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[Let's Play] UFO: Afterlight!
Echo
ski-bapba-dapModerator, Administrator admin
ski-bapba-dapModerator, Administrator admin
List of updates:
1 - Big Mech, Little Bite
2 - I'd Give It All Up for a Fresh Glass of Water
3 - Too Deep We Delved There, And Woke the Nameless Fear
UFO: Aftermath
First came the Twilight.
A giant spacecraft approaches the Earth. Silent, it hovers ominously over the world, and begins to release great clouds of spores into the upper atmosphere. Rapidly multiplying, the spores soon darken the skies, and before long obscure the sun completely. In later days, this period will be known as the "Twilight".
Having reached critical mass in the skies, the spores begin to rain down, and over the course of several days, begin to clog the streets and bodies of water, smothering people in their homes, and burying animals in the wild. During the "Nightfall", as it would come to be called, most of the higher life forms on the earth were wiped out.
During the Twilight, all human responses were futile. Choosing caution over aggression, the governments of the world didn't realize how quickly the end could come, and were buried alongside those that they governed. A few, however, did survive, sealed in underground bases with stocks of food and oxygen. After several weeks, the spores seemed to have disintegrated, decomposing and settling into the soil. The world seemed safe again, for a time.
The few remnants of humanity banded together and started to scavenge resources and rebuild, encountering horribly mutated animals and creatures - some of them once human.
Some choice Research quotes to highlight what the shit is going on during the game:
This is the canon ending to UFO: Aftermath - you accept the offer from the invading Reticulans. They build a floating platform above Earth called Laputa and transfer the remnants of humanity to it. (You can also defeat them properly, but that's not the canon ending.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzOMJ6b8tCM
UFO: Aftershock is the sequel that takes place several decades after humanity moved to Laputa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spHEDvefn0E
However! UFO: Afterlight actually takes place at the same time as Aftershock, but on Mars!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vi0vEGsyFQ
Welcome to your new life on Mars, soldiers.
1 - Big Mech, Little Bite
2 - I'd Give It All Up for a Fresh Glass of Water
3 - Too Deep We Delved There, And Woke the Nameless Fear
UFO: Aftermath
First came the Twilight.
A giant spacecraft approaches the Earth. Silent, it hovers ominously over the world, and begins to release great clouds of spores into the upper atmosphere. Rapidly multiplying, the spores soon darken the skies, and before long obscure the sun completely. In later days, this period will be known as the "Twilight".
Having reached critical mass in the skies, the spores begin to rain down, and over the course of several days, begin to clog the streets and bodies of water, smothering people in their homes, and burying animals in the wild. During the "Nightfall", as it would come to be called, most of the higher life forms on the earth were wiped out.
During the Twilight, all human responses were futile. Choosing caution over aggression, the governments of the world didn't realize how quickly the end could come, and were buried alongside those that they governed. A few, however, did survive, sealed in underground bases with stocks of food and oxygen. After several weeks, the spores seemed to have disintegrated, decomposing and settling into the soil. The world seemed safe again, for a time.
The few remnants of humanity banded together and started to scavenge resources and rebuild, encountering horribly mutated animals and creatures - some of them once human.
Some choice Research quotes to highlight what the shit is going on during the game:
Transgenant Theory
-We've figured out what these things are and where they come
from. They're not actually aliens at all, but earth creatures
that have somehow had their DNA manipulated by the spores
released by the aliens. While there are a lot of insertions
into the structure of the DNA, these creatures still have
enough of the original structure intact for us to piece
together what they were. For the most part they seem to be
experiments and mistakes, dead ends along the path to some
higher goal. Still they are deadly, even for failures, and
should not be underestimated. What the end of the path is,
we don't know yet, but we could be seeing it before too long.
Biomass Analysis
-These results are truly frightening. Some areas of earth
are breaking out into massive growths. They absorb and
process sunlight into energy much more quickly than any
known organism. They grow so quickly and so differently
from earth plants that even the strongest herbicides have
no effect at all. What's more, they don't seem to be
biologically related to the aliens' standard technology.
We don't know how to fight this yet, so it seems best to
avoid it, if possible, since the areas around these growths
are populated by much larger numbers of transgenants. It's
as if they are drawn to the stuff. We call it the Biomass,
since it seems it's determined to draw all of the biological
material on earth into it.
Biomass Growth Theory
-Our research indicates that the strange liquid we found
in a captured UFO is indeed responsible for the Biomass
growths. It can mutate an animal's nervous system into
a structure resembling a miniature Biomass node. Larger
nervous systems mutate into larger nodes, and animals with
more complex brains mutate into stronger, healthier nodes.
These nodes grow like neurons, forming connections with
adjacent nodes and creating a densely branched structure
resembling a macroscopic neural system. Transgenant
research has shown that Biomass transgenants perform
specialized functions that seem to be coordinated by the
Biomass itself. This leads us to suspect that the Biomass
could be susceptible to psionic attacks, just as our brains
are susceptible to the psionic attacks of the Grays.
Another thing we learned is that if you destroy a node
much of the surrounding Biomass will die. It will eventually
be replaced but destruction of nodes dramatically reduce
the local growth rate.
Alien Interrogation
-We've completed our analysis and have come up with a grammar
and a limited dictionary, which we're expanding all the time.
The closest that you can get to their name for themselves in
English is "Reticulan." Funny, isn't it? We always thought
that the name was made up by UFO hams, coming from the name
of the constellation Reticulum.
So far we've only been able to interrogate low-ranking Reticulans,
but already we've gelaned improtant information about their
culture. Their civiliazion is several thousands of years older
than our own. They have been traveling in space for millennia,
and their technology is more or less based entirely on
biotechnology. They reproduce by parthenogenesis, which hints
that there might be a queen somewhere, calling the shots.
Culturally, though not biologically, they have a swarm mentality,
with intense social stratification. The group to which an
individual belongs is much, much more important than any particular
individual, and sacrifice is the highest virtue. However, they
are rational, intelligent beings, and will not sacrifice themselves
needlessly. Still, this makes them fearsome enemies because
they're difficult to frighten and are masterful in terms of group
coordination.
Summary of Dreamland Files
-Unfortunately, the base was badly damaged by one of the few
physical attacks the enemy made in the last days prior to the
Fall. Most of the information and items here were destroyed.
However, from the wreckage and the few scraps we recovered it
looks like the government was in contact with the aliens before
the attack. All this stuff falls under the heading "Project
Dreamland." Other documents we've found indicate that this
was only one of a series of secret bases. If we can ferret out
the others, perhaps one will be intact and will be able to tell
use more.
Report on Dreamland Archives
-As the information from the first base indicated, the governments
had been in touch with aliens for decades. Apparently they were
peaceful, and they were allowed to set up bases here on earth.
There are records of these friendly aliens trying to warn the
governments about what was going to happen. It could be that the
aliens that attacked were from a different faction within the
race, or that perhaps they were renegades.
Reticulan Debriefing
-We now have a lot more information about the Reticulans. Their
"ambassadors" had been living here since the 1940s. These were
the true representatives of their society: They were peaceful
and had a modus vivendi with the governments of earth. They
were even sharing some of their technologies with us.
The other group of Reticulans--the ones who attacked earth--consists
of renegades who decided to take over some habitable, backwater
planet in order to conduct experiments. Unfortunately for us, we
happened to be that backwater. They destroyed the Qport, the
gateway that the aliens were using for faster-than-light travel
to our solar system. Their hope is that they can finish the
project before the other Reticulans are able to return in force,
which could take as much as twenty years, since they have to
crawl here at sub-light speeds.
The purpose of their experiment, although it must be dire to be
conducted in such secrecy and at such cost, is unclear at the
moment. We think it must have something to do with the Biomass,
and we hope to have it figured out soon.
Contact with Old Grays
-We managed to establish contact with the "Old Grays": the
remnants of a small Reticulan community that lived on earth
prior to the Fall. They confirmed what we already knew: They
were staying here with tacit approval of the major earth
governments and were in fact doing business with them. (Our
major export commodity appears to be works of art, including
paintings and sculptures.)
They knew they were in trouble when the renegades came through
the Qport and blew it up behind them. They tried to alert
their earthly hosts, but it was too little too late. During
the Fall their installations were targeted with conventional
weapons. As a result, only a handful survived. The Old
Grays won't bring us any new technologies or weapons, but
they offer to fight with us side by side. They may also
prove invaluable in any further research efforts concerning
their kin.
Theory on the Purpose of the Biomass
-It all seems to be coming together now. We've concluded
that the Reticulans are working on a truly frightening
project. The Biomass isn't simply an obstacle or an attempt
to alter the planet into something that's more comfortable
for the renegade Reticulans. It is actually a living
computational structure; a planet-wide networking fabric
paired with ultra-powerful biological computers. When
completed it wil be something far beyond anything that
has existed before. The surface will be covered with
the brains of the most intelligent entity ever known.
Even the Reticulans aren't sure what such a being would
be capable of. It would surely, however, be able to destroy
the incoming Gray warships with ease and go on to cause
untold destruction in the civilized universe at the command
of the Reticulans-if they are able to control it once its
birth is complete.
Reticulan Offer
-The full text of the transmission follows:
"To our noble and indomitable enemies: Greetings! We are
impressed by your spirit and resourcefulness. Now that
you know the true reason for our actions here, we trust
you will realize that, sadly, the sacrifice of your people
and planet was necessary in the name of something larger
and more magnificent. We have an opportunity to create
a God and be the masters of that God.
We thereby offer you a chance to partake in this. We
offer immediate cessation of all hostilites and a safe,
secure place where you can stay for the duration of the
planet's transformation. We will attempt to save as many
of your fellow humans as we can, and we offer you a seat
on the Control Council. We now have a deeper respect for
the human race, and we wish to offer you full partnership
in this glorious and unprecedented venture. We want the
voice of humanity to be heard in the years to come, over
the long and difficult period of transition. If you
accept your offer, we can offer immortality for you
and your kind. We will only make this offer once, so
please express your acceptance with haste."
This is the canon ending to UFO: Aftermath - you accept the offer from the invading Reticulans. They build a floating platform above Earth called Laputa and transfer the remnants of humanity to it. (You can also defeat them properly, but that's not the canon ending.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzOMJ6b8tCM
UFO: Aftershock is the sequel that takes place several decades after humanity moved to Laputa.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spHEDvefn0E
However! UFO: Afterlight actually takes place at the same time as Aftershock, but on Mars!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vi0vEGsyFQ
Welcome to your new life on Mars, soldiers.
Echo on
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Posts
Yeah, I don't actually know why this is an LP, but I would be all over getting gibed by aliens.
So, if that is the case, I want it to be know that I am the second to sign up!
If so, I tried it once. Kicked my ass harder than TFTD
I volunteer to be some crazy German sniper/soldier who guns down everything that moves. And I mean EVERYTHING.
!signup
I have the perfect character for you.
This'll be done via screenshots - I don't really have the patience (or disk space) to record/convert and stuff.
I'm also not sure that you can rename soldiers - Afterlight is a lot more character-driven. We'll see soon enough.
Now, the tutorial!
Something strange is going on at this excavation site. Gene has lost contact with Jürgen.
After learning how to use her legs and turn her head, we explore a bit. Holy crap, it's Jürgen! And he's dead, Jim!
Yep, he's dead, his Science Laser on the ground next to him, no sign of what ki...
Well, crap.
Luckily, it's just standing there. As if for target practice. To learn how to use your weapon that you just picked up from the handy dead guy on the ground.
Science prevails! The first shot just knocked it out, so we go closer and fire a line... of... particle effects. Or something. That finishes it off.
Now we need to go into the expedition base camp. I know this because the objectives told me to. Once inside we find... Buzz Lightyear!
Actually, his name is Diego and he wants to hang out. We move through the buildings and go out the other side and find another little creepy-crawly. This one is a lot smaller, but actually has a gun!
Eh, how tough can it beOHGODLIGHTNING
Well, that lightning was way more bark than bite, and down it goes. We wander on to our... ship... thingie.
This ship is cobbled together from a combination of human and Reticulan technology. That pod in the middle is actually a living Reticulan permanently bonded to the ship, as you discover in the first game - all Reticulan ships have that central pod and then larger modules attached to it depending on the ship's size and function.
And that concluded the combat tutorial.
Meet some members of the team! (I'll do these interludes every now and then when some story unfolds.)
These characters are pretty much the advisors for the colony, and will come with random hints and stuff, and are also the ones that tell most of the plot during meetings as stuff is unc
This game differs from the prequels and X-Com: characters can be of two classes. The classes are Soldier, Technician and Scientist. Soldiers are obvious - Technicians are the guys that build stuff, Scientists research stuff.
But they also have uses in the field - Technicians can disarm devices and make vehicles go faster, for example. So you need to balance your available crew - you want a good "away team" for combat, but you also need their skills to build/research stuff when they're back at base.
This is the base. The big cross-shaped structure with the ship in the middle is the Cryogenic Monument that contains 10,000 frozen people. This is where we will get new recruits from. However, it can take up to a year to bring people out of cryogenic storage.
On the left, above the solar panels providing power, is the Aqueduct Conduit. This is the only source of water on Mars.
On the lower right we have the technical bay, civil engineering yard, and scientific bay. These areas are where the different ground vehicles are launched from.
The three circles are domes (roofs not shown) and count as the interior of the base - exterior buildings are exposed to what passes for atmosphere on Mars. The domes contain the residential quarters, hospital ward, workshop (which builds equipment), lab (for researching), university (trains people) and polytechnics (which is required for... something).
This sounds like a good idea - we only have the most basic of space suits and need more protection, which this might lead to. It's also an easy project that won't take much time.
This is our current territory. We control three zones plus Home Base which counts as its own zone. Some zones have special features - Cydonia in the lower right has an excavation site. Can't remember what those did, but I think it's plot related.
Other zone features are fuel mines which extend the range of our UFO once we've built a mine there. There's a technician vehicle on its way out to build it in the picture.
The flags are other zones you can take - first you need to send a vehicle there to build a Geological Probe, those solar panel-looking thingies in the three zones I have.
The red reticle is a mission. These are like UFOs in X-Com - missions that you need to deal with, and you can't build Geo Probes until you've secured the zone by doing the mission. Some are random, some are plot-related.
...and that's really all I have time for tonight. Further adventures to come, as well as an introduction to the Alpha Squad!
edit: oh, and that thick blue line is the aqueduct bringing water to the base from the polar cap.
I look at the people we have available. There's a guy named Oliver Svensson who is a Soldier 2/Technician 2, with 2 training points available. I send him to train Minor Suit Handling, which lets him construct space suits faster, as well as the ability to repair suits in combat.
Agnieszka Yoshimari is the colony's knowledge base manager and a Scientist 4. She has 4 training points available, so I spend 2 points to have her train Minor Reticulan Technology, speeding up research in that area when she's done.
I need to get some research and production going, so those are the only two people I feel I can spare for studies at the moment - that takes some time.
First of all, let's meet Alpha Squad!
Yes, Ute is an old German lady. She also kicks ass. Last time I played Afterlight I referred to her as Battle Granny. She has Good Charisma, giving her excellent leader capabilities.
Harald has Good Mechanics, meaning he's skilled in weapons like rocket launchers. His Stability skill gives him greater accuracy when firing heavy weapons and is harder to knock down. He can't actually use rocket launchers without further training, but that's what I'll give him later.
Diego has the Heavy Equipment skill, letting him use rocket launchers and other big guns. He is also fast and has high health.
Samantha is Good at both Aiming (precise shots) and Snapshot (quick shots). Scouting and Charisma are both Good - Scouting lets her detect stuff from further away, and Charisma (apart from leadership skills) lets her blend in better, due to using her diplomatic skills on the sand or something. I make a note to train her in sniper rifles and long-range weaponry.
These four are all soldiers. I add a technician and scientist to the team to round out their tactical abilities.
This puts Alpha Squad at six people out of a maximum seven.
I gave Pauline a Toolkit, but I don't have any actual plugins for it yet - its function changes depending on what plugin you load it with. Off to the Production Facility, and there I queue up five Suit Repair plugins for the toolkit, as well as another three Toolkits when that is done. I'll also have to give Pauline Suit Manipulation Training before she can use that plugin, which I'm making a mental note for.
I also queue up three Scientific Lasers and 20 batteries for them - these are the only ranged weapons we can produce right now. The science team will need to research more advanced weaponry when they have some time.
Right then, time to get to work.
We currently control three zones - Cydonia, Xanthe and Acid Plains. Acid Plains has a fuel mine, so I send a technician team there to build a mining facility.
The area north of us, Balthus, has another fuel mine - and a mission. The Aqueduct also goes through this area, making it of tactical importance.
However, I can't send UFO out yet - I need that first fuel mine in Acid Plains built to extend UFO range.
Side note: there's no actual resource gathering in the game. The more fuel mines I control, the greater UFO range I get. There are also Metal and Chemical mines - I need these to build certain facilities in the base. Building a new Lab so I can research two projects simultaneously would require Energy 4, Metals 2, Chemicals 2.
Crisis to the south has a metal mine, so I send the science team there to build a geological probe. Fountain of Youth to the west of that has a chemical mine, so that's their next stop once Crisis is secured.
The fuel mine in Acid Plains is constructed, which also bumps Neil Barker up to Technician 3. This puts us at Fuel 1, giving UFO range enough to hit Baltus. It's currently night - as soon as it's light enough, UFO is away!
Geological Probe in Crisis constructed, science team heads to Fountain of Youth to repeat the process. The tech team gets sent to Crisis to build that metal mine.
We bump into Reticulans! They control East Mariner Valley, just south of Fountain of Youth. They approach us with a diplomatic proposal.
The Reticulans offer:
Hot damn, fuel, friends and guns. I accept. We are now allied with Reticulans.
Action time! I want to secure Baltus up north, and now we have more than enough fuel to cover the range.
Due to personnel mismanagement I sent Pauline and Gene out with the tech/science teams to the south, so they're off Alpha Squad temporarily until they get back and I can pull them off those teams.
This is a Search & Destroy mission - find and wipe out all resistance, so I hope my four soldiers will be enough. UFO away!
Meanwhile, Survival Methods is researched. This opens up new research projects:
It also lets us construct a new facility, the Mars Simulation Chamber. This lets us simulate environments for controlled tests of new equipment and research, and will be required to research these new suits. I start building it right next to the Hospital Ward in Dome 2.
Fernando's research team starts researching Military Training (Trivial, Earth) - "We are not used to fighting and that must change fast, otherwise the new enemies will smash us."
UFO arrives in Balthus! Daytime, little cover, Environment Hostility 1 - not a problem for our basic suits.
We move up a bit, and Ute's Übermensch hearing picks something up!
Uh-oh. We spot one crawler drone, but there seems to be tons of them.
Ute has balls of steel.
Harald likes it up close and personal!
Ute and Diego take some light damage from that weirdo lightning gun, but nothing major. They kill five drones, find another one further off and then the zone is secured. Great success! Samantha proved to be lethal at good range with her Reticulan Laser Pistol - can't wait to get a good rifle in her hands.
Ute leveled up - I improve her Dexterity from Weak to Average, resulting in bumping her Aiming from Average to Good.
Samantha leveled up - I pick Strength, from Pathetic to Weak. This results in Physical/Mechanical/Constitution going from Weak to Average, and Manipulation from Average to Good. I mostly do this to give her some more hitpoints and higher carrying capacity - after that I'll boost her ranged abilities. I also swap her Reticulan Laser Pistol for that Reticulan Laser Rifle the Reticulans gave us - more damage, longer range.
Diego leveled up - he gets a Dexterity boost, from Weak to Average, putting his Mechanical at Good - looks like he'll get a launcher in the future.
The science team builds a probe in Fountain of Youth, and I queue the zone up for a technical visit to build a chemical mine. This is the last stuff I queue up for science/tech teams, then I need them back at base to do some training.
The Reticulans send two of their... men to aid us! Tabatch't'kvlam (Soldier 2) and Oghla'k'nkmant (Soldier 1/Scientist 1).
I immediately send "Oghie" to go train Minor Mind Probe, which will give greater results during interrogation research. "Tabbie" goes on Alpha Squad, effective immediately.
The metal mine at Crisis is completed, giving us Metals 2. Fernando finishes researching Military Training, which opens up a few weapons-related research areas as well as Combat Detection Devices.
However, I decide to research Communication With Earth (Simple, Earth) to find out why communications with our home planet has ceased.
Oliver Svensson is added to the team as technical backup.
UFO away!
We land by the aqueduct and find it damaged, and crawling with... crawlers. Samantha, Ute and our new recruit Tabbie take them out easily.
We skulk about a bit more and take out more crawlers, easily killing everything in the region.
We may expect further attacks to the aqueduct, but our UFO can't cover the entire length of it with current fuel supplies. Expanding fuel income is now a high priority. Luckily, Baltus and Timeland have fuel mines - I'll give orders to expand there soon.
edit: current territory.
Currently playing: GW2 and TSW
If not,that makes it impossible to have PAers in the game
Which is weird,but also totally appropriate.
Sorry guys, you can't rename/generate troops, all of them are pre-named, and there is a very limited amount of them.
Also: Keep in mind that the ballistic weapons that you have now have a limited supply of ammo. Once what you have is gone, you will never get more F2000/revolver/whatever ammo
Yeah, I'm building a bunch of Scientific Lasers/Batteries, and I'll shift over to Reticulan weapons when I can.
UFO: Extraterrestrials is a unrelated game made by Russians.
UFO is also the UK name for the first X-Com game, and these 3 are meant to be direct sequels to it
Mars Simulation Chamber is almost constructed at the base. I queue up a Tactical Training Room to be constructed after that - this is the equivalent to the University for the Soldier class, where they learn new abilities. The lab team is still working on Communication with Earth.
I'm waiting for the Technical away team to get back to base - I want to train a few people on it so they get their stuff done faster out in the field.
The Temple Bar zone has a S&D mission and a metal mine in the area. UFO away!
Nothing exciting here - more Crawler Drones, easy to wipe out. Samantha is a crack shot, as usual. The Reticulan Laser Rifle has excellent range and accuracy - need to research that so I can produce them promptly.
Samantha levels up - I improve her Agility from Average to Good. This helps shooting skills, dodge, speed and scouting skills. Just what I want for my up and coming sniper.
Ute levels up - I improve Agility from Average to Good. This puts her skills at Good across the board!
The Tech vehicle is finally back - I send some people off for training. Benat is already Minor Surveyor, so he's off to train Major Surveyor which speeds up mining facility build speed even more. Vera Schrooten gets to train Minor Driving, which will get them to the mining sites faster. And, for whatever reason, also lets her use homing missiles. Pauline gets to train Minor Surveyor. These new skills will let me get mines up a lot faster.
Oliver Svensson on the Alpha Squad also trains Minor Surveyor, for the purpose of learning to place and disarm land mines.
Samantha and Harald train Minor Suit Wearing so she they crouch and lie down while wearing a suit. Snipers like that, I hear. (Harald will later train Heavy Suits)
Ute trains Minor Leadership, which will give nearby team members a speed boost. Diego trains Minor Ambidexterity, which increases the speed of picking up objects from the ground or the backpack, and reloads faster. He'll want that for the rockets in his backpack when he gets a launcher.
Fernando's Lab team gets done with Communication with Earth, giving us the technology to build a satellite uplink, which I queue up immediately. The Lab team starts researching Medicine. Speaking of Fernando, he's off to the University to read up on Minor Reticulan Technology to speed up that line of research.
However, we currently have a ton of people busy training, so that will have to wait a few days.
The Satellite Uplink is constructed. This lets us communicate with Earth... if there's anyone left at home to pick up the phone.
Samantha's suit training is done; back to the tactical room to train Minor Ambidexterity. Harald gets to train Minor Athletics, giving him the ability to run while suited. They'll be done at the same time, then Alpha Squad has trained enough for now.
Oghie (Soldier 1/Scientist 1) gets added to Alpha Squad, filling the team.
Medicine research is done, and I queue up Reticulan Technologies, Automatic Defense System and Transport Suit.
The Production Facility queues up two MedKit Injectors and 10 First Aid sets for them.
53 Apr 27, 02:44 - ALERT
Damnit, the aqueduct in Baltus is under attack again. UFO away!
Samantha gets to use her new ability at once, finding a nice ledge to shoot from while the others fan out to provide covering fire. This is like shooting crawlers in an air lock.
More Crawler Drones appear, but we have an excellent firing lane set up and mow them down.
DAMNIT UTE! That's Tabbie's ass, not a crawler! Now he'll be sleeping on his stomach for a week.
We mop the rest up, and even manage to salvage two Crawler Drone Wrecks! Oh man, the lab team will jizz in their pants over this. We might be able to repair them and use them on our side!
Reticulan Technology research complete! We're done poking through the data the Reticulans gave us. However...
However, we did gain some benefits from the research. This opened up studies in mining and terraforming. We can also research Laser Weapons once we have built a Firing Range. I guess this requires Firearms research, so I add that to the queue.
While I ponder this, I send Alpha Squad back to Cydonia to poke that excavation site.
Welcome to Cydonia.
Uh-oh. Looks like the Crawler Drones went and upgraded their hardware. They are however just as squishy as before, and still suck at aiming. We mow them down.
Something very big shoots at Diego from off-screen! We fall back into some cover hoping we can make it come to us and have it in firing range.
We take down more Crawlers and then spot a big Mech. It has very long range and shoots two people at once if they're close, so we spread out.
The Mech goes down and then holy crapfuck Cydonia activated
Strange new creatures crawl up from its depths.
Aaaah they're everywhere
We haul ass back to UFO and hightail it out of there.
(Side note: I actually save-scummed this one, because as you can see they popped up right next to Ute and Tabbie. I lost them both. Beastmen are brutal up close.)
I begin upgrading the Satellite Uplink to a Data Accessory. Clearly I need to bump weapons technology and suit defenses to the top of the list now.
And... shit. Activity at Cydonia. The Beastmen are doing something. I need to deal with them quick or I'll lose the zone.
Time to bring out anything that helps. Diego gets issued the Reticulan Rocket Launcher for this mission.
We land and find Beastmen quickly. They are very accurate with their strange pistols, but through concentrated fire we take four down quickly and then search for more.
We find two more Beastmen standing close together. Diego uses Rocket Launcher! It is super effective! One rocket knocks most of their health off, and Tabbie and Oghie take care of the rest. Mission complete!
We also recover new stuff for the geek squad at base to poke and prod.
We leave one corpse behind since the UFO got too heavy. The guns will come more in handy, methinks.
We need a Pathology Department before we can cut up the Beastmen to see what makes them tick. I'm guessing Alien Biology will open up that, so I queue that up for research.
Firearms research complete! This lets us produce projectile-firing Rifles and Pistols adapted to the Mars environment, proving more effective than the old legacy firearms we brought from Earth. I queue up 3 Rifles and a bunch of Ammo. This couldn't have come at a better moment - we're down to our last two Reticulan Batteries for the Reticulan Laser weapons. The new Rifles have shorter range and a bit worse accuracy than Reticulan weapons, but it sure beats using harsh language.
Light Battle Suits research complete! I queue up five suits for production after the rifles and ammo.
ALERT - Water supply suspended. More pesky robots at the aqueduct, this time all the way up at the North Pole, the very source for all our water.
We build a Shooting Range at the base - this lets us study new weapons to adapt them for our use. I queue up Laser Weapons (Reticulan, Complex) in the lab. Hopefully we can build new batteries for our laser rifles.
UFO away! Off to the North Pole. Nothing exciting - yet more Crawler Drones. Our new Rifles prove to be excellent against their weak armor.
We now have enough Metal supply to build a new Hospital Ward, so I set one up. Getting a bit crowded in the Domes now, need to research expansions soon.
Alien Biology is done, opening up the Pathology Department building. I queue one for construction next to the Hospital Wards.
...aaaaand more Beastmen at Cydonia. But that's it for now.
Steam profile.
Getting started with BATTLETECH: Part 1 / Part 2
I'll get back to work on UFO soon.