The Hyphen Is Important, I Swear: Let's Play Classic X-COM [COMPLETED]

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

So some of you who have been long-time members here might remember that many years ago I attempted doing a playthrough of X-COM: UFO Defense. That kind of fizzled out, but I've had the urge to play the game again lately and I could use an audience for my suffering.

What's X-COM?
X-COM: UFO Defense is a tactical/strategy game from the end of 1993, created by Julian Gollop and released by Microprose (creators of other strategy/simulation megahits such as Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, and Rollercoaster Tycoon). It puts the player in charge of a covert organization tasked with defending the Earth from alien invasion, both on a global strategic level with the management of bases and resources and on a tactical level with the command of small squads. It was successful enough to warrant multiple sequels and spinoffs, and was eventually rebooted in 2012 by Firaxis Games.

What happened to your old X-COM playthrough, anyway?
College happened. My schedule is a lot more consistent these days now, so I should be able to stick with it this time now.

Why the original game when Enemy Unknown/Within is out?
Don't get me wrong, I love the new game and I played it to bits, but I find that what makes the original so fun is that it's completely unscripted and you don't know what will happen. Both UFO Defense and Enemy Unknown/Within are great games, but I find the former lends itself better to being LP'd.

Didn't the original X-COM have some bugs? Wasn't there something about savegames getting locked on the easiest difficulty?
I have patched the game with XCOMUtil; the difficulty bug has been fixed, and I am running this game on Veteran (the middle difficulty out of the five available ones). Other small bugs, such as hiccups with terrain and pathfinding have also been fixed.

So are we going to get units named after ourselves?
I don't recommend it, you'd be dead within a week. I will let you pick nicknames for squad members and equipment, but I'm not naming them after forum members because then it becomes way too difficult and time-consuming to try and keep them alive throughout the run.

How frequently will you update?
I will try to update on a daily basis whenever possible depending on my work schedule and what other life stuff I need to take care of.


Update 1: Starting
Update 2: Establishing a Base
Update 3: The X-COM Arsenal
Update 4: Early January
Update 5: Operation California Wildfire
Update 6: Recouping Losses
Update 7: Striking Back
Update 8: Operation Scavenger Hunt
Update 9: End of January
Update 10: February
Update 11: Operation Evening Star
Update 12: Armor Breakthrough
Update 13: Research Advancements
Update 14: End of February
Update 15: X-COM Two
Update 16: Operation Elephant Graveyard
Update 17: Interrogation Begins
Update 18: Operation Iberian Hawk
Update 19: Operation Sleepless Hunter
Update 20: Interrogation Complete
Update 21: Operation Second Meal
Update 22: Interrupted Calm
Update 23: Operation Amazon Sunray
Update 24: The Hyperwave Decoder
Update 25: New Interceptor
Update 26: Operation Spitfire Resistance
Update 27: Operation Spring Mass
Update 28: Operation Mediterranean Sunrise
Update 29: Minor Preparations
Update 30: Operation Italian Spring
Update 31: Operation Atlantic Breeze
Update 32: Operation Mojave Salt
Update 33: Tension
Update 34: Operation Baltic Mongoose
Update 35: Project Plasma
Update 36: Obtaining Power
Update 37: Operation Quick Trip
Update 38: X-COM Three
Update 39: America Falls
Update 40: The Failure of Operation Shadow Seeker
Update 41: Turnaround
Update 42: Operation Due Vengeance
Update 43: The Plasma Beam
Update 44: The Firestorm
Update 45: Operation Summer Vulture
Update 46: Operation Enduring Resistance
Update 47: Operation Jade Relic
Update 48: Operation Sahara Mirage
Update 49: The Martian Solution
Update 50: Operation Desert Condor
Update 51: Operation Pacific Pirate
Update 52: Operation Jungle Storm
Update 53: Starting Over Again
Update 54: Operation Clean Slate
Update 55: Operation Counter Harvest
Update 56: Temporary Reprieve
Update 57: Operation Green Field
Update 58: Operation August Crop
Update 59: Operation Fractured Beryl
Update 60: Operation Unknown Hunt
Update 61: Operation Emerald Relic
Update 62: Operation Magenta Raider
Update 63: Operation Oahu Storm
Update 64: X-COM Four
Update 65: Operation Noble Stand ? Defense of X-COM One
Update 66: End of August
Update 67: Operation Fading Green
Update 68: Operation Green Shore
Update 69: Operation Jade Forest
Update 70: Operation Crimson Blood
Update 71: Operation British Green
Update 72: Operation Verdant Sliver
Update 73: Operation Jagged Fang
Update 74: Operation Harvest Field
Update 75: Operation Noble Ascent
Update 76: Operation Gobi Sunrise
Update 77: Operation Iberian Sunset
Update 78: Operation Just Guardian: Defense of X-COM Three
Update 79: Operation Cold Vengeance
Update 80: Operation Solid Counterattack
Update 81: The Ultimate Craft
Update 82: Operation Wild Tortoise
Update 83: Psionic Training Commences
Update 84: Operation Midnight Savior
Update 85: Operation Border Break
Update 86: Operation Outback Rattler
Update 87: Operation Grey Skies
Update 88: Operation Night Viper
Update 89: Operation Soft Shell
Update 90: Operation Think Tank
Update 91: Operation Brain Buster
Update 92: Operation Desert Remnant
Update 93: Operation Forest Ranger
Update 94: Operation Serpent's Cache
Update 95: Operation Grey Eire
Update 96: X-COM Five
Update 97: Operation Winter Fall
Update 98: Operation Early Christmas
Update 99: The Avatar of War
Update 100: Operation Avatar's Awakening
Update 101: Operation Ice Breaker and Operation Hunter's Bane
Update 102: Operation Serpent Storm
Update 103: Operation Klondike Lode
Update 104: Operation Terrace Reaping
Update 105: End of January 2000
Update 106: Operation Fallen Viper
Update 107: Operation Lakeside Hunt
Update 108: Operation Hollow Shell
Update 109: Operation Sylvan Scrapyard
Update 110: Expansion and Preparation
Update 111: Operation Tormented Sky
Update 112: Securing The Advantage
Update 113: Operation Raven Shade
Update 114: Operation Boreal Hatchet
Update 115: Air Superiority
Update 116: Operation Spring Permafrost
Update 117: Operation Mind Games
Update 118: Operation Brain Buster
Update 119: Operation Serpent Flayer
Update 120: Operation Severed Ouroboros
Update 121: Operation New Dawn
Update 122: Operation Bright Aurora, Phase One
Update 123: Operation Bright Aurora, Phase Two
Update 124: Maintaining the Edge
Update 125: Operation Sand Scourer
Update 126: Operation Meeting of Minds
Update 127: Operation Withered Leaf
Update 128: Operation Clashing Will
Update 129: Operation Serpent Sacrifice
Update 130: Operation Cold Judgement
Update 131: Transfer to the Arctic
Update 132: Air Domination
Update 133: Operation Defiant Will, Phase One
Update 134: Operation Devouring Wind]https://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,18461.msg1213214.html#msg1213214]Update 134: Operation Devouring Wind
Update 135: Operation Defiant Will, Phase Two
Update 136: Operation Defiant Will, Phase Three
Update 137: Operation War Gods, Phase One
Update 138: Operation War Gods, Phase Two
Conclusion

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

The ridiculously 90's intro cutscene



So here we are at the title screen. For those curious about the title: the game was originally released as UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe, but was changed in North American and other releases for trademark reasons. Presumably the packaging was put together after the game was already printed to disk and they couldn't code a new title screen.




So we're starting a new game, and as promised, we're starting on Veteran difficulty.


When the game starts, we are taken to the Geoscape view. Before anything else, we have to establish our first base. This base will provide us with radar to detect UFOs in the region, aircraft to respond to detected UFO activity, troops to respond to alien activity on the ground, and facilities for research and development.

Where we set up our base will be crucial to our long-term strategy, as it determines which nations we can most effectively defend against alien activity. The countries we can defend more effectively will be more supportive of our organization, and will be more likely to provide us with improved funding in the future.



A base in Europe will provide radar coverage for a large number of supporting nations, and gives us operational range that covers most of Asia and Africa. However, our ability to act in the Americas and the South Pacific will be limited.



A base in North America would give us radar coverage over the United States (statistically likely to be our largest backer), with the ability to patrol over Canada and South America. Europe and Asia can be patrolled by occasional surveillance flights, but our ability to intercept across the Atlantic or the Pacific will be limited.



A base in Asia will cover Russia, China, India, and Japan, and allow us to patrol across most of the Pacific and in Europe. However, with such a large land area, radar will be less effective in detecting threats.

This is our first of many strategic choices available to us, and I appreciate your input on this decision.

[Edible]

You should name every single person "guile"

[Iced Fairy]

Let America burn.  Go Europe.

[Chaore]

Let both of them burn. Go for Asia!

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

As advised, I have set up our initial base in Europe. (Sorry Chaore, I didn't see your post before I started updating)



I am good at names.

Before actually getting to managing the base, we'll look at some of the other stuff in the Geoscape.



This is a summary of funding from our backing nations. Depending on our ability to deal with alien activity in these regions, each nation will increase or decrease its support.








We have just begun, so these graphs have no information yet. However, they will let us track our performance over time.


The UFOpaedia contains information about all of the technology, equipment, and research currently available.


This is our initial base. So far we have three hangars (with two interceptors and a transport aircraft), a radar facility, living quarters, equipment storage, a laboratory, and an engineering workshop. We have a starting staff of 8 soldiers, 10 scientists, and 10 engineers.


In research, we have three projects available to start on. Laser Weapons is fairly self-explanatory. The Medi-Kit will allow troops to treat severe wounds in the field, reducing our rate of combat fatalities. The Motion Scanner will provide us with a tool to detect activity through walls and doors. We can split our research team between projects, or focus our scientists entirely on one project.


Our engineers are pretty much on standby until a research project is done, there is nothing we have the ability to make in-house so far yet; all of our weapons and equipment are being purchased from external suppliers.


On that note, now is a good time to purchase some more equipment and hire some additional personnel. We will start with some additional soldiers and scientists and some additional weapons and supplies. I'll go into detail about the weapons and equipment next.


Our storage is near its limit, so we're going to have to get rid of some stuff too.


Now back at managing the base, this would be a good time to add some new facilities.


Our starting base has one major issue; if it were to be found and attacked, enemies can get in not just through the access lift, but also through the hangars. Having hangars at every side of the base makes it much more difficult to defend. Although it'll take some time and expense to fix this, we are going to move all of the hangars in the base to the north side. This means all of the access points will be on the north side, and we can create an easily defended chokepoint.


We need more storage facilities as soon as possible.


We are going to move our living quarters away from the access lift and hangar to make the chokepoint at the entryway narrower and easier to defend.


Adding a large radar system in addition to our current one will improve our detection range and effectiveness.


Finally, a containment facility will allow us to safely hold any aliens that are captured alive, allowing us to research them.

That's all the work we're doing on the base for now, we have basic facilities right now and in less than a month we should have improved radar, expanded storage, and a more fortified defensive position.

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

At this point, I will provide information about our current arsenal.


The Skyranger is our main transport craft. It can carry up to 14 troops, 3 vehicles, or any combination thereof to ground operations. In addition, its large fuel capacity and long range allows it to patrol and provide surveillance in areas not covered by radar. However, as it lacks speed or any air-to-air weapons, it cannot intercept.


The Interceptor is our main air-to-air combat aircraft. It is equipped with two weapon hardpoints, and has enough speed to pursue and shoot down most UFOs.


The Stingray is the primary weapon currently equipped to our interceptors. One launcher has a capacity of six missiles. The Stingray has a reasonable balance of ammunition capacity, range, power, and accuracy, however, it is merely ?average?.


The Cannon is the secondary weapon currently being used by our interceptors. Its main advantages are its rate of fire and large ammunition capacity; however, it requires getting to very close range to use, which is extremely dangerous in air-to-air combat.


The Avalanche is not currently equipped by our aircraft, but it will be brought into service as soon as possible. Each launcher can only carry three missiles, but with double the range of the Stingray, this weapon allows our aircraft to engage targets with minimum risk.


This is our current rifle in service. There's nothing to really say about it.


This is our current pistol in service. While less accurate than the rifle and having lower ammo capacity, pistols can be used with one hand without any penalty to accuracy, making them useful for when missions call for the use of grenades or other equipment.


The heavy cannon is one of our largest and most powerful infantry weapons. It can use armor-piercing rounds, explosive rounds capable of destroying walls and obstacles, or incendiary rounds that can provide light during night missions.


The auto-cannon uses smaller ammunition than the heavy cannon, but can load slightly more rounds at  a time. While less powerful and less accurate than its counterpart, the auto-cannon's rapid fire is good for firing off a large number of HE or incendiary rounds at once.


The rocket launcher is our most powerful infantry weapon. However, the user can only carry a small amount of ammunition with it, and there is a high risk of friendly fire.


Standard grenades are equipped with a timing mechanism that can be set for any amount of time between 0 (detonates at the end of the turn once set on the ground) and 30 (detonates in 15 turns at the end of the enemy's phase). Grenades and other explosives will not only damage enemies (and allies) in the vicinity, but will also destroy walls and terrain, as well as any enemies on the ground.


Smoke grenades cover a large area; the smoke they produce reduces the chance of anything in it to be hit by attacks. Smoke can also be produced by some other explosive weapons and certain objects in the landscape exploding.

 
Once armed and on the ground, proximity grenades will detonate once movement is detected nearby. These are very useful for covering entrances or blocking off passageways.


Like standard grenades, explosives can be set on a timer. However, they are bulkier and heavier than grenades, so less of them can be carried by a single person.


When used at melee range, the stun rod will deplete the stamina of its target, eventually knocking them unconscious. This is crucial for capturing aliens alive.


Electro-flares are portable light sources, critical in night missions. They will provide light in the area around where they are thrown. They can be picked up and reused.



Heavy weapons platforms, or HWPs, are unpiloted vehicles that provide armored support for ground squads. They have devastating firepower and can take significant damage, but take up significant space in storage and transport and require a constant supply of ammunition.

That's all for our arsenal so far, but as our research commences we should hopefully have more and better tools to work with. This brings us back to our priorities for research: our three available projects are Laser Weapons, the Medi-Kit, and the Motion Scanner. We currently have 10 scientists to allocate to projects, and 5 more will be arriving soon.

[Stuffman]

Go for lasers! Medi-kits don't do much good until after we've got armor, since all our guys will die in one hit :ohdear:

[FinnKaenbyou]

Seconding lasers. I imagine motion scanning isn't much good unless you have some sort of weapon that goes through walls, anyway.

[Mr_Bob]

Neat, was actually playing UFO Defense over the weekend; team wipe on the first mission!
I usually go for motion detection to have a better guess of where the enemy is.
Also, I'll put my name up for (ab)use, with no preference for stats/equips and no qualms about dying repeatedly.

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

The decision is unanimous; we're pouring all our research effort into laser weapons.





We only have one Avalanche launcher so far, so we're equipping that to our first Interceptor, putting our spare Stingray launchers on the second, and ditching the cannons entirely.


The Interceptors will take a few hours to get the new weapons put on, but once that's done they'll be ready to fly patrol missions.






Our Interceptor patrols will be sent over areas just outside of our radar range, such as eastern Europe, central Asia, and north Africa. The Skyranger will be used to monitor faraway areas, such as east Asia and the Americas.


After a day, our first shipment of new equipment arrives. Small equipment arrives the fastest, in about 24 hours. Aircraft, air-to-air weapons and ammunition, personnel, and HWPs take longer.




Eventually, the extra Avalanches do arrive, and they're immediately put on the Interceptors.


At this time, we also look at the equipment loaded onto the Skyranger. Anything loaded on board is available for the squad to use during missions. Up to 80 items can be taken and used in a mission.


Now that we have room in storage, we're getting an HWP.


Additional soldiers arrived, so are getting assigned to the Skyranger. Two are being left unassigned to make room for the HWP once it's available.



The new scientists that have just arrived are getting put on laser development.



More equipment slowly makes its way to the base; it's interesting to note that HWP ammunition will arrive 1-2 days faster than the HWP itself.





Early research on laser tech is finished fairly quickly; this allows us to start on developing a new pistol.




A UFO is detected in America by the patrolling Skyranger. The Interceptors are sent after it, with the Skyranger in pursuit to keep it located.









We lose tracking, but attempt to keep pursuit. The Skyranger is forced to return to base due to low fuel during this pursuit; the Interceptors find the UFO and catch up, but the craft has landed on the ground. Before it takes off again and we can engage, the Interceptors also run low on fuel.





While all of our aircraft are in hangar and refueling, another contact is picked up, this time in Europe. It  circles around the continent, lands in Britain for a short time. An interceptor is able to get out of the hangar and tries to pursue, but the UFO speeds up and exits the atmosphere before we can attack it.

Following this embarrassment, we get a moment of calm. More patrols are flown to try and locate any other possible activity, especially in the US and Europe where UFOs have already been detected.



Our additional storage facilities are ready for use, and the HWP arrives.









The research team finishes the laser pistol project, and it's sent off to Engineering for production while the scientists continue on to applying the concept to rifles.




A new UFO is detected on the ground in central Europe; the Skyranger is refuelling from a patrol flight, so interceptors are sent after it in case it takes off again.









The interceptor manages to catch this target in the air, and after the UFO's brief attempts to evade, it is shot down over the English Channel. If the craft was brought down over land, an attempt could be made to salvage the wreckage; however, it crashed in water, leaving us no way to recover it.




The new living quarters at the base are finished, allowing us to disassemble the old one and reduce the points of entry into the base.





Before we can locate any new contacts on radar, we receive an urgent report: Los Angeles is under attack by alien forces. Our Skyranger is currently on patrol in the Arctic, and it still has enough fuel on board to reach the United States. Our forces will arrive in the United States at dawn.




This will be the first combat mission for our ground forces, and this is not a good place to start. We will be up against a large number of alien forces, including shock troops. In addition to being outnumbered, we must also attempt to minimize civilian casualties.

[Iced Fairy]

I see we're doing splendidly!

Mamizou help plz.

[CyberAngel]

ALIENS TERRORISE

Los Angeles

grabbag.mid

[Zengar Zombolt]

The first mission, and it's Terror? Oh dear.

[FinnKaenbyou]

Don't worry! I'm sure our general's brilliant tactics will lead X-COM to glorious victory!

Maybe.

[Stuffman]

At least it'll get there during the day ?(?_o)/?

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

We start the mission, codenamed California Wildfire, by selecting our troop equipment. Matthias is the first out after the HWP, so he's getting a smoke grenade to help cover the rest of the team.


Gerhard Meyer gets a Heavy Cannon with AP ammo, plus side weapons.



Sata Yamanaka and Scott Sharpe have high reactions, so they're getting pistols.


Andrea Sharpe gets an auto-cannon with HE rounds.






Everybody else gets rifles and whatever grenades we have sitting around.



Right from the start from we have two enemies visible from our starting position. One is a large alien off and to the left, while another is in the shadows, concealed by the plants in the garden.


As the HWP exits out onto the ramp, it takes a bit of reaction fire from an unseen attacker on the left flank. However, the armor holds up well.


A shot is taken at the garden, but it falls a bit short of the mark.



One of the squad members in the ship takes a few shots at the enemy hiding in the garden, but also misses.




Matthias prepares a smoke grenade, but due to a mistake, winds up stepping out on to the ramp instead of throwing it. Miraculously, anyone who has a chance to shoot at him decides not to.


We can't see a lot of the enemy right now, but we definitely hear them; there's a lot of gunfire in the distance.



The HWP has a clear shot at an enemy, and gets a direct hit with a rocket.






Matthias can see two hostiles from his position. The closer one is taken out with a burst of automatic fire, giving him a chance to get behind the landing gear... but not before he sees another hostile.




Andrea Davies and Sata Yamanaka take some more shots at the enemy in the garden, but still miss. The HWP takes another shot, but falls short of the target yet again.


The alien that was hiding in the garden comes into plain view and takes shots at... something. It doesn't hit.



Matthias tries to take a shot at the alien that's moved up toward him, but can't get a clear shot.



The HWP tries to take a shot as well, but winds up hitting the building between it and the target... and taking out a civilian behind the wall.




Yamanaka moves in to take a shot, but in spite of her reaction speed, the hostile fires back and gets her. Matthias gets downed by a shot from an out-of-sight enemy. The smoke grenade he was still carrying hits the ground and goes off.


Andrea Davies and Karin Steinbach enter into the smoke, fortunately out of the line of fire of hostiles at this point.


An alien tries taking a shot at the HWP... and promptly learns that those too are capable of reaction fire.


Davies gets ambushed while trying to get to the other set of landing gear for cover.




The HWP spots another hostile through a window and takes a shot... and again falls short.



Steinbach and Laroyenne try taking shots now. Laroyenne misses... and winds up taking out an alien that was just outside of visual range.



More of the team gets out onto the field now that there's somewhat of a safe zone to enter.


The HWP is out of ammo now, which puts us at a severe disadvantage.


Scott Sharpe takes some shots at one of the aliens, but with all the smoke, it's near impossible to get a good hit in.


A large alien manages to cram itself into a phone booth somehow. A few rifle and cannon shots are taken at it, but the ones that do hit aren't enough to take it down.


The squad is flanked from the side and Steinbach is fatally hit.



The squad spots an alien on the left. After a few missed shots, Laroyenne manages to take it down.


During the attack on the large alien to the right, another surviving civilian is spotted.


Unfortunately, that is short-lived as that civilian is pursued and mauled.


The alien then starts coming for the squad.


And another one's found on the left.



Scott throws a grenade at it, which is tricky with the remnants of the ceiling getting in the way.



The large alien continues coming towards the squad. It tries attacking the HWP, but the armor holds up.




Andrea Sharpe brings out the auto-cannon and starts firing off HE rounds at the enemy on the right. It does the trick.


Laroyenne gets the one on the left.


Two hostiles are spotted in an alleyway. This would be a perfect moment for the HWP to shine... if it wasn't out of ammo by now.



Some long-range shooting takes out one of them.



The other fires back...  and takes out one of the squad under the landing gear.


Meyer's able to get the second hostile in the alley using the heavy cannon.


More survivors are spotted.


The squad fans out to cover extra ground and keep the remaining civilians protected.




Another large alien is spotted in the alleyway. The HWP is used as bait to lure it into range of the rest of the team. It works... but the last attack is too much for the vehicle's armor.



Again, HE rounds do the job.




Searching the street, Laroyenne is shot by yet another hostile lurking out of sight. He survives the shot, but is wounded. He quickly takes cover behind a light post.


Sarah Stewart is out of ammo. With the rifle no longer useful, she puts it away and gets a grenade ready.


Meyer gets into position to back up Laroyenne. Time is of the essence here; if we take too long to finish up the mission, Laroyenne will bleed out. Even right now his combat performance is negatively impacted by his wounds.


We spot the alien, but it's going to be hard to get a clear shot at it from this position.


Two more of the team gets into place to begin a takedown.


Scott is going around the side to try and flank.



More fire comes down in the direction of the squad; Ulbricht gets wounded as well.



Andrea brings the autocannon and opens fire. It doesn't hit the mark.


Meyer and Laroyenne line up against the wall, preparing to come around and strike. Scott gets spotted and shot while attempting to flank




Laroyenne rushes in and narrowly avoids getting hit, before taking a few shots and ducking back behind cover.



Andrea tries again with the auto-cannon, with no luck.



Laroyenne rushes back in and delivers a successful shot, finishing up the mission.


Result of Operation California Wildfire:
Andrea Sharpe: 1 kill, promoted to Sergeant
Sarah Stewart: 1 kill, promoted to Squaddie
Gerhard Meyer: 1 kill, promoted to Squaddie
Rene Laroyenne: 4 kills, promoted to Squaddie. Wounded, will recover in 19 days
Gerhard Ulbricht: 1 kill, promoted to Squaddie. Wounded, will recover in 28 days
Matthias Mederow: Killed in action
Andrea Davies: Killed in action
Sata Yamanaka: Killed in action
Karin Steinbach: Killed in action
Scott Sharpe: Killed in action
HWP destroyed
10 civilians killed by aliens
1 civilian killed by collateral damage
3 civilian survivors rescued
14 aliens killed

?Poor? is actually far better result than I was expecting for this mission. It's not often that more than one or two civilians survive one of these missions.

[Iced Fairy]

I'm impressed.  In a pained sort of way.

Hopefully the corpses will get us something.

[Zengar Zombolt]

RIP in peace HWP, the true hero ;;

[Stuffman]

Jesus, that was brutal. But yeah, for a rookie terror mission, actually better than expected. Losing that HWP is a pain though, those things aren't cheap.

[FinnKaenbyou]

In retrospect, hiring A-team stunt actors for our gunmen may have been a bad move.

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

So far we have encountered two types of hostile aliens.

The aliens in purple robes are being referred to as ?Floaters?, as they appear to hover above the ground when moving. We do not know the extent of this hovering ability; it has yet to be determined if they can float in midair, or if they are limited to ground level. They have very quick reactions, on par some of our most agile operatives; this can make them dangerous in close-range firefights.

The large aliens are being referred to as ?Reapers?. They are strong physically, but lack any means of attacking other than melee strikes. Reapers seem to lack intellect, and without a clear target in front of them they will just wander aimlessly, making them easy targets.


One alien was found unconscious instead of dead at the end of the mission, but we couldn't bring it in as our containment facility isn't ready yet.


After the first mission, one of the surviving operatives almost always gets promoted to Sergeant. This gives a few minor stat boosts, but nothing incredibly gamechanging. Higher-ranking soldiers present during operations also help keep morale up during firefights.


We are using some of our remaining funds to replace the fallen soldiers and the lost HWP. We're obtaining some additional funds by selling off some of the alien corpses and weapons recovered from the mission; we can't make use of them yet and we're likely going to wind up with lots more. If somebody with too much money and too little sense wants to build their own private museum of alien artifacts, we don't really care.


Andrea Sharpe is now our highest-ranking operative out of the remaining squad. She has the best stats overall, with good reactions and strength, and decent weapon accuracy. She is well-suited to using heavy weapons such as cannons and rocket launchers.


Gerhard Ulbricht is currently in recovery, but also has good stats. His reactions and throwing accuracy are the highest in the squad, and his strength is also quite good. Apart from long-range sniping, he is ideal in numerous roles, such as demolitions, heavy weapons, and scouting.


Gerhard Meyer is also fairly good apart from long-range shooting. His reactions, strength, and bravery are all fairly reliable, making him good for a variety of roles.


In spite of his average stats, Rene Laroyenne has the most kills out of the squad so far and has survived being hit by enemy fire.


Sarah Stewart is fairly average in terms of stats, but she's worth keeping on the squad until she falls or we have a good number of superior replacements.



Gerard Cuvelier and Masanori Fujimoto were kept off-duty due to their questionable bravery, but their other stats show potential. While they are likely to be put back on reserve if better replacements arrive, they have a chance to shine in battle.



Recovering alien bodies and weapons has given us a few new options for research. We can stick with the laser rifle development, or assign our scientists to new projects. Analyzing the alien weapons and ammunition will be very time-consuming, but will allow us to not only use those weapons, but reverse-engineer them and build our own as well. Studying the alien remains will give us some interesting biological data, but not much of immediate use compared to obtaining and studying a live alien.


Engineering continues to assemble the laser pistols. They are more accurate and can be fired in less time than conventional pistols, but that is not their biggest benefit. Laser-based weapons do not require an ammunition supply, which makes them very reliable in long-term engagements. As several are already completed, they will be sent to the Skyranger for use by our squad.


Construction continues on the base; the containment unit will be finished tomorrow, while the long-
range radar and the hangar bays on the north side will be completed in just over a week.

[CyberAngel]

Here's some fluff.

Andrea Sharpe, after losing her twin brother Scott, picked up a strong personal hatred towards aliens. She was quickly promoted to Sergeant for her burning, almost suicidal desire to keep going on missions.

For his performance despite the wound he suffered, Rene Laroyenne became known as "Berserker". After returning from hospital, his fellow soldiers noticed a hint of insanity in his eyes.

[Stuffman]

Laser pistols are fun because you can spam autofire with them many times per turn, even if the accuracy is ass. Pew pew pew!

I think we want two labs to do alien weapon research at a reasonable pace? For now we can either complete all the laser research since we can build that stuff for profit, or start on armor when rifles are done.

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

Our containment unit is finally finished, meaning that any aliens we capture can be safely stored on the base for analysis and interrogation.



We continue our recon flights; the interceptors take turns flying over Europe and Africa while the Skyranger keeps tabs on North America.


We get some new supplies at the base.







New squad members arrive at the base.


The new troops and our reserves are put on board the Skyranger, bringing us back up to a team of ten.


Our replacement HWP arrives and is ready for use by the squad.






Radar picks up a UFO over the Mediterranean. An interceptor catches up with it over France, and shoots it down near Paris.



Our last of ten laser pistols will be done in a few hours, meaning we have one for each member of our squad. Once that done, we're deploying

It's time for revenge. Let's attack aggressively.

[Iced Fairy]

*pewpewpewpewpewpewpew*

May the xenos scum know the glory of the Emperor in their final moments!  Er, I mean let's round these jerks up.

[Zengar Zombolt]

A new day, a new accidentally destroyed reactor.

[FinnKaenbyou]

Is there any reason that Gerhard is such a popular name among XCOM recruits?

[Tamer Anode/Cathode]

Is there any reason that Gerhard is such a popular name among XCOM recruits?

Small reference pools.






The laser pistols are ready for use, and we're ready to go.




The crash site isn't far from the base, and the squad takes very little time to arrive on the scene. This mission is being dubbed "Operation Scavenger Hunt".












Everybody's getting the new laser pistols as sidearms in addition to the rifles, except Sergeant Sharpe, who is getting the Heavy Cannon with AP rounds, and Fujimoto, who is using the laser pistol and an extra grenade.



Right from the outset we have a clear view of the UFO; it's been visibly damaged from the interceptor strike.





Moving the HWP up, we find the landing zone is clear and start moving the squad out.



Some of the squad moves towards the entrance of the crashed UFO, while some of the squad uses the HWP for cover to move up and search the nearby fields.



Fujimoto gets a proximity grenade ready while moving towards the entrance of the UFO. The rest of the team moves up with him.



Opening the door of the UFO, we see that a large part of it was destroyed by the aerial battle, and part of the crew was killed in the explosion or in the resulting crash. There isn't enough time for Fujimoto to get back into cover, but fortunately, he isn't noticed so far.




Luck on our side, he tosses the proximity grenade through the door, then gets back out of view.




The HWP spots an alien on the roof of a nearby building. Sarah and Gerard manage to take it down with two well-aimed shots.


An explosion is heard through the door, and one of the aliens inside is taken out by the proximity grenade.



The team opens the door back up and opens fire; Andrea Watson takes out one of the ship's crew.


Fujimoto gets one closer to the door with a shot from the laser pistol.



Andrea Watson gets in a firefight with another of the aliens, but loses.



Another alien is spotted in the first floor of the building where the HWP spotted the previous one. It steps outside, saving us the effort and risk of having to go in and searching for it.



While it goes back inside and out of sight, the HWP doesn't need a clear visual to hit a target.



Two more aliens are found in the ship. Leonid fires off a few bursts of automatic fire and manages to take both of them out.

Result of Operation Scavenger Hunt:
Andrea Sharpe: 0 kills, promoted to Captain
Leonid Romanov: 2 kills, promoted to Sergeant
Gerhard Meyer: 0 kills, promoted to Sergeant
Gerard Cuvelier: 1 kill, promoted to Squaddie
Masanori Fujimoto: 1 kill, promoted to Squaddie
Mikhail Andianov: 0 kills, not promoted
Sarah Stewart: 0 kills, not promoted
Frank Robinson: 0 kills, not promoted
Dmitriy Voronin: 0 kills, not promoted
Andrea Watson: Killed in action
7 aliens killed by XCOM ground forces
UFO hull and navigation systems salvaged

[CyberAngel]

Don't you just love the ways you can solve problems here? Enemy hides in a building? Just blow the whole place up!