BAR sandbox practice, path drawing, and wind power tips

A quick roundup of three practical Beyond All Reason questions players ask most: setting up sandbox matches, drawing unit movement paths, and knowing when wind generators become the better energy choice.

Tags: beyond all reason, sandbox, path drawing, wind power, eco, tips

Setting up a sandbox match in BAR

BAR does not ship with a dedicated "sandbox" mode, but you can recreate one through custom lobbies. Start a local match against no opponents, then use the cheat settings. Enable instabuild so structures and units finish instantly. You can give yourself control of multiple factions in the same match by placing AI on both sides and using the cheat console to switch allegiances, or by hosting a lobby with multiple player slots and alt-tabbing between windows.

This works well for testing build orders, checking unit matchups, or learning widget layouts without the pressure of a real game. Set the game speed higher to burn through experiments faster.

How path drawing actually works

Path drawing lets you tell units exactly where to move, but it behaves very differently depending on your selection. When you have a single unit selected, the drawn path is followed precisely. The unit traces the line you drew from start to finish.

Select two or more units and draw a path, and the game distributes move orders along that line across every unit in your selection. Each unit gets assigned a point along the path rather than following the full route. This is useful for spreading forces but catches a lot of players off guard when they expected the group to move as one.

If you want a squad to all follow the same route, select and order them individually, or use formation controls to keep them grouped after the initial move order.

When wind power becomes the best energy option

Wind generators beat other energy sources around 11 to 12 consistent wind on the map. At that threshold, wind becomes both more metal-efficient and faster to build out than alternatives like solar arrays or geothermal.

Check the wind indicator in your resource panel before committing. On maps with steady high wind, opening on wind generators pays off quickly. On maps with low or spiky wind, stick with solar until you can afford geothermal, which provides reliable income regardless of weather conditions.

Wind also scales well late game. Once you reach that 11-12 wind range, adding more generators compounds your advantage without the metal cost of building additional energy storage.

Why these details matter

Sandbox matches speed up learning by removing consequences. Path drawing mastery reduces wasted movement orders during engagements. Knowing your energy source timing stops you from overbuilding on weak maps or missing strong ones. Each one saves time and metal that adds up across dozens of games.

Join a community that helps you improve

Learning these mechanics lands better with teammates who share knowledge instead of blaming mistakes. Creed of Champions runs a competitive but welcoming environment where players coach each other through exactly these kinds of questions.

Crd is the first really comfortable community I have been a part of. Everyone is nice and kind, the atmosphere is relaxed, and I am not getting yelled at for not being optimal. [Crd]

The focus on teamwork and non-toxic play means asking questions like these actually helps you get better, instead of getting you flamed for not already knowing.