Crucial Rules and Info

[ascariel]

Hi I just played this game for some hours, and I was instantly addicted. i just love hardcore strategy challenges. That being said, I was brutally frustrated after searching all around forums and internet for some kind explanation as to how things really work, meaning game mechanics.

I read all the help guide in game, but they barely mention the basics. I just cant understand how come a game meant to be so difficult gives you almost no real information as to how the game mechanics work. How can I make hard strategic decision if I don't know the facts.

Things I don't get for example are:

How do I know what chance to hit do I have against a specific alien I'm targeting.

How much damage I'm inflicting with that hit, if there's a range of damage how does that work in terms of probability.

How much damage does a alien inflict on me, and what chance of hitting me does it have.

How much does an alien move, and how many remaining movement points does it have when I can actually see him in the map.

Whats the attack bonus some weapons have for, how does it factor into combat

Plating, warding etc how do those stats factor into combat.

What does critical do, how can affect it.
etc etc

As you can see, they are the most basic of questions I feel a game should answer in order to be able to express our strategic thinking.

If there's any guide somewhere detailing all these things, please link it to me, if there's not, I would really appreciate if someone could enlighten me with all the basic information necessary to make the most out of this game. I really want to dive into the challenge, but all this lack of information makes it really frustrating for new players.

Thanks!

[slayernz]

Hi Ascariel, and welcome to the forum! I'm so glad you are enjoying TA, even if there is stuff that could do with more explanation in order for you to really get into the game more.

I'm going to assume that you've played the tutorial campaign, which gives you a lot of information about what most things do. It's useful, but doesn't answer half of what you're asking above. Let me see if I can answer some of the questions you have. NOTE, all my answers are NOT based on knowing the game code and formulas, but rather from lots and lots of Xeno killing experience :

How do I know what chance to hit do I have against a specific alien I'm targeting.
The actual chance to hit calculation is not visible, but you can definitely gauge your chances by seeing the "Crit" value. When you target an enemy alien (or human), you see at the bottom-right side of the screen "Crit: xxx%, along with HP. Each type of enemy has different levels of defense, and so the Critical Hit value varies between Xenos. You'd think that having a 100% critical hit chance means you won't ever miss, and having a Crit of 220% is off the scale, but the to-hit value is subtly different, and could still result in you missing. I see it as an indicator of your likelihood of a meaningful attack action. I can definitely vouch that when your Crit is 100%, you have a much higher chance of hitting each time than if it was 10%. Further, even with a Crit value of 260%, you can still miss from time to time.

The calculation in the game is Quickness + Ranged for ranged accuracy, and Strength + Warrior for melee accuracy.

How much damage I'm inflicting with that hit, if there's a range of damage how does that work in terms of probability.
Every weapon has a damage value. The game uses that as the maximum and if you successfully hit, your damage can be anything from 0 to the maximum. However, the enemy does have some defensive values (armor, etc) that offset this damage calculation. So even if you get the maximum damage, if the enemy armor value is high, that damage ends up only taking one or two HP from the enemy.

How much damage does a alien inflict on me, and what chance of hitting me does it have.
Aliens use the same formulas as you do for attack. Each alien has a different level of damage they can do per hit. They also have stats like the Crit value, varied across types, so basic aliens like the old Blue and Green Xeno's have low attack strength, and only moderate damage, and Narvidians have high attack strength and high damage. These values are hidden from the player.

You in turn have a defensive value (Strength + Evasion), which reduces the chances that the Xeno can hit you.

If they do manage to have a successful hit, your armor's protection plays a part in mitigating the damage. If it's a ranged attack, your "shielding" value reduces damage. If it is a melee attack, your "plating" reduces damage

How much does an alien move, and how many remaining movement points does it have when I can actually see him in the map.
Most aliens move 2 or 3 squares - again, different aliens move different rates. You get to know them over time.

Movement is in phases.
Phase 1 - you move
Phase 2 - they move (Attack OR Move)
Phase 3 - if you have any AP left, you can use none, one, or two points
Phase 4 - they move (Attack OR Move)
Phase 5 - if you have 1 AP left, you can use it
Phase 6 - they move (Attack OR Move)

Your line of sight covers about 6 squares. When you move forward, sometimes you only get about 5 squares of LOS. This updates at the beginning of the next phase.

This means if the Xeno moves 2 squares per phase, they can technically move 6 squares in one turn. If you have used all of your AP at the end of phase 1, they might still be just outside of your LOS, and can move to close range with you by the end of phase 6. It pays for you to save at least 1 AP in phase 1 unless you are trying to evac or get to a specific location in a hurry.

In most cases though, your 5-6 range LOS means you shouldn't be surprised with a Xeno coming at you. The only times you are caught out is when you have selected to move, say 5 squares, and during the Knight's forward movement, he walks right up to a waiting Xeno. Then by the time he stops, the Xeno might only be a couple of squares away from you, ready to move in Phase 2, 4, and 6.


Whats the attack bonus some weapons have for, how does it factor into combat
All knights have 6 stats (Strength, Tactics, Quickness, Evasion, Warrior, Ranged). Ranged accuracy is Quickness + Ranged. When you add the attack bonus of the weapon, the calculation is actually Quickness + Ranged + Weapon_bonus. This is very useful when your Q+R value is low (eg 2+3) and you have a weapon with Attack Bonus of 5, because your total ranged accuracy = 10 instead of just 5.


Plating, warding etc how do those stats factor into combat.
So Plating = protection against Melee attacks. It effectively offsets some of the damage that Aliens cause during their claw/biting attacks. In fact, really high plating results in you getting 0 or at worst, very low amounts of damage per enemy strike.

Shielding does exactly the same as plating, but reduces ranged damage.

Warding reduces the chance for the enemy to be able to do a critical hit.

Atreus gives you increased LOS range

AP +/- for armor means it either gives you a bonus to movement, or a penalty to movement (eg +1 gives you +1 AP per turn).

What does critical do, how can affect it.
Cory says: Critical is a "second attack" if the first one is soaked.
(Just wanted to keep it in my post so nobody is misled )

[fallen]

ascariel - just hopping onto the forum for a minute tonight, but welcome! Great post, and a very reasonable request for system details. Sorry, with just the two of us building all these games, we can miss basics like this and its great to have someone ask!

slayernz - thanks for all the thoughtful responses. I haven't read it over yet, but either Cory or I will and will add more details tomorrow.

ascariel - I have added ticket #TA-1414 for getting the basic system mechanics into the help guide, especially focusing on answering your questions. I have also added #TA-1415 to get the full Templar Assault help guide posted to tresebrothers.com.

I am sorry that your first run-in with Trese Brothers games has resulted in frustration. I hope you will stick with us long enough for us to show you that we work fast and tirelessly for you, our customers. We will get this resolved!

Hope you will also try our other games!

[fallen]

ascariel - also just checking, did you see the Help section in the game main menu?

[Cory Trese]

May 29, 2013 0:37:03 GMT -5 fallen said:

ascariel - also just checking, did you see the Help section in the game main menu?

I agree, some of this is in the Help -- but a lot of it isn't spelled out.

We have a long history of working to improve documentation for our games and TA is part of that roadmap.

Glad to see some really informative posts from other forum members, great answers all around.

Critical is a "second attack" if the first one is soaked.