First you have the US, which has expensive and very destructive high tech
weaponry. To help pay for these weapons the US uses high-speed helicopters
to ferry supplies between its supply centers and the supply depots that serve as
the game's resource sources. Some of the high-tech weaponry in the US
arsenal include a supersonic Aurora bomber that can outrun antiaircraft fire and
a Paladin tank which carries a missile defense laser in addition to its powerful
canon. US armor also has the ability to build predator scouts for improved
line of sight or battle drones which hover near the tank and deal damage to
nearby enemies.
China's weapons are not as advanced as the US's, but they do have their
advantages. Soldiers and armor gain an advantage when massed together,
making the human wave tactic a strong part of China's battlefield strategy.
China can also build a mammoth tank so large that structures can be built on top
of it. China is nuke happy, and can upgrade units to make use of nuclear
shells, build nuclear warhead-lobbing artillery, and, of course, launch nuclear
missiles. Among China's unique structures is the propaganda tower that
spouts Maoisms so inspiring that it can heal nearby troops. China's most
high tech unit isn't a weapon at all, but rather a hacker that can break into
the Internet to raise cash. Hackers are pretty vulnerable to enemy fire,
but it is a great sight to see a field full of hackers bent over their computers
as little dollar signs pop out of their computers.
The GLA differs from the other two factions considerably. Many of their
units are weak in comparison to those of China and the US, but they have high
mobility, subterfuge, and some nasty bio-weaponry in their favor. Their
decidedly low tech approach requires them to use human workers to ferry supplies
back to their stashes, but they are also versatile. Cars and trucks parked
in the cities on the map can be taken by terrorists and turned into explosive
weapons, hijackers can steal enemy vehicles, and mobs can incite civilians to
attack the enemy's soldiers and structures.
The three factions are well-balanced and none of them are at a disadvantage
when controlled by a player who knows how to use their strengths. As a
testament to this, the multiplayer statistics reported by the game when you go
online reflect 33% wins for players of each faction plus or minus a point or
two. Now that's balanced.
The
game's AI will not provide too much challenge for veterans at the lowest
setting, but rookie players will probably have their hands full. The
higher AI levels present an even greater challenge, but veteran strategy gamers
will not have a problem beating the campaign even at the hardest setting. The unit AI is pretty good for the
most part, and the pathfinding is competent to the point where units know when
they should get out of each other's way. Tanks given an order to pull out
are even smart enough to swing their turrets backwards to cover their
withdrawal. You'll need to keep your eye on larger groups, though, as
sometimes small factions will break off and take a different route than the main
body. This can leave you with fewer units at the destination than you
thought you were going to have or less of a combined arms attack than you had
envisioned.
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