History Main / AttackPatternAlpha

* Of all the factions in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', only the Tau do this to any extent.
** Except when [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar initiating Attack Protocol 23.]]
** And [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar initiating build routine 721.]]
** Speaking of, the [[GameMod Steel Legion's]] Stormtroopers shout this as a battlecry.
* Several old ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' supplements dealing with superhero teams had code phrases the team used in combat. For example, in ''Red Doom'', the Supreme Soviets team used codes such as "Purge" (two members team up against a single opponent) and "Vietnam" (harass the enemy constantly, don't give them time to think).
** The idea here being to (a) give the NPC groups a plausible initial edge without adding to their actual ''power'' level and (b) get the player character team to at least seriously consider adopting the same practice; this is explicitly spelled out in several books as well.

* The ''Brand X Hero's Guide'' for the free RPG ''Men and Supermen'' encourages this kind of thing among superhero groups. By calling for "Maneuver A" or "Maneuver B", the leader can give instructions without informing the opposition of what their intentions are (such as getting hostages clear of the battle, f'rinstance).
* ''TabletopGame/{{Diplomacy}}'' has a large number of named opening approaches for every side, many named by the late Richard Sharp in his book ''The Game of Diplomacy'', such as the "Balkan Gambit" (Austria moving a fleet from Trieste to Albania and an army from Budapest to Serbia, the movement of the second army naming the specific variation). Some more examples also include "Sealion" (France and Germany team up to invade England, derived from Nazi Germany planning to do that in World War II) and "Lepanto" (Italian moving aggressively against Turkey with Austrian help, named after the 1571 naval battle that stopped Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean).
* This is a class of starship maneuvers in the ''TabletopGame/StarWarsSagaEdition RPG''. They grant several persistent bonuses to fighters in flight, but you can only have one active at a time.
* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', predictably, has many maneuvers that sound like this. But the term Alpha Strike was reserved for when a Mech pilot decides that blowing out the heat sinks (and potentially blowing up the 'mech) is a lesser risk than ''not'' firing all the weaponry onboard at once.
** Variation: The ''Sha Yu'' (Shark) is a uniquely Liao Battlemech, and a commonly accepted codephrase for pilots of the ''Sha Yu'' is "Blood in the water," which is shorthand for "I'm about to pull a flanking maneuver at top speed, followed by a couple minutes of sustained laser fire, followed by almost melting. Cover me."

* ''Franchise/StarFox''
** In ''VideoGame/StarFox64'', Fox orders his team to go into "All Range Mode" on several occasions. Which mainly means that the following fight happens in a specific area rather than the usual rail stage.
** In ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault'''s opening, a Lylat officer orders his units to use "Battle Formation V", as in the shape of the formation.

* Squadrons in the ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' series of space RTS can have different formations depending on situation, like forming a wedge when attacking or spacing out when on the defensive. They're almost playing with the trope, though, as the formations actually have descriptive names like "X" and "Sphere".
* The Crab Spider Epic Archetype in ''VideoGame/CityOfVillains'' has an ability referred to as the Omega Maneuver. Said maneuver consists of the Crab Spider teleporting a bomb into the midsts of an enemy group.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', if all three Magus Sisters are available simultaneously, Yuna can command them to "Work together!", and they will join forces to deliver the almighty Delta Attack. Although this command appears in [[AllYourColorsCombined several other games]] in the series, it's recycled from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' in that it's a ''joint'' attack where each Sister does her own thing, not a ''[[AllYourColorsCombined combination]]'' attack.
* Enclave Soldiers in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' have a tendency to shout "Attack pattern (insert greek letter here)" when attacking the player. They then proceed to do exactly what they were doing before the order was given.
* Similarly, enemies in ''Creator/TomClancy's VideoGame/RainbowSix: Vegas'', have a variety of battle tactics and messages that they shout to each other. Occasionally, if the player is killed, the soldier that kills him or her will radio to his friends "LIMA OSCAR LIMA, over." Fun if you know the phonetic alphabet.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Insecticide}}'', the Robo bugs casually announce one of their plans to be executed on their signal, randomly chosen from one of their lists.
* Squad formations are used heavily in ''VideoGame/OperationFlashpoint''. As squad leader the player can order their men to assume any one of several formations at any given time. Each one is suitable for a different situation -- column is best for fast movement, wedge is the general-purpose combat formation (for when you're not sure where the enemy are), line concentrates fire to the front, and so on.
* In the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/CannonDancer'', the [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad Teki]] refer to their final joint attack as "[[GratuitousGerman Die Rudeltaktik]]."
* As per the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' examples above, it's used in ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline''.
** Attack Patterns Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omega are all Tactical techniques which are extremely useful in battle (Evasive maneuvers, as mentioned above, is also available). Gamma is given to a Jem'Hadar ship, for whatever reason. Pilot Specialists also get Attack Pattern ''Lambda'', and there's Attack Pattern ''Tuvok'' of all things (which is basically just [[EleventhHourSuperpower the buffs from both Alpha and Omega Patterns combined]]).
*** While they are super useful as buffs or debuffs, they do not in any way change the movement or fire pattern of your or your allies ship(s). Similarly, they have "Dispersion patterns" for mines and torpedoes.
** Also has what came to be called alpha strikes from A.I. opponents. When presented with multiple enemies, the entire enemy fleet would target one player at a time, focusing fire, and eliminating them almost instantly, before doing the same thing to the next player. Patches have since changed it so that this can't happen often.
* The ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' series, as with its Battletech progenitor, allows an Alpha Strike that fires all available weapons simultaneously. Practically guaranteed to overheat the mech and force a temporary shutdown, but if you need that enemy Atlas dead ''immediately'' (Protip: you do), it's probably your best option. Except for certain loadouts/games where you'll explode from the sudden heat buildup.

* If a team manages to organize themselves enough to do one in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', the effect on the opposing team can be devastating.
** Or in any multiplayer game, really.
* [[DefiedTrope Defied]] in ''VideoGame/RoadOfTheDead''. A piece of dialogue has a US Army soldier report that his unit is doing one of these, only for his commander to abandon the codes, as they are ''fighting a ZombieApocalypse''.
* The ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity'' fandom has three well-known maneuvers that take advantage of the series' [[ArtificialStupidity AI tactics]]:
** The "Monty Python Maneuver" makes use of the series' partial aversion of SpaceFriction to fly away from multiple targets while shooting backwards. The name refers to the instances in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' where the knights yell "Run away!"
** The "Series/NotTheNineOClockNews Maneuver" allows the player to land on blockaded planets. Instead of blasting your way through, you lure the enemy away from the planet, then double back around the enemy fleet.
** The "Qaanol Maneuver", named after its inventor, involves using an absurdly fast ship to draw the enemy's fire while your escorts make the kill.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Freespace}}'' mod ''VideoGame/BluePlanet'', one mission involves a couple of code-named attack strategies ("CARTWHEEL" and "JACKKNIFE"). However, the strategies were explained in detail during the mission briefing, making this an unusually realistic example of the trope.
-->'''Yangtze''': The ''Carthage''[='=]s screen is still holding. Captain Kyrematen wants to go with the secondary attack plan.\\
'''Indus''': Captain Sorensen agrees. ''Yangtze'', ''Insuperable'', slow to one-third. Comms, coded burst to second striker package as follows: "Strike Two: We are go for contingency JACKKNIFE. Transmitting arrival vectors."\\
'''Katana''': Roger, ''Indus''. JACKKNIFE assault acknowledged. Arrival in two minutes.
* The Grineer of ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'' loved go to into "Combat Formation Bravo." Guesses to what it meant are as good as anyone else's. It seemed to be simply "stand there and shoot at the space ninjas." Sadly, it was removed when the Grineer got their own ConLang.
** In the Warframe forums, "Combat Formation Bravo" is sometimes used jokingly to refer to pathing glitches such as enemies stacking on top of each other or running around in circles.
* The new Maximum Break mechanic of ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Second Original Generation]]'' is this. Most of the {{Combination Attack}}s in the game are also examples, like the SRX Team's ''Formation R'' or Kyosuke and Excellen's ''Rampage Ghost''. Kyosuke will sometimes even mention changing up the pattern to confuse the enemy.
* ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven GO 2: Chrono Stone'' uses this in a villainous context to highlight the clinical precision and efficiency of [[BigBad El Dorado]]'s teams. While most hissatsu techniques have distinctive names that are shown when they are used, those used by Protocol Omega are designated by the move's type and a number, such as "Shoot Command 01", or "Tactics [=AX3=]".
* During the random crimes in ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2'', criminals will occasionally shout "Execute Escape Pattern Epsilon!" before [[MundaneMadeAwesome jumping into a getaway car and driving off.]]

* ''[[http://badgods.com/wormwood-seatofpower15.html Sean and Wormwood]]'' parodies the trope. Maneuver 14-B is "Don't let the giant worm knock me off the ledge." It also means "Pick me up some kettle chips while you're out." You kind of have to figure it out from context.
* In ''Webcomic/NuzlockeComics'', when Ruby takes on the Grass gym:

* Discussed in response to one of the runner-up entries in the 2013 Literature/LyttleLyttonContest:
--> What's funny about this isn't the exaggeration, because it ''isn't really exaggerated.''  Do a search on "Attack Plan Theta" and you will get dozens of hits.  Distilling a whole genre down to this and submitting it to the contest is like hanging a urinal in an art gallery: the change of context encouranges you to think about things you might take for granted.  Like, take this pseudo-military spacewar jargon.  If you take a job writing a genre piece, this comes with the territory.  There have been days when turning "hero blows up the station somehow" into "'Prepare to utilize Attack Plan Theta on the rear defensive shield!'" was what I did at work that day.  And ''I'' don't know what Attack Plan Theta is.  And the ''audience'' doesn't know what Attack Plan Theta is.  As far as the communication of meaning is concerned, this phrase is an empty vehicle.  And yet it really is a requirement of the genre -- this sort of sequence doesn't feel "authentic" without it.  Isn't that funny?

* Often used in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'', usually declared by Captain America or Black Widow, and often with Hawkeye snarking that he can never remember which one it is, or Hulk grumbling that he doesn't care, he just wants to smash things.
* In the second episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', "Christmas With the Joker", one reason you can tell that the show is [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness still finding its feet]] is that "Robin! Operation: Cause and Effect!" is apparently Batman Code for "Robin, would you kindly run real fast and blow a hole in that wall with a grenade, please and thank you?" This is the sort of thing that would feel more at home in ''Series/Batman1966'' starring Creator/AdamWest and Burt Ward than what ''Batman: TAS'' eventually became.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novels

* Justified in ''Literature/RedStormRising'' by Tom Clancy. When Soviet bombers are making a last-ditch attack on the American-led NATO strike fleet that is tasked with retaking Iceland, one of the radar controllers orders the carrier aircraft into Plan Delta. From the context of the scene, this is presumably the plan worked up to deal with bombers closing from two directions, with heavy radar jamming support. Also, since Strike Fleet Atlantic had been clobbered by Soviet bombers much earlier in the book, having multiple plans to deal with the threat a second time makes good tactical sense.

* Subverted in one of the ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' novels, when an ex-government assassin gets mentally caught up in his training, and starts barking out code names for maneuvers to his teammates... who are street-thugs with no clue what he's talking about.
* In ''[[Literature/{{Ringworld}} The Ringworld Throne]]'', Luis Wu teaches Chmee's son Acolyte the value of predetermined actions, and in training until performing said actions are second nature. He compares it to an astronaut being trained so that the first thing he does in an emergency situation is put on his pressure suit without actually having to think about doing it, and then asks if wtsai (the Kzinti knife-fighting martial art in which Acolyte has been trained) has a "a default maneuver; a move that is used when you are surprised or if you aren't really sure which move to use." Turns out there is one: the disembowel.
* In the ''[[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Sea of Monsters]]'', Percy Jackson and company use "Attack Plan Macedonia" on the Cyclops Polyphemus. It doesn't work so well for them.
* ''The True Game'' has a wide variety of these, whose names are derived from the setting's CharacterClassSystem (twelve individual magical talents in various combinations). The first three books (in order of publication) are named after some of these, specifically ''King's Blood Four'', ''Necromancer Nine'', and ''Wizard's Eleven''.
* In the ''Literature/LegacyOfTheAldenata'', O'Neal develops a series of "plays", like those used in American football, to describe basic maneuvers for [[PoweredArmor ACS]] troopers to perform when on the battlefield, for the sake of short commands that can be spoken quickly.
* Played with in the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' novel ''Pool of Darkness'', in which the evil but not overly competent Red Wizard Marcus explains his plan for taking the city of Phlan with his army to his rather more professional undead general -- who proceeds to patiently translate the individual maneuvers into proper military jargon as his [[PointyHairedBoss "master"]] "explains" them to him...
* In the Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo-series book ''1634: The Baltic War'', the only response Admiral Simpson needs to make to [[spoiler:the Dane's ambush with a flotilla of torpedo boats attacking under cover of thick smoke]] is to pass the following order to his captain: "Have Ajax take the lead, then Achilles. The ironclads will follow behind them, and the squadron will assume Formation Charlie on a heading of zero-niner-five."