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XCOMUFO & Xenocide

Xcom Field Manual


stewart

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At XTC spaceman42 is working on a field manual. I've written to him to see if he'd be interested in heading a project to make a hyperlinked online version one. If you'd be interested in helping let's hear it.
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I don't think I can be much help with the technical stuff with a site like that, but I'd be curious to know if he needs any help with some content. What kind of things is he looking for with the manual? Is it a walkthrough sort of thing giving recommended loadouts/stats for troops etc. by difficulty and are editors taken into account? Information on things to expect from the AI on each setting? Is it a combination of the above but written like fan fiction or something?

Only reason I ask all these questions is I've been playing a lot lately and have been encountering a few things here or there. Let me know if there's anything specific (besides not die :)) I need to keep an eye on while I game.
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The best thing to do if you're not familiar with this is to read the thread it started from to get a general idea of what it's all about. (Well, part of it, anyway)

[url="http://www.x-com.co.uk/community/index.php?showtopic=721&st=0"]http://www.x-com.co.uk/community/index.php...wtopic=721&st=0[/url]

Part fan fiction (in the way it's written), part starters guide (no alien tech - until the 'addendums' roll in).

- NKF
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All righty I've spoken to Spaceman42 and he is interested in the project, just not heading it. Micah is gonna give us webspace to make this a reality. I will create a forum to discuss all aspects of this project. Just post in this thread if you are interested, like Xenocide we'll need writers, artists, web programmers etc.
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Hmm. Until stewart gets the forum up and running, here's the more-or-less-most-recent version of the field manual (in Word 2000 format; if you don't have Word there're viewers available... somewhere online.)

[url="http://nfact.mspencer.net/XComFM.doc"]http://nfact.mspencer.net/XComFM.doc[/url]
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[quote name='SupSuper' date='Nov 26 2004, 07:13 PM']i can make a PDF version of it.
[right][post="100830"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

I've been leaning towards that the whole time I've been working on this thing. Mainly because all the Army FMs I've found are in PDF format... 'sides, it's more compact, really.

I'd appreciate it, indeed.
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Okay. For the forseeable future (as in, within the week) I am available to write something for this project. I need to get away from NS RPs anyway. :P

Here is a lil sample I did up on the fly for an ammendum relating to storming a UFO.

"Appendix 5007: Storming a UFO;
Throughout the course of normal X-Com operations, it will become necessary to assault and capture UFOs in a wide variety of terrains and climates. This document features a hypothetical squad of ten men plus 1 HWP/Cannon assaulting the two seemingly most commonly observed alien vessels, the "Large Scout" and the "Medium Scout."

Phase 1: Follow deployment procedures as outlined in section 2004 of the X-Com Field Manual. Pay close attention to your units flanks as there is some evidence that the Aliens can use the UFO to coordinate their forces, possibly repurposing its communications equipment for battlefield use.

Phase 2: Once the exterior of the UFO is clear, we move into the second phase of the assault. This is often the most hazardous phase of the operation. The door(s) of the UFOs are lethal choke points and the aliens can be expected to take advantage of these areas to exact a heavy toll on attacking X-Com forces. To minimize the impact of these tactics, make heavy use of standard X-Com smoke grenades to cover the attacking squad as they set up a perimeter around the UFO door(s).

Now comes the important part. X-Com troops should always, unless assaulting a 'medium scout' UFO, toss a primed frag grenade through the door they wish to enter. This should disorient and weaken any defending aliens, giving X-Com troops the opportunity to storm through the door and eliminate any defending aliens in the immediate vicinity.

Phase 3: The interior of any UFO is a completely alien landscape that must be treated with [i]extreme[/i] caution. Aliens will no doubt congregate around internal choke-points such as doors and lifts/stairs (Theorized due to the discovery of triple decked 'medium' size UPO.) Small, fast-firing weapons are preferable here. The range is almost point blank, and internal UFO combat often turns into a contest of reaction speeds. Pistols and Auto-Pistols are amongst the most effective weapons inside a UFO on account of the fact that their main disadvantage, short range, is negated by close quarters combat inside UFOs. In addition, close-range weapons such as Stun Rods take on a value here.

NEVER use high collateral damage weapons such as rocket launchers inside a UFO. The close quarters almost insures that your troops will be injured or killed by the explosion. In addition, the explosion of the rocket may damage something of value, such as the craft's reactor or navigation arrays. One thing to note is that the higher ranked and often more valuable aliens often loiter in the bowels of a UFO, sometimes near navigation stations or the main reactor.

Hypothetical situation: Assault on "Medium Scout" UFO;

Medium scouts are small and roughly saucer shaped UFOs consisting of one 'room' which holds the reactor, navigation, and crew areas. This type of UFO is often one of the most difficult to assault successfully due to the fact that every alien in the ship has a clear line of sight to gun down any X-Com troopers entering the craft's solitary door. In addition, the close proximity of the craft's valuable reactor means that frag grenades cannot be employed during entry.

Scenario: A "Medium Scout" has crashed in a dense forest. X-Com troopers have cleared out the surrounding area of alien units and are now preparing to assault the UFO. Knowing full well that using explosives in the UFO will destroy the valuable reactor, the Squad Leader confiscates explosives before the assault.

The squad should set up an overwatch perimeter around the UFO's door, using the HWP to cover the door. Theoretically, the squad could wait until the aliens are forced to come out due to starvation/nutrient depravation, but the time critical nature of many X-Com operations prevents this. Thus, the UFO should be assaulted as soon as all the troops are in position.

Toss a smoke grenade through the UFO's door, saturating the interior of the UFO with smoke. This should help to confuse the aliens and reduce their accuracy. Rush the troops in with SMGs/Pistols and terminate each and every alien inside the ship. If some sort of non-explosive area of effect weapon is available, employ that instead.

Likely X-Com casualties from assault: 5-8

Hypothetical situation 2: Assault on "Large Scout" UFO;

Large Scouts are actually easier in some ways than Medium Scouts. There isn't the entire crew of a UFO waiting by the entrance of a Large Scout for an X-Com team to show up. The aliens will usually be distributed a bit more evenly, reducing the number that an assault team has to neutralize at once. The reactor is in the center of the ship, shielded for the most part by walls. Explosives are viable in this craft.

Scenario: A Large Scout has landed in a rural area on a research mission. X-Com agents have cleared the surrounding area of aliens, leaving only the UFO and the aliens it contains as the mission objectives.

This squad should set up an overwatch perimeter over the door, leaving few to no angles uncovered. The HWP should be positioned directly in front of the UFO door if possible (roughly a few meters away would be optimal, but terrain does not always allow for such placement.)

Then the squad should throw a frag grenade right through the UFO’s door and storm the entrance, killing all aliens nearby. The squad should then split into two groups and move to secure each of the doors ahead. The two squads should then converge upon the navigation area and the reactor room. Purge all aliens within the UFO to facilitate its capture. Be wary of aliens in the navigation room, and take cover behind the doors you already secured if necessary.

Likely X-Com casualties: 2-5"
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Okay, two things:

Firstly, it's probably a good idea to focus [b]just[/b] on the Field Manual for now. Other manuals can come later - though personally, I think they'd be more difficult to due just because of lack of related "real-life" material.

Secondly, the first "edition" of the Field Manual won't cover specific tactics for UFO / base assaults in depth, just general tactics as practiced by participant nations - because this seems a lot more accomplishable, and there's always room to expand upon what's been written - [b]once we have a base[/b].

Got me?
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[quote name='Spaceman42' date='Nov 28 2004, 01:24 PM']Okay, two things:

Firstly, it's probably a good idea to focus [b]just[/b] on the Field Manual for now. Other manuals can  come later - though personally, I think they'd be more difficult to due just because of lack of related "real-life" material.

Secondly, the first "edition" of the Field Manual won't cover specific tactics for UFO / base assaults in depth, just general tactics as practiced by participant nations - because this seems a lot more accomplishable, and there's always room to expand upon what's been written - [b]once we have a base[/b].

Got me?
[right][post="101006"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

I'd also recomment that the manual be based on starting equipment only. We can then add addendums based on new technology.
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The brilliance here is that lots of the strategies that might end up going into the basic '1st edition' manual will be universal and can be utilised with most of the alien weapons.

I mean, you can perform the same strategies with the alien grenade as you would with the standard grenade and the high explosive (okay, you need to be twice as much strength, but the principle is the same). Same for the guns, be they ballistic, laser or plasma, you'll still be doing the same things with them.

The psi-tools and blasters for example will provide new avenues in strategy that you can touch upon in the addendum, but will not be able to go into the combat manual.

- NKF Edited by NKF
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