Line of fire vs. terrain

[the nomad]

[split from Bugs, crashes, typos & bad taste - Solarius Scorch]

The only thing I dislike about this game is the accuracy problems with fences and elevated grounds. Fences I can kind of understand, but I struggle to understand why someone standing exposed on a hill (I am also flanking him so there it is not like only his head is visible etc) can't be hit accurately. I am not even sure what the problem is or even if it exists but can someone explain why I seem to keep missing enemies on slopes and hills? I am guessing it is the original game's issue rather than the mod's, but if so can it not be fixed? Or is there some kind of a logic to it?

[tarkalak]

The only thing I dislike about this game is the accuracy problems with fences and elevated grounds. Fences I can kind of understand, but I struggle to understand why someone standing exposed on a hill (I am also flanking him so there it is not like only his head is visible etc) can't be hit accurately. I am not even sure what the problem is or even if it exists but can someone explain why I seem to keep missing enemies on slopes and hills? I am guessing it is the original game's issue rather than the mod's, but if so can it not be fixed? Or is there some kind of a logic to it?

If you shoot at a very oblique angle the enemy might be shwoing a smaller profile and being harder to hit. The way shooting at a human from above will present a smaller target than from the front or side.

Targets in the engine are cylinders. May be you are seeing a smaller cross section. Or may be the slope is actually covering part of the target.

In any case it is hard to determine if a target is or isn't obstructed.

[the nomad]

If you shoot at a very oblique angle the enemy might be shwoing a smaller profile and being harder to hit. The way shooting at a human from above will present a smaller target than from the front or side.

Targets in the engine are cylinders. May be you are seeing a smaller cross section. Or may be the slope is actually covering part of the target.

In any case it is hard to determine if a target is or isn't obstructed.

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Hmm, I see. I don't think the mechanic makes that much sense then to be honest (at least in certain situations), but at least now I know its logic. Thanks. Wish it showed the actual chance to hit so I would know for certain before I take the shot.

[Mathel]

The only thing I dislike about this game is the accuracy problems with fences and elevated grounds. Fences I can kind of understand, but I struggle to understand why someone standing exposed on a hill (I am also flanking him so there it is not like only his head is visible etc) can't be hit accurately. I am not even sure what the problem is or even if it exists but can someone explain why I seem to keep missing enemies on slopes and hills? I am guessing it is the original game's issue rather than the mod's, but if so can it not be fixed? Or is there some kind of a logic to it?

I have noticed there are certain positional combinations, where you basically can't hit. >100% hitchance, but the shots consitently miss. But it is a thing with the engine, not with any particular mod. Usually it happens when the shooter and the target are at different elevation. Sadly, I do not have a savefile of such a position.

[krautbernd]

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Hmm, I see. I don't think the mechanic makes that much sense then to be honest (at least in certain situations), but at least now I know its logic. Thanks. Wish it showed the actual chance to hit so I would know for certain before I take the shot.

Why wouldn't this make sense, given that the underlying engine uses 3D space for hit calclation? You can actually take a first person screenshot (F10 by default) to see what the unit you have selected sees on the battlescape. You might also want to take a look at this and take into account that XCF implements the accuracy fall off option offered by OXCE.

[the nomad]

Why wouldn't this make sense, given that the underlying engine uses 3D space for hit calclation? You can actually take a first person screenshot (F10 by default) to see what the unit you have selected sees on the battlescape. You might also want to take a look at this and take into account that XCF implements the accuracy fall off option offered by OXCE.

It doesn't make sense in certain situations imo, like when I am flanking a guy but just because he is standing on a little slope I seem to be having huge penalties. Once my three top guys couldn't kill a regular zombie which was on the stairs and they were just three steps down. Or the fences, it is very tough to shoot through them and I feel the penalties are bigger than I would expect. And then I am being shot to death behind two solid bushes, where I shouldn't be that visible. Again I am not entirely sure about the mechanics so maybe I am just unlucky or these kind of sitautions are sticking out in my mind, like in modern X-Com 85% shots feel like 50% and it really isn't you just realize the misses more.

Didn't know the F10 thing or the exact calculations, will check them out thanks.

EDIT: Yeah that screenshot thing is great to understand the mechanics. Quite helpful thanks.

[krautbernd]

EDIT: Yeah that screenshot thing is great to understand the mechanics. Quite helpful thanks.

The problem with fences etc. is due to the inherent limitation of the loftemps (i.e. the 3D model definitions) used for objects representing fences (or wall with windows etc). You might call this a resolution limit. OXC/OXCE primary concern is to preserve vanilla compatibility, and these are the system and defintions used by the original game. This is - if anything - an issue of OXC/OXCE and not something that can be "solved" or caused by the mod, apart from using the "wrong" loftemps for map objects.

[tarkalak]

Why wouldn't this make sense, given that the underlying engine uses 3D space for hit calclation? You can actually take a first person screenshot (F10 by default) to see what the unit you have selected sees on the battlescape. You might also want to take a look at this and take into account that XCF implements the accuracy fall off option offered by OXCE.

*Jaw dropped* You can take 1st person screenshots!? I will have to try that.

In addition the Xcomfiles wiki has calculations for damage at distance. It should be able to show actual accuracy too.