Rulesets (OpenXcom)

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In OpenXcom a ruleset is an easy to edit text file that contains settings (rules) that describe almost everything about how the game operates. Here are just some of the things that are in the ruleset:

  • The costs, stats and characteristics of all items, units, facilities, X-COM craft and UFOs
  • Dependencies and costs for research, manufacture and UFOpedia
  • Your starting base
  • The costs of personnel and transfer time.
  • The stats of the funding countries and regions of the world.

You can find the rulesets in your Data\Ruleset folder.

Editing Rulesets (YAML)

Notepad++ Settings for editing OpenXcom YAML files

OpenXcom exposes its inner workings to users and modders in the form of YAML text files. Although YAML can be edited with any text editor, such as Notepad, it is much easier to use a dedicated YAML editor. YAML has a special syntax so any incorrect whitespace or character can cause an error, but it's a simple human-readable format so you should be able to figure it out by looking at the existing rulesets.

Notepad++

You can open any rulesets (or savegame files) in Notepad++ and select Language>YAML. This will help you keep the proper tabbing structure and also allow you to collapse large regions. You can set Notepad++ to recognize *.rul, *.sav and *.cfg files as YAML file extensions under preferences so that you don't have to set the language every time you edit one of OpenXcom's files.

Can't Notepad++?

Alternatively you could conjure up a Google search and look for YAML editors that are compatible with your OS. There are YAML plugins for both Visual Studio and Eclipse. Yedit for Eclipse is popular.

  • Note: You should be able to collapse regions in whatever YAML editor you use. If not, you're in for a lot of scrolling as the files are quite large.

Your First Edit (Cheat)

  1. Open the Data\Ruleset\Xcom1Ruleset.rul file in your YAML editor.
  2. Collapse everything (Alt-0 in Notepad++) and then open (uncollapse) the "facilities:" section.
  3. Open "- type: STR_LIVING_QUARTERS"
  4. change "personnel: 50" to "personnel: 500"
  5. Congratulations! You can now have 500 personal per living quarters.

A couple other examples

1. Fusion Ball Launcher balance update: Let's make something other than plasma cannons useful

  • change "craftWeapons:" -> "type: STR_FUSION_BALL_UC>" -> "ammoMax: 2" to "ammoMax: 6"
  • change "craftWeapons:" -> "type: STR_PLASMA_BEAM_UC>" -> "range: 52" to "range: 40" (just inside a terror-ships range)
  • set the range for Laser Cannons to 34 (same as large scout) and set Stingray and avalanche ranges even shorter
Now there's a reason to build Fusion-Ball Launchers - shoot down Battleships and Terrorships, there's also a reason for Plasma Beams - shoot down Supply Ships and Large Scouts without getting hit, and a reason for Laser Cannons - shoot down Harvesters or Abductors safely and shoot down Large Scouts at equal range.


2. Sectopod Buff: It's time to put the fear of Sectopod in those power-suit/hovertank squads that think Ethereal Terrorsites are some kind of joke!

  • "units:" -> "- type: STR_SECTOPOD_TERRORIST" -> "stats:" set TUs to 110, stamina to 125, Firing Accuracy to 100, Psi-Strength to 160 and health to 135.
  • Note the field "armor: SECTOPOD_ARMOR". So close "units:" and open "armors:" -> "type: SECTOPOD_ARMOR"
  • Set rear armor to 130 (a sectopod has a finely armored buttox, thankyou).
  • Open "damageModifier:" (its part of the armor) and find a "- 1.5" and a "- 0.8" just below it. These are the values for how much damage a unit wearing sectopod armor takes from laser(1.5x) and plasma(0.8x). Increase the laser bonus to 1.8 and reduce the plasma further to 0.65 (it's now actually worth it to bring laser weapons just for the sectopods)
  • Close "armors:" and open "items:" -> "type: SECTOPOD_WEAPON" and let's give it a good 145 weapon power. No need to adjust the weapon accuracy since we already increased the stat.
Now you can go back to having nightmares about Sectopods, just like you did when you were a young child who got in trouble for playing X-COM on the family computer after bed-time when you hadn't even done your homework.


3. Early Blaster: The best time to have a Blaster Launcher is in the back of a Skyranger full of rookies.

  • Go to "items:" and pick anything that's purchasable. Copy the line with "costBuy:" and a number. Make sure you copy the tabs before "costBuy:". The best way to do this is to put the cursor at the end of the line above it, shift-down-arrow and shift-end to select the entire line and the line-break characters.
  • Go to "type: STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER" and add the "costBuy:" line. If the new line your adding doesn't look like the other lines in your YAML editor (like if it's red or black text instead of blue) then it's probably wrong and you probably have incorrect tab or line-break characters in it.
  • Remove the section "required:"
  • Do those last two things for Blaster Bombs as well.
  • Open "startingBase:" -> "lon: 0.0" -> "items:" and replace "STR_CANNON" and "STR_CANNON_ROUNDS_X50" with "STR_BLASTER_BOMB" and "STR_BLASTER_LAUNCHER"
  • Finally if you want to be able to equip blasters to your squad and use them you will have to remove the tech requirement. Go back to "items:" and completely remove the section for tech requirements from both blasters and bombs.
Start a new game, load up blasters on your sky-ranger, and land by a medium scout. Now hit the side of the medium scout with one shot to make a hole, hit that silly glowy thing in the middle with the second shot. Voilà, that rookie killing death-trap is now just like a crash-site, except with even less live aliens inside.

Modular Rulesets

However, editing the main Xcom1Ruleset.rul is bad practice, as your changes will be wiped by any new versions, and it makes it a pain to keep updating and combining different rulesets. Instead you should make it modular, by making your own ruleset file (saved in data\Ruleset) with only the changes it makes to the base game, for example a BiggerQuarters.rul: 

facilities:
  - type: STR_LIVING_QUARTERS
    personnel: 500

Then to load your extra ruleset into the game, you just go in your options.cfg file and add it like so: 

rulesets:
  - Xcom1Ruleset
  - BiggerQuarters

Now when you start up the game, it'll automatically combine all the rulesets listed in the options.cfg. Note that the order is important, as subsequent rulesets will modify the contents of previous ones (if the type is the same), so in this case BiggerQuarters will modify the STR_LIVING_QUARTERS of Xcom1Ruleset, which is what you want. Normally you always want Xcom1Ruleset to come first.

If you need to specifically erase a field, for example to clear requirements for something (like making an item or research available from the start of the game), you can use "" for an empty string, [] for an empty list and {} for an empty map. For example: 

requires: []

If you want to remove an entire entry from a previous ruleset, you just need to specify "delete: STR_ID", for example: 

facilities:
  - delete: STR_LIVING_QUARTERS

But be careful, as this will break any saves already using that item. If you want people to be able to use your new ruleset on existing saves, it's safer to just disable it, like adding a requirement that can not be met. For example, if you want to make the Heavy Plasma unavailable for the player, you can add an otherwise non-existing research topic (for example "STR_ALIENS_ONLY", so it can be easily identified for later modifications...). this would have to be researched in order to use the weapon, but since it isn't defined anywhere else, it effectively disables the weapon for the player: 

 - type: STR_HEAVY_PLASMA
   requires:
     - STR_ALIENS_ONLY

External Links

Reference

A reference of all the customizable values of everything in a ruleset. Some guidelines:

  • If a value is omitted from the ruleset, the default is used. You cannot omit required values.
  • Text strings (eg. names) are represented by string IDs from the language files
  • Numerical IDs (used for sprites, sounds, etc.) start at 0, not 1.
  • Boolean (yes/no) values are represented by true/false.
  • World coordinates are represented in degrees (see WORLD.DAT).
  • Money amounts (prices, costs, etc.) are represented in dollars.

Countries

Defines one of the funding nations, listed in "countries:". They're used for activity graphs and player scoring.

Value Description Default
type String ID of the country name. required
fundingBase Country's base funding, in thousands. The starting funding can be anywhere between 1x and 2x the base funding. 0
fundingCap Country's funding cap, in thousands. Once a country reaches this maximum, it will no longer increase its funding. 0
labelLon

labelLat

Longitude and latitude coordinates of the country's label on the globe. This label is only shown when the globe is zoomed in and "detail" is turned on. 0.0

0.0

areas List of "rectangles" on the globe defined as [lon1 lat1 lon2 lat2]. Any activity within these areas counts towards the country's graph activity and affects their opinion of the player. -

Regions

Defines one of the world regions, listed in "regions:". They're used for base placement, activity graphs and mission spawning.

Value Description Default
type String ID of the region name. required
cost Amount of money spent building an X-COM base in this region (first base is free). 0
areas List of "rectangles" on the globe defined as [lon1, lat1, lon2, lat2]. Any activity within these areas counts towards the region's graph activity. -
cities List of cities belonging to this region. They will be displayed on the globe and used for terror site missions. Each city is defined by their lon and lat coordinates and a name string ID. -
regionWeight Weight of this region when selecting regions for alien missions. 0
missionWeights Weighted list of the different mission types for this region (eg. STR_ALIEN_RESEARCH: 14). -
missionZones List of "rectangles" ([lon1, lat1, lon2, lat2]) defining the mission zones for this region. -
missionRegion Spawn mission in this region instead (used for regions without land). -

Base Facilities

Defines one of the facilities that can be built in an X-COM base, listed in "facilities:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the facility name. required
requires List of topics (string IDs) that must be researched to unlock this facility. If none are specified, this facility is unlocked from the start. -
spriteShape Sprite ID from BASEBITS.PCK used to draw the facility's outer shape in the Basescape and UFOpaedia. -1
spriteFacility Sprite ID from BASEBITS.PCK used to draw the facility's contents in the Basescape and UFOpaedia. Drawn on top of spriteShape. -1
lift Is this facility an Access Lift? All base facilities must be connected to the lift. false
hyper Is this facility a Hyperwave Decoder? Displays extra information for detected UFOs. Only valid for radar facilities. false
mind Is this facility a Mind Shield? Reduces the chance of UFOs finding your base. Does not stack. false
grav Is this facility a Grav Shield? Doubles the power of your base defenses. Does not stack. false
size Size of the facility, in grid units. Every facility is square, so a size of 1 means 1x1, 2 means 2x2, etc. Bigger facilities are made up of multiple sprites, for example a 2x2 facility will use 4 sprites for spriteShape and 4 sprites for spriteFacility (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right). 1
buildCost Amount of money spent to build this facility in the base. 0
buildTime Amount of days it takes for this facility to be built. 0
monthlyCost Amount of money spent monthly for the maintenance of this facility. 0
storage Amount of storage space (for items) this facility provides. See Base Stores. 0
personnel Amount of personnel (soldiers, scientsts, engineers) these quarters can contain. 0
aliens Amount of live aliens this facility can contain. Only checked if the alienContainmentLimitEnforced option is enabled. 0
crafts Amount of X-COM craft this facility can contain. 0
labs Amount of lab space this facility provides for research projects. 0
workshops Amount of workshop space this facility provides for manufacture projects. 0
psiLabs Amount of soldier space this facility provides for psionic training. 0
radarRange Maximum radar detection range of this facility, in nautical miles. 0
radarChance Chance (0-100%) of this radar detecting a UFO that enters its range. 0
defense Offensive power provided by this base defense against attacking UFOs. 0
hitRatio Chance (0-100) of the base defense hitting an attacking UFO. 0
fireSound Sound ID from SAMPLE.CAT played when the base defense fires. -1
hitSound Sound ID from SAMPLE.CAT played when the base defense hits a target. -1
mapName Map associated to this facility in Battlescape base defenses. -

Crafts

Defines one of the X-COM crafts that go on interception missions, listed in "crafts:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the craft name. required
requires List of topics (string IDs) that must be researched to unlock this craft. If none are specified, this craft is unlocked from the start. -
sprite Sprite ID from BASEBITS.PCK used to draw this craft in the Basescape and from INTICON.PCK used to draw the damage indicator in dogfights. -1
fuelMax Maximum amount of fuel this craft can carry. Crafts use up fuel based on their speed while travelling. 0
damageMax Maximum amount of damage this craft can take. If this amount is exceeded, the craft is destroyed. 0
speedMax Maximum speed in nautical miles. Crafts travel at max speed when flying and half speed when patrolling. 0
accel Aceeleration value shown in the UFOpaedia. 0
weapons Amount of craft weapons this craft can equip. The UI can only display a max of 2 weapons. 0
soldiers Amount of soldiers this craft can carry. 0
vehicles Amount of vehicles this craft can carry. 0
costBuy Amount of money spent for purchasing this craft. If set to 0, the craft will not be available in the Purchase/Recruit screen. 0
costRent Amount of money spent monthly for renting this craft. If set to 0, the craft is not on rental and won't count towards base maintenance. 0
costSell Amount of money gained for selling this craft. 0
refuelItem Item required for refuelling this craft. If no item is specified, the craft uses human fuel. 0
repairRate Amount of damage restored every hour while Repairing in base. 1
refuelRate Amount of fuel restored every 30 mins while Refueling in base. If specified, a refuelItem is spent each time. 1
radarRange Detection range of the craft's radar in nautical miles. Every craft radar has a 100% detection chance. 600
transferTime Number of hours it takes to purchase/transfer this craft to a base. 0
score Score lost when this craft is destroyed. 0
spacecraft Can this craft go to Cydonia? false
battlescapeTerrainData Terrain associated to this craft in Battlescape missions.

Craft Weapons

Defines one of the weapons equipped by X-COM craft for shooting down UFOs, listed in "craftWeapons:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the weapon name. required
sprite Sprite ID from BASEBITS.PCK used to draw the weapon in the Basescape and from INTICON.PCK used to draw the weapon in dogfights. -1
sound Sound ID from SAMPLE.CAT played when this weapon fires. -1
damage Amount of damage this weapon does to enemy UFOs. 0
range Maximum range of this weapon in dogfights (in meters). 0
accuracy Chance (0-100%) of each shot hitting the enemy UFO. 0
reloadCautious Time this weapon takes to fire between each shot in Cautious Mode. 0
reloadStandard Time this weapon takes to fire between each shot in Standard Mode. 0
reloadAggressive Time this weapon takes to fire between each shot in Aggressive Mode. 0
ammoMax Maximum amount of ammo this weapon can carry. 0
rearmRate Amount of ammo restored every 30 mins while the craft is Rearming in base. If specified, a clip is spent each time. 1
projectileType Type of the weapon projectile, used for the projectile sprite in dogfights: 2
projectileSpeed Speed of the weapon projectile in dogfights. 0
launcher String ID of the item required to equip this weapon. -
clip String ID of the item required to rearm this weapon. -

Items

Defines the Geoscape and Battlescape properties of an item that can be stored in X-COM bases, listed in "items:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the internal item name. required
name String ID of the displayed item name, for cases where it's different from the internal name. If omitted, type is used. -
requires List of topics (string IDs) that must be researched to unlock this item. If none are specified, this item is unlocked from the start. Soldiers can only use unlocked items in the Battlescape. -
size Space occupied by this item in Base Stores. Can be a decimal value. 0.0
costBuy Amount of money spent for purchasing this item. If set to 0, this item will not be available in the Purchase/Recruit screen. 0
costSell Amount of money gained for selling this item. 0
transferTime Number of hours it takes to purchase/transfer this item to a base. 24
weight Weight occupied by this item in a soldier's inventory. 999
bigSprite Sprite ID from BIGOBS.PCK used to draw this item in a soldier's inventory and UFOpaedia. -1
floorSprite Sprite ID from FLOOROB.PCK used to draw this item on the floor of a Battlescape tile. -1
handSprite Sprite ID from HANDOB.PCK used to draw this item on a soldier's hand in the Battlescape. 120
bulletSprite Sprite ID from BulletSprites.png used to draw this weapon's projectile on the Battlescape: -1
fireSound Sound ID from SAMPLE2.CAT played when this weapon fires. -1
hitSound Sound ID from SAMPLE2.CAT played when this weapon hits a target. -1
hitAnimation Sprite ID from SMOKE.PCK used to draw the weapon's "hit explosion".

NOTE: Do not define this value for melee/psi weapons, they use HIT.PCK instead.

0
power Average damage of the weapon, in most cases it will be +-50% this value. 0
compatibleAmmo List of string IDs of the ammo items that can be loaded on this weapon. If none are specified, the weapon doesn't need ammo. -
damageType What type of damage does this weapon do:
  • 0 - None
  • 1 - Armor Piercing
  • 2 - Incendiary
  • 3 - High Explosive
  • 4 - Laser
  • 5 - Plasma
  • 6 - Stun
  • 7 - Melee
  • 8 - Acid
  • 9 - Smoke
 0
tuAuto

accuracyAuto

The percentage (0-100%) of Time Units (from the soldier's total) required to fire an Auto Shot. If 0, the weapon does not have an Auto Shot.

The base accuracy (0-100%) applied to a soldier's Firing Accuracy when firing an Auto Shot.

0

0

tuSnap

accuracySnap

The percentage (0-100%) of Time Units (from the soldier's total) required to fire a Snap Shot. If 0, the weapon does not have a Snap Shot.

The base accuracy (0-100%) applied to a soldier's Firing Accuracy when firing a Snap Shot.

0

0

tuAimed

accuracyAimed

The percentage (0-100%) of Time Units (from the soldier's total) required to fire an Aimed Shot. If 0, the weapon does not have an Aimed Shot.

The base accuracy (0-100%) applied to a soldier's Firing Accuracy when firing an Aimed Shot.

0

0

tuMelee

accuracyMelee

The percentage (0-100%) of Time Units (from the soldier's total) required to do a melee attack (Hit). If 0, the weapon does not have a melee attack.

The base accuracy (0-100%) applied to a soldier's Melee Accuracy when doing a melee attack.

0

0

clipSize The amount of ammo stored in each weapon clip. If -1 is specified, this weapon has infinite ammo. 0
battleType Defines the weapon's behavior in the Battlescape: 0
twoHanded Is this weapon two-handed? (incurs an accuracy penalty if used with both hands occupied) false
waypoint Does this weapon use waypoints? (eg. Blaster Launcher) false
fixedWeapon Is this weapon fixed? (it's part of a unit, eg. tanks and terrorist units) false
invWidth Item width in a soldier's inventory (in grid units). 1
invHeight Item height in a soldier's inventory (in grid units). 1
painKiller Amount of painkillers contained in a Medi-Kit. 0
heal Amount of heal's contained in a Medi-Kit. 0
stimulant Amount of stimulants contained in a Medi-Kit. 0
woundRecovery Amount of Fatal Wounds treated by each heal of a Medi-Kit. 0
healthRecovery Amount of Health recovered by each heal of a Medi-Kit. 0
stunRecovery Amount of Stun removed by each stimulant of a Medi-Kit. 0
energyRecovery Amount of Energy recovered by each stimulant of a Medi-Kit. 0
tuUse Amount of Time Units required to use this item (for non-offensive items). It's a flat rate if flatRate is true, otherwise it's a percentage (0-100%). 0
recoveryPoints Score gained for recovering this alien artifact. 0
armor How much damage is needed to destroy this item on the ground. 20
recover Is this item recoverable? (gets transported to the X-COM base on mission success) false
turretType Sprite ID from TANKS.PCK of the turret to assign to this tank: -1
liveAlien Does this item represent a live alien? (counts towards Alien Containment) false
blastRadius Size of the projectile explosions. 0 for no explosion. -1 to automatically calculate based on weapon power and damage type. -1
flatRate If true, then TU costs for this weapon are a flat rate (instead of a percentage of unit TUs). false
arcingShot Does this weapon fire in an arc? false
attraction Represents how likely an alien is to pick up this item. Values below 5 will be ignored (by design). 0
maxRange Maximum range at which this weapon can operate (0 for infinite range). 0
bulletSpeed How much faster (or slower, if you use a negative number) is a projectile fired from this weapon compared to the average. 0
autoShots How many auto shots does this weapon fire. 3

UFOs

Defines one of the UFOs that invade Earth, listed in "ufos:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the UFO name. required
size String ID of the UFO size. STR_VERY_SMALL
sprite Sprite ID from INTERWIN.DAT used to draw this UFO in the dogfight view and UFOpaedia. -1
damageMax Maximum amount of damage this UFO can take. If the UFO takes 50% damage, it crash lands. If it takes 100% damage, it is destroyed. 0
speedMax Maximum speed in nautical miles. 0
accel Aceeleration value shown in the UFOpaedia. 0
power Damage power of this UFO's weapon in dogfights. 0
range Maximum range of this UFO's weapon in dogfights (in meters). 0
score Score gained when this UFO is destroyed, or half this score if it crash lands. 0
reload Time the UFO's weapon takes to fire between each shot. 0
breakOffTime Minimum amount of time for the UFO to be able to break off of a dogfight. 0
battlescapeTerrainData Terrain associated to this UFO in Battlescape missions. required

Inventory Sections

Defines one of the sections of the Battlescape inventory (eg. Backpack), listed in "invs:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the inventory name. required
x

y

Pixel coordinates of this section on the inventory screen. 0

0

type Type of this section:
  • 0 = Slot section, can contain as many items as will fit on the slots.
  • 1 = Hand section, can only contain one item regardless of size.
  • 2 = Ground section, can contain infinite items.
 0
slots List of the grid slots ([x, y]) that this section is composed of. For example, to make a 2x2 section, you would have [0, 0] [0, 1] [1, 0] [1, 1]. -
costs List of Time Units costs to move an item from this section to another one (eg. STR_BACKPACK: 16 means it will cost 16 TUs to move an item from this section to the Backpack). -

Terrains

Defines one of the terrains used to generate a Battlescape map, listed in "terrains:".

Value Description Default
name String ID of the terrain name. required
largeBlockLimit Maximum amount of large blocks that can be used on map generation. 0
textures List of Geoscape textures that correspond to this terrain. -
hemisphere Geoscape hemisphere associated with this terrain:
  • -1 - Northern hemisphere.
  • 0 - Both hemispheres.
  • 1 - Southern hemisphere.
 0
mapDataSets List of filenames (each with matching MCD/PCK/TAB files) that contain the tiles of this terrain. -
mapBlocks List of map blocks (see below) that are used for generating a map. -

Map Blocks

Value Description Default
name Filename of the map. required
width Width of this map block in Battlescape grid units. 0
length Length of this map block in Battlescape grid units. 0
height Height of this map block in Battlescape grid units. 1
type Type of this map block:
  • -1 - Undefined
  • 0 - Default
  • 1 - Landing Zone (for placing X-COM / alien craft)
  • 2 - E-W Road (for city maps)
  • 3 - N-S Road (for city maps)
  • 4 - Road Crossing (for city maps)
  • 5 - Dirt (for filling empty base blocks)
  • 6 - X-COM spawn point (for Alien Base / Cydonia missions)
  • 7 - Alien Base Target
  • 8 - Cydonia Target
 -1
subType Sub-type of this map block (see type). -1
frequency Frequency of this block in a map. 1
maxCount Maximum amount of times this block can be used in a map. If -1 there is no limit. -1

Armor

Defines a Battlescape unit's armor as well as visual representation (so every unit has an armor), listed in "armors:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the armor name. required
spriteSheet Sprite sheet from UNITS used to draw a unit wearing this armor. -
spriteInv Sprite used for the Inventory Backgrounds of a unit wearing this armor. -
corpseItem String ID of the corpse item generated when a unit wearing this armor is killed. -
storeItem String ID of the item that represents this armor in Base Stores. -
weight Physical weight of the armor when worn 6
stats like soldier stats (see below) but these are treated as stat bonuses for wearing the specific armor. -
frontArmor Protection provided on the front of the unit. 0
sideArmor Protection provided on the sides of the unit. 0
rearArmor Protection provided on the rear of the unit. 0
underArmor Protection provided under the unit (eg. from explosions). 0
drawingRoutine Drawing routine used to put together the body parts in the unit's spriteSheet: 0
movementType Type of movement provided by this armor:
  • 0 = Walking
  • 1 = Flying
  • 2 = Sliding (no walking animation)
 0
damageModifier List of decimal damage modifiers (1.0 = 100%) this armor applies to each damage type (see Items section) received. Modifiers must be specified for all damage types, in this order:
  • None
  • Armor Piercing
  • Incendiary
  • High Explosive
  • Laser
  • Plasma
  • Stun
  • Melee
  • Acid
  • Smoke

- 1.0
- 1.0
- 1.0
- 1.0
- 1.0
- 1.0
- 1.0
- 1.0
- 1.0
- 1.0

size Size of the unit wearing this armor, in Battlescape grid units. Every unit is square, so a size of 2 means 2x2. 1
loftempsSet List of LOFTEMPS IDs (one per unit tile, so a 1x1 unit has 1, a 2x2 unit has 4, etc.) used to represent a unit wearing this armor in 3D space. -

Player Units (Soldiers)

Defines a soldier recruited by X-COM, listed in "soldiers:". Currently only one soldier unit type (XCOM) is supported.

Unit stats are represented as follows:

Value Description Default
type String ID of the soldier name. required
minStats Minimum values used to generate the soldier's Starting Stats. In this case, psiSkill is treated as the initial stat (not generated). -
maxStats Maximum values used to generate the soldier's Starting Stats. In this case, psiSkill is treated as the minimum value for the first month of psi training (actual value is 100%-150%). -
statCaps Maximum stats this soldier can gain through Experience. NOTE: A stat will still go over the limit once, and then will no longer increase (see Regarding Caps). -
armor String ID of the armor this soldier uses by default. -
standHeight Height of this soldier when standing. 0
kneelHeight Height of this soldier when kneeling. 0
floatHeight Distance between the bottom of this unit and the ground. 0

AI Units (Aliens/Civilians)

Defines an alien (enemy) or civilian (neutral) unit, listed in "units:". Every different alien rank is a different unit, since they have completely different stats. Unit stats are represented as follows:

Value Description Default
type String ID of the unit name. required
race String ID of the unit race (for alien units). -
rank String ID of the unit rank (for alien units). -
stats Battlescape stats of this unit. -
armor String ID of the armor this unit uses by default. -
standHeight Height of this unit when standing. 0
floatHeight Distance between the bottom of this unit and the ground. 0
value Score this unit is worth. 0
deathSound Sound ID from SAMPLE2.CAT played when this unit dies. -1
aggroSound Sound ID from SAMPLE2.CAT played when this unit aggros. -1
moveSound Sound ID from SAMPLE2.CAT played when this unit moves. -1
intelligence Intelligence of this unit's AI. The higher the value, the longer this unit remembers player troops. 0
aggression Aggression of this unit's AI. The higher the value, the more ruthless the unit. 0
specab Special ability of this unit: 0
zombieUnit String ID of the unit used for zombification (eg. Chrysallids turn units into Zombies). -
spawnUnit String ID of the unit used to respawn on death (eg. Zombies respawn as Chrysallids). -
livingWeapon Is this unit a living weapon? (only attacks with a fixedWeapon) false

Alien Races

Defines a race used in Alien Missions, listed in "alienRaces:". Heavily tied with deployment data.

Value Description Default
id String ID of the alien race name. required
members Alien crew associated with this alien race (eg. race units + terrorist units), defined by a list of unit string IDs. Order here will define rank in terms of deployment. generally speaking the order is:
  • 0 - Commander
  • 1 - Leader
  • 2 - Engineer
  • 3 - Medic
  • 4 - Navigator
  • 5 - Soldier
  • 6 - Terrorist 1
  • 7 - Terrorist 2

but of course, not all races have all ranks, so the "fill in" rank would be listed multiple times (see ethereals).

-

Alien Deployments

Defines a Battlescape deployment data used in Alien Missions (such as alien and map configurations), listed in "alienDeployments:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the deployment name. required
width Width of the Battlescape map in grid units. 0
length Length of the Battlescape map in grid units. 0
height Vertical height of the Battlescape map in grid units. 0
civilians Amount of civilians to deploy. 0
roadTypeOdds Odds as a % of generating each type of road (E-W Road, N-S Road, Crossing) odds for crossing are: 100 - EW - NS. [0 0]
terrain String ID of the terrain used to generate this map. This is not used for UFO sites where the terrain comes from the Geoscape. -
shade Shade of the map (0-15, where 0 is full daytime and 15 is full nighttime). This is not used for UFO sites where the shade comes from the Geoscape. 0
nextStage String ID of the next deployment stage to use after this one, for multi-stage missions. -
data List of deployment data for each alien rank on this mission (see below). -

Deployment Data

Value Description Default
alienRank Rank associated with this deployment data, as defined by the order of the race in question (see above) required
lowQty Maximum quantity of aliens to spawn (beginner). 0
highQty Maximum quantity of aliens to spawn (superhuman). 0
dQty Minimum Desired Quantity of aliens to spawn. 0
percentageOutsideUfo Percentage (0-100%) of aliens to spawn outside in UFO sites. 0
itemSets Three lists (one for each alien technology level) of items (string IDs) for the aliens to equip. required

Research

Defines a research topic that X-COM scientists can investigate, listed in "research:".

Value Description Default
name String ID of the research project's name (or item, if a lookup is defined). required
lookup String ID of the research project's display name and UFOPaedia article reference. -
cost Number of man hours (on average) required to complete this project. 0
points Score earned for completing this project. 0
needItem Does this project require an item of the same name? false
dependencies List of research projects that can unlock access to this one. If the full list is researched, or if one of the projects on the list "unlocks" this one, it becomes available. -
unlocks List of research projects unlocked, regardless of other dependencies, but not requirements, by completing this project (for example, any live alien unlocks "alien origins"). -
requires List of research projects unilaterally required before this project can be unlocked (for example, "the martian solution" will not even be considered for unlocking until AFTER "alien origins" is completed). -
getOneFree List of "bonus" research projects that may be granted when completing this project (for example, alien medics will give you information on other alien races). -

Manufacture

Defines a manufacture project that X-COM engineers can produce, listed in "manufacture:".

Value Description Default
name String ID of the manufacturing project's name (and the item it produces). required
category String ID of the manufacturing project's category. -
requires List of topics (string IDs) that must be researched to unlock this project. If none are specified, this project is unlocked from the start. -
space Amount of Workshop space required to begin this project. 0
time Number of man hours (on average) required per item. 0
cost Monetary deduction per item manufactured. 0
requiredItems List of items required and consumed per item manufactured. -

UFOpaedia Article

Defines an article in the in-game UFOpaedia, listed in "ufopaedia:".

Value Description Default
id String ID of the article name. This must match the ID of the object associated with this article, if applicable. required
title String ID of the article title. If omitted, the id is used. -
type_id Type of this article: 0
section String ID of the UFOpaedia section this article belongs in. -
requires List of topics (string IDs) that must be researched to unlock this article. If none are specified, this article is unlocked from the start. -
image_id Filename of the background image displayed on this article, if applicable. -
text String ID of the description displayed on this article. -
text_width Maximum width of the text displayed, only applicable to Text & Image articles. 0
rect_stats Rectangle (x, y, width, height) of the stats text on the screen, only applicable to Craft articles. 0
rect_text Rectangle (x, y, width, height) of the description text on the screen, only applicable to Craft articles. 0
weapon String ID of the weapon, only applicable to HWP articles. -

UFO Trajectories

Defines a trajectory carried out by an UFO during an alien mission, listed in "ufoTrajectories:".

Value Description Default
id String ID of the trajectory name. required
groundTimer Amount of seconds for the UFO to spend on Ground waypoints. 0
waypoints List of waypoints for the UFO to traverse, defined as [zone, altitude, speed].

zone: Globe zone where the waypoint is located.
altitude: UFO altitude after reaching this waypoint:

  • 0 - Ground
  • 1 - Very Low
  • 2 - Low
  • 3 - High
  • 4 - Very High

speed: UFO speed after reaching this waypoint, as a percentage (0-100%) of its maximum speed.

-

Alien Missions

Defines an alien mission carried out by UFOs on the Geoscape, listed in "alienMissions:".

Value Description Default
type String ID of the mission type. required
points Score allocated to aliens for successfully completing this mission. 0
raceWeights List of alien races likely to carry out this mission, and the % chance of them being allocated to this mission, listed by "number of months after game beginning". required
waves List of UFO waves to spawn as this mission progresses, as described below. required

Waves

Value Description Default
ufo String ID of the UFO to spawn. required
count Number of UFOs to spawn. 0
trajectory String ID of the trajectory for this UFO to use when entering Earth's atmosphere. required
timer How long after the previous wave should this wave arrive? 0

Alien Item Levels

This is a list of item level probabilities, with a number between 0 and 2 representing an item level from plasma pistols to heavy plasmas, as defined in the deployments, expressing a 10% probability for that item level being used.

For example: [ 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1 ] would represent a 60% chance for pistols, 30% rifles, and 10% heavy weapons.
Note that the order does not matter, but the length DOES. each line MUST have 10 digits.

Each line represents a month after the beginning of the game, and there is no limit to the number defined.
OpenXCom will use the most recently available item level in the event the game goes on forever.

Extra Sprites

Adds or replaces sprites in an existing X-COM image file, listed in "extraSprites:".

Value Description Default
type Filename of the original/new image to modify. required
width

height

Size of the sprite(s) in pixels. 0

0

singleImage Is the image file just a single sprite (true) or a spritesheet (false)? false
subX

subY

Size of the subdivision in pixels. If a subdivision is specified, then the image file is divided into chunks to form the sprites (eg. spritesheets). 0

0

files List of the new sprites to add/replace, listed as spriteID: filename. -

Example: 

- type: GIANTBUNNY.PCK
  width: 32
  height: 40
  files:
    0: Resources/Bunny/Bunny00.png
    1: Resources/Bunny/Bunny01.bmp
    2: Resources/Bunny/Bunny02.gif

Extra Sounds

Adds or replaces sounds in an existing X-COM sound file, listed in "extraSounds:".

Value Description Default
type ID of the original sound file to modify:
  • BATTLE.CAT - Battlescape sounds, corresponds to SOUND1.CAT or SAMPLE2.CAT (55 sounds).
  • INTRO.CAT - Intro sounds, corresponds to INTRO.CAT or SAMPLE3.CAT, probably best not to mess with these.
  • GEO.CAT - Geoscape sounds, corresponds to SOUND1.CAT or SAMPLE2.CAT (14 sounds).
 required
files List of the new sounds to add/replace, listed as soundID: filename. -

Example: 

- type: BATTLE.CAT
  files:
    55: Resources/Sounds/sample.wav

Extra Strings

Adds or replaces text strings in an existing OpenXcom language file, listed in "extraStrings:".

Value Description Default
type Filename of the original language file to modify, sans extension. required
strings List of the new strings to add/replace, listed as stringID: text. -

Example: 

- type: en-US
  strings:
    STR_SNIPER_RIFLE: Sniper Rifle
    STR_SNIPER_RIFLE_CLIP: Sniper Rifle Clip
- type: en-GB
  strings:
    STR_SNIPER_RIFLE: Sniper Rifle
    STR_SNIPER_RIFLE_CLIP: Sniper Rifle Clip
- type: de
  strings:
    STR_SNIPER_RIFLE: Scharfschützengewehr
    STR_SNIPER_RIFLE_CLIP: Scharfschützengewehrmunition
- type: ru
  strings:
    STR_SNIPER_RIFLE: Снайперская винтовка
    STR_SNIPER_RIFLE_CLIP: Магазин к снайп. винтовке
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