V. Combat

At the core of Shattered Galaxy is real-time tactical combat that can involve over 50 players in a single battle. Through battles, heroes earn resources, experience points, and lands for their faction. As soon as you have purchased and deployed your units, you are ready for combat.

Combat is tactically complicated and can take some time to master. While this manual will provide an overview of important features and considerations related to combat, no words will substitute for actual experience. Experienced real-time strategy players will be familiar with many of these concepts, but some aspects of Shattered Galaxy warfare are atypical of the RTS genre. It is recommended that you reread this section after you have fought in a battle or two.

A. The Basics

This section outlines the general concepts employed in Shattered Galaxy combat.

1. Unit Management
   
   As opposed to other real-time strategy games, Shattered Galaxy combat does not rely on micro-management of dozens of units and buildings. Instead, you can command between 6 and 12 units,depending upon your hero's Tactics (see Section IV). All of your objectives during the battle must be accomplished by those units alone (unless you are working with other players who are your allies).
   
   When the battle begins, the Recipient List will transform into the Command Wheel. The Command Wheel contains buttons for basic unit commands and will also have buttons for any special abilities of selected units.
   
   a) Unit Selection
   
   Selected units are those that will respond when you next issue a command (such as move or attack). Small representations of selected units will appear on the fringes of the Action Window so that you can easily monitor the status of selected units. You can select your units in several different ways.
   
   
   1. Left-click: Left-clicking on a unit selects it. When several units are selected, left-clicking on a unit's representation (on the edges of the Action Window) will select and center on only that unit.
      
   
   
   2. Dragging: Dragging a box around a group of units will select all of the units within that box that are under your control.
      
   
   
   3. Selecting all units: The hot key <"BACKSPACE"> selects all units.
      
   
   
   4. Control Groups: Press -# to assign the currently selected units to a control group. Later press that # to select that group of units. Initially, each of your units belongs to its own control group, allowing you to select a unit by pressing its deployment number. <"shift">-# can be used to select multiple control groups. Pressing a # twice centers the action window on that control group.
      
   
   b) Unit Inspection
   
   Health, energy, and cargo (if applicable) information is shown on the edges of the Active Window for all selected units. Additionally, by moving your mouse over a friendly unit you will see its name, owner, health, and energy. Enemy units can only be inspected through a special ability afforded by some items.
   
   c) Unit Movement
   
   Right-clicking or using the (M)ove command and then left-clicking on a location on the Active Window or the Mini-map will give all selected units orders to move to that location. Units moving through these methods will ignore enemies and enemy fire and concentrate only on reaching the specified location.
   
   d) Attacking
   
   Stationary units will automatically open fire on enemy units that are within range. Additionally, they will move to attack out-of-range units that are within their line of sight.
   
   Using the (A)ttack command will change the mouse arrow to cross-hairs. Subsequently left-clicking on a unit will order all selected units to attack that target. Using the 'Attack' command and left-clicking on the Active Window or the Mini-map will order the selected units to move to that location. Unlike the (M)ove command, the units will stop and fire upon any enemies that come within range. Note that with the (A)ttack command, friendly units can be fired upon if specifically targeted.
   
   e) Stopping
   
   The (S)top command will cause a unit to stop whatever action it was doing. This command is most useful for preventing units from wandering away from a location you wish to guard.
   
   f) Special Abilities
   
   To use a special ability, select the appropriate unit and then click on the desired ability on the Command Wheel. If the ability requires a target, such as the ability inspection, then the mouse arrow will change to cross-hairs and you must left-click on the target. Note that some abilities, such as radar require that the unit be installed first.
   
   
2. Health
   
   The most important consideration in battle is the health of your units. When a unit's health reaches zero, it is destroyed. A unit's health is indicated by the bottom of the bars shown when it is selected. The red portion of the bar shows the health that has been lost; the yellow portion shows the health remaining. Units operate at 100% performance until they are destroyed. Unit health is decreased by being attacked by enemies. Unit health can be restored through special abilities provided by certain items, such as a First-Aid Kit.
   
   

   The color and size of the circle around the base of selected units reveals unit health at a glance. Furthermore, mouseover a friendly unit will show both its health and energy bars.

   After a battle, units will remain damaged until repaired. You should pay careful attention to your unit's current health before heading into a combat. Units can be repaired at the Factory.
   
   
3. Energy
   
   Energy, represented by a blue/green bar above the health bar, is only slightly less critical than Health. When a unit's energy reaches zero, it is unable to move, fire, or use special abilities. Units that have run out of energy are not destroyed immediately, though they are very vulnerable to enemy attack.
   
   Energy is spent through two primary mechanisms: passive requirements and active usage. Many systems, such as engines, computers, and some armor, have passive energy requirements. Every second they consume some small amount of energy. Therefore, even a stationary unit will generally find its energy reserves decreasing slowly.
   
   Items such as weapons and many miscellaneous items have active energy requirements. Each time the weapon is fired or the item is used, energy reserves are drained. Unlike passive energy costs, active energy is not expended constantly. However, active energy costs tend to be quite high. For example, a unit with a powerful (and energy intensive weapon), such as a Maser, will find its energy depleted rapidly.
   
   Fortunately, several methods of replenishing energy are available. First, all units are assumed to be fully recharged after any battle. Second, some items allow one unit to transfer energy to another. This ability is an excellent way to restore a unit that has run out of energy. Other means of restoration vary by energy type.
   
   Solar power supplies regenerate energy constantly. Typically, solar powered units will lose energy while actively engaged in combat, but recover energy when only passive energy requirements must be met. Methane and battery powered units can refuel at specific locations on the battlefield (see Section V.C.3). Some batteries (primary cells as opposed to accumulators) cannot be recharged except by other units.
   
   
4. Time
   
   Because of the tremendous physiological impact of the telepathic drug Commune, heroes can only remain in combat for approximately 20 minutes. The red lights on the inside of the Command Wheel indicate how much time remains until your hero must disengage. The burden of victory is on the attacker; if time expires, the defender holds the province.

B. Objectives

Each battlefield contains several locations of tactical significance. Each type is outlined below.

1. Points of Contention
   
   The Points of Contention (PoC) are the primary objectives on the battlefield. Once one side controls all PoCs, they achieve victory and the battle ends. The PoC appear as large circles on the ground divided into many segments, like a pizza. To capture a PoC, move any ground unit onto it. The PoC will light up, segment by segment. When the PoC has entirely lit up, your nation's symbol will appear on it, and you will have captured that PoC. Aerial units cannot capture PoC.
   
   
2. Resource Deposits
   
   Most battlefields will contain one or more resource deposits. While factions frown upon the plundering of faction-owned resources, a contested battlefield's resources can be exploited without detection.
   
   To collect a resource during battle, simply move a unit equipped with a collection item (such as a Cargo Hold) over the resource to be collected. The resource will be visibly depleted on the map and your unit's cargo capacity bar will fill up. Each unit with a collection item can gather any combination of resources until it's cargo capacity has been reached.
   
   After a battle, the victorious side will receive all collected resources (divided evenly among all the victorious heroes regardless of who actually collected them). If you lose the battle, you do not receive any of the resources you may have collected.
   
   
3. Refueling Stations
   
   Energy plays a large role in most battles. If a unit runs out of energy, it is unable to move or fire. All battlefields will contain refueling stations - gas springs for methane reactors and rejuvenation pads for batteries. These stations have great tactical significance because a unit with the appropriate type of power supply can increase their energy by simply standing on a refueling station. For example, a Footman with a methane reactor can stand on gas springs to gain energy.
   
   
4. Higher Ground
   
   Most battlefields will contain areas of higher elevation, such as plateaus and the tops of buildings. Units on higher ground gain range and vision bonuses, making these useful areas to control. [Not fully implemented]

C. Logistics

The battlefields of Shattered Galaxy are dynamic. An enemy hero's forces may be outnumbered and hard pressed one minute and supported by a fresh brigade of Gryphons the next.

1. Reinforcements
   
   A hero may never send more of his units to reinforce himself during combat. However, other heroes are able to enter the fray at any time. The hero from any faction with the highest Tactics is the Field Commander of his faction's forces during that battle. Should a hero with higher Tactics than his faction's current Field Commander enter the battle, this new hero assumes the position of Field Commander.
   
   If others heroes attempt to enter a contested province, the Field Commander must approve their access to the combat. The Field Commander's 'Check' button lights up when an ally requests permission to join the battle.
   
   For example, hero A enters a province occupied by the enemy hero B. A battle ensues. Hero C, who belongs to the same faction as hero B, moves to enter the province and reinforce his ally. Hero B must okay hero C's offer of assistance. Hero D, who is an enemy of both heroes A and B, can, however, enter the province without permission; a three-way battle for the province then ensues.
   
   The number of heroes that can participate in a battle is limited by the Field Commander's Tactics: 8 heroes plus 1 for every 7 points of Tactics the Field Commander has. Note that while defenders may begin a battle with more heroes than allowed by this restriction, additional heroes will be unable to bolster the defending forces if the tactics restriction is exceeded.
   
   
2. Regiments
   
   Each hero provides different strengths and weaknesses to a faction in battle. A great tactician can exploit both the strengths and the weaknesses of a hero's units, to develop the best militaristic philosophy available to his or her faction. The tactician in this case is the overlord. It is the overlord's privilege to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the hero's in his faction, and assemble them, under one general, into different squadrons, dependent on the needs of his or her faction at that given moment. In Shattered Galaxy, these squadrons are known as regiments. The overlord appoints a ruler to this regiment, entrusting this ruler with the responsibility of governing day-to-day militaristic affairs of that regiment. If an overlord is truly successful and deigning regiments and assigning rulers, he or she will have a vast array of regiments with strengths lying in different aspects of combats, and his armed forces will work as a well-oiled war machine. (see section VIII.C.1)
   
   
3. Retreat
   
   A hero retreats his units by moving them to any of the portals (excluding subterranean caverns) on the battlefield. The 'Check' button will light up when a unit is capable of retreating. Clicking on the 'Check' will give you the option to retreat one of your units. You do not have to retreat all of your units. Retreated units cannot return to the same battle, but a hero who retreats with all of his units may be able to return to a large battle in progress. When one of your units retreats from a battle, any remaining units are restricted from retreating through different portals; your units cannot split up to reach different provinces. It is possible to retreat into an enemy territory, in which case another battle will immediately ensue before you have the opportunity to redeploy your forces.
   
   
4. Strategic Map
   
   The Strategic Map, viewable either in Hero or Battle Mode through the F2 key (or the 'Eye' button), shows the real-time status of the planet your hero is on. A primary use of the Strategic Map is identification of good targets. It is also useful for assessing what enemy and allied reinforcements would be available for an attack.
   
   All provinces are shown and faction markers indicate ownership. Press 'Grid' to color-code the provinces by owner. Unmarked/uncolored provinces are currently controlled by the aliens. Moving the mouse over a province shows that province's name and lights up the owning faction's territory as well as the territories of all of their allies.
   
   Additionally, small humanoid icons show how many heroes are present in each province. Flames mark currently contested provinces.

   Clicking on a province will display additional information about it, including the mini-map. The amount of information received depends upon your faction's espionage rating and your hero's clout. To travel to a specific province, either click "Find Path" when the province is selected or right-click on your desired destination. Your hero will begin walking to the appropriate portals to follow the path shown on the map. If your hero reaches any hostile provinces, you will return to hero mode and be told about the pending battle. You can manually set your hero's path by holding shift and right-clicking each province through which you wish your hero to travel.. Note that right-clicking on your hero's faction capital, or pressing F8 in hero mode, will instantly teleport your hero to the safety of his capital.