Author Topic: Disastrous base defense  (Read 3934 times)

Offline Alpha Centauri Bear

  • Colonel
  • ****
  • Posts: 466
    • View Profile
Disastrous base defense
« on: November 29, 2023, 03:48:45 pm »
Hi folks.
I don't have any saves but let me just tell the tale of one base defense missions went sideways.

It was early game but I already had all Gauss class weapons and stuff. My main base was attacked. I had 50 soldiers there mostly recruits but with all Gauss weaponry it should be a piece of cake against Gillmen. I thought. At least it should be fun. And it was, just different kind.

I am at the very beginning of the battle rushing all my combatants to the elevator to prepare massive assault. With these numbers, they filled up all the corridors so dense standing shoulder to shoulder in big and compact groups. It is so happen I had a tank closer to the elevator. So I decided to peek into just to see what I am dealing with. Fired a missile to the enemy, missed, and left it standing there exposed. They destroyed it on their turn. Loss of tank is not a big deal. However, it turned out that loss of tank also drops a morale a little. Few of my least brave soldiers panicked and went berserk. One of the berserks was shooting within a crowd and killed a team mate. Damn. Sad but OK. I expected losses anyway. Next turn I continued concentrating them at the elevator entrance not making a move against aliens yet. Hmm, it turns out that self kill happened at previous turn dropped morale a little more. Now I had some more panicking and berserkers. More friendly kills. The hell with it, I though. Let me quickly collect everybody and storm the elevator gate already. When they rush forward and disperse berserkers will create much less damage and morale will recover gradually. So I continued to gather them in front of the elevator. However, next turn I had even more panics and berserkers and more friendly kills. Apparently, morale already plummeted across my whole battalion it just manifested itself randomly. Obviously, the situation snowballed and next turn I had even more panics and random shooting and then more and more until about 80% of my soldiers were either running screaming or shooting in random direction. I didn't have much people left to move myself and could not help a situation with painkillers and helping wounded. My wounded and medics were running in random direction or got shot next turn.

Well, not many turns after game start (5-6-7), my whole army is in disarray. 25 out of 50 are dead! The rest are paralyzed with fear. I didn't even faced the enemy and none of my soldiers even entered first infected area! All deaths were self inflicted. I expected further deaths, since I could not control most of them and total morale was very low already. At the end I was just laughing at this.

Quit the mission, obviously. Then replayed, this time being more cautious with my front tank.

Offline Juku121

  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 1790
  • We're all mad here.
    • View Profile
Re: Disastrous base defense
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2023, 09:17:02 pm »
Clearly, more soldiers is not always better. Unless you're Zapp Brannigan, of course. :D

Offline efrenespartano

  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 758
  • I know a lot about the law and other lawyerings.
    • View Profile
Re: Disastrous base defense
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2024, 05:02:47 am »
Fear is such a powerful tool, innit? XD

Offline BlorkTheOrk

  • Captain
  • ***
  • Posts: 64
    • View Profile
Re: Disastrous base defense
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2024, 08:43:29 pm »
I once played Xpiratez. My base defense consisted of people armed with RPGs. Like 20 of rookies and some Gal-vets. the enemy  was some decently armored folks, mercenaries or something who used muton recolored sprites. So. a peasant missed a shot at the very start of the defense. The rocket explodes few metres away from the shooter. The shooter and a couple of her buddies dies. Everyone else starts blasting each other next turn. Around the fifth turn I realised I have no RPG vielders left and I cannot take down an enemy brute in power armor with the pesky side arms I gave to my team.