((This chapter is a parody and isn't intended to be taken as a serious part of the Stardust canon. Enjoy!))
“Um…h-hello? Is there anypony there? Rainbow Dash? T-Twilight? Anypony?” Fluttershy asked timidly as she inched forward. Gone were the rolling fields surrounding Ponyville, as were the comforting sounds of chirping birds, chattering squirrels and babbling brooks. All of the comforting signs of nature Fluttershy had come to love were gone; replaced with metal, stone, smoke and fire. There were no signs of life as far as she could see, and it unsettled her greatly.
The timid Pegasus had just cleared a pair of metal boxes and began to inch into a clearing just as three creatures appeared on the other side of the stone clearing between two of the large brick buildings. Bipedal, binocular vision, digigrade appendages, Fluttershy’s eye for animals easily cataloged the traits of the creatures that had entered her sight. The larger one waved and shouted, and the middle-sized one scooped up the smallest and began to run. Oh my, a family group? These two must be caretakers for the foal. But why would they be running?
Bursting from the shadows that the trio had just vacated came a monster, and Fluttershy’s eyes fell upon it just as they had the bipeds. Quadriped, insect-like physiology, extremely fast, she quickly summarized, and her eyes widened as she saw the unfolding events before her. The largest tried to backpedal but kept himself between the new arrival and the other two bipeds, while the insect dashed towards the trio with claws raised. The larger biped tripped and fell backwards, and the other two cried out in fear as the insect closed in for the kill. Predator species.
“Hold it right there, mister!” Fluttershy shouted as she fixed the insect with the Stare. All eyes turned toward Fluttershy and had this not been a life or death situation she would have shrunk away from the attention. Not now though, what she had just seen made her blood boil. “What do you think you are doing? Chasing down these poor innocent creatures?”
The scene of impending violence froze before the Pegasus as she trotted forward. The insect and the now-prone biped remained frozen in place. The expression on the insect’s face was hard to interpret but the biped was clearly frightened for himself and the others it was protecting. “There there, everything is alright now,” Fluttershy comforted as she stroked the biped’s head gently with a hoof. It seemed frozen in place much like a scared rabbit, and made no effort to run until prompted to. “Go on, shoo. Make sure that foal of yours is safe.”
Fluttershy gave it a comforting smile as it crawled and then ran away before whipping around to face the insect again, “DID I SAY YOU COULD MOVE?” The insect had begun to creep forward and reach with the two digigrade limbs attached to its torso but when it found itself under Fluttershy’s Stare again it froze in place. “You think you can chase innocent creatures just because you can? Did you not see it had a foal? Did you not see how scared it was? You should be ashamed of yourself!”
With each word Fluttershy took a step forward and the insect took a step back. With each step it lowered itself closer to the stone they stood upon, and was now using its clawed limbs to shield its face from the terrible Stare. When its back claws bumped into one of the metal boxes in the clearing which prevented further retreats, it began to whine piteously. Fluttershy wasn’t finished though, she was just getting started.
“AND YOU!” She screamed as she whipped around again to face another biped standing behind her. Unlike the previous bipeds this one wore some form of armor and had nearly managed to catch Fluttershy off guard with a strange silver tool it held in its arms. It froze in place; even its full-face helmet couldn’t protect it against the Stare. “You think you can sneak up on me? You are WRONG, mister! In case you couldn’t tell I am in a very bad mood and I’m not going to tolerate mean-spirited pranks while I’m teaching Mister Bugs here a lesson. Now DON’T MOVE until I get back so I can scold you properly.”
“You can’t escape your punishment, Mister Bugs!” Fluttershy turned around to face the insect again, which was trying to skulk away while the Pegasus was distracted, “Now, you are going to take me to your parents and we are going to have a long talk about what is appropriate behavior.” The insect froze in place, which prompted Fluttershy to scream, “DID I STUTTER? TAKE ME TO YOUR FAMILY NOW.”
The insect wailed and bolted down the alley with Fluttershy trotting after it, leaving the frozen biped behind.
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16:52, 04/02/2015, WASHINGTON D.C.
Lana Jenkins led the stack with her shotgun raised. Lieutenant Fowler was right behind her as she swept the fire escapes and windows with her rifle, while Dryzimski covered the other end of the alley with his LMG. The trio grouped up at the mouth of the alleyway and then fanned out to sweep the parking lot where Matt was apparently at.
“Harris, this is Jenkins,” Lana called through the radio, “Where are you, man? Command has your signal as green but you’re not responding. Where the hell are you?” Her question was answered as she rounded a delivery van and she spotted the missing soldier. He stood as still as a statue with his arms raised in a firing position with the pistol in one hand and the ARC thrower in the other, and he appeared to be unharmed.
“Fowler, Jenkins; I found him!” She said as she rushed forward. Jenkins’ shotgun was still raised as she swept the rest of the parking lot before turning to face Harris. “Jesus, man, you had us worried. Harris? Yo Harris, anyone home?” Lana snapped her fingers a couple of times in front of the other soldier’s faceplate and got no reaction. Without any other alternatives she slung her shotgun and pulled Harris’s helmet off.
The male soldier’s face was white as a sheet and his eyes were wide and unblinking. “I can’t move, she said not to move. I can't move, she told me not to move...” Was all he could mutter between clenched teeth.
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12:01, 08/01/2015, SITUATION ROOM
Bradford stood at attention as he faced the giant video monitor. The spinning XCOM logo vanished and was replaced with the silhouette of the Council Representative. A moment of silence passed between the two before the XCOM commander moved ahead with his summary for the past month.
“Data summaries for the month of July have been transmitted for Council review, as well as all the collected reports on all operations that have taken—“
“Commander,” The Council Representative interrupted. His voice was like gravel and nearly impossible to judge, but with the interruption Bradford could notice several hints of tension in the man before he continued, “Your efforts and the efforts of your men thus far are to be commended. However, this council has determined that your efforts are no longer necessary. New circumstances have come to light regarding the nature of our alien… guests, and it is the feeling of this council that the fate of humanity might better be served through cooperation and understanding in the interests of peace and… harmony. While the XCOM project served admirably in its role as guardian against aggression, this council agrees that an organization with such intentions in mind would prove detrimental to the future of humanity. Effective immediately, XCOM will cease all activities, its armed forces will disband and its weapons will be disarmed. Goodbye, commander.”
Without another word, the Council Representative reached forward and pressed a button on his console to end the transmission, leaving a stunned Bradford alone in the Situation Room.
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12:04, 08/01/2015, UNKNOWN LOCATION
The Council Representative gritted his teeth as he lifted his finger from the disconnect button and turned to glare at the other occupant of the chamber he was in. He didn’t say a word but continued to glare in spite of those gentle blue eyes and timid smile.
“There there, that wasn’t so hard now was it?” It said, “We all want to be friends now so there’s no need for anyone to be mean anymore.” It hopped down from the chair it sat in and headed to the door. The door opened as she approached, revealing the helmeted and robed figure of an Ethereal. One of its four arms held the door open, the second held a small bag with a trio of marks that matched the marks on Its rear legs, the third held an umbrella while the forth carried a leash. The other end of the leash was attached to the collar on a cowering Chryssalid.
“Thank you, Mister E. You’re such a gentlecolt for holding my things while I was in a meeting. Did Mister Bugs cause you any trouble while he I was in there?” Any more of the conversation was cut off as the door closed behind It.
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17:00, 08/01/2015
At precisely 5:00PM, every Television, mobile device, and computer received the same transmission.
“Um, good evening everypony!” The yellow and pink figure said with a shy and disarming smile, “I know you all have been very scared recently with all the terrible things that have happened lately, but I’m here to tell you that it won’t happen again! I’ve had a chance to talk with the Ethereal leaders as well as all your presidents, kings and prime ministers. We all agree that it's best if we all let the past stay in the past and be friends instead. So, I hope to get along with each and every one of you. Oh, and please remember, we’re all friends now and resistance will not be tolerated!”
The message ended on a cheery note, but the smile of the yellow and pink figure was to become feared by any who resisted her ‘friendship’. The rule of Fluttershy the Terrible had just begun.
Good morning folks! Here's the little bonus chapter I've been working on. I went with Option A from my little survey as it had the most votes. :)
Work for the next chapter has already begun and will (hopefuly) be posted around this time next week.
Again, thanks for reading Stardust and I hope you continue reading!
All of my yes, take it all.
You will accept my friendship. You will be happy. You will know peace. You will never want for anything...
Or I will make you suffer.
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It shall be glorious! :D
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Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad to hear folks are enjoying the story enough to recommend it to friends!
Well.... Fluttershy dooomed the world. It is bonus chapter ?
Fuck me, my sides hurt now.
Hysterical. All hail Fluttershy the Terrible.
One little thing, you shouldn't capitalize pegasus. I know spell checker says otherwise, but spell checker thinks you're using it as a proper noun.
..................
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw5161-rbd-wat.png
Cellestia and Luna slowly backed away from where Discord had fallen from his throne.... Discord's hysterical laughter could be heard all the way to Canterlot as he rolled uncontrollably back and forth on the ground.
Everyone seems to think being under Fluttershy's benevolent rule would be so horrible. Sure you might take a back seat to some of her animal friends but that is just your place in the cycle of life.
Fluttershy smiles. "Good Human."
Nice chapter, very funny to read!
No being can mess with .
Will you do this for the rest of the Mane 6?
Oh my god, this is hilarious
You really should write more chapters, around other ponies being sent to Xcom earth instead of Twilight. Not everypony but those who would yield some very interesting results.
At first I was like
But then I was like this
ALL HAIL OUR FUZZY OVERLORD!!!!!
Please don't use the stare on me.
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I was hoping to make Fluttershy's speech have the suitable borg/cyberman connotations. Also the Council Representative's speech to Bradford was inspired by XCOM's bad ending, which I also hope was suitably creepy.
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Yep bonus chapter for making it to 250 likes!
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Herpderp I think it was auto-correct that made that happen. I write my first copies in Word which is kinda strict when it comes to that.
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I -might-. No guarantees. Perhaps if I can get to 500 likes I might give it a shot.
One of my cat's nicknames is Mister Bugs. He's usually pretty friendly, except for when he's not. He'll follow people around, greet them, and sleep on their laps, but he rules with an iron paw. My German Shepard/Rottweiler mix dogs are utterly terrified by him and I still have that scar he gave me a few years ago. He'll just look at the dog funny, and it'll stop dead in it's tracks.
Oh, and he stole my chair. I'm now writing this from the floor.
Anyhoo, nice job so far. I look forward to the next update.
I'd add an author's note saying that this is a joke chapter.
This chapter is a joke, right?
WTF
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Tempermental cats can be quite the handful. As a cat person I certainly can understand.
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Yes this chapter is a joke, a little bonus for getting to 250 thumbs up. I had -thought- I had added an Author's note at the end but it doesn't seem to be showing up. Hrm...
Fluttershy...the HELL are you doing?!
.... And now that we have seen that, EVERYONE is glad that it was Twilight sent to Earth and not Fluttershy.
The Uber-Etherial has NOTHING on the power of the Stare!
That said... eagerly awaiting more Stardust.
Pffft, ahahahaha!
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Why, making friends of course!
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Yeaaap. Uber Ethereal was the one holding Fluttershy's bag, umbrella and pet while she was having a word with the Council Representative. It's fun to consider just what that conversation was like before she bent the Ethereal Invaders to her will.
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I usually hate it when authors make a joke chapter, but this is an exception! All hail Fluttershy the Terrible-ly cute!
The stare is so overrated...
Inb4 hate
Unless 'umbrella' was recently promoted to a verb, I believe you might mean an umbrella.
Jesus Christ monkey balls, I thought this was real for a second...
And to think they're afraid of Twilight mind controlling them...
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Freshly invented Arcs? Twilight have 3 HP?!?!? HOW?!?
Silent Rain SHIVS? Can you elaborate for those who don't know?
Undocumented features... One man I know once made... not really important what. Anyway, when using next version, I discovered that he made that thing he didn't put in changelog. I said: "OK, this is totally insane and illogical, and thus is unneeded efforts, but, knowing you, it's normal. But why you didn't at least listed that thing?" to what he replied: "But then how you'll get fun from discovering it?". I wanted to choke him there and then, but computer screen was between us... T_T
On bonus chapter: it's horrible, absolutely horrible, in a good way. I mean: human beings probably aren't supposed to laugh THAT hard.
And... Chryssalid is poor replacement for Angel. Too weak.
Also: before Zhang, Twilight was surrounded by 5 humans and that was OK. Now, apparently, you plan to add Zhang, bringing number to 6, and I'm confused.
"Didn't I tell you I was right?"
Moira Vahlen, leader of the Resistance, always right.
Very very bad chapter. I thought it'd be better. I thought... I thought it'd be much better. Last time I was here, it was way better, but now... Very, very bad chapter, really.
.....
.....
.....
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*starts re-reading*
What? No PsychoShy?
2855868 PHENOMINAL COSMIC PPOOWWAARRRRR!!!! ... teeny tiny health bar.
Sounds like a wizard to me.
Everyone is commenting on how Fluttershy is an evil overlord or something.
What if she was always an evil overlord? And just needed a new world?
*Scratches chin with foot*
Can't wait for the next chappy!
Cheers
GM
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All hail our new cutesy overlord! I mean. If that's okay.
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I've always been a Fluttershy fan and I've enjoyed the concept of the Stare. It's a bit exaggerated for comedic effect in this entry so you have no need to worry about game-breaking IMBA abilities like that.
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I would think it would be a demotion. Since verbs do things for the nouns. The nouns just sit there. :P
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Yeaaaaah, I'm wondering if I should tweak the title or add an AN at the front of the entry.
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Yep! And I could totally see Vahlen leading the resistance.
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Regarding Arc Throwers and '3 HP'. I consider the game mechanic of 'hit points' to be a combination of the alertness of the subject, their physical condition, the presence of armor plus any natural resistances to the type of damage being inflicted.
Twilight was caught by surprise from behind and thus could not put up much resistance to the attack.
Compare with the Outsider, a being that lacks armor but is made of energy and thus would likely be more resistant to forms of energy (like the Arc Thrower). Also compare to Mutons, who are very blessed physically and wrapped in armor.
Of course, I'm trying to explain a game mechanic using real world mechanics.
Regarding SHIVS, if you're looking for more detailed information on just what a SHIV is, I'll actually be going into that in a bit of detail in the next chapter as to what they are and how they function. If that's not what you mean I'm afraid I'm confused. : |
In regarding Zhang and the total humans exposed to Twilight, don't forget that this is XCOM. One bad mission could see that number significantly reduced...
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>: |
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As much as I'd have liked to have added the typical, "YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME!" line in there, it seemed a little...cliche.
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Wizard sounds about right. Glass cannons!
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An interesting train of thought. Sounds like the hook for a short story if you ask me. :D
Regarding the next chapter! It's about 1/2 to 2/3 done. Inspiration snuck up behind me yesterday and held me at gunpoint until it was satisfied in the amount of work I completed. Assuming no problems, next entry -may- be done by tomorrow. Maybe. Possibly. >_>
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*Grins* Maybe Fluttershy is the true Queen of Equestria and Celestia is merely her puppet?
But on to the story...I think you captured the humans xenophobia quite well and personified it quite well in Vahlen.
I am curious if we will see the psychic project start up and run in tandem with Twilight, given that she is the expert on mental powers.
It does make one wonder though. From what I read here, Twilight was merely teleported to Earth and not in to a different dimension. Which would be theoretically more difficult.
...unless Discord had knowledge of it.
After all, an alien invasion does cause...chaos. *Grins slowly*
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Fluttershy, Queen of Equestria. All shall love her and despair!
And I'm proud of the characterization I've been able to accomplish thus far. The -best- antagonists I have read in books aren't evil for the sake of sneering evil, they often have perfectly logical reasons for what they do and why they do it. Vahlen has set herself up as the antagonist for the moment (as opposed to villain) and if the planned chapters in my head work out, we might find out why she is the way she is in 3 to 4 chapters.
In regards to psionic programs and their relation to Twilight, you'll have to wait and see. Not spoiling anything. Nope.
And regarding teleportation vs Dimension hopping, during Vahlen's testing of Twilight's abilities she specifically noted that according to the rules of teleportation, Discord would need to know both the distance from Equestria to Earth, as well as the location she was teleported to. Consider the implications. :D
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Well, therein lies the intriguing question.
Either Discord knows of Earth and possibly manipulated the aliens into attacking Earth for good ol' shits and giggles, or he simply randomly teleported Twilight to the greatest source of Chaos he could detect in the Galaxy.
And keep in mind...we don't KNOW Discord's home planet. He has elements of all the races, it is true. But its almost...artificial, hmm?
The theoretical practical applications for Twilight's magic are as fearsome as they are diverse.
She could teleport inside ships, or teleport others inside given their designs are uniform across the board.
Of course, that would require some very serious mental conditioning on Twilight's part, borderline mind-rape to get her to do such things.
On the more moral side of things, Twilight has already learned to associate certain amounts of TK to dealing death. A mental block on doing anything that involves more force that lifting or throwing objects.
The whole Wallflower aspects reminds me VERY heavily of the Ghost armor. Is there any connection there, hmm?
Another question, and somewhat more long-term. What kind of back-lash can we expect on Equestria once Twilight returns? She has been exposed to very radical concepts, enough to shake her faith in the Princess'
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There's a couple of other scenarios to consider, but I won't go any further nor will I confirm or deny future speculation. Again, don't want to spoil things but I do so love to make people think about what may happen and why. :D
Teleportation itself provides an interesting opportunity. After all, why board an alien ship with guns to force a takeover when you could, say, teleport the alien crew into space? Or Teleport a bomb into it.
Regarding Wallflower and Ghost Armor... *runs XCOM really quick to check research entries* ...it seems that Ghost armor uses what is described as phasing technology to shift the wearer outside the visible spectrum of light. This might mean that it bends light around the wearer, thus preventing visibility or some similar mechanic.
Wallflower's mechanics... will be described in the next chapter. :D
And I'm afraid I won't be able to answer your last question either. Again, spoilers. I can assure you though that it is on my mind and will be addressed at some point.
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Change title. Like, "Bonus "What if" chapter: The Staremaster" or something like that. MUCH better that unnoticeable AN in the end that doesn't even gets saved.
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Resistance's (joint effort by humans and aliens) motto - "Told you so!"
Arc & HP: well, I personally considered HP to be just that - physical health compared to weapons used. So, using better armour that gave HP, just actually made shots less deadly and thus soldier can take more - hence raised healthbar.
And ARCs just apply electrical shock to target (either nervous system or muscles), so only comparably physically weak ones or physically exhausted ones will be knocked out. And I really can't see how it can be affected by awareness of target. That probably should be similar to how Tazer works, but for now I have really weak internet and can't check reactions on Tazer.
Sorry, I love such debates. I once participated in one that received such reaction: "Bit more and we could write dissertation named 'Social system of Kadesh - conclusions on information sucked from a finger by kilovat vacuum cleaner'".
So... What's your estimate on Twilight's HP then?
I know what SHIV is, even if I never bothered building one. I mean "Silent Rain" part. Also, your look on how SHIVs function in interesting too.
2859217 It seemed that teleport was anything but random. He knew exactly where he's sending her.
And... I already see it. Discord is immensely bored Ethereal that messes with everyone else's perspective on him to look like he do. And you're guilty of me seeing it.
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Hey yeah, what gives with the no heavy casualties all the time? Is Bradford playing on EZ-mode, or is he just that awesome?
2861044 Well, in game Vahlen is interacting with humans, while here is Twilight the alien. Also, there was mentions that she's acting generally strange. To quote:
2861049 I'm all for last, but also note that there are a) not many missions mentioned and b) enemies at that point are sectoids and tin man, who drop from one salvo, and, possibly, c) this isn't original game, where soldiers drop like flies, remake isn't THAT brutal.
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I'll work something up to tweak the chapter title to make it more transparent.
In regards to Twilight's HP? When she's suitably worked up and prepared, probably around 6 or 7. Caught by surprise and scared out of her mind? 2 to 3.
Oh derp, I misunderstood you. When I mentioned 'Silent Rain SHIVS', I was referring to the SHIV platforms that took part in the 'Silent Rain' operation.
And debates are great! They let us expand our ideas and hypothesize on future developments! Well, you all can hypothesize. I know what's going to happen mostly, and it pains me that I can't just gush exposition right here and now.
And now I'm imagining the final battle where the Uber Ethereal turns around and takes his helmet off to reveal Discord. "SURPRISE!"
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Bradford is an excellent commander, but there's also something to consider. Including Matt's dream sequence, we've seen three total operations which have resulted in five KIA and at least eight WIA. Other missions are taking place that the other strike teams are going on that may be mentioned only briefly in this fic, since the interactions with the Stardust project are the main focus.
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An excellent point. Consider that the Vahlen in canon has everything go smoothly with her research. Captured aliens go to her little chopshop of horrors so she can learn their secrets. They aren't given free room and board and creature comforts. They aren't given friends. They die. Horribly.
Regarding your second point, there have also been a couple instances of floaters as well as the infamous Chryssalids. Still early game but the big guns are starting to come out.
2861455 So, usual X-Com grunt's HP? BTW, panicking do not reduce affected's HP (I remember that one time: sniper gets on tower, unexpectedly discovers 3 floaters or tin man near him, panics and runs back to roughly initial position).
About SHIVs: do they worth it ingame? other than being expandable I mean.
Well, you can still give us random trivia. Like:
That "B3F" part. I'm going to assume that this it level index and then grid coordinates of the lab. Yes/No? Just curious.
BTW, I'll dare to guess that there are people reading with no knowledge of X-Com, or at least modern one. You could add notes (maybe even above AN, to the actual chapter, so they get saved) with bits of info about mentioned things, game mechanics and your reflection of them (like base structure or this HP thingy), some links.
Sounds like good stress reliever.
Yeah, but cryssalids are only because of Slingshot, no? I got them muuuuuch later if I remember right. I heard next mission will feature mutons too...
Regarding HP, it's debatable. *shrug*
Regarding SHIVS, when we get towards late game I call them trolls on treads because they're the key to my anti-Ethereal strategy. Mind control? Mind Fray? Screw that noise, I zip my little troll boxes right up to point blank range and hit them good.
Regarding SHIV varieties I actually prefer Alloy SHIVs (I prefer to call them Armor SHIVs) since I can use them as cover in a pinch. It's a common tactic for me to toss a grenade to clear enemy cover and make them easy pickings for my other soldiers, but it's hell to then go THROUGH that territory when there's no cover.
Regarding B3F, that's Basement, Third Floor. Or Third floor beneath ground level.
And your sugguestion about Author Notes is brilliant. Since I'm waiting to hear back from my proofreader on the next chapter, that's something I can do to occupy my time. Links to other resources, basic information, etc. I feel terrible now that I didn't think of that earlier, and that some folks might have been put off with an unfamiliar setting. : |
The timeline and progression of enemies is roughly based on the game but doesn't strictly follow the game's events. To those who are familiar with the events of Slingshot then you can anticipate a bit of what's going to happen. A bit, but not everything. :D
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Took some time to notice that there's reply.
Thanks. And firepower?
But doesn't such naming imply existence of not-basement levels?
Aaalright, I hadn't played Slingshot yet, but I'm intrigued.
Well, "Hurray!" I think.
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SHIVS primarily have heavy weapons like LMGs, Heavy Lasers or Heavy plasma depending on your upgrades at the time. They'll lack the same perks that your heavies have but they're immune to mind control and panic and don't need to worry about taking cover.
Regarding levels, the vast vast VAST majority of the XCOM facility is underground but I imagine there must be SOME FORM of surface facilities. For one I think it's downright silly for all aircraft to launch from a single hangar door. (I was thinking surface runways for the interceptors separate from the underground Skyranger hangars).
I also imagine some form of outdoor firing range/weapons testing area would be appropriate. Cause I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to be at an indoor firing range when they test anti-aircraft class weaponry.
Also, I imagine there would be some form of outdoor area for people to get fresh air and some sun. As much as we like to try it, us humans need SOME exposure to the outdoors to maintain a reasonably healthy lifestyle.
Regarding my proofreader, he's on Aussie time which means I usually hear back from him in the mornings. Barring any MAJOR revisions (which may need to take place), I could have the next entry up as early as tomorrow morning, or late tomorrow night.
And I'm working on adding authors notes to expand on the XCOM side of things a bit. It will hopefully help folks not familiar with XCOM get a better grasp of things I just assumed was already known, and will give current XCOM players a grasp on any of the subtle changes I make.