An explanation of the basics

Combine Assault (workshop link) – [steamcommunity.com]
 
 
Although it is not a complete guide, there are many gameplay elements left to be discovered. However, this guide should be sufficient to help new players get started.
 
 

Introduction

There are five groups/factions that make up Combine Assault
 
 

• Combine
• Resistance
• Citizens
• Gman
• Xen

 
Combine and Resistance are the two main factions that are trying to destroy each other.
 
 
Citizens are simply trying their best to survive until the end, while Xen want to eliminate everyone else.
 
 
Gman has three randomly-generated objectives. Gman is 1 in 3 likely to appear in any game that has 10+ players.
 
 
 

Combine

 
 
The jobs of the Combine include:
 
 

• Consult
• Ordinal
• Soldier (two varieties)
• Civil Protection
• Grunt
• Civil Worker (two variations)

 
 
Each round may include different jobs so do not a*sume every job will be represented.
 
 

Consult

 
The leader of the Combine. They have access all areas of the Nexus, including Citizen areas such as apartments, that lower-ranking Combines can’t open.
 
 
The Consul does have no armor or weapons so it is best to keep within the walls of the Nexus, especially their office / reactor room depending on which city they are in. Use the camera system to monitor the ground and issue orders for other Combine units. The Consul can communicate commands over the radio or use the!announce command, which will reach all players, even non-Combine.
 
 
It is recommended that the Consul bring an armed escort if he or she must leave the Nexus. Unprotected Consuls are easy targets for Resistance members to kill.
 
 
This job can be challenging for new players, so it is best suited to more experienced workers.
 
 

Ordinal

 
The second-in-command of the Combine. Like the Consul, they have full access to the Nexus and Citizen areas that lower-ranking Combines can’t open.
 
 
Ordinals should issue orders, as the Consul, to other Combine and ensure that they are carrying out their duties. Ordinals are, however, more heavily armed and secured than Consuls. This allows them to more easily leave the Nexus to monitor the operations of the Combine and issue orders from the ground. Ordinals are responsible for games in which a Consul has not spawned.
 
 
This job can be challenging for new players and is better suited for experienced ones.
 
 

Soldier

 
The heavy hitters of the Combine who protect the Nexus, the Consul, and respond to emergencies when Civil Protection needs a*sistance. There are two versions of this job, the Suppressor, and the Charger. Each start with different equipment.
 
 
Soldiers begin with equipment which has a high level of resistance to stun. This makes them more difficult than other Combines for Resistance to knockout and rob/kill.
 
 
Notably, the Minigun (which The Suppressor Starts With) cannot be stored in an inventory. It must be kept in both hands and dropped.
 
 

Civil Protection

 
The police officers of the Combine who patrol the city, keeping an eye on the citizens and watching for Resistance activity. They can quickly drag unconscious or stunned people and are useful for transporting them to prison for interrogation.
 
 

Grunt

 
The engineers and mechanics of the Combine, responsible for fixing electrical and mechanical items as well as repairing damaged walls/floors.
 
 
This is the only combined role that has a Combine Multitool, which is used to repair/rewire items like a screwdriver and combination wrench, and a utility plasma emitter (used either to repair walls/floors (or to cut them if “Cutting Mode” is selected when holding the emitter).
 
 

Civil Worker

 
The Combine members responsible for distributing scrap to the Citizens and monitoring their production of Universal Terasteel as well as maintaining the health of Citizens and fellow Combine. This job has two variations: a medic worker, and a worker in hazmat. They both start with different equipment.
 
 
As Resistance members will attempt steal Scrap and Universal Terasteel in return for Citizens, it is important to be vigilant about the amount of Scrap Citizens are receiving. Workers should also keep an eye on fabricators to ensure that Citizens are not making contraband items, such as Vodka and Resistance Spray Cans, which could be used against Combine interests.
 
 

Goals

 
 
The main concerns of this Combine are:
 
 

• Hunting down Resistance members and eliminating them usually involves interrogation (described more later) or after they are identified in chat (described more Grund Get at land des Des apparently basis actively aus deliberate him out uns den
• Citizens can convert scrap to Universal Terasteel through Fabricators. This can then used to fabricate other items like weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, and so on. Universal Terasteel is easy to fabricate by citizens, but it takes a lot longer for Combine.

Malfunction Affliction

 
 
Malfunction is a fatal affliction that occurs:
 
 

• When a Combine murders a Citizen of another Combine who isn’t a member or the Resistance
• If they are Soldiers or Ordinals, they will need to be reported periodically to the Resistance spy.

 
 
Malfunctioning Combines will eventually end up dead unless they are treated using a Health Pen, which can be made using Universal Terasteel.
 
 

Treatment of Citizens

 
 
Combine should avoid killing Citizens whenever it is possible (both because they are required by Universal Terasteel to make it efficiently and to avoid the Malfunction disease).
 
 
The possession of contraband (such a Resistance Spray Can, Resistance Radio) does not necessarily mean that a player has been identified as Resistance. Suspected Resistance members need to be arrested and interrogated whenever it is possible to confirm their identity. If they are not, then killing should be considered an option.
 
 
Stun batons can be used for subduing suspects and handcuffing them without killing them. Universal Terasteel allows you to make both Stun Batons or handcuffs.
 
 
Should citizens who have been interrogated but don’t appear as Resistance or who have committed minor infractions be released.
 
 

Anti-Citizens Treatment

 
 
Anti-Citizens, while they are part of Resistance, are not included in determining if any Resistance remains alive (so if they’re the only Resistance remaining the Combine win), so the Combine can’t kill them.
 
 
Resistance Anti-Citizens should be kept alive. They should also be captured if they are escaped.
 
 
 

Resistance

 
 
The Resistance is made up:
 
 

• Resistance Leader (chosen among the Citizen population).
• Resistance Members (recruited in the game from the Citizen populace by the Resistance leader or an Anti Citizen)
• Anti-Citizens (who begin as prisoners in Combine custody).
• Resistance Spy (an random member of The Combine)
• Gordon Freeman can be summoned with a Resistance Radio.

 
 
Every round will have a Resistance leader and a Resistance spy. However, other Resistance roles may be filled or not depending on the gameplay.
 
 

Resistance Leader

 

 
The Resistance Leader will receive an email and text chat containing the name of Resistance spy at the start to the round.
 
 
The Resistance Leader should recruit citizens to support their cause, coordinate with the Resistance spy (and any Anti-Citizens), and lead a successful uprising against all of the Combine.
 
 

Resistance members

 

 
When Citizens are recruited either by an Anti Citizen or Resistance Leader, a pop up message will appear on their screen letting them know that they are now members.
 
 
Resistance members should keep their identities secret from the combined while helping the Resistance Leader achieve his goals.
 
 
Resistance Members are not given the names and addresses of the Resistance Leader or Resistance Spy. No one else is informed that they have joined resistance ranks. Resistance Comms can help to let everyone know you’ve been enlisted.
 
 

Anti-Citizens

 

 
Anti-Citizens is a group of Resistance Members who have been captured or taken into the Combine’s custody and started the round in a Combine jail cell.
 
 
Anti-Citizens in the text chat will be informed at the beginning the round of the names of Resistance Leader and Resistance spy.
 
 
Ten minutes into each game, the Combine is authorized to question Anti-Citizens and attempt to extract the names the Resistance leaders. The Resistance must try to free them from prison before this happens.
 
 
Anti-Citizens are able to recruit Resistance members from the Citizen populations, just like the Resistance leader.
 
 

Resistance Spy

 
 

 
 
An unidentified member of the Combine ( Exclude The Resistance Spy (the Consul) will at the beginning of each round be chosen. Although they look the same as other Combine, they do not count towards the Combine. They are instead part of the Resistance.
 
 
Their mission is to provide support and a*sistance for the Resistance, but not raise suspicions of the Combine or be detected. The common way to aid the Resistance is to quickly release Anti-Citizens without being captured by any Combine.
 
 
The Resistance Spy will receive an email at the start the round.
 
 

Gordon Freeman

 
 

 
 
Gordon Freeman may be summoned using a Resistance Radio. The Resistance Radio must be built, placed on a Wall (holding RMB, pressing E), wired to power, recharge rate increased to fully charge, and then sent the message by clicking on its interface and clicking the “SEND SIGNAL” button.
 
 

 
 

 
 
Once Gordon Freeman is called, he’ll be controlled randomly by a player from the dead (who is not currently controlling a Headcrab Zombie). He begins in a shuttle, equipped with an HEV Suit and a Crowbar.
 
 
Once he has reached his destination, he should rendezvous avec the Resistance and aid them in killing all the Combine. If Gordon Freeman gets killed, the Resistance loses/The Combine immediately wins.
 
 

Goals

 
 
The Resistance’s primary concerns include:
 
 

• Vandalizing Combine posters
• Recruiting members
• Eliminating all Combine member (except Resistance spy)

Vandalizing Posters

 
 

 
 
There are many posters of Combine all over the city. Vandalizing a poster gives the Resistance an additional recruitment slot. The Resistance starts with one. The image below shows an example of every Combine sign in its original and vandalized forms.
 
 
Anybody can vandalize any poster, even if they are not members of Resistance. To do this, simply hold a Resistance Spray Can (which is only available for one Universal Terasteel), hit “E” and click “SABOTAGE”.
 
 

Recruiting Members

 
 
Anytime there is a slot available, the Resistance Leader and an Anti-Citizen are allowed to recruit citizens as long as they are in a room with that Citizen and not in a Combine.
 
 
To recruit someone type!rq into chat followed with the start of their names (enough unique characters that they can be identified).
 
To hire Gordon, for instance, you can simply type the following into chat. This is as long as other players don’t have names that start with these characters.
 
!rq Gor
 
 
Citizens will be notified by pop-up messages when they are enrolled in the Resistance. However, they will not be automatically notified of the identity or the identity of any Resistance member (or of any existing Resistance members). It is vital that new recruits are aware of the identity and whereabouts of Resistance Spy, so they don’t accidentally kill them.
 
 

Resistance Communications

 
 
Resistance members can communicate in secret using the!comms text chat command. Typos can accidentally reveal Resistance to them.
 
 
Typing:
 
!comms Hello how are you
 
Will send a message of hello to the Resistance.
 
 
Any other variation (e.g.!COMMS,!Comms or!coms), is not allowed. Any other variation (such as!COMMS,!Comms,!coms or!cmms) will not be sent confidentially. Instead it will be posted to the public chat where anyone can see it and possibly figure out that you are part of the Resistance.
 
 
 

Citizens

 
Except for Resistance Leader, who is automatically picked from the Citizen population by default, all Citizens start neutral. They do not side with the Resistance or the Combine.
 
 

Goals

 
 
Citizens’ primary concern is to remain alive until the end. This applies regardless of which faction/group wins. Citizens are also the only group that does not have a round-ending win condition. This is because they win simply for being alive at each end.
 
 

Sickness Affliction

 
 
Citizens who are Not Gman’s Associate and Resistance members should avoid attacking/killing Combine, as well as their fellow Citizens. Citizens who kill Non-Resistance (or Gman’s Associate), will be afflicted with the Sickness. It is similar to Hunger but can significantly impact gameplay.
 
 
Many players consider killing or attacking non-Resistance citizens (or non Gman’s Associates) to be a form grieving. Server hosts will kick or ban any player who does this.
 
 
While attacking/killing other players is frowned upon, it is common practice for non-Resistance (or non-Gman’s Associate) Citizens to perform tasks which aid the Resistance (such as distracting/occupying/wasting the time of the Combine, using Resistance Spray Cans to vandalize posters, or setting up a Resistance Radio to call in Gordon Freeman, among other things) in hopes that their efforts will be noticed and they will be recruited.
 
 
 

Gman

 
 
Gman/faction is composed of:
 
 

• Gman
• Gman’s a*sociate (recruited from Citizen population

Gman

 

 
Gman has an 1 in 3 chance to spawn each round in which there is 10 or more players. That means he should appear approximately once every three rounds. Gman is automatically selected among the playerbase. A popup message informs him of his role, as well as his three random-generated objectives. Gman wins immediately once all three objectives are completed.
 
 
Gman possesses a briefcase that allows for him to teleport (click LMB while keeping RMB to teleport that direction). Gman can retrieve the briefcase if it is dropped. However, he cannot hold any other items such as a weapon. It contains three Gman Healing Orbs, which can be used immediately to heal any character.
 
 
Gman can recruit one Citizen as his helper to complete his objectives (as Gman is unable to use weapons, pick up poisons or use weapons himself) using the!rq command the same way that the Resistance Leader uses.
 
 
Gman can communicate via!gomms with Gman’s a*sociate in the same way that the Resistance can using!comms.
 
 

Gman’s Associates

 
A player recruited by Gman from the Citizen population (excluding anyone Gman has as a target as well as any member of the Resistance.)
 
 
Once recruited, the player is able to use!gomms secretly to communicate with Gman the same way that the Resistance can use?comms.
 
 
Gman’s Associate is a single goal. He wants to help Gman win by completing his 3 objectives.
 
 
Both the Resistance and Gman want to stop Gman losing so it is important to keep Gman’s Associate’s identity (as well Gman’s goals) secret. Gman won’t be able to recruit a replacement for him if his Associate dies.
 
 

Goals

 
 
Gman has one goal: To complete all three of his random-generated objectives.
 
 
 

Xen

 
 
Xen are made up:
 
 

• Headcrabs
• Headcrab Zombies / Necrotics

 
 
The Xen don’t have any roles that can be selected or chosen at the start and end of each round. Death is the only way to increase your ranks as a Xen.
 
 

Headcrabs

 

 
A two-minute countdown will begin after a player has died. The player will then respawn as a Headcrab. If the headcrab pa*ses away, the player will begin respawning as a Headcrab every 45 second. Headcrabs are not spawned from people who join the server during the round.
 
 
Headcrabs may use the creature attack keys (default “F”) in order to bite almost all characters (some, like Gordon Freeman or Gman are immune). Their bites can temporarily stun characters so they can continue to feed. If they bite a person to death, they will turn the victim into a Headcrab Zombie.
 
 
Headcrabs cannot climb ladders. However, they can be carried by Headcrab Zombies (or other players) if they are ragdolled (usually holding SPACE).
 
 
Headcrabs can kill themselves by using the!sonic command, which can be used in chat if they spawn in undesirable places.
 
 
Players can use!optout/!optin chat commands in order to opt out of or back into spawning a headcrab.
 
 

Headcrab Zombies

 
 

 
 
Headcrab Zombies can be created by killing Headcrabs. The Zombies will be dressed in the same clothing as the victim, however their head/helmets are replaced by Headcrabs.
 
 
Headcrab Zombies can climb ladders to open any door their host has access to. However, they move very slowly.
 
 
They can kill other living players with the creature attack key (default: F) just like Headcrabs.
 
 

Goals

 
 
The only goal of the Xen is the elimination of all Combine/Resistance/Citizen characters.
 
 
Players should forget about their previous roles before death and show no loyalty to their former team. Once a player has become Xen, he should attempt to kill all non Xen players, irrespective of whether they are Citizens or Members of the Resistance.
 
 
 

Chat Commands

Combine Assault includes a number game commands that you can use by typing them in the game chat window to the bottom left.
 
 
Be sure to type your commands correctly. Any typos will cause them to be rejected as commands. Instead, they will be sent to the chat for everyone’s review. This can be particularly useful when you are trying to use a command like “!comms” for Resistance communication.
 
 
Type!help to bring up a list with the various commands
 
 

 
 
If you have forgotten what your role is or didn’t see it initially,!role is a great help.
 
 
Resistance Leaders, Anti-Citizens, and Gman use!rq [first name] to recruit Citizens into Resistance when there is a recruitment slot available.
 
 
Resistance members use!comms (message) to communicate secretly.
 
 
Gman and Gman’s Associates use!gomms to communicate secretly.
 
 
Citizens can use!rw to send secret messages to the Combine.
 
 
!resist can show you the names and addresses of all Resistance members once you are deceased.
 
 
 

Fabrication

Universal Terasteel can be used to create any item that is part of a fabricator’s recipe in the game.
 
 

• Universal Terasteel (requires some scrap).
• Ration Meal vouchers (free),
• Items made with the medical fabricator

 
 
Scrap can be used to create Universal Terasteel. The Combine is slow at creating it, but Citizens or Anti-Citizens can make it very quickly, which adds to their value to the Combine.
 
 
Scrap:  

 
 
Universal Terasteel:  
 

 
 
Both Resistance & Combine will be trying to obtain Universal Terrael to make items such as:
 
 

• weapons,
• ammunition,
• Health Pens / Health Vials
• equipment (backpacks, tools, etc.)

Hunger

All Citizens, and Anti-Citizens, will become hungry over time. Hunger will cause characters’ walking to slow down and their vision to be blurred. However, it will not kill.
 
 
The primary way to fight Hunger is through Rations. A Ration Meal Voucher, which was created by a member from the Combine, can be redeemed at a Combine Dispenser.
 
 

 
 
Ration Meal Coupons can be created by Combine at no cost at any Fabricator (it can take Citizens a long time to create the vouchers), which can be used for rations at Combine Dispensers.
 
 

 
 
Combine will often exchange Ration Meal Vouchers to Citizens for Universal Terasteel.
 
 
 

Interrogation

Combine can interrogate characters by hitting them with a charged (battery > 0%) Stun Baton while the character is in a prison cell and alive/conscious/standing up (or manually holding SPACE), so there is no benefit to hitting characters that are dead/unconscious/stunned (unconscious characters should be revived before interrogation continues.)
 
 

 
 
Every time a player in a Cell is hit by a Stun Baton, they have a chance of revealing the name or the identity of the Resistance Leader/ Resistance Spy in the text conversation.
 
 
Citizens and Combine have a 20% chance of speaking every time they hit the ball. They can be interrogated at anytime during the game.
 
 
Anti-Citizens stand a 12.5% chance that they will speak after being hit. They can only be interrogated if they have been hit within ten minutes of the notification appearing in the textchat.
 
 
It is crucial for Combine to keep Anti-Citizens alive, in custody, and to arrest any Resistance suspects and interrogate them rather than execute them.
 
 
 

Disguises

Combine Assault contains the disguise mechanic that is found in Vanilla Barotrauma.
 
 
Players who have their ID Card (or DNA Iprint, the Combine version – an ID Card) covered and their face covered (ie wearing a helmet) will be a*sumed to be that player. This can be helpful for Resistance members who want to impersonate / penetrate the Combine / Nexus.
 
 
They may not be who they seem to be if you observe them acting suspiciously.
 
 
Only Combine DNA imprints that are spawned from a player will have their name attached. Those which were fabricated using Universal Terasteel A player can wear a facecover over their head, but not on their head. This will raise suspicions among players and lead to them being searched and/or even arrested.
 
 
While it is permissible to steal Combine DNA Imprints (from Combine), many players consider taking ID Cards (from Citizens) to be grieving. Many hosts will kick/or ban players.
 
 
 

Game Progression

Game events:
 
 

• 10 minutes: Combine has the ability to interrogate Anti­Citizens to find the names of Resistance Leaders / Spy (the Resistance leader, Resistance Spy, or any Resistance members can be interrogated anytime)
• 20 minutes: The names / spy of the Resistance Leader are revealed in chat
• 25 minutes: The chat reveals the names of all Resistance members

 
 
When one of the following conditions is fulfilled, the game ends.
 
 

• 120 seconds after all resistance fighters are eliminated (Combine victory).
• Gordon Freeman dies after being summoned (Combine victory)
• All Combine members are eliminated. (Resistance victory).
• 60 seconds after the Combine reactor is overloaded/destroyed:
   
   
  If there are Resistance members still alive (Resistance win),
   
   
  Otherwise (Combine victory)
• All Combine/Resistance/Citizen players are eliminated (Xen victory)
• All three Gman Objectives have been completed (Gman Victory).

Conclusion

This guide focuses on the basics, but there are many things you can do to improve your Combine Assault gameplay.
 
 
If you have any questions/suggestions/problems with Combine Assault, please join

Discord.gg is now the official Discord server

 
.
 
 
Monitor the Discord server for hosted games #server-startup Channel that automatically announces when a Combine a*sault server is starting up.
 
 
As Combine Assault is updated, I will update this guide. If you find any errors, please leave a comment so I can correct them.

 
 
I hope you enjoy the An explanation of the basics of Combine Assault – Barotrauma guide. This is all for now! If you have something to add to this guide or forget to add some information, please let us know via comment! We check each comment manually!