I bet his computer crashed and he lost the game and the saved game file.

Beatings will be accepted, cyberstyle, at 11:00p.m. on Friday.

I got nothing.

what is the timer ardent?

2:32 minutes by my microwave.

edit to clarify

2 hours, 32 minutes by my microwave.

Have I killed any aliens yet?

lol...thank you oh master of micro

1 hour, 54 minutes according to Mr. Wave.

Check... check...

testes, testes, 1, 2, 3?

ardent...isnt your OOTP time coming up soon?

Forget OOTP. IT'S X-COM TIME!

The master is here. Ssssshhhhhhhhhhh

He has my Precious.

1 hour microwave time.

beep-beep-beep

Something is gonna go down tonight...

You guys are hilarious. The meeting's not for another hour. Go clean your weapons, or mop a base floor, or take some target practice, or something. ;)

*Enters SAMCOM VidConference room while screaming to someone outside*

"I said COFFEE! COFFEE! This isn't COFFEE! We're in SOUTH freaking AMERICA for crying out loud! COFFEE! I don't want these beans!"

*Sits down*

"Is everything on schedule? Are we set? Why isn't the video screen on!? AND CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME COFFEE!?"

*Looks around, noone's there.*

I guess we all forgot to synchronize our watches... :redface:

48 minutes, microwave time.

Should we be worried? I just saw someone who looked like Morgan Freeman pass me in the hall.

29 minutes, microwave time. :)

T-Minus 13 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Juan Valdez and his burro should be on their way.

Is Yoda going to be a guest speaker?

T-Minus four minutes!

Is this a meeting on the board? Or in IRC?

kingfc22 reporting here sir. Ready for my first official X-Com meeting.

ding! Dinner is ready...

Showtime!

Tis time...

X-COM General Meeting

Eyes Only Top Secret

At all five X-COM bases, the newly installed VirtCom rooms were abuzz with hushed conversation. Each room was identical, with four large wall panels linked via satellite, one wall displaying each of the other bases. Everyone—from distinguished vet to inept rookie—was present. Even the agents on the waiting list were called in to USA COM. At AFRICA COM and SAM COM, you could see the pimply, nervous troops on the beginning legs of their guard duty stints. At the other three bases, there were the tough, scarred vets with the silent eyes—eyes that had seen too much death, eyes that had lost too many friends, eyes that held horrific stories of heroism and anguish. In the back of USA COM, there were a handful of nervous civilians—the new recruits not yet called into action—either too nervous to speak or too nervous to shut up. One in particular seemed to have an enthusiastic comment about everything and anything, until finally Wade Moore gave him a sharp stare that shut him up. But at each base there was a tense curiosity in the air: never before had all X-COM troops been called to a general meeting.

At exactly 11:00PM CST, Godzilla Blitz, Head Scientist Crappy, Chief Engineer Sterling Ice II, and Commander Kodos came into the room at USA COM. Everyone snapped to attention. The four men made their way to a table at the front of the room and sat down on the chairs lined up behind it. Godzilla Blitz began.

“X-COM Agents. At ease. Be seated.” He paused to let everyone sit, then began. “For ten months we’ve been fighting a defensive war against the aliens. We’ve scrambled to meet every threat. We’ve held our own and we’ve fought well.” A few men grunted approvals. “But the supply of aliens has been endless, and UFO attacks have increased greatly over the past month. There is every indication that the volume and strength of UFO attacks will increase in the near future. No matter how many we kill, there are more that step up and take their place. We have to outkill them ten-to-one just to break even, and every agent we lose is an irreplaceable loss.

“A few months ago, it became apparent to X-COM Command that we would never win the war the way we’ve fought it to date. In the end, we would simply get overrun by numbers, and the Earth would fall to the alien horde.” Several loud boos fill the conference rooms. Godzilla raised one hand, palm slightly down, to quiet the men. After a moment, he began again. “We realized that we needed, somehow, someway, to take the fight to the aliens, to go on the offensive, to hit them on their home turf.

“To be honest, we feared that this would be impossible. We thought we might need hundreds of agents and dozens of ships capable of distant space travel in order to take any kind of an offensive fight against the aliens. To be brutally honest, we feared we were doomed to die, and doomed to lose this valiant yet hopeless war.

Godzilla paused a moment, eyed the men, then resumed. “I am thankful to say that recent events have proven us wrong in this regard, and I stand before you this evening to tell you that last night Crappy and his dedicated researchers achieved a major breakthrough with their interrogation of “Poindexter”, the Sectoid Commander captured during the German base raid. We have every reason to believe this intelligence is accurate, and the significance of these findings will become apparent once you hear Crappy’s story. Men, I present to you, Head X-COM Scientist, Doctor Craptacular.”

Craptacular stood and picked up a slide clicker. A side display panel descended in each of the X-COM VirtCom rooms. Crappy began as the panels settled into place. “Men, you all know that the interrogation conducted late last month told us that the alien attacks have originated from Mars, our nearest planet. This was, at the time, extremely good news for us, as one of our greatest fears was that the aliens were coming from a star system too distant for us to ever reach given our level of technology. But we needed to know much more for this information to be of any use to us. How many aliens are on Mars? How many alien ships are there on the planet? Where on Mars are they located? What kind of defenses do they have? Who leads them? How could we penetrate their defenses? Are they beatable? How the hell could we get there?” Crappy paused again. “The questions seemed endless, but nevertheless, we persevered.” Crappy paused for effect. “I am pleased to say that we now have the answers to most all of these questions.” A buzz of hushed excitement runs through the five rooms. Men leaned forward in their seats.

“Men, we now know that the alien presence on Mars is a controlling force that coordinates their attacks on earth and throughout their entire attack sector, which spans several solar systems. This controlling force is stationed at a base on Mars code-named Cydonia. Long a riddle to many astronomers on Earth, this face-shaped area was most often dismissed as a fluke of nature. I show you a photo taken of that area taken two weeks ago.” The side panel displays a black-and-white photo of the surface of Mars.


The surface of Mars, showing the alien Cydonia base. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

“In the top right of this photo, you can see Cydonia. Let me zoom in.” The slide expands, showing a blowup of the section.


Cydonia, up close. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

“Men. This is our target. You can see that there are distinguishing construction features on this photo. Note the several pyramid-shaped mounds.” A red pointer highlighted the structures on the map. “These mounds and features you see here are just the surface portion of the base. One of these mounds leads to a subterranean base in which the alien command center lies. Inside this command center is our prize. We have learned that therein lies an alien ‘brain’, if I can call it that, that relays commands from the aliens’ home planet and in turn communicates with all the aliens involved with the attacks on earth. And this brain, men, is the one thing that we have been hoping to find for the past five months. This brain is the weak link. We knew that the aliens have been using some sort of telepathic, PSI-enhanced communication method, and this is what controls all of that. Our interrogations of Poindexter have convinced us that if we can knock this brain out, all communication to the aliens our system will cease, and all communication between the aliens in our system and the aliens’ home planet will cease. In essence, this brain does much of the thinking for the aliens, and if we take it out, the aliens here will cease self-function. Hell, it wasn’t until we brain-shielded Poindexter to prevent communication from the master brain that we were able to extract information from him. Left to their own, the aliens in our system will go into a form of cryonic state, turn around, and begin the long journey back to the mother planet. We will have won, and attacks on Earth will cease for at least the next hundred years.”

For the X-COM agents present, who have long assumed the war would last the rest of their lives, this was a gift of hope beyond their wildest dreams, and the buzz in the rooms was tangible.

Godzilla Blitz looked at Crappy and cut in. “Thanks, Crappy.” He then faced the men and again paused for effect. “Men, we aim to take this brain out.” Cheers welled up in the five rooms. Several of the men were standing. A number of men were clapping. A chant of “X-COM, X-COM!” welled up in the room. Godzilla calmed everyone with both arms raised. “Over the next few months, we will be focusing our operations on this final goal. We have many things to do before we can launch such an attack. First, we need a craft capable of space travel and capable of delivering a payload of personnel and equipment sufficient to get the job done on Mars. Crappy and 100 of his best researchers are working around the clock to develop a prototype model of a craft capable of making just such a trip. Once they’re done, Sterling Ice II and his engineers will begin immediate construction of the craft. Second, we need to determine the composition of strike force to make this attack. We are currently looking to have a strike force of 17 agents and 2 hover tanks, although this may change as things progress. Along these lines, we need to discover who of you are best suited for this attack. The fighting on Mars will be against the best the aliens have, and there will be hordes of them. The strike force must take control of the surface of the alien base, find and enter the passage to the underground command center, eliminate all resistance there, find the alien brain, and destroy it. Our intelligence tells us that we will come under intense, repeated PSI-attacks, and we need to find out who of you here today can sustain such attacks without cracking. To that end, we have more than doubled our PSI-training stations, and our focus for the months of November and December will be to evaluate every one of you that we think has the potential to be a member of the attack force. Third, we need to develop and construct better armor, tanks, and missiles for the attack force. Captured Floaters have led us to believe we can make armor that will allow us to fly in battle, and armor that will be more durable than our existing suits. A few of you have seen our new Hover Tanks, and we need to bring those on line as well. In short, there is much to do. But we will do it, and do it fast.

“There are huge risks in all of this, men. We need to get our ship to the surface of Mars. This may or may not be easy. Poindexter has revealed numerous passwords, codes, and ‘safe lanes’ through the alien defenses that should allow us to avoid anti-aircraft missiles and defenses on the way in. I say ‘should’, with some uncertainty, as we simply don’t know to what degree these codes will have changed by the time we get there. We do know the aliens know that we took Poindexter alive, and we have to assume that they will modify some or all of these codes and lanes at some point. Still, it’s a chance we’ll have to take, and we’ve ‘leaked’ a story about the untimely and premature death of Poindexter to the press to fool the aliens into thinking that we don’t know enough yet. Also, we’ll probably launch a diversionary attack on the alien base in Britain, with claims leaked to the press that we are frantically trying to capture another alien commander. Hopefully, this will keep the aliens from making all-encompassing changes to their defensive network.

“There is one more risk, though, that makes the risk of approach tiny in comparison. Our interrogations have revealed that if the alien brain on Mars is threatened in any way, it will send out an urgent call to strike at the enemy perpetrating the attack. The result will be that every UFO in this sector—and we believe there to be current alien operations against several star systems in this sector—will make a beeline for Earth once the first shot is fired on Mars. Men, we estimate that there are nearly 1,000 UFOs currently active in the system. The Earth would be overrun in a matter of hours. Every man, woman, and child on the planet will die.

“We’re only going to get one shot, men, and we need to make it a good one.”

The silence in the rooms was deafening. Men, fighting without hope, had suddenly been given hope. And each man in the five rooms silently asked themselves the question: “Am I to be one of the chosen ones? One of the few who will stand for humanity and determine the fate of mankind?”

An agent in the back of the USA COM room raised his hand. Godzilla acknowledged it. “Captain Patman, yes, go on.”

Captain Patman stood. “Sir, any idea when we’ll be making this attack?”

“Making a craft to get us to Mars will be our greatest engineering challenge to date. We estimate that even with a 100% effort, it will take us more than two months to build the craft, and we can’t start that until Crappy gets the prototype done. Best guess: two to three months from now. With UFO attacks increasing dramatically—we’re picking up almost one UFO each day now—we expect that we still have a hell of a lot of fighting to go before we can attack. To be exact, 62% of UFO spottings have resulted in ground combat missions. With about ten weeks before we can launch our Mars mission, we should have somewhere between 40 and 50 more missions. There is hope for everyone here, if they perform admirably and if they have the talent, to be one of those 17 agents to fight for humanity.

“But remember, men, all of this is moot if we’re dead three weeks from now. We need to survive until we launch the attack. Keep givin’ ‘em hell, and be ready to defend your bases. We know the aliens know where we are, and it’s vital that we not lose any bases as we prepare for the final assault. It’s no longer an “if they hit our bases”; it’s now a “when they hit our bases”. Expect them to come knocking on your door. And if we lose a base, our entire operation could be jeopardized. If we should lose EU COM or USA COM, we’d most likely lose the war. There is no room for error at these bases.

“That’s all, men. Get back to work. Dismissed.”

Ping.

Damn.

Rock on.

I got a feeling this means I may never get in the game, though. :)

Son of a crapper...sucks my bravery blows.

I knew it.

Now someone hand me a nice hot cup of coffee.

Yes sir.

It's almost time.

GB, all I gotta say is, that's the most ridiculously insane battle...ever. If less than 90% of the troops you send (and I want in!) aren't dead by the end, I'll be impressed. :)

Death to the alien horde on Mars!

If we win, can we start over? This is the best dynasty ever!

If I am not lucky enough to be chosen, I will honorably guard my base of operation until the return of the X-Com Elite Attack Force.

Possibly 50 missions left. I still have a chance.

I like that Mars picture. :)

I know I'll be one of the chosen. Isn't there some quote somewhere saying that the weakest ones are the strongest? Or.. err.. umm.. nevermind.

Coffee: Agreed. I barely won a game via Blaster Launcher... my VERY LAST MAN sent a rocket down the corridor and managed to hit the brain. GAME OVER. My crowning moment.

Got ya beat there.

My first victory in the game, I sent max troops + 1 tank. Was down to 3 people left. One of them happened to be my commander. He got mind controlled, shot one of the 2 remaining people. Commander got under control next turn, panicked. Other remaining guy got mind controlled, walked into a plasma gun.

And the last man standing, the fearless leader of the X-Com forces, mindfucked beyond belief, stumbled his way into the brain, and emerged victorious.

Even better, I name my guys after friends. I told him about his exploits as Commander, and his quote after I told him he offed most of his army while under alien control. His response? "Did we win? Yes? Screw em. Weaklings deserved to die."

Umm, was that me? :)

I'm thinking that it was... :D

Someone might do X-Com: Tales from the Deep the next chapter in the saga.

-Anxiety

good ol ardent

Ohhhhhhhh, it gives me chills. Once we get that new armor going, think I'll goalieize mine with some custom art so the aliens know what's coming for them from now on...

Cydonia, my name is Kodos. You killed my friends. Prepare to die.

Ah, now mix in some Andre the Giant and the nostalgia will be complete :D

I think it's more traumatic that some of our good agents may not survive to be picked...it'll be more nervewracking till the ship finally heads to Mars (I think we all know that is going to be a tough battle), it's the funny things that can happen on the trivial runs that I worry about (stray bulltet, wild richochett, improperly deployed grenade)...(chills)

Woohoo!

...yawns
...cracks an eye open
...looks at the alarm clock
...looks at it again...


"SH!T ! F*CK ! Missed the damn meeting !!! Guess I'll have to read the transcript...probably some useless info anyway from the big shots..."

:D

Sorry, I missed the meeting. Guard Duty. I want in (or course - I'm brave and stupid so why not.)

...some 2 hours later...

I 've read the meeting minutes...oh oh...Guess i'm in trouble now...That'll be me mopping up the toilets of USA COM forever now...

better late than never i guess

Great meeting! Ooooh...chill down my spine...

I am determined to train as much as possible to try and be selected for the mission...

Now if only I can avoid dying...!

Wolfpack departs the meeting and returns to his bunk. As he tries to sleep, a scene from The Matrix plays out in his mind...

"So, has he told you why you're here?"

"Yep."

"So...you're here to save the world. What a frickin' mind-job! I mean, what do you say to something like that?"

X-Com! X-Com!

Thomkal II volunteers to be the first to be tested for psi-ability GB and of course go on the ultimate mission should he survive until then of course.

If/when my newly generated guy turns out to be mentally worthless then I would like to volunteer to take on a slew of missions now in an effort to protect the resources we want on the flight to Mars.

Kind of a tough choice with the good PSI-ranking guys - do you run them in a bunch of missions now to make them tougher for Mars, with the risk of losing them now or keep them under close wraps so as not to jeopardize them.

Puny earthlings.

You want some?

Come get some.

We'll send you home in boxes.

Shouldn't you be out raping a cow?

We're already home, you interstellar bastards!

I would like to be the first to volunteer to fly the ship to Mars! I have been itching to get my hands on some of that crazy alien technology for a while now! I like shooting small UFO's down in a blazing inferno just as much as the next guy, but I want to fly something that can take out one of their battleships! The X-Com Air Force will be feared once more!

I think he means from Mars, you silly alien. :)

Good point. ;)

Actually, Earth really isn't your home is it?

I'll stay back and make sure the women are ok. :D

Updated Stats...

X-COM II Troop Master List (After Mission 83)

USA COM

EU COM

ASIA COM

SAM COM

AFRICA COM

X-COM II Troop Attributes
Support Personnel

Attribute Leaders (After Mission 83)

Attribute Doggies (After Mission 83)

Top Ten Kills Leaders

Waiting List

Not to sound like an imcompetent boob, but what are these fusion ball bombs and firestorm fighter I'm working on?

SI

Update

October 25-27

Less, than 24 hours after the general meeting, EU COM radar picks up and tracks a large, Muton-controlled UFO over Europe. The craft touches down in Iceland, prompting us to lauch the EU COM Skyranger in hopes of catching the craft on the ground. However, the UFO takes off again before we get there, prompting us to reroute the Skyranger to base. Shortly after our Skyranger touches down, the UFO lands again, this time in northern England, less than 50 miles from the alien base. We immediately send the EU COM Skyranger out again, and this time it looks as if we'll have better luck catching the UFO on the ground. With luck, we'll beat the night and start our assault in the late afternoon on the 27th.

On board the Skyranger:
Revrew, The Time, Tasan, Real Deal III, Blade III, Wolfpack, Japherwaki II, Swaggs, Chuck U Farley, Sachmo III.

While this goes on, CapnMorgan engages and downs a UFO scout over North Dakota. USA COM prepares their Skyranger for interception and launches. They'll reach their target shortly after the EU COM Skyranger begins its engagement.

Mission 84 will go up on Friday or Saturday.

Ok...time to prove that I belong on the Mission to Mars...

Wasn't that a movie? ;)

Fusion balls are the next step in missle technology, while the firestorm is a fighter based on UFO technology.

I hacked the X-com servers. hehe. Dad would be proud. But shh...don't tell GB.

Well, Crappy just sends me blueprints. I don't even know what I'm building half the time.

SI

Sterling: The fusion bombs are the programmable ammo for the Hover Tanks. I think they pack a big punch, but not quite as much as the missiles from the blaster launchers. The Hover Tanks hold eight fusion bombs each. As soon as we get enough made, we'll start sending them on some missions so that we get used to fighting with them. We'll take 1-3 such tanks with us if we make it to the Mars mission.

Raw: You might rethink that. If we lose: no more booty. If we win and you're a hero: lots of booty for the rest of your life.

Toddiec: Got it. Superman might want in as well, and we'll make the decision on head pilot as the time draws near. Since the Mars craft will have a flight crew of three, you'll all be on board. We won't be using our regular Skyranger pilots, that's for sure.

Sectoid Leader: Bite me.

Qwikshot: Excellent points. The stakes'll get higher on each missions as we get closer and closer to launch. It would suck to be on the list to go and then die a week before launch.

Everyone:

* I'm assuming that everyone will want to go on the final mission.

* Don't worry about "attendance" at the meeting: everyone was there.

* The selection of troops for the final mission will be based on a bunch of factors. Although bravery is important, I'm leaning towards putting more emphasis on PSI defense, which is an unknown for everyone. Also, anyone who doesn't go to Mars should still see front-line fighting before that time.

* If you're on the waiting list, I'm guessing you'll see quite a bit of action. We're losing a little less than one agent per mission. With 40-50 missions left, you should easily make it into combat, even if our kills per mission is falling. I would even think people on the waiting list have a moderate chance of making the final mission. It depends on so many other factors, but I can think of a lot of scenarios where you'd get a chance to make it.

Coffee, Psycho: Yikes! You guys are scaring me! I had no idea the last mission would be that tough. I allowed myself to read the strategy guide section on the final mission, and they don't make it sound too bad. Then again, they don't go into much detail.

Blade6119, Anxiety: I won't be doing another full-fledged X-COM dynasty, even with the sequel. This is it. This is a blast to do, but I've got a couple of other dynasties I want to try next. I suppose at some point I may take a shot at the sequel, but not with full mission writeups and not to the same detail as this dynasty. It would be much briefer reports, etc. If anyone wants to take on the sequel, feel free. I'll sign up in a second!

GB: While it was nice seeing my name on the attribute leaders, you mixed up my reactions and firing. I don't belong on the list for the quickest reaction times :(

AE's morale went up with GB's last post. :)

Dola, I'll be gone for 4 days starting tomorrow, so if I receive a call up to active duty, by all means count me in.

I'll let out a cheer on Tuesday if it happens.

Naiwf: Thanks! Fixed it.

Ardent: No problem. Got it.

Klayman: I think the fusion balls are for the tanks, and the fusion missiles are for our new aircraft. I might be wrong though.

Sterling: I'll try to keep you filled in on what all you're making. I change it around a lot to fill emergency needs, so sometimes I have no idea what we're making either. Sometimes I'm not sure what something does either, so I'll just make one of whatever it is and then let Blade6119 try it in combat.

Yeah, we ran out of interns after a while.

GB - just wanted to let you know that on the latest update you had my opt-in as "no" when it should be "yes" like the last update. Thanks a let's kick some martian butt.

Dang it! Still injured. Grrr...

I hope I go to mars... I hope I go to mars...

:D

Skyranger Transmission

Word back in from Captain Revrew:

Encountering moderate Muton resistance. No casualties. Mission proceeding as planned. Like taking candy from a baby.

Oooh.

Bring 'em on!:D

Yeah, I was thinking missle==projectile weapons. I think you are right though, it's been a long time since I played.

I've never played this game...nor heard of it until recently...though I recall seeing the X Com dynasty thread often enough.

CW may have to hook me up one day.

AE, if you've never played this game, you're missing out. Probably The Best Game Ever Made (tm).

Godzilla Blitz - keep up the good work...here's hoping for some high Psi-Power :)

Didn't make it sound too bad? Heh.

Psi Attacks From Hell? Check.

Having to move all your troops into one location you have to find on the map, WHILE being Psi Nuked, Shot At, and generally screwed? Check.

Just getting INTO the HQ is brutal. Once you're in. Hoo boy. It's a race against time. How quickly can you find the brain before your team kills each other. Oh. And there's enemy aliens shooting at you too.

You need to stop scaring the kiddies. Let them experience the fun for themselves, Coffee!

Ya know...you have a chance to play the new version of this game, if you want. I believe the new XCom game just came out. Played the demo...it was pretty good. Not quite the same, but good.

Lokugh

What? Blade III might live for another mission? It must be Friday the 13th or something...

(I know, bad joke...)

So if one has a low bravery score, can one still have a high PSI score?

MikeVic: Yes, the bravery score and the two PSI ratings are completely different. Bravery rating indicates how likely you are to panic when the mission starts going bufu. The PSI defense rating indicates how likely you are to succumb to alien PSI attacks. PSI skill refers to your ability to use PSI attacks on aliens. PSI defense does not change at all. PSI skill increases with training (and use, I think). Bravery almost never changes, but it does go up if your morale falls below 45 in a mission and you don't crack. The PSI ratings are unknown until an agent undergoes PSI training. We just began that last month, and their are about a dozen agents currently in PSI training. We'll find out their results on October 31. Next month we can train 10 at USA COM, 10 at EU COM, and 20 at ASIA COM. We don't have any PSI training rooms yet at AFRICA COM or SAM COM, and probably don't have time to build any. You've got to get to one of the three big bases to get PSI-trained. Lastly, our intelligence tells us that a low PSI defense rating would be a kiss of death on the final mission. I'm concerned about low bravery, too, but not as much.

Blade: Your guy has awesome reactions. Rumor has it that the top brass has their eye on you for the final mission. But I didn't tell you that. It's just a rumor.

Lokugh: Are you referring to UFO: Aftermath? I bought the game used, but haven't had a chance to play it yet. I've read a few threads over at Gone Gold where the majority of posters didn't like the game, though. Supposedly tactics/AI are non-existent, you can't enter buildings or blow them up, and the game balancing has problems in that the aliens bring out these turbo weapons about 2/3 of the way into that game that pretty much destroy your squads no matter what you do. Overall, it didn't sound like as much fun as the original. At some point, I'll give it a try, though, just to see what it's like. I do believe that Firaxis and Sid Meier have bought the rights to X-COM, Master of Magic, and Pirates. I know their working on a sequel to Pirates right now. If anyone could do a remake of X-COM justice, it would think it would be them. They usually "get" it.

Vince: Thanks!

Ardent: If you pick up the game, be sure to pick up the Collector's Edition. The regular version has a lot of problems on newer computers.

Astott: I think that number might be off by a day or two. You'll be back in action very soon.

Kingfc: Got it. Thanks! To be honest though, at this point it might not matter, as there is no one that is opting to refuse low bravery soldiers. Best strategy is to get into the game as quickly as possible, and don't die.

Coffee: I believe you about the final mission. The strat guide doesn't go into much detail, but the numbers and quality of enemies reads like an Alien All-Pro Team. They're bringing their A-Squad, that's for sure.

Have to. Our regular morale officer is on vacation.

Hooray! I need to prove my worth, then!

:)

84th Mission: Mutons in Britain

The EU COM Skyranger slices through the mid-afternoon sky on route to the large, Muton scout in Northern England. We’ve been following this craft for two days now, and this is EU COM’s third attempt to attack the thing. We’re racing against time: the UFO has landed of its own power and we want to get to it before it takes off again.

The men inside the Skyranger today are some of our finest veterans. Kodos and Jfbbis are sitting this mission out, so Revrew gets his first command.

The green light goes on. The Skyranger begins a fast, bumpy descent to the countryside below. Looks like we made it in time. It’s party time.

Our troops today:

Left Side:
1. Blade III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Wolfpack (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. Real Deal III (Blaster Launcher, Power Suit)
4. Tasan (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Sachmo III (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

Right Side:
1. Revrew (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
2. Japherwaki II (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
3. The Time (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
4. Swaggs (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)
5. Chuck U Farley (Heavy Plasma, Power Suit)

The Skyranger drops quickly through the cold grey skies of northern Britain. Strong winds buffet the craft. The men try to get a glimpse of the battlefield. We appear to be coming down on the southeast corner of the zone, which as usual is typical British countryside. We can’t see the UFO or any other structures. The only distinguishing features we can make out are two small groves, one to the immediate right of our exit, and one about 20 yards off to the left rear as we exit the craft. We’ll be coming down on the southeast corner of the battlefield; most of the areas to our exit’s right and to the nose of the craft are secure ground. The action will lie dominantly in front of our exit and to its left.

The Skyranger slams hard into the ground and bounces. Everyone inside falls hard to the floor of the craft. Equipment tumbles everywhere. The craft comes down again, this time a bit softer, and then the ramp drops away. As the men pick up weapons and scramble to their feet, the red alarm flashes! Hot landing!

There is a Muton in a field off to the right rear of our Skyranger, about 30 yards away. Our tank rumbles down the ramp. Revrew and Blade race to the edge of the exit. Once there, they drop to a knee and open fire. The Muton drops to a knee to return fire, but Revrew hits it twice to send it tumbling over onto its back. We hear no scream however, and can see from here that its chest is still moving. It’s still alive.

Our tank makes it to the bottom of the ramp, where it spins and searches for more aliens: nothing. However, we can now see a line of what looks like three two-story buildings about fifty yards in front of our exit. We quickly start to deploy.

Blade and Sachmo head out of the Skyranger and go slightly right, into the small grove that lies over there. Tasan and Japherwaki II exit and head slightly left. These four men, with our tank now in front of them, form a line and start advancing on the buildings in front of us. Chuck U Farley heads out and left, to cover our left flank. Real Deal heads out and back up towards the nose of the Skyranger, where he sets up a firing position with the Blaster Launcher. The rest of the men wait for the exit area to clear.


X-COM troops advance across British farmland. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

As the men advance on the buildings, they can hear doors opening and closing. This is not a good situation, as we’re moving through open fields on a concealed, dug-in enemy. We need to shake things up a bit. Real Deal fires a Blaster missile up over the Skyranger and into the brick wall of the building on the right. The entire wall goes up in a mighty blast that devastates the building and sets the field in front of it aflame. Ooops. So much for that stunned alien. He’s gone up in flames too. However, we hear no screams from inside the building, and catch no sight of alien movement. The men continue to advance. The tank weaves in front of them, trying to draw fire. X-COM 1, Aliens 0.

Suddenly, two Mutons approach from in front of the left building and open fire on our tank. One shot clangs off the tank, damaging it slightly. The tank returns fire and nails a Muton in the side of the stomach, but the thing stays up. Our line of men all open fire at once. Plasma tracers tear across the fields. Errant shots tear up the grass near the enemy and punch large holes in the wall of the building. Sachmo catches the right Muton with two quick shots that topple it over. Immediately after that, Tasan catches the other one with a shot that rips its leg off at the knee, and then Japherwaki catches it in the head with a shot that decapitates it. The body drops to the ground. Good shooting men! X-COM 3, Aliens 0.

We expand our position. The Time exits the Skyranger, heads left, and joins up with Chuck Farley. Together the two of them begin a slow advance left into the fields on that side of our Skyranger. As they do this, they spot the enemy UFO—a bulky three-story craft—concealed behind the grove to our left. From our position, the craft is about 50 yards away.

While Swaggs, Wolfpack, and Revrew wait at the exit ramp, the rest of our men resume their advance towards the buildings. On the far right, Blade catches movement through the smoke coming from the building on our right. There’s something on the roof, about 50 yards away! There it is! An enemy sniper is sneaking into position. Swaggs and Revrew, at the top of the Skyranger exit ramp, actually have good long shots at this Muton. The two men drop to a knee and let rip on full auto. Plasma blasts race across the fields. The Muton drops to a knee, but Swaggs nails him in the chest and blows him backwards to the surface of the roof. The creature howls and dies. X-COM 4, Aliens 0.


A Muton sniper waits for targets. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Just as suddenly, Chuck U Farley catches movement in the grove in front of the UFO. Chuck and The Time train their weapons on the swaying trees as Japh and Tasan—much closer on the left side of our advancing line of men—toss grenades into the shadowy trees. Just before they go off, The Time spots the Muton moving between two trees and gets off a quick shot. The single shot sails into the woods and hits the Muton in the stomach, sending it howling to the ground! Nice shot, The Time! Wow! The two grenades go off a fraction of a second later and a chunk of the grove goes up in two crashing explosions. X-COM 5, Aliens 0.

Although we hear the whirring of internal UFO doors, things go relatively quiet for the next few minutes. Chuck and The Time explore the area to our left a bit, and then swing right towards the UFO. We can now see that the UFO is a square craft, with exit doors on the east and south sides, both of which face us. Chuck and The Time set up a firing position at a low stone wall that overlooks the craft.


X-COM troops wait in ambush for aliens trapped in their UFO. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

On the east side of the UFO, we shuffle our personnel a bit. We get Wolfpack out of the Skyranger, and then send him, our tank, and Blade on a slow advance towards the east side of the UFO. They make it there without incident, and set up a firing position, using the tank for cover, about 10 yards from the east door. Japh, Sachmo, and Tasan resume an advance towards the half-destroyed right building. They make it their without incident as well, then begin to sweep through the smoky building toward the one to its immediate left. Real Deal waits in the field for targets of opportunity. Revrew and Swaggs stay in reserve in the Skyranger. After a bit, Revrew exits the Skyranger and heads for a hedge that overlooks the south UFO exit. He’ll add his firepower to that of The Time and Chuck.

After a few minutes, the east exit of the UFO pops open and a Muton steps out in front of Wolfpack and Blade. The two men open fire and tear the thing apart. The lifeless body drops to the ground in front of the exit! X-COM 6, Aliens 0.

A couple of minutes after that, our tank spots a Sectoid coming around from the back side of the UFO, about 40 yards away. The Muton twists away and heads back out of sight. This is the perfect shot for Real Deal, and he quickly plots a firing course for the open field behind the UFO and pulls the trigger on the Blaster Launcher. His rocket soars over the Skyranger, across the fields, around the UFO, and then slams into a small tree on the far side. A massive plume of smoke and fire shoots up from behind the UFO, and we can hear the screams of a dying Muton! Finally! Real got himself a kill! X-COM 7, Aliens 0.


The war-torn British countryside. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Before we can catch our breath, a Muton charges out the south exit of the UFO. Revrew opens fire and hits him in the arm, but the Muton is able to spin away and make it back inside the UFO before The Time or Chuck can get a shot off. Then another alien comes around from the backside of the UFO, this one only about 30 yards away. Our tank and Wolfpack open fire as the Muton lines up our men. A tank round rips off an arm at the elbow, and then Wolfpack hits it in the chest, killing it instantly in a puff of green. The body crumples to the ground. X-COM 8, Aliens 0.

Meanwhile, Japh, Tasan, and Sachmo work their way into the middle of the three buildings. So far, no sign of aliens over there.

Back at the UFO, “no aliens” is not a problem. As Swaggs leaves the Skyranger and jogs to add his weapon to those trained on the south exit, the alien Revrew hit springs out the exit again, and this time it knows exactly where Revrew is. It opens fire before anyone can get a shot off, and sends a plasma bolt right at Revrew. The shot blows apart the low hedge in front of him, but Revrew is ok! As the Muton twists to run back inside, Revrew returns fire, hitting the alien in the back and dropping him to the ground, dead! Almost as quickly, another alien comes out the exit! This time Chuck Farley gets off a shot, and it’s a good one. It slams into the alien’s torso and slams him back against the wall of the UFO, where the alien slides to the earth and dies gurgling in its own blood.

At the east exit, another alien exits! Once again, Blade and Wolfpack open fire from point blank range on full auto. Multiple shots rip apart the Muton, and it twists wildly as it falls and dies. X-COM 11, Aliens 0.

Things go quiet again. Japh, Tasan, and Sachmo methodically clear the last of the three buildings and quickly search the field behind the UFO. Nothing. Whatever aliens are left have to be inside the UFO. We wait for a while, and then decide to bust the UFO.

Tasan and Swaggs will lead the way in. We’ll go in through the east door and take it from there. After a few minutes the two men are in position. Tasan heads up to the door, pops it open…


X-COM agents prepare to assault a UFO. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

Nothing. There is a wall in front of him and to his left, but a passageway opens onto a room to his right. He heads into the room. In the center is the mutilated corpse of a large cow sitting on some sort of an anatomy table. Ye gads. There are no signs of aliens, however. Swaggs joins Tasan inside the UFO, and together the two of them begin a search of the first floor. The room they are in wraps around the outside of the UFO, but apparently there is no access from this entrance to the rest of the craft and the grav-lifts up to the higher floors. Damn. We’ll have to send men in through the south exit.

Wolfpack and Revrew make their way to the south exit and prepare to enter. After a minute they are ready. Wolfpack takes a deep breath, pops the door…

Muton, in the corridor right in front of him! Wolfpack has the element of surprise and pulls the trigger on his heavy plasma first. Three shots slam into the Muton and it topples backwards to the floor of the UFO, dead! Whew! Way to go, Wolfpack! X-COM 12, Aliens 0.


X-COM agents come face-to-face with a Muton. October, 2003. X-COM Archives Photo

And that’s the last alien! Well done, men! That was a tough one.

Kills: Revrew, 1; The Time, 1; Real Deal III, 1; Blade III, 2; Wolfpack, 2; Japherwaki II, 1; Swaggs, 1; Chuck U Farley, 1; Sachmo III, 1.
KIA: None.
Wounded: None
Attribute Improvements: Everyone! Yippee!
Final score: 466.
Mission Notes:
Fun mission. Lots of aliens to kill and no PSI stuff to have to deal with. Good feeling when everyone gets experience. We still haven’t had a mission where no one dies and everyone gets a kill. The only one that came up short today was Tasan. I thought we could make it by sending him into the UFO, but alas, it was not to be. We sent him in the wrong door.

We only get credit for 11 kills. The game doesn’t count unconscious aliens killed by grenades as a kill for the soldier who throws the grenade.

Revrew is consistently racking up kills, and gradually closing in on the X-COM leaders. He’s one behind third-place Jfbbis, and only three behind Kodos and Wade Moore for first place.

Nice job, Boys! Revrew is becoming a fine soldier! I was worried about that injured alien getting him...