This game is way TOO HARD even on easy

[Taras]

I've been a fan of this series since the start of it, yeah all the way back when the graphics back then were ok, but today would make people probably barf.
Anyway, I like X com 2 very much, yet there are a couple of major issues with this game that I hope the developers take note as they will probably eventually make X com 3, "Hey were back, because we forgot the beer"
Anyway :) Here is the first set of issues with this game.

I just bought about three months ago tops a new computer system. A alienware system, T18, with 32gb of ram, 2 nividia video cards 980m Windows 8.1 64 bit operating system, Intel Core i74910 running at 2.90ghz but has been built to be overclocked at 4.1ghz.

Now I have a few more games on my computer than X com 2, but I really don't understand with a system that I got that Dell essentially just said three months ago is their number 2 best product in terms of laptop computers they are currently selling, that I am having these technical issues.

It seems while the guys are in flight (meaning going back to base, or going to a mission) it seems like there is a little lag with my squad's movements, when they smile, after a sucessful mission or are just moving around until I can press the key to move on.
Sometimes when it says alien activity, it just seems to pause for several moments,
Sometimes troops in a mission seem again to be kind of lagging a little bit.
Sometimes there seems to be a general slowdown when I am at the X com base

yet I have this top of the line laptop?

Secondly, I'm wondering if it's possible that perhaps I downloaded some sort of program unaware while surfing the web? And perhaps unaware it is running in the background draining available memory?

Or is it possible that other games I have (such as Fallout 4) even when not running, are running some sort of program in the background?

Other unrelated non-tech issues with this game.

Ok so I think the developers wanted people to feel that every mission is exciting, but come on,
even with great armor pretty good weapons, and 99% percent chance to fire at a target, with cover blown and my guy still misses this really tough armored unit 8 times in a row?
Yet if I let that pass the armored unit comes at my guy and kills him.
Every mission (especially on easy) shouldn't have a guy miss 8 times in a row with a 99% chance to hit, because every mission it should be at least possible for all your squad guys to live without having to keep reloading old saves to finally hit the guy so that your squad guy that yout toook forever building up doesn't end up dead.

Really annoying especially on easy. I understand some people want a challenge and good for them, let them do it on hard and have a lot of fun, but for people like me who care more about story progression, having to keep reloading a old save 10 -15 times so that my guy finally freaking hits the target witha 99% chance to hit is just really annoying and wasting the precious time I have to even play this game.

[Feral Walrus]

FYI if you reload a save, it doesn't refresh the chance to hit. If you're feeling stuck, I would highly suggest researching the Faceless autopsy and getting the mimic beacon. It makes impossible situtations a breeze.

[Thradar]

I find it weird that people choose to game on laptops. you're not going to get near the same performance with a mobile CPU and GPU, ever.

That being said, I just finished the game on Veteran with no problems at all. Tons of resources, only 4 or 5 pips lit up on the Avatar project, all zones unlocked and contacted, all research done, etc. I've finished many missions with 100% hit rate and have posted screenshots. If you mean you missed 8 times after reloading a save game then you need to read more about how the RNG system works in the game.

You want annoying? Try Legendary Ironman.

[Metal Izanagi]

If it's too hard, you can pretty easily pop open the ini files and adjust the difficulty to your exact preferences.

[Taras]

How do I pop open the ini files, please?

[Goro san]

Seed used to determine if you hit is saved with your game.
So reloading does nothing for "chance to hit".
Instead of reloading and doing same action over and over, reload and try something else.

[Taras]

ok and you say doesn't refresh the chance to hit? Ok, but my guy had a 99% chance to hit the target, so every time I reloaded a save, one of my guys a major had a 99% chance to hit the target, so essentially he should be able to hit that target (that has no cover btw anymore pretty easily right?
Yet my guy keeps missing every time he shoots?
I've had guys hit a target with a 50% chance to hit with not any misses, so 99% shouldn't be a issue at all.

[Metal Izanagi]

Originally posted by Aztara:

How do I pop open the ini files, please?

Go to "Steam\steamapps\common\XCOM 2\XComGame\Config".

First, make a backup of "DefaultGameData_CharacterStats.ini", and then open that up in Notepad, or Notepad++. Preferably the latter, as it'll make editing a lot easier.

Then, look at the first entry, for instance, which is "Soldier X2CharacterTemplate". You'll see that the base "Offense" stat for XCOM soldiers is 65. You can bump that up a bit so you can hit more often.

"HP" is 5. There are difficulty modifiers further down in the file, but for what you're looking to do, you can just adjust the value to say, 10, if you want to give your guys another 5 HP so they can take another shot or two before they go down.

You can also bump up their Will, so that they're more resistant to psionic attacks, too.

If you want your soldiers to be able to move a bit further, you can also bump up the "Mobility" stat from its base of 12. Then, just save the file, and if you ever feel like going back to the default settings, you can replace the file with the backup.

[Taras]

Wow thank you going to try this.

[marshmallow justice]

1.
The game is easy up until Commander, where I assume some people would have trouble. For me, Commander is easy after the initial couple missions, then returns to being more difficult as pods become more advanced and units get upgrades. This is with Improved AI & Increased Enemy Squad sizes mod.

2.
Some people might rag on it for being an Alienware, and you probably paid a damn fortune for something not-so-amazing as they say, but it's a fine system price not considered.

3.
It's XCOM doing the hitching and pausing. It's badly optimized and has many bugs. Gameplay wise, I think you're referring to characters just standing there after they take a shot in cinematic mode, without you returning to the action, etc.

I recommend you go into the steam workshop and download the Stop Wasting My Time & Instant Avenger menu mods.

[Metal Izanagi]

Originally posted by Aztara:

Wow thank you going to try this.

Not a problem. Firaxis made XCOM 2 really easy to mod specifically so that anyone that didn't like certain bits of the game could edit it until they do like it.

[Krata Lightblade]

Originally posted by Aztara:

ok and you say doesn't refresh the chance to hit? Ok, but my guy had a 99% chance to hit the target, so every time I reloaded a save, one of my guys a major had a 99% chance to hit the target, so essentially he should be able to hit that target (that has no cover btw anymore pretty easily right?
Yet my guy keeps missing every time he shoots?
I've had guys hit a target with a 50% chance to hit with not any misses, so 99% shouldn't be a issue at all.

Okay, Turn Based combat is an abstraction. It is obviously a representation of combat, rather than a perfect 1:1 replication. You rarely have a 100% hit chance, and this represents the fact that enemies do not, in fact, stand completely still in combat, waiting to be shot, in general. People duck, weave, utilize cover, attempt to avoid being hit, etc. a 99% chance to hit is NOT 100%.

Also, "reloading the game to try to hit a missed shot" does not work. The random number generator is pre-determined at mission start, NOT per turn. So you can't do the same actions in the same order and get different results. If you reload a turn and do exactly the same things you will not get better results.

A guy with a 50% chance to hit hitting four times in a row is unlikely, but hardly impossible, and considering the sheer volume of shots, is a result you will see semi-regularly.

By the same token, a 99% chance to hit missing is going to happen approximately once in every 100 shots. The fact that you have bad luck with that is... unlucky, not a representation of a broken game.

Additionally, I'm playing the game on medium difficulty, myself, because I prefer my first run through of an XCom game to be relatively easier and my later runs to be at higher difficulties. I'm doing all right. Had some tense missions, even lost my teams or had to retreat from a couple heavy loss missions.

But I'm doing okay, overall. I'm not just getting roflstomped.

If you are, it's because you need to improve your tactical and strategic thinking. Not because the game is impossible on the easiest difficulty.

[Khan, Binary of None]

First off 99% chance to hit 8 in a row is a huge exaggeration.

It's pretty rare to get high guaranteed shots without being a Sharpshooter or having aim buffs.

That said, if it's not 100% there is that margin for error. It's not guaranteed. Is the game harder? Yes, I'd definitly say so compared to XCOM EU. Is it downright impossible to beat? Hell no, you need to learn and adjust.

Final Tip; Reloading a save and taking the same shot again will not change the outcome. All your shots are rolled prior to you firing based on your location each turn. The chance to hit is rerolled when you move, not when you reload.

[Ender]

This game is over the top no doubt about it way too easy pre legendary.

[Elldrytch]

Originally posted by Duo Vandal:

First off 99% chance to hit 8 in a row is a huge exaggeration.

Probably is, but statistically it's probably happened at some point. I know I've missed 3 99% shots in a row back in a Long War game. I think I was more upset that I didn't have it on video than I was actually failing that hard.

If the OP is playing on easy though, I think it has some massive built-in cheating to normalize missed streaks, so I guess I would be surprised if you could miss more than 2-3 non-overwatch shots in a row.

[Thradar]

Originally posted by Flammey:

Um, if you think this game is hard, I suggest you not going back to the 1990's and playing X-Com: UFO Defense. That one will make you want to both tear out your hair, and curl up into a ball, suck your thumbs, and cry your eyeballs out.

Pretty much this. If these new players play the original X-Com they would literally explode from hate and frustration. TFTD was even harder. I remember many times opening the door of my sub to exit the squad and having a reaction shot alien torpedo enter my hold and kill the entire squad...before the mission actually started.

That's X-Com (original) baby!