How to manage transport micro and water ferry routes in Beyond All Reason

BAR handles unit transport differently from SupCom. You can get useful ferry-style routes going, but the setup looks a bit different from what old-school RTS players expect.

Tags: beyond all reason, transport, ferry, micro, air unit, water

Ferry systems in BAR versus SupCom

SupCom had a clean ferry waypoint system where you marked pickup and drop points, dropped your units on the marker, and the transports handled all the loading, unloading, and shuttling automatically. Beyond All Reason does not work that way.

There is no built-in waypoint-based ferry routing. You manage transports through direct orders. The good news is you can approximate ferry behavior with the right commands.

Area load and unload on repeat

You can give transports an area load and area unload order set to repeat. Once set up, the transport cycles between the two areas on its own, loading whatever friendly units are in the pickup zone and dropping them at the destination.

The mechanics look like this:

• Give the transport an area load command over a staging area near your base
• Give it an area unload command over the landing zone on the far side
• Set both orders to repeat
• The transport shuttles continuously until you cancel orders

Units still need to walk into the pickup zone themselves. They do not pathfind to the transport like in a true waypoint ferry system. Keep your units grouped near the pickup area for smooth cycles.

Tips for reliable water transport routes

Water transport adds a layer of complexity you do not face with air transports. Ships are slower, water maps often have contested crossings, and transports make easy targets if left undefended.

• Scout the crossing first. Unwarded transports die quickly to enemy naval units.
• Build a small escort. Even a couple of gunships or light fighters flying cover over the route help.
• Keep the pickup zone tight. Area load grabs everything in its radius, so spread-out units cause the transport to do multiple pickup passes.
• Watch your repeat orders. A repeat order that outlasts the battle means the transport keeps flying back for units you no longer need moved.

Air transports versus water ferries

Air transports tend to be faster and more flexible. They ignore terrain and do not need to navigate waterways. The trade-off is higher cost and vulnerability to anti-air. For quick drops across a contested front, air transports usually win out. For bulk, slow-moving convoys of heavy units across calm water, water ferries carry the heavier freight at lower energy cost.

Match the transport type to the situation. Do not default to water just because the map has oceans, and do not burn your economy on air transports for short hops when a few gunships get the job done cheaper and quicker.

Tracking balance changes that affect transport play

Balance updates can shift how good transports are at different points in a patch cycle. The BAR changelog on the official site covers broad strokes, but the most reliable source for knowing what is live right now is the merged pull releases on GitHub. Check closed release pull requests to see which changes have actually landed in the current build.

Stay current. A transport strategy that dominated one patch may shift after the next update.

Video guides on air and transport strategy

For a deeper look at transport play and micro management, the BAR community has produced video tutorials that break down effective air and transport strategies. Check out the content from this channel for visual walk-throughs of the techniques covered here.

The creed of champions approach

Transport discipline matters more than people admit. Teams that coordinate crossings, call out what they are moving, and time their pushes together win games that disjointed teams throw away. A community built around clear communication and mutual patience turns water maps from frustrating choke points into coordinated team victories.

[Crd] One of the few places where you can for sure coordinate with people in matches with a good supportive attitude. Everybody tends to be understanding and constructive.

Creed of Champions focuses on exactly that kind of team play. Competitive without the toxicity, teamwork-first, and serious about helping players develop their transport game alongside everything else. If that sounds like your kind of environment, come have a look.