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

[Cubey]

What specializations.

You know... biochemistry, quantum physics - I'm just making things up now, it was just a joke. It's never going to happen anyway.

I thought all you guys did was look at things bubble in beakers, scribble things on chalkboards, and then look up the answers on Wikipedia.

Don't forget mad scientist laughter. Can't have science without the laughter!

I snuck in and checked your browser history.

Curses!
So, about that... page... You know the one, and I don't mean Wikipedia...
Don't judge me! It was the biology guys! They're into sick stuff like that!

I mean, sectoid autopsy? What the hell!

[Artanis]

I've only heard good things about enemy unknown, but generally have head that TFTD and Apocolypse were not up to it's standerds. In your assorted opinions, would you agree with that?

Not much of anything is up to the standards of the original X-Com

TFtD being too much like the original isn't a case of not being able to please everybody. It's a case of a game being just barely on this side of being an expansion. TFtD is definitely a different game and a different experience, but you're going to have a LOT of moments where you say, "WTF, that's just <insert X-Com thing here> underwater!"

Apocalypse was a pretty good game (Gamespot gave it an 8.6) that was ruined by having the X-Com name. It simply could not accomplish the impossible task of living up to the X-Com name. If you take it on its own merits, however, it's a good game and at least matches - or even surpasses - any of the "spiritual successors" that have come along. IMO, it's well worth d/ling on Steam.

I'd say go ahead and get the triple-pack. The original and Apocalypse are worth the price, and if you're getting both, you might as well get TfTD while you're at it.

[chiasaur11]

Not much of anything is up to the standards of the original X-Com

TFtD being too much like the original isn't a case of not being able to please everybody. It's a case of a game being just barely on this side of being an expansion. TFtD is definitely a different game and a different experience, but you're going to have a LOT of moments where you say, "WTF, that's just <insert X-Com thing here> underwater!"

Apocalypse was a pretty good game that was ruined by having the X-Com name. It simply could not accomplish the (utterly impossible) task of living up to the X-Com name. If you take it on its own merits, however, it's a good game and at least matches - or even surpasses - any of the "spiritual successors" that have come along. IMO, it's well worth d/ling on Steam.

I'd say go ahead and get the triple-pack. The original and Apocalypse are worth the price, and if you're getting both, you might as well get TfTD while you're at it.

And then you get the other two things free.

And for free, they're fun enough.

(Oh, and Terror from the Deep also has a reputation as being a mite... difficult. By X-COM standards. Take that as you might.)

[Artanis]

And then you get the other two things free.

And for free, they're fun enough.

(Oh, and Terror from the Deep also has a reputation as being a mite... difficult. By X-COM standards. Take that as you might.)

Let's put it this way: in TFtD, the Chryssalids FLY

[Trazoi]

I recently got the whole five game X-COM pack from Steam too. I was actually planning on doing this anyway; this Lets Play was just serendipitous. Previously I've only briefly played the original, and while I'd mainly like to play that one again (and properly this time), I'd also like to see what the sequels were like. Even the panned ones.

[Gralamin]

Let's put it this way: in TFtD, the Chryssalids FLY

Don't forget about the bug. Since TFtD and the original XCOM use the same engine, it appears in both games in different forms. Micropose thought they'd be smart and have the difficulty automatically Ramp up whenever you where doing to well. Unfortunately, they failed, and the result is XCOM is always on Beginner difficulty, while TFtD is always on SUPERHUMAN.

[Cubey]

Unfortunately, they failed, and the result is XCOM is always on Beginner difficulty, while TFtD is always on SUPERHUMAN.

Which makes the statement I made ~10 years ago, before I heard about the bug, very amusing.
"TFtD on Beginner is about as difficult as UFO: Enemy Unknown on Superhuman"

[Copper8642]

I don't get this bug you speak of. What happens? Reword it or something please. Or is it seriously just that the difficulty doesn't change?

[Cubey]

No matter which difficulty you select at the start, you play at Beginner.

[Cristo Meyers]

I don't get this bug you speak of. What happens? Reword it or something please. Or is it seriously just that the difficulty doesn't change?

The difficulty seriously doesn't change.

[BRC]

The difficulty seriously doesn't change.

Unless you unlock "Fluffy" difficulty. Where every enemy is a flying chryssilid with 100 Psy power.

[pendell]

So ... if we killed the last skyranger pilot, does that mean I get the job until a combat seat opens up?

Second ... wanna have a word with the supply officer -- Copper, right? Two questions:

1) *Throws an electro-flare at Copper* What the heck is this? Infrared imaging, image intensification, NVGs, have been standard since the 1970s. So what are we doing with WWII era crap?

2) I note the real-life US Army is coming out with flesh-eating robots of doom . When do we get some? I want to hear the sounds of alien screams accompanied by NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM as the robots give the Chrysssies a taste of their own medicine.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Cubey]

Standard, buyable equipment comes from the lowest bidder. Why do you think we're researching our own X-Com brand technology?

[Swot]

Also if we know how it works, we know how to fix it if it starts not working.
At least in theory.
*Frowns at jammed laser rifle*
How can a laser rifle even jam? The're no moving parts!

Spoiler

Show

Questions
Would the request for a spiked helmet reach me even though I am in the other base? And would it be practical to make something in one base and then ship it to the other?
Or is it even possible to make something like this in the first place?
(I have never played X-Com before)

[BRC]

Standard, buyable equipment comes from the lowest bidder. Why do you think we're researching our own X-Com brand technology?

That would explain why each seat on the skyranger has a bar of ivory soap taped to the bottom as a flotation device.

[Cubey]

That would explain why each seat on the skyranger has a bar of ivory soap taped to the bottom as a flotation device.

Skyrangers have seats?
No, seriously. Look at them. It's just a tube with wings on the outside and soldiers on the inside.

Spoiler

Show

There are no spiked helmets in X-Com games. In fact, a helmet isn't even a seperate item until Apocalypse.
And I'm serious. Skyrangers don't have seats on the battlescope.

[BRC]

Skyrangers have seats?
No, seriously. Look at them. It's just a tube with wings on the outside and soldiers on the inside.

The seats are very small. I think they are Playmobile seats. We take "Lowest Bidder" seriously here at X-Com.

We don't even have shelves, we just dump all our gear in front of the boarding ramp at the back of the Skyranger. I think our aim sucks because we don't have seatbelts so we get knocked on the head all the time.

[Cubey]

The seats are very small. I think they are Playmobile seats. We take "Lowest Bidder" seriously here at X-Com.

We don't even have shelves, we just dump all our gear in front of the boarding ramp at the back of the Skyranger. I think our aim sucks because we don't have seatbelts so we get knocked on the head all the time.

And despite all that, this flying piece of garbage still costs us half a million per month!
I'll tell my research team to start working on a flying giant robot better transport craft immediately.

[Pie Guy]

Can't we just light the aliens on fire? I wanna see some flamethrowers!

[BRC]

And despite all that, this flying piece of garbage still costs us half a million per month!
I'll tell my research team to start working on a flying giant robot better transport craft immediately.

That would be nice. Or you could just put some seatbelts on the Skyranger. And some sort of locking clamps on Lopez. I mean, half of the deaths the Commander reports in combat are actually people who got smashed by lopez rolling on them during takeoff.

[EleventhHour]

And despite all that, this flying piece of garbage still costs us half a million per month!
I'll tell my research team to start working on a flying giant robot better transport craft immediately.

Sarge sent me over with this load of... Here, could you hold these while I get my note? Thanks. Oh, 'Highly unstable portable ionic generator tubes.' Huh. Oh, and the part on the back says not to sha... Whoops.

[chiasaur11]

Can't we just light the aliens on fire? I wanna see some flamethrowers!

Sorry.

All we got is miniguns that shoot full auto incendiary rounds.

[Cubey]

Seatbelts? X-Com scientists never refine Earth technology, we create things anew, from scratch.

...

Or just copy from the aliens.

Generator tubes? Looks dangerous, so it must be... Science!

[BRC]

Seatbelts? X-Com scientists never refine Earth technology, we create things anew, from scratch.

How about some sort of Gravitational Restraint System, or a force field to hold people, and tanks in place.

[Artanis]

Questions
Would the request for a spiked helmet reach me even though I am in the other base? And would it be practical to make something in one base and then ship it to the other?
Or is it even possible to make something like this in the first place?
(I have never played X-Com before)

Like Cubey said, spiked helmets (and non-spiked ones, for that matter) don't exist in X-Com, so it'd be up to chiasaur11 if he wants to work it into the story or something.

IF they did exist, however, the request would reach whoever is supposed to build it, no matter what base they're in. As for practicality, it's not just practical to build things in one base and ship them to another, it's a major asset when it comes to managing the war. You only have so much room in a base, so it's common to have bases devoted to various specialties...especially manufacturing. One base cranking out armor, weapons, aircraft, and HWPs can supply a HUGE amount of materiel while bringing in tons of cash.

[Cubey]

@BRC:
Excellent idea! We'll get to it... eventually. (And thus, Hovertanks were born)

@Artanis:
Don't forget a whole base dedicated to mass producing Laser Cannons. Nothing says death to alien scum like massive income!

[Neo]

unless the alien scum are ferengi

[Fri]

By the way, one of you can be our fighter pilot, you know.

[Cubey]

unless the alien scum are ferengi

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.

[Eldan]

So why don't we just sell laser cannons to the citizens instead of going on terror missions? I mean, defending them against terror missions?