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Author Topic: [FINISHED] Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)  (Read 57594 times)

Offline new_civilian

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #75 on: June 11, 2015, 01:16:21 pm »
Here a new follower of your LP! I really like your calmness when losing units, I wish I was that controlled.  :)
I am talking about LP 54 to ~56 when you stormed that golden UFO with the White Ethereals and that Commander type popped up, and 2 of your units got killed in one split second and it was not going down with 7+ hits.

*likes*  :D

Offline Meridian

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #76 on: June 11, 2015, 01:26:19 pm »
Here a new follower of your LP! I really like your calmness when losing units, I wish I was that controlled.  :)
I am talking about LP 54 to ~56 when you stormed that golden UFO with the White Ethereals and that Commander type popped up, and 2 of your units got killed in one split second and it was not going down with 7+ hits.

*likes*  :D

Glad to have you on board! If you'd like a soldier, I will hire a new batch in episode #61... just say a name and you can die for the planet and glory.

Offline hellrazor

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #77 on: June 12, 2015, 12:30:20 am »
Ey Meridian, did you run into any new Maps so far? ;)

Offline Meridian

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #78 on: June 22, 2015, 12:02:58 pm »
Ey Meridian, did you run into any new Maps so far? ;)

I think I saw one (Excavator) this weekend... pretty sweet.

Offline hellrazor

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #79 on: June 22, 2015, 01:12:04 pm »
I think I saw one (Excavator) this weekend... pretty sweet.

Good to know :)
I will test some of my Labship variants i made in the coming days. Be prepared.

Offline Meridian

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Offline hellrazor

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #81 on: June 26, 2015, 03:02:56 pm »
One word of advise, handling Chryssalids. Kepp your Soldiers in open terrain and try to maximize your distance towards Chryssalids.

Also remember, you can always move 1 Floor up and shoot the stairs, so they cannot follow you.

You really needed some weapons with Autofire there, and probably play without UFO Extender accuracy.

Offline Meridian

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #82 on: June 26, 2015, 03:30:11 pm »
I have just underestimated them ;-) Well, the last one anyway.

The tips are all very nice and I agree with all of them except for Extender accuracy... without it the game is so stupidly easy it hurts.

Offline Dioxine

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #83 on: June 26, 2015, 04:05:03 pm »
Protip: Don't Let The Chryssalids Touch You :)

Seriously, the main problem is underestimating -or overestimating - them. Doing neither is hard. Their viciousness lays in how they scare you away from using optimal tactics. It's like the Napalm/Sarin classic: Use Sarin to force the enemy out of underground, to the open, and into high places. Then use Napalm, which works best if they are high up.

Example: let's take that tip with flying armor: sure, having 100% flying crew and keeping them in the air all the time will keep you 99% safe from Chryssalids (errors happen). It also means presenting the enemy with lots of easy fat targets for Heavy Plasmas and Celatids - flying soldiers are easy to spot. If you don't have any flying armor, a similar mechanic is still in play - you keep to the open, and avoid using smoke grenades. Which, again, can easily lead to heavy losses to conventional weapons. Both are the cases of overestimating Chryssalids due to fear.

Perhaps the only good tips I know about fighting Chryssalids are:
1. Never trust a grenade to finish a Chryssalid off.
2. Try not to kill Zombies during your turn unless you posess an overwhelming local superiority; better to kill them with Reactions or Proxies.
3. Never kill Zombies with grenades (non-proxies).
4. Retreat and consolidate if you have no superiority. It's unwise to fight Chryssalids in an otherwise "hot" area.

Oh yeah and before I hear a retort about "then just nuke the place". If your economic/technological/industrial base can support nuking every place, then there is no need to use any tactics. You've advanced to a point where you no longer need any tactics, and such situations are beyond the scope of any tactics discussion.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2015, 04:16:56 pm by Dioxine »

Offline Meridian

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #84 on: June 26, 2015, 04:18:56 pm »
Seriously, the main problem is underestimating -or overestimating - them. Doing neither is hard. Their viciousness lays in how they scare you away from using optimal tactics.

Exactly... I usually don't have any problems with Chryssalids, but this episode shows how easy it is to underestimate them... and I'm glad it happened on camera.

I usually use "local superiority" or HE packs (which work quite well; success ratio about 80%, even more if you land at least one hit on them beforehand). I didn't use proxies on them yet, because... well because I didn't use proxies at all... but I am slowly starting to like them, and I will definitely try them out. Thanks for the tips!

Offline Dioxine

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #85 on: June 26, 2015, 05:50:17 pm »
80% chance of success is fine and dandy... if you're forced to accept these terms, or if 20% chance of non-success doesn't carry a big penalty attached to it (like, say, likely zombification of 3 soldiers). Naturally both situations do happen - the real skill in my opinion comes from recognition and proper usage of sub-optimal, non-100% solutions (because optimal solutions are often too costly - eg. nuking, or exposing yourself - or simply impossible - due to lack of resources, as in weapons, but also manpower, stamina, time).

As for proxies, now that's an interesting topic :) Frankly speaking I don't use them much themselves (and included them in the "zombie problem" for argument's sake - a zombie killed by a proxy or Reaction spawns a Chryssalid with 0 TUs, while a zombie killed by a normal grenade set to 0, spawns a Chryssalid who immediately replenishes his TUs, because a normal grenade explosion counts as a part of your turn).

But I digress. In my opinion, vanilla proxies have too little payoff (and this is a matter of personal opinion - different people may value different things differently). The price of a proxy grenade is threefold:
- Non-immediateness (in case of zombies, it is an advantage, but only then);
- Tactic disruption, preparation (if used as a trap)
- Player's time (if used as a trap).
The payoff is - you can set up a trap. But it lacks the power of a HE Pack of Alien Grenade, so this is the only payoff. The power payoff is reversed, as such a trap would be less effective than a thrown explosive. Therefore, you're losing one major incentive for setting up a trap - achieving what would normally be impossible or very hard to. Basically the proxy grenade as it is retained its usefulness in clear-cut situations only, where a trap, any trap, is better than attacking - like mining entrances to an UFO - but sitting on your ass and waiting for the aliens to emerge is the price of player's time. Plus, if repeated, it will incur an economic penalty (less loot).

I've tried to breach this conundrum by changing the starting Proxy grenade in Piratez - increased weight and size (unimportant for their main role, but discourages using them in the role of a normal grenade), increased power (in an environment where an access to high firepower is limited), made it one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, HE-per-buck explosive. I hoped to increase an incentive to use them by adding two payoffs that are the hallmarks of all good traps, which the original Proxies are missing - (1) more powerful than most other means (2) cheaper than most other means.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2015, 05:52:43 pm by Dioxine »

Offline Jstank

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #86 on: June 27, 2015, 05:29:19 am »
Some fan fiction for your pleasure.

Im enjoying this series immensely!

                                                                    G O D S  A N D  T I T A N S

                                                                             By: Jstank

The Sky Marshals engines burned brightly through the early morning sky. Those underneath knew not of the hope the two spots of light represented and some even ran in fear, thinking only of the lights to which came before it. A silvery monster had landed only hours before spewing dark demons into the city. Slaughter was indiscriminate and every passing moment became more terrifying than the last. Dark shadowy creatures and giant slimy figures with eerie toothy grins roamed the streets. Shooting and screaming ensued. Death came quick but didn't last. Slain carcasses lined the streets, then rose again to find new prey. It was high noon when the silver craft rotated its engines vertical and began its fateful descent.

Inside the sleek Sky-Marshal 10 heroes waited for the crafts giant garage sized back hatch to slide open. Images of a routine mission played in their head. The success of their predecessors gave them a false sense of security and confidence. In human circles, XCOM holds an immortal aura. Its members clad in the most sophisticated armor and who wield technology beyond their races age are regarded as Gods among mortal men whose purpose is solely to come and to devour man’s worst enemy. That enemy is the alien menace who threatens their very planet. However, even Gods have been known to be slain by Titans, and today one such Titan aimed to take his rightful place upon Mount Olympus's throne, and cast all who oppose him into the River of Styx.

The Black Demon, as he was later called was not born, he was designed. He needs not technology to accomplish his mission. A killing machine constructed for one purpose. He is fast and swift. His skin stops bullets and flying bits of flaming metal. His poison sucks the life out of his prey then just as quickly converts it into a being in an image of himself who then repeats its deadly dance with great efficiency. Deployed into areas of high population, the Black Demon moves like a plague. Those who are not converted to the true faith are left to terrified to fight, and then turn on each other as the poet Dante had predicted at the end of days. Experts agree he is the Devil incarnate. He is the Chrysalid.

The doors of the Sky-Marshel open with a great woosh. Hyper intelligent and well trained dogs of war galloped into battle. A great mechanical beast followed in their wake ready to dispense with great anger and vengeance those who opposed it. Within 10 seconds these weapons vanished from the field, leaving the Demi-Gods of earth against the great Demon and his master.

The battle raged to a stale mate. Commander Meridian had come to the realization that his weapons were not as effective as he once hoped. With his scouts and advanced mechanical steed slain, he was left with 10 against many. Commander Meridian, for the first time in his long and decorated carrier had flinched. A mere 25 seconds into the battle he nearly decided to "bail", and his decision to take on a lesser demon instead of concentrating fire on the real threat proved that his mind was shaken. But this shaken state only lasted for a fleeting moment. His instinct then overtook him, and he lead on putting his men to their graves. In his mind every less Chrysalid is an uncountable number of lives saved. The black demons got so close that they scratched the door of the gleaming Sky-Marshal, they closed to a range of no more than 10 feet. Then they advanced.

Face to face with the black demons precursor, a lumbering corpse, Fishfood, a rookie soldier unloaded his clip. It was in vain as at the same instant he was shot by his compatriot from behind. "Better him than me" muttered Gavin. "He could have killed us all!"

With the Sky Marshal clear, Cmd. Meridian ordered an assault on the decimated city. The men of XCOM threw grenades and shot hot bolts of Gauss through the thick rays of the afternoon sun. The fear that initially gripped them gave way to years of cool and collected training. They fell back on instinct; the Demi Gods marched on to its beat, put one foot in front of the other, took knees, lined up shots, took deep breaths and squeezed their triggers. The resulting unearthly scream releases dopamine to their brains. The mix of exhilaration, and adrenaline produced a high that is known to those who dance with death. But death is no stranger to these Gods, who will soon know that they are mortal.

One by one and step by step the rushing gush of the Black Demon wore on the soldiers gleaming equipment and armor. Their suites to which they drew their immortal vibe faded to dust with each passing rotation. The smoke was so thick it blocked their vision, and provided much appreciated cover to their adversary who lurked from within. It was as if the demons were charging down a slope against a flank of noble defenders who had left their spears at home.

Despite missing their spears, the men charged into the darkness and wildly spread their fire and bodies. One by one they were picked off by the black demon and their yellow faced keepers. The men soon found that the only thing more terrifying than a Chrysalid is a well-placed Snake Man with impeccable aim and a taste for human suffering.

Mathematics, which had propelled man to unspeakable heights throughout the ages now worked against them. The last demon on the field, drawing his demonic power from death himself became two then turned to three then to four. Exponentially they grew feeding on the ever decreasing number of foolishly brave and newly minted mortals who fell one by one to the dark conversion.

Respect is not given, and even between mortal enemies respect can be had. All shades of blood were spilt on this day. Both minds were shaken to the point of break, and both minds knew fear. But when the dust settled as the sun set in the western sky, the victor, exhausted, stood over the broken and bloody throne and sat in a pool of not only his enemy’s blood, but his own. As he gazed upon his newly acquired turf, littered with mangled bodies, he contemplated at what had been done.

The once gleaming Sky-Marshal, the symbol of the ultimate power of man, then limped into the setting sun with only a single Squaddie Herman at the helm. For this story will never be forgotten.  The blood seeping out of the silver bird’s crevices only serves as a permanent reminder that we are not Gods upon this Earth.


                                                - Based on a most excellent playthrough by Meridian!

« Last Edit: June 27, 2015, 05:32:14 am by Jstank »

Offline Meridian

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #87 on: June 27, 2015, 10:42:00 am »
Wow, just wow. I'm impressed and honoured. Great stuff JStank! Can we look forward to continuation of your LP soon?

PS: Btw. anyone knows what were the sounds at 58:40 and 01:01:00? It doesn't make any sense to me...

Offline ivandogovich

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #88 on: June 27, 2015, 07:50:00 pm »
Jstank......   That was amazing!!!  Thank You!!!

Cheers, Ivan :D

Offline myk002

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Re: Let's play OpenXcom (Final Mod Pack)
« Reply #89 on: June 28, 2015, 03:08:16 am »
me dead : (  at least me no am zombie.  maybe me am brain feels not good.

PS: Btw. anyone knows what were the sounds at 58:40 and 01:01:00? It doesn't make any sense to me...
yeah, I was wondering the same.

on another note, though, that one guy could have missed the snakeman standing near him since sniper rifles have an accuracy penalty at close range.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2015, 03:19:01 am by myk002 »