Menace is a turn-based tactical RPG from the developers of Battle Brothers. Answer distress calls across different worlds, train and equip infantry, deploy tanks and mechs, and plan and execute missions in detailed turn-based battles.
Dev Diary #13 - Discipline and Morale
In modern combat based on firearms, discipline and morale are just as important as in medieval clashes. Today, we give some insights into how we model discipline and morale and how to make the most use of them in MENACE:
There are usually two different endings possible in any armed conflict. Firstly, one side is physically incapacitated and can not continue to fight. Secondly, combatants can lose the will to fight and hunker down, stop fighting back, and eventually flee the battlefield.
Both are equally important in real life, so we want to ensure that the latter is just as meaningful in MENACE as the former.
We, as developers, took a look at real battles and casualty rates. In most conflicts, casualty rates tend to be anywhere between 1% and 30%. Having every mission end with all units mowed down is typical in computer games but pretty far from reality. For us, it is important to model combat in MENACE in a way that is still rewarding and decisive to play but also to make sure that not every mission is a massacre.
In last week's Dev Diary, we talked about mission types and how you don't have to dispatch all opposition to win missions.
This ties in with this week's topic, which is all about sending the enemy fleeing so you win the battle without fighting down to the last element.
All of the following hinges on the “Discipline” character stat that each unit in MENACE has. Discipline is a stat that incorporates a variety of factors which are all important for combat units:
Firstly, it measures how professional and well-trained a fighting force is. A highly trained force will hold its position longer and is less easily impressed by suffering losses or having ordinance and other attacks impact close by. This force will keep fighting back more efficiently no matter how dire or threatening the situation is.
Secondly, Discipline incorporates a unit's motivation. This is not necessarily training, as even untrained militias might have a very high motivation to fight given the right reasons and circumstances. Ultimately, a high motivation will also make a unit harder to suppress or rout, so the outcome can be similar to good training.
Finally, it also includes what we call “audacity,” a term often used in military circles when evaluating the effectiveness of small combat groups. It incorporates the squad leaders' will to take risks, seize opportunities, and be able to make decisions quickly. Audacity often separates the mediocre from the great squad leaders.
From all the above, we come to the conglomerate Discipline stat. In the game, it is between 1 and 100, with most marine squad leaders starting around 60-70, so they already have a decent discipline stat.
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Dev Diary #13 - Discipline and Morale
In modern combat based on firearms, discipline and morale are just as important as in medieval clashes. Today, we give some insights into how we model discipline and morale and how to make the most use of them in MENACE:
Real Life Inspiration
There are usually two different endings possible in any armed conflict. Firstly, one side is physically incapacitated and can not continue to fight. Secondly, combatants can lose the will to fight and hunker down, stop fighting back, and eventually flee the battlefield.
Both are equally important in real life, so we want to ensure that the latter is just as meaningful in MENACE as the former.
We, as developers, took a look at real battles and casualty rates. In most conflicts, casualty rates tend to be anywhere between 1% and 30%. Having every mission end with all units mowed down is typical in computer games but pretty far from reality. For us, it is important to model combat in MENACE in a way that is still rewarding and decisive to play but also to make sure that not every mission is a massacre.
In last week's Dev Diary, we talked about mission types and how you don't have to dispatch all opposition to win missions.
This ties in with this week's topic, which is all about sending the enemy fleeing so you win the battle without fighting down to the last element.
Discipline
All of the following hinges on the “Discipline” character stat that each unit in MENACE has. Discipline is a stat that incorporates a variety of factors which are all important for combat units:
Firstly, it measures how professional and well-trained a fighting force is. A highly trained force will hold its position longer and is less easily impressed by suffering losses or having ordinance and other attacks impact close by. This force will keep fighting back more efficiently no matter how dire or threatening the situation is.
Secondly, Discipline incorporates a unit's motivation. This is not necessarily training, as even untrained militias might have a very high motivation to fight given the right reasons and circumstances. Ultimately, a high motivation will also make a unit harder to suppress or rout, so the outcome can be similar to good training.
Finally, it also includes what we call “audacity,” a term often used in military circles when evaluating the effectiveness of small combat groups. It incorporates the squad leaders' will to take risks, seize opportunities, and be able to make decisions quickly. Audacity often separates the mediocre from the great squad leaders.
From all the above, we come to the conglomerate Discipline stat. In the game, it is between 1 and 100, with most marine squad leaders starting around 60-70, so they already have a decent discipline stat.
MENACE - Dev Diary #13 - Discipline and Morale - Steam News
In modern combat based on firearms, discipline and morale are just as important as in medieval clashes. Today, we give some insights into how we model discipline and morale and how to make the most use of them in MENACE: Real Life InspirationThere are usually two different endings possible in...