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[Jay Sosa]

StrummerJones: Saucer spotted, i am gonna try to take it out!

Jay Sosa: I'll shoot it too!

Glad I made it through my first mission, it's an honor to be part of the team.

My stupid ass forgot to search for my copy again. Have too look after my parents dog on thursday so I think I'll take my laptop with me and join in (if it rains like the forecast says).

 

[archnemesis]

I still have not found an Alien Base... Which means I haven't captured an alien commander... which means i can't go to Mars yet...

I know the Ufopaedia entry for the Martian Solution mentions that you can only find alien commanders in their bases, but that's wrong. You can also get one from a battleship (the very large UFOs).

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Hey Gexecuter, how come you haven't named a soldier after me?

In retaliation I'm renaming cowardly-Clarence "Gexecuter".

 

[Servbot #42]

Hey Gexecuter, how come you haven't named a soldier after me?

In retaliation I'm renaming cowardly-Clarence "Gexecuter".

Sorry but your name just hasn't come up yet in the rotation but don't worry, after what happened in the last mission....you are gonna be put in the game for sure this time. Oh and it's an honor to be part of your squad, sir!

 

[jay]

I just realized another reason why i never beat this game..

I am currently in July... every single space ship that gets airborne... i shoot down and tackle with a squadron of Power Armored heroes...

I still have not found an Alien Base... Which means I haven't captured an alien commander... which means i can't go to Mars yet...

I built 2 psi labs in my largest bases... but they finished construction July 2nd... which means I have to wait until August to train some psi warriors... Which means by september I will have 18 psi-weaklings.... And 4 months left to take on Mars...

That deadline is coming up REALL fast

I was doing SOOOO well in the game... but alas... mis-management on my part... will be my downfall..... for not actively patrolling high activity areas for alien bases... And not building a psi lab sooner (i totally forgot to build it )

This may sound stupid, but I never realized there was a time limit. I always played on the easiest level (and on the PS1 version) and never ran into a deadline. How long do you have and what happens, I figure there's a cut scene of sorts of the aliens just invading and destroying earth? Is the time limit the same on all difficulties?

 

[More Fun To Compute]

This may sound stupid, but I never realized there was a time limit. I always played on the easiest level (and on the PS1 version) and never ran into a deadline. How long do you have and what happens, I figure there's a cut scene of sorts of the aliens just invading and destroying earth? Is the time limit the same on all difficulties?

I don't remember any time limit myself but if you mess up too much then you get a monthly report saying that everyone has decided to sign a pact with the aliens and you get a bad ending with a couple of screens.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Superhuman terror site massacre!

In my second month I go to a terror site in Tehran. This is the view I'm greeted with when I send my HWP off the ramp:

Oh God! You can just see the smoke grenade I instantly threw on the ramp just before it pops.

Map of the situation, small blue dots are floaters, large blue dots are reapers and that single red dot is a poor civilian with a short life expectancy. And thats just the enemies I can see. Completely surrounded and caught in a crossfire. Doesn't look good.

Under the partial cover of smoke the HWP comes under a barrage of fire but does a great job at the bottom of the ramp and manages to take out about 4 floaters over the next few turns. The above pic shows it on its last legs with 7 hp before it was destroyed by a shot from the rear.

Now I'm literally fighting from the back of the skyranger, I start setting fire to reapers with an incendiary equipped Heavy Cannon.

Theres too many floaters though, and every time a new defender steps up to take a few shots he's gunned down during the aliens turn. The troops are fighting on piles of their dead comrades.

A reaper gets awfully close to the ramp so I throw a high-explosive detpack from the back of the skyranger. Boom! I hear multiple death screams from unseen aliens caught in the blast. These things really pack a punch.

Unfortunately this was the last small victory. Just after this an alien grenade comes flying into the skyranger, killing everyone inside instantly. No screen for this, I was so gutted I completely forgot to take one :lol I broke an important rule, don't leave everyone in the skyranger for too long.

10 men, 1 HWP. a Skyranger and all their equipment lost. Shortly after, the aliens decided I needed to be punished further for my failure and launch a retaliatory base attack on my only base in the UK, details of which I'll post soon.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Sorry but your name just hasn't come up yet in the rotation but don't worry, after what happened in the last mission....you are gonna be put in the game for sure this time. Oh and it's an honor to be part of your squad, sir!

Much obliged! Gexecuter actually turned out to be a hero, sacrificing it all in service of the cause. You'll be happy to know that the name-change seemed to harden him; his final act was one-shotting a disc with a rocket from 3 screens away.

Superhuman terror site massacre!

Wow :lol I like the reckless use of high-explosives near the end, I'm a bit of a sucker for leveling half the map myself.

 

[TheKurgan]

Superhuman terror site massacre!

In my second month I go to a terror site in Tehran...

I am at the exact same point in my game currently. 2nd month and shipping off to a Terror site in Tehran. Only difference is my base is in North America so I can't get there during the day. I am expecting a similar result...

Quick question: what are you guys using to taking screenshots?

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Quick question: what are you guys using to taking screenshots?

If you're playing the Steam version, or just using dosbox on its own, CTRL+F5 takes a screenshot. You can record video right from dosbox too but I've never played with it much.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Wow :lol I like the reckless use of high-explosives near the end, I'm a bit of a sucker for leveling half the map myself.

Heh, yeah that felt pretty good. After that I was starting to think I might actually have a chance of winning until that damn grenade. You'd think I'd learn after the amount of times thats happened to me :lol

I am at the exact same point in my game currently. 2nd month and shipping off to a Terror site in Tehran. Only difference is my base is in North America so I can't get there during the day. I am expecting a similar result...

Quick question: what are you guys using to taking screenshots?

Best of luck soldier! I was using the ctrl+f5 with dosbox like jim-jam mentions but since switching to the windows version I'm just using fraps.

 

[TheKurgan]

Dosbox - I think. I really should get the steam version since I am running a very old install that I patched a bunch of times to get it work on Windows Vista. I still have the original X-COM disk somewhere... Now I am on Windows 7 and everything seems to work okay - fingers crossed.

I will try the CRTL+F5 thing on my terror mission. It's sure to be a disaster. :lol

Thanks.

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Remembering Uta

I just wanted to take a break from talking about the more exciting missions to remember a soldier with almost limitless potential, cut down in her prime.

This is Uta’s tale.

It was a routine sweep of a crash-site, so Captain Tetsuo Iwahara loaded up the Skyranger with a squad of greenhorns. He started to get nervous shortly after landing, as the downed ship was a decent size; as large an anything he’d encountered before.

As the squad took their first tentative steps out of the ship, the Captain began to relax. The ship seemed all but dormant; there were no blasts of hot-plasma waiting for them. In fact, it seemed like there was nobody around at all.

The silence must have been getting to Gexecuter. In his boredom, he launched a large rocket at the side of the alien ship, chuckling under his breath as the Captain glared at him. It didn’t make a dent of course; still, explosives near alien propulsion systems can be a bit of a hazard.

This turned out to be the case, as the sound of alien death-screams echoed from within the ship, and plumes of smoke billowed from cracks in the hull. The Captain looked coldly at Gexecuter, and made the unmistakable universal gesture for “facepalm”. Gexecuter shrugged, and loaded up another rocket.

First contact occurred as the squad cleared the side of the ship. Disappointingly, it was a single sectoid with a small-launcher. He seemed confused and disoriented, probably because he’d been caught out in the open and was vastly outnumbered and outgunned. It was here that Rookie Uta Unger piped up and requested that she be allowed to go for the kill.

Uta had been a police officer in her native Germany, so she was familiar with firearms. Having been given the green-light, she shouldered her laser rifle and unleashed a salvo of hot energy from around 100 metres away.

Despite the distance, her first and second shots both connected. The sectoid collapsed almost immediately after the second blast hit. Everyone was looking at Uta with newfound respect, including the Captain.

This only lasted a moment. Shortly after taking down the sectoid, a plasma blast flew out from the east and grazed Uta. Seeing his new star recruit in trouble, the Captain stepped forward and blasted the alien with his laser rifle. The bolts of laser fire flew fast and true; the Captain was quite the marksman himself.

It seemed like the mission was pretty much all over. The aliens in the ship likely been killed by Gexecuter’s recklessness. Obviously feeling the rush of her first confirmed kill, Uta requested permission to be the first to enter the downed alien craft, and the Captain agreed. He was never one to disregard a request from a good soldier.

She entered the main-door and found a sectoid with his back turned. A short laser volley finished him off without any trouble. That brought Uta’s kill to mission ratio up to 2:1, making it clear that she had a bright future ahead in the X-Com organization.

A moment later, two sectoids emerged from the smoke within the ship. Where they had been hiding was never clear, and it ultimately didn’t matter; the Captain had let his star recruit go on ahead, and left her out in the open. He would regret the decision for the rest of his life.

Gexecuter: UTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The squad finished clearing out the ship in silence. Nobody spoke on the Skyranger on the way back to base. Even Gexecuter, normally quick to lighten the mood, was inconsolable. That night, alone in his room, the Captain warmed up some saki and made a toast to Uta. I think we should all raise a glass for the most promising rookie jim-jam’s X-Com team had ever seen.

So Uta; we salute you.

 

[TUSR]

Terror from the deep is harder on normal then UFO is on superhuman.

 

[methane47]

This may sound stupid, but I never realized there was a time limit. I always played on the easiest level (and on the PS1 version) and never ran into a deadline. How long do you have and what happens, I figure there's a cut scene of sorts of the aliens just invading and destroying earth? Is the time limit the same on all difficulties?

Hmmmm you might be right ... I did some googling and I can't Find ANYTHING on a deadline...

I guess its coincidence that as far as I can remember I have never gotten passed Jan 1st 2000

lol

Game either ends ON THAT date for me usually... ORRR i give up before that.... 'specially on the higher difficulties

 

[Versipellis]

Today I had my main base destroyed after 3 consecutive Base Defense missions. And for "consecutive" I mean the backup I requested immediately after the first assault didn't arrive in time.
Well, time to start over (on Superhuman again, of course).

 

[TUSR]

Hmmmm you might be right ... I did some googling and I can't Find ANYTHING on a deadline...

I guess its coincidence that as far as I can remember I have never gotten passed Jan 1st 2000

lol

Game either ends ON THAT date for me usually... ORRR i give up before that.... 'specially on the higher difficulties

That typically happens when you are not intercepting Subs or UFOs. In TFTD the alien base comes out of the water and takes over the planet or something.

Watch this if you care about the end of the game of TFTD. http://www.viddler.com/explore/GuavaMoment/videos/58/

 

[Servbot #42]

As i mentioned earlier my ships discovered an alien base nearby, feeling confident from my prior victories i decided to storm the base.

This was a mistake.

Team members: Chicken Ramen, Brashnir, Icarus Daedelus, Jay Sosa, StrummerJones, XiaNaphryz, LQX and Methane47's brother.

StrummerJones: As the higher ranking officer on this mission i'm taking command, so XiaNaphryz you go first.

XiaNaphryz : Oh that's just great...sir.

StrummerJones: I hope you passed on the tacos for this mission soldier.

XiaNaphryz: First room is clear, sir!

StrummerJones: Your turn Icarus Daedelus.

Icarus Daedelus: On it, sir.

Icarus Daedelus: Clear, i hope.

StrummerJones: Brashnir and Chicken Ramen, it's your turn now to go down.

Brashnir: Ok.

Chicken Ramen: Got it.

Icarus Daedelus: Hey XiaNaphryz don't separate from the group!

XiaNaphryz: It will be fine i'll just hide here, ehhh i mean i'll cover this area.

Icarus Daedelus: I have a bad feeling about this...

Chicken Ramen: Me and Icarus will go cover the north.

Alien: La La La La

Alien: La La La La

XiaNaphryz: It appears someone has shot me with a plasma rifle.

XiaNaphryz: Thank god my armor protected me, hey wait what's this red stuff?!

XiaNaphryz: Oh god *dies*

StrummerJones: Damn XiaNaphryz is down!

Icarus Daedelus: I told you so!

StrummerJones: Hey wait a minute, soldier Methane47's brother why aren't you wearing your armor?

Methane47's brother: It got in the way when handling this sweet rocket launcher i got so i ditched it.

StrummerJones: You what?!

Methane47's brother: It's cool man those things kill more lives than they save, i heard that somewhere.

StrummerJones: Oh christ...

Alien: Oh hai!

Icarus Daedelus: Ahhhhhhhhh! *shoots*

Icarus Daedelus: Damn that was close!

Brashnir: Snakeman eliminated, be careful there are more out there!

Brashnir: Ouch! that hurt but i am still alive, just some minor internal injuries that's all.

Jay Sosa: Chryssalid incoming!

Jay Sosa: Eat this!

Jay Sosa: Oh shit it's close!

Jay Sosa: Hot stuff coming your way!

Jay Sosa: Phew!

StrummerJones: It's time to press forward, go!

Jay Sosa: Damn i missed!

Jay Sosa: Fuck two snakemen are close by, i am retreating!

Jay Sosa: I think i'm safe here.

Jay Sosa: Oh my god!

Jay Sosa: What's that white light? it looks so pretty...... *dies*

Brashnir: Jay Sosa NOOOOOOO!

StrummerJones: Damn another good man down, alien explosives are so overpowered it's not even funny.

Chicken Ramen: Die you murderer!

Icarus Daedelus: Behind you chicken!

Icarus Daedelus: I think the two snakemen are down.

StrummerJones: Prepare to move forward, i'll be right behind you.

Icarus Daedelus: In position.

Methane47's brother: What's a disco dance floor doing on an alien base?

Methane47's brother: Doesn't matter, i'll just blow this wall up for no reason at all! Haha

StrummerJones: Stop fucking around Methane47's brother and get back here.

Methane47's brother: ok....

Chicken Ramen: Got one by the entrance!

StrummerJones: Good, now everyone gather up, we are breaching this door.

StrummerJones: LQX, as the one holding the alien stun gun i am ordering you enter that room and capture me some breathing aliens, we need this so don't fuck this up!

LQX: FUFUFUFUFU!

LQX: The room is empty but there's a lift going up, i could use some backup here in case i have to retreat.

Brashnir: Got your back bro!

Chicken Ramen: If an alien fuck goes down here we'll blast his ass!

Icarus Daedelus: It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum... and I'm all outta gum.

LQX: Thanks guys!

LQX: Say a prayer for me guys! I am going up!

LQX: Damn at least two snakemen are here! I'll see if i can stun them (including me)....FUCK! not enough AP! i'm retreating! watch my back!

LQX: I think we are better off setting an ambush here guys, i think it's the most safe way...hey what's that purple stuff coming my way?

LQX: Oh jeez.

StrummerJones: Guys?

StrummerJones: FUCK FUCK FUCK! damn you alien scum!

StrummerJones: I guess it's just me now.

Methane47's brother: I am still alive you know!

StrummerJones: .......I guess it's just me now.

StrummerJones: I think i got all of the aliens on this room but what the fuck i do now?

Methane47's brother: Fuck you StrummerJones for thinking i am not worth it, i'll show you, i'll show everyone!

Methane47's brother: Not fair! not fair!

Methane47's brother: I'll see you...

Methane47's brother: In the other side...

Methane47's brother: ....bro. *dies*

StrummerJones: I think the best course of action is to wait in this corner and shoot the aliens that come trought the door, i hope this works...

StrummerJones: Fuck a Chryssalid! I better make this shot!

StrummerJones: Closer....

StrummerJones: I think this plan is gonna work.

StrummerJones: Game over man, game over...

StrummerJones: I'm coming guys.... *dies*

This mission was a total and complete failure, i lost 8 good men not to mention the loss of equipment. Like usual the deceased soldiers will receive a military funeral with honors and their families will be well compensated, X-com regrets this huge loss. Now it's time to start recruiting again...

Casualties: Chicken Ramen, Brashnir, Icarus Daedelus, Jay Sosa, StrummerJones, XiaNaphryz, LQX and Methane47's brother.

 

[KTallguy]

Goddamn at these stories

I just wanted to say thanks for linking those patches and the MP3s on the steam forum, they have greatly enhanced my enjoyment

Mousewheel and keyboard shortcuts are awesome. Runs fast too. It almost makes me not care about a remake

 

[Tommie Hu$tle]

Please add me to your teams. These stories are awesome!

 

[Strummerjones]

StrummerJones: I'm coming guys.... *dies*

He had.. one day left till retirement...

I'm pretty much at this point in my game too. Things have been going fantastically, but I've got one enemy base uncovered and another I'm 99% certain of located in Austalia. I'm tempted to be buoyed up by how well things are going and charge in, but I remember all to well how brutal base attacks usually are even on beginner, so I'm being cautious. I've got power suits under manufaturer in my Asian sweatshop base, and Heavy Plasma is half researched. It's a floater base, so this is probably the best starter base attack I could have (no psi bastards, and crappy terror units to deal with). Overconfidence leads to massacres in this game, so I'm waiting to tech up for now.

I should really take more pictures as I've had some awesome missions. I shot down a terror ship and started off next to a HOUSE OF DEATH. From the ramp of the skyranger my dudes could see a Snakeman and 3 chrysalids on the first floor of the building. I got through half my team moving men into position and firing before I put half them down, and my rocket launcher guy destroyed the roof, only to reveal yet ANOTHER chrysalid that was hiding up there, now crashed through into the rest of his brothers.

I managed to put them all down in the first turn, although it took nearly all 14 men's goes to do so. Directly left from the building was the ship itself. I lined up dudes around the right entrance, and absolutely slaughtered everything that peeped out. Every turn I chucked a proximity grenade in front of it, and this took out a few snakemen, and even set fire to a Chrysalid, something I've never even seen happen in this game before. I nearly got caught out by an unexpected clump of snake men in a stable to me rear at the south, but luckily they revealed themselves with a close miss on one of my marksmen, and then rookies were sent to drive them out.

There was a moment of minor panic when I moved one of my rookies near the charnel house into a better position to grenade the UFO doors, and revealed ANOTHER chrysalid in there on the ground floor! I don't know if it was one of the first group stunned and now awakened or just another one, but it had patiently stayed in there a good 15 turns or so. I even had a guy watching the door on the very edge of the map in case of that, but moved him because it was obvious no one was there. Sneaky bastards.

I lost far too many rookies clearing out the inside of the UFO when it all went quiet, but it was a bit weird and somehow the aliens managed to flank me inside? Earlier on a Snakeman kept going apeshit due to the casualites I was giving them and ended up shooting one of the power sources that wiped out the entire lower level and some of the top floor. I had two snakemen somehow hiding in that smoke at the bottom and get behind one of my guys watching those odd holes that aliens can drop down from. Dunno how it happened, but I lost about 4 rookies after not taking a single casualty for the rest of the map.

 

[archnemesis]

Well, I finally gave in to temptation and started to abuse the save/load system. After destroying an alien base, a couple of battleships, and a few terror missions I'd had enough tension and just wanted to reach the end. With three bases covering all the important regions, $55 million in my account, and a lot of alien POWs I had all I needed to prepare for the final mission. While my engineers built a couple of Avengers, my veteran troops focused solely on honing their mental capabilities. For almost five months I did nothing but to shoot down UFOs and I still got 10000+ points each month.

In November I was almost out of Elerium-115 and I could no longer afford to waste any of it on random UFO attacks. While my soldiers got a final month of psionic training, I let the alien hordes overrun Earth. In early December I finally felt confident enough to launch the final mission. Having no soldiers with low psionic strength proved to be a winning recipe and I successfully defeated the alien menace.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

No vets are left, we're all dead.

One thing I always strived to do in X-Com games is to have a core group of at least 4 people survive from the very first mission. Usually I only end up with like 2 though.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Status report.

Along with the UK and USA, France have also decided to sign a pact with the Aliens. I think that the aliens are trying to get canada next as a UFO is currently parked in Montreal. Maybe they just have a thing for the french and english languages.

I encountered the Ethereals but my attempt to capture one alive ended in disaster. All but 4 of my troops died as there was much panic and mind control going on. Only one blurred photograph remains and the survivors still do not like talking about it.

I have a stockpile of everything including cash and am building my fourth lab but research progress still seems glacial. Two alien bases have now been spotted and I managed to fend off a base attack with no casualties by defending a choke point.

 

[tahrikmili]

How the HELL did I miss this!

I'll install XCOM tomorrow. BTW, can it be run on Windows 7? I have the really ol DOS version..

 

[Acosta]

You don't know how jealous I am of not being able to put some real time on it, but keep it on, awesome reports so far. If I put my shit together and solve the bug thing will try to get some hours for a decent intro (but I suspect I will be obliterated, very out of practice.)

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

FLOATERS SWARM THE UK (No, not that kind)

After basking in thier victory and uploading to youtube the clip of my entire squad being destroyed by a single grenade for the lulz, Floater High Command decided to finish me off with an attack on my only base. Unknown to them, I had an ace up my sleeve. I'd started the game with the improved base layout from UFO Extender.

Standard base defence routine here. Soldiers and tanks hidden behind doors and fires started in the chokepoint. The aliens would have to come down this corridor and I wasn't going to make it easy for them.

Oops! The problem with rookies is they dont shoot very straight. This poor soul burned to death after lighting herself on fire with a wayward snapshot.

The massacre continues. This time it's the Floaters who are surrounded and ambushed. I did lose both tanks and about 6 soldiers trying to press forward too soon, but the bulk of the enemy is destroyed.

Preparing to counterattack into the hangers. At this point the thing I fear most is a blaster bomb so I huddle most of my men inside here. It may look unsafe but the door will close at the end of my turn, keeping them relatively hidden from any blaster bomb strikes. It usually works at least I send a few soldiers out at a time into the hanger.

Turns out theres quite a few reapers in here along with some floaters lurking in the corners. Time to bust out the incendiary autocannon. The fires started also have the purpose of lighting up the dark corners of the hanger, nullifying the aliens sight advantage in the dark.

I take a few casualties clearing the hanger, but it's over! Revenge is sweet! Now if only I can build on this victor..

Nooo! All these lives lost just to be defeated by the bureaucrats. Typical!

So back to square one I go. I'm doing much better in my new game and have reached the third month with 2 bases, laser weapons for all and have actually won a terror site! I did fail two others though

 

[jim-jam bongs]

Nooo! All these lives lost just to be defeated by the bureaucrats. Typical!

So back to square one I go. I'm doing much better in my new game and have reached the third month with 2 bases, laser weapons for all and have actually won a terror site! I did fail two others though

Awesome report Air Zombie Meat. You're making me want to start again on Superhuman out of sheer masochism.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Thanks man I enjoyed doing them so I'm glad someone enjoyed reading em too

And yeah, superhuman is kind of masochistic but I love it. I find the end game on easier difficulties a bit slow these days, so I like to just try and see how long I can last on superhuman. The thing that usually does me in the end is the mind control.

 

[archnemesis]

How the HELL did I miss this!

I'll install XCOM tomorrow. BTW, can it be run on Windows 7? I have the really ol DOS version..

Yes, but you have to run it through DOSBox.

Also, you might want to look at the following links.

• Basic Setup and Installation of DOSBox
• XcomUtil - fixes the difficulty bug and other minor enhancements. You must use the 9.7 beta in Windows 7.
• UFO Extender - adds functionalities/fixes to the UFO Collector's edition of the game and the Steam version.

 

[tahrikmili]

Yes, but you have to run it through DOSBox.

Also, you might want to look at the following links.

• Basic Setup and Installation of DOSBox
• XcomUtil - fixes the difficulty bug and other minor enhancements. You must use the 9.7 beta in Windows 7.
• UFO Extender - adds functionalities/fixes to the UFO Collector's edition of the game and the Steam version.

Well, the version I have is UFO: Enemy Unknown, not X-COM: UFO Defense.. Does that still have the difficulty bug? (I have the OLD DOS version not a new digital online version though I may buy the X-COM pack on Steam if it's bug free and runs fine out of the.. well.. download)

 

[fanboi]

Add me to the roster you who lost all in the failed base attack!

 

[archnemesis]

Well, the version I have is UFO: Enemy Unknown, not X-COM: UFO Defense.. Does that still have the difficulty bug? (I have the OLD DOS version not a new digital online version though I may buy the X-COM pack on Steam if it's bug free and runs fine out of the.. well.. download)

All DOS versions and the Steam version have the difficulty bug. The X-Com games from Steam runs "out of the box" on Windows 7, but I had some minor issues with input lag and the load times during the aliens' turn. I followed the simple instructions from this Steam thread and now it runs better than ever before.

 

[TheKurgan]

Yes, but you have to run it through DOSBox.

Also, you might want to look at the following links.

• Basic Setup and Installation of DOSBox
• XcomUtil - fixes the difficulty bug and other minor enhancements. You must use the 9.7 beta in Windows 7.
• UFO Extender - adds functionalities/fixes to the UFO Collector's edition of the game and the Steam version.

Thanks for the links. I will have to give XcomUtil and UFO extender a shot. I am a little afraid of messing with my install since it is soo old but if all else fails I guess I could get the Steam version.

I am currently in early March and only a few days away from being able to use Heavy Plasma's. Next up is Power Armor and better ships so I can actually shoot down those large ufo's flying around.

How many Scientists are you guys using? I have 50 right now but plan on getting it up to 70 - 80 once my second lab is built.

 

[archnemesis]

I used 100 scientists and 240 engineers. If you build a second laboratory you might as well use it to its full potential.

 

[TheKurgan]

240 engineers! You must have a nice little sweat shop going. What are you building to pay for all those guys?

 

[archnemesis]

Most of the time they were making Laser Cannons giving me a net monthly profit at $10 million.

 

[Servbot #42]

I just wanted to say that i really enjoy reading your stories guys, i like seeing all the different kinds of strategies available. Also i might not update as often because my internet is gonna get cut off soon.

 

[Mindlog]

Thanks for the links. I will have to give XcomUtil and UFO extender a shot. I am a little afraid of messing with my install since it is soo old but if all else fails I guess I could get the Steam version.

I am currently in early March and only a few days away from being able to use Heavy Plasma's. Next up is Power Armor and better ships so I can actually shoot down those large ufo's flying around.

How many Scientists are you guys using? I have 50 right now but plan on getting it up to 70 - 80 once my second lab is built.

:lol

Exactly why I was a little reticent to revise my install. I just made copies of my install and messed with them. I currently have 4 nearly identical installs of X-Com, but I have the setup I want now.

I ran into a huge bug. One of the first big bugs that has nearly killed my game. Apparently it's a known issue (the minimized interceptor bug.) There was a clusterfun of UFOs in North America and I was scrambling everything to track and retrieve as much as possible.

Luckily enough, Bug Fix

"This happened to me also. I fixed it by replacing "UIGLOB.DAT" in the save folder with the same file from another saved game (from the same campaign a month earlier) bylund 00:15, January 12, 2007 (GMT+01)"

I rush to 50 scientists. 100 is my standard amount. Yeah plenty of engineers is key. It almost makes the game too easy.

There are solutions.

*The 'fixed' heavy laser is neat. Lots and lots of shots.

 

[tahrikmili]

First 3 crash site missions are done, I lost one rookie on the first mission (Floaters on first mission.. at night.. with no chemical flares! I was LUCKY to not get slaughtered!)

Now I'm researching Plasma Rifles at full speed.

 

[MiniBossBattle]

This is an amazing thread. I still remember taking turns playing this game with a friend (we took turns every mission). The best is naming your friends and actually being REALLY invested in your character (i wanted that kill, don't put me there with no AP, how come I am mentally weak?!)

These posts have me frantically looking for my XCom collection discs.

 

[Harry_Tequila]

Great thread.

UFO: Enemy Unknown is unquestionably my favourite game of all time. I tend to play and complete it every couple of years and it never gets old.

Terror from the Deep though... Jesus... I firmly believe that alien bases are impossible in that game. Literally impossible.

Really wish someone would do a proper remake.

 

[tahrikmili]

Playing on Experienced.. Just went through my first Terror site after finishing 5 Crash sites with only 2 casualties, and researching Plasma Rifles.

FFFUUUUUUU!!!!!

Three casualties, two wounded.. It was BRUTAL. The low point was when two soldiers died upon leaving the craft, the high point was my Rocket Launcher taking out a Disc, two sectoids and half a department store! :lol

 

[TheKurgan]

:lol

Exactly why I was a little reticent to revise my install. I just made copies of my install and messed with them. I currently have 4 nearly identical installs of X-Com, but I have the setup I want now.

Never thought of that, might try it out. Leaning towards just deleting my old install and picking up the steam version for the simplicity of it.

...Really wish someone would do a proper remake.

I would gladly pay $10-$15 for a PSN/XBL/iPhone remake.

 

[Ruuppa]

Mmm.. I think I'll join this tomorrow. I'll try Superhuman for giggles.

 

[Versipellis]

Mmm.. I think I'll join this tomorrow. I'll try Superhuman for giggles.

It's not THAT hard (TftD is hard). It's just slow: you'll always want to keep enough AP at the end of the turn just to have the chance for a snap shot or two, thus squad deployment will take some extra turns.
And DO NOT keep too many medikits/flares/grenades/old weapons in your base: in case of a Base Defense mission it would be rocks vs plasma. :|

 

[More Fun To Compute]

It's September now and and I have Elerium-115 and Alien origins researched. Hell yeah, four labs at full capacity and I'm getting results. In two years time I might even have some useful tech. D:

I have three alien bases uncovered with UFOs flying around all over the place. My first base has been assaulted four times now, I have lost one interception base and another one has been hammered but I built a surfeit of laser defences there.

Too many mutons and etherials are showing up now. I'm just not equipped or trained to handle them or take out the enemy bases. I think that tide might have turned against X-COM.

 

[Strummerjones]

Took on my first base. For some reason I thought it was a Floater base. It wasn't, it was Sectoids, which meant constant psi attacks. I brought along half elite troops and half rookies, and a HWP, which I'm not sure was a good idea or not.

Started off slow and steady, HWP scouting and took out a few enemies, but I let it get taken down too soon. Then I moved up the noobs, constantly trying to minimise the potential for enemy blaster bomb attacks. Luckily I didn't start too far from the command centre. However, as I got near it the psi attacks started. At this point I'd mostly lost all the recruits, and had around 7 decent troops. Not that that meant too much when they started pissing their pants and going beserk all the time. I Somehow kept them together long enough to kill any nearby enemies and avoid any friendly fire, but I could see at this rate the mission was doomed. One guy got mind controlled and then oddly kept running away rather than shooting his comrades, and after about 5 turns of this he got taken out as he reverted back to friendly right next to some cyberdiscs. Six men left.

Everyone else was permanently paralysed with fear from constant psi attacks. The only guy who had been unscathed was one of my best marksmen, and I was loathe to lose him. However, I could see this called for desperate measures; the only way victory could come from this would be to take out the psi aliens before the aliens regrouped and moved on my panicing troops, or before they fled screaming into the enemy's guns.

A handy hole in the wall left my bypass the heavily guarded command centre door, and the inner circle was luckily clear. I burst into the lift room. Clear. Next turn. A single purple projectile appears. SHIT.
KABOOM!
Ok, Not only have I just lost one of my very best men, but I've very probably lost the entire mission. After closing my eyes in frustration, I opened them again. My guy was still standing, probably a glitch. Hang on. He's still fucking standing!

See the hole in the door? That's where the blaster bomb hit. He shrugged it off as if it was nothing. He lost half his health and got one injury from a freaking nuclear missile launcher! Then another blaster bomb launched on the same turn. Oh Jesus, now he's really done. But no. The lift bug kicked in, and the aliens on the top floor deep fried themselves in nuclear fire.

The chain reaction explosion that followed lasted something like a minute, as every single piece of equipment in the room went off with the same force as the original ordnance. My guy was still standing. I decided to check the floor above just in case, in some cruel miracle, one of the aliens survived. A slight problem: there no longer was a second floor.

This is it seem from above, a gigantic smoking crater.

Psi attacks over, my team could move with a purpose again, and they easily mopped up the Cyberdiscs clustered around the top of the command centre. Easy. The only downside was the lack of base equipment recovered due to it all being vapourised. Back at base my guy was in a worse state than I thought, and his bravery earned him an entire month in hospital.

 

[Ruuppa]

So I just ran three missions on Super. Fun times.

First one went well(small, Sectoids landed), only lost one man when getting off the ship! Then proceeded to grenade/rocket launcher the landing site and surrounding buildings. That worked quite well until I got to the alien ship with no rockets left and lost another dude due to a Sectoid rush.
.. that ended badly for them, since I had thrown a primed grenade in front of the door(didn't plan on them rushing en masse on top of it though :lol ). Easy victory on turn 21!

Second battle, same conditions. Except one: It was night.

Oh god the horror. Olga whatshername got sniped out of nowhere, quickly followed by my Heavyweapons guy, scout and 4 others. Plasma out of every direction! So I rushed 2 remaining rookies into the Skyranger and hauled ass(but not before 1 of them got stunned).
Made a resolution to not go out at night. Mmm.. Patrolling is much better, sun is my only ally.

Before the 3rd mission I outfitted my Interceptors with dual Avalanches and down an ufo went! Boom, it said. Should be a cinch, right? Sectoids in a crashed ship, no worries..

And that's how it pretty much went. Lost 3 or 4 rookies(eh, who's counting them?) while rushing the interior, but that's par the course. Even managed to capture one of them, too bad it was only a soldier. I'm only saddened by the loss of my would-be Kamikaze, armed only with dual Stun rods(armory malfunction due to previous mission), Takeo somethingorother.
Captured a bunch of tech on that mission, even a Small Launcher, which will be quite useful in the future.

Good news: Laser weapons coming soon!
Bad news: Terror mission in Asia. All except one squaddie wounded.

I'll have to skip that mission. Even with the 5 fresh recruits that just got orientated, I'll be dead before I get off the ship.. My approval is going to tank magnificently

 

[Acosta]

Ok, I went for my first try to check how rusty I am, I take veteran (I feel rusty, have forgotten a lot of stuff) but I don't imagine how much I really am (a lot!) I will probably start again because I just made many mistakes. But thought it would be fun to post it anyway.

So I start with a base on Spain (codename: Iberia), start developing stuff and change names of my first set of rookies by gentlemen on this thread. I fail to intercept a few ships and I want to try a battle already when radar detects a ship on floor. mmm, I have not laser weapons neither a tank, and the ship is not very small, better pass.

Fail to intercept another ship and I get pissed, suddenly another ship on land detected, so I say, what the hell, let´s go for it. Try to equip lot of heavy stuff and go for the ship landed.

The deploy goes well, but I make two stupid noob moves: my first two dead soldiers:

After some flanking, I manage to position More Fun to launch a small rocket on alien door, after that I put Gexecuter in position to ambush the aliens at door with aimed shots.

hahahaha, the first alien dies thanks to my masterful tactics, first of the hundreds that will fall under my righteous hammer!

Gexecuter: You are awesome master tactician, but, uh, are you sure is safe I stay here in front of the ship doo... *prash!* argh

master tactician (me): eh...

master tactician: More Fun!, Blood and Fire! Launch the incendiary rocket!

More Fun: Aye Sir! *bangs*

master tactician: Well, that'll show them...
Dennis4k: Err, Sir! we have a very angry alien covered on flames shooting us and blowing our cover!
master tactician: WTF

Everyone: Sir, aliens are not dying! they are shooting us with lasers! argh!

See that three there? all three die at that turn, killed by aliens agonizing on flames (except one that I don't know how passed through the flames outside and arrived to a perfect sniping position. My last guy was in ship and he panicked while being shot inside the ship, luckily the laser fails and I manage to escape with my last man:

First mission:

I fucking love this game.