Normal Weapons

[Danial]

Why is it that X-COM only have a single pistol and rifle make?

 

Where are all the MP5s and M4s?

 

What about RPGs, grenade launchers, and even flare guns??

 

Can't X-COM afford these things or something?

 

I have to say, if I had just joined up to X-COM, and all I was handed was a pistol, clip, and grenade, I'd be pretty pissed off

[NKF]

X-Com's supplied by the lowest bidder.

 

Seriously though, too many guns will just lead to too much item duplication. And back then, programmers had to cut lots of corners and save as much memory as possible to keep the game lean and mean and still somehow run on lower end computers.

 

Nothing terribly wrong with the starting weapons in any case. They just lack power, but make up for it in their own ways.

 

- NKF

[Zombie]

Quite true that X-COM doesn't have MP5 and M4s.

 

But it does have RPG's, grenade launchers, and flares.

 

Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG's) = Rocket Launcher in X-COM

Grenade Launcher = Auto or Heavy Cannon with HE rounds in X-COM

Flare Guns = Electro-Flare or IC rounds in X-COM

 

I know that these aren't exact matches, but they're close enough? Right?

The RPG's are really like artillary pieces, which X-COM doesn't putz with. And the Flare guns, well, isn't it better to light up an area with a Electro-Flare? That light stays active indefinately, while a flare dies out after a while.

 

Personally, if I were handed an X-COM Rocket Launcher with a stack of different types of missiles, I'd have a field day! You would have to pay me to stay off the battlefield because I'd use up all the rockets just for giggles! Heck, I wouldn't complain with an Auto Cannon, or even a Heavy Cannon for that matter. Things that go boom = Cool!

[Bomb Bloke]

The amount of detail in the game is huge as it is. They'd never had shipped it if they'd kept adding stuff.

 

Take the Skyranger, for example. The cockpit is detailed, but you can't see in it under normal conditions. More detail then needed...

 

Besides, too many rapid fire weapons would make it all too easy.

[BladeFireLight]

good sci-fi does not base everything on reality. just look at the basic uniform. would you go into battle with just a cover-all? no body armor or helmet?

 

Not that kevlar would do much against a plasma beam.

 

-Blade FireLight

[Blehm 98]

they have armor under their suit.

they just have it underneath. even though, like you said, a plasma beam would probably eat through kevlar in miliseconds

[Alitorious]

Take the Skyranger, for example. The cockpit is detailed, but you can't see in it under normal conditions. More detail then needed...

 

Out of curiosity, where is it that this unnecessary detail may be found?

[BladeFireLight]

Take the Skyranger, for example. The cockpit is detailed, but you can't see in it under normal conditions. More detail then needed...

 

Out of curiosity, where is it that this unnecessary detail may be found?

Using Mapview

Or

Xcomutil's VIS option.

Or

a PCK viewer to see everything.

 

-Blade FireLight

[Bomb Bloke]

My map viewer lets you see inside, if only because it doesn't work properly. It clips part of the display ti shouldn't at higher view levels.

[Stun Grenade]

Zombie, do u think they r Grenade Launchers??? In what way then?

[Bomb Bloke]

Those weapons can fire rounds which have explosive capabilites quite comparable to grenades. Not quite as powerful, mind, and there's no 'over the wall' ability there, but it's pretty close.

[Zombie]

Zombie, do u think they [Auto or Heavy Cannon with HE rounds] r Grenade Launchers??? In what way then?

Bomb Bloke pretty much answered your question there, Stun Grenade. See, the Auto/Heavy Cannons can only fire rounds in a straight line, whereas real grenade launchers can arc their shots up in the air to come down some distance later. And the damage a HC-HE round can inflict is roughly equal to the terrestrial thrown grenade. So therefore it is logical to call the Auto/Heavy Cannons "Grenade Launchers" because they fire rounds that act like a grenade. Granted, it isn't exactly the same, but the programmers probably intended it to!

[Stun Grenade]

Ah ok that makes alot of sense then

[cyrus]

Besides, the distance regular grenades are thrown, especially by strong soldiers, is making them (soldiers, that is) a walking intelligent grenade launchers.

 

As for the initial question, I think that when the game was at the production stage, the creators hadn't too much money to pay for all this H&K or Colt or whatever else licenses. Besides, it was a sci-fi game and as we can see in many ways, not very realistic. I think that Gollops decided to make a small number of well balanced weapons than to die balancing dozens of them.

[OmegaTwo]

I doubt about the "inteligent" part, but yeah... strong soldiers are good grenade launchers... and, considering that the X-Com rifle have auto fire, it would work either like a MP5 or a M4...

[cyrus]

They are intelligent only so far as the player is

[Mzuz]

"The RPG's are really like artillary pieces"

 

where did this piece of info come from? they are nothing like artillery peices, they are direct fire weapons far more like bazookas.

[Aralez]

I think he meant the area damage they do. A real rocket (esp. Anti-tank) does lots of damage but only in a very small area (like a giant bullet), the rocket launchers in Xcom are area weapons.

[Mzuz]

:nods:

 

Well that is true due to the shaped charged warhead of most missles. so I see where he is coming from now!

 

The only weapon that wasn't included in this that I wanted was a Sniper Rifle. Although the info for the rifle in-game is:

 

"This highly accurate sniper rifle has laser guided sights and takes 6.7mm ammunition in 20 round clips."

 

I would not consider it a sniper rifle.

[Aralez]

Yeah, the hit-rate is too lousy

[Jh316]

And you don't see too many sniper rifles with a three-round burst.

[NKF]

And being able to hit an additional 10% more than your base accuracy rating isn't really all that when you consider that the rifle is only a small number of points better than the pistol in terms of stopping power. (4 points to be exact)

 

The auto shot is valuable at short ranges, but you must admit, few other starting weapons (except the rocket launcher) can top its aimed accuracy - hence the ufopaedia entry is true to an extent.

 

Still, the rocket launcher plays a much better role as a 'sniper rifle' than the rifle itself. You get to use all your accuracy and an extra 15% of it on top of a near lethal attack with large rockets. Only the blaster launcher can top that.

 

- NKF

[OmegaTwo]

I think that a sniper rifle could be a modified armor piercing rocket launcher, with less weight/size (comparable to a X-Com Rifle), more accuracy (+20%), lighter ammo (10 bullets/clip), same TU use, whole-map range and no splash damage. Better than having to carry that encumbering rocket launcher around and having you soldier running out of stamina every two turns. Sounds good enough?

[cyrus]

Well, I'd better say it should weigh more than a regular X-Com rifle and use more TU, since shooting from sniper rifle is much longer than from asault rifle that the X-Com rifle to some extent is.

 

And you don't see too many sniper rifles with a three-round burst.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, actually I know one that is. Though it is used in case of emergency only.

[Nicol.Bolas]

I kida dislike the U:AM and U:AS oversupply of weapons:

 

So you have 10 kinds of pistols and pistol ammo, which are all crap anyway.that you can