Xcom

[Rosbjerg]

Support are best as medic or laying down suppressive fire.. But since the heavy can do that I make them medics, when they level up they can use one medkit 3 times (and later on it heals more), so that makes them very very useful.

[Malcador]

As I play I have to snicker at the visuals of shooting through walls or cars, LOS doesn't match up with the actual map it seems. For the abduction missions, are the aliens placed on the map at the start or do you trigger their spawning ?

[Rosbjerg]

I think you trigger their respawn, because I accidentally reloaded a map and had to play it from the start again and the aliens were different and in different places.

[alanschu]

Yeah Suppression just seems so much better than the Shredder Rocket. Though I suppose on a really tough bad guy like the Sectopod, it's probably more useful.

 

Support make great scouts and medics due to their perks. They are also great for shooting at people that you flush out of cover since they can do the double overwatch shot.

 

The smoke is also invaluable if you find yourself in a precarious situation because you wanted to stun an alien, or just some bad luck and cover is now gone (or even if cover is still there). Deep smoke with -40 chance to hit really adds up with soldiers who are already at -40 with tall cover. Hunkered down guys can be as low as -120 chance to hit.

[alanschu]

As I play I have to snicker at the visuals of shooting through walls or cars, LOS doesn't match up with the actual map it seems.

 

LOS is a bit tricky when you're in cover. You will always be able to look over short cover (half shield), but if you're on a corner of any cover, you will be able to look around that corner (and people will also be able to see you as well).

 

I've gotten used to it, but it can take some getting used to.

[Fish Of Doom]

i like heavies once they get that perk that lets them shoot twice if they haven't moved (or shoot and reload, or shoot and fire a rocket, etc). supports i use as medics, and general backup when needed (usually sandwiched between my assaults and my heavy and sniper so they can hopefully help either).

[Malcador]

I think you trigger their respawn, because I accidentally reloaded a map and had to play it from the start again and the aliens were different and in different places.

 

Ah ok, well hmph, that's kind of disappointing but can think of why they did it that way. I wish I could pick the specialty the troops fall into, it seems random to me but might be otherwise. The flush ability the Assault troops get is great, well assuming the overwatch shots actually hit

Edited October 17, 2012 by Malcador

[alanschu]

HAHA yeah. Stupid overwatch misses >.>

[Hurlshort]

Last night I had brought a berserker down to one health and was going to move my assault guy in for a stun, but the berserker did some rage move and one of my other guys fired off a reaction shot that killed him. First time I've ever screamed NOOOO! at a dead on interrupt shot.

[alanschu]

HAHAHA yeah.

 

I can't remember if I mentioned this in this thread, but I lost a sectoid commander because he panicked one of my soldiers who then promptly shot the sectoid in the face in response.

 

 

FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[Majek]

Panic is their most powerful weapon indeed. :D

[alanschu]

Panic still has that "That's XCOM" moment. I had a squad chain panic as a guy panicked, shot his friend, who panicked, and shot is other friend, who panicked and shot the first guy.

 

 

FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUU XD

[Majek]

Yeah, that must really be nerve wrecking on Ironman. heheheh

[Malcador]

Hm, panic's not fun unless they've got a rocket launcher near a gas station.

[Fish Of Doom]

gas stations are no fun anymore now that guns aren't free-aimed

[Malcador]

That's kind of a shame, especially since lasers can burn out light cover (something the AI seems to mystically do to my troops all the time incidentally) or just use it to torch a vehicle.

[alanschu]

gas stations are no fun anymore now that guns aren't free-aimed

 

 

While in general I would say that the tactical combat is greatly improved from the original, this is bar none the most disappointing aspect of the tactical combat.

[Majek]

Well, they have to start somewhere. But it's more hit than miss, at least their system, if not the actual shooting the game. They've set a good base to build on.

[Hurlshort]

I just can't believe how long it took for us to get a good squad level tactical combat game. It isn't magic! Seriously, it was a long barren stretch between JA2 and here.

[alanschu]

Well, they have to start somewhere. But it's more hit than miss, at least their system, if not the actual shooting the game. They've set a good base to build on.

 

Agreed. They could do expansions/DLC/sequel and iterate on the systems currently in place. I heard rumors that someone found references to 60 day and 90 day DLC plans so I am definitely intrigued.

[Majek]

Hurlshot , On PC maybe, Valkyria Chronicles on PS3 was a good tactical game too. Infact it might even have influenced XCOM too.

Edited October 17, 2012 by Majek

[Malcador]

Maybe we'll get DLC to add some more inventory slots. Although I guess it'll just be new alien types and guns.

[Majek]

New guns are fine. I want a normal ammo super assault rifle. Plasma and lasers are fine but nothing beats kinetic projectiles in coolness. ( in my head at least, and i haven't played that much. So i don't really know what kinds of guns are available in the game. )

[Malcador]

Well, they could add a minigun, autocannon from the original. Or ammo types, maybe.

[Fish Of Doom]

re: kinetic weapons: magnetic accelerators (coil/gauss guns and rail guns) would be cool, and since plasma tech is already based on magnetic containment of superheated matter, might be a logical step to take. also, while the "gauss" weaponry from TFTD wasn't actually "gauss" weaponry (ie coilguns), the name is there to use, particularly seeing as some people over at the 2k forums were theorizing that the DLC stuff is TFTD-based.

 

re: free-aiming: it might be doable via mods IF it's possible to switch the rocket aiming mechanism over to the rifles, pistols and shotties while reducing the blast radius so that there's no AOE (maybe with a minimal, low-damage AOE for heavy plasma due to the heat, coupled with a similar boost for the heavy laser to compensate? might prove interesting).