Increasing Survival Chances

[dmyvern]

Hi Team!

Currently playing and loving Open XCOM. I got a handle over the vanilla economy, rush to laser cannons ASAP and sell them to every man, woman, and child on the planet.

But I am struggling with the squad combat.

I outfitted my troops in Power Armor but they are still getting wrecked. In one mission, one Turn 0 I lost both my HWP tanks on the ramp as they tried to disembark from the Skyranger, and when I finished my turn, my two frontmost soldiers got sniped.

The RNG can sometimes be amazing! How do I get it to work in my favor?

[kevL]

1.smoke
2.endturn
3.
4. profit!

[Yankes]

1.smoke
2.endturn
3.
4. profit!

Even better:

1. Yell
2. Lift off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WziO005uM3g
:>

[thePaleone]

If you have a bit of modding knowledge..

1) Find the High Explosive entry in items.rul

2) Mod its power value to 2000 and blast radius to 1000

3) Prime and drop the HE any where in the mission map in your first turn

4) Either your watch computer crash and burn or.. You win! Mission went in your favour..

[dmyvern]

If you have a bit of modding knowledge..

1) Find the High Explosive entry in items.rul

2) Mod its power value to 2000 and blast radius to 1000

3) Prime and drop the HE any where in the mission map in your first turn

4) Either your watch computer crash and burn or.. You win! Mission went in your favour..

I am going to have to try this strat.

But seriously, I know that the original UFO Defense is the supersized version of: "This is XCOM, baby!" but could the vets here share some solid squad tactics for OpenXCOM to boost soldier survivability?

[The Martian]

... could the vets here share some solid squad tactics for OpenXCOM to boost soldier survivability?

Mutual Surprise is very important. Use it to your advantage.

Spoiler:

UFOpaedia: "Mutual Surprise":
.    If a unit sees an alien at the same instant as it moves into an alien's line of sight, the alien(s) won't reaction fire, even if a unit has no TUs left. The alien spotted doesn't even have to be the alien that spots the unit -- unit can walk through a door and see an alien ahead, which will prevent unseen aliens to the side from attacking.

[tarkalak]

Arm grenade on one of the first soldiers on the ramp, drop (not throw, drop it in inventory). Do nothing else on turn 1. Press end turn.

First turn aliens have full TUs for reactions. On every subsequent turn they will walk around and have less TUs for reaction.

[The Reaver of Darkness]

But seriously, I know that the original UFO Defense is the supersized version of: "This is XCOM, baby!" but could the vets here share some solid squad tactics for OpenXCOM to boost soldier survivability?

Mutual surprise is great, and I actually have a video demonstrating how to use it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOy7Wpy8hvU

[monduras]

what the other guy said - you use smoke bombs armed and ready when you start the mission. throw a smoke bomb on the ramp and into the skyranger

end turn

let the aliens walk around

then you exit the skyranger and take up defensive positions in the smoke

let someone scout outside the smoke for targets and snipe them from those inside the smoke