A Month in X-COM: UFO Defense

I’ve been revisiting an old classic. One of, if not the earliest PC game I ever played. As a teenager I would plan out bases and send soldier on missions in an attempt to repel the UFO invasion. I never succeeded, so now is the time to destroy the alien threat once and for all.

OpenXcom

Although it is one of my favourite games of all time, it isn’t without its flaws. It has a clunky interface that forces a lot of micromanagement and repetitive actions. An example of this is having to re-equip every soldier from scratch at the beginning of every mission. While hardcore fans may not mind this, it does make it less accessible for new players.

OpenXcom is an attempt to fix this. It remakes the game from scratch, fixing a lot of bugs and improving the game’s interface. It also allows for the installation of mods on top, so opens the game to different experiences. While it is free, no assets are included with the build, so you still need to own an original version of X-COM: UFO Defense to play it.

Among the improvements are the ability to pre-equip your soldiers before missions, autosaves and iron man mode, the ability to build out your first base and so on. It still has that old school feel, but these little improvements go a long way to creating a better experience.

So I installed OpenXcom for my play through, without any mods so my experience would still be close to vanilla. I started a game in Beginner difficulty, and started building my base.

Preparations

Our underground base was constructed with hangars and access lift all on one side. This provides us with a “funnel” in the case of any hostiles attempting to breach the base.

New facilities were ordered so we could have room for more scientists, engineers, better radar detection, and a holding facility for any hostiles we manage to capture. We ordered enough equipment to equip our soldiers when they go into battle.

On the 7th January our radar detected the first UFO. Interceptor-2 was scrambled to intercept, but the UFO left radar range and we were unable to track it down again.

Our scientists developed new motion scanner technology, and our engineers got to work manufacturing them. We would keep a few for our own usage, but would sell most of them on the international market. They would help other organisations in the resistance effort, but would also help fund our own operation.

A Clean Operation

On the 12th January we detected a UFO landing in India. We scramble to equip our Skyranger to intercept. Ten soldiers were sent on the expedition to take the UFO.

The soldiers reported sectoids, the small grey aliens that were sent in the first wave. Though our soldiers were spotted first, their aim wasn’t accurate. Their plasma-based weapons served only to light up the night and reveal their location. Our troops were quick to eliminate the threat.

Deploying electroflares to see at night.

Once the area was cleared of hostiles, our troops moved to breach the UFO. To their surprise it was completely empty of hostiles. Soldiers performed one more sweep of the area, and found another sectoid hiding in a field.

The area was reported as cleared, and technicians were sent in to recover the UFO materiel. Six enemies were eliminated with zero X-Com casualties, and we now have one of their UFOs to study.

For their performance and leadership in the field, Privates Kenneth Jenkins and Per Holmqvist were promoted to Sergeant.

Crash Landing

On the 15th January another UFO was detected, but also managed to evade our interceptors. On the 18th a fourth UFO was detected and shot down over Pakistan.

Our Skyranger was sent out to recover the wreckage. Less resistance was expected, as the UFO had crashed. Our naivety was a mistake. Many living sectoids remained, most hidden within the UFO wreckage. 7 soldiers were lost during the mission, including the recently promoted Sergeant Holmqvist.

Ultimately the mission was successful and the UFO was recovered, but it was too high a cost. We will have to improve our operations for future missions.

Terror in Egypt

On the 23rd January, X-COM received a report of a UFO terror operation in Egypt. As Sergeant Jenkins was still recovering from a wound, only 9 operatives were available to counter the alien threat. Skyranger-1 was dispatched to the site with soldiers aboard.

Soldiers reported hovering aliens with plasma rifles, nicknaming them “floaters”. They seemed better trained with their weapons, taking out civilians with ease. Alongside these floating aliens were large monstrous beasts the size of a large bear. With a bite that could rip a man in two, they were deemed “reapers”.

Soldiers moved through the area and were successful in eliminating all hostiles and securing the area. Unfortunately it cost the lives of newly recruited Privates David Claes and Jesper Eklund, and 9 civilian casualties.

Laser-Focused

Our scientists have informed us that they are making good progress developing laser weapons that can be used in future missions. They don’t rely on ammo and can be more accurate than our standard issue rifles.

The Council has been impressed with our work so far, and seven countries have agreed to increase our funding going forward. These increased funds will aid in our mission to repel the alien invasion.

Unfortunately, no amount of funding will bring back our fallen soldiers. Nothing ever will.