UFOpaedia - User contributions [en]

Reactions Training

2005-08-12T06:00:49Z

218.111.215.31:

== Introduction==
There is only one way to improve the reaction stat - a soldier must use reaction fire in battle. But the [[Reaction fire formula]] tells us that soldiers need good reactions to get reaction fire. This makes it very difficult for soldiers with bad reactions (anything below 45, for example) to improve. But if a Rookie arrives with good reactions, there is plenty of potential for them to become very good. Here's how to make them good.

== UFO exit ambush ==
===Patience is a virtue===
The simplest approach: wait outside the UFO exit. Once the surrounding area is cleared, just keep pressing the "end turn" button. It may take 50 turns or so, but the aliens eventually get curious and step outside.

[[Image:Shooters_and_looter.png]]

The soldiers assaulting this UFO have decided to wait for the aliens to come out. Four shooters are kneeling, facing the UFO's only exit. These soldiers have the highest reaction stats in the squad - only soldiers with reactions above 50 should be used.

Before shooting one of the soldiers, an alien must:
* Open the door (4 [[TU]]s)
* Step outside (4 TUs)
* Turn to face the target (2 TUs)

Or, if he's not the first one out:
* Move onto the square in front of the door (4 TUs)
* Step outside (4 TUs)
* Turn to face the target (2 TUs)

Either way, the total is 10 TUs. For slow aliens like [[Snakeman|Snakemen]], that's a significant fraction of the total
TUs, and the loss of 10 TUs often allows a soldier to fire first. Also, aliens do not always start on the square next to the door so they ma have used up even more TUs.

The other soldier in the frame isn't a shooter. He's a looter. Looters have nothing to do with increasing anybody's reaction stat and everything to do with increasing X-Com's "bank balance" stat. Looters pick up corpses, stunned aliens, and dropped equipment and carry them somewhere safe, where they won't get destroyed by an explosion. Stunned aliens can optionally be left alone to provide even more reaction training once they recover.

=== Proximity grenades ===

The square marked with a 'G' is a good place to put a [[Proximity Grenade]]. It is a good idea to mine the exit while the shooters are getting into position - in case an alien pops out before you are ready. Once the shooters are ready, the proximity grenade can be destroyed with a normal grenade. But if the UFO contains [[Muton]]s, leave the proximity grenade where it is to soften them up before the reaction shots. Then grab the loot and set another proximity grenade for the next one.

===Which weapon to use?===

This depends on how many shots you expect to get, which in turn depends on how many shooters there are, and how good their reactions are. If the number of shooters is small, it is best to use something accurate and powerful to get a quick kill. The [[Plasma Rifle]] has the most accurate snapshot in the game, and is an excellent reaction weapon. If there are lots of shooters with excellent reactions, spraying with rapid fire weapons like the [[Laser Pistol]] will result in greater stat increases. The Laser pistol is also incapable of penetrating the front armour of a [[Flying Suit]] or [[Power Armour]], which makes it possible to set up shooters on both sides of an entrance
without any risk of damage due to friendly fire.

Heavy weapons

Lack of an autoshot mode is not a disadvantage, because reaction shots are always snapshots. The [[Heavy Cannon]] may therefore be the best standard weapon for reaction shooting.

The [[Small Launcher]]

This weapon has the potential to generate many reaction shots. This is bordering on an [[Exploits|Exploit]].

The [[Rocket Launcher]]

This is messy but effective. Few things are more entertaining than hitting an alien with multiple reaction-fired large rockets.
If fired from some distance from the side of the UFO (e.g. by the blonde soldier in the picture) then even a miss is likely to strike the wall of the UFO and do some damage. Firing from above ground level - either with a flying suit or from the roof of a conveniently placed building - is also very likely to hit something close to the target. It is definitely not recommended when using two groups of shooters facing each other, and care must be taken to ensure that all soldiers are safely outside the blast radius.

== Flying ==

Aliens with a HTH attack only are helpless against soldiers equipped with flying suits. Just put a flying soldier nearby, one level off the ground. Eventually the alien will move, and hopefully someone will get a reaction shot. Since there is no risk of getting shot, there is no reason not to use a weak weapon like the standard pistol, in order to maximise the number of reaction shots.

== Flying and Mind control ==

Mind control an alien and make it throw its weapon away. Now the worst it can do is toss a grenade. Hovering soldiers in flying suits have nothing to fear from grenades, so they can wait and shoot with impunity.

== Cheating and Mind control ==

Mind control an alien, access its inventory, and make it drop everything. Now it is harmless, and excellent target practice.
[[Jasonred]]: The aliens won't necessarily trigger reaction shots. They might run away or just stand there blankly. More effective, give them a weapon incapable of penetrating X-com armor. See my section on Laser Pistol Gifts for in depth.

'''See also:''' [[Reaction fire formula]] and [[Laser Pistol Gifts]]

Laser Pistol Gifts

2005-08-12T05:58:00Z

218.111.215.31:

Right, first off, you have to know how to access alien's inventories.

Next, you need to get a MC'ed alien to stand on a laser pistol, force him to drop everything else, and hold the pistol.

Now, WHY would you want him to do this? Well, laser pistols do a LOT less damage than Heavy Plasmas. Laser Pistols pretty much CAN NOT penetrate flying suits, AFAIK. (maybe under armor?)

Why would you want him having ANY weapon at all? ... It makes one sided firefights where your reaction stats go up ridiculously fast. At no danger to yourself.

Plus, it looks pretty.

I admit, I'm sadistic. And petty. I need vengeance for all those times I plinked uselessly away at a SectoPod's armor in Superhuman. (anyone have any good techniques to down those, BTW? Other than making it shoot itself with Psi.)

Note: THE fastest way to raise reactions is using normal pistols, if you can be bothered to carry them into battle. AFAIK, pistol rounds bounce off even Personal Body Armor, and barely scratch Mutons. So, make a Muton armed with a pistol face off with a soldier in armor also using a pistol, and just keep hitting end turn. Racks up reaction fire experience like crazy. EVEN if the soldier had horrible reactions in the first place! This is THE method of choice when you hired a soldier based on his high Psi Strength or whatever and he happened to have horrible reactions (even a soldier with 20ish reactions can gain lightning reflexes this way)

Small Scout

2005-08-12T05:48:13Z

218.111.215.31:

First off, it's got no armament, so anything can shoot it down, with enough ammo. Assuming, of course, that you can catch up to it to shoot it, as it's top speed is better than your interceptors.

It carries ONE alien in it. The ship itself yields one unit of Alien Alloys, has no navigation, power source, or whatever. It resembles a Lunar Lander on legs; to enter, you have to walk under it and ascend a gravlift. No real reason to enter it though, there's usually nothing interesting there. The only thing that could be there is that one alien, and you can just shoot up the gravlift to kill him. Plus you can't ascend if he's there, since there's no room for 2 of you...

If, for some reason, you wish to shoot it down and not blow it out of the sky, you cannot use anything more powerful than, erm, someone help me out here, please? I know an Avalanche will blow it into pieces, and craft cannons will keep it intact.

Chryssalid

2005-08-12T05:42:21Z

218.111.215.31:

Nasty. Toothy. Very very fast. Able to implant an egg (that turns you into a [[Zombie]]) with little regard for body armor. The ability of single Chryssalids to multiply and wipe out entire squads makes them more feared than even the tougher [[Ethereal]]s.

Note though that their lack of ranged attack or flying ability makes them easy meat once you have flying armor. They accompany [[Snakemen]] on Terror and Base missions.

Weak against explosives, says the USG. Nu-uh, they're weak against AP, says NKF. Chryssalid Damage Modifiers: Fire-80%, Stun-90%, says the OSG.

[[Jasonred]]: Actually, Kasey Chang's USG says they're weak against Fire and Stun. It's the ingame UFOPEDIA that claims that they're weak against Explosives. Something about their brittle shells. As for AP... well, go ahead and try using rifles and pistols on those terror missions. Have fun...

A HORRIBLE way to meet one is shooting a relatively harmless zombie with reaction fire as it shambles in for melee... then a Chryssalid pops out and SPRINTS at you, turning your squad into cheese. Always bring [[Incendiary]] rounds to Snakemen sites to take out the Zombie, as this will prevent the Chrys hatching.

[[Jasonred]]: Only works if the KILLING BLOW was Incendiary. Good luck hoping your reaction shots used Incindary ammo. ... In other words, while it's nice knowing about the Incendiarys not birthing Snakemen, I don't think it's actually all that useful. Chrys are in fact LESS dangerous than most aliens during X-com's turn, since they only have melee and can't reaction fire. If you have enough TU to kill a zombie with Incendiary, it's more practical to auto-shot him with Lasers or Plasma. ... Just don't kill Zombies with Grenades. During Aliens turn, reaction fired Incendiary's aren't a safe technique.

Chryssalids have 110TU, and each melee attack costs 14TU. This means they can be out of visual range at the beginning of the turn and cross the 21 intervening tiles and still attack you in the same turn!

They can perform 7 attacks per turn max at Beginner difficulty and 9 at Superhuman difficulty.

Chryssalid

2005-08-12T05:36:08Z

218.111.215.31:

Nasty. Toothy. Very very fast. Able to implant an egg (that turns you into a [[Zombie]]) with little regard for body armor. The ability of single Chryssalids to multiply and wipe out entire squads makes them more feared than even the tougher [[Ethereal]]s.

Note though that their lack of ranged attack or flying ability makes them easy meat once you have flying armor. They accompany [[Snakemen]] on Terror and Base missions.

Weak against explosives, says the USG. Nu-uh, they're weak against AP, says NKF. Chryssalid Damage Modifiers: Fire-80%, Stun-90%, says the OSG.

Jasonred: Actually, Kasey Chang's USG says they're weak against Fire and Stun. It's the ingame UFOPEDIA that claims that they're weak against Explosives. Something about their brittle shells. As for AP... well, go ahead and try using rifles and pistols on those terror missions. Have fun...

A HORRIBLE way to meet one is shooting a relatively harmless zombie with reaction fire as it shambles in for melee... then a Chryssalid pops out and SPRINTS at you, turning your squad into cheese. Always bring [[Incendiary]] rounds to Snakemen sites to take out the Zombie, as this will prevent the Chrys hatching.

Chryssalids have 110TU, and each melee attack costs 14TU. This means they can be out of visual range at the beginning of the turn and cross the 21 intervening tiles and still attack you in the same turn!

They can perform 7 attacks per turn max at Beginner difficulty and 9 at Superhuman difficulty.