project-navigation
Personal tools

Author Topic: General Tactics for Newbie Player  (Read 11406 times)

Offline Moon_Dew

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
General Tactics for Newbie Player
« on: February 02, 2014, 05:48:32 pm »
Okay, I'm having trouble with my game, not technical trouble, but it just seems like I'm always one step away from losing.  Nations are unhappy with me, UFOs always get away or shoot down my jets, my soldiers get slaughtered during base attacks, I'm having a hard time trying to capture a live alien, and I'm having a hard time making and/or keeping money.

Anyone have any advice for early-, mid-, and late-game?

Sorry, meant to say that this is for 2.5.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2014, 08:35:29 pm by Moon_Dew »

Offline Grug

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 56
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2014, 04:11:01 am »
Have you got a saved game we could look at?

Offline Moon_Dew

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2014, 06:33:46 am »
I'd share it if I could find it.

Also, I'm not talking about this particular play-through, but just any time I play.

Offline Duke

  • Administrator
  • PHALANX veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 1037
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2014, 08:32:40 am »
Savegames:
http://ufoai.org/wiki/FAQ#General

How many bases do you have ?

Offline Moon_Dew

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2014, 02:24:30 pm »
I'm not sure which file is the right one, so I put all three here.  And to answer your question, Duke, I have two bases, one somewhere in Russia (my first base, a hybrid), and the other in the US (my first production base).

Offline Duke

  • Administrator
  • PHALANX veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 1037
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2014, 02:42:07 pm »
Radar coverage is an important factor (ideally of the whole world).
Build some radar towers if you can't afford more bases.
Do you win all the missions ?

Offline Moon_Dew

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2014, 02:51:18 pm »
Through this play-through I have so far.

Offline Noordung

  • Squad Leader
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2014, 03:49:11 pm »
I think the best to start s europe. you can cover middle east, europe, africa and russia. second usa - not much ufos there but if you dont have base there they dont like you.

Offline Moon_Dew

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2014, 03:51:20 pm »
How much money should I have before I make a second base?  Oh, and, slightly off-topic, what happened to the Kerrblade?  I usually would have found one by now.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2014, 03:53:33 pm by Moon_Dew »

Offline Grug

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 56
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2014, 04:32:56 pm »
Ok, I've taken a quick look.

Firstly, you only have radar coverage over Russia, The Asian Republic and part of the Middle East. The radar in your second base needs both a power plant (in progress) and a command centre (missing). Your approval rating for each country (and your income!) is based on you detecting and eliminating the alien threat. You can't detect without radar.

Secondly, your Dragon has no armour and only light weapons so will always take lots of damage. Your Stilletto only has Polymer Armour so will also take lots of damage. You have researched Alien Aircraft Plating so you need to produce some for your Interceptors at least.

Thirdly, you aren't producing or researching anything at the moment... given you have good facilities, you need to use them to constantly upgrade your forces.

Fourthly, you can get a lot more income (and hence build more bases and radars) by selling the excess alien tech you collect. You can't use Alien Armour so other than keeping one for research, you can sell the rest. Likewise, you won't need 48 Plasma Blasters, etc. Sure, keep a few, but the excess can be sold to help expansion.

I'd say overall you're on the right track but the 2 biggest things that helped me was realising that lack of radar meant countries get grumpy, and you can sell excess alien tech so you can build lots of radar (either in the form of a few bases or lots of radar installations - but remember installations are limited to 5 per base you have). Upgrading your aircraft armour should help with your planes being shot up all the time.

Capturing live aliens can be done either with the stun rod (none of your soldiers has it equipped - use your top close range soldier) or sometimes in the early game with snipers at long range.

The kerblade doesn't exist any more. I think it was replaced with the plasma knife, but don't quote me on it. I think there is a thread on the forums about it somewhere.

Offline Moon_Dew

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2014, 05:31:03 pm »
Five installations per base?  You sure?  Because I can't seem to place more than three per base.

Offline Duke

  • Administrator
  • PHALANX veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 1037
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #11 on: February 03, 2014, 05:40:24 pm »
3 is right.

Offline ShipIt

  • Project Artist
  • Captain
  • ***
  • Posts: 906
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #12 on: February 03, 2014, 05:53:31 pm »
...
The kerblade doesn't exist any more.
...

...  Oh, and, slightly off-topic, what happened to the Kerrblade?  I usually would have found one by now.

Without Kerrblade, researching Monomolecular Blade would be impossible, so it should appear in early game. If not, it´s probably a bug.

Offline Moon_Dew

  • Rookie
  • ***
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #13 on: February 03, 2014, 07:15:58 pm »
Again, off-topic, but how do you compile the game into debug mode?

Offline DarkRain

  • Project Coder
  • Captain
  • ***
  • Posts: 746
    • View Profile
Re: General Tactics for Newbie Player
« Reply #14 on: February 03, 2014, 09:42:53 pm »
Windows, right? How are you compiling? (Are you? If not, start here)