Personally, I like TFTD much more than the original UFO, especially because it provides more of a challenge, even at beginner level. Who didn't get his entire team slaughtered the first time he/she encountered the lobstermen. And what to think of the vicious tentaculat. I remember walking into the big central room of an artefact site, immediately noticing no more than 8 tentaculats at close distance. That really scared the hell out of me, even as an experience player. These suckers can turn your entire team to zombies in no time. I must say I never got that thrill from UFO. Despite it's flaws, and the fact that it is more a remake than a sequel, I just love this game so much.
Some tips :
- When you start your game, immediately sack aquanauts with low morale. The morale stat rarely increases, you don't want panicking soldiers, but more importantly, you don't want your better soldiers under alien control (MC).
- Try to get better weapons as soon as possible. Use gas cannons and jet harpoons (auto-fire) to start, and switch to sonic pistols/sonic blasta rifles as soon as possible. Gauss rifles (auto-fire) are great as well, but I usually skip them.
- Research is very (!) important, especially in the beginning. The tech tree is weird though. For some important advancements, like (magnetic) ion armor, you'll need to research several things in a specific order. You need a lot of luck to accidentally find it. Get your hands on the tech tree, it will save you a lot of frustration.
- Lobstermen are though to beat with regular weapons. Thermal shock launchers usually stun them in 1-2 hits however. At close quarters, thermic lances are very effective and use little time units.
- When tentaculats are in sight, always shoot them before you target any other aliens. A dead soldier is still better than a zombie. If you don't finish them right away, your mission can turn into a disaster in just a few turns.
- If you can afford it, get a transmission resolver in every base. Not only will you detect more alien ships, you will also know their type, the main alien races on board, and details about the mission. That's a lot of vital information ! Don't shoot ships on colony supply mission ! Follow them, and you're likely to discover an alien base.
- The better you play, the more likely the aliens will come for your base. Be prepared.
- The game gets a lot easier once you get magnetic ion armor and mc disruptors. You'll need some training for the latter to be effective though. Use magnetic ion armor to enter ships from above (use disruptor pulse launcher to punch the walls if needed), while the aliens are waiting at the front door.
- Never research Tasoth Commander. There is a bug that will prevent you from finishing the game if you do.
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