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Which should I play as for the Generals Challenge? [Pick 3] This poll is closed. |
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| Laser |
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60 | 14.74% |
| Air Power |
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34 | 8.35% |
| Super Weapons |
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49 | 12.04% |
| Tanks |
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26 | 6.39% |
| Infantry |
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39 | 9.58% |
| Nuclear Power |
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68 | 16.71% |
| Toxin |
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48 | 11.79% |
| Stealth |
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42 | 10.32% |
| Explosives |
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41 | 10.07% |
| Total: | 189 votes | ||
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This is a pretty darn solid mission and you get the pretty unique USA/GLA combo to play with as well, which is pretty potent, thanks to the GLA buildings getting a production speed boost from having power. The map is actually fairly large, at least for Generals anyway, and Thrax's base is well spread out with many ways to attack it. As seen, Thrax is using some... very unique units, which is refreshing to face after so many missions vs normal GLA units. Course can't say more on them right now though. Thrax puts up a very solid fight and no endless parade of units here luckily. Ambulances are also super helpful with all the toxin's being thrown at your base, and they can instantly end the very nasty Anthrax Bomb effect if one is dropped in your base. The gimmick with capturing the 4 missiles is a nice change from the classic just destroy everything formula although generally you will wipe out most/all of Thrax's base before capturing them. As for the new units and powers, they, outside of the ultra specific bunker buster, are quite solid. The Avenger provides a fantastic although very expensive flexible anit-air and support unit but make sure to guard them incredibly well, they are fragile and slow and not something you can afford to pointlessly lose. The Firebase is incredible although it isn't the most sturdy defense out there. Powerful though and properly manned can deal some very solid damage, and operate even if your base loses power, which is always a massive plus. Still, now once again the GLA are surely defeated and we will hear no more from them. Yup, definitely defeated for good this time... *checks the order of campaigns* Oh...  Seriously though, the GLA campaign is what I feel is the true start of the... insanity that is Zero Hour and that is saying something considering the USA campaign. The ride truely begins here. 
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Oct 12, 2021 08:35
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| # ? Jun 9, 2024 18:09 |
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FoolyCharged posted:Which points out something I don't really like about the campaign. I feel like there's some big feature of zero hour that was darn near absent during the us campaign. Is it crumbling dams?
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Oct 12, 2021 13:27
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evilmiera posted:Is it crumbling dams? Im willing to give them credit for that from the avalanche in usx4, but they're on thin ice.
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Oct 12, 2021 13:41
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GLA X1: The Great Escape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJA1iY41CRg GLA X1: The Great Escape  The Americans have reduced us to mere shadows of our former glory! No matter, we still have enough men loyal to the cause, we have but to regroup and build up our strength once again... they will regret not finishing the job!  An unknown city in the Middle East, presumably  Location: Undisclosed Location Objective: Escort the GLA Leader to the Airfield. Author's note: A strange escort mission that includes a base-building section and rather strong defenses for the start of a campaign.   Name: Omar bin Ghazali Aliases: None Affiliation: GLA Occupation: Reporter for ARC Voiced/Played by: Michael Saad A reporter for ARC, Omar is a devoted news anchor and supporter of the GLA.   Combat Cycle RANGE: Short-Medium ARMOR: Truck WEAPON: Variable COST: 500 Manned by infantry personnel, the Combat Cycle is a low-cost, highly mobile fighting unit. Excellent for reconnaissance operations, the Combat Cycle acquires the abilities of any GLA infantry unit that drives it. Author's Note: Probably the most interesting unit since the IFV, it allows the user to mix and match combat cycle with infantry, given them much greater speed.  N/A Aftermath: With the GLA General having escaped, the command structure can once more rebuild. Jobbo_Fett fucked around with this message at 17:10 on Oct 20, 2021 |
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Oct 17, 2021 14:51
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I completely forgot about it before getting back to the GLA campaign, but the way to get units on the bike is to not "Evacuate" it, and just order a unit on foot onto the bike. Whoops! Additionally, here are the available combinations according to the wiki (I don't really use combat cycles...) quote:Dual light machine guns (Rebel)
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Oct 17, 2021 14:53
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Yeah evacuate disposes of the bike, leaving just whichever unit was riding it. I love the bikes so much even if they're not always practical.
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Oct 17, 2021 15:04
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Jobbo_Fett posted:
The road sign in the intro disagrees here and places this mission along the A27 highway in the Netherlands, at off-ramp 20, 18km north of Broda [sic]:  The A27 is a real highway between the Dutch cities Utrecht and Breda. I commute over it daily! "Geen Ruidenberg" is technically correct but slightly bewildering since it means "not Ruidenberg", which is accurate because Ruidenberg is in Belgium so one would indeed not find it along a road in the Netherlands, though one wonders why the signmaker felt the need to inform us of that. I have no idea what Raanisden Sveer means. e: made the screenshot less huge. Asehujiko fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Oct 17, 2021 |
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Oct 17, 2021 15:08
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Asehujiko posted:The road sign in the intro disagrees here and places this mission along the A27 highway in the Netherlands, 18km north of Broda [sic]: Broda is not a town in the Netherlands, you may be thinking of Breda. I've been, this isn't the climate for such a city. It is also likely referencing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geertruidenberg Jobbo_Fett fucked around with this message at 15:15 on Oct 17, 2021 |
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Oct 17, 2021 15:11
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I'm the Really Explosive brand of gasoline
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Oct 17, 2021 15:14
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It's just one of Tucker Carlsons proclaimed No-Go zones in Europe. Never go to the Netherlands or you'll end up exploded, patriots 
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Oct 17, 2021 15:15
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This is kinda of a nothing burger of a mission again, even though the intro rocks and it teaches you about the cycles' ability to climb/jump off cliffs. On hard i think it paradrops a small number of infantry behind your forces if you either dawdle or get too far ahead of the limo, but that's about it for any semblance of challenge or tension. I think it would be more interesting if it was a straight up no build mission. It feels like it was intended to be one but it also feels like they gave up on that pretty quickly. It takes out any tension that you are on the ropes when you can pump out scorpion tanks immediately.
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Oct 17, 2021 15:22
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update: I tracked down the old roadsign for off-ramp 20 along the A27:  it turns out both other names on the Generals version are real, just mangled really badly to the point that one became a completely different place in Belgium.
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Oct 17, 2021 15:22
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Look at all those trees!
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Oct 17, 2021 15:32
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Jobbo_Fett posted:I completely forgot about it before getting back to the GLA campaign, but the way to get units on the bike is to not "Evacuate" it, and just order a unit on foot onto the bike. Whoops! Is there the posibility to put non-GLA infantry on the bikes? The only use for it would be Pathfinders I guess since it doesn't seem to work for utility infantry (if only we could have hacker cycles...)
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Oct 17, 2021 15:37
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Manic_Misanthrope posted:Is there the posibility to put non-GLA infantry on the bikes? The only use for it would be Pathfinders I guess since it doesn't seem to work for utility infantry (if only we could have hacker cycles...) The wiki doesn't state, oddly enough.
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Oct 17, 2021 15:45
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Jokes aside, I don't think the sign is an intentional reference. What I think happened is that the artist googled "foreign road sign" and found a blurry early 2000's era digital picture and tried their best to replicate it. Geertruidenberg and Geen Ruidenberg are not exactly close in pronunciation but it's what you get when you can only clearly make out Gee**ruidenberg and the remaining rt gets fused into n but now the letter width is wrong so you just add a space and hope for the best. Similarly: e -> o in Breda m -> ni and o -> e in Raamsdonksweer(and then the k just went missing altogether) I think the little green European road number sign and the part that says Waalwijk were likely out of frame on the original image, hence them not being present at all in the Generals version. Note that the sign is also flipped, as the part that says afrit(off-ramp) should be on the side of the road where there's off-ramps.
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Oct 17, 2021 16:07
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I like Omar a lot. It makes the GLA feel a lot more real by showing us how they present themselves to the populace they rule, makes them much less mustache twirling cartoon villians.
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Oct 17, 2021 16:36
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mr_stibbons posted:I like Omar a lot. It makes the GLA feel a lot more real by showing us how they present themselves to the populace they rule, makes them much less mustache twirling cartoon villians. ARC is what Al Jazeera looked like inside the heads of War on Terror-era Republicans.
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Oct 17, 2021 17:46
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The way the reporter kept glancing off the side (to read the script I guess??) makes me think he isn't quite as much of a supporter as he sounds.
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Oct 17, 2021 20:08
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Jobbo_Fett posted:The wiki doesn't state, oddly enough. Hrmm. Still, the cliff climbing abilities of the bike could be used to get a worker into a place they shouldn't normally be to set up a cheeky tunnel network or secondary base.
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Oct 17, 2021 20:19
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Manic_Misanthrope posted:Is there the posibility to put non-GLA infantry on the bikes? The only use for it would be Pathfinders I guess since it doesn't seem to work for utility infantry (if only we could have hacker cycles...) Just tested this and nope, you can't. You can put in workers though! I didn't knew that! Space Kablooey fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Oct 17, 2021 |
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Oct 17, 2021 20:52
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I assume the ARC is the Absolutely Revolutionary Channel.
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Oct 17, 2021 21:20
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mr_stibbons posted:I like Omar a lot. It makes the GLA feel a lot more real by showing us how they present themselves to the populace they rule, makes them much less mustache twirling cartoon villians. I agree, it's the kind of semi-nuance that we really could have used in the first game, or at least at some point before we introduced a villain named Doctor Thrax. As it comes after that, though, it's kind of weird. Nevertheless, having moved on from the supervillain lair in the last mission, the game whiplashes you hard back around to the hardscrabble GLA perspective from the start of the Generals campaign. Again, kind of weird -- the GLA at this point has launched a goddamn bio-nuke at a city, and engaged in open warfare with two of the world's superpowers, yet they're shown as really far down the power tree in a lot of GLA-X. Having said that, GLA-X is also actually a really interesting campaign, and has some of the most memorable missions from the entirety of the Generals-Zero Hour campaign combination. There's some very unique-in-a-good-way design in here. It is ALSO where, having already gone off the rails at least three times already, the Generals plotline is going to get Sabin to suplex the loving train. We're gonna go places, and it's gonna be so god drat good, and really shows where this game should have started instead of making the terrible decision of trying to be grounded whatsoever. This is absolutely helped by the GLA getting some very iconic new units. The Combat Cycle can do a positively silly number of things depending on which infantry you hand it to, with by far the silliest being Cycle Kell, who can do everything Kell can do except garrison buildings, but now while moving around the map at lightspeed and ignoring cliffs. And he's still invisible.
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Oct 18, 2021 04:17
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Can Pathfinders snipe the infantry off of a bike, or do they become Vehicles instead of Infantry and therefore immune to that?
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Oct 18, 2021 05:44
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Redeye Flight posted:I agree, it's the kind of semi-nuance that we really could have used in the first game, or at least at some point before we introduced a villain named Doctor Thrax. As it comes after that, though, it's kind of weird. Ohh yeah, GLA Zero Hour may start fairly tame but that will quickly change. The mission itself, while brief, is at least fairly decent, although hampered by Generals/Zero Hour's continual problem of small map sizes. I do agree that the mission seems like it should have been a no/sparse build style mission and just being able to stay back and build up an overwhelming force is a bit odd given how it seems that the US is closing in and you need to make a quick escape. Having a generous timer before you forces and base get Particle Cannoned and air striked to oblivion would have added some nice manageable pressure. Oh well. The Combat Cycle is a very flexible unit, that, as stated, is kinda insane when you put Jarmin Kell inside of it. Its extreme mobility and ability to get to unexpected locations is incredibly handy and can lead to some very sneaky moves. Wet paper for health and armor as one would expect though, but with its speed you do get to choose its encounters mostly at least. The cliff climbing ability is slightly finicky though but generally works pretty well.
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Oct 18, 2021 08:09
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Akratic Method posted:Can Pathfinders snipe the infantry off of a bike, or do they become Vehicles instead of Infantry and therefore immune to that? They become vehicles, yes.
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Oct 18, 2021 11:19
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I'm glad that ARC still has a stock ticker on the bottom. I can keep track of all my investments!
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Oct 18, 2021 13:05
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Jobbo_Fett posted:They become vehicles, yes. So that's a nice little counter to the pathfinders making Kell easy to countersnipe. Fangz posted:I'm glad that ARC still has a stock ticker on the bottom. I can keep track of all my investments! Western Decadent Economy is down 10 points on the news that we will crush them.
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Oct 18, 2021 19:39
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GLA X2: Hidden Agenda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0WDenqA2V8 GLA X2: Hidden Agenda One of the GLA's more prominent generals, Prince Kassad, has refused to join us in rebuilding the GLA into a powerful entity once more. This betrayal cannot be allowed to stand. Find Prince Kassad, steal his technology and weapons, and wipe them from the face of the Earth!  This is at least the third time we've seen some version of "Near Cairo, Egypt". Tiberian Sun, Red Alert 2 (Yuri's Revenge), and this, and I'm probably forgetting another! Location: Near Cairo, Egypt Objective: Capture Prince Kassad's Command Centers and destroy his HQ! Author's note: A punishing mission with stealth technology tightening the noose on an already tight position. Name: Omar bin Ghazali Aliases: None Affiliation: GLA Occupation: Reporter for ARC Voiced/Played by: Michael Saad A reporter for ARC, Omar is a devoted news anchor and supporter of the GLA.      Fake Buildings ARMOR: Structure [CC = Tough] COST: 125-625 POWER USAGE: 0 PURPOSE: Deception Effective diversionary instruments, Fake Structures can force the enemy to change tactics or waste resources. However, Fake Structures can be upgraded to real structures, changing the battlefield circumstances once again. Author's Note: Love the fact that you can turn them into real structures, forcing opponents to mind their presence at all times. No real use against the AI, though.  GPS Scrambler FACTION: GLA COST: 1 General Point PREREQUISITE: Rank 5 PURPOSE: Permanently Stealths units within an area. GPS Scrambler accesses the Global Positioning System frequencies and scrambles satellite transmissions across a wide area. When deployed, GPS Scrambler hides units under a camouflage cloak. Author's Note: More powerful than I remember it all those years ago, it is a great way to hide, or strike, with a variety of units.  Sneak Attack FACTION: GLA COST: 1 General Point PREREQUISITE: Rank 5 PURPOSE: Deployable Tunnel Network Using the Sneak Attack, the GLA can place a tunnel exit anywhere on the map, allowing personnel to strike an enemy’s base from within the base itself. Attacking units should be positioned in a previously built Sneak Attack or Network tunnel before deployment. Author's Note: My biggest issue with this power is that it is slow to deploy, and the game deselecting it making it harder to use effectively. Aftermath: With Prince Kassad's stealth technologies secured, we can continue planning our strike(s) against the US. No location is safe, and US forces will learn this, the hard way.
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Oct 20, 2021 17:28
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"Somewhere near Cairo" says the game's on-screen caption, as the buggy is driving around the Great Pyramid. One might similarly note that the White House is from around the same area as Washington DC and that the Eiffel Tower is located in the general vicinity of Paris. Incidentally, Egypt is now the first place to appear in all three C&C timelines!
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Oct 20, 2021 18:54
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I thought that Cairo was a myth, but I guess it can be confirmed as real if C&C is so adamant about it?
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Oct 20, 2021 19:02
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Welcome to the reason that the USA got a dedicated scout unit because that is a lot of stealth to deal with.
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Oct 20, 2021 19:20
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Slaan posted:I thought that Cairo was a myth, but I guess it can be confirmed as real if C&C is so adamant about it? You wouldn't be this confused about foreign lands if you left some of your geography teachers uneaten.
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Oct 20, 2021 19:21
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Midmorning snacks are conducive to learning though 
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Oct 20, 2021 19:28
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Oct 20, 2021 20:02
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Since jobbo pretty much directly brought it up: the different general factions are a pretty big selling point for this expansion. As stated there are 3 per faction. We have seen 2 of them. We have played as none of them. We are at mission 7 out of 15. They're just kind of... completely absent from the main campaign, which is weird, because as Dr thrax showed us, they can get cool new variations on units and mix things up a fair bit. The stealth general is just annoying to fight, really fun in the players hands but just... not fun as an opponent. I think Jobbo showed that off pretty well.
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Oct 21, 2021 04:09
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Fangz posted:I'm glad that ARC still has a stock ticker on the bottom. I can keep track of all my investments! I was coming here to say basically the same thing. But the GLA campaign in this is really the sort of thing the game should have always gone with. And this is the only campaign that shows off the specialisation Generals that are a big feature of the expansion. Which seems to be a peculiar oversight. But I guess the expansion was rushed because, you know, that's a running theme of Generals.
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Oct 21, 2021 04:10
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The best thing about the scud launcher is that it's having a real good time all the time Anyway, I think this mission is actually really good to play! I guess my major complaint is that the last command center is on a hill that is only accessible by the Also you can build more of Radar Vans to have more charges of the scan power available. Space Kablooey fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Oct 21, 2021 |
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Oct 21, 2021 05:04
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The real victory was the fun we had along the way, while dropping biological weapons indiscriminately on targets in civilian areas.
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Oct 21, 2021 05:06
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| # ? Jun 9, 2024 18:09 |
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Yeah this mission is a massive and rapid step up in difficulty, even on normal. I do like the tension and paranoia of the early parts of it though, having your ring of explosive barrels be detonated one by one by probing infantry, hearing and maybe even seeing the dust trails of bikes and other roving units moving around, being tight on space and supplies. The attacks on your base are frequent, but fairly light vs the death spam from many other maps, and force you to be honest with your defense and makes breaking out of your corner feel like a big accomplishment. A well placed Palace by the front of your base can make a huge difference dealing with these attacks, although keeping it safe until it is up can be tricky. Actually fighting Kassad and his army of stealthed units isn't exactly that fun though, and it does get tedious having to constantly have detection everywhere you go. The map itself is pretty solid for the eastern half, with some nasty urban areas that also have some key capturable buildings to fight over/defend as well as more scenic paths to the outsides of the eastern base, which itself is only lightly guarded. Sadly, once you capture the eastern side of the map, things kind of devolve into a nasty slog. Kassad becomes a lot more spammy with his units now, and there really isn't any way around just plowing through the teeth of his 2nd base. Least you do outgun Kassad here and holding the bridge while building up your forces is fairly easy. The sudden SCUD Storms when the 2nd base falls is a nice little final surprise, but by now you should be in such a dominate position that you can deal with even eating a few strikes. Also, while it wasn't shown in the video, there are actually units called Sniper nearby Kassad's final Command Center, which are just renamed Pathfinders and really are not much of a factor outside of detecting your stealthed units. Still kind of neat flavor, if fairly pointless to the outcome of things though. All in all, the first half of this mission is really well designed and feels like a solid scrap although it does fall off a good amount when going against the 2nd and 3rd bases. Stealing Kassad's tech and using it against him is a nice twist to things as well. Speaking of that tech, both are very solid. The GPS scrambler speaks of itself in terms of usefulness, although it also gives a global announcement whenever it is used. While the US and to a modestly lessor extent the GLA have some fairly easy detection options, China does not and it can be quite tough dealing with mass stealth while playing as them. The Sneak Attack can be game ending if it is allowed to spawn, although again, there is a global announcement when it is used and it makes a lot of noise plus takes time to activate, while only having modest health/armor. Course flooding a bunch of Bomb Trucks or Cycle Terrorists out into your opponents base is the dream, there are a lot of other ways to make good use of it, such as spawning it in a normally hard or imposable to access area. Still, I can't wait for next mission. Get ready for the insanity to reach some crazy levels and not stop.
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Oct 21, 2021 09:48
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