26. Combat Soft Factors

A group of key factors that impact combat operations are Combat Soft Factors. These are the soft data items that represent the human elements found on a battlefield. The three key elements used in the game are Readiness, Morale, and Training.

26.1 Readiness

Readiness is represented by a number from 1% (worst) to 100% (best) indicating the ability of the unit to perform as required. Readiness is lost during combat and movement actions. Readiness is recovered when a unit sits in place without being fired on or if it Resupplies. If a unit’s Readiness goes critically low, it will be noted in the Staff Alerts.

The amount of Readiness recovered can be specified when prompted with the Recover Supply and Readiness dialog after ordering Rest & Resupply (see Section 21.2 above) as well as through modifying the Adjust Rest & Resupply SOP (from the Unit Popup Menu or the Staff tab of the Unit Dashboard; see Section 14.2.4 above).

From the Recover Supply and Readiness dialog, enter a % Readiness value to set what level of Readiness the unit must recover to in order to return to other orders. Recovering takes time and so adjusting this value higher or lower will also change how long the order takes to execute, which is reflected in the Minutes field. Likewise, ordering a specific number of Minutes to spend recovering will return a corresponding amount of Readiness.

26.2 Morale

Morale is represented by a number from 1% (worst) to 100% (best) indicating the mental state of the unit. Morale is lost in combat by taking losses or being close to friendly units that take losses (within 1000 m). It can have greater reductions when it is further out of range of from its headquarters. Morale is recovered slowly by Resting and Resupplying and occasionally by obtaining kills against other units. It cannot be set as a benchmark to achieve from resting unlike Readiness. If a unit’s Morale goes critically low, it will be noted in the Staff Alerts.

26.3 Training

Training level is marked by an identifier representing the average amount of pre-war training received. These training levels include Untrained, Green, Average, Veteran, and Elite. Units with higher training levels are more likely to perform better on the battlefield, suffer less severe Readiness and Morale reductions from events, and recover faster from those losses. This training level is noted before the primary type of unit in many detailed information displays like the Unit Dashboard (see Section 14.2 above) and other reports. Modern combat is fast and intense which means all units receive training prior to battle as there is no time to learn once on the ground. Consequently, units’ training levels do not increase during battle.