Cars indeed have a damage threshold, 2 of them, even!
First threshold prevents it from catching fire or exploding.
(Pistol hitting a car for example)
Then once that one is passed the car catches fire.
The second one is where it explodes straight away.
Things to remember when using cars for cover or shooting at them:
- Cars caught fire during your turn explode on your next turn.
- Cars caught fire during an enemy turn explode on their next turn.
- Cover remains after a car blew up!
- You can use grenades and rockets to target and blow up cars before using their cover.
- Kills done by cars are like grenades and rockets they yield no materials only a corpse (fragments)
From what I read, others report that grenades kill cars instantly, where in my games they never do that. It seems higher difficulty is higher threshold. I play impossible so as such I will not note my damage expectations and experiences.
Cover only affects hit chances.
(The single most important thing to consider on impossible)
Objects in the game affect Line of Sight.
Aim is the base hit chance. 65 Aim = 65% hit chance.
SCOPE increases, sectoid mind link, overwatch decreases it,...
Cover adds to your defence stat. Defence reduces the enemy hit chance.
20 Def = -20% hit chance. Remember that cover only reduces it aslong as the unit takeing the shot did not flank you.
Range then has a final effect on hit chance this can be positive or negative depending on the weapon. Shotguns positive hit close negative long range, snipers neutral long negative short.
Hunker down doubles the cover bonus! (cover not defence eg smoke grenade or ghost armor)
While I read many people consider cover broken inaccurate etc. I find that the game treats this very very precise except people consider aliens aim as crappy as your soldiers. They dont especially mind linked and on impossible they hit hard.
Hunker down as such should not be overlooked.
Defence and LoS is the only way to avoid damage health just lets you soak up more before you die. Big hint for all that try impossible and find they fail.
Now the numbers you asked for:
- Partial cover +20 defence (Cover type)
- Full cover +40 defence (Cover type)
- Hunker down doubles cover type defence
- Being flanked removes cover type defence
- Smoke grenade adds +20 defence or 40 if skilled. (Normal defence)
- Various armor adds defence (ghost +30 Normal defence)
- Normal defence apply's even when flanked
I have not bothered with counting exact squares for optimal ranges yet. There is a very very limited weapon base in this game and you will get a feeling of all of them soon enough. Getting shot? Hunker down stop shooting those crappy low hit overwatch shots at dashing aliens ;) Disagree? Talk when you never lost a man on impossible :P
Best Answer
These indicate stat penalties and bonuses. For example, if a unit is suppressed, it gets a -30 aim penalty. This unit will then have a red downward arrow next to the shield to indicate it has a stat penalty.