Virigoth's Cabal Armies FAQ

[Chayesh]

Thanks to Deykari for digging this up.

AABAHRAN: THE FORSAKEN LANDS ARMY WARFARE FAQ (By Virigoth)

INDEX:

1....Intro

2....Basics

3....Order Basics

4....Zoom Command

5....Map Command

6....Advanced Maneuvers

7....Combat

1. INTRO:

1.1 What is army warfare?

Army warfare is the part of Forsaken Lands (FL) that allows its players to conquer and capture areas of the world with their armies.

1.2 How do I get an army?

You can get armies once you join a Cabal which allows its members to engage in army warfare. Currently this includes all cabals with the exception of HERALD, WATCHER, SYNDICATE and TRIBUNAL.

1.3 Why do cabals take over areas?

Cabals take over areas in order to support their cabal rooms and powers. An area captured by a cabal provides it with support for the cabal's player built rooms, and the various abilities granted by these rooms. Without the support gained from the areas the cabal members lose their cabal's special abilities.

1.4 How do I join a cabal?

See "help cabal" or the FL Cabal FAQ.

2. BASICS:

2.1 What is an army?

An army is a cabal unit which under orders from players can fight other army units, build bastions or castles to take over areas, and much more. Each cabal has its own specific armies with their own characteristics and powers which act as attackers, defenders and workers.

2.2 What is a bastion?

A bastion is a general name for the fortifications built by a cabal's armies. This can be a tower, castle, fortress etc. By constructing bastions in an area, the cabal can capture it and gain more support for its cause.

2.3 What is a defender?

A defender is a bastion or an army set on patrol or garrison orders in a room. There can be at most 2 defenders and a bastion in a room. If a bastion is present with garrisoned defenders a (1) or (2) will appear beside the bastion indicating how many defenders are inside. If there are two defenders of same type outside of the garrison they will also have a (2) beside them.

2.4 What is an attacker?

An attacker is any army unit which is in combat with a defender. They always appear after the defenders and there may be 3 of them in the room at the same time. If there are multiple attackers of the same time, a (2) or (3) will appear beside them.

2.5 How can I see information about armies in the room?

To see detailed information on armies in room use "exam armies" command, "look" at them, or use army mode and "zoom" onto the room.

2.6 What does the ~v~ mean?

It means that the unit is flying.

2.7 How many armies can there be in a single room?

There can be 1 bastion, 2 defenders and 3 attackers for total of 5 units.

2.8 How many bastions can there be in an area?

The exact number depends on the area, and can be seen using "map" order from army mode.

2.9 What is this 'army mode'?

It is a special command mode entered using "army" command, and exited with the same command. While in the army mode you can use the additional army orders and command, as well as perform most of mud commands. In cases of ambiguous commands the army commands have priority.

2.10 How do I get armies?

Enter the army mode, and use "C"onscript order.

2.11 How many armies can I have?

You can conscript and train up to 3 + (level - 30) / 10 armies. You can always have at least 1 army. Some cabals have special abilities allowing them to command more armies then normal.

2.12 What does all this stuff on the army prompt mean?

Recruits in cabal: decreased as members conscript, increased with time

| Regular units in your barracks: [C]onscripted

| | Elite units in your barracks: [T]rained from normal units

| | | Barrack Orders Current Map Number

V V V | |

< 9: 2.3 >[APHGFB]-[CTR]-[ZMOQ]-[?] Map#68 : The Great Chasm

| | |

Unit orders Info Commands Current map name

2.13 What do you mean by cabal recruits?

The cabal recruits represent the total fresh recruits available in cabal for

individual commanders (members) to conscript into their own barracks. In above example your cabal has 9 recruits that can be conscripted by any and all cabal members. If this number reaches 0 all cabal members have to wait until the cabal manages to draft a new recruit. At this point the cabal members are served circular queue which means that each member in turn has a chance to receive a new recruit. The rate at which your cabal drafts new recruits increases as you gain more support. Some cabals have a special ability allowing for faster drafting.

2.14 What do you mean by barracks?

The barracks are an imaginary place in which are all the armies you requested through conscript and train orders. They await in barracks until you give them a specific order. In above example you have 2 normal units, and 3 elite units in your personal barracks.

2.15 Where are my barracks?

The barracks are not physically present in the world. However when armies travel to their destination they always begin at your cabal's entrance.

2.16 What is the difference between normal and elite armies?

Elite armies are created from armies in normal barracks using "T"rain order. Elite armies have better defense and higher offense then normal units. They can also build and fortify bastions faster, and when these are built they start out at 50% defense unlike 5% of bastions created by normal units.

2.17 How do I get armies?

Use "C"onscript to order normal units and "T"rain to convert normal units to Elite. You can use "C #" or "T #" to request # of units. Hence "C 5" would queue up 5 units to be conscripted into your barracks over time. The conscription/training will automatically pause if you cannot command any more armies, there are no available cabal recruits or in case of elite armies you lack CPS to train them.

2.18 How many armies can I queue up with conscript and train?

You can queue up to 10 armies in "C" or "T" order. You can cancel the production of units using "C 0" or "T 0".

2.19 How long does it take to conscript an army?

It takes roughly 6 game hours. Certain cabals have special abilities that allow faster conscription.

2.20 How long does it take to train an elite unit?

It takes roughly 3 game hours.

2.21 How long does it take for cabal to gain a recruit?

You get a minimum of 1 fresh recruit every two game hours. More if your cabal's support is very high or if your cabal has special abilities allowing faster recruitment.

2.22 I got a message telling me my barracks are at 3.2 what does this mean?

If during the last hour you have gained normal or elite units, the status of the barracks is shown on the next hour (tick). In case of 3.2 it means you have 3 normal and 2 elite units.

3. ORDER BASICS:

3.1 How do I get my armies to do something?

When in the army mode, you use the army orders of [APHGFB] to give armies commands. For elite units, use double order letter, for example "a" for normal attack, "aa" for elite unit attack.

3.2 What are the orders that I can give my armies?

A - Attack: Sends a unit from barracks to attack the zoom area.

P - Patrol: Sends a unit from barracks to patrol the zoom area. The patrol will intercept and attack any enemy units passing through its room.

H - Hold : Sends a unit with orders to hold the zoom area against attack. If enemy units are present in target room the unit will move in as a defender and support other friendly units in area. Otherwise the unit will patrol target room.

G - Garrison: Garrison zoom area. If a bastion is not present, the army constructs one, otherwise, the army will enter the bastion and garrison it for defense.

F - Fortify: Sends a unit to fortify (upgrade) a bastion in zoom area.

B - Barracks: Orders a unit to return to your barracks.

3.3 What is this 'zoom' you are talking about?

Zoom refers to the room that your army mode is currently focused in. It is an integral part of the army mode, as it specifies the target room for every army order you give. You can zoom in on a room in following ways:

a) "z"oom to focus on the room you are in currently.

"z armyid" to focus on the room in which the army with ArmyID is present.

c) "zz" zoom to the last focus you've had. (toggles between two zooms)

d) "army last" when entering army mode will zoom to the room of the last army report.

3.4 Are orders always given to armies in barracks?

No, you can give an ArmyID as an argument to every army order. When this is done, the order is given to the army with the ArmyID rather then an army in barracks.

3.5 How do I order an army already deployed to do something?

Give a deployed armies ID as an argument to the order.

EXAMPLE: "G 17" would order the army with ID# 17 to garrison the room currently zoomed in on.

3.6 I noticed one army had my cabal's name for its Commander, what does that mean?

Every army has as Commander the cabal member which last ordered it. In case of garrisons whom do not count towards any member's armies, they belong to the cabal (cost support) and hence have the cabal as its commander to reflect this.

3.7 Can someone else order armies other then their Commander?

Any cabal member of rank greater then the current army commander can order an army. In case of garrisons which are commanded by the cabal, any member with rank of Elder or higher can command them.

3.8 I ordered a garrison to return to barracks and it didn't allow me to do it, why?

You are not an Elder or Leader of your cabal.

3.9 I ordered a patrol to a room and the MUD said it was unable to do it, why?

Due to a nature of some rooms (special abilities, one way exists etc.) it is not

possible to order an army into them.

4. ZOOM COMMAND:

4.1 How do I zoom in on a room I'm in?

Use "z" while in army mode.

4.2 How do I zoom in on any room?

Use "z ArmyID" to zoom in on the room in which the army unit is currently present.

4.3 How can I find an Army ID to zoom in on?

You can use the army message queue ("Q"ueue order), or the "M"ap commands to get an ArmyID to zoom to.

4.4 Are there any other zoom commands?

"ZZ" will toggle the zoom between current and last room zoomed to. You can also use "army last" to automatically zoom into the room from which last army message/report originated.

5. MAP COMMAND:

5.1 How can I get a list of map numbers to use?

You can get the map numbers to use with the map command using "m world" command. "Map World" shows all areas and their ID# in which your cabal has units.

5.2 How can I list map numbers for other cabals then mine?

You can view areas and map ID# for other cabals using "m ". This will

show any area that contains the cabal's units along with the area ID#s.

5.3 Ok so I have a map ID# what can I do with this?

You can use "m " to display the specific map info of that area. Using

"M" alone will show the map of the area you are currently zoomed in on.

5.4 Ok, I got a map of an area, what does all this crap mean?

Example Screen:

Focus Bas Gar Pat Attackers Room

[#100 ] [K] A stairway below a Castle

[#96 ] [k] [Kk] [NnN] A stairway below a Castle

[#94 ] [k] [kk] Before the Castle

[R]<----Reinforcement available for your cabal

The Great Chasm B:3/5 G:2 P:2 S:166(94%)

The units are represented in [Xx] format where the unit's cabal

is represented by the cabal's name first letter. [K]night,

[N]exus, avant etc. Lowercase designates normal unit, uppercase

an elite unit.

Focus : The armyID you can use to zoom in on the room.

Bas : Shows a bastion if one is present in the room

Gar : Shows garrisons if present in the room

Pat : Shows patrols if any present in the room

Attackers: Shows attackers if any present in the room

Room : Room name

Last line shows:

That the map is of the area 'The Great Chasm' your cabal has 3 bastions

out of maximum of 5 in the area, two garrisons and 2 patrols. The area

provides currently 166 support which is 94% of its potential support due

to maintenance cost of the garrisons.

5.5 How do I use maps to find an Army ID to garrison to?

If you know that you have other friendly units in the same area use "m world" and locate the areaID you wish. Then use "m areaID" and pick the ArmyID for the room you wish to garrison. Finally use "zoom ArmyID" then "g" to garrison it with an army from barracks. Alternatively if there has been a recent army report from the same area, use "Q" to see the report queue, locate armyID, zoom to it and then give the order.

5.6 How do I use maps to find and Army ID to attack to?

Use "m" to see areas of the cabal you wish to attack. Pick the area you

wish and use its areaID for "m" command. Using the map info choose the armyID you wish to attack room of, and zoom in. Then give the attack order.

Alternatively if there has been a recent army report from the same area, use "Q" to see the report queue, locate armyID, zoom to it and then give the order.

5.7 What happens if I want to garrison a room without any armies in it?

If there are no other armies (friendly, neutral, or enemy) in the room you have to be present in person to set up the first garrison.

6. ADVANCED MANEUVERS:

6.1 How does the Fortify order work?

It sends an army to zoom target, where the army begins to slowly work on the bastion to upgrade it. The army is not shown in room and will not take part in defense. If an attack occurs, all efforts to date are lost and the unit will circle the battle waiting to resume fortifications. Elite units work faster and instantly crew the upgraded bastions to 50% health.

6.2 How does the Hold order work?

It sends an army to a room under attack from an enemy force with intent to defend it once the army arrives. It is of prime importance when defending a bastion under siege.

6.3 How does the Patrol order work?

It sends an army to be stationed in a zoom target room and intercept any enemy units moving past its location.

6.4 Do the armies always take the same amount of time to get to their target?

The time required to reach the destination varies with the room distance required up to a certain maximum. Certain cabal's special traits result in quickly moving armies.

6.5 What is an Interception?

Interception occurs when a unit attempts to move past a hostile patrol or garrisoned bastion. If there are any attacker spots left the moving unit is intercepted and attacked by the patrol or garrison.

6.6 How does the army movement work?

When an army is given an order and is not currently at its target room it will first leave the room it is in (disappear from the room). At this point it will begin to travel along the shortest path to its target room through areas that are reinforced by its cabal. If at any point the unit is intercepted it enters the room and is forced into combat with the patrol or garrison.

The army is not visible to the players while it moves through the lands.

6.7 How can my units intercept enemies?

If the unit is on garrison or patrol orders and there are attacker spots open in its room it will intercept any hostile force.

6.8 How do I get past enemy patrols?

You can swamp the patrol with fodder until all the attack spots are filled up

(3 armies) or carefully use patrol orders to maneuver the unit around the patrolled room.

6.9 How do I capture enemy bastions?

You capture enemy bastion by defeating its defenders and reducing its defense to 0. At this point all fortifications are destroyed and the bastion is converted to one of yours.

6.10 How do I capture enemy areas?

You must have more then half of the bastion spots available in the area. Hence if an area allows for maximum of 7 bastions you need at least 4 to capture it. If area allows for 6 bastions you need at least 4 in area to capture it.

6.11 What is reinforcement?

Reinforcement is cabal's ability to supply troops to area. It is determined by drawing an imaginary path from the cabal to the area in question. If the path can be made without entering an area that doesn't belong to the cabal or its allies the area in question has reinforcement. See "help reinforcement" for more information.

6.12 Why is reinforcement important?

When the are loses reinforcement you can no longer send troops into it, and all your troops present in it, stop healing when out of combat. This places you at great disadvantage in terms of defense.

6.13 How do the units heal?

Any unit that is not in combat heals 10% of its total defense every hour. Bastions heal 5% of their total.

6.14 How can I help my allies in war?

You can help your allies by garrisoning their bastions, or sending armies with hold orders to bastions under attack of cabals you are in vendetta with.

7. COMBAT:

7.1 How does the combat work?

When two hostile units occupy the same room the unit that last entered is considered the attacker. The units begin to cause damage to each other based on their attack dice. If the target unit has armor, the damage caused to it is reduced by armor percentage. For example 100 units of damage done to a unit with 60 armor would result in 40 units of damage.

7.2 Can an army retreat from combat?

No, the armies fight to total destruction.

7.3 How do bastions help?

The bastions provide armor for themselves and their garrisons. Any garrison receives protection from the bastion's walls and hence becomes much harder to destroy.

7.4 How are garrisons different from patrols?

A garrison once created cannot be moved, only returned to cabal's barracks. It requires support from its area for its maintenance, but receives benefit of its bastion's armor. Patrols are more flexible and more mobile, but receive no armor benefits when patrolling around a bastion, and count towards the commander's army maximum.

7.5 Can I order an army to attack particular army?

Armies try to automatically target the weakest enemy unit.

7.6 I remember reading something special about flying armies in combat..

Flying armies (marked with ~v~ symbol) are capable of damaging all enemy units in combat. The damage is lowered by 1/3 for each additional enemy they damage. Hence the first unit is hit for full damage, second for 1/3 third for 1/9.