Xcom

[alanschu]

I don't recall.  What is second wave?

[Humanoid]

It's the range of options that modify gameplay settings in various ways, usually making things more difficult. They're not necessarily meant to be balanced, and certain combinations can make the game literally impossible to win.

[alanschu]

Ah, new stuff I am unfamiliar with!

[Spider]

If it was in the original game, I missed it. Just saw it mentioned in the IGN article above. It's a set of gameplay options that will change how the game rules work. Not sure if they're set up in a case by case basis or if it's all or nothing.

 

The examples in the IGN article is allowing non-cover using aliens to take a shot wehn you encounter them instead of a move, and randomized skill trees for all soldiers after their first rank.

 

Edit: Probably missed it since it came with the third patch, not sure I was still playing then.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Spider

[Humanoid]

It was technically in the initial launch version, but was locked away unless the game was modded (and supposedly designed to unlock only you beat the game on impossible anyway). A later patch just enabled it for everyone (and fixed the bugs, a lot of the options were downright unusable in their initial state, hence them being disabled).

[Majek]

Ironman is for incompetents who just can't deal with consequences unless they're forced to.

 

Second wave options are awesome though.

[Malcador]

Ironman is for incompetents who just can't deal with consequences unless they're forced to.

 

Second wave options are awesome though.

And is a knife to the throat if you get a really bad bug

[Leferd]

Second Wave options available at the start for Enemy Unknown:

 

Damage Roulette: Weapons have a wider range of damage.

New Economy: Randomized council member funding.

Not Created Equally: Rookies will have random starting stats.

Hidden Potential: As a soldier is promoted, stats increase randomly.

[Darkpriest]

Second Wave options available at the start for Enemy Unknown:

 

Damage Roulette: Weapons have a wider range of damage.

New Economy: Randomized council member funding.

Not Created Equally: Rookies will have random starting stats.

Hidden Potential: As a soldier is promoted, stats increase randomly.

 

You unlock more by completing higher difficulty levels. You get the whole list, if you beat the game on Impossible.

[Maria Caliban]

I've noticed that when I put my snipers on top of trucks, they end up dying horribly as every enemy targets and hits them.

 

I swear there was a way to make them lie down and be harder to hit.

[alanschu]

Nope.  Although I think you do get improved chance to miss if you're above the target.  Still, LOS will be a pain for sure.

[Spider]

Yeah, cover trumps height advantage by a significant margin.

 

But snipers are best with squad sight where they can get up high and out of range.

[TrashMan]

Ironman is for incompetents who just can't deal with consequences unless they're forced to.

 

The best way to not fall to temptation is to keep it out of sight, so one is not tempted to begin with.

 

Le'ts face it, games like X-Com are meant to be played in Ironman mode.

 

Unless of course, that only works if the game isn't broken or doesn't cheat, making all of your planing, strategy and effort pointless.

 

Like spawning a team of mutons behind your secured lines  (or to be more precise, in the middle of your squad) and butchering your entranched team.

[Darkpriest]

Hey, consider it (teleporting), as if they would also have stealth suits, like late game XCOM operatives or use some super high advanced alien tech. - Learn. Adapt. Survive.

 

The only thing that might be very annoying in Ironman walkthroughs is when you misclick because of some camera issue or just a simple twitch of your finger

[Leferd]

So last night, my 99 accuracy Support Sergeant has a 99% chance to hit against a floater to finish off the mission? He misses. Next turn he got critically hit by that same floater and joins my memorial wall. A nearby Support Squaddie then panics and kills one of my Assault Corporals.

 

That's XCOM for you.

[Rosbjerg]

I had a game where this one sniper would always get the shot when I took the chance <10% .. Every time I thought "no, I've jinxed it .. they'll die - why do I hope!!?" but, no saved my hide every single time.. Loved that guy..

[Darkpriest]

As they say:

 

If it's not 100%, there is a chance to miss

If it's not 0%, there is a chance to hit

 

Edited August 28, 2013 by Darkpriest

[Hurlshort]

The key is to never put yourself in a position where, if you do miss the shot, even at 99%, you are vulnerable.

 

But I can't say I always follow that rule myself.  

[TrashMan]

Hey, consider it (teleporting), as if they would also have stealth suits, like late game XCOM operatives or use some super high advanced alien tech. - Learn. Adapt. Survive.

 

The only thing that might be very annoying in Ironman walkthroughs is when you misclick because of some camera issue or just a simple twitch of your finger

 

And exactly how do you learn/adapt/survive in this case?

 

There is NOTHING a player can do, that's what makes it maddedning/irritating.

[Darkpriest]

They only teleport on their turn, so they do not shot on the same turn, meaning you have time to reposition, retreat, regroup and place some covering fire. Sure it is not super cool, especially if you are playing Impossible Ironman, but on Classic and below you have a decent to high chance of getting in one piece out of that. It happens maybe one or twice per whole campaign max, and sometimes you do not see it at all.

[Serrano]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/09/05/many-mechanized-minutes-of-xcom-enemy-within/

[JFSOCC]

I gotta say, I got introduced to the series with the recent remake, I love every piece of it, I just wish for more (diverse) content. I heard the old game had missions defending your base(s!) that sounds really cool.

 

also, I would have loved it if you could detach units to regions and have bases there, so you could respond to more things happening simultaneously (and then actually have things happen simultaneously, other than terror missions)

[TrashMan]

They only teleport on their turn, so they do not shot on the same turn, meaning you have time to reposition, retreat, regroup and place some covering fire. Sure it is not super cool, especially if you are playing Impossible Ironman, but on Classic and below you have a decent to high chance of getting in one piece out of that. It happens maybe one or twice per whole campaign max, and sometimes you do not see it at all.

 

I'm not falking about Floaters flying.

I'm talking abotu the game spawning suddenly a pack of mutons (with full move and action) right behind you.

[Gorgon]

This happens if you are really close to that group but havent sighted them. When still undescovered, enemy units teleport 8 tiles or so in a random direction every turn. So, sometimes they appear right in front of you. Sometimes with action points and sometimes without. 

[Humanoid]

Yeah, it's an issue with the patrol simulation. Pick a path, then determine whether the player would be encountered when that path is taken. If yes, go through the hostile contact routine, allow the take-cover half-turn, then give control to the player. If no, then move ('teleport') group to destination and proceed as normal.

 

In a previous patch, this was easily demonstrated by how reliable you could reproduce the issue by hunkering down everyone. With the player's tiny line of sight range, it made a whole lot more of the alien moves falsely be determined as non-contact ones.