tips for the built-in campaigns

Thorgrim · Post by **Thorgrim** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 11:31 pm

I'll post the rank requirements for all the maps here, so you can better plan *when* to play them:

campaign 1
m1~m3 : rookie
m4~m7 : green

campaign 2
m1~m7 : novice

campaign 3
m1 : regular
m2~m6 : veteran
m7 : crack

So, as you can see, there is some room for some random battles before c1 is started, if you want - but they are *not* necessary. You can also play some between c1 and c2, but again, it is not necessary. Between c2 and c3, there you may have to, to fulfil the requirements of c3m1 - note that this map (starting the campaign) should be played when you're almost at veteran level.

Also notice that if you've played Deep Core with the squad you intend to play c1 with, you're probably unbalancing all this.

These are guidelines, and the required ranks are there for a reason, although they're not mandatory. It's up to you to use these wisely.

MahaROGa · Post by **MahaROGa** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 11:04 pm

IMHO.... The "rank" is not really as important as the tonnage.

I'm not a seasoned veteran of ToS, but based on my experiences with C1 and the begining of C2 I would strongly suggest;

Campaign 1
m1~m5 : squad no larger than 120 tons (3 recon ATs)
m6 : 1 light AT and 2 recon ATs was nice
m7 : 3 light ATs (not sure about that... I used 1 light and 2 recons and felt a little out matched, if it weren't for my jocks using a forest fire to take out one enemy and severly delay another my force would have been heavily out-gunned)

Campaign 2
m1 : 3 light AT's was too little, I'm in the middle of replaying it with 4 light AT's using jocks that are about 3/4ths of the way to regular. It seems that the enemy in this mission has a minimum size of 300tons.

I can't help with the rest, as I haven't been there yet.

I found that I had to do a lot of random battles between C1 and C2 in order to make the money required to upgrade my AT's (even though the payout in C1M7 is pretty nice). I only played a couple of random battles during C1, mainly to restore my cash reserves after battles where I took heavy damage. It seems that the monetary rewards of C1 are "ok" as long as you don't take any heavy damage.

After my first attempt at C2M1 I almost felt that I needed to put my 3 jocks into medium ATs before trying it again. Instead I transfered a 4th jock (also novice) from another team and then bought her a light AT. **note** that when you pay 300,000$ or more to transfer a jock from one squad to another that the fee does not include the AT that they are assigned to. The AT says with the original squad, you are only "buying" the jock.

Rebel Yell · Post by **Rebel Yell** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 11:33 pm

I agree that tonnage means more. Your jocks will naturally grow in experience (unless they die) but what they drive makes the difference.

I just finished Campaign 2 with 4 Lights and 1 Recon, and it was pretty easy. I netted a pretty good financial gain everytime and finished with about 2 million.

Since the briefings don't really describe numbers, I haven't added more yet, but could have afforded to go to a full squad by early in Campaign 2. The problem is the fear that extra green pilots in recons will cause the Campaign to add extra regulars in mediums. :p

I'm starting Metaborator now. It will be interesting to see if it looks like I should recruit more jocks now or wait and build my final squad doing randoms after its over.

LarkinVB · Post by **LarkinVB** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 11:50 pm

Metaborator will start slowly but I promise you have to enter heavies and build a full squad during the maps. At least thats what I had experienced. C1 + C2 are one thing, C3 is another. It has lots of nice twists deviating from the usual routine.

Sleeping_Dragon · Post by **Sleeping_Dragon** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 3:42 am

LarkinVB wrote:Metaborator will start slowly but I promise you have to enter heavies and build a full squad during the maps. At least thats what I had experienced. C1 + C2 are one thing, C3 is another. It has lots of nice twists deviating from the usual routine.

Heavies.. Definatly!!! I'm on Map 6 Metabor. and I'd be in Assualts if 'Iceman' moved slower (and if I'd put more DP into Assualt pioliting skill).. may have to go with 1-2 med to save him on this map then boost my GM jock from a Sagitti to a Tentakel, although I'd be more outgunned then I am now... and I'm pretty outgunned now! Only running with 4 jocks, but they are 'over-skilled' well into crack on map 6. A 5th jock on a lighter titan would be very useful. With 4 jocks I've had to pull out every trick in the book to survive! SMOKE and STEAM from tundra are the ONLY reasons I've make it this far. On the last Ice map my jock in a Blackguard (2BRG+) ended up shooting the ground more then the enemy!

BTW. don't tell Greenpeace where I'm at.. They're a little peeved... they have a hit squad out looking for me because of some nasty intentionally set forest fires. I think I accidently fried 'Smokey the bear' in one of the fires... not to mention the whole 'Bambi inceident'...

I hate to say it.... but may have to call in the French... maybe they can sink some more of Greenpeace's ships and distract them a bit.

If you don't know what I'm referring to .. do a search on the web for "Rainbow Warrior"

Thorgrim · Post by **Thorgrim** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 4:57 am

I didn't post tonnages there because it shouldn't be necessary *if* the campaigns are played as they were meant to be played. If they aren't, then you don't really need the guidelines

About c2m1, notice you don't have to fight all enemies. Rank requirement is novice, so mediums should not be a problem.

MahaROGa · Post by **MahaROGa** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:40 pm

Just as an update....

I completed Android Rebellion with two squads over the weekend. One squad had 4 light ATs (jocks were about 3/4ths the way to regular at the start and well into regular at the end). The other squal had 3 heavy AT's, with 2 vet jocks and 1 reg (ended with all the vet).

For both teams I felt that the balance was good, not too easy not too hard. The money was much better in C2 than it had been in C1.

Based on this experience I really feel that C1 is potentially much harder than C2. Both C1M5 and C1M7 can be very misbalanced, if you go ove 120tons in your squad, where in the C2 maps the enemies were generally spread out enough that even if they had more tonnage it didn't come at you all at once. And the low money in C1 is also very painfull if you have upgraded your ATs to more expensive Light models. Where in C2 I ended with nearly 1 million in cash for each team, as I didn't buy any new ATs and didn't have any major damage bills to pay (that weren't covered by the money made on that mission).

Just FYI.... From my other thread about C1M5. I did win C1M5 with my 3med+1light squad, but the damage was so heavy that my squad went bankrupt. Hence the origin of my secondary squad. After they went through C1 and did some random battles they had accumulated enough money to transfer the 1light from my original squad. The transfer money also resurected the remainders of my original squad, allowing them to repair and join the C2 fun. I read about using "jock transfers" on this board and it turned out to be a very helpfull little trick, for the "bind" that I got myself into.

Thorgrim · Post by **Thorgrim** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 8:47 pm

c1m5 and c1m7 are the only maps that can present problems because of the 3 team thing.
As for c1 being tougher than c2, life in the begining is hard, jocks are rookie and they get payed accordingly

So it may seem harder. But c2 is set in Core.
Money in c1 is also set not to let you grow too fast.

Thanks for the info!