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Broken Arrow
Asid:
Broken Arrow is a large-scale real-time modern warfare tactics game.
A unique army building system and deep units customisation tools allow for endless replayability.
With 200+ realistic military units and technologies, each battle is more immersive than ever before.
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Broken Arrow is a large-scale real-time modern warfare tactics game. The base game features both the American and Russian factions, more than 100 units and multiple deck specialisations per nation.
Broken Arrow brings the genre to a whole new level by combining the complexity of a joint-forces wargame with the typical real-time tactics action-packed gameplay.
Build your army deck by choosing from over 200 different units. Part of the battle is won by planning well: create the right combination of unit types and weapons to defeat your enemy, and don’t forget to consider the terrain when you choose.
UNIQUE ARMY BUILDING
Broken Arrow features a wide range of units, that are split into seven categories based on their characteristics: your army deck includes recon units, infantry, fighting vehicles, support units, logistical units, helicopters and airstrikes slots.
• RECON UNITS: includes infantry, vehicles and drones specialized in the task of spotting and marking the enemy position.
• INFANTRY: includes line infantry, shock troops, special forces, anti-tank teams, anti-aircraft teams.
• FIGHTING VEHICLES: includes tanks, ATGM carriers and fire support vehicles.
• SUPPORT: includes artillery and anti-aircraft vehicles that provide long range support on the battlefield.
• LOGISTICS: includes all the units designed to improve combat efficiency by providing ammunition, repairs, medical supplies and much more.
• HELICOPTERS: includes multipurpose cavalry units best used far from the heatpoints.
• AIRSTRIKES: includes many different weapons, swarms of tactical missiles and airdrops of troops, vehicles and supplies.
CUSTOM UNITS
Modern vehicles and aircraft are generally compatible with different weapons and armor packages; Broken Arrow features a detailed customisation system that allows you to modify the specific components of your units, either individually or as a loadout.
• Customize your aircraft by choosing weapons, fuel tanks, designation pods, countermeasure pods and decoys.
• Add armor or defensive systems to your vehicles and upgrade their weaponry and sensors.
• Special forces have access to a wide variety of equipment for you to choose: add suppressors, thermal optics, reconnaissance drones, explosive charges and much more.
ACTION-PACKED COMBAT
Choose the right combination of units from your deck and deploy them to the battlefield, via land, the sea or from the air. Use paratroopers and helicopters to rapidly seize key locations, reinforce them with heavy tanks and break enemy counter attacks with artillery and tactical missiles.
Infiltrate special forces behind enemy lines to disrupt enemy logistics and provide laser designation for your planes. Use the terrain to your advantage to ambush, out flank and outsmart your enemy.
Features
- Build your army deck by choosing from over 200 different units.
- 7 different units types:
• RECON UNITS: includes infantry, vehicles and drones specialized in the task of spotting and marking the enemy position.
• INFANTRY: includes line infantry, shock troops, special forces, anti-tank teams, anti-aircraft teams.
• FIGHTING VEHICLES: includes tanks, ATGM carriers and fire support vehicles.
• SUPPORT: includes artillery and anti-aircraft vehicles that provide long range support on the battlefield.
• LOGISTICS: includes all the units designed to improve combat efficiency by providing ammunition, repairs, medical supplies and much more.
• HELICOPTERS: includes multipurpose cavalry units best used far from the heatpoints.
• AIRSTRIKES: includes many different weapons, swarms of tactical missiles and airdrops of troops, vehicles and supplies.
- Units customization
• Customize your aircraft by choosing weapons, fuel tanks, designation pods, countermeasure pods and decoys.
• Add armor or defensive systems to your vehicles and upgrade their weaponry and sensors.
• Special forces have access to a wide variety of equipment for you to choose: add suppressors, thermal optics, reconnaissance drones, explosive charges and much more.
Asid:
Broken Arrow - Dev Diary #1 - Ground Combat Vehicles
29 June 2021
Since announcing Broken Arrow during Home of Wargamers Live+, we have received lots of questions and comments: we’re humbled by your interest, and we’re keen to share more of our development progress. In this first development diary, we bring you a sneak peek on how ground combat vehicles work in Broken Arrow.
T-14 ARMATA versus M1A2 ABRAM. Click to zoom.
The chassis
The most fundamental part of a vehicle is the chassis. It gives the vehicle its mobility thanks to its engine and propulsion system and is generally either wheeled or tracked. The chassis affects acceleration and the maximum speed that can be reached across different terrain. It will also determine if the unit is amphibious or not, if it can be airlifted by helicopters, deployed by planes and so on.
Weaponry
The weapons carried by the chassis will determine which kind of target a vehicle can attack. Some are better against infantry, some are dedicated to the destruction of vehicles or aircraft, but most importantly it is possible to customize these weapons.
For instance the Stryker APC is equipped with a remote weapon station (RWS) that can carry a M240 medium machine gun, an M2 browning HMG, or a Mk19 grenade launcher.
But that’s not all, smoke grenades can also be fitted on the RWS as well as Javelin missiles.
Stryker ICV with various weapons ranging from a simple M2 browning that can be upgraded with extra smoke grenade discharger and a Javelin missile to a 30mm autocannon. Click to zoom.
Armor
The chassis also defines the armor of the vehicle. The armor is different for the front, the sides, the rear and the top of a vehicle.
Armor allows vehicles to take less damage from projectiles with a penetration value inferior to the armor. If the penetration value of your weapon is too low compared to the armor of the target, your units will not even shoot. This is to save ammunition and avoid being spotted unnecessarily.
The armor of tanks is strongest at the front. So it is generally best to target either their exposed side armor or even better, their almost non-existent rear armor.
The armor value varies depending on whether the projectile is using kinetic energy (KE) or chemical energy (CE).
Kinetic energy weapons
The most common firearms, like machine guns, use kinetic energy to pierce through armor. This energy is gained by accelerating a projectile with an explosion inside the gun and is released when hitting the target. Part of this energy is also lost in flight due to air drag so the further away your target, the less damage you will cause. If the armor of your target is too thick to shoot at maximum range try to get closer to gain more penetration.
The APFSDS shells (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) fired by tanks at each other are the most powerful kinetic energy weapons carried by ground units.
M1A2 Abrams with various armor packages and the Trophy active protection system Click to zoom.
Upgrade your defense
As we’ve seen, HEAT projectiles are widely used and can be carried by infantry. That makes using vehicles in close quarters combat very risky. To compensate for that, several defensive upgrades can be installed on vehicles:
[*] Slat armor can be placed around the whole vehicle or on the most sensitive parts. It consists of a cage of metal bars that will damage or prematurely detonate the HEAT charge and partially protect the vehicle. This type of armor is totally ineffective against KE projectiles.
[*] Explosive reactive armor (ERA) can be fitted around vehicles as well. The principle is to create an extra layer of armor sitting on an explosive charge that will be ejected against the incoming projectile when the explosive charge is hit. This is very efficient against HEAT but not so much against KE projectiles.
[*] Active protection systems use mini radars to detect incoming projectiles and shoot them in the air with an explosive charge or another projectile. They are perfectly efficient against CE projectiles but also moderately efficient against KE projectiles. Their downside is that they have a limited amount of charges and must reload after each interception, so they can be saturated.
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M2 Bradley in its most basic A2 version and A3 version with BUSK armor package. Click to zoom.
Counter the counter!
One more thing to consider with chemical energy weapons - Extra armor weighs a lot and diminishes a vehicle’s mobility so it cannot be placed everywhere. The top armor of a vehicle is generally the weakest so that’s where top attack missiles try to hit. Instead of going straight for their target, they first gain altitude, to attack their target from above.
Infantry using tall buildings will be an even greater threat to vehicles, for similar reasons.
Asid:
Broken Arrow - Dev Diary #2 - Helicopters
27 July 2021
In our previous dev diary we introduced some of the mechanics related to ground combat vehicles. Let’s rise above all this fighting in the mud and focus on a more elevated subject: helicopters.
Helicopters are like cavalry units, they are fast, can pack a lot of punch but are not very resilient. They can have very different profiles depending on their armaments and sensors, which can be customized.
For each pylon you can choose what kind of weapon you want to attach, or simply leave it empty to deploy the helicopter more cheaply.
Unit preview #1: Ka-52 Alligator and AH-64D Apache
Whenever possible, other elements can be customized, such as additional countermeasures, or the longbow radar on the AH-64.
Unit preview #2: AH-64D Apache with longbow radars
Attack Helicopters
The most dangerous machines, they can perform different tasks.
Attack helicopters can be equipped with advanced weaponry: missiles can engage tanks at very long range; volleys of rockets can suppress infantry and destroy light vehicles in seconds; guns provide more sustained fire power.
They can carry anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down other helicopters and fight off planes.
When equipped with the right sensors, attack helicopters can also perform reconnaissance missions.
Some attack helicopters, like the Mi-24 and its latest evolution the Mi-35M, have the ability to transport one squad of infantry, even if that’s not their primary role.
The big downside of all helicopters is the limited amount of ammunition they can carry. They need to land to resupply, leaving them very vulnerable to artillery fire.
Transport Helicopters
They can be of various sizes, from the tiny MH-6 little bird that can only transport a few men to the most powerful beasts like the CH-47 Chinook, or the giant Russian Mi-26. This last one can transport multiple squads of infantry at once, supplies and even sling load vehicles across the battlefield.
Unit preview #3: CH-47 Chinook can carry up to 4 squads of infantry and lift vehicles and supplies.
SHORAD
SHORAD stands for short range air defense. These vehicles are the bane of helicopters with their guns and/or missiles.
Unit preview #4: Pantsir S1 anti-air system is armed with 12 ready to fire missiles and 2x 30mm cannons.
Even though they are very deadly to helicopters, they don’t have the same mobility: it’s a game of cat and mouse to avoid enemy anti-aircraft units.
To avoid them, helicopters have the ability to fly “nap of the earth”: they reduce their altitude to hide behind the terrain. This maneuver allows them to avoid being detected, and breaks the line of sight if targeted. The downside is that at such low altitude their flight speed is reduced; this makes them more vulnerable to other threats, such as ground vehicles and infantry.
As a last resort, helicopters equipped with counter-measures can drop them to try to lure missiles away; keep in mind that there’s a limited amount of use and there is nothing you can do against a 30mm shell already flying your way.
Unit preview #5: Nap of the Earth flight
Pick the right unit, and use it the right way
It might look like a rock-paper-scissors system where helicopters hunt tanks, anti-aircraft hunt helicopters and tanks hunt anti-aircraft, but Broken Arrow is not a game of hard counter. The right unit used the wrong way can swiftly be destroyed by what it was supposed to be hunting.
For instance, many tanks have machine guns on the roof. They do not match helicopters’ weaponry but flying over a platoon of tanks that are hiding in a forest will probably get your helicopter killed even if it has 16 Hellfire missiles on board. And if a tank meets with the double fast firing 30mm gun of a Pantsir at close range, chances are the tank will be stripped of all its external sensors, making it inoperable.
Asymmetric Gameplay
The units in Broken Arrow are based on real military equipment, which means that each nation in the game will have its own gameplay style based on the actual vehicles and armaments used by said nation in real life.
For instance, US and Russian doctrines about helicopters are very different, leading to the development of very different equipment. The USA tends to have lighter helicopters but with better sensors, while Russia has heavily armed transports.
DID YOU ENJOY THIS DEV DIARY? COME JOIN US ON DISCORD.
If you’d like to discuss this dev diary or anything else about the game, please join us on our official Discord server here.
Asid:
Broken Arrow - Dev Diary #3 - Infantry
Tue, September 21, 2021
We have previously discussed vehicles and helicopters, and it’s now time to shed some light on the oldest weapon platform of them all: the infantryman.
Infantry has a very important role in Broken Arrow because it has the upper hand over vehicles and helicopters in entire sections of the battlefield.
Marine Raiders boarding a CH-53E Super Stallion. This helicopter can contain up to 3 squads of 14 Raiders and lift up to 16t of cargo.
Infantry is inherently a very defensive type of unit: it moves slowly, it is difficult to detect and hard to dislodge from urban, wooded or mountainous terrain.
Attacking infantry with vehicles in these types of terrain is like asking for a beating. It requires intensive indirect fire support for suppression and your own infantry to progress. If enemy artillery starts sticking its nose into this already messy situation it can lead to a long and costly stalemate. So it’s generally advised to move around that kind of defensive position if possible.
The basic infantry squads generally come with a set of rifles, light machine guns and grenade launchers to fight against other infantry squads and they usually carry short range anti tank weapons.
Some Russian infantry weapons (AK-74M, GP-34, PKP, SVD-M, RPG-7, RPG-26, RPO-A Shmel)
More specialized squads carry powerful long range weapons including heavy machine guns, anti tank guided missiles (ATGM) and man portable air defense missiles (MANPAD). These weapons increase both your defensive range and the level of threat you pose, which might force the enemy into dealing with them.
Some American infantry weapons (M4A1, M203, CQBR, M110 SASS, M40A5, M107, Mk16 SCAR-L, M32, AT-4, Carl Gustaf, Javelin)
Recon infantry consists of smaller squads down to 2 men sniper teams which trade firepower for stealth. They also have better observation equipment than line infantry.
They can be used to infiltrate enemy lines to observe troop movements, find valuable enemy support units and provide target designation for artillery and airstrikes to destroy them.
An army without recon is blind and you can’t shoot what you can’t see, so never underestimate the importance of recon squads.
Air assault squad next to the airdroppable “Naparnik” MRAP (K-4386 Typhoon VDV)
Special forces are very versatile units that can be customized to fulfil many roles, ranging from recon teams on steroids, saboteurs able to blow up bridges, silent assassins using suppressed weapons, groups of marksmen using sniper rifles of multiple calibers, to heavy door kickers dedicated to clearing buildings in no time with full auto shotguns and multiple grenade launchers.
Because of that, when you meet enemy special forces for the first time, the nature of their equipment is always a surprise – but never a good one.
Tactical mobility
Infantry on foot is very slow, so if you don’t want your troops to arrive after the battle is over you have to provide them with transport. Each transport method has its advantages and drawbacks.
Ground vehicles are the most common solution, they can be wheeled to move faster on roads or tracked to move faster off road, especially in forests.
They can be basic battle taxis armed with a simple machine gun or grenade launcher, or heavily armed fighting vehicles equipped with autocannons and missiles.
Vehicles are the slowest option but also the most flexible. Once the infantry is unloaded they can easily stay hidden behind some cover to pick up the infantry again if needed. They can also fight alongside infantry and provide fire support during the assault, or long range anti tank support in the open.
Russian VDV
Because infantry is the lightest type of unit, that means they can also be deployed rapidly and in large quantities anywhere on the map using helicopters and planes.
Dropping paratroopers allows you to seize a position super fast but offers very little mobility after the jump. A position held by paratroopers can easily be avoided. Also if things go sour there is no way back.
Russian paratroopers fare better in that regard, as they can be dropped with a large panel of combat vehicles to support them. But every vehicle takes the place of numerous men in the plane, so it’s up to you to find the right balance.
Helicopters are an interesting alternative as they are still much faster than ground vehicles and allow the infantry to redeploy if needed. However it will be hard to land helicopters in the middle of a fight, so you will have to plan ahead.
Marine Raiders deployed on a crest with helicopters
Asid:
Broken Arrow - Dev Diary #4 - USMC Specialization
Wed, 21 December 2022
First things first, in case you have missed Slitherine Next, we showcased a scenario from the single player campaign for the first time.
You can watch the whole scenario here:
USMC Battlegroup specialization
We have recently revealed a trailer presenting the first of the 8 specializations of the game:
In Broken Arrow you cannot play with all the units at the same time. There are more than 150 per country with over 1500 different unit customizations in total.
Before each battle you must select which units will be part of your deck. And the first choice you have to make is to choose specializations.
Each country has 4 specializations and you must combine 2 to create a multiplayer battlegroup. That makes 6 possible combinations or
archetypes.
Each specialization will propose totally unique units so each archetype will feel totally different from the others.
During the solo campaign things will be less systemic and the units you can access will depend on the mission.
USMC
Amphibious warfare is the specialty of the Marine Corps but it also works like a small independent army and as a result is the most versatile battlegroup specialization of the USA.
Note that some US Navy units have also been added in this specialization so it should normally be called Fleet Marine Forces but since it’s a majority of USMC units we kept the name.
RECONNAISSANCE
Scout snipers: This pair of elite soldiers is the most stealthy unit of the USMC. The main shooter is equipped with a M40A5 or SASR sniper rifle while the spotter carries a marksman rifle and a laser designation device to guide laser guided ammunition.
Force Recon: A group of 6 men trained to progress discreetly on foot to infiltrate enemy lines. They bring with them a few AT-4 anti tank rocket launchers to ambush light vehicles that may cross their path.
Navy Seals: A fire team of 4 elite soldiers that can move rapidly in the water. They have access to a large panel of weapons and will always be a thorn in the enemy’s side.
These recon units can be transported in Humvee GMV (Ground Mobility Vehicle) A light version of the humvee or LAV-25 an amphibious armored vehicle equipped with a 25mm chaingun.
In addition to that you can access independent vehicles:
• IFAV (Interim Fast Attack Vehicle) a Jeep style vehicle that can be armed with a machine gun, a grenade launcher or a TOW anti tank missile.
• JLTV-RV (Recon Vehicle) equipped with advanced sensors and a remotely controlled turret that can carry a 30mm chaingun and a Javelin missile.
Surveillance drones can also be used to observe and designate targets:
• Fire Scout unmanned helicopter can also carry DAGR guided rockets or Hellfire missiles to fight on its own.
• MQ-4C Triton is not armed but observes enemy positions from high altitude, out of range from most weapons.
INFANTRY
Marine Rifle Squad: This is the backbone of the specialization. This big squad of 13 men is equipped with M27 assault rifles, M38 marksman rifle and MAAWS rocket launcher.
SMAW/SRAW fire team: This is a group of 4 men equipped with 2 SMAW or SRAW rocket launchers. The first is a reloadable launcher firing multipurpose unguided munitions while the second is a more cumbersome disposable launcher firing short range guided missiles.
Dragon fire team: Group of 4 men equipped with the M47 Dragon III, an medium range anti tank guided missile.
Marine Raiders: A Marine Special Operations Team is composed of 14 men. They are specialized in CQC combat and can clear buildings in no time. However they lack anti tank capabilities.
These units can be transported in AAVP-7A1, a large tracked amphibious armored transport equipped with a heavy machine gun and a grenade launcher in the same turret. They also have access to the ACV, a more modern wheeled armored transport equipped with a remotely operated turret that can be upgraded with a 30mm chaingun.
Finally the MTVR (Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement) is a truck that can carry troops as well as supplies.
FIGHTING VEHICLES
• M1A1 Abrams HC
(Heavy Common) second generation depleted uranium armor and M1A1
• Abrams FEP
(Firepower Enhancement Package) third generation depleted uranium armor and better optics.
Both version can be equipped with additional reactive armor ARAT.
• M60A3 Patton TTS: is the old tank of the Marines. The turret can be replaced to become a M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle with a 165mm demolition gun very efficient against buildings.
• LAV-AT/ATM: is a TOW missile launcher based on LAV chassis. It can fire two missiles in a row including the TOW-2B top attack missile on the modernized version.
• JLTV-TOW: a TOW missile launcher on a JLTV platform. In comparison with LAV-AT it carries less missiles, must reload after each missile and is not amphibious so this is a cheaper option.
SUPPORT
• LAV-M: a 82mm mortar mounted on a LAV chassis. It can fire high explosive or smoke rounds with little delay.
• LAV-AD: an anti-air module with a 25mm gatling gun and 8 stinger missiles mounted on a LAV chassis.
• HIMARS: rocket artillery mounted on a truck. Can fire six 227mm rockets with explosive warhead or submunitions or a single ATACMS ballistic missile.
• MADIS: A JLTV equipped with a 30mm chaingun and two stinger missiles.
• NMESIS: Two tomahawk cruise missiles mounted on a JLTC platform.
• LVSR: A heavy truck carrying up to 20 tons of supplies. Can be fitted with B-Kit armor and a self protection weapon.
HELICOPTERS
• UH-1Y Venom: A light reconnaissance and transport helicopter that can be lightly armed with pintle mounted weapons and small 70mm rocket pods. Either with unguided or guided rockets.
• AH-1W Super cobra: This helicopter has been the main attack helicopter of the USMC until recently. Its 4 pylons can be equipped with rockets, anti-tank missiles TOW or Hellfire, AIM-9 anti-air and AGM-122 anti-radiation missiles to target enemy units equipped with radars.
• AH-1Z Viper: The newest version of the attack helicopter with better performance and 2 extra stations on the wingtip to carry the AIM-9/AGM-122 in addition to the Hellfire and rockets on the main pylons.
• CH-53E/K Super/King Stallion: The most powerful heavy lift helicopter of the United State military. Can lift up to 16 tons of equipment which is enough to lift a LAV, a JLTV or even a HIMARS.
• MH-60 Knighthawk: A naval version of the famous blackhawk with additional optics and armament on 2 pylons.
• MV-22 Osprey: A tilt rotor aircraft combining the vertical takeoff and landing of a helicopter with the cruise speed of a plane. It can carry 2 full squads of Marines.
PLANES
• AV-8B Harrier II Night Attack: it’s a VTOL (Vertical takeoff and Landing) aircraft with limited performance and autonomy usually dedicated to close air support missions because of its slow speed. It can be equipped with a wide array of bombs, rockets and missiles.
• AV-8B Harrier II Plus: a more modern version of the Harrier with better countermeasures that can be equipped with guided bombs and AMRAAM missiles.
• F/A-18C Hornet: Single seater version of the plane dedicated to air superiority. Can also be equipped with rocket pods for ground support.
• F/A-18D Hornet: Dual seater version of the plane dedicated to ground support, with AGM-65 Maverrick missiles and unguided bombs. Can also act as a long range air superiority fighter with a lot of fuel and few missiles.
• F-14D Super Tomcat: The legendary plane from Top Gun can be equipped with a wide array of anti air missiles including the long range AIM-54 Phoenix. It is also possible to use it for ground attack with Zuni rockets and a wide array of guided and unguided bombs.
• F-35C: Carrier version of the stealth plane. Each of the two bays can carry in addition to a AMRAAM missile a bomb up to 2000lb including teh JSOW gliding bomb, or 4 SDBs (Small Diameter Bombs). It is also possible to carry one more AMRAAM per bay.
• F-35B: VTOL version of the stealth plane. The additional turbine limits the bays to 1000lb bombs or 3 SDBs
• F/A-18E Superhornet: Single seater version proposing a vast array of air superiority configuration with up to 14 AMRAAM missiles in its heaviest “missile truck” configuration.
• F/A-18F Superhornet: Dual seater version oriented toward precision strike with anti tank missiles and guided bombs. It still carries some air to air missiles for self protection.
• F/A-18G Growler: Dedicated to the destruction of enemy air defense, its loadouts consist of jammers and anti-radiation missiles.
• KC-130J: This plane primarily used to transport and airdrop supplies and troops can be fitted with various “Harvest Hawk” upgrades like Hellfire missiles and Griffin precision guided bombs.
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