Controls (Apocalypse)

Attitude

X-Com agents on the battlescape area are controlled by an Attitude system (similiar to craft attitude) which, depending on the level of autonomy, may perform actions without direct input from the player. The colour matching the selected attitude is displayed above the unit (or grouping of units) in isometric view of the battlescape.

Safe Mode

Blue
The agent with a Safe attitude will seek cover from a hostile as first preference, may break visual contact in doing so, and then may engage in combat. This is similar to how a panicked hostile acts. As avoidance is paramount, this mode may be unhelpful because your agent may ignore your movement commands. If moving position in view of a hostile entity (and set to walking) the agent will run instead.
This mode is primarily used if you want your unit to avoid hostiles.

Cautious Mode

Green
The agent with a Cautious attitude will engage a hostile unit, will try to find cover when "Under Fire" and return fire when the incoming attack ceases. When seeking cover behind an object such as a wall, the cautious agent will side-step (strafe) to face the enemy and fire, quickly moving back when there is return fire. Your agent remains aware of enemy positions by trying not to break visual contact for too long. If moving position in view of a hostile entity (and set to walking) the agent will run instead.
This mode is primarily used if you want your unit to engage a difficult enemy.

Agressive Mode

Red
The agent with an Agressive attitude will not seek cover and will fire towards hostiles disregarding civilians and neutrals in the way.
This mode is primarily used if you want your unit to obey your command.

Notes

• Offence is the best defence.
• An agent within fire or stun gas will immediately run and disregard any attitude command or movement setting. If the agent is not wearing a helmet, smoke will have the same effect as (very weak) stun gas. When the area is safe, they will automatically return to their original position.
• A grenade being thrown will make safe and cautious agents run away from it. This is dangerous if they run from a Boomeroid.
• If agents are in position to attack hostiles at a choke point, safe and cautious agents may start moving about to get to cover once the hostiles are engaged. This is dangerous since weapons aren't being fired when Brainsuckers and Poppers are near. Don't do the blue chicken dance.

Movement

Note: If set to walk or crawl, an agent that has no weapons will run if they see an enemy, but resume walking/crawling once any visual contact is lost.

Crawl

The agent will drop to the ground and will start to crawl. You need at least 2 free tiles in order to crawl. If in a confined situation, the soldier will stand instead.

Going prone reduces your size as a target and improves your weapon accuracy considerably. However you will move very slowly, and you will not be able to look over small obstacles like low walls. Brainsuckers cannot attach themselves when an agent is prone. They may jump nearby but land stunned.

In Turn based, TU movement consumption will be at its highest.

Walk

The agent will walk to your way point, or walk (usually, but will run sometimes) to a position when seeking cover. An agent is able to fire a weapon when walking but at reduced accuracy. Stamina drain and recovery is equal, so stamina is not consumed nor recovered while walking.

The only two reasons to walk is to fire on the move and to conserve stamina.

Your walking speed will vary depending on your speed and encumbrance levels. Single file formation and some disposition settings will override the walk and make the agent sprint in short bursts.

In Turn based, TU consumption and Stamina are consumed at the normal rate.

Run

The agent will run until tired. Your soldier cannot fire their weapons when moving. Running is very dependent on Stamina. The more your Agent has, the longer they can run. Once they run out of stamina, they will default to walking until they regain some stamina.

In Turn Based, the TU consumption is reduced, while Stamina consumption is increased.

Kneel

When ordered to kneel, agents will drop to a kneeling position as soon as they have no movement orders. Kneeling makes an agent a smaller target like crawling, but not as much and agents can peek over low objects with minimal exposure. Kneeling also makes aiming more steady so that agents get an accuracy bonus when kneeling, but again, not as much as when crawling.

Agents cannot move when kneeling and any movement orders will make them stand up and kneel again when the orders have been finished or cleared. Turning is still allowed. Agents will keep kneeling ( and standing up when moving ) for as long as the kneeling button is active.

In Turn Based, TU's are consumed whenever an agent has to stand up and kneel back down, so careless use can waste a lot of TU's as the agent kneels up and down between movement orders.

Formations

The formations control how groups of agents move in the battlescape. There are only two modes, formation and single file.

Formation

The selected agents will move to the next waypoint and stop in a chequered formation. They will attempt to move at their best possible speed depending on how tired they are and what movement modes have been set. This can cause faster soldiers to outdistance slower soldiers.

This is the default setting and most players never switch away from this mode.

Single File

Single File is a very interesting formation mode that is rarely used by most players due to a small loss in control that it has over the squad.

It causes a team of agents to dynamically coordinate amongst themselves, no matter how disarrayed they may seem, to fluidly form a single file formation, with the leader or point man always being the agent nearest the way point you specify. This restructuring of the single file chain always happens when you move the team as a group.

Once a single file chain is set up, each agent will have a buddy that they'll always follow. If you were to deselect the team and select the current leader, all of the other agents will automatically wander after the leader. If you were to break the chain and pick an agent in the middle, that agent becomes the leader of his or her own smaller single file chain. All of the chained agents will keep following their lead unit until they are issued a move order.

This chaining can be used on soldiers in other teams. With clever use of chaining small single-file formations of agents from others squads together, you could move two squads about the field by only controlling one squad in formation, with each agent in a secondary squad attached to an agent in the first squad.

Chains of agents have an irregular movement pattern. See the next section for details. This irregularity affects any agent that is part of a chain. Even if the lead unit is walking in Formation mode, this movement irregularity continues to hold true until the agent is removed from a Single File chain.

While a very clever walking mode, this movement irregularity causes a small loss in control, thus making it less generally desirable to use.

This mode fails because of the awkward movement, but is a great way of micromanaging small groups. You can use it to make an agent from a different squad follow a member from another squad automatically. By walking and using aggressive, these units can walk around and automatically use reaction fire on any enemies attacking the leading unit.

Walking and running in Single File

When walking in the single file mode, the agents may, for reasons unknown, vary their movement from a sluggish walk that is slower than the normal walk or may even sprint towards the nearest agent or (for the leading agent) way point in varying bursts. This is frustrating, therefore you cannot rely on them to walk or run normally when in single file.

If you must rush everyone to a particular location in a hurry, break out of single file and go to formation, and either move in formation or manually order your troops one at a time.

Combining Single File and Formation Mode

By using single file mode, you can link agents from any group with agents with another. For example, you can get six agents from another squad individually attach themselves to members of the main squad of six agents by making the agents in the first squad the lead unit in mini single-file formations.

Once the units are attached, you can select your main squad and then go back to formation mode. Your main squad will now be able to move about in formation, and the soldiers in the other squad will automatically follow the main squad and basically hover around the primary squad. Note however that because the soldiers are made up of mini single-file formations, your leading units may have their speed affected as if they were in single file.

You can also make longer mini-chains, however this can lead to a big mess agents getting in each others' way.

Shot Types

There are four different shot types that affect the fire rate and accuracy of weapons.

None

Prevents the agent from firing the weapon. It should be used if you want to capture a Alien and don't want it injured.

Aimed-Shot

The slowest and most accurate of the Shot Types. When using this Shot Type units will aim at the selected target. Aimed Shots will caused the least damage to buildings, and it is best used when you want to minimize damage to the surrounding area.

Snap-Shot

The default Shot Type. It is faster then the Aimed Shot, but it is less accurate. When this Shot Type is selected units will fire a unaimed shot in the targets general direction. This shot is best used when the unit is close to the target.

Auto-Shot

The fastest and least accurate of the Shot Types. When this Shot Type is selected, the unit will fire short bursts at the target. It is best utilized at short ranges. If used indiscriminately, this Shot Type can cause unintended damage to the surrounding area.