Alien Inventory Use

Well I've searched all over but I can't find which page (if any) specifically discusses the Alien AI and how it handles inventory. There are fragments of comments but no central source. So let me put down some observations.

Normal Things Alien AI Cannot Do

• Pick up anything
• Use any melee weapon (eg Stun with a Stun Rod, attack with a Vibroblade)
• Prime/use Smoke Grenade. (The Proxy may fall into this category as well as the Flare).
• Use Mind Probe.
• Use Motion Scanner/Medi-Kit.
• Drop anything voluntarily (except when panicking)
• Throw anything other than armed grenades/explosives (various types)

Normal Things That The Alien AI Does Normally

• Load, reload and fire any ranged weapons normally
  • This likely includes all human weapons including our so-called 'advanced' technologies. It seems the Aliens have 'Researched' all our weapons and taught their forces not only how to use them, but their strengths and weaknesses!
• Reload its weapon if empty, when spare clip(s) are available (Possibly by cheating? Probably not.)
• Select weapon firing mode Snap, Auto or Aimed. (Rules TBD)
• If its current weapon is empty and no more clips are available: Switch to another loaded weapon, or to an unloaded weapon that has available ammo, or to a grenade. (Possibly by cheating?)
  • Observed switching: Pistol, Laser Pistol, Laser Rifle, Auto Cannon, Heavy Cannon, Rocket Launcher - probably all.
  • Observed reloading: Auto Cannon, Heavy Cannon, Rocket Launcher - probably all.
• Prime and throw any standard grenades such as grenades and High Explosives, but not smoke grenpades or proximity mines.
• Use items that are placed in regular inventory slots, not its "magic pocket" (see next section) by first moving the item into the hand.
• Use soldiers' Psi-Amps when controlling MCd soldiers whose psi skill is greater than 0.
• Reaction fire with any ranged weapon currently in its left or right hand.
  • This is a forced, hard-coded reaction for any alien unit that's not currently taking its turn, rather than an action that the AI can choose to take, as it will even work on civilians despite them not having any code that lets them fire their weapons (if they somehow manage to get one) deliberately.
• Pays 15 TUs to reload a weapon, using a spare clip from anywhere in its inventory (but usually from the "magic slot").
• Pays 4 TUs to move objects from the "magic" leg slot to either Hand.

Things The Alien AI Does Abnormally

• Ignores Inventory Placement rules, by initially stacking all its items in a "magic pocket" on its right leg.
• Possibly using objects from that "magic" location (not in the hand)? Probably not.
• Fires weapons using clips that are in its possession, but which (initially at least) are not loaded into the weapon, but are in its "magic pocket".

Alien AI Abilities To Be Determined

• Does Encumbrance apply? - May be that Alien TUs break badly if Weight carried exceeds Strength. More investigation needed.
• Are TUs spent in all cases when moving items around?
• When does the AI move items around (regardless whether cheating or paying TUs).
• Unloading a weapon
  • To select a different ammo type
  • To remove a dud round
• Selecting to use, from inventory, a different (eg more powerful) weapon than what is currently held. (Alien AI does this when mind controlling humans. (What are the rules?)
• Drawing, arming and throwing a grenade/explosive, despite holding a loaded weapon. (What are the rules?).
• Changing non-empty ammo clip on a weapon (eg to a more powerful type)
  • If so, what happens to partly spent clips if changed?
• Walk up a ramp? (Zombie has seen Chryssalids walking up the steps in a Lightning, so this is probably true for all transports).
• Ignoring the research status of alien weapons when using mind controlled soldiers carrying said weapons.

Things The AI Can't Do, That Can Be Done Under Human or Manual Control

• Placing items anywhere other than the hands or "magic slot"?
• Using Mind Probes, Motion Scanners, Med-Kits, Flares, Smoke Grenades, Proximity Grenades.
• Picking up objects, or deliberately dropping them.
  • Large terror units can pick up and drop items. To pick up, position the topmost/northwest corner of the unit over the item. The Cyberdisc makes a great cargo vehicle!
  • Terror units can also equip weapons in their "hands". Move the weapon to the left hand slot and it will appear in the Battlescape display. However the weapon can't actually be used. Using the left weapon will cause the unit's built-in ranged weapon to be used instead. (But test with Reapers or when the built-in is out of ammo?)