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Chris
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Inspired by a couple other threads (A Fresh Look: Final Fantasy VII and Kevin's First Playthrough of Chrono Trigger) I've decided to chronicle my playing of X-Com for the first time. It's a classic so many people have loved, and yet somehow it completely slipped under my radar. So, after a Steam sale a couple days ago, I have every X-Com game and plan on playing through at least 2 of them. I'll be back to report my first round a little later.
Oh, and if you're there Kevster, thanks for the inspiration - hope you're planning on updating! I'd love to read more of your plays.
Edit: Thought I'd throw this out there too: feel free to check out this geeklist for other first-time game plays.
First Play Chronicles
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Daniel Corban
Canada
Newmarket
Ontario
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I remember playing this for a few days. I didn't get far, but it was enjoyable. I liked the tactical combat, although at the time I preferred Jagged Alliance 2.
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Jared Heath
United States
Dallas
Texas
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as far as tactical combat goes, JA2 is better.
but X-Com beats JA2 in the base building, research trees and the scope of some of the larger (base invasion) fights that are just staggeringly big.
IMHO the research concept in X-Com really makes it stand above JA2, which doesn't really have anything similar to this...JA2's gear progression isn't research based as much as it is funding/getting to the elite enemies.
Both worth playing, over and over, to this day.
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Jeff Watts
United States
Mount Juliet
Tennessee
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Have fun playing it! It is a classic. But be warned the graphics are abysmal.
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Benjamin Davis
Australia
Summer Hill
NSW
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They are not. They just haven't dated well.
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Chris
United States
Newark
Delaware
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If you've ever read any of Shamus's Let's Play posts, I'm trying to model after that. I'm not REALLY role-playing, but I like the idea, especially in a game where there don't seem to be any really scripted events, of creating a little narrative for my world. Then I can discuss in asides what I actually felt about the game.
Session 1
I load up the game and am treated to a cut scene! Aliens blast humans! Humans blast back! We chase them off! Huzzah!
Now that we're temporarily safe, it's time to set up a base and start fending off aliens!
Quote:
It should be noted that the copy of this game was bought from Steam. It therefore came with no instruction manual or instructions at all. When I started this game, I quite literally had no idea what I was in for. If you have played the game, you will know that it starts with nothing but a screen asking you where you want to build your base. There is no tutorial, no help screen, no nothing. If you didn't read the book, you're going to be utterly clueless at this point, as I was. It really made me realize how reliant I've become on in-game tutorials. I remember a time when the books in games where essential to understanding how to play, but that is almost never the case anymore. I honestly can't say which I prefer.
Naturally, the best place to build a secret base is somewhere right under their noses, the last place they'd expect to look... I know! Egypt! I'll disguise it as a pyramid and they'll never even notice.
I call my base Tetrahedron and we're ready to roll.
So what's happening? I have no idea. I fiddle around a little bit before I notice that I have a load of government allocated cash and a wide array of resources to spend it on. I could think small and just start adding on to my base or hiring some government workers, but why do that when I can buy a new base already!
This seemed like a good idea at the time, but I soon realize just what is needed for a base. Aside from the time it takes to build it, I need workers, and researchers, and many other things to keep it going. I model it a bit after my first base, or at least try, but I can't even build additions after I build around my main section, I have to wait for them to be built before planning more. Makes sense, but I'm new to the government protection business. I just want to build.
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Keep in mind I don't even know what my goal is. I literally know nothing about this game at this point.
Suddenly, out of the sky, a flying saucer is spotted! Ordinarily I'd wait and see if they were friendly, but watching so many humans lasered (lased?) into bits made me paranoid and trigger happy... I send both my jets screaming after it!
They make chase and strike it down, but it crashes into the ocean and I am unable to investigate the crash.
Quote: Note: I still have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. While at this point the buttons kind of had a logic, I didn't know what the point was, why I'd shot down the UFO or what consequences/benefits it gave me. There was no obvious increase in cash flow, and in fact I'd been keeping the game around 5 minute speed for most of the time up to this point so nothing really happened.
Disappointed, I come back to base. Work on Base New Delaware progresses slowly, but my living quarters have been built. I don't have anyone to send there though, so I decide to focus more on Tetrahedron again. I check out my science lab - apparently a ton of scientists are just sitting around wasting time... So I assign them the task of researching some new weaponry. Being totally tech-ignorant, I'm not sure what a laser pistol does or how you attach it to a ship, but I'm not picky. Whatever shoots the aliens is good enough for me.
After research they politely suggest I might want to have some laborers engineers actually build me some. I requisition 10 of them. Should be good for now.
And then it comes! The alert! Shanghai is under attack! I leap into action, sending my troops out as fast as their drop ship can carry them. Suddenly, I realize just what I was signing up for here - I'm meant to command the troops! I have no battle experience! I don't have any idea how to give orders! I'm just an overseer! In the chaos, my troops realize my incompetence, panic and die. I manage to save a few of them, but not before major parts of Shanghai are destroyed.
I return the grunts home, frazzled and ashamed, and I realize that I may need to do a little bit more reading up on military tactics next time.
If they even give me a next time. Hopefully they don't check on what I'm doing with this money any time soon.
Quote: When I reached what I have a suspicion is a major part of the game play, I was quickly lost. The controls were confusing, the images on the buttons were guessable but never quite what I thought (I thought the button for end turn might be the button to end the current characters movement, a rather fatal mistake) and very little was explained. Part of it was my fault, I got a little frustrated trying to make things work the way I wanted, leading to unnecessary mistakes that could have easily been avoided. Despite having a bit more knowledge, I think I may look up some kind of instruction manual before going any further. The tactical stuff looked like it had some good potential, I just need to get the hang of what I'm actually doing.
As of now, any comments or suggestions? Either in game, or for the discussion. Would you be interested in hearing more?
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Andrew Schoonmaker
United States
Long Beach
California
This overtext intentionally left blank.
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In-game, I'd probably play on a little, fight a couple of smaller battles to get the hang of the combat portion of the game, and then start over. Doing nothing the first month until the aliens successfully terrorize somewhere isn't necessarily fatal, but it's not going to get you off on the right foot with the Chinese government, and they are (IIRC) one of your major funding sources. Or you can consider it a handicap and soldier on.
(I played through the game the first time, very many years ago, with a lot of gratuitous save file abuse. These days I do not save in battle except to quit and come back later, but still save before each and every battle just in case things go horribly wrong. I've never really gotten the hang of fighting battles for limited objectives and then retreating.)
Terror missions are one of the most harrowing parts of the game, even when you know the interface. You have to cover a large map, you have to fight a lot of aliens, and unless you abuse the game engine, you often have to fight them at night. Also, you can't be indiscriminate with your explosives (ordinarily an excellent idea--use grenades), lest you get too many civvies with the collateral damage. Early on, Floaters aren't so bad, but if you get Sectoids, prepare for some carnage. Later, you may get to deal with Snakemen, which ... well, you'll see.
I do recommend finding a manual or something.
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Daniel Corban
Canada
Newmarket
Ontario
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I'm pretty sure that every Steam game has a PDF manual available.
Here is X-COM's:
http://steampowered.com/Manuals/7760/x-com%20ufo%20defense%2...
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Research. Research. Research.
Spoiler (mouseover to reveal): First buy as many scientists as possible. Not enough room? Build more living quarters. And an Alien Containment thing, so you can keep live aliens.
Research the MediPack (your best friend!) and Laser Pistols, then Laser Rifles. They don't need ammo and are quite effective. Plasma rifles are more powerful but you have to get some first, and they use up a lot of ammo.
Go for alloys then, research new ammo. Researching dead aliens reveals their weak spots. So that might be interesting. Researching parts of alien ships will later on allow to build new aircrafts.
Research new weapons for your ships too but ignore the laser gun for them.
Combat? There are three little buttons which display a guy shooting. Selecting one of these will reserve some of his action points so that he can react (if his stats are good enough) if an enemy comes into view. Use this. Use this a lot.
Send your troops in squads, never alone. But don't put them too close to each other. Otherwise grenades and missing shots could get them.
Be prepared when entering enemy crafts, as you will most likely be shot at.
Don't ignore fog/steam/mist because it can be your ally and your worst enemy. Normally aliens have better vision.
Also kneel. Kneel a lot. It makes you harder to be hit and also gives you more cover.
Try to save as many soldiers as possible. As later on only experienced soldiers tend to stay alive.
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I recommend NOT starting over. X-Com tries to adjust its difficulty to your performance, and if your ratings are consistently positive, it will heap more and bigger ships, terror attacks and ever more advanced aliens on you until you really are in a situation where only the most experienced soldiers survive (And even they sometimes only thanks to dumb luck).
Sure, try to keep a few elite soldiers alive, but losing a few soldiers here and there is a good way to keep your score low without pissing off your benefactors. It's easier to hire 6 new guys and feed them to the aliens every now and then than it is to fight off a massive invasion.
I agree with Phil about the significance of scientists. I tend to build Alien Containment - > additional Lab -> 1 or 2 additional Living Quarters -> Short Range Sensor -> Long Range Sensor in my first base, depending on how much money I invest otherwise.
Personally I usually ignore the MedKit for the time being (It's absolutely vital in Apocalypse, but in EU and TFTD your guys are usually either dead or almost unscratched after being hit, higher ranks and good armor can change that, of course), but you really can't go completely wrong no matter what you research, as long as you research a lot.
Oh, and as soon as your Alien Containment Unit is ready, buy some stun rods, you need to capture a lot of live aliens anyway, might as well start while they're still weak.
And finally: If at all possible, try to capture landed UFOs as opposed to crashed ones, at the very least try to get one small intact UFO. A UFO is landed if it turns into a green cross on the world map and stops moving. Launch your Skyranger immediately to try and catch it, even if it's night (Usually you'll prefer to launch missions so that you'll arrive when the sun is up).
Those are my 2 cents...
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When going for a landed Ufo also send an Interceptor who can shoot it down if it tries to take off again.
I like MedKits because my soliders always tend to bleed to death. It also helps against being stunned.
With the first research done it is a good idea to produce like a madman and sell the stuff for a good profit. But be sure to have enough room for captured artifacts. And sell corpses. 
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Jared Heath
United States
Dallas
Texas
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Start Over.
The aliens are going to eventually invade your empty base and all your money will be lost. If they successfully got a terrorize in China...lets just say China is important financially and you might not ever get that revenue stream back.
I don't know if you can survive it. I believe one of the hints given in the original manual was something to the likes of "don't rush out and build a new base right at the start..."
Medkits should be on every soldier or you're going to be buying LOTS of soldiers, which is a horrible idea since if you don't end up with a highly skilled team, the late game will be...bad.
Snakemen on an early terror = start over. You'll learn all about them soon enough. They will just smoke you if you have to deal with them with rookies.
Save liberally and often (2 times a turn sometimes) your first play though.
Laser Guns on ships = useless (as stated above). I don't think I ever researched it beyond the first time I played the game.
Long range sensors are critical...they let you see things. The first things you'll do with new bases are simply put in sensors. I almost always built sensors on the north pole early and in north africa early. Lets you see things going on all over the earth (mostly). Of course, my base was always in central USA since they are one if the bigger funders (so you want to deal with all the aliens in the USA) and a central location early allows access to most locations quickly.
Can't stress the Alien Containment early enough....if you don't get a commander quickly, you can spend many, many hours just trying to stun every alien you find trying to get a commander (required for the end-game).
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Jorge Montero
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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jeffjwatts wrote: Have fun playing it! It is a classic. But be warned the graphics are abysmal.
I'd much rather play with X-Com's 2d graphics than on most PS1 games, whose low-res 3d graphics were iffy to begin with.
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Jorge Montero
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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The reason you have to start over is the second base so early: You are now underfunded, and your second base won't be of any use at all for a long while.
Random tips:
It's highly recommended to place your first base in a way that defends some of your most important benefactors. That's why placing your first base either in central Europe or in the US tends to be a good idea: If they feel defended, they'll increase your funding.
Notice that, even as rookies, your soldiers have very different skill sets. The most important stat is secret at the beginning of the game, but even among the rest, you'll see how some people are rather useless: Don't be afraid of making them be the people that open the doors of enemy ships, letting them get killed. It's extremely important to identify the strongest members of your team, and make sure they are the only ones carrying the heavy weapons: The game is not smart enough to assign them to those that can carry them, and often will give auto cannons and rocket launchers to weaklings that can only take two steps while carrying them.
As far as the medkits, they'll be a lot more important later on, when your units are expected to survive getting hit a couple of times. At the start, chances are a single sectoid can kill them with one shot, so medkits aren't going to do as much good.
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ErikPeter Walker
United States
New Haven
Connecticut
Uplifting
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You could keep playing your current game until you lose (or not!), or start over, either way new soldiers are cheap.
I would suggest you get a handle on the controls and then progress however you feel like it. Feel free to experiment! Otherwise you'll be getting a lot of conflicting advice, since every seasoned player starts a new game differently, and will tell you what to do. Here I go!
A few things that are helpful to know:
The cannons on your interceptors suck and have a short range. Swap them out for better weapons.
The Sell/Sack screen is very important. Not only can you free up storage space, but the alien artifacts that you salvage are worth a lot of money; whether or not to research a mind probe (possibly for months) or sell it for $300k right now is a tantalizing decision. You can always turn a profit selling things you've manufactured. (hopefully after you've used them to equip your soldiers)
Soldiers gain ranks based on how many you employ, total, regardless of experience. E.g., You could hire a bunch, complete one mission, and then a handful would be immediately promoted a few ranks, leading to better stat advancement.
As someone else mentioned, saving TUs means you might blast aliens as they try to move on their turn. You can use the "little arrow, little guy shooting" buttons to automatically save enough for a snap shot or auto shot. If you click a soldier's rank symbol (the gold box in the bottom center of the screen) while he is selected, you can see his stats.
Auto shot.
Always keep at least one soldier in the base. Even when you're out on a mission. Just trust me on this.
Everything in the map is destructible. UFOs will stand up to mundane/non-alien armaments, but if you really need to kill an alien on the other side of a wall/shrub (e.g. one of your soldiers accidentally walks in on him with no TUs), another soldier might be able to blast him through the wall.
Researching Alien Alloys allows access to body armor which will prevent your soldiers from dying all the time. (They will die just most of the time).
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Greg Maynard
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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This is not a game you can play without reading the manual. Even the introduction will at least tell you what you are trying to do. Both the strategy aspect and the tactical aspect are so involved that you must read the manual, which incidentally is well written and understandable. Get it from the Steam link dcorban supplied above.
Have a look at Aarontu's review to get an overview and then check out http://ufopaedia.org which is full of information including numerous strategy guides and a beginner's guide.
Honestly, one of the reasons this game has lasted so long is because it is NOT one of those where you can just dive in and plod through. You actually have to think and study and learn and so on. It takes work but once you get started you just can't stop.
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Aaron Tubb
United States
Fuquay Varina
North Carolina
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My recommendation would be to just read the manual and then go at it at your own pace, figuring it out as you go. Part of the awesomeness of the game is encountering the unknown and trying to figure out what the heck just detonated and wiped out half of your men.
For basic strategy: when you start a new game, build another stores, living quarters, long range radar, and alien containment. Hire more scientists and research laser weapons. Then, just shoot down any UFO you see and go loot it with your dudes. You'll figure out what to do later if you keep playing. 
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Chris
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Aarontu wrote: My recommendation would be to just read the manual and then go at it at your own pace, figuring it out as you go. Part of the awesomeness of the game is encountering the unknown and trying to figure out what the heck just detonated and wiped out half of your men.
I actually kind of agree with you; I'm sort of regretting asking for game suggestions as I'm realizing I might be getting a bit more strategy and such than I wanted compared to just winging it, but it's OK - at least I have a good feeling people are going to stick around for this (even if it's just to see me find out what the deal with the Snakemen is). There certainly is a lot to think about, though they do a decent job of keeping things fairly discreet it seems. I DEFINITELY am going to read the manual before going any further though. (Thanks for the link by the way!)
I think I'll play a little more of this current game, then restart, but I'll keep my first base in the same place it was, partly for stubbornness, partly to keep the continuity of my struggle for world domina... uh, protection, and partly because I just plain like it.
I'll also likely post some screen shots next time to go along with the tale. I have a feeling this'll be a fun game!
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Benjamin Davis
Australia
Summer Hill
NSW
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I like medikits because they have the best profit-margin when you sell them to boost your funding. Before I capture any alien tech, I have all my workshop manpower devoted to producing all the medikits they can.
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Jared Heath
United States
Dallas
Texas
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Jlerpy wrote: I like medikits because they have the best profit-margin when you sell them to boost your funding. Before I capture any alien tech, I have all my workshop manpower devoted to producing all the medikits they can.
somebody knows why you make medkits in the beginning.....
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Chris
United States
Newark
Delaware
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A Fresh Start
Session 2
After the incompetence of my predecessor, who has since gone missing, I've been assigned as head of X-COM. Being assured a funding equal to his original funds, at least at the beginning, and ignoring the cost of the dissolution of his waste of space he called a secondary base, I rebuilt from the ground up, including bringing a few of my hand picked soldiers.
Quote:
After much reading and thought, I decided to restart and go it again. I felt like my first go-round was terribly disastrous, and as previously commented, that money from my second base was pretty much gone. While I don't mind being at a disadvantage, it might help if, you know, I had even played the game before. I kept my initial decisions of location, though. I just liked the name.
Knowing that I had a lot to live up to, I started my scientists working right away. I knew we had weapons, so my first decision was to get this think-tank making me some healing supplies. I put everyone on the job, and send out for even more. I plan on being equipped!
Nevertheless, those alien buggers seem to have been preparing themselves. Before they can even crack a book, I've got a UFO invading my space! My pilots speed to the Interceptors and charge into action, bringing it down with an efficiency only my soldiers could manage. I send a drop ship just north of Nigeria to investigate the crash.
Quote:
The manual was very specific about shooting down UFO's - be very careful not to shoot them down over the ocean or you'll lose any chance at an investigation. Maybe it's because I only picked the "Normal" difficulty level, but the UFO didn't put up much of a fight and was downed without even reaching the ocean.
This was the time for the real thing. This was the first time any of these soldiers will see a live ET, and I don't envy them. The bastards have thick skin and nasty weapons. It seems the craft crashed in a farming community: the surrounding fields are full of vegetables and fruit trees, but the houses are mercifully abandoned. Probably the locals knew enough to scram before they got abducted, or worse. My first task is to secure the perimeter. I send the soldiers both ways around the ship. They can hear machinery working still inside, but there's no indication of a loose alien. We close around the outside. Nothing. We come back... Perhaps it was too late? Did they flee their ruined craft in the hopes of taking ours?
Nope. A survey of the nearby fields and houses reveal nothing. The tension is mounting - they must be here!
Quote:
This part was actually a little annoying, but once I figured it out, I got the hang of it. Apparently I was supposed to just enter the door at the main part of the ship, and all the aliens would be inside. I figured they'd come out, but I didn't see an entrance at first anyway, so I guessed they'd reveal it to me somehow. Boy was I wrong. I explored almost the entire map, before going back and somehow finding the door.
I split them into two teams now, sending one back to the ship and the others to search the houses. I was on the verge of aborting the mission (it seemed far too quiet for safety) when one of my recruits, Jane Bradley, discovered a suspicious marking on one edge of the ship. Sure enough, it was an entrance! With a little forcing, she shoved her way through... and was shot mercilessly by those outer space monsters. She was quickly avenged, however - it seemed some of the creatures were injured or dead, and we took them out with only two more casualties. The ship was secure.
But... something was still irking us. A feeling, perhaps of being watched. I decided to have Bravo team continue searching the homes for anything suspicious. Two of them climb through the attic to the roof of the main house, but suddenly, their communications are cut off! The last thing I heard was the fire of one of those insidious alien rifles... no doubt he was camping on the roof, waiting for us to leave. I don't know whose instincts brought us to this, but it nearly proved fatal to the mission.
Quote: This part was actually quite annoying. I knew the combat would stop when all the aliens were dead... but in my search, one of the aliens must have escaped the ship and ran for it! I sent my entire time around the ship, and though they went opposite directions, they left the front door wide open for escape.
Unless... the alien fell out and landed on the roof? Perhaps a parachute maneuver? Well... I don't know now, but we'll see.
I brought them all together... this was the last one, but he had us at a tough position. It was a one-lane stairway to the roof, and he had the upper ground. One after another, my remaining soldiers went and were shot down, with barely a chance to react.
Quote: This was my fault - I remembered reading about the "shoot on sight" bit but I was actually kind of in to what was going on and didn't think about it. I was quite engrossed in this standoff, which was a good sign.
It got really hairy - One guy, I think of Japanese descent, went nuts and started shooting wildly, and the new guy, Kevin Kemp got so tense and in shock that he stopped dead, dropped his weapons, and just stood there. I couldn't let this one remain alive, but he was too good! He kept taking us out one by one, and with every shot my soldiers got a little less confident... Until at last, there was only Kevin.
Kevin was a family farmhand from Wyoming who had grown up with hard work and discipline, and his application was almost rejected. His parents had died in an attack when he was 20, and the worst part was that he was out of town when it came. The town was razed and he vowed revenge. Normally we try not to bring those with a strong emotional attachment to the situation, but he aced his tests, had great stamina, and showed much promise. And here he was, climbing a staircase of blood and death, perhaps heading to his own demise in the name of someone he saw rarely and heard almost exclusively through his earpiece. And when he finally came through, he never wavered. He landed two direct shots, even from behind the corpses of his former mates, and even after taking a wound of his own, and then he collapsed, knowing that it was finally over, and this time he had won.
I had no choice but to promote him, and he was brought home to a swarm of brand new faces as the hero. I had hired 19 more solders, each as willing as the last. I just hope even one of them can live up to Kevin's bravery.
Quote:
Nearing the end of this mission, I got kind of crazy. I decided I'm either getting all or nothing out of this. I was counting on Kevin to hold it up, and he actually had a rather high confidence at the end (over 50%). He also had the highest health of anyone in my team, and I decided to save him for last because he could probably take a couple hits. He wasn't my ideal candidate, but he worked out OK, and I'll probably try to keep him alive. He's my first officer after all!
And yet, there is no rest for the weary, for only a few days later another UFO has landed only 100 miles west, and it is preparing something. We will keep these monsters back! It's our duty to the world!
Next Time: Kevin's Command
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Greg Maynard
Australia
Melbourne
Victoria
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Love the commentary. Great read! Looking forward to the next installment.
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A fun read, thanks for that.
Remember that, with heavier weapons, you can shoot through walls and ceilings.
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Marius Roth
Germany
Near Hamburg
Lower Saxony
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Wow, your first mission sounded like a disaster. What difficulty are you playing at? Normally an alien can't attack more than twice in your round, so gathering all soldiers in the floor below only the first two should be shot.
Also, if you manage to spot the alien and it is close to the border of the roof, you can try shooting it from the ground outside. Using your curser to spot aliens in shadows also works sometimes.
If you try to shoot down an alien ship, and it is above the ocean, you can minimize the attack window and llet your interceptors follow the alien ship for some time until it is above ground again. Then you can engage the ship and shoot it down for good.
But great write up so far. Makes me want to finish my game that i started month ago and forgot about, soon.
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Chris
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Astartus wrote: Wow, your first mission sounded like a disaster. What difficulty are you playing at? Normally an alien can't attack more than twice in your round, so gathering all soldiers in the floor below only the first two should be shot.
Also, if you manage to spot the alien and it is close to the border of the roof, you can try shooting it from the ground outside. Using your curser to spot aliens in shadows also works sometimes.
If you try to shoot down an alien ship, and it is above the ocean, you can minimize the attack window and let your interceptors follow the alien ship for some time until it is above ground again. Then you can engage the ship and shoot it down for good.
But great write up so far. Makes me want to finish my game that i started month ago and forgot about, soon.
I'm playing on the difficulty right after "Beginner". For some reason I just can't bring myself to ever play on any level called "Beginner" or "Easy". I don't mind if the three difficulties are "Normal", "Hard", "Extra Hard" picking Normal though. Anyway.
I think I actually didn't get everyone up there all at once, which was of course a tactical error on my part, but then I've never been good at this type of game. Naturally the alien was right in the center of the roof - never would have gotten him. I DIDN'T realize I could shoot through the roof though. That I'll have to try next time.
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Posted Thu Sep 9, 2010 2:52 pm
