v19 stable candidate 3 ground combat first mission impressions

[TwoTonGamer]

Some impressions with current release. Played first mission. Local forces have downed a UFO.

Geoscape time speed not slowed when "Local Forces down UFO" popup occurs resulting in instant Charlie arrival and "Engage Enemy" screen when selecting "Send Forces" popup. Very jarring to go from Geoscape full speed to Charlie landed and ground combat started and no option to equip soldiers if the player has not already done so or even see where the UFO is on the Geoscape.

Love how aliens seem much more mobile in ground combat.

!!Hidden movement screen showing during soldier reaction fire and hiding the action.!!

LMG's seem really weak. I pair a LMG and sniper together and LMG was not able to connect with any shot while sniper connects consistently. I also frequently see a lower chance to hit when crouching with LMG as opposed to standing. I'm never sure when to crouch them or when to stand them. LMG doesn't seem to suppress very well or destroy cover very effectively or hit the alien, so seems pretty weak.

Very hard time infiltrating Light Scout UFO. 3 Ceasans inside. I saved scummed a dozen times to try to take the UFO without a slodier loss. Flashbangs not suppressing very well at all. I've thrown up to 3 in before aliens suppressed but lose a soldier each toss due to reaction fire. Tried smoke outside UFO and alien reaction fire targets my soldiers in smoke but I cannot target out of smoke. Tried smoke inside UFO and can stand next to alien and not be able to target them. Tried hiding my soldiers around the corner outside the UFO door and tossing flashbangs in from farther away but still no suppression and get reaction fire on each toss. Very difficult time cracking the Light Scout this build.

One save scum the aliens came out of the ship! Very awesome to see them kill me that way, haha!

I did not have shields this mission. Perhaps they are necessary. I also love the increased difficulty of infiltrating the UFO. The previous build it was simply open door, toss flashbang, run up to suppressed alien and shoot them. I also love, love, love the aliens coming out of the ship that one time. That was awesome and resulted in 2 soldier deaths and 2 alien deaths from my soldier reaction fire. Not acceptable losses but very cool!

Edited August 29, 2013 by TwoTonGamer

[Ol' Stinky]

Edit: you can force shots by holding down control. Do not believe the accuracy gauge's lies, you do not have a 0% chance of hitting them. Feel free to fire through smoke.

The bug where flashbangs thrown from outside into a UFO don't always cause the proper amount of suppression's still around, so like you suspected, you'll have to use smoke unless you save before a breach and load on a faulty flashbang.

With the smoke, make sure the smoke is between you and the alien.

For example:

If the xenonaut moves one square forward like below, he's visible to the enemies.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Ol' Stinky

[Ishantil]

I typically line a guy right outside the door with a shotgun, and have a guy sitting next to the door open the door. The door opens, you blow away the close alien with the shotgun. Have the second guy close the door.

That really seems to piss them off for some reason.

[thothkins]

yeah, I've been trying that. However, I found that for Sebillians if I don't kill them with the shotgun, I end up with a dead Xenonaut.

So for them, I have soldiers on the sides of the Light Scout. Shield person opens the door, steps back into cover from reaction fire. Two snipers then start to take out the aliens from the handy cover that is on most maps. Shield person closes door and retreats round the side. Sebilians burst out into reaction fire, if they peek round the corner.

Aliens running out of the ship still give me a jolt if I'm unprepared too

[Ishantil]

There's always the "open door, shove in rocket" approach.

[StellarRat]

There's always the "open door, shove in rocket" approach.

You can always toss in a chunk of C4.

[Ishantil]

Less reaction fire from a rocket! And besides, it makes that satisfying *crump* when it hits. Good times, good times.

[thothkins]

Yeah, but I want the pennies from the alien corpses & equipment

[EchoFourDelta]

The Xenonauts need to get a welder to put J-hooks on the sides of their ballistic shields so they can lay a shotgun or assault rifle over it. Damn those Scouts. Nice heads up, Stinky. I didn't know it still covered at the very edge like that.

[OndieJ]

I keep two guys either side and out of the way of the door, right click to open and then have 3 snipers crouched in line with the door but out of the aliens sight range. They just pick them all off without any hastles

The larger ships... a Cpl of shield guys and smoke then flashbang grenades help the breach... and the stun baton. always a good lol having a bunch of soldiers running in with shields and batons

[Josip Broz Tito]

Absolutely no need to open the door or be near it if you don't want the risk: shoot it open w/ bullets. Doesn't take to many and you wont destroy equipment like you would w/ c4.

After you shoot it down, it's just a matter of raking the inside w/ a machinegun to keep them suppressed/kill them. Once you have stun grenades, you can run a soldier in from the side to throw them in while staying out of alien LOS.

[thothkins]

I tried that once or twice a while back, and the door stayed very closed. Before that, yes I used to blast away at it from distance. The AI would push the aliens out into some fire. Then I would go and mop up. I used it for landing ships really, as I couldn't get too close. Interesting to hear it's still valid.

[Josip Broz Tito]

doesn't instantly open, I've never counted, but it takes a few rounds w/ 1 rifle and a machine-gun shooting it- less if you shoot it with a sniper rifle too. Once you reach lasers, they go down very fast.

Fun fact- if a sniper rifle round destroys a door it will keep going, possibly hitting any aliens standing in the path of the bullet. Always a good time.

[thothkins]

I launched a rocket at it

[Josip Broz Tito]

Lol, works too, I've tried that a few times. Doesn't seem to instagib aliens a few tiles back from the door (which is good)...just corpses in the area (which makes me sad). Definitely faster though. New gas rockets are pretty dope.