Bay 12 Games Forum

So what if I like completing a "game blog" once I've started it? I have every intention of sharing the details on every mission and research thingy until they fire me for incompetence or conquer the Earth! (Different "they"s. Also, I suppose success is a possibility.)

I ordered new Interceptors and got an autosave. Right. Then...panic in the US over the UFO, a bunch more abductions and complaints about not being able to get multiple Skyrangers. I'll take Canada, because the US pulling out would be bad and the Chinese mission is Very Difficult. Sadly, this means China will probably be pulling out, and I don't get more engineers.

Operation Broken Thunder
Socks. Cookie. Lockdown. Sanchez. They are three of our most experienced soldiers, and a guy from Argentina who gets the laser rifle.
I am helpfully reminded that our Interceptor recently got shot down, because this is totally the best time to bring that up. More useful to bring up: I forgot to give Castro the skeleton suit, which is still being worn by White.
A couple mutons show up, causing everyone to complain about them flanking their positions even though they are both on one side and about as far from her as they could be. A couple of floaters are also spotted, still on the same side, leading to exclamations that make me doubt these idiots would know a flank from a feint. I get some lessons too, though: Flowerbeds make poor cover. Still, the enemies are easily taken down.
No sooner does Lockdown smash the last floater than do two more show up, showing terrible tactical sense, one flying through a window and one trying to get through a wall to get at us. Maybe their CPUs got fried? Eh, that's more amusing than the actual answer no doubt. Sanchez bursts in after the runaway and notes a pair of thin men as well. (He ends up killing the one he didn't run after, because 84>39.) The thin men hop up and down from a rooftop more than is strictly needed, shooting through a shop at Socks and unsuccessfully at Lockdown. Sanchez nails a thin man through a car (better chance to hit than the enemies right on the other side of the wall), Socks uses a double-tap to take down the floater, and Cookie executes the last alien.
Why does X-Com like crashing after mission success?
Alright, I lost basically a turn. No biggie. New stuff: I misread hit rates, but the original idea was better since thin men apparently poison you if you're too close when you kill them. Other than switching thin men, it worked the same.
Everyone except Lockdown got promoted--Sanchez became a heavy, Socks became a Captain, Cookie became a Lieutenant. Socks and Lockdown will be in the infirmary for eight and nine days, respectively.

Panic in Japan and India. The Interceptor arrives in America and the new one is online. Sadly, the new one is also a basic Raven from the looks of it. We need to figure out that whole "install new technologies on Interceptors" thing. "Edit Loadout" isn't enough, it won't let me add the dodging matrix I made.
We figured out EMP cannons, which somehow also let us repair the SHIVs we almost have in combat. Science! We begin research into Archangel armor, because it's that or heavy lasers and I don't see us needing that.
The SHIVs are ready, I guess.

Operation Frozen Dawn
A UN official was caught in an alien attack in Brazil. I know, I know, "Back to the Skyranger," but this sounds important. We're low on funds, need to train rookies, and that "Panic Reduction" sounds really nice.
Castillo (that guy who survived the first mission? Remember him? He's back in commission) and Saturn are joined by Mary O'Sullivan of Ireland and Molly White, a sniper. Saturn's getting an arc thrower, because this sounds like a decent time to see if we can't capture one of the aliens. Unless it turns out to be a tougher mission than it sounds, in which case...
Right away, we hear someone claiming to be a "friendly" (his exact words are "Friendlies over here," but whatever). I'm leaning towards "updated thin men," but you never know...and you'd better believe I'd get sacked if I was wrong. I see a great overhanging sign thing that looks strong enough for a sniper, but the skeleton suit doesn't seem to let me up there. Seriously, what is it supposed to be used for? Saturn approaches, once the rest of the team is around him, and the friendly points to Van Doorn, the general we're supposed to save, before saying that he and his team are too weak to help any until we get him. They'll cover our way back or something. Gee, thanks. Castillo advances, and sees some thin men who miss and poison him. White clips one with her pistol while advancing, which Saturn simply overkills. The klutz thin man hits Castillo, who advanced and Overwatched. More like Overlook, amirite? Anyways, pistols are drawn to hurt it, which works--each deals one damage, knocking it down to one, allowing Saturn to try the arc thrower. After getting shot and after he claims the thin man is trying to flank him because he snuck up behind the same piece of cover he was using. This is easy. Switch to Saturn, shift over, and hope the stun button is YES IT'S THE ARC THROWER!
More thin men are sighted as we advance...and they kill Castillo, sending a couple of the others into panic. Saturn and White. The general complains about it not being fair if he has all the fun. Yes, half the squad is panicking over our oldest veteran being DEAD, leaving a rookie to handle the job, everything's hunky-dory.
And the game crashes. Well, pretty decent timing I guess. Does this count as save scumming?
Now where are we...thin man stunned, VIP being belligerent, no thin men in sight. Neat.
The new kid grenades the pair, then moves forward with (ahead of) the team as the general criticizes us for letting him have all the fun. I note that, while no one is panicking, Castillo seems to be gone. Odd. Well, there's two more thin men (were they on sale when the aliens stocked this UFO?), one of which White headshoots. We rendezvous with Van Doorn, and more thin men drop in from the skies. Yup, definitely a bulk sale. The one ahead of the team is killed by White, who earns a promotion. Doorn mentions interest in "getting another shot at these bastards. I owe it to my men." I promise to give him an X-Com volunteer form when we get back to base. After we kill the last thin men nearby, Doorn heads back to the Skyranger and complains about losing good men out there today, which means he gets to sit next to Castillo's body bag as he ignores that volunteer form.
Oh come on. That's twice in one mission!
As always, we lose basically nothing. I wonder how people save-scum...probably turn autosaving off first. We search impatiently for alien scum to show their faces so we can go home. Finally, a Thin Man shows his face, showing that what people say about Squadsight and Overwatch is true.
Mary became a Sniper, and will be out of action for four days. White got promoted to Sergeant and now has a kill count of 14...only five less than Sock's. She's been nicknamed "Snake Eyes" for reasons beyond me. Saturn will be out of action for six days. Castillo...

"Corporal Castillo was not the best of us, not the fastest, strongest, smartest, or toughest of us. He was in the hospital more often than not. His record is pretty average, at best, both before and after entering X-Com. He was not special, he will not be the last to join or to leave...but he was the first, the first to fight those aliens and come back to talk about it. He survived the disastrous Operation: Devil's Moon, and went on to complete three more missions before dying on his fifth, as many as any who have died in the X-Com project. He is the tenth X-Com casualty of this war against the aliens; he will not be the last. And yet, today marks a turning point in a way. Aside from Castillo's death, a death of a friend to many a doctor or infirm, a loving husband, and so forth, we have something very valuable...an alien life. I'd like to think that, without Castillo's sacrifice, we wouldn't have our captive, nor his weapon, which will doubtless let us kill or capture aliens all the better, preventing some of the future tragedies. Remember Corporal Castillo, Corporal Huang, Sergeant "Clean" Papadoupolous, Private Ajram, and the rookies who never completed a mission. Remember their sacrifice, think of all they brought us. They died so others could live--not just others on their squad, their friends, their comrades-at-arms, but everyone on Earth. Remember that that's what we're fighting for here. We aren't squabbling over some scrap of land, or a dispute over a treaty. We aren't even fighting for our principles, or to protect our hometown from destruction and the death of maybe one in ten. We are fighting to protect every man, woman, and child on the face of the globe, and all that we have built up over the centuries, from annihilation. Many of you knew Castillo--Huang--Papa Clean--the others who died--those who came close. Many of you are considering leaving X-Com. Just remember...we're here for something greater. And we need every man and woman willing to go out on a moment's notice to stop alien abductions, or save generals of nations they never want to see again, or whatever we need you to do. We need these men and women, who not only want to risk their lives for the greater good, but who are skilled enough to do so and make a difference. And, above all, we need soldiers willing to face death in the face, whatever unearthly form it takes, and spit at it, following up with a bullet or laser or whatever the labs come up with to the face. We are not afraid. We are not weak. We are Earth. We are the defenders, the guardians, the protectors of this planet, this species, this civilization. Understand? We will not, cannot fall. Thank you."
"That was pretty good, sir."
"Thanks. I ad libbed it."
"I could tell. You rambled a lot. We hire a speechwriter for a reason, you know."

I hire a few new rookies and have the foundry work on upgrading the medkits. Then the game crashes.