Universal Nectaris Weapon Guide 2/4 for Nectaris / Military Madness Titles @ BASE NECTARIS (USA)

OVERVIEW : Only infantry can CAPTURE a Factory or Prison Camp. They are crucial in this respect. Load infantry into NC-1 MULE or C-61 PELICAN to quickly get them to factories / prison camps. Charlie should also avoid battle (although it can handle light skirmishes if you're savvy). Kilroy can handle (limited) heavy combat if used intelligently (i.e. as the "clean-up" hitters).b

GX-77 Charlie and GX-87 Kilroy are the ONLY ground units that can traverse VALLEYS (0%) and MOUNTAINS (40% terrain). However, they can only go as far as the valley's edge in a single turn and must wait until the next turn to actually pass through. In contrast, motorcycle infantry (CBX-1) can only travel on 20% and lower terrain.

TIP: As with any unit possessing pitiful armor, infantry must use the terrain to boost their defense. Defense can also be boosted via Support Effects.

"Charlie can capture and occupy factories and prisons but has minimal attack and defense power. Movement is slow so it is best to use transporters to get close."

Charlie is the most common infantry you'll encounter in the game and are more versatile than you might think. When opponent is within striking distance, move Charlie off roads / flat ground and into rough terrain. When GX-77 is no longer needed to capture factories and prisons, they are useful for SUPPORTING and SURROUNDING your troops defensively.

Land Attack	Air Attack
10	10
Land Range	Air Range
1	1
Shifting	Defense
3	4

"The heavy infantry has some surface attack and a small air attack. They can capture and ocupy factories and camps but movement is slow and defense is low."

Kilroy is the slowest unit in the game. But... behold Kilroy's Land Attack of 40 ! For wimpy infantry, Kilroy can cause some serious damage to ground units. Of course, infantry shouldn't be used to initiate a battle. Let other (stronger) units strike first, thus weakening the enemy before bringing in Kilroy for clean-up.

Land Attack	Air Attack
40	10
Land Range	Air Range
1	1
Shifting	Defense
2	10

"These motorcycle troops can capture and occupy factories and camps but have only a machine gun for attack and defense is minimal. Speed and mobility are very good."

Panthers are quite fast (especially on paved roads), so they are great for quickly capturing factories/prison camps. However, Panthers CANNOT traverse 30%+ terrain--so plan your route accordingly. Panther, like infantry, make good "bait" to lure opponents into battle. While Panther doesn't fare well in battle, it can still be used defensively to SUPPORT your troops and SURROUND your enemy.

Land Attack	Air Attack
10	10
Land Range	Air Range
1	1
Shifting	Defense
9	8

OVERVIEW : The ability to strike an opponent indirectly is invaluable because there is no risk to the aggressor: you can bomb the enemy from a safe distance. Since these units are mobile, they can advance as your front line advances, unlike fixed artillery (i.e. SS-80 Atlus). Be sure to protect Hadrian and Octopus behind your front lines, however, because they have no means of defending themselves from a direct attack (they CANNOT attack adjacent units). Don't forget to use the terrain to boost your defense!

IMPORTANT: Hadrian and Octopus may either attack OR shift per turn, but they CANNOT do both. This means that you always have to be thinking "one turn ahead" when devising your strategy. For example, you will often be faced with the following situation: "Should I attack this turn (thus leaving me vulnerable for attack next turn), or should I shift the unit to a safer place (thus forfeiting my chance to attack this turn)."

"This self-propelled gun has a precise 155mm indirect attack cannon. Because of no direct attack ability, it must have additional support from other units to survive."

Hadrian can either 1) attack or 2) shift per turn, but it CANNOT do both. Select ATTACK and all available targets will be highlighted by a hexagon. Remember, Hadrian CANNOT attack adjacent enemies, so it should NOT be on the front lines.

HINT: Since Hadrian has a range of 2-5 hexes, use it to safely destroy MR-22 Octopus (which has a range of only 4 hexes).

Land Attack	Air Attack
45	/
Land Range	Air Range
5	/
Shifting	Defense
4	30

"This self-propelled gun has 24 connected 6mm rockets for indirect attacks. It has good firepower but lacks precision. Support is needed because of its light armor."

Again, Octopus can either 1) attack or 2) shift per turn, but it CANNOT do both. Select ATTACK and all available targets will be highlighted by a hexagon. Remember, Octopus CANNOT attack adjacent enemies, so it should NOT be on the front lines.

HINT: Don't allow Octopus to get too close to SS-80 Atlus or SG-4 Hadrian, since they have greater attack range and can strike Octopus first.

Land Attack	Air Attack
60	/
Land Range	Air Range
4	/
Shifting	Defense
4	30

OVERVIEW : The ability to strike an opponent indirectly is invaluable because there is no risk to the aggressor. SS-80 Atlas offers the most deadly long-range land attack in the game and thus has immense value as a DETERRENT TO GROUND TROOPS. Unlike the previous class of Long-Range Artillery (SG-4 Hadrian and MR-22 Octopus), the SS-80 Atlas is stationary and thus immobile... when removing SS-80 from a factory, load it into NC-1 Mule or C-61 Pelican. Once deployed, these units CANNOT be moved, so be sure to place them strategically (i.e. just behind your front lines; behind a geographic barrier -- such as a mountain range -- to act as a natural buffer against enemy ground troops; near the route your opponent would most likely want to travel, etc.).

"The ultimate battle gun with long range and awesome power--a great performer. Needs transport for mobility and can only move once. No anti-air ability."

SS-80 Atlas is stationary artillery and thus cannot be repaired (since it can't move to a factory). Furthermore, Atlas cannot attack targets adjacent to it, so make sure it is adequately defended and not vulnerable to direct fire from the enemy.

SS-80 can only be deployed on roads (0%) and flat ground (5%)... so you cannot rely on the terrain to boost Atlas' defense.

Land Attack	Air Attack
90	/
Land Range	Air Range
6	/
Shifting	Defense
/	20

HINT: When Atlas gains a full star for experience, it can often destroy entire squadrons of troops in a single turn, making it the BEST deterrent to ground troops. Therefore, never allow your opponent's Atlas to gain experience easily: keep all of your ground forces safely out of range (a distance of 7 or more hexes) until you have a plan.

HINT: Atlas, of course, are helpless against AX-87 Eagle and EF-88 Hunter. Also, on difficult maps, if you are unable to capture a factory, you may shift your strategy to preventing your opponent from capturing the factory...a well-positioned Atlas can (hopefully) destroy any infantry that attempt to capture said factory.

HINT: Sometimes you may be forced to break with convention and deploy SS-80 adjacent to your factory (instead of loading it onto a NC-1 Mule or C-61 Pelican). Before doing this, keep in mind that you will effectively close one of the "ports" of your factory and might significantly handicap your ability to send / repair / remove troops from the factory.

OVERVIEW : Mines are often underutilized in Nectaris games, but they can be incredibly useful to slow down your opponent's troops. STRATEGY: Use mines to block access through a narrow route. Or, use mines as a "decoy": the A.I. of your computer opponent prioritizes the destruction of mines and is often distracted by them. These assaults would otherwise be leveled at your more important troops, so be grateful the mines are bearing the brunt of the attack. SUPPORT EFFECT: Triggers have very high defense (80) that is rarely matched by other equipment. You can TAP INTO this defense by placing your other troops adjacent to M-77 (thereby boosting your other troops’ defense significantly). See support effects for more info.

"The land mines are used to interupt enemy advancement. Movement is only possible by truck or air transporter and can only be moved once. High defense capacity. No attack."

When removing M-77 from a factory, load it into NC-1 Mule or C-61 Pelican. Once deployed, these units CANNOT be moved, so be sure to place them strategically (i.e. on the route your opponent would most likely want to travel; on your front lines to support your other troops, etc.).

HINT: Sometimes you may be forced to break with convention and deploy M-77 adjacent to your factory (instead of loading it onto a NC-1 Mule or C-61 Pelican). Before doing this, keep in mind that you will effectively close one of the "ports" of your factory and might significantly handicap your ability to send / repair / remove troops from the factory.

Land Attack	Air Attack
/	/
Land Range	Air Range
/	/
Shifting	Defense
/	80

OVERVIEW : Transport vehicles are great for swiftly moving troops across great distances -- but Mule and Pelican are absolutely invaluable for transporting STATIONARY units (i.e. SS-80 Atlus and M-77 Trigger) and SLOW MOVING units (i.e. GX-87 Kilroy, HMB-2 Giant, etc.) units. Transport vehicles have WEAK defense, however, so avoid battle at all costs when carrying cargo. Thankfully, the cargo itself CANNOT be damaged in transport -- unless, of course, the entire Mule / Pelican unit is destroyed. NOTE: A detailed explanation on how to use transport vehicles is provided below.

How to use Transport Vehicles:

A unit CANNOT be loaded and unloaded in a single turn.

* When cargo is unloaded, it must wait until the next turn before it can perform any operations.

* Cargo can ONLY be unloaded on PAVEMENT (0%), FLAT GROUND (5%), or into a FACTORY already under your
   control. You CANNOT unload cargo directly onto a prison camp! (This prevents you, and your opponent, from getting
   "cheap" victories!)

TIP: A single Mule / Pelican can fully transport up to eight (8) items. So Bison (X 8) can be loaded and transported by Pelican (X 1). Does this defy logic? Of course! But this only adds fun and a sense of urgency to the game, because you know that unless you can destroy ALL EIGHT Mules / Pelicans in a unit, your opponent will be able to deploy the FULL, original cargo as if nothing happened!

STRATEGY FOR TRANSPORT VEHICLES:
Success in capturing a factory/camp is often determined by who gets there FIRST--so load infantry in transport vehicles to swiftly move them to factories and prison camps.

Stationary equipment such as SS-80 Atlas and MM-7 Trigger cannot move by themselves and must be shifted with transport vehicles. Once these units are deployed they cannot be moved again (so be strategic in your placement).

Slow-moving units (i.e. GX-87 Kilroy, T-79 Grizzly, PT-6 Polar, HMB-2 Giant, etc.) should be transported in these units as well. Take note that INFANTRY are the only slow-moving units that MULE can carry. You will need PELICAN to transport tanks and other heavier items.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LOADING / UNLOADING:
You CANNOT load & unload units in a single turn (a minimum of 2 turns is required).

(a) LOADING a unit onto Pelican/Mule:
To move a unit by means of a transport vehicle, place the cursor on the unit you wish to transport and press "I". Select "Shift" command by pressing "I" once more--a hex grid is displayed revealing the unit's shift range. Place the cursor on the hexagon of the PELICAN or MULE and press "I". Press "I" once more to confirm; your unit is now loaded on the transport vehicle.

(b) UNLOADING unit from Pelican/Mule:
Place cursor on transport vehicle, press "I". Select "Shift" command. A hex grid will display the shift range of the transport vehicle. When you are finished moving PELICAN/MULE, the transport vehicle will automatically try to UNLOAD the cargo. Hexagons will highlight where cargo may be unloaded. Choose a hex and press "I" to unload (press "II" to keep the cargo aboard). Remember, cargo can only be deployed on PAVEMENT (0%) or FLAT LAND (5%). No, you CANNOT unload cargo directly onto your opponent's prison camp (this prevents cheap victories).       PREVIOUS    MAIN MENU    NEXT WEAPON