[Let's Play] UFO: Alien Invasion

[FaxModem1]

Well, you could still keep it as an alternate log of how bad it could have gone. The Mirror universe path of our Let's Play.

[OmegaChief]

Complete with the director waking up in the shower and finding out the entire past year was a dream?

[FaxModem1]

I was thinking more of refugees from an alternate dimension coming across and telling us their story, but hey, Dallas sounds good too.

[JonB]

Ah... No. I'm going to avoid the "It was all just a dream" cliche/trope.

[Hawkwings]

I think it'd be really interesting to see a write-up of the "alternate universe", especially to see how you'd tell the story of people dying gloriously in true X-COM fashion.

[JonB]

07:30, 13 August 2084
Command Center, Builder of Chinese DOOM
China, The Asian Republics

On the Geoscape, the incoming Xeno craft loomed closer and closer, an impending destroyer that would rip through the hastily devised defenses of the base, killing all the defenders. Sir Nitram watched, having volunteered to man the defenses himself. In one hand, an alien plasma pistol, in the other, a stun rod – just in case.

The injured were getting their last minute bandages changed in the hospital, then they too would don their armor and weapons, ready to give their all.

07:32, 13 August 2084
Outside Capetown
South Africa, Commonwealth of Oceania


Yosemite Bear: “Landing in 30 seconds! Xeno's on the ground!”
Alison: “You heard the man! Fan out and stark killing anything not born of this planet!”


((OOC – Another normal mission, except for one thing:))


Edi: “I love this gun! Shoots through walls!”


Alison: “Come on people! We need to head back to base. Assuming there's a base we can head back too.”

07:37, 13 August 2084
Command Center, Builder of Chinese DOOM
China, The Asian Republics

A line on the Geoscape was crossed by the attacking Xeno craft. It was the range of Barnest's weapons, built into his airframe. The projected range of the Xeno weapons were a yellow circle to the human's Red. Barnest would be able to get a single good shot in before he was in the think of it all.


Barnest's voice came loud and clear over the speakers in the Command center. “Damn it! It's dodging!”
((OOC: I slowed down the game to 5 second ticks at this point. It seems like the Aerial Laser Cannon fires every ~45 seconds or so. Nice to know.))


“Oh-Seven, Fourty-Three! Xeno in the drink! Humanity wins again!”

The cheers in the Chinese Base seemed to shake the island with their joy.

22:17, 13 August 2084
Command Center, PHALANX HQ
Turkey, GEU

“What the hell? We have a report of Xeno's attacking a Manchester Suburb!”

“It's confirmed by GEU military! Aliens on the ground!”

I looked up from my hospital bed. The armor prevented the plasma bolt from burning all the way through me, but still, it put me in the recovery ward. Aside from myself, Dendrobius and White-Haven were both considered to be in 'critical but stable' condition. I ordered that everyone else pile onto the Firebird and launch. Sure, they would be a man down, but that was better than nothing.


00:35, 14 August 2084
Residential Area, Manchester
United Kingdom, GEU


Torben: “What are we looking at here?”

Reckless: “Not sure. Hey! How many aliens?”
Civilian: “Like, a half-dozen. Dude. Hey! Check it out man! These guys got ray guns!”


Sorchus: “Setting up on Overwatch. Nothing on Thermals.”

Sorchus: “Got a visual on Taman in the back.”


Dave: “Got a green guy on the second floor. Watch out when you guys go in, I can't cover you in there.”


Reckless: “How is it that Edi is the only one who gets his shots to go through walls reliably?”

Kryten: “Sir, I would strongly encourage you to pick a clear line of fire first, before you practice your shooting through walls.”


Sorchus: “ForceLord, you're blocking my shot!”


Torben: “Dispensing First Aid.”


ForceLord: “Damn it, Sorchus! I heard that one go past my ear!”


Coalition: “Wow, I see why ForceLord loves his Flamethrower!”


ForceLord: “Now, don't go getting ideas. I am more experienced than you.”



00:00, 15 August 2084
Command Center, Builder of Chinese DOOM
China, The Asian Republics

The Assistant Director offered a cup of coffee to Sir Nitram, who declined. “With the Director currently laid up, it falls to me to take the mid-month briefing on all our human assets. Please begin, Sir Nitram.”






((Still trying to settle on a means of doing this that's both informative and nice looking.))
Putting the files away, dismissed, Sir Nitram couldn't help but wonder. Why was the Director so much faster, tougher, and better at close quarters combat than anyone else, even before PHALANX started operating those few months ago. What secrets were being kept from him?

He would need more answers. Sooner, rather than later.

11:23, 16 August 2084
Command Center, PHALANX HQ
Turkey, GEU

“Director! We have a Xeno, number 86, on a direct course for us!”

“Let's see how our static defenses hold up. They do a good job for NA51.”

“Aye sir, prepping for emergency evacuation.”

13:19...

“Xeno-86 crossing defense perimeter.”

“Shit!”



Dave: “Got the Entrance covered with Dendrobius, how about the rest of you guys?”

Kryten: “Sirs, this particular Taman walked right in front of my gun. I just had to shoot him!”



Reckless: “AAGH!”
((OOC: Yes, 1 HP left. You lucky sunnova.))
Reckless: “DIIIIEEEE!”



Dave: “Dendrobius! Medic! Damnnit! Where's that medic?”
((Best shot I got as the camera didn't recenter on Dendrobius – indicating he got blindsided.))


Reckless: “Medic!”


Dave: “You bastard!”



Sorchus: “Aliens on the ground floor! Watch out for flanking maneuvers!”


Dave: “Going to check the upper part of the entrance...”

JonB: “Dave! Report! Whose got eyes on Dave?”


Sorchus: “I see the alien by the entrance! Shit! It's headed inside! Whose over there?”



no one...?


Reckless: “AAAHHH!!! DIE!!!!!”


JonB: “Get those two to the hospital! We might still be able to save them!”

---

Sorry for the short update. And no AU, as I didn't save that bad future.

I'll try to get a proper update in on Friday or Saturday evening, but no promises. There's only a couple weeks left until the local Anime convention, so I have to work a bit on that as well.

[JonB]

14:15, 16 August 2084
Command Center, Builder of Chinese DOOM
China, The Asian Republics

Sitting at his desk, the Assitant Director shuffled paperwork. The problem, he mused with some trepidation, was the long stretches between things that he had to do. The Director obviously took care of things over in HQ, and for the most part, his job here was mostly accounting and paperwork. If the Workers requested materials, he delivered, or if the Dropteam decided to take a break and have a beach party in a private alcove, he arranged that too.

There were other things he arranged, but he didn't need to think about those right now. He and the Director had worked very hard to keep those particulars under wraps, despite the efforts of certain people inside PHALANX. Oh, he knew that it wasn't their best efforts, but the casual playing of the Game by they and him was an interesting diversion.

A beeping came from the Geoscape in the common area of the Command Center, the pulses indicating that a Xeno ship had been detected on the advanced radar arrays. He quickly put the open paperwork away, and strode out of his office, every inch the proper commanding presence. He saw that the UFO, tagged Xeno-85, had come out from Indonesian Archipelagos like many others, and this one was headed on a North-East. He pondered ordering Barnest-2 to launch, but the current vector would take it out over the Pacific with no good chance of an intercept.

He indicated this to the subordinate responsible for ordering the interceptor to launch, and while the order was accepted, Barnest wasn't happy with the facts. “However, should it move to go over the Mainland, we will order the active intercept.”

Barely an hour later, the reports came in. The UFO had landed on the coast of one of the major islands of Oceania, and the Assistant Director was glad to order the Firebird into the air. They would arrive shortly before 6PM, universal time.



Yosemite Bear: “We're here! Aliens, 3-o'clock!”



Hawkwings: “Too easy.”


Edi: “Taman on thermals.”

Edi: “And now it's dead.”
Omega: “How do you keep getting good penetration like that? Guy over at HQ is complaining about it.”
Edi: “My secret! I've been using this weapon for ages, and I just know its quirks!”


Vehrec: “Alison! Check your Three!”
Alison: “I see him! GRENADE!”
((Not pictured: Alison getting a 'nade at her feet. Have I mentioned how much I hate it when the aliens use them on me, and how much I love using them on them?))

Eternal: “Hell, he just blew himself up! Quick! Medic for Alison!”



22:05, 18 August 2084
Command Center, PHALANX HQ
Turkey, GEU

I looked up when I hear the alert for a new UFO detection. This one, I can see on the Geoscape, is coming on a just-south-of-east heading from over the Bay of Biscay. “Wait until it crosses the missile perimeter, then launch phred to intercept. I have a feeling this one is aiming for us.”

22:49...

I resist the urge to bury my face in my hands. “Barcelona? Bloody hell. Headed for the dropship now.”


JonB: “WHY DOES THIS BUILDING EXIST?”
((Sorry, forgot to screencap the victory screen.))

((Also no pictures displayed of UFOs that show up on my radar, then promptly run away, for those of you at home keeping track of UFO numbers.))

18:00, 19 August 2084
Primary Laboratory, PHALANX HQ
Turkey, GEU

The sounds of mad cackling came from within the Lab, Academia Nut making his latest success known to the world. He had cracked the secrets of Alien energy generation, and now they were Man's!



While he tried to get the Tesla Coils to dramatically flare to life around him, his subordinates began to investigate the next project on the list – a systematic study of alien materials.


18:26, 19 August 2084
Command Center, Not Area 51
United States, United America

“Golly Gee! Some of them damn aliens have gone and attacked Pittsburg! Call for HQ to send their team in!”

“Yes sir!”

22:48, 19 August 2084
Command Center, PHALANX HQ
Turkey, GEU

With the Director out, the Assistant Director and Sir Nitram over at the Chinese base, it fell to Academia Nut to be in charge of the base.

Fun times were had by all.

Of course, when the aliens decided to attack Basra in the MEA, he did have the sense to call in the Chinese Team to deal with them.


05:10, 20 August 2084
Pittsburg, United America

JonB: “We're good! Spread out and kill Xenos!”

Force Lord: “BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

06:00, 20 August 2084
Command Center, Builder of Chinese DOOM
China, The Asian Republics

The Assistant Director couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing, putting the Antimatter storage facility in the base itself.

((I think I'll let the in-game description of the Antimatter storage facility speak for itself.))

Description
The Antimatter Storage facility is designed to safely store antimatter for later use, at least as safely as antimatter can possibly be stored. It is based around an advanced magnetic containment system we've derived from alien antimatter technology, which we call the 'inner shell'. The 'outer shell' consists of several radiation airlocks over the main passages, a heavily-armoured control room, and a host of other security and containment measures -- all designed to keep any radiation inside the outer shell.

The outer shell's design borrows heavily from that of UN nuclear ammo dumps. In case of problems in the inner shell, there's an automatic security system which will lock down the instant containment drops below safe levels. The facility will first close its blast doors, then secure every airlock with tungsten locking rods, fill the outer shell atmosphere with radiation-retardant gas and inject anti-shock foam behind the walls, and then try to contain the inevitable blast.

This procedure will not give any personnel caught inside time to escape, but that's the price we'll have to pay if we want to have a chance of saving the entire base.

To understand how dangerous this facility really is, building an Antimatter Storage at one of our bases will require us to list that base with the UN nuclear site register. At full capacity -- 10 grammes of antimatter -- just one storage facility will be containing the equivalent of nearly half a megaton of TNT. While this isn't much compared to modern thermonuclear weapons, it's enough to turn the entire base and everything inside to cinders in less than a second. It's difficult to 'blow up' antimatter, but under the wrong circumstances, it can happen.

Even if no explosion occurs, a loss of containment would result in the annihilation of the stored antimatter with the normal matter of the containment system. If there were any fault or damage in the outer shell at this point, then the ensuing blast of gamma radiation and high-speed particles would escape and strip the area clean of life. The base would be poisoned and rendered uninhabitable for centuries to come.

Recommended Doctrine
I believe I've already stressed that this facility must be the most heavily-defended building in any PHALANX base, taking priority even over the Command Centre. Losing the CC would be a blow, but it can be rebuilt. The cost would be a trifle compared to the kind of armageddon that can result from a mishap at the Antimatter Storage.

Although this facility will be essential to our continued success in this war, it's going to be very expensive to build and operate due to the advanced tech and materials required. It may be necessary to hold off on building one until we're sure our budget can stretch that far.

Having said that, until we manage to build one of these facilities, we'll be completely unable to store or use any recovered antimatter. We can't just build up a pile of unstable, alien, possibly-damaged tanks of nuclear-level explosive. Everything we find will have to be destroyed for safety.

Considering that we can't duplicate the stuff, we're going to need every microgramme we can get our hands on.

((Nice stuff, isn't it? Better hope we can defend the base properly. Hehe.))

06:55, 20 August 2084
Outskirts
Basra, Middle Eastern Alliance

Alison: “Urg, that replacement throat still itches.”

PeZook: “Xeno's on the roof of the building behind the Firebird. Why can't we strafe the area a few times before we land?”


Edi: “Something about the unacceptable civilian casualties under our UN mandate? Hell, the Director was in hot water for his two accidents.”
((Can you spot the third alien? I almost didn't!))

Alison: “hup!”


Vehrec: “Eternal! Behind you!”
Eternal Freedom: “Shit! BURN YOU BASTARD!”

((Eternal tried to fry the alien, but died to reaction fire.))

Vehrec: “Vengeance! Quick! Someone get a medkit to Eternal!”


Edi: “Be vewwy vewwy quiet. I'm hunting Xeno.”


((Edi, Thermal Vision, EM Rifle, Walls, same old, same old.))


Torben: “This heavy Laser packs a decent punch, but I wish I had something with a bit more 'oomph'.”


Edi: “Got you, you coward!”


JonB: “Keep Eternal on the resperator. We have to go to Makti City, Oceania.”


22:10, 20 August 2084
Makati City, Commonwealth of Oceania


Sorchus: “The sheer numbers of this building breaks my suspension of disbelief.”



((Nope, nothing of importance in this picture. Just wanted to show off the Moon and the Sun in the background. Of note, there's a Annular Eclipse though the Russian Arctic, then down along the West Coast of North America on 03 June 2084. On with your regularly scheduled LP.))

18:31, 23 August 2084




08:40, 24 August 2084



12:37, 24 August 2084






00:00, 25 August 2084
Large Hanger, Builder of Chinese DOOM
China, The Asian Republics

The Assistant Director looked to the 8 members of the active Dropteam as they boarded the Firebird. With the North American base now ready to hold an active combat team, though not much else, it had been decided to move the Chinese team there. The Heinan base would continue to be able to service any combat teams that may need to be housed here, but for now, the Builder of Chinese DOOM would focus all their efforts onto production and engineering, just as HQ focused on research.

While the Firebird would arrive at its destination in just over 16 hours, the other materials used to support the Dropteam would take a longer route. Escorted by Edi and Eternal Freedom, the transport plane would hopefully go unnoticed by any possible UFOs. So far, the Taman had ignored civilian aircraft as non-hostile. They had obviously gone after PHALANX military aircraft, as well as any national military aircraft that hazarded too close.

At least they had a very good idea of the UFO radar range because of it.


He hoped that they would all arrive safe and sound.

17:00, 26 August 2084
Command Center, PHALANX HQ
Turkey, GEU



Academia looked at me. “What next? We could begin research on adapting alien armor to our own aircraft.”


I looked over the list of viable projects. “I'm thinking that we should look at one of the UFO types. But I can't decide between which ones. Let me think for a moment.”

((Research time! Make your choice!))

[FaxModem1]

Fax finished the third game of the day. He had beaten himself at chess. It was odd playing against oneself, but it did help sharpen the mind. A form came through the slot that his meals came in. He walked over to the form and saw the Assistant Director's handwriting all over it. Whether this was the man's sense of humor or they were actually interested in what he had to say, he didn't know. He looked at the list of research projects.

Picking up the silver king, he twisted it in his hand, thinking. Offense or defense? Right now, they were still losing people, he heard the rumors, and could hear the moans of pain from the medical area. Without defense, they were lost.

He checked a box on the form:

Alien Aircraft Plating.

He put the form through the open slot. It closed, and Fax sat back in his chair, he placed the piece back on the board, and knocked it over. The silver king laid topped over, without defense, it had fallen to the Gold army. He hoped this didn't predict the future.

[Dendrobius]

Oh no, blindsided. :S Why is it that the sneaky Xenos always attacks from the last place I look at?

[Torben]

Heavy Laser = Shiny Beam of DOOM!! May not be able to blow your planet up, but sure can ruin some Xeno's day!

On another note, I've noticed my speech mannerisms have taken on more of an organic note of late, rather than the mechanical drone with which I was saddled after my "conversion." I can only surmise that during one of the many, many scheduled maintenance visits, Sir Nitram upgrade my vocoder with a newer model that more capably mimics human speech patters. And I didn't even notice it until replaying the latest mission logs! My hat - or spinny radar dish (#TheDarkTower) - off to you sir!

In reply to the research request, may I recommend researching Alien Plating in the hopes that this will lead us to the inevitable construction of our own space capable Xeno Destroyer of DOOM!!?

Thank you, that is all.

[HMS Sophia]

spinny radar dish (#TheDarkTower)

It's a Wolf! Shoot it!

[Torben]

spinny radar dish (#TheDarkTower)

It's a Wolf! Shoot it!

Was thinking of Shardik from The Wastelands, but works out the same

[OmegaChief]

Personally I vote for the UFO Scout, we seem to run into those a fair bit, so understanding them might be usful, plus who knows what it'll unlock.

[SirNitram]

SirNitram stared at the un-inspired name of 'Alien Materials', and then at the same. Heat. Electricity. And then rest. He could.. Well, let's be honest. He could improve the cyborgs who were still in service.

[phred]

UFO's Then Aircraft plating... No I'm not biased, honest. After that, autopsy. Knowing how they werk helps us know how to make them stop werking.

[GuppyShark]

Commonwealth of Oceania pilot, callsign "GuppyShark" requesting transfer to PHALANX command.

Qualified on interceptors.
Letter of Recommendation from X-COMCommonwealth of Oceania command in signature.
Drinks James Boags, not Fosters.

[JonB]

Welcome to the party Guppy! I should have to put an Interceptor over in NA51 for you though. You get lucky, and it might be the first next-gen Human design. IF PEOPLE VOTE FOR UFOS, NOT ARMOR PLATING (hint hint)

[The Yosemite Bear]

hey, why are the cyborgs drowning out my Wagner with Black Sabbath's "Iron Man"?

[Edi]

Either Scout or fighter ufo.

[Torben]

Sorry, figured armor plating would take us to next-gen fighter. That being said, my original intent was to help us gain a next-gen fighter, and as such, I would like to change my vote to whatever would bring us to that point fastest.

[ChaserGrey]

Scout or fighter UFOs.

[Force Lord]

Either scout of fighter UFOs would be nice.

[phred]

Sorry, figured armor plating would take us to next-gen fighter. That being said, my original intent was to help us gain a next-gen fighter, and as such, I would like to change my vote to whatever would bring us to that point fastest.

What he said. And after that autopsy.

[JonB]

Comments on how to get to the next-gen interceptor:
Spoiler

In order to get the Dragon class interceptor, I need Antimatter and Alien Propulsion. Now, we obviously have the first, but the second only appears as a research option once we have dissassembled a UFO. The Harvester is the best research choice as it opens up other technologies that the Scout can't, but the Scout is done faster. Dissecting a UFO like the Scout takes 20,000 man-hours of production, while the Harvester, being bigger, will take a bit more. We have 60 Workers in Chinese Doom, so that would be at least 13.8 days of work per UFO. If I begin right now, we might have our first Dragon in October.

Seriously, getting the UFO yard built so late hurt us. During the research downtime, I would get Armor and the Autopsy done for you guys, in addition to cleaning up some early techs that have been sitting around, like Kerrblade and Plasma Grenades.

Are you OK with this?

[ChaserGrey]

Sounds like a plan, boss. Let's do it.