In Progress Open X-Com Genius Level Test (Ironman) - August, Mission 25

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 23, 2013

Average Manatee said:
So much for my better than average stats.

Some tips:

- Take it easy the first round. Aliens always have full TUs which means they have much higher reaction scores. Could have just hidden the tank behind the UFO and moved the troops up to the front of the skyranger so they could come out firing with full TUs on turn 2.

As I said 'no cheats'

- You might try changing the display filter if things are lagging. All OpenGL filters seem to lag for me.

Not too bad at all for a first mission. Feel free to use my clones for future missions.

Going to see how to speed it up. Maybe try on a desktop

hostergaard · Oct 23, 2013

Sign me up for a tour of cannon fodder duty and keep the cloners primed so there is a steady supply of fresh me's to throw at the alien scum.

Overboard · Oct 23, 2013

Sign me up for rearguard duty.

Jester · Oct 23, 2013

hmm this team need glorious leader does it not? When there will be place sing me in. Would appreciate guy with low bravery and high health. Action survivor ftw.

The Brazilian Slaughter · Oct 23, 2013

Brazilian blood gives great strength! And rather good accuracy, too!
Onwards to leading the scoreboards or dying in the meat-grinder, which comes first!
Can't wait until the telepathic mind-rape comes and shit gets real...

Sheek why are you using video instead of precious screenshots?

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 23, 2013

I use pics for geoscape. For battle turns, I just think it makes more sense and is less effort, a static image requires words. Maybe I'll get a mic

I am going to try to speed up the videos, both need to find out what's causing the lag and spend less time pondering decisions which I have a tendency to do in any strat/RPG game

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 23, 2013

Average Manatee said:
So much for my better than average stats.
- Heavy/Auto cannons with HE should be the default loadout, everything else is too weak (as we saw with those rifle shots). Weak soldiers can go with pistol+grenade, utilizing the pistol only when you don't want to damage loot.

Hm, that should be quite explosive with the risk of friendly fire... but fun.

Also there are strength requirements, extra ammo is heavy and auto-cannon runs out fast.

I was thinking of 2 high-explosive auto-cannon guys, if 4 dudes have the strength will try it

Also the first batch of laser pistols are ready on 11th Jan and looks like you'll get laser rifles for the terror mission

- Rocket launcher soldiers should be used as snipers who are kept well away from combat. With my accuracy stat a crouched aimed shot rocket launcher would have reached something like 95% accuracy. And remember to crouch in general before firing if possible, you'll get a 15% accuracy bonus.

Physically not possible to get out and aim on the first turn. What I should have done is placed you further back and sent the more mobile guys out first, forgot to do it

I used to crouch all the time, I've now avoided doing that unless really necessary/you're under fire. There is a quite high TU cost to crouching and especially uncrouching the next turn. I think it's 10 TU total

If it makes the difference between 3 snap shots and say 2 I think the 15% penalty is acceptable

Average Manatee · Oct 23, 2013

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ said:
Average Manatee said:

So much for my better than average stats.
- Heavy/Auto cannons with HE should be the default loadout, everything else is too weak (as we saw with those rifle shots). Weak soldiers can go with pistol+grenade, utilizing the pistol only when you don't want to damage loot.

Click to expand...

Hm, that should be quite explosive with the risk of friendly fire... but fun.

Also there are strength requirements, extra ammo is heavy and auto-cannon runs out fast.

I was thinking of 2 high-explosive auto-cannon guys, if 4 dudes have the strength will try it

AC I'm not a fan of because that accuracy is so horrible you might as well just be using snap shots most of the time. And when they do actually hit, you risk destroying very valuable equipment with those extra shots. Probably blew up 40-50k worth of stuff with that single extra shot last mission.

I usually just run HC + HE ammo. 6 shots is enough for most soldiers until you start attacking the bigger UFOs. The few that fire all their ammo in a single mission can be supplied via thrown ammo by whomever is carrying more. Same for breaching a UFO, just throw over some AP ammo so you don't destroy the UFO equipment.

Also the first batch of laser pistols are ready on 11th Jan and looks like you'll get laser rifles for the terror mission

Cool. Though honestly I still like to keep HC around. Explosions>Sectoids.

- Rocket launcher soldiers should be used as snipers who are kept well away from combat. With my accuracy stat a crouched aimed shot rocket launcher would have reached something like 95% accuracy. And remember to crouch in general before firing if possible, you'll get a 15% accuracy bonus.

Click to expand...

Physically not possible to get out and aim on the first turn. What I should have done is placed you further back and sent the more mobile guys out first, forgot to do it

Would have been possible if you had waited until turn 2 as I said.

I used to crouch all the time, I've now avoided doing that unless really necessary/you're under fire. There is a quite high TU cost to crouching and especially uncrouching the next turn. I think it's 10 TU total

If it makes the difference between 3 snap shots and say 2 I think the 15% penalty is acceptable

It's 4 TU to get down and 8 TU to get up. 12 TU overall does slow you down, but you only get up once the danger is over which is when saving TUs isn't as important. 4 TUs for 15% accuracy is pretty cheap. But yeah, do the mental math to check whether there is a shooting breakpoint. If the decision is for 3 snap shots vs 2 snap shots the choice is obviously for the 3, but if it's 3 snap shots either way you'll gain an extra half shot of effectiveness. Plus if you make a habit of crouching you'll often already have crouched the turn before when an enemy shows up or is scouted out.

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 24, 2013

UPDATE 2!

Hiring new eggheads and soldiers. Research is done and first batch of laser progressing!

Four new soldiers:

Small UFO detected and shot do. Looks like Laos maybe

Will you reach there before night-fall? I don't care, Skyranger force lift-off

The squad:

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 24, 2013

Turn 1:

Day-time. Some kinda Laotian farm

Sending Tank, Brazilian, Random and sser to scout

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16dq2e_o-miss02a_music

Turn 2:

TBS, sser and Random ordered to approach the UfO

Whiskeywolf supporting them

JoKa will scout west toward the open fields

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16dqd9_o-miss02b_music

Still no aliens...

Turn 3:

Tanks explores further into fields and finds a Floater! And another!

JoKa and Edward R Murrow are too far away to shoot move to help Tank

TBS, Random, sser and Whiskey (alpha team) continue to move toward UFO

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16dqw9_o-miss02c_music

Unfortunately aliens shoot the shit out of exposed Tank who dies

Turn 4:

Eddy and JoKa lose sight of Tank's killer but have no option but to move into known danger

SmartCheetah and ZeroCredibility sent as backup

Alpha team plod on... Random is lead and primes grenade

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16drdj_o-miss02d_music

Aliens are hiding

Turn 5:

Zero sent to circle round back of hedges alone.

JoKa spots (hears?) an alien floating ahead in the dark. Out of TUs so Eddy has to take the shot. Auto-cannons the alien and a hedge

Alpha finally positioned outside the door

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16doca_o-miss02e_music

Turn 6:

JoKa spots another floater, SmartCheetah makes a long-distance kill

Meanwhile sser is sent to open the door and kills an unarmed alien, dodges back

Random throws a prox grenade at one of the inner doors but stupidly runs out of TU and is stuck in the doorway

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16doi6_o-miss02f_music

Luckily no aliens come to investigate

JoKa narrowly misses being turned into plasma goo

Turn 7:

JoKa spots his third

SmartCheetah grazes Floater with 1/4. Joka hits again with 2nd shot but still floating

It's left to Eddy to auto-cannon him, one shell hits but fails to kill

Zero wildly shoots through some bushes and desperately fires his laser pistol from half the map away... and kills!

Alpha: Random, Whiskey and sser approach the un-proxed door, TBS guards their backs

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16doxn_o-miss02g_music

Aliens still hiding

Turn 8:

Beta team keep exploring

Random opens her door and shoots Floater in the back (cubicle between entrance and navigation room). Whiskey and sser join her

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16dp9e_o-miss02h_music

Turn 9:

Alpha move into navigation room... empty

Betas keep exploring

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16dpj3_o-miss02i_music

Can hear a UFO door opening and closing repeatedly... hmm?

Turn 10:

Random enters generator room, alpha look in every corner, nothing there. Sser guards the remaining door to the cubicle. On the other side is TBS and a prox mine

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16dpq0_o-miss02j_music

Door opens again... from the OUTSIDE (front door of the UFO) and TBS is shot in the back

Turn 11:

Random and sser run screaming back to the entrance of the UFO, Random misses randomly, sser misses randomly twice and hits with his last available TU

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x16drjj_o-miss02k_music

TBS is avenged...

Whiskey is promoted to Captain for failing to contribute to kill anything
Newbie ZeroCredibility is promoted Sergeant for his amazing skiil with a laserpistol

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 24, 2013

Team is currently at 11 people and can't afford another tank. Since next mission is a terror mission need a few more volunteers

Or will resurrect

Also what do you think of putting just links to videos, instead of embedding? Thinking of grouping them as playlists

WhiskeyWolf · Oct 24, 2013

Yeah, TBS bitting the bullet was totally unexpected. Well, at least he fulfilled his duty as the Rearguard.

A playlist would be best as we can't have full videos.

Edward_R_Murrow · Oct 24, 2013

Auto-cannons the alien and a hedge

That hedge was an alien conspirator, I'll have you know!

Jester · Oct 24, 2013

Not sure if my application for transfer to X-com unit was denied or lost in transit.
Once again "Jester" Kowalsky action survivor is ready for meat grinder.

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 25, 2013

Yes, you've been added. The 11 included you

There is a medium UFO shot down in Australia I'm going to investigate, update later tonite

Unkillable Cat · Oct 25, 2013

Add me to the roster, whatever role suits my stats. If they're crap, "human meatshield" will suffice.

Kashmir Slippers · Oct 25, 2013

Sign me up for whatever you need.

Average Manatee · Oct 25, 2013

Nooooo, not the tank!

sser · Oct 25, 2013

Damn, that's bad luck to have the alien step back into the craft like that. Then again, there was also some incredible shots that probably saved a bunch of lives, too.

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 25, 2013

Hobbit Lord of Mordor_ · Oct 25, 2013

For the larger/terror missions, I'm considering doing two rounds at a time to get strategy advice and skip recording the smaller UFOs

JoKa · Oct 25, 2013

Noooo....I'm dead. Fortunately the cloning vats can make another one reappear to get killed once again.

WhiskeyWolf · Oct 25, 2013

Yeah, the playlist is the way to go.

SmartCheetah · Oct 25, 2013

Wow, that TBS death was totally unexpected. He totally deserves ressurection

Johannes · Oct 25, 2013

I'll join the fight against the librul xenos.

In Progress Open X-Com Genius Level Test (Ironman) - August, Mission 25

Dumbfuck!

Educated

Arcane

Arbiter

Arcane

Dumbfuck!

Dumbfuck!

Arcane

Dumbfuck!

Dumbfuck!

Dumbfuck!

RPG Codex Polish Car Thief

Arcane

Arbiter

Dumbfuck!

LEST WE FORGET

Magister

Arcane

Arcane

Dumbfuck!

Dumbfuck!

Cipher

RPG Codex Polish Car Thief

Arcane

Arcane