Articles

Setting up a BAR widget development environment ZeroBrane Studio pairs well with the BAR API definitions for autocomplete on Spring and VFS commands. The ZBStudioAPI repository provides Intellisense definitions for every engine …

Setting up BAR lobbies with start position overlays and control groups The position overlays that show Tech, Sea, Front, and Air starting zones appear in the lobby setup. If you cannot see them, check your in-game settings. The start positions toggle …

Setting Up Custom Numpad Controls for BAR BAR has far more unit types and commands than a standard RTS. Managing armies across multiple fronts while managing economy requires a dense control layout. The default keyboard ru…

Setting up FFA AI spawns and BAR moderation tickets Players wanting to practice against seven AI opponents positioned around the outer map need to disable FFA shuffle startboxes in settings. When left enabled, the spawn randomizatio…

Setting up hotkeys and keybinds in BAR Open the BAR settings menu. The hotkey section is separate from general game settings. Navigate there and you will see every bindable action listed alphabetically.

Setting up keybinds and targeting aircraft in BAR BAR ships with a new grid-based build menu by default. Some players prefer the older legacy keybind layout. You can switch in the settings menu. The legacy system maps units to spe…

Setting up VSCode for BAR Lua modding and widget scripts The BAR wiki has a work-in-progress page on configuring VSCode for Lua intellisense that provides stub definitions for Spring engine APIs. Setting those up turns Spring.GiveOrderTo…

Shared commander play and downloading all BAR maps at once Beyond All Reason previously allowed shared commander mode where multiple players control the same base, share metal, energy, and unit production. This was disabled after players f…

Shared computer bans and cheat commands in BAR skirmishes If your partner used your BAR account on their computer during a visit and now cannot create their own account without a smurf warning, open a support ticket. Prove that this is a …

Should BAR beginners start with scenarios or multiplayer? Most new BAR players improve faster when they start with the first scenarios, move into skirmishes against simple AI, then tougher AI, and only then jump into regular multiplayer. …

Should BAR limit how hard certain units punish new players Certain units in BAR create matches where newer players feel completely helpless. The argument for limiting them centers on learning. When one unit deletes half a new player army w…

Should I play BAR with almost no RTS experience? A complete beginner guide You do not need extensive RTS experience to start. The only cost of trying BAR is that it tends to consume your free time. Players coming from twenty games of StarCraft 2 often fin…

Should Legion wait until BAR core balance is finished? Some players feel the BAR team prioritizes new features like Legion over stability and balance of the existing Core and Arm factions. The complaint comes up in community channels e…

Should new BAR players start on the frontline or play from the back? Backline positions keep you away from immediate danger. You can build up your economy, set up defenses, and watch the battle unfold from a distance. It feels like the sensible choi…

Should new BAR players start with 1v1s or team games? If your goal is genuine improvement, start with 1v1s. You cannot hide behind teammates in a mirror match. Every mistake lands on you, every win comes from your decisions, and your …

Should you recycle T1 troops in BAR, and other build queue questions The short answer: recycle only when you overbuilt them. If you produced more T1 units than you actually need for a given timing window, turning the surplus back into metal is the r…

Should you spread tanks across the whole frontline in Beyond All Reason? Players learning tank-based compositions in BAR hit this wall quickly. Should tanks spread across the entire frontline to deny the enemy any entry point? Or does spreading thin jus…

Showing build radius visibility and fixing spectator widget loading in beyond all reason If an existing range widget misses build radius, ask the developer or check their repository. Many widget authors maintain public repos where they push updates. Downloading the lat…

Showing the building grid during placement in BAR Open your game settings and search for "grid." The option controlling building grid visibility during placement lives there. Toggle it on and the grid appears whenever you queue a …

Skipping the Rejoin Rewind When Watching BAR Replays The replay system replays the full match history from the start when you reconnect. This ensures you see everything that happened rather than jumping into the middle of an ongoing …

Skirmish Commands, Lobby Bugs, and When Legion Becomes a Default Faction If you want custom maps, create them separately and load them directly. Lobby tweaks handle unit balance adjustments and matchmaking settings, not terrain edits during match setup.

Smooth resource tracking with moving averages in BAR widgets BAR resource income fluctuates constantly as builders start and stop, metal spots get depleted, and factories pull energy for production. Displaying these raw numbers in real time …

Solar or windmill for your BAR eco opening If wind during your opening sits above 12 or so, windmills pull ahead on efficiency. Higher wind maps let wind turbines generate more energy per bp spent, which frees up resources …

Sorting maps by size in BAR lobbies Larger maps favor defensive play and late-game economy builds. Smaller maps force aggressive openings and faster engagements. Sorting by size helps you find matches matching your p…

Spectating big BAR games and learning from top players BAR draws dozens of viewers to matches featuring top-rated players. A five-versus-eight stomp with some of the best OS players in the game teaches more about positioning and timing…

Spectating high-level games to improve at BAR High-level replays show the standard progression: early economy setup, first pushes, T2 transitions, and late-game macro. You learn which units appear in which matchups and why. Th…

Spectating in BAR: Private Chat, Reclaim Hotkeys, and Massive Games One concern new spectators have is whether players can read their comments. They cannot. BAR reserves a spectator-only chat channel that players in the match have no access to. Spe…

Spectating new player lobbies, creating BAR bingo, and GitHub issue tracking Experienced players gain value from spectating low-rated lobbies by spotting recurring mistakes and understanding the learning curve from a fresh perspective. Common newcomer error…

Spectator Communication Rules in BAR Matches Spectators in Beyond All Reason matches can see everything on the map. They can communicate with active players through in-game chat, which opens the door for ghosting, coaching, o…

Spectator HUD and player stats widgets in BAR Press statistics during a match and the TeamStats widget pops up. It shows resource demand, army composition, and production queues for every player on the map. That is a lot more …

Splitting BAR lobbies and managing voice chat etiquette This avoids waiting on dead lobbies. If a lobby has a maximum rating that pushes wait times out into the stratosphere, just split and play. The command is there for exactly this si…

Splitting tweakdefs for online BAR lobbies Long tweak definitions that combine many unit modifications work in local singleplayer but fail when pasted into an online lobby field. The lobby parser has practical length limits…

Spring API documentation gotchas for BAR modders The ldoc documentation for Spring.GetUnitStates shows a single return value, but the function actually returns multiple values indexed by position. Accessing states[1], states[2], …

Static defense buildings versus turrets in Beyond All Reason If you put a Centurion next to a turret, the turret wins on paper. The static defense has more health and gains unit experience at a faster rate from kills. The only real downside …

Static Defense Tips for Beyond All Reason Static defense makes the most sense in three situations. You just won a push and want to hold the ground you took. You need to secure reclaim on metal features or wrecked units in …

Strategy sequencing, map control, and expansion timing in BAR Experienced players follow a clear sequence. First, establish starting metal extractors. Then build starting energy infrastructure to power your first lab. Set up the lab, produce …

Submit a BAR replay for mentor review step by step Replays get reviewed through a ticket-style system:

Supreme map roles and eco position overflow in BAR Supreme is one of the few maps with strongly defined player roles. The pond position sits at the map center with concentrated resources and central control. On Supreme specifically…

T2 fighters versus T1 scouts for vision in BAR Three T1 scouts cost about the same as one T2 fighter, but they take three shots to kill through anti air fire while one T2 fighter goes down in two shots. Per point of metal inves…

T2 naval counters in BAR and performance troubleshooting basics When facing a mass of T1 frigates loaded with torpedoes, the answer depends on the faction. Against Legion subs, stack your own torpedo frigates and catch them in shallow water whe…

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