Your Tactics

[ufogio]

I like to have two smg soldiers, at least at the beginning.
These weapons are very good at short distances (they can kill an alien without armor with one or two shots, while assault rifles can't), and they can cover the squad at great distances.
On Hard difficulty games, aliens don't like to come directly under a line of fire, so smg are good in keeping the aliens far away, while the others members of the team move around them. I don't know whether it is a bug of the 2.2 version or not, but I've noticed that soldiers with smg have a longer range than snipers when using reaction fire.

My team is usually like this:
- 2 smg soldiers (close)
- 1 or 2 assault with assault rifles
- 2 or 1 snipers
- 1 soldier with a good close-range weapon, e.g. shotgun with flechettes or flamethrower;
- 1 medic/explorer
- 1 grenade launcher

Lately I've discovered that I like very much laser weapons, and I'm thinking about replacing 1 or both of my snipers or a smg with laser rifles.
A team with laser rifles is very good at long distances, but has some problems at short range, so I have to keep a flamer guy or somebody with shotgun.
I've never used alien weapons... I just don't like the idea of using them

[Panthera Leo]

I do not under stand the concept of a dedicated medic. All my units have med kit in their backpacks. I'd rather kill the enemy before they can do more damage instead of dragging a fight out. I travel in packs, If I have too, I move two units to cover and commence with the dispensing of band-aids.

Barring some other tactic being more adventitious(setting up a kill zone at long range, or flanking the alien's hiding place from behind with some plasma grenade love.) I pray on the alien weapon's weakness, long range combat. Outside a partial weapon, even then only then in good hands, the alien's can't hit the broad side of a barn if they haven't planted their face in it.

Weapon load outs? I split between a one:one ratio of heavy lasers and bolt rifles ASAP(ignoring the alien guns completely). The lasers have the range and accuracy to shoot across the map with a fair margin of stopping power. Even between builds the bolt rifles are excellent weapons, and are lethal at medium to close range. They also have some long range power. I use lasers to lock down area's of the map or setup long range kill zones from some distance away. Baring a partial weapon, even then only in good hands, the alien's weapons medium to long range capabilities are laughable! I have no problems picking them off or locking them down to take them out at my pleasure.

General procedure? I respect the uses of different weapons, I don't brake my units up in set patterns. Every tool has it's place, and every place has it's tool. I lock down sections of the map, sweep it clean, and move on careful to never expose a area I've already cleared to the aliens. Sounds hard, but it's not. When you run into a new map, just plan ahead and think it though.

If it's a large open area, I'll post the heavy lasers up somewhere high. Trusting them to keep the aliens from hopping from cover to cover without at least being spotted. Then use the bolt rifles to pick the place clean.

[ufogio]

I do not under stand the concept of a dedicated medic. All my units have med kit in their backpacks. I'd rather kill the enemy before they can do more damage instead of dragging a fight out. I travel in packs, If I have too, I move two units to cover and commence with the dispensing of band-aids.

Sometimes it's useful to have a soldier with the medikit and a stunning rod already in his hands.
I know it costs only 2 TU to take the medikit, but sometimes even 2 TU are important... and if the soldier has too low HP to be healed and has not enougth TU to move for cover, you can always stun him, so you won't lose a veteran soldier.
Also, consider that the medic/explorer unit is often a dispensable soldier, which an average/good speed (23-24), low accuracy, and good in close and explosive weapons.
He will usually move into rooms and covered angles to see if there are aliens, with the rest of the team covering him.
Anyway, I agree with equipping all the soldiers with a medikit in their backpack.

[tchristney]

He will usually move into rooms and covered angles to see if there are aliens, with the rest of the team covering him.

Yeah, we're covering you, meat shield. Now get in there before I see an alien behind you.

You're cold, ufogio, damn cold. 

[ufogio]

Yeah, we're covering you, meat shield. Now get in there before I see an alien behind you.

You're cold, ufogio, damn cold. 

eheh no.. I think he likes his work.
You know, not many people can say 'Hey, I was the first person to see an alien' so frequently.
Maybe next time I will equip him with flowers in his hand instead of a medikit..

[tchristney]

Why can't we all just... get along?

[Panthera Leo]

Why can't we all just... get along?

No! That would be peaceful, we can't have that! The world would explode! :p

Also, consider that the medic/explorer unit is often a dispensable soldier, which an average/good speed (23-24), low accuracy, and good in close and explosive weapons.

There a problem, if they're expendable human resources will expend them, as in fire. I don't have room on my squads for expendable screw ups. They either are not or will die trying not to be!

[ufogio]

There a problem, if they're expendable human resources will expend them, as in fire. I don't have room on my squads for expendable screw ups. They either are not or will die trying not to be!
[/quote]Well, I played the Hard campaign 3 or 4 times, and I've lost the medic unit only a few times.
It's not really more dangerous than the other positions... keep the medic always covered by his companions, and it is ok.

[Panthera Leo]

Even then that's one less gun I have to kill the enemy. My view is the faster their dead, the less time they have to fire back, and the less damage I'll take.  The longer the fight lasts the more damage I take, and the more a need med-kits.

In practice the only time I've had to fall units back for band-aids during a fire fight is when I setup a firing line at range and leave my guys on reaction fire for a few turns. To snipe the enemy when they pop out of cover, and I flank them from another side. There are few times in close range combat that the aliens pop around a corner just before by guys do. I'm heavy exploiting the alien's lack of good ranged combat ability. In which case they may score one or two solid hit, but rare enough to kill my guys outright.

Either that or the AI takes one or two shots, enough to cripple a unit maybe, but always ducks just around a corner to take cover at the end of a their turn. Not the brightest idea to always be just out of sight, I know where they are so their about to meet the business end of a plasma grenade or blade. Fight over, potential for further damage: zero. Then commence with the dispensing of band-aids.

There are times AI doesn't know what to do when you don't fear it, or refuse to charge it.

Edit: Their weapons and tactics are center on medium range combat, or a close range ambush.

[Kamuflaro]

Question: Are smokes and flashbangs any use?if so what difficulty level? Tried flashbang in hardest and didn't recognize an effect - 1 hit kill -.-
I'd go for the kill right away too, nades are only for aliens above, no need to flash him if a 3shot burst from a nader wipes him out.
Also in hardest snipers and rocket seem to be useless, you need the heavy machine guns or close combat where you deal a lot of damage with your ActionPoints
Pretty annoying I get ruined in easiest difficulty level already in the 1st mission loosing a soldier or at least 2 civilians before I can eliminate the aliens. In hard one of my last 2 men panicked and killed the other soldier and ran after the civ, that's fun!

Any detection devices implemented yet? (Psi-Detector, Movement Detector, etc.) I didn't look at anything, but I guess those would be a great help especially since you cant save during fights which would give them a real use not like in any of the commercial UFO games.

[DanielOR]

New to UFO:AI, playing on Normal, early in the game

Squad:
2 snipers
2 grande launchers
2 machine guns (starting to love those - plenty of punch, plenty of range)
2 assault rifles

All soldiers carry med pacs - I am with Panthera Leo here - "everyone fights"

Essentially, no close weapon use (maybe my UFOEU experience talking)

If engaged early, snipers (at least one) head to high ground, rifles scout and protect grande launcher guys, machine guns are great for both RF as well as clearing rooms.  Aliens are armed now, so I am starting to feel regular assault rifles are not cutting it.  Laser should be ready any day though.

If I don't see 'em...Typically split into two equal element teams, each has a rifleman as a spotter, machine gun as primary killer (mid-high range), granade launcher and sniper get applied as needed.

Soldiers almost always move in two's, so that if one is wounded the other can cover them - either finish the alien, heal, or keep them healed while they shoot it out.

I tend not to use the rocket launcher at all, since it does not seem to destroy walls - liked that a lot in UFO:EU - "sort through the rubble" approach to clearing buildings

[Captain Bipto]

I tend to only have one or two guys shot at a round so I figure I got plenty of time to run over and medic the dude.  Because I do not have any of my soldiers go solo (cept the snipers to high ground course) I just move the wounded guy back to a better place (though once I had a grey drop down next to him with a kerr blade on the convoy map...grrr) and have him cover his partner.  Works for me. Like I said earlier, it all depends on playing style my man.  Course there are problems if I spread my dudes out thin over the map but that hardly happens (though the resort map was kinda a pain). I'd rather have my wounded guys use their TUs to move back and set up reaction fire than pull out and use a med kit that sucks up all their TUs...nevermind the fact if they are missing TUs because they fired last round (donno if that is a bug or not but it happens to me). 

[Captain Bipto]

*Crazy rant snipped*

Regards,
Winter

[Doctor J]

Essentially, no close weapon use (maybe my UFOEU experience talking)

To each his own, of course, but the high range and accuracy of the Laser Pistol make it a quite effective weapon for covering/reaction fire.

[Winter]

This is your only warning, Bipto, we don't tolerate abusive crap here. Do it again and you'll be on a one-way train to bansville real quick.

Regards,
Winter