Okay. That never happened.
And thus, Professor Scholtze was saved! Though he got a bit damaged in the process...
- Thank you comrades. Without you I'd be dead.
No need to thank me professor, I am a competent commander and I know of your importance. I would never do something as careless as let myself be distracted while the future of SCIENCE! is on the line.
- You’re worth a little effort comrade professor. Your expertise will be very useful.
- I am ready to start work as soon as you get me to a lab comrade.
Let's take a look at where those guys were heading, first.
Uh, on second though, forget it. Bad idea. The others readily agree.
- Are we doing the right thing, Burlak? We don't have orders and we don't have any support from S. M. Kirov.
- This is true, Semyon. We had better return.
Well, since we've already got interrupted, let's use this as an opportunity to transfer more oil to L.P. Beria.
The thing about oil is that you need it for a lot of things. Vehicles require fuel, and oil power plants require it to produce energy. If you don't have an oil rig in the base, your supplies will steadily dwindle. Americans could bypass this problem by utilizing Solar Power, but we do not have that luxury:
- Without power our factory will be useless. We must build a power plant.
- What about solar power? It would save transporting oil from the eastern base.
- To beat the Yanks, we need tanks that are bigger, stronger and faster. These require energy which only oil will provide.
Alright, here's the power plant. Everything is set to get out Gatling Weaponry research under way.
The facilities consume power at a certain speed, which is a constant, but only when they are in use. The more people you have working in a facility simultaneously, the faster you are done with the task, and the less is the drain on your resourses. That's not something that comes up all too often, but when it does, it is something to consider.
Leaving a lone sentry in L.M. Kaganovich pays off as they notice one of the reinforcements we are supposed to stop.
- The Yanks are on the move. Time for us to stop them.
- How do we attack them? Using vehicles, which are mobile but expensive or the bunkers which are cheaper and static. Either way is not going to be easy.
- Leave it to me, Semyon.
We seem to have already made that choice in favor of immobile defences - especially considering that my chosen strategy didn't leave me much time to produce a single tank. Either way, it's just two guys for now - well-trained, sure, but nothing to be concerned about. A single soldier in a bunker can easily take them out.
Meanwhile, we finally upgrade our workshop and get a new set of objectives.
Unfortunately, the gatling tanks cost 60 crates and 30 oil - and that's without considering the oil cost of producing enough power for the factory - which we don't have that many of. That means we'll have to go on resourse collecting duty.
However, here is when I encounter a second wave of reinforcements, barely a couple of minutes after the first one. And this time they have vehicles with them. I am not too sure one bunker would be enough, so I have the slowest engineer who haven't gone too far from the base yet put down the oil barrel and get his ass to the armory to provide fire support.
Unfortunately for me, the guy turns out to be a good scientist, but a lousy soldier. He drops their medic but is quickly piled upon, as he is a much more vulnerable target than the bunker.
I try to pull him away, but it is just my luck that the last shot from a dying soldier grazes him and puts him into a critical state. And the nearest scientist is in another base. Bloody hell!
As he lays there dying, I send Burlak and Gnyevko to aid L.M. Kaganovich. Burlak as a medic, to heal our guy, and Gnyevko as a mechanic to capture and repair the enemy vehicle once we are done with the soldiers. We have our objective, but it doesn't specify that we should be the ones building the machinery.
Alright, soldiers are down and Gorky made it just in time. Things are looking up.
We have to abandon the bunker, though. There is only so much punishment it can take. Fortunately, the enemy gatling tank is not much sturdier. Gnyevko makes a run for it while our guys mow down the driver.
Success! We have our first vehicle, and quite a good one, too - tracked and oil-powered. All that is left is to repair the damage, heal up and get our own production in order.
I leave Gnyevko to patrol the ridge in his new acquisition, though. I don't think we've seen the last of the Americans yet.
Alright, we have the oil, we have the crates, and we have the technology. Time to put the theory to work!
Sadly, I only have enough for two medium-wheeled gatling tanks before I have to resort to gathering crates again. This stuff is expensive!
But we only have so much time before Semyon raises the alarm. It's the third wave of reinforcements, and it is the strongest one yet - with two vehicles this time!
I rush everyone to Kaganovich. We are out of oil, so I needed to get there sooner or later anyway.
Once we reach the armory, it is time for Semyon to retreat. He drops a soldier on the way back. Man, those gatling guns are something.
Six soldiers make short work of everything. However, the second American vehicle refuses to get in range, so we must go hunt it down personally. That's a bit risky, considering that it, too, has a gatling gun. The scientist guy, whom I didn't have time to properly heal since the last attack, wisely decides not to involve himself with this (he won't be of much help anyway), and instead steals another vehicle.
The enemy puts some pressure on my troops, so I have to move the ones it concentrates on deeper into the base, and what do I find there?
Another wave of reinforcements that seems to have lost their way. Are you serious, game!?
Well, they don't look too scary. An engineer and a medic. I bet we can take them out with two vehicles while most of our infantry are tied down by a gatling one...
Nope, they have soldiers as well! And of course they concentrate their fire on a weaker target! Remember that the game tracks the damage of vehicles and drivers separately? Well, the armor holds, but our already wounded scientist loses consciousness and falls out of a perfectly working tank to bleed out in a ditch. And now there are no scientists/medics in another base (since I brought everyone to defend), and there is no laboratory in this one. How does he manage that?
I believe that these are the reinforcements that were coming from east to west (like the ones that stumbled upot Scholtze) that got lost due to faulty pathfinding. Sometimes they have a vehicle with them. You can imagine what they can do if you find them in a bad moment - like when you are transporting oil barrels with your completely defenceless engineers. And an escort of a pair of soldiers won't be enough to help against them, not to mention that you can't afford to have idle hands (in case they don't show up) with the number of people you have. It is yet another of those 'Gotcha!' situations the game throws at you that can result in an instant game over.
I pull all the soldiers to quickly murder everybody (the wounded enemies in critical condition still prevent your vehicles from passing through) and sent Gnyevko to the Lab on the double. Maybe the vehicle would give him enough speed to come there and back again in time. I prefer to think he simply drove over the dying enemy soldiers.
Whew! That was disturbingly close. I order Kovalyuk to drive the trophies to L.P. Beria as Gnyevko gets the loser back on his feet.
Back at the base. No time to heal. I've marathoned this mission to the best of my abilities and I am still behind schedule. I build five tanks before I run out of time.
- This is S. M. Kirov calling Beria. How are you doing comrade Burlak? Are you ready for attack yet? Have you plenty of vehicles now boy?
We've only produced five, and we have 7 men. However, we also captured 3 enemy ones, so I guess we have a surplus.
- Yes, comrade Kurin. We have surplus vehicles for you.
- You never let me down comrade Gorky!. I'll send drivers for your vehicles and we shall begin the attack at once.
That's a serious force they are sporting.
And this is where we are supposed to meet. Pretty straightforward.
However, we have enough resourses to make the sixth gatling tank - let's make it a big one.
Gorky will be driving that personally. Big tanks for big people!
Also, see the two guys standing inthe center of the base looking stupid. That's the drivers Kurin has sent. We have to leave them a pair of tanks, or the colonel will be angry we lied about the surplus machines.
By the way, remember the bunkers on the eastern ridge in the last mission? I've never cleared the area, so they are still there and firing at our people.
Choices and consequences. At least they can't seriously damage anything unless we actually engage them.
One last chance to repair, patch everyone up, and choose the professions before going to battle. I leave Scholtze and Mr. Unlucky as scientists - I might need a good medic if my drivers get in a pinch.
Before we go, though, there is one last surprise the game has to offer. Ambush!
Somebody needs to tell these guys that ambushing seven gatling tanks and who knows what else with 3 soldiers is not the best of ideas. Oh, well, good target practice, though.
At last! We. Are. Ready. TO RRRRRRUMBLE!!!
- Lieutenant Burlak reporting, comrade colonel. The enemy base is in sight.
- Well done, Gorky. Coordinate your attack with ours. Fire at will.