CHAPTER 02
Interface
Understand how Battle Astra organizes screens, decisions, controls, status information, and color before taking command.
COMMAND LAYERS
How the interface is organized
Battle Astra consists of multiple screens, with popup windows and drawers. Each layer has a different job, but all use the same control and color language.
Primary screens
Full game spaces such as the start screen, setup screens, war map, battle map, power control, and sector inspector.
Popup windows
Focused decisions and notices that temporarily take control, including confirmations, battle choices, victory results, and warnings.
Drawers
Panels that slide over a primary screen to provide settings, reports, statistics, or event history without leaving the current game state.
The topmost popup or open drawer receives input first. Close it or complete its decision before interacting with the screen behind it.
PRIMARY SCREENS
Where commands are made
The game moves between strategic, tactical, setup, inspection, and control screens. Later chapters explain each in detail.
- 01
Start screen
Choose a campaign, load a saved war, begin a quick battle, adjust startup options, or open Battle Astra information.
- 02
Campaign setup
Choose the active roster, review faction doctrine and abilities, set the scale of the war, and deploy the region.
- 03
War map
Plan fleet-level movement across the region, inspect sectors, track scores, and advance the campaign turn.
- 04
Quick battle setup
Choose factions and battle conditions, then deploy directly into one tactical engagement.
- 05
Battle map
Command individual ships across 73 tactical zones, allocate power, select targets, and resolve combat.
- 06
Power control
Divide the power remaining after planned movement between weapons and defense, then execute the order.
- 07
Sector inspector
Examine a sector’s battle map and contents without beginning a battle. When opened from fleet selection, it can also help select ships.
BUTTONS AND BUTTON ICONS
Six control behaviors
Normal buttons carry text. Icon buttons use symbols. Both follow the same behaviors, respond to a mouse or touch, and change appearance when selected, pressed, or disabled.
Click
Activates immediately when selected. These are used for ordinary commands and navigation.
Toggle
Switches between two states. The label and state dots show which state is active.
Multi-state
Cycles through several settings. Dots along the button show the available states and the current selection.
Hold
Must be held until its countdown fills. This protects consequential commands from accidental touches.
Rheostat
Selects a level from a visible range. Choose an individual segment or use the end buttons to jump to minimum or maximum.
Stepper
Increases or decreases a single number between a defined minimum and maximum.
Keep pressing until the countdown reaches its end. Releasing early cancels the command. A larger central display may repeat the label and progress so they remain visible beneath a finger.
READ THE GAME STATE
Hints, timing, and feedback
The interface explains what can happen now, what is already selected, and when the computer is resolving actions.
- 1
Hints
The line along the bottom of the screen describes the most useful next action. It changes as the screen and game state change.
- 2
Countdown bars
A shrinking or filling bar shows how long remains before an automatic choice, transition, or protected action completes.
- 3
Wait indicators
RESOLVING and the spinning wait icon mean the game is calculating or presenting an action. Player controls are intentionally unavailable.
- 4
Disabled controls
Gray controls are unavailable in the current state. Another choice, completed action, or later phase may enable them.
- 5
Warnings
Orange controls and messages identify retreat choices, destructive commands, or decisions that deserve extra attention.
VISUAL LANGUAGE
What the colors mean
Color connects information across the war map, battle map, reports, drawers, and controls.
Interface
Cyan identifies ordinary navigation, frames, active controls, and neutral interface structure.
Faction
A faction’s color identifies its sectors, fleets, ships, emblems, highlights, and faction-specific information.
Highlight
The brighter highlight color marks focus, selection, valid choices, and animated attention cues.
Warning
Orange identifies caution, retreat, irreversible actions, or exceptional choices.
Disabled
Gray indicates information that remains visible but cannot currently be changed or selected.
White
White text and marks carry neutral labels, headings, and selected-state information that must remain readable over colored art.
IN-GAME GUIDANCE
Tutorial cards and help
Select Close or touch outside a tutorial card to dismiss it. Select Do Not Show This Message Again before closing to hide that specific card.
Drag long cards or their right-hand scrollbar to read more. Reset Tutorial in Game Settings restores all hidden cards; it is disabled when none are hidden.
The bottom hint follows the current situation. The Field Manual icon opens help in your browser for the screen you are using.