In Progress A celebratory Let's Play of X-COM: UFO Defense, Superhuman Ironman

[Kashmir Slippers]

This iteration seems much better at not being a complete pansy. I wonder if his lack of cowardice will be his demise.

 

[UncleJimb0]

June begins, like many months, with a lot of new callsignments:
Ulminati
Helly
Whisky
Deitti
Rtard IV
Pelvis Knot III
Gondolin III
Pope Amole VI

Command has decided that small UFO crashes will no longer be recovered...barring special circumstances (needing to capture an Ethereal being perhaps the only one. Leveling up rookies is a good one too, but the potential casualties of even a routine mop-up might be counterproductive. ...Plus, 9 October is fast approaching. :D)

These inconsiderate aliens keep interrupting my research.

Armed with plasma cannons, our interceptors are able to take down everything except the Battleships without getting hit.

Snakemen seem to have an affinity for parking themselves in the best reaction fire positions possible. Their ability to absorb one or even two plasma hits makes this even more fun. Command establishes an assumptive Snakeman Offensive Defense doctrine as a counterpoint to the Floater school.

Eklek III's name is never spoken now without adding "...not fucking around" in the sentence somewhere. Tired of ramp incidents, he blaster bombs the visible snakeman and gets a twofer.

Oh, GOOD! An entrance to a UFO that carries Chryssalids is 7 meters away from the Skyranger ramp!

A team of soldiers skirts the back of the UFO. Ulminati takes fire and is wounded. The offending snakeman is killed, and a medikit is passes up and Helly patches him up. Then Helly is shot from further south and dies instantly.

Helly. Combat medic is a dangerous profession

Eklek blaster bombs the offending snakeman. Also, a hole is blown in the back of this wing of the UFO.

A nervous team of Codexians keeps watch on the nearest UFO exit. An occasional Chryssalid or Snakeman emerges and meets reaction fire.

The team at the back of the UFO takes fire and Ulminati is hit again and dies this time.
Ulminati. Helly died patching you up, y'know. Not very considerate of you.
IDtenT III spots the snakeman cowering behind a house. He moves forward to get a better shot but is unable to kill it, so he backs off and hides in the house. No problem...Eklek will just blaster bomb it!

IDtenT III. Those walls aren't very good protection against b-bombs. Also, the snakeman survived a direct hit with it.
Gondolin III kills it.

All of a sudden, three Chyrssalids boil out of the near UFO door at the same time. One of them infects trooper Ace Flashear II. Reaction fire causes the zombie to shed his skin. Now there are 4 chyrssalids.

Ace Flashear II. Lost but *not* forgotten.

Uh-oh.

Plasma fire blazes from all quarters. The soldiers nearest the nightmares exhaust their TUs killing three of them, and Eklek (for once) is unwilling to b-bomb it...yet. K.Slips tries long range fire from the other end of the UFO and kills it. That could have been so. much. worse.

UFO entry commences. Deitti and Pelvis Knot are armed with stun bombs....we're gonna try to bag a Leader today. All snakemen are to be stunned if possible. This entry team hits this Chryssalid twice, but can't kill it. Gonna be a bad day...but Pope Amole makes a last ditch long-range snap shot from clear across the UFO at the other entry and kills it.

Then a snakeman appears and shoots him dead.
Pope Amole VI. You're pulling ahead of Lightbane and Drog.

The teams inch their way towards the central lift, stunning or killing all aliens they find.

Fun! I had forgotten all about these blasted drops from the second floor. I guess they are some sort of rapid deployment feature. They are without a doubt the most dangerous when fighting a Snakeman terror.

For example, I can't see what it lurking up in this one.

Oh, it's one of those! A Chryssalid jumps down and zombifies Whisky. Gondolin kills him, again, and then his Chryssalid afterbirth.
Whisky. Gruesome way to go.

Dare I hope?

We got one!

The state of the game 7 June 1999.
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DAMMIT!!!!

Looks like Snakemen launch rescue operations, too.


Btw....you want Fun(tm)? Here's a preview of the upcoming clusterfuck defense:

Available equipment:
3 Autocannons with 4 clips each of HE ammo.
1 rocket launcher with 2 large rockets.
4 stun rods.
4 medikits.
16 grenades.
4 smoke grenades.
12 Heavy Plasma....with zero ammunition.
Oh, and 20 or so electroflares.

 

[Gondolin]

You don't have laser rifles???? Holy shit...

 

[UncleJimb0]

Metagame fail.

 

[UncleJimb0]

...apparently the X-COM Enemy Unknown demo is on Steam now.

Expect a delay.

Initial reviews are not positive, however.

 

[Storyfag]

...apparently the X-COM Enemy Unknown demo is on Steam now.

Expect a delay.

What we expect is a Let's Play

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

Good luck winning with those odds...

 

[Deitti]

base defense sounds glorious already. not to mention i actually survived to be able to be part of it

 

[eklektyk]

properly Prestigious LP.

and now MOAR

 

[UncleJimb0]

Desktop Commander is trying to make lemonade out of this lemon shitwich he just got handed. If EuroCOM survives this, the quartermaster is going to be executed on sight for tripping on LSD when equipping the squad for defense.

Veterans armed with stun rods, grenades, and medkits cower in the small rooms adjoining the main hallway. There aren't very many aliens that are susceptible to early human HE, and we already had the Floater wars.

The first aliens advance, killing a rookie scout. Yay! Chrysllids against poorly armed soldiers in close quarters! I wonder what the maximum number of zombies the AI can create is?

This one runs right by the soldiers hiding in the side rooms and makes for the densely packed reserve.

It absorbs 5 AC HE direct hits. A rookie charges it with a stun rod....brilliant. Knowing the rook is as good as zombified, 2 grenades are tossed that bring the rook and, finally, the chryssalid down. Another chryssalid charges, only to be shot in the back accidentally by its own snakeman ally.
Chryssalid Terrorist. Since that's the first time in any playthrough of X-COM that's happened to me, you made it into the roster.
The snakemen keep up the fire and kill Deitti at range. Another one opens the door to K. Slips' hiding place and blasts him point blank with a heavy plasma.
Deitti. Last of the New Codexians to enter the respawn roster.
K.Slips. Can't hide from fate.

Here they come again! Rtard IV and a rookie are caught in the open and never stands a chance.
Rtard IV.

Brazi is wounded by snakeman fire and collapses. Lightbane shoots an advancing snakeman and Desktop runs out to grab its plasma rifle, kills another, and is killed by reaction fire from the access lift.
Desktop Commander III. Good idea, bad timing.
Azira picks up another snakeman Heavy plasma and kills the only visible snakeman.


Colonel Drog pops out of his hiding place and hits the Chryssalid here with a direct rocket hit. Unfazed, the monster rushes forward and zombifies him while Gondolin runs for his life.

Storyfagowicz V tosses his last grenade at the charging chrysallid and falls back. Azira covers and shoots down the chryssalid, and the next one to round the corner.

Azira pretty much singlehandedly holds the line as more lienas round the corner and are gunned down.
Brazi Slaughter II dies of his wounds.
Brazi Slaughter II. At least a Chryssalid didn't molest you.

Pelvis Knot pops out and is trying to run back behind the line, and spots zombie Drog lurching towards his former buds.

Apparently zombie Drog is leading a significant push.
Chaos ensues as plasma fire, return fire, and explosives savage the hallway and its inhabitants. Azira continues firing frantically as an unnamed rook is blown to pieces behind him. He blasts the zombie, the ensuing Chryssalid, and the other chyrssalid before reaction fire finally gets him.
Azira III. You got your hands on a big-ass gun, put your armored self between the unarmed squaddies and the enemy, and went down with a pile of your foes' corpses surrounding you.

Eklek and Lightbane clean up a couple of snakemen but they just. keep. coming.

We still have no soldiers with plasma, and only 2 AC left, which are all but useless against the enemy. 2-3 hits for a snakeman and God only knows how many to bring down a chryssalid. We have to get plasma or face the loss of this base. A lot of alien weapons are just out of reach, but snakemen cover the approach with reaction fire and chryssalids menace at close range.
Only one option, no matter the cost. We're all dead one way or the other.


Autocannons and grenades rock the hallway and knock down the snakeman blocking the way. Pelvis Knot leads the human wave and get shot, but his armor holds long enough for him to toss a plasma rifle back.
Pelvis Knot III. You didn't notice how everybody else seemed to trip a little bit after the "CHAAAAAARGE!!!"???

This unnamed rook advances under cover of Storyfagowicz's new plasma fire and grabs another one. She passes it back and is gunned down. More snakemen advance but this time X-COM advances to meet them and a less lopsided shootout commences at the access lift. Aliens go down, but not before 2 grenades are tossed at the attacking Codexians.
Gondolin III. Your gibs are hard to separate from two rooks'.
Panic ensues.

Grievous casualties result from the X-COM charge...of around ten soldiers alive a few turns ago, only 3 make it the point where Ess Vee recovers a blaster bomb launcher off a corpse. And procedes to pulverize the access lift area. Several snakemen die, and the last 4 soldiers advance with much relucatnce, knowing that sweeping the hangar will probably be their last action. A snakeman and a chyrsallid rush them...Ligthbane exchanges fire with the snakeman and goes down before the survivors gun the last two aliens down and end the mission.
Lightbane VI. You and Pope Amole are currently tied.


...
...at least we still have the Snakeman Leader!

 

[Gondolin]

Jesus Christ, what a battle! AWESOME!

 

[Lindblum]

Where's Ace II?

Everyone has died at least 3 times... I feel so left out.

 

[Azira]

That was glorious! I bet that the new X-com will never feature anything anywhere close to as frantic as this.

 

[lightbane]

of X-COM. Khorne approves of this LP.

 

[Storyfag]

Also, I survived!

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

That was glorious. Hats off to you!

Pull another one of the clones out of the vat.

 

[UncleJimb0]

It has been brought to Command's attention (something about next of kin, blah blah blah) that Ace Flasheart II has been MIA for some time. Upon review of the mission rosters, it is clear that Ace was killed outside the most recent snakeman terror ship whent the Chyrssalids rushed the drop zone. He was most likely thr tooper infected. Post edited. Ace will rejoin the unit after next month's mission.

 

[UncleJimb0]

The month of June ends while X-COM continues research, licks its wounds, and hires more rookies.
Welcome to your new callsignments:
Brazi Slaughter III
Drog VI
K. Slips III
IDtenT IV
Helly II
Whisky II
Deitti II
Ulminati II
Rtard V
Pelvis Knot IV
Pope Amole VII
Lightbane VII
Azira IV
Desk Commander IV
Ace Flasheart III


The squad for the next mission.

Interesting. ...we had to capture an alien to figure this out?

Better hurry up and research him before they find THIS base (note that throughout the game stockpiles of aliean weapons and all valuable loot has been hidden at AntartctiCOM, which has no radar or interception ability.)

Busy, busy snakemen. Seems terror attacks follow base attacks with regularity.

Ulminati II takes fire and dies coming down the ramp. Brazi kills the snakeman that got him, but is gunned down himself from somewhere southwest.
Ulminati II.
Brazi Slaughter III. Yours were deaths in the time honored LZ fodder tradition.
I am given to understand the new x-com will not have the Skyranger on the map. How can we get slaughtered frantically trying to get out of a wide open LZ if we don't have a landing craft???


Smoke is popped and the turn is ended to avoid further reaction fire casualties. Upon exit, Pelvis Knot spots a CLOSE chryssalid and kills it.

And a snakeman RIGHT UNDER the Skyranger! K. Slips kills this one, but takes fire from the south and is wounded.

And 2 more.

And another...the one that winged K.SLips. The LZ is swarming with aliens butthurt about their near-loss at EuroCOM last month.

Eklek b-bombs the shit out of the two snakemen foolish enough to stand together.

Helly takes out the snakeman shooting at K. Slips.

Movement is spotted in this warehouse....a Chyrssalid is making its way towards the LZ! Panicked plasma fire blows it apart before it can satisfy its...urges. Eklek takes fire and is wounded from the extreme N corner of the map behind a warehouse next to the LZ. A snakeman has been waiting there the whole time! Nobody else is aorund to kill it....so....


Despite the stiff resistance, the squad has deployed and started advancing on all fronts. Whisky grabs a medkit and runs over to heal K. Slips, then Eklek.

IDtenT snipes this snakeman and distance.


Storyfag is able to kills this chryssalid next turn before he turns into Zombiefag.

All hell breaks loose for a moment...Deitti is sniped by plasma fire, and then Ligthbane is hit. His armor holds, though.
Drog VI. You are back in the running with Pope and Lightbane!
The snakeman ambush is followed by a grenade toss....

Helly's armor absorbs the blast, though, and he is unharmed.

The ambush party is discovered and annihilated by a storm of plasma fire. Lightbane, Helly. and K. Slips show poise and precision for newly minted rookies.

Too late for Pelvis Knot though.

The Chyrssalid 'killed' earlier in the warehouse gets back up and zombifies Whisky II!
Whisky II. Sometimes the rear echelon isn't any better.

Eklek can't bomb the newest threat without killing himself, but plasma fire from the teams surrounding the LZ makes short work of them and the mission ends.

No civilian survivors. ...oh well. Pretty sure this is the first time I have ever scored 1.


Research completed on Snakeman Leader. Now, for the war crimes tribunal...

Now we are getting somewhere. Only one more alien capture necessary to finish the intel tree...but it is gonna be a bitch to get. 'Specially with the new, improved alien types no doubt rolling in soon...

 

[Storyfag]

Just patrol the US airspace for a bit. An Alien base should have now been constructed, since they signed a pact. Floaters were the ones setting up the pact, so they should be the ones populating the base, too. Once inside, kidnap their commander

 

[UncleJimb0]

Taking a break to explore Enemy Unknown demo. I may do an abbreviated Let's Play of that.

Preview of the upcoming missions:

Can anybody guess where this is?

 

[eklektyk]

This.Thread.Delivers.

or in short:

T(f)TD

 

[Kashmir Slippers]

Woohoo for being somewhat useful and not dieing the first time I get shot!

This LP is great! Keep up the good work!

 

[Gondolin]

Can anybody guess where this is?

Top floor of alien battleship. One of the floaters had panicked and dropped the blaster. Lucky you. The command room is toward the lower-left corner.

 

[Lindblum]

Wow now we have 2 VII generation rookies.

The codex gold standard.

 

[UncleJimb0]

Well, I played the Steam X-COM Enemy Unknown demo twice.



Well, for some reason Irfanview screencaps of all non-options menu gameplay of the X-COM Demo were all black.

...not that big into conspiracy theories, but still...

Anyway, in lieu of an LP I'm just posting this demo review in the strategy section of the forums.

I'm discouraged, but not out of hope. Enough is right with the demo that the actual game might be worthwhile.

I will attempt to withhold judgement, but I am considering renaming this thread from a "celebratory Let's Play" to a "eulogy Let's Play".