Weapons, armors and magazines

There are four configuration files that define the properties of a weapon:

Ammunition: \tactical\configs\game\listofammo.txt
Magazines: \tactical\configs\game\listofmagazine.txt
Weapons: \tactical\configs\game\listofweapon.txt
Shapes: \tactical\configs\game\listofshapes.txt
Armors: \tactical\configs\game\listofarmor.txt

Let's now take a look at them one at a time.

Ammunition

Ammunition is the basic building block of weapon mechanics. Magazines contain ammunition and weapons then contain magazines.

Here is the structure of ammo description file:

LIST_OF_AMMO
  AMMO              
    ID ID_50BMG                      
//unique ID
    TYPE "FIREARM"                   
//can be FIREARM, GRENADE, ALIEN or ROCKET
    WEIGHT 0.075                     
//weight of a single bullet
    DAMAGE "H"                       
//damage type (see below)
    ORIGIN "HUMAN"                   
//origin (see below); this value is ignored
    PELLETS 1                        
//number of pellets per shell
  END_OF_AMMO
  ...
END_OF_LIST_OF_AMMO

Damage type

There are the following damage types:

H Hard
S Soft
U Universal
B Burn/Acid
L Laser
P Plasma
W Warp
HL Heal
Z Psi/Extra
X Psi/Extra

The damage type defines the effect of the weapon for all ammo but the "Z" and "X" types.  For those the Ammo ID is also taken into account:

ID_GS X Smoke grenade
ID_FLR X Flare
ID_PSI X Psi damage
ID_PSID Z Psi paralyse
ID_PSIC Z Psi mind control

Other special ammo types are not implemented.

Origin

The origin can be one of the following:

H Human
X Hybrid (researched or developed)
A Alien

Magazines

The magazines are the in-game objects, clips. Each magazine fits into exactly one weapon. If a magazine should fit into more weapons, it has several entries in the list of magazines, with the same magazine ID. Each magazine contains exactly one type of ammo. See also Weapons below for description of various weapon principles. For battery-like ammunition not all values need to be present.

Here is the structure of magazine definition file:

LIST_OF_MAGAZINE
  MAGAZINE
//game data
    ORIGIN HUMAN                      
//origin, see below
    ID MGAR-FAL                       
//magazine ID, needs not be unique (see above)
    WEAPON AR-FAL                     
//weapon ID, points into ListOfWeapon file
    TECH_LEVEL 3                      
//tech level (see below)
    TECHNOLOGY XX_MFG                 
//(optional) the technology to manufacture the magazine, omitted when none exists
    WEIGHT 0.5                        
//weight of the magazine in kilograms
    EJECT 1                           
//number of clips ejected per shot (for particle effect)
    AMMOID ID_7_62MM                  
//ammo ID, point into ListOfAmmo file
    ACCURACY_AIMEDA 22.0              
//aimed fire effective range in meters
    ACCURACY_BURSTA 9.0               
//burst fire effective range in meters
    ROUNDS_USED_AIMEDU 1              
//number of rounds consumed per firing in aimed mode
    ROUNDS_USED_BURSTU 3              
//number of rounds consumed per firing in burst mode
    DAMAGE 73                         
//damage dealt to target per round
    CAPACITY 20                       
//number of rounds in the magazine
    TIMES_RELOAD 5.0                  
//time to reload the magazine into the weapon, in seconds
    TIMES_AIMEDT 1.6                  
//the time it takes one firing in aimed mode
    TIMES_BURSTT 1.6                  
//the time it takes one firing in burst mode
    RANGE 33.0                        
//maximum range in aimed mode in meters
    AREA 0.0                          
//the diameter of affected area, for area effect weapons
    PROJ_SPEED 0.0                    
//projectile speed for slow moving projectiles, 0.0 is instantaneous
    DURATION 0.0                      
//duration of effect for non-instantaneous weapons (e.g. flamethrowers)
    SEC_DAMAGE 0.0                    
//damage per second for non-instantaneous weapons
    DTYPE "U"                         
//damage type, must be the same as for the corresponding Ammo
//graphical data
    PATH_3D "<path>"                  
//the 3D in-game model of the weapon (compulsory)
    ICON "<path>"                     
//the interface picture of the weapon (compulsory)
    PROJECTILE "<path>"               
//the 3D in-game model of the projectile for slow moving weapons
    PROJECTILEFIRE "<path>"           
//the particle effect of the burning propulsion for projectiles
    PROJECTILESMOKE "<path>"          
//the particle effect of trailing smoke for projectiles
    SHAPE "s21"                       
//the shape the magazine has in the Equipment, points into ListOfShape
    EFFECT_FRONT_AIM "<path>"         
//the particle effect at muzzle when firing in aimed mode
    EFFECT_FRONT_BURST "<path>"       
//the particle effect at muzzle when firing in burst mode
    EFFECT_BACK "<path>"              
//the particle effect at the back of the weapon when firing
    EFFECT_IMPACT "<path>"            
//the particle effect on impact
    EFFECT_AREA "<path>"              
//the particle effect in the affected area, for area-effect weapons
    SOUND_NAME_IMPACT "<path>"        
//the sound played on impact of the projectile
  END_OF_MAGAZINE
  ...
END_OF_LIST_OF_MAGAZINE

Origin

The origin can be one of the following:

HUMAN Human
HYBRID Hybrid (researched or developed)
ALIEN Alien

Tech level

The technology level influences the likeness of a weapon being found in a weapon cache when a new base is captured. The higher the technology level, the lower the chance. Beside, in each phase of the game there is a maximum allowed technology level and a weapon with higher technology level will not appear in the cache at all.

Weapons

The weapons form the apex of this structure. Each weapon uses at least one but possibly more magazines. The description of the weapon has many similar entries to magazines. For the good understanding of the system it is important to recognize possible weapon principles (see below).

Here is the structure of the configuration file:

LIST_OF_WEAPON
  WEAPON
//game data
    ORIGIN ALIEN                      
//origin, see Magazines
    TYPE ASSAULT_RIFLE                
//the weapon type, see below
    SHORT_NAME "LazR"                 
//the name was used for debugging purposes
    ID AR-LAZR                        
//unique weapon ID
    TECH_LEVEL 6                      
//tech level, see Magazines (a magazine and its weapon need not to have the same technology level)
    CLASS RIFLE                       
//weapon class, see below
    ANIM_TYPE RIFLE                   
//animation type, see below
    PRINCIPLE ENERGY                  
//weapon principle, see below
    HANDLING LASER                    
//handling technology, see below
    TECHNOLOGY XX_MFG                 
//(optional) the technology to manufacture the magazine, omitted when none exists
    EQUIPMENT ALL                     
//region of origin, see below
    MAG_QUANTITY 10                   
//how many magazines are recovered (on average) with the weapon when it is found in a weapon cache
    HAND 2.0                          
//how many hands are required to use weapons (1.5 is treated as 2.0)
    NOTRELOAD FALSE                   
//can the weapon be reloaded during mission
    WEIGHT 2.0                        
//weight in kilograms
    AMMOID ID_LASER                   
//ammo ID, point ito ListOfAmmo file*
    ACCURACY_AIMEDA 32.0              
//aimed fire effective range in meters*
    ACCURACY_BURSTA 15.6              
//burst fire effective range in meters*
    ROUNDS_USED_AIMEDU 1              
//number of rounds consumed per firing in aimed mode*
    ROUNDS_USED_BURSTU 3              
//number of rounds consumed per firing in burst mode*
    POWER 40                          
//power drain per one round*
    DAMAGE 75                         
//damage dealt to target per round*
    TIMES_RELOAD 6.0                  
//time to reload the magazine into the weapon, in seconds*
    TIMES_AIMEDT 1.6                  
//the time it takes one firing in aimed mode*
    TIMES_BURSTT 1.6                  
//the time it takes one firing in burst mode*
    RANGE 42.0                        
//maximum range in aimed mode in meters*
    AREA 0.0                          
//the diameter of affected area, for area effect weapons*
    PROJ_SPEED 0.0                    
//projectile speed for slow moving projectiles, 0.0 is instantaneous*
    DURATION 0.0                      
//duration of effect for non-instantaneous weapons (e.g. flamethrowers)*
    SEC_DAMAGE 0.0                    
//damage per second for non-instantaneous weapons*
    DTYPE "L"                         
//damage type, must be the same as for the corresponding Ammo*
//graphics data
    EFFECT_FRONT_AIM "<path>"         
//the particle effect at muzzle when firing in aimed mode*
    EFFECT_FRONT_BURST "<path>"       
//the particle effect at muzzle when firing in burst mode*
    EFFECT_BACK "<path>"              
//the particle effect at the back of the weapon when firing*
    EFFECT_IMPACT "<path>"            
//the particle effect on impact*
    EFFECT_AREA "<path>"              
//the particle effect in the affected area, for area-effect weapons*
    PATH_3D "<path>"                  
//the 3D in-game model of the weapon (compulsory)
    VIDEO "<path>"                    
//the video shown in the Equipment screen when selected
    ICON "<path>"                     
//the interface picture of the weapon (compulsory)
    PROJECTILE "<path>"               
//the 3D in-game model of the projectile for slow moving weapons*
    PROJECTILEFIRE "<path>"           
//the particle effect of the burning propulsion for projectiles
    PROJECTILESMOKE "<path>"          
//the particle effect of trailing smoke for projectiles
    PARTICLE "<path>"                 
//the firing effect for non-firearm weapons
    SHAPE "s52"                       
//the shape the weapon has in the Equipment, points into ListOfShape
    SOUND_NAME_A "<path>"             
//sound made when firing in aimed mode
    SOUND_NAME_B "<path>"             
//sound made when firing in burst mode
    SOUND_NAME_RELOAD "<path>"        
//sound made when reloading
    SOUND_NAME_IMPACT "<path>"        
//sound made on impact
  END_OF_WEAPON
  ...
END_OF_LIST_OF_WEAPON

*see Weapon principle

Weapon type

The weapon type influences what skill is used to operate the weapon. The possible values are:

ASSAULT_RIFLE Rifles
SNIPER_RIFLE Marksmanship
MACHINE_GUN Launchers
SHOTGUN Rifles
PERSONAL_DEFENCE_WEAPON Handguns
HANDGUN Handguns
MISSILE_LAUNCHER Launchers
GRENADE_LAUNCHER Throwing
FLAME_THROWER Launchers
HAND_GRENADE Throwing
PSI_EQUIPMENT Psi power
MEDIC_EQUIPMENT Medical
MELEE only used for transgenants
RANGED only used for transgenants
TURRET Launchers
GYRO Marksmanship
FLARE Throwing
ARTIFACT None, used for objects recovered in missions

Weapon class

The weapon class determines what list in the Equipment screen the weapon belongs to. The possible values are:

HAND_GUN Pistols
RIFLE Rifles
HEAVY_WEAPON Heavy
OTHER Other

Animation type

The animation type is how the weapons is carried, i.e. what animation is used when a soldier uses the weapon. The possible values are:

PISTOL Handguns, PDWs, etc
RIFLE Assault rifles, sniper rifles
SHOTGUN Shotguns, grenade launchers, flamethrowers
BAZUKA Bazookas, missile launchers
THROW Grenades, flares
MANIPULATE Equipment
GYRO Gyroscopically stabilized weapons
NAKLAD Collapsible turrets
ANY Special, used for Transgenants

There is no need for a weapon to have the animation type that corresponds to its class or type, this is a purely visual matter.

Weapon principle

Weapon principle is a very important concept. It divides all weapons in the game into two broad groups: those whose statistics are determined by the ammo they use (there fall most conventional rifles), and those whose properties do not depend on the ammo (as is the case with e.g. lasers and their batteries). The principle also determines the behaviour of the weapon, i.e. if it is direct or indirect fire, if the projectile is slow-moving or not, etc. The possible values for principles are listed here:

FIREARM Magazine Conventional firearms (direct, instantaneous)
ENERGY Weapon Energy based weapons (direct and instantaneous fire)
GLAUNCH Magazine Grenade launchers (indirect fire, slow moving)
ENERGYGL Weapon Energy grenade launchers (indirect fire, slow moving)
ROCKET Magazine Rocket launchers (direct fire, slow moving)
MEDIC Weapon Medikits
GRENADE Weapon Grenades (indirect, slow moving, the weapon equals the projectile)
MELEE Weapon Melee attacks of Transgenants
RANGED Weapon Ranged attacks of Transgenants

Handling technology

Some alien weapons require a technology to be researched before they can be equipped. The following values are possible:

NORMAL No technology necessary
LASER Laser weapon operation
PLASMA Plasma weapon operation
PSI Psi weapon operation
ROCKET Alien rocket launcher operation
WARP Warp weapon operation
OTHER Transgenant weapons

Region

Some weapons are more likely to be found in certain regions than other. The possible values are:

EU Europe
US United States
RUS Russia
ALL Anywhere

Each base is one of the first three types and the weapons of the same region have twice as much chance of showing there than the weapons from other regions.

Shapes

Shapes define the shape a weapon occupies in the inventory. Each shape is named and it is referenced from the definition of a magazine or weapon.

The list of shapes has the following format:

LIST_OF_SHAPES
  SHAPES
    NAME "s12"                        
//name of the shape; by convention it is sxy, where x and y are horizontal and vertical dimensions respectively
    SUB_SHAPES                        
//opens the definition of a single subcell
      CELL_X 0                        
//horizontal coordinate of the cell; (0,0) is upper left corner
      CELL_Y 0                        
//vertical coordinate of the cell
    END_OF_SUB_SHAPES
    SUB_SHAPES
      CELL_X 0
      CELL_Y 1
    END_OF_SUB_SHAPES
    ...
  END_OF_SHAPES
  ...
END_OF_LIST_OF_SHAPES

While it is theoretically possible to have non-rectangular shapes, we refrained from this. Try it at your own risk.

Armor

Armor file has the following struture:

LIST_OF_ARMOR
  ARMOR
    ID HWH9                          
//unique armor ID
    ORIGIN HUMAN                     
//origin, see Magazines
    TYPE INTEGRAL                    
//what the armor covers, see below
    LEVEL 9                          
//technology level, see Magazines
    TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE_HEAVY_ARMOUR  
//(optional) technology used to manufacture the armor
    WEIGHT 20.0                      
//weight in kilograms
//the following list is protection against different kinds of attacks (see Magazines, Damage type). The higher number, the worse the protection (the more damage the armor allows to pass through). The number shown in statistics screen within the game is obtained by formula (1 – protection) x 100%. The number must never be higher than 1.
    S 0.25                
    H 0.45
    U 0.35
    B 0.4
    L 0.5
    P 0.6
    W 0.7
    Z 0.8
    HL 0.8
    X 0.9
//the following six entries list the models of the body of a unit with this armor. There are three possible variants for each armor for each sex and all are required. If there are no actual variants, the values of the key can point to the same model (as is the case for Reticulans and Transgenants).
    3D_MODELS_MALE1 "<path>"   
    3D_MODELS_MALE2 "<path>"
    3D_MODELS_MALE3 "<path>"
    3D_MODELS_FEM1 "<path>"
    3D_MODELS_FEM2 "<path>"
    3D_MODELS_FEM3 "<path>"
    3D_MODELS_SHIELD "<path>"
    SHIELD_EFFECT "<path>"           
//the particle effect shown when the armor is hit
//the next six entries point to the models used for the figurine on the equipment screen. The variants correspond to the armor variants, as explained above.
    2D_MODELS_MALE1 "<path>"
    2D_MODELS_MALE2 "<path>"
    2D_MODELS_MALE3 "<path>"
    2D_MODELS_FEM1 "<path>"
    2D_MODELS_FEM2 "<path>"
    2D_MODELS_FEM3 "<path>"
    ICON "<path>"                    
//the armor icon shown in the equipment listbox
    BKP "<path>"                     
//the model of matching backpack, displayed below the figuring
//The next two entries are only used for helmet. This is the male and female variant of the model displayed on the interface in the tactical game (over the character's head).
    INTERFACE_3D_MODEL_MALE "<path>"
    INTERFACE_3D_MODEL_FEMALE "<path>"
    VIDEO "<path>"                   
//the video displayed on the Equipment screen
  END_OF_ARMOR
  ...
END_OF_LIST_OF_ARMOR

For all practical purposes the armors are the models of the units. Despite this, it is not strongly enforced that a particular unit can only wear the kind of armor that belongs to it. If you modify the ListOfEnemy file in such a way that say a Morelman wears Crabcar armour you will get some very strange results indeed.

Armor type

Possible armor types are:

INTRINSIC the armor cannot be taken off, this is the "naked" armor
INTEGRAL the armor has integrated helmet
BODY the armor covers the body
HEAD the armor covers the head (helmet)


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