Escapist Podcast: Bonus: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Team Hollywood

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Bonus: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

The Escapist's crack squad, well recruits fresh for the grinder, bring you a podcast about all things XCOM. We discuss what difficulty we've been playing, what's captured out attention about the game and whether or not you should name your soldiers, among other things.

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The Critic

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Apr 3, 2010
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I would absolutely love some DLC for XCOM. New maps, new projects, new weapons, new items, heck, I'd even take new enemies, too (probably a suicidal request, I know).

...And, now that you mention it, a Chryssalid plushie (and Zombie plushies) would make a great gift. I'd buy it.
 

Combustion Kevin

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The Critic said:
I would absolutely love some DLC for XCOM. New maps, new projects, new weapons, new items, heck, I'd even take new enemies, too (probably a suicidal request, I know).

...And, now that you mention it, a Chryssalid plushie (and Zombie plushies) would make a great gift. I'd buy it.
I'm on board with this, just more...

you know, more XCOM, for everyone!
 

blackrave

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In defense of Janelle, I also called them "muttons"
Until I heard their name in autopsy.
And I still call the "muttons" :D

I personally would like if game would have
Multiple Skyrangers
Base defense missions
Multiple Alien base assault missions
Melee weapons
Ammo&Inventory
Upgrade squad size from 4 to 6 to 8 and to 10 soldiers
Skill tree for interceptor pilots
Extended selling options for gray market
Customization for S.H.I.V. and more optional upgrade modules for them (like gear for soldiers)

Assault soldiers ARE awesome
Especially with
Run & Gun+Aggression+Close and Personal+Rapid Fire+Killer Instinct build armed with Alloy cannon
Run & Gun to ANYTHING and Rapid Fire it= bye bye "anything" >:D
(at least on normal difficulty)

Server protection is random
I've played this game for 1 year (in-game time) and never had this mission
 

MortisLegio

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I'm loving this game. There are a few things the piss me off but then I remember my sniper killed 3 Mutons (1 from overwatch and 2 from double tap)through a wall in about 2 turns. I would like to see more variety in the maps, be able to sell off the old weapons, and not have the "reaction" move when the aliens run into me. There are some small things I would like to change (like the ability to pick the classes for my soldiers instead of them assigned randomly) but it's still a great game.
 

Kross

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Sep 27, 2004
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I am thoroughly enjoying that my X-Com avatar in Janelle's game is trolling hard. :D
 

Xelzeno

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Yep, want more and diffrent weapons for the diffrent classes, support/heavy/sniper only have 1 weapon to choose from the entire game, it would be fun if you could have more to choose from then just a better one of what you got. And more maps and enemies wouldn't hurt either, though the base defense would be what I want the most.

I have to say that Normal grenades are useless the entire game! They take away weapon fragments and Sectoids have 4 health on impossible difficulty! Just no sense in even bringing them except to blow up groups of enemies and cover.

Ah, but my favorite part was still to rename all the soldiers to my friends and then see who survived the longest and how they would die.
 

HellsingerAngel

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DLC options need to add other ways to reduce panic. I often find I'm losing countries before I can get satellite coverage up due to needing three satellites plus another monitor station in your base, at minimum. I hate being subject to the randomness of praying the aliens attack somewhere with high panic to reduce panic levels just because I had to opt out on them last go around. And I'm on Normal! I can't imagine Classic from what everyone has been saying. Like the old adage, I feel the entire game thus far is just one step forwards and two steps back, literally!

It also begs the question of what I'm going to do with those other ninty-four squad members I can recruit. One hundred slots and ultimately I may only need about twelve to eighteen. Silliness...

I'm also surprised to hear everyone names their squad members. I much prefer to let them just blossom their own personalities and watch them develop. I remember having an Assault nicknamed "Dice" who I had already started to go completely offense talents and was very "all-or-nothing" in how I used her. Just little things like that made not completely editting every aspect of my characters more memorable for me.

TL;DR: Awesome game, needs DLC to improve and expand on the experience.
 

Eleima

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Feb 21, 2010
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I loved this podcast, Justin should host more often!!!! :D Seriously, Justin, I thought you did a wonderful job moderating the discussion, asking questions at key moments and all. Kudos! (can't remember if you were the host on any of the regular podcasts)
Okay, so I haven't played XCOM yet, but I really want to ans I will, eventually, and I love hearing what you guys have to say about it! Looking forward to the next XCOM podcast.
 

s0osleepie

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Combustion Kevin said:
The Critic said:
I would absolutely love some DLC for XCOM. New maps, new projects, new weapons, new items, heck, I'd even take new enemies, too (probably a suicidal request, I know).

...And, now that you mention it, a Chryssalid plushie (and Zombie plushies) would make a great gift. I'd buy it.
I'm on board with this, just more...

you know, more XCOM, for everyone!
I know, right?? The day they start selling those plushies is the day they officially have taken ALL of my money. I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is some crafty people out there listening to this podcast! :D

blackrave said:
In defense of Janelle, I also called them "muttons"
Until I heard their name in autopsy.
And I still call the "muttons" :D
Thank you for posting this. After reading your comment and a few other comments like this, I feel SO MUCH BETTER about myself. Lol. I keep calling them "muttons" now out of principle. It has become my joke derogatory term for them. Because, you know... Elite Muttons are just no big deal... those plasma wielding chumps ^_^

Kross said:
I am thoroughly enjoying that my X-Com avatar in Janelle's game is trolling hard. :D
You would. /shakesfist
 

Henriot

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Dec 15, 2011
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I have the customization, so I put face-hiding helmets on any recruits until they get past corporal. Makes it easier when they die...

I didn't like Terror From The Deep (finished it more because I wanted to play out the story than actually WANTING to play the game), and don't think it deserved a whole game devoted to it but as DLC, maybe. Then again, the first DLC announcement seems to suggest they're going for the small additions (some extra missions/maps) rather than massive game changing things.

Eleima said:
I loved this podcast, Justin should host more often!!!! :D Seriously, Justin, I thought you did a wonderful job moderating the discussion, asking questions at key moments and all. Kudos! (can't remember if you were the host on any of the regular podcasts)
Okay, so I haven't played XCOM yet, but I really want to ans I will, eventually, and I love hearing what you guys have to say about it! Looking forward to the next XCOM podcast.
Justin does do a good job, was very assertive. Must be used to giving commands to rookies or something...

Is a second XCOM podcast a possibility?
 

Johnson McGee

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Nov 16, 2009
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I think the new XCOM lost a little bit of the original's flavour, things like removing most of the flavour text of the alien's motivations and society and making the currency credits rather than realistic money. The fact that laser weapons become obsolete compared to plasma is kind of annoying as well, is the original lasers weren't as powerful but didn't need reloads so even after getting plasma is still paid to keep some around.

Also, zombies are ridiculous in this version. My fancy new alloy SHIV was annihilated by getting punched twice by flabby civilian zombies. They should really inflict poison or something instead of doing 9 damage per hit.

P.S. Best way to stun enemies is a leveled support with sprinter, skeleton armour and combat stims (if you have deep pockets) that way you have +8 to base movement and you can move large distances to use the stun on aliens without having to really position yourself first. For added chance, use suppression to immobilize the alien and pistols to get their health as close to 1 as possible. You can also use the assault's flush ability to force the alien to (hopefully) move closer to your stunner unit.
 

blackrave

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Johnson McGee said:
P.S. Best way to stun enemies is a leveled support with sprinter, skeleton armour and combat stims (if you have deep pockets) that way you have +8 to base movement and you can move large distances to use the stun on aliens without having to really position yourself first. For added chance, use suppression to immobilize the alien and pistols to get their health as close to 1 as possible. You can also use the assault's flush ability to force the alien to (hopefully) move closer to your stunner unit.
I was a bit interested in total amount of alien types one can interrogate
I interrogated 9 alien types, so how close is it to maximum number?
 

zerragonoss

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Oct 15, 2009
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great podcast and I love the game as well just like to point out a few things you did not mention, if you mind-control a unit and the die you get to keep their gun (unless they die to explosives). to mind-control an ethereal you probably need two of a high base will unit or physic armor the mind shield or the psi inspiration. by the end of my save spamming classic game I was up to around 70% to take a ethereal of which you do fight 3 in the last room the only place I have seen multiples. Also of note it you get a large dodge bonus vs reaction shots if you make a dashing move and a grenade.

Now that my informative side is satisfied I do also love the organic story making of games like this. on my iron man classic (2 months in and have not lost a nation yet cross fingers). I love my sniper that barely escaped a escort mission that went south after by killing five aliens herself and getting out with one health to earn the nickname omega.
 

Master_Fubar23

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I want them to make a better ending and the story in general better. I remember playing the original and having to research the different alien ships, equipment, etc. to find out key things about the story. Like my most memorable moment was finishing the research on the alien tanks. As I read the report the game went into detail about how the aliens were using enzymes to break down organic materials into proteins which would be later used as food such cows, body parts, or entire humans. This got a brief passing mention at a supply ufo... Hugely disappointing. Then once missions became a chore I just let countries descend into panic and leave the project since I was just passing the time to build the last building I needed to go to the last mission. The dialog during that mission was interesting but the last cut scene was just, "wtf, really? This is it?? It's like eating a good ice-cream cone but the tip of the cone is stuffed with shit. It can be the greatest cone you've ever had but at the end of the day you still ate shit. I feel that they intentionally let the ending be shit so they can sell an actual ending later as DLC. :mad:

I agree with what blackrave suggested to make the game better but they can also add:
information gained by mind control i.e. plot details, enemy positions on the map
Give an actual ending win or lose. (There were cut scenes even if you failed in the original Xcom. Here you just get a box saying game over)
Give a percentage to each bullet instead of the entire burst
Fix the cover mechanic (I should not be able to hit something above ground and behind cover)
 

DarkhoIlow

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Dec 31, 2009
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Thank you for this XCOM special podcast guys and girl! :D

Was really looking forward to listening to this one.
 

Migs

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Oct 13, 2010
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I seriously pray the regular Escapist Podcast was not cast aside for this.