Let's Play X-Com: Enemy Unknown - VICTORY

[Wraith]

Current Cast

Wraith: The Faceless Commander, Makes the Best Code-Names

Sq. Inspiratieloos: Veteran of the first mission, Support

KIA, Operation Severed Whisper (Sectoids)

Sq. Siveure DtTrikyp: Veteran of the first mission, shot in the ass, Heavy

KIA, Operation Crimson Empire (Thin Men)
Col. "Scrapper" Ravel: These Eyes Have Seen, Assault

Sq. Hugh Mann: Helmet Fetishist, Totally Not An Alien, Assault

KIA, Operation Severed Whisper (Sectoids)

Sq. Cybele: Worst Shot with High Aim, Sniper

KIA, Operation Severed Whisper (Sectoids)

Cpl. Rally Vincent: Not-Old Guy with Psionic Powers Apparently, Support

KIA, Operation Soaring Daze (Thin Men)

Sq. Ani Morph: Holding Onto His Butt, Sniper

KIA, Operation Soaring Daze (Sectoids)

Rk. Cheery Dog: Follows His Nose, Rookie

KIA, Operation Severed Whisper (Sectoids)

Rk. Helga Vogel: Apparently Lucky, Rookie

KIA, Operation Cold Crown (Floaters)

Cpl. Maverick Maestro: Bullet Sponge, Heavy

KIA, Operation Lone Daze (Mutons)
Col. Walker "Desperado" Eastwood: Psychic Quarterback, Assault

Sq. J. Nimblist: Four-Year Limbo Champion Title Holder, Heavy

KIA, Operation Devil's Apollo (Chryssalids)

Rk. A. Redshirt: Vital Member of Any Away Team, Rookie

KIA, Operation Twisted Crown (Thin Men)
Col. "Tungsten" Framm: Callous Coward, Sniper

Sq. Gammagooey: The Reluctant Drunkard, Support

KIA, Operation Cold Crown (Floaters)

Rk. JDGA - Doesn't Want to Be Here, Rookie Conscript

KIA, Operation Soaring Daze (Thin Men)
Col. "Piranha" Vezokpiraka - Photobombing Tank, Support Conscript
Col. Inigo "Geronimo" DtTrikyp - Cowardly Lion, Assault

Sq. Lyrebird - Interested Partier, Heavy

KIA, Operation Blind Calm (Thin Men)

Sgt. "Shark" SleepyKrew - Sleeping On the Job, Support Conscript

KIA, Operation Demon Dream (Thin Men)

Sq. Hugh Jazz - Living Laser, Sniper

KIA, Operation Blind Calm (Mutons)
Col. Dan "Prophet" Morph - The Older Brother, Support
Col. Sara "One-Hand" Gaints - Not Even Trying, Sniper

Cpl. Casey Despot - Token Redneck, Support

KIA, Operation Final Throne (Cyberdisc)

Rk. Borkjerfkin - That One Guy, Rookie Conscript

KIA, Operation Dark Skull (Thin Men)

Sq. RedPanda - Sad Panda, Heavy Conscript

KIA, Operation Silent Pipe (Mutons)
Col. Gina "Godzilla" Odryfus - Involuntary Sex Change, Heavy

Sq. Carmen Sandiego - Gentlelady Thief, Support

KIA, Operation Lone Daze (Mutons)

Rk. Thurhame - Very Confused, Rookie Conscript

KIA, Operation Demon Dream (Thin Men)

Rk. Ivana Tinkle - Promiscuous Punmistress, Rookie

KIA, Operation Lone Daze (Mutons)

Rk. Mehdi - We Hardly Knew Ye, Rookie Conscript

KIA, Operation Demon Dream (Thin Men)
Maj. "Dirty Dan" ActionDan - Everyman Action Hero, Heavy

Rk. Empking - Dragged Out Of Bed, Rookie Conscript

KIA, Operation Forgotten Law (Mutons)
Maj. "Shotgun" CHESSKID - Soul Brotha, Assault
Sq. AGar - Terran Marine, Heavy Conscript

Rk. Whispersilk - Got Half A Line, Rookie Conscript

Lt. Egon Spengler - Professor of Paranormal Sciences, Assault

Rk. Nikita Marie - La Femme Fatale, Rookie

KIA, Operation Silent Crone (Thin Men)
Lt. Roger Overnout - You Know, That Guy, Sniper
Lt. Feirei - Fresh Meat, Rookie

So, this is something new to me here, and probably new to this forum - I'm going to be doing a Let's Play! So if you've ever been into video games, and when I say that I mean as a "hardcore" gamer, you've probably heard of X-Com: UFO Defense.



The original XCOM was a turn-based strategy game released in 1994. In XCOM, you fight aliens who are invading Earth, on both the strategic and tactical level. On the strategic level, or the "GeoScape," you build and develop bases, research and produce new technology, and intercept various UFOs. On the tactical level, you fight various alien races on randomly-generated maps in UFO, Terror, Base Assault, and Base Defense missions. You control a large number of individual, highly expendable soldiers, who start off as extremely inaccurate shots and equally squishy against alien weapons - if any survive, their stats grow and develop until they actually become effective, especially as you research more powerful weapons and armor; XCOM is a fantastic example of both the Video Game Cruelty and Caring Potential. X-COM is one of the most beloved games of all time as a result, but has been a deadpool series for over a decade - the original game only received two true sequels: the notoriously frustrating X-COM: Terror From the Deep and the later, more modernized X-COM: Apocalypse; however, several spin-offs were made of middlin-to-low quality. One of the greatest appeals of the original X-COM was its lack of a real story - every game had great potential to be vastly different from another, as incidents, maps, battles, and enemy behavior were almost completely random in nature.

X-COM: Enemy Unknown was released in October 2012 by Firaxis, and is the reboot of the long-dead franchise (A so-called "reboot" in the form of an FPS is also in development, already widely disowned by fans new and old). Enemy Unknown is a greatly simplified reboot of the original, for better or for worse. The original X-COM was quite micro-heavy, with the player being forced to manage the inventories of individual soldiers along with the inventory and construction of bases and aircraft. Enemy Unknown dispenses with much of this more complicated micro-management while maintaining much of the core mechanics of the original game - while some things are sorely missed, such as randomly-generated maps, base defense, and a non-linear story, it is by and large a worthy reboot, especially in the day and age of the ADHD-oriented "Bro-Shooter." Possibly the biggest difference between Enemy Unknown and the original, however, is the smaller scale and more forgiving nature of combat - the player controls a smaller size (4-6) squad of less fragile soldiers; the original game was notoriously unforgiving in combat, with even the most powerful veterans able to die with a single hit - veterans in Enemy Unknown reach levels of sometimes absurd power. However, the flip side of this is that your soldiers are much, much more customizable than in the original: while in the original all you could do was change the name, in Enemy Unknown you can change all numbers of factors - and that's where my prospective audience, you, comes in. After all, this is a

Let's

Play.

So let's boot up the game. Here's the menu.



I'll be playing this campaign on Classic difficulty, along with a mod that unlocks of originally-cut "Second Wave" Options. In addition, this playthrough will be total Ironman - no save scumming whatsoever. If I screw up and get someone killed, that someone stays dead.



The Second Wave options induce additional, more random factors into the game. The ones checked are the ones I will be using during this playthrough (I would use others such as Red Fog, The Blitz, and Marathon, but those are currently bugged).

Not Created Equal:

Rookies have random starting stats. This is a very important one, unless you want every veteran to ultimately end up with the same stats.

Hidden Potential:

As soldiers level up, there is a random chance that one or more of their stats will increase greatly. Also important, same as above.

Results Drive:

Funding from individual countries decreases as their panic level increases. This is more realistic and heightens the stakes. However, IIRC whether this actually works properly is still unconfirmed.

So how do you, my prospective audience, come in? Why, you're the cannon fodder, of course! And my democracy. Below is an example of the customization options available to different soldiers. I have the Elite Soldier DLC so I have broader options in customization:



This is an example guy, and he is wearing the default, starting body armor. None of the customization options beyond appearance really matter to you guys, so this is what you should do if you want to apply for a slot:

X-Com Application

Name:

This is your username, which will be your soldier's Last Name. If you want a specific First Name, put it down, but it matters less.

Gender:

This is optional. I can't actually change the gender of soldiers and the split is usually around 50/50 for men and women soldiers, but if you have a specific preference for one or the other, put it down

Race:

The game has 4 races, White, Black, Asian, and Arab/Hispanic (the game lumps these together, not me)

Hair:

This is basically hair style, just give me a little description of what you want and I'll choose the closest one. The Elite Soldier DLC also adds Helmets and a couple more ridiculous styles (such as the retro X-COM "Guile Haircut"), so keep those in mind if you want one of them.

Hair Color:

Self-explanatory. Ridiculous colors are acceptable too.

Facial Hair:

Again, just give me a gist. There are LOTS of varieties of different beards, mustaches, sideburns, or combinations of each.

Armor Tint:

This is armor color. Ridiculous colors are acceptable too.

Why I Should Hire YOU:

Optional, but if you care to roleplay a little give me a little blurb on why X-COM wants YOU.

Any factors not mentioned above will be randomly assigned, more or less (including gender, unless specified in application or your forum profile). Everyone starts as Rookies, but once you hit Squaddie you are (more or less randomly) assigned one of four classes: Assault (Up Close and Personal Workhorse), Sniper (Deadly Dead-Eyed Motherfuckers), Heavy (Inaccurate Bricks), and Support (MEDIC). I will try to avoid frontloading certain soldiers and give everyone a fair try at participating in missions - note this also means a fair chance of getting killed. If you get killed, I will not make duplicates.

The other part of audience participation is in regards to which missions I play. At random intervals, the aliens will attack three major cities around the world - I can only respond to one of these. The ones I do not respond to will cause panic to increase on that continent. Therefore, I will constantly give SitReps on the state of the world to help you with your choices. In addition, you will determine what I research, which I will not comment on for the sake of those who might participate blind . My equipping of soldiers, manufacturing of equipment, and tactical combat decisions will all be handled by myself, however.

So, hopefully this little experiment of mine will get off the ground - considering I haven't actually started the campaign yet, whether or not this gets sufficient interest will determine whether or not it continues from here.

And if you get a chance, I strongly recommend reading this Let's Play of the original X-COM: UFO Defense from SomethingAwful, by GuavaMoment. It will strongly influence my style of writing here.

[inspiratieloos]

If we're going to be putting our virtual lives on the line shouldn't we be allowed to choose the options?

Not Created Equally, Hidden Potential and Results Driven sound good, but what do the other (non-bugged) ones do?

[Wraith]

Here you go.

Damage Roulette:

Weapons have a much wider range of damage. (I've played this option and it's not very good. It tends to cause weapons that on average do close-to double-digit damage randomly do 1-2)

New Economy:

The funding offered by individual council members is randomized (Just not a fan of this in general, since it's set in 2015. Plus there's no real reason to activate it)
(Bugged)

Red Fog:

Any wounds taken in combat will degrade a soldier’s stats for that mission (I'd like to activate this like I said, but it's apparently bugged at the moment)

Absolutely Critical:

A flanking shot guarantees a critical hit (Not necessary, especially since my usual playstyle is quite aggressive and I don't need to make the game any easier for me)

The Greater Good:

The secret of psionics can only be learned from interrogating a psionic alien (Not sure what this actually does, since by default you don't discover psionics until you interrogate a psionic alien)
(Bugged)

Marathon:

The game takes considerably longer to complete (This is interesting, I've played it in my last playthrough and it was somewhat harder, because you encounter certain tougher aliens before you have better equipment to deal with them. The main mod site says it's not bugged, but I still think it is - there's a point where you need to construct a plot-important facility, requiring an artifact recovered during a mandatory mission; in Marathon, you need TWO of these artifacts, which as far as I can tell is impossible to acquire)

High Stakes:

The rewards granted for stopping alien abductions are randomized (Not entirely sure what this does, but if it does what I think it does it takes a little out of the strategy - you decide which abductions to respond to bassed on the panic levels of countries as well as the rewards offered, so you have to balance the risk-versus-reward if a country offers a better reward but another needs your help more)

Diminishing Returns:

The cost of satellites increases per construction (Satellites are already expensive enough)
(Bugged)

The Blitz:

Aliens target a larger set of cities during abduction attacks (The main mod site says this is bugged)

More Than Human:

The psionic gift is extremely rare (Psionics are rare enough as it is)

War Weariness:

The longer the war goes on, the less funding you get from countries (Not a huge fan of this either)

E-115:

Elerium stores decay over time (I don't really like options like this, plus the original game didn't do this)

Total Loss:

You lose all equipment from soldiers killed in action (If this option only applied to missions you LOST, I would be fine with it, but in the original X-COM, you only lost armor from killed soldiers if you still won the mission, as everything else would be recovered)

Alternate Sources:

Base facilities require twice as much power as normal (This is unnecessary, as a good third of your base has to be dedicated to power generators anyways)

[inspiratieloos]

Okay, I agree with your assessment.
I'd play with Absolutely Critical myself, but since since you will be in full control when it applies it's probably better to let you decide that.

Name: Inspiratieloos
Gender: Male
Race: White or Hispanic (preferably white)
Hair: Black
Facial Hair: Light beard
Armour tint: Maroon (dark red)
Why me: Intelligent, fast, great reflexes, decent aim (sure to improve with practice) and, most importantly, ridiculously lucky.

[Siveure DtTrikyp]

The Greater Good:

The secret of psionics can only be learned from interrogating a psionic alien (Not sure what this actually does, since by default you don't discover psionics until you interrogate a psionic alien)

Are you sure it's not normally after you dissect a psionic alien instead?

Um, I'd also prefer sniper or support, but meh if I don't get it.

Name: Siveure is the first name, DtTrikyp is the last name.
Gender: Male
Race: White/Asian (preferable white)
Hair: As much as possible.
Hair Color: Lightish Brownish.
Facial Hair: Eh, a light beard.
Armor Tint: Pink.
Why I Should Hire YOU: I'm volunteering for this. Do you want conscripts? If the situation is as desperate as it appears, we need everyone we can get.

Also, I have a lot of luck when I don't know what I'm doing at all. This seems to be the current status quo.

[Wraith]

You might be right, it's just that I usually capture the first psionic alien I encounter anyways.

[Sudo_Nym]

Name: Hugh Mann
Gender: AS A HUMAN I AM DEFINITELY ONE OF YOUR INEFFICIENT BINARY GENDERS
Race: I ALWAYS WIN RACES WITH MY LONG HUMAN LEGS
Hair: ALWAYS HELMET IT IS AN ARTICLE OF FAITH THAT I HAVE A HUMAN FAITH TRUST HUGH MANN
Hair Color: I DEFINITELY HAVE HAIR, AS MY SPECIES IS KNOWN FOR BEING DISGUSTINGLY HAIRY IN YOUR MAMMALIAN WAY
Facial Hair: UCK I MEAN YAY MORE HAIR IS GOOD
Armor Tint: I ALWAYS WEAR BLUE FOR THAT IS THE COLOR OF MY HOME PLANET EARTH AS SEEN FROM AN INVADING SPACE SHIP NOT THAT I HAVE EVER INVADED EARTH FROM A SPACE SHIP
Why I Should Hire YOU: I AM THE MOST HUMAN SOLDIER I WILL ANNIHILATE THE ALIENS PLEASE SHARE ALL YOUR PLANS AND TECH WITH HUGH MANN

[inspiratieloos]

^Muton in disguise?

[Sudo_Nym]

^Muton in disguise?

HA HA HA YOU SURELY TELL A JOKE I AM A DISGUSTING HUMAN I COULD NEVER ASPIRE TO BE A VASTLY SUPERIOR BIDEPAL CREATURE DESTINED TO SWEEP HUMANITY ASIDE LIKE THE REFUSE IT IS HA HA HA

[inspiratieloos]

Ah of course, now I see, I just thought I saw a bit of green peeking through a rip in your skin.

As long as you're not going to start trolling the actual decisions you can be whatever you want to be.

[Ravel]

Name: Ravel
Gender: I'll volunteer to be Female just so there's some variety here
Race: Asian
Hair: Short Ponytail
Hair Color: Red
Facial Hair: None
Armor Tint: Black
Why I Should Hire YOU: I'll do whatever it takes to make sure these aliens are gone forever. Research, Capture, Kill. I look forward to it.

[Sudo_Nym]

Ah of course, now I see, I just thought I saw a bit of green peeking through a rip in your skin.

As long as you're not going to start trolling the actual decisions you can be whatever you want to be.

Why would I troll? It's about having fun, not about being a jerk.

[inspiratieloos]

The last Lets Play (civ 5) went wrong because some people where trolling (and the mod didn't decide to ignore them).

[Cybele]

Name: Cybele
Gender: Don't care.
Race: Don't care, preferably non-white.
Hair: Dredlocks/cornrows/braids.
Hair Color: Black/dark brown.
Facial Hair: None.
Armor Tint: Forest green.

[Rally Vincent]

First Name:

Rally

Last Name:

Vincent

Gender:

Male

Race:

1

Hair:

3

Hair Color:

23

Facial Hair:

19

Armor Tint:

5

Why I Should Hire YOU:

I will have Psi Abilities.

[Cybele]

Why I Should Hire YOU:

Cuz I got TWO first names!

[Rally Vincent]

Why I Should Hire YOU:

Cuz I got TWO first names!

It didn't last long, though.

[inspiratieloos]

btw, do we get to choose our class?
And can we submit more characters? I've got a few that became legendary in my old X-COM games.

[Wraith]

Alright, so with 4 sign-ups I can actually start up the game. A new game without activating the Tutorial mission immediately throws you into a randomized Abduction mission, so at this point my squad is made up four randomized Rookies - Rodriguez, Luis-Pena, Durand, and Yoshida. Anyways, here we go.





BREAKING NEWS! Strange pods fall to Earth in the middle of downtown Los Angeles! Is this some new form of terrorist attack? A first strike by Iran or North Korea? Or could this be evidence of extra-terrestrial life in our solar system? Stay tuned, details are still coming in.





Eyewitness reports claim that these pods wrap people in some sort of "cacoon," made of a material never seen before. What sort of nefarious purposes could these devices serve? We report, you decide!



MIB: Greetings, Commander. I trust you have seen the recent news reports coming from Los Angeles. However, these attacks are not limited to the United States - they have been occurring on a smaller scale all over the world, primarily in the less developed parts of the world where such...abductions would go unnoticed.

Wraith: Right, I heard rumors about that during my time in Delta. I just got these reassignment orders for something called "X-COM." I suppose you're here to fill me in, sir?

MIB: Correct. I represent a council made up of many nations around the world, who have convened in recent months to create a collaborative venture to fight against these...extra-terrestrial threats.

Wraith: So the reporters aren't just speculating about aliens, then, huh?

MIB: Correct. X-COM stands for Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, and it serves as our first and last line of defense against this alien menace. We are trusting you with command of this organization.

Wraith: Wha-me? I'm just a Colonel in Delta. Surely their are better candidates for the job, higher-ranking candidates.

MIB: Trust my word when I say our representatives have reviewed innumerable dossiers throughout their countries' respective armed forces, and we believe you are the best candidate for the job. We have taken the liberty in already outfitting a four-man team for dispatch against the incidents in Los Angeles. Because our contact of you has been such short notice, Central Officer Bradford has taken charge of the operation for now. We are forwarding you the coordinates of X-COM's base of operations now - we expect you to be punctual in arriving.

Wraith: Uh...yes, sir! Right away, sir!

MIB: Also, don't call me Shirley. Good luck, Commander.



Bradford: Alright boys, we've got heavy contact in downtown Los Angeles. We'll be dispatching you to a site on the I-5 for investigation - other teams have been dispatched to other sites as well, but I will be managing this operation personally. This operation is code-named "Silent Smoke."

Yoshida: Right, ready to get going!

Durand: Who the hell names these missions?

Bradford: Investigate the area for any hostile alien life forms, and eliminate them if encountered. Recover and ensure the safety of any captured civilians. Good luck, team.



Bradford: Alright, Yoshida, move up to the blue car and take a look at the area up ahead.

Yoshida: Yes, sir!




Yoshida: Aliens sighted, sir! Six of 'em!

Bradford: Right, everyone move up and find some hard cover. Yes, Doctor Vahlen, I understand the significance of this discovery, but these things are definitely hostile.

Yoshida: Ah, fuck! Sir, I'm under fire! They...they hit me with some kind of future gun, sir. It...it fuckin' burns, man!



Bradford: Stay calm, everyone. We'll take 'em out, patch everyone up, and study these weapons later. Just keep focused on the mission and you'll all come home. Yes, Doctor, we'll try to recover some of their artifacts as I just said.

Yoshida: That green shit burned right through my armor! This is some kind of fucked up, man!

Durand: I'm hit! AH!



Rodriguez: Durand is hurting, sir. He's barely holding himself together.

Bradford: Watch each others back and remember your training. Fire and maneuver, hit 'em on the flanks.

Luis-Pena: Got an eye on one of the grey bastards! Taking the shot!



Luis-Pena: Damn it! Fucker's too damn short!

Bradford: We'll have to move up to get better angles, but I want the guys who've taken hits to stay low and watch the backs of the others. Yoshida, set up on Overwatch.

Yoshida: Fine and dandy with that, sir!



Durand: I'm in range to get two of 'em with a grenade, sir!

Bradford: Take it.



Durand: Bada-fucking-BOOM, baby!

Dr. Vahlen: Please, do be careful with your high explosives. While they may save lives in the field, keep in mind that you are destroying some valuable artifacts we can recover for study.

Bradford: Right, right, but two of my men are in dire straits at the moment. If we don't have to use grenades, we won't, but now is one of those times they are necessary. Rodriguez, move up along the right side of the truck. You can flank around their position from there.

Rodriguez: Got it. Hang on, what the fuck are they doing over there?



Dr. Vahlen: Could these creatures possibly have some sort of...psychic ability? It feels so strange to speak of such concepts as plausible, being a reputable scientist.

Luis-Pena: Whatever it did, that other alien's lookin' mighty livelier!

(This is Mind-Meld, a special ability held by Sectoids. It ups the critical chance and life of another unit, but if the originator of the Meld is killed, both units die.)

Yoshida: Sir, I've got movem-HURK!



Durand: FUCK! Yoshida's down! Game over, man! Game over!

Bradford: Everyone needs to stay calm! This is war, and you are all soldiers!

Durand: GAME FUCKING OVER, MAN!




Luis-Pena: Check your fire, Durand! Guys, pull yourselves together! If we go and do our own things, we'll never get ho-HURK!



(So after Yoshida got killed by a pair of rather unlikely consecutive hits, these two goofballs panicked. Panic means you can't control your dude during the next turn, and they perform a random action - this can range from hunkering down, moving somewhere else, shooting an enemy, or even shooting a friendly. This meant I only had control over one soldier during the next turn, who was subsequently killed by a lucky-ass critical.)

Durand: Fuck this shit, man! I didn't sign up for this!

Rodriguez: Hold it together, kid. Watch my back, I think I've got these fuckers in the ass.



(Here I got a close-range flank shot on a Sectoid. Flanking an enemy means you have a much higher chance to hit and also to critical. So basically, if you're flanked or you flank an enemy, the flankee is pretty much screwed.)

Durand: Got a little grey man on the move!



(This is an Overwatch reaction shot. If you put a soldier on Overwatch, that soldier gets a single free reaction shot against an enemy that moves into his/her line of sight, albeit at a slight Aim penalty. This is useful to use if you don't have a good enough chance to hit on an active shot, or if you've got a large open area to cover that enemies have to move through.)

Durand: I nicked him, but he's still up!

Rodriguez: I've got him.



Durand: Here comes another one!



Durand: Nicked him again!

Rodriguez: I'll finish the job.



Durand: Nice shot, dude!

Rodriguez: Thanks.

Bradford: Alright, boys. Collect the dead and head back to the Skyranger. Emergency responders are on their way to deal with the civvies.



(Next post I'll get into the strategic level of gameplay, the Geoscape. Cybele, I played this section earlier today so you're not in yet, but I'll get you in next session. Also, nationalities are completely randomized and unchangeable, but despite this everyone speaks perfect English with an American accent. This will be reflected in my dialogue, mostly )

[Wraith]

@inspiratieloos: Feel free, but I am of course giving priority to new sign-ups over "duplicate" characters (by which I mean someone else having multiple characters). As for classes, yes and no. Most of you will start as Rookies, and classes are assigned practically randomly (It depends on your character's stats, I believe - high Aim rookies become Snipers, guys who use grenades become Heavy, I believe, etc.). However, if I get a character with higher ranks and an already-assigned class, say, from a mission reward, I'll take preferences for who wants that character for themselves.



Wraith: So I got a phone booth that was in the middle of a goddamn field and it turned out to be an elevator. What is this, some kind of cartoon? And who thought a

phone booth in the middle of a field was inconspicious?

Nobody uses phone booths anymore!

Bradford: Hello, sir, our mutual friend informed me of your recent reassignment.

Wraith: Oh great, so now I have to deal with some whiny support staff, too. Who assigned you people to this? Why wasn't I consulted about

my

opinion?

(I chose our base's location by executive decision. North America's bonus, Air and Space, is largely considered the best one. Plus, I'm a hot-blooded AmeriCAN, so y'all can suck it . I'll list the continent bonuses later in this post.)



Bradford: We were all hand-picked by the Council, sir. We all hail from around the world, but I, like you, am from the United States. I'm Central Officer Bradford. I provide tactical support for our troops, and manage a lot of the smaller details so you don't have to. For example, I know it's a pain to go through the individual inventories of our Skyrangers, as well as outfit the loudouts of every single soldier. I handle that along with much of the other support staff.

Wraith: That's...actually pretty handy. So what's up?

Bradford: We've got some soldiers who have just come back from the mission to Los Angeles, as well as the other Rookies we've transferred in. Durand is in pretty bad shape, so he's in the Infirmary. Both he and Rodriguez have earned promotions to Squaddie, as well as more narrowed Military Occupational Specialties.

Wraith: 'Squaddie?' Who thought of these ranks, why isn't there a 'Private' anymore? You know what, it does kind of suck being called a 'Private,' though. I guess the military was always supercharged with the Freudian symbolism.

Bradford: Dr. Shen has arrived from Japan to oversee our engineering department. Whatever you need, they can build.

Wraith: How about a missile launcher that shoots a rocket you can radically change direction with mid-flight?

Bradford: Whatever you need, that exists, they can build.





(All we can build right now are Medikits and Satellites, so I made an executive decision to build some of both. Medikits are extremely important if you want your dudes to live, as one would expect. Satellites are the primary means of decreasing panic, and thus you want as many available and able to launch as possible.)

Bradford: Dr. Vahlen is from Germany, and she heads the research department.

Wraith: Wait, seriously? German mad scientist? Next you'll tell me her pa was a Nazi scientist as Buchenwald or something.

Bradford: No, the doctor's father was an officer in the Bundeswehr during the Cold War. Though I can't really deny the 'mad' part of your analogy...she can get a bit carried away with the theoretical sometimes.

Wraith: Right, so what do we have available to look into?



Dr. Vahlen: Hello, commander, we've just received the artifacts recovered from the operations in Los Angeles...or at least, what's left of them. It appears the alien's weaponry self-destructs upon the death of the user. Quite smart, if I do say myself - it makes it much more difficult to reverse engineer their equipment. We're doing what we can with the fragments.

Wraith: Right. Judging by the injuries suffered by our operatives in LA, I'm betting we'll definitely be needing some better weapons and body armor.

Dr. Vahlen: Indeed. Oh, and as I mentioned to Officer Bradford - please try to show some...restraint in using your explosive weaponry. It destroys what little we would normally be able to recover.

Wraith: I'll keep that in mind. So what are we currently looking into?

Dr. Valhen: The science team's efforts are currently spread between the bodies and fragments we've recovered. We are dissecting the biology of the dead aliens, studying the fragments of their destroyed weaponry, and analyzing the materials utilized to construct said weapons.

Wraith: Right, it might be better if we concentrate our efforts on one thing at a time. I'll have a chat with our friend in the suit about what the council believes is the best priority.





Wraith: So how about these recruits?

Bradford: They're in the barracks, follow me.

Rodriguez: Atten-

shut!

Bradford: This is Squaddie Rodriguez, currently our senior operative. He led the way through Operation Silent Smoke, and we've seen fit to assign him under our Support class division.



Rodriguez: Actually, sir, my name is Inspiratieloos. Jose Inspiratieloos.

Wraith: What the hell kind of name is that?

Inspiratieloos: The name I made up just now.

Wraith: ...Hmmm. He passed the psych eval?

Bradford: *nods*

Wraith: Well I'm Wraith, new commander of this outfit. I suppose I can respect a name made up on the spot, because I just go by my old nickname from when I was in Delta. Where are you from, son?

Inspiratieloos: I served with the Federales down in Mexico. Fought the cartels in Jaurez before I was sent here.

Wraith: Well, your job now is to keep people alive. I trust you're good at that?

Inspiratieloos: Yes, sir!

(You didn't specify hair style, so I gave you the ridiculous Guile Haircut. Blast from the past, man!)

Bradford: Ah, sir, they're bringing up Durand from the infirmary now.



Durand: I don't know who told you my name was Durand. It's actually Siveure DtTrikyp.

Wraith: ...How the fuck do you pronounce that?

DtTrikyp: My pals in GIGN didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Wraith: Well they're French. I speak American.

DtTrikyp: Nice to meet you too, sir. The docs have just been applying nice doses of

aloe vera

to my singed, blackened ass.

Wraith: Do the aliens use some kind of laser weapon?

DtTrikyp: Hell if I know, sir. All I know is that it hurts, and it puts me out of actions for a good while. I can't say I'm complaining about that, though.

Bradford: Alright, commander, this is another of our more prominent rookies, who calls himself Hugh Mann. (We think it's a pseudonym, but his paperwork checks out.)



Mann: GREETINGS COMMANDER. I LOOK FORWARD TO ELIMINATING THE HUMAN SCUM WITH MY ALIEN BREATHREN.

Wraith: *raises eyebrow*

Mann: EXCUSE ME, I WAS MIXED UP THERE FOR A MOMENT. I MEANT IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

Wraith: Ah, then you should fit in here just fine. Still, what's the deal with that ridiculous helmet?

Mann: I AM REQUIRED TO WEAR IT AT ALL TIMES DUE TO THE RULES OF MY PRIMITIVE SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS. I MEAN MY RELIGION.

Wraith: What the hell religion has a fetish for helmets?

Mann: MINE.

Wraith: ...Whatever. Next.



Bradford: This is Rookie Ravel. We don't know the deal with her first name.

Ravel: Morning, commander.

Wraith: Women in combat roles? Since when did America allow this?

Ravel: I'm from India, sir.

Wraith: ...So? I've never heard of India having affirmative action programs in their military.

Bradford: That's not important, sir. Anyways, we should get back to mission control. The aliens don't wait until

we're

ready, after all.

Wraith: But I've only met four dudes. And they're all crazy or weird.

Bradford: I think that was what the council was aiming for, sir - this is a crazy situation, so fight crazy, with crazy.

Wraith: You fill me with confidence.

So we have our first decision to make, Research:

-Xeno-Biology
-Weapon Fragments
-Alien Materials

Continent Bonuses:

All In (Africa):

Monthly XCOM funding increased by 30%.

Future Combat (Asia):

All projects in The Foundry and the Officer Training School cost 50% less.

Expert Knowledge (Europe):

Labs and Workshops cost 50% less to build and maintain.

Air & Space (North America):

All aircraft and aircraft weapons cost 50% less to purchase, build and maintain.

We Have Ways (South America):

Autopsies and Interrogations are completed instantly.

These bonuses are earned whenever you put satellites over all the Council nations of that continent. See the UFOpedia page for info on the funding council nations offer (earned by putting satellites over them) and which nations are "Council nations," as well as how many of them are on each continent. We automatically earn the Air & Space bonus due to our base being in North America. I will not be giving my opinion on which bonuses are the best, save for that I think Air & Space is the best. In at least 20 days we'll be able to put up a new satellite. Once I can access the Situation Room, I'll give a screenshot and report about global panic levels, and how that works.

[Sudo_Nym]

HUGH MANN REGARDS THIS FLIMSY EARTH MATERIAL AS INSUFFICIENT. ALIEN MATERIALS FOR CARAPACE ARMOR IS NECESSARY FOR HUGH MANN'S HEALTH REQUIREMENTS.

[Siveure DtTrikyp]

Yay guile haircut!
Yay French!

Bradford: I think that was what the council was aiming for, sir - this is a crazy situation, so fight crazy, with crazy.

I love this one.

Hmm, america also has high moneys to start with, right?

I think we need alien materials for armour now. (In other words, I don't want to die! I've already nearly been killed already!!!)

[Rally Vincent]

Weapon fragments! One small step in research, one giant lep towards Laser Weapons.

[Sudo_Nym]

Also, I think Africa for the +30% income is the strongest ability in the game. The North America bonus is good, but it's good later in the game, when you've got Interceptors everywhere. I think Future Combat from Asia is probably better than Air and Space at the start, too.

[Siveure DtTrikyp]

Also, I think Africa for the +30% income is the strongest ability in the game. The North America bonus is good, but it's good later in the game, when you've got Interceptors everywhere. I think Future Combat from Asia is probably better than Air and Space at the start, too.

You also has to consider the income levels of the countries in those continents, and I think Africa would be fairly low, so is not going to be that important early game.