Let's Play X-COM: UFO Defense!

[Chris OFarrell]

Ah Battleship assaults. How FUN they can be!

I remember though I had a crazy bit of fun the last time I played through and shadowed a BB as it came down.

I COULD have assaulted the Battleship, but all I needed was the leader to research the Final Solution to the alien problem. I COULD have stormed in and taken it all and lost a quater my guys...

Instead, I decided to make my own mission.

I was going to hit the grounded BB, extract the leader, and takeoff, WITHOUT having to kill everything. A hit, hold and extract opp.

And I fucking did it.

Deployed one fire team in power armor and one in flying suits and two to guard my ride. The former went off and secured the area outside the UFO, setting up in good positions to cover the BB exits. Only found a couple of aliens ouside and wacked them, before I got in position.

Then I sent my crack flying armor squad armed with stun rods, small launchers and backup plasma pistols and proxy grenades upstairs on the roof of the UFO. Making a guess at a good breach point given where the aliens LOVE to hide, I had a blaster bomb guy who I had left at the Avenger fire a bomb which blew a hole in the roof. My guys poured into the top level. Two went to secure the likely approaches, two went to grab the leader, who had picked the worst time to have a Tea break in the command room.

A hail of small bombs later and they were down. I picked up their asses and slung them on the backs as the first two guys dropped proxy greandes behind. Some asshole mind controlled one of the flying suit guys, but he was out of energy and I was able to get him back without a problem. We evacuated out of the top floor and started to fly back to the LZ. The guys watching the UFO dropped their own proxy bombs and started back.

Upstairs, there were quite a few loud explosions as the aliens on the lower decks finally arrived.

Downstairs, there were quite a few explosions at the elevator as they tried to come after us.

I had JUST gotten all my guys onto the avenger, dumping the aliens onto the cold metal floor, when one of my guys reflex fired a blaster bomb as this gray f*#(er appeared.

He was roasted with a couple of friends, killing the last of them...and winning the map.

Really annoying in an odd way.

[Peptuck]

Oddly, my Muton prisoners aren't showing up on my research options.

I think I might have filled my alien containment to capacity. If that's the case, I'll build a nw one somewhere else and transfer all the prisoners over.

[Vendetta]

Alien Containment doesn't have a capacity. It says it does, but actually it doesn't.

[MJ12 Commando]

Alien Containment doesn't have a capacity. It says it does, but actually it doesn't.

It does, but it's for "types" of aliens IIRC. So you can have 10,000 Sectoid Soldiers and 10,000 Muton Soldiers comically packed in the same tiny containment facility, but if you have more than I think 10 different kinds of aliens (aliens with different species or ranks) you can't fit any more in.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Nah just transfer them to Vodkaville, lacking a containment faculty they will be killed apon arival.

[Vendetta]

Alien Containment doesn't have a capacity. It says it does, but actually it doesn't.

It does, but it's for "types" of aliens IIRC. So you can have 10,000 Sectoid Soldiers and 10,000 Muton Soldiers comically packed in the same tiny containment facility, but if you have more than I think 10 different kinds of aliens (aliens with different species or ranks) you can't fit any more in.

No, the only limit is the size of the file that shows what's in your alien containments, and that's 50 unique entries (no matter how many containment facilities you have). It's actually quite hard to get 50 live aliens as well.

[MJ12 Commando]

No, the only limit is the size of the file that shows what's in your alien containments, and that's 50 unique entries (no matter how many containment facilities you have). It's actually quite hard to get 50 live aliens as well.

Aha. My mistake then. But at least you can get 10,000 Sectoid Soldiers and 10,000 of their Muton buddies chillin' in the same tiny room. Wonder how you fit them all?

[Nephtys]

No, the only limit is the size of the file that shows what's in your alien containments, and that's 50 unique entries (no matter how many containment facilities you have). It's actually quite hard to get 50 live aliens as well.

Aha. My mistake then. But at least you can get 10,000 Sectoid Soldiers and 10,000 of their Muton buddies chillin' in the same tiny room. Wonder how you fit them all?

9,999 Sectoid Soldiers and 9,999 Muton Soldiers find cozy accomidations in the morgue.

[Eulogy]

I had JUST gotten all my guys onto the avenger, dumping the aliens onto the cold metal floor, when one of my guys reflex fired a blaster bomb as this gray f*#(er appeared.

He was roasted with a couple of friends, killing the last of them...and winning the map.

Really annoying in an odd way.

Let this be a lesson to you: NEVER end a turn with poor fuckers cannon fodder soldiers carrying loaded blaster launchers, or a blaster launcher and some bombs. This prevents them reaction firing with it, and also stops them nuking half your squad should they get mindraped.

Aliens never pick stuff up from the floor though, so leaving a soldier with a launcher standing on a pile of sliver footballs is perfectly safe. Aliens never exchange items with their units either, so it's also safe to have one soldier carry the launcher and others carry the ammo.

[Peptuck]

July saw some interesting developments.

The Muton terror ship crashed in Brazil was cleared without incident.




The only notable instance was a pair of Mutons ninja'ing in behind us through holes in the ceiling and killing our HWP. Zablorg responded to this with POINT-BLANK DETH.





Doctor Surlethe reported a completion of research on a means to defend our bases from attack by the aliens using plasma-based weapons. The prospect of unleashing indiscriminate airborne plasma death pleased the troops.



We also completed research on the new Lightning-class air transport. However, some initial field tests of the new craft proved, in the words of Chief Engineer Fnord, "effing useless." The Lightning can only carry twelve men, with no HWP support, and while blindingly fast, it costs elerium to use. We will instead stick with or Skyrangers, for the improved capacity and versatility.

We're fairly certain the idiotic design of the Lightning came about by means of the hourly drunken vodka fests. High Command considered restricting Vodkaville's access to vodka, but declined, citing concerns such as "tradition" and "it would be a silly name if we didn't have any vodka in the first place."

Hopefully, we will be able to utilize more efficient and effective craft designs, like-



WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Firestorm was immediately deployed to Skynerfed to serve as our rapid-response fighter.



Immediately, we got a terror ship zipping over Europe. ROBO-PHRED, our new cybernetic pilot, was sent off to schwack it.

It escaped over the Arctic circle, however, and X-COM agents were put on high alert for the inevitable terror mission. It never came, though, and we believe that was due to our excellent elimination of incoming enemy scouts.

More craft were discovered, of sundry types. A Floater harvester was spotted over central Asia, and Robo-Phred zipped over to it and delivered a massive, plasma-powered, supersonic airborne pimp smack that killed it with one shot. High Command, after much consideration, said "fuck it" to clearing the Harvester. We have more serious things to worry about than Floaters.

Like, say, schwacking more hapless scouts. PeZook nailed a sectoid scout over the South China Sea, while Erik von Nein bagged another over the Pacific. Not to be outdone, Tasoth dropped a third over the Indian Ocean. We were trashing the xenos left and right.



On the ground front, nothing remarkable happened except this sectoid scout clearing, which ended in five seconds. Hawkwings bagged two sectoids after disembarking his HWP. Temjin followed suit, and....



....schwacked two sectoids like the fucking Predator, one after the other. By the time we cleared the UFO itself, we realized we'd killed everyone who was still alive in that one burst of violence.

The end of July began to roll up, and we got our funding report.



BRAZILIAN TRAITORS!

We shall set upon this enemy at once. They shall know what it means to betray human-



What the hell? Muton supply ship? On a "supply" mission? That can't mean-

ALERT



ALERT



ALERT



XENOS BASE DETECTED

Code: Select all

From: X-COM High Commander Michael Wong
To: All X-COM personnel
Subj: Xenos filth

Your mission is simple.

You must set the xenos up the bomb.

They will have no chance to survive make their time.

ALL their base WILL belong to X-COM.

Bitches.

Thought for the day: There are no walls strong enough to protect the enemies of Mankind. 

Time to purge, the name of humanity.

[Vympel]

Heh Heh, I'm kicking ass.

[Nephtys]

The Aliens have jammed your bandwidth! Quick, upgrade to Hyperwave Downlinks! 56kiloQuad users need not apply!

[Peptuck]

Heh Heh, I'm kicking ass.

You're also immune to fire, which is pretty fucking awesome, no other way to put it.

Remember, kids: Fire is the loyal human's friend.

[Temjin]

Cool "bandwidth exceeded" pictures.

[Peptuck]

Cool "bandwidth exceeded" pictures.

Showing up just fine on my end.

[Eleas]

Cool "bandwidth exceeded" pictures.

Showing up just fine on my end.

Yes, because your browser cached them. I see nothing either, though. What am I paying you for, anyway?

...oh yeah, that's right, to use me as disposable cannon-fodder. Silly me.

[Peptuck]

Well, shit. Looks like I have exceeded my monthly bandwidth, which won't reset until the 10th.

Didn't think that could actually happen to me.

That'll teach me to make so many updates so quickly. I'd delete the post if I could, but I can't edit it anymore.

[Dave]

I just found this thread a few days ago, and it might have been me reading through the entire thread inside two days that blew through your bandwidth.

Sorry about that.

Nice job by the way. If you need another slab of meat first class recruit on the front line, despite being medically unfit for duty, I'm your man! Or just put me in the back rooms with the scientists.

[Peptuck]

Okay, got an Imageshack account like all the cool kids so I can redo the original post. Can a mod delete the original post so I can redo it?

[Peptuck]

Okay, let's try this again. Minus the fail.

-

July saw some interesting developments.

The Muton terror ship crashed in Brazil was cleared without incident.




The only notable instance was a pair of Mutons ninja'ing in behind us through holes in the ceiling and killing our HWP. Zablorg responded to this with POINT-BLANK DETH.




Doctor Surlethe reported a completion of research on a means to defend our bases from attack by the aliens using plasma-based weapons. The prospect of unleashing indiscriminate airborne plasma death pleased the troops.



We also completed research on the new Lightning-class air transport. However, some initial field tests of the new craft proved, in the words of Chief Engineer Fnord, "effing useless." The Lightning can only carry twelve men, with no HWP support, and while blindingly fast, it costs elerium to use. We will instead stick with or Skyrangers, for the improved capacity and versatility.

We're fairly certain the idiotic design of the Lightning came about by means of the hourly drunken vodka fests. High Command considered restricting Vodkaville's access to vodka, but declined, citing concerns such as "tradition" and "it would be a silly name if we didn't have any vodka in the first place."

Hopefully, we will be able to utilize more efficient and effective craft designs, like-



WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The Firestorm was immediately deployed to Skynerfed to serve as our rapid-response fighter.



Immediately, we got a terror ship zipping over Europe. ROBO-PHRED, our new cybernetic pilot, was sent off to schwack it.



It escaped over the Arctic circle, however, and X-COM agents were put on high alert for the inevitable terror mission. It never came, though, and we believe that was due to our excellent elimination of incoming enemy scouts.

More craft were discovered, of sundry types. A Floater harvester was spotted over central Asia, and Robo-Phred zipped over to it and delivered a massive, plasma-powered, supersonic airborne pimp smack that killed it with one shot. High Command, after much consideration, said "fuck it" to clearing the Harvester. We have more serious things to worry about than Floaters.

Like, say, schwacking more hapless scouts. PeZook nailed a sectoid scout over the South China Sea, while Erik von Nein bagged another over the Pacific. Not to be outdone, Tasoth dropped a third over the Indian Ocean. We were trashing the xenos left and right.



On the ground front, nothing remarkable happened except this sectoid scout clearing, which ended in five seconds. Hawkwings bagged two sectoids after disembarking his HWP. Temjin followed suit, and....



....schwacked two sectoids like the fucking Predator, one after the other. By the time we cleared the UFO itself, we realized we'd killed everyone who was still alive in that one burst of violence.

The end of July began to roll up, and we got our funding report.



BRAZILIAN TRAITORS!

We shall set upon this enemy at once. They shall know what it means to betray human-




What the hell? Muton supply ship? On a "supply" mission? That can't mean-

ALERT






ALERT



ALERT



XENOS BASE DETECTED

Code: Select all

From: X-COM High Commander Michael Wong
To: All X-COM personnel
Subj: Xenos filth

Your mission is simple.

You must set the xenos up the bomb.

They will have no chance to survive make their time.

ALL their base WILL belong to X-COM.

Bitches.

Thought for the day: There are no walls strong enough to protect the enemies of Mankind. 

Time to purge, the name of humanity.

[Vendetta]

I just found this thread a few days ago, and it might have been me reading through the entire thread inside two days that blew through your bandwidth.

Doubt it, a free photobucket account has a 25GB monthly bandwidth limit. It would take a fair bit of effort to fuck that over.

That said, on my UFO LP on another forum I just used Dosbox's screenshot utility and scaled them with GIMP, they're marginally less pretty, but only come out at 22kb each, which helps keep the bandwidth use down.

[Samuel]

40K- applicable to ANY setting, no matter how shining and fluffy.

[White Haven]

EDIT: Rendered irrelevant.

[Peptuck]

I just found this thread a few days ago, and it might have been me reading through the entire thread inside two days that blew through your bandwidth.

Doubt it, a free photobucket account has a 25GB monthly bandwidth limit. It would take a fair bit of effort to fuck that over.

Right. My photobucket account had over 160,000 hits over the last month alone, from all these X-COM screenies. Every view of every page where there's an update results in 20+ hits instantly - twice that if its a page with two updates.

It shouldn't have surprised me that I hit my bandwidth eventually.

In the future I'll alternate between PB and Imageshack and use fewer screenshots to lessen the stress on my bandwidth.

[Vendetta]

Right. My photobucket account had over 160,000 hits over the last month alone, from all these X-COM screenies. Every view of every page where there's an update results in 20+ hits instantly - twice that if its a page with two updates.

Mine has about 150,000 monthly hits, but I'm still only using 12% of the bandwidth. As noted though, I've used much smaller image files, with little loss in quality, because X-Com's dawn of time graphics don't really have it there to lose.