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The Dark Reign Bible Last updated 3rd of October 1997 Release 1.0 Written by Allan McKay (Machette) [email protected] 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&C unofficial strategy FAQ is a trademark of Roger Wong ([email protected]) 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 "[email protected]" 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 shore the next version will be more kick ass than this. Until then I'm shore this will have more than enough strategy and cunningness to kick your friend's ass's 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 " [email protected] " (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 other's 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. --------------------------------------------------------- 3. SECTION ONE: General Overview --------------------------------------------------------- 3.1. Storyline: ------------------------ 3.1.1. Tograns final message: ------------------------ Centuries ago I left the Earth. Along with the other believers I set out to bring a new dawn to the age of man. I stood on the brink of a discovery that would change the very nature of existence. But, as usual, men do not see the doorways of history until they have passed through them. Ignorant and single-minded individuals attack that which threatens to disrupt their comfort, regardless of the good that may be born from that change. Our convoy was set upon by those who wished to steal my knowledge and exploit it for their trivial ends. But they did not understand. They will never understand. The new age will come even if it must incubate in the heat of their ashes. My ship was damaged in the attack, and I became stranded on an uninhabited planet. In time the heathens followed us away from Earth and polluted the entire galaxy with their petty squabbling and narrow vision of what power really is. Now I have become trapped by their war. A Freedom Guard base has been established on this planet, and Imperium assaults are coming more frequently. This probe will serve as a fail-safe should I fall victim to the chaos around me. If you are reading this then the worst must have occurred. The probe contains a dimensional portal that will deliver you to the place and time of my demise. But you must be prepared to stop it. Recorded in the data stores of the probe are a number of battles from the vast war between the Imperium and Freedom Guard. These battles will be presented to you as a series of trials which you will relive through a neural interface. You can engage in each conflict from either side, but you must complete them all. You must demonstrate that you are strong enough to defeat these armies. If you cannot, the dimension door will not be wasted on you. Fight well. Much depends on it. --------------------------- 3.1.2. HISTORY OF THE CONFLICT --------------------------- Part I: The Decline of Earth Part II: The Pioneer Age Part III: The Marked Part IV: The Dawn of War Part V: The Desiccator Part VI: The Tograns Part VII: Objective 3.1.2.1. THE DECLINE OF EARTH In the opening centuries of the third millennium, Earth's population continued to swell at a staggering rate. By 2250 the planet held over 30 billion people. Earth's scientists raced to offset the strangling effects of population. Massive hydroponic agricultural domes dotted the landscape, increasing food production exponentially. Methods for large scale, economical water desalinisation were developed. High altitude aircraft hovered at the crown of the atmosphere, releasing chemicals that slowly built up eroded areas of the ozone layer. In spite of these advances, the frenetic growth of humanity continued to strain Earth's resources to their limit. Pollution became unmanageable. Thousands of pounds of nuclear waste were set adrift in space every year. Air pollution was so severe in many major cities that in 2267 the European Environmental Council estimated that one of every nine urban dwellers died by the age of 30 from lung related diseases. Millions began living in massive urban complexes which contained air filtering and water purification facilities. These structures, as large as ten miles square, contained housing, commerce and entertainment for their occupants, and many people remained inside for years at a time. Wealth had become extremely polarised, and life was increasingly arduous for the majority of the populace who could not afford the safe confines of the complexes. Criminals banded together like small armies and in some areas had more control over the streets than the police. In 2314 most of the Earth's major nations allied to quell the rising tide of crime within their borders. The Global Commonwealth established a rudimentary dome colony on Jupiter's moon Io and began shipping violent criminals there. Heavily armed Commonwealth forces seized criminals in the streets and poured them into processing facilities. After quick assembly line trials, those deemed "dangerous and irredeemable" were shipped to the penal colony on Io to live out the remainder of their lives. The experiment was extremely successful politically. An international regulatory body, the Jovian Detention Administration, was established and granted primary claim to all prisoners. The JDA also had an autonomous police force that by 2362 was the largest standing army in the world. By 2400 almost a million people were expelled to Io annually. Additional colonies were added on Callisto and Ganymede, as well as on Neptune's moon Triton. Although some felt that the enterprise had little to do with meting out justice and w as simply an escape valve for population runoff, the program was very popular, and the JDA had come to hold more political and military sway than any single world government. In 2447 a rocket containing nuclear waste for deep space disposal malfunctioned and crashed near Bombay, killing over four million people in the first few months. Food stores were contaminated across the continent. Resulting worldwide famines led to widespread rioting and organised assaults against fortified urban complexes where food supplies were not seriously affected. The JDA, which by this time was the de facto global government, stepped in to suppress the uprisings, but it was becoming clear to world leaders that the future of Earth was bleak. Interplanetary colonisation, however, was a dangerous and arduous affair. A large private campaign to promote colonisation by the Ramsdell Corporation in the early twenty-third century had resulted in thousands of deaths and only a few scattered ramshackle societies. The prisoner colonies, while self-supporting, were barren, desolate outposts. Few private citizens were willing to confront the hazards of colonisation. The acting president of the JDA, Edward Dalen, negotiated a deal with the residents of the four penal colonies. In exchange for exploring and colonising new worlds for Earth's inhabitants, the prisoners would be granted their freedom. The prisoners were expendable and experienced at living off-world. Although counting on the off-world prisoners was less than popular, the citizens of Earth were willing to attempt somewhat desperate measures. Dalen realised that control of Earth's sole implement of colonisation, in addition to the political and military influence he already wielded, would place the JDA in a position of near absolute sovereignty. Dalen also had no intention of ever releasing the prisoners. He knew they would never be accepted into the societies on the Earth-based colonies, and they were too independent and well organised to be given their own planet. They had shown surprising resourcefulness on the prison colonies. Rather than slipping into violence and chaos as expected, the prisoners had develo ped efficient, productive communities with the limited means provided them. Dalen knew this would make them able pioneers, but he also realised they would represent a threat to the JDA if ever given their autonomy. 3.1.2.2. THE PIONEER AGE Scientists quickly located a number of promising host planets in Earth's sector of the galaxy. The Exploratory Corps, as the prisoner colonists were called, set out in massive cargo vessels, each the size of a large city, loaded with provisions, robotic terra-forming machinery, and enough genetic material to recreate self-sustaining ecosystems. Dalen provided the prisoners with only enough water for a few years so that if they could not prepare their planet for habitation within that time they would perish. Although some worlds proved unable to support life, and thousands of the Exploratory Corps died, a handful of worlds were soon ready and the first Earth settlers began to inhabit their new homes. The Corps, when finished with one planet, were picked up and transported to the next. The JDA moved into each new world and established themselves as the governing body and policing force. They assumed control of each planet's water supply and instituted water rationing. Some planets did not have large enough viabl e water sources to support their populations, so those worlds with excess water were required to give up their surplus. In fact, there was more than enough water, but the JDA's control of water distribution gave them unchallenged leverage over the individual governments established on each planet. The JDA began stockpiling the excess water in huge, asteroid-sized storage tanks orbiting a number of undeveloped worlds. The Exploratory Corps pushed deeper into the galaxy, with mankind trailing behind, seeping into every crack the Corps opened. Hungry from centuries of limited space and resources, the human race devoured the galaxy. Within a generation a hundred planets were inhabited. Within two generations, a thousand. The JDA declared itself the official galactic government and was renamed the Imperium. Although some worlds chafed at the Imperium's continued dominion over all water supplies, none defied them. 3.1.2.3. THE MARKED In 2507 a regiment of Exploratory Corps aboard an Imperium cruiser en route to a new colonisation assignment mutinied, seizing the ship and abandoning the crew on an undeveloped world. The dissidents then took refuge on a nearby planet, Teron, whose populace had grown tired of the Imperium's ever increasing demands on their water supply. An Imperium fleet was quickly dispatched to the planet and determined the city in which the stolen ship had landed. Three regiments of Imperium infantry descended to the planet and seized the city. The ship was located, and the Corps members guarding the ship were tortured until they revealed the location of the rest of their unit. The remaining Corps personnel were tracked down and all were killed in an open courtyard. The Imperium left the city intact, but a sizable force of Imperium troops remained on Teron, and the planet's water ration was halved. The Imperium's ruling Directorate feared that similar incidents would continue to occur, and determined to institute a more decisive means of controlling the Exploratory Corps. Imperium geneticists had been developing enzyme keys which, when injected into the bloodstream, could crack and alter the DNA code of every cell in the body in a prescribed manner. Exploratory Corps personnel had been receiving periodic injections of these substances to improve their immunity to alien bacteria and other microscopic life forms encountered while colonising new worlds. In response to the Teron incident, a new, more ambitious strain of genetic keys was developed which created a chemical clock in the brain stem that caused life functions to cease at the age of 25. These agents were systematically introduced into all Exploratory Corps members along with the standard immunity treatments. In addition, the changes in the genetic code made the left eye of each member of the Exploratory Corps completely black. In this way, the Imp erium could easily identify Exploratory Corps members and make it nearly impossible for them to escape. In addition, the fact that they would only live to the age of 25 made it difficult to organise any sustained effort at rebellion. The scheme was more successful than anticipated. Within a few decades, the Exploratory Corps came to be known as the Marked and began to think of themselves as cursed. There were no further outbreaks of violence, and the Marked largely gave up hope of ever being granted their freedom. As the business of colonising the galaxy became less risky and less vital, the Marked, who were now viewed as a separate caste from the rest of human society, were used to perform many of the menial tasks needed by humanity. In time, many among the Marked did not even believe they deserved to be free. 3.1.2.4. THE DAWN OF WAR In the late twenty-sixth century, an extraordinary boy, Perigil Ilacas, was born to Marked parents. Living in the household of a noted educator, Lajos Cardat, for whom his parents worked as servants, young Ilacas spoke seven languages by the age of five and was versed in a number of sciences. As the parents approached 25, they made a deal with Cardat, who was sympathetic to the plight of the Marked, to raise the boy as his own. Only in this way could Ilacas continue his education. To pass the boy off as a citizen, his mark would somehow have to be removed, but the marks had been engineered to be resistant to removal, even by techniques such as tissue replacement. Once the new tissue was accepted by the body, the enzyme keys, which remained in the bloodstream of every marked human, would simply alter the new cells, and the mark would reappear. Cardat arranged for the boy's eye to be removed and replaced with a cybernetic replica, a procedure that was extremely expensive and, if discovered, would have resulted i n death for all involved. By the age of 19, Ilacas had become a leading scholar in the field of genetics. Although he never told his adoptive father, the real motivation behind his study was to uncover the genetic basis for the mark. Ilacas eventually found the enzyme keys that were responsible for the differences in the DNA and deduced that these were man-made agents that had at some point been deliberately introduced into the Marked population. However, now age 22, Ilacas feared that he would not be able to discover how to counteract the keys in the few years he had left and feared also that if his research was ever uncovered by the Imperium, it would be destroyed. He decided to make his discovery public in the hope that other scientists would join his endeavor or even that public knowledge of the fact that the mark was a manufactured product of the Imperium would force them to release his people from their genetic bondage. Within a week of the announcement, Ilacas, Cardat, and all those associated with his research were dead. However, news of the incident spread, and quickly small uprisings flared up around the galaxy. The Marked found support on numerous planets. Some viewed the Marked as mankind's pioneers who had delivered humanity from their doomed homeland of Earth. Some believed their subservience was unnecessary. Some simply saw an opportunity to throw off the yoke of the Imperium and reap the profits of their own bounty. Imperium warships were hijacked, complexes sabotaged, water convoys seized. Several planets, including Teron, raged into full revolt. The rebellion slowly grew more organised, and within a decade the Marked had become a dedicated revolutionary army. Calling themselves the Freedom Guard, they coordinated the efforts of a hundred insurgent worlds into a unified endeavor. Although outnumbered, technologically inferior, and lacking strategic strongholds, the vastness of the Imperium's domain worked to the re bels' advantage. The Freedom Guard struck at strategic targets and then moved on, never facing the formidable Imperium war machine head on. After years of trying to smother the growing tide of insurrection, the Imperium found itself facing full-fledged civil war. 3.1.2.5. THE DESICCATOR In 2618 Imperium general Gregor Trilkin approached the Imperium's Ruling Directorate and requested permission to develop a new weapon. Tired of pursuing smaller Freedom Guard forces across the breadth of the galaxy only to engage them in inconsequential skirmishes, he wanted a potent new tool to turn the course of the war. Trilkin's arms research scientists had actually already designed a devastating new chemical weapon, a catalysing compound that sheared the hydrogen atoms from water molecules. The compound then incorporated the free hydrogen atoms, thereby reproducing itself and continuing to divide any water molecules it came in contact with. The effect could be transferred through airborne water molecules and even through water in living organisms. One molecule of the compound could therefore consume all the moisture in an entire planet in a matter of minutes. The Ruling Directorate was hesitant to develop a weapon whose function was to destroy the very implement of their control, but Trilkin assured them that they would only need use the Desiccator once. Once its force was demonstrated, Trilkin claimed, the Freedom Guard would relent. Trilkin ultimately planned to use the weapon to seize control of the Imperium. With sole command of the Desiccator, the Ruling Directorate would have no choice but to submit to his authority. The Directorate Chairman, Albrach Boas, was aware of Trilkin's new weapon from several of his personal moles in Trilkin's command. He also suspected the general's intentions for the Desiccator, but needed someone to put an end to the war and knew Trilkin was the best man for the job. Trilkin was a ruthless and efficient tactician, but a predictable politician, and Boas felt he could deal with Trilkin after he had put down the Freedom Guard. 3.1.2.6 THE TOGRANS The Togran Foundation was founded in 2382 by molecular physicist Alpheus Togra, son of Petrak Togra, the third and last Chancellor of the Global Commonwealth. Petrak's assassination in 2356 led to the Rubicon rebellions and ultimately to the demise of the Commonwealth. JDA president Grote Reber suppressed the rebellions in four short days without consulting any of the national governments involved. The JDA's position of global leadership was cemented. Reber negotiated the dissolution of the Global Commonwealth and the transfer of its remaining authority, mostly bureaucratic, to the JDA. Alpheus, only nine at the time of his father's death, studied under his mother, physicist Gisela Togra, who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 2349 for her neutrino reactor. By his early twenties Togra had surpassed his mother in reputation. His Foundation, which he established at the age of 35, was dedicated to the development of a new paradigm of human understanding of the physical universe. Togra rejected the five hundred year old reductionist approach to science. Togra believed that matter could be easily and permanently altered at the molecular level and steadfastly maintained that the necessary knowledge and tools to allow such conversion could be uncovered in his lifetime. Matter, he claimed, like all of reality, is more than a sum of its parts. His research focused on element 115, discovered in the outer planets in the early days of exploration of the solar system. Element 115 was the only stable member of the very heavy elements. Other elements over atomic weight of 92 undergo spontaneous fission almo st immediately. In addition, the "strong" force in element 115, the force that binds the nucleus together, was unusually powerful and similar enough to gravity that the force could be tapped and amplified and used to make a gravity drive for interstellar travel. The drive bent space in the same way that gravity does and actually pulled the destination point to the traveler. While the peculiar properties of element 115 were accepted by most scientists, none had been able to unravel its mysteries. Togra claimed that the element represented proof that our understanding of the nature of the physical world was flawed, and claimed that by unlocking the secret of element 115, he could transform Earth, even the entire galaxy, into a paradise. Although considered one of the great thinkers of his age, Togra's obsession with element 115 was mocked as yet another megalomaniacal attempt to turn lead into gold. Togra countered, "If I can tame the soul of matter, what need would I have for gold?" A man of considerable charisma and rare genius, Togra developed a dedicated following and became a spiritual as well as scientific leader. Togra claimed that the great scientists were simply discovering what the great mystics had always known in a less literal way. He believed that inquiry into the metaphysical realm was as important to mankind's development as scientific advancement. Many of the world's leading minds abandoned their own work to join the Togran Foundation. By 2387, Foundation members numbered nearly one thousand, and Togra's work on matter conversion was making great strides. Togra became increasingly withdrawn and secretive about the Foundation's research. He suspected that several Foundation members were leaking information to the JDA. Togra stopped accepting new members and expelled three Foundationers he believed were selling his secrets. He began working entirely alone, often fasting and meditating for days at a time. He was rarely seen in public and grew increasingly paranoid. In 2391, Togra confided to a few of his closest associates that he had cracked element 115's secret. Before Einstein it was believed that energy and mass, as well as linear and angular momentum, were each independently conserved; that is, none could be created or destroyed. Einstein showed that energy and mass were in fact interchangeable and united them under a single conservation law. Through his work with element 115, Togra found that linear and angular momentum were also equivalent to mass and energy, as well as charge, quark number, and several other variables. All of these, he claimed, are aspects of a single essence that obeys a single conservation law. The unusual nuclear forces of element 115 were due to the fact that the momentum of the electrons of its atoms was being converted to the "strong" force in the nucleus and back at an incredibly fast rate. Based on this discovery Togra was able, in a small scale reactor, to convert the angular momentum in the electrons of an atom of hydrogen into mass. He estimated that a single atom of hydrogen could produce as much matter as a fair-sized asteroid. He needed only to refine the process to make the reaction produce the desired element, and build a number of large-scale reactors to allow near unlimited matter conversion. He was certain, however, that the JDA was about to seize his research, and he decided to abandon his home planet and move the Foundation to an off-world colony. Togra claimed to have found a host planet near the galactic center on which a habitable ecosystem could be developed within a few years. Within a generation, he claimed, they could build their own heaven. Four hundred thirty-seven Foundation members, some of the world's foremost biologists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians, doctors, and philosophers agreed to accompany Togra. Within a few months Togra organised a small expeditionary force of cargo vessels with light warship support. Togra had expected the JDA to resist the endeavor, but they seemed to view the departure of the Foun dation as simply an opportunity to be rid of some of their most influential, outspoken agitators. However, as the Togran expedition reached the outskirts of the solar system, Togra's paranoia proved valid. An attack force of JDA ships ambushed the convoy, engaging the warship escort while cutting off Togra's ship and attempting to board it. Unknown to even the other members of the expedition, Togra was armed and prepared for the attack. He killed two JDA agents and placed a small explosive device on the boarding vessel. His ship was damaged in the explosion, but he managed to escape the skirmish, leaving the remaining Tograns behind. When the remaining JDA ships realized what had happened, they disengaged and attempted to follow Togra, but no trace of him was found. The Togran vessels, without their leader but unable to return to Earth for fear of the JDA, decided to continue on to their destination and hope that Togra would somehow find his way there. A few days later the Tograns received a garbled transmissi on from Togra. His ship was damaged beyond repair. His navigation systems were not functioning, and he had barely managed to ditch the ship on an unknown planet. By the time of the Freedom Wars the Tograns were merely a curious anecdote in the Imperium's Neuro-Historical Archives. However, the Tograns had flourished on their new home planet. By genetically engineering offspring, they developed a society of more than one hundred thousand within a few generations. Most of the subsistence work was done by machines, and the need for government was minimal. To avoid pollution, the Togran industrial complex was maintained in massive factory vessels that orbited the planet. Togran society grew increasingly insular and monastic. The majority of the society's resources was dedicated to scientific research, and citizens did little but work, study, and pray. With disease all but conquered, the Foundation members survived for hundreds of years, pursuing the limits of human knowledge with a dedication approaching madness. However, although Togran technology far surpassed that of the Imperium worlds, the Foundation scientists had been unable to reproduce Togra's breakthrough in matt er conversion. For generations the Tograns scoured the galaxy for their lost leader but found no trace of him. Togra eventually rose to a mythical status in Togran society, and his followers stopped searching for him. They believed that their lost prophet would return to deliver them without need of their intervention, but as the centuries rolled by, Togra did not appear. The war between the Imperium and the Freedom Guard raged across the galaxy, destroying everything in its wake. Eventually the war spread to the remote Togran home worlds. Although superior technologically, the Tograns had no experience with warfare and their society was crushed in the onslaught. 3.1.2.7. OBJECTIVE As your planet and all you know is destroyed, you escape in a solitary scout vessel. Adrift in space you encounter a probe sent by Togra himself. The probe brings you a message from Togra and the ability to transport you back in time. Centuries earlier the planet on which Togra had crash landed was consumed by the Imperium's Dessicator weapon. Unable to save himself, Togra sent out the probe with the hope that one of his followers would happen upon it and unlock the key that could save him. The probe can open a dimensional port that will transport you to the moment just before Togra was killed and provide you with the technology to create an army to defeat both of the warring factions, but the mechanism can work only once. If you are unable to accomplish the task, then history will continue unaltered and Togra's fate, as well as your own, will be sealed. The probe contains a number of recorded battles of the Imperium-Freedom Guard war. These battles will be presented to you as a series of trials. If you are un able to conquer them, if you are unable to demonstrate that you are worthy to fight the final conflict to save Togra, the probe will not transport you back in time. Togra will not allow his one chance for survival to be wasted. To save your society. To save your lost messiah. To save yourself. You must open the dimension door and alter the destiny of a galaxy. ------------------ 3.1.3 BIOGRAPHIES ------------------ Jeb Radec Stiv Baator Gil Karoch Gregor Trilkin Gerhad Bantrill Benth Martel 3.1.3.1 Jeb Radec Jebediah Radec was born in 2588 to Marked parents in the Remus cluster. At the age of twelve he was assigned to new colonisation duty after paralyzing a teenage boy in a street fight. The Pioneer Age was over, and planetary exploration was of marginal importance to the Imperium. Colonisation remained a hazardous endeavor and was used primarily as punishment for members of the Marked class who resisted the regime, but whose crimes did not warrant execution. Radec was among the youngest to ever be assigned colonisation duty. At 16, Radec escaped by sabotaging a nuclear waste facility on a colony near the Algo Rim and stowing away in an Imperium cruiser in the confusion that followed. Hundreds were killed in the fallout from the explosion of the waste dump, mostly members of the Marked crew that Radec worked with. Years later, when Radec was questioned about the incident as a Freedom Guard commander, he said, "I won't fight for the freedom of any man who doesn't have the dignity to fight for it himself." The Imperium hunted Radec unsuccessfully for several years. When the Freedom Guard revolution began, Radec was smuggling black market goods on Teron, the heart of the rebellion. He lead a mob of rioters who seized the capitol city of Borrud and captured and executed hundreds of Imperium soldiers. Shortly thereafter, a volunteer army was organised on Teron, and Radec was asked by Gerhad Bantrill to serve as a field commander for the region. Bantrill, the newly appointed Freedom Guard Synod councilor on Teron, was a respected statesman and former Imperium officer who had joined the cause of the revolutionaries. Radec accepted, confiding to Bantrill that his motivation was not justice but vengeance. His success as a military leader was remarkable. In spite of the urgings of his superiors, Radec always fought on the front lines with his men. He rarely lost a conflict, and as his military victories convinced the masses that the Imperium dominion could be challenged, the ranks of the Freedom Guard swelled. Within a year the Synod had placed him in command of the entire standing army. Within three years, he had taken control of the Synod. Throughout his career as a commander, Radec was known for his refusal to take prisoners. Radec's troops fought with barbarous ferocity, and some believed this was because his soldiers were more afraid of him than they were the enemy. Radec once offered to relinquish his command to any man that could best him in a fair fight, and he was taken up on the challenge several times until he threw one of his officers out the window of a forty story Command Center on Perlen. Radec lived well past the age of twenty five. Although members of the Marked did occasionally live past their twenty fifth year, it was extremely rare and generally provided only a few extra months of life. Radec's longevity caused many to believe that the commander was super-human. Others thought that the force of his will simply would not allow him to die until he had seen the Imperium defeated. 3.1.3.2 Stiv Baator Like most Shadowhand operatives, Stiv Baator was genetically engineered from donor DNA to be ideally suited for intelligence work. From birth he was property of the Shadowhand and was trained even as an infant to excel in basic pre-cognitive functions like hand-eye coordination, reflex latency, and pattern recognition. Even among the ranks of the Shadowhand, the galaxy's most efficient and remorseless soldiers, Baator was clearly superior. By the age of 18, he had committed countless assassinations and infiltrations without a failure. Some in the upper ranks of the Shadowhand worried that Baator was too good. They feared that were he ever to defect, there was no one in the ranks of the Imperium he couldn't kill if he chose to. Those that had worked with Baator understood that this was impossible. His loyalty was absolute. He was emotionless, single-minded, barely human. Nonetheless, the Ruling Directorate instructed the Shadowhand to assign Baator to a suicide mission. He was injected with the enzyme keys that caused the Mark and was instructed to penetrate the Freedom Guard Command. Baator was successful, but the introduction of the Mark into his system meant that he would not live past age 25 unless a counter-agent to the Mark was developed. 3.1.3.3 Gil Karoch Gil Karoch, one of the leading geneticists in all of the galaxy, was recruited by the Imperium Ruling Directorate to research new strains of catalytic enzyme keys like the one used to make the Mark. The Directorate secretly planned to develop more subtle keys that would make people more intelligent, but less willful and less concerned with their own well being. They could then introduce these agents into entire populations to make them more productive and easier to control. This would require a much more advanced type of enzyme than that used to produce the Mark. Geneticists had long been able to introduce catalysts that would alter an organism at the genetic level, and therefore carry the modification into the organism's offspring. However, a change like the Mark, which made the carrier die at age 25, was a basic addition to the genetic code. Altering an intangible entity like personality or intellect was a far trickier undertaking. Many scientists believed that thoughts and actions could not be directly mapped to physiological occurrences. Karoch, however, had meticulously recorded long term neural firing patterns within individuals, and demonstrated that for any person a model could be extrapolated from the data that would predict behavior within reasonable statistical parameters. Karoch further discovered that the behavior models of family members were surprisingly similar. Clearly, personality was at least partially inherited. For almost a decade, Karoch attempted, with enormous Imperium funding, to determine the exact genetic underpinnings of human character. As Karoch approached what he was looking for, he learned of the Ruling Directorate's plans for his work. He uncovered several experiments where genetic keys had been developed based on his findings and introduced into Imperium soldiers to make them less concerned for their own safety. Karoch was appalled when he realized the magnitude of what could be done with his research. He secretly sabotaged his work and attempted to leak a cure for the Mark, which was also being developed under his direction, to the Freedom Guard. 3.1.3.4 Gregor Trilkin Gregor Trilkin was the youngest of four sons born to a poor nuclear technician in a small cluster of planets near the galactic rim. Gregor's mother passed away when he was an infant, and by the time Trilkin was in his early teens, all of his brothers had died of radiation related illnesses. At seventeen, Trilkin left his father, who was institutionalized and almost completely senile, and joined the Imperium Galactic Fleet. During his basic training, Trilkin gained favor with his superiors by reporting several soldiers who were distributing contraband material to the cadets. Several days later, Trilkin was savagely beaten by the same soldiers, who were subsequently court-martialed and imprisoned. Trilkin demonstrated an immediate talent for military tactics and was offered a position as an instructor at the military academy on Shenton. He refused, requesting active duty, and was placed in command of a small company of Interceptor class light warships patrolling for smugglers near the Turndorf Nebula. Within a year, almost all smuggling in the region had been eliminated. Imperium law allowed for immediate execution of any individual caught trading illegal goods, but the provision was almost never exercised. Some regions survived on black market trade, and most policing officials simply ignored the practice. Trilkin, however, did not. He captured dozens of smugglers and executed them all. By the time the Freedom Guard revolution began, Trilkin had reached the rank of colonel. While many Imperium officers wished to avoid combat duty, Trilkin immediately requested front line duty. In the early years of the conflict, the Freedom Guard was poorly equipped and unorganized, and Trilkin dealt them crushing defeats whenever he was able to engage their forces squarely. What Trilkin lacked in tactical subtlety, he made up for with unflagging tenacity and merciless brutality. Trilkin was quickly promoted to general and shortly thereafter was the driving force behind The Purge. As the Freedom Guard began to enjoy its first military victories, pressure was high within Imperium ranks to find scapegoats. Trilkin accused several of his fellow commanders of being Freedom Guard sympathizers. Although there was no evidence to support his indictment, the men were discharged, and the phenomenon quickly spread. Eventually hundreds of high ranking Imperium officials and military commanders were accused of treason. Most of the accused were relieved of office, and a number were even executed. At age 32, after less than 15 years in the military, Trilkin was placed in charge of the entire Imperium armed forces. One of Trilkin's first acts in his new position was to commission the creation of a super weapon to put a final end to the Freedom Guard. A little over a year later, Imperium scientists developed the Dessicator. 3.1.3.5 Gerhad Bantrill Gerhad Bantrill was the son of an Imperium senator. At age 18 he joined the Imperium Army, but retired four years later shortly after an incident in the Calderine system when he ordered the slaughter of a group of Marked workers who had escaped from an agricultural labor colony. He then studied political and military history at the great University of Utrecht where he graduated with honors. Bantrill's family pushed him to move into politics, but he took a position as a professor at a university on Teron instead. Bantrill was a great orator, and his reputation grew within the intellectual community. At age 37 he was made president of the Central University Alliance and established the Great Library Cycle. Unknown to most of Bantrill's friends and colleagues, he had become increasingly disenchanted with the Imperium regime and had organised a small group of politicians and intellectuals who were running an underground for escaped members of the Marked class. When the revolution began, Bantrill was still living on Teron, and he established the Freedom Guard resistance there. For this act a bounty was placed on his head by the Imperium Ruling Directorate, of which his father was now a member. Bantrill recruited the young Jeb Radec to lead his forces, and the two became good friends. Eventually Radec and Bantrill came to control the Synod and guide the fate of the entire Freedom Guard cause. While Radec was the military commander and had ultimate authority, Bantrill was the Freedom Guard's great orator and diplomat, and Radec entrusted him with all matters of negotiation and administration. 3.1.3.6 Benth Martel Benth Martel was the son of decorated Imperium General JT Martel. From early youth, Benth was trained in the finest military academies. In his late twenties, Martel published a treatise titled "Modern Ground Tactics." The volume was the first detailed analysis on the effects of hover technology on ground based engagement strategy, and it almost immediately became standard reference material for military officers around the galaxy. Freedom Guard Commander Gerhad Bantrill called Martel "one of the most remarkable military minds of our age." Martel and Bantrill faced each other in the siege of Resnick. Although outnumbered nearly four to one and without supplies, Martel was able to hold the city for over six weeks until reinforcements arrived. Martel was also one of the few Imperium Generals to ever defeat Freedom Guard Commander Radec in combat. Shortly after General Trilkin was placed in charge of the entire war effort, Colonel Martel was recalled from front line duty and was assigned to escort supply convoys. Although most of his colleagues understood that Martel had been reassigned because Trilkin feared his subordinate's reputation and ability, Martel accepted his duty without hesitation, stating "In the battle to preserve order, no role is insignificant." ---------------- 3.1.4 TOGRA'S JOURNAL ----------------- Togran Calendar: 102-37, 2712 Togran Calendar: 110-15, 2712 Togran Calendar: 121-25, 2712 Togran Calendar: 011-07, 2713 Togran Calendar: 012-24, 2713 Togran Calendar: 022-51, 2713 Togran Calendar: 030-14, 2713 Togran Calendar: 042-11, 2713 Togran Calendar: 061-03, 2713 Togran Calendar: 062-19, 2713 Togran Calendar: 062-41, 2713 Togran Calendar: 062-42, 2713 102-37, 2712 I haven't slept for days. When I close my eyes horrible images seize my mind, tearing at the very tissues of my brain. I see my brethren slaughtered in giant waves of fire that sweep across the horizon. I see their broken corpses and smell their seared flesh. I feel our planet shudder under the ominous weight of the invading armies. All I have known is destroyed. Everything is stripped from me but my life. Some base instinct, some mechanical, genetic obligation to survive at any cost carried me to my ship, drew me away from the burning carcass of my home. And now here, adrift in the silent oblivion, I have found my Messiah, and he wants me to save him. 110-15, 2712 This game of war is alien to me. I fumble to command these machines, these tools of destruction. Control escapes me. They slip though my fingers like sand. But I will learn. I will master these weapons. I will bend them to my will. I am consumed with a motivation I have never known. A new force grips me, a diamond sharp spike of fire in the bowels of my soul. I now know the savage power of hatred. 121-25, 2712 I tried to circumvent the encryption key, but the probe's mechanisms are incomprehensible to me. In fact, it doesn't seem to have any mechanisms at all. The core of the probe is made up of some inexplicable form of matter. I hesitate to even call it that. It's opaque but somehow colorless. It seems to resist my gaze, as if it rests always in the blind spot of my eye. It has no texture or temperature. In fact, I am only aware I am touching it by a complete lack of sensation wherever I come into contact with it. It's almost as if the substance is actually denying its own existence. My instruments can detect no electric, chemical or atomic activity in the material. No light, no sound, no emissions, no motion, no energy of any kind. And yet somehow it has taken control of my ship. My power reserves are untapped. Life support continues to function although my entire onboard support system is off-line. The navigation systems no longer respond to my commands, yet the ship moves safely through space on its own. Not th at it matters. It's not as if I have anywhere to go. 011-07, 2713 I wonder who Togra really is. I had always thought of him as a symbol, a mythical ideal. But now it seems there is really a man behind the ideas that have formed so much of my knowledge. Does he really possess the power that history claims he has? 012-24, 2713 I have found a routine here in my new world. I have explored every angle and inch of this ship. I have seen and heard all there is to see and hear. All my needs are silently and automatically tended to. Day and night no longer exist for me. I am never hot or cold, never bored or happy. I have survived so long on nutrient injections, I no longer remember the taste or texture of food. When I feel hunger I think only of the sharp prick of the needle. I rarely sleep. My universe is contained, predictable, homogenous. Except for my mission. Strangely I only feel alive in a neural simulation of battles that are centuries old. I am becoming my purpose. I am becoming Togra's tool. I will be his vengeance. 022-51, 2713 I am finding the answers I need. Both the Imperium and Freedom Guard have flaws that I can exploit. The Imperium's armies are strong and relentless. They seek to overrun their enemy with limitless force. To err against them means certain death. But they are predictable. I have watched them attack so many times I can feel when and where they will strike. While the head of the beast is missing me I am cutting off its tail. The Freedom Guard are more clever. They have to be. Their troops move about the battlefield like apparitions. Their attacks are swift and precise. But they rely too heavily on trickery. When their deceits fail, they are vulnerable. And I am more resourceful an opponent than they have faced. 030-14, 2713 I have changed. All the peace is gone from my soul, and, to be honest, I don't miss it. The strength I once knew, a strength of will and patience, has been replaced by a cheaper but more satisfying strength, a strength of action, a strength of deeds. I am no longer fighting to save Togra, or to save my way of life, or even to save myself. I am fighting simply because I enjoy it. 042-11, 2713 What will become of me if I succeed? Will Togra be able to send me back to my own time and place? Would I even want to go back? Or will all of this change history enough that my home will not even exist when I am through? 061-03, 2713 Supplies are running low. I can survive only a few more weeks, I think. It should be long enough. I will succeed or die at these controls. 062-19, 2713 The end of all this is near. In a way, none of it seems real. It is hard to believe that I am going to travel through this wormhole or dimensional portal or whatever it is that Togra has devised for me. It is unfathomable that I am to lead an army into this great conflict, that my actions may alter the substance of time. Sometimes I fear that I have gone mad, that my body lies drooling and wracked with spasms, strapped to a bed in some institution while my mind conjures this whole lunatic phantasm of war and time travel and lost prophets. On the other hand, what is happening to me seems more real than anything I have ever experienced. 062-41, 2713 Galactic war and dimensional portals are all fine and good, but I could sure go for some pie. 062-42, 2713 I have found my way. I am honed, vicious, prepared. I feel their machines of war flow though me like my very blood. I can focus them to a knife's edge. Their implements are simple, their motivations transparent, their methods mundane. I can control their armies better than they can. I will strangle them with their own hand. I will fulfill my destiny. ....All of the above story section was taken from darkreign archives. ----------------------------------- 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 pions. 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 offence. "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&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, [email protected] 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 week 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 recignised. 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 defence. 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 offence 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 buildin g. 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 computer's 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 week so they are good in defence 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 defence, 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 defence 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 defence 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 defence, 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 defence 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 defence, 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 defence 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 defence, 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 defence. *** 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 defenceless 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 defence, 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 defence, 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 defence" Mark Major, [email protected] 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 defence, 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 defence 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 defence 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 defence 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 *** "Artillery's: 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 defences 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 defence 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 defence 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 t hose 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 defence 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 defence 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 defence 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 you are firing from behind the river, not on it. --------------------------- 4.4 AIRCRAFT --------------------------- -------------------------------- 4.4.1 FREEDOM GUARD AIR UNITS -------------------------------- 4.4.1.1 Sky Bike: 800c Ravor Hurveth's Skirmish Tank design was so lauded that the odd little inventor was next asked to figure out a way to make a "flying Spiderbike". Hurveth's design was clean and elegant. The heavy wheels and springaxles were removed from the bike body, and strong, lightweight berrite wings were added. Common Streamjet engines, standard equipment on many recreational vehicles, were installed in the rear. The first models also carried rail guns, but their firing mechanism caused so much in-flight instability that they had to be replaced with high-velocity Stip missiles. The Sky Bike is a modified spider bike used for airial recon and hit and run attacks. Though it is quite weak and not very powerful, it's speed allows it to do great recon and be able to hit enemies and leave at the first sign of trouble. Building sixteen sky bikes can make a great attack and can stop most defences, but use only once or twice and hit hard the first time since most people will then build crushing air defence that sky bikes can't handle. Just like all airial units, the sky bike must rearm itself when it runs out of missiles at the rearming deck. 4.4.1.2 Outrider: 1400c The outrider isn't as fast as the sky bike but it is a lot more powerful, it is armed with air to ground missiles which leaves it defenceless against other air units. Backed up by flakjacks or sky bikes is usually essencial if you want your outriders to survive. They can take a fair few hits since to their great armour, they arn't bad for attacking but are better for backing up attacks laid in by ground units, plus good for taking out incoming attacks before they arrive at your base. Swarms of outriders can take down any ground unit with ease. Watch out for bions since three or more can take care of the outriders, but against other infantry they can fly over and take them out and fly off to the next target. ------------------------------- 4.4.2 IMPERIUM FORCES AIR UNITS ------------------------------- 4.4.2.1 Recon Drone: 400c Lightly armoured, cheap and very fast. These guys can zoom into your base and zoom out without you even knowing it. They make a good decoy to get enemy units firing at it whilst you attack their structures but are a lot better for recon than just punching bags. Having a lot of these around makes it easy to see incoming attacks and send a few tanks out to meet them half way. At the start of the game they are great for recon, but as the game progesses they are perfect for allowing artilleries to launch their fire projectiles into the enemy base, and for working out the most deserted areas of the enemies base so you can teleport construction rigs and bios into their without the enemies knowledge. 4.4.2.2 Cyclone: 1500c Small military aircraft had been largely unnecessary for the Imperium until the advent of the Freedom Guard insurgency. In 2609, Insignus, the Imperium's principal military engineering firm, offered a new design: a light, fast attack flyer that could break and spin at full running speed and come to a dead stop in mid-air. These "Cyclones" proved the perfect tool for chasing down swift Freedom Guard Spider Bikes as they scurried back to their hilltop hide-outs after raiding expeditions. Cyclones: Cyclones are extremely powerful, in groups of twelve they can take out anything that comes at them. Recently I was attacked by forty-eight cyclones, it was an eight player game, and he just flew from base to base wrecking everything in site, after a while they became a bit uncontrollable since it began slowing down the network, but it was impossible to defend agains that many cyclones and the game ended very quickly. To avoid attacks like that, if you are the imperium build "anti aircraft", build four of them and put them next to eachother, then put four of them in each corner of your base and one in the centre. it is very costly but in the long term it's better safe then sorry, also once that is complete, if you ARE rushed by thirty sky bikes or cyclones then your allies will end up running their last construction rig to your base for shelter. Not many people do this because they don't think they will be attacked by aircraft, Man people build turrets and try to get ready for scouts and tripple rail hover tanks, a good war general won't limit themselves to the ground, but then again they shouldn't rely on airial attacks to always be succesful. Strategy is the key, and once you have set up defence you will be able to concentrate on strategy. If you build eight sky fortresses, then it's a good tactic to bring along four cyclones to defend against sky bikes, then you can keep the sky fortresses in the enemies base protected until they recharge and blow up the next building. 4.4.2.3 Sky Fortress: 2500c The Imperium High Command was determined to use every weapon at their disposal to ensure that their campaign to take Gunawan was successful. To this end, they unleashed their newest air terror, the "Sky Fortress". These massive ring-shaped behemoths float over the landscape as placidly as old-style dirigibles, but this image of tranquility is shattered when they let loose a discharge from their massive plasma compression weapons. Despite its tremendous firepower, the Sky Fortress is ponderously slow and makes an easy target for ground based Freedom Guard Flak Jacks who scan the skies searching for signs of these hulking monsters looming over the horizon. Sky Fortresses are very expensive and take a while to build, once built they only get one shot before having to recharge. Once again recharging takes time, this is great for sending in as a war starter, you can send it in and take someone's defence and then move in the tanks, on the other hand they are great for after a war, once most things are gone you can move one in to finish the base off. They are slow moving but they hold the most powerful plasma blast known to man. It's best to destroy all the skybikes or cyclones the enemy might have with cyclones before moving the sky fortress in. In packs of eight skyfortresses are awesome, no if they all fire at the same time they'll total any building you choose, have cyclones wait around them until they recharge and then open fire on another building. Not even a headquarters (3) can withstand eight blasts. ------------------- 5. SECTION THREE ------------------- --------------------- 5.1 STRUCTURES --------------------- --------------------- 5.1.1 FREEDOM GUARD TOWERS --------------------- 5.1.1.1 Air Defence Site: 1000c These structures fire rapid pulse lasers at incoming aircraft. They will take down any air units that hang around too long in their range. *** More information to come *** 5.1.1.2 Laser Turret: 500c This is the standard defence structure. It can fire at ground and air units, can build instantly once you have a headquarters. It hasn't got the best of range but can take down enemy infantry once they are in range, but can fall quickly to more advanced units such as tachion tanks. Great for basic defence when you first start, and once you get into the game back them up with one or two heavy rail platforms. A lot of people forget to build air defence or don't bother, and usually go down later on in the game, but these laser turrets aren't too harmfull but still scare off the first jet or two before they realise that the jets aren't really getting dammaged. 5.1.1.3 Triple Rail Platform: 1700c These are expensive compared to standard laser turrets and take a long time to build, but once set up are equiped with two gattling rail guns that can finish most vehicles that cross their path. They have good range and often force the enemy to retreat several times until they figure out a statergy that works to destroy them. They have no ariel deffense but in combiniation with an air defence site can make strong holds for your base. Triple Rail Platforms can be annoying if someone sneaks one outside your base or near a water spring you are currently harvesting from. Tachion tanks are great against them, so are air units. ---------------------------- 5.1.2 IMPERIUM FORCES TOWERS ---------------------------- 5.1.2.1 Air Defence Site: 1000c Most people don't try to attack these structures from air, they just avoid them completely, they fire quickly and don't miss, which always scares off aircraft in the vacinity. They are great for their price and if you have a few of these in the middle of nowhere they can wear down enemy aircraft as they fly in to your base for an attack, which then makes then an easy kill when they finally arrive at your base. 5.1.2.2 Plasma Turret: 500c Great for ground support when just starting up your base, and have the ability to shoot down enemy air units if they stay in range for long enough. Not really effective against air units but can scare them off long enough for you to build some propper air defence. Against anything more than a plasma tank they can go down, and bions can keep out of range and fire at them. Still good to keep the enemies ocupied whilst you build some mobile defence and against weaker infantry they are great weapons of destruction. 5.1.2.3 Neutron Accelerator: 1700c Not only is their range strong, but they can take down almost any infantry with one shot. They are very strong against rushes and can keep the enemies away until they decide on a stratergy that may take down the neutron accelerator, which usually fails the first time. They have no air defence which leaves them open to air attacks if no bions or air defence sites are up. In pairs of two they make almost impossible structures to destroy, but artillieries in groups of twelve can take them out in time. ------------------------------------- 5.1.3 FREEDOM GUARD PRODUCTION FACILITIES ------------------------------------- 5.1.3.1 HeadQuarters: 750c This structure allows building of construction rigs and other buildings. This structure is a necessity, and can be upgraded twice. Because of the price, and how they can build rigs, they are great as a weapon of attack. If you send a rig into the enemies terretory you can begin construction of a headquarters, from there you can pump out rigs and build turrets and training facilities. 5.1.3.2 Training Facility: Training Facilities allow production of infantry. It can be upgraded once to an Advanced Training Facility. The units it can build alone before other structures are built are, Raider, Mercenary, Martyr and the Sniper. 5.1.3.3 Assembly Plant: 2200c This structure allows production of vehicles and eventually air units. By itself it can build spider bikes, freighters, tank hunters and skirmish tanks. Assembly plants can be upgraded once to an Advanced Assembly Plant. 5.1.3.4 Water Launchpad: 2500c Water Launchpads are used to harvest water to gain credits. This is you income. They come with frieghters and do not effect unit construction, just allow you to harvest water. 5.1.3.5 Taelon Power Generator: 2000c Taelon is a source of energy, taelon power generators give you a certain ammount of energy, they also come with a freighter that can be used with either taelon or water. If you harvest taelon (taelon look like green patches on the groun) then you can get more energy and boost up your energy supply. 5.1.3.6 Field Hospital: 500c Once built you can heal injured men with this structure, it also allows you to build medics. These are very helpful and fast, and can bring almost dead men back to life again. 5.1.3.7 Phase Facility: 1200c A Phase Facility allows you to phase underground using the phase transport. You can upgrade it once to an Advanced Phase Transport, which allows certain units such as Mercs and Raiders to to phase (turn invisible) whilst they are still. But they cannot fire nor move whilst phased. 5.1.3.8 Camera Tower: 200c Camera Towers are tall towers with a camera allowing you to see long distances ahead, that is the only feature they have use for. 5.1.3.9 Repair Station: 800c Repair Stations allow you to repair your damaged vehicles and also allows you to build medics which are just like mobile repair stations in their motive but are a lot slower at repairing. Repair Stations should be an essential in multiplayer games. 5.1.3.10 Rearming Deck: 1000c This Structure allows construction of air units... Assembly plant required. ----------------------------------------------- 5.1.4 IMPERIUM FORCES STRUCTURES ----------------------------------------------- 5.1.4.1 HeadQuarters: 750 Headquarters allow production of construction rigs, and give you access to building all other buildings. They are necessary for construction of a base. They can be upgraded three times. 5.1.4.2 Training Facility: 1500c A Training Facility will allow production of infantry, it can be upgraded once to an Advanced Training Facility once the headquarters has been upgraded to a HeadqQarters (2). The standard units that can be built after completion of this structure are the Guardian and the Bion. 5.1.4.3 Assembly Plant: 2200c This structure allows construction of vehicles, once built they can build scouts, plasma turrets and freighters. It can be upgraded once to an Advanced Assembly Plant. 5.1.4.4 Water LaunchPad: 2500c This structure allows you to harvest water to gain credits. The Water LaunchPad also includes a freighter which does the actual harvest. It can harvest both water and taelon. 5.1.4.5 Taelon Power Generator: 2000c This structure boosts your energy up a notch, it also comes with a freighter which can be used to harvest either water or taelon. 5.1.4.6 Repair Station: 800c Repair stations repair your damaged vehicles, they also allow construction of mechanics which can also repair vehicles and are mobile, but are a lot slower at fixing them. 5.1.4.7 Field Hospital: 500c Field Hospitals heal your wounded infantry and allow production of field medics which can heal wounded infantry, much similar to the mechanic. 5.1.4.8 Temporal Gate: 1800c This structure allows you to teleport three units to a destination that has been researched on the map (non black areas). It takes time to charge but then instantly teleports them there. 5.1.4.9 Temporal Rift Generator Once built, this structure can create a large temporal rift in the area you choose, though it's radius of destruction isn't that large in diameter it will wreck ANYTHING that stands in it's centre. You can use once and then wait for it to recharge before using it again. This is great if your friend is the freedom guard. They can Shockwave from two different directions into the centre of the enemies base, you can then rift their headquarters, no structure will be left and then send in some tachion tanks to wipe out any construction rigs that are still alive. "Once you have enough units and defences to protect your base. Build a rift generator and kick arse. " Tim Gunn, [email protected] 5.1.4.10 Camera Tower: 200c This is a tower with a camera on it that can see a great distance. ------------------------ 6. SECTION FOUR ------------------------ -------------------------------- 6.1. MULTIPLAYER TACTICS -------------------------------- 6.1.1 Offence: Large LAN games: If you are in a game with more than 3 people in the game, if another team is attacked, use this to your advantage. While they are building heaps of men and sending them all into battle, work out which one of the two is the bigger threat. Is it the one attacking, if so if I took him out would the other guy be a bigger threat? Or should I attack the other guy whilst he's down and finish him whilst he's trying to defend from the other attack? In most cases it's best to hit the attacker, he'll usually have all his units up in the enemy base and he'll be looking at the enemies base controlling all his units and not really looking at his base. From there you can send down a large attack force and work out the best strategy to take him out. One would be to cripple his cash by taking out all his structures, he won't notice this is happening since there will be no "enemy engaged" notification since he is already engaged in a battle. Or you can take out all his construction rigs and then use about twent y mercs on his headquarters. If he does have men in his base still then try to use martyrs to fix them since they are quick and will take out a radius of men, instead of firing one by one at each unit. If you take out all his rigs and his headquarters in most cases it will neglect him from building any more structures, temporarily anyway. The basic way to win a war is to work out the main threats and eliminate them. Break them down into steps, such as * Blue team is a threat - Buildings allow production, stop them and he has only what he has right now to stop me - Construction rigs and headquarters allow production of other buildings, take these out. - Assembly Plant allows production of vehicles. Take this out and it will stop tank production. - Training facility allows production of infantry, take this out and no martyrs or raiders to stop me. - Temporal Rift Generator could screw me up if the enemy has one charged, he could come back and win by using it. With that worked out you can easily hit each production facility and any other threatening structures right away and cripple his defence. After that they will only be able to attack with what they've got but those units will probably die trying to attack the enemy and won't even get a chance to attack you. Map dominance: One great tactic is to gain ground at the start of the game. Deploy your basic base (training facility, headquarters, taelon power generator and water launchpad) then send three construction rigs in different directions. Once you have found water holes build a headquarters and then from there build three more construction rigs. These rigs will then build a water launchpad, a training facility and a laser turret. Or you can just use that one scouting rig to build a water launchpad, but if that base is found then it will be a lot harder to defend. During the time of building go about your normal game building offense and defence for your main base. Build a few turrets in that area so your bases won't crumble at the first sign of enemies. If during this time you built a lot of harvesters and taelon generators, then you should be swarming in cash. Most people think this is your only base and don't know about your REAL base until later on in the game. Plus the bonus of having multiple bases is that not only does everything build faster but if you're under attacked you can still build and live a normal base life without any worries of your whole base going down. Since if the worst comes to the worst that's just one base less. Whilst people are working on one base you can go about harvesting and building up attacks and hit them whilst they are focusing on your decoy base. And if your defence is good enough then you won't have to worry about much. In every RTS game I've played one of the best strategies was to take out their rescources, in other words stop their income. I remember in Warcraft 2 having a few knights outside a gold mine slaying peasents and pions as they came in and out of the hold mine, or having a few catapults on the other side of the river slaying the pions as they ran out with their gold. And of course in C&C, choppers, sending 5 of them onto one harvester was enough to fuck their income for good. and the same goes for stealth tanks, 4 of them waiting in the tiberium patch could unstealth take it out and restealth before the enemy could check what happened. Therefore, in Darkreign one great strategy I found was making 2 martyrs and some other infantry or tanks. Something small is preferable so you can hide them in the bushes. send your men to the enemies water hole, put the infantry in the bushes guarding the water along the path the harvester takes, then put two martyrs near the water hole, the harvester will come along and be opene d up on by the infantry, then the martyrs will completely take it out, two is enough, but the infantry are their just to make shore it dies. The imperium forces are great for sneak attacks I found. Using a fast tank, or recon drone, send it in and look around for an empty area that the enemy has chosen to neglect, such as in the bushes, make shore no infantry are around. and make shore it's flat and open enough to build on. load up 2 construction rigs and a shredder into the teleport (shredder is an option, just incase you failed to notice a few martyrs about) then teleport them to the empty location. Once in lay down a "main building" and a gun turret. Once they are built build more construction rigs and build a "barracks" and pump out some infantry, then build the big turrets and a "site post". If you manage to get every single one of those buildings up then you have basically won the game, it is quite easy to build all of them you just have to find the most empty spot in there, even if you just find a small area in the bushes you can build a "big turret" and a site post, and manage to set camp there for a while. But from then on you can teleport a Shockwave and others to that location, you will finish them in notime. If they have lots of cash, they could perhaps build spider bikes and martyrs and try to come back. But the best strategy for preventing this form of attack is to have martyrs littered allover your base, then when they teleport you can take all three in one big boom! Shockwave diversion: Send three construction rigs into the enemy base on the opposite side of where you want to hit. Begin building structures such as turrets and so on. The enemy will see this and try to stop you from building, they will concentrate on destroying those three work in progress structures since it is important that they don't get up, at least to him it will be. Whilst he is attacking those structures, move your slow Shockwave as close into his base as you can, he will most likely be looking at the structures being built and not look at the Shockwave in his base. Carefully aim so you can do the most devastating Shockwave as you can and then waste his base. Then send some tanks in to finish what evers left. If you have the time to line up the Shockwave and if you can get close enough, you can take their whole base sometimes leaving only their headquarters on yellow energy ready to be waster by triple rail hover tanks. 6.1.2 Defence: Nail in the coffin: After 10-20 minutes into the game, work out where the enemy sends their big attacks, ie.if they send 20 men on a certain path. In most cases it'll be near some trees out of site, probably to the side of your base. Place 3 martyrs along that path, near corners so when the martyrs see the enemy they will all be in a bunch going around the corners. That way if the first martyr doesn't get them the second will. The third is a backup, incase they have some heavy shit coming, just to be prepared. That way by the time the tripple rail hover tanks get to your base they should only take one or two shots, and if you've worked out their main attack paths you'll probably have some turrets ready anyhow. Stopping those damn artillery attacks: If you are under attack by several artilleries, try building 4 martyrs (they are fit for everything!) and sorround the artilleries and charge in. They should fix all your problems. Corking the plug hole: Also if you have worked out their main attack paths, put some scouts around those paths, that way you'll know when they are attacking and you'll also know what's in stall for you. Then if they have some martyrs you can move your infantry away and bring on the injured to take the hit, or if it's an artillery, sneak some tank killers around behind them and hit them before they hit you. If you open fire from a long way away, it's most likely they have some scouts in your base, select a few men and float the cursor over some of the trees, if it turns red click and toast the scouts. Cautiousness: 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 noone could break through that defence, then a martyr comes up and takes out 70% of your men. Better one to do then twenty-two. A 2nd chance: What to do if you are in a six player and up game and you lose your last man: If you have allies tell them to give you a construction rig through the comm area. If you have no allies, try offering 5000c for a rig, most people will take it for 2000c. Then you can start your base back up if you have the cash. "Make sure you have some boys scouting out past your base so scarabs don't cause havoc. And have shredders scouting your base to kill any unwanted morphed trees." Tim Gunn, [email protected] --------------------- 7. SECTION FIVE --------------------- -------------------------------- 7.1 WHAT GOOD ARE MARTYRS FOR? -------------------------------- "Well if Martyrs weren't already in Darkreign I was going to put them in, except I would have made their explosion much more greater, I've always imagined technicians from C&C with a nuke strapped to their chest running into the enemy base saying "okay" in their high tone voice. But hey Activision beat me to it." Martyrs are hopeless against structures, and against more heavily armoured units such as tachion tanks they aren't too much of a threat, tachion tanks take about four martyrs to take out which is 2400c which isn't really worth it. But Martyrs are great against incoming infantry. Who knew that a suicidal 25 year old can make great defence? Though some of these tactics have already been discussed throughout this manual, they are repeated again here with some new tactics. Put a few martyrs behind trees inside your base, they make great hard hitting defenders. Their once large attack group shrinks down to three half dead men when they approach your base and a martyr or two jump out of nowhere and cain their asses. If in a multiplayer game, you notice the enemy stacks their men up outside their base, sneak a few martyrs close in, and one by one send one in to take their whole group of men waiting outside of their training facility. After a while they will stop leaving them out, but be patient, soon they'll forget and go back to their old habits. People always build heaps of men then get preoccupied with other things and leave them all in idle standing outside of their training facility and assembly plants. If your base is under heavy attack from lots of infantry and plasma tanks, build some martyrs and rush them into to bring down the main attack, hit the harder areas to stop them and then begin construction of some spider bikes and triple rail hover tanks. At the very start of the game send a few in one at a time, it will really slow down the production of the enemies men, since you'll blow up anything they build. I did this once, then the enemy built neutron accelerators to stop me from attacking then artilleried my base to death, followed by a rift. It's a good strategy but in eight player games, people can get kinda pissed. Always have Martyrs handy, if you see a Shockwave incoming then you can fix it quick! They are quite fast and don't have to poise and fire then reload, instead they hit once but hard, and one or two is enough to stop any shockwaves from bothering you. Spread your base out, then shockwaves and rifts won't be able to take you in one swoop. Plus scouts will be able monitor less than they could in a cramped base. Martyrs are great for breaking the defence barrier that the enemy might be holding. If it's mainly just infantry and tanks, send a few martyrs (preferably eight) down to clear the road for when your triple rail's arrive. And have artilleries back u up. Martyrs are best used against groups but are still good against single units, such as if you know u gotta take that scout out before the artillery get's to aim and so on. --------------------------------------------------------------- 7.2 TEN SIGNS YOU'RE ADDICTED TO DARKREIGN --------------------------------------------------------------- 1: You're not aloud to go out of the house because you're grounded, so you decide to "phase transport" into the ground, 5 minutes later you surface in your best friends bedroom. 2: You sell your house and move to Texas, so you can get a better connection to activnet. 3: You see a girl from school you like, and are following here around school. When she turns to look at you, you yell "copy" and morph into a tree. 4: You are secretly hiding Togra under your bed so the imperium forces don't find him. 5: You hang up the phone for the first time in two months. You quickly ring the hospital and order a drip, you then get back to darkreign, and now receive all your food and drink through a little tub going through your mouth. 6: You become an employee at Westwood studios, so you can sabotage C&C2, and make shore darkreign 2 comes out as the best real time strategy game ever made. 7: Your best friend lives in New Zealand, you've never met but you have more conversation with him that you do with anyone else in the world, You don't know much about him except that when in a panic, he phases his last 3 fastest men into the middle of nowhere hoping no one will find him. 8: You have a fight with your girlfriend, claiming she is a spy from the the freedom guard, sent to find out everything you know. You hit her over the head with your keyboard. 9: You name your grunts individually, and then have real life conversation with them...Do you like me John? Affirmative 10: You need some money so you get your freighter to harvest the water in your sink. ---------------------------------- 7.3 THE ANCIENT ART OF STEALTH ---------------------------------- Hiding behind trees: Moving men behind trees in forests can hide you from the enemy, just click the unit then click under teh gree, or where the leaves are, then they will move under the tree, you can hide most units there undetected and wait for a chance to strike. Scout: The most obvious is to use a scout and morph into a plant or tree. to be undetected, move the scout in short bursts, stopping every couple of seconds, and if in the enemy base to move the scout unnoticed, make shore you are always out of site of the enemy and slowly in very small bursts move the unit closer, if you have any other units around send them in, the enemy will all go and attack that unit, whilst that is happening move your scout to where u want her to go, they won't notice her whilst in battle. Phased Raiders: Move in packs of 5 and no more, always have the phase button ready in case enemy units are around, so you can vanish at the sign of trouble. Hovering SCARAB: If the enemy base is near water, move your scarab over to the water and open fire on the enemy base, by the time they realise they are under attack, they will think you are firing from the other side of the lake and sen units around to kill the SCARAB. Just stop firing temporarily and they will think you have driven off. Then open fire again once those units have returned or have been taken care of. remote bases: Build any remote water launchpads up high on top of a mountain, then the enemy will walk on right by and not even see you, plus u will get a better site. Plus hover tanks such as tachions won't be able to get up there to attack you. But most of the time you won't even be seen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.4 TO CUE UNITS UP TO BUILD OR TO BUILD THEM ALL AT ONCE, WHICH IS THE BEST TACTIC? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Firstly let me explain what I'm talking about. When you start a game you can click on any unit up to ten times and then once one of them is built the next one in cue gets built. This is a great way, but if you've got something slow like a Shockwave being built it kinda hogs the cue and nothing else gets built. Then you get attacked and instead of having eighty tanks and jets ready to scare the attackers off, you have a Shockwave and a few men. But the more training facilities and assembly plants you have, the quicker things are to build. You can have a whole field of assembly plants near the end of the game with one purpose, to be able to build shockwaves at a fast pace, if you have the cash then you can build 6 shockwaves no sweat. But there is another way to build units instead of cuing, which is a bit slower if a lot of things are building, but means you can produce spider bikes and whatever else you want whilst that dang Shockwave takes it's time. By selecting a certain structure, click then on the unit you wish to produce, it will then build from that structure and not on a universal scale (meaning it won't be set so it uses every training facility to build it) then select another building and build from that, then you'll have several units building at once instead of cuing up. Which is better though? Cuing is still cool but so is dual building. It all depends on what you want to do, It's better to spread out your men, and of course if you want one unit built at a specific building (Shockwave built next to the enemy base from your hidden assembly plant) but if you want speed and don't care where they come from (they'll be produced at the primary building, double click on any of the buildings to make them the primary building) then use cuing since it will be faster and a lot easier since you don't have to find the building select it and then begin production. It all depends on the situation and what you want to achieve. --------------------------- 8. SECTION SIX --------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- 8.1 IS THERE ANY CHEATS OR EASTER EGGS FOR DARKREIGN? ---------------------------------------------------------- There are cheats for darkreign that were left in after the game was released. In future versions of this FAQ I will print them. There are a few Easter eggs, Greg Borrud (director of darkreign at Activision) told me that they are leaking the BIG Easter egg in about a month from it's release. These also will be mentioned in future revisions of this FAQ. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.2 IS THERE A SHAREWARE VERSION OF DARKREIGN? WHERE CAN I GET IT FROM? -------------------------------------------------------------------- The shareware version of DarkReign is released in mid/late October There will be a couple of levels, not much has been specified as of yet on wether or not it will support mutliplayer games. --------------------------------------------------- 8.3 I DOWNLOADED A MAP OFF THE NET, HOW DO I PLAY IT? --------------------------------------------------- Assuming the map is already in a directory, let's say the map is called sanddune. In the darkreign directory there is subdirectories (directories within directories). in dark/scenario/ is the directory where all maps are stored. If it is a multiplayer map then you put it in the multi directory, if it's single player map then you put it in the campaign directory. ------------------------------------ 8.4 HOW DO I INSTALL NEW UNITS? ------------------------------------ *** Coming Soon *** --------------------------------------------------- 8.5 HOW WILL DARKREIGN RUN ON A 486? --------------------------------------------------- I have played dr on a 486dx4-100 20mbram 2mb vesa video card, and though it does not run at the speed it does on a Pentium, it runs at a playable speed. Like if you play quake on a 486 it is a bit slower than on a Pentium but it's still smooth and playable. I have not tried mutliplayer yet so I am not certain wether a 486 would run smoothly in mutliplayer, I say it would but darkreign runs on the slowest computer being played, so if you have three p266's and a 486 all hooked up, the game will run at the 486's speed. --------------------------------------- 8.6 DARKREIGN 2: FEATURES AND INFORMATION --------------------------------------- In future revisions of this FAQ I will try to get as much information from the sources I know of about darkreign 2. Such as units, features and the story line. This section won't be updated for a while just yet since though darkreign 2 is to be made, it's not going to begin development for at least 4-7 months. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.7 WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD MAPS, UNITS AND OTHER CUSTOM FILES FROM FOR DARKREIGN? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Under the www sites section is some sites where you can visit for the latest darkreign news, maps and other things to do with darkreign. I will try to keep up to date with the sites and give a basic rundown on what's on the site. -------------------------------------------------- 8.8 ARE THERE ANY PATCHES OR BUG FIXES FOR DARKREIGN? -------------------------------------------------- A bug fix is being made right now, it will fix up some problems with the AI and a few other problems not found before the code release was shipped. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8.9 IS THERE AND THIRD PARTY UTILITIES I CAN DOWNLOAD TO MODIFY DARKREIGN ? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Darkreign came with almost every utility needed to make the AI, maps, units and so forth, but there are a few utilities in progress. One program is Pack Explorer (no relation to pak explorer) It is a work in progress utility that makes dealing with the FTG files a lot easier. It's still in it's beta stage, but will be released soon enough. Next revision will most likely include it. ----------------------------- 9. SECTION SEVEN ----------------------------- -------------------------------- 9.1 HOW TO MAKE A GOOD LEVEL -------------------------------- Firstly plan out what kind of level it is going to be, unlike quake levels you don't need too much planning, but a basic idea of the setting does help. What kind of tile set will it use? Snow, forests? Also plan how big the map is going to be and how many players will it be designed for. Once you have the basic idea, begin making the level, try to give it hills and areas that are good hiding areas such as in forests and on top of hills. In the areas where people are to make their base, try to have flat terrain, otherwise they'll only be able to fit three or four buildings there if the ground is not flat. Think of good tactics to out smart whoever would be there. Such as sneaking around behind them, most people will build all the way up to the wall, but if you make it so there is a mountain area behind the base, so then people can sneak up from behind and come down where they have no defence. Perhaps have a really high flat area, so if someone cam in undetected, then they could build a turret up there or perhaps a training facility. Don't try to make it so each base is a death trap, but try to have ways to take the base if you see the opening. Not everyone will, but someone with a lot of experience and skill will observe the terrain and work out the best way to use it to his or her advantage. Making it so it is all blocked out except for one entrance kind of ruins it since you can just cork 10 men in through that doorway and have artillery's back you up. So if someone attacks you'll fix them straight, and for them to take you they'll have to use brute force. So always set each base up so the more experienced pl ayers will see perfect ways to hit hard with a few minor units. Add extra water springs in, so if someone then builds a remote base down the map a bit they'll be able to harvest, and if they harvest up all the water in the spring whilst they wait for it to refill they can go to a different water hole. Have lots of trees around the level and at least a few in the base, otherwise scouts and snipers will stick out if they try to pose as a tree inside someone's base. Also don't spend three hours designing excellent landscape designs on half of the map so that you can easily charge into their that base and have about 6 options of taking the base because of a certain way you designed the terrain. Try to add equal areas in both bases, so that they both have enough space to build and they both have trees in there base and so on. Try not to keep the map on the same level of altitude, keep some areas up high and others very low, but try always to keep it flat so you can build on it. Once the map is finished, go through with the paint brush and add random textures on to give it a bit of realism. So it's not all perfect, like a bit of dirt/desert on the grass area as if the grass is worn away and the dirt or desert sand is showing. Try to add a few extra objects, such as rocks into the map, and give it a random look. Don't make the grass a giant square block, try to make it jiggered and uneven. In most areas, and grow inward in others. Try to find similar textures to the ones you are using and paint a few on, such as with mud, add a lighter mud to give it a bit more realism. When placing the units down, try to give flat areas near both taelon and water. Then the player won't go walking in the wrong direction looking for the water hole to build their base next to. These are just some helpful directions in making a level look good and play comfortably. It can get a lot more complex if you want it to be, but most of it is straight forward. Remember if it's a multiplayer map, save it as a multiplayer map, people forget and save it as a single player mission half the time, then they have to reopen it and save it again, this will save you the hassle. ---------------------------------- 9.2 DARKREIGN WWW SITES ---------------------------------- Darkreign Chronicles: http://darkreign.stomped.com For news this is probably the closest thing the darkreign community has to bluesnews (www.bluesnews.com). It has the latest news on everything from the latest trouble shooting guide to the new patches about to be released for dr by activision to new utilities being released. Darkreign Chronicles contains all the logs from all the darkreign meetings held on efnet and is well worth the look. Files logs, graphics, reviews, interviews, editing tips, links, contests it has it all. Tactics HUB: http://www.dcc.net.au/hub/ Using a very familiar design to help make navigating the site easily. The Tactics HUB is the home of DR plus! And is a very comprehensive site dedicated to tactics resources for editing darkreign. If you want to make a total conversion, new unit or get a map, or anything, go there. It will soon contain hundreds of maps and new art and tile sets amongst other custom addons. Dark Reign Heaven: www.heavenweb.com/dark/index.htm A great site for dr news, new units and forums. It was the first darkreign site to be created and still is one of the most informative. NOTE: If you have a site or know of an awesome site you want added to the www sites section, send an e-mail to "[email protected]" (without the quotes). I'm going to only put up the most awesome sites on the web, so please don't get pissed if I don't put the site up. ---------------------------------------------------------- 9.3 WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NEXT VERSION: ---------------------------------------------------------- * Review of each multiplayer map and which side is better for playing on that map and will take advantage of the terrain. * How to customise the game, make new units and install them. * Plenty of new strategies * Easter Eggs and Cheats (I may not include the cheats in this FAQ since it might ruin the game for a lot of people, so I will consider it, but it's not definant) * More www sites. * New files, addons and utilities, reviews of them * More detailed information on 80% of this faq * A damage table on what units can kill what and are better used for what kind of attacks. * Plenty more to come. Please help contribute to this faq, send quotes and thoughts on units and whatever else you would like, and perhaps ideas to include in here, such as new sections on air tactics or something like that. * This site was quite messy and the strategies weren't really put into any section. I will probably release the next version quite soon and it will be more organised, I will also try to get some quotes from the developers on their thoughts and their favourite strategies. ------------------------------ 9.4 THANKS GO OUT TO: ------------------------------ Zencode: I don't know why, lately all you've been doing is kicking me outa #darkreign on efnet and saying I'm a bad artist. Heh, but you're still c00l. My c0de p1mp forever. Leviticus: Lev owns the darkreign chronicles (http://darkreign.stomped.com), lev's cool and helped me a lot throughout this year. All the guys and gals at Auran and activision for making an awesome game, keep it up, wise man say "Allied we stand, divided we get fragged". Thanks to PHDman for the late breaking news, he's the reason I spent all night the past two nights 'til 8am in the morning trying to get this out a week early. Thanks Tim for your three stratergies :) I'm still pissed of you hitting my base that time when I had to fight off b2 and John at the same time whilst you hit my other base, so I'll just leave you with one thought.. 3dsmax is better than LW :) NOTE: More to come, so far I've been doing this basically independently, so I guess praise go out to me until people start sending in information like damage tables and their thoughts on dr units, awesome dr strategies, money and other cool stuff that's worthy of getting thanked about :)
