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[XCOM] Thread Executed by regenerating Outsider

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Posts

  • Phoenix-DPhoenix-D Registered User regular
    hippofant wrote: »
    heenato wrote: »
    So, I decided to start a new game, and thought "I'll put training roulette on"

    The first upgrade for my sniper that wasn't squadsight? HEAT AMMO. And I just said to myself..."Oh this is going to be good"

    I really like the idea of Training Roulette, but playing with it really does expose the awfulness of some of the skills, like when you get the good ol' Flush versus Savior combo.

    Also very clearly makes Support just a useless class, and you're often just flailing in the dark for a medic.

    There's a mod that lets you see the skill tree, takes some of the coolness out of Roulette, but also lets you develop soldiers much better.

  • heenatoheenato Alice Leywind Registered User regular
    hippofant wrote: »
    heenato wrote: »
    So, I decided to start a new game, and thought "I'll put training roulette on"

    The first upgrade for my sniper that wasn't squadsight? HEAT AMMO. And I just said to myself..."Oh this is going to be good"

    I really like the idea of Training Roulette, but playing with it really does expose the awfulness of some of the skills, like when you get the good ol' Flush versus Savior combo.

    Also very clearly makes Support just a useless class, and you're often just flailing in the dark for a medic.
    Yeah. Both my sniper and my heavy got shafted when it came to major rank. Sniper was given extra conditioning, which is useless for a sniper, and my heavy got FLUSH!

    M A G I K A Z A M
  • GoumindongGoumindong Registered User regular
    edited February 2014
    The irony is that Flush is pretty good for a heavy because their aim is so bad anyway that forcing someone out of cover could be valuable

    Edit: Amending this

    The irony is that Flush if it were good, would be best with a heavy. They have poor aim and so the aim bonus is advantageous. They potentially have bullet swarm and so can push an enemy outside of cover and then shoot at them in the same turn. They also potentially have holo targeting (so the alien they shove out of cover is now easier to be shot by allies).

    So if there were one class on which Flush was a good skill, it would be Heavies

    Goumindong on
    wbBv3fj.png
  • heenatoheenato Alice Leywind Registered User regular
    My heavy didn't have bullet swarm though.

    Anyway, I had to restart my run, since I fucked up royally. Looking forward to see what other ridiculous combinations I get for training roulette.

    M A G I K A Z A M
  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited February 2014
    Bah, have this Muton Elite down to 1 HP surrounded by my assault who wants to stun him, support who just hit him for 2 with a basic pistol and my MEC that set him and his buddy on fire the previous turn making him panic and stand there to do said 2 damage shot to knock him down to 1. In revenge, the damn game has gotten stuck in a loop of the post-pistol-shot scene and no inputs are detected. Boooo. Hope I saved recently...

    Edit: Well fuck. It just gets stuck after I try anything on the elite it seems. Maybe a reboot will fix it! Reloading doesn't, bah!

    Edit the 2nd: Killing him worked, yay!

    Xeddicus on
    "For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men. Not women. Not beasts...this you can trust."
  • KafkaAUKafkaAU Western AustraliaRegistered User regular
    So the voice overs of the base commander and Shen and Valen etc have stopped working. Have I accidentily hit a short cut to turn these off? I couldn't find anything listed on this being an option though.

    steam_sig.png
    Origin: KafkaAU B-Net: Kafka#1778
  • klemmingklemming Registered User regular
    KafkaAU wrote: »
    So the voice overs of the base commander and Shen and Valen etc have stopped working. Have I accidentily hit a short cut to turn these off? I couldn't find anything listed on this being an option though.

    All voice overs, or just some of the ones asking you not to sell unresearched items/use grenades/try to stay alive?
    Because I think EW added an option to turn off the 'nagging' voice clips.

    Nobody remembers the singer. The song remains.
  • KafkaAUKafkaAU Western AustraliaRegistered User regular
    Yea, all voice overs. The guy appears in the top right, and the screen moves around to explain things like the hacking objectives etc, but there's no voice. All the other sounds work. I have that option enabled so was wondering if that may have something to do with it.

    steam_sig.png
    Origin: KafkaAU B-Net: Kafka#1778
  • ThemadcowThemadcow Registered User regular
    The original creator of the X-Com series, Jullian Gollop, has just launched his Kickstarter for Chaos Reborn. I certainly hope that anyone either a fan of the original X series, or of his other (generally great) games such as Chaos, Laser Squad, Rebelstar etc get on that Kickstarter and get it funded asap.

    Elvenshae
  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    So how does stat growth/conversion for MECs actually work? And what is the 'ideal' point to start amputating? Should it be as early as possible to get more MEC growth? Or later on, to get more base class growth?

  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Do you think it's trademarked?Registered User regular
    So how does stat growth/conversion for MECs actually work? And what is the 'ideal' point to start amputating? Should it be as early as possible to get more MEC growth? Or later on, to get more base class growth?

    Depends. You playing with Hidden Potential?

    If not, the aim growth for MECs is awful from the chopping point on. But they keep all the old stats. Ideal point depends on the class. Heavies have low aim already and can go in as soon as you like. Everyone else you want to wait until they hit max aim if you can afford to wait. Gets you obscenely useful MECs.

  • heenatoheenato Alice Leywind Registered User regular
    If you ARE playing with hidden potential, Mec a heavy as soon as humanly possible, because they get better aim growth.

    M A G I K A Z A M
  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    I haven't played with Hidden Potential yet.

    Or Not Created Equal. Or Training Roulette.

    I should probably fix at least one of those at some point.

  • BrocksMulletBrocksMullet Into the sunrise, on a jet-ski. Natch.Registered User regular
    edited March 2014
    So, with the Complete Edition coming out, can we assume they're done with expansions?

    BrocksMullet on
    I, for one, enjoyed the Mako.

    Steam: BrocksMullet http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197972421669/


    Antimatter
  • mastertheheromasterthehero Professional Video Editor & Book Author Registered User regular
    So, with the Complete Edition coming out, can we assume they're done with expansions?

    :( That would make me sad if they were. I want more X-Com dagnabit.

    hk52krrtzsf6.gif
    Dracomicron
  • BrocksMulletBrocksMullet Into the sunrise, on a jet-ski. Natch.Registered User regular
    Most people were expecting an endgame xpac, which is still needed, but they might have started the sequel sooner than Fixaris standard because of the console changeover, and will roll any improvements into the sequel.

    I, for one, enjoyed the Mako.

    Steam: BrocksMullet http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197972421669/


  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    edited March 2014
    Figured I'd give Training Roulette a spin. Plenty of Revives and Battle Scanners so far, but not a Field Medic in sight which is the one fear that's stopped me trying out Training Roulette so far.

    Good thing I prefer gene troopers to MECs anyway. Adaptive Bone Marrow for everyone!

    WotanAnubis on
  • heenatoheenato Alice Leywind Registered User regular
    In training roulette though, Mecs are kinda made even better, simply because their abilities are fixed anyway. Got a soldier with shitty abilities? Cut his limbs off. Problem solved.

    M A G I K A Z A M
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    Wait, "Complete Edition"? Doesn't Enemy Within already have the whole shebang?

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    Wait, "Complete Edition"? Doesn't Enemy Within already have the whole shebang?

    Only on consoles, and it might not come with the other DLCs.

  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    heenato wrote: »
    In training roulette though, Mecs are kinda made even better, simply because their abilities are fixed anyway. Got a soldier with shitty abilities? Cut his limbs off. Problem solved.

    Maybe so. I've got about a dozen Heavies, so I can certainly spare a few for a bit of cybernetic conversion therapy.

    I just feel that MECs are a bit out of place in XCOM. They don't really fit the tone, I guess. I can accept psychics and genetic modification because the aliens are using those from the start and XCOM has no qualms about studying and learning from the aliens to better their own soldiers. It's like XCOM becomes the alien's bright mirror.

    The giant robot suits don't really fit into that pattern. MECs and Mechtoids are basically the same (and it's quite possible to get MECs before the Mechtoids show up on top of that). And since there is, as far as I know, no hint that the Sectoid operators need to have their limbs chopped off in order to control their Mechtoids, the humans actually seem more sinister than the aliens in this case.

    Plus the MECs just seem too technologically advanced to have so early in the game. Maybe if you'd unlock them after studying Mechtoids and Cyberdiscs I'd have less of a problem with them.

    KanaBrocksMullet
  • jclastjclast Registered User regular
    heenato wrote: »
    In training roulette though, Mecs are kinda made even better, simply because their abilities are fixed anyway. Got a soldier with shitty abilities? Cut his limbs off. Problem solved.

    Maybe so. I've got about a dozen Heavies, so I can certainly spare a few for a bit of cybernetic conversion therapy.

    I just feel that MECs are a bit out of place in XCOM. They don't really fit the tone, I guess. I can accept psychics and genetic modification because the aliens are using those from the start and XCOM has no qualms about studying and learning from the aliens to better their own soldiers. It's like XCOM becomes the alien's bright mirror.

    The giant robot suits don't really fit into that pattern. MECs and Mechtoids are basically the same (and it's quite possible to get MECs before the Mechtoids show up on top of that). And since there is, as far as I know, no hint that the Sectoid operators need to have their limbs chopped off in order to control their Mechtoids, the humans actually seem more sinister than the aliens in this case.

    Plus the MECs just seem too technologically advanced to have so early in the game. Maybe if you'd unlock them after studying Mechtoids and Cyberdiscs I'd have less of a problem with them.

    Floater and heavy floaters are pretty obviously heavily modified. Granted, they get flight out of the deal, but we're only chopping off 100% more limbs than the alien menace, not infinity %*.

    * assuming, of course, floaters start out life as bipedal mutons.

    steam_sig.png
  • Atlas in ChainsAtlas in Chains Registered User regular
    heenato wrote: »
    In training roulette though, Mecs are kinda made even better, simply because their abilities are fixed anyway. Got a soldier with shitty abilities? Cut his limbs off. Problem solved.

    Maybe so. I've got about a dozen Heavies, so I can certainly spare a few for a bit of cybernetic conversion therapy.

    I just feel that MECs are a bit out of place in XCOM. They don't really fit the tone, I guess. I can accept psychics and genetic modification because the aliens are using those from the start and XCOM has no qualms about studying and learning from the aliens to better their own soldiers. It's like XCOM becomes the alien's bright mirror.

    The giant robot suits don't really fit into that pattern. MECs and Mechtoids are basically the same (and it's quite possible to get MECs before the Mechtoids show up on top of that). And since there is, as far as I know, no hint that the Sectoid operators need to have their limbs chopped off in order to control their Mechtoids, the humans actually seem more sinister than the aliens in this case.

    Plus the MECs just seem too technologically advanced to have so early in the game. Maybe if you'd unlock them after studying Mechtoids and Cyberdiscs I'd have less of a problem with them.

    They wanted everybody to be able to play with MEC troopers and Gene mod soldiers as soon as they possibly could, so they made the labs super cheap and available almost instantly. I don't think there was a care in the world for any game balance situation, it was just "look at this cool shit we made!"

  • jclastjclast Registered User regular
    The balance doesn't seem terrible to me. You still have to decide to spend that money on excavation and then building a lab, let a guy go out of commission for a while to take the upgrade, and then be stuck waiting for more meld and research to come in anytime you want to upgrade him.

    steam_sig.png
  • wiltingwilting I had fun once and it was awful Registered User regular
    heenato wrote: »
    In training roulette though, Mecs are kinda made even better, simply because their abilities are fixed anyway. Got a soldier with shitty abilities? Cut his limbs off. Problem solved.

    Maybe so. I've got about a dozen Heavies, so I can certainly spare a few for a bit of cybernetic conversion therapy.

    I just feel that MECs are a bit out of place in XCOM. They don't really fit the tone, I guess. I can accept psychics and genetic modification because the aliens are using those from the start and XCOM has no qualms about studying and learning from the aliens to better their own soldiers. It's like XCOM becomes the alien's bright mirror.

    The giant robot suits don't really fit into that pattern. MECs and Mechtoids are basically the same (and it's quite possible to get MECs before the Mechtoids show up on top of that). And since there is, as far as I know, no hint that the Sectoid operators need to have their limbs chopped off in order to control their Mechtoids, the humans actually seem more sinister than the aliens in this case.

    Plus the MECs just seem too technologically advanced to have so early in the game. Maybe if you'd unlock them after studying Mechtoids and Cyberdiscs I'd have less of a problem with them.

    They wanted everybody to be able to play with MEC troopers and Gene mod soldiers as soon as they possibly could, so they made the labs super cheap and available almost instantly. I don't think there was a care in the world for any game balance situation, it was just "look at this cool shit we made!"

    It would be wrong to say it was without consideration of game balance. It is precisely their placement being considered purely in game terms rather than fictional terms that they feel out of place relative to tech level. Early game is even more difficult in Enemy Within, and more toys are welcome.

    Kana
  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    jclast wrote: »
    heenato wrote: »
    In training roulette though, Mecs are kinda made even better, simply because their abilities are fixed anyway. Got a soldier with shitty abilities? Cut his limbs off. Problem solved.

    Maybe so. I've got about a dozen Heavies, so I can certainly spare a few for a bit of cybernetic conversion therapy.

    I just feel that MECs are a bit out of place in XCOM. They don't really fit the tone, I guess. I can accept psychics and genetic modification because the aliens are using those from the start and XCOM has no qualms about studying and learning from the aliens to better their own soldiers. It's like XCOM becomes the alien's bright mirror.

    The giant robot suits don't really fit into that pattern. MECs and Mechtoids are basically the same (and it's quite possible to get MECs before the Mechtoids show up on top of that). And since there is, as far as I know, no hint that the Sectoid operators need to have their limbs chopped off in order to control their Mechtoids, the humans actually seem more sinister than the aliens in this case.

    Plus the MECs just seem too technologically advanced to have so early in the game. Maybe if you'd unlock them after studying Mechtoids and Cyberdiscs I'd have less of a problem with them.

    Floater and heavy floaters are pretty obviously heavily modified. Granted, they get flight out of the deal, but we're only chopping off 100% more limbs than the alien menace, not infinity %*.

    * assuming, of course, floaters start out life as bipedal mutons.

    I like to think Floaters should be compared to Archangel armor and floaty SHIVs - all the flying, none of the mangling. But that's probably because all those were around in Unknown.

  • jclastjclast Registered User regular
    I don't know. When I give a dude archangel armor he still has perfectly usable legs.

    steam_sig.png
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    Wait, is there a suggestion that humans couldn't come up with huge stompy mechs without aliens showing it to us first? I mean, there might be a case to be made that anime (sometimes called "japanamation") featuring giant robot suits (or mecha) was introduced to us by aliens in the 1980s, but certainly by the time the Etherials rolled up to earth, we were well acquainted with the desire to put on a robot suit and beat the shit out of things.

    Give a man a hammer and he'll look for a nail. Give a man highly advanced genetic modification nanites that give unparalleled safety and stability when fusing living tissue with metal and, well... MECs.

    cB557Elvenshaechiasaur11
  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    edited March 2014
    Wait, is there a suggestion that humans couldn't come up with huge stompy mechs without aliens showing it to us first? I mean, there might be a case to be made that anime (sometimes called "japanamation") featuring giant robot suits (or mecha) was introduced to us by aliens in the 1980s, but certainly by the time the Etherials rolled up to earth, we were well acquainted with the desire to put on a robot suit and beat the shit out of things.

    Give a man a hammer and he'll look for a nail. Give a man highly advanced genetic modification nanites that give unparalleled safety and stability when fusing living tissue with metal and, well... MECs.

    By the time you can build your giant anime robot suit with man/machine interfaces, the rest of the squad might still be using very mundane bullets and kevlar.

    Lasers, plasma, psionics and the more unconventional genemods are all stolen from the aliens. But the robot suits just pop into existence once somebody looks at alien goo through a microscope.

    And yes, by the time the Ethereals show up, we should have MECs. Because by that time XCOM will also have met and probably studied Cyberdiscs, Drones, Mechtoids, Seekers and Sectopods.

    EDIT: Basically this is just a long way of me saying that MECs showing up so early in the game just really damages my precious immersion.

    WotanAnubis on
    Commander Zoom
  • heenatoheenato Alice Leywind Registered User regular
    edited March 2014
    And not having a mec damages my will to play. Good lord. the early game is really annoying, especially with the fact that the early game in enemy within is harder.

    heenato on
    M A G I K A Z A M
    Dracomicron
  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    heenato wrote: »
    And not having a mec damages my will to play. Good lord. the early game is really annoying, especially with the fact that the early game in enemy within is harder.

    How is Enemy Within's early game harder? Do the Mutons show up earlier or something?

  • ZxerolZxerol for the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't do so i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered User regular
    Classic and Impossible have much higher research costs and soldier progression is slower, and there are a bunch of other details that make the game generally harder. These are offset somewhat by the fact you'll have access to MECs and genemods real early.

  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular

    EDIT: Basically this is just a long way of me saying that MECs showing up so early in the game just really damages my precious immersion.

    Don't get me wrong. I thematically agree with you. MELD research basically represents a huge game-changer for human life as we know it, and, realistically, would take longer to apply to conventional usage. That said, humans are... not unknown to use new technology as soon as possible, without full regard for the consequences, in the pursuit of war.

    Commander Zoom
  • heenatoheenato Alice Leywind Registered User regular
    heenato wrote: »
    And not having a mec damages my will to play. Good lord. the early game is really annoying, especially with the fact that the early game in enemy within is harder.

    How is Enemy Within's early game harder? Do the Mutons show up earlier or something?
    Yeah. It really is less mutons showing up earlier but more little mechanics changing. I frequently don't have lasers until much later than usual, soldiers level up much slower, Early game, the game bombards you with council missions. Stuff like that.

    M A G I K A Z A M
  • NocrenNocren Lt Futz, Back in Action North CarolinaRegistered User regular
    Elvenshae wrote: »
    Wait, "Complete Edition"? Doesn't Enemy Within already have the whole shebang?

    Only on consoles, and it might not come with the other DLCs.

    Having purchased the 360 GoD version, it does come with Slingshot, the other story DLC and all the other cosmetic options (helmets/armor colors).

    newSig.jpg
  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Do you think it's trademarked?Registered User regular
    heenato wrote: »
    heenato wrote: »
    And not having a mec damages my will to play. Good lord. the early game is really annoying, especially with the fact that the early game in enemy within is harder.

    How is Enemy Within's early game harder? Do the Mutons show up earlier or something?
    Yeah. It really is less mutons showing up earlier but more little mechanics changing. I frequently don't have lasers until much later than usual, soldiers level up much slower, Early game, the game bombards you with council missions. Stuff like that.

    Slowed science and promotions. Simple, but it hurts. Especially with the council missions.

  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    Ah, I see. That's annoying. XCOM's early game didn't need to be any harder than it already is considering the game's inverse difficulty curve. What a strange decision.

  • ZxerolZxerol for the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't do so i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered User regular
    It's a counterbalance to the power of MECs and Genemodded soldiers. The game would be easier if they didn't up the difficulty in other areas.

    Dracomicron
  • DracomicronDracomicron Registered User regular
    Also, I think folks had cracked the code for early game, which was making it too easy in general. Science rush lasers and carapace before mutons show up, and you're golden.

    Now, you very well could end up in Newfoundland without upgraded weapons or armor, and, at that point, MECs are basically your only advantage.

  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    XCOM in general suffers a lot, IMO, from having The Strategy. You will follow The Strategy, or you will lose - sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, but you will.

    steam_sig.png
    Steam, Warframe: Megajoule
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