For those that don’t remember, we have three missions left before the final crushing defeat of the alien race. The first two missions should be about as easy as the last 4 or 5 weeks have been. Teleporters will see to it that no one dies.
We won’t, however, use them on the last mission, so all of the units need to do everything they can to be ready to kick ass and survive.
While training continues for our ground forces, our Biochemists are, for the first time in months, overwhelmed with work. Fortunately we have a small lab researching as well.
Speaking of which…
So there you have it. The aliens would have to always have eggs from the alien dimension to take over our world, but we’ve killed their ability to make them. That means we win right!?!?!?1/1questionmarkone
Afraid not. We still have a few more buildings to destroy. For that reason, the beat goes on.
The beat seems to consist of scientists telling us things we already know. On the bright side, that little slice of knowledge opens up the very last weapon in X-Com Apocalypse and the only one I have never used.
But the other lab wins the research race and we learn about the next alien building.
Huh, strange description. I could have sworn the building we destroyed last week built the crafts, but what do I know and why does it matter? Quickly friends; run with me toward the danger!
Pictured: The definition of “Over 9000”. Our engineers didn’t have anything to do so they just built more Annihilators. Might have fun with those later.
Despite the building description, the dimension is clear and our transports are given safe passage to the alien building.
Embryonic UFOs? First we eat their brains and then we give them abortions? I guess we have been performing alien abortions since the first time we splatted an alien egg. No sense in feeling all guilty now!
With the exception of 4 units (three random agents that I failed to take off the ships and one unit that has been “mine” since day one) everyone on this mission is a B12er. We have 20 player-owned-characters. For the record, it is a bitch to keep them organized in combat.
Two seconds into the mission there is the sound of teleporting and we catch sight of a flock of skeltoids. There is no way of knowing if they all teleported here like brahs or if we have already stumbled onto the objective. Either way, the firefight begins.
While the group of skelatrons are cleared without much issue, on the other side of the map we are faced with a different problem
The aliens get lucky. They manage to mind control one of the three units in the mission that can do some damage to us; the non-b12er that sneaked onboard with a devastor cannon. His former teammates teleport to the psimorphs in an effort to free him but manage to take enough shots that the are forced to retreat. Two shields are destroyed and squad two is out of the fight for the time being.
Squad 5 tries to move in to have a look, but a rocket drops IT-Net’s shield and they too are forced to retreat.
Mean while, the NPC from squad two is freed and finds herself in the middle of a war zone.
Running back to safety would most likely be suicide, so she bets everything that the downed skelifawn has a teleporter.
The gamble pays off, and she escapes to freedom.
But to show there are no hard feelings, she leaves behind a present of the explody chain-reacty sort.
Doesn’t seem to do much damage, but it is the thought that counts, right?
Squad 4 teleports above the melee and into a position of great strategic value. It proves to be a good decision; the angle is too sharp for alien fire and rockets end up exploding harmlessly against the side of the structure.
The do, however, manage the first disk-location
And in true video game style, if it moves it explodes. Should have seen that one coming.
The next rocket is much more on target. It is getting a little too hot for Squad 4 so they pull back... Or at least they try to, turns out the guy taking the direct rocket hit was another NPC I missed. I (accidently) sent him into combat with only one teleporter. How cruel is that! Now he has to hide and hope it recharges in time (spoiler alert: it does). Also notice the other UF(embry)O is destroyed as a result of the chain reaction.
After another minute of intense firefight the area is cleared and troops fan out to find the UF(embry)O ‘s for destruction. The aliens did a better job of hiding this time, but par for the course, our agents track the last one down and we get the message.
Yes, that message.
120985-012 seconds later, when my computer catches up with the destruction the mission ends and another building falls.
And everyone returns home.
Early Wednesday we see a screen I have never seen before.
Meet: The Anti-Alien Gas
I think the description should read “When you are too powerful to worry about death and too rich to care about collateral damage, we’ll give you a weapon that will make both unlikely.” The new weapon comes so late in the game it is probably pointless. Probably… but we produce 50 just to be sure.
Woah, what the fuck? I had no idea you could make rocket launcher ammo with it! Hot damn! So 50 ‘nades and 50 rocket propelled ‘nades. Party in the breach!
Later on Wednesday our Biochemists finish research on the Overspawn.
God damn, everything about this oaf is hilarious. Look at the police cars and the Annihilator in that picture. Hahaha.
I believe this marks the end of the Biochemistry technology tree. Technically there are two more buildings to figure out there, but now we have seen every alien and every weapon. We are truly in the final hour.
Mid day Friday we get word on the second to the last alien building.
Okay fine. I guess if we just left them alone after destroying the first 6 they could rebuild them using this… thing… I guess we can go finish the job… grumble grumble.
The flights from gate to building are getting shorter and shorter. Nathan and friends come along just to keep their flight hours up (Nathan hates the fact that he isn’t contributing any more).
Here is the briefing for the building. It would be interesting to let the game run a couple of weeks and see if the aliens grow any buildings back…
Again combat comes quick. A few steps in the door is a flock of skels. It is time to see an AG (Alien gas) rocket in action!
I think they look good in pink! Literally within 1 in game second, three full health skels drop dead. That was pretty amazing. Sadly, Euk-4 doesn’t get credit for the kills, since it wasn’t directly related to his damage.
Before the gas even has a chance to clear our men move in (since it doesn’t hurt them) and eye the first set of targets.
Maxclone2 is without sin, so he throws the first stone… err… bomb. It kicks off a wondrous display.
Explosion will grow larger!
45 minutes later the pods are gone and only the gut-wrenching memory of their FPS remains.
Meanwhile, on the southern side of the map, our units locate the other batch of pods. As always this discovery is accompanied by a fire fight. Squad 1 is forced to retreat while squad two plows through the front door.
I am starting to take back some of the nasty things I said about the alien gas. Here you see our units have thrown a grenade in the narrow hallway and then run through the gas. It chases off or kills the aliens and doesn’t do a damn thing to our agents. It is really quite handy.
The entrance is cleared and the pods are exposed. Time to grab one of the alien dimension launchers and bring my computer to its knees!
On the other side of the map, we get a great opportunity to test out just how powerful the AG Missiles are.
Hello boys. Two missiles are sent into the left Megaspawn but Jacob/Lee is forced to retreat before he can see the fruits of his labor.
Back in the pod den we get a bit of a surprise.
Remember that framerate crushing chain reaction I mentioned? It seems to have started without us.
Shields fall faster than inhibitions at a beach party and squad 2 changes modes from “la la la, toss nades, shoot shoot” to “GTFO”.
Screen shots just don’t do justice to this stuff. Meanwhile, somewhere a CEO alien is really pissed off at a general contractor alien. Who the fuck puts massive volatile explosives in a room where people shoot guns all the time?
The chain reaction was impressive, but missed a few pods. Meanwhile, squad 3 moves in to confirm that AG alone took down one of the Megaspawn.
For the record, on this building, you only have to destroy the “fatty” pods. The ones that take up more than one square at some point in their stem.
And another one gone, and another one gone.
Another one bites the dust!
Our agents return Sunday morning and are immediately sent on Leave. They’ll need to be back Monday before midnight, but until then they are told to go home and be with their families. Montgomery is more on edge than normal.
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Topic: Complete: Let’s Play Ironman/Superhuman X-Com Apocalypse! (Read 115315 times)