X-COM Terror Tactics

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-02-09 02:32pm

Been on an X-COM kick over the past week or so, and I've been wondering what the rest of you X-COM players generally do on terror sites? Just curious about play-styles, I've adopted an extremely HE-reliant style as of late, growing out of my realization that the number one killer of X-COM operatives is the common door. Between two guys with rocket launchers and an HWP-Rocket, I simply demolish at least one wall on any given building before I move in. The wall contains the blast, so civvies inside don't die from it, and aliens are just left going '...FUCK!' as their cover explodes into free-masonry. Any other interesting ideas bouncing about?

SylasGaunt · Post by **SylasGaunt** » 2005-02-09 03:13pm

Yeah I rather like the HE method to.

"Sergeant, clear the building."
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
*BOOM!*
*Insert alien curse words followed by generic laser and plasma fire sound effects*

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-02-09 04:02pm

Yes. I always take out walls from a distance to gain entry, but mostly, I make liberal use of the thrown lightsticks, and sometimes incendiary weapons to light the whole place up. That way, I can either take the aliens down at long range from behind cover, or blow them all to hell with rockets

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-02-09 04:05pm

I've become rather a fan of HWP-Rocket units...move like a bat out of hell, or fire two rockets in one turn. Either open TWO buildlings like tin cans, or open one and dump another missile through the smoking hole.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » 2005-02-09 06:03pm

Count me in the HE/lightstick faction. Heavy cannon rock!

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2005-02-09 06:03pm

The problem with doing this in Apocalypse is that the owners of the building don't like people blowing big holes in their buildings. Also if your in a weapon factory or something yu risk setting off a massive chain reaction.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » 2005-02-09 06:07pm

2000AD wrote:The problem with doing this in Apocalypse is that the owners of the building don't like people blowing big holes in their buildings. Also if your in a weapon factory or something yu risk setting off a massive chain reaction.

Absolutely. We're not tslking about Apocalypse, however, which IIRC didn't have terror sites.
And please tell me with a straight face that you never[/] killed aliens in a mall mission by blowing the fucking glass floor out from under them...

Post by **weemadando** » 2005-02-09 06:16pm

Ain't nothing like flying power armour unloading assault cannons HE rounds into a structure filled with snakemen and chrysalids.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-02-09 06:18pm

I'm more of a fan of HWP-Rs and a couple dudes with rocket launchers HC blast power and radius just doesn't quite compare when you need to smash an entire side off a building.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-02-09 06:39pm

I never saw much utility in the HWP-R. The infantry rocket is far more powerful, and the fact that it takes up 4 spaces on the Skyranger means you could have 4 guys with rocket launchers unleashing 4 times the devastation.

I use the cannon HWP because it can go into hot zones, take fire, and take down the aliens without blowing civilians all to hell or miss and do the same to my squad.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-02-09 06:48pm

Advantages of HWP-Rocket: Speed, durability, rate-of-fire, no morale loss if killed. It moves out, takes fire, maybe lives, maybe doesn't. Either way, it draws fire away from my soldiers, who IMPROVE with time, as it does not. I rarely use it as a front-line platform anymore if I can avoid it, but it's quite useful for rapid demolition, and that lets my other forces move in where they need to without the Hated Doors.

namdoolb · Post by **namdoolb** » 2005-02-09 07:58pm

I always used to employ spotter tactics, where one member would creep forward and locate the aliens, and the rest of the squad would pretty much blind fire on full auto from extreme range. Using laser rifles and pistols to take advantage of the infinite ammo.

For clearing rooms and ufo's it always used to be slow, methodical room clearing. Camp 3-5 people outside the door, have some poor sod open it, then have everyone else fire through the hole at anything hostile in there.

Don't get me wrong, explosives always have a place, just for me it's not a very big place.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-02-09 09:42pm

White Haven wrote:Advantages of HWP-Rocket: Speed, durability, rate-of-fire, no morale loss if killed. It moves out, takes fire, maybe lives, maybe doesn't. Either way, it draws fire away from my soldiers, who IMPROVE with time, as it does not. I rarely use it as a front-line platform anymore if I can avoid it, but it's quite useful for rapid demolition, and that lets my other forces move in where they need to without the Hated Doors.

With the exception of the last, those are advantages of the HWP in general, and not specific to the rocket version. I find that demolition is more destructive with rocket infantry and more precise with heavy cannon infantry. I use the cannon tank for scouting and tanking out aliens at arms-reach, when you don't necessarily want to blow things all to hell.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-02-09 09:45pm

namdoolb wrote:I always used to employ spotter tactics, where one member would creep forward and locate the aliens, and the rest of the squad would pretty much blind fire on full auto from extreme range. Using laser rifles and pistols to take advantage of the infinite ammo.

For clearing rooms and ufo's it always used to be slow, methodical room clearing. Camp 3-5 people outside the door, have some poor sod open it, then have everyone else fire through the hole at anything hostile in there.

Don't get me wrong, explosives always have a place, just for me it's not a very big place.

Why risk someone in a doorway when you could have someone loaded down with grenades, chucking them into the hole in the UFO's roof from different angles?

Why creep around a barnhouse looking for aliens when you can reduce the whole structure to flaming wreckage with rocket after rocket?

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-02-09 10:54pm

Well, there's the slight detail of UFOs generally not having holes in the roof. Little wrinkle, that.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-02-09 11:23pm

White Haven wrote:Well, there's the slight detail of UFOs generally not having holes in the roof. Little wrinkle, that.

They do when you shoot them down and their reactor blows

Grand Moff Yenchin · Post by **Grand Moff Yenchin** » 2005-02-09 11:35pm

I'm recently enjoying the sadistic fun of Psi-Amp brainwash aliens scouts doing the scouting thing for me. Brainwash -> disarm -> scout and so on. After that....it's hunting season

4 soldiers can clear out a whole base

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-02-10 01:14am

If the reactor is blown, there's no Elerium to be had, and that's really the only reason to ever do crash sites after your first several.

wautd · Post by **wautd** » 2005-02-10 03:07am

Camp it out. Let them come. Sure, its not the most heroic thing but it keeps them alive

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2005-02-10 09:37am

weemadando wrote:Ain't nothing like flying power armour unloading assault cannons HE rounds into a structure filled with snakemen and chrysalids.

preiou$ hate$ na$ty chrysalids

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2005-02-10 10:11am

I could dig an X-COM operative with the One Ring at his disposal.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2005-02-10 10:22am

lol

opp'$ I thought Pri^ate Gullum wa$ a $etiod...

namdoolb · Post by **namdoolb** » 2005-02-10 02:27pm

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:Why risk someone in a doorway when you could have someone loaded down with grenades, chucking them into the hole in the UFO's roof from different angles?

Why creep around a barnhouse looking for aliens when you can reduce the whole structure to flaming wreckage with rocket after rocket?

If I've trashed the ufo badly enough to put holes in the roof when I shot it down, then something has gone very wrong. The cash from selling a working ufo powerplant is more than worth risking a marine or two over, especialy if they're a bit green (as the ones that get roped into opening the doors always are)

And laser rifles are more than sufficient to trash barnhouses (if I catch sight of the alien while I'm still outside). Plus they do it without ammo concerns and without creating clouds of noxious smoke.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2005-02-10 02:55pm

I'm more of the surgical precision kind of guy, I use small arms all the time and kill the aliens one at a time. Specially in terror missions, where there's civilians around (I love having ridiculously high mission ratings).

About the crash sites, in the original X-Com, you can force the aliens to land by hitting them a few times without crashing them. That way you get a shitload of elerium and UFO components.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2005-02-10 02:57pm

namdoolb wrote:If I've trashed the ufo badly enough to put holes in the roof when I shot it down, then something has gone very wrong. The cash from selling a working ufo powerplant is more than worth risking a marine or two over, especialy if they're a bit green (as the ones that get roped into opening the doors always are)

And laser rifles are more than sufficient to trash barnhouses (if I catch sight of the alien while I'm still outside). Plus they do it without ammo concerns and without creating clouds of noxious smoke.

Yes, yes, I know. By the time I get laser weapons and personal armor, I don't really do the scorched earth thing either, but I enjoy it very much in the early game.