I'm not certain if Amplitude has committed to how they will represent time, and how that will impact battles. So far, we know that, like previous titles, battles are turn limited, and exist on a "battle map" that is a copy of the existing global map. While this may be suitable for ground or naval units, I think it will increasingly break down when representing the escalating speed and range of modern combat. This includes, but is not limited to:

Manned aircraft - both combat  and non-combat missions (reconnaisance, resupply, strategic airlift)

Rockets and missiles (Conventional and Nuclear)

Cyberwarfare

And other elements difficult to quantify, such as special forces units.

I propose that for HumanKind, Amplitude represents these rapid military events as off-battle map strikes. While in battle with regular forces, players would have a row of buttons showing which strikes are available, and the damage effects if if was used against an enemy unit. Strikes are based out of a unit, such as a fighter wing, mobile rocket regiment, or silo. Some units, such as aircraft, must of course be stationed at airbases.

Each strike has a range from the base unit, visible on a strike overlay. This would allow the player, at a glance, to see which tiles are covered by their air, missile, and cyber forces. I would recommend that this overlay also includes the player's strike defenses (anti-air, cyber defenses), and known intelligence about enemy strike forces. I believe this representation would help players fight battles without drawing their attention away to manipulate units far from the ongoing battle.

Yeah I can see instant resolve actions needing some thought... 

For example: Depending on the tech level of your age... you might have advanced notice of a missile strike incomming or even a cyber strike...  And perhaps there is an action you can take to mitigate some of the damage of these attacks.  On the flip side, if you are running 1890's tech against a nation that is running 2030 tech... you will be very surprised when missles start raining out of the sky.

Response to strikes is easily done assuming Amplitude keeps the "Initiative" stat for units, and through spies and other espionage or intelligence systems. If aircraft and missiles are implemented, it is certain that anti-air-artillery will be available in some form.

What NovaBlazer describes falls more in the realm of strategic surprise, which should only occur if a player deliberately chooses to not invest in science. The only real world analogy I can think of is the Second Italian-Ethiopian War of 1935, where the Italians had early airplanes and the Ethiopians had no air-counter. The Coalition bombing of Iraq in 1991 might be close, but the poor infrastructure and tactics of the Iraqi air defense were as much to blame as Coalition superiority in stealth, precision bombing, and intelligence.

@Aye_Avast "grosse bertha" bombing of Paris in WW1 ? V1 and V2 strikes in WW2 ?

cromcrom wrote:

@Aye_Avast "grosse bertha" bombing of Paris in WW1 ? V1 and V2 strikes in WW2 ?

All good examples of Strikes.

The ultimate counter of the Allies in both cases was to overrun the positions used for the Paris Gun, and the V rocket launch sites.

Artillery can provide counter-battery fire. Today there is the Iron Dome or CRAAM weapons systems to shoot down the projectile itself.

The British were able to nullify V1 rockets through interception by jet fighters and radar-assisted ADA.

Players will always have some way to respond to a strike.

I agree, having to spend several "turns", months or even years, to move a missle "unit" to an enemy tile is silly. Either you have a missle defense system already in place or the missle hits essentially instantly from the perspective of a "turn".

If I am informed correctly in WW II there were much simpler, but effective ways to irritate bombers, by painting the buildings of towns like London white e.g..