3rd nearly-Legendary campaign

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Psieye
Posts: 829
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2017 12:27 am

3rd nearly-Legendary campaign

Post by Psieye »

Having messed up the research order (Mutons with no AP!) and with a lack of non-BM Scientists, I decided to start over with the just-after-Gatecrasher save from the previous campaign. The ini tweaks are the same as there except:

- ProtectData, HighValuePrisoner, PoliticalPrisoners, Logistics: 11d (from 9~13d)
- ReinforceActivity:
-- RequiredRebelMissionIncome 75 -> 100
-- DiscoveryPctChancePerDayPerHundredMissionIncome 3.5 -> 4.0
-- Duration: 6~12d -> 11d

By this point it really doesn't look like a normal Legendary campaign anymore: I've removed the duration variance completely for the basic GOps and the reinforce activity. I've upped the numbers to make it harder to detect Supply Raid - the aim wasn't to get more loot but to guarantee a region doesn't get 2 reinforce activities complete within a GOp cycle. The world has been divided up into 11 day cycles - well not completely, the Lib chain and other missions still vary.

I also note that sometimes, the "exactly 4 VIPs on PoliticalPrisoners" doesn't always get obeyed: occasionally a 3-VIP mission will get spawned. Absolute lack of duration RNG means I can check the exact hour that regions spawn missions - it varies by region, probably due to timezone.
My three 8-man GOp squad Commander campaigns:
1st
2nd
3rd
Psieye
Posts: 829
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2017 12:27 am

Re: 3rd nearly-Legendary campaign

Post by Psieye »

WTF speed:

--- Rendezvous, West Asia ---
5AM Mar 2, Str 2.

Flawless. The advisor was a sniper. There were a few 30% shots that a 3HP rebel had to dodge - that was entirely my impatience for selecting the wrong rebel to scout. There were 2 faceless, they split up and so were easy pickings. Even a speed 10 rebel can outrun a faceless.

Loot:
- Magazine
- +8 Hack PCS

Bodies:
- 3 Trooper
- Officer
- 2 Faceless

Promotion: Sniper -> LCpl: DfA

---

11PM Mar 4, S&G, 7d 5h, West Asia, Str 2, E.Light - send 6-man, 4 rookies

6AM Mar 5, ProtectData, 6d 23h, West Asia, Str 2, E.Light - send 6-man, 4 rookies

8AM Mar 5, switch West Asia to Recruit (I should have done this BEFORE launching Firebrand)

Find BM, buy Engineer for $110 (slightly cheaper than Scientist). Research complete: Res Comm. Begin Mod Weapons. Begin contacting East Asia.

8AM Mar 11, +1 rebel in West Asia. Switch West Asia to full intel.

--- S&G, West Asia ---
8AM Mar 12, V.Light, 96% infil (shit, I thought it'd be E.Light at 92+%)
5 crate, evac is near start

Disgusting scum at the start as I recalled how to do a sniper pull: run AWAY from the start no matter how nonsensical the direction may seem. Even if it's a 13-3 Mob sniper who can't move, RUN - distance and direction are the sniper's defences, not high cover or high ground. Note, I should bring more flashbangs. In a mass rookie situation, flashbangs let you bumrush a holed up pod, cancelling OW and preventing meaningful ones next turn.

2 Sectoid-led pods. They were less trouble than the 4-man pod at the start.

Loot:
- $27
- 9 elerium
- 10 alloy
- Core
- +7 Hack PCS

Promotions:
- Sniper -> Cpl: Center Mass. Named "Hollywood". This is ludicrous thanks to the fluke Rendezvous: a Cpl after the first GOp.
- Shinobi -> LCpl: LW.

--- ProtectData, West Asia ---
8AM Mar 12, V.Light, 92% infil

Evac timer increased, joy. The pod placements were unusually fortuitous - only 2 solo drones to remove on the way to hack. Actually there was a 3-man pod which was 1 tile away from vision and so got revealed by flaky UI - it got fragged by mortar and the ensuing ambush from the ceiling promptly killed it. A rookie out in the open was lucky to avoid being shot.

45% hack for small intel fails. I may be physically ill and frustrated (read: scum prone) but I'll accept wounds from bad tactical moves. Both were from the very last turn: trooper flanking the spec (because I fucked up smoke placement) and letting the grenadier be seen by the Sectoid: I could have hid on the roof.

Wounded:
- Specialist, 25d
- Grenadier, 9d

PoI is 1d for rookies

---

Some statistics: the Gatecrasher graduates were:
- 2 shinobi
- 2 spec
- 1 grenadier
- 1 sniper
- 1 ranger
- 1 assault

The 7 rookies from these two GOps are now:
- 17 Mob spec
- 16 Mob grenadier
- 15 Mob, 56 Aim assault (7 def is what I cared about)
- 12 Hack (before promotion) spec
- 15 Mob sniper
- 14 Mob, 7 HP tech (flamer)
- 14 Mob shinobi

Fly to PoI, the next mission won't spawn until 1AM.

3AM Mar 13, Research Complete: Mod Weapons. Begin Hybrid Materials.

9AM Mar 13, PoI gives 4 rookies. One is 16 Mob, 10 Def, 19 Dodge - that one's destined to become a ninja tank. Sell Core and Psi PCS, buy Scientist at $120. If HighValuePrisoner spawned, it's guaranteed to have a scientist award. Assign Scientist advisor to West Asia.

Excavation: $46. Start on next Debris.

4PM Mar 17, Prisoners (2 rebel 1 rookie), 6d 11h, West Asia, Str 2 - send 5-man, 1 rookie

Huh? The inis were ignored? Why a 3-prisoner mission?

10AM Mar 19, HighValuePrisoner: Extract Scientist, 4d 19h, West Asia, Str 2. Well... time to 4-man it: Cpl sniper, shinobi, assault, ranger. I wonder who will die...

Interesting note: this 2nd GOp is 1d shorter. I wonder what happened to my ini changes, maybe I need to restart XCOM 2.

1 AM Mar 19, contact East Asia (5 rebels, Str 3). Assign Scientist advisor to East Asia.

5 AM Mar 23, swap out Scientist from East Asia.

--- HighValuePrisoner, West Asia ---
5 AM Mar 23, Str 2, 100% infil

I hear Snek. Never saw it. A 3-man pod led by a Sectoid camped at the evac. Sniper pulled it - quite literally, it had no idea what to do so dashed into complete exposure (right where the ranger was). A rocket from the 60 Aim tech completely missed even when centered on the Sentry. Good thing it didn't matter, sniper dashed over and shot it next turn: 10 Def ranger tanked it to stand still.

Promotions:
- Shinobi -> LCpl: LW
- Tech -> LCpl: Roust

Scientist VIP.

---
My three 8-man GOp squad Commander campaigns:
1st
2nd
3rd
Psieye
Posts: 829
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2017 12:27 am

Re: 3rd nearly-Legendary campaign

Post by Psieye »

6 AM Mar 23, Research Complete: Hybrid Materials. Begin Alien Biotech.

--- Prisoners, West Asia ---
10 PM Mar 23, Str 2, 101% infil, E.Light
3-VIP, evac is on other side of jail

Sniper got a couple high rolls which made this mission significantly safer: Officer knocked down to 1 (so the 1 damage from frag killed it) and Gunner oneshot. Also killed 2 Drones that were weakened with a frag each.

41% hack for Enemy Protocol fails. Shinobi took 2 grazes from dazed 1 HP Sectoid and a Trooper.

Wounded: LCpl shinobi, 12d (thank 7 HP)

Loot:
- Hyper Reactive Pupils
- +2 Mob PCS

Promotions to LCpl:
- Spec: Sentinel (high Aim)
- Sniper: RT (access to Ghostwalker)
- Grenadier: RD (access to Quick Study)

VIPs: 2 rebel, 1 rookie

---

Excavation: $46.

12AM Mar 24, assign Scientist advisor to West Asia.

2PM Mar 24, Prisoners (2 rebel 1 rookie), 5d 17h, East Asia, Str 3, E.Light - send 4-man. Not happy about this, but the barracks needs more EXP.

4AM Mar 26, Lib 1, 4d 23h, West Asia, Str 2, E.Light - send 4-man. Really not happy.

6AM Mar 26, switch East Asia to Recruit. The other GOp won't have meaning.

4PM Mar 26, ProtectData, 7d 11h, West Asia, E.Light - send 6-man with 3 rookies.

10PM Mar 26, S&G, 8d 2h, West Asia, V.Light - abort the Lib 1 infiltration (14%), send 6-man. Swap out Scientist advisor from West Asia. Switch West Asia to full Recruit.

4AM Mar 27, Counter Tactical DE (Shredder), 9d 3h, East Asia, Str 3, V.Light. Ok...

11PM Mar 27, Research Complete: Alien Biotech (i.e. AP rounds). Begin Trooper Autopsy.

8AM Mar 28, 1d 23h, East Asia, Str 3, V.Light - ahaha, no. But ok, from this I know (with my exactly-11d GOp tweak) that East Asia spawns missions at 7AM local time.

9AM Mar 29, switch East Asia to Intel.

--- Prisoners, East Asia ---
9AM Mar 29, Str 3, 100% infil, V.Light
3-VIP, evac halfway to jail

I can't stealth this, will camp at evac and see how much I can kill.

4 kills (2 Drone, Snek, Trooper), no wounds. I'll take that, a little EXP and the squad is ready for the next mission. One loot expired and no else dropped. Snek made it easy by standing behind fragile cover that anyone can blow up.

---

Send 4-man to stop Tactical DE.

8AM Mar 30, +1 rebel in West Asia - set to Supply for Faceless check. This also confirms timezone matters.

6AM Apr 2, Research Complete: Trooper Autopsy (i.e. PG). Begin Laser, start PG. I forgotten to set a Scientist advisor but I think that's the right move: East Asia is at Str 3, I'm not going to get many useful missions so I should stealth there.

6AM Apr 3, switch West Asia to full Intel. West Asia now Str 3. East Asia now Str 1. Assign Scientist to East Asia - situation's changed now.

--- ProtectData, West Asia ---
6AM Apr 3, Str 3, 100% infil, V.Light
Evac flare is 5 turns.

Hack objective is far away, there's no way the evac flare can be thrown favourably.

I'm still not sure how this succeeded. What should have been a 2-man pod and 2 Drones turned out to be the entire map - all the pods were camping the objective. What followed was Advent missing way too many shots, including flank shots. A truly dirty mission. Rookies should have been dying to ensure the shinobi got the hack done (a wall blocked remote hacking). Nobody panicked except when hit by Mindspin.

Wounds:
- Sqd Assault, 14d
- Rookie, 27d

Loot:
- Adv Auto Loader
- +2 Mob PCS

PoI is alloy/elerium, 2d

---
My three 8-man GOp squad Commander campaigns:
1st
2nd
3rd
Psieye
Posts: 829
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2017 12:27 am

Re: 3rd nearly-Legendary campaign

Post by Psieye »

8AM Apr 3, +1 recruit from West Asia: 68 aim, 16 mob

--- S&G, West Asia ---
6PM Apr 3, Str 3, 100% infil, V.Light
6 crate, evac near start

A 2-man pod was 1 tile away from seeing squad's spawn location. The Trooper took 2 from rifle OW (graze), then 1 from a frag, but said frag blew up the car hitting it for an additional... 1. Run & Gun to stun the Officer so that next turn, 2 guns could be put to its face. One of those starts to a mission.

Somehow all the other pods were in or on the facility. This meant the squad got up to that long wall on the balcony. That wall is great for trolling the AI with visibility.

41% lamp hack for large intel fails. Every crate opened. Flawless.

Notable Loot:
- $123
- 11 alloy
- 2 datapad

Shaken shinobi recovers.

---

2AM Apr 4, Lib 1, 6d 19h, East Asia, Str 1, E.Light - send 5-man with 1 rookie. Swap out Scientist advisor from East Asia. Assign Scientist advisor to West Asia.

--- Counter Tactical DE: Shredder, East Asia ---
2AM Apr 4, Str 1, 119% infil, E.Light (Vulnerable)
4-man 'stealth' squad, flare takes 5 turns

Given my LoS shenanigans on the AI, you'd think I'd be cautious of troll unit placements. Nope, I don't give that as much thought as I should. Fun fact: a Drone will stun instead of taze if it's adjacent to one of your units even at the start of its turn with something else exposed.

What a disaster of learning. I've got too much of a headache to be playing but I'm still pushing on with scumming. Some additional facts learnt:
- flashing the leader of a pod reduces their orange alert movement
- a pod can walk THEN scamper then orange-shoot for a totally BS flank shot after a double move

That I'm having to scum so much for LoS misjudgements is probably a sign I shouldn't be playing right now. No wounds, but then there can't be as I've scummed so much. Oh, 2 Drones and 2 Troopers were killed while 'stealthing' the hack.

Notable Promotion:
- Grenadier -> Cpl: CM. Access to CuP, DGG and RR

PoI is 2d for Res Mec

---

10PM Apr 4, S&G, 6d 5h, East Asia, Str 1, E.Light - send 5-man with 2 rookies and 1 AP round sniper. Switch East Asia to full Recruit.

6AM Apr 5, ProtectData (Hack Train), 4d 20h, East Asia, Str 1, E.Light - send 4-man
6AM Apr 5, Lib 1, 5d 19h, West Asia, Str 1, E.Light - send 4-man

1AM Apr 6, fly to PoI (alloy/elerium)

9AM Apr 7, +1 recruit from East Asia

9AM Apr 7, Counter Strategic DE: hidden, 11d 4h, West Asia, Str 3, E.Light

3PM Apr 7, Prisoners (1 rookie 3 rebel), West Asia, 7d 17h, Str 3, V.Light - just not happening, too many 4-man squads around. I could buy a soldier from BM to do it, but not for Prisoners

PoI gives 10 alloy, 9 elerium
My three 8-man GOp squad Commander campaigns:
1st
2nd
3rd
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