Talk:T'leth

Old Talk

Feel free to add to the journal,feel free to write about other personnel,making the story more addictive.

Did anyone read H.P. Lovecraft? If not, here's a small example: "The nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh ... was built in measureless eons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars. There lay great Cthulhu and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults . . . until the end." A Cthulhu-related phrase from a cultist:

"That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange æons even death may die."

According to the same cultist (Old Castro), Chthulhu was one of the Great Old Ones, who "were not composed altogether of flesh and blood. They had shape...but that shape was not made of matter. When the stars were right, They could plunge from world to world through the sky; but when the stars were wrong, They could not live. But although They no longer lived, They would never really die. They all lay in stone houses in Their great city of R'lyeh, preserved by the spells of mighty Cthulhu for a glorious resurrection when the stars and the earth might once more be ready for Them."

We need to put some info spoiler too about the map of R'lyeh.

Rewrite

I don't check this part of the wiki very much, but I think this section definitely needs some time spent on it. At least to take out the non-canon content to begin with. . -NKF 15:35, 24 September 2010 (EDT)

Ok, I've rewritten the article to be more in line with the Cydonia one, though it still needs the official briefings (I'll see to that in a day or two) and maybe some maps or tables. Also, the numbers of aliens are for Experienced difficulty. I've removed the non-canon stuff, though I think it might make for a good Data Canister. If someone agrees, I can add it there. --Darkpast 10:25, 27 September 2010 (EDT)

I've added the briefings. Sooner than expected :) --Darkpast 11:16, 27 September 2010 (EDT)

What I'll do is copy everything that has been done over here for reference and we can start adding changing and moving stuff about as necessary. The one thing I do want to do is put the briefing in a reference quote block like the ones in the weapon section. -NKF 18:58, 27 September 2010 (EDT)

Old TFTD page contents

This is a three part mission. Note that this is a DO OR DIE mission. If you fail or hit abort at any time, the entire campaign ends, you lose. To have this mission available, you must research "T'leth the alien's city", and access it by launching a Leviathan sub. It'll either give the option to go to intercept or to T'leth. The "T'leth" button is at the top of the screen if you have a Leviathan selected in the Geoscape.

Alien city level 1

Briefing

"We are entering the unknown, from here on in there could be anything waiting for us. We know there are 2 further levels to the Alien city and your squad must race to the exit on this level to enter the next. Place all aquanauts on the exit and click the 'Abort Mission' icon to advance. Aborting elsewhere will terminate the mission."

Description

Looks much like the second part of an Artefact Site mission, but the map layout is different and there are only two levels. You must kill all aliens or move your units to the lift (bright yellow floor) and press the "abort mission" button. Note that this lift is on the upper level (l1).

Aliens encountered:

• Aquatoid Navigators and Commanders (all M.C. capable) armed with Disruptor Pulse Launchers (most of your opponents on this level, some 15-20 of them)
• Hallucinoids (a few)

Alien city level 2

Briefing

"Further into the unknown, from here on in there could be anything waiting for us. We know there is a further level to the Alien city and your squad must race to the exit on this level to enter the next. Place all aquanauts on the exit and click the 'Abort Mission' icon to advance. Aborting elsewhere will terminate the mission."

(note that the briefing is almost identical to the previous one)

Description

Looks like the the second part of a Colony Assault mission, but again there's only 2 levels. Once again, you need to kill all aliens or find the access lift to the third level. This can be difficult, because to do it you must first climb to the upper level, cross to the corner of the map opposite your starting location, and then descend to the ground level. Another problem is that some of the corridors will be too narrow for your SWSs - use Sonic Cannons or Disruptor Pulse Launchers to widen the door and corridors.

Note that the lift has only room for 25 aquanauts, so if you took a fully-crewed Leviathan to the mission you must either kill all the aliens or be prepared to leave someone behind. If it comes to that, the best choice is a SWS, because their mobility is greatly restricted in the third level.

Aliens encountered:

• Aquatoid Soldiers, armed with a mix of Disruptor Pulse Launchers and Thermal Shock Launchers (around 5 or so)
• Lobster Men Soldiers & Squad Leaders, armed with a mix of Disruptor Pulse Launchers and Thermal Shock Launchers (around 10 in all)
• Deep Ones (several)
• Tentaculats (a few)
• Hallucinoids (several)
• Xarquid (one or two)

Make sure to save RIGHT at the end of Part 2, because...

Alien city level 3

Briefing

"The end is in sight, from here on in we are searching for the crypt of the Ultimate Alien. Destroy the 8 power feeds to the tomb to finish off the Alien threat. Don't give up now! Aborting will terminate the mission."

Description

You can't save during part 3! No more save reload abuse! As against that, all you need to do is have ONE agent complete the mission, you should be able to manage this, right?

The map is roughly a spiral leading to the Ultimate Alien's coffin. Aside from not being able to save, your overhead map will not function properly! You won't be able to see the terrain, only your agents, aliens and dropped items. Also, your SWSs can't move through the doors unless you knock them down with Disruptor Pulse Launchers. You'd need a LOT of ammo to knock down all the doors you need to pass to reach the end, so it's probably not worth taking the SWSs beyond the first two rooms.

Fortunately, the map is mostly straightforward, with only a couple of dead-ends. It's also quite large, so your agents will run out of energy if you advance too quickly. All that said, the aliens on this map aren't particularly tough, and most of them will be in the first two rooms; take them out and the rest should be easy.

When you reach the central chamber, be careful of Tentaculat ambushes. Remember that, unlike in Enemy Unknown, you can't kill the alien mastermind. Instead, destroy the power cylinders around him to win.

Aliens encountered:

• same as in part 2.

Tips

• It goes without saying, bring the best troops you have. As many as possible should have Mag. Ion Armour. You'll have a much easier time if your Aquanauts have high MC ratings. Because of the 80 item limit, 26 Aquanauts is probably impractical, so it's probably a good idea to take along 2-3 Displacers.

• You can take some MC-weaklings along, as long as you keep them unarmed (or armed with Gauss Pistols) on the first level. The vast majority of your opponents there will be Aquatoids, so you don't need powerful weapons anyway. After the first level there are no more MC-capable aliens, so your MC-weaklings are no longer in danger.

• The aliens are armed exclusively with Disruptor Pulse Launchers and Thermal Shock Launchers. This means you can't rely on scavenging Sonic weapons or ammo. So be careful, as your Sonic Cannons are likely to out of ammo if you don't bring reloads.

• Spread out! Especially on the first level. You don't want a Disruptor Pulse Launcher to take out half your squad, do you?

• The 80 item limit really hurts. So make sure you only bring along stuff that's essential. There's no sense in taking along more than a couple of Disruptor Pulse Launchers or bombs, since you'll be able to scavenge plenty from the aliens. Instead, make sure to have MC Disruptors, Medi-Kits, Sonic weapons (and ammo) and close combat weapons.

• Unlike on Cydonia, there's no outdoor level: all the fighting will be done in corridors and rooms. Also, there's more light than on Mars's surface, so incendiary ammo is less useful (though not completely useless). Plan and equip your aquanauts accordingly.

• Tactics to deal with specific enemies:

Aquatoids: dangerous but very vulnerable. On the first level they all have MC abilities and Disruptor Launchers. Luckily, they almost always die in one hit, and won't survive even on the outskirts of an explosion. On the other two levels they're more of a nuisance, as no longer have MC and most have Thermal Shock Launchers. Still, one or two might be toting a Disruptor Pulse Launcher, so don't ignore them.

Lobster Men: dangerous and very tough, but no MC ability. They usually survive even a direct hit from a Disruptor Pulse Launcher! Most of them are coincidentally armed with just that, but others wield Thermal Shock Launchers and are therefore less dangerous. Your best bet is to use MC attacks and Melee weapons against them. Don't forget they have a natural melee attack!

Tentaculats: as dangerous as ever, Tentaculats are surprisingly rare in T'leth. Just like in Colony Assaults, they tend to hide in small rooms and nooks and ambush nearby aquanauts. Be alert, and let Displacers or MC-ed aliens do the scouting.

Xarquid: rare and not very dangerous, Xarquid tend to keep their distance and snipe at your men. Interestingly, they're one of the few enemies in T'leth that has a non-explosive attack. Overall, they shouldn't give you much trouble.

Deep Ones: a weak and uncommon enemy in T'leth, chances are you haven't seen them for a while. Unlike most aliens here, Deep Ones have neither explosives nor a melee attack. They're vulnerable to just about anything you throw at them, so they're unlikely to cause you any problems.

Hallucinoids: although they have a powerful melee attack, Hallucinoids are no more than a nuisance at this point. Just blast them with whatever is at hand.

Finding the exit on Level 2

I'm in that place where, on Level 2, I can find neither the last alien, nor the exit. Is the layout always the same, and does the exit lift always look the same? I started at the top left and have searched the whole map, both levels, but can't find any yellow grid. 4th Cuirassier 04:42, 7 February 2011 (EST)

Not sure about the first level, but the layout of the second and third level are indeed static. The exit area for the second level is in the darker area in the middle of the map on the lower levels. Have a careful search of it and you'll find the little room with the exit pads. It's quite a small exit area, so if you're hoping to bring lots of aquanauts and tanks along, you'll need to clear out all the aliens on the map. -NKF 05:59, 7 February 2011 (EST)

Hmm, don't know how I'm missing that...must go back and scrutinise. 4th Cuirassier 06:45, 7 February 2011 (EST)

I have the memory from my last mission on T'leth (which was years ago) that the 2nd level exit appeared on one corner of the map. Again, been a long time and my memory might be tricking me. Hobbes 13:56, 7 February 2011 (EST)

I've searched the whole map and it's not there. Is this a first? 4th Cuirassier 18:28, 7 February 2011 (EST)

My bad - found it. There was a corner of the map that looked like it was outside the level, but when I looked at the next level, I found doors I hadn't seen, and there inside was the exit zone. 4th Cuirassier 08:41, 8 February 2011 (EST)

Short cuts on T'Leth level 3?

I notice that the alien sarcophagus chamber is immediately to the left of the starting grid on level three, separated by a wall. Is it possible to blow a hole through with DPLs and Displacers and cut straight to the final shootout?

I played the final level last night for the first time since about 1996 and had forgotten how long a walk it is to the boss room. 4th Cuirassier 13:52, 8 February 2011 (EST)

OK, I answered my own question - DPLs do not penetrate walls on this level. 4th Cuirassier 04:37, 9 February 2011 (EST)