Long War - Cursed Campaign, Blessed Campaign
In which I compare my most recent playthrough, to the most challenging campaign I've ever won.
I just completed a long war campaign and am feeling pretty good about myself and life in general. This was by far the smoothest run I’ve ever had; seemingly blessed. I am going to wrap up this series of posts about long war by discussing some of the highlights, and comparing it to my previous long war campaign, which was filled with bad luck, stupid mistakes, and brutal disasters. I’m sure I would have abandoned that run at some point, but I had just won an I/I base game campaign, and I was enamored by the idea of immediately following that win with another win in the long war. I wanted back-to-back wins, and I was able to push through all the misery and misfortune in order to get them.
For brevity I am going to refer to these 2 campaigns as 428 (cursed) and 4791 (blessed). For both, I chose the Benefactor starting bonus, and used the strict screening 2nd wave option. The only significant difference in my strategy was that I started with Xenobiology in campaign 428, and started with Alien Weaponry (by accident) in 479.
March
428 479
Deaths: 2 0
Missions: 8 8
Escaped UFOs: 0 0
Sats: 3 3
Ranks: 26 33
Interceptors: 7 7
Scientists: 13 12
Engineers: 15 16
428 Notes: I lose a soldier on the first mission of the campaign. Oh well. Following a swarming abduction I wrote: “I was caught out of cover at the start of the mission - rocketeer incapacitated by mind fray. Pulled it back with smoke & patience. Finest Hour.” No one dies on this mission. In the next mission I hastily moved forward in the hopes of getting some meld and activated the outsider of a scout UFO, who then kills one of my soldiers. council mission is Carlock! 479 Notes: Perfect March. Van Doorn council mission!
April
428 479
Deaths: 0 0
Missions: 10 11
Escaped UFOs: 2 1
Sats: 3 3
Ranks: 58 65
Interceptors: 14 10
Scientists: 24 20
Engineers: 18 22
428 Notes: Air game is rough. 0 scouts, 4 raiders, 1 fighter. That is the UFO schedule in April. I lose 1 interceptor trying to bring down the 4th raider. 2 of the raiders manage to escape. Squad Size I on April 16th. Newfoundland council mission. 479 Notes: 3 scouts, 2 raiders, 0 fighters are the UFOs in April. One of the scouts escapes. Squad Size I on April 3rd. Marazuki council mission! building a Workshop early.
May
428 479
Deaths: 1 2
Missions: 11 16
Escaped UFOs: 5 0
Sats: 3 5
Ranks: 86 106
Interceptors: 15 17
Scientists: 29 29
Engineers: 30 28
428 Notes: Air game is a total disaster. On May 1st a raider does 62 days of damage to my hangar, and also manages to escape. I have no interceptors to engage the next UFO, a fighter, also on may 1st (probably triggered by the escaping scout) which then shoots down my satellite. Because of this lost satellite, I am unable to raid a research UFO, and 2 other scouting UFOs are missing from the schedule, probably because I can't see them without the satellite. The next UFO, a scouting raider on the 13th does 58 days of damage, and kills an interceptor, though I managed to bring it down. Another scout UFO escapes on the 19th. All told 5 UFOs escape, and 1 interceptor is killed. Only 2 UFOs are shot down. What a disaster. Exalt steals $133. Van Doorn council mission! Only the Repair Bay is done. 479 Notes: There is a failed Covert Extraction on the 23rd, with 2 soldiers killed; a rookie, and a LCPL. One of the research missions was trapped; 2 wounded, but everyone survived. Newfoundland council mission. Have started building full WS block (repair bay, foundry, workshop x 2).
June
428 479
Deaths: 4 0
Total Deaths: 7 2
Missions: 12 18
Escaped UFOs: 4 2
Sats: 5 5
Ranks: 103 145
Interceptors: 16 22
Scientists: 34 38
Engineers: 40 36
428 Notes: June begins with another disaster. The first mission, a landed scout, snowballs out of control after a misclick when firing a rocket. I meant to hit the F5 button, to zoom in, but hit the 5 button which fired the rocket at nothing. So I am unable to deal with the first pod of enemies quickly. Then a cyberdisc activates way out of line of sight, from behind the ufo, because one of its drones took a weird path. The remaining pods charge my position as well. With some luck I might have pulled things together, but all the luck was with the aliens, who hit a pair of 4% shots. 2 wounded, 4 dead including an officer. Given how poorly the campaign is going, I decide to take a huge risk, and raid a transport on the 10th, with the intention of winning that mission, or abandoning the campaign. Most of the enemies are weak and everything goes smoothly. The only difficulty is the command pod, which severely wounds 2 soldiers, and KOs a SHIV. This was a much needed victory, and keeps me going. Again the air game is a disaster. A Destroyer shoots down another satellite, and 2 scouting UFOs cannot be engaged. A fighter on a bombing raid does 39 days of damage and escapes. Of the 3 UFOs that I do bring down, only one has a crash site. Building only 3 carapace armor. Do not have the resources to build laser cannons. Instead I am building laser rifles to trade for corporals in order to strengthen my weak barracks. Squad Size II on the 24th. My Base and barracks are now a full month behind the 479 campaign. 479 Notes: I turn down a landed large mission on the 5th because I was unable to see what type of UFO it was, and I don't need to take any risks. Only 2 UFOs escape. One is a scout, the other a destroyer on a bombing run which I ignore. We are now engaging bombing runs when convenient. I bring down 8 UFOs, and crush alien resources. I start building 3 laser cannons. The air game is won. Building 6 carapace armor. Squad Size II on the 6th.
July
428 479
Deaths: 0 0
Total Deaths: 7 2
Missions: 15 14
Escaped UFOs: 2 3
Sats: 8 8
Ranks: 147 178
Interceptors: 17 22
Laser Cannon: 0 5
Scientists: 48 45
Engineers: 53 52
428 Notes: Finally a solid month. No deaths, and the air game goes well. Despite the poor economy, I have kept launching satellites, and so I have good odds of finding landed transports, and I find another this month, and raid it successfully. Resources were very low and this 2nd transport makes up for many of the missed UFOs. I am able to start building more laser cannons and carapace armor. I switch to seeker autopsy and do UFO Countermeasures project early to give my hangar a boost. 479 Notes: Another great month. No soldier is injured in July. A destroyer is brought down and raided at the end of the month which will allow the Destroyer Analysis research early in the campaign.
August
428 479
Deaths: 2 2
Total Deaths: 9 4
Missions: 13 20
Escaped UFOs: 0 2
Sats: 10 10
Ranks: 157 198
Interceptors: 18 23
Laser Cannon: 7 6
Scientists: 56 57
Engineers: 65 62
428 Notes: A decent month. I bring down all the UFOs that I engage, but 4 have no crash site, including a destroyer which is a big disappointment. Its late, but I have finally won the air game. 2 soldiers die on a heavy abduction when I encounter 3 pods in a row that contain berserkers; 6 berserkers total. It is too much for my squad. With this terrible enemy draw, I am lucky to lose only 2 soldiers; a heavy blow. MECs online August 12th! 479 Notes: The air game goes poorly. 2 UFOs escape and 3 interceptors are shot down with 8 kills between them. This is due to the UFOs scoring crits when the interceptors were already wounded. Its a big set back for my hangar. 2 soldiers are killed this month, both assaults, and I am left very deficient in that class. The first assault is killed on a landed raider. It was an intense firefight with multiple pods, mostly mutons. The second assault is killed due to a stupid mistake on an Exalt Data Recovery. I've now lost 3 soldiers on Exalt missions, compared with only 1 on other types of mission. Successfully raid a Harvester on the 21st. First landed large of the campaign. MECs online August 11th! I am rich. I do 8 foundry projects in August, including UFO Countermeasures, Shaped Armor, MEC Unit Defense, and Ammo Conservation.
September
428 479
Deaths: 2 1
Total Deaths: 11 5
Missions: 13 11
Escaped UFOs: 1 1
Sats: 13 13
Ranks: 175 216
Interceptors: 20 22
Laser Cannon: 9 9
Scientists: 71 71
Engineers: 72 74
428 Notes: While few UFOs escape, again there is a high number of no crash sites; 5. This is partly due to using more laser cannons, but is also bad luck. 2 soldiers die on an Exalt Data Recovery. I note that there was "Not enough fire Power..." I probably sent a weak team having forgotten that Exalt gets tough around this time. I turn down the opportunity to raid a transport, due to injuries. My barracks is now 2 months behind the 479 campaign! 479 Notes: I have pinned the aliens at Threat/Resource: 4/1, and I will keep them there until default resources increases on March of the next year. Successfully raid a Transport on the 17th. First transport of the campaign. A Mechtoid one shot kills a WtS infantry through high cover. Hunkering would have prevented this, but the Mechtoid may have targeted a more valuable soldier.
October
428 479
Deaths: 0 1
Total Deaths: 11 6
Missions: 16 17
Escaped UFOs: 1 0
Sats: 16 16
Ranks: 207 238
Interceptors: 21 24
Laser Cannon: 10 9
Scientists: 86 87
Engineers: 78 83
428 Notes: I have pinned the aliens at Threat/Resource: 4/1, only a month later than the 479 campaign, which is surprising. I credit the laser cannons. Everything goes smoothly this month, for a change. I ignore a destroyer, but other than that all the UFOs are shot down. No soldiers injured. Remarkably, I reach full satellite coverage in the same month as campaign 479. 479 Notes: I lose an assault operative on a Covert Extraction. It is on the Road Construction map, the same map on which I lost 2 soldiers in an early Exalt CE. I am down to 2 Assaults, and desperate to find more. I take down 2 transports this month. On the 2nd transport mission I accidentally activate the command pod, while my squad is in poor position. It is nearly a disaster but with luck and skill I prevail without injury. Full satellite coverage. I am extremely rich, and only limited by meld and research.
November
428 479
Deaths: 0 1
Total Deaths: 11 7
Missions: 17 13
Escaped UFOs: 1 0
Ranks: 234 251
Interceptors: 25 24
Laser Cannon: 11 9
Scientists: 99 104
Engineers: 90 101
428 Notes: Most everything goes smoothly this month. I raid another Harvester, but I turn down a landed raider because I can't field a strong squad. I am able to start numerous foundry projects. It feels like the campaign has turned the corner. 479 Notes: Another soldier is killed on an Exalt Covert Extraction, by a grenade that does 11 damage. Bad luck. I take down another transport (3rd of the campaign) but turn down the 2nd landed transport of this month. I don't need it, and I don't want to exhaust soldiers with so many missions still remaining in the month. I am incredibly rich. Commanding Officers OTS project on the 1st of the month! 5 titan armors at the end of the month!
December
428 479
Deaths: 1 5
Total Deaths: 12 12
Missions: 18 15
Ranks: 252 251
Scientists: 121 104
Engineers: 98 101
428 Notes: I lose a soldier on an Exalt Covert Extraction, due to bad luck. An exalt pod was too close to my soldiers and activated immediately. Raided 2 transports this month. Rich now! Commanding Officers on the 1st. 6 Titan armors by the end of the month. This campaign is almost exactly one month behind 479 in everything, except the barracks, which has pulled even due to a disaster in the other campaign. 479 Notes: First disaster of the campaign. I lose 5 soldiers on an Exalt Data Recovery when my operative is killed by 2 consecutive grenades and I foolishly choose not to retreat right away. Eventually I am forced to retreat, losing a MSGT assault, GSGT shogun, and 3 other SGTs. I also lose 2 titan armors. Its a frustrating setback. This is the last time during this campaign that I will lose veteran soldiers. There will be no more soldier deaths on this campaign, aside from 3 blueshirts on the base defense. All told, Exalt will kill 9 veterans, 1 rookie. The aliens kill 2 veterans, 3 rookies. Surprising. Also somewhat embarrassing for both me and the aliens. Successfully raid 2 more harvesters. Successfully assault the one and only alien base. Exalt hacks $456 at the start of the month. I shrug it off; doesn't matter at all. I have not lost a single country to the aliens (other than the first) and I won't lose any for the remainder of the campaign.
January
428 479
Deaths: 0 0
Total Deaths: 12 12
Missions: 15 12
Ranks: 269 261
Firestorms: 1 2
Scientists: 130 136
Engineers: 108 123
428 Notes: No soldiers are wounded this month. I raid a harvester, but skip a transport. Raided the Exalt Base. 479 Notes: Raided harvester and transport. Raided the Exalt Base; good riddance. Total ranks falls further behind the 428 campaign. Surprising. In this campaign I received very few soldier rewards. From the chart above it appears that the campaigns have pulled even all around. This is not the case at all. Considering facilities, foundry projects, and gear, the 479 campaign is still a full month ahead of the 428 campaign.
February
428 479
Deaths: 0 0
Total Deaths: 12 12
Missions: 11 14
Ranks: 281 288
Firestorms: 2 2
Scientists: 139 145
Engineers: 119 130
428 Notes: Raided 2 more Transports. Raided an Alien Base. prepped for the Base Defense by building a total of 6 MEC suits/weapons. 479 Notes: Raided a harvester and a transport. prepped for Base Defense by building a total of 7 MEC suits/weapons.
March, 2017
428 479
Deaths: 11 3
Total Deaths: 23 15
Missions: 13 15
Ranks: 241 323
Firestorms: 2 4
Scientists: 126 157
Engineers: 112 139
428 Notes: Disaster. The Base Defense goes horribly wrong. I start with a bad soldier draw; 2 snipers, jaeger, engineer, medic and one other MEC. The big problem is not that I have only 2 MECs, but that I have 3 soldiers with ITZ, and 2 soldiers with weak offense. The engineer is killed by the flyers, and I get a 3rd MEC to replace him. With 3 MECs I probably could have pulled out a victory, but I make some bad mistakes against the final 2 pods, and my guys panic at the worst time. Its the worst defeat I've ever suffered through, and kept playing. I had turned this mess of a campaign around, only to have it fall back into a shambles. With my barracks trashed, and missing important gear I take 3 severe casualties later in the month. I will decline both of the research missions in March, unable to field strong squads. I am in survival mode, and taking no unnecessary risks. 479 Notes: Learning from previous mistakes, I only had 1 soldier with ITZ in the base defense soldier pool, and no engineers. The pool is 7 MECs, Scout, Sniper, Gunner, Medic, Assault. Base Defense goes smooth. I draw 4 MECs, a Scout and a Medic. With this squad the mission is still dangerous, but all goes well; the only casualties are 3 blueshirts.
April - July, 2017
428 479
Deaths: 2 0
Total Deaths: 25 15
Firestorms: 2 5
Scientists: 157 199
Engineers: 141 166
(Combining April, May, June, and July in this final review) 428 Notes: These are precarious months and so I skip all the harvest missions. 2 more soldiers are killed. This is due to mistakes and weak squads. In April I isolate an ethereal and fail all 3 attempts to stun it. 2 countries are above the panic limit in April. Both stay. 1 country in May is at 100 panic but holds firm. I start skipping missions in June because I have everything I need, and also because I am exhausted by this crazy campaign. India, China and Japan abandon the XCOM project at the end of June; that's all of Asia except for Australia. I find this hilarious because throughout the campaign, Australia has been the Terror/Panic target of the aliens, and they never flip it. I don't have any tier-3 MEC suits. Other than that, my squad for the temple ship is very strong. It's a cake walk. I win the campaign on July 6th. 479 Notes: I lose an 11-kill interceptor in April. A destroyer hits a lucky crit, doing about 60% health. Ugly. There are no soldier injuries in May or June. I do zero research between April 24th and June 2nd. This is the third time I have nothing to research for over a week. About 2 months of no research total. I could have won the campaign much earlier but I don't have enough ethereal corpses. I manage to capture the first ethereal I find, and then I have to wait till June to do research because ethereals won't spawn. I have an absurdly strong squad for the Temple ship; 2 MECs in tier-3 suits with particle cannons, and 3 MECs in MEC-2 armor with railguns. Its a cake walk. I win the campaign on July 6th.
Some Thoughts
I am amazed that both campaigns ended on the exact same day; July 6th. Its like a sign from the heavens telling me that both campaigns are of equal esteem. The first campaign was a test of endurance; the second a display of skill. They both ended the same, and on the exact same day, suggesting that endurance is just as important as skill. These long war campaigns are a marathon, with numerous setbacks, tragedies, frustrations, misfortunes, misclicks, and bugs. The only way to learn all the game mechanics, and to gain the experience you need to win, is by building up your endurance so you can cope with it all. In the end, it will make the win all the more enjoyable.
Winning the cursed campaign was far more satisfying. I’ve never felt so much satisfaction from winning a game; any game. This has to be due to all the misfortune I endured.
The Victory screen death counts don’t match up with my own. I am pretty sure this is because the game counts destroyed SHIVs as dead soldiers, which is wrong. For me a destroyed SHIV counts as a wound, because it sidelines the SHIV for about the same amount of time as soldiers with a wound, and the cost to rebuild the SHIV is low; often equivalent to repairing gear on a wounded soldier.
Success in March thru May is far more important than in later months. This is because economic and military strength are rewarded, making you even stronger, while weakness is punished, making you even weaker. Disasters in the early game can never be fully reversed, even after regaining control of the campaign.
These 2 campaigns were actually back-to-back attempts at long war, which is very gratifying. I feel like I will need to do something different when I play again, and that will most likely mean no shadow device, and perhaps also no starting bonus.
Campaign 479:
Campaign 428:
In case you are wondering, the huge gap between these 2 campaigns is due to playing a lot of XCOM:EU/EW campaigns and toying around with various opening strategies.
I took a screenshot of your bit about endurance
Most of my campaigns that go far end in a rage quit and delete save + restart
Usually not just because of bad RNG but because I did something stupid - the last one was because I lost my highest rank infantry to a thin man flank - he was almost a colonel
I was on a landed medium on the trash map and stupidly stayed at the default LZ which is in the middle of the map. Being cocky I thought I’d just scanner and start sniping and next thing I know the entire map is flooding in with new activations every turn
The campaign was going great but it just felt so awful I wanted to restart to ‘cleanse the palette’