MENACE - Dev Diary #11

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Learn more about the action points of MENACE:

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Dev Diary #11 - Action Points and Attack Calculation

We already talked a lot about specific combat mechanics and stats in MENACE but today we will lay out the basic action point system and combat mechanics. How are attacks modeled, hit chances calculated and casualties accounted? Let's dive in!

Action Points in MENACE
While many turn-based strategy games and franchises have swapped to the popular "2-actions" system, we will stay true to the genre's roots with a classic action point system.

Each entity on the battlefield has a pool of action points, used up by any action a unit can take. The idea behind this is that all actions take a different amount of time, and this system can model that with far more granularity than a 2-action system.

Each unit starts with 100 Action Points (AP) per turn. The available amount is relatively stable but can change under certain circumstances.

For example, when a unit is suppressed, it begins its turn with 30 AP less.

A typical skill use, like firing a squad weapon or throwing a grenade, costs 40 AP.
Heavy special weapons, such as firing a rocket launcher, typically cost 60 AP and cannot be used twice in a turn.
Movement also costs AP, though the number of points needed depends on both the unit's movement type and the surface being traversed.
Moving on a concrete road is much faster than slogging through muddy ground. Wheeled vehicles generally require fewer AP per tile than tracked ones, but certain surfaces may be impassable for them. Vehicles also need AP to turn, unlike infantry.

Careful management of your Action Point economy is essential to overcoming the tactical challenges in MENACE. As the game progresses and units acquire more perks, equipment, and weapons, the decisions about which skill or action to use-and when to use it-become increasingly complex.

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