Zero-K - User contributions [en]

Emissary

2018-10-15T03:52:22Z

Fealthas: adding the truth

The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is a general-purpose artillery from the [[Tank Foundry]].{{ Infobox zkunit
| name = Emissary
| defname = tankarty
| description = General-Purpose Artillery
| image = http://manual.zero-k.info/unitpics/tankarty.png
| icontype = tankarty
| cost = 700
| hitpoints = 840
| movespeed = 81
| turnrate = 66
| sight = 660
| transportable = Light
| weapons =
{{ Infobox zkweapon
| name = Plasma Artillery
| type = Cannon
| damage = 601
| reloadtime = 7
| dps = 86
| range = 1180
| aoe = 48
| projectilespeed = 330
}}
}}
==Description==
The heavy, long-ranging gun of the Emissary makes it the unit of choice for standoff shelling of enemy mobiles or structures. As always, it should be wary of anything that gets close to it.

The emissary has a fast projectile for an artillery unit, and even has a bit of AoE. These characteristics make this unit also quite effective against mobile units; effectively functioning as a long range fire support unit. If you are struggling to deal with skirmishers as tanks, try making some of these.

{{Navbox units}}

Unit Management

2018-10-15T03:46:11Z

Fealthas: /* Drawing units away(wip) */

How to control your units. (wip)

==Using Unit AI==
The easiest way to to use your units is via the [[Attack_Move_Command|attack]] command. This utilizes the [[Unit_AI|unit AI]] and is probably most effective when used with raiders and skirmishers.

===Skirmishers===
For skirmishers, this will cause them to try to keep their target at maximum range. This is most effective against units that are slower than the skirmisher, say for example a ronin fighting a thug.

===Raiders===
Raiders on fight command will try to stay at maximum range to their target, and engage in dodging behavior by swerving side to side, helping them dodge many slower projectiles. Once they get in range, they will swerve back and forth in front of the target.

===Assaults===
Unit AI assaults will cause them to walk up to their target, and sit at max range firing away. Unit ai is not very effective for assaults. It is generally better to just line move them into the enemy, so they can soak up the maximum amount of damage and screen for your lower hp units like skirmishers or raiders.

===Artillery===
Unit AI is generally effective for artillery units. They will stay at maximum range and hammer away at their target.
There are a few quirks about using artillery however.
* UNIT AI requires vision of its target. If you don't have vision or radar of a defensive tower, the artillery could walk into its range and die.
* Radar does not reveal precise location of things, and artillery will miss slightly if you don't get vision of the target at least once. It will shoot at the radar dot and not at where the target actually is. This has the greatest impact on very precise artillery like the impaler or sling.
* Unit Ai can shoot at units and will not prioritize buildings. What is closest will get shot at first. If there is a unit patrolling in front of a defense turret, the arty will prioritize shooting that unit(as it is closer), but will probably never kill it. You can get around this by manually setting targets for your artillery.

===Constructors===
Constructor's (or cons for short) unit AI will cause them to move in the direction their attack command was given, and along the path they will repair things or reclaim. They will also attempt to avoid enemy units. Unit Ai isn't that commonly utilized for cons, because they are not very smart about choosing when to reclaim or repair, and their time is often spent better building things.

==Micromanagement==
A cool feature of Zero-K is that units are all reasonably effective with minimal oversight. However, there is still room to squeeze out extra performance out of your units if you want to. It's also quite fun!
===Line move===
Using line move is essential to maximize unit efficiency.
* It allows you to minimize the damage your units take from attacks with splash damage (most riots have this). Spreading out your units is almost always good.
* Allows you to form a concave, to maximize the % of your units which can fire constantly at their targets. Units for the most part cannot shoot through each other. Units at the center of a ball are not able to shoot out of it! That wastes much of their damage potential and could cause you to lose fights.
**By spreading out your units and forming a concave, you are able to overwhelm riots unit early game with raiders.

===Retreat micro===
A very common tactic utilized by players, especially in raider micro, is "retreat micro". This type of micro utilizes the feature that units running away tend to hit more than those chasing that unit.

For example, in a scenario in which a glaive is chasing a glaive, the glaive that is running away and being followed will almost always kill the glaive that is following it. This effect is so extreme that you might be able to kill 3-4 glaives with just 1.
This is a defensive tactic, as ovbiously you are retreating, but it allows you disengage when you think a fight will not go favorably.

This effect contributes to a defender's advantage and is something to consider before attacking, as even though you may have a stronger army, it may still lose. Note that this effect can sometimes be used offensively. If you get your opponent to misposition their units you could set up a favorable situation which benefits you. For example, if you get a glaive into your opponents base, they can either chase it and suffer from the effects of retreat micro, or they can just watch it kill their base. Obviously they need to chase it, but this gives you an army advantage from taking good fights.

This effect arises from two sources:
# Projectiles do not inherit momentum from their shooter. They travel at a set speed not related to the current speed of the unit(this violates the conservation of momentum, but who cares).
# Projectiles have a travel speed and are not instant. This means most projectiles from a chasing unit need to be aimed in front of a retreating unit if they want to hit, but this location may be out of range of the chasing unit. Meanwhile the chasing unit may be in-range of the retreating unit.

===Scattering===
If you have a bunch of units clumped together or in a line, you can quickly scatter them by selecting them and using line move to quickly draw a zig=zag pattern to spread them apart. This becomes especially useful against units like the phoneix, Thunderbird, or licho, which have powerful AoE attacks. By splitting up your units, you reduce the ammount of damage that you take from each bombing run.

===Hold Fire===
Some units like the penetrator or sharpshooter(sniper) have a very long reload cycle. Default behavior of these units is to just fire at the first thing that gets into their range. The first thing they fire on may not be a very worthwhile target, and so this unit's time is wasted, and you also just gave your opponent the information that you have that unit.
*Put these units on hold fire. (Click the icon with 3 green bullets until its red).
*Position them so that they are in range of your target.
*Either use an attack command (f by default) or set target command on the target you want to hit.
*Watch your target explode!

===Hit-and-Run(wip)===
This tactic involves sending your units in to attack something for a short time, and then withdrawing them. It works best with two types of units:
*Units with a long reload cycle - Kodachis or Black dawns are prime examples. Lets consider Kodachis - this unit is capable of 1-hitting mexes, but has a long reload time and large burst of damage. Commonly, players will use this unit to run into an opponents base, hit a mex, and run out. Due to their high hp they are able survive defensive turret fire for a while, at least long enough to get in and out. By doing this Kodachi users are able to kill things while taking no metal losses themselves.
*Regenerating units - Glaives, Kodachis -

Note that this tactic can be combined with Hold Fire usage to maximize effectiveness.

===Shot-Baiting===
Some units like the picket or hacksaw have high burst damage, but then have a long reload cycle. While this contributes to their unique strength, this sort of behavior can be taken advantage of to minimize damage to your important units. You can send in a unit to absorb shots, like a scout dirtbag or assault thug, and then send in units that do high dps but have low hp, like bandits, a raider. The hacksaw is able to 1-shot bombers, and this is bad as they are quite expensive. You can instead send in a swift beforehand to bait out the hacksaw shots, and then send in the bombers. Doing this will allow you to take fights more cost effectively. 

Often times in game a situation arises in which the players meet somewhere in the middle of the map with their commanders. Players build defensive turrets in a line to secure their territory. Often defenders will be used. Since this usually happens quite early in the game, nobody has anything except for a bunch of raiders and maybe a few skirmishers or riots, making it quite hard to break through this line. A tactic employed by many is to start building a structure, like an LLT, in range of the enemy defenders. They will fire upon it as it is building, and then you can send in your army to kill the pickets as soon as they have wasted their shots.

===Drawing units away===
By default, all units are set to chase enemies when they get close. You can abuse this behavior to kill some of your opponents units for free.

Say you are playing a glaive v glaive match-up. Your opponent has more glaives than you, but is not paying attention.
*Bring some of your glaives near enemy glaives.(Doesn't need to be in range to fire, but close)
*Run away, and the enemy glaives will chase them.
*Once you have separated some enemy glaives from the main pack, you can just turn your glaives around and charge at the enemy glaives, killing them for free.

You can also use similar tactics to lure enemy units into your defenses, such as pickets, to get some free pick-offs.

Unit Management

2018-10-15T03:42:57Z

Fealthas: /* Hold Fire(wip) */

How to control your units. (wip)

==Using Unit AI==
The easiest way to to use your units is via the [[Attack_Move_Command|attack]] command. This utilizes the [[Unit_AI|unit AI]] and is probably most effective when used with raiders and skirmishers.

===Skirmishers===
For skirmishers, this will cause them to try to keep their target at maximum range. This is most effective against units that are slower than the skirmisher, say for example a ronin fighting a thug.

===Raiders===
Raiders on fight command will try to stay at maximum range to their target, and engage in dodging behavior by swerving side to side, helping them dodge many slower projectiles. Once they get in range, they will swerve back and forth in front of the target.

===Assaults===
Unit AI assaults will cause them to walk up to their target, and sit at max range firing away. Unit ai is not very effective for assaults. It is generally better to just line move them into the enemy, so they can soak up the maximum amount of damage and screen for your lower hp units like skirmishers or raiders.

===Artillery===
Unit AI is generally effective for artillery units. They will stay at maximum range and hammer away at their target.
There are a few quirks about using artillery however.
* UNIT AI requires vision of its target. If you don't have vision or radar of a defensive tower, the artillery could walk into its range and die.
* Radar does not reveal precise location of things, and artillery will miss slightly if you don't get vision of the target at least once. It will shoot at the radar dot and not at where the target actually is. This has the greatest impact on very precise artillery like the impaler or sling.
* Unit Ai can shoot at units and will not prioritize buildings. What is closest will get shot at first. If there is a unit patrolling in front of a defense turret, the arty will prioritize shooting that unit(as it is closer), but will probably never kill it. You can get around this by manually setting targets for your artillery.

===Constructors===
Constructor's (or cons for short) unit AI will cause them to move in the direction their attack command was given, and along the path they will repair things or reclaim. They will also attempt to avoid enemy units. Unit Ai isn't that commonly utilized for cons, because they are not very smart about choosing when to reclaim or repair, and their time is often spent better building things.

==Micromanagement==
A cool feature of Zero-K is that units are all reasonably effective with minimal oversight. However, there is still room to squeeze out extra performance out of your units if you want to. It's also quite fun!
===Line move===
Using line move is essential to maximize unit efficiency.
* It allows you to minimize the damage your units take from attacks with splash damage (most riots have this). Spreading out your units is almost always good.
* Allows you to form a concave, to maximize the % of your units which can fire constantly at their targets. Units for the most part cannot shoot through each other. Units at the center of a ball are not able to shoot out of it! That wastes much of their damage potential and could cause you to lose fights.
**By spreading out your units and forming a concave, you are able to overwhelm riots unit early game with raiders.

===Retreat micro===
A very common tactic utilized by players, especially in raider micro, is "retreat micro". This type of micro utilizes the feature that units running away tend to hit more than those chasing that unit.

For example, in a scenario in which a glaive is chasing a glaive, the glaive that is running away and being followed will almost always kill the glaive that is following it. This effect is so extreme that you might be able to kill 3-4 glaives with just 1.
This is a defensive tactic, as ovbiously you are retreating, but it allows you disengage when you think a fight will not go favorably.

This effect contributes to a defender's advantage and is something to consider before attacking, as even though you may have a stronger army, it may still lose. Note that this effect can sometimes be used offensively. If you get your opponent to misposition their units you could set up a favorable situation which benefits you. For example, if you get a glaive into your opponents base, they can either chase it and suffer from the effects of retreat micro, or they can just watch it kill their base. Obviously they need to chase it, but this gives you an army advantage from taking good fights.

This effect arises from two sources:
# Projectiles do not inherit momentum from their shooter. They travel at a set speed not related to the current speed of the unit(this violates the conservation of momentum, but who cares).
# Projectiles have a travel speed and are not instant. This means most projectiles from a chasing unit need to be aimed in front of a retreating unit if they want to hit, but this location may be out of range of the chasing unit. Meanwhile the chasing unit may be in-range of the retreating unit.

===Scattering===
If you have a bunch of units clumped together or in a line, you can quickly scatter them by selecting them and using line move to quickly draw a zig=zag pattern to spread them apart. This becomes especially useful against units like the phoneix, Thunderbird, or licho, which have powerful AoE attacks. By splitting up your units, you reduce the ammount of damage that you take from each bombing run.

===Hold Fire===
Some units like the penetrator or sharpshooter(sniper) have a very long reload cycle. Default behavior of these units is to just fire at the first thing that gets into their range. The first thing they fire on may not be a very worthwhile target, and so this unit's time is wasted, and you also just gave your opponent the information that you have that unit.
*Put these units on hold fire. (Click the icon with 3 green bullets until its red).
*Position them so that they are in range of your target.
*Either use an attack command (f by default) or set target command on the target you want to hit.
*Watch your target explode!

===Hit-and-Run(wip)===
This tactic involves sending your units in to attack something for a short time, and then withdrawing them. It works best with two types of units:
*Units with a long reload cycle - Kodachis or Black dawns are prime examples. Lets consider Kodachis - this unit is capable of 1-hitting mexes, but has a long reload time and large burst of damage. Commonly, players will use this unit to run into an opponents base, hit a mex, and run out. Due to their high hp they are able survive defensive turret fire for a while, at least long enough to get in and out. By doing this Kodachi users are able to kill things while taking no metal losses themselves.
*Regenerating units - Glaives, Kodachis -

Note that this tactic can be combined with Hold Fire usage to maximize effectiveness.

===Shot-Baiting===
Some units like the picket or hacksaw have high burst damage, but then have a long reload cycle. While this contributes to their unique strength, this sort of behavior can be taken advantage of to minimize damage to your important units. You can send in a unit to absorb shots, like a scout dirtbag or assault thug, and then send in units that do high dps but have low hp, like bandits, a raider. The hacksaw is able to 1-shot bombers, and this is bad as they are quite expensive. You can instead send in a swift beforehand to bait out the hacksaw shots, and then send in the bombers. Doing this will allow you to take fights more cost effectively. 

Often times in game a situation arises in which the players meet somewhere in the middle of the map with their commanders. Players build defensive turrets in a line to secure their territory. Often defenders will be used. Since this usually happens quite early in the game, nobody has anything except for a bunch of raiders and maybe a few skirmishers or riots, making it quite hard to break through this line. A tactic employed by many is to start building a structure, like an LLT, in range of the enemy defenders. They will fire upon it as it is building, and then you can send in your army to kill the pickets as soon as they have wasted their shots.

===Drawing units away(wip)===
By default, all units are set to chase enemies when they get close. You can abuse this behavior to kill some of your opponents units for free.

Talk:Manual

2018-10-15T03:39:04Z

Fealthas: Created page with "What is the point of the dumb l33t-speak quotes on this page? I vote we remove them and put something real there like "This is the official Zerok manual. You can learn about u..."

What is the point of the dumb l33t-speak quotes on this page?
I vote we remove them and put something real there like "This is the official Zerok manual. You can learn about units, strategy, and UI commanders, and more here!"
--[[User:Fealthas|Fealthas]] ([[User talk:Fealthas|talk]]) 05:39, 15 October 2018 (CEST)

4k help

2018-10-13T03:17:31Z

Fealthas: /* Windows 10 Tips */

Zero-k runs quite well on a 4k screen, but there are a few quirks.
==Tips for running Zero-k on a 4k screen==
===Windows 10 Tips===
*Disable all scaling done by windows.
*#Run zerok.
*#Alt-Tab out of the game.
*#Open control panel(crtl-shift-esc).
*#Right click on spring.exe. Click properties in the menu.
*#In the menu that opens, go to the compatibility tab at the top. Click "Change High DPI settings".
*#Check the override check box at the bottom. Select "application" from the drop-down.
*#*Zerok does not have scaling, so telling windows to let zerok scale turns it off effectively.

*In-game display
*#Go to lobby setting -> graphics.
*#Select in game mode as custom full screen. Set resolution to 1080x1920. Zero-k looks fine in 1080 in my opinion and it is not worth the 80% fps drop to go 4k.

*Lobby display
*#Lobby -> settings -> graphics
*#Menu Mode -> Windowed
*#*I prefer this because of easy multitasking. You can do other things on computer while waiting for a game. There is also less windows10 weirdness switching from fullscreen 1080p to a window.
*#Go to Settings -> lobby
*#Set scale factor to 200%-220%. This will make everything bigger so that you can actually read things without a magnifying glass.

4k help

Manual

2018-10-13T01:50:12Z

Fealthas: /* Further Game Info */

''"You can Maek D-Fenz, or you can play the game"'' - Ivory King

''"Don't try to make your econ grow faster than his, try to make his grow slower than yours."'' - KDR_11k

== Getting Started ==
* [[Newbie Guide]]
* [[FAQ]]
* [[Interface]]
* [[Economy Guide|Basic Economy Guide]]
* [[Help for other RTS players|Help for Other RTS Players]]
* [[Gameplay dos and don'ts|Dos and Don'ts]]
* [[Video tutorials|Video Tutorials]]
* [[Offsite Resources]]

== Units ==
=== Unit References ===
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/epicmenu/robot2.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Units|Unit List]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/epicmenu/robot2.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Buildings|Building List]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/advplayerslist/units.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Unit classes|Unit Classes]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/advplayerslist/war.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Weapon classes|Weapon Classes]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/states/stealth_on.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Map icons|Unit Radar Icons]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/unitpics/module_areashield.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Commander]]s

=== Unit Abilities ===
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/Bold/capture.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Capture]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/states/cloak_on.png" width='16' align="center" /> [[Cloak]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaRules/Images/awards/trophy_fire.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Fire]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/Bold/embark.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Transportation]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/Bold/repair.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Repair]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/health.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Shields]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/ramp.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Terraform]]ing

=== Unit Features ===
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/Bold/move.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Unit commands|Unit Commands]] ''(wip)''
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/states/on.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Unit states|Unit States]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/states/bulb_on.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Unit AI]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/states/retreat_90.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Retreat|Retreat Command]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/epicmenu/robot2.png" height='16' align="center" /> [[Unit Management|Effective unit usage guide]]

== General Features ==
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/Bold/mex.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Overdrive|Overdrive System]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/advplayerslist/diplomacy.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Ceasefire]]s
* <img src="http://manual.zero-k.info/unitpics/chicken.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Chicken Defense]]
* <img src="http://zero-k.info/img/news/2213.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[User Page]]

== Further Game Info ==
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/epicmenu/control_panel.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Hotkeys|Customizing Hotkeys]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/epicmenu/questionmark.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[FAQ]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/epicmenu/questionmark.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Abbreviations]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/advplayerslist/Ranks/rank5.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Award]]s
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/epicmenu/game.png" height='16' align="center"/>[[Cheats]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/commands/Bold/build.png" height='16' align="center"/> [http://springrts.com/wiki/UI_commands Engine commands]
* [[File:Soldier.png]] [[Matchmaking]]
* <img src="http://zero-k.info/img/conduct.png" height='16' align="center"/>[[Zero-K:Code of Conduct |Code of Conduct]]
* [[Configuration Files|Transfer settings to Steam]]
* [[4k help]]

== Development and Modding ==
* [[Developing]]
* [[Widget Configuration]]
* [[Map Creation]]
* [[Mod Creation]]

== Strategy Guides ==
* [[Typical opening]]
* [[Typical game progression]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/energy.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Wind Farm Guide|Wind Farming]]
* <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K/master/LuaUI/Images/factory.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Factory tips|Factory Tips]]
* <img src="http://manual.zero-k.info/icons/cruisemissilesmall.png" height='16' align="center"/> [[Missile Silo Tutorial]]

== Tournament Info ==

* [[Tournaments]]
* [http://zero-k.info/Forum/Thread/20258 Archive of Past Tournaments]

== Planetwars ==
* [[PlanetWars attack|Attacking]]
* [[PlanetWars influence|Influence]]
* [[PlanetWars planets|Planets]]

== Planetwars (old) ==
* [[PlanetWars|Introduction to Planetwars]]
* [[PlanetWars attack|Attacking]]
* [[PlanetWars initiative|Initiative]]
* [[PlanetWars ships|Ships]]
* [[PlanetWars structures|Structures]]
* [[PlanetWars economy|Economy]]
* [[PlanetWars faction roles|Faction Roles]]
* [[PlanetWars events|Events]]
* [[PlanetWars factions|History]]

{{Navbox manual}}

Talk:Building Usage

2018-08-23T20:26:48Z

Fealthas: /* Why this page? */

== Why this page? ==
Wouldn't it make sense to put this in the '''Tactics and Strategy''' section of each building? There's also [[Buildings]] [[Special:Contributions/84.254.91.146|84.254.91.146]] 00:24, 22 August 2018 (CEST)

Most info pages tend to be very generic and I wanted to give some more specific info. I thought having a generic building page and a specific building page would be good.
I personally think that having all building strategy in one page is better than having it be dispersed among each unit entry, but I dont see why it couldn't be in both locations too. This page isn't linked to from anywhere yet as I had trouble thinking about where it fit in, like you.--[[User:Fealthas|Fealthas]] ([[User talk:Fealthas|talk]]) 22:26, 23 August 2018 (CEST)

Building Usage

2018-08-21T16:32:47Z

Fealthas: /* Solar extractor as shields */

This guide will go over some common tactics and strategies used when using buildings. (wip)

==Economy Buildings==
===Caretaker bury===
The Caretaker is often buried underground when used on the front-lines. You can do this easily using terraform. Doing this protects the caretaker from most enemy units, but it is still able to reclaim and repair. You might do this when there is a large reclaim field but you are unable to safely use constructors or your commander for reclaiming, as they have a much shorter range than the caretaker,

==Defensive Buildings==

===Terraform pillar===
You are able to raise small pillars using terraform and then build a defensive structure on them. This is advantageous for a few reasons.
*Puts them out of range of many raiders.
*Gives extra range to some structures.

It is most commonly done with the LLT or stardust turret.

===Solar extractor as shields===
Solar extractors are very sturdy for an energy production building. Even when destroyed, their wreckage will block most raiders from passing or firing over them. They can thus be strategically placed to constrict enemy attack vectors. This is usually done by placing them in a line. Alternatively, they can be used to protect a single building. Do this by holding '''Ctrl+Shift''' during placement and clicking on the building that is to be protected.
LLTs are tall enough to shoot over solar extractors, while most units cannot shoot over the solar. This can effectively give these turrets +400 hp or so.

Cheese

2018-07-01T21:44:53Z

Fealthas: /* Defending against it */

Cheese strategies are strategies that can be described as high-risk and high-reward. These typically rely on winning hard and winning early. Below we will detail some of the finest cheese known to lobster-kind. 
Disclaimer: Some of these are quite bad strategies, but will probably sometimes work nonetheless.
==On the use of commanders==
A good rush will often include your commander. In the early parts of the game, this unit represents the majority of your combat strength. Most rushes just utilize the commander as a support unit that fills in a role that you need. However, some cheese strategies utilize the commander as a centerpiece of the strategy.

==The strategies==
===Fencer rush===
Plop rover factory, and put fencers on repeat queue. Once you have made like 2 it is time to start moving towards your opponent. Once your comm builds the starting mexes/energy move it towards the opponents base as well. Once you get to your opponent's base and see what they have been up to, choose an appropriate comm morph option. Continue streaming fencers across the map. When you have a critical mass of fencers you can just move in and kill them. But don't wait too long! If they get up significant defense you could end up losing.
*Rocket launcher is the best morph to get if they try to counter you with skirmishers.
*Riot cannon if they build lots of low-hp raiders.
*Heat ray is good if they try to make heavies.

===Reaver rush===
Much like the fencer rush.
#Plop cloaky and take 1 mex.
#Make reavers on repeat queue.
#Move out with your comm and have reavers rally to it.
This rush is more time sensitive, and requires that you hit sooner than a fencer rush. Reavers are a bit faster than your comm so they will catch up to it.

===Ogre rush===
The Ogre is probably the most robust riot unit in the game, with high DPS and HP. It can be quite difficult to stop earlygame, especially if it is unscouted. The ogre is capable of killing commanders by itself and it has splash damage, making it quite effective against the raiders people typically build as well. This rush is time sensitive, as if they scout you they can throw up lots of light defense turrets and hold it off. 
#Plop the HT foundry.
#Queue up an ogre, set the rally point to your opponents base.
#Assist the factory with your commander.
This rush is especially effective against factories with no skirmishers, like HT or rovers. Factories with awkward skirmishers like spider may struggle to deal with it as well, but HT vs spider is a rare match-up anyways.

====Defending against it====
The best defense against any cheese is scouting, and this is true here. Build your lightest raider and send it to your opponent's base. Since the banisher is an expensive unit, by the time your raider gets there it should still see the banisher in the factory being built, or just as it moves out. Since the opponent has commited quite a bit of resources to this rush you can affort to just spam lots of LLTs and the occasional Picket to hold it off. If your factory has a skirmisher, that would be a good choice to make as well.

===Com-Morph Push===
===Com-Drop===
===Blastwing opening===
===Raider rush===
These types of rushes are distinct from the others in that they don't bring along the commander, and rely on overwhelming your opponent with an unexpected raider force. Below are listed some of the raiders that are most effective at rushing.
====Flea rush====
Plop spider factory and build your initial 500 metal into fleas. Send your first two out to scout. Once you get your flea swarm you can either attack the opponents base, or their commander. If their commander morphed to a splash damage weapon this will not work, but it should lead to a dead commander if the commander is alone and un-morphed. Alternatively, if they only built like 1 MT or LLT in their base and all their units are gone, you are able to quickly kill the defensive turrets and possibly win the game by killing all their eco structures and factory. You need to be careful with your fleas though, the death explosions from most buildings can instantly kill them. Obviously, this strategy fails if they are not very greedy and bother to build some raiders.
====Glaive/Bandit rush====
====Scorcher rush====

Lance

2018-06-08T21:05:27Z

Fealthas: /* Tactics and Strategy */

The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is an anti-heavy artillery hovercraft from the [[Hovercraft Platform]].{{ Infobox zkunit
| name = Lance
| defname = hoverarty
| description = Anti-Heavy Artillery Hovercraft
| image = http://manual.zero-k.info/unitpics/hoverarty.png
| icontype = mobiletachyon
| cost = 1000
| hitpoints = 1000
| movespeed = 66
| turnrate = 53
| sight = 660
| sonar = 660
| transportable = Light
| weapons =
{{ Infobox zkweapon
| name = Tachyon Accelerator
| type = BeamLaser
| damage = 3000
| reloadtime = 20
| dps = 150
| range = 1020
| special1 = Instantly hits
}}
| abilities =
{{ Infobox zkability line
| customdata1 = Can ignore unidentified targets
}}
}}==Description==
The Lance's weapon, nicknamed 'the Blue Laser of Death', has the power and accuracy to skewer most units with a single shot. Use it against high armor units, but keep it behind the front lines - it has light armor and can't run from danger.

== Tactics and Strategy ==
Since Lances have such a low rate-of-fire, and very high damage-per-shot, it is good to set them to hold fire mode (or return fire mode) to conserve their shots for use against enemy striders and assault units. Moreover, setting them to hold fire against unidentified radar targets should help ensure that their shots hit more often (since targeting unidentified radar targets imposes accuracy penalties in general), though do keep in mind that, when used in conjunction with attack move orders, it might also result in the Lances stopping in front of unidentified targets. It is good to spread out your lances, as there is a tendency for Lances to sometimes hit each other when moving around and firing.

{{Navbox units}}

Typical game progression

2018-06-08T20:25:13Z

Fealthas: /* Expansion */

Typical game progression

2018-06-08T20:23:33Z

Fealthas: /* Expansion */

Talk:Main Page

2018-05-29T18:47:31Z

Fealthas: /* Subgroupings are ugly */

I've revamped the main page a bit. It's still very WIP.
--[[User:Shaman|Shaman]] ([[User talk:Shaman|talk]]) 21:56, 4 September 2016 (CEST)

== Revamps Part 2 ==

Yay, I've removed that ugly hack I did and decluttered the main page. Looks a bit nicer now, but it can still be improved a bit I think. Needs pictures perhaps?--[[User:Shaman|Shaman]] ([[User talk:Shaman|talk]]) 07:33, 7 October 2016 (CEST)

==Subgroupings are ugly==

===this is fine===
====this looks too much like normal text====
=====even worse=====
======terrible======

atleast make it yellow? [[User:Fealthas|Fealthas]] ([[User talk:Fealthas|talk]]) 20:47, 29 May 2018 (CEST)

Talk:Main Page

2018-05-29T18:46:55Z

Fealthas:

Unit Management

2018-05-29T18:45:44Z

Fealthas: /* Raiders */

How to control your units. (wip)

==Using Unit AI==
The easiest way to to use your units is via the [[Attack_Move_Command|attack]] command. This utilizes the [[Unit_AI|unit AI]] and is probably most effective when used with raiders and skirmishers.

===Skirmishers===
For skirmishers, this will cause them to try to keep their target at maximum range. This is most effective against units that are slower than the skirmisher, say for example a ronin fighting a thug.

===Raiders===
Raiders on fight command will try to stay at maximum range to their target, and engage in dodging behavior by swerving side to side, helping them dodge many slower projectiles. Once they get in range, they will swerve back and forth in front of the target.

===Assaults===
Unit AI assaults will cause them to walk up to their target, and sit at max range firing away. Unit ai is not very effective for assaults. It is generally better to just line move them into the enemy, so they can soak up the maximum amount of damage and screen for your lower hp units like skirmishers or raiders.

===Artillery===
Unit AI is generally effective for artillery units. They will stay at maximum range and hammer away at their target.
There are a few quirks about using artillery however.
* UNIT AI requires vision of its target. If you don't have vision or radar of a defensive tower, the artillery could walk into its range and die.
* Radar does not reveal precise location of things, and artillery will miss slightly if you don't get vision of the target at least once. It will shoot at the radar dot and not at where the target actually is. This has the greatest impact on very precise artillery like the impaler or sling.
* Unit Ai can shoot at units and will not prioritize buildings. What is closest will get shot at first. If there is a unit patrolling in front of a defense turret, the arty will prioritize shooting that unit(as it is closer), but will probably never kill it. You can get around this by manually setting targets for your artillery.

===Constructors===
Constructor's (or cons for short) unit AI will cause them to move in the direction their attack command was given, and along the path they will repair things or reclaim. They will also attempt to avoid enemy units. Unit Ai isn't that commonly utilized for cons, because they are not very smart about choosing when to reclaim or repair, and their time is often spent better building things.

==Micromanagement==
A cool feature of Zero-K is that units are all reasonably effective with minimal oversight. However, there is still room to squeeze out extra performance out of your units if you want to. It's also quite fun!
===Line move===
Using line move is essential to maximize unit efficiency.
* It allows you to minimize the damage your units take from attacks with splash damage (most riots have this). Spreading out your units is almost always good.
* Allows you to form a concave, to maximize the % of your units which can fire constantly at their targets. Units for the most part cannot shoot through each other. Units at the center of a ball are not able to shoot out of it! That wastes much of their damage potential and could cause you to lose fights.
**By spreading out your units and forming a concave, you are able to overwhelm riots unit early game with raiders.

===Retreat micro===
A very common tactic utilized by players, especially in raider micro, is "retreat micro". This type of micro utilizes the feature that units running away tend to hit more than those chasing that unit.

For example, in a scenario in which a glaive is chasing a glaive, the glaive that is running away and being followed will almost always kill the glaive that is following it. This effect is so extreme that you might be able to kill 3-4 glaives with just 1.
This is a defensive tactic, as ovbiously you are retreating, but it allows you disengage when you think a fight will not go favorably.

This effect contributes to a defender's advantage and is something to consider before attacking, as even though you may have a stronger army, it may still lose. Note that this effect can sometimes be used offensively. If you get your opponent to misposition their units you could set up a favorable situation which benefits you. For example, if you get a glaive into your opponents base, they can either chase it and suffer from the effects of retreat micro, or they can just watch it kill their base. Obviously they need to chase it, but this gives you an army advantage from taking good fights.

This effect arises from two sources:
# Projectiles do not inherit momentum from their shooter. They travel at a set speed not related to the current speed of the unit(this violates the conservation of momentum, but who cares).
# Projectiles have a travel speed and are not instant. This means most projectiles from a chasing unit need to be aimed in front of a retreating unit if they want to hit, but this location may be out of range of the chasing unit. Meanwhile the chasing unit may be in-range of the retreating unit.

===Scattering===
If you have a bunch of units clumped together or in a line, you can quickly scatter them by selecting them and using line move to quickly draw a zig=zag pattern to spread them apart. This becomes especially useful against units like the phoneix, Thunderbird, or licho, which have powerful AoE attacks. By splitting up your units, you reduce the ammount of damage that you take from each bombing run.

===Hold Fire(wip)===
Some units like the penetrator or sharpshooter(sniper) have a very long reload cycle. Default behavior of these units is to just fire at the first thing that gets into their range. The first thing they fire on may not be a very worthwhile target, and so this units time is wasted, and you also just gave your opponent information that you have that unit.

===Hit-and-Run(wip)===
This tactic involves sending your units in to attack something for a short time, and then withdrawing them. It works best with two types of units:
*Units with a long reload cycle - Kodachis or Black dawns are prime examples. Lets consider Kodachis - this unit is capable of 1-hitting mexes, but has a long reload time and large burst of damage. Commonly, players will use this unit to run into an opponents base, hit a mex, and run out. Due to their high hp they are able survive defensive turret fire for a while, at least long enough to get in and out. By doing this Kodachi users are able to kill things while taking no metal losses themselves.
*Regenerating units - Glaives, Kodachis -

Note that this tactic can be combined with Hold Fire usage to maximize effectiveness.

===Shot-Baiting===
Some units like the picket or hacksaw have high burst damage, but then have a long reload cycle. While this contributes to their unique strength, this sort of behavior can be taken advantage of to minimize damage to your important units. You can send in a unit to absorb shots, like a scout dirtbag or assault thug, and then send in units that do high dps but have low hp, like bandits, a raider. The hacksaw is able to 1-shot bombers, and this is bad as they are quite expensive. You can instead send in a swift beforehand to bait out the hacksaw shots, and then send in the bombers. Doing this will allow you to take fights more cost effectively. 

Often times in game a situation arises in which the players meet somewhere in the middle of the map with their commanders. Players build defensive turrets in a line to secure their territory. Often defenders will be used. Since this usually happens quite early in the game, nobody has anything except for a bunch of raiders and maybe a few skirmishers or riots, making it quite hard to break through this line. A tactic employed by many is to start building a structure, like an LLT, in range of the enemy defenders. They will fire upon it as it is building, and then you can send in your army to kill the pickets as soon as they have wasted their shots.

===Drawing units away(wip)===
By default, all units are set to chase enemies when they get close. You can abuse this behavior to kill some of your opponents units for free.

Unit Management

2018-05-29T18:44:55Z

Fealthas: overwhelming riots

How to control your units. (wip)

==Using Unit AI==
The easiest way to to use your units is via the [[Attack_Move_Command|attack]] command. This utilizes the [[Unit_AI|unit AI]] and is probably most effective when used with raiders and skirmishers.

===Skirmishers===
For skirmishers, this will cause them to try to keep their target at maximum range. This is most effective against units that are slower than the skirmisher, say for example a ronin fighting a thug.

===Raiders===
Raiders on fight command will try to stay at maximum range to their target, and engage in dodging behavior by swerving side to side, helping them dodge many slower projectiles. Once they get in range, they will circle around the target.

===Assaults===
Unit AI assaults will cause them to walk up to their target, and sit at max range firing away. Unit ai is not very effective for assaults. It is generally better to just line move them into the enemy, so they can soak up the maximum amount of damage and screen for your lower hp units like skirmishers or raiders.

===Artillery===
Unit AI is generally effective for artillery units. They will stay at maximum range and hammer away at their target.
There are a few quirks about using artillery however.
* UNIT AI requires vision of its target. If you don't have vision or radar of a defensive tower, the artillery could walk into its range and die.
* Radar does not reveal precise location of things, and artillery will miss slightly if you don't get vision of the target at least once. It will shoot at the radar dot and not at where the target actually is. This has the greatest impact on very precise artillery like the impaler or sling.
* Unit Ai can shoot at units and will not prioritize buildings. What is closest will get shot at first. If there is a unit patrolling in front of a defense turret, the arty will prioritize shooting that unit(as it is closer), but will probably never kill it. You can get around this by manually setting targets for your artillery.

===Constructors===
Constructor's (or cons for short) unit AI will cause them to move in the direction their attack command was given, and along the path they will repair things or reclaim. They will also attempt to avoid enemy units. Unit Ai isn't that commonly utilized for cons, because they are not very smart about choosing when to reclaim or repair, and their time is often spent better building things.

==Micromanagement==
A cool feature of Zero-K is that units are all reasonably effective with minimal oversight. However, there is still room to squeeze out extra performance out of your units if you want to. It's also quite fun!
===Line move===
Using line move is essential to maximize unit efficiency.
* It allows you to minimize the damage your units take from attacks with splash damage (most riots have this). Spreading out your units is almost always good.
* Allows you to form a concave, to maximize the % of your units which can fire constantly at their targets. Units for the most part cannot shoot through each other. Units at the center of a ball are not able to shoot out of it! That wastes much of their damage potential and could cause you to lose fights.
**By spreading out your units and forming a concave, you are able to overwhelm riots unit early game with raiders.

===Retreat micro===
A very common tactic utilized by players, especially in raider micro, is "retreat micro". This type of micro utilizes the feature that units running away tend to hit more than those chasing that unit.

For example, in a scenario in which a glaive is chasing a glaive, the glaive that is running away and being followed will almost always kill the glaive that is following it. This effect is so extreme that you might be able to kill 3-4 glaives with just 1.
This is a defensive tactic, as ovbiously you are retreating, but it allows you disengage when you think a fight will not go favorably.

This effect contributes to a defender's advantage and is something to consider before attacking, as even though you may have a stronger army, it may still lose. Note that this effect can sometimes be used offensively. If you get your opponent to misposition their units you could set up a favorable situation which benefits you. For example, if you get a glaive into your opponents base, they can either chase it and suffer from the effects of retreat micro, or they can just watch it kill their base. Obviously they need to chase it, but this gives you an army advantage from taking good fights.

This effect arises from two sources:
# Projectiles do not inherit momentum from their shooter. They travel at a set speed not related to the current speed of the unit(this violates the conservation of momentum, but who cares).
# Projectiles have a travel speed and are not instant. This means most projectiles from a chasing unit need to be aimed in front of a retreating unit if they want to hit, but this location may be out of range of the chasing unit. Meanwhile the chasing unit may be in-range of the retreating unit.

===Scattering===
If you have a bunch of units clumped together or in a line, you can quickly scatter them by selecting them and using line move to quickly draw a zig=zag pattern to spread them apart. This becomes especially useful against units like the phoneix, Thunderbird, or licho, which have powerful AoE attacks. By splitting up your units, you reduce the ammount of damage that you take from each bombing run.

===Hold Fire(wip)===
Some units like the penetrator or sharpshooter(sniper) have a very long reload cycle. Default behavior of these units is to just fire at the first thing that gets into their range. The first thing they fire on may not be a very worthwhile target, and so this units time is wasted, and you also just gave your opponent information that you have that unit.

===Hit-and-Run(wip)===
This tactic involves sending your units in to attack something for a short time, and then withdrawing them. It works best with two types of units:
*Units with a long reload cycle - Kodachis or Black dawns are prime examples. Lets consider Kodachis - this unit is capable of 1-hitting mexes, but has a long reload time and large burst of damage. Commonly, players will use this unit to run into an opponents base, hit a mex, and run out. Due to their high hp they are able survive defensive turret fire for a while, at least long enough to get in and out. By doing this Kodachi users are able to kill things while taking no metal losses themselves.
*Regenerating units - Glaives, Kodachis -

Note that this tactic can be combined with Hold Fire usage to maximize effectiveness.

===Shot-Baiting===
Some units like the picket or hacksaw have high burst damage, but then have a long reload cycle. While this contributes to their unique strength, this sort of behavior can be taken advantage of to minimize damage to your important units. You can send in a unit to absorb shots, like a scout dirtbag or assault thug, and then send in units that do high dps but have low hp, like bandits, a raider. The hacksaw is able to 1-shot bombers, and this is bad as they are quite expensive. You can instead send in a swift beforehand to bait out the hacksaw shots, and then send in the bombers. Doing this will allow you to take fights more cost effectively. 

Often times in game a situation arises in which the players meet somewhere in the middle of the map with their commanders. Players build defensive turrets in a line to secure their territory. Often defenders will be used. Since this usually happens quite early in the game, nobody has anything except for a bunch of raiders and maybe a few skirmishers or riots, making it quite hard to break through this line. A tactic employed by many is to start building a structure, like an LLT, in range of the enemy defenders. They will fire upon it as it is building, and then you can send in your army to kill the pickets as soon as they have wasted their shots.

===Drawing units away(wip)===
By default, all units are set to chase enemies when they get close. You can abuse this behavior to kill some of your opponents units for free.