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Completed Let's play Silent Storm!

Lottie

Educated
Joined
Sep 11, 2012
Messages
63
Cool story bro:

[spoilers]Alright, took me a while to figure this shit out.
I wanted to whip up a small tool to do it but meh... too lazy. There is a workaround.

Entropy suggests that the savegames are crappily compressed, or there is a picture inside. Fact. Reversing the savegame structure is long, hard and painful, like my dick.

A bunch of stuff like the biographies are stored uncompressed in game.db in unicode of all fucking things ( lost bunch of time content searching for ascii srings... idiot).

Take for example the muscular, german dude.
Changing "his wartime experience" to "his martime experience" in the biography is cheap and easy but!
His nick on the UI in game is "Reggie" and even if you change all occurences of "Reggie" to "Veggie" in game.db, the UI is still listing "Reggie"...

Loading game.exe in Ollydbg and searching the complete memory space for Reggie after I "Veggie'fied" game.db turns out that fmod.dll shits it out from somewhere, may it burn in hell.

But there is a workaround! What if we changed the UI name in memory and saved the game? I cant reconstruct the save structure but the game still writes to it. Maybe even its RAM contents...
And voila! Hilariously it works......

And thats the end of story, kids. The moral is, as always, there is no fucking moral.
Lottie wants to be the italian scout Carm, rename her to Loti and we are golden.
[/spoilers]

How to change name:


Get MHS6.1
http://code.google.com/p/team-cooperb-game-hacking/downloads/list
Run it
It will ask you, if you wnat ot personalize it?
Say NO FUCK OFF
Start Silent Storm
Hire 5 dudes
Alt Tab to MHS
File -> Open Process (ctrl - p)
Chose game.exe, OK
Search -> String Search (ctrl - shift -s)
Type -> Unicode
String to find: the soldiers name
Tick "Match case" and tick "Aligned" and tick "match whole word only"
Search range 00400000 to 7FFF0000 (default)
OK
Takes a while
1 to 1000 results, depending on name (Carm is like 500...)
But the UI name value is always around the same memory space so
Hire "Kenko" and search for his name
arlsr.jpg

It should give you only 1 result
The important thing is the address, here its 166E CF00
All other UI names are at least in the 166x xxxx range!
uomFK.jpg

Like Carm here
500 results, only how to filter...
QyK5j.jpg

ah yes, same space, 166.....
mkc9P.jpg

Select the address, and "add selected"
Then, double click in the main window the name you want and change it
But you can only use the number of chars present, cant rename Carm to Lottie, only to Loti...
LJxgs.jpg

Do this shit for all your hires
Alt tab to Silent Storm, check if the names cahnged
Save game!
Quit MHS, restart SS, load game, the names should stick, its a miracle

Do I get to be in every missian naO?!!?!?


Update!
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
It seems Loti is a shoe-in for all missions where she isn't wounded! :bro:

Have no time to play nor update today. Hopefully some time during the next week..

Oh, and those of you already in, you should state how you want your name represented within the boundaries put down by the current name, unless you're OK with the names put forth below:
dextermorgan will be shortened to dexte
WetWorks will be shortened to WetWo
tindrli will be shortened to Tind
CappenVarra will be shortened to Cappen
UncleJimb0 will be shortened to UncleJ
 

WetWorks

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Messages
3,532
Location
Facedown in the mud
Project: Eternity Codex USB, 2014
HOW DARE YOU ABBREVIATE THE PROUD NAME OF WETWORKS!!!! IT IS A PROUD FAMILY NAME GOING GENERATIONS OF AVATARS ON VARIOUS NONSENSICAL FORUMS!!! I CHALLENGE YOU TO PISTOLS AT DAWN FOR THIS INSULT!!!!








On a more serious note: im good with WetWo.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
I hope to actually post the update either today or tomorrow, but that hinges on how much me-time I get.

Kodex being killed means a reloaded save/restart mission. It's not possible to save the game while in combat (turnbased) mode, so the save I had ni that instance was at the beginning of the mission, meaning it's the same as a restart.
Other team members being killed is unfortunate, but not game-stopping. :smug:
 

ironyuri

Guest
I hope to actually post the update either today or tomorrow, but that hinges on how much me-time I get.

Kodex being killed means a reloaded save/restart mission. It's not possible to save the game while in combat (turnbased) mode, so the save I had ni that instance was at the beginning of the mission, meaning it's the same as a restart.
Other team members being killed is unfortunate, but not game-stopping. :smug:

l2play

+ l2update
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
It's the result of trying to play when you're not feeling well, have a headache and your children are swarming around your legs for attention every two minutes. It just goes to show that it pays off to play it slow and safe. :smug:
 

ironyuri

Guest
It's the result of trying to play when you're not feeling well, have a headache and your children are swarming around your legs for attention every two minutes. It just goes to show that it pays off to play it slow and safe. :smug:

if you have children swarming your legs you obviously didn't play it slow and safe bro.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Not enough me-time for an update yet I'm afraid. I hope to get some work done on it tomorrow. (it is thursday after all :M )
Also, that new X-com demo sure isn't impressive, eh? And they say the full game requires 20Gb... :roll:
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
As you could see from the tiny spoiler I posted earlier, it's been a while since last I played Silent Storm, and I made some mistakes.
Mistakes are Fun. We learn from them, and possibly, there's nothing more amusing than watching others bumble around, and that's what I'm here for. Your amusement. :salute:

With that said, this update is long overdue. I have not abandoned this LP, and I do not intend to ever do.

To keep the pages from being a pain to scroll through, I will post the updates beneath spoiler tags. Please let me know if the resolution should be changed, it's currently set to 1024*768, I batch resize the screenshots with BIMPlite from the native 1600*1200 I run the game in.

xRtOb.jpg


Thanks to Lottie for showing me how to rename the recruitable soldiers! :bro: Loti will be in all future missions, barring unfortunate incidents. Which is a possibility for any scout. But fear not, far from all soldiers have been claimed yet, so should Loti buy the farm, I'm confident we can find another incarnation for you. :smug:

Having assembled a team, we exit the base and are treated to the world map.

rlAnC.jpg


More hand holding. I don't mind. I don't find the game help windows too obtrusive, and they do help ease you into understanding the game interface.
Our only possible destination for the time being is North Britain, so we tell the pilot to take us there.

tn5Fz.jpg

DXxN4.jpg

Sbf5X.jpg

XPm5I.jpg


Only one mission target is visible, so it's not like we're spoiled with choices yet. :roll:

Pam2C.jpg


The red soldier icon in the bottom left is a random encounter. These pop up randomly over time. Some are special random encounters, and I do not remember if you can tell which is what beforehand.
For now though, we ignore them. They could be farmed for equipment and experience, but IIRC the enemies are scaled according to the area you're in, and you gain much more xp from higher-level opponents, than from these level 1 goons you meet in the random encounters here in North England.

dcYLp.jpg


Instead, our destination is the UK Commandant's house.
On our way there, you can see how random encounters appear and disappear with time. It's possible for one to appear directly in your path with too little time to avoid it. That doesn't happen to us.

WBd1s.jpg

2cqGp.jpg

f9uNK.jpg

D0kCz.jpg


Navigating the maps is simple. In some cases it can pay off to go looking for random encounters, but this is metagaming. We will later "farm" for specific random encounters, with the sole purpose of getting our hands on some unique equipment.
For now though, we've arrived at the commandant's house, and the first thing I do is check our objectives.

ljl8y.jpg


...
Right. We're playing on hard. We know how many objectives there are, but not what, nor where they are. We'll find out soon enough.
We're deposited in the corner of the map, behind a large building. The wisest course of action whenever entering a new map is to immediately select all squadmembers and hit the 'H' button to put them in hiding.

jlikl.jpg


As you can see, Silent Storm features weather effects. Here it's raining. There's also lighting effects, but I don't remember if there's an actual day/night cycle. It doesn't seem like the rain affects accuracy. As to whether it affects hiding I couldn't tell.
Also, upon entering the map, it seems the xp for the rest of the squad is brought up to par with our mighty main hero, Kodex. This means that Tind is eligble for a levelup!

OxivK.jpg


The skilltrees are different for each class. For Tind I choose bandages master. For a full breakdown on the possible skill picks, including prerequisites and comments on them (I didn't write the comments, I'm copy/pasting from a spoiler), click on the spoiler tag below.
Code:
---------------------
CHARACTER PROGRESSION
---------------------

SNIPER
------
In my opinion, the best class in the game. Always Inflict Ranged Crits cannot
be beaten (unless you enable the built-in mod, which makes this skill useless).

LOOK FOR FREE:
Useful, but not earth-shattering. You'll notice it when you don't have it, 
though.

PISTOL SPECIALIZATION:
I see no need for this unless you are looking to get RIFLE SPECIALIZATION.
The sniper's Shoot rating grows faster than any other class, so you don't
really need the extra 10 points, in either of them.

BETTER CAREFUL SHOT:
Get this. It's not necessarily great, but you need it as a pre-req.

SHOOT THROUGH COVER:
Useful. You need it as a pre-req.

FASTER POSE CHANGE:
REQ: LOOK FOR FREE
It's alright. It's more useful as a pre-req for FASTER SHOTS.

FASTER CRAWL:
REQ: LOOK FOR FREE
I never crawl--I never see the need to. Useless unless you want it as a
pre-req.

RIFLE SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: PISTOL SPECIALIZATION
It's alright, but considering how fast the sniper's Shoot grows, you won't
need it.

AIM BEFORE SHOT:
REQ: BETTER CAREFUL SHOT
Useful, and also useful as a pre-req.

NIGHT HUNT:
REQ: SHOOT THROUGH COVER
I love it--it makes you even more deadly at night, as compared to your enemies.

FASTER SHOTS:
REQ: FASTER POSE CHANGE
Later in the game, as your AP grows, you'll be able to get in more shots. With
this, you won't take the penalty on the first shot, and odds are you can 
squeeze in another shot at the end as a result.

GOOD SHOT FROM ANY POSE:
REQ: FASTER CRAWL
Eh. It's alright. There are better things to spend points on, though.

INCREASED FAMILIARITY:
REQ: RIFLE SPECIALIZATION, AIM BEFORE SHOT
Considering that you have to buy PISTOL SPEC, RIFLE SPEC, BETTER CAREFUL,
and AIM BEFORE SHOT, it's not that much of a payoff. You're better off with
an Easy Handling weapon than Familiarity.

FORCE OF HABIT:
REQ: AIM BEFORE SHOT, SHOOT THROUGH COVER
It's useless by itself, but you need it as a pre-req. Get it.

NIGHT VISION:
REQ: NIGHT HUNT
It is useful by itself, as well as for what comes after it in the tree.

FASTER FAMILIARIZATION:
REQ: FASTER SHOTS
It's crap.

FASTER SKILLS GROWTH:
REQ: GOOD SHOT FROM ANY POSE
Not worth it for the skills you have to sink points into to get to it.

BETTER CHANCE OF CRITICAL:
REQ: INCREASED FAMILIARITY
Useless, except as a pre-req for BETTER CRITICAL

INCREASED SHOT RANGE:
REQ: FORCE OF HABIT
Very nice, both as a pre-req and by itself.

INCREASE SIGHT ANGLE:
REQ: NIGHT VISION
A great little skill, both as a pre-req and by itself. While it might seem
useless with LOOK FOR FREE around, it is not. You have a wider sight angle
to spot enemy ambushes (before it's too late) and, most especially, to spot
enemies during their turn and interrupt them. More sight range = more 
interrupts, and interrupts are good.

SOLO:
REQ: FASTER SKILLS GROWTH
If you are going for a stealth sniper who hides alone, it might be worth it,
but for me, there are better skills out there. Your shooting is great as it
is, and if you're hidden, Evasion isn't much of a factor--they need to see
you to shoot you.

BETTER CRITICAL SEVERITY:
REQ: BETTER CHANCE OF CRITICAL
Marginal. Might give better hits, but the point cost to get there isn't worth
it in the long run.

INCREASED RANGED DAMAGE:
REQ: INCREASED SHOT RANGE
Now we're talking. Every shot will do a little more damage. Plus, it's one step
away from Always Crit.

INCREASED SIGHT RANGE:
REQ: INCREASE SIGHT ANGLE
Very nice for a sniper. Because you can shoot so far and so well, you'll now 
have even more runway to take someone out before they get to you.

MASTER SNIPER:
REQ: FASTER FAMILIARIZATION, SOLO
Too far down the tree to be worth it. Too little, too late. Who needs 'critical
more' if you have ALWAYS CRITICAL?

FASTER AIMING:
REQ: SOLO, BETTER CRITICAL SEVERITY
Again, too far down the tree and too expensive. I almost never snipe because a
Careful Shot will nearly always yield 100% later on in the game, and it's only
later in the game that you can get to this area of the tree.

ALWAYS INFLICT RANGED CRITICAL:
REQ: INCREASED RANGED DAMAGE
The holy grail of sniper skills. It's relatively easy to get to (only 6 pre-
reqs, as opposed to 8 for MASTER SNIPER, an inferior skill), as well as having
the pre-reqs be mostly great skills in themselves. Every shot you fire will be
a critical, including bursts. This means more damage (lots if it is a head 
shot), nearly always bleeding (if they don't die outright), and all sorts of
other fun, crippling malaises.

AMBUSH:
REQ: INCREASED SIGHT RANGE
Useful for a sniper with the 98K Silenced, but ultimately I think it's too far
down the tree, especially considering that you will probably already have 
ALWAYS RANGED CRIT.

SCOUT
-----
The scout often gets a bad rap, but I love the scout. Their great stealth +
their high AP means more surprise attacks (especially with silenced SMGs)
and a better chance to stay hidden as a 'spotter' (hidden in a forward 
position, seeing enemies that squad-mates further back can shoot at). Their
skill tree focuses on enemy detection and critical hits, but is admittedly
rather anemic overall.

THROWING SPECIALIZATION:
Bah. I never use throwing weapons.

LOOK FOR FREE:
Very important for a spotter. Make sure to get it.

AWARENESS:
It's not clear what the penalty for having the first turn in combat is, but
you might need this as a pre-req for something down the line.

HIDE IN THE DARK:
Useful, but more useful as a pre-req.

FAST THROW:
REQ: THROWING SPECIALIZATION
Bah.

MELEE SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: THROWING SPECIALIZATION
You may want this if you want a melee scout. I did not play a melee scout in
any of the campaigns I played. I preferred a Silenced SMG.

FASTER POSE CHANGE:
REQ: LOOK FOR FREE
Meh. You might need it if you're crammed for time, but it's certainly nothing
special. Considering all the Scout's APs, you shouldn't need it save for a
pre-req.

STEADY GUN:
REQ: AWARENESS
More useful than you might thing. If you ran your scout around like I did, you
will find that this allows a great hit % even after running 40 APs worth.

NIGHT VISION:
REQ: HIDE IN THE DARK
The Scout's job is to scout. NIGHT VISION helps them do just that. Get it.

BETTER HEARING:
REQ: HIDE IN THE DARK
A great skill for spotting unseen enemies. Get it.

FASTER MELEE HIT:
REQ: MELEE SPECIALIZATION
If you're going melee, by all means get it. If not, don't bother.

PISTOL SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: MELEE SPECIALIZATION
Marginal. There are better skills do get with better pre-reqs than this.

FAST CROUCHING:
REQ: FASTER POSE CHANGE
Bah. I usually run from cover to cover. Crouching just takes valuable time,
and reducing the cost from 6 to 4 doesn't help too much in this aspect.

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE:
REQ: STEADY GUN
This may help you if you move around a lot to avoid enemy attacks. Every step
you take reduces their accuracy (a 'movement' penalty). This doubles it,
potentially making a decent shot completely useless.

STEALTH RUN:
REQ: NIGHT VISION
Bah.

INCREASED SPOT:
REQ: BETTER HEARING
It's ok; not bad for spotting hiding enemies. Good as a pre-req.

INCREASED THROWING RANGE:
REQ: PISTOL SPECIALIZATION
Bah.

FASTER ATTRIBUTES GROWTH:
REQ: FAST CROUCHING
Potentially useful, in a tree full of useless skills, but it has 2 useless
pre-reqs.

SOLO:
REQ: FAST CROUCHING, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, STEALTH RUN
Could be good, except for the heinous (9 point) pre-req cost, 3 of which are
pretty useless.

INCREASE SIGHT ANGLE:
REQ: INCREASED SPOT
A great little skill, both as a pre-req and by itself. While it might seem
useless with LOOK FOR FREE around, it is not. You have a wider sight angle
to spot enemy ambushes (before it's too late) and, most especially, to spot
enemies during their turn and interrupt them. More sight range = more 
interrupts, and interrupts are good.

VANGUARD:
REQ: SOLO
Having never gotten it, I really can't speak to its usefulness.

ALWAYS INFLICT MELEE CRITICAL:
REQ: SOLO
This would be the holy grail for the melee-based scout, but it's on a 
different leg of the tree from all the other melee skills. What a pain.

AMBUSH:
REQ: INCREASE SIGHT ANGLE
Get it if you plan on having your Scout hidden often. It will really help,
trust me.

INCREASED RANGED DAMAGE:
REQ: INCREASED THROWING RANGE, FASTER ATTRIBUTE GROWTH
Gee, this one would be great if it were not hidden behind a pile of useless
pre-reqs. 8 pre-reqs, 6 of which are useless? No thank you.

SURVIVAL:
REQ: FASTER ATTRIBUTES GROWTH
I generally do not let my soldiers get below 25% hp, and if I did, 10% evasion
is -not- going to save them.

RAGE:
REQ: SURVIVAL, EVADE AREA ATTACKS
I do not like to get my soldiers below 50% health, and I don't melee. Even if I
did melee, I would not send my soldier into melee with 50% health.

EVADE AREA ATTACKS:
REQ: INCREASE SIGHT ANGLE
+10% evade to grenade attacks? Woo-hoo. I don't think so. I'd rather put my
points elsewhere, thank you.

SOLDIER
-------
The meat-and-potatoes of your squad. While you don't technically need one, it's
always good to have a solid guy around who can haul stuff and take a hit for 
the team if it's needed.

FASTER FAMILIARIZATION:
More useful as a pre-req than anything else.

IGNORE WOUNDS:
Useful as a pre-req, or if you let yourself get shot often. I try not to.

LOOK FOR FREE:
Useful. you'll notice it when you don't have it.

SMG SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: FASTER FAMILIARIZATION
I use SMGs, so this is useful for me. Plus, it's a pre-req for other good
skills. Even if you just use Heavy MGs instead, you need to get this one
first to get that far down the tree.

FASTER SNAP SHOT:
REQ: FASTER FAMILIARIZATION
Not a bad skill, once your shooting is high enough. If it's low, you're
better off with an SMG burst at short range than you are with a few snap
shots. At long range, you won't hit anything with a snap shot till much
later in the game.

SURVIVAL:
REQ: IGNORE WOUNDS
I generally do not let my soldiers get below 25% hp, and if I did, 10% evasion
is -not- going to save them. Unfortunately, you'll probably need it as a pre-
req.

FASTER ATTRIBUTES GROWTH:
REQ: FASTER POSE CHANGE
Useful by itself and as a pre-req. Feel free to get it.

FASTER POSE CHANGE:
REQ: LOOK FOR FREE
Crap. Get it as a pre-req for better things or not at all.

FASTER SHORT BURST:
REQ: SMG SPECIALIZATION
Not a bad skill, although if I burst I tend to use Long Burst.

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE:
REQ: SURVIVAL
This may help you if you move around a lot to avoid enemy attacks. Every step
you take reduces their accuracy (a 'movement' penalty). This doubles it,
potentially making a decent shot completely useless.

BETTER HEARING:
REQ: FASTER ATTRIBUTES GROWTH
A great skill for spotting unseen enemies. Get it.

GOOD SHOT FROM ANY POSE:
REQ: FASTER POSE CHANGE
Eh. It's alright. There are better things to spend points on, though.

MACHINE GUN SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: SMG SPECIALIZATION
Very nice, especially later on for the Panzerkleins. Don't miss it.

LONGER SHORT BURST:
REQ: FASTER SHORT BURST
Not only are your bursts faster (the pre-req) but also get an extra bullet.
Nice.

FASTER SHOTS:
REQ: FASTER SNAP SHOT
Later in the game, as your AP grows, you'll be able to get in more shots. With
this, you won't take the penalty on the first shot, and odds are you can 
squeeze in another shot at the end as a result.

INCREASED SPOT:
REQ: BETTER HEARING
For a soldier who probably isn't going to do much scouting, it has reduced 
usefulness. If you don't have a Scout, feel free to get it.

FIND COVER:
REQ: GOOD SHOT FROM ANY POSE
Having never gotten it, I can't speak to it. Sounds pretty good though, aside
from the crappy pre-req.

CONTROLLED LONG BURST:
REQ: MACHINE GUN SPECIALIZATION
If you're going full-auto, you're in it for the long haul. This saves you some
bullets (which you might not want if you're hoping to hit multiple guys) and
time (which if you valued, you'd use Short Burst instead). I don't think it's
worth it.

INCREASED RANGED DAMAGE:
REQ: FASTER SHOTS
Very nice. Get it.

STEADY GUN:
REQ: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
The soldier probably isn't going to run around much, so this probably won't 
help you any.

AWARENESS:
REQ: BETTER HEARING
It's not clear what the penalty for having the first turn in combat is. Too
many pre-reqs to be worth it.

HEAL ME BETTER:
REQ: FIND COVER
If you don't plan on getting shot, you won't need this.

REDUCED RECOIL:
REQ: CONTROLLED LONG BURST, LONGER SHORT BURST, INCREASED RANGED DAMAGE
Sounds nice, but it's very far down the tree and there are nicer skills
out there. Unless you burst all the time (IE are a Panzerklein ShKAS
junkie), I think you can skip it.

SECOND SKIN:
REQ: STEADY GUN, INCREASED SPOT
While it's not clear what all the penalties for using Panzerkleins are,
it is true that it reduces shot time and increases movement. If you plan to
PK often, consider it.

VANGUARD:
REQ: AWARENESS
Having never gotten it, I really can't speak to its usefulness.

INSPIRATION:
REQ: HEAL ME BETTER
Not bad, but with some meh pre-reqs up the tree. I can find better things
to spend points on.

MEDIC
-----
A medic is less useful than you think, especially if you don't plan on
getting shot too much. Even if you do, the skill progression in the game
is broken (as of 1.2), virtually assuring that you won't be able to use the
best medical items in the game. Still, the Medic has a few team-related skills
that can make up for this.

BODY CARRIER:
Only useful as a pre-req. Who carries bodies in combat?

BANDAGES MASTER:
Woo-hoo, I can bandage a little better. Pre-req, nothing more.

SURGEON:
Potentially useful, although I tend to avoid getting critically hit when I can.

FASTER SNAP SHOT:
Useful as a pre-req, and then useful later on in the game when you can shoot 
something a decent distance away with a snap shot and not have a 2% hit chance.

IGNORE WOUNDS:
REQ: BODY CARRIER
Useful as a pre-req, or if you let yourself get shot often. I try not to.

KNOW ENEMY HEALTH:
REQ: BODY CARRIER, BANDAGES MASTER
I LOVE this skill. Get it ASAP. It's one of the best reasons to have a medic.
You save yourself shots on guys who are going to bleed to death next round and
know which guys you can kill in 1 shot and which will take more.

FASTER CRITICAL HEALING:
REQ: BANDAGES MASTER, SURGEON
Since I usually heal outside of combat mode, speed is not an issue.

INCREASED MELEE DAMAGE:
REQ: SURGEON
While it sort of makes sense, who makes a melee-medic?

FASTER AIMED SHOT:
REQ: FASTER SNAP SHOT
Useful as a pre-req, and then useful later on in the game when you can shoot 
something a decent distance away with an aimed shot and not have a 12% hit 
chance.

RESIST CRITICAL:
REQ: IGNORE WOUNDS
Not an issue if you don't let yourself get shot.

RESIST CRITICAL SEVERITY:
REQ: KNOW ENEMY HEALTH
Not an issue if you don't let yourself get shot.

MASTER MEDIC:
REQ: FASTER CRITICAL HEALING
Meh.

FASTER MELEE HIT:
REQ: INCREASED MELEE DAMAGE
While it sort of makes sense, who makes a melee-medic?

BETTER CAREFUL SHOT:
REQ: FASTER AIMED SHOT
Useful. Get it.

BETTER CHANCE OF CRITICAL
REQ: RESIST CRITICAL
Pretty decent skill. Never hurts to crit more.

BETTER CRITICAL SEVERITY
REQ: RESIST CRITICAL SEVERITY
Very nice, paired with BETTER CHANCE OF CRIT.

FASTER SKILLS GROWTH
REQ: MASTER MEDIC
Potentially useful, although hidden below useless skills.

MELEE SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: FASTER MELEE HIT
Again, who makes a melee-medic?

FORCE OF HABIT:
REQ: BETTER CAREFUL SHOT
Only useful as a pre-req.

WISDOM:
REQ: BETTER CHANCE OF CRITICAL, BETTER CRITICAL SEVERITY
Very nice skill, but costly (7 pre-reqs).

PERFECT MEDICINE KNOWLEDGE:
REQ: FASTER SKILLS GROWTH
Meh. You could go this far down the tree to be able to use all sorts of 
medical items, or you could survive on bandages and forceps and get better
skills instead.

ALWAYS INFLICT MELEE CRITICAL
REQ: MELEE SPECIALIZATION
Melee-medic?

INCREASED SHOT RANGE:
REQ: FORCE OF HABIT
Never hurts to have a little extra range on the weapon, especially with a
spotter.

TEAM SPIRIT:
REQ: WISDOM
A decent skill, as long as you leave the medic with friends.

LITTLE BLOOD:
REQ: PERFECT MEDICINE KNOWLEDGE
I never had that much trouble with bleeding. Either I could cure it, or I
could not. I'm not going to waste this many skill points on a rare problem.

PROLONG MEDICAL TREATMENT:
REQ: PERFECT MEDICINE KNOWLEDGE
Again, too far down the tree for me, although potentially useful.

INSPIRATION:
REQ: INCREASED SHOT RANGE
As long as your medic is with the group, this will help them all out. 
Considering the usefulness of the pre-reqs, you won't be hurting if you
splurge the extra point here.

GRENADIER
---------
Although they may not seem useful, you'd be surprised how badly everyone else
throws a grenade. I keep one around for just such an issue. Their skill tree
isn't bad either; comparable to a soldier's in many aspects.

IGNORE WOUNDS:
Only get this if you're going for SECOND SKIN.

FORCE OF HABIT:
Useless except as a pre-req.

FASTER ATTRIBUTES GROWTH:
Put your first point here at level 2. You'll have it all game, and you won't
regret it.

RESIST CRITICAL
REQ: IGNORE WOUNDS
Only get this if you're going for SECOND SKIN.

SMG SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: FORCE OF HABIT
Get it, and get it early

GRENADE MASTER:
REQ: FORCE OF HABIT
A grenadier is supposed to throw grenades. Help him do so with this skill.

FAST THROW:
REQ: FASTER ATTRIBUTES GROWTH
This is only necessary if you want to throw 4 grenades a round. Nothing should
survive 3 grenades in a round, so you probably shouldn't bother.

BETTER EVASION:
REQ: FASTER ATTRIBUTES GROWTH
Very nice. Unlike a lot of other skills which put requirements on raising 
evasion, this is a blanket skill.

RESIST CRITICAL SEVERITY
REQ: RESIST CRITICAL
Only get this if you're going for SECOND SKIN.

FASTER AIMED SHOT:
REQ: SMG SPECIALIZATION
Get it, both for itself and for the abilities below it.

THROWING SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: GRENADE MASTER
Only applies to knives. Bah.

GOOD THROW FROM ANY POSE:
REQ: FAST THROW
Bah. Not heeded.

SURVIVAL:
REQ: BETTER EVASION
I generally do not let my soldiers get below 25% hp, and if I did, 10% evasion
is -not- going to save them.

EVADE AREA ATTACKS:
REQ: RESIST CRITICAL SEVERITY
Only get this if you're going for SECOND SKIN.

BETTER CAREFUL SHOT:
REQ: FASTER AIMED SHOT
Get it, it's good.

FASTER SHORT BURST:
REQ: FASTER AIMED SHOT
Another good one.

BETTER GRENADE TIMING:
REQ: THROWING SPECIALIZATION
Because I do not use the grenade-timing feature, I do not use this skill.

INCREASED THROWING RANGE:
REQ: GOOD THROW FROM ANY POSE
Not bad, although you probably won't need it.

FIND COVER:
REQ: SURVIVAL
Too far down a crappy tree to be worth it.

STEADY GUN:
REQ: EVADE AREA ATTACKS
Only get this if you're going for SECOND SKIN.

ROCKET-LAUNCHER SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: FASTER SHORT BURST, BETTER GRENADE TIMING
I do not use rocket launchers, so this is not useful to me.

HEAL ME BETTER:
REQ: FIND COVER
Too far down a crappy tree to be worth it.

SECOND SKIN:
REQ: STEADY GUN, BETTER CAREFUL SHOT
While it's not clear what all the penalties for using Panzerkleins are,
it is true that it reduces shot time and increases movement. If you plan to
PK often, consider it.

FASTER RELOAD:
REQ: ROCKET-LAUNCHER SPECIALIZATION
Always useful, but too far down the tree for me.

FASTER SNAP SHOT:
REQ: ROCKET-LAUNCHER SPECIALIZATION
Always useful, but too far down the tree for me.

INCREASED AREA ATTACK DAMAGE:
REQ: ROCKET LAUNCHER SPECIALIZATION, INCREASED THROWING RANGE
Too far down the tree for me, although if you use grenades and rockets often,
it's probably worth it.

TEAM SPIRIT:
REQ: HEAL ME BETTER
A useful skill, but ultimately too far down a crappy tree to be worth it.

ENGINEER
--------
The engineer has a few useful skills, but is mostly useful for their abilities
to pick locks, and set and disarm traps. Because skill progression is broken in
engineering (as of 1.2), the engineer is of questionable use in this instance.
However, they do have a bunch of useful skills.

RIFLE SPECIALIZATION:
Get this as both a pre-req and a crutch for a generally low shooting score at
the start.

PISTOL SPECIALIZATION:
I use pistols infrequently, and so saw no need for this, except as a pre-req

BURGLAR:
A very nice skill for picking locks, as well as a pre-req.

FASTER RELOAD:
REQ: RIFLE SPECIALIZATION
You'll be surprised how often you'll be reloading weapons, especially rifles,
with their small clips. This skill is great.

FASTER SNAP SHOT:
REQ: PISTOL SPECIALIZATION.
Useful as a pre-req, and then useful later on in the game when you can shoot 
something a decent distance away with a snap shot and not have a 2% hit chance.

FASTER AIMED SHOT:
REQ: RIFLE SPECIALIZATION, PISTOL SPECIALIZATION
Useful as a pre-req, and then useful later on in the game when you can shoot 
something a decent distance away with an aimed shot and not have a 12% hit 
chance.

FASTER SKILLS GROWTH:
REQ: BURGLAR
Good, and easy to get. Get it.

TRAP SENSE:
REQ: BURGLAR
This skill would be better if skill progression were not broken. That said,
it helps a little.

MACHINE GUN SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: FASTER RELOAD
Very nice, especially later on for the Panzerkleins. Don't miss it.

SMG SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: FASTER SNAP SHOT
Also a very nice skill, as long as you use SMGs (which I do).

INCREASED FAMILIARITY:
REQ; FASTER SKILLS GROWTH
Useful as a prereq. It's not clear to me that it's useful beyond that.

DISARM TRAPS:
REQ: TRAP SENSE
Assuming you can find a trap to disarm, this will help you. It's a pre-req.

INCREASED SHOT RANGE:
REQ: MACHINE GUN SPECIALIZATION
Good and relatively easy to get. Always useful.

ROCKET-LAUNCHER SPECIALIZATION:
REQ: MACHINE GUN SPECIALIZATION, SMG SPECIALIZATION
Since I did not use rocket launchers, this did not help me.

AIM BEFORE SHOT:
REQ: SMG SPECIALIZATION
Gives a slight bonus on all 'first' shots. Not too bad if you can afford it.

DIFFICULT TRAP:
REQ: DISARM TRAPS
If you plan on trapping often, get this one, and watch the enemy blow 
themselves up. I did not often use traps other than to blow up stubborn
doors and chests, however.

DEMOLITION:
REQ: ROCKET-LAUNCHER SPECIALIZATION
Assuming you want to blow up buildings...ok. If you want to blow up a building,
though, it's pretty easy anyway. You don't need this skill.

EVADE AREA ATTACKS:
REQ: ROCKET-LAUNCHER SPECIALIZATION
Too far down the tree and too little bonus.

MASTER ENGINEER:
REQ: WISDOM
Only get this one if you are going to get PK skills.

WISDOM:
REQ: INCREASED FAMILIARITY, DIFFICULT TRAP
A very nice skill with a pricey pre-req list. In general, the exp gain doesn't
seem worthwhile enough to justify the cost by itself. Get it if you want the
PK skills.

ALWAYS INFLICT EXPLOSIVES CRITICAL:
REQ: DIFFICULT TRAP
If you use traps offensively and often, feel free. I don't.

TEAM SPIRIT:
REQ: WISDOM
If you got WISDOM, get this one. If not, don't go out of your way to get it.

PANZERKLEIN TECHNICIAN:
REQ: MASTER ENGINEER
If skill progression were not broken and you could get above 100 engineering
without cheating, maybe this would be worth it. Until then, spend elsewhere.

SECOND SKIN:
REQ: MASTER ENGINEER
While it's not clear what all the penalties for using Panzerkleins are,
it is true that it reduces shot time and increases movement. If you plan to
PK often, consider it.

INCREASED SENSOR RANGE:
REQ: MASTER ENGINEER
Your spot ability is decreased dramatically while wearing a giant suit of
metal. If you use PKs, get this one.

APPRAISE PANZERKLEINS:
REQ: MASTER ENGINEER
Very useful if you intend to destroy Panzerkleins. However, it's not so
useful if you're just planning on killing the pilot with beam weapons, as
I do (and as is the easiest way).

LOWER PANZERKLEIN NOISE
REQ: MASTER ENGINEER
Um, if you are using a Panzerklein, you are not planning on being stealthy.
Don't bother with this one.
Having assigned the skillpoint, our group sneaks closer to the nearest building.

23Uq2.jpg

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The lightbulb shaped icon denotes a Clue. Basically, more help on how the game works.
In the room with the clue is also a civilian who doesn't bother us. Good thing is that she doesn't run away and tell on us neither. Very well behaved civilian, calmly accepting six axis troopers breaking into her house, yet she doesn't make a fuss. I've always liked that kind of docility from the english. :troll:

YO44p.jpg


Moving further into the house, our group hears other people moving about. This triggers more xp, seems you don't get it purely for killing hostiles or completing mission objectives, but also to a small degree from other skill levelups (spot in this case, covers both visual and auditory cues). The xp triggers yet another levelup. :thumbsup:

alHuA.jpg


Cappen hones his lockpicking skills. :smug: This skill is not only useful for unlocking doors (guns and explosives can also get rid of stubborn locks...), but it's also a prerequisite to other, very useful, skills. :salute:
Apparently, our group is not quite as stealthy as they imagine themselves to be, as one of the allied soldiers walks up to the window to investigate.

ChILj.jpg


This triggers combat. Loti greets the soldier with a few bullets, but not enough to kill him, so WetWo steps up, readying his SMG...

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Automatic weaponry such as SMGs and real MGs can fire their ammo in bursts. Either a short burst, or a "full burst" which means you keep firing until the target is down. This can be dangerous, as you might end up low on both ammo and actionpoints, but in this case..

5jgQh.jpg


We get exactly the result we hope for. :smug: First kill to WetWo. :salute: For some odd reason, dexte levels up as a consequence.

bvewC.jpg


This skill is kinda rubbish, but it will unlock grenade-associated skills later down the line. And that's Useful. :incline:
So far, the mission is progressing nicely, and I decide to have Kodex sneak behind the house and scope out the road next to it. He spots one of the mission objectives.

FBesU.jpg

mf6Bo.jpg


It's an officer we need to take down and carry with us away from the combat area. Kodex decides to sneak back to set up a better ambush position, as he does not relish the prospect of initiating a long range firefight against 5 allied troopers at the same time.
Inside the house, WetWo makes a blunder.

aiQGb.jpg


He walks past the open front door, is spotted by an SMG toting allied soldier, but keeps standing. Barely. The closest companions rush out in the hope they can off the allied soldier and help WetWo.

P9t0D.jpg


The allied trooper ducks out of view, but the wounds WetWo sustained is enough to give him the bleeding condition and at the start of our next turn, he drops unconscious. Now, on hard setting, what this means is that he's out for this fight, but as long as enough troops are conscious at the end to carry all the unconscious troopers out, he'll be back for the next mission.
The soldier who shot him though...

ybG1c.jpg


He couldn't keep hiding, and Loti dispatches him with a few well-aimed rounds to the face. :salute:

fC11O.jpg


This time the levelup makes some sense, as Loti was the actual trooper who triggered the xp gain. She chooses the hide in the dark skill, to unlock further hiding-based skills later.
In the next room of this house another clue is hidden.

K9uqH.jpg

stNHz.jpg


Grenades are quite useful in this game, but they're in limited supply. I'll show you later just how useful they can be.:smug:
Kodex levels up soon after, while setting a solo-ambush for the squad accompanying the allied officer.

M0CPR.jpg


This skill is important as a prerequisite to eventually unlocking the "all ranged shots cause criticals" skill. In itself it's usability is questionable, as I'd rather either take snapshots, or sniping shots. Careful shots consume all remaining APs, meaning you're a sitting duck afterwards.
Kodex is undaunted and starts shooting at the escort of the officer.

XYnMw.jpg

IxdbP.jpg

c2juC.jpg

s6pxx.jpg


Kodex takes a few wounds doing this, but does feel mighty smug. His shooting skills increase accordingly. :bro:

Meanwhile, Loti is sneaking around a house on the other side of the road. At the back of said house, one of the allied soldiers inside hears the outside noise and decides to investigate.

r3FLT.jpg

M3Tue.jpg

VSpcF.jpg


Tried to capture the shots and some of the ragdoll feel when the allied soldier finally died. I guess in a future update, I'll do so as a movie clip instead. Anyhoo, chalk one more for Loti. :salute:
At around this time I decide to check up on the objectives again, seeing as Kodex laid low the escort and officer patrolling the road.

BtBs2.jpg


Apparently the officer was a mark because he was carrying some papers. I have no idea how we knew this, but shoot. Feels good to be advancing the plot, even a little bit. :roll:
Loti decides to check out the inside of the house she just killed a soldier next to. She finds another clue.

8gFGY.jpg

IP9xW.jpg


Critical hits can be very useful. Couple aiming with the sniper special skill; "all ranged hits are criticals" and you can handily make enemies harmless. :smug:
But Loti and Kodex can't have all the glory. dexte tries for some of his own.

XGR8P.jpg


First a short burst,

388Mf.jpg


followed by full auto,

mBi5s.jpg


resulting in a satisfactory kill. Could've turned ugly if he hadn't succeeded. The allied trooper was carrying an SMG. Those are right nasty up close as dexte amply demonstrated. :salute:
Meanwhile, the other two allied soldiers that were near the house Loti just entered have spotted her, much to her chagrin.

O7NLe.jpg

ZweJa.jpg


She breathes a sigh of relief when they don't manage to score a critical hit, not least because help is just on the other side of the road. Enter dexte:

8BFpm.jpg


Then Loti finishes by herself.

WbN1G.jpg


That's her "The clip is empty" line. If she hadn't carried extra ammo in her backpack, the ammo icon in the bottom left of the weapon window would've been crossed out in red.
The shootout has left Loti with a nasty wound. She's gained the bleeding condition.

SvHXu.jpg

k2ZaO.jpg


That's 8 rounds she's got before she bleeds out. This is why it's a good idea to bring a medic along. M:

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Jhjay.jpg

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I thought I was going to lose Loti to bleeding here, so I had Tind use both her doses of hemostatic powder. Thankfully, it worked, even though the message would have us believe the procedure failed.

Inside the house Loti just exited, dexte is sweeping the first floor and comes across something amusing.

ij5MP.jpg

MALGU.jpg

BMdTS.jpg


He runs into a room, finding himself literally astraddle a kneeling allied soldier. He fires full auto but doesn't kill the soldier, but apparently causing enough damage for the soldier to lose his turn.

Fiykf.jpg


On his subsequent turn, dexte finishes off the allied soldier. :salute: Was rather odd, with two soldiers occupying the same location. I don't recall ever seeing this before, and maybe that was why the soldier didn't get to act.
Meanwhile on the other edge of the (admittedly rather small) map, Kodex has found a named enemy.

mf3wn.jpg


Kirby has more vitality points than the rest of the soldiers here, but his rifle seems to have shorter range than Kodex', as Kodex is able to take him down easily.

ms5un.jpg


It took three shots to the head, but I like how Kirby flies backwards when the killing shot lands. :incline:

At this point, only one house is left to clear. What could possibly go wrong?
...

3PQJE.jpg


This machine gun nest makes me reconsider the frontal assault possibility..
Instead, I send Cappen to check out the windows on the ground floor.

iiY04.jpg

LCDI1.jpg


Full auto at close SMG range. :love:
That takes care of the corridor, while Kodex has snuck up on the other side and takes a peek inside.

FCkH7.jpg


I have no idea if that soldier would actually use the Vickers machine gun, but I decide to let Cappen tell him sternly not to.

yoKZO.jpg


Feeling pretty :smug: at about this point. I've been running around like an idiot all over the place, but still it seems to be going OK. I even let Cappen try out the Vickers, just to see what its stats are.

Blyjw.jpg


It would sure hurt to be on the receiving end here. :obviously:
In the back room of the groundfloor, we pick up the last clue/hint for this mission.

jdWr2.jpg


Now, all that is left is to run upstairs and clear out that floor and...

yxk2u.jpg


...
Oops... Running head-first into a full auto burst from an SMG sure does hurt. :hmmm:
Alright, this LP isn't Ironman, but it is played on hard, which means no saving while in combat. Fact is, hadn't saved at all on this map, so we'll have to do it over.
This time though, I do it more cautiously.

MYDkb.jpg


I start by spreading out, but leaving covering fields of fire.
Then I have Kodex squat in a small bush..

tP31b.jpg

Qt0tn.jpg

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Two allied soldiers down, not a scratch on our team yet. :incline: Apparently, hiding in a bush meant the allied soldiers couldn't see Kodex clearly, and they tried to move closer instead of firing. Exploit? Not really, it also applies the other way around. You can shoot at enemies you only hear, but you'll be guessing at their location and you're much more likely to miss. This is an Important Lesson for later. M:
Meanwhile, WetWo takes his revenge on the soldier that fed him lead before the reload.

WPGSq.jpg

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This also earns him level 2. Frankly, I think I chose that skill due to the skills it unlocks, but I can't remember exactly. I've not paid much mind to familiarization in this game, but the more you use a specific gun, the better you get with it. Said familiarization will drop again if you switch weapons, which is something we'll be doing for some time, as more and more powerful weaponry becomes available. As to how big a difference it makes, I don't know. Perhaps someone else reading this thread does?
Anyhow, I promised showing just how awesome grenades are, didn't I? :smug:

2foTm.jpg

WXP6C.jpg

k3tms.jpg


First image is the first grenade exploding, second image you can just make out grenade nr 2 on the way, and the third image is when nr 2 goes off. Three enemies dead for the price of two grenades. :incline: of dexte. That's a measly 40 action points spent.
Grenades come in three categories, light, medium and heavy. The grenades used here are medium grenades with fragmentation effekt. dexte also carries some light grenades that only cause concussive (and thus lighter) damage. Since these troopers were close enough to hit with the medium grenades, I went with the safe choice. Grenades are Fun, even if they are a finite resource.
A short time later, both Kodex and WetWo have some fun..

RYzNh.jpg

VGMyd.jpg


Kodex is much better suited for the long distance shootout than WetWo, so the former sits it out, while the latter retreats back down the stairs. Kodex finishes off his opponent, then decides to chance it at a shot at the soldier menacing WetWo.

bR96N.jpg

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Have I told you I :love: snipers in this game?

The odd bug from before the load doesn't reappear. This time around, dexte stops before straddling the allied soldier.

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He also takes down the soldier in one round, but wounds the civilian standing behind by mistake. :oops: She didn't die, and I don't actually know if it would've made any difference anyhow.
This time around, I pick up the papers from the patrolling officer before entering the last house. That updates our objectives list.

uCGDE.jpg

WnnaG.jpg


Also, in the back room of the ground floor of the last house, there is a chest containing an arguably better rifle than our current ones.

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It has a really nice clip size of 15, and it's snapshot AP cost is much lower than our current rifles. But on the down-side it also causes much less damage.
What disqualifies this rifle though, is that we won't be able to spawn new ammo for it back at base. That only works for axis weapons.
Also, this time when trying to enter the last house, we apparently alert an officer from upstairs. He makes the unfortunate mistake of stopping in front of the window.

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t1z8s.jpg


WetWo thanks him and lays him low,

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and dexte takes down the soldier near the machine gun emplacement. Upstairs is an SMG toting soldier, which I didn't screenshot for some reason (he was the one who killed Kodex pre-load), but in the room just next to that soldier is our final mark.

vUUdo.jpg


Another allied officer. WetWo takes him down after suffering a few pistol wounds.
Our objectives list is now updated.

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The thing is, once you pick up the officer, 6 more allied soldiers spawn. Three at each exit from the map (the road leading off the map). They all carry SMGs though, so Kodex takes them down:

KxJk8.jpg

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Once all hostiles are down, we loot what we want (weapons mostly, especially the M3A1 SMGs that some of the allied soldiers dropped, as they hit quite hard. We're then free to leave the map.

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Immediately upon doing so, we get some more info, and leads on where to go next.

iWLwz.jpg

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Now, should we hover the mouse marker over the mission we just completed, we can see what clues we found.

tsLbi.jpg


I find that a nice touch. It also makes it easier to see where you've been and don't need to return to. The icon also changes from a question mark to the letter 'i'. Before leaving the area, I check out what the description is for the new place that opened up.

hdvOp.jpg

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Hm. Not much info there.
A new area for us to explore have also been opened though, South Britain.

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I do believe it's this marker that's flashing, which means it's here we're supposed to go next.
We're not quite ready for that though. We return to base instead. There's some new equipment there for us. :incline:

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sk4M0.jpg

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The Mauser M38 represents an upgrade on our current rifles, so Tind gets that, and WetWo of course gets the Chatellerault, at least until a better machine gun becomes available.
Finally, I'll leave you with the character sheets for our gang before ending this update, including a mouse-over of their new weapons:

Xv23L.jpg

9iASk.jpg

tB5Tb.jpg

Us6FQ.jpg

mU6mK.jpg

sVIYE.jpg
There. Better late than never, though I'm not proud that it takes me so long to update. But that's a result of how my life is currently.
This LP will be finished, but in it's own time.
Any requests? Any part of the game you want me to focus more on, or should I just get on with the glorious carnage?
Yours truly, Angry Codexer. :salute:
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Thank you. :bro: Comments are more than welcome, but not strictly necessary for me continuing the LP. I'm neither Spekkio nor Stereotypical Villain. :smug: Though, if people show interest in my LP, I might find the time and motivation to try and update more often. M:
 

tindrli

Arcane
Joined
Jan 5, 2011
Messages
4,469
Location
Dragodol
HOLY CRAP!!! I WAS WHINING ABOUT WAITING AND SHIT AND WE HAVE AN UPDATE HERE!!!!!..

READING :love:
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Welp, got the next mission wrapped up. I intended to take some in-game video footage, but only managed to catch the critical parts, the talky bits with mission info. I'd planned on also capturing some auto-fire killing of allied soldiers, and a bit of grenade spam, but I only managed to hit the screenshot key, not the video capture one. :roll:

In any case, hoping that I'll get the time to do so this weekend, we might see the next update soon. :troll:
 

Brother None

inXile Entertainment
Developer
Joined
Jul 11, 2004
Messages
5,673
Pretty cool. It's been ages since I played this game, I should give it another go.
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
I'll try to make your character build come true. Right now she's heading for the silent running perk, but the melee build isn't unviable. :salute: There's a rare piece of equipment we'll be wanting, to make the max of it. :smug:
 

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,521
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
What is this? A small bonus update?
Indeed it is. I said that I might do a weekend update, and here it is. :salute:
This one is rather short when compared to the previous update. The most prominent reason for this being I didn't screw up this time. :roll:
Anyhoo, might as well stick to it.
Our next mission takes place at "A small english village". We need to meet up with someone. Here's how that goes:

I'm still loving that german accent. :lol:
Anyway, as should be apparent, once this spy revealed his presence, the allied soldiers attack. We're immediately dumped into turn based mode and stay this way for the duration of the mission. This also means no in-mission saves. :incline: No savescumming og cheating in this update. :thumbsup:

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The mission objectives seem straightforward enough. Let's take a look at the immediately visible opposition.

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Two soldiers to our right. We're not gullible enough to actually believe they are alone, but it's our turn, so taking them down shouldn't pose too much of a problem.
First things first though. For this mission we're in control of the spy Stevens, so we order him back inside the house, where he picks up another clue as to how the game works.

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I :love: sniping. I'm going to love it even more later on, as we get our hands on some special sniper rifles, but even now, the regular ones are pretty nifty. :thumbsup:
With Stevens safely stoved away inside, Kodex tries to get a clear shot and triggers some reaction movement (an interrupt). Our team is lucky though, and the allied soldier misses his shot and decides to move closer to us..

vkISs.jpg


After being softened up by Kodex, Tind finishes off the soldier. When faced with a combination of soldiers and officers, one would think the officers would make a priority target. Not true. They only carry pistols and are as a consequence much less accurate and cause lower damage. Focus on taking out the soldiers first, then you can make an arse of yourself by missing the officer afterwards:

rrVi2.jpg


66% chance still means one shot out of three will on average miss, so it's not too embarassing.. :roll: WetWo finishes off the officer, and the group starts to spread out.

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WetWo and Tind are hiding in the bushes on the other side of the dirt road, near the house opposite of where Stevens are. Loti and dexte are running around the backside of the house near WetWo and Tind, while Cappen is circling Stevens' house. Kodex has taken up sniping position at the corner of Stevens' house. I felt that these were pretty good firing positions, well perhaps except for Kodex' but I was confident he could handle himself and was sufficiently backed up by his companions.

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WetWo and Tind take down the closest soldier in cooperation. Meanwhile the soldier at the top of the last screenshot landed a lucky hit on Kodex.

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Tind then finished the soldier off after Kodex had softened him. I see a trend here, with Tind nudging the last few VPs off of already wounded soldiers. :incline: Of course, having the only other rifle on the team does wonders for her long range accuracy. I probably should give rifles to dexte and Cappen as well, they have their grenades for close range fighting.
Speaking of dexte, he and Loti are making their way through and behind the eastern house respectively, and Loti spots our other mission objective.

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Another officer, this one carries some documents we want.
Near the western house, Cappen spots some more enemies.

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Now, Cappen carries an SMG. Those are awesome for close range fighting. Not so much for long distance shootouts with soldiers carrying rifles, and Cappen can't quite throw his grenades far enough here either, so Cappen runs back towards the western house and hides in a bush.
Meanwhile, dexte has found another clue/hint.

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I believe that's it for gameplay hints. This last one is important though. Nothing quite like taking enemies down with headshots, or cutting up their arms badly in melee to deny them a counter-attack. :smug:
After reading this hint, dexte decides to lob a few grenades at the officer carrying our mission objective documents.

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Grenades are Fun. :obviously:
The nearby allied soldiers don't take kindly to the ruckus caused and starts to move closer to our position, Tind landing some lucky shots on the way.

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The centermost soldier is the one who worries me least, though he carries a rifle. The other two soldiers carry machineguns...
Realizing that I need to take these two down ASAP, I have Cappen run over to where WetWo and Tind are located. On the way there he makes a rather worrying observation...

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Cappen? Do you often shoot at your sister? :hmmm:
The soldiers make comments on hostile soldiers they spot, and those comments are tied to relative level. What this tells me is that the soldiers here are of a lower level than us. Still, that comment is pretty creepy...
dexte who's standing inside the house doesn't seem to hear nor care, instead he gets ready to lob a grenade.

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Now that's pretty embarassing, having the grenade catch on the window sill. dexte retreats a bit inside to sulk..
And WetWo takes down the first MG wielding allied soldier:

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The MG has a better range and accuracy than SMGs (obviously), so even though it has a smaller clip size, this weapon is a definite improvement from last missions SMG. :smug:
Cappen decides to bomb one of the remaining soldiers.

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Have I told you how much I love grenades? I guess I have. :M At least when it's us that uses them. They're not much fun when they're used against us. :roll: Remember, this is not Dwarf Fortress. I actually enjoy not dying.
Kodex takes down the last MG toting soldier, and we focus on the wooded area opposite the last house that the objectives officer exited.

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Kodex spots and hears a lot of movement, so dexte and Cappen try and make a pincer movement, dexte assisted by Loti. WetWo and Tind take up positions near Kodex.
It works out beautifully.

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The remaining allied soldiers are taken down in quick succession, and then we're treated to another cutscene.

Alright then. All that is left for us to do on this map is loot it. :smug: We find one last clue/hint about game mechanics, and we get a note with the information Stevens provided us.

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Seems the next mission will feature an ambush while we try to pick up important information. :roll:
Here's the stats on the british MG, which we loot two of:

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It's inferior to the axis version, which has better range, does more damage, has a higher clip size, costs less AP to fire and shoots one more shot in the short bursts. :roll: German superiority. :bro:
Finally, we pick up the documents we needed for our objectives.

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Upon exiting, we get the debriefing from Stevens a second time. Not sure if this is a bug?

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Any way, we can now see that our current mission area is cleared and that a new mission area is revealed to us. This is where we need to go next.

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To wrap up this short update, here's a look at our team, including the skills I chose upon levelup for the five codexers:

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Kodex didn't level up, so not much new to see here.

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Loti is currently heading for the silent running skill, which is next on this skilltree. After that, I will focus on getting her the melee build. :salute:

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WetWo got SMG specialization. Since he just move up into the MG range, this might seem odd, but it's a prerequisite to MG spec, and also to skills that govern burst fire. :smug:

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dexte now only pays 15 APs to throw a grenade, meaning more potential explosions per round. :smug:

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Cappen got a skill that'll help him hone his skills faster. Further down the line there's also a skill that gives him a 10% bonus to all xp earned. :incline:

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And finally Tind gets even better at treating injuries. She's doing fine as is with the rifle, so I let her focus on her support skill, which is healing. :salute:

A short update yes, but an update nonetheless. :salute:
In the beginning, most missions are rather straightforward and short, so the next couple of updates should be of similar size, if not frequency. :roll:
 

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