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Dark Reign: The Future Of War cheats / Dark Reign: The Future Of War hints / Dark Reign: The Future Of War faqs / Dark Reign: The Future Of War solutions Dark Reign: The Future Of War faqs and solutions The Dark Reign Bible Last updated 3rd of October 1997 Release 1.0 Written by Allan McKay (Machette) MDC@mailbox.uq.edu.au Www.uq.edu.au/~zzamckay/ DISCLAIMER: This FAQ is designed to help the public learn how to play darkreign and soon promote you to an expert. And for the advanced players to help teach you some of the awesome strategies used in darkreign. I take no responsibility for anything you do, the only responsibility I take is aiding the public in how to play this game. Trademark information: * Darkreign is a trademark of Auran and Activision (1997) * DR is a trademark of darkreign, see darkreign for further information * The Tactics Engine is a trademark of Auran (1994-1997) * This Article is copyright of Allan McKay (1997) All rights reserved. * C& unofficial strategy FAQ is a trademark of Roger Wong (roger@powhq.nildram.co.uk) All rights reserved. * Zencola is a trademark of Zencode, all rights reserved. * Dark dribble is a trademark of the dribbler, see darkreign * Dribble is a trademark of dark dribble, see darkreign * Command and Conquer is a trademark of Westwood Studios * Warcraft is a trademark of Blizzard Entertainment COPYRIGHT NOTICE This article is Copyright 1997 by Allan McKay. All rights Reserved. You are granted the following rights: I. To make copies of this work in original form, so long as (a) the copies are exact and complete; (b) the copies include the copyright notice and these paragraphs in their entirety; (c) the copies give obvious credit to the author, Allan McKay; (d) the copies are in electronic form. II. To distribute this work, or copies made under the provisions above, so long as (a) this is the original work and not a derivative form; (b) you do not charge a fee for copying or for distribution; (c) you ensure that the distributed form includes the copyright notice, this paragraph, the disclaimer of warranty in their entirety and credit to the author; (d) the distributed form is not in an electronic magazine or within computer software (prior explicit permission may be obtained from Allan McKay); (e) the distributed form is the NEWEST version of the article to the best of the knowledge of the distributor; (f) the distributed form is electronic. You may not distribute this work by any non-electronic media, including but not limited to books, newsletters, magazines, manuals, catalogues, and speech. You may not distribute this work in electronic magazines or within computer software without prior written explicit permission. These rights are temporary and revocable upon written, oral, or other notice by Allan McKay. This copyright notice shall be governed by the laws of the state of Queensland, Australia. If you would like additional rights beyond those granted above, write to the author at "MDC@mailbox.uq.edu.au" on the Internet. CONTENTS: 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.2 About the Author 1.3 About the FAQ 1.4 What's a revision? 1.5 Where can I obtain the latest version of The Dark Reign Bible? 1.6 Adding to the FAQ 1.7 Acknowledgments 1.8 Accurate information 2. What's new? 2. Features 2.1 What's RTLOS 2.2 What's the waypoint system? 2.3 What are some of the new multiplayer features? 3. Section One 3.1 Storyline 3.1.1 Tograns final message 3.1.2 History of the conflict 3.1.2.1 The decline of Earth 3.1.2.2 The pioneer age 3.1.2.3 The marked 3.1.2.4 The dawn of war 3.1.2.5 The desiccator 3.1.2.6 The Tograns 3.1.2.7 Objective 3.1.3 Biographies 3.1.3.1 Jeb Radec 3.1.3.2 Stiv Baator 3.1.3.3 Gil Karoch 3.1.3.4 Gregor Trilkin 3.1.3.5 Greg Bantrill 3.1.3.6 Benth Maral 3.1.4 Togra's Journal 4. Section Two 4.1 Common Units 4.1.1 Construction Rig 4.1.2 Freighter 4.1.3 Hover Freighter 4.1.4 Water Contaminator 4.1.5 Infiltrator 4.2 Infantry 4.2.1 Freedom Guard Infantry 4.2.1.1 Raider 4.2.1.2 Mercenary 4.2.1.3 Scout 4.2.1.4 Sniper 4.2.1.5 Field Medic 4.2.1.6 Saboteur 4.2.1.7 Mechanic 4.2.1.8 Martyr 4.2.2 Imperium Infantry 4.2.2.1 Guardians 4.2.2.2 Bions 4.2.2.3 Exterminator 4.2.2.4 Suicide Zombies 4.3 Vehicles 4.3.1 Freedom Guard Vehicles 4.3.1.1 Spider Bike 4.3.1.2 R.A.T. (Rapid armour Transport) 4.3.1.3 Skirmish Tank 4.3.1.4 Tank Hunter 4.3.1.5 Phase Tank 4.3.1.6 FlakJack 4.3.1.7 Triple Rail Hover Tank 4.3.1.8 Hellstorm Artillery 4.3.1.9 Shockwave 4.3.2 Imperium Forces Vehicles 4.3.2.1 Scout Runner 4.3.2.2 Invader Troop Transport 4.3.2.3 Plasma Tank 4.3.2.4 Amper 4.3.2.5 M.A.D. (Mobile Air Defence) 4.3.2.6 Shredder 4.3.2.7 Hostage Taker 4.3.2.8 Tachion Tank 4.3.2.9 S.C.A.R.A.B. 4.4 Aircraft 4.4.1 Freedom Guard Aircraft 4.4.1.1. Skybike 4.4.1.2. Outrider 4.4.2 Imperium Forces Aircraft 4.4.2.1. Recon Drone 4.4.2.2. Cyclone 4.4.2.3. Skyfortress 5. Section Three 5.1. Structures 5.1.1. Freedom Guard Towers 5.1.1.1. Air Defence Site 5.1.1.2. Laser Turret 5.1.1.3. Triple Rail Platform 5.1.2. Imperium Forces Towers 5.1.2.1. Air Defence Site 5.1.2.2. Plasma Turret 5.1.2.3. Neutron Accelerator 5.1.3. Freedom Guard Production Facilities 5.1.3.1. HeadQuarters 5.1.3.2. Training Facilities 5.1.3.3. Assembly Plant 5.1.3.4. Water Launchpad 5.1.3.5. Taelon Power Generator 5.1.3.6. Field Hospital 5.1.3.7. Phase Facility 5.1.3.8. Camera Tower 5.1.3.9. Repair Tower 5.1.3.10. Rearming Deck 5.1.4 Imperium Forces Production Facilities 5.1.4.1. HeadQuarters 5.1.4.2. Training Facility 5.1.4.3. Assembly Plant 5.1.4.4. Water Launchpad 5.1.4.5. Taelon Power Generator 5.1.4.6. Repair Station 5.1.4.7. Field Hospital 5.1.4.8. Temporal Gate 5.1.4.9. Temporal Rift Generator 5.1.4.10 Camera Tower 6. Section Four 6.1. Multiplayer Tactics 6.1.1. Offence 6.1.2. Defence 7. Section Five 7.1. What are Martyrs good for? 7.2. Top Ten signs you're addicted to DarkReign 7.3. The ancient art of stealth 7.4. To cue units to build, or to build them all at once, which is the best tactic? 8. Section Six 8.1 Is there any cheats or Easter eggs for DarkReign? 8.2. Is there a shareware version of Darkreign? Where can I get it from? 8.3. I downloaded a map off the net, how do I play it? 8.4. How do I install new units? 8.5. Will DarkReign run on a 486? 8.6. DarkReign 2 features and information 8.7. Is there any patches or bug fixes for darkreign? 8.8. Is there any third party utilities I can download to modify darkreign? 9. Section Seven 9.1. How to make a good level? 9.2. DarkReign WWW Sites 9.3. What cool new stuff is going to be in the next version of The DarkReign Bible? 9.4. Thanks go out to: ---------------------------------------------------- 1.1 Chapter [1]: Introduction ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- 1.2 About the Author: ---------------------------------------------------- I am a 3D Artist, I have had 4 years experience in animating. I have worked on a few small projects in the gaming industry but most of my work has been outside the world of games, but I hope soon for that to change. I'm from Australia and I hang out in #darkreign on efnet with the rest of the true darkreigners. Come join us. -------------------------------------------------- 1.3 ABOUT THE FAQ -------------------------------------------------- This FAQ was originally designed with just a few notes on strategies I had found in darkreign. I wanted it to one day aid an FAQ I planned to make. I kept on pumping strategies in and then decided to launch the DR FAQ project. This FAQ won't just touch down on strategies but in every area I can, from how to start the game and play the levels through to how to make your own AI and units. I won't go into too much detail in this version of the FAQ on the more advanced areas of game development but future revisions of this FAQ will contain them. I have plenty to do and I won't be able to put it all into v1.0 but I'm sure the next version will be more kick ass than this. Until then I'm sure this will have more than enough strategy and cunningness to kick your friend's butts at darkreign. ----------------------------------------------------- 1.4 WHAT'S A REVISION?: ----------------------------------------------------- Revision classification works something like the following. If a new version of the FAQ has only a small amount of information changed or added, the version number is increased by 0.1, and is called a 'minor revision.' If a new version of the FAQ has a substantial amount of new information changed or added, the version number is increased by 0.5, and is called a 'standard revision.' If a new version of the FAQ has a huge amount of added or changed information, major parts of the FAQ are rearranged, or major parts of the FAQ are rewritten, the version number is increased by 1.0, and it is called a 'major revision.' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.5 WHERE TO OBTAIN THE DARKREIGN BIBLE?: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can get the latest version of this FAQ at: www.uq.edu.au/~zzamckay/ -------------------- 1.6 ADDING TO THE FAQ: -------------------- If you have any information you would like to add to the FAQ, please send E-mail to " MDC@mailbox.uq.edu.au " (no quotes), explaining what your addition is. It will be reviewed, and if accepted, added to the next FAQ version. In the E-mail, please supply your name and E-mail address. Please note that all submissions to the FAQ become property of the author (Allan McKay) and that they may or may not be acknowledged. By submitting to the FAQ, you grant permission for use of your submission in any future publications of the FAQ in any media. The author reserves the right to omit information from a submission or delete the submission entirely. ------------------------ 1.7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ------------------------ Auran and Activision for creating a great game, 2 and a half years just getting it right so I wouldn't be able to put a tip in this FAQ like "rush them with tachion tanks, it always wins" or something. They did a great job and hanged out on IRC every Monday to ask everyone's questions, it's a shame I could hardly ever wake up in time to log on. ------------------------- 1.8 ACCURATE INFORMATION ------------------------- An attempt has been made to make the information in this FAQ as accurate as possible. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to match strategies and walkthroughs to the proper mission identifications. I try hard to make sure there are no bogus entries in this FAQ, but, undoubtedly, one or two will probably slip by. Please let me know immediately if there is any information in this FAQ that you know is incorrect. Future updates and add-ons may render parts of this FAQ obsolete. ---------------------- 2. WHAT'S NEW? ---------------------- Future versions of this FAQ will have all new features, and updates and anything new mentioned here for a quick reference. -------------------- 2. Features -------------------- 2.1 What's RTLOS?: RTLOS (Real Time Line Of Site) is a new feature that hasn't been introduced into a real time action strategy game before, until now. What it does is only show what your units can see on the map, which is fog of war but this goes deeper.. If one of your men is looking at the direction of a mountain, the unit won't be able to see past that mountain since it's blocking his view, just like in reality. Yet if he climbed that mountain then he not only would be able to see past it, but he's high up in the air allowing him to see a lot further than before. This allows for great strategy since you can hide areas and jump out and surprise someone. It also means that if someone's up on a mountain they'll be able to see your base and from down there they mightn't be able to see you, you can then just lob artillery shells down at them and take them from surprise. 2.2 What's the waypoints system?: This advanced feature allows you to lay down waypoints for your units to follow, and they can be manipulated in real time. Say you wanted someone to come round from behind someone's base and take a certain structure, instead of manually telling him where to walk, you just lay down the waypoints and hit go. There are many advanced settings such as AI control and behaviour settings that allow for them to react to situations they way you want them to. If you have multiple waypoints set up, you can send twenty men into a base with their own individual orders to execute, instead of sending them all in on one structure and taking them one by one. 2.3 What are some of the new mutliplayer features? There is only one, it is COMM as seen on the menu in the game. It is broken down into new features, but works as one. Essentially it allows for advanced alliances and communication. You can share units with others, and wire cash to someone in a second. By adjusting the alliance settings you can control each otherTs men, use all their facilities, and see their RTLOS. I won't go into too much detail here, but in future updates I will write down strategies and advanced tactics to take advantage of whilst using this system. Cue building: You have the choice of either building units in cue whereas it will build them one by one automatically, you just tell it what to build. Or you can select individual structures and tell them to build units, they will all build at once but it will be slower. To find out more about this feature, go to the section TO CUE UNITS UP TO BUILD OR TO BUILD THEM ALL AT ONCE, WHICH IS THE BEST TACTIC? Orders: You can set orders such as damage tolerance, so that if they are wounded and on red energy they will return to base to get repaired and then return back to where they were. Or you can adjust it to a higher setting so they don't bother about what health they are on they will just continue doing what they are doing. Plus there are pre-made ones, such as "search and destroy" where every unit given this order will go on a recon mission and kill anything they find. If they are ordered to scout, they will scout around but not attack anything that they find, and another is "harass" where they will attack units and buildings that they find but leave them alone at the first sign of danger and go harass another unit. Very useful when just starting the game, to harass your enemy whilst he's trying to build his base. There are many more that will be added and reviewed in more detail in later versions of this FAQ, this was just to touch down on one or two features for the time being. Dark Reign Backstory ----------------------------------- 4. SECTION 2: OVERVIEW OF THE UNITS ----------------------------------- A lot of the units you can't use until later on in the game, ie. you can use raiders and spider bikes from the start but sky fortresses won't be 'til later on, on a later level, like level 8 or so on. coming soon: full on unit and weapon damage statistics. ------------------ 4.1 COMMON UNITS ------------------ 4.1.1 Construction Rig: 300c For those who have played Warcraft (everyone raise your hand) these guys have similarities to the peasants and peons. Construction rigs do all the work, they are the guys who build everything. They are quite weak, and since they are slow, it's best not to send them out to some remote area by themselves, if they are seen, then some guys can take them out in one shot. These guys are slow, they can't fire yet with a little bit of strategy they can make great offense. "These are essential for base building, so make sure you always have a couple handy. Keep them spread out so you can start building your base again if your buildings get wiped out." David Harrison, Auran. 4.1.2 Freighter: 1000c These guys are the equivalent to C& harvesters. This is your income, without them you won't have cash, guard them well. They take a fair few hits, like 3 martyrs could take one out, but they are slow and take a long time to harvest. They can harvest water or taelon. They have no weapons and therefore cannot attack nor defend themselves. "Water is the key. Make 3 extra rigs before anything else and send them to find water." Tim Gunn, Timgunn@eastwind.com.au 4.1.3 Hover Freighter: 1500c This is an aerial version of the freighter, it serves the same cause as the freighter (harvesting) but it's faster and can over all terrain types with ease. It also has a laser, but it is extremely weak and could easily go down by two raiders if it stays to fight. But they are a lot faster, you can send them over to the other side of the map to harvest and it won't be too much longer than harvesting in your local water spring area. Also being only 500 credits more expensive than the normal freighters, the hover freighters are worth the price. 4.1.4 Water Contaminator: 10,000c They are slow and expensive. They can be taken out in a couple of shots, which also can make it less attractive. But on the other hand if you can get one into the enemies water spring then they'll have to harvest elsewhere, which means that they are going to be sending their harvester to the other side of the map and possibly into your territory, making them an easy kill. I don't recommend using them since if you're good then you'll probably own the rest of the water springs and using it on one is a bit of a waste. But then again if you do own every other water spring on the map then destroying their only source of money will probably finish them, otherwise make them desperate enough to harvest in your base. "Slow, vulnerable, expensive, but if you get these to an enemy's water well, they are in big trouble. Only build these if you are confident that you can sneak this undetected into an enemy water well area. Good recon is essential for successful use of this unit." David Harrison, Auran. Contamination Strategy: Build 4 martyrs and a water contaminator and put them into a phase transport. Send it over to the enemies water spring and unload. Put the water contaminator over the spring, and if any enemies try to stop you use one martyr one each of them. 4.1.5 Infiltrator: 1000c Not only can they morph into enemy units and walk right past other enemies without them even noticing you (which makes great recon) but they can "infiltrate" the enemy bases and steal valuable technology. Such as going into the enemies headquarters allows you to see the enemies' line of sight (LOS) which then you would be able to see where the enemies all are and what they can see. They aren't too fast but they are over medium in speed. NOTE: Many people are complaining on how infiltrators are always being found out and are always recognised straight away. To use a morphed infiltrator, the unit that you morphed into must still be alive, if he dies you will be instantly recognised. Both teams can build infiltrators. Freedom Guard: Employing a hybrid of the Freedom Guard's earliest morphing technology, Infiltrators can create an "active holoshield" around themselves using a very specialised energy suit. The Infiltrator's device is sufficiently focussed that it can create an image that exactly matches the contours of the user, allow him take on the appearance of other people. This breakthrough was immediately put to the test by Freedom Guard intelligence agents, who used it to infiltrate the Imperium's hover research center on Malik. Imperium: It was some time before several arrogant members of the Imperium Shadowhand came to accept that the Freedom Guard had in fact developed technology that they were interested in acquiring. After being outwitted on Malik in the Freedom Guard Infiltrator's theft of hoverdrive technical specs, the Shadowhand determined to use similarly equipped units to gather technical information concerning some of the new Freedom Guard innovations. Powered holofield suits were rapidly developed, and disguised Shadowhand operatives made several successful acquisitions. Most of the technology stealing, however, was still carried on by the Freedom Guard. ------------- 4.2 INFANTRY: ------------- Civilians: *** coming soon *** ------------------------------- 4.2 FREEDOM GUARD INFANTRY ------------------------------- 4.2.1 Raider: 150c "Raider" is the kindest of the labels employed by the Imperium Directorate to generally describe Freedom Guard ground units. Over time, it was a label that the standard Freedom Guard infantry came to wear proudly. Raiders were also the first units supplied with remote phasing transceivers. These devices allowed them to use the Freedom Guard's most revolutionary technology: solid phase transmortation. "Phasing", as it is more commonly known, creates an electron field around a specified body or object, allowing it to "sink into" objects of low to medium density as if they were liquid. (a phase-equipped unit could not, for instance, phase into a steel wall, but could phase into the ground.) While the Freedom Guard devised a number of fighting techniques and technologies, the phase-equipped Raider remained the backbone of the Freedom Guard war effort for the duration of the conflict. The basic grunt of the freedom guard side. They are armed with a laser rifle. In packs of ten they are great for defending, scouting and for small attacks. Once the phasing facility is built raiders have the ability to phase underground. They are above medium speed, but are still quite slow. Two or three of these can take out a spider bike without too many problems, but there may be casualties in the process. Great for harassment in-groups and individually, scouting and search and destroy are also quite effective. Shredders make quick haste of raiders but raiders can take the shredders out if in-groups. 4.2.2 Mercenary: 300c While greatly outnumbered and under-equipped, the Freedom Guard was not without its powerful benefactors. Indeed, it soon became clear to the Imperium directorate that for the Freedom Guard to produce material and soldiers at the rate they were demonstrating, they must be enjoying substantial outside help. And it was no secret that any of a number of large colonial manufacturing and shipping operations might well see the potential of the Imperium's loss of direct control over their day to day affairs as a positive development. It was in fact the case that one such large shipping concern did decide to secretly aid the Freedom Guard. They recognised that the principal thing the Freedom Guard lacked, other than equipment, was experienced fighters - and they knew just where to find them. Renowned for his feats of strength and cunning, the fiery Jon Bard had become a legend throughout much of the galaxy. Bard had been trained in the Imperium military and was in fact a young officer on a transport ship when he made the most fateful decision of his life. When his ship came into port in Peyrak, he found that several of the items being unloaded from the hold did not appear on his manifest. Upon investigation, he discovered several crates containing neat stacks of humans who were being shipped, frozen, to some nearby mining colonies. There they would drone away in caves in a condition of virtual slavery. Horrified by the discovery of this secret cargo, Bard ordered the crates reloaded. He then single-handedly seized control of the ship, killing the captain and physically throwing his crewmates out onto the loading platform. Once away, he "thawed" the captive passengers who instantly became his first followers. For years Bard and his group lived as fugitives and as such were forced to train themselves to always be prepared for combat. When they were approached by Encryton Shipping about joining the Freedom Guard war effort as guns for hire, Bard and his band readily assented. It was in fact Jon Bard who introduced the Freedom Guard to the effectiveness of the Rail Gun, and it was this type of weapon that Bard's Mercenaries used to deadly effect for the remainder of the conflict. Hired from outside of the freedom guard, the mercenaries (mercs) have a shoulder mounted rail gun and are very effective against infantry and vehicles. In-groups they are deadly on structures. They are perfect against tanks. One game I played was three on three, I had my base screwed after being attacked by three teams and a temporal rift. I managed to get a construction rig out of there and one of my friends adopted me into his base. After that I kept going broke since I didn't build a water launchpad. But another friend who seemed so be rich kept feeding my ten thousand dollars every five minutes. With that money I kept building mercs and sent them in, in packs of twenty. I'd sneak them around behind the enemies' base and rip a huge gap in their defense. Twenty mercs can do serious damage, though it's not as effective as twelve sky fortresses I managed to take structures out nearly as quickly. 4.2.3 Scout: 300c The Freedom Guard Synod recognised early in their struggle against the Imperium that they would never be able to match their enemy's armored might. Instead, they focussed their efforts on the development of alternate stealth technologies. An entire secret research facility, Ascension Labs, was constructed for this purpose. Their investigation of energised holoshielding produced a way to project a kind of 360 degree holographic image in a confined area, allowing units to "disguise" themselves as other objects. The image field is projected from a kind of special energy suit. The earliest models of these were distributed to troops involved in scouting and reconnaissance actions and permitted the wearer to "morph" into virtually any similarly sized inanimate object. She's pretty fast, and has great visual range. Though she cannot attack, the scout is great for recon and for just placing on areas of the map so you can see what kind of units are heading toward your base. Then if you spot a martyr or a large tank you can get ready to move all your units away and bring on your injured to take the impact of the martyrs. The scout can morph into any object of the same size, which is pretty helpful, but if you move around and the computer or anyone sees you then you are most likely screwed unless you run and hide somewhere before they can catch up to you. Therefore you cannot exactly run a scout into the enemy base unnoticed, but when playing against the computer, if you attack with spider bikes or something, they will be more worried about the offense you have created to bother noticing walking trees. So just make a mild attack then run a scout or two into their base morphed into a tree and put them right outside their "weapons factory" so you then can see what they are building. Another tactic that is useful for a bit is to use a sniper (see below) and have her pick the martyrs and other deadly infantry off as they run out of the training facility. But if you are seen nearby tanks will soon be showing you what they keep stored down the barrels of their turrets. Moving a scout into the enemy base will allow you to be able to use your artillieries to fire from large distance without getting close to see what they are firing at. Therefore move a scout into the base and then begin dropping shells on their base, after that if they are smart they will probably search their base looking for scouts, so be careful, hide well or run at the site of a tank. A great strategy to use on the computer is to use your scout as a decoy. If the enemy has a few men standing around the outside area of their base, try sending a few raiders and a scout down. have the raiders set up behind the enemies group of men, then run your morphed scout across the screen catching their attention. They will all run to take the scout out before it sees anything in their base, then rush your men up from behind and take them out. if you need to get a scout into the computerTs base, build a scout, then a small attack group. As the group is attacking, send the scout into the base, send it to the middle if you like, so you can see the whole base, since the computer is busy defending from your small attack group, they won't notice the moving tree sprinting through their base. Unmorphed, scouts and snipers move a lot faster than they do morphed, keep this in mind, especially if you are trying to outrun a spider bike which spots you. 4.2.4 Sniper: 700c The Synod found it useful to develop a team of specialised sharpshooters to cut down on the Imperium's ability to spread out their infantry over a wide area. These Snipers were outfitted with the same "morphing" equipment as Freedom Guard Scouts. Snipers are just like scouts but they can attack. They CAN fire at vehicles but are more effective against infantry, "one shot one kill" still effective against tanks and spider bikes, but they are not worth giving away your position unless the vehicle is on red energy. They are still very weak so they are good in defense since their shooting range is pretty far away, therefore they can stand behind your other defensive units and pick off all the enemies that come into range. Still placing them in forests and putting them on guard is a great way to pick off incoming infantry before they can aid in an attack. 4.2.5 Field Medic: 500c The Freedom Guard did the best they could to save the lives of their wounded soldiers in their grim war against the monolithic Imperium. Field Medics were mostly volunteers with limited medical training who braved storms of plasma fire to get to injured troops and, if possible, return them to fighting condition. Many Field Medics drew criticism for a seeming lack of compassion when treating patients, but battle after battle of bandaging wounds and re-attaching arms could make anyone jaded. These guys also don't wear body armour, therefore they do not take that many hits to bring down. They are great for accompanying groups of infantry, since when one of them gets hit, the medic will heal him automatically. Or just lying around the base and healing the odd survivor of a recent battle is fine for him, he can also cure those attacked by an Amper, which also is another reason to have at least one or two in your game. They aren't too fast but once they get to the injured, they'll heal them as quick as a field hospital. Very effective, and saves a lot of money in the long run. 4.2.6 Saboteur: 800c A number of Freedom Guard mechanics actually had pre-war experience working on Imperium machinery and equipment. Their knowledge of Imperium construction technology meant in many cases that they knew precisely how to quickly damage Imperium facilities. Saboteur's can wreak massage damage upon the enemy structures. Except before they can do that they have to get close enough to the enemy structures. Luckily they have the ability like scouts do to morph into trees and rocks. Once they get close enough to an enemy structure they can cause up to half it's original health in damage. A great strategy is to send a saboteur into the enemy base morphed as a rock or plant. Then damage some buildings then send in a bunch of tanks to finish them off. 4.2.7 Mechanic: 500c While the Freedom Guard often ran up against shortages in men and armaments, one thing they had in good supply was skilled mechanics and field technicians. This was due in part to the fact that so many of the Freedom Guard's number were descended from the old Exploratory Corps, which through bravery and ingenuity colonised the galaxy. By necessity, members of the Exploratory Corps over the years achieved a high level of technical self-sufficiency, and this tradition has been carried on in the Mechanic Corps of the Freedom Guard. Like the Field Medic, they don't have that much armour, but are excellent for their price. Not too great for going into battle, they usually get wasted by tank hunters and other large explosion type units. But hiding them behind a tree waiting for the war to end works well, and they are perfect for defense, saving the tanks from having to drive all the way back to the repair station. 4.2.8 Martyr: 600c It was in the Freedom Guard's desperate defense of their water processing facilities on Kendrick that the tradition of Freedom Guard suicide bombers was born. One badly wounded Raider, Kit Aphaus, considered his position as he crouched in a ditch waiting for the medics to arrive. What was the point of the medics risking their lives to get to him and then wasting their precious supplies on him? He was nearly twenty-five years old, and because he was among the "marked", he would soon die anyway. Then a desperate idea came to him. He had with him several of the concussion detonators he and his group had been hoping to attach to the bottoms of Tachion Tanks as they hovered by. This strategy had failed, but maybe his new idea would work. If he was going to die anyway, why not take as many Imperium troops and vehicles as he could with him. With a defiant yell, he suddenly sprang up from his ditch with three detonators and ran screaming toward a mass of Imperium tanks and Guardians. His commrades looked up from their hiding places, fascinated and horrified by their own identification with the feelings that must have driven their friend to such a desperate action. Suddenly, there was a gigantic, bright plasma blast. The ground shook. A half dozen Guardians were strewn in pieces in the pass below, and a Tachion Tank was flipped over on its turret. In response, a cloud of Bions and Guardians emerged into the pass like angry bees. "That's it!" cried the group leader, "We're goin'". Following his lead, each Raider deactivated his phasing transceiver and ran straight into the Imperium ranks. Several were cut down by Bion fire on the way, but many made it through. The massive explosion could be seen from the portals of Imperium ships in orbit above the planet. After the battle, Aphaus and his commrades were accorded the highest honors and were even designated as Martyrs for the Cause. In ensuing battles, a number of marked 24-year-old Freedom Guard soldiers followed their examples. These suicide runs in fact came to be seen as the most honorable way to die, and Freedom Guard Martyrs remained a serious base defense problem for the Imperium for the rest of the conflict. Martyrs are perfect for a lot of situations. You can spread a few around your base and hide them behind trees, then when the enemy attacks or does a bit of scouting they'll run out of nowhere and blow them all up. You can run them into the enemy base and take out some of their defense, a few of them hitting their defenders will leave only a few people left for when your "real" attack arrives. Martyrs are quite weak for attacking structures, I found it took me about 20 martyrs to destroy an enemy training facility. Martyrs are very fast, I find myself running martyrs up to a remote base that has no defense instead of sending spider bikes. Martyrs are a lot more powerful and are just as fast. Try not to keep your defending men in groups, spread them out, otherwise you'll be sitting there proud looking at how many men you have thinking that no one could break through that defense, then a martyr comes up and takes out 70% of your men. Better one to do then twenty-two. -------------------- 4.2.2 IMPERIUM INFANTRY -------------------- 4.2.2.1 Guardian: 150c For nearly a century, they were known as "The Guardians of Order", "Guardians of the Order", or simply "Guardians". They were the colonial police force, a faceless symbol of Imperium policy and the will to enforce it. Equipped with masked helmets, powered body armor, and years of rigorous training, the Guardians are in appearance and action the embodiment of the Order's creed: "the many as one." Also known as the "Guardians of order" these have many similarities to the freedom guards Raider. They are slightly more armoured and have a laser rifle. In groups these guys can be a real threat, they are great for harassing and scouting. 4.2.2.2 Bion: 350c Bions, bionetic fighting "men", were originally manufactured by Insignus in small quantities and were intended to be anti-tank units and base guards. So effective were they in their first engagements, however, that they were soon being produced in large numbers. Bions are hard to bring down and are useful against infantry, armor, air units, and even structures. Bions are heavily armoured cyborgs and are equipped with a plasma rifle. They can shoot at ground units and at ariel units. They are also immune to harmful gasses. Great for defense and with backup from tanks or other infantry can make a devastating attack. 4.2.2.3 Exterminator: 500c At first Imperium engineers were uncertain as to how to make the best use of their new acid-based metal dissolving foaming agent. The advent of hover suit troops provided the perfect delivery mechanism. The foam was packed into pressurized grenades which explode into a cloud of burning acid upon impact. The term "Exterminator" was coined by Marshal Ignatius Arryat, who often referred to Freedom Guard Spider Bikes as "little insects". Exterminators have hovering ability thanks to their anti-gravity generators. They also have acid grenades and are perfect against armoured units. They have the best of both worlds, they can cross water and go up hills where hover tanks can't, not bad for attacking, but better for defense, they can stop both tanks and infantry with ease. 4.2.2.4 Suicide Zombie: (requires hostage taker) Once a standard solider, now a brainless zombie with a giant plasma bomb strapped to their chest. Once the hostage take collects an enemy solider, they labotomize the prisoner and releasing him ready to follow orders. Just like the martyr, these guys are great against units, but week against structures. They are a bit slower then the martyrs but they are free so who can complain. ---------------------------------- 4.3 Vehicles ---------------------------------- CIVILIANS: *** COMING SOON *** ------------------------- 4.3.1 FREEDOM GUARD VEHICLES ------------------------- 4.3.1.1 Spider Bike: 500c Spider Bikes first appeared in the early days of the uprisings around the remote settlement of New Star Colony on Gilwoch in 2589. The Bikes were constructed to take maximum advantage of the steep grades of Gilwoch's rough, hill-rippled terrain. So successful were their relentless lightning raids that the Imperium, whose hover tanks were helpless to pursue the insurgents up the winding slopes, was forced to abandon Gilwoch for good three years later. The freedom Guards prize unit, fast, cheap and powerful. They can go over any terrain at full speed, and are very powerful against enemy vehicles, but weaker to opposing infantry. Great in any situation, spider bikes fit every profile of attack. They are the best choice for harassing and of course scouting. Attacking in groups is always effective, and they are also quite powerful at defending, if defending with tank hunters they are awesome for defense. *** More information to come *** 4.3.1.2 R.A.T. (Rapid Armour Transport) 450c The workhorse of the Freedom Guard infantry, Rapid Armored Transports (more commonly referred to by their acronym, "Rats") can move over almost any surface, including water. (Special navigation fins were added after the first production run.) The Rats can carry up to five infantry units and use a technology similar to that used by Freedom Guard Scouts that allows them to optically "blend in" with the surrounding terrain. The freedom guards infantry carrier. The R.A.T. has the ability to camouflage itself with it's current environment. Having a maximum of five passengers, the RAT is perfect for sneak attacks or for setting up attacks from several sides. Better still it can cross over water and you can fit construction rigs in making it great for setting up new bases or new water harvesting sites. The only downside is that it is defenseless to any attacks if spotted, but it's medium armour will allow you to withstand such attacks. *** More information to come *** 4.3.1.3 Skirmish Tank: 600c Eccentric tinkerer Ravor Hurveth was originally a designer of agricultural machinery on Teron in the years before the Freedom Guard uprising. As the war expanded, Hurveth was approached by his younger brother Jom, a Freedom Guard officer, about the possibility of developing some kind of armored vehicle that could provide sufficient support for his troops that they could stand and fight against Imperium Plasma Tanks. Hurveth agreed to try to put something together using parts from some of his heavy-tracked land clearing equipment. The result was the sturdy, versatile little Skirmish Tank, which Hurveth oufitted with twin rotating missile launchers. Many Skirmish Tanks came to be affectionately referred to by their drivers as "Hurveys". Fast and powerful, the skirmish tank moves with low momentum, allowing it to change direction quickly. Great for small harass attacks, and great for defense, even for large attacks. Not bad for scouting, the skirmish tanks are great in packs with tank hunters. Skirmish tanks can fire upon air attacks as well as ground units, should be your default tank considering it's fast, powerful and can shoot down aircraft. Though it cannot withstand too many hits, it is recommended keeping a couple in your base. In groups the skirmish tanks are awesome, if the enemy has a sky fortress you can rush in and take it out with about nine of these. They are great in defense, since they are fast they can zoom around your base defending cyclones. One skirmish tank can take down one cyclone, they both die in the process. "skirmish tanks are awesome because they are treaded, fast, and can shoot at air units this versatility makes them the best unit in the game for defense" Mark Major, mmajor@zebra.net 4.3.1.4 Tank hunter: 700c When first introduced, Imperium Plasma Tanks boasted such great weapon range and such heavy armor that they often went into action without infantry or air support. They seemed virtually invincible. It was a year before the Freedom Guard was able to counter, but when they did, the results were dramatic. It was during the Imperium's Rehnnish counter-offensive that a column of Plasma Tanks on patrol in the narrow lanes of the "haunted forest" of Yepradii were suddenly overwhelmed by what one Imperium survivor of the encounter described as "rolling sheets of lightning". What wiped out the armored column was in fact a new kind of Freedom Guard vehicle equipped with a short range electrostatic weapon that crippled the Imperium's field absorption armor. These quick little scorpion-like monsters could be devastating in close combat, but their powerful weapon had extremely short range and was therefore most effective in confined areas. Two Tank hunters and a skirmish tank are a great combination for unit erasing. Tank hunters are awesome in any situation. They can take down infantry in two or three shots. and are brilliant in packs. Being fast they can easily manoeuvre over ruggered terrain and spring up in the enemy base and begin their offensive tactics. They are medium armoured and have a short electrical discharge as a weapon, which makes them hopeless for long range attacks. *** More information to come *** 4.3.1.5 Phase Tank: 600c The ultimate tool for ambushing, Phase Tanks were modified versions of the Freedoms Guard's earliest armored vehicle model, the T1 Reaper. Using the same phasing technology employed by Raiders and Barden Mercenaries, a group of them could completely nullify the range advantage of Tachion Tanks by "popping up" right next to them. Relatively inexpensive, the Freedom Guard ended up producing large quantities of these little "barn roofed" tanks for much of the war. Phase tanks are medium speed. They are weak but they can phase, which allows them to grow a sort of protective shell over them as they phase underground, kinda of like the batmobile. They can still take hits whilst phased but not as much damage is applied. Good for defense, they can unphase take out the unit and phase again. They cannot move whilst phased. *** More information to come *** 4.3.1.6 Flack Jack: 500c Flack Jacks are weak and have no defense against ground units. They have ariel attacking capabilities but aren't that strong either. *** More information to come *** 4.3.1.7 Triple Rail Hover Tank: 1300c Great range, the freedom guard stole the hover technology from the Imperium forces. It has 3 rail guns and has excellent range and armour. These are great in defense and are an essential to any "proper" attack from the freedom guard. In packs these tanks are deadly, not to great for ruggered terrain all though, but still an excellent offensive tank. In groups these guys can level your base in no time. Neutron Accelerators don't do too well when confronted by a few of these, it is very hard to defend if you have something blowing away half your base and takes out just about anything you throw at it. Martyrs once again work well but cyclones or other ariel attacks work better, and don't die attacking. If you can get a few of these to come around behind the enemy base where there is no defense and then shift into the centre of their base then you can open fire and probably toast anything that comes at you. Take out all the units and freighters around so they can't get cash nor build anything, then begin work on the more productive buildings ie. training facility, headquarters. 4.3.1.8 Hellstorm artillery: 1100c It became clear after the advent of the Tachion Tank that Imperium forces were best engaged at long range. During their successful attack on Corlbad, the Freedom Guard encountered little-used Imperium S.C.A.R.A.B.s (mobile heavy artillery), and it occurred to them that it made perfect sense for them to develop this type of long-range weaponry for themselves. The result was "Hellstorm" Artillery, which fired a rifled fragmentation shell that had an extremely wide area of effect. The Hellstorms are vicious from great distance, but move slowly and are very lightly armored, rendering them rather hapless targets at short range. The longest range in the game, this baby can fire over three screens width. The problem is that it's not that strong, but still scary when attacking to hear a large shell launch then to see the wicked explosion that it emits. and great backup to your attacks, it can stand far back and lob shells at the enemy. Slow and low armour makes them easy to be fixed if ever they become a problem, it's best to have escorts when directing them. *** More information to come *** "ArtilleryTs: Besides their amazing range, these long range tanks are very week, I find myself leaving them for last when attacked, sine most of the other enemies can do more damage. I do not find them at all threatening, not even in groups of ten. They may be good as a decoy against intermediate players, they will see a giant explosion and rush all their men to the artillery, and from there you could sneak some scouts in or send a sneak attack in from the opposite side. But as for actually blowing things up, they are quite disappointing." anonymous. 4.3.1.9 Shockwave: 4000c The Shockwave is slow and has low armour, but is awesome if you can get it to the enemy base. In packs of 3 these guys can wipe out the target's base in seconds. **WARNING** Do NOT put a Shockwave in your base and put it on guard. If an enemy comes and it's pointing in the direction of your base, it will fire at the enemy and take out 70% of your base! The Shockwave makes a big rumbling sound and notifies you verbally, so you do have a chance to move your units, but structures you can say bye to. If your unit is approached by a shockwaves attack, then either try to go around it or if you don't have the choice, just run through it, it will most likely survive since it will only be in it for a second. The further away you are standing the more it will take out in radius. It grows bigger and bigger as it goes, so being right up from will have only a small radius. But if you are outside their base it will run through and grow bigger and take more out. But don't be too far away since it has a limit to it's distance before it steadies down. When you tell a Shockwave to attack something they fire the Shockwave from where they stand, keep this in mind if you are behind your base and tell it to attack a base infront of yours thinking it will drive down there and then launch the Shockwave. Listed below is a table of what the Shockwave can take out and what it can't take out. Shockwave vs : 4000c Freedom Guard Structures: Imperium Forces Structures: Training Facility: dead Training Facility: dead Advanced Training Facility: dead Advanced Training Facility: dead Assembly Plant: dead Assembly Plant: dead Advanced Assembly Plant: dead Advanced Assembly Plant: dead Water Launchpad: dead Water Launchpad: dead Taelon Power Generator: dead Taelon Power Generator: dead HeadQuarters (1): dead HeadQuarters (1): dead HeadQuarters (2): Red Energy HeadQuarters (2): Red Energy HeadQuarters (3): Yellow Energy HeadQuarters (3): Yellow Energy Field Hospital: dead Field Hospital: dead Phase Facility: dead Temporal Gate: Yellow Energy Advanced Phasing Facility: dead Temporal Rift Generator: dead Laser Turret: dead Plasma Turret: dead Heavy Rail Platform: dead Neutron Accelerator: dead Air Defence Site: Red Energy Air Defence Site: dead Camera Tower: dead Camera Tower: dead Repair Station: dead Repair Station: dead Orbital Defence Matrix: Red Energy Prison: dead Lycean Treaty Hall: dead Genetic Research Facility: dead Rearming Deck: dead Rearming Deck: dead Nover Research Facility: dead As the table shows, not much can withstand a Shockwave. ------------------------------- 4.3.2 IMPERIUM FORCE'S VEHICLES ------------------------------- 4.3.2.1 Scout Runner: 500c Precursors of their heavier cousins the Plasma and Tachion Tanks, the original Scout Runners had been created as armored single-manned patrol craft to support light infantry actions during the Healean disturbance on Feisis nearly twenty years before the emergence of the Freedom Guard. Refined and refitted with a new propulsion system and special long-range scanning equipment, the Scout Runner is now the perfect tool for probing enemy defenses and uncovering the strike bases of Freedom Guard raiding parties. The scout runners are medium speed and medium armour, through my experience they aren't too effective in battle against other more powerful units such as tachion tanks but they are still great for defending and harassing. Scout Runners are great decoy attacks, send a few in and then sneak something more devastating in from behind the enemies base. *** MORE TO COME *** 4.3.2.2 Invader Troop Transport: 600c A common sight in all the colonial administrative districts, these sleek hover transports could rapidly bring packs of Guardians to any spot where there was trouble. Modified at the time of the Freedom Guard uprising to include a heavy turret mounted laser rifle, the Invaders were often able to wade into ranks of heavily armed Freedom Guard Mercenaries and deliver their passengers into the center of the battle. They are fast and armed with a laser, but aren't even annoying when attacking. But three of these full of bions is a great attack or just using it as a quick way of sending infantry into battle. Also if you want to start a new base and don't want to risk sending a slow weak construction rig over unknown terrain, you can zoom about three and two bions over in one of these. They are great but people do underestimate them most of the time, so using these can sometimes be an advantage in multiplayer. 4.3.2.3 Plasma Tank: 700c Plasma Tanks became the principal symbol of Imperium enforcement during the early years of the Freedom Guard uprising. Their smooth black outline was the product of the streamlined design concept that was the trademark of their manufacturer, Insignus, and gave the tanks an especially cold, inhuman appearance. Plasma Tanks are great in swarms or just independently. They have very strong armour and their plasma Cannon is very powerful. This should be the default tank of any imperium attack. Plasma tanks use hover technology like most imperium vehicles, which allows for great attacks over water. One or two of these are great for defending, and are quite effective on moving trees if they do see one. Search and destroy they aren't that bad on and harassing works but not as well as some units harass. Since you can build these right at the start of the game, building a few scout runners and these are an early attack that could put the enemy back quite a bit. It is possible to build some and attack the enemy and then build more and send them in to back them up, a few more times and you could win the game before it even starts. 4.3.2.4 Amper: 500c On the cloud-shrouded world of Amataur there is a massive edifice that dominates one of the larger islands in the phosphorescent Regen Sea. Inside is one of the Imperium Directorate's most closely guarded secrets: the Arcundrel Life Research Center. Despite its benign name, it is rumored that the center is home to some of the most deplorable human research experiments ever conceived. Many of the technicians who staff the facility are in fact products of some of the cybernetic research that is carried on there. (It can be fairly assumed that much of the research that went into the development of Bions took place at the Arcundrel Center.) It was the Shadowhand that initially suggested to the directorate that some of the Center's research into biotoxins might be put to good use on the battlefield. Soldiers who were badly wounded could be shot full of a kind of adrenal booster, giving them a burst of fighting energy. The boosters were toxic, and ultimately fatal, but the idea was appealing to the military because it meant that engaged troops could stay in the field longer. For the delivery of the required biodarts, the Shadowhand recommended using some of the cybergenetic creations that worked in Arcundrel. Accepting the Shadowhand's suggestions, the Imperium High Command soon put into action several teams of these tri-legged, half-human monsters. In time they found that the "Ampers", as they came to be called, could even be used effectively against healthy Freedom Guard infantry. Upon seeing these creatures in battle, Freedom Guard leader Gerhad Bantrill observed, "If any are still in doubt as to the justice and urgency of our cause, they need only see this horror and the infected character of our enemy will be made undeniably plain." The Amper is the imperiums solution to the field medic, unlike the medic though it heals the units to full health with a special dart, which then slowly decreases the units health until he dies. Great for giving your almost dead guys one last bang and if you can sneak an Amper into the enemy base you can fire a few darts into their infantry and let them die a slow death. The Ampers speed is quite slow which means that they shouldn't really go cross country by them selves, they are also quite weak and cannot see very far, which are some more reasons why not to make Ampers be independent. 4.3.2.5 M.A.D. (Mobile Air Defence) 800c The new M.A.D.s came off the Insignus production lines just in time to help defend Imperium tanks at the siege of Indra against airstrikes by heavy hitting Freedom Guard Outriders. The M.A.D.'s weapon is of the more curious employed by the Imperium: a charged, bladed orb that could, if scoring a direct hit, cut an Outrider or Sky Bike to pieces. Most Insignus vehicles are equipped with hover capability, and the M.A.D.s are no exception. They are excellent for defending artillery batteries from sudden air attacks. The imperium's strong anti-aircraft, they fire bladed orbs at the enemy's aircraft and can be very dangerous against air units if exposed to these babies for too long. Just like the flak jack they have no defense against ground units and should be guarded at all times. They have good range and speed but are quite weak and cannot handle too many hits. Since they are hover units it's great to put a few out on water and waste enemy air units as they think they are going to be undetected until they hit your base. Also having a few scattered behind trees in your base and one or two in the enemies base (make shore they are well hidden) can be great defense against incoming attacks. 4.3.2.6 Shredder: 700c Perhaps the best example of the Imperium's twisted ingenuity, the Shredder existed in fantasy before it existed in fact. As legend has it, many years ago, unruly prisoners interred at the old Jovian Detention Facility were shipped off to work in the quarries on Callisto. Those who were captured trying to escape were said to have been slowly dismembered in front of the other prisoners with the huge circular saws used to cut out large sections of the rock. (While this may have never really happened, the stories were well known to generations of misbehaving children descended from the ranks of the old Exploratory Corps.) Imperium General Feileen Hextar decided it would be clever to revive these rumors as a prelude to the introduction of the frightening new anti-infantry weapon that the old story had inspired. Many of the earlier models of Hextar's new "Shredders" were in fact manufactured using re-tooled circular quarrysaw blades. These fiendish unmanned disks of death cut down scores of Freedom Guard Raiders in their first action on Teron. Anti-Infantry slayer, great for killing units but it's best to put these on low damage tolerance since they go down quick if the units get too many shots into them. They are named great since shredding is what they actually do, they are a bit slow to respond and if you "shred" one unit they usually don't do anything after that unless you command them to attack another unit, ie. you cut up a unit and then it'll just stand there instead of moving onto the next unit. Medium armoud and quite fast shredders are great for defending against infantry attacks, or making life easier for your tanks when attacking the enemy. Building nine or so of these and putting them on search and destroy is a great way to slow down the enemy if you have the cash. 4.3.2.7 Hostage Taker: 600c Despite the fact of the Directorate's growing concern over the increasingly independent activity of the Shadowhand in Imperium affairs, Imperium field commanders continue to support the cooperative use of the Shadowhand's Hostage Taker vehicles in military campaigns. Their desire to continue in this relationship stemmed in part from their frustration in trying to find a way to respond to the suicide attacks of Freedom Guard Martyrs. Representatives of the Shadowhand had promised the High Command they had a way to serve the Freedom Guard a taste of their own poison. Few details were offered. When Imperium generals expressed their reservations, the Shadowhand responded by arriving uninvited on the battlefield with a whole platoon of these evil, body-sucking monsters. "Demonstrations" were first made of a small group of Freedom Guard prisoners being guarded nearby. Almost in an instant, each man was sucked into the dark maw of the hump-backed beast. The officer in charge was incensed. "We were going to question those people!" he protested. "Questioning?" responded the unnamed Shadowhand operative. "It is fortunate for the Directorate that our methods are not so primitive. If you want to know what they knew...ah, yes. It's coming across just now." He handed his personal console to the dumbfounded Imperium commander. "And now, observe." He gestured toward the rear of the vehicle, where one by one the men who had so recently been sucked in suddenly emerged. Each had a kind of pack strapped to his back. They did not speak and barely even twitched as they stared blankly outward. "And now," intoned the operative softly as he gently struck a key on his console. Suddenly the prisoners' eyed shot fully open and each man spun on his heel and began running full speed out of the encapment and back in the direction of the Freedom Guard's base. Moments later, loud concussions could be heard from the same direction. The officer in charge smiled at the operative, and the partnership was born. Can only be used against infantry, the hostage taker snatches away an enemy unit and lobotomies him leaving him under your command. Better still they have a huge bomb attached to them, almost identical to martyrs except that they are slower, you can then send the unit into the enemies pile of infantry outside their training facility and blow them all. Hostage takers are great if the enemy has a lot of units on patrol around their base, you can one by one take them and let them out as a changed man, then select them all and charge into the enemy base. Hostage takers have strong armour and are medium speed. build a hostage taker and then ten guardians, then get your hostage taker to attack them by pressing "A". This will cause him to labotomise his ally and turn him into a zombie. This will make a cheap way of having martyrs instead of paying 600c with the FG you can use the imperium and make them for 150c. But zombies aren't the equivalent of a martyr, they are slower for a start, but this is a cheap way of making them and without risking going into the enemies base to fish, and it's also faster. If you then manage to sneak a few into the enemy base then they're in for a big suprise! 4.3.2.8 Tachion Tank: 1300c The most awesome war machine ever created by Insignus for their Imperium clients, the Tachion Tank, with its revolutionary field-absorption armor and powerful tachion cannon, stood as the unchallenged behemoth of the battlefield for nearly a year until the Freedom Guard was able to counter with new technologies of their own. Even when cut off or surrounded, the Tachion Tank is far from helpless: the Imperium high command directed that it be outfitted with a powerful neuclonic disruption self-destruct mechanism to prevent its ever being captured and replicated. Just one of these is enough to make the enemy retreat from their once strong attack, the tachions are extremely strong, fast and heavily armoured, and have great range. Building six of these can sometimes be fatal. With support from any anti-aircraft such as bions or M.A.D.'s most people won't even bother defending if they see you approach their base, they'll probably sell everything and move on. Six is enough to wipe out any defense they have, such as neutron accelerators and skirmish tanks. Because of their range you can even stand outside of the range of a neutron accelerator, tachion tanks are cheap for what they can do, and can take a battering without a worry. I found it a real pain having 26 bions and having them all wasted when I was attacked by six "tachion Tanks". 4.3.2.9 S.C.A.R.AB. (Self Contained Armored Ranged Artillery Battery): 1300c The S.C.A.R.A.B.s (Self Contained Armored Ranged Artillery Battery) were one of the earlier projects undertaken by Insignus. They were actually little used in the first years of the conflict because Imperium commanders had such difficulty identifying fixed Freedom Guard targets at long range. In the defense of Corlbad, however, they proved to be of great value when they were used for the first time in combination with new Imperium Recon Drones, which supplied them with the necessary targeting information. S.C.A.R.A.B.s were also the first vehicle to employ Insignus' experimental exoskeletal shielding. The shield provides extremely effective protection, but is impractical for use with tanks because it prevents movement and weapon fire. A SCARAB can't take too many hits, and like the artillery isn't too powerful, but it has great range and that's the main point of using them. Offence is it's specialty, you can have one of these on the other side of a river firing and it will rip apart enemy infantry leaving the base, even for defense it's great, have a few men hiding behind trees so you can see what's coming, and they will pick them off as they come, by the time the enemies attack arrives at your base it will be one or two men since the SCARAB took care of the rest. Since it cannot take too many hits, this unit can enclose itself in an "retractable armored exoskeleton" and shield itself away from enemy attacks whilst it waits for backup to arrive. Great for backup whilst your tanks and infantry attack, you can have tachion tanks and phase tanks hitting all the units whilst the SCARAB's launch projectiles demolishing all the structures. The SCARAB has hover technology, therefore it can hover over water but has problems elevating over ruggered terrain. Though since the enemy probably won't be able to see you over water you can sneak in almost undetected, and launch fireballs at the enemy and they'll send all their men over past the water thinking y Other Dark Reign: The Future Of War cheats hints faqs solutions: 1. Dark Reign: The Future Of War cheat codes 2. Dark Reign: The Future Of War cheat codes 1. Dark Reign: The Future Of War hints 2. Dark Reign: The Future Of War hints 3. Dark Reign: The Future Of War hints 4. Dark Reign: The Future Of War hints 1. Dark Reign: The Future Of War faq and solutions |