Hi.

[Skrim]

Hi.

I'm new to Warzone. I downloaded WZ 2100 version 2.0.10 about 2 weeks ago, but haven't been able to play much.

I've played the Alpha Campaign up to mission 7, but got tired by the slow trickle of technology in the campaign and headed for Skirmish mode instead to try out VTOLs, Hover propulsion, water maps, Nexus equipment, advanced weapons, etc.

I played a game at Basingstoke(4 player map) against 3 extremely dumb-level AIs to learn some basics and get a bearing on how to handle VTOLs, and eventually won without building a single ground combat unit - just various combat VTOLs, stock-spec Trucks, Combat Engineer cyborgs, and a Cyborg Transport to carry that engineer team around.

The second game I played was on the Valley map, against slightly harder but still sub-normal AIs. Again, I tried a similar strategy of rushing to VTOLs, holding off the enemy attack, and then going on the offensive. I won that game too.

My most recent Skirmish game was on the large 8-player Manhattan map, against 4 almost-normal AIs. I shall now AAR it just for fun, and hopefully for comments on how to improve my play:
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I started on the eastern side of the central island(presumably what Manhattan would look like after being severely nuked in the story) as Green Faction. I built 5 more Trucks and 3 more Research Facilities, upgrading my Power Generator and Research Facilities ASAP before beginning the VTOL tech rush. I also built a barrier of Machine-Gun Bunkers to the west of my base to hold off the slowly strengthening attack of my island-mate, Blue Faction, before exploring a bit and finding a convenient extra Oil Derrick, which I soon began harnessing.

Blue Faction's attack initially consisted of Trucks and Machine-Gun Viper Wheels units, but eventually upgraded to Heavy Machine-Gun Viper Tracks units. I countered by adding a Lancer Hardpoint and devoting a few trucks to repair while my VTOL Factory and 3 Rearmament Pads were getting set up. I first built 3 Dagger Strike Fighters(Leopard + VTOL + Lancer) and organized them into Group 2, which I used to demolish the Blue advance and attack their Factories and Trucks. I soon obtained Scourge Missiles and built 3 new Spitfire Interceptors as Group 3 to augment the attack. Together, Groups 2 and 3 knocked out all the Blue Factories and Trucks, paralyzing them.

Inevitably, what followed was Blue Faction's complete annihilation. I readily took over all their land and gained a whopping 7 new Oil Derricks. I built and upgraded the requisite Power Generators, and set up a Cyborg Factory, Repair Facility, 5 new Rearmament Pads, and coastal fortifications in every direction(consisting of Scourge Missile Hardpoints, Sensor Towers, and VTOL Strike Towers).

Now that I had set up an absolute island fortress, surrounded by water on all sides and fortified more than sufficiently against any sparse Hover attacks that may come, I decided to go on the offensive against the Pink Faction down south, which had demolished Black Faction in this much time. I re-equipped the experienced crews of Group 2 with Spitfires and built 2 more Spitfires for the new Group 4, which was linked to a VTOL Strike Tower on the north-western corner to intercept any Yellow Faction VTOL attacks, should they send any. For my own offensive, I built 4 Tempest Light Bombers(Leopard + VTOL + Phosphor Bomb) as Group 5, and sent them down south on a focussed attack to destroy Pink Factories and Trucks without touching their army. They did exactly that, the Phosphor Bombs proving surprisingly effective(this was the first time I was using them).

So Pink was all too easily subjugated, and there would thus be no threat from the south. But Pink also had lots and lots of ground defenses and a large ground army, so I decided not to risk an invasion and go after the much stronger Yellow Faction up north. Upon reaching the northern continent, my Tempests found a gigantic and extremely dense swarm of primitive units massed at the coast. Machine-Gun Viper Wheels, Heavy Machine-Gun Viper Tracks, Machine Gunner cyborgs and Trucks appeared to be the main chunk of the swarm. So I decided to get a bit of cheap experience for my Tempests and ordered them to bomb the swarm. The Phosphor Bombs' area effect damage worked to excellent effect and lit a nice glowing bonfire over the useless swarm of land-bound units.

After two rounds of bombing, the primitive buggies began to pop and crackle like popcorn in a microwave, but more units kept pouring in, including heavier cannon-armed units. Now whatever paltry defense the machine-gun fire had been providing was gone as well, and attempts to set up AA emplacements were thwarted. The few AA units that arrived were prioritized and destroyed. By now, I had 2 Trained crews, 1 Regular, and 1 Professional. The turkey shoot was getting to be rather fun when out of nowhere, 4 Lancer Viper VTOLs dived in, shot down my Regular-level Tempest, damaged the others, and left the area. I was forced to call off the bombing raids until air superiority could be achieved...
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Now, to make the long story short.

Over the course of that game, I eventually learned that Phosphor Bombs, while effective against light armor, don't do well when faced with heavier stuff(a mistake eventually cost me the entire Group 5). I learned that Plasmite Bombs, however, although heavy, were extremely effective swarm-killer weapons against any kind of opponent, and crushed bunkers better than anything I've ever seen before(3 of them smashed 2 nearby AA emplacements). The Cyborg Transport + Combat Engineer combo also helped a lot, allowing me to set up a full forward base on the isolated Staten Island(the nuked landmass west of "Manhattan"). After grinding it out against Yellow, I eventually concluded that VTOLs alone couldn't do the trick. So, in came an amphibious navy of Vengeance and Wyvern-based Hovercraft armed with Archangel Missiles, HellStorm artillery, and Nexus Link Turrets. The end is obvious.

Also, units and hardpoints armed with the Machine-Gun and Heavy Machine-Gun turrets seem to be not only be capable of shooting at aircraft, but they also do damage. They don't really do much damage and aren't sufficient to shoot down VTOLs on their own, but still enough that a wall of Heavy Machine-Gun Hardpoints could bring down a heavily damaged Tempest as it tried to retreat. At the same time, Machine-Gun Bunkers, which have no turret, are not able to even shoot at aircraft. Is this intentional, or is it some kind of bug?

[Buginator]

Hi.
I don't know what you said, since I don't got time to read that novel.  I think you are trying to overtake the longest post in the forums award that was (is?) held by Kage. 

Anyway, just wanted to say welcome.


(I might even go back and read this one day when I get more time)

[shishkebab]

Hi! Glad you seem to like Warzone!

At the same time, Machine-Gun Bunkers, which have no turret, are not able to even shoot at aircraft. Is this intentional, or is it some kind of bug?

No, I think bunkers are not supposed to shoot aircraft, and yes, they do have a turret, you just cant see it.

Welcome to the forums!

[psychopompos]

welcome to the forums.
hope you enjoy your stay

mg bunkers are best thought of as pillboxes.
basically, a concrete box with holes in the side for guns.

[Skrim]

Be prepared for another huge post. The second part, after the 2 lines, is the actual core of the post. The rest is just background.
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I realized how hideously huge that AAR was, which is why I cut it short. After playing many more games, I discovered that the one I described here was one of the less eventful and less fun games I've played. A game on the Fish Nets map with 3 Normal AIs proved to be particularly challenging with the Green and Grey Factions focusing all their might to exterminate me in a two-front war which I almost lost.

Getting tired of comp-stomp Skirmishes, I decided to continue the campaign instead. I've now forged my way up to Gamma 1, where I'm now stuck.

The second half of the Alpha Campaign was OK, and not very hard except for Alpha 12. Alpha 12 was a long slug fest with my tank groups advancing some distance, then retreating when their commanders went red, and going through this process time and time over, again, and again. Eventually, I got tired of this and sent a hovercraft group to attack their main HQ's defenses without backup. The hovercraft group got annihilated, but not before severely weakening the defenses. My tank groups broke in and it was over for the New Paradigm.

The Beta Campaign had a grim start with the first mission, until I discovered that my tanks were actually a better defense in all aspects compared to the hardpoint 'gun-line' I was trying to construct. Upon realizing this, I brought in more reinforcement groups of Heavy Tank Mk.2s1 and Heavy Tank-Destroyers2 as they were being churned out at Alpha Base. The tank groups, with upgraded commanders, repulsed the attack and eradicated the Collective. From then on, the Beta Campaign turned out to be easier, but with some challenge in the intercept-the-commander mission.

When VTOLs arrived, it was a cakewalk. Once I had replaced my early-spec Puma Light Bombers3 with new Leopard SEAD Bombers4 and Cougar Strike Fighters5, even heavy flak and SAMs were no problem. I also used VTOLs for air defense, in the form of Jaguar Air-Superiority Fighters6, and even shot down a Collective Transport on one occasion using these fighters.

Together, my tank groups and VTOLs turned Beta 6-10 into a blitzkrieg. But Beta 11 turned out to be hellish, with ridiculous amounts of Collective units charging at my base. But I still managed to get my 2 commanders, 3 trucks, 3 groups of tanks, and a group of VTOLs(Leopards & Cougars) evacuated while a single truck painted a wall of fake MG bunkers to protect the LZ in the last minutes before the nuke hit.
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But now, NEXUS is turning out to be an entirely different animal. While I fought with technological equality against the Scavengers, New Paradigm, and the Collective, NEXUS has significant tech superiority. On the very first mission, I found Scourge Missile and Pulse Laser armed cyborgs and hovercraft with Auto-Repair doing hit-and-runs, while my lumbering Alpha11-vintage Heavy Tank Mk.2s were barely able to touch them. Eventually, I managed to beat the cyborgs by holding fire until several tanks got into firing positions, so as to kill the cyborg in one blast.

Like this, I captured the northern alley and 3 oil derricks, and built walls and Tank Killer hardpoints and Whirlwind flak emplacements to defend my base. I also decided to try out some artillery and built some very expensive Hellstorm emplacements and the requisite Sensor and CB towers, the only area where I had tech equal to that of NEXUS. But the resulting artillery crossfire has hurt me more than the enemy, with trucks unable to repair due to the blast and ripple-fire effects of NEXUS Hellstorm and Angel emplacements. Although I think I can win this mission in some tries, any tips would be appreciated. As I have not been an artillery fan in the past(they're damn inaccurate), there may be something I'm missing.

And the previously posted walkthrough is unreliable, since when I consulted it for Beta 11, it said I'd only have 10 minutes and air attacks from the Collective, while I actually had 30 minutes and a combined-arms swarm facing me.

1.Heavy Tank Mk.2 = Python + Tracks + Heavy Cannon(Mk.1 had a Medium Cannon)
2.Heavy Tank-Destroyer = Python + Tracks + Lancer(later Tank Killer for Mk.2)
3.Puma Light Bomber = Leopard + VTOL + Phosphor Bomb Bay
4.Leopard SEAD Bomber = Panther + VTOL + Bunker Buster
5.Cougar Strike Fighter = Leopard + VTOL + Bunker Buster
6.Jaguar Air-Superiority Fighter = Leopard + VTOL + Lancer(later Tank Killer for Mk.2)

[Verminus]

Looks like a bad case of verbal diarrhea...

*Tries to read Skrim's posts*
. . . .

Error: Information Overload
. . . .

System Error: Out of Memory
. . . .

[Skrim]

I warned you. Only read the part after the 2 lines.

[themousemaster]

I warned you. Only read the part after the 2 lines.

The final beta mission has always been 30 minutes, and has always followed the pattern of 4 vectors of incoming air assaults, and 2 vectors of ground force assaults.  It has been this way since v1.0 release, so whoever made that walkthrough was smoking something powerful.




What your missing is an AssaultGun heavy tank (I'll leave the naming to you).

In Gamma1 and Gamma2, Assault guns (NOT assault cannons, I'm talking about the machinegun type here) will chew through nexus cyborgs and medium-hovers like you wouldn't believe.  And once you research the Tungsten-Tipped upgrade in gamma1, they will also obliterate nexus STRUCTURES with equal ease.

In fact, if you have the time, switch all of your heavytanks from Python to Tiger body.  In MP, the cost difference is restrictive for this, but since in SP you probably have a whole bunch of cash you won't be carrying over from BETA (the amount you start with in gamma is fixed), use it to beef your tanks up even farther.  Heavey cannons and Tank Killers are good choices.  In fact, having your entire ground force being Tiger-tracks, with nothing but Tank Killers, Heavy Cannons, and Assault Guns (in a 2:1:3 ratio) is probably how you want to start gamma 1 (not counting the 4-6 trucks and command tanks you send over.  Make sure said command tanks are also Tigers).

If you have a save-game back in the last beta stage, I'd recommend going back there, sending up your first transport-load as normal, but then using the 7-minute interval before it comes back to recycle some of your other tanks and convert them to assault-gun weaponry.  Also, scrap your air force, recycling them for more ground units.  I'll explain why a few paragraphs down.

Also, as for the Hellstorm Artillery...

The reason you might find them somewhat inaccurate in the gamma stages is because Nexus has their own artillery palces in very well protected areas.  For example, in gamma1, their Angel Missle batteries in the NW portion of the map are behind a mountain face, so any counter-fire you send there way will hit the cliff instead.  You can do the same thing (basically); place your closest batteries flush against a mountain side, and then you and nexus will end up hitting cliff faces instead of each other ("How can this help?"  you might ask?  Because if nexus's artillery is busy firing ineffectually against your own batteries, they AREN'T firing at your moving troops.  And once the stage maps open up in later missions, having huge swaths of artillery batteries all firing at once will get at least some of the Nexus batteries before they get yours).

That all said, Hellstorms on Tracks make for EXCELLENT units.  In addition to being able to provide counter-battery fire while at base (and having more HP than an emplacment, assuming you put them on Tigers too), you can have them travel with your main tank battlegroups, using them to take out those dispicable long-range Scourge towers.  Hellstorms at 8 screens away = inaccurate; hellstorms at just beyond Scourge range = a lot of dead buildings in a hurry.  You get an added bonus of the splash damage taking our large segments of walls, not only giving you mroe room to move your own forces in, but each dead wall segment adds to your tank's EXP counters.



Also, change your airforce mentality.  "Air Superiority fighters" have good use in multiplayer (and in BETA, but then again, ANY air force works well in BETA), but not so much against Nexus, given the combination of armor and speed their aircraft display (use large groupings of AA until you get SAM's, then go with small, 1-screen-covering-each SAM placements); also, Nexus's high-powered SAM's will turn any attack craft you send within 4 miles of them into scrap.  Use a combination of Tiger HEAPS and bug-minipods.  Send the minipods in first to draw the SAM fire, then have the Tigers lumber over with HEAP loadouts and drop 2 bomber's worth on each SAM site.  Once the SAM's are clear, keep sending the Bombers at will to blow everything you want to apart, making a path for your tank battlegroup in the aftermath.  This strat will work well through the rest of the Base missions in the game (I recommend against using them in any away missions save for the very final stage, due to its lack of time limit).

The reason you don't want to bring your airforce from BETA is because for the above strat to work, you need to have a factory churning out the cheap minipod-bugs at a frequent pace; since you can only send 40 units max from BETA, that is a very inefficient use of transport space.  ESPECIALLY since you won't have rearming pads when you land at gamma1.

[Skrim]

The final beta mission has always been 30 minutes, and has always followed the pattern of 4 vectors of incoming air assaults, and 2 vectors of ground force assaults.  It has been this way since v1.0 release, so whoever made that walkthrough was smoking something powerful.




What your missing is an AssaultGun heavy tank (I'll leave the naming to you).

In Gamma1 and Gamma2, Assault guns (NOT assault cannons, I'm talking about the machinegun type here) will chew through nexus cyborgs and medium-hovers like you wouldn't believe.  And once you research the Tungsten-Tipped upgrade in gamma1, they will also obliterate nexus STRUCTURES with equal ease.

In fact, if you have the time, switch all of your heavytanks from Python to Tiger body.  In MP, the cost difference is restrictive for this, but since in SP you probably have a whole bunch of cash you won't be carrying over from BETA (the amount you start with in gamma is fixed), use it to beef your tanks up even farther.  Heavey cannons and Tank Killers are good choices.  In fact, having your entire ground force being Tiger-tracks, with nothing but Tank Killers, Heavy Cannons, and Assault Guns (in a 2:1:3 ratio) is probably how you want to start gamma 1 (not counting the 4-6 trucks and command tanks you send over.  Make sure said command tanks are also Tigers).

If you have a save-game back in the last beta stage, I'd recommend going back there, sending up your first transport-load as normal, but then using the 7-minute interval before it comes back to recycle some of your other tanks and convert them to assault-gun weaponry.  Also, scrap your air force, recycling them for more ground units.  I'll explain why a few paragraphs down.

Also, as for the Hellstorm Artillery...

The reason you might find them somewhat inaccurate in the gamma stages is because Nexus has their own artillery palces in very well protected areas.  For example, in gamma1, their Angel Missle batteries in the NW portion of the map are behind a mountain face, so any counter-fire you send there way will hit the cliff instead.  You can do the same thing (basically); place your closest batteries flush against a mountain side, and then you and nexus will end up hitting cliff faces instead of each other ("How can this help?"  you might ask?  Because if nexus's artillery is busy firing ineffectually against your own batteries, they AREN'T firing at your moving troops.  And once the stage maps open up in later missions, having huge swaths of artillery batteries all firing at once will get at least some of the Nexus batteries before they get yours).

That all said, Hellstorms on Tracks make for EXCELLENT units.  In addition to being able to provide counter-battery fire while at base (and having more HP than an emplacment, assuming you put them on Tigers too), you can have them travel with your main tank battlegroups, using them to take out those dispicable long-range Scourge towers.  Hellstorms at 8 screens away = inaccurate; hellstorms at just beyond Scourge range = a lot of dead buildings in a hurry.  You get an added bonus of the splash damage taking our large segments of walls, not only giving you mroe room to move your own forces in, but each dead wall segment adds to your tank's EXP counters.



Also, change your airforce mentality.  "Air Superiority fighters" have good use in multiplayer (and in BETA, but then again, ANY air force works well in BETA), but not so much against Nexus, given the combination of armor and speed their aircraft display (use large groupings of AA until you get SAM's, then go with small, 1-screen-covering-each SAM placements); also, Nexus's high-powered SAM's will turn any attack craft you send within 4 miles of them into scrap.  Use a combination of Tiger HEAPS and bug-minipods.  Send the minipods in first to draw the SAM fire, then have the Tigers lumber over with HEAP loadouts and drop 2 bomber's worth on each SAM site.  Once the SAM's are clear, keep sending the Bombers at will to blow everything you want to apart, making a path for your tank battlegroup in the aftermath.  This strat will work well through the rest of the Base missions in the game (I recommend against using them in any away missions save for the very final stage, due to its lack of time limit).

The reason you don't want to bring your airforce from BETA is because for the above strat to work, you need to have a factory churning out the cheap minipod-bugs at a frequent pace; since you can only send 40 units max from BETA, that is a very inefficient use of transport space.  ESPECIALLY since you won't have rearming pads when you land at gamma1.

Hi. I just won the first mission(effectively, with all enemy units, factories, and defenses dead) using those Heavy Gatling Tanks pictured in the other thread, along with my aging Heavy Tanks. The Heavy Tanks still do the majority of damage to structures. The Assault Gun's anti-unit effectiveness appears to be caused by it's high ROF playing into the NEXUS units' run-away-&-auto-repair mentality, by causing them to take a lot of damage while retreating. If they didn't retreat so eagerly, I don't think the A-Gun would be so useful compared to cannons.

The Hellstorm thing sounds interesting, I think I'll try it out. Apart from tying up enemy artillery in a futile game of shoot-the-cliff, they also provide regular artillery defense against approaching enemy units. Only thing is, the Hellstorms are rather pricey(but are also the most effective arty in the game).

As for the air force, "Air Superiority Fighter" is just a term I use for any Light-bodied Lancer/Tank-Killer/Scourge armed VTOL. These VTOLs' primary role is to shoot enemy bombers(and sometimes ground units) before they come too close(i.e, within attack range of their target), and they do this job mighty well. I've even shot down a Transport once, using such fighters. And NEXUS uses them too for much the same role, except their fighters are hideously strong Retaliations with Scourge armament.

Also, I have a different opinion as far as your air-force suggestion goes. I don't see the use of Minipod-Bugs, since I already use cheaper Machinegun-Bug units for the exact same role. And apart from that, Tiger-HEAP superheavy bombers would be too moronically slow for their own good, with speeds in the lower 100s - Bunker Busters are far, far more effective against single(i.e, non-clumped) targets. Two of them can take out any SAM/AA site, any hardpoint, or any artillery emplacement, while the aircraft itself can pull speeds up to 700. The HEAP bomb bay is however, best in suppression of dense enemy armor/artillery/etc. concentrations thanks to it's blast radius.(Observations from Skirmish mode)

So, for the new-stuff list to try out:
- Hellstorm Emplacements hidden behind a cliff.
- Hellstorm-armed Tiger-Tracks self-propelled arty.
- Machinegun-Bug + Tiger-BunkerBuster VTOL strike combo.

[themousemaster]

Hi. I just won the first mission(effectively, with all enemy units, factories, and defenses dead) using those Heavy Gatling Tanks pictured in the other thread, along with my aging Heavy Tanks. The Heavy Tanks still do the majority of damage to structures. The Assault Gun's anti-unit effectiveness appears to be caused by it's high ROF playing into the NEXUS units' run-away-&-auto-repair mentality, by causing them to take a lot of damage while retreating. If they didn't retreat so eagerly, I don't think the A-Gun would be so useful compared to cannons.

The Hellstorm thing sounds interesting, I think I'll try it out. Apart from tying up enemy artillery in a futile game of shoot-the-cliff, they also provide regular artillery defense against approaching enemy units. Only thing is, the Hellstorms are rather pricey(but are also the most effective arty in the game).

As for the air force, "Air Superiority Fighter" is just a term I use for any Light-bodied Lancer/Tank-Killer/Scourge armed VTOL. These VTOLs' primary role is to shoot enemy bombers(and sometimes ground units) before they come too close(i.e, within attack range of their target), and they do this job mighty well. I've even shot down a Transport once, using such fighters. And NEXUS uses them too for much the same role, except their fighters are hideously strong Retaliations with Scourge armament.

Also, I have a different opinion as far as your air-force suggestion goes. I don't see the use of Minipod-Bugs, since I already use cheaper Machinegun-Bug units for the exact same role. And apart from that, Tiger-HEAP superheavy bombers would be too moronically slow for their own good, with speeds in the lower 100s - Bunker Busters are far, far more effective against single(i.e, non-clumped) targets. Two of them can take out any SAM/AA site, any hardpoint, or any artillery emplacement, while the aircraft itself can pull speeds up to 700. The HEAP bomb bay is however, best in suppression of dense enemy armor/artillery/etc. concentrations thanks to it's blast radius.(Observations from Skirmish mode)

So, for the new-stuff list to try out:
- Hellstorm Emplacements hidden behind a cliff.
- Hellstorm-armed Tiger-Tracks self-propelled arty.
- Machinegun-Bug + Tiger-BunkerBuster VTOL strike combo.

--- Actually, unless something has changed, machinegun bugs and minipod bugs cost the same VTOL wise.  I just used the minipods because, until 2.1, that was about the only thing minipods were good for, so it was a laugh for me.

--- As for the HEAP vs Bunker Busters, you are right that the BB's will deal with SAM's in a more cost-effective manner.  However, you will (trust me on this) be using bombers against large clumps of stuff in the not too distant future.  Every stage, base or away (even though I don't recommend VTOLS on away missions) are going to be the biggest examples of chokepoint insanity ever dreamed up by level designers in history.  HEAPs can take out a 2X2 grid with frightening effectiveness (3 of them dropping payloads in tandem will fry even the as-of-yet-unseen Nexus Heavy Vengeance Body).  If you want to get technical, I suppose you can use BB's for single SAMs and HEAPS for building/unit clusters; I prefer to use just the HEAPs myself, however, so that the unit EXP is concentrated.  A Tiger body HEAP dies in 4 SAM hits; however, a Tiger body HEAP at veteran or above status can survive 4 hits.  Since Nexus heavy-SAMS fire 4 missiles per salvo...

--- It's also not unusual for me to field air forces of 50 HEAP-Vengeance bombers in the final mission.  I guess I'm too influenced by WWII movies ;p.

--- HEAPs are slow, I'll grant that.  The trick is to time it so that the HEAPS are already on their way to the targets by the time you give the Bugs the "move in" command, so that the bugs draw the fire a second or less in front of the HEAPs.  Even at the HEAP's slow movement, if they are entering the SAMs firing range right as the SAMs unload, they'll still make it to the SAMs before the SAMs can reload.

--- While Nexus's fire-and-retreat mentality does help if you know how to use it, the AssaultGun tanks will still shred them regardless.  In fact, I've been known to make my entire first-group to gamma 2 trucks, my commander, and 7 AssaultGun tanks; even before the Tungsten-Tipped upgrade, all you have to do is land 20 bullets on a cyborg or (roughly, I haven't counted specifically) 50 on the medium-hover-scourge to score a kill.  Just give your troops the "hold fire" command as you march them forward, then the "fire at will" command when all 7 tanks are within range.  Your lead tank will take a lot of hits, but if it's an experienced Tiger-body (or your command tank itself), it will survive that small harassment group Nexus sends.  Be sure to NOT have "retreat at X damage" turned on before doing this ;p.  Get a repair facility up post-haste, and that same group can then even clear out the base North of your starting area, giving you a good cash flow for the next 2 hours of the stage, and plenty of real-estate to set up in.  I won't say that assault guns ripping up walls makes sense, but whatever works in that early insanity...

--- I'm not saying your "air superiority fighter" won't do the job vs Nexus craft as well as Collective ones; the problem is that Nexus attack craft, being as resilient+fast as they are, and given the ways the Base Gamma missions are layed out, you usually won't even see the incoming bombers in time to destroy them prior to payload-dropping.  And trying to send them over the mountain to scout ahead will get them all shot up mercilessly.  This will be true for every gamma stage until the end of the game... that's why I don't find them good uses of limited Rearming-pad space.  If it's working for you, don't let me stop ya.

--- Yes, hellstorms are pricey.  I partly avert this by having my TigerTrack Hellstorms come off of my money from BETA; I have a group of 10 of them I like to march around all game.  In Alpha, they start life as CobraMortars, then to Bombard Pythons, to Howitzer Tigers, to Hellstorm Tigers (and eventually to HellstormVengeance).  Lots of good EXP that way, and recycling them gives you a nice front of cash to building the upgraded model.




I'll give you a heads up to future Base missions as well, and don't worry, this isn't a (real) spoiler; unlike BETA and ALPHA, in GAMMA, every time the base-map extends, it will be vertically.  So instead of the final map being a large square, it's going to look like a gigantic straw.  When "placing your artillery against a cliff face", do it against East-West mountain ranges, since all future missions will either have you going north or south from your current base.  This should also help you to determine where you will need to set up defenses

Oh, and you said you beat the first stage in GAMMA... did you milk that 2 hours for all the money it was worth?  You are going to need bucketloads of cash over the course of the GAMMA campaign.  If you thought the "hold the base" type missions of BETA were nuts...

[Skrim]

I just steamrolled through Gamma 2, 3 and 4 right now before landing up at Gamma 5 and getting severely whooped, giving up after 34 minutes.

Gamma 2 was an exercise in air power, with my Bunker-Buster armed strike aircraft destroying all the SAM sites defending the silos, then the NEXUS base, and finally the nuke silos themselves(while my ground forces held the base). Only 1 strike plane was lost. Unfortunately, the crazy amount of SAMs defending the target valley meant that I had to recycle all my aircraft, and for some reason, units recycled at Away locations lose their experience forever. Also, the ground units which I had supposedly saved got lost at the end of the mission, and have not been seen since. My most experienced tank crews, my special-level commander. All lost.

Gamma 3 was a cakewalk. I milk all the time out of every mission, not just for cash, but also to organize my units, manufacture more, and build defenses wherever they may be required. So, at the end of Gamma 1, I had set up 6 HellStorms and the requisite Sensor and CB towers behind the cliff at my northeastern forward base, and 5 more HellStorms and their Sensor & CB towers behind the cliff at my northwestern forward base. Come Gamma 3, and early on there is a counter-barrage exchange between my HellStorm emplacements and NEXUS' Angels. The HellStorms' advantageous position saw them come out on top. After that, I used dummy scout VTOLs to overfly the two NEXUS fortifications on the east and west. These flights incited the HellStorms to fire on these fortifications, flattening all SAMs, hardpoints, towers, and cyborgs present.

With no SAMs, my attack VTOLs took command. The Bunker Buster planes took down the surviving AA guns and leveled the Gamma-NEXUS base(save one sensor tower), and my new HEAP-armed "FatCat" heavy bombers crunched enemy cyborg groups like candy. My main tank group(now completely re-equipped with newer stuff) collected the artifacts for Retribution(along with the associated alloy and engine techs), Neural Synapse Research Brain, and best of all, the Laser Flashlight. In the remaining time, I built some Flashlight-armed units and put up a near the northwestern edge of the map, and at that hole in the western cliff.

Gamma 4 was easy as well. I just drove my new Light Laser Tanks(Tiger + Tracks + Flashlight) to the objective, and drove all my units back to the LZ after that. They kept killing NEXUS cyborgs automatically whenever encountered, with more efficiency than even the Assault Gun.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gamma 5 has taken a new place in the hardest mission I've played yet. In fact, I never even got an objective for this mission, since the NEXUS Intruder Program had taken over already, and thus all I got in place of a briefing was the long sad story of it's creator, Dr. Reed.

So, first thing that happened, my Command Center flipped and was blown apart by my newly-returned units. Then a massing of NEXUS units appeared in that hole in the western cliff and began bashing against my wall. As nearby trucks tried to repair, my HellStorm batteries(now augmented with 4 more at the northwestern base) opened fire and, inaccurate as always, they destroyed my trucks. Before my wall fell, I sent 3 FatCats to attack the massed units, and their HEAP bombs destroyed all but 2 units, and destroyed the wall as well. The 2 survivors were taken care of by the HellStorms shortly afterwards, and research of Resistance Circuits commenced.

Another NEXUS super-hovercraft group was now bashing against my northwestern wall. I slowed the game speed to the minimum and began micromanaging my trucks to hold the wall. But then I realized that my tanks and artillery units were beginning to flip, despite having never been touched by a Link-armed NEXUS unit, and so I recycled them along with my commanders to save experience.

In this much time, however, the invaders had broken through. HellStorm fire killed a few and drove the rest into run-and-repair mode, and I tried bombing them as well. But this time, Vindicator-armed units had come along, and they promptly destroyed 2 of my 3 FatCats. Worse, my VTOL Factory flipped and had to be destroyed.

Meanwhile, wave after wave of NEXUS heavy bombers were attacking my main base. My fighters had either been flipped(yes, 4 of them were converted), or destroyed by those Vindicator-armed hovercraft(2 of them). One of the waves had blown up a Research Center, but fortunately, I had 3 of them and lots of trucks nearby to rebuild them. Strangely, the bomber waves, after a while, shifted the focus of their attack from base structures to defenses, and began going after walls and AA emplacements. In response, I had my trucks build a tough AA "grid" of 9 emplacements, consisting of a mix of Cyclones and Whirlwinds. After this, even stranger events occurred: the NEXUS bombers began to try and land at my main base! This was, of course, suicidal behavior for obvious reasons.(Screenshots available on request)

Eventually, HellStorm bombardment stalled the NEXUS hovercraft groups' advance, and my trucks had built and upgraded 2 new Factories and a new VTOL Factory. Thus, I began to rebuild my army, commanders first, then everything else. Then, when around 30 minutes were left on the clock, a disaster struck. A massive NEXUS combat group stormed in from the hole in the western cliff, consisting of countless Scourge Cyborgs and hovercraft of all kinds. Seconds later, another similar swarm entered from the northwest. At this point, I saved and quit. Mor for later.

[themousemaster]

There's always a fine line between not wanting spoilers, and needing them in this game ;p.  I almost recommend going back to GAMMA1 and replaying those stages, if you are in a pinch.  Here's the headsup:





GAMMA2 -

Your units never returned because they could not be airlifted in.  They are not lost, they just need time to drive back.  You haven't seen the last of them.  I advise against your airforce, as you've noticed what will happen to them; also of note, however, is that in the "Nexus is in ur base, converting ur d00ds" stage, they will NOT convert VTOLS (at least, in 10 or so playthroughs, they never took mine).  So you want to keep your VTOLS, especially your HEAP ones, at home for that mission.  Use your hellstorms to breach the enemy defenses instead; they can then double to breach the defenses guarding the northern escape route.  In fact, given that your forces in GAMMA 2 avoid the fate of your forces in GAMMA5, your choice of sending all your tenured troops there was actually a good one.  I know that's what I do.


GAMMA3 -

Poor Gamma base .  Anyway, you seem to have that one in the bag.  Let me just mention the trigger:  "your" base will convert to their side once you either (A) drive into it far enough to see the Link Turret Tower, or (B) you destroy Nexus's main Command center.  If you want to keep gamma out of it for a while, just hold off on doing either until you've flattened the rest of the board.  Oh, and take the Oil Derrick against the north of the map, but don't bother defending it (much).




GAMMA 4 -

Lasers are fun, no?  Here's the thing though:  don't make brand new laser tanks.  They will be replacing your AssaultGun as your primary anti-cyborg (and secondary anti-structure) weapon once you get a few more upgrades; so just hold your AssaultGun tanks for now, and in... say, 2 more stages (as in, once GAMMA5 ends, sucks making them just to lose them), convert your AssaultGun tanks to lasers.



GAMMA 5 -

Yeah, that's a stinger of an intro, especially if you don't have the movie telling you what to do (that's kind of the reason I started that new thread earlier today).  The Command Center is always the first to go, don't sweat it.

The trick is to start handling it way back in Gamma 1/3.  What you should do is make liberal use of Assault Gun Bunkers (NOT HARDPOINTS).  Have every single structure you own covered by at least 2 assault guns, and every assault gun covered by at least 2 others (I tend to build 2X2 assault gun groupings scattered all around my bases).  And structure that gets converted will be auto-vaporized by the AG's, and they are also strong against themselves if Nexus takes a couple of them instead.  And of course, the Nexus cyborgs will still have trouble with the AG's as well.

Another trick:  Nexus likes taking tanks, but won't touch aircraft.  If he's been taking yours, I don't know what to tell you; he never once took any of my bomberes (maybe he only take non-bomb loadouts?  You said he took your fighters...) So, recycle ALL of your tanks (keep your trucks to rebuild with), and just use HEAP bombers to hold the stage.  Once you've finished researching the anti-Nexus tech, rebuild your recycled units.  The stage will end once both you research the tech, and every last Nexus unit is gone.

[Buginator]

Looks like a bad case of verbal diarrhea...

*Tries to read Skrim's posts*
. . . .

Error: Information Overload
. . . .

System Error: Out of Memory
. . . .

LOL  ;D

[Skrim]

There's always a fine line between not wanting spoilers, and needing them in this game ;p.  I almost recommend going back to GAMMA1 and replaying those stages, if you are in a pinch.  Here's the headsup:





GAMMA2 -

Your units never returned because they could not be airlifted in.  They are not lost, they just need time to drive back.  You haven't seen the last of them.  I advise against your airforce, as you've noticed what will happen to them; also of note, however, is that in the "Nexus is in ur base, converting ur d00ds" stage, they will NOT convert VTOLS (at least, in 10 or so playthroughs, they never took mine).  So you want to keep your VTOLS, especially your HEAP ones, at home for that mission.  Use your hellstorms to breach the enemy defenses instead; they can then double to breach the defenses guarding the northern escape route.  In fact, given that your forces in GAMMA 2 avoid the fate of your forces in GAMMA5, your choice of sending all your tenured troops there was actually a good one.  I know that's what I do.


GAMMA3 -

Poor Gamma base .  Anyway, you seem to have that one in the bag.  Let me just mention the trigger:  "your" base will convert to their side once you either (A) drive into it far enough to see the Link Turret Tower, or (B) you destroy Nexus's main Command center.  If you want to keep gamma out of it for a while, just hold off on doing either until you've flattened the rest of the board.  Oh, and take the Oil Derrick against the north of the map, but don't bother defending it (much).




GAMMA 4 -

Lasers are fun, no?  Here's the thing though:  don't make brand new laser tanks.  They will be replacing your AssaultGun as your primary anti-cyborg (and secondary anti-structure) weapon once you get a few more upgrades; so just hold your AssaultGun tanks for now, and in... say, 2 more stages (as in, once GAMMA5 ends, sucks making them just to lose them), convert your AssaultGun tanks to lasers.



GAMMA 5 -

Yeah, that's a stinger of an intro, especially if you don't have the movie telling you what to do (that's kind of the reason I started that new thread earlier today).  The Command Center is always the first to go, don't sweat it.

The trick is to start handling it way back in Gamma 1/3.  What you should do is make liberal use of Assault Gun Bunkers (NOT HARDPOINTS).  Have every single structure you own covered by at least 2 assault guns, and every assault gun covered by at least 2 others (I tend to build 2X2 assault gun groupings scattered all around my bases).  And structure that gets converted will be auto-vaporized by the AG's, and they are also strong against themselves if Nexus takes a couple of them instead.  And of course, the Nexus cyborgs will still have trouble with the AG's as well.

Another trick:  Nexus likes taking tanks, but won't touch aircraft.  If he's been taking yours, I don't know what to tell you; he never once took any of my bomberes (maybe he only take non-bomb loadouts?  You said he took your fighters...) So, recycle ALL of your tanks (keep your trucks to rebuild with), and just use HEAP bombers to hold the stage.  Once you've finished researching the anti-Nexus tech, rebuild your recycled units.  The stage will end once both you research the tech, and every last Nexus unit is gone.

Hi. I've completed Gamma 5 & 6 before coming here, and am at the moment stuck on the part of Gamma 7 where you have to research the NEXUS Intruder Program in 5 minutes.

I played Gamma 4 again just to build up heavier defenses at my base(the actual away part takes only 8-10 minutes), and then began Gamma 5 for a second try. This time, my defensive fortifications(MG Bunkers + Walls + Flashlight Hardpoints + Trucks) held the NEXUS attack and my HEAP bombers teamed up with my HellStorm batteries to completely annihilate the first two waves, destroying every last NEXUS unit that dared enter my territory. In 9 minutes, the mission was over. I had only lost ~5 tanks, 1 VTOL Factory, 1 Repair Facility, 4 fighters, 4 bunker-buster aircraft, 3 Bug scout planes, and of course, the Command Center. These losses were soon rebuilt.

Gamma 6 was another offensive mission. Like Gamma 3, it was easy. My recently returned tank group(Group 3, 22 units with 1 Hero commander) activated the new Gamma Base, repulsed a few waves of NEXUS cyborg attacks, blasted NEXUS' forward base to pieces(thanks to those brilliant HellStorms), and recovered the Needle Gun artifact. My BB-armed SEAD(Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) aircraft and sacrificial Bug scouts then tore down NEXUS' SAM network, losing only 2 strike planes, while I intensively researched the Needle Gun technologies. I then began replacing the experienced refugee units recovered in G4 and at the start of G6 with Prototype Kinetic Tanks(Tiger-Tracks-NeedleGun) as my VTOLs flattened NEXUS' plateau airbase and began SEAD operations against the main enemy base. Having knocked out all substantial resistance from the air, I sent in my second tank group(Group 2, 20 units with a Special commander) to clear out the surviving enemy cyborgs and to collect the artifacts.

Among the prizes were several VTOL rearmament/production upgrades, the Retribution Medium Body(and associated engine/alloy tech), a Howitzer accuracy tech, and more importantly, the Avenger SAM. Intensive research of Avenger technologies resulted in a major breakthrough - the Scourge Missile. With this missile, true air-defense fighters could be built, ground forces would get a powerful long-range weapon, and the NEXUS hit-and-run attitude would be screwed. I began churning out Scourge-armed Heavy Tank-Destroyer Mk.4s until the "Command Control Limit" was hit and I could build no more. I then set up Repair Facilities and HellStorm emplacements until the timer ran down to the last minute and I destroyed the last CB tower to end the mission.

The next mission was slightly harder. Laser Satellites were honing in on me, so there was no (or not much)time to lose. I sent tank Groups 2 and 3 to launch an attack up the eastern plateau. When one group had most of it's tanks on the retreat, the other group would come in and continue to forge on. Like this, they blasted their way through to the enemy base, destroyed it, and grabbed the ASAT missile silos. The Needle Gun and Scourge Missile units had performed well, but the Flashlight units' low hitpoints and tip-of-the-spear behavior got some of them killed even though they tried to retreat at medium damage. Fortunately, I recovered the Pulse Laser and Rail Gun, and began to research the Rail Gun as fast as possible.

But now, the 5-minutes granted to research the missile codes is an impossible mission. Even if I assign the task at the very beginning of the mission, the Research Facility(fully upgraded, of course) barely completes half of it in 5 minutes. And when the timer runs out, giant swarms of NEXUS units begin flooding on to the map, and Gamma Base is now in a position that it cannot be saved. Worse, my forward VTOL base has been besieged by Vindicator hovercraft and with the fall of Gamma Base, there are not enough safe rearmament sites to keep my air force flying. Now the only way out that looks possible is to send my two tank groups and defend the eastern plateau area at all costs, while my trucks try and build up my forward base further(with some advanced factories and VTOL rearmament pads).

Hopefully, I should be able to rush new Advanced Kinetic Tanks(Tiger-Tracks-RailGun) to the front line, bring my HEAP and Scourge aircraft back into action, try to beat back NEXUS, and then try and find out what to do next. At the moment, the situation looks grim.

[themousemaster]

Hi. I've completed Gamma 5 & 6 before coming here, and am at the moment stuck on the part of Gamma 7 where you have to research the NEXUS Intruder Program in 5 minutes.

I played Gamma 4 again just to build up heavier defenses at my base(the actual away part takes only 8-10 minutes), and then began Gamma 5 for a second try. This time, my defensive fortifications(MG Bunkers + Walls + Flashlight Hardpoints + Trucks) held the NEXUS attack and my HEAP bombers teamed up with my HellStorm batteries to completely annihilate the first two waves, destroying every last NEXUS unit that dared enter my territory. In 9 minutes, the mission was over. I had only lost ~5 tanks, 1 VTOL Factory, 1 Repair Facility, 4 fighters, 4 bunker-buster aircraft, 3 Bug scout planes, and of course, the Command Center. These losses were soon rebuilt.

Gamma 6 was another offensive mission. Like Gamma 3, it was easy. My recently returned tank group(Group 3, 22 units with 1 Hero commander) activated the new Gamma Base, repulsed a few waves of NEXUS cyborg attacks, blasted NEXUS' forward base to pieces(thanks to those brilliant HellStorms), and recovered the Needle Gun artifact. My BB-armed SEAD(Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) aircraft and sacrificial Bug scouts then tore down NEXUS' SAM network, losing only 2 strike planes, while I intensively researched the Needle Gun technologies. I then began replacing the experienced refugee units recovered in G4 and at the start of G6 with Prototype Kinetic Tanks(Tiger-Tracks-NeedleGun) as my VTOLs flattened NEXUS' plateau airbase and began SEAD operations against the main enemy base. Having knocked out all substantial resistance from the air, I sent in my second tank group(Group 2, 20 units with a Special commander) to clear out the surviving enemy cyborgs and to collect the artifacts.

Among the prizes were several VTOL rearmament/production upgrades, the Retribution Medium Body(and associated engine/alloy tech), a Howitzer accuracy tech, and more importantly, the Avenger SAM. Intensive research of Avenger technologies resulted in a major breakthrough - the Scourge Missile. With this missile, true air-defense fighters could be built, ground forces would get a powerful long-range weapon, and the NEXUS hit-and-run attitude would be screwed. I began churning out Scourge-armed Heavy Tank-Destroyer Mk.4s until the "Command Control Limit" was hit and I could build no more. I then set up Repair Facilities and HellStorm emplacements until the timer ran down to the last minute and I destroyed the last CB tower to end the mission.

The next mission was slightly harder. Laser Satellites were honing in on me, so there was no (or not much)time to lose. I sent tank Groups 2 and 3 to launch an attack up the eastern plateau. When one group had most of it's tanks on the retreat, the other group would come in and continue to forge on. Like this, they blasted their way through to the enemy base, destroyed it, and grabbed the ASAT missile silos. The Needle Gun and Scourge Missile units had performed well, but the Flashlight units' low hitpoints and tip-of-the-spear behavior got some of them killed even though they tried to retreat at medium damage. Fortunately, I recovered the Pulse Laser and Rail Gun, and began to research the Rail Gun as fast as possible.

But now, the 5-minutes granted to research the missile codes is an impossible mission. Even if I assign the task at the very beginning of the mission, the Research Facility(fully upgraded, of course) barely completes half of it in 5 minutes. And when the timer runs out, giant swarms of NEXUS units begin flooding on to the map, and Gamma Base is now in a position that it cannot be saved. Worse, my forward VTOL base has been besieged by Vindicator hovercraft and with the fall of Gamma Base, there are not enough safe rearmament sites to keep my air force flying. Now the only way out that looks possible is to send my two tank groups and defend the eastern plateau area at all costs, while my trucks try and build up my forward base further(with some advanced factories and VTOL rearmament pads).

Hopefully, I should be able to rush new Advanced Kinetic Tanks(Tiger-Tracks-RailGun) to the front line, bring my HEAP and Scourge aircraft back into action, try to beat back NEXUS, and then try and find out what to do next. At the moment, the situation looks grim.

And my (apparently largely unnecessary,b ut I like typing anyway) advice continues...


--- Don't bother with the Needle Gun; when you first get it, your standard Heavy Cannons have so many upgrades of their own, they will outperform them in all aspects.  Wait for the Railgun (and the upgrades you get with it), and then proceed to replace your HeavyCannon tanks with Railgunners (the Railgun upgrade, AKA the Gauss Cannon, won't be available till the very last stage).

--- Remember how I said not to replace your AG's with lasers?  It's because of the Pulse laser I said that.  In my games I tend to hold my AG's until I get the Pulse laser to replace them, but I didn't want to say this outright, as it may have been a direct spoiler.

--- Gamma 6, AKA, "Welcome back Team!".  If there was ever a stage where "huge warring forces" was the name of the game, this was it.  You clearly have this stage down pat, both in the "surviving it wholesale" aspect, and the "milking it for cash" aspect.  I'll throw out some goodie info though; later on, when you try to research the missile codes, this is where (most of) those blasted Nexus assaults will originate from.  So prior to finishing the stage, I recommend building a thorough wall of defenses in a semi-circular patter around the right side of the map, all the way from Nexus's SE base up to the mountain range that divides the Gamma1 stage from the Gamma6 stage.  The rest of the Nexus assaults come from the exact same spot that your returning forces showed up at; walling this off with defenses backed by artillery will buy you a lot of time in later stages.

--- Scourge good.  Replace all TankKillers ASAP.

--- Don't worry about that "new" gamma base.  It won't last long, at all.  In fact, once that "get the missile code" stage starts, neither will your original Gamma1 base.  So any defenses and rearming pads you have at or north of your original Gamma1 base, recycle for cash.  Leave the other structures (research facilities, command center, etc) for now.  Move your VTOL rearming operation south to the high plateau in the center of the map at the north extreme of the Gamma6 map (it sounds like you did this already...)  Nexus's laser will not go below the northern end of the Gamma1 stage boundaries during Gamma7, but come Gamma8...

--- THIS IS A KEY TIME, LISTEN UP:  During the "capture the missile" mission, DO NOT CAPTURE THE MISSILES.  This will be your only chance to set up the ridiculous defenses necessary to survive the next stage.  I know the missions sounds like you need to get to those things post-haste, but... do what you normally do:  Blow everything up save for a sensor tower, then move your ENTIRE FUNCTIONAL BASE to the extreme south of the map; I recommend putting your functional buildings (CC, research, land-factory) on the SW plateau, just north of the silos, and your VTOL operations on the SE corner.  Then, proceed to defensive-structure the heck out of EVERYTHING, and recycle/upgrade all of your units at this time.  Only when you are fully prepared should you "touch" the silos and take down the last sensor tower (I forget which of those 2 events ends the stage).

--- MORE KEY INFO:  The Nexus laser does not have a set path; once the "research the codes" stage starts, it will slowly move south, but it's southern descent will be slowed for every building it encounters; I.E., the more buildings, the better.  Also, take advantage of every chokepoint you can when setting up defenses.  In addition to the things I recommended you build above, I also recommend:
----- covering the southern edge of the Gamma6 stage.  you'll notice that 2 small land routes kind of funnel towards the center; both of these routes can be bottlenecked.
----- covering the upward ramp on the far east of the bottom of the Gamma6 stage.  Once nexus breaks through your initial wall on the east side, they will hit this.
----- The large plateau, originally situated in the center of the Gamma6 stage (the one your "recovered" gamma base's mortars were shelling early)?  Load that place up with AA and artillery.  It can cover both of Nexus's entry points for there.
----- Ditto, some artillery at your "recovered" gamma base from Gamma6.  You'll notice a small ramp at the south end of said gamma base that basically lets you walk on top of the mountain surrounding it; good high-ground placement for howitzers.
----- scatter towers all over the plateau on the east edge of the map, south of the Gamma 6 SE-Nexus base.  Gotta slow down those attacks from the east.
----- Make a horizontal towerline at some arbitrary point on the map, extending from the west edge to that tall mountain witht he ramp leading up to it in the mid-Gamma7 map area.  And on top of that mountain, more AA and howitzers.
----- Notice how at the bottomof the Gamma 7 stage, right near the silos, the valley once against does a "v" shape to a point?  another good bottleneck.
----- the Nexus base in the extreme SW corner (where I told you to set up your final VTOL pad area), has a VERY nice chokepoint about 5 squares north of the plateau; you can't miss it.  Place hardpoints on top of the cliff overlooking it, and bunkers just in front of those (but down the cliff; I.E. 2 space north of them)
----- similarly, there is an excruciatingly obvious chokepoint on the SE of the map, near the flush east edge, just above your new SE base.  Defend it as well.
----- more Artillery and AA just west of the setup mentioned above (essentially, to cover both new southern bases)
----- notice the EXTREME SE corner has a ramp leading up to the edge of the map?  I believe cyborgs like to show up there as well.  However, unless it's been fixed, you can screw the map into not having them show; in the 2-space wide upward leading ramp, close off the whole thing with  bunkers/hardpoints.  With no direct drawable path to your "base", they don't spawn in.  For a more traditional defense, just use it as another chokepoint to defend.
----- and lastly, LIBERALLY place random single AG bunkers ALL OVER the friggin map.  AG bunkers can actually survive a direct hit from the laser (provided they haven't taken collateral damage from a nearby blast, keep them separated by at least 2 squares), so they will hold it up better than other structures.



Why all this preparation?  Because it's
*** MAJOR SPOILER ***
not just one missile code you have to research... it's 4.  you have to hold out for more than an hour.
*** END SPOILER ***


Use your VTOLs, stationed in the extreme SW of the map, to fight off nexus forces every time they reload; you want the multiple lines of towers to primarily absorb LasSat shots, not get killed by Nexus Pulse Lasers.


The good news is, the final stage has no "real" time limit, so if you survive this one, you're good to go.