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whats a MEC?

Its something in enemy within

http://xcom.wikia.com/wiki/MEC

Basically a dreadnaught. Except you replace your limbs with machinery. And you don't go inside it.
So it's not really like a dreadnaught at all.

I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!

CthuluIsSpy wrote:Do we have a MEC bay yet?
I would like to be a MEC if I receive heavy wounds.

chaos0xomega wrote:I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!

way ahead of you guys!

streamdragon wrote:If "new equipment" ever includes robot body replacement, Lance Corporal (?) Stream Dragon volunteers to be the first under the knife.

streamdragon wrote:Just remember, Stream Dragon will happily volunteer for mechanical augmentation over gene modification.

Private Orlanth reporting for duty sir.

 streamdragon wrote:

CthuluIsSpy wrote:Do we have a MEC bay yet?
I would like to be a MEC if I receive heavy wounds.

chaos0xomega wrote:I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!

way ahead of you guys!

streamdragon wrote:If "new equipment" ever includes robot body replacement, Lance Corporal (?) Stream Dragon volunteers to be the first under the knife.

streamdragon wrote:Just remember, Stream Dragon will happily volunteer for mechanical augmentation over gene modification.

Hate to break it to you bud, but I volunteered for augmentation well before you did

Interlude: Air War over Africa, Mid-May 2015

"Our air wing was pretty beat up, but we kept scrambling against anything we felt we had a shot to shoot down. The eggheads kept saying that it was vital that we shoot down UFOs - especially if we ever wanted better weapons. I'm a guy who loves a new gun so we kept scrambling."
--Dean "Rascal" Tompkins.

Dean "Rascal" Tompkins claims his first kill of the air war. The price is 8 days in heavy maintenance.



"My team was keenly aware of the air wings difficulties in the skies above us. UFOs still ruled the skies and although our pilot occasionally succeeded in bringing one of the smaller ones down, we were still seriously outgunned. I would say in the early months of the war it [the air war] was our biggest weakness. I had directed most of my engineering staff towards searching for answers to our dilemmas in the air campaign and they came back with the laser cannon. They were big, slow to manufacture, and so expensive in terms of cash and rare alien alloys that the air wing was always desperately short of them, but they would make a difference.... at least, I hoped they would.
--Dr. Shen in an Interview Post-War.



The air wing wasn't the only recipient of improved laser weapons. The sniper corps would no longer have to make due with their ballistic rifles. Also, those troops who preferred the close range killing power of the shotgun also got an upgrade



This is the African air wing's situation in mid-May.


The hard won battlefield experience does pay off as XCOM become increasingly proficient at shooting down the aline scout UFOs.


The Commander's plans for expansion received a major shot in the arm as late May rolled around. The long anticipated Thermo Generator finally started supplying power.


Things were still fragile. Needs still outweighed supplies by a significant margin, but XCOM was starting to get it's feet under it.

Warning: Classified Information Access Restricted. Commander's/Council Eyes Only. Your access has been logged.
.... authenticating... authenticating.... Access granted. Welcome, Commander. Please speak your inquiry.

"I heard your speech after Banished Chant, Lieutenant Silver. Quite the act of falling on your sword."
"Sir, I... I accept full responsib."
"Ever been to Germany, Lieutenant?"
"Sir...I... .what?"
'Your file says you were SAS before you came over to us, is that correct?"
"Yes sir, first female ever selected for the Special Air Service."
"Your file is exemplary - the parts of it that haven't been destroyed that is."
"I'm not sure where this is going, Sir."
"Look at this and tell me what you think."

The Commander slid the laptop across the desk. LT Silver MK2 spent the next few minutes reading the file. When she was done, she looked up.
"Questions, Lieutenant?"
"Just one, Sir. Who is Scott Rasmussen?"
"That's what we want you to find out."




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Orlanth wrote:
Private Orlanth reporting for duty sir.

Awesome! Welcome to the team. Please let me know what gender, what class, and what nationality you prefer and I'll do my best to make it happen. Since this is a military organization, the chances of you getting any of your preferences are... low.

I knew Silver would be getting a sweet special assignment.

chaos0xomega wrote:
I knew Silver would be getting a sweet special assignment.

The officers always get the sweet gigs. Meanwhile, the poor bloody enlisted do all the fighting

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:

 Orlanth wrote:
Private Orlanth reporting for duty sir.

Awesome! Welcome to the team. Please let me know what gender, what class, and what nationality you prefer and I'll do my best to make it happen. Since this is a military organization, the chances of you getting any of your preferences are... low.

Caucasian British male, but ok with female. Or French, because of by Bretonnian variant on my moniker: d'Orlan or T.H. Orlan are acceptable alternative names.

But have a strong preference for sniper, with Squad Sight a required skill and static over mobile skills. High accuracy is very important, courage less so than for most.
I would take a character like that as insurance, to take the (head)shot in cover of exposed forward friendlies in the event that they themselves miss or fail to make a kill due to bad luck. By keeping this characgter back in position and turn order ends up saving the lives of others in forward position who have to take higher risks

Oooh! Holiday!

Lucky you then! Do have a beer and some Sauerkraut for me

Sgt_Scruffy wrote:

chaos0xomega wrote:
I knew Silver would be getting a sweet special assignment.

The officers always get the sweet gigs. Meanwhile, the poor bloody enlisted do all the fighting

Glad to have it that way, give me a rifle, ammo, and some freaks and I'm good to go.

Would love to get my hands on one of the new sniper rifiles

Loved 1st Squad's latest exploit, and am grieving for the lost comrade, but one thing is still puzzling me - shouldn't I have been on that mission?

eddieazrael wrote:
Loved 1st Squad's latest exploit, and am grieving for the lost comrade, but one thing is still puzzling me - shouldn't I have been on that mission?

Nope, I played ahead to the 25 of May before you came on board. You will be on the next 1st squad mission!

Phew - thought maybe I'd taken a 24hr pass at the wrong time, or was up on charges! (Gulp!)

LASER SNIPER RIFLE! GIEF! RIGHT NOW!

*zapping noises*

Laser shotgun... fine mist or cauterized dust... can't wait to find out.

Crew Chief here for whatever airframe you have.....prefer one that does not have compression stalls

OPERATION CURSED CRONE: 25 May 2015. San Diego, California. USA.

"Sorry Scruffy, you're almost ready, but the docs want to see you go through one more round of physical therapy before they'll sign you off. I could use you out there, but we've got this. Mrs. Scruffy will be fine without you." Dead Meat looked apologetic.
"It's okay CPL Meat. I'll get the next one."
"Sure thing."
Dead Meat closed the door on SGT_Scruffy's room. Although he wasn't a superstitious man, he could almost swear that SGT_SCRUFFY was a curse on the squad. Although other soldiers had been wounded worse than he had, SGT_SCRUFFY spent more time in sick bay than anyone else in XCOM - even before he was elevated out of the legion. Whenever he was along, other people seemed to get hurt too. He knew it was coincidence and superstition, but still....

Snapping out of his reverie, CPL Dead Meat focused on the job at hand. Alien Abduction. San Diego.

"Okay EVERYONE LISTEN UP!! We've got kidnapping intergalactic travelers in San Diego! Load Up! Mrs. Scruffy, we get to test something new for once - draw the laser scattergun. On the Skyranger in 5 minutes."



I love this map - provided the enemy spawns work out for you. The large structure has an easily accessible roof that provide all sorts of tactical opportunities. The general plan will be to get on the roof. Clear the perimeter, then breach the interior with a simultaneous drop on multiple sides. Should be a piece of cake.


"CONTACT!" Chaos 0xomega stumbles on a sectoid pod before XCOM makes it off the LZ.

Before the sectoids can do more than dive for cover, 0xomega scores the first kill of the mission


"Contact right, Contact Right!' The squad reacted instantly. Docta Deth led the legion around the back side of the box van while Chaos opened fire. everyone else dove for cover. Even as Chaos killed the first sectoid, the other two opened fire.


Legion scout dispatches one sectoid while the other is severely wounded in the by a well thrown AP grenade.


"Okay people, new plan. The sectoids may have given our position away... we're going to flank around to the right here and get that meld. Watch out for Floaters. Skyranger saw them on the way in."
--Dead Meat hastily briefs his troops as they take cover behind a box van.


Chaos 0xomega collects the meld.


The Squad continues their run around the right side of the engagement area.


A pod of Floaters stumbles into the well-prepared 2nd Squad. 2nd squad, being so excited that they get to do the ambushing for once, promptly miss most of their shots. One Floater is killed in the cross-fire, cutting the pod down to three members.


The Floater taking cover on top of the roof will be a particularly thorny problem.


Docta Deth, Mrs. Scruffy and Chaos make their way around another truck while Dead Meat and the rest of the squad lay down fire.


The Legion scout bravely draws fire from the overwatching Floaters.


Here Dead Meat wounds a Floater for Legion 22 to finish off.


Our Legion Scout, still using a ballistic shotgun takes down the already wounded Floater.


Mrs. Scruffy takes the roof. The Floater who had previously occupied it was... not a problem any longer. Unfortunately, the meld deacticvates just as she kills the last Floater.


2nd Squad now has the roof which means they control the commanding terrain. XCOM has the initiative.


Having snuck up on a second pod of Floaters, Dead Meat initiates the ambush with a well placed rocket.

With most of the Floaters wounded, Docta Deth adds disorientation to injury as she flashbangs the entire pod.
\
Eager to finish the fight, Chaos 0xomega throws an AP grenade to devastating effect.


The last floater, having taken cover in the building tries a suicidal charge against 2nd squad. It does not work. With its death, 2nd squad completes the mission with no casualties.


Upon return to XCOM HQ, Mrs. Scruffy is promoted to Corporal. She will be groomed for further undercover mission should they become necessary.


2nd squad doesn't grab as many resources as they had hoped for, but it is overall a wildly successful mission.


XCOM rocketeers had for some time been complaining about how heavy all their equipment was. It was true that the rocketeers often found themselves lagging behind in the fast paced missions XCOM had thus far conducted. Dr. Shen's team was instructed to begin work on a lighter weight laser SMG to reduce the weight the rocketeers had to shoulder. It would take almost two weeks to complete.


The Commander finally begins to act on Dr. Shen's and Dr. Vahlen's recommendations and orders the construction of an alien containment chamber.

Eddie Azrael and Adept Sister officially join the Dakka Corps upon graduation from XCOM orientation training.



What happens next is anyone's guess.

Okay guys, I am officially caught up. I had to stop myself from playing too far ahead as it was getting harder and harder to recall how I wanted to tell each story. This mission was interesting tactically, but I was struggling to remember a few details so it's kind of a bland play-by-play. I've managed to discipline myself though so now I won't forge too far ahead of the storyline. Right now, XCOM has a problem. Panic in Asia as a whole is bad, but panic is skyrocketing in Russia and Germany. Between mysterious organizations making their own play for alien resources and the alien's seeming obsession with breaking Russia, XCOM may have to suspend their planned expansion of the base and their expansion into Asia in order to deal with the European problem. Alternately, we can focus on battles we know we can win and attempt to retake Russia at a later date. This will probably mean the aliens get more powerful in the meantime, but I think it may also save us from devoting the entire month of June towards buying interceptors.

My re-evaluation of my priorities now includes
1. Choose either Europe or Asia to protect.
2. More laser cannons - at least one more, but probably two more.
3. More interceptors
4. Alien Containment + 2 Arc Throwers.
5. Foundry
6. Advanced Armors.
7. Genetic/Cybernetic enhancement.
8. Increase squad size to 8. Train more officers.

Unfortunately, I have money for probably two or three of these. It's going to be a cruel summer.

Glad second caught a break.

Surprising the aliens is so much easier on the squad's health.

Yeah, the laser cannons are needed, alien spacecraft parts and less damaged fighters are at a premium on both counts.

Arc Throwers... which end is the bad end? I have a feeling I will need to get familiar with it.

Good work 2nd squad. Well recovered from the early tactical weakness.

The problems in the global environment are serious indeed, although I am glad to see alien containment and capture is starting to go ahead - this will aid significantly in our understanding of the enemy and their equipment, tactics and goals...

sounds like i did work and ratcheted up my kill count. I approve.

Good work all around, I dare say we need to make sure the world dose not come appart in the seems while we battle these fiends.

Will I ever shoot an alien again!?

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Will I ever shoot an alien again!?

As long as you do not live up to your unfortunate name...

 Talizvar wrote:

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Will I ever shoot an alien again!?

As long as you do not live up to your unfortunate name...

Going down Kamikaze style still involves blasting aliens! However, I'm not assault class anyway so probably won't be doing much Kamikaze stuff.

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:

 Talizvar wrote:

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
Will I ever shoot an alien again!?

As long as you do not live up to your unfortunate name...

Going down Kamikaze style still involves blasting aliens! However, I'm not assault class anyway so probably won't be doing much Kamikaze stuff.

Then do have fun if you must get taken out...

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country (planet?).- George S. Patton"

Get ready Third Squad. You're going to Newfoundland - deep in the alien controlled zone. We've got a special mission for you.