XCOM 2 - The Bear and Badger

Tempy

Paul the sparky wrote:

Good reading in here gentlemen. I echo Panty's countdown concerns though, it gives me the same fear as that isometric spy game did, I've still not played that. I'll get this at some point, I love the stories it generates. RiP Hype. In the last XCOM, you'd get the drop on enemies by hunkering down instead of using overwatch, so they'd wander into your view on their turn and you'd be able to get a shot off before they scamper for cover. I don't think you could ever sneak up on them during your turn.

Nah it was a nightmare. You had to make a dragnet: position your squad in an ellipsis with snipers as high as they can go, everyone on overwatch, then Run & Gun your assault in the middle - BOOM!

At least that's the theroy.

The reality:

5 missed shots. Frustration. Death.

The concealment thing is far better, especially as Rangers have the ability to remain concealed after the squad is found out.

djchump

Yeah the concealment at the start of most missions is great - you get to tail, follow and properly scope out and set an ambush for the first squad of enemies you find (and they'll do actual patrols now instead of just standing about doing nowt then disappearing wierdly when spotted as in Xcom1), generally complete muller them but then all their mates turn up and it'll turn into a scrap.

If Factorio and Rimworld hadn't come along and got me all addicted I'd probabyl still be playing Xcom2 - I should really get back to it, but goddamn if Factorio isn't some kind of crack.

pantyfire

@sparky
Thats what annoyed me no end, every alien discovery was the same scripted stumble-upon.
It would be nice to come across one with it's back to you or something.

Vastik

Played Xcom 2 obsessively when it first came out, loved the improvements and additions over the last one. Had to stop myself from committing to a 2nd play through just so I could give time to other games!

Kernowgaz

This is 32.99 on consoles as well.

Never played mp last time will defo give it a try this time round .

When people get it , what console version ?

Kernowgaz

And plays quite well on the Bone

How does XCOM 2 perform on consoles? • Eurogamer.net
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-09-27-how-does-xcom-2-perform-on-consoles

Tempy

The Multiplayer is supposed to be dreadful

Tempy

XCOM 2 Campaign has come crashing down around me because it's so different on the tactical map to Enemy Unknown/Within that I had no idea what I was doing until it was too late and I was forced into a suicide mission with only 3 squad members as everyone else was injured for a month. I dunno if XCOM2 console comes with the DLC but I heavily recommend you don't let it auto-add it to your first campaign because some of it, namely Alien Hunters, makes the game FAR harder.

Vastik

Tempy wrote:

XCOM 2 Campaign has come crashing down around me because it's so different on the tactical map to Enemy Unknown/Within that I had no idea what I was doing until it was too late and I was forced into a suicide mission with only 3 squad members as everyone else was injured for a month. I dunno if XCOM2 console comes with the DLC but I heavily recommend you don't let it auto-add it to your first campaign because some of it, namely Alien Hunters, makes the game FAR harder.

Yeah, I failed fairly quickly on my first run because I hadn't figured out how to play the tactical map element well. 2nd run attempt went waaaay better. Never bothered with any DLC, it all seemed a bit inconsequential. Waiting on a proper expansion, though I have selected a bunch of mods for a future attempt before then.

Tempy

The DLCs ass the alien rulers and the Spaek class respectively so despite the fact they're light on mission content they make up for it in other areas. I thought I'd turned them off last night but it doesn't work like that, so the Viper King turned up last night on mission 5 or so. Rulers get a turn every time you take an action and have about 30/49 health , so they're anything but inconsequential annoyingly.

The Spark is a cool variant on the MEC from the first game, and is really good for shoring up gaps in your squad.

Bollockoff

Tempy wrote:

Rulers get a turn every time you take an action.

The fuk

Tempy

Yup, so the viper King can grab and kill a squad member unless you immediately fire back

Vastik

Haha, perhaps 'inconsequential' was the wrong choice of word then.

Tempy

They're certainly very different from the original's DLC, in that they really change the base game rather than giving you lots of missions to do. In some ways they are better, but now I have to deal with incredibly tough enemies that I don't want to fight.

Tempy

That's a second campaign trashed thanks to the Alien Ruler DLC, which I thought I'd deactivated, but it turns out you had to uninstall it? I'm all for a challenge, but a 50 health unit that turns up randomly, and then gets an action every time you take an action is a bit stupid. I'm not losing a 6 man squad to it just because it appears on a mission with a bunch of lackeys and then proceeds to crit a guy to death and then strangle two before I can get more than 3 shots on it. Bullshit.

As brilliant as the base game is, I am going to have to leave it a good long while before I try again now, because that's nearly 25 hours of gameplay totally flushed.

Paul the sparky

Can you pull out and fail that mission? Or do you have to run it and face the inevitable squad wipe?

Tempy

You never know when they'll turn up, this one appeared when I was about 1 turn from victory and squad wiped me. I'll probably suck it up and try again as I have a tactical map save before it, but it's stupid and frustrating. The game is hard enough already, and I thought I'd opted out after my first run fucked up.

Paul the sparky

Oh, phuk that.

Vastik

Oh man, that sucks

Tempy

Don't get me wrong it's a great game but that DLC is for hardcore players.

Paul the sparky

I get you. XCOM was always as hard as nails anyway, and it suits the theme of the game even more this time due to being an underground cell fighting back after occupation, but that guy sounds unpossible, and that's not what I'm after.

Making mistakes that cost you dearly but you learn from is great, doing everything right and still losing is something else.

Tempy

Yeah the fact they get an action for every action you get is incredibly punishing, especially as the Viper King can technically kill a squaddie from full health in 2 actions if he binds them, which is overkill.

Blocks100

Does this have an 'easy' setting?

Tempy

That'd be rookie, yep

Vastik

I had to take a hiatus from Enemy Within after a lengthy Iron Man run's save file corrupted. Such is the risk of only being able to have one save file for a game...

Returned to the game with the Long War mod so it was all good in the end.

RedDave2

Tempy wrote:

You never know when they'll turn up, this one appeared when I was about 1 turn from victory and squad wiped me. I'll probably suck it up and try again as I have a tactical map save before it, but it's stupid and frustrating. The game is hard enough already, and I thought I'd opted out after my first run fucked up.

Quick note on these rulers - there is only one of each through the whole game - and there is three in total. They carry their hp from appearance to appearance so any damage done is carried over. Not to say they aren't very tricky, but once you take down the viper king for example, that's him done.

Tempy

Yeah I best him on the previous campaign, he just totally ballsed me up this time and I specifically didn't want to have them around this time but messed up by not uninstalling it. Oh well.

pantyfire

I just picked this up from CeX today.
Two missions in and its good, I'm still not sure about these countdowns, my first countdown mission had me barreling towards the objective and getting my just promoted soldier killed by a bit of a lucky shot.
I reloaded and took it a little bit slower and did much better.
I MUCH prefer the new alien trigger system, you can sneak up to them but if you stand on one of their red zones you trigger their movemen. It works way better than the old system.

pantyfire

Erm, I'm 5 missions in and EVERY one has been a timed mission.
They are as hard as nails as well.

Tempy

You start to learn what missions are timed and which ones aren't, you don't need to do all of them as they come, supply drops and so on tend to stay on the map a lot longer.

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