So, my last XCOM Let's Play was very successful, but I had to quit it due to stressing over the strategic game too much, to the point that I basically psyched myself out of playing for fear of getting a Game Over. This would have been especially bad, since the Let's Play was basically focusing on the tactical game, and you can only actually lose on the strategic level, so it wouldn't even have been that interesting of a loss.

Still, after picking up the expansion pack, Enemy Within, I've decided to give it another go. They have tweaked the strategic game to make it easier (mostly by introducing alternatives to Abduction missions, which are the only things that can really screw you over), they've tweaked the tactical game to make it harder, and they have added a host of new features that will allow for even greater interactivity with the forum members taking part. There are more weapon options (EXALT weaponry looks awesome, pity they don't get Plasma). There are more appearance options. And there are more ability and specialization options.

I'm also quite willing to cheat for resources to take the edge off if it starts to wear on me again, because, as I said, it's the tactical game that's the focus of the Let's Play, and how our brave EoFFers do on the field of battle.


At this point, I'll be accepting sign ups again, so feel free to post.Anyone who shows interest will be given a soldier to customize how they see fit. You can put as much or as little effort into it as you please. Take note, however, that the more interest you show in the playthrough, the more likely your soldier is to be used on a mission.

As the missions progress, I will offer summaries of combat, details of character deaths, promotions, kills, and MVP status for each mission.




What follows is a brief list of things I will offer you control over during this playthrough:

Character name
Character nickname
Class
Gender
Customization
Equipment
Specialization (MEC Soldier or Genetically Engineered)
Abilities
Genetic Modifications
MEC Loadout

Show an interest, and you'll get a Soldier. But you can provide all of the above if you so desire.




A detailed explanation follows:



---Character name: The game allows customization of first and last name, and spaces are allowed if you want to set up middle names (provided they aren't too long).



---Character nickname: Upon promotion to Sergeant, your fellow troopers award your character a nickname. This too can be changed to what you desire. In combat, it's displayed above a character's name, in the Barracks, it's displayed between the first and last name, as in Skyblade "nickname" Darkstar (and, yes, the quotes are included, so you can't just use it as a middle name).



---Character class: Each Recruit is randomly assigned a class, which is not revealed until that Recruit is promoted to the first rank (Squaddie). I'm quite willing to burn through Rookies until we find a class that fits you, but until we get the automatic promotion, it may take a battle or two to find a unit of a particular class.


The Classes availible are:
- Sniper - My personal favorite, devoted to dealing death from long range. It is also the class most likely to use pistols, as the main Sniper Rifle deals less damage as enemies get closer, and cannot be fired after moving (unless you grab a particular perk, which I'll cover later). So the Snipers will likely switch to their sidearm if enemies get too close or they get a really good flanking opportunity. But, in general, they'll be in the rear, nailing things from a distance.

- Support - Don't let the name or Medkit perks fool you, Support is far more than just a medic. One of the most versatile classes, Support has access to smoke grenades (which act as extra cover, and can be buffed with higher ranks), improved medkits, and improved Overwatch and Suppression, which are some of the most tactically versatile abilities in the game. You can play as a medic if you want, but Fire Support is an important job, and these guys are fantastic at it.

- Heavy - The demolitions expert. This guy is the primary area of effect damage dealer. Three main focuses are rockets, grenades, and Suppression. While Support gets a more versatile Suppression, Heavies can get a more powerful version, and can buff it to affect more enemies. They also have the ability to wield rockets, dealing heavy damage and destroying cover, as well as expanding the number of grenades they carry and the range of said grenades.

- Assault - The shock troopers. These guys can wield one of two primary weapons, the standard Assault Rifle, and the Shotgun. They favor a very high risk-reward mechanic. They shine in being up close and personal, but if things go bad, they can die quickly. They get several perks that increase crit and survivability when in close range and facing multiple enemies, as well as abilities that let them rush up close to easily flank and still shoot when they're done.



---Gender: Character gender, similar to class, is randomly assigned, at about a 50/50 ratio, so I'm also willing to burn through troops to get a particular gender + class combo.



---Customization: You will get to control how your character looks. Describe overall looks (hair color, skin color, etcetera), armor color, whether you wear a helmet, all the good stuff. I'll provide pictures and try to oblige as much as the game will let me. You can also give me exact instructions if you have your own copy and know what the options are.



---Equipment: What equipment is available will be determined by how my research progresses in the strategy game, and to some extent what I can capture by stunning aliens instead of killing them. But whatever I have available, you can pick.



---Specialization: As we play through, we're going to acquire Meld. This can be used to either give Soldiers Genetic Modifications, adding some powerful new passive abilities to them, or to build them MEC suits that turn them into living tanks. The choice will be yours.



---Abilities: Each class has an ability tree. When they are first promoted to Squaddie, they get a set perk (Sniper gets Headshot, which increases Critical Hit chance, but has a two turn cooldown. Support gets Smoke Grenade which increases the evasion of units in the smoke cloud by 20%, but can only carry one per mission. Heavy gets a Rocket Launcher which blows stuff up once a mission. And Assault Soldiers get Run and Gun, which lets them dash [take two moves] and still shoot). Every rank after that, with the exception of Major, the second to last rank, gives them a choice of two perks. You can take one or the other, and which you take is up to you. I'll provide a link to the full list of perks for each class later. Please note that changing to a MEC trooper eliminates your previous tree and gives you a new one, though you do gain a special passive ability depending on which class you were when you changed to a MEC trooper.



---Genetic Modifications: There are five types of gene mods, and each has two choices. So you can choose which mods you want to pick up to buff your Soldier.



---MEC Loadout: In addition to getting a new ability tree, MEC Soldiers get MEC suits instead of standard equipment. These suits are custom built, and can have up to three abilities. You can choose what your suit can do (and you can later switch to another suit if you don't like it).
Things I will not be offering control of: Country of Origin (randomly assigned from about 30 diffrent countries, not going to wait for a particular combination to show up, odds are about 232 to 1 to get a particular class/gender/country setup, assuming even distribution of genders), Psi Powers (these aren't discovered until late game, and are really rare. If you have Psi proficiency once it's uncovered, yay for you. Otherwise, tough patooties [though if I have a spare Psi soldier not in use, I might let you switch to it]).

If your soldier dies, you can sign up to get a replacement if you so desire. And remember, participation is the key to making this fun.