Clash (The Clash game mode)

"This is the clash of our lives. A battle that will determine the fate of two worlds. We have to fight for ours, before they take it over with theirs. And we're not going down without a fight."

- Ryan Wright, Random Republic Marine

Clash is a game mode that combines elements of strategy and fast-paced action.

Overall Gameplay
Each faction has different capabilities to which they can be played.

Similarities
Both factions are supposed to harvest resources around the map to power their army.

Map Zoning
Each map has zones depending on the size. Bear in mind that even the "smallest" maps in the Clash are quite large compared to most games to necessitate balancing.


 * Mini: 7 zones - 1 to 2 objectives each
 * Small: 10 zones - 1 to 3 objectives each
 * Medium: 13 zones - 2 to 3 objectives each
 * Large: 16 zones - 3 to 4 objectives each
 * Mega: 20 zones - 4 to 5 objectives each
 * All-Out: All 26 letters of the English alphabet - 5 objectives each

Rifts
Each zone contains a Rift and a corresponding "center" to Stabilize/Neutralize. It only can appear 1 minute every 5 minutes, in which it can appear 6 times per hour.

Uplinking/Soulbinding
Players can opt to change their gameplay by Uplinking (Republic's term) or Soulbinding (Order's term).

Veterancies
All factions have 2 veterancy types, affecting abilities of each unit.

One is called the Unit Veterancy, which an individual unit is ranked according to actions done to enemies (or allies in the case of support units). Each unit can go up to 4 unit veterancies.


 * Unit veterancies are as follows (Fun fact: these are also called the AI difficulties of the game!):
 * Greenie (no veterancy)
 * Veteran (one level, denoted by one chevron)
 * Elite (two levels, denoted by two chevrons)
 * Heroic (three levels, denoted by three chevrons)
 * Legendary (four levels, denoted by a star)

The other is the Shared Veterancy, a veterancy type that is held by a type of unit. The more units of the same type deployed in the battlefield and used in combat, that faster its shared veterancy goes up. Each unit type can go up to 7 shared veterancies. The shared veterancy system is built so that early game units scale up to late game.


 * Shared veterancies are only denoted by numbers.

The Republic
The Republic is a fast-paced faction that requires constant scouting of the map as possible, putting their high mobility to good use. They can enter a first/third person shooter mode or a real time strategy mode through "Uplinking".

In addition to that, Republic units and commanders all have access to the Battlefield Relay System, which allows them to coordinate their attacks at a single zone, or to split up to take multiple objectives. They can request and call in support powers, as long as the structure/tier permits it.

In terms of resource management, all of their resources take some time to refine into their materials, called Credits, Alloy, and Supplies.

The Order
The Order, in contrast, is a slower-paced faction that requires micromanagement of troops. They can enter a real time strategy mode, or a first/third person real time tactics mode with action RPG elements, through "Soulbinding".

The Order's infantry can be upgraded to Leaders, which are the only ones that are capable of Soulbinding. Only Leaders are authorized to call in actions within mixes of battlegroups within the Leader's command, through an Orders Scroll. For example, a Knight leader can command a group of Archers to take position above an elevated position while commanding a Knight group to charge ahead. Each units are only assigned to the closest Leader available, and they can only have up to 10 unit groups at the start, though can be expanded at the Combat Academy/Combat University. The Reservist Camps are also used to house in reserve units/leaders and also functions as a defensive structure in case of attack.

Both the RTS and FPS views have ways to control troops. The RTS view is more straightforward with its troop management, while the FPS mode is more difficult despite being more mobile.
 * Example: I have a Knight leader. I can only take in a mix of 10 different units un-upgraded. I can only have:
 * A separate Knight group (Can be obtained by training Knights at a Camp, same is true for every other infantry)
 * An Archer group
 * A Healer group
 * An Apprentice group
 * A Striker group
 * A Werewolf group
 * A Monk group
 * A Samurai group
 * A Bard group
 * A Musketeer group.

Unlike the Republic, the Order can utilize the resources from the get-go to start building up their army fast.