Issue #3

About the newsletter:

This is the first official StrategyCore newsletter. The reason you receive it is because you signed up at our site recently. If you for some reason should not wish to receive it anymore, you can find unsubscribe information at the bottom. We'll send out a newsletter at the beginning of each month from now on.

In this first issue of the StrategyCore newsletter we'll give you a summary of the most important newsitems over the last months (since our last unofficial newsletter dated 18th of May 2005), and provide you with some exclusive articles on UFO: Aftermath and X-COM. Here's an index (if it doesn't work, scroll down manually):

General strategy news
X-COM news
Aftermath / Aftershock news
Silent Storm / Sentinels news
"Pistols in UFO:Aftermath" by Accounting troll
"Human weapons as deployed by X-Com" by FullAuto

StrategyCore features:

UFO: Aftermath article by Accounting troll

Pistols in UFO:Aftermath

Pistols have a high rate of fire but limited range and damage potential. They are best used in short range engagements, such as the second part of an establish base mission. All the pistols in the game use the handguns skill.

FN Browning

Weight: 1.3 kg
Ammo capacity: 13 rounds
Damage type: soft

Aimed mode
Max range: 17 metres
Damage: 48
Rate of fire: 1.1 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 14 metres
Damage: 144
Rate of fire: 6.7 rounds per second

The Browning is possibly the worst performing pistol in the game. It has the worst range in aimed mode and only the Colt has worse range in burst mode.

If it is early in the game and you have very few weapons, give it to a soldier who has good handgun skills but lacks the strength to carry the heavy ammunition for the Colt .45. Otherwise, forget about it.

Desert Eagle

Weight: 2.0 kg
Ammo capacity: 7 rounds
Damage type: universal

Aimed mode
Max range: 22 metres
Damage: 100
Rate of fire: 0.8 rounds per second

The Desert Eagle has a slow rate of fire and it lacks a burst mode. However, the damage potential in aimed mode is significantly better than that of most assault rifles and sub-machine guns.

If a soldier has good handgun skills and poor rifle skills, the Desert Eagle is a good substitute for a rifle in urban combat.

Glock 19

Weight: 0.6 kg
Ammo capacity: 19 rounds
Damage type: soft

Aimed mode
Max range: 21 metres
Damage: 48
Rate of fire: 1.1 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 16 metres
Damage: 144
Rate of fire: 7.5 rounds per second

A pistol with average specifications and a useful all rounder. There are a couple of situations in which it is particularly useful:-

If a soldier rounds a corner or opens a door, there is a risk that he will come face to face with a balloon fish or a sporeblower. In these situations, the high rate of fire of pistols such as the Glock 19 give your soldier a better chance of taking out the transgenant quickly than an assault rifle would.

Also, the acid that a plecton spits at your soldiers is powerful, but it is slow moving. If your soldiers try to stand their ground with assault rifles, they will often be mauled. However, it is possible for a soldier with a Glock 19 to safely fire one shot at a plecton and then run to a new position and fire another shot, and so on until the plecton is disabled.

FN Five-seveN Tactical

Weight: 0.6 kg
Ammo capacity: 20 rounds
Damage type: hard

Aimed mode
Max range: 24 metres
Damage: 34
Rate of fire: 1.4 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 19 metres
Damage: 102
Rate of fire: 10.0 rounds per second

The 57-tactical is possibly the best human pistol in the game. It has good range, even in burst mode, and an impressive rate of fire. It also fires hard (often called armour piercing) rounds. The disadvantages are that the damage potential is lower than that of other pistols, and the high rate of fire means that you will quickly use up your supplies of ammunition.

This pistol is excellent in close combat against the Reticulans. Reticulan armour gives effective protection against soft and universal rounds, but it offers little protection against hard rounds.

Avoid using this pistol against the transgenants. The high rate of fire largely compensates for the low damage potential, but your ammunition supplies are limited and this pistol is more effective against the better armoured Reticulans.

When you start a new campaign, your first experience of hard rounds will almost certainly be a transgenant armed with a 57-tactical. Unfortunately, your flak jackets provide absolutely no protection against hard rounds, and if you do not have any assault rifles you will be both out-ranged and out-gunned. In this situation, you should either use the available cover to sneak up on the transgenant with a grenade or find a place where you can ambush it.

Colt .45

Weight: 1.1 kg
Ammo capacity: 7 rounds
Damage type: universal

Aimed mode
Max range: 20 metres
Damage: 75
Rate of fire: 1.0 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 13 metres
Damage: 225
Rate of fire: 5.0 rounds per second

This model, which was first manufactured in 1911, is one of the few items available in infinite quantity in your arsenal at the beginning of the game.

The ammunition is heavy at 1.1 kg for seven rounds – loading the pistol doubles its weight. This makes it a poor choice for soldiers with average or below average strength. Also, the powerful recoil makes it inaccurate, especially in burst mode. However the weight of the ammunition gives it a damage potential that exceeds that of many assault rifles at close range.

The unlimited ammunition supplies make the Colt useful in the early missions. Later on, a soldier who is better with handguns than rifles may find the Colt useful in the second part of an establish base mission.

HK USP9

Weight: 0.7 kg
Ammo capacity: 15 rounds
Damage type: soft

Aimed mode
Max range: 22 metres
Damage: 48
Rate of fire: 1.2 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 18 metres
Damage: 144
Rate of fire: 7.5 rounds per second

This is a useful all round pistol. The range and rate of fire slightly exceed that of the Glock 19, so it should be used in preference in the same tactical situations if you can spare the ammunition.

The USP9 is also useful as a secondary weapon for a soldier equipped with a rocket launcher.

Alien Laser Pistol

Weight: 0.7 kg
Ammo capacity: 12 shots before power cell depletion
Damage type: laser
Uses alien power cells. Improved alien power cells give 25 shots before depletion.

Aimed mode
Max range: 28 metres
Damage: 35
Rate of fire: 2.0 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 22 metres
Damage: 35
Rate of fire: 2.5 rounds per second

This is the most basic laser weapon in the game. You can expect to encounter it in your first few missions against the Reticulans, but they will soon phase it out in favour of deadlier weapons. Later on, some transgenants will be armed with alien laser pistols.

The alien laser pistol has a greater range than human pistols. Laser weapons in the game tend to have greater accuracy than equivalent projectile weapons because they have no recoil.

There is no true burst fire mode with the alien laser pistol. Burst fire involves telling a soldier to shoot more quickly, thus causing accuracy to fall off.

The low damage potential makes this the least threatening weapon the aliens have. It will only pose a real threat to your squad if you make a serious tactical error or if you are heavily outnumbered.

It is rarely worth equipping your soldiers with this weapon. You need to research laser weapons operation before you can use it, and by that time you should have some of the far more powerful alien laser guns.

As with all laser weapons in the game, the alien laser pistol is more effective against transgenants than the Reticulans. The armour used by the Reticulans gives particularly good protection against laser weapons.

However, you should not issue laser weapons to every member of your squad for a mission against the transgenants. Lasers are ineffective against a few transgenant species, particularly the balloon fish.

Advanced Alien Laser Pistol

Weight: 0.7 kg
Ammo capacity: 25 shots before power cell depletion
Damage type: laser
Uses alien power cells. Improved alien power cells give 50 shots before depletion.

Aimed mode
Max range: 30 metres
Damage: 50
Rate of fire: 2.0 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 25 metres
Damage: 50
Rate of fire: 3.3 rounds per second

This is an improved version of the basic alien laser pistol. Range, damage potential, power cell capacity and reload time have all been improved. However, it still has the same drawbacks as the original.

The advanced alien pistol is introduced in mid-game. The Reticulans usually use it as a backup weapon for soldiers equipped with heavier weapons with limited ammunition. A lot of the humanoid transgenants will be equipped with these as well.

The advanced alien laser pistol can be useful as a secondary mission in combat with the transgenants, but you should not consider giving it to a soldier as his main weapon.

Laser Pistol

Weight: 0.5 kg
Ammo capacity: 20 shots before power cell depletion
Damage type: laser
Uses hybrid power cells. Improved hybrid power cells give 40 shots before depletion.

Aimed mode
Max range: 30 metres
Damage: 40
Rate of fire: 1.7 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 24 metres per second
Damage: 40
Rate of fire: 3.3 rounds per second

This is the simplest application of hybrid human/Reticulan technology in the game. It is designed as a substitute for the basic alien pistol to be used in the same tactical situations.

Your engineers cannot precisely replicate the complex biotechnology involved in the production of alien energy cells; the closest they can manage is the hybrid power cell, which powers all the hybrid laser and plasma weapons in the game. It frees you from dependence on captured alien power cells; however you have to acquire the files from Area-51 before you can develop hybrid power cells and weapons.

One disadvantage of hybrid power cells is the relatively long reload time compared with other ammunition types. Reloading a hybrid laser pistol takes 5.0 seconds, longer than any other pistol in the game.

The hybrid laser pistol offers slightly improved range and damage potential over the alien model, but it is still outclassed by the larger alien laser gun. By the time you can build the hybrid laser pistol, you should have captured several alien laser guns and plenty of spare alien power cells. Build one hybrid laser pistol so you can build the more advanced version later on, and then forget about it.

Enhanced Laser Pistol

Weight: 0.5 kg
Ammo capacity: 20 shots before power cell depletion
Damage type: laser
Uses hybrid power cells. Improved hybrid power cells give 40 shots before depletion.

Aimed mode
Max range: 35 metres
Damage: 60
Rate of fire: 1.7 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 31 metres
Damage: 60
Rate of fire: 3.3 rounds per second

This is an upgraded version of the hybrid laser pistol. Range and damage potential have been improved over the original.

The enhanced laser pistol is useful as a secondary weapon in missions against the transgenants, however it should not be used a primary weapon as it is still outclassed by the basic alien laser gun. Also, by the time you can develop advanced hybrid weapons, you should have much deadlier weapons to choose from.

Alien Warp Pistol

Weight: 1.0 kg
Ammo capacity: 40 shots before power cell depletion
Damage type: warp
The power cell cannot be replaced or recharged during a mission.

Aimed mode
Max range: 20 metres
Damage: 200
Rate of fire: 1.1 rounds per second

Burst mode
Max range: 16 metres
Damage: 200
Rate of fire: 2.0 rounds per second

This is the most basic warp weapon in the game. All warp weapons require you to research warp weapon operation to use.

The Reticulans often use warp pistols from the middle of the game onwards. They are sometimes used as primary weapons, although the Reticulans are more likely to use warp assault rifles for this purpose. The Reticulans are fond of using warp pistols as secondary weapons for soldiers equipped with alien plasma guns, alien rocket launchers or psi-projectors. Warp pistols are often used by the transgenants in the later stages of the game.

The alien warp pistol has a greater damage potential than other pistols. It is also more effective against heavy armour. However, the limited range means that it is useless in open terrain by the time it appears in the game, as a human or Reticulan soldier equipped with one will be killed before he can get close enough to fire. It is best used as a secondary weapon in short to medium range combat.

One weakness of every warp weapon in the game is that when the power cell is depleted, it cannot be replaced or recharged until the mission is over. The Reticulans get round this by issuing their soldiers a couple of spare weapons, and you should adopt the same solution.

X-COM article by FullAuto:

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

By Fyodor Dzhersinky, Training Sgt.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the early stages of the war, the Rocket Launcher is X-Com’s only knockout punch. Usually reserved for use against tough enemies like the Cyberdisc, or groups of weaker enemies, the Rocket Launcher is very accurate when aimed, and should NOT be used otherwise unless absolutely necessary. The size of the ammo severely limits profligacy, a unit can carry a maximum of 5 rockets (3 in backpack, one in hand, one in the launcher) and unless more ammo is spread amongst the rest of the squad, that is all you will have. I advise carrying a pistol for close protection. The nature of the weapon means it is usually deployed at the rear of a squad, so bear in mind when firing that there may be friendly units between the launcher and target. Weigh the risks carefully.

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

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

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

The laser rifle deals out twice the damage of the normal rifle, at a decreased TU cost. It hits hard enough to be useful against pretty much every enemy in the game, and it’s unlimited magazine eliminates ammo problems. Perfect for storming UFOs, where lots of firepower is usually required, and with no reloads necessary, you can fire and manoeuvre much more easily.

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

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

That will be all, trainees.

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Issue #3

About the newsletter:

General strategy news:

X-COM news:

Aftermath / Aftershock news:

Silent Storm / Sentinels news:

StrategyCore features: