Eyes on FF Plays XCOM: Enemy Within!

[Iceglow]

More Iceglow action!

[Psychotic]

I want to shock some bitches. Electro-pulse me up!

[Skyblade]

While the MEC choices were made, Daley, Psy, and Ronnie all have ability choices to make.

2014-07-23_00003.jpg

Huh. The Zebra print wasn't as bad as I thought.

-Operation Defiant Sword-
Russia
Nighttime
Daley, Psy, Ronnie, Vivi, Hingle, and BoB.


Demon-3, the Firestorm we have stationed in Europe, was sent to intercept a Large Scout class vessel. Closing to range with negligible damage, the new Firestorm performed admirably, and its EMP cannon successfully took down the ship.

The Skyranger transferred our strike team to the area, and our forces immediately started scouting for foes and Meld.

Hingle took point, his Mimetic skin allowing him to sprint far ahead without fear of discovery or reprisal. BoB followed suit when Hingle spotted nothing, hoping his spidey senses would pick up any foes beyond the standard line of sight. But with nothing detected save some large mechanical noises in the background, our troops had no choice but to advance.

They split into two groups to better scout the terrain. Hingle led Ronnie along, while BoB led Daley and Psy. Vivi lagged behind, trying to find the best location from which to get a good vantage point.

First contact finally came as Hingle circled around the UFO. He spotted two Sectoids flanking a new foe. It appeared that the aliens copied our MEC suits, and had crafted a vastly inferior version and put it around one of their Sectoids.

Not wanting to alert the new foes unnecessarily, Ronnie pulled up behind Hingle, making sure to stay behind the wall of the UFO as he readied for the pummeling that was sure to come. The enemy's patrol path took them away from our troops. While a grenade was an option, and would certainly eliminate the Sectoids, it would also alert the new foe, who would likely survive. Instead, Ronnie sought to try out his new toy, and lobbed a proximity mine directly into the middle of the group of enemies, while Hingle went into Overwatch, still invisible.

Sure enough, the enemies decided to continue their patrol, only to have it gloriously cut short in a blast that eliminated both Sectoids, and did substantial damage to the new MEC-driving Sectoid (which Ronnie decided to call a Mechtoid). Hingle's Overwatch shot missed, however, and two Seekers caught the explosion and immediately went into stealth mode.

Ronnie's Particle Beam ripped the Mechtoid's armor to shreds, while Hingle's next shot finished off the over-encumbered Sectoid.

As Psy, BoB, and Daley continued an utterly uneventful exploration of the alien craft, Ronnie's Overwatch beam tore the first Seeker from the sky before it could choke Daley. However, a Cyberdisc soon floated into view, accompanied by two small Drones that we had not seen before. The Cyberdisc opened up, displaying a host of weaponry, and stood ready to fire.

BoB detected an Outsider within the heart of the alien craft. Not wanting to waste time, Psy just lobbed a grenade in and called it a day (normally, I wouldn't bother, but there's an achievement to get for killing a foe detected by Mimetic Skin that you can't otherwise see, and that was the easiest way to get it).

Hingle's reaction fire tore down the first Drone. Ronnie ran past the Cyberdisc, drawing some Overwatch fire that did nothing except further tear apart the crashed UFO. He then leveled his Particle Cannon at the Cyberdisc and unloaded into it, which caused it to collapse from its unfurled form back into the familiar disc. Despite the extra protection of this form, Hingle's plasma rounds managed to finish it off, leaving just the sole Drone remaining.

Vivi, cursing his inability to get a clear shot at anything (since Ronnie stole the Seeker Reaction Fire kill), tried for a long range pistol Overwatch on the Drone, but missed. The Drone then settled into place, charged a beam, and fired it at Ronnie. Ronnie was not impressed (1 damage. Ronnie has 24 HP at this point).

Sensing an opportunity, Daley ran through the craft and secured a point blank shot on the Drone, earning himself a much-needed promotion.

While everyone else was wondering why the mission wasn't over, Psy stood stock still, Particle Cannon pointing across the map. When the second Seeker (seriously, what took this guy so long?!) came back into view, it was annihilated almost immediately.


MVP: Ronnie. For excellent use of weapons at hand to eliminate a number of foes, and wound others so that the rest of the team could get kills.

Wounds: Ronnie needs to get his armor polished after that last fight. Demon-3 was repaired before the Skyranger even made it back to base.

Promotions:
Hingle was promoted to Captain.
Ronnie was promoted to Major.
BoB was promoted to Major, earning him Will to Survive.
Daley was promoted to Lieutenant.
Psy was promoted to Captain.

Hingle gets to choose between Dense Smoke, which makes Smoke Grenades add +40 to Defense instead of +20, or Combat Drugs, which make Smoke Grenades add +20 Will and +10% Crit chance instead.

Ronnie needs to choose between Repair Servos and Expanded Storage, then he'll get Overdrive immediately (which lets him fire his weapon and then take a second action, as long as he doesn't move first).

Psy gets to choose between Jumpjets or the ability to become a lump of cover, then make the Repair Servos/Expanded Storage choice.

Daley needs to choose between Aggression or Tactical Sense, Lightning Reflexes or Close and Personal, and Flush or Rapid Fire. He also needs to choose a nickname.


We also got another Council Medal of Honor, taking us to 2. We need to decide names and effects for some of these. The EoFF Political Debate Ciddie is getting lonely.



Also, if you want gene mods, let me know. I have enough people that we can afford to take the time to install them (I had to leave Christmas from this one, and Iceglow is serving as a Covert Op on a cell we uncovered in China).

[DK]

pretty sure I posted before to give me expanded storage, home boy, maybe you missed a page or something? dunno if anyone else made any choices but I think I did.

also hell yes that is some sexy ass zebra stripe and also MVP action. can't stop Meaty Thigh (tho perhaps Metal Thigh would be more appropriate)

[Loony BoB]

Ronnie was not impressed.

You don't smurf with Ronnie. And 1 damage? It's like poking a hungry tiger in the jungle.

[Pheesh]

Umm, I'm not sure which skill to pick really, we don't seem to use smoke grenades very often. I think I'll go for the +crit chance one, just because no one ever seems to be in danger of dying so defense be damned, and it could be fun to throw one in front of Ronnie before he shoots some alien in the face.

[Skyblade]

Umm, I'm not sure which skill to pick really, we don't seem to use smoke grenades very often. I think I'll go for the +crit chance one, just because no one ever seems to be in danger of dying so defense be damned, and it could be fun to throw one in front of Ronnie before he shoots some alien in the face.

Truthfully, at this point (and on this Difficulty level) we're pretty much invulnerable until Sectopods and Ethereals show up. There are a few upcoming missions that might give us some trouble, once EXALT starts fielding Laser Weapons, just because of the numbers in which we face them. And once we capture the alien base, we have the base defense mission to worry about, which is going to be a royal pain, because that's just how it is.

That said, I rarely use Smoke Grenades, just because I find them very situational. I usually find I'm better off using Suppression (which imposes an Aim penalty of 30 on enemies, which is superior to the 20 Defense from the grenades) or actually trying to eliminate a foe if I'm facing multiples. Smoke Grenades are most useful when I run into two groups of powerful foes at the same time, and I simply don't have the ability to tip the scales much in direct combat.

Most dangerous foes we have to look out for upcoming are Heavy Floaters, Muton Elites, Sectopods, Ethereals, and Mechtoids. I'm not sure why, but enemy progression has seemed somewhat slow. I honestly expected Mechtoids to show up about a month earlier (they're a new foe to Enemy Within, so I'm not entirely sure when they show up). This slow enemy progression has just made things way easier, as it let us overpower our foes with superior technology (as I said plasma before EXALT even gets lasers). We've kind of hit the stall point on technology, though, so we're just waiting for foes to catch up.

Combat Drugs will be helpful, though. Because Sectoid Commanders, and especially Ethereals, have a habit of trying to Mind Control our troops. And MEC soldiers can't carry Psi shields or get genetically engineered to resist it. +Will can help make sure that Ronnie doesn't get mind controlled.

[Skyblade]

-Operation Hot Ring-
China
10:47 PM
Vivi, BoB, Christmas, Ronnie, Psy, Hingle, and Iceglow (as a covert operative)


While performing his covert investigations into an EXALT cell operating in China, Iceglow uncovered a force of EXALT operatives moving in to his location. Despite not having collected all of the information XCOM needed, Iceglow knew he needed to call in the main team while he finished his task.

Iceglow immediately took full advantage of his Mimetic Skin to advance on the first of two communications relays that he needed to hack to finish extracting the intel. He spotted three EXALT agents, but his new cloaking ability meant that they didn't even realize he was there.

They did notice as Ronnie charged into the fray, however, laying a Proximity mine at their feet while Vivi moved into a covering fire position.

Not wanting to waste time, Psy launched a more conventional grenade into the group of foes. This explosion, while not enough to kill the EXALT forces, also detonated the proximity mine, which finished them off (5 damage from Alien Grenade, 8 from Proximity mine).

Moving closer to his first hacking objective, Iceglow saw another trio of foes. Managing to avoid direct contact this time, Ronnie laid another proximity mine, while the rest of the team moved up to support positions, waiting for the boom to start the show.

Unfortunately they were disappointed, as the first movement by the agents detonated the mine, but none survived the blast (I misread their HP, thought they had 9, they had 8 >.<).

There was then a group vote to ban Ronnie from using more Proximity Mines until the rest of the team got some kills.

As Iceglow finally got into position near the first transmitter, two EXALT agents jumped onto the boat the transmitter was located on. Unfortunately, one of them was in clear view of five of the team. The entire team was also on Overwatch.

That poor agent out of the way, Vivi proceeded to take down the second foe with a clean shot. Iceglow hit the transmitter, and the rest of the team broke up and began taking spaced out positions around the docks to watch for any new oncoming forces.

Moving on to the roof of the main loading warehouse, Iceglow hit the second communication relay with no incident, and started legging it back to the Skyranger. Two EXALT agents then dropped onto the roof with him, however, and he had no higher cover left to conceal him until he got down. This wasn't a problem, however, as Christmas happened to be on the roof as well, and quickly introduced the first foe to her might Alloy Cannon. Iceglow himself decided to show off his Gunslinger ability by blasting the remaining EXALT agent for lethal damage (With a non-crit pistol shot. Woohoo!).

As Iceglow neared the Skyranger, two more EXALT operatives strolled onto the field, with one getting torn down by BoB's reaction fire before he could even register the situation he was in. Hingle couldn't get in position to eliminate the second foe, and Vivi already had to kills, so BoB decided to just keep firing, and mowed down the second one as well.

With no more foes remaining, Iceglow jumped into the Skyranger, successfully delivering the intel.

MVP: Ronnie, for being a glory hog with his Proximity Mines.

Wounds: None

Promotions: Iceglow is now a Major, earning him Low Profile (and making his Mimetic Skin become utterly broken beyond belief)

Information Acquired: The EXALT base is East of the Atlantic Ocean.

Boring mission, but we're about to get one that is far more interesting. We have the Council calling us to investigate an incident in Newfoundland. A fishing village has gone dark, and no word has come from the initial investigators.

Also, I believe we're at our max count on Defender's Medals. Could we get a vote on name and ability? It removes chance to panic when allies die, or increases HP restored by Medkits by 2.

[Elite Lord Sigma]

For the Defender's Medal bonus, I think the medkit health restoration boost is more useful, because the risk of anybody panicking on this team is quite low as it is. Furthermore, it's looking quite unlikely that anybody important will die unless I get introduced to the squad. I don't think this is a huge decision either way, so I'd be all right with either choice.

As for the name, I suggest that we call it the Eyes on the World Ciddie; we're all looking out for each other in this game.

From the description of that last mission, it's going to suck. I've heard horror stories about the events at that village.

[Psychotic]

Kickin' ass! Jump jets, repair servos, and no panic please!

[Skyblade]

I have been planning to introduce a new Squaddie or two, just to add some tension, but I know this mission, and it's too awesome to not take our best.

-Operation Bleeding Serpent-
St. John's, Canada
6:56 PM
Vivi, Ronnie, BoB, Christmas, Iceglow, Psy.



We set down on the outskirts of the village docking area. Christmas and BoB started moving through the buildings, clearing them out room by room, looking for any hostiles or survivors.

Iceglow immediately jumped to a roof, snickering at Vivi who had to use a grapple to get that high. Both snipers were alert and clear minded, trying to find the best position from which to scope out the majority of the village.

Ronnie and Psy immediately head down to the lower dock levels, investigating the barges and crates at the water's edge.


A Chryssalid zombie burst out of the building Iceglow was sitting on, walking out into the open. Intent on getting a clear shot at the foe, BoB opened the door to the main room of the building he was in, revealing a second zombie inside.

Not to be dissuaded from his current target, BoB revved up his new Heavy Plasma repeater and blew the first zombie apart. Christmas introduced the second one to her Alloy Cannon (double 15 damage crits, woohoo), shredding the former civilian.


Knowing that we were facing Chryssalids, and potentially an entire town of zombies, our forces steeled themselves further. They knew they had to hunt out the source of this infestation, and burn it out.

As we advanced through the town, Psy spotted a shark hanging on a fisherman's hook. It seemed to be quivering somewhat. Mere moments later, the shark burst, exploding into a fountain of blood as a new Chryssalid burst from its remains. Ronnie, who had taken a ready stance, burned the beast down with his Particle Cannon. But we doubted one shark was the source of this problem. There was plenty more marine life scattered around the village, after all.

As the one member of the team with absolutely no fear of Chryssalids, Christmas rushed forward as far as she could (she has an Alloy Cannon, Titan Armor, Chitin Plating, a S.C.O.P.E., and Close Quarters Specialist, she's a beast against these guys). Her bravery was swiftly put to the test, as she caught sight of three Chryssalids and another zombie. Iceglow had a bead on the zombie, and put the unfortunate villager to rest. Vivi drilled the first Chryssalid in line.

BoB was too far behind to get a shot or even a good Blaster Bomb shot off, but Psy moved back upstairs and eliminated the second Chryssalid with his Particle Cannon. Ronnie remained on the lower floor, leaving the last Chryssalid to its own devices. It charged straight at Christmas, catching a Close Combat reaction shot to the face.

As Psy backed up the team up top, he spotted another Zombie down near Ronnie. Vivi attempted to take it out with a sniper shot, but left it barely alive. Ronnie decided to charge up and pummel the creature, only to uncover two more Chryssalids, who charged right up next to him. Unwilling to risk the dangerous position he had placed himself in, Ronnie changed tactics, dropping a Proximity Mine on the trio. The Zombie smashed heavily into Ronnie's shiny new Paladin MEC, but then the Chryssalid behind him attempted to close with Ronnie, and all three foes went up in a blast of pyrotechnics.

With those foes eliminated, Ronnie continued his advance. As he did so, he spotted a massive derelict whaling vessel that looked to have been run aground rather than docked. The sides of it were gaping open, and our forces detected a foul stench wafting from the interior. It seems we had found the source of the Chryssalids.

Christmas, still scoffing disdain at the thought that the Chryssalids could harm her, immediately breached the vessel, but noted no foes in the immediate vicinity. Ronnie continued up the side of the vessel, reloading his weapon to prepare for his own breach. A nearby zombie chose not to wait for him to prepare, and began shambling towards him, but Psy eliminated it with a long range reaction shot to cover his MEC buddy.

As Christmas charged towards the rear of the craft, she spotted a whale that seemed half mutated into a host of Chryssalid eggs. It seemed the whale was serving as a massive host spawning ground for the Chryssalids. We didn't have enough heavy ordinance to eliminate the whale ourselves however (Really? I have a Blaster Launcher, which is literally a miniature fusion bomb launcher). We needed to call in an airstrike. To do that, we'd need to use the ship's transponder to home the strike in. However, the whale was still constantly spawning Chryssalids.

Not wanting to see any step forth, Ronnie dropped a Proximity Mine to cover as much of the whale's body as he could. BoB began moving to the transponder controls, while Psy, Vivi, and Iceglow continued to try to provide cover.

The first new Chryssalid burst from the creature's head, but was in perfect view of Christmas's Alloy Cannon. One smooth blow shredded the creature before it could even move. A second Chryssalid burst out of the whale's tail, but Iceglow caught it with a shot before it could threaten the team. Ronnie laid more proximity mines, covering the beast's head and the far side of it, while Psy ripped open the side of the ship further to ensure that Vivi could get a clear shot of any other Chryssalids that spawned.

The next Chryssalid jumped out of the whale, straight into the proximity mine Ronnie had prepared, being blown to smithereens before it could even hit the ground. Ronnie dropped his final mine back where the last one had detonated, hoping to get as much coverage as he could.

Another Chryssalid burst from the whale's head, detonating the mine Ronnie had placed there. The blast, however, also caught the mine Ronnie had just laid down, leaving but one mind remaining.

BoB finally hit the transponder, and a countdown began ticking until the village was leveled by our airstrike and the threat eliminated. Our objective became to get the hell out of there, without falling prey to the Chryssalids that would continue to spawn from the whale.

Christmas stayed in the trailing position. With Run and Gun and her other perks, she still had the least to fear from the insectoid foes. Ronnie and Psy pulled back and went to Overwatch. Vivi and Iceglow were already far back, ready to take Squadsight shots at any Chryssalids who approached. BoB dropped to the ground and legged it for the exit.

As our forces began an earnest retreat, three more Chryssalids emerged. One jumped right into the midst of the remaining proximity mine, though we heard no explosion. A second burst from a shark hanging up in the whaling ship, and a third revealed itself in a shark we had passed in the village earlier in the mission, though that one didn't last long before the firepower of Vivi and Iceglow.

BoB took his chance to fire on the remaining visible Chryssalid, then continued his rush for the exit (yay, Bullet Storm, I totally forgot about it), trusting the mine to eliminate the final foe.

However, two more Chryssalids burst from the whale, and we still heard no boom. Not wasting time to worry about it however, our forces continued their tactical repositioning. A new Chryssalid emerged from another shark, and Ronnie took a second to eliminate it. Our snipers finally reached the point where they needed to retreat as well, and Vivi and Iceglow began sprinting for the Skyranger.

As another Chryssalid came into view, Christmas's long range reaction shot went wide, and it and a second set down beneath the stairs, blocking themselves from line of sight. But not from BoB's Mimetic Skin, nor his Blaster Launcher. Finally getting the opportunity to use his new toy, BoB fired a guided shot that took out the stairs and plenty of crates, as well as eliminating both Chryssalids. Their way back into the village may have been blocked, but the team didn't plan on going back anyway.

Vivi was the first to make it to safety, with Ronnie and Psy shortly behind. Iceglow remained in a position to cover the main path Christmas and BoB were on, and Christmas stayed next to BoB to ensure his explosive fun didn't get him jumped. Iceglow was next into the Skyranger, with BoB and Christmas bringing up the rear.


Mission Accomplished.

MVP: Christmas, for good positioning, and excellent use of the ultimate anti-Chryssalid build.

Wounded: None

Promotions: None

25 kills and no promotions (still, less than the 33 kills that is my max from that mission). Thank goodness for MECs, as Ronnie was in a lot of trouble with those three heavy hitters on him. That was an ingenious use of the proximity mine, if I do say so myself (it literally blew up right in his face, but he was just outside the blast radius).

Yeah, I didn't want to run Squaddies on a mission that awesome. Next time, maybe?

[Loony BoB]

That sounded rather epic. Glad we all made it out in one piece, excellent work.

[Pheesh]

Yeah, that was a really good read. Nicely done!

[Slothy]

All kinds of actual fishing villages in Newfoundland and they choose the city of 200,000 people. Well done Firaxis.

[Psychotic]

Sounds like one hell of a war went down. Good stuff!