Advice?

[BannanaBomb2003]

does any one have any specific advice for being sucesfull? my first problem is researching, I got lucky enough to find a deep one terrorist on my first terror mission *alive* so I am able to use m.c. labs very soon wich will be very usefull for being anoyying to them in the future after I train my guys but heres where my problems lie, If any one has suggestions on geting the bodys/live aliens/ect. for research that would help alot. Like I got lucky when I got a live terrorist so early but finding the right stuff in a battle is really difficult in some cases. Right now im having my guys run around with thermal tazers it can be very helpfull for close querters and if its not the right alien I just drop some type of explosive right on the body if its a dangerous alien when its un armed. Also I need advice on how to spend your time wisely on the geo scape. All you usually can and do, do is basicly buy the stuff I need, research any important things and arm my sub if I need to. Im sure theirs alot more I can do but I just cant think about it. How do you guys find aliens bases? when I send a triton out to scout its basicly like playing darts in the dark you dont know where to begin. I have places a triton right where some ships go and the place looked like atlanatis or something so its probly a resource site. Basicly ANY good advice u have on keeping your forces good is nice to post here o and any advices on multi bases? is this a must? must it contain so much that the first base has? I have so many questions on advice please answer what u can if u have time :birthday:

 

Edit by Facehugger: Sorry, but I had to edit the color away, someone complained.

edit by j'ordos : let me just remove that font as well.

Edited January 16, 2005 by j'ordos

[Xracer]

there is a research tree in this site that can help you with the research

 

things you should research first is armour, gauss tech. and from therei would say psi

[Xracer]

and ofcourse don't forget to do power source Magnetic navegation and the sort wthis will give you

your new means of transportation

[obijuan]

about the alien colonies....wheres your base?? t´leth is on the golf of mexico, lots of colonies are nearby, also try around england and italy.....most of northwest europe was covered in colonies last time i played

[obijuan]

multibases???? i bulit a couple of extra bases, but had most of my staff in my first base.....all others can have just a WAsonar, a sub and maybe some stores for ammo or zrbite(id suggest defences but if you intercept all alien subs youll have no need for them)

 

i recomend a barracuda in each base with a couple of sonic osscilators, place bases around so you get global sonar cover, you intercept it with youre barracudas(exept for dreadhnoughts, you should have a sub with PWT for those) and then get youre boys from your main base

 

with bases all around youll start detecting colonies and aliens without having to patrol

[obijuan]

and about items.... you should just make sure you research sonic cannons (wich you get from aliens) and make sure to keep enogh zrbite and sonic cannon ammo in your stores( further in the game youll get so much cannons and ammo you wont have to worry about that anymore) :uzzi: :uzzi: :uzzi:

 

Never sell zrbite........build another base just to store it if you have to!!!!!!

 

always keep a couple of ION "engines"??? (i cant remember right now how are they called)....youll need those and alien sub constructions(which are not as hard to find) to build your mantas,hammerhead nad levithans(youll need this last one if yuo wanna go to T'LETH)

 

for research try to get a live commander or navigator (i dont know which exactly) cause they are a prequisite for ION armours...(which are the hardest ones and allow you to "fly" only on water) and later the MC disruptor :devilsmile: ....but check the site on one of the pstts above for the full tech tree

[obijuan]

bannana...a little update , for the mag ION armour you just need acuaplastic armour and ion accelerators resasearch

 

hope this info comes up handy....

 

OBIJUAN

[BannanaBomb2003]

thanx for the advice earlyer I researched all of the stuff in my menu that arent obvious what they should be for kicks withought going after any misions at all *didnt save ofcourse* So far im capable of building the plastic armor *Frogot name* ion acceleraters, magnetic navigation, the construction you can use to spy on transmisions, I already have an M.C. Lab up, and the rest is just gravy . As for me location, youll never find me coppers! hehe j/k one sec gota look on x-com............I am almost DIRECTLY in the middle of the ocean of alaska and hawaii north to south. Thanx for your info on the gulf, is it always in the golf? just for fun im going to planta base with a transmision revolver and tons of defense for storage right in the golf.

:fang:

[Puasonen]

Be happy as long as you can, after inventing MC-Distruptors, having 4 soldiers with MC-skill 100 and timeunits 100, the game gets so easy that it's not fun to play anymore..

[obijuan]

i agree...MC makes the game way to easy .....so if you wnna enjoy the game for a while forget MC disruptors and stick to the classic sonic cannons!!!!!!!!!! :uzzi: :alientalk:

 

thats one of the things a hope they fix in xenocide....once youre getting into the game you run out of tech to research or research something which makes all of your weapons obsolete :crying:

[BannanaBomb2003]

does any one know the best way to monotor the sea around u in easy efficiant ways then having like 30 bases? On ufo defense its very easy because all u really need is 1 base per country or continent depending on the size

[tzutzy]

  does any one know the best way to monotor the sea around u in easy efficiant ways then having like 30 bases? On ufo defense its very easy because all u really need is 1 base per country or continent depending on the size

@BannanaBomb

Last time I played I had about 8 bases all around the globe. Once you get the Transmission Resolver you'll see how much area it covers so just build another base having that in mind.

 

I remember that 2 of my bases were located in weird areas like the Mediterranean Sea, North Pole and stuff, there's not much water near but you can cover some countries and UFOs sometimes appear on your Globe where you least expect them, so you have to cover as much of the planet as possible, even if that means you have to build more bases in weird locations.

 

Each new base should have 2 sub-pens, 2 manta/barracuda with 2 sonic oscillators, transmission resolver and a store. Defending the base can be done 2 ways: by having aquanauts there or by building some defenses. Never let a base without any defence - you can lose it easily.

 

@Nyyperoid

I only got 81 Max time units for an aquanaut...

[Jonaleth Irenicus]

4 PWT defences can kill even the heaviest attack to your base. Of course, you don't get any score for letting the aliens in to your base and killing them by your team.

[[NKF]]

The defenses won't stop the attackers either. The group that's currently attacking your base will just send another, and another, and another, and another, until one gets through. Then they stop, since the game makes them forget the base location after they are successful in inserting troops. Mind you, there can be different groups of aliens that are targeting your base at the same time, and this can give the impression that your base is getting attacked by the same race over and over.

 

On the other hand, the defenses give you a chance at preparing for battle if you're not ready. If your bases are impenetrable, well, you'll get attacked non-stop.

 

Hence, build gun defense in moderation.

 

- NKF

[Jonaleth Irenicus]

It gets really funny though, every month you get nuumerous dreadgenaughts trying to enter your base and every month your defences shoot them down. And they still keep coming.

 

They may get past 4 PWT defences, but that's because PWT can shoot with 95% accuracy. So if you build 6 of them, their chances of success gets VERY slim.

[Robo Dojo 58]

And if you build a bombardment shield, their chances become almost zero.

The bombardment shield lets your defenses fire again, effectively doubling the amount of defence at the base.

[BannanaBomb2003]

im back into x-com again. I only have a few questions this time

 

1. Whats the best way to start the game off? And is it difficult to get new sub construction? I remember last time I played I messed up huge because all I had was baracudas still and they had battle ships.

2. Using time wisely on the world map? I usually end up running out of things to do and end up skipping hours until theirs an alien ship or something and have always done that, is skipping huge sums of time something that I shouldn't be doing? (I always have something happening in manufacturing and research of course)

3. Whats the best ammount of technicians and scientests to hire in the beggining?

 

I started building more bases for specific uses this time around and it seems it will work out well when the bases are completed later (a base for detection and manufactoring/storage of goods/a strike base in a different location because India has alot of alien activity)

 

Everytime I play I know im doing im supposed to, but then here and there I know I make a mistake that I cant correct (like capturing a live deep one before I stop seeing them often) as an example of a problem which I thing I made along time ago.

 

after more then a year it seems Im much more fluent with my sentance posting.

[Jonaleth Irenicus]

OK, the things I usually do in the begining of the game, step by step:

 

-Build alien containment, living quarters, general stores and large radar (I do this at the start almost every game).

-Hire 2 soldiers, 10 scientists and 10 engineers (my living quarters are full now).

-Sell misc soldier equipment, get 10 harpoons and 10 hydro jet cannons (in recent games I've started taking thermal tazers in the beginning, I think it works quite well).

-Start researching medikit.

-As soon as general stores is complete, upgrade all barracuda weapons to DUP head terpedoes.

 

In terms of research, I follow the gauss technology up to gauss rifle, and research deep one corpse / aqua plastics / armor as fast as possible. Then I get sonic pulsers. I climb the sonic tree till the craft weapon (sonic oscillator) and stop there. During my sonic research, if I have found a thermal shock launcher, I concentrate all research on it (I think it's the best weapon in the game).

After that point, it boils down to what aliens I've been able to capture (alive or dead). I try to leave the live aliens to the last (I have a live deep one phobia).

All stuff like alien learning arrays and alien sub construction I leave to the end but do them before the live alien research (if possible).

 

Edit: About barracudas, you have to use them as they are meant to be in order to make them work. You see, barracudas are fish that hunt in huge packs (like wolves), they rush their prey with blinding speed and outnumber it as a horde. If you get enough barracudas with dual sonic oscillators, you can shoot down very large USOs with ease (really). All you need to do is make sure you don't lose them (retreat when you've taken too much damage).

Edited March 24, 2004 by Jonaleth Irenicus

[[NKF]]

I'll offer advice for each point:

 

1a. The best way to start off is not a perfect science. Listen to what others have to say and see if you can intergrate their ideas into your own until you find a starting method that suits you the best.

 

Base Placement

It's hard to decide where the main base should be located. I generally dump it somewhere interesting and be done with it.

 

Consider the following factors when deciding on a good base location:

• Cash by country
  
• Clusters of countries
  
• Your favourite terrain (in TFTD this is not really that important, though depth may be quite important)
  
• Surrounding Land mass (i.e. a dead-zone where interception is impossible)
  
• Your long-term strategy. Try and think a few steps ahead and consider where your next few interception bases will be.
  
• Anything else you feel is necessary.
  

 

Base modules

It's not necessary to build up too many modules at first, as heavy costs arise from maintenance alone. The only essential aqua pod you should build no matter how you decide to play is the containment pod.

 

Living quarters follow shortly afterwards as your first base will want to be able to have enough staff to do a bit of everything. Stores aren't very important, but useful if you want to move equipment on and off ships or buy new equipment. Building and collecting equipment ignores the space requirements. (amazing packrat, the X-Com quartermaster)

 

An additional workshop or lab is nice - but not essential.

 

As for sonar - building an additional small sonar will have no effect whatsoever apart from base layout purposes. On the other hand, the abilities of a large and small sonar stack - which is a Good Thing™.

 

A new sub pen can sometimes be a good idea, but not necessary and not practical in the short run.

 

I'd probably rank the first few starting modules by importance like so: containment, quarters, stores, everything else.

 

Defense guns are debateable. So I won't get into this except that I highly recommend you concentrate your funds elsewhere for now.

 

Ship armament

Arm them any way you want. Any combination's fine, just as long as you can shoot enemy subs down without losing your ship.

 

Staff

As with everything else there's no right or wrong way to do this. For myself, I usually just fill all initial empty beds with scientists. I'll explain later.

 

 

Equipment

This highly depends on how you like to play. Just keep a few things in mind:

• Don't overstock. Especially for items like chem flares. thermal tazers and ammo clips. Keep a small supply and replace when necessary. As for ammo, keep enough - not too much.
  
• TFTD has quite a number of land missions. Make sure you have some all-terrain weapons around. Yes, you can use underwater weapons on land via reaction fire, but it's unreliable.
  
• If you have the cash - invest some of it in a coelacanth. The gas cannon coalacanth works everywhere. The torpedo coelacanth is a decent vehicle, but only when underwater. It still has its uses on land if you don't mind using it as a scout. Not compulsory, but worth considering.
  

That's it for the management side of starting a new game.

 

1b. To get sub construction, go all out of your way to concentrate your research on getting Magnetic Ion Armour and... and... er... I think the transmission resolver. Then something about having a sub construction object in storage. Er, just go and see the sticky research thread in one of the TFTD forums for more info on that. My TFTD Bug Avoidance Guide is okay if you don't mind my wordiness.

 

 

2. Not got a lot going on?

 

Think of ways of improving your bases somehow. Make them more efficient or easily defendable.

 

Clear out your stores. You don't need 1,642 pieces of aqua plastics. You don't need 312 Sonic cannon clips! Spring clean!

 

Expand your empire! There's always room for one more interception/radar post even if you're comfortable with your über-base! (money permitting)

 

Check your graphs. Non-activity in your area doesn't mean there's no activity on the other side of the globe.

 

Or you can just sit down and watch with drooping eyes as the world goes by in a flash. Easiest option, by the way.

 

If you have the transmission resolver (and it's suprisingly easy to get in this game), let the aliens build a colony near one of your own. You'll never have another dull moment as you'll have a supply of supply ships (no pun intended).

 

3. I would suggest max scientists, nil technicians. Look at it this way. Engineers need blueprints to build stuff. They start off with no blueprints. The scientists work on churning out the blueprints so the engineers can build stuff. By the time you have anything worthwhile that you'd like to build in a continuous loop, you'll have extra living space to hire more engineers. Just in time engineering. Gotta love it.

 

- NKF

Edited March 25, 2004 by NKF

[BannanaBomb2003]

Is it best to capture as many live aliens as possible or just the deep ones ect.?

 

It seems it doesn't do much good capturing alot of live ones that I dont need so I see that explosives are always a good thing .

 

Oh, and to take home with you alien artifacts, they can just be on the ground and not on your guys or in the sub right? *with the exception of colony raids ect.*

 

P.S. Is my avatar and sig picture working?

[Jonaleth Irenicus]

Hmmm. You need a live deep one for ion armour and stuff. You also need one Navigator and one Commander for research.

 

Apart from that, you don't need live aliens really. Squad leaders give alien mission info, technicians give alien sub entries and medics give you knowledge about aliens you haven't captured (this does not mean you can use a medic to get the live deep one entry and get ion armour, you have to research the alien itself).

 

Your sig and picture are working btw.

 

About colony missions: if you do a full sweep of both level, you are considered to have captured the colony, and you get LOTS of stuff. Unfortunately, alien colony missions suffer from lost/invisible aliens problems, so doing a full sweep requires and iron will.

[BannanaBomb2003]

On an up note are particle disturbance grenades any usefull at all? Infact what are they used for? At first I thought they prevent molecular control in that area that the grenade is in but of course im wrong and the game would be to easy if so.

 

maybe we should all keep the info people has posted in a document to post to when a person simaler to myself comes to the board, all of the information is helpfull and there's plenty of it to solve lots of questions.

[BannanaBomb2003]

On an extra side note this would go excellent as a faq with the credit of everyone who applyed to the post, along with all of the other usefull information on the board.

 

(example: A faq for new comers which could be posted under faqs in the Terror section of the site)

[j'ordos]

particle disturbance grenades are proximity mines, exploding when there's movement too close.

 

That faq thingy has been tried in the apoc forum, but I have to link to it over and over again ...

[Jonaleth Irenicus]

Nah, I say ppl shoot their questions here. Keeps us active and sometimes ppl ask interesting things and you learn things that you didn't know (or didn't wonder about before).

 

Those grenades are useful if you're an "alien sub door camper". You see, you can just drop one near the door (but one square AWAY from the door, not EXACTLY near the door), and line your guys up and wait for the alien to show up (either your guys or the grenade kill it). It's also useful for blocking certain areas (or limiting the access to them).

 

This is how you place the grenade near a sub door:

 

A||_G

 

And not like this:

A||G

 

A: Alien, ||: Door, G: Grenade

_: Empty square

 

You see, the grenade goes off when it senses an alien adjecent to it, so if you place it right near the door, it senses the alien behind the door and goes kaboom (and the alien does not get any damage because the doors protect it). If you place it one square away from the door, the alien steps out of the door and the grenade goes kaboom.

[[NKF]]

An interesting note about the PD mines is the fact that they do not detect vertical movement. That is to say, you can drop down on it or any one of its eight trigger tiles and not set it off. If you walk away from the mine (as long as you're not standing on top of it) you can get away safely.

 

If you land on top of an armed mine (either by Mag. Ion armour or you dropped down), you can safely pick up and reposition it as well.

 

The last bit is very useful to know in TFTD as the aliens inside the USO tend to not move about very much. In UFO, all but one or two aliens guarding critical locations will end up filing out of the ship. This isn't true in TFTD, and you may end up stuck with an armed mine that no one wants to step on.

 

Finally, in TFTD, all grenades have tougher 'armour', so to say. Most of the grenades indestructable. I've seen mines get destroyed, but only with very powerful explosives like the sonic pulsers. Try not to do this as destroying an armed mine can introduce an unpredictable bug where a random item is 'armed' as if it were a mine.

 

- NKF

Edited March 27, 2004 by NKF

[Crus8r]

And I, for one, REALLY appreciate the toughness of grenades in TftD. I HATED the fact that a grenade blast would destroy other grenades in Xcom1. If you want to hit an alien with 2 grenades, you have to carefully space them out so the first won't destroy the second before it can go off...

 

If you get lobstermen early in TftD, one of the few ways you can dispatch them is by piling armed grenades about knee-high under them...and the other aliens will also often survive a single grenade, so the ability to 'stack' grenades is more important than you might think.

 

- Crus8r

[BannanaBomb2003]

hehe thanx for the info.

When I play the game occasionally crashes out into windows while in a terror mission. Is this normal?

 

This has always occured before but im just making sure its normal since ive heard about alot of people saving incase the game crashes. Is their any possible way to fix this?

[j'ordos]

Do you have the DOS version, or the CE? Other than that, there's probably not much you can do about it...

[BannanaBomb2003]

I have both the Dos and the CE, I use the CE on this computer though because my computer runs way to fast for the dos one. I could use a program to slow it down but eh. Oh and most of the time the music doesn't come on when I open the program *excluding the intro* but sometimes it does. Maybe its the music bug?

[guster80]

I have both the Dos and the CE, I use the CE on this computer though because my computer runs way to fast for the dos one.  I could use a program to slow it down but eh.  Oh and most of the time the music doesn't come on when I open the program *excluding the intro* but sometimes it does.  Maybe its the music bug?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Try using DosBox. This program lets you run the old classics on XP & the uber-fast computers.