Oatbag

All units are unlocked in WALB. There are pre-made decks if you don't want to build your own right away. I highly recommend the game, the developers are excellent with updates and balance patches. My steam name is oatbag if you ever want to play a game with kids gloves and helpful tips on learning the game. Comp stomp or head to head, I'd be happy to introduce it. The air superiority game, smoke, and new napalm effects allow for really complicated (and rewarding) tactics. Also there are lots of decent youtube commentators that will narrate ranked battles, thats a great jumping off point also, to see how the game plays out at the competitive level. Anyway, I've play a ton of RTS's in my day, and this series made me geek out on cold war hardware and doctrine. That said, as one of the pod casters said, you don't HAVE to get into the mardera1 vs marder a2 differences - the unit type is enough to go bay to enjoy the game.

I've had it work out real nice a few times. Note: if they all move together, and enter the 4 space radius all at once, the assault only shoots once. But still - with a high crit and proximity and number of aliens in sight damage bonuses - its team-saving (most often 10-12 damage w scatter laser).

yeah whats with those teleport/ middle of formation placement bugs? I didn't seem to get them before the latest patch.

An assault with the close combat (automatic reaction fire to anything within 4 squares) placed in good cover at a bottleneck, and at least one sniper (ideally with 'in the zone') are must haves to survive those 4x3 chrysalids missions. Chrysalids never go into cover, so its a bonanza for col. snipers. Of coarse you can't predict/discern alien combinations until you get the hyperwave decoder.

Normally I'd prefer to choose classes - but having it automated in addition to the inevitable wound attrition really do force you to improvise - truly one of the more brilliant aspects of this game. It really compensated for the somewhat linear level designs.

Hm, they yeah I need to do a better job of keeping my assaults alive then, I've just found from my first playthrough that they were the one class I didn't get to colonel - thanks for the pro-tip. I was using them just a bit too aggressively perhaps. I presume lightning reflexes is a must then, to keep them alive when flanking?

@ Shadow tiger - I think normal is perfect for non-TBS vets. Some challenge, but not grueling. Crazy fun.

Great cast all. Long time listener, first time poster. I echo some of the concerns but feel like I need to get at least halfway through on Classic before I can render a verdict. (Just now finished on normal to learn the system) X-COM is the TBS bible, and was a big part of my gaming education - perhaps most people here will have similar levels of attachment. But for all the simplifications I don't like (more limited earthly weaponry "how dare you take my autocannons!"), there are more things that I thought I'd miss, but are in fact blessings (not micro managing viewing angles and stances). Anyone else get the feeling that Snipers are a touch OP? I feel like Classic REQUIRES 2-3 snipers with squad sight. Anyway, this has blown away my cautiously optimistic expectations. I can only hope that this helps get more Squad level TBS/TBT games greenlit. Thank you 3MA - you're like my only strategy gaming friend [shivers].