Xcom 2

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Those popups are so annoying.

I had someone bleed out on me earlier which meant I was able to select an android if he was selected or unselected (I couldn't actually tell if he was selected) a pop up would tell me he was not active and that I might struggle without it.

A popup also covers up the name of the third faction.

I also beat the first faction I selected earlier today. Can I unlock more slots for training/spec ops or is it 1 per throughout the game because I hate being told that a member of my squad is inactive constantly.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Also, initially I did not want to use Verge's mindflay ability as it showed 2 red bars when I went to use it thinking that he'd take self-damage but after a couple of missions I just thought I might as well try it. Did absolutely no damage to him.

[Ian]

Yeah I can't work that out either.

Firaxis can't do UIs though. The UI outside of how the fights are presented and the Avenger view was balls down to weirdly common things they never spot / fix in testing and shitty inventory systems and it's not much better now.

Though they did at least finally add a button themselves to un-equip items from inactive squad members.

I encountered my first Chryssalids last night. Seems they're the XCOM2 chryssalid-lite variety rather than Enemy Unknown's nightmare fuel.

[hfswjyr]

Yep, I've seen all the glitches mentioned above as well. They Dev team would have definitely noticed these problems too, but chosen to just rush the product out the door instead.
I'm guessing they deperately wanted to beat Gears Tactics to the market.

And yes, you can eventually have more slots for research and training. Not sure about Spec-Ops yet on my playthrough.

[Ian]

I dunno if it's specific to Vent entries but I had a weird one yesterday where I sent Verge through a vent and for the next shot afterwards it didn't change perspective so (unless there's an obvious marker somewhere telling me who's shooting during a breach) I was having to try and remember what order I'd put the breach team in.

Another plus is that I'm finding there are agents who when I first look at their skills I feel pretty meh but are usually quite useful when I actually put them in a mission. Last night's example was Claymore and his shrapnel bomb.

[Disco]

This is a smaller scale room clearing type thing right?

Have they solved the problem all the new ones had (ambush the first set of enemies then try your hardest not to trigger the next two groups until you're ready)?

[Ian]

This is a smaller scale room clearing type thing right?

Have they solved the problem all the new ones had (ambush the first set of enemies then try your hardest not to trigger the next two groups until you're ready)?

So you'll have at most two or three connected rooms per encounter but once you've breached all enemies in that encounter know you're there. Sometimes there will be reinforcements to either extract away from or withstand and defend until it tells you you're done.

[Disco]

Is this standalone or an expansion/DLC?

[Ian]

Standalone.

Enemy Within / War of the Chosen (I may be telling you something you already know here, I can't remember what bits you played) both did the same thing of adding a bunch of stuff to the existing campaign. I mean WOTC was basically XCOM 2.5 but it was still doing that.

Chimera Squad is a standalone mini-sequel.

EDIT: I am right about Enemy Within aren't I? I'm doubting myself now. I know it added some extra mission types and story bits but you were still going through the same campaign, ultimately, right?

[Ian]

I just Googled it and I was correct. Phew.

So canonically it's Enemy Unknown > XCOM 2 > Chimera Squad.

And I think from a few things that get mentioned WOTC did actually happen, or some of it. I'm sure I heard one of the factions get mentioned.

[Disco]

No I bounced off the first one and never felt the need to go back, especially with stuff like Open Xcom and Xenonauts iterating on the originals. This new thing is also on about £9 for the next few days, can't really go wrong with that.

[Ian]

And despite it very obviously being a testing ground for some different ideas there's a fair amount to it. I'm 10-12 hours in at a guess and I've only dealt with one of the three city factions the game tasks you with giving a good hiding.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The Chimera Squad are a bunch of dickhead Police officers though really aren't they?

You pick a faction and then they breach the fuck into a place they have intel on with no warrant or anything and then shoot first before asking questions later assuming they've not killed everyone.

[Disco]

Barging in at the drop of a hat and blowing everything up with too many explosives is the Xcom way. I would stock the ship with high explosives in case the map had snakemen on it.

[Ian]

It's fairly clear the government are sending them in to do this, I think the "Warrant Acquisition" stage of the strategy layer is probably better implied than implemented.

And anyway, how would you propose they try to resolve things peacefully with a chryssalid, out of curiosity?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Barging in at the drop of a hat and blowing everything up with too many explosives is the Xcom way. I would stock the ship with high explosives in case the map had snakemen on it.

Yeah but that was at a time of war.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It's fairly clear the government are sending them in to do this, I think the "Warrant Acquisition" stage of the strategy layer is probably better implied than implemented.

And anyway, how would you propose they try to resolve things peacefully with a chryssalid, out of curiosity?

They thought they were all gone at the start of this game, no?

Regardless, a peaceful chryssalid is a dead one.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

When you first start on a faction they have no knowledge at all.

"These are bad guys, right?"

[Disco]

Wait, chryssalids in tight confined spaces? I may have to re-consider.

[phonics]

Here was my twist on the XCOM story that I thought up while high.

The third game should be you trying to take over the planet and installing yourself as God Emporer. You've been the only one saving the world for decades now, have it all go to your head and make you the bad guy shutting down revolutions against you and causing them against the countries.

Become the bloke on the TV that goes "...Commander."

[Ian]

When you first start on a faction they have no knowledge at all.

It's "here are the factions we think capable of [doing the spoilery thing]."

You then get told about when they're up to stuff that's reet dodgy.

If you want there to be 28 possible factions and only three up to no good but you have to whittle them down then maybe you should write to Firaxis with this proposed Admin & Red Tape layer you seem so keen on.

Meanwhile I'll be here stopping chryssalids eating your family and shitting all over your gaming chair.

Wait, chryssalids in tight confined spaces? I may have to re-consider.

Thus far they've been gimpier XCOM 2 chryssalids rather than the "THAT THING NEEDS TO DIE RIGHT NOW" chryssalids of Enemy Unknown.

But I've only had one fight against them so far. I had the same reaction as you when I saw them though.

[Disco]

Phew. I've levelled towns to get rid of the fuckers in the original, I feel like that's what the blaster launcher was put into the game for.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Red tape simulator

[Ian]

Absolutely nailed a couple of "Very Difficult" missions last night. Even on Expert I'm actually not having that much trouble with the missions themselves now I have some decent abilities (though I'm still only a little way into my second faction so it might be lying about difficulty) but I'm having to spin plates to keep districts in check.

I'm starting to get some of the elite weapons too or whatever they're called.

Phew. I've levelled towns to get rid of the fuckers in the original, I feel like that's what the blaster launcher was put into the game for.

In Enemy Unknown you had Terror Missions which was basically just a town mostly full of chryssalids and civilians and you had to kill as many of the former as you could before they could kill too many of the latter so you had the nightmare scenario of having to push aggressively when you knew there were fucking chryssalids everywhere.

Then in Enemy Within we briefly got MECs and their glorious kinetic strike, a big fuck off melee attack that if directed correctly would see your big metal lad punch a chryssalid through a wall.

Gloriously cathartic.

[hfswjyr]

I'm regretting not giving War of the Chosen a go, but I remember not feeling up to replaying the XCOM 2 campaign again.

I'm a bit stuck on the last mission of Sacred Coil. Playing on Expert.

[Ian]

I'm regretting not giving War of the Chosen a go, but I remember not feeling up to replaying the XCOM 2 campaign again.

I'm a bit stuck on the last mission of Sacred Coil. Playing on Expert.

I did Gray Phoenix, I'm now doing Sacred Coil.

War of the Chosen feels very different to XCOM2. It's not quite XCOM3 but it's not far off in many ways. And it ends up being much more of a XCOM-as-superheroes power fantasy.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Zephyr <3

Despite her horrible accent ofc.

[Ian]

I've not picked her yet. Am I doing myself a bad turn?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

She's my favourite thus far as she's basically a ranger minus the sword.

Just got her promoted enough to get reaper which is brilliant.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I threw a shrapnel grenade between two enemies then lobbed a sticky grenade at one of them who ran right by the other guy.

Blew himself to pieces which triggered the shrapnel which finished off the other guy

My best kill(s) by far on this game.

[Ian]

I think the ones I've not picked so far are Zephyr, Shelter and.... Blueblood? Dunno if there are more it hasn't offered me yet.

Cherub has turned out to be one I like more than I expected and I've now taken Patchwork who's really useful against all these Sacred Coil robots.

[hfswjyr]

Assuming we all started with the same four, who have you guys picked up?

I've got Torque, Patchwork, Shelter, and Axiom so far. Listed in order of usefulness.

[Ian]

Started with:
Godmother
Verge
Cherub
Terminal

As you say, I assume that's the same. I've since picked up:
Torque
Claymore
Axiom
Patchwork

Pleasingly I'm finding all of them pretty good when you get used to them.

I'd say my first choice squad just now is Terminal, Axiom, Cherub and Godmother. Though Axiom / Godmother I'm happy to switch out for Claymore and I think Patchwork will become more and more useful as I get her level and I plan to use her alot against Sacred Coil.

I've not levelled Torque as much as I'd like purely because of how my rotations have fallen when I need to put members into Spec Ops or Assembly.

[Ian]

Just read up a bit on Zephr and I wish I'd taken her already.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I've picked up Zephyr, Claymore, Axiom and Blueblood.

Generally running Zephyr, Claymore, Blueblood and then one of Godmother or Terminal.

Godmother wasn't in play for me for ages but I picked up two epic shotguns which are so OP.

Blueblood is also great because he can take 2 shots a turn (3 when lightning hands is off cool down). He's shit during breach though because his damage is so low.

[Ian]

Godmother doesn't need one of the shotguns to have OP powers. "Ventilate" fills that role very nicely.

Everybody playing on Expert too?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Godmother doesn't need one of the shotguns to have OP powers. "Ventilate" fills that role very nicely.

Everybody playing on Expert too?

Yeah but she's coming in over Terminal (and her healing gremlin) because the shotguns I have are amazing.

High damage, range doesn't matter as the encounters are in smaller rooms than normal Xcom and they get an extra ability.

One shotgun (which Godmother has) gives her run and gun and the one that Claymore has gives him rapid fire.

I play on hard.

[Ian]

Range is irrelevant but the ability to ignore cover is good.

I mean if she's in the team I'm giving her one of the shotguns anyway because I'm never putting three shotgunners in one mission but I think I've had less cause to use run and gun than either ventilate or rapid fire so far.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I only just realised that "Ventilate" also hits the enemy.

I thought it was just a cover shredder.

Fucking game changer ffs.

[Ian]

Fucks sake Mahow.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Campaign done.

I enjoyed it although there are some slight niggles (mainly the fact that it seemed to crash for me on the regular) but I do hope they bring breaches into a few missions for Xcom 3.

[Ian]

Crashy for me too, definitely issues on that front.

Do you get all agents in one campaign? I've started the third lot and still don't have three of them.

[hfswjyr]

I don't believe so. I must be on the last mission now, and I've only got the initial four and another four.

I was wrong about Axiom. He's an absolute beast.

[phonics]

I played the new Gears X-COM game. I absolutely hate the 'walk to your next mission' parts of the missions.

[Ian]

Is it in the Game Pass thing, Phonics? if so I'll give it a bash when I sort my PC upgrade.

I was wrong about Axiom. He's an absolute beast.

Yeah he's really powerful.

There's not one of them who isn't useful, to be fair. Of the eight I've got anyway.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

You don't get them all.

I didn't like Axiom tbh.

I only used a pool of 5 near the end (Zephyr, Blueblood, Godmother, Claymore and Terminal) because they're all tremendous.

[phonics]

Is it in the Game Pass thing, Phonics? if so I'll give it a bash when I sort my PC upgrade.



Yeah he's really powerful.

There's not one of them who isn't useful, to be fair. Of the eight I've got anyway.

Yep, once again, make sure you play it on hard.

[Ian]

I'd currently be happy going into any mission with pretty much any combo of mine. I'd always want Terminal if at all possible for the heals but pretty much everybody else I'd be comfortable with. Patchwork being able to potentially stun or disorient an enemy just by running near them has been a surprise lifesaver a couple of times.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Just played through the first level of Gears Tactics and early impressions are good.

[Ian]

By the time you get to the endgame of Chimera Squad even on whatever the 2nd hardest difficulty is called (Expert?) it's fairly straightforward. And I don't think I've had the city crisis meter thing get even to half way.