Classic Ironman An Army Of Four (EU2012)

Assumptions

Enemy Within & Slingshot

The An Army Of Four achievement is not available without EW. The Slingshot DLC gives the following advantages: More experience, one key additional plasma rifle, a medium high-Aim Heavy soldier (which can fill a hole and be a backup unit on Base Defense), easy massive cash infusion, and easy Fusion Core loot (otherwise only available when shooting down Battleships late-game). Disadvantages are one or two tricky missions which must be handled carefully and must be prepared for with either impeccable game-play, luck, or very specific soldier abilities that make them much easier.

Tutorial Options & Second Wave

The basic Tutorial gives you some advantages. The disadvantages is that you cannot skip the cut-scenes, it makes rerolling your first soldiers and starting base configuration extremely time-consuming. If you've gotten to the point where you're even considering a Classic or 'An Army Of Four' Ironman attempt, then you likely have little patience for baby step-by-baby step instructions.

The Meld Tutorial is extremely advantageous, on the border to outright cheating, and should always be taken. It's extremely fast, gives two easy Meld pickups and makes the first mission carry almost zero risk, given that several alien pods (hereafter referred to as 'pulls') are single-alien groups.

New Economy makes it easy to increase the first month's income.

Not Created Equally makes it easy to get at least one 80-Aim soldier on the first mission. Focusing on leveling a few 80-Aim soldiers will drastically affect the use and deadliness of Heavy class soldiers, which otherwise suffer from low Offensive stat increases.

Training Roulette makes the game slightly more unpredictable but exponentially more replayable. Highly recommended for the returning player.

Aiming Angles takes away some of the cartoonish boardgame-style of the original game in favour of a more realistic simulation of actual tactics. However, it does not much affect the difficulty of the game, though it may make it slightly easier.

Rerolling first mission

Ideally you will have two soldiers with 80 Aim with Not Created Equally, for a significant chance of one of them being a Heavy. Two soldiers with 75 Aim is an easier target, given that you will have options for the second mission.

Ideally you will have the first or second square to the right of the first-level Access Lift open, in order to get a Workshop up quickly. This significantly affects the ease of getting money and facilities done on or ahead of schedule the first month, and is worth re-rolling for, even if you rolled two 80-Aim soldiers.

Doing this a few times you will quickly get a routine for which boxes to check when starting the game.

Strategies and Build Orders

1st month on Impossible: Build Order

Build-order for 1st month (march) on Impossible difficulty - "Fast Satellite Uplink". No research/hire soldiers/production included.

• 1d - excavate ($10, 5d, space for Workshop);
• 4-7d - Abduction Site (+4 engineer, for Workshop);
• 7d - Workshop ($130, 10d, +5 engineers for Satellite Uplink), excavate ($10, 5d, space for Power Generator) ;
• 7d-10d - UFO (small scout, 1 interceptor needed), UFO Crash Site (sell as much as possible); NOTE that if you let this go, you get a Medium Scout with more loot(though this may be almost impossible to get this in this time-frame without a lot save scumming).
• 11d - 3x-4x satellites ($77 each with 9 engineers; 20d) not in pack (1 by 1),
• 12d - Power Generator ($60, 5d, power for Satellite Uplink);
• 17d - Satellite Uplink ($150, 14d);
• ...
• 32d - Council Report

2nd Abduction Site and Council Mission will be this month, but it usually goes after 17d.