UFO2 strategy

[Sore Loser]

I have recently picked up Terror From the Deep again, displeased that I never managed to complete it on Impossible without extensive reloading. Here are the strategy notes I have assembled, feel free to comment and supplement. I have decided to limit myself to one reload per battle (save must be prior to combat) and nothing else.

1) Research strategy

Gauss Pistol
Gauss Rifle + Clip
Deep One corpse
Aqua Plastics
Aqua Armour
Medikit
Ion Beam Accelerators
Deep One Terrorist (my tech tree tells me to research IBA, Mag. Nav. and Aqua Armour before this, or the tech progress will hang. Does anyone know?)
MC Lab
Ion Armour
Heavy Gauss+ Clip
Gauss Cannon
Sonic Cannon + Clip

Crucial technology:

Gauss Rifle is the first decent weapon you get, and must be researched ASAP. Works best against Aquatoids, Gill Men and Deep Ones.

MC Lab must be gotten as soon as possible as it takes a long time to first build it and then another month to identify the MC stats of your soldiers.

Sonic Cannon is crucial against Lobstermen, Tasoths and Tentaculats. You can delay researching it until March.

Gauss Cannon lets you produce enough goods to make a difference in your household budget. Prioritize extra Workshops and Living Quarters before building additional bases.

Aqua Armour is the only armour you get for a long time if my tech tree is correct. In order to research Magnetic Navigation you need a Lobsterman Navigator, and that takes quite a while. It is no good without Medikits, so make sure you get them at the same time.

PD Sensor is the first cash item you can research, and may be of some use in battles. They are pretty good when entering buildings and subs if you use them correctly (take notes each turn and compare to see if someone is waiting for you).


Thermal Shok Launcher is necessary for capturing live aliens. (the only Live Aliens you need are: Deep One, Lobsterman Navigator and Lobsterman Commander). It is also good against Lobstermen in general, as one shot generally takes them down.

Sonic Oscillator is the best all-round craft weapon. You can delay researching them until you have Mantas, as your Barracudas are too fragile against large subs and basic weapons work well enough against smaller subs. In any event, you should wait for them to land so you can grab more loot.

2) Base administration

Build Living Quarters and Alient Containment on day one. Hire 20 scientists and 2 aquanauts. Purchase an SWS of your own choice along with 20 chemical flares, Torpedo Launchers for each soldier with FA above 60 and ST above 35. Also buy plenty grenades of all sorts except Dye (you can use these to reap experience from panicked aliens, but that's tantamount to cheating).

Build a Laboratory and another suite of Living Quarters when you have the cash. Hire 10 technicians when the first suite of Living Quarters are up, you need them to get Gauss Rifles in time for the first terror mission.

Build a second base containing a Sonar, a Hangar and General Stores for taking down subs whenever you have plenty cash. This is not an early priority, you can afford a few popularity hits at first.

After this, base maintenance is easy. Keep expanding and build vast amounts of Gauss Cannons to keep your accountant happy. Build extra workshops first, assuming that your technology level is sufficient to meet the current threats.

3) General battle tactics

Make sure you have either a tank (preferrably two, but they're expensive) or a few rookies with you on every trip. You don't want to use your best soldiers as scouts, keep them behind to work as snipers when clearing the surrounding terrain.

Immediately upon exiting the sub, you should take a trip clockwise around the sub with your tank. I often get my soldiers killed by an alien that starts out to the right of the sub. Avoid this by having your tank circle the entire sub before letting your soldiers out. Spend the time priming grenades.

I prefer Night Missions, as they allow me to see the enemy before they see me (using MANY flares). I lay one line of flares ~6 tiles apart, and then another line behind them. Then another layer, after which I pick up the first line and proceed. This is very slow, but it keeps your casualties down. Note that this is not a good tactique against MC foes, as you need to get at those as soon as possible. Run wild with your scouts and make sure your snipers can reach any zone you scout. If your scout is shot without spotting the alien, toss a few Sonic Pulsers in the shot's direction. Again, tanks are preferrable as they survive long enough to spot the heinous alien. Snipers should be placed on high spots that are known to be safe.

When entering subs, things go wrong. The smallest type is easy enough:
1) Patrol the area immediately outside the sub to make sure aliens don't pop out all of a sudden. PD Sensors are good here.
2) Place snipers in safe distance from the sub, facing the opening
3) Enter the sub with a rookie. If you spot the alien, move aside and let the snipers take it down. If you don't spot the alien, open one of the side doors. If you see the alien and you expect to take it down with one shot/round, go for it. If not, toss a grenade in there (Magna Blast, you don't want to wreck the sub completely) and run out of the sub. Then do the same thing with the other door. The alien should then come out, and can be picked off with the snipers (remember to place a flare outside the sub so they can see it).

Size 2:

1) Place snipers in safe distance from the sub, facing the opening.
2) Open the door with a scout (rookie or tank) standing on the left door tile (facing the door tile), then move aside (don't run past the other tile that is next to the door).
3) If you spot an alien, take it out with the snipers. If not, move aside and wait for the next turn. Move your snipers to the right so they can peer into the left part of the sub. Then open the door, standing on the right door tile, facing the far left end of the sub. If you spot an alien, take it out with the snipers. If no aliens are spotted in this way then they're usually outside, or hiding in the sub. Enter the sub with the tank and let the alien waste opportunity fire on it.

Size 3:

1) Patrol the entire area in front of the opening first, then place snipers in safe distance facing the opening.

2) Patrol the area outside the sub extensively. Many aliens may decide to take a peek outside. Use Grenades to blow up the door so you can peek into the sub and take out aliens hiding there. Use your tank and PD Sensors to locate the aliens without risking opportunity fire. Keep track of the aliens inside the ship and take notes. Once they stop moving you can no longer detect them, so be sure to track them.

3) When no more aliens appear (after waiting 5-6 turns), enter the sub with two rookies carrying grenades. Have them enter the sub and toss a grenade through each side door, then run out and take cover. If you don't detect movement on your sensors, you can assume that no aliens are waiting in the side rooms. Then toss grenades into the main room, run away and check for movement. If no movement is detected, enter the main room and toss grenades in front of the two alcoves, etc.

This follows the assumption that aliens will move when hit by a nearby grenade. If this is not so, the above strategy is less useful. Furthermore, all those grenades will turn the sub into a wreck. Instead of tossing grenades, try tossing rookies! It costs you points, but rookies are inexpensive. Simply burst through the door and use core soldiers for backup once the rookies are down.

4) MC opposition

Don't carry primed grenades in your hands. If a soldier panicks, have him drop all weapons and use all his action points. Take care not to accidentally use opportunity fire against soldiers that have been taken over. Use unaffected soldiers aggressively to shorten the battle.

5) Tentaculats

I hate Tentaculats. I really, really, really hate Tentaculats
If you adopt a defencive stance, they might dodge your snipers and run 100 tiles to kill one of your soldiers. If you adopt an aggressive stance then they pop out of nowhere and kill your soldiers. You need to scout with tanks. They can damage tanks, but it usually takes several blows and they don't spawn on tanks.

You can use DP Launchers to level the entire level
but that does get expensive. Or you can use teams of soldiers with excellent reactions and Sonic Cannons. However, this puts you at risk of grenades.

It is crucial to face Tentaculats in day missions. You just can't toss enough flares quickly enough to spot Tentaculats. And they always seem to know where you are...

6) Port & island missions

These aren't too difficult. Take your time and pay no attention to the number of killed civilians.

7) Ship missions

Use PD Sensors and keep your crew in one area at a time.

8) Alien colonies

You can level the central room of the colony entrance with DP Launchers, allowing for a fast transit. I strongly recommend this. Exposing your soldiers to all the tasoths that lurk above the exit area is not desirable.

On the main level of the colony you cannot use DP Launchers to get at the target, I believe it is behind closed doors. Again, approach cautiously and use teams of three soldiers with good reaction ratings.

[bakalov]

Good combat tips ;-) I will add some overland strategy here for the first two months when there are only a few alien subs on the map:
Do not wait your base to detect the aliens. Look at the graphs bar where the alien activity is shown. If you see alien activity somewhere, remember the sea and immediately send your Triton to patrol there. It has much more fuel than the interseptors and can make continuous patrols. This way you probably will find the first sub pretty early, and of you can capture it you can go directly for sonic technology instead of gauss. The main reason for this is that the sonic oscillator is probably the best weapon for your subs.

[DrSpike]

TFTD is positively mean on the highest level............I wish you luck in your quest.

[Sore Loser]

I played a LOT yesterday, and here are the lessons learned:

Ion Armour is extremely important, I'll move it higher on the research order. Fighting Lobstermen with Gauss Rifles is extremely annoying. I waited a long time before getting Sonic Cannon, and I ran into a few Lobstermen missions with nothing but Pulsers and TS Launchers.

I managed to destroy the only MC Reader on my first terror mission with a foolish grenade. This meant that I had to postpone researching the Deep One Terrorist, or I wouldn't be able to research it.

My losses come from two sources: Entering medium subs and faulty scouting around buildings on terror missions. I lost four men to one gill man whom I just couldn't spot and who saw a lot farther than I imagined. It was a night terror missions, and I decided not to bother with the flares. Big mistake...

Medium subs also give me pains. Most of the aliens peek outside, so I can take out most of them near the opening. If an alien is waiting for me in one of the side rooms, it'll usually get the first shot against me. Before Ion Armour, a shot to the side is certain death. I didn't follow my own grenade tossing strategy, as I was much to greedy to destroy the nice geear inside. Aliens in the central room are less of a problem. They are usually visible through one of the doors, if I open them simultaneously I can spot. If they're waiting just beyond sight, they get the first shot against me. PD Sensors didn't help me at all, as I waited so long before entering that they'd stopped moving long ago. Any tips beyond tossing grenades and wrecking the sub?

Thank you for the spotting tip bakalov, I'll certainly try it out. Can I see the alien activity for the coming month this way? Is it any good to go for Sonic tech right away? I can get Gauss Rifle for the first terror mission, and this is a great aid for me. Besides, the Gauss Rifle is actually better against Gill Men and Aquatoids as it has auto mode and the lower damage rating rarely matters. I take Gill Men out with one shot 2/3 of the time, I think.

I have decided to impose a few more rules on myself:
1) No reloading unless the game hangs
2) No MC Disruptor, it ruins the game balance

[Juggler]

I have a game saved but haven't bothered to play it for some time now (veteran difficulty). I often have to load the game during missions which annoys me.

Fighting Lobstermen with Gauss Rifles is extremely annoying.

You can take him out with 2 hits using heavy sonic cannon. try aimed shot and you can't miss him. also - during raids on their base (2nd level) arm yourself with heavy thermic lances. lots of small rooms, just walk to him and you'll kill him with one shot. It also doesn't require much TUs.

[bakalov]

Sonic weapons are more accurate and more powerful. No autofire though (as you mentioned). The sonic tech leads to the best IMO sub weapon - sonic oscillator.
If you do the patrol trick you may have the material to research sonic early enough for the terror missions.

Very good way to kill lobsters is using Vibro Blade. They die really fast from it. One or two hits usually are enough. The only inconvenience is that you have to be close to them to do so.

[bakalov]

BTW how do you play it? If you are using some kind of slowing program can you post it, or at least a link? The last time I tried to play UFO I discovered that it runs too fast :-(

[Juggler]

If you are using some kind of slowing program can you post it, or at least a link?

I remember reading about Mo'slo, never tried it though.

[Sore Loser]

bakalov, I'm fortunate enough to have a really slow computer. It's a bit fast, but not too much to have an impact. At any rate, most of the game works well enough on a fast comp IMO.

I'm unable to put your good scouting method to good use. Exactly what do you d? Send out the Triton and let it patrol at the same spot until it runs empty? I tried consulting the graphs and having it patrol active areas, but the results weren't impressive. Exactly how does patrolling and sonar scanning work?

As for Sonic weapons, I don't think I need Sonic Oscillators for a while. While it's nice to be able to take down medium subs, aren't large ufos are too large to take down with Barracudas even with Oscillators?

I have decided on another self-imposed rule: I'm not allowed to produce goods only to sell them later. Everything I produce must be used. This makes the economy much more challenging, and gets rid of a tedious aspect of the game.

[bakalov]

For the scouting - I do not stay at the same spot, but go around and stay on different places for a while. It is very important that you catch the activity from the start. If you are too late you probably will find nothing because the ufo is already gone.

With save/reload I have managed to shot down the even very large ufos with baracudas armed with sonic oscillators. You have to minimize/chaze after a hit and then save. If you do not use this you will not be able to go for very large. Probably you will not have problems with Large though.

IMO most people when look at the profit from manufacturing forget to count the engineers' salaries. This reduces the profit significantly.

[Sore Loser]

Just started a new game. First mission was a size 2 sub with gill men. My tank hadn't arrived yet, and I was using Rocket Launchers for my snipers. Everything went okay, two rookies were lost while clearing the map. Upon approaching the sub I made the mistake of blowing up the door. I just wanted to get rid of an alien standing next to it, and I didn't think clearly. While entering the sub, I lost 3 men to a single gill man with a pistol...

I'll try to see how well I fare with Oscillators against large subs, maybe I'm too cautious. I don't reload, though.

As for profits, Gauss Cannons are sweet even if you consider salaries. Mainly because it lets you keep a large workforce when you have nothing important to produce.

Please explain your scouting technique once more so a six-year-old would understand, I'm still not catching anything.

[General Ludd]

All this talk about X-Com has gotten me playing UFO again. One thing that's bugging me is the inability to open doors without going through them. I seem to remember being able to do this, or was that in TFTD only?

[Juggler]

While it's nice to be able to take down medium subs, aren't large ufos are too large to take down with Barracudas even with Oscillators?

you'll take down medium and even large ships easily with mantas. they're strong and very fast but can quickly run out of fuel.

as for scouting - make your barracudas take at least 3 waypoints at a time. if there's an alien base/ship in an area, barracudas will notice them in at least 1 hour (they scout the area on their own when they land).
have another barracuda stay in the base while the other one scouts in case you spot alien ships and have to attack them. Don't send tritons on scouting missions.
Mantas also aren't very good scouts (low fuel capacity) but I guess you can use them if you want.

[Juggler]

One thing that's bugging me is the inability to open doors without going through them. I seem to remember being able to do this, or was that in TFTD only?

try double clicking with right mouse button when in front of the door. I don't know if it only works in TFTD.

Sore Loser - just for the record, building 4 bases is (at least for me) just enough to spot most of the alien activity. Of course you have to fund the maintenance and supply costs, but that shouldn't be a big problem late in the game. Just keep selling alien equipment and you'll manage.

[bakalov]

Opening doors - stay in front of the door, face it and right click the square that is behind the door.

For the scouting technique:
You have to watch for the first pixel rising up in the alien activity graph, and then immediately launch the triton. Go to that sea and start patrolling. Some seas are large so you may be in a wrong spot. If the triton does not see anything in a minute according to the game time, move it a bit further and repeat. While the alien activity graph is rising, there definitely is an alien sub in these waters. You have to happen to patrol close to it (may be about 2cm or 1" on the screen to be able to detect it.

Then you have to follow it and attack it if it gets touched, or launch your baracudas as well to shot it down.

[bakalov]

Juggler, the scouting tactic is important for the early game, when there are only a few subs to intercept and you don't want to miss any of them. Some may not pass near your single base at this time.

At some point as the game progresses, you will see a vast rise in the alien activity in a certain sea. This is almost certain sign that the aliens have built a base in that sea. You may want to go out patrolling to find it too.

[Ecthy]

I never grasped UFO. Played the first game several times, always lost...

[General Ludd]

I know how to open doors, it just doesn't seem to work in UFO. I guess it was only in TFTD that you could do that.

[Skanky Burns]

It wasn't included in UFO. Unfortunately.

[Ecthy]

Especially since all the money donators would withdraw...

[General Ludd]

I'm curious what everyone else does when faced with a next to impossible mission - you know, wheny ou step off the craft and get welcomed with blasts from all directions, and are face to face with three huge aliens. Do you keep save/reloading untill you can do it? Keep fighting and take the loses? Abort the mission and get out with what you can?

[Ecthy]

See, I tend to consider those missions impossible where either aliens terrorize cities or have spaceships too fast for my aircraft

[Raion]

Yes, I have found out that one must avoid those scenarios, as they are thrown into the game to kill you off!
One must know when to hold it, and one must know when to fold it!

Those are the times that you fold!
Feeling Lucky!
Things glowing well in the game!
The aliens don't think so!

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

[bakalov]

There is a high penalty for not completing those though ...

[Sore Loser]

I have decided to start over in my game. I was doing fairly well, but I'd "cheated" a little too often and decided that I had to cut off my arm and start over without any reloading at all. Here is my revised list of self-imposed rules:

1) No reloading unless the game hangs
2) No luxury goods manufacture
3) No MC Disruptor
4) No DP Launcher
5) No Mag. Ion Armour

These rules keep me on my toes. DP Launchers and MC Disruptors just ruin the tactical element, as the location of my men becomes more or less insignificant. Mag. Ion Armour can withstand just about anything, and producing Gauss Cannons takes care of your financial worries too easily. With this in mind, here is what I have learned since the last post:

1) Tanks are crucial early on. Not only do they survive more hits, they survive to let you know where the shot came from. When a rookie goes scouting and is killed, you have little clue where the alien is.

2) Sonic Oscillators are sweet, I can take down large subs without taking a single hit with my Barracuda.

3) Gauss weapons may not be any good late-game, but against Aquatoids and Gill Men they are every bit as good as Sonic weapons. I'm not going to pass this one up in exchange for a direct route to Sonic tech, but thanks for the suggestion bakalov.

4) As long as I exit with my tank(s) first, I rarely get in trouble immediately upon exiting the Triton.

5) You don't need to complete every mission. If the opposition is rough, grab the alien corpses and artifacts and dust off. You usually get a positive score if you take out 4 or 5 alien and recover the loot.

6) This one is almost a spoiler: Make training runs against alien colonies where you take out half a dozen aliens, grab the loot and run away. This gets you much needed experience, enough points to keep your donors happy and a nice profit. I think I'll put it on my list of self-imposed rules.

7) At the second floor of alien colonies I need to be carrying HtH weapons with most of my soldiers and be highly aggressive. PD Grenades are nice for early warning (are they triggered by Tentaculats?) and MC Readers are crucial for finding out if that Lobsterman you're about to run up to with your Vibro Blade has enough time units for opportunity fire.

Osweld, that situation should only occur when you're inadequately prepared. If the tanks can take the first few blasts (or if you have Ion Armour or better) then you should be able to take out any aliens standing near the sub with a mixture of pulsers and sonic cannons. If I'm facing Lobstermen before I have Sonic or HtH weapons then I'll abort, same thing if I'm facing MC combat before I've been able to put a special squad together. In the last case, you need to get out immediately, even if it means losing the tank that's out scouting.

bakalov, do you check the graph every 30 minutes of in-game time?

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Sore Loser

1) No reloading unless the game hangs
2) No luxury goods manufacture
3) No MC Disruptor
4) No DP Launcher
5) No Mag. Ion Armour

Either very brave or very stupid.

[Dis]

is this game a lot different from x-com 1?

I never played any of the other x-com's.

I might be interested in this one though.

Can it play on a fast computer though? my old x-com just isn't holding up on my fast computer very well.

[DrSpike]

You might need a utility to 'slow' your machine down.

[Dis]

is the game that different from ufo/xcom 1?

I want it to be different enough to want to play it, but I do want the gameplay to be similar enough to like it. Ufo3 didn't interest me as much.

the real question is where I would find an old game such as this.

[Dis]

hmm, I sort of "got" this game today. I forgot how soon after the first one they released it. Now I remember why I did not get the sequal. It's too much like the first one. It seems all the weapons are the same but their names changed. Though I'm not sure how they perform in combat. I didn't actually find any aliens. It's a pain playing with my mouse speed as it is.

And I'm pretty sure there is supposed to be music, but I can't get that to work properly. But I do hear other game sounds.

And the graphics are pretty dated