X-COM XCOM 2 + War of the Chosen Expansion Thread

[Nikanuur]

http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/147833/xcom-2-2k-announcement/

A full sequel, however, has eluded us, but we have it on good authority that this will change next week. Possibly titled “XCOM Deux,” XCOM 2 will be announced as early as Monday, June 1, 2015, for PC and consoles. Pre-orders will be accepted in early June, and the game will ship in November.

Take that with a healthy pinch of sodium chloride.

What?! You want him to use an explosive metal and a very poisonous gas at the same time? Nothing good can come out of it!

 

[Nikanuur]

By the way, is it only my eyes, or the new launcher from the developer supports mods in a good way? The last time I ran the game, I didn't have to run the alternative launcher for the Commander's Choice mode. Or so it seems at least, the game has detected the mod.

 

[Suicidal]

It's been a few years since I played last and I felt like more XCOM. I downloaded a few dozen mods and kicked off a Legend run.

Strategically it went very well but then I almost wiped on the Avenger Defense mission, got just enough healthy people left for a retaliation mission. But they were mostly squaddies or corporals and the retaliation mission was all about Archons, Mutons and Zerkers. First they killed most of the civilians in like the first 4 turns and in the next 3 half of my squad was dead. Campaign over, out of the blue. Up until then I aced the missions, got maybe 2 rookies dead tops.

Not sure what I did wrong. The Avenger Defense mission was utterly absurd, mountains and mountains of meat thrown my way, peppered with constant disables like Mind Control or Shadowbound. The difficulty spike was retarded. I'm amazed the campaign didn't end right there. I don't remember this from vanilla Legend runs, I guess I overdid it with the mods, some of them might have added some weaponized autism in the game. Or maybe 2K upped the difficulty? Last time I played Legend was shortly after the release, maybe people complained about it being too easy. But holy fuck did I get wrecked like a helpless puppy.

Which mods are you using? Are you trying to keep it grounded or as crazy as possible?

I remember when I played I used one called RPG Overhaul, which made leveling your soldiers very fun (each soldier had like 10 or 15 class trees and you could put points in any of them, you can allocate stat points on level up and you can give any weapon and equipment to any soldier). It also comes with additional optional class mods, some of which break the game, like the dual gunner, which can attack several times per turn and for some reason 2 plasma pistols do more damage than a plasma cannon. To compensate the game breaking stuff I added a lot of modded enemies.

If you're looking to spice your game up, I highly recommend it.

 

[cvv]

Which mods are you using? Are you trying to keep it grounded or as crazy as possible?

I remember when I played I used one called RPG Overhaul, which made leveling your soldiers very fun (each soldier had like 10 or 15 class trees and you could put points in any of them, you can allocate stat points on level up and you can give any weapon and equipment to any soldier). It also comes with additional optional class mods, some of which break the game, like the dual gunner, which can attack several times per turn and for some reason 2 plasma pistols do more damage than a plasma cannon. To compensate the game breaking stuff I added a lot of modded enemies.

If you're looking to spice your game up, I highly recommend it.

Nice, I'll try the overhaul in my next run, altho I'm wary of custom classes, I tried a few last time I played (I think Jedi, Specs Ops and others) and they did seem a bit too gamebreaking. Right now I've removed all class mods except for Rocketeer - fun and balanced.

Btw I'm going with Commander/Ironman right now and I enjoy it so much more than Legend. I guess I need a few dozen hours more in the game before I can take on Legend/Ironman again.

 

[Suicidal]

Which mods are you using? Are you trying to keep it grounded or as crazy as possible?

I remember when I played I used one called RPG Overhaul, which made leveling your soldiers very fun (each soldier had like 10 or 15 class trees and you could put points in any of them, you can allocate stat points on level up and you can give any weapon and equipment to any soldier). It also comes with additional optional class mods, some of which break the game, like the dual gunner, which can attack several times per turn and for some reason 2 plasma pistols do more damage than a plasma cannon. To compensate the game breaking stuff I added a lot of modded enemies.

If you're looking to spice your game up, I highly recommend it.

Nice, I'll try the overhaul in my next run, altho I'm wary of custom classes, I tried a few last time I played (I think Jedi, Specs Ops and others) and they did seem a bit too gamebreaking. Right now I've removed all class mods except for Rocketeer - fun and balanced.

Btw I'm going with Commander/Ironman right now and I enjoy it so much more than Legend. I guess I need a few dozen hours more in the game before I can take on Legend/Ironman again.

The default custom class trees that RPGO comes with are all quite tame. Rocketeer is among them, iirc. I remember there being a grenade focused class, flamethrower focused class, dedicated medic, dedicated scout, stuff like that. It's the optional add-ons to the mod that end up being game breaking but since they are optional you can just not use them although my personal approach is to add all the broken shit but also add a lot of mods that increase difficulty to compensate.

 

[cvv]

So this is what just happened - Blacksite mission, cleared most of the map, including the Assassin. I'm guessing there's one more group in the back from the vial spot. Got four members plus one dude unconscious and stabilized (a single crit slash from the Assassin, can't prevent that). Everybody is full health and ready to kick ass.

Moving carefully but one of my dude still reveals the last group - a Spectre and two Vipers. I finish my moves. Now is the enemy turn:
- Spectre: Shadowbound my Templar
- 1st Viper: Grabs my Reaper
- 2nd Viper: Grabs my Rocketeer

The only one left is my Sharpshooter. She tries to shoot one Viper but misses an 82% shot because this is XCOM and 80%+ shots are always fifty-fifty. Next turn the shadowbounded Templar runs up to her and kills her in one slash.

Mission over and campaign probably also over because there goes my elite squad with all the PCS, mods and hunter weps I had. A bunch of bare-arsed rookies, a few corporals and two sarges is all I have left.

I could try to carry on but I'm so salty over this I feel like restarting the campaign. Having three disablers in one pod in this early-game mission feels like the cheapest bullshit imaginable.

Do ya'll restart when something so retarded happens and the game blows a gigantic hole in your campaign or you just carry on, knowing you might be doomed anyway but you only find out 10 hours later?

 

[typical user]

Do ya'll restart when something so retarded happens and the game blows a gigantic hole in your campaign or you just carry on, knowing you might be doomed anyway but you only find out 10 hours later?

I tend to play semi-ironman. That is, every decision I make between the missions is final, no save-loading during the missions unless something fucky happens at the very end of 1-hour long op. But for the most part I will retry the mission from the beginning.

So for your situation I recommend reloading to the point before you revealed that alien pod. That's what non-ironman is for, no shame loading once in a while.

 

[ArchAngel]

Do ya'll restart when something so retarded happens and the game blows a gigantic hole in your campaign or you just carry on, knowing you might be doomed anyway but you only find out 10 hours later?

I tend to play semi-ironman. That is, every decision I make between the missions is final, no save-loading during the missions unless something fucky happens at the very end of 1-hour long op. But for the most part I will retry the mission from the beginning.

So for your situation I recommend reloading to the point before you revealed that alien pod. That's what non-ironman is for, no shame loading once in a while.

Giving yourself one restart mission per mission is called bronzeman

 

[cvv]

Do ya'll restart when something so retarded happens and the game blows a gigantic hole in your campaign or you just carry on, knowing you might be doomed anyway but you only find out 10 hours later?

I tend to play semi-ironman. That is, every decision I make between the missions is final, no save-loading during the missions unless something fucky happens at the very end of 1-hour long op. But for the most part I will retry the mission from the beginning.

So for your situation I recommend reloading to the point before you revealed that alien pod. That's what non-ironman is for, no shame loading once in a while.

Giving yourself one restart mission per mission is called bronzeman

So a goldenman is playing the entire Legendary campaign in one sitting.

I bet some people would do that.

Some probably already have.

 

[jackofshadows]

I'm not sure whether or not it deserve a separate thread since too few play mobile games here I presume but look at this:

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-new-xcom-is-a-free-to-play-mobile-game/

lmao

 

[zapotec]

xcom immortal!

 

[Alienman]

Another popular free-money making franchise thrown into the ditch for some reason. Always wondered why publishers do this.

 

[Falksi]

So this is what just happened - Blacksite mission, cleared most of the map, including the Assassin. I'm guessing there's one more group in the back from the vial spot. Got four members plus one dude unconscious and stabilized (a single crit slash from the Assassin, can't prevent that). Everybody is full health and ready to kick ass.

Moving carefully but one of my dude still reveals the last group - a Spectre and two Vipers. I finish my moves. Now is the enemy turn:
- Spectre: Shadowbound my Templar
- 1st Viper: Grabs my Reaper
- 2nd Viper: Grabs my Rocketeer

The only one left is my Sharpshooter. She tries to shoot one Viper but misses an 82% shot because this is XCOM and 80%+ shots are always fifty-fifty. Next turn the shadowbounded Templar runs up to her and kills her in one slash.

Mission over and campaign probably also over because there goes my elite squad with all the PCS, mods and hunter weps I had. A bunch of bare-arsed rookies, a few corporals and two sarges is all I have left.

I could try to carry on but I'm so salty over this I feel like restarting the campaign. Having three disablers in one pod in this early-game mission feels like the cheapest bullshit imaginable.

Do ya'll restart when something so retarded happens and the game blows a gigantic hole in your campaign or you just carry on, knowing you might be doomed anyway but you only find out 10 hours later?

Nah, play on until actually doomed.

X-Com 2 can be fun, and once you've played it a few times you'll waltz through it. But it really does all boil down to setting off enemy pods as early as possible in your turn. All the other tactics are ridiculously insignificant compared to that. It's unfathomably bad game design.

 

[Nikanuur]

So this is what just happened - Blacksite mission, cleared most of the map, including the Assassin. I'm guessing there's one more group in the back from the vial spot. Got four members plus one dude unconscious and stabilized (a single crit slash from the Assassin, can't prevent that). Everybody is full health and ready to kick ass.

Moving carefully but one of my dude still reveals the last group - a Spectre and two Vipers. I finish my moves. Now is the enemy turn:
- Spectre: Shadowbound my Templar
- 1st Viper: Grabs my Reaper
- 2nd Viper: Grabs my Rocketeer

The only one left is my Sharpshooter. She tries to shoot one Viper but misses an 82% shot because this is XCOM and 80%+ shots are always fifty-fifty. Next turn the shadowbounded Templar runs up to her and kills her in one slash.

Mission over and campaign probably also over because there goes my elite squad with all the PCS, mods and hunter weps I had. A bunch of bare-arsed rookies, a few corporals and two sarges is all I have left.

I could try to carry on but I'm so salty over this I feel like restarting the campaign. Having three disablers in one pod in this early-game mission feels like the cheapest bullshit imaginable.

Do ya'll restart when something so retarded happens and the game blows a gigantic hole in your campaign or you just carry on, knowing you might be doomed anyway but you only find out 10 hours later?

Nah, play on until actually doomed.

X-Com 2 can be fun, and once you've played it a few times you'll waltz through it. But it really does all boil down to setting off enemy pods as early as possible in your turn. All the other tactics are ridiculously insignificant compared to that. It's unfathomably bad game design.

I like XCOM and I play it with how it is. But I agree. I have never understood why such a concept. A normal one and a pretty playable is - everybody has a line of sight and a distance to hear explosions / shooting and some have a radar etc..

 

[Zombra]

Another popular free-money making franchise thrown into the ditch for some reason. Always wondered why publishers do this.

BREAKING NEWS
For the first time ever, a terrible product is using the X-Com name.

 

[Alienman]

I guess it's time for X-com to back to abandon ware status then.

Was kinda hoping Take2 would take care of the franchise, but guess not.

 

[Galdred]

So this is what just happened - Blacksite mission, cleared most of the map, including the Assassin. I'm guessing there's one more group in the back from the vial spot. Got four members plus one dude unconscious and stabilized (a single crit slash from the Assassin, can't prevent that). Everybody is full health and ready to kick ass.

Moving carefully but one of my dude still reveals the last group - a Spectre and two Vipers. I finish my moves. Now is the enemy turn:
- Spectre: Shadowbound my Templar
- 1st Viper: Grabs my Reaper
- 2nd Viper: Grabs my Rocketeer

The only one left is my Sharpshooter. She tries to shoot one Viper but misses an 82% shot because this is XCOM and 80%+ shots are always fifty-fifty. Next turn the shadowbounded Templar runs up to her and kills her in one slash.

Mission over and campaign probably also over because there goes my elite squad with all the PCS, mods and hunter weps I had. A bunch of bare-arsed rookies, a few corporals and two sarges is all I have left.

I could try to carry on but I'm so salty over this I feel like restarting the campaign. Having three disablers in one pod in this early-game mission feels like the cheapest bullshit imaginable.

Do ya'll restart when something so retarded happens and the game blows a gigantic hole in your campaign or you just carry on, knowing you might be doomed anyway but you only find out 10 hours later?

I did restart a lot, but carrying on after I list my A squad was the most fun game I had.
Actually, that may even be the only way to have a consistent challenge for the endgame, as the difficulty is very frontloaded otherwise.

 

[Silva]

It's unfathomably bad game design.

Wouldn't say so. It's somewhat obtuse yeah, but at least it infuses some uncertainty and makes the game challenging for longer. For comparison, Classic Xcom is great but too safe after you pass a certain point in power.

And I agree the best way to play is accepting your losses.

 

[Falksi]

It's unfathomably bad game design.

Wouldn't say so. It's somewhat obtuse yeah, but at least it infuses some uncertainty and makes the game challenging for longer. For comparison, Classic Xcom is great but too safe after you pass a certain point in power.

And I agree the best way to play is accepting your losses.

Obtuse is a good word.

But I don't agree about the uncertainty. Once you know where these pods are it's predictable as fuck.

The whole pod system totally ruins Nu-Xcom for me now. I still think it's worth playing because the journey getting to the stage where you know the maps offers a lot of fun. Also the WOTC expansion adds fuckloads to give fresh stuff to have even more fun with after that.

But I just can't play it any more now sadly. Think I've finished it 5 times, so I've had my money's worth, but I really hope any more X-Com games do away with the pod system entirely. They just aren't anywhere near as replayable as the originals.

 

[cvv]

The pods are a necessary byproduct of the cover-based system which is a lot of fun, with all the flanking and cover-destroying games both sides play.

Pods aren't big deal for me, it's how fateful a single turn can be. You open a pod full of disablers, you miss four 70%+ shots in a row and on their turn they disable or shadowbound or mind control most of your squad. GG. Or the other day - a "surgical" mission (3 soldiers max), revealed two pods at the same time (they were all bunched up in one room), two sectoids promptly mind controlled two of my soldiers so I had to bail with the last one. But mission failed, a bunch of expensive gear left on the ground, etc. A few tiny mistakes, a few cases of a bad luck and your campaign is fucked. That's a terrible design, especially with how impactful every elite soldier and every mission is.

Someone at Firaxis should figure out how to do a standard initiative-based system, with both sides alternating, like in Battletech. That would mitigate a lot of that insane volatility. Plus missions should be a bit more numerous and a bit less critical. Losing a retaliation mission and the corresponding region is absolutely brutal, especially considering how much of a RNG-fest the retaliation missions can be.

P.S.: Btw I know people complain about RNG all the time but there seems to be something fucky with the probabilities. I took notes during a few missions and discovered shots between 50-80% are p. much a coin toss, fifty-fifty. Shots above 80% are notably more reliable, p. much consistent with the stated numbers. Weird. Does the game have some sort of compensation system like in XCOM1?

 

[Average Manatee]

So a goldenman is playing the entire Legendary campaign in one sitting.

I bet some people would do that.

Some probably already have.

OK, but what's Diamondman then?

The pods are a necessary byproduct of the cover-based system which is a lot of fun, with all the flanking and cover-destroying games both sides play.

Pods aren't big deal for me, it's how fateful a single turn can be. You open a pod full of disablers, you miss four 70%+ shots in a row and on their turn they disable or shadowbound or mind control most of your squad. GG. Or the other day - a "surgical" mission (3 soldiers max), revealed two pods at the same time (they were all bunched up in one room), two sectoids promptly mind controlled two of my soldiers so I had to bail with the last one. But mission failed, a bunch of expensive gear left on the ground, etc. A few tiny mistakes, a few cases of a bad luck and your campaign is fucked. That's a terrible design, especially with how impactful every elite soldier and every mission is.

Someone at Firaxis should figure out how to do a standard initiative-based system, with both sides alternating, like in Battletech. That would mitigate a lot of that insane volatility. Plus missions should be a bit more numerous and a bit less critical. Losing a retaliation mission and the corresponding region is absolutely brutal, especially considering how much of a coin toss the retaliation missions can be.

Or just make standard missions involve 16+ soldiers again. "small" scale missions could be 8. The whole map of enemies could be a single pod and the game would probably on the whole go faster because you spend a lot less time sneaking around trying to get the one-up on enemies by revealing them "properly" even if you spend more time managing your squad.

 

[Falksi]

The pods are a necessary byproduct of the cover-based system which is a lot of fun, with all the flanking and cover-destroying games both sides play.

Pods aren't big deal for me, it's how fateful a single turn can be. You open a pod full of disablers, you miss four 70%+ shots in a row and on their turn they disable or shadowbound or mind control most of your squad. GG. Or the other day - a "surgical" mission (3 soldiers max), revealed two pods at the same time (they were all bunched up in one room), two sectoids promptly mind controlled two of my soldiers so I had to bail with the last one. But mission failed, a bunch of expensive gear left on the ground, etc. A few tiny mistakes, a few cases of a bad luck and your campaign is fucked. That's a terrible design, especially with how impactful every elite soldier and every mission is.

Someone at Firaxis should figure out how to do a standard initiative-based system, with both sides alternating, like in Battletech. That would mitigate a lot of that insane volatility. Plus missions should be a bit more numerous and a bit less critical. Losing a retaliation mission and the corresponding region is absolutely brutal, especially considering how much of a RNG-fest the retaliation missions can be.

P.S.: Btw I know people complain about RNG all the time but there seems to be something fucky with the probabilities. I took notes during a few missions and discovered shots between 50-80% are p. much a coin toss, fifty-fifty. Shots above 80% are notably more reliable, p. much consistent with the stated numbers. Weird. Does the game have some sort of compensation system like in XCOM1?

I don't disagree, but you eliminate said turns by setting pods off at the right time and with the squadmates in the right positions.

But yeah, an initiative base system would be great to see, if only to freshen the formula up.

 

[jackofshadows]

But yeah, an initiative base system would be great to see, if only to freshen the formula up.

Play Chimera.

 

[whydoibother]

I don't know if you guys are aware, but a new XCOM game has released, called Legends. Its only available in some regions on the Google Play Store.
It looks like shit, and I haven't seen any marketing or reviews, I think they are throwing it out there to die.

We were previously told there'd be "several new XCOM games" released this year, this is probably one of them.

 

[baud]

P.S.: Btw I know people complain about RNG all the time but there seems to be something fucky with the probabilities. I took notes during a few missions and discovered shots between 50-80% are p. much a coin toss, fifty-fifty. Shots above 80% are notably more reliable, p. much consistent with the stated numbers. Weird. Does the game have some sort of compensation system like in XCOM1?

From what I remember, compensation is in favor of the player (increased hit chance or decreased enemy hit chance, depending on the situation) and only on lower difficulties (first two, I think).