Need some strategy tips for single player Options

[thefran]

I've never played multiplayer, only completed all campaigns and several challenges on medium or hard in vanilla Generals and ZH.

Due to a combination of me being very rusty and the AI being (subjectively) improved, I get absolutely pummeled on Challenge mode. As China Nuke, I try to turtle a bit till I can get some nukes and overlords going, get a defense line of 3-4 Gattling tanks and a propaganda tower as I go north with a Desolator, 2 Gattlings and a Dozer to establish a second supply center, and then get rolled by a bunch of laser paladins and that damnable laser artillery. (Rocket soldiers don't help much obviously). Build order is reactor-racks (capture, 4 Red Guards, capture oil derricks and whatnot, then camp in a building)-prop tower-supply-war factory-2 supply trucks-gattlings and rad tanks-nuclear center-strategy center-dead.

As US Laser, I kinda expected to get an easy win against Granger before realising that I don't actually have good ground air defense. Sure, he doesn't get countermeasures against my lasers, but I build a half-circle of laser partriots as I desperately try to build a good tank wave, but avengers turn out to be very expensive and very cost inefficient, his raptors kill them easy.

[FabulousPug]

I've never played multiplayer, only completed all campaigns and several challenges on medium or hard in vanilla Generals and ZH.

Due to a combination of me being very rusty and the AI being (subjectively) improved, I get absolutely pummeled on Challenge mode. As China Nuke, I try to turtle a bit till I can get some nukes and overlords going, get a defense line of 3-4 Gattling tanks and a propaganda tower as I go north with a Desolator, 2 Gattlings and a Dozer to establish a second supply center, and then get rolled by a bunch of laser paladins and that damnable laser artillery. (Rocket soldiers don't help much obviously). Build order is reactor-racks (capture, 4 Red Guards, capture oil derricks and whatnot, then camp in a building)-prop tower-supply-war factory-2 supply trucks-gattlings and rad tanks-nuclear center-strategy center-dead.

As US Laser, I kinda expected to get an easy win against Granger before realising that I don't actually have good ground air defense. Sure, he doesn't get countermeasures against my lasers, but I build a half-circle of laser partriots as I desperately try to build a good tank wave, but avengers turn out to be very expensive and very cost inefficient, his raptors kill them easy.

vs Townes on Hard mode:
Send the first or the second builder unit to get the eastern supply (the one near the water) and build some AA defences there to fend off choppers and planes and the occasional infantry attack. If done fast, Townes might not even send any tanks there and you can collect everything from there. Also keep the builder repairing there.

While doing that build some defences which will mostly serve as meat shield, left of the starting supply, following the road below the bridge.

With 2 supplies you'll have enough money for getting out some AA units for your base and most importantly - artillery. Force fire artillery on the choke point below the bridge and control them manualy while you still don't have many.

While making artilery, save some money for a superweapon and detection. A superweapon is used primarily to make Townes target it with his Particle Cannons (or just start making it and cancel it to draw its fire).
That's it mostly.. now just get secondary eco running and proceed to crush lazor baze.

I did it with probably all generals on hard using this strategy.

This post has been edited by FabulousPug: 21 Jan 2017, 0:37