so i went ahead and bought the xcom pack on steam. installed the first game. did this all because i'm getting more and more hyped about the new x-com game from firaxis coming in october. i want to atleast try it and see if i can atleast get a good grasp of what is truly special about this series as i mainly grew up playing console games from the nes on with barely much pc gaming outside of diablo, HoMM3, starcraft, warcraft 3, and a few others. i'm nervous because i've heard so much from the bombcasts and from friends and from alot of other places around the net of the series' super heard learning curve and all. it has me feeling that it's gonna be one of those games that is just beyond me possibly. i know a handful of things will be different between the 93 xcom and this year's xcom but i'd still like t poke around and atleast attempt to see for myself what there is to it all. any tips for me before i start? i already know to not die and to shoot that guy. lol any others?

I'd reccomend checking some tutorials or let's plays, or just start a game, fart around, and when you feel you have at least a very basic understanding of what you're doing, start over again. XCOM suffers from a lot of 1993-isms, in that it doesn't explain what is important, and why, very well unless you do some trial and error.

I've been told you should make your main base in Europe, though I forget why.

I only played TFTD but I just dived in. You soon pick it up. Not saying I did very well but enjoyed the hell out of that game. Wish these were available on Mac (no bootcamp) would love to re-visit them. Can't wait for the new one!!

I think your best bet would be to start up a game and play it for a while until you understand how things work, then start over.

There's no story mode to get invested in or a campaign like Starcraft or anything. You just start up a game and play until you lose then start up a new game, like Civilization or Master of Orion. So there's no real worry about screwing stuff up since it's designed to be played multiple times.

It's been ages since I played it, but I did actually finish it. From what I remember:

Move your guys in squads slowly, always reserve time units for returning fire, and preferably end your guys turns by crouching to improve accuracy. The idea is that whenever one of the little pests sticks their heads out you've got multiple people ready to blast away at them.

Make sure you're always researching new stuff, it's the only way to remain viable in the long term. Get some armor ASAP. Capturing aliens live with the stun rod is a pain, but worthwhile in the end, just soften them up with gunfire first. Only really works on the weakest aliens, to capture the more dangerous enemies you'll need to research stun grenades.

Do not neglect medkits/drugs, they're useful for keeping your guys going if they've taken a pounding. Your guys' stats will improve over time/after surviving missions, so try to keep them alive.

Do not neglect certain areas of the earth for too long, you let the aliens run free there and they'll build bases, infiltrate the local government, and make them cut off your funding.

Remember to save midmission and sell all surplus alien corpses and equipment. I did not realize that you could save during a mission for years, literally. I always fire every soldier with bravery below 30. I hate it when they panic and shot their fellow soldier.

I personally don't have any tips, but I would recommend looking up some tutorials/guides for the first few hours. It can be terribly complicated to just jump in to and you risk getting frustrated. It can be BRUTAL. But it's fucking fantastic when you get your head around it. Enjoy!

Unlike a lot of people in this thread - I'd strongly suggest against looking up tutorials and guides right away. The game is a mystery. Roll with that. If there are mechanics you are having trouble getting around, by all means, look up information on that, or ask for help, but don't just head over to a tutorial and ruin the game by playing it perfectly right away.

General suggestion: Be careful on missions, think strategically as the game will most likely punish you as soon as you get sloppy.

Start like it was 1993. With a manual. I know I know such relics of the past dont exist any more.

Here is steams digital manual. http://cdn.steampowered.com/Manuals/7760/x-com%20ufo%20defense%20manual.pdf

Basic advice: take your time! This is one of those rainy day, hot beverage on the side kinds of games.

I tried playing it "to check it out" twice and got steamrolled^^

Ultimately, I want to do the same as you before the Firaxis game comes out but I know I have to really dig into it like it's '93.

thanks, everyone :) i very much appreciate all the advice. i jumped in last night after posting this and playing a bit of fez. i didn't know what the hell was going on or what i was supposed to do. still don't understand what all the buttons do or mean, but i'll figure it out eventually or maybe not. lol idk. i started understanding how the combat works after a few of my soldiers died and then i went on a bit of a roll and had the aliens on the run to their ship but i couldn't figure out how to get into the ship or anything really so i ended up just wandering around. i also learned that i shouldn't select the throw command or else my person will throw their gun away...yea...that was stupid of me...ohwell =P live and learn. lol i'll keep trying though.

Hey, @ArbitraryWater! You wanna field this one?

Prime your grenades to '0', that way they explode on impact ( don't worry, it won't explode in your hands).

@suikoden352: Pretty much keep doing what you are doing, I recently got it also and have been having a ton of fun with it. I recommend reading the manual, it will tell you what all the buttons and such do, and then go here, its a beginners guide on the ufopedia, that site will be your best friend. Also, I had trouble getting in the spaceship the first time, look on the outside of the ship (always will be one of the sides facing the camera) and you will find one of the wall tiles is actually a sliding door. Walk up to it and then walk into the ship from there, you will open the door. Have fun!

@Video_Game_King said:

Hey, @ArbitraryWater! You wanna field this one?

Not really, no. But sure, whatever.

@suikoden352: There are some great tutorials on the interwebs, especially youtube that would do a better job than me. First off, regular pistols and heavy cannons are worthless. Stick to auto cannons and rifles until you can research better stuff. Make your first base in europe or thereabouts. Try to use soldiers with high shooting accuracy and reaction stats. When in battle, set it so that your guys have enough time units to fire off a snap shot, which is why you pick the ones with good reactions. Also buying a tank with a rocket launcher isn't a bad idea, as it can both scout and demolish obstacles/enemies. You will lose guys, regardless of what you do, but at some point you should try to avoid losing guys because trained soldiers are way better and can, for example, actually take a hit.

Here's a video with some good beginner's tips. Also, you'll probably want to install some mods to get the game working a bit better (UFO Extender and XcomUtil). Also, I am shit awful at it.

As I plan on picking up a ton of games including X-com on the next summer steam sale, been diving into some of the gameplay videos on youtube & found these two starting videos that are good at showing off the game more. After watching a couple of each, here's some thoughts & each seem to be good at getting familiar again with this game for someone like me who barely dove into it when it came out. Though after watching these I really want to play the new one. Big tip though, if you are going out on any ground mission, try to wait until daylight as much as possible.

#1 collection of gameplay (from Necroscope86) is a little more realistic as he goes a little slower through the tech but gets a lot done & finding him a bit more informative on some tips through the gameplay. He does a good job at explaining some of the tech to go after as well as what enemies are ones to avoid.

#2 playthrough has some good tips on the start of what to sell off at the start as well as a good way to reorder the base but gets excessively lucky the first month with not a lot of activity.

Don't shoot down UFOs over water. If you do, you won't be able to salvage it.