It went to playing X-Com: Apocalypse.
I finally broke down and put Steam on my best computer, just so I could play this game. I started this playthrough back in 2014 or 2015, but never finished it. I can't recall what difficulty level it is at. I'm not even sure how to tell.
But I have been having fun. My squad is already pretty good, and has some backups that are also good and some high-quality rookies to round us out. I'm a little behind on manufacturing and quantum physics but tapped out on biochemisty. Not my best planned approach, I can see that now, but it works, and I don't need to run around with machine guns and laser sniper rifles and pistols as I have disruptors and personal defense shields and toxiguns.
My first return I played out some combats to get a feel for the commands again. I won those combats but with casualties. I restarted and have done better since - no KIAs, a fair number of WIAs, and generally a better feel for positioning. Little things like how to change facing, change shot types, do player-directed fire - I knew to do them, but had forgotten how to do them quickly.
Anyway, that sucked the free hours out of my one free afternoon this weekend. I don't regret it.
Here are two screenshots, of part of the city and of a combat during an investigation into suspected alien activity. Okay, known activity - I won a battle in a nearby building, and some aliens fled combat. I went next door and found some hyperworms!
"I'm a little behind on manufacturing and quantum physics but tapped out on biochemisty. Not my best planned approach, I can see that now, but it works, and I don't need to run around with machine guns and laser sniper rifles and pistols as I have disruptors and personal defense shields and toxiguns."
ReplyDeleteToxiguns and the fact that Bio research is the fastest research at least until you get Toxiguns, then it might slow down a bit based on whether or not you're able to get the right aliens you need to research to get Toxin-B and then Toxin-C.
I usually focus more on manufacturing for the resources, but rapid bio research is also a solid strategy.
I have Toxin-B, but not enough of the right aliens for Toxin-C. I should have put more in manufacturing right from the start but here I am.
DeleteI normally keep myself afloat by raiding the Cult of Sirius again and again and again
ReplyDeleteThe whole concept of minimizing casualties so foreign to me, I tend to fill lots of body bags. Lots and lots.
The really fun way to stay afloat is to raid the Cult of Sirius, and pick a gang or two - Diablo and Psyche are good choices - and fight them so you can loot and sell Psiclone units.
DeleteThe munchkinny rules-hackey way is to raid Megapol and Marsec. If you attack using only stun grapples, they don't respond as hostile no matter how many attacks you do. And they won't shoot back. You just need to knock them all out at once, and you get to loot the building. You also get a lot of improvement in reactions as your guys stand around over knocked-out cops and Marsec security, stunning them when they wake up, as you hunt down the stragglers.
I don't remember how I learned to do that - I think I just experimented. But hey, running low on money, government won't provide funding even as aliens attack, sometimes you gotta break the rules. Heh.
It's not as fun as going to the Cult of Sirius with disrupter cannon and shooting down the walls and pillars and doors and firing Dimension Missiles to blow whole sections of the buildings apart, though.