Timeline

The timeline in Batalj is the order at which units take their turns in the coming action phase. The start of each round is called the scheduling phase. During this phase, each player plans out all the actions of their deployed units. These actions will then play out in the order as represented by the timeline in the action phase. After the action phase of a round, the timeline is restructured based on the delay cost of each unit, and the next round begins.

Display
At the top of your screen, you will see the timeline. Allied units will have a blue border and enemy units will have an orange border. Scheduled allied units will get a green border and different status icons if applicable. Below each scheduled unit there is a number. This number represents the delay the scheduled actions will cause. The currently selected unit will have a blue arrow underneath its avatar. This arrow can also be shown when clicking the end turn button before all units have been scheduled. Clicking a unit avatar in the timeline will move the camera to the unit on the battlefield. Hovering over a unit in the timeline will also show what actions have been selected for the unit along with the delay that specific action will cause.

Delay
Most scheduled actions will have an associated delay. Delay is what causes your units to move further back in the timeline for the coming scheduling phase. Moving, regardless of moving one tile or five, will always incur 1 delay. Waiting and some abilities have a delay cost of 0. If two units total the same delay they will keep their respective position in the timeline, meaning the unit that went earlier in the timeline last turn will still be earlier in the timeline this turn. Example: your unit moves and uses an ability with 3 delay (totalling 4 delay points) and another unit only moves (totalling 1 delay); the unit which only moved will be placed ahead in the timeline for the next turn.

Playing around the timeline
In Batalj, everything is planned around the timeline. As a lot of abilities rely on the fact that your target remains in place, or is in line of sight, proper timeline management is key in securing successful ability use. If for instance an attack is scheduled on a unit that is earlier in the timeline, there is always a chance that the attack will miss as the unit may move into cover, out of range, or out of line of sight. Anticipation of your opponents future move is also key to making the most out of the timeline. Good positioning can also make you disrupt your enemy’s actions by blocking movement or making abilities miss entirely.