World War II Online - A Deeper Look

[Detomah]

Battleground Europe is a complex game. It is highly recommended that you read the following sections before play to maximize your game experience. There are also a number of terms (such as Choke Point, Fire Base etc) that have a game-specific meaning. These will be explained as they are introduced, but definitions of all of these terms can also be found in the glossary located in the accompanying PDF file.

A NOTE ON FRIENDLY FIRE
With the level of simulation evident at all levels in Battleground Europe, one distinct ‘unreality’ stands out: there is generally no ‘friendly fire’. You cannot kill a player on your own side.

ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS
Battleground Europe is fought on a terrain-accurate half-scale map of 1940's Western Europe. This map is dotted with a network of towns and cities. Each town is a varied collection of facilities, but includes always at least one army base (which includes an infantry spawn point and a vehicle spawn point), one “town center,” and supply depots linking the town to adjacent towns by road, rail or water. The only exception for this is some cities located on islands that are inaccessible by road/bridges do not support vehicle spawning.

Because the distances between towns (even at half-scale) are considerable, there are open-country spawn points called forward bases from which you can launch attacks on the nearest town.

Game play at its most basic level is a matter of attacking forces spawning in and forming up at one or more forward bases near a town, then attacking that town with the object of capturing all the facilities and (eventually) the army base. Defenders spawn their vehicles, guns, and most infantry at the army base, with a limited ability to spawn infantry at the various supply depots around town.

Everything revolves around the lowly infantryman. As the only unit that can capture anything, all of the weapons systems in the game – from long-range destroyers, to aircraft with tons of high-explosive bombs, to heavily armed- and armored tanks – are ultimately only as good as their ability to deliver infantry safely to capturable facilities. That’s it. There are of course many complexities involved, not the least of which is the thousands of other human beings trying their best to prevent exactly that.

CHOKE POINTS
Territory is controlled based on the ownership of towns, also called “choke points”. Choke Points (or CPs) sit at strategic locations in the network of road, rail, and river lines across the map. They can be small villages with a mere handful of buildings, or sprawling cities like Antwerp or Brussels. The term city generally refers to CPs with multiple army bases. For single-army base CPs, “town” and “CP” are used interchangeably

CPs are not just prizes to be captured; they are also integral to supply functions: on the frontlines, CPs are the point from which reinforcements are available. Behind the frontlines, supplies ‘flow’ from the rear area through CPs sequentially until they get to the front. Capturing a CP from the enemy will block the flow of supplies flowing through that CP, and may cut off other enemy-held CPs that depend on that lifeline.

SUPPLY
Each CP creates Resource Points from all it’s facilities and these points are used to repair the buildings and infrastructure destroyed in combat. Resources are shared from CP to CP through the road and rail links that cover the map.

CAPTURE
The basic mechanics of Battleground Europe gameplay revolve around capturing the facilities and CPs to move the front lines. Capture is done by “tagging” a radio communications table within a specific building in the facility. These “Capture Buildings” are easily identified by a large flag flying from them indicating their current ownership.

AI
Given the sheer size of the Battleground Europe game map, even many thousands of players cannot cover all the cities. Integrated AI defenses are placed at every CP to act as a light deterrent to surprise attacks.

Facilities
Every CP is made up of a collection of facilities that all serve different purposes. Some are spawn points, some are supply depots, but all of them can be captured. A capture building will be present for every facility showing the flag of the country that currently controls that facility. More on capture mechanics shortly, here are descriptions of the various facility types that are common in almost every CP.


ARMY BASES(AB)

DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable YES
AI Defenses HVY

SPAWNABLE UNITS
Infantry
Armor
AA/AT Guns
Prime Movers
Airborne (deployed)

In every CP there lies one or more compounds containing a command bunker, infantry barracks, and vehicle garages; the Army Base (AB). Larger, more strategically important CPs may have multiple ABs. ABs are the heart of a force in a CP, the location where their vehicles and the bulk of their infantry can enter the game (spawn), and the ultimate prize of an attacking foe.

Most AB’s are fortified by stone walls to secure the spawning area (somewhat) from enemy fire. Some AB’s are framed with chain link fence, providing little to no cover against incoming fire. Finally, some ABs have no barriers at all, but are merely recognizable by the presence of the bunker and infantry/vehicle spawns. Note that ALL ABs (regardless of walls, fence, or open status) have AI defenses, typically one or more AI machinegun nests, and one or more AI machinegun towers. At least one of these invariably covers the bunker door, so don’t ever plan to just ‘stroll in’ and capture it.

Within each AB you will always find an Infantry Barracks, Vehicle Garage (except as on some island CPs that are inaccessible via road/bridge), and a Bunker. Infantry barracks are where infantry spawn and the vehicle garage is where vehicles spawn. The bunker is the key building, and bears a large flag of the owning nationality atop it. Deep inside the central bunker of this structure you will find the capture table in one of two randomized locations.

SUPPLY DEPOTS

DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable YES
AI Defenses light

SPAWNABLE UNITS
Infantry (see rules)

Every CP has a Supply Depot for every other CP to which it is connected by road or rail line. These are the supply storage facilities that tie CPs together. These serve not only to control the flow of supply, but as spawn points for garrison infantry. For each supply depot, there is a nearby flagged, capture building that determines control of the Depot. The capture table in that building will appear in one of a couple locations, randomized from structure to structure.

Each depot is linked to its corresponding depot within the adjacent CP. EXAMPLE: Dinant is directly South of Anhee. They are adjacent towns linked by a road running North to South. Dinant’s north most depot is called the “Dinant-Anhee Depot”. It is linked to the “Anhee-Dinant” depot on the South side of Anhee.


Depot Spawning(rules)
In certain circumstances, infantry (only) can spawn in depot buildings. The defender (owner) of a CP may spawn infantry at any currently owned depot in the CP (“defensive depot spawning”). The attacker may also spawn infantry at depot he captures, but ONLY if he also owns the corresponding linked depot in the next CP. Infantry that spawn in at depots are taken from the available pool of infantry at the closest friendly AB thus allowing a positive dispersion of infantry at the cost of depleting the supply of infantry at the AB itself.

TOWN CENTERS

FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable -
AI Defenses ???

SPAWNABLE UNITS
None

Every CP has a Town Center facility. While no units may spawn here, capturing and holding this symbolic position may tip the balance of the battle in your favor. Because there may not be a spawn building, or a spawnable facility nearby, it can be an easy point to capture. Conversely, it’s usually deep within the center of a CP and is never set up the same in any two CPs, so the defenders have a distinct advantage in recapturing it. It could be a lone capture building in the center of town, or it could be surrounded by a maze of city streets and other facilities.

While the capture of an AB usually stirs up a big fight, Town Centers can often be the site of long and drawn out house to house routing and clean up operations. Given their nestled location they are usually surrounded with many enterable multi-story buildings such as shops and apartments (shown above) that have lots of places to hide.

With no military value Town Centers force the fighting into the streets, and insure that no CP is a cake-walk to capture.


AIRFIELDS(AF)

FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable YES
AI Defenses HVY

SPAWNABLE UNITS
Fighters
Light Bombers
Transports
Bombers (deployed)

Airdromes are situated in historic locations throughout the map and offer a staging field from which fighters, fighter-bombers, and light bombers may sortie. Any CP with an airfield may also be designated by a side's High Command as the home aerodrome for a limited deployment of heavier bomber wings as well as Paratroop brigades.

Airfields typically have a few large hangars (where the aircraft actually spawn-in), a bunker/revetment which determines it’s control (just like an AB), as well as nearby barracks for infantry spawning and a garage for armor. AFs are also outfitted with heavy antiaircraft defenses, along with substantial AI ground defenses. This, combined with the obvious tactical/strategic value of the facility to whomever owns it, means that AFs can be the focus of some of the heaviest fighting.

Sometimes capturing an Airfield can be a huge boost to your side’s tactical footing in a sector, and yet when on the front lines airfields are difficult to operate from safely, and hard to hold on to.

HARBORS AND DOCKS


FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable YES
AI Defenses light

SPAWNABLE UNITS
Patrol Boats
DDs (deployed)
Transports (deployed)

CPs situated on rivers and along coastlines may have the infrastructure to permit riverine craft and even large ships to use them as ports. All Harbors may spawn light attack craft such as patrol boats while deep water ports may be designated by a side's High Command as the home port for a limited deployment of destroyers and freighters. Typically the river docks have their own AI machinegun defenses, or are nested deep within a town’s natural AI structures.

Smaller docks (like the one pictured above) act as their own capture building while larger deep water ports will usually have a more remote capture building situated nearby.

Patrol boats spawn adjacent to the dock structure, while the heavier ships like destroyers and freighters spawn in the harbor or deeper inlets further out from the shoreline.

RAILROAD STATIONS (RR)

FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable -
AI Defenses light

SPAWNABLE UNITS
None

CPs connected by rail lines have one or more Railroad Stations depending on the size of the CP. There are large city stations (pictured above) in the sprawling urban cities while the rail lines that go though the more rural towns have smaller stations.

Capturing the smaller stations can be a simple affair. However the huge city stations have subterranean platforms that connect a semi-underground city rail network giving defenders and attackers a lot of entry points as well as routes to escape on. Indeed smaller armor and almost all of the AA and AT guns can get inside and set up almost anywhere.

These larger stations can be an ideal place to set up a final pocket of resistance while waiting for reinforcements within a city that is crumbling. They also make an ideal location for paratroopers to rally to and stage from with very little chance of detection.

FACTORIES

FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable -
AI Defenses ???

SPAWNABLE UNITS
None

Often found in industrial centers, factories include textile mills, manufacturing plants, and munitions factories. Some more rural cities have breweries and smaller manufacturing facilities like bike factories etc. Frequently these facilities have light AI defenses but by nature they are non-military. These facilities do not have any impact on the Research Development and Production system (outlined later in this section) but they do contribute to a city’s ability to effect automatic repairs of combat damaged buildings and AI defenses.

While not of tactical value they are often fairly elaborate representing manufacturing areas as well shipping, storage, and office structures. In this regard taking and holding them can be a challenge.

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION (RDP) FACILITIES

FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable -
AI Defenses HVY

SPAWNABLE UNITS
None

A very limited number of special CPs, located deep behind the front lines, house the facilities that represent a nation's industrial base and Research, Development and Production (RDP) infrastructure. Given their importance, CPs with these facilities are some of the most strategically valuable cities in the Battleground Europe world.

Highlighted with massive production, storage and office structures these complexes are without a doubt the largest capturable facilities in the game. Indeed many of the individual buildings cover the same total ground as a small town.

These facilities are commonly lightly fortified by a perimeter wall and some AI ground defenses. However because they are so frequently the target of enemy strategic bombing efforts, they are equipped with dense belts of heavy AI antiaircraft guns.

Cities surrounding the CPs that host these production facilities will also commonly have an ample placements of AI antiaircraft guns which will put attacking aircraft under flak several miles before they even reach one of these critical “RDP” targets.

CASTLES

FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable YES
Spawnable -
AI Defenses ???

SPAWNABLE UNITS
None

Some of the more historic CPs reflect Europe's rich heritage and contain massive medieval fortifications. These are clearly distinguishable from any other structures by their massive size and defensive turrets.

Easily defendable from the Wall Walks atop the Battlements, and housing a capture table deep inside they are difficult to attack, tough to capture, and can stall out a siege for hours, or even days. But without a spawn point inside the defenders must either keep an opening safe for the flow of fresh infantry into the castle or hold out if simply surrounded.

The inner courtyard is large enough to host multiple tanks and heavy guns, and the towers are a twisted maze of stone stairwells, bridges and overlooks. Un-damageable by all but sustained heavy aerial bombardment these “keeps” are prime real estate for a final stand.

A night time drop of defending paratroopers into a castle can turn a besieged giant into a Trojan Horse.

BRIDGES

FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable -
Spawnable -
AI Defenses -

SPAWNABLE UNITS
None

While not capturable (and not in any meaningful sense own able) in Battleground Europe, bridges are often the centerpiece of heroic battles and epic races to either hold them intact or bring them down to stave off an approaching army. Capturing and defending one successfully, or even destroying it at the right moment if you are the defender, can be the difference between victory and an army cutoff from vital supply.

There are many styles of bridges over the web of rivers and canals; twin rail track bridges (pictured above), single lane crossings, two-lane main thoroughfare bridges, and river mouth Weirs.

Bridges are destroyable and repairable by Engineer-class infantry units, and can also be destroyed by bombs. However they remain impervious to all weapons until they are tagged by a side’s high command staff with an Attack Objective (covered in detail later). Once destroyed only Engineers can rebuild a bridge and restore the crossing.

OTHER BUILDINGS
In addition to bridges and the capturable facilities listed above, each CP is comprised of a diverse array of additional structures: multiple small civilian houses, large city blocks, small and large churches, cafés, airfield observation towers, loading docks, gas stations, overpasses and tunnels, camouflaged defensive emplacements, and CP defenses. Some CPs also feature additional, unique structures such as monuments to the fallen, cathedrals, monasteries, ancient towers, and ornate bridges.

Fixed Emplacements (AI garrison) defenses
The only computer-controlled units in the game, the “AI” can always be identified by fixed emplacements. These represent garrison forces that would be present in a city or facility that is not currently the scene of a front line fight. They provide a tripwire; round-the-clock defenses to prevent enemy units from moving easily into a city when no human defenders are present. Stationed around each CP and in each AB, AI defenses are effective against very weak attacks or attempts at infiltration along obvious approach routes. Nevertheless, their fixed locations make them vulnerable, and they can be overwhelmed by a determined or careful foe.

ANTI-TANK AI (ATAI): The heavy-weapons defenses of a CP are typically situated in sandbagged emplacements or dugout firing pits to cover roads and likely approaches. They are equipped with the medium AT gun of their controlling side, and can be destroyed with any HE fire (grenades, satchel charges, bombs, or HE direct-fire weapons). They have a limited (30 degree) field of fire, and target only vehicles.

ANTI-PERSONNEL AI (APAI): Light machineguns are situated in sandbagged emplacements and towers in and around all CPs. The sandbagged positions can be knocked out with grenades, satchel charges, bombs, or HE direct-fire weapons. The towers represent are harder to knock out. These defenses have a limited (45-90 degrees) field of fire. Both will fire at infantry and soft targets such as trucks.

ANTI-AIRCRAFT AI (AAAI): Certain towns are equipped with heavy antiaircraft defenses, represented by AA guns in sandbagged emplacements, usually found around production facilities and factories. These are mainly meant to deter/destroy enemy bombers, and provide flak above these towns up to an altitude of 2000m+ and ranges of 6000m+. They do not fire on ground forces, and can be destroyed by any HE fire, bombs, or grenades.

ANTI-SHIP AI (ASAI): All deep water ports are equipped with naval bombardment guns. These are long range and large caliber weapons that fire on enemy ships. They do not fire on ground forces, and can be destroyed by any HE fire, bombs, or grenades.

Early Warning System (EWS)

While Battleground Europe does not model civilian or ancillary populations, their presence is certainly felt. An Early Warning System (EWS) automatically detects and reports enemy activity around a CP. Reports are indicated on the strategic map by the presence of an icon or icons indicating what’s detected – infantry, vehicles, ships, or aircraft. Further, enemy bombers approaching will activate the civil defense sirens to give everyone time to seek cover. EWS represents a redundant network of observers and communications, and thus cannot be ‘knocked out’.

Here the CP “Haybes” has a concentration of enemy infantry nearby which appears to be supported by some armor as well.

Destruction and Repair of Structures
Nearly all of the structures and buildings you come across may be damaged by enemy fire from bombs, satchel charges, and even large caliber shelling, radically changing the tactical lay of the land. AI defenses can be knocked out individually with any explosive charge; down to grenades and 20mm HE fire (may take multiple hits to destroy, however).

Any seriously contested town is immediately evident by the blocks of rubble-littered buildings and smoking ruins, collaterally damages by enemy fire during heavy combat. These structures will repair themselves over time by consuming resource points from their home CP as well as surrounding CPs.


NOTE: Bridges may be repaired more quickly by Sappers (Engineers). (See Playing Infantry for more on this subject.) and you cannot damage or destroy buildings that your side currently owns.

No Man's Land

In Battleground Europe the space between opposing CPs is where the flow of combat is largely decided. While you'll find some structures in the countryside such as farm houses, windmills, and ruins, the space between cities is primarily defined by natural features that serve as tactical force multipliers for the side that is most adept at exploiting the lay of the land.

The most important feature of No Man’s Land is the Forward Base or FB. These are temporary staging bases for remote combat operations.

Any CPs that are linked by roads provide a natural route for attack. While some CPs are close together often times the distance between CPs is large enough to require the establishment of a Forward Base (FB) of operations in order to conduct a successful attack. FBs are effectively Staging Points (spawn points) in the field represented by two military revetments (a vehicle fortification and an infantry encampment) that provide vehicle and troop spawning just a few kilometers outside of the CP they are attacking. Instead of using a distant AB as your staging area, FBs allow you to reduce travel time and move your supply line as close as possible to an enemy-held CP.

A simple set of “rules” govern the presence of an FB set:

• The two CPs must be linked by a supply line.
• They must be sufficiently far apart for the travel time to be onerous.
• Each CP must be held by opposite sides (Allied or Axis).

Forward Bases (FB)

FACILITY DATA CARD
BASIC STATS
Capturable -
Spawnable YES
AI Defenses -

SPAWNABLE UNITS
Infantry
Armor
AA/AT Guns
Prime Movers

FB MECHANICS
While always present in pairs to facilitate buying down travel time in either direction on the link, only one FB may be active on a link at any given time; only supporting the flow of combat in a single direction. Destroying the active FB on a link will automatically open the other FB of the pair on the opposite side of the link, and with the ownership switched. Of the pair, the FB that is closest to your CP is the enemy’s, and the one closest to your enemy’s CP is yours.

Example: Dinant and Ciney are linked by a road, but are owned by different sides. They are also far enough apart to warrant an FB pair. Anhee is also linked by a road to Dinant, and owned by the “other” side, but is close enough to Dinant not to need an FB pair.

Depending on who has the initiative between Dinant and Ciney only one of the FBs will be open. Destroying the open FB will automatically switch the flow of battle by opening the opposite FB and switching ownership.


FBS: ATTACKING & DEFENDING

The side that has their FB up on the front is the side with the initiative. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to defend your FBs and destroy the enemy's. Give up your FB and you have given the enemy the upper hand. More importantly, a quick read of the supply-link maps will show that a single unlucky CP can be exposed to 3, 4, even 5 enemy FBs at a time. With such a salient, it is critical for the defenders to keep destroying the attacker’s FBs whenever they come up. Seeing the enemy open a number of FBs simultaneously to a given CP can presage a serious attack. Knocking down these FBs can allow a small defending force to efficiently forestall the arrival of larger enemy forces.

FBs can only be destroyed by satchel charges from infantry Engineers (Sappers). It takes eight charges placed on each spawn revetment (16 charges total) to destroy an FB completely. Note that an individual revetment will show ‘damaged’ state after only seven charges. Partial damage will not affect the ability of the FB owners to spawn; only total destruction of BOTH revetments will shut down the FB.


Example: Dinant and Ciney are French. The Axis capture Dinant from the South. This opens up the FB that is closest of the pair to Dinant as French owned.

The French FB opened near Dinant after it falls to the Germans.

Immediately after the fall of Dinant, German forces send out a truckload of Engineers (at least four to insure the FB’s destruction) to attack the open French FB. They arrive at the FB with some armor support and with little resistance they blow the French FB. Now the German forces stand poised to assault Ciney from their new offensive position.

With the French FB down, the German FB opens just outside of Ciney

CAPTURE MECHANICS

There are two key concepts needed to understand capture in Battleground Europe: control, and ownership. Control refers to the immediate short-term tactical situation, while ownership refers to the larger strategic status of a town/CP. For example, the French might own Namur. A strong enemy thrust might put the Germans in control of the town, but until they secure it by controlling everything at the same time, the French remain the (absentee) owners of Namur.

CONTROL
In game terms, one side controls specific facilities by capturing them. Once you control all the (non-AB) facilities in a CP you functionally control the CP but you do not (yet) own it. Control also determines supply. Military facilities do not have supply unless you control, and will not start to supply until you own the CP.

OWNERSHIP
The Owner of a CP is the last side to control the AB and all facilities simultaneously. The owner of a CP is always the defender regarding attacks on that town.

You may only spawn at military facilities (AB,Dock, AF) in a CP that your side both owns and controls (you don’t need to own all the facilities, just be the owner). If you loose control you must regain it to spawn at the AB(s). You may sometimes spawn infantry at supply depots that you own, depending on the circumstances (see Defensive/Offensive depot spawning, above).

ATTACK OBJECTIVES (AO)
In order for any CP to be “capturable” (or bridge to be destroyable) the attacking country’s High Command Staff must place an Attack Objective on it. Once an AO is placed on a CP, it will be vulnerable to capture after a short timer expires (more on this in a moment). Initially all non military facilities will be vulnerable. Once any one of these non military facilities is captured (putting the CP into contention) the military facilities follow suite and become capturable.

CAPTURING A FACILITY
This is where the rubber meets the road; it all comes down to taking what the enemy has, and denying him the chance to take what you do. All capturable facilities will have a flag hanging either directly on the building, or on an adjacent “capture building” indicating ownership. Capture buildings can be a small house, a Castle tower, a boat house, or even bunkers as seen in ABs and on AFs.

The Ubiquitous Capture Building
There is a capture table located somewhere in each flagged building. This table will only be present when an Attack Objective has been placed by the other side indicating that the facility will soon be capturable.

Shortly after the tables appear, radios will then be present on them indicating the facility is fully capturable. At this point any enemy infantry poses a threat to the ownership of the facility, and by simply getting into the building and locating the table he can initiate a capture.

The standard Capture Building (shown above) has a floor plan that is difficult to defend with less than four or five infantry. Multiple entries, windows and an attic all make this building both vulnerable to attack, but with sufficient numbers, easy to defend. Be wary entering a Capture Building with an enemy flag on it, and when setting up a defense for a friendly Capture Building it’s advisable to do some “house cleaning” first!

The Capture table (radio up)
Infantry (any type) are the only elements in the game that can capture anything. Infantry begin the capture process by walking up to the capture table in an enemy controlled facility. When infantry contact this table, it begins the two-minute capture timer, shown by a popup indicating the facility you are capturing and a progress bar. In a hotly contested town it will seem like a lot more than two minutes. At the expiry of this timer, control of that building switches to the nationality of the soldier that captured it changing the external flag on that building to that of the capturing side.

When capturing a facility you must remain immobile during the capture – any movement or firing will reset the timer to the beginning. You can turn and look in all directions, but may not change stance, move, or fire a weapon. Obviously, this suggests that capture of a building is most likely to be successful when the capture building and ‘capping’ infantryman are at least reasonably secure.

Once a table has been captured, the radio will not reappear for 60 seconds. The structure cannot be recaptured until the radio is once again present. No radio means no capture.

CAPTURING A TOWN
Once the first facility in a town is captured, that town is contested. After the CP has been contested for some time (usually 20 minutes), radios appear at all the military facilities and they become capturable (this includes the AB). To secure the CP entirely the AB (or all of them for instances of CPs with multiple Abs) must be captured from within the central bunker building. Note that during this time the defenders are able to re-capture any fallen facilities that have radios present thereby un-contesting the CP (by kicking out the attackers and controlling all the facilities at once), and resetting the table timer. The attackers will then have to re-contest the town again to get the AB radio to come up.

Multi-AB cities (such as Antwerp) have 2 or more AB’s that need to be captured to secure the entire CP. Typically, an AF near a CP will have its own AB as well. The job of capturing multi-AB cities is far more challenging. The attacker must fight their way into multiple ABs, shutting down each to the defender in turn and holding them all from recapture, only gaining ownership of the city when ALL ABs and facilities are held at once. Yet, there are so many facilities that its nearly impossible to defend them all. Fights for large multi-AB cities are very long and bloody battles.


SPAWNING / DESPAWNING
Getting into the action is easy, getting out of it is a bit harder. Here are some things you should know about where and when you can spawn in, and some facts about despawning as well.

WHERE? WHEN?
The facilities noted above as “spawnable” are locations where new units can enter the game world as follows:

• Airfields: any fighters, fighter-bombers, transports, and light bomber aircraft (Ju87 and Blenheim) available to your nationality may spawn on an airfield. Bombers like the DB-7, Havoc, and He111, are limited to specific airfields designated by your High Command as bomber deployments.
  
• Docks and Harbors: all docks and harbors may spawn patrol boats (Fairmiles). Only certain deepwater harbors designated by your High Command as a location for a Naval deployment can spawn destroyers and freighters.
  
• AB Infantry Barrack/AB Vehicle Garage:: you may spawn any infantry at all infantry barracks in which you control the spawn AND own the CP. Some ABs located adjacent to airfields may be designated as paratrooper deployments.
  
• Depots: subject to the rules of Offensive and Defensive depot spawning (above, or in the Glossary), you may spawn infantry at any supply depot you control.
  
• FB Infantry Barrack/FB Vehicle Garages: you may spawn any infantry or vehicle units at any FB that is yours and open.

MOBILE SPAWN POINTS FOR INFANTRY
Attacking and defending infantry are not limited to the barracks or depots, nor even the predictable locations of the FBs to enter the game world. They may also use Mobile Spawn Points (MSPs). MSPs allow the attacker or defender to set up a staging location almost anywhere that they can drive a truck, subject to certain limitations. Only infantry may spawn at MSPs. They take some communication and cooperation between players to employ properly, but they are a powerful tool for putting resources where they can be effective without being forced to spawn in predictable (i.e. vulnerable) locations. MSPs cannot be captured, they can only be destroyed. See below under “Armor & Prime movers” for how to set up a MSP, as well as the restrictions for where they can be deployed.

DESPAWNING
Almost as important as how you get into the fight is how you will get out. You may despawn at any time in-game by hitting the esc key. This will start a short despawn timer forcing you to choose a safe time and place. Depending on where you are located at despawn your sortie/mission score will directly be effected. Despawn at your origin (or the same type of facility) while it is owned by your side for a “return to base” (RTB) result, despawn close to a friendly facility of any type for a “rescued” result, and despawn closer to an enemy facility or too far from a friendly facility for a “missing in action” (MIA) result. Dying will always return a “killed in action” (KIA) result. RTB scores the highest, then rescued, then MIA.

RTB also allows you to return your equipment to the spawn list of the facility you RTB to. However it must be a like-type and owned by your country (not just allied or axis) – you can immediately respawn again with full heath and ammunition in that same unit. That unit is also specifically reserved for you for a short time (10 minutes) if you remain at that facility.

Despawning at an MSP does not allow you to respawn there; it is functionally equivalent to despawning in the field so standard rules for RTB and MIA are in effect.

MANUAL RESUPPLY
Manually bringing units from one CP to another and then despawning at the destination is a good way for players to “push” reinforcements faster to frontline CPs. This only works for like-type and like-owned facilities. For example you must despawn a British Tank at a British army facility that can spawn them (AB or FB) to add that Tank to the list


MANUAL OVERSUPPLY
You can push a facility’s available units over its capacity by manually oversupplying units using the technique described above. This is very handy for prepping a facility for an upcoming operation.


HIGH COMMAND TACTICAL ORDERS
The High Command Staff’s have access to tools that directly interface with the game systems allowing for control over the flow of battle by means of turning on or off spawning and releasing control of a CP in some instances.

OVERRUN
During tactical play it is often painfully clear that even a well-timed and executed defense is not enough to counter a larger or better organized attack, if a CP is falling commanders can tag it as Overrun.

There are two tactical principles that can be evoked by the High Command Staffs if the need arises at an overrun CP:

FALLBACK
If there is no hope of holding the CP or deflecting a determined attack your forces may be ordered to Fallback. This gives control of the army base(s) in town to the enemy, and opens any incoming FBs you may have on the links coming into town. From your newly opened FBs you may stand a better chance of regaining your balance and mounting an effective effort to re-capture the city you have just be routed from.

HOLD AT ALL COSTS
There are times during war when all must be sacrificed; a maximum effort must be made at extreme costs to preserve your position. An order to Hold at All Costs may come from the High Command at times like these. This loosens the reigns on the amount of infantry that can be spawned at your currently owned depots (from the nearby AB) in town thus flooding and diverting the infantry out of the AB where the action might be too hot, into safer spawn-in environments elsewhere in town. While dispersing your infantry at a critical moment may indeed help to turn or even reverse the tides, this is a last gasp and will quickly deplete all of the available infantry; leaving the town even more vulnerable than before.

SUPPLY (Resource Points)
Battleground Europe's massive environment lives through its server tracked supply system.

As buildings, facilities, AI defenses, bridges, gun emplacements etc. are damaged in combat they automatically request resources for repair (Resource Points “RPs“). When they receive RPs they effect repairs and rebuild themselves at specific rates given their size and complexity. Excess resources can be stored for future calls in the web of Depots.

CPs are the RP generators, depending on their size and the number of facilities they have they generate a steady flow of RPs to their own depots until they are full. These RPs are then used when either a facility within the CP is damaged, or a repair request comes from a linked CP.

Factories are RP multipliers. They multiply the RP output of the CP they are in. CPs without factories do not have this “boosted“ output.

Depots are the storage and shipping locations for RPs. Any excess RPs that a City may produce will be stored in a Depot for later use, and all RPs flowing out to other CPs come from a Depot. Depots are also directly paired to each shipping route. A rail yard would be connected to a rail line, a port would be connected to a canal or a sea route, and a truck depot would be connected to an incoming road. Depots will always have a minimum capacity.

RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION (RDP)
A major component of the strategic layer in Battleground Europe is Research, Development & Production (RDP). Two important aspects of WWII were the progression of weapons technology and the campaigns waged to stem both their development and production. This effort to remain superior both in quality and in quantity was the impetus for the Western Allies strategic bombing offensives throughout the war. Hundreds and thousands of bombers made their way through unfriendly skies across Europe day in and day out to hammer factories and gut research facilities.

OVERVIEW
There are two main aspects to RDP: Research & Development, and Production.

Research & Development improves a side’s fighting capabilities. Production is the engine that drives R&D forward. R&D is advanced by completing RDP Cycles by the accumulation of a requisite number of production points produced by your side’s RDP facilities

Essentially, it’s a repeating two-step process:

The R&D goals are set for that cycle by your High Command. The sum total cost of these goals is set as the target for that RDP cycle.

Factories controlled by your side produce RDP points 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Once the total of accumulated points reaches the RDP Cycle target, the goals of that cycle are implemented in game, and the HC chooses another set of R&D goals for the next cycle, and so on.

Further complicating things is that each nationality manages its own RDP; even though the French and British are allies, they have separate RDP systems. The cumulative RDP budget for each side (Axis vs. Allies) is the same at the start of each campaign.

This feature set is managed by the highest level players within the High Command in conjunction with CRS, and all you’ll need to know initially as a soldier is that the gun your hold in your hands has arrived to you through this system.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (R&D)
Research & Development in Battleground Europe consists of two possibilities: the introduction of advanced weapons platforms and streamlining production efficiency for increased unit production of existing weapons systems.

INTRODUCING ADVANCED WEAPONS PLATFORMS
Battleground Europe uses a branching technology tree for weapons with each level called a Tier. Tier 0 is the lowest level with Tier 1, Tier 2, etc. indicating an advanced weapons platform. All nationalities begin at Tier 0 with each map reset. In order to introduce the next Tier of a weapons platform, R&D must first take place, simulating the real life process of developing advanced weapons platforms.

Each Tier of a technology line must be researched before developing the next Tier; Tier 1 must be developed before Tier 2, Tier 2 before Tier 3, etc. In addition to evolutionary improvement of the starting weapons platforms, at each Tier it is possible to research entirely new weapons systems. In order to research these new weapons systems, all of the weapons in the lower Tier for that branch of service must be researched and in service. In other words, to research a brand new tank technology line in Tier 2, all of the tanks in Tier 1 must already be researched and in service.

STREAMLINING PRODUCTION
Streamlining of production allows for higher outputs of weapons to the frontline based upon advances on the assembly line. Each weapon in the game has a cost associated to it based upon its combat effectiveness and dependency using a formula that takes into account mobility, firepower, and defensive protection; the more effective the weapon, the higher the cost. Each side has a fixed production of each of its weapons systems at the start of the game. Streamlining lowers the production cost of that weapons system, thus increasing the number going into the spawnlists. Any weapon currently on the field of battle is eligible for streamlining; however a weapon that is currently being researched cannot also be streamlined within the same RDP Cycle. Likewise, production of obsolete or outdated equipment can be reduced or even discontinued, and the production resources freed for application toward newer and better equipment.

R&D DETAILS
The High Command staffs submit their R&D plans prior to the start of each RDP Cycle. This order may consist of R&D being applied to the introduction of new weapons, the streamlining of production of an existing weapon, reduction of older and less effective equipment, or any combination of all three. The order is submitted, and then validated and processed by the Battleground Europe RDP tool set.

By choosing to streamline the production of a weapon, the HC is deciding to lower the cost of a unit, allowing higher numbers of that unit to appear in front line spawn lists. When the HC decides to phase out a weapon, they free up points that can be used for increased numbers of more advanced weapons.

RDP Cycles start at the beginning of a campaign and at the completion of each subsequent cycle. Cycles are not fixed in length of time or cost, rather the initial factor in the length of time it takes to complete a cycle is dependent upon the total cost of what the HC has ordered; the larger the order, the longer it takes to complete.

It is generally more costly, and thereby time consuming, to introduce a new weapon than it is to streamline production. In addition, it is generally more expensive to introduce an entirely new technology line than it is to upgrade an existing one.

PRODUCTION
The Production factor of the RDP equation is the most important of all. To complete an RDP Cycle a country must accumulate enough Production points to pay for the cost of the current RDP order. When the cost is met, the Cycle is complete, and the new changes to the spawn lists appear.

PRODUCTION POINTS
Massive factories located within the borders (and hopefully deep behind the lines) of the respective countries produce Production points around the clock. Factories can be damaged and even destroyed by heavy bombing. (Its conceivable that enough sapper charges could also do the trick, but the number would be so huge its probably easier just to take over the factory’s CP.) Bombing enemy factories and protecting your own are therefore critical tasks for each side’s air forces.
The capture of a factory from the enemy does not add it to your own RDP advancement (the productions are too unique for that within the scope of this game), but it will set that factory’s output to zero for the rest of the campaign, unless recaptured by the original owner.

The allied factories are located in Abbeville (FR), Amiens (FR), Ashford (UK), Canterbury (UK), Montreuil (FR), and Whitstable (UK). The German factories are at Duesseldorf, Koln, and Moenchen-Gladbach.

Keep in mind that these are high-value strategic targets and are heavily defended by AI anti-aircraft guns, at the factory itself, on the outskirts of the CP, and inside many of the neighboring CPs that help cover the bomber approach “lanes.”

COMMAND and CONTROL

SQUADS
A key aspect of Massively Multiplayer Online Games is of course their huge number of players. At any time, there are hundreds and thousands of people connected to a persistent world online. One feature that has become almost universal to the genre is the concept of ‘guilds’ or ‘clans’. Generally these serve as an informal social structure for the players, a collection of familiar, friendly faces with whom you form a casual acquaintance and occasionally play together.

The Battleground Europe squad system has both similarities and striking differences from the ‘standard’ MMOG guild pattern. Squads can be any size from a small handful of friends to a complex organization with hundreds of members, external websites, and their own internal sub-organizations. While anyone can strike out on their own (typically called “Lone Wolfing”) you will find that the realism inherent in the Battleground Europe simulation model makes grouping not only more fun, but nearly essential to accomplishing anything significant.

Don’t worry too much about finding or joining a squad, within a few game sessions you’ll be asked if you are in one yet and if not if you’d like to join one.

HIGH COMMAND
Battleground Europe organization doesn’t stop there. In Battleground Europe's (like real war), organization is key. A small body of organized, well-supported troops can easily annihilate a disorganized mob many times their number. The game map is an enormous environment with hundreds of towns covering vast distances, all being fought over by legions of soldiers on both sides. To instill order out of what could be utter chaos; command structures help to enhance the experiences of individuals and squads by providing leadership and organization.

To organize the two teams, each side has a command structure called the High Command (HC). These command structures are made up of soldiers who take on the broader responsibilities of organizing, motivating, and leading their team into battle. These officers have earned their position by earning the respect of their fellow soldiers and proving their leadership abilities. The responsibility of the High Commands to the community is to look at the whole picture and deploy their troops in a way that gives their side the best chance at victory.

HIGH COMMAND STRUCTURE
There are many units on the battlefield moving to accomplish the missions set out by the commands. These units are members of their side's Order of Battle (OrBat). Each side has its own OrBat made up of many units, starting with the Commander in Chief (CinC) and flowing down to the HQ3 level (Brigades, Kampfgruppes, etc.), composing a hierarchy known as the Chain of Command (CoC).

THE CHAIN OF COMMAND (COC)
Using the Chain of Command (CoC) the Commander in Chief (CinC) sends down his/her initial orders which are usually open ended with only a goal and a timeline in which to be accomplished. As the orders move down the CoC at each level fleshes out the plans and adds more details. Each level decides which of their units to assign to the task, how to position them, and then passes it down to the next level which does the same. When they finally reach the field commander's hands they are to the point where the mission is clearly outlined, ready to be carried out.

THE HQ3 LEVEL
At the HQ3 level, units are made up of individual soldiers and squads that have affiliated themselves with the High Command. When you or your squad has affiliated with the High Command you are agreeing to follow the orders of the HC in order to help better your team as a whole. While you are doing this, the HCs are saying that they will support you, provide you with leadership and organization, and enhance your overall experience in the game.

JOINING THE HIGH COMMAND
If you wish to enhance your level of role-playing you can step up to the plate and become an officer in your side's HC. You will be required to agree to the guidelines of the Articles of Conduct which is in place to protect both the players and the organizations themselves.

The first step to becoming an officer is to go through the Officer Candidate School (OCS) for your side's command. This school will teach you how to use the tools available to you in addition to giving you pointers on leadership principles both on and off the field. If you feel you have the ability to lead and motivate those around you, you may have what it takes to join the prestigious ranks of those who have attained the position of Commander in Chief.

Commanders hold a great responsibility to the community. They are required by their peers to fulfill their duties to the best of their ability lest their team suffer setbacks in their drive to win the current campaign. It takes special qualities to be a true leader, and those who do it well have the respect of their peers in the game; some even become legendary.

To find out more about the HCs, how to affiliate with a unit, or become an officer, please visit their websites by following the community links on the Battleground Europe Main Webpage.