A new game, a new beginning.
Which is the same as the old one, except I get the best possible result - two Heavy Gun remote-controlled tanks. They hit like a hammer agains enemy vehicles.
I noticed that the Factory had an Optical Computers extension when I entered the base (it was burning and blew up by the time Joan went out to meet me). That means the base already has the required technology to produce automated cannons and vehicles. And here I thought I needed an Optical Lab built first!
I immediately try and reconstruct it to make my start easier.
Once I am done building that, I throw a Non-combat extension on top of the factory and produce a Construction Crane.
After it finishes, I command it to build a Computers Lab to improve the quality of my automated vehicles while I work on the means to collect resourses. Oil would be a better option for the engine here, but I just don't have enough at this stage.
About midway I realize I may not be ready for the incoming attack, and switch to building the Radio Tower. Safety comes first.
Yes, I know about the second apeman (I had two on my first attempt), but I didn't know it was in the north. I guess it just wandered into my base and got caught. This time, I deliberately send Macmillan to hunt him down. This gets me an early warning:
With two heavy tanks on my side, this goes about as well as expected for the attackers.
It's time to check our Computers Lab!
Just as I suspected, the basic research was already done. We could try and improve our programming, but we don't have automated combat vehicles yet, so it isn't very relevant. Instead I want to try and discover how to produce a new type of chassis.
It came as a surprise to me, but it appears the Americans can't build heavy wheeled chassis, only tracked ones. If they want to get a better speed on the plains, their options are limited either to a medium wheeled chassis, or to the special one that can modify itself on the fly depending on what kind of terrain you are passing through. The only drawback to that is that it takes about a second to turn the wheels into tracks and vice versa, so there is a small, but noticeable lag between an order and its execution when a transformation happens. It is very annoying when you are busy micromanaging your vehicles and the stupid machine decides to switch the chassis to a more appropriate one.
I build a few radar vehicles to have a better idea of what is going on at any given time, and sure enough, I find the vehicle Azira was talking about. It was stealing crates from a contested territory between our bases. Note the blue dots on the cargo bay bar - it is loaded with crates, MY crates! It is also a wheeled one, meaning that my tracked cargo truck can't quite outrun it and that our resources will get even more scarce if this is allowed to continue.
Thankfully, the guy driving it is an engineer, not a mechanic, whick means they can not repair it and are only half as efficient driving it as they could have been.
I try to set up an ambush according to the advice...
...which fails miserably. The enemy does not beat around the bush when it comes to a retaliation. Retreat, retreat!
I nearly lose a vehicle trying to get to the relative safety of my turrets under heavy fire. The tank is left burning, but thankfully it drove behind a cliff where the enemy could not see it.
While Joan is busy repairing it, I decide to move my radar vehicle a bit further than I did the last time I played, and discover a secret passage behind the river.
Hmm...
Interesting!
Apparently, it leads right into the heart of the enemy base, to the Siberite Power plants feeding the defensive turrets. I should have tried this way in on my last attempt instead of banging my head against a brick wall.
Everything proceeds smoothly so far. I build a bulldozer to clear some trees around my base, research computer-related subjects, and build some more turrets.
Here is how a morphing chassis looks like in a wheeled state, BTW.
The bulldozer almost looks like a giant racing car.
Some more attacks are coming my way while I attempt to collect some crates behind their backs.
That sneaky little fucker!
This is personal now! I wait until the crates spawn in a nice, far away spot.
Sure enough, the enemy truck comes running.
Unfortunately, it is just fast enough to collect the crates and get away. If the enemy had enough intelligence to repair it, they could have been doing it indefinitely.
I am getting more bold. I get my cargo truck to steal crates in full view of enemy turrets as the enemy approaches to collect what they thought was rightfully theirs.
Surprise, motherfucker!
Or is it? Remember the Russians have the technology to teleport their broken vehicles out of harm's way? Right before I strike a finishing blow, the truck disappears before my eyes!
Thank God the AI is stupid enough to let it burn instead of sending a mechanic its way.
Meanwhile, I am getting a message that my spying vehicle in the enemy base was discovered and attaked!
I have to withdraw from there, until the attacker takes a wrong turn.
It appears to be the enemy's last hurrah. We do not receive any more attacks after that, presumably because they are out of resourses to produce enough vehicles.
At this point we have full control over the map and infinite resourses. It takes a while, but we put them to good use.
Some gatling guns for enemy troops.
Some double lasers for the secondary objective.
...and that should probably do it.
4 Heavy Gun tanks, 6 Rocket Launchers, 4 Gatling Tanks, 2 Double Lasers, 1 Bulldoser, and 2 manually controlled ones for Macmillan and Joan. Who is laughing now?
Meanwhile, the enemy has to pick up the crates with their bare hands. This is going to be easy - they are ready for the taking.
But first, we will send our second radar vehicles ahead to scout the enemy lines...
...only to discover that there isn't anything standing between us if we just attack from the north.
Look at all those uncollected crates! Their engineers just can't handle that much free shit.
I send all of my vehicles north, one by one. It mostly goes smoothly until one of the computer-controlled ones bumps into another, decides to turn around, comes into vision of an enemy turret, and opens fire. That draws the enemy out, including the infantry, which is bad, since I sent all of my gatlings tanks first.
That soldier can wipe 4 tanks because they just aren't specialized against infantry. The only one that is doing some damage here is our good old bulldozer.
A very chaotic combat ensues. We easily overpower their non-combat structures...
...and start working on their personnel...
...when everything falls apart.
Yes, we have a numerical advantage. Yes, we have better weapons. Yes, by all means we should have had this in the bag.
But we don't have one thing they have. We don't have medics.
A tenth level medic is a fucking necromancer. They can bring back the dead. I try with all my might to keep the enemy soldiers down, and they just don't stay down! I try to concentrate fire on the medics, but there are several of them. If one falls, their colleagues heal them back up, and the healed medic heals them right back the moment he is back on his feet. Not even splash damage can disrupt that accursed cycle!
The Russians have a technology that is called the 'Stasis Field' that slows the time around your wounded soldier and allows you to delay bringing a medic to them before they bleed out. But something appears to be bugged with the latest patch, and the Stasis Field protects against all incoming damage as well. I just can't explain why 20+ tanks can't kill a single guy otherwise. Yes, they are computer-controlled tanks, and the enemy has 10 levels in every skill, but come on! When it's easier to shoot them down to red health than to finish them off, you know something is wrong with the game!
The double lasers do their best to reduce enemy defences to scrap, but it is useless.
Lasers don't do shit against infantry.
It is not immediately apparent, but I have lost the engagement. Most of my tanks are burning, and the host of medics are feeling better than ever. If I could not take them out when I had 20 tanks, 10 don't have a prayer.
To add insult to the injury, they aren't even healing themselves anymore. They are shooting at me. With their pea-shooters. And doing damage. Because 10 levels in every skill. I hate my life.
GG.