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[Anvilfolk]

Instead of making it even more scripted, I just wish they'd make it more sandboxy like the original. That and actual procedural maps. I hate playing the same maps repeatedly. The only ones I don't recognise are the ones at crash sites.

Also, I've been trying Classic Ironman playthroughs and it's impossible! I miss three +75% shots, and the enemy insta-crits me from across the map in full cover. This happens repeatedly! It's not even fun anymore. No matter how careful you are, if the enemy insta-crits you several times every mission your strategy just doesn't matter.

If you have 75% chance to hit, the AI has at least that. =|

You're not being careful enough. Careful in this game means hunkering down even when you have 80% chance to hit. And then throwing a smoke grenade on yourself.

Well, if the enemy is in no cover or half-cover, and I am in full cover, that's not quite true though, right? I don't quite see how you can move and hunker down until you are close enough to point-blank shoot them, especially when you get 10+ enemies per mission. You're still not guaranteed a kill.

Also, with many enemies, missions take longer, and it seems you wouldn't have enough smoke grenades etc to go around.

I tend to overwatch instead of hunkering down. I guess that might be part of the problem?

Rockets, smoke, grenades (to remove cover) and point blank shots from assaults, plus squad sight sniper support - these are all your friends.

That sounds like what I've been doing, but only casually instead of a critical part of my strategy, i.e. ultra-defensive until I can do that.


Thanks for the tips

[Muz]

I'm pretty sure Classic and Impossible are meant to be as unfair as possible.
Which is why I don't even want to touch them. Well, that and my female-operative only runs would be nigh impossible with the like 80% male/20% female chance, or worse, it seems to be to get them.

sex changes are cheap

[Mephansteras]

I'm pretty sure Classic and Impossible are meant to be as unfair as possible.
Which is why I don't even want to touch them. Well, that and my female-operative only runs would be nigh impossible with the like 80% male/20% female chance, or worse, it seems to be to get them.

It's actually a 1 Female to 2 Male ratio in the code.

[GlyphGryph]

Also, officers school is completely critical in Classic and Impossible. Higher Squad size, better recruits, and reduced chance of dying are all immensely valuable.

Overwatch generally isn't a terrible idea, but it's not right for every situation - remember that it gets a -20% chance to hit, and doesn't always go off. That sniper with squadsight? Yeah, put him on overwatch. That soldier you really need to grenade away all the enemy's cover next turn? Hunker down.

Grenade-guy and heavy moving up and hunkering down, so they survive until the turn where you can grenade (which can't miss and removes cover), double-shoot with heavy, and then snipe is much better than a chance of getting in a free shot but a much higher likelihood of someone dying to critical.

[krisslanza]

I'm pretty sure Classic and Impossible are meant to be as unfair as possible.
Which is why I don't even want to touch them. Well, that and my female-operative only runs would be nigh impossible with the like 80% male/20% female chance, or worse, it seems to be to get them.

It's actually a 1 Female to 2 Male ratio in the code.

Really? I've hired soldiers in batches of 10, if I can, and I usually get either 1 or 2, but sometimes 0... or wait, is that ratio working...?

[GlyphGryph]

Oh yeah - and when fighting Floaters, make sure to either use two snipers with grenades (for a guaranteed kill), or leave a recruit with him as backup for when the floaters inevitably jump to him. A good sniper is an invaluable team asset, and you can't afford to lose him.

[dogstile]

Play like a madman. Get a heavy, give him a grenade, blow up cover. Its only a sectoid? Blow it up, his friend is probably behind him. Thin men? Blow em up. Surviving is far more important early on. Moreso than hoarding fragments. Once you get a squadsight sniper you can start harvesting fragments.

[Mephansteras]

I'm pretty sure Classic and Impossible are meant to be as unfair as possible.
Which is why I don't even want to touch them. Well, that and my female-operative only runs would be nigh impossible with the like 80% male/20% female chance, or worse, it seems to be to get them.

It's actually a 1 Female to 2 Male ratio in the code.

Really? I've hired soldiers in batches of 10, if I can, and I usually get either 1 or 2, but sometimes 0... or wait, is that ratio working...?

I tend to get quite a few females. It's really just up to the RNG, since it really boils down to a 33% chance for each Soldier to be female when hired. I guess the RNG doesn't want you to use women?

[GlyphGryph]

Also, generally don't overwatch from half-cover unless... you have someone, some sort of scout, who the aliens will shoot for instead. (And have that scout hunker down to avoid criticals)

Actually, tricking your opponents with expendable units that hunker down into overextending themselves can be a decent strategy. Against hunkered-down soldiers, enemies will often decide the shot isn't worth it and try to get into a better offensive position - which often means a worse defensive position.

Overwatch when you don't want enemies to move - it's the anti-hunker down. They will prioritize staying put and shooting instead of moving and risking the overwatch shot. If they are already where you want them to be, this is a good thing, even if it is a bit risky. Note that they only consider this if they /know/ you are overwatching. Sniper doesn't help here. Obviously, suppression is even better.

Remember that dashing grants a defense bonus against enemy overwatch. If you need to run away, run FAR away.

[Mephansteras]

Using overwatch to pin down flanked enemies is the best thing ever.

I noticed something interesting last night while playing with Not Created Equal. Losing good rookies is a lot more painful now than it was before. I had a rookie go into battle with some of my leveled troops (Early game, so nothing more than Corporal). She had 60 Will and 80 Aim. Best recruit I've ever seen. I think those might be max stats.

So, of course, she gets taken out by the last Sectoid on the map with the last shot he ever made before my Assault shotgunned him to the face to end the mission. A crit while she was behind High Cover, of course.

I should have had her just fall back when we were that close to victory. But, no, I kept hoping she'd make that 60% shot and get just one more kill...

Greed will kill you in this game. So will impatience, since my Assault should have killed that Sectoid the previous round but didn't because I thought he had his pistol out so I switched weapons. And then saw him blast the Sectoid with his pistol instead of the shotgun.

*sigh*

[krisslanza]

I'm pretty sure Classic and Impossible are meant to be as unfair as possible.
Which is why I don't even want to touch them. Well, that and my female-operative only runs would be nigh impossible with the like 80% male/20% female chance, or worse, it seems to be to get them.

It's actually a 1 Female to 2 Male ratio in the code.

Really? I've hired soldiers in batches of 10, if I can, and I usually get either 1 or 2, but sometimes 0... or wait, is that ratio working...?

I tend to get quite a few females. It's really just up to the RNG, since it really boils down to a 33% chance for each Soldier to be female when hired. I guess the RNG doesn't want you to use women?

I seem to get bad luck. So I just have to be careful with the ones I have really.
I don't think my all female idea would work as well in the old XCOMs, as I would need multiple squads ready for deployment AND some to stay at home to defend the base(s)...

[sluissa]

I'm pretty sure Classic and Impossible are meant to be as unfair as possible.
Which is why I don't even want to touch them. Well, that and my female-operative only runs would be nigh impossible with the like 80% male/20% female chance, or worse, it seems to be to get them.

It's actually a 1 Female to 2 Male ratio in the code.

Really? I've hired soldiers in batches of 10, if I can, and I usually get either 1 or 2, but sometimes 0... or wait, is that ratio working...?

I tend to get quite a few females. It's really just up to the RNG, since it really boils down to a 33% chance for each Soldier to be female when hired. I guess the RNG doesn't want you to use women?

I seem to get bad luck. So I just have to be careful with the ones I have really.
I don't think my all female idea would work as well in the old XCOMs, as I would need multiple squads ready for deployment AND some to stay at home to defend the base(s)...

In the old ones the soldier sprites are so low detail you could just give them all women names and be done with it.

[Neonivek]

Greed will kill you in this game. So will impatience, since my Assault should have killed that Sectoid the previous round but didn't because I thought he had his pistol out so I switched weapons. And then saw him blast the Sectoid with his pistol instead of the shotgun

Goodness does anyone actually really improve their pistol?

I actually never use anything but the unupgraded starting pistol.

[Sonlirain]

Greed will kill you in this game. So will impatience, since my Assault should have killed that Sectoid the previous round but didn't because I thought he had his pistol out so I switched weapons. And then saw him blast the Sectoid with his pistol instead of the shotgun

Goodness does anyone actually really improve their pistol?

I actually never use anything but the unupgraded starting pistol.

Well upgrading it is worthwhile for snipers without that perk that allows them shooting or overwatch after moving and fighting against ambushes spawning on their heads when the hitchance with rifles is just too darn low.

[krisslanza]

I'm pretty sure Classic and Impossible are meant to be as unfair as possible.
Which is why I don't even want to touch them. Well, that and my female-operative only runs would be nigh impossible with the like 80% male/20% female chance, or worse, it seems to be to get them.

It's actually a 1 Female to 2 Male ratio in the code.

Really? I've hired soldiers in batches of 10, if I can, and I usually get either 1 or 2, but sometimes 0... or wait, is that ratio working...?

I tend to get quite a few females. It's really just up to the RNG, since it really boils down to a 33% chance for each Soldier to be female when hired. I guess the RNG doesn't want you to use women?

I seem to get bad luck. So I just have to be careful with the ones I have really.
I don't think my all female idea would work as well in the old XCOMs, as I would need multiple squads ready for deployment AND some to stay at home to defend the base(s)...

In the old ones the soldier sprites are so low detail you could just give them all women names and be done with it.

Actually it was pretty easy to tell.
Women didn't have the Guile hair!