Update time!
Mission 6. From the Future with Love.
Music
The Apemen are the first success of the Americans, but the Russians continue to dominate. John's orders are to maintain security at the Delta base, but the strange attackers have retreated to the South and all is quiet.
Delta Base; August 14th, ERA + 1
: What did you want to show me?
: Sir, we’ve marked on the map where supplies sent by the EON have arrived over the last four weeks.
: That’s weird; the crates are supposed to arrive at random.
: Exactly, but we’ve double-checked our figures and there is no mistake.
: The odds of this distribution happening by chance are...
: ...less than one in ten to the power of twenty-seven according to calculations Denis has made.
: That good, huh? So we’ve got an ellipse and if we extend it...
: We can predict the location of the next drop.
: That’s what I hoped you’d say.
: At least it’s a sixty percent chance...
: Sixty percent better than we had before. We’re gonna prepare for the drop and for once we’ll beat the Russians to it. Good work, Harrison is going to be pleased to hear this.
: John? Is there a problem?
: (into radio) Exact opposite, sir. Our scientists have found a way to calculate the probable location of the EON shipments before they arrive.
: Are you sure John? We tried it here and we didn’t have the computer power.
: (into radio) We’ve got Denis, sir. Stick a serial port on his back and you wouldn’t know the difference. If we’re right then we can expect drops around the creek two miles South of here. Request permission to take a team, sir.
: There’s a Russian base down there John...
: (into radio) All the more reason to go. If it’s our men that arrive they’ll be dead within minutes.
: OK. I’ll send support from Gamma. You take four soldiers and a few of the Apemen. They might prove useful.
: (into radio) Thank you, sir. The opto-electronic research you wanted will continue on Delta. Denis Peterson will lead it.
We assemble a team and go on to the next part of the mission, taking OUR supplies right from the doorstep of a Russian base, Macmillan has some balls. I take the same people I took on mission 5 ;-)
Coordinates: South of the Delta base, August 15th, ERA + 1
The discovery of patterns in shipment landings may have a profound effect. John now has to test this hypothesis and if they are right, capture as many crates on Russian territory as possible.
We enter the sector from north-east and quickly cross the river to the south east to start our base, this is a unorthodox way of playing this mission but it is so much simpler like this I couldn't resist to show it off ;-) usually you would start your base right where you enter the map. Our reinforcements from Harrison arive from north-west in vehicles.
This mission is timed and we are supposed to collect 500 crates (or 600 for a medal), this is considerably harder in the traditional way.
As soon as the depot is built we get a call from Harrison, this guy really cares, huh?
: This is Harrison. How’s it looking, John? Were your guys right?
: On the mark, sir. And I think you were too, we’ve not had contact with the Russians but there are indications they’re here.
: Careful not to provoke an attack, John. Remember why you’re there.
: We still have to watch our backs, sir. But back at Delta I talked to Denis about remote controlled vehicles. They could be a real help.
: Sure could John, but can we build them?
: That’s what he said. And the way they’ll work a good driver could control several vehicles at the same time.
: Sounds good, John. You’re authorised to proceed with that.
: Thank you, sir. But we need Denis here to do it.
: OK. Research at Delta will have to do carry on without him.
Ohhhh so we get new shinies? Remote vehicles another mechanic in the game, helps you with staying ALIVE ;-)
I send the apemen to collect crates imediately. We will need those in just a moment
I send my guys a little south and we see as east-west to north-south crossroads here. Seems to be a Russian logisctics tract. So I do the smart thing and build an armoury right next to it
This allows my soldiers to stop all Russian vehicles and soldiers that move through here. The point is that the Russian base is just a little south from this crossroads and it's their only way out towards us ;-) this way we have most of the map to ourselves and don't have to worry. While I know it's kind of a dick move against the AI I will take all the small victories I can have against this game. :D
Macmillan and Gladstone are sent to build a lab, we will get one great new tech here (beyond the radio control) that will help immensely.
In the entry area to the north there are two oil wells, but our depot only has range to connect to one, I already started building a rig on it, we will need the oil for vehicles and power.
Basicaly what is left to do is to maintain the armoury so it doesn't burn down in some Russian attack, research everything and carry on to pick up the crates.
We get a update on the delivery situation from Delta.
: This is Delta. Our calculations suggest a major number of shipments should arrive about now.
: Thanks a lot. Keep me posted.
It's accurate, I get a sonic boom after a sonic boom. And this is the new tech I talked about - Materialization Detection - it does exactly what it says on the tin, it permamently marks the shipments on the minimap (even on areas in the FOW), extremely useful.
I expand my depot to a warehouse, this upgrade extends the available construction radius around it.
After that I build a workshop (where we will build our radio controlled vehicles soon).
Russians are trying to attack our base time and time again but they can't go past our defensive position. Another plus is that they can't get to the crate shipments themselves, making my work THAT much easier.
Nothing interensting is happening until... Denis enters the mission area.. on foot.
: Hey, captain.
: Denis? What the hell are you doing on foot?
: Couldn’t get me and the mastodon in the same vehicle!
: You ran one of those things down?
: No. I kind of hit it and stopped. Then he stomped the roof in. Insurance here must cost more than back home!
: Come on, let’s get you working before you do any more damage!
This guy is jinxed as hell :D but he is a great scientist, so I send him STRAIGHT to the lab.
Another thing that happens is - one of our people materializes, fortunately in a safe area
This is the WORST part of this mission if you want to save all of them. Once of twice I had my soldiers spawn in the middle of the enemy base, guess how that ended... So I get her back to base to work.
First assingment is getting the workshop upgraded so we can add attachments to it.
We got another guest from the future, this time - it's Joan! Macmillan is going to be happy ;-)
: Come on, get up, you stay here you’re dead meat.
: John, it’s me!
: Joan! What happened, you weren’t coming...
: It doesn’t matter now, I’ve got a message for the commander.
: I am the commander here.
: They promoted someone who knows what they’re doing. How the hell did that happen!?
: You’re wounded! Come on, we've got to get you to a medic...
: Listen to me first! There was a raid on the base, our men were wiped out...
: The Russians got the EON!?
: They weren’t Russian. I’m not sure who they were but they knew what they were doing. They blasted their way through to it. I was there, they shot me but I managed to reach the EON.
: The bastards sound like the mercenaries we’ve seen here.
: I know things don’t arrive in order here, John, but there’s a limit to what’s on it’s way now. Peter Schiller was the last to be transported.
: Great. Just when we figured out where to collect! Come on. Let’s get you patched up.
The problem is... Joan spawned in a place from where we can't get her out, in between some trees :D she will have to wait there till we are done with this mission. :D Good thing she spawns on yellow health or we would have had a problem on our hands.
Another one of our guys spawns in a safe spot, I lead him straight to the armoury so he can help in stopping Russian attacks.
Soon after someone has to start bitching about Joan.
: Sir, we’ve got a hard enough time looking after ourselves never mind Major Fergusson .
: What are you saying Sgt., you think we should leave her to die?
: I’m saying things aren’t easy, she’s got to work like the rest of us.
: She will! At the right time, she's not a solider she’s a scientist.
: We’ve got all the dead weight we need. This is a battle situation...
: (shouts) Are you questioning my command soldier!?
: No sir, I just...
: How I use the resources on this team is my business and mine alone. Do you read me, Sgt. Lawson? I said do you read me!?
: Yes sir!
Lisa seems to be jelly here. Too bad for her.
Superior firepower!
We finished the work on radio control!
: Yo baby! We’ve finished the design of remotely controlled vehicles!
: John, I reckon we’re about ready to go.
: Then get to work, Denis, as soon as you work out the theory of remote controlled vehicles we’re going right into production. This is the one and only chance to steal the Japanese market!
To build remote controled vehicles we need a radar addon at the factory and a control tower from which our mechanics drive them.
In the meantime I tried to bulldoze a way towards Joan but it was impossible. Bulldozers can raze trees and can be used as battering rams on infantry, buildings or vehicles. It's suicidal but could be used as a last resort.
A Russian soldier spawned in MY base, what a change for once, we murder her with all we have.
ANOTHER guest from the future... His name is Kurt and he is one of those space-traveling nazis! Also he has a hilarous monobrow :D
: What’s going on?
: Don’t move!
: Where’s Hank und Olaf...?
: I said don’t move! Drop your weapon.
: That'd make things a bit uneven!
Who the hell are you? You’re not from our base.
: I can’t talk with a gun at my head...
: I ain’t dropping it dickhead, so you better start.
: You’re not going to shoot me, you’re...
: OK. I’m going to give you a deal. I don’t kill you and you run like hell.
: If you put it like that. See you 'round, Yankee man.
Yeah I let him go, he doesn't want to give up anyway.
And OF COURSE someone had to spawn in the enemy base. Thankfully they thinned themselves on my armoury enough that most of their defensive positions aren't manned. I send her to help with the defense too.
And this is our last arival, in a safe place. I send him to the factory to help with vehicle building. At this moment the mission is almost finished. All we need now is a radio vehicle and the timer to tick off.
Oh yeah another thing I almost forgot about - cranes. They are way faster than engineers in building, but they can't pick up crates. All in all it's a superior option once you can get them.
With a contower built I recycle the crane, we won't need it anymore. This is the home straight.
We got our first remote - a radar. The RCs have some deficiencies when compared to normally driven vehicles - the drivers skill is divided upon all the RCs he controls, they don't get as much of a boost from experienced drivers AND they have a slightly shorter view range. Still they cost about the same as a normal one and if it gets destroyed your driver wont be exposed to enemy fire ;-)
From this moment on I just collected the crates. The mission ended with all medals
Intermission.
Footage.