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[Gunner-Chan]

You know what I just realized?

I want exactly one thing from this game.

I want the heavy laser to be useful.

[Mephansteras]

It'd be nice if the Heavy Laser was like the one in the UFO Extender mod. It was definitely a heavy weapon where most people wouldn't use it, but it let you spray laser fire over an area. Great for clearing out obstacles or blasting at large enemies.

It has to be better, though. The original was just useless.

[Vibhor]

Starting off with a limit of four makes a hell of a lotta sense when the enemy is, in fact, unknown.  They don't even know there are aliens at the beginning, according to that video.

Wait, you are saying that it is much more sensible to send 4 units to some place that could either be harmless or completely god damn impossible? No mate, you are not scouting, You are clearing the friggin area.
Plus, they know its aliens. They just don't know their motives and the leader.

[lordcooper]

Plus, they know its aliens. They just don't know their motives and the leader.

I strongly recommend you watch the video again.  I'm not getting into an argument about whether grass is purple.

[sluissa]

It'd be nice if the Heavy Laser was like the one in the UFO Extender mod. It was definitely a heavy weapon where most people wouldn't use it, but it let you spray laser fire over an area. Great for clearing out obstacles or blasting at large enemies.

It has to be better, though. The original was just useless.

The original was the most effective weapon against Sectopods. The large robot terror weapons that came with Ethereals. You could two shot those things with a heavy laser and a bit of luck. 3 almost always took it down. And honestly, not counting psi enemies before you could filter out your psi weak soldiers, sectopods were the toughest enemies in the game.

Yeah, it was definitely a specialized weapon, but the heavy laser really doesn't get enough love. xcomutil really does a lot for it as well, I believe you can carve open the interior walls of UFOs with one if you use the laser weapons mod included in it.

[MaximumZero]

E: Oh, and Firaxis know of DF.  Awesome!

And think highly of it, considering it's been mentioned as "a really hardcore/tough/whatever game" in a couple videos now.

[Farce]

Definitely excited for this.

What I want most is really crazy sci-fi guns.  The original, TFTD, and an X-com-like called UFO: Extraterrestrial had 'em, but the ones I played the most - The UFO: After- series - had conventional weapons being generally the most effective the whole game through.  All the screens have the soldiers using conventional weapons - M60s and stuff - which is to be expected, I guess - but I really hope there's lots of variety and stuff.  Like, rather than just normal -> laser -> heavy plasma -> maybe some blasterbombs, or normal -> sonic, one tech can have really good sniper rifles, another might be better for normal assault rifles, stuff like that.  Same with armor, too, so there's a choice between flight armor and power armor, for example.

[Kilroy the Grand]

I hope you can chose the sex of your recruits. I'm thinking of running a team of Angels to deal with the alien threat, while their boss stays in the base, squirrled away somewhere.

[Vibhor]

Plus, they know its aliens. They just don't know their motives and the leader.

I strongly recommend you watch the video again.  I'm not getting into an argument about whether grass is purple.

Could you link the video? I haven't actually being following this thread that well.

[Virtz]

Starting off with a limit of four makes a hell of a lotta sense when the enemy is, in fact, unknown.  They don't even know there are aliens at the beginning, according to that video.

X-Com's full name is Extraterrestrial Combat Unit. Their very purpose is fighting aliens. If they didn't know it's aliens, then I'm pretty sure they'd send in someone else first.

EDIT: And if they actually send in 4 people to verify that it's aliens, then do they really need research to send in more people next time? You'd think having a firefight with aliens break out would immediately warrant allowing any number of operatives to be sent in next time.

[Vibhor]

Starting off with a limit of four makes a hell of a lotta sense when the enemy is, in fact, unknown.  They don't even know there are aliens at the beginning, according to that video.

X-Com's full name is Extraterrestrial Combat Unit. Their very purpose is fighting aliens. If they didn't know it's aliens, then I'm pretty sure they'd send in someone else first.

EDIT: And if they actually send in 4 people to verify that it's aliens, then do they really need research to send in more people next time? You'd think having a firefight with aliens break out would immediately warrant allowing any number of operatives to be sent in next time.

Also, who would pour millions of dollars in a company that deals against alien terror in the first place.
Actually, now that you think about it, it could make a huge gameplay possibility. Previously you could only lose funding but what if this time you start with only 2 or 3 countries funding you? Since other countries do not believe that aliens pose any threat to them they may be reluctant to fund you.
But the 4 soldier limit is still absurd.

[Tellemurius]

I hope you can chose the sex of your recruits. I'm thinking of running a team of Angels to deal with the alien threat, while their boss stays in the base, squirrled away somewhere.

i have in more of a mind of these guys

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

lets not forget their glorious leader too

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Shadowlord]

I personally tended to bring as many soldiers as possible, and either send them out in squads of 4 (with one watching every possible direction at the end of the turn), or have all the troops proceed across the map in a sort of line so nothing could get past them.

In the beginning I'd equip everyone with autocannons or heavy cannons, and the high explosive and incendiary rounds and engage enemies from long range. (The autocannons would be superior if reaction fire would use autofire, but it never did the original XCom. It did in UFO:TTS, though.) (The armor-piercing rounds also work at shorter ranges without being deadly to the soldiers using them, but need the soldiers to be more accurate)

However, considering Firaxis has been working on gameplay prototypes and testing to see what's fun and what's not, and what works well, for the past 3 years (I read the GameInformer feature in the actual magazine), I'm going to trust that they know what they're doing - and may have reduced the size of the maps and number of enemies to make tactical less prolonged and deadly overall*, or done something to make it so aliens aren't nigh-impossible to shoot while entrance dancing at their UFOs or hiding inside (without high-tech weapons that can remove the walls).

* I tried sending just 6 soldiers on my first mission in the first XCom yesterday or the day before, equipped with mostly autocannons with one heavy cannons, and mostly armor-piercing rounds. Now, it was a night mission, and they had flares, grenades, etc, and much rolled over all the sectoids outside the UFO with no deaths and no injuries. Alas, in the end, one entrance-dancing sectoid was able to shoot every last soldier dead one at a time while they were all crouched 6-12 squares from the entrance aiming their guns at it, despite their ludicrously high reactions and firing skills and despite the prox grenades I tossed at the entrance (which went off, but had no effect on the sectoid) and flares that I put at the entrance too, and regular grenades, which only went off while he was inside, also not harming him. (We had no armor, of course)

[Domenique]

* I tried sending just 6 soldiers on my first mission in the first XCom yesterday or the day before, equipped with mostly autocannons with one heavy cannons, and mostly armor-piercing rounds. Now, it was a night mission, and they had flares, grenades, etc, and much rolled over all the sectoids outside the UFO with no deaths and no injuries. Alas, in the end, one entrance-dancing sectoid was able to shoot every last soldier dead one at a time while they were all crouched 6-12 squares from the entrance aiming their guns at it, despite their ludicrously high reactions and firing skills and despite the prox grenades I tossed at the entrance (which went off, but had no effect on the sectoid) and flares that I put at the entrance too, and regular grenades, which only went off while he was inside, also not harming him. (We had no armor, of course)

You're in a tactical disadvantage, it should be this way. You might try priming a grenade, throwing it inside and running the shit out of there, works 40% of times. Entering a UFO should be dangerous. What do you want, a red carbet and a cabinet with whiskey ?

[Shadowlord]

A tactical disadvantage? I had 6 guys aiming their guns at the door. You'd think someone would have shot him when he stepped out, and if not the first time, one of the next several times.

Hell, the first few times, he didn't even hit anyone (and my one guy who fired back didn't hit him either). Yet mine all had ~60 reactions and firing.