XCOM Playthrough

[Saney]

I was thinking of doing a play through of XCOM: Enemy Within and posting screencaps. Anyone want to have a soldier named after them? First things first though should the XCOM base be in America or Europe?

 

[UnwiseKhan]

Given that said soldier would probably die horribly and might turn into a zombie... sure, why not?

Start in America. You could RP as Commander Stryker that way.

 

[BatNapalm]

Fucking love XCOM, especially Enemy Within.

First Name: Bat
Last Name: Napalm
Gender: Male
Country: 'MURICA

The rest of the appearance is up to you, but I am a clean-shaven, white guy with brown hair if you wanna be accurate. Here's hoping I survive long enough to earn a stupid nickname and/or get turned into a cyborg.

 

[c-no]

May as well try.

First name: C-
Last name:no
Gender: Male/Jerk
Country: America. The appearance is up to you. You could make it a fat neck-beard who resembles A-Log for all I care. I do feel he might die the moment the first mission starts.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

Maybe off topic, but I liked "Terror From the Deep". MicroProse made some good games back in the day (XCOM, Civ, Master of Orion, etc).

 

[BatNapalm]

Maybe off topic, but I liked "Terror From the Deep". Microprose made some good games back in the day.

Terror from the Deep was really solid (I thought it was even more challenging than the first game) but I still prefer XCOM Apocalypse for whatever reason.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

>XCOM Apocalypse

The one with the biotech aliens from another dimension? I remember that, but I really didn't play it.

 

[BatNapalm]

>XCOM Apocalypse

The one with the biotech aliens from another dimension? I remember that, but I really didn't play it.

Yeah, it's not a lot of people's favorite XCOM, that's for sure. It was only after I bought the XCOM bundle on steam back in 2012 that I started playing it and I ended up logging 148 hours on the motherfucker.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

I did enjoy it a little though. I remember playing that game a little on CD-ROM back when it first came out. I watched others play it a lot more though. Apparently the aliens grow their ships like enormous fruit or something.

I liked TFTD more than the other old ones though, probably because of the ocean setting. I still remember seeing men fight lobstermen with sonic-based weapons (that looked a little like toys). And the unique "Haa-AHH" dying sound your men made was something I thought was unintentionally and morbidly hilarious.

 

[Saney]

Ok, so here's the current roster.

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Bat Napalm.

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Unwise Khan

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C-no

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And Saney S.layer.

Now that the team's sorted, we can move onto research. Right now, we have four options.

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Xeno-biology (8 days to research)
This will allow us to eventually capture and interrogate the aliens.

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Weapon fragments (8 days to research)
By researching this, we'll eventually get laser and plasma weaponry.

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Alien materials (8 days to research)
This will let us build better body armour (pretty much essential early on)

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and Meld recombination (also 8 days to research).
This lets us build genetically modified and cyborg soldiers, but we have to build a GM lab and a MEC trooper lab first.

Now that that's finished, we have alien abductions to take care of.

Right now, the aliens are abducting civilians in Japan, Mexico and South Africa. We can only respond to one distress call and each area if offering different rewards for helping them. Japan and South Africa are offering $200 while Mexico is offering 4 engineers. More engineers will allow us to build items more quickly. Since we can only go to one area, the areas we don't go to will start to panic. If we allow their panic to go too high, they'll pull out of the XCOM project and we lose funding. If we lose half of the countries, its a game over.

So, where should we go first and what should we research?

 

[BatNapalm]

I say research weapon fragments and take the money. Respond to the crisis in Japan (I flipped a coin).

 

[Saney]

Operation Demon Shroud. That's admittedly one of the more badass operation names. Especially considering I once got an Operation named Lazy Mother :/

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Poor C-no has to sit by himself

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Almost immediately after we disembark and find cover, sectoids show up. And they're guarding the meld!

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Saney takes a shot at one...and misses quite spectacularly.

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The first sectoid on the other hand, manages to hit C-no and takes out a pretty bug chunk of health. One more shot like that and he's finished.

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Fortunately, the second is not as a good a shot as his partner and shoots wide.

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Unfortunately, two more sectoids take the opportunity to show up.

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Unwise Khan and Bat Napalm both take shots at the sectoids...

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But only Napalm hits.

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Saney misses again. Probably because they're not Loveshies.

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Meanwhile, C-no manages to hit one.

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One sectoid uses its psionic powers to boost its partner, who then takes a few pot-shots at Khan, but misses.

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Luckily, Napalm manages to kill the sectoid that started the connection and the psionic backlash kills the other one.

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Operation Demon Shroud was a success! No fatalities, four dead sectoids and all the meld was collected. C-no was badly wounded, however, and will be out of commission for the next 6 days. However...

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He did manage to get promoted to Squaddie and was put into the Assault class for killing that sectoid. Napalm was likewise promoted, into the sniper class.

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We also unlocked a medal. The Urban Combat badge. If anyone has a better name for it, I'm open to suggestions. We also need to assign a power to it. The recipient will either get 5+ defence when in cover or 5+ aim when in full cover. Keep in mind that once a power is assigned, it can't be changed.

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One day before C-no gets out of the infirmary and three days before our research is complete, we get our first UFO sighting.

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Luckily, Raven-1 is able to intercept it, with minimal damage.

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Of course, now that its landed, we need to go in and mop up any survivors. But with C-no down and out for another day, we're going to need someone to replace him.

 

[Saney]

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Good news, Surtur steps in to fill the C-no shaped void in the squad!

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Here's hoping he becomes a heavy. It'd just be appropriate.

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Are you kidding me? Operation Morbid Hammer. Operation Morbid Hammer. Surtur, if this mission goes tits up, I'm blaming you.

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Oh, hey, a bar! Drinks are on me...assuming I survive this.

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Shit, sectoids. I think we interrupted their round of darts.

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Khan takes the shot...and hits! But the sectoid barely survives it.

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Saney fires, hoping to finish it off, but misses, instead blowing a hole through the wall. He'd have hit it if it was wearing a fedora.

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On the plus side, Surtur misses too, so I feel like marginally less of a failure.

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The sectoids, clearly unimpressed by our stormtrooper esque marksmanship, decide to just walk off. Offended, Napalm steals the meld they left behind.

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Heading out the back, we encounter two more.

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And once again, Saney can't shoot for shit.

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Although on the plus side, neither can this guy.

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Oh, this is bullshit!

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Surtur has more luck flanking this sectoid. Because it's being psionically bolstered by another sectoid, it has more health. Luckily, Surtur manages to score a critical hit, killing it.

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Luckily for Khan, the sectoid I'm hunting is about as good at aiming as I am.

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Oh, come on! How did I miss this? And now I'm out of ammo for my rifle!

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The fucker shot me! Surprisingly, I only took 3 damage instead of 4. I'd like to think my helmet protected me from the worst of it. It protects from Loveshies and stray plasma shots.

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While the sectoids are distracted by my cursing, Khan manages to steal the rest of the meld.

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Instead of using a turn to reload, I just switch to my pistol. The little bastard finally goes down.

 

[Saney]

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This sectoid had a surprisingly good aim and took out a chunk of Khan's health.

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Since Napalm can't move and fire his sniper rifle on the same turn, he had to make do with his pistol. Wounded but not killed.

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But Khan and Surtur have less luck.

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Surtur makes a dash for closer cover to get a better shot at the sectoid. The sectoid takes a few shots at him as he approaches, but misses. On closer inspection, the sectoid's aim is dead on, the plasma just knew better.

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Unfortunately, Surtur's proximity to the ship triggers the Outsider, who has Surtur flanked. Which is a serious problem, considering that despite their low health, their guns pack a serious punch.

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Dr. Shen also steps in to point out the UFO's power source. If its damaged, we can sell it for a tidy profit. If it's intact, we can sell it for a tidier profit, or research it later.

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Napalm finishes off the last sectoid with his sniper rifle.

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Khan tries to take out the Outsider from his position, but misses. At a 25% chance to hit, it was a longshot, but I wanted to see if I could destroy it without resorting to explosives, which completely destroy its weapon and leaves us with nothing to scavenge. Since Khan missed and Surtur's right out in the open though...

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Damn, Vahlen is gonna be piiiiisssssed.

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Promotions all 'round! Me and Surtur are Supports now and Khan's a Heavy. Unfortunately, I'm out for a week and Khan for 8 days.

Well, hopefully we'll get a week to recuperate before our next mission.

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Oh, a Council Mission. As you can see, Council Missions have some pretty good rewards. Unfortunately, Saney and Khan are in the infirmary. Buuuut...

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C-no's back! And he's rockin' a fedora! However, we're still one squad member short, so we're going to need to find a fourth member soon.

 

[Andrew Noel Schaefer]

Flynn Taggert 'Doom'
Assault Class
(Theres this one hair combo that looks like the doomguy)

The one thing that I wish was expanded more upon in the reboot was Dogfighting. They dont even use the badass Interception theme which dissapointed me greatly. But as far as reboots go? Sure, its ligtened for the causal gamers but thats something you just need to expect: The average gamer now is bone stupid.

Then again, UFO Defense was so hardcore it makes me shit blood we-

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[BatNapalm]

If I'm not the best marksman on the squad, I'm at least the best looking

If you can, Saney, you should have your engineers build you a S.C.O.P.E. attachment and maybe let Sutur handle the med-kits for right now.

 

[c-no]

Saney, I just gotta say this: One, I love the pink armor and fedora I wear and two, how long do you think I'll last before biting the dust?

 

[Saney]

If I'm not the best marksman on the squad, I'm at least the best looking
If you can, Saney, you should have your engineers build you a S.C.O.P.E. attachment and maybe let Surtur handle the med-kits for right now.

Will do, just as soon as the S.C.O.P.E. becomes available.

Flynn Taggert 'Doom'
Assault Class
(There's this one hair combo that looks like the doomguy)
The one thing that I wish was expanded more upon in the reboot was Dogfighting. They don't even use the badass Interception theme which disappointed me greatly. But as far as reboots go? Sure, its lightened for the causal gamers but that's something you just need to expect: The average gamer now is bone stupid.
Then again, UFO Defense was so hardcore it makes me shit blood we-
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Unfortunately, there aren't any male soldiers left, but I'll order some new recruits once the council mission is over.

Saney, I just gotta say this: One, I love the pink armor and fedora I wear and two, how long do you think I'll last before biting the dust?

Glad you like it. Well, you've proven yourself to be surprisingly tough so far, so who knows? Here's hoping you at least make it to sergeant, that way you earn a nickname. Also, let me know if you want me to give you an assault rifle instead of a shotgun.

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Caffeinated Wench steps in as the squad's fourth member.

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Operation Crimson Spark. Since Surtur and C-no have both killed aliens, Caffeinated Wench fills the role as the squad's designated pariah.

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Escort mission time! We have to get the VIP, Dr. Marazuki, from his lab all the way to the Skyranger, through a gauntlet of aliens. Fun, right?

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Snake men! I mean, thin men! These guys pack a bit more of a punch than sectoids, plus they can spit poison at us. On the plus side, they die just as easily.

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Surtur and Napalm take up position on either side of the exit, but only Surtur can take a shot. He hits the thin man, badly wounding it.

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Two sectoids take the opportunity to reinforce the thin man.

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Surtur and Napalm take a few shots at the closest sectoid. Napalm breaks his streak and misses, but Surtur manages to land a critical.

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The other sectoid manages to flank Caffeinated Wench and badly injures her...

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...So she retaliates.

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C-no hunts down the injured thin man, who takes a few shots at him. Luckily, C-no's fedora deflects the plasma.

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The thin man, on the other hand, is not so lucky. On the down side, it looks like they've called in reinforcements.

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Speaking of which, one thin man is dumb enough to drop in directly behind the rest of the squad. Caffeinated Wench puts him down.

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Surtur uses the lull in combat to use his medkit.

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Napalm meanwhile, injures a sectoid.

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Surtur finishes off the sectoid and a thin man who drops onto a nearby truck, clearing a path for Dr. Marazuki.

Mission Crimson Spark was a success! Because of Surtur's medkit, Caffeinated Wench's wounds are only minor and she'll be out of the infirmary in four days.

 

[Saney]

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Back at the base, research on the weapon fragments is complete. Now we can get that S.C.O.P.E for Napalm.

In addition to the stuff we didn't research before (Xeno-Biology, Meld and Alien Materials), now we have more stuff available for research.

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Experimental warfare (9 days to research)

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Beam Weapons (18 days to research)

With this researched, we can build laser rifles and pistols and eventually laser sniper rifles and gatling guns. But because we don't have many scientists of the base, it'll take a while to develop.

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The UFO Power Source (20 days to research)

This will allow us to upgrade our fighter craft and MEC troopers (when we make some). I think this allows up to research Elerium as well.

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The Alien Nav Computer option isn't open to us yet. We'll need another UFO Flight Computer first.

So, what should we research next? Also, don't forget that we also need to designate an ability/possible new name to Urban Combat medal.

 

[BatNapalm]

Maybe Beam Weapons for now, and if any more incidents pop up, try to use the ones that award us scientists (if the panic levels in the other areas are manageable).

For the Urban Combat badge, maybe designate the ability to +5 defense in cover. But I'd like others to weigh in on this, because if I remember correctly every future Urban Combat badge rewarded will have the exact same perk.