Skyblade's Eyes on XCOM Signups

[Skyblade]

Right now we have more Assaults, Ronnie, BoB, Balls, and a backup. Our Heavies are just Psy and Shun.

But BoB has been using Assault Rifles most of the time, so he's already equipped with plasma.

Heavies have the lowest accuracy of all the classes in the game, and tend to be used more as support soldiers, and since their support effects (rockets, holo-targeting, suppression) work regardless of the weapon damage, its probably better to pick up the alloy cannons first. Suppression and Mayhem is the biggest benefit to picking up Heavy Plasma, and we don't have someone who can use that combo yet.

[Jiro]

Good to see I am reckless as smurf. That's the only way to be now! Sad to see the two Rooks go down, but we'll avenge them!

[Loony BoB]

Heavies have the lowest accuracy of all the classes in the game, and tend to be used more as support soldiers, and since their support effects (rockets, holo-targeting, suppression) work regardless of the weapon damage, its probably better to pick up the alloy cannons first. Suppression and Mayhem is the biggest benefit to picking up Heavy Plasma, and we don't have someone who can use that combo yet.

I love how differently we play! My 'best team' consisted of three heavies, a support and two snipers. My heavies could destroy anything, though. Sod accuracy, two shots per turn makes up for that, and rockets are my best friend (sniper outside UFO + rocket to the side of the UFO = All problems solved).

[Skyblade]

I probably should have just let this stay dead, but I can't, it's preying on my mind too much to let it go without some closure.

I have to explain why I've given up on this, and apologize to you guys for quitting.

The answer, in short, is extremely simple: I no longer find the game fun. As to why I no longer find the game fun, that's a bit more complicated.

Although it took a lot of thought and consideration, I do think I've figured out what about this game has given me so much problems.

Have you ever seen this graph before?


It's a graph of the excitement and action of Star Wars. It follows the ups and downs of the action as it builds to the climax.

It's also, in my mind, one of the ideal curves for a difficult game. And it is a curve that this game completely eschews. The difficulty curve for XCOM is pretty much a straight line, building up and up and up. There is never a down curve, never a time to catch your breath.

One might think that the strategic layer would be a rest point, but it isn't, for a couple of reasons. First, because it is, if anything, even more demanding than the tactical game in terms of how much freedom and break time you get. Second, because it offers little to no time spent in it.

The game is persistent in its difficulties and endeavors. No matter what you do, how you play, the game keeps pushing, and pushing. You can't catch your breath in the strategic layer, because in a minute or so, another tacitcal mission pops up. No matter what.

You can't skip a mission, or you're screwed. You can't skip a terror mission, or you're really screwed. Even inside a mission. You can't mess around, even for a turn, or the game turns around and chews you up and spits you out. It is so relentlessly unforgiving that, even though in terms of pure difficulty it's not "hard" all the time, the end is always so close that you can't slip up.

You can't relax with XCOM. You can't take a break or a breather, you can't mess around. You start out three or four steps behind, and that continues into the rest of the game. Even at the endgame, you're always just a move or two away from failure. If you mess up, a soldier dies. And a soldier is 1/6th of your team, and took hours upon hours to train. If you lose two soldiers, you might lose an entire squad. Lose a mission, and it could cost you a country.

The game just doesn't let you play it, it demands your skill and attention constantly.

I really want to play and enjoy this game. There's a part of me that comes home and goes "I want to start it up and mess around for a bit". "Look at how well we're doing, with the sat coverage, and the tech and training, this'll be fun". But then the rest of me says "Yeah, until we get a battleship or terror mission which is going to keep me keyed up and demanding my attention for the next three hours", and I wind up closing it back down again.

It's too forceful, too high pressure, for too long. It burnt out its fun, and it's not going to get it back for a long time. I play games to enjoy them, to have fun, and, especially at this time of year with all the crazy stuff happening, to relax. And XCOM does not let you do that.



I'm really sorry, guys. I know you were all enjoying this. The competition, the interaction, the progress, it was great to watch you all getting into it. But I stopped enjoying it. As much as I loved writing the summaries (although I wish there were more attacks availible to the aliens, it got a bit repetitive), I came to loathe the missions, especially the long ones. And I know, from experience, that they just get longer the farther you get. We're only a third of the way through the mission. We have the Base Assault, Battleships, and Psi Training left to go. It's just too overwhelming, too much pressure. And it's not fun for me.

So, as I said, it's basically over. I'm not going to come back to this game for probably another four or five months. And I didn't want to let you guys down, but I need to admit, to you guys and myself, that I couldn't keep this going. I needed to explain why, so that I'm not afraid of posting for fear of someone asking me where this is or when the next update is. I just can't bring myself to play it again. It's too intense.

If anyone knows how to transfer save files (or if they can be transferred), I'll happily let one of you take over. Otherwise, well, the Commander has given up. The aliens can have the Earth until March or April.

[Jiro]

It's understandable man. It was good fun while it lasted, don't get so down on yourself!

[ShunNakamura]

While I will miss reading the updates I know where you are coming from. It has happened to me this past week as well.

[Iceglow]

Burning out due to a game being so hard it's difficult to relax is common it's cool. Whilst some people (Milf/Pike) might love that kind of demand on their systems (they aren't human ffs) most of us want to have a life so yeah understandable to give up. Though can we all blame the true perpetrator here in this thread? I mean clearly, this thread has been Marrick'd and he should take the blame for having posted in it.