Mech Brigade v1.26
Field tutorial and command reference.
1. The basic rhythm
Each turn is three minutes. Issue orders to the whole command, then both sides resolve six 30-second pulses together. You do not get to react after seeing the enemy move.
2. Select, route, order
| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Select | Counter or roster row; Tab / Shift+Tab cycle. |
| Route | Click ground; Shift-click adds a leg; U removes one step; right-click clears. |
| Map | Drag to pan, wheel to zoom, + / - zoom, 0 fits. |
| Execute | Enter or Execute Turn. |
| Help | ? opens the full shortcut list. |
3. Stance and pace
Hold and Hull-down favor fire and recovery. Advance follows the route while fighting. Assault closes aggressively and builds fatigue. Withdraw breaks contact. Rush is fast but cannot fire; Careful is slower and less exposed.
4. Read the command picture
The left Situation panel is your staff summary. It combines objectives, known contacts, command coverage, readiness, initiative, sustainment, fatigue, damage, reserves, sectors and recent tempo. The right sidebar can collapse Order Card, Command and Net independently.
The Command roster uses one grouped selector: Overview, Combat Power, Attention, and Sustainment. Use it to find the platoons that need a decision rather than scrolling through every possible filter button.
5. Fog of war and overlays
Threat rings, Intel Estimate, route risk and sector pressure use only contacts already in your command picture. Stale contacts are discounted. Hidden units stay hidden. Weapon-range rings show your selected platoon's capabilities; Key Terrain is derived from the map, not enemy knowledge.
6. Command and combined arms
HQ elements project command radius. In-command platoons recover and operate more reliably. Keep armor, infantry/IFVs, reconnaissance, anti-tank and supporting elements close enough to form useful combined-arms teams. Build Team (B) quickly selects complementary nearby platoons.
7. Readiness, initiative and reserves
Readiness summarizes strength, cohesion, suppression, ammunition, route exposure, command state, fatigue and experience. Initiative asks whether that platoon can exploit the next moment. Reserve assessment identifies healthy, uncommitted platoons. Use Reserve Plan and Sector Plan before committing the last useful formation.
8. Sustainment, fatigue and recovery
Holding or hull-down units with manageable suppression recover best. Staying in cover, near friendly support, and in command improves resilience. Ammunition replenishes most effectively while stationary and nearer your rear. Assaulting, rushing, moving hard and fighting under suppression build fatigue; rotate tired units before they become exhausted.
9. Experience and battle damage
Surviving and performing well earns crew experience from Green through Elite. Non-lethal hits can damage mobility, fire-control or optics. Damaged platoons can set repair priority to Auto, Mobility, Fire Control or Optics. Field repairs require Hold/Hull-down, low suppression, and work better nearer your rear area.
10. Planning screens
| Order Review (R) | Checks routes, posture, exposure, readiness and fatigue before execution. |
| Intel Estimate (E) | Summarizes reported enemy concentration and exposed friendly units. |
| Reserve Plan (P) | Ranks usable reserves and threatened platoons. |
| Sector Plan (X) | Shows objective-centered pressure and recommends reinforcements. |
| Operational Plan (Z) | Combines score, weighted objectives, force preservation and momentum; identifies the decisive point. |
11. AI and fair play
The machine commander sees only its own contact picture. In v1.26 it also considers its own fatigue, ammunition, battle damage, maintenance opportunity, command link and reported sector pressure. It receives no hidden targeting information or secret combat bonus.
12. Saving
The battle auto-saves at turn end. v1.26 save schema 2 remains compatible with older schema-1 saves. Fatigue, experience, subsystem damage, repair priority and recent command history persist.