Ground Combat Battle Losses

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Contents 1 Overview 2 Inflicting Battle Losses: Attack Power 2.1 Code 3 Minimizing Battle Losses: The High Guard Factor 3.1 Code 4 General Casualty Formula 4.1 Code 5 Bad Luck: The Rush Back Home 5.1 Defender Penalties 5.2 Comment 6 Race Specials 7 Crew 8 Troops 8.1 Race Specials 9 Fighters 9.1 Race Special 10 Assault Craft (Mechs) 10.1 Race Special 11 Laser Cannons 11.1 Race Special 11.2 Comments: 12 AA Guns 12.1 Race Special 12.2 Comment: 13 Recovering Battle Losses 13.1 Redeeming Cyborg casualties 13.2 Coalition Rescue Team 14 Destroyed Bases 15 See also

[edit] Overview

This page shows how battle losses in Ground Combat may happen. For the order in which these battle losses take place, have a look at the Ground Combat Sequence that applies to different Ground Combat Modes.

[edit] Inflicting Battle Losses: Attack Power

The amount of damage (Attack/Defense power) inflicted on the enemy depends on

• the combat values of the personnel,
• the ground attack values of assault craft and fighters,
• the Dark Force value of a race and
• two event-specific modifiers

An attack of a unit type of A on B usually has different modifiers than the immediately following counter-attack of B on A, if there is a counter-attack in the ground combat sequence of events. Thus in addition to the race-specific combat, ground attack and dark force ratings, it matters whether a player is in the role of the attacker or defender.

The importance of the sequence of events in which the battle losses are inflicted on the other side should be obvious, too.

Then there is the Dark Force which one should never underestimate...

[edit] Code

Attack/Defense Power = Units x ( (UnitAttackvalue x EventModifier1) + (DarkForce x EventModifier2) )

[edit] Minimizing Battle Losses: The High Guard Factor

The High Guards' participation in ground combat is very different compared to their active fighting role in boarding actions with ships or assault pods. In ground combat they restrict themselves to a role in high command. If present in appropriate numbers High Guards can reduce your casualties in many battle events by up to 50 percent and thus secure your victory over a numerically superior enemy. The defensive ground structures AA Guns and Laser Cannons don't profit from the High Guard Factor.

The High Guard Factor is calculated separately for attacker and defender. For the attacker only High Guards enlisted in the invasion army count. Thus the attacker can reduce battle losses only with the attack modes "Crush Kill Destroy!" and Capture" when 80% of the High Guards are enlisted. For the defender the High Guard Factor is only relevant when the base is directly attacked. All defender High Guards count in the calculation. If both sides restrict themselves to skirmishes (Roaming Defense, Deep Ground Patrol), High Guard Factors do not reduce battle losses on either side.

The optimum number of High Guards that is necessary to minimize battle losses depends on a race's specific combat rating for High Guards.

[edit] Code

d = Number of High Guards x HighGuard Combat Rating
HGFactor = 1 - (d / 1000)
Minimum HGFactor = 0.5

[edit] General Casualty Formula

Sidewinder proposed in an early analysis of the ground combat code a 'General Casualty Formula' to describe battle losses. His formula is presented here in a slightly amended way.

[edit] Code

AttackedUnits = AttackedUnits - (Attack Power * Rnd (* High Guard Factor)) 

On average, the number of attacked units is reduced by Attack Power/2. Given an optimum number of defender High Guards present during ground combat and an attack mode for which a High Guard Factor applies, the battle losses amount on average to Attack Power/4.

[edit] Bad Luck: The Rush Back Home

A Rush Back can only happen with the attack modi Crush Kill Destroy! and Capture!, but not with the attack mode Attack and Run.

If lot has assigned a base the role of defender and this base had one of these two attack modi set, and if its army(!) includes personnel (mechs and fighters are not mentioned) the army will rush back to defend the base. Personnel, mechs and fighters will be added again to the base garrison.

The penalties for having to give up your own campaign and rush back home are grave. They can easily decide a battle outcome.

[edit] Defender Penalties

• Base Personnel suffers many more battle losses
  • 2x battle losses for base troops, crew and colonists against attacking fighters
  • 4x battle losses for base troops, crew and colonists against attacking troops and crew
  • no Rnd Factor reducing battle losses when base troops are attacked by mechs [probably a bug!]
• Base Personnel has reduced Attack Power
  • Base troops and crew destroy 50% less attacking fighters, mechs and personnel [some superfluous code lines referring to attacking colonists]

[edit] Comment

When two heavily armed bases reside on the same planet, the risks of setting one of the two highest atack modes are high. If both players share the same militaristic fantasies, there is a 50% chance of a Rush back penalty for one's army.

[edit] Race Specials

Details are also given in relevant sections below

• Each Plasmatron N6i of the Birdmen lowers ground assault powers of enemy mechs and fighters during a ground war by 0.5%. This ability maxes out at 50% and does not affect enemy personnel.
• Each Psi Warrior of the Centaurs increases the attack value of their ground forces by +2% with a limit of 30%.
• Lizards are extremely powerful in ground combat, both as attackers and as defenders. They kill 30 times more enemies and suffer 50% less personnel losses. Loss rates are normal when confronted with another Lizard.
• Enforcers bases with DOA bombers can target-bomb defensive structures
• Aczanny Mechs evade defensive laser cannon fire: only 20% are destroyed
• Cyborg fallen are recovered as colonists: Birdmen 50%, others 30%, not possible for Crystal, Lizard and other Cyborg
• Coalition Rescue of battle survivors

[edit] Crew

Crew have the following Attack Power vs enemy personnel, fighters, mechs and and defensive structures:

Ground Combat Mode	Type of Combat	Attack Power	Colonists	Crew	Troops	Fighters	Mechs	Laser Cannons	AA Guns
Roaming Defense	Field Battle	Attack	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
		Counter- attack	-	-	2* (Combat Rating /1501 + DarkForce /100)	-	-	-	-
Deep Ground Patrol	Field Battle	Attack	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
		Counter- attack	-	-	Combat Rating /1001 + DarkForce /100	-	-	-
Hit&Run, 3*Kill!, Capture!	Urban Combat	Attack	-	-	-	-	-	-
		Counter- attack	-	-	-	-	-	-

[edit] Troops

Troops have the following Attack Power vs enemy personnel, fighters, mechs and defensive structures:

Ground Combat Mode	Type of Combat	Attack Power	Colonists	Crew	Troops	Fighters	Mechs	Laser Cannons	AA Guns
Roaming Defense	Field Battle	Attack	-	2x (Combat Rating /1001 + DarkForce /100)	Combat Rating /1001 + DarkForce /100	Combat Rating /2000 * (200-Fighter Defense vs Troops)/200	Combat Rating /600* (500-Mech Defense vs Troops)/500	-	-
		Counter-attack	-	2x (Combat Rating /1501 + DarkForce /100)	Combat Rating /1501 + DarkForce /50	Combat Rating /3000 * (100-Fighter Defense vs Troops)/100	Combat Rating /1200 * (500-Mech Defense vs Troops)/500	-	-
Deep Ground Patrol	Field Battle	Attack	-	Combat Rating /1001 + DarkForce /100	Combat Rating /1001 + DarkForce /100	Combat Rating /2000 * (120-Fighter Defense vs Troops)/120	Combat Rating/600 * (200-Mech Defense vs Troops)/200	-	-
		Counter-attack	-	2x (Combat Rating /1501 + DarkForce /100)	Combat Rating /1501 + DarkForce /50	-	-	-	-
Attack&Run, 3+Kill!, Capture!	Urban Combat	Attack	-	2x (Combat Rating /1001 + DarkForce /100)	Combat Rating /1001 + DarkForce /100	Combat Rating /2000 * (200-Fighter Defense vs Troops)/200	Combat Rating /600 * (500-Mech Defense vs Troops)/500	-	-
		Counter-attack	-	2x (Combat Rating /1501 + DarkForce /100)	Combat Rating /1501 + DarkForce /50	-	-	-

• Enemy High Guards may reduce the attack power by up to 50%

[edit] Race Specials

¹ Centaur mech Psi Warrior: factor applies only to this term

• Lizard attack power vs. non-Lizard troops is multiplied by 30
• If non-Lizards are attacking Lizards Troops, attack power is only 50%

[edit] Fighters

Each fighter has the following Attack Power vs fighters, mechs and personnel:

Attack Power	Colonists	Crew	Troops	High Guards	Fighters	Assault Units	Laser Cannons	AA Guns
attack	-	-	-	-	aFighter AttackAir/25*(100-dFighter DefenseAir)/1001	-	-	-
counter-attack	-	-	Fighter Attack vs Troops * (200-Troop Combat Rating)/2001	-	aFighter AttackAir/30*(150-dFighter DefenseAir)/1502	-	-	-

¹ There is a 50% chance that the counter-attacking fighters' attack power is reduced to 33%.
² aFighter: attacking fighter, dFighter: defending

Destroyed Units = Fighters * Attack Power * Rnd * High Guard Factor * Psi Warrior Factor

• The number of destroyed units can be reduced by up to 50% if the attacker has the optimum amount of High Guards present.

[edit] Race Special

• Each Plasmatron N6i ground unit of the Birdmen lowers ground assault powers of enemy mechs and fighters during a ground war by 0.5%. This ability maxes out at 50% and does not affect enemy personnel.

[edit] Assault Craft (Mechs)

Each Mech has the following Attack Power vs fighters, other mechs and personnel:

Attack Power	Colonists	Crew	Troops	High Guards	Fighters	Assault Units	Laser Cannons	AA Guns
attack	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
counter-attack	-	-	Attack Rating vs Troop * (500-Troop Combat Rating)/500)2	-	1	-	-	-

¹ Minimum Attack Power =

² There is a 70% chance that counter-attacking Mechs's attack power will be reduced to 20%.

Destroyed Units = Mechs * Attack Power * Rnd * High Guard Factor

• The number of destroyed units can be reduced by up to 50% if the attacker has the optimum amount of High Guards present.

[edit] Race Special

• Birdmen as attacker or defender: Mech type 2. (200- Mech2 /200) Min Bird Factor = 0.5

[edit] Laser Cannons

Each Laser Cannon kills or destroys the following number of enemy personnel or assault craft.

Defensive structure	Colonists	Crew	Troops	High Guards	Fighters	Assault Units	Laser Cannons	AA Guns
firing	-1	1200	1000	-	-	2/2/2	-	-
under fire	-	Combat Rating / 20,000 * Rnd	Combat Rating / 4,000 * Rnd2	-	-	Attack City Rating / 1,000	-	-

¹ Each Laser Cannon kills 0 to 5,000 attacking Colonists (can be reduced by HG) (Code line superfluous. Colonists don't attack) ² If the ground attack mode is "Capture!", then only 1/10 of the above are destroyed.

Destroyed Laser Cannons = Attacking Units * Attack Power

• Personnel casualties caused by firing laser cannons can be reduced by up to 50% if the attacker has the optimum amount of High Guards present.

[edit] Race Special

Firing

• If the Attacker is Aczanny each Laser Cannon destroys only 0.4 Mechs of each type (20% of normal) (reduced down to 0.2 with HG)

Under attack

• Enforcer Bombing Attack: A base with DOA-187x Bombers destroys laser cannons at the start of ground combat if the base command code is set to "b21".

[Update necessary]

[edit] Comments:

• In a base under attack Laser Cannons are a very valuable line of defense.
• Mechs are by far the most effective type of weapon for destroying Laser Cannons. Measured in Attack Power units a laser cannon is destroyed by 1,000 units if done by mechs, on average 8,000 units if done by troops and on average 40,000 units if done by crew.

[edit] AA Guns

Each AA Gun has the following Attack Power vs the three types of enemy fighters:

Defensive Structure	Colonists	Crew	Troops	High Guards	Fighters	Assault Units	Laser Cannons	AA Guns
firing	-	-	-	-	(120 - Fighter Defense vs Mech Rating) / 100 1	-	-	-
under fire	-	Combat Rating / 100 * Rnd	Combat Rating / 100 * Rnd	-	Attack City Rating / 1001	-	-	-

¹ Minimum Attack Power = 0.1

Destroyed Fighters = AA Guns * Attack Power * Rnd * High Guard Factor

• The number of destroyed fighters can be reduced by up to 50% if the attacker has the optimum amount of High Guards present.

Destroyed AA Guns = Attacking Units * Attack Power

[edit] Race Special

Under fire

• Enforcer Bombing Attack: A base with DOA-187x Bombers destroys AA Guns at the start of ground combat if the base command code is set to "b20".

[Update necessary]

[edit] Comment:

If attacking troops manage to get to the stage of firing at AA Guns, the AA Guns are gone for sure.

[edit] Recovering Battle Losses

[edit] Redeeming Cyborg casualties

A number of killed Cyborgs can be recovered. It's irrelevant whether they died as attackers or defenders.

• Birdmen can recover 50% of the Cyborg personnel losses as colonists
• Other races can recover 30% of the Cyborg personnel losses as colonists
• Crystals, Lizards and Cyborg don't have this capability

[edit] Coalition Rescue Team

If a Others May Live Rescue Team Mech is in the base many battle casualties of the Reunited Coalition of Systems as an attacker survive the battle in life pods.

• 80% of the killed colonists [colonist as attackers bug?], crew and troops re-appear in separate life pods. [Where do the pods appear?]

[edit] Destroyed Bases

If a base is without personnel, mechs or fighter after the battle, the base vanishes. Battle Report Contact with base has been lost.

Remaining high guards run away. The base resources are returned to the planet.

[edit] See also

• Ground Combat
• Ground Combat Sequence
• Ground Combat Examples