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[Sartain]

The game specifically gave a me notification (forget if it was pop-up or voice) that Hunker fixes burning, the first time one of my guys caught on fire.

[Twinwolf]

While I haven't played WotC, having watched gameplay they do not mention that the tanks explode until it happens the first time - at least in the story mission. Which evidently for a lot of people is trying out Mox's ability. It's possible that Bradford mentions it if you run into them without the extra story content enabled in his normal new enemy spiel though.

[EnigmaticHat]

I made that mistake my second run and it turns out melee attacks (or at least, Mox's ability) don't make the tanks explode.  Although funnily enough, the increased speed of ending turns caused me to spam y a few too many times, and the roof Mox was standing on collapsed and he fell through.  Truly a comedy of errors.

My guess is that the hunkering down hint is covered under "reduce beginner VO."  Contrary to the name, it seems to effect pop-up tutorials rather than character speech, which is still as expository as ever.

Oh, and I got a new breakthrough: pistol damage.  Sharpshooter xcom, let's go!  Sadly, Reapers don't benefit from the sniper upgrades... kind of wish they hinted at that in the description so I wasn't so disappointed.  Anyway, first terror mission,

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I've got a few comments.
1.  I spent the whole mission conserving resources for a chosen attack that never happened.  More messed up exposition?
2.  The second part of the mission for me was a dozen civilians huddled in what looked like a burnt out church.  The Advent gunning into it was so brutal that I wanted to save the civilians just because I wanted to, not just for game reasons.
3.  It also spawned a million miles away from the first hold point and my snipers took a long time to catch up.
4.  Fortunately for me, the resistance soldiers killed fucking everything.  What a bunch of badasses.  Is it normal for them to have a 100% accuracy rate?
5.  The Faceless reveal was hilarious.  A woman did the usually screaming and melting thing, 15 foot tall alien goo monster emerges.  Female resistance soldier standing in the middle of the huddled civilians expressionlessly and wordlessly looks up, and then with no hesitation opens fire.  2 more open fire and suddenly the big scary new monster is almost dead within 5 seconds to NPCs.

Everything in this game feels so much newer and cleaner.  I don't even know where to start talking about it, its like a whole new game.

[Tack]

Re: Booming tanks.
Tygan tends to mention it every single dang time I see one.
Also it's luck of the draw as to whether it booms. Melee or no.
Or, possibly, it booms on overkill. I dunno.

Spoiler: Comment-Comments (click to show/hide)

1. Pseudo-likely but not guaranteed. There's a dark event which makes it guaranteed.
2-5. The new terror mission type is a real fun time, but yes, resistance soldiers are better than you.

[Majestic7]

I have to say I don't think I ever got a warning about exploding flamethrower dudes, nor did I know hunkering down extinguishes flames. I've just always ran into water since that has the same effect.

I wonder if the exploding thing is random or if it happens when the pyro is hit from behind/side, since that is where the tank is. Melee does cause them to explode sometimes, just not always.

Heh, the resistance fighters are pretty badass. It is a shame those double agents you get sometimes don't get recruited if you keep them alive. I think they should join Skirmishers and give you something, even a tiny little bonus. I actually like saving them and roleplaying that I'm saving hybrids from indoctrination.

[forsaken1111]

While I haven't played WotC, having watched gameplay they do not mention that the tanks explode until it happens the first time - at least in the story mission. Which evidently for a lot of people is trying out Mox's ability. It's possible that Bradford mentions it if you run into them without the extra story content enabled in his normal new enemy spiel though.

The first time you see a purifier they say something like 'whatever advent uses for fuel is going to be volatile, don't puncture those tanks!' which I assumed meant they asplode.

[Mephansteras]

They didn't say that when I first encountered them. Nor while I was watching Lady Lilia's Stream of WotC over the weekend. She was rather surprised and upset that Mox got exploded for using his hook maneuver to finish one of them off.

So the game seems a bit unreliable about telling people about it. Which I imagine is a good bit more upsetting on Ironman.

[umiman]

Nah, it totally does say that every single time. Trust me, I've restarted the game like.... 16 times now. Still haven't managed to beat an ironman game. It's understandable if you don't catch it. Most people are usually too focused on the game to hear whatever Tygan McAdventBurger has to say about it. Also if you've played the game a lot you probably tune out most of the stuff anyway since you've heard most of it before.

In fact, sometimes Tygan McAdventBurger fucking lies to my face. Take the Spectre for example. He says when you first meet it that it's a bunch of robots. But later when you dissect them he says he has no fucking clue what they are and they could be bugs or psychic energy or whatever.

Until you throw an EMP bomb at them and disable them. Or shoot them with bluescreen rounds. Yo Tygan. Wanna give me some consistency here?

Either way, now you guys know. Also the explosion is like 50% chance or something.

----------

Enigmatichat:

If a Chosen will show up in your mission, it'll show up within the first few turns you're revealed. So if it doesn't appear from the start you can go nuts with your grenades and ammo.

[Twinwolf]

Maybe the "by the way they might blow up" bit doesn't trigger if your first encounter is in that story mission where you meet the Reapers and Skirmishers? Because unless I'm seriously blocking out a memory Tygan does not talk on that mission.

[umiman]

Maybe the "by the way they might blow up" bit doesn't trigger if your first encounter is in that story mission where you meet the Reapers and Skirmishers? Because unless I'm seriously blocking out a memory Tygan does not talk on that mission.

Could be selective on that mission. I only played that one twice. Turned it off after that.

--------

You know, one thing that bugs me quite a bit about this game is how it treats the panicked status.

Basically, when your soldier gets panicked, they become out of control and can do anything from obsessively attacking a target to hunkering down and doing nothing.

Theoretically, this is fucking terrible. As they usually run somewhere in the middle of the enemy, activating pods, or basically committing suicide.

In practice however, they become invincible for one turn, get a free shot off, or in the case of obsessed, probably obliterate their target for free.

The reason for this is because the way the enemy AI is coded. See, the base game makes it so it will prioritize panicked targets last. So your panicked guy is basically invincible unless it's the only target remaining. It's really kinda dumb.

[Chiefwaffles]

So I saw a comment on Reddit that made me think of a really cool possibility for a TFTD XCOM 3:

You start on land with beam weapons and power armor. At first you're merely responding to attacks on shores and ships from the aliens as you're not equipped to do any underwater operations. But as the game goes on, you gain more capability to act underwater.

A mechanic could be implemented to have one level feature both underwater and aboveground terrain. Like a mission taking place on a beach or a ship- your units and the aliens can go underwater or fight on land, with different strategies and tactics depending on where you fight.

You can get an early accessory that lets your soldiers fight in shallow waters (like on beach maps) for limited amounts of time. The first researched armor could let you go in shallow depths, or maybe do limited missions completely underwater. Eventually you'd be able to research and develop a new transport that works underwater and in the air, then do the same with an interceptor. You'd gradually move most of your efforts from purely responding to alien land attacks to striking at their bases and underwater activity.

Solomon stated that he dislikes TFTD for essentially being a reskin of UFO Defense. But a new TFTD could definitely use the idea of underwater combat and activities to introduce new gimmicks and gameplays. Make playing underwater fundamentally change your tactics.  Allow going underwater and on land in the same mission. It could be great gameplay-wise.


Also imagine the graphics. XCOM2, but better, and with underwater effects. And the theme! XCOM EU had a great theme, XCOM 2 not so much. But a TFTD has great potential for horror themes again.
If XCOM EW to XCOM 2 is anything to go by, then that means we could reasonably expect XCOM 3 in a bit over 2 years given they don't do any more expansions for 2. Which I doubt they will. Enemy Within released Nov. 12 2014 2013, and XCOM 2 released Feb. 5 2016 (though it was delayed from I think November).
Though honestly, the fact that I'm actually hyping myself for XCOM 3 literally a week after an expansion for XCOM 2 is mildly sad.

[Zangi]

If they do TFTD....   I want an actually complete Apocalypse after.  ...  With real-time dual-wielding autocannons loaded with explosive ammo.  And many structures with many floors.  Including the unhappiness related to property damage.

[RAM]

I would like an actually complete Apocalypse in addition to that. It was so good as it was, having an actual fully working version would give us something really solid to work from when griping about how these newfangled movie-games are ruining everything good in the world between bouts of "back in my day..."... But yes, there was so very very much potential in Apocalypse. I actually played Apoclypse first, and it was weird, I had a few gripes about it. The limited scientist pool, the lack of ability to bring vehicles into the tactical battles, how everything was stuck in this cramped little city and we couldn't choose where to place our bases... It was amazing just how many of the things that I wanted were already in the preceding games in some form...

Still, nothing else can quite replace the thrill I once got after placing charges under a slum-appartment-complex's supports, watching the thing collapse into a miserable pile of ruins and dead aliens, and then exiting the battle to see the place collapse in the strategic view as well... I don't think that they have demonstrated anywhere near the three-dimensionality required to reproduce Apoclypse's glory. If you can't dig tunnels through buildings, and solid earth. If you can't take flight with your whole team and bombard a region from the far side of the map because you know that there is a brainsucker out there and you are not inclined to go door-to-door looking for it. If you can't fly teams to every entrance, including some that don't exist yet, and breach simultaneously. If you can't gas an alcove and wait outside in the hopes that it faints from the fumes because you really don't want to go in after it... Well, then it just won't be the same game...

[Chiefwaffles]

I honestly hated Apocalypse for one reason - R&D.

When I tried playing it, it just felt like I didn't really make any progress. The majority's of the gear you can hit at the start or buy after a 1-2 week timer.
There's the final tier of stuff and the interdimebsional vehicles you make yourself, but it's just not enough for me. I just don't really get a sense of progression.


But yeah. Apocalypse is definitely possible for XCOM 3 - the sequel hook could just be the precursor to the environment-ruining disaster that was behind Apocalypse and the general idea behind the Micronoids (though I didn't really like their designs) are definitely an option for whatever the Elders were talking about.
If done right, a new Apocalypse could definitely work out. Though I don't see them implementing real-time combat , personally.

[scriver]

So I saw a comment on Reddit that made me think of a really cool possibility for a TFTD XCOM 3:

You start on land with beam weapons and power armor. At first you're merely responding to attacks on shores and ships from the aliens as you're not equipped to do any underwater operations. But as the game goes on, you gain more capability to act underwater.

A mechanic could be implemented to have one level feature both underwater and aboveground terrain. Like a mission taking place on a beach or a ship- your units and the aliens can go underwater or fight on land, with different strategies and tactics depending on where you fight.

You can get an early accessory that lets your soldiers fight in shallow waters (like on beach maps) for limited amounts of time. The first researched armor could let you go in shallow depths, or maybe do limited missions completely underwater. Eventually you'd be able to research and develop a new transport that works underwater and in the air, then do the same with an interceptor. You'd gradually move most of your efforts from purely responding to alien land attacks to striking at their bases and underwater activity.

Solomon stated that he dislikes TFTD for essentially being a reskin of UFO Defense. But a new TFTD could definitely use the idea of underwater combat and activities to introduce new gimmicks and gameplays. Make playing underwater fundamentally change your tactics.  Allow going underwater and on land in the same mission. It could be great gameplay-wise.


Also imagine the graphics. XCOM2, but better, and with underwater effects. And the theme! XCOM EU had a great theme, XCOM 2 not so much. But a TFTD has great potential for horror themes again.
If XCOM EW to XCOM 2 is anything to go by, then that means we could reasonably expect XCOM 3 in a bit over 2 years given they don't do any more expansions for 2. Which I doubt they will. Enemy Within released Nov. 12 2014 2013, and XCOM 2 released Feb. 5 2016 (though it was delayed from I think November).
Though honestly, the fact that I'm actually hyping myself for XCOM 3 literally a week after an expansion for XCOM 2 is mildly sad.

It would be cool if they had actual blackness except where your xcoms are shining their flashlights and stuff. Oh, and lureballs of the inevitable anglerfish enemies. But on second thought that might be too cinematic/first person for XCOM. But it'd do wonders for the "nonfish-out-of-nonwater" feeling if they actually made a deal out of, both visually and mechanically, how this is not your home turf and that you are at a disadvantage here.

It would be cool if, when you're underwater, loosing suit integrity is just as important factor as looking health. Oh, and imagine bowing to choose between the manoeuvrability of lighter, scuba-esque armour with which you can swim around, and heavier power armour that automatically sinks to the bottom and just lets you march across the ocean floor.

Heh, I'm gonna need to stop thinking about this or I'm going to be disappointing myself before the game is even announced.