Battle Mechanics Explained

BASIC BATTLE MECHANICS

What you need to know to gain a basic understanding of DOA Battle Mechs.

Current battle mechanics, as they are now understood, debunk previous battle mechanics, published widely on-line.

Outdated Battle Mechanics

There are a number of key historic assumptions and theories that are wrong and that should be disregarded. The following basic assumptions and theories are not correct:

1. Base Distance Theory: There is a base distance, in the region of 500, forming part of a battlefield's size. This theory is wrong.

2. First Strike Theory: The Attacker's Dragon, Troops and Transports always move and/or attack first. This theory is wrong.

3. Turn Theory: The Attacker's Dragon,Troops and Transports have the first turn to act within a round of a Battle and all act first followed by a Defender's Dragon, Troops and Transports' turn to act. This theory is wrong.

4. Troop Action Theory: Dragons, Troops and Transports can either Move and Attack or just Attack and they do so only once on their turn. This theory is wrong. So to are the alternate theories that Dragons, Troops and Transports can do one of each in any order or either just Move or Attack.

5. Damage/Movement Theory: Dragons, Troops and Transports deal proportionately less damage the further they have moved on their turn in a round of the battle. This theory is wrong.

6. Rapid Deployment/Dragonry Assumptions and Theories: Each level of the Rapid Deployment and Dragonry researches provide a 5% boost, as published by Kabam, is correct. This assumption is wrong. Dragonry affects all Dragons, Troops and Transports and both March and Battle Speeds. These theories are wrong.

7. Great and Elemental Dragon Speed Assumption: The Speeds for Great Dragons and Elemental Dragons published by Kabam are correct. This assumption is incorrect.

Current Battle Mechanics

The following battle mechanics are correct and govern all battles:

1. Battlefield Size Theory: The Battlefield Size is the same distance as the Range of the Attacker's longest ranged Troop as adjusted by Range boosts from the Science Centre, the Sanctuary and Items, or, in the event the Attacker fields no ranged Troops, the Battlefield Size is 0. There is no base distance to any Battlefield.

2. First Strike Theory: In each round of a Battle the Dragon, Troop or Transport with the fastest Battle Speed (as adjusted by Battle Speed boosts from the Science Centre, the Sanctuary and Items) gets 'First Strike' meaning it carries out its Unit Turn first. In the event of a tie between opposed Dragons, Troops or Transports, the Defender's Dragon, Troop or Transport automatically wins first strike (or initiative) and carries out its Troop Turn for that round of the Battle first followed immediately by the Attacker's Troop involved in the tie.

The following images show a scenario of myself being the attacker. Only ssd vs ssd was used in the mini battle (Defenders GD was sent out)

In order to show that the Player (whether attacker or defender) who has the troop type with the greatest speed moves first in battle I ensured it was against someone with greater troop corresponding research than myself, In this case Dragonary for the ssd'd. This first image shows my Dragonary level at a lowly level 6, the second image showing Silvanost's at level 7 (ergo, faster than my own). The third image shows the results of 1k ssd vs 1k ssd with the defending player winning without a sole troop loss, ensuring the fact that Troop Speed was key in deciding who obtained First Strike, rather than being solely based on the outdated attacker goes first rule. The fourth image was to ensure that the present 20% troop attack boost that silvanost had enabled during the initial battle was not in anyway a deciding factor in who makes the initial strike, I enabled both 20% attack boost and 20% defence boost and repeated the action of 1k ssd vs 1k ssd (no GD) with the exact same results being the outcome, defender takes action first (due to higher troop speed than attacker) and kills attacking ssd (mine) without any reply.

Click Image To Enlarge

Click Image To Enlarge

Click Image To Enlarge

Click Image To Enlarge

3. Unit Turn Theory: The Battle can be broken down into rounds but in reality the battle is a continuous cycle of Unit Turns starting with the fastest surviving Dragon, Troop or Transport on the Battlefield and ending with the slowest surviving Dragon, Troop or Transport on the Battlefield irrespective of which side they are on and then the cycle repeats.

4. Unit Actions Theory: Unit Actions are to Move and to Attack. On each Unit Turn a Dragon, Troop or Transport will do both Unit Actions to the full extent permitted by the landscape of the Battlefield existing at the start of and during the Unit Turn. Dragons, Troops and Transports will attack first if there are Targets within their longest Range. If the Targets are killed, a Dragon, Troop and Transport will then move up to its full movement until another Target is acquired within its longest Range. If there are no Targets within a Dragon, Troop and Transport's longest Range at the start of its turn, the Dragon, Troop and Transport will move up to its full movement until a Target is acquired within its longest Range. Whenever a Dragon, Troop and Transport acquires a Target or Targets within its longest Range on its turn it will stop moving and attack until it has exhausted its total damage dealing potential for its Unit Turn or the Target is killed before moving again. Whenever a Dragon, Troop and Transport loses Targets within its longest Range on its Unit Turn it will keep moving until it acquires another Target within its longest Range or until it has exhausted its total movement potential for its turn. 

5. Target Theory: Should a Dragon, Troop or Transport acquire more than 1 Target within its longest Range it will attack the Target at the nearest Range first. Should a Dragon, Troop or Transport acquire more than 1 Target at the same nearest Range it will attack the Targets according to its individual Unit Attack Priorities. Lightning Cannon have a unique mech that causes their targeting to be random when there is more than 1 target in their longest Range.

6. Shield Theory: Upon acquiring a second or further Target, a Troop and Transport will continue to attack until it has exhausted its total damage dealing potential for its Unit Turn unless it has already dealt a certain fixed minimum percentage of that damage dealing potential already in its Unit Turn. Dragons are presently not subject to this restriction.

7. Movement/Damage Theory: A Kaiser Dragon and Troop's Speed (as adjusted by Battle Speed boosts from the Science Centre, the Sanctuary and Items) is the full distance a Kaiser Dragon or Troop is capable of moving during its Unit Turn in a round of a Battle. A Great and Elemental Dragon's Speed (adjusted by Armour and Scales) and a Transport's Speed is the full distance a Great and Elemental Dragon or Transport is capable of moving during its Unit Turn in a round of a Battle. A Dragon, Troop or Transport's Attack (as adjusted by Attack boosts from the Science Centre, the Sanctuary and Items) is the total damage to Life it is capable of dealing on its Unit Turn during a round of a Battle fettered only by a Dragon, Troop or Transport's inability to reach any Target during its Unit Turn. Dragon, Troop and Transport movement itself does not have a dampening effect on the Attack damage dealt by a Dragon, Troop or Transport during a Unit Turn. All attacks dealt on a Unit Turn deal discernible damage if the damage dealt is sufficient to kill 1 of the Troops or Transports attacked, taking into account its current Life at the point of the attack, or if the Unit attacked is a KD, GD or ED. Attacks that dealt insufficient damage to kill 1 of the Troops or Transports attacked during the lifetime of the battle are not discernible because there is no Troop or Transport death to record in BR. BR only record damage dealt to a defending Dragon during the lifetime of a Battle. Damage dealt or Use penalties to the Health of an attacking Dragon are only temporarily recorded in the Attacker's Dragon Health Tab in the form of healing time and in the relevant Dragon Keep in the Attacker's Dragon's Health Bar and are not recorded in either the Attacker's or the Defender's copies of the BR.

8. Rapid Deployment/Dragonry Theory: The Rapid Deployment and Dragonry researches in Science Centre provide a 10% boost/level of research. The statements in the Science Centre in game that these researches provide a 5% boost/level of research are wrong. Rapid Deployment affects all Troops and Transports. Dragonry affects BDs and SSDs only, as stated in the Science Centre in game. Rapid Deployment affects both March Speed and Battle Speed. Dragonry only affects Battle Speed. The March Speed of Transports (ATs and PDs) is affected by March Speed boosts from Science Centre, Sanctuary and Items. The Battle Speed of Transports is not affected by Battle Speed boosts from Science Centre, Sanctuary or Items and as such is their Speed on the Battlefield is their Base Speed.

9. Great and Elemental Dragon Speed Theory: Kaiser, Great and Elemental Dragon March Speeds will increase or decrease according to the slowest March Speed of the other Troops or Transports in the March. Great and Elemental Dragon Battle Speeds have all been artificially fixed with a base of 300 which presently can only be added to with Speed armour and scales. The Kaiser Dragon is the only exception to this rule. Presently, the Kaiser Dragon's Base Speed is correctly described and that Base Speed can be increased to a higher Base Speed through the use of Dragon, Master Dragon and Sovereign Dragon Keys to unlock Speed increases. Further, unlike the Great and Elemental Dragons, the Kaiser Dragon's overall Speed is boosted by Speed boosts from Science Centre and, it appears, from Sanctuary [KD requires further testing].

10. Attacker's Advantage Theory: The Attacker determines the type and size of the Battlefield and the point where his Dragon, Troops and Transports will start on it by deciding on the longest range Ranged Attack Troop to be sent on the March or to send no Ranged Attack Troops on the March, in which case the size of the Battlefield is 0.

11. Defender's Advantage Theory: When two (or more) opposed Dragons, Troops or Transports on the battlefield have the same Battle Speed the Defender's Dragon, Troop or Transport gets First Strike.

BASIC BATTLEFIELD TACTICS

There are 2 types of battlefield:

(1) the Ranged Attack Battlefield; and

(2) the Melee Battlefield.

The Ranged Attack Battlefield

The Attacker chooses a Ranged Attack Battlefield by sending a Ranged Attack Dragon and/or Troops ("RATs") on the March. The Attacker's Troops start the Battle at the Range of the longest Ranged attacking Dragon or RAT in the March as adjusted by Weapon Calibration boosts from Science Centre, Sanctuary and Items. The Defender's Troops start the Battle at Range 0 (ie. on the Defender's Wall).

Here is a graphical representation of the Standard Ranged Attack Battlefields and key Troop and Transport capabilities over them before boosts and curses from Sanctuary are applied:

http://awesomescreenshot.com/05413wq7cb

Edits required: AT and PD Speeds adjusted to Base Speed; WiD11 and Stormveil WiD11 Range to be included.

The document also contains notes of the base Sanctuary boost levels necessary for specific Troops to 'cross a GD11+' Battlefield by just boosting Battle Speed, by just boosting Range and by just boosting Range to the point where the RATs need not move away from the Wall or the attacking GD11+.

Note that in some cases the boost levels listed are not possible to achieve through Sanctuary either currently or at all. Certain Troops simply cannot be made to 'cross a GD11+' in a single round and never will. The information is included to inform Trait choices when breeding.

The following outline takes into account the classic historical known battlefield and abilities and capabilities that can be mined from Sanctuary Dragon Breeding and Enchantment.

Attacker's Initial Advantages: The Attacker has strategic position and is able to extend the relative Battlefield Size, to obtain first strike in order to strategically position the primary damage dealers' shields and deliver damage dealing potential quickly, to extend the lifetime of the Battle, to increase the level of damage dealing and to deal significant damage over time. Additional capabilities include the ability to target, draw out and kill specific Troop clusters in a wall in order to weaken or cripple a defence for subsequent attacks or to cripple an empire generally.

Attacker's Initial Disadvantages: The Attacker's fielded Troops are automatically vulnerable to first strike when like Troops are walled, are usually comparatively low in numbers, life, and in damage dealing potential, and, consequently, have a limited time for delivery of their damage dealing potential.

Attacker's Main Objectives: The Attacker's main objectives are to extend the Battlefield Size, to obtain first strike in order to position primary damage dealers' shields, to slow defending troops, to extend the lifetime of the Battle, to increase the level of damage dealt by primary damage dealers, and, consequently, to increase overall damage dealt during the Battle.

Defender's Initial Advantages: The Defender's fielded Troops start with first strike advantage against like Troops in the march, usually have massive superiority in numbers, life and damage dealing potential and, consequently, have the potential to kill a march quickly. The Defender is able to reduce the relative Battlefield Size, to maintain first strike advantage, to reduce the lifetime of the Battle, to deliver significant damage dealing quickly and to increase damage resistance.

Defender's Initial Disadvantages: The Defender's fielded Troops are vulnerable to the relative Battlefield Size being extended, to losing first strike advantage, to the lifetime of the Battle being extended and to being dealt signficant damage over time.