X-Com Challenge - OpenXcom

[silencer_pl]

Wow BB. You don't post very often but when you do....

 

1. Character Shield - is just a phrase, when a enemy unit avoids lots of bullets, specially those with 75%+ chance to hit.

 

2.

Fun fact that may help you in later playthroughs - the second UFO to appear in the world is all but guaranteed to land within SkyRanger-range of your base (whereas the first UFO is typically a very small craft which you either won't catch or will probably destroy).

 

That is if you detect it right?

 

3.

I've never used tank modifications of any kind, and have always considered the basic rocket tank to be an immense aid in combat. Granted, it can't take a lot of damage and it costs a mint, but... well... explosions...

 

And that is the purpose of the tank enhancement. While they have poor accuracy, their armour is almost as good as Hovertanks. Which means that when they exit they don't get blown by random plasma pistol shot. Only heavy plasmas and cyberdiscs/sectopods can actually deal damage. You don't have those - there goes my 500k down the drain - situations.

 

4.

Oh, remember that your aerial craft have their own field of vision! If you've got nothing better to do, check out the alien activity graphs and have your ships patrol in suspect regions. You'll locate alien bases far faster this way.

 

Yeah I know, It's just I forget to check them and when I do, the activity plummets down.

 

5.

I guess OpenXcom hasn't quite fixed the alien's ability to account for Blaster Launcher drift yet.

 

I wager it was because of panic. I believe panicking units with Rocket/Blaster launchers just fire missile straight away.

 

 

[Bomb Bloke]

That is if you detect it right?

 

It'll do it regardless as to whether you detect it or not. Obviously you can't take advantage of it without detecting it, but it's fairly difficult to miss a UFO cruising in and parking in close proximity to your base.

 

To do so, you'd need to build your base somewhere where UFOs generally don't land at all. Though there are some dead-zones defined around the globe, you're unlikely to select one at random. If you do, though, you might as well quit the campaign and begin anew, unless you want to face a challenge far beyond Superhuman.

 

I wager it was because of panic. I believe panicking units with Rocket/Blaster launchers just fire missile straight away.

 

Ah, that makes a fair bit more sense. Heh. I suppose the next advancement in AI might be making the aliens selectively unload their weapons.

[silencer_pl]

That would explain one of my games when I put my base in Tibet. Got like 6 landings in January. Though a luck of detection was there too. With the amount of loot I had flying suits in February.

[silencer_pl]

When we last left off, we've done 2 Supply Ships. There is one more UFO to deal. However in HQ are only 2 soldiers able to fight and a tank. Will we do it? Of course we will.

 

The main pressure is of course now put on the tank. As it will have to scout almost all the map. The 2 soldiers remained near the Skyranger sniping everything they could. At one point an alien fires at the tank but one of his shot deviates way too much. The plasma blast misses Marietje Dekker, by this close. I don't know if it phased through her or what.

 

 

The outcome was a success nonetheless.

 

 

After a few days, new recruits have arrived only to be thrown into a sneaky base defense. The aliens have discovered the location of our base. Although we have a second base it is almost like all or nothing situation. The defense will be lead by ever lasting veteran Helena Zielinska.

 

 

She already was starting near the lift entrance and already found the first alien. She however missed the opportunity.

 

 

The layout was designed to be guarded by more soldiers, but everything is almost as I thought it would be. The tank was located in the left wing of the base and have spotted more aliens. But he needed to be more in the center.

 

 

The aliens advance and Helena just barely avoids plasma shot.

 

 

She then turns back and waists 2 out of 3 aliens. The third one is blocked by the tank, so he can't shoot anyone.

The aliens start to pile up in the lift. One of them threw a grenade. The explosion has hurt Helena a bit, but the tank armour shrugged of the blast.

 

 

And further we spot 3 cyberdiscs.

 

 

The majority of fighting is on the middle but aliens try to move from the left wing. It is protected however so no dice.

 

 

On the right wing Jumoke, after not having any visible aliens moved a bit closer. But soon he met a cyberdisc. He couldn't run away because he would be gunned down by cyberdisc eventually. If his fate is to die, then at least he can take the disc with him.

 

 

However the armour resistance the explosion and Jumoke is still alive but bleeding. He must retreat to get assistance.

 

At this point the aliens were severely cut down and there were signs of them panicking. The team moves the forward, when suddenly an alien hiding in the hangar threw another grenade. Helena survived a second grenade.

 

 

After the grenade she evaded the last cyberdisc plasma blast. She is a tough woman and from now on I'll make it personal to make her live through the end.

 

 

The base is secured for now, but aliens will be back at some point. The scientists have finished studying UFO Navigation. Now they'll focus on UFO Power Source.

 

 

Meanwhile there is another small UFO filled with Snakeman to take care off. They were hiding all over the barns. After X-COM has left, the devastation was very big. Unfortunately 2 rookies didn't make it. But at least 50 Elerium was secured.

 

 

While waiting for new mission, a Very Large UFO was seen near HQ, it was certainly looking for us again. Later a Large UFO was also detected. It landed, however it only landed for a while and took off. Bloody aliens, GIVE ME THAT ELERIUM.

 

Next mission was for second team in the NA. It was once again snakeman, and the mission was little sniper training session. Taking as many shots as possible from the safest position available.

 

 

It's time to take care of that base, since we have power armour. I could wait for flying suits, but in this situation a few units for most deserving soldiers should suffice.

 

 

The base of course had to be Sectoids. And the one thing I hate about Sectoid bases are Cyberdiscs.

 

 

And speaking of which there was one in the corner near the starting position. When it came closer I moved everyone away and let Noor Willems to kill it. The Power Armour is enough to resist the blast. However when she moved to a big room filled with cadavers, she was hit in the arm by sneaky alien and died.

 

 

This is bloody iritating. No one should die of a 1 shot kill wearing power armour and having almost max HP, and specially if it was plasma rifle shot. God damn criticals. The alien was quickly killed and we also find another Cyberdisc nearby.

 

 

And another one over here. Amirah Ahmed just barely survives that shot.

 

 

The battle in this base is brutal. Casualties are starting to pile up.

 

 

For every three aliens we kill.

 

 

X-COM soldier dies. And this is not good ratio.

 

 

The aliens hunker down everywhere.

 

 

But eventually they are eradicated.

 

 

More than 50% of operatives died in this mission and no bloody Elerium.... I miss TFTD where, you weren't bleeding for Zrbite.

 

 

The flying suits arrive quickly. But we have Elerium enough for 10 suits.

 

 

Few days later a snakeman scout was shot down on Nevada desert.

 

[Bomb Bloke]

UFOs land on a fairly regular basis. Consider just sending the SkyRanger after some of them as soon as they're detected, instead of just shooting them down.

 

Certainly have a think about where you saw those supply ships. Those areas would be worth scouting for alien bases; if you can find a floater base and set up a supply ship poaching operation next to it, you'll be laughing.

 

On the right wing Jumoke, after not having any visible aliens moved a bit closer. But soon he met a cyberdisc. He couldn't run away because he would be gunned down by cyberdisc eventually. If his fate is to date, then at least he can take the disc with him.

 

That'd be a date to remember.

 

Helena survived a second grenade. ... After the grenade she evaded the last cyberdisc plasma blast. She is a tough woman and from now on I'll make it personal to make her live through the end.

 

There's something you don't see every day...

 

And speaking of which there was one in the corner near the starting position. When it came closer I moved everyone away and let Noor Willems to kill it. The Power Armour is enough to resist the blast. However when she moved to a big room filled with cadavers, she was hit in the arm by sneaky alien and died.

 

This is bloody iritating. No one should die of a 1 shot kill wearing power armour and having almost max HP, and specially if it was plasma rifle shot. God damn criticals.

 

Aw man, I'd marked her as my favourite...

[silencer_pl]

That'd be a date to remember.

 

Way to go me. Misspelling die with date.

 

 

There's something you don't see every day...

 

Personal Armour looks cool and it sometimes saves your bacon. The blasts were on the edges so the explosion force had to be extremely low.

 

UFOs land on a fairly regular basis. Consider just sending the SkyRanger after some of them as soon as they're detected, instead of just shooting them down.

 

Certainly have a think about where you saw those supply ships. Those areas would be worth scouting for alien bases; if you can find a floater base and set up a supply ship poaching operation next to it, you'll be laughing.

 

I did try later, but without knowing the mission I've ordeerd the interceptor to shoot it down once the UFO started to accelerate.

 

There was no base after those 2 supply ships. I've checked the landing site after the very large one. The base was created later and there Noor Willems died.

[Bomb Bloke]

... The base was created later and there Noor Willems died.

 

... On second thoughts, maybe stay away from bases for a while.

[silencer_pl]

I'll enable side stepping. Maybe then corner fighting won't be so frustrating.

[silencer_pl]

End of month has come and with it the principles of UFO Construction. Next thing will be new Fighter Craft.

 

 

Our next mission is downed supply ship. I should have let him land, providing it would land. I was more hoping that at least 1 of the sources will survive. It was muton piloted ship. The mission went quite well. But unfortunately before we entered UFO 1 soldier was killed because the muton survived plasma shot to the back and perfectly reaction fired back. The sources were as usually destroyed. Action in the UFO was one sided and our troops dominated the aliens inside. With Flying suits we used those holes in first floor to our advantage.

 

 

Our next mission is muton large scout. Although everything looked for a perfect UFO. The source was sadly destroyed. Without hyperwave decoder it's hard to determine if UFO may land, because even in Retaliation missions UFO slow downs occasionally. But at least no one died.

 

 

Another mission, another muton UFO. This time it was heavily destroyed. I'm yet to see in OpenXcom, small scout where only the floor survives the crash.

 

 

Soon later a terror ship was detected over UK. Interceptor catches it over the sea, and when waited till over land the UFO sped up and outrun the Interceptor.

 

 

The aliens quickly returned and started terrorizing a city in Russia. And it was THAT terror mission.

 

 

Chrysalids. But I have flying suits so I was perfectly safe from them. However they require extreme measures. Even at the cost of some civilians. Because dead civilian equals -1 Extra Chrysalid.

 

 

Ha-eun Maeng devasted created much destruction, but in just cause. The majority of the mission was our soldiers sniping on top of the Skyranger. It took few turns but soon the aliens were repelled from the LZ. When it seemed we've got this a Snakeman threw a grenade over a building and on top of Skyranger right under the feet of Helena Zielinska. It was truly impossible shot and because of their cheating knowledge of our troops. Fortunetly the armour absorbed most of the damage and Helena runs away to get healed.

 

 

The next turns after that dangerous situation was all cleaning house. And don't you think that Helena was hiding in the Skyranger. Oh now, by example she returned to the front line killng Zombie and Chrysalid that bursted from the corpse.

 

 

Next mission brings us to the second base where not so experienced crew trains shooting.

 

 

However even training session may result in some deaths.

 

 

With Helena in the sick bay, the team from HQ fights it's way through another downed small scout. But we are lucky and the UFO is intact.

 

 

It looks like aliens want us to train, because we have another session in NA. The thick forest somehow protects the aliens rather than us.

 

 

I had a strange hunch about that activity in South Africa. And just in time the Interceptor detects a Terror Ship.

 

 

It was Sectoid terror ship. And I hate Sectoid Terror Ship, because of the Cyberdiscs.

 

 

We are not lucky with the power sources. And also we have some casualties in this mission. But it wasn't Helena.

 

 

The last mission for today is another downed large scout. Helena as Commander sits on the wing of the Skyranger and supports with sniper fire. But I don't know what bullshit is this, but her 115% Aimed shot never connected the shot. How is it possible. It wasn't force fire. She had clear line of sight.

 

[silencer_pl]

Ok, so I'm back again with last weeks update. As some may already knew I had a landed Battleship, but those that don't watch videos or were waiting for the text first, let's go.

 

When we were coming back from the last mission, a Battelship was detected.

 

 

It took a while for him to land, and we've managed to get over there. But in the meanwhile, we've detected a base between our two bases. It states that it is base number 4, which means there is another one somewhere. The graphs shows high traffic over Antarctica. So yeah.

 

 

It's a muton battleship and there were few already waiting for us.

 

 

The tank traditionally made them waste all the shots for reaction fire and our soldiers move out and kill them. There were also few on the way, but they didn't pose any threat. The team started to move towards the entrance. Though I thought it was all clear on the outside. There was one Muton hidden in the corner of the map. He shot at Stephen Wallce, when ha was approaching the UFO.

 

 

He didn't do any damage and as it turned out, he was holding just a plasma pistol. The first person who entered the UFO was Grigorov Joakimides. But once he moved on first floor, a Celatid shot him in the side. Because they can't miss and do ridiculous amount of damage, Grigorov couldn't stand a chance.

 

 

But after that incident, the rest of the team started to move in the UFO and the aliens were dropping like flies.

 

 

There was almost no resistance. And so we finally get that 200 Elerium.

 

 

So back to that Antarctic.

 

 

It will be team 2, with only personal armours. Can they do it?

It's a floater base. Most of the team is deployed in one elevator, except two people, but they have a tank so they have a chance.

 

 

Since I know they are not that experienced, although the main team has only 2-3 good soldiers, I don't rush that much and move slowly. There were few aliens near the lifts but we've managed to kill them, even when I've by accident clicked end turn instead of firing. Good thing I moved 1 soldier then and nothing bad happened.

 

After the initial wave of aliens, we've moved closer to the command center.

 

 

Also don't forget to check every corner.

 

 

Once we've reached the entrance to the command room, the aliens were already in a state of mass hysteria. Mainly because we've killed 4-5 Reapers in first 3-4 turns. And death of a terrorist unit causes massive morale penalty on them aliens.

This base also had some Elerium, which is nice.

 

 

The base number 4 was a Muton base, and with the last encounter I'm bit scared of those Celatids.

 

 

I've brought a big gun just in case.

 

Stephen Wallace was leading from the second lift and right around the corner he was shot, with minor injury.

 

 

The aliens were everywhere and the more of those I kill the better for us.

 

 

Once we've reached the main room, we've spotted that monster. It was quite a gulp situation, because no one had enough TU's to kill it, and blaster bomb exploded on some plants. Helena, which was leading the assault had enough TU's to move back, but Stephen Wallace and Pia Gustaffson, were in quite a pickle.

 

 

But there must a guardian angel, because the Celatid has panicked. And then everything went silent.

 

 

Because we've cleared this base too. And another 100 Elerium. Oh yeah.

 

 

With so much money now, I've decided to put 2 more bases. One on the island south of the Australia (can't remember it's name). It will have range for south-east Asia and Antarctica. The second somewhere on the western border of Brasil. To watch over South America. The base name are: Altar and Chaos Concept.

 

 

Our next mission is small UFO over NA. It didn't want to land so I shot it down over Alaska. It was probably on retaliation mission.

 

 

The UFO had Snakeman and it was here were Piet Kok died. Shot by an alien who saw him cheatingly farther then he should.

 

 

He fired 3 times. The first shot connected, but Piet was alive, the second missed, and the third one had to connect again.

After that incident everything went smoothly and using hole in the UFO, Rory Middleton flied in and murdered everyone inside.

 

 

New month has begun. I think they should mod the ratting, because 10320 points should have better name than just Excellent.

 

 

Within few hours in June. We have another landed UFO. Small one, but 50 Elerium is 50 Elerium.

 

 

We also had another small UFOs, but this time no Elerium, and we had some fun with blaster bombs.

 

 

There are also some strange angling issues, which I don't know if happened in original. When mostly being on 3rd floor (for example Skyrangers wing), some shots just phase through the aliens even when shooter has like 100%+ chance aimed shot.

 

[Bomb Bloke]

It's a floater base. Most of the team is deployed in one elevator, except two people, but they have a tank so they have a chance.

 

Another tip for soft bases: Remember you don't have to destroy them. There's always the option of running in, destroying a few power sources, picking up the elerium and running off with it.

 

Though after those few missions, you should be set for resources for quite a while.

 

With so much money now, I've decided to put 2 more bases. One on the island south of the Australia (can't remember it's name).

 

Gee, I wonder where it could be.

 

 

(Ok so actually I'm in Japan right now, but still...)

 

There are also some strange angling issues, which I don't know if happened in original. When mostly being on 3rd floor (for example Skyrangers wing), some shots just phase through the aliens even when shooter has like 100%+ chance aimed shot.

 

Bullets can't go "through" units in the original, but it's more likely you're seeing them go "past" the aliens here anyway. Units are basically treated as upright cylinders - they're solid, but things can go around them. (Four-tile units are treated as four cylinders, so it'd technically be possible to fire right through those, but the odds are minimal).

 

If the same calculations are being used to determine the angle of the shot, then yes, bullets can miss at 100% "accuracy". There's usually a tiny bit of drift. Though, there needs to be quite a bit of distance involved for that to even matter when firing at 100%...

[silencer_pl]

 

 

Another tip for soft bases: Remember you don't have to destroy them. There's always the option of running in, destroying a few power sources, picking up the elerium and running off with it.

 

Though after those few missions, you should be set for resources for quite a while.

 

 

Yeah, I know, but isn't it like risking if the country will resign? Also those resources won't last long if I will make flying suits I know that from economical point of view I should make power suits. But it is just me. Flying suits.

 

Gee, I wonder where it could be.

 

<<<============

 

(Ok so actually I'm in Japan right now, but still...)

 

I knew Tasmania was there somewhere. But at that time my memory slot was blank. Might as well rename Interceptor after you

[Bomb Bloke]

Yeah, I know, but isn't it like risking if the country will resign?

 

Not really, no. The base will generate alien activity points in the zone, but raiding it (or the supply ships that visit it) will more than counteract that. The idea is to "leave the base standing", not "leave it alone".

 

Also keep in mind: You really want to be scoring a consistent 1000+ points every month. Sometimes you won't encounter enough alien ships to accumulate that score (though later in the game it becomes hard not to). Having a "pet Floater base" sitting there basically allows you to top up your points whenever you want: Sail in, kill some dudes, do it again tomorrow.

 

Indeed, it's all gaming the system a bit and I realise that doesn't make for a great story. So please play as you wish! But if you're ever stuck in a campaign and want a bit of a leg-up, it's worth keeping in mind...

 

I know that from economical point of view I should make power suits. But it is just me. Flying suits.

 

Yeah, go the flying suits. The economy isn't important enough to justify skimping. If you're really feeling cheap, go back to personal armour until flying suits become viable again.

[silencer_pl]

 

 

Not really, no. The base will generate alien activity points in the zone, but raiding it (or the supply ships that visit it) will more than counteract that. The idea is to "leave the base standing", not "leave it alone".

 

Also keep in mind: You really want to be scoring a consistent 1000+ points every month. Sometimes you won't encounter enough alien ships to accumulate that score (though later in the game it becomes hard not to). Having a "pet Floater base" sitting there basically allows you to top up your points whenever you want: Sail in, kill some dudes, do it again tomorrow.

 

Indeed, it's all gaming the system a bit and I realise that doesn't make for a great story. So please play as you wish! But if you're ever stuck in a campaign and want a bit of a leg-up, it's worth keeping in mind...

 

This is sort of abusing game mechanics, which I don't like. I may do it in my private game, but I prefer always the way how game gives you stuff. Also I wonder if the first iteration of the base has Elerium will every other iteration have it too? Or maybe should I ask, if the base layout will be the same for each visit?

[Bomb Bloke]

The base layout changes every time you visit. The amount of elerium you encounter has no relation to the amount you found on previous visits.

[silencer_pl]

So this means, in one or several runs I could get no Elerium?

[Bomb Bloke]

Correct. Though I'd consider "several" to be highly unlikely, if you're talking about consecutive runs.

[silencer_pl]

Our next assignment goes to another downed UFO. Can't risky base detection. It was Muton one, and there were plenty of them skulking about. But nothing serious.

 

 

Next there was a lot of time for another mission, so in the meanwhile we have researched Fusion Defense and Hyperwave Decoder.

 

 

North America was also visited twice by Very Large UFOs. But it seems they still remain hidden.

 

 

Our next mission is downed Muton terror ship somewhere over Saudi Arabia.

 

 

And one thing I hate about Muton terror now is those damned Celatids.

 

 

There were Mutons a plenty. That tank saved more lives, than a cure for smallpox.

 

 

After few hours of fighting (read 10 turns or so) we've moved inside the UFO.

 

 

Hopefully thinking this is it, but no there were more Mutons outside.

 

 

So that Terror is averted or maybe this one was just scouting for the right target.

 

 

Without any much delay, we've got a medium UFO over South Africa. It was a Harvester. A rare sight. And oh my god it was crawling with floaters. Frankly I don't remember Harvester being that tough. Maybe it has to do with Jungle region. It was like Floaters picnic or something.

 

 

They were so densely packed that even smoke didn't help James Maguire. Although I don't know if he was spotted by some other alien, but I call shenanigans on the smoke kill.

 

 

After dozen of Floaters killed we finally got to enter the UFO.

 

 

19 Aliens in a Harvester. That is as the same count as for Terror Mission.

 

 

June has ended and we as usual get a very high score, but not as high as previously.

 

 

We also get the grav shield and soon our bases will be unpenetrable.

 

 

After a week, we have another landed UFO. It's once again a Harvester. But our Skyranger is too slow to get there.

 

 

When the Interceptor caught up with it, there was a small UFO near. Well let's not waste time and get that small one despite the night. But upon arrival soon I begun to regret it, because THEY ARE HERE!

 

 

The grand daddies of the invasion have finally showed themselves. Fortunate for me, I'm using PSI LoS restriction otherwise this would just end bad.

 

 

On our way back home, aliens begun to terrorize Baghdad.

 

 

It was Muton terror site, so I guess the previous one completed his mission somehow. The Mutons were everywhere. I think I have counted 9 aliens in the vicinity of the Skyranger.

 

 

I didn't hesitate to use Blaster Launcher. Although I've killed a civilian I have no regret in using it. So many aliens in the LZ is a blessing and a curse. When you manage it, you just then mop up the rest of the aliens.

 

 

Feeling too overconfident Akseli almost payed the price as he ate the grenade.

 

 

Now to get that Harvester. Again it was crawling with Floaters. It's like invasion of some sorts (oh wait).

 

 

The grenades must have been nerfed in damage or something. Because now Stephen ate one and lives without any damage. I always remembered grenades being bane of even Flying Suits, that is why I've never landed (except when breaching UFO).

 

 

That was a bit easier then the previous Harvester but still 17 aliens this time.

 

 

After that mission, we finally have an Avenger craft.

 

 

The fusion defenses and Hyperwave decoders are also done. There was also a situation I never thought it was possible. Destruction of Large Scout UFO. I know that standard scout could be destroyed on occasions but Large one?

 

 

With the Hyperwave decoder I can finally be sure which UFO I should shoot down and which don't. This one I definitely want to shoot down. Having also small launchers all I need to do is capture one alive.

 

 

Soon the principles of PSI will be ours.

[silencer_pl]

I've decided to close that gap in South Africa, so I've build the base on the edge of South Africa. It will only have detecting essentials and defenses.

 

 

Thank you decoder. No no no and once again no. Shot it down over water - good bye.

 

 

It's almost time for ultimate payback. Now I regret not leaving one of those bases alive But all I need is not Muton battleship or base.

 

 

And we have finished interrogating this creature. And that means PSI Lab will be soon discovered.

 

 

We've survived another month. Not surprising.

 

 

And like I said. Psi Laboratory. Having that, we now know PSI Strength of our soldiers. And as a Murphy's rule of X-COM our Commander has taffy for brains There are however soldiers with exceptional strength. But the PSI LoS rule makes us not to worry much about low PSI Strength.

 

 

Our next mission is Snakeman crashed UFO. Only 2 aliens survived so it was easy mission.

 

 

Why do aliens keep thinking we have a base in South Africa? Just because I thwart their mission there, doesn't mean I reside there

 

 

That Ehteral frail body is a lie. They can survive the crash landing without any loses.

 

 

Just keep distance and everything will be fine.

 

 

Now, this I like. Go ahead and try to abduct. I will surely abduct some of that precious Elerium..

 

 

Although night mission, I won't complain. Elerium is worth it.

 

 

The aliens thankfully didn't scatter that much. And all remained in the vicinity or inside the UFO.

 

 

Ah, Elerium - you can't never have too much of it.

 

 

And it looks like base nr 2, will have even more Elerium.

 

 

When guarding the entrance, the tank has received quite a beating, but when he makes reaction shot, you know it was worth it.

 

 

Then it was up to our soldiers to move in and secure the UFO.

 

 

So it's now to capture the Leader.

 

 

Well this ship should have one. I would jump for joy if it also would have commander.

 

 

I must be crazy saying this. But we are packing all those small launchers (and some Heavy Lasers). We will also need that second tank.

 

 

This should be enough I think.

 

The aliens sure want us to find them. Surrounded on all sides. There were like 4 Sectopods near the LZ, and few more back in the shadows. Etherals have also some sort of resistance for stunning. As the first one on the right had to eat 3 or 4 stun bombs.

 

 

And those laser sure help, although some of the Sectopods survived few shots.

 

 

Once we've cleared the LZ, the aliens starting to exit the UFO, although not in the smartest of ways.

 

 

And this here bugger, had such a character shield that it took my like 3 or 4 turns to tag him. Either the shots missed, clipped through him, or he survived few direct shots.

 

 

But we finally entered the UFO.

 

 

6 aliens killed are all those Sectopods. 1 alien died due to crash.

 

 

And I bet it was the commander :<, because we've caught 6! Leaders. Boo his.

 

 

Another mission takes us to another landed UFO over North America. And again it has to be night mission.

 

 

I don't know what tileset I don't like the most. Jungle or Forest. The aliens were surely hiding in such a way, that Flying suits were useless for sniping.

 

 

But still, we've managed.

 

 

Etherals, go home.

 

 

I mean it.

 

[silencer_pl]

Let's continue our fight for Earth. Next assignment our troops were sent, was a snakeman large scout on retaliation over North America. It was shot down somewhere near North Pole.

 

 

It was a little dark, but we had the daylight visibility. The UFO even didn't blown up.

 

 

Next missions were a little entertaining. 3 sectoid abductors over North America. And I probably guess for whom they went

 

 

That is 300 of Elerium right there. Must get my dirty hands on them.

 

Sectiods like barns. Always assume there will be at least 1 sectoid in a barn nearby.

 

 

The abductor is a fun UFO to breach, but be careful with that trap on the right wing.

 

 

Now for the second one. Like I said, barns are like magnet to Sectoids.

 

 

Even if you expect the trap, it will surprise you still. Fortunately this guy, wasted all of auto shoots on a wall. Almost ate all fingers when he was doing that.

 

 

And even still if you are careful, then there is this. But the power suit saved the day.

 

 

On the third one, we've landed very close to the UFO.

 

 

We've caught many aliens inside the UFO, and few in barns.

 

 

So, 200 Elerium for main base, 100 Elerium for second base. I like.

 

 

The next mission I wanted to avoid by shooting down the UFO to the ocean, but was a little too late. God damn Etherals.

 

 

The next mission was suppose to be another +50 Elerium. They've landed on the edge of South America. The Avenger wasn't fast enough while they were on the ground. So I've decided to shoot them down on a mountain tileset. Because mountain tileset never gets any love.

 

 

After that, we've got infiltration mission in Africa. Although there were 2 aliens outside the UFO, the rest was inside. I've lined up firing squad, and they've died to reaction fire, one by one, when they were exiting the UFO.

 

 

We are almost near the end, because the aliens have sent Battleship to take down our base in NA. Well they've wouldn't succeed because of the defenses. But Battleship equals one thing. Commander. It was a Snakeman, so I shouldn't risk it, but it was so tempting.

 

It all started good. We had few Chryssalids outside the UFO.

 

I've sent the tanks to scout for more. We've killed few. Then it was time to breach the UFO. All was fine until.... Zombie decided to make a cameo.

 

 

And Captain Akseli Koskela was his victim. So close to the end. Arghh. And because bad things happen in pairs, the Commander was dead before we've even arrived.

 

 

The aliens however decided to bring big guns again. So I've decided to bring my big guns too. This time Commander will be ours.

 

 

There were dozen of Sectopods outside of UFO. And the UFO itself had a hole that allowed us to to get to the Commander very fast.

 

 

YESSSS.... The Holy Grail of our search. Grab him and GTFO.

 

 

To halt the pursuit I've demolished almost whole UFO.

 

 

I don't care about the UFO. We have the Commander. Which means Cydonia will be next.

 

[Bomb Bloke]

Can't risky base detection.

 

Because having alien commanders and the like delivered directly to your door is such a problem.

 

It was a Harvester. A rare sight. And oh my god it was crawling with floaters. Frankly I don't remember Harvester being that tough. Maybe it has to do with Jungle region. It was like Floaters picnic or something.

 

I dunno why, but I get the same sort of feeling about Floaters in the jungle. Must be all that cover (few terrains have anywhere near as much). Maybe they actually start using those flying powers or something?

 

It was Muton terror site, so I guess the previous one completed his mission somehow.

 

I've got a memory that all missions complete eventually, no matter what. Taking out UFOs only delays the initiation of the next stage. I could be wrong on this, and I've no idea as to OpenXcom's take on the matter.

 

The grenades must have been nerfed in damage or something. Because now Stephen ate one and lives without any damage. I always remembered grenades being bane of even Flying Suits, that is why I've never landed (except when breaching UFO).

 

They should do 45-135 damage (90 on average) against the under armour of the Flying Suit (70), assuming the grenade goes off on the tile where the unit is standing. That means they'll take most of your health on average (which'll be 40-ish for most somewhat experienced units), though there's about a third of a chance you'll take no damage at all. It's always possible for them to roll high enough to snuff any of your suited soldiers in one go, however.

 

There was also a situation I never thought it was possible. Destruction of Large Scout UFO. I know that standard scout could be destroyed on occasions but Large one?

 

Assuming dual Plasma Beams, each shot does 70 - 140 damage. If both beams hit at once (50% accuracy each = 25% chance), and both roll at least 125 damage (22% chance each = ~4% possibility), that's just over a one in a hundred chance of any given pair of blasts doing the 250 points needed to destroy a Large Scout.

 

This is assuming the game counts both weapons firing at once as being a single instance of damage. I'm very sketchy as to whether that's the case, given that a special condition would have to be coded in to allow it.

 

Anyway, any ship larger than that isn't going to be destroyed by Plasma Beams, full stop.

 

(Regarding an Ethereal terror ship picked up via hyperwaves) Thank you decoder. No no no and once again no. Shot it down over water - good bye.

 

 

It's almost time for ultimate payback. Now I regret not leaving one of those bases alive

 

This is one of (various) areas where Apocalypse really improved on the game - while the Avenger is a heck of an upgrade, the Annihilator's destructive capabilities are sufficient to drive otherwise sane commanders to attempt to take over the world themselves.

 

Seriously, everyone has to attempt to level Mega-Primus with one at least once.

 

Why do aliens keep thinking we have a base in South Africa? Just because I thwart their mission there, doesn't mean I reside there

 

... because there's literally a game mechanic which makes them search areas where you thwarted their missions. No, I'm serious...

 

That Ehteral frail body is a lie. They can survive the crash landing without any loses.

 

Remember that they're flight-capable units. In theory there's no need for them to go down with the ship at all.

 

And this here bugger, had such a character shield that it took my like 3 or 4 turns to tag him. Either the shots missed, clipped through him, or he survived few direct shots.

 

Etherals are also a bit more rubust than they look. XCOM soldiers could probably raise their own armour levels a bit higher by gluing on some of that fabric, whatever it is.

 

And I bet it was the commander :

 

Terror ships don't carry commanders - only Battleships do. They can also be found in alien bases, of course, though it can be easier to allow the aliens to attack your own base.

 

Even if you expect the trap, it will surprise you still. Fortunately this guy, wasted all of auto shoots on a wall. Almost ate all fingers when he was doing that.

 

...

 

And even still if you are careful, then there is this. But the power suit saved the day.

 

Egad, those were close ones...

 

The next mission I wanted to avoid by shooting down the UFO to the ocean, but was a little too late. God damn Etherals.

 

I can't remember if there's even a penalty for leaving crashed UFOs, but, um, whatever it is I'm sure you could've taken it if you were so inclined.

 

So I've decided to shoot them down on a mountain tileset. Because mountain tileset never gets any love.

 

I was going to request you get at least one mountain mission in. So good job, I guess.

 

Which means Cydonia will be next.

 

Huzzah!

[Tycho]

This is assuming the game counts both weapons firing at once as being a single instance of damage. I'm very sketchy as to whether that's the case, given that a special condition would have to be coded in to allow it.

In the vanilla game, once a single attack moves the UFO past it's crash threshold, any other attack's damage is nullified. I guess the first plasma beam did just enough damage to keep it below that point and the second was good enough.

... because there's literally a game mechanic which makes them search areas where you thwarted their missions. No, I'm serious...

It's a random chance (affected by game difficulty) that the aliens will know the zone from which the interceptor launched or not know, so they search the zone where the interception occurred.

I can't remember if there's even a penalty for leaving crashed UFOs, but, um, whatever it is I'm sure you could've taken it if you were so inclined.

Crash sites do not. Only functional UFOs will generate a negative score for being present, flying or on the ground. The score is more for landed ones.

[Bomb Bloke]

In the vanilla game, once a single attack moves the UFO past it's crash threshold, any other attack's damage is nullified. I guess the first plasma beam did just enough damage to keep it below that point and the second was good enough.

 

... call it a one in two hundred chance, then.

[silencer_pl]

Well that is an excellent position to make Conservative firing mode. It could be similar to Cautious, but fire missiles one by one instead in salvos. Should not affect cannons.

 

Since you are here Tycho. I was wondering if by chance the mod in UFOExtender about accuracy, may lead to shots clipping through units because it recorded a miss.

 

Anyways. Cydonia or Bust

 

 

But before we will head out, let us honor our brave men and women who have fallen, protecting the Earth from alien menace.

 

 

 

Also why I was gathering team....

 

 

The squad:

 

 

Helena Zielinska - the only survivor of the first 8 soldiers from the start. Now ranked Commander will lead the Assault.

 

 

That is right. Your eyes do not deceive you. We will bomb the Cydonia sky high. No survivors, no mercy.

 

 

Mars or soon what will be left of him. Every pyramid will receive it's bomb.

 

 

Every cyberdisc will explode until they explode.

 

 

No tile will be left alone.

 

 

ANNIHILATE EVERYTHING!

 

 

 

 

Now once we are inside. It's up to Helena to do the killing blow. The tank has discovered the command room.

 

 

Steady aim.

 

 

 

RELEASE THE BOMB!!!

 

.

.

.

.

 

KABOOOM!!

 

Victory.

 

 

 

 

And this is it folks. OpenXcom campaign has been finished. X-COM can still bathe in it's glory. It's a unique game, that nothing can replace it. But we have still 2 other contestants that are far from being over.

[Bomb Bloke]

I'm sorry, but all I can think of to say is that someone decided to toss the blaster launcher waypoint cap out the window...

 

Seriously though, it was a good run. The video was a nice touch.