X-COM Craft Data

[Zombie]

Hi, everyone. I just spent the better part of the last two days collecting data on the X-COM craft. This post continues our previous discussion on craft data from the Skyranger thread. It might be worth while to refresh yourself with the particulars before reading on.

 

Part one of the data is related to how long a certain craft can fly around at full speed. I noted the time and then sent each of the X-COM ships to a waypoint halfway across the globe, and just before it got there I sent it to a different waypoint nearby. This was done until the craft ran low on fuel and had to return to base. By using this method, the craft kept flying at a constant speed, and was so far from the starting base that when it had to return it maximized fuel consumption.

 

When it returned, I recorded the time as well as how much fuel was left over. This allowed me to compare total flying time vs fuel utilization. It then became possible to calculate how long the craft could fly assuming either 99% or 100% of the fuel was consumed. The table below lists my data.

 

X-COM Craft Intercepting Times
                                               Theoretical Consumption
Craft          Total Time      Fuel Used        @ 99%          @ 100%
Skyranger       34:05:55          96%          34:09:51       35:31:10
Interceptor      7:29:00          88%           8:25:08        8:30:14
Lightning        5:29:00          97%           5:35:47        5:39:11
Firestorm        3:28:00          95%           3:36:45        3:38:57
Avenger          6:51:40          70%           9:42:13        9:48:06

 

The 99% fuel consumption column is the one you would witness during actual game-play. You can never get a craft to totally exhaust it's fuel, so the 100% coulmn is only for comparison purposes. To explain things a little: if you sent your Skyranger out and just flew around without engaging a target or patrolling, it could stay in the air for 34 hours, 9 minutes, and 51 seconds. That is 1 day, 11 hours, 31 minutes and 51 seconds!

 

Part two of my data is related to patrolling. I worked under the assumption that craft use less fuel when patrolling (cyrus claimed this true in the Skyranger thread, but I still had to test to be sure). You cannot just send a craft anywhere in the world to patrol for this test. In order to minimize the time that the craft spends in "intercept" (or max fuel consumption mode), I had to position the waypoint directly above its's home base. Indeed, when you check the craft in-flight information when patrolling, the speed is exactly one half the maximum speed possible. This would indicate less fuel consumed per unit time than when flying.

 

Here again, I noted the start time, sent the craft out to patrol, and recorded the end time as well as the fuel used. This allowed me to figure the total time and compute a theoretical value for the 99 and 100% thresholds. The data is listed below.

 

X-COM Craft Patrolling Times
                                           Theoretical Consumption    Intercept
Craft         Total Time     Fuel Used       @ 99%         @ 100%        Time**
Skyranger      82:25:20         99%         82:25:20      83:15:17       4:40
Interceptor    15:25:10         96%         15:54:05      16:03:43       4:55
Lightning       2:15:10         50%*         4:27:38       4:30:20       4:55
Firestorm       1:35:05         50%*         3:08:16       3:10:10       4:55
Avenger         4:55:05         50%*         9:44:16       9:50:10       4:55

* Note: For some reason, the Elerium fueled craft always had to return to base when they reached the 50% mark. The normal craft always stayed till most of the fuel was consumed. I have no idea why they are different. 

** Note: the intercept time is subtracted from the total time, eliminating this variable.

 

According to my data, the Skyranger can patrol for a maximum of 3 days, 10 hours, 25 minutes, and 20 seconds! The Interceptor is not that bad with a patrol time of just under 16 hours. I do not know if it is possible to get the Elerium fueled craft to patrol longer than the 50%. Most likely, it is not (seriously, I tried everything I could think of but no luck). Therefore, the time you should expect is data in the total time column.

 

Just for giggles, I decided to calculate the ratio of Patrol time to Intercept time assuming the 99% data. Here it is:

 

                Patrol Time vs.
Craft          Intercept Time
Skyranger            2.34
Interceptor          1.89
Lightning            0.797
Firestorm            0.869
Avenger              1.00

 

The Skyranger can patrol 2.34 times longer than it can intercept, and the Interceptor can patrol 1.89 times longer than it can intercept. What is really interesting is that the Lightning and the Firestorm can Intercept LONGER than they can Patrol! The Avenger has roughly equivalent times (the patrol time is JUST 2 minutes and 3 seconds longer than it's intercept time!

 

If we assume that Elerium fueled craft can never go past 50% fuel used for patrolling, the numbers are way less. Comparing to the 99% column for intercepts, the Lightning can patrol 0.403 times its intercept time, the Firestorm can patrol 0.439 times as much, and the Avenger can only manage a ratio of about 1/2 or 0.507!!

 

Conclusions:

1) Patrolling times are longer than intercept times, except for the Elerium fueled craft.

2) The Skyranger and Interceptor are much better at patrolling than intercepting.

(Like we didn't already know this!)

3) The Lightning, Firestorm and Avenger are better at intercepting than patrolling - a lot better! In a pinch, the Avenger is better than the other Elerium craft.

 

I had a lot of fun gathering this data and converting it to numbers that I could easily compare. I really learned quite a bit of new information. I hope everyone finds it just as interesting!

[EtherImp]

Very interesting.. And yes, the Elerium craft always give me problems with staying in the air longer than necessary. My assumption is that it has something to do with the difference in programming between Elerium and "Fuel" consumption. It doesn't cost money to Fuel your craft.. It just cost a flat rate per month of having them commissioned. It could be induced that this flat rate is partly fuel cost, repairs, rent, etc.. However, Elerium fueled craft must actually take Elerium out of your manifest in order to be operational and the game must somehow calculate how much each craft has "on hand", and how much is spent mid-flight, and will probably never allow the craft to be out longer than half of the cost of the fuel.

 

While this is also true for the Skyranger and Interceptor (conventionally fueled craft), the programming must be different. Here's what I've noticed: The conventional fuel crafts max fuel consumption in 1 trip is determained NOT by how much fuel you have remaining, but how much fuel is necessary for your trip home.. For example, if you sit right ontop of your base with a skyranger or an interceptor, the game will not prompt you to return to base until you have reached 2% of your total fuel. Where as if you dispatch the interceptor to it's "MAX RANGE" in a straight line, it will tell you at 50%, because it will take 50% of your remaining fuel to get back to base, assuming you went in a straight line both ways and at the same speed.

 

However, as you stated in your post, the Elerium fueled craft do not consider the travel distance/time. They only consider the amount of fuel available, so even if you are only 1 mile away from base, they will still force you to come back before you spend 51% of your fuel.

 

Lazy programming? Or is there a reason for this?

 

If you're up for testing a few other things, is there any way you could tell me how much Elerium fuel each craft contains? (How much does it take to 'fill her up') ?

[Zombie]

EtherImp Posted on Sep 2 2004, 11:46 AM

However, Elerium fueled craft must actually take Elerium out of your manifest in order to be operational and the game must somehow calculate how much each craft has "on hand", and how much is spent mid-flight, and will probably never allow the craft to be out longer than half of the cost of the fuel.

 

Well, yes and no. While the advanced craft can only seem to use 50% of its fuel for patrolling, I got them to use up at least 70% of their fuel for interceptions. The Lightning and Firestorm used up 97 and 95% of its Elerium respectively for interceptions.

 

EtherImp Posted on Sep 2 2004, 11:46 AM

Here's what I've noticed: The conventional fuel crafts max fuel consumption in 1 trip is determained NOT by how much fuel you have remaining, but how much fuel is necessary for your trip home.. For example, if you sit right ontop of your base with a skyranger or an interceptor, the game will not prompt you to return to base until you have reached 2% of your total fuel. Where as if you dispatch the interceptor to it's "MAX RANGE" in a straight line, it will tell you at 50%, because it will take 50% of your remaining fuel to get back to base, assuming you went in a straight line both ways and at the same speed.

 

I noticed the same as you: Send a craft out halfway across the world, and have it patrol when it gets there. The craft may only be in patrol "mode" for a couple of minutes, but when it gives the 50% warning, you have to return because it may take 49% of what is left to get back. What I am starting to assume is this: the Elerium based craft probably reserve 50% of their fuel for the return trip on patrols, no matter if this trip take 5 minutes or 500 minutes. It is just strange why the conventional crafts also do not have this shortcoming.

 

Is this lazy programming? Let me put it this way: it was done this way for a reason. It could be a couple of things. The first is that there really is a motive behind the discrepancy. Because the advanced craft are Elerium based, the game did not want you to run out in mid-patrol (its not like you can land in Farmer Brown's field and siphon a few units of Elerium out of his pickup truck to limp back to base)! The other reason could be that the programmers were sloppy and forgot to program the same patrolling "modes" for every craft. I am guessing that the real reason is the former, not the latter.

 

EtherImp Posted on Sep 2 2004, 11:46 AM

If you're up for testing a few other things, is there any way you could tell me how much Elerium fuel each craft contains? (How much does it take to 'fill her up') ? 

 

* Pffft *

That's an easy one. I tested this out a loooong time ago. The Lightning requires 6 units of Elerium, the Firestorm requires 4 units of Elerium and the Avenger requires 12 units to "fill 'er up". I believe I also posted this information in the Skyranger thread a while back. Hope this helps!

 

-----------

 

Because the final table in my previous post was a little confusing, I decided to revise it somewhat. For instance, a number greater than 1 in the Intercept vs. Patrol Time column would indicate that it is better at intercepting, while numbers greater than 1 in the Patrol Time vs. Intercept Time column indicates better patrol performance.

 

                Patrol Time vs.         Intercept Time
Craft          Intercept Time          vs. Patrol Time
Skyranger            2.34                   0.427
Interceptor          1.89                   0.529
Lightning            0.403                  2.48
Firestorm            0.439                  2.28
Avenger              0.507                  1.97

[Bomb Bloke]

I think the elerium fuel formula was fuel/5 = units of elerium needed to fuel.

 

I could be wrong. Just your useless fact (perhaps) for the day.

[Zombie]

The UFOpaedia gives the fuel capacity for the advanced craft, unfortunately the numbers are wrong. The formula is what BombBloke described: take the number given by the game and divide by 5. That gives the actual amount.

 

I could be like most people and just accept the formula the USG gives, but I am not like most people. My way is to check, double check, and triple check anything given by the USG because it is riddled by blatent errors. I checked my Elerium supply at my base, then sent out a Lightning. After it returned back to base, I checked how much fuel was left in the craft. After the Lightning refueled, I checked my Elerium supply again. It holds exactly the amount predicted by the USG. In this case the USG was correct, but I always have to check to rule out mistakes!

 

ps - I checked the Firestorm and Avenger too, and they also hold the amount predicted.

 

pps - Welcome to the forums EtherImp!

[EtherImp]

Thanks.. Been on the Xenocide forums for a while now (www.xcomufo.com) and been reading here, but been too lazy to make an account. Well, here I am now, anyway.

 

Surprised to see so much activity in both forums considering this game was released 10 years ago.

[Zombie]

I was rechecking my patrolling/intercepting craft data last night and ran across a curious phenomenon. First, some background.

 

Most of us already know or witnessed the transfer craft trick. Transfer a newly built or purchased craft to another base. When it gets there, you can send it out on patrol even though it has 0% fuel. It will continue to patrol indefinately, unless it gets destroyed. Recently, I equipped both hardpoints of an Avenger with Plasma Cannons and shot down everything that wandered by until the Cannons ran out of ammo. Only then did I manually send it back to base to refuel/rearm. Nothing really new here.

 

Now for the specifics. I sent an Avenger out to a waypoint, and when it got there a screen pops up that says "Avenger-1 has reached Destination WAYPOINT-xx Now patrolling". The only two options are "OK" or "Redirect Craft". I select "Redirect Craft" and then "Select new target" because I wanted it to continue flying around. I kept doing this until the fuel capacity was at 51% and dropping.

 

When the fuel was teetering near 50%, the screen that says "Avenger-1 has reached Destination WAYPOINT-xx" shows up. Naturally, I wanted to continue flying, so I picked "Redirect craft". The only difference this time was that the fuel was at exactly 50%, or time to return to base because of low fuel. Before I could do anything else, the screen that says "Avenger-1 is low on fuel, returning to base" interrupted my waypoint selection. I just shrugged and picked "OK".

 

Instead of returning to base like it should, the game jumped to the in-flight screen which let me pick a waypoint. Undaunted, I picked a waypoint and waited. The Avenger did not budge an inch. I hit the 1 HOUR button on the Geoscape screen to see what would happen. Time went by, but the Avenger still did not move. Being curious, I clicked on the yellow diamond representing the Avenger to check on its status. Up pops the in-flight status screen, and it shows the Avenger is at 1% fuel. I decided enough was enough and figured I would just send the Avenger back to base. Only instead of the normal options: "Return to base", "Select new target", "Patrol" and "Cancel"; the only option listed was "OK".

 

I continued to periodically click on the Avenger to see if I could send it back to base, but the only option was "OK". The Avenger would not return to base by itself, and I could not manually force it to go back because the "Return to base" button was gone! The damn thing was stuck flying in some la-la land with no way to return home. (I chalked it up to a tear in the space-time continuum, or a multi-dimensional rift. Ha)! The only recourse that I had was to reload the game. Anyone else ever experience this bug?

[Bomb Bloke]

Sometimes events don't occur in the order they should. In this case, it seems that time continues for a split second between when you click 'redirect' and when time stops so's you can aim the craft. Not a very long time, but by a big fluke, just enough for the Avenger to run out of fuel, in this case!

 

I'm guessing it might be a bit like the bug that kills soldiers, then makes them unconcious, allowing you to save them in very unique circumstances.

 

I've never seen the bug before, and it seems you can't do anything about it... Though I'm sure you don't care. If I were you, I'd archive that savegame, because odds are you won't get it to happen again.

[EtherImp]

Maybe you should try recreating it by trying to force a craft to run out of fuel..

[Zombie]

You know, I happen to remember this bug occurring once before - a long time ago. Only that time the circumstances were much different. It did not have to do with a craft, but it did have to do with time running between different screens.

 

BombBloke - You described things perfectly. I knew I could count on you buddy!

 

I do have the game saved. However, I saved it right before I sent the Avenger out. Even if I sent the Avenger out again, it would be impossible to duplicate the results. Trying to remember the exact positions where I placed those waypoints, and when I did them would be futile at best. Recreating something from memory has its faults. Now if I had saved the game right after the second to last waypoint was set, well then, that would have some potential!

 

Even if the game was saved, the probablity of the same thing happening again would be very low. Like you said, it was probably a fluke!

[BladeFireLight]

to bad you dont have a save of it while it was stuck. I would love to get a look at that data.

 

-Blade FireLight

[Bomb Bloke]

We really should upload odd savegames such as these to this site, whenever we get the chance... For example, most people won't get to see the Overspawn data from Apocalypse, as the odds of catching one alive are very low.

[Zombie]

Ok, so what does everyone here do when you want to sell a useless ship? You can never "strip the ship" so that is completely devoid of the weapons you mounted on it. When you go to sell it, the weapons and ammo are still on it. If you could remove the weapons and ammo, you could sell them increasing your cash on hand.

 

I found a couple of options to consider.

 

First scenario: You want to sell your Interceptor. It has a regular cannon as well as a laser cannon with full ammo. It doesn't make sense to just sell the craft when there is a $182,000 laser cannon mounted on there yet! I think most of us swap it off without a second thought - this is good. But look at how much the normal cannon nabs you on the open market - $22,500. Shouldn't you swap this off too?

 

Here is what I would do: Keep your original Stingray launchers. When you want to sell the Interceptor, swap whatever weapons are on there for the Stingrays and either sell the recovered weapons or re-equip a different craft with them. If you replaced a normal cannon with a Stingray launcher, and then sell the Cannon you net $22,500.

 

Sold off your Stingray launchers, you say? I would go so far as to actually buy 2 Stingray launchers for $16,000 each to replace the weapons on the above Interceptor. The first Stingray replaces the Laser Cannon which saves you from building another one, or you could sell it for a $195,000 profit ($211,000-16,000). The second Stingray replaces the cannon, and if you sell it, you retain a profit of $6,500 ($22,500-16,000)! Not bad!

 

Second scenario: You want to sell your Interceptor armed with two Stingray launchers and having 6 Stingray missiles apiece. Can you save any money here? Sure!

 

Swap some different weapons on there first. It does not really matter which weapons you choose. Ok, now swap the Stingray launchers back on there. The Stingray launchers need some time to rearm with the missiles, so right after you put the Stingray launchers back on, go to the SELL/SACK screen and quickly sell the Interceptor. The missiles were never placed back on the craft before you got rid of it. Now you can also sell the 12 missiles for $28,800 in profit! (12*$2,400)

 

I devised these strategies when I could not think of a way to remove all the weapons on a craft. Does anyone know if there is a way to strip all the weapons off a craft?

[Bomb Bloke]

Woah, quite clever!

 

I always stuck cannons on the craft before selling them off, thinking they would be the cheapest weapon. Guess that was wrong.

 

As for getting all weapons off a craft, I tend to get plasma cannons ASAP. Then I only put one on my interceptors. If I've lost interceptors, then those craft only have one weapon on them, so I only lose one weapon if I sell them. Equiping only one weapons works because the plasma cannon owns everything anyway, and is rather easy to get.

 

Something I'm sure you already know, and perhpas do, just thought I'd mention it anyway...

[Zombie]

Actually, if you do not have any Stingray launchers on-hand when you want to sell a craft, Avalanche launchers will also work in a pinch. Their purchase/sell price is almost the same as the Stingray. Here is a table listing the data:

 

Weapon                 Purchase Price                 Sale Price
Cannon                    $30,000                      $22,500
Stingray                  $16,000                      $12,000
Avalanche                 $17,000                      $12,750

 

The only problem is the ammo. Avalanche missiles are 3 times more than Stingray missiles, both for purchase price ($9,000 vs. $3,000) and sale price ($7,200 vs. $2,400). If you want to get rid of extra Avalanche launchers at your base, put them on a craft, but sell the craft before it goes into the rearm sequence. Now you can sell those Avalanche missiles for quite a tidy sum!