Re: Third tutorial map

[Jens Granseuer <jensgr@xxxxxxx>]

On 12.09.2005 01:27, Andrej Krivulčík wrote:
> On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 16:03:13 +0200, Andrej Krivulcik <krivulcik@xxxxxxxxx>  
> wrote:
> Play it, check it,
> correct any typos/errors in the text (it's far from perfect, I finished it
> just a while ago and I'm pretty tired to correctly think :-) ).

Alright, here is my proposal for the messages.

Jens

[messages(en)]
Tutorial #3: Hither and Thither
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Rookie
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Simulator
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The Art of War, Lesson 3: Hither and Thither

by Andrej KrivulÄÃk <krivulcik@xxxxxxxxx>
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Depot
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Factory
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Crystal Mine
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This is a tutorial mission designed for a single player.
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Welcome, Commander!

This training mission will show you how to exploit terrain features to your advantage and how to transfer both crystals and troops. You will also have the opportunity to employ some long-range artillery units.

You control a few tanks and an infantry squad. Move your tanks out of your depot and position them at the near end of the bridge. This way you will be able to attack each approaching enemy unit with multiple units at once.
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By positioning your units in such a manner you gain several advantages. Not only can you attack a single foe with multiple units, but your attacking units also support each other and generally perform better when grouped together.

Friendly units can help increase the combat strength of an attacking unit. This is called "wedging". Each unit adjacent to the attacked unit slightly increases the attacker's strength. This bonus is reduced if the wedging unit cannot attack the defender itself, and it is doubled if the wedging unit is "backstabbing" i.e. it is positioned directly opposite the attacker.

Defending units may improve their position in combat in a similar manner. For each friendly unit adjacent to both the attacker and the defender, the defending unit receives a performance bonus. This is also called "blocking".

Both wedging and blocking bonuses only apply for close-quarter battles, not for long-range attacks.
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Very well! Now you know that exploiting terrain can help you defeat enemies even if you are outnumbered. When you are controlling narrow passages with just a few experienced units you can often fend off much larger enemy waves.

Now conquer the enemy factory with your infantrymen.
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Good work! In this factory you are able to build hovercraft which you need to cross the river in the northwestern part of the map as the bridge collapsed after recent skirmishes. However, the factory is out of crystals. You will need to fetch some crystals from your Depot. Personnel carriers, just like any other transporter unit in the game, are able to transport not only personnel but also crystals. Move your unit to the southwestern depot in order to transfer some crystals.

Notice that the mine to the northwest is guarded. Your enemy has dispatched some heavy tanks to prevent you from conquering it. You will need to destroy these tanks, and using long-range weapons like artillery you can do so without risk.

Move your artillery close to the river so that the enemy tanks are in firing range and destroy them. Artillery units are "slow" units not just in terms of movement points. While other units can move and attack during a single turn, artillery can only do one or the other. Therefore it is especially important that these units are positioned carefully in order to not waste any additional turns.
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Now you can carry crystals to your factory. Order your transporter to move out of the depot. This will bring up the loading window where you can assign both crystals and units (in case any are available).
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Good. Now you can cross the river and seize the crystal mine. You can load troops when the transporter is leaving a shop or in the field by just moving into the transporter. To remove units from a transporter, right-click it and select "Content". Then proceed just as if you were moving out of a shop