Army Unit wrote:This thread is going to take me years to read.
Why do you have to post whole books? (or something of the same length)
Obsession with detail. I had to cut down my recent Alpha 12 description to one word("epic") from what was turning out to be another long novel, and don't get me started on the Beta 3 I played last night. Heck, I could write up one of those long posts about the first 5 minutes of Beta 1 if the topic ever came up.
I was talking about the 1st gamma base mission only. Later on, you may get the money for more expensive stuff, like changing your python heavy cannons from beta base to tiger mgs, On entering gamma base, i had only two machinegun tanks with me, rest 15-20 were cannons and lancers... and a radar, couldn't afford to replace them yet.
And if you are referring to building 4 bunkers and not using mobile forces until you actually attack, didn't work out for me. I've been using 10-16 experienced tanks, either with cannons, mgs or lancers, to which i've been giving exp from the start of the game, i manage not to lose one of them at alpha and beta missions, but not here. I need to use baits, cheaper, well armored non-experienced troops, but i don't have the money to build these at gamma 1, so i just use the sole bunker as bait as i take out their patrol forces. I never manage to take out 1 cyborg or hovertank per attack, about half this ration. But if i use 4 bunkers, i wouldn't have the space for heavy cannons or lancers, so at least i actually kill a few enemies.
If i don't destroy the patrols while defending, at least 2 of my experienced tanks will die on the attack, not an option, keeping them alive for 20 missions just to lose them now...
And by the way, i think the key to early campaign missions, aren't hit and run attacks with poorly armored forces, like VToLs, since i can't afford to lose them. I need the oil so bad just for the key structures
From Alpha 6 to the end of the game, I have 2 commander-led heavy ground groups equipped with whatever I feel best to fit the situation. Throughout Beta, this mainstay unit is the Heavy Cannon Python Tracks, and I have around about 40 of them, mostly experienced, by the time the Destroy SAM Sites mission comes around.
I usually send only 1 group on Away missions, not counting giant final-showdowns like Alpha 12 or Gamma 9, because 1 group(together with an artillery group or VTOLs) tends to be enough to assault whatever it is that needs to be assaulted.
So in the Beta Away stages towards the end(Destroy SAM Sites and Establish Safe Haven), I have one group re-equip with Assault Gun armed tanks, while I send the other ground group with some VTOL squadrons and the necessary trucks & scout planes to actually do the mission. I hide the A-Gun tanks in my ridiculously fortified Beta Base(the fortifications are there to deflect the relentless Collective attacks in Beta:Evacuate) and load them(along with trucks and my 2 commanders) on to the Transport as priority cargo during Beta:Evacuate. The Heavy Cannon tanks follow after the necessary quota of trucks and Assault Guns have been shipped. The VTOLs are left to die.
So I land up in Gamma land with Assault Guns and trucks and a commander. The Assault Guns go and take on the Cyborgs while the trucks build stuff. Once the trucks are done with the essential stuff, they go build 4 Assault Gun Bunkers to seal up the gap between the two cliffs. They have at least 1 bunker done when the NEXUS hovertank welcome party shows up, and this bunker absorbs damage and the trucks repair it, while my units attack the hovertanks and drive them off, maybe killing 1 or a few. I then complete the 4-AG wall for good measure, and and then go on the offensive.
Once the enemy is left with only 1 sensor tower or command center or other harmless building to keep the mission timer ticking, and I have some more cash on hand, I refit the entire army with Tiger-based units and build fresh-out-of-the-box VTOLs and VTOL infrastructure. The most experienced tanks and the best commander are then hand-picked for Gamma 2, and fortifications and artillery infrastructure are set up wherever needed until the timer runs down to 2-3 minutes, when that last harmless building is blown up and the mission ends.
Having only 10-16 experienced units and bringing over only 2 Assault Guns, a frickin' radar, and Lancers(well, if your talking about TKs then it's ok), sounds like bad preparation.
And by the way, i think the key to early campaign missions, aren't hit and run attacks with poorly armored forces, like VToLs, since i can't afford to lose them. I need the oil so bad just for the key structures
Eh?
You don't have VTOLs in the early Alpha and Beta campaigns, so I'll assume that your talking about Gamma. If you don't have oil, then you must not be milking the mission timer correctly, or at all. Even if you have nothing to do during the breather time, you can increase the speed of the game to make it pass by.
Gamma 2 can be done with artillery and normal ground forces, though I like using Bunker Buster-armed Leopard VTOLs(I could use Bug or Viper, but I just prefer Leopard because it looks more airworthy) and MG-Bug scout planes to take out enemy SAMs and then take out the actual enemy base while my ground forces laze around defending against cyborg and hovertank attacks. The VTOLs are fresh-baked with no experience anyway, and I recycle them through a Repair Facility once the escape-the-nuke stage arrives.
Gamma 3 is another arty-oriented stage, kicked off with an arty crossfire between your prepared arty emplacements/units(which you should have set up earlier) and the NEXUS Angels, followed by your arty emplacements/units annihilating most of the enemy property(SAM sites, hardpoints, their Command Center and several cyborgs & hovertanks), before you send either a tank group or VTOL squads to take out the stolen Project Gamma Base*.
*
Athough it's not the point here, I consider the Team Gamma leader an incompetent slob. I mean, what the heck was he doing with those damn'd Medium Cannon Cobra Tracks at this stage in the game??? I remember that those antiques entered service back in Alpha 6 and were phased out in Alpha 9, making a minor appearance in Beta 1. But no, Team Gamma is still using them in Gamma 3, and even in Gamma 6! If I were NEXUS, I'd not bother with capturing them and would've just wiped 'em out straight. Even the Alpha leader was better, at least he kept up with the pace of progress after his predecessor(the player) went over to rescue Beta Base. This is evident in that the Project forces recovered in Gamma 4 are at least up to par with Gamma 1 technology, with Assault Guns, Heavy Cannons and Tank Killers on Python Tracks.