beginner's question

[crisisdude]

Hi, i'm a new xcom player.  Openxcom is the first opportunity I've had to play xcom and i LOVE IT!     But I was wondering, how do you vets exit the Skyranger?  I've seen many people do it differently and I wanna have the best bet for my soldiers.   I normally throw a smoke grenade and then end turn 1. 

[kevL]

smoke on the ramp, 2nd smoke right inside the Ranger -> end Turn 1

if FlyingSuits, 3rd smoke up on top of the cabin...


carry extras. Ranged-based shots make hitting at a distance unlikely, but I've had some luck luring them closer with ... smoke. Anyway, by the end of Turn 2 i try to have everyone out on the ground, in the smoke, and have concentration of firepower in all directions; front man kneeling, standing behind or kneeling on the ramp to shoot over the front heads. Reserve timeunits for 2 reaction snaps, and check under the Ranger ASAP

remember that the Ranger has fins that stick out the back and tend to get in the way... kneeling on the middle of the ramp will shoot under them, but at the top they get in the way.

[crisisdude]

cool I'll have to try that.   So is there any other tips you can give me? i'm playing on veteran

[kevL]

stay in groups of 3+

never send a good soldier upstairs or around a corner because "ah there's nothing there anyway"...

use an assortment of explosives to clear walls and brush from a distance

always keep the Ranger stocked with electroflares!! Blow things up first, interrogate aliens later :p

Have a supply of a half dozen low-stat soldiers that go out of the Ranger first; when they spot an alien, have your good soldiers shoot them from a safe distance: the guys in front will die (sooner or later) but a good soldier with 2 dozen missions accomplished should be protected. This ain't Rambo (that rarely works..)

tech is a whole nother story, good luck Cap'm

[Shadow]

cool I'll have to try that.   So is there any other tips you can give me? i'm playing on veteran

You might want to hop down to Beginner until you get used to the game's flow and mechanics. Don't worry, despite being the easiest level, it's not easy at all. That's X-COM, baby.

As for smoke, I supposed I've never used it extensively, mainly because its effects have remained largely unclear to me. It's always felt like a difficult, double-edged tool. Yes, it blocks line of sight and all that, but that works both ways. If you pop smoke at the base of the ramp, and within the Skyranger as well if things are hot... sure, the aliens can't see you, but how can you see past the smoke yourself to get the drop on them? Can units in a cloud of smoke see outside more easily than those who would try and see into/past one?

That's why I'm generally uncomfortable using smoke grenades, because I feel they'd hamper me as much as they would the aliens.

stay in groups of 3+

Actually, careful with that. Aliens use their fantastically destructive grenades far more often in OpenXcom than they did in the original game, and won't hesitate to hurl them if they spot teams of 2+ troopers. It's become quite tricky since grouping is necessary to keep soldiers covering each other and advancing safely.

The only advice I can provide, taking that into consideration, is to avoid staying in too tight groups in built-up areas like the urban environments in terror missions: the amount of clutter represents a problem to line of sight, and being around multiple corridors/alleys increases the chances of aliens popping around corners to lob their explosives.

[crisisdude]

You might want to hop down to Beginner until you get used to the game's flow and mechanics. Don't worry, despite being the easiest level, it's not easy at all. That's X-COM, baby.

your right.  I got my booty handed to me on a silver platter in veteran.

[crisisdude]

stay in groups of 3+

never send a good soldier upstairs or around a corner because "ah there's nothing there anyway"...

use an assortment of explosives to clear walls and brush from a distance

always keep the Ranger stocked with electroflares!! Blow things up first, interrogate aliens later :p

Have a supply of a half dozen low-stat soldiers that go out of the Ranger first; when they spot an alien, have your good soldiers shoot them from a safe distance: the guys in front will die (sooner or later) but a good soldier with 2 dozen missions accomplished should be protected. This ain't Rambo (that rarely works..)

tech is a whole nother story, good luck Cap'm

Thanks that'll help allot.

[kevL]

... smoke buys time. If the squad is out of position or an alien is giving a rough angle, say, then if someone can put up a smoke that'll buy a round or two to get in better position. Also, if there's an alien staring into the Ranger I won't even move, just drop smoke and deploy next turn. I'd rather let them walk into reaction fire from four or five of my soldiers than give them a single shot up the ramp.


good pt. about the new grenade action!

[crisisdude]

So are tanks good?  I haven't used them yet

[pmprog]

Tanks are good scouts, they can take a lot of damage and travel quite far. I wouldn't use them to attack though (unless you really have to), as it's best to let your soldiers build up their skills

[kharille]

Rookie wave tactics!  Seize the initiative!  The aliens will not expect such sheer useless leadership!!!!

[Warboy1982]

from the Xcom play book, page 15, paragraph 2: primed high explosives make an excellent "dead man's switch"

[kevL]

from the Xcom play book, page 15, paragraph 2: primed high explosives make an excellent "dead man's switch"

Lord Finisher vs ... snakes

t=1m -> t=2m

[SupSuper]

So are tanks good?  I haven't used them yet

They can take the beating your rookies can't.

[Shoes]

I am a big fan of motion sensors. After I toss smoke grenades and end turn 1, I'll check the motion scanner to see which side of the craft I should exit first.

I have also lost chunks of men by unloading them all out of the skyranger at once. Be careful, because grenades are nasty.

I tend to give my "useless" rookie scouts a handgun and a motion sensor to scout.