Newbie: should I play Openxcom, or original version?

[peter17319]

I've played both of the new XCOM games (Unknown, Within) at least a dozen times, so I figured it was time I finally tried the original.

But I'm not sure where I should jump in. Should I first play the original version from Steam, or just jump straight into Openxcom? I understand that the original version would be more "pure", but I'm willing to forgo that if it will make for a smoother gameplay experience.

[Falko]

openxcom (even without mods and gameplay changing option ) is better than original
no less bugs, slight UI improvement and other stuff

[Hobbes]

I say either original or OXC but without any Mods and keep the settings on the Options, Advanced tab as they are on install.

There are several major differences between the remake and the original, just a few ones you should be aware of:
* Friendly fire also applies to rifles, cannons and pistols and not only explosives.
* Your soldiers do not have 360º vision but they are limited to an arc in front of them. 
* Aliens start with full TUs and on Overwatch and can be within sight of the Skyranger ramp.

Have fun

[yrizoud]

Openxcom with default settings is UFO with better ergonomics and hundreds less bugs. The added stuff is either discreet (keyboard shortcuts, tooltips) or so well merged that you wouldn't believe the original game lacks it (memorize soldier equipment, stacked items on ground, reordering soldiers)

[ivandogovich]

I would just add my voice to those that recommend starting with OpenXcom.  As a long time player, the improvements with OpenXcom are so much better in just the interface and playability, that I'll never play the original again. 

Install it, leave things as default as you like and enjoy. 

Once you feel ready to spice it up a bit more, check some of the other settings and the mods that are being created by this community.  Tons of Re-playability!

Cheers, Ivan

[XB-7]

I didn't give OpenXcom the time of day because there's always DosBox right?...  I just loaded this the other day, or compiled the Soldier Diaries github branch because I thought the medals were a nice touch.  Then I started loading mods... OMG

Between Lorcan's new music score which is faithful to the original, high definitions sounds and Luke83's additional map mods -- I'm sold.

I'd sure like to see Warboy's idea of police and other civilian type AI's, but I'm impressed with some of the other mod ideas that have been developed on recently.  OX has some impressive potential!

[davide]

OpenXCom is much better than original.

There are many mods "must to have" ,
in my opinion,
that improve the game a lot and add large variety on missions

I advise you at least  to  check Luke's, Hobbes's, Robin's and Solariuos's mods.

[Solarius Scorch]

Openxcom is definitely easier to manage technically... But first of all, so much effort and time went into ensuring that the game is completely faithful to the original, it would be a pity if it was for nothing...

[Piotr Karol Żółtowski (Piter432)]

Play OpenXcom. It has fixed ALL bugs and glitches, only some of them can be fixed with patch included in the OXC installer, but this patch can be downloaded and installed separately. OXC is translated to many languages, has support for many mods (I suggest to play mostly with mods by my Polish friend - Solarius [hehe ;p]) and with some turned on advanced options

[Dioxine]

There are several major differences between the remake and the original, just a few ones you should be aware of:
* Friendly fire also applies to rifles, cannons and pistols and not only explosives.
* Your soldiers do not have 360º vision but they are limited to an arc in front of them. 
* Aliens start with full TUs and on Overwatch and can be within sight of the Skyranger ramp.

Hobbes... have you been drinking? All these things were in the original game too Have you forgotten?

*An Xcom soldier never fails to shoot his friend if it is possible. Sometimes even if it's not.
*Turn around, you never know if there's no Chryssalid just behind you... Especially in the dark...
*First thing you do after landing: click End Turn. Unless there are bandits in front of the ramp.

[Warboy1982]

Hobbes... have you been drinking? All these things were in the original game too Have you forgotten?

i think he means the 2012 remake

in any case, far be it from me to toot my own horn, but i've heard it said that openxcom makes the original look like a beta version of itself.

[Qpoter]

*First thing you do after landing: click End Turn. Unless there are bandits in front of the ramp.

Smoke grenade on the ramp first. 

[Dioxine]

Oh yeah, how could I forget about that

[ivandogovich]

Just the nudge the thread just a little bit more off topic....

Oh yeah, how could I forget about that

I find it interesting how divided people are about smoking the ramp.   Many feel like its a waste of time, as they lose just as many troops with the smoke.  Others feel like it is an essential strategy.

[Dioxine]

It's about the Iron Rule #2: Always end your movement in cover. If there is no cover, create it.

But truth be told, I only use smoke grenades when the mission is tough... and use them heavily in the most difficult ones. Too bad they don't protect from Psi