3 replies to this topic

[Kloreep]

I finished playing my first game (Beginner) last night in the third or fourth month. I had finally accumulated about $10 million and wanted to build a new base. (Have I mentioned I love that disabling weapon you get after Plasma Cannons? The equipment you can get brings in a lot of money. )

This was when I discovered there's a limitation on how far out a new base can be from an existing on. I can't say I like it; it looks to me like any new base will have a substantial sensor overlap with my old one. Maybe not?

So... it seems pretty obvious to me that you want your bases to be near clusters of stars so that they can watch over a bunch of different mining operations. But where do you like to place your bases relative to your old ones?

If I'm correct about there being sensor overlap, do you think leapfrogging - building a useless base at the edge of one your old ones, then building another farther out you'll actually use with the extended range of the second base, and then disbanding the middle base - might be worth it long-term?

[SupSuper]

the Tachyon Pulser? yes, it's a vital weapon to get intact ufos, specially for research
i've found x-com interceptor to be the only x-com game where you DON'T have to manufacture anything the aliens have, because you can get buckloads of it (and thus you can also make loads of money out of it). never had any elerium shortages too

yes, there is always sensor overlap, since bases can only be built within sensor range of other bases (thus upgrading a base's sensor system, when possible, is useful). it makes more sense, i doubt you'd be able to build a base on an unknown area (which, as far as you know, could even have an alien base right next to it ), but it's still not very useful. but i'm not here to argue with the logic of things

usually i build my bases towards alien territory (just search for alien outposts, bases, etc with probes), so that spacecrafts don't run out of fuel when heading for alien bases and such (which are usually far away)
or if you don't want to search for them,

i don't know, i never tried leapfrogging, since it's always worth having many bases so you can have many squads of craft available (each base can only have 3 hangars which only allows 9 craft per base).

Edited by SupSuper, 01 September 2004 - 01:49 PM.

[Kloreep]

Yeah, the Tachyon Pulsar. That's a great weapon to use when you have an overwhelming advantage on the squad you're intercepting, though it's too weak to be used casually in more even fights.

Anyway, after having played far enough in to my first game (now abandoned) to see how far out the AATS sensors expand, I've taken to leapfrogging with 1 transition base in between. Since it seems you have a limited number of bases, I don't want to waste any of my bases' sensor/minable system coverage. It does cost several million to do this (although not the whole 5 million spent on the transition base since you do get some money from disassembly), but I think it's probably worth it long term.

[Chris StarShade]

I actually just pick a place, any place, where I want my next base to be...


And then build a long string of temporary bases so I can reach the position I want.

Then when I have built a base where I want it to be, I dismantle the temporary bases. Voila!