🚀 go-pugleaf

Eran Galon <ega...@mail.netvision.net.il> wrote in article
<3613683E...@mail.netvision.net.il>...
> Hello people,
> 
.... I found a copy of TFTD.  I installed
> it on my system and started playing.
> 
> I got creamed.
> 
> It seems to me like the game moves much too fast, and the more dangerous
> aliens start arriving much earlier in the game, effectively wiping out
> several platoons of unprepared soldiers.

Yes TFTD is just a nightmarish partial conversion of UFO. Its the same as UFO
but bad things happen sooner. And to make matters worse the research tree is
buggy so often you can't even finish the game, or even get the equipment you
need. I have played to my satisfaction many times and only seen T'leth once.
The strange thing is- I enjoy TFTD much more than UFO and play it more often. 

 > I don't seem to have enough
> time to research anything, and pretty much I bite the big one every
> time.  Seeing that I didn't find UFO too difficult, can anyone please
> tell me if I'm doing something wrong here?  I'm playing in the same
> style I used in UFO (which is irrelevant, but seeing that it worked for
> UFO, I would assume it would work in TFTD) but it seems as though I'm
> doing something wrong...  Can anyone please tell me if they encountered
> the same problems and if they can help me out a bit or if i just suck at
> this despite all the good will :).

The basic truth is that:

1. You don't suck

2. You must learn to play a 'tighter' more conservative game of UFO. Never take
a risk, never let a lab or shop go idle, never assume an area is clear, never
let more than 2 'nauts stand in the vicinity of the Triton's door. That being
said, you will break the rules once in a while just out of necessity.

3. Learn to say no to TFTD. This can mean learning to run from a bad situation,
or it can mean running an Xcomutil win flag on a boring first stage mission. It
never means not playing TFTD ; )

Here are some painful ways that your well-laid plans can go awry:

Lobstermen in open terrain can eat up whole squads in the early game. Consider
a 'bodysnatch raid' if you need a research topic. Kill or stun one, pick him up
and take him to the Triton then leave the mission. Massed gunfire and bombs
along a wide front are your best bet for taking them without stun. When you
have stun, make a Alien containment in another base to transfer them to. On the
battlefield just drop a ticking grenade on a unconcious lobsterman soldier to
kill him.

Alien base raids witout a skilled and well equipped squad are a nice way to
feed the Tenticulats your brain. Use a tank on the jellyfish but above all stay
off alien turf 'till you have MCreader, good armour, stun and guns.

A reprisal raid on your nearly unguarded base is another showstopper. Always
operate two bases with Triton and crew. Always have more soldiers than you use
on the sub. Always have enough guys holding the fort.

Make money and harden your squads by doing a ground mission on every downed
alien sub. This jacks up your score and rep with your sponsors too. Remember,
even if you land at a mission and leave next turn you get points and money for
it. Just be careful and avoid attrition on your core squaddies.

"Don't get hurt"

Morgane