X-COM II: The Earth’s Revenge (Part IX)

[Craptacular]

So we're talking about one, maybe two missions every hour, right?

[JeeberD]

The more the better. Keep em coming, GB...

[Godzilla Blitz]

Thanks for all the feedback, both here and over in the polls thread. I appreciate it. Judging by the poll results, it sounds like most people would be fine with an increased pace. I don't think I want (or can) do more than 3-4 per week, but I might try to nudge up the pace to that level when I can. I'm really curious to see how this all turns out, and it's hard to stop once you get playing.

[Poli]

WOO!

[Sublime]

Wicked Awesome!

[Poli]

Just out of curiousity, is this game open ended (by that I mean, could you play forever in theory)? Or is there a time line that the game must end at?

[PsychoCop]

In a sense, it is open-ended... since the only way to truly end the game is to go to Mars and kick alien ass.

[kingfc22]

If we do ever go to Mars. I want to be on that mission.

[Tasan]

The Mars mission will probably pretty much depend on our Psi ratings. We don't want the mind controlling there.

[3ric]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Update

We get no rest. 10 hours after the EU COM Skyranger returns to base, Superman scrambles his Interceptor and gives chase to a Sectoid scout UFO over northern Europe. He engages the craft over Northern Ireland and after a short dogfight, downs the craft there.

The ASIA COM Skyranger is airborne within minutes to search the remains. On board are the following ten men:

GlenGoyne, Rich, Jeff Nights II, 3ric IV, Fonzie II, Thomkal II, Travis III, Zippy II, Qwikshot II, and Calis.

Good luck, men.

This mission will go up on Sunday.

Ah, Ireland. Might be best to gather strength before the battle with a pint o' Guinness, eh, lads?

[Godzilla Blitz]

Skyranger Transmission

Word in from Jeff Nights II is "Light opposition encountered. No casualties. No problems. Everything is fine."

Mission 83 will go up sometime tomorrow, probably between 9-11PM CST.

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Skyranger Transmission

Word in from Jeff Nights II is "Light opposition encountered. No casualties. No problems. Everything is fine."

Mission 83 will go up sometime tomorrow, probably between 9-11PM CST.

Translation:

"Everybody's dead. I'm outta here."

[Blade6119]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Skyranger Transmission

Word in from Jeff Nights II is "Light opposition encountered. No casualties. No problems. Everything is fine."

Mission 83 will go up sometime tomorrow, probably between 9-11PM CST.

Wha....what happened to outr trusted pilot?...some one finally shoot thay prick?

[illinifan999]

Originally Posted by Godzilla Blitz

Skyranger Transmission

Word in from Jeff Nights II is "opposition encountered. casualties. problems. is f."

Mission 83 will go up sometime tomorrow, probably between 9-11PM CST.

I fixed that for ya GB.

[klayman]

I doubt there is anything to worry about, it was only a Scout ship. I don't think GB would go from a perfect Terror mission to messing up a simple Scout Ship extraction. Unless it was night...and the aliens had psi-abilities...and most of them survived the crash...

/glad he's not on the roll call

[Glengoyne]

Whooot!!!
I'm Going IN!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
uhh the rest of you might want to duck.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Rakurfraggersukmaggothead...

Not gonna make it tonight.

The computer with the write-up, images, and Photoshop on it is tied up at the moment in a work project that was supposed to be done three hours ago, but is quickly becoming the project from hell. I just love working on Sunday nights.

The mission will have to go up sometime late tomorrow afternoon instead.

Sorry for the delay. We'll be back on track soon.

[Blade6119]

take your time man..i know its hard to write all those letters to the wives of all the dead...im just glad im not one of them.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

take your time man..i know its hard to write all those letters to the wives of all the dead...im just glad im not one of them.

AHEM!

Remember...

"That, my friend, is Karma coming back to kick you in the ass..."

I think that was my favorite QOTM...

[Blade6119]

he jeeber...im on a good karma streak...god is paying me back for killing me on my first mission the first 4 times(including the old games)...im a a good streak now, and UTEP sucks.

[JeeberD]

AHEM!

UTEP = 17-4 (RPI of 46)
Missouri = 9-10 (RPI of 61)

Who sucks now???

[Poli]

I'm missing something. Is everything Jeff Nights says wrong?

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

I'm missing something. Is everything Jeff Nights says wrong?

It's not Jeff Nights per se, but Skyranger pilots in general have been known to be mildly inaccurate, wildly inaccurate, clueless, and/or deliberately deceitful when providing updates on missions. It adds a bit of suspense while waiting for the mission report.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Damn this real world interruption.

Still working...

Aiming for tonight. If all goes well, shouldn't be a problem. I just need 20-30 minutes to finish up the report, add the photos, etc. Before midnight CST.

[Poli]

Just make sure I'm involved, and I'll be happy.

[Godzilla Blitz]

83rd Mission: Sectoids in Ireland

The ASIA COM Skyranger chases the night across Europe on the end of its long journey. Ahead lies a large, Sectoid-infested scout that has crash-landed in rural Northern Ireland. The men should set down about mid-morning, and should have plenty of light.

Jeff Nights II has seniority over Qwikshot II, and leads our forces today.

After a short while, the green light goes on and the Skyranger begins its descent towards the countryside below.

Our troops today:

Left Side:
1. Glengoyne (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Rich (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
3. Jeff Nights II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. 3ric IV (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Fonzie II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Thomkal II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Travis III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Zippy II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Qwikshot II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Calis (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The Skyranger begins its vertical descent through cloudy, wet skies to the soggy Irish farmland below. The men scan the battlefield. We spot the large, cross-shaped UFO easily. It lies to the immediate right of our exit, about 10 yards away. The door should be on the far side, facing away from us, but even so, this could be a quick engagement. To the left of the UFO, as we look at it, are a collection of small, single-story farm shacks. Past the nose of the Skyranger, we can see a small apple orchard. Immediately behind that is a two-story, brick barn. The area to the left of our exit is secure ground.

The Skyranger drops the final meters and squishes into the wet turf. The ramp falls away with a wet thud. Light rain begins to dampen the ramp. Cool air wafts into the Skyranger bay. All is quiet.

We roll our tank onto the ramp, then down to the bottom. It hits the wet turf, spins…nothing. It moves towards the UFO and waits. Glengoyne and Travis head out of the Skyranger, and then cut up under the nose of our craft. They’ll work their way up towards the grove and barn up past our Skyranger. Zippy III and Calis exit the Skyranger next. They head for the UFO and then bear left, towards the shacks just to its left. The rest of the men shuffle up to the exit and wait for the exit area to clear.

Our tank moves alongside Glengoyne and Travis as they advance. The team gets to the nose of the Skyranger without incident.

Zippy II and Calis continue their advance towards the shacks, but suddenly a Sectoid comes around from back side of the UFO, about 20 yards away! Both Zippy II and the alien go for their weapons at the same time, but Zippy gets to his trigger first and drills the alien with a ferocious plasma blast that cuts it in half. The creature howls and falls to the ground in two pieces. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Now that the exit is clear, we move out in force. Jeff Nights II takes the Blaster Launcher and heads out the Skyranger and left, where he sets up a firing position on the wet grass. Thomkal II exits next and heads out to provide firing support for Calis and Zippy’s advance. Rich heads out, joins Travis by the nose of the Skyranger, and together they head straight for the barn. Fonzie is next out, and he heads for Glengoyne, who has taken up a position by the tank. These men will sweep around the right side of the UFO once Rich and Travis clear the barn. 3ric IV and Qwikshot head out of the Skyranger last. The two of them head straight for the UFO. We can see a small plume of smoke drifting up from the exact center of the craft, which should indicate a hole in the roof. 3ric IV and Qwikshot begin prepping grenades to toss in the hole.


X-COM forces search an Irish barn for Sectoids. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Things continue quiet, except for the booming thuds of 3ric and Qwikshot’s grenades. Both 3ric and Qwikshot miss their targets with their first throws, and the grenades go off harmlessly on the roof of the craft. However, 3ric’s second toss pierces the needle, and the muffled roar that follows brings a subsequent alien scream! Yes, 3ric IV got his first kill! X-COM 2, Aliens, 0.

Elsewhere, things are eerily quiet. Glengoyne and Fonzie wait at the tank for the “all clear” from Rich and Travis, who make it to the first barn and clear it without incident. Calis makes a thorough and uneventful search of the two small shacks to the left of the UFO while Zippy and Thomkal provide cover. Qwikshot lands his last two grenades inside the UFO, but we get no result. Grenade supply exhausted, 3ric moves to back up the men to the right of the UFO, while Qwikshot moves left of the UFO. Jeff Nights II waits to blow something apart with his Blaster Launcher.


X-COM troops advance past a downed UFO in Northern Ireland. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

The minutes tick away and the men continue to move on. As we clear the two sides of the UFO, we spot some more structures. Just past the right side of the UFO is a two-story, brick building. Also, about 40 yards past the UFO on the left side are two more such buildings.

Time for strategy. The area past the UFO on the left is wide open, and in order to approach the barns past the open area, we’d have to expose our flank to any aliens exiting the UFO. The building on the right of the UFO is about even with the exit, and there is a small grove in front of it to provide cover as we approach. We’ll take this building first, and then use it to cover the UFO exit as the squad on the left of the UFO approaches the two remaining buildings. We’ll also hit these buildings with the Blaster Launcher to soften up anything inside.

We move out. Glengoyne cuts away from our tank and heads into the orchard that leads up to the first barn. 3ric hurries forward to join Glen. Zippy and the tank alongside the UFO to cover the UFO exit. Rich and Travis start towards the right side of the building through an open field on the far side of the structure. The men on the left side of the UFO wait, but Thomkal II makes some grenade tosses into the UFO to kill time. The blasts rock the still landscape, but provide no kills. Thomkal shifts back into line with the rest of the men waiting to the left of the UFO.

Suddenly, our tank spots an alien approaching through the field in front of the two distant buildings, about 40 yards away! Fonzie opens up from this side of the UFO. Thomkal, Calis, and Zippy all open fire from the far side of the UFO and tear the field apart. The Sectoid makes a dash for the UFO entrance, but Thomkal cuts him down with a perfect shot to the torso that drops the alien to the soggy field, dead.

That’s it? Aargh! All that movement for just three aliens? Yikes. I thought there would be at least a half dozen given the size of the craft and the fact that it was only mildly damaged.

Kills: Thomkal II, 1; 3ric IV, 1; Zippy II, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None
Attribute Improvements: Thomkal II, 3ric IV, Zippy II
Final score: 88
Mission Notes:
I really wanted to get our captains some kills today, but the scant resistance didn’t allow us much action.

Lots of motion, but not much fighting today.

[Blade6119]

man...wheres all the deaths and such...Godzilla, your not becoming a good gamer are you?

[tucker342]

[3ric]

Woot! \o/

I'm not a noob in the Sectoid-bustin' business anymore! It'd be nice to have seen eye-to-eye with the critter, but I'm not complaining. Now, for that pint o' Guinness, with being in Ireland and all...

[Thomkal]

:::shudder::: Barns...:::shudder::: why must there always be barns in missions I'm on?

Good job all-glad the captains didn't get any kills, I need to catch up.

And GB, I wasn't hoping to kill time with those grenade throws.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Urgent Directive

Eyes Only

To: All X-COM Agents
From: Godzilla Blitz

There will be a formal briefing of all X-COM agents Wednesday evening at 11PM CST.

Over.
GB

[Poli]

Does this include those of us on the friggin' waiting list?

[Godzilla Blitz]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

Does this include those of us on the friggin' waiting list?

Yup. It's just going to be post of a meeting. You're there.

[Tasan]

I feel a alien base attack coming, or possibly the breakthough to get to Mars we needed. I want to go!

[Travis]

Excellent job GB, now then, onto important matters, what finger foods will be served at this meeting?

[MrBug708]

*wakes up*

Something to do? Awesome

[DeToxRox]

.. I have an Autograph show that night, no chance of rescheduling is there?

[klayman]

Massive layoffs!

[kingfc22]

Meeting? Meeting? Were talking about meetings man. I don't need to go to no stinking meeting. Just put me on the aircraft and you'll see what I can do. Meetings? What a joke.

[PsychoCop]

Oooh, are we going to do this meeting via video-conference through SAMCOM?

[Poli]

48 minutes to go. I'm holding down the fort.

[PsychoCop]

Can't wait. If I'm not here, GB, I'm volunteering for any dangerous mission you might have for us.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by ardent enthusiast

48 minutes to go. I'm holding down the fort.

Look at the memo again. Wednesday at 11pm. This is only Tuesday, AE...

[Poli]

CRAPT! I THOUGHT IT WAS WEDNESDAY! Actually, I thought it was for Tuesday...Bummer. I'll hold the fort for a long time, I guess.

[Godzilla Blitz]

PsychoCop: Yup, the VirtCom Rooms are getting set up now.

Travis: Thanks! Finger snacks are being provided by Crappy. Um, let's see here. Here it is. "Muton Munchables", "Reaper Crackers", and "Floater Floats". Now I know where all those missing alien corpses went. Enjoy!

Klayman: LOL! Sorry, but there's only one way to get laid off, and it's permanent.

Thomkal: Nice shot, by the way! It was a beautiful long shot across the field at a moving target. Bingo.

3ric: It was a little bit of a cheezy way to get your first kill, but you're alive!

Blade6119: I'm a good gamer on the missions you don't go on.

Those Concerned about our Skyranger Pilots: Over the layoff, I fired all our Skyranger pilots. We're running on auto-pilot for the time being, but the new pilots are getting processed as I write this. Personnel Department has assured me that they are much better than the old ones we had.

Tentative schedule for the next few days...
Wednesday: X-COM General Meeting
Thursday: New Stats and an Update
Friday/Saturday: Mission 84 posted.
Sunday: New Update
Monday: Mission 85 posted

[Poli]

23.5 hours and counting.

[tucker342]

lol

[PsychoCop]

Hmmmm maybe "Poindexter" finally talked... just guessing though...

[JeeberD]

T-Minus three hours and fifty minutes...

[Poli]

3 hours and 30 minutes.