Kalran: Tales of the four nations/Infantry

Infantry refers to military personnel, and is a type of unit dedicating to fighting on foot. Most infantry units are trained at the barracks structure of each faction.

Infantry units travel by foot, and engage, fight, and defeat the enemy with their weapons in head-to-head combat. Though they are usually vulnerable to most weapons, susceptible to getting supressed, and losing morale in combat, they are capable of being transported inside the vehicles, aircraft, vessels, or any transportation, and can garrison in buildings, such as the civilian or neutral ones.

Traditionally, infantry are the backbone of the army, as well as extremely numerous.

Often the first into battle, and based off their role in company of heroes. Infantry forms the backbone of any faction. Coming in squad size with the average squad being significantly more expensive compared to infantry units from C&C style games.

They are also the only unit type that has multiple voice actor by default, representing how they are a squad, with the captain of the squad being the one who speaks the most. The only exceptions are infantry with only one unit.

Squad size
Unlike vehicles or aircraft infantry units come in squad size, ranging from two up to twenty at largest. Basically, this means that infantry are much tougher than they look, since a squad is only considered dead when all infantry in it are dead.

And, unlike other units, they are able to replenish losses by reinforcements, which is significantly cheaper then making a new squad most of the time. This part is even more significant for earthborn veterans and waterborn veteran officers, since they take their veterancy with them when they die.

Reinforcement cost: (infantry cost ÷ 4 ÷ (total squad size - 1))

Example: Vanguard reinforcement cost (600 ÷ 4 ÷ (3 - 1)) = $75

Cover
One of the most IMPORTANT part of infantry, and what makes them significantly tougher then they look, is cover. Similar to company of heroes and dawn of war 2 infantry can take cover behind objects, whether a line of sandbags or a car, which protect them from damage, and the heavier the cover, the better. But said cover will only protect them if its between them and enemy fire, so flanking infantry behind cover is a good idea, and those with high arcs, like artillery, will usually ignore it, but fortunately most of these weapons are too inaccurate to hit, and anti-garrison weapons, like flamethrowers and snipers, will ignore any defense, though snipers fire rate is reduced due to needing to aim for a popping head.


 * Light Cover, represented by an orange shield, consist of soft or frail cover, like a wooden fence or a crater. Infantry behind these cover reduces all incoming damage by a quarter but most can be easily destroyed by high caliber bullets and explosives


 * Heavy Cover, represented by a green shield, consisting of hard structures like a stone fence or sandbags, is considerably better as it usually can't be destroyed by bullets. Infantry behind these covers reduces all incoming damage by half.


 * Structural Cover inside buildings and other Garrisonable structures is easily the best cover against anything and trained groups of infantry, particularly the Dwarves, can easily turn a civilian structure into a makeshift fortress, keeping them safe, at least as long as the structure stands. The number of infantry that can be garrisoned inside a building depends upon the building's size which they can fire out. Though, more in line with company of heroes, infantry will still take damage and can die while garrisoned though all incoming damage is reduced to a quarter, unless it's an anti-garrison weapon, like a flamethrower, which deals double damage instead


 * Negative Cover, represented by a red shield split down the middle, consisting of roads and similar open terrain, is the worst position an infantry can be in while in combat. As in such area all oncoming damage is tripled.

Morale
Infantry also have a secondary health, called morale, which takes damage when they suffers heavy damage in short amount of time, heavy suppression, heavy artillery, or terror weapon like toxins and fire. And will suffer heavy debuffs to their damage, range, and suppression resistance but increase speed and defense once it's depleted. And if infantry morale stays deplete for too long, or suffer heavy morale damage like a bombardment, most will retreat off the map, the equivalent of the squad dying.


 * Fanatic: At this state, which is limited to a few units, the unit stats are doubled.
 * Calm: At this state, the unit is in normal combat effectiveness and can engage targets effectively.
 * Worried: At this state, the unit begins to suffer minor reduction of combat effectiveness but still able to fight.
 * Shaken: At this state, the unit's combat effectiveness has reduced even more.
 * Panicked: At this state, the unit suffers the worst reduction of combat effectiveness.
 * Rout: A panicked unit that keeps getting under fire will eventually rout. They will flee off the battlefield, essentially dying, unless stopped by a special ability.
 * Broken: For some units, mostly the Penitent Legion, ADF, and heroes, Rout will instead be replaced by this status instead. In this state the unit will basically be worthless in combat but, unlike rout, they will never retreat unless ordered.
 * Berserk: For other units, like the Flamethrower, Rout will instead be replaced by this status instead, while their combat effectiveness increases when their morale plummets. In this state the unit gains increase damage and speed and will attack the nearest unit but will become uncontrollable, and can't be ordered to retreat, for some time.

Suppression and pinned
Suppression is an effect that afflicts infantry while they're being fired at, mostly by anti-infantry weapons like machineguns. A suppressed unit receives a lot of penalties to their movement speed and firing accuracy, reducing its combat effectiveness. Further fire from "suppressive" weapons can cause the unit to get "Pinned-Down", in which case it becomes almost totally immobile and worthless in combat. Several abilities can negate or reduce these effects, but a unit left suppressed in a battlefield for more than a few moments will surely get destroyed.

When infantry are hit by a heavy machine gun, rapid artillery bombardment, or a sniper, they will go into a suppressed state. Lowering their speed but briefly increases their defense, especially if in cover. Followed by taking low but constant morale damage, and heavily reduced rate of fire and damage.

If a Skirmisher infantry gets suppressed or a medium infantry stays suppressed for a too long they will become pinned, fully immobilizing said infantry and briefly grant a large buff to defense but will take more damage afterwards and can't attack.

Heavy infantry are immune to suppression effect. But heavy infantry will take more damage and are slowed down, with superheavy speed slowed to the point of being pinned, while heavy artillery strikes will stun them.

Injuries
Similar to vehicles. When infantry takes damage their combat prowess may drop, depending on their facton:

Earthborn: Everytime their health drops by a quarter their stats will drop by 25%, becoming slower and weaker. And at quarter health are basically useless.

Waterborn: Once they lose half of their health their speed and rate of fire drops by 25%.

Windborn: If their health takes damage, no matter how small, their speed will slow to a crawl.

Fireborn: Unlike the other three their unit stats remain unchanged, no matter if they're at full health or near death, unless specified.

Basic
The first soldiers the commander can train. Basic are only of the earliest forces a commander can train. Most of them are equipped to fight against other infantry but some, like the Vanguard, are also able to fight against aircraft or vehicles. Though cheap they are able to serve from early to late game.

Engineer
Trained to provide support. Engineers are tasked with helping their forces and capturing buildings.

Power-armored
The elite force of the army. Power-armored infantry takes their name from the armor they wear. Compared to other infantry their armor and durability is closer to vehicles, easily shrugging off most small arms and nimble enough to dodge anti-tank weaponry, but autocannons and grenades tend to hurt more.

Trivia

 * Infantry squads are rather unique in that they are the only forces, barring infantry in one squad, to have multiple voice actors in a unit, representing each squad member, to some extant