Command : ASSAULT
NAME
assault - Attack coastal sector from ship
Level: Basic
SYNTAX
[##:##] Command : assault [
]
The assault command allows your marines to "hit the beaches". It is also the
only way to get ashore other than by unloading at a harbor, thus it is the
first step to gaining land on a new continent.
Any ship with military can assault a sector containing 0 mil, however only a
landing ship can assault a sector with military in it with its full complement
of troops. The other ships will only be able to land a fraction of their
troops in any given assault (usually 1/10th). This represents the use of the
Admiral's gig, the Captain's barge, etc.
Note that some ships will have the semi-lander flag, which allows them to land
25% of their troops.
If you have land units with the 'assault' ability aboard the ship assaulting,
you will be asked if you wish them to join in the assault as well. Assaulting
land units go to negative mobility when assaulting. (by an amount equal to
the mobility gain per update) Marine units go to 0 mobility instead. If
assaulting from a ship with the landing ability, a normal unit pays only mob
equal to 1 update's worth of mobility. A marine unit pays 1/2 that amount.
(Example: in a game where land units gain 32 mobility per update, a non-marine
unit would pay 32 mobility to assault from a landing ship. A marine unit would
pay only 16 mobility)
NOTE This mobility loss for units happens whether or not you own the sector
being assaulted. If you wish to land troops without suffering this penalty,
make/capture a harbor!
If you have ship #28 bearing 10 military at 31,53 it can assault land at any
of the adjacent sectors, (32,52; 33,53; 32,54; 30,54; 29,53; or 30,52).
For example:
[##:##] Command : assault 32,54 28
This command asks to assault sector 32,54 from ship #28. If you assault with
9 troops and assuming the sector has no military, and since there were 10
troops on the ship to begin with, 90% of the food will be taken along by the
assaulting troops, (and each one that makes it will contribute his or her 10%
to the conquered sector). A minimum of 1 food will be left on the ship. Land
units will not take any food from the ship, and will only have the food they
are carrying.
You will be asked for any information which was not included on the command
line, (sector to be assaulted, which ship is doing the assaulting, number of
brave troops to disembark, land units to use).
The offensive value of assaulting units is cut in half to represent the diffi-
culty of getting to shore, except for "marine" units which assault at full
strength.
Units may not retreat from an assault, and will take extra casualties instead
if they fail a morale check.
Other than these factors, assault is the same as normal land combat, with
forts/units/ships/planes firing on both sides to support, etc. Support argu-
ments are also as in attacking.
See info "Attacking" for the exact procedure. The sector being assaulted will
have exactly the same reaction to being conquered as if it were attacked by
land.
You may assault your own sectors. In this case, the assaulting mil are added
to the mil in the sector, and assaulting land units simply come ashore.
You may also use assault to sneak spies on land. To do this, you must assault
with spies only, and they will try and sneak on land. See "info Spies" for
more information.
SEE ALSO
Spies, Attacking, LandUnits, Ships, Combat