ummm....what happened?

[commondragon]

you know, without cheats my games usually last 1, or if I'm lucky, 1 and a half minutes. I need someone to analyze my stratagy so I know wtf happened. This was a 1v1 match too >_>.

I started off my base for the most effeciancy, because I know how to make a base. I rushed hardcrete and my second reaserch center (I don't get new weapons that much, I just like to upgrade first). and I started mass producing the machine gun wheelies. I sealed off my base and left 1 truck/3 machine gunners outside, and covered a couple other derrecks. then I my machine gunners got attracted to some others that were passing by. I didn't finnish them, I just let let them start to retreat. I decided to get more oil, so I built my second genortator, and sent my machine gunners to the nearest derreck I knew of (with truck trailing behind). What I found was about 5 units and a hardend sensor tower. I blocked off the counterattack route with tank tracks from my truck as it fled the scene. I started running low on power somewhat, so I sent my current mass at it, while making more units. I split the group, passed another derreck with one, and got them from two sides. that was easy enough. I went to check on everything, and BAM, all my units were dead. The following happened:

I got 2 waves of about 10-15 units each, miraculasly stopped by 2 machine gun towers and 4 machine gunners. I had cyborgs by now, so I started making those, but I didn't hav e any power left (even after stopping my reaserch) and then the forth one, the biggest one of all, totally creamed it all. I didn't even stay to watch myself get destroyed, I just quit. What happened? Were did I go wrong?

[karmazilla]

Hmm... I guess the new AI can be a bit hard on new players - I'm finding it a challenge too.

I would have advised you to take on the campaign and learn the ropes - it's an excellent and, for the most part, well balanced excercise. However, it's crippled by bugs at the moment, which means that you might not be able to get past mission 5 or 6.

I think it's hard to say spicifcally what's wrong in your strategy; you're setting up research, building combat units and venture out to secure more oil, but then you're just over whelmed by the AI. Perhaps your not fast enough, or perhaps your front line is stretched too thin.

I tend to take land in chunks, and then set up a border of defense. I might make satelite outposts on random oil-dericks, but I won't spend too much energy on it if I know I can't keep it. Instead I try to draw a line around the land I intend to keep, and only expand if I really mean it. This often means that I end up building a fort, and in it, I research tech and build strong units. And when I feel the time is right, I send out my elite army ona crusade. The first nearby enemy is, depending on the map, sometimes taken at this point, so I invade the next one and capture all his oil. When I sup the oil of three bases, there's often no need to capture any more and I just campaign on - taking out all the enemies, one by one.
That is, if I'm successful. If I fail to establish proper "Homeland Security" (so to speak), I often end up being behind in the arms race and out of oil - struggling to stand what ground I have.

[commondragon]

hmm....there's one tactic I haven't tried....and that's the old warcraft 3 last move of running your builders. Seeing that I will know about the enemy fast enough to retreat a few trucks *of corse, WHILE leaving a rearguard* I should be able to retreat to a new (and possibly crappy) location to recover.

[Arcatus]

Hmm... I guess the new AI can be a bit hard on new players - I'm finding it a challenge too.

I would have advised you to take on the campaign and learn the ropes - it's an excellent and, for the most part, well balanced excercise. However, it's crippled by bugs at the moment, which means that you might not be able to get past mission 5 or 6.

I think it's hard to say spicifcally what's wrong in your strategy; you're setting up research, building combat units and venture out to secure more oil, but then you're just over whelmed by the AI. Perhaps your not fast enough, or perhaps your front line is stretched too thin.

I tend to take land in chunks, and then set up a border of defense. I might make satelite outposts on random oil-dericks, but I won't spend too much energy on it if I know I can't keep it. Instead I try to draw a line around the land I intend to keep, and only expand if I really mean it. This often means that I end up building a fort, and in it, I research tech and build strong units. And when I feel the time is right, I send out my elite army ona crusade. The first nearby enemy is, depending on the map, sometimes taken at this point, so I invade the next one and capture all his oil. When I sup the oil of three bases, there's often no need to capture any more and I just campaign on - taking out all the enemies, one by one.
That is, if I'm successful. If I fail to establish proper "Homeland Security" (so to speak), I often end up being behind in the arms race and out of oil - struggling to stand what ground I have.

Campaign bugged? I finished the first campain with no bugs. (allthough, if I didn't knew the story, the missions would make no sence, since you dont get the movies...)

As for the skirmish: dont waste too much energy on the machinegunners. They are worthless. Get the machinegun tower, and even more important the machine gun bunker. The bunker can take allot of beating, and are wery hard to destroy with the computer's machinegun units. 4 bunkers per entrance is usually enugh to keep them at bay.
All your defence is bunkers. Remember to have 1 or 2 bunkers inside the base also. sometimes lone/few units can get past your defences, and start wrecking your base.

Get tracks, light cannon, light cannon bunkers (uprade your defences with those). Make some "light tanks" and heavy machinegun tanks. Capture nearby oil with them. Do this fast enugh, and you have thise at the same time the computer gets a few twin/heavy machinegunners on wheels. Consentrate your fire on the heavy ones.

But don't use too much energy on expanding. Get lancers. As fast as you can. Upgrade your defences again with lancer bunkers, and once you get the medium body you are ready to win the game

[commondragon]

umm, I'd rather just want to know what I did wrong, besides know an enitre stratagy, please.

[themousemaster]

umm, I'd rather just want to know what I did wrong, besides know an enitre stratagy, please.

I'd hardly consider 3 very small paragraphs a whole strategy (not that I'd totally agree with what everyone has said...)

Your major mistake was mass producing machine gun wheel vehicles.  Those tanks are just fodder for anything; just produce a couple of them for base defense purposes (in addition to the MG bunkers I'm sure you plan to set up), and use the rest of your money elsewhere.

Also, (depending on the map anyway), after getting your factory up (that IS the first building you build, right?), produce a few trucks immediately, and send them around the board while your starting trucks are working on your base.  Find, and build, every single oil derrick you can within the first 3-5 minutes.  Even if the CPU destroys most of them 5 minutes later, having 8-12 oil derricks for a good 5 minutes will go a long way in the early game.


So there's your short answer.  Fewer machinegun wheels, more early derick capping.

[commondragon]

@the MGW - I usually end up pumping them out because I'm being swmped

@the bunkers - What are those?

@the more trucks - I guess I could do that.

[themousemaster]

If you knew what a bunker was, then you'd know why you wouldn't need to produce MGWheels to avoid getting swamped ;p.

Tech this:

Machinegun
Improved Engineering
Hardcrete

You should then see in your list a small, circular structure that goes by the name "machinegun bunker".  While it only has the power of a machinegun weapon, it has the defensive resilience of a mountainside.  Place them at chokepoints into your base, and use a small number of vehicles to back them up, and watch as huge quantities of approaching vechiles get slaughtered.

[D.Durand]

Search for MG until you unblock Light Canon. Research Light Canon Bunker.
Search engines and after that Oil Modules.

Do NOT build more than two or three Research Center at the beginning of the game (more eat all you energy).

Build Light Canon Bunkers using in-depth defense strategy (not all at the same line), at least if you can't block all the way. They need to crossfire attacking units AND need to stop ennemy units that enter you base (they go for your vehicles factories and HQ, and seem always to know where they are).

Build four or five (more if you can) vehicles with Light Cannon (don't waste your time with MG tanks). Use them for help where your defenses are hard pressed. Don't use them beyond your bunker : The ennemy need to shoot your bunker, not your units.

Repair the bunkers with a truck.

Always search for oil module if you can, and after that search for research module.

When you have oil module, make one or more trucks work (click on) at adding the module to your Power Generator.

A Power Generator can use the oil of FOUR derricks. No need more than one Power Generator if you don't have more than four derricks.

If, as a lot of players here, you are a big fan of missiles, search mini-rocket, mini-rocket tower, and the mighty mini-rochet artillery (beware, she's not hard. Put her behind your bunkers). Light Cannon bunkers + mini-rockets artillery destroy easily all attacking wave in the early game. Use your Light Cannon tanks for hep where your defenses are hard pressed (select all your tanks, and shoot one ennemy at the time).

Research Repear "weapon" and repairing center if you can. Build two repair units and one repair center. Put your units AND your Factories on "flee at medium damage". Put the "return point" of the repairing center near your bunkers.

[commondragon]

If you knew what a bunker was, then you'd know why you wouldn't need to produce MGWheels to avoid getting swamped ;p.

Actually, I ment that as a kind of "lol, whatever" thing. See, I actually have little time to make those as I am, as I am saying, being swamped and I need to keep in touch with my maxed out MG rush (yes, I power up the crap weapons before reaserching the good ones)

[lav_coyote25]

what map?? ;D