UFOpaedia - User contributions [en]

Psionics

2020-05-25T19:20:24Z

Sandwich: /* Alien Psionics Targeting */

'''In other languages: [[정신공격|한국어]].'''

Apart from fighting with firearms, an additional layer of complexity is added to combat in the form of '''Psionics''' where aliens can harass and disrupt their foes with their minds. Aliens' psionic abilities are used to create Panic (reduce [[Morale]]) or attempt [[Mind Control]] and force X-COM soldiers to turn on each other.

With the capture and interrogation of aliens capable of psionics, X-COM will also be able to use Psionics against the aliens.

To learn how to use and counter Psionics or how to ways to screen soldiers for Psionics see: [[Psionic Strategies]]

== Molecular Control ==

In X-Com [[TFTD|Terror From the Deep]], Psionics are also known as '''Molecular Control''' ('''M.C.'''). Except for the in-game flavour text, M.C. is identical to Psionics in all respects. Therefore, for the purpose of this article, all references to '''Psionics''' will also relate to '''M.C'''. Other TFTD term substitutions include:

{| {{stdTable}} cellpadding="3" border="1"
|- {{stdTable Sub_Heading}}
! UFO
! TFTD
|-
| Psionics/Psi
| Molecular Control/M.C.
|-
| Psionic Laboratory
| M.C.-Lab
|-
| Mind Probe
| M.C. Reader
|-
| Psi-Amp
| M.C. Disruptor
|}

== Unlocking Psionics==

With the exception of the [[Mind Probe]], X-Com soldiers are initially not capable of using any Psionic abilities. To do so they must first gain some Psionic Skill by spending a month or longer training in a [[Psionic Laboratory]]. Once they have gained some Psionic Skill, they can start accessing their Psionic powers by using a [[Psi-Amp]].

== Psionic Aliens ==

X-Com Enemy Unknown
*[[Sectoid]] Leaders and Commanders
* [[Ethereal]] - all ranks

X-Com Terror From the Deep:
*[[Aquatoid]] Technicians, Navigators and Commanders
*[[Gillman]] Commanders
*[[Tasoth]] Squad Leaders

== Psionic Formulas ==

The equations governing psionics are as follows:

'''Attack Strength (AS)''' = (Psi Strength * Psi Skill / 50) - (''Distance'' / 2) + ''Random Number(0 to 55)''
'''Defense Strength (DS)''' = Psi Strength + (Psi Skill / 5 ) + ''Difficulty''

If '''AS''' > '''DS''' then psi attack is successful

Where:
''Distance'' is the number of tiles between the attacker and defender.
''Random Number'' is a dice roll that produces a value between 0 and 55
''Difficulty'' represents the difficulty of the attack mode. Mind Control = 30, Panic = 10

The final Attack Strength is compared against the final Defense Strength. If the Attack Strength exceeds Defense Strength, then the Psionic attempt is successful.

The ''Distance'' between the attacked and defender adds a penalty to the Attack Strength at a rate of 1 for every 2 tiles. This means that soldiers that were otherwise able to resist psi attacks may become more vulnerable as they get closer to the alien launching the attacks. Conversely, the efficacy of the Psionic attacks worsen as more distance is put between the attacker and defender.

The ''Random Number'' roll introduces the element of chance into the attack. The random roll gives the weak or moderate Psionic user a chance to break through the defences that are of a similar or slightly higher Strength than the attacker.

These formulas differ slightly from the ones that appear in the [[Links#X-COM:_General|Official Strategy Guide]], but have been discovered through testing and code digs into the game executables. They are believed to be correct.

For an in-depth exploration of the psionic equations, including minimally and maximally effective soldier psi values versus the various aliens in the game, see [[Psionic Equations]].

== Alien Psionics Targeting ==

If any of your squad members, even a [[HWP]], is visible to any alien during the Alien Turn, every member of your squad is at risk of attack from any psionic aliens, regardless of whether the spotter is psionic.

It should be noted that once you pass Turn 20, or if there are only 1 or 2 aliens left on the map, all of your squad members and their locations are revealed to the AI. This means you can expect a steady stream of psionic attacks after that turn if any of the remaining aliens are capable of Psionic attack.

== Summary of Alien Psionic Attack Strength ==

'''Figures are for Beginner level - Superhuman level'''

Fractional portion (if any) is rounded off.

'''Sectoid Leader:''' 50 - 67
'''Sectoid Commander:''' 60 - 80
'''Ethereal Soldier:''' 40 - 53
'''Ethereal Leader:''' 54 - 71
'''Ethereal Commander:''' 65 - 87

Given the formulas above, this means your soldiers need a psionic Defense Strength of 131 to be completely immune to a psi panic attack from a Superhuman Ethereal Commander, and a Defense of 111 to be immune to Mind Control attacks. A Defense Strength of 131 can only be achieved with very high Psi Strength ''and'' Skill (100 PStr + 155 PSk; 90 PStr + 205 PSk; etc.). However, aliens are typically going to be 10 or more squares distant from your troops, and if you give your troops extensive [[Bravery#Improvement|Bravery training]], panic attacks become far less effective. Therefore, a Defense Strength of 100 plus Bravery at 80+ is generally sufficient to shrug off nearly all psionic attacks; this can be achieved by soldiers with a Psi Strength of 80 + Skill of 100, or even soldiers with 95-100 Psi Strength and little to no psi training.

The best defense is a good offense, however; by the time you have such high-level Psi troops, you will probably be able to mind-control nearly any unit on the map long before they can even spot you (see [[ExploitsB#Exponential_Mind_Control|Exponential Mind Control]]).

== Summary of Alien Psionic Resistance ==

'''Figures are for (any rank)/Leader/Commander, Beginner level - Superhuman level'''

Fractional portion (if any) is rounded off.

Grouped according to species, in order of increasing psi defence:

'''Muton:''' 25 - 29
'''Celatid:''' 60 - 69
'''Silacoid:''' 80 - 92

'''Reaper:''' 35 - 40
'''Floater:''' 35/40/45 - 40/46/52

'''Snakeman:''' 40/45/50 - 46/52/58
'''Chryssalid:''' 50 - 58
'''Zombie:''' 80 (all Zombies have Beginner-level stats)

'''Sectoid:''' 40/60/62 - 46/70/72
'''Cyberdisc:''' 100 - 116

'''Ethereal:''' 58/69/75 - 67/79/89
'''Sectopod:''' 100 - 116

A soldier with 80 Psi Strength & Skill can Mind Control even a Superhuman Sectopod 20 squares distant about 30% of the time; a soldier with 90 Str and 100 Skill will succeed 100% of the time at that distance.
Each unit of distance between the target and attacker will increase the difficulty by almost 1.8% (or, if nearer, decrease it).

== Walk-through for a Psi Attack ==

A number of factors affect the results you might see, especially for panic attacks. Here's a walk-through to make everything clear.

For the '''Psi Attack itself''', only these factors matter:
* The Psi Attack Strength of the attacker; both Psi Strength and Psi Skill matter here (see equation)
* The Psi Defense Strength of the target; mainly Psi Strength matters here, but high Psi Skill helps a little
* The distance to target
Nothing else matters - the target's current [[Morale]] or [[Bravery]], etc., do not affect the chance of a successful psi attack. The Psionic Formula alone determines the chance. It is described briefly above, and in much greater depth [[Psionic_Equations|here]].

If the attack is successful, the soldier gets 3 [[Experience]] points added to the counter that determines how much Psi Skill might [[Psionic Skill#Improvement|improve]] when the mission ends. If the attack fails, they only get 1 point added to the counter. This is the only result of failed attempts; the target is not affected in any way by a failed attempt (but the attacker just ate some TUs, of course).

Past the fact that different soldiers are likely to have different attack skills and distances to a target, it does not matter if one soldier performs a number of attacks, or many soldiers perform one attack. Each attack is simply one attack, and each attack gives experience even if the target is already panicked to 0 Morale.

If you performed a successful ''mind control'' attack, the target is immediately MCed - and you can '''stop reading the walk-through here'''. But if you want to understand more about successful ''panic'' attacks, '''continue reading'''.

A '''successful panic attack''' has the result that the target loses [[Morale]] points equal to 110 - their [[Bravery]] (but it can't go lower than 0, of course). Some related info:
* All soldiers and aliens start battle with a [[Morale]] of 100.
* [[Raw_recruit_statistical_likelihood|Recruits]] have [[Bravery]] from 10 to 60. The maximum possible value is 100.
* Thus, a successful panic attack can cause a soldier to lose from 10 to 100 Morale: 10 if they were a superman at 100 Bravery, and 100 if they were a wimp with 10 Bravery.
* '''All''' non-terrorist aliens have a Bravery of 80 [http://www.strategycore.co.uk/xcom/pg/ufoalienstats regardless of game difficulty level], which means they lose 30 Morale with each successful attack. Terrorists have values as follows:
** 90: Celatid, Reaper
** 100: Cryssalid, Silacoid
** 110: Cyberdisc, Sectopod ''(although you can "successfully" panic attack an alien robot, as shown by the experience counter, it can't actually affect them!)''
* While 30 Morale may not seem like a lot (and 80 Bravery may seem high), remember that the chance of a successful attack is based mainly on the target's [[Psionic Strength]]; Bravery is not involved at all. And, as the psionic formula shows, it is MUCH easier to panic a target than to MC it... panic has a +35.7% higher chance, due to the difference in the formula's constants.
* The amount subtracted from Morale is not subject to chance or variability, for a given target. It is always exactly 110 - Bravery. The variability comes from whether the attack was successful (above), and whether the demoralized target misses its panic roll (below).

Units have a chance of [[Morale#Panicking_and_Berserking|panicking]] (or [[berserk]]ing) if their morale drops below 50. There is a 100% (guaranteed) chance if at 0 Morale, up to a 0% chance at 50. Equation: Chance = 100 - (2 x Morale)
* Panic attacks do not give any success or failure message. Here are some ways to see their Morale:
** Use a [[Mind Probe]]. It is not psi dependent, so psi-locked soldiers (not trained in the [[Psi Lab]] yet) can check the success of soldiers with low Psi Skill (and thus a low chance of inducing panic) when you first get Psi capability. But remember, the Mind Probe does not give psi experience.
** You can MC the alien and look at his stats. But this would freeze him for the current turn, and, of course, if you are able to MC, many won't bother with panic.
** If really determined, you can look at [[UNITREF.DAT]] offset [80] for the alien. Mainly only [[HackerTools|hackers]] or testers would do this, though.
* Also, working through the Psionic Formula for a few cases can give you a feel for how likely success is - i.e., how likely it is that you caused the alien to lose 30 Morale points. Even in the best case, though, a target must be attacked at least twice to have any chance at all of panicking, and at least 4 times to have a possibility of being at 0 Morale.
* If a unit panics or berserks, it always regains 15 Morale when done.
* Also bear in mind that [[Morale#Events_which_Affect_Morale|a number of other events]] can also cause units to lose, or even gain, morale.
* For the record, units go [[berserk]] about a third of the time that they panic/berserk.
* Anyone interested in more details on the chance of being successfully psi attacked by aliens should see [[Psionic_Equations#Aliens_Vs._X-COM]].

==See Also==
*[[Psionic Strategies]]
*[[Field Manual: Psionics]]
*[[Psionic Laboratory|Psi-Lab]]
*[[Psi-Amp]]
*[[Mind Shield]]
*[[Mind Probe]]
*[[Experience]]
*[[Experience Training]]
*[[Molecular Control]]

[[Category:Soldiers]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

Laser Pistol

2020-05-25T18:28:41Z

Sandwich: Converted stat table to Infobox format & rearranged content to match arrangement of the regular Pistol page. Not 100% sure if I used the "Damage Threshold" row correctly though.

{{EU2012Version}}

== General Information ==

{{Ref Open | title = Laser Pistol}}
The laser pistol is an effective implementation of new technology. It has the convenience of a pistol with faster and more accurate firing.
{{Ref Close| source = Enemy Unknown Ufopaedia}}
: '''''Note''' : The Laser Pistol is neither faster nor more accurate than the standard Pistol (only more powerful); nor is it either more accurate or always faster than the Laser Rifle, so it is unclear what the Ufopaedia entry is using as comparison.

{{Infobox open}}
{{Infobox module/weapon
| weapon =Laser Pistol
| height = 2
| width = 1
| weight = 7
| damagethreshold = 46 Laser
| grip= One-Handed
| weaponimage = [[Image:BIGOBS05.GIF|left|64 px|Laser Pistol]]
| acc_auto = 28
| acc_snap = 40
| acc_aim = 68
| fcost_auto = 25
| fcost_snap = 20
| fcost_aim = 55
| saleprice = 20000
| research = Laser Pistol
| acquisition = {{Manufacturing|8000|300|2|None}}
}}
{{Infobox close}}
The Laser Pistol is the first weapon in X-COM's laser weapon series, researched prior to the [[Laser Rifle]]. Like all lasers, the Laser Pistol features an efficient miniature power plant built into the gun that provides limitless firepower for the duration of any ground skirmish.

Despite being a considerable step up over ballistic firearms, the laser pistol is unfortunately highly inadequate for precision attacks. Even crack marksmen have trouble hitting their mark with Laser Pistols.

The Laser Pistol's effectiveness does not stem from its accuracy or its moderate stopping power. Instead, it excels by superseding every other weapon as being the fastest automatic-fire weapon available. Coupled with [[Managing the Item Limit|unlimited ammo]], they remain useful for the entire game as a secondary weapon.

To cast the Laser Pistol in a better light, X-COM commanders are recommended to think of the laser pistol as the 'submachine gun' of the laser family instead of merely being a weaker variant of the Laser Rifle.

This weapon appears in ''[[X-COM|UFO: Enemy Unknown]]''. For the ''[[TFTD|Terror from the Deep]]'' equivalent, refer to the [[Gauss Pistol]].

== Recommendations ==
The Laser Pistol excels primarily with two modes of attack — attacks of opportunity or auto shots. However, the Laser Pistol works best when combined with other weapons or non-combat tools. Laser Pistols are an excellent secondary weapon to attach to your belt in case you run out of ammo, [[Morale#Panicking_and_Berserking|forced to drop your main weapon]], or want to [[Reaction Training|train reactions]].

Early in a campaign, the Laser Pistol are much more effective at defeating enemy units than any purchasable weapon except explosives. [[Heavy Cannon]]s do slightly more damage per shot, but you can fire many more times per combat round with a laser pistol (3 shots max, vs 12).

With enough persistence, the Laser Pistol will defeat any foe in time. The only enemy units that will not easily fall to the Laser Pistol are the [[Sectopod]]s. This becomes much more apparent on harder difficulty levels. In particular, you should never attempt to engage a [[Sectopod]] with superhuman class armour.

Laser Pistols are recommended for soldiers with specialised roles such as grenadiers, heavy weapon specialists or scouts, to name a few. New recruits can employ the Laser Pistols to good effect as short range combat weapons, or, like the standard [[Pistol]], use it as a tool for training both firing accuracy and reactions at the same time. Veterans, on the other hand, can wield Laser Pistols with alarming efficiency.

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

* Aimed: 1 Shot, 45% Remaining TUs (enough for a further 1 Auto and 1 Snap, or 2 Snap)
* Snap: 5 Shots, 0% Remaining TUs
* Auto: 4 Bursts (12 Shots), 0% Remaining TUs
Like all [[Weapons#Laser_Technology|Laser Weapons]], Laser Pistols don't use clips and have unlimited ammo.

== General pistol warning ==
This note covers the regulation [[Pistol]], Laser Pistol and the [[Plasma Pistol]].

Pistol-class weapons are prioritized so that they will always be the last weapons to be selected by your soldiers. This can prove to be a minor annoyance.

==See also==
{{Equipment (UFO Defense) Navbar}}
[[Category:Equipment (EU)]]
[[Category:Research (EU)]]
[[Category:Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense]]

Spring Cleaning Tips

2011-03-17T15:04:53Z

Sandwich: Title adjustment

== Spring Cleaning ==

While your bases' storage space is for all practical purposes infinite, the number of [[General Stores]] modules do serve a purpose. Once your stores fill up, you will only be able to move items into the base by acquiring them on tactical missions or manufacturing them on site. You will not be able to purchase new items, transfer items from another base or off a craft. More importantly, when the [[Base Defense|aliens attack your base]], the items stored in the base will determine what you will have available to use. Therefore, it is to your best interest to manage what is kept in your stores. In addition, selling those corpses, weapons, etc. is a good source of money.

In summary, good base storage management is needed for:

#Allowing purchase or transfer of items to or from bases and your aircraft.
#To work around the 80 item limit for base defence

== What to keep and what not to? ==

De-cluttering your stores is as simple as selling or moving unnecessary/redundant equipment. You should make it a point to spring clean once every few months or after playing a series of missions with a high amount of recovered loot.

But that's simple common sense. What's more difficult is deciding on what to keep. If you have a clear idea of what you need and how much you need, then your job will be much easier. But if you're new to the game, or you are undecided but want to keep your stores as bare bones as possible but still functional, read on for a few tips on where to get started.

=== Aircraft Weapons ===

Aircraft weapons and ammunition can and will take up a generous amount of space in storage, but will not affect your items in base defence. The only work towards storage capacity.

Keep your craft ammo levels down, but don't skimp out too much on the ammunition as you don't want to get into a dogfight with a medium UFO only to find you have one missile and ten bullets left after the last re-arm phase. Buy sufficient ammo to arm all of your interceptors for several sorties and replenish their supply as necessary.

Once you've obtained weapons that don't need ammunition - i.e. the [[Laser Cannon]]s and [[Plasma Beam]]s - you can easily wipe out much of your craft armament inventory and keep only the weapons that are bolted onto the ships.

=== Exotics ===

Exotic items include alien UFO components and raw material. These items are usually acquired by capturing downed or landed UFOs. Some components like navigation, power units, and alloys can be manufactured.

Minimum Recommendations for UFO Components:

* [[UFO Navigation|navigation]] × 1
* [[UFO Power Source|power sources]] × 2

Though you will probably want more as you play, this amount will be enough to construct one of any hybrid craft. There is little reason to keep too many spares once your fleet is complete. These should be stored at your 'shipyard' base(s).

* [[Elerium-115|Elerium]]

Elerium is the lifeblood of your high-tech production line and your advanced aircraft. Keep all of it unless you're lucky enough to have so much of it that it's spilling out your ears or you ''really'' need the space. It's probably a better idea to just transfer it to another base.

* [[Alien Alloys|Alloys]]

Because you often get large amounts of alloys from UFO recovery missions, you will rarely have a shortage. Keep only enough to produce what you need and sell it or use it up by producing items that use alloys, such as [[Personal Armour]].

=== Troop Weapons and Equipment ===

Troop weapons and equipment work towards the 80-item limit in the battlescape, so some care should be taken with them to ensure you don't end up with a lot of useless weapons. This is especially important in base defense missions where the game decides what equipment is generated for your troops.

In a base defense, you generally have no control over what equipment will appear. By streamlining your equipment, you regain control over what equipment will appear.

At minimum, each base should have one weapon per soldier with one clip per weapon. Many commanders keep some extra reloads for each soldier. Don't go overboard with this - it's fine to keep enough ammunition to last you several missions.

==== Rarely used Weapons ====

Sell off excess weapons and ammunition, especially older weapons that you rarely or never use.

Some examples where this can be done include:

* Once you have completed the research that requires live aliens, you may find that your use of the [[Stun Rod|Stun Rods]] or [[Small Launcher|Small Launchers]] will decrease. You may want to reduce or sell all of these weapons.

* When you've upgraded to laser weapons, [[Pistol]]s and [[Rifle]]s may start to see less action, and are good candidates for clearing out.

* AP and Incendiary ammunition for the [[Auto-Cannon]]. Many players favour the more formidable HE shells, so will often go through a lot of them compared to the AP and Incendiary versions. In such a case, if neither of these types are used, then there's no reason to keep any. If they are used occasionally, then they should be kept in a much smaller quantities. The same applies to the [[Heavy Cannon]] and [[Rocket Launcher]].

==== Weapons with ammo ====

Older weapons with ammo such as the cannons and rocket launchers are high in the equipment order. This means that their ammunition is very likely to appear before some of the more advanced equipment such as lasers. If you have a large amount of spare ammunition, then your equipment pile may be cluttered with this ammunition when the base is attacked.

Like aircraft equipment, the solution to this is to keep a minimal supply of this ammunition to last you several missions, and re-order them as you need to.

==== Laser Weapons ====

[[Weapons#Laser Technology|Laser weapons]] do not require ammunition and are fairly effective against almost every enemy. If you are willing to sacrifice a little firepower, they are great space-savers compared to most of the conventional weapons that require ammunition.

==== Alien Weapons ====

Aliens will have plasma weapons in abundance. You will easily capture a large amount of plasma weapons through the missions. Often you will end up with more plasma weapons than you'll ever need. Keep only as many as you need, with perhaps a few spares and sell the rest.

Managing Plasma weapon ammunition will have to take a slightly different approach. As the [[Plasma Pistol]] and [[Plasma Rifle]] are limited once the [[Heavy Plasma]] becomes the aliens' mainstay weapon, their ammunition will become very scarce. You may want to stockpile them if you intend to use them. If you don't intend to use either, then sell them all.

Heavy Plasma ammunition on the other hand will be highly abundant, so you can easily make do with one clip per heavy plasma.

If you are really concerned about space, you can even choose not to stock any plasma weapons, use lasers and win your plasma weapons off defeated enemies during battles.

==== Heavy Weapons Platforms ====

[[Heavy Weapons Platforms]](HWPs) don't work against your 80-item limit, but instead will work against the battlescape's 40-unit (per side) limit.

Don't stock too many HWPs as they take up 6 Stores units apiece and 4 unit slots in the battlescape. Because they have higher spawn priority than soldiers, if you have too many HWPS, they will start to take up a lot of soldier spawn points when the battle starts. In base defense, this means you could have a lot of HWPs but almost no soldiers to defend the base.

If used in the field, buy enough ammunition to last two or more missions. Tank ammo do not count as battlescape items but will use storage space. Alternately use ammo-less tanks such as the [[Tank/Laser Cannon]] or [[Hovertank/Plasma]].

If used strictly for base defence, you don't need to buy ammunition for the HWPs, as they will be fully armed at the start of the battle.

==== Miscellaneous Equipment ====

Miscellaneous equipment include [[Psi-Amp|Psi-Amps]], [[Medi-Kit|Medi-kits]], [[Electro-flare|Electro-flares]], and other items

[[Motion Scanner|Motion Scanners]], Medi-Kits, and Flares should all be stored on craft since tactical missions are the only times you will use them. Due to the random nature of Base Defense mission spawning, your medics are likely to be scattered about the base and may be away from the main action to be useful. Your base passages are well-lit so flares aren't an absolute requirement for defending it.

[[Mind Probe]]s are useful for locating specific aliens and for analysing their current state. Despite their limited availability, you are likely to pick up more probes than you'll ever reasonably need. Keep one or two probes and sell the excess. They are very profitable items.

Psi-Amps are powerful game-balance breaking devices that will only work for troops that have had a month's training the psi lab. Keep only enough for your psi-capable troopers. You will rarely need to buy spares.

== Troop Transport Storage ==

Remember that weapons stored in a troop transport are unloaded for use in a base defence mission. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to have some spare weapons in the base itself in the event that the [[Skyranger]] is out on a mission when the aliens come calling.

== Storage Base ==

If you really want to hang on to a very large amount of stuff, build a storage facility somewhere and garrison it with a small squad. This base can also serve non-combat roles such as psi screening, UFO detection, etc. It should be constructed in an area with low UFO activity and protected with a [[Mind Shield]]. It should also keep a few HWPs on hand so the soldiers don't get completely shafted by the 80 item limit.

== Waste Not, Want Not ==

Be very, very sure before you sell off anything that needs to be Manufactured and cannot simply be Purchased. You might need that equipment in a hurry if you are expanding unexpectedly, or if you suffer a setback, or if a change in tactics is forced. Your main assault force might not need those 14 Laser Rifles but they could be great for a defence force for that new base you just built. You can't afford to stop building your new Avenger in order to produce more Alien Grenades and Power Suits, but you can get some Laser Rifles and Personal Armour out of storage - not quite as good, but much better than any Purchased items. Don't leave old Manufactured items at your main base cluttering your 80 item limit, send them off to a research base or radar base somewhere. But DO NOT SELL THEM! - at least not until you have maxed out the research tree and produced more top-end equipment than will physically fit on 250 soldiers.

Spring Cleaning Tips

2011-03-17T15:03:40Z

Sandwich: MS link added

== Spring Cleaning ==

While your bases' storage space is for all practical purposes infinite, the number of [[General Stores]] modules do serve a purpose. Once your stores fill up, you will only be able to move items into the base by acquiring them on tactical missions or manufacturing them on site. You will not be able to purchase new items, transfer items from another base or off a craft. More importantly, when the [[Base Defense|aliens attack your base]], the items stored in the base will determine what you will have available to use. Therefore, it is to your best interest to manage what is kept in your stores. In addition, selling those corpses, weapons, etc. is a good source of money.

In summary, good base storage management is needed for:

#Allowing purchase or transfer of items to or from bases and your aircraft.
#To work around the 80 item limit for base defence

== What to keep and what not to? ==

De-cluttering your stores is as simple as selling or moving unnecessary/redundant equipment. You should make it a point to spring clean once every few months or after playing a series of missions with a high amount of recovered loot.

But that's simple common sense. What's more difficult is deciding on what to keep. If you have a clear idea of what you need and how much you need, then your job will be much easier. But if you're new to the game, or you are undecided but want to keep your stores as bare bones as possible but still functional, read on for a few tips on where to get started.

=== Aircraft Weapons ===

Aircraft weapons and ammunition can and will take up a generous amount of space in storage, but will not affect your items in base defence. The only work towards storage capacity.

Keep your craft ammo levels down, but don't skimp out too much on the ammunition as you don't want to get into a dogfight with a medium UFO only to find you have one missile and ten bullets left after the last re-arm phase. Buy sufficient ammo to arm all of your interceptors for several sorties and replenish their supply as necessary.

Once you've obtained weapons that don't need ammunition - i.e. the [[Laser Cannon]]s and [[Plasma Beam]]s - you can easily wipe out much of your craft armament inventory and keep only the weapons that are bolted onto the ships.

=== Exotics ===

Exotic items include alien UFO components and raw material. These items are usually acquired by capturing downed or landed UFOs. Some components like navigation, power units, and alloys can be manufactured.

Minimum Recommendations for UFO Components:

* [[UFO Navigation|navigation]] × 1
* [[UFO Power Source|power sources]] × 2

Though you will probably want more as you play, this amount will be enough to construct one of any hybrid craft. There is little reason to keep too many spares once your fleet is complete. These should be stored at your 'shipyard' base(s).

* [[Elerium-115|Elerium]]

Elerium is the lifeblood of your high-tech production line and your advanced aircraft. Keep all of it unless you're lucky enough to have so much of it that it's spilling out your ears or you ''really'' need the space. It's probably a better idea to just transfer it to another base.

* [[Alien Alloys|Alloys]]

Because you often get large amounts of alloys from UFO recovery missions, you will rarely have a shortage. Keep only enough to produce what you need and sell it or use it up by producing items that use alloys, such as [[Personal Armour]].

=== Troop Weapons and Equipment ===

Troop weapons and equipment work towards the 80-item limit in the battlescape, so some care should be taken with them to ensure you don't end up with a lot of useless weapons. This is especially important in base defense missions where the game decides what equipment is generated for your troops.

In a base defense, you generally have no control over what equipment will appear. By streamlining your equipment, you regain control over what equipment will appear.

At minimum, each base should have one weapon per soldier with one clip per weapon. Many commanders keep some extra reloads for each soldier. Don't go overboard with this - it's fine to keep enough ammunition to last you several missions.

==== Rarely used Weapons ====

Sell off excess weapons and ammunition, especially older weapons that you rarely or never use.

Some examples where this can be done include:

* Once you have completed the research that requires live aliens, you may find that your use of the [[Stun Rod|Stun Rods]] or [[Small Launcher|Small Launchers]] will decrease. You may want to reduce or sell all of these weapons.

* When you've upgraded to laser weapons, [[Pistol]]s and [[Rifle]]s may start to see less action, and are good candidates for clearing out.

* AP and Incendiary ammunition for the [[Auto-Cannon]]. Many players favour the more formidable HE shells, so will often go through a lot of them compared to the AP and Incendiary versions. In such a case, if neither of these types are used, then there's no reason to keep any. If they are used occasionally, then they should be kept in a much smaller quantities. The same applies to the [[Heavy Cannon]] and [[Rocket Launcher]].

==== Weapons with ammo ====

Older weapons with ammo such as the cannons and rocket launchers are high in the equipment order. This means that their ammunition is very likely to appear before some of the more advanced equipment such as lasers. If you have a large amount of spare ammunition, then your equipment pile may be cluttered with this ammunition when the base is attacked.

Like aircraft equipment, the solution to this is to keep a minimal supply of this ammunition to last you several missions, and re-order them as you need to.

==== Laser Weapons ====

[[Weapons#Laser Technology|Laser weapons]] do not require ammunition and are fairly effective against almost every enemy. If you are willing to sacrifice a little firepower, they are great space-savers compared to most of the conventional weapons that require ammunition.

==== Alien Weapons ====

Aliens will have plasma weapons in abundance. You will easily capture a large amount of plasma weapons through the missions. Often you will end up with more plasma weapons than you'll ever need. Keep only as many as you need, with perhaps a few spares and sell the rest.

Managing Plasma weapon ammunition will have to take a slightly different approach. As the [[Plasma Pistol]] and [[Plasma Rifle]] are limited once the [[Heavy Plasma]] becomes the aliens' mainstay weapon, their ammunition will become very scarce. You may want to stockpile them if you intend to use them. If you don't intend to use either, then sell them all.

Heavy Plasma ammunition on the other hand will be highly abundant, so you can easily make do with one clip per heavy plasma.

If you are really concerned about space, you can even choose not to stock any plasma weapons, use lasers and win your plasma weapons off defeated enemies during battles.

==== Heavy Weapons Platforms ====

[[Heavy Weapons Platforms]](HWPs) don't work against your 80-item limit, but instead will work against the battlescape's 40-unit (per side) limit.

Don't stock too many HWPs as they take up 6 Stores units apiece and 4 unit slots in the battlescape. Because they have higher spawn priority than soldiers, if you have too many HWPS, they will start to take up a lot of soldier spawn points when the battle starts. In base defense, this means you could have a lot of HWPs but almost no soldiers to defend the base.

If used in the field, buy enough ammunition to last two or more missions. Tank ammo do not count as battlescape items but will use storage space. Alternately use ammo-less tanks such as the [[Tank/Laser Cannon]] or [[Hovertank/Plasma]].

If used strictly for base defence, you don't need to buy ammunition for the HWPs, as they will be fully armed at the start of the battle.

==== Miscellaneous Equipment ====

Miscellaneous equipment include [[Psi-Amp|Psi-Amps]], [[Medi-Kit|Medi-kits]], [[Electro-flare|Electro-flares]], and other items

[[Motion Scanner|Motion Scanners]], Medi-Kits, and Flares should all be stored on craft since tactical missions are the only times you will use them. Due to the random nature of Base Defense mission spawning, your medics are likely to be scattered about the base and may be away from the main action to be useful. Your base passages are well-lit so flares aren't an absolute requirement for defending it.

[[Mind Probe]]s are useful for locating specific aliens and for analysing their current state. Despite their limited availability, you are likely to pick up more probes than you'll ever reasonably need. Keep one or two probes and sell the excess. They are very profitable items.

Psi-Amps are powerful game-balance breaking devices that will only work for troops that have had a month's training the psi lab. Keep only enough for your psi-capable troopers. You will rarely need to buy spares.

== Troop Transport Storage ==

Remember that weapons stored in a troop transport are unloaded for use in a base defence mission. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to have some spare weapons in the base itself in the event that the [[Skyranger]] is out on a mission when the aliens come calling.

== Storage Base ==

If you really want to hang on to a very large amount of stuff, build a storage facility somewhere and garrison it with a small squad. This base can also serve non-combat roles such as psi screening, UFO detection, etc. It should be constructed in an area with low UFO activity and protected with a [[Mind Shield]]. It should also keep a few HWPs on hand so the soldiers don't get completely shafted by the 80 item limit.

== Waste not Want Not ==

Be very, very sure before you sell off anything that needs to be Manufactured and cannot simply be Purchased. You might need that equipment in a hurry if you are expanding unexpectedly, or if you suffer a setback, or if a change in tactics is forced. Your main assault force might not need those 14 Laser Rifles but they could be great for a defence force for that new base you just built. You can't afford to stop building your new Avenger in order to produce more Alien Grenades and Power Suits, but you can get some Laser Rifles and Personal Armour out of storage - not quite as good, but much better than any Purchased items. Don't leave old Manufactured items at your main base cluttering your 80 item limit, send them off to a research base or radar base somewhere. But DO NOT SELL THEM! - at least not until you have maxed out the research tree and produced more top-end equipment than will physically fit on 250 soldiers.

Rear Commander

2011-03-17T14:12:28Z

Sandwich: Converted to gender-neutral

One common problem when taking a group of Rookies into combat is that some will die, whereupon the remainder will panic and go berserk with annoying frequency, even if they have maximum initial [[bravery]]. This is where having a '''Rear Commander''' can make all the difference.

This is because high [[rank]] soldiers give a [[Morale]] bonus to all lower rank soldiers. Unfortunately, this works both ways: if the high rank soldier is killed, morale will drop sharply. The higher the rank, the greater the bonus (or penalty). Maintaining a high morale thus becomes a problem of ensuring the officer's survival. A tried-and-proved approach is for the officer to act as a rear commander who remains in the safety of the transport craft, providing moral support and encouragement via radio to the rookies (he's a strategic officer, not a field officer).

This is a very useful tactic for training Rookies, particularly when training a second recovery/assault team, experienced base defenders, or just creating a decent selection of replacement soldiers.

==Rear Commander Selection==
Generally, you should send the highest officer at your disposal. Even a Sergeant helps, but isn't quite effective enough. The officer's combat skills do not matter in the slightest. This is an excellent position for that "why did X-COM promote that guy again?" officer! Finally, a use for the formerly useless officers!

Note that if you deliberately only take one officer, you're pretty much safe from morale issues. If you have a Colonel, a couple Captains, four Sergeants, and 7 Rookies, the Rookies will start to panic when you lose any of the numerous officers (though they might bear the loss of two Seargeants). But if you have only one officer, and the officer is alive, you can lose 7-8 Rookies before they start to panic.

==Benefits==
The officer provides several benefits:

*By staying in the 'ranger, the officer can abort the mission if there is a CF/SNAFU/FUBAR situation (choose your acronym).

*By staying in the 'ranger, the officer is unlikely to be killed thus the rookies retain their morale benefit throughout the mission.

*Excess [[weapons]], [[grenade]]s, and such can be left in the Skyranger. Rookies may not have the strength to carry everything. The officer (with a decent level of strength) can throw [[Equipment (EU)|equipment]] out of the ranger to rookies in the field.

*The rookies will gain much more [[experience]], as they will make all the shots and all the kills. This keeps your officer from stealing all the experience with their superior skills.

*If you give the Rear Commander a [[Mind Probe]], [[Blaster Launcher]], or (assuming sufficient [[Psionic Skill]]) a [[Psi-Amp]], a Rear Commander can still participate in the battle from the safety of the dropship. Read the safety instructions before using the Blaster Launcher in confined places, though.

Note that you can use this tactic well into the game. 25 Squaddies and 1 Commander who stays on the ship works very, very effectively. The Squaddies in the line of fire won't suffer huge morale losses when their buddies die. In addition, Squaddies in XCOM can (and often do) have better stats than the officers (unless you fire or kill low-stat officers). Basically, the idea is to minimize morale penalties (which occur when soldiers die, so you want low rank soldiers in the line of fire). And, you want to maximize morale bonuses (which occur when officers stay alive, so you want officers to be safe throughout the battle).

Adapted from a post by [Zeno] in xcom.co.uk, reposted by [[User:JellyfishGreen|JellyfishGreen]] 15:34, 25 Apr 2005 (BST)

==See Also==
[[Category: Tactics]]

Scouting

2011-03-17T14:07:27Z

Sandwich: Even early-game scouts can/should have good reactions

When shot at, aliens have a nasty habit of shooting back. Their [[Reaction fire formula|reaction fire]] is fast and deadly, but there are several ways to [[reaction fire triggers|avoid reaction fire completely]]. The two most important things to know are:

* '''Mutual surprise'''. If X-COM and alien units spot each other simultaneously, the aliens will not fire first.
* '''Line of sight'''. Aliens cannot return fire upon units they cannot see.

Therefore, the soldier who sees the alien, should not be the soldier who shoots the alien. You should switch to units which have line of fire to the alien but not [[line of sight]], and have them take it out without fear of reprisal. (Generally, if a unit can see an alien, the alien can see the unit -- although there are sometimes [[line of sight#Blind spots around corners|blind spots]] -- and at [[night]], aliens can see ''20'' squares away while X-COM units can only see ''9''.)

Thus we have the Scout/Sniper teamwork tactic.

== Scout/Sniper Tactics ==

When first establishing your XCOM affiliate, with every dollar closely watched, consider having your soldiers who have good [[Reactions]] (above 50) but are poor in [[Firing Accuracy]] (below 50) and other stats be your scouts. They signed the Will all XCOM soldiers were required to sign. They each knew they were doing their part to save the world. Once you have the making of an integrated & experienced team, you can switch from cannon fodder to professional scouts.

The Scout creeps forward -- high [[Reactions]], high movement/[[Time Units]], always careful to keep looking around, always finishing the turn crouched and behind cover to avoid being noticed during the alien turn. When turning corners they wait for the Sniper to catch up and get a good angle on the corner.

The Sniper -- or preferably Snipers, plural, with high [[Firing Accuracy]] -- stay within the "safe", cleared area, moving only if the Scout has completed their movement with no alien contact, moving to keep the Scout covered.

If the scout spots an alien at the same time that the alien first spots him, the scout will not be fired on until his or her next action. So '''don't move the scout''' once an alien is spotted. If the scout can move out of the alien's [[line of sight]] by moving one square, this is permitted, and if the alien isn't looking, [[reaction fire triggers|certain other actions]] can be performed safely. If the scout can move out of the alien's [[line of sight|visual range]], then he or she can become an additional sniper and safely fire upon the alien.

Snipers can then take shots at the alien safely. If they are out of range, they're safe from return fire. But they can still fire at the alien if they have line of sight. (Think of it as using spotter data, or a telescopic sight.) Units which don't have line of fire may still be able to toss [[grenade]]s at the alien.

If using this tactic with several scouts -- or with multiple alien contacts in the same turn -- be sure to STOP advancing your scouts when your snipers run out of TU's. Otherwise you're just dropping bait in the water without a hook.

This tactic is best suited to the middle third of a battle, after LZ deployment and before storming the UFO, when there's a lot of relatively open ground to clear. See also [[Sweeping the Battlescape]].

[[Smoke Grenade|Smoke cover]] permits the use of Scout/Sniper tactics over short distances, or in confined areas. If a scout wandering through smoke spots an alien, have it freeze (or move one square back out of the alien's [[line of sight|visual range]]), then have nearby soldiers fire at it through the smoke cloud with impunity. This works well during deployment from the transport -- if you have dropped a smoke grenade at the base of the ramp, snipers can hide in the cloud while scouts beat out the surrounding terrain.

== More Tips ==

*Don't fall into the trap where, when your scout gets shot, you walk another soldier to the same spot to see if you can spot the shooter. The enemy has the TU advantage, the established line of sight, and probably good cover to boot.
''I've lost three soldiers rounding the same wheel of the Skyranger before it occurred to me this was unproductive behavior. --[[User:JellyfishGreen|JellyfishGreen]] ''
*If there's a lot of open ground with nothing for your scouts to hide behind, consider having them e.g. move out ~6 tiles, then back 3-4. This ensures that an alien will have less TUs to shoot if it subsequently does move so as to see your scout. If you do this with scout pairs, they can switch off with one doing the running while the other rests (just moving up 3-4 to be next to the runner). The resting scout is also ready to take a couple of reaction shots, if needed.
*When all that separates your soldier and the alien is a closed interior door, as in our favorite Large Scout, try this trick with Heavy Plasma: Move a second soldier beside the door, where he's not in the line of fire. Have him shoot the door away. (It takes an average of 9 hits; see [[Destroying Terrain]].) This leaves your first soldier facing the alien, and you can take your auto-shot before the alien can get in reaction fire. You can even place a third shooter beside your main shooter (on the far side of the door), where he might be able to e.g. look down a hallway angling away from the door. ''from StrategyCore''
*Snipers can get best results with a series of Snap or even Aimed shots, if they are out of visibility range. This also reduces friendly fire risk. At closer range, though, Auto fire is better to keep the alien from getting off a reaction shot. ''[http://www.strategycore.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=4271 Statistical calc of Snap vs Auto by Hobbes on StrategyCore]''
*Whenever possible, try to walk around corners at a 45-degree angle. If you can spot an alien at the same instant that it first spots you, it will not fire upon you. So instead of walking blindly around a corner and then turning, approach it at a diagonal. This will generally allow your troops to see what's around the corner as they round it. For more information see [[line of sight]].
*As the game progresses, eventually Aimed shots become almost guaranteed hits for long distances.
:*Using a [[Heavy Plasma]] (110% Base Aimed Shot accuracy), a Sniper who is kneeling (+16% accuracy on aimed shot), with an accuracy of 80 will have a 101% chance of hitting on target with an aimed shot. Since accuracy increases from shooting [[experience]], a force can easily have 1 or 2 snipers with perfect or near-perfect accuracy. However, due to the variability of weapon [[damage]], a single Heavy Plasma hit will still fail to kill a lowly Sectoid about 15% of the time, and a Muton about 60% of the time.
::* The standard [[Rifle]] and [[Small Launcher]] also sport 110% aimed shots.
:* The Rocket Launcher also benefits from aimed shots. It begins with a base aimed accuracy of 115%, which turns into 132% accuracy when kneeling. With a weapon accuracy this high, your soldier only needs to have an accuracy of 76 or greater to achieve almost perfect hits.
:*Another favourite long distance weapon is the [[Plasma Rifle]]. Though its aimed shot is not as accurate as the Heavy Plasma, its snap shots have a base accuracy of 86%. Combined with kneeling, this becomes an impressive 98% accuracy. The lower cost of snap shots allows a sniper to fire off 3 shots per round, which makes up for the lower damage and increases the amount of hit experience that you can gather per mission. However, as the game progresses, aliens stop carrying plasma rifles in favor of heavy plasmas, and you must start manufacturing its ammo yourself.

[[Category: Tactics]]