If you do manage to get into a battle with plenty of initiative left, you'll have to deal with AI that Mayhem has worked very hard to make interesting and dynamic. They're claiming that you'll never have the same battle twice. Terrain, weather, and the units you and the enemy bring into combat will have an effect on the outcome. In a demo we were given by Summitsoft, it was well shown that each of the battles is run differently depending on the scenarios. You'll need to react to each of the moves the computer makes and never expect it to act a certain way towards you. While basic strategies might be expected, you'll certainly have to keep an open mind to new tactical strategies. The basics of control in this portion of the game are pretty much the same, you can select to use a basic attack (melee or ranged) or use magic if it's available to you. Magic will always be cast first, but may take up more initiative points than another type of attack. You'll have to balance your moves carefully if you want to be successful.