X-Com

[Edward64]

As announced in the Video Games thread, Firaxis X-Com rewrite coming out in Fall.

Firaxis Games (http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=81)

Getting to Know XCOM: Enemy Unknown - IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/122/1220089p1.html)
There are two groups of people who will be watching the XCOM series' rather rocky return with interest. The first will be players of the revered 1994 PC strategy game, long-term gamers rather worried by the concept of a remake. The second – the group that includes me – is people who were either too young or too poor to have been playing PC games 18 years ago, but who are deeply intrigued by the reverence with which UFO: Enemy Unknown is invariably talked about. In almost everyone's estimation, this game was one of the all-time greats of the decade, an achievement that's yet to be equalled by anything else in the genre in terms of its detail and scope for emotional involvement. You can't help but be intrigued.

XCOM is a turn-based strategy game based around an alien invasion of Earth. Taking squads of operatives out into the field, you fight back against this invasion mission by mission, drawing closer and closer to ultimate success – or, importantly, to failure. Like the original Enemy Unknown, it's quite possible to fail to repel the invasion. Once soldiers are dead, they don't come back, and the research you undertake over the course of your playthrough will greatly affect the eventual outcome. It's not aiming for the legendary difficulty of the PC original – I have friends who still swear that it was almost impossible to complete – but it is clearly aiming to preserve the tension and sense of real, tangible consequence that made UFO: Enemy Unknown so memorable.

Pretty cool video, looking forward to it ... great looking graphics, glam-cam, ant farm ...

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Deep Dive #1 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kX9r0S77Vh0)

[Edward64]

Facebook link.

http://www.facebook.com/XCOM

[cody8200]

My favorite quote. "The core principals that we wanted to build on from the original game are basically ...everything." Very excited for this!

[mckerney]

Death & The Muton: Firaxis On XCOM Fatalities & Floaters | Rock, Paper, Shotgun (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/05/04/death-the-muton-firaxis-on-xcom-fatalities-floaters/#more-106910)

[Warhammer]

I'm not sure about the changes to how many people in a squad though...

[mckerney]

I'm not sure about the changes to how many people in a squad though...

Well maybe the second part of the Rock Paper Shotgun interview will make you feel better.

Firaxis On XCOM vs Xenonauts & Optional Kill-Cam | Rock, Paper, Shotgun (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/05/05/firaxis-on-xcom-vs-xenonauts-optional-kill-cam/)

Jake Solomon: Right. Then there’s a Quicktime Event to interrogate them.

Or maybe the part where the dev was actually being serious.

RPS: Rookie soldier, rookie mistake, eh? One thing I wasn’t personally quite so sure about in the stuff I saw was the glam cam, I know you guys really like that yourselves, and the soldier barks…

Jake Solomon: I was wondering when you were going to ask me about that. Yes? Now how did you put that: ‘there was something that I wasn’t quite as excited about’. I like that. What you’re asking me is ‘can I turn that off?’ Is that your question?

RPS: Heh, you’ve gazumped me. I’m fine with it being in there, I’d just like to have the option to turn it off if I want a quieter ‘I don’t want to be distracted, I just want to get my head down and solve this problem’ kind of session.

Jake Solomon: You have the option to turn that off. You also have the option to turn off soldier voices.

RPS: Hurray! Then everyone’s happy.

Jake Solomon: (laughs) I made sure and cleared that with Casey, my lead programmer. I was like ‘Look!’ I knew this was going to come up. ‘I’m talking to Rock, Paper, Shotgun this morning, can I tell them that we have the option to turn off action cam and turn off soldier voices?’ You can ask him, I told him that this was gonna come up. He said ‘Yes, you can tell them we have that option.’

Actually, let me tell you about something else we have. I played through the entire last game, we have an option in-game currently where you can hide enemy health and you can hide damage that you do, and that was something that people had brought up. In the original of course you had no idea how much damage you did, you had no idea how much health the enemies had and so we added that and that’s how I played this last game. It’s actually very different. You can’t say like ‘oh this guy can take this shot because he’s guaranteed to take out that alien there if he hits’, so it’s interesting. That’s also an option we’ve added is the option to turn off enemy health and any sort of damage tech so that the player can play a little bit more in the dark like the original.

The interview also mentions another X-COM style game that is in development named Xenonauts (http://www.xenonauts.com/), and from the development screenshots you will be able to have a larger squad for missions (http://www.xenonauts.com/category/screenshot-gallery/#!prettyPhoto[Gallery]/4/).

I'm excited for X-COM, though there is one thing I'm worried about that centers around it being a multiplatform release. I'm happy it's coming out on consoles so people have the option to play it on their system of choice, I just hope they have separate UIs for console and PC. I really hope they don't design one UI and control scheme that's built around the limitations of a controller and on screen text designed to be read from a TV. Should be something basic, but too many games don't seem to get it right.

[sterlingice]

Could they do something as simple as the remake of Sid Meier's Pirates a couple of years ago where there wasn't much new except for a new coat of paint on the graphics? It was a somewhat limited experience as the old game was but there was so much depth in the original that it held up fairly well.

SI

[lighthousekeeper]

Could they do something as simple as the remake of Sid Meier's Pirates a couple of years ago

wow - the remake was already 8 years ago.

[mckerney]

wow - the remake was already 8 years ago.

After reading SI's post I was thinking, "Was there a Pirates! game I somehow failed to notice?"

[thesloppy]

I just started playing UFO online (http://ufoonline.gamigo.com/en/). It's pretty fun, free, and has a surprising amount of depth for an online game. It's in closed beta, but you can get a key here (http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/abduct-yourself-a-ufo-online-beta-key-from-massively/).

The same folks also make Jagged Alliance Online (http://jaggedalliance.gamigo.com/en/) which is also a good amount of fun, and in open beta.

[sterlingice]

Wow- was it really that long ago?

SI

[Edward64]

Firaxis On XCOM vs Xenonauts & Optional Kill-Cam | Rock, Paper, Shotgun (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/05/05/firaxis-on-xcom-vs-xenonauts-optional-kill-cam/)


I like this

You can go to the memorial wall where you can see all the guys who have died, and it tells you how many kills they had, how many missions they went on, what operation they died on. It’s actually pretty cool because we just put this in too, when you go to the memorial it’s sort of this UI screen and the camera’s looking at the bar, and as more guys die, you start to see these blurry pictures filling in on the wall behind the UI, and then there’s more and more shot glasses in front of the memorial.

[spleen1015]

October 9th

[Edward64]

Another trailer for the upcoming xcom.

Firaxis’ XCOM’s Apocalypse | Rock, Paper, Shotgun (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/06/05/firaxis-xcoms-apocalypse/)

[Atocep]

Kotaku, IGN, and Game Informer have all had very positive hands on experiences with it. I'm excited and starting to get my hopes up so it's destined to fall short of my expectations.

[Grover]

My god that looks fantastic.

[Jacob Typer]

I thought that the UFO games from 2000s were not that hot, but one on another world was pretty close to the original. What was it's name......


I can;t remember, sorry

[Edward64]

Another review. On sched for Oct 9.

The ‘Consequences’ Of Playing Firaxis’ XCOM: Enemy Unknown | Kotaku Australia (http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/08/the-consequences-of-playing-firaxis-xcom-enemy-unknown/)
Perhaps, alas, I should have quit while I was ahead. That second day’s play is where I lost my snipers. I’m still sorry about that. Hopefully when XCOM: Enemy Unknown comes out on October 9, I’ll get a chance to redeem myself.

[Neon_Chaos]

Cant wait.

[bhlloy]

Damn, now my expectations for this are pretty sky high. Looking good in preseason

[Honolulu_Blue]

The game is up for pre-order on Steam.

[Warhammer]

very disappointed in the decision to only have one base.

[mckerney]

At least they've said modding will be supported and hopefully it will have Steam Workshop integration like Civ V so the ability to have multiple bases will just be a couple clicks away.

Otherwise Xenonauts is looking like a good alternative.

[Edward64]

I would have been happy with an updated graphic engine for original X-Com and opening it up for modders. I think with the Firaxis track record, it will be a good game.

[Marc Vaughan]

very disappointed in the decision to only have one base.

I'm not disappointed in that - I'm dissapointed there won't be any base invasions as that was always quite a nice/stressful thing to occur .. but all told its shaping up in a very promising manner imho.

[Neon_Chaos]

Preordered. :D

[Honolulu_Blue]

Solid preview/review of the first 40 hours:

Hands-On: Forty Hours With XCOM | Rock, Paper, Shotgun (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/09/13/hands-on-forty-hours-with-xcom/)

Can't wait!

[Neon_Chaos]

I am slightly concerned that there will be only handcrafted maps (100?) and no procedurally generated ones. Hopefully the random placement of aliens will make things not as repetitive.

[rockboy70]

Supposedly the demo is available on steam.

[spleen1015]

Supposedly the demo is available on steam.

I'm downloading it now!

[Glengoyne]

Doh! I don't have time for this now!

[spleen1015]

Pfft. That was disappointing.

THE GAME IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!! The demo is way to fucking short!

[Shepp]

It took me longer to download demo than it did to play through it. The tactical missions seem close enough to the original.

Like Neon_Chaos said I'm a little concerned about the individually drawn maps. One hundred is quite a few but I liked the way the original randomly generated the maps. You never knew exactly what to expect.

I'm also a little bummed about there only being one base and no base defense missions. Maybe there is a chance they can add base defense on as a DLC or something.

[Apathetic Lurker]

It took me longer to download demo than it did to play through it. The tactical missions seem close enough to the original.

Like Neon_Chaos said I'm a little concerned about the individually drawn maps. One hundred is quite a few but I liked the way the original randomly generated the maps. You never knew exactly what to expect.

I'm also a little bummed about there only being one base and no base defense missions. Maybe there is a chance they can add base defense on as a DLC or something.

One base????? No defense missions???? Might as well wait for the inevitable
gold edition with whatever crap they put into their DLC's....Sigh

Good thing I got my original working on my system...

[mckerney]

I'm also a little bummed about there only being one base and no base defense missions. Maybe there is a chance they can add base defense on as a DLC or something.

Steam Workshop integration is what I'm hoping for, there should be a good chance of it since they've said they'll include mod support and Civ V is already in the workshop.

Xenonauts is also worth checking out, even for those getting Enemy Unknown.

[jeff061]

Getting a "No Subscription" error when trying to download demo. Anyone else?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Getting a "No Subscription" error when trying to download demo. Anyone else?

Apparently you need to re-start Steam and that should fix the error.

[Glengoyne]

One base????? No defense missions???? Might as well wait for the inevitable
gold edition with whatever crap they put into their DLC's....Sigh

Good thing I got my original working on my system...

Being that the base is laid out in vertical levels, I think a base defense mission would be pretty difficult to achieve.

In part I agree with this assessment, but the developers seem to have caught so much else of what was great about the game, that I'm hoping they judged correctly when they made that compromise.

[Shepp]

Being that the base is laid out in vertical levels, I think a base defense mission would be pretty difficult to achieve.

In part I agree with this assessment, but the developers seem to have caught so much else of what was great about the game, that I'm hoping they judged correctly when they made that compromise.

No base defense missions are hardly enough to keep me for getting this game. It's just that the original had it so right. Why couldn't they just update the graphics and keep everything the way it was?

[Apathetic Lurker]

Being that the base is laid out in vertical levels, I think a base defense mission would be pretty difficult to achieve.

In part I agree with this assessment, but the developers seem to have caught so much else of what was great about the game, that I'm hoping they judged correctly when they made that compromise.

Still......


But the tactical mission I played was pretty cool. It's going to take all my willpower to not buy this when it comes out.

[Neon_Chaos]

Still......


But the tactical mission I played was pretty cool. It's going to take all my willpower to not buy this when it comes out.

I actually have already pre-ordered. :)

Just cause I want the custom color scheme. :P

[Groundhog]

I don't think I ever stayed alive long enough to experience a base defense mission in the original. :D

Also pre-ordered, don't know how I'm going to find time to play FTL/X-Com/Madden/NCAA.....

[Critch]

Having tried the demo I've gone from "I'll wait til its on sale on Steam" to "I'll tell myself I'll wait for it to be on sale, but one night I'll pull the trigger and buy it for full price then hate the fact I've spent 50 friggin bucks on a game." It's that good.

I also like that since it's in the near future, Scotland is once more an independent nation. My little guy with the Scottish flag on his backpack was my hero.

[Atocep]

I preordered a couple of weeks ago. The demo made me feel good about my leap of faith.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Having tried the demo I've gone from "I'll wait til its on sale on Steam" to "I'll tell myself I'll wait for it to be on sale, but one night I'll pull the trigger and buy it for full price then hate the fact I've spent 50 friggin bucks on a game." It's that good.


Sounds about right

[mckerney]

Having tried the demo I've gone from "I'll wait til its on sale on Steam" to "I'll tell myself I'll wait for it to be on sale, but one night I'll pull the trigger and buy it for full price then hate the fact I've spent 50 friggin bucks on a game." It's that good.

I also like that since it's in the near future, Scotland is once more an independent nation. My little guy with the Scottish flag on his backpack was my hero.

There should be a new GMG voucher code before XCOM is released that will let you preorder for about $36. It will activate on Steam, though you won't get the Steam preorder bonuses.

EDIT: Nevermind, the free copy of Age of Fear deal is done.

Always check Green Man Gaming for deals if you're interested in preordering. I got Borderlands 2 and the DLC bundle for under $60 from there.

[Neon_Chaos]

Based off of watching videos on the web, the demo is basically the first two tutorial missions.

Grrrr. Can't wait for this.

[mckerney]

Hmm, it looks like the current GMG voucher doesn't work on XCOM even though it works on other games that are on sale.

[Neon_Chaos]

Playing the demo has me concerned about the camera. I would have liked to have a freeform camera instead of the rotatable four corner iso one that is currently in the game.

[spleen1015]

Playing the demo has me concerned about the camera. I would have liked to have a freeform camera instead of the rotatable four corner iso one that is currently in the game.

I was having trouble with it at first, too. I think I got the hang of it at least.

[Shepp]

I was having trouble with it at first, too. I think I got the hang of it at least.

I also thought the restricted camera movement was sort of odd. I can only guess that they were trying to maintain the look and feel of the original.

[Groundhog]

Yeah I think it's in keeping with the original that it's locked down. Have to say, the demo made me feel a lot better about dropping cash on the pre-sale. Hard to get the whole picture without seeing how the other non-combat aspects of the game works, but the combat... wow.

[klayman]

Landed UFO mission play-through for any not subscribed to their facebook page. (NSFW language)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Team GT UFO Walkthrough | Gametrailers (http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/ns2k61/xcom--enemy-unknown-team-gt-ufo-walkthrough)

[nilodor]

I've never really played this type of game before with the closest being the Civilization series. I noticed that it's out on ps3 as well as for the computer which version would you guys opt for? On the computer I'd be playing it on my 27" iMac on windows 7 through parallels if that makes any difference to you.

[mckerney]

I'd recommend it on PC unless you really want to play it on PS3 instead. On PC it will be cheaper, you'll be able to play it on either your computer or TV if you chose to hook it up, plus you'll have access to mods later on.

[Atocep]

Landed UFO mission play-through for any not subscribed to their facebook page. (NSFW language)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Team GT UFO Walkthrough | Gametrailers (http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/ns2k61/xcom--enemy-unknown-team-gt-ufo-walkthrough)

This mission is what XCom is all about. Can't wait.

[Neon_Chaos]

Steam X-COM Preorders just hit their target for tier 3, which means I get a free copy of Civilization 5. Yay!

Seeing as how I already have Civilization 5, I will gladly gift it to anyone who wants it. :)

First person to soot me a PM gets it. :)

[Neon_Chaos]

Interactive trailer!

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Interactive Gameplay Trailer - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93M_fLmmecU&feature=player_embedded#)

[Neon_Chaos]

Gave Civ 5 out to a lucky FOFCer. Cheers guys.

[Groundhog]

Wow, didn't even know about these stretch goals for the pre-order, and I've nearly bought Civ 5 a few times now.... super!

[Shepp]

I've had Civ 5 since it first came out. I think it would have been better if they let you choose between it or maybe Gods and Kings.

[PurdueBrad]

My AP students were going on and on about the Civ games yesterday and I had to admit that I hadn't played them. I was going to get X-Com for the 360 but if Civ is free with Steam I may give this a shot. Is Civ 5 that good?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Is Civ 5 that good?

Yes.

[gstelmack]

I've had Civ 5 since it first came out. I think it would have been better if they let you choose between it or maybe Gods and Kings.

Since Civ 5 keeps going dirt-cheap, I'm surprised they weren't just giving it away to get folks to buy Gods & Kings.

[Shepp]

Since Civ 5 keeps going dirt-cheap, I'm surprised they weren't just giving it away to get folks to buy Gods & Kings.

Civ 5 and Gods and Kings are both selling for $29.99 on Steam. Makes me wonder even more why they wouldn't throw people who already own Civ 5 a bone instead of making the preorder bonus a game that I will just end up giving away. Not much of a bonus, especially for the top tier.

[chinaski]

If anyone has an extra copy of Civ 5, id love a shot at it >.>

[revrew]

I'm just bumping this because it's a sad commentary on FOFC that this thread could possibly fall to page 2.

I have not looked forward to a game release more than this one ... ever.

[spleen1015]

There's not much to talk about right now. Next week will be a different story.

[Shepp]

I'm so excited to play this that I downloaded dosbox on Sunday and fired up the original. It took a little tinkering to get it to run right but once I did I've played it for the last two days straight.

[Honolulu_Blue]

First review is up:

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/xcom_enemy_unknown/b/xbox360/archive/2012/10/05/review.aspx

[Atocep]

Pre-load on Steam is up.

[chinaski]

purchased!

[spleen1015]

Pre-load on Steam is up.

How do I get to this? I can't seem top find it anywhere.

[Shepp]

Once you purchase the game, go to it in your library, and there should be a preload button were the play button usually is.

[Groundhog]

If you don't see the preload button, re-start Steam. Fixed it for me. Pretty large download - like 20GB IIRC.

[mckerney]

I think it was 12GB, not huge but bigger than I was expecting for XCOM. Should mean we're getting high resolution textures I think.

I'm happy to see it will be a midnight eastern release rather than the noon eastern time release a lot of games have.

[Groundhog]

Ah yes, sorry, I think the listed requirements were 20GB, while the actual dl was around 12GB.

[Neon_Chaos]

Preloaded and ready to rock and roll. Oct. 11 release date
For us in ROW.

[spleen1015]

If you don't see the preload button, re-start Steam. Fixed it for me. Pretty large download - like 20GB IIRC.

Thanks!!

[chinaski]

Is this available at midnight pst?

[mckerney]

Is this available at midnight pst?

Should unlock at 9 pm pst monday night on pc.

[chinaski]

Should unlock at 9 pm pst monday night on pc.


Damnit!

[chinaski]

t-minus 9 hours!

[Abe Sargent]

Well, for me, Pokemon Black 2 came out this week, and it's in teh mail. So X Com and the Baldur's Gate remake will take second seat until after the Poke-thon!

[Groundhog]

Been pretty addicted to 2K13 at this point, but I'll definitely be firing this one up tonight.

[Glengoyne]

Working on the preload now. I was waiting for it to allow, and forgot I needed to restart Steam to display the preload option.

I think I'll be cracking this one open at the stroke of 9 PM tonight.

[mrkilla22]

I wish I could pre-load the amazon pre-order. Almost time!

[klayman]

Live stream of gameplay starts in about 10 mins for anybody that is interested

twitchtv 2K live xcom steam (http://www.twitch.tv/2k)

[Warhammer]

W-O-W

[moriarty]

That live stream is starting to hurt my wallet.

[spleen1015]

Guh. I might be up late.

[sterlingice]

Ok, I turned this on and now I can't turn it off. I didn't even have this on my radar for the near future- it would eventually but now I'm really considering it

SI

[klayman]

Looks awesome. 9pm PPT can't come soon enough.

[sterlingice]

I had to turn it off after the mission as I'm really starting to want it.

SI

[sterlingice]

So who is starting up the first FOFC dynasty?

SI

[Shepp]

Looks like its up!

[Wolfpack]

I almost never buy first-day full-freight anymore, but this online show is really, really, really pushing the temptation. It doesn't help my birthday is this month. :D

[chinaski]

launching!

[SirFozzie]

Fuck.. this today, Blood Bowl Chaos Edition Thursday, Borderlands 2 with SackAttack, DreadBall next month..

I'm going to be busy ain't I?

[Vince, Pt. II]

My roommate is playing right now. It looks so, so good.

[Neon_Chaos]

I will need to steer clear of this thread until it goes out for the rest of us in the world on Friday. :)

[EagleFan]

Crap, crash to desktop.

[EagleFan]

Crap again. Got a little further this time (not much) but another crash to desktop. I guess it isn't meant to be (tonight at least).

[Izulde]

Watching this live stream makes buying so tempting.

[Lonnie]

Put in two hours. Finally got past where they hold your hand and tell you what to choose every step of the way.

Besides the first mission, I have only lost one soldier so far. Eddie Van Halen will be missed.

[mrkilla22]

Is Vista or Win 7 required for this game? It won't work on Win XP?

[Izulde]

OMG rookie saved the freaking day in the terror mission on the livestream! holy shit that was awesome!!!

[chinaski]

3.5 hours in, and i think about 12-13 missions deep. Only lost one person so far, I think i might have to bump it up to Classic the next play thru.

Loving the game and it feels like i've just scraped the surface.

[Groundhog]

So I guess, despite being pre-loaded on my PC and obviously ready for release, I have to wait a few more days thanks to not being in the US. Sucks.

[chinaski]

So I guess, despite being pre-loaded on my PC and obviously ready for release, I have to wait a few more days thanks to not being in the US. Sucks.

Pretty dumb move on their part. why give the torrent groups a 3 day window to water down your international sales?

[chinaski]

ugh, brutal... lost my first mission, whole squad dead. I knew I shouldnt accepted the very difficult mission.

[Atocep]

Classic difficulty is brutal. Classic Ironman is just asking for failure. And I'm loving it.

[Icy]

If any of you want CIV 5 from the preorder just let me know and i'll send it as gift, i had it already.

[spleen1015]

If any of you want CIV 5 from the preorder just let me know and i'll send it as gift, i had it already.

I've got a copy of Civ 5 to give away as well. PM if you're on Steam and want it.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Is Vista or Win 7 required for this game? It won't work on Win XP?

XP ? This is the 21st century, son.....

[SnowMan]

I curse my super awesome 10GB per month data cap. CURSE IT.

[mckerney]

Pretty dumb move on their part. why give the torrent groups a 3 day window to water down your international sales?

From what I've read its all due to agreements with retailers. US retailers like to do new media releases on Tuesdays while in most the rest of the world they prefer Friday releases. I'm the places that do Friday releases they'll refuse to stock the release the first week if the release date for their region is on a Friday, so even if they are losing sales to piracy they're probably better off having the release date be later.

All the more reason to want to see digital distribution replace retail.

[spleen1015]

From what I've read its all due to agreements with retailers. US retailers like to do new media releases on Tuesdays while in most the rest of the world they prefer Friday releases. I'm the places that do Friday releases they'll refuse to stock the release the first week if the release date for their region is on a Friday, so even if they are losing sales to piracy they're probably better off having the release date be later.

All the more reason to want to see digital distribution replace retail.

This.

And the reason you see games like WoW being released globally on the same day is because Blizzard has the juice to get retailers to go outside their norm.

[mckerney]

This.

And the reason you see games like WoW being released globally on the same day is because Blizzard has the juice to get retailers to go outside their norm.

Yep, things like the WoWs, Call of Dutys and Skyrims in the world are must have for retailers so they can set global release dates. Something like XCOM can't risk the lost sales of it not being in every store on release especially since sales drop off a lot after the first week, plus because of that fact first week sales are something investors will look closely at to judge a products and publishers success.

[spleen1015]

I've got a copy of Civ 5 to give away as well. PM if you're on Steam and want it.

My freebie is taken.

[mrkilla22]

XP ? This is the 21st century, son.....

Yeah, I need to get Win 7. When I hit play in Steam, it doesn't do anything (a window pops up for a split second, the normal black window saying it's loading or whatever and that's it). Does this game not work on Windows XP? Anybody know or have the same issue? I see the minimum requirements are Vista.

[Matthean]

Does this game not work on Windows XP?

I see the minimum requirements are Vista.

Um...

[mrkilla22]

Apparently they don't support XP. That's the first time I've seen that. I need to upgrade anyway. Any suggestions on purchase locations for Windows 7 upgrades from XP?

[chinaski]

Apparently they don't support XP. That's the first time I've seen that. I need to upgrade anyway. Any suggestions on purchase locations for Windows 7 upgrades from XP?

I would never do an upgrade.. time to backup, wipe and start a new.

[mrkilla22]

Ok, thanks. Any suggestions on where to buy Windows 7 for a good price? I just need the basic version for home gaming use.

[Glengoyne]

Ok, thanks. Any suggestions on where to buy Windows 7 for a good price? I just need the basic version for home gaming use.

NewEgg Go OEM.

[Glengoyne]

...

Besides the first mission, I have only lost one soldier so far. Eddie Van Halen will be missed.


Nice.


I'm a handful of missions in. and I've had two deaths. One where a panicked soldier unloaded her clip into another's back. The second when I thought for sure my soldier on overwatch had an area covered, but apparently the truck door he was hiding behind blocked his LOS. Darn ThinMan alien got complete enfilade fire on my sniper. One shot, one kill for the bad guys.

[chinaski]

Ive already had a few countries drop out and 3 more are in full on panic. I think this will be a short lived XCOM operation.

[bulletsponge]

im downloading now

[mckerney]

NewEgg Go OEM.

OEM from Newegg or Amazon is likely the best way to go.

Apparently they don't support XP. That's the first time I've seen that. I need to upgrade anyway. Any suggestions on purchase locations for Windows 7 upgrades from XP?

XCOM probably uses DirectX 10 which relies on Windows Display Driver Model, a a display driver architecture that is new to Windows Vista and therefore incompatible with XP. It's not the first game to do it and it will probably become a lot more common once the next XBOX is released.

[spleen1015]

Ive already had a few countries drop out and 3 more are in full on panic. I think this will be a short lived XCOM operation.

I've got a feeling you're going to need a lot more balance with your nations' panic levels.

I've only finished through to where the demo went, so I have no idea how it works yet, but my plan is going to be to try and keep all of the countries if I can for funding purposes.

[chinaski]

I've got a feeling you're going to need a lot more balance with your nations' panic levels.

I've only finished through to where the demo went, so I have no idea how it works yet, but my plan is going to be to try and keep all of the countries if I can for funding purposes.

Yeah very essential, im barely scraping by with 5 countries dropping out. Getting your satellites and aircraft covering all the regions is key. Next play through, im putting all i have into making sure that happens.

[Lonnie]

A few more hours and a couple more deaths.

Added to the deceased list:

Rk. Charlie Sheen - not winning.

Cp. Katy Perry - the only person that took a med pack with her and she bled out.

I have four countries that are orange panic. None have dropped out yet. I have built down to the second level and will place my second satelite launch bay as soon as I get enough engineers.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Yeah, I need to get Win 7. When I hit play in Steam, it doesn't do anything (a window pops up for a split second, the normal black window saying it's loading or whatever and that's it). Does this game not work on Windows XP? Anybody know or have the same issue? I see the minimum requirements are Vista.

Someone in the steam community forums wrote up a xp start guide for XCOM and it seems to be working for some.

[Qwikshot]

So what is the better path: platform or PC

[mrkilla22]

Someone in the steam community forums wrote up a xp start guide for XCOM and it seems to be working for some.

Thanks. I will see if I can find it.

[chinaski]

So what is the better path: platform or PC

Id go with PC. Who knows what user mods may get released, etc.

[mckerney]

Id go with PC. Who knows what user mods may get released, etc.

Unless you really want to play on TV and don't have a way to hook your PC up to it then I'd recommend getting it on PC. You can get it for $45 rather than $60 (http://www.amazon.com/2K-Games-41071emy-Unknown1-XCOM/dp/B008ALU5KG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349818460&sr=8-2&keywords=xcom+enemy+unknown+pc), you'll have better graphics with faster load times, plus as was mentioned it will have mod support on PC.

[PurdueBrad]

Wow, console version is impressively solid, at least thus far. I'm pretty pumped!

[Lonnie]

Now it's getting interesting. I've had a couple countries shut down on me and a couple more really close. I got the satellite uplink built and now waiting on two satellites to complete so I can deploy them before the end of the month. Mean while, I had a complete wipe on a terror mission with Chryssalids everywhere, which meant zombies everywhere. Had a to take a break after that one.

My memorial list is getting longer.

[Atocep]

I made it just under a month on Classic/Ironman before it became painfully clear I needed to restart. I could have stretched things out longer, but failure was inevitable.

On my restart I'm doing much better. I'm 6 missions in and I'm losing an average of less than 1 man per mission this time (a couple of those deaths were bad luck with the RNG). They've done an outstanding job of capturing the tension in missions that the original had. I'm not sold on how the base is run yet, but my issues there don't detract enough from the overall experience to bring the game down. It's an amazing game that I had given up hope of ever seeing.

[chinaski]

Now it's getting interesting. I've had a couple countries shut down on me and a couple more really close. I got the satellite uplink built and now waiting on two satellites to complete so I can deploy them before the end of the month. Mean while, I had a complete wipe on a terror mission with Chryssalids everywhere, which meant zombies everywhere. Had a to take a break after that one.

My memorial list is getting longer.

I think thats the exact same one that I had my first wipe on. The Glass Crone it was called. Those zombies are ridiculous.

[chinaski]

My best guy thus is a maxed out sniper, 58 kills and 24 missions under his belt so far.

[bulletsponge]

i got a rank 3 sniper, and named her after my sister. sure enough she was my first killed very next mission

[jeff061]

Awesome game.

[Wolfpack]

The guy who did the pre-launch video streaming from last night has been continuing to share the video of the game he started during the pre-launch period:

OverloadUT (http://www.twitch.tv/overloadut)

[chinaski]

aaand the very next very difficult mission I get, I lose my best guy and then the game a few days later.

days survived: 153
battles fought: 28
battles won: 26
aliens killed: 202
soldiers lost: 26
avg shot %: 62.8
dmg per shot: 5.3

Best game ive played in a while, completely lives up to its lineage. I do miss the old base, but I guarantee that will come back with either an xpac or dlc.

Going back for round 2.

[chinaski]

I think I just saw a blue line on the floor when I went to move from the office to the living room....

[Shepp]

I just had my first terror mission and they mopped the floor with me. Have any of you guys won a terror mission; or are they a get as many people as you can and get out sort of thing?

I also lost way more soldiers than I needed to ealry on because I hadn't figured out how to use the med kits or the weave vest armor upgrades.

[klayman]

for PC users, which do you prefer: Mouse and keyboard or 360 controller? Personally, I'm finding it a lot easier to navigate around with the controller and no annoying double click needed to execute orders.

[klayman]

I just had my first terror mission and they mopped the floor with me. Have any of you guys won a terror mission; or are they a get as many people as you can and get out sort of thing?

I also lost way more soldiers than I needed to ealry on because I hadn't figured out how to use the med kits or the weave vest armor upgrades.

I just survived my first terror with no losses, but lost half the civilians. It was on a bridge though, so it was pretty much straight forward, didn't have to worry about getting flanked at all.

[Lonnie]

for PC users, which do you prefer: Mouse and keyboard or 360 controller? Personally, I'm finding it a lot easier to navigate around with the controller and no annoying double click needed to execute orders.

I'm using the 360 controller. It works great. I thought about trying the keyboard/mouse, but I'm already used to this and don't feel like learning the extra keys.

I've made it to the base invasion. My first run at it I was doing decent until four Chryssalid showed up. Zombied up 4 out of my 5 guys. My lone unit made several daring escapes then I found out something that worked well. She was wearing the grapple armor and I found some pedestals that I could graple up on to and the Chryssalids couldn't reach me. Of course after I picked them all off one by one I ran into a couple of Mutons and just couldn't take them solo. I'll give it another run tomorrow.

[spleen1015]

I wasn't having much luck last night capturing a Sectoid. I has 1 soldier with the Arc Thrower. I'm thinking I should probably have multiple folks with them.

How have you guys captured them?

[Shepp]

I just survived my first terror with no losses, but lost half the civilians. It was on a bridge though, so it was pretty much straight forward, didn't have to worry about getting flanked at all.

Its the damn Chryssalids that I don't have the answer for. I was all fanned out getting to the civilians when I encountered them. My guys didn't have enough firepower to take them one on one and they overtook my squad before I could pull them back. The real pain was that for every squad member and civilian they impregnated added one more to them. By the end I was outnumbered as well as outgunned.

[Grover]

You guys are really making me want to purchase this. It's a good thing I can't afford any new games for a month or two.

[WVUFAN]

So, I just discovered the alien base. I've lost 6 players, but three of those were lost in the first mission (which everyone loses). I don't have enough engineers to manufacture laser rifles or pistols yet, and I don't have any new armor researched aside from the vest.

Am I woefully unprepared for the alien base?

[Blackadar]

Its the damn Chryssalids that I don't have the answer for. I was all fanned out getting to the civilians when I encountered them. My guys didn't have enough firepower to take them one on one and they overtook my squad before I could pull them back. The real pain was that for every squad member and civilian they impregnated added one more to them. By the end I was outnumbered as well as outgunned.

You *cannot* send your guys out to fight one on one and expect to live against a Chryssalid. You have to treat your team as a squad and fight as a squad. That means a scout, an assault guy, a heavy weapons guy and a sniper all working in concert with each other. See a Chryssalid and it's the #1 priority for the team - break out the rocket launcher if need be - and everyone focuses fire on that SOB until it stops twitching. Your team has to work like a team. Only when you get 6 guys can you make two teams of 3...and even then there will be times they'll need to recombine to take on a tougher area.

I played for 5 hours last night, so I've managed to make it through the entire tutorial, some regular missions, a couple of terror mission and a base assault. I've seen the sectoids, thin mints (yeah, that was on purpose), the chryssalids (quite the disappointment, visually), the zombies, the floaters, some small robot claws, some green guys, the crystal guys and even a sectoid commander. I'm playing on normal to get familiar with the mechanics. Just some general thoughts:

1. I got tired of being in "tutorial mode" long before it was over. I'm never, ever doing that tutorial again.

2. I like the look of the maps, but they're a bit too rectangular and therefore more linear than I'd like. It's hard to flank an enemy and use proper small-squad tactics when you're hemmed in on both sides. I had one terror mission on a freeway that, while it looked cool, was almost tactically impossible. A ramp up to a 2nd level that triggers 4 mobs right at the edge that you can't see until you're on top of them? There aren't any tactics there - that's just a stupid trap. Reload time. I don't mind getting my men killed when I'm being stupid, but I do mind it when it's a cheap game mechanic that I can't avoid. My first mod desire - bigger maps.

3. On that note, I was pretty disappointed with the base layout (extremely linear, didn't like the look) and some of the spawns in there as well. Trigger the LOS and the next thing I know there's like 8 mobs rushing headlong towards my guys? Again, that's just not right. Tactically, all you have to do is set up a firing line, send your least experienced guy up to scout and drag the mobs back to the kill zone.

4. The cut-scenes and character art direction isn't that good. In fact, it can be pretty ugly at times.

5. I don't like how limited my carrying capacity is. One rocket? A medkit *or* a grenade *or* a scope *or* a protective vest? What's the use of making these things if I can't wear most of it? Maybe I'm just missing a way to increase their carry capacity over 4 items, but that just is very limiting to me.

6. I don't mind the monster spawn on escort missions, but I do mind the spawn on other types of missions. I should be able to carefully isolate and eliminate targets without them always coming in pairs or more.

Ok, with all of these gripes, I must hate it, right? Hellz no. I played for 5 fucking hours straight last night. It's a great variation of X-Com (the first decent one since the original game) and I feel I'm just now getting into the meat of the game. The missions can be very intense and the strategic part of the game is now opening up to allow many different options. I was so eager to get to the next turn I haven't even bothered to rename my guys yet. So while it's still early yet, I'm loving this one thus far.

[chesapeake]

5. I don't like how limited my carrying capacity is. One rocket? A medkit *or* a grenade *or* a scope *or* a protective vest? What's the use of making these things if I can't wear most of it? Maybe I'm just missing a way to increase their carry capacity over 4 items, but that just is very limiting to me.


I'm really irritated by this artificial restriction. I'm still enjoying the game, but I can't understand why they would group all these unrelated items into one inventory slot.

[dubb93]

I'm past the tutorial and into the actual game. How the hell do I get more engineers? I need to build crap but only have five of those guys. Can't build any building worth a crap either as far as engineering goes.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Excited about this game. I'm picking up a brand new laptop tonight with tons of RAM. Will buy this game and download tonight along with a save transfer of my FM dynasty and some Civ V. Can't wait to see the improved speed on both games. The demo for this game was far too jumpy on my current laptop.

[spleen1015]

I'm past the tutorial and into the actual game. How the hell do I get more engineers? I need to build crap but only have five of those guys. Can't build any building worth a crap either as far as engineering goes.

I think I have only gotten more engineers from completing missions where they were a reward.

[Blackadar]

I think I have only gotten more engineers from completing missions where they were a reward.

Offering satellite coverage over some countries also will give you engineers and such. For example, I think you get one a month if you cover the USA.

[Lonnie]

I'm past the tutorial and into the actual game. How the hell do I get more engineers? I need to build crap but only have five of those guys. Can't build any building worth a crap either as far as engineering goes.

Build Workshops.

[Lonnie]

I wasn't having much luck last night capturing a Sectoid. I has 1 soldier with the Arc Thrower. I'm thinking I should probably have multiple folks with them.

How have you guys captured them?

When I need to capture something I usually send out two of my squad with Arc throwers. The Outsider was the hardest as there is only one per downed UFO and I kept killing it with Overwatch. Took me a couple months to capture one.

[Matthean]

You guys are really making me want to purchase this. It's a good thing I can't afford any new games for a month or two.

I'm thinking Steam holiday sale anyway.

[dubb93]

Build Workshops.

Figured that out. For whatever reason I couldn't build them at the time.

[Grover]

I'm thinking Steam holiday sale anyway.

+1

FM13 is my only necessary purchase up through Christmas time.

[chinaski]

If anyone wants to try out multiplayer, hit me up on steam, username is chinaski.

[Izulde]

I caved and got the PS3 version. Funny thing was, Target had the 360 version, but was sold out of the PS3 edition. Gamestop had the PS3 version, but 360 only enough for people who preordered.

[PurdueBrad]

I've gotten way too attached to my team. I find myself playing it too safe, especially during my first terror fight in Japan.

[EagleFan]

This game is pissing me off. Keeps crashing to desktop. I get just a little further each time. Made it through the first mission finally. Tried everything that I have read so far about this issue. All drivers up to date, lowered settings, switched to windowed mode. Not getting one clue about why it crashes either. Guess it's not meant to be.

[chinaski]

This game is pissing me off. Keeps crashing to desktop. I get just a little further each time. Made it through the first mission finally. Tried everything that I have read so far about this issue. All drivers up to date, lowered settings, switched to windowed mode. Not getting one clue about why it crashes either. Guess it's not meant to be.

What video card?

[EagleFan]

What video card?

Radeon HD 6490M

[dubb93]

After a marathon session today I've reached a point where it is starting to get a little frustrating. The game just introduced a new enemy that I'm completely unprepared to deal with. After losing almost no one for a very long time I am now losing one or two every fight. The damn thing one shot crit one of my guys for 27 for crying out loud.

Anyone I'm rocking all plasma weapons but I have noticed I haven't had an armor upgrade since the beginning of the game it seems like. My guys are still rocking carapace armor. A quick google search shows the next step up is Titan Armor. How the hell do I get that? It hasn't ever showed up to be researched.

Sadly my last two battles I have lost a Colonel and two Majors. I also have no living support class soldiers anymore. Bastard killed both my mains and then my backup. I got some serious squad rebuilding to do.

[dubb93]

DOLA: Worse yet I was just told about a terror mission in France. This should be a massacre.

[mckerney]

Had my first terror mission this evening, what a fucking blood bath.

[Izulde]

Is it just me, or does Squad Sight make snipers crazy overpowered? (I love it, though.)

Having a blast with this game so far, and love all the different color hair and uniform styles that come with the Elite Soldier pack. IMO it's better than the original so far, which is sacrilege to say I know, but that's how fun this has been.

[SirFozzie]

Had my first terror mission this evening, what a fucking blood bath.

Seriously.

http://i.imgur.com/jlCKB.jpg

[SirFozzie]

Let's see, my thoughts on the game (spoilers):


Sectoids: Easy Peasy, it's kinda funny though, that whenever one sectoid mind merges with the other, I'll go out of my way to try to kill the mind merge initiator, because it's a two for one special if you kill the mind merge initiator (the psychic feedback snaps and kills the other one)

Thin Men: Don't bunch your guys up too closely, the posion spit can be a pain (not fatal, but bothering) if they catch your guys too tightly wound)

Floaters: Still mostly one hit kill, but partial cover is really the best you can hope for with these guys mobility. Every so often they'll do a half board jump to try to flank my guys, but they always do so un supported, so it's just a matter of one or two guys turning around and picking them off.

Chrysalids (Terror and Base Missions only): Still the freaking terror that they were in the original. On missions where you expect them, you cannot play loosey goosey at all. YOu have to be disciplined, and move your group up slowly because A) They're fast as hell and B) They make zombies which if not killed make MORE Chryssalids (which starts the Death Spiral very quickly). Focus fire on them as soon as they show up, and don't advance until they're all dead. Hint for Terror Missions: Chryssalid kills OFF SCREEN don't create zombies. On Screen Kills (Ie, the one where you see the cut scene of them eviscerating the civvie (or your xcommer), expect to see a Zombie. Also: If your character is surrounded by chryssalids with no hope to escape, it might be worth it to drop the grenade and blow yourself up (hopefully taking at least one of the bastards with you)

Mutons (regular): By now, you will have gotten used to easily taking down floaters and sectoids. These guys are tough. If you have unupgraded weapons, it might take three or four shots to take down. This is the first real "Oh geez, grenades alone won't do it" guy. Again, teamwork in quickly taking down them are key. Because they don't miss much while shooting, hopefully by the time you've ran into them, you'll have better armor. Oh, and keep them at a distance.. I had double charged an assault guy next to them to make sure I did maximum damage with the shotgun (preparing to finish him off with the three guys hanging back), and wthe shotgun guy hit, the Muton did his intimidate thing, and set off a panick chain starting from the assault guy. Oh, and they're good at throwing grenades if you leave your team too bunched up.

Muton (berzerker): Only ran into one so far, but while it can't shoot, it's got more HP then anything else that I'd faced so far, and we were lucky we could perform a retrograde movement (ie, run backwards, pausing to fire) and take it down before it could do TOO much harm, but facing it in close quarters is a sure way to take a disabling hit.

Cyberdisc/Drones: You will see Drones seperate from Cyberdiscs, but trust me, Drones are only worrisome when paired with a cyberdisc. Cyberdiscs are living hell. If you leave ANYOnN out of cover when there's a cyberdisc around, you might as well start planning what you'll be drinking when you're toasting the dead at the memorial after the mission. Close up range, it ginsu-s your unlucky solider with more blades then a knife factory.. from far away, it unleashes a full squad's worth of firepower against one target. And so far it's never missed. Oh yeah, the Drones? They HEAL the cyberdisc :P.

Sectoid Commander: Treat them like they were a Chryssalid: You have to take them down quickly because they will mindcontrol your teammates, setting off a panic chain

[Izulde]

Lost my sniper with Squad Sight, my top soldiers all got hurt, so I had to do a mission with a squaddie and 4 rookies. And my squaddie got critically wounded on the very first turn. Fortunately I was able to get out there with everyone alive. And spoiler person above me, use the spoiler tags thanks.

[SirFozzie]

So, has anyone enabled the Heroes in Xcom? (Hidden Characters)

[gstelmack]

This game is pissing me off. Keeps crashing to desktop. I get just a little further each time. Made it through the first mission finally. Tried everything that I have read so far about this issue. All drivers up to date, lowered settings, switched to windowed mode. Not getting one clue about why it crashes either. Guess it's not meant to be.

When I get random stuff that others aren't getting, I blow out all the dust in my case. It's amazing what heat buildup will do to a modern computer, and that simple step has been bringing my two main PCs back from the dead every few months. I've had 2 bluescreens on my PC lately (one while playing Rage a week ago, the second last night when I quit the X-Com demo) so probably time to do it again.

[Lonnie]

I finally beat the alien base infiltration mission. I ran a lot of scan missions building up my team before I took it on and still lost two guys and had one bleeding out as I took the kill shot or he would have been dead too.

I have lost 6 countries, all on the left side of the map. The only two left on that side are the US and Nigeria. I have every country on the right and now everyone is at minimum panic. I'm sure that won't last long.

[PurdueBrad]

So, has anyone enabled the Heroes in Xcom? (Hidden Characters)

Ummm, no, this is news to me actually. What is special about them other than being hidden?

I got the elite soldier download thing but haven't done it yet, trying to play without it thus far.

[BYU 14]

I really don't have time for another game as GW2 gets my free time, but damn you guys are tempting me!!

[spleen1015]

Just landed for my first terror mission. I'm looking forward to it after reading the descriptions of them here. :D

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Left my new computer on this morning to load up Civ V and X-Com.

I can say that I did get my FM12 save game transferred over to the new computer. That game's going to have a new lease on life with the improved sim speed (as if the 650+ hours I've put into that game already aren't enough).

[Apathetic Lurker]

Ye Gods ! I got proofed ! Proofed for a fucking video game. What ? The gray hair and the bald spot didn't give my old ass away? Seriously? Douche nuggets....I nearly left the game there but figured i'd have to deal with sub morons wherever I went to buy this game......

[sterlingice]

Shouldn't you be flattered?

SI

[Apathetic Lurker]

I'm too old to be flattered

[SirFozzie]

Ummm, no, this is news to me actually. What is special about them other than being hidden?

I got the elite soldier download thing but haven't done it yet, trying to play without it thus far.

Well, the good newsis, if you enable them, it's like having the xcom version of the Expendable (allof them are super fighters with everytihng)

The bad news is you can't earn acheivements with them :)

[Apathetic Lurker]

I keep hearing of all these horrendous missions...Are there levels of difficulty?

[sterlingice]

I believe they start at "X-Com hard" and work their way up from there :D

SI

[Apathetic Lurker]

So nothing like easy medium hard ? Just hard +?

[SirFozzie]

Easy, Normal, Classic and Impossible.

[Apathetic Lurker]

thanks

[spleen1015]

I'm playing on normal and don't feel like it is as hard has the original was.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Sigh....I have this useless hardcover picture book with my game. Why the hell coudn' t they put in a , oh, I don't know, 30 page manual instead of this useless fishwrap?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Sigh....I have this useless hardcover picture book with my game. Why the hell coudn' t they put in a , oh, I don't know, 30 page manual instead of this useless fishwrap?

I thought young whipper-snappers like yourself were supposed to love picture books and stuff like that? ;)

[Apathetic Lurker]

I've graduated to chapter books

[mckerney]

I'm playing on normal and don't feel like it is as hard has the original was.

I think Classic is supposed to match the difficulty of the original.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I think Classic is supposed to match the difficulty of the original.

Yes.

[spleen1015]

Sigh....I have this useless hardcover picture book with my game. Why the hell coudn' t they put in a , oh, I don't know, 30 page manual instead of this useless fishwrap?

While in the game, hit ESC and choose XCOM Database. It has been helpful to me a couple of times.

[Glengoyne]

Ye Gods ! I got proofed ! Proofed for a fucking video game. What ? The gray hair and the bald spot didn't give my old ass away? Seriously? Douche nuggets....I nearly left the game there but figured i'd have to deal with sub morons wherever I went to buy this game......


Yeah, but did the young whipper snapper say "Thank You Sir" when you left? It used to annoy me when they called me sir. Now I just get annoyed when I receive the senior discount at fast food joints.

[Kodos]

Tempted. This game looks pretty fun.

[Glengoyne]

I lost my best soldier, a sniper that had been active since the first mission. It was one of those, well she is out of cover from that angle but I've got four guys who can cover her. So rather than play it safe and ducking herself into cover, she dropped the floater who would have had a rookie dead to rights. Then the rookie she saved and two others missed overwatch shots on the next floater that dropped the already lightly wounded sniper.

So now I've got a Blue team and a Red team. Due to injuries and the untimely sniper KIA, each team consists of two regulars and three rookies.

All of my rookies are dressed like Storm Troopers in all white. I'm not even going to look at their faces, let alone try to remember their names until they make squaddie.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Yeah, but did the young whipper snapper say "Thank You Sir" when you left? It used to annoy me when they called me sir. Now I just get annoyed when I receive the senior discount at fast food joints.

Yes she did. The little prissy drone..I think the growl she received in return discombobulated her.....

[sterlingice]

Don't worry, they've hung your newspaper article up next to the register so they don't make that mistake again :D

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/sterlingice/random/grandpa_simpson.jpg

SI

[dubb93]

Things are looking up. I have finally found the wonders of Titan Armor and I am currently working on rolling it out to my front line troops. I have rolled out all Plasma weapons except for the Plasma Sniper Rifle which I just haven't been able to afford to build yet. My squad is capable of an insane amount of damage output.

I've only lost funding from two counties at this point(Egypt and India). I also have satellite coverage on every continent with multiple satellites covering Europe and Asia. I like my odds so far.

[Lonnie]

Steam is currently downloading a big update for XCOM:EU. That was a rather quick patch.

[CleBrownsfan]

Bought the game last night - having fun with it (only have about two hours into it) but I do have a questions. Once you lose a country funding can you get them back on the payroll?

[Apathetic Lurker]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....oh damn...still not installed? Nope..it's installed. I'm at 19% on the patch at 2.5 gb....maybe by tomorrow...

[Honolulu_Blue]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....oh damn...still not installed? Nope..it's installed. I'm at 19% on the patch at 2.5 gb....maybe by tomorrow...

http://www.jsc.edu/BasementMedicine/Spring11_5/images/snoring-cartoon.jpg

[chinaski]

Bought the game last night - having fun with it (only have about two hours into it) but I do have a questions. Once you lose a country funding can you get them back on the payroll?

nope, theyre gone for good.

[Izulde]

Well that sucks, considering I lost two countries during my marathon session last night. Had all my soldiers wiped out in a horrible mission which left me with a squaddie and a bunch of rookies. Slowly built it up to a Captain, a couple sarges and some squaddies, but had two support Captains and lost one.

I'm likely playing out the string until the end of the world but it's been fun nonetheless.

[chesapeake]

Tempted. This game looks pretty fun.

I can see why approaching an alien invasion from the other side would be novel and entertaining for you.

[Izulde]

I can see why approaching an alien invasion from the other side would be novel and entertaining for you.

/thread.

[sterlingice]

I can see why approaching an alien invasion from the other side would be novel and entertaining for you.

Gold :D

SI

[Kodos]

Hey! I was one of the heroes in GB's X-Com dynasty! I shall remain allied with my Earth comrades until the time when it benefits me more to defect!

[Lonnie]

I like the Hyperwave Relay because it can tell you what to expect on the mission, but sometimes I don't want to go on that mission. Just a little scary.

Big image inside.

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/920117395433529055/94316C367172DE5EE1AF1C5D05D5D2A138CA1379/

[spleen1015]

Question....

Downed UFO, can I walk through the shields?

[Lonnie]

Yes

[bulletsponge]

I like the Hyperwave Relay because it can tell you what to expect on the mission, but sometimes I don't want to go on that mission. Just a little scary.

Big image inside.

http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/920117395433529055/94316C367172DE5EE1AF1C5D05D5D2A138CA1379/


now thats scary. i just got the ability to make that device

another question. when some country panics and leaves the "justice league", can you do anything to bring them back?

[SirFozzie]

Nope, and if eight countries leave, you lose.

[Apathetic Lurker]

I've been futzing around on easy to get the hang of the game since I hate tutorial missions..Went thru a few missions and hate one major part of it. The cut scenes.. Mind you they are good but they make me think this is a railgame. I know its not but it reminds me of it. And I hate railers.

[Neon_Chaos]

XCOM Y U HAVE 2 GIG DOWNLOAD ON RELEASE DAY FOR WORLD!? WAS 12 GIG DOWNLOAD NOT FUCKING INSANE ENOUGH!?

[Apathetic Lurker]

Dammit...I really feel i'm on a railer.....The original,TFTD and apoc I played multiple times...I'm not sure about this.......

The other thing I hate. It always gives me a choice of three missions. No variance. Just three. On the same day. What? It was impossible to do what the original did? And how do I send out more than 1 interceptor at a target? I have three. Sigh...well at least i'll play this longer than Diablo III

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Goofed around with the game for awhile. Definitely a strong start. Given what the company did with Civ V on their expansions, I'm hopeful that some of these early critiques will be ironed out in patches or expansions. Either way, it's a very difficult game to learn to play, but I'm having a lot of fun getting my ass kicked.

[SirFozzie]

You can call the first Interceptor back and send a second one.

The three missions is because no matter how well you do, there's supposed to be a managing the panic level feeling.l You can slowly delay it (by putting up sattelites), but that's to make sure you feel the creeping doom as the panic meters slowly go up.. prods you down the storyline path..


For example, the base mission (where you take out an enemy base), lowers world wide panic by 2 if you succeed

But it's to set a balance where you can't just wait till everything's perfect before moving to a storyline mission.

[CleBrownsfan]

Okay - I really really suck at this game. I can't keep anybody alive ;)

Can anybody give me suggestions on cover? My guys are getting hit even though they have hidden cover vs the aliens. I could be behind a large tree or brick wall and I still get hit.

[Apathetic Lurker]

You can call the first Interceptor back and send a second one.

The three missions is because no matter how well you do, there's supposed to be a managing the panic level feeling.l You can slowly delay it (by putting up sattelites), but that's to make sure you feel the creeping doom as the panic meters slowly go up.. prods you down the storyline path..


For example, the base mission (where you take out an enemy base), lowers world wide panic by 2 if you succeed

But it's to set a balance where you can't just wait till everything's perfect before moving to a storyline mission.

So pretty much its a glorified railer dressed up as a turn based tactical game. Why have a storyline that holds your hand to a point? Are gamers these days so inept at creating their own mental stories in a game that they need assistance?.....

And why not 2 missions? Why not 4? 5? Always 3.....Feels a bit forced. Sameness.

Still, why not allow multiple interceptors?What's the issue?

Can't carry too much equipment....One smoke grenade? really? And hmm..I can take a scope for my weapon or a medikit..or a grenade but not 2 of them? Or I can take the cheap armor but leave my tiny smoke grenade at home.....

Maps feel "constricting"

But other than that its pretty impressive and immersive but it's not as much fun as the original.'' But I am getting close to that "ok, 50 bucks spent on a game...worth it" moment. And thats rare these days......

[spleen1015]

Okay - I really really suck at this game. I can't keep anybody alive ;)

Can anybody give me suggestions on cover? My guys are getting hit even though they have hidden cover vs the aliens. I could be behind a large tree or brick wall and I still get hit.

Are you using Hunker Down? Instead of moving twice, move once that gets you to good cover, then use the Hunker Down ability. It doubles your defense when you do it.

[CleBrownsfan]

Ahhhh - that must be it. I will try this tonight... TY

[dubb93]

Don't use hunker down unless you are in a firefight or something. Use over watch always, unless you are shooting. Overwatch shoots enemy's that move. Never or very rarely move twice in a turn. Move to blue and use overwatch until you make contact. You aren't timed and this isn't a race. When you make contact flank and kill.

[Lonnie]

And why not 2 missions? Why not 4? 5? Always 3.....Feels a bit forced. Sameness.


I have had 1 mission, and 2 mission options later on. Maybe that is because the country that would have been 2 and 3 in those instances had already left the Council, but I have gotten those options. It is a bit forced, but after the base infiltration mission, I haven't really noticed threat levels or anything. It then shifts to building your equipment and research up.


Still, why not allow multiple interceptors?What's the issue?


Dunno, I think the whole interceptor mini-game needs some attention. I haven't lost an interceptor yet.


Can't carry too much equipment....One smoke grenade? really? And hmm..I can take a scope for my weapon or a medikit..or a grenade but not 2 of them? Or I can take the cheap armor but leave my tiny smoke grenade at home.....


As your troops level up they will get perks to carry multiple medkits, grenades, rockets. I almost always take the three medkit perk for my support guys. In the original you were limited to what each soldier could carry by weight. I'm kinda glad I don't have that to fiddle with now.

Maps feel "constricting"

A few are like that. Especially the freeway bridge one, but there are some really large maps too.

I just shot down a battleship and it was so large that there was no walking the woods to get to it. I just landed on the rear deck. I enjoyed the multiple height vantage points for my snipers.

[Apathetic Lurker]

I have had 1 mission, and 2 mission options later on. Maybe that is because the country that would have been 2 and 3 in those instances had already left the Council, but I have gotten those options. It is a bit forced, but after the base infiltration mission, I haven't really noticed threat levels or anything. It then shifts to building your equipment and research up.



Dunno, I think the whole interceptor mini-game needs some attention. I haven't lost an interceptor yet.



As your troops level up they will get perks to carry multiple medkits, grenades, rockets. I almost always take the three medkit perk for my support guys. In the original you were limited to what each soldier could carry by weight. I'm kinda glad I don't have that to fiddle with now.



A few are like that. Especially the freeway bridge one, but there are some really large maps too.

I just shot down a battleship and it was so large that there was no walking the woods to get to it. I just landed on the rear deck. I enjoyed the multiple height vantage points for my snipers.

Ahhh. Maybe i'm not too far into it then..Good to know the maps don't end up staying the same size. Had my first terror mission to Toronto. What fun...Snipers rule..... I still feel shafted not being able to carry more gear. Especially grenades.....

Can you build more bases later on ?Don't see that option anywhere.

Game does need polishing.

I actually loaded up TFTD and had a bit of fun with it in the last hour.

[Lonnie]

You cannot build additional bases. If you have a satellite in the country you can send interceptors there. So it's kinda like having listening bases in the original with radar, defense, and interceptors.

[dubb93]

Ahhh. Maybe i'm not too far into it then..Good to know the maps don't end up staying the same size. Had my first terror mission to Toronto. What fun...Snipers rule..... I still feel shafted not being able to carry more gear. Especially grenades.....

Can you build more bases later on ?Don't see that option anywhere.

Game does need polishing.

I actually loaded up TFTD and had a bit of fun with it in the last hour.

The idea is satellite coverage rather than bases. You get one base but you can put up satellites for radar coverage in other areas.

You also station interceptors in the different continents for ability to shoot down detected UFOs in that region.

Your Skyranger is able to cover the entire globe and respond with troops everywhere.

[Neon_Chaos]

Ohmygodthisgameislikecrackiwouldpostmorebutstillhaveonemoreturntotakeitssoawesome!!!

[Lonnie]

May have encountered a bug that's limiting my progress. I have the Psi labs, but I can only test 2 soldiers at a time. When I add the third it overwrites the second and leaves the third slot empty. Need to go check if anyone else encountered it.

[dubb93]

May have encountered a bug that's limiting my progress. I have the Psi labs, but I can only test 2 soldiers at a time. When I add the third it overwrites the second and leaves the third slot empty. Need to go check if anyone else encountered it.

I'm batting 100% on Psi ability tests. Small sample size, but hardly seems like your progress will be limited.

[Lonnie]

I loaded it without the 360 controller and was able to queue three up for testing.

First round I could actually load three soldiers and got 1 gifted.
Second round I could only get two soldiers loaded, both Not gifted.

So 20 days, 1 soldier out of 5 gives me a 20% return. Means I have to spin the wheel a lot more and do a lot more missions before I get enough Psi guys to move on to the end game.

So now third round with keyboard mouse I was able to get three loaded. We'll see.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Had my first crash to desktop at the start of a mission. I've seen it mentioned quite a bit on forums, so hopefully they get it worked out in a patch.

[Apathetic Lurker]

So far no crashes...old drivers for pretty much everything....

[jeff061]

I had 1 where I accidentally open the Steam overlay and it crashed when I tried to close it.

[Neon_Chaos]

So, I'm still in my first game. Normal/Ironman. I've already lost like 20+ soldiers. 6 countries have pulled out... And I just hve thisfreling I might make it to the end.

Plasma weapons, Titan Armor, and Psy ops have me on par with those alien bastards, but Sectopods still are fucking insane. Seriously. Fuck Sectopods. 2 attacks per turn, and automatic overwatch. What the fuck.

I just downed my first Battleship, and am slowly taking my time through it.

Awesome awesome game.

[Neon_Chaos]

Also, on my very first terror mission, I lost my four best guys. Vixen, the suppory queen, Blitz the shotgun king, and the twins. Fucking Chrysallids. I thought I'd never recover from that.

[mckerney]

I wish the academy let me teach my soldiers that after the squad has missed 8 straight shots the proper way to let me know they can still hit something is not to panic and kill our support class. :rant:

[Apathetic Lurker]

I wish these idiot squaddies would automatically reaction shoot if they have enough points left. I figure thats something they would have been taught that in remedial combat school.

Or at least give an option to set overwatch automatically and only allow the troops to move without using those points for it.

[dubb93]

Finished it today. Interested in playing it again on higher difficulty. May try out multiplayer.