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If you're new to USC, you might want to check out the Step-by-Step Tutorial, too!

Units in Detail

Skills (Secondary Attributes)

With the sole exception of Armor Rating, which is a somewhat “stand-alone” property, all prime attributes (AP, HP, MP) and other very important combat- and interaction-specific properties are derived partially or in whole from one or more of the nine Secondary Attributes (Skills) every unit has in USC.

Aliens have these attributes in a “hidden” way, specific to their strength and type. For Commandos, however, these are more likely skills you can change, experiment with, with which you can train your soldiers in a way you see fit for your strategy.

Commandos have a few hundred Skill Points depending on their rank. When you start a Campaign, most of these are already spent, but new ones can be acquired when a unit advances in rank. In non-Campaign game modes, the number of Skill Points a unit has depends on player (squad) handicap. With no handicap (standard setting), your commander will have 800 Skill Points, the others 700-500, respectively (a squad consists of 4 commandos).

Skills are measured from 0 to 100. “Purchasing” 1 point of proficiency costs a different amount of Skill Points depending on the level of the proficiency (skill), as the following table states:

Level of proficiency Skill Point per level
1-20 1
21-40 2
41-60 3
61-80 4
81-100 5

E.g. to gain level 50 in a skill, you will need 20×1 (1-20) + 20×2 (21-40) + 10×3 (41-50) = 20 + 40 + 30 = 90 Skill Points. Level 100 costs 300 Skill Points. Thus you have to decide between training your soldier with many low-level skills, some mediocre skills, or a few expert skills.

Do not frail, in non-Campaign game modes you may change your soldier's skills even if you're playing progress with the same team!

On the Squad Assembly screen, skills can be increased by left-clicking on them, and decreased by right-clicking on them. They can also be increased in-mission on the Character Records panel.


Below follows the detailed description of the skills. The symbol “%” stands for the actual level of the skill (0-100). Fractions are always floored.

Melee combat

Determines damage, Attack and Defense Value in close combat.
Min. damage done in melee is % percents of actual max. damage.
%/20 (0-5) to Attack Value in melee.
%/10 (0-10) to Defense Value in melee.
100%, adds +5 percents to Critical Chance in melee.
100%, equipping melee weapons costs only 3 APs (instead of 5).

Small arms

Determines damage and Attack Value with small arms.
Min. damage done with small arms is % percents of actual max. damage.
Adds %/20 (0-5) to Static Precision with small arms.
At 100%, adds +5 percents to Critical Chance with small arms.
At 100%, equipping small arms costs only 3 APs (instead of 5).

Heavy arms

Determines damage and Attack Value with heavy arms.
Min. damage done with heavy arms is % percents of actual max. damage.
Adds %/20 (0-5) to Static Precision with heavy arms.
At 100%, adds +5 percents to Critical Chance with heavy arms.
At 100%, equipping heavy arms costs only 3 APs (instead of 5).

Health

Determines the Maximum Health a unit can have.
Commandos have a minimum of 25 (100 HPs).
Maximum Health (HPs) = 50 + %×2.

Morale

Determines Maximum Morale and reduces the chance of psychic misbehavior.
Commandos have a minimum of 25 (25 MPs).
Maximum Morale (MPs) = %.
Adds %/10 (0-10) to maximum damage in melee.
At 80%, renders the unit “immune” to becoming berserk.
At 100%, renders the unit “immune” to panic.
In general, the greater the level is, the smaller the chance the unit will panic.

Reaction

Increases Attack Value and determines base reaction chance in Defense Mode.
Adds %/20 (0-5) to ranged Dynamic Precision with firearms (small & heavy).
Adds %/20 (0-5) to ranged Dynamic Defense Value (evasion).
Adds %/20 (0-5) to melee Attack Value.
Adds %/10 (0-10) to melee Defense Value.
Base reaction chance in ranged Defense Mode = %.
Chance of AP rebound when scoring a critical hit = %.
Max. quantity of rebound APs possible is 1/2/3/4 if 1%/30%/60%/90%.
Reduces the usage AP cost of the phasing device by %/25 (0-4).

Stamina

Determines maximum Action Points and helps dodge special hazards.
Maximum Action Points (APs per turn) = 15 + %/10 (0-10).
Reduces the chance and severity of becoming tranquilized out of any reason.
Reduces the chance of being knocked back or losing APs to hard hits.

Electrotechnics

Gives bonuses in regards of any electronical or mechanical gadgets.
Reduces the usage AP cost of any electronic device by %/25 (0-4).
Reduces the AP cost of salvaging servers / databanks by %/20 (0-5).
Reduces the AP cost of beginning a circuit override by %/20 (0-5).
Reduces the AP cost of circuit override actions by %/50 (0-2).
Reduces the AP cost of closing blast doors by %/12 (0-8).
Adds %/33 (0-3) to protection against corrosion and to its wear-off rate.
Completely determines the Attack Value and damage of deployed turrets*.

* only applies to turrets deployed by the actual unit


Biochemistry

Increases the effectiveness and decreases the usage AP cost of medical items, and protects against various related hazards.
Reduces the usage AP cost of medikits by %/25 (0-4).
Reduces the usage AP cost of stimulants and anti-rads by %/50 (0-2).
Reduces damage caused by biohazard (radiation) by %/20 (0-5).
Wear-off rate of biohazard per turn = %/20 (0-5).
Chance of bleeding wounds to heal by 1 per turn = %.
% percents bonus to the effectiveness of all chemicals (incl. medikits).
Increases the bio-damage and healing output of the bio-rifle by % percents.

Specializations

In addition to skills, every commando may choose a specialization out of the nine. These are generally “linked” to their respective skill, though some are quite “stand-alone” (i.e. useful without any levels in the skill). Specializations have no prerequisites, and in non-Campaign modes can be changed just like skills. They give additional bonuses or special abilities.

Specialization Description
Melee combat mastery -5% Critical Chance for melee attackers.
Small arms mastery +1.0x Critical Damage Factor with small arms.
Heavy arms mastery +5% Critical Chance with heavy arms.
Survival expertise Bleeding and rad poisoning will heal without any ranks in Biochemistry.
Psi-conditioning The unit will never go berserk and has a much smaller chance to become panicked.
Hit & run The Reaction-based AP-rebound from critical hits has a greater chance to be more.
Iron man The unit cannot be knocked back and is more resistant to tranquilization.
Master hacker Initializing a doorlock hacking doesn't cost any APs, and critical fails only reset the circuit.
Stimulant hero Using stimulants costs only 1 AP, regardless of (no) ranks in Biochemistry.

The specialization can be selected or changed by clicking on the “!” button next to the unit's portrait on the Squad Assembly screen, then clicking on the appropriate skill.

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units_detail.txt · Last modified: 2022/02/04 10:04 by admin