XCOM Enemy Unknown

[rhinochopig]

Well I managed to bring it back from the brink. The countries that are left are all on min panic and I'm just hoovering up research etc. before I head off to the ALien base.

I have to say though, the more I play, the more it is really starting to royally piss me off. My squad's - all Majors - aim is bloody terrible and even worse when it comes to reaction shots. Firaxis really do need to release a patch to sort this out before I kick my PC to death. How the hell can you only get less than a 50% chance of hitting an alien when they're stood with zero cover, not moving, and all you're squad are about 4 squares away?

[Mr E]

rhinochopig said:

How the hell can you only get less than a 50% chance of hitting an alien when they're stood with zero cover, not moving, and all you're squad are about 4 squares away?

What are you shooting at them with.
My heavies are a bit vague with the big guns (I really only use them for suppression), but my assault/support troops are frequently 60-70% at normal types of engagement distance, and the sniper is very often 90-100%.

[rhinochopig]

Mr E said:

rhinochopig said:

How the hell can you only get less than a 50% chance of hitting an alien when they're stood with zero cover, not moving, and all you're squad are about 4 squares away?

What are you shooting at them with.
My heavies are a bit vague with the big guns (I really only use them for suppression), but my assault/support troops are frequently 60-70% at normal types of engagement distance, and the sniper is very often 90-100%.

The instance I'm referring to were misses from Alloy Cannon, Heavy Plasma, and Plasma rifle.

My Sniper major + SCOPE also regularly misses targets during reaction shots that are not in cover and far enough away so that the close in penalty the sniper suffers from should not be an issue.

More than a few times I've had every squad member miss a target during my turn when the target has shown as 65% chance.

The accuracy just seems to be too random IMO.

[Mr E]

Reaction shots usually suffer an aim penalty (can be negated with various bonuses).
The heavy weapons are certainly not accurate, and I don't think the alloy cannon has any sort of range either.

I find plasma and light plasma rifles usually pretty honest.
Plasma snipers are very accurate at medium to long range (cover dependant).

[Shinobi]

All my squad are equipped with Scopes and even the heavies barely miss at all.

[rhinochopig]

Out of interest, what are you chaps playing it on - PS3, Xbox, or PC?

I've noticed quite a few bugs on the PC version.

• Selecting squares to move to on multi-level levels.
• Flipping between level views on multi-level levels.
• The difference in Alien and Squad Accuracy as mentioned
• Issues to do with being unable to select a command - seems to freeze up and you have to cycle through the squad to clear it.
• Daft panic responses, i.e. run off and go and stand next to the thing that has made your squad member panic.

[vonuber]

Woo, first squad wipeout. 3 Colonels, 2 Majors and a rookie flushed down the pan.
Awesome.

[Mr E]

rhinochopig said:

Out of interest, what are you chaps playing it on - PS3, Xbox, or PC?

XBOX here, and the only real "bug" I see frequently is the "reaction shot through a wall" trick. Which usually benefits me more then ET, so I let it go.



Another mental note to self; stop keeping squads quite so close together; incoming grenades *hurt*.

[rhinochopig]

Mr E said:

rhinochopig said:

Out of interest, what are you chaps playing it on - PS3, Xbox, or PC?

XBOX here, and the only real "bug" I see frequently is the "reaction shot through a wall" trick. Which usually benefits me more then ET, so I let it go.



Another mental note to self; stop keeping squads quite so close together; incoming grenades *hurt*.

That bit I do like. They need to be close enough together so that their fields of fire overlap, but far enough apart so that a single grenade doesn't run your day. Can be quite tricky to achieve during levels with little cover.

[MacW]

rhinochopig said:

Out of interest, what are you chaps playing it on - PS3, Xbox, or PC?

I've noticed quite a few bugs on the PC version.

• Selecting squares to move to on multi-level levels.
• Flipping between level views on multi-level levels.
• The difference in Alien and Squad Accuracy as mentioned
• Issues to do with being unable to select a command - seems to freeze up and you have to cycle through the squad to clear it.
• Daft panic responses, i.e. run off and go and stand next to the thing that has made your squad member panic.

I've sen all of these on the PC.

Most annoying are trying to select squares in an abductor ship and, perhaps the worst, when I panic an alien his response most of the time is to fire on me. Very accurately.

Basically inducing panic seems to give the alien a free turn.

[Killboy]

I found grenades generally completely useless, and rockets, rather just equip SCOPE.

Has anyone tried the Multiplayer yet? Had a quick game to test it out, and I had lag as there was massive download happening I was unaware of. But, this is way more fun beating your mate in than chess is. Plasma snipe from church roof by cloaked unit is fun, then he mind controlled him and sniped my own guys next time. Mmm.

[Mr E]

Killboy said:

I found grenades generally completely useless, and rockets, rather just equip SCOPE.

Agreed, I don't carry them.
I do like a rocket to clear the way (or soften them up for attempted stunning).

[Killboy]

As with my earlier comments on the Heavy, 1 rocket and a gun that doesnt do much damage and rather rubbish aim makes a slightly wasted soldier. I think it would have been better if the heavy could open up on tightly grouped aliens, doing damage on each. My support guys with normal rifles racked up many more kills than the heavy.

[Mr E]

Killboy said:

As with my earlier comments on the Heavy, 1 rocket and a gun that doesnt do much damage and rather rubbish aim makes a slightly wasted soldier. I think it would have been better if the heavy could open up on tightly grouped aliens, doing damage on each. My support guys with normal rifles racked up many more kills than the heavy.

Ah, but; suppression is an undervalued tactic IMHO. You know you're unlikely to hit it, so don't take the shot, pin ET down for a turn, and then your assault units can dash in for the kill/stun/whatever.

Also, heavies with plasmas are bloody useful when something big and angry is charging you down at point blank range.

[Killboy]

Mr E said:

Ah, but; suppression is an undervalued tactic IMHO. You know you're unlikely to hit it, so don't take the shot, pin ET down for a turn, and then your assault units can dash in for the kill/stun/whatever.

Also, heavies with plasmas are bloody useful when something big and angry is charging you down at point blank range.

Aaah, but on the reverse, with skilled shooters and the right weapons, nothing is left alive by the end of your turn

Heavy worked well against the big mechs with HEAT ammo, but for me that was about it.

[Mr E]

Killboy said:

Aaah, but on the reverse, with skilled shooters and the right weapons

• that's* where I'm going wrong...

[vonuber]

Oh, first country has left - fk you France, we never wanted you anyway.
I have noticed that losing a squad of elite soldiers really hurts - I am having to throw rookies into the grinder and they are getting massacred. Have gone from clean sweeps to only 1 or 2 making it back.
Have to say, it's refreshing to be playing a challenging game for once.

[RobDickinson]

Onto the Temple ship , get to the end.

Theres a narrow corridor (with a door? Cant see stupid view). Seems I can only move 2 guys through and then trigger the end fight. Still cant move any more people through.

This is after a bug where shooting a guy on overwatch causes the game to lock up entirely.

buggy ste.

[Salgar]

Interesting, just finished it on normal difficulty.

Good game, good remake, although I can't see myself replaying it as much as everyone here appears to be.

I'm trying out some multiplayer now.

[Killboy]

Right, trick to not loosing anyone in the last mission for me was to mind-control one of the mutons and etherals as soon as you enter the final fight. They then fight each other, while you just finish them off. Had to suicide my last muton with grenades to finish the round.