XCOM: Enemy Unknown aka the one where Haphazard dies repeatedly

[Sareln]

I take back my research time objection btw, UFO computers is 100 RPs to grab, which is pretty much cheaper than anything other than autopsies or interrogations.

[Sareln]

Alright, time to marshal the numbers.

We currently make a net of $278. This is consistent with a base HQ funding of $75/month, along with our current satellites (Nigeria and the USA for $280) and the All-In 30% multiplier, assuming the game rounds down, subtracting out $60 for aircraft maintenence and $123 for base maint. Good enough for me. If we add Satellites to Brazil ($80), France ($100), and Japan ($100), we'll take our net gain to $642.5, rounded down to $642. We have approximately another $85 in corpses that we can sell of Sectoids and Floaters which will leave us 4 corpses of each (the autopsy and one aircraft boost).

So our budget, roughly speaking, is $642 + $85, or $727.

We currently have a net +11 Power available.




We currently have 19 Engineers and 11 Scientists, and with those satellites we gain +2 Engineers and +3 Scientists /Month, so our Engineering Total for Satellites will likely be 21. That's $62/Satellite (from our current $63) and if we build a workshop (and we have to if we want enough engineers for the Nexus) then Satellites will be $60/Sat.

Engineering requirements. Satellite Uplinks require 10 Engineers per existing Uplink and 15 Engineers per Nexus, Cumulative (eg. building your 3rd Satellite Uplink when you already have 2 Satellite Uplinks in place requires 20 engineers). Satellite Nexii require 5 engineers plus 10 per existing uplink and 15 per nexus (eg. building your 1st Nexus with 2 Uplinks in place is going to require 25 engineers).

What do we see here immediately? That we cannot build both a Nexus and an Uplink, we would be engineer limited (the Uplink would require 20 Engineers and the Nexus 35, or if we build them in opposite order, 25 and 35, hey look at that!), even with a single workshop. Obviously due to the panic situation, we can't rely on the engineers from abduction trios either; we got luck on my set or else we wouldn't even be able to consider any plan including a Nexus.

So then our question becomes, do we attempt a Nexus build into 5 Satellites next month, and then follow *that* into a Satellite Uplink? We *might* be able to do a double-uplink play, but I suspect us to be power/workshop limited once again (need to hit 30 engineers, so 2 more workshops, another power plant, and both uplinks in place). Then, of course, there's the fact that we need to slip in an alien containment facility in there!

Assume for a moment that we will be able to easily afford a 3rd uplink and 3 more satellites if we want them next month along with alien containment. That math works out easily.

Containment = $85, 5 Power
Uplink = $150, 5 Power
Power Generator = $60, -8 Power
3 Satellites @ $63 = $189

Total = $484, 2 Power with about another $200 in spending money with a $85 of corpses still in the cooler.

What we see from this though, is that to double uplink, we're probably going to have to drop the Containment. Why you ask? Well, we're engineer limited and need to get to 30, so we'll need two more workshops, plus another 4 satellites, plus the uplink, at minimum.

Uplink = $150, 5 Power (x2)!
Workshop = $165, 3 Power (x2)!
7 Satellites @ $60 = $420

$1050, 11 Power, our entire surplus. Clearly unaffordable no matter how you slice the cake .

Well, how about a Nexus and 5 Satellites? If we're doing this, research needs to be redirected immediately so that we can get the research done with time left in the month to build the nexus. Other than that hiccup, here's what we find we need:

Nexus = $300, 8 Power
Workshop (to get to 25 Eng.) = $165, 3 Power
5 Satellites @ 61 = $305

$770, 11 Power, our entire surplus.

Containment then costs us $85, 5 Power + $60, -10 Power = $145, -5 Power

For a total of $915, which is a deficit of (915 - 727) = 188, so such a maneuver would cost us our UFO power supplies and 1 UFO Nav Computer or stuff of similar value to make up the difference.

------------------------------

TLDR: Assuming we play standard and don't do anything crazy like rush the alien base (though we're teched for it now IMO except for Alien Grenades)

Can't afford to double-uplink or uplink/nexus

Can afford to single-nexus with containment, but it will cost us most of our corpses and our UFO power supplies (basically everything we've got in the cooler that isn't fragments, elerium, or alloy).

Can easily afford (don't need to gray market anything) containment and Uplink. Saves cash and resources for slower growth and better air cover of the areas we do have satellite coverage over.

And now it's far too late here. Good Night!

[uberfish]

I think H. Laser is definitely a good choice if we're going to spread our satellites thinly - if we have 1 interceptor per continent those Laser Cannons will be needed.

Also think 1 uplink + containment is a more solid approach

[Ug the Barbarian]

TLDR: Assuming we play standard and don't do anything crazy like rush the alien base (though we're teched for it now IMO except for Alien Grenades)

Can't afford to double-uplink or uplink/nexus

Can afford to single-nexus with containment, but it will cost us most of our corpses and our UFO power supplies (basically everything we've got in the cooler that isn't fragments, elerium, or alloy).

Can easily afford (don't need to gray market anything) containment and Uplink. Saves cash and resources for slower growth and better air cover of the areas we do have satellite coverage over.

And now it's far too late here. Good Night!

Like the maths. I'm with Uberfish & I think single uplink, 3 Sats and Containment is the way to go as the nexus route gives us no room for maneuver in case of the unexpected

[Brackard]

So this is what it feels like to not to be shot in the head the instant you leave the ranger. I kind of like it!

[uberfish]

So this is what it feels like to not to be shot in the head the instant you leave the ranger. I kind of like it!

Funny you should say that.

[uberfish]

On opening up the save I notice that we have no cash. However, if we sell all but 4 sectoid and floater corpses we can start the alien containment, so I do that.

We launch satellites on the 3 red countries. I buy an interceptor in each new continent. The council gives us an A rating for the month and we make a small profit selling Arc Throwers to the USA.

A Large UFO shows up on the 4th of May. Laser cannon unfortunately isn't done yet, and our interceptor only connects a couple of Avalanche hits before having to turn tail and flee. We lose the UFO.

We don't have enough cash to get Steam up, so order up another regular power generator, 3 satellites, and uplink.



Heavy laser finishes. We only have enough alloys for 3 items. I decide on 1 heavy laser and 2 laser cannons, which I assign to the interceptors in the two 4-country continents on a guess that UFOs might be more likely to show up there. (Europe / Asia.)

Alien abductions show up. Choices are 4 engineers, C200 and this



Even though I'm not particularly excited by getting another sniper, I pick the UK mission due primarily to South and North America all being on 1-2 panic and Europe on 3-4, this gives us the most flexibility for the next abduction. Engineers for the next uplink shouldn't be a problem as we can take engineer countries and build a workshop if need be

Our team for this mission



Dazed sits this one out so I can take another rookie along with arc thrower. Welcome to XCOM Brian.

And it's a graveyard map:

[uberfish]

on turn 1 I move our heavy and sniper into full cover at the edge of the 4x4 and fan everyone else out a little on overwatch but nothing comes

Brackard is first to make contact next turn with 2 thin men which make a break for full cover



I want to capture one, so Sareln blows the cover up with a grenade. Brian runs up to the wall too with an arc thrower ready. Uberfish takes a high percentage shot killing one of the 1 hp aliens and then goes on overwatch with his second action so the other alien won't move. Everyone else moves up.



On the alien turn the thin man poisons Sareln.

Brian runs up to the thin man and stuns it. Surprisingly, and luckily for him, he didn't wake up any more aliens, as he was only a rookie I was pretty much going to go for the stun no matter what.



Haphazard cures Sareln and we overwatch but no aliens wander in



Brackard advances next turn revealing 2 floaters on the roof of a small building



Advancing people into firing position on them reveals another two.



The two on the roof happen to be just within range of a Shredder rocket so Uberfish blows them up with one. Brian takes a 45% potshot at one of the floaters by the tombstone and kills it.

With 1 floater left active I decide to try to capture it and Ug tries his shiny new ability



It fails.

Brackard, Sareln and Haphazard therefore advance under the cover of smoke.



Floater shoots at Brackard and misses, then 2 mutons show up from the right!



there probably aren't any more alien spawns on the map and Sareln has nice full cover to dash to, so she activates Run and Gun, for a short but not point-blank range flank on one of the mutons.



Sareln gets the kill.

Disabling shot isn't up so Ug fires off a headshot at the 2nd muton trying to get it down to capture range and misses.

Uberfish hits it for 6 with heavy laser.

Not wanting to kill it Brian switches to his pistol and peashoots it for 1.

Brackard goes in for the stun



And fails...

The muton is definitely going to shoot him next turn, so it's up to Haphazard to save him! Haphazard decides the best course of action is to suppress the Floater to reduce its accuracy.

Alien turn.

Muton shoots Brackard at point blank for 6. That was expected.

The suppressed floater fires... and hits for 5 anyway! Brackard is killed!



Brian is sent in next turn to have another go with his arc thrower. This is the last arc thrower charge, so if he fails Sareln will just kill the muton.

He succeeds. Just the floater left. The squad takes a bunch of pot shots and misses. Haphazard suppresses again, and this time the floater decides to go into overwatch. Which isn't going to help it at all.



Next turn and a few more misses later Uberfish finally kills the annoying floater.

Results:



We got a Lieutenant sniper from the mission. Of course Brian then got assigned to the sniper class too.

Uberfish and Sareln were promoted. Sareln has a choice between the skill that gives you free reaction fire at close range and the one that gives you more crits at close range.

Ug somehow didn't manage to hit a single shot the entire mission

1 thin man and 1 muton were captured which also gave us some alien weapon samples. Also we unlocked some more OTS options.
Research is on experimental warfare at the moment because I figured we were about to capture and start interrogating aliens to give other tech bonuses.


Save

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19168036/xcom/save456

[haphazard1]

Nice work on the cost and spending calculations, Sareln. I guess two uplinks or uplink + nexus was just too much for this month. I was hoping we could manage it, but oh well. Maybe next month.

So we get the mission, and Brackard has the 'honor' of becoming our first casualty. Sorry, Brackard. Otherwise very nice work by Uberfish, dealing with our first mutons and bringing back two aliens alive.

What priority should we put on plasma weapons? Experiemental Warfare and the Foundry will give us some useful options, but it is more construction cost + power and then project costs. Maybe leave that until next month and see if we can complete coverage of Asia for the Future Warfare bonus?

I can probably play tonight, if we can decide on our research choices and planning. With mutons appearing we are probably due to see cyberdisks as well....

[uberfish]

We could actually finish SA for the bonus with one of our satellites and research/autopsy everything we capture then for free - so maybe going Muton - LPR now makes sense.

Given the panic situation we might also need to look at doing the alien base this month if we want to save all countries.