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Ground troops can be dropped on enemy colonies and take them over. They also provide a reduction in unrest (by, we must assume, shooting dissenters). In addition, Engineer brigades allow you to exploit [[Ruins|Alien Ruins]], provide industrial capacity and can assemble [[PDC]] elements.
+
Ground forces are necessary to safeguard the empires borders and for their hostile expansion. Ground forces units are represented by Battalions, and can be grouped into Brigades and then into Divisions. They can be deployed to garrison colonies according to their security needs, quell unrest enforcing your occupation(by, we must assume, shooting dissenters), conduct [[ground combat|combat operations]].  
  
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All ground units are built at a [[Ground Force Training Facility]]. They require some minerals, but no supply. They cost a modest amount of wealth for upkeep.
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All ground units are recruited at a [[Ground Force Training Facility]] and require maintenance. Each unit can be led by an [[Leaders|officer]] to improve its combat effectiveness.
  
 
==Organisation==
 
==Organisation==
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Up to four ground unit battalions can be organized in a brigade, and up to four brigades in a division. Similar to Naval Organisation and civilian Sector Commands, higher echelon HQs radiate so much wisdom that their subordinate units get a bonus of one quarter of the HQ commanders' skills. This affects ground combat and training. It is possible (but untested) that the commanding officer in a brigade or division HQ should have a higher rank than his subordinates to be effective.
+
The Battalion is the "basic" ground forces unit represented in the command hierarchy. Up to four battalions can be organized in a brigade, and up to four brigades in a division. This is controlled from the 'Ground Units' tab, in the [[Population and Production|Economic]] window. From here units can be organized, redeployed etc.
  
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   Division HQ
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Similar to Naval Organisation and civilian Sector Commands, higher echelon HQs radiate so much wisdom that their subordinate units get a bonus. When a Battalion is supported by its Brigade HQ in [[ground combat|combat]], it will gain the combat bonus of the HQ [[Leaders|commander]] as well as its own commander. In much the same if Divisional HQ are present, a battalion will get the ground combat bonus from both HQ commanders as well as it's own commander, so it is worth trying to preserve divisional integrity if you fight a battle with that many units involved.
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       - Brigade HQ
+
 
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           - Battalion
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   Division HQ - Commanded by (R3)Major general.
 +
       - Brigade HQ - Commanded by (R2)Brigadier general.
 +
           - Battalion - Commanded by (R1)Colonel.
 
           - Battalion
 
           - Battalion
 
           - Battalion
 
           - Battalion
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Note that an Engineer Brigade is five times larger than a battalion, but can be subordinated to a Brigade HQ like a battalion.
 
Note that an Engineer Brigade is five times larger than a battalion, but can be subordinated to a Brigade HQ like a battalion.
  
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==Ground Combat==
+
==Unit types==
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(''from a slightly outdated post by Steve'')
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Listed bellow are the various ground units in Aurora. Research into Logistics and Ground Combat might be necessary before you can gain access to all types. Note, that all Attack and Defend stats are base values.
  
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Orbiting spacecraft are able to target and destroy ground forces that are not within a PDC. So why have ground forces then? Because PDC designers are likely to give their PDCs very thick armour that in many cases will be able to resist everything that orbiting spacecraft can throw at it, while the PDC proceeds to blast those spacecraft out of the sky. However, PDC weapons are designed to engage spacecraft, not ground forces, so you will be able to use ground forces to assault and capture enemy PDCs. Any ground forces based within the PDC will be able to resist that attack with a considerable defensive bonus. A planetary assault under these circumstances will likely consist of fast spacecraft dashing in to drop troops while under fire from PDCs and then getting the hell out while the ground forces try and take out the PDCs. Attacking ground forces will have the option to concentrate their efforts on a specific PDC (based on sensor contacts) or fight a general action against enemy ground forces outside PDCs (if there are any).
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===Pre-Transnewtonian Era===
 +
{| class="wikitable" css="margin-left:50px;"
 +
|-
 +
!Low Tech Infantry Division
 +
|Attack 1.2, Defend 2.5, Cost 60, Size 50
 +
|-
 +
!Low Tech Armor Division
 +
|Attack 3, Defend 3, Cost 90, Size 50
 +
|}
  
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Once hostile ground forces have been eliminated, either through ground combat or orbital bombardment, ground troops will be also needed to force a surrender through occupation.
+
Standard ground units of the pre-TransNewtonian era. They are low-tech, large and of low combat strength, useful only in that they are your only option. If you aren't playing in a [[new game|conventional start]] you won't need to worry about using them. With advance of technology, a low tech unit can be converted into a cadre, preserving the officer corp to reduce the training costs for a more advanced TransNewtonian unit.
  
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===Ground Combat Units===
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===Basic Combat Brigades===
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Each Ground Combat Unit (GCU) has three main values. Attack Strength, Defence Strength and Morale. The first two are based on the Racial Ground Combat Strength (RGCS) while the latter is based on experience and training. The RGCS, which starts at 10, can be increased through research. Each type of ground unit uses a separate modification of the RGCS for attack and defence and if the RGCS increases, the strength of all ground combat units increases accordingly. The six types of ground combat unit are as follows:
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{| class="wikitable" css="margin-left:50px;"
 +
|-
 +
!Assault Infantry Battalion
 +
|Attack 10, Defend 5, Cost 100, Size 5
 +
|-
 +
!Mobile Infantry Battalion
 +
|Attack 5, Defend 10, Cost 100, Size 5
 +
|-
 +
!Heavy Assault Battalion
 +
|Attack 12, Defend 12, Cost 180, Size 5
 +
|-
 +
!Garrison Battalion
 +
|Attack 0, Defend 10, Cost 60, Size 5
 +
|}
  
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* Heavy Assault (180 TP): This unit has both attack and defence strengths equal to the RGCS
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These are the "basic" Combat Brigades. They are one tenth the size of their low-tech conventional predecessors, while their attack and defence values are much higher (except for the Garrison Battalion's attack stat).
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* Mobile Infantry (100 TP): This unit has an attack strength equal to half the RGCS and a defence strength equal to the RGCS
 
−
* Assault Infantry (100 TP): This unit has an attack strength equal to the RGCS and a defence strength equal to half the RGCS
 
−
* Garrison (60 TP): This unit has no attack strength and a defence strength equal to the RGCS
 
−
* Engineer (200 TP): This unit has no attack strength and a defence strength equal to half the RGCS. However, while on a planet it acts as a construction factory for all purposes. The Engineer is to the Construction Factory as the Automated Mine is to the Mine.
 
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* Headquarters (150 TP): This unit has no attack strength and a defence strength equal to one fifth of the RGCS. The sole purpose of a headquarters is to house a commander. The senior HQ commander in a PDC uses his ground combat bonus to affect all ground units within the PDC. The senior HQ commander on a planet that is not in a PDC uses his ground combat bonus to affect all ground units outside PDCs.
 
  
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===Ground Forces Training Facilities===
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Depending on your budget and you expectations of whether you're going to be on offence or defense, you'll want to pick and choose your ground units from these four options, generally. RP-wise, I tend to throw a pair of Garrison Battalions onto each colony as a peacekeeping gendarmerie. It keeps the rabble in line.
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Ground Units are produced by the Ground Forces Training Facility (GFTF). Each GFTF requires 2400 BPs and 2400 tons of Duranium and produces 100 training points per year. The GFTF tab on the Economic window is setup like the shipyard tab with each GFTF able to build one unit at a time. Although there is no research line to increase the amount of training points produced, the RGCS can be increased through research, effectively providing more combat strength from the same amount of training.  
 
  
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GFTFs can be moved to a different colony by freighters.
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===Special Operations units===
 +
{| class="wikitable" css="margin-left:50px;"
 +
|-
 +
!Marine Battalion
 +
|Attack 10, Defend 10, Cost 180, Size 5
 +
|-
 +
!Marine Company
 +
|Attack 2, Defend 2, Cost 36, Size 1
 +
|-
 +
!Combat Engineers
 +
|Attack 10, Defend 10, Cost 180, Size 5
 +
|}
  
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All ground units require an amount of Duranium equal to one quarter their training cost and an amount of Neutronium equal to three quarters of their training cost.
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Heavily armed, specially trained and equipped units. Can be utilized in general operations but offer the best offensive\defensive capabilities when employed in the respective areas of expertise.
  
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===Troop Transport Modules===
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Marines specialize in boarding and defending ships, double their attack and defense stats when they are in combat aboard a ship, that is when conducting or defending against a boarding action. Combat Engineers specialize in combat defending or assaulting a Planetary Defence Center (PDC), double their attack and defense stats.
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All GCU are the same size (except Engineer Brigades, which need five Transport modules). A ship needs one Troop Transport module to transport each GCU. GCU may only be moved from a ship to a planet, or vice versa, if the ship is in orbit.
 
  
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Note that for transport bays, the same rules for loading and unloading apply as for cargo holds, i.e. without a spaceport or cargo handling system, it might take your brigade two weeks to disembark on a hostile planet. That might do if the planet is not defended, but you'd better research combat drop technology if it is.
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The Marines have a company sized formation to accommodate the tighter space on board ships, as compared to on A PDC or in the open on a planet's surface. A Small Troop Transport Bay, a Combat Drop Module - Company, or a Combat Drop Module (Cryo) - Company can hold a ground unit no larger than size 1, which is to say only a Marine Company.
  
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===Combat Drops===
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When you expect to be conducting operations in the respective areas of expertise of these units, the appropriate unit for the job is better (per unit cost) than the more general purpose Heavy Assault Battalion. On the other hand, when out in the open on a planetary battlefield, a HA Battalion is noticably better than a Marine Battalion, even though both cost the same.
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Infantry loaded into drop pods can be combat dropped, which doesn't require any unloading time for them to hit the ground and begin fighting. There are battalion-sized and company-sized drop modules (for Marines), which have to be researched first.
 
  
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You don't ''need'' troop bays, but troops held in drop modules will lose morale over time. So you'll want to move them around in troop bays and only transfer them to drop modules when you need to. Don't forget to include Cargo Handling Systems on the transports because troops begin to lose morale as soon as the transfer to drop modules begins. Note that a battalion-sized drop module fits nicely in a FAC.
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===Command and Support Brigades===
 +
{| class="wikitable" css="margin-left:50px;"
 +
|-
 +
!Brigade Headquarters
 +
|Attack 0, Defend 2, Cost 150, Size 5
 +
|-
 +
!Divisional Headquarters
 +
|Attack 0, Defend 3, Cost 250, Size 5
 +
|-
 +
!Replacement Battalion
 +
|Attack 0, Defend <nowiki>0.</nowiki>5, Cost 40, Size 5
 +
|}
  
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====How To Combat Drop====
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Headquarter(HQ) include command staff and various support assets. They have no offensive capability, but provide combat bonus to supported Brigades, and affect their training
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1) Go to the F12 task group screen, select a Ship with Combat Drop Modules, click load GU into Drop Module in fleet. You should see a selection of units to load into the unit right below the Plotted Move screen called "Select Ground Unit" appear. Select one and hit Add Move.
 
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2) Advance time till this is complete (takes time to load GUs into the drop pods but they exit the drop pods instantly).
 
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3) Your unit should now be loaded onto a Combat module.
 
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4) Now when you get near a planet or ship, you can select an action for this ship called Combat Drop Ground Unit, or Boarding Action.
 
  
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===Combat===
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Replacement Battalion allows to replenish TN units that suffered combat losses. If one of your ground units takes readiness (i.e. hit point) damage, the Replacements sacrifice their readiness to replenish the combatant unit's casualties. If you're going to lose a unit, it might as well be the one that costs one third as much as a HA Battalion, right?
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Any race with GCU on a planet can choose to attack ground units or PDCs of another race on the same planet. Note that attacking and defending are two different actions so the attacked race may decide to remain on the defensive and not counter-attack. If both sides attack each other, two separate combats are calculated. As the combat is potentially covering the entire planet, ''' each combat round takes place during the five day increment''' . If time is advanced by more than five days, one combat round takes place for every five days in the increment.
 
  
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Attacking ground forces will have the option to concentrate their efforts on a specific PDC (based on sensor contacts) or fight a general action against enemy ground forces outside PDCs (if there are any). This is accomplished by choosing which PDC or Population to attack on the Ground Units tab of the Economics window. If a PDC is under attack, only the defenders of that specific PDC are able to take part in the defensive battle. However, troops can emerge from other PDCs to fight an offensive action against the attackers in the field and try to destroy them. Obviously this won't be a good idea if there are enemy spacecraft within weapon range. If the attackers are concentrating on a specific PDC, the defenders are able to move around between other PDCs but are not able to reinforce a PDC under attack. In addition, the PDC under attack may not reload its magazines from the planetary stockpile.
+
===Civilian Units===
 +
{| class="wikitable" css="margin-left:50px;"
 +
|-
 +
!Construction Brigade
 +
|Attack 0, Defend 5, Cost 150, Size 25
 +
|-
 +
!Forced Labour Unit
 +
|Attack 0, Defend 1, Cost 40*, Size 100
 +
|}
  
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If a PDC is captured (i.e. all ground forces within it are eliminated), it becomes part of the attacking player?s forces. He can move troops in to garrison it and the defenders may try to recapture it. There may be a chance the defender will attempt to blow up the PDC or damage its systems before it is captured, depending on his racial characteristics.
+
These units have little military use, however, they serve an important function. They expanding construction capacity of worlds, and does not suffer due to production or unrest modifiers. In effect they function as [[Construction Factory|Construction Factories]] without the need to provide the population (and potentially infrastructure) you would normally need to establish a manufacturing sector on given colony. This is useful, for instance, they are only way to establish colonies on low gravity worlds, or to assemble a prefabricated PDC on an unpopulated world. Additionally, Construction Brigades have an additional use: recovering installations and technology from [[ruins|alien ruins]].
  
−
===Combat Ratio and Casualties===
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Forced Labour Units(FLU) functions as a Construction Brigades (CB) but with the following differences:
−
When an attack is carried out, the total attack strength of the attacker is compared to the total defence strength of the defender to create the Combat Ratio. For example, if Race A had an attack strength of 300 and Race B had a defence strength of 200, the Combat Ratio would be 300 / 200 = 1.5. Although defenders do have an advantage, this is already built into the attack and defence strengths of each unit type so the combat ratio is unaffected unless a PDC is involved. If the defenders are in a PDC, they gain a defensive multiplier equal to one third of the PDC's armour. For example, defenders with a total defence strength of 50 within a PDC with 8 armour would have a modified defence strength of 50 x 8/3 = 133.33.
+
# It can only be built at populations that have an occupation requirement (currently Conquered, Occupied and Subjugated).
 +
# Building one of these units consume 10,000 population and raises unrest by 2%
 +
# FLU do not count toward occupation strength and do not reduce unrest. Their defence strength (equal to 1/10th of a Garrison Unit) is used in ground combat defence only.
  
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Each defending unit has a percentage chance of being destroyed equal to the Combat Ratio multiplied by 10. For example, if the Combat Ratio was 2.7, then every defending unit would have a 27% chance of being destroyed.
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While it can be moved to other worlds (or the dilithium mines on Rura Penthe), the transport requirement is considerable. Of course, there is also the consideration of whether your Empire is one that would create forced labour camps.
  
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Each attacking unit has a percentage chance of being destroyed equal to 10 divided by the Combat Ratio. For example, if the Combat Ratio was 2.2 then each attacking unit would have a 10/2.2 = 4.5% chance of being destroyed. If the Combat Ratio was 0.4 then each attacking unit would have a 10/0.4 = 25% chance of being destroyed. Note that for a combat ratio of 1.0, both sides will have a ten percent chance of losing each unit.
+
==Unit Statistics==
 +
Base unit stats depends on the type of unit and various modifiers. Each Unit has three main stats: Attack Strength, Defence Strength and Morale.  
  
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HQ units have only half the normal chance to be destroyed as they will tend to be behind the lines. There are no damaged ground units in Aurora. They are either at full strength or they are destroyed.
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===Attack and Defence===
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Attack(AtK) and Defence(Def). Unit Offensive and Defensive strength. Base values that are used for combat die rolls. Determined by the unit type and adjusted based on the Racial Ground Combat Strength (RGCS) modifier. The RGCS, which starts at 10, can be increased through research, and will increasing both stats while maintaining the base proportions.
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''This is no longer true in v5.60. Unit now suffer readiness losses until destroyed.''
 
  
 
===Morale===
 
===Morale===
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Each GCU starts with a Morale of 100. As long as its morale stays at this level it has no effect on combat. If the morale is increased or decreased, it affects both the attack and defence strengths of the unit. The modifier is equal to Strength x (Morale/100). For example, a unit with 110 Morale would have attack and defence strengths 10 percent higher than normal. A unit with 80 Morale would have attack and defence strengths 20 percent less than normal. In addition, when the roll is made after combat to determine if a unit is lost, the chance of being destroyed is divided by the unit?s Morale/100. For example, if a unit with 120 Morale has a fifteen percent chance to be destroyed, the modified chance = 15% / (120/100) = 12.5%, so this unit has now only a 12.5% chance of being destroyed. This simulates that lower morale units are more likely to be destroyed than higher morale units.
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Unit combat effectiveness modifier. Affects the unit Attack and Defence strengths, and its likelihood of being destroyed.  
−
 
 
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===Commanders===
 
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Officers may be assigned to command a division or headquarters unit in the same way as they command a ship, a population or a fighter group. An officer's Ground Combat Bonus improves the attack and defence strengths of any GCU to which he is assigned. In addition, the Ground Combat Bonus of the most senior HQ commander within a PDC will modify the combat strengths of all other units in that same PDC and the Ground Combat Bonus of the most senior HQ commander outside a PDC will modify the combat strengths of all other units outside of PDCs.
 
−
 
 
−
===Occupation===
 
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If all PDCs and defending ground units are eliminated, the attacking player may be in a position to conquer and occupy the defending population. The required garrison strength is based on the defence strength of the occupying force. The garrison strength required to force a surrender is equal to:
 
  
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Pop in millions * Racial Determination/100 * Racial Militancy/100
+
Each unit starts with a Morale of 100. As long as its morale stays at this level it has no effect on combat. If the morale is increased or decreased, it affects both the attack and defence strengths of the unit. The modifier is equal to Strength x (Morale/100). For example, unit with 80 Morale will fight at 80% of its usual strength. In addition, lower morale units are more likely to be destroyed than higher morale units. When the roll is made after combat to determine if a unit is lost, the chance of being destroyed is divided by the unit's Morale/100. For example, if a unit with 120 Morale has a fifteen percent chance to be destroyed, the modified chance = 15% / (120/100) = 12.5%, so this unit has now only a 12.5% chance of being destroyed.
  
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For example, if the defenders have a population of 400m, a Determination of 60 and a Militancy of 50, the required garrison strength will be: 400 * (60/100) * (50/100) = 120. Note that this is a minimum amount required to force a surrender. It may be desirable to station a larger force on the planet to avoid disruption to its production facilities.
+
Units will lose morale when suffering casualties in combat or being placed in non-cryo combat drop pods for long. Morale will be regained over time, and may increase above 100% with training.
  
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When a population is conquered, there is a chance some tech will be recovered by the occupying forces. A check is made against every background tech known by the conquered race but not the conquering race. The percentage chance of learning each tech is equal to Pop in million/5. For example, conquering a pop of 200m will yield a 40% chance of learning each background tech known by the conquered race.
+
===Size===
 +
Unit size in terms of manpower and equipment. This determines how much transport capacity a unit requires onboard ships. This is important when transporting units or assembling an invasion with limited troop transport fleet. For reference, a common size 5 TN era battalion, has 500 personnel.
  
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==Stats for Ground Units==
+
===Readiness===
−
* '''Type''', The type of unit. Different types, AST, BHQ, DHQ, ENG, GAR, HVA, LTA, LTI, MAR, MRC, INF, REP, ICD, ACD,, and more. Base attack and def stats are determined by the type, and Racial Ground Combat Strength (RGCS). Morale is based on the experience and training of the unit.
+
Readiness(Read). Unit max "hit points". Each unit starts with a Readiness of 100. When a unit is damaged as a result of combat it will lose a random amount of readiness from 1-50%. This is modified by current morale using the formula: Modified Readiness Loss = Readiness Loss / (Morale/100)
−
* '''Atk''', Attack
 
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* '''Def''', Defense
 
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* '''Read.''', Readiness
 
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* '''Morale''', Morale
 
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* '''GCB''', Ground Combat Bonus, given by commanding officers
 
  
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To train different ground units, they need to be placed under the command of a headquarter. Training will then start and morale will increase, if the HQ has a suitable leader assigned.
+
A unit with a readiness of less than 40% will be unable to attack. Defending units will continue defending until destroyed. Readiness losses can only be recovered with Replacement Divisions in the same location. A commander with a ground force training rating can speed up the recovery rate.
  
−
===Ground Unit Types (5.52)===
+
===Summary Table===
−
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" class="sortable"
+
{| class="wikitable sortable"
−
!Unit Name  
+
!Unit Name!!Type!!Atk!!Def!!Size!!TP!!Special
−
!Type
+
|- align="center"
−
!Atk
+
| Low Tech Infantry Division
−
!Def
+
| LIT || 1.25 || 2.5 || 50 || 50 || Maybe be converted into Infantry Cadres
−
!Size
+
|- align="center"
−
!TP
+
| Low Tech Armor Division
−
!&nbsp;
+
| LTA || 3 || 3 || 50 || 90 || Maybe be converted into Armor Cadres
−
|-  
+
|- align="center"
−
|Assault Infantry Battalion ||align="center" | AST ||align="right" | 100% ||align="right" | 50% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | 100 || &nbsp;
+
| Assault Infantry Battalion
−
|-
+
| AST || 10 || 5 || 5 || 100 || &nbsp;
−
|Brigade Headquarters ||align="center" | BHQ ||align="right" | 0% ||align="right" | 20% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | 150 ||align="center" | &dagger;
+
|- align="center"
−
|-
+
| Mobile Infantry Battalion
−
|Divisional Headquarters ||align="center" | DHQ ||align="right" | 0% ||align="right" | 30% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | 250 ||align="center" | &dagger;
+
| INF || 5 || 10 || 5 || 100 || &nbsp;
−
|-
+
|- align="center"
−
|Engineer Brigade ||align="center" | ENG ||align="right" | 0% ||align="right" | 50% ||align="right" | 25 ||align="right" | 150 ||align="center" | &dagger;&dagger;
+
| Heavy Assault Battalion
−
|-
+
| HVA || 12 || 12 || 5 || 180 || &nbsp;
−
|Garrision Battalion ||align="center" | GAR ||align="right" | 0% ||align="right" | 100% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | 60 ||align="center" | &nbsp;
+
|- align="center"
−
|-
+
| Garrision Battalion
−
|Heavy Assault Battalion ||align="center" | HVA ||align="right" | 120% ||align="right" | 120% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | 180 || &nbsp;
+
| GAR || 0 || 10 || 5 || 60 || &nbsp;
−
|-
+
|- align="center"
−
| Low Tech Armor Division ||align="center" | LTA ||align="right" | 30% ||align="right" | 30% ||align="right" | 50 ||align="right" | 90 ||align="center" | *
+
| Marine Battalion
−
|-
+
| MAR || 10 || 10 || 5 || 180 || Double strength when attacking or defending ships
−
| Low Tech Infantry Division ||align="center" | LIT ||align="right" | 12.5% ||align="right" | 25% ||align="right" | 50 ||align="right" | 50 ||align="center" | *
+
|- align="center"
−
|-
+
| Marine Company
−
| Infantry Cadre ||align="center" | ICD ||align="right" | 1% ||align="right" | 1% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | &nbsp; ||align="center" | **
+
| MRC || 2 || 2 || 1 || 36 || Double strength when attacking or defending ships
−
|-
+
|- align="center"
−
| Armor Cadre ||align="center" | ACD ||align="right" | 1% ||align="right" | 1% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | &nbsp; ||align="center" | **
+
| Combat Engineer Battalion
−
|-
+
| CEB || 10 || 10 || 5 || 180 || Double strength when attacking or defending a PDC
−
| Marine Battalion ||align="center" | MAR ||align="right" | 100% ||align="right" | 100% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | 180 ||align="center" | &Dagger;
+
|- align="center"
−
|-
+
| Brigade Headquarters
−
| Marine Company ||align="center" | MRC ||align="right" | 20% ||align="right" | 20% ||align="right" | 1 ||align="right" | 36 ||align="center" | &Dagger;
+
| BHQ || 0 || 2 || 5 || 150 || May command up to four battalions forming a brigade.
−
|-
+
|- align="center"
−
| Mobile Infantry Battalion ||align="center" | INF ||align="right" | 50% ||align="right" | 100% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | 100 || &nbsp;
+
| Divisional Headquarters
−
|-
+
| DHQ || 0 || 3 || 5 || 250 || May command up to four brigades at a time.
−
| Replacement Battalion ||align="center" | REP ||align="right" | 0% ||align="right" | 5% ||align="right" | 5 ||align="right" | 40 ||align="center" | &Dagger;&Dagger;
+
|- align="center"
 +
| Replacement Battalion
 +
| REP || 0 || <nowiki>0.</nowiki>5 || 5 || 40 || may be used to replenish other units
 +
|- align="center"
 +
| Infantry Cadre
 +
| ICD || <nowiki>0.</nowiki>1 || <nowiki>0.</nowiki>1 || 5 || &nbsp; || may be used to reduce the cost of training a new unit
 +
|- align="center"
 +
| Armor Cadre
 +
| ACD || <nowiki>0.</nowiki>1 || <nowiki>0.</nowiki>1 || 5 || &nbsp; || may be used to reduce the cost of training a new unit
 +
|- align="center"
 +
| Construction Brigade
 +
| CB || 0 || 5 || 25 || 150 || act as a construction factory while on a planet
 +
|- align="center"
 +
| Forced Labour Unit
 +
| CB || 0 || 1 || 100 || 40 || act as limited Construction Brigade
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
&dagger;: Brigade Headquarters may command up to four battalions forming a brigade. A Divisional Headquarters may command up to four brigades at a time.<br />
+
==Recruiting, Training and Maintenance==
−
&dagger;&dagger;: Engineer Brigades act as a construction factory while on a planet. They are also required to recover abandoned faculties from alien ruins. Engineer Brigades are five times bigger than battalions and cannot be split up.<br />
+
===Recruiting===
−
&Dagger;: Marines fight at double their listed strength when performing boarding actions against ships and PDCs.<br />
+
Recruiting Ground Forces requires a colony with [[Ground Force Training Facility]] to recruit in, and some minerals. Each colony with GFTF can recruit one unit at a time, though multiple units can be queued up. Set on the 'GU training' tab on the [[population and production|Economic]] window.  
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<nowiki>*</nowiki>: Low Tech Infantry and Armor Divisions maybe be converted into Infantry and Armor Cadres respectively.<br />
 
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<nowiki>**</nowiki>: Infantry and Armor Cadres may be used to reduce the cost of training a new unit.  Infantry Cadres reduce the price by 40 and Armor by 60.<br />
 
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&Dagger;&Dagger;: Replacement Battalions will help wounded ground units on the same planet recover to full strength at a cost to their own health.<br />
 
  
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See also: [http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php/topic,1680.msg15830.html#msg15830 Ground Forces: Transportation, New units, Boarding Combat]
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The base cost and production time of a unit depends on its type:
 +
* Base cost, all units require an amount of Duranium equal to one quarter their training cost and an amount of Neutronium equal to three quarters of their training cost.
 +
* Production time. Can be increased with additional GFTF facilities and effected by the colonial [[leaders|governor]] modifiers;
  
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===How To Transport===
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===Training===
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Bring a ship over to a planet or another ship with troop transport bays. Select the ship you want to load from and select Load GU into Troop Transport. You select the Ground units you want to add from the selection box that fits into the screen one by one.
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To train ground units, they need to be placed under the command of a headquarter with a suitable [[leaders|officer]] assigned. Training will then start and morale will increase over time, based on the Ground Forces Training Rating of their brigade and division commanders.  
  
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Note that for transport bays, the same rules for loading and unloading apply as for cargo holds, i.e. without a spaceport or cargo handling system, it might take your brigade two weeks to disembark on a hostile planet. That might do if the planet is not defended, but you'd better research combat drop technology if it is.
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Every non-HQ unit is checked every 5-day increment. Those that have at least 100 morale (i.e. have fully recovered from combat) and are on the same planet as their Brigade Headquarters have a chance of morale increase. The base annual chance of increase is equal to the Ground Forces Training Rating of the Brigade commander. If the parent Division HQ of the Brigade HQ is also on the same planet, half the Ground Forces Training Rating of the Division commander is added to the chance of increase. If the Morale of the ground unit is above 100, the chance of morale increase is reduced by double the amount of morale exceeding 100.  
  
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==Ship Boarding==
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This does not applies to battalions, Brigade HQs and Division HQs that are on board ships or in PDCs. So a battalion in a PDC cannot gain morale from training and a battalion on a planetary surface outside a PDC cannot gain morale from training if the Brigade HQ is on a ship or in a PDC.
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The ability for drop modules to be shot toward an enemy ship and get infantry onto the hull of that vessel. Infantry then begin blowing holes into the armor to enter the ship if none already exist.
 
  
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===Important facts about Boarding Combat===
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===Maintenance===
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Trying to board a ship moving at several hundred or several thousand kilometers per second in this manner is still incredibly risky. Because of the speeds involved, the intercepting vessel must have a huge speed advantage to make the boarding attempt without suffering heavy casualties among the boarders. The cause of those casualties will vary but could include missing the target and ending up within the exhaust plume, impacting the hull at too high a speed, missing entirely and being lost in space, etc. The percentage of casualties from the boarding attempt is equal to 20xD10, giving a range from 20-200%. However, the amount of D10 rolled is reduced by Interception Speed / Target Speed. For example, if the interception speed is 6000 km/s and the target is moving at 1000 km/s, the number of D10 is reduced by 6. Therefore, if the intercepting ship is at least twenty times faster than the target ship, the attempt is automatically successful and no casualties are suffered during the boarding. Because of the risks involved, in most cases before a boarding attempt can be made the target ship will have to be slowed down or disabled.
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Units cost a modest amount of wealth for upkeep. ...
  
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1) Combat takes place every five minutes after movement and combat. Once a unit has successfully boarded a hostile vessel, the Boarding
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==Combat==
 +
: ''see [[ground combat]].''
  
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Combat Clock begins counting. Once it reaches 300 seconds or greater, a round of boarding combat is fought and the clock is reduced by 300.
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Ground forces can be employed to eliminate hostile ground forces in planetary assaults and ship boarding operations. During planetary assaults they can be assisted by orbital bombardment, but will be needed to storm any planetary defense centers and later force a surrender through occupation.
  
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2) Low readiness units on both sides cannot avoid combat
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==Deployment==
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There are two ship [[components]] that allow you to deploy troops. Ships equipped with [[Troop Transport Bay]]s can be used to transport ground forces from planet to planet and carry them into [[Ground combat|combat]] zones, while [[Combat Drop Module]]s are used to deploy your forces to the surface of a planet/ship quickly.
  
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3) The boarders cannot retreat so they must keep attacking until they capture the ship, die trying or surrender.
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===Troop Transport Bays===
 +
[[Troop Transport Bay]]s are primarily used to transport ground forces across the empire. Simply, bring a ship over to a planet or another ship with troop transport bays. Select the ship you want to load from and select Load GU into Troop Transport. You select the Ground units you want to add from the selection box that fits into the screen one by one. Note ground units come in different sizes, make sure your ships have sufficient Troop Transport capacity. Ground units may only be moved from a ship to a planet, or vice versa, if the ship is in orbit.  
  
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4) As a result of the boarding combat, collateral damage may be inflicted to the ship itself. If this is severe enough, or causes secondary explosions, it is possible the ship might blow up in the midst of the fight.
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Troop Transport can also be used to land forces from orbit into combat, however, transport bays use the same rules for loading and unloading apply as cargo holds, i.e. without a [[spaceport]] or cargo handling system, it might take your brigade two weeks to disembark on a hostile planet. That might do if the planet is not defended, but you'd better research combat drop technology if it is.
  
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5) If all the defending units and crew are eliminated, the ship is captured.
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===Combat Drop Modules===
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[[Combat Drop Module]]s are assault transports that are primarily used for quick orbital insertion during planetary assaults where achieving tactical surprise is often an important factor. Ground units loaded into drop pods can be combat dropped, which doesn't require any unloading time for them to hit the ground and begin fighting. There are battalion-sized and company-sized drop modules (for Marines), which have to be researched first.
  
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===How To Use===
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You don't ''need'' troop bays, but troops held in drop modules will lose morale over time. So you'll want to move them around in troop bays and only transfer them to drop modules when you need to. Don't forget to include Cargo Handling Systems on the transports because troops begin to lose morale as soon as the transfer to drop modules begins. Note that a battalion-sized drop module fits nicely in a FAC.
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First you need a much faster ship than the ship you plan to try to take over. This is achieved via the small Drop Module and a fighter with an engine and a little bit of fuel and a tiny engineering section.
 
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Load GU into Drop Modules within fleet (if fighter is in a fleet). Then select an enemy ship and issue a boarding order.
 
  
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The Troop Shuttle will carry the troops from the fleet over to the enemy vessel and barring any accidents like the enemy blowing a 80cm hole in the troop ship you are all set for the shuttle to launch its troops at the enemy vessel and begin boarding actions.
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Cryogenic Combat Drop Modules are drop pods which do not result in a morale loss if troops are kept in them. You cannot mix cryogenic and non-cryogenic drop modules.
  
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The faster your Troop Shuttle is, the better the chance that more Marines will land on the enemy ship and giving you a better chance to take it over successfully.
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[[category:content]]

Latest revision as of 03:15, 8 April 2016

Ground forces are necessary to safeguard the empires borders and for their hostile expansion. Ground forces units are represented by Battalions, and can be grouped into Brigades and then into Divisions. They can be deployed to garrison colonies according to their security needs, quell unrest enforcing your occupation(by, we must assume, shooting dissenters), conduct combat operations.

All ground units are recruited at a Ground Force Training Facility and require maintenance. Each unit can be led by an officer to improve its combat effectiveness.

Organisation

The Battalion is the "basic" ground forces unit represented in the command hierarchy. Up to four battalions can be organized in a brigade, and up to four brigades in a division. This is controlled from the 'Ground Units' tab, in the Economic window. From here units can be organized, redeployed etc.

Similar to Naval Organisation and civilian Sector Commands, higher echelon HQs radiate so much wisdom that their subordinate units get a bonus. When a Battalion is supported by its Brigade HQ in combat, it will gain the combat bonus of the HQ commander as well as its own commander. In much the same if Divisional HQ are present, a battalion will get the ground combat bonus from both HQ commanders as well as it's own commander, so it is worth trying to preserve divisional integrity if you fight a battle with that many units involved. 

 Division HQ - Commanded by (R3)Major general.
     - Brigade HQ - Commanded by (R2)Brigadier general.
         - Battalion - Commanded by (R1)Colonel.
         - Battalion
         - Battalion
         - Battalion
     - Brigade HQ
         - Battalion
         - Battalion
         - Battalion
         - Battalion
     - Brigade HQ
         ...
     - Brigade HQ
         ...

Note that an Engineer Brigade is five times larger than a battalion, but can be subordinated to a Brigade HQ like a battalion.

Unit types

Listed bellow are the various ground units in Aurora. Research into Logistics and Ground Combat might be necessary before you can gain access to all types. Note, that all Attack and Defend stats are base values.

Pre-Transnewtonian Era

Low Tech Infantry Division Attack 1.2, Defend 2.5, Cost 60, Size 50
Low Tech Armor Division Attack 3, Defend 3, Cost 90, Size 50

Standard ground units of the pre-TransNewtonian era. They are low-tech, large and of low combat strength, useful only in that they are your only option. If you aren't playing in a conventional start you won't need to worry about using them. With advance of technology, a low tech unit can be converted into a cadre, preserving the officer corp to reduce the training costs for a more advanced TransNewtonian unit.

Basic Combat Brigades

Assault Infantry Battalion Attack 10, Defend 5, Cost 100, Size 5
Mobile Infantry Battalion Attack 5, Defend 10, Cost 100, Size 5
Heavy Assault Battalion Attack 12, Defend 12, Cost 180, Size 5
Garrison Battalion Attack 0, Defend 10, Cost 60, Size 5

These are the "basic" Combat Brigades. They are one tenth the size of their low-tech conventional predecessors, while their attack and defence values are much higher (except for the Garrison Battalion's attack stat).

Depending on your budget and you expectations of whether you're going to be on offence or defense, you'll want to pick and choose your ground units from these four options, generally. RP-wise, I tend to throw a pair of Garrison Battalions onto each colony as a peacekeeping gendarmerie. It keeps the rabble in line.

Special Operations units

Marine Battalion Attack 10, Defend 10, Cost 180, Size 5
Marine Company Attack 2, Defend 2, Cost 36, Size 1
Combat Engineers Attack 10, Defend 10, Cost 180, Size 5

Heavily armed, specially trained and equipped units. Can be utilized in general operations but offer the best offensive\defensive capabilities when employed in the respective areas of expertise.

Marines specialize in boarding and defending ships, double their attack and defense stats when they are in combat aboard a ship, that is when conducting or defending against a boarding action. Combat Engineers specialize in combat defending or assaulting a Planetary Defence Center (PDC), double their attack and defense stats.

The Marines have a company sized formation to accommodate the tighter space on board ships, as compared to on A PDC or in the open on a planet's surface. A Small Troop Transport Bay, a Combat Drop Module - Company, or a Combat Drop Module (Cryo) - Company can hold a ground unit no larger than size 1, which is to say only a Marine Company.

When you expect to be conducting operations in the respective areas of expertise of these units, the appropriate unit for the job is better (per unit cost) than the more general purpose Heavy Assault Battalion. On the other hand, when out in the open on a planetary battlefield, a HA Battalion is noticably better than a Marine Battalion, even though both cost the same.

Command and Support Brigades

Brigade Headquarters Attack 0, Defend 2, Cost 150, Size 5
Divisional Headquarters Attack 0, Defend 3, Cost 250, Size 5
Replacement Battalion Attack 0, Defend 0.5, Cost 40, Size 5

Headquarter(HQ) include command staff and various support assets. They have no offensive capability, but provide combat bonus to supported Brigades, and affect their training

Replacement Battalion allows to replenish TN units that suffered combat losses. If one of your ground units takes readiness (i.e. hit point) damage, the Replacements sacrifice their readiness to replenish the combatant unit's casualties. If you're going to lose a unit, it might as well be the one that costs one third as much as a HA Battalion, right?

Civilian Units

Construction Brigade Attack 0, Defend 5, Cost 150, Size 25
Forced Labour Unit Attack 0, Defend 1, Cost 40*, Size 100

These units have little military use, however, they serve an important function. They expanding construction capacity of worlds, and does not suffer due to production or unrest modifiers. In effect they function as Construction Factories without the need to provide the population (and potentially infrastructure) you would normally need to establish a manufacturing sector on given colony. This is useful, for instance, they are only way to establish colonies on low gravity worlds, or to assemble a prefabricated PDC on an unpopulated world. Additionally, Construction Brigades have an additional use: recovering installations and technology from alien ruins.

Forced Labour Units(FLU) functions as a Construction Brigades (CB) but with the following differences:

  1. It can only be built at populations that have an occupation requirement (currently Conquered, Occupied and Subjugated).
  2. Building one of these units consume 10,000 population and raises unrest by 2%
  3. FLU do not count toward occupation strength and do not reduce unrest. Their defence strength (equal to 1/10th of a Garrison Unit) is used in ground combat defence only.

While it can be moved to other worlds (or the dilithium mines on Rura Penthe), the transport requirement is considerable. Of course, there is also the consideration of whether your Empire is one that would create forced labour camps.

Unit Statistics

Base unit stats depends on the type of unit and various modifiers. Each Unit has three main stats: Attack Strength, Defence Strength and Morale.

Attack and Defence

Attack(AtK) and Defence(Def). Unit Offensive and Defensive strength. Base values that are used for combat die rolls. Determined by the unit type and adjusted based on the Racial Ground Combat Strength (RGCS) modifier. The RGCS, which starts at 10, can be increased through research, and will increasing both stats while maintaining the base proportions.

Morale

Unit combat effectiveness modifier. Affects the unit Attack and Defence strengths, and its likelihood of being destroyed.

Each unit starts with a Morale of 100. As long as its morale stays at this level it has no effect on combat. If the morale is increased or decreased, it affects both the attack and defence strengths of the unit. The modifier is equal to Strength x (Morale/100). For example, unit with 80 Morale will fight at 80% of its usual strength. In addition, lower morale units are more likely to be destroyed than higher morale units. When the roll is made after combat to determine if a unit is lost, the chance of being destroyed is divided by the unit's Morale/100. For example, if a unit with 120 Morale has a fifteen percent chance to be destroyed, the modified chance = 15% / (120/100) = 12.5%, so this unit has now only a 12.5% chance of being destroyed.

Units will lose morale when suffering casualties in combat or being placed in non-cryo combat drop pods for long. Morale will be regained over time, and may increase above 100% with training.

Size

Unit size in terms of manpower and equipment. This determines how much transport capacity a unit requires onboard ships. This is important when transporting units or assembling an invasion with limited troop transport fleet. For reference, a common size 5 TN era battalion, has 500 personnel.

Readiness

Readiness(Read). Unit max "hit points". Each unit starts with a Readiness of 100. When a unit is damaged as a result of combat it will lose a random amount of readiness from 1-50%. This is modified by current morale using the formula: Modified Readiness Loss = Readiness Loss / (Morale/100)

A unit with a readiness of less than 40% will be unable to attack. Defending units will continue defending until destroyed. Readiness losses can only be recovered with Replacement Divisions in the same location. A commander with a ground force training rating can speed up the recovery rate.

Summary Table

Unit Name Type Atk Def Size TP Special
Low Tech Infantry Division LIT 1.25 2.5 50 50 Maybe be converted into Infantry Cadres
Low Tech Armor Division LTA 3 3 50 90 Maybe be converted into Armor Cadres
Assault Infantry Battalion AST 10 5 5 100  
Mobile Infantry Battalion INF 5 10 5 100  
Heavy Assault Battalion HVA 12 12 5 180  
Garrision Battalion GAR 0 10 5 60  
Marine Battalion MAR 10 10 5 180 Double strength when attacking or defending ships
Marine Company MRC 2 2 1 36 Double strength when attacking or defending ships
Combat Engineer Battalion CEB 10 10 5 180 Double strength when attacking or defending a PDC
Brigade Headquarters BHQ 0 2 5 150 May command up to four battalions forming a brigade.
Divisional Headquarters DHQ 0 3 5 250 May command up to four brigades at a time.
Replacement Battalion REP 0 0.5 5 40 may be used to replenish other units
Infantry Cadre ICD 0.1 0.1 5   may be used to reduce the cost of training a new unit
Armor Cadre ACD 0.1 0.1 5   may be used to reduce the cost of training a new unit
Construction Brigade CB 0 5 25 150 act as a construction factory while on a planet
Forced Labour Unit CB 0 1 100 40 act as limited Construction Brigade

Recruiting, Training and Maintenance

Recruiting

Recruiting Ground Forces requires a colony with Ground Force Training Facility to recruit in, and some minerals. Each colony with GFTF can recruit one unit at a time, though multiple units can be queued up. Set on the 'GU training' tab on the Economic window.

The base cost and production time of a unit depends on its type:

  • Base cost, all units require an amount of Duranium equal to one quarter their training cost and an amount of Neutronium equal to three quarters of their training cost.
  • Production time. Can be increased with additional GFTF facilities and effected by the colonial governor modifiers;

Training

To train ground units, they need to be placed under the command of a headquarter with a suitable officer assigned. Training will then start and morale will increase over time, based on the Ground Forces Training Rating of their brigade and division commanders.

Every non-HQ unit is checked every 5-day increment. Those that have at least 100 morale (i.e. have fully recovered from combat) and are on the same planet as their Brigade Headquarters have a chance of morale increase. The base annual chance of increase is equal to the Ground Forces Training Rating of the Brigade commander. If the parent Division HQ of the Brigade HQ is also on the same planet, half the Ground Forces Training Rating of the Division commander is added to the chance of increase. If the Morale of the ground unit is above 100, the chance of morale increase is reduced by double the amount of morale exceeding 100.

This does not applies to battalions, Brigade HQs and Division HQs that are on board ships or in PDCs. So a battalion in a PDC cannot gain morale from training and a battalion on a planetary surface outside a PDC cannot gain morale from training if the Brigade HQ is on a ship or in a PDC.

Maintenance

Units cost a modest amount of wealth for upkeep. ...

Combat

see ground combat.

Ground forces can be employed to eliminate hostile ground forces in planetary assaults and ship boarding operations. During planetary assaults they can be assisted by orbital bombardment, but will be needed to storm any planetary defense centers and later force a surrender through occupation.

Deployment

There are two ship components that allow you to deploy troops. Ships equipped with Troop Transport Bays can be used to transport ground forces from planet to planet and carry them into combat zones, while Combat Drop Modules are used to deploy your forces to the surface of a planet/ship quickly.

Troop Transport Bays

Troop Transport Bays are primarily used to transport ground forces across the empire. Simply, bring a ship over to a planet or another ship with troop transport bays. Select the ship you want to load from and select Load GU into Troop Transport. You select the Ground units you want to add from the selection box that fits into the screen one by one. Note ground units come in different sizes, make sure your ships have sufficient Troop Transport capacity. Ground units may only be moved from a ship to a planet, or vice versa, if the ship is in orbit.

Troop Transport can also be used to land forces from orbit into combat, however, transport bays use the same rules for loading and unloading apply as cargo holds, i.e. without a spaceport or cargo handling system, it might take your brigade two weeks to disembark on a hostile planet. That might do if the planet is not defended, but you'd better research combat drop technology if it is.

Combat Drop Modules

Combat Drop Modules are assault transports that are primarily used for quick orbital insertion during planetary assaults where achieving tactical surprise is often an important factor. Ground units loaded into drop pods can be combat dropped, which doesn't require any unloading time for them to hit the ground and begin fighting. There are battalion-sized and company-sized drop modules (for Marines), which have to be researched first.

You don't need troop bays, but troops held in drop modules will lose morale over time. So you'll want to move them around in troop bays and only transfer them to drop modules when you need to. Don't forget to include Cargo Handling Systems on the transports because troops begin to lose morale as soon as the transfer to drop modules begins. Note that a battalion-sized drop module fits nicely in a FAC.

Cryogenic Combat Drop Modules are drop pods which do not result in a morale loss if troops are kept in them. You cannot mix cryogenic and non-cryogenic drop modules.

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