X-COM:TFTD AAR (Now with 90% more dead community members!)

[Dowly]

XCOM: UFO DEFENCE AAR (Clicky!)

---------------

Thought I'd try to actually finish this game in AAR form.

Game: X-COM: Terror from the Deep
Settings: Veteran/Iron Man/Mind Control disabled

Roster includes members of Subsim, whoever happens to be online when I update
it gets a chance to die a horrible, slow, lonely death serving in the SUBSIM branch
of X-COM.

ROSTER (01/01/2040)

-AH_Thor
-ajrimmer42
-andy_311
-binzy62
-brenb1970
-Bubblehead1980
-Cap_Observatore
-cb.the.tr00per

****

January 1st, 2040 - 1200hrs

The HQ of the new SUBSIM unit of complete badassery is built in the warm and shark infested
waters of Caribbean.


As usual, the contractor balls'd it up, so my first task is to do some refurbishing.
Two new sub pens are being constructed to the top corners, the two Barracuda interceptors
will be moved there once finished and the old pens will be demolished. New shiny Wide Array
Sonar is also being build, along with more living quarters, labs, containment cell for live
aliens and some more warehouse space for all the loot.


The first batch of recruits arrive. I make sure to teach them the most important lesson I learned
during the First Alien War: Always, ALWAYS, carry a live grenade in your pocket.


I might not be the sharpest hammer in the drawer, but I'm sure the scientists' job description
doesn't include playing video games all day. I give them something more important to do: Bigger guns!!


I'm awakened by my alarm clock. That's funny, I don't remember owning one. Another loud, equally
annoying sound soon follows. I pick up the phone and just as I'm about to fire the person who
dares to interrupt by well-earned hangover slumber, I'm told that one of those teeny-tiny alien
scouts had been spotted just to the southwest. One of our Barracudas had intercepted it, and
managed to force the thing to land somewhere between Miami and Jamaica. Oooh, intact alien craft
means lots of shiny new things for the eggheads to look at! Triton-1, you have a go!

[Dowly]

January 6, 2040 - 1439hrs - USO Site #1

ajrimmer42 is first out the door of the Triton and tags his first alien. Nicely done!


The operatives quickly fan out and check the surroundings.


Cap_Observatore notices movement to the south and tries to blast it with a grenade, no such luck, though.


Binzy62 is the first to spot the USO to the east.


ajrimmer42 kills his second alien by the USO.


The first alien ajrimmer42 shot is still alive, but unconscious. With no alien contaiment unit back at base,
cb.the.tr00per solves the problem with a grenade.


AH_Thor, binzy62 and ajrimmer42 prepare to breach the USO.


Alien emerges from the craft, kills ajrimmer42 and goes back in.


Cap_Observatore gets killed trying to locate the alien he saw earlier to the south.


Binzy62 bites it...


andy_311 nails the alien lurking in the south.


AH_Thor is killed by the same slimy bastard Aquatoid that got Binzy & ajrimmer.


Bubblehead1980 & brenb1970 head out to help breach the USO.


Uh.. andy_311 is killed...


brenb1970 prepares his Magna-Pack for a suicide run inside the USO.


Meanwhile, more death! cb.the.tr00per is shot.


Brenb1970's suicide mission is stopped before he even reaches the door. The blast however, finally kills the alien.


At this point, Bubblehead1980 sees it best to get back to the Triton and head home.


Some days you just can't win...

[Oberon]

Alien emerges from the craft, kills ajrimmer42 and goes back in.

This happened to me so many times with Sectoids! It's like they've popped out to get the milk, the newspapers, frag a human and then back in for some breakfast and tea!

[Dowly]

Yeah, they really like to do that.

Doesn't help that the rookies suck at reaction shots.

[Dowly]

ROSTER

ACTIVE DUTY
-Bubblehead1980 - 01/01/2040
-Charalampos - 10/01/2040
-colonelCJ - 10/01/2040
-corvus - 10/01/2040
-danlisa - 10/01/2040
-Fearless - 10/01/2040
-FERdeBOER - 10/01/2040
-Fincuan - 10/01/2040

KILLED IN ACTION
-AH_Thor - 06/01/2040
-ajrimmer42 - 06/01/2040
-andy_311 - 06/01/2040
-binzy62 - 06/01/2040
-brenb1970 - 06/01/2040
-Cap_Observatore - 06/01/2040
-cb.the.tr00per - 06/01/2040

****

January 12, 2040 - 0002hrs

I told the new recruits couple of days ago that I'd have them outfitted with new, bigger and shinier
weapons in no time and finally I received a call from the lab that we are ready to start producing
Gauss pistols! I was about to order two dozen of them, but the eggheads ruined the fun by pointing
out that a) they still haven't figured out the ammunition side of things, b) Gauss rifles might be
a better alternative and c) we are pretty much out of money.
Fine! I order 4 hand-held torpedo launchers instead. If things go south, at least I can level the area.

January 12, 2040 - 1835hrs

Time for round two! Command called, they had spotted another landed USO just south of us. Too bad the
torpedo launchers or the proximity grenades haven't arrived yet. Oh well.. Triton-1 awaaaaay!


January 12, 2040 - 1900hrs

Charalampos' turn to lead the charg- oh hello! Well that was easy!


Oh gimme a break! FERdeBOER gets shot from the right side of the USO.


Charalampos answers with a grenade.


Bubblehead1980 is hit by a reaction shot. Fincuan's reaction shot in turn kills the alien.


Fincuan breaches the USO's door with a grenade.


With Charalampos and Fincuan ready to head deeper into the craft, colonelCJ tosses one more
grenade to the entry way to make sure nothing lurks there.


Charalampos moves in and gets into a fight with an alien. Stray shot hits a piece of alien
machinery causing it to explode killing the alien.


Unfortunately, the explosion wounded Charalampos. Without medkits, he will bleed out eventually.


Corvus gets his first kill while scouting the left side of the USO.


Danlisa spots and kills an alien on the right.


Their luck runs out as Corvus gets ambushed and killed on the left...


..and danlisa on the right.


ColonelCJ replaces Corvus and quickly hunts down the alien.


The USO was otherwise empty, so Fincuan & Fearless start clearing the right side. Fearless
is the first to spot the alien, but a reaction shot gets him.


Fincuan kills the bastard, again with a reaction shot.


After a short game of cat & mouse, colonelCJ nails the last alien on the left side.


That's the official story and I'm sticking to it.


We're going to need a bigger memberbase...

[Oberon]

That's the official story and I'm sticking to it.

On the way back to base (replace traffic warden with Aquatoid) [Contains swearing]:

[Dowly]

ROSTER

ACTIVE DUTY
-colonelCJ - 10/01/2040
-Fincuan - 10/01/2040
-gclarkso - 16/01/2040
-Gregs - 16/01/2040
-Gugo - 16/01/2040
-hajo - 16/01/2040
-Herman - 16/01/2040
-Hunkey-Punk - 16/01/2040

KILLED IN ACTION
-Bubblehead1980 - 12/01/2040
-Charalampos - 12/01/2040
-corvus - 12/01/2040
-danlisa - 12/01/2040
-Fearless - 12/01/2040
-FERdeBOER - 12/01/2040
-AH_Thor - 06/01/2040
-ajrimmer42 - 06/01/2040
-andy_311 - 06/01/2040
-binzy62 - 06/01/2040
-brenb1970 - 06/01/2040
-Cap_Observatore - 06/01/2040
-cb.the.tr00per - 06/01/2040

****

The Triton returns with two less than thrilled soldiers. To boost morale I promote them both
to the rank of 'Able Seaman' and give them a bottle of beer to share. But more importantly,
the Triton has a bay full of goodies! I would sell the whole load, but to keep the eggheads
off my back I leave some toys for them to research. All in all, I make almost $370k, unfortunately,
much of that will be spent on new recruits. I am told I should hire more labrats too, but I'll
have to wait for a better financial situation for that or my accountant kills me.


Another landed USO is spotted to the south. Wonder why they like that area so much?
In any case, the new recruits haven't arrived yet, so all I can do is wait.


The USO takes off just as the recruits check in, but as a good commander I was prepared for
that and my two Barracudas are on it's tail in no time. The chase leads them all the way to
the Galapagos and back. To prevent the USO from taking off again, I order it to be torpedoed.


January 16, 2040 - 1752hrs

Gregs is first out the door and manages to kill his first Aquatoid behind the Triton.


ColonelCJ gets ambushed, but the Aquatoid is every bit as incompetent as I am, missing with both shots. ColonelCJ kills the alien from point-blank range.


Gregs spots an alien to the north, judging by the door opening sound that accompinied the sighting, the USO is there. I move Fincuan and one of the rookies
who's name escapes me to help Gregs.


And then it goes X-COM. Grenade kills the trio outside, gclarkso goes berserk and thinks the inside of the door is a dirty alien and blasts it with his torpedo
launcher killing everyone inside the Triton.


ColonelCJ returns to the Triton and back to base we go.

[Safe-Keeper]

Ah, the original X-Com games... I loved how they combined a cruelly sadistic and unforgiving battle system with the fact that you were supposed to take care of and bond with your troops .

It's also a perfect example of how "evil" games were before compared to the condescending hand-holding titles we have now. Today, any unforseen obstacle or loss in a game is "unfair", and every feature has to be carefully explained to the player, in-game, because we've grown so accustomed to not reading manuals or thinking for ourselves. In X-Com, landing in a terror mission to find your Skyranger's debarcation ramp surrounded by Cyberdisks was just something you had to get used to.

[Dowly]

Hah, I agree. When I get my squad wiped in the original X-COM, it doesn't
bother me one bit, because I know it wasn't something the game did on purpose
per se. It's all quite random and sometimes it's just your turn to be the one with
the disadvantage.

Btw, you on the Xenonauts forum? Thought I saw Safe-Keeper over there.

[Safe-Keeper]

Btw, you on the Xenonauts forum? Thought I saw Safe-Keeper over there.

Yup

[Dowly]

Mright, I think it's time to reboot this one with XCOM: UFO DEFENCE.

Anyone willing to die a horrible death, let me know and I'll name a soldier after you. Also, let me know if you want your soldier cloned after death or not.

[Oberon]

Sure, I'm up for brutal death. Clone me in, heck, put me down as Oberon Mk 1, Mk 2, Mk 3

[Crécy]

Instrument of failure signs up .

[Dowly]

[Schroeder]

Sign me up.
Considering that my loss would be unbearable for this planet you can clone me of course.