Guide:ToBattle

Outdated *This article is outdated (Note added on 13.Sept 2022). You can help Drop-Shock Wiki by updating it.*
This guide is meant for those that want to jump right into the fighting, without going over the other details.

## Increasing Your Forces

You start with 150 command points, a few crews, and a few units. What units you start out with depends on which faction you start in.

There's a series of green buttons near the top of your browser screen. Click on the **Faction** button and select the green **Reset Army** link. This action costs 25 command points, but it gives you a scout vehicle, a medium vehicle, and a Hedgehog.

Then click on the **Headquarters** button, and select the **Storage** tab in the screen that pops up. There's a green **Recruit Crew** link near the top-right corner of the new page, just above your list of crews. Click on this 2 times. This will cost you 8 command points, but you receive two additional level 1 crews.

Now you should have 117 command points and the following units (depending on your faction):

* *Rebel Combine*: 2x Hedgehog Utility Vehicle, 2x Puma Light Scout, 4x Striker Assault Vehicles, 2x Viper Hovertank (Vipers have 1 mod slot each)
* *United Federation*: 2x Hedgehog Utility Vehicle, 2x Panther Light Tank, 3x Jaguar Medium Tank, 1x Tiger Attack Tank (with 1 mod slot)

## Crewing Your Units

Click on **Manage Forces** -> **Modify Units** at the top of your screen. You'll notice a list of vehicles on the top and a list of crews in the middle:

You'll also see there's a bottom row with various pictures. This is where any mods you have built or purchased would be. You'll need to assign crews to your units on this page. The small empty square below the name and picture of the unit is a spot for a crew to man the vehicles controls and guns. The large empty squares (if any appear) are spaces for modifications to the vehicle. Click on a crew icon, and then click on the small empty square to place a crew inside the vehicle.

Place your commander in the Tiger Attack Tank (if United Federation) or one of the Viper Hovertanks (if Rebel Combine). Put the Buckler Light Shield Generator on your commander's vehicle (and the Plasteel Armor on the other Viper Hovertank, if applicable). Place a crew in each of your fighting units, but don't put any crews in your Hedgehogs for now. **Then click *Confirm* to send this change to the server.**

NOTE mekas need an extra piloting level for their complexity. So simple mekas-Skilled, intermediate mekas-Veteran and advanced mekas-Elite.

## Creating Your Army

Once you have assigned crews to all your units, you will need to organize them into an army in order to do anything. Click on **Create Army** in the top toolbar, and you will see all of your populated units in reserve. All your manned units are stacked in the left part of the screen; click the double-right arrow button to move them all to the right. **Then click *Confirm* to send this change to the server.**

## Customizing Your Commander

Your command crew, which represents you in the game, must be placed on a unit for you to be able to deploy. As your fight, your command crew will gain experience and levels that you can spend to improve its piloting/gunnery, to give it new passive abilities, or new active abilities (called commands). To access the menu that deals with this, click the **Back** button in the top toolbar, click on the **Headquarters** button that appears, then go to the **Commander** tab. You should start with 15 level points to spend.

For now, click the **Select New Command** link. A new screen should pop up. In the bottom half of the screen is a list of commands available for purchase. Click **Aimed Shot**, then click the **Purchase Command** link in the comamnd description that pops up in the upper-right part of the browser. Click **Aimed Shot** in the lower section again, then click the **Ammo Drop** link that pops up next to it and purchase this command as well. Then click **Power Burst** and purchase this command. You'll still have level points left, but for now these three commands will help you out in emergencies.

Later on, you can further customize your commander based on your playing preferences. That will be covered in another guide.

## Deploying to a Planet

Now, you have your army and have seen most of the menu screen for the game. It's time for the action part. **As as starting player, you'll want to deploy to a Training Planet.** These are planets that do not allow PvP (Player vs. Player) combat and have easier Bandits (computer controlled bad-guys). If a planet is a Training Planet it will say so in the text description when you click on it.

Click on **Deployment**, and then click **Deploy**. You should see a number of planets orbiting a star. Planets are only accessible for a certain period of time. Hovering your mouse pointer over a planet will display it's name and the words "X turns to horizon". When horizon occurs, everyone's units are taken off the planet ceases to be accessible. It will re-emerge at some point and players can deploy on it again. If you click on a planet you can see the number of turns remaining and the cost to deploy on it. Planets have a one-minute turn length; any actions you set in one turn will start to take effect by the next turn.

Pick either Taris or Riona, whichever is furthest to the right.

## What to do on a Planet

Once you choose a planet that you like, click **Deploy to this planet**. You will be taken to a new screen, organized into large squares of 10X10 little squares. Lets call the 10x10 squares 'sectors'. Your units will be scattered across the one sector at random. There will be eight more sectors around the one your are in -- these 9 sectors together form a quadrant. If you move a unit into one of these sectors it will reveal the sectors adjacent to it. Your units and buildings will appear green (as will any friendly units and buildings). The blue unit you see on your screen is your command unit. (S)He is distinguishable only to you, and is very important. If your command unit is destroyed, all of your units will instantly recall and you will receive a command penalty proportional to your deployment cost.

While you are deployed there will be a counter that shows 'time remaining in the turn'. Turns while deployed happen at specific intervals, whether or not you are finished telling your units what to do. (Because of this, deploying a large force is highly discouraged as it is unlikely that you will be able to control all of your units in the time given).

### Orders

Clicking on a unit brings up a menu that shows orders to give the unit 'Attack Target, Attack, Target, Set Waypoint, Give Command, and Status' orders. Orders will persist on a unit until they are accomplished. A unit you instruct to attack will continue to do so until you change those orders, or the unit being attacked is destroyed. Similarly, If you give a unit a waypoint, it will continue moving towards it until you tell it to move elsewhere, or it arrives. Commands (issued via the give Command tab) must be issued each time you want to use them.

#### All Attack

On the Training Planets only, you can click an enemy unit and select the All Attack option. This means all of your units within range will fire at that one enemy unit. After selecting this option, you can still click on your own units and change their orders.

#### Attack Target

This combines Attack and Target in one simple step. After clicking this option, click on the enemy unit you want your unit to fire at, and that one unit will set that enemy as the target and attempt to 'alpha-strike' with all its weapons.

#### Attack

Brings up a list of targeted units and allows you to assign weapons to fire to each. 'Alpha striking' a target will fire all of your weapons at it.

#### Target

Adds a unit to the targeting list in the attack window, and then takes you to that attack window.

#### Set Waypoint

Give the unit a destination to move to. Your unit will move at it's maximum speed towards this target if it is out of range. (There is an option in the status tab that will let you force units to move only at their controlled speed)

#### Give Command

Gives the unit special commands, chosen from the commander section (see above). The two commands you will use the most will likely be mine and salvage (see below). Using Commands (the order) costs command (the resource). Some commands are issued on enemy units.

#### Status

Shows information about the unit. This can be used on enemy units.

### End Turn

If you finish giving orders to your units before the turn ends click the 'End Turn!' button. Doing so will prevent you from issuing further orders, but will give you extra command, depending on how much time was remaining in the turn. You will still be able to view unit statuses and the map after you have ended your turn. If you deploy at the beginning of a planet's cycle and click End Turn with at least 30 seconds left every turn, you can earn back almost half the command you spent deploying your units.

### Other Units/Bandits

If other players have deployed on this planet, you may find them as you explore. Even if there are not other players, there are bandits and ore deposits on the planet. Bandits are computer controlled units that will attack you on sight. Their AI isn't particuarly good, so you shouldn't have too much trouble dispatching them, but be careful, because it's still easy to lose a unit to them. Bandits appear as orange units. (Hostile players will appear as red units and Allies will appear as yellow-green).

### Mining & Salvage

Ore Deposits will appear as yellow triangles on the map. Moving a unit with mining to the deposit and using a 'mine' command will give you a significant chunk of ore. Destroyed units will also appear yellow on your screen. Moving a unit with salvage capabilities to a yellow destroyed unit and using a 'salvage' command will attempt salvage on the destroyed unit. An attempted salvage might return ore (the salvage crew couldn't retrieve any working parts), or the actual unit that was destroyed (the salvage crew managed to jury-rig the vehicle enough that it could be repaired after you undeploy) and/or mods that were on the unit.

### Undeploying

When the planet reaches horizon, you will automatically be undeployed from the planet for free and placed back at the main screen, hopefully with some spoils of war and mining. You can also undeploy earlier by clicking your commander, selecting Give Command, and selecting Request Dropship or Emergency Evac. Request Dropship takes six turns to take effect and costs 5 command. Emergency Evac takes 3 turns, but it costs *the same amount of command you spent when you deployed your army.* You should avoid using Emergency Evac unless your deployment cost was initially 5 or less command, or you'd rather lose the extra command than the units.

You can use the ore you mine from planets to build new units, or to sell on the market, or to your faction (Starter Factions will buy ore from players at a set price if there is no market otherwise).