Designer Strategies (Part 2) - Casper
		Designer Strategies (Part 1) - Casper
		Sniper Action - Loomer
		Demo Fun - Andrew MacDaniel

Designer Strategies (Part 2): by Casper

In this installment of the Strategy Tips, the designers talk about the best uses of more units and weapons. There's a lot of stuff here, so be prepared to take this down. George, Jens and William know best....

Weapons, Units and Tactics Turrets The best strategy is to back a turret up against a wall, to reduce the points of vulnerability of the turret. Some strategies out there have suggested putting turrets in a narrow choke point, but that rarely works because turrets aren't wide enough to block an entire choke point and attacking craft need only to bypass the turret to make their way to the power sources, etc. MITS Mine The MITS mine (Magnetic Inverting Tethering Snare) pulls in with magnetic power everything in its area of effect, about 200 meters. George's tip: It's best used in conjunction with mortars, to draw both enemy craft AND the mortars into its magnetic field. Once there, the mortars do their thing -- namely, wreak explosive havoc. M-Curtain Mine The M-Curtain mine does almost the opposite of the MITS mine: it generates a "magnetic bubble" that is 20 meters around and 3 meters high. Projectiles can't penetrate the magnetic field but vehicles within the bubble can fire out. A good tactic: launch M-Curtain, then target enemy craft on the other side of the bubble with a guided missile. The guided missile will go around the bubble, then come back and hit the enemy. Meanwhile, your ship is safe from enemy fire. Rockets: The Thermal Hornet does a lot of damage, but doesn't lock on to many craft well. The ILS packs less power but locks really well, especially against slower-moving craft. For best effect, Jens recommends stacking weapons: 2 ILS missiles are very effective when fired simultaneously. In general, stacking works best when the same weapon is stacked, e.g., 2 ILS or 2 Stabbers. Comet Cruise Missile The Comet Cruise is slow but deadly. They're best used against slower-moving craft, such as the Walkers. Flash Cannon The ammo on the Flash Cannon (microwave energy) runs out pretty quickly, so it's best to park your vehicle by a supply depot for quick energy reloads. Soviet light tank This tank is equipped with the Sandbag Missile, which slows enemy craft to a crawl. George's tip: launch the Sandbagger, then fire mortars at the hapless, motionless prey before you. Another tip: in addition to mortars, try firing the TAG cannon -- it produces a double hit of a single round, followed by a volley of rockets. The Sandbag-TAG combo is also effective when you're coming out of hiding. RED-Field Generator The RED-Field Generator (Radar Echo Damping) makes your ship invisible to radar. This effectively undermines your enemies' attacks based on weapons that require a radar signal to lock on. George uses this tactic, so watch out for him in multiplayer. Phantom VIR The Phantom VIR is a device that renders craft invisible to sight, but still visible on radar. If you're playing against folks who don't watch their radar too closely, this can be a useful weapon. A good strategy here: charge your MAG Cannon while invisible, then come out shooting.

Designer Strategies (Part 1): by Casper

Now that the demo is out and getting some serious use (and abuse), it's time for some tactical tips -- and who better to suggest tactics than the guys who designed the game itself?

Starting off with Weapons and their best use, we'll next explore the best order in which to build up bases and launch attacks.

Weapons and Tactics Thumper In single player mode, use against mines. In multiplayer (MP) mode, use against pursuing units: when you're being chased, turn around and face your pursuers. Launch the Thumper, which will toss your opponents momentarily off-track. While they're in the air, launch standard mortars (to create area damage) or missiles. Jens' rec: if you're a skilled player, pick off your airborne opponents with the missiles. Splinter Mortar Because the Splinter Mortar fires many projectiles, each of which doesn't have devastating killing power, it's best to use against enemies that have low health. MP Tactic: if you see two other players in a melee for a while and are pretty sure that they don't have long to live, launch the Splinter Mortar and you could take them both out. MAG Cannon A good tactic for the MAG Cannon is to stand still. While standing still, you're invisible on your opponents' radar, although they can still see you in line-of-sight, obviously. Charge up your MAG Cannon while you're hiding out, scope someone on your radar, and come out of hiding with the MAG Cannon smokin.' It's a powerful weapon that does a lot of damage when fully charged. Proximity Mines In Deathmatch mode, an effective tactic is to drop a load of Prox. mines under a power-up at the same time as you pick up the power-up. You won't always get the mines exactly under the power-up, but you'll usually be close enough that you'll have left a majorly unwelcome surprise for the next power-uppper. Solar Flare The Solar Flare is a mine that produces a vertical column of intense heat. A carefully placed Flare near the end of a jump is another way to deposit an unwelcome welcome wagon for opponents. When they execute the jump, they'll have to take a particular course, which is directly above the Flare. No time to react and too much momentum to maneuver away equals toasty enemies.

Sniper Action: by Loomer

In mission two, as soon as you start out, head over to the command tower and bail out of your ship (by hitting the 'H' key). Then position your self on the southeast side of the command tower. As soon as the two saucers come into view, use your sniper rifle to take them both out! Then you can play the mission as a Soviet fighter! You can manage to snipe both of the saucers, but it is quite difficult. As soon as you snipe the first one, the second one takes off. You only have three shots with the sniper gun, so you better make sure you have a good clean shot!

Demo Fun: by Andrew MacDaniel

1) In mission one, take the scout and destroy the lunar lander. If you're lucky, a guy in it will eject and then run to another tank of yours and you can command him to fight for you.

2) In mission one, hop in your vehicle of choice, then immediately head to the right. There is a building there called a 'Military Operations Building', or something like that, and next to it a weapons capsule called the 'RAVE GUN'. Pressing the 'I' key yields the message: "Super Programmer Ken Miller says, "Dare to have it all?" or something like that. The rave gun shoots a very damaging energy ball that will damage everything nearby, the coolest part is you get unlimited shots, it takes no ammo!! To the left of where the vehicles are parked there is a "pop gun mortar" weapon. I'm not sure what this is supposed to do.

3) In mission one, if you blow up the lander first, the scavenger will get that scrap before it heads to the field and it won't set off the attack until it does. That means you'll be able to build a second scavenger to romp around in while the pilot of the lander and 2nd scavenger are off defending the first one. You can tell the pilot of any command able vehicle to get out by sending a "come pick me up" command. However, If you tell the first scavenger to pick you up, the game thinks that it was destroyed and you'll lose the mission (that's why you need two).

4) In mission two, try playing the level as a turret, just tell an undeployed turret to pick you up, and then hop inside! Pick a nice spot to shoot from and hit the 'K' key to deploy your STAB hooks. Once that's done, fire away! It's difficult to see what's going on most of the time, but you can make it through the mission. Usually the pilot will take your tank and fight with it. You can always get a tank from the reinforcements once they arrive to get your butt to the launch pad.

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