HVH:Faction Clash

Battle weary Colonial Marines display the captured flag of the UPP

Introduction

Faction clash is a game mode of CM-SS13. It is a Human versus Human game mode that focuses on two human factions engaging in direct combat with each other. This typically centres around the Marines of the United States Colonial Marine Corps, and the Naval Infantry of the Armed Forces of the Union of Progressive Peoples.

In addition to the different nature of combat, this event makes a lot of major and minor changes to game play systems in comparison to the default Distress Call game mode. These are detailed below.

This game mode is a in-development event that requires direct staff-intervention to run it, because of this, it is a uncommon game mode.

Differences To Distress Call

The nature of combat for a human versus human event means a lot of changes are made to some of the well known gameplay systems to better ensure the event feels fair and balanced. Due to how rare it is for humans to fight other humans in the Distress Call game mode, it often means these rare fights are very brutal, extremely damaging to both fighters and hard to recover from. These changes aim to address it.

An American corpsman attempts to revive a critically injured Union soldier.

Medical Changes

• Internal bleeding is disabled
• Defibrillators work through armour
• Splints are replaced with Nano-Splints, these splints are significantly harder to break from gunfire, and allow you to move much faster with broken limbs
• Dragging or stripping the dead or unconscious bodies of the opposing faction is disallowed. You can still revive them, and then move them when they are alive (and ideally hand-cuffed).

Marine forces engage a Union urban position.

Combat Changes

• Most guns suffer extreme accuracy falloff past 7 to 10 tiles, meaning damage is only consistently dealt to targets on your screen. Some weapons experience more, or less, accuracy fall off based on the type of rifle.
• Armour piercing ammunition suffers extreme accuracy penalties beyond close range, around 3 to 5 tiles, but is extremely accurate in close range.
• Close and long-range scopes on all weapons are disabled.
• USCM armour, helmets, gloves and boots are significantly buffed. They are generally slightly weaker than their UPP counterpart, but now afford much better protection.
• Binoculars provide significantly less forward vision.

Misc Changes

• Mortar strikes take slightly longer to land, and produce a visible warning laser where the shell will land prior to impact.
• Orbital Bombardment and Close Air Support are (currently) disabled.
• UPP frontline roles have similar skills to their USCM counterparts, instead of massively buffed skills due to their ERT status in Distress Call.
• The USCM Ordinance Technician role is disabled.
• Unique UPP only landing-zones are added for their use.
• The UPP operate out of their own unique warship, the SSV Rostock.
• The UPP are given a large array of unique roles similar in function to the USCM for the event.

The naval infantry of the Smoldering Sons prepare to deploy to battle via their Accipiter-Dropship.

Mission Details

Due to the ad-hoc nature of this game mode, exactly how it will play out will vary. Generally, every round will focus on a similar system wherein both factions are aiming to achieve an objective that is mutually incompatible with the enemy faction's objective.

A typical round will see both factions spawn onboard their own dedicated military ship. The USS Almayer for the Marines, and the SSV Rostock for the UPP.

There will be a approximate 15 minute timer until both factions are permitted to deploy to the operations zone via their own dropships to a unique landing zone. Once landed, there is generally a small ceasefire timer in effect, usually for ten minutes, until both factions are then allowed to commence combat operations. This ceasefire time is ostensibly to give "civilians time to evacuate", but in reality to give both factions time to prepare and fortify their FOB and gain a lay of the land.

End Game

A Faction Clash game mode will usually last for a maximum of two hours, unless one faction wins earlier. The end-game conditions are as follows.

• Major Victory: Push the enemy faction completly off of the planet and secure their FOB
• Minor Victory: Contain the enemy faction inside their FOB, or if the round reaches 2 hours, hold more of the planet under your control than the enemy
• Draw: Both factions hold a similar amount of territory once 2 hours has elapsed.

Former combatants engage in conversation following the signing of an armistice.

Ceasefire

Should the round be reaching the 2 hour mark and no faction has yet won, an alert will be given indicating that the UPP and USCM High Commands are in the process of signing an armistice, which will signal a ceasefire. This armistice will go into effect at the 2 hour mark, or otherwise at the discretion of the staff running the event.

Should a ceasefire go into effect, the game will end, and victory is assigned based on who has control of more of the operations zone, or a draw is declared if both sides hold equal territory.

Tips & Tricks

Victory and defeat are often decided more often than not on who wins the war of attrition, rather than who wins the first engagement. The faction that is able to recover their wounded and dead, while denying the same to the enemy, is likely to eventually become too strong for the enemy to resist.

Union sappers have wisely constructed walls alongside their barricades to better cover their Medics.

Metal barricades do not offer complete protection from bullets, even when given enhanced ballistic plates via applying 2 sheets of metal to a finished barricade. In a ideal environment, placing two or three metal, or reinforced metal, walls between every few tiles of barricades will offer superior protection, as walls not only block 100% of bullets, they also help resist incoming explosives or mortar strikes.

Engaging the enemy in combat is a risky endeavour in the best of circumstances. Carefully approaching any new area, while maintaining hard cover such as walls and keeping a clear line of retreat behind you, will help afford you the best protection from enemies awaiting you. Excessive use of grenades and explosives can help clear out chock points or enemies waiting around corners.