Does it matter for Elerium recovery what I shoot a UFO down with?

[Markus Ramikin]

How is the extent of the damage from shooting down a UFO determined? I'm curious if using a weapon that is more powerful per-shot - say, Fusion launchers instead of Plasma - increases the damage, and decreases the odds that you'll find intact Power Sources.

[ohartenstein23]

No. Each power source has a flat 75% chance of exploding on crashes.

[7Saturn]

Then I wonder why I really rarely see a downed terror ships with any intact energy sources. The likelihood of that is below 1%, if any of them have independently 75% chance of being destroyed. Or does the 75% go for all present ones? I don't believe so, as energy sources can be partially destroyed (1-2 of 3 left in supply ships is not uncommon). So are there any modifiers on to of the 75%?

[Meridian]

Then I wonder why I really rarely see a downed terror ships with any intact energy sources.

Because they are too close to each other and as soon as one explodes, it usually destroys the other 3 as well.

[Markus Ramikin]

The likelihood of that is below 1%

I wonder how you calculated that? 75%^4 ≈ 32%.

No. Each power source has a flat 75% chance of exploding on crashes.

Thanks.

[7Saturn]

Sorry, calculated the opposite: All four survive. Anyways, really low. But it happens almost always.

[Markus Ramikin]

Well, with Terror Ships it's like Meridian said, a chain reaction because the Power Sources are so close. If one goes...

[7Saturn]

Yeah, I got that. ;-)