Motion Scanner (Apocalypse)

When this unit is activated the display shows anything moving relative to its position. The sensors can penetrate any kind of terrain.  From: Apocalypse Ufopaedia

Size: 1 × 1 Weight: 2 Manufacturer: Marsec Available: Week 1 Base Price: $900 Minimum Weekly Stock: 2 Maximum Weekly Stock: 6 Battlescape Score: 4 Style: one-handed Detection Cube: 40cells x 40cells x 9levels

An X-Com unit running north at Speed=100 leaving a white trace. The user (yellow circle icon) at the display's center shown facing east (orange arrow icon) with the display always orientated top-north.

A small device that can detect all lifeforms as white blips on the battlescape. A light weight device suitable for weak but fast units to scout the battlescape. A useful device which should be available to every agent if market quantities allow. A motion scanner may 'search' areas without exposing an agent to ambush, approach an area without having to manually check every little hidey-hole bathroom, allows planning of ambushes, detect units moving on the ground when the user is up high on a roof, etc.

• Will not detect stationary lifeforms if the scanner user is also stationary.
• Does not differentiate detected lifeforms except on their size or speed. The player must determine what is what by the trace.
• Detection of any lifeform is uniform across the whole scanner range. Detection strength does not become weaker near the edge of its range within the cube, that is, anything within the 40x40x9 cube will be detected equally.
• Does not detect agent equipment of any sort.
• Detects all lifeforms, dead or alive.
• Monochrome display model only. There are no coloured versions.

Stationary Use

Movement is displayed as white blips of various intensities depending on speed and size, fading quickly on the small screen if the scanner user is not moving.

• Does not detect any lifeforms if they do not move.
• Lifeforms moving slowly only register as a dim white blip. The faster or bigger the unit, the brighter the blip and the longer it takes to fade.
• If searching for aliens and found in a tight grouping, their unique sounds and their blip shape may give you clues on which blip is which.

Moving

If the user moves, the motion scanner will display the surrounding terrain (building outline and internal walls, trees, rubble, etc.), unconscious entities, stationary units, and general clutter since motion relative to the scanner had been detected.

• A white fading outline of the battlescape and all units will be very briefly displayed as a blurred after-image and may quickly become confusing.
• The faster the movement of the user, the stronger the after-image and the more blurry it becomes.
• A user only moving vertically will show a clean outline of the structure but will not detect any lifeforms.
• The terrain above or below, within two levels of the user moving vertically (up or down) will be clearly displayed briefly.
• Detection of lifeforms is only possible if the user moves horizontally. Combine vertical and horizontal travel to detect lifeforms when quickly scanning a tall building.
• To have cleaner and unblurred after-image when moving horizontally, the agent should walk. A fast, walking agent could used a 'step once, step once' style to limit heavily blurred after-images.