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Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.



Contents
Units, COs and Fanart

Blue Moon (and Field Training)
Campaign Mission 1: It's War! (or "An Arrowing Experience")
. Field Training Missions 1 to 3 (or "No use crying over spilt blood")
Campaign Mission 2: Gunfighter! (or "Time for some ACTION")
. Field Training Missions 4 to 6 (or "I've got a 10-year-old ghost to exorcise")
Campaign Mission 3: Air Ace! (or "They gave their lives so that we might cheese the mission with an HQ capture")
. Field Training Missions 7 to 9 (or "OLAF WENT FIRST???")
Campaign Mission 4M: Max Strikes! as Max (or "I have so much more power!")
. Field Training Missions 10 and 11 (or "You might enjoy the challenge!")
Campaign Mission 5M: Sniper! (or "Max vs. Grit: Round 1")
. Field Training Missions 12 to 14 (or "Neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night...")
Campaign Mission 6M: Blizzard Battle! (or "Wait, "he"? Who's "he"?")
Campaign Mission 7M: History Lesson! (or "Max vs. Grit: Round 2")
Campaign Mission 4A: Max Strikes! as Andy (or "A (choke)point to prove")
Campaign Mission 5A: Max's Folly? (or "Max vs. Grit: Round 1... er... 3")
Campaign Mission 6A: Olaf's Navy! HQ Capture Run (or "botes")
Campaign Mission 6O: Olaf's Navy! Rout Run (or "Imagine a rocket launcher stamping on a cruiser's face - forever")
Campaign Mission 7O: Olaf's Sea Strike! (or "The bad news is, we're Max - the good news is, we're Max")
. The Plan (or "Where we've been, where we're going and how we're going to get there") Caution: Massive Spoilers

Yellow Comet
Campaign Mission 8: Sami's Debut! (or "Who needs T copters?")
Campaign Mission 9: Kanbei Arrives! as Max (or "Makes Andy look like Richard Feynman")
. Highlights Reel: Kanbei Arrives! as Andy
Campaign Mission 10: Mighty Kanbei! as Andy (or "Choked to death")
. Highlights Reel: Mighty Kanbei! as Sami
Campaign Mission 11: Kanbei's Error? as Sami (or "Quote Central")
. Highlights Reel: Kanbei's Error? as Max
Campaign Mission 12: Divide and Conquer! (or "Trollface levels of smug")
Campaign Mission 13: Sami Marches On! (or "Can't make an omelette without breaking some mechs")
Campaign Mission 14: Sonja's Goal! (or "Either my imagination's on the blink, or...")

Green Earth
Campaign Mission 15M: Captain Drake! as Max (or "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR FACE?")
. April Fools 2012
Campaign Mission 16M: Naval Clash! as Max (or "The fated northern shore")
Campaign Mission 15S: Captain Drake! as Sami (or "That Tsunami should be against the rules!")
Campaign Mission 15A: Captain Drake! as Andy (or "The choker outchoked?")
Campaign Mission 16S: Naval Clash! as Sami (or "Now I know how all these enemy COs feel")
Campaign Mission 16A: Naval Clash! as Andy (or "Adding injury to injury")
Campaign Mission 17A: Wings of Victory! as Andy (or "Catharsis")
Campaign Mission 17S: Wings of Victory! as Sami (or "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results")
Campaign Mission 17M: Wings of Victory! as Max (or "MASTER OF THE SKIES")
Campaign Mission 18A: Battle Mystery! as Andy (or "Hunt the Lander")
Campaign Mission 18M: Battle Mystery! as Max (or "Serious tactical naivety")
Campaign Mission 18S: Battle Mystery! as Sami (or "The Great Escape")
. Highlights Reel: Battle Mystery! as Max (non-derp edition)

Black Hole
Campaign Mission 19: Andy Times Two! as Andy (or "EEEAAAGGGLLLEEE :argh:")
. Highlights Reel: Andy Times Two! as Sami
Campaign Mission 20: Enigma as Max (or "Teapot Dome")
Campaign Mission 21AGD: The Final Battle! as Andy, Grit and Drake (or "Operation Nap Patrol Redux") - Part 1
. Campaign Mission 21AGD: The Final Battle! as Andy, Grit and Drake (or "Operation Nap Patrol Redux") - Part 2
. Campaign Mission 21AGD: The Final Battle! as Andy, Grit and Drake (or "Operation Nap Patrol Redux") - Part 3
. Intermission 1: Whistle-Stop Tour, Spann Island Highlights Reel
Campaign Mission 21AOK: The Final Battle! as Andy, Olaf and Kanbei (or "Operation Dunderhead") - Part 1
. Campaign Mission 21AOK: The Final Battle! as Andy, Olaf and Kanbei (or "Operation Dunderhead") - Part 2
. Intermission 2: The Field Training Grudge Match (Advance Wars 2 War Room - Point Stormy as Nell)
. Highlights Reel: Enigma as Sami
Campaign Mission 21AMS: The Final Battle! as Andy, Max and Sami (or "Operation Orange Star") - Part 1
. Campaign Mission 21AMS: The Final Battle! as Andy, Max and Sami (or "Operation Orange Star") - Part 2
. Intermission 3: Hachi Exhibition Match (Advance Wars 2 Vs. Mode - Pointing River, Hachi vs. Kanbei)
Campaign Mission 21AME: The Final Battle! as Andy, Max and Eagle (or "Operation Golden Ending") - Part 1
. Campaign Mission 21AME: The Final Battle! as Andy, Max and Eagle (or "Operation Golden Ending") - Part 2
Campaign Mission 22: Rivals! (or "The Advisor")

Advance Campaign
Advance Campaign Mission 1: It's War! (or "An Harrowing Experience") (with guests SupSuper and Sockerbagarn)
Advance Campaign Mission 2: Gunfighter! AC (or "A Bit of Grit") (with guests Fedule and BrooklynBruiser)
Advance Campaign Mission 3: Air Ace! AC (or "They all gave their lives so we might cheese the mission with an HQ capture") (with guests Seraphroy and Cryohazard)
Advance Campaign Mission 4: Max Strikes! AC as Andy (or "Silly me!" "Silly you!") (with guests BrooklynBruiser and Fedule)
Advance Campaign Mission 5: Max's Folly? AC (or "Max vs. Grit: Round 4") (with guests ScotchDK, Sylphid and alcharagia)
Advance Campaign Mission 6: Olaf's Navy! AC as Max (or "ruvenj of botes") (with guests Alkydere, Fedule, Sockerbagarn and (until a technical problem) Sylphid)
. A Very Brief Intermission (Advance Wars 2 War Room - Mial's Hope as Hachi)
Advance Campaign Mission 7: Sami's Debut! AC as Max (or "Something, something, Sun Tzu") (with guests Krysmphoenix, Sockerbagarn and Assoonasitis)
Advance Campaign Mission 8: Kanbei Arrives! AC as Max (or "A Sting in the Tail") (with guests ScotchDK and SupSuper)
Advance Campaign Mission 9: Mighty Kanbei! AC as Andy (or "Lose the battle, win the war") (with guests Seraphroy and BrooklynBruiser)
Advance Campaign Mission 10: Kanbei's Error? AC as Max (or "What's an airport, again?") (with guests BrooklynBruiser, Sockerbagarn and Sylphid)
Advance Campaign Mission S1: Divide & Conquer! AC (or "Hostile Takeover") (by Sockerbagarn, with guests Paul.Power, Fedule and BrooklynBruiser)
Advance Campaign Mission 11A: Captain Drake! AC as Andy (or "Hope You Like Dissolve Cuts") (with guests Krysmphoenix and Sockerbagarn)
Advance Campaign Mission S2: Sami Marches On! AC (or "Mech Trickle") (by Sockerbagarn, with guests Paul.Power and Sylphid)
Advance Campaign Mission 12A: Naval Clash! AC as Andy (or "Pyrrhic S-Rank") (with guests Seraphroy and Sylphid)
Advance Campaign Mission 13A: Wings of Victory! AC as Andy (or "You're a Loose Cannon, But You're a drat Mediocre Cop") (with guests Sockerbagarn and Fredrik1/Irregular programming)
Advance Campaign Mission 14A: Battle Mystery! AC as Andy (or "The Mystery of Battle Mystery") (with guests Sockerbagarn and alcharagia)
Advance Campaign Mission 15: Andy Times Two! AC as Andy (or "Hallowe'en Horrorshow") (with guests Sockerbagarn and Assoonasitis)
. Another Very Brief Intermission (Vector Madness)
Advance Campaign Mission S3: Sonja's Goal! AC (or "Miniterrainian") (by Sockerbagarn, with guests Paul.Power and Sylphid)
Advance Campaign Mission 16: Enigma AC as Max (or "Zero Punctuation") (with guests Sylphid and Senerio)
Advance Campaign Mission S4: Captain Drake! AC as Sami (or "That sound Zoidberg makes when he scurries off to the side.") (by Sockerbagarn, with guests Paul.Power and ScotchDK)
Advance Campaign Mission 17: The Final Battle! AC (or "cryingandy.gif") - Part 1 (with guests Fedule and Sylphid)
Advance Campaign Mission 17: The Final Battle! AC (or "Fully Armed and Operational Mech Flood") - Part 2 (with guests Sylphid, Senerio and alcharagia)
Advance Campaign Mission S5: Navel Naval Clash! AC as Sami (or "At least Black Hole keeps their bellies clothed... Until Advance Wars 2.") (by Sockerbagarn, with guests Paul.Power and Sylphid)
Advance Campaign Mission 17: The Final Battle! AC (or "Quick-Time Event") - Part 3 (with guests Sockerbagarn and alcharagia)
. Advance Campaign Credits Roll and Musings
Advance Campaign Mission S6: Wings of Victory! AC as Sami (or "Diplomacy through Shock and Awe") (by Sockerbagarn, with guest Paul.Power)
Let's Commentate Advance Wars by Web! (or "March of the Penguins") - Part 1
. Let's Commentate Advance Wars by Web! (or "My dreeeeeams of CON-QUEST!") - Part 2
. Let's Commentate Advance Wars by Web! (or "whoops") - Part 3
Advance Campaign Mission S7: Battle Mystery! AC as Sami (or "You get an S-rank! And you get an S-rank! And you... did what?!") (by Sockerbagarn, with guest Paul.Power)
Advance Campaign Mission S8: Andy Times Two! AC as Andy (or "How to fail the Turing test. Times two.") (by Sockerbagarn, with guest Paul.Power)
. April Fools 2015
Advance Campaign Mission S9: The Final Battle! AC as Andy, Max and Eagle (or "Speedrun Strats") - Part 1 (by Sockerbagarn, with guests Paul.Power and Slur)
Advance Campaign Mission 18: Rivals! AC (or "Where does he get all these wonderful toys?") - Part 1 (with guests Sockerbagarn and Slur)
Advance Campaign Mission S9: The Final Battle! Part 2! AC (or "Bill Bombers" or "Tragedy" or "How to plan a banana.") (by Sockerbagarn, with guests Paul.Power and Slur)
Advance Campaign Mission 18: Rivals! AC (or "No plan survives contact with the anime") - Part 2 (with guests Sockerbagarn, Slur and Fredrik1/Irregular programming)

Content from other people
Origins of Units Part 1: Ground (by Lord Baxter)
Origins of Units Part 2: Air (by Lord Baxter)
The Design Maps Glitch Part 1: Introduction (by ultimateluigi987)
Blue Moon Campaign in Review (by Alien Arcana)
The Design Maps Glitch Part 2: Maps of all different sizes (by ultimateluigi987)
The Design Maps Glitch Part 2.5: Random Glitch Units (by ultimateluigi987)
Yellow Comet Campaign in Review (by Alien Arcana)
Green Earth Campaign in Review (by Alien Arcana)
Japanese CO Comparisons (by Liebely)

External links
Let's Play Advance Wars 2 (by me)
Let's Play Advance Wars: Dual Strike (by Alkydere, Artix and ZeeToo)
Let's Play Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (by Seraphroy)
Let's Play Military Madness (by Polybius). Sufficiently Wars-y to deserve a mention, also could use more love :).
Advance Wars Wiki (shout-out, I've been pinching their maps for this LP)
Advance Wars Net (used their maps for the AW2 LP)
Wars World News (used their maps for the first few missions of AW1 NC, and for the second half of AW1 AC)
Black Hole HQ (used some of their CO portrait graphics)

Oh hey, Advance Wars 1 this time.
Yep, we're going back to where it all started. Well, okay, no, because there's Famicom Wars and Super Famicom Wars and Game Boy Wars and... okay, start over. We're going back to where it all started assuming you aren't from Japan. Advance Wars was the first Nintendo Wars game released outside of Japan, and it was a massive hit, becoming a killer app for the Game Boy Advance. So far it's been followed by three sequels on the GBA and DS. Sadly there hasn't been an Advance Wars game confirmed for the 3DS yet. It's been about ten years now since the first Advance Wars was released in Europe, so in some ways this is something of an anniversary celebration.

What's Advance Wars, again?
The Advance Wars games are a series of turn-based strategy games developed by Nintendo studio Intelligent Systems (Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, Tetris Attack, WarioWare and others. Turns out they also made Golf for the Game Boy, one of the first games I ever owned. Fun times). Unusually for a war game, the style of the games is cute, bright and light-hearted and kind of at odds with the meat-grindery nature of the missions - Cannon Fodder minus the dark streak, perhaps. Unlike Fire Emblem there are no unique units, pretty much everything is disposable and on many maps you can just keep on churning out replacements for anything that dies. On the plus side, I feel that that this gives the games a greater sense of strategy rather than tactics, as with individual units being pretty frail, you have to think about the bigger picture.

An important aspect of Advance Wars is the CO system: armies are led by Commanding Officers (COs) who bring unique abilities to the game: perhaps they are strong with some units and weak with others, perhaps they have an affinity for certain weather conditions, perhaps they can even tilt the balance of luck in their favour. After dealing and taking (especially taking) enough damage, a CO can then use their CO Power, which can again have a variety of effects: it could boost their pre-existing strengths further, give mass healing to their troops or mass damage to enemy troops, or even let the army under their command attack twice in one turn. CO abilities and powers can easily sway the course of battle, often leading to highly game-breaking situations: you'll be seeing some of those situations soon enough.

What format will this LP take?
This LP comes in two halves: the first half is an exhaustive screenshot LP of Normal Campaign (and, briefly at the start of the LP, Field Training), showing off every mission in the various branching paths of Advance Wars' Campaign Mode and four different CO combinations for the final battle (conveniently called "The Final Battle"). The second half (not actually planned out when I started the LP!) is a semi-blind hybrid LP of Advance Wars' notoriously difficult Advance Campaign, with screenshot summaries complemented by post-commentary videos with guests. The Advance Campaign run also has another set of videos labelled with the letter S, showing off an alternate (and harder!) path through AC, played by my friend Sockerbagarn. Although he also plays semi-blind, Socker's just generally a lot better at videogames than I am, so he's perfectly suited to these harder missions. The goal of his run is to set up the even more notoriously difficult final bonus mission so that I have to play through it (oh boy).

It took me about eight months to LP Normal Campaign. And about three years to LP Advance Campaign. Says it all, really...

Any interactivity?
A little. The awkward thing about AW1 is that CO choices you make directly affect who you get to play with in the final battle. I want to try and show all the branching paths off, but I'll let you guys pick what I tackle first. One thing's for certain, I'm going to have to get used to juggling savestates!

Anyway, that's enough questions for now. Let's do as the title screen suggests and Press Start.



Hey, thanks, it's good to be here.



Now here's an interesting thing about Advance Wars 1 that doesn't happen in the other AW games: it asks you your name. In AW1, you actually get to be a character.



Sorry, no, I'm not calling myself Dongs or whatever ;)


I'm Nell. I'm a CO in the Orange Star Army.



No. Sorry Nell, I'm kind of a veteran here by now.

Oh, I see. In Advance Wars, I give game play and strategy advice in Field Training. This includes explanations of all the game rules, too. If you really don't want to, I can teach you a way to pass through Field Training quickly, but...



I screwed up the screenshot a little here, sorry. I selected No.

Very well, let me explain a few things briefly. There are several different gameplay modes. Vs. Mode for multiplayer battle on one Game Boy Advance. To play Advance Wars on multiple systems, link up with friends and try Link Mode. Then there's Field Training, where I give game and strategy instructions. You must at least clear the final Field Training mission, Fog of War. Once you clear it, other modes will open up for game play.
Move out and good luck!



Darn. Looks like I'm going to have to do some field training either way, even if I say I've played the game before. Oh well, I'm going to adopt a two-pronged strategy here. On the one hand, I'm going to clear Fog of War offscreen and then start out on Campaign. But interleaved with that I'm going to be doing the Field Training missions three at a time. Hopefully this'll be a good way to spread the load out.

So yeah. Let's move out!

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Dec 1, 2015

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Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Units

Army

Infantry or "Inf" (1000G). The bread and butter of most armies. Infantry move slowly and are weak in both attack and defence, but they can capture properties, board transports and they're very cheap to produce. A standard high-level defensive tactic is to mass produce infantry, on the basis that your opponent can't kill all of them, and use them to shield your more expensive units.
Mechanised Infantry or "Mech" (3000G). Actually they're more like anti-tank infantry than mechanised infantry (since that implies some form of transportation), but whatever. Mechs are even slower than normal Infantry, but are a little more solid defensively and much more powerful attackers - their bazookas allow them to hold their own against small tanks and the like. Like infantry, they can capture properties and board transports.
Light Tank or just "Tank" (7000G). Pretty fast, decent armour, packs a good punch against infantry and most light ground units but not up to much against air units or its big brother the medium tank. Reasonably cheap and pretty versatile, a mainstay of many an army.
Medium Tank or "Md Tank" or "Middie" (16000G). "Medium" doesn't really do these guys justice. The most powerful land unit Advance Wars 1 has to offer. Slower than a small tank and a lot more expensive, but a lot more powerful both in attack and defence, Middies annihilate most ground units. Their main weaknesses are air units and long-range attacks.
Anti-Air Tank, or AA (8000G). As the name suggests, the AA's primary role is to marmalise aircraft. But it's also a very powerful unit against footsoldiers. It's a lot less effective against tanks, though: Tank > AA > B-Copter > Tank is one of the simplest examples of a rock-paper-scissors triangle in AW. Pretty fast, can move the same distance per turn as a small tank.
Artillery, or Artil, or Arty (6000G). Artillery are the most basic long range unit, able to hit things two or three squares away from them. They pack a significant punch for their cost, and because they strike from a distance they're immune to counter-attacks. But they're slow, they can't move and fire on the same day, and their defence is paper thin. As a result, Artillery at their best at chokepoints, behind some kind of meatshield - either a heavily-armoured tank, or a large number of infantry. Another mainstay unit in high-level play, as they offer one of the best firepower-to-cost ratios in the game.
Rocket Launcher, or Rockets (15000G). Rockets are Artillery+: they do more damage and have a greater range of fire (three, four or five squares away). But their range shadow is larger, and they are even more slow and poorly armoured than artillery. Again, best used at chokepoints behind some kind of meatshield.
Recon (4000G). Recons are very fast units, but don't have much in the way of armour. They can take on footsoldiers and long-range units well enough, though, and make really good harriers in the early game. But they can't stand up to tanks or even AAs. Recons also have fantastic vision ranges in Fog of War, and are a must for good intel gathering in such conditions.
Armoured Personnel Carrier, or APC (5000G). APCs can transport footsoldiers around the map (just as well, as footsoldiers are slow buggers), and double up as supply trucks to keep your forces fuelled and armed. They carry no weapons (and infantry inside APCs cannot fire out) and aren't that well armoured despite their name, so keep 'em escorted. They do have a special third use in the first Advance Wars game though, which we'll learn about shortly.
Missile Launcher (12000G). Essentially rockets with a focus on surface-to-air rather than surface-to-surface. They're powerful: under normal conditions, a full health missile launcher can one-hit kill any air unit. So on paper, that sounds pretty good. Unfortunately, they have a lot of weaknesses: they're slow, heavily specialised, and it's very easy for B copters and bombers to just fly into their range shadow and take them out. So they're somewhat situational. They have a few uses though, like rendering enemy airports useless by setting up within range of them.

Air Force

Battle Helicopter or B copter (9000G). The light tanks of the skies, and even more versatile: they can get over awkward terrain easily, making them invaluable flankers on maps with chokepoints. They're decent attackers against most surface units, and take little damage back as tanks can't use their main cannons on them. They have a few massive weaknesses, though: they get taken apart easily by anti-airs and fighters.
Transport Helicopter or T copter (5000G). If B copters are flying tanks, then T copters are flying APCs, able to transport one footsoldier at a time. Because they can fly, they can reach places that APCs can't - to make up for this, they can't supply units the way that APCs can.
Bomber (22000G). The game's most powerful attacking unit, capable of one-shotting many surface units and not being far off at killing medium tanks and battleships, either. Even anti-airs can only beat them if they get the first shot in. Bombers are helpless against fighters, though.
Fighter (20000G). The kings of the skies, fighters are how you gain and hold air superiority in Advance Wars. They're devastating attackers against bombers, B copters and T copters - and to add insult to injury, those three units can't even attack fighters. They also have the largest movement range of any unit in the game. They can't do anything against surface units, though.

Navy

Battleship (28000G). The most powerful long-range unit in the game, able to hit anything between 2 and 6 squares away from them. They provide great fire support, and - amazingly for a long-range unit - have good armour. But they're the most expensive unit in the game (you know you've made it if you've got the financial power to spam battleships), and are defenseless against air units and submarines, requiring cruisers to escort them. As naval units, they can only travel on sea or reef tiles.
Lander (12000G). Naval transports that can carry two of any ground unit: this includes vehicles as well as footsoldiers. This makes them a key part of any island-hopping assault. They can't resupply. They are the only ship in AW capable of travelling on shoals (the yellow-and-light blue beach areas around some coasts). Landers can pick up and drop off their passengers either in ports or on shoals. Landers carry no weapons, and are vulnerable to indirect fire (including battleships), air units and submarines.
Submarines or Subs (20000G). Subs have the ability to dive to hide themselves from view. While dived, submarines can only be seen by units in neighbouring squares, and can only be attacked by cruisers and other subs. However, when dived, subs use fuel a lot more quickly (and they don't carry much of it to begin with), so you'll need APCs on standby to stop them sinking. Subs prey on battleships and landers, but fall quickly to cruisers. They have no anti-air or ship-to-shore capabilities.
Cruiser (18000G). These are the anti-air and anti-sub naval unit, designed to protect battleships and landers from their main predators. Trouble is, while they're pretty good at dealing with subs, air units are more of an issue. Bombers do serious damage to them, and even B-Copters can knock them down below half health. A little-remembered fact about Cruisers is that they can also carry two helicopters, protecting them from Fighters and stuff and also refuelling them. They have no ship-to-shore capabilities.

COs

Orange Star

Andy "Andy's Anthem" A pretty awesome guitar cover
Andy's stats are average, vanilla: he's essentially the benchmark all other COs are compared against. His CO Power, Hyper Repair, heals and repairs all your units by two hit points (assuming they're damaged, anyway) and makes them all a little more powerful.

Background/Personality: Cut Andy open and you'd see the word "PROTAGONIST" running through him like a stick of rock. He's also pretty derpy, and is the source of many of this game's more bizarre quotes. Despite this derpiness, he's an excellent mechanic and a solid all-around CO with no particular weaknesses (or strengths, but why focus on the negative?).

Nell Nell's Theme :rock:
Nell's special ability is that she is luckier than most COs: to explain what I mean by that, I'm going to look at health meters in more detail. The 10HP scale is actually a simplification of a 100HP scale (which is represented by the bar you see during battle screens). So the expected damage percentage really means it'll knock off that many hit points, plus a luck bonus between 0 at 10 extra hit points. For Nell, this luck bonus ranges from 0 to 15 instead. Pretty handy quality for a tutorial CO to have, makes everything run just that little bit smoother. Her CO Power Lucky Star, which we don't get to see during the course of Field Training, can increase that luck bonus to ludicrous levels.

Background/Personality: In this game, Nell isn't yet the commander in chief of Orange Star - she still has superiors, although who these superiors are we never actually learn. She definitely seems to be in charge of the other Orange Star COs, at least. Nell is very fond of teaching, and will rarely pass up an opportunity to tell you things about the game. Which might annoy you after a while.

Max Max's Theme
So: Max. Max gets a +50% attack boost to all of his non-infantry direct combat units. Tanks, planes, B copters, recons, AAs, submarines, cruisers... And that's +50%, which means they do half as much damage again. His CO Power, Max Force, boosts that damage again and gives his direct combat units +1 movement range. Max does have a big weakness, though: his long-range units are... well, not very long range. They take a -1 range penalty and a -10% firepower penalty. That can get pretty annoying, but the +50% firepower boost on over half the game's units compensates way more than enough.

Background/Personality: Graduating from Orange Star's CO academy around the same time as Nell and Grit, Max is Orange Star's powerhouse, a brawler who likes to get up close and personal. He's something of a showoff, but he's also a very loyal friend - although this in turn makes him rather overprotective of his fellow Orange Star COs. He's also got some insecurities about his failings with long range units. Still a good guy to have around, though.

Sami Sami's Theme :rock: :rock: Awesome guitar cover
Although Max is the best CO in AW1, I'd say that Sami's my favourite. Certainly a lot of my fanboyism for Sensei in AW2 stems from learning to love infantry and mechs with Sami in AW1. They get superior firepower and, most notably, capture at 1.5 times the standard rate (rounded down). Now okay, that still means she takes two turns to capture a property at full health. But it means that a 7HP Sami footsoldier can still capture a property in two turns. It also means that if a full health Sami footsoldier starts capturing a property, you've got to knock it down to 3HP or less to stop it finishing the job the next day. Sami's transports also have an extra movement point, and her CO Power, Double Time, increases the firepower and movement of her footsoldiers. The drawback? Her non-footsoldier direct units take an attack penalty. Not as bad as Grit, but it can still be frustrating. Hopefully you won't have to worry too much about firepower with the queen of HQ Capture in charge, though.

Background/Personality: Orange Star's special forces commander, and one of the game's more serious-minded COs. While it's not official, she's effectively Nell's second-in-command by virtue of being more responsible than Max or Andy. Sami isn't particularly strong academically, but her diligence tends to make up for it. She does have some tender spots though... particularly where Eagle and a certain other CO we haven't met yet are concerned. Have I mentioned that I really like her theme tune yet? I really like her theme tune.


Blue Moon

Olaf Olaf's Theme
Like Andy, Olaf has vanilla stats, with one difference: his units are experts at moving through snow, and suffer no movement penalties from it. On the other hand, he suffers terribly in rain: most COs are only minorly inconvenienced by rain, but for Olaf it's as bad as snow is for most other COs. His CO Power, Blizzard... well, makes it snow. And again, makes his units a little more powerful.

Background/Personality: The commander in chief of Blue Moon. Orange Star and Blue Moon have never been on the best of terms, but one day Olaf just decided to up and invade Orange Star. Why? drat good question. Maybe we'll find out at some point. In the meantime, it's enough to know that Olaf's pompous and boastful and something of a jerk, but not to be underestimated.

Grit Grit's Theme
Grit's the long range expert in Advance Wars: his indirects can hit one square further away. Artillery that normally hit 2-3 squares away from them get upgraded to 2-4 squares, Rockets that normally hit 3-5 squares away from them get upgraded to 3-6 squares, and so on. Interestingly, in the first Advance Wars he doesn't get an attack bonus on his indirects. What he does get though is a whopping 20% attack penalty on his direct combat units. Since the majority of the game's units are direct combat, this is a problem. That range boost is a big enough bonus that he can hold his own, though. His CO Power, Snipe Attack, makes it even crazier, adding another two squares of range and a massive attack bonus to his indirects.

Background/Personality: A brilliant marksman, at one point Grit used to work for Orange Star, but he defected to Blue Moon for some unknown reason. He's laid-back to a fault, and can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he's dependable enough and a good person underneath it all. Isn't very fond of Olaf's invasion of Orange Star.


Green Earth

Eagle Eagle's Theme
Eagle is the air unit specialist CO (although one could easily argue that Max has considerably better air units): his air units have increased attack and defence (I think 115% and 110% respectively?) and also consume less fuel per turn (with planes that use up 3 fuel units per turn instead of 5, and copters that use no fuel per turn instead of 2). His ships, however, are weaker, with only 90% attack (not too bad really, considering what Grit got hit with). Eagle's CO Power is Lightning Strike, which lets his non-footsoldier units have a second turn (although with greatly reduced attack and defence values, making him vulnerable to counterattacks).

Background/Personality: The Green Earth COs in general play off European history and stereotypes, and Eagle is Germany - with a powerful airforce reminiscent of the Luftwaffe and Lightning Strike being a dead ringer for the tactic of Blitzkrieg. Green Earth as a whole has a somewhat Germanic feel (well, Hind helicopters aside), but the COs are a bit more varied. Anyway, Eagle has a big ego and a burning hatred of Andy. Why? Well, we don't know yet. Can't spoil everything for you. He can also be somewhat uptight. But again, he's not a bad person at heart (I'll think I'll be saying that a lot in these dossiers).

Drake Drake's Theme
Drake is the naval specialist, and not just because we can see his navel :downsrim:. His ships and subs gain two extra defence stars and +1 movement point, but interestingly they don't get an attack bonus. A bit like Grit in that regard, then. Much like Eagle gets a naval attack penalty, Drake gets an air attack penalty, but also like Eagle his ground troops are average. Drake's CO Power, Tsunami, knocks 1HP off all enemy troops in a kind of anti-Hyper Repair (it also works even if there's no water on the map. No, don't question it, just shrug and say "Advance Wars"). It can't kill 1HP units, though, just like Andy can't heal beyond 10HP. Drake's also immune to rain the same way Olaf is to snow - and it's rumoured that random weather tends to follow him around...

Background/Personality: Character-wise, my favourite CO, this big-hearted former pirate likes to take it easy and - though he doesn't look it - is probably one of the smarter COs. If Eagle represents Germany, Drake represents Britain with his superior navy - and he seems to be specifically based around the privateer Sir Francis Drake, a major hero in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. In that battle, the English ships were more manoeuvrable and better defended than the Spanish ones - and just when Spain thought they could get away with a retreat, a storm whipped up and wrecked even more of their ships, which Tsunami parallels. Then there's the rain, I guess. We do get a fair bit of it over here ;). But yeah, I like Drake. Just a shame about that face...


Yellow Comet

Kanbei Kanbei's Theme
All of Kanbei's units get a +20% boost to attack and defence. This can make him a tricky CO to deal with, especially in terrtain that boosts his defence even further. His weakness is that his units also cost 20% more: figures that the first time you fight him is a predeployed map. Kanbei's CO Power, Morale Boost, ramps his attack and defence up to crazy levels.

Background/Personality: The Emperor of Yellow Comet is proud, honourable, popular and so dumb he makes Andy look like Richard Feynman. He generally has to rely on his daughter Sonja to be the brains of the Yellow Comet outfit - which can cause problems, since he's also rather overprotective of her. Kanbei's armies are some of the best trained in Wars World, but the extra training and equipment comes at a high price. He's also got one of the game's uglier faces, although at least he doesn't stare into your soul the way Grit does.

Sonja Sonja's Theme
Sonja's main gimmick is that she can see further in Fog of War: she gets +1 vision range as stardard. Her CO Power, Enhanced Vision, does exactly what it says on the tin - an extra +1 vision range, and - crucially - the ability to see into forests and reefs even when not standing next to them. She also hides the HP counts of her units from her opponents, replacing them with a "?". Sonja's weakness is that she's unlucky. Whereas regular COs get 0 to +10 luck points on top of expected damage, and Nell gets 0 to +15, I think Sonja's range is -5 to +5 (it was in AW2, at least). All of this does make Sonja a rather situational CO, but put her in her element and she's a handful.

Background/Personality: Kanbei's daughter, but it's safe to say that she didn't get her brains from him. Probably the smartest character in the game, and a firm believer in the importance of good intel gathering, Sonja is key to working out why the hell we're all suddenly at war with each other and unravelling the mystery of "him". She's got some issues in other areas though: she can be pretty snooty, and I can't help but feel sorry for Kanbei a bit at times when she criticises him (granted it's usually deserved). Arguably her over-analytical nature is the cause of her bad luck, with an inability to go with the flow at times. She has something of a rivalry with Sami that'll be expanded on in the next couple of missions.

Aaaand there's one other guy who I'm not going to spoil here.


Fanart

The Legend of Nell (SupSuper)


Sonja invites Max to deal with it (ScotchDK)


PROBLEM, MAX? (KDavisJr)


The Drake Array (First Row: Looper, Waffleman_, KataraniSword, Endorph, KataraniSword. Second Row: Friend Commuter, Elth, Heatwizard, Tengames, a boxing teahorse. Third Row: Friend Communter, Mustard Snobbery, Randalor, Bruceski)






Nightmare Avatar Drake (Animation by SupSuper, individual frames by Looper, Heatwizard, Tengames, a boxing teahorse, Friend Commuter, Mustard Snobbery, Randalor, Bruceski.


The Future of LPs (SupSuper)


Minecraft Wars (Er... me. Grit arty, Sensei B copter, Sami mech and Drake battleship).


Advance Robot Engaged! Transform! (Pierzak)

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 12:44 on Jun 9, 2014

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Mission 1: It's War! (or "An Arrowing Experience")



Okay, so I cheesed through the final mission of Field Training offscreen, like Nell suggested. So let's get going!



Any Campaign, so long as it's New.



Welcome to Cosmo Land, the setting for AW1. AW2 is Macro Land, AWDS is Omega Land. They're all meant to be separate continents on Wars World.

Really? Continents?

Wrong game, Andy. This is the one where you ask about airports.

Oh right, yeah, I forgot! Sorry.

*ahem* Anyway...


Here so soon? But, wait... something's not right here. Nell wouldn't leave Orange Star's capital city unguarded. Which means... A new commanding officer? Ha, ha, ha! Excellent! I've lost a few battles lately, but no more! An Orange Star Army without Nell is no match for me! Time to teach this raw recruit what war's all about!

You know, this Olaf guy seems like a bit of a jerk. Well, we're here to deliver some comeuppance.



Hey there, Andy. I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Or at least, a bizarre one.



Meet Olaf's chair. Olaf really likes sitting down. I mean, okay, most people like sitting down. I'm a pretty big fan of sitting down myself. But that chair follows Olaf everywhere in this game.


Nell? Is that you? Is this a transceiver?

I have no idea what "this" is. A nearby flowerpot? Some earpiece that Andy got given without being told what it does? The GBA itself? Who knows. Either way, Andy seems pretty surprised by the concept of radio communication.

That's right, Andy. I'll be using it to contact you from here on out. As this is your first real command, I wanted to check up on you.
No worries here! This is going to be easy!
Oh, Andy! You're nothing if not enthusiastic. Let me give you a few words of advice. First, let's talk about your CO Power.
You can use your CO Power when the Power Meter is full. The meter fills up gradually over the course of battle. Once it's full, you... well, I'll cover that when the time comes. Oh, I also have to tell you about the Terms of Victory. The Terms of Victory explain what you need to accomplish to fulfill a mission. Do you see Intel on the Map Menu? Select it and you'll see three new menu items: Terms, Status, and CO. If you select Terms, I'll explain what you must do to win on that map. You should also take a look at the other two items when you have the time. There's a lot of useful intel in there.

Get used to Nell talking a lot. Especially when we go through Field Training. I did't mind it too much back in 2002, though. This game has a lot to take in, and Advance Wars provides an exhaustive crash course.

OK, Andy. You listen to Paul and do your best! Good luck, Paul! Take care of Andy!

Day 1



Here's the situation. It's a pretty straightforward map, predeployed with neither side receiving bases. A river runs through the middle of it, splitting the map naturally into northern and southern fronts. Check against AW2 and you can see a few small graphical differences: the trees and cities seem more rounded, and the cities have a little perspective effect to them. I actually kind of prefer the AW1 style here, it's friendlier.



The plan is to send troops along each of these two fronts, converging at Olaf's HQ in a pincer strike. The major threats are Olaf's medium tank and two rocket launchers, circled in red (or should I say orange?).



Let's start off by attacking this tank that Olaf so obligingly left out in the open.



One thing this game undeniably does better than Advance Wars 2: the little animations of the COs being happy and sad depending on the outcome of a battle. They brought them back for Dual Strike, but even then it wasn't really the same. Olaf's terrified expression here is just priceless.



Arrows II: An Arrowing Experience. But yeah, loading a mechanised infantry unit into an APC and moving it up a bit. May well come in handy later.



Moving the rest of the units on the southern front up.



In the north, my tank attacks Olaf's tank and my AA chips in a couple of extra damage for good measure.



All the infantry shuffle upfield.



Olaf tried using his damaged tank to attack my AA. I guess it wasn't a terrible move exactly, but he certainly looks scared.

Day 2



Tell you what was a terrible move, though: sending his artillery CHARGING up to my frontlines. Yeah. I uh...



I guess I believe in gifts?



Artillery assaults artillery, mech finishes off tank, and you get to see just how scared Olaf looks when you actually kill one of his units.



Tank finishes off arty, AA attacks infantry.



What's happening in the south?



Well, there's another rogue artillery to deal with. My own artillery leads the bombardment, and my recon cleans up.



The first of those "major threat" units I mentioned, the rocket launcher, takes a pounding. BOOM!



And after that I attack Olaf's AA with a small tank.



Moving people up and... yeah, that's basically it.



Here we go. First CO Power of the game. Time to talk about COs, then.

Paul.Power's CO Notes: Andy "Andy's Anthem" A pretty awesome guitar cover
Andy's stats are average, vanilla: he's essentially the benchmark all other COs are compared against. His CO Power, Hyper Repair, heals and repairs all your units by two hit points (assuming they're damaged, anyway) and makes them all a little more powerful.

Background/Personality: Cut Andy open and you'd see the word "PROTAGONIST" running through him like a stick of rock. He's also pretty derpy, and is the source of many of this game's more bizarre quotes. Despite this derpiness, he's an excellent mechanic and a solid all-around CO with no particular weaknesses (or strengths, but why focus on the negative?).

Paul.Power's CO Notes: Olaf Olaf's Theme
Like Andy, Olaf has vanilla stats, with one difference: his units are experts at moving through snow, and suffer no movement penalties from it. On the other hand, he suffers terribly in rain: most COs are only minorly inconvenienced by rain, but for Olaf it's as bad as snow is for most other COs. His CO Power, Blizzard... well, makes it snow. And again, makes his units a little more powerful.

Background/Personality: The commander in chief of Blue Moon. Orange Star and Blue Moon have never been on the best of terms, but one day Olaf just decided to up and invade Orange Star. Why? drat good question. Maybe we'll find out at some point. In the meantime, it's enough to know that Olaf's pompous and boastful and something of a jerk, but not to be underestimated.



Kind of sucks to be on the receiving end of snow this time.



Olaf looks so happy that his crippled 4HP infantry is having a negligible effect on my artillery piece.

Day 3



But now we've got to deal with a bunch of snow.



Not Olaf, though. As noted, he has no problems with snow, as the attack range on his medium tank demonstrates. Best stay away from that for now. Luckily there's a nice forest I can attack his mech from...



It may be a medium tank attacking a mech, but the +40% (four star) terrain bonus from the mountain and the +10% defence bonus from Olaf's CO power mean that I can only deal half damage. Better than nothing though.



After that, my small tank finishes off the rocket truck. The cloud of black smoke you see is the rocket truck exploding - normally I forget to screencap that.



Note how the snow would give my recon a hard time crossing it. It's fine on the roads, though: Wars World must have a very good gritting service.



So let's finish that mech off.



Moving the rest of my southern troops up. I've left my artillery very exposed here, but don't worry about that. I have a secret weapon. A secret weapon ringed in green.



So instead let's look at the north. A bit of cleanup left to do here.



Arty and tank tackle AA, AA kills 4HP infantry.



And my mech moves in to start working on the infantry up here.



Eesh. Snow really cripples infantry.



Yes, the secret weapon worked! Olaf sent those AAs to target my harmless APC instead of the artillery.

Day 4



There's a reason for this: for some reason in Advance Wars 1, the AI has a serious APC fetish. Given the choice between attacking an APC and attacking practically anything else (I think it prioritises HQ-capturing infantry, but that's about it), it will go for the APC. I guess they really want to avoid HQ sneak attacks. This gives APCs a valuable third role beyond their intended roles of troop transport and supply truck: they're your decoys. Want to stop that rocket launcher crippling your medium tank? Give it an APC to fire at. It's like galvanisation, only for armies. I'll almost certainly be using it a lot in the coming conflict.



Artillery and tank take out the offending AAs while an infantry gets to work capturing.



Medium tank and recon take down a mech.



Forgot to screencap it, but there was an infantry there. You can at least see the explosion it left behind.



The rest of my northern units line up outside the range of Olaf's tank.



And my battered APC retreats a little and drops off its passenger, just in case it somehow got killed with the passenger on board and cost me two unit deaths.

Day 5



Andy's CO Power meter is almost full. It's so almost full that my very next attack causes it to topple over the edge:


Nell? What is it?
Your Power Meter is full! Andy's CO Power lets you repair all damaged units, right? Do you know when it's best to use it?
Um... No, I don't.
Well, I guess I'll have to tell you. Since you're able to repair all of your units, you should use your Power when you have damaged units. Oh, and one more thing. When you use your Power, all of your units will be a little stronger for that turn. Don't forget what I just told you, OK? Is that clear?
Not really. But that's OK. I'll just let Paul decide.

Ladies and gentlemen, Orange Star's bright new hope.

Oh, well... I guess that'll have to do. Paul, you're in command. Good luck!



I do have some damaged units right now, but I'm not going to use Hyper Repair just yet. I have a plan.



The plan is basically to put an infantry and mech into the range of Olaf's northern tank, in order to lure it forward. Means I have to deal with one less unit when I reach the HQ. Divide and conquer, as it were. I'll take some damage, sure, but that's what Hyper Repair's for.



Shuffling some stuff around.



And Olaf's taking the bait. He's smiling now, but the boot will be on the other foot soon.

Day 6



Right then, let's rock.



As with Olaf and his chair, Andy is really attached to those wrenches. In this game he seems to like pretending to be a moose with them.



Much better. 2HP isn't a huge deal (and it's certainly a comedown after AW2 and Hyper Upgrade's 5HP) but every little helps.



Having fallen for the bait, the northern tank lands straight in the arty/mech combo trap.



In the south I'm killing the remaining infantry unit and moving my APC up a bit.



Hmm. Hmmmm... that medium tank...



Well, you know what? The bait trick worked once, maybe it'll work again. This time I'm using my own medium tank as bait (if nothing else, at least it can take some punishment from Olaf's middie).



General unit moving in the north.



Once again, Olaf takes the bait. I get a little lucky: his medium tank only chips 4HP off of mine.

Day 7



Right then.



Speaking of luck, I did pretty well there to take off 5HP with one artillery shot then.



My medium tank cleans up.



Man, this baiting trick's working out so well I'm going to use it again, this time to see if I can lure out Olaf's 7HP tank. Setting up so I'm in range of the tank, but not the rocket.



Hopefully it'll work.



But it seems Olaf is wise to my tricks this time. Bad time to hit a Blizzard.

Day 8



Ugh. Would you look at all this snow, jamming up my units just when I want to move in for the kill. Also Olaf didn't take the bait this time. I think that's due to a quirk of the AI, actually - units that are being repaired on a city tend to stay put and not move off them until fully healed. In hindsight I should have anticipated that.



Oh well, all I can really do is move up a bit. A very small bit.



Sure, now Olaf attacks.

Day 9



It's a bit messy.



But hey, I've seen a lot worse. Arty, tank and mech work together to clean up that tank.



I try my best to finish up this turn, but it's not happening. Oh well, hopefully it won't cost me too much.

Day 10



Not much else to say really.



So let's finish this off.


Who in the world are you?
My name's Andy! I'm the CO. This is my advisor, Paul.
Advisor? We needed no advisors when I was in the Orange Star Army! Hrumph!

Olaf used to work for Orange Star, huh? That's interesting. Wonder what made him switch to Blue Moon?

Be that as it may. Paul! Andy! It takes a lot to best me. I'll remember your names. Mark my word!
Hey, grandpa. Who are you?
Who am I, you ask? Throughout Orange Star I was known as...
Nell's papa?
That's right, Nell's... What? No!

Well played, Andy. Well played.

That's what I get for being nice to children! No respect! Grrr... You just watch yourself, little boy!



I was a little bit slow on the speed front - could have been a bit more efficient at the end there - but still good enough for an S Rank. As before with Advance Wars 2, while I'll obviously look to do as well as I can, a perfect run's a bit beyond me. In Advance Wars 1 you get little bars to represent your scores, rather than Advance Wars 2's way of just straight-up giving you the numbers.



The better you rank, the more coins you get. Nell had a little spiel here about spending those coins in Battle Maps, the game's shop, but I think we've heard quite enough from her for now, and we'll be hearing plenty more from her soon enough. Tune in next time as...



... we go back to basics.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Feb 16, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Fedule posted:

Um. I think there was an error here.

Also, this game, hell yeah. This game was pretty much the first game I ever seriously "played" on the GBA. I think I chose well!
Haha, whoops. Thanks!

Allan Assiduity posted:

I've actually played AW1, unlike AW2; since I'd sampled the second game first, going back to AW1 felt a bit like a regression. It's a pretty good game, but the changes AW2 made were definitely for the better, in my opinion...? More differentiation of COs and all that.

All the same, AW1 is still solid.
AW2 is definitely my favourite AW game, but AW1 has its charm. They're all excellent games in my book, so it's ultimately a matter of fine margins. Certainly AW1 is what got me hooked in the first place.

legoman727 posted:

"Nell's papa?"
Honestly I think that particular line is just a throwaway gag. But there's certainly plenty of stuff in AW1 that gets dropped completely in AW2.

Incidentally, if you're wondering why I haven't put up Field Training 1 to 3 yet despite having it as part of the test post, I want to get Campaign Mission 2 finished up first. Thought it'd be nice to have a bit of a buffer for once. How long that buffer'll last is another matter...

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Vicas posted:

You know, I really do like the art style a lot more. I guess the cartoony feel the game has from those rounded edges you mentioned, and the way COs are so much more animated in battle just brings it to life so much more than the later games. AW2 is better in the gameplay sense but this game just oozes charm and I like that a lot.
Mmm. Although saying that, one really weird thing about the AW art is the COs' faces. There's something really... odd about some of them. Drake is practically nightmare-inducing. AW2's art improved on that at least.

ultimateluigi987 posted:

Are you going to mention the Design Maps glitch that allows you to pretty much instantly win any mission? It also allows you to save Campaign missions as Design Maps, which is also pretty cool (nonstandard map sizes!).
I think I'd vaguely heard of that, but I've never tried it out and wouldn't really want to now. Maybe if I get hopelessly stuck attempting AC.

Next update is ready to go up, just messing about here hoping that I can get on to page 2 so I don't have to worry about having a huge number of images on the first page.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Fedule posted:

It isn't really that big of a deal. Your first update isn't *that* massive in terms of number of images, and by the time you get to the really long missions the thread will have serious traction, and there's nothing like votes to fill pages!

(notice how I'm both helping you get to a new page AND telling you the issue doesn't matter! I'm not really sure what this is supposed to say about me.)
Fair enough. I'll adit I mostly just didn't want an update in the last few posts of a page, where people might miss it.

And hooray, this little conversation has taken us to the end of the page! Update to follow.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Field Training Missions 1 to 3 (or "No use crying over spilt blood")



So okay, Field Training. This is going to be a side thing to the main campaign run. I do want to show it off because although this is all very much back-to-basics for us AW veterans, it's interesting to show off just how in-depth this tutorial is. There's also a bit of plot we'd miss otherwise, and besides, Nell's theme is awesome. I'll keep things snappy though by posting the missions in groups of three.



Sounds good.


We're in this large nation here, Orange Star. The country to the east is Blue Moon. The two countries have been bitter rivals for years.
Border skirmishes had died down recently... until that madman Olaf...
Oh, excuse me. I mean, uhm... The Blue Moon CO, Olaf, suddenly ordered an invasion of Orange Star.

Eesh. Doesn't sound like there's much love lost between Nell and Olaf here. Probably ties into the fact that he apparently used to work for Orange Star.

So, the Alara region is now held by Blue Moon forces.
Candidate Paul, you have been given a mission. You are to drive Olaf from Alara and secure it for Orange Star. I will be your support. Let's move out!



Oh wow, the nostalgia rush. The graphics, the musical sting...

Day 1

... the reams and reams of tutorial text:


That's why Olaf hasn't deployed many troops to the area. You yourself have two infantry units under your command.


Defeat the enemy forces to complete this mission successfully.


The + Control Pad moves the cursor. First, let's command this infantry unit. Would you place the cursor on the infantry unit, please?

No attempts to hide the fact this is a game. Straight-up + Control Pad, A Button, R Button and so on here.


You'll see this term often, so do your best to remember it. When you select a unit, the area around it will become highlighted. This area represents the selected unit's range of movement. First, let's approach the enemy with this unit. Try moving the unit to this space. Move the cursor here and press the A Button.



Roger that.


Select Wait, and then press the A button to confirm the command.


This indicates that the unit can't receive any more orders this turn. Don't worry -- you'll be able to use it again on your next turn. OK, now use the same controls to move this infantry unit. Move it as close as possible to the enemy.



Now we know the ropes of moving units around, it makes sense for Nell to let us handle this one.

When you've finished giving orders to your units, you must End your turn. Press the A button on an empty space to display the Map Menu.



Do your worst, Olaf!



Hah! They won't last long. My troops there will make short work of them!



You know what's really weird about the first couple of missions of Field Training? They show Olaf going through his moves exactly the way that a human would. I'd guess to reinforce the procedure behind unit movement in the player's mind. Thankfully by the third mission they stop doing that. It'd take forever to get anything done if they kept doing it.

Day 2


His infantry units are heading this way. Stay calm. If we proceed with caution, we'll be fine. Now it's time to order this infantry unit to Fire on the enemy. Please select this unit.


Move your unit here.


Please select this command.


There is only one unit you can engage now, so press the A Button to Fire.



This is the first battle screen someone would see playing the game for the first time. From the cute, crisp pixel art, through the unique designs of each army's units to the clear presentation of information, I think it's a masterpiece. Some people like playing Advance Wars games with the battle screens turned off, because it saves time. That's understandable, but I don't think I could ever do it myself. Battle screens are also useful in Fog of War levels for pinpointing the location of enemy indirects.



Do you see the numbers on the units? This indicates the units' HP (hit points). All units begin with ten HP. But, as they take damage in battle, their HP will decrease. When a unit reaches zero HP, it will vanish from the screen. Notice that your unit has more HP than the enemy unit. This is because the unit that attacks first generally has the advantage. Waiting to be attacked is not a good strategy. You should pick your battles and always Fire first. If you Fire on this unit again, you should defeat it. So, now order your remaining infantry unit to engage the enemy.

Nell talks and talks here, and given I know all this stuff already (after all, it's literally the stuff you learn the very first time you play the game) it's a bit frustrating, but back in 2002 I was genuinely fascinated. I was getting to learn all this really in-depth information while fun music played in the background. Anyway, Nell talks less as Field Training progresses and you get used to the basics.



Anyway, let's do as she said and finish this infantry off.



Whoosh.



There is only one enemy unit left to deal with. If you stick to your battle plan, you can finish it off, too. Select End from the menu and continue on your next turn.



If I were in the field, they wouldn't be suffering such humiliation!

Don't kid yourself, Olaf.

Cursed Orange Star Army! I will defeat it! I will!

Day 3

It's your turn again. You have a two-to-one advantage. This battle is yours to win! But, wait a minute.


Units lose some of their firepower when damaged. So it's better to Fire on the enemy with an undamaged unit. Go ahead and order your undamaged unit to attack.



Sound advice there from Nell. Units do damage proportional to their hit points: an 8HP unit will only do 80% of the damage of a 10HP unit, and so take a bigger counterattack in return. So it's definitely a good idea to hit with your strongest unit first, and have your weaker units do cleanup. So let's do that.

This is how the A button is used to select units and issue commands. If you make a mistake and want to change orders, use the B button. It's key that you remember this.

No real idea where that came from, but oh well.


Move in and Fire on it!



You know, that was a pretty lucky shot. But then, lucky shots are kind of Nell's forte...

Paul.Power's CO Notes: Nell Nell's Theme :rock:
Nell's special ability is that she is luckier than most COs: to explain what I mean by that, I'm going to look at health meters in more detail. The 10HP scale is actually a simplification of a 100HP scale (which is represented by the bar you see during battle screens). So the expected damage percentage (41% in the above screenshot) really means it'll knock off that many (41) hit points, plus a luck bonus between 0 at 10 extra hit points. For Nell, this luck bonus ranges from 0 to 15 instead. Pretty handy quality for a tutorial CO to have, makes everything run just that little bit smoother. Her CO Power Lucky Star, which we don't get to see during the course of Field Training, can increase that luck bonus to ludicrous levels.

Background/Personality: In this game, Nell isn't yet the commander in chief of Orange Star - she still has superiors, although who these superiors are we never actually learn. She definitely seems to be in charge of the other Orange Star COs, at least. Nell is very fond of teaching, and will rarely pass up an opportunity to tell you things about the game. Which might annoy you after a while.

All right, that's that sorted. Time to reap the spoils of victory!


Your mission is a success! Keep up the good work!


That land was mine! How did they lose it so easily? Grrr... Next time, victory will be mine!

Get the plates, Olaf, 'cause you just got s- oh wait, wrong game. Can't really tell Andy off for that any more.



... true power of the Dark Side - wait, no...

rank that your strategy has earned you! Speed is based on how quickly you won, while Power is based on how well you concentrated your attacks and overcame your enemies. Technique is based on how many of your own troops were lost. You'll earn a rank for each map you clear, so you can compare your scores to your friends'! Good luck on your next campaign!

Specifically, Speed is a measure of how many days you finish in, and varies depending on the length of the mission. To get a maximum Power score, you have to defeat 10% or more of total enemy forces on any particular day, and to get a maximum Technique score you can only lose 20% of your total forces over the entire mission. For some reason, in Field Training the highest rank you can get is an A. As you saw, in Campaign proper we can get S's.

But yeah, let's move on to the second part of this triple bill:




Their HQ is in another area, so we believe this is a covert attack.
A covert attack... that sounds like something Olaf would try.

Does it? You could have fooled me.

Your goal is to take out these units. You've been given four infantry units to carry out this operation. Let's go!





Yeah, I know they're not proper mechanised infantry. It's basically just what the games call anti-tank infantry.

This could be trouble... Mech units have more firepower than your standard infantry do. You won't be able to defeat mech units in direct combat. So you'll have to use the terrain to give you some defensive cover. I'll explain about terrain features as we go. Select this infantry unit, please.


Order this infantry unit to Fire.



On it, coach!

Excellent! OK, select this infantry unit next, please.


Up 'til now, the highlighted movement are for infantry was three spaces. Well, in the mountains, it's less. Movement cost is double here. This means your movement rate will be half of that on the plains. Do you think that means you should avoid mountains? That would be a very serious tactical error. Mountains offer advantages that compensate for movement cost. You'll understand once you Fire on the enemy. Go ahead. Engage the enemy and Fire!



It's over Anaki... no. Just... no.


The last unit took less damage than the first unit, didn't it? This is because of another terrain feature called defensive cover. You attacked the enemy from the mountains, right? Defensive cover in the mountains is this number here... a four. The defensive cover on the plains is a one. The higher the defensive cover rating is, the less damage you'll take. Is that clear? Good! I knew you were a quick study. Go ahead and Fire on the remaining infantry units. Select End when you're finished.

The specific formula for defensive cover is basically (star rating of terrain)*(HP of unit)/100. So a healthy infantry unit in the mountains will block 40% of the damage incoming, meaning attacks will only do 60% damage to it. An 8HP unit in the mountains would only block 32%, and take 68% damage.



And we've already destroyed half of Olaf's troops and now have a 2 to 1 advantage. Orange/Red Star, exploiting first turn advantage since 1988.


But this time... heh heh heh... things will be different! You'll learn what it means to face mech units!

Olaf, you are not Sami. You certainly wouldn't fit into her uniform.

I'll just keep watch from back here. No need
for me to actually be in the field. I'm still in charge, though!

Bravely directing operations from the rear. Not that I can complain, I'm sitting on the other side of a computer screen, can't get much more distant than that.



Eep. Although it's pretty clever the way it's all set up: you're encouraged to bring your infantry in to finish off Olaf's damaged infantry, which of course places them in range of his mechs. You even have one of your infantry on mountains and the other on plains to showcase the damage difference.

Day 2



Nell loves that phrase. Look out for it in future installments of Field Training.

Mech units really pack a punch, don't they? But if you'll notice, one infantry unit took less damage than the other. Do you know why? It's because of superior defensive cover. Remembering this is vital. You should also keep in mind that movement cost differs between units. For example, mech and infantry units have different movement types. So, their respective movement costs in mountains are two and one. When you need intel like this, place the cursor on a space and press the R Button. This works for terrain features, as well as for all unit types. So, for intel on unit movement type, cost, etc., remember the R Button. Well, I'll leave the rest of this battle to you. They may have mech units, but you have superior numbers! Focus on what you've learned: use it well, and victory will be yours!



Finally, a bit of space to think for myself.



Three of my infantry get attacks in, but I'm worried about the fourth. He's down to 4HP, and he'd be attacking a 5HP mech. That doesn't sound like a recipe for good things.



So I'm going to do something that Nell hasn't taught me about yet: joining units. If you've got damaged units, you can join them together and combine their hitpoint totals (if the result is more than 10HP, don't worry, it's not wasted: it gets converted into funds. Not that we've really covered funds here yet, but there's plenty about them in the AW2 LP if you want a recap). Having one less unit on the field might make this take a bit longer to finish up, but at least I won't suffer the ignominy of losing a unit.



Still might come back to bite me though. But oh well, let's keep going.

Day 3



Nell just talks about saving the game here. I'll spare you the details.



Dammit. Couldn't quite finish off that northern mech - looks like joining those units has come back to bite me.



Oh well, no use crying over spilt blood.

Day 4



Mopping up.


These units really were on a covert operation. Thanks to your planning, our troops took minimal damage. Keep up the good work!
Aargh! Another failure! After all of my careful planning, another botched mission! Grrr... Next time, I will prevail!



Yeah, cost me a little bit on my speed score. Still good enough for an A, though, which as I say is the best rank we can get in Field Training.



Let's move on.



If successful, we should be able to drive that pompous, old... I mean, we should be able to force the Blue Moon forces to withdraw. If you remember, we faced two mech units in the last battle, right? In response, you've been given command of two mech units, yourself.

This starts a particular theme in Field Training: most of the time, Olaf gets new toys a mission or so before we do. It's a nice touch: not only do you get to see stuff in action before you try it out yourself, but it adds to the tension and gives you a nice buzz when you actually do get to try out the cool stuff.



Day 1



This explains the four enemy tank units deployed and waiting for us. Fortunately for us, those tanks can't cross the mountains. So let's take care of business here first and deal with them later. Let's secure some bases by capturing the local cities. Select this infantry unit, please. Would you move it here?

Alrighty then.


Please select this command.



Yep, in Advance Wars you capture cities by jumping on them. That city started out with 20 capture points: my 10HP infantry just took off ten of them. Or as Nell puts it...

This city is now half-captured! It takes at least two days to Capture a city. Order this unit to Capture again next turn to secure an allied base. Oh, I almost forgot... Don't move a unit that's in the process of capturing a city. If you do, you'll have to begin capturing it all over again. The same is true if the capturing unit loses all of its HP. Do your best to protect units trying to secure new bases.


Go ahead and select it, please. Only infantry and mech units can capture new bases. Remember this when deploying into unsecured areas.


Now, go ahead and move the rest of your units close to the cities. Select End when you've finished moving.



Righto then. Let's see what Olaf has to say about all this.


Enemy forces have appeared again? Those cowards! Attacking my most remote units... How typical!

Pots, kettles, #000000, etc.

But wait... I have some tank units deployed there. Ha ha ha... Crushing those infantry and mech units will be a piece of cake! Fight on, my loyal troops! This time, you shall be victorious!

I guess those tanks do look a bit scary. But there's kind of a problem with them (Have you spotted it?)

Day 2



Told you.

First, you should always start by completing the Capture of cities. Please select this infantry unit and press the A Button.



All righty, then.


It's the same color as your troops, right? You can now use it as a base. So, now you can see that these cities are under enemy control. By the way, gray cities are neutral. Let's get back to discussing bases. If you put a damaged unit in a base, it will recover some HP each turn. You will also receive 1000 G per day from each city you Capture. These funds are crucial for restoring HP to your units. Funds are also used for other purposes, but I'll explain those later.

Well, building things, basically.

OK, now use this mech unit to Capture a new base. Would you please select this unit?



Oh goodie, problems.

Two cities are within your movement range. One is neutral and one is hostile. Which one should you Capture first?



Erm... I'm going to go for... this one. May as well try and clear Blue Moon out of here.



Vindication!

Of course, capturing either one of these cities is a plus for you. But if you secure the enemy city, you also reduce your foe's funds. Oh, yes. There's one more thing you need to know. Look here to see how long it will take to secure the city. The Capture Number is now ten. When this number is reduced to zero, the city is secure! An infantry unit has ten HP, so it takes two days to Capture a city with a Capture Number of twenty. A damaged unit has less HP, so it'll take longer for it to Capture a city.

So now you know how to Capture cities, right? I'm going to let you make all of the command decisions from now on.



Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Yes. At least this way we can get some strategic advice from Nell rather than just straight-up instructions.

Naturally, you can win this battle by defeating all of the enemy units. However, the enemy tank units are extremely powerful. Fighting them head-on is not an advisable strategy. I suggest waiting by your bases and taking out the infantry and mech units first. Avoid the tank units as you try to Capture the enemy HQ. The weakness of tank units is that their treads won't allow them to move through mountains. Place the cursor on a unit or terrain and press the R Button for more valuable intel. One last thing... Don't let the enemy Capture your HQ. You will lose if this happens. That's all. Good luck!

For reference, Blue Moon's HQ is the St. Basil's Cathedral type thing over on the right of the map. Our HQ is the skyscraper thing on the left. For some reason, Nell doesn't point that out. Other than that, she's got pretty sound advice for us. I don't fancy taking on those tanks with only two mechs and four infantry at my disposal. And the beauty of it is, I don't have to.



Still gotta deal with Olaf's infantry and mechs, though. Capturing these cities won't hurt there.

Day 3



Olaf's getting closer.



For now we can just grab these cities though.



And try and make sure that everyone's ready to give those troops a big, warm welcome to Orange Star.

Bullets are warm, right?

Day 4



Huh. Come on guys, at least try to attack me.



Oh well, if they're going to hand me the initiative I may as well take it.



One infantry down, another reduced to 3HP.



And I'm going to start moving an infantry to capture Olaf's HQ.

Day 5



... Olaf still isn't attacking me.



I mean, I know this is Field Training but come on man, put your back into it.



Oh well, whatever. Mechs take down mech, infantry continues its grand journey.



And it's a similar story in the north as I reduce Olaf's footsoldiers down to one measly hit point.

Day 6



Bit late to try retreating now, dude.



Mountains aren't going to save you now.



My southern infantry reaches the bridge. The tanks all sit there like the proverbial. Between the mountains and the river, there's no way they can reach me, or their own HQ.



So let's just leave them sitting there.

Day 7



Dum de dum.

Day 8



So, Olaf, have you read any good books lately?

Day 9



Squishy HQ capturing.

Day 10



And there we have it!


You've reclaimed the area and forced Blue Moon to withdraw! There's one more thing I have to tell you. You receive funds by capturing cities, right? Well, once you clear a map, you lose those funds. Sorry! Good luck on the next battle!

Aw man... but... but I was saving to buy a battleship :sigh:

Unbelievable! We've been forced to withdraw? What's going on? What were the tank units doing? Those useless fools! I'll take direct command next time. Grrr... I'll show you! I'll show you all!



Just a tiny bit slow again, but an A-Rank is an A-Rank. Anyway, that's enough mucking about in Field Training for now, let's return to Campaign proper. Where were we?



Looks like we're going up against... well, given the way Olaf's shouting his head off here, I think his name's probably Grit. Well, here's hoping he puts up a better fight than Olaf.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Apr 14, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

oldskool posted:

Why is the medium tank medium if there's nothing stronger than it? There's no Large Tank and even "small" Tank isn't referred to as such.
Probably a historical thing? I think heavy tanks were fairly rare in WW2, so for many armies medium was the heaviest it got.

Come to think of, I should probably go and replace "small tank" with "light tank" because that's what they would be called.

Speaking of medium tanks, just played through Field Training 4 to 6 Routed the medium tank on Tank Ops. Fun times!

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Mission 2: Gunfighter! (or "Time for some ACTION")

Grit! Grit! Where's Grit?



I think I like this guy already.

Bearded one? Why you...
A slip of the tongue. My apologies, commander.
Enough! Just get ready to move out! Now, listen. Orange Star forces have been deployed where I anticipated. Their commanding officer is an untested youngster, but he's not alone. He's working with an advisor, Paul. So don't let your guard down! Our contingent in the area has some indirect combat units for you to use. Now get going, Mr. Sharpshooter!
What? You want me to go personally? Like, in person?
Why you lazy, no-good... What do you think a commanding officer does? If you don't get moving...
All right. Keep your beard on. I don't much like the idea, but I'm going.
Gone at last... He's an impudent rogue, but he's also the best marksman I've ever seen. Those Orange Star fools will never know what hit them. Perfect!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Anything that makes Olaf that happy has me worried.



Oh well, it's probably nothing.



Advance Wars 1, wherein the COs are engaged in a "who has the scariest face?" competition.

Day 1


Can you hear me?
What's up, Nell?
You've been given the authority to use bases to deploy new units onto the field. Paul hasn't received instruction on how to do this, but you're up to speed, right, Andy?
Well, um...
Oh, my. Well, let's go through it again. First, place the cursor on a base and press the A Button. A list of units will then be displayed. Use the + Control Pad to scroll through the list, and press the A Button to select the unit you want to deploy. Units that you can't afford will appear in gray. Don't forget that. Each day, you'll receive funds from all of the bases you hold. You'll have to make do with that amount. Remember, you can't deploy new units and move them on the same turn. Hope you got all of that. Good luck!

Don't worry if you didn't get all of that, I'll be showing it off in a sec.



Again a fairly straightforward map. As Nell noted, we get bases to use, but it looks like Grit doesn't. That gives us a huge advantage, because if the worst comes to the worst, we can simply swamp him with units.



Fairly straightforward. My tanks head east to the bridge before going north to approach Grit's HQ area. There are a lot of threats around there in terms of rockets and medium tanks, circled in red. Meanwhile, my infantry cross directly over the river and fight Grit's infantry for the cities up there.



My tank snuggles up into a nice chokepoint between two mountains, and my artillery sets up behind it. Meanwhile, I get to capturing a nearby city.



My APC picks up a passenger and deposits them in the river by these other neutral cities. Bit damp over there, but what can you do.



So, buying units. Selecting a base (one of the little factory-looking things) lets us choose from a list of units to buy. We have 8000G funds to spend right now, which is just enough to buy us an infantry unit and a small tank.



So let's do that, and end turn.


Blue Moon is just plain greedy. That's what it is. Fightin' for these folks just don't sit well with me. Well, I'll guess I'll just mosey on out and see what happens.

Day 2


Pick up now!
Yeah, Nell. We're here. What's going on?
We've learned that Grit is the opposing CO! Grit is an indirect-fire expert whose attack range is larger than normal. Plus, his range gets even bigger when he uses his CO Power! Make sure you check Grit's attack range throughout the battle.
Understood. Hey, Nell... How do you know so much about this guy?
Well... we used to be... friends. Um, that's all I had to tell you. Nell out.
Huh? Nell was sure in a hurry. I wonder what was wrong?

Good question, Andy. So Nell and Grit used to be dot dot dot friends, huh? Interesting. Wonder what kind of impact that's going to have.



Interpersonal shenanigans aside, Nell told us that Grit was an expert with long-range units. Let's check that out.



Whoa, nelly.

Paul.Power's CO Notes: Grit Grit's Theme
Grit's the long range expert in Advance Wars: his indirects can hit one square further away. Artillery that normally hit 2-3 squares away from them get upgraded to 2-4 squares, Rockets that normally hit 3-5 squares away from them get upgraded to 3-6 squares, and so on. Interestingly, in the first Advance Wars he doesn't get an attack bonus on his indirects. What he does get though is a whopping 20% attack penalty on his direct combat units. Since the majority of the game's units are direct combat, this is a problem. That range boost is a big enough bonus that he can hold his own, though. His CO Power, Snipe Attack, makes it even crazier, adding another two squares of range and a massive attack bonus to his indirects.

Background/Personality: A brilliant marksman, at one point Grit used to work for Orange Star, but he defected to Blue Moon for some unknown reason. He's laid-back to a fault, and can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he's dependable enough and a good person underneath it all. Isn't very fond of Olaf's invasion of Orange Star.



Well, Grit isn't the only person around here who knows how to use indirects. Let's take care of this tank.



And do some more capturing.



A little trick: you can load a unit into an APC and unload it on the same turn, provided the APC hasn't moved when you load it. Here this can help speed up the process of getting infantry over the river. Thanks to Sockerbagarn for pointing out this trick.



Pumping out another infantry/tank combo.

Day 3



Grit strolled a suicidal recon up to my front lines, while a mech attempts to cross the river. Note that I get 9000G this turn due to the extra city I captured.



Artillery and 6HP tank deal with the recon, while my full health tank cripples the river mech.



Not going to try finishing that mech off with my infantry, though. Not with Grit's rocket launcher waiting to pounce. The area denial effects of that extra square of range can be pretty nasty.



Infantry continue to advance over the river (not going to pick a fight with Grit's infantry just yet though), and my third tank moves up.



Just going to build infantry this turn: I want to save some money up.

Day 4



Not too much to report here: Grit's mech crossed the river, making my life easier.



Infantry kills mech, my damaged tank retreats and the healthy tanks plug up the gap.



Now then, about this battle for the northwestern cities...



Two of my infantry kill one of Grit's, and I get an attack in on one of his other ones.



More infantry follow up to reinforce that battle line.



Now then, the reason I saved that money up: it's time to get some heavy ordnance on the board.



While small tanks can deal with rocket launchers just fine, a few medium tanks aren't going to hurt. Especially for dealing with Grit's middie.

Day 5



Grit's been moving his artillery around in a kind of knight's-move pattern, making sure they're covering each other's blind spots.



Two can play at that game.



Meanwhile in the north we've got a territory struggle to finish off.



So let's do that.



My infantry pile on to the remainder of Grit's footsoldiers. Only one 1HP mech left up there now.



More infantry shuffling.



And moving up my damaged tank so it's a little closer to the action, given it heals up next turn.

Day 6



Okay, enough pussyfooting around. Time to attack.



It's risky, but one does not win wars by sitting around on the sofa eating crisps.



I send in two tanks to destroy an artillery. Leaves them in range of the other artillery, but what can you do?



Capturing in the north. That 1HP mech died somewhere in the fracas.



And just generally moving up other units, trying to stay out the range of those rockets as much as possible.



Owch. Still, that's the risk you take.

Day 7



Alas, poor tank.



You shall be avenged.



Medium tank cripples small tank while my own small tanks pile on to Grit's artillery.



Of course, doing all that means that Snipe Attack is now charged up and ready to go. Time to prepare.



Doing some capturing, and making sure that my APC drops off its passenger. Naturally that APC is going to get targetted by Snipe Attack (but of course! What else could possibly present as great a threat to Grit?), and the last thing I want is for it to get destroyed with an infantry unit inside it. That way I'd lose two units instead of one, and I've got enough blood on my hands already (plus it's bad for my technique score).



I've been forgetting to build units the last few turns. Let's remedy that by using the saved-up funds to crank out another medium tank.



Faffing about moving a couple more units around.



Here goes...



Owch.



Eesh.

Day 8



But in some ways, that didn't go too badly. Snipe Attack packs a punch, reducing units to 1HP there despite them having a three-star defence bonus from the cities. But the combination of that city defence bonus and a bit of luck meant that neither unit died. And at least Grit didn't target my medium tank.



Okay, time to fix up some of the damage with Andy's own CO Power.



It's not perfect, but it'll do.



Hahaha holy balls look at that range. The good news is, that's already been and gone, because by his next turn the power will have stopped affecting Grit. But still, Snipe Attack is quite something.



My crippled tank retreats while my infantry move into rocket range. A bit of the old "target saturation" here: give Grit so many things to shoot at that it doesn't matter what he attacks, I still have plenty of backup. Kind of callous, but at least all the infantry are standing in mountains: they should be able to survive a hit.



Medium tank, small tank and arty move to what would be just outside of Grit's range on a normal day.



I built a couple of recons. I'm not exactly sure why. Recons are fast, so they'll be able to get up to the front quickly and slip into Grit's range shadow, and they do good damage to rockets and artillery. But they aren't up to much against tanks, even Grit's tanks.



More infantry moving.



One of the mountain infantry takes a hit for the team.

Day 9



Moving up reinforcements.



Cycling out the infantry that got damaged for a fresh one, while also retreating my 3HP tank to a city and bringing those recons up.



But enough logistics. Time for some ACTION.



:cool: Hell yeah.



So yeah. We need to get a move on if we want a half-decent speed score, so again I rush some units into a risky position. Small tank cripples one rocket launcher while a medium tank finishes off Grit's 4HP small tank.



Getting another middie out the doors.



Grit responds with some action of his own, destroying my attacking small tank...



... and damaging my medium tank.

Day 10



Well, at least I can hit back. Artillery, medium tank and small tank all combine to take down Grit's middie.



Or, if you prefer that without ACTION-O-Vision, we have this.



Bunch of infantry moving.



And it's time to start spamming units for technique. Technique is calculated as a fraction of units lost/total units produced: the more units you produce, the "better" your technique (This can catch people out in Advance Wars: Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict, where they change the way technique is calculated to penalise spamming like this).



Uh-oh, Grit's got another Snipe Attack. He could still do some damage to me with those rocket launchers... :ohdear:

Day 11



... or maybe he could only attack with his tank and not actually use his rocket launchers at all.



AIs v:shobon:v



Moving everyone in for the kill.



Every little counts, as this infantry chips a couple of hit points off the rocket launcher (and you wondered why I was bringing all those infantry over here!)



That 4HP Infantry's pretty exposed, might get killed by Grit's tank...

Day 12



... well, unless the tank decides to attack a recon instead. Yeah, I don't even know any more.



Arty attacks tank, tank destroys rocket launcher.



Last stop, everyone off.



And what was your partner's name again? Paul?
Stop calling me Junior! I have a name! It's Andy!

Andy, Grit's only called you "Junior" once so far. Of course, now he knows it winds you up...

Well now! That's the spirit! Y'all are new to the Orange Star Army, right?
Yeah, so? Hey! How'd you know that?
Well now, that's 'cause I'm Grit! I was beholden to Orange Star not too long ago, myself. So, I'm pretty familiar with most of the military types.

So Olaf and Grit both used to work for Orange Star. That's a pretty serious brain drain. Blue Moon'll probably be after me next...

Well, y'all beat me this time. Who knows, maybe we'll see each other on the flip side. So long, Paul! You too, Junior!
....



Too late now, Andy.



And I got a rank up for my troubles! From Grey Rat to Opal Rat. Heady heights.



Anyway, back to Field Training for now. The next three FT missions contains one of my favourites, which caused me no end of trouble back when I first got the game. We'll get to see if I've improved any.

Oh, and one last thing:



:stonk:

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Feb 18, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Ilanin posted:

(and one other occasion). I think you forgot to run your find/replace on the game script to insert your name where it says "Advisor".
Hehe, truth be told I normally just rely on my eyes for proofreading, I still use Notepad when I'm working with markup languages (although Notepad has find/replace, so that's no excuse). Thanks, went back and fixed that.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

njsykora posted:

Yeah it got kicked in the head for AW2 sadly. The awesome metallic swish goes with the Mission Start! sting and the YEAAAAAAAH! like scream when you win a mission to make Advance Wars 1's "You're Awesome" musical trifecta.

A way I found to dealing with this quite well is to get a rocket or 2 up close using an APC decoy. Lightens the load of the tanks to deal with Grit's tanks (or vice versa, tanks can go after the rockets while your rockets destroy Grit's tanks) and can speed up the final moments provided you keep them defended.

Another trick to jamming Grit's rockets is to damage both of them to 5-6hp. They'll waste a turn joining together, you have one less rocket to deal with and the now unharmed rocket hasn't moved and can't fire. Little AI exploits like this are golden to a bad strategist such as myself.
Hey, it's a better strategy than I used (goodness knows what would have happened if Grit had actually, y'know, attacked during that second Snipe Attack). I probably should have gone with the "damage both rocket launchers" ploy, but I don't remember being in a position to hit both at once. Maybe if I'd built those recons earlier I'd've had a chance to do that (given there were a couple of turns where I forgot to build, this seems likely).

I'm also not fully into "exploit the AI's burning hatred of APCs" mode yet. Bits of my brain probably still think I'm playing AW2. Oh well. Thanks for the tips.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

ultimateluigi987 posted:

With the more subdued CO Powers in this game Grit got quite lucky with that +2 range. You'd almost expect it to be +1, but that's Intelligent Systems for you.
Mmm. On the other hand, his day-to-day isn't especially impressive (decent, certainly, but not broken) compared with AW2 Grit since he doesn't get a firepower boost. Or with Max, whose day-to-day boost is just insane in this game.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 11:22 on Feb 19, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Field Training Missions 4 to 6 (or "I've got a 10-year-old ghost to exorcise")



My favourite Field Training mission today (although it isn't this one).


But all of our commanders are caught up in other campaigns. So there's no one available to lead the Orange Star Army against him.



:patriot:

Let me brief you on the current mission. Our troops en route to the Lost Fortress have been waylaid by Olaf.It's up to you to join up with them, beat back Olaf and secure the area. We need the Lost Fortress! Move out!

How lost can it be if we know where it is? Oh well, whatever.



Day 1


It looks like he understands the importance of holding this area. Almost all of our units heading for Lost Fortress have been eliminated. There are only two tank units left of the original contingent. We must repair them in order to have any hopes of winning here. So first, let's pull those two units back here and patch them up.


To repair a unit, just move it to an allied city or a secure base. This tank unit can make it to this city. Please move it here.



Sounds like a plan.


This tank unit will now recover two HP for every turn it stays here. Okay. Now, let's withdraw this tank unit, too. Would you select it, please?


its movement range. There's nothing we can do about that. Let's get it as close to a city as possible and begin repairs next turn. Would you move it here, please?


But we can't stop there, can we? The unit's still vulnerable to attack from the enemy's tank unit. Place the cursor on a unit and press the B Button to check its attack range. The area it can Fire upon will appear in red. Well, what to do now? How about giving it a little assistance? Let's deploy other units around it to prevent it from being attacked. This tactic is called building a defensive wall.

Most Advance Wars players call it "meatshielding". But hey, tomayto, tomahto.

Our available units are...


Move it here to create a defensive wall.



Sorry lad, you've drawn the short straw.


Enemy units can't cross allied lines and vice-versa. You can see why a defensive wall is such an effective strategic tool. This mech unit will come under fire, but it should be able to hold a turn. Since we have two mech units, we should be OK for two days. So, move the mech units up, and then deploy the infantry as you like. Press End when you're finished.



This looks pretty good to me. Let's end turn.


It looks like the group that's been giving me such trouble, too. But... they don't even have one decent tank unit with them! I've nothing to fear from these ragged fools. Prepare to be routed!

Uh, yeah, no.



Mind you, fair play, that attack packed a punch. Glad I avoided those tanks in the previous Field Training mission.

Day 2



"It's your turn." Count: 3.

The enemy is closing in, but... the tanks need more time for repairs. Even regaining two HP per day, we're not going to be ready in time. It looks like we'll have to Join these two units together.



Putting two units on the same square? This is madness!



No. This is science.



My creation lives!

... but seriously, I already showed this one off a couple of Field Training missions before Nell demonstrates it here. Still, useful advice.

When two units Join, they combine their HP. Of course, now there's only one unit, but... I know that two units may seem better than one at most times, but running around with low HP is very risky. I recommend using Join when you feel it's necessary. I'm going to leave the rest of this mission to you.



Sure, why not.

The tank unit will have full HP and be ready to go on the next turn. First, use your mech and tank units to destroy the enemy tanks. If your mech units take too much damage, use Join to merge them. If you can just get rid of Olaf's tank units, you'll surely win. As long as you keep your HQ from being seized, you can't lose. You can also win by Capturing the enemy's HQ, but it'll be faster to defeat all of the enemy units. Good luck!



All right, then. First of all, that mech unit is looking worse for wear.



Let's retreat it and bring up the other mech to take its place, doing some nice damage to one of Olaf's tanks in the process.



Infantry move up to prevent my mech being flanked by Olaf's infantry.



And the other guys spread out and get into cover.

Day 3



Well, we all just learned a valuable lesson about retreating damaged units from the frontlines and cycling in fresh ones, but it seems like someone wasn't paying attention.



What are we gonna do with you, Olaf?



After my mech takes out the 2HP tank, my own fully healed tank bursts through and engages Olaf's second tank.



Again, gotta be alert to prevent that mech from flanking me at the bridge. One of my infantry units moves up and gives it what for. Meanwhile my two southern infantry take out Olaf's attempt to sneak around the back to my HQ.



4HP mech heads back to get some health, and my other infantry unit moves up to the front lines.



Olaf attacks me, but he looks pretty petrified as his 4HP tank takes on my infantry. Not sure why really, it wasn't that bad of a move.

Day 4



Apparently capturing cities is more important to the AI than trying to land a few hits on the enemy. Which, okay, that'd make sense on a map with bases where your economy actually matters. No bases here though.



Tank and mech work through Olaf's damaged units.



Slightly risky shot as I take on one of Olaf's city infantry: he's certainly got the defensive edge. But time and tide wait for no man, and we need to get a move on.



An arrow-o-vision view of that as my other infantry move up.

Day 5



Olaf again elects not to attack.



Mechs take on mech. Again, it's something of a war of attrition as I try to clear out Olaf's cities. But at least I have unit count on my side.



Tank and infantry have more joy taking out Olaf's infantry, though.



Closing in for the kill.

Day 6



Olaf just sits there doing repairs.



Tank knocks the mech down to 1HP.



And I finish the job from the river.


Capturing this area was vital to our strategy. You did a great job! Keep up the good work.
Nell? So, she does have her hand in this! That explains why this little group has been such unexpected trouble. This is unforgivable! Next time, I will give them a display of true might! Mark my words!

Keep dreaming, Olaf.



Once again, lagging behind a bit on speed. Oh well, let's see what the next mission has to offer:



A bunch of new commands, apparently.



Glad to see my work here's getting recognised.

I'm also happy to say that the enemy troops aren't deployed ahead of us.
Look at this! An artillery unit has been assigned to your command! Used correctly, this unit'll strengthen your battalion. No doubt about it.
But, it sounds like it's seen a lot of action on the front lines, and... Well, I guess we'll get a look at it when we reach the battle-field.
Oh, and I've received one more bit of information. You've also been given an APC unit to use.
This one is fresh from the factory, so don't worry about its condition. OK, let's get moving!

Okay, you know what? I apologise. Olaf doesn't always get everything before us. He tends to get brute force stuff first, and we tend to get clever stuff first. Sensible way to handle it, really.



Day 1

Well, it's good to see that we have an artillery unit, but...


And it's almost out of fuel, too. It can't Fire without ammo, and it can't move without fuel. In this condition, it's useless. But don't worry, I think we'll manage just fine. We just need to supply the unit using a transport unit. When you Supply a unit, you fill its ammo and fuel to the maximum level. For intel on a specific unit, select the unit and press the R Button.



Select that command, please.



Supply, like G did!

Great! Now we've given the unit both ammo and fuel. This is how transport units supply allied units in adjacent spaces. This time, we gave supplies to only one unit, but transport units can also provide supplies simultaneously to any unit adjacent to it. Oh, yes. You can also Supply units by placing them in allied bases. And, as I explained before, in addition to supplies, bases also provide HP. So, use bases when you can. But when you can't, use transport units.

Nell's telling a lie here. APCs can resupply other units, but the other transports, T-Copters and Landers, cannot. On the other hand, they have their own strengths that APCs don't, as we'll see in a few updates' time.


Would you select it, please?



But... but I'm not standing next to anything...



WITCHCRAFT! (Well, okay, no. But that's what it felt like back in 2002 :v: )

This is why we have artillery units: Indirect Fire! Indirect Fire is the term used for a long-distance attack on the enemy. This technique allows units to Fire without fear of counterfire. Now that that's clear, go ahead and deploy the rest of your troops.


attacks these allied bases. Let's see what we can do to protect them. I think a single tank unit might barely suffice. Please move the unit here.


be a little tough. The enemy also has tank units nearby, and... I think it would be wise to move a mech unit up as close as possible. Please move this mech unit to this point.



It's going to take that mech a while to get there at this rate. But I assume Nell has a plan.

The remaining units are yours to deploy as you see fit. Would you like some strategic advice?

May as well.

There are neutral cities below us, right? It would be serious trouble if they were captured, so let's send these infantry units down there. I think we can Capture the cities and engage the enemy at the same time. But watch out for the enemy artillery. If you don't deploy your troops carefully, the enemy will attack them. Oh, I almost forgot. Wouldn't you like to know how far your units can Fire? Do you remember how we checked an enemy unit's attack range? Check your own troops' attack range the same way. Place the cursor on a unit, then press and hold down the B Button. The area displayed in red indicates the unit's attack range. OK. When you've finished deploying all of your units, select End.



Actually, I forgot to show you guys any attack ranges last turn. Whoops. Here's one, now: you can see that my artillery can hit stuff two or three squares away from it, but not things directly next to it. Same for Olaf's. Different for Grit in that mission we just did, though.



My infantry head on down to those southern cities Nell mentioned.


Looks like you're bound and determined to get in my way! I'll have my troops swat you like a fly!

Day 2



"It's your turn." Count: 4.

This doesn't look good. Enemy units are closing in, and our mech unit won't arrive in time to help. But don't panic! There's a way for us to help that mech unit move a bit faster and farther. Please select this mech unit.


Please select that command.

Oh well, I guess we're used to the idea of having two units on the same square by now.


Transport units can carry both mech and infantry units. This effectively increases the movement range for these units. You won't go wrong using transport units to carry troops. Let's move this unit. Would you select it, please?


Please select this command. After selecting Drop, you'll need to choose where you want to unload.


Use the + Control Pad to select the drop point.

Okay, then.


Unloading ends the turn for both the transport and the unloaded unit. This is a much faster way to reach distant objectives, right?

Yeah, seems pretty handy. Could be a logistical nightmare if I'm trying to handle infantry en masse, though. But should help a lot with HQ captures and the like.

So, transport units can Supply all units as well as carry infantry and mech units. But there is one thing you need to remember. Transport units carry no weapons, which means they cannot Fire. For more intel on transport units, place the cursor on one and press the R Button. From this point on, the army is yours to command. Would you like any strategic advice?

Two strategic advice sections in one mission? You're on fire today, Nell.

First of all, you need to protect these two cities. You should deploy a tank unit to this city in front of the bridge. Next, I would advise moving this artillery unit near here.

Got it.

Oh, and there's one more thing about artillery units I need to tell you. Artillery units are powerful long-range weapons, but they're weak in direct combat. They also can't move and Fire in the same turn. Anyway, once you take care of the enemy tank units, you shouldn't have any problems winning this battle. To win, seize the enemy HQ or wipe out all the enemy troops. It's up to you. Do your best, and good luck!

Yeah, that's artillery for you. More powerful than a tank (cheaper, too: 6000G vs. 7000G), but they lack the flexibility that a tank has. Both units are central to AW play though (although they both bow at the altar of infantry, which are the mainstay unit).



Like Nell said, this city by the bridge is an excellent place to park my tank. Only attackable from one direction (by Olaf's tanks, at least), good defensive cover, and heals up 2HP per turn.



Plus I can get an attack in straight away.



And moving the artillery up next to it won't hurt either. Indirect units and "defensive walls"/meatshields are a natural combination, as the indirects can fire straight over the top of the meatshield without worry. Right now we have a pretty classic chokepoint situation here, and Olaf has serious problems.



Finishing up by moving infantry around.



Olaf decides to go on the attack with his damaged tank. You can tell from the look on his face how well that went.

Day 3



You know, Olaf, you could've attacked with your full-health tank. It would have achieved something at least.



Instead the full health tank is just sitting in artillery range. Mmm, juicy.



Artillery: pretty darn effective.



Meanwhile my tank takes down the 1HP tank, and my mech fends off the infantry creeping over the river.



Now then, about Olaf's artillery. Well, he's got that city covered, but the squares around it are fair game.



So let's send some infantry in.



And move up and capture. I had a half-baked scheme to try and pick that mech up with my APC, but it didn't really pan out. No harm done though.

Day 4



Better try and clear these infantry out.



I leave the full-health one alone for a simple reason, though: it's less likely to retreat, and if it does retreat it won't get very far. Last thing we need is to waste time chasing after some crippled tank.



Capturing infantry down.



And Olaf's mech is reduced to 1HP.



My APC heads back east again. Just a bit of indecision on my part, really. Oh well.

Day 5



Olaf retreated his 1HP mech.



Time to take a risk and head off after it.



Since I'm moving into artillery range anyway, might as well go the whole hog and send some other units in. The artillery can only fire at one of them - and if the mech doesn't get hit, then it can deliver some decent damage next turn.



Artillery and mech take care of business in the north, and I send my tank down to make sure I have enough troops to take out the arty.



Owch. I guess that move did cost me. Still surprised that Olaf was able to one-shot me there, though: he must have got lucky.

Day 6



Yeah. First unit loss of Field Training there, I think :(.



But at least we can finish it off this turn.



Boom.


You're doing well. Now get going, and keep up the good work.
Grrr... Next time, blast it! Next time!

You know, I think we're starting to get to Olaf.



Hey, got maximum score for speed this time. I did lose a unit, but that wasn't enough to dent my technique (Is this game trying to teach me a lesson about sacrficing lives to make wars end sooner?)

But now, on to my favourite field training mission:



Ready as I'll ever be.


The Coral Fortress is surrounded by mountains, so it's hard to imagine that there are many enemy units there. Still, an entire company is gone, so... The point is, we can't afford to lose that territory. Time to get going!



Hmm... wonder what could have happened to those units?

Day 1



Ohhh, poo poo.

That explains what happened to the recon units that vanished... Even with your units, I don't know if we can win.

I just love the way Nell's building up that medium tank as an unstoppable killing machine. Both because it's kind of funny in hindsight, and genuinely tense if this is your first time playing.

You don't win battles with just a show of force, though. You know that by now, right? I'm going to leave this one up to you. Do you want any strategic hints?

Sure. Gotta find a way to deal with that medium tank, after all.

For the time being, you can ignore the medium tanks. Just be sure you don't move into their attack range. Do you remember how to check a unit's attack range? Move the cursor onto the unit and hold the B Button. Now for your strategy...


Try to make the most of your tanks, mech units, and artillery. Now, send some infantry to secure the neutral cities below you. The river will protect you from all but the enemy's infantry, so don't worry.


Good luck!



All right, well, better get this ball rolling.




APC loads up with a mech and follows the tank forward, dropping its passenger off on a city.



Infantry move up, keeping their square formation because I dunno, may as well.



... we were just talking about them, Olaf. At least try to get your facts right when you taunt.

You'll soon tremble before the power of the mightiest ground forces ever!

I'm pretty sure there are some more powerful units in the pre-Western Nintendo Wars games. There certainly are in later games. But oh well, whatever.



The AI's APC fetish at work again.

Day 2



Olaf, I... Olaf. Artillery do not work that way.



Here, let me show you how it's done.



While that's going on, I retreat my APC to heal up. May as well load a mech into it while I'm back here.



Mech finishes off artillery, tank finishes off tank. I could have attacked from the forest rather than the road with my tank, but I wanted to keep my artillery safe. That arty's going to be vital here.



Finishing up the day by having my infantry move and capture.

Day 3



My tank pays for being left on the road rather than in the forest. But at least the artillery is safe.



Tank retreats, APC advances and drops off its passenger.



Time to give that tank what for!



Two infantry finish capturing, the other two wade into the river.



This time I did leave a gap in my defenses through which Olaf could reach my artillery. But at least he couldn't do much damage this time. He even seems somewhat worried about it.

Day 4



That tank gets finished off by one of my mechs, while the other attacks Olaf's river mech.



Artillery and infantry take down an infantry.



And I get a hit in on Olaf's remaining infantry unit.

Day 5



A fairly quiet turn from Olaf.



I take out his remaining units between the rivers.



And get some capturing done.

Day 6



A fairly quiet day, this one.



I capture a city and bunch my units up around the second bridge, while my artillery retreats to heal.

Day 7



Once more Olaf decides to move his infantry up but not attack.



More meat for the meat grinder.



Okay, there's the medium tank's attack range. We don't want to enter that just yet, although to win we're going to have to. Advance Wars units have different AI settings: units that have been given a defensive mindset won't move unless there's something for them to attack. That medium tank is one such unit.



APC and tank set up at the cities down below. Didn't Nell say something about capturing these?



Moving units up. In particular, getting my fixed-up artillery upfield.

Day 8



Olaf basically just sits there.



Sending more dudes into capture, using my APC to help extend their move range.



Finishing off Olaf's last mech from the river. Didn't want to attack from the city because I want my tank to heal up there.



And there we go.

Day 9



All right, we're capturing these cities now. Let's see what Nell has to say.


Now, I'll give you some advice for the future. It's not impossible to stop medium tanks with artillery, but it's tough.

Artillery, hmm? Artillery...

Instead, try to stop the medium tanks from crossing the river. Then try to Capture the enemy HQ. If the tanks do get across... Well, like I said, concentrate on the enemy HQ. Capture the HQ or defeat all enemy troops to win! Good luck!



Okay, for now I'm just going to set up just outside the middie's attack range - with one of my mechs using the rivers to get in close. Next turn we move in.

Day 10



All right, let's do this.



My tank moves onto the bridge - it's got the strongest armour of all my units, and should survive a hit from the middie. Not going to attack just yet though - hahaha no. My artillery moves into position behind it.



Okay, that's the medium tank trapped in place.



I'd better set up to capture the HQ as well just in case this all goes to pot.



Capturing and moving. That 8HP mech is getting ready for a flanking move.



Well then. That tank just took 9HP of damage. Probably somewhat lucky, but it makes the point: medium tanks do not joke around. But at least the tank survived.

Day 11



Okay, so what now?



Well, now we counterattack.



4HP of damage isn't a huge amount, but it's a solid hit and anything that can do reasonable damage to these guys is welcomed. Throughout the Advance Wars series, artillery are your go-to solution for a cheap way of dealing with medium tanks and their bigger tanky brethren the Neotank (AW2) and Megatank (AWDS, although arties don't do that much damage to Megatanks). They do solid damage and they don't get counterattacked.

The upshot is a lot of artillery in high-level play and very few medium or heavier tanks. But then, with very few medium tanks that makes artillery less useful, and light tanks become a decent counter to artillery. There's been a fair bit of evolution of the AW metagame over the years.



My crippled tank retreats, and one of my infantry moves up to take its place. At least with the medium tank down to 60% of its attack power, the infantry unit should survive this. I also get capturing that HQ, again, just in case.



Yeah, the infantry survived. Really not sure why Olaf is worried in this screenshot.

Day 12



I could just finish this with capturing...



... but I've got a 10-year-old ghost to exorcise. Solid hit from that artillery, taking Olaf down to 1HP.



And my mech looks like it can finish the job.



Catharsis!



Whew. Sadly there isn't any unique dialogue for routing the medium tank. Kind of wish there was, though.

But now that Olaf has Md tanks, our current tactics won't suffice. I'll have to ask central command to send us some, too. Keep up the good work!
What?!? Even my medium tanks are defeated??? THAT NELL!!! Hmm... But it doesn't look like she has any medium tanks ready to use... Ha ha ha! I'm sure I'll enjoy our next encounter!

Hmm... ominous. But after getting through that, I'm pretty sure we can survive whatever Olaf has to throw at us.



Slow again, but still A-Ranking even though I took quite a bit of a hit on speed. Totally worth it to take out the medium tank, though.

But now it's time to stop pretending that a single medium tank unit is an unstoppable threat to my progress. For now we must encounter...



... this man of mystery.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 10:52 on Sep 19, 2013

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Cryohazard posted:

Are you going to tackle the extra mission on both difficulties?
Which one? I count at least two, arguably five. Although I suspect you mean "Rivals!". I do want to do it on Normal Campaign, certainly, although depending on what COs people pick for The Final Battle I might have to go and beat that twice.

As for both difficulties... well, like I say in the OP, I've never even tried Advance Campaign. I'd like to have a go at it once I'm done with NC, but I'd be doing it blind so there's no guarantee of me even beating "It's War!" AC, let alone "Rivals!" AC. Sorry.

e: Saying that, what I maybe should do with AC is have a go at it on my DS first in preparation for an emulator run. I lose the blindness aspect, but at least it'd tell me whether I can beat "It's War!" AC or not. And arguably it's better LPing that way.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Feb 20, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Mission 3: Air Ace! (or "They gave their lives so that we might cheese the mission with an HQ capture")


Orange Star forces, if I'm not mistaken. And, of course, I never am.

Well, this guy seems pretty full of himself.

I had heard that the Blue Moon Army ruined them, but...
How interesting. I think I'll entertain them for a while.



Well, it's not an airport. But it's close...



Day 1



Hmm, I must've missed that memo, Andy. Still, makes a change for you to be paying more attention to Nell than me. Even if it turns out she was wrong this time.
Paul! Andy! Come in! Do you copy?
Nell! There are hostile forces here!
So it seems. But those... those aren't Blue Moon troops. I'll see what I can find out. Hold your positions! We have some bases you can use here as a last resort. Paul! Watch over Andy, OK?



Well hey, this time we're fighting against some green guys instead of some blue ones. Makes a nice change. There's another new thing we're fighting, too: air units. Let's find out a bit about them:

Battle Helicopter or B-Copter (9000G). The light tanks of the skies, and even more versatile: they can get over awkward terrain easily, making them invaluable flankers on maps with chokepoints. They're decent attackers against most surface units, and take little damage back as tanks can't use their main cannons on them. They have a few massive weaknesses, though: they get taken apart easily by anti-airs and fighters.
Transport Helicopter or T-Copter (5000G). If B-Copters are flying tanks, then T-Copters are flying APCs, able to transport one footsoldier at a time. Because they can fly, they can reach places that APCs can't - to make up for this, they can't supply units the way that APCs can.
Bomber (22000G). The game's most powerful attacking unit, capable of one-shotting many surface units and not being far off at killing medium tanks and battleships, either. Even anti-airs can only beat them if they get the first shot in. Bombers are helpless against fighters, though.
Fighter (20000G). The kings of the skies, fighters are how you gain and hold air superiority in Advance Wars. They're devastating attackers against Bombers, B-Copters and T-Copters - and to add insult to injury, those three units can't even attack Fighters. They also have the largest movement range of any unit in the game. They can't do anything against surface units, though.

This mission also introduces the final land unit:

Missile Launcher (12000G). Essentially rockets with a focus on surface-to-air rather than surface-to-surface. They're powerful: under normal conditions, a full health missile launcher can one-hit kill any air unit. So on paper, that sounds pretty good. Unfortunately, they have a lot of weaknesses: they're slow, heavily specialised, and it's very easy for B-Copters and Bombers to just fly into their range shadow and take them out. So they're somewhat situational. They have a few uses though, like rendering enemy airports useless by setting up within range of them.



As for strategy, well, that HQ there's looking very vulnerable over there, and we've got the unit to exploit that vulnerability in the T-Copter. Capturing it should be fairly straightforward: the tricky part will be getting past all those fighters. The T-Copter's going to need an escort, in short. It's a fun quirk of Advance Wars that the inability to cross enemy lines extends to air units: surface units block air units, air units block surface units. We're going to stop those fighters reaching our T-Copter by surrounding it with tanks! There's a base up there that our mystery opponent is going to capture, but we don't need to worry too much about it: hopefully we'll have this wrapped up by the time it starts doing something useful.



Let's get the ball rolling by taking out this conveniently placed B-Copter. Hmm... anti-airs normally do 120% damage to B-Copters (talk about overkill!). This one's only doing 108% damage. Looks like our foe gets a boost to his air defence.



Oh well, still a one-hit-kill. These green B-Copters look a little bit like Hinds...



... while our own Orange Star B-Copters are reminiscent of Apaches. I think I've already noted this, but the differentiation between the units of the different armies is just one of many great little things about the art of AW1 and 2.



Anyway, the upshot of all this is that I took out the two units that started out near my forces.



Let's also get these transports loaded up with mechs. The T-Copter is, as I've noted, essential here. The APC less so, but it might make a useful decoy. And I guess capturing that base up ahead won't hurt.



The rest of my anti-aircraft units take up position on the bridge...



And the "not very useful units given the composition of the enemy's forces" units fit into the gaps.

Day 2



Here come the air units. One of the fighters decided to position itself annoyingly over the sea and out of missile range, but I'm okay with that because the other one is invitingly placed.



Even missile launchers aren't doing the full 120% damage whack to these B-Copters. Hmm.



Oh well, whatever.



My AAs follow that up by taking out the fighter I can reach. It takes two shots from an AA to bring down planes, compared with the one shot it takes them to bring down copters, or the one shot it takes missiles to bring down planes. Still pretty effective, though.



T-Copter moves up so it's protected from the north and east by AAs, and the medium and light tanks roll up behind it to protect it from the south and west.



Now then, dealing with that fighter. Well, it's time to do something rather cruel. I'm leaving my B-Copter out in the open as bait - the fighter will almost certainly move in to attack it... and when it does, it'll be nicely in range of my missile launcher.



Speaking of missile launchers, might as well deploy a second one (this is not something you'll see me write often).



Finishing off the unit moving this turn.



Yeah, there goes my B-Copter. Expected, but still sad. My medium tank also takes a hit from the enemy B-Copter. B-Copters are the second-most cost-effective solution to a medium tank problem after artillery, although obviously you're not always going to get the chance to deploy them.

Day 3



They gave their lives so that we might cheese the mission with an HQ capture.



Only 90% damage for a missile launcher attacking a fighter? That defence boost is starting to get really annoying.



The fighter clings grimly on for dear life.



Not that it matters much with AAs around to handle cleanup.



With the fighters out of the way, there's nothing to stop my T-Copter advancing on the HQ.



There is one other thing to deal with, though: that bomber. It's been sitting back there keeping goal for these green guys, and if we just deploy our mech willy-nilly on that rather castle-ish HQ that bomber will go OM NOM NOM. Dealing with it is going to take another unit sacrifice. So I move out a tank to bring it out of hiding. This'll also help us to demonstrate our opponent's CO power.

FASCINATING!

Oi you, get back to your own game. In hindsight I could have parked that tank in the forest for some defensive cover which might just have saved it, but too late now. No use crying over spilt... yeah.



Finishing moving everyone up...



Here comes the bomber :(



And here comes the CO Power.



Wait, hold on! That bomber had already moved. But now it can move again?



Welcome to Lightning Strike, folks. As usual, the APC gets it in the neck. But it manages to survive somehow, despite being out in the open road.

Day 4


you've encountered! Those are Green Earth troops!

The units coloured green are Green Earth troops. And it took you four days to work that out. Okay.
Rumor has it that there's an independent battalion roaming about. I believe you've found them. Watch out for their air units. They're supposed to be brutal!
You're too late, Nell.
What? Does that mean you're already under attack? Well... Um... Good luck!
Nell left us! She ran away...

Don't worry, Andy, I've got this. Anyway, time to stop pretending I don't know who this guy is:

Paul.Power's CO Notes: Eagle Eagle's Theme
Eagle is the air unit specialist CO (although one could easily argue that there's a certain other CO with considerably better air units): his air units have increased attack and defence (I think 115% and 110% respectively?) and also consume less fuel per turn (with planes that use up 3 fuel units per turn instead of 5, and copters that use no fuel per turn instead of 2 - more on this in the next round of Field Training). His ships, however, are weaker, with only 90% attack (not too bad really, considering what Grit got hit with). Eagle's CO Power is Lightning Strike, which lets his non-footsoldier units have a second turn (although with greatly reduced attack and defence values, making him vulnerable to counterattacks).

Background/Personality: The Green Earth COs in general play off European history and stereotypes, and Eagle is Germany - with a powerful airforce reminiscent of the Luftwaffe and Lightning Strike being a dead ringer for the tactic of Blitzkrieg. Green Earth as a whole has a somewhat Germanic feel (well, Hind helicopters aside), but the COs are a bit more varied. Anyway, Eagle has a big ego and a burning hatred of Andy. Why? Well, we don't know yet. Can't spoil everything for you. He can also be somewhat uptight. But again, he's not a bad person at heart (I'll think I'll be saying that a lot in these dossiers).



Anyway, back to the action. Now my AA's doing more damage than average because of how much Lightning Strike wrecks Eagle's defence in Advance Wars 1. It's still one of the more effective CO Powers, but you have to be very wary of your opponent coming in for the counter attack after using it.



Finishing that bomber off. It's a good job we took out Eagle's fighters before lightning struck. That could've been nasty.



And the T-Copter drops my mech off on Eagle's HQ, using itself to shield the mech from his tank.



General moving and capturing, and oh hey I forgot about my own CO power.



There isn't that much to heal up, but may as well use it.



There we go. My APC's now slightly further from the brink of death, and my medium tank's almost back to full health.



Eagle attacks my T-Copter with his tank, but it should hold out.

Day 5



In case you're curious what Eagle's been doing with that base, well he's built a medium tank.



I'd be worried but, y'know, I'm capturing his HQ. I also finish off capturing that base this turn. May as well. I've been spamming a few infantry to help with my technique score (I did lose two units, after all) and a second base means double the infantry spam.



While I'm here, let's kill some infantry. It's something to do - this is a pretty short mission if you pull it off correctly.



General unit movement.



Eagle attacks my T-Copter again, and it successfully holds out.

Day 6



Tech-spamming a couple of infantry...



... and finishing the job off. Let's see what Eagle has to say on the subject:


Huh? It's you! Andy!
Yeah, but... who are you?
Don't play dumb with me, boy! I'll never forget what you've done!

Wait, hang on, what?

Huh?
So, continuing to feign ignorance, eh?

Andy doesn't need to feign ignorance, he's a natural.

Very well, but the next time we meet will be our last!
Hey! Wait up! He's gone. What was that all about?

You may have noticed this already, but we've got a pretty terrible track record when it comes to securing prisoners of war. But yeah, good question, Andy: what on earth was Eagle going on about then?



Well, Andy, I've already told you it's Eagle, but... eh. You'll find out eventually. Anyway, luckily our sacrificed units didn't cost us any technique score (in fact, we got top marks across the board!), although there are now a few more distraught simulated spouses out there explaining to their kids why daddy won't be coming home for Christmas. No rank up this time, though: maybe after the next mission.

Speaking of which, next mission we get a new CO: Max, a direct combat specialist who's basically the opposite of Grit (and the most powerful CO in AW1). We also get a choice:



The path branches here, and there are a few unique missions on each path before the two paths join up again at the arrival of our third CO, Sami. So the question is: do we take the Andy path, or the Max path? Once we're done with one path I'll go back and do the other, so don't worry about missing anything. And for AW veterans, don't worry about which CO we're going to end up using in The Final Battle: once we're done with these Blue Moon splitting paths, I'll let everyone decide which path they want to "keep".

But we need to work out which one we're going to do first. So I'd like votes please for the Andy path or the Max path.

Of course, before we do either of those, we've got another set of Field Training missions to do. After all, now we've found out about air units, what better thing to do than...



... find out about air units?

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Apr 16, 2014

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

SupSuper posted:

Voting for Max since stupidly overpowered is the best kind of overpowered.

Also this thread has inspired me so I bring you, The Legend of Nell:

Hooray, fanart!...? ;)

Thanks. I'll go put it in the second post.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

KDavisJr posted:

Really I don't know why you left this to a vote Paul. Max is in fact, the right way.
Because I wanted to do the Max path first for a few reasons (show off the new CO, a bit easier logistically if we do Max first, he's just plain fun to play as and I think it also explores the whole Grit/Nell/Max relationship triangle a bit more?). And I figured I'd be perfectly safe leaving it open to a vote because you guys would want to see Max too.

Cue dramatic late swing of votes towards Andy :v:.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Also, a heads-up: might be a couple of days before the next update. The buffer's run out already (figures) and I'm busy with volunteering the next couple of days.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

LordBaxter posted:

Argh not this again! "Sorry guys, next updates gonna be a little bit late" *Next update is a month later*

Also I did like how all the different armies had a theme to their units, in that they're all loosely based off real-world units, I could probably name them unless you'd rather I didn't Paul.

Hah, yeah, the AW2 LP did get pretty bad for that. Hopefully it won't be quite so bad this time, most of the AW1 missions are shorter at least.

And yeah, sure, feel free to identify the real-world units being used. Might get tricky with old-timey Yellow Comet though.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Okay, let's close the poll and count up these votes:

Andy - 3
Max - 24

... yeah, that was only going to go one way, wasn't it?

Also with any luck, the next Field Training update should be up later today.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Field Training Missions 7 to 9 (or "OLAF WENT FIRST???")



But I just did that in... oh well, never mind. Maybe we'll pick up a few tips.



Orange Star has hit a snag in its Md tank development program. On the other hand, Blue Moon seems to have more than enough tanks... I think it's safe to assume that they have mass production capabilities.

It's funny, given how the rest of the series plays out, how Orange Star always seem to have unit shortages and the like in Field Training.

I pulled some strings and had some B copters and T copters sent down from the front lines, but that doesn't give you all that much more firepower.

Well, it's better than nothing.

Nevertheless, let's make good use of them. I'll give you more details once we reach the staging area. Let's move out!



Day 1



Debatable, but go on.

Look at the units he's deployed. He's always one step ahead of us. I didn't think he'd have any air units. I guess I underestimated him again. But, as I suspected, he has deployed a number of medium tanks... A frontal attack would be reckless. As always, we need to defeat all enemy units or Capture their HQ. But, looking at all of Olaf's units, I think we have only one true option. We must Capture the enemy HQ!

Gee, I'm rather reminded of a mission that I shouldn't already have done at this point in time. But yeah, pretty much every AW game has at least one tutorial mission of the form "bypass all the enemy's ridiculous army with a T-Copter" mission. Though not necessarily with a situation where you can land there on Day 1.


The enemy HQ is right below you. But infantry units can't cross seas. It might be possible to march there, but with all of those enemies...


Do you remember APCs? Like APCs, transport copters can carry infantry and mech units. But, also like APCs, they have no weapons and can't Fire. OK, go ahead and Load a unit onto your transport copter.


Good! You Loaded your troops! Now select the transport copter.


That's right! Transport copters can move over seas. Plus, the Movement Cost is the same over all terrain types.




Now Drop the infantry.



Well, if we'd dropped him anywhere else he'd've fallen in the sea. Which I can't imagine would have been a good thing.

Infantry can't move on the ocean.

Yep, there we go.

You can only Drop infantry on terrain they can move across. Don't forget that. You should check to see on which terrain you can Drop infantry. You remember how to check terrain... right? Move the cursor onto the terrain, and press the R Button to check it. Give it a try.

Dammit Nell, stop telling me to press the R Button to check terrain. I know what I'm doing. Most of the time.

OK, now let's test the battle copter's capabilities.


The battle copter is an air unit, just like the transport copter. This means terrain doesn't affect its movement range. Air units aren't affected by terrain bonuses, either. Which makes sense, since they're always flying. As for attack power, well... you should check it out for yourself.


Test your B copter! Fire!!!

Okay, okay, no need for multiple punctuation marks. Unless the situation really demands it, of course.



Nell's luck at work here. I'd never have hoped to do 6HP of damage on 49% expected damage with Andy (although 5HP would have been a reasonable expectation).



Well, "powerful" isn't quite the word I'd use. I'm impressed that it barely got scratched by the counterattack, though. Handy, that.

Battle copters are even effective versus tanks! Plus, with their superior movement capabilities, they're easy to deploy.

This is certainly true. B copters may only move at the same pace as light tanks, but they don't give a drat about terrain. Forests, mountains, rivers, seas, it's all the same to them. This makes them excellent flanking units at chokepoints, among other things.

Now, let me tell you a little more about your new copter units. As you know, they're both air units. All the other units you've used up to this point have been ground units. Since air units are always flying, they use fuel every day. The battle and transport copters use two fuel units per day. Don't worry about remembering that exact number, though. Just keep in mind that they burn fuel every day. Now you know all you need to know about these new units, right? I'm leaving the rest up to you. Do you want some strategic advice?

Well, you know what I'll say by now. Sure.

Pay careful attention to the enemy battle copters and medium tanks. All we have that can go toe-to-toe with them are our Battle copters. So, play it safe, and keep them out of attack range until necessary. Other than that, don't forget to Capture the enemy HQ tomorrow. I'm sure Olaf hasn't considered the possibility that it could be Captured early on! Good luck!



Well, what I basically want to do with my troops here is draw Olaf away from his HQ.



So let's retreat a little and set up shop around our own cities.


I see Nell hasn't deployed any medium tanks! Go, my troops! This time nothing can stand in the way of our victory!

Olaf, I already have an infantry unit sitting on your HQ. You need to pay more attention to detail, man.

Day 2



All right, well, the only unit I have that can do decent damage to Olaf's B copter is my own B copter.



And it does a pretty solid job of it. I'm not quite sure where Blue Moon's B copters hail from (they look vaguely British maybe?) but they certainly look cute. More cute than usual.



While that's going on I begin capturing the HQ. Olaf's not a complete fool, he is sending some medium tanks that way. But they aren't going to get there in time.



Olaf's light tanks fall to artillery and mech fire.



Better get that damaged mech out of harm's way. My tank takes its place on the frontline.



Olaf's medium tanks attack. My B-Copter takes 1HP of damage, but I can cope with that. B copters don't take much damage from tanks, because tanks can only fire on them with their secondary machine guns, not their main tank rounds. My mech fares rather less well though.

Day 3



Could just finish this off now of course. But I want to try something. Let's see if we can take down a medium tank with the units we have. With Nell's luck, we might be able to pull it off.



My artillery lands the first blow. 4HP is a good start, but where are we going to get the other 6HP from?



My B copter gamely provides some help. It'd be doing a bit more damage if it was at full health, but another 2HP is getting us there (I made a bit of an error here - should have attacked from the sea with the B copter. Would've let my mechs and tank get an extra attack in. We'll see soon whether it actually matters).



My light tank punches above its weight luck-wise, taking off another 2HP.



Hmm. Can my 6HP mech finish the job off? 8% expected damage, 2HP to take off...



Well what do you know, it worked. Handy thing to have on your side, luck.



Okay, enough fun and games. Let's finish this.


of his units...

No kidding.

It doesn't matter how good your units are if you don't know how to use them. Anyway, let me tell you a little more about those new air units. Even if you land them on allied cities and HQs, they won't recover HP or be supplied with fuel or ammunition. You haven't seen any yet, but you can only resupply units at airports.

Oh right, yeah, airports. I know what those are. Let's face it, who doesn't?

If they run low on fuel or ammo, you can restock them with an APC, just like land units. Now, keep up the good work!

What in the... My HQ has been stormed! Nell, you troublesome little... You saw that you couldn't survive a frontal assault, and so you pull this out of your hat!

Any sufficiently advanced tactic is indistinguishable from cheating :smug:

Grrr... This isn't over yet!



About as straightforward as they get, that one. Let's move on.



So hey Nell, made any progress with getting us some medium tanks yet?


Orange Star's Md tank development team has succeeded! Plus, you've also been given some new and improved anti-airs!

Cool. But saying that... I don't know about you, but I'm a bit worried about finally getting medium tanks in a mission called "Air Assault"...

Now, let's discuss the current operation, Paul. An entire company has disappeared on its way to the front lines. It was made up mostly of Md tanks and tanks, so this is serious. It may mean that they ran into an air squadron complete with bom... No, that's not possi...

What?

Forget it. It's nothing. I'm sure I'm just reading too much into the situation. Well, time to get moving!



I have a bad feeling about this.

Day 1


Nell! Mobilizing your troops again, are you? Well, you're too late! Fly, my masters of the sky! Finish off these surviving troops, then destroy that meddlesome Nell's units!



Wait, what?


WHAT??



OLAF WENT FIRST??? WHAT THE gently caress?!?!?

See, now that's where you use multiple punctuation marks. But seriously, I can't think of another time this happens in the AW series. This is crazy.

Day 2



Mine, too.

He's got bombers... and fighters, too. This is bad. All of our units that were deployed here have been decimated. If we don't stop Olaf here, he'll push onward and cause even more damage. This is a major turning point! We must be strong!!! First, let me tell you about a new unit which has been assigned to you. You've seen plenty of medium tanks, so you know how to use them, right? Against other ground units, they're practically unstoppable. But -- as you've just seen -- they're helpless against bombers.


Select this one, please. This battle copter is in the perfect spot! Attack it!



Yeah, that's a lot of overkill.

That's what anti-air units can do! You can see how overwhelmingly powerful they are against air units. Plus, against ground units, mech and infantry in particular, they're more effective than tanks. However, tanks will defeat them in head-to-head combat.

Ah the classic AW rock-paper-scissors triangle. B copter > Tank > Anti-air > B copter.

Now that you understand anti-air units, I'll let you take command. Do you want some strategic advice?

Yup. That bomber looks scary.

Watch out for fighters, bombers, battle copters, and medium tanks. It appears the fighters and bombers don't have much fuel or ammunition. I was nervous at first, but we may get through this after all! With air units, you have to watch how much fuel they have. I already told you that copters use two fuel units per day. The other air units -- fighters and bombers -- use five per day. If they run out, they crash, and the units are lost! Try to make the most out of this intel. Let's talk more on strategy after the bombers and fighters are gone. Good luck!



Yeah, the fighter and bomber are in pretty poor condition here. And I don't think Olaf's got any way to resupply them here. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.



For now it's mostly a case of moving units. Let's bring up the heavy hitters first.



Loading up the transports with mechs. They'll probably come in handy at some point.



And moving everyone else forward.

Day 3



Haha, wow, those planes are going down - the fighter's on zero fuel, and the bomber's only got one fuel left which is nowhere near enough. If you're curious as to how the fighter went from 12 fuel to 0 in a turn, recall what Nell said about planes: they use 5 fuel a day without even moving, and any movement they make adds on top of that. 5 fuel + 7 squares moved = 12. So planes can run out of fuel quite rapidly. This is why Eagle's little fuel bonus I mentioned in the last mission is quite neat.



Anyway, let's test out what this AA can do. Nell said they were really good against footsoldiers. Let's test that out.



Yeah, that's a pretty solid hit, especially against a unit standing on a city. AAs can actually one-shot infantry and mechs standing on roads. Granted, so can medium tanks, but AAs cost half as much.



My B copter takes a chunk out of Olaf's mech...



... and then I realise my error: I'm in range of Olaf's own B copter. Bugger.



Ah well. Let's move everyone up.



Olaf's planes explode violently when they run out of fuel.



Owch :(.

Day 4


First, the battle copters... The simplest thing to do is to use your decoys. Use them to draw the copters toward your anti-air units and Attack.

Yeah, news for you, Nell... I kind of already drew the B copter forward. Admittedly by accident :(

If you can take out the battle copters like that, then the fight is ours! As for medium tanks, try to trap them and pound away with your artillery. Once that's accomplished, you'll be in complete control. If your air units look low on fuel, you can resupply them with an APC. I told you that already, didn't I? Well, anyway, the rest is up to you! Good luck!



Okay, well like I say, the good news is that I've pulled Olaf's B copter out of hiding.



My AA takes it down, and my crippled B-Copter retreats to relative safety.



Arty and middie clear out a tank, and my own tank finishes off that capturing infantry.



Infantry move up a bit...



... and goddammit, I did it again: left a unit exposed to Olaf. I can be pretty derpy sometimes.

Day 5



Tch. Still, it's not the end of the world. I can get out of this (would be pretty embarassing if I couldn't, given this is Field Training).



Artillery attacks Olaf's offending tank.



And can my battered B copter still be of use?



Yes, yes it can. Luck to the rescue once again.



AA and medium tank clear out Olaf's infantry, and my light tank goes on an adventure.



Everyone else moves up.

Day 6



Things are looking okay here.



Light tank takes on mech, B copter goes along for the ride.



Time to lay a trap for Olaf. Nell suggested using infantry to lure out Olaf's B copter. That didn't end up happening because I'd already lured him out with my own B Copter. But I can still lure that medium tank into artillery range with an infantry unit. Hey, it's in the mountains, it'll survive.



Other units move up.



And here comes Olaf.

Day 7



Okay, the middie's in range.



This'll teach Olaf to pick on poor, defenseless infantry. Well, ok, no it won't. But you know.



Cycling out the infantry with a fresh one, and taking down Olaf's mech with my middie.



Advancing on the HQ.



And moving my infantry and transports, including making another silly mistake: see if you can spot it.

Day 8



Derp. The medium tank attacked the T-Copter, and moved itself out of artillery range in the process. I think the fact that Olaf went first is just getting to me this mission.



Oh well, time for Plan B: get the medium tank over here and finish it off with my own middie. T copters aren't quite as good as APCs for baiting the AI, but they still seem to get targetted a lot.



My light tank moves in to attack, and my medium tank and AA follow.



And some infantry and APC moving.



Olaf goes for the T copter.

Day 9



First, let's clear this artillery out of the way.



There we go.



Once more we find ourselves relying on some of Nell's luck to finish off a medium tank...



... and once more, it works!


The fact that he had no clue about keeping them supplied saved us. Good luck in the next battle. Keep up the good work!
We forgot to refill the fuel tanks? What are you fools thinking??? Is is that hard to refuel an aircraft?

I don't know, but it must be kind of tricky for an APC to refuel a high-altitude bomber mid-flight...

Augh!!! Just wait until next time!



Well, dumb moves aside, anyway. I'm guessing all those units Olaf destroyed on Day 1 don't count towards my technique?



Anyway, time to go long-range.



You don't say.

The enemy already has fighters and bombers, but it appears that we don't.

They also seem to have developed some kind of bizarre first-turn-stealing superweapon.

But, I did arrange to have some experimental missiles assigned to you.

Again continuing with the theme that Orange Star are halfway through R&Ding all their units during Field Training mode. Explains why we don't get bases I guess?

And I also got you some rockets. With all you've done, Paul, it's the least they could do!

Just doin' my job, ma'am

It seems that the enemy always has superior units deployed. I apologize. Anyway, it's time to move out!

Yeah, as I noted previously, Olaf always gets the coolest toys before we do. Although infantry, artillery and B copters were dead heats and we got APCs, T copters and anti-air first. But hey, we're getting the job done.



Day 1

You've assembled a pretty well-balanced army.



Guess we were only going to get lucky once there.

If you don't take them out, they'll do lots of damage to your units. But since they're across the sea, you can't easily attack them. This is where missiles come in handy! Let's see what they can do!



Missiles can Fire on air units from a distance. Units that are three to five spaces away fall within their range. Press the A Button to open the Command Menu. That's right! Fire!



Haha, nice one. Bombers can dish it out, but they can't take it.

See! Missiles can even take out bombers! Since they don't engage directly, like anti-air units, they don't take damage. However, they can't Fire right after moving. Your main focus is to draw units within their attack range. It's smart to use them in conjuction with anti-air units.

Yeah, missiles can be pretty vulnerable to bombers and B copters just waltzing inside their range shadow to attack. It's generally best to give them an AA escort. As I've said before, I'm not a big fan of missiles, they're pretty situational, but they can still be useful sometimes.

Now, let's test our rockets.



Rockets are basically powered-up artillery. They have the same attack range as missiles -- three to five spaces. Now open the Command Menu.



Any excuse to start wailing on medium tanks. I always wonder why they include rockets in a mission called "Air Defense" because rockets have nothing to do with that. But again, tends to be a theme in the other AW games - rockets get introduced at the same time as AAs and missiles.

That's good! They don't do as much damage as missiles, but it's not too shabby.

Hey, that rocket just did more damage to a medium tank than anything I've seen so far outside a bomber. I'll take it.

The greatest advantage of indirect combat units is that they don't take damage. But as with artillery, they take heavy damage from direct attacks, so you have to protect them.

Defensive walls, meatshielding, etc., etc. Got it.

One more thing about the missiles and rockets... Their movement is classified as tire movement. This is similar to tread movement, but the difference is clear on flat terrain. Select terrain or a unit and press the R button for more details.

Yeah, units on tyres do fine on roads, but while vehicles with treads cross plains like it's no big deal, tyred vehicles tend to get a bit bogged down. And they really struggle going through forests. There's one other unit with tyres: the recon.

I'm going to leave the rest up to you. Do you want any strategic advice?

Okay.

First, try to take out as many enemy units as you can with your anti-air units and your missiles. If you surround your missiles and rockets to protect them, the enemy will move in to attack. If you can take the units around the HQ with your rockets, the battle will be yours. You can send troops in to the HQ by transport copter or surround it and slowly work your way in. Do it however you like! Good luck!



Let's check out some attack ranges. My infantry and B-Copter are currently shielding my rockets and missiles from Olaf's bombers. Although he could park his bomber in that square two squares north of my missile launcher, inside its range shadow, which would be pretty annoying. It's unlikely when he has so many juicy infantry to fire at, but no sense in taking a risk.



With the B copter meanwhile, well Olaf can attack my B Copter. But if I move my B copter, then his bomber could attack my rockets and ugh. I think the best way to solve this problem is with some decoys.



First let's get my ground troops moving up the road.



Then we can deploy the decoys. The APC is acting as classic "the AI hates APCs" bait for that B copter. The T copter is serving less as bait and more to stop Olaf's bomber entering that square - it does leave the B copter vulnerable to medium tank fire though. But even then, that'll help draw the middie towards my own troops, which is what I want. So it should work out.



Olaf strikes. There goes one of my infantry...



... and my APC manages to just survive a pounding from the two B copters.



My T copter takes a hit from Olaf's medium tank (he did pretty good damage there, actually), but again survives.

Day 2



lastpost.mp3



Okay, the decoys have done their job. Let's get them out of here.



And start work on revenge.



Missiles down bomber, AA takes out one B copter and my own B copter cripples the other one. I've left my rocket launcher a little exposed, but since the only unit Olaf has that can capitalise on this is a 3HP B copter, I think I'll be okay.



Rocket and medium tank combine to take out Olaf's full health middie.



Tank and artillery form up a neat little chokepoint in the north.



Yeah, like I say, my rocket took an attack but nothing serious. Even Nell's smiling.

Day 3



Took a couple of hits that turn, but nothing to worry about.



It's pretty straightforward from here. The rockets clear out that medium tank I attacked back on day 1, my B copter finishes off Olaf's B copter and my artillery gets to work on Olaf's infantry in hte north.



My damaged light tank cleans up that northern infantry, and my medium tank takes out Olaf's light tank. Meanwhile I load a speculative mech into a T copter, although I think I can finish this faster with a rout than an HQ capture. Never hurts to have the option, though.

Day 4



Olaf's mechs move obligingly closer.



Rocket and B copter combine to take out his remaining light tank...



... and arty and tanks reduce him down to his last unit in the north. I land on the HQ but yeah, rout's gonna be quicker.

Day 5



Not much else to say.



So let's finish this.


Keep up the good work!
Augh!!! I never had a chance this time! NELL!!! Just wait until next time!



Woo, max score. Speaking of Max, he won the poll so tune in next time for...



... carnage. Complete and total carnage.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 12:22 on Feb 14, 2013

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Karthe posted:

Do air units gain the defense bonus associated with forests/mountains/cities/etc...? Common sense would say no for the same reason APC's can't refuel them, but I can't remember for sure.
It is in there among all that tutorial text. Maybe I should have said something in response to Nell there:

Nell posted:

The battle copter is an air unit, just like the transport copter. This means terrain doesn't affect its movement range. Air units aren't affected by terrain bonuses, either. Which makes sense, since they're always flying. As for attack power, well... you should check it out for yourself.

Also, as it turns out, APCs can refuel them. I guess my joke about that might have clouded the the issue.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Rorac posted:

Dogfights, my favorite training mission.

If I recall, there's a good job speech from Nell for winning normally, a special one for winning in 3 days, and then a "holy hell how did you pull that off" speech for doing it in 2 days. (protip: sacrifice the T-copter)


Needless to say, the OP should show all 3.
Not going to show all three (because going back and being deliberately slow to show off the 4+ day run doesn't sound like much fun) but I've just recorded 3-day and 2-day runs.

Don't think I've actually done a 2-day run of it before. It was a fun puzzle working it out (also thanks for the T copter sacrifice tip!).

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Mission 4M: Max Strikes! as Max (or "I have so much more power!")


Who are you?

Erm, Andy, why are you shaking your fist angrily at this apparently friendly person?

I'm Max, a CO in the Orange Star army. I was ordered to join you and Paul, so here I am.
A new CO, huh? What's so special about you?

Seriously, Andy, who taught you manners?

You get right to the point, don't you, pal? I'm the king of direct combat. Need someone to mix it up? I'm the best! When I really get rolling, Max Force boosts my firepower even higher.
Cool!
I'm not saying I'm perfect, but why focus on the negative, right? Hey, Paul! It's time to choose a CO for the next battle. Use the + Control pad to make your selection.

All right, then. Well, the thread's decided that we're doing the Max route first, so let's get to that.





Don't bother to get up, Olaf.

Day 1



How you doin', Nell? Now that I'm here, what's the kid gonna do?

Well, someone's gotta keep the tanks tuned up...

Oh, Max. You haven't changed a bit.
But I must tell you, Andy's quite a capable CO. If you're not careful, he may just pass you up. See you later. Good luck!



Last mission we met aircraft, now it's time to meet some ships:

Battleship (28000G). The most powerful long-range unit in the game, able to hit anything between 2 and 6 squares away from them. They provide great fire support, and - amazingly for a long-range unit - have good armour. But they're the most expensive unit in the game (you know you've made it if you've got the financial power to spam battleships), and are defenseless against air units and submarines, requiring cruisers to escort them. As naval units, they can only travel on sea or reef tiles.
Lander (12000G). Naval transports that can carry two of any ground unit: this includes vehicles as well as footsoldiers. This makes them a key part of any island-hopping assault. They can't resupply. They are the only ship in AW capable of travelling on shoals (the yellow-and-light blue beach areas around some coasts). Landers can pick up and drop off their passengers either in ports or on shoals. Landers carry no weapons, and are vulnerable to indirect fire (including battleships), air units and submarines.
Submarines or Subs (20000G). Subs have the ability to dive to hide themselves from view. While dived, submarines can only be seen by units in neighbouring squares, and can only be attacked by cruisers and other subs. However, when dived, subs use fuel a lot more quickly (and they don't carry much of it to begin with), so you'll need APCs on standby to stop them sinking. Subs prey on battleships and landers, but fall quickly to cruisers. They have no anti-air or ship-to-shore capabilities.



The overall strategy on land is pretty straightfoward: we move foward a bit, Olaf moves forwards a bit, and CRUNCH. On sea, it boils down to the fact that, although Olaf has a ridiculous number of battleships, he hasn't got anything deployed that can counter dived subs. Which means our own subs can just take him apart.



So okay then, what's so special about this Max character? Well let's send our medium tank to attack Olaf's and find out...



... aha. Ahahaha.



AHAHAHAHA!



My tanks aren't doing quite as much damage as the medium tank did, but that's because Olaf actually has some defensive cover for his own tanks. 6HP damage is still pretty neat, though.

So that's the good of Max, what about the bad?



Welp.

Paul.Power's CO Notes: Max Max's Theme
So: Max. Max gets a +50% attack boost to all of his non-infantry direct combat units. Tanks, planes, B copters, recons, AAs, submarines, cruisers... And that's +50%, which means they do half as much damage again. His CO Power, Max Force, boosts that damage again and gives his direct combat units +1 movement range. Max does have a big weakness, though: his long-range units are... well, not very long range. They take a -1 range penalty and a -10% firepower penalty. That can get pretty annoying, but the +50% firepower boost on over half the game's units compensates way more than enough.

Background/Personality: Graduating from Orange Star's CO academy around the same time as Nell and Grit, Max is Orange Star's powerhouse, a brawler who likes to get up close and personal. He's something of a showoff, but he's also a very loyal friend - although this in turn makes him rather overprotective of his fellow Orange Star COs. He's also got some insecurities about his failings with long range units. Still a good guy to have around, though.



Anyway, here we have a demonstration of why Max's range penalty can be a problem: his battleship can't hit Olaf's one, but Olaf can hit him. It's like playing against Grit all the time.



Luckily for Max, he has some other options here. Let's send in a submarine.



That's pretty painful for Olaf. Battleships are essentially the toughest unit in the game - even bombers only knock them down to half health, and normally a sub would only do about that much as well. But this is Max we're talking about.



Moving the battleship forward to a range it's more comfortable with, and moving my other sub too. Hmm... don't want it to get hit by those other battleships.



Better dive it, then. As Olaf has no cruisers or subs of his own here, that sub is now basically invulnerable - at least, until it runs out of fuel. And hopefully we'll be done long before that.



Moving the rest of my dudes up. Not really going to bother with the lander though: again, this is something you can win with faster with rout than HQ capture.


Orange Star may match me in numbers, but I have so much more power!

Power? Olaf, you're fighting Max.

But you're not very well balanced... What if the enemy send its subs under? That'll stop you cold.
Battleships at sea! Md Tanks on land! Is there anything more I need? No! Nothing at all! Attack! Attack! Attack!
Well, as long as you're happy, Boss.

I think Grit's just resigned to a situation where he's considerably smarter than his boss.



We blasted Olaf with enough damage on Day 1 that he's got Blizzard already.



His crippled battleship isn't going to achieve much, though.

Day 2



And so, we return to snow.



We'll be wanting to stay outside the range of this rocket launcher for now.



If you thought Max's medium tank attacking a medium tank was bad, here's Max's medium tank attacking an artillery.



Let's repeat that 141% dose on this infantry.



Meanwhile my light tanks clean up Olaf's ones.



My battleship makes itself useful and finishes off Olaf's battleship, while my dived sub continues its rampage.



And I get the other sub dived as well. Can't dive/surface and attack on the same turn, sadly. The question of diving or attacking is a tricky one sometimes.



Everyone (except the lander) moves up.



Aaand in hindsight maybe I should have retreated my battleship rather than attacking.



Yeah :(. Oh well, at least it was only a Max battleship.



A tank taking damage like this is more of an issue in many ways.

Day 3



Owch. But on the plus side, losing that battleship has got my power meter nicely charged up.



Let's see what happens.



Light tank attacking infantry on road: 125%.



Medium tank attacking medium tank in forest: 81% (might've been a one-shot on the road).



Medium tank attacking rocket on road: 195%. Yes, okay, so 95% of that is wasted. Still cool.



Submarine attacking battleship in open sea: 102%.



Well, that's the battleship problem mostly solved.



My 3HP tank finishes off Olaf's 2HP tank, and my other units form a wall around it. The APC ought to work its usual magic.



Moving other units up.



Yet more snow.



And yeah, I left a medium tank in artillery range. I can weather that, but I'll admit it's not brilliant.



The AI targetting APCs as usual.

Day 4



Brr.



You know, it'd really help if we got lucky here and did enough damage to destroy that medium tank. Would let my 5HP medium tank through to attack the arty.



But alas, no. For all his strengths, Max doesn't get Nell's luck.



Oh well. Let's attack Olaf's light tank instead. My own light tanks work together to get it down to 2HP. Meanwhile in the south, my sub finishes off the last battleship with an arrow heading outside the screenshot.



Oh well, may as well finish off that medium tank. And move my rocket launcher up. Not that it's likely to see any acton, but you never know.



May as well see if I can knock another hit point off this tank...



Hooray!



General unit moving. Two main things to note: first, I surfaced one of my subs. No battleships left, so may as well let it save on fuel. I also moved my artillery up, as a decoy: indirects often like to target other indirects, and if my arty gets hit that'll save my 5HP medium tank.



Yup, that was my arty getting hit. The city's defences saved it from too much damage.



Olaf tried attacking my infantry with his tank. Without much success.

Day 5



Okay, let's finish this off.



Full health middie takes down the arty, 5HP middie tanks down the 1HP tank.


Cool! There's no way I could do that much damage.
Yeah! That's right!
As long as I didn't use my indirect combat units, that is.

Owch. Think you've touched a nerve there, Andy.

Oooh... you...
That's exactly right. Max doesn't use indirect combat units because he's clumsy.
....
And your range of fire is small, too. That's life threatening, isn't it?

Cheer up, Max. It's what you do with them that counts.

Ha! I'll do just fine without relying on those units.
I wonder about that. Anyway, excellent work, Max! Now you two work together and try to get along.
You heard the lady. Let's stop fighting and do this, Andy.
I think she was talking to you, Max.

This pair are a hell of a double act.



Another S-Rank, and a perfect score to boot. And a rank-up to the heady heights of, er, Jade Rat. Well, it's something.

Anyway, I'd actually completely forgotten this, but the next mission also gives you a choice of CO, although no branching paths this time. It's a fight against Grit, and the map looks like this:



... that is to say, it's a Fog of War mission (which, going up against Grit, could be kind of nasty).



I'm fairly easy as to which CO you guys pick for this one: like I say, I'd even forgotten that you get a CO choice here. So yeah, Andy or Max?

Anyway, while that's going on we've got some more Field Training to do. So tune in next time for...



... payback time.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 00:50 on Feb 6, 2013

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

SkySteak posted:

Actually does Max get any special dialogue with Grit?
Max and Grit do have a chat after this mission, but I think it's the same chat regardless of who you pick.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Cernunnos posted:

Unless Grit starts with several recons deployed he won't be much of a problem since Artillery and Rockets only have 1 vision. Unless that was nerfed later and they have decent vision in this game. My only experience with Advance Wars is a few hours of Dual Strike.
Yeah, thing about AW1 and 2 is that the AI can see everything in fog of war, except for things in forests and reefs (and even then, they "know" the unit's there, they just can't attack until they "spot" it). So the weak vision range of these units is kind of immaterial.

With AWDS, the AI improved enough that it no longer needed to rely on this crutch and could play fog of war similarly to a human (or at least, on a level where it knows where everything is but needs to spot it to attack it, regardless of whether it's in a forest or reef or not). And I think with AWDoR the AI plays just like a human in fog of war? But they also change how fog of war works in AWDoR to make it less "ugh".

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Okay, time to close the poll.

Andy 12
Max 22

It was a close-run thing for a while, but a late surge gave Max a clear lead!

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I like about using Max here. A key part of fighting the AI in fog of war is making good use of forests, and to do that you need to clear out the spotter units in those forests. Max's extra firepower should help reduce the possibility of some 1HP infantry being able to blab your position back to Grit's rockets.

Don't get me wrong, Andy would probably do a perfectly fine job, but I think it's advantage Max.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Field Training Missions 10 and 11 (or "You might enjoy the challenge!")

Only doing two missions this time, but the good news is that you get to see one of them twice.



Back to Field Training for another classic mission.


We've finally got bombers and fighters ready to go! Three units each!

Nice. But I bet there's a catch. There's always a catch.

You've only got them for this mission, but...

Yeah, figures. Still, it's better than nothing.

It seems Olaf's troops have appeared on the far shore. Your job is to get over there and take them out in one fell swoop! Let's get moving!



Quick, let's get in there before Olaf gets mobilised!

Day 1


We were able to prepare our troops before Olaf's troops came ashore, so all we need to do now is attack! It's always smart to check your data. You know which units can Attack which units, right? If you forget... Just check the unit's data. You know to move the cursor to the unit and press the R Button to check its data, right? OK! Good luck!

R button, shmaR button. Let's get to work. And since Nell's interested in how quickly we can win this, we're going to keep an eye on the clock even more than usual here.



Olaf's got a missile launcher in the heart of his defence. Better get rid of that, or at least heavily damage it. I send in a bomber to take it on.



And yeah, like I say, missile launchers are useless unless you keep them protected - which is tricky when you're dealing with air units.



I also get some sweet, sweet revenge for Mission 8 by targetting Olaf's medium tanks with my other bombers.



So far, so good.



The best unit I have for dealing with fighters is my own missile launcher, though. I can use it to take one of Olaf's fighters down this turn. But he still has another fighter. I could engage it with my own fighters, but I'd need two of them to bring it down, and one of them would suffer counterattack damage.



So instead I'm going to keep that fighter busy with my T copter (thanks for the tip, Rorac!). The AI should prioritise targetting it, and that means the fighter will stay in range of my missiles. It should also distract Olaf's damaged missiles, too. It's another sacrifice ploy, but time is of the essence.



So what about my other indirect, the rocket? Well, I reckon the best use of my resources here is to use it to target Olaf's lander (I've just realised he gets a lander here before the next mission formally introduces them - curious, that). Hmm... it's still got 4HP left. That's going to need two B copter shots to finish off.



So let's do that.



Now let's move on to the fighters. One of them gets to clear out a bomber...



Boom. Don't worry, I know it says 2 there but that's because I took the shot when I did. That bomber got one-shotted.



The other two fighters get the less glamorous duty of getting rid of Olaf's T copters. But it's got to be done.



And that's the turn. Went pretty well, I thought. But I've made a mistake. A really dumb mistake. See if you can spot it.


They found my landing forces? Augh! There's no way around it! We'll have to make due with what we've got!

Isn't it "make do"?



Olaf takes the bait of the T copter. He attacks with the missile launcher first (the AI likes to attack with indirects first) which is just as well: because the missiles are damaged, the T copter survives, which means that the fighter also targets it.



But here's where the really dumb mistake creeps in. I let Olaf's B copters attack my own B copters. I should have been paying more attention to shielding them. It's not going to stop me winning, but... it'll probably slow me down...

Day 2



Oh well, might as well keep going. We're still in a good position here.



The fighter stayed in missile range thanks to the T copter, so let's clear it out.



Whoosh.



Olaf's bombers come in for a world of hurt, too.



At least I can take out one of those B copters with my third fighter. Although that leaves the other one...



Bombers roll down and take out what's left of Olaf's ground troops. But that still leaves that one 8HP B copter. So close to a two-day finish, here.



Maybe I'll get really lucky? I doubt it, but you never know.



Yeah, no.



Even Nell's luck can't save me here.



3HP away from a two-day finish.



Olaf rubs some salt into the wound by taking out my 2HP B copter.

Day 3



Well, may as well finish this.



A victory. A good victory, even. We've got Olaf running off with his tail between his legs. But still rather bittersweet.



You cleared this map in three days?

Should have been two. Should have been two.

Incredible! I'm really impressed that you've developed your skills so much! Keep up the good work!

Thanks, Nell, but it's not helping.

Augh!!! How could my landing forces be defeated?!? Now I'm in trouble! Just wait until next time!

And don't you start, Olaf!



But I know I can do better.



So let's try this again.

goddamn finally bombers and fighters my superiors weren't asshats for once



*deep breaths*

Day 1

i sure love words did you know words are made of letters? they can also be formed into sentences too! let me tell you about homestuck



All right, let's do this.



Going to start by attacking the lander first, this time, and then build around that. Hmm. I did more damage this time round. Maybe it'll only take one B copter to finish it off...?



Well, what do you know. Maybe it was just a bit of bad luck last time? No. There must be something more to it than that.



Once more my missiles destroy a fighter, one of my bombers takes on Olaf's missiles, and I leave that T copter out as a decoy.



Fighters swoop in and take out the T copters and a bomber.



Bombers remove the medium tanks, being more careful about their positioning this time.



And this time my positioning's better. I can screen my B copters from Olaf. I think the luck did help a little: not having to use my second B copter to take out the lander meant I could put the bomber on that square instead.



Moving the other B copter up to a safe square.

and i would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling co's and your blasted advisor!

Day 2



T copter down, but its brave sacrifice will not go in vain.



There goes the offending fighter.



My fighters don't even have to move as they remove Olaf's bombers and one of his B copters. How considerate of them.



Bombers finish off Olaf's ground forces, and all that's left is that one B copter.



This time I make no mistakes.



Ta-daaa.



Woo-hoo! Nell has three different victory messages for this mission: a two-day win, a three-day win, and one for wins in more than three days. She's still fairly happy if you take that long, but she's extra happy if you win quickly.

i don't understand basic strategy grr i'll get you next time! somehow!



And this time, I deserve it.



But that's enough planes for now. Time to move on to ships (and yeah, as with the air units, we're learning about ships after we learnt about ships. Oh well). We're heading from the sublime to the ridiculous here, because I think this might well be Nell's most talky mission yet.


There are two units that require aid or they'll be destroyed. One of these is a T copter, which we've discussed before. The other is a lander unit. This is a naval unit you haven't seen yet.

Well, except for that random lander that Olaf had in the last mission...

You need to protect these units and secure the land on the far shore. This is the mission that's been entrusted to you, Paul.

Protecting transports is serious business. Except when using them as bait.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get any bombers or fighters this time. But I did arrange for other units I think will be necessary to our success. I'll explain about these other naval units once we arrive. Time to get moving!



Time to do some naval gazing... sorry, sorry.

Day 1


...Easier said than done, huh? It looks like it's almost done for...

Yeah, it's not in the best of condition. I wish I could get a hold of the guy who's in charge of all these units that get damaged up before we show up.


If you leave the copter here, it'll be destroyed immediately. Hurry up and get it out of there! Can you select it?


But there is a way to save it! Move it here!



What, you mean on to our own cruiser? Okay.


Now the transport copter can't be attacked. That's right! You can puttransport copters onto cruisers. If you Load it, it'll be safe as long as the cruiser isn't destroyed! You can also Load battle copters onto cruisers. Cruisers can hold up to two units at one time. And by loading units, you resupply those units with fuel and ammunition. You have a battle copter, too. You should try it sometime.

I dunno, that sounds like something I wouldn't use very much... but okay. Maybe.


Select it!


You might be surprised by the kind of units they can attack. They can only Fire on air units and submarines. As for right now...


Let's attack!



Yeah, that's some very good damage. Although again Nell's luck gives us the edge we need for a one-shot.

Cruisers are very effective against subs! And like I said earlier, they're also effective against air units. Since they can only attack certain units, they are a bit limited. Once you learn their intricacies, thought, you'll be glad you have them! But learning that right off the bat is pretty hard. If you forget which units they can Fire on, press the R Button. The ever-helpful R Button! If you remember that, you'll always be able to get the intel you need.

The ever-not-used R Button! Anyway, yeah, here's the final unit that we haven't met yet:

Cruiser (18000G). These are the anti-air and anti-sub naval unit, designed to protect battleships and landers from their main predators. Trouble is, while they're pretty good at dealing with subs, air units are more of an issue. Bombers do serious damage to them, and even B-Copters can knock them down below half health. A little-remembered fact about Cruisers is that they can also carry two helicopters, protecting them from Fighters and stuff and also refuelling them. They have no ship-to-shore capabilities.



IntSys hanging a lampshade on Nell's talkative nature here. And as I say, I think this is her most wordy mission yet.

Well, let's move on to the next unit's capabilities. Next is the battleship.



Battleships attack from a distance, so, don't move it... Just open the Command Menu.





Pretty good damage there. And it's hitting a long way away, too - six spaces.

Did you notice that it has a large attack range?

I did, actually, I was just telling the readers about it...

That's right! Battleships have an attack range of two to six spaces! Rockets have a range of three to five. You may think it's only a little larger, but it's quite a big difference!

True. Assuming neither unit is up against a side of the map or something, a battleship can hit 80 squares to a rocket's 48. 32 squares is a pretty serious difference.

You'll understand better as you start to use them more. That's all on battleships for now.

But I understand them now!... oh well, whatever.



Submarines use direct-fire to engage the enemy. They can only Fire on other naval units.



Yeah, that battleship could mess me up if we let it go unchecked.

Fire!



This is the kind of damage subs inflict on battleships when we aren't Max. Although again Nell's luck takes us into almost-Max territory.

As you can see, subs can inflict heavy damage! Subs also have other distinct abilities, but I'll tell you about those later.

Can't wait. Okay guys, brace yourselves because Nell has a lot to say about landers:



You remember APCs and transport copters, right? You use landers in basically the same way. Like the others, they can't attack. Let's try this one out. First, select this infantry unit. Now just Load that unit into the lander.



That I have, Nell. That I have.

So, landers and T copters are basically the same. That's what you're thinking, right? Actually, there's a big difference. You can load two ground units at a time onto a lander! Landers carry land units, and cruisers carry copters. That's what I said, right?

Sorry, what? I think I drifted off.



A medium tank? In a lander? Okay, I guess that's worth a shot.



Huh. What do you know.



Okay, you know what, fair enough, that is pretty handy.

But there's one thing you have to pay attention to... On this map, you can only Load units onto a lander at a shallow shoreline. Eventually, you'll be able to do this at a port, but there aren't any here. Just be careful, because it's not like you can Load just anywhere. Next let's try to Drop the troops. Move it over here.



You can only drop them at ports and shallow shorelines.



True enough.

But wait a second... There's a medium tank on this lander, too, right? Medium tanks can't move in the mountains, remember?

It'd be a bit weird if I forgot that, to be honest. Medium tanks scaling mountains is certainly a scary thought.

So, you can't drop Medium tanks in the mountains. If you're going to Drop both units at once, you'll have to think about it... Which terrain can you Drop them on?



You know, previous times Nell has asked a question like this, she's actually let me decide for myself - which is a nice touch. Here she's spelling it out. Kind of a shame, really. But whatever.

OK, now Drop the other unit. You can only Load and Drop at ports and shallow shorelines, so pay attention to where you can Drop when you're carrying two units. If you can just remember this, you'll have no trouble using Landers.



If it gets me through this any quicker, sure.

Oh, there's one more thing I have to say about sea units in general.

Oh Glod.

Like air units, sea units use fuel every day. Battleships, subs, cruisers, and landers all use one unit of fuel per day. If they run out of fuel, they'll sink, and you'll lose them. If you want to resupply them, select an APC and choose Supply -- the same as with other units. To recover its HP, you need to move this unit to a port. Unfortunately, there aren't any ports nearby. Well, you can do as you like with the rest of the units. When you're done, choose End.



All right, are we done? We're done. For this turn, anyway. Nell's still promised to tell us something else about subs.



There's not much we can do right now. For now let's move my rocket and B copter up so we can do some attacking with them next turn. Let's also put a mech in the APC.



The other guys move up a bit.


If Nell hadn't taken out my air units, victory would be so much easier... But they can't use most of their troops, so that puts us on equal footing. To battle!

Well y'know I do have a lander, Olaf. I can get a fair number of my troops over there...

Day 2



"It's your turn." Count: 5. Fair play, Nell says this less than I remember, 5 missions from 11 so far. Figures it would come up in this mission though.

Let me tell you one more thing about subs. Can you select one?

Go on, then.


being attacked, so let me show it to you. Can you press the A Button and open the menu? Now choose Dive!



Dive! Dive! Dive!

That's right! When a sub Dives, it can only be attacked by cruisers and other subs. Plus, since submerged subs can still attack this is very useful.

Yeah, as we saw in Max Strikes!, submerged subs are very handy to have. They're also a real pain if you're on the receiving end. They have a problem, though:

But there is one thing I have to warn you about, and that's fuel. When a sub Dives, it uses five fuel units per day. That's about a one-day supply. If it runs out of fuel, it will sink, so watch your fuel closely. I'll leave the rest up to you. Good luck!

Finally.



Okay, first up, my battleship can't hit anything back there. Let's move it up a bit.



Now let's celebrate my liberation from the tyrannical tutorial text with some battle screenshots!



And here's the main map version of that, complete with my medium tank finishing off one of the rocket launchers as well.



Lander moves back to pick up some more troops. I now have a mech loaded into an APC loaded into a lander. Fun times! There's also an artillery in there, too, making a grand total of three units inside that lander oh god i'm starting to sound like nell.



I move my cruiser about a bit because, I don't know, maybe Olaf has some submerged subs in here somewhere? Seems unlikely given this is Field Training, but you never know.

Day 3



Right then.



My landed troops take out Olaf's stuff on the island. Next is the bridge.



Battleship takes out a cruiser. That's some good damage.



And continuing the naval theme, my sub takes out a lander.



Dropping off some more troops on the island. Got a nice looking chokepoint here.



And you know what? May as well appease Nell and try out putting this B copter in the cruiser. Well, that's that done.



Olaf's turn - he rolls up to my medium tank and dishes out some damage.

Day 4



He's right in the firing line of my indirects, though.



There goes another lander.



And while we're on an indirect fire theme, let's dish out some damage to these medium tanks.



And use my damaged middie to finish off the front one.



Busy screenshot, although it's mostly just logistics. Cruiser unloads B copter, lander loads infantry (in case I want to go for Olaf's HQ), sub heads over to the APC for supplies. It's not in trouble yet, but an ounce of maintenance and so on.



He's in pretty dire straits here, but Olaf wants to keep attacking.

Day 5



Oh well, more fodder for the indirects.



Rockets kill the infantry in one shot, artillery finishes off the medium tank.



Let's move these ships around towards the last lander. May as well surface the sub given there aren't any threats to it at the moment.



Since my B copter's up here, I'll attack the lander with it. Arguably it'd be achieving more attacking the medium tank in the south. On the other hand, that middie's on a city, and would probably heal up any damage the B copter did right now.



Lander moves around, although once again it's looking like the rout will be faster.

Day 6



Olaf sat there doing nothing. We're going to have to draw that medium tank out, I think.



So I send up the APC and arty, unloading the APC. It's not great chokepoint management, my artillery's exposed after all. But with a 99.99% chance of Olaf attacking that APC, the arty's pretty safe. I also move my battleship up so that the lander's in range.



Moving the B copter and medium tank up as backup for my arty.



Sub and lander continue their journeys. I also start capturing a city because hey, might as well liberate some more of Orange Star.



Like clockwork.

Day 7



Nearly there. Once more we find ourselves with a bunch of ragtag units having to finish off a medium tank.



First up, the indirects do their stuff (and I finish capturing that city).



Then the B copter weighs in. Actually from here it should be pretty straightforward.



My own medium tank gets it down to 1HP...



... and the mech applies the coup de grâce.



Boom!


Thanks to you, we managed to block his assault! Thank you! Keep up the good work!
I never expected them to make it this far... Augh!!! Just wait until next time!



Even her victory screen message for this battle is long. Geez.

All right, so Max won the vote for the next campaign mission. Tune in next time for...



... me being a bit too panicky and overcautious about dealing with Grit.

Eh, they can't all be Dogfights.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 23:45 on Feb 24, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Mission 5M: Sniper! (or "Max vs. Grit: Round 1")

So far we've just been pushing Blue Moon out of Orange Star. But now it's time to continue the pursuit into Blue Moon itself. After all, we'd like some answers from Olaf.


Where is that fool?
I'm right here. What are you bellowing about now?
Bellowing? Let me tell you something, you...
My apologies, exalted commander. I am at your service.

Pffhahahaha

That's better. You just remember your place. Now, listen closely. Those units we saw earlier have advanced further into our territory. This is your chance to redeem yourself. Do what needs to be done.
Riiight. So, I should wait here and...
Wait? What do you mean wait? Paul's troops are...
Oh, OK. Understood. If duty calls, your humble servant Grit'll answer!
If I didn't know better, I might think you weren't taking this seriously.



The thread decided to go with Max, so here we go. It'll certainly be thematically appropriate for Max to face Grit.



Grit continues to stare into our souls.

Day 1


What's "Fog of War"?
Please tell me you're joking.

He probably isn't, Max. Frankly, this is one of the more believeable questions he's asked.

See that gray stuff blocking your vision? That's Fog of War.

Advance Wars: reifying ontic dumping since 2001. Fog of War isn't just a visual representation of situational uncertainty brought about by poor intel, it's literally grey stuff blocking your vision.

Now, I wonder where the enemy troops are hidden.
How do we find 'em?
Well, recon units have a good vision range, so let's send them out first. But if we leave them out in the open, they'll be sitting ducks. Our safest bet is to leapfrog from wood to wood. Units hidden in woods are almost impossible to spot.
Boy, that seems pretty simple.
You just don't know enough to realize the danger, Andy. If we can hide units in the woods, then so can our opponent. If we're not careful, hidden units will blow us away! All right. Let's move out!



So okay, Fog of War. Any tile with a greyed-out effect on it, you basically can't tell for certain if there's a unit there or not. So how do we light the squares back up again? Well, all our units have a vision range (our best units here being our recons, with a vision range of five squares, and our tanks and B copters, with a vision range of three squares) and every square in that range is lit up - with a couple of exceptions. You can only see into forests (or reefs) if you're standing right next to them. Air units can't hide in them though, same way they don't receive movement penalties or defence bonuses. The AI gets a bit tricksy here though, because it can see the entire map except for forest/reef squares. And even then, they "know" that the unit's in there (they just can't fire on it) and will make spotting that unit a high priority.

The strategy here is straightforward enough: we sweep across the map towards Grit's HQ, destroying anything we spot. If we haven't routed Grit by the time we reach his HQ, we shrug our shoulders and capture it.



A confession: while I was looking up map pictures for the game* (well, it beats composing them from scratch out of screenshots. No sense in reinventing the wheel) I saw the unfogged version of this map, and while I've forgotten a lot of it, a few things stuck in my mind. There are some missile units in the north of the map, an infantry unit in a forest near the start, a light tank and artillery west of it and a rocket in a forest to the south. The rest of it's kind of a blur though.

* Thinking about it, I should really credit these things. This particular map, and the maps before it, came from Wars World News. Most of the maps I used in AW2 came from Advance Wars Net. I extracted some of the CO portraits for this game myself, but most of them are from Black Hole HQ



Anyway, since I know about this infantry... I can steer around it. See, the thing about Fog of War is that if you run into a unit you can't see, your unit gets ambushed and immediately stops moving... which basically leaves it as fodder for the enemy indirects. So if you know the location of a unit in Fog of War, and you want to avoid an ambush, you've got to be careful with the path you select.



Yep, there's the infantry. And the tank and arty too.



Can we hit that infantry with our rocket launcher? Well, no, because we're Max.



Fortunately, Max has another solution to this problem.



As that infantry goes down, my B copters take on the other units. B copters can't hide in forests, but they should be fairly safe as long as they steer clear of those missiles.



Moving my light tanks and rockets up into forests.



More general unit movement, including sending my T copter downfield with a mech. Since there's no more forests to stick units into, I'm leaving my infantry back there for now.

Day 2



Grit moves his damaged tank about a bit, and a recon emerges from the gloom.



B copters get to work on smashing them up.



I said that recons, tanks and B copters were our best units for vision, but we've got a couple of other tricks up our sleeve: infantry and mechs have a vision range of 2 under normal circumstances, but when they stand on mountain squares that climbs to 5. Even so... we still can't see into that forest diagonally down from that mech. Better do something about that.



T copter goes onto spotting duty and yep, there's a rocket launcher there.



Well we'll soon take care of that.



You seem to have a bad case of Exploding Rocket Syndrome there, Grit.



Tanks and recons move up to secure the forests.



And everyone else follows up.



Hoo boy. Brace yourselves, everyone...

Day 3



... well, except for the bit where he doesn't launch any attacks. I guess that's woods for you. Although the fact that nothing attacked the mech or southern tank suggests that the area's fairly clear.



So let's do some scouting. Paradropping a mech onto a mountain reveals a rocket launcher, as well as that damaged recon from earlier.



Well, my B copters can take care of that rocket launcher. Hope Grit doesn't have any AAs around here...



Oh okay, there it is. Killing that damaged recon with my own recon has exposed me to a world of hurt here.



Not much we can do about it though, so I just move the rest of my troops up. With that rocket launcher behind the mountains down, I'm fairly confident that this area is clear, so I'm leaving some of my units out in the open.



Yeah, there goes the recon :(.

Day 4



All right, we'd better take that AA down. We've been relying on our B copters a fair bit this mission, and that AA's a big threat.



So let's get in there.



Tank leads, mech cleans up. Now the next big question: where are those artillery? Hindsight and logic says that one of them should be in the square marked with an "!": I spotted arties on plains and road earlier, and it was the arty on the plains that fired at my recon. But I was starting to get spooked about the arty that didn't fire, the one that moved somewhere else. Could it be in the forest? (the ? square)



Nope. And now of course I've left my T copter in missile range (the city to the north) so that's another unit down. But what if the arty's in that other "?" square?



Nope. I also move my B copters into missile range because hey, if I'm going to lose the T copter anyway it may as well die for a cause.



And since I've cleared this forest I may as well use it as somewhere safe to hide a mech.



The stragglers advance.



Who'd be a transport unit in AW1, eh?

Day 5



Hmm, no sign of those arties.



Oh wait, there they are. They're running away (Grit's armies in this mission are very much "Attack! Attack!... Retreat! Retreat!")



Unfortunately, the artillery are out of B copter range. Shame, I've got a bone to pick with them.



Oh well, I've also got a bone to pick with this missile launcher. So let's target it, instead.



Hmm, my B copters are starting to look a little low on ammo.



I send up my APC to resupply them.



Moving the other units up.



And the indirects continue to tail behind rather uselessly, like some kind of appendix.

Day 6



Grit continues to run away.



So let's follow him. One of my tanks drives into a forest up close in order to keep an eye on him, while one of my mechs continues its mountaineering course.



Tanks and copters move closer. There's a rather dumb error here that leads to all kinds of silliness in the closing turns.



Everyone else moves.



Here's where the error hits in. And now I'm panicking about finding a rocket launcher on a city. Wherever could it be?

Day 7



Taking that hit did at least charge my CO Power up. But I'm going to leave it a turn: I want to get in position first. Caution is the better part of valour, and so on.



First let's get this damaged medium tank to some kind of safety.



Then leapfrog the tanks down through the forests. Aha, there's one arty. No sign of these rockets yet, though.



They aren't on that city...



Oh well, whatever. I'm sure it'll turn up. In the meantime, let's get ready for using Max Force next turn.

Day 8



Those arties continue to mess about.



Well we'll soon see about that.



First some vision. There are all the arties... but where's that rocket launcher? Wasn't it supposed to be on a city? (Have you guessed where it actually is?)



Oh well. My tanks take out two of the arties with one-shots.



Grit's got a Snipe Attack primed now, though...



I try to provide a distraction for him shooting my mechs with my APC. Although honestly I'd probably stopped thinking straight by this point. Again in hindsight I would probably have been better off using the APC to distract Grit's mystery rockets, whereve they were - and then attacking Grit's artillery with my medium tank. Even at 4HP, a Max Force medium tank should pack a good punch against an arty. But no.



Oh well.



Here comes that Snipe Attack...



... and somehow my APC just survives.

Day 9



Okay, sod this.



I've had enough of Grit's mind games. Let's just shut up shop and take the HQ capture.



Incidentally, that mystery city rocket? It's on the northeastern island, along with his second missile launcher. I'd remembered the missile on that island from my brief peek at the unfogged map, but not the rocket launcher. Oh well.

Day 10



Before I finish this, I just want to deal with that arty.



For old time's sake.



Tank can't quite destroy it in one shot, so I send in my B copter to finish.



And there goes the HQ.


Grit? Is that you? I was wondering why I hadn't seen you around lately, and now I know. You're working for Blue Moon! You traitorous piece of gar--
Aww, Maxie. Don't be like that. I got my reasons for doin' what I do, you know?

Well, no, we don't know. Perhaps you could enlighten us?

Man, I'm getting out of here before you get started preachin' again. See y'all down the road!
Hold it, Grit! Dang! He got away. But what's he doing with Blue Moon?

Maybe he just really likes snarking Olaf.



Yeah... only an A-Rank (and correspondingly only nine coins rather than twelve). I think I took a day too long about it. But that's the problem with Grit: you can beat him easily enough if you're cautious, but the thing about being cautious is that it starts hurting your speed score and... well. Maybe I shouldn't have just shut up shop with an HQ capture and actually gone looking for the rocket and missile launcher. Maybe I should have just gone "screw it, I'm Max" a bit more.

But hey, at least it got the job done. A win is a win and all that. And an A-rank's still a pretty solid result. So let's move on. We've got another choose-your-CO mission next. It's against Olaf, and this time we have a twist:



For this mission, we aren't being asked to win by rout or HQ capture (well, we could, but have you seen the stuff around Olaf's HQ? Discouraging, to say the least). Instead our goal is property capture - the first army to 12 properties (cities, bases, HQs, whatever) wins. Naturally Olaf starts with six properties and we start with three :v:. There are eleven properties on each side of the river, so we're going to have to grab at least one from the other side. This mission has a reputation as one of the toughest in AW1, because of how easy it is to lose: one slip-up and Olaf'll have his twelve properties.

Don't worry about the little shield icons on some of Olaf's units, they just mean that the unit is set to defensive AI: it won't move unless we enter its movement range (again this is something that the site I got this from added to the map because they thought it'd be helpful. Continuing the credits theme, this map and subsequent maps will be from Wars Wiki).



So again, Andy or Max? Note that the mission after this (and the last mission on this path before the paths rejoin) has you automatically picking Max, so if you want to see some Andy, now's your chance. Who's actually better for this mission, I can't say (sure would be handy if we had Sami right about now though...).



Of course, before all that happens we've got Field Training to finish up (the A on the Fog of War mission came from me having to beat it to access Campaign). Stay tuned, etc.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Feb 26, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

unpronounceable posted:

Whenever we're presented with a choice, we probably aren't going to see much of him any more, so let's use Andy.
There's at least one "choice" mission where Andy is the best option and Max the worst. Mighty Kanbei! But yeah, it's nice to see him every so often.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Feb 26, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

ultimateluigi987 posted:

Max is obviously the best choice! :black101:

I'm thinking about doing a mini-update on the Design Maps glitch, since you've passed Naval Forces(the mission that holds the glitch), would this be OK, Paul.Power? Since you've passed that mission, it doesn't spoil anything anymore.
Sure, go for it.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

And the votes are in!

Andy 22
Max 9
Er... Sami 3 (granted it's what I'd be suggesting if she was available here).

Andy it is. Perhaps we may yet learn the secrets of snow. Or whether his own powers will come in 'Andy.

Hopefully I'll have the end of Field Training up tomorrow. Thursday at the latest. Looks like the honeymoon's over in terms of rapid updates, guys. Oh well, I was never likely to keep that rate up forever.

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Feb 29, 2012

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Field Training Missions 12 to 14 (or "Neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night...")

Well, it's time to finish off Field Training. It's had its fair share of the good (Tanks Ops, Dogfights), the bad (all those walls of text) and the ugly (OLAF GOING FIRST). But I hope I've been able to show off why I like it, and I hope it's given everyone some food for thought.



Anyway, let's get rolling.


Olaf used to be a CO in the Orange Star Army. In fact, he was my superior. His strong character and skill with the troops make him an invaluable CO. This is what brought him to Blue Moon's attention.

Mind you, the bit in AW2 where we find out Olaf was born in Blue Moon probably had something to do with it. But then trying to reconcile the backstories of AW1 and AW2 is like taking two jigsaws of similar but different pictures and then trying to create one SUPER-JIGSAW from the pair of them: just about doable, but you're left with a lot of warped cardboard and a splitting headache.

Not only did he switch allegiances, but then he attacked Orange Star... He's a complete wretch!

Ah, betrayal. Now we know why Nell has such a beef with Olaf. I guess this would be rather more of a dramatic reveal if we hadn't already learnt this fact from Campaign.

Just a little more, and the Blue Moon Army will be forced to retreat! Let's go get 'em!



Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties: westerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, increasing 5 to 7 later. Moderate, occasional rain, visibility moderate, occasionally poor.

Day 1



Nell's been checking her seaweed.

It looks like Olaf... has been waiting for us. If we let him use his power, there'll be trouble. Let's take him out all at once! I'm going to leave this one up to you! Good luck!

Wow, she didn't even tell us about the R button this time.



Shame really, because I'm actually going to use it for once. Here's a look at the movement costs for five of the most common terrain types in Advance Wars. Roads and cities are amenable to pretty much every type of transport. Plains are fine for most things, but vehicles with tyres bog down in them somewhat. Forests are trickier again, giving treaded units some difficulties and tyred units a lot of difficulties. Mountains can only be crossed by infantry (with difficulty), mechs and air units. The reason I'm showing you all this now will become clear shortly. Or rather, the opposite of clear.



Both sides have some pretty serious numbers here. We're almost in Campaign territory. Olaf's got four B copters to my one, and two medium tanks to my one as well. This'll be tricky.



We've got some nice natural chokepoints by these mountains here, so let's take advantage of them. B copter moves to shield my arty from the north, and my tank and rocket move up a little in the south.



Moving infantry and transports. Okay, let's see what Olaf has in store for us...


Now I shall unleash my power! Heavens, hear my cry! BLIZZARD!!!



Olaf's magical snowy witch-doctor powers at work, here.

Day 2


This is what he's been waiting for... We've been caught in his trap! Every CO has his or her own special power -- a CO Power. When Olaf uses his CO Power, a huge snow storm drops in. It's devastating! But I can't use my CO Power right now. I'm sorry.

Aw, man :(. Once again, Olaf's getting all the breaks. Still, I can see why IntSys would want to hold off on us getting Nell's CO Power: Lucky Star at this point would be pretty scary.

There's one more thing... Olaf is very adept in the snow. It's this power that caught Blue Moon's eye. Snow lowers the movement range of all units.


Infantry used to move across it at a cost of one movement unit. In snow, the cost increases to two. Olaf has a unique advantage here... His troops can move through snow without any adverse effects. This has turned into a rough battle. But it should stop snowing after a few days. Just be patient and try to hold out until then.



Hello, snow. Er. Again.



Let's see how things get more difficult for us in the snow. Nell gave us some idea, but here's the bigger picture. First note that life becomes trickier for air units right across the board - their movement ranges are effectively halved. Roads and cities are still as easy as ever for ground units to traverse, but plains become a trickier prospect and woods become a nightmare, especially for tyred units. With mountains, note that the movement cost becomes 4 for infantry when infantry have a movement range of 3, making mountains effectively impassable (well, okay, unless you're Sami in Double Time). Mechs can still have a go at crossing them, though. In fact, although mechs are our slowest units, they're also our hardiest travellers, with a move cost of 1 on plains and in forests even in the snow.



For some visual examples, note how the infantry cannot move any further into the mountains. The mech can gain some traction, but not much.



My rocket launcher is okay on the road, but struggles away from it (then again, that's true of rockets in general). And my B copter is severely compromised.



Fortunately, indirect units don't suffer any firing range penalties in snow. So my missiles can still get rid of this B copter.



Those are some gorgeous purple skies. If uh. If purple skies makes any sense.



How does Olaf fare in snow? Considerably better than us. As noted, snowy weather for Olaf is just like clear weather for anyone else. Now... a big question is, should I kill the B copter down south with my AA? It leaves the AA in range of Olaf's tank. But on the other hand, can we really allow that B copter to run rampant on our other units?



I decide to attack. It's probably the better move in the situation.



While that's happening, I reorganise my northern chokepoint a little so that the B copter is protected from Olaf's AA. This way, the medium tank is sitting on the city and receiving extra defence and HP bonuses - which is pretty much what you want.



Olaf attacks, and leaves my AA with 5HP. Could be worse.

Day 3



We've got some nice targets to aim at here.



Rocket launcher punishes the tank in the south for daring to attack my AA. And in the north my arty and middie take down Olaf's AA. Getting rid of that should give my B copter some free reign...



At least, if it could hit anything. Goddamn snow.



Tank finishes off tank and AA retreats. But with the AA in the workshop for the next few days, we're going to need something to drag that B copter into missile range. Once more it is the duty of the APC to decoy the enemy. And also to demonstrate that although infantry can't move in mountains when it's snowing, you can still drop into them. Just because the move cost is exorbitantly high, doesn't mean the move type stopped being there.



With the other units busy, my T copter and infantry act as meatshields for the rocket launcher.


I will not rest until we have destroyed every trace of the APC race! (not an actual in-game line)

Day 4



And so, in his mad quest to destroy all APCs, Olaf wandered straight into missile range.



Let that be a lesson to AIs everywhere.



Meanwhile my arty and medium tank take down Olaf's tank in the north...



AA reports to the HQ for repairs (HQs can conduct repairs as well as cities and bases and so on) while my rockets and tank make short work of Olaf's artillery.



The copters make what little progress they can upfield. Fortunately things are about to get a lot easier for them...


The snow stopped!!!

Hey, you got three turns of snow there Olaf, that's two turns better than you normally get. Well, okay, except in AWDS.

Augh! I don't have enough time to build up my power again... But... I must have put fear into their hearts! Go, my soldiers! Don't give them time to regroup! Defeat them all!

Day 5


The snow has stopped! You'd better watch out, though... Olaf still has plenty of units. You must regroup!

Nell, I outnumber him 14 to 8 now. You're a bit behind on this.



Fun fact: as juicy and delicious as APCs are to the AI, mechs and infantry will still prioritise capturing over attacking one of them. There sure are a lot of them around here at the moment.



Better get to work clearing them out, then.



Rocket, tank and B copter soften up...



... mech and two infantry clean up.



Mind you, attacking with that mech has placed it in range of Olaf's medium tank.



But we can turn that to our advantage. The mech becomes the bait for a trap. Our artillery and medium tank become the snare.



Moving up the other units.



Olaf falls for the bait.

Day 6


This is a real blessing!

Sure, if you're a farmer.

Rain slows movement a little bit. More importantly, rain punishes Olaf. He'll be brought to a virtual standstill! You have to move now! Take him out in one swift blow!



And here's our third weather type, rain. Rain is like a less extreme form of snow: it doesn't bother infantry, mechs or air units, and again roads and cities remain free from blockages. Vehicles still have issues with plains and forests, though - and tyred units still suffer that punitive 4 movement cost through forests.



Rain isn't as bad as snow, but it still isn't pretty: forests in particular are a pain for us to traverse.



But look at how badly it hits Olaf. Olaf's troops may treat snow like clear weather, but they treat rain like snow. So we have the advantage here, albeit a kind of messy advantage. Incidentally, you may be wondering: is there a CO who's immune to rain, the same way Olaf is to snow? There's two of them actually, although it'll be a good while before we meet either of them and it's fairly incidental to their other strengths and weaknesses. This is also pretty much the only time we'll be able to exploit Olaf's weaknesses in rain: only a few Campaign maps are played in random weather conditions, and they're against one of the aforementioned "good in rain" COs. Oh well.



Arty and middie fulfil their role as trap snare pretty well.



And even the bait gets to lend a hand. The same way things looked whiter in the snow, they look greyer in the rain.



And you can see that the sky has darker clouds, as my B copter takes on Olaf's other medium tank.



Those last two attacks on the map. We can really exploit Olaf's struggles in the rain with our B copter: on a clear day, Olaf would be able to attack our B copter with his, but as it stands he can't reach it.



Tank and infantry attack the remaining mech in the south, and my T copter moves up and loads.



Everyone else edges forward as much as they can in these awkward conditions.


It's started raining??? Augh!!! Our spirits will have to carry us!



Olaf tries attacking my B copter with his middie, but ends up doing more damage to himself.

Day 7



So far, so good.



My B copter continues to assault Olaf's medium tank.



Meanwhile I finish off that mech and capture a city because hey, why not.



Slogging through these forests in rain is really tough work.



But in the meantime I drop off an infantry unit to do some scratch damage to that rocket launcher. Every little helps.



Olaf attacks that infantry with his damaged medium tank, but can't achieve that much.

Day 8



Still raining. I think it probably continues to rain until the end of the mission however long you take over it. It certainly did for me.



Medium tank down to one hit point, rockets down to eight.



And... yeah. I drive my medium tank up a dead end. I really don't know what I was thinking here: I think the mech standing on the mountain made me think it wasn't a mountain? Shame, because I could have reached the road this turn. Oh well. Either way, ol' Mr. APC continues to do decoy work for us, making sure that Olaf's rocket launcher has nothing else on its mind other than attacking it.



Everyone else moves up a bit.



You're a star, Mr. APC.

Day 9



Olaf retreated his medium tank. Not surprised, frankly. Oh well, it's not going to get repaired this turn so we don't have to worry about it for now.



Instead let's focus on the rockets.



B copter and infantry whittle them down to 1HP, while my medium tank finally gets onto the road it should have been on in the first place, to make sure that Olaf can't escape that way.



Missile trucks in forests in the rain. The very definition of "ugghh".



Moving everyone else up.



APC continues to attract Olaf's attention. Not that he can do much with a 1HP rocket launcher.

Day 10



Couple of 1HP units left, and that B copter.



Crash boom bang.



And I'll drop an infantry off on the HQ for good measure.



Don't think my B copter'll be able to finish the job off on its own though. So I move my AA up into attack range.



Just look at how far behind that missile launcher is now. Just look at it.

Day 11



Neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night...



... can stay these soldiers about their duty!


In Olaf's case, he works well in snow, but he's susceptible to rain. Regardless of that, you were great this time! If you can win the next battle, then I'll have taught you all I can. I think the next battle will be our last one together. Keep up the good work!

Aww.

Even my trap didn't work... If... If I don't win soon, they'll get back all the land I went to the trouble of capturing. Augh!!! Just wait until next time!

Never mind an "It's your turn." count, I should have been keeping up a "Just wait until next time!" count.



A tad slow, but we're still keeping on an all A-Rank run for Field Training here. So on we go:



As you can see, I've already beaten this one, to unlock Campaign. Let's do it again, this time with screenshots. And pay no attention to the Special Intel behind the curtain. We'll be dealing with that shortly.



That we have.



Huh. Nell didn't have anything else to say this time. Oh well, makes a nice change. Anyway, once again we're going to be covering a topic in Field Training after coming across it in Campaign.

Day 1


This phenomenon is known as Fog of War. When it is present, units can only see a limited distance. Check each unit's vision range ascertain the distance it can see.

Once again, Fog of War is this weird mystery phenomenon that just happens to descend on the battlefield every so often.


See the bright squares around it? This is the unit's vision range when Fog of War is present. On this terrain, the unit's vision range is two.


They're lit to lead you to them.

Not that it's that often that we're heading towards them. One or two missions in AW2 aside. But yeah, it can be handy in Fog of War to know if some errant infantry unit's capturing your HQ or something. And it makes sense that you'd be able to see your own stuff.

The areas around neutral cities or enemy positions aren't, though. They stay dark until you draw close to them.


Well, I guess you should try to Capture it.


Yeah, I guess. Oh hey, it's blue.


When checking a city's allegiance, I suggest approaching with caution.

Well, caution is a bit much. After all, to an infantry unit the only difference between an enemy city and a neutal city is that the enemy city is a higher priority for capturing.


Infantry and mech units have special abilities. That is... Well, maybe you should see for yourself.



I could of course just mess with the tutorial at this point and not move that mech onto a mountain. But it seems a bit mean to Nell after all this time, and besides, it's useful.



drat, that's some nice vision. I can see that medium tank over there and everything! Can't see into that forest though.

The vision ranges of infantry and mech units increase in mountains. When you have a larger vision range, it's much easier to spot enemies.

When people run, they move faster!



Yup.

That's because you can't see into the woods until you're adjacent to them.



Okay, got it.

Let's go back a moment.

Oh, go on then.


Why don't you send a unit to scout it out? This is the perfect chance to use your new unit -- the recon unit. Select it, please.


The recon unit has a vision range of five squares! And unlike infantry and mech units, it can see anywhere!

Lies. Recons still can't see into forests or reefs unless they're adjacent to them. Then again, maybe Nell means "they can see standing anywhere, as opposed to infantry and mechs which have to be standing on a mountain." Benefit of the doubt?

The one thing to be aware of is that it's not a very powerful unit. It can handle infantry, but you should avoid engaging any other units.

Semi-true. Recons are no good against tanks or even anti-air. But they're very handy against infantry, and useful against indirects. They're nice, cheap harrassing units.

Let's send the recon unit over to investigate that forest.



All right. Let's see what free toy we get in our cereal today.



Another rocket? Ugh, I've already got four of those. I still need an anti-air to complete my collection...

This is the danger of Fog of War. If you had tried to enter the forest, you'd have encountered an enemy... You would have been stuck, unable to do anything. Be extra careful when moving into areas that have cover.

Ah, yes, ambushes. I'll show one of those off later in the mission.

Now, another thing on the subject of forests and reefs. This time, the enemy was using the terrain to conceal its troops, right? Well, you can do the same thing! Using the terrain to hide is a good strategy. Of course, you'll be spotted if the enemy moves next to you, but... Did you get all that? I told you before, if you need intel, use the cursor and the R Button. Press the R Button, then use the + Control Pad to read the intel. This is the way to check out different terrains, including woods and reefs. I'm going to leave the rest of the battle to you. Good luck!



All right, our investigative efforts with the mech and recon have revealed two rather nice targets.



That medium tank is conveniently in rocket range.



And we can finish it off with our own medium tank.



The rocket launcher goes down to my light tanks...



And everyone else moves up.

Day 2



Olaf brings a couple of tanks out of the darkness.



So let's go say hi to them.



Medium tank assaults, light tank cleans up. And I move my artillery into that northern forest because... I don't know really. Maybe I was hoping that that infantry unit would decide to stay in arty range. For some reason. Doesn't make much difference in the end.



My other light tank goes in on the attack, and my recon moves up to shed some light on the HQ area.



Once again, everyone else moves up.



Hey, don't look so sad there Olaf, you did four damage and took none in return, that's pretty good. Dunno what Nell's got to smile about, though.

Day 3



And the target practice continues.



First up, let's get rid of this tank.



Then my middie can roll over and terminate some infantry with extreme prejudice.



Tank and recon take down the other infantry. Now then, don't those forests around the HQ look exactly like the sort of place you'd hide a couple of indirects if you were a game designer?



Yeah. There's a rocket in the woods south of the HQ, too. (naturally I know all this because I ran into them on my previous runthrough of this mission to unlock Campaign :v:)



At least we've got this nice road here, so it's relatively easy for my rockets to keep pace with everyone else.



APCs: the true heroes.

Day 4



So, we know where the artillery is. What about the rocket launcher? Which of those two forest squares is it in?



Well, let's send the recon in to investigate. If the rockets are in the bottom forest square, the recon'll spot them and it'll all be good. If they're in square above that, then...



... it's an ambush!



So the recon can't move or do anything else, now - its turn is auto-ended.



Fortunately we've got enough firepower that the ambush isn't a major concern.



The mech provides support in the north to finish off the artillery, but we can't quite finish off the rockets. Might be an issue, but not a major one.



And of course it wouldn't be a Fog of War tutorial without some ridiculous lander hiding in a reef somewhere. At least this time the lander's off the coast rather than trapped in a lake.



Olaf's rocket launcher chips a couple of hitpoints off my own.

Day 5



Which yeah, that could be an issue for finishing the lander off. We'll see.



Okay, the rockets have only knocked 4HP off. Which means we're either looking for a lucky strike from the artillery, or the artillery to be followed up by a lucky strike from the 8HP tank (I can't bring a stronger tank in because if I move the 8HP tank, I lose my vision on the lander).



Oh, okay. Lucky strike on the lander it is. Thanks, Nell.



Well, we've had the rain and snow...



... and here's where the gloom of night comes in.


I'll concede this day, but the real battle is yet to come!

True. Although it's kind of already started. But, um, you know.


You've finally driven Olaf off!

Off this bit of Orange Star, anyway. But hey, any excuse to celebrate. And we've already cleared Olaf out of OS in Campaign by now. So yeah.

This will be the last thing I have to say... Thank you for listening to all my advice up to now. However, I won't be able to join you after this. You'll have to lead on your own, Paul.

*sniff* It's been a blast, Nell. Albeit an occasionally really wordy blast. But oh well, can't stay in school forever.

Let me introduce you to your new partner, Andy.

Oh hey, Andy.

Andy! Come here!
Nell! What is it?
This is Advisor Paul. Paul will be giving you orders from now on. Say hello.
Oh! Hello, Paul. So you're Orange Star's first advisor. Nice to meet you!

Hiya, Andy. Good to see you. Er, again.

Be prepared, Andy can be a bit of a wiseacre.

I wouldn't quite call him a "wiseacre", but... yeah.

He's still young, but his abilities are top notch! I think he'll make a good partner for you, Paul. Well, good luck!

That's where Field Training ends from the perspective of beating this mission - because I've already beaten this mission to access Campaign. There's a bit extra if this is your first time through:

There's nothing left for me to tell you. Congratulations, graduate! Well, Paul, you've been promoted from a candidate to an advisor! I give you this to mark your advancement! Congratulations!

And then she gives you that rank up battle card thing that we've picked up a couple of levels on already.

As you complete battles, your rank will rise. This is a special card that allows you to check your ranking at any time. Congratulations!



And here's a little spiel that, under normal conditions, would have set up Campaign nicely for us.



But Nell's wrong here. We aren't quite done with Field Training just yet.



This lesson doesn't appear in the menu normally until you beat Fog of War. It's not really a proper mission, just you clicking on things and Nell telling you what they are. But hey, we may as well finish the job. You can skip this if you want, although Nell does have at least one genuinely interesting thing to say here (but I cover that first, so hey).


This is special intel that may just give you the edge in combat.

Ooh, swanky.

Let's get started!



We're going on a wall of text hunt!

Day 1


Some of it may overlap with other things I've taught you, though. So, if you'd like to skip this lesson, just reset the game. To reset, press START, SELECT, and the A and B Buttons at once. I'm going to begin now, OK? I'll explain a few things we haven't touched on yet. I hope you'll try them all out.

Okay. Let's start out with the fighter. What's that doing here?


into them? There's actually a way to get around that... I'll show you how to do it right now. You've selected a fighter, right? When you want to move it over here, you just move the cursor in a straight line and press the A Button, right?


If you move in a straight line, you'll run into it. But pay attention to the red line that appears when you move the cursor. It follows the cursor's path. Do you know what this means? This actually shows your unit's movement direction. So, your unit follows this path when it moves. If you move the line over this way, you'll be fine. Just move the cursor like this!



Yeah, bit of an error taking this screenshot. But you can see the line Nell wants me to follow - the one that goes round the mystery hidden unit.

out yourself. Move it over here.



All right. Going to do it slightly differently from Nell though, because hey, why not. I'm a fully-fledged Advisor, I can make my own decisions now!

That's it! This is very handy in Fog of War situations, so keep it in mind.

I think I used it at least once in Sniper!, right at the start where I was coaxing my recon around a wood to stop it running into the infantry in there. Anyway, Nell has a bit more advice here, pertinent to something that njsykora brought up in the thread: fuel usage in Fog of War.


It's about the special rules of engagement in Fog of War situations. Have you ever chosen to cancel your move instead of choosing Wait? If you do that a lot, be careful. In Fog of War situations, you still use fuel when you cancel a move. If you do it too many times, you could run out of fuel. That's it for now. Come back again for more help!

Yup, move-cancelling costs fuel in Fog of War, mostly to guard against you cheesing situations by exploring lots of alternate paths to try and find hidden foes. Of course, if you've got an APC or cities on hand, you can cheese to your heart's content. Something to bear in mind, though.



Now let's look at this cluster of curious-looking properties down here. Why, what could they possibly be for?


Your bases are where all of your land units have been deployed. The number next to each unit is the cost of deploying that unit. If it costs less than your total funds, you can deploy that unit. Also, because there are so many land units, they might not fit on one page. Use the + Control Pad to scroll to the very bottom of the page. That's right. You can use the units one day after you deploy them. Just remember that the units wait the first day you deploy them. You'll probably wonder what units you should produce first. Which one was the easiest to use in your Field Training? Focus on those first, then slowly deploy others.



Okay. We've seen all this in Campaign, but hey, completionism. I deploy an infantry unit so I can afford to build stuff from the other two properties as well. Let's look at the thing with a bunch of runways next.



Oh right, airports! I've heard of those! They're what planes come from, right?

Airports are where you'll deploy your air units from. The number next to the unit is how much it costs to deploy that unit. If it is less than your total funds, you can deploy the unit. Use the + Control Pad to select a unit. You can't use them on the same day you deploy them, though.



Again, going cheap with a T copter. That should leave us enough to buy some manner of ship. It's a reasonable guess that they come from the building shaped like an anchor. Granted, real ports aren't shaped like anchors. But whatever.


Ports are where you'll deploy your sea units from. The number next to the unit is how much it costs to deploy the unit. If it is less, than your total funds, you can deploy the unit. Use the + Control pad to select a unit. You can't use them on the same day you deploy them, though.



We've got enough to build a lander and nothing else. A curious collection of units, but hey, we're just messing about here. So what else is there to do in Special Intel? Let's try opening the menu up...



Well, you told us about End. I kind of skipped over saving. But sure.

Let me tell you about the rest. Choose any one you like.

Okay. Let's start with Unit.


Press up and down on the + Control Pad to choose a unit. Press the A Button to move the cursor to that unit's position. But that's not all! You can also use the Unit command to change unit order. Look at this...


Right now, the cursor is on Type. You can press left and right on the + Control Pad to choose a menu! Try it out.



Huh. Whaddaya know. Gas lists the units in order of how much fuel units have left, with the units with the least fuel at the top. Could theoretically be handy, although "wait unit the fuel icon starts blinking" is a simpler way to handle fuel quandaries. Okay, now let's see what Options does.



You can also Exit the map. This menu changes depending on the mode you're playing. In Field Training, you only see the three options I just mentioned. But in Campaigns, you can also turn the animation on or off here. Oh, and let me explain about Yielding. If you're stuck in a situation you can't win, choose this command. You can also reset, but if you Yield, I'll give you a little hint to help you. But that's only in Campaigns and in Field Training.

Hopefully it'll never come to that.

That's it, so why don't you choose something else?

Okay. But is there anything else? Well, let's try one last thing. Nell loves the R Button. Maybe she'll have squirrelled away some information there?



Bingo. Y'know, this section isn't actually in the Game Script FAQ I've been using to help with transcription. Looks like I'm not the only one who tends to ignore the R Button.

This is where you get detailed information about the terrain. You can check things like terrain cover and city income. Movement Cost shows a unit's movement over the selected terrain. It's easiest to view when it's combined with unit data. Oh, I almost forgot! You can switch between terrain details and movement cost easily... Just press up and down on the + Control Pad.



Well then. Not that it's especially useful to know that Cosmo Land rivers are gentle and flowing. But hey, it's there.



Nell doesn't have anything special to say when I R Button on a unit though. So I guess I'm done here? Let's end turn.


Is that OK?

Yeah. I think I've seen everything. No doubt someone in the thread'll correct me, though ;).

Thanks for listening! I hope I'll see you again soon.

See you around, Nell. Field Training played a big part in making me the AW player I am today (so... kinda good, but not that good? Oh, I don't know) and it's been good to go through it again. I think I've said the same thing four or five times now. Maybe I'm becoming Nell. :aaaaa:



I uh... I win? Oh well, not complaining. Especially not with full marks.



And for A-Ranking all 14 Field Training missions we get a nice, gold-coloured "Field Training" on the main menu. That's probably the easiest thing to get coloured gold.

With Field Training over and done with, it's back to Campaign. And Andy won the vote. So tune in next time for...



... the answer to a very pressing question. Maybe. Probably not. Actually it's one we kind of answered this update ("no, but he gets very very wet when it rains."). So, um...


NEVER FORGET

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Ahahaha, that's amazing. And for some reason I just cracked up at "Something's not right here..."

Going to put a link in the OP.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Mission 6M: Blizzard Battle! (or "Wait, "he"? Who's "he"?")


I don't see the need to get so worked up. It's not like this was Blue Moon property to begin with.

But... it's coloured blue on the map? :confused:

What did you say? After all my work and planning?
It's common theft, man! Nothing more, nothing less.
Why, you insolent little...
Whoa! Hold on chief! Don't you think it's time to move out? Like you said, the Orange Star troops are knocking on our door.
Grit! You're pushing your luck! Don't go anywhere, you understand? I'll deal with you when I get back.

How, exactly? Then again, better not ask that of a guy who can make it snow...



I mean, Olaf probably doesn't get cold when he makes it snow, but Grit would...



Maybe best not to think about it.

Day 1


Andy! Max! Can you hear me?
What is it, Nell?
I've learned that this is a vital deployment point for Olaf. If we can drive him from the region, we may just cripple his army!
Really? This may be where we can end this conflict with Olaf!
That's right! You just need to capture as much property as possible, and fast! The first army to secure twelve properties will win this battle! Stay alert and good luck!
Let's see... Yep, we've got bases for deploying troops, and...

And what?

OK! Understood. Let's go!

And nothing, apparently. I guess Max doesn't want to tell Andy and me the rest of his thoughts. Bit of a shame, since he's taking no part in this battle.



Oh well, looks like we've got to sort this out ourselves Andy. As noted, this is a property capture battle: first to twelve properties (on this map that's HQs, bases and cities) wins. Now, Olaf starts out considerably more mobilised than us here, and even has six starting properties to our three. So, pretty much as always, we're going to have to box clever.



There are three key properties here, circled in green. First up, there's a Blue Moon city near the central bridge. If we grab that, not only do we get another city, but we set Olaf back one too! As each side of the map only has eleven properties, we're going to need at least one from Olaf's side - and this is the obvious choice. The base in the north is self-explanatory, it's always good to have bases. And then there's the city by the northern bridge, which is our most vulnerable property: Olaf may even get there before us. If he does, it's vital we take his vulnerable city first, to stop him getting twelve properties. After that... well, we'll just have to take it back from him.



Right, well, I'd better get to capturing then, hadn't I?



And my mechs head out towards that Blue Moon city. Now, you'd think I'd want to rush upfield for the base first. But you'd be wrong - I tried that out on my first attempt at the level, and it didn't exactly go to plan. You'll see why in a moment.



In the meantime, I send my tanks upfield as a welcoming committee for Olaf's troops.



Since this is a capturing mission, we'll want plenty of infantry. I mean, Rule 1 of Advance Wars is "you can never have too many infantry", but it goes doubly so here.

Day 2



And here's why we don't want to send our footsoldiers after that base just yet: Olaf sends a tank and arty across the bridge to engage us, and that base is right in arty range. "But Paul! You can distract Olaf with the APC!" Yeah, that's what I thought. But remarkably, when I tried it out Olaf's artillery actually attacked my capturing mech rather than the APC (I know, right?). So best to have my tanks get rid of those units before sending my infantry up there.



Capturing occurs.



I am going to use my APC as a decoy somewhere, at least. That Blue Moon city is vital.



Not going to move in and engage Olaf's units just yet, though - doing so would drag his medium tank forward, and while I'm going to have to deal with it at some point, I'd rather wait until we've cleared out the other units first. It does mean conceding first strike to his light tank, but I can work around that.



More infantry, more! Well, we don't have the funds for much else right now. Maybe next turn.



(Question is, how much am I going to abuse that gif from now on?)

Day 3



Well, I took some damage there, but I can work something out.



First up, my gallant APC retreats. With that city now firmly in Orange Star hands, the mechs can take care of this bridge themselves.



My damaged tank takes on Olaf's arty, with an infantry unit providing assistance.



And now for Olaf's tank. Andy can only knock 6HP off it. Stuff like this makes you miss Max a bit, but Andy has his compensations. And it's still decent damage.



Now, that medium tank's hanging out in arty range, so it's probably for the best if I try to distract the arty with some infantry. Target saturation, my old friend.



Enough infantry for now. Let's have another tank to make up for my damaged one.



Olaf has his first shot at trying to clear me off my new city. It's not a bad effort, but...

Day 4



... I get healed up 2HP from the city next turn. This is why I'm fairly confident that my mechs can hold the line here. For now, at least.



Especially with performances like that. I've now got an HP lead here.



Medium tank finishes off arty, and I get to capturing that base. Now then, about that retreating 2HP tank... if I go after it, that's going to drag Olaf's medium tank into play. That could be pretty dangerous.



But on the other hand, I think I've got the resources to contain it. I send my 6HP tank out, both to finish off Olaf's tank before he can retreat, and to bait the middie.



Loading the APC...



Moving all these other infantry up...



... advancing my fresh tank, and churning out a couple more infantry.



Olaf continues to battle for that bridge city. It's 3HP each right now, but don't forget I'm getting healed next turn.



My "bait" tank doesn't fare so well, though.

Day 5



But on the other hand, for some reason Olaf decided to attack that tank from the worst position possible.



Because now I can attack him from a city and minimise the counterattack damage.



My new light tank follows up to reduce the middie to 3HP, while I finish capturing the base and start capturing some more cities.



This time my mech can finish that tank off. So ends the battle of the bridge. Well. The first battle of the bridge.



The other mech comes up to provide support, while my APC drops off his passenger. Leaving the APC there was perhaps a mistake. I think you can guess why.



Not going to build anything this turn, I'd like to save up a bit for next turn.



Hey Olaf, Andy and the readers are dying to know: don't you get cold when you do that?



Guess he's not answering. And yeah, he took my APC out, that was the mistake. It's one thing to lose an APC as a deliberate decoy, quite another to get one killed through sheer forgetfulness. , etc.

Day 6



Of course, the big problem with Blizzard here is that that infantry's started capturing the northern bridge city - and because it's snowing, none of my units can reach it. Good job I captured that city by the central bridge, then.



Olaf's medium tank goes down...



... and back in the centre of the map, my mechs swap around so that the full health one can face the next tank.



Setting up a defensive perimeter around the base...



... where I'm going to build a rocket launcher. May as well make use of the fact that we're playing as Andy, here.



All right, everything looks like it's in a pretty good position here. Do your worst, Olaf.


I thought you'd never ask.

Day 7



So yeah, we've got a recon, a tank and a bunch of infantry to deal with. At least it isn't snowing any more.



Medium tank starts us off by knocking that recon down to 1HP. And I capture another city.



That city capture puts us level with Olaf on 11 properties. The next capture decides the battle.



I join the 7HP and 4HP infantry together, receiving 100G for the "lost" hit point. Meanwhile another infantry finishes off the recon, and my tank attacks one of Olaf's infantry.



Better get that rocket off the base. Wouldn't want it to become a base-blocker after all the trouble I took capturing that place.



And let's deploy an arty from there.



Back on the bridge, battle recommences.



Whoa, déjà vu.



Building some infantry out of the other bases.



And the déjà vu continues.

Day 8



All right, we've got a CO power charged up here.



May as well use it.



aaa it's so bright I can hardly read the numbers. Maybe that's Andy's secret, he makes his units look so bright you can't actually tell how damaged they are.



Anyway, war.



Mech kills light tank, rockets cripple infantry.



My own light tank deals with another damaged infantry, allowing my medium tank to roll through and take out Olaf's APC (oh no I'm turning into an AI :ohdear:).



Infantry sneaks around the back of Olaf to take that 2HP inf out. Kind of weird to see Andy on the right half of the screen, there.



The infantry cavalcade moves forwards. I also send my artillery down south: my mechs could probably use a bit of long range support down there, battle damage is taking its toll.



And I churn out a tank, an arty and an inf.



Olaf continues his two-pronged assault on my lines.

Day 9



He's not giving up without a fight.



Good job we're prepared to give him one, then.



Medium and light tanks clear out the city so I can start capturing it. Olaf seems to have decided to leave this city alone now so he can focus on the middle of the map: more fool him.



I get to capturing as my artillery start sending barrages at the opposite shore.



Mech attacks recon as reinforcements approach. Reinforcements I won't need, but I guess it's the thought that counts?



Producing an APC since my medium tank looks a little low on ammo. Again, it isn't going to make a difference because I win next turn, but you know.



Tech-spamming some infantry just in case.

Day 10



All right, the moment of truth.



A silly bit of supplying. But it's nice to see an APC get used for something other than cannon fodder for once :).



Taking down a recon because why not.



And finishing the job.


He will not be pleased with me if this losing streak continues.

Wait, "he"? Who's "he"?

Grit!
Yep.
Get out there and stop that cursed Orange Star Army!
Easier said than done, Boss. You didn't leave me anything to work with.

Oh I don't know, there's all those troops that we didn't destroy because all we had to do was capture twelve properties... unless of course they're all remote-controlled robots that shut down when they stray too far from their factories. But who'd design a system like that?

Don't get saucy! Rally the troops and do something! I have to go and pay him my respects.

"Him"? Yeah, this really puzzled me at the time. I thought maybe Blue Moon had some third CO, not mentioned in the manual, who was Olaf's superior. Well, I was right about the "not mentioned in the manual" part. Anyway, yeah, this is our second hint at the game's wider plot, after Eagle being really angry with Andy despite Andy not having a clue who he was. Still some way to go before we can fit all the pieces together though... feel free to speculate on it, I guess? Granted, "plot speculation" and "Advance Wars" aren't natural bedfellows...

Don't fail me, Grit!
Well, I'll be a... Olaf just tucked his tail between his legs and ran away. Where does that leave me? Guess I'll mosey on down and clean up his mess.

Seriously, Grit, why are you working for Blue Moon? I mean, sure it's fun to crack jokes at Olaf's expense, but you could do that from Orange Star. And you wouldn't have to deal with situations like this.



I'd forgotten about this, but apparently when we win property capture maps we get a little screen telling us about the property count. That's uh, that's certainly something, game.



I'd like to see Andy's comment here as being less about Blizzard and more about Olaf leaving Grit in the lurch like that. Or maybe just a remark to the game about giving us another A-Rank. The timings for speed in AW1 are a lot stricter than they are in AW2, it seems.



Oh well, A-Rank or no, I apparently got enough sweet XPs to reach the heady heights of Rank 93, Ebon Rat. There's no voting to do for next time, though...



... because Max has some, uh, "issues" to take care of.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Pureauthor posted:

I never quite got why Max has blue face paint in this game.
Olaf has his chair, Andy his wrenches, Grit his revolver, Nell her pointer stick, Max his... blue face paint. Don't judge him ;).

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

doomfunk posted:

It's to keep the sun out of his eyes while he rides on tanks, direct-combat ships, b-copters and planes shouting 'charge'.

...Because he's the quintessential American strongman, the football player. I'm glad he lost them in later games, because his design holds no other trappings of the overall look, aside from apparent build. ('apparent', because of how the padding influences your silhouette.)

e: Come to think of it, his being a direct combat specialist really fits there, because of what people tend to think of when they think of the sport.
Oh right, like Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Although yeah, I suspect it's more likely to be an American Football reference than a reference to a certain West Indian cricket player, given that Chanderpaul is very un-Max-like. I just tend to filter this stuff through a British filter. Hence the shipping forecast reference.

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Manic_Misanthrope posted:

Is this the mission I'm thinking of? The really short but bullshit mission? Because if so... enjoy!
It might not be. There's another Max vs. Grit mission on the Andy path that probably counts more as "really short but bullshit" than the one coming up here. Max's Folly?

Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

President Ark posted:

It's funny how these property-capture-race missions happen so often in AW1, and then... never turn up in another Advance Wars game, ever.
There's one in AWDS (it's coming up in the thread in a couple of missions' time). But yeah, they got left out of AW2. Probably just as well, they're kind of annoying and I think the AW2 missions had good variety already.

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Paul.Power
Feb 7, 2009

The three roles of APCs:
Transports.
Supply trucks.
Distractions.

Mission 7M: History Lesson! (or "Max vs. Grit: Round 2")


Grit... Is he the guy who keeps calling me junior?

Andy, Grit has called you "Junior" twice up to this point. In fact, I just looked through the game script and found six instances of the word, three of them said by Grit, and three by you. And we won't even see the third time Grit calls you "Junior" for many, many updates. I just... ugh...

Actually, thinking about it I kind of like the image of the COs having a conversation I can't see during the battle where they just constantly try to put each other down. And Grit keeps calling Andy "Junior".

Do you know him or something?
Yeah, you could say that. He, Nell and I used to be friends. He was always a tough one to figure out, but this Blue Moon stuff...
Nell knows him, too? Why is he working for Blue Moon?
That's something I'd like to ask him myself.
That's why you've got to let me face him, Andy!



All right, all right, jeez.



Don't know if you've noticed this or not, but the Campaign missions in AW1 love their exclamation marks. AW2 feels positively sober in comparison.

Day 1


Man, this place was made for Grit and his indirect-combat units. I really just want to rush in and get to stompin', but... The smart thing to do is to use the terrain and creep up on 'em. Yep, that's the best plan. Let's move out!



So we've got a naval fog of war battle on our hands here. Max has got some pretty solid units on the field here - three submarines and two medium tanks, among others - but the key here is our landers. Without them we can't capture the HQ or have any chance of taking out Grit's eastern units (okay, we have a battleship that could theoretically take out all the land units... but it's a Max battleship. It's got a shorter range than Grit's rockets. Either way, the HQ capture is looking like a good option here: it's fairly exposed, and it beats going on a hunt to find every last one of Grit's units.



Maybe I should start only looking up the full maps for these once I've played through the mission, because drat are those no-fog versions tempting. I learned a few things beforehand from this one: there's a battleship protecting the HQ and a cruiser protecting the battleship. The middle island is pretty pointless though, given there's no indirects on it - and while the right-hand of the map is a bit more active with units, if you just gun for the HQ you'll avoid all that. There's some stuff coming down from the top left, but nothing our medium tanks can't handle. It's kind of weird that IntSys made a map that, as Max says, has so many boltholes for indirects to hide in, and then don't put indirects in them. Maybe they just want to make us paranoid.



One of our biggest assets this mission is our collection of submarines. Let's dive one.



Submarines have really good vision in fog of war: like recons, they can see up to five squares away from themselves. That's going to be essential here.



Sending the other two subs out. I know I'm pretty sure that nothing's going to come from the south here, but may as well make a token gesture in that direction.



Battleships and cruisers, of course, can't dive. So let's hide them in these reefs. Let's also capture some properties: okay, so there's no bases to use the funds at, but at least doing so tells us that the forests north of those cities are clear.



Meaning I can hide my medium tanks and recon in them.



Mechs and one of the landers move up a little.


This whole thing don't sit well with me, but I guess I gotta stop foolin' around. I figure the best way to stop these boys is to take out their lander. Yeah, that'll keep them from movin' those ground troops around. Reckon I'd best get started.

Grit giving us a nice big "protect your landers!" hint here.

Day 2



A sub just dived in the "green circle" square. We've got a cruiser to deal with it, but the cruiser can't attack until it can see the sub.



But if I move one of my own subs next to it...



Well, then we have a viable target.



After that, another of my subs wipes out Grit's lander and my battleship takes of his infantry down to 1HP. Shame my battleship can't attack the artillery, but hey, it's Max, what're you gonna do.



Still, there's plenty of stuff Max is good at.



Tank down, arty crippled.



Loading up a lander with the other medium tank and a mech, and hiding it in a reef.



Can't be too careful with those landers, after all.



Especially given all that attacking has already charged up Snipe Attack...



... Jesus Christ! (pretty much my reaction when this happened)

Day 3



... Well, let's hope Grit doesn't have any more submarines. Hmm... that artillery fired from a forest. There's a few options, but again I know from the unfogged map that it's not on the central island (sorry!). Which leaves those two forests in the north.



Sending the recon up reveals that it's not the southern forest. Must be the northern one, then.



And that's a fact we can use to our advantage. Even if we can't see the artillery, we know where it is and we know how far it can fire (Grit's just used Snipe Attack, so we know for certain he won't be using it next turn), so we can make sure our battleship and lander steer clear of it. More than that, we can set the battleship up to attack next turn (at least Max's battleship still outranges Grit's artillery. That's some small comfort, there. A quick note on the southern sub while I'm here: that cruiser I mentioned is hiding in the reef northeast of it. If I parked right next to the cruiser, it would be able to see me and it could get a hit in. So I've set up just southwest of it instead.



Tank finishes off arty, second lander loads with an infantry and a mech and my APC and other infantry move up too.



Well my ships are safe from that forest arty, but my recon isn't.

Day 4



Still, it survived, and where there's life, there's hope.



Hope in this case manifests as the ability to act as a spotter for my battleship.



Submarines move up and oh hey, there's Grit's battleship. Curiously he didn't decide to hide in in a reef. I guess I shouldn't complain, though.



That battleship has most of the HQ area locked down. I could land this turn, but I think prudence dictates I wait until the battleship's taken care of.



So instead let's get my landers up next to the beaches, ready to land next turn. Hopefully this won't cost me.



Infantry attacks infantry, with mixed results. Really I should have used my medium tank tank to attack that infantry. I'm not really sure what I thought I was doing with that medium tank this turn.

Day 5



You might have noticed that we've had Max Force charged up for the last couple of days.



May as well get some use out of it.



One-shotting battleships: pretty darn handy. Granted it's not like we don't have enough subs around to two-shot the battleship anyway, but it's still good to have around.



Medium tank and battleship finish off Grit's troops in the starting area...



... and it's time to start landing troops. You may be surprised that I'm unloading the inf/mech lander first, rather than the one with the medium tank. Well, my reasoning here was that that tank would probably attack a footsoldier rather than the medium tank - and I need those footsoldiers to capture the HQ. So I decided to give the tank a choice of two - and whichever footsoldier it attacks, the other can get to capturing next turn (In hindsight, there's a bit of a flaw in this plan, but fortunately it doesn't come back to bite me).



Meanwhile, my subs are looking low on fuel, so I'm sending them back to my APCs for supplies. Wouldn't want my technique score getting messed with by something as stupid as subs running out of fuel.



Grit gets a Snipe Attack...



I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, Grit, but tanks are not indirect units (in other words, once more he doesn't actually attack with any indirects this turn. Looks likes I've steered clear of them. Good-oh).

Day 6



So that flaw in the plan I mentioned earlier. Say Grit's tank had decided to attack my mech from that square instead. My infantry would be at full health, but the tank would be blocking it from reaching the HQ this turn. Fortunately it looked like the AI decided to prioritise maximising damage output and minmising counterattack damage over, y'know, not losing. Oh well, that's the AI for you.



Let's get capturing. Meanwhile my APC does the rounds keeping those subs afloat (er... in a manner of speaking). The third sub is pretty low on fuel, so I surface it to save a bit on that.



Anyway, let's clear some space for my other lander.



That done, I can bring in the medium tank and the other mech. I also bring my battleship up to lend the HQ units some fire support.



There's a chance that the cruiser might go gunning for my raised sub, so let's use the dived subs to block it in. The dashed line is where a medium tank ends up after I took this screenshot: forgot to screenshot after the middie had moved, sorry.



Grit attacks my HQ mech. It's going to set me back a little, but not too much.

Day 7



Yeah, Grit's cruiser went HOLY poo poo A SURFACED SUB and charged towards it, but my dived subs have trapped it in. Also, another tank appeared.



Battleship takes down one tank.



Medium tank takes down the other.



And I get my third sub fuelled up. Let's dive it again for good measure.



HQ capturing continues as my subs do their best to get the heck away from that cruiser.



To ensure there are no more mishaps, I join my healthy mech on to the damaged capturing mech. Arguably a waste of good hit points, but at least it strengthens the HQ capture. I also send the other medium tank across the sea because, you never know, we might need it.

Day 8



We don't.


Why in blazes did you go over to Blue Moon?

Yeah, come on Grit. We need some kind of closure on this.

Grit!

Orrr maybe not.

Nell? What are you doing here?
Hey there, Nell. It's been a long time.
Max. Would you please leave us alone for a minute?
Yeah... Sure...

Oh, come on. We aren't doing this, are we? Hey, guys, as your advisor I advise you to all sit round a table and discuss this like rational adults (and Andy).

You look well. I was worried.
Yeah, I'm doin' all right. How about you? You and Max getting along all right?
So that's the reason you left Orange Star. You sensed Max's feelings, and because he's your friend, you...

Noble sacrifice to solve a love triangle, huh? I guess that makes as much sense as anything.

Whoa! Hold on, now. Let me set you straight. I did what I did 'cause that's who I am, darlin'. I go where I want to go, and stay where I want to stay. That's it.
Oh, I...

Or maybe not. Maybe Grit just likes being a lone ranger. Or maybe Grit's just saying this to spare Nell's feelings. Or ugh why do I care about this?

See you later, Nell. Take care.
Grit... Goodbye.

And yeah, that's basically all that gets said on the matter, apart from one or two minor references in things like the AW2 Hard Campaign ending dialogue and one of Max and Grit's after-victory quotes when they tag-team in Dual Strike. It's a bit annoying, but in hindsight maybe cutting out all this was a good thing...



On the bright side, perfect score! Good to get back to S-Ranking ways after those two A-Ranks.



Now at this point, the paths join back together and we meet our third playable CO, Sami (well... fourth if you count Nell in Field Training). But we aren't going to be chatting with her just yet. Kind of a shame, because her theme tune's my favourite music in the game, but that's how it goes.



After all, we've got a whole other leg of the Trousers of Time to explore first...

Paul.Power fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Jun 19, 2014

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