Difference between revisions of "Alien Retaliation"

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[[Image:Alien Retaliation.png|thumb|right|Alien Retaliation mission type.]]If X-COM [[Interceptor]]s (or Avengers/Firestorms/Lightnings) are being particularly successful in shooting down [[UFOs]] then the Aliens may take some [[Alien Retaliation|retaliatory]] action. This could result in a direct attack against an [[Base Defense|X-COM base]]. However, the aliens have to find an X-COM base in order to attack it, and provided UFOs are kept away then there should be little danger of an assault.
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[[Image:Alien Retaliation.png|thumb|right|Alien Retaliation mission type.]]If X-COM aircraft are being particularly successful at shooting down [[UFOs]] then the Aliens will take [[Alien Retaliation|retaliatory]] action in the form of an attack against an [[Base Defense|X-COM base]].  
  
Scouts of various sizes will attempt to locate your base. If you shoot them down, they will be unable to do so. A battleship will appear at the end of this wave. If your base was detected,  the Battleship will zoom in at top speed, low to the ground and immediately land, making it only possible to intercept with an [[Avenger]]. If you managed to stop the scout's search efforts, the battleship will appear, fly around for a while, (as if challenging your interceptors to a fight) then fly off again into space.
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An '''Alien Retaliation''' mission consists of a series of UFO scouts that will appear in the area the UFO was shot down to patrol for an X-COM base. At the end of the patrol, once the aliens have decided that they've ''found'' a base, a [[Battleship]] will appear a day or two afterwards and attack an X-COM base in the same region - picking one at random if there are several. In the worst case scenario, the aliens will sometimes skip the scouting phase entirely and immediately schedule the attack.  
  
Sometimes the very first UFO you encounter in a brand new game will be a Retaliation Scout. If it locates your [[X-COM Bases|base]] then you might be attacked almost immediately which is likely to be a tough mission.
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Once an X-COM base is marked for the attack, a Battleship will be sent to drop troops into the base, and then immediately escape into orbit. See [[#Base Attack Loop|below]] for a pertinent bug/feature concerning this.  
  
Shooting down the retaliation scouts may prevent a base assault, but shooting them down close to your base almost guarantees an attack, presumably as they report your base if they come down close enough for your base to be in its radar range. Therefore, shoot down retaliation scouts with great care.  
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A battleship on the attack is easy to spot as it will always be moving purposefully in a straight line to the base it is attacking. The ship will be moving at top speed so only an [[Avenger]] can intercept it.  
  
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If you shoot down the retaliation scouts, the next scout to appear in the patrol will be delayed by a random amount of time. However, the type of UFO may be upgraded to make it more difficult for you to shoot down. As alien mission have a set time frame for them to be completed, they will eventually abort the retaliation mission if the scouts are delayed long enough.
  
Aliens do not directly [[Scoring#Alien_Scoring|score]] for this mission. Losing a base will give you negative points depending on what was in the base.
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Note that assaulting an landed Retaliation scout when it is on the ground does not have this effect.  
  
==Mission Profile==
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While the scouting parties do cause activity that will concern the Council, the aliens do not directly [[Scoring#Alien_Scoring|score]] for destroying the base. Beyond the material loss of the base, assets and personnel, you will only gain negative points for the soldiers or tanks killed defending the base.
  
Retaliation missions consist of scouts that look for your base. When found, it is followed up by a [[Battleship]] dropship carrying a team of aliens that are to be inserted into your base (identical to a normal Battleship crew). The Battleship vanishes once it has inserted the troops - presumably escaping into the atmosphere during the attack.
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==Multiple Retaliations==
  
Each retaliation wave consists of a single group of aliens that are seeking to destroy your base. Each group, which can be of the same species, will independently target your base for retaliation. Once your base is located, they will continuously send [[Battleship]]s at the base until one breaks through your defences. They will not stop until this happens.  
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Each time a retaliation mission is set up it will be run by a particular task force of aliens that are charged to find an X-COM base and get troops inside to destroy it from within. Once a team manages to drop a retaliation squad into your base, their mission will come to an end and they will cease their attack.  
  
Once they manage to drop a retaliation squad into your base the group sending the battleships will have a sudden case of amnesia and forget the base location. Why this is a bit of mystery, but what's important is that you will not have to worry about another attack until the retaliation scouts reappear.  
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Each team works independently of the other, and do not share their findings with the others. So if they find a base, only they will know where it is. All other teams will have to locate the base themselves. Base locations are not retained once the mission has been completed. It may indicate that the crew on the final battleship may be what is left of the task force and the base location either dies with them if they fail, or is no longer required if they succeed.  
  
If you are being targeted by several groups of aliens at the same time, you will have to crush both (or all) of the assault squads before the aliens stop attacking your base.  
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If you are targeted by more than one group at a time, you will need to crush them all to cease the attacks altogether. Once they have all been dealt with, you will not have to worry about any further attacks until the next wave of retaliation scouts are encouraged to appear.  
  
==Conclusions==
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== Base Attack Loop==
First, each wave of retaliation ends when the retaliation squad is inserted into the base - then the base is forgotten.  
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<br>
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Due to a programming oversight, destroying the battleship with base defenses will not clear the retaliation mission flag. Because of this the game will think that the mission is not yet over and it will prepare another battleship to attack the base. This whole process will then repeat itself until the battleship is allowed to land.  
Second, an impenetrable base that has been discovered will be attacked by alien Battleships about once a week. This can be [[User:Magic9mushroom#Battleship_Farming|exploited]] for a constant supply of Elerium.
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This can be [[User:Magic9mushroom#Battleship_Farming|exploited]].
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A few effects that arise from this bug are that the aliens will appear to:
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# Have endless resources and can afford to send fully crewed Battleships every few days
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# Have a sudden case of amnesia once the ground crew is dealt with
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==
 
[[Base Defense]]
 
[[Base Defense]]
 
{{Alien Missions Navbar}}
 
{{Alien Missions Navbar}}

Revision as of 08:52, 4 January 2013

Alien Retaliation mission type.

If X-COM aircraft are being particularly successful at shooting down UFOs then the Aliens will take retaliatory action in the form of an attack against an X-COM base.

An Alien Retaliation mission consists of a series of UFO scouts that will appear in the area the UFO was shot down to patrol for an X-COM base. At the end of the patrol, once the aliens have decided that they've found a base, a Battleship will appear a day or two afterwards and attack an X-COM base in the same region - picking one at random if there are several. In the worst case scenario, the aliens will sometimes skip the scouting phase entirely and immediately schedule the attack.

Once an X-COM base is marked for the attack, a Battleship will be sent to drop troops into the base, and then immediately escape into orbit. See below for a pertinent bug/feature concerning this.

A battleship on the attack is easy to spot as it will always be moving purposefully in a straight line to the base it is attacking. The ship will be moving at top speed so only an Avenger can intercept it.

If you shoot down the retaliation scouts, the next scout to appear in the patrol will be delayed by a random amount of time. However, the type of UFO may be upgraded to make it more difficult for you to shoot down. As alien mission have a set time frame for them to be completed, they will eventually abort the retaliation mission if the scouts are delayed long enough.

Note that assaulting an landed Retaliation scout when it is on the ground does not have this effect.

While the scouting parties do cause activity that will concern the Council, the aliens do not directly score for destroying the base. Beyond the material loss of the base, assets and personnel, you will only gain negative points for the soldiers or tanks killed defending the base.

Multiple Retaliations

Each time a retaliation mission is set up it will be run by a particular task force of aliens that are charged to find an X-COM base and get troops inside to destroy it from within. Once a team manages to drop a retaliation squad into your base, their mission will come to an end and they will cease their attack.

Each team works independently of the other, and do not share their findings with the others. So if they find a base, only they will know where it is. All other teams will have to locate the base themselves. Base locations are not retained once the mission has been completed. It may indicate that the crew on the final battleship may be what is left of the task force and the base location either dies with them if they fail, or is no longer required if they succeed.

If you are targeted by more than one group at a time, you will need to crush them all to cease the attacks altogether. Once they have all been dealt with, you will not have to worry about any further attacks until the next wave of retaliation scouts are encouraged to appear.

Base Attack Loop

Due to a programming oversight, destroying the battleship with base defenses will not clear the retaliation mission flag. Because of this the game will think that the mission is not yet over and it will prepare another battleship to attack the base. This whole process will then repeat itself until the battleship is allowed to land.

This can be exploited.

A few effects that arise from this bug are that the aliens will appear to:

  1. Have endless resources and can afford to send fully crewed Battleships every few days
  2. Have a sudden case of amnesia once the ground crew is dealt with

See Also

Base Defense

UFO Badge X-COM: Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense
Alien Missions:Alien OriginsThe Martian SolutionCydonia or BustAlien ResearchAlien Harvest
Alien AbductionAlien InfiltrationAlien BaseAlien TerrorAlien RetaliationAlien Supply