I think that one of my biggest breakthroughs came when I stopped savescumming. Before that, I would often play with an "optimal" approach. "Hmmm.. that didn't work right, PVT Snuffy got killed. Let me see if I moved him this way..." and thus save scum. An alternate version for me was, only re-loading on misclicks.... still kind of the same thing.
The interesting thing is, that I didn't even make this breakthrough while gaming. Rather it came from watching other gamers play, like Marbozir, and how his attitude is, "Oh well, that will be ok. Stuff happens." It made me realize that mistakes can be a great part of the game.
This is especially true in games like X-Com, where the loss of a great soldier is very poignant, and even doubly so, if its someone like a viewer or subscriber who is watching and enjoying the game with you. It just makes you so much more invested in the game, and I really like that. I think named soldiers are a must have for games like this because it removes one level of anonymity from them. Makes them less pawns on a chess board.
Cheers, Ivan
