Speed Run anyone?

[ivandogovich]

So I watched a speed run on original Xcom the other day to see what it was all about.  Took some notes and gave it a try in OpenXcom.  ... A few tries....

I'm on my third run right now, after ignominious defeat twice already. 

Has anyone else tried one of these?  Any secrets to success?

Tech Path for SpeedRun:

Spoiler:

Laser Weapons
Laser Pistol
Laser Rifle
Alien Alloys
UFO Power Source
UFO Navigation
Elerium-115
UFO Construction
New Fighter Craft
New Fighter Transport
Ultimate Craft
Floater Soldier
Alien Origins
Floater Leader
The Martian Solution
Floater Commander
Cydonia or Bust

Edit:  After finishing the third run (another ignominious defeat as the nations lost faith in my ability to deal with the alien incursion) it seems like these Speedruns have one critical factor:  Floaters.

A Floater Base seem like the only one assaultable by the raw recruits that you throw at it.  Even then there would need to be a good measure of luck involve.

I tried 5 assaults with 2 squad wipes, and all aborted on the local sectoid bases on my continent.  Psi- Control made it feel like those are impossible.

Did some quick scouts of the Muton and Snakeman Bases that I found as well, but no joy there either.  Mutons are so resistant to laser fire, and Snakes hang out with Chrysalids.

In the whole game, floaters only just started showing up in the last month, and never established a colony.

[the_third_curry]

Most of the speed runs of X-com that I've seen usually don't bother with laser weaponry; they stock up on scientists, take down a small ship early on, and hope for heavy plasmas.

[ivandogovich]

Thanks!  Thats a pretty good idea!
Though, I think I may try a non-speed run variant.  
Pistols&Grenades Only.  With some mods, like stun grenades.
Cheers, Ivan

[pmprog]

Stun grenades don't really help you for a long time, best to go with stunrods.

I was actually disappointed that to manufacture stun grenades, you have to first manufacture stunbombs then convert them, rather than just manufacturing the grenades. Shame you can't have two manufacture paths - a converter process and a manufacture process

[Arthanor]

why not? Can't you have more than one manufacturing processes that produce the same thing using different materials? That should be doable using the "producedItems" property of the manufacturing processes.

[ivandogovich]

Stun grenades don't really help you for a long time, best to go with stunrods.

I was actually disappointed that to manufacture stun grenades, you have to first manufacture stunbombs then convert them, rather than just manufacturing the grenades. Shame you can't have two manufacture paths - a converter process and a manufacture process

Hence in my Up Close Modpack, I've created new flashbang grenades and improved / shortened stunrods.

Cheers, Ivan