Eyes on FF Plays XCOM: Enemy Within!

[Christmas]

Hooray! I lived and promoted to an Assault!!

Iceglow won't mind dying for me. So no hard feelings.

[Pheesh]

Red and black is fine with me. I just can't wait till Hingle gets his support role.

[DK]

someone needs to sign up as "eeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeee" to give Hingle someone to roll with

[Iceglow]

I'll go for Squad Sight. I know it's been marginally neutered but frankly, what I remember of that ability is beastly.

[Skyblade]

+10 aim and defense on the higher ground please. I shouldn't be getting close enough to use a pistol in a post squad site world.

In Enemy Unknown, this would be true. However, there is a new mission type in Enemy Within, called Covert Operative missions. A soldier is selected to go on an infiltration mission into EXALT's bases. One soldier is sent away for a time, and then we get an extraction mission. Because the covert operative is going undercover, they only have a pistol during the extraction mission. A Gunslinger Sniper thus works very well as an undercover agent, because they keep the +2 damage boost. Snipers also get Low Profile, which is absolutely broken with Mimetic Skin, and ensures the agent can move pretty much anywhere invisibly. So Snipers are essentially the best covert agents, and Gunslinger helps with that. But, for main missions, Damn Good Ground is definitely better.

Alien Terror Attack in Moscow!
Which is great, because Russia was at Level 4 Panic. As long as we do well here, it will pull things back into shape as we finally get some more Satellite Uplinks set up.

We also finished researching two new armor types (Carapace and Skeleton), so take your pick. Do you want a grapple and extra movement, or more health?


For this mission, I'm changing things up slightly. First, in my haste to grab a fifth soldier, I forgot that Hingle was supposed to be a Support, so I grabbed the Assault version again. Sorry. Loony BoB and McCringleBerry are both getting Skeleton Armor, for the increased movement. Since I have a second item slot, I'm also adding in some new items. Psy is going to try out the Flashbang, as making Chryssalids move slower sounds awesome. Vivi and Hingle are also now carrying Reaper Rounds. Hingle's shotgun should work well with an extra crit chance boost. And I'm testing to see if the Reaper Rounds cripple the Sniper Rifle (unlike other weapons, the Sniper Rifle's range penalty increases as you get closer to an enemy, so Reaper Rounds shouldn't affect the long range shots).

-Operation Silent Summer-
Moscow, Russia
9:40 PM

The Skyranger touched down on the edge of a Russian military base.

We immediately spotted the first of a new breed of foes as McCringleBerry charged the left flank. Two insectoid creatures of unsettling appearance. Pairing up with Psy, McCringle managed to take one down, while the second retreated behind a crate, near a civilian. One tragic scream a few seconds later, and we knew that civilian was no more. The Chryssalid managed to attack Hingle as well, but the star's new armor managed to keep him alive through the hit. The poison the blow inflicted then finished him before anyone could react, however, putting another star out of the action (fortunately, poison death doesn't spawn zombies, or we'd be frelled). Psy managed to mow down the remaining Chryssalid as the civilian arose as a zombie. Turning his gun on the aberration, Psy tried to kill it again, but failed. Sensing his friend's trouble, Vivi swiftly repositioned around a tank, and snapped off a fatal shot with his pistol.

Ronnie and Loony BoB, meanwhile, went up the main stretch, encountering two Floaters along the way. BoB tried to shoot down the first one, but found the swift aerial target to be too much trouble. Vivi, however, supplied a helping hand by nabbing it with his Sniper Rifle.

The second Floater managed to get a shot off at Psy, before he was pulled down by the combined cross fire of Psy and BoB's heavy guns. Ronnie, meanwhile, began exploring the outer edge of the hangar facility to the rear of the base, encountering two more Floaters. His minigun tore the first from the air, while the second flew inside the building and began executing the civilians inside. The only one in a position to reach the Floater, Ronnie followed the alien inside and blew it apart with a hail of fire, ending the threat to the civilians.

MVP: Vivi, for catching two nice kills and utterly saving Psy's bacon from the zombie.

Wounds: Psy is out for 5 days for plasma burn treatment.

KIA: Hingle McCringleBerry, though it's really his own fault for coming along when he wasn't the correct class.

Promotions:
Vivi is promoted to Lieutenant.
Psy is promoted to Sergeant.
Ronnie Coleman is promoted to Sergeant.

So Ronnie now gets the choice of Vital Point Targeting, which increases damage against any foes we have autopsied by 2, or Damage Control, which reduces all damage by 2 for the rest of a turn after Ronnie takes damage (so, full damage once, then all remaining damage cut by 2 the rest of the turn). Another offense/defense option.

Psy gets the choice between Shredder Rockets, which do damage and make enemies take 33% more damage for 4 turns, or Suppression, which reduces enemy Aim by 30 and lets him take a reaction shot if they move.

And Vivi gets to choose between Battle Scanner, giving him a 2-use-per-battle device that reveals places outside Fog of War without alerting enemies, or Disabling Shot, which disables a foe's primary weapon until they reload.

We also got another Defender's Medal, because the fake Hingle died.


Vivi's promotion lets me purchase Rapid Recovery, but unfortunately it only applies to new wounds. So Psy is still out for 5 days, and Daley is still out for 8 more.

[Slothy]

Battle scanner has always served me well. Forgot they added those covert missions too. I picked up Enemy Within in the summer sale but haven't had the chance to play it yet.

Ah, just saw your rep notice. Slap gunslinger on me then. I'm already a badass sniper. Might as well be a badass spy too.

[DK]

do we autopsy? if so i'll go that. if you never bother with it, then go defense again!

i'm excited to get a rail gun, I hope that happens soon. rail guns are the best guns oh yes. mind you i also quite like being able to shred walls and holes in the roof to open up shots for everyone else. this robot body is awesome.

[Skyblade]

Oh, I definitely autopsy. In general, I'm a research obsessed maniac in most strategy games. Enemy Within made Autopsies even more important because they unlock most of the gene mods.

Anyway, another Council mission, this time from the Slingshot DLC.

-Operation Hidden Shroud-
-Friends in Low Places-
Shanghai, China


Our mission this time is to meet with a defecting member of the Chinese Triads, who is offering some alien technology for safe extraction. Our team meets up with him easily, and begins the exfiltration of the city.

Ronnie's Overwatch shots disintegrate the first Thin Man to drop into the combat zone, and Iceglow's Sniper Rifle eliminates the second. With the staging area clear and no Meld to seek out, our team begins an orderly procession to the Skyranger.

As our team advances, they spot another Thin Man, which BoB quickly eliminates. A fourth Thin Man drops into the area and is stopped by a close range blast from Christmas's Shotgun.

A Chryssalid is then spotted near the extraction zone. After Ronnie's Overwatch rounds tear into it, a second fire of minigun rounds puts an end to the insectoid menace.

As we finally reach the breakaway point, we find it guarded by a Thin Man and a Sectoid. The Thin Man falls to a shot from Vivi, who was still chilling with Iceglow near the mission start point, while BoB finished off the final Sectoid, clearing the way for the contact to reach the Skyranger.

MVP: Ronnie, for his masterful removal of the Chryssalid.

Wounds: None.

Promotions:
Ronnie is now a Lieutenant
Iceglow is now a Sergeant
Loony BoB is now a Corporal

Man, this mission was way too easy. Except for the Chryssalid, every enemy was a drop down, and their pacing is based on Zhang's progress through the map. No Meld means no reason to rush, and it is way too simple to just march through and kill everything immediately. At least we got some good promotions.

Iceglow can now make the choice between Gunslinger and Damn Good Ground.

Ronnie gets to choose between Jetboot Module, which lets him jump to any height, and One For All, which lets him turn into a chunk of High Cover for other soldiers until he moves or attacks.

BoB gets to choose between Bullet Swarm and Holo-Targeting. But he already picked Bullet Swarm, so we'll just go with that.


We also picked up the Council Medal of Honor, which we can customize to allow a +1 Bonus to Aim and Will for each mission we complete without losing a Soldier, up to +10 (I've lost track of where we're at, though). Or we can customize it to provide +10 Aim and +10 Crit Chance when the soldier to whom it is issued is at least seven tiles from any other squad members.

Additionally, we got a fourth Urban Combat Badge, which I believe caps us on those until we assign one of them. We really need to pick a power and name for it. Remember, that's +5 Aim when attacking enemies in cover, or +5 Defense when in cover yourself. Not huge either way, but worth having.

I think it would be a good idea to rename the medals as Ciddies. Urban Combat could become the "Cover Master Ciddie", or something similar.

Anyway, we just splashed a small UFO, which will be a good training opportunity, letting us get Hingle back up, though we might be able to find a Muton there. This mission was boring enough I'd like to do it soon, but there are several ability choices for people to make, so I'm going to hold off for a bit.

I also finished researching Light Plasma Rifles, so we can get those equipped onto some of our troops pretty quickly, at least those who can use standard rifle types. Which is Christmas, Daley, and Hingle, I think.

[Elite Lord Sigma]

Since Skyblade finally brought this to my attention I finally decided to look at my inbox for a change, I'm rejoining the cause.

Character Name: Connor MacLeod
Character Nickname: Sigma
Class: Support
Gender: Male
Customization: I'd like dark brown hair with a full beard, and I'd prefer my armor to be dark orange. If a golf/Paddy/Irish cap is available, please give me one.
Equipment: Skeleton Suit. Any other options I should know about?
Specialization: Genetic modifications, please. It seems Ronnie is doing well enough as a MEC trooper.

Abilities
Squaddie: Smoke Grenade (only option)
Corporal: Sprinter
Sergeant: Field Medic
Lieutenant: Rifle Suppression
Captain: Combat Drugs
Major: Deep Pockets (only option)
Colonel: Savior

Genetic Modifications
Brain: Neural Feedback
Eyes: Hyper Reactive Pupils
Chest: Secondary Heart (Seems appropriate from a flavor standpoint)
Skin: Mimetic Skin
Legs: Adaptive Bone Marrow

I have yet to play Enemy Within, so if anybody thinks an ability I've chosen is not optimal, please say so.

As for the Urban Combat Medal, I vote that it be named the EoFF Political Debate Ciddie, which should bestow +5 defense while in cover upon its bearer.

[Iceglow]

Gun slinger time baby

What? someone's gotta get prepared to save Vivi's ass or avenge him when he undoubtedly dies on his first covert op

[DK]

jetboots all day! we don't want static. we want mobility! also smurf yeah MVP.

i would personally go for the +5 to aim medal.

[Loony BoB]

Oh yeah: Gonna go with aim for the medals. I think we'll be outnumbering our opposition in a lot of the situations (and when that happens, aim > cover) and with MEC soldiers unable to get themselves into cover it makes it even less useful.

[Slothy]

Gun slinger time baby

What? someone's gotta get prepared to save Vivi's ass or avenge him when he undoubtedly dies on his first covert op

You're so sweet.

[Skyblade]

Ok, so I went ahead and applied the +5 Aim benefit to the Urban Combat Medal (which I realize I misread, it's actually +5 Aim when facing enemies in HIGH cover, not any cover). I also renamed it the EoFF Political Debate Ciddie, and I have awarded it to three of our soldiers.

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Loony BoB

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Vivi 22

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Ronnie Coleman (who didn't wear his hat for the ceremony, unfortunately)


With that out of the way, and the various decisions made, it's time for the next mission. As we splashed a small UFO, it's time for some Rookie action!

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-Operation Bloody Engine-
United States
6:29 PM

Our squad readied themselves for action. Another UFO shot down just a few miles from HQ. After the brief and uneventful flight on the Skyranger, we touched down in the hills and began looking for the crash site.

As Loony BoB advanced at the point position, he spotted two Seekers, who immediately dropped into stealth. Knowing what was coming, the entire rest of the squad lagged slightly behind, readying their weapons for the attack that was soon to come. Sure enough, the Seeker dropped out of stealth, ready to strangle Loony BoB, only to be enveloped in a volley of bullets and light plasma rounds from our ready troops (Light Plasma Rifles are done researching, so I equipped those we had). The second Seeker chose to remain hidden, for now, but our team was more than ready should he appear.

Our team, advancing cautiously, caught sight of two Floaters, who immediately tried to jump for cover within the downed vessel. Daley, however, had a clear shot, and one of the Floaters never made it to the safety of his vehicle (I LOVE the +10 Aim from Light Plasma rifles, we are so game-breaking at this point). The Seeker chose that distraction to reappear, but BoB's machine gun roared to life, and the tearing lead reduced the droid to scrap metal.

With the UFO in sight, Christmas advanced and shot down the second Floater, which was cowering against a console inside. Moving forward, Hingle scoped out the Outsider, and reduced it to glowing ash, completing the mission.

MVP: Daley, for that fantastic Overwatch shot. It threaded between two rocks and over a downed tree, this perfect little window to strike the Floater. Otherwise, everyone got one kill, so all even?

Wounds: None

Promotions: Hingle to Sniper. Starting a new one, leaving Hingle in case something happens to one of our Snipers.

We also got an International Service Cross, giving us 2. We still need to decide on what to name it and what power to give it, though.

Sorry for the lack of updates (and rather boring one this time). Had to write a paper for class. With that done, I should be able to pick back up slightly.

[Pheesh]

This game is trolling me with the lack of support class now D: Maybe rename the international service cross something to do with Eyes on the World and I vote we go for the +10 aim mostly because I don't know what will does.