Global Map & Reinforcements
Dust Front is built around a Total-War-style global map: "the core of the game — conquest on a global map," as the game's end screen calls it. The catch, and the source of a lot of confusion, is that the global map isn't playable in the current build. The game says so directly — its stated purpose is "to showcase RTS battles without a global map." But its systems still feed into every tactical fight, so it's worth understanding what's there and what's coming.
What's confirmed about the global map
The full game frames you as a commander of "the fourth industrial empire" waging conquest across a strategic map, with tactical battles being the individual engagements. The end screen promises the full version adds "more content, including other units, buildings, missions, and, of course, the core of the game — conquest on a global map." Beyond that, specifics aren't in the current build's data — so the rest of this guide sticks to the systems that are actually present and observable.
Reinforcements: the global map's main hook into battle
In the full game your reinforcement waves are drawn from forces on the global map. The current build stands in for this: there's no global map yet, but you can explicitly specify which troops will arrive on the map when reinforcements are called. The key trade-off is spelled out — "the more troops you take, the longer the wait for the next reinforcement." Two strike groups are distinguished at deployment:
| Strike group | Role |
|---|---|
| Main | "Troops that you can immediately deploy on the map" — plus your MCV to build a base. |
| From the Global Map | Reinforcements that arrive mid-battle at a designated point — "Troops will arrive at the designated point." |
When a wave is inbound the HUD shows "Reinforcements en route." Picking a heavier reinforcement loadout buys more force but lengthens the cooldown — a tempo decision every battle.
Resources flow in from the global map
Two of the four resources are topped up from the strategic layer. Parts (used to "develop technologies") are "primarily replenished from the global map," and the 
Resource platform exists specifically to tap that pipeline: it "allows you to access resources from the global map. The transporter will automatically begin unloading resources if any are available." There's even a toggle ability to "pause resource summoning from the global map" when you need to hold a transport. See the economy & logistics guide for how this fits the wider economy.
Tactical abilities and air support are "set on the global map"
Your tactical abilities panel is, in the full game, configured on the strategic layer: "they are set on the global map," with ready-made presets available in the current build. Several of these are off-map air strikes measured in sectors of range — a unit of distance that only makes sense against the larger strategic grid:
| Support strike | Range | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet / napalm bomber | 3 sectors | Napalm strike; "the bomber could be shot down." |
| Gas bomber | 3 sectors | Drops a gas bomb over the target area. |
| Heavy bomber | 3 sectors | "Drops 5 large bombs… increased damage in the centre of the explosion." |
| P-2 interceptor | 4 sectors | Constant air patrol and recon — "pairs perfectly with artillery." |
Full cooldowns and costs are on the abilities page. The "Build. reinforcements" call even reaches back to HQ to "urgently scrape together a few additional Parts."
Strategic structures bridge both layers
Some buildings are explicitly dual-purpose. A strategic structure is "a structure of considerable size that performs strategic functions both on the global map and in tactical mode, depending on the task." In the current build you only see the tactical half; in the full game these are how your base footprint translates into strategic-map presence.
The bottom line right now
You can't conquer the global map yet — but you're already touched by it every battle: reinforcement timing, Parts income, the Resource platform, and your sector-ranged air support all originate there. Treat reinforcement selection as a real tempo lever, lean on bombers for their generous sector range, and keep a resource platform running. Everything here is quoted or derived from the game's own text; the campaign layer itself lands with the full release.