X-Com UFO Defense

[Kastev]

Can't believe there isn't a thread about this under Classic Games!

 

Or, at least using the search terms under topic titles: XCom, UFO Defense, or X-Com

 

So, let's go! Anyone else here played this classic, and completely awesome game from the early 90's?

 

For those who haven't played it, the game was a squad-management / turn-based game, where you had to defend the world against hostile alien invaders by building and managing bases world-wide, while intercepting UFO's, capturing alien technology, and eventually making a raid against the aliens homeworld.

 

While there were a good number of sequels, the original is definitely considered the best in the series with Terror from the Deep coming in a close second. Though that game is near impossible to complete on the highest difficulty. Never before have I played a game with such a steep learning curve and high difficulty.

 

So, let's talk X-Com!

[humanbean234]

A favorite series of mine; I've got all three on my laptop and still play with them on occasion (Yay, DosBox!), and they still entertain. UFO Defense(aka Enemy Unknown) was the reason behind my first computer purchase, and Apocalypse drove me nuts trying to beat it on Superhuman setting.

 

I eventually developed a strategy that involved using a hex editor to tweek personnel stats (nothing worse than getting an agent with terrific physical stats, assigning them the rocket-launcher, and then discovering they've got the Psi-resistance of a bowl of tapioca on the first turn of the assault while everybody's still inside the lander), and then using a LOT of saved-games to rewind the action if something went horribly wrong.

[LHammonds]

Great game...or a great time waster (however you like to view it).

 

I really liked it when you get the bigger craft that allows the max number of puny humans to go on a mission...it was like taking an army. The primary reason I did this was to make sure I got the most XP for the most humans as possible. Although the sonic attacks were very irritating. If it were moddable, I would have added a tin foil hat as wearable item for all my crew to block sonic attacks. hehehe.

 

Apocalypse was fun having a realtime option to it. Seems to be much more leisurely during missions (not having to count footsteps was great)

 

I think I spent more time in the pre-mission item-selection screen than the actual missions though.

 

LHammonds

[Kastev]

Great game...or a great time waster (however you like to view it).

 

I really liked it when you get the bigger craft that allows the max number of puny humans to go on a mission...it was like taking an army. The primary reason I did this was to make sure I got the most XP for the most humans as possible. Although the sonic attacks were very irritating. If it were moddable, I would have added a tin foil hat as wearable item for all my crew to block sonic attacks. hehehe.

 

Apocalypse was fun having a realtime option to it. Seems to be much more leisurely during missions (not having to count footsteps was great)

 

I think I spent more time in the pre-mission item-selection screen than the actual missions though.

 

LHammonds

 

Yeah, once you got an Avenger craft, the game was pretty much easy-mode. Though I was kinda weird in all the games I played. Would always load up the max number of tanks I could take along. Whether it was rocket tanks in the beginning, or plasma/launcher tanks towards the end, I'd always use those more than actual people. Those things were damn-near indestructible, at least with my experience. Had a plasma tank take 9 shots with a heavy plasma at point blank range, and just shrug that poo off.

 

And psi attacks... god damn they were a pain until you could start building psi-labs and build up resistance to psi attacks. I remember with one playthrough, I had just finished heavy plasma research, and was forced to do a night-terror mission with Ethereals, while I still only had personal armor and laser rifles. And of course, they decide to mind control that one guy I have in the back of the ship with a rocket launcher...

[Cliffworms]

And of course, they decide to mind control that one guy I have in the back of the ship with a rocket launcher...

 

And so, after firing a missile or two at your men, your new recruit goes berzerk and starts shooting friends and foe alike while a sergeant drops his weapon, turns a corner and gets shot by an alien. Your highest ranked soldier is then isolated behind enemy lines with few morale left, hiding behind a window. Good times indeed! :D

 

After Daggerfall, X-Com is my favourite game I've played. Battles take me around 30min - 1hour to complete, sometimes even 1h30. :P

2 years ago, I bought myself an old Windows 98 computer and use it only to play my old school games, long forgotten when I changed to XP.

 

I must admit that I've never went far in UFO Defense, because I suffer the "Let's start a new game and do it this way instead" syndrome. But it's always a real pleasure each time I load it up. Time doesn't exist while I play, and I sometimes end up seeing the sun rising outside before I realize how much night time I spent on it. :D

 

Naming my soldiers after friends and relatives is always fun. Of course, when you name every soldier with someone you know, you have more chance to regret their deaths. Because, afterall, who cares if a "Denis Tabanov", "Paul Richer" or "John Smith" dies in battle? :P

[shadowmadnezz]

And so, after firing a missile or two at your men, your new recruit goes berzerk and starts shooting friends and foe alike while a sergeant drops his weapon, turns a corner and gets shot by an alien. Your highest ranked soldier is then isolated behind enemy lines with few morale left, hiding behind a window. Good times indeed! :D

 

lol, I cant rememeber how manytimes a rookie drops an armed high explosive while surrounded by his own allies, killing them all. One time I only had one survivor left, he went berzerk adn started shooting all over the place randomly. Shot the final alien and i beat the mission lol.

 

I hated those black aliens that were the pets for the snake men, I forget their names. Infected people, turning them into zombie bums in tight pajamas. then after you do enough damage to them they would turn into the black aliens lol. hardest thing to kill next to them Big ass great ape aliens. I havent played the game in so long, my brother has it somewhere on his harddrive but I havent seen him in weeks, i would love to play it again

[overload1977]

i only played X-COM Enemy Unknown and X-COM Terror from the Deep i finished Terror from the Deep and got the good ending never played the others

 

# X-COM: Apocalypse (1997)

# X-COM: Interceptor (1998)

 

one day you never know we may get a new one

[SBJuthberg]

It's lost and found to me :)

 

been playing it for the last couple of months now, with Xcomutil by Scott Jones http://sites.google.com/site/stjones/xcomutil

 

Can make the game both easier and harder (permanent Night or Day, randomized UFO-floorplans among many other things)

Still incredibly fun and, at times, frustrating :P

 

Not alot of modding (that I have found) for it though besides Xcomutil. I have not yet tried any of the suggested scenarios for X-com.

 

Single Base on Hawaii, Tech-aversion, Bean-counter, Super-Antarctic Challenge etc. I think that Neo-pacifist must be the hardest though. Not being allowed to kill any aliens. (Using Proxy-grenades is allowed though, since the alien has the choice of standing still, hence that counts as aliens "suiciding" if they blow themselves up.

[Bashur]

I've had this game for years and years, but I never actually got around to playing it. I recently gave it a shot, and man was I mad at myself for not playing it sooner! It's amazing, and I love it!

[Dark0ne]

To this day still the best games ever made. Nothing comes close to its depth, class and style.

 

First played UFO: Defense back when it was released and thought it was the best game ever. Then I played Apocalypse, and that became the best game ever. Lots of people dump on Apocalypse but the real-time combat was an absolute life-saver. There's only so many hour and a half missions you can do before you get burnt out. Apocalypse cuts the combat time down to a more casual pace; 5 - 20 minutes so that you don't come back from one mission and then find there's another one to do and just go "screw it...someone else can save this lot, I want to do some R&D!".

 

New X-COM game in the works but prepare to be disappointed; it's a first-person game. I cannot put in to writing how insulting and disastrous this is for me. For those not faint of heart, the trailer is on this site. Looks shockingly bad.