Hey, everybody else has started a let's play and abandoned it. Lets Play X-Com!

[Cristo Meyers]

I smell an alien base...

[Oslecamo]

Another quick question from an UFO newbie:

-After the second month or something the UFOs that appear just laugh at my interceptors and run away laughing before I can get close. When I manage to detect them at all since I still only have a small radar and large radar.

What's the best way to shoot them down so I can loot them? Build a rocket battery or focus on researching the necessary stuff for my first UFO-fighter(and then still build it)? I'm running somewhat short on cash, but I have all the necessary materials to build my first firestorm(power source, alloys, ellerium and navigation system).

[Tengu_temp]

If an UFO runs away from you, then use two interceptors attacking from separate directions to catch it! If it starts to run away from one, the other will probably catch up.

Also, you might want to create a second base soon, on the other side of the globe - if your first one is in the US, then the second should be in Europe/Asia, and vice versa. The second one doesn't need much, just a large radar, general stores and a hangar with an interceptor. Having two bases makes catching aliens easier, too.

[Cristo Meyers]

Also, sending the Interceptor to patrol the last known UFO position when one gets away rather than recalling it to the base sometimes results in the Interceptor picking the UFO back up on radar.

[Winterwind]

Another quick question from an UFO newbie:

-After the second month or something the UFOs that appear just laugh at my interceptors and run away laughing before I can get close. When I manage to detect them at all since I still only have a small radar and large radar.

What's the best way to shoot them down so I can loot them? Build a rocket battery or focus on researching the necessary stuff for my first UFO-fighter(and then still build it)? I'm running somewhat short on cash, but I have all the necessary materials to build my first firestorm(power source, alloys, ellerium and navigation system).

While having faster craft helps, it's not necessary - what really helps, and allows even Interceptors to catch enemy craft quite reliably, is a radar network that covers the entire globe. Start building additional bases, spread all over the world.
If you need money, alien weapons, mind probes and UFO components sell for the most cash, so see if you have more of them than you need lying around.
Otherwise, you can have your engineers have manufacture stuff and sell it for more. The laser cannon has the best ratio of cash gained to cash and time needed for producing it.

[pendell]

Another quick question from an UFO newbie:

-After the second month or something the UFOs that appear just laugh at my interceptors and run away laughing before I can get close. When I manage to detect them at all since I still only have a small radar and large radar.

What's the best way to shoot them down so I can loot them? Build a rocket battery or focus on researching the necessary stuff for my first UFO-fighter(and then still build it)? I'm running somewhat short on cash, but I have all the necessary materials to build my first firestorm(power source, alloys, ellerium and navigation system).

Couple things:

1) As soon as you can, capture an alien navigator. You can do this by using mind probe to identify the navigator, then render him unconscious using stun rods or the small launcher.

Once this is done, research and build hyperwave decoder.

Hyperwave decoder is 100% effective. Built a network of these around the planet, and you will have 100% coverage of all land masses all the time.

Until you can do that, use 3 large radar sites at an installation.

2) Now that you can reliably detect bad guys, the time has come to shoot them down.

In the early game, you'll only be able to kill small craft -- Large Scout or smaller. Ditch the cannons and stingray launchers and arm your aircraft with twin Avalanche launchers.

UFOs exit orbit at very high speeds, too high for an interceptor to catch. Once it reaches it's target destination, it will slow down to a few hundred knots and hour, patrol around
for a bit, then land. After it lands, it will take off and return to orbit at very high speed.

It's in this second phase -- the "patrol" phase -- when you catch them. It is only now that they are slow enough to be caught by interceptors.

A better choice, if possible, is to wait until they've landed, then land a skyranger on top of the UFO and capture it -- and it's elerium -- intact.

This becomes very easy once you have hyperwave decoders, as they will tell you
the region the UFO is headed for. Until then, you just have to watch the UFO transit
until it slows down. Once it gets below 1000, scramble your interceptor to hit him!

In the early part of the game you will only catch one or two ufos a month. Most will zip overhead, but a very few will slow down next to your radar station. Knock these down and capture them. The funding nations will give you an "A" for effort and increase your funding. Sell everything from the UFO you don't absolutely need (NEVER sell Elerium), and use the money to build worldwide radar stations near all funding nations. I usually have 5, 1 in Europe, 1 in China, 1 in Australia, 1 in Central Africa, 1 in Brazil, 1 in North America near Chicago.

Once you have worldwide coverage, you'll find intercepting to be much easier. Use the funds to build more interceptors so you can catch more and more UFOs, earning more
cash and expanding your operations even further.

3) At some point, you will capture alien plasma weapons and plasma clip. When you research any pair, you gain the ability to research plasma beam weapons. These weapons upgrade your interceptors to the point where they can now take out 'large' contacts -- terror ships and supply ships. Once this happens, if you have a worldwide early warning network, the aliens will never again launch a successful terror raid. Once you have enough interceptors with plasma and the early warning network, the aliens will be totally unable to accomplish any mission unless they send along a VERY LARGE (battleship) contact.

Battleships will make mince of interceptors. Do not attempt to engage any VERY LARGE contact. Capture on ground if at all possible. Which brings us to:

4) Final stage: New fighter craft. FIRESTORM, LIGHTNING, and AVENGER. The FIRESTORM and AVENGER, when armed with plasma cannons, are capable of defeating battleships. Even now, however, you must choose your battles, as they will never win a battle without damage, and it can take weeks to repair the ships. But at this point you will be able to stop any ship, anywhere in the world, smaller than a battleship and be able to interfere significantly with battleship operations.

Does that help?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Oslecamo]

Well, I've been selling stuff, and I make sure my engineers are never idle, still I find myself strapped for cash.

I think it's the two laboratories with 100 cientists wich are really puting a drain in my early economy. I can research stuff pretty fast, but they eat a good chunck of my money.

Also 8 combat armors didn't come cheap either.
I also lost a tank in a mission. First I didn't bothered much, but men those thinks cost almost half a million. Can't really afford to repeat that mistake.

Gotta research heavy lasers fast or I'll go banckrupt.

Right now trying to capture an UFO navigator. I keep restarting a recovery mission of an UFO, and something keeps going horribly wrong. Like, I trying to shoot the grunts nearby so my stun rod wielding rookie can aproach, and my troops end up missing and hiting the navigator.

Perhaps I'll have to do savescum at it's finest.

Well, gonna try again tomorrow. Already burned enough time with this(great) game today.

[chiasaur11]

Added the second half of today's update.

Also: Oslecamo, if your science teams are in transit between bases at the end of the month, you don't need to pay. It's cheap, sure, but it can save millions.

[Flickerdart]

Ooh, would I happen to be part of the new guys? There's not much to be gained in terms of stats or promotions, but a smaller chance of death too. Right? Right?

[Pie Guy]

Really at this point, we just use newbies for target practice.

[Tengu_temp]

It goes so smooth lately that I suggest we shift our efforts and concentrate on something very important - celebrating the Psionic Appreciation Day! When is it, you might ask? From now on, every other day.

[chiasaur11]

Ooh, would I happen to be part of the new guys? There's not much to be gained in terms of stats or promotions, but a smaller chance of death too. Right? Right?

Yup, you're one of the pants wetting newbies.

And yes. Current death estimates have dropped to just 30% for rookies.

That's better odds than you'll get with...

Well, it's still incredibly bad, but better than we had when we started.

[EleventhHour]

It goes so smooth lately that I suggest we shift our efforts and concentrate on something very important - celebrating the Psionic Appreciation Day! When is it, you might ask? From now on, every other day.

I vote for this... being a bad idea. No, Psionics, no! Bad Scion, to the corner with you. Guns win battles.

[chiasaur11]

I vote for this... being a bad idea. No, Psionics, no! Bad Scion, to the corner with you. Guns win battles.

Keep on believing that.

Tengu, it's an idea. You are aware that BRC and I would get the majority of the cash prizes, of course?

[Lord of Rapture]

Although according to chiasaur11, conspicuously placed notes around the base detailing how awesome the author is works just as well.

No, I'm not bitter or anything...

[The Dark Fiddler]

This thread grows so fast, I find it difficult to keep up.

Glad I'm getting more screen time though.

Also; awesome, you mentioned Doctor Who! Yay!

[Artanis]

Keep on believing that.

No, no, she's right: guns win battles. It's just a lot easier when you make your enemy's guns do the winning for you.

[EleventhHour]

Keep on believing that.

Shh, I'm trying to keep up my general belief that simple human engineering, ingenuity and will to kill everything-that's-not-them can overcome every obstacle!

[chiasaur11]

Shh, I'm trying to keep up my general belief that simple human engineering, ingenuity and will to kill everything-that's-not-them can overcome every obstacle!

It can.

What do you think was behind the invention of the psi-amp?

Altruism?

[Suzuro]

Well it certainly wasn't the idea of a xeno-scum engineer. Noooope...That was all us.


-Suzuro

[EleventhHour]

So, err. I managed to pick up an old copy in a dusty pile from a Buy & Sell just in town, but if just kind of turns the screen black, and plays some music. Tried Running as Admin. Any ideas on how to make it work?

[Winterwind]

So, err. I managed to pick up an old copy in a dusty pile from a Buy & Sell just in town, but if just kind of turns the screen black, and plays some music. Tried Running as Admin. Any ideas on how to make it work?

Personally, I suggest using DosBox.

[Tengu_temp]

Tengu, it's an idea. You are aware that BRC and I would get the majority of the cash prizes, of course?

You mean 66%, right? Yeah, I am. It's good enough for a start. And that way Psionic Appreciation Day becomes official, with minimal risk of Alex Knight beating everyone involved up.

[Murska]

http://www.xcomufo.com/x1faq.html

This helped me somewhat. Namely the 'black screen' part and the patch in that answer.

[EleventhHour]

Yay! It's working now, though the Tacital screen seems to scroll at super-speed...

[Tengu_temp]

Lower the scrolling speed to 1. It will still be super-fast, but managable with training.

[Kane]

You mean 66%, right? Yeah, I am. It's good enough for a start. And that way Psionic Appreciation Day becomes official, with minimal risk of Alex Knight beating everyone involved up.

Wait, so uh, what is it that's supposed to stop Colonel Knight?

[Tengu_temp]

An order from Chiasaur, maybe? Or we could keep him occupied somehow.

[EleventhHour]

I could keep him distracted, but you have to cut me in for a slice of the loot.

Fourth share for me, and the rest of you can squabble it out.

::
Eleventh Hour's first X-Com!

Spoiler

Show

And my X-Commanding is going... well, badly I guess. I caught 2/5 UFOs that went by, restarted the game a few times to try some things. My first combat was... well, I'm hoping okay. I shot down the UFO, but when my guys were wandering to find the crafty alien (He wasn't in any of the buildings like I figured he would be) he shot down one of mine before the rest could take out him (And the walls around him) with Autofire. The other two aliens were just sitting back, and I managed to shoot them first.

The other combats... didn't go so well. My second one, I had a few people lined up against a wall, specifically avoiding the windows, as I noticed you get LOS through them. But no, the alien roasted the wall and one of my people, and then as I was trying to get that one killed (Well, killed him, then it was A's turn again) another one sniped one of the trailing members I had looking out the back. A third was lost opening the UFO door.

Any hints for troops stratagey? (Aside from actually buying a tank.) I tried to be crafty with the UFO door and a grenade the next time I encountered one, but it didn't work out.

'

\/- Oh, piffle. You know that Knight would come back, promoted again. Covered in alien blood.

[Tengu_temp]

Psh. There are cheaper ways to do that - we could send him alone on a mission, for example.