XCOM: Enemy Unknown (new thread with possible new DLC)

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**carlos13th**

I think I will wait for this to drop in price on PS3 or upgrade on PC when I get a new one.

Looks really good though.

**pretre**

Velour_Fog wrote:
What difficulty do you guys play on? I've only been playing xcom for a couple of months. Normal is really easy for me now (finished an ironman game aswell), but Classic is a pain. Big jump in difficulty between the two.

Classic and Impossible are pretty fun once you get used to them. Impossible ironman is the bear.

**flamingkillamajig**

I play impossible difficulty these days when I do play. I can't do impossible ironman yet. You need a strategy for what you research down to a T. This is also counting all glitches will be permanent and mistakes like clicking too far because of something messed up in the game can screw you up and kill off a bunch of your squad. I've been one shot by sectoids across the map and max distance while behind full cover at the beginning of the game in impossible difficulty. I don't think most people understand or fear and respect the impossible difficulty.

Anyway I have still yet to get the 'enemy within' expansion so I can't comment. It sucks being poor. Maybe the autumn sale on steam will have it but I'd probably doubt it.

**Melissia**

I usually play on the "normal" difficulty, but it probably wouldn't matter given how much I savescum.

Old habits from back when games were impossibly hard... well, die hard.

**streamdragon**

Melissia wrote:
I usually play on the "normal" difficulty, but it probably wouldn't matter given how much I savescum.

Old habits from back when games were impossibly hard... well, die hard.

This. This right here.

**malfred**

I name my soldiers after friends who happen to be online on facebook.

I savescum to rescue the ones I like

**AlexHolker**

If anyone wants Enemy Within for $21, Green Man Gaming has a 30% off code valid for the next few days:

GMG30-4IMHC-3C8ST

**malfred**

Psi training is rough.

My namesake in the game is a colonel, and now I'm pondering
just making him into a MEC trooper since he failed to have any
Psi Ability.

In fact, my top three colonels have not had any ability as of yet
(Support, Assault and Sniper, if I recall correctly).

**Necros**

I had a pretty tough time with some missions on the easy setting. Yes, I'm a noob.

I did finish the game the other day though. Maybe I'll try the next difficulty up next time and see how far I get before I ragequit.

**Velour_Fog**

malfred wrote:Psi training is rough.

My namesake in the game is a colonel, and now I'm pondering
just making him into a MEC trooper since he failed to have any
Psi Ability.

In fact, my top three colonels have not had any ability as of yet
(Support, Assault and Sniper, if I recall correctly).

Last game only one(!) of my 10 most used squad members was gifted, granted, their will was pretty low since I was playing on classic and I was broke for alot of the early game so I couldn't afford the Iron will upgrade. (Or the officer training school)

Necros wrote:I had a pretty tough time with some missions on the easy setting. Yes, I'm a noob.

I did finish the game the other day though. Maybe I'll try the next difficulty up next time and see how far I get before I ragequit.

It's not an easy game. I thought Easy was pretty harsh too sometimes when I started.

Definitely the hardest part of the game is the start when your soldiers are armed with pea shooters and wear armour that's about as durable as a wet paper bag, and to top that off they couldn't hit the proverbial barn door if it was right next to them. But once you get the ball rolling it gets easier and easier.

**Bromsy**

.... I played two missions on normal, restarted and beat it on classic ironman my second try. I haven't touched it since (original game, not with the DLC).

Now the original XCOM, that could be hard.

**carlos13th**

Its also the fact that one bad move can potentially cause a team mate to be wiped out leaving you short handed.

**Bromsy**

carlos13th wrote:
Its also the fact that one bad move can potentially cause a team mate to be wiped out leaving you short handed.

Before like 2007 that was what we called playing video games, before you were insulated from every bad decision you could make.

**carlos13th**

Games have certainly got easier over the past few years.

**CthuluIsSpy**

Bromsy wrote:
.... I played two missions on normal, restarted and beat it on classic ironman my second try. I haven't touched it since (original game, not with the DLC).

Now the original XCOM, that could be hard.

XCOM EU could also be hard. Especially with the marathon. XCOM EW is even harder since tech progression is slowed down.
Once you got the laser rifle economy and start building outposts everywhere the original X-COM also become a cake walk.

Easier is not a term I would describe games today...more helpful is more like it. Like, you won't find a game today that won't say something like "press the shoot button to shoot things!"
I don't really care, unless the game stops you from playing. Like in Crysis 2 where the game stops you from moving at all until the suit tells you what it's powers were. That really annoyed me.

**malfred**

Right.

I also like that difficulty is an option rather than a given.

edit: Although, come to think of it, how mainstream would XCOM be today if
the original had a default ironman permadeath no save scumming mode?

**Velour_Fog**

I feel that the game is balanced around Ironman. If you never screw up in missions countries don't withdraw and you keep getting maximum funding. By the end of my (non-ironman) classic game I had satellites over every country but mexico (couldn't get one up in time), had fully built my base, 2 plasma interceptors and 1 firestorm over every continent and still had about $6000 left over.

**streamdragon**

Velour_Fog wrote:
I feel that the game is balanced around Ironman. If you never screw up in missions countries don't withdraw and you keep getting maximum funding. By the end of my (non-ironman) classic game I had satellites over every country but mexico (couldn't get one up in time), had fully built my base, 2 plasma interceptors and 1 firestorm over every continent and still had about $6000 left over.

I dunno, with Enemy Within I feel like the number of normal abduction missions has dropped dramatically. If I hadn't gotten the Alien Base mission when I did, I would have lost half the world in one month.

Granted, I've been sitting on satellites, but even then I feel like my panic levels have been much harder to manage this game, especially with EXALT stirring up crap.

**malfred**

I think you have to be proactive with EXALT.

Each month, scan for them at least once. I think it prevents
them from operating. The covert missions give you decent tech
and your teams gets tons of experience from mowing through
the large numbers of mobs. In the mid-game they become a
nice supply of laser sniper rifles, laser rifles, and heavy lasers.

**malfred**

Spoiler:

**Velour_Fog**

malfred wrote:

Spoiler:

I'm disappointed they didn't work the new stuff into the finale.

Spoiler:

**malfred**

Velour_Fog wrote:
malfred wrote:

Spoiler:

I'm disappointed they didn't work the new stuff into the finale.

Spoiler:

I thought they could've done something more exciting with the EXALT base. I was hoping it'd be bigger and have a boss of some sort, but it was literally just 12 guys on the roof of a skyscraper.

Yep. Totally agreed.

**AlexHolker**

It's not just that mission that needs improvement in that regard. The game relies too heavily on the equivalent of "Annihilation" scenarios. UFO Crashes, UFO Landings, Asset Recoveries, Alien Abductions, Base Defense and Base Assault all use the same mission objectives: kill all aliens to win, lose all XCOM operatives or withdraw to lose.

Random encounters during missions, geo effects like sandstorms or swampy ground and more types of missions would all be ways to mix up the gameplay.

**flamingkillamajig**

I haven't finished the game yet so there's still a bunch left to do. Keep in mind I've been playing on impossible difficulty and though I saved a ton in the beginning I didn't need it after a while.

So yeah spoilers.

Spoiler:

I haven't tested the MEC suits much oddly enough but I seem to use gene mods a lot. Early on I've gotta say that the health regeneration gene mod is super helpful esp. now that everything seems to take longer to research. Cloaking can also be pretty nice. The jumping gene mod is a lot of fun. It gets you going where you need to infinitely faster than the grappling hook ever did but that said the extra movement is something I miss.

I've gone through everything but damn the base defense mission saw me nearly lose. I left that with one soldier and I thought I would've had more. The last mechtoid just blasted 3 of my guys like nothing. It really sucked.

As far as items go I don't really find myself that into the needle grenade but something tells me if you use it in combination with a rocket (rocket first then needle grenade) then it should be good. The double inventory is super helpful when you get the upgrade in the foundry. The poison grenade is probably good but I'm starting to enjoy the flashbang grenades. It has actually saved my *ss quite a few times when there was a biological enemy I had to disable for a bit. I can't give these things enough credit when facing enemies like exalt which have no psionics or mechs. This makes special grenades incredibly useful against them. Not too fond of the reaper ammo. I tried it but it just wasn't my thing even on shotguns.

For some strange reason I can't really find myself needing many workshops but I can't seem to research anything as fast as I could before. I feel like I need 4 more labs just to get things about as quick as they were.

The fishing village was fairly scary on impossible difficulty but I find the base defense was a bit hairier or other fights. Then again I took my 'A' team to the fishing village and lost 2 of my well trained guys. That said that was one of the games I lost and had to restart. I can handle a mission once in a while but 2 within a couple days of each other or even 3 is too much. My guys can't recuperate that quickly from battle wounds. I guess there's just too many *sses too kick.

Exalt is starting to seem kind of weak actually. They are numerous but if you throw flash grenades at some of their more elite dudes and pick off the exalt heavies and snipers then you should be good.

As far as new baddies I like the mechtoid though it's stupid strong if you don't take care of it quickly. I killed the first one no problem with just one assault colonel and not much else if anything. The seekers seem kind of interesting but they're more just annoying than an actual threat. Sometimes I just get into a near group huddle and go on overwatch instead of looking for more baddies. Of course then the 'meld' expires.

I still think more powerful guns and armor is more important than some of the new stuff but it takes longer to get the weapons and all these new threats happening all at once esp. on impossible difficulty is just so much to deal with.