Getting Started
From Battle Dex
Contents |
Client Interface Options
Single Player
Selecting Boot Camp will take you to a single player game tutorial mode that will teach you the basics of Battle Dex. The tutorial will show you how to build units, set their paths, and capture resources and control points. There are some stationary enemy units in this mode that will shoot at you, but they won't fire unless you are in range.
You also have the option of selecting from one or more training missions to practice your combat skills.
Multiplayer
Free Play
When you select Free Play, you can play against other players in a 1v1 Constructed, 1v1 Sealed, Free for All, or 2v2 Sealed for no cost.
Sealed Deck
In this mode, you will be presented with 3 random packs from which you must construct a 12 card deck. You should study the complete list of cards so that you will be able to quickly assemble a deck before the clock runs out.
Free For All
In this mode, you fight 3 other opponents, and only one player can win. There are no teams, but many players will often gang up on another player in this mode.
Private Game
This mode will allow you to create your own game for others to join. You can set the map, number of players, turn time, teams and any other custom game options from here. Use this option when you and a friend or friends want to get a game going. To use this option, click on Private Game, enter a game name and click Create. Other players can join by clicking Private Game, entering the game name, and clicking join. Once all the players are in and the options set the way you want them click start game.
Tournaments
This screen shows a list of upcoming and running tournaments. Simply click a tournament name to enter the tournament chat, then click the "Enter Tournament" button to register. You can register for tournaments days in advance, but 30 minutes before the tournament starts, you must be in the tournament lobby and click "check in" to verify that you are present for the tournament.
Active Games
This box shows any games that you are currently active in. If you have to rejoin a game in progress for any reason you can do it from the Active Games box.
Keyboard and Shortcuts
While you can do everything in Battle Dex using only a mouse, it is very helpful to master the shortcut keys.
T - Hides units and buildings allowing you to easily select otherwise obscured hexes. This can help if you're trying to set a destination to a hex that is occupied by another unit.
V - Shows paths and orders of all your units.
G - Toggles board hex grid on and off
Enter - Chat with other players
Pg Up / Pg Down - Change camera altitude
Arrow Keys - Move/Pan Map
W - Pan Map Up
A - Pan Map Left
S - Pan Map Down
D - Pan Map Right
M - Shows a top down view of the map
Esc - Skips battle animations
Fog of War
Hexes that are covered by fog of war are darker than normal hexes. This indicates that you can't see what's in these hexes. They will always appear empty but may contain enemy units.
Each of your units has a vision which removes fog of war for the hexes surrounding it. For instance, Recon Hero has a vision of 7, so can see everything within 7 hexes. In the image to the right, the Recon Hero can see all of his opponent's units, but the opponent can not see the Recon Hero because his Recon only has vision of 6 hexes.
Headquarters
Each player starts with a Headquarters. This is where units are produced and start from. To produce a unit, left-click on your Headquarters and select the desired unit from the Purchase menu. The units you cannot afford to build will have their prices grayed out. Once you have selected the unit you wish to build, left-click again to place it in one of your starting hexes.
Resources
To capture a resource you must have an infantry unit on the resource hex at the end of a turn. Each resource will produce 25 gold per turn.
Victory Points / Control Points
Victory points are attained by capturing and then holding a Control Point. To capture a Control Point you must have an infantry unit on the Control Point hex at the end of two consecutive turns. Each turn the Control point is held gives you one Victory point. Any turns that end with an enemy infantry unit on your control point will not produce any victory points for you. If an enemy infantry unit holds your Control point for two turns, the Control point becomes theirs.
Movement
To move a unit, first left-click on the unit you want to move to select it. Then right-click on the desired destination hex. You will see a blue arrow indicating the unit's path to its destination. Battle Dex will always select the shortest route between points (although it may not always feel like it).
Priority Targeting
You can set any enemy unit as a priority target. Setting a priority target has no effect on movement path. To set a priority target, left-click on the unit you wish to assign a Priority Target to, then click on the Priority Target option at the bottom of the screen. Then left-click again on the unit you wish to set as the Priority Target. You will see a red arrow indicating the priority target you just set.
Pursue
This will designate your unit to follow and focus any fire on the enemy unit selected to be pursued. To use pursue, first left-click your unit to select it. Then right click on the enemy unit you want to pursue. You will see a yellow arrow pointing to the pursued unit.
Card Usage
To see the details of a card, simply mouse over it. To use a card, you begin by clicking on the card you want to use. Depending on the type of card selected you will do one of several things:
Unit Cards
When playing a card that creates a unit or units, those units will need to be placed in either your starting hex or adjacent to a friendly unit depending on the unit type. The allowed hexes will light up, showing where you can place that particular unit. Once you've decided where to place it, left-click on that hex. This applies to all Enlist and Hero cards.
Buff / Debuff / Heal Cards
To use a buff, debuff, or heal card, first left-click the desired card from the card panel. Then left click the unit you wish to apply that card to. You will see an icon appear above the unit to let you know the card has been properly applied.
Airlift
The Airlift card allows you to move mechanized ground units from one point on the board to any other point on the board that is adjacent to a friendly unit. To use an airlift card, left-click on the card in your card panel, then left click on the unit you wish to airlift. Then left-click again on the hex you wish to transport that unit to. This is repeated for each unit that is being airlifted. The units must to be placed next to a friendly unit. The allowable destination hexes will light up once a unit has been selected for transport.
Evac
The Evac card allows you to move units from anywhere on the board back to your starting hexes at Headquarters. This is the only card in the game that allows you to transport both mechanized ground units and infantry units. As with the airlift card, left-click on the card in your card panel, then left click on the unit you wish to Evac. Left-click again on the hex you wish to transport that unit to.
Troop Transport
The Troop Transport card allows you to move infantry units from one point on the board to another. Unlike the Airlift and Evac cards, the Troop Transport card allows you to load your infantry units into a transport vehicle that will drive them to the destination. While the transport vehicle is much faster than infantry on foot, it is not instant like Airlift and Evac cards. To use a Troop Transport card, left-click on the card in your card panel, then left-click on the infantry unit/s that you wish to load. Once the transport vehicle is loaded you will set a destination as with any other unit. Once the transport vehicle reaches its destination, you can select it with a left-click and then select unload from the unit menu. You can then select the desired hexes to unload your infantry units to. Available hexes will light up.
Main Menu Overview
This menu is displayed at the bottom of the screen directly above the card panel.
Submit
Once you have competed entering orders for your turn you will click the Submit button. This sends your turn to the server. Once all players have submitted turns, or the turn clock has run out, the turn will be processed.
Undo
Clicking the Undo button will clear the last order you have given for the current turn. If you place the wrong unit or use the wrong card you can use the Undo button to cancel the order.
Replay
Clicking the Replay button will show a replay of the last turn. Press ESC to exit the replay.
Surrender
Click the Surrender button once you have determined you are unable to defeat your opponent. You will get a confirmation asking if you're sure. Click Yes and then submit your turn to complete the surrender. Your opponent will immediately win the game.
Buy
The Buy button will bring up the purchase menu just as if you had clicked on your headquarters.
Exit
This will exit the current game and return you to the main menu. To return back to the game, click that game in the Active Games list.
Unit Menu Overview
This menu will appear directly above the main menu when a unit is selected.
Priority Target
This will allow you to designate one unit as a priority target for whichever unit you currently have selected. Your unit will then focus all fire on the target until it is destroyed. Once the target is destroyed, standard AI targeting rules will apply.
Clear Orders
This option will clear any previous orders from the selected unit. This includes destination, target, pursue or any other actions you have set.
Unload (when applicable)
Use this option to unload infantry units from a transport vehicle once they have reached their destination.
Targeting Preference and AI
The in-game AI will always target the enemy unit with the lowest hit points within range. The one exception is AA halftrack units, which will always target the enemy air unit with the lowest hitpoints within range. If no air units are in range it will follow the standard targeting AI rules.
Winning the Game
There are two ways to win Battle Dex. The first is to reach the required number of Victory Points before any other player. If two players reach the required number of Victory Points on the same turn, the winner will then be decided by total gold earned during the game. If that is also a tie, the winner is selected by coin toss.
The second way to win is to destroy the Headquarters of all enemies. Obviously this is easier in a two player game. Besides the warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get from blowing up your enemy's Headquarters, you'll also get 400 gold for your efforts.
