UFOpaedia - User contributions [en]

Wish List (EU)

2024-04-12T03:36:39Z

Lixiaofossil: /* "Integrated" Inventory */

X-Com is a great game and as evidence just look to the fact this wiki exists even though the game pre-dates the internet. In all it's greatness X-Com has some elements and behaviors players wish they could change. This is a repository of those desires. Some day a fan mod may make your wish come true...

= I Wish... =
State what you want AND what X-com does normally. Sign your name if you think "Oh man! That would be great!"

== Geoscape and Strategic ==

=== Geoscape Location ===

* X-Com bases only being able to be built within the borders of the Funding Nations. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

=== Aircraft ===

==== Smarter Aircraft Movement Around Globe ====
I wish all craft understood the shortest distance between two points on a globe is a curved path towards the poles. Normally a craft goes in the opposite direction than it should (towards the equator). Pain in the ass when the base in the UK sends a craft to Siberia.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

==== Smart Interception ====

Aircraft intercepting a UFO just head straight toward the UFOs current position at all times. Unless the UFO is already on a head-on course, this results in the interceptor travelling through a closing parabolic spiral path, and often missing the UFO and ending up in a tail-chase, and then just falling further behind unless the UFO stops or reverses course. This is pretty basic stuff, fighter pilots have known how to do this better for nearly a hundred years. It is particularly important if the aircraft you are trying to intercept is moving faster than you (eg if you are flying an Interceptor).

What is needed is to plot the UFO's current course and speed (which X-Com has from radar data), and plot an intercept course. The maths for this is pretty easy (the intersection of 2 vectors) and can be implemented in a few lines of code, if we can find out where the current interception algorithm is, and patch it.

Actually the radar bearing shown on screen is only accurate to within 45 degrees. I presume that X-Com does actually know the UFO's bearing, since it can clearly track the UFO's movements. Finding where that variable is located might be different.

While we're at it, it would be nice if the UFO detection information displayed the actual bearing in degrees, rather than just the compass direction (North East, South, etc).

Even if the improved intercept algorithm only used a bearing accurate to within 45 degrees, that would still be better for remote UFOs. You might need to switch to "head straight for it" once you get to very close range. [[User:Spike|Spike]]

==== All Aircraft Weapons Useful ====

In a balanced game, all weapons should have their uses, or at least a niche, but sadly this is not so:

The Cannon is only useful for shooting down Small Scouts, and even that is practically impossible, due to the difficulty in closing to 10km range with any UFO, particularly the fast-accelerating Small Scout. The fact that its ammo takes 96 hours to arrive, when all other craft ammo types only take 48 hours, is a bizarre anomaly making the Cannon marginally even less useful - particularly since the time you would use it most is at the beginning of the game, when you do not have enough ammunition even to deploy the Cannon you already given.

The Stingray is only really useful for forcing down Small Scouts (it usually avoids destroying them) and otherwise the Avalanche is better in every meaningful way. The Stingray also takes twice as long to rearm for some odd reason, making it operationally much worse than the Avalanche.

The (unmodified) Laser Cannon is inferior to the Avalanche for more or less everything, apart from running cost. It does have a higher payload but this is hardly relevant (except perhaps in allowing the aircraft to remain on station longer, performing multiple engagements before entering the time-consuming refuel/re-arm cycle). If attacking a UFO that you would struggle to kill with Avalanches, you are unlikely to own an aircraft that would survive long enough to inflict more damage than an Avalanche when mounting Laser Cannon instead.

The Fusion Ball Launcher has a [[Talk:Craft_Armaments#Fusion_Balls_better_than_Plasma_Beams.3F|possible niche]] in fighting Battleships when mounted on Interceptors. Even then, it is difficult and expensive to have aircraft configured to fight only one enemy.

Unfortunately, the optimum path for craft weapon development is all-Avalanche followed by all-Plasma Beam. This is a shame.

Suggestions to 'tune up' the other weapons (see link below for latest suggestions/detail):

*Cannon - Increase the damage to 15 and 50% hit. So at least there is a pay-off if you manage to get in close.
*Stingray - Raise Stingray accuracy to 80% but drop Avalanche to 60%. Double the rearm rate so it can be reloaded as fast as an Avalanche launcher.
*Laser Cannon - increase accuracy to 50% and damage to 100.
*FBL - increase the ammo from 2 to 3.

It might be worth considering 'tune down' the Plasma Beam as well, particularly its stand-off range. It seems odd that humans copy alien plasma weapons and right away improve the range. It would be reasonable if the human plasma cannon had shorter range than the UFO plasma cannons, and more consistent with the ranges of other cannon weapons. (One could ask how X-Com even developed a targeting system that is accurate for direct fire at or beyond the extreme range of self-homing missiles - even if the plasma cannon itself is that accurate, how do you exploit that accuracy by aiming it?).

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 04:02, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

An alternative to tweaking the stats, is to tweak the costs. Realistic costs such as $386K for an Avalanche and $125K for a Stingray will put some pressure to use weapons that are cheaper to operate. And XComUtil has an option that substantially increases the effective build costs of Plasma Beams, making them less optimal.

See also: [[User:Spike#Balancing_Aircraft_Weapons]]

:I'd like to submit a slightly different proposal.
:*Making the Cannon pure murder at knife-fight range is a good idea, I second it.
:*Swap the respective ranges of the Stingray and the Avalanche. The smaller a UFO is, the sooner it tries to make a run for it, so longer-ranged weapons can get more shots off before this happens. By giving the Stingray a range advantage over the Avalanche, the weaker but longer-ranged Stingray is now better for hunting scout UFOs by way of having a larger time window in which it can dish out its damage. Against medium and large UFOs, the more generous escape timer means the Avalanche comes out on top, making both weapons useful in their own respective situations rather than the Avalanche being objectively superior.
:*Swap the respective ranges of the Laser Cannon and the Plasma Cannon. With this, the Laser Cannon can comfortably shoot down everything smaller than a Terror Ship - but the idea is that everything an Interceptor with a Laser Cannon does not outrange, it does not have the firepower to reliably kill before getting shot down, which is where the Plasma Cannon comes in as a higher-risk-higher-reward alternative.
:*Increasing the FBL's ammo count is a good idea, but I'd personally also give its range a tiny little notch upwards so that it just very barely outranges a Battleship ''without having enough ammo to shoot it down''. The idea here is to make the FBL a safe-but-insufficient-by-itself support weapon, being able to soften the Battleship up from standoff range with 100% guaranteed damage but needing something else to deliver the killing blow.
:An alternative option to the above is to re-tool weapon damage/accuracy values to make missile-type weapons your primary damage dealers and cannon-type weapons a backup option for delivering the killing blow if the missiles fail to do the trick - though in this, I'm admittedly biased due to the fact that I always use missile + cannon combo loadouts on my crafts (Stringray/Cannon on Interceptors with Stringray/Laser as an upgrade, Avalanche/Plasma on Firestorms, FBL/Plasma on Avengers) because simply dual-wielding the hardest-hitting gear I have at the moment is boring.
:[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] ([[User talk:Amitakartok|talk]]) 19:27, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
::Swapping the ranges of the Avalanche and Stingray would just make the Avalanche even more useless than the vanilla Stingray. The Stingray has more total firepower per hardpoint (70*70%*6 = 294 > 240 = 100*80%*3) and more firepower per dollar (70*70%/$3000 = 163 damage/$1000 > 89 damage/$1000 = 100*80%/$9000), while the Avalanche has only marginally better DPS (100*80%/72=1.11 damage/frame >~ 1.02 damage/frame = 70*70%/48). The Avalanche's ''only'' real advantage over the Stingray is its range - it's just that range is by far the most relevant attribute of weapons (the Small Scout/Medium Scout/Large Scout run away fast, so short-range weapons have much-reduced time to fire, the Supply Ship/Terror Ship have powerful weapons of medium range, so short-range weapons = dead interceptor, and the Battleship's a moot point; the Stingray actually is a slightly better choice against the two UFOs I haven't mentioned - the Abductor and Harvester - but they're rare as hen's teeth). The solution in TFTD was to narrow the gap in range between the AJAX and DUP Head while making Survey Ships not an escape risk, and IMO it worked; the two torpedoes are quite balanced against each other.
::Giving the Laser Cannon the Plasma Beam's range and vice versa (with no other changes) doesn't have it quite as bad, as the Plasma Beam would still have far more DPS and total firepower. However, a 52km Laser Cannon is still good enough to be the "I-win" loadout on Interceptors - it gets standoff against everything except Battleships, it has the same DPS as the Stingray (only slightly less than that of the Avalanche), and while its total firepower per hardpoint is less than that of the Plasma Beam it's still more than enough to crash any UFO in the game. The only time you'd want anything else would be when dealing with Battleships (when you'd want either advanced craft with the 21km Plasma Beam, or FBLs, both at a much higher price than the Laser Cannon). [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] ([[User talk:Magic9mushroom|talk]]) 06:00, 11 May 2020 (UTC)

===Score for retaliation Battleships===

When a Battleship on retaliation attacks your base and is shot down, you get no score for it. This is completely illogical and it discourages any use of base defences. You should get normal 700 (or even 1400) points for it.
--[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 14:05, 30 August 2008 (PDT)

: I'm not sure about this. Yes it's illogical, but it could also be a licence to get a huge score if you have a strong enough base. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:16, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

:: The impenetrable base setup would turn into a cheat. As the aliens will keep hammering the base with a battleship until one breaks through, you'll have a steady supply of points without having to really do anything. Some balancing, such as paying to rearm your defence modules, ought to be thrown in to balance things out. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:13, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
::: A better fix would be to remove the retaliation flag when a battleship is destroyed. If someone can post a savegame with a never-ending flow of base attacks, I may have a look at the fix. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:05, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

:::: Ummm, it seems the best solution (I, for one, can't think of any better), but wouldn't it assume that only the BattleShip really locates the player's base? All those scouts for nothing? [Still the best solution, though] [[User:N|n]] 15:01, 16 August 2010 (GMT+1)

=== Tougher UFOs ===

==== The Problem ====

So let me get this straight. The first hybrid airborne weapon that humans ever build, and it immediately outclasses every weapon the aliens ever built, including their Battleship weapon? After all the Aliens have only been building plasma weapons for a few million years, us humans have been doing it for ''months''!

More to the point, once you get Plasma Beams, downing UFOs is like shooting fish in a barrel. Even Battleships aren't that exciting if you show up with enough ships.

What is needed is to push up the range, damage, and rate of fire of all the UFO weapons, particularly the UFOs you will be fighting by the time you have plasma beams. At a minimum, the weapon on a Battleship should be at least as powerful as, say, 2 Plasma Beams (as found on the XCom craft it is fighting)? Instead of slightly less than half as powerful? Compared to a single Plasma Beam, only the Battleship weapon has better range. It has double the accuracy, slightly higher damage, but half the fire rate. Net 5.7% more firepower than one Plasma Beam, but no match for 2. And the Battleship weapon of course is the most powerful in the alien arsenal.

Possible tune ups for UFOs:

*Battleship - increase to 255 weapon power, improve reload rate to 12 (from 24). Now roughly equivalent to 4 Plasma Beams in total firepower (on Beginner difficulty). Increase range to 69km, so that the Battleship commences fire as soon as an XCom craft begins its attack run. Or better, increase range to 70+km, the limit of the interception window, so that the Battleship starts firing immediately the XCom craft enters air combat range. This would disrupt XCom aircrafts' ability to form up into a flight of 4, prior to commencing their attack. Overall, this would make it much harder to down Battleships. Increasing weapon range to 70+km would also make it much harder to tail a Battleship - manual control in the Geoscape would be needed to hold off outside of combat range. Really, the Battleship should not sit there like a sitting duck. Does it think XCom are friendly?
*Terror Ship - increase range to 52 (or decrease Plasma Beam range to 42), so stand-off kills are not possible with Plasma Beams?
*Actually maybe all the larger UFOs should have weapon range 69-70+km, so they behave very aggressively toward XCom craft.

NB: Strange effects occur if weapon range goes over 70km so it's probably best to leave it at 70km rather than 75km.

NB: Also, changes to rate of fire need to be looked at carefully though because Difficulty Level also reduces reload rate for UFOs. Between Beginner (Difficulty 0) and Superhuman (Difficulty 4), rate of fire (and thus firepower) for Battleships, Terror Ships and Supply Ships increases by 24/(24-4x2=16) or 50%. But if the base reload rate for these weapons was reduced to 12, the transition from Beginner to Advanced would increase firepower '''three''' times for these 3 UFOs (less so for the smaller UFOs). It is less risky to increase the weapon power. Unfortunately there are only 2 firepower variables to play with - damage and reload rate - so there are not a lot of options, especially for the Battleship which already has weapon strength 148 out of a probable maximum of 255.

:More detail on this. For Medium Scout, Large Scout and Abductor, with nominal reload rate 48gs, the rate of fire improves +20% between Beginner and Superhuman. For Harvester (32gs) it improves one third. For Large UFOs (Terror Ship, Supply Ship, Battleship - 24gs) the improvement is +50%. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 20:28, 14 February 2010 (EST)

I think we should assume that the Battleship, which is bigger than the entire XCom base, is engaging XCom craft with its secondary weapons rather than its main armament, which could probably destroy Manhattan with a glancing hit.

I would really like to see the hypothetical Mega-Battleship go up against XCom's finest - a flight of 4 Avengers armed with dual Plasma Cannon or dual Fusion Ball Launchers. With the Battleship having 70+km range, 255 weapon power, and an effective fire rate on Superhuman triple that of the PB, it would have the firepower of 11 Plasma Beams - 36% more firepower than the whole attacking XCom force combined. To be honest I think that would be carnage, not sure XCom could win. So that would be tuning the Battleship up too much. The 3-fold increase in rate of fire when on Superhuman is just too much. Maybe just max out the damage to 255 and range to 75. This gives a 72% increase in firepower, and a challenging tactical problem for XCom (forming up and approaching under fire).

The smaller UFOs can probably stay as they are. It is not until later in the game that XCom advances so that even large UFOs are easy pickings. What is the crossover point? Maybe the medium UFOs. So it might be good to reduce the reload times of the medium UFOs from 48 / 32 to 24, a good increase in firepower.

In general I think all UFOs energy weapons should have at least as good range as the XCom energy weapons, even the Medium Scout. Again, they have been using these weapons for millions of years and we only just figured out how to copy them from the aliens, how could our weapons be better than the aliens? How did our first plasma weapon out-range and out-perform all but the hugest UFO plasma beam? And on an airframe the size of a Small Scout we mount ''two'' such weapons? On the battlefield we only are able to replicate alien weapons; how is it that in the air we are able to improve on them ''masssively''?

Perhaps there should never be a stand-off advantage, except possibly with missiles -which should be less accurate with longer range. The XCom stand off advantage is really unfair because as far as I have seen the UFOs never attempt to close to effective range, even when they are getting killed. They don't break off much, either, though I think I have seen that happen on occasion.

==== Specific Proposals ====

===== No Standoff Beam Attacks =====

Increase ''all'' UFO plasma weapon ranges to at least 55km (compared to 52km for the XCom plasma weapon). Now only launched XCom weapons (Avalanche and Fusion Ball) have standoff advantage. Probably also reduce the accuracy of the Avalanche to 60% and buff Stingray accuracy to 80%, providing both weapons with a useful niche role.

===== No Standoff Attacks =====

Increase ''all'' UFO plasma weapon ranges to 66km (compared to 52km for the XCom plasma weapon). Now ''no'' XCom weapon has standoff advantage. (The benefit of a longer range weapon is simply spending less time being fired on by the UFO.)

===== Twitchy Aliens =====

Increase all UFO ranges to 69km. They will attack as soon as XCom aircraft commence any attack run.

===== Hostile Aliens =====

Increase all UFO ranges to 70km. They will attack as soon as XCom aircraft enter intercept range. UFOs now fire first, and tailing them unchallenged is impossible.

===== Improved Medium UFOs =====

Reduce (improve) the nominal reload time of Medium UFOs, Abductors and Harvesters, from 48gs and 32gs to 24gs. This increases the challenge in the early-mid game, when XCom might first be deploying advanced weapons.

===== Improved Battleships =====

Increase damage to 255. They're firing (bigger) Fusion Balls! A Battleship now has the same firepower as one XCom Craft with dual Plasma Beams (gosh wow!). It's a start, but what if we...

===== Super Battleships =====

... also reduce nominal reload time to 18gs. Giving a further one-third extra firepower on Beginner, 60% more on Superhuman.

===== Mega Battleships =====

... or for a real challenge, reduce reload time to 12gs. A further doubling of the firepower on Beginner - a further ''four'' times increase on Superhuman. Now Superhuman Battleships out-gun the biggest fleet XCom can throw at them!

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 00:25, 19 February 2010 (EST)

: the flip side of this is weakening Xcom craft - apart from firepower issues there is also the issue of range: the ranges of the transport craft are such that really no more than 1 manned base is necessary to cover the globe for terror site defense. Setting e.g. the fuel capacity of the Skyranger to 500 results in roughly 1 base per continent required. This has interesting strategic consequences: need for more bases makes the ecomics more challenging (and thus slows down research). [[User:Emphyrio|Emphyrio]] 08:43, 9 August 2010 (EDT)

===Enforced Variant Games===

Various people like to play various variant games, such as No Alien Technology, or No Detection, or No Lethal Weapons - see for example Scott Jones' notes to XComUtil. It would be nice to have options on the game executable to enforce these scenarios. Self restraint is hard! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

Some of these variant scenarios have been implemented in [[UFO Extender]] by [[User:Seb76#Mods|Seb76]].

===Recruit Certain Alien Types===

Consider that not all aliens are loyal to their master (most TFTD alien has a device lodged to its brain), it would be interesting (or at least cool) if we could recuit such aliens to the XCOM cause. Maybe we can remove the controling devices from captive aliens after research on that species. Or convince the head of the Snakemen that it would be far more benefit to his race to help us instead of the Ethereals [[User:L-Zwei|L-Zwei]] 23:25, 12 September 2008 (PDT).

Only certain alien types should be recruitable. Ones that should NOT be include Mutons (as they are directly controlled by Ethereals), Chrysallids (unbalancing), etc. It would be nice to be able to reverse-engineer Cyberdiscs or Sectopods, or make it that a Cyberdisc must be researched to build hovertanks/etc.
[[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 13:32, 18 September 2008 (PDT)
: It's pretty obvious which ones should be recruitable: non-robotic terror units that are captured alive. Chryssalids should simply do melee damage instead of impregnating (as the resulting spawn would not be mind-controlled and therefore XCOM wouldn't do it). Silacoids would be pretty ineffectual, and reapers slightly less so, but both would be disposable scouts. Celatids might actually have some use (eating through hulls with acid, and arcing over walls) but are fragile. All of these would require capturing a terror alien alive after researching Psi Amp. The two robotic units should require a live alien Engineer researched as well as UFO Construction, and the materials for building one would be one corpse of the appropriate type, Alien alloys and Elerium (to repair and refuel the husk). The Sectopod should probably be nerfed somewhat, so that it isn't quite so invincible to Heavy Plasma shots - after all, it was probably a twisted and melted modern art piece by the time it finally went down). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

=== Research ===

==== Game option: sell only researched items ====

The fact that you may sell the alien items for the best price once you get them, without any research, is illogical. Such staff would never get on the market, being top secret and potentially dangerous to the humanity.

Selling without proper research does not help the replay value of the game either: once you know the "right path" to get the best items, you simply sell anything else immediately and ignore the unnecessary research. Too easy.

Therefore I wish for this game option: unknown items are sold for 0 (including the alien corpses), the known ones for their full price. This makes the sustainable economics much harder to develop and it gives sense to the "useless" research. Last but not least, it adds a lot of depth to the gameplay: will you choose research of a new weapon you need on the field, or of a mind probe that will earn you millions in sales? --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 15:55, 6 April 2009 (EDT)

: I really like this option, it's a great idea. Makes the game harder and makes it more interesting, more varied. Gives extra value to the otherwise "useless" research paths. Good thinking! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:06, 24 August 2009 (EDT)

: I'd prefer that unresearched artifacts/corpses sold for a fraction of their original value (no more than 25%). It makes no sense that nobody would pay to research them for themselves. Additionally, Laser Cannon sell price needs to be nerfed. [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

: This would have the added benefit that you would know if it was 'safe' or not to sell an item research wise. Coloring the un-researched items differently on the Sell/Sack screen would be good too ~ [[User:Renegrade|Renegrade]] 13:30, 19 August 2010 (EDT)

==== New Research Mechanics ====

The above comments spurred some ideas to make the research more realistic and the path to victory less obvious.

For flavor reasons, give research options vague names instead of exact names. This already exists in some research topics, such as "New Fighter Craft" instead of "Firestorm". So, research topics might read "Alien Hovertank Wreck" instead of "Cyberdisc Corpse", "Grey Alien Corpse" instead of "Sectoid Corpse" or "Alien Pistol" instead of "Plasma Pistol". The names would be revealed in the UFOpaedia entry, and certain items would then be renamed as per common sense.

Hide the ranks of aliens in captivity until they are researched (so you'd see Live Grey Alien #1, Live Grey Alien #2 if you had two Sectoids available for research). However, if you happened to have two Soldier ranks in containment, you'd only see one topic. The same rank/race combination would never appear again, but you might have to research several specimens of the same species to get the useful one you want. The alternative would be to have researched Mind Probe, which would tell you exactly what you had in containment (just as it does on the battlefield).

Once an alien or its corpse is researched, then all other instances of that alien or its body are renamed appropriately. For example, research a live Muton and Muton corpses become obvious, and vice versa. "Live Green Humanoid Alien" is also renamed to "Live Muton".

Finally, there should be a few more prerequisites in place to make less useful research more necessary. As someone else has mentioned, you should need a Cyberdisc Corpse to research Hovertanks. I'd also suggest that Psi Amp and Mind Shield require the research of Mind Probe (seeing as both entail scanning for minds as a logical first step), and that Flying Suits require Floater Corpse, Cyberdisc Corpse or a live Floater researched as an additional prerequisite (not Ethereals, as they fly with the power of their huge brains). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

:These are all good suggestions and make a lot of sense. An alternative explanation of the names (seen in some fan fiction) is that these names are not the real names, but are made up by XCom troops based on some limited battlefield experience of them. But revealing the "real" alien race names through Research is a fun idea. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 08:44, 1 September 2009 (EDT)

[[TFTDextender|TFTD Extender]] now provides options for improvements to the TFTD Research tree, to make research more logical (and less buggy). A similar exercise is possible with UFO Extender now that the location of the Research tree in the code is known. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

==== Dismantle researched items ====

Beginning a research project on an item should immediately remove that item from your storage. Currently it's possible to begin research on Heavy Plasma and Sectoid Corpse, then immediately sell those items, which makes no sense. Instead, we should assume that the eggheads need to dismantle an item to study it, thereby making it useless.

Completing a research topic on a live alien should create an appropriate corpse in storage, but this is less noticeable. Or do X-Com give all researched aliens diplomatic immunity and $20 for a cab fare?

:+1 to these suggestions. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 16:51, 29 November 2012 (EST)

=== Manufacture ===
* After buying the first cannon or rocket tank, that particular HWP becomes available for manufacture. Accordingly, either must be available for manufacture before laser tanks can be built (the chassis design has to come from ''somewhere'').[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

=== Base Managemet ===

==== Inventory management ====

I only want to keep 1 (or 0) sectoid corpse. If I have any more, sell them immediately and automatically. Sometimes having to sell all the stuff you've captured is just a chore.

Also, let me automatically repurchase goods when my stores get too low.[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

==== Monthly maintenance fees ====

Later in the game, when you are way beyond what the sponsor nations are paying you and are instead selling captured/manufactured items to fund your operation, the end of the month can be a real PITA, because you need to build up a reserve of cash to avoid being shut down for financial problems. (This was worse with the misreported funding bug.) At the least, show us in one place exactly how much we need to raise at that time.

Or make payments be done on a weekly/daily/hourly/continuously basis. This also means that I don't have to pay a same salary to someone who I hire on the 2nd or I hire on the 27th.

Oh, and the cheat of "soldiers/scientists/engineers in flight don't need to be paid" needs to be squashed while we're at it. (But watch out fixing this one without making salary payments continuous; my current strategy is to hire most people just before the end of the month, which I would need to modify to hiring just after the start of the month.)[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

==== Day Rates ====

Financial planning in the game is distorted by the fact that Engineers, Scientists and Soldiers receive a full month's pay for their first month, even if they only work one day in that month. This leads to bursts of hiring at the beginning of each month, and worsens the cash squeeze at the beginning of each month.

It would be nice if you could hire personnel at any time during the month, and they would only cost you their hiring fee (one month's salary in full), plus only as much of the first month's salary as they actually worked during that first month. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 06:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Change date ===

1999 looks quite silly now, 13 years later and I don't think mankind has even laser weapons now. So if it's not hardcoded for some alien actions in further years, I'd move game at least to year 2020, more likely even later. [[User:mikiqex|mikiqex]] 10:30, 12 January 2012 (CET)
:As a matter of fact, we do have laser weapons now, to some extent: Humvee-mounted ground-to-ground laser, aircraft-mounted anti-ICBM laser and ground-based point-defense laser that can shoot down a variety of incoming ordinance from missiles to mortar shells, all in the experimental phase and expected to hit mass-production in a decade. But yeah, I agree with this suggestion.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 13:30, 21 March 2013 (EDT)

=== Active Alien Bases ===

Right now, alien bases don't do anything aside from increasing alien presence in a region and attracting Supply Ships. This should be remedied and I know just how to do it.

* All alien bases have a "readiness level". Initially, this is at 100% but can be reduced via base assaults. Every alien killed and certain equipment destroyed decreases this level but if the base isn't destroyed (the mission fails or gets aborted) and subsequent Supply Ships aren't intercepted/attacked on the ground, then 24 hours after a successful resupply the base's readiness level will be back at maximum. Then and only then will killed aliens respawn and destroyed/taken equipment get replaced, not before. This reduces the profitability of "base milking" smash-and-grab operations but is not the primary purpose of the mod.
* Like the name indicates, alien bases should have a more active role. That is, alien bases will frequently dispatch Small and Medium Scouts on Research and Abduction missions, crewed by the same race the base belongs to. How often this happens depends on the base's readiness level, ie. a busted-up base will be barely hanging on but a fully-functional one will be a real beehive.
* Optional: if a base is present in a country, it significantly increases the chance of the country being successfully infiltrated.
* If a base goes unmolested for too long, it will become fortified and spawn two or even three times as many aliens (as many as the tileset allows) plus it takes on a more aggressive role:
** Launches Infiltration missions into nearby areas.
** ''"Leave us the [PRESUMED ALIEN EXPLETIVE] alone!!!"'': if attacked several times in rapid succession (depending on difficulty level; happens after a single invasion attempt on Superhuman), it sends out Retaliation scouts in the general direction the attacks are coming from, looking farther and farther away after every attack.
** ''"Oh no, you don't!"'': if it had been attacked at least once, the base will attempt to intercept X-Com craft passing nearby. It does so by dispatching a scout that follows the intruder at top speed and, once within a certain distance, forces it to engage the UFO in Aggressive mode. If the UFO is faster, all other modes and the Disengage button will be disabled as well. Even if the X-Com craft can run away, the UFO will follow it everywhere unless shot down or the craft lands, in which case the aliens dispatch Retaliation scouts to find the intruder's homebase.
** The above three options all make the base more dangerous but will also increase the payoff and provide an alternative to the nerfed "base milking" tactic.

I have NO idea if these are even possible but they would be highly interesting.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:44, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

: +1. This is a great set of suggestions. I think the necessary manipulations of [[MISSION.DAT]] are fairly well understood. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

== Battlescape and Tactical ==

===Equipment Management===

All wishes are currently implemented!

===Fog of War Improvements===

I'm sure most of these would be an absolute PAIN to implement, but I figured I'd toss the ideas out here.

====Prior Recon of Battlefield====
One thing that has always irked me is X-COM has no terrain knowledge when it lands, despite having probably circled the place two or three times before landing and thus they should know at least some of the area. This would be nice, but isn't too important. Probably would be a pain to implement so X-COM would have all knowledge of external features but no knowledge of building interiors, anyways. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Yes at the very least, when you splash the UFO, it could tell you (via some miracle technology such as "satellite reconnaisance") what the terrain type is of the landing zone area. Then you could adjust equipment accordingly. And adjust your uniform camouflage (if using one of the uniform mods). [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:16, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

:: Geoscape: center on the site, then maximum zoom. Aside from having to disambiguate forest from jungle, this works fine for knowing the exact terrain you're getting into. -- [[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 10:17, 4 Sept 2008 (CDT)

:::This is already present in the game. To center the Geoscape on a specific location, right-click on the target spot. To do maximum zoom in, right click on the Zoom-In button(and the same works for Zoom-Out). Also, Jungle and Forest use the same display algorithm, but are easy to differentiate; Forest occurs NORTH of the equator, and Jungle occurs SOUTH. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 13:23, 4 September 2008 (PDT)

:Returning to AQ's original suggestion, it wouldn't be too hard would it for the dropship to "radar map" the target, and then have the basic map show up on your scanner on Turn 1? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

====Dynamic Fog====

The Fog of War in X-COM is clumsily implemented, compared to modern expectations. Everything starts out black, but after exploring, is shown...and it's kept in the same showing, regardless of whether you actually have LoS to that area anymore. It would be nice if when you no longer had Line of Sight to a particular map area, it would be cloaked in a way so that you knew the terrain, but not the units there. Since I've sometimes spent over half an hour trying to hunt down that last alien hiding in area I'd already explored. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Maybe greyscale explored but out-of-LOS areas?--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:45, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

====Deactivate Object Radar====

Currently, in X-COM, any objects dropped in a given square show on your Battlescape, regardless of whether you have Line of Sight to the square or not. In regards to dropped weapons/grenades/equipment/dead soldiers/dead aliens, this doesn't make a large difference. But in the case of STUNNED aliens, a quick scan across the Battlescape can tell you whether the alien you stunned 10 turns ago is still down, or stood back up(the stunned alien object will disappear from the stack). Of course, since aliens which have revived from stun are almost always disarmed(and the ones that aren't probably should've been killed instead), the usefulness of this 'exploit' is reduced mainly to finding out that the last alien you're looking for is just wandering aimlessly and unarmed. Perhaps leave stacks showing the same until you regain LoS to that area? [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

====Crushed Buildings====

Why don't we see any crushed or destroyed buildings? Does a UFO always fall like a rock, perpendicular to the ground? No marks on the ground? Such impact would do massive damage to the land (a small meteor can do much if it has a high speed...). (Also, at the [debatedly] "real" UFO crash zones UFO parts were scattered over miles)

I'd like to see chopped buildings, entering UFO's through a barns; entering an abductor from a immediate house's roof if I have plasma and no flying suits yet. - [[User:N|n]] 15:01, 16 August 2010 (GMT+1)

: The Pocket PC remake of the game did this, though it seems the site it concern has vanished off the face of the net. Could probably find a copy if you're interested.

: By the way, you can generate a time/date stamped signature by typing four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>). - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 23:04, 16 August 2010 (EDT)

:: Amazingly enough (is it Truman Show of me or just a coincidence :)?), my GF found a low-tech palmtop (with/in a case)... on the pavement. With no personal data and means to find the owner; when I laid my hands on it, I actually found and installed Ufo:EU there, but it wouldn't run :(. [And thanks! again for the 4 tildes name/timestamp trick] - [[User:N|n]] 19:18, 18 August 2010 (EDT)

===Restore Game from Battlescape===

It would be nice to be able to reload a saved game directly from the Battlescape "?" screen, rather than having to go through the process of Abandoning to the Geoscape. Would you need to check it was a Battlescape save and not a Geoscape save? Maybe, maybe not. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

===Grenades===

*Stun Grenades: I want flashbangs.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:59, 11 September 2008 (PDT)
:Instead of stunning, I'd see more effect if it would remove some TUs to units having line of sight (to be fare it should affect xcom units too). It would help against reaction fire (which is the point of flashbangs). Given that grenades detonate at the end turns, it would require a good coordination to have the grenade detonate exactly at the end of the alien turn, and just before your attack. Being able to open doors à la xcom2 would also help to throw flashbangs just before a craft assault... [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 22:03, 12 September 2008 (PDT)
::That would be good. Hard to program, potentially extremely unbalancing, but good. I considered a "debuff" kind of ability (as you suggest) for flashbangs, vs the more obvious substitution of [[stun]] for [[Explosions|HE]] damage. In the end, I picked "I want flashbangs."--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 03:32, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
: Maybe flashbangs dont' work on Aliens - otherwise, XCom would use them, right? :) But seriously, I too would like flashbangs, and stun grenades / concussion grenades. Both of these would make the game easier, though. With flashbangs, you might have to compensate by just giving the aliens more TUs. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:33, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
::More options for the player is going to make it easier for any kind of game. Particularly of games like XCOM where the computer can't take advantage of the changes. However I don't believe a weak stun grenade (like 44 stun damage, comparable to AC-HE) would change the game much because the 80 item limit remains.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:21, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
* Rudimentary IFF recognition in proximity grenades, ie. it checks the unit ownership variable (the same one that gets flipped during mind control and used to cause the Hostile Civilians bug) of everyone who wanders into its sensor range and only explodes if it doesn't match the ownership of the unit that threw it. Naturally, it would be fooled by mind control and would also blow up civilians but it would minimize mine-related friendly fire...
:: ...which makes me wonder: if a proxy kills a friendly unit, does it count as friendly fire caused by the guy who planted the proxy? If not, would you make it so, just for the hell of it? [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

===Night Vision===

I '''don't''' want to add night vision equipment to the game. I assume that either (1) all XCom units already have night vision gear as standard, but it's not as good as alien night vision, and the visibility that XCom units have at night is based on their standard-issue night vision gear, or (2) night vision gear does not work on Aliens. Either they do not appear on night vision, or maybe worse - maybe the aliens can manipulate night vision equipment, causing worse than normal vision, or hallucinations, and even tricking XCom units into firing on each other. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:33, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:Wouldn't it be nice though if it had gradients other than "day: 20 squares" "night: 9 squares" ? Like.. "early morning/late evening: 10-19 squares" ? I find the cut off from full daylight to full night kinda disturbing. ~ [[User:Renegrade|Renegrade]] 10:41, 19 August 2010 (EDT)

:: I originally thought of this when dreaming of a Stargate-themed patch for X-COM -- but what about enemies that are invisible unless you are facing them while wielding a certain weapon designed to spot them? (Stargate fans: I'm thinking of the TERs.) [[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

:Turning off the aura of light around soldiers during night missions, making the player see about as much as the soldiers do.

:Thoughts about NV equipment:
* 2x1 item that needs to be placed into a shoulder slot.
* Vision range with NV would depend on the ambient light levels:
** During daytime, they would see as far with NV as in complete darkness without.
** The darker it is, the greater the vision range, up to a maximum of 15 hexes...
** ...but complete darkness still incurs a minor penalty as most NV gear are image ''intensifiers'', NOT infrared goggles. That is, they still need ambient light to work properly.

--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 13:50, 21 March 2013 (EDT)

: I think that, after a few turns in a night mission, a soldier's visual range should be increased due to natural nightvision. This does, of course, assume that all the weapons have flash suppressors, but it would make at least some sense, although would probably be difficult to implement. If it became possible, it would be even more realistic to decrease a soldier's accumulated nightvision if they are near electroflares, streetlights, or explosions. --[[User:BenWaters|BenWaters]] 05:15, 6 April 2013 (EDT)

===Throwing over stuff===
'''(Moved to Talk, as this is not a bug and so does not need fixing.)'''

===Assault Time Limit===

One of the cool things about UFO Defence is there are no time limits on the scenarios. This is great as it allows for a totally different kind of tactics and much more flexibility.
It's more of a "thinking man's game" as a result. But... arguably this is not very realistic for UFO Assault missions. If the Aliens are getting creamed, they should try to make a getaway if they can (just like XCom would). A simple way to implement this would be a hard time limit (say 20 turns?) on a UFO Assault. Another way would be to base it on Alien Morale. At a certain Morale level the aliens decide to dust off. Give the player say 3 turns warning while they rev up the engines. Then if there is still a Navigator or Engineer in the Control Room alive, the ship takes off. Any XCom troops still aboard are MIA.

You might run into problems if the UFO took off but then landed again or was shot down, generating another ground mission with potentially '''more''' Aliens than were still alive at the end of the Assault. (Still, maybe they hatch some more clones if they get time to....) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 09:51, 4 September 2008 (PDT)

: It strikes me as justified they don't do that. Troops loose in the vessel could be seriously bad. It would be nice if they dusted off on the condition that their morale was low enough or 3 X-com soldiers had the door in their sights without aliens alive outside in the latter case and no X-com soldiers on board in either case. also, if the UFO has a hole in either the command or engine room, it would have to set down before leaving the atmosphere. [[User:(name here)|(name here)]]

Taking off with troops onboard would be perfectly safe (for the aliens) and justifiable if one assumes that alien ships in flight are inherently inhospitable for humans. This is easily done by saying that they undergo accelerations that humans can't withstand (splat), can't withstand for any length of time (pass out), or that they intentionally make rapid accelerations in different directions, either normally or just if they're trying to bash some intruders around. Naturally, the aliens themselves would either be immune to these (tough physique / their built-in antigrav devices?), or be in acceleration chairs, safe from all this.

Alternatively, when you get the warning that the UFO is going to take off, you've got a certain amount of time to either get everyone '''off''' the UFO, or to get everyone '''on''' it (or as many as you can). There could be a follow-up mission that takes place in "sky" terrain, where the outdoors is either impassable (the easy way) or else instantly withdraws units from combat (flying suits / parachutes). The soldiers' goals would be to either take out the aliens and presumably safely land and salvage the UFO, or take out the UFO's means of flying (power cores / navigator?). In the latter case, they might have a certain number of turns to withdraw or be caught in the crash, with possible casualties just like the aliens, mitigated to some degree by their armour and maybe where inside the UFO they are.

In the case of a crash, there could be a final mission to finish off the surviving aliens, using the X-COM soldiers that survive the crash, and no landing craft (it's still back at the old landing site). Alternatively, you could say that there '''is''' an X-COM landing craft parked outside (with all remaining members of the original landing party), since the in-flight time / distance was presumably low and the original X-COM craft quickly packed up and flew to the new landing site. — [[User:Wisq|Wisq]] 17:11, 18 April 2010 (EDT)

Either side could try bringing in reinforcements -- if I can bring two interceptors to a fight in the sky, why can't I bring two troop transports? This starts to get complicated, but it's come up in discussion of making X-COM into an onlime multiplayer game... :) [[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

===Alien AI===

*Aliens cannot pick up items, but I wish they would. If an alien has no useful weapons in inventory they should either head for cover or head for a plasma weapon. Panicked aliens drop their weapons but never seem to pick them up when they managed to pull themselves together. It would be nice if they tried to arm themselves again. --[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 13:55, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

:Even if it's too hard to make aliens head towards weapons (is it safe?, could it be used to trap them, not to mention the complexities of route finding) - it would still be good if an unarmed alien checked for usable weapons in every square it moved through, and at least picked up one loaded weapon or grenade per turn. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

:Fixing the AI for this could be really hard. Apart from all the possible exploits by XCom, the AI is probably a really hard part of the game to reverse engineer. You could say that an unarmed alien is no threat anyway (we are only concerned about aliens without psi or built in weapons). So nothing is lost even with an exploitable method of re-arming. By exploitable I mean the XCom player can manipulate re-arming, e.g. by leaving weapons out in the open as bait for traps.

:Maybe the simplest modification would be to ''not'' drop weapons when the alien panics? This does not require delving in to the AI, just intercepting the panic effects. Dont make aliens drop any weapons when they panic. It would be reasonable to return the weapon in hand to inventory, so there is a TU cost for the alien to bring the weapon back into play again.

:This would not work for aliens who were stunned and wake up, or who were mind controlled by XCom and made to drop their weapons. But it would probably catch 80% of cases.

:Another cheat, short of fixing the AI, is just to pick up weapons that the alien walks over. It could also pick up "spare" weapons from adjacent aliens (cheating on TUs - basically just teleporting the items to the unarmed alien). Spare alien weapons are almost invariably grenades. I have not had a lot of success in getting unarmed aliens to use grenades, so more research is needed here. Maybe only certain types of aliens use grenades, or only in certain circumstances?

:Really, really cheating would be to teleport any weapon laying around the battlefield into the alien's inventory. But I think it is more fair just to say panicked aliens dont drop their equipment. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 16:13, 13 February 2010 (EST)

:Interesting research! [[User:Volutar |Volutar ]] found a disabled function in the code that makes aliens pick up items! [[Talk:OBDATA.DAT#Field_0x2D]]

* Depending on the aliens' intelligence stat, they can deliberately blast away cover with autofire if they saw any of your soldiers taking cover behind it. They already sort-of do this with grenades but not with other weapons. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]
* Aliens actively using [[Scouting#Scout/Sniper Tactics|sniper-spotter tactics]], taking the high ground whenever possible. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

==== End Psi Bullying and Psi Baiting ====
When the aliens use psi attacks they always go for your guys with the most chance of failing the attack and going nuts. Is it possible to make those pesky aliens attack random soldiers, regardless of their psi skill/strength?

: Not a bad idea to randomise this a bit, because while initially this tactic helps the aliens, it becomes so predictable that it can be used against them by deploying unarmed "Psi Bait" soldiers to draw off all the attacks. (Or make aliens avoid controlling/panicking soldiers who have no loaded weapons. But then folks would just give them pea shooters and wear armour.) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== 80 Item Limit on Base Defense Mission ===
: Well you get the 80 item limit on every mission, but it hurts more on a Base Defence as you have more limited ability, or sometimes no ability, to manage what goes into those 80 items. I was thinking about a couple of (theoretical) ways to fix this and I hit on a new one (new for me anyway): Why not take the 80 items from the Transport(s), first Transport then second Transport until you run out of items or hit 80. This has a few benefits:
:* Ready made interface to manage the 80-item limit, the Stores <> Craft (Equip Craft) Screen.
:* If you have no warning at all, the 80 items will probably make good tactical sense in general terms, even if they are are not totally optimised for Base Defence (no proximity mines, etc).
: I think that copying the Transport inventory into the Battlescape inventory would be relatively to implement (though what do I know?). As a simplification, you could move only the inventory in the ''first available'' Transport that is present in the Base, into the Battlescape, and not bother looking in more than one place (other Transports, Base Stores) to get up to 80. It would then be a bit of a drag if your Transports are all out on a mission when your Base gets attacked though. Or perhaps inspect the inventory of Transport 1 (wherever it is in the world), and then attempt to copy its inventory, using equipment present in the Base?
: Another way of doing it which has been mentioned elsewhere is to try to reverse the order of the items in the Stores list. This has the effect of putting the more advanced weapons first, rather than the more basic weapons. There could be all kinds of unwanted side effects of this, depending on various programming issues.
: Actually there is already a fix for the 80-item limit in XComUtil. XComUtil records a standard assign weapon set for each of your troops, and then teleports those weapons to the Battlescape from your Base Stores, regardless of the 80-item limit (but still subject to the Battlescape's 170-item limit). Not 100% sure if this works for Base Defence missions though.
:[[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== Collision Detection Bugs ===
I have noticed that sometimes you can shoot through hard objects, for example, recently I had a soldier up on the roof of a house overlooking a large scout craft. When a Sectiod moved through one of the inner doors of the UFO, my man shot him straight through the intact ufo roof!

=== Base Defence Systems Cause Alien Casualties ===

I don’t know if this is already implemented in the game? When the aliens attack your base and you defend it with base defense measures does the following occur and if not a mod maybe? When you hit the battleship with your weapons but it still gets through (e.g. you hit the battleship with some missiles before it lands) can the number of attackers be reduced accordingly. For example if you hit it with some missiles then maybe they could have a couple less soldiers attacking (could be random small amount) or when you hit with loads of stuff like plenty of fusion balls and the battleship just makes it then their attack could be reduced to a few aliens (all others got killed in the defense). As I say not sure if this is already there to some degree (not played in a long time and I’m not at that stage yet this time round).

: The general view is probably that Base Defence missions are a boon to XCOM already, so why make them any easier. At very least there would need to be more damage to the loot than there was to the Alien's combat effectiveness, otherwise this unbalances the game in favour of XCOM. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== Alien vs Alien ===
This one is way out there. Alien v Alien battles out with main game, just random battlescape maps. Sectoid and their terrorists against Floaters and theirs etc. One side human controlled the other computer. Choice of ships involved etc.

:I actually love this idea. It might just about be possible using XComUtil, if someone is a total XComUtil guru.

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There was a utility to do this from Devisraad. it has long since been removed from his site, but someone may still have it. The basics was you renamed unit and it automatically replaced graphics flag to swap out the units. Didn't work on the Large Aliens but still was a fun mod --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:20, 6 January 2010 (EST)

=== Aircraft in Base Defence Battlescape ===

New graphics for the Interceptor and Firestorm on the battlescape. All your ships could remain in their hangers when the aliens attack your base. Don’t understand why Mythos did not do this originally.

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Simply for one reason: the limit on the size of the battlescape. UFO maps are usually limited to 10000 tiles (50x50x4), on Bases you have 9600 (60x60x3), the last level one being dirt. You need 3 levels to display X-COM craft. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 14:28, 23 September 2008 (PDT)

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Could you not do it but clip off the top level of the craft - leaving the ground level and 'deck' level? It would be a cool terrain area to fight in. I like the fact that in TFTD you can still see your subs during a base defence. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

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It is possible to edit the map files to include the Skyranger, but you'll have to use Xcomutil to play with that terrain and I think it would never launch during base defense missions (but I'm not sure on that - never tried editing the X-COM base terrain). [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 19:25, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

This could be done by creating new "hangar" map modules, each containing one of the five possible X-COM craft. Bung the modules into [[GEODATA.DAT]] at index 0C, and you're done. The catch is you can't have all craft or the MCD array will overflow. The base terrain uses ~160 tiles as it is (out of the max of 256), while the craft use about 60 each (on average). Putting them all in would take the table above 300 entries (that is to say, the game'd crash).

'Cause XcomUtil already provides us with an Intercepter design made up of SkyRanger parts, I suppose the way to go would be to only implement those two craft. If you have any alien technology ships, they could either be left out ("they were fast enough to escape") or rendered as SkyRangers.

It should also be noted that bases are made up of two levels, not three. Luckily, all the craft are only three levels high, so cutting out the landing gear still works. - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 19:56, 4 December 2009 (EST)

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Very true about the MCD limit, that's why I only mentioned the Skyranger but the Interceptor could be added as well (and would not make much sense to have your first defense mission with a nice Avenger parked on the hangar while your Interceptors are being blow to bits by Battleships). The bases are 3 levels but you can only modify two of them. The game engine automatically adds a layer of 'dirt modules' either at top or bottom. Hmmm, this just gave me an idea for the wish list... [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:29, 4 December 2009 (EST)

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Both alien and X-Com bases ''are'' only two levels. There must be something screwy in your game; XcomUtil maybe?

It occurs to me that removing landing gear and stuff might make it ''just'' possible to jam in the Lightning tiles as well (as the MCD requirements would also shrink slightly). That'd make it possible to add the Firestorm, too. Seems a shame to get that far then leave out the Avenger, though...

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 21:30, 4 December 2009 (EST)

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Nevermind, I completely misread your previous post. Yes, they are two levels only, could be Xcomutil that adds the 3rd level.

- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 22:30, 4 December 2009 (EST)

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You may be able to get 3 levels in an X-Com Base but not 4. EU has a smaller amount of memory alocated. I dont know the limit but 60x60x4 will crash EU. TFTD has no problem --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:25, 6 January 2010 (EST)

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I got partway through this and then decided to change my methods entirely and start from scratch. So I thought I might as well post my progress anyways, as it's already about on par with the crude TFTD implementation: You always have the same craft appear in your hanger regardless of what is (or isn't!) there.

[[Image:Skyranger In Hanger.rar]]

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 05:40, 17 December 2009 (EST)

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Hey BB, a while ago I have modded the plane terrain files so that the Skyranger appears facing east instead of south. If you want to use that one (to make it a little different) let me know. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 08:23, 17 December 2009 (EST)

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Thanks, but don't worry about it for now: it'll make the MCD arrays larger still, so I'll consider it when I get all the other stuff done.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 17:01, 19 December 2009 (EST)

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The completed mod is now included in my toolpack. As usual, I've only done cursory testing on it, but I'm pretty sure it's stable enough.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 06:40, 20 January 2010 (EST)

=== Fixed firing TUs ===

Something that always bugged me was how the weapons used percentages for firing TUs. It doesn't make sense that the faster a soldier got, the longer it would take to fire a weapon.
: This is because you can't fire an automatic weapon any faster than it will shoot. However, it otherwise makes minimal sense, as you point out. I suggest two alternative solutions. Firstly, that only automatic fire modes use a fixed percentage of a soldier's time units, and other modes use a fixed number of TUs. This would entail the newer soldiers spraying and your most elite taking fast, selective single shots. The alternative is that each firing mode for each weapon entails its own formula (revealed in the UFOpaedia but essentially hidden during the battlescape) along the lines of "X% of TUs + Y TUs". Snap fire would be a low % of total plus a low fixed cost, Aimed would be a low % of total with a high fixed cost, and Auto would be a high % of total with a low fixed cost. While this is somewhat complex, in-game you wouldn't have to worry, and it accounts for what can be reduced (i.e. aiming speed) and what can never be improved by a soldier (i.e. cyclic rate of fire or time for a missile to lock). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]
:: These observations are very sensible. However we also need to consider the impact on game balance. If you implement this in an even-handed way, alien rates of fire will increase as they have high TUs. Or, if you fudge it so that alien rates of fire remain the same, then X-Com's advantage will increase as the game progresses. Neither of these are desirable. It would be extremely hard to implement this and still maintain game balance. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 08:41, 1 September 2009 (EDT)
:::Each turn has the exact same duration, but is divided into TUs separately for each soldier. That's a simplification that works well in a turn-based game and reflects the fact that a soldier is fast or slow. However, weapons need to be aimed and will not fire faster than normal, thus they require a fixed percentage of the turn duration. In other words, soldiers gain movement speed, but fire at the same rate. This is both desirable and logical, just not self-explanatory. Thus, I would definitely stick to how TUs consumption is solved currently. [[User:mingos|mingos]]

=== In-flight Interception ===

Yes, I know that this idea is nigh-impossible, but I was thinking, wouldn't it be awesome to infiltrate a battleship, kill the aliens inside and escape, with the geoscape being shown zooming past underneath? Also, in a similar vein to the "aliens dust off after 3 turns" idea, after killing the aliens ( or blowing up the power cores, maybe?)you would have to get as many troops as possible to the drop ship in 3 turns(in retrospect I guess that you could only do this with the Lightning because of the doors) or the ship crashes and all troops not in the dropship are missing in action. Yes, this idea is impractical and would be really hard to program, but the idea of blowing a UFO up from the inside just seems epic to me. [[User:WolfenMage|WolfenMage]]

=== Impose cost to using Psionic attacks===

I think everyone agrees Psi attacks are too powerful. I would propose to impose a cost to using Psionic attacks. This could take the form of decreasing the physical stats after using a PSi attack (after all all: the psionic races are physically weak). This could for example lead to a soldier becoming a weakling or even fainting or dying from using psi-attack. Another possibility is to decrease mental stats (in this case the ratio would be that humans are not really being adapted to psi: you could be expected to go crazy playing mind games) leading to a decrease in psionic powers or maybe panicking or beserking the soldier using psi. Together with limiting psi attacks of MCed units proposed elsewhere this would rebalance the later game somewhat... [[User:Emphyrio|Emphyrio]] 07:22, 9 August 2010 (EDT)

: [[UFO Extender]] implements some limitations on X-Com use of Psi, making attacks Line of Sight based. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Make losing a base less costly ===

My friends would often quit and reload after losing a base because it was so costly. It should definitely be a kick in the teeth, but even the game text suggests some ways you can recover:
1. Scientists and engineers have already been evacuated -- on a defense loss, let me transfer them to bases with open living quarters.
2. Likewise, move any ships at that location to another open hangar. (Maybe doing this requires that I have gotten advanced warning of the attack.)

: You can do all of this immediately prior to the attack, which is a small trade off if you win and a great benefit if you lose. I'm not sure you should be able to do it for free, at the instant of losing, and keep your options open until the last second. I think the game is fair and balanced as is. Well OK, maybe an option to do transfers after seeing the Base Attack screen, but before combat, would be user-friendly - it is sometimes hard to get to the Base screen fast enough to perform an evacuation before the base assault starts. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Have captured aliens be present in base defense ===

The alien containment unit could have all my captured aliens present in jail cells. But this requires other things to happen first.

On one hand, I think it would be cool if the attackers can rescue their friends and bring them into battle. So aliens would need to be able to pick up weapons. Psi powers would suck -- it would seem nuts if a captured ethereal suddenly started brainwashing my crew right away. Maybe they all start with -50 stun, or maybe (can we do this?) psi-powered enemies have it disabled if they start the game captured.

Another issue is that each containment supposedly holds 10 aliens according to the game text, but there is no real limit in the game. Maybe we fix that 10-limit bug (which would mean that we would need to be able to kill overflow aliens), maybe we only take the first 10. And it definitely runs into tile issues.

Would the enemies in containment need to be killed/re-stunned to end the mission? Maybe being in a locked jail cell automatically counts as captured.

:The problem here is that Alien Containment works entirely differently from how it's stated. Alien Containment is instead a file of aliens captured with, IIRC, 50 slots, and it is shared across ALL bases. So you'd have to figure out some way to change the file to flag aliens as 'belonging' to a specific base. And of course, on higher difficulty modes, the aliens and their terror units already spawn most or all of their UNITPOS.DAT slots anyways. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 08:19, 12 January 2012 (EST)

=== Grenade Launchers ===
Is the US army being obstructive? Why can't we buy M79s or M203s? Shooting a grenade through a wiindow/gap is sorely missing, because of the need to arc. There is the small launcher, but that stuns. 30mm grenades come in HE, WP, Smoke, Incendary, AP and flechette (think shotgun with a 30mm bore!)

:They're not being obstructive, in fact they gave us automatic and semi-automatic grenade launchers, which we call the Auto Cannon and Heavy Cannon. See [[Realistic Equivalents#Weapons]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 17:46, 20 March 2011 (EDT)

::In that case, why not make the Heavy Cannon and Small Launcher fire in a ballistic trajectory, a la Celatid spit? It would make the HC even more useful until the advent of the Blaster.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:45, 19 March 2013 (EDT)

=== 80 item limit ===
The space available should be treated more logically; using the system base stores does. At the moment craft treat 1 heavy weapon as the same size as 1 grenade.

''This has nothing to do with item size but the size of the database responsible for keeping track of all available items in the battle. This database size if fixed and just about every routine throughout the program that references this database is written with the size in mind. Fixing this would require rewriting a majority of the program. - [[User:Morgan525|Tycho]]''

=== "Integrated" Inventory ===

There are no Hands, Legs, Shoulders and Belt in a soldier’s inventory, only the Backpack to store everything he carries to the battlefield. So if he wants to fire a gun or throw a grenade or use a tool, simply open the Backpack to select the weapon/equipment, then select the target/function/mode.

Each object has a certain "capacity value" in inventory, for example a Heavy Plasma has 6, a Medi-Kit has 2. A rookie only has very limited inventory capacity, maybe 20 to 30. As his rank rises, his inventory capacity also expands. Armors can give him additional capacity to carry more items.
[[User:Lixiaofossil|Lixiaofossil]] ([[User talk:Lixiaofossil|talk]]) 11:22, 12 April 2024 (UTC+8)

== Miscellaneous ==
===Amitakartok===
* An option for modifying how many times can the medkit's various features be used. According to the site, it's not stored in OBDATA but inside the executable.
*Editable starting soldiers attributes.
*Editable HWP stats of chassis and their weapons.
*Editable fire/stun damage of equipment that does this type of damage.
*Editable fatal wound system.
*A critical hit chance system.
*Option to chose % chance of aliens having a weapon over another.
*Creating and using a custom research tree.
''This is pretty much impossible without massively rewriting the way the game handles research. The "research tree" is just a long list of hard-coded if-then statements.-[[User:Morgan525|Tycho]]''
* Trigger Discipline: soldiers (and aliens under X-COM mind control) do not reaction-fire at unarmed targets. Psionic aliens and terrorists are considered armed at all times; soldiers under alien mind control are only considered a threat if they have a LOADED weapon (laser or a weapon AND ammo; smoke grenade/small launcher/stun rod doesn't count as weapon). This eliminates psi-induced friendly fire incidents but also removes the possibility of reactions training.
* Beware the Ethereal: Ethereal Commanders gain maxed-out Psi Strength and Psi Skill. Lower-ranked Ethereals also gain increases to these stats.
* Exponential Psi: mind-controlled soldiers can use psi-amps. If set to 1, only panic attacks are launched. If set to 2, mind-control is also permitted.
* Join Us: all psionic aliens deliberately target amp-wielders before everyone else. Combine with Exponential Psi and Beware the Ethereal for maximum effect... and prepare to sweat blood.
* Human Shields: psionic aliens deliberately mind-control civilians on terror missions to use them as scouts/cannon fodder. If killed, mind-controlled civvies count against the mission score. If the Tactical AI mod is active, mind-controlled civvies pick up weapons as well. If Trigger Discipline is active, soldiers will not reaction-fire on civvies under any circumstances, even if being shot at by them.
* Battle Royale: on terror missions, a random number of civilians spawn with Pistols. Optionally, the Tactical AI mod makes them pick up dropped weapons and use them. Thing is, they shoot at not just the aliens but X-COM too!
* Field Commander: alien commanders can only be found on Battleships. Bases only have leaders.
* Conservation of Energy: plasma cannons of both flavors (craft and HWP) consume Elerium as ammunition. The first full reload is included in the construction cost, further reloads are deducted from base stores after each deployment (similarly to ammo-using craft and HWP weapons). Makes the game ''significantly'' harder.
* Elerium Recycling: selling plasma weapon clips won't turn in any money but returns some of the Elerium used for production. Elerium is more plentiful as a result but an important source of funding is removed, making the early game a bit harder. Additionally, you never get back all of the Elerium used in production, making it inefficient to recycle your own clips.
* Volatile Elerium: plasma weapons can be set to self-destruct as makeshift explosives. The blast force depends on how many times the current clip was fired; if the clip is empty, the weapon item is removed and the tile merely set ablaze for a few turns... but if it's a full Heavy Plasma clip, it goes off with the force of a blaster bomb.
* About the idea above, maybe all plasma armaments are energized by standardized “Elerium-enriched cells”, a single cell can provide 80 rounds to a Plasma Pistol, 40 rounds to a Plasma Rifle, but only 20 rounds to a Heavy Plasma. And these cells have safety latches that once turned off, will render them unstable and will detonate like Alien Grenades, and the radius and lethality of detonation are decided by how many rounds remaining.
===Fix All Bugs===

Oh no [[User:Seb76#Bug Fixes|Seb76]] already did this! :) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

= I Wished (And My Wish Came True)... =

== Geoscape and Strategic ==

=== Fuel Ready always ===
[[User:Seb76#Mods|Implemented - here]]

I wish that I could send out craft at any fuel or ammo level. Normally craft can only leave a base if fully "ready". Craft is only "ready" at 100% fuel (or 0% fuel using an exploit) but there's no logical reason why a full tank and full ammo is required. Fully repaired... that's fine. I can live with pilots refusing to fly a plane missing a wing even if it means England is lost to aliens. 15 hours to fill a tank? Retarded but I can live with that too if I can send out a craft at 20% fuel.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

:Actually, many modern aircraft '''do''' require the fuel tanks to be full on takeoff, and fairly empty on landing. The weight of the fuel is figured into the takeoff aerodynamics, and the tank being full prevents fuel 'sloshing' in the tanks and not actually making it to the engine. (Conversely, many aircraft need to have dispensed of much of that fuel weight before landing.) This holds for most runway-takeoff craft, but may not apply to anything with VTOL capacity; I'm unsure there.

:I do agree that non-full weapons aren't as critical, though. But from a logical standpoint, most modern aircraft should not be launched on an empty fuel tank. I also should noted that an Elerium-fueled craft with [[Known_Bugs#Elerium-fueled_Craft_Bug|50% fuel or less remaining]] will automatically return to base, regardless of distance from base. Of course, given that such craft fuel up quickly, its less of an issue there. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:05, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Hum, maybe you can try [[User:Seb76#Mods|this]]? [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 13:01, 8 August 2008 (PDT)
::Thanks! But I can't try it. I've not been able to get my copy of Xcom to run properly except on a Win98 install. VC2008 requires a more modern OS. I'm sure I could ''eventually'' figure out a way to get it running, but I tried once and wasted too much time before giving up.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 14:45, 8 August 2008 (PDT)
:AFAIK VC2008 binaries should run OK on Win98 as long as the runtime is deployed. Anyway, the loader uses CreateRemoteThread API which is not available in Win98 so don't even bother. '''However''', you can manually patch the binary if you want ;-) Data to patch (all in hexadecimal):
offset 0x41752: 2A0075 -> 18207C
:HTH. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 14:56, 8 August 2008 (PDT)

===Base Build Stacking===
[[User:Seb76#Base Building Stacking|Implemented - here]]

At the moment you are only allowed to build next to a finished module, and you aren't allowed to plan ahead in your base construction. It would be nice to at least be able to plan more than one phase of construction in advance. This would be pretty easy to implement. There is no need to code any new "queuing system". Just place the new module next to an existing under-construction module, but increment the build time to the normal build time + the time remaining on the under-construction module (the lowest time remaining that would make the square you are building in, a legal square to build in). As a premium for build stacking, you have to pay the costs up-front. As with normal construction, all costs are non-refundable if you change your mind. (There would probably need to be some on-screen feedback for how long the module would take to build, before you were committed to building it.) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

See also: Discussion on [[Talk:Wish List|Talk page]].

=== Keyboard shortcuts at bases ===

I wish we had (customised, maybe?) keyboard shortcuts at the base screen. Numbers (at the "base information" screen as well) would switch bases, R for research, E for equip craft, T for transfer, M for manufacture, S for soldiers, B for build new base, P for purchase+recruit (or "B" for "buy" - let people double-bind if they need it), I for base information. The doubles (soldiers/sell+sack) could be solved by using the key under the primary one (x for sell+sack). - n (16:26, 16 Aug 2010 (GMT+1))

:Keyboard shortcuts are implemented in [[UFO Extender]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Soldier table ===

Soldiers should be listed in a sortable table, so I can sort them based on rank, ship order, firing accuracy, psi skills, in psi training, etc. If I want to find out my best shooters, it should be a very fast operation.

At a more advanced level: do it across bases; have filter options; sort based on formula (so I can find the soldiers with the best reaction+firing, or the best psi strength + psi skill).[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

:Sortable soldier list is implemented in UFO Extender and XComUtil. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

== Battlescape and Tactical ==

=== Equipment Management ===

==== Soldiers remembers THEIR equipment ====
[[XcomUtil|Implemented - here]]

I wish soldiers remembered what equipment they LAST used and start with that gear when they land. Normally soldiers grab various gear and put lots of crap on their belt. I put most things on the shoulder slots, and keep many things spare things on the ship just in case I need them. (I only want IN rounds if it's night. Stop picking them up before I shoot you in the back!) Takes forever to sort out the gear so the weakling isn't carrying all the rockets etc.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

:This is already available in [[XcomUtil]]. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:07, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

====Access to Stats screens during equipment allocation====
[[User:Seb76#Equipment Screen|Mostly implemented - here]]

In Battlescape you can get to Stats screens by right clicking on one of the unit's status bars. However you can't do this in the Equipment screen. Things like Statstrings and (even more so) [[User:Seb76|Seb76]]'s modified Equipment screen with actual/max weight help. But it would be nice to be able to see exact stats. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

===Decrease Accuracy for targets out of sight===
[[User:Seb76#Range_Based_Accuracy|Brilliantly implemented - here]]

How come you can easily shoot on something you do not see?
I find the over-used scout-sniper tactic is a cheap exploit of the X-COM. The tactical game should describe a combat, not a cowardly shooting practice. It would turn into a nice feature, if there would be a penalty of (let us say) -20% to the accuracy of anybody who is firing on a target out of his current sight. This can greatly enhance the tactical depth of the game. (Seb around? ;-) --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 14:20, 30 August 2008 (PDT)

...discussed [http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Talk:Wish_list here]

===Enough Smoke===
[[User:Seb76#Mods|Implemented - here]]

It would be nice to increase the current limit on smoke/fire hexes. This is due to their locations being stored in a small, fixed length array. In effect you can only get about 3-4 smoke grenades worth of smoke or fire on the map at the same time. Being able to use smoke liberally would really open up new tactics. At the moment all you can really do is cover the LZ in smoke when you exit the transport, and maybe cover one advance over open ground. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)
:I did something for that on my loader. Heavy testing is required because it is hard to be make sure smoke still works as before (testing is the hardest part actually). [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 14:09, 18 September 2008 (PDT)

=== Alien AI ===

====Aliens better with explosions====
Partly implemented [[User:Seb76#Bug Fixes|here (waypoint bug fix)]] and [[User:Seb76#Mods|here (Blaster drift)]]. ''(Possibly move this to talk, as notwithstanding these 2 bugs, apparently the Aliens are fairly safe with lethal explosives.)''

I wish that aliens using grenades or blaster bombs or stun bombs (anything that goes boom) would use more sense. They should not want to use items that go boom when they are guaranteed to be caught in the blast radius. The alien can use grenades and blaster bombs by going out of line of sight before the explosion goes off. That may not save them if the explosion blows out the walls. At least it would be less stupid then firing a point blank blaster bomb vs taking 5 steps and setting up another waypoint. Units with morale above 100 or mind controlled should still be suicidal as normal.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 13:55, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

: Actually, the aliens are quite careful with their explosives, they just seem to be prone to the occasional accident. They're not likely to fire off a blaster or grenade too close to them - as evident by the strategy where if you see an alien with a BB but can't shoot back, the safest place is to stand next to it. The blaster bomb vertical waypoint fix in the loader also eliminates the 'oops' moments where they plot a vertical right angle too close to themselves and there just happens to be a wall to the south. However, they do need more care with stun bombs as you often get to see an alien fire a stun bomb point blank into a HWP parked next to it. But I guess we are talking about three different weapon types here, so they may not be as careful with a standard firearm as they are with grenades and the BB. Wish the Apocalypse aliens at least had as much sense as the UFO/TFTD aliens. In that game, they're utterly psychotic with explosives and ignore nearby allies. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 14:34, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

=== Mind Controlled then Hostile ===
If you mind control a human (civilians) in a terror mission, they become enemies when you lose control (meaning you have to kill the poor idiots to finish the mission). Any chance that they could revert to friendlies/non enemies again when you lose control.
: Now fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Mind Controlled then MIA ===
Men who are under alien control when you win become MIA, any chance they could be saved (you will have killed all the aliens after all).
: I believe XComUtil fixes this MIA issue. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)
:: XcomUtil 9.6 also restores all DOA if you win to. Not what was intended. This feature has been removed as of 9.7 until I can fix it. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:27, 6 January 2010 (EST)
: Now also fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Open Doors But Don't Enter/Exit ===

Open doors like they do in TFTD (I know this is mentioned above with the good stun grenades idea).
: Now fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Warm Grenades===

Currently when you set the timer on a grenade (or HE pack), the timer runs down every turn regardless of whether the grenade is worn, held, or dropped. Then, when the timer runs out, it explodes unless it is held or worn. There is no real grenade or explosive that works this way. Once the timer (fuse) starts running, they explode regardless. However for most hand grenades, the timer (fuse) doesn't start until after you throw/drop the grenade. It would be nice to have both of these real world behaviours, and lose the game's default behaviour. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

: Technically the way the game implements grenades, they don't have a timer. At least, not as such. When you set a grenade, the game just assigns it a turn to blow up on. Once the turn has passed, the game checks to see that it's on the ground and blows it up if it is, otherwise it doesn't. I believe Seb76 has already addressed this in his patches where there's an option to make grenade blow up regardless whether they are in inventory or otherwise the moment the timer is set. X-Com Apocalypse does a good job of this. The moment the grenade is so much as moved after the timer is set, it counts down. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:01, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:: To simulate an actual timer, you would need to do something like: Every turn that a primed grenade is being held by a unit during the "explode" check, increment by +1 the turn when that grenade is going to explode. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:10, 14 September 2008 (PDT)
:::I think I would change quantity2 ([[OBPOS.DAT]]) to a countdown instead of a turn, and use quantity3 as a flag indicating if the count has started. This flag is set any time a turn ends and the grenade has no owner. Taking it back in your hand once the timer has started won't help and the thing must be thrown... quantity2 is decreased if quantity3 is set, and the grenade blows up as usual. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:35, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

: That would be great. It would be exactly consistent with a 'spoon' type hand grenade. The timer only starts when you release the grenade, but after that it explodes at a definite time regardless of whether you pick it up or not. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

Implemented in [[UFO Extender]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

= Category =
The page needs to be listed in various categories, which ones I don't know. Also links on other pages to this one would aid people finding it.

: OK how about this one: [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:21, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

[[Category:Oddities and bugs]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

Wish List (EU)

2024-04-12T03:27:48Z

Lixiaofossil: /* "Integrated" Inventory */

X-Com is a great game and as evidence just look to the fact this wiki exists even though the game pre-dates the internet. In all it's greatness X-Com has some elements and behaviors players wish they could change. This is a repository of those desires. Some day a fan mod may make your wish come true...

= I Wish... =
State what you want AND what X-com does normally. Sign your name if you think "Oh man! That would be great!"

== Geoscape and Strategic ==

=== Geoscape Location ===

* X-Com bases only being able to be built within the borders of the Funding Nations. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

=== Aircraft ===

==== Smarter Aircraft Movement Around Globe ====
I wish all craft understood the shortest distance between two points on a globe is a curved path towards the poles. Normally a craft goes in the opposite direction than it should (towards the equator). Pain in the ass when the base in the UK sends a craft to Siberia.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

==== Smart Interception ====

Aircraft intercepting a UFO just head straight toward the UFOs current position at all times. Unless the UFO is already on a head-on course, this results in the interceptor travelling through a closing parabolic spiral path, and often missing the UFO and ending up in a tail-chase, and then just falling further behind unless the UFO stops or reverses course. This is pretty basic stuff, fighter pilots have known how to do this better for nearly a hundred years. It is particularly important if the aircraft you are trying to intercept is moving faster than you (eg if you are flying an Interceptor).

What is needed is to plot the UFO's current course and speed (which X-Com has from radar data), and plot an intercept course. The maths for this is pretty easy (the intersection of 2 vectors) and can be implemented in a few lines of code, if we can find out where the current interception algorithm is, and patch it.

Actually the radar bearing shown on screen is only accurate to within 45 degrees. I presume that X-Com does actually know the UFO's bearing, since it can clearly track the UFO's movements. Finding where that variable is located might be different.

While we're at it, it would be nice if the UFO detection information displayed the actual bearing in degrees, rather than just the compass direction (North East, South, etc).

Even if the improved intercept algorithm only used a bearing accurate to within 45 degrees, that would still be better for remote UFOs. You might need to switch to "head straight for it" once you get to very close range. [[User:Spike|Spike]]

==== All Aircraft Weapons Useful ====

In a balanced game, all weapons should have their uses, or at least a niche, but sadly this is not so:

The Cannon is only useful for shooting down Small Scouts, and even that is practically impossible, due to the difficulty in closing to 10km range with any UFO, particularly the fast-accelerating Small Scout. The fact that its ammo takes 96 hours to arrive, when all other craft ammo types only take 48 hours, is a bizarre anomaly making the Cannon marginally even less useful - particularly since the time you would use it most is at the beginning of the game, when you do not have enough ammunition even to deploy the Cannon you already given.

The Stingray is only really useful for forcing down Small Scouts (it usually avoids destroying them) and otherwise the Avalanche is better in every meaningful way. The Stingray also takes twice as long to rearm for some odd reason, making it operationally much worse than the Avalanche.

The (unmodified) Laser Cannon is inferior to the Avalanche for more or less everything, apart from running cost. It does have a higher payload but this is hardly relevant (except perhaps in allowing the aircraft to remain on station longer, performing multiple engagements before entering the time-consuming refuel/re-arm cycle). If attacking a UFO that you would struggle to kill with Avalanches, you are unlikely to own an aircraft that would survive long enough to inflict more damage than an Avalanche when mounting Laser Cannon instead.

The Fusion Ball Launcher has a [[Talk:Craft_Armaments#Fusion_Balls_better_than_Plasma_Beams.3F|possible niche]] in fighting Battleships when mounted on Interceptors. Even then, it is difficult and expensive to have aircraft configured to fight only one enemy.

Unfortunately, the optimum path for craft weapon development is all-Avalanche followed by all-Plasma Beam. This is a shame.

Suggestions to 'tune up' the other weapons (see link below for latest suggestions/detail):

*Cannon - Increase the damage to 15 and 50% hit. So at least there is a pay-off if you manage to get in close.
*Stingray - Raise Stingray accuracy to 80% but drop Avalanche to 60%. Double the rearm rate so it can be reloaded as fast as an Avalanche launcher.
*Laser Cannon - increase accuracy to 50% and damage to 100.
*FBL - increase the ammo from 2 to 3.

It might be worth considering 'tune down' the Plasma Beam as well, particularly its stand-off range. It seems odd that humans copy alien plasma weapons and right away improve the range. It would be reasonable if the human plasma cannon had shorter range than the UFO plasma cannons, and more consistent with the ranges of other cannon weapons. (One could ask how X-Com even developed a targeting system that is accurate for direct fire at or beyond the extreme range of self-homing missiles - even if the plasma cannon itself is that accurate, how do you exploit that accuracy by aiming it?).

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 04:02, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

An alternative to tweaking the stats, is to tweak the costs. Realistic costs such as $386K for an Avalanche and $125K for a Stingray will put some pressure to use weapons that are cheaper to operate. And XComUtil has an option that substantially increases the effective build costs of Plasma Beams, making them less optimal.

See also: [[User:Spike#Balancing_Aircraft_Weapons]]

:I'd like to submit a slightly different proposal.
:*Making the Cannon pure murder at knife-fight range is a good idea, I second it.
:*Swap the respective ranges of the Stingray and the Avalanche. The smaller a UFO is, the sooner it tries to make a run for it, so longer-ranged weapons can get more shots off before this happens. By giving the Stingray a range advantage over the Avalanche, the weaker but longer-ranged Stingray is now better for hunting scout UFOs by way of having a larger time window in which it can dish out its damage. Against medium and large UFOs, the more generous escape timer means the Avalanche comes out on top, making both weapons useful in their own respective situations rather than the Avalanche being objectively superior.
:*Swap the respective ranges of the Laser Cannon and the Plasma Cannon. With this, the Laser Cannon can comfortably shoot down everything smaller than a Terror Ship - but the idea is that everything an Interceptor with a Laser Cannon does not outrange, it does not have the firepower to reliably kill before getting shot down, which is where the Plasma Cannon comes in as a higher-risk-higher-reward alternative.
:*Increasing the FBL's ammo count is a good idea, but I'd personally also give its range a tiny little notch upwards so that it just very barely outranges a Battleship ''without having enough ammo to shoot it down''. The idea here is to make the FBL a safe-but-insufficient-by-itself support weapon, being able to soften the Battleship up from standoff range with 100% guaranteed damage but needing something else to deliver the killing blow.
:An alternative option to the above is to re-tool weapon damage/accuracy values to make missile-type weapons your primary damage dealers and cannon-type weapons a backup option for delivering the killing blow if the missiles fail to do the trick - though in this, I'm admittedly biased due to the fact that I always use missile + cannon combo loadouts on my crafts (Stringray/Cannon on Interceptors with Stringray/Laser as an upgrade, Avalanche/Plasma on Firestorms, FBL/Plasma on Avengers) because simply dual-wielding the hardest-hitting gear I have at the moment is boring.
:[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] ([[User talk:Amitakartok|talk]]) 19:27, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
::Swapping the ranges of the Avalanche and Stingray would just make the Avalanche even more useless than the vanilla Stingray. The Stingray has more total firepower per hardpoint (70*70%*6 = 294 > 240 = 100*80%*3) and more firepower per dollar (70*70%/$3000 = 163 damage/$1000 > 89 damage/$1000 = 100*80%/$9000), while the Avalanche has only marginally better DPS (100*80%/72=1.11 damage/frame >~ 1.02 damage/frame = 70*70%/48). The Avalanche's ''only'' real advantage over the Stingray is its range - it's just that range is by far the most relevant attribute of weapons (the Small Scout/Medium Scout/Large Scout run away fast, so short-range weapons have much-reduced time to fire, the Supply Ship/Terror Ship have powerful weapons of medium range, so short-range weapons = dead interceptor, and the Battleship's a moot point; the Stingray actually is a slightly better choice against the two UFOs I haven't mentioned - the Abductor and Harvester - but they're rare as hen's teeth). The solution in TFTD was to narrow the gap in range between the AJAX and DUP Head while making Survey Ships not an escape risk, and IMO it worked; the two torpedoes are quite balanced against each other.
::Giving the Laser Cannon the Plasma Beam's range and vice versa (with no other changes) doesn't have it quite as bad, as the Plasma Beam would still have far more DPS and total firepower. However, a 52km Laser Cannon is still good enough to be the "I-win" loadout on Interceptors - it gets standoff against everything except Battleships, it has the same DPS as the Stingray (only slightly less than that of the Avalanche), and while its total firepower per hardpoint is less than that of the Plasma Beam it's still more than enough to crash any UFO in the game. The only time you'd want anything else would be when dealing with Battleships (when you'd want either advanced craft with the 21km Plasma Beam, or FBLs, both at a much higher price than the Laser Cannon). [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] ([[User talk:Magic9mushroom|talk]]) 06:00, 11 May 2020 (UTC)

===Score for retaliation Battleships===

When a Battleship on retaliation attacks your base and is shot down, you get no score for it. This is completely illogical and it discourages any use of base defences. You should get normal 700 (or even 1400) points for it.
--[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 14:05, 30 August 2008 (PDT)

: I'm not sure about this. Yes it's illogical, but it could also be a licence to get a huge score if you have a strong enough base. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:16, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

:: The impenetrable base setup would turn into a cheat. As the aliens will keep hammering the base with a battleship until one breaks through, you'll have a steady supply of points without having to really do anything. Some balancing, such as paying to rearm your defence modules, ought to be thrown in to balance things out. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:13, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
::: A better fix would be to remove the retaliation flag when a battleship is destroyed. If someone can post a savegame with a never-ending flow of base attacks, I may have a look at the fix. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:05, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

:::: Ummm, it seems the best solution (I, for one, can't think of any better), but wouldn't it assume that only the BattleShip really locates the player's base? All those scouts for nothing? [Still the best solution, though] [[User:N|n]] 15:01, 16 August 2010 (GMT+1)

=== Tougher UFOs ===

==== The Problem ====

So let me get this straight. The first hybrid airborne weapon that humans ever build, and it immediately outclasses every weapon the aliens ever built, including their Battleship weapon? After all the Aliens have only been building plasma weapons for a few million years, us humans have been doing it for ''months''!

More to the point, once you get Plasma Beams, downing UFOs is like shooting fish in a barrel. Even Battleships aren't that exciting if you show up with enough ships.

What is needed is to push up the range, damage, and rate of fire of all the UFO weapons, particularly the UFOs you will be fighting by the time you have plasma beams. At a minimum, the weapon on a Battleship should be at least as powerful as, say, 2 Plasma Beams (as found on the XCom craft it is fighting)? Instead of slightly less than half as powerful? Compared to a single Plasma Beam, only the Battleship weapon has better range. It has double the accuracy, slightly higher damage, but half the fire rate. Net 5.7% more firepower than one Plasma Beam, but no match for 2. And the Battleship weapon of course is the most powerful in the alien arsenal.

Possible tune ups for UFOs:

*Battleship - increase to 255 weapon power, improve reload rate to 12 (from 24). Now roughly equivalent to 4 Plasma Beams in total firepower (on Beginner difficulty). Increase range to 69km, so that the Battleship commences fire as soon as an XCom craft begins its attack run. Or better, increase range to 70+km, the limit of the interception window, so that the Battleship starts firing immediately the XCom craft enters air combat range. This would disrupt XCom aircrafts' ability to form up into a flight of 4, prior to commencing their attack. Overall, this would make it much harder to down Battleships. Increasing weapon range to 70+km would also make it much harder to tail a Battleship - manual control in the Geoscape would be needed to hold off outside of combat range. Really, the Battleship should not sit there like a sitting duck. Does it think XCom are friendly?
*Terror Ship - increase range to 52 (or decrease Plasma Beam range to 42), so stand-off kills are not possible with Plasma Beams?
*Actually maybe all the larger UFOs should have weapon range 69-70+km, so they behave very aggressively toward XCom craft.

NB: Strange effects occur if weapon range goes over 70km so it's probably best to leave it at 70km rather than 75km.

NB: Also, changes to rate of fire need to be looked at carefully though because Difficulty Level also reduces reload rate for UFOs. Between Beginner (Difficulty 0) and Superhuman (Difficulty 4), rate of fire (and thus firepower) for Battleships, Terror Ships and Supply Ships increases by 24/(24-4x2=16) or 50%. But if the base reload rate for these weapons was reduced to 12, the transition from Beginner to Advanced would increase firepower '''three''' times for these 3 UFOs (less so for the smaller UFOs). It is less risky to increase the weapon power. Unfortunately there are only 2 firepower variables to play with - damage and reload rate - so there are not a lot of options, especially for the Battleship which already has weapon strength 148 out of a probable maximum of 255.

:More detail on this. For Medium Scout, Large Scout and Abductor, with nominal reload rate 48gs, the rate of fire improves +20% between Beginner and Superhuman. For Harvester (32gs) it improves one third. For Large UFOs (Terror Ship, Supply Ship, Battleship - 24gs) the improvement is +50%. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 20:28, 14 February 2010 (EST)

I think we should assume that the Battleship, which is bigger than the entire XCom base, is engaging XCom craft with its secondary weapons rather than its main armament, which could probably destroy Manhattan with a glancing hit.

I would really like to see the hypothetical Mega-Battleship go up against XCom's finest - a flight of 4 Avengers armed with dual Plasma Cannon or dual Fusion Ball Launchers. With the Battleship having 70+km range, 255 weapon power, and an effective fire rate on Superhuman triple that of the PB, it would have the firepower of 11 Plasma Beams - 36% more firepower than the whole attacking XCom force combined. To be honest I think that would be carnage, not sure XCom could win. So that would be tuning the Battleship up too much. The 3-fold increase in rate of fire when on Superhuman is just too much. Maybe just max out the damage to 255 and range to 75. This gives a 72% increase in firepower, and a challenging tactical problem for XCom (forming up and approaching under fire).

The smaller UFOs can probably stay as they are. It is not until later in the game that XCom advances so that even large UFOs are easy pickings. What is the crossover point? Maybe the medium UFOs. So it might be good to reduce the reload times of the medium UFOs from 48 / 32 to 24, a good increase in firepower.

In general I think all UFOs energy weapons should have at least as good range as the XCom energy weapons, even the Medium Scout. Again, they have been using these weapons for millions of years and we only just figured out how to copy them from the aliens, how could our weapons be better than the aliens? How did our first plasma weapon out-range and out-perform all but the hugest UFO plasma beam? And on an airframe the size of a Small Scout we mount ''two'' such weapons? On the battlefield we only are able to replicate alien weapons; how is it that in the air we are able to improve on them ''masssively''?

Perhaps there should never be a stand-off advantage, except possibly with missiles -which should be less accurate with longer range. The XCom stand off advantage is really unfair because as far as I have seen the UFOs never attempt to close to effective range, even when they are getting killed. They don't break off much, either, though I think I have seen that happen on occasion.

==== Specific Proposals ====

===== No Standoff Beam Attacks =====

Increase ''all'' UFO plasma weapon ranges to at least 55km (compared to 52km for the XCom plasma weapon). Now only launched XCom weapons (Avalanche and Fusion Ball) have standoff advantage. Probably also reduce the accuracy of the Avalanche to 60% and buff Stingray accuracy to 80%, providing both weapons with a useful niche role.

===== No Standoff Attacks =====

Increase ''all'' UFO plasma weapon ranges to 66km (compared to 52km for the XCom plasma weapon). Now ''no'' XCom weapon has standoff advantage. (The benefit of a longer range weapon is simply spending less time being fired on by the UFO.)

===== Twitchy Aliens =====

Increase all UFO ranges to 69km. They will attack as soon as XCom aircraft commence any attack run.

===== Hostile Aliens =====

Increase all UFO ranges to 70km. They will attack as soon as XCom aircraft enter intercept range. UFOs now fire first, and tailing them unchallenged is impossible.

===== Improved Medium UFOs =====

Reduce (improve) the nominal reload time of Medium UFOs, Abductors and Harvesters, from 48gs and 32gs to 24gs. This increases the challenge in the early-mid game, when XCom might first be deploying advanced weapons.

===== Improved Battleships =====

Increase damage to 255. They're firing (bigger) Fusion Balls! A Battleship now has the same firepower as one XCom Craft with dual Plasma Beams (gosh wow!). It's a start, but what if we...

===== Super Battleships =====

... also reduce nominal reload time to 18gs. Giving a further one-third extra firepower on Beginner, 60% more on Superhuman.

===== Mega Battleships =====

... or for a real challenge, reduce reload time to 12gs. A further doubling of the firepower on Beginner - a further ''four'' times increase on Superhuman. Now Superhuman Battleships out-gun the biggest fleet XCom can throw at them!

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 00:25, 19 February 2010 (EST)

: the flip side of this is weakening Xcom craft - apart from firepower issues there is also the issue of range: the ranges of the transport craft are such that really no more than 1 manned base is necessary to cover the globe for terror site defense. Setting e.g. the fuel capacity of the Skyranger to 500 results in roughly 1 base per continent required. This has interesting strategic consequences: need for more bases makes the ecomics more challenging (and thus slows down research). [[User:Emphyrio|Emphyrio]] 08:43, 9 August 2010 (EDT)

===Enforced Variant Games===

Various people like to play various variant games, such as No Alien Technology, or No Detection, or No Lethal Weapons - see for example Scott Jones' notes to XComUtil. It would be nice to have options on the game executable to enforce these scenarios. Self restraint is hard! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

Some of these variant scenarios have been implemented in [[UFO Extender]] by [[User:Seb76#Mods|Seb76]].

===Recruit Certain Alien Types===

Consider that not all aliens are loyal to their master (most TFTD alien has a device lodged to its brain), it would be interesting (or at least cool) if we could recuit such aliens to the XCOM cause. Maybe we can remove the controling devices from captive aliens after research on that species. Or convince the head of the Snakemen that it would be far more benefit to his race to help us instead of the Ethereals [[User:L-Zwei|L-Zwei]] 23:25, 12 September 2008 (PDT).

Only certain alien types should be recruitable. Ones that should NOT be include Mutons (as they are directly controlled by Ethereals), Chrysallids (unbalancing), etc. It would be nice to be able to reverse-engineer Cyberdiscs or Sectopods, or make it that a Cyberdisc must be researched to build hovertanks/etc.
[[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 13:32, 18 September 2008 (PDT)
: It's pretty obvious which ones should be recruitable: non-robotic terror units that are captured alive. Chryssalids should simply do melee damage instead of impregnating (as the resulting spawn would not be mind-controlled and therefore XCOM wouldn't do it). Silacoids would be pretty ineffectual, and reapers slightly less so, but both would be disposable scouts. Celatids might actually have some use (eating through hulls with acid, and arcing over walls) but are fragile. All of these would require capturing a terror alien alive after researching Psi Amp. The two robotic units should require a live alien Engineer researched as well as UFO Construction, and the materials for building one would be one corpse of the appropriate type, Alien alloys and Elerium (to repair and refuel the husk). The Sectopod should probably be nerfed somewhat, so that it isn't quite so invincible to Heavy Plasma shots - after all, it was probably a twisted and melted modern art piece by the time it finally went down). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

=== Research ===

==== Game option: sell only researched items ====

The fact that you may sell the alien items for the best price once you get them, without any research, is illogical. Such staff would never get on the market, being top secret and potentially dangerous to the humanity.

Selling without proper research does not help the replay value of the game either: once you know the "right path" to get the best items, you simply sell anything else immediately and ignore the unnecessary research. Too easy.

Therefore I wish for this game option: unknown items are sold for 0 (including the alien corpses), the known ones for their full price. This makes the sustainable economics much harder to develop and it gives sense to the "useless" research. Last but not least, it adds a lot of depth to the gameplay: will you choose research of a new weapon you need on the field, or of a mind probe that will earn you millions in sales? --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 15:55, 6 April 2009 (EDT)

: I really like this option, it's a great idea. Makes the game harder and makes it more interesting, more varied. Gives extra value to the otherwise "useless" research paths. Good thinking! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:06, 24 August 2009 (EDT)

: I'd prefer that unresearched artifacts/corpses sold for a fraction of their original value (no more than 25%). It makes no sense that nobody would pay to research them for themselves. Additionally, Laser Cannon sell price needs to be nerfed. [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

: This would have the added benefit that you would know if it was 'safe' or not to sell an item research wise. Coloring the un-researched items differently on the Sell/Sack screen would be good too ~ [[User:Renegrade|Renegrade]] 13:30, 19 August 2010 (EDT)

==== New Research Mechanics ====

The above comments spurred some ideas to make the research more realistic and the path to victory less obvious.

For flavor reasons, give research options vague names instead of exact names. This already exists in some research topics, such as "New Fighter Craft" instead of "Firestorm". So, research topics might read "Alien Hovertank Wreck" instead of "Cyberdisc Corpse", "Grey Alien Corpse" instead of "Sectoid Corpse" or "Alien Pistol" instead of "Plasma Pistol". The names would be revealed in the UFOpaedia entry, and certain items would then be renamed as per common sense.

Hide the ranks of aliens in captivity until they are researched (so you'd see Live Grey Alien #1, Live Grey Alien #2 if you had two Sectoids available for research). However, if you happened to have two Soldier ranks in containment, you'd only see one topic. The same rank/race combination would never appear again, but you might have to research several specimens of the same species to get the useful one you want. The alternative would be to have researched Mind Probe, which would tell you exactly what you had in containment (just as it does on the battlefield).

Once an alien or its corpse is researched, then all other instances of that alien or its body are renamed appropriately. For example, research a live Muton and Muton corpses become obvious, and vice versa. "Live Green Humanoid Alien" is also renamed to "Live Muton".

Finally, there should be a few more prerequisites in place to make less useful research more necessary. As someone else has mentioned, you should need a Cyberdisc Corpse to research Hovertanks. I'd also suggest that Psi Amp and Mind Shield require the research of Mind Probe (seeing as both entail scanning for minds as a logical first step), and that Flying Suits require Floater Corpse, Cyberdisc Corpse or a live Floater researched as an additional prerequisite (not Ethereals, as they fly with the power of their huge brains). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

:These are all good suggestions and make a lot of sense. An alternative explanation of the names (seen in some fan fiction) is that these names are not the real names, but are made up by XCom troops based on some limited battlefield experience of them. But revealing the "real" alien race names through Research is a fun idea. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 08:44, 1 September 2009 (EDT)

[[TFTDextender|TFTD Extender]] now provides options for improvements to the TFTD Research tree, to make research more logical (and less buggy). A similar exercise is possible with UFO Extender now that the location of the Research tree in the code is known. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

==== Dismantle researched items ====

Beginning a research project on an item should immediately remove that item from your storage. Currently it's possible to begin research on Heavy Plasma and Sectoid Corpse, then immediately sell those items, which makes no sense. Instead, we should assume that the eggheads need to dismantle an item to study it, thereby making it useless.

Completing a research topic on a live alien should create an appropriate corpse in storage, but this is less noticeable. Or do X-Com give all researched aliens diplomatic immunity and $20 for a cab fare?

:+1 to these suggestions. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 16:51, 29 November 2012 (EST)

=== Manufacture ===
* After buying the first cannon or rocket tank, that particular HWP becomes available for manufacture. Accordingly, either must be available for manufacture before laser tanks can be built (the chassis design has to come from ''somewhere'').[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

=== Base Managemet ===

==== Inventory management ====

I only want to keep 1 (or 0) sectoid corpse. If I have any more, sell them immediately and automatically. Sometimes having to sell all the stuff you've captured is just a chore.

Also, let me automatically repurchase goods when my stores get too low.[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

==== Monthly maintenance fees ====

Later in the game, when you are way beyond what the sponsor nations are paying you and are instead selling captured/manufactured items to fund your operation, the end of the month can be a real PITA, because you need to build up a reserve of cash to avoid being shut down for financial problems. (This was worse with the misreported funding bug.) At the least, show us in one place exactly how much we need to raise at that time.

Or make payments be done on a weekly/daily/hourly/continuously basis. This also means that I don't have to pay a same salary to someone who I hire on the 2nd or I hire on the 27th.

Oh, and the cheat of "soldiers/scientists/engineers in flight don't need to be paid" needs to be squashed while we're at it. (But watch out fixing this one without making salary payments continuous; my current strategy is to hire most people just before the end of the month, which I would need to modify to hiring just after the start of the month.)[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

==== Day Rates ====

Financial planning in the game is distorted by the fact that Engineers, Scientists and Soldiers receive a full month's pay for their first month, even if they only work one day in that month. This leads to bursts of hiring at the beginning of each month, and worsens the cash squeeze at the beginning of each month.

It would be nice if you could hire personnel at any time during the month, and they would only cost you their hiring fee (one month's salary in full), plus only as much of the first month's salary as they actually worked during that first month. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 06:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Change date ===

1999 looks quite silly now, 13 years later and I don't think mankind has even laser weapons now. So if it's not hardcoded for some alien actions in further years, I'd move game at least to year 2020, more likely even later. [[User:mikiqex|mikiqex]] 10:30, 12 January 2012 (CET)
:As a matter of fact, we do have laser weapons now, to some extent: Humvee-mounted ground-to-ground laser, aircraft-mounted anti-ICBM laser and ground-based point-defense laser that can shoot down a variety of incoming ordinance from missiles to mortar shells, all in the experimental phase and expected to hit mass-production in a decade. But yeah, I agree with this suggestion.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 13:30, 21 March 2013 (EDT)

=== Active Alien Bases ===

Right now, alien bases don't do anything aside from increasing alien presence in a region and attracting Supply Ships. This should be remedied and I know just how to do it.

* All alien bases have a "readiness level". Initially, this is at 100% but can be reduced via base assaults. Every alien killed and certain equipment destroyed decreases this level but if the base isn't destroyed (the mission fails or gets aborted) and subsequent Supply Ships aren't intercepted/attacked on the ground, then 24 hours after a successful resupply the base's readiness level will be back at maximum. Then and only then will killed aliens respawn and destroyed/taken equipment get replaced, not before. This reduces the profitability of "base milking" smash-and-grab operations but is not the primary purpose of the mod.
* Like the name indicates, alien bases should have a more active role. That is, alien bases will frequently dispatch Small and Medium Scouts on Research and Abduction missions, crewed by the same race the base belongs to. How often this happens depends on the base's readiness level, ie. a busted-up base will be barely hanging on but a fully-functional one will be a real beehive.
* Optional: if a base is present in a country, it significantly increases the chance of the country being successfully infiltrated.
* If a base goes unmolested for too long, it will become fortified and spawn two or even three times as many aliens (as many as the tileset allows) plus it takes on a more aggressive role:
** Launches Infiltration missions into nearby areas.
** ''"Leave us the [PRESUMED ALIEN EXPLETIVE] alone!!!"'': if attacked several times in rapid succession (depending on difficulty level; happens after a single invasion attempt on Superhuman), it sends out Retaliation scouts in the general direction the attacks are coming from, looking farther and farther away after every attack.
** ''"Oh no, you don't!"'': if it had been attacked at least once, the base will attempt to intercept X-Com craft passing nearby. It does so by dispatching a scout that follows the intruder at top speed and, once within a certain distance, forces it to engage the UFO in Aggressive mode. If the UFO is faster, all other modes and the Disengage button will be disabled as well. Even if the X-Com craft can run away, the UFO will follow it everywhere unless shot down or the craft lands, in which case the aliens dispatch Retaliation scouts to find the intruder's homebase.
** The above three options all make the base more dangerous but will also increase the payoff and provide an alternative to the nerfed "base milking" tactic.

I have NO idea if these are even possible but they would be highly interesting.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:44, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

: +1. This is a great set of suggestions. I think the necessary manipulations of [[MISSION.DAT]] are fairly well understood. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

== Battlescape and Tactical ==

===Equipment Management===

All wishes are currently implemented!

===Fog of War Improvements===

I'm sure most of these would be an absolute PAIN to implement, but I figured I'd toss the ideas out here.

====Prior Recon of Battlefield====
One thing that has always irked me is X-COM has no terrain knowledge when it lands, despite having probably circled the place two or three times before landing and thus they should know at least some of the area. This would be nice, but isn't too important. Probably would be a pain to implement so X-COM would have all knowledge of external features but no knowledge of building interiors, anyways. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Yes at the very least, when you splash the UFO, it could tell you (via some miracle technology such as "satellite reconnaisance") what the terrain type is of the landing zone area. Then you could adjust equipment accordingly. And adjust your uniform camouflage (if using one of the uniform mods). [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:16, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

:: Geoscape: center on the site, then maximum zoom. Aside from having to disambiguate forest from jungle, this works fine for knowing the exact terrain you're getting into. -- [[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 10:17, 4 Sept 2008 (CDT)

:::This is already present in the game. To center the Geoscape on a specific location, right-click on the target spot. To do maximum zoom in, right click on the Zoom-In button(and the same works for Zoom-Out). Also, Jungle and Forest use the same display algorithm, but are easy to differentiate; Forest occurs NORTH of the equator, and Jungle occurs SOUTH. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 13:23, 4 September 2008 (PDT)

:Returning to AQ's original suggestion, it wouldn't be too hard would it for the dropship to "radar map" the target, and then have the basic map show up on your scanner on Turn 1? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

====Dynamic Fog====

The Fog of War in X-COM is clumsily implemented, compared to modern expectations. Everything starts out black, but after exploring, is shown...and it's kept in the same showing, regardless of whether you actually have LoS to that area anymore. It would be nice if when you no longer had Line of Sight to a particular map area, it would be cloaked in a way so that you knew the terrain, but not the units there. Since I've sometimes spent over half an hour trying to hunt down that last alien hiding in area I'd already explored. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Maybe greyscale explored but out-of-LOS areas?--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:45, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

====Deactivate Object Radar====

Currently, in X-COM, any objects dropped in a given square show on your Battlescape, regardless of whether you have Line of Sight to the square or not. In regards to dropped weapons/grenades/equipment/dead soldiers/dead aliens, this doesn't make a large difference. But in the case of STUNNED aliens, a quick scan across the Battlescape can tell you whether the alien you stunned 10 turns ago is still down, or stood back up(the stunned alien object will disappear from the stack). Of course, since aliens which have revived from stun are almost always disarmed(and the ones that aren't probably should've been killed instead), the usefulness of this 'exploit' is reduced mainly to finding out that the last alien you're looking for is just wandering aimlessly and unarmed. Perhaps leave stacks showing the same until you regain LoS to that area? [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

====Crushed Buildings====

Why don't we see any crushed or destroyed buildings? Does a UFO always fall like a rock, perpendicular to the ground? No marks on the ground? Such impact would do massive damage to the land (a small meteor can do much if it has a high speed...). (Also, at the [debatedly] "real" UFO crash zones UFO parts were scattered over miles)

I'd like to see chopped buildings, entering UFO's through a barns; entering an abductor from a immediate house's roof if I have plasma and no flying suits yet. - [[User:N|n]] 15:01, 16 August 2010 (GMT+1)

: The Pocket PC remake of the game did this, though it seems the site it concern has vanished off the face of the net. Could probably find a copy if you're interested.

: By the way, you can generate a time/date stamped signature by typing four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>). - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 23:04, 16 August 2010 (EDT)

:: Amazingly enough (is it Truman Show of me or just a coincidence :)?), my GF found a low-tech palmtop (with/in a case)... on the pavement. With no personal data and means to find the owner; when I laid my hands on it, I actually found and installed Ufo:EU there, but it wouldn't run :(. [And thanks! again for the 4 tildes name/timestamp trick] - [[User:N|n]] 19:18, 18 August 2010 (EDT)

===Restore Game from Battlescape===

It would be nice to be able to reload a saved game directly from the Battlescape "?" screen, rather than having to go through the process of Abandoning to the Geoscape. Would you need to check it was a Battlescape save and not a Geoscape save? Maybe, maybe not. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

===Grenades===

*Stun Grenades: I want flashbangs.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:59, 11 September 2008 (PDT)
:Instead of stunning, I'd see more effect if it would remove some TUs to units having line of sight (to be fare it should affect xcom units too). It would help against reaction fire (which is the point of flashbangs). Given that grenades detonate at the end turns, it would require a good coordination to have the grenade detonate exactly at the end of the alien turn, and just before your attack. Being able to open doors à la xcom2 would also help to throw flashbangs just before a craft assault... [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 22:03, 12 September 2008 (PDT)
::That would be good. Hard to program, potentially extremely unbalancing, but good. I considered a "debuff" kind of ability (as you suggest) for flashbangs, vs the more obvious substitution of [[stun]] for [[Explosions|HE]] damage. In the end, I picked "I want flashbangs."--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 03:32, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
: Maybe flashbangs dont' work on Aliens - otherwise, XCom would use them, right? :) But seriously, I too would like flashbangs, and stun grenades / concussion grenades. Both of these would make the game easier, though. With flashbangs, you might have to compensate by just giving the aliens more TUs. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:33, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
::More options for the player is going to make it easier for any kind of game. Particularly of games like XCOM where the computer can't take advantage of the changes. However I don't believe a weak stun grenade (like 44 stun damage, comparable to AC-HE) would change the game much because the 80 item limit remains.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:21, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
* Rudimentary IFF recognition in proximity grenades, ie. it checks the unit ownership variable (the same one that gets flipped during mind control and used to cause the Hostile Civilians bug) of everyone who wanders into its sensor range and only explodes if it doesn't match the ownership of the unit that threw it. Naturally, it would be fooled by mind control and would also blow up civilians but it would minimize mine-related friendly fire...
:: ...which makes me wonder: if a proxy kills a friendly unit, does it count as friendly fire caused by the guy who planted the proxy? If not, would you make it so, just for the hell of it? [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

===Night Vision===

I '''don't''' want to add night vision equipment to the game. I assume that either (1) all XCom units already have night vision gear as standard, but it's not as good as alien night vision, and the visibility that XCom units have at night is based on their standard-issue night vision gear, or (2) night vision gear does not work on Aliens. Either they do not appear on night vision, or maybe worse - maybe the aliens can manipulate night vision equipment, causing worse than normal vision, or hallucinations, and even tricking XCom units into firing on each other. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:33, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:Wouldn't it be nice though if it had gradients other than "day: 20 squares" "night: 9 squares" ? Like.. "early morning/late evening: 10-19 squares" ? I find the cut off from full daylight to full night kinda disturbing. ~ [[User:Renegrade|Renegrade]] 10:41, 19 August 2010 (EDT)

:: I originally thought of this when dreaming of a Stargate-themed patch for X-COM -- but what about enemies that are invisible unless you are facing them while wielding a certain weapon designed to spot them? (Stargate fans: I'm thinking of the TERs.) [[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

:Turning off the aura of light around soldiers during night missions, making the player see about as much as the soldiers do.

:Thoughts about NV equipment:
* 2x1 item that needs to be placed into a shoulder slot.
* Vision range with NV would depend on the ambient light levels:
** During daytime, they would see as far with NV as in complete darkness without.
** The darker it is, the greater the vision range, up to a maximum of 15 hexes...
** ...but complete darkness still incurs a minor penalty as most NV gear are image ''intensifiers'', NOT infrared goggles. That is, they still need ambient light to work properly.

--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 13:50, 21 March 2013 (EDT)

: I think that, after a few turns in a night mission, a soldier's visual range should be increased due to natural nightvision. This does, of course, assume that all the weapons have flash suppressors, but it would make at least some sense, although would probably be difficult to implement. If it became possible, it would be even more realistic to decrease a soldier's accumulated nightvision if they are near electroflares, streetlights, or explosions. --[[User:BenWaters|BenWaters]] 05:15, 6 April 2013 (EDT)

===Throwing over stuff===
'''(Moved to Talk, as this is not a bug and so does not need fixing.)'''

===Assault Time Limit===

One of the cool things about UFO Defence is there are no time limits on the scenarios. This is great as it allows for a totally different kind of tactics and much more flexibility.
It's more of a "thinking man's game" as a result. But... arguably this is not very realistic for UFO Assault missions. If the Aliens are getting creamed, they should try to make a getaway if they can (just like XCom would). A simple way to implement this would be a hard time limit (say 20 turns?) on a UFO Assault. Another way would be to base it on Alien Morale. At a certain Morale level the aliens decide to dust off. Give the player say 3 turns warning while they rev up the engines. Then if there is still a Navigator or Engineer in the Control Room alive, the ship takes off. Any XCom troops still aboard are MIA.

You might run into problems if the UFO took off but then landed again or was shot down, generating another ground mission with potentially '''more''' Aliens than were still alive at the end of the Assault. (Still, maybe they hatch some more clones if they get time to....) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 09:51, 4 September 2008 (PDT)

: It strikes me as justified they don't do that. Troops loose in the vessel could be seriously bad. It would be nice if they dusted off on the condition that their morale was low enough or 3 X-com soldiers had the door in their sights without aliens alive outside in the latter case and no X-com soldiers on board in either case. also, if the UFO has a hole in either the command or engine room, it would have to set down before leaving the atmosphere. [[User:(name here)|(name here)]]

Taking off with troops onboard would be perfectly safe (for the aliens) and justifiable if one assumes that alien ships in flight are inherently inhospitable for humans. This is easily done by saying that they undergo accelerations that humans can't withstand (splat), can't withstand for any length of time (pass out), or that they intentionally make rapid accelerations in different directions, either normally or just if they're trying to bash some intruders around. Naturally, the aliens themselves would either be immune to these (tough physique / their built-in antigrav devices?), or be in acceleration chairs, safe from all this.

Alternatively, when you get the warning that the UFO is going to take off, you've got a certain amount of time to either get everyone '''off''' the UFO, or to get everyone '''on''' it (or as many as you can). There could be a follow-up mission that takes place in "sky" terrain, where the outdoors is either impassable (the easy way) or else instantly withdraws units from combat (flying suits / parachutes). The soldiers' goals would be to either take out the aliens and presumably safely land and salvage the UFO, or take out the UFO's means of flying (power cores / navigator?). In the latter case, they might have a certain number of turns to withdraw or be caught in the crash, with possible casualties just like the aliens, mitigated to some degree by their armour and maybe where inside the UFO they are.

In the case of a crash, there could be a final mission to finish off the surviving aliens, using the X-COM soldiers that survive the crash, and no landing craft (it's still back at the old landing site). Alternatively, you could say that there '''is''' an X-COM landing craft parked outside (with all remaining members of the original landing party), since the in-flight time / distance was presumably low and the original X-COM craft quickly packed up and flew to the new landing site. — [[User:Wisq|Wisq]] 17:11, 18 April 2010 (EDT)

Either side could try bringing in reinforcements -- if I can bring two interceptors to a fight in the sky, why can't I bring two troop transports? This starts to get complicated, but it's come up in discussion of making X-COM into an onlime multiplayer game... :) [[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

===Alien AI===

*Aliens cannot pick up items, but I wish they would. If an alien has no useful weapons in inventory they should either head for cover or head for a plasma weapon. Panicked aliens drop their weapons but never seem to pick them up when they managed to pull themselves together. It would be nice if they tried to arm themselves again. --[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 13:55, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

:Even if it's too hard to make aliens head towards weapons (is it safe?, could it be used to trap them, not to mention the complexities of route finding) - it would still be good if an unarmed alien checked for usable weapons in every square it moved through, and at least picked up one loaded weapon or grenade per turn. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

:Fixing the AI for this could be really hard. Apart from all the possible exploits by XCom, the AI is probably a really hard part of the game to reverse engineer. You could say that an unarmed alien is no threat anyway (we are only concerned about aliens without psi or built in weapons). So nothing is lost even with an exploitable method of re-arming. By exploitable I mean the XCom player can manipulate re-arming, e.g. by leaving weapons out in the open as bait for traps.

:Maybe the simplest modification would be to ''not'' drop weapons when the alien panics? This does not require delving in to the AI, just intercepting the panic effects. Dont make aliens drop any weapons when they panic. It would be reasonable to return the weapon in hand to inventory, so there is a TU cost for the alien to bring the weapon back into play again.

:This would not work for aliens who were stunned and wake up, or who were mind controlled by XCom and made to drop their weapons. But it would probably catch 80% of cases.

:Another cheat, short of fixing the AI, is just to pick up weapons that the alien walks over. It could also pick up "spare" weapons from adjacent aliens (cheating on TUs - basically just teleporting the items to the unarmed alien). Spare alien weapons are almost invariably grenades. I have not had a lot of success in getting unarmed aliens to use grenades, so more research is needed here. Maybe only certain types of aliens use grenades, or only in certain circumstances?

:Really, really cheating would be to teleport any weapon laying around the battlefield into the alien's inventory. But I think it is more fair just to say panicked aliens dont drop their equipment. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 16:13, 13 February 2010 (EST)

:Interesting research! [[User:Volutar |Volutar ]] found a disabled function in the code that makes aliens pick up items! [[Talk:OBDATA.DAT#Field_0x2D]]

* Depending on the aliens' intelligence stat, they can deliberately blast away cover with autofire if they saw any of your soldiers taking cover behind it. They already sort-of do this with grenades but not with other weapons. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]
* Aliens actively using [[Scouting#Scout/Sniper Tactics|sniper-spotter tactics]], taking the high ground whenever possible. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

==== End Psi Bullying and Psi Baiting ====
When the aliens use psi attacks they always go for your guys with the most chance of failing the attack and going nuts. Is it possible to make those pesky aliens attack random soldiers, regardless of their psi skill/strength?

: Not a bad idea to randomise this a bit, because while initially this tactic helps the aliens, it becomes so predictable that it can be used against them by deploying unarmed "Psi Bait" soldiers to draw off all the attacks. (Or make aliens avoid controlling/panicking soldiers who have no loaded weapons. But then folks would just give them pea shooters and wear armour.) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== 80 Item Limit on Base Defense Mission ===
: Well you get the 80 item limit on every mission, but it hurts more on a Base Defence as you have more limited ability, or sometimes no ability, to manage what goes into those 80 items. I was thinking about a couple of (theoretical) ways to fix this and I hit on a new one (new for me anyway): Why not take the 80 items from the Transport(s), first Transport then second Transport until you run out of items or hit 80. This has a few benefits:
:* Ready made interface to manage the 80-item limit, the Stores <> Craft (Equip Craft) Screen.
:* If you have no warning at all, the 80 items will probably make good tactical sense in general terms, even if they are are not totally optimised for Base Defence (no proximity mines, etc).
: I think that copying the Transport inventory into the Battlescape inventory would be relatively to implement (though what do I know?). As a simplification, you could move only the inventory in the ''first available'' Transport that is present in the Base, into the Battlescape, and not bother looking in more than one place (other Transports, Base Stores) to get up to 80. It would then be a bit of a drag if your Transports are all out on a mission when your Base gets attacked though. Or perhaps inspect the inventory of Transport 1 (wherever it is in the world), and then attempt to copy its inventory, using equipment present in the Base?
: Another way of doing it which has been mentioned elsewhere is to try to reverse the order of the items in the Stores list. This has the effect of putting the more advanced weapons first, rather than the more basic weapons. There could be all kinds of unwanted side effects of this, depending on various programming issues.
: Actually there is already a fix for the 80-item limit in XComUtil. XComUtil records a standard assign weapon set for each of your troops, and then teleports those weapons to the Battlescape from your Base Stores, regardless of the 80-item limit (but still subject to the Battlescape's 170-item limit). Not 100% sure if this works for Base Defence missions though.
:[[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== Collision Detection Bugs ===
I have noticed that sometimes you can shoot through hard objects, for example, recently I had a soldier up on the roof of a house overlooking a large scout craft. When a Sectiod moved through one of the inner doors of the UFO, my man shot him straight through the intact ufo roof!

=== Base Defence Systems Cause Alien Casualties ===

I don’t know if this is already implemented in the game? When the aliens attack your base and you defend it with base defense measures does the following occur and if not a mod maybe? When you hit the battleship with your weapons but it still gets through (e.g. you hit the battleship with some missiles before it lands) can the number of attackers be reduced accordingly. For example if you hit it with some missiles then maybe they could have a couple less soldiers attacking (could be random small amount) or when you hit with loads of stuff like plenty of fusion balls and the battleship just makes it then their attack could be reduced to a few aliens (all others got killed in the defense). As I say not sure if this is already there to some degree (not played in a long time and I’m not at that stage yet this time round).

: The general view is probably that Base Defence missions are a boon to XCOM already, so why make them any easier. At very least there would need to be more damage to the loot than there was to the Alien's combat effectiveness, otherwise this unbalances the game in favour of XCOM. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== Alien vs Alien ===
This one is way out there. Alien v Alien battles out with main game, just random battlescape maps. Sectoid and their terrorists against Floaters and theirs etc. One side human controlled the other computer. Choice of ships involved etc.

:I actually love this idea. It might just about be possible using XComUtil, if someone is a total XComUtil guru.

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There was a utility to do this from Devisraad. it has long since been removed from his site, but someone may still have it. The basics was you renamed unit and it automatically replaced graphics flag to swap out the units. Didn't work on the Large Aliens but still was a fun mod --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:20, 6 January 2010 (EST)

=== Aircraft in Base Defence Battlescape ===

New graphics for the Interceptor and Firestorm on the battlescape. All your ships could remain in their hangers when the aliens attack your base. Don’t understand why Mythos did not do this originally.

----

Simply for one reason: the limit on the size of the battlescape. UFO maps are usually limited to 10000 tiles (50x50x4), on Bases you have 9600 (60x60x3), the last level one being dirt. You need 3 levels to display X-COM craft. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 14:28, 23 September 2008 (PDT)

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Could you not do it but clip off the top level of the craft - leaving the ground level and 'deck' level? It would be a cool terrain area to fight in. I like the fact that in TFTD you can still see your subs during a base defence. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

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It is possible to edit the map files to include the Skyranger, but you'll have to use Xcomutil to play with that terrain and I think it would never launch during base defense missions (but I'm not sure on that - never tried editing the X-COM base terrain). [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 19:25, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

This could be done by creating new "hangar" map modules, each containing one of the five possible X-COM craft. Bung the modules into [[GEODATA.DAT]] at index 0C, and you're done. The catch is you can't have all craft or the MCD array will overflow. The base terrain uses ~160 tiles as it is (out of the max of 256), while the craft use about 60 each (on average). Putting them all in would take the table above 300 entries (that is to say, the game'd crash).

'Cause XcomUtil already provides us with an Intercepter design made up of SkyRanger parts, I suppose the way to go would be to only implement those two craft. If you have any alien technology ships, they could either be left out ("they were fast enough to escape") or rendered as SkyRangers.

It should also be noted that bases are made up of two levels, not three. Luckily, all the craft are only three levels high, so cutting out the landing gear still works. - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 19:56, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

Very true about the MCD limit, that's why I only mentioned the Skyranger but the Interceptor could be added as well (and would not make much sense to have your first defense mission with a nice Avenger parked on the hangar while your Interceptors are being blow to bits by Battleships). The bases are 3 levels but you can only modify two of them. The game engine automatically adds a layer of 'dirt modules' either at top or bottom. Hmmm, this just gave me an idea for the wish list... [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:29, 4 December 2009 (EST)

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Both alien and X-Com bases ''are'' only two levels. There must be something screwy in your game; XcomUtil maybe?

It occurs to me that removing landing gear and stuff might make it ''just'' possible to jam in the Lightning tiles as well (as the MCD requirements would also shrink slightly). That'd make it possible to add the Firestorm, too. Seems a shame to get that far then leave out the Avenger, though...

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 21:30, 4 December 2009 (EST)

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Nevermind, I completely misread your previous post. Yes, they are two levels only, could be Xcomutil that adds the 3rd level.

- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 22:30, 4 December 2009 (EST)

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You may be able to get 3 levels in an X-Com Base but not 4. EU has a smaller amount of memory alocated. I dont know the limit but 60x60x4 will crash EU. TFTD has no problem --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:25, 6 January 2010 (EST)

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I got partway through this and then decided to change my methods entirely and start from scratch. So I thought I might as well post my progress anyways, as it's already about on par with the crude TFTD implementation: You always have the same craft appear in your hanger regardless of what is (or isn't!) there.

[[Image:Skyranger In Hanger.rar]]

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 05:40, 17 December 2009 (EST)

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Hey BB, a while ago I have modded the plane terrain files so that the Skyranger appears facing east instead of south. If you want to use that one (to make it a little different) let me know. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 08:23, 17 December 2009 (EST)

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Thanks, but don't worry about it for now: it'll make the MCD arrays larger still, so I'll consider it when I get all the other stuff done.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 17:01, 19 December 2009 (EST)

----

The completed mod is now included in my toolpack. As usual, I've only done cursory testing on it, but I'm pretty sure it's stable enough.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 06:40, 20 January 2010 (EST)

=== Fixed firing TUs ===

Something that always bugged me was how the weapons used percentages for firing TUs. It doesn't make sense that the faster a soldier got, the longer it would take to fire a weapon.
: This is because you can't fire an automatic weapon any faster than it will shoot. However, it otherwise makes minimal sense, as you point out. I suggest two alternative solutions. Firstly, that only automatic fire modes use a fixed percentage of a soldier's time units, and other modes use a fixed number of TUs. This would entail the newer soldiers spraying and your most elite taking fast, selective single shots. The alternative is that each firing mode for each weapon entails its own formula (revealed in the UFOpaedia but essentially hidden during the battlescape) along the lines of "X% of TUs + Y TUs". Snap fire would be a low % of total plus a low fixed cost, Aimed would be a low % of total with a high fixed cost, and Auto would be a high % of total with a low fixed cost. While this is somewhat complex, in-game you wouldn't have to worry, and it accounts for what can be reduced (i.e. aiming speed) and what can never be improved by a soldier (i.e. cyclic rate of fire or time for a missile to lock). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]
:: These observations are very sensible. However we also need to consider the impact on game balance. If you implement this in an even-handed way, alien rates of fire will increase as they have high TUs. Or, if you fudge it so that alien rates of fire remain the same, then X-Com's advantage will increase as the game progresses. Neither of these are desirable. It would be extremely hard to implement this and still maintain game balance. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 08:41, 1 September 2009 (EDT)
:::Each turn has the exact same duration, but is divided into TUs separately for each soldier. That's a simplification that works well in a turn-based game and reflects the fact that a soldier is fast or slow. However, weapons need to be aimed and will not fire faster than normal, thus they require a fixed percentage of the turn duration. In other words, soldiers gain movement speed, but fire at the same rate. This is both desirable and logical, just not self-explanatory. Thus, I would definitely stick to how TUs consumption is solved currently. [[User:mingos|mingos]]

=== In-flight Interception ===

Yes, I know that this idea is nigh-impossible, but I was thinking, wouldn't it be awesome to infiltrate a battleship, kill the aliens inside and escape, with the geoscape being shown zooming past underneath? Also, in a similar vein to the "aliens dust off after 3 turns" idea, after killing the aliens ( or blowing up the power cores, maybe?)you would have to get as many troops as possible to the drop ship in 3 turns(in retrospect I guess that you could only do this with the Lightning because of the doors) or the ship crashes and all troops not in the dropship are missing in action. Yes, this idea is impractical and would be really hard to program, but the idea of blowing a UFO up from the inside just seems epic to me. [[User:WolfenMage|WolfenMage]]

=== Impose cost to using Psionic attacks===

I think everyone agrees Psi attacks are too powerful. I would propose to impose a cost to using Psionic attacks. This could take the form of decreasing the physical stats after using a PSi attack (after all all: the psionic races are physically weak). This could for example lead to a soldier becoming a weakling or even fainting or dying from using psi-attack. Another possibility is to decrease mental stats (in this case the ratio would be that humans are not really being adapted to psi: you could be expected to go crazy playing mind games) leading to a decrease in psionic powers or maybe panicking or beserking the soldier using psi. Together with limiting psi attacks of MCed units proposed elsewhere this would rebalance the later game somewhat... [[User:Emphyrio|Emphyrio]] 07:22, 9 August 2010 (EDT)

: [[UFO Extender]] implements some limitations on X-Com use of Psi, making attacks Line of Sight based. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Make losing a base less costly ===

My friends would often quit and reload after losing a base because it was so costly. It should definitely be a kick in the teeth, but even the game text suggests some ways you can recover:
1. Scientists and engineers have already been evacuated -- on a defense loss, let me transfer them to bases with open living quarters.
2. Likewise, move any ships at that location to another open hangar. (Maybe doing this requires that I have gotten advanced warning of the attack.)

: You can do all of this immediately prior to the attack, which is a small trade off if you win and a great benefit if you lose. I'm not sure you should be able to do it for free, at the instant of losing, and keep your options open until the last second. I think the game is fair and balanced as is. Well OK, maybe an option to do transfers after seeing the Base Attack screen, but before combat, would be user-friendly - it is sometimes hard to get to the Base screen fast enough to perform an evacuation before the base assault starts. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Have captured aliens be present in base defense ===

The alien containment unit could have all my captured aliens present in jail cells. But this requires other things to happen first.

On one hand, I think it would be cool if the attackers can rescue their friends and bring them into battle. So aliens would need to be able to pick up weapons. Psi powers would suck -- it would seem nuts if a captured ethereal suddenly started brainwashing my crew right away. Maybe they all start with -50 stun, or maybe (can we do this?) psi-powered enemies have it disabled if they start the game captured.

Another issue is that each containment supposedly holds 10 aliens according to the game text, but there is no real limit in the game. Maybe we fix that 10-limit bug (which would mean that we would need to be able to kill overflow aliens), maybe we only take the first 10. And it definitely runs into tile issues.

Would the enemies in containment need to be killed/re-stunned to end the mission? Maybe being in a locked jail cell automatically counts as captured.

:The problem here is that Alien Containment works entirely differently from how it's stated. Alien Containment is instead a file of aliens captured with, IIRC, 50 slots, and it is shared across ALL bases. So you'd have to figure out some way to change the file to flag aliens as 'belonging' to a specific base. And of course, on higher difficulty modes, the aliens and their terror units already spawn most or all of their UNITPOS.DAT slots anyways. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 08:19, 12 January 2012 (EST)

=== Grenade Launchers ===
Is the US army being obstructive? Why can't we buy M79s or M203s? Shooting a grenade through a wiindow/gap is sorely missing, because of the need to arc. There is the small launcher, but that stuns. 30mm grenades come in HE, WP, Smoke, Incendary, AP and flechette (think shotgun with a 30mm bore!)

:They're not being obstructive, in fact they gave us automatic and semi-automatic grenade launchers, which we call the Auto Cannon and Heavy Cannon. See [[Realistic Equivalents#Weapons]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 17:46, 20 March 2011 (EDT)

::In that case, why not make the Heavy Cannon and Small Launcher fire in a ballistic trajectory, a la Celatid spit? It would make the HC even more useful until the advent of the Blaster.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:45, 19 March 2013 (EDT)

=== 80 item limit ===
The space available should be treated more logically; using the system base stores does. At the moment craft treat 1 heavy weapon as the same size as 1 grenade.

''This has nothing to do with item size but the size of the database responsible for keeping track of all available items in the battle. This database size if fixed and just about every routine throughout the program that references this database is written with the size in mind. Fixing this would require rewriting a majority of the program. - [[User:Morgan525|Tycho]]''

=== "Integrated" Inventory ===

There are no Hands, Legs, Shoulders and Belt in a soldier’s inventory, only the Backpack to store everything he carries to the battlefield. So if he wants to fire a gun or throw a grenade or use a tool, simply open the Backpack to select the weapon/equipment, then select the target/function/mode.

Each objects has a certain "capacity value" in inventory, for example a Heavy Plasma has 6, a Medi-Kit has 2. A rookie only has very limited inventory capacity, maybe 20 to 30. As his rank rises, his inventory capacity also expands. Armors can give him additional capacity to carry more items.
[[User:Lixiaofossil|Lixiaofossil]] ([[User talk:Lixiaofossil|talk]]) 11:22, 12 April 2024 (UTC+8)

== Miscellaneous ==
===Amitakartok===
* An option for modifying how many times can the medkit's various features be used. According to the site, it's not stored in OBDATA but inside the executable.
*Editable starting soldiers attributes.
*Editable HWP stats of chassis and their weapons.
*Editable fire/stun damage of equipment that does this type of damage.
*Editable fatal wound system.
*A critical hit chance system.
*Option to chose % chance of aliens having a weapon over another.
*Creating and using a custom research tree.
''This is pretty much impossible without massively rewriting the way the game handles research. The "research tree" is just a long list of hard-coded if-then statements.-[[User:Morgan525|Tycho]]''
* Trigger Discipline: soldiers (and aliens under X-COM mind control) do not reaction-fire at unarmed targets. Psionic aliens and terrorists are considered armed at all times; soldiers under alien mind control are only considered a threat if they have a LOADED weapon (laser or a weapon AND ammo; smoke grenade/small launcher/stun rod doesn't count as weapon). This eliminates psi-induced friendly fire incidents but also removes the possibility of reactions training.
* Beware the Ethereal: Ethereal Commanders gain maxed-out Psi Strength and Psi Skill. Lower-ranked Ethereals also gain increases to these stats.
* Exponential Psi: mind-controlled soldiers can use psi-amps. If set to 1, only panic attacks are launched. If set to 2, mind-control is also permitted.
* Join Us: all psionic aliens deliberately target amp-wielders before everyone else. Combine with Exponential Psi and Beware the Ethereal for maximum effect... and prepare to sweat blood.
* Human Shields: psionic aliens deliberately mind-control civilians on terror missions to use them as scouts/cannon fodder. If killed, mind-controlled civvies count against the mission score. If the Tactical AI mod is active, mind-controlled civvies pick up weapons as well. If Trigger Discipline is active, soldiers will not reaction-fire on civvies under any circumstances, even if being shot at by them.
* Battle Royale: on terror missions, a random number of civilians spawn with Pistols. Optionally, the Tactical AI mod makes them pick up dropped weapons and use them. Thing is, they shoot at not just the aliens but X-COM too!
* Field Commander: alien commanders can only be found on Battleships. Bases only have leaders.
* Conservation of Energy: plasma cannons of both flavors (craft and HWP) consume Elerium as ammunition. The first full reload is included in the construction cost, further reloads are deducted from base stores after each deployment (similarly to ammo-using craft and HWP weapons). Makes the game ''significantly'' harder.
* Elerium Recycling: selling plasma weapon clips won't turn in any money but returns some of the Elerium used for production. Elerium is more plentiful as a result but an important source of funding is removed, making the early game a bit harder. Additionally, you never get back all of the Elerium used in production, making it inefficient to recycle your own clips.
* Volatile Elerium: plasma weapons can be set to self-destruct as makeshift explosives. The blast force depends on how many times the current clip was fired; if the clip is empty, the weapon item is removed and the tile merely set ablaze for a few turns... but if it's a full Heavy Plasma clip, it goes off with the force of a blaster bomb.
* About the idea above, maybe all plasma armaments are energized by standardized “Elerium-enriched cells”, a single cell can provide 80 rounds to a Plasma Pistol, 40 rounds to a Plasma Rifle, but only 20 rounds to a Heavy Plasma. And these cells have safety latches that once turned off, will render them unstable and will detonate like Alien Grenades, and the radius and lethality of detonation are decided by how many rounds remaining.
===Fix All Bugs===

Oh no [[User:Seb76#Bug Fixes|Seb76]] already did this! :) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

= I Wished (And My Wish Came True)... =

== Geoscape and Strategic ==

=== Fuel Ready always ===
[[User:Seb76#Mods|Implemented - here]]

I wish that I could send out craft at any fuel or ammo level. Normally craft can only leave a base if fully "ready". Craft is only "ready" at 100% fuel (or 0% fuel using an exploit) but there's no logical reason why a full tank and full ammo is required. Fully repaired... that's fine. I can live with pilots refusing to fly a plane missing a wing even if it means England is lost to aliens. 15 hours to fill a tank? Retarded but I can live with that too if I can send out a craft at 20% fuel.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

:Actually, many modern aircraft '''do''' require the fuel tanks to be full on takeoff, and fairly empty on landing. The weight of the fuel is figured into the takeoff aerodynamics, and the tank being full prevents fuel 'sloshing' in the tanks and not actually making it to the engine. (Conversely, many aircraft need to have dispensed of much of that fuel weight before landing.) This holds for most runway-takeoff craft, but may not apply to anything with VTOL capacity; I'm unsure there.

:I do agree that non-full weapons aren't as critical, though. But from a logical standpoint, most modern aircraft should not be launched on an empty fuel tank. I also should noted that an Elerium-fueled craft with [[Known_Bugs#Elerium-fueled_Craft_Bug|50% fuel or less remaining]] will automatically return to base, regardless of distance from base. Of course, given that such craft fuel up quickly, its less of an issue there. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:05, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Hum, maybe you can try [[User:Seb76#Mods|this]]? [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 13:01, 8 August 2008 (PDT)
::Thanks! But I can't try it. I've not been able to get my copy of Xcom to run properly except on a Win98 install. VC2008 requires a more modern OS. I'm sure I could ''eventually'' figure out a way to get it running, but I tried once and wasted too much time before giving up.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 14:45, 8 August 2008 (PDT)
:AFAIK VC2008 binaries should run OK on Win98 as long as the runtime is deployed. Anyway, the loader uses CreateRemoteThread API which is not available in Win98 so don't even bother. '''However''', you can manually patch the binary if you want ;-) Data to patch (all in hexadecimal):
offset 0x41752: 2A0075 -> 18207C
:HTH. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 14:56, 8 August 2008 (PDT)

===Base Build Stacking===
[[User:Seb76#Base Building Stacking|Implemented - here]]

At the moment you are only allowed to build next to a finished module, and you aren't allowed to plan ahead in your base construction. It would be nice to at least be able to plan more than one phase of construction in advance. This would be pretty easy to implement. There is no need to code any new "queuing system". Just place the new module next to an existing under-construction module, but increment the build time to the normal build time + the time remaining on the under-construction module (the lowest time remaining that would make the square you are building in, a legal square to build in). As a premium for build stacking, you have to pay the costs up-front. As with normal construction, all costs are non-refundable if you change your mind. (There would probably need to be some on-screen feedback for how long the module would take to build, before you were committed to building it.) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

See also: Discussion on [[Talk:Wish List|Talk page]].

=== Keyboard shortcuts at bases ===

I wish we had (customised, maybe?) keyboard shortcuts at the base screen. Numbers (at the "base information" screen as well) would switch bases, R for research, E for equip craft, T for transfer, M for manufacture, S for soldiers, B for build new base, P for purchase+recruit (or "B" for "buy" - let people double-bind if they need it), I for base information. The doubles (soldiers/sell+sack) could be solved by using the key under the primary one (x for sell+sack). - n (16:26, 16 Aug 2010 (GMT+1))

:Keyboard shortcuts are implemented in [[UFO Extender]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Soldier table ===

Soldiers should be listed in a sortable table, so I can sort them based on rank, ship order, firing accuracy, psi skills, in psi training, etc. If I want to find out my best shooters, it should be a very fast operation.

At a more advanced level: do it across bases; have filter options; sort based on formula (so I can find the soldiers with the best reaction+firing, or the best psi strength + psi skill).[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

:Sortable soldier list is implemented in UFO Extender and XComUtil. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

== Battlescape and Tactical ==

=== Equipment Management ===

==== Soldiers remembers THEIR equipment ====
[[XcomUtil|Implemented - here]]

I wish soldiers remembered what equipment they LAST used and start with that gear when they land. Normally soldiers grab various gear and put lots of crap on their belt. I put most things on the shoulder slots, and keep many things spare things on the ship just in case I need them. (I only want IN rounds if it's night. Stop picking them up before I shoot you in the back!) Takes forever to sort out the gear so the weakling isn't carrying all the rockets etc.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

:This is already available in [[XcomUtil]]. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:07, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

====Access to Stats screens during equipment allocation====
[[User:Seb76#Equipment Screen|Mostly implemented - here]]

In Battlescape you can get to Stats screens by right clicking on one of the unit's status bars. However you can't do this in the Equipment screen. Things like Statstrings and (even more so) [[User:Seb76|Seb76]]'s modified Equipment screen with actual/max weight help. But it would be nice to be able to see exact stats. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

===Decrease Accuracy for targets out of sight===
[[User:Seb76#Range_Based_Accuracy|Brilliantly implemented - here]]

How come you can easily shoot on something you do not see?
I find the over-used scout-sniper tactic is a cheap exploit of the X-COM. The tactical game should describe a combat, not a cowardly shooting practice. It would turn into a nice feature, if there would be a penalty of (let us say) -20% to the accuracy of anybody who is firing on a target out of his current sight. This can greatly enhance the tactical depth of the game. (Seb around? ;-) --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 14:20, 30 August 2008 (PDT)

...discussed [http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Talk:Wish_list here]

===Enough Smoke===
[[User:Seb76#Mods|Implemented - here]]

It would be nice to increase the current limit on smoke/fire hexes. This is due to their locations being stored in a small, fixed length array. In effect you can only get about 3-4 smoke grenades worth of smoke or fire on the map at the same time. Being able to use smoke liberally would really open up new tactics. At the moment all you can really do is cover the LZ in smoke when you exit the transport, and maybe cover one advance over open ground. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)
:I did something for that on my loader. Heavy testing is required because it is hard to be make sure smoke still works as before (testing is the hardest part actually). [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 14:09, 18 September 2008 (PDT)

=== Alien AI ===

====Aliens better with explosions====
Partly implemented [[User:Seb76#Bug Fixes|here (waypoint bug fix)]] and [[User:Seb76#Mods|here (Blaster drift)]]. ''(Possibly move this to talk, as notwithstanding these 2 bugs, apparently the Aliens are fairly safe with lethal explosives.)''

I wish that aliens using grenades or blaster bombs or stun bombs (anything that goes boom) would use more sense. They should not want to use items that go boom when they are guaranteed to be caught in the blast radius. The alien can use grenades and blaster bombs by going out of line of sight before the explosion goes off. That may not save them if the explosion blows out the walls. At least it would be less stupid then firing a point blank blaster bomb vs taking 5 steps and setting up another waypoint. Units with morale above 100 or mind controlled should still be suicidal as normal.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 13:55, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

: Actually, the aliens are quite careful with their explosives, they just seem to be prone to the occasional accident. They're not likely to fire off a blaster or grenade too close to them - as evident by the strategy where if you see an alien with a BB but can't shoot back, the safest place is to stand next to it. The blaster bomb vertical waypoint fix in the loader also eliminates the 'oops' moments where they plot a vertical right angle too close to themselves and there just happens to be a wall to the south. However, they do need more care with stun bombs as you often get to see an alien fire a stun bomb point blank into a HWP parked next to it. But I guess we are talking about three different weapon types here, so they may not be as careful with a standard firearm as they are with grenades and the BB. Wish the Apocalypse aliens at least had as much sense as the UFO/TFTD aliens. In that game, they're utterly psychotic with explosives and ignore nearby allies. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 14:34, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

=== Mind Controlled then Hostile ===
If you mind control a human (civilians) in a terror mission, they become enemies when you lose control (meaning you have to kill the poor idiots to finish the mission). Any chance that they could revert to friendlies/non enemies again when you lose control.
: Now fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Mind Controlled then MIA ===
Men who are under alien control when you win become MIA, any chance they could be saved (you will have killed all the aliens after all).
: I believe XComUtil fixes this MIA issue. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)
:: XcomUtil 9.6 also restores all DOA if you win to. Not what was intended. This feature has been removed as of 9.7 until I can fix it. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:27, 6 January 2010 (EST)
: Now also fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Open Doors But Don't Enter/Exit ===

Open doors like they do in TFTD (I know this is mentioned above with the good stun grenades idea).
: Now fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Warm Grenades===

Currently when you set the timer on a grenade (or HE pack), the timer runs down every turn regardless of whether the grenade is worn, held, or dropped. Then, when the timer runs out, it explodes unless it is held or worn. There is no real grenade or explosive that works this way. Once the timer (fuse) starts running, they explode regardless. However for most hand grenades, the timer (fuse) doesn't start until after you throw/drop the grenade. It would be nice to have both of these real world behaviours, and lose the game's default behaviour. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

: Technically the way the game implements grenades, they don't have a timer. At least, not as such. When you set a grenade, the game just assigns it a turn to blow up on. Once the turn has passed, the game checks to see that it's on the ground and blows it up if it is, otherwise it doesn't. I believe Seb76 has already addressed this in his patches where there's an option to make grenade blow up regardless whether they are in inventory or otherwise the moment the timer is set. X-Com Apocalypse does a good job of this. The moment the grenade is so much as moved after the timer is set, it counts down. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:01, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:: To simulate an actual timer, you would need to do something like: Every turn that a primed grenade is being held by a unit during the "explode" check, increment by +1 the turn when that grenade is going to explode. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:10, 14 September 2008 (PDT)
:::I think I would change quantity2 ([[OBPOS.DAT]]) to a countdown instead of a turn, and use quantity3 as a flag indicating if the count has started. This flag is set any time a turn ends and the grenade has no owner. Taking it back in your hand once the timer has started won't help and the thing must be thrown... quantity2 is decreased if quantity3 is set, and the grenade blows up as usual. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:35, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

: That would be great. It would be exactly consistent with a 'spoon' type hand grenade. The timer only starts when you release the grenade, but after that it explodes at a definite time regardless of whether you pick it up or not. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

Implemented in [[UFO Extender]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

= Category =
The page needs to be listed in various categories, which ones I don't know. Also links on other pages to this one would aid people finding it.

: OK how about this one: [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:21, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

[[Category:Oddities and bugs]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

Wish List (EU)

2024-04-12T03:21:19Z

Lixiaofossil: /* Battlescape and Tactical */

X-Com is a great game and as evidence just look to the fact this wiki exists even though the game pre-dates the internet. In all it's greatness X-Com has some elements and behaviors players wish they could change. This is a repository of those desires. Some day a fan mod may make your wish come true...

= I Wish... =
State what you want AND what X-com does normally. Sign your name if you think "Oh man! That would be great!"

== Geoscape and Strategic ==

=== Geoscape Location ===

* X-Com bases only being able to be built within the borders of the Funding Nations. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

=== Aircraft ===

==== Smarter Aircraft Movement Around Globe ====
I wish all craft understood the shortest distance between two points on a globe is a curved path towards the poles. Normally a craft goes in the opposite direction than it should (towards the equator). Pain in the ass when the base in the UK sends a craft to Siberia.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

==== Smart Interception ====

Aircraft intercepting a UFO just head straight toward the UFOs current position at all times. Unless the UFO is already on a head-on course, this results in the interceptor travelling through a closing parabolic spiral path, and often missing the UFO and ending up in a tail-chase, and then just falling further behind unless the UFO stops or reverses course. This is pretty basic stuff, fighter pilots have known how to do this better for nearly a hundred years. It is particularly important if the aircraft you are trying to intercept is moving faster than you (eg if you are flying an Interceptor).

What is needed is to plot the UFO's current course and speed (which X-Com has from radar data), and plot an intercept course. The maths for this is pretty easy (the intersection of 2 vectors) and can be implemented in a few lines of code, if we can find out where the current interception algorithm is, and patch it.

Actually the radar bearing shown on screen is only accurate to within 45 degrees. I presume that X-Com does actually know the UFO's bearing, since it can clearly track the UFO's movements. Finding where that variable is located might be different.

While we're at it, it would be nice if the UFO detection information displayed the actual bearing in degrees, rather than just the compass direction (North East, South, etc).

Even if the improved intercept algorithm only used a bearing accurate to within 45 degrees, that would still be better for remote UFOs. You might need to switch to "head straight for it" once you get to very close range. [[User:Spike|Spike]]

==== All Aircraft Weapons Useful ====

In a balanced game, all weapons should have their uses, or at least a niche, but sadly this is not so:

The Cannon is only useful for shooting down Small Scouts, and even that is practically impossible, due to the difficulty in closing to 10km range with any UFO, particularly the fast-accelerating Small Scout. The fact that its ammo takes 96 hours to arrive, when all other craft ammo types only take 48 hours, is a bizarre anomaly making the Cannon marginally even less useful - particularly since the time you would use it most is at the beginning of the game, when you do not have enough ammunition even to deploy the Cannon you already given.

The Stingray is only really useful for forcing down Small Scouts (it usually avoids destroying them) and otherwise the Avalanche is better in every meaningful way. The Stingray also takes twice as long to rearm for some odd reason, making it operationally much worse than the Avalanche.

The (unmodified) Laser Cannon is inferior to the Avalanche for more or less everything, apart from running cost. It does have a higher payload but this is hardly relevant (except perhaps in allowing the aircraft to remain on station longer, performing multiple engagements before entering the time-consuming refuel/re-arm cycle). If attacking a UFO that you would struggle to kill with Avalanches, you are unlikely to own an aircraft that would survive long enough to inflict more damage than an Avalanche when mounting Laser Cannon instead.

The Fusion Ball Launcher has a [[Talk:Craft_Armaments#Fusion_Balls_better_than_Plasma_Beams.3F|possible niche]] in fighting Battleships when mounted on Interceptors. Even then, it is difficult and expensive to have aircraft configured to fight only one enemy.

Unfortunately, the optimum path for craft weapon development is all-Avalanche followed by all-Plasma Beam. This is a shame.

Suggestions to 'tune up' the other weapons (see link below for latest suggestions/detail):

*Cannon - Increase the damage to 15 and 50% hit. So at least there is a pay-off if you manage to get in close.
*Stingray - Raise Stingray accuracy to 80% but drop Avalanche to 60%. Double the rearm rate so it can be reloaded as fast as an Avalanche launcher.
*Laser Cannon - increase accuracy to 50% and damage to 100.
*FBL - increase the ammo from 2 to 3.

It might be worth considering 'tune down' the Plasma Beam as well, particularly its stand-off range. It seems odd that humans copy alien plasma weapons and right away improve the range. It would be reasonable if the human plasma cannon had shorter range than the UFO plasma cannons, and more consistent with the ranges of other cannon weapons. (One could ask how X-Com even developed a targeting system that is accurate for direct fire at or beyond the extreme range of self-homing missiles - even if the plasma cannon itself is that accurate, how do you exploit that accuracy by aiming it?).

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 04:02, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

An alternative to tweaking the stats, is to tweak the costs. Realistic costs such as $386K for an Avalanche and $125K for a Stingray will put some pressure to use weapons that are cheaper to operate. And XComUtil has an option that substantially increases the effective build costs of Plasma Beams, making them less optimal.

See also: [[User:Spike#Balancing_Aircraft_Weapons]]

:I'd like to submit a slightly different proposal.
:*Making the Cannon pure murder at knife-fight range is a good idea, I second it.
:*Swap the respective ranges of the Stingray and the Avalanche. The smaller a UFO is, the sooner it tries to make a run for it, so longer-ranged weapons can get more shots off before this happens. By giving the Stingray a range advantage over the Avalanche, the weaker but longer-ranged Stingray is now better for hunting scout UFOs by way of having a larger time window in which it can dish out its damage. Against medium and large UFOs, the more generous escape timer means the Avalanche comes out on top, making both weapons useful in their own respective situations rather than the Avalanche being objectively superior.
:*Swap the respective ranges of the Laser Cannon and the Plasma Cannon. With this, the Laser Cannon can comfortably shoot down everything smaller than a Terror Ship - but the idea is that everything an Interceptor with a Laser Cannon does not outrange, it does not have the firepower to reliably kill before getting shot down, which is where the Plasma Cannon comes in as a higher-risk-higher-reward alternative.
:*Increasing the FBL's ammo count is a good idea, but I'd personally also give its range a tiny little notch upwards so that it just very barely outranges a Battleship ''without having enough ammo to shoot it down''. The idea here is to make the FBL a safe-but-insufficient-by-itself support weapon, being able to soften the Battleship up from standoff range with 100% guaranteed damage but needing something else to deliver the killing blow.
:An alternative option to the above is to re-tool weapon damage/accuracy values to make missile-type weapons your primary damage dealers and cannon-type weapons a backup option for delivering the killing blow if the missiles fail to do the trick - though in this, I'm admittedly biased due to the fact that I always use missile + cannon combo loadouts on my crafts (Stringray/Cannon on Interceptors with Stringray/Laser as an upgrade, Avalanche/Plasma on Firestorms, FBL/Plasma on Avengers) because simply dual-wielding the hardest-hitting gear I have at the moment is boring.
:[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] ([[User talk:Amitakartok|talk]]) 19:27, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
::Swapping the ranges of the Avalanche and Stingray would just make the Avalanche even more useless than the vanilla Stingray. The Stingray has more total firepower per hardpoint (70*70%*6 = 294 > 240 = 100*80%*3) and more firepower per dollar (70*70%/$3000 = 163 damage/$1000 > 89 damage/$1000 = 100*80%/$9000), while the Avalanche has only marginally better DPS (100*80%/72=1.11 damage/frame >~ 1.02 damage/frame = 70*70%/48). The Avalanche's ''only'' real advantage over the Stingray is its range - it's just that range is by far the most relevant attribute of weapons (the Small Scout/Medium Scout/Large Scout run away fast, so short-range weapons have much-reduced time to fire, the Supply Ship/Terror Ship have powerful weapons of medium range, so short-range weapons = dead interceptor, and the Battleship's a moot point; the Stingray actually is a slightly better choice against the two UFOs I haven't mentioned - the Abductor and Harvester - but they're rare as hen's teeth). The solution in TFTD was to narrow the gap in range between the AJAX and DUP Head while making Survey Ships not an escape risk, and IMO it worked; the two torpedoes are quite balanced against each other.
::Giving the Laser Cannon the Plasma Beam's range and vice versa (with no other changes) doesn't have it quite as bad, as the Plasma Beam would still have far more DPS and total firepower. However, a 52km Laser Cannon is still good enough to be the "I-win" loadout on Interceptors - it gets standoff against everything except Battleships, it has the same DPS as the Stingray (only slightly less than that of the Avalanche), and while its total firepower per hardpoint is less than that of the Plasma Beam it's still more than enough to crash any UFO in the game. The only time you'd want anything else would be when dealing with Battleships (when you'd want either advanced craft with the 21km Plasma Beam, or FBLs, both at a much higher price than the Laser Cannon). [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] ([[User talk:Magic9mushroom|talk]]) 06:00, 11 May 2020 (UTC)

===Score for retaliation Battleships===

When a Battleship on retaliation attacks your base and is shot down, you get no score for it. This is completely illogical and it discourages any use of base defences. You should get normal 700 (or even 1400) points for it.
--[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 14:05, 30 August 2008 (PDT)

: I'm not sure about this. Yes it's illogical, but it could also be a licence to get a huge score if you have a strong enough base. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:16, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

:: The impenetrable base setup would turn into a cheat. As the aliens will keep hammering the base with a battleship until one breaks through, you'll have a steady supply of points without having to really do anything. Some balancing, such as paying to rearm your defence modules, ought to be thrown in to balance things out. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:13, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
::: A better fix would be to remove the retaliation flag when a battleship is destroyed. If someone can post a savegame with a never-ending flow of base attacks, I may have a look at the fix. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:05, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

:::: Ummm, it seems the best solution (I, for one, can't think of any better), but wouldn't it assume that only the BattleShip really locates the player's base? All those scouts for nothing? [Still the best solution, though] [[User:N|n]] 15:01, 16 August 2010 (GMT+1)

=== Tougher UFOs ===

==== The Problem ====

So let me get this straight. The first hybrid airborne weapon that humans ever build, and it immediately outclasses every weapon the aliens ever built, including their Battleship weapon? After all the Aliens have only been building plasma weapons for a few million years, us humans have been doing it for ''months''!

More to the point, once you get Plasma Beams, downing UFOs is like shooting fish in a barrel. Even Battleships aren't that exciting if you show up with enough ships.

What is needed is to push up the range, damage, and rate of fire of all the UFO weapons, particularly the UFOs you will be fighting by the time you have plasma beams. At a minimum, the weapon on a Battleship should be at least as powerful as, say, 2 Plasma Beams (as found on the XCom craft it is fighting)? Instead of slightly less than half as powerful? Compared to a single Plasma Beam, only the Battleship weapon has better range. It has double the accuracy, slightly higher damage, but half the fire rate. Net 5.7% more firepower than one Plasma Beam, but no match for 2. And the Battleship weapon of course is the most powerful in the alien arsenal.

Possible tune ups for UFOs:

*Battleship - increase to 255 weapon power, improve reload rate to 12 (from 24). Now roughly equivalent to 4 Plasma Beams in total firepower (on Beginner difficulty). Increase range to 69km, so that the Battleship commences fire as soon as an XCom craft begins its attack run. Or better, increase range to 70+km, the limit of the interception window, so that the Battleship starts firing immediately the XCom craft enters air combat range. This would disrupt XCom aircrafts' ability to form up into a flight of 4, prior to commencing their attack. Overall, this would make it much harder to down Battleships. Increasing weapon range to 70+km would also make it much harder to tail a Battleship - manual control in the Geoscape would be needed to hold off outside of combat range. Really, the Battleship should not sit there like a sitting duck. Does it think XCom are friendly?
*Terror Ship - increase range to 52 (or decrease Plasma Beam range to 42), so stand-off kills are not possible with Plasma Beams?
*Actually maybe all the larger UFOs should have weapon range 69-70+km, so they behave very aggressively toward XCom craft.

NB: Strange effects occur if weapon range goes over 70km so it's probably best to leave it at 70km rather than 75km.

NB: Also, changes to rate of fire need to be looked at carefully though because Difficulty Level also reduces reload rate for UFOs. Between Beginner (Difficulty 0) and Superhuman (Difficulty 4), rate of fire (and thus firepower) for Battleships, Terror Ships and Supply Ships increases by 24/(24-4x2=16) or 50%. But if the base reload rate for these weapons was reduced to 12, the transition from Beginner to Advanced would increase firepower '''three''' times for these 3 UFOs (less so for the smaller UFOs). It is less risky to increase the weapon power. Unfortunately there are only 2 firepower variables to play with - damage and reload rate - so there are not a lot of options, especially for the Battleship which already has weapon strength 148 out of a probable maximum of 255.

:More detail on this. For Medium Scout, Large Scout and Abductor, with nominal reload rate 48gs, the rate of fire improves +20% between Beginner and Superhuman. For Harvester (32gs) it improves one third. For Large UFOs (Terror Ship, Supply Ship, Battleship - 24gs) the improvement is +50%. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 20:28, 14 February 2010 (EST)

I think we should assume that the Battleship, which is bigger than the entire XCom base, is engaging XCom craft with its secondary weapons rather than its main armament, which could probably destroy Manhattan with a glancing hit.

I would really like to see the hypothetical Mega-Battleship go up against XCom's finest - a flight of 4 Avengers armed with dual Plasma Cannon or dual Fusion Ball Launchers. With the Battleship having 70+km range, 255 weapon power, and an effective fire rate on Superhuman triple that of the PB, it would have the firepower of 11 Plasma Beams - 36% more firepower than the whole attacking XCom force combined. To be honest I think that would be carnage, not sure XCom could win. So that would be tuning the Battleship up too much. The 3-fold increase in rate of fire when on Superhuman is just too much. Maybe just max out the damage to 255 and range to 75. This gives a 72% increase in firepower, and a challenging tactical problem for XCom (forming up and approaching under fire).

The smaller UFOs can probably stay as they are. It is not until later in the game that XCom advances so that even large UFOs are easy pickings. What is the crossover point? Maybe the medium UFOs. So it might be good to reduce the reload times of the medium UFOs from 48 / 32 to 24, a good increase in firepower.

In general I think all UFOs energy weapons should have at least as good range as the XCom energy weapons, even the Medium Scout. Again, they have been using these weapons for millions of years and we only just figured out how to copy them from the aliens, how could our weapons be better than the aliens? How did our first plasma weapon out-range and out-perform all but the hugest UFO plasma beam? And on an airframe the size of a Small Scout we mount ''two'' such weapons? On the battlefield we only are able to replicate alien weapons; how is it that in the air we are able to improve on them ''masssively''?

Perhaps there should never be a stand-off advantage, except possibly with missiles -which should be less accurate with longer range. The XCom stand off advantage is really unfair because as far as I have seen the UFOs never attempt to close to effective range, even when they are getting killed. They don't break off much, either, though I think I have seen that happen on occasion.

==== Specific Proposals ====

===== No Standoff Beam Attacks =====

Increase ''all'' UFO plasma weapon ranges to at least 55km (compared to 52km for the XCom plasma weapon). Now only launched XCom weapons (Avalanche and Fusion Ball) have standoff advantage. Probably also reduce the accuracy of the Avalanche to 60% and buff Stingray accuracy to 80%, providing both weapons with a useful niche role.

===== No Standoff Attacks =====

Increase ''all'' UFO plasma weapon ranges to 66km (compared to 52km for the XCom plasma weapon). Now ''no'' XCom weapon has standoff advantage. (The benefit of a longer range weapon is simply spending less time being fired on by the UFO.)

===== Twitchy Aliens =====

Increase all UFO ranges to 69km. They will attack as soon as XCom aircraft commence any attack run.

===== Hostile Aliens =====

Increase all UFO ranges to 70km. They will attack as soon as XCom aircraft enter intercept range. UFOs now fire first, and tailing them unchallenged is impossible.

===== Improved Medium UFOs =====

Reduce (improve) the nominal reload time of Medium UFOs, Abductors and Harvesters, from 48gs and 32gs to 24gs. This increases the challenge in the early-mid game, when XCom might first be deploying advanced weapons.

===== Improved Battleships =====

Increase damage to 255. They're firing (bigger) Fusion Balls! A Battleship now has the same firepower as one XCom Craft with dual Plasma Beams (gosh wow!). It's a start, but what if we...

===== Super Battleships =====

... also reduce nominal reload time to 18gs. Giving a further one-third extra firepower on Beginner, 60% more on Superhuman.

===== Mega Battleships =====

... or for a real challenge, reduce reload time to 12gs. A further doubling of the firepower on Beginner - a further ''four'' times increase on Superhuman. Now Superhuman Battleships out-gun the biggest fleet XCom can throw at them!

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 00:25, 19 February 2010 (EST)

: the flip side of this is weakening Xcom craft - apart from firepower issues there is also the issue of range: the ranges of the transport craft are such that really no more than 1 manned base is necessary to cover the globe for terror site defense. Setting e.g. the fuel capacity of the Skyranger to 500 results in roughly 1 base per continent required. This has interesting strategic consequences: need for more bases makes the ecomics more challenging (and thus slows down research). [[User:Emphyrio|Emphyrio]] 08:43, 9 August 2010 (EDT)

===Enforced Variant Games===

Various people like to play various variant games, such as No Alien Technology, or No Detection, or No Lethal Weapons - see for example Scott Jones' notes to XComUtil. It would be nice to have options on the game executable to enforce these scenarios. Self restraint is hard! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

Some of these variant scenarios have been implemented in [[UFO Extender]] by [[User:Seb76#Mods|Seb76]].

===Recruit Certain Alien Types===

Consider that not all aliens are loyal to their master (most TFTD alien has a device lodged to its brain), it would be interesting (or at least cool) if we could recuit such aliens to the XCOM cause. Maybe we can remove the controling devices from captive aliens after research on that species. Or convince the head of the Snakemen that it would be far more benefit to his race to help us instead of the Ethereals [[User:L-Zwei|L-Zwei]] 23:25, 12 September 2008 (PDT).

Only certain alien types should be recruitable. Ones that should NOT be include Mutons (as they are directly controlled by Ethereals), Chrysallids (unbalancing), etc. It would be nice to be able to reverse-engineer Cyberdiscs or Sectopods, or make it that a Cyberdisc must be researched to build hovertanks/etc.
[[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 13:32, 18 September 2008 (PDT)
: It's pretty obvious which ones should be recruitable: non-robotic terror units that are captured alive. Chryssalids should simply do melee damage instead of impregnating (as the resulting spawn would not be mind-controlled and therefore XCOM wouldn't do it). Silacoids would be pretty ineffectual, and reapers slightly less so, but both would be disposable scouts. Celatids might actually have some use (eating through hulls with acid, and arcing over walls) but are fragile. All of these would require capturing a terror alien alive after researching Psi Amp. The two robotic units should require a live alien Engineer researched as well as UFO Construction, and the materials for building one would be one corpse of the appropriate type, Alien alloys and Elerium (to repair and refuel the husk). The Sectopod should probably be nerfed somewhat, so that it isn't quite so invincible to Heavy Plasma shots - after all, it was probably a twisted and melted modern art piece by the time it finally went down). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

=== Research ===

==== Game option: sell only researched items ====

The fact that you may sell the alien items for the best price once you get them, without any research, is illogical. Such staff would never get on the market, being top secret and potentially dangerous to the humanity.

Selling without proper research does not help the replay value of the game either: once you know the "right path" to get the best items, you simply sell anything else immediately and ignore the unnecessary research. Too easy.

Therefore I wish for this game option: unknown items are sold for 0 (including the alien corpses), the known ones for their full price. This makes the sustainable economics much harder to develop and it gives sense to the "useless" research. Last but not least, it adds a lot of depth to the gameplay: will you choose research of a new weapon you need on the field, or of a mind probe that will earn you millions in sales? --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 15:55, 6 April 2009 (EDT)

: I really like this option, it's a great idea. Makes the game harder and makes it more interesting, more varied. Gives extra value to the otherwise "useless" research paths. Good thinking! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:06, 24 August 2009 (EDT)

: I'd prefer that unresearched artifacts/corpses sold for a fraction of their original value (no more than 25%). It makes no sense that nobody would pay to research them for themselves. Additionally, Laser Cannon sell price needs to be nerfed. [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

: This would have the added benefit that you would know if it was 'safe' or not to sell an item research wise. Coloring the un-researched items differently on the Sell/Sack screen would be good too ~ [[User:Renegrade|Renegrade]] 13:30, 19 August 2010 (EDT)

==== New Research Mechanics ====

The above comments spurred some ideas to make the research more realistic and the path to victory less obvious.

For flavor reasons, give research options vague names instead of exact names. This already exists in some research topics, such as "New Fighter Craft" instead of "Firestorm". So, research topics might read "Alien Hovertank Wreck" instead of "Cyberdisc Corpse", "Grey Alien Corpse" instead of "Sectoid Corpse" or "Alien Pistol" instead of "Plasma Pistol". The names would be revealed in the UFOpaedia entry, and certain items would then be renamed as per common sense.

Hide the ranks of aliens in captivity until they are researched (so you'd see Live Grey Alien #1, Live Grey Alien #2 if you had two Sectoids available for research). However, if you happened to have two Soldier ranks in containment, you'd only see one topic. The same rank/race combination would never appear again, but you might have to research several specimens of the same species to get the useful one you want. The alternative would be to have researched Mind Probe, which would tell you exactly what you had in containment (just as it does on the battlefield).

Once an alien or its corpse is researched, then all other instances of that alien or its body are renamed appropriately. For example, research a live Muton and Muton corpses become obvious, and vice versa. "Live Green Humanoid Alien" is also renamed to "Live Muton".

Finally, there should be a few more prerequisites in place to make less useful research more necessary. As someone else has mentioned, you should need a Cyberdisc Corpse to research Hovertanks. I'd also suggest that Psi Amp and Mind Shield require the research of Mind Probe (seeing as both entail scanning for minds as a logical first step), and that Flying Suits require Floater Corpse, Cyberdisc Corpse or a live Floater researched as an additional prerequisite (not Ethereals, as they fly with the power of their huge brains). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

:These are all good suggestions and make a lot of sense. An alternative explanation of the names (seen in some fan fiction) is that these names are not the real names, but are made up by XCom troops based on some limited battlefield experience of them. But revealing the "real" alien race names through Research is a fun idea. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 08:44, 1 September 2009 (EDT)

[[TFTDextender|TFTD Extender]] now provides options for improvements to the TFTD Research tree, to make research more logical (and less buggy). A similar exercise is possible with UFO Extender now that the location of the Research tree in the code is known. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

==== Dismantle researched items ====

Beginning a research project on an item should immediately remove that item from your storage. Currently it's possible to begin research on Heavy Plasma and Sectoid Corpse, then immediately sell those items, which makes no sense. Instead, we should assume that the eggheads need to dismantle an item to study it, thereby making it useless.

Completing a research topic on a live alien should create an appropriate corpse in storage, but this is less noticeable. Or do X-Com give all researched aliens diplomatic immunity and $20 for a cab fare?

:+1 to these suggestions. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 16:51, 29 November 2012 (EST)

=== Manufacture ===
* After buying the first cannon or rocket tank, that particular HWP becomes available for manufacture. Accordingly, either must be available for manufacture before laser tanks can be built (the chassis design has to come from ''somewhere'').[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

=== Base Managemet ===

==== Inventory management ====

I only want to keep 1 (or 0) sectoid corpse. If I have any more, sell them immediately and automatically. Sometimes having to sell all the stuff you've captured is just a chore.

Also, let me automatically repurchase goods when my stores get too low.[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

==== Monthly maintenance fees ====

Later in the game, when you are way beyond what the sponsor nations are paying you and are instead selling captured/manufactured items to fund your operation, the end of the month can be a real PITA, because you need to build up a reserve of cash to avoid being shut down for financial problems. (This was worse with the misreported funding bug.) At the least, show us in one place exactly how much we need to raise at that time.

Or make payments be done on a weekly/daily/hourly/continuously basis. This also means that I don't have to pay a same salary to someone who I hire on the 2nd or I hire on the 27th.

Oh, and the cheat of "soldiers/scientists/engineers in flight don't need to be paid" needs to be squashed while we're at it. (But watch out fixing this one without making salary payments continuous; my current strategy is to hire most people just before the end of the month, which I would need to modify to hiring just after the start of the month.)[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

==== Day Rates ====

Financial planning in the game is distorted by the fact that Engineers, Scientists and Soldiers receive a full month's pay for their first month, even if they only work one day in that month. This leads to bursts of hiring at the beginning of each month, and worsens the cash squeeze at the beginning of each month.

It would be nice if you could hire personnel at any time during the month, and they would only cost you their hiring fee (one month's salary in full), plus only as much of the first month's salary as they actually worked during that first month. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 06:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Change date ===

1999 looks quite silly now, 13 years later and I don't think mankind has even laser weapons now. So if it's not hardcoded for some alien actions in further years, I'd move game at least to year 2020, more likely even later. [[User:mikiqex|mikiqex]] 10:30, 12 January 2012 (CET)
:As a matter of fact, we do have laser weapons now, to some extent: Humvee-mounted ground-to-ground laser, aircraft-mounted anti-ICBM laser and ground-based point-defense laser that can shoot down a variety of incoming ordinance from missiles to mortar shells, all in the experimental phase and expected to hit mass-production in a decade. But yeah, I agree with this suggestion.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 13:30, 21 March 2013 (EDT)

=== Active Alien Bases ===

Right now, alien bases don't do anything aside from increasing alien presence in a region and attracting Supply Ships. This should be remedied and I know just how to do it.

* All alien bases have a "readiness level". Initially, this is at 100% but can be reduced via base assaults. Every alien killed and certain equipment destroyed decreases this level but if the base isn't destroyed (the mission fails or gets aborted) and subsequent Supply Ships aren't intercepted/attacked on the ground, then 24 hours after a successful resupply the base's readiness level will be back at maximum. Then and only then will killed aliens respawn and destroyed/taken equipment get replaced, not before. This reduces the profitability of "base milking" smash-and-grab operations but is not the primary purpose of the mod.
* Like the name indicates, alien bases should have a more active role. That is, alien bases will frequently dispatch Small and Medium Scouts on Research and Abduction missions, crewed by the same race the base belongs to. How often this happens depends on the base's readiness level, ie. a busted-up base will be barely hanging on but a fully-functional one will be a real beehive.
* Optional: if a base is present in a country, it significantly increases the chance of the country being successfully infiltrated.
* If a base goes unmolested for too long, it will become fortified and spawn two or even three times as many aliens (as many as the tileset allows) plus it takes on a more aggressive role:
** Launches Infiltration missions into nearby areas.
** ''"Leave us the [PRESUMED ALIEN EXPLETIVE] alone!!!"'': if attacked several times in rapid succession (depending on difficulty level; happens after a single invasion attempt on Superhuman), it sends out Retaliation scouts in the general direction the attacks are coming from, looking farther and farther away after every attack.
** ''"Oh no, you don't!"'': if it had been attacked at least once, the base will attempt to intercept X-Com craft passing nearby. It does so by dispatching a scout that follows the intruder at top speed and, once within a certain distance, forces it to engage the UFO in Aggressive mode. If the UFO is faster, all other modes and the Disengage button will be disabled as well. Even if the X-Com craft can run away, the UFO will follow it everywhere unless shot down or the craft lands, in which case the aliens dispatch Retaliation scouts to find the intruder's homebase.
** The above three options all make the base more dangerous but will also increase the payoff and provide an alternative to the nerfed "base milking" tactic.

I have NO idea if these are even possible but they would be highly interesting.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:44, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

: +1. This is a great set of suggestions. I think the necessary manipulations of [[MISSION.DAT]] are fairly well understood. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

== Battlescape and Tactical ==

===Equipment Management===

All wishes are currently implemented!

===Fog of War Improvements===

I'm sure most of these would be an absolute PAIN to implement, but I figured I'd toss the ideas out here.

====Prior Recon of Battlefield====
One thing that has always irked me is X-COM has no terrain knowledge when it lands, despite having probably circled the place two or three times before landing and thus they should know at least some of the area. This would be nice, but isn't too important. Probably would be a pain to implement so X-COM would have all knowledge of external features but no knowledge of building interiors, anyways. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Yes at the very least, when you splash the UFO, it could tell you (via some miracle technology such as "satellite reconnaisance") what the terrain type is of the landing zone area. Then you could adjust equipment accordingly. And adjust your uniform camouflage (if using one of the uniform mods). [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:16, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

:: Geoscape: center on the site, then maximum zoom. Aside from having to disambiguate forest from jungle, this works fine for knowing the exact terrain you're getting into. -- [[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 10:17, 4 Sept 2008 (CDT)

:::This is already present in the game. To center the Geoscape on a specific location, right-click on the target spot. To do maximum zoom in, right click on the Zoom-In button(and the same works for Zoom-Out). Also, Jungle and Forest use the same display algorithm, but are easy to differentiate; Forest occurs NORTH of the equator, and Jungle occurs SOUTH. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 13:23, 4 September 2008 (PDT)

:Returning to AQ's original suggestion, it wouldn't be too hard would it for the dropship to "radar map" the target, and then have the basic map show up on your scanner on Turn 1? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

====Dynamic Fog====

The Fog of War in X-COM is clumsily implemented, compared to modern expectations. Everything starts out black, but after exploring, is shown...and it's kept in the same showing, regardless of whether you actually have LoS to that area anymore. It would be nice if when you no longer had Line of Sight to a particular map area, it would be cloaked in a way so that you knew the terrain, but not the units there. Since I've sometimes spent over half an hour trying to hunt down that last alien hiding in area I'd already explored. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Maybe greyscale explored but out-of-LOS areas?--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:45, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

====Deactivate Object Radar====

Currently, in X-COM, any objects dropped in a given square show on your Battlescape, regardless of whether you have Line of Sight to the square or not. In regards to dropped weapons/grenades/equipment/dead soldiers/dead aliens, this doesn't make a large difference. But in the case of STUNNED aliens, a quick scan across the Battlescape can tell you whether the alien you stunned 10 turns ago is still down, or stood back up(the stunned alien object will disappear from the stack). Of course, since aliens which have revived from stun are almost always disarmed(and the ones that aren't probably should've been killed instead), the usefulness of this 'exploit' is reduced mainly to finding out that the last alien you're looking for is just wandering aimlessly and unarmed. Perhaps leave stacks showing the same until you regain LoS to that area? [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

====Crushed Buildings====

Why don't we see any crushed or destroyed buildings? Does a UFO always fall like a rock, perpendicular to the ground? No marks on the ground? Such impact would do massive damage to the land (a small meteor can do much if it has a high speed...). (Also, at the [debatedly] "real" UFO crash zones UFO parts were scattered over miles)

I'd like to see chopped buildings, entering UFO's through a barns; entering an abductor from a immediate house's roof if I have plasma and no flying suits yet. - [[User:N|n]] 15:01, 16 August 2010 (GMT+1)

: The Pocket PC remake of the game did this, though it seems the site it concern has vanished off the face of the net. Could probably find a copy if you're interested.

: By the way, you can generate a time/date stamped signature by typing four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>). - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 23:04, 16 August 2010 (EDT)

:: Amazingly enough (is it Truman Show of me or just a coincidence :)?), my GF found a low-tech palmtop (with/in a case)... on the pavement. With no personal data and means to find the owner; when I laid my hands on it, I actually found and installed Ufo:EU there, but it wouldn't run :(. [And thanks! again for the 4 tildes name/timestamp trick] - [[User:N|n]] 19:18, 18 August 2010 (EDT)

===Restore Game from Battlescape===

It would be nice to be able to reload a saved game directly from the Battlescape "?" screen, rather than having to go through the process of Abandoning to the Geoscape. Would you need to check it was a Battlescape save and not a Geoscape save? Maybe, maybe not. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

===Grenades===

*Stun Grenades: I want flashbangs.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:59, 11 September 2008 (PDT)
:Instead of stunning, I'd see more effect if it would remove some TUs to units having line of sight (to be fare it should affect xcom units too). It would help against reaction fire (which is the point of flashbangs). Given that grenades detonate at the end turns, it would require a good coordination to have the grenade detonate exactly at the end of the alien turn, and just before your attack. Being able to open doors à la xcom2 would also help to throw flashbangs just before a craft assault... [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 22:03, 12 September 2008 (PDT)
::That would be good. Hard to program, potentially extremely unbalancing, but good. I considered a "debuff" kind of ability (as you suggest) for flashbangs, vs the more obvious substitution of [[stun]] for [[Explosions|HE]] damage. In the end, I picked "I want flashbangs."--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 03:32, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
: Maybe flashbangs dont' work on Aliens - otherwise, XCom would use them, right? :) But seriously, I too would like flashbangs, and stun grenades / concussion grenades. Both of these would make the game easier, though. With flashbangs, you might have to compensate by just giving the aliens more TUs. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:33, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
::More options for the player is going to make it easier for any kind of game. Particularly of games like XCOM where the computer can't take advantage of the changes. However I don't believe a weak stun grenade (like 44 stun damage, comparable to AC-HE) would change the game much because the 80 item limit remains.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:21, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
* Rudimentary IFF recognition in proximity grenades, ie. it checks the unit ownership variable (the same one that gets flipped during mind control and used to cause the Hostile Civilians bug) of everyone who wanders into its sensor range and only explodes if it doesn't match the ownership of the unit that threw it. Naturally, it would be fooled by mind control and would also blow up civilians but it would minimize mine-related friendly fire...
:: ...which makes me wonder: if a proxy kills a friendly unit, does it count as friendly fire caused by the guy who planted the proxy? If not, would you make it so, just for the hell of it? [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

===Night Vision===

I '''don't''' want to add night vision equipment to the game. I assume that either (1) all XCom units already have night vision gear as standard, but it's not as good as alien night vision, and the visibility that XCom units have at night is based on their standard-issue night vision gear, or (2) night vision gear does not work on Aliens. Either they do not appear on night vision, or maybe worse - maybe the aliens can manipulate night vision equipment, causing worse than normal vision, or hallucinations, and even tricking XCom units into firing on each other. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:33, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:Wouldn't it be nice though if it had gradients other than "day: 20 squares" "night: 9 squares" ? Like.. "early morning/late evening: 10-19 squares" ? I find the cut off from full daylight to full night kinda disturbing. ~ [[User:Renegrade|Renegrade]] 10:41, 19 August 2010 (EDT)

:: I originally thought of this when dreaming of a Stargate-themed patch for X-COM -- but what about enemies that are invisible unless you are facing them while wielding a certain weapon designed to spot them? (Stargate fans: I'm thinking of the TERs.) [[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

:Turning off the aura of light around soldiers during night missions, making the player see about as much as the soldiers do.

:Thoughts about NV equipment:
* 2x1 item that needs to be placed into a shoulder slot.
* Vision range with NV would depend on the ambient light levels:
** During daytime, they would see as far with NV as in complete darkness without.
** The darker it is, the greater the vision range, up to a maximum of 15 hexes...
** ...but complete darkness still incurs a minor penalty as most NV gear are image ''intensifiers'', NOT infrared goggles. That is, they still need ambient light to work properly.

--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 13:50, 21 March 2013 (EDT)

: I think that, after a few turns in a night mission, a soldier's visual range should be increased due to natural nightvision. This does, of course, assume that all the weapons have flash suppressors, but it would make at least some sense, although would probably be difficult to implement. If it became possible, it would be even more realistic to decrease a soldier's accumulated nightvision if they are near electroflares, streetlights, or explosions. --[[User:BenWaters|BenWaters]] 05:15, 6 April 2013 (EDT)

===Throwing over stuff===
'''(Moved to Talk, as this is not a bug and so does not need fixing.)'''

===Assault Time Limit===

One of the cool things about UFO Defence is there are no time limits on the scenarios. This is great as it allows for a totally different kind of tactics and much more flexibility.
It's more of a "thinking man's game" as a result. But... arguably this is not very realistic for UFO Assault missions. If the Aliens are getting creamed, they should try to make a getaway if they can (just like XCom would). A simple way to implement this would be a hard time limit (say 20 turns?) on a UFO Assault. Another way would be to base it on Alien Morale. At a certain Morale level the aliens decide to dust off. Give the player say 3 turns warning while they rev up the engines. Then if there is still a Navigator or Engineer in the Control Room alive, the ship takes off. Any XCom troops still aboard are MIA.

You might run into problems if the UFO took off but then landed again or was shot down, generating another ground mission with potentially '''more''' Aliens than were still alive at the end of the Assault. (Still, maybe they hatch some more clones if they get time to....) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 09:51, 4 September 2008 (PDT)

: It strikes me as justified they don't do that. Troops loose in the vessel could be seriously bad. It would be nice if they dusted off on the condition that their morale was low enough or 3 X-com soldiers had the door in their sights without aliens alive outside in the latter case and no X-com soldiers on board in either case. also, if the UFO has a hole in either the command or engine room, it would have to set down before leaving the atmosphere. [[User:(name here)|(name here)]]

Taking off with troops onboard would be perfectly safe (for the aliens) and justifiable if one assumes that alien ships in flight are inherently inhospitable for humans. This is easily done by saying that they undergo accelerations that humans can't withstand (splat), can't withstand for any length of time (pass out), or that they intentionally make rapid accelerations in different directions, either normally or just if they're trying to bash some intruders around. Naturally, the aliens themselves would either be immune to these (tough physique / their built-in antigrav devices?), or be in acceleration chairs, safe from all this.

Alternatively, when you get the warning that the UFO is going to take off, you've got a certain amount of time to either get everyone '''off''' the UFO, or to get everyone '''on''' it (or as many as you can). There could be a follow-up mission that takes place in "sky" terrain, where the outdoors is either impassable (the easy way) or else instantly withdraws units from combat (flying suits / parachutes). The soldiers' goals would be to either take out the aliens and presumably safely land and salvage the UFO, or take out the UFO's means of flying (power cores / navigator?). In the latter case, they might have a certain number of turns to withdraw or be caught in the crash, with possible casualties just like the aliens, mitigated to some degree by their armour and maybe where inside the UFO they are.

In the case of a crash, there could be a final mission to finish off the surviving aliens, using the X-COM soldiers that survive the crash, and no landing craft (it's still back at the old landing site). Alternatively, you could say that there '''is''' an X-COM landing craft parked outside (with all remaining members of the original landing party), since the in-flight time / distance was presumably low and the original X-COM craft quickly packed up and flew to the new landing site. — [[User:Wisq|Wisq]] 17:11, 18 April 2010 (EDT)

Either side could try bringing in reinforcements -- if I can bring two interceptors to a fight in the sky, why can't I bring two troop transports? This starts to get complicated, but it's come up in discussion of making X-COM into an onlime multiplayer game... :) [[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

===Alien AI===

*Aliens cannot pick up items, but I wish they would. If an alien has no useful weapons in inventory they should either head for cover or head for a plasma weapon. Panicked aliens drop their weapons but never seem to pick them up when they managed to pull themselves together. It would be nice if they tried to arm themselves again. --[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 13:55, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

:Even if it's too hard to make aliens head towards weapons (is it safe?, could it be used to trap them, not to mention the complexities of route finding) - it would still be good if an unarmed alien checked for usable weapons in every square it moved through, and at least picked up one loaded weapon or grenade per turn. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

:Fixing the AI for this could be really hard. Apart from all the possible exploits by XCom, the AI is probably a really hard part of the game to reverse engineer. You could say that an unarmed alien is no threat anyway (we are only concerned about aliens without psi or built in weapons). So nothing is lost even with an exploitable method of re-arming. By exploitable I mean the XCom player can manipulate re-arming, e.g. by leaving weapons out in the open as bait for traps.

:Maybe the simplest modification would be to ''not'' drop weapons when the alien panics? This does not require delving in to the AI, just intercepting the panic effects. Dont make aliens drop any weapons when they panic. It would be reasonable to return the weapon in hand to inventory, so there is a TU cost for the alien to bring the weapon back into play again.

:This would not work for aliens who were stunned and wake up, or who were mind controlled by XCom and made to drop their weapons. But it would probably catch 80% of cases.

:Another cheat, short of fixing the AI, is just to pick up weapons that the alien walks over. It could also pick up "spare" weapons from adjacent aliens (cheating on TUs - basically just teleporting the items to the unarmed alien). Spare alien weapons are almost invariably grenades. I have not had a lot of success in getting unarmed aliens to use grenades, so more research is needed here. Maybe only certain types of aliens use grenades, or only in certain circumstances?

:Really, really cheating would be to teleport any weapon laying around the battlefield into the alien's inventory. But I think it is more fair just to say panicked aliens dont drop their equipment. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 16:13, 13 February 2010 (EST)

:Interesting research! [[User:Volutar |Volutar ]] found a disabled function in the code that makes aliens pick up items! [[Talk:OBDATA.DAT#Field_0x2D]]

* Depending on the aliens' intelligence stat, they can deliberately blast away cover with autofire if they saw any of your soldiers taking cover behind it. They already sort-of do this with grenades but not with other weapons. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]
* Aliens actively using [[Scouting#Scout/Sniper Tactics|sniper-spotter tactics]], taking the high ground whenever possible. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

==== End Psi Bullying and Psi Baiting ====
When the aliens use psi attacks they always go for your guys with the most chance of failing the attack and going nuts. Is it possible to make those pesky aliens attack random soldiers, regardless of their psi skill/strength?

: Not a bad idea to randomise this a bit, because while initially this tactic helps the aliens, it becomes so predictable that it can be used against them by deploying unarmed "Psi Bait" soldiers to draw off all the attacks. (Or make aliens avoid controlling/panicking soldiers who have no loaded weapons. But then folks would just give them pea shooters and wear armour.) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== 80 Item Limit on Base Defense Mission ===
: Well you get the 80 item limit on every mission, but it hurts more on a Base Defence as you have more limited ability, or sometimes no ability, to manage what goes into those 80 items. I was thinking about a couple of (theoretical) ways to fix this and I hit on a new one (new for me anyway): Why not take the 80 items from the Transport(s), first Transport then second Transport until you run out of items or hit 80. This has a few benefits:
:* Ready made interface to manage the 80-item limit, the Stores <> Craft (Equip Craft) Screen.
:* If you have no warning at all, the 80 items will probably make good tactical sense in general terms, even if they are are not totally optimised for Base Defence (no proximity mines, etc).
: I think that copying the Transport inventory into the Battlescape inventory would be relatively to implement (though what do I know?). As a simplification, you could move only the inventory in the ''first available'' Transport that is present in the Base, into the Battlescape, and not bother looking in more than one place (other Transports, Base Stores) to get up to 80. It would then be a bit of a drag if your Transports are all out on a mission when your Base gets attacked though. Or perhaps inspect the inventory of Transport 1 (wherever it is in the world), and then attempt to copy its inventory, using equipment present in the Base?
: Another way of doing it which has been mentioned elsewhere is to try to reverse the order of the items in the Stores list. This has the effect of putting the more advanced weapons first, rather than the more basic weapons. There could be all kinds of unwanted side effects of this, depending on various programming issues.
: Actually there is already a fix for the 80-item limit in XComUtil. XComUtil records a standard assign weapon set for each of your troops, and then teleports those weapons to the Battlescape from your Base Stores, regardless of the 80-item limit (but still subject to the Battlescape's 170-item limit). Not 100% sure if this works for Base Defence missions though.
:[[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== Collision Detection Bugs ===
I have noticed that sometimes you can shoot through hard objects, for example, recently I had a soldier up on the roof of a house overlooking a large scout craft. When a Sectiod moved through one of the inner doors of the UFO, my man shot him straight through the intact ufo roof!

=== Base Defence Systems Cause Alien Casualties ===

I don’t know if this is already implemented in the game? When the aliens attack your base and you defend it with base defense measures does the following occur and if not a mod maybe? When you hit the battleship with your weapons but it still gets through (e.g. you hit the battleship with some missiles before it lands) can the number of attackers be reduced accordingly. For example if you hit it with some missiles then maybe they could have a couple less soldiers attacking (could be random small amount) or when you hit with loads of stuff like plenty of fusion balls and the battleship just makes it then their attack could be reduced to a few aliens (all others got killed in the defense). As I say not sure if this is already there to some degree (not played in a long time and I’m not at that stage yet this time round).

: The general view is probably that Base Defence missions are a boon to XCOM already, so why make them any easier. At very least there would need to be more damage to the loot than there was to the Alien's combat effectiveness, otherwise this unbalances the game in favour of XCOM. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== Alien vs Alien ===
This one is way out there. Alien v Alien battles out with main game, just random battlescape maps. Sectoid and their terrorists against Floaters and theirs etc. One side human controlled the other computer. Choice of ships involved etc.

:I actually love this idea. It might just about be possible using XComUtil, if someone is a total XComUtil guru.

----

There was a utility to do this from Devisraad. it has long since been removed from his site, but someone may still have it. The basics was you renamed unit and it automatically replaced graphics flag to swap out the units. Didn't work on the Large Aliens but still was a fun mod --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:20, 6 January 2010 (EST)

=== Aircraft in Base Defence Battlescape ===

New graphics for the Interceptor and Firestorm on the battlescape. All your ships could remain in their hangers when the aliens attack your base. Don’t understand why Mythos did not do this originally.

----

Simply for one reason: the limit on the size of the battlescape. UFO maps are usually limited to 10000 tiles (50x50x4), on Bases you have 9600 (60x60x3), the last level one being dirt. You need 3 levels to display X-COM craft. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 14:28, 23 September 2008 (PDT)

----

Could you not do it but clip off the top level of the craft - leaving the ground level and 'deck' level? It would be a cool terrain area to fight in. I like the fact that in TFTD you can still see your subs during a base defence. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

----

It is possible to edit the map files to include the Skyranger, but you'll have to use Xcomutil to play with that terrain and I think it would never launch during base defense missions (but I'm not sure on that - never tried editing the X-COM base terrain). [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 19:25, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

This could be done by creating new "hangar" map modules, each containing one of the five possible X-COM craft. Bung the modules into [[GEODATA.DAT]] at index 0C, and you're done. The catch is you can't have all craft or the MCD array will overflow. The base terrain uses ~160 tiles as it is (out of the max of 256), while the craft use about 60 each (on average). Putting them all in would take the table above 300 entries (that is to say, the game'd crash).

'Cause XcomUtil already provides us with an Intercepter design made up of SkyRanger parts, I suppose the way to go would be to only implement those two craft. If you have any alien technology ships, they could either be left out ("they were fast enough to escape") or rendered as SkyRangers.

It should also be noted that bases are made up of two levels, not three. Luckily, all the craft are only three levels high, so cutting out the landing gear still works. - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 19:56, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

Very true about the MCD limit, that's why I only mentioned the Skyranger but the Interceptor could be added as well (and would not make much sense to have your first defense mission with a nice Avenger parked on the hangar while your Interceptors are being blow to bits by Battleships). The bases are 3 levels but you can only modify two of them. The game engine automatically adds a layer of 'dirt modules' either at top or bottom. Hmmm, this just gave me an idea for the wish list... [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:29, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

Both alien and X-Com bases ''are'' only two levels. There must be something screwy in your game; XcomUtil maybe?

It occurs to me that removing landing gear and stuff might make it ''just'' possible to jam in the Lightning tiles as well (as the MCD requirements would also shrink slightly). That'd make it possible to add the Firestorm, too. Seems a shame to get that far then leave out the Avenger, though...

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 21:30, 4 December 2009 (EST)

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Nevermind, I completely misread your previous post. Yes, they are two levels only, could be Xcomutil that adds the 3rd level.

- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 22:30, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----
You may be able to get 3 levels in an X-Com Base but not 4. EU has a smaller amount of memory alocated. I dont know the limit but 60x60x4 will crash EU. TFTD has no problem --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:25, 6 January 2010 (EST)

----

I got partway through this and then decided to change my methods entirely and start from scratch. So I thought I might as well post my progress anyways, as it's already about on par with the crude TFTD implementation: You always have the same craft appear in your hanger regardless of what is (or isn't!) there.

[[Image:Skyranger In Hanger.rar]]

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 05:40, 17 December 2009 (EST)

----

Hey BB, a while ago I have modded the plane terrain files so that the Skyranger appears facing east instead of south. If you want to use that one (to make it a little different) let me know. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 08:23, 17 December 2009 (EST)

----

Thanks, but don't worry about it for now: it'll make the MCD arrays larger still, so I'll consider it when I get all the other stuff done.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 17:01, 19 December 2009 (EST)

----

The completed mod is now included in my toolpack. As usual, I've only done cursory testing on it, but I'm pretty sure it's stable enough.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 06:40, 20 January 2010 (EST)

=== Fixed firing TUs ===

Something that always bugged me was how the weapons used percentages for firing TUs. It doesn't make sense that the faster a soldier got, the longer it would take to fire a weapon.
: This is because you can't fire an automatic weapon any faster than it will shoot. However, it otherwise makes minimal sense, as you point out. I suggest two alternative solutions. Firstly, that only automatic fire modes use a fixed percentage of a soldier's time units, and other modes use a fixed number of TUs. This would entail the newer soldiers spraying and your most elite taking fast, selective single shots. The alternative is that each firing mode for each weapon entails its own formula (revealed in the UFOpaedia but essentially hidden during the battlescape) along the lines of "X% of TUs + Y TUs". Snap fire would be a low % of total plus a low fixed cost, Aimed would be a low % of total with a high fixed cost, and Auto would be a high % of total with a low fixed cost. While this is somewhat complex, in-game you wouldn't have to worry, and it accounts for what can be reduced (i.e. aiming speed) and what can never be improved by a soldier (i.e. cyclic rate of fire or time for a missile to lock). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]
:: These observations are very sensible. However we also need to consider the impact on game balance. If you implement this in an even-handed way, alien rates of fire will increase as they have high TUs. Or, if you fudge it so that alien rates of fire remain the same, then X-Com's advantage will increase as the game progresses. Neither of these are desirable. It would be extremely hard to implement this and still maintain game balance. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 08:41, 1 September 2009 (EDT)
:::Each turn has the exact same duration, but is divided into TUs separately for each soldier. That's a simplification that works well in a turn-based game and reflects the fact that a soldier is fast or slow. However, weapons need to be aimed and will not fire faster than normal, thus they require a fixed percentage of the turn duration. In other words, soldiers gain movement speed, but fire at the same rate. This is both desirable and logical, just not self-explanatory. Thus, I would definitely stick to how TUs consumption is solved currently. [[User:mingos|mingos]]

=== In-flight Interception ===

Yes, I know that this idea is nigh-impossible, but I was thinking, wouldn't it be awesome to infiltrate a battleship, kill the aliens inside and escape, with the geoscape being shown zooming past underneath? Also, in a similar vein to the "aliens dust off after 3 turns" idea, after killing the aliens ( or blowing up the power cores, maybe?)you would have to get as many troops as possible to the drop ship in 3 turns(in retrospect I guess that you could only do this with the Lightning because of the doors) or the ship crashes and all troops not in the dropship are missing in action. Yes, this idea is impractical and would be really hard to program, but the idea of blowing a UFO up from the inside just seems epic to me. [[User:WolfenMage|WolfenMage]]

=== Impose cost to using Psionic attacks===

I think everyone agrees Psi attacks are too powerful. I would propose to impose a cost to using Psionic attacks. This could take the form of decreasing the physical stats after using a PSi attack (after all all: the psionic races are physically weak). This could for example lead to a soldier becoming a weakling or even fainting or dying from using psi-attack. Another possibility is to decrease mental stats (in this case the ratio would be that humans are not really being adapted to psi: you could be expected to go crazy playing mind games) leading to a decrease in psionic powers or maybe panicking or beserking the soldier using psi. Together with limiting psi attacks of MCed units proposed elsewhere this would rebalance the later game somewhat... [[User:Emphyrio|Emphyrio]] 07:22, 9 August 2010 (EDT)

: [[UFO Extender]] implements some limitations on X-Com use of Psi, making attacks Line of Sight based. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Make losing a base less costly ===

My friends would often quit and reload after losing a base because it was so costly. It should definitely be a kick in the teeth, but even the game text suggests some ways you can recover:
1. Scientists and engineers have already been evacuated -- on a defense loss, let me transfer them to bases with open living quarters.
2. Likewise, move any ships at that location to another open hangar. (Maybe doing this requires that I have gotten advanced warning of the attack.)

: You can do all of this immediately prior to the attack, which is a small trade off if you win and a great benefit if you lose. I'm not sure you should be able to do it for free, at the instant of losing, and keep your options open until the last second. I think the game is fair and balanced as is. Well OK, maybe an option to do transfers after seeing the Base Attack screen, but before combat, would be user-friendly - it is sometimes hard to get to the Base screen fast enough to perform an evacuation before the base assault starts. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Have captured aliens be present in base defense ===

The alien containment unit could have all my captured aliens present in jail cells. But this requires other things to happen first.

On one hand, I think it would be cool if the attackers can rescue their friends and bring them into battle. So aliens would need to be able to pick up weapons. Psi powers would suck -- it would seem nuts if a captured ethereal suddenly started brainwashing my crew right away. Maybe they all start with -50 stun, or maybe (can we do this?) psi-powered enemies have it disabled if they start the game captured.

Another issue is that each containment supposedly holds 10 aliens according to the game text, but there is no real limit in the game. Maybe we fix that 10-limit bug (which would mean that we would need to be able to kill overflow aliens), maybe we only take the first 10. And it definitely runs into tile issues.

Would the enemies in containment need to be killed/re-stunned to end the mission? Maybe being in a locked jail cell automatically counts as captured.

:The problem here is that Alien Containment works entirely differently from how it's stated. Alien Containment is instead a file of aliens captured with, IIRC, 50 slots, and it is shared across ALL bases. So you'd have to figure out some way to change the file to flag aliens as 'belonging' to a specific base. And of course, on higher difficulty modes, the aliens and their terror units already spawn most or all of their UNITPOS.DAT slots anyways. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 08:19, 12 January 2012 (EST)

=== Grenade Launchers ===
Is the US army being obstructive? Why can't we buy M79s or M203s? Shooting a grenade through a wiindow/gap is sorely missing, because of the need to arc. There is the small launcher, but that stuns. 30mm grenades come in HE, WP, Smoke, Incendary, AP and flechette (think shotgun with a 30mm bore!)

:They're not being obstructive, in fact they gave us automatic and semi-automatic grenade launchers, which we call the Auto Cannon and Heavy Cannon. See [[Realistic Equivalents#Weapons]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 17:46, 20 March 2011 (EDT)

::In that case, why not make the Heavy Cannon and Small Launcher fire in a ballistic trajectory, a la Celatid spit? It would make the HC even more useful until the advent of the Blaster.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:45, 19 March 2013 (EDT)

=== 80 item limit ===
The space available should be treated more logically; using the system base stores does. At the moment craft treat 1 heavy weapon as the same size as 1 grenade.

''This has nothing to do with item size but the size of the database responsible for keeping track of all available items in the battle. This database size if fixed and just about every routine throughout the program that references this database is written with the size in mind. Fixing this would require rewriting a majority of the program. - [[User:Morgan525|Tycho]]''

=== "Integrated" Inventory ===

There are no Hands, Legs, Shoulders and Belt in a soldier’s inventory, only the Backpack to store everything he carries to the battlefield. So if he wants to fire a gun or throw a grenade or use a tool, simply open the Backpack to select the weapon/equipment, then select the target/function/mode.

A rookie only has very limited inventory capacity. As his rank rises, his inventory capacity also expands. Armors can give him additional capacity to carry more items.
[[User:Lixiaofossil|Lixiaofossil]] ([[User talk:Lixiaofossil|talk]]) 11:22, 12 April 2024 (UTC+8)

== Miscellaneous ==
===Amitakartok===
* An option for modifying how many times can the medkit's various features be used. According to the site, it's not stored in OBDATA but inside the executable.
*Editable starting soldiers attributes.
*Editable HWP stats of chassis and their weapons.
*Editable fire/stun damage of equipment that does this type of damage.
*Editable fatal wound system.
*A critical hit chance system.
*Option to chose % chance of aliens having a weapon over another.
*Creating and using a custom research tree.
''This is pretty much impossible without massively rewriting the way the game handles research. The "research tree" is just a long list of hard-coded if-then statements.-[[User:Morgan525|Tycho]]''
* Trigger Discipline: soldiers (and aliens under X-COM mind control) do not reaction-fire at unarmed targets. Psionic aliens and terrorists are considered armed at all times; soldiers under alien mind control are only considered a threat if they have a LOADED weapon (laser or a weapon AND ammo; smoke grenade/small launcher/stun rod doesn't count as weapon). This eliminates psi-induced friendly fire incidents but also removes the possibility of reactions training.
* Beware the Ethereal: Ethereal Commanders gain maxed-out Psi Strength and Psi Skill. Lower-ranked Ethereals also gain increases to these stats.
* Exponential Psi: mind-controlled soldiers can use psi-amps. If set to 1, only panic attacks are launched. If set to 2, mind-control is also permitted.
* Join Us: all psionic aliens deliberately target amp-wielders before everyone else. Combine with Exponential Psi and Beware the Ethereal for maximum effect... and prepare to sweat blood.
* Human Shields: psionic aliens deliberately mind-control civilians on terror missions to use them as scouts/cannon fodder. If killed, mind-controlled civvies count against the mission score. If the Tactical AI mod is active, mind-controlled civvies pick up weapons as well. If Trigger Discipline is active, soldiers will not reaction-fire on civvies under any circumstances, even if being shot at by them.
* Battle Royale: on terror missions, a random number of civilians spawn with Pistols. Optionally, the Tactical AI mod makes them pick up dropped weapons and use them. Thing is, they shoot at not just the aliens but X-COM too!
* Field Commander: alien commanders can only be found on Battleships. Bases only have leaders.
* Conservation of Energy: plasma cannons of both flavors (craft and HWP) consume Elerium as ammunition. The first full reload is included in the construction cost, further reloads are deducted from base stores after each deployment (similarly to ammo-using craft and HWP weapons). Makes the game ''significantly'' harder.
* Elerium Recycling: selling plasma weapon clips won't turn in any money but returns some of the Elerium used for production. Elerium is more plentiful as a result but an important source of funding is removed, making the early game a bit harder. Additionally, you never get back all of the Elerium used in production, making it inefficient to recycle your own clips.
* Volatile Elerium: plasma weapons can be set to self-destruct as makeshift explosives. The blast force depends on how many times the current clip was fired; if the clip is empty, the weapon item is removed and the tile merely set ablaze for a few turns... but if it's a full Heavy Plasma clip, it goes off with the force of a blaster bomb.
* About the idea above, maybe all plasma armaments are energized by standardized “Elerium-enriched cells”, a single cell can provide 80 rounds to a Plasma Pistol, 40 rounds to a Plasma Rifle, but only 20 rounds to a Heavy Plasma. And these cells have safety latches that once turned off, will render them unstable and will detonate like Alien Grenades, and the radius and lethality of detonation are decided by how many rounds remaining.
===Fix All Bugs===

Oh no [[User:Seb76#Bug Fixes|Seb76]] already did this! :) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

= I Wished (And My Wish Came True)... =

== Geoscape and Strategic ==

=== Fuel Ready always ===
[[User:Seb76#Mods|Implemented - here]]

I wish that I could send out craft at any fuel or ammo level. Normally craft can only leave a base if fully "ready". Craft is only "ready" at 100% fuel (or 0% fuel using an exploit) but there's no logical reason why a full tank and full ammo is required. Fully repaired... that's fine. I can live with pilots refusing to fly a plane missing a wing even if it means England is lost to aliens. 15 hours to fill a tank? Retarded but I can live with that too if I can send out a craft at 20% fuel.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

:Actually, many modern aircraft '''do''' require the fuel tanks to be full on takeoff, and fairly empty on landing. The weight of the fuel is figured into the takeoff aerodynamics, and the tank being full prevents fuel 'sloshing' in the tanks and not actually making it to the engine. (Conversely, many aircraft need to have dispensed of much of that fuel weight before landing.) This holds for most runway-takeoff craft, but may not apply to anything with VTOL capacity; I'm unsure there.

:I do agree that non-full weapons aren't as critical, though. But from a logical standpoint, most modern aircraft should not be launched on an empty fuel tank. I also should noted that an Elerium-fueled craft with [[Known_Bugs#Elerium-fueled_Craft_Bug|50% fuel or less remaining]] will automatically return to base, regardless of distance from base. Of course, given that such craft fuel up quickly, its less of an issue there. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:05, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Hum, maybe you can try [[User:Seb76#Mods|this]]? [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 13:01, 8 August 2008 (PDT)
::Thanks! But I can't try it. I've not been able to get my copy of Xcom to run properly except on a Win98 install. VC2008 requires a more modern OS. I'm sure I could ''eventually'' figure out a way to get it running, but I tried once and wasted too much time before giving up.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 14:45, 8 August 2008 (PDT)
:AFAIK VC2008 binaries should run OK on Win98 as long as the runtime is deployed. Anyway, the loader uses CreateRemoteThread API which is not available in Win98 so don't even bother. '''However''', you can manually patch the binary if you want ;-) Data to patch (all in hexadecimal):
offset 0x41752: 2A0075 -> 18207C
:HTH. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 14:56, 8 August 2008 (PDT)

===Base Build Stacking===
[[User:Seb76#Base Building Stacking|Implemented - here]]

At the moment you are only allowed to build next to a finished module, and you aren't allowed to plan ahead in your base construction. It would be nice to at least be able to plan more than one phase of construction in advance. This would be pretty easy to implement. There is no need to code any new "queuing system". Just place the new module next to an existing under-construction module, but increment the build time to the normal build time + the time remaining on the under-construction module (the lowest time remaining that would make the square you are building in, a legal square to build in). As a premium for build stacking, you have to pay the costs up-front. As with normal construction, all costs are non-refundable if you change your mind. (There would probably need to be some on-screen feedback for how long the module would take to build, before you were committed to building it.) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

See also: Discussion on [[Talk:Wish List|Talk page]].

=== Keyboard shortcuts at bases ===

I wish we had (customised, maybe?) keyboard shortcuts at the base screen. Numbers (at the "base information" screen as well) would switch bases, R for research, E for equip craft, T for transfer, M for manufacture, S for soldiers, B for build new base, P for purchase+recruit (or "B" for "buy" - let people double-bind if they need it), I for base information. The doubles (soldiers/sell+sack) could be solved by using the key under the primary one (x for sell+sack). - n (16:26, 16 Aug 2010 (GMT+1))

:Keyboard shortcuts are implemented in [[UFO Extender]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Soldier table ===

Soldiers should be listed in a sortable table, so I can sort them based on rank, ship order, firing accuracy, psi skills, in psi training, etc. If I want to find out my best shooters, it should be a very fast operation.

At a more advanced level: do it across bases; have filter options; sort based on formula (so I can find the soldiers with the best reaction+firing, or the best psi strength + psi skill).[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

:Sortable soldier list is implemented in UFO Extender and XComUtil. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

== Battlescape and Tactical ==

=== Equipment Management ===

==== Soldiers remembers THEIR equipment ====
[[XcomUtil|Implemented - here]]

I wish soldiers remembered what equipment they LAST used and start with that gear when they land. Normally soldiers grab various gear and put lots of crap on their belt. I put most things on the shoulder slots, and keep many things spare things on the ship just in case I need them. (I only want IN rounds if it's night. Stop picking them up before I shoot you in the back!) Takes forever to sort out the gear so the weakling isn't carrying all the rockets etc.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

:This is already available in [[XcomUtil]]. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:07, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

====Access to Stats screens during equipment allocation====
[[User:Seb76#Equipment Screen|Mostly implemented - here]]

In Battlescape you can get to Stats screens by right clicking on one of the unit's status bars. However you can't do this in the Equipment screen. Things like Statstrings and (even more so) [[User:Seb76|Seb76]]'s modified Equipment screen with actual/max weight help. But it would be nice to be able to see exact stats. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

===Decrease Accuracy for targets out of sight===
[[User:Seb76#Range_Based_Accuracy|Brilliantly implemented - here]]

How come you can easily shoot on something you do not see?
I find the over-used scout-sniper tactic is a cheap exploit of the X-COM. The tactical game should describe a combat, not a cowardly shooting practice. It would turn into a nice feature, if there would be a penalty of (let us say) -20% to the accuracy of anybody who is firing on a target out of his current sight. This can greatly enhance the tactical depth of the game. (Seb around? ;-) --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 14:20, 30 August 2008 (PDT)

...discussed [http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Talk:Wish_list here]

===Enough Smoke===
[[User:Seb76#Mods|Implemented - here]]

It would be nice to increase the current limit on smoke/fire hexes. This is due to their locations being stored in a small, fixed length array. In effect you can only get about 3-4 smoke grenades worth of smoke or fire on the map at the same time. Being able to use smoke liberally would really open up new tactics. At the moment all you can really do is cover the LZ in smoke when you exit the transport, and maybe cover one advance over open ground. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)
:I did something for that on my loader. Heavy testing is required because it is hard to be make sure smoke still works as before (testing is the hardest part actually). [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 14:09, 18 September 2008 (PDT)

=== Alien AI ===

====Aliens better with explosions====
Partly implemented [[User:Seb76#Bug Fixes|here (waypoint bug fix)]] and [[User:Seb76#Mods|here (Blaster drift)]]. ''(Possibly move this to talk, as notwithstanding these 2 bugs, apparently the Aliens are fairly safe with lethal explosives.)''

I wish that aliens using grenades or blaster bombs or stun bombs (anything that goes boom) would use more sense. They should not want to use items that go boom when they are guaranteed to be caught in the blast radius. The alien can use grenades and blaster bombs by going out of line of sight before the explosion goes off. That may not save them if the explosion blows out the walls. At least it would be less stupid then firing a point blank blaster bomb vs taking 5 steps and setting up another waypoint. Units with morale above 100 or mind controlled should still be suicidal as normal.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 13:55, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

: Actually, the aliens are quite careful with their explosives, they just seem to be prone to the occasional accident. They're not likely to fire off a blaster or grenade too close to them - as evident by the strategy where if you see an alien with a BB but can't shoot back, the safest place is to stand next to it. The blaster bomb vertical waypoint fix in the loader also eliminates the 'oops' moments where they plot a vertical right angle too close to themselves and there just happens to be a wall to the south. However, they do need more care with stun bombs as you often get to see an alien fire a stun bomb point blank into a HWP parked next to it. But I guess we are talking about three different weapon types here, so they may not be as careful with a standard firearm as they are with grenades and the BB. Wish the Apocalypse aliens at least had as much sense as the UFO/TFTD aliens. In that game, they're utterly psychotic with explosives and ignore nearby allies. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 14:34, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

=== Mind Controlled then Hostile ===
If you mind control a human (civilians) in a terror mission, they become enemies when you lose control (meaning you have to kill the poor idiots to finish the mission). Any chance that they could revert to friendlies/non enemies again when you lose control.
: Now fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Mind Controlled then MIA ===
Men who are under alien control when you win become MIA, any chance they could be saved (you will have killed all the aliens after all).
: I believe XComUtil fixes this MIA issue. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)
:: XcomUtil 9.6 also restores all DOA if you win to. Not what was intended. This feature has been removed as of 9.7 until I can fix it. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:27, 6 January 2010 (EST)
: Now also fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Open Doors But Don't Enter/Exit ===

Open doors like they do in TFTD (I know this is mentioned above with the good stun grenades idea).
: Now fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Warm Grenades===

Currently when you set the timer on a grenade (or HE pack), the timer runs down every turn regardless of whether the grenade is worn, held, or dropped. Then, when the timer runs out, it explodes unless it is held or worn. There is no real grenade or explosive that works this way. Once the timer (fuse) starts running, they explode regardless. However for most hand grenades, the timer (fuse) doesn't start until after you throw/drop the grenade. It would be nice to have both of these real world behaviours, and lose the game's default behaviour. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

: Technically the way the game implements grenades, they don't have a timer. At least, not as such. When you set a grenade, the game just assigns it a turn to blow up on. Once the turn has passed, the game checks to see that it's on the ground and blows it up if it is, otherwise it doesn't. I believe Seb76 has already addressed this in his patches where there's an option to make grenade blow up regardless whether they are in inventory or otherwise the moment the timer is set. X-Com Apocalypse does a good job of this. The moment the grenade is so much as moved after the timer is set, it counts down. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:01, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:: To simulate an actual timer, you would need to do something like: Every turn that a primed grenade is being held by a unit during the "explode" check, increment by +1 the turn when that grenade is going to explode. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:10, 14 September 2008 (PDT)
:::I think I would change quantity2 ([[OBPOS.DAT]]) to a countdown instead of a turn, and use quantity3 as a flag indicating if the count has started. This flag is set any time a turn ends and the grenade has no owner. Taking it back in your hand once the timer has started won't help and the thing must be thrown... quantity2 is decreased if quantity3 is set, and the grenade blows up as usual. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:35, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

: That would be great. It would be exactly consistent with a 'spoon' type hand grenade. The timer only starts when you release the grenade, but after that it explodes at a definite time regardless of whether you pick it up or not. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

Implemented in [[UFO Extender]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

= Category =
The page needs to be listed in various categories, which ones I don't know. Also links on other pages to this one would aid people finding it.

: OK how about this one: [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:21, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

[[Category:Oddities and bugs]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

The Mysteries of X-COM

2023-12-06T06:09:49Z

Lixiaofossil: /* Why did the aliens use limited force during the First Alien War? */

Discussion page for some less clear aspects of the series

==General issues==

==='''How fast can alien craft travel in space?'''===

Some alien missions (repeated attacks on X-COM bases, for instance) come daily. This seems to imply that alien craft are able to travel the distance from Mars to Earth in a matter of hours.

: Or maybe, as you suggest in your novels, they have a staging area near Earth, such as the dark side of the Moon. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:36, 25 February 2009 (CST)

::Really fast. Consider that they don't need to push aside atmosphere, as well as the fact that momentum is conserved in space, so they can achieve very high speeds with gravity slingshots. (Mars DOES have 2 moons, recall.) Also note that they may be operating a bit closer to home(the far side of the moon, perhaps?) it's simply that the command staff are at Cydonia. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Good article in last month's Scientific American pointing out we only rely on gravity slingshots because we still use chemical rockets with pathetic delta-V. Once 2nd and 3rd generation plasma engines come on line (1st gen are in flight now) the gravity slingshot will become an irrelevance. No doubt UFO drives are at least as good as our (future) 3rd gen plasma drives, probably way better since they warp space.

(Reminds me of the old Guild Navigator joke - I just warped space from Ix, and boy is my mind tired. Oh well, you had to be there)

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:Also keep in mind that both Phobos and Deimos are tiny. They are basically captured asteroids. Neither would be useful in gravity assist. But yeah, the UFO's shouldn't need any assist anyway.[[User:Mannon|Mannon]] 11:35, 30 March 2011 (EDT)
::Case in point: http://xkcd.com/681_large/ (Deimos can be escaped with someone on a bike and a plank stacked on a brick, Phobos requires a good pitching arm). --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 16:55, 13 April 2013 (EDT)

:Consider that many of the same aliens as UFO/EU are in X-COM Intercepter, having necessarily had to break light speed. Consider that if outside any atmoshphere a battleship could reach 4800 knots(in-game top speed) within two minutes (which is about how long it appears to take in-game) then it is accelerateing at about 18m/s/s or almost 2Gs. In 24 hours it would reach 1,555km/s. At this speed (assuming it turned it's drive off after 24h) it would travel about 134,000,000km each day. The maximum distance between Earth and mars is about 401,000,000km.
:For simplicity, because we have room to work with here, even if a battleship were to accelerate for 24 hours while orbiting mars, and again had to decelerate for 24 hours in orbit after reaching earth, (all while a chrysalid inside balanced two apples on each of it's mandibles) it would still only take 5 days to reach earth when both planets are at opposite orbital positions. It seems that the Ethereals can wipe out your base and not have to miss Ladies Night, assuming the club is also on earth. ''Ethereal Mind-Trick: "You don't want to 'blow dis joint'. You want to come back to the UFO for a little abduction mhmhmhmhhmm.'' [[User:Darkestaxe|Darkestaxe]] 23:38, 12 April 2013 (EDT)
::On one hand, "near-constant multiple organ failure" problably includes THAT organ. Ouch. On the other, sheer force of will problably works on that for them (lucky them); and with Psionics, you can make any woman belive that "this long" (holds hands a few inches apart) is 1 foot, as well as literally make her forget any other man she's thought about before, as well as Algerbra. Unhooking a bra would, however, still a challenge unto itself. And, since we are given specific dates in-game, there's plenty of programs online that can calculate the distance between planets for any given time, as well as lists of Oppositions (when two plants are at their closest): http://cseligman.com/text/planets/marsoppositions.htm For example, in 1999, the in-game year of the first game, on April 24th, Mars was only 86 million Km away (though Kudos if you can beat the game THAT early into a campaign) --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 16:55, 13 April 2013 (EDT)

==='''What happens to the crashed UFO craft and its crew?'''===

Downed alien craft disappear after a few days have passed. No explanation is given to this whatsoever, so what really happens to them?

Possible answers:
* The UFO and its occupants are recovered by other humans.
* The Aliens manage to repair the craft and fly back to space. (unlikely, in the event that the power plant blew up and they have no Elerium)
* The Aliens self-destruct the craft and kill themselves in the process, ensuring their remains will not be recovered by humans. (This is, in fact, the in-game explination. Read the mission briefing. [[User:Darkestaxe|Darkestaxe]] 23:38, 12 April 2013 (EDT))
* The UFO Powerplant eventually suffers a meltdown and explodes, eliminating any vestiges of alien presence.
* The Aliens blow up the UFO and disappear into the countryside.
* Most likely answer, IMHO: The local government/ funding nations give X-COM a limited time window to launch any operation, similiar to what you see in covert ops movies: "Complete the mission within 36 hours, or we initiate Carpet Bombing of the area". This is very likely considering that each nation actually has jurisdiction, and X-com is operating each military op with permission and cooperation by local authorities. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)
*Similiarly, I assume that nations which have signed a pact with the aliens launch a rescue operation and assist their alien friends. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)
: In the UFO TV show, it's stated that alien craft and bodies degrade quickly in Earth's atmosphere, disappearing completely in hours or a few days. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:36, 25 February 2009 (CST)
:: If that was the case, then one of the gases present in the atmosphere would be very toxic to the aliens. They would be restricted on their activities outside their craft, not to mention they would have to terraform the planet to be able to live here. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: As Zombie said, doesn't Alien Containment support this idea? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

::Those are excellent suggestions. One of the X-COM books detailed that aliens throw up a force field around crashed UFOs to give them time to repair the craft. This would also explain the limited size of the Battlescape (the area of the force field...the field was thrown up before the crash, thus why the craft wasn't always centered in it) as well as why the Battlescape is devoid of human life(the aliens took care of that up front.) Similarly, large scale bombing works as well, as does the local government going in to clean it up themselves. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::If there's a force field around the craft what is it supposed to repel? The atmosphere? Because humans have no problem entering the field and operating inside it. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::::Of course they do! Have you ever noticed how dumb your units can be? That's because the aliens can't live with too much nitrogen, so they turn some of it in their force field to oxygen, and excessive amounts of oxygen make you act weird. After a while, their power source runs out and the nitrogen returns, dissolving them into E-115. (What did you think it was made of?) AT least, that's what seemes logical to me, ad is a combination of many postulates here. 21:36, 18 March 2010 (EDT)
:::::That would require that the aliens' biochemistry and the alien alloys used in the power sources reacted with nitrogen, which is a mostly inert gas on normal temperature and pressure and a . It's kinda of weird that the aliens didn't bothered with fixing that vulnerability with their craft and bodies during millions of years (what happens if the force field malfunctions while capturing cattle? ooops!) but ok. The increase in the amount of oxygen would probably also turn any kind of fire into large explosions throughtout the force field. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 21:24, 19 March 2010 (EDT)
::The force field was intended to keep humans out so the aliens were undisturbed. The first major hurdle X-COM had was figuring out a way to bypass those fields so they COULD get troops and aircraft inside. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 20:54, 26 February 2009 (CST)
*I'd guess that the aliens would eventually mount their own rescue missions, especially once they realized that XCOM is farming their ships for resources (they must know we don't have ready access to their alloys and Elerium) and co-opting their technology. In the Firaxis game, when idling in the Situation Room screen, Central's (often amusing) radio chatter implies that there are many more UFO's and reports that don't go into the globe. Additionally: only 16 countries are covered, and there are over 150 countries on earth, plus all the oceans. After all, if we were shooting down every last ship, then the alien collective shouldn't be able to land so many aliens for Terror Missions. --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 02:48, 26 January 2013 (EST)

===How do the aliens carry their equipment?===
Like human soldiers, aliens can carry weapons and equipment in locations like legs, belt, shoulders and backpack, regardless of the fact that some of their races even lack those anatomical features.

:Potentially a sticky gel-like area on the limb. Though really, since we were never intended to access alien inventories and the AI does all inventory management internally, this may simply be something that was never considered. Speaking from a slightly different standard, most aliens do not carry excessive amounts of gear; often their equipment would be able to fit in both hands. Also recall that Floaters and Ethereals have capes and robes(which may have inside pockets, or the Floaters could store them in the anti-grav/life support unit or inside surgically created body cavities during the installation, while Ethereals could support their excess gear with telekinesis), Mutons have armor(which may have external straps or adhesive areas), and Snakemen have an armor plate(which could have straps, adhesive, inside pockets, or even a backpack.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:We already know the answer to this one - they cheat! ;) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

===Are X-COM transport craft piloted?===

:Almost certainly, since a remotely-piloted craft could be returned to base when the mission was aborted or failed. It's entirely possible that all X-COM soldiers are qualified pilots of the appropriate craft, since it would make no sense for X-COM to waste space on the plane for a noncombatant, or to have a single-point of failure on the mission like that. (The aliens could screw over the entire op by killing the pilot). It also explains why the craft is lost when the mission fails or is aborted with no one inside(lacking a pilot, the aliens are able to easily destroy it.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: On the other hand, even a tank/hovertank is capable of getting the craft back to base. Perhaps there is an autopilot function. X-com craft are also infamous for choosing strange and bizarre intercept paths, based on latitude lines... almost as if they followed some a few simple lines of code from 1993 programming (bit of 4th wall breakage there...) -[[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]]

:Of course, given the tanks seem to be remotely piloted from an X-COM base, its possible that the tank being in the craft allows the Tank pilot to reroute into the control systems for the dropship and take it over. Limiting this to having the tank inside is a rather good idea. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 12:07, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:I recall that the various cutscenes in the PSX version had a pilot, most notably in the "Mission Failure" scene, where it shows the pilot being killed. --[[User:Mabmoro|Mabmoro]] 16:06, 13 March 2009 (EDT)

===What sort of physical process is used to increase human stats over time?===

The increases in some stats are easy explained by experience gained on missions (firing abiility, reactions, etc.). However, in the cases of physical stats (TUs, stamina, strength) the increase must be augmented by an artificial process, since it isn't easily explainable that humans can significantly increase body mass/speed/endurance just by physical activity/exercise.

:Lifting weights will increase strength. Running and cardio exercise will increase endurance, and performing the same task multiple times will allow you to perform it faster. I see no reason natural increase doesn't work. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::I assume that it is possible to a human to use those methods to double its physical condition, but that being the case why are X-COM recruits so... undeveloped? Maybe this is a more intriguing aspect. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

What I don't get is that when someone gets blasted that they gain a lot of extra health. For crying out loud, the aliens are throwing around plasma and ridicoulously HUGE explosions. Shouldn't they be suffering from third-degree burns? I would expect them to at least have a major sore spot where they got hit. [[User:Tsunamiatunzen1|Tsunamiatunzen1]] September 24

:There's been arguments over whether the soldiers in X-COM are the Green Berets or equivalents of their various militaries, just average soldiers that volunteered for the job, or if the Council of Funding Nations is corrupt and is using this as an excuse to foist off their most useless soldiers onto the X-COM project. If the latter, it would easily explain their rather poor early stats. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

::Maybe the stat increases relate to the troops getting more comfortable performing all operations - lifting, running, combat actions - when the aliens no longer scare the cr*p out of them so much. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:: I know what you mean... if this were Jagged Alliance, it'd be like trying to hire Mike and getting Gumpy instead... ouch! ... IMHO, it looks as if the COFN is being funny about this. Clearly, the troops assigned to X-com have had extensive weapons training... each and every one of them can use just about any standard weapon, including Rocket Launchers, incindieries, auto Cannons, etc. However, NONE of them have any combat experience, coming to you as fresh rookies. And their stats look as if they were selected based on a pot luck basis rather than screening among the elite troops... [[User:Jasonred]]

:Health isn't gained from getting shot. But as for the "ludicrously low stats" issue, maybe they're being selected on some other basis, or there's a real shortage of volunteers. [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] 04:56, 25 September 2009 (EDT)

:: I think that the X-COM's soldiers have big responsibilities, can't have children. They are sworn in and only then go to the field - if someone can't be trusted to keep a secret, he's getting sacked, given a shitty job (ever wondered who maintained the General Stores?) or worse. - n, 16:47, 16 August 2010 (GMT+2)

In Hotpoint's [http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-16092/Hotpoint+XSGCOM+Goa+uld+Defence.htm| XSGCOM: Goa'uld Defense], his explanation is that after a few missions of watching their fellow newbies die, the survivors give in and volunteer for an experimental regimen of performance-enhancing drugs. IRL, steroids and such don't result in instant strength enhancement, they just encourage accelerated development of muscles. [[User:Kalaong|Kalaong]] 03:16, 28 March 2011 (EDT)

Heh: http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/901 --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 02:52, 26 January 2013 (EST)

As much as I've played this series for decades, and know full well how pitiful the starting stats of soldiers are, at least with respect to the game's rules, I really feel I must wonder and ask why we think those starting stats are 'underdeveloped' or 'pot luck'? What, exactly, are we basing this judgement on beyond how poorly they seem to perform in-game against a force that is quite honestly and clearly demonstrated as superior to humans in the first few missions, where only luck and superior numbers appear to manage to secure any wins for the organization and, in turn, humanity? How much can the average X-COM 'Rookie' carry in pounds as gear, and is it considered substantial compared to Army kit, or not? How many direct hits from a rifle can they take normally without dying or keeling over from fatal wounds, and how does this compare to real-world soldiers' survivability? How much time is one turn meant to represent, and how far can the average 'Rookie' run in that time, and how does that compare to how fast a fully-kitted Army soldier can move?

Has all of this already been figured out elsewhere? Otherwise, I'm starting to question whether we have any real proof that 'Rookies' AREN'T "The best of the best of the best, sir! With honors" beyond just how it 'looks' and 'feels' during gameplay, which is already skewed by the enemy having superior firepower and attributes, or, in the case of replacements, existing troops being pushed far beyond previously-perceived human limits from such extreme combat maneuvers as have resulted in success against, as I said earlier, a far superior force (EDIT: want to clarify on this point that I'm taking the 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' stance on the original question for this section). If the stats extrapolated for OpenXcom are any indication, this is most certainly the case, even with Sectoids, to an extent. While Sectoids will never have anything on humans in the Health department, being as fragile as they are (though some rookies can have less health, apparently, but only a few unlucky ones), they are surprisingly enduring, with tons of stamina, being 20 points higher than the X-COM 'Rookie' maximum upper limit for initial stat generation, and the same for Bravery (though this seems to be the case with all AI controlled entities, except mechanical ones, which have an impervious 110 Bravery). Reactions are also higher than possible with a Rookie, and speed (TUs) is on par with the statistical average for rookies, same with accuracy ratings, and even strength. This is just looking at the grunts, too, not even considering the stat boosts Leaders and Commanders have. As expected, the average X-COM Rookie's stats are almost universally superior to the civilians, representing the average member of humanity. The only exception is Stamina, and I'm starting to think this is to compensate AI units somehow for an AI that may not be able to manage energy levels as well as a human.

Anyway, just felt someone had to bring this up here. If it really is explained elsewhere, it probably should be clarified here, as well, for consistency, anyway. (EDIT: I just felt it was being taken at face value far too readily in this discussion, and it just didn't seem right to just assume it with no evidence, despite all my experience playing this series, and noticing full well the soldiers' stats feeling constraining at first) --[[User:StormhawkAPS|StormhawkAPS]] 01:08, 4 October 2013 (EDT)

==Enemy Unknown/UFO Defence issues==
==='''Why isn't Earth overrun by Snakeman/Chryssalids?'''===

According to the UFOPaedia, Snakemen's "Reproduction is asexual, with each snakeman carrying up to fifty eggs inside its body at any one time" adding the ominious conclusion: "Left to its own devices this species would be a severe threat to life on earth."
Moreover, this species is usually accompanied by the Chryssalids, which have a capacity to reproduce themselves very quickly using humans. So, any survivors of crash sites or terror attacks could start reproducing themselves hidden, resulting in large areas being overrun by those aliens later on.

Possible answers:
* Both races have a self-destruct mechanism incorporated into their psysiology to prevent this.
* The entire area is purged by large scale bombing. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)

::One thing suggested in fan data was that Snakemen have air tablets in their stomach...which may be different from earth's atmosphere, which would limit their lifespan in earth's atmosphere, also making egg-laying pointless, since the offspring wouldn't be able to breathe or survive. It has also been suggested that Chryssalids have a very rapid metabolism. Though Chryssalids are likely just as, if not more useful, as a threat or a bargaining tool. When attempting to get a nation to capitulate to their demands, the aliens could threaten to employ Chryssalids en masse, or offer to remove a mass infestation in exchange for the government's cooperation. Or even further, it's possible that Chryssalids are under Ethereal control and maintaining the control link at that distance is taxing, thus eliminating mass use of the creatures. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Two words: [[Alien Containment]]. That answers everything except for the UFOPaedia articles for the aliens themselves which contradict it. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 00:42, 26 February 2009 (CST)
: For captured aliens, yes. But what survivors of uninvestigated crash sites? [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]]

::Zombie is commenting that based on the need for an Alien Containment unit, the aliens cannot survive in earth's atmosphere for extended periods, needing special atmospheric blends and/or nutrient pools which earth is unable to provide naturally, thus limiting their operations outside of the craft. (If the aliens won the war, it's likely this would be one of the first things that they would 'correct'.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 20:54, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===What is the propose of the 'disco balls' found inside some UFOs?===

:Given that they explode, they could be storage reservoirs for coolant for the computers or other systems. They could also be circuit breakers or electrical junction boxes, or even a component of the UFO's particle beam they use to fry X-COM Interception craft. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Here again, two words: [[Alien Entertainment]]. Even though the spheres are not set to Alien Entertainment in the MCD files, they are almost certainly related to the process somehow. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 00:42, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:Maybe they are for having discos? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:Presumably [[Alien Entertainment]] is psionic in some way, maybe they're Psi-Emitters or something? -[[User:magic9mushroom|magic9mushroom]]

::'Disco balls' = Alien 'LSD' emitters. Travelling through space to go on almost-suicide missions force aliens to develop POWERFUL relaxing devices to entertain themselves and not go insane :P. --[[User:Nekrocow|Nekrocow]] 20:10, 24 June 2012 (EDT)

::: Assuming it's about eyeball-like pod #3, it's absent on base maps, and present only in two UFOs: Battleship (in Alien Entertainment), but Terror Ship on the second deck has one in Alien Entertainment room, but two on the bridge. Those are also the only two ships running ground battles and carrying Terror Units (bases have them, but normally don't expect to use them), so... either remote control psionic relays or something else related to ground combat? -[[User:TBeholder|TBeholder]] ([[User talk:TBeholder|talk]]) 21:04, 30 December 2015 (EST)

===Who buys those alien bodies/equipment from X-COM?===

:Equipment likely goes to the funding nations or the international black market. No rebel group is going to ask too many questions about being offered guns that can [[Heavy Plasma|slice through the hull of an MBT]] or [[Alien Grenade|grenades that can level a building]] or [[Blaster Launcher|man-portable guided missiles]]; it'd just be cash-and-carry. Similarly, scientists would likely be interested in looking at much of this stuff for their own research. This would also explain the lack of market forces; the funding nations could have a set price for each item, or if X-COM is selling them under the table to rebels and rogue scientists, they can set the price and refuse to budge. The money on corpses could also be an "Alien Bounty" paid by the Funding Nations, as a reward for each alien that X-COM can prove they killed. Or it could be bought by other groups...rumor has it that some fast food restaurants have processes that can make ANY meat, no matter the source, look and taste the same, and a Muton would make a LOT of McBurgers. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)
From the USO (Kasey Chang): XARQUID SUSHI.

===How did the aliens get to Mars?===

There are no indications that UFOs are capable of faster than light speed. So how did they get to Mars in the first place?

:The UFOs are mission craft, used for the legwork. The fighters; we never see the carriers. Given the aliens have been proven to be interstellar, they either Clone-A-Crew as needed when coming the long way to keep the UFOs crewed, or its far more likely that the aliens did have or still do have larger "Carrier" ships, which are capable of FTL travel, that were/are further out in the Solar System that store and dispatch UFOs to mission locations. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: One word: TFTD. The entire city of T'leth was put into cryogenic suspended animation? Or look at X-com Interceptor. X-com and the aliens show the ability to enter hyperspace or whatever it is.
::: T'Leth is another mystery of its own. More to that later on :) [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::... there are no indications that the UFOs are INcapable of FTL... I don't think you would want to perform FTL travel within Earth's planetary atmosphere!
::: There are no indications that they are capable as well. And X-COM scientists don't seem to detect any FTL capabilities in UFOs during their research. And after the war the Elerium stocks dwindled, and it would make sense to perform some sort of interstellar missions to detect and harvest Elerium, however none are mentioned. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::: Unless you count the events of X-com Interceptor? [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 21:15, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::::: I am refering to the events between Enemy Unknown and TFTD. There is clearly a big distinction between the alien craft on EU and those of Interceptor. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 09:38, 27 February 2009 (CST)
::::: Enemy Unknown is set in 1999, TFTD in 2040, Interceptor in 2067... looks entirely plausible that they DID begin research into space exploration immediately after the events of Enemy Unknown. These things take time you know. Remember that the universe is a huge place, and Earth had rather limited Elerium Reserves by the end of EU. It takes... what, 30 Elerium just to fly an Avenger halfway across Earth? They could hardly afford to fly around randomly in space HOPING to come across elerium, they had to figure out detections methods, then scan the galaxy sector by sector, possibly partially using non-Elerium based propulsion at times... I can't remember if it's canon or fanfic, but I remember reading that all Elerium on Earth was reserved for space exploration.
As for FTL, Earth does get it for sure sometime between 1999 and 2067. And I'm pretty certain the technology is Elerium based. It's not a huge logic jump to assume that the aliens have access to FTL Elerium based tech.
Though I'm a bit puzzled why all T'leth technology is based on Zrbrite, when the aliens uniformly use Elerium, all the way from Earth to Cydonia to the far reaches of space. -[[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]]

:It takes 12 Elerium to fuel an Avenger, though how much 1 Elerium is is an ongoing debate. As for Elerium, it was reserved for propulsion research when the funding nations divvied up X-COM's resources, and then they blew it all without learning anything more than the original X-COM scientists. And yes, Earth clearly gets FTL after TFTD but before Interceptor. The reason Elerium is not used in TFTD is because Elerium becomes inert and useless upon contact with seawater. Similarly, seawater aggressively corrodes Alien Alloys and eventually completely dissolves them. Zrbite functions similar to Elerium, being gold mixed with alien bio-material. Unfortunately, Zrbite only works when supported by a massive energy grid created by T'leth and becomes inert upon its destruction. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 12:07, 27 February 2009 (CST)

OK... take the UNIT of elerium out of the equation... let's say that Earth had 5000 units of elerium, so 6 units get's an Avenger halfway around the world, and 12 units is sufficient to reach Mars. Hardly enough fuel reserves for intergalactic travel then.
2065 On October the 27th, the probe 'Tombstone 1' returns reports to Earth. It's data show that the globular star cluster where it rests, one hundred light-years from Earth, contains many life-supporting planets. Many of the planet's within the probe's scanning range also apparently possess great mineral wealth, including trace veins of elerium-115.
Hmm... So, mankind discovers FTL technology on their own in those 65 years? ah... come to think of it, if they've got non-Elerium based space travel and FTL, and more powerful weapons too, what's the big deal about Elerium in the Frontier? Does mankind even need it anymore?
As for T'leth, it is meant to be over 65 million years old, and CRASHLANDED on Earth due to a solar flare. Was the Ultimate Alien a prophet, thus chose to base T'leth on aqua plastics and Zrbite when T'lth was first constructed? Or did T'leth crash land, followed by frenzied activity where the entire city was replaced part by part, the alien alloys swapped for Aqua Plastics?
...
Actually, come to think of it, it's obviously a massive plothole due to limited timeframe, no point in discussing too deeply. Sigh... [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:50, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:It's implied that despite the loss of ability to use the alien technology from the First and Second alien wars, simply being able to see and examine their designs catapulted earth's technology forward at least a few decades...which really is entirely reasonable. Much of the technology can be replicated on earth, and the principles and designs can be reapplied.

:As for the deal with Elerium, its needed to power stronger weapons and is also wonderful for power generation; its efficiency in power generation is what allows Mega Primus to even exist.

:And was there anywhere that specifically said that T'Leth was made of Aqua Plastics? I don't recall. Yes, the rest of their subs are made of aqua plastics, but I'm wondering if something the size of a medium city might perhaps be made of something a bit more durable. PS: Thanks for signing your post! :D [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 14:17, 27 February 2009 (CST)

It's not a plothole at all. There is no Elerium on Earth, whereas the aliens can manufacture Zrbite on Earth, since there's gold here. Therefore it's obvious why they used Zrbite. Also, there's the fact that it was an Aquatoid colony mission, intended to produce an "aquatic paradise", so using Aqua Plastics instead of Alien Alloys is perfectly justified. [[User:magic9mushroom]]

:I think that the use of Aqua Plastics instead of Alien Alloys is perfectly justified by the fact that T'leth crashed million of years ago while the aliens that came to take a shot or two at earth were two million years ahead technologically. So Aqua plastics was some plastic that was used by aliens before they've got the Alloys. You might argue - it's Aqua Plastics, so Aqua =/= Space. Well, Aliens weren't calling them aqua, and there wasn't anything saying that Aqua Plastics is not suitable for Space Travel. --[[User:Domenique|Domenique]] 11:10, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

... I think Alien Alloys alone would catapult earth's technology forward a decade, and there's no reason humanity can't use those anymore, just not in water. According to timeline, some space pirates manage to make the decommisioned Avengers run on non-Elerium fuel... a large technological step.
By the time of Interceptor, Elerium weapons aren't that powerful. Good point about power generation though.
I would assume that T'leth SHOULD have been constructed out of Alien Alloys, since it was originially an interplanetary vessel? Generally, everything in EU was made of Alien Alloys, everything in TFTD was made out of Aqua plastics. Both of which seemed plenty durable.

::Have you noticed that the UFOs fly however their mission parameters tell them to? The UFOs pretty much IGNORE interceptions by X-com craft... if their mission tells them to make 3 passes, speed up, slow down, speed up... they will follow that pattern exactly, whether X-com craft are firing on them or not.

::Question: How long does it take the Avenger to reach Mars from Earth? [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 19:12, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::No longer than a week, in my opinion. Probably less than 2 days. Since canonically, the design of the Avenger had the Cydonia mission in mind, it would be capable of very high interplanetary speeds. (You could choose to burn 40% of the Elerium in one blast to get to high speed. Or you could burn even more and refuel while it's landed...or it could be a mission with no guaranteed escape for the crew. The lives of the many over those of the few and all that, especially since the war hinges on the mission.) In addition, you can fit a full complement of soldiers on board with no real excess room for supplies, and the longer it takes to get to Mars, the greater the chance the aliens will spot it coming for them and mount a serious defense. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 19:20, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::If you'd burn that much fuel to accelerate the craft then you'd have to use as much again to decelerate it and attain a planetary orbit, otherwise you'll simply overshoot the planet and head towards outer space. This is also another aspect to take into account when thinking about the speed of UFOs. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

::: UFO drives are non-Newtonian so those sort of rocket equations don't necessarily apply. I think filling up a car with gas is a closer analogy. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

::: Well, they could put a mini mind shield on the Avenger, shoot down a UFO roughly their size, and then fly to Cydonia when the UFO they shot down was supposed to return based on the instructions found by the hyper-wave decoder. Basically taking the place of the UFO. Shouldn't be too hard since the UFO's are pretty common by the time you research Cydonia or Bust. [[User:Tsunamiatunzen1|Tsunamiatunzen1]] 14 February 2010 (MST)

::That would leave 20% of the fuel to take off the Avenger and land it. Not really that unreasonable. While they're landed, they could potentially refuel the Avenger, or the mission might have been planned as a 1-way trip from the get-go. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Perhaps Elerium-based drives are a bit like Ramjet engines, where they're actually useless or inefficient ''below'' a certain threshold speed? --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 03:02, 26 January 2013 (EST)

===What happened to Mars and the alien civilization there?===

According to the Brain, Mars was blooming with life had a alien civilization millions of years ago. However, Mars nowadays is a barren world and the alien civilization seems reduced to the area on Cydonia.

:That may well have been before Mars lost the majority of its atmosphere due to its weak magnetic field. As the atmosphere dissipated, the aliens left or died off. It's also possible that the aliens, shown in the game over to have little respect for planets other than as sites for slaves and resources, they strip-mined the planet dry(and the rust from the machines created the red coloring), and then seeded Earth so that the slave workforce would grow for future extraction of Earth's resources. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===Where are the human-alien hybrids referred to on the UFOPaedia?===

:For the ones on earth, probably in hiding or in laboratories for research. For the ones the aliens have, potentially improving the Sectoid gene pool or being used as food or menial tasks. Cloning is alot easier than making genetic hybrids and there's nothing that says their first-generation experiments would be suitable for combat. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: They are babies at the time of X-com, and few in number. Their aren't even that many of them by the time of X-com Apocalypse. [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 19:12, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:Not to mention the ones in X-COM: Apocalypse are less-than-fit for battle before extensive training. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===Why did the aliens only activate T'Leth after they were defeated?===

On TFTD T'Leth is shown as an entity/city of major power that is capable of conducting a war on its own. But the aliens leave it dormant although they could have used it to speed the process of taking control of Earth.

:Perhaps the Enemy Unknown aliens are legitimately scared of the TFTD aliens and are unsure how long they could trust them. Evil is not monolithic; the TFTD aliens may be more interested in themselves than the alien empire, so they were kept as an ace-in-the-hole. This is the same reason (canonically) that SKYNET did not originally send the T-1000 to assassinate Sarah Connor; SKYNET was scared of what the T-1000 could do and had only a bare minimum of control over it, so it only used it as an option when it had nothing left to lose. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

T'Leth is in fact so powerful that all it has to do is surface, in order for X-com to be considered to have lost the war.
In fact, looking at the timelines, it takes 40 years for T'leth to wake up from it's slumber... that's one good reason not to use it. By the time it activated, the war would already be over. [[User:Jasonred]]

Because the whole purpose of the Enemy Unknown aliens was to rescue the TFTD aliens from T'leth, and there was no way of seeing whether the T'leth-based invasion in TFTD would even work - from their perspective it's possible that getting T'leth to bootstrap itself could have caused a catastrophe (they don't know whether or how badly it's damaged). Presumably the aliens planned to mount a proper rescue operation after locking down Earth and readying it for the aquatic paradise that was the entire point of the T'leth expedition in the first place. [[User:magic9mushroom]]

T'Leth was a coleny ship sent by the Sectoid/Aquatoid's millions of years earlier. This is why the Aquatoids use electronics to augment there control over other creatures, while there progeny are genetically modified to gain the same control. In TFTD it's implied that the T'Leth had been partialy active for a long time. Thawing out aliens in small groups but never going in full production. UFO aliens may have not intended to start the full awakening cycle until they had a chance to prepare the planet.
OR, given the Ultimate Alien was aquatoid in origin by his looks and there was no other races from the first game involved. And the fact that Sectoid/Aqutoid's are not the top of the food chain with the Ethereal and Brain being more powerful it's possible the brain had decided that the Ultimate Alien was a threat to it's power. It was not until it's death that they tried send the signal. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:19, 22 March 2010 (EDT)

===Why did the aliens use limited force during the First Alien War?===

Imagine Independence Day or War of the Worlds: UFO above the major Earth cities destroying the national leadership and any resistance. Or simply announce to Earth that they are now a part of their empire and resistence is futile. Instead, they go 1 mission each day, allowing humans to capture their craft, research their technology, discover their intentions and mount a successful defense. Don't the aliens watch sci-fi movies to see how it should be done?

:Perhaps they don't have the standing forces to do so, and are in the process of building up the forces needed to do so. Perhaps they don't want to wipe out the entire power structure too fast; they want to leave some pieces in place for when they rebuild. Perhaps they're too condescending to think that humanity ever really has a chance; they've probably conquered thousands of other planets without anyone ever successfully resisting them. Perhaps they consider the X-COM project to be a rearguard action that, while a valiant effort and a credible threat, is ultimately doomed to failure because they simply cannot win in the end, which is why they undermine it. Indeed, the reason you need to launch the Cydonia mission in order to win is because X-COM simply cannot stop the aliens in a ground war; the aliens have an effectively infinite supply line and standing forces(though nothing says they're all waiting to swamp the earth), and the only way to win is to kill the command staff(which the aliens believe X-COM will not be able to do, lacking both knowledge of where the Brain is and any practical means to get there.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::The most plausible explanation seems to be the one employed in the Worldwar series, by Harry Turtledove, but that does not seem to mesh with what the Brain says about having been on Mars for a while, since then they could watch the Earthlings perpetually. Of course, what it says is probably a bunch of lies. Thinking about what it says for too long also raises the question of why the aliens attacked when they did, of course... [[User:Vizzydix1|Vizzydix1]] 21:52, 18 March 2010 (EDT)

The aliens are completely lacking in weapons of mass destruction. When you get right down to it, their aircraft are very fast, manuevarable and durable, but they have rotten firepower. Even the battleship is unable to bring down an Interceptor in 1 shot.
The terror missions and X-com Base Defences prove that the Aliens are unable to simply launch orbital bombardments... in fact, they appear to have no Air to Land weapons whatsoever...
When you get right down to it, the aliens are pretty stupid. Also, their scientists seem inferior to Earth's. Seems to me that they only had the advantage of Elerium deposits and thus elerium based research.
X-COM was unable to win in an all-out war with the aliens, but remember that X-com is a small little covert group with several dozen soldiers and a handful of aircraft. Can you imagine the result if the aliens had caused a joint war effort by the UN? You would have Lockheed factories converted to Avenger production, several platoons of soldiers outfitted with Flying Suits, Lasers, Heavy Plasma, thousands upon thousands of Laser Tanks...
I would say that keeping the fight to covert action on both sides was actually beneficial to the aliens, really. [[User:Jasonred]]
* Nope, the aliens could just invoke John's Law and blow up the planet with a kamikaze battleship at .9c. Even failing that, the alien battlefleet could come in numbers sufficent to blot out the sun.--[[User:(name here)|(name here)]] 14:39, 8 November 2009 (EST)
** Lest we forget, X-Com is essentially the Spartans to the aliens' Persian Empire. So they'd just fight in the shade (which would be a blessing in desert missions). --[[User:Guido Talbot|Guido Talbot]] 13:58, 16 July 2010 (EDT)
*** Mass producing those technologies on such a large scale would be impractical considering that those said technologies sans Laser Technology rely heavily on Elerium. Thus the Earth forces would be heavily reliant on downed or landed UFO's to resupply their Elerium powered craft making such efforts pointless.

Aliens first began with smal scouting missions, so maybe all we expirience in X-Com is initial attacks by aliens, maybe the whole base was begining scouting and waiting for the invasion fleet? Aliens problably could be in sense dumber than humans, humans are adaptable and thinking, our technology advances fast, and we are fast and smart enough to stop the invasion before it begins. Aliens problably were not used to it so they thought "oh well, another invasion...". --[[User:Domenique|Domenique]] 11:10, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

Mankind, as a whole, is incredibly cunning and full of guile. We are also incredibly aggressive. A trait that the most of the Aliens can barely concieve. Though we are weaker physically, mentally, etc, we are overly developed when it comes to strategem and war. The aliens are, in essence, have come to an inverse of Flatland. Though they are advanced, it is they who are 2D to our 3D approach to fighting. They return to earth, and through extensive research and testing, determine that inferior are strategically to humans. So...they use their advances to what they percieve as the most full advantage, and call for reinforcements over the initial months of the First Alien War. For eons, only the Sectoid make arrivals to earth. When the Brain finally realizes the situation, that mankind has woke up and is dealing with them most directly, it begins to get desperate, it sends reinforcements, but only incrementally. (Its always focused on peak efficiency). The concept of overwhelming force is illogical and some how, disdainful, to it. It prefers nuance, interogation, politics, and assessment. The Brain determine that its more effective to eliminate allies of XCOM than to face it directly. The concept of obliterating anything from orbit is reprehensible. Everything must be examined, especially the dead creatures you leave behind. Over time, it would learn man's tactics and assimilate. In fact, each race called in is an example of the Brain adapting. The Floaters bring forth an extra dimension to combat. The snakemen aggressiveness and accuracy. Mutons a culmination of superior warrior breeding, raw physical power, and determination not unlike the so called human soul. Finally, the Ethereals enter, with capacity to bring overwhelming force. In time, as they do on Mars base, they might begin joint force attacks with Mutons backed by Ethereals, supported by a mix of terror weapons. Fortunately, the First Alien War is ended before they fully develop such cunning. Hence the desperate act of T'Leth. The Brain has learned the power of anger fueled by vengeance and desperation.
--[[User:BlackLibrary|BlackLibrary]] 11:10, 29 May 2011 (EDT)

:I've always viewed it as primarily a lack of resources. Even if you get a UFO every single day and shoot them all down so that there's no possible chance of any of them being the same UFO that's still only several hundred to perhaps a thousand or few UFO's over the course of several years. And most of those are quite small and not too difficult to take out with regular old interceptors and human armaments. If used all at once it might be enough to achieve air superiority, particularly if the Battleships do all the heavy lifting. But it also might not. It certainly would NOT provide enough soldiers to mount a worldwide ground offensive. The crews on those ships aren't all that big. There's also no reason to assume that all those craft, weapons, soldiers, and more importantly... elerium are all available at the same time. It's quite likely that the aliens are cloning new soldiers, building new weapons and UFO's, and possibly receiving supplies (particularly of elerium) from deep space. Elerium is needed to manufacture a lot of their stuff as well, and we already know it's a limited resource in our solar system. Consider on top of that how much get's used up as fuel every time a UFO visits Earth. If they sent all their UFO's they would use up their reserves of Elerium all at once for a 1 day attack that ultimately would fail. Instead of conquering the Earth wholesale they are trying to influence governments into signing secret pacts with them so that they can control the population of the Earth rather than wipe us out. They do this by using terrorism to intimidate the public and inserting clones to infiltrate governments while holding secret negotiations. A steady stream of UFO missions keeps up the pressure until governments break. Lucky for us they never expected us to bring the fight to the command center on mars. Just imagine if they had built base defenses like we can for our bases. heh Lord would it be aggravating building up a crew of top notch soldiers, constructing an Avenger from scratch, scrapping together all the gear, sending it to Mars, and then watching it get blown to bits before it even lands... O,o Also consider that their UFO's have operated with relative impunity for a very long time. Presumably XCom is the first organization to shoot down a UFO? As for Earth ramping up for a full scale war, it'd be unlikely that we could really produce enough alien technology in any reasonable timescale to actually outfit whole nations armies, especially with limited Elerium. Perhaps the tech that doesn't require Elerium, but then again shifting an entire army from one weapon system to another is not as simple as merely producing all the weapons. It's an extremely long, arcane, and baffling process. Getting just the branches of the US military to switch to laser weapons would probably take at least a decade. I think that limited resources and the intent to control and dominate rather than eliminate the population of the Earth explain it. For that matter they would see the human population it-self as a resource. Hence the use of small scale terrorism rather than attempting to use any weapons of mass destruction. A bunch of aliens walking around shooting people is still pretty damn scary stuff.[[User:Mannon|Mannon]] 13:12, 30 March 2011 (EDT)

I would have thought that the simplest answer here is best. The aliens are manifestly unable to survive outside containment or bases for prolonged periods. Further, their clearest technological advantage over the humans (at least, prior to X-Com research) is mind control. Therefore, their primary method of offence is not to get bogged down in a ground war, but to engage in the overthrow of governments by infiltration, coercion, corruption and bribery, and achieve complaisance by terrorisation of the general populace. It is for this reason that standard combat tactics involving large hierarchies are ineffectual against the aliens (when the government/command can be mind controlled and the theatre can be defined by a mobile alien force). A decentralised, partly cellular, covert approach like X-Com is preferable, but unable to win an outright ground war either (being composed of, at maximum, 250 soldiers). Of course in reality, the irony is that the aliens/bourgeoisie/Fox network have Mind Controlled you, the X-Com commander into wasting your time with retro video games instead of doing anything about their societal control!
--[[User:Oogleshay|Oogleshay]] 16:16, 18 October 2011 (EDT)

My theory is that the aliens are deliberately trying to be low-key because they know once the UN can no longer keep the invasion a secret, they will have no reason to pull their punches at defending Earth. The aliens want to make it so that once humanity at large fully realizes what's going on, it's already too late - they're poking the sleeping giant but take care not to awaken it before amputating all limbs to make it unable to defend itself once awake.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 06:33, 14 January 2012 (EST)

Perhaps the aliens suffer from a lack of proper logistics. If we assume that their purpose was to retrieve the lost colony ship(T'leth) then it wouldn't seem particularly likely that the aliens would have brought along the necessary logistics to support a full scale invasion of Earth. Furthermore it is quite possible that the alien ships you encounter in the first XCOM are actually not dedicated invasion ships but rather re-purposed fighter ships(which would explain the total lack of artillery or bombardment capabilities).
--[[User:Theinsomniac|Theinsomniac]] ([[User talk:Theinsomniac|talk]]) 22:47, 17 February 2014 (EST)

I disagree with all this. "Mankind is the greatest species." - hogwash. The aliens are clearly capable of wiping out humanity when they wish, if you read the whole of the lose game screens. The game had to be designed to give humans a chance to fight back. With this caveat: the only reasons the aliens don't start wiping out the population would be to preserve humanity. With the harvesting and abduction missions, clearly they are looking for something in the fauna and flora of Earth. Something that a massive assault would make improbable to find due to the overwhelming loss of life that would occur. The most logical explanation would be that the aliens want to harvest specimens with specific genetics traits, so they would want to be able to sift through as much of the population as possible to find those with the best traits. Before wiping out the rest of the "inferior specimens". This explanation would also fit to the story that the brain tells at the end of the Cydonia mission (if that story is more than just a desperate attempt to save itself.) [Why the aliens are so incompetent is due to incomplete development of the strategic layer by the designers, especially with the economy.] [[User:Morgan525|Tycho]] ([[User talk:Morgan525|talk]])

Obviously, in the remake, this is much more easily explained as the Etherial search for Psions making human extermination ''not'' being their goal (but in fact, the ''last'' thing they want, since we're the best shot they got for their apparent true goal: ascendance), but to an limited degree is is reasonable to retroactively apply this motivation to the 1994 Etherials/Cydonian Brain. On a similar vein, where the Gallop Brothers even thinking about T'leth yet during Defense's development? I saw not too long ago, I think on the History Channel, of a 'realistic' take at trying to fight off an invasion/occupation force, also noted to be about harvesting, not about outright killing all humans: with presumed FTL tech, even someting a fraction of lightspeed, and the number and masses of UFOs involved both in the special and in XCOM; it'd be much easier to just strap some engines on some large asteroids and spam them at Earth, which those points prove is possible: a much easier and effective means to exterminate humans, if the goal was xenophobic in nature--- but I digress. Consider.. hmmm, yeh, the US invasion of Iraq or Aphganistan: we COULD of just nuked the hell out either country and called it a day. Presuming a lot, but maybe some of the same reasons America didn't are the same? Intergalatic politics not allowing such WMDs? Excessive collateral damage wasn't their interest? Looking for something specific on an individual basis? That the aliens (may) want slaves, and reasons on that vein, is a big difference they have. Going back to the special, how humanity won is by a mass infitration/kamakaze attack on the barge/battleship-sized UFOs, and making it "not worth" continuing the occupation (in similar nature to people wizing up to Bush's bullshit and losing so many soldiers to cheap-ass IEDs and Soviet-era tech making the Iraq War unpopular)..... again, assuming alien behaviors and mechanics of motivations are anything remotley "human-like". So, at best, I'd ascribe the 1994 alien's motivation as the same as in the special: conquering for resources. Cortez conquering my ancestors for gold. --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] ([[User talk:Xuncu|talk]]) 08:03, 18 February 2014 (EST)

My personal theory in regards to this is simple. To get to Mars from where they originated they would have to travel at relativist speeds (at or at least close to the speed of light) this requires a lot of energy and at this speed every microgram counts. (a single microgram of cargo can cost a ton of fuel at FTL speeds).
So the aliens travelling to Mars, instead of bringing a massed invasion fleet bring the bare minimum. Embryos or even genetic samples for each of their species, blueprints for weapons and equipment, basic manufacturing facilities, mining equipment and a transport vessel designed to be cannibalised to set up the initial Cydonia base, with only a ghost crew to start things off.
This explains the year prior to the start of the game (the steady increase in UFO reports, abductions ect.) the aliens need resources, they probably got some from mining the area around Cydonia to build some of their equipment but to grow clones they need a nutrient medium (not to mention the food they need for themselves) which means they have to go to earth and harvest. The initial missions were probably in areas such as the ocean, or jungles, harvesting flora and fauna. But given how little they would be able to harvest this way (they would have trouble finding enough protein not to mention the fact that mutons are said to be obligate carnivores) which meant increased incursions on populated areas (such as farms) add to this the lack of genetic diversity means that they would abduct humans to help provide some means of altering their genetic code to better handle earth diseases and atmosphere.
This can also explain why you only get small UFOs initially, they don't have the resources to build battle ships (until they have mined enough to expand their production facilities and build bigger craft). It also explains why they lack weapons.
TFTD show that the alien's method for “education” is to just implant knowledge. What this means is you have a bunch of aliens with the same hard-wired brain (clones) and with the same knowledge. Limiting their ability to adapt and change (they don't have years of experience to work on, nor have they had to think of the knowledge they have it's just given to them as fact).
Once X-com is formed they now find themselves battling an enemy that not only adapts to use their technology but builds on it (personal armour, power suits, flying suits, fusion ball tanks, ect). The whole alien invasion is doomed from the start.
Given time the aliens could have built up a massive fleet capable of overwhelming earth (which was probably their initial plan) but due to X-com getting involved that plan got knocked back. They can mine Mars and the asteroid belt for minerals to build their weapons, but without raiding earth for the fauna to feed their troops and grow their clones they can not build an army.
The aliens probably observed earth previously. (maybe Roswell was a scouting mission which failed to return) as such they underestimated our detection and interception capabilities (the back-story actually states that X-com is using the best craft available and previous attempts to intercept UFOs failed using conventional earth technology, which probably explains the limited weapon load-outs for x-com craft (they are built on high speed prototypes designed as proof of concept not actual in service craft so they had to jury rig hard points).
This basically means that the aliens were unprepared for earth's level of resistance, before they even had a force capable of fighting. If they had been more careful, built their forces in silence (by farming wild life in the jungles and oceans, instead of going for rich targets like farms to load up on cow parts quickly) they may have been able to launch an invasion before earth even knew what was happening (just imagine if the game started with 20 battleships over every country, mutons march down the streets carrying heavy plasmas and blaster bombs, while snakemen and chrysalids strike major cities, all the while ethreals are mind controlling everyone... try winning that game with just 2 interceptors, a couple of rifles, some heavy weapons and 8 soldiers who can't hit the broad side of a barn from point blank range with a guided rocket --[[User:crwydryny|crwydryny]] 14:50, 30 December 2015 (GMT)

I think that the aliens simply had no concept that they could be defeated. By analogy: when a dog trainer shows up to tame a savage dog, she's not showing up with a troupe of armed bodyguards, because that would be a silly level of overpreparedness. She's not worried the dog will outsmart her. She's not worried that the dog will figure out how to handle the leash, wrap it around her neck, and then demolish her car. If anything like that started happening, she'd be so utterly astonished, because it's never happened so far with any of the dogs she's trained. She'd be slow to react or to adapt her strategy, because the situation would be so difficult for her to believe. Dogs just don't behave that way! Similarly, the combination of battleships, mind control, and plasma has always been so overwhelmingly effective that the Ethereals have never needed to be smart, or adaptive, or even make accurate assessments about the intricate details of the planets they're taking over. Plus, they're a society of clones operating in a strict hierarchy, and literally sharing thoughts psionically. They probably have only a vague understanding of "individuality", and I doubt they have much understanding of guerrilla warfare, because they've never seen it succeed. Their political and interpersonal dynamics are vastly simpler than ours. I doubt that they're even aware that X-COM exists as an entity that is independent of our world governments. [[User:Jessicest|Jessicest]] ([[User talk:Jessicest|talk]]) 22:23, 15 March 2020 (UTC)

The question of ages “Why aliens never have the smart of ramming Earth with a UFO flying at sub-lightspeed?” They have plenty of smaller UFO to spare and given there are no advanced bases on the Moon and the absence of “carrier-grade” UFO, interplanetary travel should be quite feasible to them, thus their UFO can achieve sub-lightspeed. Actually, a similar question is also presented in Star Wars “Why Galactic Empire never rams a Rebel-controlled planet with a Star Destroyer flying at sub-lightspeed?” So I made up an answer for both questions: When a spacecraft’s velocity approaches lightspeed, it becomes “transparent” in the real-space, for it has begun to “phase” into the so-called “hyperspace”, when it reaches lightspeed, it completely disappears from the real-space into the “hyperspace lane”. So ramming Earth or any other celestial bodies with something flying at sub-lightspeed is not feasible, because the projectile will simply goes through the target like a ghost, without making any damage. [[User:Lixiaofossil|Lixiaofossil]] ([[User talk:Lixiaofossil|talk]]) 14:09, 6 December 2023 (UTC+8)

===What may be the hidden function of UFO Power Sources?===

Why does no UFO contain something similar to craft weapon despite the fact that most of them may shoot, some are very painfully? And the only UFO that can't do that is Small Scout; on the other side, it can fly with 2200 km/hr Speed yet does not even contain UFO Power Source, whereas the Speed of Medium Scout (with 1 UPS on board) is 2400 km/hr only. More so, the Speed of Battleship (4 UPS within) is 5000 km/hr, that is only about twice of Small Scout one. So, what is the function of UFO Power Source? Let us suppose that they not only increase UFO Speed but actually are used as Plasma Guns during air combat.

Next, it is reasonable that UFO Navigation controls that weapon system; probably they need at least one per each UPS. Also Navigation may increase UFO's maneuverability when close to Earth's surface; pro arguments are: Harvester carries 10 Navigations (to pinpoint small targets, say, lonely cattle), Terror ship has 8 (to drop terror squad accurately onto city roads as shown in the Intro movie), Abductor has 5 (to pinpoint lonely men at rustic areas; also it's Size is Medium, not Large as Harvester), Supply ship has 4 (all that it should do is landing near Alien Bases); Battle ship has 4 (as it's main activity are air combats and X-Com base assaults); both Large and Medium Scouts (Small Size ships) have 2 each.

Next, though Large and Medium Scouts have the same UPS and Navigation number, the first is faster being larger. But Large Scouts carry not only Navigators but 3 (estimating by Sectoid staff on Superhuman Difficulty) Engineers also. Probably, Engineers may adjust UPS to optimal performance that results in Speed increment (from 2400 to 2700 km/hr) and Weapon Range increment (from 15 to 34 km) yet Weapon Power doesn't change (20 damage units per attack). All the larger UFOs have full Engineer staff on board, namely 2, so their UPS are adjusted by default.

Abductor and Harvester have 2 UPS each, 40 du Weapon Power, 20 and 22 km Weapon Range, 4000 and 4300 km/hr Speed respectively. Supply ship has 3 UPS, 60 du Weapon Power, 34 km Weapon Range yet only 3200 km/hr Speed. Terror and Battle ships have 4 UPS each, 120 and 140 du Weapon Power, 42 and 65 km Weapon Range respectively; their Speed values are 4800 and 5000 km/hr.

At this stage of our research we have got two questions.

First, Weapon Power values are expected to be proportional to the number of UPS multiplied by 20 du, so Terror and Battle ships should have only 80 du each. Probably, the explanation of such increase is UPS configuration. In both cases UPS are placed by corners of quadrate. Let's suppose, without too much far-fetching, that plasma beams, normally dissipating and losing power at larger distance, may focus somehow being close together, yet not too close, as Battle ship Weapon Power is higher. Also, that may explain the Weapon Range increment as well. Note that Large Scout has normal Weapon Power but quite high Weapon Range, 34 km, probably because of extended Engineer staff; otherwise it is expected to be next to Medium Scout's one, that is about 15 km. According to Abductor/Harvester, Supply ship and Terror ship data, each additional UPS increases the Range by 9 km in average.

Second question is the Speed of Supply ship. One (well adjusted by Engineers) UPS increases UFO Speed from 2200 to 2700 km/hr (Large Scout as compared with Small Scout). Another UPS yields 4000-4300 km/hr. Another two yield 4800-5000 km/hr. So, in average, each UPS brings another 700 km/hr to basic Speed of 2200 km/hr.

This Speed is probably provided by some propulsion device built in UFO's construction, as Small Scouts have about nothing but hulls and no trophy but alloys may be recovered. Another anomaly is special reinforcement of ship hull. Calculating the ratio of Damage Capacity to recovered Alloys quantity we get 5-7 for Large Scout, Harvester, Abductor; 13-15 for Supply, Terror and Battle ships; 18 for Medium Scout and 50 for Small one. Hypothetically, Small Scouts may be the most expensive ones to craft, while Harvesters are the cheapest, though it is quite reasonable in some way. Also, the theory of built-in UPS and Navigation may explain why even extremely damaged UFOs that have lost all their usual UPS may land without crush and crater, automatically, if Navigators are dead. Not speaking that Small Scout crew and personnel is presented by one Soldier (Muton occasionally), so its missions may be automatic in general. (Well, suggesting there is one hidden UPS out there somewhere, we just get another set of numbers: basic Speed of 1500 km/hr plus the same 700 km/hr per additional UPS in average. And three hidden UPS would give us simple linear dependence: Speed = UPS Number x 700 km/hr.) Still, even if we exclude Small Scouts from our research totally, the problem remains: Suppliers are slow.

Thus, the expected Speed of Supplier is about 4200 km/hr, not just 3200. The possible explanation is their cargo of 20 Food units, since these ones are fragile containers (as they may be easily damaged in cross-fire) vulnerable to acceleration overloads; on the other side, Harvesters carry 14 Food units but they have 10 Navigation units vs. 4 on Supplier's board, so more advanced propulsion control may reduce these overloads.

Also, there is once more interesting fact: only Terror and Battle ships have Entertainment modules, 8 and 24 respectively. And only these two types carry Terrorist alien combat units, 10 and 6 respectively (as well as Alien Bases, with 55 Entertainments in average and 7 Terrorists). Let's suppose that the true purpose of these enigmatic devices is 'entertainment', or rather brain-washing, to bring Terrorists under their master's control without excess efforts, or at least to suppress their aggression temporarily. Though, it is another topic at all.

At Terror ships, Battle ships and Alien Bases there are some devices looking like red spheres with blue tubes connected. They referred as plasma conduits, and Engineers may be found over there. Yet hardly that means the same green plasma their weapons shoot with. Let's suggest that these things contain some kind of special food produced from harvested trophies and used by aliens, especially by Terrorists as they need more energy to fight. Maybe, since they are subject to psionic control, or stun damage, in contradistinction from X-Com HWP tanks, even Cyberdisks and Sectopods have some organic brain-like component inside, so they need food too, in addition to electric accumulators, or Elerium batteries recharge.

Now back to the main question. Note that UFOs may not shoot two or more targets simultaneously, or at least never displays such activity. If so, these Plasma Guns have one-target operation mode only. It corresponds with the usual function of combined UPS and Navigation system as ship propulsion engine. Next, let's suggest that Navigators are ship Gunners also, while Engineers may adjust UPS to yield additional power boosting Speed and Weapon Range. Also it is reasonable that one of two Navigators controls the flight while another shoots during air combats, with some help of ship Engineers.

Another fact is Alien Bases, even Cydonian, have neither Rocket Defense nor Plasma or similar defense system at all, only some alien combat units at most, though it could be expected to have anti-aerial power weaponry (versus meteorite bombardment, for example). Obviously, base UPS can't be used that way as they are deep beneath planet's surface.

To conclude, let's note one more observation. UFO Power Sources have no complicated control console, as Navigations do, not even chair nearby. Yet there must be something Engineers can do with. Even Muton ones. Navigation control panels don't fit, as Engineers are looking at UPS from close range, without distant controls. On the other side, two Engineers are enough to adjust four UPS in opposite corners of Battleships. Also, as UFOs with solo UPS may change flight direction due to Navigators, their control of UPS generated fields must be quite versatile. So let us suggest that Engineer's job is periodical control of some close range field that protects UPS from propulsion forces and thereby distorts any distant sensors beyond reliability.

Though it's only theoretical, aforesaid may pretend to explain some unclear details of UFO Power Source functions.
[[User:VanTorrens|VanTorrens]] ([[User talk:VanTorrens|talk]]) 12:45, 24 October 2019 (CEST)

===Why battlescapes always being "opaque"?===

Every time an X-COM taskforce disembarks from the transport, they always find the surrounding being completely “shrouded”, despite in common military practice, there must be recon satellites and/or scout planes to overwatch the AO, even with hostiles marked and tracked. Even if X-COM doesn’t have that kind of luxury, their transports should be able to scan the AO before landing to provide a rather clear and detailed map for soldiers.

And similarly, X-COM bases seemly never have any CCTV system, so during a Base Defense mission, the soldiers effectively fight in blind despite on their own turf.

However in Alien Base Assaults, it’s understandable. Since an alien base is subterranean and it’s almost devoid of artificial illumination, also it’s impossible to send a spy for pre-battle reconnaissance, and seems aliens don’t have terminals for being hacked in corridors, so an alien base is supposed to be “shrouded”.
[[User:Lixiaofossil|Lixiaofossil]] ([[User talk:Lixiaofossil|talk]]) 15:24, 5 December 2023 (UTC+8)

==TFTD issues==
===What was the relationship between the aliens from the 1st and 2nd wars?===

Quoting from the UFOPaedia regarding Alien Origins: 'Deep in the oceans there lie ancient
sites used by the Aliens to contact their stellar cousins.' This also has some implications regarding the issue of why T'Leth was only activated when the Sectoids were defeated.

*Gill Men are coopted Terran creatures, Aquatoids are a differently-modified Sectoid breed, Lobstermen are machine soldiers that are manufactured, Tasoths are clone soldiers that are grown.

Aquatoids are the ancestors of the Sectoids. The colony ship was sent out slowing than light hundreds of millions of years ago. Sectoids are a more genetically advanced race. The rest of UFO aliens were picked up after that point. The Brain and Ethereals probably conquered the Sectoids and don't regard them highly. While the Aquatoids that were thawed over the years created, conquered (Gill Man) or manufactured the rest of the allies over time. I picture the Tasoth as probably something they brought with them and have been working on. Since most of the Aquatoids come from suspended animation they have not tinkered with genes much. Instead modifying and using electronics (MC Chip) to control. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:28, 22 March 2010 (EDT)

===What kind of materials were 'synomium' and 'adamantium'?===

The first one is mentioned on the name of the alien communication devices and the second one appears at the end when T'Leth is destroyed: 'he twisting hugeness of T'leth begins to rupture.
Flames and smoke spew from its gleaming spires and adamantium halls.'

:Synomium is probably a special material used in the comm. devices, like Stargate's naquadah (universal stuff), naquadria (unstable power source), trinium (hull material) and neutronium (superdense metal). Adamantium is a legendary material in ancient literature that is said to be indestructible, similarly to mithril.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 10:55, 3 November 2009 (EST)

:Adamantium is said to be one of the strongest elements in many books and films such as X-men. --[[User:St.froppelie|St.froppelie]] 19:45, 23 October 2011 (GMT)

*See also Wikipedia article on Adamantium: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamantium]

===How deep were X-COM bases located on the seas?===

*Floating bases would be easier to build, repair and supply. However they would have to be tethered to the ocean bed or possess some sort of propulsion to prevent them from drifing with the ocean currents. But it would also allow for easy redeployment of the base.
*Submersible bases could allow for better sonar detection. Same problems regarding ocean currents would apply. In case of hull breaches entire modules would be quickly flooded and any crew present would be crushed by water pressure or drown. Base could be built and then submerged (requires depth control)
*Seabed bases would be the hardest to build and supply. Several other factors could limit their deployment, such as unstable areas (underwater volcanoes, prone to seaquakes, rock avalanches, etc.) and depths.
*Given that the Alien Retaliation missions in TFTD are called "Floating Base Attack", I'd say floating. Also remember that your starting sonar can't see Very Deep, which rules out seabed bases. [[User:magic9mushroom]]
** Floating doesn't always happen on the surface. The surface has to deal with large waves ad bobbing up and down, submerged only has the currents it could be stabilized easier. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 11:57, 14 January 2010 (EST)
* I was recently researching how far you have to be down to not be effected by surface conditions. You have to be submerged 1/2 of a waves lenght (measured crest to crest) Best I can find is that the average wave is 150 yards accross. To not be effected by the waves you have to be 75 Yards below. This is way below the depth needed to not be effected by the bends when surfaceing. I figure they are probably right at the limit of what can be safe for quick surfacing and well anchored to avoid getting [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwKXfc_a4Ag tossed in a storm]. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:37, 22 March 2010 (EDT)
**Something else to consider - these 'floating bases' could be large modular submarines/submersibles. If memory serves, submarines basically maintain sea-level pressure regardless of the depth, so that could explain why they'd be able to be 75+ feet below sea level and not suffer the bends when surfacing.
::(Or, y'know, we could just say "a wizard did it".) --[[User:Guido Talbot|Guido Talbot]] 14:13, 16 July 2010 (EDT)

==XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) issues==
===Motives behind the invasion===
Now, the UberEtherial pretty much spells out the whole point of the invasion, as well as of their use & control of all the other aliens: they ''wanted'' humanity to evolve and become powerful, because they needed a species that was both high in physical prowess, and a powerful psychic warrior. He (presuming gender) freely admits that their bodies suck (and that the other races suck in body and/or mind even more), and the 1st-3rd-1st person pronoun switch in ONE sentence ("We who failed to ascend as ''they'' thought we would") and "preparation for what lies ahead", as well as his descriptions of the other alien races in the Temple Ship imply a number of things:
*The other races are enslaved races, perhaps from earlier invasions (possibly starting with Sectoids and Etherials being different castes of the same species?), themselves having been enhanced by their own resistances, before becoming enslaved on the degree of being puppets.
*The whole point of the invasion is enslavement of humans, not extermination, for the perfect warrior-- any Metroid fans can think of the Chozo also becoming masters of Psionics and energy manipulation, at the cost of becoming physically frail and infertile, and entrusting the Power Suit -- and their legacy -- to Samus.
*The alien surgeries (which greatly resemble Sensory Deprivation tanks-- you can even zoom in to see captive humans twitch sporadically) are their version of XCOM's Psi Lab (which ''also'' greatly resemble Sensory Deprivation tanks): they are 'farming' humans for Psi potential, similar to how us, the player, may farm soldiers for our own Psi Squad
*Which then makes XCOM almost as much the ''Etherial's'' project as it is the Council's (hence why they do not invade or attack XCOM HQ or Interceptor bases)
*Someone/thing ''else'' is involved, someone the Etherials are in some way subservient to: notice in the Temple Ship and in the Overseer UFO, the strange, Cathedral-like "Stained Glass Windows". To me, there appear to be ''two'' figures in each: the much more visible 4-armed Etherial silhouette, and in a transparent, but slightly darker shade of lavender, some other 6-8 limbed creature, with a larger body and a very different head-shape behind the first.
*"What lies ahead" may mean some coming disaster, or merely a challenge and testing from this sequel-hook of "They"
*Additionaly: the description of the Hyperwave device implies contact with an alternate dimension. The organic-metallic (silicon based, perhaps?) form of the Outsiders (as opposed to the rather obvious "manufactured and machined parts grafted onto flesh" Cyborg attachments of both Floater varieties), and their absence (especially from the Temple Ship) after the device's capture, as well as released screenshots of the upcoming FPS XCOM game (mentioning Outsiders AND being placed several decades ago)-- all this suggests alternate timelines as well as alternate dimensions (in quantum physics, these are practically the same thing anyways), as well as some species native to this ''Outside'' dimension that are the ones, this "They", whom are actually calling the shots.
--[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 03:56, 26 January 2013 (EST)

*Just to verify the point about the Outsiders, they are called OUTSIDERS, which pretty much means not native, so possibly they are not native to this dimension, also, "What lies ahead" Could possibly be foreshadowing a TFTD remake? And the Outsiders are merely, prototypes of the Ultimate Alien?
[[User:XBrassxDragonX|XBrassxDragonX]] 22:59, 25 May 2013 (EDT)

*The UberEthereal is a rebel against "They" he/she/it united a group of Ethereals, and left "They" Then, he/she/it proceeded to search for the Ultimate Race, a race that was as tough as a Muton, and as Psionically Powerful as an Ethereal, these were the Humans. This Ultimate Race would overthrow "They" and thus, complete the Ethereal's legacy, it could also be, that through the use of implants, and sacrificing physical strength for Psionic Power, the Humans could walk the same path as the Ethereals, and be contacted by whatever was left of "They" then, the Humans would help "They" rebuild, and realize the sinister motivations behind "They's" plan, and thus, repeat the story in a never-ending cycle.

===How is it possible for Psionic soldiers to exist?===
After capturing a Psi-capable enemy and dissecting it: does XCOM reverse-engineer the implants and insert them into troops (whether they test positive (capable of using them) or not)? Or, is the testing just digging for a Psi signal that ''is already there''? In which case, it's a human-evolved trait, but from where, and why wasn't it found before? Vahlen's reasearch implies similar genetic struture between aliens and humans: do humans and Etherials/Sectoids have a common Psi-capable ancestor, or have the Etherials been interfereing with human evolution for at least 20-30 years (or however old troopers tend to be, with Shaojie Zhang and his advanced age, equally possible to have Psi-Abilites), if no longer? At least in Apocalypse, there's the excuse of Sectoid/Human Hybrids. How do humans use a power just discovered that year, and only a few months of practice, end up with the capacity to potentially mind-control Etherials, each of which who have several thousand years of personal experience with Psi abilites? --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 05:28, 11 April 2013 (EDT)
:It's implied that humans were always latent psionics (it's possible that if we weren't, the Ethereals would never have bothered us at all). The cutscene where your first psionic is found suggests the testee is immersed in some sort of purple gas, which presumably causes some physiological change to make them operant psionics. As for how human psionics get so good so quickly, good question, though bear in mind that psionic humans are implied to be an Ethereal's equal in raw power, but while an Ethereal has to expend psionic power all the time just to stay alive and standing, a human can devote it all to his psionic attacks. This could explain why humans are on an equal footing with Ethereals despite having comparatively little practice. More simply, it could just be that humans are badass compared to aliens; we certainly seem to be able to reverse engineer their technology in record time AND then make improvements to it, suggesting we're frankly just "better" than them. [[User:Binkyuk|Binkyuk]] 09:07, 12 April 2013 (EDT)

:Another possibility could be that Elerium exposure maybe one of the factors. While Doctor Vahlen stated that she found a correlation with high will power and psychic ability, gameplay mechanics aside there are cases where a very high willed soldier came back from the Psionic Labs who had displayed no psychic prowess whatsoever. Elerium is used in the alien technologies and it was only after the Alien attack that XCOM was able to 'make' psionic soldiers. Another piece of evidence is that pieces of equipment such as the Psi Armor and the Mind Shield require a large quantity of Elerium in order to manufacture and that it 'enhances' the Psychic abilities of the wearer. While it is true that Elerium is used as a power source for the armor, unlike the hulking Titan armor the Psi armor is essentially a skinsuit/catsuit/muscle suit that has no visible heavy pieces of armor but yet the Elerium requirements for a set of Psi Armor exceed the Elerium requirements for the larger, heavier Titan armor. Logically (again, gameplay mechanics aside) speaking the lighter Ghost armor could perform the same if it used the same amount of Elerium for the Titan armor yet it requires more to function. Combined with the fact that the Psionic Labs and the Gallop Chamber (Both facilities that involve Psionic's) are the only XCOM facilities outside of the Elerium Generator that requires Elerium in their construction means that Elerium maybe linked to the manifestation of Psychic phenomena.
[[User:GMPilot0079|GMPilot0079]] 3:56, 13 May 2013 (CST)

===Bureau/Enemy Within/My Little Pony Supplemental===
{{Ref Open | title = Yes, really}}
How does a ''Psychic'' attack on an XCOM soldier cause obvious psychological effects (-will, -aim), but damages ''armor'' first?

So, it's a safe assumption that the "They" spoken up above is probably the likes of [[Ethereal_(Bureau)|Asaru and Shamash]], "True" Etherials, who's physical forms have been discarded in trade of bodies made of pure energy--- much like EU/EW's Outsiders (not the Zudjari-- for clarity's sake, "Outsider" means the UFO-commander type alien in EU, and Bureau's 'Outsiders' shall be specifically called "Zudjari") are ''also'' described as being of pure energy. So, Bass Dragon was half-right: the Outsiders are not prototypes, they're attempts to ''reverse-engineer'' the Ultimate Life-forms that are the True Etherials. Shamash outright said they exist in multiple realities (either in the "omnipresent" sense (and the "physical" body is just the part that happens to intersect this reality), or that they can shift between alternate realities, XCOM's dimension included), and the Hyperwave Uplink, which seems to be the source for the Outsider's existence, has in-game descriptions that states that it has some kind of access to alternate dimensions, I think confirms this. The fact that Origin could study and emulate Shamash through scientific methods also leads credence that the Outsiders were scientific attempts to manufacture a True Etherial (or analogue thereof), via the Uplink.

The slave collars on the Bureau's Sectoids. I used to think that Sectoids may have been a low catse, but effectively the same species as Etherials. But, that was more based on the 1994 game's depictions, where the Sectoids were weaklings, but seemed to be "just another member of the alien horde." With 4-armed Etherials being canon, it's more likley that Etherials share a common ancestor with Slenderman than Sectoids, since evolution doesn't really work that way (ie: all/most (modern) Earth animals with spinal chords (chordate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordate] ) follow a "head and 4 limbs and 2 eyes" body configuration). More likely, Sectoids are the "for hire/sale" whipping boy of the universe. Additionally, the slave collars that are suggested to help link them to the Mosaic Network, show how incomplete Origin's manipulation of Shamash was: in the infliltration of the Spire in Arizona, Dr Wier comments that Mosaic "seems to want to help". But, as the normal Etherials were collectively working together, that is why EU's Sectoids were without collars: the Etherials had no need for them.

Sectoids on sale, now 50% off, this Rel only, here on Shopduct n' Slave!

Now, the Meld: it always struck me as odd how ''careless'' the aliens seemed to be, leaving massive resources laying around for XCOM to collect. If XCOM was some kind of MMORPG, I would bet that players who chose the Alien factions would often blow up the Elerium Generators and Navigational Computers if it looked like they were going to lose a base or UFO (Chryssalid Rush, ke ke ke!). That they leave the Meld hanging around seems to me that they ''want'' XCOM to get it, which goes with what I wrote long ago up there about how XCOM could be said to also be the Etherial's project, at least indirectly.

On the other hand; how does Meld tie in with the purpose of the invasion? Searching for the Ultimate Life Form, "as we sought to uplift them, to prepare them." In other words: those aren't mere storage canisters, XCOM Bait, or bombs. They're ''dispersal units''. The Etherials' plot was to seed Earth with Meld to enhance physical capacities anyways (Mechtoids, Floater/Heavies), while doing abductions as mass "Farming" for Psi-positive humans (ie; like how the player buys soldiers in bulk, and picks out the ones we want to submit for Psi testing). Failures: we fire them, Zudjari kill them and dump 'em out back, Etherials and The Matrix turn them into flood slurry, and the Wachowski Siblings make a third movie and lose all credibility.

Which brings me to my third topic, where I talk about a cute talking unicorn that hails from a magical Fantasy kingdom of baby horses.

In the crossover fanfic [http://www.fimfiction.net/story/100455/stardust XCOM/FiM: Stardust], the Author is (with obvious liberties) attempting to stay accurate to XCOM's technical information (with assistance from this very 'Paedia: he's seen my work here). The major alterations to the plot are that Bradford replaces the player character of the Commander, and instead of Fluttershy reforming Discord, Discord makes a bet with Twilight Sparkle to "Convince me, irrefutably, that friendship is the strongest power in the universe."

With Twilight accepting the terms, Discord teleports her to April 02, 2015, to the site of a Terror Mission in Washington DC, within 30 feet of a Chryssalid.
:If you've read this far, I assume I've had your interest. If I now have your attention, and want to read the story without getting spoilers, scroll down to where '''Elerium''' is next written in bold.

So, obvious question: "What the hell does that have to do with anything?!" Well, the Author is trying to stay accurate to EU and Bureau (he did start writing before much of EW was revealed) while writing his own story, and he addresses several valid points that solve, or at least address several XCOM mysteries. The unique viewpoint of involving cartoon ponies is for flavor, amusement, and contrast to better see them.

As the story continues; Twilight is captured by XCOM, and almost Interrogated by Dr Vahlen, but manages to escape the containment cell. Hijinks ensue, Dr Shen talks Bradford into allowing him to make contact (referencing the in-game Arc Thrower conversation between the three), and Twilight is now a 'guest' of XCOM, taking residence in "Stardust" Labs. Eventually, she helps in XCOM's research of both alien technology, and her own magic abilities: The magic field she uses in Equestria is also available on Earth, but is stiff from "disuse," but is discovered to be the same field that the Aliens use for Psionic abilities. It's revealed that Elerium is, or is at least an analogue to "Arcanite", a material that boosts magic abilities. Ergo: Elerium boosts Psionic abilities. As Twilight assists in both XCOM Research, and indirectly with missions themselves, with her magic, her use of the Field begins to awaken the Psionic/Magic abilities of the humans around her. For example, Commander Bradford has 'time-stopping' precognition; several times, he has seen TPKs, only to snap back into real time shortly before it all goes to hell-- save states, basically.

Her assistance also points out that the implants found in the aliens, particularly the Sectoid Commanders, also have Elerium circuitry that activates/boosts/projects their Mind Control ability (as well as all aliens to be able to be controlled by the Etherials, who have not yet been revealed in the story, save for a refrence to/by a possible EXALT/Osiris member, and another to William Carter). This also points out that the Etherials are not specifically "Religious" of themselves, as Origin was, but are scientific-minded (the "All Technologies" research credit).

The mystery of XCOM this addresses is, as Analyst Krut points out in The Bureau: "Why?"

"Dear Twilight Sparkle,

'''ELERIUM.'''

Sincerely,
:Pinkie Pie!"

The Field that makes the abilities possible has probably always been here, and is perhaps universal, as inherent as magnetism or gravity (or, if you want a ''stupid'' comparison: like the "Chroma" in ''Indigo Prophecy''). And, with Elerium and it's use making Psionics easier for humans, Earth is now a 'factory' for making the most potentially dangerous beings in the universe.

Evolution, at least on Earth, is more about "Good enough"/"it ''works'', duddn't it?" than any search/aim for "better", and certainly not "perfect". If there was no evolutionary push (or capacity) to be able to use the Field (as useful as it would be), such traits would not develop. Interesting examples where real-world animals do use advanced physics are the Pistol Shrimp, who's claw has evolved in such a way that's essentially a [[Sonic_Pistol]] and can make a luminescent spark of plasma that's the same temperature as the surface of the sun, and dolphins that use complex fluid dynamics that humans barely understand to, basically, just pass the time [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCf7SNUb-Q].

So, the Field that makes Psionic abilities possible is, in fact, accessible to humans, but as it is not often developed; it's rare, or doesn't manifest strongly. But it ''is'' there, so there is a motivation for the Etherials to come to Earth and do their testing (Incidentally, I don't think there is anything really saying that the Etherials knew that Asaru and Shamash were here).

Which also addresses "Why now?"

Because Elerium is now on Earth: in The Bureau, it's established that the Zudjari have been seeding the Earth with Elerium as early as 1957 (the year that Spudnik was launched: the satellite is even seen in the opening sequence of a campaign). If Elerium boosts Field abilities, such as Psionics, then 58 years of low-level global exposure may have triggered/boosted enough to draw the attention of the Etherials (incidentally, background radiation from above-ground nuclear tests peaked in 1963 at about 0.15 mSv per year worldwide, or about 7% of average background dose from all sources. The Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 prohibited above-ground tests, thus by the year 2000 the worldwide dose from these tests has decreased to only 0.005 mSv per year [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_radiation#Atmospheric_nuclear_testing]-- and in Angela's ending, she gets the US Government to use nukes to erase evidence of the invasion). This may also be why the aliens seem careless with Elerium; not as effective at making enhancements as dispersing Meld, but may help instigate Psi activations.

Now, I realize: if Psi powers ARE a scientifically understandable energy wave (and not straight-up "Magic"), then it does make sense that armor is damaged ''as well'', and that the suits that include Elerium can block the "piercing/bypassing" damage that I think would be more realistic. And for the armors it doesn't make sense for; they don't give an HP bonus big enough to make the difference.

Which leads to one more interesting thought: Elerium is not exclusive to the "Etherial Empire", or whoever controls the Sectoids (as Elerium is not in Apocalypse(?), but Sectoids are): while not naturally native to Earth, there's nothing saying how limited-- or abundant-- Elerium is throughout the universe (Arcanite). Less evidence, and more of a hunch: may Elerium be somewhat... "viral"? That it may at least "try" to spread as it goes, as the Bureau suggests? Like a milder version of Tiberium [http://cnc.wikia.com/wiki/Tiberium] or Phazon [http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Phazon]?

Obviously, Origin didn't have the device that had Asaru before the invasion, BUT, Faulk said the device was found ''in an Elerium Mine'' (in Montana). In other words, the Elerium aggregated around Asaru, who was there ''first''. So, there is enough to establish that there is a link between Elerium exposure/presence, and Psionic abilities, as is shown in Stardust.

In conclusion:
* ???? - Asaru arrives on Earth
* ???? - Sectoids, a clone race, are sold in open intergalactic slave markets to various alien empires across the universe: as clones and near-blank genetic templates, their adaptability, ability to be mass produced, and 'ease of use' (aided by Psionic links to one another) lends to the success of their sale.
* 65,000,000 BCE - The Lovecraftian "Vortex" Empire (refrence: Ecco the Dolphin [http://eccothedolphin.wikia.com/wiki/Vortex_Queen] - would explain why they look like Earth's aquatic animals), hailing from aquatic worlds, crash land a colony ship on Earth, either because, or ''as'' the impact that led to the extinction of the Dinosaurs-- and in the process, pave the way for mammals, and eventually for Humans to rise, whom will spend the rest of Time crossing Space, and even going into other Dimensions, obliterating every alien menace they encounter. Way to go, guys.
** Due to the exclusion of Elerium and their preference of aquatic habitats, their own research creates Zrbite and Aquaplastics, and they modify their own Sectoid slaves/genome templates into the Aquatoids.
* ????-1957-1962 - Zudjari, as part of their normal conquests' terraform operations, and the search for True Etherials, seeded Earth with Elerium in [[The_Bureau:_XCOM_Declassified|The Bureau]]. Asaru awakens, Shamash is killed, and Origin is deleted in a massive Etherial-fueled Psionic wave.
* 1962-2015 - Background radiation from Elerium is covered up by atmospheric Nuclear Testing, but the effects are still felt worldwide: while skills may not be developed, Psionic potential grows.
* 2015-2016? - The "cast out" Etherials begin their conquest and research of Humans and Earth, led here either by Elerium's energy signature, Psionic energy signatures, or due to the presence of the two True Etherials on a single planet; and event said to be a multiversal rarity. The battles between them and XCOM are a boon to human science and technology. Psionic experimentation, and the dispersal of Meld lead to the enhancement of both the human mind and body. Then the Etherials get blown the fuck up.
** Black Market interests begin the EXALT organization, a paramilitary group made with the aim of stealing and adapting alien technology and materials to force human evolution. After the raid on their headquarters and the neutralization of their command leadership, remaining members go into hiding, and begin to pass and adapt their ideology down family lines.
* 1997-2002 - Due to the energy signal released by the death of the multidimensional being Shamash: in an alternate timeline/dimension, the Etherial invasion happens earlier: since the Alien Brain is a computer, it's able to organize the invasion that much faster. The Tachyon signal released upon it's destruction lasts only a little while, but as the Tachyon is a (theoretical) FTL particle, it's properties are not restricted to 'normal' space-time.
* 2027 - Reminants of EXALT reorganize into the Cult of Sirus.
* 2041-2046 - As the Aquatoids were able to receive the signal as easily as their Sectoid cousins, they began the resurrection of T'leth: thus, the [[TFTD|Second Alien War]].
* 2084 - The Micronoids, while not as experienced as Etherials at multidimensional travel, also register the death of Shamash, and begin [[Apocalypse|their assault]] on the largest Earth-based population: Mega-Primus. Thanks for that, Carter.
** Sectoid-Human hybrids were origionally developed by the Etherials in an attempt to add the docile and controllable aspects of the Sectoids to the physically and psionically potent human race, much like the 1957 experiments with Africanized Honey Bees. In fact, ''exactly'' like those experiments: those bees are now known as "Killer Bees", and the Human-Sectoid mutants are willing to fight for XCOM, in exchange for universal rights.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there: a Grand Unified Theory of XCOM!
{{Ref Close | source = --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 08:53, 24 November 2013 (EST) }}
And yes, I feel there's legitimacy in connecting XCOM to Ecco: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blaX_eMz3Qw Et voilà.]--[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 17:49, 24 November 2013 (EST)

[[Category: Fiction]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

Wish List (EU)

2023-12-06T03:05:22Z

Lixiaofossil: /* Miscellaneous */

X-Com is a great game and as evidence just look to the fact this wiki exists even though the game pre-dates the internet. In all it's greatness X-Com has some elements and behaviors players wish they could change. This is a repository of those desires. Some day a fan mod may make your wish come true...

= I Wish... =
State what you want AND what X-com does normally. Sign your name if you think "Oh man! That would be great!"

== Geoscape and Strategic ==

=== Geoscape Location ===

* X-Com bases only being able to be built within the borders of the Funding Nations. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

=== Aircraft ===

==== Smarter Aircraft Movement Around Globe ====
I wish all craft understood the shortest distance between two points on a globe is a curved path towards the poles. Normally a craft goes in the opposite direction than it should (towards the equator). Pain in the ass when the base in the UK sends a craft to Siberia.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

==== Smart Interception ====

Aircraft intercepting a UFO just head straight toward the UFOs current position at all times. Unless the UFO is already on a head-on course, this results in the interceptor travelling through a closing parabolic spiral path, and often missing the UFO and ending up in a tail-chase, and then just falling further behind unless the UFO stops or reverses course. This is pretty basic stuff, fighter pilots have known how to do this better for nearly a hundred years. It is particularly important if the aircraft you are trying to intercept is moving faster than you (eg if you are flying an Interceptor).

What is needed is to plot the UFO's current course and speed (which X-Com has from radar data), and plot an intercept course. The maths for this is pretty easy (the intersection of 2 vectors) and can be implemented in a few lines of code, if we can find out where the current interception algorithm is, and patch it.

Actually the radar bearing shown on screen is only accurate to within 45 degrees. I presume that X-Com does actually know the UFO's bearing, since it can clearly track the UFO's movements. Finding where that variable is located might be different.

While we're at it, it would be nice if the UFO detection information displayed the actual bearing in degrees, rather than just the compass direction (North East, South, etc).

Even if the improved intercept algorithm only used a bearing accurate to within 45 degrees, that would still be better for remote UFOs. You might need to switch to "head straight for it" once you get to very close range. [[User:Spike|Spike]]

==== All Aircraft Weapons Useful ====

In a balanced game, all weapons should have their uses, or at least a niche, but sadly this is not so:

The Cannon is only useful for shooting down Small Scouts, and even that is practically impossible, due to the difficulty in closing to 10km range with any UFO, particularly the fast-accelerating Small Scout. The fact that its ammo takes 96 hours to arrive, when all other craft ammo types only take 48 hours, is a bizarre anomaly making the Cannon marginally even less useful - particularly since the time you would use it most is at the beginning of the game, when you do not have enough ammunition even to deploy the Cannon you already given.

The Stingray is only really useful for forcing down Small Scouts (it usually avoids destroying them) and otherwise the Avalanche is better in every meaningful way. The Stingray also takes twice as long to rearm for some odd reason, making it operationally much worse than the Avalanche.

The (unmodified) Laser Cannon is inferior to the Avalanche for more or less everything, apart from running cost. It does have a higher payload but this is hardly relevant (except perhaps in allowing the aircraft to remain on station longer, performing multiple engagements before entering the time-consuming refuel/re-arm cycle). If attacking a UFO that you would struggle to kill with Avalanches, you are unlikely to own an aircraft that would survive long enough to inflict more damage than an Avalanche when mounting Laser Cannon instead.

The Fusion Ball Launcher has a [[Talk:Craft_Armaments#Fusion_Balls_better_than_Plasma_Beams.3F|possible niche]] in fighting Battleships when mounted on Interceptors. Even then, it is difficult and expensive to have aircraft configured to fight only one enemy.

Unfortunately, the optimum path for craft weapon development is all-Avalanche followed by all-Plasma Beam. This is a shame.

Suggestions to 'tune up' the other weapons (see link below for latest suggestions/detail):

*Cannon - Increase the damage to 15 and 50% hit. So at least there is a pay-off if you manage to get in close.
*Stingray - Raise Stingray accuracy to 80% but drop Avalanche to 60%. Double the rearm rate so it can be reloaded as fast as an Avalanche launcher.
*Laser Cannon - increase accuracy to 50% and damage to 100.
*FBL - increase the ammo from 2 to 3.

It might be worth considering 'tune down' the Plasma Beam as well, particularly its stand-off range. It seems odd that humans copy alien plasma weapons and right away improve the range. It would be reasonable if the human plasma cannon had shorter range than the UFO plasma cannons, and more consistent with the ranges of other cannon weapons. (One could ask how X-Com even developed a targeting system that is accurate for direct fire at or beyond the extreme range of self-homing missiles - even if the plasma cannon itself is that accurate, how do you exploit that accuracy by aiming it?).

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 04:02, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

An alternative to tweaking the stats, is to tweak the costs. Realistic costs such as $386K for an Avalanche and $125K for a Stingray will put some pressure to use weapons that are cheaper to operate. And XComUtil has an option that substantially increases the effective build costs of Plasma Beams, making them less optimal.

See also: [[User:Spike#Balancing_Aircraft_Weapons]]

:I'd like to submit a slightly different proposal.
:*Making the Cannon pure murder at knife-fight range is a good idea, I second it.
:*Swap the respective ranges of the Stingray and the Avalanche. The smaller a UFO is, the sooner it tries to make a run for it, so longer-ranged weapons can get more shots off before this happens. By giving the Stingray a range advantage over the Avalanche, the weaker but longer-ranged Stingray is now better for hunting scout UFOs by way of having a larger time window in which it can dish out its damage. Against medium and large UFOs, the more generous escape timer means the Avalanche comes out on top, making both weapons useful in their own respective situations rather than the Avalanche being objectively superior.
:*Swap the respective ranges of the Laser Cannon and the Plasma Cannon. With this, the Laser Cannon can comfortably shoot down everything smaller than a Terror Ship - but the idea is that everything an Interceptor with a Laser Cannon does not outrange, it does not have the firepower to reliably kill before getting shot down, which is where the Plasma Cannon comes in as a higher-risk-higher-reward alternative.
:*Increasing the FBL's ammo count is a good idea, but I'd personally also give its range a tiny little notch upwards so that it just very barely outranges a Battleship ''without having enough ammo to shoot it down''. The idea here is to make the FBL a safe-but-insufficient-by-itself support weapon, being able to soften the Battleship up from standoff range with 100% guaranteed damage but needing something else to deliver the killing blow.
:An alternative option to the above is to re-tool weapon damage/accuracy values to make missile-type weapons your primary damage dealers and cannon-type weapons a backup option for delivering the killing blow if the missiles fail to do the trick - though in this, I'm admittedly biased due to the fact that I always use missile + cannon combo loadouts on my crafts (Stringray/Cannon on Interceptors with Stringray/Laser as an upgrade, Avalanche/Plasma on Firestorms, FBL/Plasma on Avengers) because simply dual-wielding the hardest-hitting gear I have at the moment is boring.
:[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] ([[User talk:Amitakartok|talk]]) 19:27, 10 May 2020 (UTC)
::Swapping the ranges of the Avalanche and Stingray would just make the Avalanche even more useless than the vanilla Stingray. The Stingray has more total firepower per hardpoint (70*70%*6 = 294 > 240 = 100*80%*3) and more firepower per dollar (70*70%/$3000 = 163 damage/$1000 > 89 damage/$1000 = 100*80%/$9000), while the Avalanche has only marginally better DPS (100*80%/72=1.11 damage/frame >~ 1.02 damage/frame = 70*70%/48). The Avalanche's ''only'' real advantage over the Stingray is its range - it's just that range is by far the most relevant attribute of weapons (the Small Scout/Medium Scout/Large Scout run away fast, so short-range weapons have much-reduced time to fire, the Supply Ship/Terror Ship have powerful weapons of medium range, so short-range weapons = dead interceptor, and the Battleship's a moot point; the Stingray actually is a slightly better choice against the two UFOs I haven't mentioned - the Abductor and Harvester - but they're rare as hen's teeth). The solution in TFTD was to narrow the gap in range between the AJAX and DUP Head while making Survey Ships not an escape risk, and IMO it worked; the two torpedoes are quite balanced against each other.
::Giving the Laser Cannon the Plasma Beam's range and vice versa (with no other changes) doesn't have it quite as bad, as the Plasma Beam would still have far more DPS and total firepower. However, a 52km Laser Cannon is still good enough to be the "I-win" loadout on Interceptors - it gets standoff against everything except Battleships, it has the same DPS as the Stingray (only slightly less than that of the Avalanche), and while its total firepower per hardpoint is less than that of the Plasma Beam it's still more than enough to crash any UFO in the game. The only time you'd want anything else would be when dealing with Battleships (when you'd want either advanced craft with the 21km Plasma Beam, or FBLs, both at a much higher price than the Laser Cannon). [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] ([[User talk:Magic9mushroom|talk]]) 06:00, 11 May 2020 (UTC)

===Score for retaliation Battleships===

When a Battleship on retaliation attacks your base and is shot down, you get no score for it. This is completely illogical and it discourages any use of base defences. You should get normal 700 (or even 1400) points for it.
--[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 14:05, 30 August 2008 (PDT)

: I'm not sure about this. Yes it's illogical, but it could also be a licence to get a huge score if you have a strong enough base. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:16, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

:: The impenetrable base setup would turn into a cheat. As the aliens will keep hammering the base with a battleship until one breaks through, you'll have a steady supply of points without having to really do anything. Some balancing, such as paying to rearm your defence modules, ought to be thrown in to balance things out. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:13, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
::: A better fix would be to remove the retaliation flag when a battleship is destroyed. If someone can post a savegame with a never-ending flow of base attacks, I may have a look at the fix. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:05, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

:::: Ummm, it seems the best solution (I, for one, can't think of any better), but wouldn't it assume that only the BattleShip really locates the player's base? All those scouts for nothing? [Still the best solution, though] [[User:N|n]] 15:01, 16 August 2010 (GMT+1)

=== Tougher UFOs ===

==== The Problem ====

So let me get this straight. The first hybrid airborne weapon that humans ever build, and it immediately outclasses every weapon the aliens ever built, including their Battleship weapon? After all the Aliens have only been building plasma weapons for a few million years, us humans have been doing it for ''months''!

More to the point, once you get Plasma Beams, downing UFOs is like shooting fish in a barrel. Even Battleships aren't that exciting if you show up with enough ships.

What is needed is to push up the range, damage, and rate of fire of all the UFO weapons, particularly the UFOs you will be fighting by the time you have plasma beams. At a minimum, the weapon on a Battleship should be at least as powerful as, say, 2 Plasma Beams (as found on the XCom craft it is fighting)? Instead of slightly less than half as powerful? Compared to a single Plasma Beam, only the Battleship weapon has better range. It has double the accuracy, slightly higher damage, but half the fire rate. Net 5.7% more firepower than one Plasma Beam, but no match for 2. And the Battleship weapon of course is the most powerful in the alien arsenal.

Possible tune ups for UFOs:

*Battleship - increase to 255 weapon power, improve reload rate to 12 (from 24). Now roughly equivalent to 4 Plasma Beams in total firepower (on Beginner difficulty). Increase range to 69km, so that the Battleship commences fire as soon as an XCom craft begins its attack run. Or better, increase range to 70+km, the limit of the interception window, so that the Battleship starts firing immediately the XCom craft enters air combat range. This would disrupt XCom aircrafts' ability to form up into a flight of 4, prior to commencing their attack. Overall, this would make it much harder to down Battleships. Increasing weapon range to 70+km would also make it much harder to tail a Battleship - manual control in the Geoscape would be needed to hold off outside of combat range. Really, the Battleship should not sit there like a sitting duck. Does it think XCom are friendly?
*Terror Ship - increase range to 52 (or decrease Plasma Beam range to 42), so stand-off kills are not possible with Plasma Beams?
*Actually maybe all the larger UFOs should have weapon range 69-70+km, so they behave very aggressively toward XCom craft.

NB: Strange effects occur if weapon range goes over 70km so it's probably best to leave it at 70km rather than 75km.

NB: Also, changes to rate of fire need to be looked at carefully though because Difficulty Level also reduces reload rate for UFOs. Between Beginner (Difficulty 0) and Superhuman (Difficulty 4), rate of fire (and thus firepower) for Battleships, Terror Ships and Supply Ships increases by 24/(24-4x2=16) or 50%. But if the base reload rate for these weapons was reduced to 12, the transition from Beginner to Advanced would increase firepower '''three''' times for these 3 UFOs (less so for the smaller UFOs). It is less risky to increase the weapon power. Unfortunately there are only 2 firepower variables to play with - damage and reload rate - so there are not a lot of options, especially for the Battleship which already has weapon strength 148 out of a probable maximum of 255.

:More detail on this. For Medium Scout, Large Scout and Abductor, with nominal reload rate 48gs, the rate of fire improves +20% between Beginner and Superhuman. For Harvester (32gs) it improves one third. For Large UFOs (Terror Ship, Supply Ship, Battleship - 24gs) the improvement is +50%. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 20:28, 14 February 2010 (EST)

I think we should assume that the Battleship, which is bigger than the entire XCom base, is engaging XCom craft with its secondary weapons rather than its main armament, which could probably destroy Manhattan with a glancing hit.

I would really like to see the hypothetical Mega-Battleship go up against XCom's finest - a flight of 4 Avengers armed with dual Plasma Cannon or dual Fusion Ball Launchers. With the Battleship having 70+km range, 255 weapon power, and an effective fire rate on Superhuman triple that of the PB, it would have the firepower of 11 Plasma Beams - 36% more firepower than the whole attacking XCom force combined. To be honest I think that would be carnage, not sure XCom could win. So that would be tuning the Battleship up too much. The 3-fold increase in rate of fire when on Superhuman is just too much. Maybe just max out the damage to 255 and range to 75. This gives a 72% increase in firepower, and a challenging tactical problem for XCom (forming up and approaching under fire).

The smaller UFOs can probably stay as they are. It is not until later in the game that XCom advances so that even large UFOs are easy pickings. What is the crossover point? Maybe the medium UFOs. So it might be good to reduce the reload times of the medium UFOs from 48 / 32 to 24, a good increase in firepower.

In general I think all UFOs energy weapons should have at least as good range as the XCom energy weapons, even the Medium Scout. Again, they have been using these weapons for millions of years and we only just figured out how to copy them from the aliens, how could our weapons be better than the aliens? How did our first plasma weapon out-range and out-perform all but the hugest UFO plasma beam? And on an airframe the size of a Small Scout we mount ''two'' such weapons? On the battlefield we only are able to replicate alien weapons; how is it that in the air we are able to improve on them ''masssively''?

Perhaps there should never be a stand-off advantage, except possibly with missiles -which should be less accurate with longer range. The XCom stand off advantage is really unfair because as far as I have seen the UFOs never attempt to close to effective range, even when they are getting killed. They don't break off much, either, though I think I have seen that happen on occasion.

==== Specific Proposals ====

===== No Standoff Beam Attacks =====

Increase ''all'' UFO plasma weapon ranges to at least 55km (compared to 52km for the XCom plasma weapon). Now only launched XCom weapons (Avalanche and Fusion Ball) have standoff advantage. Probably also reduce the accuracy of the Avalanche to 60% and buff Stingray accuracy to 80%, providing both weapons with a useful niche role.

===== No Standoff Attacks =====

Increase ''all'' UFO plasma weapon ranges to 66km (compared to 52km for the XCom plasma weapon). Now ''no'' XCom weapon has standoff advantage. (The benefit of a longer range weapon is simply spending less time being fired on by the UFO.)

===== Twitchy Aliens =====

Increase all UFO ranges to 69km. They will attack as soon as XCom aircraft commence any attack run.

===== Hostile Aliens =====

Increase all UFO ranges to 70km. They will attack as soon as XCom aircraft enter intercept range. UFOs now fire first, and tailing them unchallenged is impossible.

===== Improved Medium UFOs =====

Reduce (improve) the nominal reload time of Medium UFOs, Abductors and Harvesters, from 48gs and 32gs to 24gs. This increases the challenge in the early-mid game, when XCom might first be deploying advanced weapons.

===== Improved Battleships =====

Increase damage to 255. They're firing (bigger) Fusion Balls! A Battleship now has the same firepower as one XCom Craft with dual Plasma Beams (gosh wow!). It's a start, but what if we...

===== Super Battleships =====

... also reduce nominal reload time to 18gs. Giving a further one-third extra firepower on Beginner, 60% more on Superhuman.

===== Mega Battleships =====

... or for a real challenge, reduce reload time to 12gs. A further doubling of the firepower on Beginner - a further ''four'' times increase on Superhuman. Now Superhuman Battleships out-gun the biggest fleet XCom can throw at them!

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 00:25, 19 February 2010 (EST)

: the flip side of this is weakening Xcom craft - apart from firepower issues there is also the issue of range: the ranges of the transport craft are such that really no more than 1 manned base is necessary to cover the globe for terror site defense. Setting e.g. the fuel capacity of the Skyranger to 500 results in roughly 1 base per continent required. This has interesting strategic consequences: need for more bases makes the ecomics more challenging (and thus slows down research). [[User:Emphyrio|Emphyrio]] 08:43, 9 August 2010 (EDT)

===Enforced Variant Games===

Various people like to play various variant games, such as No Alien Technology, or No Detection, or No Lethal Weapons - see for example Scott Jones' notes to XComUtil. It would be nice to have options on the game executable to enforce these scenarios. Self restraint is hard! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

Some of these variant scenarios have been implemented in [[UFO Extender]] by [[User:Seb76#Mods|Seb76]].

===Recruit Certain Alien Types===

Consider that not all aliens are loyal to their master (most TFTD alien has a device lodged to its brain), it would be interesting (or at least cool) if we could recuit such aliens to the XCOM cause. Maybe we can remove the controling devices from captive aliens after research on that species. Or convince the head of the Snakemen that it would be far more benefit to his race to help us instead of the Ethereals [[User:L-Zwei|L-Zwei]] 23:25, 12 September 2008 (PDT).

Only certain alien types should be recruitable. Ones that should NOT be include Mutons (as they are directly controlled by Ethereals), Chrysallids (unbalancing), etc. It would be nice to be able to reverse-engineer Cyberdiscs or Sectopods, or make it that a Cyberdisc must be researched to build hovertanks/etc.
[[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 13:32, 18 September 2008 (PDT)
: It's pretty obvious which ones should be recruitable: non-robotic terror units that are captured alive. Chryssalids should simply do melee damage instead of impregnating (as the resulting spawn would not be mind-controlled and therefore XCOM wouldn't do it). Silacoids would be pretty ineffectual, and reapers slightly less so, but both would be disposable scouts. Celatids might actually have some use (eating through hulls with acid, and arcing over walls) but are fragile. All of these would require capturing a terror alien alive after researching Psi Amp. The two robotic units should require a live alien Engineer researched as well as UFO Construction, and the materials for building one would be one corpse of the appropriate type, Alien alloys and Elerium (to repair and refuel the husk). The Sectopod should probably be nerfed somewhat, so that it isn't quite so invincible to Heavy Plasma shots - after all, it was probably a twisted and melted modern art piece by the time it finally went down). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

=== Research ===

==== Game option: sell only researched items ====

The fact that you may sell the alien items for the best price once you get them, without any research, is illogical. Such staff would never get on the market, being top secret and potentially dangerous to the humanity.

Selling without proper research does not help the replay value of the game either: once you know the "right path" to get the best items, you simply sell anything else immediately and ignore the unnecessary research. Too easy.

Therefore I wish for this game option: unknown items are sold for 0 (including the alien corpses), the known ones for their full price. This makes the sustainable economics much harder to develop and it gives sense to the "useless" research. Last but not least, it adds a lot of depth to the gameplay: will you choose research of a new weapon you need on the field, or of a mind probe that will earn you millions in sales? --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 15:55, 6 April 2009 (EDT)

: I really like this option, it's a great idea. Makes the game harder and makes it more interesting, more varied. Gives extra value to the otherwise "useless" research paths. Good thinking! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:06, 24 August 2009 (EDT)

: I'd prefer that unresearched artifacts/corpses sold for a fraction of their original value (no more than 25%). It makes no sense that nobody would pay to research them for themselves. Additionally, Laser Cannon sell price needs to be nerfed. [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

: This would have the added benefit that you would know if it was 'safe' or not to sell an item research wise. Coloring the un-researched items differently on the Sell/Sack screen would be good too ~ [[User:Renegrade|Renegrade]] 13:30, 19 August 2010 (EDT)

==== New Research Mechanics ====

The above comments spurred some ideas to make the research more realistic and the path to victory less obvious.

For flavor reasons, give research options vague names instead of exact names. This already exists in some research topics, such as "New Fighter Craft" instead of "Firestorm". So, research topics might read "Alien Hovertank Wreck" instead of "Cyberdisc Corpse", "Grey Alien Corpse" instead of "Sectoid Corpse" or "Alien Pistol" instead of "Plasma Pistol". The names would be revealed in the UFOpaedia entry, and certain items would then be renamed as per common sense.

Hide the ranks of aliens in captivity until they are researched (so you'd see Live Grey Alien #1, Live Grey Alien #2 if you had two Sectoids available for research). However, if you happened to have two Soldier ranks in containment, you'd only see one topic. The same rank/race combination would never appear again, but you might have to research several specimens of the same species to get the useful one you want. The alternative would be to have researched Mind Probe, which would tell you exactly what you had in containment (just as it does on the battlefield).

Once an alien or its corpse is researched, then all other instances of that alien or its body are renamed appropriately. For example, research a live Muton and Muton corpses become obvious, and vice versa. "Live Green Humanoid Alien" is also renamed to "Live Muton".

Finally, there should be a few more prerequisites in place to make less useful research more necessary. As someone else has mentioned, you should need a Cyberdisc Corpse to research Hovertanks. I'd also suggest that Psi Amp and Mind Shield require the research of Mind Probe (seeing as both entail scanning for minds as a logical first step), and that Flying Suits require Floater Corpse, Cyberdisc Corpse or a live Floater researched as an additional prerequisite (not Ethereals, as they fly with the power of their huge brains). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]

:These are all good suggestions and make a lot of sense. An alternative explanation of the names (seen in some fan fiction) is that these names are not the real names, but are made up by XCom troops based on some limited battlefield experience of them. But revealing the "real" alien race names through Research is a fun idea. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 08:44, 1 September 2009 (EDT)

[[TFTDextender|TFTD Extender]] now provides options for improvements to the TFTD Research tree, to make research more logical (and less buggy). A similar exercise is possible with UFO Extender now that the location of the Research tree in the code is known. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

==== Dismantle researched items ====

Beginning a research project on an item should immediately remove that item from your storage. Currently it's possible to begin research on Heavy Plasma and Sectoid Corpse, then immediately sell those items, which makes no sense. Instead, we should assume that the eggheads need to dismantle an item to study it, thereby making it useless.

Completing a research topic on a live alien should create an appropriate corpse in storage, but this is less noticeable. Or do X-Com give all researched aliens diplomatic immunity and $20 for a cab fare?

:+1 to these suggestions. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 16:51, 29 November 2012 (EST)

=== Manufacture ===
* After buying the first cannon or rocket tank, that particular HWP becomes available for manufacture. Accordingly, either must be available for manufacture before laser tanks can be built (the chassis design has to come from ''somewhere'').[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

=== Base Managemet ===

==== Inventory management ====

I only want to keep 1 (or 0) sectoid corpse. If I have any more, sell them immediately and automatically. Sometimes having to sell all the stuff you've captured is just a chore.

Also, let me automatically repurchase goods when my stores get too low.[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

==== Monthly maintenance fees ====

Later in the game, when you are way beyond what the sponsor nations are paying you and are instead selling captured/manufactured items to fund your operation, the end of the month can be a real PITA, because you need to build up a reserve of cash to avoid being shut down for financial problems. (This was worse with the misreported funding bug.) At the least, show us in one place exactly how much we need to raise at that time.

Or make payments be done on a weekly/daily/hourly/continuously basis. This also means that I don't have to pay a same salary to someone who I hire on the 2nd or I hire on the 27th.

Oh, and the cheat of "soldiers/scientists/engineers in flight don't need to be paid" needs to be squashed while we're at it. (But watch out fixing this one without making salary payments continuous; my current strategy is to hire most people just before the end of the month, which I would need to modify to hiring just after the start of the month.)[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

==== Day Rates ====

Financial planning in the game is distorted by the fact that Engineers, Scientists and Soldiers receive a full month's pay for their first month, even if they only work one day in that month. This leads to bursts of hiring at the beginning of each month, and worsens the cash squeeze at the beginning of each month.

It would be nice if you could hire personnel at any time during the month, and they would only cost you their hiring fee (one month's salary in full), plus only as much of the first month's salary as they actually worked during that first month. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 06:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Change date ===

1999 looks quite silly now, 13 years later and I don't think mankind has even laser weapons now. So if it's not hardcoded for some alien actions in further years, I'd move game at least to year 2020, more likely even later. [[User:mikiqex|mikiqex]] 10:30, 12 January 2012 (CET)
:As a matter of fact, we do have laser weapons now, to some extent: Humvee-mounted ground-to-ground laser, aircraft-mounted anti-ICBM laser and ground-based point-defense laser that can shoot down a variety of incoming ordinance from missiles to mortar shells, all in the experimental phase and expected to hit mass-production in a decade. But yeah, I agree with this suggestion.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 13:30, 21 March 2013 (EDT)

=== Active Alien Bases ===

Right now, alien bases don't do anything aside from increasing alien presence in a region and attracting Supply Ships. This should be remedied and I know just how to do it.

* All alien bases have a "readiness level". Initially, this is at 100% but can be reduced via base assaults. Every alien killed and certain equipment destroyed decreases this level but if the base isn't destroyed (the mission fails or gets aborted) and subsequent Supply Ships aren't intercepted/attacked on the ground, then 24 hours after a successful resupply the base's readiness level will be back at maximum. Then and only then will killed aliens respawn and destroyed/taken equipment get replaced, not before. This reduces the profitability of "base milking" smash-and-grab operations but is not the primary purpose of the mod.
* Like the name indicates, alien bases should have a more active role. That is, alien bases will frequently dispatch Small and Medium Scouts on Research and Abduction missions, crewed by the same race the base belongs to. How often this happens depends on the base's readiness level, ie. a busted-up base will be barely hanging on but a fully-functional one will be a real beehive.
* Optional: if a base is present in a country, it significantly increases the chance of the country being successfully infiltrated.
* If a base goes unmolested for too long, it will become fortified and spawn two or even three times as many aliens (as many as the tileset allows) plus it takes on a more aggressive role:
** Launches Infiltration missions into nearby areas.
** ''"Leave us the [PRESUMED ALIEN EXPLETIVE] alone!!!"'': if attacked several times in rapid succession (depending on difficulty level; happens after a single invasion attempt on Superhuman), it sends out Retaliation scouts in the general direction the attacks are coming from, looking farther and farther away after every attack.
** ''"Oh no, you don't!"'': if it had been attacked at least once, the base will attempt to intercept X-Com craft passing nearby. It does so by dispatching a scout that follows the intruder at top speed and, once within a certain distance, forces it to engage the UFO in Aggressive mode. If the UFO is faster, all other modes and the Disengage button will be disabled as well. Even if the X-Com craft can run away, the UFO will follow it everywhere unless shot down or the craft lands, in which case the aliens dispatch Retaliation scouts to find the intruder's homebase.
** The above three options all make the base more dangerous but will also increase the payoff and provide an alternative to the nerfed "base milking" tactic.

I have NO idea if these are even possible but they would be highly interesting.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:44, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

: +1. This is a great set of suggestions. I think the necessary manipulations of [[MISSION.DAT]] are fairly well understood. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

== Battlescape and Tactical ==

===Equipment Management===

All wishes are currently implemented!

===Fog of War Improvements===

I'm sure most of these would be an absolute PAIN to implement, but I figured I'd toss the ideas out here.

====Prior Recon of Battlefield====
One thing that has always irked me is X-COM has no terrain knowledge when it lands, despite having probably circled the place two or three times before landing and thus they should know at least some of the area. This would be nice, but isn't too important. Probably would be a pain to implement so X-COM would have all knowledge of external features but no knowledge of building interiors, anyways. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Yes at the very least, when you splash the UFO, it could tell you (via some miracle technology such as "satellite reconnaisance") what the terrain type is of the landing zone area. Then you could adjust equipment accordingly. And adjust your uniform camouflage (if using one of the uniform mods). [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:16, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

:: Geoscape: center on the site, then maximum zoom. Aside from having to disambiguate forest from jungle, this works fine for knowing the exact terrain you're getting into. -- [[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 10:17, 4 Sept 2008 (CDT)

:::This is already present in the game. To center the Geoscape on a specific location, right-click on the target spot. To do maximum zoom in, right click on the Zoom-In button(and the same works for Zoom-Out). Also, Jungle and Forest use the same display algorithm, but are easy to differentiate; Forest occurs NORTH of the equator, and Jungle occurs SOUTH. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 13:23, 4 September 2008 (PDT)

:Returning to AQ's original suggestion, it wouldn't be too hard would it for the dropship to "radar map" the target, and then have the basic map show up on your scanner on Turn 1? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

====Dynamic Fog====

The Fog of War in X-COM is clumsily implemented, compared to modern expectations. Everything starts out black, but after exploring, is shown...and it's kept in the same showing, regardless of whether you actually have LoS to that area anymore. It would be nice if when you no longer had Line of Sight to a particular map area, it would be cloaked in a way so that you knew the terrain, but not the units there. Since I've sometimes spent over half an hour trying to hunt down that last alien hiding in area I'd already explored. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Maybe greyscale explored but out-of-LOS areas?--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:45, 19 September 2012 (EDT)

====Deactivate Object Radar====

Currently, in X-COM, any objects dropped in a given square show on your Battlescape, regardless of whether you have Line of Sight to the square or not. In regards to dropped weapons/grenades/equipment/dead soldiers/dead aliens, this doesn't make a large difference. But in the case of STUNNED aliens, a quick scan across the Battlescape can tell you whether the alien you stunned 10 turns ago is still down, or stood back up(the stunned alien object will disappear from the stack). Of course, since aliens which have revived from stun are almost always disarmed(and the ones that aren't probably should've been killed instead), the usefulness of this 'exploit' is reduced mainly to finding out that the last alien you're looking for is just wandering aimlessly and unarmed. Perhaps leave stacks showing the same until you regain LoS to that area? [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:38, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

====Crushed Buildings====

Why don't we see any crushed or destroyed buildings? Does a UFO always fall like a rock, perpendicular to the ground? No marks on the ground? Such impact would do massive damage to the land (a small meteor can do much if it has a high speed...). (Also, at the [debatedly] "real" UFO crash zones UFO parts were scattered over miles)

I'd like to see chopped buildings, entering UFO's through a barns; entering an abductor from a immediate house's roof if I have plasma and no flying suits yet. - [[User:N|n]] 15:01, 16 August 2010 (GMT+1)

: The Pocket PC remake of the game did this, though it seems the site it concern has vanished off the face of the net. Could probably find a copy if you're interested.

: By the way, you can generate a time/date stamped signature by typing four tildes (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>). - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 23:04, 16 August 2010 (EDT)

:: Amazingly enough (is it Truman Show of me or just a coincidence :)?), my GF found a low-tech palmtop (with/in a case)... on the pavement. With no personal data and means to find the owner; when I laid my hands on it, I actually found and installed Ufo:EU there, but it wouldn't run :(. [And thanks! again for the 4 tildes name/timestamp trick] - [[User:N|n]] 19:18, 18 August 2010 (EDT)

===Restore Game from Battlescape===

It would be nice to be able to reload a saved game directly from the Battlescape "?" screen, rather than having to go through the process of Abandoning to the Geoscape. Would you need to check it was a Battlescape save and not a Geoscape save? Maybe, maybe not. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

===Grenades===

*Stun Grenades: I want flashbangs.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:59, 11 September 2008 (PDT)
:Instead of stunning, I'd see more effect if it would remove some TUs to units having line of sight (to be fare it should affect xcom units too). It would help against reaction fire (which is the point of flashbangs). Given that grenades detonate at the end turns, it would require a good coordination to have the grenade detonate exactly at the end of the alien turn, and just before your attack. Being able to open doors à la xcom2 would also help to throw flashbangs just before a craft assault... [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 22:03, 12 September 2008 (PDT)
::That would be good. Hard to program, potentially extremely unbalancing, but good. I considered a "debuff" kind of ability (as you suggest) for flashbangs, vs the more obvious substitution of [[stun]] for [[Explosions|HE]] damage. In the end, I picked "I want flashbangs."--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 03:32, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
: Maybe flashbangs dont' work on Aliens - otherwise, XCom would use them, right? :) But seriously, I too would like flashbangs, and stun grenades / concussion grenades. Both of these would make the game easier, though. With flashbangs, you might have to compensate by just giving the aliens more TUs. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:33, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
::More options for the player is going to make it easier for any kind of game. Particularly of games like XCOM where the computer can't take advantage of the changes. However I don't believe a weak stun grenade (like 44 stun damage, comparable to AC-HE) would change the game much because the 80 item limit remains.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:21, 13 September 2008 (PDT)
* Rudimentary IFF recognition in proximity grenades, ie. it checks the unit ownership variable (the same one that gets flipped during mind control and used to cause the Hostile Civilians bug) of everyone who wanders into its sensor range and only explodes if it doesn't match the ownership of the unit that threw it. Naturally, it would be fooled by mind control and would also blow up civilians but it would minimize mine-related friendly fire...
:: ...which makes me wonder: if a proxy kills a friendly unit, does it count as friendly fire caused by the guy who planted the proxy? If not, would you make it so, just for the hell of it? [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

===Night Vision===

I '''don't''' want to add night vision equipment to the game. I assume that either (1) all XCom units already have night vision gear as standard, but it's not as good as alien night vision, and the visibility that XCom units have at night is based on their standard-issue night vision gear, or (2) night vision gear does not work on Aliens. Either they do not appear on night vision, or maybe worse - maybe the aliens can manipulate night vision equipment, causing worse than normal vision, or hallucinations, and even tricking XCom units into firing on each other. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:33, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:Wouldn't it be nice though if it had gradients other than "day: 20 squares" "night: 9 squares" ? Like.. "early morning/late evening: 10-19 squares" ? I find the cut off from full daylight to full night kinda disturbing. ~ [[User:Renegrade|Renegrade]] 10:41, 19 August 2010 (EDT)

:: I originally thought of this when dreaming of a Stargate-themed patch for X-COM -- but what about enemies that are invisible unless you are facing them while wielding a certain weapon designed to spot them? (Stargate fans: I'm thinking of the TERs.) [[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

:Turning off the aura of light around soldiers during night missions, making the player see about as much as the soldiers do.

:Thoughts about NV equipment:
* 2x1 item that needs to be placed into a shoulder slot.
* Vision range with NV would depend on the ambient light levels:
** During daytime, they would see as far with NV as in complete darkness without.
** The darker it is, the greater the vision range, up to a maximum of 15 hexes...
** ...but complete darkness still incurs a minor penalty as most NV gear are image ''intensifiers'', NOT infrared goggles. That is, they still need ambient light to work properly.

--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 13:50, 21 March 2013 (EDT)

: I think that, after a few turns in a night mission, a soldier's visual range should be increased due to natural nightvision. This does, of course, assume that all the weapons have flash suppressors, but it would make at least some sense, although would probably be difficult to implement. If it became possible, it would be even more realistic to decrease a soldier's accumulated nightvision if they are near electroflares, streetlights, or explosions. --[[User:BenWaters|BenWaters]] 05:15, 6 April 2013 (EDT)

===Throwing over stuff===
'''(Moved to Talk, as this is not a bug and so does not need fixing.)'''

===Assault Time Limit===

One of the cool things about UFO Defence is there are no time limits on the scenarios. This is great as it allows for a totally different kind of tactics and much more flexibility.
It's more of a "thinking man's game" as a result. But... arguably this is not very realistic for UFO Assault missions. If the Aliens are getting creamed, they should try to make a getaway if they can (just like XCom would). A simple way to implement this would be a hard time limit (say 20 turns?) on a UFO Assault. Another way would be to base it on Alien Morale. At a certain Morale level the aliens decide to dust off. Give the player say 3 turns warning while they rev up the engines. Then if there is still a Navigator or Engineer in the Control Room alive, the ship takes off. Any XCom troops still aboard are MIA.

You might run into problems if the UFO took off but then landed again or was shot down, generating another ground mission with potentially '''more''' Aliens than were still alive at the end of the Assault. (Still, maybe they hatch some more clones if they get time to....) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 09:51, 4 September 2008 (PDT)

: It strikes me as justified they don't do that. Troops loose in the vessel could be seriously bad. It would be nice if they dusted off on the condition that their morale was low enough or 3 X-com soldiers had the door in their sights without aliens alive outside in the latter case and no X-com soldiers on board in either case. also, if the UFO has a hole in either the command or engine room, it would have to set down before leaving the atmosphere. [[User:(name here)|(name here)]]

Taking off with troops onboard would be perfectly safe (for the aliens) and justifiable if one assumes that alien ships in flight are inherently inhospitable for humans. This is easily done by saying that they undergo accelerations that humans can't withstand (splat), can't withstand for any length of time (pass out), or that they intentionally make rapid accelerations in different directions, either normally or just if they're trying to bash some intruders around. Naturally, the aliens themselves would either be immune to these (tough physique / their built-in antigrav devices?), or be in acceleration chairs, safe from all this.

Alternatively, when you get the warning that the UFO is going to take off, you've got a certain amount of time to either get everyone '''off''' the UFO, or to get everyone '''on''' it (or as many as you can). There could be a follow-up mission that takes place in "sky" terrain, where the outdoors is either impassable (the easy way) or else instantly withdraws units from combat (flying suits / parachutes). The soldiers' goals would be to either take out the aliens and presumably safely land and salvage the UFO, or take out the UFO's means of flying (power cores / navigator?). In the latter case, they might have a certain number of turns to withdraw or be caught in the crash, with possible casualties just like the aliens, mitigated to some degree by their armour and maybe where inside the UFO they are.

In the case of a crash, there could be a final mission to finish off the surviving aliens, using the X-COM soldiers that survive the crash, and no landing craft (it's still back at the old landing site). Alternatively, you could say that there '''is''' an X-COM landing craft parked outside (with all remaining members of the original landing party), since the in-flight time / distance was presumably low and the original X-COM craft quickly packed up and flew to the new landing site. — [[User:Wisq|Wisq]] 17:11, 18 April 2010 (EDT)

Either side could try bringing in reinforcements -- if I can bring two interceptors to a fight in the sky, why can't I bring two troop transports? This starts to get complicated, but it's come up in discussion of making X-COM into an onlime multiplayer game... :) [[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

===Alien AI===

*Aliens cannot pick up items, but I wish they would. If an alien has no useful weapons in inventory they should either head for cover or head for a plasma weapon. Panicked aliens drop their weapons but never seem to pick them up when they managed to pull themselves together. It would be nice if they tried to arm themselves again. --[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 13:55, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

:Even if it's too hard to make aliens head towards weapons (is it safe?, could it be used to trap them, not to mention the complexities of route finding) - it would still be good if an unarmed alien checked for usable weapons in every square it moved through, and at least picked up one loaded weapon or grenade per turn. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

:Fixing the AI for this could be really hard. Apart from all the possible exploits by XCom, the AI is probably a really hard part of the game to reverse engineer. You could say that an unarmed alien is no threat anyway (we are only concerned about aliens without psi or built in weapons). So nothing is lost even with an exploitable method of re-arming. By exploitable I mean the XCom player can manipulate re-arming, e.g. by leaving weapons out in the open as bait for traps.

:Maybe the simplest modification would be to ''not'' drop weapons when the alien panics? This does not require delving in to the AI, just intercepting the panic effects. Dont make aliens drop any weapons when they panic. It would be reasonable to return the weapon in hand to inventory, so there is a TU cost for the alien to bring the weapon back into play again.

:This would not work for aliens who were stunned and wake up, or who were mind controlled by XCom and made to drop their weapons. But it would probably catch 80% of cases.

:Another cheat, short of fixing the AI, is just to pick up weapons that the alien walks over. It could also pick up "spare" weapons from adjacent aliens (cheating on TUs - basically just teleporting the items to the unarmed alien). Spare alien weapons are almost invariably grenades. I have not had a lot of success in getting unarmed aliens to use grenades, so more research is needed here. Maybe only certain types of aliens use grenades, or only in certain circumstances?

:Really, really cheating would be to teleport any weapon laying around the battlefield into the alien's inventory. But I think it is more fair just to say panicked aliens dont drop their equipment. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 16:13, 13 February 2010 (EST)

:Interesting research! [[User:Volutar |Volutar ]] found a disabled function in the code that makes aliens pick up items! [[Talk:OBDATA.DAT#Field_0x2D]]

* Depending on the aliens' intelligence stat, they can deliberately blast away cover with autofire if they saw any of your soldiers taking cover behind it. They already sort-of do this with grenades but not with other weapons. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]
* Aliens actively using [[Scouting#Scout/Sniper Tactics|sniper-spotter tactics]], taking the high ground whenever possible. [[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]]

==== End Psi Bullying and Psi Baiting ====
When the aliens use psi attacks they always go for your guys with the most chance of failing the attack and going nuts. Is it possible to make those pesky aliens attack random soldiers, regardless of their psi skill/strength?

: Not a bad idea to randomise this a bit, because while initially this tactic helps the aliens, it becomes so predictable that it can be used against them by deploying unarmed "Psi Bait" soldiers to draw off all the attacks. (Or make aliens avoid controlling/panicking soldiers who have no loaded weapons. But then folks would just give them pea shooters and wear armour.) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== 80 Item Limit on Base Defense Mission ===
: Well you get the 80 item limit on every mission, but it hurts more on a Base Defence as you have more limited ability, or sometimes no ability, to manage what goes into those 80 items. I was thinking about a couple of (theoretical) ways to fix this and I hit on a new one (new for me anyway): Why not take the 80 items from the Transport(s), first Transport then second Transport until you run out of items or hit 80. This has a few benefits:
:* Ready made interface to manage the 80-item limit, the Stores <> Craft (Equip Craft) Screen.
:* If you have no warning at all, the 80 items will probably make good tactical sense in general terms, even if they are are not totally optimised for Base Defence (no proximity mines, etc).
: I think that copying the Transport inventory into the Battlescape inventory would be relatively to implement (though what do I know?). As a simplification, you could move only the inventory in the ''first available'' Transport that is present in the Base, into the Battlescape, and not bother looking in more than one place (other Transports, Base Stores) to get up to 80. It would then be a bit of a drag if your Transports are all out on a mission when your Base gets attacked though. Or perhaps inspect the inventory of Transport 1 (wherever it is in the world), and then attempt to copy its inventory, using equipment present in the Base?
: Another way of doing it which has been mentioned elsewhere is to try to reverse the order of the items in the Stores list. This has the effect of putting the more advanced weapons first, rather than the more basic weapons. There could be all kinds of unwanted side effects of this, depending on various programming issues.
: Actually there is already a fix for the 80-item limit in XComUtil. XComUtil records a standard assign weapon set for each of your troops, and then teleports those weapons to the Battlescape from your Base Stores, regardless of the 80-item limit (but still subject to the Battlescape's 170-item limit). Not 100% sure if this works for Base Defence missions though.
:[[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== Collision Detection Bugs ===
I have noticed that sometimes you can shoot through hard objects, for example, recently I had a soldier up on the roof of a house overlooking a large scout craft. When a Sectiod moved through one of the inner doors of the UFO, my man shot him straight through the intact ufo roof!

=== Base Defence Systems Cause Alien Casualties ===

I don’t know if this is already implemented in the game? When the aliens attack your base and you defend it with base defense measures does the following occur and if not a mod maybe? When you hit the battleship with your weapons but it still gets through (e.g. you hit the battleship with some missiles before it lands) can the number of attackers be reduced accordingly. For example if you hit it with some missiles then maybe they could have a couple less soldiers attacking (could be random small amount) or when you hit with loads of stuff like plenty of fusion balls and the battleship just makes it then their attack could be reduced to a few aliens (all others got killed in the defense). As I say not sure if this is already there to some degree (not played in a long time and I’m not at that stage yet this time round).

: The general view is probably that Base Defence missions are a boon to XCOM already, so why make them any easier. At very least there would need to be more damage to the loot than there was to the Alien's combat effectiveness, otherwise this unbalances the game in favour of XCOM. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

=== Alien vs Alien ===
This one is way out there. Alien v Alien battles out with main game, just random battlescape maps. Sectoid and their terrorists against Floaters and theirs etc. One side human controlled the other computer. Choice of ships involved etc.

:I actually love this idea. It might just about be possible using XComUtil, if someone is a total XComUtil guru.

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There was a utility to do this from Devisraad. it has long since been removed from his site, but someone may still have it. The basics was you renamed unit and it automatically replaced graphics flag to swap out the units. Didn't work on the Large Aliens but still was a fun mod --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:20, 6 January 2010 (EST)

=== Aircraft in Base Defence Battlescape ===

New graphics for the Interceptor and Firestorm on the battlescape. All your ships could remain in their hangers when the aliens attack your base. Don’t understand why Mythos did not do this originally.

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Simply for one reason: the limit on the size of the battlescape. UFO maps are usually limited to 10000 tiles (50x50x4), on Bases you have 9600 (60x60x3), the last level one being dirt. You need 3 levels to display X-COM craft. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 14:28, 23 September 2008 (PDT)

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Could you not do it but clip off the top level of the craft - leaving the ground level and 'deck' level? It would be a cool terrain area to fight in. I like the fact that in TFTD you can still see your subs during a base defence. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

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It is possible to edit the map files to include the Skyranger, but you'll have to use Xcomutil to play with that terrain and I think it would never launch during base defense missions (but I'm not sure on that - never tried editing the X-COM base terrain). [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 19:25, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

This could be done by creating new "hangar" map modules, each containing one of the five possible X-COM craft. Bung the modules into [[GEODATA.DAT]] at index 0C, and you're done. The catch is you can't have all craft or the MCD array will overflow. The base terrain uses ~160 tiles as it is (out of the max of 256), while the craft use about 60 each (on average). Putting them all in would take the table above 300 entries (that is to say, the game'd crash).

'Cause XcomUtil already provides us with an Intercepter design made up of SkyRanger parts, I suppose the way to go would be to only implement those two craft. If you have any alien technology ships, they could either be left out ("they were fast enough to escape") or rendered as SkyRangers.

It should also be noted that bases are made up of two levels, not three. Luckily, all the craft are only three levels high, so cutting out the landing gear still works. - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 19:56, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

Very true about the MCD limit, that's why I only mentioned the Skyranger but the Interceptor could be added as well (and would not make much sense to have your first defense mission with a nice Avenger parked on the hangar while your Interceptors are being blow to bits by Battleships). The bases are 3 levels but you can only modify two of them. The game engine automatically adds a layer of 'dirt modules' either at top or bottom. Hmmm, this just gave me an idea for the wish list... [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:29, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

Both alien and X-Com bases ''are'' only two levels. There must be something screwy in your game; XcomUtil maybe?

It occurs to me that removing landing gear and stuff might make it ''just'' possible to jam in the Lightning tiles as well (as the MCD requirements would also shrink slightly). That'd make it possible to add the Firestorm, too. Seems a shame to get that far then leave out the Avenger, though...

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 21:30, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----

Nevermind, I completely misread your previous post. Yes, they are two levels only, could be Xcomutil that adds the 3rd level.

- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 22:30, 4 December 2009 (EST)

----
You may be able to get 3 levels in an X-Com Base but not 4. EU has a smaller amount of memory alocated. I dont know the limit but 60x60x4 will crash EU. TFTD has no problem --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:25, 6 January 2010 (EST)

----

I got partway through this and then decided to change my methods entirely and start from scratch. So I thought I might as well post my progress anyways, as it's already about on par with the crude TFTD implementation: You always have the same craft appear in your hanger regardless of what is (or isn't!) there.

[[Image:Skyranger In Hanger.rar]]

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 05:40, 17 December 2009 (EST)

----

Hey BB, a while ago I have modded the plane terrain files so that the Skyranger appears facing east instead of south. If you want to use that one (to make it a little different) let me know. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 08:23, 17 December 2009 (EST)

----

Thanks, but don't worry about it for now: it'll make the MCD arrays larger still, so I'll consider it when I get all the other stuff done.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 17:01, 19 December 2009 (EST)

----

The completed mod is now included in my toolpack. As usual, I've only done cursory testing on it, but I'm pretty sure it's stable enough.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 06:40, 20 January 2010 (EST)

=== Fixed firing TUs ===

Something that always bugged me was how the weapons used percentages for firing TUs. It doesn't make sense that the faster a soldier got, the longer it would take to fire a weapon.
: This is because you can't fire an automatic weapon any faster than it will shoot. However, it otherwise makes minimal sense, as you point out. I suggest two alternative solutions. Firstly, that only automatic fire modes use a fixed percentage of a soldier's time units, and other modes use a fixed number of TUs. This would entail the newer soldiers spraying and your most elite taking fast, selective single shots. The alternative is that each firing mode for each weapon entails its own formula (revealed in the UFOpaedia but essentially hidden during the battlescape) along the lines of "X% of TUs + Y TUs". Snap fire would be a low % of total plus a low fixed cost, Aimed would be a low % of total with a high fixed cost, and Auto would be a high % of total with a low fixed cost. While this is somewhat complex, in-game you wouldn't have to worry, and it accounts for what can be reduced (i.e. aiming speed) and what can never be improved by a soldier (i.e. cyclic rate of fire or time for a missile to lock). [[User:Stubbs|Stubbs]]
:: These observations are very sensible. However we also need to consider the impact on game balance. If you implement this in an even-handed way, alien rates of fire will increase as they have high TUs. Or, if you fudge it so that alien rates of fire remain the same, then X-Com's advantage will increase as the game progresses. Neither of these are desirable. It would be extremely hard to implement this and still maintain game balance. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 08:41, 1 September 2009 (EDT)
:::Each turn has the exact same duration, but is divided into TUs separately for each soldier. That's a simplification that works well in a turn-based game and reflects the fact that a soldier is fast or slow. However, weapons need to be aimed and will not fire faster than normal, thus they require a fixed percentage of the turn duration. In other words, soldiers gain movement speed, but fire at the same rate. This is both desirable and logical, just not self-explanatory. Thus, I would definitely stick to how TUs consumption is solved currently. [[User:mingos|mingos]]

=== In-flight Interception ===

Yes, I know that this idea is nigh-impossible, but I was thinking, wouldn't it be awesome to infiltrate a battleship, kill the aliens inside and escape, with the geoscape being shown zooming past underneath? Also, in a similar vein to the "aliens dust off after 3 turns" idea, after killing the aliens ( or blowing up the power cores, maybe?)you would have to get as many troops as possible to the drop ship in 3 turns(in retrospect I guess that you could only do this with the Lightning because of the doors) or the ship crashes and all troops not in the dropship are missing in action. Yes, this idea is impractical and would be really hard to program, but the idea of blowing a UFO up from the inside just seems epic to me. [[User:WolfenMage|WolfenMage]]

=== Impose cost to using Psionic attacks===

I think everyone agrees Psi attacks are too powerful. I would propose to impose a cost to using Psionic attacks. This could take the form of decreasing the physical stats after using a PSi attack (after all all: the psionic races are physically weak). This could for example lead to a soldier becoming a weakling or even fainting or dying from using psi-attack. Another possibility is to decrease mental stats (in this case the ratio would be that humans are not really being adapted to psi: you could be expected to go crazy playing mind games) leading to a decrease in psionic powers or maybe panicking or beserking the soldier using psi. Together with limiting psi attacks of MCed units proposed elsewhere this would rebalance the later game somewhat... [[User:Emphyrio|Emphyrio]] 07:22, 9 August 2010 (EDT)

: [[UFO Extender]] implements some limitations on X-Com use of Psi, making attacks Line of Sight based. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Make losing a base less costly ===

My friends would often quit and reload after losing a base because it was so costly. It should definitely be a kick in the teeth, but even the game text suggests some ways you can recover:
1. Scientists and engineers have already been evacuated -- on a defense loss, let me transfer them to bases with open living quarters.
2. Likewise, move any ships at that location to another open hangar. (Maybe doing this requires that I have gotten advanced warning of the attack.)

: You can do all of this immediately prior to the attack, which is a small trade off if you win and a great benefit if you lose. I'm not sure you should be able to do it for free, at the instant of losing, and keep your options open until the last second. I think the game is fair and balanced as is. Well OK, maybe an option to do transfers after seeing the Base Attack screen, but before combat, would be user-friendly - it is sometimes hard to get to the Base screen fast enough to perform an evacuation before the base assault starts. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Have captured aliens be present in base defense ===

The alien containment unit could have all my captured aliens present in jail cells. But this requires other things to happen first.

On one hand, I think it would be cool if the attackers can rescue their friends and bring them into battle. So aliens would need to be able to pick up weapons. Psi powers would suck -- it would seem nuts if a captured ethereal suddenly started brainwashing my crew right away. Maybe they all start with -50 stun, or maybe (can we do this?) psi-powered enemies have it disabled if they start the game captured.

Another issue is that each containment supposedly holds 10 aliens according to the game text, but there is no real limit in the game. Maybe we fix that 10-limit bug (which would mean that we would need to be able to kill overflow aliens), maybe we only take the first 10. And it definitely runs into tile issues.

Would the enemies in containment need to be killed/re-stunned to end the mission? Maybe being in a locked jail cell automatically counts as captured.

:The problem here is that Alien Containment works entirely differently from how it's stated. Alien Containment is instead a file of aliens captured with, IIRC, 50 slots, and it is shared across ALL bases. So you'd have to figure out some way to change the file to flag aliens as 'belonging' to a specific base. And of course, on higher difficulty modes, the aliens and their terror units already spawn most or all of their UNITPOS.DAT slots anyways. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 08:19, 12 January 2012 (EST)

=== Grenade Launchers ===
Is the US army being obstructive? Why can't we buy M79s or M203s? Shooting a grenade through a wiindow/gap is sorely missing, because of the need to arc. There is the small launcher, but that stuns. 30mm grenades come in HE, WP, Smoke, Incendary, AP and flechette (think shotgun with a 30mm bore!)

:They're not being obstructive, in fact they gave us automatic and semi-automatic grenade launchers, which we call the Auto Cannon and Heavy Cannon. See [[Realistic Equivalents#Weapons]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 17:46, 20 March 2011 (EDT)

::In that case, why not make the Heavy Cannon and Small Launcher fire in a ballistic trajectory, a la Celatid spit? It would make the HC even more useful until the advent of the Blaster.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 17:45, 19 March 2013 (EDT)

=== 80 item limit ===
The space available should be treated more logically; using the system base stores does. At the moment craft treat 1 heavy weapon as the same size as 1 grenade.

''This has nothing to do with item size but the size of the database responsible for keeping track of all available items in the battle. This database size if fixed and just about every routine throughout the program that references this database is written with the size in mind. Fixing this would require rewriting a majority of the program. - [[User:Morgan525|Tycho]]''

== Miscellaneous ==
===Amitakartok===
* An option for modifying how many times can the medkit's various features be used. According to the site, it's not stored in OBDATA but inside the executable.
*Editable starting soldiers attributes.
*Editable HWP stats of chassis and their weapons.
*Editable fire/stun damage of equipment that does this type of damage.
*Editable fatal wound system.
*A critical hit chance system.
*Option to chose % chance of aliens having a weapon over another.
*Creating and using a custom research tree.
''This is pretty much impossible without massively rewriting the way the game handles research. The "research tree" is just a long list of hard-coded if-then statements.-[[User:Morgan525|Tycho]]''
* Trigger Discipline: soldiers (and aliens under X-COM mind control) do not reaction-fire at unarmed targets. Psionic aliens and terrorists are considered armed at all times; soldiers under alien mind control are only considered a threat if they have a LOADED weapon (laser or a weapon AND ammo; smoke grenade/small launcher/stun rod doesn't count as weapon). This eliminates psi-induced friendly fire incidents but also removes the possibility of reactions training.
* Beware the Ethereal: Ethereal Commanders gain maxed-out Psi Strength and Psi Skill. Lower-ranked Ethereals also gain increases to these stats.
* Exponential Psi: mind-controlled soldiers can use psi-amps. If set to 1, only panic attacks are launched. If set to 2, mind-control is also permitted.
* Join Us: all psionic aliens deliberately target amp-wielders before everyone else. Combine with Exponential Psi and Beware the Ethereal for maximum effect... and prepare to sweat blood.
* Human Shields: psionic aliens deliberately mind-control civilians on terror missions to use them as scouts/cannon fodder. If killed, mind-controlled civvies count against the mission score. If the Tactical AI mod is active, mind-controlled civvies pick up weapons as well. If Trigger Discipline is active, soldiers will not reaction-fire on civvies under any circumstances, even if being shot at by them.
* Battle Royale: on terror missions, a random number of civilians spawn with Pistols. Optionally, the Tactical AI mod makes them pick up dropped weapons and use them. Thing is, they shoot at not just the aliens but X-COM too!
* Field Commander: alien commanders can only be found on Battleships. Bases only have leaders.
* Conservation of Energy: plasma cannons of both flavors (craft and HWP) consume Elerium as ammunition. The first full reload is included in the construction cost, further reloads are deducted from base stores after each deployment (similarly to ammo-using craft and HWP weapons). Makes the game ''significantly'' harder.
* Elerium Recycling: selling plasma weapon clips won't turn in any money but returns some of the Elerium used for production. Elerium is more plentiful as a result but an important source of funding is removed, making the early game a bit harder. Additionally, you never get back all of the Elerium used in production, making it inefficient to recycle your own clips.
* Volatile Elerium: plasma weapons can be set to self-destruct as makeshift explosives. The blast force depends on how many times the current clip was fired; if the clip is empty, the weapon item is removed and the tile merely set ablaze for a few turns... but if it's a full Heavy Plasma clip, it goes off with the force of a blaster bomb.
* About the idea above, maybe all plasma armaments are energized by standardized “Elerium-enriched cells”, a single cell can provide 80 rounds to a Plasma Pistol, 40 rounds to a Plasma Rifle, but only 20 rounds to a Heavy Plasma. And these cells have safety latches that once turned off, will render them unstable and will detonate like Alien Grenades, and the radius and lethality of detonation are decided by how many rounds remaining.
===Fix All Bugs===

Oh no [[User:Seb76#Bug Fixes|Seb76]] already did this! :) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

= I Wished (And My Wish Came True)... =

== Geoscape and Strategic ==

=== Fuel Ready always ===
[[User:Seb76#Mods|Implemented - here]]

I wish that I could send out craft at any fuel or ammo level. Normally craft can only leave a base if fully "ready". Craft is only "ready" at 100% fuel (or 0% fuel using an exploit) but there's no logical reason why a full tank and full ammo is required. Fully repaired... that's fine. I can live with pilots refusing to fly a plane missing a wing even if it means England is lost to aliens. 15 hours to fill a tank? Retarded but I can live with that too if I can send out a craft at 20% fuel.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

:Actually, many modern aircraft '''do''' require the fuel tanks to be full on takeoff, and fairly empty on landing. The weight of the fuel is figured into the takeoff aerodynamics, and the tank being full prevents fuel 'sloshing' in the tanks and not actually making it to the engine. (Conversely, many aircraft need to have dispensed of much of that fuel weight before landing.) This holds for most runway-takeoff craft, but may not apply to anything with VTOL capacity; I'm unsure there.

:I do agree that non-full weapons aren't as critical, though. But from a logical standpoint, most modern aircraft should not be launched on an empty fuel tank. I also should noted that an Elerium-fueled craft with [[Known_Bugs#Elerium-fueled_Craft_Bug|50% fuel or less remaining]] will automatically return to base, regardless of distance from base. Of course, given that such craft fuel up quickly, its less of an issue there. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:05, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

:Hum, maybe you can try [[User:Seb76#Mods|this]]? [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 13:01, 8 August 2008 (PDT)
::Thanks! But I can't try it. I've not been able to get my copy of Xcom to run properly except on a Win98 install. VC2008 requires a more modern OS. I'm sure I could ''eventually'' figure out a way to get it running, but I tried once and wasted too much time before giving up.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 14:45, 8 August 2008 (PDT)
:AFAIK VC2008 binaries should run OK on Win98 as long as the runtime is deployed. Anyway, the loader uses CreateRemoteThread API which is not available in Win98 so don't even bother. '''However''', you can manually patch the binary if you want ;-) Data to patch (all in hexadecimal):
offset 0x41752: 2A0075 -> 18207C
:HTH. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 14:56, 8 August 2008 (PDT)

===Base Build Stacking===
[[User:Seb76#Base Building Stacking|Implemented - here]]

At the moment you are only allowed to build next to a finished module, and you aren't allowed to plan ahead in your base construction. It would be nice to at least be able to plan more than one phase of construction in advance. This would be pretty easy to implement. There is no need to code any new "queuing system". Just place the new module next to an existing under-construction module, but increment the build time to the normal build time + the time remaining on the under-construction module (the lowest time remaining that would make the square you are building in, a legal square to build in). As a premium for build stacking, you have to pay the costs up-front. As with normal construction, all costs are non-refundable if you change your mind. (There would probably need to be some on-screen feedback for how long the module would take to build, before you were committed to building it.) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

See also: Discussion on [[Talk:Wish List|Talk page]].

=== Keyboard shortcuts at bases ===

I wish we had (customised, maybe?) keyboard shortcuts at the base screen. Numbers (at the "base information" screen as well) would switch bases, R for research, E for equip craft, T for transfer, M for manufacture, S for soldiers, B for build new base, P for purchase+recruit (or "B" for "buy" - let people double-bind if they need it), I for base information. The doubles (soldiers/sell+sack) could be solved by using the key under the primary one (x for sell+sack). - n (16:26, 16 Aug 2010 (GMT+1))

:Keyboard shortcuts are implemented in [[UFO Extender]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

=== Soldier table ===

Soldiers should be listed in a sortable table, so I can sort them based on rank, ship order, firing accuracy, psi skills, in psi training, etc. If I want to find out my best shooters, it should be a very fast operation.

At a more advanced level: do it across bases; have filter options; sort based on formula (so I can find the soldiers with the best reaction+firing, or the best psi strength + psi skill).[[User:Lobster Dan|Lobster Dan]] 13:18, 25 January 2011 (EST)

:Sortable soldier list is implemented in UFO Extender and XComUtil. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

== Battlescape and Tactical ==

=== Equipment Management ===

==== Soldiers remembers THEIR equipment ====
[[XcomUtil|Implemented - here]]

I wish soldiers remembered what equipment they LAST used and start with that gear when they land. Normally soldiers grab various gear and put lots of crap on their belt. I put most things on the shoulder slots, and keep many things spare things on the ship just in case I need them. (I only want IN rounds if it's night. Stop picking them up before I shoot you in the back!) Takes forever to sort out the gear so the weakling isn't carrying all the rockets etc.
--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]]

:This is already available in [[XcomUtil]]. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:07, 7 August 2008 (PDT)

====Access to Stats screens during equipment allocation====
[[User:Seb76#Equipment Screen|Mostly implemented - here]]

In Battlescape you can get to Stats screens by right clicking on one of the unit's status bars. However you can't do this in the Equipment screen. Things like Statstrings and (even more so) [[User:Seb76|Seb76]]'s modified Equipment screen with actual/max weight help. But it would be nice to be able to see exact stats. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

===Decrease Accuracy for targets out of sight===
[[User:Seb76#Range_Based_Accuracy|Brilliantly implemented - here]]

How come you can easily shoot on something you do not see?
I find the over-used scout-sniper tactic is a cheap exploit of the X-COM. The tactical game should describe a combat, not a cowardly shooting practice. It would turn into a nice feature, if there would be a penalty of (let us say) -20% to the accuracy of anybody who is firing on a target out of his current sight. This can greatly enhance the tactical depth of the game. (Seb around? ;-) --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 14:20, 30 August 2008 (PDT)

...discussed [http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Talk:Wish_list here]

===Enough Smoke===
[[User:Seb76#Mods|Implemented - here]]

It would be nice to increase the current limit on smoke/fire hexes. This is due to their locations being stored in a small, fixed length array. In effect you can only get about 3-4 smoke grenades worth of smoke or fire on the map at the same time. Being able to use smoke liberally would really open up new tactics. At the moment all you can really do is cover the LZ in smoke when you exit the transport, and maybe cover one advance over open ground. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)
:I did something for that on my loader. Heavy testing is required because it is hard to be make sure smoke still works as before (testing is the hardest part actually). [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 14:09, 18 September 2008 (PDT)

=== Alien AI ===

====Aliens better with explosions====
Partly implemented [[User:Seb76#Bug Fixes|here (waypoint bug fix)]] and [[User:Seb76#Mods|here (Blaster drift)]]. ''(Possibly move this to talk, as notwithstanding these 2 bugs, apparently the Aliens are fairly safe with lethal explosives.)''

I wish that aliens using grenades or blaster bombs or stun bombs (anything that goes boom) would use more sense. They should not want to use items that go boom when they are guaranteed to be caught in the blast radius. The alien can use grenades and blaster bombs by going out of line of sight before the explosion goes off. That may not save them if the explosion blows out the walls. At least it would be less stupid then firing a point blank blaster bomb vs taking 5 steps and setting up another waypoint. Units with morale above 100 or mind controlled should still be suicidal as normal.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 13:55, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

: Actually, the aliens are quite careful with their explosives, they just seem to be prone to the occasional accident. They're not likely to fire off a blaster or grenade too close to them - as evident by the strategy where if you see an alien with a BB but can't shoot back, the safest place is to stand next to it. The blaster bomb vertical waypoint fix in the loader also eliminates the 'oops' moments where they plot a vertical right angle too close to themselves and there just happens to be a wall to the south. However, they do need more care with stun bombs as you often get to see an alien fire a stun bomb point blank into a HWP parked next to it. But I guess we are talking about three different weapon types here, so they may not be as careful with a standard firearm as they are with grenades and the BB. Wish the Apocalypse aliens at least had as much sense as the UFO/TFTD aliens. In that game, they're utterly psychotic with explosives and ignore nearby allies. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 14:34, 19 September 2008 (PDT)

=== Mind Controlled then Hostile ===
If you mind control a human (civilians) in a terror mission, they become enemies when you lose control (meaning you have to kill the poor idiots to finish the mission). Any chance that they could revert to friendlies/non enemies again when you lose control.
: Now fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Mind Controlled then MIA ===
Men who are under alien control when you win become MIA, any chance they could be saved (you will have killed all the aliens after all).
: I believe XComUtil fixes this MIA issue. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)
:: XcomUtil 9.6 also restores all DOA if you win to. Not what was intended. This feature has been removed as of 9.7 until I can fix it. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 02:27, 6 January 2010 (EST)
: Now also fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Open Doors But Don't Enter/Exit ===

Open doors like they do in TFTD (I know this is mentioned above with the good stun grenades idea).
: Now fixed by the Seb76 loader [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:13, 11 December 2009 (EST)

=== Warm Grenades===

Currently when you set the timer on a grenade (or HE pack), the timer runs down every turn regardless of whether the grenade is worn, held, or dropped. Then, when the timer runs out, it explodes unless it is held or worn. There is no real grenade or explosive that works this way. Once the timer (fuse) starts running, they explode regardless. However for most hand grenades, the timer (fuse) doesn't start until after you throw/drop the grenade. It would be nice to have both of these real world behaviours, and lose the game's default behaviour. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:06, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

: Technically the way the game implements grenades, they don't have a timer. At least, not as such. When you set a grenade, the game just assigns it a turn to blow up on. Once the turn has passed, the game checks to see that it's on the ground and blows it up if it is, otherwise it doesn't. I believe Seb76 has already addressed this in his patches where there's an option to make grenade blow up regardless whether they are in inventory or otherwise the moment the timer is set. X-Com Apocalypse does a good job of this. The moment the grenade is so much as moved after the timer is set, it counts down. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:01, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:: To simulate an actual timer, you would need to do something like: Every turn that a primed grenade is being held by a unit during the "explode" check, increment by +1 the turn when that grenade is going to explode. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:10, 14 September 2008 (PDT)
:::I think I would change quantity2 ([[OBPOS.DAT]]) to a countdown instead of a turn, and use quantity3 as a flag indicating if the count has started. This flag is set any time a turn ends and the grenade has no owner. Taking it back in your hand once the timer has started won't help and the thing must be thrown... quantity2 is decreased if quantity3 is set, and the grenade blows up as usual. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:35, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

: That would be great. It would be exactly consistent with a 'spoon' type hand grenade. The timer only starts when you release the grenade, but after that it explodes at a definite time regardless of whether you pick it up or not. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:22, 24 November 2008 (CST)

Implemented in [[UFO Extender]]. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 03:48, 20 September 2012 (EDT)

= Category =
The page needs to be listed in various categories, which ones I don't know. Also links on other pages to this one would aid people finding it.

: OK how about this one: [[User:Spike|Spike]] 12:21, 3 September 2008 (PDT)

[[Category:Oddities and bugs]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

User:Lixiaofossil

2023-12-05T07:57:49Z

Lixiaofossil:

It was 1996, when video game consoles were scarce in China and personal computers were Martian technologies to common Chinese families. One of my friends’ father was a scientist worked in Chinese Academy of Sciences, something related to ballistic missiles, so the government awarded his family three computers for his contribution to his fatherland. I frequently visited my friend’s home because of this, to play video games with him on the computers, games nobody could explain the origin, they just existed when the computers were brought home, from the hindsight, those computers must be purchased as secondhand from Europe or North America, with so many software already in hard disks.

Anyways, we had computers and plenty of games to enjoy, even no manuals, we managed to figure out how to play via looking up dictionaries and via experimenting. Mostly we played Doom and Doom II together, but one day I suddenly said:

“Pal, I think we’ve played too much Doom, how ‘bout something different? What’s that folder ‘UFO’?”

My friend exclaimed:

“How could I be so forgetful?! It’s a timeless classic! You gotta try it!”

That fateful day, I became the first batch of Chinese fans of “UFO: Enemy Unknown”.

User:Lixiaofossil

2023-12-05T07:41:54Z

Lixiaofossil:

It was 1996, when video game consoles were scarce in China and personal computers were Martian technologies to common Chinese families. One of my friends’ father was a scientist worked in Chinese Academy of Sciences, something related to ballistic missiles, so the government awarded his family three computers for his contribution to his fatherland. I frequently visited my friend’s home because of this, to play video games with him on the computers, games nobody could explain the origin, they just existed when the computers were brought home, from the hindsight, those computers must be purchased as secondhand from Europe or North America, with so many software already in hard disks.

Anyways, we had computers and plenty of games to enjoy, even no manuals, we managed to figure out how to play via looking up dictionaries and via experimenting. Mostly we played Doom and Doom II together, but one day I suddenly said:

“Pal, I thing we’ve played too much Doom, how ‘bout something different? What’s that folder ‘UFO’?”

My friend exclaimed:

“How could I be so forgetful?! It’s a timeless classic! You gotta try it!”

That fateful day, I became the first batch of Chinese fans of “UFO: Enemy Unknown”.

User:Lixiaofossil

2023-12-05T07:39:31Z

Lixiaofossil: Created page with "It was 1996, when video game consoles were scarce in China and personal computers were Martian technologies to common Chinese families. One of my friends’ father was a scien..."

It was 1996, when video game consoles were scarce in China and personal computers were Martian technologies to common Chinese families. One of my friends’ father was a scientist worked in Chinese Academy of Sciences, something related to ballistic missiles, so the government awarded his family three computers for his contribution to his fatherland. I frequently visited my friend’s home because of this, to play video games with him on the computers, games nobody could explain the origin, they just existed when the computers were brought home, form the hindsight, those computers must be purchased as secondhand from Europe or North America, with so many software already in hard disks.

Anyways, we had computers and plenty of games to enjoy, even no manuals, we managed to figure out how to play via looking up dictionaries and via experimenting. Mostly we played Doom and Doom II together, but one day I suddenly said:

“Pal, I thing we’ve played too much Doom, how ‘bout something different? What’s that folder ‘UFO’?”

My friend exclaimed:

“How could I be so forgetful?! It’s a timeless classic! You gotta try it!”

That fateful day, I became the first batch of Chinese fans of “UFO: Enemy Unknown”.

The Mysteries of X-COM

2023-12-05T07:26:21Z

Lixiaofossil: /* Enemy Unknown/UFO Defence issues */

Discussion page for some less clear aspects of the series

==General issues==

==='''How fast can alien craft travel in space?'''===

Some alien missions (repeated attacks on X-COM bases, for instance) come daily. This seems to imply that alien craft are able to travel the distance from Mars to Earth in a matter of hours.

: Or maybe, as you suggest in your novels, they have a staging area near Earth, such as the dark side of the Moon. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:36, 25 February 2009 (CST)

::Really fast. Consider that they don't need to push aside atmosphere, as well as the fact that momentum is conserved in space, so they can achieve very high speeds with gravity slingshots. (Mars DOES have 2 moons, recall.) Also note that they may be operating a bit closer to home(the far side of the moon, perhaps?) it's simply that the command staff are at Cydonia. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Good article in last month's Scientific American pointing out we only rely on gravity slingshots because we still use chemical rockets with pathetic delta-V. Once 2nd and 3rd generation plasma engines come on line (1st gen are in flight now) the gravity slingshot will become an irrelevance. No doubt UFO drives are at least as good as our (future) 3rd gen plasma drives, probably way better since they warp space.

(Reminds me of the old Guild Navigator joke - I just warped space from Ix, and boy is my mind tired. Oh well, you had to be there)

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:Also keep in mind that both Phobos and Deimos are tiny. They are basically captured asteroids. Neither would be useful in gravity assist. But yeah, the UFO's shouldn't need any assist anyway.[[User:Mannon|Mannon]] 11:35, 30 March 2011 (EDT)
::Case in point: http://xkcd.com/681_large/ (Deimos can be escaped with someone on a bike and a plank stacked on a brick, Phobos requires a good pitching arm). --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 16:55, 13 April 2013 (EDT)

:Consider that many of the same aliens as UFO/EU are in X-COM Intercepter, having necessarily had to break light speed. Consider that if outside any atmoshphere a battleship could reach 4800 knots(in-game top speed) within two minutes (which is about how long it appears to take in-game) then it is accelerateing at about 18m/s/s or almost 2Gs. In 24 hours it would reach 1,555km/s. At this speed (assuming it turned it's drive off after 24h) it would travel about 134,000,000km each day. The maximum distance between Earth and mars is about 401,000,000km.
:For simplicity, because we have room to work with here, even if a battleship were to accelerate for 24 hours while orbiting mars, and again had to decelerate for 24 hours in orbit after reaching earth, (all while a chrysalid inside balanced two apples on each of it's mandibles) it would still only take 5 days to reach earth when both planets are at opposite orbital positions. It seems that the Ethereals can wipe out your base and not have to miss Ladies Night, assuming the club is also on earth. ''Ethereal Mind-Trick: "You don't want to 'blow dis joint'. You want to come back to the UFO for a little abduction mhmhmhmhhmm.'' [[User:Darkestaxe|Darkestaxe]] 23:38, 12 April 2013 (EDT)
::On one hand, "near-constant multiple organ failure" problably includes THAT organ. Ouch. On the other, sheer force of will problably works on that for them (lucky them); and with Psionics, you can make any woman belive that "this long" (holds hands a few inches apart) is 1 foot, as well as literally make her forget any other man she's thought about before, as well as Algerbra. Unhooking a bra would, however, still a challenge unto itself. And, since we are given specific dates in-game, there's plenty of programs online that can calculate the distance between planets for any given time, as well as lists of Oppositions (when two plants are at their closest): http://cseligman.com/text/planets/marsoppositions.htm For example, in 1999, the in-game year of the first game, on April 24th, Mars was only 86 million Km away (though Kudos if you can beat the game THAT early into a campaign) --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 16:55, 13 April 2013 (EDT)

==='''What happens to the crashed UFO craft and its crew?'''===

Downed alien craft disappear after a few days have passed. No explanation is given to this whatsoever, so what really happens to them?

Possible answers:
* The UFO and its occupants are recovered by other humans.
* The Aliens manage to repair the craft and fly back to space. (unlikely, in the event that the power plant blew up and they have no Elerium)
* The Aliens self-destruct the craft and kill themselves in the process, ensuring their remains will not be recovered by humans. (This is, in fact, the in-game explination. Read the mission briefing. [[User:Darkestaxe|Darkestaxe]] 23:38, 12 April 2013 (EDT))
* The UFO Powerplant eventually suffers a meltdown and explodes, eliminating any vestiges of alien presence.
* The Aliens blow up the UFO and disappear into the countryside.
* Most likely answer, IMHO: The local government/ funding nations give X-COM a limited time window to launch any operation, similiar to what you see in covert ops movies: "Complete the mission within 36 hours, or we initiate Carpet Bombing of the area". This is very likely considering that each nation actually has jurisdiction, and X-com is operating each military op with permission and cooperation by local authorities. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)
*Similiarly, I assume that nations which have signed a pact with the aliens launch a rescue operation and assist their alien friends. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)
: In the UFO TV show, it's stated that alien craft and bodies degrade quickly in Earth's atmosphere, disappearing completely in hours or a few days. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:36, 25 February 2009 (CST)
:: If that was the case, then one of the gases present in the atmosphere would be very toxic to the aliens. They would be restricted on their activities outside their craft, not to mention they would have to terraform the planet to be able to live here. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: As Zombie said, doesn't Alien Containment support this idea? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

::Those are excellent suggestions. One of the X-COM books detailed that aliens throw up a force field around crashed UFOs to give them time to repair the craft. This would also explain the limited size of the Battlescape (the area of the force field...the field was thrown up before the crash, thus why the craft wasn't always centered in it) as well as why the Battlescape is devoid of human life(the aliens took care of that up front.) Similarly, large scale bombing works as well, as does the local government going in to clean it up themselves. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::If there's a force field around the craft what is it supposed to repel? The atmosphere? Because humans have no problem entering the field and operating inside it. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::::Of course they do! Have you ever noticed how dumb your units can be? That's because the aliens can't live with too much nitrogen, so they turn some of it in their force field to oxygen, and excessive amounts of oxygen make you act weird. After a while, their power source runs out and the nitrogen returns, dissolving them into E-115. (What did you think it was made of?) AT least, that's what seemes logical to me, ad is a combination of many postulates here. 21:36, 18 March 2010 (EDT)
:::::That would require that the aliens' biochemistry and the alien alloys used in the power sources reacted with nitrogen, which is a mostly inert gas on normal temperature and pressure and a . It's kinda of weird that the aliens didn't bothered with fixing that vulnerability with their craft and bodies during millions of years (what happens if the force field malfunctions while capturing cattle? ooops!) but ok. The increase in the amount of oxygen would probably also turn any kind of fire into large explosions throughtout the force field. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 21:24, 19 March 2010 (EDT)
::The force field was intended to keep humans out so the aliens were undisturbed. The first major hurdle X-COM had was figuring out a way to bypass those fields so they COULD get troops and aircraft inside. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 20:54, 26 February 2009 (CST)
*I'd guess that the aliens would eventually mount their own rescue missions, especially once they realized that XCOM is farming their ships for resources (they must know we don't have ready access to their alloys and Elerium) and co-opting their technology. In the Firaxis game, when idling in the Situation Room screen, Central's (often amusing) radio chatter implies that there are many more UFO's and reports that don't go into the globe. Additionally: only 16 countries are covered, and there are over 150 countries on earth, plus all the oceans. After all, if we were shooting down every last ship, then the alien collective shouldn't be able to land so many aliens for Terror Missions. --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 02:48, 26 January 2013 (EST)

===How do the aliens carry their equipment?===
Like human soldiers, aliens can carry weapons and equipment in locations like legs, belt, shoulders and backpack, regardless of the fact that some of their races even lack those anatomical features.

:Potentially a sticky gel-like area on the limb. Though really, since we were never intended to access alien inventories and the AI does all inventory management internally, this may simply be something that was never considered. Speaking from a slightly different standard, most aliens do not carry excessive amounts of gear; often their equipment would be able to fit in both hands. Also recall that Floaters and Ethereals have capes and robes(which may have inside pockets, or the Floaters could store them in the anti-grav/life support unit or inside surgically created body cavities during the installation, while Ethereals could support their excess gear with telekinesis), Mutons have armor(which may have external straps or adhesive areas), and Snakemen have an armor plate(which could have straps, adhesive, inside pockets, or even a backpack.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:We already know the answer to this one - they cheat! ;) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

===Are X-COM transport craft piloted?===

:Almost certainly, since a remotely-piloted craft could be returned to base when the mission was aborted or failed. It's entirely possible that all X-COM soldiers are qualified pilots of the appropriate craft, since it would make no sense for X-COM to waste space on the plane for a noncombatant, or to have a single-point of failure on the mission like that. (The aliens could screw over the entire op by killing the pilot). It also explains why the craft is lost when the mission fails or is aborted with no one inside(lacking a pilot, the aliens are able to easily destroy it.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: On the other hand, even a tank/hovertank is capable of getting the craft back to base. Perhaps there is an autopilot function. X-com craft are also infamous for choosing strange and bizarre intercept paths, based on latitude lines... almost as if they followed some a few simple lines of code from 1993 programming (bit of 4th wall breakage there...) -[[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]]

:Of course, given the tanks seem to be remotely piloted from an X-COM base, its possible that the tank being in the craft allows the Tank pilot to reroute into the control systems for the dropship and take it over. Limiting this to having the tank inside is a rather good idea. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 12:07, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:I recall that the various cutscenes in the PSX version had a pilot, most notably in the "Mission Failure" scene, where it shows the pilot being killed. --[[User:Mabmoro|Mabmoro]] 16:06, 13 March 2009 (EDT)

===What sort of physical process is used to increase human stats over time?===

The increases in some stats are easy explained by experience gained on missions (firing abiility, reactions, etc.). However, in the cases of physical stats (TUs, stamina, strength) the increase must be augmented by an artificial process, since it isn't easily explainable that humans can significantly increase body mass/speed/endurance just by physical activity/exercise.

:Lifting weights will increase strength. Running and cardio exercise will increase endurance, and performing the same task multiple times will allow you to perform it faster. I see no reason natural increase doesn't work. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::I assume that it is possible to a human to use those methods to double its physical condition, but that being the case why are X-COM recruits so... undeveloped? Maybe this is a more intriguing aspect. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

What I don't get is that when someone gets blasted that they gain a lot of extra health. For crying out loud, the aliens are throwing around plasma and ridicoulously HUGE explosions. Shouldn't they be suffering from third-degree burns? I would expect them to at least have a major sore spot where they got hit. [[User:Tsunamiatunzen1|Tsunamiatunzen1]] September 24

:There's been arguments over whether the soldiers in X-COM are the Green Berets or equivalents of their various militaries, just average soldiers that volunteered for the job, or if the Council of Funding Nations is corrupt and is using this as an excuse to foist off their most useless soldiers onto the X-COM project. If the latter, it would easily explain their rather poor early stats. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

::Maybe the stat increases relate to the troops getting more comfortable performing all operations - lifting, running, combat actions - when the aliens no longer scare the cr*p out of them so much. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:: I know what you mean... if this were Jagged Alliance, it'd be like trying to hire Mike and getting Gumpy instead... ouch! ... IMHO, it looks as if the COFN is being funny about this. Clearly, the troops assigned to X-com have had extensive weapons training... each and every one of them can use just about any standard weapon, including Rocket Launchers, incindieries, auto Cannons, etc. However, NONE of them have any combat experience, coming to you as fresh rookies. And their stats look as if they were selected based on a pot luck basis rather than screening among the elite troops... [[User:Jasonred]]

:Health isn't gained from getting shot. But as for the "ludicrously low stats" issue, maybe they're being selected on some other basis, or there's a real shortage of volunteers. [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] 04:56, 25 September 2009 (EDT)

:: I think that the X-COM's soldiers have big responsibilities, can't have children. They are sworn in and only then go to the field - if someone can't be trusted to keep a secret, he's getting sacked, given a shitty job (ever wondered who maintained the General Stores?) or worse. - n, 16:47, 16 August 2010 (GMT+2)

In Hotpoint's [http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-16092/Hotpoint+XSGCOM+Goa+uld+Defence.htm| XSGCOM: Goa'uld Defense], his explanation is that after a few missions of watching their fellow newbies die, the survivors give in and volunteer for an experimental regimen of performance-enhancing drugs. IRL, steroids and such don't result in instant strength enhancement, they just encourage accelerated development of muscles. [[User:Kalaong|Kalaong]] 03:16, 28 March 2011 (EDT)

Heh: http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/901 --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 02:52, 26 January 2013 (EST)

As much as I've played this series for decades, and know full well how pitiful the starting stats of soldiers are, at least with respect to the game's rules, I really feel I must wonder and ask why we think those starting stats are 'underdeveloped' or 'pot luck'? What, exactly, are we basing this judgement on beyond how poorly they seem to perform in-game against a force that is quite honestly and clearly demonstrated as superior to humans in the first few missions, where only luck and superior numbers appear to manage to secure any wins for the organization and, in turn, humanity? How much can the average X-COM 'Rookie' carry in pounds as gear, and is it considered substantial compared to Army kit, or not? How many direct hits from a rifle can they take normally without dying or keeling over from fatal wounds, and how does this compare to real-world soldiers' survivability? How much time is one turn meant to represent, and how far can the average 'Rookie' run in that time, and how does that compare to how fast a fully-kitted Army soldier can move?

Has all of this already been figured out elsewhere? Otherwise, I'm starting to question whether we have any real proof that 'Rookies' AREN'T "The best of the best of the best, sir! With honors" beyond just how it 'looks' and 'feels' during gameplay, which is already skewed by the enemy having superior firepower and attributes, or, in the case of replacements, existing troops being pushed far beyond previously-perceived human limits from such extreme combat maneuvers as have resulted in success against, as I said earlier, a far superior force (EDIT: want to clarify on this point that I'm taking the 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' stance on the original question for this section). If the stats extrapolated for OpenXcom are any indication, this is most certainly the case, even with Sectoids, to an extent. While Sectoids will never have anything on humans in the Health department, being as fragile as they are (though some rookies can have less health, apparently, but only a few unlucky ones), they are surprisingly enduring, with tons of stamina, being 20 points higher than the X-COM 'Rookie' maximum upper limit for initial stat generation, and the same for Bravery (though this seems to be the case with all AI controlled entities, except mechanical ones, which have an impervious 110 Bravery). Reactions are also higher than possible with a Rookie, and speed (TUs) is on par with the statistical average for rookies, same with accuracy ratings, and even strength. This is just looking at the grunts, too, not even considering the stat boosts Leaders and Commanders have. As expected, the average X-COM Rookie's stats are almost universally superior to the civilians, representing the average member of humanity. The only exception is Stamina, and I'm starting to think this is to compensate AI units somehow for an AI that may not be able to manage energy levels as well as a human.

Anyway, just felt someone had to bring this up here. If it really is explained elsewhere, it probably should be clarified here, as well, for consistency, anyway. (EDIT: I just felt it was being taken at face value far too readily in this discussion, and it just didn't seem right to just assume it with no evidence, despite all my experience playing this series, and noticing full well the soldiers' stats feeling constraining at first) --[[User:StormhawkAPS|StormhawkAPS]] 01:08, 4 October 2013 (EDT)

==Enemy Unknown/UFO Defence issues==
==='''Why isn't Earth overrun by Snakeman/Chryssalids?'''===

According to the UFOPaedia, Snakemen's "Reproduction is asexual, with each snakeman carrying up to fifty eggs inside its body at any one time" adding the ominious conclusion: "Left to its own devices this species would be a severe threat to life on earth."
Moreover, this species is usually accompanied by the Chryssalids, which have a capacity to reproduce themselves very quickly using humans. So, any survivors of crash sites or terror attacks could start reproducing themselves hidden, resulting in large areas being overrun by those aliens later on.

Possible answers:
* Both races have a self-destruct mechanism incorporated into their psysiology to prevent this.
* The entire area is purged by large scale bombing. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)

::One thing suggested in fan data was that Snakemen have air tablets in their stomach...which may be different from earth's atmosphere, which would limit their lifespan in earth's atmosphere, also making egg-laying pointless, since the offspring wouldn't be able to breathe or survive. It has also been suggested that Chryssalids have a very rapid metabolism. Though Chryssalids are likely just as, if not more useful, as a threat or a bargaining tool. When attempting to get a nation to capitulate to their demands, the aliens could threaten to employ Chryssalids en masse, or offer to remove a mass infestation in exchange for the government's cooperation. Or even further, it's possible that Chryssalids are under Ethereal control and maintaining the control link at that distance is taxing, thus eliminating mass use of the creatures. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Two words: [[Alien Containment]]. That answers everything except for the UFOPaedia articles for the aliens themselves which contradict it. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 00:42, 26 February 2009 (CST)
: For captured aliens, yes. But what survivors of uninvestigated crash sites? [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]]

::Zombie is commenting that based on the need for an Alien Containment unit, the aliens cannot survive in earth's atmosphere for extended periods, needing special atmospheric blends and/or nutrient pools which earth is unable to provide naturally, thus limiting their operations outside of the craft. (If the aliens won the war, it's likely this would be one of the first things that they would 'correct'.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 20:54, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===What is the propose of the 'disco balls' found inside some UFOs?===

:Given that they explode, they could be storage reservoirs for coolant for the computers or other systems. They could also be circuit breakers or electrical junction boxes, or even a component of the UFO's particle beam they use to fry X-COM Interception craft. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Here again, two words: [[Alien Entertainment]]. Even though the spheres are not set to Alien Entertainment in the MCD files, they are almost certainly related to the process somehow. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 00:42, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:Maybe they are for having discos? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:Presumably [[Alien Entertainment]] is psionic in some way, maybe they're Psi-Emitters or something? -[[User:magic9mushroom|magic9mushroom]]

::'Disco balls' = Alien 'LSD' emitters. Travelling through space to go on almost-suicide missions force aliens to develop POWERFUL relaxing devices to entertain themselves and not go insane :P. --[[User:Nekrocow|Nekrocow]] 20:10, 24 June 2012 (EDT)

::: Assuming it's about eyeball-like pod #3, it's absent on base maps, and present only in two UFOs: Battleship (in Alien Entertainment), but Terror Ship on the second deck has one in Alien Entertainment room, but two on the bridge. Those are also the only two ships running ground battles and carrying Terror Units (bases have them, but normally don't expect to use them), so... either remote control psionic relays or something else related to ground combat? -[[User:TBeholder|TBeholder]] ([[User talk:TBeholder|talk]]) 21:04, 30 December 2015 (EST)

===Who buys those alien bodies/equipment from X-COM?===

:Equipment likely goes to the funding nations or the international black market. No rebel group is going to ask too many questions about being offered guns that can [[Heavy Plasma|slice through the hull of an MBT]] or [[Alien Grenade|grenades that can level a building]] or [[Blaster Launcher|man-portable guided missiles]]; it'd just be cash-and-carry. Similarly, scientists would likely be interested in looking at much of this stuff for their own research. This would also explain the lack of market forces; the funding nations could have a set price for each item, or if X-COM is selling them under the table to rebels and rogue scientists, they can set the price and refuse to budge. The money on corpses could also be an "Alien Bounty" paid by the Funding Nations, as a reward for each alien that X-COM can prove they killed. Or it could be bought by other groups...rumor has it that some fast food restaurants have processes that can make ANY meat, no matter the source, look and taste the same, and a Muton would make a LOT of McBurgers. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)
From the USO (Kasey Chang): XARQUID SUSHI.

===How did the aliens get to Mars?===

There are no indications that UFOs are capable of faster than light speed. So how did they get to Mars in the first place?

:The UFOs are mission craft, used for the legwork. The fighters; we never see the carriers. Given the aliens have been proven to be interstellar, they either Clone-A-Crew as needed when coming the long way to keep the UFOs crewed, or its far more likely that the aliens did have or still do have larger "Carrier" ships, which are capable of FTL travel, that were/are further out in the Solar System that store and dispatch UFOs to mission locations. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: One word: TFTD. The entire city of T'leth was put into cryogenic suspended animation? Or look at X-com Interceptor. X-com and the aliens show the ability to enter hyperspace or whatever it is.
::: T'Leth is another mystery of its own. More to that later on :) [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::... there are no indications that the UFOs are INcapable of FTL... I don't think you would want to perform FTL travel within Earth's planetary atmosphere!
::: There are no indications that they are capable as well. And X-COM scientists don't seem to detect any FTL capabilities in UFOs during their research. And after the war the Elerium stocks dwindled, and it would make sense to perform some sort of interstellar missions to detect and harvest Elerium, however none are mentioned. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::: Unless you count the events of X-com Interceptor? [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 21:15, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::::: I am refering to the events between Enemy Unknown and TFTD. There is clearly a big distinction between the alien craft on EU and those of Interceptor. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 09:38, 27 February 2009 (CST)
::::: Enemy Unknown is set in 1999, TFTD in 2040, Interceptor in 2067... looks entirely plausible that they DID begin research into space exploration immediately after the events of Enemy Unknown. These things take time you know. Remember that the universe is a huge place, and Earth had rather limited Elerium Reserves by the end of EU. It takes... what, 30 Elerium just to fly an Avenger halfway across Earth? They could hardly afford to fly around randomly in space HOPING to come across elerium, they had to figure out detections methods, then scan the galaxy sector by sector, possibly partially using non-Elerium based propulsion at times... I can't remember if it's canon or fanfic, but I remember reading that all Elerium on Earth was reserved for space exploration.
As for FTL, Earth does get it for sure sometime between 1999 and 2067. And I'm pretty certain the technology is Elerium based. It's not a huge logic jump to assume that the aliens have access to FTL Elerium based tech.
Though I'm a bit puzzled why all T'leth technology is based on Zrbrite, when the aliens uniformly use Elerium, all the way from Earth to Cydonia to the far reaches of space. -[[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]]

:It takes 12 Elerium to fuel an Avenger, though how much 1 Elerium is is an ongoing debate. As for Elerium, it was reserved for propulsion research when the funding nations divvied up X-COM's resources, and then they blew it all without learning anything more than the original X-COM scientists. And yes, Earth clearly gets FTL after TFTD but before Interceptor. The reason Elerium is not used in TFTD is because Elerium becomes inert and useless upon contact with seawater. Similarly, seawater aggressively corrodes Alien Alloys and eventually completely dissolves them. Zrbite functions similar to Elerium, being gold mixed with alien bio-material. Unfortunately, Zrbite only works when supported by a massive energy grid created by T'leth and becomes inert upon its destruction. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 12:07, 27 February 2009 (CST)

OK... take the UNIT of elerium out of the equation... let's say that Earth had 5000 units of elerium, so 6 units get's an Avenger halfway around the world, and 12 units is sufficient to reach Mars. Hardly enough fuel reserves for intergalactic travel then.
2065 On October the 27th, the probe 'Tombstone 1' returns reports to Earth. It's data show that the globular star cluster where it rests, one hundred light-years from Earth, contains many life-supporting planets. Many of the planet's within the probe's scanning range also apparently possess great mineral wealth, including trace veins of elerium-115.
Hmm... So, mankind discovers FTL technology on their own in those 65 years? ah... come to think of it, if they've got non-Elerium based space travel and FTL, and more powerful weapons too, what's the big deal about Elerium in the Frontier? Does mankind even need it anymore?
As for T'leth, it is meant to be over 65 million years old, and CRASHLANDED on Earth due to a solar flare. Was the Ultimate Alien a prophet, thus chose to base T'leth on aqua plastics and Zrbite when T'lth was first constructed? Or did T'leth crash land, followed by frenzied activity where the entire city was replaced part by part, the alien alloys swapped for Aqua Plastics?
...
Actually, come to think of it, it's obviously a massive plothole due to limited timeframe, no point in discussing too deeply. Sigh... [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:50, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:It's implied that despite the loss of ability to use the alien technology from the First and Second alien wars, simply being able to see and examine their designs catapulted earth's technology forward at least a few decades...which really is entirely reasonable. Much of the technology can be replicated on earth, and the principles and designs can be reapplied.

:As for the deal with Elerium, its needed to power stronger weapons and is also wonderful for power generation; its efficiency in power generation is what allows Mega Primus to even exist.

:And was there anywhere that specifically said that T'Leth was made of Aqua Plastics? I don't recall. Yes, the rest of their subs are made of aqua plastics, but I'm wondering if something the size of a medium city might perhaps be made of something a bit more durable. PS: Thanks for signing your post! :D [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 14:17, 27 February 2009 (CST)

It's not a plothole at all. There is no Elerium on Earth, whereas the aliens can manufacture Zrbite on Earth, since there's gold here. Therefore it's obvious why they used Zrbite. Also, there's the fact that it was an Aquatoid colony mission, intended to produce an "aquatic paradise", so using Aqua Plastics instead of Alien Alloys is perfectly justified. [[User:magic9mushroom]]

:I think that the use of Aqua Plastics instead of Alien Alloys is perfectly justified by the fact that T'leth crashed million of years ago while the aliens that came to take a shot or two at earth were two million years ahead technologically. So Aqua plastics was some plastic that was used by aliens before they've got the Alloys. You might argue - it's Aqua Plastics, so Aqua =/= Space. Well, Aliens weren't calling them aqua, and there wasn't anything saying that Aqua Plastics is not suitable for Space Travel. --[[User:Domenique|Domenique]] 11:10, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

... I think Alien Alloys alone would catapult earth's technology forward a decade, and there's no reason humanity can't use those anymore, just not in water. According to timeline, some space pirates manage to make the decommisioned Avengers run on non-Elerium fuel... a large technological step.
By the time of Interceptor, Elerium weapons aren't that powerful. Good point about power generation though.
I would assume that T'leth SHOULD have been constructed out of Alien Alloys, since it was originially an interplanetary vessel? Generally, everything in EU was made of Alien Alloys, everything in TFTD was made out of Aqua plastics. Both of which seemed plenty durable.

::Have you noticed that the UFOs fly however their mission parameters tell them to? The UFOs pretty much IGNORE interceptions by X-com craft... if their mission tells them to make 3 passes, speed up, slow down, speed up... they will follow that pattern exactly, whether X-com craft are firing on them or not.

::Question: How long does it take the Avenger to reach Mars from Earth? [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 19:12, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::No longer than a week, in my opinion. Probably less than 2 days. Since canonically, the design of the Avenger had the Cydonia mission in mind, it would be capable of very high interplanetary speeds. (You could choose to burn 40% of the Elerium in one blast to get to high speed. Or you could burn even more and refuel while it's landed...or it could be a mission with no guaranteed escape for the crew. The lives of the many over those of the few and all that, especially since the war hinges on the mission.) In addition, you can fit a full complement of soldiers on board with no real excess room for supplies, and the longer it takes to get to Mars, the greater the chance the aliens will spot it coming for them and mount a serious defense. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 19:20, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::If you'd burn that much fuel to accelerate the craft then you'd have to use as much again to decelerate it and attain a planetary orbit, otherwise you'll simply overshoot the planet and head towards outer space. This is also another aspect to take into account when thinking about the speed of UFOs. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

::: UFO drives are non-Newtonian so those sort of rocket equations don't necessarily apply. I think filling up a car with gas is a closer analogy. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

::: Well, they could put a mini mind shield on the Avenger, shoot down a UFO roughly their size, and then fly to Cydonia when the UFO they shot down was supposed to return based on the instructions found by the hyper-wave decoder. Basically taking the place of the UFO. Shouldn't be too hard since the UFO's are pretty common by the time you research Cydonia or Bust. [[User:Tsunamiatunzen1|Tsunamiatunzen1]] 14 February 2010 (MST)

::That would leave 20% of the fuel to take off the Avenger and land it. Not really that unreasonable. While they're landed, they could potentially refuel the Avenger, or the mission might have been planned as a 1-way trip from the get-go. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Perhaps Elerium-based drives are a bit like Ramjet engines, where they're actually useless or inefficient ''below'' a certain threshold speed? --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 03:02, 26 January 2013 (EST)

===What happened to Mars and the alien civilization there?===

According to the Brain, Mars was blooming with life had a alien civilization millions of years ago. However, Mars nowadays is a barren world and the alien civilization seems reduced to the area on Cydonia.

:That may well have been before Mars lost the majority of its atmosphere due to its weak magnetic field. As the atmosphere dissipated, the aliens left or died off. It's also possible that the aliens, shown in the game over to have little respect for planets other than as sites for slaves and resources, they strip-mined the planet dry(and the rust from the machines created the red coloring), and then seeded Earth so that the slave workforce would grow for future extraction of Earth's resources. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===Where are the human-alien hybrids referred to on the UFOPaedia?===

:For the ones on earth, probably in hiding or in laboratories for research. For the ones the aliens have, potentially improving the Sectoid gene pool or being used as food or menial tasks. Cloning is alot easier than making genetic hybrids and there's nothing that says their first-generation experiments would be suitable for combat. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: They are babies at the time of X-com, and few in number. Their aren't even that many of them by the time of X-com Apocalypse. [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 19:12, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:Not to mention the ones in X-COM: Apocalypse are less-than-fit for battle before extensive training. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===Why did the aliens only activate T'Leth after they were defeated?===

On TFTD T'Leth is shown as an entity/city of major power that is capable of conducting a war on its own. But the aliens leave it dormant although they could have used it to speed the process of taking control of Earth.

:Perhaps the Enemy Unknown aliens are legitimately scared of the TFTD aliens and are unsure how long they could trust them. Evil is not monolithic; the TFTD aliens may be more interested in themselves than the alien empire, so they were kept as an ace-in-the-hole. This is the same reason (canonically) that SKYNET did not originally send the T-1000 to assassinate Sarah Connor; SKYNET was scared of what the T-1000 could do and had only a bare minimum of control over it, so it only used it as an option when it had nothing left to lose. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

T'Leth is in fact so powerful that all it has to do is surface, in order for X-com to be considered to have lost the war.
In fact, looking at the timelines, it takes 40 years for T'leth to wake up from it's slumber... that's one good reason not to use it. By the time it activated, the war would already be over. [[User:Jasonred]]

Because the whole purpose of the Enemy Unknown aliens was to rescue the TFTD aliens from T'leth, and there was no way of seeing whether the T'leth-based invasion in TFTD would even work - from their perspective it's possible that getting T'leth to bootstrap itself could have caused a catastrophe (they don't know whether or how badly it's damaged). Presumably the aliens planned to mount a proper rescue operation after locking down Earth and readying it for the aquatic paradise that was the entire point of the T'leth expedition in the first place. [[User:magic9mushroom]]

T'Leth was a coleny ship sent by the Sectoid/Aquatoid's millions of years earlier. This is why the Aquatoids use electronics to augment there control over other creatures, while there progeny are genetically modified to gain the same control. In TFTD it's implied that the T'Leth had been partialy active for a long time. Thawing out aliens in small groups but never going in full production. UFO aliens may have not intended to start the full awakening cycle until they had a chance to prepare the planet.
OR, given the Ultimate Alien was aquatoid in origin by his looks and there was no other races from the first game involved. And the fact that Sectoid/Aqutoid's are not the top of the food chain with the Ethereal and Brain being more powerful it's possible the brain had decided that the Ultimate Alien was a threat to it's power. It was not until it's death that they tried send the signal. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:19, 22 March 2010 (EDT)

===Why did the aliens use limited force during the First Alien War?===

Imagine Independence Day or War of the Worlds: UFO above the major Earth cities destroying the national leadership and any resistance. Or simply announce to Earth that they are now a part of their empire and resistence is futile. Instead, they go 1 mission each day, allowing humans to capture their craft, research their technology, discover their intentions and mount a successful defense. Don't the aliens watch sci-fi movies to see how it should be done?

:Perhaps they don't have the standing forces to do so, and are in the process of building up the forces needed to do so. Perhaps they don't want to wipe out the entire power structure too fast; they want to leave some pieces in place for when they rebuild. Perhaps they're too condescending to think that humanity ever really has a chance; they've probably conquered thousands of other planets without anyone ever successfully resisting them. Perhaps they consider the X-COM project to be a rearguard action that, while a valiant effort and a credible threat, is ultimately doomed to failure because they simply cannot win in the end, which is why they undermine it. Indeed, the reason you need to launch the Cydonia mission in order to win is because X-COM simply cannot stop the aliens in a ground war; the aliens have an effectively infinite supply line and standing forces(though nothing says they're all waiting to swamp the earth), and the only way to win is to kill the command staff(which the aliens believe X-COM will not be able to do, lacking both knowledge of where the Brain is and any practical means to get there.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::The most plausible explanation seems to be the one employed in the Worldwar series, by Harry Turtledove, but that does not seem to mesh with what the Brain says about having been on Mars for a while, since then they could watch the Earthlings perpetually. Of course, what it says is probably a bunch of lies. Thinking about what it says for too long also raises the question of why the aliens attacked when they did, of course... [[User:Vizzydix1|Vizzydix1]] 21:52, 18 March 2010 (EDT)

The aliens are completely lacking in weapons of mass destruction. When you get right down to it, their aircraft are very fast, manuevarable and durable, but they have rotten firepower. Even the battleship is unable to bring down an Interceptor in 1 shot.
The terror missions and X-com Base Defences prove that the Aliens are unable to simply launch orbital bombardments... in fact, they appear to have no Air to Land weapons whatsoever...
When you get right down to it, the aliens are pretty stupid. Also, their scientists seem inferior to Earth's. Seems to me that they only had the advantage of Elerium deposits and thus elerium based research.
X-COM was unable to win in an all-out war with the aliens, but remember that X-com is a small little covert group with several dozen soldiers and a handful of aircraft. Can you imagine the result if the aliens had caused a joint war effort by the UN? You would have Lockheed factories converted to Avenger production, several platoons of soldiers outfitted with Flying Suits, Lasers, Heavy Plasma, thousands upon thousands of Laser Tanks...
I would say that keeping the fight to covert action on both sides was actually beneficial to the aliens, really. [[User:Jasonred]]
* Nope, the aliens could just invoke John's Law and blow up the planet with a kamikaze battleship at .9c. Even failing that, the alien battlefleet could come in numbers sufficent to blot out the sun.--[[User:(name here)|(name here)]] 14:39, 8 November 2009 (EST)
** Lest we forget, X-Com is essentially the Spartans to the aliens' Persian Empire. So they'd just fight in the shade (which would be a blessing in desert missions). --[[User:Guido Talbot|Guido Talbot]] 13:58, 16 July 2010 (EDT)
*** Mass producing those technologies on such a large scale would be impractical considering that those said technologies sans Laser Technology rely heavily on Elerium. Thus the Earth forces would be heavily reliant on downed or landed UFO's to resupply their Elerium powered craft making such efforts pointless.

Aliens first began with smal scouting missions, so maybe all we expirience in X-Com is initial attacks by aliens, maybe the whole base was begining scouting and waiting for the invasion fleet? Aliens problably could be in sense dumber than humans, humans are adaptable and thinking, our technology advances fast, and we are fast and smart enough to stop the invasion before it begins. Aliens problably were not used to it so they thought "oh well, another invasion...". --[[User:Domenique|Domenique]] 11:10, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

Mankind, as a whole, is incredibly cunning and full of guile. We are also incredibly aggressive. A trait that the most of the Aliens can barely concieve. Though we are weaker physically, mentally, etc, we are overly developed when it comes to strategem and war. The aliens are, in essence, have come to an inverse of Flatland. Though they are advanced, it is they who are 2D to our 3D approach to fighting. They return to earth, and through extensive research and testing, determine that inferior are strategically to humans. So...they use their advances to what they percieve as the most full advantage, and call for reinforcements over the initial months of the First Alien War. For eons, only the Sectoid make arrivals to earth. When the Brain finally realizes the situation, that mankind has woke up and is dealing with them most directly, it begins to get desperate, it sends reinforcements, but only incrementally. (Its always focused on peak efficiency). The concept of overwhelming force is illogical and some how, disdainful, to it. It prefers nuance, interogation, politics, and assessment. The Brain determine that its more effective to eliminate allies of XCOM than to face it directly. The concept of obliterating anything from orbit is reprehensible. Everything must be examined, especially the dead creatures you leave behind. Over time, it would learn man's tactics and assimilate. In fact, each race called in is an example of the Brain adapting. The Floaters bring forth an extra dimension to combat. The snakemen aggressiveness and accuracy. Mutons a culmination of superior warrior breeding, raw physical power, and determination not unlike the so called human soul. Finally, the Ethereals enter, with capacity to bring overwhelming force. In time, as they do on Mars base, they might begin joint force attacks with Mutons backed by Ethereals, supported by a mix of terror weapons. Fortunately, the First Alien War is ended before they fully develop such cunning. Hence the desperate act of T'Leth. The Brain has learned the power of anger fueled by vengeance and desperation.
--[[User:BlackLibrary|BlackLibrary]] 11:10, 29 May 2011 (EDT)

:I've always viewed it as primarily a lack of resources. Even if you get a UFO every single day and shoot them all down so that there's no possible chance of any of them being the same UFO that's still only several hundred to perhaps a thousand or few UFO's over the course of several years. And most of those are quite small and not too difficult to take out with regular old interceptors and human armaments. If used all at once it might be enough to achieve air superiority, particularly if the Battleships do all the heavy lifting. But it also might not. It certainly would NOT provide enough soldiers to mount a worldwide ground offensive. The crews on those ships aren't all that big. There's also no reason to assume that all those craft, weapons, soldiers, and more importantly... elerium are all available at the same time. It's quite likely that the aliens are cloning new soldiers, building new weapons and UFO's, and possibly receiving supplies (particularly of elerium) from deep space. Elerium is needed to manufacture a lot of their stuff as well, and we already know it's a limited resource in our solar system. Consider on top of that how much get's used up as fuel every time a UFO visits Earth. If they sent all their UFO's they would use up their reserves of Elerium all at once for a 1 day attack that ultimately would fail. Instead of conquering the Earth wholesale they are trying to influence governments into signing secret pacts with them so that they can control the population of the Earth rather than wipe us out. They do this by using terrorism to intimidate the public and inserting clones to infiltrate governments while holding secret negotiations. A steady stream of UFO missions keeps up the pressure until governments break. Lucky for us they never expected us to bring the fight to the command center on mars. Just imagine if they had built base defenses like we can for our bases. heh Lord would it be aggravating building up a crew of top notch soldiers, constructing an Avenger from scratch, scrapping together all the gear, sending it to Mars, and then watching it get blown to bits before it even lands... O,o Also consider that their UFO's have operated with relative impunity for a very long time. Presumably XCom is the first organization to shoot down a UFO? As for Earth ramping up for a full scale war, it'd be unlikely that we could really produce enough alien technology in any reasonable timescale to actually outfit whole nations armies, especially with limited Elerium. Perhaps the tech that doesn't require Elerium, but then again shifting an entire army from one weapon system to another is not as simple as merely producing all the weapons. It's an extremely long, arcane, and baffling process. Getting just the branches of the US military to switch to laser weapons would probably take at least a decade. I think that limited resources and the intent to control and dominate rather than eliminate the population of the Earth explain it. For that matter they would see the human population it-self as a resource. Hence the use of small scale terrorism rather than attempting to use any weapons of mass destruction. A bunch of aliens walking around shooting people is still pretty damn scary stuff.[[User:Mannon|Mannon]] 13:12, 30 March 2011 (EDT)

I would have thought that the simplest answer here is best. The aliens are manifestly unable to survive outside containment or bases for prolonged periods. Further, their clearest technological advantage over the humans (at least, prior to X-Com research) is mind control. Therefore, their primary method of offence is not to get bogged down in a ground war, but to engage in the overthrow of governments by infiltration, coercion, corruption and bribery, and achieve complaisance by terrorisation of the general populace. It is for this reason that standard combat tactics involving large hierarchies are ineffectual against the aliens (when the government/command can be mind controlled and the theatre can be defined by a mobile alien force). A decentralised, partly cellular, covert approach like X-Com is preferable, but unable to win an outright ground war either (being composed of, at maximum, 250 soldiers). Of course in reality, the irony is that the aliens/bourgeoisie/Fox network have Mind Controlled you, the X-Com commander into wasting your time with retro video games instead of doing anything about their societal control!
--[[User:Oogleshay|Oogleshay]] 16:16, 18 October 2011 (EDT)

My theory is that the aliens are deliberately trying to be low-key because they know once the UN can no longer keep the invasion a secret, they will have no reason to pull their punches at defending Earth. The aliens want to make it so that once humanity at large fully realizes what's going on, it's already too late - they're poking the sleeping giant but take care not to awaken it before amputating all limbs to make it unable to defend itself once awake.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 06:33, 14 January 2012 (EST)

Perhaps the aliens suffer from a lack of proper logistics. If we assume that their purpose was to retrieve the lost colony ship(T'leth) then it wouldn't seem particularly likely that the aliens would have brought along the necessary logistics to support a full scale invasion of Earth. Furthermore it is quite possible that the alien ships you encounter in the first XCOM are actually not dedicated invasion ships but rather re-purposed fighter ships(which would explain the total lack of artillery or bombardment capabilities).
--[[User:Theinsomniac|Theinsomniac]] ([[User talk:Theinsomniac|talk]]) 22:47, 17 February 2014 (EST)

I disagree with all this. "Mankind is the greatest species." - hogwash. The aliens are clearly capable of wiping out humanity when they wish, if you read the whole of the lose game screens. The game had to be designed to give humans a chance to fight back. With this caveat: the only reasons the aliens don't start wiping out the population would be to preserve humanity. With the harvesting and abduction missions, clearly they are looking for something in the fauna and flora of Earth. Something that a massive assault would make improbable to find due to the overwhelming loss of life that would occur. The most logical explanation would be that the aliens want to harvest specimens with specific genetics traits, so they would want to be able to sift through as much of the population as possible to find those with the best traits. Before wiping out the rest of the "inferior specimens". This explanation would also fit to the story that the brain tells at the end of the Cydonia mission (if that story is more than just a desperate attempt to save itself.) [Why the aliens are so incompetent is due to incomplete development of the strategic layer by the designers, especially with the economy.] [[User:Morgan525|Tycho]] ([[User talk:Morgan525|talk]])

Obviously, in the remake, this is much more easily explained as the Etherial search for Psions making human extermination ''not'' being their goal (but in fact, the ''last'' thing they want, since we're the best shot they got for their apparent true goal: ascendance), but to an limited degree is is reasonable to retroactively apply this motivation to the 1994 Etherials/Cydonian Brain. On a similar vein, where the Gallop Brothers even thinking about T'leth yet during Defense's development? I saw not too long ago, I think on the History Channel, of a 'realistic' take at trying to fight off an invasion/occupation force, also noted to be about harvesting, not about outright killing all humans: with presumed FTL tech, even someting a fraction of lightspeed, and the number and masses of UFOs involved both in the special and in XCOM; it'd be much easier to just strap some engines on some large asteroids and spam them at Earth, which those points prove is possible: a much easier and effective means to exterminate humans, if the goal was xenophobic in nature--- but I digress. Consider.. hmmm, yeh, the US invasion of Iraq or Aphganistan: we COULD of just nuked the hell out either country and called it a day. Presuming a lot, but maybe some of the same reasons America didn't are the same? Intergalatic politics not allowing such WMDs? Excessive collateral damage wasn't their interest? Looking for something specific on an individual basis? That the aliens (may) want slaves, and reasons on that vein, is a big difference they have. Going back to the special, how humanity won is by a mass infitration/kamakaze attack on the barge/battleship-sized UFOs, and making it "not worth" continuing the occupation (in similar nature to people wizing up to Bush's bullshit and losing so many soldiers to cheap-ass IEDs and Soviet-era tech making the Iraq War unpopular)..... again, assuming alien behaviors and mechanics of motivations are anything remotley "human-like". So, at best, I'd ascribe the 1994 alien's motivation as the same as in the special: conquering for resources. Cortez conquering my ancestors for gold. --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] ([[User talk:Xuncu|talk]]) 08:03, 18 February 2014 (EST)

My personal theory in regards to this is simple. To get to Mars from where they originated they would have to travel at relativist speeds (at or at least close to the speed of light) this requires a lot of energy and at this speed every microgram counts. (a single microgram of cargo can cost a ton of fuel at FTL speeds).
So the aliens travelling to Mars, instead of bringing a massed invasion fleet bring the bare minimum. Embryos or even genetic samples for each of their species, blueprints for weapons and equipment, basic manufacturing facilities, mining equipment and a transport vessel designed to be cannibalised to set up the initial Cydonia base, with only a ghost crew to start things off.
This explains the year prior to the start of the game (the steady increase in UFO reports, abductions ect.) the aliens need resources, they probably got some from mining the area around Cydonia to build some of their equipment but to grow clones they need a nutrient medium (not to mention the food they need for themselves) which means they have to go to earth and harvest. The initial missions were probably in areas such as the ocean, or jungles, harvesting flora and fauna. But given how little they would be able to harvest this way (they would have trouble finding enough protein not to mention the fact that mutons are said to be obligate carnivores) which meant increased incursions on populated areas (such as farms) add to this the lack of genetic diversity means that they would abduct humans to help provide some means of altering their genetic code to better handle earth diseases and atmosphere.
This can also explain why you only get small UFOs initially, they don't have the resources to build battle ships (until they have mined enough to expand their production facilities and build bigger craft). It also explains why they lack weapons.
TFTD show that the alien's method for “education” is to just implant knowledge. What this means is you have a bunch of aliens with the same hard-wired brain (clones) and with the same knowledge. Limiting their ability to adapt and change (they don't have years of experience to work on, nor have they had to think of the knowledge they have it's just given to them as fact).
Once X-com is formed they now find themselves battling an enemy that not only adapts to use their technology but builds on it (personal armour, power suits, flying suits, fusion ball tanks, ect). The whole alien invasion is doomed from the start.
Given time the aliens could have built up a massive fleet capable of overwhelming earth (which was probably their initial plan) but due to X-com getting involved that plan got knocked back. They can mine Mars and the asteroid belt for minerals to build their weapons, but without raiding earth for the fauna to feed their troops and grow their clones they can not build an army.
The aliens probably observed earth previously. (maybe Roswell was a scouting mission which failed to return) as such they underestimated our detection and interception capabilities (the back-story actually states that X-com is using the best craft available and previous attempts to intercept UFOs failed using conventional earth technology, which probably explains the limited weapon load-outs for x-com craft (they are built on high speed prototypes designed as proof of concept not actual in service craft so they had to jury rig hard points).
This basically means that the aliens were unprepared for earth's level of resistance, before they even had a force capable of fighting. If they had been more careful, built their forces in silence (by farming wild life in the jungles and oceans, instead of going for rich targets like farms to load up on cow parts quickly) they may have been able to launch an invasion before earth even knew what was happening (just imagine if the game started with 20 battleships over every country, mutons march down the streets carrying heavy plasmas and blaster bombs, while snakemen and chrysalids strike major cities, all the while ethreals are mind controlling everyone... try winning that game with just 2 interceptors, a couple of rifles, some heavy weapons and 8 soldiers who can't hit the broad side of a barn from point blank range with a guided rocket --[[User:crwydryny|crwydryny]] 14:50, 30 December 2015 (GMT)

I think that the aliens simply had no concept that they could be defeated. By analogy: when a dog trainer shows up to tame a savage dog, she's not showing up with a troupe of armed bodyguards, because that would be a silly level of overpreparedness. She's not worried the dog will outsmart her. She's not worried that the dog will figure out how to handle the leash, wrap it around her neck, and then demolish her car. If anything like that started happening, she'd be so utterly astonished, because it's never happened so far with any of the dogs she's trained. She'd be slow to react or to adapt her strategy, because the situation would be so difficult for her to believe. Dogs just don't behave that way! Similarly, the combination of battleships, mind control, and plasma has always been so overwhelmingly effective that the Ethereals have never needed to be smart, or adaptive, or even make accurate assessments about the intricate details of the planets they're taking over. Plus, they're a society of clones operating in a strict hierarchy, and literally sharing thoughts psionically. They probably have only a vague understanding of "individuality", and I doubt they have much understanding of guerrilla warfare, because they've never seen it succeed. Their political and interpersonal dynamics are vastly simpler than ours. I doubt that they're even aware that X-COM exists as an entity that is independent of our world governments. [[User:Jessicest|Jessicest]] ([[User talk:Jessicest|talk]]) 22:23, 15 March 2020 (UTC)

===What may be the hidden function of UFO Power Sources?===

Why does no UFO contain something similar to craft weapon despite the fact that most of them may shoot, some are very painfully? And the only UFO that can't do that is Small Scout; on the other side, it can fly with 2200 km/hr Speed yet does not even contain UFO Power Source, whereas the Speed of Medium Scout (with 1 UPS on board) is 2400 km/hr only. More so, the Speed of Battleship (4 UPS within) is 5000 km/hr, that is only about twice of Small Scout one. So, what is the function of UFO Power Source? Let us suppose that they not only increase UFO Speed but actually are used as Plasma Guns during air combat.

Next, it is reasonable that UFO Navigation controls that weapon system; probably they need at least one per each UPS. Also Navigation may increase UFO's maneuverability when close to Earth's surface; pro arguments are: Harvester carries 10 Navigations (to pinpoint small targets, say, lonely cattle), Terror ship has 8 (to drop terror squad accurately onto city roads as shown in the Intro movie), Abductor has 5 (to pinpoint lonely men at rustic areas; also it's Size is Medium, not Large as Harvester), Supply ship has 4 (all that it should do is landing near Alien Bases); Battle ship has 4 (as it's main activity are air combats and X-Com base assaults); both Large and Medium Scouts (Small Size ships) have 2 each.

Next, though Large and Medium Scouts have the same UPS and Navigation number, the first is faster being larger. But Large Scouts carry not only Navigators but 3 (estimating by Sectoid staff on Superhuman Difficulty) Engineers also. Probably, Engineers may adjust UPS to optimal performance that results in Speed increment (from 2400 to 2700 km/hr) and Weapon Range increment (from 15 to 34 km) yet Weapon Power doesn't change (20 damage units per attack). All the larger UFOs have full Engineer staff on board, namely 2, so their UPS are adjusted by default.

Abductor and Harvester have 2 UPS each, 40 du Weapon Power, 20 and 22 km Weapon Range, 4000 and 4300 km/hr Speed respectively. Supply ship has 3 UPS, 60 du Weapon Power, 34 km Weapon Range yet only 3200 km/hr Speed. Terror and Battle ships have 4 UPS each, 120 and 140 du Weapon Power, 42 and 65 km Weapon Range respectively; their Speed values are 4800 and 5000 km/hr.

At this stage of our research we have got two questions.

First, Weapon Power values are expected to be proportional to the number of UPS multiplied by 20 du, so Terror and Battle ships should have only 80 du each. Probably, the explanation of such increase is UPS configuration. In both cases UPS are placed by corners of quadrate. Let's suppose, without too much far-fetching, that plasma beams, normally dissipating and losing power at larger distance, may focus somehow being close together, yet not too close, as Battle ship Weapon Power is higher. Also, that may explain the Weapon Range increment as well. Note that Large Scout has normal Weapon Power but quite high Weapon Range, 34 km, probably because of extended Engineer staff; otherwise it is expected to be next to Medium Scout's one, that is about 15 km. According to Abductor/Harvester, Supply ship and Terror ship data, each additional UPS increases the Range by 9 km in average.

Second question is the Speed of Supply ship. One (well adjusted by Engineers) UPS increases UFO Speed from 2200 to 2700 km/hr (Large Scout as compared with Small Scout). Another UPS yields 4000-4300 km/hr. Another two yield 4800-5000 km/hr. So, in average, each UPS brings another 700 km/hr to basic Speed of 2200 km/hr.

This Speed is probably provided by some propulsion device built in UFO's construction, as Small Scouts have about nothing but hulls and no trophy but alloys may be recovered. Another anomaly is special reinforcement of ship hull. Calculating the ratio of Damage Capacity to recovered Alloys quantity we get 5-7 for Large Scout, Harvester, Abductor; 13-15 for Supply, Terror and Battle ships; 18 for Medium Scout and 50 for Small one. Hypothetically, Small Scouts may be the most expensive ones to craft, while Harvesters are the cheapest, though it is quite reasonable in some way. Also, the theory of built-in UPS and Navigation may explain why even extremely damaged UFOs that have lost all their usual UPS may land without crush and crater, automatically, if Navigators are dead. Not speaking that Small Scout crew and personnel is presented by one Soldier (Muton occasionally), so its missions may be automatic in general. (Well, suggesting there is one hidden UPS out there somewhere, we just get another set of numbers: basic Speed of 1500 km/hr plus the same 700 km/hr per additional UPS in average. And three hidden UPS would give us simple linear dependence: Speed = UPS Number x 700 km/hr.) Still, even if we exclude Small Scouts from our research totally, the problem remains: Suppliers are slow.

Thus, the expected Speed of Supplier is about 4200 km/hr, not just 3200. The possible explanation is their cargo of 20 Food units, since these ones are fragile containers (as they may be easily damaged in cross-fire) vulnerable to acceleration overloads; on the other side, Harvesters carry 14 Food units but they have 10 Navigation units vs. 4 on Supplier's board, so more advanced propulsion control may reduce these overloads.

Also, there is once more interesting fact: only Terror and Battle ships have Entertainment modules, 8 and 24 respectively. And only these two types carry Terrorist alien combat units, 10 and 6 respectively (as well as Alien Bases, with 55 Entertainments in average and 7 Terrorists). Let's suppose that the true purpose of these enigmatic devices is 'entertainment', or rather brain-washing, to bring Terrorists under their master's control without excess efforts, or at least to suppress their aggression temporarily. Though, it is another topic at all.

At Terror ships, Battle ships and Alien Bases there are some devices looking like red spheres with blue tubes connected. They referred as plasma conduits, and Engineers may be found over there. Yet hardly that means the same green plasma their weapons shoot with. Let's suggest that these things contain some kind of special food produced from harvested trophies and used by aliens, especially by Terrorists as they need more energy to fight. Maybe, since they are subject to psionic control, or stun damage, in contradistinction from X-Com HWP tanks, even Cyberdisks and Sectopods have some organic brain-like component inside, so they need food too, in addition to electric accumulators, or Elerium batteries recharge.

Now back to the main question. Note that UFOs may not shoot two or more targets simultaneously, or at least never displays such activity. If so, these Plasma Guns have one-target operation mode only. It corresponds with the usual function of combined UPS and Navigation system as ship propulsion engine. Next, let's suggest that Navigators are ship Gunners also, while Engineers may adjust UPS to yield additional power boosting Speed and Weapon Range. Also it is reasonable that one of two Navigators controls the flight while another shoots during air combats, with some help of ship Engineers.

Another fact is Alien Bases, even Cydonian, have neither Rocket Defense nor Plasma or similar defense system at all, only some alien combat units at most, though it could be expected to have anti-aerial power weaponry (versus meteorite bombardment, for example). Obviously, base UPS can't be used that way as they are deep beneath planet's surface.

To conclude, let's note one more observation. UFO Power Sources have no complicated control console, as Navigations do, not even chair nearby. Yet there must be something Engineers can do with. Even Muton ones. Navigation control panels don't fit, as Engineers are looking at UPS from close range, without distant controls. On the other side, two Engineers are enough to adjust four UPS in opposite corners of Battleships. Also, as UFOs with solo UPS may change flight direction due to Navigators, their control of UPS generated fields must be quite versatile. So let us suggest that Engineer's job is periodical control of some close range field that protects UPS from propulsion forces and thereby distorts any distant sensors beyond reliability.

Though it's only theoretical, aforesaid may pretend to explain some unclear details of UFO Power Source functions.
[[User:VanTorrens|VanTorrens]] ([[User talk:VanTorrens|talk]]) 12:45, 24 October 2019 (CEST)

===Why battlescapes always being "opaque"?===

Every time an X-COM taskforce disembarks from the transport, they always find the surrounding being completely “shrouded”, despite in common military practice, there must be recon satellites and/or scout planes to overwatch the AO, even with hostiles marked and tracked. Even if X-COM doesn’t have that kind of luxury, their transports should be able to scan the AO before landing to provide a rather clear and detailed map for soldiers.

And similarly, X-COM bases seemly never have any CCTV system, so during a Base Defense mission, the soldiers effectively fight in blind despite on their own turf.

However in Alien Base Assaults, it’s understandable. Since an alien base is subterranean and it’s almost devoid of artificial illumination, also it’s impossible to send a spy for pre-battle reconnaissance, and seems aliens don’t have terminals for being hacked in corridors, so an alien base is supposed to be “shrouded”.
[[User:Lixiaofossil|Lixiaofossil]] ([[User talk:Lixiaofossil|talk]]) 15:24, 5 December 2023 (UTC+8)

==TFTD issues==
===What was the relationship between the aliens from the 1st and 2nd wars?===

Quoting from the UFOPaedia regarding Alien Origins: 'Deep in the oceans there lie ancient
sites used by the Aliens to contact their stellar cousins.' This also has some implications regarding the issue of why T'Leth was only activated when the Sectoids were defeated.

*Gill Men are coopted Terran creatures, Aquatoids are a differently-modified Sectoid breed, Lobstermen are machine soldiers that are manufactured, Tasoths are clone soldiers that are grown.

Aquatoids are the ancestors of the Sectoids. The colony ship was sent out slowing than light hundreds of millions of years ago. Sectoids are a more genetically advanced race. The rest of UFO aliens were picked up after that point. The Brain and Ethereals probably conquered the Sectoids and don't regard them highly. While the Aquatoids that were thawed over the years created, conquered (Gill Man) or manufactured the rest of the allies over time. I picture the Tasoth as probably something they brought with them and have been working on. Since most of the Aquatoids come from suspended animation they have not tinkered with genes much. Instead modifying and using electronics (MC Chip) to control. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:28, 22 March 2010 (EDT)

===What kind of materials were 'synomium' and 'adamantium'?===

The first one is mentioned on the name of the alien communication devices and the second one appears at the end when T'Leth is destroyed: 'he twisting hugeness of T'leth begins to rupture.
Flames and smoke spew from its gleaming spires and adamantium halls.'

:Synomium is probably a special material used in the comm. devices, like Stargate's naquadah (universal stuff), naquadria (unstable power source), trinium (hull material) and neutronium (superdense metal). Adamantium is a legendary material in ancient literature that is said to be indestructible, similarly to mithril.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 10:55, 3 November 2009 (EST)

:Adamantium is said to be one of the strongest elements in many books and films such as X-men. --[[User:St.froppelie|St.froppelie]] 19:45, 23 October 2011 (GMT)

*See also Wikipedia article on Adamantium: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamantium]

===How deep were X-COM bases located on the seas?===

*Floating bases would be easier to build, repair and supply. However they would have to be tethered to the ocean bed or possess some sort of propulsion to prevent them from drifing with the ocean currents. But it would also allow for easy redeployment of the base.
*Submersible bases could allow for better sonar detection. Same problems regarding ocean currents would apply. In case of hull breaches entire modules would be quickly flooded and any crew present would be crushed by water pressure or drown. Base could be built and then submerged (requires depth control)
*Seabed bases would be the hardest to build and supply. Several other factors could limit their deployment, such as unstable areas (underwater volcanoes, prone to seaquakes, rock avalanches, etc.) and depths.
*Given that the Alien Retaliation missions in TFTD are called "Floating Base Attack", I'd say floating. Also remember that your starting sonar can't see Very Deep, which rules out seabed bases. [[User:magic9mushroom]]
** Floating doesn't always happen on the surface. The surface has to deal with large waves ad bobbing up and down, submerged only has the currents it could be stabilized easier. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 11:57, 14 January 2010 (EST)
* I was recently researching how far you have to be down to not be effected by surface conditions. You have to be submerged 1/2 of a waves lenght (measured crest to crest) Best I can find is that the average wave is 150 yards accross. To not be effected by the waves you have to be 75 Yards below. This is way below the depth needed to not be effected by the bends when surfaceing. I figure they are probably right at the limit of what can be safe for quick surfacing and well anchored to avoid getting [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwKXfc_a4Ag tossed in a storm]. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:37, 22 March 2010 (EDT)
**Something else to consider - these 'floating bases' could be large modular submarines/submersibles. If memory serves, submarines basically maintain sea-level pressure regardless of the depth, so that could explain why they'd be able to be 75+ feet below sea level and not suffer the bends when surfacing.
::(Or, y'know, we could just say "a wizard did it".) --[[User:Guido Talbot|Guido Talbot]] 14:13, 16 July 2010 (EDT)

==XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) issues==
===Motives behind the invasion===
Now, the UberEtherial pretty much spells out the whole point of the invasion, as well as of their use & control of all the other aliens: they ''wanted'' humanity to evolve and become powerful, because they needed a species that was both high in physical prowess, and a powerful psychic warrior. He (presuming gender) freely admits that their bodies suck (and that the other races suck in body and/or mind even more), and the 1st-3rd-1st person pronoun switch in ONE sentence ("We who failed to ascend as ''they'' thought we would") and "preparation for what lies ahead", as well as his descriptions of the other alien races in the Temple Ship imply a number of things:
*The other races are enslaved races, perhaps from earlier invasions (possibly starting with Sectoids and Etherials being different castes of the same species?), themselves having been enhanced by their own resistances, before becoming enslaved on the degree of being puppets.
*The whole point of the invasion is enslavement of humans, not extermination, for the perfect warrior-- any Metroid fans can think of the Chozo also becoming masters of Psionics and energy manipulation, at the cost of becoming physically frail and infertile, and entrusting the Power Suit -- and their legacy -- to Samus.
*The alien surgeries (which greatly resemble Sensory Deprivation tanks-- you can even zoom in to see captive humans twitch sporadically) are their version of XCOM's Psi Lab (which ''also'' greatly resemble Sensory Deprivation tanks): they are 'farming' humans for Psi potential, similar to how us, the player, may farm soldiers for our own Psi Squad
*Which then makes XCOM almost as much the ''Etherial's'' project as it is the Council's (hence why they do not invade or attack XCOM HQ or Interceptor bases)
*Someone/thing ''else'' is involved, someone the Etherials are in some way subservient to: notice in the Temple Ship and in the Overseer UFO, the strange, Cathedral-like "Stained Glass Windows". To me, there appear to be ''two'' figures in each: the much more visible 4-armed Etherial silhouette, and in a transparent, but slightly darker shade of lavender, some other 6-8 limbed creature, with a larger body and a very different head-shape behind the first.
*"What lies ahead" may mean some coming disaster, or merely a challenge and testing from this sequel-hook of "They"
*Additionaly: the description of the Hyperwave device implies contact with an alternate dimension. The organic-metallic (silicon based, perhaps?) form of the Outsiders (as opposed to the rather obvious "manufactured and machined parts grafted onto flesh" Cyborg attachments of both Floater varieties), and their absence (especially from the Temple Ship) after the device's capture, as well as released screenshots of the upcoming FPS XCOM game (mentioning Outsiders AND being placed several decades ago)-- all this suggests alternate timelines as well as alternate dimensions (in quantum physics, these are practically the same thing anyways), as well as some species native to this ''Outside'' dimension that are the ones, this "They", whom are actually calling the shots.
--[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 03:56, 26 January 2013 (EST)

*Just to verify the point about the Outsiders, they are called OUTSIDERS, which pretty much means not native, so possibly they are not native to this dimension, also, "What lies ahead" Could possibly be foreshadowing a TFTD remake? And the Outsiders are merely, prototypes of the Ultimate Alien?
[[User:XBrassxDragonX|XBrassxDragonX]] 22:59, 25 May 2013 (EDT)

*The UberEthereal is a rebel against "They" he/she/it united a group of Ethereals, and left "They" Then, he/she/it proceeded to search for the Ultimate Race, a race that was as tough as a Muton, and as Psionically Powerful as an Ethereal, these were the Humans. This Ultimate Race would overthrow "They" and thus, complete the Ethereal's legacy, it could also be, that through the use of implants, and sacrificing physical strength for Psionic Power, the Humans could walk the same path as the Ethereals, and be contacted by whatever was left of "They" then, the Humans would help "They" rebuild, and realize the sinister motivations behind "They's" plan, and thus, repeat the story in a never-ending cycle.

===How is it possible for Psionic soldiers to exist?===
After capturing a Psi-capable enemy and dissecting it: does XCOM reverse-engineer the implants and insert them into troops (whether they test positive (capable of using them) or not)? Or, is the testing just digging for a Psi signal that ''is already there''? In which case, it's a human-evolved trait, but from where, and why wasn't it found before? Vahlen's reasearch implies similar genetic struture between aliens and humans: do humans and Etherials/Sectoids have a common Psi-capable ancestor, or have the Etherials been interfereing with human evolution for at least 20-30 years (or however old troopers tend to be, with Shaojie Zhang and his advanced age, equally possible to have Psi-Abilites), if no longer? At least in Apocalypse, there's the excuse of Sectoid/Human Hybrids. How do humans use a power just discovered that year, and only a few months of practice, end up with the capacity to potentially mind-control Etherials, each of which who have several thousand years of personal experience with Psi abilites? --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 05:28, 11 April 2013 (EDT)
:It's implied that humans were always latent psionics (it's possible that if we weren't, the Ethereals would never have bothered us at all). The cutscene where your first psionic is found suggests the testee is immersed in some sort of purple gas, which presumably causes some physiological change to make them operant psionics. As for how human psionics get so good so quickly, good question, though bear in mind that psionic humans are implied to be an Ethereal's equal in raw power, but while an Ethereal has to expend psionic power all the time just to stay alive and standing, a human can devote it all to his psionic attacks. This could explain why humans are on an equal footing with Ethereals despite having comparatively little practice. More simply, it could just be that humans are badass compared to aliens; we certainly seem to be able to reverse engineer their technology in record time AND then make improvements to it, suggesting we're frankly just "better" than them. [[User:Binkyuk|Binkyuk]] 09:07, 12 April 2013 (EDT)

:Another possibility could be that Elerium exposure maybe one of the factors. While Doctor Vahlen stated that she found a correlation with high will power and psychic ability, gameplay mechanics aside there are cases where a very high willed soldier came back from the Psionic Labs who had displayed no psychic prowess whatsoever. Elerium is used in the alien technologies and it was only after the Alien attack that XCOM was able to 'make' psionic soldiers. Another piece of evidence is that pieces of equipment such as the Psi Armor and the Mind Shield require a large quantity of Elerium in order to manufacture and that it 'enhances' the Psychic abilities of the wearer. While it is true that Elerium is used as a power source for the armor, unlike the hulking Titan armor the Psi armor is essentially a skinsuit/catsuit/muscle suit that has no visible heavy pieces of armor but yet the Elerium requirements for a set of Psi Armor exceed the Elerium requirements for the larger, heavier Titan armor. Logically (again, gameplay mechanics aside) speaking the lighter Ghost armor could perform the same if it used the same amount of Elerium for the Titan armor yet it requires more to function. Combined with the fact that the Psionic Labs and the Gallop Chamber (Both facilities that involve Psionic's) are the only XCOM facilities outside of the Elerium Generator that requires Elerium in their construction means that Elerium maybe linked to the manifestation of Psychic phenomena.
[[User:GMPilot0079|GMPilot0079]] 3:56, 13 May 2013 (CST)

===Bureau/Enemy Within/My Little Pony Supplemental===
{{Ref Open | title = Yes, really}}
How does a ''Psychic'' attack on an XCOM soldier cause obvious psychological effects (-will, -aim), but damages ''armor'' first?

So, it's a safe assumption that the "They" spoken up above is probably the likes of [[Ethereal_(Bureau)|Asaru and Shamash]], "True" Etherials, who's physical forms have been discarded in trade of bodies made of pure energy--- much like EU/EW's Outsiders (not the Zudjari-- for clarity's sake, "Outsider" means the UFO-commander type alien in EU, and Bureau's 'Outsiders' shall be specifically called "Zudjari") are ''also'' described as being of pure energy. So, Bass Dragon was half-right: the Outsiders are not prototypes, they're attempts to ''reverse-engineer'' the Ultimate Life-forms that are the True Etherials. Shamash outright said they exist in multiple realities (either in the "omnipresent" sense (and the "physical" body is just the part that happens to intersect this reality), or that they can shift between alternate realities, XCOM's dimension included), and the Hyperwave Uplink, which seems to be the source for the Outsider's existence, has in-game descriptions that states that it has some kind of access to alternate dimensions, I think confirms this. The fact that Origin could study and emulate Shamash through scientific methods also leads credence that the Outsiders were scientific attempts to manufacture a True Etherial (or analogue thereof), via the Uplink.

The slave collars on the Bureau's Sectoids. I used to think that Sectoids may have been a low catse, but effectively the same species as Etherials. But, that was more based on the 1994 game's depictions, where the Sectoids were weaklings, but seemed to be "just another member of the alien horde." With 4-armed Etherials being canon, it's more likley that Etherials share a common ancestor with Slenderman than Sectoids, since evolution doesn't really work that way (ie: all/most (modern) Earth animals with spinal chords (chordate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordate] ) follow a "head and 4 limbs and 2 eyes" body configuration). More likely, Sectoids are the "for hire/sale" whipping boy of the universe. Additionally, the slave collars that are suggested to help link them to the Mosaic Network, show how incomplete Origin's manipulation of Shamash was: in the infliltration of the Spire in Arizona, Dr Wier comments that Mosaic "seems to want to help". But, as the normal Etherials were collectively working together, that is why EU's Sectoids were without collars: the Etherials had no need for them.

Sectoids on sale, now 50% off, this Rel only, here on Shopduct n' Slave!

Now, the Meld: it always struck me as odd how ''careless'' the aliens seemed to be, leaving massive resources laying around for XCOM to collect. If XCOM was some kind of MMORPG, I would bet that players who chose the Alien factions would often blow up the Elerium Generators and Navigational Computers if it looked like they were going to lose a base or UFO (Chryssalid Rush, ke ke ke!). That they leave the Meld hanging around seems to me that they ''want'' XCOM to get it, which goes with what I wrote long ago up there about how XCOM could be said to also be the Etherial's project, at least indirectly.

On the other hand; how does Meld tie in with the purpose of the invasion? Searching for the Ultimate Life Form, "as we sought to uplift them, to prepare them." In other words: those aren't mere storage canisters, XCOM Bait, or bombs. They're ''dispersal units''. The Etherials' plot was to seed Earth with Meld to enhance physical capacities anyways (Mechtoids, Floater/Heavies), while doing abductions as mass "Farming" for Psi-positive humans (ie; like how the player buys soldiers in bulk, and picks out the ones we want to submit for Psi testing). Failures: we fire them, Zudjari kill them and dump 'em out back, Etherials and The Matrix turn them into flood slurry, and the Wachowski Siblings make a third movie and lose all credibility.

Which brings me to my third topic, where I talk about a cute talking unicorn that hails from a magical Fantasy kingdom of baby horses.

In the crossover fanfic [http://www.fimfiction.net/story/100455/stardust XCOM/FiM: Stardust], the Author is (with obvious liberties) attempting to stay accurate to XCOM's technical information (with assistance from this very 'Paedia: he's seen my work here). The major alterations to the plot are that Bradford replaces the player character of the Commander, and instead of Fluttershy reforming Discord, Discord makes a bet with Twilight Sparkle to "Convince me, irrefutably, that friendship is the strongest power in the universe."

With Twilight accepting the terms, Discord teleports her to April 02, 2015, to the site of a Terror Mission in Washington DC, within 30 feet of a Chryssalid.
:If you've read this far, I assume I've had your interest. If I now have your attention, and want to read the story without getting spoilers, scroll down to where '''Elerium''' is next written in bold.

So, obvious question: "What the hell does that have to do with anything?!" Well, the Author is trying to stay accurate to EU and Bureau (he did start writing before much of EW was revealed) while writing his own story, and he addresses several valid points that solve, or at least address several XCOM mysteries. The unique viewpoint of involving cartoon ponies is for flavor, amusement, and contrast to better see them.

As the story continues; Twilight is captured by XCOM, and almost Interrogated by Dr Vahlen, but manages to escape the containment cell. Hijinks ensue, Dr Shen talks Bradford into allowing him to make contact (referencing the in-game Arc Thrower conversation between the three), and Twilight is now a 'guest' of XCOM, taking residence in "Stardust" Labs. Eventually, she helps in XCOM's research of both alien technology, and her own magic abilities: The magic field she uses in Equestria is also available on Earth, but is stiff from "disuse," but is discovered to be the same field that the Aliens use for Psionic abilities. It's revealed that Elerium is, or is at least an analogue to "Arcanite", a material that boosts magic abilities. Ergo: Elerium boosts Psionic abilities. As Twilight assists in both XCOM Research, and indirectly with missions themselves, with her magic, her use of the Field begins to awaken the Psionic/Magic abilities of the humans around her. For example, Commander Bradford has 'time-stopping' precognition; several times, he has seen TPKs, only to snap back into real time shortly before it all goes to hell-- save states, basically.

Her assistance also points out that the implants found in the aliens, particularly the Sectoid Commanders, also have Elerium circuitry that activates/boosts/projects their Mind Control ability (as well as all aliens to be able to be controlled by the Etherials, who have not yet been revealed in the story, save for a refrence to/by a possible EXALT/Osiris member, and another to William Carter). This also points out that the Etherials are not specifically "Religious" of themselves, as Origin was, but are scientific-minded (the "All Technologies" research credit).

The mystery of XCOM this addresses is, as Analyst Krut points out in The Bureau: "Why?"

"Dear Twilight Sparkle,

'''ELERIUM.'''

Sincerely,
:Pinkie Pie!"

The Field that makes the abilities possible has probably always been here, and is perhaps universal, as inherent as magnetism or gravity (or, if you want a ''stupid'' comparison: like the "Chroma" in ''Indigo Prophecy''). And, with Elerium and it's use making Psionics easier for humans, Earth is now a 'factory' for making the most potentially dangerous beings in the universe.

Evolution, at least on Earth, is more about "Good enough"/"it ''works'', duddn't it?" than any search/aim for "better", and certainly not "perfect". If there was no evolutionary push (or capacity) to be able to use the Field (as useful as it would be), such traits would not develop. Interesting examples where real-world animals do use advanced physics are the Pistol Shrimp, who's claw has evolved in such a way that's essentially a [[Sonic_Pistol]] and can make a luminescent spark of plasma that's the same temperature as the surface of the sun, and dolphins that use complex fluid dynamics that humans barely understand to, basically, just pass the time [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCf7SNUb-Q].

So, the Field that makes Psionic abilities possible is, in fact, accessible to humans, but as it is not often developed; it's rare, or doesn't manifest strongly. But it ''is'' there, so there is a motivation for the Etherials to come to Earth and do their testing (Incidentally, I don't think there is anything really saying that the Etherials knew that Asaru and Shamash were here).

Which also addresses "Why now?"

Because Elerium is now on Earth: in The Bureau, it's established that the Zudjari have been seeding the Earth with Elerium as early as 1957 (the year that Spudnik was launched: the satellite is even seen in the opening sequence of a campaign). If Elerium boosts Field abilities, such as Psionics, then 58 years of low-level global exposure may have triggered/boosted enough to draw the attention of the Etherials (incidentally, background radiation from above-ground nuclear tests peaked in 1963 at about 0.15 mSv per year worldwide, or about 7% of average background dose from all sources. The Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 prohibited above-ground tests, thus by the year 2000 the worldwide dose from these tests has decreased to only 0.005 mSv per year [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_radiation#Atmospheric_nuclear_testing]-- and in Angela's ending, she gets the US Government to use nukes to erase evidence of the invasion). This may also be why the aliens seem careless with Elerium; not as effective at making enhancements as dispersing Meld, but may help instigate Psi activations.

Now, I realize: if Psi powers ARE a scientifically understandable energy wave (and not straight-up "Magic"), then it does make sense that armor is damaged ''as well'', and that the suits that include Elerium can block the "piercing/bypassing" damage that I think would be more realistic. And for the armors it doesn't make sense for; they don't give an HP bonus big enough to make the difference.

Which leads to one more interesting thought: Elerium is not exclusive to the "Etherial Empire", or whoever controls the Sectoids (as Elerium is not in Apocalypse(?), but Sectoids are): while not naturally native to Earth, there's nothing saying how limited-- or abundant-- Elerium is throughout the universe (Arcanite). Less evidence, and more of a hunch: may Elerium be somewhat... "viral"? That it may at least "try" to spread as it goes, as the Bureau suggests? Like a milder version of Tiberium [http://cnc.wikia.com/wiki/Tiberium] or Phazon [http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Phazon]?

Obviously, Origin didn't have the device that had Asaru before the invasion, BUT, Faulk said the device was found ''in an Elerium Mine'' (in Montana). In other words, the Elerium aggregated around Asaru, who was there ''first''. So, there is enough to establish that there is a link between Elerium exposure/presence, and Psionic abilities, as is shown in Stardust.

In conclusion:
* ???? - Asaru arrives on Earth
* ???? - Sectoids, a clone race, are sold in open intergalactic slave markets to various alien empires across the universe: as clones and near-blank genetic templates, their adaptability, ability to be mass produced, and 'ease of use' (aided by Psionic links to one another) lends to the success of their sale.
* 65,000,000 BCE - The Lovecraftian "Vortex" Empire (refrence: Ecco the Dolphin [http://eccothedolphin.wikia.com/wiki/Vortex_Queen] - would explain why they look like Earth's aquatic animals), hailing from aquatic worlds, crash land a colony ship on Earth, either because, or ''as'' the impact that led to the extinction of the Dinosaurs-- and in the process, pave the way for mammals, and eventually for Humans to rise, whom will spend the rest of Time crossing Space, and even going into other Dimensions, obliterating every alien menace they encounter. Way to go, guys.
** Due to the exclusion of Elerium and their preference of aquatic habitats, their own research creates Zrbite and Aquaplastics, and they modify their own Sectoid slaves/genome templates into the Aquatoids.
* ????-1957-1962 - Zudjari, as part of their normal conquests' terraform operations, and the search for True Etherials, seeded Earth with Elerium in [[The_Bureau:_XCOM_Declassified|The Bureau]]. Asaru awakens, Shamash is killed, and Origin is deleted in a massive Etherial-fueled Psionic wave.
* 1962-2015 - Background radiation from Elerium is covered up by atmospheric Nuclear Testing, but the effects are still felt worldwide: while skills may not be developed, Psionic potential grows.
* 2015-2016? - The "cast out" Etherials begin their conquest and research of Humans and Earth, led here either by Elerium's energy signature, Psionic energy signatures, or due to the presence of the two True Etherials on a single planet; and event said to be a multiversal rarity. The battles between them and XCOM are a boon to human science and technology. Psionic experimentation, and the dispersal of Meld lead to the enhancement of both the human mind and body. Then the Etherials get blown the fuck up.
** Black Market interests begin the EXALT organization, a paramilitary group made with the aim of stealing and adapting alien technology and materials to force human evolution. After the raid on their headquarters and the neutralization of their command leadership, remaining members go into hiding, and begin to pass and adapt their ideology down family lines.
* 1997-2002 - Due to the energy signal released by the death of the multidimensional being Shamash: in an alternate timeline/dimension, the Etherial invasion happens earlier: since the Alien Brain is a computer, it's able to organize the invasion that much faster. The Tachyon signal released upon it's destruction lasts only a little while, but as the Tachyon is a (theoretical) FTL particle, it's properties are not restricted to 'normal' space-time.
* 2027 - Reminants of EXALT reorganize into the Cult of Sirus.
* 2041-2046 - As the Aquatoids were able to receive the signal as easily as their Sectoid cousins, they began the resurrection of T'leth: thus, the [[TFTD|Second Alien War]].
* 2084 - The Micronoids, while not as experienced as Etherials at multidimensional travel, also register the death of Shamash, and begin [[Apocalypse|their assault]] on the largest Earth-based population: Mega-Primus. Thanks for that, Carter.
** Sectoid-Human hybrids were origionally developed by the Etherials in an attempt to add the docile and controllable aspects of the Sectoids to the physically and psionically potent human race, much like the 1957 experiments with Africanized Honey Bees. In fact, ''exactly'' like those experiments: those bees are now known as "Killer Bees", and the Human-Sectoid mutants are willing to fight for XCOM, in exchange for universal rights.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there: a Grand Unified Theory of XCOM!
{{Ref Close | source = --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 08:53, 24 November 2013 (EST) }}
And yes, I feel there's legitimacy in connecting XCOM to Ecco: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blaX_eMz3Qw Et voilà.]--[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 17:49, 24 November 2013 (EST)

[[Category: Fiction]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

The Mysteries of X-COM

2023-12-05T07:24:46Z

Lixiaofossil: /* Why battlescapes always being "one-way transparent"? */

Discussion page for some less clear aspects of the series

==General issues==

==='''How fast can alien craft travel in space?'''===

Some alien missions (repeated attacks on X-COM bases, for instance) come daily. This seems to imply that alien craft are able to travel the distance from Mars to Earth in a matter of hours.

: Or maybe, as you suggest in your novels, they have a staging area near Earth, such as the dark side of the Moon. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:36, 25 February 2009 (CST)

::Really fast. Consider that they don't need to push aside atmosphere, as well as the fact that momentum is conserved in space, so they can achieve very high speeds with gravity slingshots. (Mars DOES have 2 moons, recall.) Also note that they may be operating a bit closer to home(the far side of the moon, perhaps?) it's simply that the command staff are at Cydonia. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Good article in last month's Scientific American pointing out we only rely on gravity slingshots because we still use chemical rockets with pathetic delta-V. Once 2nd and 3rd generation plasma engines come on line (1st gen are in flight now) the gravity slingshot will become an irrelevance. No doubt UFO drives are at least as good as our (future) 3rd gen plasma drives, probably way better since they warp space.

(Reminds me of the old Guild Navigator joke - I just warped space from Ix, and boy is my mind tired. Oh well, you had to be there)

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:Also keep in mind that both Phobos and Deimos are tiny. They are basically captured asteroids. Neither would be useful in gravity assist. But yeah, the UFO's shouldn't need any assist anyway.[[User:Mannon|Mannon]] 11:35, 30 March 2011 (EDT)
::Case in point: http://xkcd.com/681_large/ (Deimos can be escaped with someone on a bike and a plank stacked on a brick, Phobos requires a good pitching arm). --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 16:55, 13 April 2013 (EDT)

:Consider that many of the same aliens as UFO/EU are in X-COM Intercepter, having necessarily had to break light speed. Consider that if outside any atmoshphere a battleship could reach 4800 knots(in-game top speed) within two minutes (which is about how long it appears to take in-game) then it is accelerateing at about 18m/s/s or almost 2Gs. In 24 hours it would reach 1,555km/s. At this speed (assuming it turned it's drive off after 24h) it would travel about 134,000,000km each day. The maximum distance between Earth and mars is about 401,000,000km.
:For simplicity, because we have room to work with here, even if a battleship were to accelerate for 24 hours while orbiting mars, and again had to decelerate for 24 hours in orbit after reaching earth, (all while a chrysalid inside balanced two apples on each of it's mandibles) it would still only take 5 days to reach earth when both planets are at opposite orbital positions. It seems that the Ethereals can wipe out your base and not have to miss Ladies Night, assuming the club is also on earth. ''Ethereal Mind-Trick: "You don't want to 'blow dis joint'. You want to come back to the UFO for a little abduction mhmhmhmhhmm.'' [[User:Darkestaxe|Darkestaxe]] 23:38, 12 April 2013 (EDT)
::On one hand, "near-constant multiple organ failure" problably includes THAT organ. Ouch. On the other, sheer force of will problably works on that for them (lucky them); and with Psionics, you can make any woman belive that "this long" (holds hands a few inches apart) is 1 foot, as well as literally make her forget any other man she's thought about before, as well as Algerbra. Unhooking a bra would, however, still a challenge unto itself. And, since we are given specific dates in-game, there's plenty of programs online that can calculate the distance between planets for any given time, as well as lists of Oppositions (when two plants are at their closest): http://cseligman.com/text/planets/marsoppositions.htm For example, in 1999, the in-game year of the first game, on April 24th, Mars was only 86 million Km away (though Kudos if you can beat the game THAT early into a campaign) --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 16:55, 13 April 2013 (EDT)

==='''What happens to the crashed UFO craft and its crew?'''===

Downed alien craft disappear after a few days have passed. No explanation is given to this whatsoever, so what really happens to them?

Possible answers:
* The UFO and its occupants are recovered by other humans.
* The Aliens manage to repair the craft and fly back to space. (unlikely, in the event that the power plant blew up and they have no Elerium)
* The Aliens self-destruct the craft and kill themselves in the process, ensuring their remains will not be recovered by humans. (This is, in fact, the in-game explination. Read the mission briefing. [[User:Darkestaxe|Darkestaxe]] 23:38, 12 April 2013 (EDT))
* The UFO Powerplant eventually suffers a meltdown and explodes, eliminating any vestiges of alien presence.
* The Aliens blow up the UFO and disappear into the countryside.
* Most likely answer, IMHO: The local government/ funding nations give X-COM a limited time window to launch any operation, similiar to what you see in covert ops movies: "Complete the mission within 36 hours, or we initiate Carpet Bombing of the area". This is very likely considering that each nation actually has jurisdiction, and X-com is operating each military op with permission and cooperation by local authorities. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)
*Similiarly, I assume that nations which have signed a pact with the aliens launch a rescue operation and assist their alien friends. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)
: In the UFO TV show, it's stated that alien craft and bodies degrade quickly in Earth's atmosphere, disappearing completely in hours or a few days. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:36, 25 February 2009 (CST)
:: If that was the case, then one of the gases present in the atmosphere would be very toxic to the aliens. They would be restricted on their activities outside their craft, not to mention they would have to terraform the planet to be able to live here. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: As Zombie said, doesn't Alien Containment support this idea? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

::Those are excellent suggestions. One of the X-COM books detailed that aliens throw up a force field around crashed UFOs to give them time to repair the craft. This would also explain the limited size of the Battlescape (the area of the force field...the field was thrown up before the crash, thus why the craft wasn't always centered in it) as well as why the Battlescape is devoid of human life(the aliens took care of that up front.) Similarly, large scale bombing works as well, as does the local government going in to clean it up themselves. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::If there's a force field around the craft what is it supposed to repel? The atmosphere? Because humans have no problem entering the field and operating inside it. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::::Of course they do! Have you ever noticed how dumb your units can be? That's because the aliens can't live with too much nitrogen, so they turn some of it in their force field to oxygen, and excessive amounts of oxygen make you act weird. After a while, their power source runs out and the nitrogen returns, dissolving them into E-115. (What did you think it was made of?) AT least, that's what seemes logical to me, ad is a combination of many postulates here. 21:36, 18 March 2010 (EDT)
:::::That would require that the aliens' biochemistry and the alien alloys used in the power sources reacted with nitrogen, which is a mostly inert gas on normal temperature and pressure and a . It's kinda of weird that the aliens didn't bothered with fixing that vulnerability with their craft and bodies during millions of years (what happens if the force field malfunctions while capturing cattle? ooops!) but ok. The increase in the amount of oxygen would probably also turn any kind of fire into large explosions throughtout the force field. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 21:24, 19 March 2010 (EDT)
::The force field was intended to keep humans out so the aliens were undisturbed. The first major hurdle X-COM had was figuring out a way to bypass those fields so they COULD get troops and aircraft inside. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 20:54, 26 February 2009 (CST)
*I'd guess that the aliens would eventually mount their own rescue missions, especially once they realized that XCOM is farming their ships for resources (they must know we don't have ready access to their alloys and Elerium) and co-opting their technology. In the Firaxis game, when idling in the Situation Room screen, Central's (often amusing) radio chatter implies that there are many more UFO's and reports that don't go into the globe. Additionally: only 16 countries are covered, and there are over 150 countries on earth, plus all the oceans. After all, if we were shooting down every last ship, then the alien collective shouldn't be able to land so many aliens for Terror Missions. --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 02:48, 26 January 2013 (EST)

===How do the aliens carry their equipment?===
Like human soldiers, aliens can carry weapons and equipment in locations like legs, belt, shoulders and backpack, regardless of the fact that some of their races even lack those anatomical features.

:Potentially a sticky gel-like area on the limb. Though really, since we were never intended to access alien inventories and the AI does all inventory management internally, this may simply be something that was never considered. Speaking from a slightly different standard, most aliens do not carry excessive amounts of gear; often their equipment would be able to fit in both hands. Also recall that Floaters and Ethereals have capes and robes(which may have inside pockets, or the Floaters could store them in the anti-grav/life support unit or inside surgically created body cavities during the installation, while Ethereals could support their excess gear with telekinesis), Mutons have armor(which may have external straps or adhesive areas), and Snakemen have an armor plate(which could have straps, adhesive, inside pockets, or even a backpack.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:We already know the answer to this one - they cheat! ;) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

===Are X-COM transport craft piloted?===

:Almost certainly, since a remotely-piloted craft could be returned to base when the mission was aborted or failed. It's entirely possible that all X-COM soldiers are qualified pilots of the appropriate craft, since it would make no sense for X-COM to waste space on the plane for a noncombatant, or to have a single-point of failure on the mission like that. (The aliens could screw over the entire op by killing the pilot). It also explains why the craft is lost when the mission fails or is aborted with no one inside(lacking a pilot, the aliens are able to easily destroy it.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: On the other hand, even a tank/hovertank is capable of getting the craft back to base. Perhaps there is an autopilot function. X-com craft are also infamous for choosing strange and bizarre intercept paths, based on latitude lines... almost as if they followed some a few simple lines of code from 1993 programming (bit of 4th wall breakage there...) -[[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]]

:Of course, given the tanks seem to be remotely piloted from an X-COM base, its possible that the tank being in the craft allows the Tank pilot to reroute into the control systems for the dropship and take it over. Limiting this to having the tank inside is a rather good idea. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 12:07, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:I recall that the various cutscenes in the PSX version had a pilot, most notably in the "Mission Failure" scene, where it shows the pilot being killed. --[[User:Mabmoro|Mabmoro]] 16:06, 13 March 2009 (EDT)

===What sort of physical process is used to increase human stats over time?===

The increases in some stats are easy explained by experience gained on missions (firing abiility, reactions, etc.). However, in the cases of physical stats (TUs, stamina, strength) the increase must be augmented by an artificial process, since it isn't easily explainable that humans can significantly increase body mass/speed/endurance just by physical activity/exercise.

:Lifting weights will increase strength. Running and cardio exercise will increase endurance, and performing the same task multiple times will allow you to perform it faster. I see no reason natural increase doesn't work. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::I assume that it is possible to a human to use those methods to double its physical condition, but that being the case why are X-COM recruits so... undeveloped? Maybe this is a more intriguing aspect. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

What I don't get is that when someone gets blasted that they gain a lot of extra health. For crying out loud, the aliens are throwing around plasma and ridicoulously HUGE explosions. Shouldn't they be suffering from third-degree burns? I would expect them to at least have a major sore spot where they got hit. [[User:Tsunamiatunzen1|Tsunamiatunzen1]] September 24

:There's been arguments over whether the soldiers in X-COM are the Green Berets or equivalents of their various militaries, just average soldiers that volunteered for the job, or if the Council of Funding Nations is corrupt and is using this as an excuse to foist off their most useless soldiers onto the X-COM project. If the latter, it would easily explain their rather poor early stats. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

::Maybe the stat increases relate to the troops getting more comfortable performing all operations - lifting, running, combat actions - when the aliens no longer scare the cr*p out of them so much. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:: I know what you mean... if this were Jagged Alliance, it'd be like trying to hire Mike and getting Gumpy instead... ouch! ... IMHO, it looks as if the COFN is being funny about this. Clearly, the troops assigned to X-com have had extensive weapons training... each and every one of them can use just about any standard weapon, including Rocket Launchers, incindieries, auto Cannons, etc. However, NONE of them have any combat experience, coming to you as fresh rookies. And their stats look as if they were selected based on a pot luck basis rather than screening among the elite troops... [[User:Jasonred]]

:Health isn't gained from getting shot. But as for the "ludicrously low stats" issue, maybe they're being selected on some other basis, or there's a real shortage of volunteers. [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] 04:56, 25 September 2009 (EDT)

:: I think that the X-COM's soldiers have big responsibilities, can't have children. They are sworn in and only then go to the field - if someone can't be trusted to keep a secret, he's getting sacked, given a shitty job (ever wondered who maintained the General Stores?) or worse. - n, 16:47, 16 August 2010 (GMT+2)

In Hotpoint's [http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-16092/Hotpoint+XSGCOM+Goa+uld+Defence.htm| XSGCOM: Goa'uld Defense], his explanation is that after a few missions of watching their fellow newbies die, the survivors give in and volunteer for an experimental regimen of performance-enhancing drugs. IRL, steroids and such don't result in instant strength enhancement, they just encourage accelerated development of muscles. [[User:Kalaong|Kalaong]] 03:16, 28 March 2011 (EDT)

Heh: http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/901 --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 02:52, 26 January 2013 (EST)

As much as I've played this series for decades, and know full well how pitiful the starting stats of soldiers are, at least with respect to the game's rules, I really feel I must wonder and ask why we think those starting stats are 'underdeveloped' or 'pot luck'? What, exactly, are we basing this judgement on beyond how poorly they seem to perform in-game against a force that is quite honestly and clearly demonstrated as superior to humans in the first few missions, where only luck and superior numbers appear to manage to secure any wins for the organization and, in turn, humanity? How much can the average X-COM 'Rookie' carry in pounds as gear, and is it considered substantial compared to Army kit, or not? How many direct hits from a rifle can they take normally without dying or keeling over from fatal wounds, and how does this compare to real-world soldiers' survivability? How much time is one turn meant to represent, and how far can the average 'Rookie' run in that time, and how does that compare to how fast a fully-kitted Army soldier can move?

Has all of this already been figured out elsewhere? Otherwise, I'm starting to question whether we have any real proof that 'Rookies' AREN'T "The best of the best of the best, sir! With honors" beyond just how it 'looks' and 'feels' during gameplay, which is already skewed by the enemy having superior firepower and attributes, or, in the case of replacements, existing troops being pushed far beyond previously-perceived human limits from such extreme combat maneuvers as have resulted in success against, as I said earlier, a far superior force (EDIT: want to clarify on this point that I'm taking the 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' stance on the original question for this section). If the stats extrapolated for OpenXcom are any indication, this is most certainly the case, even with Sectoids, to an extent. While Sectoids will never have anything on humans in the Health department, being as fragile as they are (though some rookies can have less health, apparently, but only a few unlucky ones), they are surprisingly enduring, with tons of stamina, being 20 points higher than the X-COM 'Rookie' maximum upper limit for initial stat generation, and the same for Bravery (though this seems to be the case with all AI controlled entities, except mechanical ones, which have an impervious 110 Bravery). Reactions are also higher than possible with a Rookie, and speed (TUs) is on par with the statistical average for rookies, same with accuracy ratings, and even strength. This is just looking at the grunts, too, not even considering the stat boosts Leaders and Commanders have. As expected, the average X-COM Rookie's stats are almost universally superior to the civilians, representing the average member of humanity. The only exception is Stamina, and I'm starting to think this is to compensate AI units somehow for an AI that may not be able to manage energy levels as well as a human.

Anyway, just felt someone had to bring this up here. If it really is explained elsewhere, it probably should be clarified here, as well, for consistency, anyway. (EDIT: I just felt it was being taken at face value far too readily in this discussion, and it just didn't seem right to just assume it with no evidence, despite all my experience playing this series, and noticing full well the soldiers' stats feeling constraining at first) --[[User:StormhawkAPS|StormhawkAPS]] 01:08, 4 October 2013 (EDT)

==Enemy Unknown/UFO Defence issues==
==='''Why isn't Earth overrun by Snakeman/Chryssalids?'''===

According to the UFOPaedia, Snakemen's "Reproduction is asexual, with each snakeman carrying up to fifty eggs inside its body at any one time" adding the ominious conclusion: "Left to its own devices this species would be a severe threat to life on earth."
Moreover, this species is usually accompanied by the Chryssalids, which have a capacity to reproduce themselves very quickly using humans. So, any survivors of crash sites or terror attacks could start reproducing themselves hidden, resulting in large areas being overrun by those aliens later on.

Possible answers:
* Both races have a self-destruct mechanism incorporated into their psysiology to prevent this.
* The entire area is purged by large scale bombing. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)

::One thing suggested in fan data was that Snakemen have air tablets in their stomach...which may be different from earth's atmosphere, which would limit their lifespan in earth's atmosphere, also making egg-laying pointless, since the offspring wouldn't be able to breathe or survive. It has also been suggested that Chryssalids have a very rapid metabolism. Though Chryssalids are likely just as, if not more useful, as a threat or a bargaining tool. When attempting to get a nation to capitulate to their demands, the aliens could threaten to employ Chryssalids en masse, or offer to remove a mass infestation in exchange for the government's cooperation. Or even further, it's possible that Chryssalids are under Ethereal control and maintaining the control link at that distance is taxing, thus eliminating mass use of the creatures. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Two words: [[Alien Containment]]. That answers everything except for the UFOPaedia articles for the aliens themselves which contradict it. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 00:42, 26 February 2009 (CST)
: For captured aliens, yes. But what survivors of uninvestigated crash sites? [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]]

::Zombie is commenting that based on the need for an Alien Containment unit, the aliens cannot survive in earth's atmosphere for extended periods, needing special atmospheric blends and/or nutrient pools which earth is unable to provide naturally, thus limiting their operations outside of the craft. (If the aliens won the war, it's likely this would be one of the first things that they would 'correct'.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 20:54, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===What is the propose of the 'disco balls' found inside some UFOs?===

:Given that they explode, they could be storage reservoirs for coolant for the computers or other systems. They could also be circuit breakers or electrical junction boxes, or even a component of the UFO's particle beam they use to fry X-COM Interception craft. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Here again, two words: [[Alien Entertainment]]. Even though the spheres are not set to Alien Entertainment in the MCD files, they are almost certainly related to the process somehow. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 00:42, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:Maybe they are for having discos? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:Presumably [[Alien Entertainment]] is psionic in some way, maybe they're Psi-Emitters or something? -[[User:magic9mushroom|magic9mushroom]]

::'Disco balls' = Alien 'LSD' emitters. Travelling through space to go on almost-suicide missions force aliens to develop POWERFUL relaxing devices to entertain themselves and not go insane :P. --[[User:Nekrocow|Nekrocow]] 20:10, 24 June 2012 (EDT)

::: Assuming it's about eyeball-like pod #3, it's absent on base maps, and present only in two UFOs: Battleship (in Alien Entertainment), but Terror Ship on the second deck has one in Alien Entertainment room, but two on the bridge. Those are also the only two ships running ground battles and carrying Terror Units (bases have them, but normally don't expect to use them), so... either remote control psionic relays or something else related to ground combat? -[[User:TBeholder|TBeholder]] ([[User talk:TBeholder|talk]]) 21:04, 30 December 2015 (EST)

===Who buys those alien bodies/equipment from X-COM?===

:Equipment likely goes to the funding nations or the international black market. No rebel group is going to ask too many questions about being offered guns that can [[Heavy Plasma|slice through the hull of an MBT]] or [[Alien Grenade|grenades that can level a building]] or [[Blaster Launcher|man-portable guided missiles]]; it'd just be cash-and-carry. Similarly, scientists would likely be interested in looking at much of this stuff for their own research. This would also explain the lack of market forces; the funding nations could have a set price for each item, or if X-COM is selling them under the table to rebels and rogue scientists, they can set the price and refuse to budge. The money on corpses could also be an "Alien Bounty" paid by the Funding Nations, as a reward for each alien that X-COM can prove they killed. Or it could be bought by other groups...rumor has it that some fast food restaurants have processes that can make ANY meat, no matter the source, look and taste the same, and a Muton would make a LOT of McBurgers. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)
From the USO (Kasey Chang): XARQUID SUSHI.

===How did the aliens get to Mars?===

There are no indications that UFOs are capable of faster than light speed. So how did they get to Mars in the first place?

:The UFOs are mission craft, used for the legwork. The fighters; we never see the carriers. Given the aliens have been proven to be interstellar, they either Clone-A-Crew as needed when coming the long way to keep the UFOs crewed, or its far more likely that the aliens did have or still do have larger "Carrier" ships, which are capable of FTL travel, that were/are further out in the Solar System that store and dispatch UFOs to mission locations. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: One word: TFTD. The entire city of T'leth was put into cryogenic suspended animation? Or look at X-com Interceptor. X-com and the aliens show the ability to enter hyperspace or whatever it is.
::: T'Leth is another mystery of its own. More to that later on :) [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::... there are no indications that the UFOs are INcapable of FTL... I don't think you would want to perform FTL travel within Earth's planetary atmosphere!
::: There are no indications that they are capable as well. And X-COM scientists don't seem to detect any FTL capabilities in UFOs during their research. And after the war the Elerium stocks dwindled, and it would make sense to perform some sort of interstellar missions to detect and harvest Elerium, however none are mentioned. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::: Unless you count the events of X-com Interceptor? [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 21:15, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::::: I am refering to the events between Enemy Unknown and TFTD. There is clearly a big distinction between the alien craft on EU and those of Interceptor. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 09:38, 27 February 2009 (CST)
::::: Enemy Unknown is set in 1999, TFTD in 2040, Interceptor in 2067... looks entirely plausible that they DID begin research into space exploration immediately after the events of Enemy Unknown. These things take time you know. Remember that the universe is a huge place, and Earth had rather limited Elerium Reserves by the end of EU. It takes... what, 30 Elerium just to fly an Avenger halfway across Earth? They could hardly afford to fly around randomly in space HOPING to come across elerium, they had to figure out detections methods, then scan the galaxy sector by sector, possibly partially using non-Elerium based propulsion at times... I can't remember if it's canon or fanfic, but I remember reading that all Elerium on Earth was reserved for space exploration.
As for FTL, Earth does get it for sure sometime between 1999 and 2067. And I'm pretty certain the technology is Elerium based. It's not a huge logic jump to assume that the aliens have access to FTL Elerium based tech.
Though I'm a bit puzzled why all T'leth technology is based on Zrbrite, when the aliens uniformly use Elerium, all the way from Earth to Cydonia to the far reaches of space. -[[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]]

:It takes 12 Elerium to fuel an Avenger, though how much 1 Elerium is is an ongoing debate. As for Elerium, it was reserved for propulsion research when the funding nations divvied up X-COM's resources, and then they blew it all without learning anything more than the original X-COM scientists. And yes, Earth clearly gets FTL after TFTD but before Interceptor. The reason Elerium is not used in TFTD is because Elerium becomes inert and useless upon contact with seawater. Similarly, seawater aggressively corrodes Alien Alloys and eventually completely dissolves them. Zrbite functions similar to Elerium, being gold mixed with alien bio-material. Unfortunately, Zrbite only works when supported by a massive energy grid created by T'leth and becomes inert upon its destruction. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 12:07, 27 February 2009 (CST)

OK... take the UNIT of elerium out of the equation... let's say that Earth had 5000 units of elerium, so 6 units get's an Avenger halfway around the world, and 12 units is sufficient to reach Mars. Hardly enough fuel reserves for intergalactic travel then.
2065 On October the 27th, the probe 'Tombstone 1' returns reports to Earth. It's data show that the globular star cluster where it rests, one hundred light-years from Earth, contains many life-supporting planets. Many of the planet's within the probe's scanning range also apparently possess great mineral wealth, including trace veins of elerium-115.
Hmm... So, mankind discovers FTL technology on their own in those 65 years? ah... come to think of it, if they've got non-Elerium based space travel and FTL, and more powerful weapons too, what's the big deal about Elerium in the Frontier? Does mankind even need it anymore?
As for T'leth, it is meant to be over 65 million years old, and CRASHLANDED on Earth due to a solar flare. Was the Ultimate Alien a prophet, thus chose to base T'leth on aqua plastics and Zrbite when T'lth was first constructed? Or did T'leth crash land, followed by frenzied activity where the entire city was replaced part by part, the alien alloys swapped for Aqua Plastics?
...
Actually, come to think of it, it's obviously a massive plothole due to limited timeframe, no point in discussing too deeply. Sigh... [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:50, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:It's implied that despite the loss of ability to use the alien technology from the First and Second alien wars, simply being able to see and examine their designs catapulted earth's technology forward at least a few decades...which really is entirely reasonable. Much of the technology can be replicated on earth, and the principles and designs can be reapplied.

:As for the deal with Elerium, its needed to power stronger weapons and is also wonderful for power generation; its efficiency in power generation is what allows Mega Primus to even exist.

:And was there anywhere that specifically said that T'Leth was made of Aqua Plastics? I don't recall. Yes, the rest of their subs are made of aqua plastics, but I'm wondering if something the size of a medium city might perhaps be made of something a bit more durable. PS: Thanks for signing your post! :D [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 14:17, 27 February 2009 (CST)

It's not a plothole at all. There is no Elerium on Earth, whereas the aliens can manufacture Zrbite on Earth, since there's gold here. Therefore it's obvious why they used Zrbite. Also, there's the fact that it was an Aquatoid colony mission, intended to produce an "aquatic paradise", so using Aqua Plastics instead of Alien Alloys is perfectly justified. [[User:magic9mushroom]]

:I think that the use of Aqua Plastics instead of Alien Alloys is perfectly justified by the fact that T'leth crashed million of years ago while the aliens that came to take a shot or two at earth were two million years ahead technologically. So Aqua plastics was some plastic that was used by aliens before they've got the Alloys. You might argue - it's Aqua Plastics, so Aqua =/= Space. Well, Aliens weren't calling them aqua, and there wasn't anything saying that Aqua Plastics is not suitable for Space Travel. --[[User:Domenique|Domenique]] 11:10, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

... I think Alien Alloys alone would catapult earth's technology forward a decade, and there's no reason humanity can't use those anymore, just not in water. According to timeline, some space pirates manage to make the decommisioned Avengers run on non-Elerium fuel... a large technological step.
By the time of Interceptor, Elerium weapons aren't that powerful. Good point about power generation though.
I would assume that T'leth SHOULD have been constructed out of Alien Alloys, since it was originially an interplanetary vessel? Generally, everything in EU was made of Alien Alloys, everything in TFTD was made out of Aqua plastics. Both of which seemed plenty durable.

::Have you noticed that the UFOs fly however their mission parameters tell them to? The UFOs pretty much IGNORE interceptions by X-com craft... if their mission tells them to make 3 passes, speed up, slow down, speed up... they will follow that pattern exactly, whether X-com craft are firing on them or not.

::Question: How long does it take the Avenger to reach Mars from Earth? [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 19:12, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::No longer than a week, in my opinion. Probably less than 2 days. Since canonically, the design of the Avenger had the Cydonia mission in mind, it would be capable of very high interplanetary speeds. (You could choose to burn 40% of the Elerium in one blast to get to high speed. Or you could burn even more and refuel while it's landed...or it could be a mission with no guaranteed escape for the crew. The lives of the many over those of the few and all that, especially since the war hinges on the mission.) In addition, you can fit a full complement of soldiers on board with no real excess room for supplies, and the longer it takes to get to Mars, the greater the chance the aliens will spot it coming for them and mount a serious defense. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 19:20, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::If you'd burn that much fuel to accelerate the craft then you'd have to use as much again to decelerate it and attain a planetary orbit, otherwise you'll simply overshoot the planet and head towards outer space. This is also another aspect to take into account when thinking about the speed of UFOs. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

::: UFO drives are non-Newtonian so those sort of rocket equations don't necessarily apply. I think filling up a car with gas is a closer analogy. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

::: Well, they could put a mini mind shield on the Avenger, shoot down a UFO roughly their size, and then fly to Cydonia when the UFO they shot down was supposed to return based on the instructions found by the hyper-wave decoder. Basically taking the place of the UFO. Shouldn't be too hard since the UFO's are pretty common by the time you research Cydonia or Bust. [[User:Tsunamiatunzen1|Tsunamiatunzen1]] 14 February 2010 (MST)

::That would leave 20% of the fuel to take off the Avenger and land it. Not really that unreasonable. While they're landed, they could potentially refuel the Avenger, or the mission might have been planned as a 1-way trip from the get-go. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Perhaps Elerium-based drives are a bit like Ramjet engines, where they're actually useless or inefficient ''below'' a certain threshold speed? --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 03:02, 26 January 2013 (EST)

===What happened to Mars and the alien civilization there?===

According to the Brain, Mars was blooming with life had a alien civilization millions of years ago. However, Mars nowadays is a barren world and the alien civilization seems reduced to the area on Cydonia.

:That may well have been before Mars lost the majority of its atmosphere due to its weak magnetic field. As the atmosphere dissipated, the aliens left or died off. It's also possible that the aliens, shown in the game over to have little respect for planets other than as sites for slaves and resources, they strip-mined the planet dry(and the rust from the machines created the red coloring), and then seeded Earth so that the slave workforce would grow for future extraction of Earth's resources. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===Where are the human-alien hybrids referred to on the UFOPaedia?===

:For the ones on earth, probably in hiding or in laboratories for research. For the ones the aliens have, potentially improving the Sectoid gene pool or being used as food or menial tasks. Cloning is alot easier than making genetic hybrids and there's nothing that says their first-generation experiments would be suitable for combat. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: They are babies at the time of X-com, and few in number. Their aren't even that many of them by the time of X-com Apocalypse. [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 19:12, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:Not to mention the ones in X-COM: Apocalypse are less-than-fit for battle before extensive training. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===Why did the aliens only activate T'Leth after they were defeated?===

On TFTD T'Leth is shown as an entity/city of major power that is capable of conducting a war on its own. But the aliens leave it dormant although they could have used it to speed the process of taking control of Earth.

:Perhaps the Enemy Unknown aliens are legitimately scared of the TFTD aliens and are unsure how long they could trust them. Evil is not monolithic; the TFTD aliens may be more interested in themselves than the alien empire, so they were kept as an ace-in-the-hole. This is the same reason (canonically) that SKYNET did not originally send the T-1000 to assassinate Sarah Connor; SKYNET was scared of what the T-1000 could do and had only a bare minimum of control over it, so it only used it as an option when it had nothing left to lose. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

T'Leth is in fact so powerful that all it has to do is surface, in order for X-com to be considered to have lost the war.
In fact, looking at the timelines, it takes 40 years for T'leth to wake up from it's slumber... that's one good reason not to use it. By the time it activated, the war would already be over. [[User:Jasonred]]

Because the whole purpose of the Enemy Unknown aliens was to rescue the TFTD aliens from T'leth, and there was no way of seeing whether the T'leth-based invasion in TFTD would even work - from their perspective it's possible that getting T'leth to bootstrap itself could have caused a catastrophe (they don't know whether or how badly it's damaged). Presumably the aliens planned to mount a proper rescue operation after locking down Earth and readying it for the aquatic paradise that was the entire point of the T'leth expedition in the first place. [[User:magic9mushroom]]

T'Leth was a coleny ship sent by the Sectoid/Aquatoid's millions of years earlier. This is why the Aquatoids use electronics to augment there control over other creatures, while there progeny are genetically modified to gain the same control. In TFTD it's implied that the T'Leth had been partialy active for a long time. Thawing out aliens in small groups but never going in full production. UFO aliens may have not intended to start the full awakening cycle until they had a chance to prepare the planet.
OR, given the Ultimate Alien was aquatoid in origin by his looks and there was no other races from the first game involved. And the fact that Sectoid/Aqutoid's are not the top of the food chain with the Ethereal and Brain being more powerful it's possible the brain had decided that the Ultimate Alien was a threat to it's power. It was not until it's death that they tried send the signal. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:19, 22 March 2010 (EDT)

===Why did the aliens use limited force during the First Alien War?===

Imagine Independence Day or War of the Worlds: UFO above the major Earth cities destroying the national leadership and any resistance. Or simply announce to Earth that they are now a part of their empire and resistence is futile. Instead, they go 1 mission each day, allowing humans to capture their craft, research their technology, discover their intentions and mount a successful defense. Don't the aliens watch sci-fi movies to see how it should be done?

:Perhaps they don't have the standing forces to do so, and are in the process of building up the forces needed to do so. Perhaps they don't want to wipe out the entire power structure too fast; they want to leave some pieces in place for when they rebuild. Perhaps they're too condescending to think that humanity ever really has a chance; they've probably conquered thousands of other planets without anyone ever successfully resisting them. Perhaps they consider the X-COM project to be a rearguard action that, while a valiant effort and a credible threat, is ultimately doomed to failure because they simply cannot win in the end, which is why they undermine it. Indeed, the reason you need to launch the Cydonia mission in order to win is because X-COM simply cannot stop the aliens in a ground war; the aliens have an effectively infinite supply line and standing forces(though nothing says they're all waiting to swamp the earth), and the only way to win is to kill the command staff(which the aliens believe X-COM will not be able to do, lacking both knowledge of where the Brain is and any practical means to get there.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::The most plausible explanation seems to be the one employed in the Worldwar series, by Harry Turtledove, but that does not seem to mesh with what the Brain says about having been on Mars for a while, since then they could watch the Earthlings perpetually. Of course, what it says is probably a bunch of lies. Thinking about what it says for too long also raises the question of why the aliens attacked when they did, of course... [[User:Vizzydix1|Vizzydix1]] 21:52, 18 March 2010 (EDT)

The aliens are completely lacking in weapons of mass destruction. When you get right down to it, their aircraft are very fast, manuevarable and durable, but they have rotten firepower. Even the battleship is unable to bring down an Interceptor in 1 shot.
The terror missions and X-com Base Defences prove that the Aliens are unable to simply launch orbital bombardments... in fact, they appear to have no Air to Land weapons whatsoever...
When you get right down to it, the aliens are pretty stupid. Also, their scientists seem inferior to Earth's. Seems to me that they only had the advantage of Elerium deposits and thus elerium based research.
X-COM was unable to win in an all-out war with the aliens, but remember that X-com is a small little covert group with several dozen soldiers and a handful of aircraft. Can you imagine the result if the aliens had caused a joint war effort by the UN? You would have Lockheed factories converted to Avenger production, several platoons of soldiers outfitted with Flying Suits, Lasers, Heavy Plasma, thousands upon thousands of Laser Tanks...
I would say that keeping the fight to covert action on both sides was actually beneficial to the aliens, really. [[User:Jasonred]]
* Nope, the aliens could just invoke John's Law and blow up the planet with a kamikaze battleship at .9c. Even failing that, the alien battlefleet could come in numbers sufficent to blot out the sun.--[[User:(name here)|(name here)]] 14:39, 8 November 2009 (EST)
** Lest we forget, X-Com is essentially the Spartans to the aliens' Persian Empire. So they'd just fight in the shade (which would be a blessing in desert missions). --[[User:Guido Talbot|Guido Talbot]] 13:58, 16 July 2010 (EDT)
*** Mass producing those technologies on such a large scale would be impractical considering that those said technologies sans Laser Technology rely heavily on Elerium. Thus the Earth forces would be heavily reliant on downed or landed UFO's to resupply their Elerium powered craft making such efforts pointless.

Aliens first began with smal scouting missions, so maybe all we expirience in X-Com is initial attacks by aliens, maybe the whole base was begining scouting and waiting for the invasion fleet? Aliens problably could be in sense dumber than humans, humans are adaptable and thinking, our technology advances fast, and we are fast and smart enough to stop the invasion before it begins. Aliens problably were not used to it so they thought "oh well, another invasion...". --[[User:Domenique|Domenique]] 11:10, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

Mankind, as a whole, is incredibly cunning and full of guile. We are also incredibly aggressive. A trait that the most of the Aliens can barely concieve. Though we are weaker physically, mentally, etc, we are overly developed when it comes to strategem and war. The aliens are, in essence, have come to an inverse of Flatland. Though they are advanced, it is they who are 2D to our 3D approach to fighting. They return to earth, and through extensive research and testing, determine that inferior are strategically to humans. So...they use their advances to what they percieve as the most full advantage, and call for reinforcements over the initial months of the First Alien War. For eons, only the Sectoid make arrivals to earth. When the Brain finally realizes the situation, that mankind has woke up and is dealing with them most directly, it begins to get desperate, it sends reinforcements, but only incrementally. (Its always focused on peak efficiency). The concept of overwhelming force is illogical and some how, disdainful, to it. It prefers nuance, interogation, politics, and assessment. The Brain determine that its more effective to eliminate allies of XCOM than to face it directly. The concept of obliterating anything from orbit is reprehensible. Everything must be examined, especially the dead creatures you leave behind. Over time, it would learn man's tactics and assimilate. In fact, each race called in is an example of the Brain adapting. The Floaters bring forth an extra dimension to combat. The snakemen aggressiveness and accuracy. Mutons a culmination of superior warrior breeding, raw physical power, and determination not unlike the so called human soul. Finally, the Ethereals enter, with capacity to bring overwhelming force. In time, as they do on Mars base, they might begin joint force attacks with Mutons backed by Ethereals, supported by a mix of terror weapons. Fortunately, the First Alien War is ended before they fully develop such cunning. Hence the desperate act of T'Leth. The Brain has learned the power of anger fueled by vengeance and desperation.
--[[User:BlackLibrary|BlackLibrary]] 11:10, 29 May 2011 (EDT)

:I've always viewed it as primarily a lack of resources. Even if you get a UFO every single day and shoot them all down so that there's no possible chance of any of them being the same UFO that's still only several hundred to perhaps a thousand or few UFO's over the course of several years. And most of those are quite small and not too difficult to take out with regular old interceptors and human armaments. If used all at once it might be enough to achieve air superiority, particularly if the Battleships do all the heavy lifting. But it also might not. It certainly would NOT provide enough soldiers to mount a worldwide ground offensive. The crews on those ships aren't all that big. There's also no reason to assume that all those craft, weapons, soldiers, and more importantly... elerium are all available at the same time. It's quite likely that the aliens are cloning new soldiers, building new weapons and UFO's, and possibly receiving supplies (particularly of elerium) from deep space. Elerium is needed to manufacture a lot of their stuff as well, and we already know it's a limited resource in our solar system. Consider on top of that how much get's used up as fuel every time a UFO visits Earth. If they sent all their UFO's they would use up their reserves of Elerium all at once for a 1 day attack that ultimately would fail. Instead of conquering the Earth wholesale they are trying to influence governments into signing secret pacts with them so that they can control the population of the Earth rather than wipe us out. They do this by using terrorism to intimidate the public and inserting clones to infiltrate governments while holding secret negotiations. A steady stream of UFO missions keeps up the pressure until governments break. Lucky for us they never expected us to bring the fight to the command center on mars. Just imagine if they had built base defenses like we can for our bases. heh Lord would it be aggravating building up a crew of top notch soldiers, constructing an Avenger from scratch, scrapping together all the gear, sending it to Mars, and then watching it get blown to bits before it even lands... O,o Also consider that their UFO's have operated with relative impunity for a very long time. Presumably XCom is the first organization to shoot down a UFO? As for Earth ramping up for a full scale war, it'd be unlikely that we could really produce enough alien technology in any reasonable timescale to actually outfit whole nations armies, especially with limited Elerium. Perhaps the tech that doesn't require Elerium, but then again shifting an entire army from one weapon system to another is not as simple as merely producing all the weapons. It's an extremely long, arcane, and baffling process. Getting just the branches of the US military to switch to laser weapons would probably take at least a decade. I think that limited resources and the intent to control and dominate rather than eliminate the population of the Earth explain it. For that matter they would see the human population it-self as a resource. Hence the use of small scale terrorism rather than attempting to use any weapons of mass destruction. A bunch of aliens walking around shooting people is still pretty damn scary stuff.[[User:Mannon|Mannon]] 13:12, 30 March 2011 (EDT)

I would have thought that the simplest answer here is best. The aliens are manifestly unable to survive outside containment or bases for prolonged periods. Further, their clearest technological advantage over the humans (at least, prior to X-Com research) is mind control. Therefore, their primary method of offence is not to get bogged down in a ground war, but to engage in the overthrow of governments by infiltration, coercion, corruption and bribery, and achieve complaisance by terrorisation of the general populace. It is for this reason that standard combat tactics involving large hierarchies are ineffectual against the aliens (when the government/command can be mind controlled and the theatre can be defined by a mobile alien force). A decentralised, partly cellular, covert approach like X-Com is preferable, but unable to win an outright ground war either (being composed of, at maximum, 250 soldiers). Of course in reality, the irony is that the aliens/bourgeoisie/Fox network have Mind Controlled you, the X-Com commander into wasting your time with retro video games instead of doing anything about their societal control!
--[[User:Oogleshay|Oogleshay]] 16:16, 18 October 2011 (EDT)

My theory is that the aliens are deliberately trying to be low-key because they know once the UN can no longer keep the invasion a secret, they will have no reason to pull their punches at defending Earth. The aliens want to make it so that once humanity at large fully realizes what's going on, it's already too late - they're poking the sleeping giant but take care not to awaken it before amputating all limbs to make it unable to defend itself once awake.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 06:33, 14 January 2012 (EST)

Perhaps the aliens suffer from a lack of proper logistics. If we assume that their purpose was to retrieve the lost colony ship(T'leth) then it wouldn't seem particularly likely that the aliens would have brought along the necessary logistics to support a full scale invasion of Earth. Furthermore it is quite possible that the alien ships you encounter in the first XCOM are actually not dedicated invasion ships but rather re-purposed fighter ships(which would explain the total lack of artillery or bombardment capabilities).
--[[User:Theinsomniac|Theinsomniac]] ([[User talk:Theinsomniac|talk]]) 22:47, 17 February 2014 (EST)

I disagree with all this. "Mankind is the greatest species." - hogwash. The aliens are clearly capable of wiping out humanity when they wish, if you read the whole of the lose game screens. The game had to be designed to give humans a chance to fight back. With this caveat: the only reasons the aliens don't start wiping out the population would be to preserve humanity. With the harvesting and abduction missions, clearly they are looking for something in the fauna and flora of Earth. Something that a massive assault would make improbable to find due to the overwhelming loss of life that would occur. The most logical explanation would be that the aliens want to harvest specimens with specific genetics traits, so they would want to be able to sift through as much of the population as possible to find those with the best traits. Before wiping out the rest of the "inferior specimens". This explanation would also fit to the story that the brain tells at the end of the Cydonia mission (if that story is more than just a desperate attempt to save itself.) [Why the aliens are so incompetent is due to incomplete development of the strategic layer by the designers, especially with the economy.] [[User:Morgan525|Tycho]] ([[User talk:Morgan525|talk]])

Obviously, in the remake, this is much more easily explained as the Etherial search for Psions making human extermination ''not'' being their goal (but in fact, the ''last'' thing they want, since we're the best shot they got for their apparent true goal: ascendance), but to an limited degree is is reasonable to retroactively apply this motivation to the 1994 Etherials/Cydonian Brain. On a similar vein, where the Gallop Brothers even thinking about T'leth yet during Defense's development? I saw not too long ago, I think on the History Channel, of a 'realistic' take at trying to fight off an invasion/occupation force, also noted to be about harvesting, not about outright killing all humans: with presumed FTL tech, even someting a fraction of lightspeed, and the number and masses of UFOs involved both in the special and in XCOM; it'd be much easier to just strap some engines on some large asteroids and spam them at Earth, which those points prove is possible: a much easier and effective means to exterminate humans, if the goal was xenophobic in nature--- but I digress. Consider.. hmmm, yeh, the US invasion of Iraq or Aphganistan: we COULD of just nuked the hell out either country and called it a day. Presuming a lot, but maybe some of the same reasons America didn't are the same? Intergalatic politics not allowing such WMDs? Excessive collateral damage wasn't their interest? Looking for something specific on an individual basis? That the aliens (may) want slaves, and reasons on that vein, is a big difference they have. Going back to the special, how humanity won is by a mass infitration/kamakaze attack on the barge/battleship-sized UFOs, and making it "not worth" continuing the occupation (in similar nature to people wizing up to Bush's bullshit and losing so many soldiers to cheap-ass IEDs and Soviet-era tech making the Iraq War unpopular)..... again, assuming alien behaviors and mechanics of motivations are anything remotley "human-like". So, at best, I'd ascribe the 1994 alien's motivation as the same as in the special: conquering for resources. Cortez conquering my ancestors for gold. --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] ([[User talk:Xuncu|talk]]) 08:03, 18 February 2014 (EST)

My personal theory in regards to this is simple. To get to Mars from where they originated they would have to travel at relativist speeds (at or at least close to the speed of light) this requires a lot of energy and at this speed every microgram counts. (a single microgram of cargo can cost a ton of fuel at FTL speeds).
So the aliens travelling to Mars, instead of bringing a massed invasion fleet bring the bare minimum. Embryos or even genetic samples for each of their species, blueprints for weapons and equipment, basic manufacturing facilities, mining equipment and a transport vessel designed to be cannibalised to set up the initial Cydonia base, with only a ghost crew to start things off.
This explains the year prior to the start of the game (the steady increase in UFO reports, abductions ect.) the aliens need resources, they probably got some from mining the area around Cydonia to build some of their equipment but to grow clones they need a nutrient medium (not to mention the food they need for themselves) which means they have to go to earth and harvest. The initial missions were probably in areas such as the ocean, or jungles, harvesting flora and fauna. But given how little they would be able to harvest this way (they would have trouble finding enough protein not to mention the fact that mutons are said to be obligate carnivores) which meant increased incursions on populated areas (such as farms) add to this the lack of genetic diversity means that they would abduct humans to help provide some means of altering their genetic code to better handle earth diseases and atmosphere.
This can also explain why you only get small UFOs initially, they don't have the resources to build battle ships (until they have mined enough to expand their production facilities and build bigger craft). It also explains why they lack weapons.
TFTD show that the alien's method for “education” is to just implant knowledge. What this means is you have a bunch of aliens with the same hard-wired brain (clones) and with the same knowledge. Limiting their ability to adapt and change (they don't have years of experience to work on, nor have they had to think of the knowledge they have it's just given to them as fact).
Once X-com is formed they now find themselves battling an enemy that not only adapts to use their technology but builds on it (personal armour, power suits, flying suits, fusion ball tanks, ect). The whole alien invasion is doomed from the start.
Given time the aliens could have built up a massive fleet capable of overwhelming earth (which was probably their initial plan) but due to X-com getting involved that plan got knocked back. They can mine Mars and the asteroid belt for minerals to build their weapons, but without raiding earth for the fauna to feed their troops and grow their clones they can not build an army.
The aliens probably observed earth previously. (maybe Roswell was a scouting mission which failed to return) as such they underestimated our detection and interception capabilities (the back-story actually states that X-com is using the best craft available and previous attempts to intercept UFOs failed using conventional earth technology, which probably explains the limited weapon load-outs for x-com craft (they are built on high speed prototypes designed as proof of concept not actual in service craft so they had to jury rig hard points).
This basically means that the aliens were unprepared for earth's level of resistance, before they even had a force capable of fighting. If they had been more careful, built their forces in silence (by farming wild life in the jungles and oceans, instead of going for rich targets like farms to load up on cow parts quickly) they may have been able to launch an invasion before earth even knew what was happening (just imagine if the game started with 20 battleships over every country, mutons march down the streets carrying heavy plasmas and blaster bombs, while snakemen and chrysalids strike major cities, all the while ethreals are mind controlling everyone... try winning that game with just 2 interceptors, a couple of rifles, some heavy weapons and 8 soldiers who can't hit the broad side of a barn from point blank range with a guided rocket --[[User:crwydryny|crwydryny]] 14:50, 30 December 2015 (GMT)

I think that the aliens simply had no concept that they could be defeated. By analogy: when a dog trainer shows up to tame a savage dog, she's not showing up with a troupe of armed bodyguards, because that would be a silly level of overpreparedness. She's not worried the dog will outsmart her. She's not worried that the dog will figure out how to handle the leash, wrap it around her neck, and then demolish her car. If anything like that started happening, she'd be so utterly astonished, because it's never happened so far with any of the dogs she's trained. She'd be slow to react or to adapt her strategy, because the situation would be so difficult for her to believe. Dogs just don't behave that way! Similarly, the combination of battleships, mind control, and plasma has always been so overwhelmingly effective that the Ethereals have never needed to be smart, or adaptive, or even make accurate assessments about the intricate details of the planets they're taking over. Plus, they're a society of clones operating in a strict hierarchy, and literally sharing thoughts psionically. They probably have only a vague understanding of "individuality", and I doubt they have much understanding of guerrilla warfare, because they've never seen it succeed. Their political and interpersonal dynamics are vastly simpler than ours. I doubt that they're even aware that X-COM exists as an entity that is independent of our world governments. [[User:Jessicest|Jessicest]] ([[User talk:Jessicest|talk]]) 22:23, 15 March 2020 (UTC)

===What may be the hidden function of UFO Power Sources?===

Why does no UFO contain something similar to craft weapon despite the fact that most of them may shoot, some are very painfully? And the only UFO that can't do that is Small Scout; on the other side, it can fly with 2200 km/hr Speed yet does not even contain UFO Power Source, whereas the Speed of Medium Scout (with 1 UPS on board) is 2400 km/hr only. More so, the Speed of Battleship (4 UPS within) is 5000 km/hr, that is only about twice of Small Scout one. So, what is the function of UFO Power Source? Let us suppose that they not only increase UFO Speed but actually are used as Plasma Guns during air combat.

Next, it is reasonable that UFO Navigation controls that weapon system; probably they need at least one per each UPS. Also Navigation may increase UFO's maneuverability when close to Earth's surface; pro arguments are: Harvester carries 10 Navigations (to pinpoint small targets, say, lonely cattle), Terror ship has 8 (to drop terror squad accurately onto city roads as shown in the Intro movie), Abductor has 5 (to pinpoint lonely men at rustic areas; also it's Size is Medium, not Large as Harvester), Supply ship has 4 (all that it should do is landing near Alien Bases); Battle ship has 4 (as it's main activity are air combats and X-Com base assaults); both Large and Medium Scouts (Small Size ships) have 2 each.

Next, though Large and Medium Scouts have the same UPS and Navigation number, the first is faster being larger. But Large Scouts carry not only Navigators but 3 (estimating by Sectoid staff on Superhuman Difficulty) Engineers also. Probably, Engineers may adjust UPS to optimal performance that results in Speed increment (from 2400 to 2700 km/hr) and Weapon Range increment (from 15 to 34 km) yet Weapon Power doesn't change (20 damage units per attack). All the larger UFOs have full Engineer staff on board, namely 2, so their UPS are adjusted by default.

Abductor and Harvester have 2 UPS each, 40 du Weapon Power, 20 and 22 km Weapon Range, 4000 and 4300 km/hr Speed respectively. Supply ship has 3 UPS, 60 du Weapon Power, 34 km Weapon Range yet only 3200 km/hr Speed. Terror and Battle ships have 4 UPS each, 120 and 140 du Weapon Power, 42 and 65 km Weapon Range respectively; their Speed values are 4800 and 5000 km/hr.

At this stage of our research we have got two questions.

First, Weapon Power values are expected to be proportional to the number of UPS multiplied by 20 du, so Terror and Battle ships should have only 80 du each. Probably, the explanation of such increase is UPS configuration. In both cases UPS are placed by corners of quadrate. Let's suppose, without too much far-fetching, that plasma beams, normally dissipating and losing power at larger distance, may focus somehow being close together, yet not too close, as Battle ship Weapon Power is higher. Also, that may explain the Weapon Range increment as well. Note that Large Scout has normal Weapon Power but quite high Weapon Range, 34 km, probably because of extended Engineer staff; otherwise it is expected to be next to Medium Scout's one, that is about 15 km. According to Abductor/Harvester, Supply ship and Terror ship data, each additional UPS increases the Range by 9 km in average.

Second question is the Speed of Supply ship. One (well adjusted by Engineers) UPS increases UFO Speed from 2200 to 2700 km/hr (Large Scout as compared with Small Scout). Another UPS yields 4000-4300 km/hr. Another two yield 4800-5000 km/hr. So, in average, each UPS brings another 700 km/hr to basic Speed of 2200 km/hr.

This Speed is probably provided by some propulsion device built in UFO's construction, as Small Scouts have about nothing but hulls and no trophy but alloys may be recovered. Another anomaly is special reinforcement of ship hull. Calculating the ratio of Damage Capacity to recovered Alloys quantity we get 5-7 for Large Scout, Harvester, Abductor; 13-15 for Supply, Terror and Battle ships; 18 for Medium Scout and 50 for Small one. Hypothetically, Small Scouts may be the most expensive ones to craft, while Harvesters are the cheapest, though it is quite reasonable in some way. Also, the theory of built-in UPS and Navigation may explain why even extremely damaged UFOs that have lost all their usual UPS may land without crush and crater, automatically, if Navigators are dead. Not speaking that Small Scout crew and personnel is presented by one Soldier (Muton occasionally), so its missions may be automatic in general. (Well, suggesting there is one hidden UPS out there somewhere, we just get another set of numbers: basic Speed of 1500 km/hr plus the same 700 km/hr per additional UPS in average. And three hidden UPS would give us simple linear dependence: Speed = UPS Number x 700 km/hr.) Still, even if we exclude Small Scouts from our research totally, the problem remains: Suppliers are slow.

Thus, the expected Speed of Supplier is about 4200 km/hr, not just 3200. The possible explanation is their cargo of 20 Food units, since these ones are fragile containers (as they may be easily damaged in cross-fire) vulnerable to acceleration overloads; on the other side, Harvesters carry 14 Food units but they have 10 Navigation units vs. 4 on Supplier's board, so more advanced propulsion control may reduce these overloads.

Also, there is once more interesting fact: only Terror and Battle ships have Entertainment modules, 8 and 24 respectively. And only these two types carry Terrorist alien combat units, 10 and 6 respectively (as well as Alien Bases, with 55 Entertainments in average and 7 Terrorists). Let's suppose that the true purpose of these enigmatic devices is 'entertainment', or rather brain-washing, to bring Terrorists under their master's control without excess efforts, or at least to suppress their aggression temporarily. Though, it is another topic at all.

At Terror ships, Battle ships and Alien Bases there are some devices looking like red spheres with blue tubes connected. They referred as plasma conduits, and Engineers may be found over there. Yet hardly that means the same green plasma their weapons shoot with. Let's suggest that these things contain some kind of special food produced from harvested trophies and used by aliens, especially by Terrorists as they need more energy to fight. Maybe, since they are subject to psionic control, or stun damage, in contradistinction from X-Com HWP tanks, even Cyberdisks and Sectopods have some organic brain-like component inside, so they need food too, in addition to electric accumulators, or Elerium batteries recharge.

Now back to the main question. Note that UFOs may not shoot two or more targets simultaneously, or at least never displays such activity. If so, these Plasma Guns have one-target operation mode only. It corresponds with the usual function of combined UPS and Navigation system as ship propulsion engine. Next, let's suggest that Navigators are ship Gunners also, while Engineers may adjust UPS to yield additional power boosting Speed and Weapon Range. Also it is reasonable that one of two Navigators controls the flight while another shoots during air combats, with some help of ship Engineers.

Another fact is Alien Bases, even Cydonian, have neither Rocket Defense nor Plasma or similar defense system at all, only some alien combat units at most, though it could be expected to have anti-aerial power weaponry (versus meteorite bombardment, for example). Obviously, base UPS can't be used that way as they are deep beneath planet's surface.

To conclude, let's note one more observation. UFO Power Sources have no complicated control console, as Navigations do, not even chair nearby. Yet there must be something Engineers can do with. Even Muton ones. Navigation control panels don't fit, as Engineers are looking at UPS from close range, without distant controls. On the other side, two Engineers are enough to adjust four UPS in opposite corners of Battleships. Also, as UFOs with solo UPS may change flight direction due to Navigators, their control of UPS generated fields must be quite versatile. So let us suggest that Engineer's job is periodical control of some close range field that protects UPS from propulsion forces and thereby distorts any distant sensors beyond reliability.

Though it's only theoretical, aforesaid may pretend to explain some unclear details of UFO Power Source functions.
[[User:VanTorrens|VanTorrens]] ([[User talk:VanTorrens|talk]]) 12:45, 24 October 2019 (CEST)

===Why battlescapes always being "one-way transparent"?===

Every time an X-COM taskforce disembarks from the transport, they always find the surrounding being completely “shrouded”, despite in common military practice, there must be recon satellites and/or scout planes to overwatch the AO, even with hostiles marked and tracked. Even if X-COM doesn’t have that kind of luxury, their transports should be able to scan the AO before landing to provide a rather clear and detailed map for soldiers.

And similarly, X-COM bases seemly never have any CCTV system, so during a Base Defense mission, the soldiers effectively fight in blind despite on their own turf.

However in Alien Base Assaults, it’s understandable. Since an alien base is subterranean and it’s almost devoid of artificial illumination, also it’s impossible to send a spy for pre-battle reconnaissance, and seems aliens don’t have terminals for being hacked in corridors, so an alien base is supposed to be “shrouded”.
[[User:Lixiaofossil|Lixiaofossil]] ([[User talk:Lixiaofossil|talk]]) 15:24, 5 December 2023 (UTC+8)

==TFTD issues==
===What was the relationship between the aliens from the 1st and 2nd wars?===

Quoting from the UFOPaedia regarding Alien Origins: 'Deep in the oceans there lie ancient
sites used by the Aliens to contact their stellar cousins.' This also has some implications regarding the issue of why T'Leth was only activated when the Sectoids were defeated.

*Gill Men are coopted Terran creatures, Aquatoids are a differently-modified Sectoid breed, Lobstermen are machine soldiers that are manufactured, Tasoths are clone soldiers that are grown.

Aquatoids are the ancestors of the Sectoids. The colony ship was sent out slowing than light hundreds of millions of years ago. Sectoids are a more genetically advanced race. The rest of UFO aliens were picked up after that point. The Brain and Ethereals probably conquered the Sectoids and don't regard them highly. While the Aquatoids that were thawed over the years created, conquered (Gill Man) or manufactured the rest of the allies over time. I picture the Tasoth as probably something they brought with them and have been working on. Since most of the Aquatoids come from suspended animation they have not tinkered with genes much. Instead modifying and using electronics (MC Chip) to control. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:28, 22 March 2010 (EDT)

===What kind of materials were 'synomium' and 'adamantium'?===

The first one is mentioned on the name of the alien communication devices and the second one appears at the end when T'Leth is destroyed: 'he twisting hugeness of T'leth begins to rupture.
Flames and smoke spew from its gleaming spires and adamantium halls.'

:Synomium is probably a special material used in the comm. devices, like Stargate's naquadah (universal stuff), naquadria (unstable power source), trinium (hull material) and neutronium (superdense metal). Adamantium is a legendary material in ancient literature that is said to be indestructible, similarly to mithril.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 10:55, 3 November 2009 (EST)

:Adamantium is said to be one of the strongest elements in many books and films such as X-men. --[[User:St.froppelie|St.froppelie]] 19:45, 23 October 2011 (GMT)

*See also Wikipedia article on Adamantium: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamantium]

===How deep were X-COM bases located on the seas?===

*Floating bases would be easier to build, repair and supply. However they would have to be tethered to the ocean bed or possess some sort of propulsion to prevent them from drifing with the ocean currents. But it would also allow for easy redeployment of the base.
*Submersible bases could allow for better sonar detection. Same problems regarding ocean currents would apply. In case of hull breaches entire modules would be quickly flooded and any crew present would be crushed by water pressure or drown. Base could be built and then submerged (requires depth control)
*Seabed bases would be the hardest to build and supply. Several other factors could limit their deployment, such as unstable areas (underwater volcanoes, prone to seaquakes, rock avalanches, etc.) and depths.
*Given that the Alien Retaliation missions in TFTD are called "Floating Base Attack", I'd say floating. Also remember that your starting sonar can't see Very Deep, which rules out seabed bases. [[User:magic9mushroom]]
** Floating doesn't always happen on the surface. The surface has to deal with large waves ad bobbing up and down, submerged only has the currents it could be stabilized easier. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 11:57, 14 January 2010 (EST)
* I was recently researching how far you have to be down to not be effected by surface conditions. You have to be submerged 1/2 of a waves lenght (measured crest to crest) Best I can find is that the average wave is 150 yards accross. To not be effected by the waves you have to be 75 Yards below. This is way below the depth needed to not be effected by the bends when surfaceing. I figure they are probably right at the limit of what can be safe for quick surfacing and well anchored to avoid getting [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwKXfc_a4Ag tossed in a storm]. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:37, 22 March 2010 (EDT)
**Something else to consider - these 'floating bases' could be large modular submarines/submersibles. If memory serves, submarines basically maintain sea-level pressure regardless of the depth, so that could explain why they'd be able to be 75+ feet below sea level and not suffer the bends when surfacing.
::(Or, y'know, we could just say "a wizard did it".) --[[User:Guido Talbot|Guido Talbot]] 14:13, 16 July 2010 (EDT)

==XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) issues==
===Motives behind the invasion===
Now, the UberEtherial pretty much spells out the whole point of the invasion, as well as of their use & control of all the other aliens: they ''wanted'' humanity to evolve and become powerful, because they needed a species that was both high in physical prowess, and a powerful psychic warrior. He (presuming gender) freely admits that their bodies suck (and that the other races suck in body and/or mind even more), and the 1st-3rd-1st person pronoun switch in ONE sentence ("We who failed to ascend as ''they'' thought we would") and "preparation for what lies ahead", as well as his descriptions of the other alien races in the Temple Ship imply a number of things:
*The other races are enslaved races, perhaps from earlier invasions (possibly starting with Sectoids and Etherials being different castes of the same species?), themselves having been enhanced by their own resistances, before becoming enslaved on the degree of being puppets.
*The whole point of the invasion is enslavement of humans, not extermination, for the perfect warrior-- any Metroid fans can think of the Chozo also becoming masters of Psionics and energy manipulation, at the cost of becoming physically frail and infertile, and entrusting the Power Suit -- and their legacy -- to Samus.
*The alien surgeries (which greatly resemble Sensory Deprivation tanks-- you can even zoom in to see captive humans twitch sporadically) are their version of XCOM's Psi Lab (which ''also'' greatly resemble Sensory Deprivation tanks): they are 'farming' humans for Psi potential, similar to how us, the player, may farm soldiers for our own Psi Squad
*Which then makes XCOM almost as much the ''Etherial's'' project as it is the Council's (hence why they do not invade or attack XCOM HQ or Interceptor bases)
*Someone/thing ''else'' is involved, someone the Etherials are in some way subservient to: notice in the Temple Ship and in the Overseer UFO, the strange, Cathedral-like "Stained Glass Windows". To me, there appear to be ''two'' figures in each: the much more visible 4-armed Etherial silhouette, and in a transparent, but slightly darker shade of lavender, some other 6-8 limbed creature, with a larger body and a very different head-shape behind the first.
*"What lies ahead" may mean some coming disaster, or merely a challenge and testing from this sequel-hook of "They"
*Additionaly: the description of the Hyperwave device implies contact with an alternate dimension. The organic-metallic (silicon based, perhaps?) form of the Outsiders (as opposed to the rather obvious "manufactured and machined parts grafted onto flesh" Cyborg attachments of both Floater varieties), and their absence (especially from the Temple Ship) after the device's capture, as well as released screenshots of the upcoming FPS XCOM game (mentioning Outsiders AND being placed several decades ago)-- all this suggests alternate timelines as well as alternate dimensions (in quantum physics, these are practically the same thing anyways), as well as some species native to this ''Outside'' dimension that are the ones, this "They", whom are actually calling the shots.
--[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 03:56, 26 January 2013 (EST)

*Just to verify the point about the Outsiders, they are called OUTSIDERS, which pretty much means not native, so possibly they are not native to this dimension, also, "What lies ahead" Could possibly be foreshadowing a TFTD remake? And the Outsiders are merely, prototypes of the Ultimate Alien?
[[User:XBrassxDragonX|XBrassxDragonX]] 22:59, 25 May 2013 (EDT)

*The UberEthereal is a rebel against "They" he/she/it united a group of Ethereals, and left "They" Then, he/she/it proceeded to search for the Ultimate Race, a race that was as tough as a Muton, and as Psionically Powerful as an Ethereal, these were the Humans. This Ultimate Race would overthrow "They" and thus, complete the Ethereal's legacy, it could also be, that through the use of implants, and sacrificing physical strength for Psionic Power, the Humans could walk the same path as the Ethereals, and be contacted by whatever was left of "They" then, the Humans would help "They" rebuild, and realize the sinister motivations behind "They's" plan, and thus, repeat the story in a never-ending cycle.

===How is it possible for Psionic soldiers to exist?===
After capturing a Psi-capable enemy and dissecting it: does XCOM reverse-engineer the implants and insert them into troops (whether they test positive (capable of using them) or not)? Or, is the testing just digging for a Psi signal that ''is already there''? In which case, it's a human-evolved trait, but from where, and why wasn't it found before? Vahlen's reasearch implies similar genetic struture between aliens and humans: do humans and Etherials/Sectoids have a common Psi-capable ancestor, or have the Etherials been interfereing with human evolution for at least 20-30 years (or however old troopers tend to be, with Shaojie Zhang and his advanced age, equally possible to have Psi-Abilites), if no longer? At least in Apocalypse, there's the excuse of Sectoid/Human Hybrids. How do humans use a power just discovered that year, and only a few months of practice, end up with the capacity to potentially mind-control Etherials, each of which who have several thousand years of personal experience with Psi abilites? --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 05:28, 11 April 2013 (EDT)
:It's implied that humans were always latent psionics (it's possible that if we weren't, the Ethereals would never have bothered us at all). The cutscene where your first psionic is found suggests the testee is immersed in some sort of purple gas, which presumably causes some physiological change to make them operant psionics. As for how human psionics get so good so quickly, good question, though bear in mind that psionic humans are implied to be an Ethereal's equal in raw power, but while an Ethereal has to expend psionic power all the time just to stay alive and standing, a human can devote it all to his psionic attacks. This could explain why humans are on an equal footing with Ethereals despite having comparatively little practice. More simply, it could just be that humans are badass compared to aliens; we certainly seem to be able to reverse engineer their technology in record time AND then make improvements to it, suggesting we're frankly just "better" than them. [[User:Binkyuk|Binkyuk]] 09:07, 12 April 2013 (EDT)

:Another possibility could be that Elerium exposure maybe one of the factors. While Doctor Vahlen stated that she found a correlation with high will power and psychic ability, gameplay mechanics aside there are cases where a very high willed soldier came back from the Psionic Labs who had displayed no psychic prowess whatsoever. Elerium is used in the alien technologies and it was only after the Alien attack that XCOM was able to 'make' psionic soldiers. Another piece of evidence is that pieces of equipment such as the Psi Armor and the Mind Shield require a large quantity of Elerium in order to manufacture and that it 'enhances' the Psychic abilities of the wearer. While it is true that Elerium is used as a power source for the armor, unlike the hulking Titan armor the Psi armor is essentially a skinsuit/catsuit/muscle suit that has no visible heavy pieces of armor but yet the Elerium requirements for a set of Psi Armor exceed the Elerium requirements for the larger, heavier Titan armor. Logically (again, gameplay mechanics aside) speaking the lighter Ghost armor could perform the same if it used the same amount of Elerium for the Titan armor yet it requires more to function. Combined with the fact that the Psionic Labs and the Gallop Chamber (Both facilities that involve Psionic's) are the only XCOM facilities outside of the Elerium Generator that requires Elerium in their construction means that Elerium maybe linked to the manifestation of Psychic phenomena.
[[User:GMPilot0079|GMPilot0079]] 3:56, 13 May 2013 (CST)

===Bureau/Enemy Within/My Little Pony Supplemental===
{{Ref Open | title = Yes, really}}
How does a ''Psychic'' attack on an XCOM soldier cause obvious psychological effects (-will, -aim), but damages ''armor'' first?

So, it's a safe assumption that the "They" spoken up above is probably the likes of [[Ethereal_(Bureau)|Asaru and Shamash]], "True" Etherials, who's physical forms have been discarded in trade of bodies made of pure energy--- much like EU/EW's Outsiders (not the Zudjari-- for clarity's sake, "Outsider" means the UFO-commander type alien in EU, and Bureau's 'Outsiders' shall be specifically called "Zudjari") are ''also'' described as being of pure energy. So, Bass Dragon was half-right: the Outsiders are not prototypes, they're attempts to ''reverse-engineer'' the Ultimate Life-forms that are the True Etherials. Shamash outright said they exist in multiple realities (either in the "omnipresent" sense (and the "physical" body is just the part that happens to intersect this reality), or that they can shift between alternate realities, XCOM's dimension included), and the Hyperwave Uplink, which seems to be the source for the Outsider's existence, has in-game descriptions that states that it has some kind of access to alternate dimensions, I think confirms this. The fact that Origin could study and emulate Shamash through scientific methods also leads credence that the Outsiders were scientific attempts to manufacture a True Etherial (or analogue thereof), via the Uplink.

The slave collars on the Bureau's Sectoids. I used to think that Sectoids may have been a low catse, but effectively the same species as Etherials. But, that was more based on the 1994 game's depictions, where the Sectoids were weaklings, but seemed to be "just another member of the alien horde." With 4-armed Etherials being canon, it's more likley that Etherials share a common ancestor with Slenderman than Sectoids, since evolution doesn't really work that way (ie: all/most (modern) Earth animals with spinal chords (chordate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordate] ) follow a "head and 4 limbs and 2 eyes" body configuration). More likely, Sectoids are the "for hire/sale" whipping boy of the universe. Additionally, the slave collars that are suggested to help link them to the Mosaic Network, show how incomplete Origin's manipulation of Shamash was: in the infliltration of the Spire in Arizona, Dr Wier comments that Mosaic "seems to want to help". But, as the normal Etherials were collectively working together, that is why EU's Sectoids were without collars: the Etherials had no need for them.

Sectoids on sale, now 50% off, this Rel only, here on Shopduct n' Slave!

Now, the Meld: it always struck me as odd how ''careless'' the aliens seemed to be, leaving massive resources laying around for XCOM to collect. If XCOM was some kind of MMORPG, I would bet that players who chose the Alien factions would often blow up the Elerium Generators and Navigational Computers if it looked like they were going to lose a base or UFO (Chryssalid Rush, ke ke ke!). That they leave the Meld hanging around seems to me that they ''want'' XCOM to get it, which goes with what I wrote long ago up there about how XCOM could be said to also be the Etherial's project, at least indirectly.

On the other hand; how does Meld tie in with the purpose of the invasion? Searching for the Ultimate Life Form, "as we sought to uplift them, to prepare them." In other words: those aren't mere storage canisters, XCOM Bait, or bombs. They're ''dispersal units''. The Etherials' plot was to seed Earth with Meld to enhance physical capacities anyways (Mechtoids, Floater/Heavies), while doing abductions as mass "Farming" for Psi-positive humans (ie; like how the player buys soldiers in bulk, and picks out the ones we want to submit for Psi testing). Failures: we fire them, Zudjari kill them and dump 'em out back, Etherials and The Matrix turn them into flood slurry, and the Wachowski Siblings make a third movie and lose all credibility.

Which brings me to my third topic, where I talk about a cute talking unicorn that hails from a magical Fantasy kingdom of baby horses.

In the crossover fanfic [http://www.fimfiction.net/story/100455/stardust XCOM/FiM: Stardust], the Author is (with obvious liberties) attempting to stay accurate to XCOM's technical information (with assistance from this very 'Paedia: he's seen my work here). The major alterations to the plot are that Bradford replaces the player character of the Commander, and instead of Fluttershy reforming Discord, Discord makes a bet with Twilight Sparkle to "Convince me, irrefutably, that friendship is the strongest power in the universe."

With Twilight accepting the terms, Discord teleports her to April 02, 2015, to the site of a Terror Mission in Washington DC, within 30 feet of a Chryssalid.
:If you've read this far, I assume I've had your interest. If I now have your attention, and want to read the story without getting spoilers, scroll down to where '''Elerium''' is next written in bold.

So, obvious question: "What the hell does that have to do with anything?!" Well, the Author is trying to stay accurate to EU and Bureau (he did start writing before much of EW was revealed) while writing his own story, and he addresses several valid points that solve, or at least address several XCOM mysteries. The unique viewpoint of involving cartoon ponies is for flavor, amusement, and contrast to better see them.

As the story continues; Twilight is captured by XCOM, and almost Interrogated by Dr Vahlen, but manages to escape the containment cell. Hijinks ensue, Dr Shen talks Bradford into allowing him to make contact (referencing the in-game Arc Thrower conversation between the three), and Twilight is now a 'guest' of XCOM, taking residence in "Stardust" Labs. Eventually, she helps in XCOM's research of both alien technology, and her own magic abilities: The magic field she uses in Equestria is also available on Earth, but is stiff from "disuse," but is discovered to be the same field that the Aliens use for Psionic abilities. It's revealed that Elerium is, or is at least an analogue to "Arcanite", a material that boosts magic abilities. Ergo: Elerium boosts Psionic abilities. As Twilight assists in both XCOM Research, and indirectly with missions themselves, with her magic, her use of the Field begins to awaken the Psionic/Magic abilities of the humans around her. For example, Commander Bradford has 'time-stopping' precognition; several times, he has seen TPKs, only to snap back into real time shortly before it all goes to hell-- save states, basically.

Her assistance also points out that the implants found in the aliens, particularly the Sectoid Commanders, also have Elerium circuitry that activates/boosts/projects their Mind Control ability (as well as all aliens to be able to be controlled by the Etherials, who have not yet been revealed in the story, save for a refrence to/by a possible EXALT/Osiris member, and another to William Carter). This also points out that the Etherials are not specifically "Religious" of themselves, as Origin was, but are scientific-minded (the "All Technologies" research credit).

The mystery of XCOM this addresses is, as Analyst Krut points out in The Bureau: "Why?"

"Dear Twilight Sparkle,

'''ELERIUM.'''

Sincerely,
:Pinkie Pie!"

The Field that makes the abilities possible has probably always been here, and is perhaps universal, as inherent as magnetism or gravity (or, if you want a ''stupid'' comparison: like the "Chroma" in ''Indigo Prophecy''). And, with Elerium and it's use making Psionics easier for humans, Earth is now a 'factory' for making the most potentially dangerous beings in the universe.

Evolution, at least on Earth, is more about "Good enough"/"it ''works'', duddn't it?" than any search/aim for "better", and certainly not "perfect". If there was no evolutionary push (or capacity) to be able to use the Field (as useful as it would be), such traits would not develop. Interesting examples where real-world animals do use advanced physics are the Pistol Shrimp, who's claw has evolved in such a way that's essentially a [[Sonic_Pistol]] and can make a luminescent spark of plasma that's the same temperature as the surface of the sun, and dolphins that use complex fluid dynamics that humans barely understand to, basically, just pass the time [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCf7SNUb-Q].

So, the Field that makes Psionic abilities possible is, in fact, accessible to humans, but as it is not often developed; it's rare, or doesn't manifest strongly. But it ''is'' there, so there is a motivation for the Etherials to come to Earth and do their testing (Incidentally, I don't think there is anything really saying that the Etherials knew that Asaru and Shamash were here).

Which also addresses "Why now?"

Because Elerium is now on Earth: in The Bureau, it's established that the Zudjari have been seeding the Earth with Elerium as early as 1957 (the year that Spudnik was launched: the satellite is even seen in the opening sequence of a campaign). If Elerium boosts Field abilities, such as Psionics, then 58 years of low-level global exposure may have triggered/boosted enough to draw the attention of the Etherials (incidentally, background radiation from above-ground nuclear tests peaked in 1963 at about 0.15 mSv per year worldwide, or about 7% of average background dose from all sources. The Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 prohibited above-ground tests, thus by the year 2000 the worldwide dose from these tests has decreased to only 0.005 mSv per year [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_radiation#Atmospheric_nuclear_testing]-- and in Angela's ending, she gets the US Government to use nukes to erase evidence of the invasion). This may also be why the aliens seem careless with Elerium; not as effective at making enhancements as dispersing Meld, but may help instigate Psi activations.

Now, I realize: if Psi powers ARE a scientifically understandable energy wave (and not straight-up "Magic"), then it does make sense that armor is damaged ''as well'', and that the suits that include Elerium can block the "piercing/bypassing" damage that I think would be more realistic. And for the armors it doesn't make sense for; they don't give an HP bonus big enough to make the difference.

Which leads to one more interesting thought: Elerium is not exclusive to the "Etherial Empire", or whoever controls the Sectoids (as Elerium is not in Apocalypse(?), but Sectoids are): while not naturally native to Earth, there's nothing saying how limited-- or abundant-- Elerium is throughout the universe (Arcanite). Less evidence, and more of a hunch: may Elerium be somewhat... "viral"? That it may at least "try" to spread as it goes, as the Bureau suggests? Like a milder version of Tiberium [http://cnc.wikia.com/wiki/Tiberium] or Phazon [http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Phazon]?

Obviously, Origin didn't have the device that had Asaru before the invasion, BUT, Faulk said the device was found ''in an Elerium Mine'' (in Montana). In other words, the Elerium aggregated around Asaru, who was there ''first''. So, there is enough to establish that there is a link between Elerium exposure/presence, and Psionic abilities, as is shown in Stardust.

In conclusion:
* ???? - Asaru arrives on Earth
* ???? - Sectoids, a clone race, are sold in open intergalactic slave markets to various alien empires across the universe: as clones and near-blank genetic templates, their adaptability, ability to be mass produced, and 'ease of use' (aided by Psionic links to one another) lends to the success of their sale.
* 65,000,000 BCE - The Lovecraftian "Vortex" Empire (refrence: Ecco the Dolphin [http://eccothedolphin.wikia.com/wiki/Vortex_Queen] - would explain why they look like Earth's aquatic animals), hailing from aquatic worlds, crash land a colony ship on Earth, either because, or ''as'' the impact that led to the extinction of the Dinosaurs-- and in the process, pave the way for mammals, and eventually for Humans to rise, whom will spend the rest of Time crossing Space, and even going into other Dimensions, obliterating every alien menace they encounter. Way to go, guys.
** Due to the exclusion of Elerium and their preference of aquatic habitats, their own research creates Zrbite and Aquaplastics, and they modify their own Sectoid slaves/genome templates into the Aquatoids.
* ????-1957-1962 - Zudjari, as part of their normal conquests' terraform operations, and the search for True Etherials, seeded Earth with Elerium in [[The_Bureau:_XCOM_Declassified|The Bureau]]. Asaru awakens, Shamash is killed, and Origin is deleted in a massive Etherial-fueled Psionic wave.
* 1962-2015 - Background radiation from Elerium is covered up by atmospheric Nuclear Testing, but the effects are still felt worldwide: while skills may not be developed, Psionic potential grows.
* 2015-2016? - The "cast out" Etherials begin their conquest and research of Humans and Earth, led here either by Elerium's energy signature, Psionic energy signatures, or due to the presence of the two True Etherials on a single planet; and event said to be a multiversal rarity. The battles between them and XCOM are a boon to human science and technology. Psionic experimentation, and the dispersal of Meld lead to the enhancement of both the human mind and body. Then the Etherials get blown the fuck up.
** Black Market interests begin the EXALT organization, a paramilitary group made with the aim of stealing and adapting alien technology and materials to force human evolution. After the raid on their headquarters and the neutralization of their command leadership, remaining members go into hiding, and begin to pass and adapt their ideology down family lines.
* 1997-2002 - Due to the energy signal released by the death of the multidimensional being Shamash: in an alternate timeline/dimension, the Etherial invasion happens earlier: since the Alien Brain is a computer, it's able to organize the invasion that much faster. The Tachyon signal released upon it's destruction lasts only a little while, but as the Tachyon is a (theoretical) FTL particle, it's properties are not restricted to 'normal' space-time.
* 2027 - Reminants of EXALT reorganize into the Cult of Sirus.
* 2041-2046 - As the Aquatoids were able to receive the signal as easily as their Sectoid cousins, they began the resurrection of T'leth: thus, the [[TFTD|Second Alien War]].
* 2084 - The Micronoids, while not as experienced as Etherials at multidimensional travel, also register the death of Shamash, and begin [[Apocalypse|their assault]] on the largest Earth-based population: Mega-Primus. Thanks for that, Carter.
** Sectoid-Human hybrids were origionally developed by the Etherials in an attempt to add the docile and controllable aspects of the Sectoids to the physically and psionically potent human race, much like the 1957 experiments with Africanized Honey Bees. In fact, ''exactly'' like those experiments: those bees are now known as "Killer Bees", and the Human-Sectoid mutants are willing to fight for XCOM, in exchange for universal rights.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there: a Grand Unified Theory of XCOM!
{{Ref Close | source = --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 08:53, 24 November 2013 (EST) }}
And yes, I feel there's legitimacy in connecting XCOM to Ecco: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blaX_eMz3Qw Et voilà.]--[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 17:49, 24 November 2013 (EST)

[[Category: Fiction]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

The Mysteries of X-COM

2023-12-05T07:24:22Z

Lixiaofossil: /* Enemy Unknown/UFO Defence issues */

Discussion page for some less clear aspects of the series

==General issues==

==='''How fast can alien craft travel in space?'''===

Some alien missions (repeated attacks on X-COM bases, for instance) come daily. This seems to imply that alien craft are able to travel the distance from Mars to Earth in a matter of hours.

: Or maybe, as you suggest in your novels, they have a staging area near Earth, such as the dark side of the Moon. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:36, 25 February 2009 (CST)

::Really fast. Consider that they don't need to push aside atmosphere, as well as the fact that momentum is conserved in space, so they can achieve very high speeds with gravity slingshots. (Mars DOES have 2 moons, recall.) Also note that they may be operating a bit closer to home(the far side of the moon, perhaps?) it's simply that the command staff are at Cydonia. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Good article in last month's Scientific American pointing out we only rely on gravity slingshots because we still use chemical rockets with pathetic delta-V. Once 2nd and 3rd generation plasma engines come on line (1st gen are in flight now) the gravity slingshot will become an irrelevance. No doubt UFO drives are at least as good as our (future) 3rd gen plasma drives, probably way better since they warp space.

(Reminds me of the old Guild Navigator joke - I just warped space from Ix, and boy is my mind tired. Oh well, you had to be there)

[[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:Also keep in mind that both Phobos and Deimos are tiny. They are basically captured asteroids. Neither would be useful in gravity assist. But yeah, the UFO's shouldn't need any assist anyway.[[User:Mannon|Mannon]] 11:35, 30 March 2011 (EDT)
::Case in point: http://xkcd.com/681_large/ (Deimos can be escaped with someone on a bike and a plank stacked on a brick, Phobos requires a good pitching arm). --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 16:55, 13 April 2013 (EDT)

:Consider that many of the same aliens as UFO/EU are in X-COM Intercepter, having necessarily had to break light speed. Consider that if outside any atmoshphere a battleship could reach 4800 knots(in-game top speed) within two minutes (which is about how long it appears to take in-game) then it is accelerateing at about 18m/s/s or almost 2Gs. In 24 hours it would reach 1,555km/s. At this speed (assuming it turned it's drive off after 24h) it would travel about 134,000,000km each day. The maximum distance between Earth and mars is about 401,000,000km.
:For simplicity, because we have room to work with here, even if a battleship were to accelerate for 24 hours while orbiting mars, and again had to decelerate for 24 hours in orbit after reaching earth, (all while a chrysalid inside balanced two apples on each of it's mandibles) it would still only take 5 days to reach earth when both planets are at opposite orbital positions. It seems that the Ethereals can wipe out your base and not have to miss Ladies Night, assuming the club is also on earth. ''Ethereal Mind-Trick: "You don't want to 'blow dis joint'. You want to come back to the UFO for a little abduction mhmhmhmhhmm.'' [[User:Darkestaxe|Darkestaxe]] 23:38, 12 April 2013 (EDT)
::On one hand, "near-constant multiple organ failure" problably includes THAT organ. Ouch. On the other, sheer force of will problably works on that for them (lucky them); and with Psionics, you can make any woman belive that "this long" (holds hands a few inches apart) is 1 foot, as well as literally make her forget any other man she's thought about before, as well as Algerbra. Unhooking a bra would, however, still a challenge unto itself. And, since we are given specific dates in-game, there's plenty of programs online that can calculate the distance between planets for any given time, as well as lists of Oppositions (when two plants are at their closest): http://cseligman.com/text/planets/marsoppositions.htm For example, in 1999, the in-game year of the first game, on April 24th, Mars was only 86 million Km away (though Kudos if you can beat the game THAT early into a campaign) --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 16:55, 13 April 2013 (EDT)

==='''What happens to the crashed UFO craft and its crew?'''===

Downed alien craft disappear after a few days have passed. No explanation is given to this whatsoever, so what really happens to them?

Possible answers:
* The UFO and its occupants are recovered by other humans.
* The Aliens manage to repair the craft and fly back to space. (unlikely, in the event that the power plant blew up and they have no Elerium)
* The Aliens self-destruct the craft and kill themselves in the process, ensuring their remains will not be recovered by humans. (This is, in fact, the in-game explination. Read the mission briefing. [[User:Darkestaxe|Darkestaxe]] 23:38, 12 April 2013 (EDT))
* The UFO Powerplant eventually suffers a meltdown and explodes, eliminating any vestiges of alien presence.
* The Aliens blow up the UFO and disappear into the countryside.
* Most likely answer, IMHO: The local government/ funding nations give X-COM a limited time window to launch any operation, similiar to what you see in covert ops movies: "Complete the mission within 36 hours, or we initiate Carpet Bombing of the area". This is very likely considering that each nation actually has jurisdiction, and X-com is operating each military op with permission and cooperation by local authorities. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)
*Similiarly, I assume that nations which have signed a pact with the aliens launch a rescue operation and assist their alien friends. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)
: In the UFO TV show, it's stated that alien craft and bodies degrade quickly in Earth's atmosphere, disappearing completely in hours or a few days. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 15:36, 25 February 2009 (CST)
:: If that was the case, then one of the gases present in the atmosphere would be very toxic to the aliens. They would be restricted on their activities outside their craft, not to mention they would have to terraform the planet to be able to live here. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: As Zombie said, doesn't Alien Containment support this idea? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

::Those are excellent suggestions. One of the X-COM books detailed that aliens throw up a force field around crashed UFOs to give them time to repair the craft. This would also explain the limited size of the Battlescape (the area of the force field...the field was thrown up before the crash, thus why the craft wasn't always centered in it) as well as why the Battlescape is devoid of human life(the aliens took care of that up front.) Similarly, large scale bombing works as well, as does the local government going in to clean it up themselves. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::If there's a force field around the craft what is it supposed to repel? The atmosphere? Because humans have no problem entering the field and operating inside it. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::::Of course they do! Have you ever noticed how dumb your units can be? That's because the aliens can't live with too much nitrogen, so they turn some of it in their force field to oxygen, and excessive amounts of oxygen make you act weird. After a while, their power source runs out and the nitrogen returns, dissolving them into E-115. (What did you think it was made of?) AT least, that's what seemes logical to me, ad is a combination of many postulates here. 21:36, 18 March 2010 (EDT)
:::::That would require that the aliens' biochemistry and the alien alloys used in the power sources reacted with nitrogen, which is a mostly inert gas on normal temperature and pressure and a . It's kinda of weird that the aliens didn't bothered with fixing that vulnerability with their craft and bodies during millions of years (what happens if the force field malfunctions while capturing cattle? ooops!) but ok. The increase in the amount of oxygen would probably also turn any kind of fire into large explosions throughtout the force field. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 21:24, 19 March 2010 (EDT)
::The force field was intended to keep humans out so the aliens were undisturbed. The first major hurdle X-COM had was figuring out a way to bypass those fields so they COULD get troops and aircraft inside. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 20:54, 26 February 2009 (CST)
*I'd guess that the aliens would eventually mount their own rescue missions, especially once they realized that XCOM is farming their ships for resources (they must know we don't have ready access to their alloys and Elerium) and co-opting their technology. In the Firaxis game, when idling in the Situation Room screen, Central's (often amusing) radio chatter implies that there are many more UFO's and reports that don't go into the globe. Additionally: only 16 countries are covered, and there are over 150 countries on earth, plus all the oceans. After all, if we were shooting down every last ship, then the alien collective shouldn't be able to land so many aliens for Terror Missions. --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 02:48, 26 January 2013 (EST)

===How do the aliens carry their equipment?===
Like human soldiers, aliens can carry weapons and equipment in locations like legs, belt, shoulders and backpack, regardless of the fact that some of their races even lack those anatomical features.

:Potentially a sticky gel-like area on the limb. Though really, since we were never intended to access alien inventories and the AI does all inventory management internally, this may simply be something that was never considered. Speaking from a slightly different standard, most aliens do not carry excessive amounts of gear; often their equipment would be able to fit in both hands. Also recall that Floaters and Ethereals have capes and robes(which may have inside pockets, or the Floaters could store them in the anti-grav/life support unit or inside surgically created body cavities during the installation, while Ethereals could support their excess gear with telekinesis), Mutons have armor(which may have external straps or adhesive areas), and Snakemen have an armor plate(which could have straps, adhesive, inside pockets, or even a backpack.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:We already know the answer to this one - they cheat! ;) [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

===Are X-COM transport craft piloted?===

:Almost certainly, since a remotely-piloted craft could be returned to base when the mission was aborted or failed. It's entirely possible that all X-COM soldiers are qualified pilots of the appropriate craft, since it would make no sense for X-COM to waste space on the plane for a noncombatant, or to have a single-point of failure on the mission like that. (The aliens could screw over the entire op by killing the pilot). It also explains why the craft is lost when the mission fails or is aborted with no one inside(lacking a pilot, the aliens are able to easily destroy it.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: On the other hand, even a tank/hovertank is capable of getting the craft back to base. Perhaps there is an autopilot function. X-com craft are also infamous for choosing strange and bizarre intercept paths, based on latitude lines... almost as if they followed some a few simple lines of code from 1993 programming (bit of 4th wall breakage there...) -[[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]]

:Of course, given the tanks seem to be remotely piloted from an X-COM base, its possible that the tank being in the craft allows the Tank pilot to reroute into the control systems for the dropship and take it over. Limiting this to having the tank inside is a rather good idea. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 12:07, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:I recall that the various cutscenes in the PSX version had a pilot, most notably in the "Mission Failure" scene, where it shows the pilot being killed. --[[User:Mabmoro|Mabmoro]] 16:06, 13 March 2009 (EDT)

===What sort of physical process is used to increase human stats over time?===

The increases in some stats are easy explained by experience gained on missions (firing abiility, reactions, etc.). However, in the cases of physical stats (TUs, stamina, strength) the increase must be augmented by an artificial process, since it isn't easily explainable that humans can significantly increase body mass/speed/endurance just by physical activity/exercise.

:Lifting weights will increase strength. Running and cardio exercise will increase endurance, and performing the same task multiple times will allow you to perform it faster. I see no reason natural increase doesn't work. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::I assume that it is possible to a human to use those methods to double its physical condition, but that being the case why are X-COM recruits so... undeveloped? Maybe this is a more intriguing aspect. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

What I don't get is that when someone gets blasted that they gain a lot of extra health. For crying out loud, the aliens are throwing around plasma and ridicoulously HUGE explosions. Shouldn't they be suffering from third-degree burns? I would expect them to at least have a major sore spot where they got hit. [[User:Tsunamiatunzen1|Tsunamiatunzen1]] September 24

:There's been arguments over whether the soldiers in X-COM are the Green Berets or equivalents of their various militaries, just average soldiers that volunteered for the job, or if the Council of Funding Nations is corrupt and is using this as an excuse to foist off their most useless soldiers onto the X-COM project. If the latter, it would easily explain their rather poor early stats. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

::Maybe the stat increases relate to the troops getting more comfortable performing all operations - lifting, running, combat actions - when the aliens no longer scare the cr*p out of them so much. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:: I know what you mean... if this were Jagged Alliance, it'd be like trying to hire Mike and getting Gumpy instead... ouch! ... IMHO, it looks as if the COFN is being funny about this. Clearly, the troops assigned to X-com have had extensive weapons training... each and every one of them can use just about any standard weapon, including Rocket Launchers, incindieries, auto Cannons, etc. However, NONE of them have any combat experience, coming to you as fresh rookies. And their stats look as if they were selected based on a pot luck basis rather than screening among the elite troops... [[User:Jasonred]]

:Health isn't gained from getting shot. But as for the "ludicrously low stats" issue, maybe they're being selected on some other basis, or there's a real shortage of volunteers. [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] 04:56, 25 September 2009 (EDT)

:: I think that the X-COM's soldiers have big responsibilities, can't have children. They are sworn in and only then go to the field - if someone can't be trusted to keep a secret, he's getting sacked, given a shitty job (ever wondered who maintained the General Stores?) or worse. - n, 16:47, 16 August 2010 (GMT+2)

In Hotpoint's [http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-16092/Hotpoint+XSGCOM+Goa+uld+Defence.htm| XSGCOM: Goa'uld Defense], his explanation is that after a few missions of watching their fellow newbies die, the survivors give in and volunteer for an experimental regimen of performance-enhancing drugs. IRL, steroids and such don't result in instant strength enhancement, they just encourage accelerated development of muscles. [[User:Kalaong|Kalaong]] 03:16, 28 March 2011 (EDT)

Heh: http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/901 --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 02:52, 26 January 2013 (EST)

As much as I've played this series for decades, and know full well how pitiful the starting stats of soldiers are, at least with respect to the game's rules, I really feel I must wonder and ask why we think those starting stats are 'underdeveloped' or 'pot luck'? What, exactly, are we basing this judgement on beyond how poorly they seem to perform in-game against a force that is quite honestly and clearly demonstrated as superior to humans in the first few missions, where only luck and superior numbers appear to manage to secure any wins for the organization and, in turn, humanity? How much can the average X-COM 'Rookie' carry in pounds as gear, and is it considered substantial compared to Army kit, or not? How many direct hits from a rifle can they take normally without dying or keeling over from fatal wounds, and how does this compare to real-world soldiers' survivability? How much time is one turn meant to represent, and how far can the average 'Rookie' run in that time, and how does that compare to how fast a fully-kitted Army soldier can move?

Has all of this already been figured out elsewhere? Otherwise, I'm starting to question whether we have any real proof that 'Rookies' AREN'T "The best of the best of the best, sir! With honors" beyond just how it 'looks' and 'feels' during gameplay, which is already skewed by the enemy having superior firepower and attributes, or, in the case of replacements, existing troops being pushed far beyond previously-perceived human limits from such extreme combat maneuvers as have resulted in success against, as I said earlier, a far superior force (EDIT: want to clarify on this point that I'm taking the 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' stance on the original question for this section). If the stats extrapolated for OpenXcom are any indication, this is most certainly the case, even with Sectoids, to an extent. While Sectoids will never have anything on humans in the Health department, being as fragile as they are (though some rookies can have less health, apparently, but only a few unlucky ones), they are surprisingly enduring, with tons of stamina, being 20 points higher than the X-COM 'Rookie' maximum upper limit for initial stat generation, and the same for Bravery (though this seems to be the case with all AI controlled entities, except mechanical ones, which have an impervious 110 Bravery). Reactions are also higher than possible with a Rookie, and speed (TUs) is on par with the statistical average for rookies, same with accuracy ratings, and even strength. This is just looking at the grunts, too, not even considering the stat boosts Leaders and Commanders have. As expected, the average X-COM Rookie's stats are almost universally superior to the civilians, representing the average member of humanity. The only exception is Stamina, and I'm starting to think this is to compensate AI units somehow for an AI that may not be able to manage energy levels as well as a human.

Anyway, just felt someone had to bring this up here. If it really is explained elsewhere, it probably should be clarified here, as well, for consistency, anyway. (EDIT: I just felt it was being taken at face value far too readily in this discussion, and it just didn't seem right to just assume it with no evidence, despite all my experience playing this series, and noticing full well the soldiers' stats feeling constraining at first) --[[User:StormhawkAPS|StormhawkAPS]] 01:08, 4 October 2013 (EDT)

==Enemy Unknown/UFO Defence issues==
==='''Why isn't Earth overrun by Snakeman/Chryssalids?'''===

According to the UFOPaedia, Snakemen's "Reproduction is asexual, with each snakeman carrying up to fifty eggs inside its body at any one time" adding the ominious conclusion: "Left to its own devices this species would be a severe threat to life on earth."
Moreover, this species is usually accompanied by the Chryssalids, which have a capacity to reproduce themselves very quickly using humans. So, any survivors of crash sites or terror attacks could start reproducing themselves hidden, resulting in large areas being overrun by those aliens later on.

Possible answers:
* Both races have a self-destruct mechanism incorporated into their psysiology to prevent this.
* The entire area is purged by large scale bombing. [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:42, 25 February 2009 (CST)

::One thing suggested in fan data was that Snakemen have air tablets in their stomach...which may be different from earth's atmosphere, which would limit their lifespan in earth's atmosphere, also making egg-laying pointless, since the offspring wouldn't be able to breathe or survive. It has also been suggested that Chryssalids have a very rapid metabolism. Though Chryssalids are likely just as, if not more useful, as a threat or a bargaining tool. When attempting to get a nation to capitulate to their demands, the aliens could threaten to employ Chryssalids en masse, or offer to remove a mass infestation in exchange for the government's cooperation. Or even further, it's possible that Chryssalids are under Ethereal control and maintaining the control link at that distance is taxing, thus eliminating mass use of the creatures. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Two words: [[Alien Containment]]. That answers everything except for the UFOPaedia articles for the aliens themselves which contradict it. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 00:42, 26 February 2009 (CST)
: For captured aliens, yes. But what survivors of uninvestigated crash sites? [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]]

::Zombie is commenting that based on the need for an Alien Containment unit, the aliens cannot survive in earth's atmosphere for extended periods, needing special atmospheric blends and/or nutrient pools which earth is unable to provide naturally, thus limiting their operations outside of the craft. (If the aliens won the war, it's likely this would be one of the first things that they would 'correct'.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 20:54, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===What is the propose of the 'disco balls' found inside some UFOs?===

:Given that they explode, they could be storage reservoirs for coolant for the computers or other systems. They could also be circuit breakers or electrical junction boxes, or even a component of the UFO's particle beam they use to fry X-COM Interception craft. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Here again, two words: [[Alien Entertainment]]. Even though the spheres are not set to Alien Entertainment in the MCD files, they are almost certainly related to the process somehow. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 00:42, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:Maybe they are for having discos? [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:Presumably [[Alien Entertainment]] is psionic in some way, maybe they're Psi-Emitters or something? -[[User:magic9mushroom|magic9mushroom]]

::'Disco balls' = Alien 'LSD' emitters. Travelling through space to go on almost-suicide missions force aliens to develop POWERFUL relaxing devices to entertain themselves and not go insane :P. --[[User:Nekrocow|Nekrocow]] 20:10, 24 June 2012 (EDT)

::: Assuming it's about eyeball-like pod #3, it's absent on base maps, and present only in two UFOs: Battleship (in Alien Entertainment), but Terror Ship on the second deck has one in Alien Entertainment room, but two on the bridge. Those are also the only two ships running ground battles and carrying Terror Units (bases have them, but normally don't expect to use them), so... either remote control psionic relays or something else related to ground combat? -[[User:TBeholder|TBeholder]] ([[User talk:TBeholder|talk]]) 21:04, 30 December 2015 (EST)

===Who buys those alien bodies/equipment from X-COM?===

:Equipment likely goes to the funding nations or the international black market. No rebel group is going to ask too many questions about being offered guns that can [[Heavy Plasma|slice through the hull of an MBT]] or [[Alien Grenade|grenades that can level a building]] or [[Blaster Launcher|man-portable guided missiles]]; it'd just be cash-and-carry. Similarly, scientists would likely be interested in looking at much of this stuff for their own research. This would also explain the lack of market forces; the funding nations could have a set price for each item, or if X-COM is selling them under the table to rebels and rogue scientists, they can set the price and refuse to budge. The money on corpses could also be an "Alien Bounty" paid by the Funding Nations, as a reward for each alien that X-COM can prove they killed. Or it could be bought by other groups...rumor has it that some fast food restaurants have processes that can make ANY meat, no matter the source, look and taste the same, and a Muton would make a LOT of McBurgers. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 00:19, 26 February 2009 (CST)
From the USO (Kasey Chang): XARQUID SUSHI.

===How did the aliens get to Mars?===

There are no indications that UFOs are capable of faster than light speed. So how did they get to Mars in the first place?

:The UFOs are mission craft, used for the legwork. The fighters; we never see the carriers. Given the aliens have been proven to be interstellar, they either Clone-A-Crew as needed when coming the long way to keep the UFOs crewed, or its far more likely that the aliens did have or still do have larger "Carrier" ships, which are capable of FTL travel, that were/are further out in the Solar System that store and dispatch UFOs to mission locations. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: One word: TFTD. The entire city of T'leth was put into cryogenic suspended animation? Or look at X-com Interceptor. X-com and the aliens show the ability to enter hyperspace or whatever it is.
::: T'Leth is another mystery of its own. More to that later on :) [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::... there are no indications that the UFOs are INcapable of FTL... I don't think you would want to perform FTL travel within Earth's planetary atmosphere!
::: There are no indications that they are capable as well. And X-COM scientists don't seem to detect any FTL capabilities in UFOs during their research. And after the war the Elerium stocks dwindled, and it would make sense to perform some sort of interstellar missions to detect and harvest Elerium, however none are mentioned. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::: Unless you count the events of X-com Interceptor? [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 21:15, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::::: I am refering to the events between Enemy Unknown and TFTD. There is clearly a big distinction between the alien craft on EU and those of Interceptor. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 09:38, 27 February 2009 (CST)
::::: Enemy Unknown is set in 1999, TFTD in 2040, Interceptor in 2067... looks entirely plausible that they DID begin research into space exploration immediately after the events of Enemy Unknown. These things take time you know. Remember that the universe is a huge place, and Earth had rather limited Elerium Reserves by the end of EU. It takes... what, 30 Elerium just to fly an Avenger halfway across Earth? They could hardly afford to fly around randomly in space HOPING to come across elerium, they had to figure out detections methods, then scan the galaxy sector by sector, possibly partially using non-Elerium based propulsion at times... I can't remember if it's canon or fanfic, but I remember reading that all Elerium on Earth was reserved for space exploration.
As for FTL, Earth does get it for sure sometime between 1999 and 2067. And I'm pretty certain the technology is Elerium based. It's not a huge logic jump to assume that the aliens have access to FTL Elerium based tech.
Though I'm a bit puzzled why all T'leth technology is based on Zrbrite, when the aliens uniformly use Elerium, all the way from Earth to Cydonia to the far reaches of space. -[[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]]

:It takes 12 Elerium to fuel an Avenger, though how much 1 Elerium is is an ongoing debate. As for Elerium, it was reserved for propulsion research when the funding nations divvied up X-COM's resources, and then they blew it all without learning anything more than the original X-COM scientists. And yes, Earth clearly gets FTL after TFTD but before Interceptor. The reason Elerium is not used in TFTD is because Elerium becomes inert and useless upon contact with seawater. Similarly, seawater aggressively corrodes Alien Alloys and eventually completely dissolves them. Zrbite functions similar to Elerium, being gold mixed with alien bio-material. Unfortunately, Zrbite only works when supported by a massive energy grid created by T'leth and becomes inert upon its destruction. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 12:07, 27 February 2009 (CST)

OK... take the UNIT of elerium out of the equation... let's say that Earth had 5000 units of elerium, so 6 units get's an Avenger halfway around the world, and 12 units is sufficient to reach Mars. Hardly enough fuel reserves for intergalactic travel then.
2065 On October the 27th, the probe 'Tombstone 1' returns reports to Earth. It's data show that the globular star cluster where it rests, one hundred light-years from Earth, contains many life-supporting planets. Many of the planet's within the probe's scanning range also apparently possess great mineral wealth, including trace veins of elerium-115.
Hmm... So, mankind discovers FTL technology on their own in those 65 years? ah... come to think of it, if they've got non-Elerium based space travel and FTL, and more powerful weapons too, what's the big deal about Elerium in the Frontier? Does mankind even need it anymore?
As for T'leth, it is meant to be over 65 million years old, and CRASHLANDED on Earth due to a solar flare. Was the Ultimate Alien a prophet, thus chose to base T'leth on aqua plastics and Zrbite when T'lth was first constructed? Or did T'leth crash land, followed by frenzied activity where the entire city was replaced part by part, the alien alloys swapped for Aqua Plastics?
...
Actually, come to think of it, it's obviously a massive plothole due to limited timeframe, no point in discussing too deeply. Sigh... [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 13:50, 27 February 2009 (CST)

:It's implied that despite the loss of ability to use the alien technology from the First and Second alien wars, simply being able to see and examine their designs catapulted earth's technology forward at least a few decades...which really is entirely reasonable. Much of the technology can be replicated on earth, and the principles and designs can be reapplied.

:As for the deal with Elerium, its needed to power stronger weapons and is also wonderful for power generation; its efficiency in power generation is what allows Mega Primus to even exist.

:And was there anywhere that specifically said that T'Leth was made of Aqua Plastics? I don't recall. Yes, the rest of their subs are made of aqua plastics, but I'm wondering if something the size of a medium city might perhaps be made of something a bit more durable. PS: Thanks for signing your post! :D [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 14:17, 27 February 2009 (CST)

It's not a plothole at all. There is no Elerium on Earth, whereas the aliens can manufacture Zrbite on Earth, since there's gold here. Therefore it's obvious why they used Zrbite. Also, there's the fact that it was an Aquatoid colony mission, intended to produce an "aquatic paradise", so using Aqua Plastics instead of Alien Alloys is perfectly justified. [[User:magic9mushroom]]

:I think that the use of Aqua Plastics instead of Alien Alloys is perfectly justified by the fact that T'leth crashed million of years ago while the aliens that came to take a shot or two at earth were two million years ahead technologically. So Aqua plastics was some plastic that was used by aliens before they've got the Alloys. You might argue - it's Aqua Plastics, so Aqua =/= Space. Well, Aliens weren't calling them aqua, and there wasn't anything saying that Aqua Plastics is not suitable for Space Travel. --[[User:Domenique|Domenique]] 11:10, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

... I think Alien Alloys alone would catapult earth's technology forward a decade, and there's no reason humanity can't use those anymore, just not in water. According to timeline, some space pirates manage to make the decommisioned Avengers run on non-Elerium fuel... a large technological step.
By the time of Interceptor, Elerium weapons aren't that powerful. Good point about power generation though.
I would assume that T'leth SHOULD have been constructed out of Alien Alloys, since it was originially an interplanetary vessel? Generally, everything in EU was made of Alien Alloys, everything in TFTD was made out of Aqua plastics. Both of which seemed plenty durable.

::Have you noticed that the UFOs fly however their mission parameters tell them to? The UFOs pretty much IGNORE interceptions by X-com craft... if their mission tells them to make 3 passes, speed up, slow down, speed up... they will follow that pattern exactly, whether X-com craft are firing on them or not.

::Question: How long does it take the Avenger to reach Mars from Earth? [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 19:12, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::No longer than a week, in my opinion. Probably less than 2 days. Since canonically, the design of the Avenger had the Cydonia mission in mind, it would be capable of very high interplanetary speeds. (You could choose to burn 40% of the Elerium in one blast to get to high speed. Or you could burn even more and refuel while it's landed...or it could be a mission with no guaranteed escape for the crew. The lives of the many over those of the few and all that, especially since the war hinges on the mission.) In addition, you can fit a full complement of soldiers on board with no real excess room for supplies, and the longer it takes to get to Mars, the greater the chance the aliens will spot it coming for them and mount a serious defense. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 19:20, 26 February 2009 (CST)
:::If you'd burn that much fuel to accelerate the craft then you'd have to use as much again to decelerate it and attain a planetary orbit, otherwise you'll simply overshoot the planet and head towards outer space. This is also another aspect to take into account when thinking about the speed of UFOs. [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 20:32, 26 February 2009 (CST)

::: UFO drives are non-Newtonian so those sort of rocket equations don't necessarily apply. I think filling up a car with gas is a closer analogy. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 13:24, 27 February 2009 (CST)

::: Well, they could put a mini mind shield on the Avenger, shoot down a UFO roughly their size, and then fly to Cydonia when the UFO they shot down was supposed to return based on the instructions found by the hyper-wave decoder. Basically taking the place of the UFO. Shouldn't be too hard since the UFO's are pretty common by the time you research Cydonia or Bust. [[User:Tsunamiatunzen1|Tsunamiatunzen1]] 14 February 2010 (MST)

::That would leave 20% of the fuel to take off the Avenger and land it. Not really that unreasonable. While they're landed, they could potentially refuel the Avenger, or the mission might have been planned as a 1-way trip from the get-go. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

Perhaps Elerium-based drives are a bit like Ramjet engines, where they're actually useless or inefficient ''below'' a certain threshold speed? --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 03:02, 26 January 2013 (EST)

===What happened to Mars and the alien civilization there?===

According to the Brain, Mars was blooming with life had a alien civilization millions of years ago. However, Mars nowadays is a barren world and the alien civilization seems reduced to the area on Cydonia.

:That may well have been before Mars lost the majority of its atmosphere due to its weak magnetic field. As the atmosphere dissipated, the aliens left or died off. It's also possible that the aliens, shown in the game over to have little respect for planets other than as sites for slaves and resources, they strip-mined the planet dry(and the rust from the machines created the red coloring), and then seeded Earth so that the slave workforce would grow for future extraction of Earth's resources. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===Where are the human-alien hybrids referred to on the UFOPaedia?===

:For the ones on earth, probably in hiding or in laboratories for research. For the ones the aliens have, potentially improving the Sectoid gene pool or being used as food or menial tasks. Cloning is alot easier than making genetic hybrids and there's nothing that says their first-generation experiments would be suitable for combat. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:33, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:: They are babies at the time of X-com, and few in number. Their aren't even that many of them by the time of X-com Apocalypse. [[User:Jasonred]] [[User:Jasonred|Jasonred]] 19:12, 26 February 2009 (CST)

:Not to mention the ones in X-COM: Apocalypse are less-than-fit for battle before extensive training. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

===Why did the aliens only activate T'Leth after they were defeated?===

On TFTD T'Leth is shown as an entity/city of major power that is capable of conducting a war on its own. But the aliens leave it dormant although they could have used it to speed the process of taking control of Earth.

:Perhaps the Enemy Unknown aliens are legitimately scared of the TFTD aliens and are unsure how long they could trust them. Evil is not monolithic; the TFTD aliens may be more interested in themselves than the alien empire, so they were kept as an ace-in-the-hole. This is the same reason (canonically) that SKYNET did not originally send the T-1000 to assassinate Sarah Connor; SKYNET was scared of what the T-1000 could do and had only a bare minimum of control over it, so it only used it as an option when it had nothing left to lose. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)

T'Leth is in fact so powerful that all it has to do is surface, in order for X-com to be considered to have lost the war.
In fact, looking at the timelines, it takes 40 years for T'leth to wake up from it's slumber... that's one good reason not to use it. By the time it activated, the war would already be over. [[User:Jasonred]]

Because the whole purpose of the Enemy Unknown aliens was to rescue the TFTD aliens from T'leth, and there was no way of seeing whether the T'leth-based invasion in TFTD would even work - from their perspective it's possible that getting T'leth to bootstrap itself could have caused a catastrophe (they don't know whether or how badly it's damaged). Presumably the aliens planned to mount a proper rescue operation after locking down Earth and readying it for the aquatic paradise that was the entire point of the T'leth expedition in the first place. [[User:magic9mushroom]]

T'Leth was a coleny ship sent by the Sectoid/Aquatoid's millions of years earlier. This is why the Aquatoids use electronics to augment there control over other creatures, while there progeny are genetically modified to gain the same control. In TFTD it's implied that the T'Leth had been partialy active for a long time. Thawing out aliens in small groups but never going in full production. UFO aliens may have not intended to start the full awakening cycle until they had a chance to prepare the planet.
OR, given the Ultimate Alien was aquatoid in origin by his looks and there was no other races from the first game involved. And the fact that Sectoid/Aqutoid's are not the top of the food chain with the Ethereal and Brain being more powerful it's possible the brain had decided that the Ultimate Alien was a threat to it's power. It was not until it's death that they tried send the signal. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:19, 22 March 2010 (EDT)

===Why did the aliens use limited force during the First Alien War?===

Imagine Independence Day or War of the Worlds: UFO above the major Earth cities destroying the national leadership and any resistance. Or simply announce to Earth that they are now a part of their empire and resistence is futile. Instead, they go 1 mission each day, allowing humans to capture their craft, research their technology, discover their intentions and mount a successful defense. Don't the aliens watch sci-fi movies to see how it should be done?

:Perhaps they don't have the standing forces to do so, and are in the process of building up the forces needed to do so. Perhaps they don't want to wipe out the entire power structure too fast; they want to leave some pieces in place for when they rebuild. Perhaps they're too condescending to think that humanity ever really has a chance; they've probably conquered thousands of other planets without anyone ever successfully resisting them. Perhaps they consider the X-COM project to be a rearguard action that, while a valiant effort and a credible threat, is ultimately doomed to failure because they simply cannot win in the end, which is why they undermine it. Indeed, the reason you need to launch the Cydonia mission in order to win is because X-COM simply cannot stop the aliens in a ground war; the aliens have an effectively infinite supply line and standing forces(though nothing says they're all waiting to swamp the earth), and the only way to win is to kill the command staff(which the aliens believe X-COM will not be able to do, lacking both knowledge of where the Brain is and any practical means to get there.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:06, 26 February 2009 (CST)
::The most plausible explanation seems to be the one employed in the Worldwar series, by Harry Turtledove, but that does not seem to mesh with what the Brain says about having been on Mars for a while, since then they could watch the Earthlings perpetually. Of course, what it says is probably a bunch of lies. Thinking about what it says for too long also raises the question of why the aliens attacked when they did, of course... [[User:Vizzydix1|Vizzydix1]] 21:52, 18 March 2010 (EDT)

The aliens are completely lacking in weapons of mass destruction. When you get right down to it, their aircraft are very fast, manuevarable and durable, but they have rotten firepower. Even the battleship is unable to bring down an Interceptor in 1 shot.
The terror missions and X-com Base Defences prove that the Aliens are unable to simply launch orbital bombardments... in fact, they appear to have no Air to Land weapons whatsoever...
When you get right down to it, the aliens are pretty stupid. Also, their scientists seem inferior to Earth's. Seems to me that they only had the advantage of Elerium deposits and thus elerium based research.
X-COM was unable to win in an all-out war with the aliens, but remember that X-com is a small little covert group with several dozen soldiers and a handful of aircraft. Can you imagine the result if the aliens had caused a joint war effort by the UN? You would have Lockheed factories converted to Avenger production, several platoons of soldiers outfitted with Flying Suits, Lasers, Heavy Plasma, thousands upon thousands of Laser Tanks...
I would say that keeping the fight to covert action on both sides was actually beneficial to the aliens, really. [[User:Jasonred]]
* Nope, the aliens could just invoke John's Law and blow up the planet with a kamikaze battleship at .9c. Even failing that, the alien battlefleet could come in numbers sufficent to blot out the sun.--[[User:(name here)|(name here)]] 14:39, 8 November 2009 (EST)
** Lest we forget, X-Com is essentially the Spartans to the aliens' Persian Empire. So they'd just fight in the shade (which would be a blessing in desert missions). --[[User:Guido Talbot|Guido Talbot]] 13:58, 16 July 2010 (EDT)
*** Mass producing those technologies on such a large scale would be impractical considering that those said technologies sans Laser Technology rely heavily on Elerium. Thus the Earth forces would be heavily reliant on downed or landed UFO's to resupply their Elerium powered craft making such efforts pointless.

Aliens first began with smal scouting missions, so maybe all we expirience in X-Com is initial attacks by aliens, maybe the whole base was begining scouting and waiting for the invasion fleet? Aliens problably could be in sense dumber than humans, humans are adaptable and thinking, our technology advances fast, and we are fast and smart enough to stop the invasion before it begins. Aliens problably were not used to it so they thought "oh well, another invasion...". --[[User:Domenique|Domenique]] 11:10, 19 May 2010 (EDT)

Mankind, as a whole, is incredibly cunning and full of guile. We are also incredibly aggressive. A trait that the most of the Aliens can barely concieve. Though we are weaker physically, mentally, etc, we are overly developed when it comes to strategem and war. The aliens are, in essence, have come to an inverse of Flatland. Though they are advanced, it is they who are 2D to our 3D approach to fighting. They return to earth, and through extensive research and testing, determine that inferior are strategically to humans. So...they use their advances to what they percieve as the most full advantage, and call for reinforcements over the initial months of the First Alien War. For eons, only the Sectoid make arrivals to earth. When the Brain finally realizes the situation, that mankind has woke up and is dealing with them most directly, it begins to get desperate, it sends reinforcements, but only incrementally. (Its always focused on peak efficiency). The concept of overwhelming force is illogical and some how, disdainful, to it. It prefers nuance, interogation, politics, and assessment. The Brain determine that its more effective to eliminate allies of XCOM than to face it directly. The concept of obliterating anything from orbit is reprehensible. Everything must be examined, especially the dead creatures you leave behind. Over time, it would learn man's tactics and assimilate. In fact, each race called in is an example of the Brain adapting. The Floaters bring forth an extra dimension to combat. The snakemen aggressiveness and accuracy. Mutons a culmination of superior warrior breeding, raw physical power, and determination not unlike the so called human soul. Finally, the Ethereals enter, with capacity to bring overwhelming force. In time, as they do on Mars base, they might begin joint force attacks with Mutons backed by Ethereals, supported by a mix of terror weapons. Fortunately, the First Alien War is ended before they fully develop such cunning. Hence the desperate act of T'Leth. The Brain has learned the power of anger fueled by vengeance and desperation.
--[[User:BlackLibrary|BlackLibrary]] 11:10, 29 May 2011 (EDT)

:I've always viewed it as primarily a lack of resources. Even if you get a UFO every single day and shoot them all down so that there's no possible chance of any of them being the same UFO that's still only several hundred to perhaps a thousand or few UFO's over the course of several years. And most of those are quite small and not too difficult to take out with regular old interceptors and human armaments. If used all at once it might be enough to achieve air superiority, particularly if the Battleships do all the heavy lifting. But it also might not. It certainly would NOT provide enough soldiers to mount a worldwide ground offensive. The crews on those ships aren't all that big. There's also no reason to assume that all those craft, weapons, soldiers, and more importantly... elerium are all available at the same time. It's quite likely that the aliens are cloning new soldiers, building new weapons and UFO's, and possibly receiving supplies (particularly of elerium) from deep space. Elerium is needed to manufacture a lot of their stuff as well, and we already know it's a limited resource in our solar system. Consider on top of that how much get's used up as fuel every time a UFO visits Earth. If they sent all their UFO's they would use up their reserves of Elerium all at once for a 1 day attack that ultimately would fail. Instead of conquering the Earth wholesale they are trying to influence governments into signing secret pacts with them so that they can control the population of the Earth rather than wipe us out. They do this by using terrorism to intimidate the public and inserting clones to infiltrate governments while holding secret negotiations. A steady stream of UFO missions keeps up the pressure until governments break. Lucky for us they never expected us to bring the fight to the command center on mars. Just imagine if they had built base defenses like we can for our bases. heh Lord would it be aggravating building up a crew of top notch soldiers, constructing an Avenger from scratch, scrapping together all the gear, sending it to Mars, and then watching it get blown to bits before it even lands... O,o Also consider that their UFO's have operated with relative impunity for a very long time. Presumably XCom is the first organization to shoot down a UFO? As for Earth ramping up for a full scale war, it'd be unlikely that we could really produce enough alien technology in any reasonable timescale to actually outfit whole nations armies, especially with limited Elerium. Perhaps the tech that doesn't require Elerium, but then again shifting an entire army from one weapon system to another is not as simple as merely producing all the weapons. It's an extremely long, arcane, and baffling process. Getting just the branches of the US military to switch to laser weapons would probably take at least a decade. I think that limited resources and the intent to control and dominate rather than eliminate the population of the Earth explain it. For that matter they would see the human population it-self as a resource. Hence the use of small scale terrorism rather than attempting to use any weapons of mass destruction. A bunch of aliens walking around shooting people is still pretty damn scary stuff.[[User:Mannon|Mannon]] 13:12, 30 March 2011 (EDT)

I would have thought that the simplest answer here is best. The aliens are manifestly unable to survive outside containment or bases for prolonged periods. Further, their clearest technological advantage over the humans (at least, prior to X-Com research) is mind control. Therefore, their primary method of offence is not to get bogged down in a ground war, but to engage in the overthrow of governments by infiltration, coercion, corruption and bribery, and achieve complaisance by terrorisation of the general populace. It is for this reason that standard combat tactics involving large hierarchies are ineffectual against the aliens (when the government/command can be mind controlled and the theatre can be defined by a mobile alien force). A decentralised, partly cellular, covert approach like X-Com is preferable, but unable to win an outright ground war either (being composed of, at maximum, 250 soldiers). Of course in reality, the irony is that the aliens/bourgeoisie/Fox network have Mind Controlled you, the X-Com commander into wasting your time with retro video games instead of doing anything about their societal control!
--[[User:Oogleshay|Oogleshay]] 16:16, 18 October 2011 (EDT)

My theory is that the aliens are deliberately trying to be low-key because they know once the UN can no longer keep the invasion a secret, they will have no reason to pull their punches at defending Earth. The aliens want to make it so that once humanity at large fully realizes what's going on, it's already too late - they're poking the sleeping giant but take care not to awaken it before amputating all limbs to make it unable to defend itself once awake.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 06:33, 14 January 2012 (EST)

Perhaps the aliens suffer from a lack of proper logistics. If we assume that their purpose was to retrieve the lost colony ship(T'leth) then it wouldn't seem particularly likely that the aliens would have brought along the necessary logistics to support a full scale invasion of Earth. Furthermore it is quite possible that the alien ships you encounter in the first XCOM are actually not dedicated invasion ships but rather re-purposed fighter ships(which would explain the total lack of artillery or bombardment capabilities).
--[[User:Theinsomniac|Theinsomniac]] ([[User talk:Theinsomniac|talk]]) 22:47, 17 February 2014 (EST)

I disagree with all this. "Mankind is the greatest species." - hogwash. The aliens are clearly capable of wiping out humanity when they wish, if you read the whole of the lose game screens. The game had to be designed to give humans a chance to fight back. With this caveat: the only reasons the aliens don't start wiping out the population would be to preserve humanity. With the harvesting and abduction missions, clearly they are looking for something in the fauna and flora of Earth. Something that a massive assault would make improbable to find due to the overwhelming loss of life that would occur. The most logical explanation would be that the aliens want to harvest specimens with specific genetics traits, so they would want to be able to sift through as much of the population as possible to find those with the best traits. Before wiping out the rest of the "inferior specimens". This explanation would also fit to the story that the brain tells at the end of the Cydonia mission (if that story is more than just a desperate attempt to save itself.) [Why the aliens are so incompetent is due to incomplete development of the strategic layer by the designers, especially with the economy.] [[User:Morgan525|Tycho]] ([[User talk:Morgan525|talk]])

Obviously, in the remake, this is much more easily explained as the Etherial search for Psions making human extermination ''not'' being their goal (but in fact, the ''last'' thing they want, since we're the best shot they got for their apparent true goal: ascendance), but to an limited degree is is reasonable to retroactively apply this motivation to the 1994 Etherials/Cydonian Brain. On a similar vein, where the Gallop Brothers even thinking about T'leth yet during Defense's development? I saw not too long ago, I think on the History Channel, of a 'realistic' take at trying to fight off an invasion/occupation force, also noted to be about harvesting, not about outright killing all humans: with presumed FTL tech, even someting a fraction of lightspeed, and the number and masses of UFOs involved both in the special and in XCOM; it'd be much easier to just strap some engines on some large asteroids and spam them at Earth, which those points prove is possible: a much easier and effective means to exterminate humans, if the goal was xenophobic in nature--- but I digress. Consider.. hmmm, yeh, the US invasion of Iraq or Aphganistan: we COULD of just nuked the hell out either country and called it a day. Presuming a lot, but maybe some of the same reasons America didn't are the same? Intergalatic politics not allowing such WMDs? Excessive collateral damage wasn't their interest? Looking for something specific on an individual basis? That the aliens (may) want slaves, and reasons on that vein, is a big difference they have. Going back to the special, how humanity won is by a mass infitration/kamakaze attack on the barge/battleship-sized UFOs, and making it "not worth" continuing the occupation (in similar nature to people wizing up to Bush's bullshit and losing so many soldiers to cheap-ass IEDs and Soviet-era tech making the Iraq War unpopular)..... again, assuming alien behaviors and mechanics of motivations are anything remotley "human-like". So, at best, I'd ascribe the 1994 alien's motivation as the same as in the special: conquering for resources. Cortez conquering my ancestors for gold. --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] ([[User talk:Xuncu|talk]]) 08:03, 18 February 2014 (EST)

My personal theory in regards to this is simple. To get to Mars from where they originated they would have to travel at relativist speeds (at or at least close to the speed of light) this requires a lot of energy and at this speed every microgram counts. (a single microgram of cargo can cost a ton of fuel at FTL speeds).
So the aliens travelling to Mars, instead of bringing a massed invasion fleet bring the bare minimum. Embryos or even genetic samples for each of their species, blueprints for weapons and equipment, basic manufacturing facilities, mining equipment and a transport vessel designed to be cannibalised to set up the initial Cydonia base, with only a ghost crew to start things off.
This explains the year prior to the start of the game (the steady increase in UFO reports, abductions ect.) the aliens need resources, they probably got some from mining the area around Cydonia to build some of their equipment but to grow clones they need a nutrient medium (not to mention the food they need for themselves) which means they have to go to earth and harvest. The initial missions were probably in areas such as the ocean, or jungles, harvesting flora and fauna. But given how little they would be able to harvest this way (they would have trouble finding enough protein not to mention the fact that mutons are said to be obligate carnivores) which meant increased incursions on populated areas (such as farms) add to this the lack of genetic diversity means that they would abduct humans to help provide some means of altering their genetic code to better handle earth diseases and atmosphere.
This can also explain why you only get small UFOs initially, they don't have the resources to build battle ships (until they have mined enough to expand their production facilities and build bigger craft). It also explains why they lack weapons.
TFTD show that the alien's method for “education” is to just implant knowledge. What this means is you have a bunch of aliens with the same hard-wired brain (clones) and with the same knowledge. Limiting their ability to adapt and change (they don't have years of experience to work on, nor have they had to think of the knowledge they have it's just given to them as fact).
Once X-com is formed they now find themselves battling an enemy that not only adapts to use their technology but builds on it (personal armour, power suits, flying suits, fusion ball tanks, ect). The whole alien invasion is doomed from the start.
Given time the aliens could have built up a massive fleet capable of overwhelming earth (which was probably their initial plan) but due to X-com getting involved that plan got knocked back. They can mine Mars and the asteroid belt for minerals to build their weapons, but without raiding earth for the fauna to feed their troops and grow their clones they can not build an army.
The aliens probably observed earth previously. (maybe Roswell was a scouting mission which failed to return) as such they underestimated our detection and interception capabilities (the back-story actually states that X-com is using the best craft available and previous attempts to intercept UFOs failed using conventional earth technology, which probably explains the limited weapon load-outs for x-com craft (they are built on high speed prototypes designed as proof of concept not actual in service craft so they had to jury rig hard points).
This basically means that the aliens were unprepared for earth's level of resistance, before they even had a force capable of fighting. If they had been more careful, built their forces in silence (by farming wild life in the jungles and oceans, instead of going for rich targets like farms to load up on cow parts quickly) they may have been able to launch an invasion before earth even knew what was happening (just imagine if the game started with 20 battleships over every country, mutons march down the streets carrying heavy plasmas and blaster bombs, while snakemen and chrysalids strike major cities, all the while ethreals are mind controlling everyone... try winning that game with just 2 interceptors, a couple of rifles, some heavy weapons and 8 soldiers who can't hit the broad side of a barn from point blank range with a guided rocket --[[User:crwydryny|crwydryny]] 14:50, 30 December 2015 (GMT)

I think that the aliens simply had no concept that they could be defeated. By analogy: when a dog trainer shows up to tame a savage dog, she's not showing up with a troupe of armed bodyguards, because that would be a silly level of overpreparedness. She's not worried the dog will outsmart her. She's not worried that the dog will figure out how to handle the leash, wrap it around her neck, and then demolish her car. If anything like that started happening, she'd be so utterly astonished, because it's never happened so far with any of the dogs she's trained. She'd be slow to react or to adapt her strategy, because the situation would be so difficult for her to believe. Dogs just don't behave that way! Similarly, the combination of battleships, mind control, and plasma has always been so overwhelmingly effective that the Ethereals have never needed to be smart, or adaptive, or even make accurate assessments about the intricate details of the planets they're taking over. Plus, they're a society of clones operating in a strict hierarchy, and literally sharing thoughts psionically. They probably have only a vague understanding of "individuality", and I doubt they have much understanding of guerrilla warfare, because they've never seen it succeed. Their political and interpersonal dynamics are vastly simpler than ours. I doubt that they're even aware that X-COM exists as an entity that is independent of our world governments. [[User:Jessicest|Jessicest]] ([[User talk:Jessicest|talk]]) 22:23, 15 March 2020 (UTC)

===What may be the hidden function of UFO Power Sources?===

Why does no UFO contain something similar to craft weapon despite the fact that most of them may shoot, some are very painfully? And the only UFO that can't do that is Small Scout; on the other side, it can fly with 2200 km/hr Speed yet does not even contain UFO Power Source, whereas the Speed of Medium Scout (with 1 UPS on board) is 2400 km/hr only. More so, the Speed of Battleship (4 UPS within) is 5000 km/hr, that is only about twice of Small Scout one. So, what is the function of UFO Power Source? Let us suppose that they not only increase UFO Speed but actually are used as Plasma Guns during air combat.

Next, it is reasonable that UFO Navigation controls that weapon system; probably they need at least one per each UPS. Also Navigation may increase UFO's maneuverability when close to Earth's surface; pro arguments are: Harvester carries 10 Navigations (to pinpoint small targets, say, lonely cattle), Terror ship has 8 (to drop terror squad accurately onto city roads as shown in the Intro movie), Abductor has 5 (to pinpoint lonely men at rustic areas; also it's Size is Medium, not Large as Harvester), Supply ship has 4 (all that it should do is landing near Alien Bases); Battle ship has 4 (as it's main activity are air combats and X-Com base assaults); both Large and Medium Scouts (Small Size ships) have 2 each.

Next, though Large and Medium Scouts have the same UPS and Navigation number, the first is faster being larger. But Large Scouts carry not only Navigators but 3 (estimating by Sectoid staff on Superhuman Difficulty) Engineers also. Probably, Engineers may adjust UPS to optimal performance that results in Speed increment (from 2400 to 2700 km/hr) and Weapon Range increment (from 15 to 34 km) yet Weapon Power doesn't change (20 damage units per attack). All the larger UFOs have full Engineer staff on board, namely 2, so their UPS are adjusted by default.

Abductor and Harvester have 2 UPS each, 40 du Weapon Power, 20 and 22 km Weapon Range, 4000 and 4300 km/hr Speed respectively. Supply ship has 3 UPS, 60 du Weapon Power, 34 km Weapon Range yet only 3200 km/hr Speed. Terror and Battle ships have 4 UPS each, 120 and 140 du Weapon Power, 42 and 65 km Weapon Range respectively; their Speed values are 4800 and 5000 km/hr.

At this stage of our research we have got two questions.

First, Weapon Power values are expected to be proportional to the number of UPS multiplied by 20 du, so Terror and Battle ships should have only 80 du each. Probably, the explanation of such increase is UPS configuration. In both cases UPS are placed by corners of quadrate. Let's suppose, without too much far-fetching, that plasma beams, normally dissipating and losing power at larger distance, may focus somehow being close together, yet not too close, as Battle ship Weapon Power is higher. Also, that may explain the Weapon Range increment as well. Note that Large Scout has normal Weapon Power but quite high Weapon Range, 34 km, probably because of extended Engineer staff; otherwise it is expected to be next to Medium Scout's one, that is about 15 km. According to Abductor/Harvester, Supply ship and Terror ship data, each additional UPS increases the Range by 9 km in average.

Second question is the Speed of Supply ship. One (well adjusted by Engineers) UPS increases UFO Speed from 2200 to 2700 km/hr (Large Scout as compared with Small Scout). Another UPS yields 4000-4300 km/hr. Another two yield 4800-5000 km/hr. So, in average, each UPS brings another 700 km/hr to basic Speed of 2200 km/hr.

This Speed is probably provided by some propulsion device built in UFO's construction, as Small Scouts have about nothing but hulls and no trophy but alloys may be recovered. Another anomaly is special reinforcement of ship hull. Calculating the ratio of Damage Capacity to recovered Alloys quantity we get 5-7 for Large Scout, Harvester, Abductor; 13-15 for Supply, Terror and Battle ships; 18 for Medium Scout and 50 for Small one. Hypothetically, Small Scouts may be the most expensive ones to craft, while Harvesters are the cheapest, though it is quite reasonable in some way. Also, the theory of built-in UPS and Navigation may explain why even extremely damaged UFOs that have lost all their usual UPS may land without crush and crater, automatically, if Navigators are dead. Not speaking that Small Scout crew and personnel is presented by one Soldier (Muton occasionally), so its missions may be automatic in general. (Well, suggesting there is one hidden UPS out there somewhere, we just get another set of numbers: basic Speed of 1500 km/hr plus the same 700 km/hr per additional UPS in average. And three hidden UPS would give us simple linear dependence: Speed = UPS Number x 700 km/hr.) Still, even if we exclude Small Scouts from our research totally, the problem remains: Suppliers are slow.

Thus, the expected Speed of Supplier is about 4200 km/hr, not just 3200. The possible explanation is their cargo of 20 Food units, since these ones are fragile containers (as they may be easily damaged in cross-fire) vulnerable to acceleration overloads; on the other side, Harvesters carry 14 Food units but they have 10 Navigation units vs. 4 on Supplier's board, so more advanced propulsion control may reduce these overloads.

Also, there is once more interesting fact: only Terror and Battle ships have Entertainment modules, 8 and 24 respectively. And only these two types carry Terrorist alien combat units, 10 and 6 respectively (as well as Alien Bases, with 55 Entertainments in average and 7 Terrorists). Let's suppose that the true purpose of these enigmatic devices is 'entertainment', or rather brain-washing, to bring Terrorists under their master's control without excess efforts, or at least to suppress their aggression temporarily. Though, it is another topic at all.

At Terror ships, Battle ships and Alien Bases there are some devices looking like red spheres with blue tubes connected. They referred as plasma conduits, and Engineers may be found over there. Yet hardly that means the same green plasma their weapons shoot with. Let's suggest that these things contain some kind of special food produced from harvested trophies and used by aliens, especially by Terrorists as they need more energy to fight. Maybe, since they are subject to psionic control, or stun damage, in contradistinction from X-Com HWP tanks, even Cyberdisks and Sectopods have some organic brain-like component inside, so they need food too, in addition to electric accumulators, or Elerium batteries recharge.

Now back to the main question. Note that UFOs may not shoot two or more targets simultaneously, or at least never displays such activity. If so, these Plasma Guns have one-target operation mode only. It corresponds with the usual function of combined UPS and Navigation system as ship propulsion engine. Next, let's suggest that Navigators are ship Gunners also, while Engineers may adjust UPS to yield additional power boosting Speed and Weapon Range. Also it is reasonable that one of two Navigators controls the flight while another shoots during air combats, with some help of ship Engineers.

Another fact is Alien Bases, even Cydonian, have neither Rocket Defense nor Plasma or similar defense system at all, only some alien combat units at most, though it could be expected to have anti-aerial power weaponry (versus meteorite bombardment, for example). Obviously, base UPS can't be used that way as they are deep beneath planet's surface.

To conclude, let's note one more observation. UFO Power Sources have no complicated control console, as Navigations do, not even chair nearby. Yet there must be something Engineers can do with. Even Muton ones. Navigation control panels don't fit, as Engineers are looking at UPS from close range, without distant controls. On the other side, two Engineers are enough to adjust four UPS in opposite corners of Battleships. Also, as UFOs with solo UPS may change flight direction due to Navigators, their control of UPS generated fields must be quite versatile. So let us suggest that Engineer's job is periodical control of some close range field that protects UPS from propulsion forces and thereby distorts any distant sensors beyond reliability.

Though it's only theoretical, aforesaid may pretend to explain some unclear details of UFO Power Source functions.
[[User:VanTorrens|VanTorrens]] ([[User talk:VanTorrens|talk]]) 12:45, 24 October 2019 (CEST)

==='''Why battlescapes always being "one-way transparent"?'''===

Every time an X-COM taskforce disembarks from the transport, they always find the surrounding being completely “shrouded”, despite in common military practice, there must be recon satellites and/or scout planes to overwatch the AO, even with hostiles marked and tracked. Even if X-COM doesn’t have that kind of luxury, their transports should be able to scan the AO before landing to provide a rather clear and detailed map for soldiers.

And similarly, X-COM bases seemly never have any CCTV system, so during a Base Defense mission, the soldiers effectively fight in blind despite on their own turf.

However in Alien Base Assaults, it’s understandable. Since an alien base is subterranean and it’s almost devoid of artificial illumination, also it’s impossible to send a spy for pre-battle reconnaissance, and seems aliens don’t have terminals for being hacked in corridors, so an alien base is supposed to be “shrouded”.
[[User:Lixiaofossil|Lixiaofossil]] ([[User talk:Lixiaofossil|talk]]) 15:24, 5 December 2023 (UTC+8)

==TFTD issues==
===What was the relationship between the aliens from the 1st and 2nd wars?===

Quoting from the UFOPaedia regarding Alien Origins: 'Deep in the oceans there lie ancient
sites used by the Aliens to contact their stellar cousins.' This also has some implications regarding the issue of why T'Leth was only activated when the Sectoids were defeated.

*Gill Men are coopted Terran creatures, Aquatoids are a differently-modified Sectoid breed, Lobstermen are machine soldiers that are manufactured, Tasoths are clone soldiers that are grown.

Aquatoids are the ancestors of the Sectoids. The colony ship was sent out slowing than light hundreds of millions of years ago. Sectoids are a more genetically advanced race. The rest of UFO aliens were picked up after that point. The Brain and Ethereals probably conquered the Sectoids and don't regard them highly. While the Aquatoids that were thawed over the years created, conquered (Gill Man) or manufactured the rest of the allies over time. I picture the Tasoth as probably something they brought with them and have been working on. Since most of the Aquatoids come from suspended animation they have not tinkered with genes much. Instead modifying and using electronics (MC Chip) to control. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:28, 22 March 2010 (EDT)

===What kind of materials were 'synomium' and 'adamantium'?===

The first one is mentioned on the name of the alien communication devices and the second one appears at the end when T'Leth is destroyed: 'he twisting hugeness of T'leth begins to rupture.
Flames and smoke spew from its gleaming spires and adamantium halls.'

:Synomium is probably a special material used in the comm. devices, like Stargate's naquadah (universal stuff), naquadria (unstable power source), trinium (hull material) and neutronium (superdense metal). Adamantium is a legendary material in ancient literature that is said to be indestructible, similarly to mithril.--[[User:Amitakartok|amitakartok]] 10:55, 3 November 2009 (EST)

:Adamantium is said to be one of the strongest elements in many books and films such as X-men. --[[User:St.froppelie|St.froppelie]] 19:45, 23 October 2011 (GMT)

*See also Wikipedia article on Adamantium: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adamantium]

===How deep were X-COM bases located on the seas?===

*Floating bases would be easier to build, repair and supply. However they would have to be tethered to the ocean bed or possess some sort of propulsion to prevent them from drifing with the ocean currents. But it would also allow for easy redeployment of the base.
*Submersible bases could allow for better sonar detection. Same problems regarding ocean currents would apply. In case of hull breaches entire modules would be quickly flooded and any crew present would be crushed by water pressure or drown. Base could be built and then submerged (requires depth control)
*Seabed bases would be the hardest to build and supply. Several other factors could limit their deployment, such as unstable areas (underwater volcanoes, prone to seaquakes, rock avalanches, etc.) and depths.
*Given that the Alien Retaliation missions in TFTD are called "Floating Base Attack", I'd say floating. Also remember that your starting sonar can't see Very Deep, which rules out seabed bases. [[User:magic9mushroom]]
** Floating doesn't always happen on the surface. The surface has to deal with large waves ad bobbing up and down, submerged only has the currents it could be stabilized easier. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 11:57, 14 January 2010 (EST)
* I was recently researching how far you have to be down to not be effected by surface conditions. You have to be submerged 1/2 of a waves lenght (measured crest to crest) Best I can find is that the average wave is 150 yards accross. To not be effected by the waves you have to be 75 Yards below. This is way below the depth needed to not be effected by the bends when surfaceing. I figure they are probably right at the limit of what can be safe for quick surfacing and well anchored to avoid getting [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwKXfc_a4Ag tossed in a storm]. --[[User:BladeFireLight|BladeFireLight]] 17:37, 22 March 2010 (EDT)
**Something else to consider - these 'floating bases' could be large modular submarines/submersibles. If memory serves, submarines basically maintain sea-level pressure regardless of the depth, so that could explain why they'd be able to be 75+ feet below sea level and not suffer the bends when surfacing.
::(Or, y'know, we could just say "a wizard did it".) --[[User:Guido Talbot|Guido Talbot]] 14:13, 16 July 2010 (EDT)

==XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) issues==
===Motives behind the invasion===
Now, the UberEtherial pretty much spells out the whole point of the invasion, as well as of their use & control of all the other aliens: they ''wanted'' humanity to evolve and become powerful, because they needed a species that was both high in physical prowess, and a powerful psychic warrior. He (presuming gender) freely admits that their bodies suck (and that the other races suck in body and/or mind even more), and the 1st-3rd-1st person pronoun switch in ONE sentence ("We who failed to ascend as ''they'' thought we would") and "preparation for what lies ahead", as well as his descriptions of the other alien races in the Temple Ship imply a number of things:
*The other races are enslaved races, perhaps from earlier invasions (possibly starting with Sectoids and Etherials being different castes of the same species?), themselves having been enhanced by their own resistances, before becoming enslaved on the degree of being puppets.
*The whole point of the invasion is enslavement of humans, not extermination, for the perfect warrior-- any Metroid fans can think of the Chozo also becoming masters of Psionics and energy manipulation, at the cost of becoming physically frail and infertile, and entrusting the Power Suit -- and their legacy -- to Samus.
*The alien surgeries (which greatly resemble Sensory Deprivation tanks-- you can even zoom in to see captive humans twitch sporadically) are their version of XCOM's Psi Lab (which ''also'' greatly resemble Sensory Deprivation tanks): they are 'farming' humans for Psi potential, similar to how us, the player, may farm soldiers for our own Psi Squad
*Which then makes XCOM almost as much the ''Etherial's'' project as it is the Council's (hence why they do not invade or attack XCOM HQ or Interceptor bases)
*Someone/thing ''else'' is involved, someone the Etherials are in some way subservient to: notice in the Temple Ship and in the Overseer UFO, the strange, Cathedral-like "Stained Glass Windows". To me, there appear to be ''two'' figures in each: the much more visible 4-armed Etherial silhouette, and in a transparent, but slightly darker shade of lavender, some other 6-8 limbed creature, with a larger body and a very different head-shape behind the first.
*"What lies ahead" may mean some coming disaster, or merely a challenge and testing from this sequel-hook of "They"
*Additionaly: the description of the Hyperwave device implies contact with an alternate dimension. The organic-metallic (silicon based, perhaps?) form of the Outsiders (as opposed to the rather obvious "manufactured and machined parts grafted onto flesh" Cyborg attachments of both Floater varieties), and their absence (especially from the Temple Ship) after the device's capture, as well as released screenshots of the upcoming FPS XCOM game (mentioning Outsiders AND being placed several decades ago)-- all this suggests alternate timelines as well as alternate dimensions (in quantum physics, these are practically the same thing anyways), as well as some species native to this ''Outside'' dimension that are the ones, this "They", whom are actually calling the shots.
--[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 03:56, 26 January 2013 (EST)

*Just to verify the point about the Outsiders, they are called OUTSIDERS, which pretty much means not native, so possibly they are not native to this dimension, also, "What lies ahead" Could possibly be foreshadowing a TFTD remake? And the Outsiders are merely, prototypes of the Ultimate Alien?
[[User:XBrassxDragonX|XBrassxDragonX]] 22:59, 25 May 2013 (EDT)

*The UberEthereal is a rebel against "They" he/she/it united a group of Ethereals, and left "They" Then, he/she/it proceeded to search for the Ultimate Race, a race that was as tough as a Muton, and as Psionically Powerful as an Ethereal, these were the Humans. This Ultimate Race would overthrow "They" and thus, complete the Ethereal's legacy, it could also be, that through the use of implants, and sacrificing physical strength for Psionic Power, the Humans could walk the same path as the Ethereals, and be contacted by whatever was left of "They" then, the Humans would help "They" rebuild, and realize the sinister motivations behind "They's" plan, and thus, repeat the story in a never-ending cycle.

===How is it possible for Psionic soldiers to exist?===
After capturing a Psi-capable enemy and dissecting it: does XCOM reverse-engineer the implants and insert them into troops (whether they test positive (capable of using them) or not)? Or, is the testing just digging for a Psi signal that ''is already there''? In which case, it's a human-evolved trait, but from where, and why wasn't it found before? Vahlen's reasearch implies similar genetic struture between aliens and humans: do humans and Etherials/Sectoids have a common Psi-capable ancestor, or have the Etherials been interfereing with human evolution for at least 20-30 years (or however old troopers tend to be, with Shaojie Zhang and his advanced age, equally possible to have Psi-Abilites), if no longer? At least in Apocalypse, there's the excuse of Sectoid/Human Hybrids. How do humans use a power just discovered that year, and only a few months of practice, end up with the capacity to potentially mind-control Etherials, each of which who have several thousand years of personal experience with Psi abilites? --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 05:28, 11 April 2013 (EDT)
:It's implied that humans were always latent psionics (it's possible that if we weren't, the Ethereals would never have bothered us at all). The cutscene where your first psionic is found suggests the testee is immersed in some sort of purple gas, which presumably causes some physiological change to make them operant psionics. As for how human psionics get so good so quickly, good question, though bear in mind that psionic humans are implied to be an Ethereal's equal in raw power, but while an Ethereal has to expend psionic power all the time just to stay alive and standing, a human can devote it all to his psionic attacks. This could explain why humans are on an equal footing with Ethereals despite having comparatively little practice. More simply, it could just be that humans are badass compared to aliens; we certainly seem to be able to reverse engineer their technology in record time AND then make improvements to it, suggesting we're frankly just "better" than them. [[User:Binkyuk|Binkyuk]] 09:07, 12 April 2013 (EDT)

:Another possibility could be that Elerium exposure maybe one of the factors. While Doctor Vahlen stated that she found a correlation with high will power and psychic ability, gameplay mechanics aside there are cases where a very high willed soldier came back from the Psionic Labs who had displayed no psychic prowess whatsoever. Elerium is used in the alien technologies and it was only after the Alien attack that XCOM was able to 'make' psionic soldiers. Another piece of evidence is that pieces of equipment such as the Psi Armor and the Mind Shield require a large quantity of Elerium in order to manufacture and that it 'enhances' the Psychic abilities of the wearer. While it is true that Elerium is used as a power source for the armor, unlike the hulking Titan armor the Psi armor is essentially a skinsuit/catsuit/muscle suit that has no visible heavy pieces of armor but yet the Elerium requirements for a set of Psi Armor exceed the Elerium requirements for the larger, heavier Titan armor. Logically (again, gameplay mechanics aside) speaking the lighter Ghost armor could perform the same if it used the same amount of Elerium for the Titan armor yet it requires more to function. Combined with the fact that the Psionic Labs and the Gallop Chamber (Both facilities that involve Psionic's) are the only XCOM facilities outside of the Elerium Generator that requires Elerium in their construction means that Elerium maybe linked to the manifestation of Psychic phenomena.
[[User:GMPilot0079|GMPilot0079]] 3:56, 13 May 2013 (CST)

===Bureau/Enemy Within/My Little Pony Supplemental===
{{Ref Open | title = Yes, really}}
How does a ''Psychic'' attack on an XCOM soldier cause obvious psychological effects (-will, -aim), but damages ''armor'' first?

So, it's a safe assumption that the "They" spoken up above is probably the likes of [[Ethereal_(Bureau)|Asaru and Shamash]], "True" Etherials, who's physical forms have been discarded in trade of bodies made of pure energy--- much like EU/EW's Outsiders (not the Zudjari-- for clarity's sake, "Outsider" means the UFO-commander type alien in EU, and Bureau's 'Outsiders' shall be specifically called "Zudjari") are ''also'' described as being of pure energy. So, Bass Dragon was half-right: the Outsiders are not prototypes, they're attempts to ''reverse-engineer'' the Ultimate Life-forms that are the True Etherials. Shamash outright said they exist in multiple realities (either in the "omnipresent" sense (and the "physical" body is just the part that happens to intersect this reality), or that they can shift between alternate realities, XCOM's dimension included), and the Hyperwave Uplink, which seems to be the source for the Outsider's existence, has in-game descriptions that states that it has some kind of access to alternate dimensions, I think confirms this. The fact that Origin could study and emulate Shamash through scientific methods also leads credence that the Outsiders were scientific attempts to manufacture a True Etherial (or analogue thereof), via the Uplink.

The slave collars on the Bureau's Sectoids. I used to think that Sectoids may have been a low catse, but effectively the same species as Etherials. But, that was more based on the 1994 game's depictions, where the Sectoids were weaklings, but seemed to be "just another member of the alien horde." With 4-armed Etherials being canon, it's more likley that Etherials share a common ancestor with Slenderman than Sectoids, since evolution doesn't really work that way (ie: all/most (modern) Earth animals with spinal chords (chordate [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordate] ) follow a "head and 4 limbs and 2 eyes" body configuration). More likely, Sectoids are the "for hire/sale" whipping boy of the universe. Additionally, the slave collars that are suggested to help link them to the Mosaic Network, show how incomplete Origin's manipulation of Shamash was: in the infliltration of the Spire in Arizona, Dr Wier comments that Mosaic "seems to want to help". But, as the normal Etherials were collectively working together, that is why EU's Sectoids were without collars: the Etherials had no need for them.

Sectoids on sale, now 50% off, this Rel only, here on Shopduct n' Slave!

Now, the Meld: it always struck me as odd how ''careless'' the aliens seemed to be, leaving massive resources laying around for XCOM to collect. If XCOM was some kind of MMORPG, I would bet that players who chose the Alien factions would often blow up the Elerium Generators and Navigational Computers if it looked like they were going to lose a base or UFO (Chryssalid Rush, ke ke ke!). That they leave the Meld hanging around seems to me that they ''want'' XCOM to get it, which goes with what I wrote long ago up there about how XCOM could be said to also be the Etherial's project, at least indirectly.

On the other hand; how does Meld tie in with the purpose of the invasion? Searching for the Ultimate Life Form, "as we sought to uplift them, to prepare them." In other words: those aren't mere storage canisters, XCOM Bait, or bombs. They're ''dispersal units''. The Etherials' plot was to seed Earth with Meld to enhance physical capacities anyways (Mechtoids, Floater/Heavies), while doing abductions as mass "Farming" for Psi-positive humans (ie; like how the player buys soldiers in bulk, and picks out the ones we want to submit for Psi testing). Failures: we fire them, Zudjari kill them and dump 'em out back, Etherials and The Matrix turn them into flood slurry, and the Wachowski Siblings make a third movie and lose all credibility.

Which brings me to my third topic, where I talk about a cute talking unicorn that hails from a magical Fantasy kingdom of baby horses.

In the crossover fanfic [http://www.fimfiction.net/story/100455/stardust XCOM/FiM: Stardust], the Author is (with obvious liberties) attempting to stay accurate to XCOM's technical information (with assistance from this very 'Paedia: he's seen my work here). The major alterations to the plot are that Bradford replaces the player character of the Commander, and instead of Fluttershy reforming Discord, Discord makes a bet with Twilight Sparkle to "Convince me, irrefutably, that friendship is the strongest power in the universe."

With Twilight accepting the terms, Discord teleports her to April 02, 2015, to the site of a Terror Mission in Washington DC, within 30 feet of a Chryssalid.
:If you've read this far, I assume I've had your interest. If I now have your attention, and want to read the story without getting spoilers, scroll down to where '''Elerium''' is next written in bold.

So, obvious question: "What the hell does that have to do with anything?!" Well, the Author is trying to stay accurate to EU and Bureau (he did start writing before much of EW was revealed) while writing his own story, and he addresses several valid points that solve, or at least address several XCOM mysteries. The unique viewpoint of involving cartoon ponies is for flavor, amusement, and contrast to better see them.

As the story continues; Twilight is captured by XCOM, and almost Interrogated by Dr Vahlen, but manages to escape the containment cell. Hijinks ensue, Dr Shen talks Bradford into allowing him to make contact (referencing the in-game Arc Thrower conversation between the three), and Twilight is now a 'guest' of XCOM, taking residence in "Stardust" Labs. Eventually, she helps in XCOM's research of both alien technology, and her own magic abilities: The magic field she uses in Equestria is also available on Earth, but is stiff from "disuse," but is discovered to be the same field that the Aliens use for Psionic abilities. It's revealed that Elerium is, or is at least an analogue to "Arcanite", a material that boosts magic abilities. Ergo: Elerium boosts Psionic abilities. As Twilight assists in both XCOM Research, and indirectly with missions themselves, with her magic, her use of the Field begins to awaken the Psionic/Magic abilities of the humans around her. For example, Commander Bradford has 'time-stopping' precognition; several times, he has seen TPKs, only to snap back into real time shortly before it all goes to hell-- save states, basically.

Her assistance also points out that the implants found in the aliens, particularly the Sectoid Commanders, also have Elerium circuitry that activates/boosts/projects their Mind Control ability (as well as all aliens to be able to be controlled by the Etherials, who have not yet been revealed in the story, save for a refrence to/by a possible EXALT/Osiris member, and another to William Carter). This also points out that the Etherials are not specifically "Religious" of themselves, as Origin was, but are scientific-minded (the "All Technologies" research credit).

The mystery of XCOM this addresses is, as Analyst Krut points out in The Bureau: "Why?"

"Dear Twilight Sparkle,

'''ELERIUM.'''

Sincerely,
:Pinkie Pie!"

The Field that makes the abilities possible has probably always been here, and is perhaps universal, as inherent as magnetism or gravity (or, if you want a ''stupid'' comparison: like the "Chroma" in ''Indigo Prophecy''). And, with Elerium and it's use making Psionics easier for humans, Earth is now a 'factory' for making the most potentially dangerous beings in the universe.

Evolution, at least on Earth, is more about "Good enough"/"it ''works'', duddn't it?" than any search/aim for "better", and certainly not "perfect". If there was no evolutionary push (or capacity) to be able to use the Field (as useful as it would be), such traits would not develop. Interesting examples where real-world animals do use advanced physics are the Pistol Shrimp, who's claw has evolved in such a way that's essentially a [[Sonic_Pistol]] and can make a luminescent spark of plasma that's the same temperature as the surface of the sun, and dolphins that use complex fluid dynamics that humans barely understand to, basically, just pass the time [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMCf7SNUb-Q].

So, the Field that makes Psionic abilities possible is, in fact, accessible to humans, but as it is not often developed; it's rare, or doesn't manifest strongly. But it ''is'' there, so there is a motivation for the Etherials to come to Earth and do their testing (Incidentally, I don't think there is anything really saying that the Etherials knew that Asaru and Shamash were here).

Which also addresses "Why now?"

Because Elerium is now on Earth: in The Bureau, it's established that the Zudjari have been seeding the Earth with Elerium as early as 1957 (the year that Spudnik was launched: the satellite is even seen in the opening sequence of a campaign). If Elerium boosts Field abilities, such as Psionics, then 58 years of low-level global exposure may have triggered/boosted enough to draw the attention of the Etherials (incidentally, background radiation from above-ground nuclear tests peaked in 1963 at about 0.15 mSv per year worldwide, or about 7% of average background dose from all sources. The Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 prohibited above-ground tests, thus by the year 2000 the worldwide dose from these tests has decreased to only 0.005 mSv per year [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_radiation#Atmospheric_nuclear_testing]-- and in Angela's ending, she gets the US Government to use nukes to erase evidence of the invasion). This may also be why the aliens seem careless with Elerium; not as effective at making enhancements as dispersing Meld, but may help instigate Psi activations.

Now, I realize: if Psi powers ARE a scientifically understandable energy wave (and not straight-up "Magic"), then it does make sense that armor is damaged ''as well'', and that the suits that include Elerium can block the "piercing/bypassing" damage that I think would be more realistic. And for the armors it doesn't make sense for; they don't give an HP bonus big enough to make the difference.

Which leads to one more interesting thought: Elerium is not exclusive to the "Etherial Empire", or whoever controls the Sectoids (as Elerium is not in Apocalypse(?), but Sectoids are): while not naturally native to Earth, there's nothing saying how limited-- or abundant-- Elerium is throughout the universe (Arcanite). Less evidence, and more of a hunch: may Elerium be somewhat... "viral"? That it may at least "try" to spread as it goes, as the Bureau suggests? Like a milder version of Tiberium [http://cnc.wikia.com/wiki/Tiberium] or Phazon [http://metroid.wikia.com/wiki/Phazon]?

Obviously, Origin didn't have the device that had Asaru before the invasion, BUT, Faulk said the device was found ''in an Elerium Mine'' (in Montana). In other words, the Elerium aggregated around Asaru, who was there ''first''. So, there is enough to establish that there is a link between Elerium exposure/presence, and Psionic abilities, as is shown in Stardust.

In conclusion:
* ???? - Asaru arrives on Earth
* ???? - Sectoids, a clone race, are sold in open intergalactic slave markets to various alien empires across the universe: as clones and near-blank genetic templates, their adaptability, ability to be mass produced, and 'ease of use' (aided by Psionic links to one another) lends to the success of their sale.
* 65,000,000 BCE - The Lovecraftian "Vortex" Empire (refrence: Ecco the Dolphin [http://eccothedolphin.wikia.com/wiki/Vortex_Queen] - would explain why they look like Earth's aquatic animals), hailing from aquatic worlds, crash land a colony ship on Earth, either because, or ''as'' the impact that led to the extinction of the Dinosaurs-- and in the process, pave the way for mammals, and eventually for Humans to rise, whom will spend the rest of Time crossing Space, and even going into other Dimensions, obliterating every alien menace they encounter. Way to go, guys.
** Due to the exclusion of Elerium and their preference of aquatic habitats, their own research creates Zrbite and Aquaplastics, and they modify their own Sectoid slaves/genome templates into the Aquatoids.
* ????-1957-1962 - Zudjari, as part of their normal conquests' terraform operations, and the search for True Etherials, seeded Earth with Elerium in [[The_Bureau:_XCOM_Declassified|The Bureau]]. Asaru awakens, Shamash is killed, and Origin is deleted in a massive Etherial-fueled Psionic wave.
* 1962-2015 - Background radiation from Elerium is covered up by atmospheric Nuclear Testing, but the effects are still felt worldwide: while skills may not be developed, Psionic potential grows.
* 2015-2016? - The "cast out" Etherials begin their conquest and research of Humans and Earth, led here either by Elerium's energy signature, Psionic energy signatures, or due to the presence of the two True Etherials on a single planet; and event said to be a multiversal rarity. The battles between them and XCOM are a boon to human science and technology. Psionic experimentation, and the dispersal of Meld lead to the enhancement of both the human mind and body. Then the Etherials get blown the fuck up.
** Black Market interests begin the EXALT organization, a paramilitary group made with the aim of stealing and adapting alien technology and materials to force human evolution. After the raid on their headquarters and the neutralization of their command leadership, remaining members go into hiding, and begin to pass and adapt their ideology down family lines.
* 1997-2002 - Due to the energy signal released by the death of the multidimensional being Shamash: in an alternate timeline/dimension, the Etherial invasion happens earlier: since the Alien Brain is a computer, it's able to organize the invasion that much faster. The Tachyon signal released upon it's destruction lasts only a little while, but as the Tachyon is a (theoretical) FTL particle, it's properties are not restricted to 'normal' space-time.
* 2027 - Reminants of EXALT reorganize into the Cult of Sirus.
* 2041-2046 - As the Aquatoids were able to receive the signal as easily as their Sectoid cousins, they began the resurrection of T'leth: thus, the [[TFTD|Second Alien War]].
* 2084 - The Micronoids, while not as experienced as Etherials at multidimensional travel, also register the death of Shamash, and begin [[Apocalypse|their assault]] on the largest Earth-based population: Mega-Primus. Thanks for that, Carter.
** Sectoid-Human hybrids were origionally developed by the Etherials in an attempt to add the docile and controllable aspects of the Sectoids to the physically and psionically potent human race, much like the 1957 experiments with Africanized Honey Bees. In fact, ''exactly'' like those experiments: those bees are now known as "Killer Bees", and the Human-Sectoid mutants are willing to fight for XCOM, in exchange for universal rights.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there: a Grand Unified Theory of XCOM!
{{Ref Close | source = --[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 08:53, 24 November 2013 (EST) }}
And yes, I feel there's legitimacy in connecting XCOM to Ecco: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blaX_eMz3Qw Et voilà.]--[[User:Xuncu|Xuncu]] 17:49, 24 November 2013 (EST)

[[Category: Fiction]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]