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Let's Play X-Com: UFO Defense! (ironman, superhuman, starting tech & council funding only)

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Posts

  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    http://tailgatefan.cbslocal.com/2012/10/01/michel-lotito-the-man-who-ate-an-airplane-and-everything-else/

    Before I go into combat I slather muscle butter all over my face Big Boss style and then I eat the rest of it.

    I'm really working on this character.

    There's not enough insane psychos in this register.

    Too many goddam geologists.

    Lets get some fight club up in here.

    Morninglord on
    (PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
  • GONG-00GONG-00 Registered User regular
    I'll eat anything.
    Hell if I kill anything I'll eat that.

    They say the brightest burn the shortest.

    I'm gonna go up like a firework.

    It would probably be a good idea to put a live grenade in my other hand. Dead mans trigger.

    I'm really looking forward to my appearance.

    If I end up with more than one screenshot I'll be fairly disappointed.

    In the unlikely event I actually manage to kill anything I'm gonna be all "What do you mean I'm not dead yet? Try harder!"

    Want to live dangerously eh? Fanda's personal Chef needs a taste tester. I've heard he has been experimenting with chryssalid caviar canapés.


    Black lives matter.
    Law and Order ≠ Justice
    ACNH Island Isla Cero: DA-3082-2045-4142
    Captain of the SES Comptroller of the State
    xu257gunns6e.png
  • Phoenix-DPhoenix-D Registered User regular
    @Fanda What -are- you doing with corpses and recovered artifacts, since you can't sell them? Does openXCom have a way to ditch them or are we stuck playing Warehouse 13?

  • ElderlycrawfishElderlycrawfish Registered User regular
    "What do you think's in the burger?" - Everyone, You Can't Do That on Television

  • Oh My GodOh My God Registered User regular
    Phoenix-D wrote: »
    @Fanda What -are- you doing with corpses and recovered artifacts, since you can't sell them? Does openXCom have a way to ditch them or are we stuck playing Warehouse 13?

    Sculpture, mostly. Doing a lot of found art installations. Mangled alien detritus really does an excellent job of communicating the re-industrial malaise of post-kleptocratic nation states in the latter half of the hegemonic splintering era. Some serious stuff there, getting some good grants written for more pieces.

    ... How else did you think I was funding the food? Le Art.

  • NotoriusBENNotoriusBEN Registered User regular
    The chrysallid soup... and it just makes chrysallids that more horrifying that they'd be singing Ragtime Gal...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0si4c0QAY_Q

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    Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    Phoenix-D wrote: »
    What -are- you doing with corpses and recovered artifacts, since you can't sell them? Does openXCom have a way to ditch them or are we stuck playing Warehouse 13?

    Hats.

    To hide from the flashing lights.

    (PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
  • FandaFanda Hang a shining star upon the highest boughRegistered User regular
    Phoenix-D wrote: »
    Fanda What -are- you doing with corpses and recovered artifacts, since you can't sell them? Does openXCom have a way to ditch them or are we stuck playing Warehouse 13?

    That's an excellent question, Phoenix-D. Let me ask you one in return: have you ever wondered how Haus Von Trapp is powered?

    It might seem like a non sequitur, but I assure you, my question and yours have closely related answers.

    Do you have a moment? I'd like you to take a walk with me.

    yxuHrWd.png

    Our General Stores. The first construction project I ordered when I arrived on January 1st was an expansion to this very facility, and yet here we are only a month later, already nearly filled to capacity.

    You're quite right that we can't just stockpile these alien artifacts forever. And the truth is, I've been selling them.

    Oh, don't look at me like that. I know full well what the Project Charter says about war profiteering. I wrote it, remember?

    Come this way, I want to show you something.

    F7RuAgs.png

    You've never been down this hall, have you? Well, of course not; technically, you're not even under contract here just yet. But I don't think even the veterans know about this part of the installation. It's off limits to most personnel.

    Hmm? Yes, it is. It's very hot down here.

    You see, Haus Von Trapp uses far too much power to draw off the local electrical grid. We have to generate our own power instead. When Bradford was overseeing this place, he had all kinds of wooly-headed ideas about nuclear fusion and geothermal reactors. Clearly off his nut. An alien invasion is no time to start worrying about your carbon footprint.

    No, what we needed was a good old-fashioned reliable furnace.

    And there's only one thing we could burn in sufficient quantity to generate the power we needed.

    kqlh0xz.png

    Money.

    Every piece of UFO salvage is converted into crisp, combustible currency.

    The bills are counted, bundled, and loaded onto the gantry crane.

    The crane dumps them into the Great Money Fire below.

    Combustion gasses from the fire turn the turbines on the floor above, and the turbines power everything we do here.

    Including the laboratory, which requires an astounding amount of wattage, especially when Dr. Vahlen is running stun bombs through the mortar grinder. Speaking of which, we really ought to pay the Doctor a visit on your way out. You'll have to meet her sooner or later, and I'm sure you'll want to sample the fruits of her labor.

    Like I said: you're not supposed to know any of this just yet.

  • MechMantisMechMantis Registered User regular
    Unfortunately our interceptors cannot run on straight money.

    We have to buy jet fuel for those.

    But since we're too busy burning all of our ill-gotten proceeds...

    :D

  • FandaFanda Hang a shining star upon the highest boughRegistered User regular
    lWEz4VG.png

    DoaVBsk.png

    January Overview

    Aliens Neutralized by X-Com Ground Forces: 35

    Most Floater Kills: Elvenshae, 3

    Most Sectoid Kills and Overall Kill Leader: Bigity, 7

    Biggest Guns: Elvenshae, 47 strength

    Slender and Willowy: wilting, 22 strength

    Somehow Still a Rookie: see317, Velmeran

    Too Beautiful For This World: Sumanai

    Burned in the Money Fire: $7,000,000


    The state of our bases, one minute after midnight on February 1st:

    cRGvLnQ.png

    Update coming soon on the future of the Project. I've been putting a lot of thought into our budget.
    3yqX8sS.gif

  • TeeManTeeMan BrainSpoon Registered User regular
    We're not going to have to sell... other services to keep XCOM afloat, are we?

    steam_sig.png
  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    TeeMan wrote: »
    We're not going to have to sell... other services to keep XCOM afloat, are we?

    Look, if I have to, I have to.

    I'm not going to lie and say that I'll enjoy it, but if it's that or game over, I'll pitch in.
    Competitive Flower Arranging is a cruel, cruel business; littered with the broken dreams and bodies of those who couldn't take the pressure.

  • FandaFanda Hang a shining star upon the highest boughRegistered User regular
    Let's Play: You Need a Budget (1999 Alien War Edition)

    For the month of February, we have $3,510,502 in the bank.

    With the funding increase just approved by the council, our income for March will be $4,178,000, minus any new maintenance fees incurred in February.

    So for the next two months, we have $7,688,502 to play with.

    I intend to start construction on General Stores in our two secondary bases immediately, and when they finish, I'll chain Large Radars off them. The radars will finish construction in the first week of March, at which point we'll want to supply Mt. Rushmore and Neo-ChongQing with Interceptors. If we transfer one from Haus Von Trapp, we'll need a minimum purchase of one more Interceptor to have a fighter in all three bases.

    Those are the only expenses I consider carved in stone, and they leave things looking like this:

    Operating Budget for February: $3,510,502
    General Stores x 2 ... -$300,000
    Large Radar x 2 ... -$1,600,000
    Remainder: $1,610,502

    Operating Budget for March: $4,178,000
    New February Maintenance ... -$10,000
    Interceptor ... -$600,000
    Interceptor Ordnance ... -$123,000
    Remainder: $3,445,000

    As for what to do with the rest of the money ... well, that's where the Devil's Tetris comes in. Here are my thoughts:
    • Alien infiltration of funding nations is the most dire threat we face, and shooting down Scout ships is our only way to forestall it, so the air war has to be our first priority. If we can get two Interceptors running sorties out of each base by the summer, we'll be living the dream. We'll also be bankrupted by ruinous aircraft maintenance, but let's not dwell on the negative.
    • At our current rate of research, we'll be ready to launch the final mission sometime in late 2001. The human race will be long extinct by then. We need more scientists, and we should start hiring them no later than March. We'll want to add 40 total over the next 4-5 months.
    • Another rocket tank - or at least, the cash reserve to replace our current tank - is very close to a mandatory budget item. If we have to defend our base or contest a terror site against Sectoids without a rocket tank, I am not sanguine about our prospects.
    • We need to garrison Mt. Rushmore and Neo-ChongQing with soldiers. Since those bases won't be intercepting UFOs regularly until March, we're unlikely to see them invaded before April ... but there's always the unexpected, isn't there? Besides which, we want to get another cadre of rookies beefed up before rifle obsolescence starts to set in.

    There are other things it would be nice to have - Alien Containment facilities in our secondary bases, for example - and a certain amount will have to be spent on ordnance and soldier attrition each month. But those four points are our highest priorities and represent the largest expenses.

    If y'all have any thoughts on how we should spend our money, I'd love to hear them. I'll tuck costing details behind the spoiler.

    Aircraft
    Skyranger: $500,000
    Interceptor: $600,000
    Interceptor Weapons Loadout: $100,000 to $140,000

    Personnel
    Soldier: $40,000
    Scientist: $60,000

    Worth Its Weight In Gold
    Tank/Rocket Launcher with 10 rockets: $510,000

    Base Facilities
    Hangar: $200,000
    Living Quarters: $400,000
    Alien Containment: $400,000
    Large Radar: $800,000

    Skyrangers and Interceptors have monthly upkeep equal to their full purchase price. Soldiers and Scientists have a monthly salary equal to half their purchase price. The base facilities only cost $10,000 to $25,000 apiece in maintenance.

  • EvmaAlsarEvmaAlsar Birmingham, EnglandRegistered User regular
    Speaking of the final mission (spoilers for obvious)
    Won't our guys need power armour on Cydonia or Bust? I've never not had power armour but I would imagine not having some sort of protection from atmosphere would be problematic for any soldiers on Mars

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  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    Fanda wrote: »
    Boring budget stuff

    My vote goes to spending it all on beer and cheap prostitutes.
    ...see if we can get a bulk discount on the prostitutes.

  • GarthorGarthor Registered User regular
    EvmaAlsar wrote: »
    Speaking of the final mission (spoilers for obvious)
    Won't our guys need power armour on Cydonia or Bust? I've never not had power armour but I would imagine not having some sort of protection from atmosphere would be problematic for any soldiers on Mars
    Nope.

  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Do you think it's trademarked?Registered User regular
    Garthor wrote: »
    EvmaAlsar wrote: »
    Speaking of the final mission (spoilers for obvious)
    Won't our guys need power armour on Cydonia or Bust? I've never not had power armour but I would imagine not having some sort of protection from atmosphere would be problematic for any soldiers on Mars
    Nope.
    X-Com uses the finest paper bag space helmet technology.

    Also, I vote that we invest in nukes. Lots and lots of nukes. All the nukes we can afford, really. Then a few more nukes.

    We won't get an opportunity to corner the market like this again. We need to strike while the iron is hot.

  • TeeManTeeMan BrainSpoon Registered User regular
    Is the Davy Crockett available on the black market somewhere?

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  • chiasaur11chiasaur11 Never doubt a raccoon. Do you think it's trademarked?Registered User regular
    TeeMan wrote: »
    Is the Davy Crockett available on the black market somewhere?

    I was thinking we'd stick with the air to air stuff we've already got a contract for at the moment. Maybe branch out later.

  • IoloIolo iolo Registered User regular
    I advocate for more soldiers for the very non-strategic reason of getting more forumers off the bench and into play. :)

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  • GONG-00GONG-00 Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    TeeMan wrote: »
    Is the Davy Crockett available on the black market somewhere?

    Doubtful. Trying to obtain a Daisy Cutter or MOAB would likely yield more success. That said, even if XCOM could afford a black market thermobaric device, it lacks a capable delivery aircraft to drop one onto alien held areas.

    GONG-00 on
    Black lives matter.
    Law and Order ≠ Justice
    ACNH Island Isla Cero: DA-3082-2045-4142
    Captain of the SES Comptroller of the State
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  • ElderlycrawfishElderlycrawfish Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    GONG-00 wrote: »
    TeeMan wrote: »
    Is the Davy Crockett available on the black market somewhere?

    Doubtful. Trying to obtain a Daisy Cutter or MOAB would likely yield more success. That said, even if XCOM could afford a black market thermobaric device, it lacks a capable delivery aircraft to drop one onto alien held areas.

    Aircraft? Pssh, we just strap that on to one of the rookies valiant volunteers and problem solved.

    Elderlycrawfish on
  • FandaFanda Hang a shining star upon the highest boughRegistered User regular
    One budget item I forgot to mention - our tour t-shirts just arrived from the printers.

    Q0Fsn09.png

    Also, I meant to unveil the secrets of the Money Fire and totally spaced on it:
    I sell alien artifacts amounting to a nice even figure. Then I order construction on base facilities with an equivalent dollar value and immediately cancel them - thereby burning up the money.

    see it's a clever metaphor =(

  • NotoriusBENNotoriusBEN Registered User regular
    I would totally go to a death metal concert named "Barnageddon"

    a4irovn5uqjp.png
    Steam - NotoriusBEN | Uplay - notoriusben | Xbox,Windows Live - ThatBEN
  • FandaFanda Hang a shining star upon the highest boughRegistered User regular
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    Come on X-com See317! Continue not dying in horrible horrible burning plasma induced agony.
    Also, if you could kill something, or do something else promotion worthy, that'd be okay too.

  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    see317 wrote: »
    Come on X-com See317! Continue not dying in horrible horrible burning plasma induced agony.
    Also, if you could kill something, or do something else promotion worthy, that'd be okay too.

    Would getting promoted to the rank of "Chrysalis Chow" count?

    | Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Come on X-com See317! Continue not dying in horrible horrible burning plasma induced agony.
    Also, if you could kill something, or do something else promotion worthy, that'd be okay too.

    Would getting promoted to the rank of "Chrysalis Chow" count?

    Probably. But doing so would directly conflict with the primary directive of "not dying"...
    On the other hand, I did specify dying in horrible burning plasma induced agony. I hope X-com See's smart enough to figure out I meant "Avoid all forms of dying", instead of just the one that I specified.

    Oh well, time will tell.

  • HefflingHeffling No Pic EverRegistered User regular
    GONG-00 wrote: »
    Thankfully, the funding restrictions should mean that sectoid stew is not on the menu...right? Please be right...

    Soylent Grey! It's made of aliens!

  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    see317 wrote: »
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Come on X-com See317! Continue not dying in horrible horrible burning plasma induced agony.
    Also, if you could kill something, or do something else promotion worthy, that'd be okay too.

    Would getting promoted to the rank of "Chrysalis Chow" count?

    Probably. But doing so would directly conflict with the primary directive of "not dying"...
    On the other hand, I did specify dying in horrible burning plasma induced agony. I hope X-com See's smart enough to figure out I meant "Avoid all forms of dying", instead of just the one that I specified.

    Oh well, time will tell.

    Oh, I dunno...becoming Chrysalis Chow comes with the side-benefit of a rapid promotion to full-fledged Chrysalis. And gaining Chrysalis rank has some perks (such as no more going weeks at a time eating Grey "Mystery" Meat Stew).

    | Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
  • theSquidtheSquid Sydney, AustraliaRegistered User regular
    Good, good. I do not wish to be in every mission.

    I do not want to be the tallest flower. I merely wish to be in the garden.

  • MechMantisMechMantis Registered User regular
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Come on X-com See317! Continue not dying in horrible horrible burning plasma induced agony.
    Also, if you could kill something, or do something else promotion worthy, that'd be okay too.

    Would getting promoted to the rank of "Chrysalis Chow" count?

    Probably. But doing so would directly conflict with the primary directive of "not dying"...
    On the other hand, I did specify dying in horrible burning plasma induced agony. I hope X-com See's smart enough to figure out I meant "Avoid all forms of dying", instead of just the one that I specified.

    Oh well, time will tell.

    Oh, I dunno...becoming Chrysalis Chow comes with the side-benefit of a rapid promotion to full-fledged Chrysalis. And gaining Chrysalis rank has some perks (such as no more going weeks at a time eating Grey "Mystery" Meat Stew).

    No, it just means you get a few thousand times your recommended daily value of Vitamin Lead.

    Or if things are really bad

    you will receive a taste of our finest Cakes of Beef.

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome once aboard Elvenshae Airlines flight #005 with nonstop service to Cape Town.

    "We have reached our cruising altitude of [redacted] feet, and you may now use approved personal electronic devices. The crew will be circulating around the cabin momentarily to provide some light refreshment. So please sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight. Our in-flight entertainment today is a personal favorite of mine - Abs of Steel 8 - and will begin shortly."
    You find yourself wondering, "Was his intercom chatter [redacted] in real time? How'd he pull that off?" You clearly heard the brackets! Maybe it's because of the [redacted].
    No, not the [redacted] - the [redacted].
    Wo.

    Elvenshae on
  • ElderlycrawfishElderlycrawfish Registered User regular
    Highly populated city + aliens + this nice big Auto-Cannon with High Explosive rounds.

    What could possibly go wrong?

  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    MechMantis wrote: »
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Come on X-com See317! Continue not dying in horrible horrible burning plasma induced agony.
    Also, if you could kill something, or do something else promotion worthy, that'd be okay too.

    Would getting promoted to the rank of "Chrysalis Chow" count?

    Probably. But doing so would directly conflict with the primary directive of "not dying"...
    On the other hand, I did specify dying in horrible burning plasma induced agony. I hope X-com See's smart enough to figure out I meant "Avoid all forms of dying", instead of just the one that I specified.

    Oh well, time will tell.

    Oh, I dunno...becoming Chrysalis Chow comes with the side-benefit of a rapid promotion to full-fledged Chrysalis. And gaining Chrysalis rank has some perks (such as no more going weeks at a time eating Grey "Mystery" Meat Stew).

    No, it just means you get a few thousand times your recommended daily value of Vitamin Lead.

    Or if things are really bad

    you will receive a taste of our finest Cakes of Beef.

    I can't recall...are basic rifles effective against Chrysalids?

    | Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
  • Phoenix-DPhoenix-D Registered User regular
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    MechMantis wrote: »
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Erlkönig wrote: »
    see317 wrote: »
    Come on X-com See317! Continue not dying in horrible horrible burning plasma induced agony.
    Also, if you could kill something, or do something else promotion worthy, that'd be okay too.

    Would getting promoted to the rank of "Chrysalis Chow" count?

    Probably. But doing so would directly conflict with the primary directive of "not dying"...
    On the other hand, I did specify dying in horrible burning plasma induced agony. I hope X-com See's smart enough to figure out I meant "Avoid all forms of dying", instead of just the one that I specified.

    Oh well, time will tell.

    Oh, I dunno...becoming Chrysalis Chow comes with the side-benefit of a rapid promotion to full-fledged Chrysalis. And gaining Chrysalis rank has some perks (such as no more going weeks at a time eating Grey "Mystery" Meat Stew).

    No, it just means you get a few thousand times your recommended daily value of Vitamin Lead.

    Or if things are really bad

    you will receive a taste of our finest Cakes of Beef.

    I can't recall...are basic rifles effective against Chrysalids?

    This is one of those questions that if you have to ask you don't want to know the answer.

  • MechMantisMechMantis Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Yes. More detail in spoilers.
    A rifle fired against a Chryssalid from any angle has a little under 50% chance to actually deal lasting damage.

    Damage to a unit is calculated thus: Incoming Damage - Armor= Total Damage. But Incoming Damage is where things start to get interesting.

    You see, in Enemy Unknown, each weapon can deal anywhere from 0% damage to 200% damage on any given shot.

    So Incoming Damage = Weapon Power x (Random % from 0% to 200%).

    Our bog standard ballistic rifle has 30 weapon power. It has a damage range of 0-60. A Chryssalid has 32 armor on all facings, so (0 to 60)-32=(-32 to 28) for our damage range.

    A Chryssalid has 96 health. Based on my very rough math it should take VERY ROUGHLY about eight hits from a standard rifle to do one in, not accounting for the armor being reduced by 10% of the damage that bypasses the armor.

    That is three straight autoshots, assuming every round hits. No one person can lay down three autoshots in a turn with a rifle, and you're bound to see some misses.

    The rifle starts being very bad, very fast.

    And Chyssalids are relatively lightly armored as far as terror units go.

    The Sectopod has front armor of 145, and rear armor of 100. Weakest point, the underside, is 90, and that's only if you get an explosion RIGHT UNDERNEATH IT.

    Basically if this game goes beyond the first few months we're fucking hosed.

    EDIT: Basically, yes mathematically, now that I think about it.

    MechMantis on
  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    And then when the swarm appears.

    No.

    I shot a rocket at an area I thought an alien was in.

    A chrysalid was standing right in the center of the blast radius, surrounded by flames.

    It was not dead.

    Morninglord on
    (PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
  • TeeManTeeMan BrainSpoon Registered User regular
    *yelling over the sound of descending Skyranger* Remember your training, and you will make it back alive!

    steam_sig.png
  • MechMantisMechMantis Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Oh, I'm going to leave this one unspoiled, because it's just funny, and falls under the "All bugs with the original have been fixed heading":

    In non-OpenX-Com, Chryssalids spawned because a Zombie died have the Beginner (IE: 50%) armor value.

    This was fixed in the source remake that Fanda is playing. :D

    MechMantis on
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