So, I signed up, and noticed that you don't have an introduction thread, so I decided to fix that for you.

Hi, everyone, I'm TheNerd, and I just did what amounts to kicking down the door and screaming "YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME!" didn't I? Anyway, I'm an XCOM fan, or as much of one as I can be with how little I get to play any of them. I intend to get a crossover up before too long, but first I'm off to read through the archives and see what's out there.

See you on the skyranger.

2366427 Ok who the hell thumbs down this comment ?

2366427
Stardust.
If you haven't read it, read it while you check out the archives.

...Or maybe don't. I was thinking of an XCOM crossover at some point myself, but then I read Stardust, and now I can't help but constantly compare my ideas against it and feel inadequate. Q_Q

2367246
Don't. Stardust isn't perfect. It still has its fair share of flaws. Like having Pinkie become some sort of omniscient goddess (Ugh! How original. And it's not even a throwaway gag, it's a vital plotpoint) and turning Vahlen into a ruthless mad scientist.

To be fair, "ruthless mad scientist" was how Vahlen always appeared to me, with Shen counterbalancing as the voice of reason.

2373459
Vahlen is not nearly as sadistic as some fans think. This is the same woman who feels sorry for the Floaters for God's sake.

2371054
Eh, I'll have to find the time to pop the disc back in and double-check that, but anyway, I just reached the Pinkie scene, and holy cow, that's a deus ex machina on par with Double Rainboom. The cupcake delivery was pretty good, though

I'll also have to take the time to figure out this quoting system...

2379880
No need.

Codename: Crimson Cape
As frightening and vicious as this species is on the battlefield, it is hard not to feel some sympathy for them on the dissection table. The specimen has been subjected to extensive biomedical modifications, some of which were undoubtedly quite painful and intrusive. The combination of living tissue and mechanical components gives the creature the look of a cruel, half-finished experiment. Most of the subject's internal organs have been replaced with a mechanical life support system that mimics their original functionality.

---Floater Autopsy
Also, Crimson Cape was a reference to the Original Game's Floaters.

[legalistic wordplay]"...hard not to feel...", which indicates that she was actively fighting the urge to feel sympathy for the floaters, just as she was actively fighting the urge to feel sympathy for Twilight.[/legalistic wordplay]

Would it be a good idea for us to continue this in another thread, or should we just abandon all hope of being the one true intro thread?

2387961
Another problem I have with Stardust: The aliens JUST HAPPENED to pick the city Erika and Klein were in. They JUST HAPPENED to pick the part of the city they were in. And even if all the above are still considered plausible, it JUST HAPPENED to be in the middle of Vahlen's phone call. And I quote the AVGN:

All the planets must have aligned on Friday the 13th when a blue moon occured!

2388119
Was on a sat-phone call with a friend that was deployed to Afghanistan. About two minutes in, the base comes under mortar attack and my friend gets wounded from mortar shrapnel. Coincidences like that do happen and they're not as rare as you'd think.

2387961 could you explain what scum saving is to me I'm still new and don't understand the term?

3142698
You save repeatedly in the same mission and if something bad happens after a move, you reload the save. That basically means you know what happens in the future.

It's why in Stardust, everyone calls Bradford a Save-scummer.

3143784 oh...so it's save abuse. ok good thing i don't do that.

3143909
Ironman (using a single save) is the only way to play

3143918 i don't know? I consider myself pretty smart but even i can't figure out a good position on some of the vids. Also (still don't have the game!)what happens when you lose a entire squad? Is it a game over or simply a HUGE setback?

3144389
Just a mission failure (except on the last mission where it is a game over) for both the older games and the newer reboot. Although, in UFO Defense and TFTD, it's expected that you'll have a party wipe every once in a while, and even then it is still a major set back (depending on the quality of guys and equipment lost, it can be recoverable). In Enemy Unknown/Within, it's an unexpected set back but a more recoverable one (I've never lost my entire party, even on the Impossible difficulty).

The older X-Com games are not forgiving (Terror From The Deep is down right nasty and unforgiving of even the most simple of mistakes), the newer ones are easier and more forgiving, but you need to make do with less people (in UFO Defense, you could have a max of 28; EU/EW, you get six).

3144422 i get it so while losing my sniper who just made captain is bad it hurts a little less than losing a corporal support thanks! Also any tips you can share?(i plan to get the game and am looking to pwn many many cryssalids and hoverdisk{i think that's right?}!)

3144763
Other way around. Loosing a Corporal is nowhere near as bad as losing a Captain, no matter the specialty.

Depends on which game you get.
For UFO Defense: expanding your radar/hyperwave detection net is top priority for base building, shoot down everything no matter how difficult, get plasma weapons ASAP, Flying suits are king, Mind Control is god and mass-produce laser pistols in order to sell them.

For TFTD: Pretty much the same as UFO Defense, but remember that the difficult is ramped up, and the learning curve is much sharper.

For EU/EW: Focus on getting South America (or start there) covered with satellites ASAP, research armor and weapons then everything else, focus on getting two six-man teams ready for deployment at all times, avoid testing for Psionics until after they reach the rank of Colonel and get the Iron Will OCS perk, pay attention to the adjacency bonuses and don't be afraid to get MECs (I'd recommend using Snipers for the Augments) and G-Mod soldiers ASAP.

3144858 thanks with this intel i think i can mop up pretty much anything but sniper mecs improve accuracy right? I might start with a support mec for the defense bonus as for g-mods any that i should prioritize or ignore?

3145032
Sniper MECs have higher accuracy due to them being snipers first (they naturally have higher accuracy, and that accuracy increase as they get promoted before the augments). Add that to the bonus ability they get and their accuracy is even better than any other MEC.

As for G-Mods, it depends on your style of play. I like having the super-jump, camo and depth perception mods combined (I like engaging targets at long range). Though, the camo mod almost makes it unfair as you can just go from full cover to full cover and never be seen (or if the character has low profile, any cover).

3145281 nice! Thanks for the help only problem i might have is i tend to error on the side of caution so i may have difficulty obtaining meld. One last thing can a S.H.I.V. be considered a viable replacement for a MEC if you get a mission that you don't feel comfortable with like oh say a terror mission towards the end of the game?

3145599
Terror mission at the end are easy. Most plasma weapons will one-shot most enemies, and you soldiers are trained enough that they can move far enough (and fast enough) to be able to rescue almost all of the civilians.

Although SHIVs are not the same as MECs. SHIVs are more replacements for soldiers (G-Mods and MECs included) rather than just replacements for MECs. MECs do significantly more damage and have a greater battlefield versatility than SHIVs and can move much further when upgraded.

3145662 so in otherwords while i could use a shiv if i don't want to risk a soldier it becomes pretty much pointless by the time you get plasmas right?

3145729
Not always. It's all about the trade-offs and what risks you are willing to take. SHIVs are easier and cheaper to replace, but they can't always do everything that a soldier can (a SHIV can't toss a grenade, all but one type of SHIV can't get onto the roof of a building, etc). Besides, SHIVs can get upgraded to plasma weaponry as well.

I usually don't take SHIVs, but they do have advantages that I don't normally take advantage of due to my play style.

3145789 i see so it's not that their pointless it's just that there are others who can do their job better and with more flexibility(as you noted they can't toss grenades which means they also can't carry medical spray or decoy becons.)right?

3145956
Yeap, but they can do the job of a Heavy class with suppression and are easily replaceable (if damaged or destroyed) where a soldier is not. They also can't be mind controlled or panicked.

To me, those pros just don't outweigh the cons of not taking in another soldier.

3146133 I'm not so sure i kinda like the idea of my own personal attack dilek....don't you?

3146433
They're not that good. They have a limited health and can't one-shot everything.

3146823 true but you gotta admit if all of your assults are down for some reason they do make decent standins.

3146836
That they do.

3146956 may i revisit something you said earlier? You mentioned a OCS perk what pray tell is this? Is it a top ranked perk that prevents the soldier from panicking?

3149451
Officer Candidate School. It's a building where you can purchase upgrades for your soldiers and squad size. For example, at the start you can only deploy 4 soldiers. once you get a soldier to the rank of Sergeant, you can purchase the Squad Size I "perk" (I don't think perk is the proper name for it, but it's all I can come up with off the top of my head) so you can deploy 5 soldiers. There are perks for faster healing, automatic promotion to Squaddie rank, increased Will bonus on promotion (that's why I recommend not checking for Psionics until COL rank, it gives all the soldiers the best chance at being Psionic, and you can only check once), increased XP per kill and other such bonuses. Somewhat expensive, but a good investment.

3150031 ah! And you should be able to have it up and running within a few months right?

3150039
On lower difficulties, it's already built. On higher difficulties, I think it takes five days to build. Been a while since I last played.