Blasterbombs And Random Thoughts.

[Kaeroll]

I've actually got a question, but while I'm posting I thought I'd add a few random thoughts about X-COM. Let's begin with the question:

 

Can blasterbombs go up and down grav lifts? A few times I've tried it only for the bomb to continue its course on the same level, resulting in holes in UFO hulls that I didn't particularly want. I've heard that aliens sometimes attempt this successfully; is it a feat I can replicate?

 

Now, random thoughts. Firstly, let me say that I've not played X-COM since I was incredibly young (and tended to end up shooting the guy next to me). I started one game, was slaughtered by Sectoids at my first crash site due to my lack of tactics, and so tried again on easy mode.

 

It was actually easier than I expected. Once I researched heavy plasma, I found that by grouping my team into a few trios, I could systematically slaughter the enemy without losing anything more than the occasional tank. I conquered Cydonia in mid September 99; during the whole campaign, the failed first attempt side, I only lost three men (in the very early days). Is easy really meant to be so easy? I'm sure I had a better point than that when I started this paragraph... ah well. Just an observation anyway. Is it worth replaying on a harder setting before I move on to TFTD?

 

Another thing I noticed is that very few of my men panicked or were mind controlled; I heard sounds I assumed to be attempts at this, but nothing happened. Their bravery levels were generally between 20-60 towards the end; now I'm not complaining, but are they really that fearless? (I never completed my psi-lab, so I have no idea about their psi levels).

 

My final random thought is regarding time unit saving. I noticed a thread below, which I'm about to read, regarding chryssalids (sp). I only encountered a handful of these, but found that they were easily dispatched by saving an autoshot and grouping my men together in a circle. Does this tactic only work on easy mode, then?

 

-Kaeroll

[[NKF]]

If you're playing the collectors edition of UFO, it has a bug that prevents the bomb from flying up or down on the same time. Instead, it'll fly southwards. If you add a waypoint just a little further along from the last waypoint and if the bomb flies off the map, it'll rematerialise at the waypoint it should have gone to and move on to the next.

 

The easiest solution by far is to just move it at slight angles. Yes, you can get them to go through small holes this way. The aliens are successful in wide open areas because they fire their bombs at angles. But just try to get an alien to do this to a soldier that's waiting up a 1x1 grav-lift. They just can't do it.

 

The Dos and PSX version don't have this bug.

 

---

 

Easy? Or you're just a good player. Raise the stakes and go right for superhuman. Then move on to TFTD (if you'd started TFTD first, UFO would seem like a walk in the park)

 

---

 

Bravery only slows down the loss of morale. If you were able to keep morale high, by killing more aliens that the number of soldiers you were losing, then there won't be too many people wanting to panic.

 

Not being mind controlled is a good indication that either the aliens were concentrating on your soldiers with strong psi strength, or your soldiers already have a lot of psi strength.

 

---

 

Reaction shots work on any mode against chryssalids. The main thing is to have something strong enough to kill it and to actually be able to react against them.

 

By the way, saving for an autoshot does not mean your soldiers will use an autoshot for reaction fire. Only the aliens can do this. X-Com soldiers can only use snapshots.

 

But, there is a very good relation between how many TUs you save and how high your reaction level really is. Your reactions are also adjusted by the percentage of your remaining TUs. As long as this level is higher than the chryssalid's, you will get the opportunity to fire at it.

 

With a group of soldiers, the odds are even better,.

 

- NKF

[Kaeroll]

Oh right, that's very interesting. Didn't know most of that.

 

I don't quite get what you mean with the blasterbombs and grav-lifts, but either way I guess it doesn't matter; I can just pop up and hope for the best.

 

I doubt I'm that good, really, but I'll probably have a whack at superhuman at some point. I used to play TFTD a lot when I was younger, I seem to remember having some captains and higher in it. I think I was better at that than UFO, but we shall see... I'm not going to play TFTD til I finish the fan fic I'm writing about UFO, not sure why, I guess I just want to keep the atmosphere of UFO in mind. I always found TFTD less sinister... there's something about UFOs in corn fields

 

I had no idea about soldiers only using snap shots as reflexes. They go so fast I figured they were using auto shots; until last weekend I had no sound to count the number of them, either. However I have a strict rule not to let men go alone - always groups of 2-4, depending on how much ground needs covering.

 

Thanks a lot for the reply,

 

-Kaeroll

[Kirill]

What NFK meant was using diagonals in the altitude axis in order to fire BBs up n' down.

[Tuoppi]

About the rematerializing BB, can i shoot it upwards->off the map and make it reappear inside a UFO. It would save me from wasting one to break the wall first.

[Kaeroll]

If I understand you correctly, Kirill, do you mean something like this?:

A

--G--

.....X

Where A is the target, G is the lift and X is the soldier with the blaster bomb? i.e. shooting from the square next to the lift?

 

(apologies for the terrible diagram)

Edited March 17, 2005 by Kaeroll

[Exo2000]

Probably. It'd work best on a 3x3 or 5x5 lift;

 

A-------

GGGGG

--------X

 

A----

GGG

----X

Edited March 17, 2005 by Exo2000

[Kaeroll]

Thanks, I'll have to use that at some point. I had a whack at Genius today, was quite thoroughly beaten ... numerous dead guys, and all but one wounded by the third mission. Eek.