00:00In Menace, you are the commander of the TCRN Impetus, stranded in the Wayback System where
00:05you'll lead your soldiers into battle across multiple planets as you engage in operations.
00:10Today we'll dive into combat and the turn-based tactical elements within.
00:14If you missed either of the first two videos on the strategic layer and operations of the game
00:19or want to read over a written version of these guides, check out the description of the video
00:23for easy access. Let's get Planetside Major.
00:26As mentioned in the intro, combat in Menace is a turn-based tactical affair,
00:33although there are a few mechanics that switch it up from the standard.
00:36To start, each squad on the map has a number of action points, which determines the number of
00:41actions it can take in a single round. AP can be used to move a squad anywhere within the white
00:47border, enter different stances such as the deploy action, fire a weapon or use an accessory like a
00:53grenade or a drone. Unlike most turn-based tactics games, Menace turn orders operate on a per-faction
01:00basis. That's to say, your faction goes first with any one squad of your choosing. Then every other
01:07faction gets to do their turn in a single squad before returning once more to you. This cycle
01:13continues until all factions have taken their actions across all of the squads within a single round.
01:18This means, for instance, you may see several pirate units moving at the end of a round if they
01:24outnumber you, which they will. Always. It's worth keeping in mind that once you've started using a
01:30squad's AP, you have to continue to use that squad's actions, meaning you cannot partially use AP,
01:36switch to a new squad, and then return to do something else. There are a couple of exceptions to
01:42this, which are unlocked by squad leader promotions. So if that's your gameplay style, check out squad
01:47leader Pike's promotion tree. That said, if a squad has AP left, it will not carry over into the next
01:54round. This means that there is no initiative mechanic when determining who goes next in your faction.
01:59A squad could move last in one round, then first in the next, providing you with a chance to react
02:05appropriately against enemy threats that unveil themselves, or as a way to capitalize on a current
02:10situation that arose in between rounds. Ambushes are common in Menace, as the Fog of War hides enemy
02:16positions based on your detection and vision stats. You'll want to consider moving slowly and use cover,
02:23indicated by the shield icons, to minimize the accuracy, suppression and damage of incoming attacks.
02:29Units left out in the open are prime targets, and should you ever have to cross such open spaces,
02:34it may be worth using the Deploy button to get low and bolster defenses, but also to increase
02:40your own squad's accuracy and be able to use most special infantry weapons.
02:45After a few rounds of maneuvering from cover to cover, it's time to engage the enemy.
02:50Combat itself is a deeply tactical mechanic, and before we simply try to attack the first thing we
02:55see, let's hover over our weapon to see the weapon tooltip and get a reminder of its optimal use case.
03:02Here, we gain the overview of the weapon's abilities, including various shot types and a list of
03:07weapon statistics, such as range, damage and armor penetration. But most importantly,
03:13right now, let's focus on that graph in the bottom. This graph shows you an accuracy to hit
03:19point damage ratio over distance, which shows us how accurate the weapon is and how much damage,
03:25both to HP and armor, that the weapon does, depending on how many tiles away the target is.
03:31There is an optimal tile range for both to consider, and given the limited ammo for your squads,
03:36it might not be worth spraying and praying just because you can see something.
03:42You'll also want to explore the various attack options available with most weapons.
03:46Since each bullet is calculated separately in Menace, the R14A2 arc could deal 12 HP damage,
03:52times 3 shots per attack, times 8 squatties. In a perfect world, that's over 280 damage to a single
04:00squad in a single attack. Now we're ready for actual combat, and hovering over the enemy with
04:06our desired shot brings up another tooltip that provides the accuracy, armor penetration,
04:12and suppression chances the attack will have. Suppression is a key mechanic in Battlefield Control,
04:17and is represented by the yellow bar above a squad. As suppression increases, a squad will see reduced AP,
04:24lower accuracy, and eventually become pinned down, unable to use their actions until they recover.
04:30Different weapons can lay down suppression more heavily. Shots that hit cause maximum suppression,
04:36shots that miss but land in the same tile cause reduced suppression, and shots that land in an
04:41adjacent tile cause further reduced suppression. Let's take a moment to get an idea how this all looks
04:48in real time.
05:10Now, each mission comes with a primary and secondary objectives that you'll want to be mindful of
05:15as you engage. Secondary objectives are obviously not required for a successful mission. However,
05:22completing them will reward you with more promotion points for your squad leaders and contribute to
05:27the overall success rating of your operation, which ultimately will provide you with a rare and unique
05:33items for your squad. Once you've completed the mission and any objectives, you'll go through two
05:38mission success screens. The first provides a breakdown of the missions as a whole, including objectives met,
05:44promotion points earned, and any dropped loot from dead enemies. The next screen details statistics from
05:50your squads with damage dealt, damage received, and any temporary modifiers a squad may have received
05:55as a result of their actions during the mission. Once you're done looking over those, you'll head back to
06:00the Operation Overview screen where you can equip or upgrade your squad, including filling in positions
06:05for any squaddies you may have lost, check out the black market to see about some new weapons and
06:09accessories, then it's on to your next mission in your operation. We hope these three videos give you
06:15an idea of what to expect as you dive into Menace. Be sure to check it out on Steam and don't forget to
06:20wishlist the game as well. Remember, if you prefer a written guide, check the link in the description.
06:26Thanks for watching and enjoy your time with Menace.
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