UFO: Afterblank

[SolkaTruesilver]

Hi there everyone. After reading from the X-Com thread, and after playing quite some time on a (shame on me) pirated version of Afterlight, I decided to order the 3 UFO Afterblank game into one complete trilogy check. (Found on ebay for quite cheap, btw).

Now, I am wondering if peoples have good strategies to offer for the three games. It may be game-specific, or in general. I specially loved having your own little killing machines in Afterlight, and I am slightly sad that they aren't there in the first 2 games. Nevermind, I'll judge them based on their own merits. (I even heard that Afterlight was way worse than the other 2.. I'll have to check)

Also, I downloaded a few mods for Afterlights, hearing that I re-balanced the game properly. If people here know of good mods for the Afterblank games, please tell here. Also, are there un-official patches that I should install to remove the buggy features?

[Prustan]

Hmmm. In Aftershock, focus on getting your weapons manufacturing going straight away. Armor and medkits would be nice, but those Reticulan Lasers aren't really going to last all that long.
For all of them, sort out how you're going to advance the team, so that you can take advantage of the training bonuses faster. And, keep them alive. Aftershock and Afterlight don't really have many (if any) spare people for recruiting, so losing one of your specially trained combat monsters to a stupid tactical mistake makes it quite a bit harder. Aftermath has more spare recruits - eventually - but they don't level while sitting at the base. Taking the spares out on missions makes them better replacements, but slows the growth of the main team.

[Archonic Energy]

4 soliders in the following formation...

<^
V>

... with heavy machine guns

you know i've owned the mars one (Afterlight?) for quite some time but never got around to playing it.

[Maxymiuk]

In Aftershock psionics are a must on any team. Once you advance them enough, they can "light up" targets for your teams - esp. snipers - long before any of your humans would have a chance of spotting them.

[Murska]

A soldier with max skirmish/slayer training, whatever it was called, and a Katana is REALLY deadly, and fast, too. Use as a scout and to pick off lone enemies, don't walk into a fight you can't win.

Then, with this guy acting as a scout, get a pair of snipers. With max training, they can target specific bodyparts, meaning always hit head. The accuracy should be at around 96% minimum and they knockdown, making the enemy waste time standing up if he didn't die from one hit. Two snipers with a clear line of fire, prefarably prone, can kill /anything/.

[Triaxx]

Sounds like it's as much fun as Fallout Tactics. Any vehicles?

[Prustan]

Sounds like it's as much fun as Fallout Tactics. Any vehicles?

Not really. Haven't seen any you can use in Aftermath or Aftershock, though you can rebuild droids in Afterlight. I've just never been able to actually use them. Maybe it was because I tried to do a 'droid only' squad...

[SolkaTruesilver]

Trust me, droids are quite awesome in Afterlight...

At first, I didn't researched the path at all, then I wanted to check it out..

Hehehe...hehe... hehehe...

hehe..

I rushed-researched.. Hmm.. Robot chassis? Check. Robot scout turret? Bah.. only 1 gun.. boring..

Robot standard turret? Dual-linked machine guns.. well, now that becomes to be sweet. Okay, I'll try it out..

... Nice. I can simply re-build those bots if I loose one.. Let's use them as meat metal shield.. Hum, they pack quite a punch. Not as good as my 4-sniper teams, but still useful...

New research made: Robot Combat Turret? Niiice.. Let's see... 4 weapon slot? Sweet! I'll take 2 assault rifles, and 2 gatling guns..

... what do you mean, It's illegal? Ok, ok. I'll simply install 4 heavy gatling guns.. better be nice...

(1 mission later)

Okay. My nice little robot walked up to a group of 6 beastmen to distract them, so I'll lob a grenade..

He opened fire, and killed/maimed 4 of them in the opening volley. Quad-linked heavy machine gun... ooooooooh yhea...

I know always bring 3 of those little guys one very one of my mission, while 1 explosion specialist, 1 engineer and 1 medic coming around. Let met tell you my engineer at the base keep busy!! :smallbiggrin:

Seriously, it was the most satisfying moment of playing Afterlight: the Unleash the Bots of War!!!

[Triaxx]

*drool* If that's as much fun as it sounds, it's as much fun as rush researching the Gattling lasers in Interceptor. Which is lots and lots of fun.

I want that game now.

[Prustan]

Trust me, droids are quite awesome in Afterlight...

At first, I didn't researched the path at all, then I wanted to check it out..

Hehehe...hehe... hehehe...

hehe..

I rushed-researched.. Hmm.. Robot chassis? Check. Robot scout turret? Bah.. only 1 gun.. boring..

Robot standard turret? Dual-linked machine guns.. well, now that becomes to be sweet. Okay, I'll try it out..

... Nice. I can simply re-build those bots if I loose one.. Let's use them as meat metal shield.. Hum, they pack quite a punch. Not as good as my 4-sniper teams, but still useful...

New research made: Robot Combat Turret? Niiice.. Let's see... 4 weapon slot? Sweet! I'll take 2 assault rifles, and 2 gatling guns..

... what do you mean, It's illegal? Ok, ok. I'll simply install 4 heavy gatling guns.. better be nice...

(1 mission later)

Okay. My nice little robot walked up to a group of 6 beastmen to distract them, so I'll lob a grenade..

He opened fire, and killed/maimed 4 of them in the opening volley. Quad-linked heavy machine gun... ooooooooh yhea...

I know always bring 3 of those little guys one very one of my mission, while 1 explosion specialist, 1 engineer and 1 medic coming around. Let met tell you my engineer at the base keep busy!! :smallbiggrin:

Seriously, it was the most satisfying moment of playing Afterlight: the Unleash the Bots of War!!!

As awesome as that sounds, it doesn't let me know how to field them myself. I've got a whole lot of droid stuff already manufactured that I can't use because I can't figure out how to send out the droids.

[SolkaTruesilver]

Good point, excuse me for not going into the specifics..

Ok. First, try to use the most low-level kind of turret for the bot. Use the basic chassis (what is effectively the bot's existence). Install one of the most basic turret - with only 1 weapon - and install 1 weapon with ammo on it.

If you manage to at least field that unit - with weapon and ammo -, you are on the good track. It becomes more complicated when you have more than 1 weapon. If, for example, you field a turret with 2 weapon slot, you need to have every piece of equipment installed in 2. So, automaticly 2 guns, 2 ammunition rack, etc...

Same happen with 4 gun slots, etc... You may field the bots just like another team member. But I really recommend that you use them as supplement on your team at first rather than exclusive. They are the uber-puncher, not the scalpels or the demo team.

Tell me how it goes (please not I'm telling all of it by memory). If you still don't succeed, let me try to install my darn new video card, and I'll plug into my old game to have a proper walktrough. I agree that some parts of the equipment fielding is NOT intuitive...

(Note: if you prepare more than 1 squad, you can use more than once the same man, or the same piece of equipement. So, for example, if you only have 1 sniper rifle, you could field it for team 1, 4 and 5. You choose which team buildup you want every time you send you UFO, and the game is generous ennough to have no limit on the equipement choices in team distribution)

[Prustan]

So, I can't use a droids only squad. I'll give that a try, though I can't promise when :smallredface:.

[SolkaTruesilver]

Eh. I understand why. I just re-started a new game, using a few strategies I found on the internet on Afterlight. Getting bots to work sure is hard. The metal requirement for the decent weaponry is insane..

I sure hate it when there is high solar activity... grrr...

Terraform as soon as possible as many territory as possible. It will lower the requirement for suit's capabilities, you will have an easier time to hunt ennemies.

Everybody giving tips say that you should give Minor Suit Handling and Minor Athletic to all of your squaddies. It's a good trick. It's essential. FKING NOOB! DATS HW U PLY D UFO GME!