Advance Wars (series): Difference between revisions

The battle system in Advance Wars is simple. The objective is to defeat the enemy [[force]] by either capturing their [[HQ|headquarter]]s, destroying all of the enemy units, or completing a specific objective with your own army of units. Each unit has its own unique advantages

The battlefield is set on a square grid, with each square being a different type of terrain. Certain units can travel over certain terrains, for example, [[river|rivers]] and [[mountain|mountains]] can be traversed by [[infantry]] and [[mech]] units, but not other [[:Category:Ground Units|ground units]]. [[:Category:Aerial Units|Air unit]]s can travel over nearly anything without being hindered, and [[:Category:Sea Units|sea unit]]s can travel at [[sea]]. Each piece of terrain grants a {{defense}} bonus denoted by stars; the higher, the better.

Units can be deployed in three ways-one, they can be bought at a [[base]](ground), [[port]](sea), or [[airport]](air);two, they are already pre-deployed on the map in question;and three, by the effect of [[Sensei]]'s CO powers. Units have [[gas]], [[ammunition]] and [[movement cost]]s over certain terrain- you must manage your units and keep them supplied to succeed.

To buy new units, you must use various amounts of [[G]], or funds. Each army starts out with a set amount of G, but [[capture|captured]] [[property|properties]] will produce G each turn.

Every unit has units it can and cannot attack, and how good it is at attacking those units. For example, infantry can effectively attack other foot soldiers, but are weak against vehicles and helicopters, and cannot fight planes and ships. [[Bomber]]s can attack ground and sea units, but cannot fight against planes and helicopters. [[Stealth]] planes and [[seaplane]]s can attack nearly any unit, but submerged [[submarine]]s can only be attacked by [[cruiser]]s and other submarines. This effectively creates a "rock-paper-scissors" situation-Unit A is strong against Unit B, Unit B is strong against Unit C, Unit C is strong against Unit A. Creating a balanced army is a vital part of a good strategy.

Although many units, such as [[tank]]s, [[fighter]]s, and [[battle helicopter]]s, can only attack units right next to them, there are some units that can attack from afar, but not from up close, such as [[rockets]], [[battleship]]s, and [[missile]]s. These are called indirect attack units.

After you move one of your units, you assign it a command. All units have the "Wait" command, which orders the unit to do nothing, and any unit armed with weapons that have ammunition will be able to Fire on other units within their range. Other units have commands exclusive to that unit or a small group of units-[[APC]]s can Supply other units on the spot, submarines and stealth planes can dive and hide, respectively, and so on.

[[Commanding Officers]] (COs) offer certain bonuses to certain types of units, but weaknesses for others. For example, [[Sami]]'s infantry are very strong compared to others, but her other direct-attack ground units suffer slightly. Each CO has their own [[CO power]](and, in some cases, Super CO Power) which offers major bonuses that can change the tide of a battle. Powers can only be used once a "power meter" is filled, however, so use them wisely.

In a [[Fog of War]] situation, units can only see a certain distance, indicated by their Vision stat. Infantry and mechs in [[mountain]]s can see further, but certain terrain will make units invisible to all but its allies unless an opponent moves directly next to it, so think wisely.