What do distance units mean?

Question

In XCOM configuration files, distances are expressed in some obscure units, that do not translate to grid cells easily.

Example values:

• unit vision radius: 27
• most weapons range: 27
• sniper rifle range: 100
• soldier (and most enemies) run distance: 12
• thin man run distance: 15
• cryssalid run distance: 20

A soldier definitely does not run 12 grid cells straight.

So, what are distance units in grid cells, and how distances are calculated diagonally?

Answer 1

how distances are calculated diagonally?

They are simply calculated with pythagorian distance equation, rounded.

In A column and 1 row, I put 1 to 15. Then I put this formula in B2, and copy pasted it down and to the right: =ROUND(SQRT($A2*$A2+B$1*B$1),0)

A full move is 15 squares and a half-move is 7 squares (15/2, round down). The diagonal half-move is highlighted red - you can move 5 squares diagonally in a half-move, because that square is 7 units distant from the origin of movement. Obstacles and elevation use some of the 15 unit move allowance, as the soldier no longer moves in a straight line (look at the glow trail before moving).

---

what are distance units in grid cells

A couple theories are show in the above picture. We can be pretty sure that a config unit is between 90 and 96 fictional units, between 0.625 and 0.667 cells. This might be precise enough to do whatever you want to do with config units. In game with the default ini, the only distance we don't understand is: at what range does a squadspotted sniper rifle shot fail (62-67 cells - approx 4 full moves). All the other distances are verifiable by examination. Embrace the pragmatic - if you want some distance to be longer, increase the value.

Answer 2

My own theory was 0.625... But then I went and asked.

@SolomonJake A tile in XCOM is 96 unreal units squared, which is 1.5m in real world units.

So it is 1.5 meters per cell. But the calculations are trickier. Let's assume config files state meters:

• Single move: 12 meters / 1.5 = 8.
• Double move: 24 meters / 1.5 = 16.
• Vision range: 27 meters / 1.5 = 18.

All values off by one. A ghost of additive modifier is upon us again :-)

After reading Jake's response, I have been laying out calculations and for some reason have set 0,64 as cell-to-config-unit ratio (as if a meter was 64, and a cell was 100 unreal units, which is false). And numbers made sense - 7.68, 15.36, and 17.28, just round down and voila. But it is wrong :-(

Answer 3

Unit is tiles.

move distance
A normal (without any move bonus) soldier move 6 tiles twice, or dash 12 tiles once.

Visual range
my experience about 17 tiles, but mission almost at dark night, attenuate is possible.
(Yesterday, I'm LUCKY catch a different test.
council mission, Russia, territory is a radar station, 2:00 AM seem Dawn not so dark.
When my soldiers climbed to the roof of station, they FOUND some enemy still inside fog of war, just near edge, only red frame showed.
The most interesting was, there was no encounter trigger, and no one can shoot them. Still need send someone to encounter them laster.
I guess that's long visual range mean, SEE enemy inside fog of war.)

weapon range
Can't test exactly.