UFOpaedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:SPARK (LW2)

2017-04-20T00:52:33Z

Papa Legba: spark tech?

Anyone got stats on the upgraded tech for SPARKS? Helix rail cannons or reinforced frames?

Talk:Tactics (LW2)

2017-02-22T00:05:06Z

Papa Legba:

Just saying: keeping grenades perfectly accurate while making rockets prone to miss seems weird to me. I say this knowing that grenades tended to be more accurate than rockets even in the 1994 game. --[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] ([[User talk:Papa Legba|talk]]) 22:53, 21 February 2017 (UTC)

Tactics (LW2)

2017-02-21T23:51:21Z

Papa Legba: /* Haywire & Full Override */ - grammar and clarity

* Hacking to Free Prisoners: unlike vanilla XCom hacking a jail door also opens and reveals the contents of the cell, thus activating the prisoners for immediate movement.

* Destructibles: Vehicles that can be blown up actually have different 'health' that must be damaged to blow them up. Cars have more health than cars with open doors which have more health than the tricycle vehicles.

* Rockets are innately inaccurate and will often diverge from their intended path. Grenades seem to be perfectly accurate.

* Advent Drones: A successful hack to stun a lone drone does not reveal your squad.

=== Haywire & Full Override ===

* Most aliens harbor a special hostility for their own robotic units that have been controlled by XCOM. They will often be target hacked units in preference of standard XCOM units or SPARKs. Using a subverted robot to distract and draw fire can be more useful than using them for direct attack. For example, moving a hacked drone into a flanking position but out of immediate line-of-fire can distract an entire pod or more. (as of LW version 1.0)

* Specialists seem to have have a squadsight-like ability to target mechanical enemies for haywire/full override. That is, they can target enemy robots outside of their normal sight range if they have line-of-sight on one. (as of LW version 1.0)

* This means a specialist working with a shinobi can subvert an un-alerted unit without activating the rest of pod. However, the pod will go on alert as soon as the subverted robot moves or takes any action. Also, the pod will activate and react to the hostile immediately on the beginning of their next turn.

* As a result of these effects, you can use a single robot to lead one or more pods away from your squad.

[[Category: Long War 2]]

Tactics (LW2)

2017-02-21T23:35:17Z

Papa Legba: /* Haywire & Full Override */

* Hacking to Free Prisoners: unlike vanilla XCom hacking a jail door also opens and reveals the contents of the cell, thus activating the prisoners for immediate movement.

* Destructibles: Vehicles that can be blown up actually have different 'health' that must be damaged to blow them up. Cars have more health than cars with open doors which have more health than the tricycle vehicles.

* Rockets are innately inaccurate and will often diverge from their intended path. Grenades seem to be perfectly accurate.

* Advent Drones: A successful hack to stun a lone drone does not reveal your squad.

=== Haywire & Full Override ===

* Most aliens harbor a special hostility for their own robotic units that have been controlled by XCOM. They will often be target hacked units in preference of standard XCOM units or SPARKs. Using a subverted robot to distract and draw fire can be more useful than using them for direct attack. For example, moving a hacked drone into a flanking position but out of immediate line-of-fire can distract an entire pod or more. (as of LW version 1.0)

* Specialists seem to have have a squadsight-like ability to target mechanical enemies for haywire/full override. That is, they can target enemy robots outside of their normal sight range if they have line-of-sight on one. (as of LW version 1.0)

* This means a specialist working with a shinobi can subvert an un-alerted unit without activating the red of pod. However, the pod will go on alert as soon as the subverted robot moves, or on their next turn.

* As a result of these effects, you can use a single robot to lead one or more pods away from your squad.

[[Category: Long War 2]]

Tactics (LW2)

2017-02-21T23:28:03Z

Papa Legba: Small reorganization

* Hacking to Free Prisoners: unlike vanilla XCom hacking a jail door also opens and reveals the contents of the cell, thus activating the prisoners for immediate movement.

* Destructibles: Vehicles that can be blown up actually have different 'health' that must be damaged to blow them up. Cars have more health than cars with open doors which have more health than the tricycle vehicles.

* Rockets are innately inaccurate and will often diverge from their intended path. Grenades seem to be perfectly accurate.

* Advent Drones: A successful hack to stun a lone drone does not reveal your squad.

=== Haywire & Full Override ===

* Most aliens harbor a special hostility for their own robotic units that have been controlled by XCOM. They will often be targetted in preference of standard XCOM units or SPARKs. Using a subverted robot to distract and draw fire can be more useful than using them for direct attack. For example, moving a hacked drone into a flanking position but out of immediate line-of-fire can distract an entire pod or more. (as of LW version 1.0)

* Specialists seem to have have a squadsight-like ability to target mechanical enemies for haywire/full override. That is, they can target enemy robots outside of their normal sight range if they have line-of-sight on one. (as of LW version 1.0)

* This means a specialist working with a shinobi can subvert an un-alerted unit without activating the red of pod. However, the pod will go on alert as soon as the subverted robot moves, or on their next turn.

* As a result of these effects, you can use a single robot to lead one or more pods away from your squad.

[[Category: Long War 2]]

Talk:Tactics (LW2)

2017-02-21T22:53:15Z

Papa Legba: Gripe gripe gripe

Just saying: keeping grenades perfectly accurate while making rockets prone to miss seems weird to me. --[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] ([[User talk:Papa Legba|talk]]) 22:53, 21 February 2017 (UTC)

Tactics (LW2)

2017-02-21T22:51:09Z

Papa Legba: Note on rockets vs. grenades.

* Hacking to Free Prisoners: unlike vanilla XCom hacking a jail door also opens and reveals the contents of the cell, thus activating the prisoners for immediate movement.

* Destructibles: Vehicles that can be blown up actually have different 'health' that must be damaged to blow them up. Cars have more health than cars with open doors which have more health than the tricycle vehicles.

* Rockets are innately inaccurate and will often diverge from their intended path. Grenades seem to be perfectly accurate.

=== Haywire & Full Override ===

* Advent Drones: A successful hack to stun a lone drone does not reveal your squad.

* Most aliens harbor a special hostility for their own robotic units that have been controlled by XCOM. They will often be targetted in preference of standard XCOM units or SPARKs. Using a subverted robot to distract and draw fire can be more useful than using them for direct attack. For example, moving a hacked drone into a flanking position but out of immediate line-of-fire can distract an entire pod or more. (as of LW version 1.0)

* Specialists seem to have have a squadsight-like ability to target mechanical enemies for haywire/full override. That is, they can target enemy robots outside of their normal sight range if they have line-of-sight on one. (as of LW version 1.0)

* This means a specialist working with a shinobi can subvert an un-alerted unit without activating the red of pod. However, the pod will go on alert as soon as the subverted robot moves, or on their next turn.

* As a result of these effects, you can use a single robot to lead one or more pods away from your squad.

[[Category: Long War 2]]

Tactics (LW2)

2017-02-21T22:47:41Z

Papa Legba: Haywire and Full Override tips

* Hacking to Free Prisoners: unlike vanilla XCom hacking a jail door also opens and reveals the contents of the cell, thus activating the prisoners for immediate movement.

* Destructibles: Vehicles that can be blown up actually have different 'health' that must be damaged to blow them up. Cars have more health than cars with open doors which have more health than the tricycle vehicles.

* Advent Drones: A successful hack to stun a lone drone does not reveal your squad.

=== Haywire & Full Override ===

* Most aliens harbor a special hostility for their own robotic units that have been controlled by XCOM. They will often be targetted in preference of standard XCOM units or SPARKs. Using a subverted robot to distract and draw fire can be more useful than using them for direct attack. For example, moving a hacked drone into a flanking position but out of immediate line-of-fire can distract an entire pod or more. (as of LW version 1.0)

* Specialists seem to have have a squadsight-like ability to target mechanical enemies for haywire/full override. That is, they can target enemy robots outside of their normal sight range if they have line-of-sight on one. (as of LW version 1.0)

* This means a specialist working with a shinobi can subvert an un-alerted unit without activating the red of pod. However, the pod will go on alert as soon as the subverted robot moves, or on their next turn.

* As a result of these effects, you can use a single robot to lead one or more pods away from your squad.

[[Category: Long War 2]]

Talk:Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2009-07-20T21:57:52Z

Papa Legba: /* Total Party Kill */

Regarding base placement, one other good point of consideration (apart from money) is to place it in land mass that contains a generous amount of terrain that you're comfortable fighting in. Some players love to fight in desert or arctic terrain on account of it mostly being barren wastelands. Some may find it more tactically sound to fight in farmland, well, you're not going to get any short supply of these. If you want a base that gets a wide variety of terrrain types, the US has quite a lot of terrain types, and you only need to go south a bit to get jungle terrain. Europe unfortunately has lots of farmland. Africa has lots of desert. The far eastern end of Russia, or the coast of Japan is mostly forest. The polar caps are all polar terrain. Great for those that like to use flying suits and weapons that make really big bangs - preferably a long way away.

As for experimenting with the weapons, one point I'd like to add is to get to know the tactical strengths and weaknesses of the starting weapons, and to not be afraid of hanging on to some of them even after you've come up with a general weapon set. It's always good to have options available to you. You may not use autocannons much after getting the heavy plasma, but a single autocannon on standby can come in handy simply for its HE and incendiary shells.

Ah, but don't mind me. I've got this "must cover all play styles" approach to whenever I make any attempt at writing starters guide... which really does hold me back at times.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

----

You're right about the terrain issue-- I usually start in Europe, and consequently have come to hate farm buildings with a passion. (Where do you place if you want to fight in mountains? TibetCom? I didn't even know the mountain terrain existed until I had been playing for two years.) I don't know anyone that doesn't keep one or two pet weapons about for contingency or just because they don't want to live in a world without autocannon. I should tone down the talk of standardization-- it overstates the case somewhat.

However, I want to keep this thing brief and somewhat open-ended, and I don't want to spoil all the surprises. There are more detailed starter guides out there-- Warlock's comes to mind-- but I don't want to leave something open to player intitiative, instead of being an exhaustive checklist. That's why I'm ''not'' going to put my "Get an Alien Navigator As Soon As Possible" routine in, or all the other things I do on Day 1. I'm trying to keep a middle ground between getting the new player started, and micromanaging his gameplay.

--[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 08:10, 13 December 2005 (PST)

:Mountains are limited to the China/India border area (and some of that is arctic rather than mountains) and western South America, with a few small patches in Europe (the Switzerland, Scotland and Norway have small amounts). So unless you deliberately try it is very rare to see it, I agree. The entire US is basically flat, it seems. -- [[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 07:25, 28 February 2007 (PST)

----

The battle tips are going to be tough. I want to keep it very open-ended, but still useful. Gotta let a commander make his own mistakes.
--[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 00:13, 14 December 2005 (PST)

----

Note I updated to say that the US is usually your biggest sponsor, it happens in the current game I am in (still first month) that Japan are contributing more than the US, although I have a feeling that will change fairly rapidly.

--[[User:Sfnhltb|Sfnhltb]] 07:19, 28 February 2007 (PST)
:: Hawaii base? :P --[[User:Kyevan|Kyevan]] 16:13, 17 August 2007 (PDT)

== Meaning of "QCB" ==

Just looking over the article and didn't know what QCB stands for. Maybe someone could fill me in. Otherwise that acronym should be removed to prevent confusion. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 23:20, 4 November 2008 (CST)

:According to [[http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Human_shield/|this]], it means "Close Quarters Battle", which would be a quite accurate definition of any fight inside of a UFO(with the possible exceptions of shot down Supply and Terror Ships). I'll edit it shortly. [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 23:41, 4 November 2008 (CST)

==Total Party Kill==

This, I'm sure, happens to every new commander at some point. You march into a terror mission, kill off the first wave of enemies, and then as you begin your sweep a few remaining aliens take you by surprise and wipe out your troops. There goes 3/4ths of a million in men and equipment. Any recommendations for rebuilding a devastated army? Or should I just reload my last save? --[[User:Aegeus|Aegeus]] 21:59, 5 December 2008 (CST)

:Welcome to UFOpaedia! As for your question, if you lost too much, restoring from save may not be a bad choice. If you have the money, though, you may want to at least try and rebuild. Order new soldiers, weapons, and aircraft. You may be able to get a new squad up and running in 5 days if you have enough cash and storage to order it all immediately. While you have the chance, you may want to change the weapon loadout a bit. If you lost pistols, and weren't using them, don't get them back. Or if you like Heavy Cannons, take this as an opportunity to upgrade. :) [[User:Arrow Quivershaft|Arrow Quivershaft]] 22:24, 5 December 2008 (CST)

Yes, Welcome Aegeus! I have definitely had my butt kicked on terror missions, badly. But to get ''totally'' wiped out, you may be bunching up your soldiers too tightly, and maybe also not clearing areas thoroughly enough as you move. Or you may not be reserving enough reaction fire to defend against counter-attacks? Another recommended tactic is to leave 1-2 senior officers in or near the Transport - this helps with morale. You could also try laying down some smoke to cover your flanks as you sweep the map. (If you run out of smoke, try [[User:Seb76|Seb76]]'s great UFO Extender which fixes that problem. On the other hand, if you lost the mission because of Psionic attacks, consider it a bonus that you got rid of Psi-weak soldiers, and protect any survivors, as they are likely to be Psi-strong.

In general it's best to keep moving forward rather than going back to saves. If you do go back to a save, make sure to fight the mission again, and this time try a different strategy. Throughout this game there seems to be a cycle of gaining confidence dealing with the enemy, which can turn to over-confidence when they suddenly step up a gear. If you can make it back with half or even a couple of your soldiers than you've done much better, and you will be earning your success the hard way.

Before you throw away your Pistols altogether, you might want to check out [[User:NKF|NKF]]'s views on this weapon - he thinks it's under-rated and actually one of the best. It certainly has its strong points, especially against the weaker aliens such as Floaters and Sectoids. Not so much against their terror units however! I am definitely warming to the Heavy Cannon - it's replacing the Auto-Cannon in my affections as in many ways the best weapon in the early game.

Anyway, welcome, and enjoy! [[User:Spike|Spike]] 17:28, 6 December 2008 (CST)

: My thoughts on the [[Pistol]]... it's not the best, but it's jolly good all the same. Excels mainly at snapshots and reaction fire and good in cases of your troops falling to mind control.

: This game lets you recover from some bad losses. You can keep playing as long as you've got the money, haven't lost your last base on the map (build another - quick!) and you haven't done several consecutive bad months in a row. So it's mainly up to how much money you've got left. If you don't have much, reload and try again.

: If you do choose to rebuild, buy a Skyranger and some troops. There are many ways you can arm your new squad - it's all up to how you want to play. A good rule to stick by is to bring something along that will defeat the strongest enemy you're going to go up against (Cyberdiscs and Chryssalids in the early game, Sectopod in the late game). A Rocket Launcher or some High Explosive packs tend to fill these roles quite well. If you're on a tight budget, a rather boring but fairly cost effective setup is to just build some laser rifles (or laser pistols) while you're waiting for your new ship and crew to arrive. They are effective against pretty much anything you'll be facing except the Sectopods. Go on a few easy missions with them, and start making your dream team with the money recovered from sold loot.

: For future missions, keep a [[Rear Commander]] in the Skyranger in the event the squad gets wiped out. You'll at least be able to recover the Skyranger and whatever was in it. -[[User:NKF|NKF]] 00:55, 7 December 2008 (CST)

: Hey Aegus,
: I started this article a couple years ago. A total party kill is worth mentioning for a new player-- I've had it happen myself. This isn't my article any more, of course, but I would say that the article should try to stay on general terms. The rest of the site has most subjects laid out in exhaustive detail, so this page should be something of an overview, with a couple of fine details that are the most common stumbling blocks for new players. You want to help him along but stay shy of giving him a walk-through. I'd say that TPK should be mentioned here, but only in general terms. It's a serious enough event, though, that it probably merits its own page if it doesn't have one already. [[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 17:57, 20 July 2009 (EDT)

Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2008-09-16T16:35:49Z

Papa Legba: /* Day One: Hit the Ground Running */

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

''' A Handy Cut-Out Guide ''' 
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.

'''Happy hunting!'''

==Day One: Hit the Ground Running==

# '''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).
#*As time goes on, you'll be able to me more selective in your troop reviews. As you become more familiar with the recruitment process, and you have experienced troops to lead the rookies, adjust your recruiting practices to taste. Some Commanders prefer to use marginal troops as human shields; others carefully select and train each trooper they have.
#'''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 everything.
#*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.

==Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza==

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 indispensable way to supplement your income.
#*A UFO that lands of its own accord will yield significantly more useful artifacts 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 department 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 international standing and, more importantly, your funding. Even if you have to retreat once you get there, you can't afford not to go.

==The Battlescape: Once More Into The Breach==
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.

==Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War==

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 surveillance 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 surveillance 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.
#*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.

'''Good Luck!'''

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

Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2008-09-16T16:29:52Z

Papa Legba: This is good advice, but it belongs under base defense. It's more detail than this doc needs. Also, spellchecked my own stuff.

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

''' A Handy Cut-Out Guide ''' 
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.

'''Happy hunting!'''

==Day One: Hit the Ground Running==

# '''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 everything.
#*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.

==Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza==

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 indispensable way to supplement your income.
#*A UFO that lands of its own accord will yield significantly more useful artifacts 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 department 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 international standing and, more importantly, your funding. Even if you have to retreat once you get there, you can't afford not to go.

==The Battlescape: Once More Into The Breach==
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.

==Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War==

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 surveillance 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 surveillance 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.
#*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.

'''Good Luck!'''

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

Talk:Mind Shield

2006-10-19T18:51:09Z

Papa Legba:

The mechanics of mind shields 
Mind shields are the only base-defense structures I use, and I know nothing of their effectiveness. How effective is one mind shield? Will multiple mind shields provide greater protection? Where is the point of diminishing returns? A shadowy paramilitary commander needs to know these things.
--[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 11:51, 19 October 2006 (PDT)

Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2006-10-10T21:10:36Z

Papa Legba: /* Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza */

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

''' A Handy Cut-Out Guide ''' 
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.

'''Happy hunting!'''

==Day One: Hit the Ground Running==

# '''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 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 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.''' 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.

==Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza==

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.
#'''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.
#*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.

==The Battlescape: Once More Into The Breech==
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/breeching 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 (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s 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.

==Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War==

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 on hand to protect it.
#*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.

'''Good Luck!'''

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

Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2006-10-10T21:05:46Z

Papa Legba:

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

''' A Handy Cut-Out Guide ''' 
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.

'''Happy hunting!'''

==Day One: Hit the Ground Running==

# '''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 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 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.''' 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.

==Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza==

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.
#'''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.
#*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.
#* Keeping around a large selection of research specimens may require more general stores capacity.
#'''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.
#*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.

==The Battlescape: Once More Into The Breech==
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/breeching 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 (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s 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.

==Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War==

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 on hand to protect it.
#*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.

'''Good Luck!'''

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

Talk:Base Management

2006-09-14T03:37:22Z

Papa Legba:

Maybe this become a Category instead of just a landing page? --[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 09:45, 31 December 2005 (PST)

Hello! Saw a stub here and took a stab at fleshing it out. -Darksun

Hey dudes.Building a base at the poles would be awesome. Er,Aliens would have a hard time to find it too.But you know it anyway.--[[User:X-COM:Turcocalypse|X-COM:Turcocalypse]] 12:43, 26 April 2006 (PDT)

== Base Placement ==

When aliens send scouts for a wave of Alien Retaliations, the scouts move quickly to the edge of an area/continent and then work inwards. If your base is built on the edge of the area it can sometimes be spotted before you have time to intercept, so I'd recommend putting bases into the middle of areas. The alien retaliation wave consists of a very small ship, smaller ship, small ship, then a battleship over the course of a month. If none of them spots the base then the wave is over.

Alien retaliation waves occur in areas where you have a base and areas where you have have scored a lot of points. If you put a base into an area where you don't score many points, such as the pacific, then the aliens will be less likely to search for that base.

-Egor

Talk:Main Page

2006-06-15T03:47:37Z

Papa Legba:

Quick note for future revisions of subsections:

Template navigation toolbars for subsections.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

== Site Backups ==

Does this site receive perodic backups? I'd hate to see all our work vaporize because of a disk crash or if the hosting company folded or if the aliens won... --[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 10:23, 14 May 2006 (PDT)

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I would assume it does. I'll contact GazChap to find out though. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 20:01, 16 May 2006 (PDT)

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Zombie, did you want to check with him? I (or someone else) will ask in a few days if you don't get around to it --[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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An email was sent. Just waiting for a reply. Will let everyone know of the policy soonish. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 22:11, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Ok, gents. Here's the scoop - straight from GazChap. The site is backed up every day, so there is basically no worry about losing everything if it should go down. The only thing that may be lost are transactions during that day when it is down. Normally there isn't much activity, but there is the occasional marathon editing session which some people partake in. ;)--[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 19:41, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

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Excellent news. We'd all hate to see years of work go up in smoke. :P Thanks very much for checking, Z! GazChap is the best... free provisions with zero supervision, lol.

I suppose we can edit this little discussion down to a nub that says the site is backed up.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 19:49, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

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Thanks for checking into it, Zombie -- very reassuring. While I'm here, may I ask what's incomplete in your alien stats research? It's one of the last major things I think the wiki needs. I'd be willing to finish it up and format it for the wiki, I just don't want to duplicate efforts if you're mostly done with it.

:(alien stats question subsequently answered -- thank you, Zombie)

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 21:34, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

== Main Page design ==

Well, here's my ideas for the Main Page. I think the top-level organization should be like so:

Aliens
Alien Life Forms
UFOs
Missions

Logistics
Soldiers
Base Facilities
Crafts
Craft Armaments
Equipment
Weapons
HWP
Miscellaneous Equipment

Technical Info
Bugs
Data Tables
Game Mechanics
Formulas
Game Files
Terrain
Scoring

Combat Tactics
Field Manual
Missions

Game Strategies
Base Management
Economics
Research
Interception Strategies

General Info
X-COM Game Info
Links
Site Info
Contributors

and I'd like to implement it mostly via Category pages, which are easier to maintain. It's probably going to involve little changes (navigation/links/categories, mostly) to lots of pages, so I can't prototype it very well -- once I start experimenting with how to implement it, it'll be under way.

I think the current Main Page format looks good, it's just missing a good organizational schema, like (I hope) the one I posted above.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 08:57, 25 May 2006 (PDT)

I was thinking that we could have a [[mock main page]] where we can fiddle around with the structuring to our hearts content, and replace the real main page every so often.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

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Very cool NKF, thanks for that. That should help here. If the mock Main Page (MP) catches on, we should replace this (true MP) Discussion with something that says "Post questions for the wiki in general here. However, for comments or suggestions on main page webmastering, see [Mock Main Page]." This should help clarify that general noob questions can be asked on the MP Discussion, but "webmaster" stuff about MP should go to the mock page. (Did that make sense? Sincere noobs must always be taken into account.)

Ethereal C, I love all the work you're doing around the site. You're probably the best technical (re)writer we've ever had. I love how you've tightened up many pages, including mine.

However, I don't see your MP logic, help me here. Both newbies and hardcore must be kept in mind, with newbies always coming first if there's any gray area. What follows is comments off the top of my head about what I don't like about your version. But please keep in mind, I'm just me; your opinions are entirely as valid as mine, etc. etc. And the final call goes to, who puts in the work, assuming there are no major objections. And I have no major objections. And esp. if you do it Mock first, what's to complain about. That said,
*General Info should be first (but not nec'ly what you include). It should be truly general info on XCOM for the newbie, not "miscellanous other" - how to run the two main versions of the game on WinXP, where one might get it, etc. This area has always needed a lot of work, since only the hardcore work on the wiki (and the front-side issues are long past for them). The very first menu item, whatever it's name is, should hold out a great big hand specifically for newbies. In short, let people who have accidentally come here (and will quickly leave) get a quick answer, and those who remember XCOM from the past and want to get into it again, have their stuff be top, front & center. (If we ever start thinking this place is only for 'us', that's what it will become! I think NKF has worried over how to handle this... it's hard for any of us hardcore players to relate and spend time on the wiki for it.)
*"Logistics" is not a term used in the game. Of course the game has many logistical issues. But why use a word that never appears in the game, for a MP entry? MP entries should be chosen with great care, IMO. There should not be more than 12. (You have 6; currently there are 13-18, depending on how you want to count.) Terms on the MP should immediately strike anyone as something they've seen in the game. (Of course, there is no pre-defined order; these are just thoughts....)
*Your menu is a varied mix of basic line items for newbies, and then very selected items for the hardcore. There are many things not present at your level 2 that should be for the hardcore, IMO. Like Experience, Damage, Explosion. This site should appeal to two audiences: newbies, and hardcore. Both should have most everything they need within 2 levels, no fuss no muss. Locations should be clear. If I could only see your top level 1 entries (there are 6), where is Damage in that? Not just as an L2 entry, but with a person able to reasonably guess where it is when they can only see your 6 L1 entries? See? In what I had been talking to NKF about months ago, I wanted it at the top of the Combat stuff currently on the MP. Since it's a purely volunteer effort, and I didn't do it while at the same time I asked NKF to... shrug, hehe. BTW the previous MP was starting to look like an index to everything XCOM... as with e.g. speeches, it is in truth harder to make a short speech than a long one.
The current MP structure is an approximation of that which NKF put a lot of time into. He did not work in all my suggestions and recently said he's at crossroads on what to do. I didn't help by having strong opinions without actually editing it any myself.

If you're going to use the Mock MP, do anything you'd like. But consider the balance of having both total newbies and hardcore, have every major topic within 2 levels (1 level off the MP), and it's clear where they are. In two seconds' glance, without looking under all the MP topics. That's the goal, in any event.

If interested, there's more to see in the old Discussion on the MP, before we wiped it (it got real long). Maybe Decemberish?

You've taken a shot at restructuring the MP. It's a lot to think about. We all want it to be the best it can be. All of us who care about the wiki truly appreciate that someone is seriously considering rewriting the Main Page. This wiki has gone from a few off-the-cuff comments, to some seriously deep pages... with lots of gaps in between.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 23:52, 26 May 2006 (PDT)

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I did fail to mention that the above outline is not a complete one -- it's just my initial thoughts on what the top-level structure should be. A lot of the "hardcore" pages (which are of course my favorite) would be under Technical Info or Game Mechanics; I'll certainly fill it out if I start implementing it for real.

I'll concede the structure would be best if it started with an "Overview of X-COM" page. The wiki doesn't have such a page right now. The [[Info|General Info]] page doesn't qualify, but with a rewrite, it might. Right now it's just a scattering of technical factoids: it opens with "''Nomenclature''", of all things. It's certainly not newbie-friendly.

To fix that, we could copy a lot of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-COM X-COM] entry from Wikipedia, with a link back to it to satisfy their copyright requirements. Links, Site Info and Contributors should remain at the bottom, IMO.

I'd like to keep first and second levels of the heirarchy on the Main Page -- the highest levels as I chose them aren't really pages in their own right, just organizational categories. The word logistics isn't a word mentioned in the game, but I want a "stuff you have to administer" category, and that's logistics. As long as the second level (soldiers|base|crafts|equipment) is on the Main Page, its meaning should be immediately obvious.

I prefer that approach to a division into Geoscape and Battlescape topics; although the game is played in those separate domains (and Geoscape is really two things, Geoscape and Base Management), all the logistical stuff exists in both domains: you buy/sell/build/plan stuff in the Geoscape, and use that stuff on the Battlescape.

As for newbies -- I was a newbie to the site quite recently, if not the game, and the first stuff I wanted to see was in-depth information. If you've played the game at all, you know the basics -- you don't need a reprint of the UFOPaedia. (If you haven't played the game at all, you need a better Intro page, as I mentioned above.)

Unfortunately, about half the pages linked to from the Main Page are stub pages in some way. Linking to a stub page from the Main Page immediately signals to me, "this site is useless". I must've come across the Main Page three times while hunting for X-COM information before I realized the site actually ''did'' have good information. (We're still lacking a lot of very specific tactical tips, although that stuff is harder to generate than a page of stats.)

The most useful ones (IMO) are pages which link to a lot of other articles. Some of the other pages are vague, obvious, or borderline fiction -- a lot of the Field Manual is this way, for instance.

Frankly, I find the Main Page frustrating in its current implementation. I'm gonna stop talking about it and just change it (via the Mock page). Hopefully you'll see my reasoning as I implement it. It's gonna be like sorting a deck of cards -- easy to do, tedious to describe.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 11:10, 27 May 2006 (PDT)

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Sounds good, Ethereal! A lot of what I said is just so you know how things got the way they are and/or for your consideration... they're not granite rules. What you say sounds good, too. And it's a good point that actually, by now, probably few will be true newbies (although hopefully this site will have plenty of new veteran-XCOM visitors.) Anyway, the proof is in the pudding and the mock page is for testing anyway... so I'll see ya over there! (Sooner or later!)

This site has grown very organically according to volunteer interests, commonly in bursts of activity... a problem (esp. for newcomers) is that the majority of wiki-ers work on what they're interested (myself definitely included). Some spend time on overall organization, but they're the exception. NKF and Danial did quite a bit this past winter, but plenty more could be done. Anyway... please go for it! :)

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 15:47, 31 May 2006 (PDT)

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There are 2 sections (or subsections, whatever) that I probably could be added as well:

- Modding (with separate sections for terrains/maps/etc., probably including there the main software such as Daishiva's programs and hatfarm's editor). I have started writting a section concerning map editing but never finished it.
- How To Make The Game Harder (for true veterans).

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 19:30, 31 May 2006 (PDT)

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The completed prototype is at [[mock main page]], check it out.

* I did put the general info link first.
* It's now an index to Everything X-COM -- but I think that's good; this is basically an encyclopedia, and the Main Page is now a Table of Contents.
* I made no specific effort to accomodate newbies ''or'' hardcore players. I hope a sensibly-organized index can serve them both.
* I managed to include just about everything on the MP, except for articles that are part of an obvious group (the individual Alien pages, Equipment, Field Manual, UFOs, etc.)
* I didn't attempt to re-do the TFTD index, as I haven't tried TFTD yet.
* I still haven't come up with a better name than "Logistics", but with the pages grouped under it, its meaning is clear.
* "Modding" and "How to make the game harder" both sound good -- two articles, I'm guessing, which have yet to be written. If you write 'em, they can easily be added to the redesigned MP.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 12:14, 1 June 2006 (PDT)

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I replaced the Main Page with the new design from the mock main page. Give a holler if you think it should be changed in any way -- or change it yourself.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 15:08, 6 June 2006 (PDT)

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Mike: I did a little sorting of the subcategories according to "importance", although that's entirely subjective. For instance, I put Scouting and Reaction Fire Triggers and Sweeping the Battlescape first under Tactics because they cover really fundamental tactical points. I prefer a subjective order to something like alphabetical order -- feel free to sort things according to your own tastes.

As I've stated before, I prefer discussion to remain in place, unless it's right on the article page. This is how Wikipedia does things, and it's useful for quickly assessing what's been going on with the article. Keeping topics segregated by headers (not just lines) helps to organize the discussions. If the whole page gets too long, then it can be archived.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 10:10, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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Sounds good. Let me take some time to work with it and see if I have any ideas. The only other immediate thought is that a few places could probably be tightened up, e.g., Research Tips is probably largely under Research. Anyway, it's great for the time being... much more at your fingertips than with the previous version. I'll make a note or take a whack at any thoughts that arise. Meanwhile, I'm doing a little more testing on visual range. Good idea, categories here on the Discussion page will keep things organized and accessible.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

==UFO2000 Section==

OK, Gazchap has given its OK. I am going to start working on the page for UFO2000.

-- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 06:45, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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Excellent! All us here on the XCOM wiki send UFO2000 the best wishes. I've been meaning to check it out myself when I get finished with XCOM... but I never seem to get finished, lol.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

One thing I'd like to ask: right now I've started naming the pages as "UFO2000 whatever". However, I've noticed that this limits the category pages (all entries are in the U letter). Any problem if we start naming them like "whatever (UFO2000)" since that seems to be the format to differenciate between games (such as "Aliens (TFTD)", "Aliens (UFO Defense)) ?

--- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 12:17, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Makes sense to me. Another option you have is to pipe your category links: <nowiki>[[Category: UFO2000|Aliens]]</nowiki> will make the link will appear on the Category page under the "A" heading as "Aliens".

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 13:05, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

Excellent. Thank you very much.

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 15:42, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Hmm, I misspoke. Pipes will change the sort order, but the original page name will still be used on the category page, so a page named "UFO2000 and X-COM" with the catlink "<nowiki>[[Category:UFO2000|Quick Start Guide]]</nowiki>" will be sorted under "Q" but still called "UFO2000 and X-COM", which looks quite strange. You'll probably have to select your page titles to accomodate this -- but at least piping can be used to keep everything from being sorted under U.

Incidentally, you don't need two <nowiki>[[Category]]</nowiki> links -- just one will do, with or without a pipe.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 16:08, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

I started noticing that something was not right ;)

I've just finished renaming all the pages. It fits better with the page naming of the rest of the ufopaedia.

--- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 16:13, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

----

Does anyone know if we can adjust those main navigation links (upper left of each page) so that we can add a link to the UFO2k Main Page? I think that would be appreciated by them. But I have no idea where that's accessed... maybe the managers have special areas?

As long as anyone's editing that, it could be cleaned up a little... do we really need e.g. Current Events, and Donations? Although maybe GazChap likes that last one, hehe.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 07:14, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

== Image Types ==
I was fooling around with images today and decided I should show everyone what an image looks like in a particular format. Just for this example, I used the Level 0 view of the Small Scout. Here are the images (don't peek, just look at them and try to figure out which is which for now):

<center>[[Image:Scout GIF.GIF|GIF image]] [[Image:Scout PNG.PNG|PNG image]] [[Image:Scout JPEG.JPG|JPEG image]]</center>

From what I can tell, the image quality of a GIF and a PNG is minimal. Both look very good. The PNG image seems a tad bit lighter over the GIF, though. Not bad. But compare either a GIF or a PNG with a JPEG and there is a huge difference. The JPEG has "artifacts" strewn all over the place and has a "mottled" appearance. Ugh! Terrible! That's all for the image quality aspect. (So does anyone know the technical difference between a GIF and a PNG? Please explain.)

Let's move on to size. The GIF image is usually the largest in size. In this case the GIF image of the Scout example is 7897 bytes. The JPEG is 6784 bytes (or 86% of the GIF) while the PNG is 6090 bytes (or 77% of the GIF).

Finally, compare size against image quality. PNG wins hands down. Not only is it smaller in size, but it also has an image quality equaling that of a GIF. JPEGs are smaller than a GIF but the image quality sucks. Granted, in some instances a JPEG is fine (especially if the background is a dark color), but in all the comparisons I did they were bad.

So, have you figured out what is what? The first image is a GIF, the second is a PNG and the third is a JPEG.

I implore everyone to consider uploading either a GIF or a PNG image type over a JPEG. The quality is better in those formats. If you have a choice, PNG is better because of the size on disc. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 19:40, 11 June 2006 (PDT)

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The most important difference between PNG and GIF is GIFs can only use 256 colors. I think most graphics from Enemy Unknown are in 8-bit color, so it doesn't cause a problem, but if you ever converted a normal photo to GIF, it'd look horrendous. PNGs can handle "truecolor" (24-bit), and as you said, they tend to compress better too.

JPGs can have different "quality settings" which reduce the artifacts but increase file size. JPG tends to compress photos better than PNG, but PNG is great for non-natural images, such as cartoons or computer graphics. For graphics pulled from X-COM, PNG is probably best.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 21:43, 11 June 2006 (PDT)

----

PNG's can vary in size depending on the size of the palette used. A standard 256 colour image would allow PNGs to be more or less the same if not better than GIFs. 'True Colour' PNGs are generally abominations.

For more information on the PNG format: [http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/ Portable Network Graphics ]

GIF and PNG provide lossless compression while Jpeg's offer lossy compression. GIF and PNGs are best used when the image is generally small and contains a limited number of colours. X-Com screenshots fit this bill perfectly.

Jpegs tend to lose image accuracy every time you save the image and it gets worse the higher you set the compression. However, that said, Jpegs are best used when your image is full of colour and minor losses in image quality will not matter.

For example, the above pictures are best done with GIF/PNGs (especially if you intend to include transparent pixels). However if you had a cut out shot of the action in the battlescape, it probably wouldn't matter too much if it were saved as a Jpeg.

Now if you want an image with transparency pixels, you will most definitely pick GIF and PNG. I actually hadn't realised the PNG format allowed tranparencies, but it does.

Just use what's best for the occasion.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

----

''In Which an Uneccessary Discussion of Formats Ensues''

PNG's not only do transparency, but they are capable of doing alpha channel-- that is, partial transparency. A GIF can only do normal colors (completely opaque) or complete transparency. PNG's can do all this, as well as allowing color that are partially transparent (say, a red tint with the background showing through).

I put this in mostly to hear myself talk. There are two limitations to these neato PNG effects:
* For X-Com screen shots, it's not needed-- X-Com 1 and 2 never did such fancy tricks.
* Alpha channel PNG's are, last I checked, not supported by Internet Explorer-- IE will let PNG's mimmick GIF-style transparency (that is, an 8-bit palette with all-or-nothing transparency), but nothing more sophisticated. Firefox and the Mozilla-derived browsers can do them (including Safari, I think), but it's not much good when most of the traffic is still using IE. Yes, I'm bitter about this.

PNG's are in every respect superior to GIF's. In matters of compatibility and filesize, the PNG can be set to work just as well or better than GIF). The only reason you use GIFs is to cater to people with seriously archaic browsers. Widespread PNG support has been around for several years now.

[http://entropymine.com/jason/testbed/pngtrans/ PNG transparency test]

''Edit: IE7 does complete support for PNG alpha, but of course it's still in beta testing. Even when it's out of beta, sensible web designers will have to wait until the majority of users switch over to it to start designing with it in mind.''

--[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 20:36, 14 June 2006 (PDT)

Talk:Main Page

2006-06-15T03:38:28Z

Papa Legba:

Quick note for future revisions of subsections:

Template navigation toolbars for subsections.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

== Site Backups ==

Does this site receive perodic backups? I'd hate to see all our work vaporize because of a disk crash or if the hosting company folded or if the aliens won... --[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 10:23, 14 May 2006 (PDT)

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I would assume it does. I'll contact GazChap to find out though. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 20:01, 16 May 2006 (PDT)

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Zombie, did you want to check with him? I (or someone else) will ask in a few days if you don't get around to it --[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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An email was sent. Just waiting for a reply. Will let everyone know of the policy soonish. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 22:11, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Ok, gents. Here's the scoop - straight from GazChap. The site is backed up every day, so there is basically no worry about losing everything if it should go down. The only thing that may be lost are transactions during that day when it is down. Normally there isn't much activity, but there is the occasional marathon editing session which some people partake in. ;)--[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 19:41, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

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Excellent news. We'd all hate to see years of work go up in smoke. :P Thanks very much for checking, Z! GazChap is the best... free provisions with zero supervision, lol.

I suppose we can edit this little discussion down to a nub that says the site is backed up.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 19:49, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

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Thanks for checking into it, Zombie -- very reassuring. While I'm here, may I ask what's incomplete in your alien stats research? It's one of the last major things I think the wiki needs. I'd be willing to finish it up and format it for the wiki, I just don't want to duplicate efforts if you're mostly done with it.

:(alien stats question subsequently answered -- thank you, Zombie)

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 21:34, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

== Main Page design ==

Well, here's my ideas for the Main Page. I think the top-level organization should be like so:

Aliens
Alien Life Forms
UFOs
Missions

Logistics
Soldiers
Base Facilities
Crafts
Craft Armaments
Equipment
Weapons
HWP
Miscellaneous Equipment

Technical Info
Bugs
Data Tables
Game Mechanics
Formulas
Game Files
Terrain
Scoring

Combat Tactics
Field Manual
Missions

Game Strategies
Base Management
Economics
Research
Interception Strategies

General Info
X-COM Game Info
Links
Site Info
Contributors

and I'd like to implement it mostly via Category pages, which are easier to maintain. It's probably going to involve little changes (navigation/links/categories, mostly) to lots of pages, so I can't prototype it very well -- once I start experimenting with how to implement it, it'll be under way.

I think the current Main Page format looks good, it's just missing a good organizational schema, like (I hope) the one I posted above.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 08:57, 25 May 2006 (PDT)

I was thinking that we could have a [[mock main page]] where we can fiddle around with the structuring to our hearts content, and replace the real main page every so often.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

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Very cool NKF, thanks for that. That should help here. If the mock Main Page (MP) catches on, we should replace this (true MP) Discussion with something that says "Post questions for the wiki in general here. However, for comments or suggestions on main page webmastering, see [Mock Main Page]." This should help clarify that general noob questions can be asked on the MP Discussion, but "webmaster" stuff about MP should go to the mock page. (Did that make sense? Sincere noobs must always be taken into account.)

Ethereal C, I love all the work you're doing around the site. You're probably the best technical (re)writer we've ever had. I love how you've tightened up many pages, including mine.

However, I don't see your MP logic, help me here. Both newbies and hardcore must be kept in mind, with newbies always coming first if there's any gray area. What follows is comments off the top of my head about what I don't like about your version. But please keep in mind, I'm just me; your opinions are entirely as valid as mine, etc. etc. And the final call goes to, who puts in the work, assuming there are no major objections. And I have no major objections. And esp. if you do it Mock first, what's to complain about. That said,
*General Info should be first (but not nec'ly what you include). It should be truly general info on XCOM for the newbie, not "miscellanous other" - how to run the two main versions of the game on WinXP, where one might get it, etc. This area has always needed a lot of work, since only the hardcore work on the wiki (and the front-side issues are long past for them). The very first menu item, whatever it's name is, should hold out a great big hand specifically for newbies. In short, let people who have accidentally come here (and will quickly leave) get a quick answer, and those who remember XCOM from the past and want to get into it again, have their stuff be top, front & center. (If we ever start thinking this place is only for 'us', that's what it will become! I think NKF has worried over how to handle this... it's hard for any of us hardcore players to relate and spend time on the wiki for it.)
*"Logistics" is not a term used in the game. Of course the game has many logistical issues. But why use a word that never appears in the game, for a MP entry? MP entries should be chosen with great care, IMO. There should not be more than 12. (You have 6; currently there are 13-18, depending on how you want to count.) Terms on the MP should immediately strike anyone as something they've seen in the game. (Of course, there is no pre-defined order; these are just thoughts....)
*Your menu is a varied mix of basic line items for newbies, and then very selected items for the hardcore. There are many things not present at your level 2 that should be for the hardcore, IMO. Like Experience, Damage, Explosion. This site should appeal to two audiences: newbies, and hardcore. Both should have most everything they need within 2 levels, no fuss no muss. Locations should be clear. If I could only see your top level 1 entries (there are 6), where is Damage in that? Not just as an L2 entry, but with a person able to reasonably guess where it is when they can only see your 6 L1 entries? See? In what I had been talking to NKF about months ago, I wanted it at the top of the Combat stuff currently on the MP. Since it's a purely volunteer effort, and I didn't do it while at the same time I asked NKF to... shrug, hehe. BTW the previous MP was starting to look like an index to everything XCOM... as with e.g. speeches, it is in truth harder to make a short speech than a long one.
The current MP structure is an approximation of that which NKF put a lot of time into. He did not work in all my suggestions and recently said he's at crossroads on what to do. I didn't help by having strong opinions without actually editing it any myself.

If you're going to use the Mock MP, do anything you'd like. But consider the balance of having both total newbies and hardcore, have every major topic within 2 levels (1 level off the MP), and it's clear where they are. In two seconds' glance, without looking under all the MP topics. That's the goal, in any event.

If interested, there's more to see in the old Discussion on the MP, before we wiped it (it got real long). Maybe Decemberish?

You've taken a shot at restructuring the MP. It's a lot to think about. We all want it to be the best it can be. All of us who care about the wiki truly appreciate that someone is seriously considering rewriting the Main Page. This wiki has gone from a few off-the-cuff comments, to some seriously deep pages... with lots of gaps in between.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 23:52, 26 May 2006 (PDT)

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I did fail to mention that the above outline is not a complete one -- it's just my initial thoughts on what the top-level structure should be. A lot of the "hardcore" pages (which are of course my favorite) would be under Technical Info or Game Mechanics; I'll certainly fill it out if I start implementing it for real.

I'll concede the structure would be best if it started with an "Overview of X-COM" page. The wiki doesn't have such a page right now. The [[Info|General Info]] page doesn't qualify, but with a rewrite, it might. Right now it's just a scattering of technical factoids: it opens with "''Nomenclature''", of all things. It's certainly not newbie-friendly.

To fix that, we could copy a lot of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-COM X-COM] entry from Wikipedia, with a link back to it to satisfy their copyright requirements. Links, Site Info and Contributors should remain at the bottom, IMO.

I'd like to keep first and second levels of the heirarchy on the Main Page -- the highest levels as I chose them aren't really pages in their own right, just organizational categories. The word logistics isn't a word mentioned in the game, but I want a "stuff you have to administer" category, and that's logistics. As long as the second level (soldiers|base|crafts|equipment) is on the Main Page, its meaning should be immediately obvious.

I prefer that approach to a division into Geoscape and Battlescape topics; although the game is played in those separate domains (and Geoscape is really two things, Geoscape and Base Management), all the logistical stuff exists in both domains: you buy/sell/build/plan stuff in the Geoscape, and use that stuff on the Battlescape.

As for newbies -- I was a newbie to the site quite recently, if not the game, and the first stuff I wanted to see was in-depth information. If you've played the game at all, you know the basics -- you don't need a reprint of the UFOPaedia. (If you haven't played the game at all, you need a better Intro page, as I mentioned above.)

Unfortunately, about half the pages linked to from the Main Page are stub pages in some way. Linking to a stub page from the Main Page immediately signals to me, "this site is useless". I must've come across the Main Page three times while hunting for X-COM information before I realized the site actually ''did'' have good information. (We're still lacking a lot of very specific tactical tips, although that stuff is harder to generate than a page of stats.)

The most useful ones (IMO) are pages which link to a lot of other articles. Some of the other pages are vague, obvious, or borderline fiction -- a lot of the Field Manual is this way, for instance.

Frankly, I find the Main Page frustrating in its current implementation. I'm gonna stop talking about it and just change it (via the Mock page). Hopefully you'll see my reasoning as I implement it. It's gonna be like sorting a deck of cards -- easy to do, tedious to describe.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 11:10, 27 May 2006 (PDT)

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Sounds good, Ethereal! A lot of what I said is just so you know how things got the way they are and/or for your consideration... they're not granite rules. What you say sounds good, too. And it's a good point that actually, by now, probably few will be true newbies (although hopefully this site will have plenty of new veteran-XCOM visitors.) Anyway, the proof is in the pudding and the mock page is for testing anyway... so I'll see ya over there! (Sooner or later!)

This site has grown very organically according to volunteer interests, commonly in bursts of activity... a problem (esp. for newcomers) is that the majority of wiki-ers work on what they're interested (myself definitely included). Some spend time on overall organization, but they're the exception. NKF and Danial did quite a bit this past winter, but plenty more could be done. Anyway... please go for it! :)

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 15:47, 31 May 2006 (PDT)

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There are 2 sections (or subsections, whatever) that I probably could be added as well:

- Modding (with separate sections for terrains/maps/etc., probably including there the main software such as Daishiva's programs and hatfarm's editor). I have started writting a section concerning map editing but never finished it.
- How To Make The Game Harder (for true veterans).

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 19:30, 31 May 2006 (PDT)

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The completed prototype is at [[mock main page]], check it out.

* I did put the general info link first.
* It's now an index to Everything X-COM -- but I think that's good; this is basically an encyclopedia, and the Main Page is now a Table of Contents.
* I made no specific effort to accomodate newbies ''or'' hardcore players. I hope a sensibly-organized index can serve them both.
* I managed to include just about everything on the MP, except for articles that are part of an obvious group (the individual Alien pages, Equipment, Field Manual, UFOs, etc.)
* I didn't attempt to re-do the TFTD index, as I haven't tried TFTD yet.
* I still haven't come up with a better name than "Logistics", but with the pages grouped under it, its meaning is clear.
* "Modding" and "How to make the game harder" both sound good -- two articles, I'm guessing, which have yet to be written. If you write 'em, they can easily be added to the redesigned MP.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 12:14, 1 June 2006 (PDT)

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I replaced the Main Page with the new design from the mock main page. Give a holler if you think it should be changed in any way -- or change it yourself.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 15:08, 6 June 2006 (PDT)

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Mike: I did a little sorting of the subcategories according to "importance", although that's entirely subjective. For instance, I put Scouting and Reaction Fire Triggers and Sweeping the Battlescape first under Tactics because they cover really fundamental tactical points. I prefer a subjective order to something like alphabetical order -- feel free to sort things according to your own tastes.

As I've stated before, I prefer discussion to remain in place, unless it's right on the article page. This is how Wikipedia does things, and it's useful for quickly assessing what's been going on with the article. Keeping topics segregated by headers (not just lines) helps to organize the discussions. If the whole page gets too long, then it can be archived.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 10:10, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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Sounds good. Let me take some time to work with it and see if I have any ideas. The only other immediate thought is that a few places could probably be tightened up, e.g., Research Tips is probably largely under Research. Anyway, it's great for the time being... much more at your fingertips than with the previous version. I'll make a note or take a whack at any thoughts that arise. Meanwhile, I'm doing a little more testing on visual range. Good idea, categories here on the Discussion page will keep things organized and accessible.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

==UFO2000 Section==

OK, Gazchap has given its OK. I am going to start working on the page for UFO2000.

-- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 06:45, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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Excellent! All us here on the XCOM wiki send UFO2000 the best wishes. I've been meaning to check it out myself when I get finished with XCOM... but I never seem to get finished, lol.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

One thing I'd like to ask: right now I've started naming the pages as "UFO2000 whatever". However, I've noticed that this limits the category pages (all entries are in the U letter). Any problem if we start naming them like "whatever (UFO2000)" since that seems to be the format to differenciate between games (such as "Aliens (TFTD)", "Aliens (UFO Defense)) ?

--- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 12:17, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Makes sense to me. Another option you have is to pipe your category links: <nowiki>[[Category: UFO2000|Aliens]]</nowiki> will make the link will appear on the Category page under the "A" heading as "Aliens".

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 13:05, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

Excellent. Thank you very much.

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 15:42, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Hmm, I misspoke. Pipes will change the sort order, but the original page name will still be used on the category page, so a page named "UFO2000 and X-COM" with the catlink "<nowiki>[[Category:UFO2000|Quick Start Guide]]</nowiki>" will be sorted under "Q" but still called "UFO2000 and X-COM", which looks quite strange. You'll probably have to select your page titles to accomodate this -- but at least piping can be used to keep everything from being sorted under U.

Incidentally, you don't need two <nowiki>[[Category]]</nowiki> links -- just one will do, with or without a pipe.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 16:08, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

I started noticing that something was not right ;)

I've just finished renaming all the pages. It fits better with the page naming of the rest of the ufopaedia.

--- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 16:13, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Does anyone know if we can adjust those main navigation links (upper left of each page) so that we can add a link to the UFO2k Main Page? I think that would be appreciated by them. But I have no idea where that's accessed... maybe the managers have special areas?

As long as anyone's editing that, it could be cleaned up a little... do we really need e.g. Current Events, and Donations? Although maybe GazChap likes that last one, hehe.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 07:14, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

== Image Types ==
I was fooling around with images today and decided I should show everyone what an image looks like in a particular format. Just for this example, I used the Level 0 view of the Small Scout. Here are the images (don't peek, just look at them and try to figure out which is which for now):

<center>[[Image:Scout GIF.GIF|GIF image]] [[Image:Scout PNG.PNG|PNG image]] [[Image:Scout JPEG.JPG|JPEG image]]</center>

From what I can tell, the image quality of a GIF and a PNG is minimal. Both look very good. The PNG image seems a tad bit lighter over the GIF, though. Not bad. But compare either a GIF or a PNG with a JPEG and there is a huge difference. The JPEG has "artifacts" strewn all over the place and has a "mottled" appearance. Ugh! Terrible! That's all for the image quality aspect. (So does anyone know the technical difference between a GIF and a PNG? Please explain.)

Let's move on to size. The GIF image is usually the largest in size. In this case the GIF image of the Scout example is 7897 bytes. The JPEG is 6784 bytes (or 86% of the GIF) while the PNG is 6090 bytes (or 77% of the GIF).

Finally, compare size against image quality. PNG wins hands down. Not only is it smaller in size, but it also has an image quality equaling that of a GIF. JPEGs are smaller than a GIF but the image quality sucks. Granted, in some instances a JPEG is fine (especially if the background is a dark color), but in all the comparisons I did they were bad.

So, have you figured out what is what? The first image is a GIF, the second is a PNG and the third is a JPEG.

I implore everyone to consider uploading either a GIF or a PNG image type over a JPEG. The quality is better in those formats. If you have a choice, PNG is better because of the size on disc. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 19:40, 11 June 2006 (PDT)

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The most important difference between PNG and GIF is GIFs can only use 256 colors. I think most graphics from Enemy Unknown are in 8-bit color, so it doesn't cause a problem, but if you ever converted a normal photo to GIF, it'd look horrendous. PNGs can handle "truecolor" (24-bit), and as you said, they tend to compress better too.

JPGs can have different "quality settings" which reduce the artifacts but increase file size. JPG tends to compress photos better than PNG, but PNG is great for non-natural images, such as cartoons or computer graphics. For graphics pulled from X-COM, PNG is probably best.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 21:43, 11 June 2006 (PDT)

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PNG's can vary in size depending on the size of the palette used. A standard 256 colour image would allow PNGs to be more or less the same if not better than GIFs. 'True Colour' PNGs are generally abominations.

For more information on the PNG format: [http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/ Portable Network Graphics ]

GIF and PNG provide lossless compression while Jpeg's offer lossy compression. GIF and PNGs are best used when the image is generally small and contains a limited number of colours. X-Com screenshots fit this bill perfectly.

Jpegs tend to lose image accuracy every time you save the image and it gets worse the higher you set the compression. However, that said, Jpegs are best used when your image is full of colour and minor losses in image quality will not matter.

For example, the above pictures are best done with GIF/PNGs (especially if you intend to include transparent pixels). However if you had a cut out shot of the action in the battlescape, it probably wouldn't matter too much if it were saved as a Jpeg.

Now if you want an image with transparency pixels, you will most definitely pick GIF and PNG. I actually hadn't realised the PNG format allowed tranparencies, but it does.

Just use what's best for the occasion.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

----

''In Which an Uneccessary Discussion of Formats Ensues''

PNG's not only do transparency, but they are capable of doing alpha channel-- that is, partial transparency. A GIF can only do normal colors (completely opaque) or complete transparency. PNG's can do all this, as well as allowing color that are partially transparent (say, a red tint with the background showing through).

I put this in mostly to hear myself talk. There are two limitations to these neato PNG effects:
* For X-Com screen shots, it's not needed-- X-Com 1 and 2 never did such fancy tricks.
* Alpha channel PNG's are, last I checked, not supported by Internet Explorer-- IE will let PNG's mimmick GIF-style transparency (that is, an 8-bit palette with all-or-nothing transparency), but nothing more sophisticated. Firefox and the Mozilla-derived browsers can do them (including Safari, I think), but it's not much good when most of the traffic is still using IE. Yes, I'm bitter about this.

PNG's are in every respect superior to GIF's. In matters of compatibility and filesize, the PNG can be set to work just as well or better than GIF). The only reason you use GIFs is to cater to people with seriously archaic browsers. Widespread PNG support has been around for several years now.

[http://entropymine.com/jason/testbed/pngtrans/ PNG transparency test]

--[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 20:36, 14 June 2006 (PDT)

Talk:Main Page

2006-06-15T03:37:58Z

Papa Legba:

Quick note for future revisions of subsections:

Template navigation toolbars for subsections.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

== Site Backups ==

Does this site receive perodic backups? I'd hate to see all our work vaporize because of a disk crash or if the hosting company folded or if the aliens won... --[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 10:23, 14 May 2006 (PDT)

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I would assume it does. I'll contact GazChap to find out though. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 20:01, 16 May 2006 (PDT)

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Zombie, did you want to check with him? I (or someone else) will ask in a few days if you don't get around to it --[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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An email was sent. Just waiting for a reply. Will let everyone know of the policy soonish. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 22:11, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Ok, gents. Here's the scoop - straight from GazChap. The site is backed up every day, so there is basically no worry about losing everything if it should go down. The only thing that may be lost are transactions during that day when it is down. Normally there isn't much activity, but there is the occasional marathon editing session which some people partake in. ;)--[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 19:41, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

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Excellent news. We'd all hate to see years of work go up in smoke. :P Thanks very much for checking, Z! GazChap is the best... free provisions with zero supervision, lol.

I suppose we can edit this little discussion down to a nub that says the site is backed up.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 19:49, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

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Thanks for checking into it, Zombie -- very reassuring. While I'm here, may I ask what's incomplete in your alien stats research? It's one of the last major things I think the wiki needs. I'd be willing to finish it up and format it for the wiki, I just don't want to duplicate efforts if you're mostly done with it.

:(alien stats question subsequently answered -- thank you, Zombie)

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 21:34, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

== Main Page design ==

Well, here's my ideas for the Main Page. I think the top-level organization should be like so:

Aliens
Alien Life Forms
UFOs
Missions

Logistics
Soldiers
Base Facilities
Crafts
Craft Armaments
Equipment
Weapons
HWP
Miscellaneous Equipment

Technical Info
Bugs
Data Tables
Game Mechanics
Formulas
Game Files
Terrain
Scoring

Combat Tactics
Field Manual
Missions

Game Strategies
Base Management
Economics
Research
Interception Strategies

General Info
X-COM Game Info
Links
Site Info
Contributors

and I'd like to implement it mostly via Category pages, which are easier to maintain. It's probably going to involve little changes (navigation/links/categories, mostly) to lots of pages, so I can't prototype it very well -- once I start experimenting with how to implement it, it'll be under way.

I think the current Main Page format looks good, it's just missing a good organizational schema, like (I hope) the one I posted above.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 08:57, 25 May 2006 (PDT)

I was thinking that we could have a [[mock main page]] where we can fiddle around with the structuring to our hearts content, and replace the real main page every so often.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

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Very cool NKF, thanks for that. That should help here. If the mock Main Page (MP) catches on, we should replace this (true MP) Discussion with something that says "Post questions for the wiki in general here. However, for comments or suggestions on main page webmastering, see [Mock Main Page]." This should help clarify that general noob questions can be asked on the MP Discussion, but "webmaster" stuff about MP should go to the mock page. (Did that make sense? Sincere noobs must always be taken into account.)

Ethereal C, I love all the work you're doing around the site. You're probably the best technical (re)writer we've ever had. I love how you've tightened up many pages, including mine.

However, I don't see your MP logic, help me here. Both newbies and hardcore must be kept in mind, with newbies always coming first if there's any gray area. What follows is comments off the top of my head about what I don't like about your version. But please keep in mind, I'm just me; your opinions are entirely as valid as mine, etc. etc. And the final call goes to, who puts in the work, assuming there are no major objections. And I have no major objections. And esp. if you do it Mock first, what's to complain about. That said,
*General Info should be first (but not nec'ly what you include). It should be truly general info on XCOM for the newbie, not "miscellanous other" - how to run the two main versions of the game on WinXP, where one might get it, etc. This area has always needed a lot of work, since only the hardcore work on the wiki (and the front-side issues are long past for them). The very first menu item, whatever it's name is, should hold out a great big hand specifically for newbies. In short, let people who have accidentally come here (and will quickly leave) get a quick answer, and those who remember XCOM from the past and want to get into it again, have their stuff be top, front & center. (If we ever start thinking this place is only for 'us', that's what it will become! I think NKF has worried over how to handle this... it's hard for any of us hardcore players to relate and spend time on the wiki for it.)
*"Logistics" is not a term used in the game. Of course the game has many logistical issues. But why use a word that never appears in the game, for a MP entry? MP entries should be chosen with great care, IMO. There should not be more than 12. (You have 6; currently there are 13-18, depending on how you want to count.) Terms on the MP should immediately strike anyone as something they've seen in the game. (Of course, there is no pre-defined order; these are just thoughts....)
*Your menu is a varied mix of basic line items for newbies, and then very selected items for the hardcore. There are many things not present at your level 2 that should be for the hardcore, IMO. Like Experience, Damage, Explosion. This site should appeal to two audiences: newbies, and hardcore. Both should have most everything they need within 2 levels, no fuss no muss. Locations should be clear. If I could only see your top level 1 entries (there are 6), where is Damage in that? Not just as an L2 entry, but with a person able to reasonably guess where it is when they can only see your 6 L1 entries? See? In what I had been talking to NKF about months ago, I wanted it at the top of the Combat stuff currently on the MP. Since it's a purely volunteer effort, and I didn't do it while at the same time I asked NKF to... shrug, hehe. BTW the previous MP was starting to look like an index to everything XCOM... as with e.g. speeches, it is in truth harder to make a short speech than a long one.
The current MP structure is an approximation of that which NKF put a lot of time into. He did not work in all my suggestions and recently said he's at crossroads on what to do. I didn't help by having strong opinions without actually editing it any myself.

If you're going to use the Mock MP, do anything you'd like. But consider the balance of having both total newbies and hardcore, have every major topic within 2 levels (1 level off the MP), and it's clear where they are. In two seconds' glance, without looking under all the MP topics. That's the goal, in any event.

If interested, there's more to see in the old Discussion on the MP, before we wiped it (it got real long). Maybe Decemberish?

You've taken a shot at restructuring the MP. It's a lot to think about. We all want it to be the best it can be. All of us who care about the wiki truly appreciate that someone is seriously considering rewriting the Main Page. This wiki has gone from a few off-the-cuff comments, to some seriously deep pages... with lots of gaps in between.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 23:52, 26 May 2006 (PDT)

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I did fail to mention that the above outline is not a complete one -- it's just my initial thoughts on what the top-level structure should be. A lot of the "hardcore" pages (which are of course my favorite) would be under Technical Info or Game Mechanics; I'll certainly fill it out if I start implementing it for real.

I'll concede the structure would be best if it started with an "Overview of X-COM" page. The wiki doesn't have such a page right now. The [[Info|General Info]] page doesn't qualify, but with a rewrite, it might. Right now it's just a scattering of technical factoids: it opens with "''Nomenclature''", of all things. It's certainly not newbie-friendly.

To fix that, we could copy a lot of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-COM X-COM] entry from Wikipedia, with a link back to it to satisfy their copyright requirements. Links, Site Info and Contributors should remain at the bottom, IMO.

I'd like to keep first and second levels of the heirarchy on the Main Page -- the highest levels as I chose them aren't really pages in their own right, just organizational categories. The word logistics isn't a word mentioned in the game, but I want a "stuff you have to administer" category, and that's logistics. As long as the second level (soldiers|base|crafts|equipment) is on the Main Page, its meaning should be immediately obvious.

I prefer that approach to a division into Geoscape and Battlescape topics; although the game is played in those separate domains (and Geoscape is really two things, Geoscape and Base Management), all the logistical stuff exists in both domains: you buy/sell/build/plan stuff in the Geoscape, and use that stuff on the Battlescape.

As for newbies -- I was a newbie to the site quite recently, if not the game, and the first stuff I wanted to see was in-depth information. If you've played the game at all, you know the basics -- you don't need a reprint of the UFOPaedia. (If you haven't played the game at all, you need a better Intro page, as I mentioned above.)

Unfortunately, about half the pages linked to from the Main Page are stub pages in some way. Linking to a stub page from the Main Page immediately signals to me, "this site is useless". I must've come across the Main Page three times while hunting for X-COM information before I realized the site actually ''did'' have good information. (We're still lacking a lot of very specific tactical tips, although that stuff is harder to generate than a page of stats.)

The most useful ones (IMO) are pages which link to a lot of other articles. Some of the other pages are vague, obvious, or borderline fiction -- a lot of the Field Manual is this way, for instance.

Frankly, I find the Main Page frustrating in its current implementation. I'm gonna stop talking about it and just change it (via the Mock page). Hopefully you'll see my reasoning as I implement it. It's gonna be like sorting a deck of cards -- easy to do, tedious to describe.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 11:10, 27 May 2006 (PDT)

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Sounds good, Ethereal! A lot of what I said is just so you know how things got the way they are and/or for your consideration... they're not granite rules. What you say sounds good, too. And it's a good point that actually, by now, probably few will be true newbies (although hopefully this site will have plenty of new veteran-XCOM visitors.) Anyway, the proof is in the pudding and the mock page is for testing anyway... so I'll see ya over there! (Sooner or later!)

This site has grown very organically according to volunteer interests, commonly in bursts of activity... a problem (esp. for newcomers) is that the majority of wiki-ers work on what they're interested (myself definitely included). Some spend time on overall organization, but they're the exception. NKF and Danial did quite a bit this past winter, but plenty more could be done. Anyway... please go for it! :)

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 15:47, 31 May 2006 (PDT)

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There are 2 sections (or subsections, whatever) that I probably could be added as well:

- Modding (with separate sections for terrains/maps/etc., probably including there the main software such as Daishiva's programs and hatfarm's editor). I have started writting a section concerning map editing but never finished it.
- How To Make The Game Harder (for true veterans).

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 19:30, 31 May 2006 (PDT)

----

The completed prototype is at [[mock main page]], check it out.

* I did put the general info link first.
* It's now an index to Everything X-COM -- but I think that's good; this is basically an encyclopedia, and the Main Page is now a Table of Contents.
* I made no specific effort to accomodate newbies ''or'' hardcore players. I hope a sensibly-organized index can serve them both.
* I managed to include just about everything on the MP, except for articles that are part of an obvious group (the individual Alien pages, Equipment, Field Manual, UFOs, etc.)
* I didn't attempt to re-do the TFTD index, as I haven't tried TFTD yet.
* I still haven't come up with a better name than "Logistics", but with the pages grouped under it, its meaning is clear.
* "Modding" and "How to make the game harder" both sound good -- two articles, I'm guessing, which have yet to be written. If you write 'em, they can easily be added to the redesigned MP.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 12:14, 1 June 2006 (PDT)

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I replaced the Main Page with the new design from the mock main page. Give a holler if you think it should be changed in any way -- or change it yourself.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 15:08, 6 June 2006 (PDT)

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Mike: I did a little sorting of the subcategories according to "importance", although that's entirely subjective. For instance, I put Scouting and Reaction Fire Triggers and Sweeping the Battlescape first under Tactics because they cover really fundamental tactical points. I prefer a subjective order to something like alphabetical order -- feel free to sort things according to your own tastes.

As I've stated before, I prefer discussion to remain in place, unless it's right on the article page. This is how Wikipedia does things, and it's useful for quickly assessing what's been going on with the article. Keeping topics segregated by headers (not just lines) helps to organize the discussions. If the whole page gets too long, then it can be archived.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 10:10, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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Sounds good. Let me take some time to work with it and see if I have any ideas. The only other immediate thought is that a few places could probably be tightened up, e.g., Research Tips is probably largely under Research. Anyway, it's great for the time being... much more at your fingertips than with the previous version. I'll make a note or take a whack at any thoughts that arise. Meanwhile, I'm doing a little more testing on visual range. Good idea, categories here on the Discussion page will keep things organized and accessible.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

==UFO2000 Section==

OK, Gazchap has given its OK. I am going to start working on the page for UFO2000.

-- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 06:45, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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Excellent! All us here on the XCOM wiki send UFO2000 the best wishes. I've been meaning to check it out myself when I get finished with XCOM... but I never seem to get finished, lol.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

One thing I'd like to ask: right now I've started naming the pages as "UFO2000 whatever". However, I've noticed that this limits the category pages (all entries are in the U letter). Any problem if we start naming them like "whatever (UFO2000)" since that seems to be the format to differenciate between games (such as "Aliens (TFTD)", "Aliens (UFO Defense)) ?

--- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 12:17, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

----

Makes sense to me. Another option you have is to pipe your category links: <nowiki>[[Category: UFO2000|Aliens]]</nowiki> will make the link will appear on the Category page under the "A" heading as "Aliens".

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 13:05, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

Excellent. Thank you very much.

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 15:42, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Hmm, I misspoke. Pipes will change the sort order, but the original page name will still be used on the category page, so a page named "UFO2000 and X-COM" with the catlink "<nowiki>[[Category:UFO2000|Quick Start Guide]]</nowiki>" will be sorted under "Q" but still called "UFO2000 and X-COM", which looks quite strange. You'll probably have to select your page titles to accomodate this -- but at least piping can be used to keep everything from being sorted under U.

Incidentally, you don't need two <nowiki>[[Category]]</nowiki> links -- just one will do, with or without a pipe.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 16:08, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

I started noticing that something was not right ;)

I've just finished renaming all the pages. It fits better with the page naming of the rest of the ufopaedia.

--- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 16:13, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Does anyone know if we can adjust those main navigation links (upper left of each page) so that we can add a link to the UFO2k Main Page? I think that would be appreciated by them. But I have no idea where that's accessed... maybe the managers have special areas?

As long as anyone's editing that, it could be cleaned up a little... do we really need e.g. Current Events, and Donations? Although maybe GazChap likes that last one, hehe.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 07:14, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

== Image Types ==
I was fooling around with images today and decided I should show everyone what an image looks like in a particular format. Just for this example, I used the Level 0 view of the Small Scout. Here are the images (don't peek, just look at them and try to figure out which is which for now):

<center>[[Image:Scout GIF.GIF|GIF image]] [[Image:Scout PNG.PNG|PNG image]] [[Image:Scout JPEG.JPG|JPEG image]]</center>

From what I can tell, the image quality of a GIF and a PNG is minimal. Both look very good. The PNG image seems a tad bit lighter over the GIF, though. Not bad. But compare either a GIF or a PNG with a JPEG and there is a huge difference. The JPEG has "artifacts" strewn all over the place and has a "mottled" appearance. Ugh! Terrible! That's all for the image quality aspect. (So does anyone know the technical difference between a GIF and a PNG? Please explain.)

Let's move on to size. The GIF image is usually the largest in size. In this case the GIF image of the Scout example is 7897 bytes. The JPEG is 6784 bytes (or 86% of the GIF) while the PNG is 6090 bytes (or 77% of the GIF).

Finally, compare size against image quality. PNG wins hands down. Not only is it smaller in size, but it also has an image quality equaling that of a GIF. JPEGs are smaller than a GIF but the image quality sucks. Granted, in some instances a JPEG is fine (especially if the background is a dark color), but in all the comparisons I did they were bad.

So, have you figured out what is what? The first image is a GIF, the second is a PNG and the third is a JPEG.

I implore everyone to consider uploading either a GIF or a PNG image type over a JPEG. The quality is better in those formats. If you have a choice, PNG is better because of the size on disc. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 19:40, 11 June 2006 (PDT)

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The most important difference between PNG and GIF is GIFs can only use 256 colors. I think most graphics from Enemy Unknown are in 8-bit color, so it doesn't cause a problem, but if you ever converted a normal photo to GIF, it'd look horrendous. PNGs can handle "truecolor" (24-bit), and as you said, they tend to compress better too.

JPGs can have different "quality settings" which reduce the artifacts but increase file size. JPG tends to compress photos better than PNG, but PNG is great for non-natural images, such as cartoons or computer graphics. For graphics pulled from X-COM, PNG is probably best.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 21:43, 11 June 2006 (PDT)

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PNG's can vary in size depending on the size of the palette used. A standard 256 colour image would allow PNGs to be more or less the same if not better than GIFs. 'True Colour' PNGs are generally abominations.

For more information on the PNG format: [http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/ Portable Network Graphics ]

GIF and PNG provide lossless compression while Jpeg's offer lossy compression. GIF and PNGs are best used when the image is generally small and contains a limited number of colours. X-Com screenshots fit this bill perfectly.

Jpegs tend to lose image accuracy every time you save the image and it gets worse the higher you set the compression. However, that said, Jpegs are best used when your image is full of colour and minor losses in image quality will not matter.

For example, the above pictures are best done with GIF/PNGs (especially if you intend to include transparent pixels). However if you had a cut out shot of the action in the battlescape, it probably wouldn't matter too much if it were saved as a Jpeg.

Now if you want an image with transparency pixels, you will most definitely pick GIF and PNG. I actually hadn't realised the PNG format allowed tranparencies, but it does.

Just use what's best for the occasion.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

''In Which an Uneccessary Discussion of Formats Ensues''

PNG's not only do transparency, but they are capable of doing alpha channel-- that is, partial transparency. A GIF can only do normal colors (completely opaque) or complete transparency. PNG's can do all this, as well as allowing color that are partially transparent (say, a red tint with the background showing through).

I put this in mostly to hear myself talk. There are two limitations to these neato PNG effects:
* For X-Com screen shots, it's not needed-- X-Com 1 and 2 never did such fancy tricks.
* Alpha channel PNG's are, last I checked, not supported by Internet Explorer-- IE will let PNG's mimmick GIF-style transparency (that is, an 8-bit palette with all-or-nothing transparency), but nothing more sophisticated. Firefox and the Mozilla-derived browsers can do them (including Safari, I think), but it's not much good when most of the traffic is still using IE. Yes, I'm bitter about this.

PNG's are in every respect superior to GIF's. In matters of compatibility and filesize, the PNG can be set to work just as well or better than GIF). The only reason you use GIFs is to cater to people with seriously archaic browsers. Widespread PNG support has been around for several years now.

[http://entropymine.com/jason/testbed/pngtrans/ PNG transparency test]

--[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 20:36, 14 June 2006 (PDT)

Talk:Main Page

2006-06-15T03:36:44Z

Papa Legba:

Quick note for future revisions of subsections:

Template navigation toolbars for subsections.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

== Site Backups ==

Does this site receive perodic backups? I'd hate to see all our work vaporize because of a disk crash or if the hosting company folded or if the aliens won... --[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 10:23, 14 May 2006 (PDT)

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I would assume it does. I'll contact GazChap to find out though. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 20:01, 16 May 2006 (PDT)

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Zombie, did you want to check with him? I (or someone else) will ask in a few days if you don't get around to it --[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

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An email was sent. Just waiting for a reply. Will let everyone know of the policy soonish. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 22:11, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

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Ok, gents. Here's the scoop - straight from GazChap. The site is backed up every day, so there is basically no worry about losing everything if it should go down. The only thing that may be lost are transactions during that day when it is down. Normally there isn't much activity, but there is the occasional marathon editing session which some people partake in. ;)--[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 19:41, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

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Excellent news. We'd all hate to see years of work go up in smoke. :P Thanks very much for checking, Z! GazChap is the best... free provisions with zero supervision, lol.

I suppose we can edit this little discussion down to a nub that says the site is backed up.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 19:49, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

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Thanks for checking into it, Zombie -- very reassuring. While I'm here, may I ask what's incomplete in your alien stats research? It's one of the last major things I think the wiki needs. I'd be willing to finish it up and format it for the wiki, I just don't want to duplicate efforts if you're mostly done with it.

:(alien stats question subsequently answered -- thank you, Zombie)

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 21:34, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

== Main Page design ==

Well, here's my ideas for the Main Page. I think the top-level organization should be like so:

Aliens
Alien Life Forms
UFOs
Missions

Logistics
Soldiers
Base Facilities
Crafts
Craft Armaments
Equipment
Weapons
HWP
Miscellaneous Equipment

Technical Info
Bugs
Data Tables
Game Mechanics
Formulas
Game Files
Terrain
Scoring

Combat Tactics
Field Manual
Missions

Game Strategies
Base Management
Economics
Research
Interception Strategies

General Info
X-COM Game Info
Links
Site Info
Contributors

and I'd like to implement it mostly via Category pages, which are easier to maintain. It's probably going to involve little changes (navigation/links/categories, mostly) to lots of pages, so I can't prototype it very well -- once I start experimenting with how to implement it, it'll be under way.

I think the current Main Page format looks good, it's just missing a good organizational schema, like (I hope) the one I posted above.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 08:57, 25 May 2006 (PDT)

I was thinking that we could have a [[mock main page]] where we can fiddle around with the structuring to our hearts content, and replace the real main page every so often.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

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Very cool NKF, thanks for that. That should help here. If the mock Main Page (MP) catches on, we should replace this (true MP) Discussion with something that says "Post questions for the wiki in general here. However, for comments or suggestions on main page webmastering, see [Mock Main Page]." This should help clarify that general noob questions can be asked on the MP Discussion, but "webmaster" stuff about MP should go to the mock page. (Did that make sense? Sincere noobs must always be taken into account.)

Ethereal C, I love all the work you're doing around the site. You're probably the best technical (re)writer we've ever had. I love how you've tightened up many pages, including mine.

However, I don't see your MP logic, help me here. Both newbies and hardcore must be kept in mind, with newbies always coming first if there's any gray area. What follows is comments off the top of my head about what I don't like about your version. But please keep in mind, I'm just me; your opinions are entirely as valid as mine, etc. etc. And the final call goes to, who puts in the work, assuming there are no major objections. And I have no major objections. And esp. if you do it Mock first, what's to complain about. That said,
*General Info should be first (but not nec'ly what you include). It should be truly general info on XCOM for the newbie, not "miscellanous other" - how to run the two main versions of the game on WinXP, where one might get it, etc. This area has always needed a lot of work, since only the hardcore work on the wiki (and the front-side issues are long past for them). The very first menu item, whatever it's name is, should hold out a great big hand specifically for newbies. In short, let people who have accidentally come here (and will quickly leave) get a quick answer, and those who remember XCOM from the past and want to get into it again, have their stuff be top, front & center. (If we ever start thinking this place is only for 'us', that's what it will become! I think NKF has worried over how to handle this... it's hard for any of us hardcore players to relate and spend time on the wiki for it.)
*"Logistics" is not a term used in the game. Of course the game has many logistical issues. But why use a word that never appears in the game, for a MP entry? MP entries should be chosen with great care, IMO. There should not be more than 12. (You have 6; currently there are 13-18, depending on how you want to count.) Terms on the MP should immediately strike anyone as something they've seen in the game. (Of course, there is no pre-defined order; these are just thoughts....)
*Your menu is a varied mix of basic line items for newbies, and then very selected items for the hardcore. There are many things not present at your level 2 that should be for the hardcore, IMO. Like Experience, Damage, Explosion. This site should appeal to two audiences: newbies, and hardcore. Both should have most everything they need within 2 levels, no fuss no muss. Locations should be clear. If I could only see your top level 1 entries (there are 6), where is Damage in that? Not just as an L2 entry, but with a person able to reasonably guess where it is when they can only see your 6 L1 entries? See? In what I had been talking to NKF about months ago, I wanted it at the top of the Combat stuff currently on the MP. Since it's a purely volunteer effort, and I didn't do it while at the same time I asked NKF to... shrug, hehe. BTW the previous MP was starting to look like an index to everything XCOM... as with e.g. speeches, it is in truth harder to make a short speech than a long one.
The current MP structure is an approximation of that which NKF put a lot of time into. He did not work in all my suggestions and recently said he's at crossroads on what to do. I didn't help by having strong opinions without actually editing it any myself.

If you're going to use the Mock MP, do anything you'd like. But consider the balance of having both total newbies and hardcore, have every major topic within 2 levels (1 level off the MP), and it's clear where they are. In two seconds' glance, without looking under all the MP topics. That's the goal, in any event.

If interested, there's more to see in the old Discussion on the MP, before we wiped it (it got real long). Maybe Decemberish?

You've taken a shot at restructuring the MP. It's a lot to think about. We all want it to be the best it can be. All of us who care about the wiki truly appreciate that someone is seriously considering rewriting the Main Page. This wiki has gone from a few off-the-cuff comments, to some seriously deep pages... with lots of gaps in between.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 23:52, 26 May 2006 (PDT)

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I did fail to mention that the above outline is not a complete one -- it's just my initial thoughts on what the top-level structure should be. A lot of the "hardcore" pages (which are of course my favorite) would be under Technical Info or Game Mechanics; I'll certainly fill it out if I start implementing it for real.

I'll concede the structure would be best if it started with an "Overview of X-COM" page. The wiki doesn't have such a page right now. The [[Info|General Info]] page doesn't qualify, but with a rewrite, it might. Right now it's just a scattering of technical factoids: it opens with "''Nomenclature''", of all things. It's certainly not newbie-friendly.

To fix that, we could copy a lot of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-COM X-COM] entry from Wikipedia, with a link back to it to satisfy their copyright requirements. Links, Site Info and Contributors should remain at the bottom, IMO.

I'd like to keep first and second levels of the heirarchy on the Main Page -- the highest levels as I chose them aren't really pages in their own right, just organizational categories. The word logistics isn't a word mentioned in the game, but I want a "stuff you have to administer" category, and that's logistics. As long as the second level (soldiers|base|crafts|equipment) is on the Main Page, its meaning should be immediately obvious.

I prefer that approach to a division into Geoscape and Battlescape topics; although the game is played in those separate domains (and Geoscape is really two things, Geoscape and Base Management), all the logistical stuff exists in both domains: you buy/sell/build/plan stuff in the Geoscape, and use that stuff on the Battlescape.

As for newbies -- I was a newbie to the site quite recently, if not the game, and the first stuff I wanted to see was in-depth information. If you've played the game at all, you know the basics -- you don't need a reprint of the UFOPaedia. (If you haven't played the game at all, you need a better Intro page, as I mentioned above.)

Unfortunately, about half the pages linked to from the Main Page are stub pages in some way. Linking to a stub page from the Main Page immediately signals to me, "this site is useless". I must've come across the Main Page three times while hunting for X-COM information before I realized the site actually ''did'' have good information. (We're still lacking a lot of very specific tactical tips, although that stuff is harder to generate than a page of stats.)

The most useful ones (IMO) are pages which link to a lot of other articles. Some of the other pages are vague, obvious, or borderline fiction -- a lot of the Field Manual is this way, for instance.

Frankly, I find the Main Page frustrating in its current implementation. I'm gonna stop talking about it and just change it (via the Mock page). Hopefully you'll see my reasoning as I implement it. It's gonna be like sorting a deck of cards -- easy to do, tedious to describe.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 11:10, 27 May 2006 (PDT)

----

Sounds good, Ethereal! A lot of what I said is just so you know how things got the way they are and/or for your consideration... they're not granite rules. What you say sounds good, too. And it's a good point that actually, by now, probably few will be true newbies (although hopefully this site will have plenty of new veteran-XCOM visitors.) Anyway, the proof is in the pudding and the mock page is for testing anyway... so I'll see ya over there! (Sooner or later!)

This site has grown very organically according to volunteer interests, commonly in bursts of activity... a problem (esp. for newcomers) is that the majority of wiki-ers work on what they're interested (myself definitely included). Some spend time on overall organization, but they're the exception. NKF and Danial did quite a bit this past winter, but plenty more could be done. Anyway... please go for it! :)

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 15:47, 31 May 2006 (PDT)

----

There are 2 sections (or subsections, whatever) that I probably could be added as well:

- Modding (with separate sections for terrains/maps/etc., probably including there the main software such as Daishiva's programs and hatfarm's editor). I have started writting a section concerning map editing but never finished it.
- How To Make The Game Harder (for true veterans).

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 19:30, 31 May 2006 (PDT)

----

The completed prototype is at [[mock main page]], check it out.

* I did put the general info link first.
* It's now an index to Everything X-COM -- but I think that's good; this is basically an encyclopedia, and the Main Page is now a Table of Contents.
* I made no specific effort to accomodate newbies ''or'' hardcore players. I hope a sensibly-organized index can serve them both.
* I managed to include just about everything on the MP, except for articles that are part of an obvious group (the individual Alien pages, Equipment, Field Manual, UFOs, etc.)
* I didn't attempt to re-do the TFTD index, as I haven't tried TFTD yet.
* I still haven't come up with a better name than "Logistics", but with the pages grouped under it, its meaning is clear.
* "Modding" and "How to make the game harder" both sound good -- two articles, I'm guessing, which have yet to be written. If you write 'em, they can easily be added to the redesigned MP.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 12:14, 1 June 2006 (PDT)

----

I replaced the Main Page with the new design from the mock main page. Give a holler if you think it should be changed in any way -- or change it yourself.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 15:08, 6 June 2006 (PDT)

----

Mike: I did a little sorting of the subcategories according to "importance", although that's entirely subjective. For instance, I put Scouting and Reaction Fire Triggers and Sweeping the Battlescape first under Tactics because they cover really fundamental tactical points. I prefer a subjective order to something like alphabetical order -- feel free to sort things according to your own tastes.

As I've stated before, I prefer discussion to remain in place, unless it's right on the article page. This is how Wikipedia does things, and it's useful for quickly assessing what's been going on with the article. Keeping topics segregated by headers (not just lines) helps to organize the discussions. If the whole page gets too long, then it can be archived.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 10:10, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

----

Sounds good. Let me take some time to work with it and see if I have any ideas. The only other immediate thought is that a few places could probably be tightened up, e.g., Research Tips is probably largely under Research. Anyway, it's great for the time being... much more at your fingertips than with the previous version. I'll make a note or take a whack at any thoughts that arise. Meanwhile, I'm doing a little more testing on visual range. Good idea, categories here on the Discussion page will keep things organized and accessible.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

==UFO2000 Section==

OK, Gazchap has given its OK. I am going to start working on the page for UFO2000.

-- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 06:45, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

----

Excellent! All us here on the XCOM wiki send UFO2000 the best wishes. I've been meaning to check it out myself when I get finished with XCOM... but I never seem to get finished, lol.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 10:33, 7 June 2006 (PDT)

One thing I'd like to ask: right now I've started naming the pages as "UFO2000 whatever". However, I've noticed that this limits the category pages (all entries are in the U letter). Any problem if we start naming them like "whatever (UFO2000)" since that seems to be the format to differenciate between games (such as "Aliens (TFTD)", "Aliens (UFO Defense)) ?

--- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 12:17, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

----

Makes sense to me. Another option you have is to pipe your category links: <nowiki>[[Category: UFO2000|Aliens]]</nowiki> will make the link will appear on the Category page under the "A" heading as "Aliens".

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 13:05, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

Excellent. Thank you very much.

[[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 15:42, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

----

Hmm, I misspoke. Pipes will change the sort order, but the original page name will still be used on the category page, so a page named "UFO2000 and X-COM" with the catlink "<nowiki>[[Category:UFO2000|Quick Start Guide]]</nowiki>" will be sorted under "Q" but still called "UFO2000 and X-COM", which looks quite strange. You'll probably have to select your page titles to accomodate this -- but at least piping can be used to keep everything from being sorted under U.

Incidentally, you don't need two <nowiki>[[Category]]</nowiki> links -- just one will do, with or without a pipe.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 16:08, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

I started noticing that something was not right ;)

I've just finished renaming all the pages. It fits better with the page naming of the rest of the ufopaedia.

--- [[User:Hobbes|Hobbes]] 16:13, 8 June 2006 (PDT)

----

Does anyone know if we can adjust those main navigation links (upper left of each page) so that we can add a link to the UFO2k Main Page? I think that would be appreciated by them. But I have no idea where that's accessed... maybe the managers have special areas?

As long as anyone's editing that, it could be cleaned up a little... do we really need e.g. Current Events, and Donations? Although maybe GazChap likes that last one, hehe.

---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 07:14, 9 June 2006 (PDT)

== Image Types ==
I was fooling around with images today and decided I should show everyone what an image looks like in a particular format. Just for this example, I used the Level 0 view of the Small Scout. Here are the images (don't peek, just look at them and try to figure out which is which for now):

<center>[[Image:Scout GIF.GIF|GIF image]] [[Image:Scout PNG.PNG|PNG image]] [[Image:Scout JPEG.JPG|JPEG image]]</center>

From what I can tell, the image quality of a GIF and a PNG is minimal. Both look very good. The PNG image seems a tad bit lighter over the GIF, though. Not bad. But compare either a GIF or a PNG with a JPEG and there is a huge difference. The JPEG has "artifacts" strewn all over the place and has a "mottled" appearance. Ugh! Terrible! That's all for the image quality aspect. (So does anyone know the technical difference between a GIF and a PNG? Please explain.)

Let's move on to size. The GIF image is usually the largest in size. In this case the GIF image of the Scout example is 7897 bytes. The JPEG is 6784 bytes (or 86% of the GIF) while the PNG is 6090 bytes (or 77% of the GIF).

Finally, compare size against image quality. PNG wins hands down. Not only is it smaller in size, but it also has an image quality equaling that of a GIF. JPEGs are smaller than a GIF but the image quality sucks. Granted, in some instances a JPEG is fine (especially if the background is a dark color), but in all the comparisons I did they were bad.

So, have you figured out what is what? The first image is a GIF, the second is a PNG and the third is a JPEG.

I implore everyone to consider uploading either a GIF or a PNG image type over a JPEG. The quality is better in those formats. If you have a choice, PNG is better because of the size on disc. --[[User:Zombie|Zombie]] 19:40, 11 June 2006 (PDT)

----

The most important difference between PNG and GIF is GIFs can only use 256 colors. I think most graphics from Enemy Unknown are in 8-bit color, so it doesn't cause a problem, but if you ever converted a normal photo to GIF, it'd look horrendous. PNGs can handle "truecolor" (24-bit), and as you said, they tend to compress better too.

JPGs can have different "quality settings" which reduce the artifacts but increase file size. JPG tends to compress photos better than PNG, but PNG is great for non-natural images, such as cartoons or computer graphics. For graphics pulled from X-COM, PNG is probably best.

--[[User:Ethereal Cereal|Ethereal Cereal]] 21:43, 11 June 2006 (PDT)

----

PNG's can vary in size depending on the size of the palette used. A standard 256 colour image would allow PNGs to be more or less the same if not better than GIFs. 'True Colour' PNGs are generally abominations.

For more information on the PNG format: [http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/ Portable Network Graphics ]

GIF and PNG provide lossless compression while Jpeg's offer lossy compression. GIF and PNGs are best used when the image is generally small and contains a limited number of colours. X-Com screenshots fit this bill perfectly.

Jpegs tend to lose image accuracy every time you save the image and it gets worse the higher you set the compression. However, that said, Jpegs are best used when your image is full of colour and minor losses in image quality will not matter.

For example, the above pictures are best done with GIF/PNGs (especially if you intend to include transparent pixels). However if you had a cut out shot of the action in the battlescape, it probably wouldn't matter too much if it were saved as a Jpeg.

Now if you want an image with transparency pixels, you will most definitely pick GIF and PNG. I actually hadn't realised the PNG format allowed tranparencies, but it does.

Just use what's best for the occasion.

- [[User:NKF|NKF]]

[i]In Which an Uneccessary Discussion of Formats Ensues[/i]
PNG's not only do transparency, but they are capable of doing alpha channel-- that is, partial transparency. A GIF can only do normal colors (completely opaque) or complete transparency. PNG's can do all this, as well as allowing color that are partially transparent (say, a red tint with the background showing through).

I put this in mostly to hear myself talk. There are two limitations to these neato PNG effects:
* For X-Com screen shots, it's not needed-- X-Com 1 and 2 never did such fancy tricks.
* Alpha channel PNG's are, last I checked, not supported by Internet Explorer-- IE will let PNG's mimmick GIF-style transparency (that is, an 8-bit palette with all-or-nothing transparency), but nothing more sophisticated. Firefox and the Mozilla-derived browsers can do them (including Safari, I think), but it's not much good when most of the traffic is still using IE. Yes, I'm bitter about this.

PNG's are in every respect superior to GIF's. In matters of compatibility and filesize, the PNG can be set to work just as well or better than GIF). The only reason you use GIFs is to cater to people with seriously archaic browsers. Widespread PNG support has been around for several years now.

[http://entropymine.com/jason/testbed/pngtrans/ PNG transparency test]

--[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 20:36, 14 June 2006 (PDT)

X-COM Base Terrain

2006-06-15T02:58:45Z

Papa Legba: /* Battle Notes */

[[image:terrain-xbase.gif|right|X-Com Base]]
Eventually the aliens will find their way back to one of your bases and attempt to overrun it. This at least should be familiar territory: you've laid it out yourself, and have been working in it for months on end. Unlike other areas, whose terrain you will be laying eyes on for the first time at the start of the battle, your troops know the layout of the base right from the beginning. This is the only non-random terrain in the game-- the layout always reflects the base plan.

The smart Commander has laid out the base with [[Base Layout Strategy|defendibility in mind]]. The surface access points-- the lift and the hangars-- have been grouped together, and all isolated from the rest of the base. Hopefully there is only one choke point between the surface access and the base, unlike the example picture here.

Remember all those times your troops were ambushed in farmhouses, or had to rush the hatch of a UFO crawling with aliens? Now's the time for payback. With a good base layout, you should have enough time to set up good ambushes. Hide behind doors and pop out of them to engage the enemy. Make sure the choke-points are covered with every dirty trick you can think of. They should soon be choked with alien corpses.

See [[Xcom_and_Alien_Bases#XCom_Base]] for a full set of maps.

 
==Battle Notes==
*Your troops will begin the battle scattered around the base, concentrated in the general stores and living quarters. Tanks will be principly in the general stores, as will unattended weapons.
*Don't soil your own nest. Some caution must be taken to avoid utterly destroying base sections, and losing them permanently. While any section can withstand one blaster hit, multiple blaster and explosive hits in the same section should be avoided.
**Hangars, access lifts, general stores and living quarters are hardened against attack, and cannot be destroyed.
*That said, don't be afraid to blow a wall or two down to protect your base. Blasting the doors off the otherwise-indestructable access lift is a good way to deny the aliens cover.
*the [[Managing the Item Limit|80-item limit]] can be especially painful for a base that's stuffed with extra weapons and alien artifacts.
* Many modules have lots of smaller rooms and HWP closets. These cubby holes are good places to run for cover in between turns, and can sometimes provide your team with one chance of surviving a blaster bomb attack.
* Soldiers with motion scanners can do well by staying in the upper levels to scan for movement along the lower corridors.

==See Also==
[[Base Defense]] |
[[Base Layout Strategy]] |
[[Base Facilities (UFO Defense)]]
[[Category:Terrain]]

Hovertank/Plasma

2006-05-05T21:03:13Z

Papa Legba:

== General Information ==

The plasma hovertank leverages off Firestorm technology and vehicle-mounted plasma weapons to provide a small, airborne weapons platform of unsurpassed mobility.

The hovertank is superior in both armor and agility to the standard tracked chassis, while mounting a powerful plasma cannon in the turret. In addition to its ability to hover, it can move over 50% faster. The hovertank chassis's armor is stronger than the standard tank's, and more uniformly distributed. In fact, there is only one weak point on the chassis-- its underside-- and even this weak spot is more resilient than the main armor of the standard tank.

The elerium power source allows the cannon to fire indefinitely without power depletion. The weapon has its weaknesses, however. Primarily it lacks auto-fire capability, and furthermore the aimed-shot mode requires too much aiming time for too little accuracy. Finally, The weapon's unlimited firing capability comes at the cost of shot power. The plasma bolt is slightly weaker than man-portable [[Heavy Plasma]]-- 110 damage vs. 115 for a heavy plasma shot).

Like all tanks, its larger size precludes it from moving into confined spaces. However, its plasma weapon and generous ammunition supply allow it to blast open pathways when required.

The research requirements of the tank mean that, by the time the hovertank becomes available, commanders will typically have access to high-tech armor and alien weapons, making the hovertank less competitive with well-equipped soldiers. However, its benefits still compel most commanders to bring along at least one on each mission.

== Vital Statistics ==
<table>
<tr><td>Cost:</td><td>Manufacture only. $850,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>Manufacturing Requirements:</td><td>1200 Engineer hours, 30 Elerium-115 and 5 Alien Alloys</td></tr>
<tr><td>Research Requirements:</td><td>Plasma Cannon, New Fighter Craft</td></tr>
</table>

{{Hover Tank Stats}}

{| {{stdTable}}
|- {{stdTable Heading}}
| colspan = "3" | '''Plasma Turret Specifications'''
|-
| colspan = "3" {{stdTable Sub Heading}} | Ammuntion
|-
| Weapon/Damage Type || '''Plasma'''
|-
| Damage || '''110'''
|-
| Rounds || '''255'''
|-
| Purchase Price || '''Free'''
|-
| Sale Price || '''N/A'''
|- {{stdTable Sub Heading}}
| '''Firing Modes'''
| Accuracy
| Cost
|-
| Aimed
| '''100%''' (60%)
| '''60%''' (60 TU)
|-
| Snap
| '''85%''' (51%)
| '''30%''' (30 TU)
|-
| Auto || '''n/a''' || '''n/a'''
|-
|  
|-
| colspan = "3" | Numbers in parenthesis are the actual values after modified by the chassis' abilities.
Actual costs are in fixed [[TU|Time Unit]]s
|}

== Notes ==
* The plasma beam on the Hovertank/Plasma is not any more powerful than the laser on the tank/laser.
* Compared to a [[Heavy Plasma]] gun, the turret's shots have noticably greater difficulty destroying the internal bulkheads of alien craft.
*The hovertank, like all flying units, can avoid physical attacks like the [[Chryssalid]]'s or [[Reaper]]'s by staying above ground level.

== See Also ==
[[Template:Hover Tank Stats|Hover Tank Stats]]

[[Category:Heavy Weapons Platforms]]

Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2006-03-12T23:23:34Z

Papa Legba: /* Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War */

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

''' A Handy Cut-Out Guide ''' 
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.

'''Happy hunting!'''

==Day One: Hit the Ground Running==

# '''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 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 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 [[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.
#*Laser weapon research isn'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!
#*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.
#*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.''' 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. The man would by 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.

==Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza==

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.
#'''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.
#*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.
#* Keeping around a large selection of research specimens may require more general stores capacity.
#'''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.
#*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.

==The Battlescape: Once More Into The Breech==
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/breeching 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 (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s 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.

==Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War==

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 on hand to protect it.
#*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.

'''Good Luck!'''

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

User talk:Papa Legba

2006-03-12T21:42:16Z

Papa Legba:

Farm Terrain

2006-03-12T21:41:45Z

Papa Legba: /* Battle Notes */

[[image:terrain-cult.gif|right|Farm Terrain (Composite)]]
It is not accidental that most reports of alien abduction come from remote rural areas. Most of the missions X-Com embarks on take place on small, meticulously-tended farms. It is not yet known why aliens prefer to haunt farmland, or why they shun large-scale agribusiness plantations. From a Commander's geoscape view, farmland looks smooth and green.

In any case, farmland is also some of the most treacherous terrain a commander will encounter. The orchards, barns, farmhouses and hedges provide aliens with a wealth of cover and endless opportunities for ambush. Farmhouses can be especially treacherous, with plenty of small alcoves to pop out from. One should watch the roofs of all buildings for alien sharpshooters. However, there are ways to deal with these hazards. Due to the wonders of modern agricultural insurance, a Commander can level an entire farm to smoking ash and not gain a single black mark on his after-action report.

While there are few hills in such areas, wheat fields, vegetable patches and tall grass slow down X-com movement over the level ground. Flying units can be useful to spy into the upper stories of buildings, as well as survey dense orchards from above. 

==Battle Notes==
*Hay and straw provide useful fuel for incendiary attacks.
*Hedges and fencerows may divide the farm up in inconvenient ways. When cutting new paths, remember that it's easier to shoot up a solid hedge than it is to get a direct hit on a spindly wooden fence.
*Farmhouses and barn clusters both have hinged doors. Listen for the opening and closing of these doors during the alien's turn; this may give you a hint of their location. If you find any open doors in areas that you've not been to, approach them with the utmost caution until the you've found the creature that opened the door.
*When possible, go wide around clusters of structures rather than between them. The opportunities for ambush on both sides create too many hazards. This is especially the case when one of the structures is a landed UFO.
*If you are ever so inclined to make use of [[High Explosive]] packs, they can quickly flatten any dubious looking structures that may be housing snipers with a well-placed satchel, or two. If you have a soldier with a fairly strong arm, you can even have a High Explosive thrown into any hedge-enclosed area and have the entire sector wiped in one fell swoop. This approach to clearing the landscape lacks finesse and is very messy, but it is very effective.

==See Also==
[[TU | Time Units]]
[[Category:Terrain]]

Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2006-03-12T18:54:51Z

Papa Legba: /* Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza */

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

''' A Handy Cut-Out Guide ''' 
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.

'''Happy hunting!'''

==Day One: Hit the Ground Running==

# '''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 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 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 [[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.
#*Laser weapon research isn'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!
#*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.
#*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.''' 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. The man would by 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.

==Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza==

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.
#'''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.
#*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.
#* Keeping around a large selection of research specimens may require more general stores capacity.
#'''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.
#*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.

==The Battlescape: Once More Into The Breech==
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/breeching 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 (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s 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.

==Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War==

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. Make sure it's got a living quarters, some general stores, and a garrison of troops on hand to protect it.
#*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.

'''Good Luck!'''

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

Starting Your Shadowy Paramilitary Organization

2006-03-12T18:52:56Z

Papa Legba: /* Day One: Hit the Ground Running */

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

''' A Handy Cut-Out Guide ''' 
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.

'''Happy hunting!'''

==Day One: Hit the Ground Running==

# '''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 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 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 [[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.
#*Laser weapon research isn'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!
#*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.
#*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.''' 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. The man would by 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.

==Your First Month: Bodybag Bonanza==

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.
#'''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.
#*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.
#*As alien artefacts start to come in, it's probably more productive to research technological items and live aliens than it is to inspect corpses.
#* Keeping around a large selection of research specimens may require more general stores capacity.
#'''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.
#*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.

==The Battlescape: Once More Into The Breech==
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/breeching 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 (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s 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.

==Looking Ahead: Settling In For the Long War==

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. Make sure it's got a living quarters, some general stores, and a garrison of troops on hand to protect it.
#*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.

'''Good Luck!'''

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

Explosions

2006-02-03T00:09:22Z

Papa Legba: /* HE Block */

= Explosive Damage to Walls and Objects =

Explosions differ from weapons in a couple of important ways.

#First, of course, they are area effect. (Duh.)
#Second, they impart damage within a narrower range than weapons. Weapons impart from 0 to 2 times their rated strength. (In other words, the UFOpaedia is showing you their ''average'' strength.) But explosives have a minimum of average/2 and a maximum of 3/2*average. So a blaster (HE 200) does from 100 to 300 damage at ground zero (GZ). You will still receive the damage listed in the UFOpaedia at GZ, on average. But you are guaranteed to get some damage (if not so far from GZ that the minimum has become zero). Of course, if your armor is high enough relative to the damage roll, it will block any actual damage.

Average explosive damage to units decreases by 10 per tile away from GZ. At the same time, the maximum damage is decreasing by 15 (3/2*10) and the minimum damage by 5 (10/2). Thus at GZ of a grenade blast (HE 50), units receive 25-75 damage, and at its outer edge (radius=5 inc. GZ), units receive 5-15 damage.

Unlike for units, explosive damage to non-units (ground, walls, and objects) is constant. Thus a specific explosive will always form the exact same blast pattern on the same type of terrain. It is calculated based on the minimum damage (i.e., average/2) for a given square. Thus it starts (at GZ) as half average damage and decreases by 5 per tile outward. If this value is greater than tile armor strength, the tile will be destroyed. However, a given type of explosive always has the same blast radius, regardless of terrain effects (except if there is blockage by e.g. walls). A Blaster can still kill you when 11 tiles away, even if you're on hard UFO floors which will only be damaged four tiles from GZ.

= HE Statistics =
Here's a table of explosive strength and resulting expected blast damage and radii.
HE @ Ground Zero Blast HE @ Edge
'''Type ''' Min '''Ave ''' Max Diam. Rad. Disc. Min '''Ave''' Max
AC - HE 22 44 66 7 3 0 7 14 21
Grenade 25 50 75 9 4 0 5 10 15
HC - HE 26 52 78 7 3 1 11 22 33
Proxy 35 70 105 13 6 0 5 10 15
Small Rocket 37.5 75 112.5 9 4 2 17.5 35 52.5
Rocket Tank 42.5 85 127.5 11 5 2 17.5 35 52.5
Alien Grenade 45 90 135 13 6 2 15 30 45
Large Rocket 50 100 150 13 6 3 20 40 60
Hi - EX 55 110 165 13 6 4 25 50 75
Fusion Hovertank 70 140 210 23 11 2 15 30 45
Blaster Bomb 100 200 300 23 11 8 45 90 135
*'''HE @ Ground Zero''' is damage to ''units'' at ground zero (GZ). Min=Ave/2, Max=Ave*3/2.
*'''HE @ Edge''' is damage at the edge of the blast.
*'''Blast Diameter''' includes GZ. Equals 2r+1.
*'''Blast Radius''' does not include GZ. Equals (d-1)/2.
*'''Disc''' is the discrepancy between actual radius, and the radius expected based on HE. Higher explosives have their blast size 'nipped'. Otherwise the Blaster would have a diameter of 39 - almost 4 tilesets wide!

Average damage to units falls off by 10 per tile away from GZ. Damage to tiles is fixed at half the damage for that tile (i.e., the minimum damage that units can receive) and decreases by 5 per tile (half the 10, that the average is decreasing). Note that damage is still done to units at the stated radii, even if blast strength was not strong enough to damage tiles. That is, you can still be hurt even past where you see floor damage. This is especially true in UFOs and alien bases, which have very strong tiles (see [[Explosions#Blast Diameters|Blast Diameters]] and [[Explosions#Tile Characteristics|Tile Characteristics]]). Even the mighty Blaster only hurts UFO floor tiles (armor=80) out to four tiles from GZ, but your men can still be killed 11 tiles away, regardless. Also note, floor damage does '''not''' "soak up" any of the blast. However, some tiles (especially wall tiles) have an "HE Block" value which does prevent some damage from being passed on. This is what keeps blasts from acting as if walls didn't exist.

Because damage to tiles is fixed, they always produce the same blast pattern for a given type of terrain. Terrains differ in their "armor" (a.k.a. constitution) levels, and are destroyed if the blast damage is equal to or greater than their armor. Most ground terrain also has a second "damaged" tile which appears when the first tile is destroyed. This second tile (a.k.a. death tile) may also be destroyed by the blast, if the blast strength is equal to the armor for both tiles. Raw earth is left if all tiles are destroyed. Some tile sets (such as arctic) have the second death tile set to such a high armor value (255) that no blast will destroy it; thus you'll never see raw earth right under the surface of ice(!). For what it's worth, you can calculate the tile armor simply by looking at the blast pattern and comparing the HE strength (dropping of by 5 at center) to the point where tiles are no longer damaged.

Example: On a desert map, a prox mine will make a pattern with damaged tiles out to a radius of 6. The 9 innermost tiles (radius=1) will show a different tile (blown to raw earth). The first tile in desert has armor of 5 (thus, it's damaged all the way to edge of blast) but the second "dimpled" tile seen after the first one is blown through, has armor of 25. The prox mine is HE 70, so it's hitting ground zero for 35 and GZ+1 for 30. Thus it blows through to raw earth out to GZ+1 (5+25=30).

You may also see additional terrain damage with subsequent explosions. Example: the humble grenade (HE 50) damages the first tile (armor=5) out to radius=5, but does not break through the second tile (armor=25) to raw earth. But a second grenade in the same place will break through the injured tile at GZ, because now that the top tile is gone, the second tile is exactly equal to half grenade strength, right where it exploded.

= Blast Propagation =

As an example of a progressing blast front, Blaster Bombs impart damage to ''units'' as follows:

Dist from GZ Unit Damage
Rad Diam Min Ave Max
0 1 100 200 300
1 3 95 190 285
2 5 90 180 270
3 7 85 170 255
4 9 80 160 240
5 11 75 150 225
6 13 70 140 210
7 15 65 130 195
8 17 60 120 180
9 19 55 110 165
10 21 50 100 150
11 23 45 90 135

Based on [http://www.xcomufo.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=280&t=8701&st=19# testing] by Zombie.

So, the Blaster Bomb is rated at 200 HE damage, and does that - but on average at ground zero. Then the range decreases by 10 per tile away from GZ. Maximum damage decreases by 15 (3/2*average), and minimum damage by 5 (average/2).

Unlike damage to units, tile (i.e., terrain) damage is fixed, and is equal to the minimum damage at that radius (i.e., half the average).

Most large explosions are "nipped" as shown above; in theory the Blaster could've kept going for eight more tiles until it decreased to zero. (But the blast pattern would've been HUGE!, Diameter=39.) Some smaller explosions are not nipped, and decrease until they drop off to zero.

= Blaster Bomb Pattern =
A screencap showing Blaster damage. Just for the halibut.

[[Image:AfterBlasterBombX2.jpg|320px|Typical blaster bomb damage pattern]]

= Ground Zero Effect =

Units at ground zero (center of blast) and the eight adjacent tiles (GZ+1; nine tiles in total) receive damage through their Under Armor. All others receive damage to the side facing ground zero (never Under Armor).

This is true regardless of whether using thrown items (grenades, Hi-Ex) or shot/launched explosives (AC-HE, HC-HE, Rockets, Blaster).

= Susceptibility =

Critters have the following susceptibility or resistance [[Damage formula#Damage modifiers|modifiers]] to explosive damage:

Silacoid 130%
Sectopod 80%
Zombie 80%
Tanks 70%
Cyberdisc 60%

So Silacoids are more susceptible, presumably because they are close to the ground.

=Explosive Map Objects=

There are several map objects that will explode when destroyed:
'''Object Description Armour HE Damage Image Location'''
'''------ ----------- ------ --------- ----- --------'''

U_PODS[00] UFO Fuel Pod #1 20 60 [[Image:U_PODS_00.gif]] Terror Ships, Battleships, and Alien Bases
U_PODS[02] UFO Fuel Pod #2 30 70 [[Image:U_PODS-02-.gif]] Terror Ships, Battleships, and Alien Bases
U_PODS[04] UFO Pod 20 45 [[Image:U_PODS_04.gif]] Terror Ships, Battleships, and Alien Bases
U_WALL02[51-54] UFO Navigation* 15 40 [[Image:U_WALL02-51-54-.gif]]Alien Bases and all UFOs except Scouts
URBAN[85] Fuel Bowser 18 46 [[Image:URBAN-85-.gif]] Terror Missions (Service Station)
XBASE2[25] Fuel Drum 12 60 [[Image:XBASE2-25-.gif]] X-COM Base (Hangar)
XBASE2[32] Missile Warhead 10 40 [[Image:XBASE2_32.gif]] X-COM Base (Missile Defenses)

While many terrain objects can burn (such as vegetation and many human structures), these are the only ones that actually ''explode''.

'''NOTE:''' These objects ''can'' come in useful when Aliens are standing near them, but also be aware that the Fuel Bowser on [[Terror Mission]]s can also kill nearby [[Civilian]]s. Also, X-COM units don't suffer damage from any of these objects exploding nearby them.

= Object Destruction =
Only explosions (not shot weapons) can destroy dropped equipment and other objects on the ground. They are destroyed by blast strengths ''greater than'' the values in this table. Unit names refer to bodies, both stunned and dead:

>HE Destroys
8 Electroflares
12 Standard pistol clip and civilian males(?!)
20 EVERYTHING else not otherwise mentioned. Includes ALL ammo, ALL large bodies
(both XCOM tanks and large aliens), unarmored soldiers, even Elerium.
26 All regular (small) sized aliens' bodies
30 Soldiers in Personal Armor
40 Soldiers in Power or Flying Suit, and Blaster Launcher
45 Plasma Pistol
50 Plasma Rifle and Heavy Plasma '' - Values provided by Danial from [[OBDATA.DAT]][42]

Blast magnitude is stated as the ''average'' blast damage for a tile and it must be ''greater than'' the value shown. Explosion damage for objects is fixed at the average - it does not vary as with explosive damage to units. You will always see the same things destroyed by a given average blast level. This makes it similar to terrain damage, but object destruction differs in that 1) it works off the average damage, and 2) HE must be greater than the value shown. (Tiles are destroyed when HE is ''equal'' to average/2.)

'''Object Destruction Example:''' A regular grenade is HE 50. Its average strength drops off by 10 per tile out to five tiles. Counting ground zero as the first tile, here are blast strengths and what's left after a grenade blast (sort of a reverse of the above):

Radius HE '''SURVIVES
1 50 Plasma rifle and heavy plasma ''(HE must be '''greater than''' 50 to destroy these)''
2 40 PS/FS Soldiers, the three plasma weapons, Blaster Launcher
3 30 Same as 40 except Personal Armor soldiers, too
4 20 Everything except flares, pistol ammo, and male civs
5 10 Everything except flares

By playing with explosives and distances from a blast, you can select how much blast damage is given. Example: A grenade (HE 50) can't touch Heavy Plasma, but HC-HE (52) can destroy everything. At its edge four tiles away (inc. GZ), the HC-HE is strength 22 and leaves alien bodies and other things tougher than 20 HE. Et cetera.

Despite this table, note that aliens use very strong explosives. The alien grenade (HE 90) is 30 average HE ''at its edge''; the Blaster (200) is '''''90''''' at its edge. See "HE At Edge" in the table [[Explosions#HE Statistics|above]].

Ammo loaded in a weapon is safe (until the weapon itself is gone).

Equipment made with alien alloys (including FS/PS) is very often more survivable (but not always).

Stunned aliens destroyed by explosions do not count toward kill [[Experience]] or victory points ([[Scoring (UFO Defense)|Score]] at mission end), nor do they affect enemy [[Morale]]. They just disappear. Same goes for your stunned troopers killed by blasts; they do not detract from score or affect morale. But they ''are'' dead and gone!

= Blast Diameters =

Blast diameters differ according to terrain type. The table below was copied from a [http://www.xcomufo.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8701 post] by Zombie. To get radius, subtract 1 and divide by 2:

Grass,
Lawn,
Corn Dirt, Asphalt Polar
Fields,Weeds, Roads, White Snow,
Wheat Desert White Tin Tile Concrete Mars Mtn. Alien
Cost $/HE Weapon HE Fields Sand Shngls Roofs Roofs Walkway Sand Tundra Floors
700 15.9 AC - HE 44 7 7 5 3 1 1 0 0 0
300 6.0 Grenade 50 7 9 7 5 3 3 1 0 0
500 9.6 HC - HE 52 7 7 7 5 3 3 1 0 0
500 7.1 Prox G 70 11 13 11 9 7 7 5 0 0
600 8.0 Small R 75 9 9 9 9 7 7 5 0 0
6700+2E 74.4 Alien G 90 13 13 13 13 11 11 9 3 0
900 9.0 Large R 100 13 13 13 13 13 13 11 5 1
1500 13.6 Hi Ex. 110 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 7 3
8000+3E 40.0 Blaster 200 23 23 23 25 25 23 23 23 21
'''Tile Armor''' - Initial 6* 5? 10 20 10? 20 25-40 40 50
See next section Dead 50 255 255 255 30? 255 30-255 20 50

<nowiki>*</nowiki> "Wheat" is complex - see Note 3 under [[Explosions#Tile Characteristics|Tile Characteristics]]

Where '''HE''' is the High Exposive rating for each round and:
"White Shingles" is the roof on the gas station complex,
"Mars Sand" is the soil on the Martian surface in Cydonia,
"Alien Floors" is the floor of an alien base (alien ships were not checked), and
"Concrete Walkway" is sidewalks near buildings or roads.
Buy price or manufacturing cost are also shown (part cost only; does not include labor), whether Elerium-115 is needed ("+E"), and "Dollars per HE" (Cost/HE).

Note that these diameters ''only'' show damage to terrain. Damage to units is still done out to the radius for each bomb, as shown in [[Explosions#HE Statistics|HE Statistics]] above. So you can still be killed by a Blaster if 11 tiles away in a UFO, even though the hard UFO floors are only damaged out to 4 tiles from GZ. The tiles do not "soak up" any damage AFAIK. (Not counting tiles with HE Block, such as walls.)

For an Excel spreadsheet with 2D diagrams of all blast patterns (including stun bomb and tanks), see [[Image:XCOM_Blast_Patterns.xls|this]].

Terrain tile properties (Armor, HE Block, etc.) can be readily seen in DaiShiva's excellent [http://www.daishiva.com/phpBB2/generic.php?page=progLinks.shtml MapView] program.

= Distance from Ground Zero =

"Distance" from GZ for explosives is actually computed by taking the TUs needed to walk to tiles in the blast radius. For example, 2 diagonal tiles away is considered to be 3 tiles since it takes 6+6=12 TUs to walk (and 12/4=3). This can be modelled on a spreadsheet using the equation:

Distance = INT( MAX(X,Y) + MIN(X,Y)/2 )

where X and Y are positive offsets from Ground Zero

This simplified approach sometimes makes blasts a little stronger down diagonals than would be expected from the Pythagorean theorem (a2=b2+c2; a=SQRT(a2+b2)). Using Pythagoras, a diagonal tile is 1.4 tiles away, but the game considers them 1 tile away (INT(SQRT(2)). The 1.4 would've led to 1/1.4=71% blast strength. This is the worst case; the TUs approach is much closer to Pythagoras on a percentage basis at greater diagonal distances.

= HE Block =

Some tiles have a property called "HE Block" (High Explosive block, a.k.a. '''HEB''') which causes them to dampen an explosive blast proceeding past them. This is basically what makes a wall, a wall... without this property set, explosions would proceed through walls and other objects as if they didn't exist.

For the record, tile armor values (see below) do not dampen explosions in any way whatsoever. Tile armor '''only''' affects whether that tile is destroyed by an explosion; blasts otherwise proceed entirely unhampered. Only HE Block dampens explosions. If you set outer UFO hull armor to 255 (the highest it can be) and its HE Block to 0, a blaster explosion on the hull will be the full, entirely "round" 23 tiles in diameter, imparting damage to anything caught in its circle as if the hull did not exist. (But the hull will be unaffacted, because its armor is >100.)

Also, HE Block only dampens explosions "past" the tile in question. It does not dampen the blast for that tile, itself. Thus, an outer UFO wall takes the full force of a blaster bomb (200/2=100, just enough to take out one wall tile), but it's HE Block 100 stops any of the blast from proceeding '''past''' the wall "inwardly".

[http://www.xcomufo.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8701&st=114&# Playing] with HE Block shows that explosions proceed from ground zero outward in a way that '''only''' directly impacts the four tiles that are directly adjacent (due north, south, east, and west). Blast damage never proceeds in a diagonal fashion per se; instead, diagonals are filled in as a function of damage going sideways from these four main "rays". As BombBloke has observed, one can trace HEB back to its "source" by looking for the places where there were decreases. IOW, you are either seeing main rays decreasing by 5, or 50% moving laterally (then outward), and can trace HEB back to its source by comparing a blast with HEB, to one without it... where was the usual progression dampened?

XCOM map tiles can have up to four types of terrain: a ground tile, a north wall, a west wall, and a terrain object (such as a tree or furniture). This is not counting "mobile" items such as units or equipment dropped on the ground.

HE Block assigned to ground tiles is ignored by the game. Thus e.g. the HEB 25 of hay loft ground tiles is just a data entry error(?) that doesn't affect anything (see [[Explosions#Tile Characteristics|Tile Characteristics]]).

A wall is a separator between the two tiles that it is drawn between. This is not quite true for objects, however.

In terms of HE Block, this is best demonstrated by directly impacting e.g. a blaster on the object, coming at it from the side: a lone object in the middle of a field will show a blast pattern exactly equal to simply having set off the bomb in the middle of the field, with no object there - the HE Block of an object is ignored when a blast impacts the object itself. Conversely, if a wall is hit on its face, it ''will'' HE Block damage from being passed on to the "other side" of the wall.

But this only applies to objects that are directly hit. If, instead, we exploded a blaster against the ground right ''next'' to an object or wall, the blast pattern is very similar for them both - because now the object is intercepting one of the "rays" from the explosion, instead of exploding "itself". In other words, the blast front has directionality relative to the object, and is blocked in a "logical" way, if ground zero is to the "side" of it.

[[image:Explosions-BB_On_BB_Hull_Object.jpg|right]]Some outer UFO walls are not true "walls", and a Blaster hit propagates through them at 100 HE. The door is 80 HE Block - just enough to stop the usual Blaster in its tracks there (at decrease of 10 per tile). Any alien unlucky enough to be on the four damaged tiles would be hit by 45-180 HE, average 90 (1 tile inward), or 40-160, average 80 (3 tiles outside door). Anyone on the far (inner) side of the door would not be hit, even though its tile was hit by 80 HE, for the door is a "true" (north) wall, and stops the blast from moving inward.

Ordinarily, the distinctions don't matter much. But there's at least one place where they might. As pointed out by Danial, some outer UFO "walls" hit by Blasters have damage penetration past the wall, even though they "shouldn't". See the graphic. What's happening is that some outer walls are actually objects, as seen in [[Explosions#Tile Characteristics|MapView]]. These objects are displaying the behavior shown above - when they are hit directly, the explosive blast propagates outwardly from the object, as if it did not exist. This is very different from a true wall, which shows directionality, and "makes a wall a wall". Due to the limited constraints within which the XCOM DOS programmers worked, only true "north" and "west" walls properly stop explosive blast from going "through" the wall.

[[image:BB_Third_Level.jpg|right|These are the only "true" north and west '''outer''' walls on the third floor of the battleship, as seen in MapView. All other outer walls are subject to blast through, although diagonals (not parallel to due north/south/east/west) may show funny patterns, or zero blast through. Also note all inner walls ARE true walls.]]

See the second battleship graphic, which shows the only true north and west '''outer''' walls on the third floor of a battleship. All other '''outer''' "walls" are subject to blast through at 100 HE, as seen in the first picture. That said, however, HE Block has not been well tested/understood. ''(Care to volunteer?)'' There is no guarantee that blasts will proceed inward, especially when diagonals are involved. And, of course, as can be seen, the actual amount of blast moving inward only affected a total of four tiles inside the UFO - the rest was blocked by the high HE Block of the inner room's walls and door.

All items in a tile (ground, walls, and terrain object) receive the same force of explosion. As described above, this is the current blast strength at that tile, which equals the average blast strength divided by two.

For the record: Soldiers do not have any HE Block. If you group a lot of them together and then explode something near them, there is no difference in the explosion pattern or strength where they stand.

Anyone interested in testing HE Block, be sure to see [[User:Bomb Bloke|Bomb Bloke]]'s fantastic numerical tileset which makes blast testing far easier than it would have been. Find his hacked terrain [http://www.strategycore.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=746&st=195&# here], or bundled with a savegame [[Image:BB_hacked_desert3MoreWalls.zip|here]]. To see a screencap of the tiles in action (and a good example of what I'm discussing!) see [http://www.xcomufo.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8701&st=112&# this] message. ''--[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]]

= Tile Characteristics =

This section is mainly for folks doing research on explosion propagation. Values were gathered with DaiShiva's excellent [http://www.daishiva.com/phpBB2/generic.php?page=progLinks.shtml MapView] program. Caution: You must install the extensive MicroSoft .NET platform to use MapView; see DaiShiva's site.

 Ini Ded HEB Type _
80 50 Most UFO floors UFOs AND ALIEN BASES
100 NDT UFO roof
100 220 100 Outer UFO walls
80 50 80 Most inner UFO and base walls
100 50 100 Inner UFO security walls (See Note 1)
80 50 80 Most inner UFO doors
100 50 100 Inner UFO security doors
100 NDT Partial UFO floors and adjacent tiles along diagonals etc.
50 50 Common gray base floors
150 50 Green start tiles
200 50 Red elevator tiles. Yellow rays add 200 armor.
50 65 Purple floor around wide elevators, in entertainment room, etc.
60 60 60 Flashing orange and aqua walls (good backdoors sometimes!)
70 50 70 Green-on-black comp display wall (trapdoor to BB control room)
 90 100 Dark black base floor in gardens and around command center _
 25 255 Arctic ground ARCTIC
20 255 Road CITIES
8 255 Smooth grass
10 255 Grass patches and dirt
15 30 Gas station ceiling - 150 Flame
10 30 Gray store floor
15 30 Slate roof for buildings - 160 Flame
18 50 Gray warehouse floor - 155 Flame
15 30 Rough gray concrete store roof - 150 Flame
12 40 Pastel pink(?) indoor tile - 111 Flame
8 255 Flowers
 6 50 Pink patterned carpet - Normal 20 Flame, DT 100 Flame _
40 30 Sand. Crater objects add armor, HE Block, 4 TUs. CYDONIA
 100 NDT Green Start tiles. All others as for alien bases. _
 5 25 Sand DESERT
5 255 Grass FARM
10 255 Dirt and cultivated fields
6 25 Wood floor - Flame 16
6 25 25 Hay loft ground floor - Normal 12 Flame, DT 25 Flame
10 255 Stable - Flame 10
 30 35 Cobblestone floor - 160 Flame _
 10 30 Light green weeds add 8 armor, 25-30 Flame FOREST
 8 30 Plants add armor and HEB; see Note 2 JUNGLE
40 NDT Normal ground. Also see [[Explosions#Mile-High Madness|Mountain Madness]]. MOUNTAIN
 50 NDT 50 Solid mountain walls (full height) _
15 80 Common pink(?) or gray floors, inc. Access Lift XCOM BASE
10 80 Lighter tile in center of some common floors
12 70 Blue floors
 16 80 Hangar floor _
255 NDT 0 Ramp object. See Note 4. XCOM CRAFT
255 NDT 0 Floor of craft

"Ini" is initial tile armor; "Ded" is tile armor for the next ("dead") tile that appears after the initial one is blown away. If no tile is indicated (DeathTile=0), '''NDT''' is put. This means that raw earth will appear when the tile is killed, on ground level (or nothing does if above that, such as with UFO roof). Nothing is strong enough to break through Death Tiles with armor 255. Thus you can't break through artic ice to reveal raw earth, which makes sense. Basically anything over 100 (half the blaster's damage) cannot be broken through; thus elevators and start tiles (except in Cydonia surface!) are safe from explosions.

'''Note 1:''' The inner UFO walls with "crown molding" have higher armor, and can be considered "security walls". The whole third level of battleship is this, and it's also found around the control room in large UFOs. Also, the darker doors without the line down their center are also higher strength. These are also generally found in secure areas; the top of the battleship elevator is ringed by them. These strong doors are also found in a few interesting places such as the entrance to the "engine room" on the bottom floor of the Supply Ship (even though the walls there are not security walls).

Most solid floors etc. have no flame ("Flammable") value. Most plants and human buildings do. Some tiles look weird, but make sense when you think about it. For example, cobblestone in farms has a high flame value - but it's found as the first floor of wooden buildings. Also ('''Note 2:''') Most largish plants (shrubs and larger) had HE Block values. The jungle, in particular, has many full trees with HE Block of 20. Don't ask me why the hay loft ground floor has HEB=25.

There are a number of small objects that add armor to a tile. Example: Rocks in the desert are separate objects, with 20 armor. But snakes and bones are just painted onto a common desert tile; they are not separate objects nor do they add anything to the tile properties. Generally, anything that adds TUs also adds armor and possibly HE Block and Flammability. Most objects (including walls) that block movement add armor and HE Block, as well.

'''Note 3''' (from Blast Diameters): For what it's worth, the effects of e.g. wheat and flowers in the farm map are actually ''added'' to the base tile (and '''add''' TUs to it). They are separate objects in addition to the ground tile. The additional TU costs can be seen in MapView, such as 2 (i.e., +2) for wheat. They also have their own armor ratings. Thus the wheat itself has Initial Armor 6, DT Armor 50 (this one shows burnt crops), which then goes to another DT (dirt) of Armor 255. But the tile it's on has Initial Armor 10, then goes directly to the same final DT as wheat (Armor 255). What happens is that wheat tiles go directly to their DT if blast strength is 60+, or to burnt crops if 60 > strength >= 6.

'''Note 4:''' All ramp-section objects add 4 TUs to underlying terrain ''except'' the middle and top of Avenger's ramp only adds 2 TUs. I think Danial has pointed this out before. Also see [[Explosions#Mile-High Madness|Mountain Madness]].

Take these values as a rough guide. Some were hard to tell apart. If you want to do research on a particular tile, please double-check MapView before spending a lot of time on it! ''- [[User:MikeTheRed|MTR]]

= Experience Points =

Experience that may be gained with explosives is as follows.

Any alien (not under mind control) caught in a blast radius will give experience points toward [[Firing Accuracy]]. So one blast can give many Firing experience points (XPs). It does not matter if the alien was not harmed (i.e., damage was blocked by armor); you still get experience points if they were in the blast radius. Mind controlled aliens are considered friendly and do not give experience points.

Note that if no one actually throws a thrown explosive (it's merely dropped), your first soldier gets the Firing Accuracy experience (even if a tank or if dead!). Thrown objects are attributed to the last person to throw them, or default to your first soldier "slot" if no one threw it. Your tanks always occupy the first slot(s) (but enemy tanks such as the cyberdisc do not occupy your first slot). Keep this attribution in mind when using the [[Grenade Relay]], if you're trying to pass Firing experience around. As it were.

The [[Small Launcher]]'s "explosive" stun bomb also gives Firing experience. Again, even if aliens did not actually fall unconscious (or receive any stun at all). Stun bomb radius in desert terrain is 5, diameter 11.

If thrown, one [[Throwing Accuracy]] experience point will be given. This holds true for throwing anything, explosive or not.

If you make a reaction shot with a projectile explosive, you will receive one [[Reactions]] experience point, even if many aliens were hit by the blast (giving you many Firing XPs). Technically, you were only reacting to the movement of one of the aliens.

To see how experience points translate into skill points (when combat ends), see [[Experience#How Experience Points Are Applied|here]].

'''NOTE:''' The [[Proximity Grenade]] does NOT give Firing experience to the thrower. Instead, it gives Firing experience to the person that triggers it to explode. Keep this in mind because this tends to make it a poor choice, especially early in the game (SIGH!).

= Playing With Fire =

'''Hacking HE versus Blast Diameters
----
Hacking HE ([[OBDATA.DAT]][22]) shows that explosion patterns fall into 2 or 3 categories:
* All projectile explosives (AC, HC, S & L Rocket, and probably Rocket Tank) have "constrained" patterns that are always smaller than expected - their blasts never "die away to nothing" at their edge. They also continue to have an ever-increasing outline (larger diameter) for as high as HE can be hacked.
* All grenades (standard, alien, prox, Hi-Ex) have "natural" blast patterns that '''do''' "die away to nothing" at their edge - up to HE 61. At 62, it takes on a fixed pattern which shows some "constraint" in the sense of not being what would naturally be expected. At this point it is radius 6, diameter 13. And then their pattern never changes (i.e. enlarges) past what is seen at 62, even if you increase HE all the way up to 255. Even much higher than HE 62, grenades' pattern is still only radius 6.
* Guided weapons (blaster and presumably fusion tank) follow the same pattern as grenades '''but''' their blast pattern continues to grow in size, until one reaches 112 (radius 11, diameter 23). At this point it too becomes fixed, no matter how much higher HE is hacked.
Thus blast radii and diameters can be described with these equations:
Type Radius Diameter Pattern Limit Reached At
Projectile Explosives INT(HE/20)+1 2*INT(HE/20)+3 HE 240 (r=13, d=27)
Grenades and Guided Weapons INT((HE-2)/10) INT((HE-2)/5)+1 Grenades: HE 62 (r= 6, d=13)
Guided: HE 112 (r=11, d=23)

For the above, ''only'' the blast pattern a.k.a. "outline" is being talked about. ''Within'' the blast pattern, all explosives follow the expected, simple rules of: Average HE at ground zero, decreasing by 10 per tile outward (for damage to units; by 5 for damage to terrain), and all points (and explosive strength there) can be described in terms of distance from GZ using the [[Explosions#Distance from Ground Zero|"walking TUs"]] method.

These properties of hacked explosive strength lead to the following observations:
*Since there is only one (unhacked) grenade or guided weapon with an HE rating less than the point of its "radius of constraint", only the humble grenade shows a quite round, "natural" blast pattern outline. It's the only explosive that truly decreases to 0 all around its edge (although the prox mine comes very close).
*On the flip side of that, as HE gets larger and larger (with or without hacking), the edge of blast patterns becomes more and more lethal. It's easy to see that this would happen with grenades and guided weapons - their diameter no longer increases, even when increasing their explosive power. But hacked projectiles are also dangerous at their edge - even though it is not constrained, per se - because their radii only increase by one every ''20'' HE, even though damage only decreases by ''10'' per tile. Thus, they ''increase'' by 10 at their edge (+20, -10) each time their radius increases.
*Here are some examples of maximally-hacked blast edges, versus the worst seen in an unhacked game:
**A grenade hacked to HE 255 has an average of 195 HE at its edge (r=6, d=13)
**A guided weapon at HE 255 has an average of 145 HE at its edge (r=11, d=23)
**A projectile explosive at HE 255 has an average of 125 HE at its edge (r=13, d=27)
**[[Explosions#HE_Statistics|Compare]] how the most dangerous unhacked example is a blaster (HE 200), which is 90 average HE at its edge (r=11, d=23)...
**But the second-worst case is Hi-Ex (HE 110), which is 50 at its edge, because it is a grenade constrained to just r=6, d=13. ('''Not''' the Fusion Tank at HE 140, because guided missiles can be up to r=11.)
*Many blast patterns have the same r=6 outline in an unhacked game. This is because all but one grenade is constrained to this, plus one of the projectile patterns (for Large Rocket, HE 100) happens to precisely coincide with this, as well (as it would for any projectile with HE 100-119).
*If a stun bomb (stun strength 90) is hacked to be an explosive (OBDATA[31]=2), it too follows the pattern for projectile explosives. This includes if its HE is also then hacked.

Presumably, the pattern type is determined by whether something has the OBDATA grenade type set, or it is ammo, or it is guided.

Examples of the patterns (both real and hacked) and the walking TUs map can be found in an Excel file [http://www.xcomufo.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=280&t=8701&st=116# here].

'''Hacking HE versus Explosion Sounds
----
When HE is hacked, there are two types of sound heard:
*The small "whoomf" up to HE 80, and
*The big bone-jarring explosion heard at HE 81+.
Another thing is seen:

In addition to the projectile-launch sound each type of projectile weapon makes, the [[Auto Cannon]] and [[Heavy Cannon]] also do a slightly odd thing: if hacked to HE from 74 to 80, they make the "whoomf" sound twice when they explode.

'''Hacking HE versus Walls
----
The [[Blaster Bomb]] is the only thing capable of blasting through a UFO outer hull (walls and roof). It does exactly 200 damage at the epicenter and only ever knocks out one tile.

When we boost the power of the humble [[High Explosive]] with a game editor we see the following:

*190 for HE strength is not enough to bust a hull open.
*200 is, but only one tile wide.
*210 opens up a hole 3 tiles wide
*220 opens up a hole 5 tiles wide.

For every 10 points of HE strength above 200, it adds 2 to the width of the hole.

''- reposted from NKF/Jasonred/Zombie discussion, strategycore forums 2005 -[[User:JellyfishGreen|JellyfishGreen]]

= Mile-High Madness =
Mountains have the inherent weirdness that they "weaken" some structures, as pointed out by NKF, BombBloke, and others. For example, a Blaster explosion on the ground below an XCOM craft will destroy its ramp and landing struts, in mountain terrain. Ordinarily, these objects are indestructible (armor=255) for all three troop transports. You can even take them or outer UFO walls out with an alien grenade - anything that's enough to destroy tile armor 40 (=HE 80+).

The reason for this unusual behavior is seen by using MapView. It seems that XCOM programmers accidentally pointed to an ''object'' instead of a ''tile'' for the death tile of mountain terrain. It looks like they pointed to MCD id 76 (a stump object) when they should've pointed to MCD id 77 (scorched mountain ground tile). Perhaps someone stuck in an extra tile without keeping an eye on the pointers. In any event, this object only has armor of 20. It is theorized that when mountain terrain is destroyed (armor=40), the stump object then erroneously replaces e.g. the craft ramp, and then the explosion is also enough to take out that object. Note that the code for explosions appears to process ground first and then process objects; this must be how the inadvertent stump object also gets destroyed. (Otherwise is should've been seen all along the outer edge of a blaster explosion, where the blaster's tile-damage strength is less than 60; see [[Explosions#Blast Propagation|Blast Propagation]].)

Conversely, if you shoot a weapon at mountain ground terrain, you will see the stump. This is presumably because shots are "directed" at ground alone and only destroy the ground tile, whereas explosions are checked against everything in a square (ground, two walls, and object, if any). You can even turn craft ramps and gear into stumps, if you try hard enough. Most shots will hit the ramp instead of ground, but eventually one will miss and hit the ground, turning the ramp into a stump!

This strange behavior is also seen on flat mountaintops. All the common flat mountain ground tiles point to the wrong death MCD id.

A final oddity due to the incorrect tile is that mountain ground destroyed in an explosion will burn for three turns. Most common ground tiles have 0 Flammability and will not burn after a "regular" explosion. (They'll burn if hit by incendiaries, though.) This is because the stump object has Flammability=14 and is set to burn for 3 turns.

= See Also =

*[[Damage]]
*[[Firing Accuracy]]
*[[Throwing Accuracy]] (including throwing distance)
*[[Reactions]]
*[[Weapons (UFO Defense)|Weapons]]
**'''Thrown Explosives'''
***[[Grenade]]
***[[Proximity Grenade]]
***[[Alien Grenade]]
***[[High Explosive]]
**'''Projectile Explosives'''
***[[Auto Cannon]]
***[[Heavy Cannon]]
***[[Rocket Launcher]]
***[[Tank/Rocket Launcher]] a.k.a. Rocket Tank
***[[Small Launcher]] a.k.a. Stun Bomb
**'''Guided Explosives'''
***[[Hovertank/Launcher]] a.k.a. Fusion Tank
***[[Blaster Launcher]]
*[[Health]]
*[[Fatal Wounds]]
*[[Equipment (UFO Defense)|Armor]]
*[[Experience]]

Category:Terrain

2006-02-03T00:06:33Z

Papa Legba: /* See Also */

For any [[Missions (UFO Defense)|mission]], the effect of the terrain shouldn't be underestimated. The environment can make an otherwise simple mission into a nightmare, or greatly simplify a major undertaking. While the exact layout of the landscape changes with each battle, there are some common sets of terrain to consider.

==See Also ==
For specifics about the time required to move over terrain, see [[TU| Time Units]].

For advice on movement, see [[Field Manual: Movement Tactics]].

To see how explosions interact with terrain, see [[Explosions]].

For the information about the interiors of UFOs, see [[UFO (UFO Defense)|UFOs]].

Talk:Psionics

2006-02-02T22:19:05Z

Papa Legba:

Just had a thought on the formula!

What if the "Psionic Combat Strength" formula was a''' ' + ' '''rather than a''' ' * ' '''?

It would mean the example Soldier would have a PCS of 111, rather than 1520, and the defending Muton would have:

Panic Chance = 76%
MC Chance = 56%

These numbers seem more reasonable, don't you think?

--[[User:Danial|Danial]] 15:32, 19 Nov 2005 (PST)
----
Right, it sounds '''much''' more reasonable now. My actual results were 1192 successes out of 2420 tries = 49.26% success rate. The MCer was right next to MC victim, and we know distance introduces ''some'' kind of decrease to base chance. That's the good news. The bad news is that I also tested psi str 95, skill 44 (and some higher skill levels) and never failed to MC ''once'' with these better MCers. Using your revision, a psi str 95, skill 44 guy should have had a success rate of 84% vs. a beginner Muton soldier (psi str 25, skill 0), not 100%. My higher-skill guys were also right next to their MC victims. So, to me the first example makes sense relative to your idea (fits base chance, plus a little distance adds a little more), but the second example counters it.

Still, it sounds WAY better than 1500% :)

I sure wish psi testing wasn't so labor intensive. I got those 2400 counts doing all that experience testing... not interested in doing it again, just for psi equations. At least not at the moment. :P ---[[User:MikeTheRed|MikeTheRed]] 21:12, 23 Nov 2005 (PST)

----
Question: why is the Sectopod's psionic resistance listed as N/A? I've mind-controlled sectopods (or at least one square of a sectopod) on many occasions. I usually have it shoot itself, since it can target one of its other, non-MC'ed squares. From my anecdotal experience, their psi resistance seems somewhat high. --[[User:Papa Legba|Papa Legba]] 14:19, 2 February 2006 (PST)

Celatid

2006-01-08T19:54:38Z

Papa Legba: /* Notes */

==General Information==
[[Image:celatid.gif|right|Celatid]]
Celatids are an alien [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] accompanying [[Muton]]s along with [[Silacoid]]s. As with all terror units, they can be encountered in the following mission types:
* [[Terror Mission]]
* [[Base Defense]]
* [[UFO Ground Assault]] ([[Terror Ship]] or [[Battleship]])
* [[Alien Base Assault]]
* [[Cydonia]]
The Celatid's only means of attack is its acid spit. This does a whopping '''140HP''' damage, which is multiplied by '''1.6x''' on unarmoured soldiers and [[civilian]]s (and even '''1.1x''' on [[Personal Armor]]ed soldiers). Now combine this with a firing accuracy that can reach 116% (on Superhuman difficulty) and the Celatid makes for a rather deadly foe.

==Statistics==
'''TUs:''' 70-82
'''Health:''' 62
'''Energy:''' 90-105
'''Reactions:''' 40-47
'''Strength:''' 70-82
'''Bravery:''' 90
'''Firing Accuracy:''' 50-116
'''Psi Skill:''' N/A
'''Psi Strength:''' 60-70

'''Damage:''' 140
'''Accuracy-'''
'''Snap:''' 75%
'''Aimed:''' 110%
'''TUs-'''
'''Snap:''' 30%
'''Aimed:''' 60%

==Live Specimen==
This life-form has the mysterious natural ability to float through the air. It appears to detect human brain waves and will move towards a human target even if well hidden. Once a target is detected the Celatid lands and fires small globules of extremely corrosive venom. The creature has the ability to clone itself at an alarming rate. It accompanies the [[Muton]] race in its wonderings.

==Autopsy==
[[Image:celatidautopsy.gif|right|Celatid - Autopsy]]
The core contains a small bio-mechanical device which appears to be a naturally evolved anti-gravity propulsion system. The sac of venom is the largest organ and there does not appear to be a separate brain structure. There is no discernible digestive or reproductive system. A small organ contains embryos which can grow rapidly into a new being.

==Notes==
The following are some miscellaneous notes on the Celatid:
* We're not sure what the eggheads mean about tracking hidden targets or rapid reproduction cycles, but none of this activity has ever been observed in the field.
* The Celatids acid spit does 1.6x damage to unarmoured soldiers and civilians.
* It does 0.4x damage to tanks and hovertanks.
* Its quite small, making for a harder target.
* Its quite fast.
* Very accurate attack.
* If in range, can attack up to 3 times in one turn.
* Acid spit follows a mortar-like trajectory.
* The effective range of the celatid's spit is eight squares maximum.
* It has poor armor. It can fall to conventional weapons, and even a glancing shot from heavy plasma will usually kill it.
* Celatid has a weakness to its own spit!

==See Also==
[[Muton]]

[[Silacoid]]

[[Category:Alien life forms]]

Celatid

2006-01-08T19:54:27Z

Papa Legba: /* Notes */

==General Information==
[[Image:celatid.gif|right|Celatid]]
Celatids are an alien [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] accompanying [[Muton]]s along with [[Silacoid]]s. As with all terror units, they can be encountered in the following mission types:
* [[Terror Mission]]
* [[Base Defense]]
* [[UFO Ground Assault]] ([[Terror Ship]] or [[Battleship]])
* [[Alien Base Assault]]
* [[Cydonia]]
The Celatid's only means of attack is its acid spit. This does a whopping '''140HP''' damage, which is multiplied by '''1.6x''' on unarmoured soldiers and [[civilian]]s (and even '''1.1x''' on [[Personal Armor]]ed soldiers). Now combine this with a firing accuracy that can reach 116% (on Superhuman difficulty) and the Celatid makes for a rather deadly foe.

==Statistics==
'''TUs:''' 70-82
'''Health:''' 62
'''Energy:''' 90-105
'''Reactions:''' 40-47
'''Strength:''' 70-82
'''Bravery:''' 90
'''Firing Accuracy:''' 50-116
'''Psi Skill:''' N/A
'''Psi Strength:''' 60-70

'''Damage:''' 140
'''Accuracy-'''
'''Snap:''' 75%
'''Aimed:''' 110%
'''TUs-'''
'''Snap:''' 30%
'''Aimed:''' 60%

==Live Specimen==
This life-form has the mysterious natural ability to float through the air. It appears to detect human brain waves and will move towards a human target even if well hidden. Once a target is detected the Celatid lands and fires small globules of extremely corrosive venom. The creature has the ability to clone itself at an alarming rate. It accompanies the [[Muton]] race in its wonderings.

==Autopsy==
[[Image:celatidautopsy.gif|right|Celatid - Autopsy]]
The core contains a small bio-mechanical device which appears to be a naturally evolved anti-gravity propulsion system. The sac of venom is the largest organ and there does not appear to be a separate brain structure. There is no discernible digestive or reproductive system. A small organ contains embryos which can grow rapidly into a new being.

==Notes==
The following are some miscellaneous notes on the Celatid:
* We're not sure what the eggheads mean about tracking hidden targets or rapid reproduction cycles,
but none of this activity has ever been observed in the field.
* The Celatids acid spit does 1.6x damage to unarmoured soldiers and civilians.
* It does 0.4x damage to tanks and hovertanks.
* Its quite small, making for a harder target.
* Its quite fast.
* Very accurate attack.
* If in range, can attack up to 3 times in one turn.
* Acid spit follows a mortar-like trajectory.
* The effective range of the celatid's spit is eight squares maximum.
* It has poor armor. It can fall to conventional weapons, and even a glancing shot from heavy plasma will usually kill it.
* Celatid has a weakness to its own spit!

==See Also==
[[Muton]]

[[Silacoid]]

[[Category:Alien life forms]]

Hovertank/Launcher

2006-01-06T14:49:13Z

Papa Legba: /* Notes */

== General Information ==

The launcher hovertank leverages off Firestorm technology and vehicle-mounted blaster weapons to provide a small, airborne weapons platform of unsurpassed mobility.

The hovertank is superior in both armor and agility to the standard tracked chassis, while mounting a blaster launcher in the turret. In addition to its ability to hover, it can move over 50% faster than tracked tanks. The hovertank chassis's armor is stronger than the standard tank's, and more uniformly distributed. In fact, there is only one weak point on the chassis-- its underside-- and even this weak spot is more resilient than the main armor of the standard tank.

The blaster provides powerful fire support that is absolutely immune to psionic attack, and carries 8 shots-- much more than a trooper can normally carry. In addition, the automatic ammunition feed on the launcher precludes awkward reloading operations. However, the weapon has its drawbacks.

A standard blaster launcher, ammunition and a feed system are too large to fit on the diminutive HWP chassis, so specialized, smaller shells have to be used. These miniaturized blasters are significantly less powerful-- 140 vs 200 for a standard blaster-- while at the same time more expensive and labor-intensive to produce. Standard blaster rounds '''cannot''' be used, and the commander must ensure that he has a full load-out of ammunition on hand, otherwise the tank will not deploy.

In spite of these factors, the hovertank/launcher sees wide use, if not quite as widespread as the hovertank/plasma. To commanders without psionic research capability, the weapon can be a godsend.

Like all tanks, its larger size precludes it from moving into confined spaces. However, the blaster's guidance system allows it to direct fire to areas otherwise inaccessible to HWP's.

The research requirements of the tank mean that, by the time the hovertank becomes available, commanders will typically have access to high-tech armor and alien weapons, making the hovertank less competitive with well-equipped soldiers.

== Vital Statistics ==
<table>
<tr><td>Cost:</td><td>Manufacture only. $900,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>Manufacturing Requirements:</td><td>1400 Engineer hours, 25 Elerium-115 and 8 Alien Alloys</td></tr>
<tr><td>Research Requirements:</td><td>New Fighter Craft, Fusion Ball Launcher</td></tr>
</table>

{{Hover Tank Stats}}

{| style = "border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px gray solid;"
|- style = "background: gray; color:white;"
| colspan = "3" | '''Fusion Turret Specifications'''
|-
| colspan = "3" style = "background:silver; color:white" | '''Ammunition'''
|-
| Type || '''HWP Fusion Bomb'''
|-
| Damage || '''140 High Explosive'''
|-
| Rounds || '''8'''
|-
| Manufacture Price || '''$15,000'''
|-
| style = "padding-right:5px;" | Manufacture Requirements
| style = "padding-right:5px;" Colspan = "2" | '''400 Engineer hours, 5 Elerium-115, 8 Alien Alloys'''
|-
| Sale Price || '''$31,500'''
|- style = "background:silver; color:white"
| '''Firing Modes'''
| Accuracy
| Cost
|-
| Aimed
| '''100%'''(n/a)
| '''66%'''(66)
|-
| Snap || '''n/a''' || '''n/a'''
|-
| Auto || '''n/a''' || '''n/a'''
|-
|  
|-
| colspan = "3" | Numbers in parenthesis are the actual values after modified by the chassis' abilities. Actual costs are in fixed [[TU|Time Unit]]s
|}

== Notes ==
*The hovertank/launcher is a good unit for base defense. First of all, any tank present on a base defense mission gets a free load of ammunition. Secondly, its combination of high firepower and psionic immunity are a huge boost to garrison-quality troops.
*Unlike a man-portable [[Blaster Launcher]], the tank's blaster is incapable of penetrating the outer hull of an alien craft.
*We're not kidding about the HWP blaster shells being expensive to produce. The elerium and man-hour requirement for a full load of shells mean that you should only rely on them when you have no other choice, or when you have a massive surplus of resources.
*The hovertank, like all flying units, can avoid physical attacks like the [[Chryssalid]]'s or [[Reaper]]'s by staying above ground level.

== See Also ==
[[Template:Hover Tank Stats|Hover Tank Stats]]

[[Category:Heavy Weapons Platforms]]

Hovertank/Plasma

2006-01-06T14:47:55Z

Papa Legba: /* Notes */

== General Information ==

The plasma hovertank leverages off Firestorm technology and vehicle-mounted plasma weapons to provide a small, airborne weapons platform of unsurpassed mobility.

The hovertank is superior in both armor and agility to the standard tracked chassis, while mounting a powerful plasma cannon in the turret. In addition to its ability to hover, it can move over 50% faster. The hovertank chassis's armor is stronger than the standard tank's, and more uniformly distributed. In fact, there is only one weak point on the chassis-- its underside-- and even this weak spot is more resilient than the main armor of the standard tank.

The elerium power source allows the cannon to fire indefinitely without power depletion. The weapon has its weaknesses, however. Primarily it lacks auto-fire capability, and furthermore the aimed-shot mode requires too much aiming time for too little accuracy. Finally, The weapon's unlimited firing capability comes at the cost of shot power. The plasma bolt is slightly weaker than man-portable [[Heavy Plasma]]-- 110 damage vs. 115 for a heavy plasma shot).

Like all tanks, its larger size precludes it from moving into confined spaces. However, its plasma weapon and generous ammunition supply allow it to blast open pathways when required.

The research requirements of the tank mean that, by the time the hovertank becomes available, commanders will typically have access to high-tech armor and alien weapons, making the hovertank less competitive with well-equipped soldiers. However, its benefits still compel most commanders to bring along at least one on each mission.

== Vital Statistics ==
<table>
<tr><td>Cost:</td><td>Manufacture only. $850,000</td></tr>
<tr><td>Manufacturing Requirements:</td><td>1200 Engineer hours, 30 Elerium-115 and 5 Alien Alloys</td></tr>
<tr><td>Research Requirements:</td><td>Plasma Cannon, New Fighter Craft</td></tr>
</table>

{{Hover Tank Stats}}

{| style = "border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px gray solid;"
|- style = "background: gray; color:white;"
| colspan = "3" | '''Plasma Turret Specifications'''
|-
| colspan = "3" style = "background:silver; color:white" | Ammuntion
|-
| Weapon/Damage Type || '''Plasma'''
|-
| Damage || '''110'''
|-
| Rounds || '''255'''
|-
| Purchase Price || '''Free'''
|-
| Sale Price || '''N/A'''
|- style = "background:silver; color:white"
| '''Firing Modes'''
| Accuracy
| Cost
|-
| Aimed
| '''100%''' (60%)
| '''60%''' (60 TU)
|-
| Snap
| '''85%''' (51%)
| '''30%''' (30 TU)
|-
| Auto || '''n/a''' || '''n/a'''
|-
|  
|-
| colspan = "3" | Numbers in parenthesis are the actual values after modified by the chassis' abilities.
Actual costs are in fixed [[TU|Time Unit]]s
|}

== Notes ==
* The plasma beam on the Hovertank/Plasma is not any more powerful than the laser on the tank/laser.
* Unlike a [[Heavy Plasma]] gun, the turret's shots are incapable of destroying the internal bulkheads of alien craft.
*The hovertank, like all flying units, can avoid physical attacks like the [[Chryssalid]]'s or [[Reaper]]'s by staying above ground level.

== See Also ==
[[Template:Hover Tank Stats|Hover Tank Stats]]

[[Category:Heavy Weapons Platforms]]

Overviews of Aliens

2006-01-03T20:44:21Z

Papa Legba: /* Zombie */

All aliens are not, of course, equal. While a novice may be overwhelmed at any manifestation of Alien presence, he will soon learn to cope, and discern the abilities of his enemy. For those who aren't yet well-versed in such things, here's a rundown on how mean each of these creatures can be in a fight. For more details, look at aliens' specific pages or [[Alien Stats (UFO Defense)]].

==Low Threat==
===Low Threat: Sectoid===
[[Image:sectoid.png|right|Sectoid]]
The Sectoids are possibly the first alien you'll see. They resemble the "Greys" spoken of by New Age types and the X-Files television show: short humanoids with pale skin, elfin features and large, almond-shaped eyes.

Sectoids are very weak in combat, with generally poor accuracy and reaction time. They have mediocre mobility, no armor worth mentioning, and will easily fall under standard rifle fire, grenades, or even a glancing shot from heavier weapons. Without their more devious Sectoid Leaders, they can be overcome with minimal risk.

However, on any mission that doesn't involve a small-sized UFO ([[Small Scout]], [[Medium Scout]], or [[Large Scout]]), the Sectoids will have a Sectoid Leader in their ranks. This Leader is capable of [[Psionics|Psionic]] attacks that can panic your troops or even bring them under alien control, to be used against you. In the early game when Sectoid sightings are common, this can be devastating-- X-Com has not yet researched [[Psionics]], and so is wide open to psionic warfare.

Furthermore, on any [[Missions (UFO Defense)|Mission]] involving terror units, the Sectoids will be accompanied by the formidable Cyberdisc, which adds another degree of complexity to the situation.
 
See also: [[Sectoid]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit|Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit]]

===Low Threat: Floater===
[[Image:floater.png|right|Floater]]
The Floaters are the other variety of aliens you'll see early in the game, possibly before Sectoids. They are purple humanoid shapes clad in capes, floating perpetually above the ground. They are more formidable in combat than the Sectoid. They have better firing accuracy and reactions, along with a modicum of armor. They have somewhat better mobility than the Sectoid, and they are capable of floating in mid-air. They use this ability only rarely (almost never on lower difficulty settings), but it does mean that, at game start, you will see them more frequently on rooftops and other elevated positions. They rarely make good use of cover while floating above ground level. Floaters may be more likely than Sectoids to throw grenades, but hard data here is lacking.

While Floaters, by themselves, are more fearsome than Sectoids, they lack the Sectoids' two advantages: Floaters have no [[Psionics|Psionic]] capability, and their terror unit, the Reaper, is mediocre at best.
 
See also: [[Floater]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit|Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit]]

===Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit===
[[Image:reaper.gif|right|Reaper]]
The Reaper is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Floater, and will only be seen accompanying them. It is a large, furry mammalian biped of size comparable to an X-Com [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]. It is armed only with its bite, which obviously can be used only when the alien is directly adjacent to its foe. It is arguably the least threatening alien in the game. Since they are so large, reapers are generally easy to spot and easy to hit. While they can absorb a considerable amount of damage, they are resistant only to armor-piercing fire and make a large target. They are particularly vulnerable to incendiary fire, but almost any heavy weapon fire will dispatch them without much trouble. Their only real assets are their high mobility and ability to absorb damage.
 
See also: [[Reaper]], [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Floater|Low Threat: Floater]]

===Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:silacoid.gif|right|Silacoid]]
The Silacoid is one of the two varieties of [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] deployed with Mutons, and will only be seen accompanying them. It resembles a large pink rock that slowly rumbles along the ground, often leaving a trail of burnt terrain in its path. Their only combat ability is to make a moderately damaging melee attack, presumably involving the burning heat of its body. Its mobility is lacklustre, and the burnt trail it leaves makes it easy to track. They are somewhat well armored and can absorb a moderate amount of fire. Considering that they are usually only encountered in the mid- to late-game, the sight of this underwhelming combat unit comes as a pleasant surprise to Commanders accustomed to more fearsome prey.
 
See also: [[Silacoid]], [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat:Muton|High Threat: Muton]]

==Medium Threat==

===Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:celatid.gif|right|Celatid]]
The Celatid is one of the two [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] types deployed with Mutons, and will only be seen accompanying them. It resembles a large, pink kidney bean that hovers along slowly at ground level. It attacks by spitting venom at its target, and can do so with great accuracy. This venom is extremely dangerous to unarmored units, while somewhat less threatening to armored troops and [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s. It can only project its venom over a short range (perhaps 7 squares), and has relatively low mobility. It has negligible armor and can be destroyed with standard weapon fire, or glancing fire from heavier weapons.

The science division says that a celatid is capable of tracking units outside of its line of sight, but there is no field evidence to confirm this. In any case, it is at home in close quarters, particularly indoors where it can pop out from around corners, and its small size can make it a somewhat difficult target to hit. However, its low mobility, short attack range and vulnerability to fire means that, with proper care taken, it is only a moderate threat on the battlefield.
 
See also: [[Celatid]], [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat:Muton|High Threat: Muton]]

===Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit===
[[Image:cyberdisc.gif|right|Cyberdisc]]
The Cyberdisc is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Sectoid, and will only be seen accompanying them. It is a mechanical floating disc, comparable in size to our [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]], though it has a lower profile. It has moderate mobility, and can float at any level above the ground. It attacks with a devastating plasma shot, capable of firing up to three snap shots in a round with good accuracy and reactions superior to our HWPs.

It is resistant to armor-piercing weapons, and holds up well against psionic manipulation. Its slim profile can make it a difficult target for an object of its size. Worse, when it is destroyed, it usually explodes with a ferocity comparable to [[Alien Grenade]] or worse. New commanders often have difficulty destroying it with Terran weapons; it is advised to direct as much firepower as is available against one. Alien weapon technology is far more suitable for destroying it.

Commanders should remember that any mission involving Cyberdiscs will also involve Sectoids with [[Psionics|Psionic]] capability. However, not all missions with psionic Sectoids will involve Cyberdiscs.
 
See Also [[Cyberdisc]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Sectoid|Low Threat: Sectoid]]

===Medium Threat: Snakeman===
[[Image:snakeman.png|right|Snakeman]]
Snakemen usually won't show up for at least two or three months into the game. As their name suggests, they are reptilian, resembling snakes with arms, slithering along on their lower bodies. They have noticeably better armor than floaters or sectoids, and are capable of absorbing significantly more fire than either. Their combat stats are at least comparable to Floaters, possibly slightly better. They seem a little more willing to use grenades than Sectoids or Floaters, too. Their key flaw, however, is low mobility. They are not able to move very quickly, slower even than Sectoids.

However, larger Snakeman missions involving Terror Units can be truly fearsome, with the inclusion of their devastating Chryssalid support units.
 
See Also [[Snakeman]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit|High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit]]

==High Threat==
===High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:chryssalid.gif|right|Chryssalid]]
The Chryssalid is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Snakeman, and will only be seen accompanying them. One of the most feared enemies of X-Com, these creatures have shiny black exoskeletons, an insectile look, and a toothy grin. They resemble the art of H.R. Giger. They have incredible mobility, lightning-fast reflexes, and can absorb large amounts of fire. These abilities allow them to slug it out long enough to deliver their chief threat: their infectious bite, which can penetrate even the thickest armor and can destroy HWPs.

====Zombie====
Any X-Com trooper or civilian bitten by a cryssalid will turn into a zombie-- a harmless, drooling humanoid that runs around and tries to launch weak physical attacks against your troops. The creature itself is harmless and easily killed. However, unless burned with an incendiary attack, a chryssalid will hatch out of its corpse when is it killed. The new chryssalid is at full strength and has all the abilities of a normal chryssalid-- including the ability to turn more people into zombies. Yes, this means that a single Chryssalid can turn every human on the board into a Chryssalid.

The ability of a single specimen to turn an entire troop of X-Com operatives into a new population of Chryssalids is the stuff of a Commander's nightmares. Killing chryssalids should be your top priority whenever they are present. Concentrate fire upon them. Don't be afraid to sacrifice any civilians or X-Com troops nearby-- if the chryssalid doesn't die, they'll probably be infected anyway. Ensure that all Chryssalids that drop are dead, not merely unconscious.
 
See Also [[Chryssalid]] | [[Zombie]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Snakeman|Medium Threat: Snakeman]]

===High Threat: Ethereal===
[[Image:ethereal.png|right|Ethereal]]
Ethereals are the ruling caste of the Alien hordes. They will not be seen until the late in the game, but when they do, expect them to be armed with the most powerful weapons in the [[Weapons (UFO Defense)#Alien Weapons|alien arsenal]]. Their bodies are thin and emaciated, with pale, pinkish skin. However, they only appear in combat wearing billowing orange robes which make their narrow frames look more imposing.

They can endure large amounts of damage and have very good combat skills. They also have good mobility and are able to fly, which they do with little hesitation. ''Every'' Ethereal has [[Psionics|psionic]] ability; expect psionic warfare to commence almost immediately in any combat against them. Always engage Ethereals with the greatest caution, and all knowledge of psionic combat you have at your disposal.

As if their combat skills, high mobility, resistance to fire and psionic ability were not enough, they also have one of the strongest terror units in the game-- the Sectopod.
 
See Also [[Ethereal]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit|High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit]]

===High Threat: Muton===
[[Image:muton.png|right|Muton]]
Mutons are the shock troops of the Alien invasion, possibly the most skilled combatants you'll go up against. They usually won't show up until mid- to late-game, but when they do you can expect them all to be packing the most powerful weapons in the [[Weapons (UFO Defense)#Alien Weapons|alien arsenal]]. They have purple skin, but everything but their faces are covered with thick, green, skin-tight armor.

They are heavily armored and capable of absorbing heavy fire, and are especially resistant to armor-piercing rounds. They have very good reactions and mobility, and average accuracy. They will lay down heavy fire and use grenades quite freely.

They are not without their weaknesses, however. They are known for a short attention span, and will forget the presence of enemies beyond their sight more quickly than other aliens would. They are vulnerable to psionic attacks, and have no psionic talents of their own.

They are the only species in the Alien invasion with two varieties of terror unit, the Celatid and the Silacoid. However, niether of these creatures can come close to matching the Muton's combat prowess.
 
See Also [[Muton]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit|Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit|Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit]]

===High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit===
[[Image:sectopod.png|right|Sectopod]]
The Sectopod is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Ethereal, and will only be seen accompanying them. They are large, bipedal robots comparable in size to one of our [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s. They are the most heavily armored units of the Alien horde, resistant to almost all forms of damage including even alien weaponry, requiring heavy fire to destroy one. Its only known weakness is to Terran laser weapons, and even against those it can sustain a good degree of damage.

They attack with dual head-mounted plasma weapons that are capable of automatic fire. They can fire with a high degree of accuracy and reactions far superior to our HWPs. They also have good mobility.

Some commanders keep special weaponry on hand exclusively to deal with them, including the [[Tank/Laser Cannon]] and even the otherwise shunned [[Heavy Laser]]. Blasters will do the job, but direct hits are usually required-- and occasionally may not be enough.
 
See Also [[Sectopod]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Ethereal|High Threat: Ethereal]]

==Notes==
*The leaders of the alien horde are heavily dependent on psionic combat, and have even designed their mechanical units to respond to psionic stimuli.
*Only Sectoid Leaders, Sectoid Commanders and Ethereals (of any type) are capable of psionic warfare.

==See Also==
[[Alien Life Forms (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Terror Units (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Alien Stats (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Overviews of Aliens (TFTD)]]

Overviews of Aliens

2006-01-03T20:41:40Z

Papa Legba: /* Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit */

All aliens are not, of course, equal. While a novice may be overwhelmed at any manifestation of Alien presence, he will soon learn to cope, and discern the abilities of his enemy. For those who aren't yet well-versed in such things, here's a rundown on how mean each of these creatures can be in a fight. For more details, look at aliens' specific pages or [[Alien Stats (UFO Defense)]].

==Low Threat==
===Low Threat: Sectoid===
[[Image:sectoid.png|right|Sectoid]]
The Sectoids are possibly the first alien you'll see. They resemble the "Greys" spoken of by New Age types and the X-Files television show: short humanoids with pale skin, elfin features and large, almond-shaped eyes.

Sectoids are very weak in combat, with generally poor accuracy and reaction time. They have mediocre mobility, no armor worth mentioning, and will easily fall under standard rifle fire, grenades, or even a glancing shot from heavier weapons. Without their more devious Sectoid Leaders, they can be overcome with minimal risk.

However, on any mission that doesn't involve a small-sized UFO ([[Small Scout]], [[Medium Scout]], or [[Large Scout]]), the Sectoids will have a Sectoid Leader in their ranks. This Leader is capable of [[Psionics|Psionic]] attacks that can panic your troops or even bring them under alien control, to be used against you. In the early game when Sectoid sightings are common, this can be devastating-- X-Com has not yet researched [[Psionics]], and so is wide open to psionic warfare.

Furthermore, on any [[Missions (UFO Defense)|Mission]] involving terror units, the Sectoids will be accompanied by the formidable Cyberdisc, which adds another degree of complexity to the situation.
 
See also: [[Sectoid]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit|Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit]]

===Low Threat: Floater===
[[Image:floater.png|right|Floater]]
The Floaters are the other variety of aliens you'll see early in the game, possibly before Sectoids. They are purple humanoid shapes clad in capes, floating perpetually above the ground. They are more formidable in combat than the Sectoid. They have better firing accuracy and reactions, along with a modicum of armor. They have somewhat better mobility than the Sectoid, and they are capable of floating in mid-air. They use this ability only rarely (almost never on lower difficulty settings), but it does mean that, at game start, you will see them more frequently on rooftops and other elevated positions. They rarely make good use of cover while floating above ground level. Floaters may be more likely than Sectoids to throw grenades, but hard data here is lacking.

While Floaters, by themselves, are more fearsome than Sectoids, they lack the Sectoids' two advantages: Floaters have no [[Psionics|Psionic]] capability, and their terror unit, the Reaper, is mediocre at best.
 
See also: [[Floater]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit|Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit]]

===Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit===
[[Image:reaper.gif|right|Reaper]]
The Reaper is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Floater, and will only be seen accompanying them. It is a large, furry mammalian biped of size comparable to an X-Com [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]. It is armed only with its bite, which obviously can be used only when the alien is directly adjacent to its foe. It is arguably the least threatening alien in the game. Since they are so large, reapers are generally easy to spot and easy to hit. While they can absorb a considerable amount of damage, they are resistant only to armor-piercing fire and make a large target. They are particularly vulnerable to incendiary fire, but almost any heavy weapon fire will dispatch them without much trouble. Their only real assets are their high mobility and ability to absorb damage.
 
See also: [[Reaper]], [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Floater|Low Threat: Floater]]

===Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:silacoid.gif|right|Silacoid]]
The Silacoid is one of the two varieties of [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] deployed with Mutons, and will only be seen accompanying them. It resembles a large pink rock that slowly rumbles along the ground, often leaving a trail of burnt terrain in its path. Their only combat ability is to make a moderately damaging melee attack, presumably involving the burning heat of its body. Its mobility is lacklustre, and the burnt trail it leaves makes it easy to track. They are somewhat well armored and can absorb a moderate amount of fire. Considering that they are usually only encountered in the mid- to late-game, the sight of this underwhelming combat unit comes as a pleasant surprise to Commanders accustomed to more fearsome prey.
 
See also: [[Silacoid]], [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat:Muton|High Threat: Muton]]

==Medium Threat==

===Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:celatid.gif|right|Celatid]]
The Celatid is one of the two [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] types deployed with Mutons, and will only be seen accompanying them. It resembles a large, pink kidney bean that hovers along slowly at ground level. It attacks by spitting venom at its target, and can do so with great accuracy. This venom is extremely dangerous to unarmored units, while somewhat less threatening to armored troops and [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s. It can only project its venom over a short range (perhaps 7 squares), and has relatively low mobility. It has negligible armor and can be destroyed with standard weapon fire, or glancing fire from heavier weapons.

The science division says that a celatid is capable of tracking units outside of its line of sight, but there is no field evidence to confirm this. In any case, it is at home in close quarters, particularly indoors where it can pop out from around corners, and its small size can make it a somewhat difficult target to hit. However, its low mobility, short attack range and vulnerability to fire means that, with proper care taken, it is only a moderate threat on the battlefield.
 
See also: [[Celatid]], [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat:Muton|High Threat: Muton]]

===Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit===
[[Image:cyberdisc.gif|right|Cyberdisc]]
The Cyberdisc is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Sectoid, and will only be seen accompanying them. It is a mechanical floating disc, comparable in size to our [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]], though it has a lower profile. It has moderate mobility, and can float at any level above the ground. It attacks with a devastating plasma shot, capable of firing up to three snap shots in a round with good accuracy and reactions superior to our HWPs.

It is resistant to armor-piercing weapons, and holds up well against psionic manipulation. Its slim profile can make it a difficult target for an object of its size. Worse, when it is destroyed, it usually explodes with a ferocity comparable to [[Alien Grenade]] or worse. New commanders often have difficulty destroying it with Terran weapons; it is advised to direct as much firepower as is available against one. Alien weapon technology is far more suitable for destroying it.

Commanders should remember that any mission involving Cyberdiscs will also involve Sectoids with [[Psionics|Psionic]] capability. However, not all missions with psionic Sectoids will involve Cyberdiscs.
 
See Also [[Cyberdisc]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Sectoid|Low Threat: Sectoid]]

===Medium Threat: Snakeman===
[[Image:snakeman.png|right|Snakeman]]
Snakemen usually won't show up for at least two or three months into the game. As their name suggests, they are reptilian, resembling snakes with arms, slithering along on their lower bodies. They have noticeably better armor than floaters or sectoids, and are capable of absorbing significantly more fire than either. Their combat stats are at least comparable to Floaters, possibly slightly better. They seem a little more willing to use grenades than Sectoids or Floaters, too. Their key flaw, however, is low mobility. They are not able to move very quickly, slower even than Sectoids.

However, larger Snakeman missions involving Terror Units can be truly fearsome, with the inclusion of their devastating Chryssalid support units.
 
See Also [[Snakeman]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit|High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit]]

==High Threat==
===High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:chryssalid.gif|right|Chryssalid]]
The Chryssalid is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Snakeman, and will only be seen accompanying them. One of the most feared enemies of X-Com, these creatures have shiny black exoskeletons, an insectile look, and a toothy grin. They resemble the art of H.R. Giger. They have incredible mobility, lightning-fast reflexes, and can absorb large amounts of fire. These abilities allow them to slug it out long enough to deliver their chief threat: their infectious bite, which can penetrate even the thickest armor and can destroy HWPs.

====Zombie====
Any X-Com trooper or civilian bitten by a cryssalid will turn into a zombie-- a harmless, drooling humanoid that runs around and tries to launch weak physical attacks against your troops. The creature itself is harmless and easily killed. However, unless burned with an incendiary attack, it will turn into a hatch into chryssalid when is it killed. The new chryssalid is at full strength and has all the abilities of a normal chryssalid-- including the ability to turn more people into zombies. Yes, this means that a single Chryssalid can turn every human on the board into a Chryssalid.

The ability of a single specimen to turn an entire troop of X-Com operatives into a new population of Chryssalids is the stuff of a Commander's nightmares. Killing chryssalids should be your top priority whenever they are present. Concentrate fire upon them. Don't be afraid to sacrifice any civilians or X-Com troops nearby-- if the chryssalid doesn't die, they'll probably be infected anyway. Ensure that all Chryssalids that drop are dead, not merely unconscious.
 
See Also [[Chryssalid]] | [[Zombie]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Snakeman|Medium Threat: Snakeman]]

===High Threat: Ethereal===
[[Image:ethereal.png|right|Ethereal]]
Ethereals are the ruling caste of the Alien hordes. They will not be seen until the late in the game, but when they do, expect them to be armed with the most powerful weapons in the [[Weapons (UFO Defense)#Alien Weapons|alien arsenal]]. Their bodies are thin and emaciated, with pale, pinkish skin. However, they only appear in combat wearing billowing orange robes which make their narrow frames look more imposing.

They can endure large amounts of damage and have very good combat skills. They also have good mobility and are able to fly, which they do with little hesitation. ''Every'' Ethereal has [[Psionics|psionic]] ability; expect psionic warfare to commence almost immediately in any combat against them. Always engage Ethereals with the greatest caution, and all knowledge of psionic combat you have at your disposal.

As if their combat skills, high mobility, resistance to fire and psionic ability were not enough, they also have one of the strongest terror units in the game-- the Sectopod.
 
See Also [[Ethereal]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit|High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit]]

===High Threat: Muton===
[[Image:muton.png|right|Muton]]
Mutons are the shock troops of the Alien invasion, possibly the most skilled combatants you'll go up against. They usually won't show up until mid- to late-game, but when they do you can expect them all to be packing the most powerful weapons in the [[Weapons (UFO Defense)#Alien Weapons|alien arsenal]]. They have purple skin, but everything but their faces are covered with thick, green, skin-tight armor.

They are heavily armored and capable of absorbing heavy fire, and are especially resistant to armor-piercing rounds. They have very good reactions and mobility, and average accuracy. They will lay down heavy fire and use grenades quite freely.

They are not without their weaknesses, however. They are known for a short attention span, and will forget the presence of enemies beyond their sight more quickly than other aliens would. They are vulnerable to psionic attacks, and have no psionic talents of their own.

They are the only species in the Alien invasion with two varieties of terror unit, the Celatid and the Silacoid. However, niether of these creatures can come close to matching the Muton's combat prowess.
 
See Also [[Muton]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit|Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit|Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit]]

===High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit===
[[Image:sectopod.png|right|Sectopod]]
The Sectopod is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Ethereal, and will only be seen accompanying them. They are large, bipedal robots comparable in size to one of our [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s. They are the most heavily armored units of the Alien horde, resistant to almost all forms of damage including even alien weaponry, requiring heavy fire to destroy one. Its only known weakness is to Terran laser weapons, and even against those it can sustain a good degree of damage.

They attack with dual head-mounted plasma weapons that are capable of automatic fire. They can fire with a high degree of accuracy and reactions far superior to our HWPs. They also have good mobility.

Some commanders keep special weaponry on hand exclusively to deal with them, including the [[Tank/Laser Cannon]] and even the otherwise shunned [[Heavy Laser]]. Blasters will do the job, but direct hits are usually required-- and occasionally may not be enough.
 
See Also [[Sectopod]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Ethereal|High Threat: Ethereal]]

==Notes==
*The leaders of the alien horde are heavily dependent on psionic combat, and have even designed their mechanical units to respond to psionic stimuli.
*Only Sectoid Leaders, Sectoid Commanders and Ethereals (of any type) are capable of psionic warfare.

==See Also==
[[Alien Life Forms (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Terror Units (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Alien Stats (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Overviews of Aliens (TFTD)]]

Overviews of Aliens

2006-01-03T20:39:39Z

Papa Legba: /* Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit */

All aliens are not, of course, equal. While a novice may be overwhelmed at any manifestation of Alien presence, he will soon learn to cope, and discern the abilities of his enemy. For those who aren't yet well-versed in such things, here's a rundown on how mean each of these creatures can be in a fight. For more details, look at aliens' specific pages or [[Alien Stats (UFO Defense)]].

==Low Threat==
===Low Threat: Sectoid===
[[Image:sectoid.png|right|Sectoid]]
The Sectoids are possibly the first alien you'll see. They resemble the "Greys" spoken of by New Age types and the X-Files television show: short humanoids with pale skin, elfin features and large, almond-shaped eyes.

Sectoids are very weak in combat, with generally poor accuracy and reaction time. They have mediocre mobility, no armor worth mentioning, and will easily fall under standard rifle fire, grenades, or even a glancing shot from heavier weapons. Without their more devious Sectoid Leaders, they can be overcome with minimal risk.

However, on any mission that doesn't involve a small-sized UFO ([[Small Scout]], [[Medium Scout]], or [[Large Scout]]), the Sectoids will have a Sectoid Leader in their ranks. This Leader is capable of [[Psionics|Psionic]] attacks that can panic your troops or even bring them under alien control, to be used against you. In the early game when Sectoid sightings are common, this can be devastating-- X-Com has not yet researched [[Psionics]], and so is wide open to psionic warfare.

Furthermore, on any [[Missions (UFO Defense)|Mission]] involving terror units, the Sectoids will be accompanied by the formidable Cyberdisc, which adds another degree of complexity to the situation.
 
See also: [[Sectoid]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit|Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit]]

===Low Threat: Floater===
[[Image:floater.png|right|Floater]]
The Floaters are the other variety of aliens you'll see early in the game, possibly before Sectoids. They are purple humanoid shapes clad in capes, floating perpetually above the ground. They are more formidable in combat than the Sectoid. They have better firing accuracy and reactions, along with a modicum of armor. They have somewhat better mobility than the Sectoid, and they are capable of floating in mid-air. They use this ability only rarely (almost never on lower difficulty settings), but it does mean that, at game start, you will see them more frequently on rooftops and other elevated positions. They rarely make good use of cover while floating above ground level. Floaters may be more likely than Sectoids to throw grenades, but hard data here is lacking.

While Floaters, by themselves, are more fearsome than Sectoids, they lack the Sectoids' two advantages: Floaters have no [[Psionics|Psionic]] capability, and their terror unit, the Reaper, is mediocre at best.
 
See also: [[Floater]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit|Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit]]

===Low Threat: Reaper - Terror Unit===
[[Image:reaper.gif|right|Reaper]]
The Reaper is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Floater, and will only be seen accompanying them. It is a large, furry mammalian biped of size comparable to an X-Com [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]. It is armed only with its bite, which obviously can be used only when the alien is directly adjacent to its foe. It is arguably the least threatening alien in the game. Since they are so large, reapers are generally easy to spot and easy to hit. While they can absorb a considerable amount of damage, they are resistant only to armor-piercing fire and make a large target. They are particularly vulnerable to incendiary fire, but almost any heavy weapon fire will dispatch them without much trouble. Their only real assets are their high mobility and ability to absorb damage.
 
See also: [[Reaper]], [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Floater|Low Threat: Floater]]

===Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:silacoid.gif|right|Silacoid]]
The Silacoid is one of the two varieties of [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] deployed with Mutons, and will only be seen accompanying them. It resembles a large pink rock that slowly rumbles along the ground, often leaving a trail of burnt terrain in its path. Their only combat ability is to make a moderately damaging melee attack, presumably involving the burning heat of its body. Its mobility is lacklustre, and the burnt trail it leaves makes it easy to track. They are somewhat well armored and can absorb a moderate amount of fire. Considering that they are usually only encountered in the mid- to late-game, the sight of this underwhelming combat unit comes as a pleasant surprise to Commanders accustomed to more fearsome prey.
 
See also: [[Silacoid]], [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat:Muton|High Threat: Muton]]

==Medium Threat==

===Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:celatid.gif|right|Celatid]]
The Celatid is one of the two [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] types deployed with Mutons, and will only be seen accompanying them. It resembles a large, pink kidney bean that hovers along slowly at ground level. It attacks by spitting venom at its target, and can do so with great accuracy. This venom is extremely dangerous to unarmored units, while somewhat less threatening to armored troops and [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s. It can only project its venom over a short range (perhaps 7 squares), and has relatively low mobility. It has negligible armor and can be destroyed with standard weapon fire, or glancing fire from heavier weapons.

The science division says tha a celatid is capable of tracking units outside of its line of sight, but there is no field evidence to confirm this. In any case, it is at home in close quarters, particularly indoors where it can pop out from around corners, and its small size can make it a somewhat difficult target to hit. However, its low mobility, short attack range and vulnerability to fire means that, with proper care taken, it is only a moderate threat on the battlefield.
 
See also: [[Celatid]], [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat:Muton|High Threat: Muton]]

===Medium Threat: Cyberdisc - Terror Unit===
[[Image:cyberdisc.gif|right|Cyberdisc]]
The Cyberdisc is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Sectoid, and will only be seen accompanying them. It is a mechanical floating disc, comparable in size to our [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]], though it has a lower profile. It has moderate mobility, and can float at any level above the ground. It attacks with a devastating plasma shot, capable of firing up to three snap shots in a round with good accuracy and reactions superior to our HWPs.

It is resistant to armor-piercing weapons, and holds up well against psionic manipulation. Its slim profile can make it a difficult target for an object of its size. Worse, when it is destroyed, it usually explodes with a ferocity comparable to [[Alien Grenade]] or worse. New commanders often have difficulty destroying it with Terran weapons; it is advised to direct as much firepower as is available against one. Alien weapon technology is far more suitable for destroying it.

Commanders should remember that any mission involving Cyberdiscs will also involve Sectoids with [[Psionics|Psionic]] capability. However, not all missions with psionic Sectoids will involve Cyberdiscs.
 
See Also [[Cyberdisc]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Sectoid|Low Threat: Sectoid]]

===Medium Threat: Snakeman===
[[Image:snakeman.png|right|Snakeman]]
Snakemen usually won't show up for at least two or three months into the game. As their name suggests, they are reptilian, resembling snakes with arms, slithering along on their lower bodies. They have noticeably better armor than floaters or sectoids, and are capable of absorbing significantly more fire than either. Their combat stats are at least comparable to Floaters, possibly slightly better. They seem a little more willing to use grenades than Sectoids or Floaters, too. Their key flaw, however, is low mobility. They are not able to move very quickly, slower even than Sectoids.

However, larger Snakeman missions involving Terror Units can be truly fearsome, with the inclusion of their devastating Chryssalid support units.
 
See Also [[Snakeman]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit|High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit]]

==High Threat==
===High Threat: Chryssalid - Terror Unit===
[[Image:chryssalid.gif|right|Chryssalid]]
The Chryssalid is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Snakeman, and will only be seen accompanying them. One of the most feared enemies of X-Com, these creatures have shiny black exoskeletons, an insectile look, and a toothy grin. They resemble the art of H.R. Giger. They have incredible mobility, lightning-fast reflexes, and can absorb large amounts of fire. These abilities allow them to slug it out long enough to deliver their chief threat: their infectious bite, which can penetrate even the thickest armor and can destroy HWPs.

====Zombie====
Any X-Com trooper or civilian bitten by a cryssalid will turn into a zombie-- a harmless, drooling humanoid that runs around and tries to launch weak physical attacks against your troops. The creature itself is harmless and easily killed. However, unless burned with an incendiary attack, it will turn into a hatch into chryssalid when is it killed. The new chryssalid is at full strength and has all the abilities of a normal chryssalid-- including the ability to turn more people into zombies. Yes, this means that a single Chryssalid can turn every human on the board into a Chryssalid.

The ability of a single specimen to turn an entire troop of X-Com operatives into a new population of Chryssalids is the stuff of a Commander's nightmares. Killing chryssalids should be your top priority whenever they are present. Concentrate fire upon them. Don't be afraid to sacrifice any civilians or X-Com troops nearby-- if the chryssalid doesn't die, they'll probably be infected anyway. Ensure that all Chryssalids that drop are dead, not merely unconscious.
 
See Also [[Chryssalid]] | [[Zombie]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Snakeman|Medium Threat: Snakeman]]

===High Threat: Ethereal===
[[Image:ethereal.png|right|Ethereal]]
Ethereals are the ruling caste of the Alien hordes. They will not be seen until the late in the game, but when they do, expect them to be armed with the most powerful weapons in the [[Weapons (UFO Defense)#Alien Weapons|alien arsenal]]. Their bodies are thin and emaciated, with pale, pinkish skin. However, they only appear in combat wearing billowing orange robes which make their narrow frames look more imposing.

They can endure large amounts of damage and have very good combat skills. They also have good mobility and are able to fly, which they do with little hesitation. ''Every'' Ethereal has [[Psionics|psionic]] ability; expect psionic warfare to commence almost immediately in any combat against them. Always engage Ethereals with the greatest caution, and all knowledge of psionic combat you have at your disposal.

As if their combat skills, high mobility, resistance to fire and psionic ability were not enough, they also have one of the strongest terror units in the game-- the Sectopod.
 
See Also [[Ethereal]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit|High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit]]

===High Threat: Muton===
[[Image:muton.png|right|Muton]]
Mutons are the shock troops of the Alien invasion, possibly the most skilled combatants you'll go up against. They usually won't show up until mid- to late-game, but when they do you can expect them all to be packing the most powerful weapons in the [[Weapons (UFO Defense)#Alien Weapons|alien arsenal]]. They have purple skin, but everything but their faces are covered with thick, green, skin-tight armor.

They are heavily armored and capable of absorbing heavy fire, and are especially resistant to armor-piercing rounds. They have very good reactions and mobility, and average accuracy. They will lay down heavy fire and use grenades quite freely.

They are not without their weaknesses, however. They are known for a short attention span, and will forget the presence of enemies beyond their sight more quickly than other aliens would. They are vulnerable to psionic attacks, and have no psionic talents of their own.

They are the only species in the Alien invasion with two varieties of terror unit, the Celatid and the Silacoid. However, niether of these creatures can come close to matching the Muton's combat prowess.
 
See Also [[Muton]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit|Low Threat: Silacoid - Terror Unit]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit|Medium Threat: Celatid - Terror Unit]]

===High Threat: Sectopod - Terror Unit===
[[Image:sectopod.png|right|Sectopod]]
The Sectopod is the dedicated [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]] of the Ethereal, and will only be seen accompanying them. They are large, bipedal robots comparable in size to one of our [[Heavy Weapons Platforms (UFO Defense)|HWP]]s. They are the most heavily armored units of the Alien horde, resistant to almost all forms of damage including even alien weaponry, requiring heavy fire to destroy one. Its only known weakness is to Terran laser weapons, and even against those it can sustain a good degree of damage.

They attack with dual head-mounted plasma weapons that are capable of automatic fire. They can fire with a high degree of accuracy and reactions far superior to our HWPs. They also have good mobility.

Some commanders keep special weaponry on hand exclusively to deal with them, including the [[Tank/Laser Cannon]] and even the otherwise shunned [[Heavy Laser]]. Blasters will do the job, but direct hits are usually required-- and occasionally may not be enough.
 
See Also [[Sectopod]] | [[Overviews of Aliens#High Threat: Ethereal|High Threat: Ethereal]]

==Notes==
*The leaders of the alien horde are heavily dependent on psionic combat, and have even designed their mechanical units to respond to psionic stimuli.
*Only Sectoid Leaders, Sectoid Commanders and Ethereals (of any type) are capable of psionic warfare.

==See Also==
[[Alien Life Forms (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Terror Units (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Alien Stats (UFO Defense)]] |
[[Overviews of Aliens (TFTD)]]

Mission Types

2006-01-02T22:24:53Z

Papa Legba:

== Mission Variants ==

* [[UFO Crash Recovery]] - The ol' sweep-and-clear.

* [[UFO Ground Assault]] - Getting greedy for elerium.

* [[Terror Mission]] - Screaming civilians, house calls, big robots.

* [[Alien Base Assault]] - Kicking over the nest.

* [[Base Defense]] - All hands on deck! Sound the big siren!

* [[Cydonia]] - Here be spoilers.

== General Tips ==

* [[Night Missions]]
* [[Field Manual: Terrain]]
* [[:Category: Terrain]]
* [[Alien Missions]]
* [[Damage]]
* [[Explosions]]
* [[Experience]]
* [[Experience Training]]

[[Category:Missions]]

Field Manual: Terrain

2006-01-02T19:29:14Z

Papa Legba: /* See Also */

==Natural Features==

Firing over the crest of a hill, known as the reverse-slope position, exposes the minimum sight picture to the enemy and provides the greatest protection from return fire. Simply ducking into concealment protects the soldier from all but indirect-fire weaponry [grenades]. Allow time to climb the hill before seeking out the enemy.

Soldiers should seek to overwatch from hill crests and move in the protection of valleys or next to slopes.

Movement up and down hills takes time so a soldier on flat ground will always outpace a soldier on a slope.

Enemies hiding in valleys are best dealt with through grenades or other indirect fire.

==Artificial Features: Wooden Structures==

Wooden frame structures such as barns provide good concealment and some degree of protection. However they are highly vulnerable to explosives [and energy weapons] and can be penetrated by high caliber weaponry.

They are excellent for concealing movement and approach but equally conceal the enemy in their windows, doors, and corridors. In a free-fire zone, flatten these with explosive rounds to deny cover to the enemy.

Sniping from a high position or window minimizes exposure but the soldier must be prepared for return fire and move to different cover if spotted.

==Vegetation==

Vegetation, especially in [[Jungle Terrain|jungle]] or [[Forest_Terrain|forest]] environments, provides a high degree of cover. Thick-trunked vegetation can often stop enemy fire temporarily but will quickly be shredded by powerful weaponry.

Thick vegetation reduces sight lines and is a dangerous environment to move through. Scouts have to look all around them as each movement can reveal previously hidden areas. Overwatch and support teams will find trees blocking both direct and indirect fire and will have to move closer to the scouts to adequately support them. Paths through the vegetation are not always evident and soldiers may be forced to double back if their path becomes impassable.

Clearings should be exploited as rally points and kill zones. Soldiers concealed in vegetation on the edges of a clearing have the best combination of concealment and field of fire. High explosive can be used to clear vegetation as necessary.

''[Jasonred] : Try experimenting with [[Incendiary|Incendiaries]] in this environment! Clear the landing area of enemies, retreat to the transport, fire a round or two of incendiaries, and wait for either the aliens to come to you as the fire catches them, or for the whole place to burn down and give visibility.''

==Artificial Structures: UFO Hulls==

UFO Outer Hulls, like our reinforced concrete bunkers, are generally impervious to man-portable weaponry. [1] The commander has two choices: siege or storm.

Sieging has the benefit that time is on the commander's side, so forces can be arranged in good concealed positions with good fields of fire. All exits from the structure should be covered. Avoid placing units directly in line with exits or windows as these units will be the first ones attacked when the enemy ventures forth. The enemy will hide from a barrage but will hopefully become curious enough, if all is quiet and movement unopposed, to reveal themselves. This then allows your marksmen to engage them.

Sending forward a scout is risky but can fool the enemy into revealing themselves to shoot at the presented target.

Sieges succeed through attrition of the enemy as they reveal themselves. A resolute enemy with adequate supplies, however, can choose to remain hidden indefinitely. So eventually the structure will have to be stormed.

Storming these structures is always hazardous because no amount of "target softening" can guarantee them clear of enemy presence before the assault. The first soldiers in will always be in harm's way. [2] Single file entry is often required so the assault team must enter quickly and spread out again to maximize effectiveness. Assault teams should carry weapons with high rate of fire and high stopping power. Armor is a must. [[Stun Rod]]s can also be useful. [[Heavy Cannon]] can provide stopping power.

Training must emphasize prioritizing targets.

*a) An enemy facing the soldier and in line with the entryway, should be handed off to a following soldier or even to a support sniper outside the entryway. If neither of these are practical (due to blocked lines of fire) then engage at short range with burst fire (autofire).
*b) An enemy facing the soldier, but not in line with the entryway, must be engaged. At short range, use three-shot burst fire (autofire).
*c) If enough time remains to take cover and let a following soldier engage the enemy, but not enough time to both fire on the enemy and take cover, then take cover.
*d) An enemy facing away from the soldier should be engaged only if time permits or if no other soldiers can move into position to take the shot. Stun rods are best used on this presentation of target.
*e) Enemies packed into a corridor are best engaged with burst fire. Use of explosives in such situations is unpredictable given the close range and risk of secondary explosions.

[[Motion detector]]s are invaluable in gaining information about the enemy in such a structure. The soldier with the motion detector does not have to be a member of the assault team but should be moved up next to the structure.

*[1] [[Blaster Launcher]]s will penetrate an outer hull. No other unmodified weapon has sufficient power. [[Heavy Plasma]] will eventually penetrate inner bulkheads.
*[2] SWAT teams get thick full length shields for this sort of thing. X-Com get ... rookies.

==See Also==

[[Field Manual: Terrain]] | [[Field Manual: Movement Tactics]] | [[UFO Assault]] | [[:Category:Missions]]
[[Category:Field Manual]]
[[Category:Terrain]]

Field Manual: Deployment

2006-01-02T19:26:33Z

Papa Legba: /* 2002-1 THE FRONT ROW FIRETEAM */

Chapter 2
INITIAL DEPLOYMENT

==2001 INTRODUCTION==

The squad commander upon landing must perform the following actions:

* Assess the characteristics of the landing zone, namely the terrain and any natural / artificial obstacles around the Skyranger.
* Identify all hostiles in the vicinity of the transport that might endanger the landing operation
* Deploy forces to engage and neutralize them, taking attention to both flanks of the transport and also the area around the cockpit.
* Establish a safety perimeter around the craft by the use of smoke covers, maintaining proper distance between the squad members and securing the rear of the squad.

==2002 DISEMBARKING TACTICS==
===2002-1 THE FRONT ROW FIRETEAM===

The fireteams that are the first to deploy have one of the most hazardous duties on the battlefield. Upon landing their immediate task is to eliminate any hostile opposition that
is directly facing the ramp of the transport. Their actions are determined by the following list of conditions:

#Enemy in front of the ramp and directly looking at it - fire one round at targer, then move one square to the front and another to the next to the side to clear the ramp. If there isn't any read #2.
#Enemy in front of the ramp but facing another direction - do not fire to avoid reaction shots that might hit personnel inside the transport! (unless they have already fired) - move one square to the front and another to the side to clear the ramp and read #3.
#Enemy on another location and facing the ramp. Fire one/two rounds but make sure that there's enough TUs to clear the square right next to the ramp by moving to another direction.
#Enemy on another location but not facing the ramp. Engage only after all enemies on #1, #2 and #3 have been eliminated. If there are several hostiles then engage first the dangerous one - the closest and heavily armed.
#No hostiles visible near the transport - the soldiers should start scouting the area near the Skyranger.

===2002-2 THE OTHER FIRETEAMS===

If condition #5 applies the rest of the soldiers might start disembarking the transport and widen the perimeter around the transport. If any aliens are detected they must be eliminated as soon as possible.
In case the front row fireteam has been taken out by the aliens, the next team becomes the front row team and must act accordingly to the previous list of conditions. If there's insufficient lightning the back soldiers must deploy electroflares to the area surrounding the transport. Also if there's a heavy enemy presence close to the landing zone, it's recommended the use of smoke covers.

===2002-3 USE OF HWPS ON LANDINGS===

If there's an HWP present on the transport then it should be deployed according to 1003.3.1.4 and used to scout and spot all hostiles while drawing fire from them. After it has finished moving them the soldiers can disembark using 2001.2. procedures.

==2003 REORGANIZING AND DEPLOYMENT==

After the landing area has been successfully cleared of any enemy opposition the squad can reorganized to perform its mission. At this point there are two major factors that should be taken into account: a quick dispersal of the squad members to maintain safety distances and the position of the landing zone.

===2003-1 LANDING ZONE POSITION===

The location of the landing (LZ) zone on the area of operations is a major factor in determining the direction to which the squad must be deployed. The rear of the squad should be set against one of the ends of the map to prevent any rear attacks by hostiles as it moves forward to complete its mission. but it can be either easy or difficult, depending on the location of the LZ.

2003-1.1 CORNER LZ

It's when the Skyranger lands on one of the corners of the tactical map and is the position most easy to secure since there are only two directions from which enemy contact can be expected. To establish a safety perimeter the squad must have cleared the corner of any hostiles, allowing it to afterwards start moving towards the rest of the battlefield.

2003-1.2 SIDE LZ

When the Skyranger is positioned next to one of the sides of the map, it protects one side of the squad against possible attacks but it still leaves three others open. After the squad has successfully exited the transport, it is recommended that the squad set a half circle perimeter as it pushes forward.

2003-1.3 CENTRAL LZ

The hardest landing zone since hostile attacks can be expected from all directions. After clearing the landing site of aliens, the closest edge of the map should be located by the scouts and secured. Then the squad can manoeuvre in the opposite direction, with that side being the rear and using the half-circle mentioned on the previous topic.

==2004 ADDITIONAL NOTES==
[[Category: Field Manual]]

Field Manual: Terrain

2006-01-02T19:25:38Z

Papa Legba: /* See Also */

==Natural Features==

Firing over the crest of a hill, known as the reverse-slope position, exposes the minimum sight picture to the enemy and provides the greatest protection from return fire. Simply ducking into concealment protects the soldier from all but indirect-fire weaponry [grenades]. Allow time to climb the hill before seeking out the enemy.

Soldiers should seek to overwatch from hill crests and move in the protection of valleys or next to slopes.

Movement up and down hills takes time so a soldier on flat ground will always outpace a soldier on a slope.

Enemies hiding in valleys are best dealt with through grenades or other indirect fire.

==Artificial Features: Wooden Structures==

Wooden frame structures such as barns provide good concealment and some degree of protection. However they are highly vulnerable to explosives [and energy weapons] and can be penetrated by high caliber weaponry.

They are excellent for concealing movement and approach but equally conceal the enemy in their windows, doors, and corridors. In a free-fire zone, flatten these with explosive rounds to deny cover to the enemy.

Sniping from a high position or window minimizes exposure but the soldier must be prepared for return fire and move to different cover if spotted.

==Vegetation==

Vegetation, especially in [[Jungle Terrain|jungle]] or [[Forest_Terrain|forest]] environments, provides a high degree of cover. Thick-trunked vegetation can often stop enemy fire temporarily but will quickly be shredded by powerful weaponry.

Thick vegetation reduces sight lines and is a dangerous environment to move through. Scouts have to look all around them as each movement can reveal previously hidden areas. Overwatch and support teams will find trees blocking both direct and indirect fire and will have to move closer to the scouts to adequately support them. Paths through the vegetation are not always evident and soldiers may be forced to double back if their path becomes impassable.

Clearings should be exploited as rally points and kill zones. Soldiers concealed in vegetation on the edges of a clearing have the best combination of concealment and field of fire. High explosive can be used to clear vegetation as necessary.

''[Jasonred] : Try experimenting with [[Incendiary|Incendiaries]] in this environment! Clear the landing area of enemies, retreat to the transport, fire a round or two of incendiaries, and wait for either the aliens to come to you as the fire catches them, or for the whole place to burn down and give visibility.''

==Artificial Structures: UFO Hulls==

UFO Outer Hulls, like our reinforced concrete bunkers, are generally impervious to man-portable weaponry. [1] The commander has two choices: siege or storm.

Sieging has the benefit that time is on the commander's side, so forces can be arranged in good concealed positions with good fields of fire. All exits from the structure should be covered. Avoid placing units directly in line with exits or windows as these units will be the first ones attacked when the enemy ventures forth. The enemy will hide from a barrage but will hopefully become curious enough, if all is quiet and movement unopposed, to reveal themselves. This then allows your marksmen to engage them.

Sending forward a scout is risky but can fool the enemy into revealing themselves to shoot at the presented target.

Sieges succeed through attrition of the enemy as they reveal themselves. A resolute enemy with adequate supplies, however, can choose to remain hidden indefinitely. So eventually the structure will have to be stormed.

Storming these structures is always hazardous because no amount of "target softening" can guarantee them clear of enemy presence before the assault. The first soldiers in will always be in harm's way. [2] Single file entry is often required so the assault team must enter quickly and spread out again to maximize effectiveness. Assault teams should carry weapons with high rate of fire and high stopping power. Armor is a must. [[Stun Rod]]s can also be useful. [[Heavy Cannon]] can provide stopping power.

Training must emphasize prioritizing targets.

*a) An enemy facing the soldier and in line with the entryway, should be handed off to a following soldier or even to a support sniper outside the entryway. If neither of these are practical (due to blocked lines of fire) then engage at short range with burst fire (autofire).
*b) An enemy facing the soldier, but not in line with the entryway, must be engaged. At short range, use three-shot burst fire (autofire).
*c) If enough time remains to take cover and let a following soldier engage the enemy, but not enough time to both fire on the enemy and take cover, then take cover.
*d) An enemy facing away from the soldier should be engaged only if time permits or if no other soldiers can move into position to take the shot. Stun rods are best used on this presentation of target.
*e) Enemies packed into a corridor are best engaged with burst fire. Use of explosives in such situations is unpredictable given the close range and risk of secondary explosions.

[[Motion detector]]s are invaluable in gaining information about the enemy in such a structure. The soldier with the motion detector does not have to be a member of the assault team but should be moved up next to the structure.

*[1] [[Blaster Launcher]]s will penetrate an outer hull. No other unmodified weapon has sufficient power. [[Heavy Plasma]] will eventually penetrate inner bulkheads.
*[2] SWAT teams get thick full length shields for this sort of thing. X-Com get ... rookies.

==See Also==

[[Field Manual: Terrain]] | [[Field Manual: Deployment]] | [[UFO Assault]] | [[:Category:Missions]]
[[Category:Field Manual]]
[[Category:Terrain]]

Field Manual: Movement Tactics

2006-01-02T19:24:59Z

Papa Legba: /* See Also */

''Field & Movement Tactics - Chapter 3''

==3001 INTRODUCTION ==

The tactics listed on this section of the field manual can be seen as doctrine: they provide a tested response to a number of situations that can be encountered on missions, allowing for a quick reaction and to prevent confusion.

However, the complexity of combat situations often makes it impossible to apply doctrine to every mission. Therefore field tactics can be viewed as freedom of action for the leader to execute his mission in the way he sees fit, rather than being told how to do it. It requires that leaders learn "how" to think rather than "what" to think.

Each tactic shown below aims to demonstrate the mechanics of fighting the extraterrestrials in several situations. Execution of field tactics requires initiative, resourcefulness, and imagination. Squad leaders must be resourceful enough to adapt to situations as they are, not as they were expected to be. Combat situations might require a mixture of those tactics and concepts: it's up to the leader to decide whose to use and when.
===3001-1 Time Management ===
See [[Time Management]] and [[TU]] sections

==3002 GENERAL TACTICS ==
===3002-1 Squad Movement Techniques===

Since the nature of X-COM missions involves deploying to a limited area where the presence of hostiles is certain, squads, fireteams and individual soldiers must learn specific movement techniques. Although there are other types of movement in infantry combat operations, these fall out of the scope of this field manual due to their limited use when fighting extraterrestrials.

===3002-2 Bounding Overwatch (Alternate/Successive)===

Bounding overwatch is used when contact is expected, when the squad leader feels the enemy is near or when a large open danger area must be crossed.

a) The squad leader watches the terrain and determines the direction to where the squad will move. An overwatch fire team is set to cover the movement of the other fire team.

b) The trailing fire team bounds to the location and sets itself in a position to overwatch the other team's movement.

c) Both teams then repeat the movement until they establish contact with the enemy.

d) The teams can bound successively or alternately as demonstrated on the figure below.

e) Heavy Weapons Platforms, if available, can be used instead of a fire team during movement.

[[Image:Bounding.jpg|Fig.1. Alternate and Successive Bounding Overwatch]]

===3002-3 Fire And Movement===

When a unit makes contact with the enemy, it normally starts firing at and moving toward the enemy. Sometimes the unit may move away from the enemy. That technique is called fire and movement. It is conducted either to close with and destroy the enemy, or to move away from the enemy so as to break contact with him.

The firing and moving take place at the same time. There is a fire element and a movement element. These elements may be single soldiers, fire teams, or squads. Regardless of the size of the elements, the action is still fire and movement.

a) The fire element covers the move of the movement element by firing at the enemy. This helps keep the enemy from firing back at the movement element.

b) The movement element moves either to close with the enemy or to reach a better position from which to fire at him. The movement element should not move until the fire element is firing.

c) Depending on the distance to the enemy position and on the available cover, the fire element and the movement element switch roles as needed to keep moving. Usually the fire element is the overwatch team of the bounding technique while the movement element is the trailing team but that might change, depending on the tactical environment.

Movement is of course influenced by terrain - see [[Field Manual: Terrain|next chapter]].

==See Also==
[[Field Manual: Deployment]] | [[Field Manual: Terrain]] | [[:Category: Terrain]]
[[Category: Field Manual]]

Field Manual: Movement Tactics

2006-01-02T19:24:48Z

Papa Legba: /* See Also */

Terror Mission

2006-01-02T19:22:46Z

Papa Legba: /* Tips & Tricks */

Large numbers of aliens have landed in a major city! The population panics! There are special large "[[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Unit]]s" we haven't seen before!

Funnily enough, these seem to be more of a trap for your squad than a political move by the aliens... Oh well, into the breach once more...

==Briefing==
Mission will be successful when all enemy units have been eliminated or neutralised. You must attempt to save the lives of any [[civilian]]s in the area by neutralising the alien menace.

==A Debriefing==
An excerpt from a soldier's journal who shall remain nameless:

'-- it's very strange. The aliens don't appear to want to kill the poor citizens they're terrorising. At least not at first. They won't hesitate in the least and will immediately open fire on the civilians the very moment our dropship lands in the area and lowers its access ramp . If we ignore the terror alert for a few hours, they'll kill the townsfolk anyway.

They appear to know when one of our ships is en route to the site, and will patiently wait for us to arrive. I wonder if we have any moles in the organisation, or if the aliens just have awfully powerful scanners? They just know. I guess that's all there is to say about it.

Sgt. Mikhail Okabe says it all boils down to psychological warfare. They want to break our morale by making us watch helplessly as they slaughter the people we're sworn to protect. If we arrived and all the civilians were dead, we'd probably not think twice about it, or at least not as much if we were to watch them being murdered before our very eyes, or having to listen to their tormented screams.

The aliens also seem to do something to the civilians before we arrive. At every terror site I've been to, the locals always appeared to be in a rather addle minded state, and walked about as if they're in a dream. They'll merrily walk through a hail of flying lead just to let the aliens get a better shot at them, and yet they won't seek shelter in nearby buildings or the relative safety of our dropship.

The third time they attacked Novosibirsk, I remember trying to protect an old woman from one of those furry bipedal aliens that was chasing after her. Instead of getting behind me for protection, she stared at me with a vacant smile, turned around and walked towards the alien and... That happened only a week ago, but every time I try to rest, my sleep is plagued with the same nightmare. If this keeps up, the base commander's going to need to find a new firearms instructor, and I'm going to be sporting a new jacket with very long sleeves.

But I think that's not the worst of it. If we knock out any civilians during the battle with our shock sticks, they just change. I don't really know how to describe it, except that they become someone.. no something else. . I've a feeling these people, who are in a very weakened mental state, are holding onto their minds for their dear lives. Any interference on our part just causes them to lose concentration and are thus defenceless against whatever it is that enters their heads and practically kicks them out so that it can then make itself at home.

These posessed civilians are harmless when awake, but we are still required to deal with them somehow. No matter how we decide to do that, our Damage Control specialists jump in and 'vanish' any of the affected persons. It's a very hush-hush matter. Even the inspection team from the UN who come around to assess the damage aren't made aware of the posessed civilians, so we are not credited or discredited for this little mistake of ours.

After the aliens have been dealt with, the rest of the civilians seem to recover after a few hours, and have no recollection of what had just happened to them. This is rather convenient and saves having to lug all the brainwashing equipment out there. But one does have to wonder how Damage Control is going to explain the big crater where the old gas station should be, or what's up with that inside-out vege-mart. "

-- [[User:NKF]] pasted by [[User:JellyfishGreen|JellyfishGreen]] 13:18, 25 Apr 2005 (BST)

==Alien Deployment==
'''Rank Beg./Exp. Vet./Gen. Super.'''
'''---- --------- --------- ------'''
Soldiers 4-5 5-6 6-7
Navigators 1 1 2
Engineers 1 1 2
Medics 1-2 1-2 1-2
Leaders 1 1 1
Terrorists 2-6 4-8 6-10

Totals 10-16 13-19 18-24

==Tips & Tricks==
* The Terror UFO isn't anywhere to be found during a terror mission.
* Urban (city/suburb) terrain.
* In a terror site - worry about your soldiers first. Civilians later. Very important. This is a game, so you can choose to be a bit heartless. [NKF]
* The gas pumps are explosive!
* All buidlings in the cityscape are very weak, light gun-fire can destroy fences and walls.
*To save a few more cilivians than usual, try limiting HE rounds.
* TIME is NOT on your side if you want a half decent score, expand quickly and secure. the quicker you kill aliens or get them to panic, the less cilivians end up dead.
*The aliens will have grenades and heavy plasma, but they never bring blaster bombs along on terror missions. I suppose they don't want to end it that quickly.

==Minor Terror Missions==
The city-raiding terror mission mentioned above occurs only when a [[Terror Ship]] is sent on an Alien Terror mission. There are less dramatic forms of alien terror, however.

Whenever a ship other than the Terror Ship is launched on an alien terror mission, the ship will land randomly, in some non-urban area, and behave much like you would expect to see on a an [[Alien Missions#Alien_Research|Alien Research]] or [[Alien Missions#Alien_Abduction|Alien Abduction]] mission. Unlike a city raid, these minor terror missions will not include [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Units]].

While the city-raiding missions cannot be ignored because of the drop in X-Com's funding and esteem that it would cause, the consequences of ignoring a minor terror mission are far less.

==See Also==
[[Terror Units (UFO Defense)]] 
[[Alien Missions]] 
[[Urban Terrain]] 
[[Category: UFO (UFO Defense)]]
[[Category:Missions]]

Urban Terrain

2006-01-02T19:21:14Z

Papa Legba: /* Battle Notes */

[[image:terrain-urban.gif|right|Urban Terrain]]
Aliens will only attack cities for dedicated [[Terror Mission]]s. They will never actually land a UFO in the city, but instead drop off aliens from a [[Terror Ship]] and leave.

Aliens prefer residential areas, without skyscrapers or subways. Houses, apartment buildings, and shops will abound. Expect to see gas stations and the occasional park. The landscape will be densely packed with buildings, walls, and other structures. This provides the aliens with lots of cover and oppportunities for ambush, so move with caution.

The city mission presents another unique element-- human civilians. Do not expect any help from that quarter, however. They will not act rationally. They will wander about at random, dazed by terror. It is important to keep civilian casualties to a minimum, or the political fallout to X-Com could be grave. Aliens will of course shoot civilians on sight, and this also must be minimized as much as possible. As long as it doesn't result in civilian deaths, destruction of property and structures is perfectly acceptable.

 
==Battle Notes==
*Since aliens only visit cities on terror missions, you will encounter [[Terror Units (UFO Defense)|Terror Units]] in every city you visit.
*Because terror ships do not land at the terror site, you will never see a UFO in city terrain.
*To keep civilian casualties low, be more cautious when using explosives and incendiaries.
*However, if you are ever faced with the situation where you have to choose between saving a civilian, or your soldier, save your soldier. Do not purposely cause the death of any civilians, though, as this will reflect badly on X-Com in the end mission briefing.
*Be alert for gas stations; their pumps will explode under fire. This could result in civilian deaths, or present unconventional attack oppportunities.
*As always, tightly grouped buildings and structures can be hazardous for X-Com, since they present many opportunities ambush. However, the presence of civilians mean that levelling the whole site is probably not feasible. Engage with caution.
*When faced with the problem of entering structures occupied by one or more aliens, the main entrance should be treated as an obvious death trap, especially if aliens are seen entering or leaving through the door. Consider making an alternate entry through the side or rear.
*The mail boxes, phone boothes and waste recepticles found outside the market, refer to the screenshot above, provide little to no protection from plasma blasts. Therefore avoid them if you are seeking cover. And no, the phone booths will not let you travel backwards or forwards in time.
*Proximity grenades don't discriminate. They will detonate for civilian and alien alike. The same goes for motion sensors. The blips for exhausted civilians, aliens and even X-Com units cannot be distinguished. Take the readings with a grain of salt and, as always, be cautious.
*Disembarking from X-Com's landing craft in a terror mission can be especially hazardous. Use smoke grenades freely. The danger level is increased at night where you lose up to 4 tiles worth of visibility. Attempt to deploy flares at the edge of your smoke screen before disembarking so that you have full visibility of your landing zone.

==See Also==
[[Category:Terrain]]
[[Terror Mission]]

Farm Terrain

2006-01-02T19:18:09Z

Papa Legba: /* Battle Notes */

[[image:terrain-cult.gif|right|Farm Terrain (Composite)]]
It is not accidental that most reports of alien abduction come from remote rural areas. Most of the missions X-Com embarks on take place on small, meticulously-tended farms. It is not yet known why aliens prefer to haunt farmland, or why they shun large-scale agribusiness plantations. From a Commander's geoscape view, farmland looks smooth and green.

In any case, farmland is also some of the most treacherous terrain a commander will encounter. The orchards, barns, farmhouses and hedges provide aliens with a wealth of cover and endless opportunities for ambush. Farmhouses can be especially treacherous, with plenty of small alcoves to pop out from. One should watch the roofs of all buildings for alien sharpshooters. However, there are ways to deal with these hazards. Due to the wonders of modern agricultural insurance, a Commander can level an entire farm to smoking ash and not gain a single black mark on his after-action report.

While there are few hills in such areas, wheat fields, vegetable patches and tall grass slow down X-com movement over the level ground. Flying units can be useful to spy into the upper stories of buildings, as well as survey dense orchards from above. 

==Battle Notes==
*Hay and straw provide useful fuel for incendiary attacks.
*Hedges and fencerows may divide the farm up in inconvenient ways. When cutting new paths, remember that it's easier to shoot up a solid hedge than it is to get a direct hit on a fence.
*Farmhouses and barn clusters both have hinged doors. Listen for the opening and closing of these doors during the alien's turn; this may give you a hint of their location. If you find any open doors in areas that you've not been to, approach them with the utmost caution until the you've found the creature that opened the door.
*When possible, go wide around clusters of structures rather than between them. The opportunities for ambush on both sides create too many hazards. This is especially the case when one of the structures is a landed UFO.
*If you are ever so inclined to make use of [[High Explosive]] packs, they can quickly flatten any dubious looking structures that may be housing snipers with a well-placed satchel, or two. If you have a soldier with a fairly strong arm, you can even have a High Explosive thrown into any hedge-enclosed area and have the entire sector wiped in one fell swoop. This approach to clearing the landscape lacks finesse and is very messy, but it is very effective.

==See Also==
[[TU | Time Units]]
[[Category:Terrain]]

X-COM Base Terrain

2006-01-02T19:13:50Z

Papa Legba: /* See Also */

[[image:terrain-xbase.gif|right|X-Com Base]]
Eventually the aliens will find their way back to one of your bases and attempt to overrun it. This at least should be familiar territory: you've laid it out yourself, and have been working in it for months on end. Unlike other areas, whose terrain you will be laying eyes on for the first time at the start of the battle, your troops know the layout of the base right from the beginning. This is the only non-random terrain in the game-- the layout always reflects the base plan.

The smart Commander has laid out the base with [[Base Layout Strategy|defendibility in mind]]. The surface access points-- the lift and the hangars-- have been grouped together, and all isolated from the rest of the base. Hopefully there is only one choke point between the surface access and the base, unlike the example picture here.

Remember all those times your troops were ambushed in farmhouses, or had to rush the hatch of a UFO crawling with aliens? Now's the time for payback. With a good base layout, you should have enough time to set up good ambushes. Hide behind doors and pop out of them to engage the enemy. Make sure the choke-points are covered with every dirty trick you can think of. They should soon be choked with alien corpses.

 
==Battle Notes==
*Your troops will begin the battle scattered around the base, concentrated in the general stores and living quarters. Tanks will be principly in the general stores, as will unattended weapons.
*Don't soil your own nest. Some caution must be taken to avoid utterly destroying base sections, and losing them permanently. While any section can withstand one blaster hit, multiple blaster and explosive hits in the same section should be avoided.
**Hangars, access lifts, general stores and living quarters are hardened against attack, and cannot be destroyed.
*That said, don't be afraid to blow a wall or two down to protect your base. Blasting the doors off the indestructable access lift is a good way to deny the aliens cover.
*the [[Managing the Item Limit|80-item limit]] can be especially painful for a base that's stuffed with extra weapons and alien artifacts.
* Many modules have lots of smaller rooms and HWP closets. These cubby holes are good places to run for cover in between turns, and can sometimes provide your team with one chance of surviving a blaster bomb attack.
* Soldiers with motion scanners can do well by staying in the upper levels to scan for movement along the lower corridors.
==See Also==
[[Base Defense]] |
[[Base Layout Strategy]] |
[[Base Facilities (UFO Defense)]]
[[Category:Terrain]]

Alien Base Assault

2006-01-01T23:49:39Z

Papa Legba: /* Locating an Alien Base */

==Briefing==
XCom operatives have gained entrance to an alien base. The control centre must be destroyed to render the base inoperative. The Mission will terminate when all enemies are eliminated.

==Locating an Alien Base==
Alien bases do not show up on the Geoscape by default. They are hidden until you find them. To locate one, an X-Com craft must patrol in its vicinity for a short time. Also, X-Com agents may report a base location to you at the beginning of the month, but that shouldn't be relied upon.

There are several clues that indicate the presence of an alien base:
*A large UFO performing an "Alien Base" mission may indicate the creation of a base, or a preliminary scouting mission. Several UFOS running alien base missions simultaneously indicate the construction of a base, and the base may be built even if you interdict all of those UFOs. See: [[Alien Missions]]
*An "Alien Supply" mission will always land directly on top of a base; patrol the location until you find it.
*For each nation that the aliens enter a pact with, they will also build a base somewhere on that nation's continent-- but not necessarily within that nation's borders.
*Check your graphs for UFO activity by region. A spike of UFO activity in a given region probably indicates the construction of a base there.

==Goal==
Destroying the contents of the room on the second floor of the Command Center renders the base destroyed for all intents of a base assault. If you abort the mission after destroying the command center, the base will be destroyed. However, The mission will not end until you abort it or kill every alien in the base-- the latter is of course to be preferred.

==Alien Deployment==
'''Rank Beg./Exp. Vet./Gen. Super.'''
'''---- --------- --------- ------'''
Soldiers 5-9 6-10 7-11
Navigators 1 1 2
Engineers 1 1 2
Medics 1 1 1
Leaders 2 3 4
Commanders 1 1 1
Terrorists 1-3 3-5 5-7

Totals 12-18 16-22 22-28

==Smash And Grab==
Alien bases can be a very quick and dirty (dangerous) way to get Elerium, using what we call the "smash and grab" mission. Raid them by seeking out the storage room with power units. Destroy the power units without using explosives, and pick up the purple elerium canisters that were underneath. Boogie back to the entry lift, and abort the mission. You get the elerium and the base is not destroyed. This means you can raid as often as you dare. Consider grabbing a few alien equipment on your retreat to replenish any spent equipment during the raid, and perhaps if you are lucky enough to knock out a high ranking alien, drag it back to the entrance to have it abducted.

If you want to do repeated Smash And Grabs on the same base, you must not destroy the base Control Center, and you must leave some aliens alive in the base.

One tip is to knock out an alien, bring it somewhere safe where you can watch over it (such as the small storage rooms with the small grav-lift), and then revive it with a med-kit. Proceed to wipe out the rest of the aliens, but do not damage the command consoles in the command centre. As soon as the base is neutralized, initiate a recovery mission and gather as much equipment (and corpses, if you're really stretched for cash) in the green entrance pads before aborting the mission. Though this may seem time consuming, it does allow you to reap the rewards of a normal successful mission.

The mission will be counted as a technical failure, but that's nothing to worry about, as the activity points, loot and experience will tell you otherwise.

==Notes==
*Somebody turned the lights out. Alien bases start dim and remain dim, so bring electroflares.
*Remember those proximity grenades; you can't guard every intersection.
*Terror units will be in the area.
*The alien base will be staffed by the same variety of aliens that ran the "alien base" UFO mission that set the base up, and the aliens that run the "alien supply" missions to that base. See [[Alien Missions]] For more detail.
*Alien bases populated with Snakemen deserve special caution. The high mobility of the [[Chryssalid]] makes it especially dangerous here-- it can run around three corners and still have enough time to infect your troops.
*The Alien Base Commander and a couple leaders will usually- but not always- be hanging around the Control Center. Expect at least some of them to have blaster bombs.
*Alien Engineers hang out around the Storage Loft sections. many of them will be armed with blasters as well.
*Don't linger long in the rooms beneath the access lifts, and stay spread out at all times. There WILL be aliens with blaster bombs here, and they will be happy to use them on any clusters of your troops.
==See Also==
[[Alien Base Terrain]]
[[Category:Missions]]

Alien Base Assault

2005-12-31T21:10:07Z

Papa Legba: /* Locating an Alien Base */

==Briefing==
XCom operatives have gained entrance to an alien base. The control centre must be destroyed to render the base inoperative. The Mission will terminate when all enemies are eliminated.

==Locating an Alien Base==
Alien bases do not show up on the Geoscape by default. They are hidden until you find them. To locate one, an X-Com craft must patrol in its vicinity for a short time. Also, X-Com agents may report a base location to you at the beginning of the month, but that shouldn't be relied upon.

There are several clues that indicate the presence of an alien base:
*A large UFO performing an "Alien Base" mission may indicate the creation of a base, or a preliminary scouting mission. Several UFOS running alien base missions simultaneously indicate the construction of a base, and the base may be built even if you interdict all of those UFOs. See: [[Alien Missions]]
*An "Alien Supply" mission will always land directly on top of a base; patrol the location until you find it.
*For each nation that the aliens enter a pact with, they will also build a base somewhere on that nation's continent-- but not necessarily within that nation's borders.
*Check your graphs for UFO activity by region. A spike of UFO activity in a given region probably indicates the construction of a basethere.

==Goal==
Destroying the contents of the room on the second floor of the Command Center renders the base destroyed for all intents of a base assault. If you abort the mission after destroying the command center, the base will be destroyed. However, The mission will not end until you abort it or kill every alien in the base-- the latter is of course to be preferred.

==Alien Deployment==
'''Rank Beg./Exp. Vet./Gen. Super.'''
'''---- --------- --------- ------'''
Soldiers 5-9 6-10 7-11
Navigators 1 1 2
Engineers 1 1 2
Medics 1 1 1
Leaders 2 3 4
Commanders 1 1 1
Terrorists 1-3 3-5 5-7

Totals 12-18 16-22 22-28

==Smash And Grab==
Alien bases can be a very quick and dirty (dangerous) way to get Elerium, using what we call the "smash and grab" mission. Raid them by seeking out the storage room with power units. Destroy the power units without using explosives, and pick up the purple elerium canisters that were underneath. Boogie back to the entry lift, and abort the mission. You get the elerium and the base is not destroyed. This means you can raid as often as you dare. Consider grabbing a few alien equipment on your retreat to replenish any spent equipment during the raid, and perhaps if you are lucky enough to knock out a high ranking alien, drag it back to the entrance to have it abducted.

If you want to do repeated Smash And Grabs on the same base, you must not destroy the base Control Center, and you must leave some aliens alive in the base.

One tip is to knock out an alien, bring it somewhere safe where you can watch over it (such as the small storage rooms with the small grav-lift), and then revive it with a med-kit. Proceed to wipe out the rest of the aliens, but do not damage the command consoles in the command centre. As soon as the base is neutralized, initiate a recovery mission and gather as much equipment (and corpses, if you're really stretched for cash) in the green entrance pads before aborting the mission. Though this may seem time consuming, it does allow you to reap the rewards of a normal successful mission.

The mission will be counted as a technical failure, but that's nothing to worry about, as the activity points, loot and experience will tell you otherwise.

==Notes==
*Somebody turned the lights out. Alien bases start dim and remain dim, so bring electroflares.
*Remember those proximity grenades; you can't guard every intersection.
*Terror units will be in the area.
*The alien base will be staffed by the same variety of aliens that ran the "alien base" UFO mission that set the base up, and the aliens that run the "alien supply" missions to that base. See [[Alien Missions]] For more detail.
*Alien bases populated with Snakemen deserve special caution. The high mobility of the [[Chryssalid]] makes it especially dangerous here-- it can run around three corners and still have enough time to infect your troops.
*The Alien Base Commander and a couple leaders will usually- but not always- be hanging around the Control Center. Expect at least some of them to have blaster bombs.
*Alien Engineers hang out around the Storage Loft sections. many of them will be armed with blasters as well.
*Don't linger long in the rooms beneath the access lifts, and stay spread out at all times. There WILL be aliens with blaster bombs here, and they will be happy to use them on any clusters of your troops.
==See Also==
[[Alien Base Terrain]]
[[Category:Missions]]

Proximity Grenade

2005-12-31T18:17:46Z

Papa Legba: /* Tips & Tricks */

The portable mine, this little beauty uses a weighted base and ultrasonics to set up a 3-meter detection circle with a 5-meter explosion. Exceedingly useful for mining corridors in base defense missions or "softening up" aliens emerging from UFO doors.

== Stats ==
*Damage: 70, Explosive
*Size: 1x1
*Weight: 3
*TU cost: 30 to prime, + throwing cost
*Buy Price: $500

== Earning Experience The Hard Way ==

Unlike other explosives, the Proximity Grenade does not give [[Firing Accuracy]] experience points for hits to the person throwing it (although this will give you Throwing experience). Instead, it gives Firing XPs to the person who triggers it to explode.

Unfortunately, the accompanying pain and death make it a dubious choice for earning experience, especially early in the game (when you don't have the armor to go near one). For more on experience points, see [[Experience#How Experience Points Are Applied|here]].

Among the aliens, [[Muton]]s can survive the explosion handily. Keep a few snipers around so they won't live long enough to benefit from the experience.

== Tips & Tricks ==
* On higher skill levels, many aliens can survive the blast of a proximity grenade. Mutons always shrug them off, some Snakemen and even the occasional Floater will survive. Even when a prox grenade doesnt kill, they are still useful to soften up targets and-- perhaps more importantly-- acting as burglar alarms. When you see a prox grenade go off, it will alert you to an alien in the area.
* PGs will trigger on movement on the far side of walls and doors, if dropped next to them. Therefore,
* When mining a door, aim for one square away from the door, not the square next to the door. This detonates the grenade after the door opens.
* PGs detect movement into, but not out of, the eight surrounding squares, meaning you can walk away from a mis-throw.
* PGs can safely be picked up by entering their square vertically (e.g. with flying suit).
* 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.
* The mine can be destroyed by explosives. However, it's only advisable to destroy the mine if there's no alternative. Even with armour, the explosive should be set off as far away from the soldier as possible, as your under armour is by far your most vulnerable spot. Make no mistakes.
* Just like every other live [[grenade]] in the game, it's safe to pick up a live mine and reposition it. However, it's highly recommended that live mines not be used in the grenade relay manoeuvre.
* If all else fails, and you are trapped with nowhere to move and no way to diffuse the mine: just stay still. Don't move and wait until the bomb squad arrives (i.e., wait until the mission ends).

-- Collection of [[User:NKF|NKF-Sensei's]] posts by --[[User:JellyfishGreen|JellyfishGreen]] 12:50, 25 Apr 2005 (BST)

Proximity Grenade

2005-12-31T18:11:17Z

Papa Legba: /* Tips & Tricks */

The portable mine, this little beauty uses a weighted base and ultrasonics to set up a 3-meter detection circle with a 5-meter explosion. Exceedingly useful for mining corridors in base defense missions or "softening up" aliens emerging from UFO doors.

== Stats ==
*Damage: 70, Explosive
*Size: 1x1
*Weight: 3
*TU cost: 30 to prime, + throwing cost
*Buy Price: $500

== Earning Experience The Hard Way ==

Unlike other explosives, the Proximity Grenade does not give [[Firing Accuracy]] experience points for hits to the person throwing it (although this will give you Throwing experience). Instead, it gives Firing XPs to the person who triggers it to explode.

Unfortunately, the accompanying pain and death make it a dubious choice for earning experience, especially early in the game (when you don't have the armor to go near one). For more on experience points, see [[Experience#How Experience Points Are Applied|here]].

Among the aliens, [[Muton]]s can survive the explosion handily. Keep a few snipers around so they won't live long enough to benefit from the experience.

== Tips & Tricks ==
* On higher skill levels, many aliens can survive the blast of a proximity grenade. Mutons always shrug them off, some Snakemen and even the occasoinal Floater will survive. Even when a prox grenade doesnt kill, they are still useful to soften up targets and-- perhaps more importantly-- acting as burglar alarms. When you see a prox grenade go off, it will alert you to an alien in the area.
* PGs will trigger on movement on the far side of walls and doors, if dropped next to them. Therefore,
* When mining a door, aim for one square away from the door, not the square next to the door. This detonates the grenade after the door opens.
* PGs detect movement into, but not out of, the eight surrounding squares, meaning you can walk away from a mis-throw.
* PGs can safely be picked up by entering their square vertically (e.g. with flying suit).
* 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.
* The mine can be destroyed by explosives. However, it's only advisable to destroy the mine if there's no alternative. Even with armour, the explosive should be set off as far away from the soldier as possible, as your under armour is by far your most vulnerable spot. Make no mistakes.
* Just like every other live [[grenade]] in the game, it's safe to pick up a live mine and reposition it. However, it's highly recommended that live mines not be used in the grenade relay manoeuvre.
* If all else fails, and you are trapped with nowhere to move and no way to diffuse the mine: just stay still. Don't move and wait until the bomb squad arrives (i.e., wait until the mission ends).

-- Collection of [[User:NKF|NKF-Sensei's]] posts by --[[User:JellyfishGreen|JellyfishGreen]] 12:50, 25 Apr 2005 (BST)