Energy Stat

[Pumpkinhead]

I was just wondering if anyone here has any insight as to how the energy stat works in-game?... NKF??

 

I just can't figure it out... I mean, I've MC'd Chryssalids before who've run out of energy after only using about 50% of their TUs

 

What drains it? Does it regenerate? What makes it lower than the Max? How does it improve? etc etc

 

 

And while I'm on the topic of stats, does the strength-encumberance difference take directly from the TUs, or does it somehow work on a percentage?

[JellyfishGreen]

Well, in-game it's a Fatigue counter. Running across the map burns Energy faster than TU's. Rummaging around in your backpack looking for ammo burns TU's faster than Energy. I notice this mostly when it comes time to storm the UFO, when the returning scouts need a turn to catch their breath after sprinting in from the far corners of the map.

[NKF]

Well, every unit gets two stats (three, but one is just to remember the maximum level). The energy counter itself and an energy recharge rate. I don't know how energy recharge is calculated, but it varies from unit to unit.

 

Most of the time, for X-Com units, you can spend more energy per turn than you can regain it. Thus your energy drops as you run about a lot. In fact, only walking spends your energy, and all other actvites don't affect it.

 

Other units, like some aliens and tanks, for example, can often recharge more energy than they can spend. Your tanks recharge at a rate of 50 energy per turn. With its available TUs, you can't spend more than that per turn even if you spent all of your TUs to move.

 

As for encumberance, your strength level shows you exactly how much you can carry. A soldier with 70 strength can carry 70 units of weight before hitting the encumberance penalty (small grenades and all weaon clips are 3 units of weight, for example). I don't recall the exact formula at the moment, but I think weight is considered as follows:

 

current weight / strength

 

When the result is under 1 (or in other words, under 100%), you don't lose any time units. If is over 1, your time units will not be able to recharge at 100% (80 for a 80Tu maximum character, for example). You can carry as much as you want during the turn, but the weight will only have any effect at the start of the next turn.

 

How many TUs you lose will be based off how many points you get beyond 100%. Again, I cannot recall how this is calculated, but it is percentage based.

 

edit: Actually, I think it might go something like this:

 

weight percentage = current weight / strength

 

(since we know grenades are 3's, try weighing down your soldier with grenades and clips - pistols are 5, laser pistols are 7)

 

If current weight is under 1, ignore. If it's over one:

 

TU multiplier = 1 - weight percentage (so if weight is 1.1, the multiplier will be 90%, or in other words, a 10% decrease)

 

Finally,

 

TUs to fill up at the start of each turn = Max TUs * TU multiplier

 

Give it a go and tell me if I got it right.

 

- NKF

[Jman4117]

From what I've observed with the energy stat is that it drops at half the rate of time units during movement. 2 energy and 4 time units. However it doesn't recharge to full at the end of the turn. It appears to be something like 30% per turn.

[Pumpkinhead]

Ok, I did some experimenting and came up with the following formula:

 

Encumberance = Strength/Carried Weight

 

Then,

 

Current TUs = Encumberance x Max TUs

 

An example:

 

An X-COM agent has 54 TUs, 34 strength and is carrying 74 weight units... Therefore, his encumberance is 0.459 (or 46%) and so then multiplying by his TUs leaves him with 24 TUs per turn... Note: It actually works out to 24.8 but it always seems to round down

[Pumpkinhead]

You're right, Jman, energy does regen at 1/3 of the max per turn, and it does also seem to drain at half the rate of TUs, although it only counts movement per square, it doesn't count turning like TUs...

 

Ok, here's a new puzzle though:

 

I was trying to find out how strength related to throwing distance, and it's proving to be quite tricky...

 

A soldier of 100 strength can throw with the following results:

 

Grenade(3) -> 46 squares

Psi-Amp(8) -> 23 squares

Corpse(26) -> 9 squares

 

I tested a Sectoid of 30 strength and he threw the Psi-Amp 9 squares!

 

I can't find any pattern to it... Can anyone else?

 

Unfortunately my game has a habit of crashing out to the geoscape about 5 turns into a battle so I can't really experiment much more

[Jman4117]

it drops at half the rate of time units during movement.

 

^ that would be walking

 

 

Maybe there's a square root of 2 or something in that distance formula :\

[NKF]

Doh, I think I left out a step somewhere.

 

I posted it to the formulas thread a while back. Let's see if I can find it.

 

Here we go, I got it the wrong way around. It should have been:

 

Encumberance penalty = strength / total weight carried (if 0, assume it's 1)

 

I'll just copy and paste the example I posted:

 

We have Joe Bloggs with 30 Strength, he's currently the mule for the squad's leading rocket soldier. He's currently carrying four large rockets in his inventory, and nothing else. Each large rocket should be 8 weight units each for a total of 32 weight. He's 2 points over his allowed weight.

 

So, 30 / 32 = 0.93 

 

Therefore: Joe Blogg's TUs will only be able to use 93% of his total TUs every turn thereafter. So if he has 64 maximum TUs, he starts with 60 TUs.

 

One more example: Richard Roe, the scout/grenadier, is a weakling with only 25 strength. He carries a pistol (5), two clips (3 x 2) and two grenades (3 x 2). That's 17 weight in total.

 

So 25 / 17 = 1.47  (or 147% - but we only use 100%)

 

Since it's over 100%, Richard Roe gets to use 100% of his maximum TUs at the start of the next turn.

 

 

Note: Energy recharge is a fixed value set for each unit at the start of the mission. A unit with 17 recharge regains 17 energy per turn. Being encumbered doesn't affect energy recovery.

 

Speaking of how throwing relates to strength (it's also discussed in the formula thread):

 

Do keep in mind that the ceiling of the battlefield (or any ceilings above you) tends to be lower than the apex of your throwing arc. Just because it says 'unable to throw here' doesn't mean it's 'out of range'. It's like if you're standing underneath a ceiling (or the wing of the Skyranger), you'll find your throwing ability severely lowered.

 

- NKF

[Pumpkinhead]

I just read through the whole Formulas thread again, and it doesn't seem like anyone came up with a throwing formula afterall

 

Oh, and NKF, does the soldier energy regen rate of 1/3 per turn agree with your findings? I tested several of my soldiers, and some that I made with 100 energy regained 33 every turn, which definately supports a 33.3% regen... I didn't try with HWPs however...

[NKF]

No, but the formula supplied by Jellyfishgreen seems to comes quite close.

 

HWP recharge rates aren't the same as troops. They get a fixed value that actually lets them recharge more energy than they can spend per turn. The standard tanks get 50.

 

Sectopods get 50, civilians 20, Ethereal soldiers 40, floater soldier 30. I think these ones have fixed values like the tanks.

 

I'll just grab a sample of X-com soldiers.

 

(Max energy): (energy recharge)

 

62: 23

75: 24

73: 22

82: 21

81: 25

 

Hmm, there must be some additional factor here.

 

- NKF

[Pumpkinhead]

Hmmm indeed... I got 1/3 recharge every time... I wonder why your's are are a few numbers different

[Jman4117]

Maybe the editer you used set the recovery rate when you changed energy level.

[Pumpkinhead]

Improbable... but not impossible

[Quantifier]

i'm not sure but i think that units hurt in the chest (torso) regenerate energy slower.

[Jman4117]

Yeah, and think leg wounds effect TU's or maybe visa-versa.