XCOM 2 Reviewed at RPS

[tgb]

Every time one of my squaddies panicked, they ended up blasting some alien to hell and back.  So take that, suckas.

As to surviving a mission, somebody on another board gave me a piece of advice that made all the difference - half-cover sucks.  Always go for full cover, even if it means a change in approach.  Half-cover is no better than no cover.

[Grim.Reaper]

Every time one of my squaddies panicked, they ended up blasting some alien to hell and back.  So take that, suckas.

As to surviving a mission, somebody on another board gave me a piece of advice that made all the difference - half-cover sucks.  Always go for full cover, even if it means a change in approach.  Half-cover is no better than no cover.

I have had my panicked people also sometimes do some damage to the enemy, although not every time.....

I may have to watch some videos to figure out what I am doing wrong...although I typically complete the mission, too many casualties...I am constantly replacing my soldiers and never see them level up much before they die.  Even if they don't die, they always seem to get injured, not even sure I have made it through a mission without an injury too:(  And this is on EASY level, can't imagine playing anything higher at the moment....but even with this craziness, still enjoying it immensely....its nothing ground breaking and feels much like the old version, but fun nonetheless......although I am glad I got it pretty cheap, not sure I would feel the same if I paid $60:)

[Capn Darwin]

Here are a couple things to read and watch to help those having some issues with the learning curve or you just want to get better with the game. This PC Gamer article is written by John "Beagle" Teasdale or Beaglerush as he is known on Twitch. He is a Jedi master of XCOM. Read the article below and then check out his XCOM2 streams on twitch to see him work the aliens over on Legendary like most of us do on Easy.

PC Gamer Article: http://www.pcgamer.com/xcom-2-guide/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=pcgfb

Twitch Channel - his 11hr stream with the release: http://www.twitch.tv/beagsandjam/v/39308766

I got much better at Long War after watching a number of his streams. He is very good and his lady "Jam" is pretty good as well.

Good Hunting Commanders!  O0

[JasonPratt]

Full cover should definitely be preferred unless there is a compelling tactical reason to trade for half-cover. However, if you have a sniper or someone else deep in your backfield, full cover is less important (and in some cases can impede your support ability).

I've been playing normal, and I've lost only three soldiers at most (beyond the tutorial scripted casualties). But I also save scum. But the game only keeps a rolling save of the past three turns, and if you activate the farthest back and play only one turn, you lose it! -- which has left me in a poorer position than before. (I save scum, but I tend to forget to save manually and thus permanently before really important advances on the board.)

I don't bother customizing troops until they level up at least once.

Psionic attacks are so common and debilitating, that I made the choice as early as I could (which is pretty early) to make psionic blockers and sacrifice my one grenade for that. I have occasionally wished I had my one grenade instead (and cursed the game engine for being silly about this, although I know it's for balance purposes), but I have much more often been glad the sects are relegated to wasting a turn raising their comrades from the dead. Although, come to think of it, I don't know whether I'm getting credit for the extra kill when I take the sect out afterward.

I tend to focus on the snakes anyway, as long as they're alive, so if it succeeds in a grab, that doesn't change my plans, I was already gunning for it anyway: even a dodged nick of a shot will make her drop her victim, and then that soldier gets a close-range shot at her! -- after moving nearby to cover properly, if possible. I worry more about the poison.

I don't think it's technically possible to sneak-attack an enemy without breaking general concealment; but as in the previous game, clusters of enemies will often stay parked until spotted anyway. And if you suspect where they are (they can be seen in the shadows of the fog sometimes), you can set up a similar ambush.

One of the assault class' early skill picks, though, is "phantom" which allows that soldier to stay concealed until an actual attack on, or spot by, the enemy. So that can be handy.

[Grim.Reaper]

Thanks for the information everyone...watched some of the videos and read the article, some good information....will continue trying things out.  This is where I really think a quick battle/skirmish type mode could be useful to get better at the battles before trying to take on the strategic layer as well.

[JasonPratt]

Considering that a multiplayer setup exists -- and works tolerably well -- I'm very surprised there's no such thing as a skirmish function. Especially since in this version, you can create your own soldiers from scratch even before you start or load a campaign!

[JasonPratt]

Meanwhile, I was going to start the day with a talk about how much more I like the new Geoscape compared to last time -- it doesn't work at all like the original original Geoscape of course, but that's because the game design itself is so different from the first X-com (in a way I'd frankly prefer a return to someday, but I guess that's why other X-com remakes exist). And then segue into how one thousand percent insane it was to design the thing so that it's constantly rotating out from under the player aaaaAARRRGGGHGHHHH!!!!

But then on a hunch I unplugged my console controller and my stick/thruster. And the Geoscape doesn't constantly rotate anymore.

Still a bug (I think? -- those things don't do that with other games). But avoidable. Phew.

...so I guess I'm left with wishing the Geoscape had a zoom-out function so we could see more of the globe at a time instead of having to scroll around so much. I understand the zoomed-in feature, I'm not really complaining about that, but for goodness' sake why even bother with showing the standard 3D traditional Geoscape at all if you're only going to zoom into a flat version when arriving in control?? THE BACKGROUND NON-CHARACTERS HAVE A GAME FUNCTIONALITY WE NO LONGER HAVE! That may not be a thousand percent insane, but it's at least, what, a hundred and fifty percent?

I say that however only because I otherwise love the new Geoscape design. 

(And hopefully someone who isn't only trolling will pop up saying, "Yeah, they don't talk about it during the tutorial, or anywhere else obvious, but if you do 'this' you can zoom out and walk around the globe just like always."  ::) )

[Grim.Reaper]

Likely dumb questions inbound......

When you start a new game, you can start with the tutorial or you can start without it.  Obviously the tutorial mode is there to ease you into gameplay and teach you the basics.  But it also has cut scenes and missions that are different then if you start the game without the tutorial.....therefore my question.  Should you always start with the tutorial so you don't miss things?  Or does somehow things even itself out even if you don't start with the tutorial and get the experience and such?  Just trying to determine what is the downside of skipping the tutorial besides the obvious of learning how to play?

[undercovergeek]

aah, right so dont stand next to vehicles for too long!!

second part of tutorial, grab the convertor, 8 turns, 3 turns out and everyone is hiding next to a truck, jane runs out, hacks an advent guy right down the middle and then the truck blows up - team wipe out - bits of jane all over the map  :-[

10/10

[JasonPratt]

The tutorial mainly contains plot that the game assumes you've already covered if you uncheck the tutorial. So for the story the tutorial is important. But the tutorial is scripted (at least on the first mission) to end with two dead soldiers.

I decided this afternoon I had made bad strategic choices and didn't have any way to win, so I deleted all my saves and restarted. This time I didn't choose the tutorial, and so the "Commander" (the player character) was rescued and reactivated offscreen (I suppose). I haven't gotten far enough yet to see if the non-tutorial still requires recovering the power supply to the Avenger; which come to think of it wasn't a scripted mission.

Instead the first mission involves blowing up an Elder statue. All four of my crew survived but in various stages of badly wounded. I was going to send rookies out next time anyway to level up.


My thoughts on strategic mistakes last time:

1.) I wasted my 'contact trail' (for want of a better word) on opening regions which didn't lead to alien sub-bases. Consequently, the Avatar research got too far ahead. I was literally going to lose the whole game in less than a month by the time I quit: no less than three notches of research would happen that month, and I only had a slight hope of nixing maybe two of them -- no hope on the third.

2.) I don't know if the tutorial made me do it, but I decided I had handicapped myself by not getting the guerrilla lab up and running first thing, so that I could buy an extra slot and an extra xp boost asap. Relatedly, I'm now sure I spent too much early construction time cleaning up rooms instead of building new ones. (I don't know of this is random -- I'm pretty sure it didn't happen in the tutorial -- but my starting 'clear' room this time is in the upper right column instead of the upper middle.)

3.) I tried to build a force of four of each troop type, and that spread my xp out too much. Two of each type on the other hand seems too thin of a bench in case of death or wounds. I'll shoot for three each this time.

4.) I have a better idea now of which things are more useful to research sooner (at least in the early game).

[tgb]

The tutorial mainly contains plot that the game assumes you've already covered if you uncheck the tutorial. So for the story the tutorial is important. But the tutorial is scripted (at least on the first mission) to end with two dead soldiers.

I decided this afternoon I had made bad strategic choices and didn't have any way to win, so I deleted all my saves and restarted. This time I didn't choose the tutorial, and so the "Commander" (the player character) was rescued and reactivated offscreen (I suppose). I haven't gotten far enough yet to see if the non-tutorial still requires recovering the power supply to the Avenger; which come to think of it wasn't a scripted mission.

Instead the first mission involves blowing up an Elder statue. All four of my crew survived but in various stages of badly wounded. I was going to send rookies out next time anyway to level up.

I restarted without the tutorial as well, and got the same opening mission, so that's probably not random.  I kind of felt like I was walking in on a movie after it started, but eventually adjusted.

[undercovergeek]

Done 2 non tutorial missions - and im loving it - the negative waves here made me a bit nervous before i got chance to play the game, what it does for me is magnify the enjoyment i got from 1.

Im not a fan of timed missions, but it makes me play a way i wouldnt normally, and thats not a bad thing - there is no point having a 'youve got to get down there and hack the network ASAP' mission and then have an unlimited number of turns to do it in

im loving all the new animations, the 'personlaity' and individualisation of each character - makes me want to bring them home all the more. Their looks and demeanour on the ship back from a mission, how they glance at an empty seat of a fallen comrade, and then the long slow walk off the ship back to base, limping wounded and proud victors - its awesome

[Windigo]

Binged this w/e on XCOM2. Yes, the learning curve is steep, steep, steep, but you will prevail commander.  Jason mentioned he doesn't customize soldiers until they get promoted at least one level... because of soldier attrition, I don't do it until they hit Sergeant... I have very few of those.

Most important survival tip is stay in high cover if at all possible. Second is frag those bastards/remove their cover. Third, it is better to kill one alien, than it is to wound three of them. Four, skulljacking is a one hit, one kill phenomena - use it often on the appropriate aliens (officers). Research any data received for the intel. Intel is currency for both the black market and contacting the resistance.

Last, don't be like me and run a small roster.... one mission wipe and you're done....   now excuse me while I go lick my wounds.

[bbmike]

I customize them right off the bat. Makes loosing them even more painful.  >:D

[JasonPratt]

I can now confirm that starting without the tutorial also skips a timed (but otherwise unscripted) mission where you secure a power supply for the Avenger.

I've played enough game months now that I'm getting three Dark Plots a month (one of them secret), and the first Advent base extension has opened up (in western Europe). Only three notches on the Doom clock.

So far I'm continuing along the guidelines I mentioned last time, no real problems yet (so long as I remember to save scum!  :P )

im loving all the new animations, the 'personlaity' and individualisation of each character - makes me want to bring them home all the more. Their looks and demeanour on the ship back from a mission, how they glance at an empty seat of a fallen comrade, and then the long slow walk off the ship back to base, limping wounded and proud victors - its awesome

Despite my several complaints, I agree the actual presentation is top notch. Clearly a lot of love went into it. And while I find the timed missions annoying, I agree they do fit the milieu. During this playthrough I've been dealt significantly less such timed missions (was there a patch I didn't notice?? -- or just the randomizer coming out more evenly this time?), and that has made a world of difference in my enjoyment of it.