[360/PC/PS3] XCOM: Enemy Unknown

[CeeKay]

[lex]

I'm enjoying this one, it harkens back to the games of my childhood. The one thing that I really dislike and can't believe they omitted is the lack of a "prone" option. Is it really not available, or have I just not figured it out yet? I just played mission 2 and wanted my sniper to lay low on top of the bus.

The game is designed around the cover mechanics and you want to have your soldiers in cover more or less all the time during the missions.  Being out in the open at the end of a turn is risky.

There is supposed to be an aim penalty when shooting at targets on a higher elevation, but I rarely put snipers/soldiers on top of vehicles (especially ones that are on fire  ).  My snipers got the job done at the ground

[ATB]

My snipers got the job done at the ground

[gellar]

I'm enjoying this one, it harkens back to the games of my childhood. The one thing that I really dislike and can't believe they omitted is the lack of a "prone" option. Is it really not available, or have I just not figured it out yet? I just played mission 2 and wanted my sniper to lay low on top of the bus.

The game is designed around the cover mechanics and you want to have your soldiers in cover more or less all the time during the missions.  Being out in the open at the end of a turn is risky.

There is supposed to be an aim penalty when shooting at targets on a higher elevation, but I rarely put snipers/soldiers on top of vehicles (especially ones that are on fire  ).  My snipers got the job done at the ground

There's definitely an aim penalty/aim bonus for elevation.  In general being higher is always advantageous to being lower (even lower under full cover).  The risk of being higher are the fucking flying bastards who will absolutely destroy you, since they are even (or better) elevation and at that point you have no cover.

My strategy was to go high when I was relatively sure it was safe from anything that flies.

[TiLT]

I'm enjoying this one, it harkens back to the games of my childhood. The one thing that I really dislike and can't believe they omitted is the lack of a "prone" option. Is it really not available, or have I just not figured it out yet? I just played mission 2 and wanted my sniper to lay low on top of the bus.

The game is designed around the cover mechanics and you want to have your soldiers in cover more or less all the time during the missions.  Being out in the open at the end of a turn is risky.

There is supposed to be an aim penalty when shooting at targets on a higher elevation, but I rarely put snipers/soldiers on top of vehicles (especially ones that are on fire  ).  My snipers got the job done at the ground

There's definitely an aim penalty/aim bonus for elevation.  In general being higher is always advantageous to being lower (even lower under full cover).  The risk of being higher are the fucking flying bastards who will absolutely destroy you, since they are even (or better) elevation and at that point you have no cover.

My strategy was to go high when I was relatively sure it was safe from anything that flies.

I may have the numbers wrong, but I think you get a +20 bonus to defense when on higher ground than the attacker. This is the same bonus as low cover, but 20 less than high cover.

[Roguetad]

I'm enjoying this one, it harkens back to the games of my childhood. The one thing that I really dislike and can't believe they omitted is the lack of a "prone" option. Is it really not available, or have I just not figured it out yet? I just played mission 2 and wanted my sniper to lay low on top of the bus.

The game is designed around the cover mechanics and you want to have your soldiers in cover more or less all the time during the missions.  Being out in the open at the end of a turn is risky.

There is supposed to be an aim penalty when shooting at targets on a higher elevation, but I rarely put snipers/soldiers on top of vehicles (especially ones that are on fire  ).  My snipers got the job done at the ground

There's definitely an aim penalty/aim bonus for elevation.  In general being higher is always advantageous to being lower (even lower under full cover).  The risk of being higher are the fucking flying bastards who will absolutely destroy you, since they are even (or better) elevation and at that point you have no cover.

My strategy was to go high when I was relatively sure it was safe from anything that flies.

That's why parking a sniper with archangel armor and squad sight (and double tap) at the beginning of a map works so well.  It's like having on call instant death available anywhere.

[Isgrimnur]

Snipers are pretty awesome. 

[gellar]

I'm enjoying this one, it harkens back to the games of my childhood. The one thing that I really dislike and can't believe they omitted is the lack of a "prone" option. Is it really not available, or have I just not figured it out yet? I just played mission 2 and wanted my sniper to lay low on top of the bus.

The game is designed around the cover mechanics and you want to have your soldiers in cover more or less all the time during the missions.  Being out in the open at the end of a turn is risky.

There is supposed to be an aim penalty when shooting at targets on a higher elevation, but I rarely put snipers/soldiers on top of vehicles (especially ones that are on fire  ).  My snipers got the job done at the ground

There's definitely an aim penalty/aim bonus for elevation.  In general being higher is always advantageous to being lower (even lower under full cover).  The risk of being higher are the fucking flying bastards who will absolutely destroy you, since they are even (or better) elevation and at that point you have no cover.

My strategy was to go high when I was relatively sure it was safe from anything that flies.

I may have the numbers wrong, but I think you get a +20 bonus to defense when on higher ground than the attacker. This is the same bonus as low cover, but 20 less than high cover.

It seemed to me (and this is entirely anecdotal) that it depended on how much higher you were than the enemy.  I also thought I got some 100% chance for crits depending on height as well.

Then again, it's been a few weeks since I've fired up the game and I could be misremembering things.

[Dunamis]

I just finished the game last night.  Question on the ending:

Spoiler for Hiden:

After I got all the way to the end of the Alien ship and killed the mind control alien dude the entire earth started shaking.  My squad ran toward the ship but didn't get on (not sure why)  The purple sphere started going up which made the alien ship go up and explode over the earth.  My transport ship was headed back to base and then the final score popped up. 

Did I miss something or was the ending that abrupt for everyone?

Did my squad all die on the alien ship?

Just seems like there should have been a final dialog back at the base or something...

[Autistic Angel]

I just finished the game last night.  Question on the ending:

Spoiler for Hiden:

After I got all the way to the end of the Alien ship and killed the mind control alien dude the entire earth started shaking.  My squad ran toward the ship but didn't get on (not sure why)  The purple sphere started going up which made the alien ship go up and explode over the earth.  My transport ship was headed back to base and then the final score popped up. 

Did I miss something or was the ending that abrupt for everyone?

Did my squad all die on the alien ship?

Just seems like there should have been a final dialog back at the base or something...

I'm pretty sure

Spoiler for Hiden:

your entire squad, minus the volunteer manipulating the sphere, boards the Skyranger and safely escapes the blast radius.  I think you get a brief shot of them in the straps as the plane weathers a shockwave from the alien craft.  One way or another, though, it's definitely my assumption they survived.

But no, there's no denouement back at the base.  Maybe it's something they're planning to extend via DLC.

-Autistic Angel

[Dunamis]

I just finished the game last night.  Question on the ending:

Spoiler for Hiden:

After I got all the way to the end of the Alien ship and killed the mind control alien dude the entire earth started shaking.  My squad ran toward the ship but didn't get on (not sure why)  The purple sphere started going up which made the alien ship go up and explode over the earth.  My transport ship was headed back to base and then the final score popped up. 

Did I miss something or was the ending that abrupt for everyone?

Did my squad all die on the alien ship?

Just seems like there should have been a final dialog back at the base or something...

I'm pretty sure

Spoiler for Hiden:

your entire squad, minus the volunteer manipulating the sphere, boards the Skyranger and safely escapes the blast radius.  I think you get a brief shot of them in the straps as the plane weathers a shockwave from the alien craft.  One way or another, though, it's definitely my assumption they survived.

But no, there's no denouement back at the base.  Maybe it's something they're planning to extend via DLC.

-Autistic Angel

Got it, thanks.

[ATB]

Yeah

Spoiler for Hiden:

When the volunteer gets a glimpse of what's to come he psi zaps the rest of the crew through the blast door or whatever that is...and my mind could be foggy, but i thought it showed them escaping to the ship.

What would be really bad ass is if in some DLC/Xcom2 or something, your volunteer turns out to be so powerful that he/she saved himself with a psi shield when the ship exploded and comes back to earth and says....NOW WE ATTACK THEIR HOME WORLD..DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN!

[The Rocketman]

I am seriously loving this game. Haven't finished it yet, don't have that much spare time, and am going slowly on normal (but I am near the end though, I've met all the alien types).

There are some things I miss.
- Air combat is a bit too simplified. I liked it when my interceptors were too slow to intercept the ufo's, or when they blasted them to smithereens. Now there are far less ufo's, and I always shoot them down it seems. Also, I liked ordering interceptors on a patrol to find an enemy base, or to have them guard the shot-down ufo's until the skyranger arrived (I always waited until daylight). No need for all that now.

- The spookyness has gone. No more hunting down the lone alien in a dark alley (that was actually too dark to see), or the tension during the 'hidden movement' screen. I really liked that screen And the music. It's all more action-oriented now. Also, full 360° vision means you can't be ambushed that easily (or vice versa).

- The maps are a tad too small. You could have fights from 1 building roof to aliens hiding in another building's 3rd floor, and you don't have that in this game.

- Some things are very abstract, such as the limited carrying space of your troops. Off course I understand this from a gaming point of view, but I liked this bit of customisation... Do I bring a motion detector, or an extra rocket, or some extra ammo for those long base assaults, or do I pack lightly because this guy's strength is a bit low...

Now, I think I'll actually play this new game more than the old x-com, so the thing I miss apparantly don't outweigh the things they fixed. I absolutely love this game, but it IS simplified. It's a strange feeling... A bit like Diablo 3. These games are so accessible I play them more than the original games, yet I find the original games more gratifying (in my mind). To make a comparison: I like to play a lot of light boardgames, but once in a while I also like a heavy game (Twilight Imperium for those in the know). And although that doesn't hit the table often, when it does, it's always an epic night.

Conclusion: fantastic game, but the original was a bit more complicated, and this satisfied me a bit more.

[Doopri]

so first to destroy common conception - a "post"-script at the top   ... rocket i cant help but be right there with you when it comes to a compare / contrast with the original!  thanks for pointing a few of these things out because illl admit i missed a couple as i played but i cant help but think my overall "feel" of the game was more or less in line with yours!


and now my question...

after playing and winning the game on classic, i thiiiiiiiink i just found a bug on normal / ironman.  i kicked the crap out of it.  no, really, i did - i didnt lose a nation, i DID miss a mission or two but my end game stats showed me waaaaay over the curve.  i double tapped

Spoiler for Hiden:

the end uber ethy baddie in one shot... well, okay, two

but i lost.  i had a screen where it basically said i had lost total support, and it showed all nations going red on me - what gives?  anyone else encounter this?  unless im the victim of some sort of esoteric win/loss formula i have no clue why this happened - any help?

[TiLT]

but i lost.  i had a screen where it basically said i had lost total support, and it showed all nations going red on me - what gives?  anyone else encounter this?  unless im the victim of some sort of esoteric win/loss formula i have no clue why this happened - any help?

It's a known bug, apparently. Firaxis might appreciate your savegame, if it still exists, so they can squash it.

[Doopri]

ah okay thanks tilt - as long as its known and out there

i played on the 360; if theres a way for me to get them my save ill do it.  oh well guess ill just have to wait for an interesting piece of dlc and go again

[Ridah]

I'm enjoying the game, but god damn is it unpolished and in need of a patch.

- It doesn't do a good job of explaining how everything works. For instance, it didn't tell me that if I sold my school (so that I could put it in a different slot, since the game pre-selects it), I would lose all my upgrades. It's a pain in the ass having a smaller squad until the new school is built.

- What's up with the aiming? There have been so many instances where I'll have as high as a 93% chance to hit and I still miss.

- The camera sucks. Stuff will be happening and I can't see it because the camera is point at something else.

- The pathing sucks... occasionally. For instance, when I'm creating my unit's path, it shows the line going around the outside of a building. Upon execution the unit runs through the building, filled with enemies set to Overwatch no less.

- Enemies shoot through walls when they aren't supposed to (the wall is not damaged, the shot just goes through). I've even seen enemies magically jump through ceilings to get onto the roof too.

- There are constant clipping issues - guns pointing through walls, etc.

I've experienced so much frustration and I'm playing on Easy! No wonder the devs are planning to patch the game and make Easy mode easier - they're trying to sweep all the dirt under the rug.

[The Rocketman]

All I can say is that this game has been some of the most fun I've had playing games the last couple of years. I don't agree with some of the changes made to it (see my post above), but despite these I enjoy the game almost completely. The real goal any game should try to achieve is that it should be fun to play. For me, it has succeeded completely here.

And honestly, I haven't noticed many of those quirks myself. I find everything rather self-explanatory, the aiming percentages don't seem off to me (I often hit when I have low chance and vice versa), the camera seems fine (except sometimes in a UFO where it's organic shapes conflict with the 90° angle), and the clipping is just a detail.

As you say, you seem to be frustrated with this game, whick makes every little detail stand out which I understand. But none of these things really matter I think, as long as you're having fun. And if you're not, then I don't think fixing these details will, but then this genre isn't for you. And for the record, I think it is an incredibly polished product.

[TiLT]

- What's up with the aiming? There have been so many instances where I'll have as high as a 93% chance to hit and I still miss.

I think that says more about your aptitude for probability than about the game itself.

Actually, it's been kind of interesting observing people's reports and videos about the game, seeing the wildly different ways in which people will interpret a percentage value. Some people (including some of the game's developers, apparently) treat anything above 80% as a "guaranteed success", while others (me included) will keep backup plans even if they have a 99% chance. Percentages are surprisingly hard for most people to completely wrap their heads around, though I'm not saying that applies to you.

[msteelers]

It's frustrating when you miss with a high percentage chance, but that's the nature of probability.

However, I missed once on a shot with 100% chance to hit. Now THAT was rage-inducing.

[TiLT]

It's frustrating when you miss with a high percentage chance, but that's the nature of probability.

However, I missed once on a shot with 100% chance to hit. Now THAT was rage-inducing.

That seems to indicate that the game operates with an internal precision that is higher than what it shows to the player. Your hit chance may have been 99,5% for example, which would be rounded up to 100%. That's a 1 in 200 chance of missing, but it can and will happen.

[Ridah]

It's frustrating when you miss with a high percentage chance, but that's the nature of probability.

However, I missed once on a shot with 100% chance to hit. Now THAT was rage-inducing.

That seems to indicate that the game operates with an internal precision that is higher than what it shows to the player. Your hit chance may have been 99,5% for example, which would be rounded up to 100%. That's a 1 in 200 chance of missing, but it can and will happen.

It's the amount of times I've missed shots with such high chances of hitting that frustrates me. I don't believe every shot with an 80% or higher chance to hit should hit the target, but it feels undermining when I make the effort to get a clear shot on enemy just to miss it so often. Especially when we're talking about my snipers who I've outfitted with advanced scopes and selected aim enhancing abilities for.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

It's frustrating when you miss with a high percentage chance, but that's the nature of probability.

However, I missed once on a shot with 100% chance to hit. Now THAT was rage-inducing.

That seems to indicate that the game operates with an internal precision that is higher than what it shows to the player. Your hit chance may have been 99,5% for example, which would be rounded up to 100%. That's a 1 in 200 chance of missing, but it can and will happen.

It's the amount of times I've missed shots with such high chances of hitting that frustrates me. I don't believe every shot with an 80% or higher chance to hit should hit the target, but it feels undermining when I make the effort to get a clear shot on enemy just to miss it so often. Especially when we're talking about my snipers who I've outfitted with advanced scopes and selected aim enhancing abilities for.

I suppose the question is whether you actually are missing at a higher rate than your chance would indicate or whether it just feels that way. The only way to test it is to count how many makes/misses you have over a certain chance percentage over a number of games. Unfortunately, due to the way the system works, you can't just shoot/reload the game/shoot to measure it.

[lex]

It's frustrating when you miss with a high percentage chance, but that's the nature of probability.

However, I missed once on a shot with 100% chance to hit. Now THAT was rage-inducing.

That seems to indicate that the game operates with an internal precision that is higher than what it shows to the player. Your hit chance may have been 99,5% for example, which would be rounded up to 100%. That's a 1 in 200 chance of missing, but it can and will happen.

It's the amount of times I've missed shots with such high chances of hitting that frustrates me. I don't believe every shot with an 80% or higher chance to hit should hit the target, but it feels undermining when I make the effort to get a clear shot on enemy just to miss it so often. Especially when we're talking about my snipers who I've outfitted with advanced scopes and selected aim enhancing abilities for.

I suppose the question is whether you actually are missing at a higher rate than your chance would indicate or whether it just feels that way. The only way to test it is to count how many makes/misses you have over a certain chance percentage over a number of games. Unfortunately, due to the way the system works, you can't just shoot/reload the game/shoot to measure it.

I will say that in the early game it does feel like your soldiers are constantly missing high percentage hit shots.  I don't know  when the turning point was, but when your soldiers level up/gain new tech, it feels like those 75%+ shots connect more frequently.

Or it might be just me learning when to make a shot or not.

[Ridah]

There are times when I'm flanking an enemy from within 3-4 tiles away with no objects between us, yet my hit chance will be something low like 64% and I'll miss the shot. It's a fucking stupid aiming system, I'm sorry. Again, that's not to say it isn't a good game because it's awesome in many other ways, but this one flaw drags the whole experience down for me. 

[wonderpug]

There are times when I'm flanking an enemy from within 3-4 tiles away with no objects between us, yet my hit chance will be something low like 64% and I'll miss the shot. It's a fucking stupid aiming system, I'm sorry. Again, that's not to say it isn't a good game because it's awesome in many other ways, but this one flaw drags the whole experience down for me. 

Are you imagining in your head that your troop is standing still and the alien is standing still while he makes the shot?  Remember that the turn based mechanic is just an abstraction for a realtime battle that's taking place.  The alien is running from cover to cover, and your troop just ran up to flank him and is taking a shot with hardly a moment to catch his breath, under fire, with that alien getting ready to shoot right back.

[ATB]

There are times when I'm flanking an enemy from within 3-4 tiles away with no objects between us, yet my hit chance will be something low like 64% and I'll miss the shot. It's a fucking stupid aiming system, I'm sorry. Again, that's not to say it isn't a good game because it's awesome in many other ways, but this one flaw drags the whole experience down for me. 

Are you imagining in your head that your troop is standing still and the alien is standing still while he makes the shot?  Remember that the turn based mechanic is just an abstraction for a realtime battle that's taking place.  The alien is running from cover to cover, and your troop just ran up to flank him and is taking a shot with hardly a moment to catch his breath, under fire, with that alien getting ready to shoot right back.

This should go both ways then. It seems far more stacked against the player than the AI.

[The Rocketman]

It sure feels like that on classic sometimes, but remember that x-com has the skill of doubling it's defense value (hunker down), and none of the aliens have that one (I think). It's a very solid skill, especially in combination with high cover.

[wonderpug]

There are times when I'm flanking an enemy from within 3-4 tiles away with no objects between us, yet my hit chance will be something low like 64% and I'll miss the shot. It's a fucking stupid aiming system, I'm sorry. Again, that's not to say it isn't a good game because it's awesome in many other ways, but this one flaw drags the whole experience down for me. 

Are you imagining in your head that your troop is standing still and the alien is standing still while he makes the shot?  Remember that the turn based mechanic is just an abstraction for a realtime battle that's taking place.  The alien is running from cover to cover, and your troop just ran up to flank him and is taking a shot with hardly a moment to catch his breath, under fire, with that alien getting ready to shoot right back.

This should go both ways then. It seems far more stacked against the player than the AI.

Aliens do indeed miss your troops, too.

I don't know if they have a higher base % to hit, but if they do, it's because they're aliens.

[KC]

I'm LTTP, but am really enjoying this game after about 10 missions. My sniper has received several promotions, but still keeps missing more often than the hit% would suggest. Can I specifically recruit a certain class?  I think I want more assault troopers and snipers and fewer supports and heavies in my roster.

[Roguetad]

I'm LTTP, but am really enjoying this game after about 10 missions. My sniper has received several promotions, but still keeps missing more often than the hit% would suggest. Can I specifically recruit a certain class?  I think I want more assault troopers and snipers and fewer supports and heavies in my roster.

Snipers will become your top killers once they've reached their full potential.  It takes some patience developing them though.  Towards the latter half of the game my team tactics were based on having 2 snipers in the field at all times.  My other squad members would move through the maps revealing bad guys, while my snipers would kill them.  There were only a few circumstances where close ranged combat negated the huge upside of having snipers in the squad.  Regarding recruits, the game decides what you get.

[lex]

I'm LTTP, but am really enjoying this game after about 10 missions. My sniper has received several promotions, but still keeps missing more often than the hit% would suggest. Can I specifically recruit a certain class?  I think I want more assault troopers and snipers and fewer supports and heavies in my roster.

You can purchase the upgrade in the OTS that automatically promotes all rookies to squaddies.  Whenever you buy hire soldiers, they come assigned a class (random) and don't have to bring them out to a mission to promote them.

Snipers will become your best shooters later on.  My colonel sniper had the most kills by the end game.  Plasma weapons will give a +aim modifier.

[MonkeyFinger]

Can I specifically recruit a certain class?  I think I want more assault troopers and snipers and fewer supports and heavies in my roster.

As noted, the assignment of class that happens on the first promotion is random. So, keep bringing in new fodder! The more the merrier. 

[TiLT]

So, GameTrailers ended up giving this game the Game of the Year award, not only overall, but for each individual platform as well.

[ATB]

So, GameTrailers ended up giving this game the Game of the Year award, not only overall, but for each individual platform as well.

It has featured prominently in nearly every top 10 I've seen.  Can't wait for more.

[CeeKay]

the free Second Wave DLC is due out today.

[jztemple2]

the free Second Wave DLC is due out today.

I never did finish the game's final mission . Will this hamstring me from using the new options?

[Turtle]

•   AI teleport bug fix
o   Minimizes the bug where aliens teleport into the middle of a player’s squad

See? The bug did exist. It's very rare, only occuring once an entire game, maybe once every two games. I've only played through twice, but I had it happen once in each play through.

Nice to see it fixed.

[TiLT]

the free Second Wave DLC is due out today.

I never did finish the game's final mission . Will this hamstring me from using the new options?

Most of them, yes. Some are available to all players regardless of whether they've won or lost. Others are only available in certain conditions, such as after having beat the game at the highest difficulty.

[ATB]

•   AI teleport bug fix
o   Minimizes the bug where aliens teleport into the middle of a player’s squad

See? The bug did exist. It's very rare, only occuring once an entire game, maybe once every two games. I've only played through twice, but I had it happen once in each play through.

Nice to see it fixed.

Quoted for TILT.