Rashpoints's Big Book of War v1.1

Comprehensive guide to Regiments basics, units, mechanics and tactics

Introduction

Finishing all operations on Master difficulty with Total Victory, I need to say that Regiments is an amazing game. But it's also difficult, and I personally feel that mastering all mechanics is no easy task. With Regiments being a rather niche title, I expect that most, if not all of its playerbase will consist of experienced RTS players. However I still hope this guide can be useful to some.



As a lot of info is available directly in the game, either in training missions or under the “Regipedia” tab which is really well written, I highly advise players to visit them before playing. This guide is meant to supplement the info given by the game, elaborate on certain mechanics further and offer personal experience and insight gained through playing the game. As there is currently no multiplayer, it is rather hard to confirm some theories about certain game aspects and mechanics and as such, these will be marked with * symbol to let the player know that it is not certain whenever information is true.

This guide is divided into five main sections. First section is intended to familiarize the player with Operations and some of the mechanics. Second section is dedicated to the different interfaces presented to the player. Third section deals with various factions and their units. Fourth section deals with remaining mechanics specific to combat and how different units and mechanics interact with each other. Last section is dedicated to some tactics basics and insight I gained through my playtime. I decided to write the guide in the following order as certain mechanics are tied to certain units and I feel this way they become easier to understand.

Section 1 Operations

Regiments can be played in either Skirmish or Operations, which is essentially Regiments campaign. This guide is focused on Operations and mechanics unique to them, albeit it can be applied to a certain extent to Skirmish too.

Operations are set during the fictional “June War” between NATO and Warsaw Pact in Northern Germany, 1989. There are 9 operations in total, during which the player commands units on both sides.

When first opening any save slot and selecting the operation, the player is greeted with an operation interface. Here, and only here can players select which operations he wants to play, its difficulty and modifiers.



Difficulty

Standart difficulty options, nothing special to say about them. Instead, allow me to talk a little about my experience with different playthroughs. My first blind playthrough was on Hard, and later on Master. Both are doable, but I must give a warning - Regiments AI is hard, in a good sense. It's unpredictable, it uses combined arms tactics well and it WILL exploit any opportunity given by the player.
There is undoubtedly room for AIs improvement, as it sometimes returns to a more primal state of zerg rushing players with swarms of enemies or that it will always fight to the last man, but generally, it offers an interesting challenge.
Playthroughs, even on the same difficulty, are always different, as the game randomizes enemy force composition and attack patterns.
Mechanized infantry counterattack that's easily repeled in one playthrough can become a deadly armored push in the next one, acting as a hammer against players attacking force, with defenders becoming an anvil. Enemy battlegroup arriving on the stage can be armed with old T-64s and BMP-1 in one playthrough and with top of the line T-80UDs and BMP-3s in the next one.
Counterattack that is focused on one sector in one playthrough is focused on an entirely different sector in the next one.

Advanced rules

Advanced rules are, simply put, modifiers that the player can apply to his operation on top of difficulty. Player can choose from several options:
More time extends phases from 20 to 30 minutes (phases will be explained below). In my opinion this option decreases difficulty on attacking missions as the player has more time to take sectors, however it increases difficulty on defense missions as the player has to hold on for longer and thus repel more enemies.
Random events disables players input on event cards (event cards will be explained below), they will be selected at random.This option increases difficulty as certain events can straight up sabotage the player.
Bad luck adds an extremely negative event card every two turns. This option increases difficulty as certain events can straight up sabotage the player.
High lethality adds a chance for a critical hit for both players and enemy units. This option also increases difficulty as it adds another layer of unpredictability to engagements.

Players can also adjust several game mechanics with a slider, these are rather self explanatory, ie. Moving the accuracy slider higher will make all units more accurate etc. As these affect both AIs and players units at the same time, they can increase the difficulty if moved in either direction - ie. Moving accuracy slider towards more accurate means that units will kill each other quicker, making it harder to control engagements, while moving accuracy slider towards less accurate means that player can encounter situations where he wont be able to kill enemy units quickly enough in order to complete his objectives in time limit.

Players should also note that Advanced rules can be only selected when starting an operation and cannot be turned off once operation starts.

Thus I highly advise the player to leave Advanced rules untouched for his first playthrough.

Stages and Phases

Each operation can be divided between one or more stages (maps). Each stage has several phases, which usually last 20 minutes (this can be modified in several ways) and move the day/night cycle. Game saves at the start of each phase, there is no other autosave (like on exiting the game for example) nor manual save.
Players units, their experience, their losses, even players “Operational Authority” (will be explained below) carry between each phase and stage.

Example: tank platoon that was entirely lost during the first phase won't be available on the follow up phases unless the player spends “Operational Authority” to replace it.

Each operations also has either stage or operation limit:
If the operation has a “Next stage in” limit, the player will be moved onto the next stage after a certain amount of phases.
However, if the operation has an “Operation ends in” limit, the player needs to complete all stages before the operation limit expires.

Section 2 Interfaces

Regiment management interface
After player selects which operation he wishes to play, its difficulty and modifiers, he is then moved to the regiments managements interface, which gives information on the following:



1. Regiment composition - here the player can find his starting platoons, their price in deployment points and number of backup vehicles available. On the right side are available TacAids.

2. Selected Task Forces - these are essentially additional platoons players can deploy during battle. They can be bought with Operational Authority. Some Task Forces can be further upgraded up to two times, again with Operational Authority, in order to gain additional platoons, TacAids or get upgraded equipment.



3. Number of Operational Authority points - Ingame currency. They are usually gained by capturing certain nodes, although they can be also gained by certain events.

4. Deployment points - increase players “population cap”, ie. how many platoons player can deploy on the battlefield at once. Player can spend Operational Authority to increase this cap.

5. Tactical support - more points in Tactical Support player has, more quickly he gains points necessary to deploy TacAids. Once again, this can be upgraded with Operational Authority.

6. Supplies - number of available supplies that player has access to. Supplies are used to repair and rearm units both on and off field. They have no effect on TacAid (ie. using Artillery TacAid costs no supplies) nor they can replenish destroyed vehicles, but they can replace killed infantry. Again, they are bought with Operational Authority, but player has slow passive income during battle as well. If a player runs out of supplies, newly deployed units might arrive damaged or without enough ammo.

7. Engineer support - used to build fortifications during the pre-battle deployment phase. They are bought with “Operational Authority”. Will be elaborated upon further in the guide.

8. Number of victory points gained during the operation so far and number of victory points needed in total for successfully completing an operation.

9. Number of stages in an operation, with information on how many victory points can be gained on each stage. Also gives information on additional conditions for each stage and what kind of mission player can expect (Defense, Take and Hold, Escort etc.).

10. Information on stage/operation limit.

Player will be always moved onto the regiments managment interface at the start of each phase.
It's here that the player can spend his Operational Authority in order to replace units lost during combat (notice the small red cross below each damaged platoon).



Events

On the next screen, the player is presented with “Events” cards.



As the name implies, these cards modify the following phase with some sort of event. These can range from positive (more TacAid available, allied battlegroup enters the area and helps the player etc.), to neutral (uneventful, literally nothing happens, phase lasts longer, phase is shorter etc.), to negative (enemy battlegroup enters the area and attacks player on top of enemy units already present on the map, some platoons are unavailable, thick mist engulfs the map and blocks lines of sight etc.).

Events come in sets of four, and the player needs to use all cards in a set in order to get a new set. One card HAS to be selected before the phase begins. This brings another layer of strategy into the game, as sometimes player can be left only with negative events. Should the player face an enemy battlegroup event card early on, on a more advantageous stage, or face it later with a strengthened regiment? Should the player pick additional air support TacAid now, when he is attacking the objective, or later, when he is defending it?

Also, players should note that the game CAN and WILL add another event cards on top of those selected by players. Thus it is entirely possible for player to face TWO “Enemy battlegroups” events at once.

Battle interface

Once in battle, UI displays following information:



1. Units available to players during missions. Deployed units are highlighted in blue. On an important note, IRL dots above the unit icon in NATO symbology display units size, in-game however they symbolize number of active vehicles in a platoon.

2. Number of deployment points, essentially players population cap. Spent deployment points are returned whenever units retreat from the AO or are completely destroyed and are gained back over time.

3.Number of available supplies.

4.Available TacAids and points necessary to use them.

5.Objectives for the stage.

6.Active events.

7.Remaining time and current phase of the stage.

8.Orders menu/Engineering menu. Orders are available once any unit is selected by the player. Engineering menu is available during pre-battle deployment as long as the player has at least some Engineering support.

Unit interface
Whenever unit is selected, unit interface displays following information:



1. Unit type, with short description.

2. Information on how many vehicles are active, how much damage vehicles received, how much are they suppressed and their ammo reserves.

3. Unit stats. Baseline value is 100% and they can be influenced in several ways. They show units accuracy, defense, speed and morale.

4. Only available to infantry platoons, this gives information on how many soldiers are in platoon and what their weapons are.

Section 3 Factions, nations and units overview

Following section is dedicated to explaining strong and weak points of each faction and nation, describing individual unit types in detail and offering additional insight gained from the game.

General comparison between NATO and PACT units

NATO

+ More diverse equipment - NATO has equipment for every situation
+ Generally better optics
+ Generally better night vision
+ Generally better stabilizers
+ Generally better MANPADs
+ More choices of elite infantry
+ Most tanks aim faster
+ Generally, MBTs carry more rounds for their main gun

- Generally worse armor on 1st and 2nd gen MBTs
- Generally worse infantry ATGMs
- No gun launched ATGMs for tanks
- More diverse equipment - Performance can vary greatly between each individual nation, player needs to understand his units more

PACT

+ Unified equipment - PACT vehicles and weapons have similar if not the same performance, tactics that apply to NVA apply to the Soviet Union or Poland as well. All nations even share certain equipment.
+ Generally better armor on 1st and 2nd gen MBTs
+ Soviet Union 2nd and 3rd gen MBTs have access to gun launched ATGMs, increasing their range
+ 3rd gen MBTs are faster than NATO counterparts
+ Infantry ATGMs have better range than their NATO counterparts
+ All but a few oldest PACT MBTs should have automatic loaders, meaning their rate of fire should stay the same even when suppressed.*

- Generally worse optics
- Generally worse night vision
- Generally worse stabilizers
- All MBTs aim slower
- Generally, MBTs carry less ammo than their NATO counterparts
- Generally worse MANPADs

Section 3 Nations overview

East Germany

Consisting of units belonging to the Nationale Volksarmee of the GDR, with few Soviet Union task forces. While NVA shares a lot of equipment with the Soviet Union, it lacks access to the top of the line MBTs. Its standard infantry is stronger than that of Soviet Union or Poland, but they lack proper elite infantry.

Poland

Essentially NVA, sharing most of its equipment but with few unique and powerful additions, such as SA-8 Gecko SAM, SKOT wheeled APC, Marines elite infantry and Mi-2 URP-G, the only helicopter in the game armed with Air to Air missiles.

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union is the strongest army on the PACT side. While their inventory consist of units similar to the NVA and Poland, unlike them, the Soviets have access to some top of the line equipment, mainly Elite infantry, top of the line MBTs and IFVs and best general purpose SPAA in the game. However all but one of their MBTs suffer from poor stabilizers and aim slower, making them slow to react when attacking.

United States

The United States represents the strongest army on the NATO side. Almost all of their units are top of the line. They have access to the best MBT in game, best attack helicopter in the game, strong infantry, one of the best MANPADs in game, strong IFVs and recon units and unique artillery with cluster shells. However, they lack good infantry ATGMs and their anti-air assets, while serviceable, suffer from slightly worse range and platform than their contemporaries.

West Germany

W.Germany has access to a mix of old and new equipment. They have access to the second best MBT in game and an anti-aircraft missile platform with best range in the game. They are also the only NATO nation with access to MLRS. However both their IFVs and infantry have bad range on ATGMs. Their attack helicopter is probably the weakest one in the game as it only carries six ATGMs and no other weapons.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom, being represented by the British Army of Rhine (BAOR for short), has access to a mix of old and new equipment, similar to W. Germany. They have access to two different types of light tanks, solid midline MBTs and one the fastests APCs. Their top MBT in form of Challenger 1 provides extremely powerful tool, but its held back by its slow speed and bad stabilizer. Modern version of their regular infantry outclasses all other NATO regulars, but they lack proper elite infantry. They are also limited to missile armed AA vehicle only, unlike W.Germany or US.

Belgium

Rather minor nation, with what is definitely the weakest selection of equipment. They rely mostly on outdated vehicles with few pieces from both the United Kingdom and Germany mixed in. They usually have access to UK and W.Ger task forces to improve their performance.

Section 3 Unit types overview 1/?

Regiments offer several different types of units, which all have their strong and weak points. It's absolutely necessary for the player to understand in which role unit should be used to fully exploit their potential and which role should be avoided.

All units gain experience points, which increases their veterancy. This in turn increases their stats, most notably accuracy and morale recovery speed. Thus it is highly advisable to keep units alive over the course of operation.

All units use a single ammo pool, displayed on the unit's interface. All weapons use this ammo pool, ie. infantry platoon shooting MANPADs and their transports shooting their ATGMs both take from this pool. Only limit is its capacity - meaning even if a unit's card states that there are two MANPADs in a platoon, they can fire more than twice, as long as the unit has ammo.

Infantry

The single most important type of unit in the game. They are the only type of unit that can fight well in urban or forest areas and generally close range. With the right equipment, they can also fight at the long range well, although they suffer heavily when fighting outside of any cover.

Infantry platoons have access to a unique stat called Survivability, which essentially shows their damage resistance.*

Infantry can be divided either by their role or tier.

Divided by tier
There are four “tiers”, which rougly correspond to the "training" attribute from Wargame Red Dragon:

• Militia - 60% survivability, 20% accuracy when stationary/ 16% when moving with assault rifles: NVA Reservists, USSR Conscripts or W.Ger Heimatschutzen.
  
• Regulars - 100% survivability, 20% accuracy when stationary/ 16% when moving with assault rifles: Most infantry units in the game fall into this tier, and as such it should be considered as a baseline.
  
• Shock - 150% survivability, 20% accuracy when stationary/ 16% when moving OR 30% accuracy when stationary/24% when moving with assault rifles: These units tend to do better than their regular counterparts, but will still lose to Elite infantry in 1v1.
  
• Elite - 200% survivability, 30% accuracy when stationary/ 24% when moving: Best of the best, their stats are reflected by the fact that most units that fall into this tier IRL usually have better training than their regular counterparts: VDVs, Airborne, Jaegers and Voltigeurs.

Divided by role
Infantry platoons usually fall into one of four distinctive roles, depending on equipment they have access to. These are:

• General purpose platoons
  Platoons without specialized loadout. These are players' bread and butter and can be used in both attack and defense. They usually have access to a mix of small arms, anti tank weapons ( most commonly weapons such as AT-4 or RPG-7, on rare occasions ATGMs or recoilless rifles ) and most have access to MANPADs. These are some of the most self sufficient units on the battlefield.
  
  
• Fire support platoons
  Platoon that exchanges versatility for anti-infantry specialization, trading MANPADs for automatic grenade launchers or small mortars. Great against infantry due to range. As they can be only fired while stationary, they are best used on defense to add extra anti infantry punch to any strongpoint.
  
  
• Combat engineer platoons
  Similar to fire support platoons in anti-infantry specialization, they trade MANPADs for FAE launcher, which stands for Fuel Air Explosive. As they lack range when compared to grenade launchers, they are best used in attacking. To balance this out, FAE launchers have enormous firepower, being able to clear any entrenched enemy infantry in mere seconds, especially when flanking. This is thanks to the fact that their FAE usually offers 12 points of HE damage - compare that to 4 HE damage of 155mm artillery. On top of that, they can destroy barbed wire obstacles faster.
  
  
• Air defense platoons
  Highly specialized platoons having access to better anti-air equipment than general purpose infantry, best used for defense.

All infantry platoons arrive on the battlefield in some sort of transport. They can't be separated from it under any circumstances (unless shot dead). As such, all infantry units need to be evaluated together with their transports as a single unit.

Transports

There are two types of infantry transports that vary greatly in terms of speed, protection and firepower. These are:

• Armored personnel carriers
  As game fittingly describes, these are just armored taxis that deliver infantry to the battlefield. They lack heavier weapons and armor of infantry fighting vehicles, making them unsuited for long range combat. They should never engage the enemy while in the open. However more often than not they do possess superior speed to IFVs and as such are well suited for flanking maneuvers. Examples include BTR-70s, FV Spartans or M113s. US Humvee or W.Ger Iltis are also considered as APC for the purpose of the game, although IRL they are not.
  
  
• Infantry fighting vehicles
  Vehicles that are intended to fight beside infantry they transport. For this, they carry heavier arments and armor. More versatile than APCs, as they can support both attacking and defending infantry. As most of them have access to ATGMs, they can fight at range or in the open, however their armor is still weak when compared to MBTs. Examples include Bradleys, BMPs and FV Warriors.

Main Battle Tanks

The most offensively capable units in the game, packing both heavy armor and firepower on a mobile platform. These will be usually found spearheading players' offensive actions. They do however get outranged by ATGMs and should never fight enemy infantry at close range, in forest or urban areas without friendly infantry support.

MBTs can be divided into three “generations”:

• 1st generation
  They usually lack modern fire control systems (FCS for short), making them insanely inaccurate on the move. They also lack heavier armor. Examples being Leopard 1BE, M48A2GA2 and T-55A.
  
  
• 2nd generation
  Tanks that boast improved armor, yet their FCS still does not allow them to fire on the move accurately. Most of the time, these tanks will make up the bulk of the player's brigade. Most of the tanks currently in game fall into this category: Leopard 1A4s and 1A5s, Pattons, T-64s and T-72s, T-55AM2 and T-62M, and Chieftains.
  
  
• 3rd generation
  Best of the best, these tanks carry the best armor available and most of them can fire on the move accurately. Apex predators of the Regiments. They are players' most prized possession and should be treated as such. Tanks that fall into this category are: All Abrams tanks and Leopard 2s, Challenger and T-80s.

Tank Destroyers

Vehicles that specialize in anti-vehicular combat. Their combination of heavy firepower and poor armor makes them glass cannons more than anything. Armed with ATGMs, they can destroy any vehicle with few precise hits. ATGMs offer increased range at the cost of no stabilizer, making them more suited for defense. They are VERY vulnerable to infantry. Best used supporting other units. Examples include M901 ITV, Jaguar 1A3 and 9P148 Konkurs.

One outlier of tank destroyers is Jagdpzr Kanone 90 - gun armed tank destroyed similiar to Stugs from WW2. While this unit enjoys better stealth modifier than ATGM tank destroyers, similiar to some scout units, its firepower is quite lackluster and it should be treated more as a fire support unit.

Section 3 Unit types overview 2/?

Attack Helicopters

Helicopters have incredible mobility and most have overwhelming firepower, similar to the Tank Destroyers. Unlike them, they are effective against infantry too. However they are highly vulnerable to anti-air assets and can't effectively use cover like ground units, making it harder for them to sneak around. Some helicopters have access to guns or autocannons, which can effectively engage dismounted infantry and other helicopters. Some of them also have access to unguided rocket pods, which are a great source of burst damage against dismounted infantry and also great for suppression. Best used as flankers or quick reaction force, abusing their mobility to flank enemy forces . Examples include PAH-1, Hinds, AH-64 Apaches or Mi-8s

Recon

Recon units have superior optics when compared to other units, making them invaluable assets for any player. Recon units also have a naturally higher “Stealth modifier” than ordinary units, which lowers the range at which they can be detected by the enemy.
Usually light vehicles with armor and arments comparable to most IFVs and APCs, they should directly engage in firefights only when absolutely necessary.

There are three types of recon units:

• Dedicated scouts
  Usually custom built vehicles or vehicles heavily modified for scout roles. These have access to the absolute best optics ground vehicles can offer. Examples include: Luchs, BRDM-2, BRM-1K and M3/M3A2 CFV.
  
  
• Recon helicopters
  Combining increased mobility with superior optics, with drawbacks being they cannot use cover to their advantage like ground based recon units and being vulnerable to anti air assets like Attack Helicopters are. Examples include Kiowas and Alouettes.
  
  
• Light Tanks
  Name can be misleading, given the fact that they have worse protection than some IFVs. They share optics of comparable quality and stealth modifier to some recon units. Due to poor armor and not so impressive firepower, they should always be played like other recon units - sneaking around the map providing intel, firing only when absolutely necessary. Examples include PT-76Bs, Sheridians, FV Scimitars and FV Scorpions.

Artillery

Artillery units fill a dedicated support role as they cannot engage enemy forces directly, instead of relying on indirect fire. They are usually used offensively to damage and suppress enemy forces prior to attack with conventional forces, although some of them can be used defensively as well. Players should note that as most artillery fires conventional HE-FRAG rounds, they will damage infantry and light vehicles more than MBTs. There is however an exception to this rule. Players also should note that when artillery works in tandem with other units (ie. fires at a target that is in the direct line of sight of any allied unit), its accuracy increases significantly.

There are three types of artillery units:

• Mortars
  Having lower caliber when compared to SPHs, resulting in lower damage and suppression. Their range is also nothing to boast about. However they have superior aim time and rate of fire. Mortar units can engage the enemy and calculate lead on moving units on their own, making them invaluable assets when defending. Given their short range, they are highly susceptible to counter-battery fire or enemy counter-attacks. Examples include PzMrs M113, M125 and 2S9 Nona-S.
  
  
• Self propelled howitzers
  Large caliber tube artillery well suited for offensive actions. They boast superior range and damage to mortars at the cost of slower aim time and rate of fire. Their range makes them less susceptible to counter-battery fire, moreso, they will be partaking in counter-battery fire themselves most of the time. They are more damage oriented as they usually have lower spread, while lower rate of fire make them ineffective as a source of suppression. Special shout out to the US M109A3 DPICM, which forgoes conventional shells for anti tank/anti personnel cluster shells that are insanely powerful (and expensive).
  
  
• MLRS
  Salvo rocket launchers that work rather similarly to conventional SPHs, with the difference being they forgo sustained fire for burst potential, which is extremely useful for suppression. Best used to quickly overwhelm enemy units in a particular area prior to attack.

Section 3 Unit types overview 3/?

Anti aircraft vehicles

Anti-aircraft vehicles protect ground units from helicopter threats and enemy CAS. They have different ranges against planes and helicopters, referred to as high and low altitude.

There are three types of anti aircraft vehicles:

• Self propelled anti aircraft guns
  Armed with some sort of low caliber rapid firing autocannon, they are extremely deadly against helicopters. Their range against planes is somewhat limited. They are more suited against helicopters, as sometimes, helicopters can close the distance utilizing hills, forests or cities to break line of sight, making them appear on top of anti aircraft units. Unlike SAM systems, they can also engage ground units to some capacity. Examples include Shilkas, Gepards and M163 Vulcans.
  
  
• SAM systems
  Armed with long range anti aircraft missiles, they are extremely deadly against CAS. They are also the only unit that can prevent CAS from dropping its ordnance due to superior range. However they are vulnerable to helicopters as they can close the distance utilizing ground to break the line of sight, appearing on top of anti aircraft systems. Also SAM systems are incapable of engaging ground targets. Examples include Rolands, Tracked Rapiers and Chaparrals.
  
  
• Systems that employ both weapon types
  Armed with both autocannons and SAMs, these are some of the strongest anti air assets in game, having strengths of both systems with weaknesses of none. Currently, there is only one such system in-game - Soviet Tunguska. Players should be extremely careful when fighting against this beast and abuse its capabilities whenever it's on their side.

Command units

Command units offer bonuses to all units in their range. These are 15% boost to accuracy, 50% bonus to morale recovery speed and ability to recover morale during combat. Artillery units will additionally benefit from increased RoF and supply units will repair faster.

Command units can be:

• Unarmed
  Either dedicated or repurposed vehicles that offer no or extremely weak arments. These are best kept for defense. Examples include R-145BM Chaika or M577.
  
  
• Armed
  Usually repurposed combat vehicles that offer benefits of the original vehicle and command bonuses in one package. These are extremely useful and usually should support players main assault. Perfect example is the command variant of Leopard 2A4.

Engineering vehicles

Similar in use to combat engineer infantry, engineering vehicles are used to clear barbed wire obstacles under fire. As they are also armed with what is essentially a direct fire howitzer, they can also quickly dispose of any infantry unfortunate enough to get into its range. However they are highly specialized and suffer in any other role. Single example in the game as of now is US M728A1 CEV.

Supply trucks

One of the most important units on the battlefield. Supply trucks lack any kind of armor or arment and are highly vulnerable even to small arms fire. However they are the only unit in the game that can repair and rearm units directly on the battlefield. They can support both offensive and defensive actions as they allow all units to resume combat quicker.


Aircraft

Unlike some games, for example the Wargame series, the player does not control aircraft directly. They are part of TacAids.

Unit sizes
Units come in one of the two sizes:

• Platoons
  Most units in the game arrive on the battlefield as platoons and thus should be considered as the “base” size. Their size can slightly vary between nations due to doctrine, but they usually comprise 4 to 6 vehicles and accompanying infantry in case of infantry platoons.
  
  
• Company
  Some units however can arrive on the battlefield as company. Companies are usually the size of three platoons, most of the time equipped with older equipment. Only the central middle platoon can be controlled while platoons on the left and right follow it and cannot be controlled directly. They are usually more expensive than regular platoons. Despite older equipment, they can theoretically both deal and take more damage due to sheer numbers. As it is harder to position companies correctly, they are not that well suited for defense nor flanking. On the other hand, combined with smoke screens they can overwhelm any defense extremely quickly in direct frontal assault.

This concludes the Factions, nations and units overview section.

Section 4 Game mechanics 1/?

Following section is dedicated to familiarizing player with certain game mechanics, again elaborating further, providing additional insight on inner workings and offering personal experience.

TacAid

TacAids are various out-of-map supports player can deploy. These range from simple smoke artillery and salvoes of HE-FRAG rounds by out of map artillery to laser guided bombs dropped by CAS and ballistic missiles with both conventional and cluster warheads.

There are also TacAids that do not damage enemies directly - they can reveal hidden enemy units or increase fighting capability of friendly units for a brief period of time. Player should always learn what kind of TacAids are available to him and adjust his strategy accordingly. Player usually starts with one or two TacAids and can gain additional TacAids by either buying and upgrading task forces or selecting certain event cards.

Player needs to have enough “Tactical support” points in order to use any TacAid, which are visible on top of the TacAid panel. Player gains these points passively, however I do think being engaged in firefight rewards points faster*. Player can also decide to spend Operational Authority to increase his points gain and decrease the cooldown timer.

TacAids are only limited by the cooldown and Tactical support points. They do not use any supplies whatsoever, so the player does not need to be shy about calling them in.

Interaction between CAS TacAid and anti air systems

Players should be of note that if TacAid utilizes planes as delivery vehicles (CAS), they can be shot down by anti aircraft systems. This results in massively increased cooldown timer, however does not permanently remove the player's ability to call in that particular TacAid.

This should also apply to the AI CAS, however I have encountered situations where I was subjected to the almost neverending pain train of enemy CAS planes dropping bombs and napalm on my positions.

Also, players should be aware of another interaction between CAS and anti air systems. Whenever a player uses CAS TacAid, prompt is displayed, informing the player about how dangerous the target zone is in terms of enemy anti air. I personally only ever saw Low and High threat, though it is possible Medium also exists*. However, players should also be aware that low threat level does not automatically mean that there is no anti air system with sufficient range to engage incoming CAS.

If incoming CAS is successfully intercepted by an anti air system BEFORE its payload is dropped, it becomes SUPPRESSED. In this state, it can still deliver its payload, albeit with greatly reduced accuracy. If that same CAS is successfully intercepted further, it becomes PANICKED, and it's forced to abort the attack run and fly off the map without delivering its payload. At this point, it can be shot down if follow up interceptions by anti air systems are successful. This applies to both AI and players CAS.

Last bit of information regarding CAS - if CAS is attacking by gun ( ie. A-10 strafing targets with GAU-8), it can also engage helicopters around its target area and act as anti-air asset in a pinch.

Engineering support

On certain stages, engineering support is available to players. During the pre-battle deployment phase, the player gains access to the Engineering support panel in the right down corner.



This allows him to build AI controlled strongpoints and barbed wire obstacles in areas highlighted in blue, as long as the player has at least two points of engineering support.

However clunky these emplacements are, they are invaluable assets in defense missions. As they are AI controlled, they will NEVER retreat if they run out of ammo completely and they will always fight to the last man or until completely destroyed. They have enough ammo to defeat one or two enemy attacks, but will require supply trucks for any prolonged fighting.

Player can set the position of the strongpoint/barbed wire and its direction, but the type of unit is always already set and is composed of units from the player's nation. Units built through engineering support will be always entrenched. Player can discard any recent emplacements he builds at any point of the current phase pre-battle deployment. However, after that they become permanent until destroyed or stage is finished. If they survive and the stage is finished, the player gains back their value in engineering points and can build them again on the next stage.

Player can build following:

• Strongpoint
  Pair of APCs accompanied by infantry. Their arments vary, usually they have access to small arms and AT weapon such as RPG-7 or AT-4, albeit I do think that US strongpoints have chance of spawning with Dragon ATGMs*. Best used as a first line meat shield for other valuable units and to fight advancing infantry.
  
  
• Observation post
  Pair of recon vehicles, usually armed with autocannons, accompanied by small infantry detachments with small arms. Its purpose is to provide vision and spot and identify enemy units early.
  
  
• Anti-air emplacement
  Pair of self propelled anti aircraft guns. It is not possible to spawn SAM systems this way. They are the only engineering support capable of engaging enemy air assets.
  
  
• Anti-tank emplacement
  Pair of Tank Destroyers, they will engage any vehicle with ATGMs. However as they are not player controlled, they tend to keep engaging the first spotted enemy until he is destroyed, ignoring bigger threats.
  
  
• Mortar emplacement
  Pair of mortars, fulfilling the same role as their played controlled counterparts. Powerful against dismounted infantry, they can also provide suppression against armored targets. They are force multipliers and should be built only if the player has points to spare.
  
  
• Obstacles
  Barbed wire obstacles. They stop ANY vehicle that runs into them dead in their tracks, making them easy targets. Perfect for creating killzones, although the player needs to get creative with their placement as the area in which he can build is limited. Units caught in them will start destroying them, This process takes time and stops only when either unit or obstacle is destroyed. Combat engineers and engineering vehicles destroy obstacles faster

Section 4 Game mechanics 2/?

Morale
All weapons, apart from damage, are also sources of suppression. This is essentially morale damage. Unit that is suppressed suffers from a myriad of debuffs, the most noticeable one being the massive decrease in accuracy and fire rate.

All units take suppression damage in the same way and all units should have the same suppression damage cap*.

However, morale recovery speeds differ and are influenced by several factors. Baseline for recovery speed in battle is 100%. Veterancy (ie. unit gains enough experience) can increase this speed by up to 100%. Being in a range of HQ unit further increases this speed by 50%. Using “Rally” TacAid will temporarily increase this speed by further 100%.

Morale is recovered only when the unit is not in combat, meaning most of the time, unit has to disengage in order to catch a breath. However, when the unit is in range of HQ unit, it can recover morale DURING combat. This makes HQ units invaluable on higher difficulties, as it allows the player to win against numerically superior enemies.

Recon, night vision and identifying enemy units

Each unit has a vision range, which means the maximum distance at which detection of enemy units happens, under perfect conditions, in line of sight. Recon units naturally have better vision range than other units.

There are several factors that make unit more visible:

• Moving
  
• Firing
  
• Being outside of any cover or concealment such as urban area or forest
  
• Good light conditions (ties in with Night vision mechanic)
  
• Having bad stealth modifier

There are also several factors that make unit less visible:

• Not moving
  
• Not firing
  
• Being in any form of cover or concealment such as urban area or forest
  
• Bad light conditions
  
• Having good stealth modifier

Example: T-80UD going full speed across field, guns blazing, illuminated by illumination rounds at 0:00 hours will be probably seen even by the recently blinded infantryman. At the same time, Recon Bradley hiding at the edge of the forest, away from the illumination. with weapons turned off won't be spotted by said T-80 unless it crashes directly into him.

In order for a target unit to be spotted by another unit, there needs to be an undisturbed line of sight between them. Objects such as hills, urban areas or forests can break the line of sight. Some events can also modify map conditions in such a way that line of sight can be broken.

When a target unit is spotted, it needs to be identified, otherwise attacking units will suffer from an accuracy debuff. Identifying takes time, although from my experience, it feels like Recon units identify targets quicker than other units*. It also feels like distance plays a major part in the identification speed - infantry units assaulting urban areas will identify their targets at 900m distance quicker than recon units identifying enemy vehicles at maximum vision range*.

Enemy units, once spotted, remain spotted as long as they stay inside recon units vision range even if they stop firing. Players can draw out fire from enemy units by approaching their suspected position with armor, and reverse back once contact is made.

Players should note that, apart from recon units, range on most weapons is larger than units' vision range. Thus if a unit wants to utilize its maximum weapon range against an enemy, it needs a forward recon unit to spot and identify its targets.

Another major factor influencing weapons accuracy, vision range and identifying speed is day/night cycle. During the day, maximum possible values apply. However, during night, weapon accuracy, vision range and identifying speed recieve massive debuff. This debuff can be negated either by night vision devices or “Illumination rounds” TacAid.

Night vision comes in three tiers:

• Basic
  Has next to no effect on night debuffs
  
  
• Advanced
  Its effectivity sits in the middle between Basic and Thermal
  
  
• Thermal
  Best kind of night vision device available, almost fully negating night debuffs.

This gives NATO massive advantage during night engagements, as thermal night vision devices are widespread amongst its forces, whereas PACT has a single unit with thermal night vision - BRM-1K.

Another method of negating night debuffs is through the use of “Illumination rounds” TacAid. It costs 0 tactical points and has a rather short cooldown. This TacAid FULLY negates night debuffs against targets in its radius.

Players should be aware that “Illumination rounds” can be abused against enemy forces to great effect. As they remove night debuffs against targets INSIDE of its radius, the player can place the TacAid in such a way that his units stay outside of the radius while the enemy is inside. Enemy is then forced to fight at disadvantage. This is extremely devastating especially against PACT forces due to the aforementioned lack of thermal night vision systems.

Section 4 Game mechanics 3/?

Cover

Urban areas, forests and hedgerows provide units with cover, which increases units defense stats (15% for forests and hedgerows and 25% for urban areas).

Urban areas, forests and hedgerows also make units harder to spot and identify, although I cannot give an exact number by how much. From my experience, the bonus is the same for both forests and urban areas.

If units are not moving for a few seconds, they enter “hastily prepared positions”. This increases defense stat by 15% and can be combined with bonuses from forest or urban areas for a total of 30% and 40% increase in defense stat respectively.

If an infantry platoon is left idle ANYWHERE for 30 seconds, they enter an “Entrenched” state. Units in this state visually dig trenches for both infantry and vehicles and gain a 60% increase in defense stat. This overrides defense bonuses from forests, hedgerows and urban areas and cannot be combined with them. However, entrenched infantry in forests, hedgerows and urban areas still enjoys the fact that they are harder to spot and identify.

Very rarely, during certain stages, namely defense focused ones, vehicles can also spawn in "Entrenched" state.

Special type of cover is represented by rivers and lakes. Unlike forests, hedgerows and urban areas, rivers give 23% DEBUFF to units' defense.

Vehicle armor and damage types

Damage types
There are six damage types in the game:

• AP (depicted by blue color),
  
• HEAT (depicted by red color)
  
• HE-FRAG or HE (depicted by red color)
  
• DPICM/Cluster (depicted by red color)
  
• Ball (for all small arms)
  
• Napalm *

AP damage is mostly tied to sabots and other projectiles that rely on kinetic power to penetrate armor and deal damage.

HEAT damage is tied to all kinds of munitions that rely on shaped charges to defeat armor, be it HEAT shells or ATGMs.

HE-FRAG and HE damage is mostly found in explosive anti-personnel shells, unguided rockets, some tactical missiles such as Tochka and plane dropped bombs.

DPICM damage is tied to cluster shells, plane dropped cluster bombs and tactical missiles

Ball damage is tied to all small arms and weapons below 15mm caliber.

AP, HEAT and Ball damage has three stats - Penetration, Suppression and
Damage. Armored vehicles can be destroyed only by weapons with Penetration. HEAT usually offers superior penetration and damage when compared to AP.

HE-FRAG and HE damage gain increased Suppression and Damage at cost of Penetration. Larger HE-FRAG and HE shells/bombs can still damage armored vehicles, altough not as effectively. They are however more effective when dealing with infantry.

DPICM and Cluster shells and bombs follow different rule. As they attack roof armor of vehicles, they are much more effective even against armored targets. As the game however does not give info on roof armor on armored vehicles, it is much harder to ascertain how exactly the cluster works.

Napalm damage deals increased damage over time against unarmored targets such as infantry, however is almost ineffective against any kind of armor. It also deals increased Suppression even against heavily armored targets.

Armor

All vehicles have four main armor areas:

• Turret front
  
• Hull front
  
• Side armor
  
• Rear armor

With frontal armor having the highest values, rear armor having the lowest. This is important, as it is ALWAYS advantageous to attack enemy vehicles from the side or the rear, and the player should ALWAYS keep his vehicles' frontal armor towards the enemy.

Game distinguishes between turret and hull area only on the front, for side and rear armor, hull and turret are considered one area.

Regarding frontal armor, it has different effectiveness against AP (blue) and HEAT (red). Most light vehicles have the same effectiveness against both, however as for MBTs, values are usually different. Most of the time, MBTs offer superior protection against HEAT (red). Side and rear armor however does not differentiate between AP and HEAT protection at all - this makes sideshots with ATGMs especially devastating.

As of now, whener turret or hull armor is hit when attacking vehicle from the front is totally random*, as the game does not provide any info or prompt.

Game similarly provides no information about roof armor, making it hard to ascertain how exactly DPICM and cluster works.

Section 4 Game mechanics 4/?

Rearming and repairing

All units can repair and rearm when they retreat from the map. This is done by ordering “Retreat” order ( default double tap Q). It is also the only way to replenish destroyed vehicles in platoons, as long as that platoon has spare vehicles available.

Units can also rearm in the deployment sector.

Supply trucks are special unarmed unit that can repair and rearm units anywhere on the map, as long as they are not fighting. Their supply capacity is however limited and once it runs dry, they need to retreat from the map for more supplies. However, they cannot replenish destroyed vehicles on their own, only killed infantry.

Rearming and repairing units uses supplies. These are limited resources and players can run out of them in some scenarios. Player can either buy them in regiments management interface with Operational Authority, or through slow passive gain during battle.

More expensive weapon systems such as cluster shells or top of the line ATGMs use up more supplies. Using TacAid does not cost any supplies whatsoever.

HOWEVER replacing destroyed vehicles does not use supplies but reserve vehicles. Each platoon has access to its own pool of reserve vehicles.

If a supply truck is destroyed, its cargo is lost forever. Players should always move supply trucks towards the frontline only if they are absolutely certain that they won't be destroyed.

Certain units, such as emplacements placed as engineering support, will never retreat off map to rearm and repair. For any prolonged fighting, they require support of players' supply trucks.

If the player runs out of supplies entirely, his units might arrive on battlefield damaged or with less ammo.

Objectives

Each stage can have several objectives which the player needs to complete in order to gain victory points and move onto the next stage. Player is free to choose which objectives he completes first, and they can be completed at any phase of stage. However, they must be completed. Player does not need to be in control of sectors that are not part of his objectives in order to complete a stage successfully.

There are several different types of objectives:

• Destroy targets at X - this one is pretty self explanatory. Units that are part of this objective will be highlighted and they will award an additional small amount of victory points upon their destruction.
  
  
• Take X - player is awarded victory points once at the end of phase as long as he is in control of X.
  
  
• Hold X - special kind of objective, which rewards players with victory points multiple times at the end of each phase, as long as the player is in its control of X. Securing this kind of objective in the first phase of stage is usually crucial for victory.
  
  
• Scout out enemy forces - similar to “Destroy targets” objective, with the difference being that the player needs to simply spot and identify enemy units and is not forced to destroy them.
  
  
• Protect Convoys - player is tasked with protecting a convoy of AI units traveling between two sectors. Victory points are awarded for each AI unit that manages to reach the destination.

There is a special condition called “Total Dominance” that occurs whenever a player manages to gain control of every sector on the map (unless defending or protecting convoys). All follow up phases for that particular stage are skipped, all possible victory points and “Operational Authority” points are awarded early. Gaining Total Dominance is always advantageous.

Example, let's imagine that the stage has three phases in total and the player is tasked with an objective “Hold X” that awards 50 victory points per phase. If the player manages to successfully “Hold X” AND achieve Total Dominance in phase 1, phase 2 and 3 will be instantly skipped and the player will be rewarded with 150 victory points, ending the stage.

Another special condition is called “Must secure exit”. Player needs to be in control of the exit sector at the end of the stage, otherwise he will be met with defeat even if he manages to complete all of his other objectives successfully.

Last special condition is called “Early exit”. This special condition is usually tied with the “Must secure exit” condition. As long as the player successfully completes his other objectives and is in control of the exit sector at the end of the phase, he can decide to skip follow up phases on that stage and move onto the next one without achieving “Total Dominance”. This however means the player cant get remaining Operational Authority and Victory points from the stage.

Section 5 Tactics

Following section is dedicated with familiarizing the player with some tactics regarding assault, defense and conservation of forces.

There are several need to knows any player should always keep in mind:

Understand your force

Player should always familiarize himself with his regiment. How many tanks does he have at his disposal? Is his infantry armed with ATGMs? Does he have access to any attack helicopters? What TacAids are available to him?

Understand the enemy

Player should assess the enemy force in a similar manner. Is he facing tired NVA troops, or freshly arrived elite battlegroups of the Soviet Union? Should the player expect enemy attack helicopters?

Understand the map

First thing the player should do before battle begins should be exploring the map. Where are the objectives? How many possible ways of approach do they have? Are there any rivers or hills? Are there any allied units on the map already?

Act fast

Each phase lasts 20 minutes, and players need to use every single one of them moving towards their goals. Artillery preparation is often needed and useful, but it won't achieve the objective on its own.

Have a plan

Players should not attack at random. They should always have a plan, however they shouldn't be afraid to be flexible with it - after all, the battlefield is often unpredictable.

Always do proper recon

Acting fast does not mean go guns blazing into the unknown. Forward recon elements should always be positioned near suspected enemy positions or lines of approach. Recon units should always move “Hold Fire” order active, and always utilize cover. If a player suspects enemy presence in heavy cover but does not want to risk his recon units, he can always draw out their fire with probing attack - firing decreases units stealth and spotted units remain spotted as long as they are in direct line of sight and insight vision range of allied units. Most simple way to do this is to approach the enemy with armor and once they start shooting, reverse back.

Always flank the enemy and do not allow to be flanked

Once a player knows the enemy positions, he should plan his attack in a way that he approaches the enemy position from their side or rear. Maps are usually big enough to accomodate flanking maneuvers, and flanking is ALWAYS advantageous - destroying entrenched tanks from the front can take several minutes, flanking them can destroy them in seconds. When a player is being flanked, his units should reverse in a way that puts their frontal armor against both enemies.

Retreat early

As the number of units available to player is limited, each loss is painful. Keeping a platoon alive and well has numerous benefits - as long as one vehicle survives and successfully retreats off the map, the platoon retains its experience. At the same time, retreating platoons rearms and repairs faster than completely destroyed one. Also, losses carry over the stages during the operation, unless replaced in regiments management interface. Retreated platoon can fight another day, destroyed platoon can not. As replenishing destroyed vehicles costs Operational Authority, platoon that retreats early and do not lose any vehicles do not cost Operational Authority to replace, freeing up this resource for other things. However this depends on the situation - if a player can achieve Total Dominance at the cost of a few IFVs, it's usually worth it.

Blind the enemy, not yourself

Smoke screen TacAid can be used both offensively and defensively, as it breaks the line of sight. Player should cover his units only when retreating - it is always more beneficial to blind the enemy. When attacking, simply put the smoke screen directly in front of the attackers. When defending, the player should put the smokescreen in front of the enemy in a way that forces the enemy to come closer to his units while still allowing them to fire. Similarly, if a player notices his attacking force is being flanked, he can simply deny the enemy the opportunity to do so by blinding him with a smoke screen.

Illumination rounds during night battles should be used in the same way. As they remove night debuffs from all units INSIDE its radius, player can position it in such a way that only enemy units are in the radius, and his units are outside. That way the enemy fights at disadvantage.


Collection of several tips and tricks

• Infantry platoons with ATGMs (either on vehicle or infantry carried) are probably the best unit for defense in the game. Positioned at the edge of the forest or urban area and with proper support, they can defeat numerically superior enemies.
  
  
• Infantry without access to ATGMs can still be used for defense. Instead of putting them on the edge of the forest or urban area, they should be positioned away from the edge - that way, enemy has to come close and cannot use range advantage against them.
  
  
• Players should not be afraid to give up some ground when defending against stronger enemy. Simply retreat a little and flank the attacking force - attack helicopters excel in this role due to their superior mobility. If they are not available or the enemy has strong anti air defense, MBTs will do.
  
  
• When playing as NATO, abuse the night phases. Do not be afraid to turn off fire on all units, and bypass enemy defenses when necessary. Unless the PACT forces are accompanied by BRM-1K, they won't be able to see anything until NATO forces start shooting.
  
  
• When playing as NATO, abuse their stabilizers on 3rd gen MBTs. If the enemy is advancing towards you, simply start reversing in the opposite direction and force them to fight on the move. Also, stabilized guns give them an edge when flanking.
  
  
• Whenever possible, try to get DPICM/Cluster TacAid. Clusters are unbelievably broken and can delete platoons out of existence in a matter of seconds.
  
  
• Do not be afraid to go artillery hunting with recon platoons, especially if they have great mobility. Most of the time, enemy artillery will operate away from any ground support, making them juicy targets.
  
  
• Do not be afraid to do counter-battery with your own arty. Massed enemy artillery can become a problem later on.
  
  
• Do not spam your own organic artillery that is not TacAid, especially DPICM. It's the fastest way to burn through your supplies.
  
  
• Always have anti-air assets nearby, even if it seems like the enemy does not have any helicopters nearby. Nothing ruins a perfectly good attack like a suddenly appearing pair of Hinds flanking your tanks.

Afterword

Finishing this guide was no easy task, no small part to the fact that english is not my native language. Some sections might not be the best written sections on the planet, some sentences might be confusing, and mostly - most of the info in the guide can be redundant to most of the Regiments players.

However looking back I am mostly satisfied with the final product and I do hope that it will be useful to at least one player.

Some information might be subject to change due to game patches, however I do plan to keep this guide updated at least in the following months.

[FeuerherzHK]

Vielen Dank für deine Mühe.

[_RAM_]

Things you (probably) missed:
- retreated units uses 10x less supplies to rearm. Artillery firing from drop zone can use all you supplies in 5 minutes. Rotating artys by retreating it will save your supplies in place where it needed (far away from drop zone)
- MLRS is not for damage. It for insta supress whole zone.

[Horse with no name]

Anyone knows what website @Sgt. Steiner is talking about? (not the cheat engine one, I know cheat engine). Subscribe for cheats? Haven't touched cheats or trainers since GTA San Andreas. I'm curious where people go for cheats/trainer/hacks now.

[Sgt. Steiner]

This is a blatant "cheat" tip for users of Cheat Engine

**Spoiler**

Scan Type "Exact Value"
Value Type "Float"

...and you will get your DPs as you want them. Amazing how CE continues to work (for free) while those dorks at *that* website expect you to pay a subscription for cheats that don't always work. Sorry, I do need to be nice here. Best wishes to all, and a great Guide for this game.

[Humilemesse]

@The Wock when you gone update?

[Humilemesse]

Will you be revising for "Winds of Change"?

[Simdeck]

Great stuff. Can you make it into a downloadable PDF file?

[GameMaster]

With the DLC being implied to be coming soon, you better be prepared for the insanity that is ADATS...

[faskjflkjf]

love you bro

[Tinchorb]

nice guide mate