Jump to content
XCOMUFO & Xenocide

X-com 1 Vs. X-com 2


steve_b

Recommended Posts

You really should start on UFO to begin with. It's easier (relatively speaking - of course!) of the two and it is better balanced to cater to many styles of play. Plus it's playing the games in chronological order.

 

TFTD is just plain hard. But that could be a good thing if you don't mind the challenge. It introduces various changes like under-water and land maps and water-only weapons. Melee weapons. Most important of all is the door opening feature where you can open doors without walking through them. Despite what many would say, TFTD varies in many subtle ways to UFO that it can't be called a straight re-skin of UFO with door opening feature.

 

I highly recommend playing both games, but again I recommend beginning with UFO.

 

- NKF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. I actually played X-Com 1 a long long time ago. Due to just having moved in with my future-wife, it took me a while to find the time to finish it, but it was great.

 

I started X-com 2, but did not get very far. Not sure exactly why I stopped. But I remeber it seeming very similar to X-com 1.

 

I was nerdy enough to have created a chart (with actual pen and paper!) trying to figure out which was the best item to manufacture for profit. I do remember starting the chart for X-Com 2 and thinking the values were exactly the same. (faulty memory of mine???) That's why I thought it might have been the same game with a "different skin" as you say. But it sounds like you're saying there are differences and it's actually harder and has different weapons. Regardless, since it's been so long I'll take your advice and start with X-com 1.

 

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, enough aspects of the two games are similar that it's safe to assume a lot of few things between the game to hold true between each other.

 

For example, as you found out, the most profitable item to build (in bulk) and sell in UFO is the craft Laser Cannon. In TFTD, its equivalent, the craft Gauss Cannon, is also the most profitable item to manufacture.

 

One bonus with starting with UFO is that you can later carry a lot of your ground battle strategies across into TFTD.

 

- NKF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Laser Canon?!? I thought it was Alien Alloy! LOL

 

Actually when I did the chart years ago, a friend who was also playing it was adamant that it was Alien Alloy. He would always say "Double your money back" or something like that. I couldn't get him to understand the concept of profit per day as opposed to percentage profit. I tried though.

 

Then we were at a party and he was bragging to this girl how he had "totally mastered the economics of X-Com". Well ... If he could find a girl that was actually impressed with something like that, more power to him! I wish my wife was as impressed with my nerdly ways. :P Anyway, I gave in to him right then and there and told him he was right. Who was I to stand in the way of true love. :wub:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's actually a lot you have to take into account, not just the direct build cost, sale cost and the engineering hours.

 

If you're interested, there's a very extensive article on the Ufopaedia wiki that details everything you need (and probably don't need) to know about manufacturing profitability:

 

http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=M...g_Profitability

 

If you look at the profit table in that section on the alien alloys, you're actually losing money at the end of the month if you choose to build/sell them!

 

Yeah, some of us do spend a bit too much time on this game. :D But it's worth it if others can benefit from is at well!

 

- NKF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh - I knew manufacturing alien alloys was a really bad idea -- but when your buddy is trying to impress a girl ... you agree with him, then tell the girl how smart he is and how much he has helped you out, ... and then when you have him in private you tell him he's an idiot! :)

 

Nice article. True that research costs are important --- but I only played it that once, so I could only add an item to my chart AFTER I had researched it, and obviously had no idea what the research times were.

 

I think a column with profit per engineer per month would be helpful. Tank/Laser Cannon gets shafted in that chart. There are cases when you may only have 25 or less engineers available, or cases where you have an additional workshop or two in the same base, etc. -- Not saying that it's relative ranking would change tho...

 

Alien Alloys = free just because they're on-hand? That's silly. :P Sounds like something else my buddy said....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my opinion, you can pretty much make up for any funding loss with 5 workshops and 244 engineers working laser cannons. I usually make one production base in Antartica with that and 6 living quarters (need soldiers too) 4 storage, etc.

 

With that and the cash you get from selling artifacts, money will never be a real problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sun Tzu's Art of War says that a bushel of the enemy's supplies is worth ten of your own. (okay the exact phrasing may differ depending on your translation)

 

If you're pretty confident with your fighting ability, you can work for your money by farming the supply ships that dock at alien bases like clockwork, and then selling off the excess weapons and components that you'll not be needing.

 

Each one contains a massive bounty of goodies and your troops can get a good workout in the process without having to meet any terror units or go up against blaster launchers. All the points from a single supply ship easily offsets all disadvantages of having a base in the area. The overall benefits (not just financial) really outweigh that of a mass laser cannon production facility. You'll probably get really good at assaulting supply ships!

 

The only real problem is finding a suitable alien base (floater or snakemen are the most ideal). One additional consideration (mainly for convenience), is whether the base is globally situated so that the supply ships always arrive during the day. Nothing wrong with getting used to fighting at night though - it adds mastery of flare/incendiary management to your toolbox of skills.

 

- NKF

 

P. S: I notice that I use that phrase from the Art of War a lot.

Edited by NKF
Link to comment
Share on other sites

X-Com 1 is a fun game where you get to build bases and command a squad of soldiers and stuff.

 

X-Com 2 is a psychological assault trying to break your will to live and leave you whimpering "Are the tentaculats gone, mommy? Are they really gone?" in the corner.

 

Granted, I've only played the second game, so my opinion may be biased :P

 

PS: Hello again forums :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I've played xcom2 first, and what's reall frustrating to a new-comer to this game, is the possibility of a broken tech tree. (where you can get a tech if you messed up the research order). Not to mention the bugs. Xcom1 seems solid. I personally don't like how they name the techs (ie alien grenade, alien alloy) ...too ambigious.

 

I choose xcom2.

Edited by Andy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
I've been playing X-Com 2 just because the difficulty keeps things interesting but the tech tree bugs have been killing me since I was a kid. I would prefer TFTD if it didn't have so many issues, but the fact that UFO is just flawless except for being a bit easy gives it my vote Edited by Mustang
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...