Ebbtide operations map: Battles, convoys, and district control
How Ebbtide’s planned operations map connects live battles, LA’s 15 districts, supply routes, fire support, and evacuation.
How the Ebbtide operations map works
The Ebbtide operations map will let you direct forces across Los Angeles, send supply and evacuation convoys, and scroll into any street to command the live battle without a loading screen. Scrolling back out will leave the fighting running, with losses and destruction carrying through to the map. You will also be able to pause the operations map or run it at up to 4x speed.
Ebbtide is an upcoming zombie survival strategy game from ProjectAlive. Its official Steam listing lists the release date as “Coming soon”; the systems described here are announced features.
Moving between the map and street battles
The operations map and the 3D pixel-art battlefield are designed to show the same ongoing conflict at different scales. Scroll into a street to enter the fighting, then scroll back out to return to the wider operational view.
According to the listing, there will be no separate missions or hidden auto-resolve. Soldiers lost, zombies killed, and buildings destroyed will remain part of the wider battle. Zooming out will therefore leave an engagement running unless you pause.
At battlefield level, announced commands include setting squad formations and combat stances and directing ground vehicles and helicopters. TAB is the listed control for taking direct control of a soldier, tank, or helicopter.
Managing Los Angeles and its 15 districts
You will command TF-1 “Ark,” humanity’s last carrier task force, with the opening fighting stretching from the Hollywood Hills to the Port of LA. The map’s central decisions involve holding positions, moving supplies, and extracting people as districts deteriorate.
| Map system | Announced function | What it means for planning |
|---|---|---|
| District status | LA’s 15 districts move from Hold to Crisis to Lost. | You will need to decide whom to extract first. |
| Ground forces | Order National Guard, LAPD, and LA County Sheriff’s units to hold, delay, or withdraw; call in Marines from Camp Pendleton. | Defensive actions and withdrawals can be coordinated across the city. |
| Convoys | Send trucks and helicopters carrying supplies, troops, or refugees. | Transport serves both logistics and evacuation. |
| Enemy visibility | Only hordes within your forces’ line of sight appear on the map. | No visible horde does not guarantee a clear route. |
| Attack warnings | Receive a warning before an attack, with options to reroute, retreat, or call in fire support. | Warnings provide an opportunity to respond to a threatened route or position. |
The Nexus, the enemy hive mind, is described as ambushing convoys, cutting roads, besieging bases, and hunting stranded units. Keeping routes open and extracting cut-off forces will be part of managing the city.
Supplying bases and keeping routes open
The announced supply system ties your forces to bases you hold. Soldiers, vehicles, and aircraft consume ammunition and fuel, and those bases will be their only places to rearm and refuel.
Base construction will also depend on transport. Materials for walls must arrive by hooklift truck or helicopter sling. Planned defenses and facilities include HESCO and concrete walls, gates, scaffolding, gun nests, CIWS, mortar pits, an ammo depot, a fuel point, and lighting.
This makes supply routes relevant to both combat and construction. A threatened convoy can affect the ammunition, fuel, or building materials needed at its destination.
Calling fire support from the operations map
The Steam listing describes fire support available from both the operations map and the battlefield:
- M777 howitzers and HIMARS rockets.
- Destroyer guns and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
- Carrier F/A-18s, plus F-15E, F-35B, and A-10 strikes.
- AC-130J gunship and MQ-9 drone orbits.
Two announced constraints matter: ship magazines are finite, and heavy weapons can bring buildings down. Calling support will involve both ammunition use and lasting changes to the battlefield.
Why evacuation to the Port of LA matters
The people, troops, equipment, and supplies you bring to the Port of LA will form your starting force aboard the Ark for the world campaign.
That gives extraction decisions consequences beyond the opening city. With districts moving toward Crisis and Lost, choosing whom to evacuate and keeping their transport routes open will help determine what you carry into the next stage of the campaign.
Related Guides
Ebbtide beginner guide: Rescues, supplies, and evacuation
Prepare for Ebbtide with a beginner's plan for managing Los Angeles, protecting supply routes, using fire support, and evacuating to the Ark.
Ebbtide direct unit control: TAB key and controllable units
Ebbtide's announced direct control lets you press TAB to control a soldier, tank, or helicopter. See how it fits into battlefield command.
Ebbtide real time strategy gameplay: Combat, Supply, and Evacuation
Learn how Ebbtide's announced strategy gameplay connects citywide command, direct unit control, base building, supply routes, and evacuation.