Re: The X-Com Files - 3.4: Daggers for Hire

[psavola]

The damage of sporting rifles is puny, you always require at least two shots to kill. You need ways to avoid enemies spotting you and firing back, for example the smoke or good luck. For what its worth, crossbows are also sporting gear and they pack a bigger punch than sporting rifles. So it's a tradeoff which long range weapons you bring along. Crossbows and heavy crossbows (if you get lucky to get them) are otherwise the ultimiate weapon for special missions, because they are acceptable in beach conditions as well.

[Czibo]

The damage of sporting rifles is puny, you always require at least two shots to kill. You need ways to avoid enemies spotting you and firing back, for example the smoke or good luck. For what its worth, crossbows are also sporting gear and they pack a bigger punch than sporting rifles. So it's a tradeoff which long range weapons you bring along. Crossbows and heavy crossbows (if you get lucky to get them) are otherwise the ultimiate weapon for special missions, because they are acceptable in beach conditions as well.

While crossbow tech does not come with the encounter tech, while s-rifle does, it is a valid upgrade.

[BlackCatTheGreat]

Something I thought of, maybe for weapon acquisition, 'local' arms should be acquirable a bit easier. Like if you have a starting base in around the Europe area, you can acquire FAMAS, FALs and other appropriate weapons a bit earlier than normal.

Looking at it, promotion I to II ain't that long or difficult, but could be an interesting flavor to base location choice. Shouldn't be too hard to stumble across some local arms for the shady black project

[Jimboman]

Something I thought of, maybe for weapon acquisition, 'local' arms should be acquirable a bit easier. Like if you have a starting base in around the Europe area, you can acquire FAMAS, FALs and other appropriate weapons a bit earlier than normal.

Looking at it, promotion I to II ain't that long or difficult, but could be an interesting flavor to base location choice. Shouldn't be too hard to stumble across some local arms for the shady black project

I tend to do this myself as a 'quirk' of my playstayle.  M16s in the USA, Steyr AUGs in Australia (their army uses them), AKs in Russia and Africa and the FALs/FAMAS/L85s in Europe.  If I can get enough of them from raiding cults that is.

Getting them earlier would be good, maybe gated behind recruiting the quartermaster first (he has certain 'contacts' I suppose).

I move on to Blackops weapons in every base, then Pulse weapons when they become available.  Lasers are the next step.  I haven't played a game long enough to get Plasma weapons as I like to restart when Solarius does an upgrade to the early game (I use the Github releases).

[BlackCatTheGreat]

I tend to do this myself as a 'quirk' of my playstayle.  M16s in the USA, Steyr AUGs in Australia (their army uses them), AKs in Russia and Africa and the FALs/FAMAS/L85s in Europe.  If I can get enough of them from raiding cults that is.

Getting them earlier would be good, maybe gated behind recruiting the quartermaster first (he has certain 'contacts' I suppose).

I move on to Blackops weapons in every base, then Pulse weapons when they become available.  Lasers are the next step.  I haven't played a game long enough to get Plasma weapons as I like to restart when Solarius does an upgrade to the early game (I use the Github releases).

Ye, I got to black ops fairly quickly on my second go around. I got to pulse weapons when i was well through lasers so never used those really. BlackOps smart weapons are quite nice, but they don't seem to obtainable at a point were they are very useful.

Also another thing, why are MIB Commanders so impossible to grab. They are either in a rare attack on Xcom bases, or some Outpost mission that never happens. There is the Reactor mission, but that is unique one time from what i can find and I'm well past that. I've ran through like a in game year just waiting for any MIB commanders and I've gotten neither a MIB bas attack or an Outpost.

[karnaugh_map]

When do you typically get Promotion II?

I focus to get Kevlar, then Intel Lab, Bio Lab, Van, Non-Std weapons, Promotion I, Humvee, then Promotion II. After both labs I also have prisoners and found weapons going.

[Solarius Scorch]

Also another thing, why are MIB Commanders so impossible to grab. They are either in a rare attack on Xcom bases, or some Outpost mission that never happens. There is the Reactor mission, but that is unique one time from what i can find and I'm well past that. I've ran through like a in game year just waiting for any MIB commanders and I've gotten neither a MIB bas attack or an Outpost.

The Reactor mission is not unique, once the requirements are met, there is a 7% chance each month.
I will probably add more late game missions against the MiBs.

[Thunderwing280]

In my current game I've gotten to promo 3 and interrogated an alien commander, but it seems like in order to progress further I need to capture an ethereal, but I've only ever seen 2 ships with them in my current playthrough, any advice on how to proceed?

[psavola]

In my current game I've gotten to promo 3 and interrogated an alien commander, but it seems like in order to progress further I need to capture an ethereal, but I've only ever seen 2 ships with them in my current playthrough, any advice on how to proceed?

Capture and interrogate MIB commander, and then you start getting monthly Ethereal retaliation missions. If you play it right, you can obtain the commander from those. But note that the Ethereal commander is a sneaky bastard and won't come along to the base attack missions, so you'll need to shoot down their very large ship.

[Thunderwing280]

Capture and interrogate MIB commander, and then you start getting monthly Ethereal retaliation missions. If you play it right, you can obtain the commander from those. But note that the Ethereal commander is a sneaky bastard and won't come along to the base attack missions, so you'll need to shoot down their very large ship.

Funnily enough, shortly after this I got an MIB commander but no etherial retaliation missions yet, do I need to research the ship type before I see them? Since that seems to be the case for MIB ships, never saw a stike ship until I got the UFOpedia article.

[psavola]

Funnily enough, shortly after this I got an MIB commander but no etherial retaliation missions yet, do I need to research the ship type before I see them? Since that seems to be the case for MIB ships, never saw a stike ship until I got the UFOpedia article.

No research needed, your report is just a coincidence.

[NuclearStudent]

Wait, how do you get pulse weapons early?

After getting kevlar the first month, I usually get H&K and Shotguns for a couple months, then eventually upgrade to HMG backed by BlackOp weapons. I haven't gotten pulse weapons the first year.

[Thunderwing280]

Wait, how do you get pulse weapons early?

After getting kevlar the first month, I usually get H&K and Shotguns for a couple months, then eventually upgrade to HMG backed by BlackOp weapons. I haven't gotten pulse weapons the first year.

Iirc in order to unlock pulse guns you have to do the MAGMA mission line, and to unlock that you need to research the 'they are breeding!' zombie report, though imo pulse weapons are pretty much useless by then, UAC and blackops rifles do much better in general performance

[psavola]

There is essentially very little chance of succeeding in the MAGMA mission line without an osprey or similar craft (the first mission in MAGMA lab with all the zombies will overpower you - the mission can be a close call even with in higher difficulties with a bad spawn). So for all practical purposes, chasing down this line will have to wait until you've deal with at least some of the cults. By then you should have Promo III, and you will be in mid-late 1998. You could even already have Kitsune by then.

Pulse weapons, especially when combined with chem clips, can be extremely deadly, especially against less armored foes, like zombies. Much better than puny rifles. (I never even bother with them.) But if you'd just have to pick one gun in before and about Promo-III era (and you don't), I'd probably still pick a BO auto-sniper, because it will be very workable against any enemy unit. The second contender for one of the best weapons would be TAC grenade launcher with gas grenades.

[NuclearStudent]

I see, thanks. About when do you need radars up, btw? I have been getting them too early.

On an unrelated note, I'm not a big fan of the BO auto sniper. I've been relying on HMG for long/medium ranged fires, and shotgun/CAWS for shorter ranged clearance. The auto sniper is more maneuverable and you can guarantee a hit on a distant target, but I've honestly not really needed or wanted accurate long ranged precision fires.