UFOpaedia - User contributions [en]

Wish List (EU)

2008-09-18T20:32:29Z

MagicJuggler: /* Recuit Certain Enemy */

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!"
=== Fuel Ready always ===
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)

=== Smarter on 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]]

===Equipment Management===

==== Soldiers remembers THEIR equipment ====
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====

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)

===Fog of War Mk. 2===

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

====Blind Dropship Pilots====
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)

====Moving 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)

====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)

===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)

===Decrease Accuracy for targets out of sight===

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)

: There is a penalty. Bullet drift. The further away you are, the more this will impact the bullet, potentially making even a 100% accurate shot miss. Also X-Com maps are pretty small, and the aliens already cheat enough as it is to make things difficult even with the sniper/scout strategy. In Apocalypse they addressed this with adding weapon ranges. But then, even some weapons were capable of shooting beyond the unit's ability to see an enemy target. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:07, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

::That's not really a good reason for me. 1) Bullet drift has a very small effect in the game, because the actual percents are set quite high. Example: if you spray an unseen alien from the other corner of the map with autofire of 35%, you'll get a 73,6% chance to hit with at least one bullet. Physics and game balance, adieu. 2) Moreover, bullet drift has nothing to do with not seeing the target. It should be the contrary, you ACCIDENTALLY hit something you don't see, no? 3) You get a penalty for handling two weapons in the same time. Why couldn't we take the same penalty (80%*Acc) for the hit-out-of-sight? (Well, I can't do this actually, maybe others can)--[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 18:25, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

: I don't agree that bullet drift is already there as a penalty, since this doesn't distinguish between seen and unseen targets at all (ok it does indirectly, only in so far as unseen targets tend to be further away). I think we should look at 3 cases: 1. person firing did not happen to be the one who '''spotted''' the target. 2. person firing '''could not''' see/spot the target under any circumstances. In the first case, we can assume the firer has visual contact with the target, after someone else pointed it out. No accuracy penalty should be applied (maybe a TU penalty?). In the second case, there should be an accuracy penalty. 80% would be generous, I would go for 50%. Or maybe something non-linear, so that autofire percentages would not fall by as much as aimed fire and snap fire percentages. One problem you have is how to present these two different cases to the player before they take the shot. It's a bit obscure if you just show them a lower hit probability without explaining why. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:02, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

:: Bullet drift is an effect on range (actually it has quite a major effect on the blaster bomb), but yes it's not because of whether or not the unit can see the alien. But then again, the maps are small. If you ever took lots of screen shots of the map and made a large composite from them, you'd find that the area of operations is very tiny and that the 20 tile visual range means that our avatars are quite short sighted. That's not realistic either, but imposed for game balance. Other tactical games appear to handle the accuracy vs. range dropoff issue by combining the shooter's skill and the weapon's maximum range. Basically you can operate the weapon to the best of the shooter's ability within the maximum range, but the further away you try to aim, accuracy is decreased. In some games, you even get to see the effect on the accuracy before you pull the trigger as the accuracy is attached to the cursor. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:46, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

:::Actually the blaster bomb "drift" issue is not mainly caused by drift, but by accuracy adjustment between each waypoint (60% for xcom players, 55% for aliens). Maybe we can cook a kind of "max effective range" for a weapon base on firing mode (auto<snap<aimed) and gun type (pistol/rifle). Firing above this range would decrease the accuracy. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:03, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

:::: (to NKF) The main flaw of the whole "shoot the unseen" thing is the aliens cannot shoot back at somebody shooting at them (no reaction fire). If they could (or if they'd shoot at least the soldier they see), I wouldn't complain. This destroys the battle tactics side of the game, you just sent a man to "spot them". Nota bene, they cannot use the same scout-sniper tactic, the way we do, either. (This would be most annoying, by the way).
::::(to Seb76) Effective range would restore some balance and add some use to the aimed shots. I thought about a simpler solution with ''substracting'' some accuracy (which would make auto useless, snap into a poor and aimed into a solid chance-to-hit). Your suggestion is much more elegant, Seb, if you can cook it ;-) --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 08:00, 18 September 2008 (PDT)

===Enough Smoke===

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)

===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)

===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)

===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 [[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)

===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)

===Throwing over stuff===

I want to throw stuff over other stuff. I don't find grenades useful. I much rather shoot a rocket launcher from outside reaction shot range because even when you miss, odds are it's close enough. The throw itself has an arc trajectory and can hit the ceiling (a feature I like) but to pick the target it has to have straight line of sight (like a bullet) which is stupid. I want to throw onto the top of buildings where I ''can't see'', or bounce a grenade off the ceiling and over the head of a squadie ''because '' I don't have line of sight with a gun. If I had line of sight, I would just shoot since that costs less TU even if I already had an armed grenade.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to keep "out of range" but remove "you can't throw there" and just let a solider throw to any square they want. A better way is to keep the warning but give the player the option to try the throw anyway. If you can't really throw there, then oops... that's your badly positioned live grenade to deal with.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:59, 11 September 2008 (PDT)

:I did some tests disabling the "you can't throw there" check and it does not work. The grenade ends up in the vicinity of the throwing unit. Actually the line of sight is not used when throwing objects. I'm 98% sure it simulates the throwing of the object and if it intercepts anything, the throw is refused. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 04:47, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:: The explicit emulation of the trajectory has been verified as part of the throwing range testing by [[User:Zombie|Zombie]] and myself. The range bands are not consistent with a continuous model; they look like a table lookup from the same source 3rd ed. GURPS (Steve Jackson Games) uses. -- [[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 8:21 13 September 2008 (CDT)

:::Units don't need LOS to an area to throw a grenade, as evidenced by my favored tactic of chucking an Alien Grenade or HE Pack into any Medium or Large Scout which has had the roof blown away in the crash from outside to 'pacify' any remaining crew. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 09:22, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

Really? It never seems to work for me. Always requires me to have line of sight. For example tossing in a grenade into the roof hole doesn't work for me if the solider is on level 0 and I target a square inside at level 0. The walls and door obviously block the LoS. However I can target an area on level 1 or 2 in mid air and throw to that location where it naturally drops down to level 0. However I have line of sight to those higher levels in that case.
That's an acceptable compromise in many cases but in others it fails completely. For example having an alien on the top of a 2 story building (level 2) in the middle and a solider standing next to the building and not being able to toss a grenade onto the center of the roof. I could toss a ball there in real life. I wouldn't have thought the trajectory would have been high/steep enough to hit the "sky roof".--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:04, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

: Just how strong are your soldiers? The stronger they are, the higher their toss. There are various occasions where you don't need to see where you're throwing to throw. For example, try tossing grenades over a tall fence or hedge. A High Explosive pack into the apple orchard that is surrounded by a hedge on farm maps is often an easy way to smoke out any hidden aliens - and the orchard. One likely cause why you can't throw inside the UFO is that there's something in the way inside that's preventing the throw, such as a wall. Try adjusting your throwing destination, or reposition your soldier for a better throwing angle.

: I've often found grenades to be much more reliable than a directional attack early in the game where firing accuracy is much lower. You ought to try playing a few of the simpler missions like supply ship or large scout assaults with an all-grenadier cast. Takes a bit of planning to not destroy much of the loot, but otherwise literally a blast. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:52, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

===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)

===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)]]

===Base Build Stacking===

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)

===Recuit Certain Enemy===

Consider that not all alien loyal to its master (most TFTD alien has a device lodged to its brain), it should be interesting (or at least cool) if we can recuit such alien. Maybe we can replace those controling device from captive alien after research that specie. Or convince head of the Snakemen that it would be far more benefit to help us instead of the Ethereal [[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)

==Fix All Bugs==

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

== 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]]

Wish List (EU)

2008-09-18T20:32:03Z

MagicJuggler: /* Recuit Certain Enemy */

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!"
=== Fuel Ready always ===
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)

=== Smarter on 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]]

===Equipment Management===

==== Soldiers remembers THEIR equipment ====
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====

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)

===Fog of War Mk. 2===

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

====Blind Dropship Pilots====
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)

====Moving 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)

====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)

===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)

===Decrease Accuracy for targets out of sight===

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)

: There is a penalty. Bullet drift. The further away you are, the more this will impact the bullet, potentially making even a 100% accurate shot miss. Also X-Com maps are pretty small, and the aliens already cheat enough as it is to make things difficult even with the sniper/scout strategy. In Apocalypse they addressed this with adding weapon ranges. But then, even some weapons were capable of shooting beyond the unit's ability to see an enemy target. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:07, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

::That's not really a good reason for me. 1) Bullet drift has a very small effect in the game, because the actual percents are set quite high. Example: if you spray an unseen alien from the other corner of the map with autofire of 35%, you'll get a 73,6% chance to hit with at least one bullet. Physics and game balance, adieu. 2) Moreover, bullet drift has nothing to do with not seeing the target. It should be the contrary, you ACCIDENTALLY hit something you don't see, no? 3) You get a penalty for handling two weapons in the same time. Why couldn't we take the same penalty (80%*Acc) for the hit-out-of-sight? (Well, I can't do this actually, maybe others can)--[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 18:25, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

: I don't agree that bullet drift is already there as a penalty, since this doesn't distinguish between seen and unseen targets at all (ok it does indirectly, only in so far as unseen targets tend to be further away). I think we should look at 3 cases: 1. person firing did not happen to be the one who '''spotted''' the target. 2. person firing '''could not''' see/spot the target under any circumstances. In the first case, we can assume the firer has visual contact with the target, after someone else pointed it out. No accuracy penalty should be applied (maybe a TU penalty?). In the second case, there should be an accuracy penalty. 80% would be generous, I would go for 50%. Or maybe something non-linear, so that autofire percentages would not fall by as much as aimed fire and snap fire percentages. One problem you have is how to present these two different cases to the player before they take the shot. It's a bit obscure if you just show them a lower hit probability without explaining why. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:02, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

:: Bullet drift is an effect on range (actually it has quite a major effect on the blaster bomb), but yes it's not because of whether or not the unit can see the alien. But then again, the maps are small. If you ever took lots of screen shots of the map and made a large composite from them, you'd find that the area of operations is very tiny and that the 20 tile visual range means that our avatars are quite short sighted. That's not realistic either, but imposed for game balance. Other tactical games appear to handle the accuracy vs. range dropoff issue by combining the shooter's skill and the weapon's maximum range. Basically you can operate the weapon to the best of the shooter's ability within the maximum range, but the further away you try to aim, accuracy is decreased. In some games, you even get to see the effect on the accuracy before you pull the trigger as the accuracy is attached to the cursor. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:46, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

:::Actually the blaster bomb "drift" issue is not mainly caused by drift, but by accuracy adjustment between each waypoint (60% for xcom players, 55% for aliens). Maybe we can cook a kind of "max effective range" for a weapon base on firing mode (auto<snap<aimed) and gun type (pistol/rifle). Firing above this range would decrease the accuracy. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:03, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

:::: (to NKF) The main flaw of the whole "shoot the unseen" thing is the aliens cannot shoot back at somebody shooting at them (no reaction fire). If they could (or if they'd shoot at least the soldier they see), I wouldn't complain. This destroys the battle tactics side of the game, you just sent a man to "spot them". Nota bene, they cannot use the same scout-sniper tactic, the way we do, either. (This would be most annoying, by the way).
::::(to Seb76) Effective range would restore some balance and add some use to the aimed shots. I thought about a simpler solution with ''substracting'' some accuracy (which would make auto useless, snap into a poor and aimed into a solid chance-to-hit). Your suggestion is much more elegant, Seb, if you can cook it ;-) --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 08:00, 18 September 2008 (PDT)

===Enough Smoke===

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)

===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)

===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)

===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 [[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)

===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)

===Throwing over stuff===

I want to throw stuff over other stuff. I don't find grenades useful. I much rather shoot a rocket launcher from outside reaction shot range because even when you miss, odds are it's close enough. The throw itself has an arc trajectory and can hit the ceiling (a feature I like) but to pick the target it has to have straight line of sight (like a bullet) which is stupid. I want to throw onto the top of buildings where I ''can't see'', or bounce a grenade off the ceiling and over the head of a squadie ''because '' I don't have line of sight with a gun. If I had line of sight, I would just shoot since that costs less TU even if I already had an armed grenade.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to keep "out of range" but remove "you can't throw there" and just let a solider throw to any square they want. A better way is to keep the warning but give the player the option to try the throw anyway. If you can't really throw there, then oops... that's your badly positioned live grenade to deal with.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:59, 11 September 2008 (PDT)

:I did some tests disabling the "you can't throw there" check and it does not work. The grenade ends up in the vicinity of the throwing unit. Actually the line of sight is not used when throwing objects. I'm 98% sure it simulates the throwing of the object and if it intercepts anything, the throw is refused. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 04:47, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:: The explicit emulation of the trajectory has been verified as part of the throwing range testing by [[User:Zombie|Zombie]] and myself. The range bands are not consistent with a continuous model; they look like a table lookup from the same source 3rd ed. GURPS (Steve Jackson Games) uses. -- [[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 8:21 13 September 2008 (CDT)

:::Units don't need LOS to an area to throw a grenade, as evidenced by my favored tactic of chucking an Alien Grenade or HE Pack into any Medium or Large Scout which has had the roof blown away in the crash from outside to 'pacify' any remaining crew. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 09:22, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

Really? It never seems to work for me. Always requires me to have line of sight. For example tossing in a grenade into the roof hole doesn't work for me if the solider is on level 0 and I target a square inside at level 0. The walls and door obviously block the LoS. However I can target an area on level 1 or 2 in mid air and throw to that location where it naturally drops down to level 0. However I have line of sight to those higher levels in that case.
That's an acceptable compromise in many cases but in others it fails completely. For example having an alien on the top of a 2 story building (level 2) in the middle and a solider standing next to the building and not being able to toss a grenade onto the center of the roof. I could toss a ball there in real life. I wouldn't have thought the trajectory would have been high/steep enough to hit the "sky roof".--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:04, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

: Just how strong are your soldiers? The stronger they are, the higher their toss. There are various occasions where you don't need to see where you're throwing to throw. For example, try tossing grenades over a tall fence or hedge. A High Explosive pack into the apple orchard that is surrounded by a hedge on farm maps is often an easy way to smoke out any hidden aliens - and the orchard. One likely cause why you can't throw inside the UFO is that there's something in the way inside that's preventing the throw, such as a wall. Try adjusting your throwing destination, or reposition your soldier for a better throwing angle.

: I've often found grenades to be much more reliable than a directional attack early in the game where firing accuracy is much lower. You ought to try playing a few of the simpler missions like supply ship or large scout assaults with an all-grenadier cast. Takes a bit of planning to not destroy much of the loot, but otherwise literally a blast. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:52, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

===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)

===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)]]

===Base Build Stacking===

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)

===Recuit Certain Enemy===

Consider that not all alien loyal to its master (most TFTD alien has a device lodged to its brain), it should be interesting (or at least cool) if we can recuit such alien. Maybe we can replace those controling device from captive alien after research that specie. Or convince head of the Snakemen that it would be far more benefit to help us instead of the Ethereal [[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.
----

==Fix All Bugs==

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

== 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]]

Wish List (EU)

2008-09-18T20:31:46Z

MagicJuggler: /* Recuit Certain Enemy */

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!"
=== Fuel Ready always ===
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)

=== Smarter on 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]]

===Equipment Management===

==== Soldiers remembers THEIR equipment ====
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====

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)

===Fog of War Mk. 2===

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

====Blind Dropship Pilots====
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)

====Moving 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)

====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)

===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)

===Decrease Accuracy for targets out of sight===

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)

: There is a penalty. Bullet drift. The further away you are, the more this will impact the bullet, potentially making even a 100% accurate shot miss. Also X-Com maps are pretty small, and the aliens already cheat enough as it is to make things difficult even with the sniper/scout strategy. In Apocalypse they addressed this with adding weapon ranges. But then, even some weapons were capable of shooting beyond the unit's ability to see an enemy target. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 23:07, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

::That's not really a good reason for me. 1) Bullet drift has a very small effect in the game, because the actual percents are set quite high. Example: if you spray an unseen alien from the other corner of the map with autofire of 35%, you'll get a 73,6% chance to hit with at least one bullet. Physics and game balance, adieu. 2) Moreover, bullet drift has nothing to do with not seeing the target. It should be the contrary, you ACCIDENTALLY hit something you don't see, no? 3) You get a penalty for handling two weapons in the same time. Why couldn't we take the same penalty (80%*Acc) for the hit-out-of-sight? (Well, I can't do this actually, maybe others can)--[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 18:25, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

: I don't agree that bullet drift is already there as a penalty, since this doesn't distinguish between seen and unseen targets at all (ok it does indirectly, only in so far as unseen targets tend to be further away). I think we should look at 3 cases: 1. person firing did not happen to be the one who '''spotted''' the target. 2. person firing '''could not''' see/spot the target under any circumstances. In the first case, we can assume the firer has visual contact with the target, after someone else pointed it out. No accuracy penalty should be applied (maybe a TU penalty?). In the second case, there should be an accuracy penalty. 80% would be generous, I would go for 50%. Or maybe something non-linear, so that autofire percentages would not fall by as much as aimed fire and snap fire percentages. One problem you have is how to present these two different cases to the player before they take the shot. It's a bit obscure if you just show them a lower hit probability without explaining why. [[User:Spike|Spike]] 19:02, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

:: Bullet drift is an effect on range (actually it has quite a major effect on the blaster bomb), but yes it's not because of whether or not the unit can see the alien. But then again, the maps are small. If you ever took lots of screen shots of the map and made a large composite from them, you'd find that the area of operations is very tiny and that the 20 tile visual range means that our avatars are quite short sighted. That's not realistic either, but imposed for game balance. Other tactical games appear to handle the accuracy vs. range dropoff issue by combining the shooter's skill and the weapon's maximum range. Basically you can operate the weapon to the best of the shooter's ability within the maximum range, but the further away you try to aim, accuracy is decreased. In some games, you even get to see the effect on the accuracy before you pull the trigger as the accuracy is attached to the cursor. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:46, 14 September 2008 (PDT)

:::Actually the blaster bomb "drift" issue is not mainly caused by drift, but by accuracy adjustment between each waypoint (60% for xcom players, 55% for aliens). Maybe we can cook a kind of "max effective range" for a weapon base on firing mode (auto<snap<aimed) and gun type (pistol/rifle). Firing above this range would decrease the accuracy. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 01:03, 15 September 2008 (PDT)

:::: (to NKF) The main flaw of the whole "shoot the unseen" thing is the aliens cannot shoot back at somebody shooting at them (no reaction fire). If they could (or if they'd shoot at least the soldier they see), I wouldn't complain. This destroys the battle tactics side of the game, you just sent a man to "spot them". Nota bene, they cannot use the same scout-sniper tactic, the way we do, either. (This would be most annoying, by the way).
::::(to Seb76) Effective range would restore some balance and add some use to the aimed shots. I thought about a simpler solution with ''substracting'' some accuracy (which would make auto useless, snap into a poor and aimed into a solid chance-to-hit). Your suggestion is much more elegant, Seb, if you can cook it ;-) --[[User:Kyrub|Kyrub]] 08:00, 18 September 2008 (PDT)

===Enough Smoke===

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)

===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)

===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)

===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 [[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)

===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)

===Throwing over stuff===

I want to throw stuff over other stuff. I don't find grenades useful. I much rather shoot a rocket launcher from outside reaction shot range because even when you miss, odds are it's close enough. The throw itself has an arc trajectory and can hit the ceiling (a feature I like) but to pick the target it has to have straight line of sight (like a bullet) which is stupid. I want to throw onto the top of buildings where I ''can't see'', or bounce a grenade off the ceiling and over the head of a squadie ''because '' I don't have line of sight with a gun. If I had line of sight, I would just shoot since that costs less TU even if I already had an armed grenade.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to keep "out of range" but remove "you can't throw there" and just let a solider throw to any square they want. A better way is to keep the warning but give the player the option to try the throw anyway. If you can't really throw there, then oops... that's your badly positioned live grenade to deal with.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:59, 11 September 2008 (PDT)

:I did some tests disabling the "you can't throw there" check and it does not work. The grenade ends up in the vicinity of the throwing unit. Actually the line of sight is not used when throwing objects. I'm 98% sure it simulates the throwing of the object and if it intercepts anything, the throw is refused. [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 04:47, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

:: The explicit emulation of the trajectory has been verified as part of the throwing range testing by [[User:Zombie|Zombie]] and myself. The range bands are not consistent with a continuous model; they look like a table lookup from the same source 3rd ed. GURPS (Steve Jackson Games) uses. -- [[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 8:21 13 September 2008 (CDT)

:::Units don't need LOS to an area to throw a grenade, as evidenced by my favored tactic of chucking an Alien Grenade or HE Pack into any Medium or Large Scout which has had the roof blown away in the crash from outside to 'pacify' any remaining crew. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 09:22, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

Really? It never seems to work for me. Always requires me to have line of sight. For example tossing in a grenade into the roof hole doesn't work for me if the solider is on level 0 and I target a square inside at level 0. The walls and door obviously block the LoS. However I can target an area on level 1 or 2 in mid air and throw to that location where it naturally drops down to level 0. However I have line of sight to those higher levels in that case.
That's an acceptable compromise in many cases but in others it fails completely. For example having an alien on the top of a 2 story building (level 2) in the middle and a solider standing next to the building and not being able to toss a grenade onto the center of the roof. I could toss a ball there in real life. I wouldn't have thought the trajectory would have been high/steep enough to hit the "sky roof".--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 22:04, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

: Just how strong are your soldiers? The stronger they are, the higher their toss. There are various occasions where you don't need to see where you're throwing to throw. For example, try tossing grenades over a tall fence or hedge. A High Explosive pack into the apple orchard that is surrounded by a hedge on farm maps is often an easy way to smoke out any hidden aliens - and the orchard. One likely cause why you can't throw inside the UFO is that there's something in the way inside that's preventing the throw, such as a wall. Try adjusting your throwing destination, or reposition your soldier for a better throwing angle.

: I've often found grenades to be much more reliable than a directional attack early in the game where firing accuracy is much lower. You ought to try playing a few of the simpler missions like supply ship or large scout assaults with an all-grenadier cast. Takes a bit of planning to not destroy much of the loot, but otherwise literally a blast. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:52, 13 September 2008 (PDT)

===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)

===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)]]

===Base Build Stacking===

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)

===Recuit Certain Enemy===

Consider that not all alien loyal to its master (most TFTD alien has a device lodged to its brain), it should be interesting (or at least cool) if we can recuit such alien. Maybe we can replace those controling device from captive alien after research that specie. Or convince head of the Snakemen that it would be far more benefit to help us instead of the Ethereal [[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.

==Fix All Bugs==

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

== 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]]

Cyberdisc

2008-09-17T05:03:20Z

MagicJuggler: /* Notes */

[[Image:cyberdisc.gif|right|Cyberdisc]]
'''Cyberdiscs''' are an alien [[Terror Units|terror unit]] accompanying [[Sectoid]]s. As with all terror units, they can be encountered on [[Terror Mission]]s, [[Base Defense]], with a [[Terror Ship]] or [[Battleship]], [[Alien Base Assault]]s and finally in [[Cydonia]].

The Cyberdisc's only means of attack is its plasma beam doing an impressive 130HP damage. The Cyberdisc has another characteristic which makes it rather deadly, and that is, it can explode upon death with an average GZ strength of 120 and damage radius of 7 (diameter 15). Upon targeting a Cyberdisc, be wary of this blast radius as your soldiers, or perhaps a wandering [[Civilian]], could find themselves in a world of hurts.

==Statistics==
'''TUs:''' 62-71
'''Health:''' 120
'''Energy:''' 90-104
'''Reactions:''' 64-79
'''Strength:''' 90-97
'''Bravery:''' 110
'''Firing Accuracy:''' 30-70
'''Throwing Accuracy:''' N/A
'''Psi Skill:''' N/A
'''Psi Strength:''' 100-116

'''Damage:''' 130
'''TUs-'''
'''Snap:''' 30% (Accuracy 75%)
'''Aimed:''' 60% (Accuracy 110%)

==Live Specimen==
( Note: it is not possible to capture one, the only way to get this report is to get it from a captured [[medic]].)
This miniature flying saucer is an automated terror weapon armed with a powerful plasma beam. The anti-grav propulsion gives it a big advantage in difficult terrain. Its primary function is destruction and terror in the service of the [[Sectoid]] race.

==Autopsy==
[[Image:cyberdiscautopsy.gif|right|Cyberdisc - Autopsy]]
The Cyberdisc is well shielded and is particularly good at withstanding explosive ammunition. The primary anti-gravity system is too badly damaged to gain any understanding of its functioning.

Note: you may have difficulty getting an intact corpse because of its explosive nature. Shoot the Cyberdisc to kill it when its one level above the ground, it drops down to ground level, hits the ground and becomes a corpse, THEN the explosion goes off where it was just hovering: ie: at one level off the ground. Guaranteed works if corpse falls flat.

==Notes==
The following are some miscellaneous notes on the Cyberdisc:
* The Cyberdisc takes 0.8x damage from armour-piercing weapons.
* It takes 0.6x damage from high explosives.
* It has a flat profile (smaller than a Sectoid), making for a harder target (per square).
* Takes up 4 squares on the battlescape.
* Is the Sectoid's equivalent of a HWP. It has very high health, [[Psi Strength]], and bravery, making it tough to disable.
* Unlike human HWPs, it has very high reactions and firing accuracy. This, combined with its powerful plasma shot, make it capable of one-hit killing many targets.
* Can attack up to 3 times in one turn. It fires with such frequency that many commanders have mistaken it for an auto-shot.
*On any mission where the Sectoids have their Cyberdisc terror unit, they will also have a Leader capable of [[Psionics]].
**However, not all missions with Sectoid Psionics will have Cyberdiscs.
* Take this hovering manhole cover down with Heavy Rockets, Heavy Cannon, High Explosive packs, or Alien Grenades. Laser Pistols work okay, and Laser Rifles work very well. Forget standard rifles - they're just too tough. If two Cyberdiscs are close together, the self-destruct explosion from one may be enough to bring down the second.
* Although they cannot be stunned, Cyberdiscs take damage from [[Stun Rod]]s and [[Stun Bomb]]s and will not explode if they are finished by one. This is very useful if a Cyberdisc spawns in the small storage room (1st floor right north of the central lift) on a battleship ground assault mission or a Terror Ship (the overlooks on L1 are notorious for this). What otherwise might make it necessary to sacrifice some soldiers to kill it, this at least gives your men a chance.
* Because of its large size, Cyberdiscs take roughly quadruple damage from explosive weapons; rather, they take damage once for every segment caught in the blast. This is another way to take down stuck or camping Cyberdiscs without losing men.

==See Also==
*[[Sectoid]]
*[[Bio-Drone]]
*[[Mind Control#Mind controlling 4-square units - a bug|Problems with mind control]]

[[Category:Alien life forms]]

Small Launcher

2008-07-31T18:13:59Z

MagicJuggler: /* Large Units vs. Stun Bombs */

A large improvement over the [[Stun Rod]], the Small Launcher and its Stun Bomb are unique in the XCOM arsenal. It is a fired weapon which can knock units unconscious if they are caught in its blast. For more on reviving units, see [[Unconscious]] and [[Medi-Kit]].

The Stun Bomb uses the same projectile and explosion graphics as the [[Blaster Bomb]], which gives every commander a moment of sheer terror - Then delight, to find it was "only" a stun bomb. Stun bombs do not use waypoints, and leave no explosion damage. Thus, it is easy to distinguish between the two.

Stun Bombs never cause [[Fatal Wounds]]. One less thing to worry about. However, if a Soldier already had a Fatal Wound, they will continue to lose health while unconscious, and can even DIE. So if there is any question in your mind, check unconscious soldiers a.s.a.p.!

Aliens will not fire on unconscious soldiers. However, any unconscious soldiers caught in a subsequent explosion are always killed, if the blast strength was sufficient to cause ground items to disappear.

While the stun bomb is a significantly safer method of capturing aliens then the [[Stun Rod]], it can only fire one shot between reloads, reducing it's effectiveness over other weapons.

== Stats ==
[[Image:XCOM StunBomb Pattern.gif|right|frame|Stun Bomb pattern showing stun damage to units. It's an average of 90 (0-180) at ground zero and decreases by 10 per tile outward.]]
<b>Small Launcher:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS37.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Size: 2 high x 2 wide
*Weight: 10
*TUs:
**Snap: 40% (Accuracy 65%)
**Aimed: 75% (Accuracy 110%)
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Manufacturable_Prices|Manufacturing]]: $78,000 for parts, 900 Engineer Hours, 1 Alien Alloy
*Sell Price: $120,000</td></tr></table>

<b>Stun Bomb:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS38.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 90 Stun
*Ammo: 1
*Size: 1 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 3
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Manufacturable_Prices|Manufacturing]]: $7,000 for parts, 200 Engineer Hours, 1 Elerium
*Sell Price: $15,200</td></tr></table>

The stun bomb detonates with a radius of 5 tiles, or a diameter of 11 tiles (see graphic).

== Likelihood Of Being Stunned ==
X-COM soldiers in Power Suits ('''PSs''') or Flying Suits ('''FSs''') are unlikely to be knocked unconscious because their armor blocks most of the stun [[Damage]]:
*180 stun double damage maximum * 80% PS/FS stun resistance = 144 max stun damage after resistance,
*Minus 70 (FS Under) to 60 (PS Under) Armor
*Equals 74-84 stun damage ''at most
*[[Soldiers]] have [[Health]] from 25 to 61
Experienced soldiers (Health >34) in a Flying Suit are very unlikely to go down, and in fact will usually have no stun damage at all. 144 is the max possible, but the ''average'' hit will be 72, which will barely breach FS armor.

Stun Bombs go through Under Armor at ground zero, just as explosives do. Therefore, for a direct hit this is the only number needed.

* <u>Coveralls (Under Armor 2), no resist, 180 max stun damage:</u> Max stun 178, average stun 88. '''85%''' of the time, soldier with lowest Health (25) will be stunned (1-((25+2)/180)). Max excess stun points can be up to 153 (178-25), so you may need up to 39 [[Medi-Kit|stimulants]] to recover!
* <u>Personal Armor (Under Armor 30), 90% stun resist, 162 max stun damage:</u> Max stun 132, average stun 51. '''76%''' of the time, soldier with lowest Health (25) will be stunned (1-((25+30)/162)). Up to 107 excess stun points possible (132-25), requiring up to 27 stimulants.
* <u>Power Suit (Under Armor 60), 80% stun resist, 144 max stun damage:</u> Max stun 84, average stun 12. '''41%''' of the time, soldier with lowest Health (25) will be stunned (1-((25+60)/144)). Up to 59 excess stun points possible (84-25), requiring up to 15 stimulants.
* <u>Flying Suit (Under Armor 70), 80% stun resist, 144 max stun damage:</u> Max stun 74, average stun 2. '''34%''' of the time, soldier with lowest Health (25) will be stunned (1-((25+70)/144)). Up to 49 excess stun points possible (74-25), requiring up to 13 stimulants.

== Usage Notes ==
===Continuous Firing===
The following lists how many times a soldier can fire the gun by shot type continuously in any given round and the remaining percentage of any left over TUs that cannot be spent as a shot.

* Aimed: 1 Shot, 25% Remaining TUs
* Snap: 1 Shot, 60% Remaining TUs (A soldier with 80 TUs will be able to reload and refire the weapon in the same turn, provided he does '''nothing else'''!)
* Auto: Not Available

===Experience===
Stun bomb hits count toward [[Firing Accuracy]] skill point increase. If you hit many aliens with one stun bomb, you can get many [[experience]] points with the one shot. It still counts towards experience if aliens are caught in its blast, even on the rare occasions that they do not get any stun damage (because their armor blocked it). See blast pattern (above).

The Small Launcher can also provide points to [[Reactions]] skill point increase, if fired as an opportunity shot. However, you only get one experience point per shot, even if multiple aliens are caught in the blast. (Technically, you were only reacting to one particular alien.)

===Large Units vs. Stun Bombs===
Large units, when stunned, stay down for good and are considered dead for the purposes of the battle. There are a few rare exceptions where a portion of the large unit stays awake, but this is not a normal occurance or may only occur on certain ports of the game, such as the Amiga port of UFO.

X-Com controlled tanks, for some reason, never take on stun damage from stun bombs, and are thus the only units in the game that appear to be immune to them.

[[Sectopod]]s, [[Cyberdisc]]s and [[Reaper]]s on the other hand are vulnerable to stun bomb explosions, particularly on easier levels where their lower armour increases the potency of the stun bombs allowing them to be knocked out by simply standing near the fringe of the explosion. On easier levels, the stun bomb can be treated as a large terror unit buster that also leaves buildings standing afterwards.

On the hardest difficulty level, [[Superhuman]], sectopods require direct hits and have a fair chance of completely shrugging off the damage. This means that you no longer have the ability to wipe out multiple sectopods with a single stun bomb. Cyberdiscs and Reapers can still be dealt with stun bombs.

In short, the ease of knocking out a large unit completely varies depending on your difficulty level.

Note: Cyberdiscs knocked out with a stun bomb do not always cause an explosion, but it's best to be beyond their blast radius as a precaution.

===Stun Bombs Vs. Terrain and Objects===

Stun Bombs do not damage the terrain at hand or destroy objects on the ground. As such, they are safe to use near [[UFO Power Source]]s, as there is no risk of damaging the precious [[Elerium-115|Elerium]].

===Stun Bomb Explosions===

Stun bomb explosions have the radius seen in the picture above, and follow [[Explosions|explosion]] rules such as that they are 90 average stun at center, which drops off by 10 damage per tile away from ground zero. Ok. But unlike most explosives, their [[damage]] to units is 0-200% of the rated stun damage at any given point. (Explosives usually inflict 50-150% of damage to units, at any given point.) Thus they are unique in the game in that they spread like explosives, but damage like shot weapons. For more details, see [[Explosions#Stun_Bombs]].

== See Also ==
*[[Stun Bomb]]
*[[Alien Artefacts]]
*[[Weapons]]
*[[Unconscious]]
*[[Medi-Kit]]
*[[Stun Rod]]
*[[Soldiers]]
*[[Experience]]

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (UFO Defense)]]

Rocket Launcher

2008-07-31T17:34:55Z

MagicJuggler:

The rocket launcher is the equaliser of the conventional ranged weapons. It's slow, it's heavy, but its severely limited ammunition is balanced by its sheer brute force.

The rocket launcher is the most accurate weapon that can be fired in a straight line, surpassing even the dreaded [[Heavy Plasma]] or the weak X-Com standard [[rifle]]. Although the alien [[Blaster Launcher]] is superior, the Rocket Launcher is cheap and ammunition is easy to obtain in large quantities.

There are three rocket flavours, each with their own pros and cons. The launcher may only be loaded with one rocket at a time.

: '''Small Rockets''' are literally light rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). They are the lightest in weight of the three types of rockets and well suited for weak recruits. Unfortunately, Small Rockets do not work very well against heavily armoured units, like the [[Cyberdisc]].

: '''Large rockets''' are the mainstay ammunition for the rocket launcher. They are identical in function with the small rocket, but have twice the firepower and are slightly heavier. Strong soldiers should be equipped with a launcher and a full complement of large rockets (three in backpack, one in tube). If the soldier is mobile, then another soldier could carry another four for the heavy weapon soldier.

: '''Incendiary rockets''' are special "Willie Pete" shots (white phosphorus) that serve a variety of purposes, depending on the situation and the tactics employed. One of the most common uses is to illuminate a battlefield at night, the other primary use is to set fire to it. The one thing the incendiary rocket cannot do is provide instant kills on most enemies. The Large Rocket serves that role a lot better.

: The incendiary rocket has the largest detonation radius of all the incendiary weapons, thus it will cause a lot of fire to form on the battlefield - perfect for illumination, or to clear the battlefield of thick shrubs and to slowly roast aliens to death.

To better understand how the incendiary effect works, refer to the [[Incendiary|incendiary section]].

== Stats ==
<b>Rocket Launcher:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS15.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Size: 3 high x 2 wide
*Weight: 10
*TUs:
**Snap: 45% (Accuracy 55%)
**Aimed: 75% (Accuracy 115%)
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $4,000
*Sell Price: $3,000</td></tr></table>

<table style="border:1px gray solid;"><tr style="border:1px gray solid;"><td style="border:1px gray solid;">
<b>Small Rocket:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS16.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 75 HE
*Size: 3 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 6
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $600
*Sell Price: $480</td></tr></table>
</td><td style="border:1px gray solid;">
<b>Large Rocket:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS17.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 100 HE
*Size: 3 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 8
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $900
*Sell Price: $720</td></tr></table>
</td><td style="border:1px gray solid;">
<b>Incendiary Rocket:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS18.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 90 IN
*Size: 3 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 8
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $1,200
*Sell Price: $960</td></tr></table>
</table>

== Usage Notes ==

The following lists how many times a soldier can fire the gun by shot type continuously in any given round and the remaining percentage of any left over TUs that cannot be spent as a shot.

* Aimed: 1 Shot, 25% Remaining TUs
* Snap: 1 Shot, 55% Remaining TUs(15 TUs to reload is too high to get off another Snapshot)

== Recommendations ==

In the early game, the rocket launcher is the best hope for taking out Cyberdiscs and therefore at least one should be kept on-hand for such events. However, as cyberdisk missions also contain psionic Sectoids, the results of a mind control could be devastating. Therefore, these missions require the use of an ammo-bearer to prevent potential firing mishaps. The rocket launcher will continue to remain a useful weapon throughout the game as rockets are very cost-effective for the damage they can inflict.

== Tips ==

* No matter what shot you use, kneel.
* Try to always fire the rocket with Aimed shots. You don't have many reloads.
* Snap shots should only be used when you're guaranteed a kill - such as firing the rocket toward an alien standing next to a wall.
* Use in a support role, not for scouts.
* Sometimes it's better to end the turn with no rocket loaded and to only load a rocket on the next turn. This protects from accidental reaction shots with the launcher.
* When sniping, do not forget that it costs the same amount of TUs to load ammunition from any location in the inventory screen, including the ground. So consider standing on a pile or rockets rather than carry them all the time, or have nearby companions throw rockets over to you.
* Don't bother saving time for reaction fire. Too much friendly fire risk. Move instead.
* Firing from an elevated position or [[Flying Suit]] at a downwards angle will guarantee an (eventual) impact with the ground.
* Since rockets explode, direct hits aren't compulsory. If you think you might miss your target, try aiming for a nearby building instead.
* Rockets are good for demolishing cover (trees, hedges, buildings) at long range, reducing the need for messy close range combat.
* Firing a rocket at the ground will generate an instant smoke cloud, instead of waiting a turn for a smoke grenade to go off. If a scout encounters too many aliens spaced too far apart or an alien that cannot be killed by a single large rocket, and supporting troops cannot get a line of fire, the scout can use this technique to make an instant smoke screen and retreat on the same turn. Even if supporting troops cannot get a line of fire to the aliens, they may be able to fire a rocket between the scout and the aliens. This is limited by the general limitations of [[smoke]].

Most of these tips can apply to the [[Small Launcher]] and [[Blaster Launcher]].

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (UFO Defense)]]

Rifle

2008-07-31T17:21:23Z

MagicJuggler: /* Recommendations */

Spearheading the front lines of the [[X-COM]] vanguard at the start of the invasion is the [[X-COM]] regulation issue rifle - the best earth supposedly has to offer - a rifle combining assault and sniper capabilities.

Unfortunately it is also built by the lowest bidder.

It offers a miniscule improvement over the standard X-Com [[pistol]] in terms of damage, with a minor increase in clip size. All that and a little more on top of a heftier bill. Being slightly more complex than the pistol, it is also slower to fire and slightly heavier on top of requiring both hands to properly operate.

Luckily, what it does offer over the [[pistol]] is a superb three-round burst mode, making it excellent for close range combat. It also has a built-in scope to allow highly accurate aimed shots. The rifle takes quite a long time to aim, but it allows the user to achieve shots with accuracies that are equal to the alien [[Heavy Plasma]] and [[Small Launcher]]. This is regrettably let down by the rifle's low stopping power and speed.

The rifle makes an excellent compliment to the regulation [[pistol]] - and suffers most of the same limitations. The aliens that the rifle will continue to remain effective against throughout the war are [[Sectoid]]s, [[Snakeman|Snakemen]] and [[Floater]]s.

== Stats ==
<b>Rifle:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS01.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Size: 3 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 8
*TUs:
**Auto: 35% (Accuracy 35%)
**Snap: 25% (Accuracy 60%)
**Aimed: 80% (Accuracy 110%)
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $3,000
*Sell Price: $2,250</td></tr></table>

<b>Rifle Clip:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS02.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 30 AP
*Ammo: 20
*Size: 1 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 3
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $200
*Sell Price: $150</td></tr></table>

== Recommendations ==

The rifle works best in the early campaign as a means to train your high accuracy, low strength soldiers. When crouched and aiming, the base firing accuracy is 1.1*1.15*the user accuracy, meaning a marksmanship 70 rifleman has an 88% chance of hitting its target regardless of distance. With spotters to mark targets, a sniper rifle can be a valuable asset against low-ranking enemies. In close-quarter battles, the rifle finds itself quickly outclassed as its accuracy means little and its rate of fire and damage output proving inferior to the laser pistol. In XCOMUtil, the heavy laser will ultimately replace the rifle in sniper duty as well, while in an unmodded game the heavy plasma or laser rifle will.

== Usage Notes ==
The following lists how many times a soldier can fire the gun by shot type continuously in any given round and the remaining percentage of any left over TUs that cannot be spent as a shot.

* Aimed: 1 Shot, 20% Remaining TUs
* Snap: 4 Shots, 0% Remaining TUs
* Auto: 2 Bursts, 30% Remaining TUs

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (UFO Defense)]]

Talk:Base Defence

2008-07-31T16:26:20Z

MagicJuggler: /* yeah, "offing" is real English... */

==Base Disjoint Bug==

Reference for the base disjoint bug is at:

http://www.geocities.com/nkfarma/reference/bdb.html

If anyone wants to remodel or redraw it in a more suitable form or make it easier to understand, then please feel free to do so.

Other thoughts I might have is to give a rough indication of the layout of ground modules to allow players to plan ahead and perhaps even make use of the disjointed walls.

(Also note - hangar and small radar are the safest modules to place in lower right)

- NKF

== 80-item limit ==

This is listed in [[Known Bugs]]. [JFG]

==um,==

Quote (at article page): "An inbound Battleship on a "Retaliation" mission means there is a high chance that a Base Defense mission is in the '''offing''' for you.

is it supposed to be "offering" OR "offing" such as "knocking you off, hitman-style" Coulkd be a typo by author [[User:EsTeR|EsTeR]]

== yeah, "offing" is real English... ==

real informal English, but common, just the same. It derives from the phrase "setting off on a journey" or "about to set off" and wound up just being, "in the offing". You can delete both these comments after reading. Good to talk with ya again :)

I would consider it an offering as they're basically willing to send battleship-level troopers, and their equipment right into your base, where you can outnumber and outshoot them with remarkable ease. :P [[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 09:26, 31 July 2008 (PDT)

== No Retreat!,No Surrender! ==

Always have rocket launching tanks at ready.Leaving a base without blowing up at least 10 Snakemen scum is a stain on our honor.

Kill the Alien,Purge the Alien,Burn the....Alien!And yes I'm a WH40k bitch--[[User:X-COM:Turcocalypse|X-COM:Turcocalypse]] 13:02, 22 April 2006 (PDT)

== Defense Question ==

If your defenses hit the UFO but don't disable it, does it have any effect on the number of aliens in the landing party?

<i>None at all. - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 16:34, 9 September 2006 (PDT)</i>

==Craft Equipment==
''Equipment assigned to your craft is not available for base defense missions, even if that craft is currently in it's [sic] hangar.''
This does not seem to be true. I keep all my Psi-Amps on my transports for my psi troopers to use, but I still have access to them in base defense missions. I play the CE version.
--[[User:Dumas|Dumas]] 13:40, 8 November 2006 (PST)

: Oi, who put the original comment in there? I hope it wasn't me, as it's not quite right. I concur, your craft equipment is unloaded for use in your base's general equipment pool. The only possible reason why the equipment may not have shown up would be because of the 80-item limit. Hmm. Here's one question that suddenly comes to mind. What about transports that are already out on missions/returning from a mission? Hmm. - [[User:NKF|NKF]]
----
Nein, my friend. Stuff loaded on a transport which is away from base at the time of attack will not show up in inventory. - [[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 22:00, 8 November 2006 (PST)

:I've edited the statement about equipment on craft to be more accurate. --[[User:Dumas|Dumas]] 22:17, 8 November 2006 (PST)

== Earliest Assault? ==

Just had my base attacked after six weeks. Fifteen Sectoids and two Cyberdiscs against fourteen un-armoured soldiers with laser rifles and pistols. Naturally, I was slaughtered - a Sectoid with a Blaster Launcher took out two of my last three men as the final insult.

Has anyone been attacked at an earlier point?
--[[User:Majick|Majick]] 05:20, 3 December 2006 (PST)

Attacks on the 3rd or even 2nd week aren't that uncommon on Superhuman level. If the first alien mission is Alien Retaliation and your radar doesn't detect the scout...

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 10:26, 3 December 2006 (PST)

I have yet to see an initial mission of Retaliation scheduled at game start (before 12:30 Jan. 1 1999) in the save files. However, I don't know whether UFOs other than Retaliation scouts can nominate your base for Retaliation -- and your region always gets a UFO immediately.

[[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 17:07, 3 December 2006 (CST)

Also: if you shoot down the first UFO in your region, and ''that'' starts a series of Retaliation missions, not taking out any of the prior ones puts the first Battleship at about 2 weeks out.

[[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 19:39, 3 December 2006 (CST)

In a brand new superhuman campaign where I was running some tests on the hyperwave decoder, occasionally I would pick up UFO-1 as a retaliation scout.

Also, I have had my base get attacked immediately after the first or second missions in both X-Com UFO and TFTD on superhuman difficulty. It wasn't nice, to say the least.

But that's just what I've experienced.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

Now, that would be interesting if a Hyperwave Decoder at a base automatically scheduled Retaliation missions....

[[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 9:05, 5 December 2006 (CST)

== Psi and visual contact ==

I was just checking the new changes and noted the affect paragraph refer to keeping soldiers out of sight during the alien turn to keep them from being attacked with psi.

The alien's don't need visual contact at any time. They already know where you are and will start attacking even if you are successful in keeping out of sight (try rooting the aliens to the spot by setting their energy and energy recharge to 0).

Although there appears to be short period from the time you start the battle before they start using their psi attacks. This appears to vary depending on difficulty level and the psi strength level of your troops.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]] 18:41, 17 May 2008 (PDT)

:Probably not the best place to put the info, but here it is: there are two conditions that cause the aliens to know the position of all your troops: after 20 turns have elapsed (you can change the value in the executable at offset 0x10F4), or if only 2 (offset 0x10EF in the executable) or less aliens remains alive (this explains why a single commander can psi attack from the beginning if he is the only survivor). [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 15:23, 18 May 2008 (PDT)

:: Ah, I knew there was some sort of grace period. So 20 turns eh? Good to know. ''Really'' good to know (although very bad for my play style, since I take it slow). Does it get adjusted by difficulty or the presence of psi-weakling (of a single digit nature) in any way? -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:39, 18 May 2008 (PDT)
::Yeah, this explains the sudden rush of aliens out of their UFO at around turn 20 I guess. I found nothing related to psi-weaklings. As for target selection, everything that is conscious, xcom, small unit, not already under mind control and whose unitpos[8] is less than the attacker's intelligence is susceptible to being attacked. There is then some computing involving distance from target, target psi-strength and psi-skill, attacker psi-attack strength, and a random number between 0 and 50 (the formula is too complex to my liking). The potential target which fits best may be attacked (based on some other unclarified randomness). If someone wants to perform more analysis, the subroutine starts at virtual offset 0x404650. Actually, patching the 0x83 at that address with a 0xC3 should completely disable psi-attacks from aliens (may be useful for testing) [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 12:29, 19 May 2008 (PDT)

:There's also the break that comes after a turn where you manage to kill a fair number of aliens. Even if you don't cause them to panic, they often stop Psi Attacks after you force a successful round. From a storyline perspective, the officers are probably busy rallying the troops and so they can't use Psi on you. Of course, the best way to stop Psionic attacks is to kill or otherwise incapacitate the psions. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:08, 17 May 2008 (PDT)

Talk:Base Defence

2008-07-31T16:26:05Z

MagicJuggler: /* yeah, "offing" is real English... */

==Base Disjoint Bug==

Reference for the base disjoint bug is at:

http://www.geocities.com/nkfarma/reference/bdb.html

If anyone wants to remodel or redraw it in a more suitable form or make it easier to understand, then please feel free to do so.

Other thoughts I might have is to give a rough indication of the layout of ground modules to allow players to plan ahead and perhaps even make use of the disjointed walls.

(Also note - hangar and small radar are the safest modules to place in lower right)

- NKF

== 80-item limit ==

This is listed in [[Known Bugs]]. [JFG]

==um,==

Quote (at article page): "An inbound Battleship on a "Retaliation" mission means there is a high chance that a Base Defense mission is in the '''offing''' for you.

is it supposed to be "offering" OR "offing" such as "knocking you off, hitman-style" Coulkd be a typo by author [[User:EsTeR|EsTeR]]

== yeah, "offing" is real English... ==

real informal English, but common, just the same. It derives from the phrase "setting off on a journey" or "about to set off" and wound up just being, "in the offing". You can delete both these comments after reading. Good to talk with ya again :)

I would consider it an offering as they're basically willing to send battleship-level troopers, and their equipment right into your base, where you can outnumber and outshoot them with remarkable ease.

== No Retreat!,No Surrender! ==

Always have rocket launching tanks at ready.Leaving a base without blowing up at least 10 Snakemen scum is a stain on our honor.

Kill the Alien,Purge the Alien,Burn the....Alien!And yes I'm a WH40k bitch--[[User:X-COM:Turcocalypse|X-COM:Turcocalypse]] 13:02, 22 April 2006 (PDT)

== Defense Question ==

If your defenses hit the UFO but don't disable it, does it have any effect on the number of aliens in the landing party?

<i>None at all. - [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 16:34, 9 September 2006 (PDT)</i>

==Craft Equipment==
''Equipment assigned to your craft is not available for base defense missions, even if that craft is currently in it's [sic] hangar.''
This does not seem to be true. I keep all my Psi-Amps on my transports for my psi troopers to use, but I still have access to them in base defense missions. I play the CE version.
--[[User:Dumas|Dumas]] 13:40, 8 November 2006 (PST)

: Oi, who put the original comment in there? I hope it wasn't me, as it's not quite right. I concur, your craft equipment is unloaded for use in your base's general equipment pool. The only possible reason why the equipment may not have shown up would be because of the 80-item limit. Hmm. Here's one question that suddenly comes to mind. What about transports that are already out on missions/returning from a mission? Hmm. - [[User:NKF|NKF]]
----
Nein, my friend. Stuff loaded on a transport which is away from base at the time of attack will not show up in inventory. - [[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 22:00, 8 November 2006 (PST)

:I've edited the statement about equipment on craft to be more accurate. --[[User:Dumas|Dumas]] 22:17, 8 November 2006 (PST)

== Earliest Assault? ==

Just had my base attacked after six weeks. Fifteen Sectoids and two Cyberdiscs against fourteen un-armoured soldiers with laser rifles and pistols. Naturally, I was slaughtered - a Sectoid with a Blaster Launcher took out two of my last three men as the final insult.

Has anyone been attacked at an earlier point?
--[[User:Majick|Majick]] 05:20, 3 December 2006 (PST)

Attacks on the 3rd or even 2nd week aren't that uncommon on Superhuman level. If the first alien mission is Alien Retaliation and your radar doesn't detect the scout...

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 10:26, 3 December 2006 (PST)

I have yet to see an initial mission of Retaliation scheduled at game start (before 12:30 Jan. 1 1999) in the save files. However, I don't know whether UFOs other than Retaliation scouts can nominate your base for Retaliation -- and your region always gets a UFO immediately.

[[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 17:07, 3 December 2006 (CST)

Also: if you shoot down the first UFO in your region, and ''that'' starts a series of Retaliation missions, not taking out any of the prior ones puts the first Battleship at about 2 weeks out.

[[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 19:39, 3 December 2006 (CST)

In a brand new superhuman campaign where I was running some tests on the hyperwave decoder, occasionally I would pick up UFO-1 as a retaliation scout.

Also, I have had my base get attacked immediately after the first or second missions in both X-Com UFO and TFTD on superhuman difficulty. It wasn't nice, to say the least.

But that's just what I've experienced.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

Now, that would be interesting if a Hyperwave Decoder at a base automatically scheduled Retaliation missions....

[[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 9:05, 5 December 2006 (CST)

== Psi and visual contact ==

I was just checking the new changes and noted the affect paragraph refer to keeping soldiers out of sight during the alien turn to keep them from being attacked with psi.

The alien's don't need visual contact at any time. They already know where you are and will start attacking even if you are successful in keeping out of sight (try rooting the aliens to the spot by setting their energy and energy recharge to 0).

Although there appears to be short period from the time you start the battle before they start using their psi attacks. This appears to vary depending on difficulty level and the psi strength level of your troops.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]] 18:41, 17 May 2008 (PDT)

:Probably not the best place to put the info, but here it is: there are two conditions that cause the aliens to know the position of all your troops: after 20 turns have elapsed (you can change the value in the executable at offset 0x10F4), or if only 2 (offset 0x10EF in the executable) or less aliens remains alive (this explains why a single commander can psi attack from the beginning if he is the only survivor). [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 15:23, 18 May 2008 (PDT)

:: Ah, I knew there was some sort of grace period. So 20 turns eh? Good to know. ''Really'' good to know (although very bad for my play style, since I take it slow). Does it get adjusted by difficulty or the presence of psi-weakling (of a single digit nature) in any way? -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:39, 18 May 2008 (PDT)
::Yeah, this explains the sudden rush of aliens out of their UFO at around turn 20 I guess. I found nothing related to psi-weaklings. As for target selection, everything that is conscious, xcom, small unit, not already under mind control and whose unitpos[8] is less than the attacker's intelligence is susceptible to being attacked. There is then some computing involving distance from target, target psi-strength and psi-skill, attacker psi-attack strength, and a random number between 0 and 50 (the formula is too complex to my liking). The potential target which fits best may be attacked (based on some other unclarified randomness). If someone wants to perform more analysis, the subroutine starts at virtual offset 0x404650. Actually, patching the 0x83 at that address with a 0xC3 should completely disable psi-attacks from aliens (may be useful for testing) [[User:Seb76|Seb76]] 12:29, 19 May 2008 (PDT)

:There's also the break that comes after a turn where you manage to kill a fair number of aliens. Even if you don't cause them to panic, they often stop Psi Attacks after you force a successful round. From a storyline perspective, the officers are probably busy rallying the troops and so they can't use Psi on you. Of course, the best way to stop Psionic attacks is to kill or otherwise incapacitate the psions. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:08, 17 May 2008 (PDT)

Blaster Launcher

2008-07-31T15:58:47Z

MagicJuggler: /* Avoiding Reaction Fire */

This man-portable total destruction device is the heaviest weapon alien artifact you'll discover. It fires the football-shaped [[Blaster Bomb]] which can hover and route through up to nine programmable waypoints before detonating on impact with a small explosion. 'Small' being a relative term for battlefield nuclear weapons. A safety radius of 10-20 meters is a good guideline. Blaster Bombs are ''outside'' toys, and can generally be relied upon to kill anything unlucky enough to be hit by them (and anything nearby). Although the weapon can only fire one shot before requiring a reload, one shot is usually enough.

Researching the Launcher and it's ammo allows you to research the [[Fusion Ball Launcher]] and [[Hovertank/Launcher]] projects.

== Stats ==
<b>Blaster Launcher:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS35.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Size: 3 high x 2 wide
*Weight: 16
*TUs:
**Aimed: 80% (Accuracy 120%)
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Manufacturable_Prices|Manufacturing]]: $90,000 for parts, 1,200 Engineer Hours, 1 Alien Alloy
*Sell Price: $144,000</td></tr></table>

<b>Blaster Bomb:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS36.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 200 High Explosive
*Ammo: 1
*Size: 2 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 3
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Manufacturable_Prices|Manufacturing]]: $8,000 for parts, 220 Engineer Hours, 3 Elerium
*Sell Price: $17,028</td></tr></table>

BB [[explosions]] have an 11 tile radius. A soldier on the 11th tile can still be '''killed''' as BB's do average 90 points damage '''at the edge''' of the explosion.

'''NOTE''': Though the [[UFOpaedia]] states that the blaster launcher costs 80% of your TUs to fire, this is in fact incorrect. It only costs 66% to use the launch command. The 80% only applies to the blaster launcher's 'aimed shot', which is disabled when the 'launch' command is enabled. The launch command is a completely different firing mode entirely.

== Usage ==
* Use left clicks to set up to 9 waypoints. Two are the recommended minimum. To guarantee detonation, the last two waypoints should guide the bomb towards something solid such as a wall or floor. Right clicks will unset the last waypoint you set.
* The [[Hovertank/Launcher|Hovertank]] fusion ball is fired by the top-most section of the hovertank (the upper left corner when viewed via the overhead map).
* A bomb fired from within the [[Skyranger]] cannot be relied upon to cleanly exit the craft. Firing from the lip of the craft ''may'' be safe, especially if you angle your first waypoint away from the edge adjacent to the firer: if you're on the left side of the craft, angle your first waypoint to the right, and vice-versa.
* Similarly, it appears to be impossible to fire a Blaster Bomb from inside an [[Avenger]]. On the CE (Windows) version of the game <b>modified by [[XcomUtil]]</b>, there appears to be a pink door covering the rear of the craft that the Blaster Bomb hits every time. Curiously, units can walk through this "door" and the explosion damage from the Blaster Bomb detonating also goes through the door and will kill any unit within range on the outside of the craft.
* In the CE (Windows) version of the game, attempting to fire a Blaster Bomb along an absolutely vertical path (as opposed to on an angle) results in it flying south instead. Aliens will still set vertical waypoints however, often killing themselves as a result.
* If it somehow misses a waypoint (via the above method or drift), a bomb will restart its path from the correct waypoint if it later passes it or if it flies off the edge of the map (so long as there are two or more waypoints remaining).
* Soldiers do not need to face targets or waypoints when firing.
* Blaster Bombs can break open a single section of '''UFO outer hulls''' (see [[Destroying Terrain]]). They will carry through with enough power to detonate the nav modules on the other side of the hull, if you hit north or west sides. See [[Explosions#When_Is_a_Wall_not_a_Wall|Explosions: When Is a Wall not a Wall]]. This is not true of shells fired from the [[Hovertank/Launcher|Hovertank]]

== Tactics ==
Aim for large, open areas first to maximize the effects of your blasts. If you want to send a shell into a UFO, first punch open the bridge, then send a shell into that section of the craft to ensure you destroy the highest ranking aliens. This will reduce both [[psionic]] attacks and enemy [[morale]].

When using BBs for base defense, remember that it is possible to destroy your own base with them! Use waypoints to hit the rear side of your (indestructible) entry lift (this helps to avoid destroying adjacent modules), then send another through the resulting hole to nuke the lift contents. Now nuke the (also indestructible) hangars. Be careful of the effects of drift whenever firing through a narrow area.

Units can only hold so many Blaster Bombs. However, because just about any target can be hit from anywhere, there's no real need for the launcher units to move about. Hence one tactic is to have them stand on top of a large supply of ammo, as opposed to having them carry the extra bombs with them.

Blasters are the key for the ultimate anti-Sectoid Leader/Commander tactic. Load a Skyranger with three [[Hovertank/Plasma|plasma tanks]] two soldiers and a blaster with a high amount of ammo, but don't equip it. Send out your tanks to flush out and kill the aliens. As soon as one of the HWPs are sighted, the Sectoids will start to mind control one of the soldiers. Send that one into a two-story building and shoot out the stairs to put him/her out of the fray. If you see multiple Sectoids or Cyberdiscs gathering around (for example, in the [[Abductor]]'s examination room), blast them. After the tanks have cleared the outside, use the blaster to create an entrance into the UFO wide enough for the tanks to enter (you might want to repeat it for every floor if the lifts are small). While clearing the UFO, you might want to destroy the bridge to put the Leader/Commander out of commission.

== Drift ==
Blaster Bombs will often veer slightly off course as they travel, regardless of your units' firing accuracy stat. If it strikes an object (such as a wall, unit, or even the floor) before reaching the next waypoint, it will explode. The waste of a perfectly good bomb aside, a misfire could result in the decimation of your own squad.

Set the bomb's path through the air if possible. There's nothing to hit up there, so even if it does drift, this won't stop it from ultimately hitting the target. Remember to avoid setting waypoints directly above or below each other if using the CE version.

Drift can result in waypoints being missed completely. For this reason, it pays to set multiple waypoints around the final target. If you can, send the bomb up in the air, then dunk the bomb back down again - even if it misses your actual target, it'll detonate when it hits the ground. Be sure, however, that it explodes on the same map level as its intended target, as explosive damage does not carry over to other levels.

Drift is particularly dangerous when firing in narrow corridors, such as those found in bases. In order to avoid this, don't allow the bombs path to cross a tile that has a wall in it. Without benefit of a diagram, the best way to explain this is to say that waypoints should be set as south-easterly as possible (as walls tend to be placed in the northern or western most tiles). Also, try to enforce 90° turns.

Try to always have your soldier <i>exactly</i> facing the first waypoint position (turn soldier or set 1st point accordingly), to reduce the chances of BB drift.

== Safe Practise ==
Because of the indirect-fire nature of the Blaster Launcher, Launcher-armed soldiers need not be on your squad's front line. Ideally, Launcher-armed units should be kept out of the line of fire to prevent them from using reaction fire, which could result in the death of several friendly units, including the unit carrying the launcher.

While the Blaster Bomb is an awesome tool in your fight against the aliens, it is still originally their weapon, and there are times when it will be used against you. Alien units will only carry them during a base defense/offense mission or if deployed on [[Battleship]]s. During these missions, soldiers caught out in the open are wise to crouch (true of any situation). A BB shot directly at a crouching soldier on a level course will simply fly harmlessly over their head, (hopefully) detonating at a distance.

If an alien is carrying a blaster launcher, you can prevent it from shooting by having your soldiers move right up next to it. The AI, though generally stupid, does have some sense of self preservation and will not fire a blaster launcher at a close range target. Just remember that units further away may still be fired on. This strategy only works on aliens with blasters and grenades, and only applies to UFO and TFTD. The aliens in X-Com Apocalypse are a tad psychotic when it comes to explosives.

Finally, when facing psionic Sectoid Leaders/Commanders or Ethereals, DO NOT give a blaster launcher to a soldier susceptable to mind control or panic attacks.

== Dud Shells ==
Sometimes you will get into a situation where your blaster launcher cannot be loaded with a new shell. When you examine the weapon, you'll find that it's still loaded, but will have 0 rounds. In order to use the blaster again, the empty shell must be unloaded.

This situation occurs whenever you attempt to fire the blaster launcher with only 1 waypoint. A blaster launcher fired by way of reaction fire (see next section) will also leave a dud shell behind, as it's technically a 1-waypoint attack. If you set multiple waypoints but the bomb explodes before it reaches its first waypoint, this will also create a dud.

Note that the Collectors Edition of X-Com UFO has rectified this problem to a certain extent. You no longer get a dud shell when:

# You fire the blaster with reaction fire
# You use a 1-waypoint attack and the blaster bomb misses its target and flies off the map. You will still get the empty shell if the fusion ball hits something and explodes.

Dud shells do not come back to base with you at the end of a mission.

== Avoiding Reaction Fire ==
* In case it's not obvious, reaction-fired blasters are generally a bad thing. There is no chance to guide them, so they fly straight forward, and your soldiers will gladly fire at a target a few paces away. Unless the target is far away and the shot is very accurate, you can expect several friendly casualties. Keep your blaster units out of the line of sight of the enemy, and/or with weapons unloaded until needed. It may be sufficient to have them face away from the combat zone. Alternately, one can expend unwanted TUs by ordering the soldier to rotate in place or perform "sit-ups" (e.g. crouching/uncrouching rapidly).
* After a shot is spent via reaction fire, the empty casing "dud" must be unloaded before using again. This bug has been fixed in the Collectors Edition of X-Com UFO and no longer occurs except with normal one-waypoint shots.
* The time to reaction-fire a blaster is significantly less than the time it takes to normally shoot one.
* One trick to avoid accidentally using a blaster launcher during attacks of opportunity is to keep your blaster unloaded and only load it when you need to use it. You cannot fire an empty weapon. This works for [[Rocket Launcher]]s and [[Small Launcher]]s as well.
* An even better trick is to arm another weapon in the other hand and set it as the [[active weapon]] (that is, visible in the soldiers hands) before ending the turn. You will only switch over to the blaster launcher once the active weapon runs out of ammo (which will never happen if it is a [[Laser Pistol]] or [[Laser Rifle|Rifle]]).

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (UFO Defense)]]

Talk:Exploiting Collision Detection

2008-07-31T15:50:03Z

MagicJuggler:

I have a question regarding collision detection. Can a walking soldier move off a ledge where there is a soldier or hwp beneath it? If yes, then what happens?
a) Do they occupy the same space?
b) The soldier lands on top of the unit?
c) Something else?

The idea is to use a hovertank as a platform to transport troops to the top of a ufo. Anyone tested this before?

----

It would be A.Units cannot stand on top of other units, they would just fall into the same tile as the unit directly under it. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 22:42, 29 July 2008 (PDT)

----

In that case, would it be possible to write a utility that does collision-checking for falling units, as in a lot of cases it could be potentially screwy (e.g. what happens when a Chryssalid falls inside a tank, etc). Something simple like adding conditional checks to determine if there is a unit under an area or above a unit (the latter case would be if the bottom unit moved)? [[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 07:03, 30 July 2008 (PDT)

----

To make it work "correctly", a check would need to be done when the above unit attempted to step forward (to see if a) there was a drop in front of it b) which map levels the unit would fall through c) if any of those levels contained another unit). If it's determined that the walker would drop through another unit, then it simply wouldn't be allowed to move. Not sure how "simple" that'd be to code.

Not sure why you'd need to do a check when the bottom unit is moving. If you walk under another unit, that will not cause them to fall down (even if they aren't standing on a floor and don't have the ability to fly (that is, even if they shouldn't be up there in the first place)). The upper unit will only fall to the ground when attempting to step forward, or if he's standing on a floor and that is destroyed.

If you make one unit fall into another by destroying the floor between them, ideally the above unit would "slide off" the one below and end up standing next to it. Again, not sure how simple that would be to code.

Incedently, the game doesn't much care if two units are standing in the same place. It just carries on as usual. Might be a bit self-destructive shooting at an enemy that's standing on your guy, so if you somehow end up in that situation just move your unit out of the way first.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 23:13, 30 July 2008 (PDT)

From a movement perspective, it could be hazardous for a large unit if another large unit falls on top of it. E.g. in the off-chance scenario a reaper or sectopod falls on top of your tank during a Terror Ship assault [[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 08:50, 31 July 2008 (PDT)

Examination Room

2008-07-31T14:09:30Z

MagicJuggler:

==General Information==
[[Image:Examinationroom.png|right]]In the past many thousands of people have claimed to have been abducted by aliens, sometimes repeatedly. The truth is far more horrific. Humans are abducted, researched and monitored. The best specimens have genetic material extracted. Women have human-alien hybrid foetuses implanted, and then removed several months later. Who knows what sinister motives the aliens have?
<br clear="all">
==Additional Information==
This "component" is ''only'' found in an [[Abductor]] UFO or [[Supply Ship]]

==See Also==
[[Abductor]]

[[Alien_Missions#Alien_Abduction|Alien Abduction Mission]]

[[Data Canister: Abduction]]

Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2008-07-31T13:41:08Z

MagicJuggler: /* <i style="font-family:cursive;">Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War</i> */

[[Image:moneymen.png|right|Hello neighbor!]]

''' <i style="font-family:cursive;">A Handy Cut-Out Guide</i> '''<br />
Fighting back the alien hordes is a demanding and stressful job. Many new Commanders feel overwhelmed by the task, and lose sight of the many tasks vital to the smooth operation of a covert agency of the secret world government. With this in mind, your paymasters have prepared this brochure to help you get a handle on the day-to-day operations of your clandestine private war.

'''<i style="font-family:cursive;">Happy hunting!</i>'''

==<i style="font-family:cursive;">Day One: Hit the Ground Running</i>==

# '''Start on the low difficulty level.''' If this is your first time managing a secret agency, please be realistic about your expectations. While many commanders may think themselves superhumans from day one, in reality it takes a great deal of experience to defend the earth. Save the hard work for later forays.
# '''Place Your Base.''' The thing to keep in mind when placing your first base is that you want to protect the countries that are supplying your funding. Worrying about the fate of sub-Saharan Africa is a noble thing, but Sub-Saharan Africa is not going to pay your bills, at least not until someone strikes oil there. With this in mind, you want to place your first base to protect as much of your funding as possible. So, you're looking to put your base where its sensors can cover as much of your sponsorship as possible. The USA is usually your single largest contributor, while Europe contains a large collection of sponsors as well.
#'''Become Acquainted with your facilities.''' Upon receiving control of your secret underground headquarters (be sure to store the deed in a safe place!), you should [[Starting_Assets|take a tour]] of the facilities and get a feel for your new lair. Note the possible points of entry – particularly the hangars and the access lift – which have been scattered to every corner of the base, allowing an invader to enter from every side and kill your security forces without the hassle of defensive choke-points or bottlenecks. This is what happens when you contract to the lowest bidder.
#*Want to tighten up security some? Look into [[Base Layout Strategy|Overhauling The Starter Base]].
#*In addition, you will almost certainly require other facilities. A large radar system is always useful, as is alien containment for housing anything you bring back from the crash site that's still breathing.
#'''Get your staff working.''' You have a sparkling-new research facility and a crew of scientists, freshly recruited from some supervillian's doomsday project. Get them working immediately, and keep them working! Research facilities are too important to lie idle. As soon as you have new designs to produce, keep your engineers busy as well. If you don't need equipment of your own, have them manufacture items for sale on the international black market.
#*Remember, scientists and engineers are lazy and indolent. Without constant direction on what to research and manufacture, they will sit idle, running up the bandwidth bill and playing idiotic video games.
#*For research, laser weapons aren't a bad place to start. All reports indicate that the aliens have heavy firepower at their disposal, and it might be useful to even the odds some. In addition, there is always a high demand for armaments, especially if you don't ask questions about the buyers. Manufacture these high-tech wonders for your own use and for sale!
#**Stop reading newspapers. I'm sure those reports about the rebels being scorched with some new weapon are unfounded. The Generalissimo is too benevolent a dictator to use lasers on his own people.
#'''Review your troops.''' All prospective X-COM soldiers undergo rigorous [[Stats|physical and psychological examinations]]. Get a handle on their strengths and weaknesses. You might recruit a few more if their weaknesses are too numerous.
#*the turnover rate among agency security squads tends to be... high. Keep some reinforcements on hand.
#*Bravery is a key stat here. Be very suspicious of anyone who scored under 30 on the psych test.
#*Also note the physical strength of your troops. Mark out those who will be strong enough to carry heavy weapons (strength 35+), and those who will have trouble with the standard kit (lower than 30).
#'''Organize Your Arsenal.''' As an anonymous leader of a conspiratorial organization, a great variety of military hardware is available to you. Many quartermasters will try to buy one of everything for their armory, but the smart commander will standardize his weapons layout for easy logistical management.
#*Early in the game, experimentation with various weapons is a good thing, but before long you should settle on a standard set of personal firearms and heavy weapons.
#*Of course, there is something to be said for having a couple of non-standard weapons lying around for those odd contingencies.
#*You should also give thought to how much non-weapon equipment your troops need. There is limited room on a troop transport, and not everyone has to carry everyhing.
#*We let Boris pick out your new arsenal. Bless his heart, he's thorough when it comes to armor-piercing rounds, but you might want to look into alternatives. That man would buy armor-piercing smoke grenades if they were available. Particularly, you might want some stun rods if you want to drag aliens back alive for questioning.
#*Boris also forgets that not everyone has IR vision implants. You might want some electro-flares to light up the battlefield at night.
#*Remember to keep sufficient ammunition on hand for your weapons. This is especially important for HWP's, whose failsafes will not even permit them to deploy without a full consignment of ammunition.

==<i style="font-family:cursive;">Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza</i>==

Running a private war against an alien horde is expensive both in money and men. Expect your medbay and morgue to be well used. Fortunately, the nice men in the expensive suits can provide you with an endless line of new recruits, provided you've got the cash. However, you'll see your startup money quickly used up. Here's how to keep a handle on your rapidly-spreading responsibilities.
#'''Keep enough troops in your Skyranger.''' What with all the injuries and fatalities, it's easy to lose track of your roster until your troop transport has landed and, whoops, there's only three troops in it! Keep a sufficient number of troops on hand to replace your casualties, and make sure you assign them to transport as the current troops are injured or lost. It can be a good habit to get into to go to the Equip Craft screen for your Skyranger every time you are about to send it out.
#'''Keep your arsenal supplied.''' There's few things more frustrating than carrying a weapon into battle that you don't have enough clips for. Don't let it happen to you!
#'''Sell alien artifacts.''' It's not certain who would pay $20,000 for a bullet-ridden alien corpse, and you're probably happier not knowing. However, it is an indispensible way to supplement your income.
#*A UFO that lands of its own accord will yield significantly more useful artefacts than one which has crash-landed after air combat. When possible, try having your Skyranger shadow an alien craft and wait for it to land. Of course, it is always preferable to shoot it down rather than let it escape - Once grounded in this way, it'll be quite some time before it can take off again, so you can wait until daylight before sending in your ground forces.
#*The science division would like you to keep at least one example of each type of item for research purposes.
#** You can sell all examples of unneeded items after they've been researched, though.
#* Keeping around a large selection of research specimens may require more general stores capacity.
#*We suggest you don't sell elerium. ''Strongly'' suggest.
#'''Keep your R&D deparment busy.''' If they don't have work assigned to them, your scientists will just sit around and collect salaries. You remember salaries, right? Their pay will be drawn out of the common fund at the beginning of each month.
#'''Keep your engineers occupied.''' As always, if you don't need anything in particular, have them produce items to sell.
#*Be careful what you produce for the market. Not all alien technology sells profitably, particularly those which require exotic materials to build. When in doubt, stick with tried-and-true Terran designs for selling.
#'''Expand your research and manufacturing departments.''' Through the wonders of modern management, the number of tasks you can accomplish increases linearly with the number of personnel on hand-- no worries of overhead, scalability or management levels here!
#*Recruit more scientists to get research projects completed more quickly. Alien technology in particular will require extra knowledge to master. Many important projects will take an average of 400-500 man days to complete, and quite a few key ones will take twice as much effort, so your intial team of 10 will be vastly inadequate in keeping up without assistance.
#*Hire more engineers. Once you have new technology to manufacture for sale, the engineering staff can more than pay for itself, and in fact can become a major source of revenue.
#'''Always respond to alien terror missions.''' When the aliens invade a major city, you can't afford to ignore it. The bad press generated by neglecting such an event is too big a penalty to your interational standing and, more importantly, your funding. Even if you have to retreat once you get there, you can't afford not to go.

==<i style="font-family:cursive;">The Battlescape: Once More Into The Breach</i>==
Before you know it, the time will come to send your Skyranger out on a mission, laden with troops and implements of destruction. While battlefield tactics can and do fill a book (See: the [[Field Manual]]), we'll focus on a few handy tips for the new commander.
#'''Disperse from the LZ quickly, and stay dispersed.''' having units concentrated in the landing zone invites concentrated fire from the aliens.
#*Any tight concentration of troops is an open target for an alien explosive device.
#*Of course, troops can only exit the transport so quickly. It's better to have a tight formation of troops within the cover of your Skyranger than mulling about just outside the exit ramp.
#*Seek cover as quickly as possible. The ramp and landing gear of the transport can provide cover for one or two units at a time.
#'''Stay coordinated.''' It's the natural tendency of a rookie soldier to strike out on his own. However, the wise commander keeps his squad's movements coordinated for mutual support.
#'''Clear The Terrain.''' Upon arrival at a landing site, you can expect several of the aliens to be dug into whatever cover they can find. Don't be afraid to use heavy firepower to remove their cover from them. Those farmhouses are probably insured, anyway.
#*The exception here is on terror missions. While urban renewal is a valid tactic, you must be careful about killing civilians.
#*Again, Boris's Armor-piercing weapon selection isn't ideal here. You may want to invest in more high-explosive and incendiary ammunition than he provided. The [[Tank/Rocket Launcher]] is especially useful for ground-clearing.
#*When entering any building or structure, make a new door rather than charging into the existing one. Entering through a a newly-made hole in a wall makes it difficult for the enemy to ambush you.
#*The one problem with this tactic is the UFO itself. More research will be required before we find a way to punch through the internal bulkheads, much less the external heat shielding, of alien craft. Until then, the only way to enter a UFO is through the existing hatches, where the enemy will be expecting us. Casualties can be expected on any QCB/breaching mission of this sort.
#'''Light Up.''' If only there was some sort of night... vision... device available to the military. There isn't, though, so on any night mission you'll have to illuminate the battlefield with more primitive means. Electro-flares are cheap, and can be picked up and tossed again. For more dramatic results, use incendiary ammunition to light large areas of the map ablaze.
#*Alien forces, if not actually capable of seeing at night, are very adept at night-fighting techniques.
#'''Specialize: Scouts and snipers.''' Instead of having one troop scouting, then stopping to shoot the first thing he sees, have your scout spot targets for shooters further behind the lines. This keeps your shooters safe, while leaving your scouts enough time to find cover.
#*Make use each troop's strengths. If you have a soldier with good reactions, use him for a scout. A unit with good firing accuracy should be a sniper. Troops with high strength should carry heavy weapons.
#*[[Heavy Weapons Platforms|HWPs]] have high mobility but mediocre firing accuracy. They make for good scouts, but poor snipers.
#'''A friendly reminder from Boris:''' Please remember not to use high explosive or incendiary rounds in close quarters, you could put someone's eyes out. This is the reason for preferring the armor-piercing weapons.
#'''Adapt.''' As you gain battle experience, you can and should adjust your battle tactics to suit your style.

==<i style="font-family:cursive;">Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War</i>==

Congratulations! You've made it to February. As winter turns into spring, you'll discover new methods of fighting, new technology to help you win, and a new moral flexibility within yourself. As you optimize your agency for the long job ahead of you, here are some things to consider:

#'''Expand.''' When you have an extra couple million at your disposal, it's time to begin looking at building new bases. However wisely you placed your first base, there are still many sponsors outside of its surveillence bubble. Europe and North America are your two major funding centers, but Southeast Asia shouldn't be ignored either. After that, you'll want to analyze your funding report and consider how best to serve your paymasters.
#*Not every base needs to be the command HQ. Keeping all those engineers, assault squads and scientists in one base gets claustrophobic. Specialization is both a good idea and a good way to save money. You probably won't need assault squads everywhere, but radar surveillence and, to a lesser degree, interception are always useful. If your research or manufacturing arms grow too large, you could farm those out as well.
#*Farming out large personnel sections, like R&D or Manufacturing, to separate bases allows them to expand to a larger size over the long term.
#*Whatever its specialization, though, you still need to defend it. ''Any'' base is vulnerable to retaliation by the aliens. Make sure it's got a living quarters, some general stores, and a garrison of troops and heavy weapons platforms on hand to protect it; the platforms take on extra importance here in that the base is able to provide ammunition directly from an emergency stockpile, making fielding heavy ordnance a more feasible venture. #*Remember to design each base to make it easy to defend. Look into [[Base Defense#Base Layout Strategy|Base Layout Strategy]]
#'''Be aware of what you depend on.''' If you equip your troops with Superior Alien Military™ weapons, make sure that you have a sufficient stock of ammunition and exotic material to keep them supplied. If your stocks are running low, keep a few lasers on hand as fall-backs. These wonders of terran technology require no ammunition, and are handy to use in those lean times.
#'''Keep an eye on your finances.''' It's easy to run into the red while beating back the alien menace. However, if you go too far into debt for too long, your paymasters may run out of patience with you.
#*Keep in mind that personnel salaries, base upkeep costs and craft leasing fees are due at the beginning of every month, at the same time as your sponsors pay you.
#*If these costs are greater than your sponsors' payments, you should keep the difference (or more) on hand at the end of the month to cover the remainder of the bills.

As you gain experience running your clandestine war, you will certainly have more questions and need more information. Please look through our handy [[Main Page|Knowledge Base]] and [[Field Manual]] as required.

'''<i style="font-family:cursive;">Good Luck!</i>'''

== See Also ==
[[Glossary]] |
[[Research]] |
[[Equipment]] <br />
[[Tricks, Tips and Hints]]<br />
[[Warlord's Foolproof Plan]] -- Another starter guide. Much more detail, with some spoilers.<br />
[[Overviews of Aliens]]<br />
[[:Category:Field Manual]]

Known Bugs

2008-07-31T12:48:52Z

MagicJuggler: /* Faulty Large Units */

== Base Construction Bugs ==

=== Base Disjoint Bug ===
Base facilities built along the right or bottom edges of the base building area may end up being cut off from each other by dirt walls, a bug in the routine meant to keep soldiers from accidentally exiting the map edges during [[Base Defense]] missions. The dirt walls can be knocked down by Blaster Bombs or excessive amount of heavy plasma fire during combat but are otherwise unbreakable.

[[image:bdb.gif|center|Base Disjoint Bug]]

The walls marked in white are removed if there is an adjacent module. All green modules are not affected while the yellow modules are. The red module will be sealed off completely if anything smaller than a hangar is placed here at any given time.

[[XcomUtil]] works around this problem by stripping out the walls entirely in all the base modules.

The bug can be profitable if the hangars and the lift are accessible only through in these areas - you can gather and supply all your soldiers heavily without aliens interfering, then knock a hole in the wall and cover the area with explosives and blaster launcher fire.

===Facility Maintenance Costs===
Although X-COM charges the right fee when you first buy base modules, the monthly maintenance fee is always wrong. It's actually based on the placement within the base grid, '''not''' the price displayed in the in-game UFOpaedia. For more information, see [[Base_Facilities#Facility_Maintenance_Cost_Bug]]. The Geo finance Graph shows a correct summary, however ([[LIGLOB.DAT]], updated once a month). Also see the next section.

===Paying For Dirt===
If you take down any facility in any base that you own and leave bare dirt, then you will continue to pay maintenance on it. But not at the old rate of whatever the facility cost per month, filling the hole back with dirt means it needs special attention at all times by specialists. In fact for every square of dirt you have that used to be a facility you will pay 80k per month. Thats 320k per hangar you take down. There are only two known ways to stop paying this premium - if you completely dismantle the base you stop paying any money for it, or if you build over all the spaces that you have vacated. In fact as soon as you start building the new facility you stop paying the premium, as well as not having to pay the cost of the new facility until it is complete.

If you start a facility and change your mind before it is complete, after the time when it would have completed you will start paying this 80k premium on that land as well.

===Base Facility Dismantle-Construction Crash===
In the Collectors Edition version, dismantling a facility while its construction is in progress can cause a crash when a second facility on another base square completes its construction. To work around this, dismantle a facility only after its construction is complete. If you have already dismantled such a facility, build something like a general stores on the same square to avoid the crash. It is not known if this crash happens intermittently or always, or if it happens on most versions of the game or just the Collectors Edition.

===Radar Stacking===
Despite the "Short Range" and "Long Range" detection bars displayed on each base's Information screen, only one radar of each type will be used at each base. Building additional radars of the same type will have no effect. One short and one long are useful until the [[Hyper-Wave Decoder|Hyper-Wave Decoder]] makes both of them obsolete.

===Phantom Radar===
When you dismantle detection equipment such as a radar or hyperwave detector, the related detection ability of the base does not decrease until a new facility of some kind is built in that base. Until a new facility is completes building at that base, the base continues to use this "phantom radar".

This bug allows you to "upgrade in place", for example building a new Hyper-Wave Decoder over the top of an existing Large Radar, and retaining the detection capability of the Large Radar until the Hyper-Wave Decoder completes building. (Unless something else completes building first).

===Fixes for Base Construction Bugs===

As mentioned above, [[XcomUtil]] prevents the Base Disjoint bug (crudely). The [[User:Spike#Base_Fixer|BaseFixer]] utility corrects the Paying for Dirt, Phantom Radar, and Radar Stacking bugs. BaseFixer can be used manually on saved game files, or automatically via XcomUtil's hook mechanism.

==Geoscape Bugs==

===First Radar Detection Data bug===
When a UFO is detected by a radar, you get certain data on it depending on the type of radar that detected it. If the UFO later enters the range of another radar while staying in the range of the first, you will continue to get the initial data given, even if the new radar is more powerful than the first! So if you detect a craft with a [[Small Radar]], then the UFO moves into the range of a [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]], clicking on the UFO will only give you the data as if the Small Radar detected it, so long as it remains in the Small Radar range! In effect, the data you get about a UFO is determined when you first detect it, and not changed after that until you lose detection on the craft with the radar that first detected it.

This bug most commonly shows up when a UFO is first detected by a patrolling aircraft and then remains in the range of the aircraft while also entering the range of a Hyper-Wave Decoder.

=== Minimized Interceptor Bug ===
One fairly consistent cause of crashes is saving the geoscape game during a UFO standoff, with a [[UFO Interception]] window minimized to an icon. The next mission after that point will likely dump you to the green text screen, and perhaps an earlier battlescape mission instead of the proper one. What it seems to do is zoom back out of the combat too far when the fight is over, eventually causing the crash once it has gone a couple of steps further than it normally allows you.

'''Solution:''' Open up [[UIGLOB.DAT]] in a hex editor. Change hex offset 0x06 to 00. This will reset the number of minimized interceptor windows to zero. Your interceptor unit can be selected to either return to base or continue on to complete its ground assault mission. ''NOTE: Make sure to back up your save game before editing it.''

''-- I was able to recover from this state by quickly sending in another interceptor ([[Firestorm]]) to take over, which allowed my first interceptor ([[Avenger]]) to break off and go home without crashing the game again. After the shootdown I overwrote the buggy savegame. --[[User:JellyfishGreen|JellyfishGreen]] 03:11, 22 Aug 2005 (PDT)''

''This happened to me also. I fixed it by replacing "[[UIGLOB.DAT]]" in the save folder with the same file from another saved game (from the same campaign a month earlier) [[User:bylund|bylund]] 00:15, January 12, 2007 (GMT+01)''

=== Interceptions: Last Shot Always Misses ===
When using Cautious attack when [[UFO Interception|intercepting a UFO]], your craft will stay at the maximum range of your longest-range weapon. When using Standard attack, your craft will stay at the maximum range of your shortest-range weapon. (Usually players use two weapons of the same type, so Cautious and Standard attack will behave the same in this regard.)

As soon as the craft fires its last shot (expending all its ammo), it will drop back to "Standoff" range (70km). This will make it appear that the UFO has backed away while the last missile(s) are in-flight, causing them to miss.

In order to hit a UFO with your last salvo of missiles (Stingrays, Avalanches, or Fusion Balls), you must switch to "Aggressive" attack before the last salvo reaches the UFO. This will cause your craft to close in with the UFO, allowing the missiles to be in range when they reach the UFO. However, Aggressive attacks will also bring you within range of the UFO's weapons, so you should hit the "Disengage" button as soon as the last salvo hits.

===Elerium-fueled Craft Bug===
A [[Skyranger]] or [[Interceptor]], once dispatched, will return to base when it's fuel supply has dropped to a level that it will only have just enough fuel to return to base. Craft fueled by Elerium-115, however, will always report the "Low Fuel" message as soon at the fuel supply is 50% depleted, no matter where they are on the globe. This significantly shortens the already minute time that a [[Firestorm]], [[Lightning]], or [[Avenger]] can be dispatched to patrol.

===Floater Medic Research Bug===
Every single time a Floater Medic is found and researched, the game crashes after it is interrogated! I [muton commander] used a hack system to view the alien's profile, and it was a Commander with no race attached. This is probably the cause, but I have no explaination for why this situation occurs.

== Battlescape Bugs ==

=== Faulty Large Units ===
This bug has been listed as a MINOR bug in exploits page. Please place it into the "Minor Bugs" section page.

'''this has been moved from exploits to here - NEEDS to be written when the time comes'''

If you move a tank off a northward facing ledge, the rest of the tank will sink into a wall (if there is one), and cause the tank to get stuck. This won't happen if the tank moves off a south facing ledge as the primary quarter will fall after the rest of the tank. Aliens can also get stuck this way.

Another, potentially annoying bug occurs when a large unit's graphics become messed up. During a base defense mission, a rocket tank may end up looking like 4 silacoids bunched together.

=== Collectors Edition Blaster Bomb Bug ===
In the Collectors Edition of UFO, the [[Blaster Launcher]] has a bug that prevents it from going up or down on the same tile. Or in other words, you cannot change the elevation of the missile vertically on the same tile.

Instead of flying down (or up) to the next waypoint, it will instead fly directly to the south at the pivot waypoint. Relative to the screen, this would be the lower left side of the screen.

This does not happen if you plot the waypoints at an angle. Or, if the blaster bomb flies right off the map, it will reappear at the proper waypoint as long as there are additional waypoints placed after the vertical move.

This bug also applies to the [[Disrupter Pulse Launcher]] in TFTD.

=== The trouble with Mines (general) ===
The armed states for [[Proximity Grenade]]s in both UFO and TFTD are NOT stored in savegames. If a proximity grenade is primed, then the game is saved and reloaded, the grenade will not only not go off as it should, but the "Prime Grenade" action will still be absent, so it's impossible to re-arm it.

=== Mountain Map ===
Due to a bug in the way this tileset was created, when you shoot the ground, it doesn't burn up - it turns into a tree stump.

Because the stump is on object, as opposed to actual ground, any objects that were in the tile already (for example, UFO hulls or the landing gear of your craft) get replaced by these stumps, making it seem as if they were destroyed.

Tree stumps don't take much damage, so they often get burnt up immediately if an explosive goes off, leaving nothing but burnt ground behind. It is easier to view the effects of this bug by shooting the ground instead.

For more details, see [[Explosions#Mile-High_Madness|Mountain Madness]].

=== What just exploded? ===
In some versions of the game, a bug allows an armed proximity mine to transfer its properties to some other item in the next mission, which then may explode unexpectedly. (If the item is left on the floor of the XCOM craft, it will explode as you walk past it.) This problem can be rectified by reloading the game -- as a precaution, save before you move your first soldier.

=== Door jam ===
If a door is open when a game is saved on the Battlescape and that game is subsequently restored, the door will remain open for the remainder of that mission.

===Mind Controlled Soldiers go MIA===
If you complete a mission while a [[soldier]] is currently [[Mind Control]]led he will be listed as MIA at the end of the combat. This is quite an easy bug to fall into as on any [[Sectoid]] or [[Ethereal]] mission the only, or most powerful, psionic aliens will usually be holed up in the bridge or command centre.

===Mind Controlled Aliens Count as MIA if you Abort===
If you happen to abort a mission with any Mind-Controlled aliens under your control, who are NOT in the dropship, the computer tallies them up as "X-COM Operatives Missing In Action." Thusly, every Mind Controlled alien left behind when you dust off is -20 points to your score! If you're leaving anyways, avoid this by bringing them back to the ship or mowing them down on the way back to the ship.

In the Playstation version of the game, any aliens under Mind Control at missions end are considered captured and hence, this bug is not a factor.

===20 Proximity Grenade Limit===

The array used to denote armed [[Proximity Grenade]]s is limited to 20 entries, meaning you are limited to 20 active mines at a time. The 21st and subsequent Proximity grenades can be primed like normal and will give appropriate messages, but they will not detonate even when the normal trigger conditions are met. Note that Proximity Mines that have detonated or otherwise been destroyed are removed from the array, freeing up positions; the limit is 20 ACTIVE Proximity Grenades at one time. In normal gameplay, this is probably not a restriction, in light of the [[Known_Bugs#80-Item_Limit|80 Item Limit]], since you'd need to have more than 1/4th of the cargo space in the dropship filled with Proximity Grenades.

== Character Inventory Bugs ==

=== Alien Inventory Stacking Bug ===
THis bug has been listed as a CRITICAL bug in exploits page. Please place it into the "Critical Bugs" section page.

'''this has been moved from exploits to here - NEEDS to be written when the time comes'''

<br>'''WARNING:''' You will see that sometimes the alien will stack equipment on its right leg. If you remove an item from their right leg, make sure you enough time units to place it somewhere else. If you run out of time units, you will have to force a quit and cannot save your game. (press ALT-TAB, then CTRL-ALT-DEL, and terminate the process that corresponds to the game).

=== Item-stacking Bug ===
It is possible to put more than one item in a given spot. When an item is stacked with a [[Stun Rod]], this can make it possible for X-COM soldiers to perform "melee" attacks. See [[Item Stacking Bug]] for more details.

===Carrying Unconscious Units===
Carrying unconscious units a hand slot will crash the game if they wake up. Refer to : [[Unconscious#Bug|Unconscious]].

===Disappearing Ammo===
Partially-used clips in alien or X-COM weapons disappear at the end of a mission. This dictates that you should try to use clips that are not full. However, in DOS versions of the game, you can unload used clips to recover them as full clips with the tradeoff of all loaded clips (used or otherwise) will count as spent and disappear (this shouldn't seem to be a problem, until you start using blasters and will find that you're running out of ammo fast). You can also use [[XcomUtil]] to recover partially used clips. Even when used clips are discarded, you will still get credit ([[Scoring|score]]) at the end of missions for recovering them.

When aborting a mission, any full clips loaded in any alien weapons brought back to the transport/access lift will not be recovered unless the clips are unloaded first. This includes [[Blaster Bomb]]s and [[Stun Bomb]]s.

== Storage and Transfer Bugs ==

=== 80-item Limit ===
When loading up your Avenger for a massive UFO assault or arming soldiers for a [[Base Defense]] from your overflowing stores, you will likely hit this limit.

You only get a max of 80 items, and you don't get to choose which ones, so you may end up with 80 clips and no rifles for the base defense.

The solution is timely housekeeping. Sell off your spare personal equipment. See our handy [[Spring Cleaning Tips]], and also [[Managing the Item Limit]] for ideas.

Another bug concerning this limit happens when there are unresearched (alien) items in your stores during a base defense mission. Even though the item cannot be used during the mission, the game still allows you to equip your soldiers with them. This rarely happens as the alien items are very low on the item list, but if your base is lean and mean with under 80 items total, everything will spawn regardless of research.

===Sticky Craft Transfer Fee glitch===
As pointed out by [[User:Zombie|Zombie]] and [[User:Danial|Danial]], transferring any craft causes '''''all subsequent transfers to have that cost added to it''''', for as long as the craft is in transit. Additional craft in transit will add additional fees. (This has also been called the Exponential Transfer Fee bug, although it's actually additive, not exponential.)

Example (all numbers are only approximations):
<u>Cost of pistol transfer (↔ = to or from)</U>
EU ↔ USA 80
EU ↔ Asia 100
USA ↔ Asia 120

<u>Cost of craft transfer</U>
EU ↔ USA 1600 ''Notice how transfer fees always work as relative percents,
EU ↔ Asia 2000 ''probably on a distance-based formula
USA ↔ Asia 2400

<u>Cost to transfer '''pistol''', after transferring craft from EU to Asia for $2000</U>
EU ↔ USA 1680 (80+1600)
EU ↔ Asia 2100 (100+2000)
USA ↔ Asia 2520 (120+2400)

The cost of the craft transfer "sticks" to '''all''' subsequent transfers, until the craft arrives - although it acts on a proportionate basis, which is probably distance related.

Unfortunately, this cost is '''additive'''. That is to say, if you transferred a second craft from EU to Asia while the first was still in transit, it would cost $4000 ($2000 plus $2000 - it too suffers from the glitch!), it would then cost e.g. $4100 to transfer a pistol from EU to Asia. Having even more craft in transit would add even more fees.

This only appears to happen with aircraft, although it does happen for them all. So try to transfer aircraft individually, and not transfer anything else while you do - assuming you aren't awash in money. (The bug will cost you in the low thousands of dollars per craft being transferred.)

A related problem is that, if you are in the Transfer screen, start to transfer a craft, and then cancel because you remembered you wanted to send something else first - if you then try to Transfer something on that same screen, ''it will still get the sticky craft fee added''. Try it and see. You have to back up out to the main Base screen and hit Transfer again, to get rid of the sticky fee from a cancelled craft transfer.

===Transfer Limit cash eater===
Only 100 items can be in transit at a time. (Here, a transfer of e.g. 200 Elerium counts as one "item". Also, all soldiers are counted individually.) If you go over the limit, you will get a warning that there is no more transport capacity. If you STILL try to transport something after getting the warning, the item will stay where it is, but the transportation cost still gets deducted. Bad if you're shuffling expensive aircraft.

{| {{stdTable}} width = "80%" align = "center"
|- {{stdTable Heading}}
| Tip
|-
| To Clarify what constitutes an item in the transfer screen, think of them as batches of X amount. For example, if you transfer 200 alien alloys now, and then decide to transfer another 50 alloys later, this will count as two items in transit. Now, when you look at your transfers, you'll now have two items. Two batches of alien alloys, one with 200 units and the other with 50 units.
|}

=== Transfer crash ===
If you transfer something to another base the game crashes right after acknowledging the transfer price.

Solution: Start UFO, select English language, finish your transfer, save game, restart with your normal language settings (http://www.xcomufo.com/x1faq.html)

===Purchase Limit===
The purchase limit for any item you buy via the purchase screen is 255 per line item, because it is a one-byte field. However, the impact of this bug is small, for if you have space remaining in your 100-item transfer queue, you can immediately order another 255 of said item as another line item.

===Storage Limit===
You can not store more than 9,999 examples of any one item in the general stores at a specific base at one time. However, the only times such a ridiculously huge pile of a given item is at all likely to accumulate is with [[Alien Alloys]] or [[Elerium-115]]. Still, consider yourself warned. If you're coming close to the limit, consider transferring the extra to other bases or even selling it, as any extra collected beyond the limit will 'disappear' and be wasted.

== Soldier Limits and Recruiting Bugs ==

=== Soldier Recruiting Limit ===

There is a hard limit in the game of 250 X-COM soldiers in total across all bases (not 250 per base).

The error message that pops up when you try to hire more is:

"NO MORE SOLDIERS ALLOWED"

"You have already recruited the maximum number of soldiers."

=== Soldier Recruiting Bugs ===

Also there are 3 bugs related to recruiting soldiers:

* You still get charged for Soldiers you try to purchase above the No More Soldiers limit.
* The error message that appears when you hire too many soldiers must be dismissed (click OK) once for each soldier over the limit, i.e. up to 250 times.
* You get also charged for Soldiers you try to purchase above the Transfer Limit (100 at a time).

=== Soldier Battlescape Limit ===

In the Battlescape, there is a limit of 40 X-COM soldiers that can participate in any battle. Tanks/HWPs each count as 4 soldiers against this limit. Unless you use custom-modified aircraft, you will only see this limit in a Base Defence mission. In a Base Defence mission, all tanks/HWPs will be deployed first, in preference to soldiers.

== Manufacturing and Research Bugs ==

=== Cancel Manufacturing Bug ===

If you start a project with 1 or more items to build, the required cash (and any materials) for the first item will instantly be taken from you. If you cancel the project before the job is done, or reduce the number of items to produce, you will still not be refunded the initial costs of the first item.

(Possibly this is exactly the behaviour the designers intended, and not a bug at all.)

=== Zero Unit Manufacturing Exploit ===

If you start a manufacturing project with zero items to build, close the screen, and then go back to assign staff and a non-zero build amount later, the first item is built for free. If you only build one item at a time, you can build them all for free. Obviously, this is cheating. It's also a bit tedious. It might be excusable if you're really short of money.

=== Research Rollover ===

Whenever research completes, you are given the opportunity to re-allocate your scientists' efforts onto a new topic. If the new topic is after the topic that you have just completed (further down toward the bottom of the screen), the new effort of the scientists you allocate is applied immediately, on the same day - even though they were just working on the previous project that completed.

If you have enough scientists available to complete the new project in one day, this process can be repeated indefinitely, to complete multiple topics in one day. Each new research topic must be further down the list than the previous research topic, or the bug/exploit does not work.

By the way, this means that you should not worry about "wasted" research effort due to allocating too many scientists to a project on its last day. The chances are you will gain more free research from this bug than you will lose from "wasted" research effort.

=== TFTD Research Tree Bug Avoidance Guide ===
TFTD's research problems are more of a logical design flaw than a true bug, caused by trying to make the research tree more complicated than X-Com UFO. They can be a pain when you research the wrong thing at the wrong time.

A variation of NKF's [[TRTBAG | TFTD Research Tree Bug Avoidance Guide]] will be forthcoming - free time permitting.

For now:

*ONLY research Deep One Terrorist AFTER you have completed Plastic Aqua Armor and Ion Beam Accelerators.
*You MUST have at least one "Sub Construction" in storage before completing research on Zrbite and/or Transmission Resolver.
*NEVER research the Tasoth Commander. There's no reason to - and as of the last patch, they should no longer appear on the research list. They can block the T'Leth research.
*DO NOT research M.C. Lab unless you have AT LEAST one MC Reader in storage.
*NEVER sell all of your Sonic Pistol Clips before researching it first. If you were to research the Sonic Pistol, the aliens immediately stop using that weapon (and thus, clip) so you will be unable to continue in the Sonic line of research.
Other than the MC reader one, any of the above would make it impossible to finish the game.

=== Overcrowded Engineers (And Scientists?) ===
In the Dos version (probably the others as well) if you hire more than 255 engineers in a single base, the number of engineers in the base will read a negative number once the 256th engineer arrives. Any Engineers engaged in projects will continue to work on them, but if you cancel the project you will lose engineers until you have lost 255 of them. This bug probably also affects scientists. It may be exploitable to pay a negative salary at the end of the month.

===Manufacturing Limit Bug===
The number of hours remaining on a [[Manufacturing_Profitability#Profit_tables|manufacturing project]] is stored in a two-byte integer. If you build enough items that the total number of Engineer Hours required for construction is above 65535 hours, it will wrap around to 0 hours and display from there. Typically this drastically understates the amount of time that will be spent working on the items, but strictly speaking, it only subtracts 65k hours (so a huge project like 120k hours would still show ~55k hours' worth of Engineer time needed).

This bug is not dependent on the number of engineers assigned to the project; it is a function of the number of engineer hours needed. You will most likely run into it when trying to build 2 Avengers at the same time or when queuing up large orders of items in bulk, such as armor or Laser Cannons. As a practical example, the number of Avengers needed to trigger the bug is 2. The number of Laser Cannons is 219. Toggle back and forth between 218 and 219 laser cannons at the beginning of a project to see the effects.

It is known with certainty that this exists as a display issue - the screen will say you need less time than you should when you go over 65536 Engineer hours. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] is also sure he's seen it eat an Avenger... he ordered two but only got one, even though it took the time, and cost the money, for two. He's tried to replicate this and hasn't been able to, however. So it clearly is at least a superficial display issue, and may be more than that ... possibly dependent on even something else. In any event, keep an eye on projects with more than 65k Engineer hours (and report back here!)... or just avoid going that high.

== Other Bugs ==

=== Difficulty Bug ===
The DOS version had a problem where no matter what difficulty level you chose, you were actually playing at "Beginner" level. Because of one or two incorrectly set bytes in all dos versions of the game( 1.0 through to 1.4), no matter what difficulty was selected, the difficulty bug would reset to beginner at the end of the first mission. [[XcomUtil]] corrects this problem. This bug was officially fixed in the Collectors Edition Windows port (also commonly known as UFO Gold).

=== Big Text Bug ===
There are a few bugs in XCOM, especially early versions, that can build up and make the game unstable enough that it crashes and prints out a screenful of green 40-column text, essentially debug or memory dump information useless to you.

You can also forced a crash by pressing CTRL-C at the start of a new game (DOS only). If you don't have any missions automatically saved within the [[Game_Files#Missdat_Files|MISSDAT]] folder, you will get this big text to appear. Typically it is green for Enemy Unknown, and blue for Terror From The Deep. Other colours have been observed such as pink, purple, brown and yellow.

In the dos version, the text that you see is simply a memory dump in mode-13h (the 320x200x256 colour screen resoulution) and the text colour is based off the changes to the palette that the game made. The batch file coordinating the two main programs [[Geoscape]] and [[Battlescape]] often succeeds in soldiering on after a crash. In the Windows version of the game, the game simply crashes back to the desktop, unless you're using the [[XcomUtil]] split executable variant (which uses a batchfile).

[[Category: Oddities and bugs]]

Base Layout Strategy

2008-07-30T19:20:05Z

MagicJuggler: /* Secondary Base Design */

Your base will, at some point, be raided by angry aliens looking for revenge for all those UFO's you've taken out. Unlike most places you'll have to fight, you have control over the layout of your base, so design it wisely.

The key point for base defensibility is to minimize the number of points of entry. Aliens usually come down into your base through hangars and the access lift (although they can emerge on other locations - see the last comment on [[Base_Defense#Bugs]]). If you group your hangars with the access lift, then build only one module connecting to this part of your base, that module becomes a choke point for base defense. A long chain of rooms becomes a long choke point ripe for mining with Proximity Grenades and other dirty tricks. This way, you can line up all your units against one point of entry instead of having to spread them out to cover four or five.

The access lift is always the first unit built, so it becomes the obvious candidate for this single point of entry. Place it on the grid so you leave enough room to build hangars on one side of the lift, and everything else on the other side. I'd recommend building a General Stores on the lift opposite the hangar. A general stores is needed for any base, and it gets completed quickly. Once the general stores are completed, build all new facilities (except hangars, of course) off of that.

==Overhauling the Starter Base==

At higher difficulty levels, alien retaliation can often come MUCH sooner than you might be ready for-- before you have base defenses built, and before you have powerful weapons to arm your troops with. Considering that the access lift and all hangars serve as entry points for the invaders, the starter base has all the defensive virtues of a screen door:
<center>{{UBK|=
|dirt|dirt|hangar1|hangar2|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|hangar3|hangar4|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|lift|quarters|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|small_radar|stores|lab|workshop|dirt|=
|hangar1|hangar2|dirt|dirt|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|dirt|dirt|hangar3|hangar4|=}}</center>
The hangars and lift are distributed as widely as possible through the base, giving the aliens a wealth of breach points and enabling them to assault any defenders from all sides.

With this in mind, I recommend a partial rebuild of your initial base ASAP. Build two hangars next to the topmost hangar to replace the lower two, and a living quarters down between the two lower existing hangars to replace the one next to the access lift. Place any other new modules on the lower half of the screen, where they will not touch the lift or the new hangars.

As the new living quarters and hangar are completed, dismantle the old ones. It should now look something like:
<center>{{UBK|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=
|dirt|dirt|lift|dirt|dirt|dirt|=
|large_radar|small_radar|stores|lab|workshop|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|quarters|containment|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|=}}</center>
Of course, place any other new facilities with a mind to preserving the new choke-point at the grav lift (i.e., nothing adjacent to the top hangars.) This layout isn't as fortified as many new-build bases can be, but it's a good compromise between defendability (one choke-point at the lift), available space, expedience (it converts from the standard layout in minimal time), and, especially, cost. It only costs the price of two hangars and a living quarters ($800,000) to overhaul your base this way-- a cost that can be covered by the proceeds from, say, one small landed UFO. It does however accrue base [[maintenance costs]] of $720,000 per month due to a [[Known Bugs#Paying For Dirt|bug]].

===Variations===

The previous example was a one chokepoint base that is easy to defend, however it is by no means the only way to build the base. Don't be afraid to try different variations of the base to suit the strategy that you intend use.

If you want to attack the aliens from two sides, the simple addition of an extra module can modify the one-chokepoint base into a two-chokepoint base. For example:

<center>{{UBK|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=
|dirt|dirt|lift|dirt|small_radar|dirt|=
|large_radar|small_radar|stores|lab|workshop|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|quarters|containment|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|=}}</center>

The above base is designed to work like the popular defendable base layout, but also provides a second access point into the hangars. Although this means you have to spread your soldiers out to cover both points, so do the aliens.

With this example in particular, the small radar module provides an empty hallway. If you like to use rockets, this one access point gives you a clear shot into the hangars. A few well placed rockets can cut down the opposition considerably.

If you really like to use rockets but can only handle aliens entering the map through one entry point, consider the following variation.

<center>{{UBK|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=
|dirt|dirt|lift|dirt|small_radar|dirt|=
|large_radar|small_radar|dirt|lab|workshop|dirt|=
|dirt|containment|quarters|stores|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|=}}</center>

It may take a while to re-order the base in this manner from the starting setup, but the end result provides you with a clear firing corridor into the hangars with plenty of cubbyholes to hide in. All of the aliens will have to funnel through the small radar module, which is an open space with no place for the aliens to hide.

One disadvantage of this base however is that if the workshop suffers too much structural damage, all facilities past the small radar will be destroyed as they'll be disconnected from the access lift.

No matter what layout you eventually use, remember that the more complicated it is the longer it may take to construct and the more money it will cost. The last example requires moving a module that was already present in the default base. i.e. the general stores.

== Secondary Base Design ==

With your second and subsequent bases, you can build it securely right from the beginning. The most secure design uses the Access Lift as a choke point between the hangars and the rest of the base, as pictured above, but puts it to the side, out of the way, and also adds a long corridor between the Access Lift and the rest of the base:
<center>{{UBK|=
|quarters|quarters|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|stores|dirt|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|hyperwave|dirt|stores|mind|workshop|psi|=
|lift|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=}}</center>
Be sure not to put the Access Lift on the southern or eastern borders of the map to avoid the [[Known Bugs#Base Disjoint Bug|base disjoint bug]].

If three hangars are not needed, additional base facilities can be added, as long as they are not placed adjacent to the hangars:
<center>
{|
|-
|
{{UBK|=
|quarters|quarters|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|stores|dirt|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|hyperwave|dirt|stores|mind|workshop|psi|=
|lift|dirt|dirt|dirt|psi|psi|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|dirt|psi|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|dirt|psi|=}}
|
|
|
|
{{UBK|=
|quarters|quarters|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|stores|dirt|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|hyperwave|dirt|stores|mind|workshop|psi|=
|lift|dirt|quarters|psi|psi|psi|=
|hangar1|hangar2|dirt|psi|psi|psi|=
|hangar3|hangar4|dirt|psi|psi|psi|=}}
|}
</center>

- [[User:tequilachef|tequilachef]]: Remember that the Aliens need enough spawn points when attacking your base. If they do not have enough they will use X-Com spawn points, which makes the carefully planned choke point practically useless since you will be ambushed from inside your own living quarters and general stores. Three hangars and the access lift are enough to cover every possible attacking alien force. Therefore I think the two beforementioned base layouts are practically useless!

: I belive that one hangar and one access lift can provide more than enough spawn points for an invasion fleet. I do it all the time and there aren't any spillovers. I couldn't find any reference anywhere on the wiki, but a section that discusses the nuances of the spawn nodes would be interesting, and perhaps even note the spawn nodes in the individual base map blocks. - [[User:NKF|NKF]]

::For a fairly detailed monologue about alien spawn points per module and how alien spawning is determined, please see http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Exploits#Base_Defence_Mission_Spawning_Issues According to this, you have 23 alien spawn tiles with one Hangar and the Access Lift. According to the deployment chart for Alien Retaliation missions, the only time you'll have more than 23 aliens dispatched to try and smoke you out is in Superhuman, and even then, the most you can go over is 5, making 2 Hangars and the Access Lift sufficient to fully spawn any Alien Retaliation. My greater concern would be the location of the HWD; that's a module that can be destroyed during a heated Alien Retaliation Mission, and if you lose it, the whole base is demolished. Also, because of it's central staircase, it will prevent you from firing any weapon but Blaster Bombs down the hallway behind the choke point. It would be wiser to have Living Quarters or General Stores along that entire choke line, since such a module cannot be demolished, it also serves as a high-priority spawn point for your troopers, and the open central area allows you to nuke the aliens from far away. Finally, those two bases seem like they would have 50 or 100 soldiers each(based on the number of Psi Labs), at which point a full complement of 28 aliens is outnumbered nearly 4-to-1 and can be defeated through attrition alone if needed. Even assuming a squad of 100 psissies and 22 Ethereals(the six Sectopods can't use psi), you've still got 56 soldiers to kill things with, since each Ethereal can MC only twice per turn. -[[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]]

: The above two base designs are still useless. While it has a long choke point it is not practical. You can only build next to finished structures. Therefore it will take 55 days before the first soldier can start defending it. (Days: HWD-26, stores-10, LQ-16, 3 for soldier delivery) Placing the Access Lift next to a wall while keeping it a choke point means that there are only 2 spaces to place structure. Removing structure means later you will be paying for dirt. Furthermore I'm not convinced that an extended choke past the lift +1 tile is useful. Too many guys end up spending a long time hoofing it to a spot they can be useful.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 19:19, 28 November 2007 (PST)

:: That's true in theory, Brunpal, but you can build temporary facilities like Stores to "bridge a gap", then remove them. Yes, you'll wind up [[Base_Facilities#Facility_Maintenance_Cost_Bug|paying for dirt]], but that will only matter in a self-imposed cash-crunch scenario. -[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 15:31, 7 December 2007 (PST)

<center>{{UBK|=
|workshop|dirt|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|stores|dirt|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=
|stores|lab|dirt|lift|hangar1|hangar2|=
|stores|stores|stores|stores|hangar3|hangar4|=
|stores|stores|stores|stores|large_radar|quarters|=
|stores|stores|stores|stores|quarters|quarters|=}}
</center>

The following base is built on the theory that the best way to defeat the aliens is to turn the alien spawn-points into a salient. The nature of this defense allows for surrounding the initial enemy spawn point on 3 sides, allowing for crossfire to cut the aliens down to size.

==Floor Plan Comparison==
Here's a comparison of the '''ground floor''' plans for X-COM base modules, in case it helps you design your base. For images, follow the links or see [[Xcom_and_Alien_Bases#XCom_Base|X-COM Base Module Images]]:

*'''3-wide "central plus sign" corridors:
** 1-wide doors along NW to SE path: [[Living Quarters]], [[Laboratory]], [[Workshop]]
** 1-wide doors along SW to NE path: [[Alien Containment]], [[Psionic Laboratory]]
** 2-wide doors along SW to NE path: [[General Stores]]

*'''Central room:
** 1 1-wide door, 2-wide corridors: [[Laser Defences]] (SW door), [[Plasma Defences]] (SE door), [[Fusion Ball Defences]] (NE door)
** 2 1-wide doors, 2-wide corridors: [[Large Radar]] (SW & NE doors)
** 2 1-wide doors, 3-wide corridors: [[Grav Shield]], [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]], [[Mind Shield]] (all have SW & SE doors)

*'''Unique modules:
**Wide open ground floor: [[Small Radar]]
** "P" design of [[Missile Defences]] - no ground level doors; can force particular paths
** [[Hangar]]
** [[Access Lift]]

Most modules have a fairly open second story, with the exception of [[Missile Defences]], [[General Stores]], [[Alien Containment]], and the [[Psionic Laboratory]]. Still, half of the rest have a fair amount of clutter that might hide aliens.

==Notes==
*Corridors attaching to the right topside of a hangar (on the grid, the east side of the north wall) corner come through a ground-level hangar door. Corridors attaching anywhere else don't get a door. See picture at [[X-Com_Base_Terrain]].
*The ideal case is to have your choke point aligned vertically on the base grid, lined with general stores. The general stores have large, doublewide doors that open out onto the vertical corridor. These doors will give your your troops and tanks cover, and let them pop out to make attacks at will.
*It is also desirable to have a base facility containing a door directly facing the Access Lift (such as the [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]]). A scout can pop out at the beginning of a turn and spot units coming down the corridor without risk of being shot due to the [[reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|"mutual surprise" rule]]. Other units with indirect-fire weapons (grenades and blaster launchers) can then safely attack the spotted alien(s). Direct-fire weapons can also be safely used if a thick-enough [[Smoke Grenade|smoke cover]] is present.
*Troops will spawn primarily in the Living Quarters and General Stores . Tanks will spawn mostly in the General Stores. You might want to cluster these units around your choke-point so your units will be where you need them.
*When constructing a base, be very careful that you avoid the [[Known Bugs#Base Disjoint Bug|Base Disjoint Bug]] where modules along the right and lower edges of the map can get sealed off. Improper placement will often end up forcing you to cut through the very tough walls and dirt blocks with heavy plasmas or tank lasers. However, with proper placement of modules, the sealed off walls can be very advantageous in controlling the flow of aliens. [[XcomUtil]] users cannot take advantage of this as the setup tool for this utility automatically rips out the walls.

==See Also==
*[[Base Management]]
*[[Base Defense]]
*[[Base Defense Measures (UFO Defense)]]
*[[X-Com Base Terrain]]

Base Layout Strategy

2008-07-30T18:24:10Z

MagicJuggler: /* Secondary Base Design */

Your base will, at some point, be raided by angry aliens looking for revenge for all those UFO's you've taken out. Unlike most places you'll have to fight, you have control over the layout of your base, so design it wisely.

The key point for base defensibility is to minimize the number of points of entry. Aliens usually come down into your base through hangars and the access lift (although they can emerge on other locations - see the last comment on [[Base_Defense#Bugs]]). If you group your hangars with the access lift, then build only one module connecting to this part of your base, that module becomes a choke point for base defense. A long chain of rooms becomes a long choke point ripe for mining with Proximity Grenades and other dirty tricks. This way, you can line up all your units against one point of entry instead of having to spread them out to cover four or five.

The access lift is always the first unit built, so it becomes the obvious candidate for this single point of entry. Place it on the grid so you leave enough room to build hangars on one side of the lift, and everything else on the other side. I'd recommend building a General Stores on the lift opposite the hangar. A general stores is needed for any base, and it gets completed quickly. Once the general stores are completed, build all new facilities (except hangars, of course) off of that.

==Overhauling the Starter Base==

At higher difficulty levels, alien retaliation can often come MUCH sooner than you might be ready for-- before you have base defenses built, and before you have powerful weapons to arm your troops with. Considering that the access lift and all hangars serve as entry points for the invaders, the starter base has all the defensive virtues of a screen door:
<center>{{UBK|=
|dirt|dirt|hangar1|hangar2|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|hangar3|hangar4|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|lift|quarters|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|small_radar|stores|lab|workshop|dirt|=
|hangar1|hangar2|dirt|dirt|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|dirt|dirt|hangar3|hangar4|=}}</center>
The hangars and lift are distributed as widely as possible through the base, giving the aliens a wealth of breach points and enabling them to assault any defenders from all sides.

With this in mind, I recommend a partial rebuild of your initial base ASAP. Build two hangars next to the topmost hangar to replace the lower two, and a living quarters down between the two lower existing hangars to replace the one next to the access lift. Place any other new modules on the lower half of the screen, where they will not touch the lift or the new hangars.

As the new living quarters and hangar are completed, dismantle the old ones. It should now look something like:
<center>{{UBK|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=
|dirt|dirt|lift|dirt|dirt|dirt|=
|large_radar|small_radar|stores|lab|workshop|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|quarters|containment|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|=}}</center>
Of course, place any other new facilities with a mind to preserving the new choke-point at the grav lift (i.e., nothing adjacent to the top hangars.) This layout isn't as fortified as many new-build bases can be, but it's a good compromise between defendability (one choke-point at the lift), available space, expedience (it converts from the standard layout in minimal time), and, especially, cost. It only costs the price of two hangars and a living quarters ($800,000) to overhaul your base this way-- a cost that can be covered by the proceeds from, say, one small landed UFO. It does however accrue base [[maintenance costs]] of $720,000 per month due to a [[Known Bugs#Paying For Dirt|bug]].

===Variations===

The previous example was a one chokepoint base that is easy to defend, however it is by no means the only way to build the base. Don't be afraid to try different variations of the base to suit the strategy that you intend use.

If you want to attack the aliens from two sides, the simple addition of an extra module can modify the one-chokepoint base into a two-chokepoint base. For example:

<center>{{UBK|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=
|dirt|dirt|lift|dirt|small_radar|dirt|=
|large_radar|small_radar|stores|lab|workshop|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|quarters|containment|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|=}}</center>

The above base is designed to work like the popular defendable base layout, but also provides a second access point into the hangars. Although this means you have to spread your soldiers out to cover both points, so do the aliens.

With this example in particular, the small radar module provides an empty hallway. If you like to use rockets, this one access point gives you a clear shot into the hangars. A few well placed rockets can cut down the opposition considerably.

If you really like to use rockets but can only handle aliens entering the map through one entry point, consider the following variation.

<center>{{UBK|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=
|dirt|dirt|lift|dirt|small_radar|dirt|=
|large_radar|small_radar|dirt|lab|workshop|dirt|=
|dirt|containment|quarters|stores|dirt|dirt|=
|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|=}}</center>

It may take a while to re-order the base in this manner from the starting setup, but the end result provides you with a clear firing corridor into the hangars with plenty of cubbyholes to hide in. All of the aliens will have to funnel through the small radar module, which is an open space with no place for the aliens to hide.

One disadvantage of this base however is that if the workshop suffers too much structural damage, all facilities past the small radar will be destroyed as they'll be disconnected from the access lift.

No matter what layout you eventually use, remember that the more complicated it is the longer it may take to construct and the more money it will cost. The last example requires moving a module that was already present in the default base. i.e. the general stores.

== Secondary Base Design ==

With your second and subsequent bases, you can build it securely right from the beginning. The most secure design uses the Access Lift as a choke point between the hangars and the rest of the base, as pictured above, but puts it to the side, out of the way, and also adds a long corridor between the Access Lift and the rest of the base:
<center>{{UBK|=
|quarters|quarters|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|stores|dirt|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|hyperwave|dirt|stores|mind|workshop|psi|=
|lift|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|dirt|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=}}</center>
Be sure not to put the Access Lift on the southern or eastern borders of the map to avoid the [[Known Bugs#Base Disjoint Bug|base disjoint bug]].

If three hangars are not needed, additional base facilities can be added, as long as they are not placed adjacent to the hangars:
<center>
{|
|-
|
{{UBK|=
|quarters|quarters|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|stores|dirt|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|hyperwave|dirt|stores|mind|workshop|psi|=
|lift|dirt|dirt|dirt|psi|psi|=
|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|dirt|psi|=
|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|dirt|psi|=}}
|
|
|
|
{{UBK|=
|quarters|quarters|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|stores|dirt|quarters|quarters|workshop|workshop|=
|hyperwave|dirt|stores|mind|workshop|psi|=
|lift|dirt|quarters|psi|psi|psi|=
|hangar1|hangar2|dirt|psi|psi|psi|=
|hangar3|hangar4|dirt|psi|psi|psi|=}}
|}
</center>

<center>{{UBK|=
|workshop|dirt|hangar1|hangar2|hangar1|hangar2|=
|stores|dirt|hangar3|hangar4|hangar3|hangar4|=
|stores|lab|dirt|lift|hangar1|hangar2|=
|stores|stores|stores|stores|hangar3|hangar4|=
|stores|stores|stores|stores|large_radar|quarters|=
|stores|stores|stores|stores|quarters|quarters|=}}

The following base is built on the theory that the best way to defeat the aliens is to turn the alien spawn-points into a salient. The enemy can only attack from one direction, and all forces in the hangar will find themselves encircled by crossfire. This base design allows for psionic troops to attack from the lab, and to provide blaster launcher fire from the workshop.

- [[User:tequilachef|tequilachef]]: Remember that the Aliens need enough spawn points when attacking your base. If they do not have enough they will use X-Com spawn points, which makes the carefully planned choke point practically useless since you will be ambushed from inside your own living quarters and general stores. Three hangars and the access lift are enough to cover every possible attacking alien force. Therefore I think the two beforementioned base layouts are practically useless!

: I belive that one hangar and one access lift can provide more than enough spawn points for an invasion fleet. I do it all the time and there aren't any spillovers. I couldn't find any reference anywhere on the wiki, but a section that discusses the nuances of the spawn nodes would be interesting, and perhaps even note the spawn nodes in the individual base map blocks. - [[User:NKF|NKF]]

::For a fairly detailed monologue about alien spawn points per module and how alien spawning is determined, please see http://ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Exploits#Base_Defence_Mission_Spawning_Issues According to this, you have 23 alien spawn tiles with one Hangar and the Access Lift. According to the deployment chart for Alien Retaliation missions, the only time you'll have more than 23 aliens dispatched to try and smoke you out is in Superhuman, and even then, the most you can go over is 5, making 2 Hangars and the Access Lift sufficient to fully spawn any Alien Retaliation. My greater concern would be the location of the HWD; that's a module that can be destroyed during a heated Alien Retaliation Mission, and if you lose it, the whole base is demolished. Also, because of it's central staircase, it will prevent you from firing any weapon but Blaster Bombs down the hallway behind the choke point. It would be wiser to have Living Quarters or General Stores along that entire choke line, since such a module cannot be demolished, it also serves as a high-priority spawn point for your troopers, and the open central area allows you to nuke the aliens from far away. Finally, those two bases seem like they would have 50 or 100 soldiers each(based on the number of Psi Labs), at which point a full complement of 28 aliens is outnumbered nearly 4-to-1 and can be defeated through attrition alone if needed. Even assuming a squad of 100 psissies and 22 Ethereals(the six Sectopods can't use psi), you've still got 56 soldiers to kill things with, since each Ethereal can MC only twice per turn. -[[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]]

: The above two base designs are still useless. While it has a long choke point it is not practical. You can only build next to finished structures. Therefore it will take 55 days before the first soldier can start defending it. (Days: HWD-26, stores-10, LQ-16, 3 for soldier delivery) Placing the Access Lift next to a wall while keeping it a choke point means that there are only 2 spaces to place structure. Removing structure means later you will be paying for dirt. Furthermore I'm not convinced that an extended choke past the lift +1 tile is useful. Too many guys end up spending a long time hoofing it to a spot they can be useful.--[[User:Brunpal|Brunpal]] 19:19, 28 November 2007 (PST)

:: That's true in theory, Brunpal, but you can build temporary facilities like Stores to "bridge a gap", then remove them. Yes, you'll wind up [[Base_Facilities#Facility_Maintenance_Cost_Bug|paying for dirt]], but that will only matter in a self-imposed cash-crunch scenario. -[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 15:31, 7 December 2007 (PST)

==Floor Plan Comparison==
Here's a comparison of the '''ground floor''' plans for X-COM base modules, in case it helps you design your base. For images, follow the links or see [[Xcom_and_Alien_Bases#XCom_Base|X-COM Base Module Images]]:

*'''3-wide "central plus sign" corridors:
** 1-wide doors along NW to SE path: [[Living Quarters]], [[Laboratory]], [[Workshop]]
** 1-wide doors along SW to NE path: [[Alien Containment]], [[Psionic Laboratory]]
** 2-wide doors along SW to NE path: [[General Stores]]

*'''Central room:
** 1 1-wide door, 2-wide corridors: [[Laser Defences]] (SW door), [[Plasma Defences]] (SE door), [[Fusion Ball Defences]] (NE door)
** 2 1-wide doors, 2-wide corridors: [[Large Radar]] (SW & NE doors)
** 2 1-wide doors, 3-wide corridors: [[Grav Shield]], [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]], [[Mind Shield]] (all have SW & SE doors)

*'''Unique modules:
**Wide open ground floor: [[Small Radar]]
** "P" design of [[Missile Defences]] - no ground level doors; can force particular paths
** [[Hangar]]
** [[Access Lift]]

Most modules have a fairly open second story, with the exception of [[Missile Defences]], [[General Stores]], [[Alien Containment]], and the [[Psionic Laboratory]]. Still, half of the rest have a fair amount of clutter that might hide aliens.

==Notes==
*Corridors attaching to the right topside of a hangar (on the grid, the east side of the north wall) corner come through a ground-level hangar door. Corridors attaching anywhere else don't get a door. See picture at [[X-Com_Base_Terrain]].
*The ideal case is to have your choke point aligned vertically on the base grid, lined with general stores. The general stores have large, doublewide doors that open out onto the vertical corridor. These doors will give your your troops and tanks cover, and let them pop out to make attacks at will.
*It is also desirable to have a base facility containing a door directly facing the Access Lift (such as the [[Hyper-Wave Decoder]]). A scout can pop out at the beginning of a turn and spot units coming down the corridor without risk of being shot due to the [[reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|"mutual surprise" rule]]. Other units with indirect-fire weapons (grenades and blaster launchers) can then safely attack the spotted alien(s). Direct-fire weapons can also be safely used if a thick-enough [[Smoke Grenade|smoke cover]] is present.
*Troops will spawn primarily in the Living Quarters and General Stores . Tanks will spawn mostly in the General Stores. You might want to cluster these units around your choke-point so your units will be where you need them.
*When constructing a base, be very careful that you avoid the [[Known Bugs#Base Disjoint Bug|Base Disjoint Bug]] where modules along the right and lower edges of the map can get sealed off. Improper placement will often end up forcing you to cut through the very tough walls and dirt blocks with heavy plasmas or tank lasers. However, with proper placement of modules, the sealed off walls can be very advantageous in controlling the flow of aliens. [[XcomUtil]] users cannot take advantage of this as the setup tool for this utility automatically rips out the walls.

==See Also==
*[[Base Management]]
*[[Base Defense]]
*[[Base Defense Measures (UFO Defense)]]
*[[X-Com Base Terrain]]

Talk:Understanding Grenades

2008-07-30T17:46:54Z

MagicJuggler:

Excellent work NKF - thank you!

Can I make some suggestions:

*Say how much of this applies to Alien Grenades and HE Packs (all of it I think).
*Make explicit that keeping an armed grenade in inventory/hand/whatever does not delay the turn on which it will explode
*Stress that BOTH conditions must be true for a grenade to explode
*Mention kneeling as a way of throwing grenades in hard situations eg out of a Skyranger
*Link to destroying terrain
*Link to tactics eg using grenades vs terror units.

I was thinking about anti-grenade tactics - do Aliens ever set grenade timers for anything less than 0? So is it possible to pick up an armed alien grenade thrown by the AI?

Maybe add a section on whether a destroyed grenade explodes? This isn't apocalypse after all and chain-reaction grenades aren't going to occur... [[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 10:46, 30 July 2008 (PDT)

Talk:Alien Life Forms

2008-07-30T17:36:49Z

MagicJuggler:

To do: For future edit, must remember to include a link to the damage modifiers for the aliens - if not in the individual pages, at least a reference to it in the general. Now to find it...

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

:Propose that we merge the Alien Life Forms with Overview of Aliens, with the Alien Stats as a link from there. After this, each alien could be linked to their own article, which follows a standard format of their threat level, and how to combat them? [[User:MagicJuggler|MagicJuggler]] 10:36, 30 July 2008 (PDT)

Economics

2008-07-30T15:27:06Z

MagicJuggler: /* Equipment */

Money will be a major factor in your fight against the aliens, as with most things in the real world, there is little that you can't achieve with the judicious application of a huge pile of cash. The '''economics''' of your situation come down to a few major sources of income, and an somewhat larger number of cost centers.

==Income==
There are three key ways in which you can accumulate more money for your organisation.

===Council===
The first source of income, and your only one right at the start of the game is the initial [[Country Funding]] you have been given to get your organisation off the ground. This will get paid to you each month, and to retain – and increase – this funding you will need to keep your paymasters happy, either by keeping the UFOs off their front lawn, or by causing them to crash down on top it.

Country funding can remain an important revenue stream for most of the game, although towards the end you may well find yourself dreading the end of the month as the amount of funding you are getting dwindles compared to your growing monthly outlays.

===UFO Recovery missions===
Although you will want to keep a fair amount of the items recovered from UFOs for your own use, there are many private buyers who are willing to pay out large amounts to get their hands on this new technology. As you progress towards your task of defeating the aliens, [[UFO Recovery Values]] tend to rise steadily, and are a very important revenue source. You do have to pay attention to not [[Buying/Selling/Transferring#UFO_Recoverable_Prices|selling]] alien items that you will later want, as manufacturing them yourself is often significantly more expensive than the sale value of the item.

===Sale of Manufactured goods===
As well as being essential to produce some key pieces of technology that you have [[research]]ed, your [[manufacturing]] teams can also be extremely [[Manufacturing Profitability|profitable]] once they are up and running. It will take some seed capital, and some work from your eggheads, to get things going, but once you do it can be a very key part of your financial stability, as private buyers are also willing to [[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Manufacturable_Prices|purchase]] many of the items you will become able to produce.

==Expenditures==
There a few different ways to spend all that money you are accumulating, some of which will be very important at certain parts of the game, and unimportant at others.

===Base Expansion===
Both the creation of new bases, and the expansion of existing ones with new [[Base Facilities|facilities]] makes up a fairly large proportion of your overall expenses, particular for the first part of the game.

===Base Maintenance===
Each base you build, and each facility within that base increases the monthly cost you will have to pay to cover you base [[maintenance costs]]. While not a huge chunk of your expenditures, it is a constant drain to be aware of. Don't build facilities that you don't need yet, however always remember to consider the long lead times that some facilities have.

===Salaries===
All your base [[Hiring/firing|personnel]] – scientists, engineers and soldiers – and any [[Interceptor]]s or [[Skyranger]]s you are renting will cost a fixed amount of money every month to stop them quitting your employ, or being repossessed. Don't these people know there's a war going on?

===Equipment===
Equipment is usually not a major cost, simply because the technology available for you to [[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|purchase]] mostly is limited in application, and you rapidly become able to produce or acquire much better items for yourself. However, some items remain useful throughout the duration of the game, and keeping a steady stock of ammunition for the cheaper heavy weapons can be expensive.

===Manufacturing Material Costs===
While at certain times in the game manufacturing can be very profitable, it will also be essential to make items that have no resale value, such as the Avenger. Be well aware of the costs of the items you are making for your own use, to ensure they are worth the money you are spending on them. Also be aware of the special materials used up in the goods you are making, both from an opportunity cost standpoint (you could have sold those [[Alien Alloys]] instead of using them to make something, so they effectively increase the cost of anything that uses them up), and also particularly for [[Elerium-115]], some materials can be very tough to replace when you have used them up.

== Exploits and Bugs ==
* [[Exploits]]
**[[ExploitsA#Free_Manufacturing|Free Manufacturing]]
**[[ExploitsA#Free_Wages|Free Wages]]
*[[Known_Bugs|Bugs]]
**[[Known_Bugs#Sticky_Craft_Transfer_Fee_glitch|Sticky Craft Transfer Fee glitch]]  '''(Bad!)
**[[Known_Bugs#Transfer_Limit_cash_eater|Transfer Limit cash eater]]  ''(pretty rare)

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-30T14:57:26Z

MagicJuggler: /* Tanks */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

Upon successfully securing the landing zone, the scout will perform recon duties, locating enemy targets so that snipers and heavy weapon specialists can take them down from range.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. High [[Firing Accuracy]] is the main qualification for a sniper as it only has a small window of opportunity to kill. A recruit can start with a maximum score of 70 in this field, yet even troops with a score of 60 can be trained to be worthy snipers.

Early in the game, the rifle is the most accurate weapon on aimed shot initially aside from the [[Rocket Launcher]]. More often than not, it can hit an enemy from across the map. However it quickly becomes obsolete against tougher foes such as Snakemen and Mutons and one will want to switch to heavier weaponry. The heavy plasma is a suitable weapon for aimed shots, combining exceptional aimed-shot accuracy with a large clip and high damage output. However, plasma is expensive to wield on a large scale and should the sniper be mind-controlled, he will be a major liability. The laser rifle has potential as a sniper weapon on account of a stationary sniper being able to put out 2 Accuracy 100 shots a turn. Finally, XcomUtil can modify the Heavy Laser that it possesses a powerful, highly accurate attack.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength and firing accuracy, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]]. Strength is imperative for the heavy weapons user as [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties affect rate of fire on account of firing costs being calculated from base TUs rather than encumbrance-modified TUs and therefore heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. Firing accuracy is important for heavy-cannon users, yet is less important for autocannon, rocket launcher, or blaster launcher users. A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s. They are also effective against taking out enemies in cover as even if the shot misses, hitting a terrain piece can result in an indirect hit which still kills.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Loader ===
Ammunition can be heavy in the case of autocannon or rocket ammunition. Usually armed with little more than a pistol, the loader's role is to provide extra ammunition for a heavy weapon trooper, often by throwing it. This can allow for more sustained anti-tank fire. During a ufo assault, the loader does not find much use among blaster-launcher troops on account of the indirect nature of the blaster launcher allowing its wielder to provide support from the transport (and thus from a steady ammo source). In this case, the loader may end up being transferred to grenadier duty if not killed beforehand.

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance and the soldier's ability to carry grenades without being encumbered.. A high initial throwing accuracy also helps although this ability levels up very quickly. Finally, a high reactions score will help prevent the grenadier from getting gunned down before lighting the fuse.

This role is very effective for attacking cover in open terrain, or for taking out clustered enemies. In close-quarters, the blast radius of a grenade can be a liability yet the ability to clear ambush points is still highly valued. The ability to use proximity grenades as an area-denial weapon, electroflares to light up dark battlefields, or smoke grenades to provide cover lends extra versatility to the grenadier. Armed with high explosives, they can even be useful in taking out terror units.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion; however some commanders arm their grenadiers solely with grenades, trusting on the snipers to provide support in the advent of flying enemies. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. However, for players that prefer a highly mobile form of warfare, the increased TUs, energy, and lack of encumbrance means a HWP is able to spearhead assaults, soak up firepower, and disrupt the enemy before your troops finish it off. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts. Finally, in the early game when psionics are an unknown threat, the HWP/Rocket Launcher is the safest area-effect weapon in that it cannot be mind controlled whereas a mind-controlledd soldier with Rocket Launcher could be devastating to your squad.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==
Armor allows troopers to survive longer and thus. However, armor is expensive and can still fail to protect against well-placed heavy plasma shots. Additionally, armor cannot be recovered from dead soldiers. Finally, soldiers are easily replaceable as even a single alien toting a plasma pistol can be sold for a minimum of $104,000 allowing for 2 soldiers and 24,000 to equip them with. Finally, proper use of sniper-spotter tactics, cover, and reaction fire prove a better defense rather than hoping the enemy misses you.

However, such a callous attitude towards your soldiers has its drawbacks. Each soldier lost results in morale penalties to the rest of your troops as well as points lost, which determines the Council's commitment to funding your troops. These penalties will continue to increase as your soldiers gain experience and thus it is imperative your leaders and veteran soldiers be armored to represent the fact.

Early on, one will not have enough resources to armor every soldier and thus priorities must be set. The rear commander should have the best suit available in the advent of an ambush, with remaining suits going to troops in descending order of rank. Rookies and even squaddies can generally go unarmored as their deaths are mitigated against thanks to the commander.

Power Armor will eventually become the de-facto standard for your troops, as elerium stockpiles begin to occur. The Personal Armor that was once standard will eventually find itself being transferred from base to base in an attempt to armor up all garrison troops until 250 power armored suits come about (as well as surpluses in the advent of troop casualties). Flying armor is useful but not cost-efficient to produce in such numbers sadly enough.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-30T14:51:39Z

MagicJuggler: /* Snipers */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

Upon successfully securing the landing zone, the scout will perform recon duties, locating enemy targets so that snipers and heavy weapon specialists can take them down from range.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. High [[Firing Accuracy]] is the main qualification for a sniper as it only has a small window of opportunity to kill. A recruit can start with a maximum score of 70 in this field, yet even troops with a score of 60 can be trained to be worthy snipers.

Early in the game, the rifle is the most accurate weapon on aimed shot initially aside from the [[Rocket Launcher]]. More often than not, it can hit an enemy from across the map. However it quickly becomes obsolete against tougher foes such as Snakemen and Mutons and one will want to switch to heavier weaponry. The heavy plasma is a suitable weapon for aimed shots, combining exceptional aimed-shot accuracy with a large clip and high damage output. However, plasma is expensive to wield on a large scale and should the sniper be mind-controlled, he will be a major liability. The laser rifle has potential as a sniper weapon on account of a stationary sniper being able to put out 2 Accuracy 100 shots a turn. Finally, XcomUtil can modify the Heavy Laser that it possesses a powerful, highly accurate attack.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength and firing accuracy, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]]. Strength is imperative for the heavy weapons user as [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties affect rate of fire on account of firing costs being calculated from base TUs rather than encumbrance-modified TUs and therefore heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. Firing accuracy is important for heavy-cannon users, yet is less important for autocannon, rocket launcher, or blaster launcher users. A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s. They are also effective against taking out enemies in cover as even if the shot misses, hitting a terrain piece can result in an indirect hit which still kills.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Loader ===
Ammunition can be heavy in the case of autocannon or rocket ammunition. Usually armed with little more than a pistol, the loader's role is to provide extra ammunition for a heavy weapon trooper, often by throwing it. This can allow for more sustained anti-tank fire. During a ufo assault, the loader does not find much use among blaster-launcher troops on account of the indirect nature of the blaster launcher allowing its wielder to provide support from the transport (and thus from a steady ammo source). In this case, the loader may end up being transferred to grenadier duty if not killed beforehand.

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance and the soldier's ability to carry grenades without being encumbered.. A high initial throwing accuracy also helps although this ability levels up very quickly. Finally, a high reactions score will help prevent the grenadier from getting gunned down before lighting the fuse.

This role is very effective for attacking cover in open terrain, or for taking out clustered enemies. In close-quarters, the blast radius of a grenade can be a liability yet the ability to clear ambush points is still highly valued. The ability to use proximity grenades as an area-denial weapon, electroflares to light up dark battlefields, or smoke grenades to provide cover lends extra versatility to the grenadier. Armed with high explosives, they can even be useful in taking out terror units.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion; however some commanders arm their grenadiers solely with grenades, trusting on the snipers to provide support in the advent of flying enemies. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==
Armor allows troopers to survive longer and thus. However, armor is expensive and can still fail to protect against well-placed heavy plasma shots. Additionally, armor cannot be recovered from dead soldiers. Finally, soldiers are easily replaceable as even a single alien toting a plasma pistol can be sold for a minimum of $104,000 allowing for 2 soldiers and 24,000 to equip them with. Finally, proper use of sniper-spotter tactics, cover, and reaction fire prove a better defense rather than hoping the enemy misses you.

However, such a callous attitude towards your soldiers has its drawbacks. Each soldier lost results in morale penalties to the rest of your troops as well as points lost, which determines the Council's commitment to funding your troops. These penalties will continue to increase as your soldiers gain experience and thus it is imperative your leaders and veteran soldiers be armored to represent the fact.

Early on, one will not have enough resources to armor every soldier and thus priorities must be set. The rear commander should have the best suit available in the advent of an ambush, with remaining suits going to troops in descending order of rank. Rookies and even squaddies can generally go unarmored as their deaths are mitigated against thanks to the commander.

Power Armor will eventually become the de-facto standard for your troops, as elerium stockpiles begin to occur. The Personal Armor that was once standard will eventually find itself being transferred from base to base in an attempt to armor up all garrison troops until 250 power armored suits come about (as well as surpluses in the advent of troop casualties). Flying armor is useful but not cost-efficient to produce in such numbers sadly enough.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

User:MagicJuggler

2008-07-30T14:49:14Z

MagicJuggler: New page: MagicJuggler aka Mike is a software tester and full-time student who who when not plotting world domination is busy plotting to save the world from aliens in the original X-Com. He focuses...

MagicJuggler aka Mike is a software tester and full-time student who who when not plotting world domination is busy plotting to save the world from aliens in the original X-Com. He focuses more on the tactical aspect than the research/geoscape aspect, and is an adherent to not progressing beyond laser weapons/conventional grenades. In his case, quantity trumps quality every time and he would rather have 26 laser-rifle recruits instead of 5 power-armored supersoldiers.

Field Manual: Weapons

2008-07-30T14:29:30Z

MagicJuggler:

==Conventional Weapons Overview==
X-COM article by FullAuto:

'''Human weapons as deployed by X-Com. Tactical Brief-113, by order of Agent J.P. and Agent G.G. Classified EYES ONLY. '''

By Fyodor Dzhersinky, Training Sgt.

Welcome, trainees. I am here to induct you into the use of X-Com weaponry. You will address me with respect. You will not eyeball me. You will pay attention. You will learn not to ignore the best weapons humanity has to offer. You will learn to use them to good effect. Follow my rules and we will all leave this class happy capitalists, da? Let us begin.

===Pistol===
*Magazine: 12 bullets, 26 Armour Piercing damage each.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 18% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 78% accuracy, 30% TUs.

The [[Pistol]] is the weakest weapon in the armoury. However, it is versatile and quick to use. As you can see, you can fire off 5 snap shots in one turn, or 3 aimed shots, giving you a good chance of hitting the target. Best used in conjunction with a grenade or laser pistol, the pistol also serves well as a backup gun for heavy weapon troopers. Its stopping power is not to be underestimated, dealing out only 4 points less than the rifle. This means the pistol can remain useful for much of the game against Sectoids, Floaters, and Snakemen. (on easier difficulty settings)

===Rifle===
*Magazine: 20 bullets, 30 AP.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 35% accuracy, 35% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 110% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Rifle]] is the default main weapon for any X-Com trooper. It offers auto shots (for close encounters) and accurate single shots (for sniping). All good capitalists know their rifle is more than enough to cope with Sectoids and Floaters. Make sure to carry at least one spare magazine, as auto shots eat up ammo. Again, do not underestimate its power, concerted fire from supporting units can take down fearsome enemies such as the Chryssalid with a little effort. A versatile weapon that can be used by snipers to pick off targets from a good vantage point, like at Stalingrad, or to storm the enemy and crush them under a hail of bullets. Like at Stalingrad.

===Heavy cannon===
*Magazine: 6 rounds, 56 Armour Piercing/52 High Explosive/60 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 90% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Heavy Cannon]] is a weighty but useful weapon. The magazine size is small, necessitating at least two reloads (usually carried on the belt). I know troopers who prefer one magazine of each ammo type, Armour Piercing for interior clearance, High Explosive for clearing obstructions and tougher enemies, and Incendiary for burning cover and boiling the aliens in their own fluids! The Heavy Cannon can be useful, but it needs a strong trooper to carry it, and its small magazine means sustained fire is impossible. Added to its high rate of TU use, it relegates the Heavy Cannon to a supporting role.

===Auto-Cannon===
*Magazine: 14 rounds, 42 AP/44 HE/48 I.
*Snap shot: 56 % accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Auto shot: 32% accuracy, 40% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 82% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Auto Cannon]] is the most versatile of the heavy weapons. Relatively light, with a large magazine and a choice of ammo, it also has auto shot capability, meaning it can be reliably used while clearing out UFOs. When using HE, an auto shot can clear a whole field, revealing the alien scum as they cower. When using [[Incendiary]], an auto shot can light up half the battlefield if in a night mission, or quickly burn away any cover, as well as setting fire to enemies. It causes slightly less damage than the Heavy Cannon, but has more than twice the magazine capacity and can fire three times as fast. Truly, a mighty weapon with which to smite the enemy.

===Rocket Launcher===
*Magazine: 1 rocket, 75 HE Small/100 HE Large/90 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 55% accuracy, 45% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 115% accuracy, 75% TUs.

In the early stages of the war, the [[Rocket Launcher]] is X-Com’s only knockout punch. Usually reserved for use against tough enemies like the [[Cyberdisc]], or groups of weaker enemies, the Rocket Launcher is very accurate when aimed, and should NOT be used otherwise unless absolutely necessary. The size of the ammo severely limits profligacy, a unit can carry a maximum of 5 rockets (3 in backpack, one in hand, one in the launcher) and unless more ammo is spread amongst the rest of the squad, that is all you will have. I advise carrying a pistol for close protection. The nature of the weapon means it is usually deployed at the rear of a squad, so bear in mind when firing that there may be friendly units between the launcher and target. Weigh the risks carefully.
Best fired from elevated positions, as nearby shots will hit the ground even if they miss, making snap shots feasible, even for not-so-accurate soldiers. Also, feel free to use snap if target has a wall or other large obstacles at their back. (this paragraph also applies for all Heavy Cannon and Auto-cannon with Explosive Ammo)

===Laser Pistol===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 46 Laser Beam.
*Snap shot: 40% accuracy, 20% TUs.
*Auto shot: 28% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 68% accuracy, 55% TUs.

Collectively, the laser weapons are a step down in accuracy from the ballistic weapons, but a step up in power and the nature of their ammo is a big advantage. The [[Laser Pistol]] is best used in conjunction with grenades, or another weapon entirely, or merely as a backup. Bear in mind you can fire off a maximum of 12 shots a turn, each one doing almost twice the damage of a normal pistol round.

===Laser Rifle===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 60 LB.
*Snap shot: 65% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 46% accuracy, 34% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 100% accuracy, 50% TUs.

The [[Laser Rifle]] deals out twice the damage of the normal rifle, at a decreased TU cost. It also serves as a decent sniper weapon on account of the massively decrease TU cost compared with that of the conventional rifle; a stationary sniper can put out 2 aimed shots. It hits hard enough to be useful against pretty much every enemy in the game, and it’s unlimited magazine eliminates ammo problems. In a pinch it can be used to storm UFOs, although the Laser Pistol is generally better-suited for this role.

===Heavy Laser===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 85 LB.
*Snap shot: 50% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 84% accuracy, 75% TUs.

Perhaps the only defective in the armoury, the [[Heavy Laser]] is powerful and accurate, but uses up too many TUs, it’s power and accuracy is never quite enough and it’s lack of auto shot is a mystery. What were those commie eggheads at the X-Com labs thinking? Scientists? Pah! This weapon has seen little use, and is best deployed to a sniper who has a laser pistol for backup. I have found no niche for it, it’s usurped by other weapons which are either faster or more accurate.
Maybe one of these days the propellerheads will build a [[XcomUtil|better laser]], more accurate and more damaging but until then I spit upon this weapon! If you ever really need some serious laser support, see if you can requisition a [[Tank/Laser Cannon|Lasertank.]].

That will be all, trainees.

[[Category: Field Manual|Weapons]]

Field Manual: Weapons

2008-07-30T14:28:04Z

MagicJuggler: /* Heavy Laser */

==Conventional Weapons Overview==
X-COM article by FullAuto:

'''Human weapons as deployed by X-Com. Tactical Brief-113, by order of Agent J.P. and Agent G.G. Classified EYES ONLY. '''

By Fyodor Dzhersinky, Training Sgt.

Welcome, trainees. I am here to induct you into the use of X-Com weaponry. You will address me with respect. You will not eyeball me. You will pay attention. You will learn not to ignore the best weapons humanity has to offer. You will learn to use them to good effect. Follow my rules and we will all leave this class happy capitalists, da? Let us begin.

===Pistol===
*Magazine: 12 bullets, 26 Armour Piercing damage each.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 18% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 78% accuracy, 30% TUs.

The [[Pistol]] is the weakest weapon in the armoury. However, it is versatile and quick to use. As you can see, you can fire off 5 snap shots in one turn, or 3 aimed shots, giving you a good chance of hitting the target. Best used in conjunction with a grenade or laser pistol, the pistol also serves well as a backup gun for heavy weapon troopers. Its stopping power is not to be underestimated, dealing out only 4 points less than the rifle. This means the pistol can remain useful for much of the game against Sectoids, Floaters, and Snakemen. (on easier difficulty settings)

===Rifle===
*Magazine: 20 bullets, 30 AP.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 35% accuracy, 35% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 110% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Rifle]] is the default main weapon for any X-Com trooper. It offers auto shots (for close encounters) and accurate single shots (for sniping). All good capitalists know their rifle is more than enough to cope with Sectoids and Floaters. Make sure to carry at least one spare magazine, as auto shots eat up ammo. Again, do not underestimate its power, concerted fire from supporting units can take down fearsome enemies such as the Chryssalid with a little effort. A versatile weapon that can be used by snipers to pick off targets from a good vantage point, like at Stalingrad, or to storm the enemy and crush them under a hail of bullets. Like at Stalingrad.

===Heavy cannon===
*Magazine: 6 rounds, 56 Armour Piercing/52 High Explosive/60 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 90% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Heavy Cannon]] is a weighty but useful weapon. The magazine size is small, necessitating at least two reloads (usually carried on the belt). I know troopers who prefer one magazine of each ammo type, Armour Piercing for interior clearance, High Explosive for clearing obstructions and tougher enemies, and Incendiary for burning cover and boiling the aliens in their own fluids! The Heavy Cannon can be useful, but it needs a strong trooper to carry it, and its small magazine means sustained fire is impossible. Added to its high rate of TU use, it relegates the Heavy Cannon to a supporting role.

===Auto-Cannon===
*Magazine: 14 rounds, 42 AP/44 HE/48 I.
*Snap shot: 56 % accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Auto shot: 32% accuracy, 40% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 82% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Auto Cannon]] is the most versatile of the heavy weapons. Relatively light, with a large magazine and a choice of ammo, it also has auto shot capability, meaning it can be reliably used while clearing out UFOs. When using HE, an auto shot can clear a whole field, revealing the alien scum as they cower. When using [[Incendiary]], an auto shot can light up half the battlefield if in a night mission, or quickly burn away any cover, as well as setting fire to enemies. It causes slightly less damage than the Heavy Cannon, but has more than twice the magazine capacity and can fire three times as fast. Truly, a mighty weapon with which to smite the enemy.

===Rocket Launcher===
*Magazine: 1 rocket, 75 HE Small/100 HE Large/90 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 55% accuracy, 45% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 115% accuracy, 75% TUs.

In the early stages of the war, the [[Rocket Launcher]] is X-Com’s only knockout punch. Usually reserved for use against tough enemies like the [[Cyberdisc]], or groups of weaker enemies, the Rocket Launcher is very accurate when aimed, and should NOT be used otherwise unless absolutely necessary. The size of the ammo severely limits profligacy, a unit can carry a maximum of 5 rockets (3 in backpack, one in hand, one in the launcher) and unless more ammo is spread amongst the rest of the squad, that is all you will have. I advise carrying a pistol for close protection. The nature of the weapon means it is usually deployed at the rear of a squad, so bear in mind when firing that there may be friendly units between the launcher and target. Weigh the risks carefully.
Best fired from elevated positions, as nearby shots will hit the ground even if they miss, making snap shots feasible, even for not-so-accurate soldiers. Also, feel free to use snap if target has a wall or other large obstacles at their back. (this paragraph also applies for all Heavy Cannon and Auto-cannon with Explosive Ammo)

===Laser Pistol===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 46 Laser Beam.
*Snap shot: 40% accuracy, 20% TUs.
*Auto shot: 28% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 68% accuracy, 55% TUs.

Collectively, the laser weapons are a step down in accuracy from the ballistic weapons, but a step up in power and the nature of their ammo is a big advantage. The [[Laser Pistol]] is best used in conjunction with grenades, or another weapon entirely, or merely as a backup. Bear in mind you can fire off a maximum of 12 shots a turn, each one doing almost twice the damage of a normal pistol round.

===Laser Rifle===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 60 LB.
*Snap shot: 65% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 46% accuracy, 34% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 100% accuracy, 50% TUs.

The [[Laser Rifle]] deals out twice the damage of the normal rifle, at a decreased TU cost. It also serves as a decent sniper weapon on account of the massively decrease TU cost compared with that of the conventional rifle; a stationary sniper can put out 2 aimed shots. It hits hard enough to be useful against pretty much every enemy in the game, and it’s unlimited magazine eliminates ammo problems. In a pinch it can be used to storm UFOs, although the Laser Pistol is generally better-suited for this role.

===Heavy Laser===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 85 LB.
*Snap shot: 50% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 84% accuracy, 75% TUs.

Perhaps the only defective in the armoury, the [[Heavy Laser]] is powerful and accurate, but uses up too many TUs, it’s power and accuracy is never quite enough and it’s lack of auto shot is a mystery. What were those commie eggheads at the X-Com labs thinking? Scientists? Pah! This weapon has seen little use, and is best deployed to a sniper who has a laser pistol for backup. I have found no niche for it, it’s usurped by other weapons which are either faster or more accurate.
Maybe one of these days the propellerheads will build a[{XcomUtil| better laser]], more accurate and more damaging but until then I spit upon this weapon! If you ever really need some serious laser support, see if you can requisition a [[Tank/Laser Cannon|Lasertank.]].

That will be all, trainees.

[[Category: Field Manual|Weapons]]

Field Manual: Weapons

2008-07-30T14:26:09Z

MagicJuggler: /* Heavy Laser */

==Conventional Weapons Overview==
X-COM article by FullAuto:

'''Human weapons as deployed by X-Com. Tactical Brief-113, by order of Agent J.P. and Agent G.G. Classified EYES ONLY. '''

By Fyodor Dzhersinky, Training Sgt.

Welcome, trainees. I am here to induct you into the use of X-Com weaponry. You will address me with respect. You will not eyeball me. You will pay attention. You will learn not to ignore the best weapons humanity has to offer. You will learn to use them to good effect. Follow my rules and we will all leave this class happy capitalists, da? Let us begin.

===Pistol===
*Magazine: 12 bullets, 26 Armour Piercing damage each.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 18% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 78% accuracy, 30% TUs.

The [[Pistol]] is the weakest weapon in the armoury. However, it is versatile and quick to use. As you can see, you can fire off 5 snap shots in one turn, or 3 aimed shots, giving you a good chance of hitting the target. Best used in conjunction with a grenade or laser pistol, the pistol also serves well as a backup gun for heavy weapon troopers. Its stopping power is not to be underestimated, dealing out only 4 points less than the rifle. This means the pistol can remain useful for much of the game against Sectoids, Floaters, and Snakemen. (on easier difficulty settings)

===Rifle===
*Magazine: 20 bullets, 30 AP.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 35% accuracy, 35% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 110% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Rifle]] is the default main weapon for any X-Com trooper. It offers auto shots (for close encounters) and accurate single shots (for sniping). All good capitalists know their rifle is more than enough to cope with Sectoids and Floaters. Make sure to carry at least one spare magazine, as auto shots eat up ammo. Again, do not underestimate its power, concerted fire from supporting units can take down fearsome enemies such as the Chryssalid with a little effort. A versatile weapon that can be used by snipers to pick off targets from a good vantage point, like at Stalingrad, or to storm the enemy and crush them under a hail of bullets. Like at Stalingrad.

===Heavy cannon===
*Magazine: 6 rounds, 56 Armour Piercing/52 High Explosive/60 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 90% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Heavy Cannon]] is a weighty but useful weapon. The magazine size is small, necessitating at least two reloads (usually carried on the belt). I know troopers who prefer one magazine of each ammo type, Armour Piercing for interior clearance, High Explosive for clearing obstructions and tougher enemies, and Incendiary for burning cover and boiling the aliens in their own fluids! The Heavy Cannon can be useful, but it needs a strong trooper to carry it, and its small magazine means sustained fire is impossible. Added to its high rate of TU use, it relegates the Heavy Cannon to a supporting role.

===Auto-Cannon===
*Magazine: 14 rounds, 42 AP/44 HE/48 I.
*Snap shot: 56 % accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Auto shot: 32% accuracy, 40% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 82% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Auto Cannon]] is the most versatile of the heavy weapons. Relatively light, with a large magazine and a choice of ammo, it also has auto shot capability, meaning it can be reliably used while clearing out UFOs. When using HE, an auto shot can clear a whole field, revealing the alien scum as they cower. When using [[Incendiary]], an auto shot can light up half the battlefield if in a night mission, or quickly burn away any cover, as well as setting fire to enemies. It causes slightly less damage than the Heavy Cannon, but has more than twice the magazine capacity and can fire three times as fast. Truly, a mighty weapon with which to smite the enemy.

===Rocket Launcher===
*Magazine: 1 rocket, 75 HE Small/100 HE Large/90 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 55% accuracy, 45% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 115% accuracy, 75% TUs.

In the early stages of the war, the [[Rocket Launcher]] is X-Com’s only knockout punch. Usually reserved for use against tough enemies like the [[Cyberdisc]], or groups of weaker enemies, the Rocket Launcher is very accurate when aimed, and should NOT be used otherwise unless absolutely necessary. The size of the ammo severely limits profligacy, a unit can carry a maximum of 5 rockets (3 in backpack, one in hand, one in the launcher) and unless more ammo is spread amongst the rest of the squad, that is all you will have. I advise carrying a pistol for close protection. The nature of the weapon means it is usually deployed at the rear of a squad, so bear in mind when firing that there may be friendly units between the launcher and target. Weigh the risks carefully.
Best fired from elevated positions, as nearby shots will hit the ground even if they miss, making snap shots feasible, even for not-so-accurate soldiers. Also, feel free to use snap if target has a wall or other large obstacles at their back. (this paragraph also applies for all Heavy Cannon and Auto-cannon with Explosive Ammo)

===Laser Pistol===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 46 Laser Beam.
*Snap shot: 40% accuracy, 20% TUs.
*Auto shot: 28% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 68% accuracy, 55% TUs.

Collectively, the laser weapons are a step down in accuracy from the ballistic weapons, but a step up in power and the nature of their ammo is a big advantage. The [[Laser Pistol]] is best used in conjunction with grenades, or another weapon entirely, or merely as a backup. Bear in mind you can fire off a maximum of 12 shots a turn, each one doing almost twice the damage of a normal pistol round.

===Laser Rifle===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 60 LB.
*Snap shot: 65% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 46% accuracy, 34% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 100% accuracy, 50% TUs.

The [[Laser Rifle]] deals out twice the damage of the normal rifle, at a decreased TU cost. It also serves as a decent sniper weapon on account of the massively decrease TU cost compared with that of the conventional rifle; a stationary sniper can put out 2 aimed shots. It hits hard enough to be useful against pretty much every enemy in the game, and it’s unlimited magazine eliminates ammo problems. In a pinch it can be used to storm UFOs, although the Laser Pistol is generally better-suited for this role.

===Heavy Laser===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 85 LB.
*Snap shot: 50% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 84% accuracy, 75% TUs.

Perhaps the only defective in the armoury, the [[Heavy Laser]] is powerful and accurate, but uses up too many TUs, it’s power and accuracy is never quite enough and it’s lack of auto shot is a mystery. What were those commie eggheads at the X-Com labs thinking? Scientists? Pah! This weapon has seen little use, and is best deployed to a sniper who has a laser pistol for backup. I have found no niche for it, it’s usurped by other weapons which are either faster or more accurate.
Maybe one of these days the propellerheads [[XcomUtil]will build a better laser], more accurate and more damaging but until then I spit upon this weapon! If you ever really need some serious laser support, see if you can requisition a [[Tank/Laser Cannon|Lasertank.]].

That will be all, trainees.

[[Category: Field Manual|Weapons]]

Field Manual: Weapons

2008-07-30T14:25:05Z

MagicJuggler: /* Heavy Laser */

==Conventional Weapons Overview==
X-COM article by FullAuto:

'''Human weapons as deployed by X-Com. Tactical Brief-113, by order of Agent J.P. and Agent G.G. Classified EYES ONLY. '''

By Fyodor Dzhersinky, Training Sgt.

Welcome, trainees. I am here to induct you into the use of X-Com weaponry. You will address me with respect. You will not eyeball me. You will pay attention. You will learn not to ignore the best weapons humanity has to offer. You will learn to use them to good effect. Follow my rules and we will all leave this class happy capitalists, da? Let us begin.

===Pistol===
*Magazine: 12 bullets, 26 Armour Piercing damage each.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 18% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 78% accuracy, 30% TUs.

The [[Pistol]] is the weakest weapon in the armoury. However, it is versatile and quick to use. As you can see, you can fire off 5 snap shots in one turn, or 3 aimed shots, giving you a good chance of hitting the target. Best used in conjunction with a grenade or laser pistol, the pistol also serves well as a backup gun for heavy weapon troopers. Its stopping power is not to be underestimated, dealing out only 4 points less than the rifle. This means the pistol can remain useful for much of the game against Sectoids, Floaters, and Snakemen. (on easier difficulty settings)

===Rifle===
*Magazine: 20 bullets, 30 AP.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 35% accuracy, 35% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 110% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Rifle]] is the default main weapon for any X-Com trooper. It offers auto shots (for close encounters) and accurate single shots (for sniping). All good capitalists know their rifle is more than enough to cope with Sectoids and Floaters. Make sure to carry at least one spare magazine, as auto shots eat up ammo. Again, do not underestimate its power, concerted fire from supporting units can take down fearsome enemies such as the Chryssalid with a little effort. A versatile weapon that can be used by snipers to pick off targets from a good vantage point, like at Stalingrad, or to storm the enemy and crush them under a hail of bullets. Like at Stalingrad.

===Heavy cannon===
*Magazine: 6 rounds, 56 Armour Piercing/52 High Explosive/60 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 90% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Heavy Cannon]] is a weighty but useful weapon. The magazine size is small, necessitating at least two reloads (usually carried on the belt). I know troopers who prefer one magazine of each ammo type, Armour Piercing for interior clearance, High Explosive for clearing obstructions and tougher enemies, and Incendiary for burning cover and boiling the aliens in their own fluids! The Heavy Cannon can be useful, but it needs a strong trooper to carry it, and its small magazine means sustained fire is impossible. Added to its high rate of TU use, it relegates the Heavy Cannon to a supporting role.

===Auto-Cannon===
*Magazine: 14 rounds, 42 AP/44 HE/48 I.
*Snap shot: 56 % accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Auto shot: 32% accuracy, 40% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 82% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Auto Cannon]] is the most versatile of the heavy weapons. Relatively light, with a large magazine and a choice of ammo, it also has auto shot capability, meaning it can be reliably used while clearing out UFOs. When using HE, an auto shot can clear a whole field, revealing the alien scum as they cower. When using [[Incendiary]], an auto shot can light up half the battlefield if in a night mission, or quickly burn away any cover, as well as setting fire to enemies. It causes slightly less damage than the Heavy Cannon, but has more than twice the magazine capacity and can fire three times as fast. Truly, a mighty weapon with which to smite the enemy.

===Rocket Launcher===
*Magazine: 1 rocket, 75 HE Small/100 HE Large/90 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 55% accuracy, 45% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 115% accuracy, 75% TUs.

In the early stages of the war, the [[Rocket Launcher]] is X-Com’s only knockout punch. Usually reserved for use against tough enemies like the [[Cyberdisc]], or groups of weaker enemies, the Rocket Launcher is very accurate when aimed, and should NOT be used otherwise unless absolutely necessary. The size of the ammo severely limits profligacy, a unit can carry a maximum of 5 rockets (3 in backpack, one in hand, one in the launcher) and unless more ammo is spread amongst the rest of the squad, that is all you will have. I advise carrying a pistol for close protection. The nature of the weapon means it is usually deployed at the rear of a squad, so bear in mind when firing that there may be friendly units between the launcher and target. Weigh the risks carefully.
Best fired from elevated positions, as nearby shots will hit the ground even if they miss, making snap shots feasible, even for not-so-accurate soldiers. Also, feel free to use snap if target has a wall or other large obstacles at their back. (this paragraph also applies for all Heavy Cannon and Auto-cannon with Explosive Ammo)

===Laser Pistol===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 46 Laser Beam.
*Snap shot: 40% accuracy, 20% TUs.
*Auto shot: 28% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 68% accuracy, 55% TUs.

Collectively, the laser weapons are a step down in accuracy from the ballistic weapons, but a step up in power and the nature of their ammo is a big advantage. The [[Laser Pistol]] is best used in conjunction with grenades, or another weapon entirely, or merely as a backup. Bear in mind you can fire off a maximum of 12 shots a turn, each one doing almost twice the damage of a normal pistol round.

===Laser Rifle===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 60 LB.
*Snap shot: 65% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 46% accuracy, 34% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 100% accuracy, 50% TUs.

The [[Laser Rifle]] deals out twice the damage of the normal rifle, at a decreased TU cost. It also serves as a decent sniper weapon on account of the massively decrease TU cost compared with that of the conventional rifle; a stationary sniper can put out 2 aimed shots. It hits hard enough to be useful against pretty much every enemy in the game, and it’s unlimited magazine eliminates ammo problems. In a pinch it can be used to storm UFOs, although the Laser Pistol is generally better-suited for this role.

===Heavy Laser===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 85 LB.
*Snap shot: 50% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 84% accuracy, 75% TUs.

Perhaps the only defective in the armoury, the [[Heavy Laser]] is powerful and accurate, but uses up too many TUs, it’s power and accuracy is never quite enough and it’s lack of auto shot is a mystery. What were those commie eggheads at the X-Com labs thinking? Scientists? Pah! This weapon has seen little use, and is best deployed to a sniper who has a laser pistol for backup. I have found no niche for it, it’s usurped by other weapons which are either faster or more accurate.
Maybe one of these days the propellerheads [[will build a better laser]], more accurate and more damaging but until then I spit upon this weapon! If you ever really need some serious laser support, see if you can requisition a [[Tank/Laser Cannon|Lasertank.]].

That will be all, trainees.

[[Category: Field Manual|Weapons]]

Field Manual: Weapons

2008-07-30T14:22:20Z

MagicJuggler: /* Laser Rifle */

==Conventional Weapons Overview==
X-COM article by FullAuto:

'''Human weapons as deployed by X-Com. Tactical Brief-113, by order of Agent J.P. and Agent G.G. Classified EYES ONLY. '''

By Fyodor Dzhersinky, Training Sgt.

Welcome, trainees. I am here to induct you into the use of X-Com weaponry. You will address me with respect. You will not eyeball me. You will pay attention. You will learn not to ignore the best weapons humanity has to offer. You will learn to use them to good effect. Follow my rules and we will all leave this class happy capitalists, da? Let us begin.

===Pistol===
*Magazine: 12 bullets, 26 Armour Piercing damage each.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 18% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 78% accuracy, 30% TUs.

The [[Pistol]] is the weakest weapon in the armoury. However, it is versatile and quick to use. As you can see, you can fire off 5 snap shots in one turn, or 3 aimed shots, giving you a good chance of hitting the target. Best used in conjunction with a grenade or laser pistol, the pistol also serves well as a backup gun for heavy weapon troopers. Its stopping power is not to be underestimated, dealing out only 4 points less than the rifle. This means the pistol can remain useful for much of the game against Sectoids, Floaters, and Snakemen. (on easier difficulty settings)

===Rifle===
*Magazine: 20 bullets, 30 AP.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 35% accuracy, 35% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 110% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Rifle]] is the default main weapon for any X-Com trooper. It offers auto shots (for close encounters) and accurate single shots (for sniping). All good capitalists know their rifle is more than enough to cope with Sectoids and Floaters. Make sure to carry at least one spare magazine, as auto shots eat up ammo. Again, do not underestimate its power, concerted fire from supporting units can take down fearsome enemies such as the Chryssalid with a little effort. A versatile weapon that can be used by snipers to pick off targets from a good vantage point, like at Stalingrad, or to storm the enemy and crush them under a hail of bullets. Like at Stalingrad.

===Heavy cannon===
*Magazine: 6 rounds, 56 Armour Piercing/52 High Explosive/60 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 60% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 90% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Heavy Cannon]] is a weighty but useful weapon. The magazine size is small, necessitating at least two reloads (usually carried on the belt). I know troopers who prefer one magazine of each ammo type, Armour Piercing for interior clearance, High Explosive for clearing obstructions and tougher enemies, and Incendiary for burning cover and boiling the aliens in their own fluids! The Heavy Cannon can be useful, but it needs a strong trooper to carry it, and its small magazine means sustained fire is impossible. Added to its high rate of TU use, it relegates the Heavy Cannon to a supporting role.

===Auto-Cannon===
*Magazine: 14 rounds, 42 AP/44 HE/48 I.
*Snap shot: 56 % accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Auto shot: 32% accuracy, 40% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 82% accuracy, 80% TUs.

The [[Auto Cannon]] is the most versatile of the heavy weapons. Relatively light, with a large magazine and a choice of ammo, it also has auto shot capability, meaning it can be reliably used while clearing out UFOs. When using HE, an auto shot can clear a whole field, revealing the alien scum as they cower. When using [[Incendiary]], an auto shot can light up half the battlefield if in a night mission, or quickly burn away any cover, as well as setting fire to enemies. It causes slightly less damage than the Heavy Cannon, but has more than twice the magazine capacity and can fire three times as fast. Truly, a mighty weapon with which to smite the enemy.

===Rocket Launcher===
*Magazine: 1 rocket, 75 HE Small/100 HE Large/90 Incendiary.
*Snap shot: 55% accuracy, 45% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 115% accuracy, 75% TUs.

In the early stages of the war, the [[Rocket Launcher]] is X-Com’s only knockout punch. Usually reserved for use against tough enemies like the [[Cyberdisc]], or groups of weaker enemies, the Rocket Launcher is very accurate when aimed, and should NOT be used otherwise unless absolutely necessary. The size of the ammo severely limits profligacy, a unit can carry a maximum of 5 rockets (3 in backpack, one in hand, one in the launcher) and unless more ammo is spread amongst the rest of the squad, that is all you will have. I advise carrying a pistol for close protection. The nature of the weapon means it is usually deployed at the rear of a squad, so bear in mind when firing that there may be friendly units between the launcher and target. Weigh the risks carefully.
Best fired from elevated positions, as nearby shots will hit the ground even if they miss, making snap shots feasible, even for not-so-accurate soldiers. Also, feel free to use snap if target has a wall or other large obstacles at their back. (this paragraph also applies for all Heavy Cannon and Auto-cannon with Explosive Ammo)

===Laser Pistol===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 46 Laser Beam.
*Snap shot: 40% accuracy, 20% TUs.
*Auto shot: 28% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 68% accuracy, 55% TUs.

Collectively, the laser weapons are a step down in accuracy from the ballistic weapons, but a step up in power and the nature of their ammo is a big advantage. The [[Laser Pistol]] is best used in conjunction with grenades, or another weapon entirely, or merely as a backup. Bear in mind you can fire off a maximum of 12 shots a turn, each one doing almost twice the damage of a normal pistol round.

===Laser Rifle===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 60 LB.
*Snap shot: 65% accuracy, 25% TUs.
*Auto shot: 46% accuracy, 34% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 100% accuracy, 50% TUs.

The [[Laser Rifle]] deals out twice the damage of the normal rifle, at a decreased TU cost. It also serves as a decent sniper weapon on account of the massively decrease TU cost compared with that of the conventional rifle; a stationary sniper can put out 2 aimed shots. It hits hard enough to be useful against pretty much every enemy in the game, and it’s unlimited magazine eliminates ammo problems. In a pinch it can be used to storm UFOs, although the Laser Pistol is generally better-suited for this role.

===Heavy Laser===
*Magazine: Unlimited, 85 LB.
*Snap shot: 50% accuracy, 33% TUs.
*Aimed shot: 84% accuracy, 75% TUs.

Perhaps the only defective in the armoury, the [[Heavy Laser]] is powerful and accurate, but uses up too many TUs, it’s power and accuracy is never quite enough and it’s lack of auto shot is a mystery. What were those commie eggheads at the X-Com labs thinking? Scientists? Pah! This weapon has seen little use, and is best deployed to a sniper who has a laser pistol for backup. I have found no niche for it, it’s usurped by other weapons which are either faster or more accurate.
I spit upon this weapon! If you ever really need some serious laser support, see if you can requisition a [[Tank/Laser Cannon|Lasertank.]].

That will be all, trainees.

[[Category: Field Manual|Weapons]]

Talk:Exploiting Collision Detection

2008-07-30T14:03:31Z

MagicJuggler:

Stun Rod

2008-07-29T20:35:14Z

MagicJuggler:

The stun rod is a melee weapon used to shock enemies unconscious. It is the most reliable form of stunning enemies until the advent of the [[Small Launcher]]. The stun rod does not require ammunition and can be used as many times as necessary.

To use a stun rod the soldier wielding it has to be adjacent to the alien and facing the target. It's very dangerous to use early in the game when you have low TU soldiers with bad armor. But it's the only practical means to capture an alien Navigator or Sectoid Leader/Commander as early as possible, so it is an important piece of equipment to find a way to get the best out of.

== Stats ==
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS26.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 65 Stun
*Size: 3 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 6
*TUs:
**Stun: 30% (Accuracy 100%)
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $1,260
*Sell Price: $945</td></tr></table>

While technically a two handed weapon, the stun rod is guaranteed to hit your target regardless as to whether the other hand is free - So long as you are standing directly beside your enemy, and facing them.

== Recommendations ==

Buy these the day before your alien containment facility is finished, then equip them en-masse to your recruits. The loss of a soldier or few is little compared to being able to unlock psionics or the hyperwave decoder. These stun-troopers work best in conjunction with a high-ranking rear commander to help lower losses. The mind probe is ultimately unnecessary for determining ranks for leaders tend to stay in the command room and navigators near the navigation systems; henchmen can easily be dealt with using spotter-sniper tactics until reaching the ufo itself, where near-suicidal waves of expendable troops work wonders. This weapon combines well with the laser pistol or grenades.

== Usage Notes ==

The following lists how many times a soldier can fire the gun by shot type continuously in any given round and the remaining percentage of any left over TUs that cannot be spent as a shot.

* Stun: 3 zaps, 10% Remaining TUs

* Remember aliens you [[stun]] for research purposes will die unless brought back to an [[Alien Containment]] facility (and you won't get score for 'aliens killed' and 'alien corpses recovered' for them neither!)

* A Stun Rod will not work on X-COM-controlled units, so you cannot use them against soldiers which have gone berserk, alas. They will also not work on aliens presently under X-COM [[Mind Control]] -- though they will work against X-COM soldiers under alien Mind Control.

* Melee attacks will not attract opportunity fire.

* Try to approach from behind

* Early in the game, put this weapon on your more expendable soldiers - there's a good chance they will die! It's a good idea to carry a pistol in the other hand as a backup. The pistol can also be used to slightly damage a unit before/after a capture attempt or if they're suffering from smoke inhalation (to push them over the [[unconscious|consciousness]] edge).

* You can use stun rod as a support weapon for stronger soldiers who use HE ammo (with heavy cannon/auto cannon) - if you stumble upon an alien a square away while opening a door or falling down a hole, you'd likely get yourself caught in splash damage of your explosive ammo if you shoot. Taking them out with the stun rod is way safer and thanks to minimal TU cost it's often preferred to all other weapons including pistols. (then you can kill the unconscious alien from a safe distance shooting at the ground.)

* The easiest place to get a [[Navigator]] before you can use a [[Mind Probe]] is inside a [[Large Scout]]. Usually 1 or 2 hang around inside near the [[UFO Navigation]], and it's comparatively safe to go through a door and stun one. The alien inside the central room is normally an [[Engineer]] and carries a [[Small Launcher]] on higher difficulties / mid-game; this can be used to your advantage.

* Setting an alien on fire can make capturing it much easier. It lowers their [[health]] and [[Firing Accuracy|firing accuracy]] each turn they BBQ, making them safer to approach and easier to stun. Plus it doesn't give wounds which could kill them while unconscious. Finally, they tend to waste all their TUs running away from the fire. The fire will be put out when the alien falls unconscious.

* Be very wary concerning stun rods and ELEVATION.

* Terror missions: Civilians stunned by use of the stun rod(or any method, actually) do not cause a plus OR minus to points at the end of the mission. If they wake up, they will [[Why civilians go rogue|appear as aliens]], but civilians have a victory point value of 0. This is especially useful in Snakeman terror missions, because every stunned Civilian is one less potential Chryssalid.

==Activating Melee Attacks For Other Items==
Every item in the game has a melee weapon rating, however the melee attack command has been disabled for all items but the stun rod. One unusual work-around is to stack the stun rod on top of another item in one of your hand slots. This has the effect of displaying the stun rod as the active weapon and hiding the ammo counter. However, when the attack menu is brought up, the stun command will now show that it requires 50% of your [[TU]]s to use and you will also get the firing commands for the stacked weapon.

Do not be fooled however by the now more expensive stun command as this new attack is deadly and will kill its target. The strength of the attack differs based on different objects, so you will have to experiment to find a good combination, as not all weapons have the same melee strength. Some do nothing, while others will kill a healthy [[superhuman]] [[sectopod]] in one hit. Try guns, grenades and even corpses if you're desperate.<br>

See [[Item Stacking Bug]] for instructions on item stacking.

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (UFO Defense)]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Alien Grenade

2008-07-29T20:07:20Z

MagicJuggler:

The '''alien grenade''' is pretty much the ultimate grenade in the game, combining power with light weight and small size. It is the second most powerful grenade in the game next to the [[High Explosive]] but is much more convenient with its smaller size and weight, making heavy firepower the standard of all troopers instead of only a few soldiers carrying the high explosive. However, the increased firepower comes with an increased price-tag, with a single alien grenade being able to buy 49.5 standard grenades or 9.9 high explosives when sold.
Scrounge enough of these from the battlefield and you shouldn't have to manufacture any, unless your tactics always involve grenades and big explosions.

== Stats ==
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS39.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 90 High Explosive
*Size: 1 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 3
*TUs:
**Transfer from shoulder strap to hand: 3 TU. See [[Inventory TU Table]]
**Priming: 50%
**Throwing: 25%
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Manufacturable_Prices|Manufacturing]]: $6,700 for parts, 200 Engineer Hours, 2 Elerium
*Sell Price: $14,850<br>
</td></tr></table>

== See Also==

[[Understanding Grenades]]

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (UFO Defense)]]

Plasma Pistol

2008-07-29T20:02:58Z

MagicJuggler:

The Plasma Pistol is the weakest of the alien plasma weapons, and also the least accurate. An aimed shot with this weapon is in fact less accurate than a snapshot with the [[Plasma Rifle]]. It does have some minor advantages: Its autoshot is the fastest of the plasma weapons, and it can be used one-handed with no loss of accuracy. It is also small enough to fit in a belt, which makes it a respectable secondary weapon for a soldier armed with a [[Rocket Launcher]].

It does not take very long for the aliens to stop using this weapon. They have good reasons to abandon it: It is largely useless against the second generations of X-COM armour suits and [[Heavy Weapons Platforms|HWPs]]. Unfortunately, this means X-COM does not have a reliable supply of clips for the weapon, so they must be manufactured if they are needed, and this requires [[Elerium-115|Elerium]].

== Stats ==
<b>Plasma Pistol:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS32.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Size: 2 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 3
*TUs:
**Auto: 30% (Accuracy 50%)
**Snap: 30% (Accuracy 65%)
**Aimed: 60% (Accuracy 85%)
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Manufacturable_Prices|Manufacturing]]: $56,000 for parts, 600 Engineer Hours, 1 Alien Alloy
*Sell Price: $84,000</td></tr></table>

<b>Plasma Pistol Clip:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS34.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 52 Plasma
*Ammo: 26
*Size: 1 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 3
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Manufacturable_Prices|Manufacturing]]: $2,000 for parts, 60 Engineer Hours, 1 Elerium
*Sell Price: $4,440</td></tr></table>

== Recommendations ==

Overall the plasma pistol is not worth the time and trouble. It has a lower rate of fire than the laser pistol and requires ammunition clips, which count against the 80-item limit and reduce equipment flexibility. When salvaged from aliens, it makes a good profit however.

== Usage Notes ==

The following lists how many times a soldier can fire the gun by shot type continuously in any given round and the remaining percentage of any left over TUs that cannot be spent as a shot.

* Aimed: 1 Shot, 40% Remaining TUs
* Snap: 3 Shots, 10% Remaining TUs
* Auto: 3 Bursts (9 Shots), 10% Remaining TUs

== Tips ==

* This is the lightest sidearm, at only 6 weight units when loaded.
* This is the slowest of the sidearms, but also the most powerful, dealing out twice as much damage as the regulation [[Pistol]], and is between the [[Laser Pistol]] and [[Laser Rifle]] in damage, meaning that only a Sectopod can really withstand prolonged fire from it.
* The TUs needed for a Snapshot and the time needed for an Autofire burst are the same; this means that the only reasons to NOT spray the enemy with autofire is accuracy and ammo concerns. And the Plasma Pistol sports an impressively large clip.
* For the most bang for your buck per unit of Elerium used in ammo manufacture, look no further.
* This weapon will often disappear by April; if you haven't captured one by then, you won't ever get the chance.
* Recommended for heavy weapons troopers or scouts. Pairs well with the Laser Pistol; each weapon builds on the weaknesses of the other.

== General Pistol Warning ==

This note covers the regulation [[Pistol]], Laser Pistol and the Plasma Pistol.

Pistols-class weapons are prioritized so that they will always be the last weapons to be selected by your soldiers. In addition to that, there is also a rather unusual culture amongst [[X-COM]] troops regarding pistol-type weapon distribution in general. Sometimes everyone gets the weapons, as normal. At other times, only one person will be armed with the pistol and will be carrying all the clips if applicable. This can prove to be a minor annoyance.

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (UFO Defense)]]

Rifle

2008-07-29T19:57:40Z

MagicJuggler:

Spearheading the front lines of the [[X-COM]] vanguard at the start of the invasion is the [[X-COM]] regulation issue rifle - the best earth supposedly has to offer - a rifle combining assault and sniper capabilities.

Unfortunately it is also built by the lowest bidder.

It offers a miniscule improvement over the standard X-Com [[pistol]] in terms of damage, with a minor increase in clip size. All that and a little more on top of a heftier bill. Being slightly more complex than the pistol, it is also slower to fire and slightly heavier on top of requiring both hands to properly operate.

Luckily, what it does offer over the [[pistol]] is a superb three-round burst mode, making it excellent for close range combat. It also has a built-in scope to allow highly accurate aimed shots. The rifle takes quite a long time to aim, but it allows the user to achieve shots with accuracies that are equal to the alien [[Heavy Plasma]] and [[Small Launcher]]. This is regrettably let down by the rifle's low stopping power and speed.

The rifle makes an excellent compliment to the regulation [[pistol]] - and suffers most of the same limitations. The aliens that the rifle will continue to remain effective against throughout the war are [[Sectoid]]s, [[Snakeman|Snakemen]] and [[Floater]]s.

== Stats ==
<b>Rifle:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS01.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Size: 3 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 8
*TUs:
**Auto: 35% (Accuracy 35%)
**Snap: 25% (Accuracy 60%)
**Aimed: 80% (Accuracy 110%)
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $3,000
*Sell Price: $2,250</td></tr></table>

<b>Rifle Clip:</b>
<table><tr><td>[[Image:BIGOBS02.GIF|left|64 px]]</td><td>
*Power: 30 AP
*Ammo: 20
*Size: 1 high x 1 wide
*Weight: 3
*[[Buying/Selling/Transferring#Non-Manufacturable_Prices|Cost]]: $200
*Sell Price: $150</td></tr></table>

== Recommendations ==

The rifle works best in the early campaign as a means to train your high accuracy, low strength soldiers. When crouched and aiming, the base firing accuracy is 1.1*1.15*the user accuracy, meaning a marksmanship 70 rifleman has an 88% chance of hitting its target regardless of distance. With spotters to mark targets, a sniper rifle can be a valuable asset against low-ranking enemies. In close-quarter battles, the rifle finds itself quickly outclassed as its accuracy means little and its rate of fire and damage output proving inferior to the laser pistol. In XCOMUtil, the heavy laser will ultimately replace the rifle in sniper duty as well, while in an unmodded game the heavy plasma or heavy cannon will.

== Usage Notes ==
The following lists how many times a soldier can fire the gun by shot type continuously in any given round and the remaining percentage of any left over TUs that cannot be spent as a shot.

* Aimed: 1 Shot, 20% Remaining TUs
* Snap: 4 Shots, 0% Remaining TUs
* Auto: 2 Bursts, 30% Remaining TUs

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (UFO Defense)]]

Talk:Ethereal

2008-07-29T18:09:48Z

MagicJuggler:

Rarely seen? I see nothing but these after half to three quarters of a year.

----

Agreed, they don't seem rarer than any other race. We also should think about removing this statement:

"If X-COM ground forces encounter Ethereals on Earth, it will usually be at an Alien Base, or terror site."--[[User:Trotsky|Trotsky]] 00:33, 4 July 2006 (PDT)

----

Etherals are not common until later in the game. By the time you're seeing them on a regular basis, you should be ready to head off to Cydonia.

- [[User:Bomb_Bloke|Bomb Bloke]]

----

True. But there is no reason why they should appear more often in terror sites or bases than in crafts.--[[User:Trotsky|Trotsky]] 02:54, 4 July 2006 (PDT)

==Flying Ethereals==

Ethereals fly half of everywhere on the later levels. It's NOT uncommon to have an Ethereal on L1(above the ground) floating in midair waiting to peg your troops with reaction fire. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 11:40, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

----

Personally I've only ever seen them fly once, maybe even twice... And that was to hop straight onto a building that was next to them. You say they tend to do it more often as the game progresses?

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 18:24, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

----

I misspoke slightly. While I do see them set up midair sniping positions fairly often(Especially at night!), I meant to say I see them fly more often on higher difficulty levels. I should also note that I tend to wait around for significant periods before launching Cydonia, often a few years, so I see a lot of Ethereals. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 18:43, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

----

I never found they fly when play with ''beginner'' difficulty though. [[User:L-Zwei|L-Zwei]] 21:44, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

----

Happens to me. Dunno, really. Just saying in my experience they do actually fly an awful lot, or more generally hover to snipe(over cornfields is most annoying but a close second is using flight to leave through the hole that used to be the roof of the crashed UFO.) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 21:47, 16 May 2008 (PDT)

----

I don't see ethereals very often, but on the rare occasions i do, they fly a lot. this is why fighting any number of etherals at night is a recipe for disaster. i once wiped hitting a small scout at night because it turned out the guy in the back with a heavy plasma was psi-weak, plus i didn't want to have to kill anyone off - [[User:(name here)|(name here)]]

----

This sounds like a good excuse to try out the special [[Talk:Exercising_The_AI|debug flag]] Seb76 found.

- [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]] 20:44, 17 May 2008 (PDT)

:I'd be willing to bet they fly as often, and for the same reasons, as Floaters.--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 11:55, 1 June 2008 (PDT)

Any plans for adding a tactics section on how to deal with them? As it stands, they are one of the most powerful encounters out there on account of their massive indirect combat abilities and sectopod support.

Heavy Weapons Platforms

2008-07-29T17:46:31Z

MagicJuggler: /* Advantages */

'''Heavy Weapons Platforms''', or '''HWPs''', are small unmanned tanks. They are fast, heavily-armored, and carry specialized versions of several weapon types available to your soldiers.

The five HWP types available to X-COM commanders are:
*[[Tank/Cannon]] (Available from start)
*[[Tank/Rocket Launcher]] (Available from start)
*[[Tank/Laser Cannon]] (Needs Laser Cannon research)
*[[Hovertank/Plasma]] (Needs Plasma Cannon, UFO Power Source and UFO Navigation researches)
*[[Hovertank/Launcher]] (Same as above, except it needs Fusion Ball Launcher instead of Plasma Cannon)

== General Information ==
Tanks are divided into two distinct chassis types, the standard miniature tracked tank and the hover tank. The tracked tank chassis is the weaker of the two, however it is relatively cheaper on materials and can be purchased off the market. Our engineers can also reproduce a replica of the tracked tank in the workshops for the purposes of mounting our proprietary heavy laser turrets. The hovertank, a hybrid of human and alien technologies, must be built in the engineering labs. It is the most expensive, especially on exotic resources, but it comes with superior internal and external subsystems, a generous amount of armour, and comes with the ability to hover in the air much like a [[Cyberdisc]] or [[Ethereal]].

Tanks use turrets to fire. These turrets can turn independently of the tanks themselves. For example, if you tell a tank to fire behind itself, the turret will turn and not the tank. The turret will keep its new bearing relative to the tank until it is told to fire again. Moving the turret costs 1 [[TU]] per directional change. However, the turret itself does not contain any optical perception sensors, so it cannot see an enemy if the tank cannot see it.

With the exception of the [[Tank/Laser Cannon]] and the [[Hovertank/Plasma]], you must have sufficient ammunition in your stores before loading the tank onto a transport craft. However, if one of your bases is attacked and you do not have ammunition available, any tanks will be granted with a full payload of ammunition. Any rounds remaining after a successful [[Base Defense|base defense]] will be added to your stores.

== Advantages ==
*Tanks are not affected by psi attacks. They cannot lose [[morale]], except by killing "friendly" units (which includes mind-controlled aliens).
*Tanks are not affected by [[stun]], nor can they receive [[Fatal Wounds|fatal wounds]].
*They tend to have a greater amount of [[TU]]s than normal [[Soldiers|soldiers]] making them excellent as scouts. They also will never experience encumbrance, unlike low-[[strength]] soldiers who struggle to carry a Rocket Launcher and its reloads.
*Tanks start off with fairly decent stats, except for their Reactions, which are horrible.
*Tanks are counted as items, not staff. This lets them be stored in general storage instead of Living Quarters.
*When starting up a new base and fearing alien attacks, it's convenient to buy/send a couple of HWPs there on guard duty. You still need at least one soldier on duty there for a base defense though.
*They can take fairly heavy damage before being destroyed. This is especially true in XcomUtil, which has an option to upgrade the armor values of base tanks to hovertank levels.
*A damaged tank is instantly repaired at the end of a mission.
*Other units can fire over the top of a tank without the tank getting hit in the crossfire.
*Tanks carry more ammunition than a soldier can. In particular, [[Hovertank/Launcher]]s and [[Tank/Rocket Launcher]]s carry more ammo than a soldier carrying a launcher and ammo can.
* More importantly, the ammo loaded in the tank one does not count towards the 80 item limit, unlike the ammunition for man-portable Blaster and Rocket Launchers.
* The tank does NOT have to manually reload its weapon. It doesn't even have to use any TUs. This is important for the Blaster and Plasma tanks. Basically, it uses a clip with many many shots, as opposed to soldiers with many 1 shot clips. Makes a difference.
*Tanks do not draw salaries. While their initial cost is large, you don't have to keep shelling out cash every month for them. Of course, for the blaster, rocket and AP tanks, the ammunition cost can far outstrip a soldier's salary.
*As expensive as they are, everything is included in the cost of the tank except ammunition. You do not need to buy weapons, armor or equipment for them. Furthermore, two of the most useful tanks-- the laser and plasma tanks-- do not require ammunition at all.
*Tanks cannot be implanted by [[Chryssalid]]s. Their bite may well destroy the tank, but at least you don't have to worry about the tank turning into a [[Zombie]].
*Hovertanks, like all flying units, can avoid physical attacks- most noticably [[Chryssalid]]s- completely by staying above ground level.
*Losing a tank affects morale the same as losing a newbie - much less than the death of a soldier of somewhat similar stats, who would probably have earned a high officer [[rank]]. Despite being a significant [[economic]] loss, the destruction of a tank doesn't trigger the panic wave the fall of a Colonel would.

== Disadvantages ==
*Tanks are much more expensive than [[Soldiers|soldiers]] - eg $420,000 vs $40,000. Their cost and usefulness are inverse with time, i.e. by the time you can afford them, they are a lot less useful as attackers. They will continue to remain useful as expendable scouts.
*Each tank takes up four soldiers' worth of space in the transport.
*They do not gain [[experience]] during combat.
*Their extra size makes it difficult to get them to certain areas - through most doorways, for example.
*It's possible for a tank to be "halfway" (one square) past a wall and be visible to enemies and vulnerable to their fire, yet unable to spot those same enemies and, needless to say, unable to return fire. A similar problem can cause tanks to get stranded in walls if they try to drop off ledges in the wrong compass direction.
*They take extra damage from explosives due to their size.
*Tanks have very low [[reactions]]. In other words, tanks draw fire. Aliens will prefer to react against tanks more often than your troops because tanks have low reaction levels - all the time.
**Many commanders consider this an advantage, however, knowing they can bring a tank in to distract the enemy from vulnerable troops. This works by making the enemy use up their remaining Time Units on an expendable decoy.
*Tanks do not have any Auto-Fire capability, a big liability in close combat.
*Most tanks have weaker weapons than their man-portable counterparts. Only the Tank/Cannon and Tank/Laser have weapons that surpass their handheld counterparts in power.
**The Tank/Rockets have missiles that are stronger than small rockets, but are weaker than large rockets.
**The Hovertank/Launchers are weaker than Blaster Bombs - 200 power vs 140 - and unable to breach outer walls of UFOs as standard blasters can.
**Plasma hovertanks are poorer than Heavy Plasmas at breaching UFO inner walls, due to a 5 point power difference (see [[Destroying Terrain]] for more details).
*Tanks cannot carry additional equipment and cannot reload once their ammunition has run out.
*The aimed shots on most tanks are not worthwhile. The gain in accuracy does not nearly match the extra time units they require. This is epecially true on the [[Hovertank/Plasma]].
*Once destroyed they are unrepairable and unrecoverable.
*Tanks can go [[Morale#Panicking_and_Berserking|berserk]], although only by killing a large number of friendly units (including mind-controlled aliens). A berserk rocket or blaster launcher tank can be catastrophic.

== See Also ==
[[Field Manual: HWP]]

{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Heavy Weapons Platforms]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Talk:Exploiting Collision Detection

2008-07-29T17:20:17Z

MagicJuggler: New page: I have a question regarding collision detection. Can a walking soldier move off a ledge where there is a soldier or hwp beneath it? If yes, then what happens? a) Do they occupy the same sp...

Advanced Security Station (Apocalypse)

2008-07-29T17:05:27Z

MagicJuggler: New page: A security station is equipped with a set of four light disruptor turrets. It has a raised platform that they are attached to. The guns only fire in real-time mode, but can destroy an att...

A security station is equipped with a set of four light disruptor turrets. It has a raised platform that they are attached to.

The guns only fire in real-time mode, but can destroy an attack on the base. Each turret is very resistant to damage, and requires a lot of damage to destroy, so even if the turrets are not operational in either real-time or turn based mode, they will still act as excellent decoys for the raiders to focus and waste their ammunition on.

Only three modules worth of turrets can operate at any given time. At present it is unconfirmed, but each operational module requires two agent slots.

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-29T17:02:05Z

MagicJuggler: /* Grenadier */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

Upon successfully securing the landing zone, the scout will perform recon duties, locating enemy targets so that snipers and heavy weapon specialists can take them down from range.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. High [[Firing Accuracy]] is the main qualification for a sniper as it only has a small window of opportunity to kill. A recruit can start with a maximum score of 70 in this field, yet even troops with a score of 60 can be trained to be worthy snipers.

Early in the game, the rifle is the most accurate weapon on aimed shot initially. More often than not, it hit an enemy from across the map. However it quickly becomes obsolete against tougher foes such as Snakemen and Mutons and one will want to switch to heavier weaponry. The heavy plasma is a suitable weapon for aimed shots, combining exceptional aimed-shot accuracy with a large clip and high damage output. However, plasma is expensive to wield on a large scale and should the sniper be mind-controlled, he will be a major liability. The heavy cannon has potential as a sniper weapon despite its small magazine, on account of good damage, and a relatively acceptable firing accuracy. For precision work, the AP rounds are cheap and effective against most enemies. Finally, XcomUtil can modify the Heavy Laser that it possesses a powerful, highly accurate attack.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength and firing accuracy, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]]. Strength is imperative for the heavy weapons user as [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties affect rate of fire on account of firing costs being calculated from base TUs rather than encumbrance-modified TUs and therefore heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. Firing accuracy is important for heavy-cannon users, yet is less important for autocannon, rocket launcher, or blaster launcher users. A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s. They are also effective against taking out enemies in cover as even if the shot misses, hitting a terrain piece can result in an indirect hit which still kills.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Loader ===
Ammunition can be heavy in the case of autocannon or rocket ammunition. Usually armed with little more than a pistol, the loader's role is to provide extra ammunition for a heavy weapon trooper, often by throwing it. This can allow for more sustained anti-tank fire. During a ufo assault, the loader does not find much use among blaster-launcher troops on account of the indirect nature of the blaster launcher allowing its wielder to provide support from the transport (and thus from a steady ammo source). In this case, the loader may end up being transferred to grenadier duty if not killed beforehand.

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance and the soldier's ability to carry grenades without being encumbered.. A high initial throwing accuracy also helps although this ability levels up very quickly. Finally, a high reactions score will help prevent the grenadier from getting gunned down before lighting the fuse.

This role is very effective for attacking cover in open terrain, or for taking out clustered enemies. In close-quarters, the blast radius of a grenade can be a liability yet the ability to clear ambush points is still highly valued. The ability to use proximity grenades as an area-denial weapon, electroflares to light up dark battlefields, or smoke grenades to provide cover lends extra versatility to the grenadier. Armed with high explosives, they can even be useful in taking out terror units.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion; however some commanders arm their grenadiers solely with grenades, trusting on the snipers to provide support in the advent of flying enemies. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==
Armor allows troopers to survive longer and thus. However, armor is expensive and can still fail to protect against well-placed heavy plasma shots. Additionally, armor cannot be recovered from dead soldiers. Finally, soldiers are easily replaceable as even a single alien toting a plasma pistol can be sold for a minimum of $104,000 allowing for 2 soldiers and 24,000 to equip them with. Finally, proper use of sniper-spotter tactics, cover, and reaction fire prove a better defense rather than hoping the enemy misses you.

However, such a callous attitude towards your soldiers has its drawbacks. Each soldier lost results in morale penalties to the rest of your troops as well as points lost, which determines the Council's commitment to funding your troops. These penalties will continue to increase as your soldiers gain experience and thus it is imperative your leaders and veteran soldiers be armored to represent the fact.

Early on, one will not have enough resources to armor every soldier and thus priorities must be set. The rear commander should have the best suit available in the advent of an ambush, with remaining suits going to troops in descending order of rank. Rookies and even squaddies can generally go unarmored as their deaths are mitigated against thanks to the commander.

Power Armor will eventually become the de-facto standard for your troops, as elerium stockpiles begin to occur. The Personal Armor that was once standard will eventually find itself being transferred from base to base in an attempt to armor up all garrison troops until 250 power armored suits come about (as well as surpluses in the advent of troop casualties). Flying armor is useful but not cost-efficient to produce in such numbers sadly enough.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-29T16:57:04Z

MagicJuggler: /* Assigning Roles */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

Upon successfully securing the landing zone, the scout will perform recon duties, locating enemy targets so that snipers and heavy weapon specialists can take them down from range.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. High [[Firing Accuracy]] is the main qualification for a sniper as it only has a small window of opportunity to kill. A recruit can start with a maximum score of 70 in this field, yet even troops with a score of 60 can be trained to be worthy snipers.

Early in the game, the rifle is the most accurate weapon on aimed shot initially. More often than not, it hit an enemy from across the map. However it quickly becomes obsolete against tougher foes such as Snakemen and Mutons and one will want to switch to heavier weaponry. The heavy plasma is a suitable weapon for aimed shots, combining exceptional aimed-shot accuracy with a large clip and high damage output. However, plasma is expensive to wield on a large scale and should the sniper be mind-controlled, he will be a major liability. The heavy cannon has potential as a sniper weapon despite its small magazine, on account of good damage, and a relatively acceptable firing accuracy. For precision work, the AP rounds are cheap and effective against most enemies. Finally, XcomUtil can modify the Heavy Laser that it possesses a powerful, highly accurate attack.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength and firing accuracy, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]]. Strength is imperative for the heavy weapons user as [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties affect rate of fire on account of firing costs being calculated from base TUs rather than encumbrance-modified TUs and therefore heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. Firing accuracy is important for heavy-cannon users, yet is less important for autocannon, rocket launcher, or blaster launcher users. A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s. They are also effective against taking out enemies in cover as even if the shot misses, hitting a terrain piece can result in an indirect hit which still kills.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Loader ===
Ammunition can be heavy in the case of autocannon or rocket ammunition. Usually armed with little more than a pistol, the loader's role is to provide extra ammunition for a heavy weapon trooper, often by throwing it. This can allow for more sustained anti-tank fire. During a ufo assault, the loader does not find much use among blaster-launcher troops on account of the indirect nature of the blaster launcher allowing its wielder to provide support from the transport (and thus from a steady ammo source). In this case, the loader may end up being transferred to grenadier duty if not killed beforehand.

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance. A high initial throwing accuracy also helps although this ability levels up very quickly.

This role is very effective for attacking cover in open terrain, or for taking out clustered enemies. In close-quarters, the blast radius of a grenade can be a liability yet the ability to clear ambush points is still highly valued. The ability to use proximity grenades as an area-denial weapon, or smoke grenades to provide cover lends extra versatility to the grenadier.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==
Armor allows troopers to survive longer and thus. However, armor is expensive and can still fail to protect against well-placed heavy plasma shots. Additionally, armor cannot be recovered from dead soldiers. Finally, soldiers are easily replaceable as even a single alien toting a plasma pistol can be sold for a minimum of $104,000 allowing for 2 soldiers and 24,000 to equip them with. Finally, proper use of sniper-spotter tactics, cover, and reaction fire prove a better defense rather than hoping the enemy misses you.

However, such a callous attitude towards your soldiers has its drawbacks. Each soldier lost results in morale penalties to the rest of your troops as well as points lost, which determines the Council's commitment to funding your troops. These penalties will continue to increase as your soldiers gain experience and thus it is imperative your leaders and veteran soldiers be armored to represent the fact.

Early on, one will not have enough resources to armor every soldier and thus priorities must be set. The rear commander should have the best suit available in the advent of an ambush, with remaining suits going to troops in descending order of rank. Rookies and even squaddies can generally go unarmored as their deaths are mitigated against thanks to the commander.

Power Armor will eventually become the de-facto standard for your troops, as elerium stockpiles begin to occur. The Personal Armor that was once standard will eventually find itself being transferred from base to base in an attempt to armor up all garrison troops until 250 power armored suits come about (as well as surpluses in the advent of troop casualties). Flying armor is useful but not cost-efficient to produce in such numbers sadly enough.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-29T16:28:06Z

MagicJuggler: /* Snipers */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

=== Spotters ===

Ideally a role already covered by Scouts, a Spotter is any unit on the front-line that braves the unknown to locate enemy targets. They are primarily used in observational roles, and never engage the enemy unless they really have to.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. High [[Firing Accuracy]] is the main qualification for a sniper as it only has a small window of opportunity to kill. A recruit can start with a maximum score of 70 in this field, yet even troops with a score of 60 can be trained to be worthy snipers.

Early in the game, the rifle is the most accurate weapon on aimed shot initially. More often than not, it hit an enemy from across the map. However it quickly becomes obsolete against tougher foes such as Snakemen and Mutons and one will want to switch to heavier weaponry. The heavy plasma is a suitable weapon for aimed shots, combining exceptional aimed-shot accuracy with a large clip and high damage output. However, plasma is expensive to wield on a large scale and should the sniper be mind-controlled, he will be a major liability. The heavy cannon has potential as a sniper weapon despite its small magazine, on account of good damage, and a relatively acceptable firing accuracy. For precision work, the AP rounds are cheap and effective against most enemies. Finally, XCOMUTIL can modify the Heavy Laser into a powerful, highly accurate attack.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength and firing accuracy, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]].

Although you do not need high strength to operate heavy weapons, high strength will help negate [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties and increase throwing distance.

In the early game, heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. Firing accuracy isn't . A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Loader ===
Ammunition can be heavy in the case of autocannon or rocket ammunition. Usually armed with little more than a pistol, the loader's role is to provide extra ammunition for a heavy weapon trooper, often by throwing it. This can allow for more sustained anti-tank fire. During a ufo assault, the loader does not find much use among blaster-launcher troops on account of the indirect nature of the blaster launcher allowing its wielder to provide support from the transport (and thus from a steady ammo source). In this case, the loader may end up being transferred to grenadier duty if not killed beforehand.

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance. A high initial throwing accuracy also helps although this ability levels up very quickly.

This role is very effective for attacking cover in open terrain, or for taking out clustered enemies. In close-quarters, the blast radius of a grenade can be a liability yet the ability to clear ambush points is still highly valued. The ability to use proximity grenades as an area-denial weapon, or smoke grenades to provide cover lends extra versatility to the grenadier.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==
Armor allows troopers to survive longer and thus. However, armor is expensive and can still fail to protect against well-placed heavy plasma shots. Additionally, armor cannot be recovered from dead soldiers. Finally, soldiers are easily replaceable as even a single alien toting a plasma pistol can be sold for a minimum of $104,000 allowing for 2 soldiers and 24,000 to equip them with. Finally, proper use of sniper-spotter tactics, cover, and reaction fire prove a better defense rather than hoping the enemy misses you.

However, such a callous attitude towards your soldiers has its drawbacks. Each soldier lost results in morale penalties to the rest of your troops as well as points lost, which determines the Council's commitment to funding your troops. These penalties will continue to increase as your soldiers gain experience and thus it is imperative your leaders and veteran soldiers be armored to represent the fact.

Early on, one will not have enough resources to armor every soldier and thus priorities must be set. The rear commander should have the best suit available in the advent of an ambush, with remaining suits going to troops in descending order of rank. Rookies and even squaddies can generally go unarmored as their deaths are mitigated against thanks to the commander.

Power Armor will eventually become the de-facto standard for your troops, as elerium stockpiles begin to occur. The Personal Armor that was once standard will eventually find itself being transferred from base to base in an attempt to armor up all garrison troops until 250 power armored suits come about (as well as surpluses in the advent of troop casualties). Flying armor is useful but not cost-efficient to produce in such numbers sadly enough.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-29T16:10:21Z

MagicJuggler: /* Armor */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

=== Spotters ===

Ideally a role already covered by Scouts, a Spotter is any unit on the front-line that braves the unknown to locate enemy targets. They are primarily used in observational roles, and never engage the enemy unless they really have to.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. Although it is desirable to have snipers with high [[Firing Accuracy]], any soldier which can safely fire upon an alien from beyond visual range is a good sniper.

If your squad has a mix of low- and high-power weapons (generally [[Laser Rifle]]s, [[Heavy Plasma]]s) and [[Rocket Launcher]]s, give the best weapons to the troops with the highest Firing Accuracy.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength and firing accuracy, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]].

Although you do not need high strength to operate heavy weapons, high strength will help negate [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties and increase throwing distance.

In the early game, heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. Firing accuracy isn't . A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Loader ===
Ammunition can be heavy in the case of autocannon or rocket ammunition. Usually armed with little more than a pistol, the loader's role is to provide extra ammunition for a heavy weapon trooper, often by throwing it. This can allow for more sustained anti-tank fire. During a ufo assault, the loader does not find much use among blaster-launcher troops on account of the indirect nature of the blaster launcher allowing its wielder to provide support from the transport (and thus from a steady ammo source). In this case, the loader may end up being transferred to grenadier duty if not killed beforehand.

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance. A high initial throwing accuracy also helps although this ability levels up very quickly.

This role is very effective for attacking cover in open terrain, or for taking out clustered enemies. In close-quarters, the blast radius of a grenade can be a liability yet the ability to clear ambush points is still highly valued. The ability to use proximity grenades as an area-denial weapon, or smoke grenades to provide cover lends extra versatility to the grenadier.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==
Armor allows troopers to survive longer and thus. However, armor is expensive and can still fail to protect against well-placed heavy plasma shots. Additionally, armor cannot be recovered from dead soldiers. Finally, soldiers are easily replaceable as even a single alien toting a plasma pistol can be sold for a minimum of $104,000 allowing for 2 soldiers and 24,000 to equip them with. Finally, proper use of sniper-spotter tactics, cover, and reaction fire prove a better defense rather than hoping the enemy misses you.

However, such a callous attitude towards your soldiers has its drawbacks. Each soldier lost results in morale penalties to the rest of your troops as well as points lost, which determines the Council's commitment to funding your troops. These penalties will continue to increase as your soldiers gain experience and thus it is imperative your leaders and veteran soldiers be armored to represent the fact.

Early on, one will not have enough resources to armor every soldier and thus priorities must be set. The rear commander should have the best suit available in the advent of an ambush, with remaining suits going to troops in descending order of rank. Rookies and even squaddies can generally go unarmored as their deaths are mitigated against thanks to the commander.

Power Armor will eventually become the de-facto standard for your troops, as elerium stockpiles begin to occur. The Personal Armor that was once standard will eventually find itself being transferred from base to base in an attempt to armor up all garrison troops until 250 power armored suits come about (as well as surpluses in the advent of troop casualties). Flying armor is useful but not cost-efficient to produce in such numbers sadly enough.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-29T15:43:36Z

MagicJuggler: /* Loader */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

=== Spotters ===

Ideally a role already covered by Scouts, a Spotter is any unit on the front-line that braves the unknown to locate enemy targets. They are primarily used in observational roles, and never engage the enemy unless they really have to.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. Although it is desirable to have snipers with high [[Firing Accuracy]], any soldier which can safely fire upon an alien from beyond visual range is a good sniper.

If your squad has a mix of low- and high-power weapons (generally [[Laser Rifle]]s, [[Heavy Plasma]]s) and [[Rocket Launcher]]s, give the best weapons to the troops with the highest Firing Accuracy.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength and firing accuracy, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]].

Although you do not need high strength to operate heavy weapons, high strength will help negate [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties and increase throwing distance.

In the early game, heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. Firing accuracy isn't . A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Loader ===
Ammunition can be heavy in the case of autocannon or rocket ammunition. Usually armed with little more than a pistol, the loader's role is to provide extra ammunition for a heavy weapon trooper, often by throwing it. This can allow for more sustained anti-tank fire. During a ufo assault, the loader does not find much use among blaster-launcher troops on account of the indirect nature of the blaster launcher allowing its wielder to provide support from the transport (and thus from a steady ammo source). In this case, the loader may end up being transferred to grenadier duty if not killed beforehand.

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance. A high initial throwing accuracy also helps although this ability levels up very quickly.

This role is very effective for attacking cover in open terrain, or for taking out clustered enemies. In close-quarters, the blast radius of a grenade can be a liability yet the ability to clear ambush points is still highly valued. The ability to use proximity grenades as an area-denial weapon, or smoke grenades to provide cover lends extra versatility to the grenadier.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==

In cases where you do not have enough armor for all of your soldiers, the first soldiers to get armor should be the front-line troops: those at the front of the craft, and all scouts. Additional troops should be armored according to their value in combat. Soldiers with high Reactions are likely to engage in a firefight (particularly if they are used as spotters), and should be armored well.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

Alternatly, just micromanage forces in flying suits to keep them on the ground and have the best of both worlds. further, you can attack ships through holes in the sides or roofs with flying suits.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-29T15:39:42Z

MagicJuggler: /* Assigning Roles */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

=== Spotters ===

Ideally a role already covered by Scouts, a Spotter is any unit on the front-line that braves the unknown to locate enemy targets. They are primarily used in observational roles, and never engage the enemy unless they really have to.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. Although it is desirable to have snipers with high [[Firing Accuracy]], any soldier which can safely fire upon an alien from beyond visual range is a good sniper.

If your squad has a mix of low- and high-power weapons (generally [[Laser Rifle]]s, [[Heavy Plasma]]s) and [[Rocket Launcher]]s, give the best weapons to the troops with the highest Firing Accuracy.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength and firing accuracy, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]].

Although you do not need high strength to operate heavy weapons, high strength will help negate [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties and increase throwing distance.

In the early game, heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. Firing accuracy isn't . A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Loader ===
Ammunition can be heavy in the case of autocannon or rocket ammunition. Usually armed with little more than a pistol, the loader's role is to provide extra ammunition for a heavy weapon trooper, often by throwing it. This can allow for more sustained anti-tank fire. During a ufo assault, the loader does not find much use among blaster-launcher troops on account of the indirect nature of the blaster launcher allowing its wielder to provide support from the transport (and thus from a steady ammo source).

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance. A high initial throwing accuracy also helps although this ability levels up very quickly.

This role is very effective for attacking cover in open terrain, or for taking out clustered enemies. In close-quarters, the blast radius of a grenade can be a liability yet the ability to clear ambush points is still highly valued. The ability to use proximity grenades as an area-denial weapon, or smoke grenades to provide cover lends extra versatility to the grenadier.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==

In cases where you do not have enough armor for all of your soldiers, the first soldiers to get armor should be the front-line troops: those at the front of the craft, and all scouts. Additional troops should be armored according to their value in combat. Soldiers with high Reactions are likely to engage in a firefight (particularly if they are used as spotters), and should be armored well.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

Alternatly, just micromanage forces in flying suits to keep them on the ground and have the best of both worlds. further, you can attack ships through holes in the sides or roofs with flying suits.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]

Squad Composition and Tactics

2008-07-29T15:18:30Z

MagicJuggler: /* Armor */

Soldiers in X-COM are flexible generic soldiers with no pre-assigned role or duties attached to them. Despite this, they will eventually fall into a variety of roles depending on tactical needs.

Until soldiers hit super-soldier status where they can do anything, they will generally fall into particular roles specializing in scouting, sniping, heavy weapons, psionic support, rear commander, etc. There is a lot of overlap between many of these roles, so there's a great degree of flexibility available to you.

The choice of role will largely be dependent on the soldiers' initial stats. However, a soldier's role can change and may change several times in the course of a single battle.

== Assigning Roles ==

The following sections describe some common roles that your soldiers will fall under, along with some scenarios and tips for these roles.

=== Scouts ===

After securing the landing zone during deployment (making sure all nearby aliens are killed, and establishing a front line), you should expand the secured zone using scouts (see [[Sweeping the Battlescape]]). Some commanders prefer using trained scouts (high [[Reactions]] and [[TU]]s); others prefer cannon fodder (poor stats). Aliens will often shoot from unseen locations, making high stats irrelevant, and even a soldier with terrible stats can take advantage of the [[Reaction fire triggers#mutual_surprise|mutual surprise rule]].

[[Heavy_Weapons_Platforms|Tanks]] make excellent scouts due to their high mobility (70 or 100 TUs, depending on the type) and relative hardiness. They are also easily replaced, unlike veteran troops. However, in the early part of the game, funds are very limited, and replacing a few rookies is far less expensive than replacing a tank.

In terms of equipment, the key is to keep the scout light but functional, so weapons such as Laser Pistol may come in useful for rapidly clearing terrain on most levels either so the scout can move through it, or check there is nothing behind a wall or hedge. HE and Smoke Grenades also tend to be useful, along with Motion Detectors, but items like heavy weapons and First Aid kits are best left to the troops following up where needed.

The soldiers at the front of the transport must perform scout duties during deployment, which is probably the highest-risk stage of combat. Throwing a [[Smoke Grenade]] at the base of the ramp before deploying helps to reduce this risk (do not deploy until Turn 2, after the grenade has detonated). For soldiers with flight capability, it may be also a good idea to deploy a second smoke grenade on the equipment pile to provide a screen if they don't intend to deploy at ramp level.

If alien(s) are visible from the front of the transport, they should be killed immediately.

The order on the Soldier screen back at base determines the order of troop placement in the transport. It is unfortunate to have a highly-skilled veteran at the front of the craft, where they are most likely to get killed. One strategy to prevent this is to reserve the first 6-8 soldiers on the list for base defense duty. As your front-most troops gain experience, you can assign these reserves to the transport; they will be placed up front.

[[XcomUtil]] can be used to rearrange the order of your troops.

=== Spotters ===

Ideally a role already covered by Scouts, a Spotter is any unit on the front-line that braves the unknown to locate enemy targets. They are primarily used in observational roles, and never engage the enemy unless they really have to.

=== Snipers ===

[[Scouting|Scout/Sniper tactics]] are among the most effective tactics in the entire game. Although it is desirable to have snipers with high [[Firing Accuracy]], any soldier which can safely fire upon an alien from beyond visual range is a good sniper.

If your squad has a mix of low- and high-power weapons (generally [[Laser Rifle]]s, [[Heavy Plasma]]s) and [[Rocket Launcher]]s, give the best weapons to the troops with the highest Firing Accuracy.

=== Heavy weapons ===

A heavy weapon's specialist consists of a soldier with high strength levels, allowing the use of heavy weapons like the [[Rocket Launcher]] or throwing [[High Explosive]] packs with ease.

Although you do not need high strength to operate heavy weapons, high strength will help negate [[TU#Encumbrance|encumbrance]] penalties and increase throwing distance.

In the early game, heavy weapons duty should be restricted to soldiers that have 40+ [[Strength]]. A loaded [[Rocket Launcher]] with 3 Heavy Rockets weighs 42 units total (see [[TU#Encumbrance|Encumbrance]] and [[Item Weights]]).

Heavy weapons generally involve damage on a wide area of effect. This makes them good for [[Destroying Terrain|clearing terrain]] and for attacking heavily-armored units such as [[Cyberdisc]]s.

In the later game, your heavy weapons units will probably carry [[Blaster Launcher]]s. [[Rear Commander]]s make effective Blaster troops.

Although not strictly a "heavy weapon", equipping two or more soldiers with a [[Small Launcher]] during the stage of the game when you are trying to capture an alien Navigator, Leader, or Commander is highly recommended (see [[Research#The Minimum Three]]). It can also be used as an incredibly effective anti-large terror unit weapon on the easier difficulty levels.

In open terrain (desert, tundra, not very densely populated rural areas) it may be a good tactic to equip a soldier with a flying suit, rocket launcher and possibly more rockets than they can normally carry. Once the perimeter outside the ship has been secured, the soldier can drop surplus rockets on the ground, then rise to maximum altitude and be used as extremely efficient sniper for even quite long distances - the downward angle causes that most rockets that miss the target hit the ground within a few squares away, catching the enemy in the explosion. Once the soldier runs out of rockets, he can land, resupply and take off again.

=== Mind Probe Operators ===

A support role that is commonly performed by reserve troops that are left in the [[Skyranger]]. Any soldier in the safety of the ship can operate a [[Mind Probe]] to read the vital statistics of any alien spotted in the field.

Probe operators are made redundant when well trained psi-troopers are available.

=== Grenadier ===

A variant of the Heavy Weapon specialist, a grenadier is entrusted a large number of grenades than usual (or as many as the grenadier can carry). This role sets out to exploit the grenade's indirect attack ability to its fullest. Strength is the primary stat to consider, as this controls throwing distance.

This role is very effective when fighting in the open at clearing terrain or attacking groups of enemies. Grenadiers are unfortunately limited in close quarters, but can still be useful for attacking enemies around corners.

In addition to a wide selection of grenades, a grenadier is often armed with a light sidearm like a [[Laser Pistol]] as a fall-back weapon when exhausting all the grenades or for emergencies where a floating enemy cannot be hit by an explosion. Good protection is also recommended to allow for close range detonations.

A support-role variant of the grenadier is the lighting grenadier, where grenades are substituted for light 'grenades' - i.e. [[Electro-flare]]s.

=== Medic ===

A medic is a valuable support role for tending to soldiers that are wounded or unconscious.

A medic is generally and additional role than a role of its own. Any soldier that just so happens to be carrying a [[Medi-Kit]] is a field medic, as soldiers cannot use the kit on themselves.

If a soldier is in a critically wounded state and has fallen unconscious, a medic needs to tend to the soldier immediately. If the medic is too far away, and time is not on your side, the medic can employ a variant of the [[Grenade Relay]] to get the kit into the hands of a soldier that is closer to the patient.

=== Anti-Psionic Soldiers ===

Also commonly known as Psi-Sponges.

Before soldiers can be screened scientifically, they can still be equipped to combat psionics. This applies to soldiers who have not been tested in psionic scenarios or have been shown to be weak against psionic attack. These troops can still be valuable. Anti-psionic soldiers absorb psionic attacks that would otherwise assail stronger minds and eventually panic them, and can even kill the psionic alien themselves if for some reason it loses control over them. This also works best if armor is available for all troops.

If there are '''unarmored soldiers''', only give psi-weak soldiers stun rods and smoke grenades. Alternatively, one or more of these soldiers can operate as a heavy weapons crew, as long as the psi-weak trooper is not holding a weapon with ammo at the end of a turn. Other weapons can be handled in this way, but it reduces squad mobility unless two or more can work together, tossing equipment around to each other.

If everyone has ''at least'' '''personal armor''', only give psi-weak soldiers standard pistols or incendiary ammunition. These weapons are effective against Sectoids. Alternatively, heavier weapons can passed around and dropped at the end of each turn.

If all your soldiers have at least '''power suits''', the psi-weak soldiers can use standard rifles, auto-cannons with HE ammo, and standard grenades with minimal or no risk to other agents. These weapons are highly effective against Sectoids, allowing you to screen a squad against psionics on Medium UFO and Supply Ship raids without taking friendly casualties.

'''Flying suits''' reduce the lethality of laser pistols and rocket launchers (especially small rockets). Point blank bursts to the rear or undersides of a flying suit can still be lethal, but these weapons provide more firepower for clearing Sectoid bases and battleships. Careful deployment of troops with these weapons can allow them to be used with minimal risk.

When raiding sites with Cyberdiscs, it is necessary to use HWPs or some heavier troops known to be psi-resistant. These troops can be "discovered" in Sectoid Medium UFO raids using the equipment configurations above. Those UFOs have less firepower than bases and Battleships, and only one or two psionic officers (who can be captured with stun rods).

Ethereal sites should only be assaulted by known psi-resistant troops and heavily armored HWPs. A small element of unarmed psi-weaklings could be taken on smaller raids to train their mental resistances, but only as a peripheral exercise, along with a much more resistant element to ensure mission success.

=== Psi soldiers ===

After [[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-training]], any soldiers with high [[Psi Strength]] (ideally 80+) should be given a [[Psi-Amp]], and kept off the front lines. Other units can be used to spot aliens, and your Psi units can safely attack them from a distance. Once your Psi troops gain high [[Psi Skill]] as well, your squad will become nearly invincible. See [[Psionics]] for more details.

=== Super Soldiers ===

Any unit that stays alive and does consistently well in picking up combat experience in ground missions will eventually peak all of his or her attributes.

With high stats across the board - with the possible exception of [[Bravery]] and [[Throwing Accuracy]] - this soldier can do practically anything and can specialize in any role you think of.

== The difference between Veterans and Rookies ==

The better stats a soldier has, the less danger you will want to expose him or her to. High-ranking soldiers should be left in or near the transport for [[Morale]] reasons (see [[Rear Commander]]). a [[Mind Probe]] or two can be useful in the hands of Rear Commanders. Soldiers with the poorest stats should be given the most dangerous duty: for instance, they should be the first unit sent into a UFO.

== Fireteams ==

There is safety in numbers: soldiers should generally be moved in groups of 2-4. If one soldier spots an alien, the others can act as snipers. Spotting an alien is useless if it kills your scout and you have no troops available to return fire upon the alien.

== Tanks ==

The choice of soldiers vs. HWPs is highly dependent on play style. In the early game, tanks are much more expensive than rookies, and funds are tight. Later on, tanks come into their own as highly-mobile expendable scouts.

If you adopt an all-soldier roster, especially on the [[Avenger]] (26 soldiers!), you will have to work around [[the 80-item limit]]. This will necessitate the use of [[Laser Rifle]]s as your primary squad weapon, as they do not require ammo clips.

== Armor ==

In cases where you do not have enough armor for all of your soldiers, the first soldiers to get armor should be the front-line troops: those at the front of the craft, and all scouts. Additional troops should be armored according to their value in combat. Soldiers with high Reactions are likely to engage in a firefight (particularly if they are used as spotters), and should be armored well.

Although [[Flying Suit]]s have the highest armor values, a soldier in mid-air is an easy target. Flying soldiers will also fail to benefit from ground-level smoke cover, such as at the base of the transport. Flying Suits may be of greatest benefit to scouts, who need the increased mobility, as well as snipers who can use flight to acquire optimal firing positions. A mix of [[Power Suit]]s and Flying Suits is probably best overall for your squad.

Alternatly, just micromanage forces in flying suits to keep them on the ground and have the best of both worlds. further, you can attack ships through holes in the sides or roofs with flying suits.

== Soldier naming strategies ==

One useful strategy is to rename all your soldiers alphabetically. This allows you to see which soldiers will be placed at the front of the transport (arm them with smoke grenades; arm the second row with heavy weapons). To rename soldiers, click on their names while viewing them via the Soldier screen on base.

Another naming strategy is to add stats to their names. [[TU]]s, [[Reactions]], [[Firing Accuracy]], [[Strength]], and [[Psi Strength]] are the most useful stats to display in this fashion. Keep in mind that soldiers' names will have to be updated when they gain stats from [[experience]].

[[Category: Soldiers]]
[[Category: Tactics]]