Also don't be afraid to expand your bases by starting small and building listening bases. They are a cheap and efficient way to expand your detection range. They consist simply of the lift and a small or large radar. This helps you keep track of UFOs better in areas that your main base cannot cover, so you at least know where the aliens are operating. If the listening baes are detected and destroyed, they are easy to rebuild.

 

As you earn more money, you can upgrade them by adding interceptors. Then slowly upgrade them further by adding soldiers to defend the base and other special features like changing the radars to a hyperwave decoder and adding a mind shield.

 

There is one money saving tip for when you are buying new bases. All of the funding countries will charge different amounts of money for you to construct new bases in their region. Building a base in Europe for example costs $1 million. If you start a new game, it's often a good idea to start the first base in such a country, as the first base doesn't cost anything. This way when you expand and build other bases in other areas, they won't cost as much.

 

If your main base isn't in Europe and you're planning to build a base there, try and see if you can build the base close to Europe rather than directly in it. Building in North Africa instead of Germany can provide a considerable savings and is close enough for a hyperwave decoder to cover the rest of Europe fine. Later in the game money isn't that big an issue, but it is always handy to know where you can make savings early in the game.

 

- NKF

[fjgaspar]

Thanks for your answer. Now I have the Main Base at USA, another with three hangars (one left empty to construct the Avenger, which is already researched and ready to manufacture),one workshop and living quarters and warehouse and large radar other base in China (begining to construct) to put radars and hangars for interceptors (when I have avengers), and 23 million dollars. But the last 8 missions, including one alien base assault, have been snakes and crisalids all of them. Some landed ufo's, some crashed Ufo's, two terror sites and one allien base, all full of f**king snakes. I guess that I'm going to have to wait until one Ethereal mission appears, and pray to be able to capture one of them alive and one of my soldier survives, to research the psi thing, because I'm afraid no more sectoids leaders will cross my way before that.

 

And, as I supossed, as long as I attack any UFO smaller than large with Plasma Cannon, the UFO is destroyed, so the smalls ones have to be crashed with stingrays yet.

[chiasaur11]

Thanks for your answer. Now I have the Main Base at USA, another with three hangars (one left empty to construct the Avenger, which is already researched and ready to manufacture),one workshop and living quarters and warehouse and large radar other base in China (begining to construct) to put radars and hangars for interceptors (when I have avengers), and 23 million dollars. But the last 8 missions, including one alien base assault, have been snakes and crisalids all of them. Some landed ufo's, some crashed Ufo's, two terror sites and one allien base, all full of f**king snakes. I guess that I'm going to have to wait until one Ethereal mission appears, and pray to be able to capture one of them alive and one of my soldier survives, to research the psi thing, because I'm afraid no more sectoids leaders will cross my way before that.

 

And, as I supossed, as long as I attack any UFO smaller than large with Plasma Cannon, the UFO is destroyed, so the smalls ones have to be crashed with stingrays yet.

 

Sectoids might show again. It happens.

 

And snakes are just a reason to fast track jetpacks.

 

 

(And even small UFOs CAN survive a run in with plasma. Just rarer.)

[Knan]

not so bad. Also, in missions, I have just been killed two or three soldiers. So I think I'm doing not so bad here too.

 

You're doing ridiculously well. After fifteen years, I still consider terror sites a success if less than half the squad is killed. (power/flying suits improve that, but no casualties is rare nevertheless)

[chiasaur11]

You're doing ridiculously well. After fifteen years, I still consider terror sites a success if less than half the squad is killed. (power/flying suits improve that, but no casualties is rare nevertheless)

 

Beginner?

 

Because on Superhuman I can totally see that, but on beginner, that's bad luck.

 

My last ironman run had, let me see, one terror mission go that bad for the primary contact team. And that was "Bring back a Sectoid leader or don't come back at all".

 

Other than that, two was a high bodycount, and three was sloppy. Sent an armored team into a Muton base without any psi. Clean sweep. Four members of the starting lineup lived to see the credits.

 

It was Easy company stuff.

 

...But it sounds like I'm bragging how good I am. No, I'm not that good. My first base was just that lucky.

 

Eurocom... got that kind of casualties. Perpetually.

[fjgaspar]

Ok, forgot those stupid sectoid leaders. This morning, I have downed a small UFO. I have going to the mission, and surprise!! Ethereals. I have got one of them rounded by 4 soldiers (fortunately it was standing near of my landing point, I have knocked it out (after some soldier mind contolled). I have picked it up, go to my ship and aborted the mission with just two cassualties. Now I'm researching PSI, and attacking all not Ethereal ships. (When I get to a mission, if I notice that they are ethereals, abort the mission before anybody is mind controlled. I will see their faces when I have PSI soldiers hehe.

[silencer_pl]

It would be easier for you to research Hyper wave decoder from alien navigator.

[fjgaspar]

Yes but first, I have to capture an alive alien navigator, and to do that with safe, I have to train some psi soldiers.

 

Fortunately, I have not seen more Ethereals. What I have now in all missions are snakes.

[NKF]

A navigator from any species will do. If you've got Mind Probes, then you can find them easily and either use a stun rod or small launcher to capture them.

 

That's another thing, if you've got soldiers that stay behind in the Skyranger, have them help out by using the mind probe. The TU status of the aliens you are attacking is often a very useful thing to know.

 

- NKF

[Alienated]

I will see their faces when I have PSI soldiers hehe.

Don't cheer early. You can't do anything to ethereals' psi attacks. You can see a soldier psi strength after a month of training and chances are good that the soldier is going to be psi weak. If you build ten psi labs and fill them in with soldiers, then you can get about ten psi strong soldier per month. The cheapest and safest solution is to shoot down the ethereals' crafts but ignore the crash sites. Build hovertanks and send them to the final mission.

 

Three detections per month means you miss a lot of UFOs. Your radar net is rather holey.

[fjgaspar]

Hi again,

 

I don't have much time to play the game, but I have done some advances. I have the Hiperwave Decoder (lucky question, I just captured a Snakeman Navigator by chance). And since I have built Hiperwave in all my four bases, It doesn't take more than one day in game until I have to shut down an UFO and go for it. So I have now plenty of money.

 

In the psionic cuestion, I have two psi-labs in two of my bases, one in each other to, and I'm rising the second in those two bases. In my first 50 soldiers trained (the 10 more are in way to the fourth base, I hadn't time enough to have them ready at the begining of month), I have got more than 70% with PSI strenght greater than 60, and I think (I haven't counted it) that more or less about 40% of them greater than 80.

 

I have fired all soldiers with psi-strenght lower than 20, but between 20 and 50, I can take them to missions against sectoids or ethereals, just for bait for the psi attacks from them. I keep them completely unarmed, and take them to scout.

 

Now, my best psi soldier has 95 strenght and 28 skill, and I have successfully mind control twice, one snakeman and one floater. I have to wait until one or more soldiers have skill above 60 to be able to attack an alien base that I have in asia. I don

[NKF]

You don't have to use the remaining bases as full bases. They can just be small listening and intercept outposts, to help improve your coverage and provide additional interception support.

 

- NKF

[fjgaspar]

Ok, NFK, thanks. Is what I thought. But, anyway, those 4 bases configured as intercept outposts, are worth defending them with 10 to 15 well trained soldiers, and a few tanks, or is better defending them with just fusion ball, grav and mind shield, and if some alien finds them just lose them and build again?

[silencer_pl]

3-4 Fussion defences + grav shield = inpenetrable base. If you add mind shield chances of detection are very slim. I don't know the numbers but I can guess that aliens will never find that base.

 

3 fussion balls destroy battleship, but there is 1% chance that it will miss so 4 is the right number, more is just waste of money.

[Bomb Bloke]

20% chance of a miss per module, and the damage is variable - takes between 3-4 hits to down the battleship. But yeah, it's unlikely you'll see one make it past a grav shield + four fusion launchers. Three isn't as solid, but still quite robust.

 

The mind shield is a mixed blessing in that it only helps prevent aliens finding the base - once they've located it, they'll know where it is until you allow them in so's you can kill them in battle.

[fjgaspar]

So, for all bases not well defended by well trained soldiers, the best approach is to build four fusion ball defences, to make them unafordable (so there is no need of any soldier defense at all), but for the well trained soldiers bases, maybe would be better just one or two, letting this way the aliens attack the base, and gain the money for that, isn't it?

[Bomb Bloke]

One or two is pointless - you need at least three to "maybe" shoot down a battleship. If you damage a battleship, but it still lands, the full alien force still attacks you - you either successfully shoot it down, or there's no benefit.

 

The fusion launchers with one grav shield can also "maybe" shoot down UFOs (they effectively act as four, as the grav shield gives each launcher two shots).

 

In the long run, it's probably best to let the aliens into your bases when you've got the soldiers to fight with. If you've got a "full" base with no bottlenecks and lots of soldiers, you'll be able to wipe out most of their forces before they even get a turn.

 

If you can, try to have each soldier use at least four mind control attempts per mission (even if they have no hope of succeeding). This will dramatically increase their psi skill gain rate.

[fjgaspar]

Yes, in the long run, I have just to dismantle the fussion defences to let the alien enter the base.

 

Another question, about intercepting. I have been crashed an interceptor in an air battle with an UFO (not battleship, but large UFO still), and I guess I can avoid it again by attacking large UFO's with several interceptors (or other crafts) at the same time. The problem is that I don

[Veki]

Yes, you can. Have your interceptor be at stand off and by pressing button marked red your interceptor will follow UFO and will not engage it. The intercept screen will minimize.

 

https://img836.imageshack.us/img836/3397/ufok.png

[fjgaspar]

Ah, ok, thanks. So I minimize the window, wait for other(s) interceptor(s) to come around, and minimizing them, and, when all of them are in place, I reopen the windows secuentially and engage the UFO in all, I suppose.

 

I will try when see a large UFO again.

[silencer_pl]

Remember that if minimized the ufo can still outrun the interceptor, so try to have both (max 4) interceptors close to each other. It will never happen with avenger because avenger is faster than the fastest ufos.

[fjgaspar]

When attacking with Avengers, I suppose that is necessary to get all the staff (both equipment and soldiers) out of the craft, except with UFO's that are sure unable to down the avenger, with the big ones is too risky, if one UFO get's down an Avenger with soldiers inside, the soldiers are lost. So, to fight agains a battleship, 4 empty avengers are needed, plus one more or one sky ranger to get the soldiers to the crash site. Am I correct?