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[Owlga]

How in the hell is the tutorial a headstart? You lose potentially 3 skilled men, are forced down a specific upgrade path and the supposed free missions always happen on a specific but not exact timer up till the first terror mission.

Getting a "Free" sattelite isn't worth the time you can spend to get a proper uplink or nexus upgrade in place.

And yeah there is NO benefit to losing 3 people almost guaranteed to be squaddies if you handle the non tutorial first mission well. Doing the tutorial cripples your game.

[jocan2003]

Psionic Support Colonel Matthew 'Pox' Wilson of Britain, 39 kills across 20 missions: You pretty much saved us all, and while I'm not saying if you resisted being mind control in the last room you could have kept most of your squad alive, that is exactly what I'm saying. Nonetheless, you saved the rest of earth so we're calling it square since you're no longer with us to fight back. And yes, we gave you that nickname because we don't trust you with the medkits.
Psionic Heavy Colonel Hugh 'Tank' Ross of Scotland, 36 kills across 14 missions: Thank you for surviving and making it to the Skyranger, to bring us the knowledge that not one of your squad died in vain on Operation Avenger.http://imgur.com/a/ehCrM#0

I like how both your psykers were the same class as mine.
o

Even more interesting to see that you BOTH had the same psio class than me... now im worried...

[Zangi]

How many missions do you get before the first thin man in tutorial?  In non-tutorial, you start to see them around the 4th or 5th one you go out to... if I remember correctly.

First 3 missions always being super easy with 4 sectoids or some other small number.

[sluissa]

I will say that that free satellite is worth it in classic... although normal, I believe you get a free one anyway.

[Urist McSpike]

How in the hell is the tutorial a headstart? You lose potentially 3 skilled men, are forced down a specific upgrade path and the supposed free missions always happen on a specific but not exact timer up till the first terror mission.

Getting a "Free" sattelite isn't worth the time you can spend to get a proper uplink or nexus upgrade in place.

And yeah there is NO benefit to losing 3 people almost guaranteed to be squaddies if you handle the non tutorial first mission well. Doing the tutorial cripples your game.

Ok, finished with the tutorial.  How do I know, you ask?  Simple - go into the "Build Facilities" option, and try to excavate.  The tutorial basically runs from 1 - 15 March, and is over after the first UFO mission.  And so...

Classic, no tutorial, Europe base.
15 March:
Cash: $280, +$175 monthly ($75 base, $100 Germany)
Staff:  5 Scientists, 5 Engineers, 10 Soldiers (1 Corporal, 4 Squaddies, 2 KIA).
Research: Xeno Biology, 6/8 days into Alien Materials
Gear: 2 medkits
Grey Market: 10 Sectiod corpses, 9 Elerium, 30 Alien Alloys, 23 Weapon Fragments, 2 UFO Flight Computer, 1 UFO Power Source (damaged)
Missions:  Initial mission, Abduction (+$200), downed UFO-1.

Classic, tutorial, Europe base
15 March:
Cash: $390, +$355 monthly ($75 base, $100 Germany, $180 USA). (Edit 4, shortchanged the USA!)
Staff:  10 Scientists, 5 Engineers, 10 soldiers (2 Corporals, 4 Squaddies 2 KIA + 3 KIA from tutorial 1).  (Edit 2, wrong line before; Edit 3, total soldier count)
Research: Alien Materials, Xeno Biology, 3/8 days into Arc Thrower
Facilities: 1/7 days into Alien Containment
Gear built/bought: 2 medkits, 1 nano-vest, 1 satellite (free)
Grey Market: 19 Sectiod corpses, 3 Thin Men corpse, 25 Elerium, 39 Alien Alloys, 22 Weapon Fragments, 1 UFO Flight Computer, 1 UFO Power Source, 1 UFO Flight Computer (damaged)
Missions:  Tuturial 1 & 2, Abduction (+$200), Rescue Anna for the Council (+$195, -panic, 5 scientists), downed UFO-1.


So lets see.  For doing the tutorial, I basically got +$110, +9 Sectiod corpses ($45), +3 Thin Men corpses ($15), +1 satellite ($100), 1 nano-vest ($20), 1 day build time of the Alien Containment ($85), and 9 days of research (Alien Materials & 3/8 Arc Thrower vs 6/8 Alien Materials).  That's about $375 more in assorted sell/build costs and cash, plus the bonus xp from extra missions.  If nothing else, you start with a Heavy squaddie.  As I said - headstart.

EDIT:  Thin Men make their appearance in the Council mission to rescue Anna screams-a-lot.

[forsaken1111]

Not really a big one though, and honestly if you're playing anything above Normal you shouldn't need or want to do the tutorial.

[Pandarsenic]

I guess I feel a little better about beating my run without it (read: Not having the patience for Bradford's BS) then.

[Werdna]

I'm surprised that people that want to do a hard mode for the difficulty challenge, would sit through an obnoxious tutorial for its newbie boost.

[Urist McSpike]

Not really a big one though, and honestly if you're playing anything above Normal you shouldn't need or want to do the tutorial.

I agree, the tutorial is pretty worthless as a tutorial.  But you do get quite a bit of cash and some extra research out of it.  If I sell all of the excess goods, I'd have $450 compared to the $280 non-tutorial start.  Lower that by $105 if I were to build 1 nano-vest & the Alien Containment to match the gear/facilities of the tutorial game.  So yeah, $450 vs $75?

And yeah there is NO benefit to losing 3 people almost guaranteed to be squaddies if you handle the non tutorial first mission well. Doing the tutorial cripples your game.

What loss of 3 people?  Either way, you start the game with 12 soldiers.  Quick start, 12 rookies & 0 KIA.  Tutorial, 1 Squaddie, 11 Rookies, 3 KIA from the first mission.  You are not penalized in any way for the 3 killed in the first tutorial mission.  (And I swear the aliens don't hit in the 2nd mission.)

[Zangi]

Ah... that is what it was called, council mission.  Meh, you usually get that in the first month, if not the first 15 days...  the bonus is  really... just the satellite and maybe getting the first 4 missions down earlier...  in exchange, short 3 soldiers?  (You didn't give the total soldier count in the tutorial.)

I don't really see a cash boost, from the numbers there.  Other then what you would get from satellite and the council mission.

[Neonivek]

I'm surprised that people that want to do a hard mode for the difficulty challenge, would sit through an obnoxious tutorial for its newbie boost.

Honestly if it wasn't for the obvious ABSOLUTE stupidity moment of "Opps, we got all your soldiers killed, silly us" it wouldn't have been so bad.

[Urist McSpike]

I'm surprised that people that want to do a hard mode for the difficulty challenge, would sit through an obnoxious tutorial for its newbie boost.

See, that's my complaint.  A tutorial should teach you how to play the game, if you need to learn.  It should not give you any kind of penalty or bonus to the gameplay.

For example, here's how it should have been, imo:
Short intro video, you getting talked to by the Council guy - very short welcome, condensed video of the first tutorial mission (highly sped up), and then Brantford welcoming you to the base.  Then, Brantford gives you the option to "view some field exercises", ie, do the tutorial, where you can maneuver a squad around, learn about cover, use grenades & medkits, and learn about the different classes & their weapons.  Then perhaps an advanced tutorial, where you learn about research, engineering, and satellites.  Then boom, back to the game at March 1st, with no bonus to gameplay.

[Jacob/Lee]

They try to convey the common X-COM scenario of the entire squad being massacred because of lone mistakes but they do it so horribly that you wonder how these people could ever qualify as any kind of military leader.

[Urist McSpike]

in exchange, short 3 soldiers?  (You didn't give the total soldier count in the tutorial.)

Sorry, I'll go back to edit it.  Essentially, you start the game with 12 soldiers, minus what you get killed off.  The 3 that Brantford kills do not count against that 12.  So for my two runs, it's this:
Tutorial: 10 alive, 5 KIA
Non-tutorial: 10 alive, 2 KIA

EDIT:  Heh, guess that might not be clear.  The game starts on March 1st, and you have 5 Scientists, 5 Engineers and 12 Soldiers; it doesn't matter if you do the tutorial or not.  The tutorial simply runs through the 15th, ending after you hit the first downed UFO.  My mistakes (on both games) caused 2 KIA each.

[Kagus]

I'm surprised that people that want to do a hard mode for the difficulty challenge, would sit through an obnoxious tutorial for its newbie boost.

Honestly if it wasn't for the obvious ABSOLUTE stupidity moment of "Opps, we got all your soldiers killed, silly us" it wouldn't have been so bad.

Yeah, I took issue with that.

Bradbert:"Gentlemen, we're heading into a very dangerous mission with lots of unknown factors.  I want you to exercise extreme caution at all times."

Moi:"Roger that, command"

Bradbert:"Now, use up all your movement by dashing madly ahead with everybody, and make sure to cluster around explosive objects with lots of flanks"

Yours Truly:"...Uh, sir, I think-"

Bradbert:"DASH!  DASH!  I MUST SEE THE DASHING, I LOVE DASHING!  SO HAPPY AND FREE!"

Still Me:"Fine, yes sir, right away."

Brad:"Now, I want you to jump through that window into the unexplored dark building with no support, and make sure to dash while you're at it so you can't fire any shots."

XCOM Commander:"Sir?  Shouldn't we-"

Rad Brad:"JUMP THROUGH THE WINDOW.  I MUST SEE IT SHATTER, I LOVE IT WHEN IT SHATTERS!"

Yo Supremo:"Yes sir."

Bradminton:"Okay, see that obviously unstable man with the shotgun and grenade?  Send someone right in front of him to talk things over."

Kagus-with-a-fancy-hat:"What?  Sir, that's just stupid.  We haven't cleared the building, we have no idea what's going on here, and that man is clearly not in his right mind.  We should-"

A Brad Enough Dude:"THAT BOMB LOOKS INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS, YOU MUST SECURE IT AT ALL COSTS."

Me:"Fuck you, sir."