Open Questions

This page contains a list of gameplay mechanics which hasn't yet been entirely analyzed or discovered and other interesting stuff. One can conceive of this page as a wishlist/TODO for X-COM analysis and for UFOpaedia X-COM 1 articles. It's possible that some of the questions below have already been answered here or in other forums, or that more questions are unanswered, so edit freely!

• UFO Interception: When does a UFO decide to run during interception? Under what conditions does a UFO on the Geoscape decide to abort its mission? Does this vary by UFO type?

• Accuracy_formula: How is the path for 'missed' shots calculated? Does it vary per weapon type? What is the spread per distance?

• Battlescape_Map_Generation: How X-COM equipment is placed in the case of base missions? Do map modules that contain craft have their usual nodes loaded or not?

• Alien_Missions: How are Alien missions generated and how do the player's action influence the generator? Are all countries (except Russia) doomed to fall under alien influence, assuming indefinite gameplay where player downs all UFOs perfectly? We know that:

• The mission generator is certain to generate some missions next to the player's first base at game start.

• The OSG says (per Difficulty Levels article) the Aliens are more likely to abandon or delay missions on lower difficulty.

• Scoring-wise, Alien missions are considered successful once the landed UFO takes off. Missions can succeed more than once.

• Alien Infiltration in its final stage can't be stopped, even if all the UFOs are shot down before landing.

• Alien Retaliation (once X-COM base is discovered) mission generation can only be stopped by letting the aliens land and defeating them. Otherwise the aliens will just send more battleships.

• Alien Terror missions can be stopped by blowing up (or scaring away) the Terror ship.

• Is there 100% certainty that Russia will never be subverted (has anyone seen it occuring to Russia?) Perhaps it depends on the game version?

• What are the "internal balancing mechanisms" spoken about by Julian Gollop here? Does this have anything to do with the mission generator?

• As your organisation becomes stronger (through research & score), more powerful aliens start to appear with larger weapons. Catch is, the stronger the aliens get, the stronger X-COM gets, so the "mechanisms" aren't all that effective once you've got your more important research projects done.

• Add something about the X-COM novelizations. I've been informed that that they were horrendous...