Breaching Charges?

[EchoFourDelta]

If you're talking about putting a hole a human can go through in normal structural materials (i.e. not solid metal) and that aren't doors this can be accomplished with what amounts to a series of small line charges using specially-shaped explosive packages that impart a directional cutting effect through the material, and (if the initial detonation didn't result in a clean "cut") followed on with a secondary general-purpose detonation that finishes demolishing the "cut-out" from the rest of the wall.

Using sufficient amounts of C4 (in the form it's issued) can knock a hole in the wall, just like you want, but the result is going to be much less controlled, simply due to the nature of how explosives behave when they're detonated while attached to or resting on a surface: most of their energy blows out and away from the surface. This has to be focused mechanically, usually by shaping the explosive material in a particular manner and affixing backing materials that force the desired blast pattern, resulting in what's called a linear shaped charge. Multiple charges like this are affixed to the wall to be breached, and detonated.

Another option is to slam a SMAW round into the wall; that usually knocks a hole in large enough for a person to climb through.

Edited August 26, 2013 by EchoFourDelta

[StellarRat]

I wasn't taking into account how strong the wall or door was though. I was just saying if you want a smaller hole use less explosives. E4D is right. You can't cut a nice clean hole into a concrete wall or a steel door with just a small piece of C4 or some det cord. Wooden door, yeah otherwise it gets complicateder. Realistically, I don't think we have enough time in game to set up one of those linear charges. It would require the soldier to be in adjacent tile for several turns pasting the charge to the target. If you're in a hurry you just have to use a lot of explosives and make a big mess. I have no idea how big the charges are in Xenonauts. They don't look too big. Most of my reading tells me that if you really do some damage you use a charge that is bascially a backpack with a fuse, so that's pretty big.

Edited August 26, 2013 by StellarRat

[Lightzy]

Breaching is pointless with the game system the way it is because you will only get reaction-shot and killed for your ingenuity rather than surprise anyone and get bonuses to hit and damage like what would make sense in most such cases

[StellarRat]

Breaching is pointless with the game system the way it is because you will only get reaction-shot and killed for your ingenuity rather than surprise anyone and get bonuses to hit and damage like what would make sense in most such cases

I disagree, I've killed a bunch of aliens on the other side of doors when I blow them. It's my preferred entry method now. If they're within two or three tiles of the door they're in a world of hurt.

[lemm]

C4 and rockets is good enough for me.

[Aufklarer]

If you're talking about putting a hole a human can go through in normal structural materials (i.e. not solid metal) and that aren't doors this can be accomplished with what amounts to a series of small line charges using specially-shaped explosive packages that impart a directional cutting effect through the material, and (if the initial detonation didn't result in a clean "cut") followed on with a secondary general-purpose detonation that finishes demolishing the "cut-out" from the rest of the wall.

Using sufficient amounts of C4 (in the form it's issued) can knock a hole in the wall, just like you want, but the result is going to be much less controlled, simply due to the nature of how explosives behave when they're detonated while attached to or resting on a surface: most of their energy blows out and away from the surface. This has to be focused mechanically, usually by shaping the explosive material in a particular manner and affixing backing materials that force the desired blast pattern, resulting in what's called a linear shaped charge. Multiple charges like this are affixed to the wall to be breached, and detonated.

Another option is to slam a SMAW round into the wall; that usually knocks a hole in large enough for a person to climb through.

Everything E4D says here is true, the key to it is precision explosives with directional cutting charges. A lump of explosive would create a hole but It would be anything but precise, not to mention dangerous to anyone nearby. As he says normal explosives would need to be placed against a wall with packing material behind it. When the explosives detonate there is little resistance behind the explosives (away from the wall) there is just air. The main force of the blast is projected away from the wall (not entirely). By backing the explosives with wooden frames for example increases the explosion force of the charge. Its a crude way of making it directional.

Purpose built breaching charges are designed in strips to place along the desired cutting line, or hinges of doors, and cut with a shaped metal iner which is formed upon detonation

[Aufklarer]

ill try and dig out some videos of some charges i have set off and put them in my drop box you guys can see the effects of proper cutting charges