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[Cthulhu]

Aw man.  This is making me want to start working on that XCOM tabletop game again.  It was the melee combat that got me last time, the system I was using didn't take well to pure melee units and it's not XCOM without chryssalids.

[Sharp]

Yeah, your troops should have their equipment removed when they're unavailable for missions, like when they go to the hospital.

I'm sure this is already the case. For Hospital. not for Psi-Testing.

[Urist McSpike]

Yeah, your troops should have their equipment removed when they're unavailable for missions, like when they go to the hospital.

I'm sure this is already the case. For Hospital. not for Psi-Testing.

That's what I meant - it should be removed when they go for testing, like it is when they go to the hospital.     But at least Rince Wind says you can still remove it via the Barracks/View Soldiers tab, which is something, at least.

[Rince Wind]

Though it is rather annoying that they reequip their stuff when they get out of hospital, even if they are not assigned to the skyranger in the next mission.

[Sergius]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Also that Etherial wasn't the "Exile" the exile I believe were the ones in the pods. The Etherials that didn't have psionics likely. My best guess as to why they shown that is to show why the humans couldn't just surrender. Afterall the Etherials were welcoming them into the fold. It was because the Etherials would have mistreated the rest of humanity.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

“Behold the greatest failure… of the Ethereal Ones… who failed to ascend as they thought we would. We who were cast out. We who were doomed to feed on the Gift of lesser beings… as we sought to uplift them… to prepare them… for what lies ahead.”

[Sharp]

It is annoying having to play shuffle equipment, especially as you don't need more then 6 of anything except soldiers. Swapping shit around when soldiers get back in action is only slightly less annoying then shuffling it around in the original, at least it was easy to switch through soldiers to swap stuff around, now you have to try and remember which soldier has that plasma rifle.

Luckily most of my guys are wounded most of the time so it doesn't take that long anymore

[Kagus]

It is annoying having to play shuffle equipment, especially as you don't need more then 6 of anything except soldiers. Swapping shit around when soldiers get back in action is only slightly less annoying then shuffling it around in the original, at least it was easy to switch through soldiers to swap stuff around, now you have to try and remember which soldier has that plasma rifle.

Right, but in the original you had to remember who was actually capable of USING that plasma rifle.

Although, certain mods allowed for saved soldier loadouts.  That was terribly handy.

[Thexor]

Also Outsiders don't exist! OOoOoOooo!

Mind you on a more serious note... Given the game and its ending... The Outsider may actually be a plothole.

I'm... confused. Why do people keep calling the Outsiders a plothole?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The cutscene outright states that the Outsiders are a manifestation of the Outsider Crystal. The crystal is, again, outright stated to be an antenna that resonates at a 'specific, previously unknown frequency'. Later on, you discover that psychic energy also resonates at a specific frequency; it's hardly a leap of logic to assume we're talking about the same frequency.

The Outsiders were a communications device, allowing the Ethereals to interact with (or possibly control) the UFOs. Once you raid the alien base, notice how every single UFO now has a Psi-capable alien as its commander, instead of an Outsider. Presumably, the psi-capable aliens serve the same purpose the Outsiders used to - receiving and relaying psychic instructions from the hivemind.

The physical form of the Outsiders, meanwhile, was mentioned in their intro to be 'pure energy'. Given that they form around a crystal specifically designed to receive psychic waves, it's hardly a stretch to imagine that the Outsiders themselves are nothing more than a psi power, being remote-controlled by an Ethereal back home. This also explains why the Outsider's 'reveal' animation shows it manifesting from the crystal; the aliens are jury-rigging their communications device for UFO defense.

Am I missing something here? Because I really thought the Outsiders were pretty well explained, if you make a few simple logical deductions.

[Sharp]

Nice explanation for Outsiders.

Ending is weird though, because it's like they want you to win and it's telling you a story rather then the aliens trying to stop you from blowing up their ship.

I like the ending to the original, Alien mastermind tries to explain what the whole point was and why not to kill it and your soldier goes "blah blah blah, EAT PLASMA!"

P.S.

Only cowards use mind controlled ethereals or blaster bomb to finish it!

[dezan]

Anyone been scoping the mods? http://xcom.nexusmods.com/mods/27 Personal favorite.. Lot's of balancing, also painful memories of being shot from the dark.

[alway]

Spoiler: On outsiders (click to show/hide)

Well, yes, that's an adequate explanation for them, but of all the aliens, they seem to be pretty much the only ones who aren't even mentioned in the final gauntlet. As far as I can remember, that makes them the only ones not present in the final gauntlet. Even their robots got mentioned, and yet they somehow entirely forget the existence of these psionic lifeforms.

[Cthulhu]

Are they even lifeforms?  When you're thanking all the people who got you where you are today, do you thank your fridge?

[krisslanza]

Man this game is fun. I've been trying to run the game using female operatives only. It's been working alright so far. Even if I'm just playing on Easy... no Ironman...

[Neonivek]

Spoiler: On outsiders (click to show/hide)

Well, yes, that's an adequate explanation for them, but of all the aliens, they seem to be pretty much the only ones who aren't even mentioned in the final gauntlet. As far as I can remember, that makes them the only ones not present in the final gauntlet. Even their robots got mentioned, and yet they somehow entirely forget the existence of these psionic lifeforms.

Well not to mention that the reasoning that person gave isn't adequate for one reason.

THEN again it is probably because of one reason

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

There was probably going to be more base assault missions originally. It was probably going to become a staple of the gameplay. The fact that it makes it look like there were exactly ONE Outsider is odd.

"Later on, you discover that psychic energy also resonates at a specific frequency; it's hardly a leap of logic to assume we're talking about the same frequency"

Its not. You need an entirely new frequency device to do the psionic resonance frequency.

As it stands the only reason the Outsider seems to have been included in the alien fleet seems to be that they needed a way to trick the humans into thinking they found their base. Hense why they disapear.

Outsiders are not a psionic being. They are an energy being. It is quite possible that the Etherials believed that the fact that they were made of energy meant they could possibly be retuned to psionics but ultimately failed... but the fact that there is only ONE Outsider though...

Am I missing something here? Because I really thought the Outsiders were pretty well explained, if you make a few simple logical deductions

You had to jump through several loops in order to reach that explanation.

I gave TWO possible explanations for their existance that made more sense

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

1) That they are an "energy being" who they thought could possess the potential to resonate with psionic energy but ultimately couldn't (for whatever reason.), who never show up again because the game was rushed and they couldn't create more bases for you to take. This is supported by the fact that the earth picture shows more then one alien base.

and

2) That they are an artificially created being made to trick you into finding their base and thus the hyperspace beacon. That is why they stop showing up the second you take one and why the Etherials don't even bother explaining them.

[Sensei]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Also that Etherial wasn't the "Exile" the exile I believe were the ones in the pods. The Etherials that didn't have psionics likely. My best guess as to why they shown that is to show why the humans couldn't just surrender. Afterall the Etherials were welcoming them into the fold. It was because the Etherials would have mistreated the rest of humanity.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

“Behold the greatest failure… of the Ethereal Ones… who failed to ascend as they thought we would. We who were cast out. We who were doomed to feed on the Gift of lesser beings… as we sought to uplift them… to prepare them… for what lies ahead.”

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Mkay, so they were exiled because they did have mind powers. Given the ethereals in the pods it's debatable whether what you're fighting is just a crazy sect that took some prisoners or if they took control of their whole civilization, after being "cast out". Still unclear whether "what lies ahead" that they wanted humans to be psionic and powerful for is their own conquests, or defending the galaxy from the return of deadly space crawfish or something.