old game / new fun

[edxot]

anyone here played x-com : ufo ? old game from time of 486 machines ? by acident i saw some page refering to that old game and decided to play it again …

soon i got into that situation where you land near some large ship full of sectoids. and no matter what i do they completely own my crew with the usual stuff - cyber discs / alien control / all soldiers panicking, etc … old days i would load previous game and destroy the big ship over the ocean to make sure i didnt had to make the mission.

but this game is from time where no cs / w:et / etqw was invented … so some new strategies arise, inspired by those shooting games …

the only game where attackers had efective advantage was counterstrike in warcraft mode (suicide bomber). you may die but usually you kill at least one … or more if it is a choke point …

1-all crew to back of ship and only one guy attacks at one time (i usually pick the greatest coward, because its the one most likely to panick when someone else dies)
2-getting out of the ship is a job like getting out of axis spawn in railroad map. cover ops spam entrance with smoke, and he can get out in any direction without problems.
3-after you get out, and you are inside the smoke, your next move is change into suicide bomber from cs (warcraft mode). prime an highexplosive at 0 and all you want is to attack in the direction of the enemy.
4-attacking in the direction of the enemy ship may well be the best option, while all enemy crew stays camping inside the ship.
5-if you can get out of the ship without getting killed, and you run until you get cover in some nearby building, you must change into etqw cover ops mode. prime another high exposive (remember if you die, you will explode already because of the 1st high explosive). but this second one will work like the stachel charge from w:et. will be pretty usefull if you find many enemies together and still having time to throw it. also prime a smoke grenade to 0. if you die, you make more smoke in the area. or may be usuful to advance through clear areas, trying to get near the next building.
6-after two options:

• you kill all enemies with that one soldier and you win
• soldier dies, and you start again with another one

so far, so good. but now mutons are arising and this bloody laser weapons are too ****ty for them …

too bad we cant have the supreme attacking machine from etqw: THE TECHNICIAN (infinite ammo and health). but at least, some sort of vehicles are also possible.

these new coming races, muton and ethreal, will not be so easy to handle

lol, maybe i should try the horrific / feared / overpower: AGRESSOR (or even VEHICLE WHORE rofl)

well, playing this game with all this new tactics is going to make me drop etqw for a while. and i dont need net to play it … even better.

[TheG4mer]

Short-Rib Beef Stew with Ale Recipe:

Ingredients:

[ul]
[li] 1/2 cup flour[/li][li] 2 Tbsp hot paprika[/li][li] 2 teaspoons smoked paprika[/li][li] Salt[/li][li] Freshly ground black pepper[/li][li] 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat[/li][li] 4 strips thick-cut bacon[/li][li] 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)[/li][li] 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped[/li][li] 1 bottle (12 oz.) a malty brown ale (we used Newcastle Brown ale)[/li][li] 1 can (14.5 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved[/li][li] 2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes[/li][li] 2 large carrots[/li][li] 1 pound turnips (optional)[/li][/ul]

Method:

1. Place bacon strips in a large (5 to 6 quart), thick-bottomed Dutch oven. Set the heat to medium high and cook the bacon until much of the fat has been rendered. Remove bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the bacon fat from pot. (Do not pour down the drain or you will clog your drain when the fat hardens as it cools.)

2. Preheat oven to 300°F. While the bacon is cooking, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, hot paprika, smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Dredge the short ribs in the flour mixture.

3. Add the short ribs to the pot with the bacon fat, taking care to not crowd the pot (work in batches if necessary). Brown on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. If you want to get good browning, do not stir the short ribs unless to turn. While the short ribs are browning, chop the bacon and set aside.

4. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the short ribs from the pot to a bowl. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the ale and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes and their juices and reserved bacon. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Return short ribs to pot, cover, put in the preheated oven, and cook for two hours. (Alternatively, you can do the cooking on the stovetop, just lower the heat to the lowest setting and cover.)

5. Peel potatoes, turnips (optional), and carrots, and cut into 1-in. pieces. Add to short ribs, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender and meat pulls away easily from the bone, about 30-45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Spoon off excess fat (it helps if you have a fat separator). If you want, remove the bones before serving and cut any big pieces of meat into smaller chunks.

Last but not least: Have a good meal!