GamingHyena's Command and Conquer Generals Complete Mission Walkthrough (Final Version) 1.25 This guide will go through all the missions. This walkthrough was built playing on Brutal AI because it's the only AI level on which you might need some help. Table of Contents 1. Copyright Information 2. Chinese Missions 3. GLA Missions 4. U.S. Missions *NOTE* This FAQ cannot be put on any website, public or private, without express permission of the author. Want permission? E-mail: Happyhyena2000@yahoo.com. Also, if you provide a tip I can use, I will credit you in the next version of the FAQ. Check out my website for reviews and more walkthroughs at http://gaminghyena.tripod.com/ Comments? AIM me at Screename GamingHyena2000 Copyright 2003 All rights reserved. *NOTE* Version 1.0: Initial release (3/9/03) Version 1.1: Added U.S. Campaign (3/12/03) Version 1.2: Added Chinese campaign, included GLA Mission 6 tip (3/19/03) version 1.2.1: Added list of approved sites,added GLA Mission 4 tip (3/20/03) Version 1.2.2: Added US Mission 7 tip (3/21/03) Version 1.2.3: Added GLA Mission 7 tip, US Mission 5 tip, and US Mission 7 tip (3/24/03) Version 1.2.4: Added Neoseeker.com to the authorized site list, added Chinese Mission 6 and 7 tip (4/4/03) Version 1.2.5: Added still more tips, fixed format (4/15/03) *NOTE* The following websites have my permission to post this FAQ (as of 3/20/03). If you see it on any unauthorized sites, please let me know: http://gaminghyena.tripod.com/ http://www.cheatcc.com/ http://www.gamefaqs.com/ http://www.actiontrip.com/ http://faqs.ign.com/ http://www.neoseeker.com/ Chinese Missions: Mission 1: The Dragon Awakes Beijing, China Background: The Chinese military is on parade to show the world our strength. Make sure nothing happens to the parade. Objectives: -Destroy the Nuclear Warhead Storage Facility The pre-mission video shows rows of soldiers marching down the streets of Beijing. Suddenly, a car races through the crowd and explodes, killing several soldiers. GLA forces show up and attack the remaining Chinese forces. Just as the Chinese are gaining the upper hand, the GLA detonate a nuclear bomb, killing everyone in the area. You are left in command of a few troops left near the base. Destroy the car bombs that race towards your base. For some reason, you must direct your troops to fire at the cars manually. You will face another wave of car bombs and a couple of Technicals and Rebels will show up as well. Flame tanks are ideal for dispatching this force, but make sure to have a protective screen of infantry in case the car bombs get too close. Near the bridge several Battlemaster tanks should show up, and their guns should be enough to take out the Tunnel Network guarding the bridge. Occupy the surrounding civilian buildings to pick off the infantry. Once you cross the bridge, it should trigger a video showing a wing of Migs taking out the GLA force on the hill. Going up the path on the right will cause you to run into more GLA forces. Therefore, you should be sneaky and attack from the left. There is a small path to the left of the bridge that leads right up to the bunker. Have your tanks destroy the bunker to end the mission. *NOTE* There is an oil derrick near the bridge you can capture should things go horribly wrong and you should need some cash. Although frankly that's almost impossible on this mission, its up to you to decide. Mission 2: Hong Kong Crisis Hong Kong, China Background: Our operatives have recently uncovered a GLA terrorist cell in Hong Kong. They have taken over the nearby convention center and are using it as their main base of operations. Destroy the terror cell to eliminate the threat. Objectives: -Destroy Convention Center -Destroy attached Parking Garages -Destroy the Toxin Tractor Production Facility The pre-mission video shows a massive Chinese force crossing the bridge into Hong Kong. Ah, you finally get to command a real army. The Chinese march across the bridge, blissfully unaware that the GLA has planted a bomb on the side of the bridge. The bomb explodes, sending almost all the Chinese into the river. Fortunately, all the crappy units were placed at the head of the column and survive the explosion… Your first task will be to set up a base of your own. The nearby park will provide plenty of room for you to deploy. Once you have build up your base, send your infantry to occupy the building near the bridge leading to convention center. Eventually, infantry will show up by train. Send them to reinforce your bridge force and build 2 Gattling Cannons to cover the bridge. Also, you will get a warning that GLA Toxin Tractors have been detected. Send a force of tanks up there to deal with the Toxin Tractors and destroy or capture the Arms Dealer that builds them. While you're up there, you might as well capture the oil refinery next to it to reduce the cost of vehicles. In the meantime, use either flame tanks or the hoards of free infantry you keep getting from the train station to secure the other two bridges. The GLA will send a constant stream of infantry from these two bridges. Have you men act as cover while you build 2 Gattling Cannons at each of the other two bridges. Two Gattling Cannons should be more than enough to stop the infantry and occasional car bombs the GLA throws at you, but you still need to cut them off at their source. Fortunately for you, help soon arrives in the form of a disgruntled ferry worker who will be more than happy to help you retake the convention center. Although I initially feared he was a GLA agent who would sink any units I put on his ferry (I mean, he just kind of shows up out of nowhere), after using his boat a couple of times he seems on the level. If you choose to use him, he will deposit you right on the docks – and into the arms of the GLA force guarding the docks. No, a much better bet is to build a force of 3 Gattling Tanks and 3 Fire Dragons. Since you'll be taking on quite a few units, its better to proceed under the guns of the Gattling Cannons guarding the bridges. Have the fire dragons destroy the buildings while the Gattling Tanks take on the infantry and light vehicles. Target the Parking Garages and Arms Dealer first, as they produce the highly annoying Car Bombs and Technicals. Remember that you don't have to kill every unit on the map, just toast the Garages and Convention center and be done with it. *NOTE* Given all the anti-infantry forces of the GLA, your troops will have a hard time staying alive in the fighting. If you wish to use troops in combat, there is a hospital to the north on the hill that you can capture to give them a fighting chance. Mission 3: A Flood of Violence Three Gorges Dam…Hubei Province, China Background: The GLA is attempting to seize control of the damn in order to undermine our security in the region. Make sure this does not happen. Objectives: -Destroy the dam -Destroy the GLA base The pre-mission video shows China in trouble. GLA forces storm the nearby Chinese base and kill the defenders. With the base lost, Black Lotus decides fall back to the dam itself. Although Black Lotus recommends destroying the dam to halt the GLA, I recommend against it. The GLA will take care of this job for you, and you need to spend that time protecting yourself and creating your infrastructure. Your first priority should be building your base. GLA units attack from the south of your base, so protect the bunker and occupy the nearby civilian tower. The GLA on the other side of the river will begin attacking the dam. One way or another, somebody will eventually blow a hole in the dam. When this happens, a flood of water washes away several villages along with a few GLA buildings. Now the region is without power and thousands downstream will undoubtedly be killed from the flood. Great plan, Black Lotus! Another unfortunate side effect of the flood is that the water is draining out of the lake separating you from the GLA base. Your new focus should be the walkway that's slowly being uncovered by the water. You have about 5 minutes to put together a defense, so use your time wisely. The best defense I've found is 2 Gattling Cannons combined with 2 Bunkers full of rocket infantry and Red Guard. This should be enough to shut down any force the GLA sends against you. Also, build 2 airports and have your Migs use the guard command on the mainland next to the bridge to strafe any GLA forces that might mass to attack. The Black Napalm upgrade will make the Migs ground attack stronger, so get it as quickly as your can. Also, to the west of your base are an Oil Refinery, Construction Dozer, and Oil Derrick. These are all very useful in the upcoming battles. Gradually, build up your presence on the other side of the bridge. You will learn the GLA has killed everyone in town. If you are running low on money, make use of the Supply Dock on the GLA side near the bridge. Keep moving the Migs up closer and closer to the GLA base (south of the town). It's a good idea to build a War Factory in the middle of the town to repair your armor and speed units to the front (remember to build defenses around it and make use of the mine upgrade). Save up your units and attack as a group instead of feeding them into the battle. This can be a very frustrating level if you don't, since the GLA's seemingly endless supply of resources guarantees they will constantly churn out troops that will chop up your force one by one. Eventually you will overwhelm the outer defenses of the GLA base. Make sure and take out the Stinger Site so that your Migs will have free reign over the base. Take out the structures to end the mission. *NOTE* This mission can require quite a lot of resources. After the dam breaks, there are no more GLA on your side of the river. There is a Supply Dock south of your base. You can build a Supply Depot nearby without worrying about GLA attacks. Mission 4: Broken Alliances Tanggula Mountains, China Background: The GLA have constructed a bio toxin factory in the mountains. If the toxin reaches the nearby river, then thousands could die. Our best option is to firebomb the facility. Use your commando group to secure the area while we call in a Mig strike Objectives: -Destroy 4 Stinger Sites -Have Black Lotus capture the War Factory The pre-mission video shows two Migs on their way to destroy the factory. A Stinger Site blows one Mig apart, while another is shot down and impacts into a nearby mountainside. When the mission begins, you have 10 infantry and Black Lotus. Purchase the veteran Red Guard upgrade and crank out 5 Red Guard. Also, build 5 hackers and have them Hack the Internet. This gives you $5/second in cash, and best of all the longer they do it the more money you get per second! The Red Guard you built combined with the forces already given to you should be enough to easily overpower the Stinger Site. Now, reinforcements should drop in. Use Black Lotus to capture the nearby Oil Derrick to increase your cash flow. Dispatch any infantry or Technicals that get too curious and proceed to your next target. There is a Rocket Buggy nearby that should be killed before you tackle the 2 Stinger Sites. Now you face your biggest threat yet. A Toxin Tractor guards the final Stinger Site. It can single-handedly spell doom for your entire force. The safest option is to use Cluster Mines on the bridge, then send in some infantryman. The Toxin Tractor will more towards the infantry and will (hopefully) be destroyed by the mines. Another, riskier plan is to use Black Lotus to incapacitate the Tractor. The only problem with this is that she will then be spotted and fired up by the Stinger Site, and she will probably be killed before she finished her job. Plan C is a full on infantry assault. Sure, most of them will die, but it's better than killing off Black Lotus (you need her later on in the mission). Don't forget about your hackers. After the video is displayed, they will quit hacking and stand around doing nothing. Get their lazy butts back to work – cash is too important in this mission to pass up. Have Black Lotus capture the War Factory and build a couple of tanks. Tanks aren't affected much by toxin and are excellent for killing the Toxin Tractors. Move them into the center of town and have Black Lotus capture the Oil Derrick. Your infantry should occupy nearby buildings for protection. Once the town is secured, its time to strike. Cluster Mine the entrance to the GLA base and send in some tanks. Have your soldiers occupy the tower. You will be able to take care of the troops guarding the entrance, and the mines should hamper GLA reinforcements. Have Black Lotus cash hack the GLA Supply Stash to cut down on their unit production. Clear out the GLA troops who have occupied civilian buildings near the Stinger Site, then go after the Tunnel Network. Once these two obstacles are out of your way, hit the Stinger Site itself. Destroying the final Site triggers a video showing a wing of Migs attacking the toxin factory. The factory goes up in a burst of flame (although toxins are clearly shown leaking out near the river), ending the mission. Mission 5: Scorched Earth Balykahy, Kyrgystan Background: GLA scum have taken over the city of Balykahy, Comrade. Our U.S. ally has agreed to provide air support while we liberate the city. Objectives: -Destroy the 3 GLA camps -Destroy the main GLA base The pre-mission video shows a U.S. B-52 Bomber on its way to deliver an air strike. Apparently uninterested in the lives of the people they are supposed to be saving, the B-52 obliterates an entire city block of civilian buildings and GLA units. So much for a surgical strike. But hey, we got a few Technicals and some Rebels, so I guess it was worth it… The mission opens by giving you control of a large Chinese base on the docks of the city. Build another Supply Truck, as well as a War Factory and Barracks. Also, build another Gattling Cannon on the northern part of your base. For whatever reason, the GLA desperately wants to send a Technical to explore your base, and the extra Gattling Cannon will make sure that never happens. Also, destroying the Arms Dealer north of your base will help slow down the stream of Technicals. Cash can be tight the first couple of minutes in the game, and to ensure a stead supply station some Hackers in the back of your base and have them hack the Internet. Your first objective is in the Oil Derricks and Oil Refinery in the southwest corner of the map. You should proceed slowly and always bring Troop Crawlers with you, since the GLA has littered the area with Demo Traps. They always come in groups of three, and are powerful enough to even bring down an Overlord that gets too close, to stay cautious. The Troop Crawler radar pulse will make the traps visible, as will the Propaganda Towers on the Overlords later on when you can afford them. There will be a lot of house to house fighting in this mission. Flame Dragons are good for this, since they can clear out infantry instantly from an occupied building. Also, there will be a lot of Stinger Sites around. Your best bet is to take these out ASAP so your Migs fly cover. About midway to the Oil Refinery you should find a poorly guarded GLA Supply Stash. Depending on your situation, you can either capture the building immediately, or have Black Lotus cash hack the building repeatedly. If you do capture the Stash, you can build Workers, and thus start building GLA buildings. Eventually, you will make it to the Oil Refinery. Build a War Factory and Barracks nearby to help reinforce the area. Another Airfield wouldn't hurt either. Now you need to turn north. In the meantime, you also have a GLA camp sitting almost directly north of your base. Your wing of Migs in your main base should be guarding the area, striking targets of opportunity. To win the mission, you must destroy every GLA building on the map, so forget about the occupied structures for the moment unless they are firing missiles at your planes. I always recommend upgrading the Artillery Strike as well, since it is ideal for helping to take down Stinger Sites. You should be able to destroy the northern GLA camp through a combination of Migs, Carpet Bombing, and Artillery Strikes. Since you might not be able to see, and thus target, specific structures, have your Migs Air Guard an area (unless there are Stinger Sites in the area). Another good way of highlighting an area is to drop Cluster Mines on it. You should be able to see the area for a couple of seconds before the plane comes. Now lets turn our attention back to your forces in the southwest corner of the map. Slowly move your way up the map, clearing out GLA forces along the way. Another handy unit to have is Gattling Tanks, since the GLA will start to send suicide bombers down as you approach their base. They seem to come out of the Tunnel Network, and destroying the structure will put a stop to them. You won't be facing much armor at this point, mainly Demo Traps and infantry. As a word of caution about sending Migs over to strike the main GLA base from your main base: there are two Stinger Sites in the middle of the map that will bring down your planes as they go to and from their target. Send some units to the middle to destroy these sites before striking the main base from there. Remember to concentrate your fire on GLA created buildings, and use air power whenever possible to destroy structures since the GLA has so many mines littered around the map. *NOTE* As the game indicates, there is another Supply Dock north of your base. The problem is that once you have the resources to get it, you won't need more cash. There is also the inherent danger of moving your Dozer over there with all the Demo Traps around. It's best just to leave it alone for this mission. Mission 6: Dead in their Tracks Bishkek, Aldastan Subcapital Background: The GLA have captured the trainyards at Bishkek and are rapidly reinforcing the city. You must use Black Lotus to destroy the bridge to halt this. Objectives: -Use Black Lotus to destroy bridge The pre-mission video pans over the city, as the mission is described. A train roars out of a tunnel and stops at the train station, dropping of GLA Rebels. This mission defines the words cash poor. You are cheerfully informed that GLA supplies can be hacked for cash, but it doesn't seem to notice that the Supply Stashes are right next to the mission objective on the other side of the map! Immediately move your Hackers into the center of your base and begin hacking the Internet. Now, build the Chaingun upgrade and a Gattling Tank. Move Black Lotus and the Gattling Tank east and pick up the crate, then go across the bridge to pick up the 2 crates on the riverbank. Some infantry might come after you, but the Gattling Tank should be able to kill them. Use your newfound cash to build another Gattling Tank, some infantry, and a Battlemaster tank. There is a nearby Stinger Site that will impair your ability to reinforce later in the mission. Take the time to destroy it now. Be aware there are several Demo Traps around, so use a Troop Crawler to find them and destroy them. Also, a Technical nearby will try and run over your troops. Use your tanks to destroy it. Once the Site is out of commission, capture the nearby Arms Dealer. Building a Radar Van and the sensor upgrade will help you spot areas of the map near the bridge and get an idea of the defenses. The GLA will constantly be bringing in troops via the train, which only makes your already difficult task even harder. Fortunately, you can intercept the train when it stops at the little train stop on the eastern side of the map. Use your armor to destroy the train (target the first car), then have your infantry occupy a nearby building to mop up any survivors. Don't forget there is a U.N. crate at the train depot. Leave your infantry and a Gattling Cannon to guard against future trains and have Black Lotus capture the GLA Supply Stashes up north. The bridge is in sight! Unfortunately, for a super spy Black Lotus seems to be unable to climb the small ravine that separates her from the bridge. It looks like we'll be taking the long way around. To cross that relatively short distance between your position and the bridge, you will need quite a bit of backup. Your best bet is a direct attack. Under NO circumstances send any units across the middle bridges, as this will trigger angry mobs to come out of the stadium and attack you. Send a Dragon Tank across the northern bridge and clear out the three occupied buildings (you will have to force fire on the building directly north of the park). Alarms will sound, and the GLA will send several units to attack your tank. It will die in the process, but such is the price of progress. Wait a few seconds until the GLA units have gone back to their positions, then move 4-6 Battlemaster tanks across the bridge. Also, send some infantry to occupy the structures on the other side of the bridge. They should be enough to clear out the nearby GLA units that come to attack you. Given the cramped streets of Bishkek, rocket infantry are particularly effective in killing the GLA tanks. Use the large park as a staging area for your units until you are ready to attack. When you are ready, have your troops occupy the building closest to the Stinger Sites. Your troops will kill the rocket infantry inside, allowing your other units to join in. Don't forget your primary mission, which is to get Black Lotus to the bridge. Everything else is secondary. Move your units near the bridge to destroy the Radar Van and second Stinger Site, and send Black Lotus in (she should be relatively safe since she is a cloaked unit.) This triggers a video in which she plants a bomb, and waits for the train. Just as the train crosses the bridge, she blows the bridge, sending the train into the river below. *NOTE* Jamie Whyte has an easier solution to get Black Lotus on the bridge... "hi, on the China mission 6 where you have to use the black lotus to blow the bridge up you can simply have her run around the edge of the map to the two supply stashes and then from there click on the railway bridge. she'll run over the road bridge below the railway bridge past two tanks, past the [Stinger Sites] that will not kill her in time and onto the railway bridge all on her own... mission complete, no units created or lost.... takes 2 minutes" Mission 7: Nuclear Winter Dushanbe, Aldastan Capital City Background: Our hour of victory is at hand. We have found the GLA's main base of operations. To ensure our foes are crushed, the Premier has authorized the use of nuclear weapons. Objectives: -Destroy the GLA base The pre-mission video shows a column of Chinese advancing through a ravine. Jarmen Kell, the GLA crack sniper, watches from the mountain ridge. A shot rings out, and the lead Chinese soldier falls. The Chinese have walked into an ambush (again). As SCUD missiles rain down on the column, Chinese Migs roar out of the sky, destroying the SCUD Launchers. You start the mission thrown right into the middle of things. There are still plenty of GLA on the ridge, and your troops are suffering heavy casualties. Click on your Overlord tanks and have them build Propaganda Towers as soon as you can. This will allow them to heal themselves and nearby units, letting you preserve as many troops as you can. Have one of your Construction Dozers build a Command Center in the ravine, and another start to build a power plant. While you wait for those to build, you have a base to wreck. Move your forces east up the hill until you encounter 2 Tunnel Networks. Use your Overlords to destroy the base defenses, and the Gattling Cannons to eliminate the infantry. Destroy all the buildings, but NOT the Supply Stash. Build a Barracks and capture the Stash (but feel free to cash hack it before). You can now use the Workers to build GLA structures, which can be quite useful later. Bring up your Dozers and begin building your base. The computer will notify you that there are few supplies at your base, so you need to find more. The SCUD Storm countdown should also begin. It is VERY important that your cash never exceed 5,000 credits. If it does, the GLA will launch SCUD Storms every 5 minutes. As long as you never have more than 5,000 credits, they won't use it. Although this means you can't build a Nuclear Missile silo, the tradeoff will be worth it. Your army should move down the hill into the city and secure the Oil Derrick, while you build a Bunker and Gattling Cannon for defense. Also, building a line of Tunnel Networks with your Workers will help reinforce your positions when they are attacked (you can also use the free rocket troopers to go in the Bunkers). The GLA will attack in waves depending on where you are in the city. When you reach the city center, the GLA will send mostly tanks and infantry to get you. A little farther up, you will have to deal with Jarmen Kell. He is usually hanging out in the tower near the GLA base northwest of the town center. An artillery strike is the best way to put him out of commission (you usually don't have to worry about him again after you kill him). The next wave a little farther up consists of Rocket Buggies and infantry. These usually show up as you get close to the Oil Derricks and crates in the northeast, or the GLA outpost in the northwest. The Rocket Buggies will cause you no end of trouble if you don't deal with them quickly. Unfortunately, "quickly" isn't in the Chinese vocabulary, and your vehicles will get chewed up rather quickly as they lumber towards the buggies to get close enough to fire. You have several options to deal with them, none of them perfect. You can send a wing of Migs to guard the area, but there is a good chance they will be shot down by the Stinger Sites in the mountains (unless you artillery Strike the Sites). You can build an Arms Dealer and crank out your own Rocket Buggies. Rocket Buggies aren't cheap, but they are fast and can deal with the threat effectively. Finally, you can try and hit them with your own artillery, though you will have to place them behind your own defenses, which limits their range. If you go the artillery route, I recommend the Nuclear Cannon. It has a superior range, and its large splash damage will take out nearby units plus leave nuclear fallout for the GLA to wade through. Since you are working with the 5,000 credit cap, it's easy to run out of money. In town, there is an Oil Derrick and a Supply Dock in the west you can use. Make sure and set up some air cover first, since the GLA loves to send Quad Cannons down from the mountains to destroy your outpost when you move your Construction Dozer in the area. Plus, you can get several crates near the two oil derricks in the northeast. Two Tunnel Networks guard the crates, and the GLA doesn't take kindly to your units strolling through the area. Your best bet lies with either sending a Technical or Rocket Buggy in to get them, since they are the only two units you can use that have the speed to get them. The last wave shows up when you reach the mountains. The GLA begins to send SCUD Launchers to bombard your position. Fortunately for you, they usually only send one SCUD Launcher at a time. Jarmen Kell will be your best friend for this part of the level, since he can snipe the drivers of SCUD Launchers. Better still, it creates a traffic jam of dead units at the base of the hill, and the GLA must maneuver around these Launchers to get to you. Also, a line of Stinger Sites and Gattling Cannons will (hopefully) destroy any SCUDs the Launchers manage to fire off and any units that get past the traffic jam. With the GLA mired at the base of the hill, you finally get the breathing space you need to prepare you attack on the hill. You best bet for attacking the GLA base is to attack the northwest entrance. Build a group of 4-5 Angry Mobs backed by Overlords with the Tower upgrades. The mobs will tear up any base defenses you encounter and the Overlords will tackle any armor that shows up and heal the mobs. Start by destroying the GLA camp at the base of the hill and work your way up. If you destroy the Stinger Sites on the ridges, you can move your air cover up to support you. Nuke Cannons are ideal for taking out the isolated base defenses that cover the approaches to the base. The GLA has probably wasted most of their money on SCUD Launchers by now, so there should be little resistance. Remember to build a Tunnel Network on the hill to speed reinforcements. Your primary target once you breach the base is the SCUD Storm. Once it is destroyed, then you have little to fear from the GLA. Turn west and demolish the base. The GLA will probably try a last ditch stand with a few infantry. Sweep them out of the way and continue. When the last building is demolished, the mission is won. The final scene is of your units parading down the streets of Dushanbe. The survivors of the city cheer as you get the military parade you so rightly deserve. While your tanks roll by, two of your nuke cannons fire into the air as a salute to your greatness. What are they thinking? Although the video doesn't show where the shells landed, from their general range you can guess that substantial portions of the city are now covered in nuclear fallout. Way to go, China! *NOTE* Fleaball offers his own take on this mission: "I've got a suggestion for the last Chinese mission, #7. If you're content to sit back and let things take a while, this is the method to go with. I did everything you suggested as to establishing a firm base, and then did things differently. I had several Overlords with Propoganda Towers and a bunch of howitzers (can't remember the game name) guarding the downhill approach to the base, backed up by two airfields of MIGS doing supporting cover fire. If you keep the GLA Stash and some of the workers, you can build any of their units, including [whatever building it is] that spontaneously generates cash. So, just sit back and watch the GLA get pummeled while you fill out your tech trees and build extra units. For every Overlord and whatever guarding my approach, I made an extra. These surplus units I parked away from buildings, and then let myself make $5000. Sure, I got hit with Scuds, but I had enough units to stay secure and rebuild. And then I got to NUKE! :) Once the $5k had rolled in, I made Black Lotus, and sent her out and up the left side of the map. I moved her in just enough to see the tunnels and Stinger outposts, and the called in artillery/EMP/Nuke so that she could sneak by. You can go all the way around and up to the top center of the map this way, and either take over or destroy the Scud Storm launcher. After that, it's mop up. A group of Overlords w/both Nuke powerups are practically invincible. Also, I suggest using artillery on the gas plant on the west side of the map. That way the gas spreads around and does damage to the GLA. You can then followup with either units or nukeage." GLA Missions: Mission 1: Operation: Back Rain Shykent DMZ Background: Although the Chinese forces have hurt us badly, their occupation has spread them too thin. Now is the time to avenge our fallen brothers. Objectives: -Destroy Chinese outpost -Destroy the dam The pre-mission video shows a GLA attack on a Chinese outpost. Caught off guard, the Chinese offer little resistance as the GLA rips through their buildings. You are placed in charge with cleaning up the Chinese base. Red Guard soldiers arrive from the south to try and drive you off, but the truck bomb with bio bomb upgrade takes care of them quickly. Don't forget to equip your vehicles with the parts from destroyed enemy units. They upgrade your firepower and can help compensate from the GLA's overall armor weakness. Once the outpost is destroyed, a video shows your forces heading back to base. The Chinese are scouring the area looking for you, so expect to defend your base. This mission is much easier if you use the Arms Dealer, but first you must find him. Send a Technical or another fast unit to the southwest of your base. You should see a little path in the mountains leading to the Arms Dealer. Take his advice and get the Scorpion Rocket upgrade, as it will make taking out enemy Battlemaster tanks easier. You should also send a Worker over there and have him build a Tunnel Network to send your units up to the front lines quickly. Although a minor issue in this mission, you should still pay attention to defense. Fortunately, it's nothing you can't handle, but it's best to put your scorpions backed with Technicals on the northern entrance to your base. They will easily take care of the troops the Chinese send against you, freeing the rest of your army to attack. Send a Technical to the east and you should see four Red Guard soldiers. Dispatch them and you should see a large group of Chinese tanks. Have one of your Truck Bombs disguise itself as a Battlemaster and purchase the High Explosive upgrade. Chinese troops will see it as a friendly, but their base defenses will not be fooled. Luckily, that will not be an issue this mission. North of this base is the village. Destroy the Propaganda Tower in the center to cause some of the inhabitants to join your side. Occupy a nearby civilian structure and have a Worker build a Tunnel Network in the center of the village. You can now reinforce yourself if necessary. Chinese tanks and nearby troops will come to attack, so use the rocket infantry provided by the Tunnel Network to take them out. Once the area is relatively clear of troops, send a disguised Truck Bomb north of the village and you should find a secret path in the hills that leads directly to the dam. There are a few troops guarding the pass, but they won't pay attention to your Truck Bomb. Drive it up to the dam and blow it up. The resulting flood will kill most of the Chinese in the area. The small fishing village is destroyed as well, but that is the price one must pay for progress. *NOTE* Near the village is a bridge. If you cross the bridge and head southeast to the corner of the map, you will find eight veteran Technicals waiting for you. It isn't necessary to get them to win, but they are there should you need them. *NOTE* On the north east corner of the map are some lightly guarded U.N. crates full of money. Also, directly north of your base is a Chinese Supply Depot with several U.N. crates nearby. Again, they are nice but not necessary. Mission 2: Aid Supplies Drop Zone Villages outside Almaty, Kazakhstan Background: Those U.N. pigs have tried to bribe the starving villagers with their packages of aid. Why let all those supplies go to waste on faceless peasants when they could fuel our glorious struggle? Collect the U.N. aid and destroy anything that stands in your way. Objectives: -Collect 20,000 credits by attacking U.N. convoys. -Collect 30,000 credits by shooting down U.N. supply planes -Collect 40,000 credits by raiding the U.S. base The pre-mission video shows the U.N. convoy stopping and giving out supplies to the peasants. After the convoy leaves, the GLA moves in and slaughters the villagers. You will need your own armor to take out the U.N. convoys, so your first priority should be to build an Arms Dealer. Marauders are good for dealing with the Humvees that guard the convoy, while Technicals should be used to get any infantry that come your way. Also, you should build a Tunnel Network on the road just outside your base, since U.N. convoys use that road and can be easily taken out. Almost every convoy has to travel through the major crossroads in town, so you should fortify those buildings with Rebels and rocket infantry. Better yet, plop a Tunnel Network right on the crossroads and you practically guarantee taking out the convoy with minimal losses. The U.N. will send convoy after convoy to be butchered by your troops. You must be careful to grab the crates as quickly as possible, since the villagers will steal the supplies for themselves. If this happens, simply blow up a few nearby buildings to recover the lost cash. After you collect your 20k in supplies, the U.N. will get wise and start sending in infantry. Send in your Technicals to deal with them, but be advised they will occupy civilian buildings if attacked. After you deal with them, the U.N. should start sending in supply planes. Rocket infantry are naturally good at bringing them down, but soon you should receive reinforcements in the form of Quad Cannons. 2 Quad Cannons is the minimum to bring down a plane, but sending along another one or some rocket infantry will assure a kill. Small groups of Quad Cannons should be placed along the planes' routes (they use the same routes). Also, bring along a few Scorpions and Technicals for protection and to quickly pick up the supplies. After you bring down a few planes, U.S. forces will show up. Although they consist mainly of Humvees and infantry, they will tear up your isolated Quad Cannons. Try building at least one Tunnel Network per small village to protect the Quad Cannons and to quickly send reinforcements through. By this time you should be at the 30,000 credit mark, and the U.S. will begin sending in tanks backed up with lots of infantry. Each enemy vehicle can be killed for cash, so you can choose to make your last 10,000 by attacking the U.S. base to the northwest, picking off the U.S. forces, or simply continuing to hunt down supply planes. Mission 3: Chinese-occupied capital of Kazakhstan Astana City, Kazakhstan Background: With our help, the citizens of Astana City have thrown off the yokes of Chinese oppression and are rioting in the streets. This gives us the perfect opportunity to collect more supplies at our enemy's expense. Burn the city to the ground and show what our army of the streets can do. This is one of the most fun GLA missions in the game. Objectives: -Collect 40,000 credits in supplies The pre-mission video shows Astana City in the throws of a riot. Police cars race to the scene only to be confronted by an angry mob. The police are unable to contain the crowd as they run through the streets, torching buildings and cars. Take your angry mobs and level the nearby buildings. This will give you the money and space you need to start up your base. Build your structures where the buildings stood to get them as close to the action as possible. There is a hospital to the east that should be captured as soon as possible to allow your troops to heal. In the meantime, build Jarmen Kell and another group of 3 angry mobs and have them guard your base. The Chinese and Americans will try and attack your base, so leaving this mob here with Jarmen Kell should protect you from any tanks they send. In the meantime, you can take out the nearby buildings and grab the cash. Continue up north, razing buildings along the way. Eventually you should see a bridge leading west and a couple of American tanks crossing them. They pose little threat to your mob and should be taken out easily. Continue up the path and you'll stumble upon an American held airfield. Take out any vehicles you see and torch occupied control tower. With the Americans out of the way, take the bridge east near the airport control tower. Across the bridge is the Chinese base. Attacking it will cause the Chinese to send loads of troops to attack you. Destroying them will prevent China from bothering your second mob as it pillages the city, plus killing Chinese soldiers gives you money through the bounties. With so many targets, it should be easy to get the 40,000 you need to end the mission. Mission 4: Incirlik Air Base Adana, Turkey Background: The U.S. is attempting to expand their hold over Turkey by building a base at Incirlik. If we can destroy this base, we will show the world that America is vulnerable. Overall, this is one of the toughest GLA missions. Objectives: -Destroy U.S. air base The pre-mission video shows American Raptors on a routine patrol. Spotting some GLA Technicals, they open fire, but miss as the Technicals go under a bridge. Unable to outrun the Raptors, four Technicals are destroyed. Your first priority should be air defense. Build a Barracks and Arms Dealer and begin churning out rocket infantry and Quad Cannons. Also, rocket infantry and Stinger Sites should be placed around your base to deter air attacks. The U.S. will also attack with tanks and Humvees, so be prepared to defend the entrance to your base as well. You will either win or lose the mission in the first 10 minutes. The U.S. uses every aircraft they have to pummel your base, while strike forces move up to attack. The best air defense is a spread out line of rocket infantry, backed with a few Stinger Sites and Tunnel Networks. Leave a few Workers in the area to repair the Sites from air attacks. The idea is to not concentrate your forces in any one area, since the U.S. also uses Fuel-Air Strikes. Upgrade your vehicles using the parts enemy units leave behind, and keep couple of Tunnel Networks nearby to hide in for air strikes. You don't really have a good way to repair your vehicles, and 2nd chevron veterans and higher automatically heal. You'll also be strapped for cash. Upgrade the bounty you get for killing enemy units, since this will provide most of your income during the first few minutes. Building a second Supply Stash is a good idea, since the U.S. will target your Supply Stash and if you lose it your may not recover. Remember that the U.S. does not have infinite resources, and if you can take down enough aircraft (especially Auroras), then they can't replace them. Eventually, you'll want to build up a small force and go over the bridge. Build a Supply Stash near the Supply Dock and protect it with Stinger Sites. Also, if you go under the ravine and head north, there is an oil derrick you should occupy. Another oil derrick exists southwest of the second Supply Dock, and if you continue west of that derrick you will find a Chinese outpost you can occupy. This spot also makes an ideal spot to attack the base with Rocket Buggies or SCUD Launchers. By this point the air attacks should be slacking off, but the U.S. also builds a number of Comanches. Quad Cannons will rip up the Comanches, and Rocket Buggies or SCUD Launchers can hit the base defenses. You should then be able to overpower their defenses and storm the base. *NOTE* Jesse Hamilton offers the following tip for quickly defeating the U.S. base: (not a direct quote) Use your Rebel Ambush on the lower left hand corner of the American base above the Chinese outpost. You will not be exposed to enemy gunfire and will be able to capture the nearby buildings. You can sell them for cash and use the money to build units within the U.S. base by recapturing the buildings. Mission 5: Toxic Waste Containment and Storage Facility Western Shore of Aral Sea, Kazakhstan Background: Those Americans running dogs have captured our toxin facility. Without it, our global struggle will be in jeopardy. You must recapture the facility and teach those Americans a lesson they'll never forget. Objective: -Capture 4 chemical bunkers -Destroy all American forces in the area The pre-mission video shows the Americans capturing the facility. U.S. forces place explosives on a chemical bunker and run away. As the GLA moves in to take possession of the bunker, it blows up covering them in anthrax. This mission is relatively simple compared to your previous mission. You start with a well-established base and little danger for the moment. Take this opportunity to explore southeast until you see a bridge. Have your Worker build a Tunnel Network and Stinger Site. This should be enough to hold of the small strike teams the U.S. sends across. Also, keep a Quad Cannon and Radar Van handy to eliminate any Pathfinders that start killing off the soldiers in the Stinger Site. With your southern flank secure, it's time to head up north. Occupy the buildings in the town north of your base, and secure your position with Tunnel Networks and Stinger Sites. Rocket Buggies are good at destroying the occupied bunkers near the northern bridge, while Jarmen Kell can clean out the soldiers that run out. By this point, the U.S. will probably be warming up their Particle Cannon. However, they foolishly built it near their Strategy Center, which you can see when it switches strategies. Use your General's Promotion to create 8 Rebels around the Strategy Center, and capture the Cannon and nearby buildings. At the very least, you should be able to prevent the U.S. from firing the cannon. In the meantime, have your Rocket Buggies attack the bunkers on the other side of the river. Watch out for U.S. troops and armor in the base. They can be easily taken out if you managed to capture the airfield, but then you must clear out the Patriot missile batteries. Once you have the area under control, go ahead and capture the 4 bunkers. Capturing the bunkers will cause all U.S. forces to attack. Although its doubtful they will overwhelm you, having the troops come down from the north and cross the bridge in the south at the same time can cause you some trouble. Make sure to have enough troops on hand to deal with the mix or armor and rocket troops the U.S. uses to attack. Fortunately, this is all they have. Once you take them out, you can demolish the rest of their base with ease. Remember that toxin tractors are great at clearing out occupied buildings, including bunkers. Mission 6: Splinter Cell Controlled Region Somewhere near Lenger, Kazakhstan Background: Some spineless GLA traitors have joined the Chinese forces. To prove their loyalty, they have turned and attacked us. We cannot let this stand. Use the nukes provided by their Chinese masters against them. Objectives: -Eliminate all traitorous GLA forces The pre-mission video shows the convoy of trucks loaded with nuclear weapons rolling down a road. The GLA ambushes the convoy, killing the guards and taking the nuclear weapons for their own use. Although you start the mission with several troops and defensive structures, they are spread all over the map. Worse yet, Chinese reinforcements are coming in a few minutes. Take the opportunity to build two Stinger Sites near the southwest corner of the map, where the nuclear bomb trucks are. Also, fill the ravine with Demo Traps. Since the Chinese come in a large bunch, it only takes a few mines to clear them all out. If you'll replace the traps after the Chinese reinforcements arrive, then you won't have to worry about them for the rest of the game. You'd better strengthen your front lines as well. Once the rebel GLA forces discover your position (you will be notified when this happens), then you will be constantly attacked from the north and from the ravine that loops west (where your fortifications and ambush troops are). Load up a Technical with a Worker, 2 Rebels, and 2 rocket infantry. Send the Technical up the northwest side of the map until your find the abandoned refinery complex at the very upper northwest corner of the map. Capture the oil derricks and build a Stinger Site and Tunnel Network for protection. You can also build an Arms Dealer and Barracks behind the refinery. Reinforce the line north of your base with more Stinger Sites and armor. The rebel GLA forces frequently attack from this direction, and can cause you a lot of headaches if you do not properly defend yourself. A few Workers sprinkled along the lines will keep your defensive structures up and running. Keep a few units in the middle of your base as well, in case GLA units break through your front lines. Eventually, the GLA will get their SCUD Storm up, so you'll only have a couple of minutes until it strikes. The best way to deal with it is to send an Anthrax Bomb near the SCUD Storm. Since the computer cheats, it will scatter its units away from the strike. You can then send in a Rebel Ambush north of the SCUD Storm and either capture it or destroy it. The GLA will try to send units up to take out your Rebels, but the anthrax clouds left behind by the strike should keep them away from you. The easiest way to win this mission is to concentrate your attention to the north. Build 2 Stinger Sites and a Tunnel Network near the eastern entrance to the refinery, and station a few SCUD Launchers around there. The GLA often uses the ravine just below that entrance as a staging area to attack your outpost, and if you can attack them with the Launchers, they'll charge up the hill into your Singer Sites. Build a couple of Angry Mobs (3 or 4 should be enough) and send them east up the hill to attack the vehicles and Tunnel Complexes in the rebel base. Continue your rampage west and knock out the Arms Dealer and Barracks. Although not necessary, feel free to bring up the nuke trucks to take out any concentrations of rebel forces. By destroying the heart of their base, you'll win the mission. *NOTE* In about the center of the map is a ravine that forms a ring around a central hill. On that hill are some enemy infantry, 2 Tunnel Complexes, and a Supply Stash. If you have having trouble with lots of GLA rebel units, you can take them if you want to reduce their cash flow. *NOTE* Calvin Scott II includes the following tip, which I have checked out: "I beat this in 3 mins on Brutal Difficulty. If you use the general stars to get the ambush rebel to the max, then take the nuke trucks up to the main base alone (They will never get attacked if they go alone.) Use the nukes to destroy most of the 4 main buildings there then after a min or so, activate the ambush rebels and finish off the main buildings and you win." Sure, it's easy and one of the most obvious ways to beat the level, but who wants to do things the easy way? Apparently not me, that's who. Mission 7: Soviet Era Rocket Facility Baikonur Cosmodrome, Southern Kazakhstan Background: This is the hour of our destiny. Today we will show the world our true power. You must take possession of the Cosmodrome so that we may deliver our justice to the west. Objectives: -Capture the ground control building -Capture the launch pad The pre-mission video shows the missile being sent by train to the launch pad. An overhead views shows the facility is prepared for launch. A voice over explains that although security is tight, you must not fail. Your surroundings consist of a city to your north, surrounded by a river. Three bridges link the city to the U.S. and Chinese bases. Your first order of business should be to capture the oil derrick to the southwest of your base. Also, there is a very annoying train that goes through your base, killing any unit it touches. The best way to get rid of it is to but one mine on the tracks and wait for the train to pass. Money will be tight for a while, so watch every penny you spend and build the Black Market as soon as possible. There are three bridges leading out of the city. The Americans will attack from the southernmost bridge. They rely heavily on air attacks, so you'll want to concentrate your Stinger Sites and rocket infantry. You'll have to continually replace them, but you can offset the cost with bounties since aircraft are so expensive. The Chinese attack from the northernmost bridge with land units. Two Stinger Sites and two Tunnel Networks will slow them down, but you will have to reinforce it with units if you want to hold the position. Rocket buggies placed on the riverbank will take out the armor, but Jarmen Kell is critical to take out the hoards of infantry the Chinese send. Eventually, you'll want to build up a small strike force of Rocket Buggies and Jarmen Kell and attack the Chinese Bunkers up north. Jarmen will be critical to take out the infantry in the Bunkers and the occupied buildings. Build a line of Tunnel Networks up north so that you can continually reinforce your units. If you can make it up the second hill, you can easily destroy or capture the Chinese base. Bring along some Quad Cannons and SCUD Launchers to take out the Migs and units around the launch site. Take them out and capture the launch site. By now, the U.S. must be down to their last few dollars. Set up your Launchers on the edge of their base and fire on their Particle Cannon. Once that's out of the way, get rid of the occupied building near the Control Center. Once its gone, there is nothing to stop your from occupying the Control Center and ending the mission. The final video shows the rocket being prepped from launch. The next scene shows an unnamed large metropolis. Out of the sky, the warhead splits into three parts. Each piece of the warhead explodes, sending three large green chemical mushroom clouds into the air. The streets are bathed in green smoke. I have to wonder why the GLA didn't put nukes on the missile instead of chemical weapons. I mean, if you're going to the trouble to capture a Cosmodrome, then why not go for the gold? Oh well… Bart-Jan Gort offers this (rather elaborate) tip for beating the mission: " In the last GLA mission, get the rebel ambush to level 3. Get the anthrax bomb, the camouflage upgrade and the capture building upgrade. The anthrax bomb also kills tanks. Drop the anthrax bomb southwest of the strategy center. Wait e few seconds. Launch a rebel ambush next to the strategy center and start walking away from the anthrax bomb (they will be invisible now, so the strat center wont fire his cannon). When your rebels appear, the USA will send their tanks to [destroy] your rebels. The anthrax bomb will kill the tanks, but your rebels are far away from the bomb so they will survive. When the anthrax is gone, you can capture the strategy center. When you have it, there are no defenses you have to be afraid of. Now capture some power plants and capture the particle cannon. When you wait with this until 1-2 mins before the particle cannon fires, you will be able to fire the cannon almost immediately when you have captured it. Fire it on the missile silo in the northwest corner. You can try to keep the base, or if you cant hold it out long enough with the rebels, sell every building you capture. Now fire a scud storm on the damaged nuclear silo or launch another ambush near it and kill it (the Chinese are to well defended to capture it). You can also walk the surviving rebels away so they will become invisible again. Now you can walk a rebel to each building and capture them all at once so the Chinese can't kill them fast enough. Sell the buildings and move in with your main force. " U.S. Missions: Mission 1: Operation: Final Justice Baghdad, Iraq Background: The troops are assembled on the outskirts of Baghdad. We know the GLA has SCUD launchers and are prepared to use them. Liberate the city and destroy the SCUD launchers. This mission will give you the basics on US units. Objectives: -Liberate Baghdad -Destroy SCUD Storm The pre-mission video shows Iraqi – err – GLA forces shooting down a US Raptor, only to be decimated by American air and armor. (Let's hope the real thing will be that easy). The first thing you'll want to do is to upgrade all your vehicles to get Battle Drones. Battle drones are one of the most useful upgrades in the game, and not only heal your units but provide them some anti-infantry capability. There will be another line of Scorpions at the gates of Baghdad. Destroy them but don't go in the city just yet. Send in one Humvee and a video will be triggered. The GLA Scud Storm buries part of Baghdad in green clouds of anthrax. Anthrax will damage vehicles and kill infantry outright, so it's best to wait for it to dissipate before moving on. In the meantime, go to the General's Experience Menu and pick the Spy Drone upgrade. Go back to your base and round up the infantry that are just standing around. The GLA doesn't attack your base this mission, so they are useless there. Either send your Spy Drone or use your Spy Satellite to highlight the oil derricks to the southwest of the anthrax clouds. Load them into nearby Humvees and send one to the oil derricks. They will occupy the derricks (giving you more money) when you research the Capture Building upgrade at the Barracks. Also, above the derricks are some U.N. crates filled with money. Get them if you want, but they aren't necessary to win the mission. Move your Humvee a little farther up and you should see some enemy occupied civilian buildings. Two choppers with rangers should show up and clear them out. Send the main body of your force up over the bridge and clear out the palace area. Be careful of the towers surround the bridges; if they fall, they can kill several of your units. Send another Humvee full of troops to liberate the pilots to the northeast of the palace. Above the palace are two more occupied buildings, and two helicopters full of infantry show up. Combat Drop the helicopters, and the rangers will clear out those buildings as well. Immediately send the bulk of your armor up to reinforce those buildings, as GLA tanks at the top of the hill start attacking the rangers. Once the tanks are cleared out, send your army up the hill. Again, send one Humvee west and you should see a line of Scorpions. A bomber will show up and use a Fuel Air Bomb to destroy the Scorpions. Once they're gone, send you armor up and clear out the GLA base. Be careful of the Stinger Site near the SCUD Storm, as its missiles will tear through your armor. *NOTE* Although clearing Baghdad might make you feel important, the only real objective needed to end the mission is to destroy the SCUD Storm. For those of you who are slightly more daring, build some Chinooks and load them up with armor and troops. Then unload them in the grove of trees next to the SCUD launcher. From there, you can either capture (once the SCUD Storm has counted down) or destroy the SCUD Storm and end the mission quickly. Mission 2: Operation: Treasure Hunt Al Hanad, Yemen Background: While on the trail of some GLA leaders, three Comanche helicopters were brought down. Your job is to rescue the pilots. Objectives: -Rescue the 3 captured pilots In a scene reminiscent of Black Hawk down, the pre-mission video shows the helicopters succumbing to enemy SAMs. Although the last two helicopters should have been more careful when they saw their buddy go down in flames, its up to you to pull their chestnuts out of the fire. However, you need to protect your base before you can go rescue anyone. Build some more Patriot sites on the north and west perimeter of your base, and station a Humvee up north. Research Capture Building and take the oil derricks above your base (Remember only Rangers can capture buildings). You should also build a War Factory to repair your Construction Dozer and to build vehicles. Now that you're properly defended, send your forces west and capture the hospital. Your infantry will automatically heal themselves, which will definitely come in handy later on in the mission. The pilot (represented as a red dot on the map) is guarded by an angry mob, so send some Rangers and Colonel Burton to occupy the civilian building across the street. Clear out the Stinger Site nearby and the enemy occupied building next to it. By now you should be at or near your third star, which allows you to build Pathfinders. Pathfinders are one of the best American units of the game. They can kill infantry in one shot, and are stealth units to boot. As soon as you can, build some and send them with your forces. Get the pilot back to your base. Although you can have him pilot your units (automatically making them full veterans), its best to leave them back at your base for reasons you'll see later. Now move on to your next pilot. The best way to do this is to build some Pathfinders, load them into Humvees, and send them with a group of armor directly to the pilot. Attack Move is your best friend here, and will avoid your units getting picked off without your constant micromanaging. Get the pilot back to your base ASAP. The final pilot is being held to the east in a large GLA held base. A frontal assault is very expensive in terms of men and tanks, and you'll need those units to help hold the line when the last pilot gets rescued. Load up a Chinook with 2 Pathfinders and 5 Missile Defenders (leaving one spot open), and send it southeast of the enemy base. The GLA base is fenced in, but there is a small area on the plateau outside the fenced area you can land safely. A Technical should get nosy and bust through the gate to get to your forces. Your Missile Defenders should easily take out the Technical, which has foolishly made you a backdoor into the base. Occupy the bunker and destroy the Arms Dealer to prevent the GLA from reinforcing. Once its gone, have the Pathfinders shoot the guys in the Stinger Site. Without the guys, the Site is defenseless, and should fall easily to the Missile Defenders. Occupy the bunker nearest the gate and your forces will dispatch the troops at the entrance. With everyone gone, just move a Pathfinder up to take out the remaining guards. With the pilot freed, have everyone pile into the Chinook and head back to base. GLA forces will try and swarm your base, but your armor should hold them off long enough for the Chinook to reach your base. With all the pilots in your base, the mission ends. *NOTE* Weirdly enough, Washington only cares that the pilots are freed, not that they survive. I once tried a disastrous air assault to free the second pilot, which ended up killing him in the process. Although the counter still said 2 pilots remaining, I picked up the last pilot, brought him back to base, and ended the mission. Mission 3: Operation: Guardian Angel Northern Kazakhstan Background: American forces are in full retreat as the GLA moves in for the kill. You must provide these forces cover while they withdraw. This is one of the most fun U.S. missions in the game. Objectives: -Save 100 US units Although protecting the convoys is your main objective, you will need to pay attention to base defense first. Some of the GLA forces will break off and attack your base, and without proper defenses they can cause serious trouble. The best way to do both is to build Patriot Missile sites near the beginning of the western entrance of your base near the canyon. Also, having a line of sites going across the canyon will create an upside down L shaped line of Patriot sites. On this line you should put your helicopters and tanks. This will provide both cover for US forces and protect your base. On the eastern entrance to your base, build 2 Patriot sites to take out any GLA stragglers that get past your main force. In order to create such elaborate defenses, you will need lots of cash. Send a Construction Dozer and a Ranger in a Chinook to the southern part of the map. Have the Ranger capture the oil derricks and have the Dozer create a second Supply Depot near the Supply Dock. Also, power plants can be constructed in this southern area without fear of attack. After your defenses are set up, just sit back and watch the fireworks. Continue to build more Comanches to reinforce the line and replace any that get destroyed (later GLA hoards sport AA guns, so make sure to target them first. After saving 100 units, the GLA will make one final push to destroy your base. Survive, and the mission ends. Mission 4: Operation: Stormbringer Kazakhstan Coast Background: A major GLA training camp has been discovered. Seek out and destroy all GLA units in the area. Objectives: -Destroy 4 Stinger Sites -Destroy GLA base on the hill The pre-mission video features an impressive landing against a fortified enemy. Perhaps the idea was to surprise the GLA, though they have fortified the beach. Although the US takes some losses, it ends up with a foothold on the beach. Clear out the few GLA stragglers on the beach to trigger your new objective. You must take out the 4 Stinger Sites so the US can bring in our bombers. The 4 sites are directly north of your position. Use the Tomahawk Launchers to take out the bunkers, then move a tank slowly up the hill until you can see the Stinger Sites. Take out the Sites with the Tomahawks and you'll switch to a video showing bombers carpet bomb the area. Scratch one terrorist training camp. Construction units show up, but don't build a base just yet. There is a small group of GLA camped out in tents above the Dozers. This is a good spot to set up shop. Use your Tomahawks and tanks to take out the camp. For now, the defense of your base should be your top priority. The buildings at the beginning of the town make a good defensive perimeter, so use the Rangers on the beach to occupy the nearby buildings. Reinforce the buildings by ringing them with Patriot batteries. The GLA will attack from all the eastern approaches, so make sure to leave some tanks in reserve in case any break through. Slowly build up your base and hunker down until your defenses are up. Your best General Promotions for this level are the Spy Drone, Pathfinder, and Paradrop, and the A10 Missile Strike. All of these will be helpful in clearing out the GLA on the hill. When you feel you can easily fend off the GLA attacks, its time to build your strike force. A good strategy is to build 2 Humvees and fill them with three Missile Defenders, one Pathfinder, and one Ranger each. Now build 2 Crusaders and one Ambulance. Also, move your Tomahawks to the north of your base. If you look at the GLA's hill base, you will see one approach next to your base defended by only one Tunnel Network. Order an A10 Strike on the Network, then send in your tanks and Humvees to mop it up. Don't forget to clear out any rocket infantry that survived the strike. You should find yourself directly above the GLA base. Occupy the large building and the bunker in the base. The primary targets here should be the Arms Dealer and the Stinger Sites. Your Pathfinders can kill the men in the Stinger Sites while your Missile Defenders take the Site out. With that out of the way, feel free to either destroy or capture the Arms Dealer. Destroy the Command Center and send up a Construction Dozer to build a Barracks and War Factory on the plateau. Send a Pathfinder down to take out the infantry, and the Tomahawks can clear out any remaining vehicles and defensive structures. Remember that should you want to build GLA structures, you should capture either the Command Center or Supply Stash. By this point, the mission is pretty much in the bag. Without their main base the GLA cannot reinforce, so all that's left is to cross the bridge and clear out the remaining Stinger Sites and Tunnel Network. *NOTE* Unfortunately, this mission uses up a lot of credits, so it's important to watch your pennies. There are two oil derricks in the southwest portion of the map, directly below the GLA hill base. Although they look tempting, it's more expensive to hold that position and protect the derricks than you can hope to recover from them. However, if you need a quick 2000 credits, you can Paradrop rangers near the derricks and have them capture them. Just keep in mind that the GLA will most likely begin attacking the derricks and send a strike force down to destroy them. It's much easier to just clear out the hill base and end the mission. Mission 5: Operation: Blue Eagle Kazakhstan DMZ Background: The U.N. has brokered a temporary cease-fire while diplomats hold meetings with GLA leaders. Although the U.N. seems to think peace is near, we don't trust the GLA. Your job is to protect the U.N. delegates from harm. Objectives: -Destroy GLA base before it can get operational -Destroy main GLA base Well, as you may have already guessed, things went horribly awry. The pre- mission video shows the U.S. hunting down the strike force that killed the U.N. diplomat. They even throw in a cool Matrix moment by panning around the explosion. With the GLA surrounded, the U.S. forces demand they surrender. But the same group that uses suicide bombers and anthrax doesn't go down easily, and they go out in a hail of gunfire. This mission can either be incredibly hard or incredibly easy, depending on when you destroy the GLA base. Good General's Promotions for this level are the Spy Drone, A10 Strike (upgraded), and Pathfinders. Build a Pathfinder and send it with your tanks and Comanches towards the GLA base. Across the bridge are two Tunnel Networks and a bunch of vehicles. The Comanches and the A10 Strike, backed up with your tanks, will make short work of the defenders. When you get to the GLA base being built, have the Pathfinder kill the men in the Stinger Site and move in. DO NOT DESTROY THE COMMAND CENTER. This is vital. Leave it alone – you'll see why in a second. Build a second Construction Dozer and move it to your forces across the river. Start building a second base over there (build a line of Patriots on the northern perimeter of your new base). On the other side of your river (where your original base is), capture the Hospital and build a Strategy Center, Detention Camp, and Airfield. When you feel you are ready, move your forces away from the bridge and destroy the Command Center. Destroying the Command Center will trigger a video showing the GLA blowing up a dam upstream. The ensuing tidal wave wipes out the village and the bridge. Your forces on the other side are now cut off from your main base, and the main GLA base is to the north (aren't you glad you built the Patriots now?) Build some Pathfinders to take out any suicide bombers or other infantry the GLA might throw your way. Your Patriots should be able to take out any armor. Now you can begin worrying about an offensive. A frontal assault can be very expensive, since the GLA holds the high ground and has mined the main entrances to the base. In the far eastern part of the map is a lone Tunnel Network. Take it out and you have a clear shot to the oil derricks up north. Load up a Humvee with some Rangers and occupy the derricks and the oil refinery. The GLA will probably start the SCUD Storm countdown by now, so it should be your next target. Send your Pathfinder up and have him shoot at the Stinger Sites surrounding the SCUD Storm, while the Comanches go in and clean up. Stinger Sties are a good place to use your A10 Strike. From here you can destroy the SCUD Storm, but why not capture it instead? Continue clearing out the structures to your west, while your air units take out the defenders on the hills. Once you crack the base, you shouldn't expect any more serious opposition. *NOTE* Bart-Jan Gort describes the following technique for taking out the enemy base: "Walk with C. Burton to the GLA buildings going over the north mountains (he can climb over mountains so he wont have to take the main route and be detected). Plant bombs, no one will fire at you. Now walk south and bomb the [SCUD Storm]. An [A-10 Strike] will kill the command center in no time. " *NOTE* Russell Silva offers a slightly different take on the mission: "A quick Pathfinder drop, aided by the two Comanches you start with, can quickly cripple the GLA if micro-managed properly. Use your Pathfinders to take out Stinger Sites and Rocket Troopers, and your Comanches to take out buildings and vehicles. Do be careful, as soon as you attack the GLA will counterattack across the bridge, but stopping them is trivial. Use Marines with the Capture upgrade to capture the GLA supply stash, leave the GLA Command Center untouched, and destroy everything else. Use the GLA Supply Stash to build workers and notice that you can now build anything GLA--including Black Markets and Scud Storms! Tech up to Black Markets and build as many as you can on the left side of the river, add Scud Storms if you like. After that, you can do whatever you like--with lots of Black Markets, you have an unlimited supply of cash." Mission 6: Operation: Desperate Union Southern Kazakhstan Background: A rogue Chinese general has teamed up with the GLA and has reinforced their base. The Chinese state this general's actions are not supported by their government, and have authorized us to take him out. Objectives: -Destroy Chinese Command Center -Destroy Chinese Missile Silo -Destroy GLA forces to the east The pre-mission video shows off the awesome power of the Particle Cannon. Although its blast radius is small, it will devastate anything the beam touches. You can even move it around to hit different targets. As always, defense is your first priority. Start up your base and send your Crusaders and Col. Burton to the north. Destroy the car bomb waiting in the trees. Send a Dozer over to build 2 Patriot batteries, and send up a Pathfinder when you have the chance. The other place to reinforce is the bridge. Build another Patriot battery near the bridge and send over a Pathfinder. You will rarely be attacked, and this should be enough to hold off any half-hearted attacks they throw at you. Your next priority will be to get more supplies. Send a small force of a Crusader with the Rangers down to secure the supply dock, then send a Dozer down to build the Supply Depot. Build 2 Patriot batteries at the bottom of the screen, where the road begins. Although they may seem useless now, they will be very important later. In the meantime, you should also be using your A10 Strikes to neutralize any Stinger Sites you see. The Chinese forces are more dangerous than the GLA, so concentrate your units to the south. A combination of Crusaders and Tomahawks, backed up with a Pathfinder or two, will allow you to clear out the Tunnel Networks and occupied buildings without having to waste you A10 Strikes on them. Eventually, you will spot the Command Center and Nuclear Missile Silo. At this point, Chinese reinforcements will come out of the north (in the little canyon near where you built your Patriot batteries) and to the south (on the road in the town). Your defenses should hold them off long enough for you to send some units to assist them. In the meantime, the Nuclear Missile will be counting down. Lucky for you, the Chinese foolishly left 4 nuclear reactors in a line right next to each other. Use your Particle Cannon to take them all out, which should pull the plug on the countdown. If that doesn't work, you may have to quickly destroy or capture the silo to prevent the Chinese from launching the nuke. With the immediate threat removed, destroy/capture the Command Center to complete the Chinese objectives. Now on to the GLA base. If you have been taking out the Stinger Sites around the map, this should be a piece of cake. Drop a Fuel Air Bomb or an A10 Strike on the two Overlords near the GLA Command Center, and clear out the nearby vehicles. The area should be safe for you to Paradrop Rangers and send in armor via Chinooks. The Black Market, Command Center, and Palace are your primary targets. Destroy them, and the mission ends. Mission 7: Operation: Last Call Akmola, Kazakhstan Background: This is it – the GLA's last stand. You must secure the capital and destroy all GLA forces in the area. Be warned that they have biological weapons no reason not to use them. The pre-mission video focuses on a group of Rangers assigned to laser-designate some SCUD Launchers being brought into the city. After the Launchers go up in flames, the team narrowly escapes a barrage of missiles on their position. For the final mission, this one is relatively easy. Send a few Rangers south and you'll see an abandoned Chinese base. Capture the structures and start to mine the supply pile. Move your forces west and you will see a mountain range with two passes through it. Build some Patriot sites around the entrances of the passes and station Pathfinders nearby to pick off infantry. Two Patriots per mountain pass should provide enough protection for you. You should also begin attacking the wall with A10 Strikes and Fuel Bombs. Target the archways since these are always crammed full of infantry. While you are building up your base, make sure to build a couple of Supply Drop Zones. You'll need a lot of cash to beat this mission and will quickly tap out the supplies at your base. On the Chinese side, begin building Overlords and a Nuke Silo. In the meantime, the SCUD Storm will probably start counting down. You have 8 minutes until it launches, and with luck this will be enough time to stop it. Concentrate your attacks on Stinger Sites, particularly near the SCUD Storm. Once they are cleared out, you can Paradrop Rangers behind the SCUD Storm and try to capture it. As a last resort, four Aurora bombers and an A10 attack will take care of a SCUD Storm, but it will cost you about 10000 credits to do so. Without the threat of the SCUD Storm, you can either take your time and smash the GLA at your leisure, or go ahead and end it sooner. Make good use of your Spy Drones, as the GLA has laced the city with mines. Also, if you need cash there are several oil derricks in the northern part of the city. Once you destroy the initial defenses, there is nothing stopping you from easily taking the rest of the city. Most of the unit producing structures are towards the front of the city, so taking them out will break the back of the GLA army. Overlords backed with Tomahawks will clear out occupied buildings with ease, and should present little difficulty. The final video shows a crowd of Americans cheering as the President addresses the crowd. The shot pans up to show the U.S. flag, which is promptly covered up by Mission Complete screen. *NOTE* Andrew Merryman offers the following advice when dealing with the wall in front of the capital: "In the last U.S. mission, you refer to the GLA wall garrisoned with infantry and say to take it out with fuel bombs and a10 strikes. There is an easier and much quicker way to clear the buildings. Just research flashbang and send a couple rangers to flashband the indivdual sections of the wall. this is a lot cheaper and less expensive. Also, along with the two patriot missle defense system, it would be a good idea to reinforce the missles and snipers with a couple of tanks, in case they attack with scorpions and/or marauders." *NOTE* Bart-Jan Gort strikes again with a similar method of clearing the level: "Research the capture building first, then the flash bangs. Capture the base. A flash bang instantly kills all units in a building. The 3 rangers are enough to clear the entire bridge. Max the [A-10 Strike] and launch it on the scud storm after the game started 30 secs. 1 or 2 planes will survive the defense. Now you can kill the SCUD when it's still being [built]. Now you don’t have to worry about the scud and the bridge." *NOTE* Josh Fennema prefers the direct route when dealing with the pesky GLA: "Build 1 or 2 Overlords with bunkers and fill them with pathfinders. In mission 7, you will empty the wall of defenders so quickly that you'll probably miss it. I took out the GLA with 6 overlords - 2 with towers, 2 with rocket infantry filled bunkers and 2 with pathfinder filled bunkers. The pathfinders not only empty the wall sections, but also empty stinger sites while the overlords pummel them."