X-COM THINK TANK (Out of Character Discussion about X-COM and the Series)

[Dahlexpert]

Name: Axton Van Dam

Occupation: Soldier

Season 3

Axton was born in Anchorage Alaska were as a child he endured many challenges,with not only the Alaskan weather and wild life but the amount of training his parents gave him. Axtons child hood was fill with training and mettle durability, his 19 years of life he learned how to break every bone in the human body,he also learned what poison to use for assassination, and took war as not only an art form but a way to truly test his skills.

At the age of 19 Axton took a survival test, to see how he would last in not only extreme weather conditions but to test his mental fortitude,After he passed the test his family gave him the nickname young wolf,for his aggression and willingness for a challenge.After his test Axton became a mercenary performing numerous bounty hunting and assassinations jobs,Axton unlike most mercenary's he did not let money change him nor did he lit money control him, he lived by strict code were he killed only people that were the worst that humanity had to offer. Because of this code Axton worked with police and the military.

After years of being a hired gun, X-COM hired him for the alien invasion because not only was he the best mercenary on the planet,but possible the most deadly human on the face of the world.During his time in X-COM Axton worked his way the ranks earning the rank of lieutenant X-COM offered him the rank of colonel but he refused.During his time in X-COM he made one true friend named Colin Weger After his death Axton went in to a slight depression and suffered from hallucination,but during this time he made some more friends that relay paced him back together, these people being Anna Stone Ayame Kasagi and Aaron.

during the war Anna told Axton that she was infected by a Chryssalid and Axton offered to put her down,once the war was over Axton visited Anna but Ayame was next to her,but A X-COM scientist wanted Anna as a science project and through some altercation Anna was shot and was near death,and before she flat line Axton shot her in the head and consoled Ayame.

After the war Axton continue being a mercenary and and keep his promise to colin and gave his family enough money for them to last for his daughter to go to collage,and paid Aaron and his wife for them to get a home were ever they wanted.Years after the war Axton became the leader of his family mercenary clan,were he now direct his family and is turning them into soldiers for the next alien invasion.

 

[PrismaCube]

OMG I'm back, its good to be back, thank you again Grelite

 

[PrismaCube]

I love that idea, so what would have happen if Colin Weger had never died? (Season 3)

I stepped out of the bus, the air feels refreshing, the cold of the night was blowing down the street, I looked around my old neighborhood. Several Houses were demolished by the war, nothing would ever be the same here for quite a while. Reaching into my pockets I pulled out a letter.

"Well this is it..."
I took a deep sigh and walked towards the downed and destroyed house. The door was blocked by a wooden plank that must have come crashing down from the house months ago. I dropped my bag and got to work to lift the plank out of the door frame, without much strength I easily removed the plank, all this time spending in X-COM I have improved in strength quite a lot. I picked up my bag and continued inside the house, plasma burn where everywhere on the walls and even a sectoid corps waited to greet me at the door. My heart dropped and got heavy, this is where I grew up. I can barley even recognize anything here, and now there is this intruder in my own childhood home, I fear that my own home will not look any better.

Moving down the hallway I noticed the picture of my family still on the wall, filled with dust but thankfully barley touched, there was a picture of me, when I was only a little kid, then I came across a picture with me and my family around the time I was a teenager, back then a barley noticed these pictures, now they bring warmth into my heart. I continued, a picture of Justin and me at the archery range. I hope Justin survived, yet I fear the worse. That was it. No more pictures on the wall, I moved through the kitchen, half of it was missing, there was an entire wall missing. Seeing that filled me with anger, this war has done nothing good. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a book on the ground, i put down my supplies and picked up the dust covered book.

"The Bible"
I put the book down on a half burned counter, took out a picture and laid it onto the bible, under my breath I manged to say the words.
"I'm sorry Aaron, thank you for your sacrifice, now I myself do not believe in god, but if there truly is one, he probably has a special place for you beside him."

I moved back towards my bag and took out another framed picture. I hung it up in the hallway, took a final look upon it. The entire X-COM team, smiling and enjoying themselves, one family I will always have in my hearth.

Colum Campbell, Anna Stone, Ayame Kasagi, Rex Rumbler, Daniel Oudwater, Presariov Astaeri, Jorn Lemonade, Axton Van Dam, Space Paddy, Booker Conan, Anja Kjær, Zain Shah, Vash The Stampede, Jorn Lemonade, Joel Freeman, Big Farmer, Colin Weger, James Love, Caesar Martinez, Stevie Steve, John D. Eddings, Leon Ensslin, Aaron Bryant, Cyrus Hart, John Eddings, Toni Szanches, Samuel Wright, Derick Lee, Commander Odd, Zeke Kraven, Jesse Cooper, Persephone Brown, Thef Rebell, Ray Heiven, Shaojie Zhang, Evan Royce, Joshua Sherill, Paedar Mac Lochlainn, Jasmin Lebed.

Alright now it's time to face the hard truth.
I walked down into the basement, I opened another door that had a long tunnel down into the earth.
"Wow, can't believe this bunker is still standing, heck I build this years ago."
I climbed down dark hole slowly, I was climbing for about 5 minutes before I reached a ground below my feet again. There was an empty room greeting me, and a huge metal door. I slowly walked towards it, every step made my heart heavier, only feeling the worse. Everything was quite and no noise came from the door. I dim light was glowing from a small console on the side of the wall. I punched in the password. The huge metal door opened slowly releasing fresh air into the underground bunker. Inside the metal door was a light up house, everything neat and tidy, you could hear the music coming from inside. I stepped inside, there was a man standing there with his gun pointed straight at me.
"Colin?"
It was Justin, upon noticing me he lowered the gun quickly and ran towards me. With overwhelming force I was flung back almost stumbling to the ground, as Justin came to hug me.
Tears were starting to come into my eyes. Then I saw my daughter Elise and my wife Laura who was already in tears upon seeing me, I gently put Justin aside and went over to my family. My father and mother were also there. They survived. Everyone here who I loved is here. I gave my wife a kiss on her forehead, and hugged her. I never wanted to let her go again. Elise came to hug me as well. This was the happiest moment of my life. It was worth risking my life to save them. Every moment I was in danger was worth this moment.
"I will never leave you again."
"Never..."

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Name: Ayame Kasagi (Season 3)
Position: Soldier

Most of Ayame's history was detailed in the season three logs, ao this will be a brief sum-up.

Having no chance to use Ayame in combat during season two, I reintroduced her in season three, but as per the new character rules, her back story was largely altered. Ayame started out as a simple farm girl in rural China, a happy girl living a simple life. Her life was destroyed when an unhappy gambling partner of her father's hired a bunch of goons to murder her family. Ayame lost everyone and everything she held dear, and only survived because of an incredible rage that sent the child into a killing frenzy.

Ayame was adopted by her father's estranged brother, an abusive man who only took her in so her could harness her hidden potential for his own use. Ayame was an outcast for most of her school days. Her only friend was a young British girl, a transfer student whom, after a rocky start, Ayame grew very close to. As the two spent more and more time together, they're feelings grew beyond mere friendship. However, just as they were starting to bring their relationship to the next level, and Ayame was starting to find happiness again, her friend disappeared. Some investigation led Ayame to discover that her uncle was responsible, and in another fit of rage, engaged the wicked man in a fight to the death, from which she walked away from. He did not.
Now on the run, Ayame used her training in Martial Arts, the only good thing to come from her uncle, and became a freelance mercenary, working for private military contractors across Asia and Europe. While on some off time in Russia, she was tricked by a group of men in a bar to get wasted, after which they led her into an empty alley to have their way with her. Ayame's salvation came in the from of a young Russian soldier named Anna Stone. Like a fledgling imprinting on it's mother, Ayame become infatuated with Anna, and the two became inseparable. One of the main reasons Ayame ended up joining X-COM was because Anna was joining as well.
Ayame faced many issues while in X-COM. She struggled to learn English, was not very talented when it came to social interactions, had anger issues as well as a Napoleon Complex because of her small figure, and had a fear of men, especially when forced to be alone with them. She overcame all of these problems, however, largely due help from both Anna and the large number of allies she gained. She had little field time in the end, but left an impact of her own in X-COM. She lost many allies, including Anna herself, but the impact they had on her left a lasting positive impression.
Ayame's greatest ally was a young American woman named Persephone Brown, whom despite her different nationality and upbringing, had a lot in common with Ayame. Ayame was instantly drawn to her, and soon found she had romantic feelings for her, feelings she was eventually able to express largely thanks to Anna's encouragement. Persephone's past problems made her hold back at first, but she eventually returned Ayame's feelings. After the success of Project X-COM, Ayame invited Persephone to join her in her travels as a freelancer, and to her delight, Persephone agreed. The pair took a small vacation in Japan, where Ayame was able to reunite with her estranged sister and meet her niece (and put her brother-in-law in his place with Persephone's help). Afterwards, the pair set out to start they're lives side by side, with they're first freelance jobs being for the purpose of helping the most devastated parts of the world pick up the pieces after the destructive war.

 

[Taxor_the_First]

You don't mind if I chuck Isaac in here, do you?
I mean, he wasn't an "accepted candidate".

 

[Dahlexpert]

You don't mind if I chuck Isaac in here, do you?
I mean, he wasn't an "accepted candidate".

Nope I don't mind this is just mentioning your character back story,weather they got accepted or not,if not then make up what they did in X-COM.

 

[Taxor_the_First]

Name: Isaac Anderson
Occupation: Contract Assassin
[I'm going to paraphrase my application here. Isaac has MPD after his family was killed by... let's say, "disgruntled associates". He is not the best assassin in the world, but he is the most feared among the criminal underworld. His other personality, "The Judge", was what he slipped into to do his jobs and was intended during the season to be his personality whenever he was holding a firearm or had his face covered. It was colder and more focused than his normal self. In contrast to many other sufferers of MPD, DID or whatever acronym you choose to use, Isaac could actually remember everything his other did, which has allowed Isaac to justify himself by essentially saying that it wasn't him pulling the trigger. He was initially recommended to XCOM after making a blunder and going to a cafe, which was then shortly visited by a Chinese official who recognized him, causing his arrest. After being rejected from XCOM, he escaped from the cell he was being held in and decided to take matters into his own hands.]
Season 4, China, "Transponder placement"
Too late, damn it. Isaac saw the bolt of plasma hit the only remaining soldier, saw them fall dead on the ground. Saw that weird plane-thing lift off the ground and fly away. Saw the Thin Men and Big Guys make some sort of noise - a laugh maybe? Damn it all. If you want something done properly...
He didn't waste time. Rifle out, pop pop pop. Three down before they even knew something was up. He grinned beneath his mask, a sort or fatalistic haze settling over him. Fail here, and he would be bombarded just like the rest of China. Succeed where XCOM had failed... it was a daunting task, but one he could handle. The Big Guys had to go down first, no question of that. Eliminate the biggest threat whilst they were unaware. So he did. Three down, only Thin Men left. He slung his rifle over his back and pulled out a pistol. All he'd need for this.
He jumped down from his perch on the roof of the ticket booths, landing on the platform. He dashed into the train itself, dodging a volley of plasma from a hissing Thin Man. As he took cover, he looked on the ground and saw a familiar face. Former colleague, he thought. Friend, though the other. Irrelevant. Job to do.
He took the bag from Zhang's corpse, felt the weight of the transponders. Good. All he needed was delay, not full incapacitation like XCOM was apparently going for. Two would suffice.

Post Season 4, Russia. Location Unknown. 1 day after shutdown of XCOM project.
The message had been unexpected. "The Overseer can no longer be trusted. Moving to terminate." Not good. The lack of a follow-up message meant that they'd failed. But... how? The Overseer was not likely to side with EXALT. Why was he no longer trustworthy? Isaac looked over at the strange Sectoid lying on the ground. Having witnessed it's prowess, he thought he had an idea why.
There was also another nearby. Critically injured, not quite dead. Flowing robes, elegant physique. Mask, just like Isaac. Even a critically injured one was deadly though. Isaac moved forward to put a final bullet in it's head.
It croaked. "You..."
Isaac laughed. "Let me guess. 'We are delaying the inevitable. This changes nothing, humanity has the attention of those infinitely our greater, blah blah blah,' right?"
The creature said nothing.
"Thought so." Isaac said. He sighed. "Let me tell you something, mate. I've been 'delaying the inevitable' since I started my career." He walked over to a piece of rubble, a cobblestone thrown far by an improvised explosive the resistance had placed in an effort to stop the alien "harvest". He picked it up. "Friend of mine. Guy said something first time he killed an alien. Know what that was?" Tossed it in the air, caught it again. "'Not so different from killing a man.' I'll give you three guesses as to what I've been doing my entire life."
"Your only hope is against you. You should submit, for it is preferable to extinction."
Isaac held up his hands, directing attention to the fire and ruin around them. "Welcome to Earth, mate." He raised the pistol, fired once. The alien's head snapped back, and it began that glowy-decomposy thing it did.
"Enjoy your stay."

 

[Zain Shah]

Wow; its been a long time but I finally found the time to go on the internet.

Name: Zain Shah
Occupation: Soldier (Former Hunter)

When Zain was a child, he moved from Pakistan to England which completely changed his life and naturally, he had a mental breakdown trying to adapt to this new lifestyle. He eventually adapted and his mental state since then. He was academically smart and got good grades at his A-Levels. He decided to take up hunting as a hobby but soon it became his job and so he travelled the world hunting animals where he truly displayed his natural prowess.

Zain original decided to join X-COM for the chance to be part of a team and to become more selfless. He was a ruthless hunter with no military experience but he was part of the first X-COM team to respond to an alien abduction. He was started off as an unsociable person to becoming friends with most of the crew.

His time on thr field was painful to say the least. He endured plasma burns many times and almost died once to a cyberdisk but he was luckily stabilised. At base is where he faced a bigger threat; knowing about a conversation between Ayame and Persephone changed him entirely. He had to keep the secret or suffer the consequences and he actually became good friends with them both. He even nearly got Ayame raped by one of the doctors in X-COM.

His romantic life also started in X-COM with him originally pursuing Jessica Chambers but eventually sleeping with her teen sister, Alexia. He and Alexia lost their virginity together which caused great concern with her sister however in the end, Jessica accepted it. This romance was broken when Zain and Alexia had conflicting views on having an abortion after she got pregnant. In the end, Zain mended the relationship and agreed to have the baby.

Zain's resolve was put to the test when his sister was killed in an alien terror mission where she was devoured by a chrysalid. He was ordered to be put under psychotherapy after he wounded himself grieving over his death.

After surviving X-COM, Zain and Alexia settled in their own house and Zain decided to give up hunting and start a career in medicine to work alongside Alexia in a hospital.

 

[Taxor_the_First]

Just thought I'd address something. You may or may not have noticed (I don't know how much attention you may or may not have been paying) that my little thing above was a little... vague in some areas.
This is intentional.
Certain things in there have a bearing on, may return related to etc, etc my character next season. This "Overseer"? That's one. He'll be back. Even Isaac's mask. You thought it was just a balaclava or something? Nope. It's far, far more than that. It's a bit more literal than that.
Just thought I'd slot this in here in case anyone was a little iffy. Basically just preventing spoilers for my next season character.

 

[Zain Shah]

I hope I can be a soldier because I felt a certain sense of immortality as the pilot whereas in season 3, I was on the edge of my seat which was always more interesting.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

I plan on reapplying with the character I was going to use for season four, but this time as a scientist. Don't get me wrong, being a soldier was fun, I just want to try something different, something that lets me experience X-COM in a different way.

 

[PrismaCube]

I plan on reapplying with the character I was going to use for season four, but this time as a scientist. Don't get me wrong, being a soldier was fun, I just want to try something different, something that lets me experience X-COM in a different way.

I know what you mean xD Being a Solider is rather frustrating, waiting til you finally get picked and once you do you die two mission later xD. That's why I decided to play Exalt Leader.

 

[Zain Shah]

I may even apply as Vahlen, Shen or Bradford as they also are some of less explored characters and could have a deep personal story.

 

[Vlakvark]

I think I must agree with Zain, even though being a scientist or engineer would most likely ensure one's long term survival as well as ensure plenty of material to write about, being a soldier and even having the chance to take an active role in the RP outweighs the potential frustration of not being picked or being picked and getting iced on your first mission.

Speaking of, here's my (not chosen) Season 4 Character with his uncut backstory (bloody stupid of me to cut it down in the first place), and what would have become of him had he been picked. Note, I'm using my ideal circumstance here (heavy class, survived until the end).

First Name: Koenraad

NDG: 'Vlakvark' (Warthog in Afrikaans)

Last Name: Vermaak
Sex: Male

Race: Caucasian (Afrikaner)

Height: 193 cm (6'4")

Weight: 137 kg (301 lbs)

POB: Cape Town, South Africa

DOB: 11/2/1970

Languages: Afrikaans, English, Xhosa (passing), Kikongo (passing), Cuban Spanish (passing)

Skills: Bushcraft, Long-Range Reconnaissance, Marksmanship, Heavy Weaponry, Demolitions, First Aid and Field Surgery, Urban warfare

Psychological Profile: Vermaak suffers from acute post traumatic stress disorder, most likely stemming from his actions within the Civil Cooperation Bureau and various black operations within Africa (details below). He received intensive psychological counseling, as well as heavy medication for his disorder and has yet to suffer an acute relapse, even under stress. However, it should be noted that while daily stressors and even combat may not cause a relapse, should relapse occur his actions may become extremely erratic and caution must be exercised.

Biographical Synopsis: Born to a working class Afrikaner family in Cape Town during the Apartheid era, Vermaak led an uneventful life until he was conscripted into the South African Defense Force in 1987. Singled out as an exceptional soldier during training, Vermaak proved his competence while serving in Angola, almost single handedly driving back a large combined MPLA and Cuban Spec Ops offensive when much of his squad was too fatigued or injured to continue fighting. It was this display of skill which drew the eye of several high-ranking personnel within the military hierarchy, and Vermaak was extended an invitation to serve his country in a way that would be more strongly felt. An offer which Vermaak's patriotism led him to take.

He was inducted into the Civil Cooperation Bureau, a covert government-backed death squad meant to further the agenda of the Apartheid regime through any means necessary. During this time, Vermaak was directly involved in the killing of dozens of anti-Apartheid activists, as well as the poisoning of a Namibian refugee camp through the introduction of cholera in their water supply. Vermaak suffered an acute psychological break in 1990, thought to be related to his unwitting involvement in the bombing of a kindergarten in the Western Cape region, after which he fled from South Africa and disappeared. Vermaak reemerged in 1994, returning to South Africa to take part in the Truth and Reconciliation hearings. His confession of his atrocities, and supplying of information to the TRC, ensured Vermaak was never prosecuted for his crimes and was further offered a position in the 'Recces' special forces brigade, ostensibly as an instructor.

After this time, Vermaak and the Recces were deployed to several hotbeds across Africa, including covert interventions in the Second Liberian Civil War, Second Congo War, and Central African Republic Bush War. It is thought that his experiences in these conflicts may have further exacerbated his mental trauma, putting him at risk of relapse despite the intensive psychological care he received.

Vermaak has little in the way of family (father and mother killed in a break-in attempt, younger sister estranged since his confessions in the TRC hearings), as such he will not be missed should the worst occur.

[insert XCOM pledge here]

Table Mountain National Park, Cape Town, South Africa: One Week after XCOM Collapse
​

Vermaak looked down at the fires below, and took a drink of his homebrew. It was remarkable how long they had lasted, especially considering the utter fuck-story that had been Bloemfontein, but it seemed that their luck had finally run its course. Durban, Joburg, Rustenburg, and Kimberly had all fallen in first day, the rest of country soon followed. There was no way they could fight back, not really, nothing they had was anywhere close to what the XCOM initiative had access to. So what chance did they ever have?

He took another swig, savoring the rich ale.

'At least I get to die at home'

Another pull and the jug was empty, he set it aside and pulled out his last pack of smokes. He sat in silence, looking as the sporadic gunfire below petered away under the quick, merciless flashes of green. He wondered if Sarah had gotten away, if she had made it to England, or the U.S, someplace that might be able to hold their ground for longer, or someplace she and her kids could disappear. God, did he hope so.

A rustling in the bush told him his time was up. He took up his Vektor SS-77 and loaded the belt, not like it would do him much good anyhow, he missed the gun XCOM had given him, the shortened .50 caliber slugs of the LMG had proven far more effective than any standard NATO ammunition. He turned about to face the brush, and saw three of the things that Zhang had called 'assassins' and everybody else called 'Mutons'. He opened up, putting a quarter belt into the first before he had time to respond. The 7.62X51mm NATO bullets cut into the flesh of its face and put out its eyes and it fell to the ground holding its ruined skull, obviously still alive despite its injuries.

The other two reacted far quicker than he expected, taking cover behind the rocks to hide what little flesh their heavy armor left bare. Vermaak roared and fired a burst on both of them, hitting nothing, seeing this the second quickly emerged from cover and let off a single pulse of plasma. Vermaak felt a rush of blazing agony as his arm melted off at the shoulder, the SS-77 falling to the ground beside him. The two mutons walked over to their fallen comrade and swiftly broke his neck, before advancing on their wounded prey.

Vermaak looked up into their empty yellow eyes, but strangely felt unafraid. He didn't know if it was the adrenaline, or something else, but he felt wonderfully numb to it all. Even as the mutons pointed their huge plasma rifles to his head, heat radiating from their glowing insides and burning the weathered skin of his face.

"Gaan met dit, jou fokken poes," he spat, not breaking eye contact.

There was a moment of heat and light, and then silence. The two mutons looked down at the human, or what was left of him, before turning around and walking away.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

Don't get me wrong, I loved playing as a soldier. I just wanted to try something new. And besides, I already had my turn as a soldier, so I'd rather play as a scientist and let some new be a soldier. Plus, I've played the game enough time to have a strong grasp of the scientific aspects, and I want to play a character who can explore that. I just hope I'm not passed over again.

 

[Taxor_the_First]

I'm currently torn between soldier and scientist. Really it'll depend on how many positions are open, how many people are applying for those positions and the difficulty Odd will play on. I mention difficulty because the Long War page specifically states that people and battles will be lost, and I don't want to get my one chance as a soldier only to be killed to a boss Thin Man. I myself have never played Long War, but it sounds hard.
Being a scientist means that you are immortal. Kind of an oxymoron, but there you go. Apart from the attack on XCOM, there is no risk of Mr Reaper showing up at the base of your bed one morning and beckoning you forward, and even then it isn't even a risk. Just a part where your person squeals quite a lot (or, if you feel like it, gets their direct control assumed and is one of the people responsible for the sabotage). I'm kinda leaning towards scientist for that safety it brings.
On the other hand, soldier's fun.
Based on merit alone, I can't make up my mind. That's why I'm going to wait until I see other people's applications before I make my choice.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

I'm currently torn between soldier and scientist. Really it'll depend on how many positions are open, how many people are applying for those positions and the difficulty Odd will play on. I mention difficulty because the Long War page specifically states that people and battles will be lost, and I don't want to get my one chance as a soldier only to be killed to a boss Thin Man. I myself have never played Long War, but it sounds hard.
Being a scientist means that you are immortal. Kind of an oxymoron, but there you go. Apart from the attack on XCOM, there is no risk of Mr Reaper showing up at the base of your bed one morning and beckoning you forward, and even then it isn't even a risk. Just a part where your person squeals quite a lot (or, if you feel like it, gets their direct control assumed and is one of the people responsible for the sabotage). I'm kinda leaning towards scientist for that safety it brings.
On the other hand, soldier's fun.
Based on merit alone, I can't make up my mind. That's why I'm going to wait until I see other people's applications before I make my choice.

Don't forget about engineers. I was tempted to go for that, but the science aspects are more my thing. The only thing I'm not really interested in is pilot, because that seems to be a position where you don't get to do much, especially if you end up piloting in a region that doesn't get much action.

So what is this "Long War", anyway? Some kind of Mod? Or is it just the longer game in the second wave options.

 

[Taxor_the_First]

Don't forget about engineers. I was tempted to go for that, but the science aspects are more my thing. The only thing I'm not really interested in is pilot, because that seems to be a position where you don't get to do much, especially if you end up piloting in a region that doesn't get much action.

So what is this "Long War", anyway? Some kind of Mod? Or is it just the longer game in the second wave options.

I did. Engineer... didn't really work out. And my reasons for not being a pilot were the same as yours, and you don't get that interaction with the other people around base because half the time your "base" is literally a hangar and that's it (at least, that's the impression I get from the game). Only one fighter pilot (the one in the home base) would have any chance of outside interaction, and even then it wouldn't be much. Maybe Shen overseeing the new Firestorms or something.
As for Long War, its a mod. Odd was considering doing it for next season. Basically it adds some new stuff, balances some things (for example, "Rushing satellites is no longer a viable option") and makes the overall campaign more challenging. As I said, I haven't played it myself, so I don't know the intricacies, but I know that it's supposed to be a challenge for people who have completed the game before and have started to find it a bit too easy.

 

[ZombieSplitter53]

I did. Engineer... didn't really work out. And my reasons for not being a pilot were the same as yours, and you don't get that interaction with the other people around base because half the time your "base" is literally a hangar and that's it (at least, that's the impression I get from the game). Only one fighter pilot (the one in the home base) would have any chance of outside interaction, and even then it wouldn't be much. Maybe Shen overseeing the new Firestorms or something.
As for Long War, its a mod. Odd was considering doing it for next season. Basically it adds some new stuff, balances some things (for example, "Rushing satellites is no longer a viable option") and makes the overall campaign more challenging. As I said, I haven't played it myself, so I don't know the intricacies, but I know that it's supposed to be a challenge for people who have completed the game before and have started to find it a bit too easy.

I see. Well, it should be interesting, though I hope that if he does do it, he'll practice it a little so he has an idea what he is in for. The new rules in this game can really bite you in the ass if you aren't prepared. I'm sure we've all had to deal with that at one time or another.

And as for the firestorm pilots, I believe Odd has said exactly what you believe, that the off-base sites are just a hanger, so unless the main base has an interplanetary teleporter so the pilots can stay on base until needed, the pilot would be stuck in a small hanger with no one to interact with but a few mechanics. Seems lonely, and is really only meant for people who want to participate but don't have a lot of time to write logs. As for me, I love talking to other players too much, and I have plenty of time on my hands..

 

[Gahlo]

Don't forget about engineers. I was tempted to go for that, but the science aspects are more my thing. The only thing I'm not really interested in is pilot, because that seems to be a position where you don't get to do much, especially if you end up piloting in a region that doesn't get much action.

So what is this "Long War", anyway? Some kind of Mod? Or is it just the longer game in the second wave options.

Copy pasta from the original mod's description:
This mod changes a great many vanilla X-Com features and settings to create a far longer and more intense conflict with the aliens, and provide as much of a "sandbox" experience as possible. It creates a more interesting and rewarding strategic game, and battles will be challenging while still rewarding smart tactical play. You will see many more UFOs in the sky, and your squaddies will fight in a dozen or more combat missions per month. You will need to develop more than six troopers to succeed, and you will also have to carefully balance investments in research, construction, and interception capability.