Battlescape

Stub This page is currently empty or currently missing key content. Possibly due to EXALT sabotage. Please help fight the alien menace by filling this page with relevant info. Remove this stub after the page has been completed to a minimum.

Overview

The battlescape is the tactical portion of the game where all the action takes place. Soldiers and aliens live, fight and die on the battlescape.

Editor Summary: Description of the battlescape. Types of missions. Geography and terrain information. Brief explanation on common battlescape features.

The Playing Board

The battle takes place on a small layered tile map. Maps will have dimensions that range between 40 to 60 tiles in width and height and have either 2 or 4 map layers.

In X-Com UFO, exterior maps always have 4 elevations and can have areas of 40 to 50 square tiles. Interior maps always have 2 elevations and are always played in 60 square tile areas.

TFTD differs slightly in that interior maps use 4 elevations except the maps in the final level, which only use 2 per map.

The map - we'll call it the physical map - details all structures (walls), obstructions (walls, objects and foliage), ceilings(or floors), floors (or ceilings, as the case may be), etc. The general look of the battlescape is determined by the mission, the aircraft that have landed at the site and the area the mission was initiated.

Everything on the map is static by nature. They do not change until they are damaged by weapons fire.

In addition to the physical map, there is a lighting map that controls the level lighting and a map for the shroud of war. The lighting map is self explanatory, it determines the lighting levels of the whole map. It consists of an ambient light level to represent the time of the day and fixed light sources. It also consists of all roving light sources, which are made up of player controlled units, flares and fires.

The shroud of war, or fog of war, is common in many strategy games to represent areas that have not been seen or visited. In effect, areas of the map are coated in black until a friendly unit looks at it. From then on, the fog is lifted for the rest of mission.

It must be noted that gravity in the battlescape does not apply to any map features, except the units and objects that can be picked up by units.

The Playing Pieces

Editor note: The units and equipment on the battlescape and how they interact. Unit stats, weapon stats, inventories, other non-combat tools, objects that can be picked up, etc.

On a map, soldiers, aliens and sometimes civilians interact with each other. Generally by way of projectile weapons.

Combat Damage Model

All discussion on how damage is dealt and received by units. Covers damage, armour, explosions.

Psionics

Brief explanation of psi, etc.

Battlescape Interface

Screenshot and explanation of all those buttons.

How to end a mission

Missions can end in a variety of ways, whether it is the choice of the player to end the mission or if either side is victorious.

Humans win if: 1) All aliens die or are incapacitated using the Stun Rod or the Stun Gun.

Aliens win if: 1) All human soldiers are killed or are incapacitated. 2) Player hits 'Lift Off' button with 1 or more soldiers in the dropship. Anything not on the dropship is lost forever. Evaluation Points lost due to this form of defeat can be negated considerably by having all equipment/soldiers/tanks/etc. on-board the dropship during liftoff. Best if used when one knows that they're going to lose, and decides to pull out with minor losses rather than lose everything.