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The Best of Select: Games Special 4
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THE BEST OF SELECT Games Special 4 (Select CD-ROM)(1996).iso
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xcom2
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adr-tftd.txt
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Text File
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1995-11-05
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23KB
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479 lines
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1 Introduction
2 Game Statistics
3 Reviewed on
4 Ratings
5 Starting the game
6 Main screen
7 Bases menu
8 Intercepting an alien craft
9 Intercepting a crash site
10 Greets
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1 Introduction
Title: XCOM - Terror of the Deep
Producer: Microprose
Released by: Tyranny
Typed by: Sdk
This game is basically the same as it's predecessor, with the addition
of new graphics, sounds, aliens and weapons. Watch the introduction of
the game to see what has happened since last.
2 Game Statistics
This game comes on four 1.44's and takes up approximately 15 megs when
installed. In terms of sound it supports: Soundblaster, Soundblaster Pro,
Soundblaster 16, Soundman Wave, Gravis Ultrasound, Pro Audio Spectrum,
Pro Audio Spectrum 16 and also has an option for no sound.
3 Reviewed on
This game was reviewed on a Pentium 75 with 16 megs of RAM, PCI bus,
Gravis Ultrasound and a Cardex Power Pro 64 S3 864 2MB VRAM video card.
4 Ratings
Sound:
The musical score is quite good and suits the atmosphere of the game. The
in game music's volume can be adjusted by using the + and - keys. Digital
effects are also very well done, and with a Gravis Ultrasound there can
be upto eight digital sounds played simultaneously.
Graphics:
The graphics aren't anything flash, but the game play certainly makes up
for it. However there are some nice trademark XCOM effects such as the
vapor trials after a weapon has been fired, and underwater air bubbles
and smoke.
Speed:
No one should really have troubles in this department unless they have a
slow CPU or video card. This game isn't really that processor or video
intensive compared to some of the current day releases.
Playability:
Well as with all Microprose games, the game play kicks ass. Enuff said.
5 Starting the game
This game is pretty easy to get into since it has informative structured
menus, and an in game UFOpedia which supplies you with information about
all the craft, weapon, alien etc types.
You play XCOM, an organization who has been funded by various countries
around the globe to stop the alien scourge.
Firstly after selecting to start a new game, you must choose the level of
difficulty. There are five levels of difficulty: beginner, experienced,
veteran, genius and superhuman. If you didn't play the first XCOM,
definitely choose beginner.
Secondly, you must select where to build your first base. It is advisable
that you should build several bases now, as it takes a long time to
complete the building of XCOM facilities. Good places to establish bases
are in the South Atlantic, South Pacific and Indian Ocean. Establishing
bases in these three areas will give you a wide area of operation.
The first base you established has the basic facilities already built,
two Barracuda crafts, one Triton craft, eight Aquanauts, ten technicians
and ten scientists.
6 Main screen
After you have established your first base, you will be presented with
the main screen. There are six options:
Intercept:
Intercept displays all of your crafts, which are used to intercept aliens
or crash sites. This option is used to deploy a craft simply by clicking
on the craft you want, and then it's destination on the globe. Look at
the status column to make sure that a craft is ready for deployment. If
a craft is refueling, refitting or rearming, it cannot be deployed until
that task has been completed. Also look at the weapons/crew/sws column
to make sure a craft is armed.
Bases:
This option takes you to the bases menu, which is discussed in section
seven.
Graphs:
This option gives you graphs of alien activity in seas, alien activity
in zones, XCOM activity in seas, XCOM activity in zones, income and
finance.
UFOpedia:
This option gives you information about all the craft, weapon, alien etc
types. This is a definite must look at option so you can become familiar
with the game and know what equipment to purchase depending on your
situation.
Options:
This option allows you to load, save or abandon the current game.
Funding:
This option gives you a detailed list of the countries and organizations
who are funding you, including the amount which they give you in funds.
You should start the game with approximately four million dollars in
funds. The amount which they give you in funds throughout the game
depends on how well you perform. If you perform well in a certain region,
those countries and organizations that are closest to that region of the
world will increase your funding. However if you perform poorly, they will
decrease or withdraw your funding.
The main menu also has other options. You can increase the rate at which
time passes. At default, this is set to five seconds. This can however be
change to five minutes, thirty minutes, one hour or one day by clicking
on the appropriate icon at the right hand side of the screen.
The picture of the earth is used to view the location of your bases and
craft, as well as that of alien craft, crash sites and areas under alien
attack. The picture of the earth can be rotated by clicking on the
appropriate icon at the bottom of the screen on the right hand side.
Clicking on one of your bases is the same as selecting the intercept
option, except that it only lists the craft which belong to that base.
Clicking on one of your craft while it is out from base allows you to
give it new orders. Clicking on an alien craft, alien crash site or area
under alien attack allows you to center the picture of the earth on that
location.
7 Bases menu
There are eleven options in the base menu:
Build new base:
This option allows you to build a new base. This process usually costs
between five hundred thousand and one million dollars. You basically
just repeat the same steps you did when you built your first base.
Base info:
This option shows useful statistics like personnel available, defense
strength, transfers, monthly costs, percentage of laboratory/workshop
space used etc.
Aquanauts:
This option lists all of your Aquanauts, displaying their name, rank and
the craft they are currently assigned to.
Equip sub:
This option allows you to arm and man your crafts with items that you
have purchased, recruited or manufactured. With your first base, your
three crafts are already armed and manned. With the Triton craft
which is provided with the first base, it's recommended that you sell
all it's staff weaponry and reequip it with more potent arsenal. Goto
the purchase/recruit option and buy six hydro jet cannons with twelve
hydro jet phosphorous rounds, two torpedo launchers with eight phosphorus
torpedoes, sixteen magna pack explosives, eight dye grenades and a
coelacanth/aquajet submersible weapons system with as many aquajet
rounds as you have space for.
Build facilities:
This option allows you to build facilities at your bases. With your
first base, your basic facilities will already be built. At the start
of the game be sure to add alien containment, wide array sonar and
torpedo defense facilities. It is also important to establish more
laboratories and workshops, as well as living spaces so you can recruit
more scientists and technicians to work in these facilities. A facility
is built by simply selecting which facility you want to build, and then
by placing exactly where you want it established on the picture of your