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

[Cubey]

Laser Cannons are interceptor weapons. I doubt civilians have fighter jets.

[Eldan]

Bah. Mount them on cars. Or busses.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Mount them in houses and storefronts? Fortifications, people!

[Eldan]

Also, aren't we in the future? People should have flying cars and jetpacks by now.

[Gralamin]

We're not quite in the future yet. In fact, we are currently in the past.

[Cubey]

We're in the miraculous world of TOMORROW!

Year 1999. I'm not kidding.

[Lord Herman]

Bah. Mount them on cars. Or busses.

Or sharks.

[Eldan]

Actually, speaking of sharks, were are those tyrannosaurs we were promised? We could mount cannons on them and use them as mounts.

...

*Wanders off to write setting for M&M*

[Cubey]

Actually, speaking of sharks, were are those tyrannosaurs we were promised? We could mount cannons on them and use them as mounts.

You mean something like this?

Spoiler

Show

Triscene, terror unit from, well, Terror from the Deep.

[pendell]

Laser Cannons are interceptor weapons. I doubt civilians have fighter jets.

Oh yes they do . In real life, yet.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[ZeroNumerous]

*Wanders off to write setting for M&M*

I remember an crappy film I had a while back about teenagers with dinosaurs and lasers. Here it is.

[Oslecamo]

I vote for cyrborg dinossaurs with lasers wich can transform into airships.

With chainaxe launchers somewhere in between of course.

The aliens will bow to our awesomess and submit to Earth!

[Swot]

I think we need a lot more corpses before we can do something like that.
We could reassemble the bones fore the skeletal frame and, since it transforms into an airship, we don't need to worry about using biological muscles but can go straight to metal and silicon based ones.
Flying may still be a problem, not to mention the required materials.
But it's plausible...

After it's done we could transfer Lopez's brain into it, only if he agrees that is.

[chiasaur11]

I'm glad they don't exist in X-Com World then.
Or do they? Maybe that's where all the laser cannons go, sold for mere pennies? But in that case, we still have a backup plan: first, we sell them all we can, desperate for money. Then, when we actually defeat the X-Com aliens, we'll use their technology to defeat the Ferengi. And if we need money, we can always sell more laser cannons to... THIS PLAN WORKS HONEST.

All part of the plan.

Ever noticed how much laser cannons stink?

Good reason for that.

[chiasaur11]

Back at base, Cubey and Chumbley took a look at the Cyberdisk corpses we'd picked up. Seems, despite the thrashing they got from the X-COM standard issue laser rifle, there was enough intact of the anti-grav systems to finish off a couple of ideas the techs had been working on.

And with that, my nifty suit of power armor got a jetpack. Hoo-Hah.

Fort Fri'd also been busy. Seems they were trying out an idle suggestion and making a HWP chassis with a heavy laser turret bolted to the top.


Without Lopez, it seemed they just had to make do.

Just then, the radar blared. Seemed some Xenos had landed right near our base, just when

1) I had new armor

2) I had a mildly irritating thirst for vengeance against somebody for killing two of my troopers. I mean, that's supposed to be my job!


"On the bounce, men! We got some dirty stinking Snakemen to kill. Or maybe floaters or sectoids. I neither know nor care."



The snakemen outside were a non issue. Tengu and I crushed their puny little brains, leading to a quick clobbering.


The snakemen in the UFO fared little better. I was beginning to wonder why Chumbley thought they were an issue at all.

Another live navigator, a reactor full of E-117, and a complete UFO. Cakewalk.

A second UFO near the base went down just as easy.

While Knight took Ferrus and Numerous through the basics of a UFO breach and clear, and the Psicore (Tengu, me, and BRC when he gets out of sickbay) prevented ambushes, the rest of the group discussed the comparative merits of PG Wodehouse's Mulliner and Ukridge stories.

Fiddler was unusually outspoken.
"Look. I know the Ukridge stories are consistently about the same subsets of characters, allowing for greater development, but this is Wodehouse we're talking. Characters are static, and once you know the gag, you know the character. In fact, I'd argue that the multi character nature of the Mulliner works lets Wodehouse try all the concepts normally out of bounds for his comparatively grounded, say, Blandings series and thus we are presented with a wider view of his humor when applied to the fantastic, thus hinting at the style of later works influenced by the master that go further in that direction, EG. Adams."

Copper sighed.
"Well, I'll grant you that Wodehouse is minimal in character growth, but I deny that it's non-existent. Furthermore, seeing a character's nigh identical behavior in multiple scenarios allows a fuller grasp of how thoroughly the concept is managed. Oh, and since you mentioned Adams, have you read Pratchett? Some similarities there, beyond the obvious fact they're both excellent."

"Have to get on that. I mean, I read Strata, and enjoyed it, but I felt the author could do better if he'd accept the fantastic and comedic elements more thoroughly."

"You're in luck then."
Eldan piped up with a "I also enjoy human literature, as is common in our species!"

"...Right. Good to hear that about Pratchett, Copper. You might not be entirely worthless after all. Still think your position on Ukridge is rubbish."

I decided a quick round of autoshot to the ceiling would quiet the lot of them. As is the usual with my hunches, it worked.

"While you worthless sacks of fetid compost were discussing (admittedly perfectly good) British comedy, Knight finished the job we are, in theory, paying you to do. Get ready to go."

Another UFO, another couple mill.



Also, another amazing technological breakthrough. I had a hunch these things might look quite nice hooked up to an interceptor.

[BRC]

So commander. When do we get some of that nifty armor.

[chiasaur11]

As soon as I feel you can be trusted with jetpacks.

Ie: Soonish for most of you, never for Copper.

[Alex Knight]

Sir, I just took the troopers I felt deserved the joy of smashing a xeno's skull in, sir!

[Swot]

Edit: Ninja'd, now I have to add a quote.

Fort Fri'd also been busy. Seems they were trying out an idle suggestion and making a HWP chassis with a heavy laser turret bolted to the top.

Fulfilling idle ideas is what we're all about, commander sir!

[chiasaur11]

Edit: Ninja'd, now I have to add a quote.


Fulfilling idle ideas is what we're all about, commander sir!

That's nice.

From now on, your only idle ideal should be "I want to make laser cannons" until further notice.

Savvy?

[Kane]

Are laser cannons really the best cash-product? I mean, laserpistols have a lower profit margin, but take WAY less time to produce...

[chiasaur11]

Are laser cannons really the best cash-product? I mean, laserpistols have a lower profit margin, but take WAY less time to produce...

Yes, they are.

People have written up spreadsheets.

Well, technically the best deal is fusion ball launchers made one at a time. But by that time you should be halfway to Cydonia.

[Swot]

From now on, your only idle ideal should be "I want to make laser cannons" until further notice.

Savvy?

Sir yes Sir!
Edit: If engineers could have psi scores, mine would be low.

[Cubey]

X-Com - where making money is serious business. Stopping the alien invasion is just a side effect.

Also, here's a collective OH YEAH! from the science team. Our power suits can fly now!
EDIT: At least those who weren't complete jerks about it. "Oh woo, flying power armor, like that's ever going to work! What's next, giant robots?"

Yes. Giant robots.

[Gralamin]

Yes, they are.

People have written up spreadsheets.

Well, technically the best deal is fusion ball launchers made one at a time. But by that time you should be halfway to Cydonia.

Well, if you take the most time/selling effective item and cheat away their production cost, of course they are going to be better.

[pendell]

Heh. Reading this let's play has inspired me to fire up my own version of X-COM, and I have just done what is possibly the dumbest stunt EVAH in X-com.

Two of my troops took on a Chrysallid. With stun rods.

And won. It's in the tank at my research base now (located just outside Warsaw, Poland), getting thumped by the science goons or what not.

Okay, I grant that it'd been mind-raped with a psi amp into spending all its movement points first, but still....

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[chiasaur11]

Heh. Reading this let's play has inspired me to fire up my own version of X-COM, and I have just done what is possibly the dumbest stunt EVAH in X-com.

Two of my troops took on a Chrysallid. With stun rods.

And won. It's in the tank at my research base now (located just outside Warsaw, Poland), getting thumped by the science goons or what not.

Okay, I grant that it'd been mind-raped with a psi amp into spending all its movement points first, but still....

Respectfully,

Brian P.

Funny you should mention Chrysallids.

Funny, funny thing.

[Fri]

You mean something like this?

Spoiler

Show

Triscene, terror unit from, well, Terror from the Deep.

So there is where they're come from.

I mean, come on. Eldan asked about robotic t-rex to our science team, and then the alien got robotic t-rex in the future.

Clearly, one of our science team member is a traitorous traitor.

[BRC]

Clearly, one of our science team member is a traitorous traitor.

There is only one solution.
WITCH HUNT!

The question is, which style. Do we want to turn people against one another with paranoia, letting suspected people get torn to death by angry mobs. Or do we want to go for the aloof aproach. An elite group remaining seperate from the masses, "Vanishing" suspects, only having them appear for show trials if at all.

[chiasaur11]

So there is where they're come from.

I mean, come on. Eldan asked about robotic t-rex to our science team, and then the alien got robotic t-rex in the future.

Clearly, one of our science team member is a traitorous traitor.

Huh. Well.

Spoiler

Show

If I do play Terror from the Deep, the plan is that X-COM, with no government oversight, no ethical restraints, and, due to holdings in the outer colonies being safe from almost any disaster, has been going further and further into "Bad idea" territory, and after a few of the projects made on a weekend bender get loose, the science team members in the secret undersea base are now desperately trying to cover up their involvement in the whole matter. As cheaply as possible.