The Firaxis XCOM Series

Ah. I must not have read the database enough.

Also, I could probably link the 'Emergency XCOM Directives' (working title) to the Leaks.

• After information on the XCOM project showed up on Tumblr, internet access is being more closely monitored, just in case they have a mole.

I was actually going to have it as bugs planted by EXALT, and Lark has a Heel Realization when they actually start moving against XCOM. He is also blown over how he missed EXALT in his conspiracy theorist circles.

Guess what? Another blog post! This one is more like what I plan to have the rest of the posts be like, Also, formally introducing our 'main character', and another important original character, the Commander's assistant. She's in charge of actually making that timeline you see tick by while scanning.

edited 7th Jul '14 8:33:08 AM by Ninjaxenomorph

Sorry Optimus, Spacebattles forums may have beaten you to the Skippy's List for XCOM...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BqoEJUWKVRFSKXOA2Ks3Ce7Kvphmg0kAFKcuXJHgmr0/edit

No reason you can't submit your own though, right?

This is an odd thing to ask, but what second wave options should I use for my Lets Play? Thinking about starting with the actual screenshot getting. I'm considering New Economy and Greater Good. Aiming Angles changes the game too much, and the random stat ones I don't want to deal with. I am doing Classic, but not ironman. Probably building the base in Asia, so no normal tutorial.

edited 7th Jul '14 12:19:44 PM by Ninjaxenomorph

I always play with Aiming Angles. Adds to how "real" it feels. New Economy is good too. Greater Good is the one where you only get psykers by tasing a psychic alien?

The random stat one is...okay, I think. Introduces a bit of randomness and variation into the whole thing. Plus it balances out with the random stat growth one, someone who starts off with crap stats can potentially see massive gains as they level and vice versa.

Yes, you have to interrogate a psionic alien to discover Psionics.

Itchy Trigger Tentacle is also worth a shot for extra THAT'S XCOM BABY goodness. Alien pods have a chance of taking a shot at you when you discover them, it's supposed to emulate some of them being on overwatch. Only had it trigger a couple of times during my last playthrough, but one of my squaddies died from Thin Men on it.

I have only completed Enemy Within on Normal, so I don't have that one yet. What about red fog? Or is that one too punishing?

Tried it once and everyone died way early on. I may try it again, but I'm not sure if it applies to aliens. I'm a firm believer in not taking options that do nothing but make it harder for me but keep the aliens the same.

Decided I'm going with New Economy and Greater Good. The others change the game too much, or just worsen it on my end.

Welp, finished the first month of gameplay+notes. Should last me a bit of time with the notes I made. Had three missions, including the starter, in the first week... oof. Only by massive save scumming was I able to do the Target Extraction mission. Already uncovered two running gags, though.

edited 7th Jul '14 4:48:00 PM by Ninjaxenomorph

Alright, I just watched the Framerate Games Let's Play...player seems unaware that shield icons mean nothing if they are yellowed out due to aliens being in position to flank. Or that it is possible to do this to aliens to greatly increase your own guys' chance to hit.

Yeah, they're BEYOND not good at XCOM. I really should've died in that last vid.

At random, I have an Amazon Brigade team of 5 in this playthrough so far.

That XCOM Skippy's List is beyond hilarious. I wonder what dimensions they opened a portal to...

I like the XCOM Leaks - nice take and in a tumblr post, it makes it seem like a proper "documentary".

Consider doing youtube videos, a la Slender? :)

Need to get back into my game - I just got to the point where I have all the tech and most missions are a cakewalk :\

I went back to play 1994-era X-Com with Open XCOM.

Ahhhh, back when psykers and Blaster Bombs were insanely overpowered. Also good grief all-Ethereal UFO and base raids are pains.

And back when Chryssalids could run all the way across the screen and still insta-gib 5 or 6 soldiers. Not to mention getting spotted by even one enemy meant the whole squad was suddenly going to be psychically attacked by every Ethereal on the map.

Also, for all it's ridiculous overpoweredness, a direct hit from a Blaster Launcher could still be survived by a Sectopod about half the time. That's right, it's so tough that it can survive the overpowered, building-leveling ultimate weapon doing quadruple damage to it.

Oldcom 'Lids weren't that insane, they were held back by their poor Stamina regeneration (movement requires both Time Units and Stamina in Oldcom, limiting the amount of full-distances dashes you can pull off sequentially). I've seen Lids get bogged down by their drained stamina and be forced to retreat behind cover because they wasted their stamina running willy-nilly around before we got their attention.

That's more a failing of the AI than anything, though. They definitely had the stats to do it should the player get careless (and if they player has never encountered them before, it's certainly a possibility). It's probably a good thing that the AI was so bad and had to lean on its stats so much, because an actually tactically coordinated alien team would be pretty scary (instead of "oops, you accidentally positioned your guys in a way that allowed the Chryssalid can come around the corner half a block away and murder a bunch of guys" to "there are now four Chryssalids lying in wait where one will run straight across the street, burning all reaction fire, allowing the others to come in from the flanks, uncontested" >.>).

Decided to give streaming this a try. Should probably be running the next 3-4 hours, maybe more, with a high possibility of getting murdered in the face.

Guys

guys guys guys

Peptuck of Tiberium Wars fame has started an XCOM/Mass Effect crossover https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10665659/1/Vigil

I haven't read it yet (office network is spotty with FFN) but it should be good based on his other stuff.

First thought: Hells yeah Peptuck!

Second thought: Great, another story where I get all excited before waiting months for the next chapter release only for the thing to end up a Dead Fic anyways.

Meh, worth it.

edited 2nd Sep '14 9:22:47 PM by Spirit

My though: Oh great, another story that will end up as "FUCK YEAH HUMANS" fic Along with humans having strange need to help quarians for some reason

My second though: Oh its by same guy who did the crazy Mass Effect/Borderlands thing, should be good

edited 2nd Sep '14 9:26:49 PM by SpookyMask

Cautions interest from me. Peptuck is a good writer and he is very anti-HFY, but then again...

^He DOES say that hes going to avoid protagonists being militarily supreme and unified since thats boring, so thats good sign

edited 2nd Sep '14 9:55:22 PM by SpookyMask