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Advanced Guide

2010-10-25T20:58:43Z

SephiRok: moved Advanced Guide to Expert's Guide

Greetings Commander. Welcome to advanced training.

When you first look over the field of battle, things may seem straightforward or even limited: you can easily tell where the best concentration of cities is and you only have two types of units to think about. Unfortunately for you, the situation in battle is rarely as simple as it appears. There is a lot of information you must be aware of if you hope to reliably prevail against your foes.

== Starting Drops ==
Your first wave of drop pods begins everything, and if you do it poorly can also be the end of everything. To have the strongest start possible you can't simply drop into the area with the most concentrated cities, you must take into account all the strategies of conquest -- everything that's discussed in this training, in fact. You'll need to quickly and effectively judge ideal cities to set up a base with, where the good paths to expand are, what you can successfully hold and where you should harass, which regions of the map will require the use of operations to fully control, and how to give yourself a good chance for early domination. Learning to see the best drops on every map is the most difficult challenge available, and separates the good commander from the great commander.

== Early Expansion ==
When expanding initially, you may have a strong desire to send units to every city within range as soon as you can. This is often not ideal for you, because cities begin with production on each type of unit halfway completed -- so it only takes half as much production as normal to receive the first trooper from a city. This means that you often save only one turn of movement if you send two troopers along a path to capture cities, instead of only one and waiting for the city to then produce another trooper who you'll send further out. During the start of the game when unit counts are especially important, having all possible units moving up to the front lines and only enough to continue a wave of expansion going to the back can turn the tide of combat in your favor.

== Early Combat ==
Early combat your focus should be on wearing the enemy forces down or driving them out of key regions, particularily by trading your troopers for their tanks so that it becomes much more difficult for the enemy to hold cities against your units. There are some specific squads that are even more important early in your conquest than they are later: Two troopers in mountains against a tank and two troopers and one tank against another tank both result in a loss of two troopers for you and a tank for your enemy. These are powerful because it leaves you with an extra tank to assault their trooper held cities with -- just be careful to not throw that advantage away by falling for the same setup that earned you the extra tank in the first place. One trooper and one tank flanking can destroy even two troopers and one tank, which is especially valuable early game because it's such a large percentage of enemy troops. Finally, two tanks is the most powerful early combo on plains even if not flanking, as it gains power against almost any combination of enemy troops involving troopers and can be strong punishment against the trooper for tank trade attempts.

== Holding Cities ==
When combat occurs in a city all the production it would normally receive from your other cities is still sent to it, but no work can be done so it's all lost. This means that if you have a city you know will receive a tank or bomber soon you can leave a trooper holding it, so that the battle for it will ensure your enemy won't receive the unit you put so much production into. However, if you know the city has recently received its valuable units you can simply abandon it to prevent the unnecessary destruction of your troops, and then take it back soon after. One aspect of this to be especially wary of is when an enemy takes a city near the center of your control -- if you take it back immediately, you'll lose all the production that a central city receives. In that case it can be better to use a missile or neutralize the enemy with equal forces, then on the turn after that move in so that you reclaim it without combat.

== Satellites ==
Many times you may find yourself curious if the enemy is in a specific tile. When this happens, you should ask yourself this question: Does it matter to my strategy? If the target is too far out of the way for any units there to matter, don't waste a satellite on it. Accurate prioritization is especially important for early drops when you need to know where to send out your tanks as you initially deploy, to catch and use a missile on the first bomber your enemy receives in their central city, and for dealing with the drop pods your enemy will receive throughout the game.

== Missiles ==
Sometimes the enemy will receive a big wave of reinforcements at the outer edges of their control, and you'll spot them with a satellite or a scout. You need to decide if those units are actually a threat -- it may be a lot of units, but taking out 6 power across the map is often less useful than blowing up a threatening bomber on your front lines. Also remember that if you blow up the units in an enemy controlled city and no enemy units are moving into it you will only have destroyed those units and removed the total control -- the enemy only loses production to a missile strike if they control the city after the strike occurs. For the same reason, you should be wary when moving in to claim a city that you are clearing with a missile or you may accidentally destroy a large part of your own production.

== Drop Pods ==
When planning a drop, you must balance the risk of the pod being caught with the benefit you can gain from it. There are some ways you can protect your pod. The simplest is to drop somewhere unexpected. This usually means somewhere not quite ideal, and in that case you need to look at the combat distances for your drop. If it's too far out of the way, another option should be utilized instead of wasting your drop pod. To set up a drop pod to be valuable even if it's detected, you can try to make a tempting enemy missile target by stacking your units into a strong counter to the enemy in a high power squad. This will give the enemy two options, and you'll benefit either way: They can blow up the squad you just formed and already won a battle with or they can blow up your pod, and in either case you'll have the strong squad left that they didn't choose. Finally, remember that drops into completely unclaimed territory are often safer in plains or cities rather than mountains, as many times people satellite ideal mountain tiles to catch drops.

== Combat Distances ==
It can be easy to think that a newly arrived unit is immediately useful, but you must remember travel time. If your critical unit is at the opposite edge of your controlled territory from your enemy, it could easily take four turns before that unit can engage. During those turns, the situation is likely to have resolved already -- either for or against you, but that new unit won't have been involved. Don't count units on the edges as available until they actually move into range to be used.

== Water ==
Pay close attention to lakes, because they have a much greater impact than simply being inconvenient to move around. Lakes that block routes can add significant distance that your reinforcements must travel, so when figuring out how effective your units are you must take water into account. Besides travel time, it can also force you to funnel your units through limited paths which makes them much more valuable targets for missiles.

== Ideal Cities ==
Between edges of the map and water blockades even what looks like the ideal region may actually be very poor. If all the units you receive from the cities have long distances to travel to engage in combat, you'll have a lot of trouble pushing your enemy back even if you have superior production capacity. Another often overlooked aspect for desirable cities is how mountainous a region is: It can be worth giving up a couple points of production if you can control an area with very few mountains, rather than one with many in it. It takes far fewer resources to secure an area that's mostly plains against both drops and sneak attacks.

This concludes your advanced training. If you can successfully put all of the principles outlined here into action it will greatly improve your chances of victory. Good luck, Commander.

== See Also ==
* [[Beginner's Guide]]
* [[Battle Guide]]

Strategic Training

2010-10-01T06:10:43Z

SephiRok: Streamlined formatting.

Since you've had lessons on both the basics and technical details, it's time for your last training session. Without a strong understanding of the strategic options available, all your knowledge about your troops is just going to let you get them into trouble. I'll begin with some detailed information on what to do with the resources you have to get a good start against your enemies, and maybe some of your men will even make it home after this.

==Starting==
Until you have some real combat experience you'll want to stick with the basics to give your troops the best chance at a successful deployment. You want to select an area with many nearby cities and drop your pods around it. They should be close enough to support each other, but spread out enough to have good coverage for claiming cities. Bear in mind that your opponent is doing the same thing; it can be unpleasant to land directly on them. Plan your drops so that you have options if you do find yourself arriving in the same region as your enemy.
[[Image:StratSatStart.jpg|left|border]]
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==Satellites==
The standard supply we have available for commanders is three satellites, and you receive a new one on every even turn number. Satellites are plentiful, and you should use them whenever it is important to you to know if an enemy has units in a tile. However, if knowing an enemy has units nearby won't change your actions, consider saving your satellites.
[[Image:StratMissileDrop.jpg|left|border]]
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==Missiles==
Missiles are your answer to enemy squads or units that you don't have enough resources to deal with: every unit in the targeted tile will be destroyed. You never begin with missiles, and receive them every fourth turn beginning at turn four.

==Drop Pods==
Regulations dictate that you begin your attempt at conquest with 3 drop pods, and are alloted another to support your efforts on every sixth turn beginning at turn six. Where to place them is a judgment call, but drop pods are almost always more effective the riskier the drop is.
[[Image:StratTankTrooper1.jpg|left|border]] [[Image:StratTankTrooper2.jpg|border]]
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==Trooper + Tank==
Be careful when moving one trooper and one tank together, as they are a poor compliment to each other's actions. This combination becomes very powerful when flanking though!

==Scouting==
If you have a single unit deep in enemy territory, it isn't cowardice to avoid attacking an enemy city. Having a scout nearby to watch and threaten can be far more valuable than neutralizing a city for one turn.
[[Image:StratScout1.jpg|left|border]] [[Image:StratScout2.jpg|border]] [[Image:StratScout3.jpg|border]]
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==Training==
While nothing compares to experience gained against real enemies, we do have an AI opponent available for you to practice against. You can even control the parameters of the simulation to handicap yourself or the AI if more or less challenge is needed. AI commanders may be assigned as your opponents or allies when you host the game. In addition to this valuable simulator in the game, guides with additional detail on squad matchups, combat calculations, and production distribution are all available in the archives here for your perusal.
[[Image:StratTraining.jpg|left|border]]
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Basic information on total control is available to all combatants, and you should pay attention to the amount of production each turn. By tracking this statistic, you can keep in mind how many units the enemy is likely to have. Due to the fog of war it can be easy to feel like you're being overwhelmed, but your enemy may actually be in worse shape than you are. Never give up, Commander!

[[Image:Conquest-Logo1.png|center]]

Technical Training

2010-10-01T05:45:15Z

SephiRok: Layout.

Since you know what you have to work with, it's time to go over how you give orders to actually get things done. Once you understand that, I will explain exactly how those orders are carried out and what you are trying to accomplish with them. Pay attention, combat is hard enough without miscommunication on top of it.

==Actions==
All of your orders are given by dragging and dropping. Operations are dragged from their window onto the battlefield, and cancelled by dragging back to the operations window. Units are assigned to move by dragging them from the tile they're in and dropping them on the tile they should move into.
[[Image:TechActions.jpg|left|border]]
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==Turn Order==
During a turn, events resolve in the following order: Missiles > Movement > Drop Pods > Combat > Reinforcements > Satellites.

==Combat==
Combat happens when your units end the turn in the same tile as enemy units. While moving, units can not engage each other -- battles only occur at their destinations. Flanking attacks are much stronger than regular attacks and occur when your ground based units assault an enemy from two separated sides. To perform a flanking attack, order two non-adjacent ground units to move to the same destination. Remember that if combat occurs in a city, all progress on unit production that city would normally make is lost.
[[Image:TechCombat1.jpg|left|border]][[Image:TechCombat2.jpg|border]]
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==Events==
Every turn a summary of all your ops, combat, and units gained is presented to you. In addition to moving your existing units you should click through this list and make sure you don't miss any key info.
[[Image:TechEvents.jpg|left|border]]
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==Winning==
To conquer the planet you and any allies you have must control 75% of the planet's production or have the most total control at the agreed upon cease fire time - Each turn, the percent of production you control is added to your total control tally. Note that by the standard rules of engagement combat ends and total control determines the victor when turn 20 starts. Be careful that this doesn't catch you by surprise, you are not allowed to give orders on the final turn.
[[Image:TechVictory.jpg|left|border]]
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That's all there is to giving orders. Simple, really. This part of your training is now complete, and it's time for you to talk to our chief strategist.

[[Strategic Training|Continue to strategic training]]

Basic Training

2010-10-01T05:34:09Z

SephiRok: Layout.

Welcome to basic training. This won't be exciting, and it won't be fun -- but it's not meant to be. Men's lives ride on every decision you make, and my job is to make sure you are capable of handling that responsibility. If you're the type to get bored and lose your focus we want to know now, not out on the field later. Get some stims before we get started; you'll need them.

==Troopers==
The humble trooper is your army's lifeblood. They excel in mountain combat and flanking maneuvers, make great scouts, are reliable guards for your cities, and can shoot down enemy bombers with relative ease. They are the most common of your units, but are still valuable, so do not throw their lives away.
[[Image:BasicTroopers.jpg|left|border]]
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==Tanks==
Your tanks are the backbone of your army, your heavy armor. They roll over enemy troopers and are ideal for sweeping for enemy scouts. They are devastatingly effective at stopping enemy armor when flanking. Their size and weight costs them dearly in mountains and makes them a clear target when assaulted by bombers, so be careful with your orders.
[[Image:BasicTanks.jpg|left|border]]
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==Bombers==
Bombers are your cavalry, packing both mobility and strength into one expensive unit. They can move twice as far as any other unit in your army, but will run out of fuel if they aren't inside or next to an allied city after moving. Bombers are highly effective against tanks but must be especially wary of troopers in mountains -- a single trooper dug into mountainous terrain can shoot down a bomber flying overhead.
[[Image:BasicBombers.jpg|left|border]]
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==Operations==
Your troops are in the field, but you can directly support them with special operations. There are three types of ops available for you: satellites, missiles, and drop pods. Satellites are the most frequently ready and reveal the target territory, missiles are received half as often and destroy every combatant in the target territory, and drop pods are provided with every third satellite and place four troopers and two tanks in the target territory.
[[Image:BasicOps.jpg|left|border]]
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==Terrain==
Knowing the ground your troops must deal with is mandatory if you're going to make good decisions. Plains, cities, and mega cities are all open combat zones where tanks are at their most effective and sight is unobstructed. Mountains are much harder to navigate, and obstruct sight so that your units can't be seen by nearby enemies. Your troopers are mobile enough to take advantage of this and will fight more effectively in mountainous terrain. The last significant territory type is lakes, which block your ground based units from moving through them.
[[Image:BasicTerrain.jpg|left|border]]
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==Reinforcements==
Cities that your units are defending will produce a steady stream of recruits and equipment to reinforce your army. Your logistics officers will organize the distribution network so that the cities in the center of your control receive more production than the outer cities. This improves efficiency of both manufacturing and troop deployment. This production is lost in cities where your troops were engaged in combat -- the supplies will arrive but nobody will be paying attention, and loose resources during war tend to disappear.
[[Image:BasicReinforce.jpg|left|border]]
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Still keeping up? I'm impressed, most of our recruits have their eyes glaze over before they learn what an op is. Remember this: at the end of these lessons there will be no test except the lives of your men. It's time to pass you off to your next instructor for instructions on the technical side of running this war.

[[Technical Training|Continue to technical training.]]