The Firaxis XCOM Series

You can't dash and shotgun, but you can't always slash and be able to be in cover against surviving enemies for the next turn.

Also I'm told enemies don't actually get an accuracy bonus for closing in (only flanking), so that rather further adds a benefit to shotgunning over slashing if you can just flank in one move anyway because the enemy might not be able to flank your cover when you shotgun them, but they definitely can you slash and miss.

Anyway, the shotgun is better than the sword, but it's also more limited, by cooldowns and ammo. Therefore you should save it for when the sword isn't good enough on its own. Or that's how it feels to me right now.

edited 5th Feb '16 5:06:02 PM by Clarste

I use the shotgun for 100% hit chances. Sword is nice, but misses feel terribly bad. I think they're nicely balanced.

That is my feel as well.

But I have a curiosity. What do you guys feel about playing Ranger without the shotgun? Particularly if you go through the sword tree? Then you will have options for both close and long range.

I think the Stealth tree is well suited for using a rifle. You can't really take advantage of it otherwise.

Also, Bladestorm + Viper Grap = Omega Buggy. You somehow do the sword attack while grabbed, but the animation can't play because you're struggling in the coils. But then you escape the coils because you killed the snake, but now you're stuck in that animation for the rest of the mission.

So basically the Ranger's so PTSD'd they don't realize they're free and act they aren't?

edited 5th Feb '16 6:44:25 PM by VutherA

If anyone wants to watch me screw up Legend mode a bunch, head on in.

Got a mod to remove the turn limit, game imediatly got 10 times better.

Pffft. Racing the clock makes it more interesting than Squadsight camping all day erry day after getting all the MELD.

I do like the idea of fast extractions under fire, using a modification of the center peel technique to keep my guys running and shooting. It's why I actually look forward to Site Recon in EW.

Timer OFF mods are for people who LOSE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION too easily. The most concession I will accept is to add a turn or two to the timer for a margin of error.

That sounds nice until the fact is that I legitimalty have had multiple missions where even with double moving the whole time there is no time left when you reach the objective.

It is brutal.

I play videogames to relax, not feel like I am being poked with a cattleprod to run through a feild of machineguns.

How long does it take you to kill pods? Upgrade your weapons and blow up cover more often. Armor getting you down? Shred that sucka.

If it's just the RNG of a long map, save before entering a mission since the boards are always procedurally generated. If you're taking too long because of sniper camping on your end, that tactic don't fly when the clock is ticking.

Finished several VIP missions in the early game with massive timer advantage, it was ridiculous because I was double-timing it and the mooks just straight-up get wiped after their cover was removed.

Starting to get a feel for counting alien pods in the new engine/system, certain maps add reinforcements that give you more to kill or force you to hurry up and get on with it.

BTW Blacksite is a pain in the arse if the game generates it with security turrets, those things have crazy natural armor.

Every map is that long though, its just blegh.

I prefer taking my time and thinking about moves, and it is not like it even needed it to be tense, considering I just had two missions back to back that were tenser then any in EW without any time limit at all, the game can deploy some pretty bad nasties.

Yesterday I had two timed missions that were borderline impossible. Veteran difficulty, even with constant repetitive save-scumming they kicked my ass. I only managed to finish the first one successfully (with two operatives dead) because I capped the objective and killed the timer, and the second one- which I'm now stuck on- is a VIP rescue so that same strategy's not possible.

I get the VIP, open the door to the prison facility and a Muton Centurion (thanks Johnny Lump!) waltzes right in. Even with him and his two pectoid bodyguards dead, there are two full pods between me and the LZ and 4 turns to make it out. Not fucking happening.

Imca is so right, the timers on this game are bullshit. Procedural generation has ample capacity to completely fuck you over.

There's being under some time pressure, and then there's not having enough time to employ any kind of strategy.

edited 5th Feb '16 11:52:42 PM by Gault

I honestly am not having turn/time issues and I'm doing it on Veteran ironman after commander difficulty tutorial for the elerium core slaughtered me for some reason.

What works for me: Take 2 grenadiers and blow up everything the moment you meet them. Destroy cover, shoot them as they are exposed, rinse and repeat for next pod.

Not an option in Ironman.

Anyway, I do enjoy the timers on the missions, since the risk vs. reward encourages me to push hard with a diverse team, even if I do agree that the turn limits weren't tweaked enough. At least with Legend, it feels like they're designed around landing every single shot, which is a pretty unreasonable expectation early on. Even with every shot being an exposed or flank shot, it's still very possible (and likely) to fail because hit rates are pretty ass (remember that 85% at point blank I said made me nervous? I missed one of those on stream earlier).

It's gotten pretty patternistic where I'll move quickly and be on track to meet the limit or have one turn to spare, then I'll run into the pod(s) camping the objective and everyone will miss a bunch of flank shots, forcing me to fight a retreating battle to minimize casualties. Sometimes the enemy will just plain turtle and half my squad will have to take the long way around so I can safely pressure the flanks (and then everyone will miss a series of 70-80% and render my efforts nearly moot ). I've considered trying to come up with strats where someone in the front baits the enemy out, then just hangs out hunkering behind full cover while the rest of the team sneaks around to do the objective, but there's usually multiple pods camping their asses on it, so I'd just end up with a lot of aggroed enemies and a divided team.

I do like that even when the timer runs out, the typical map doesn't just auto-end. This allows me to continue figuring out the aliens and map while still gaining EXP so as not to fall hopelessly behind. I mean, I'm sure there's a 75% chance the run is just gonna crash and burn, but it doesn't feel as harsh about it as Impossible did. It's also far too early for me to abandon the run, given what my last XCOM 1 run managed to survive.

I think on legendary, it's just not feasible to expect to be able to win every mission early on.

I wish I could just throw out the sniper rifle and have my favorite sharpshooter dual wield handguns. As it is, her ability to destroy foes with magnetic pistols is unmatched.

So, if I'm understanding that first research into the alien chip correctly, the original game was All Just a Dream? The worst-case scenario for the aliens where we hold the line, even the odds, and take down the Temple Ship?

Also, at the part of the game I'm at, I don't mind the timed missions at all. It enforces the idea that we're a guerrilla army on the run—we already lost when we hunkered and duked it out, now we need to suddenly appear, wreck shit, and vanish before being curbstomped.

I suppose it's one way to interpret it. I took that video as a representation of the war sims that the aliens were feeding you in general rather than specifically my EU games.

Yup, I like the timers as both a flavor element and as a gameplay mechanic. XCOM is about making hard choices and the timer definitely forces you into making some of those decisions of soldier life vs objective. That said, people enjoying the game is the important part, so if they need to mod out that timer to enjoy it, go for it. I'm definitely going to mod squad size to 50 or something in the future and re-enact the Imperial Guard purging the alien.

@Kuroi

Speaking of your streams, I've been watching them on and off for a while now. If I can offer a recommendation: try to fill some more time with commentary about whatever or neat little factoid and trivia. Sometimes I found myself getting a bit bored because, while I relate how tense it is spending 20 seconds or so deciding whether you want to take a 80% shot on a full health enemy or a 50% shot on an almost dead enemy, that rush doesn't always translate well to the audience. Just something to help fill the more slow moments.

—-

Is there any reason not to use explosives on an enemy now? In EU/EW doing so mean you didn't get weapon fragments, but I can't see any downside here so far.

edited 6th Feb '16 8:42:56 AM by Spirit

If the alien drops loot and you killed that alien with explosives, the loot is gone. The game actually trolls you by telling you blew up some loot when it happens.

Alright I know I'm making myself look stupid but: What happens if you explode an existant loot? Or perhaps it's like that only main objects are unaffected by explosives?

edited 6th Feb '16 9:17:00 AM by YoKab

Better my guys live without losses than to risk someone's neck for loot drops for the most part.