When units move in a straight line on the tactical map, the line on which they move is defined as a series of one-square steps. If a unit is moving more columns than rows, then the number of steps is the number of columns it moves. For example, if a unit is moving from 3-1 to 7-3, then it is moving 4 columns and 2 rows, hence its move requires four steps. If it is moving more rows than columns, then the number of steps is the number of rows. For example, if a unit is moving from 11-4 to 8-13, then it is moving 3 columns and 9 rows, so the move requires nine steps.
If the unit is moving more columns than rows, then at each step it must move one column and less than one row. Let C be the number of columns it moves and R be the number of rows it moves (with C bigger than R); then the fraction of a row it must move is R/C. Example: If the unit is moving from 3-1 to 7-3, which is 4 columns and 2 rows, then in each step it must move 1 column and 0.5 (2/4) rows. Its path will then be: 3-1, 4-1.5, 5-2, 6-2.5, 7-3. If the unit is moving more columns than rows, then each step must be 1 row and C/R columns. Example: if the unit is moving from 11-4 to 8-13, then each step is 1 row and 0.33 (3/9) columns. The path will be 11-4, 10.67-5, 10.33-6, 10-7, 9.67-8, 9.33-9, 9-10, 8.67-11, 8.33-12, 8-13.
To determine if a path is blocked by terrain, round each row or
column
to the nearest integer (round 0.5 down; thus, round 2.5 to 2). In
the first example above, the rounded path would be 3-1, 4-1, 5-2,
6-2, 7-3. In the second example, the rounded path would be 11-4,
11-5, 10-6, 10-7, 10-8, 9-9, 9-10, 9-11, 8-12, 8-13. A unit's
move is blocked by terrain if:
Whether a path is blocked by an enemy unit depends on whether the move is due N,S,E, or W, due NW, SW, SE, or NE, or some other direction.
Case 1: A move due N, S, E, or W. In this the case the move is entirely in one row or one column, for example, a move from 5-2 to 5-7 is due south along the path 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-5, 5-6, 5-7. This move is blocked by an enemy or neutral unit if any square of the path contains an enemy or neutral unit. Otherwise it is not blocked.
Case 2: A move due NW, SW, SE, or NE. In this case the move is on a 45-degree diagonal, and the steps are 1 row and 1 column each. Example; A move from 5-10 to 8-7 is due northeast along the path 5-10, 6-9, 7-8, 8-7. In this case the path is blocked if any square in the path or adjacent to it contains an enemy or neutral unit. This is because the path from (say) 6-9 to 7-8 passes diagonally between 6-8 and 7-9. An enemy unit in either of those two squares can block the movement. An enemy unit at 5-8 (which touches 6-9 only diagonally) cannot block the movement.
Case 3: Any other move. In this case the move will necessarily contain fractions in some steps along the path. Example; a unit moving from 3-1 to 7-3 passes through 4-1.5, 5-2, 6-2.5, and 7-3. In this case, an enemy or neutral unit blocks the path if it is in a square on the path, rounding fractions in either direction. A unit in 4-1 can block the path because 4-1.5 rounds down to 4-1. A unit in 4-2 can also block the path because 4-1.5 rounds up to 4.2. An enemy unit in 5-2 can block this path, but an enemy unit in 5-1 or 5-3 cannot, because 5-2 involves no fraction and cannot be rounded, up or down, to either 5-1 or 5-3.
Case 1: N,S,E,W movement | Case 2: NW,SW,SE,NE movement | Case 3: Other movement | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Movement from 1-1 to 5-1: Path is 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 5-1
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Movement from 1-6 to 5-2: Path is 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2
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Movement from 1-2 to 6-5: Path is 2-2.6, 3-3.2, 4-3.8, 5-4.4, 6-5
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