Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Flying Dice]

It's probably been a decade at least since I played it, so it's likely dead by now anyways. Maybe it wasn't Xenonauts, all I know is that the name was similar enough that that's twigged my memory several separate times. :/

[Parsely]

I actually like to take rooks on missions in LW. Maybe it's the swanky red uniforms, but I basically barely gives a shit about them. Who's going to clear that overwatch? The rook. Who's the point man? The rook. Who will attempt that really risky flank? The rook.

I got plenty of the critters in the barrack anyway.

I'm playing vanilla Classic Ironman and I really can't afford for anyone to die right now.

[Flying Dice]

I actually like to take rooks on missions in LW. Maybe it's the swanky red uniforms, but I basically barely gives a shit about them. Who's going to clear that overwatch? The rook. Who's the point man? The rook. Who will attempt that really risky flank? The rook.

I got plenty of the critters in the barrack anyway.

I'm playing vanilla Classic Ironman and I really can't afford for anyone to die right now.

That's why you tell them to run really fast.

[Empty]

I remember hearing that there was an X-Com clone on the browser, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Xenonauts.

Huh. I'm too lazy to find out, though.

Online xcom.


Enjoy!

[BurnedToast]

I'm playing this again now that I got EW and I think I've figure out exactly what it is I dislike so much about the tactical combat in this game.

You can't flank the enemies, but the enemies can (and will) flank you. Oh sure, flanking is a thing you theoretically are capable of, but it's almost never a good idea because of two reasons:

1. Losing a soldier is much, much worse than the enemy losing an alien. Even if you killed 5 enemies for 1 soldier lost, it would still be a bad choice most of the time. if you flank the enemy, you MUST kill every single activated enemy that turn, or they will counter-flank you and you *will* die. Overwatch is too weak (why is there a massive aim penalty?) to protect your flanker, and combat is too RNG to be sure of killing all the enemies.

2. There's too many monster closets for the tiny map sizes. If you try and flank or rush the enemy, it's almost 100% certain you will open another monster closet in the process, and they will instantly get a free move into firing positions, ready to facerape you next round.

You are heavily punished for poor positioning (as it should be), but on the other hand you're not rewarded for clever positioning and manuvering, and can't punish the enemy for his poor positioning.

That means there very little actual tactics and it mostly just comes down to sitting in cover and making lots and lots of 45% - 55% shots, which is very RNG and unsatisfying - especially when you miss all 4 of your shots, then the enemy crits and instakills one of your guys (or something similar).

Of course then midgame rolls around and you become overpowered and the game loses most of it's challenge but that's a different issue.

[Flying Dice]

Huh? Flanking is actually fairly commonly practical, as long as you position properly with a line of battle where you can curl one end for a crossfire. You'll only have problems if you yellow-move into unexplored parts of the map.

That said, get Long War. That solves the problem with the difficulty after you get (beam) lasers being too low (heh), and does other things. Covering Fire + Opportunist + Sentinel Infantry are brutal Overwatch machines, especially because they can take a shot before they go into it on their turn.

[BurnedToast]

I've tried both flanking and rushing (moving right on top of the last enemy with run+gun or even just regular guys) and almost every time it's resulted in opening another monster closet, which is almost always a very bad thing.

Unless you're absolutely sure you're on the last group of enemies, it's just so horribly risky.

[Sheb]

Yeah, or use battle scanners, or something.

[scriver]

Long War also starts you with 6 soldier squads, so loosing a guy or two isn't as much of an immediate mission failure in waiting as it is in vanilla, and you can risk using more tactics.

But generally, when flanking, remember to put at least one guy on overwatch or supression to make the AI less eager to move their troops around to counter it.

[Tarran]

Alternatively, make use of one of the most powerful weapons in the player's arsenal that aliens only get from Mutons onwards: Explosives. Seriously, if you aren't using them, you are literally fighting with one hand behind your back. You don't need to flank if you can outright destroy alien cover.

Long War understands the value of explosives, which is why they have two classes designed specifically to make use of explosives.

Granted, I haven't played base EW for a long time, but in LW grenades are just so useful against enemies that use cover if you can get the grenade to blow up said cover.

[SOLDIER First]

I would say (even though you almost certainly don't need this suggestion) that you should always try to damage the alien during said cover-destruction.

[Mephansteras]

You can also make very good use of the Battle Scanners perk to make flanking more successful. It'll give you knowledge of whether or not an area is safe to use as a flanking point.

[Flying Dice]

Yeah, you're going to be doing most of your flanking with your Scouts anyways, and they should have a couple battle scanners.

That said, never ever use your last battle scanner unless you know you're on the last pod. If you have them, they trivialize Seekers. If they don't, Seekers make the mission a royal pain. Unless you get lucky and spot a tile you mysteriously can't move troops into and "accidentally" fire a rocket at it.

[Sonlirain]

Unless you get lucky and spot a tile you mysteriously can't move troops into and "accidentally" fire a rocket at it.

Or you order your MEC to flex his spanking arm.

[Anvilfolk]

Why flank into unknown territory when you can retreat, hunker down, let them come to you and THEN flank into what is now known territory?