Mission 4

4: Power Struggle

After you and your forces are dropped off, you first task is to make your way to the site where you are to set up your base. Your recycler is not under your direct command, but it will head off to this site on its own and deploy itself when it gets there. Use your four scout wingmen and the two repair trucks to make sure that the recycler accomplishes this. Tell the repair trucks to follow the recycler, while you and your wingmen head out to intercept the Hadean patrols.

The first two or three attacks will be easy to fend off, but as you get closer to the base site, expect the attacks to come from multiple units at once.

Use the repair trucks to keep your ammo and hull levels high during the interval between the early attacks and the more serious onslaught near the base site. The presence of some Hadean collectors as you near the base site means that you'll have to make sure that your wingmen are not drawn off from their main objective of protecting the recycler.

You'll will notice a biometal pool along the way; however, there are a couple of problems when it comes to deploying a scavenger there. First, if you try to send a scavenger directly from your base to this pool, it inevitably will end up drowning itself, so an intermediate nav might be a good idea. Second, if you try to deploy a scavenger there before you fully control the area around your base, the Hadean attack forces will simply bypass your base and attack this deployed scavenger, returning to attack your base when they are finished. So, this is not the first pool that I try to gain control of.

But I'm ahead of the plan; first, you need to defend your just deployed recycler. Have your repair trucks repair your recycler and your scouts, as you build out a scavenger and perhaps some power ups for yourself. The idea is to build out turrets to help defend your recycler, using a couple of scavengers to gather the scrap produced as you fight off the attacking Hadeans. Try to keep your scouts near the recycler, so they don't end up chasing Hadean collectors, only to picked off by the next Hadean attack wave. I try to run a line of turrets off to the side of the recycler and along the back of it (the side facing the direction of the Hadean attacks). You'll need a lot of turrets, so just keep building them and deploying them into your defensive line.

After you feel you have enough turrets securing your recycler, build out a separate group of at least four turrets that you can use to go after the nearby pool (towards the NE). You'll need a good number of turrets to take and hold this pool, because it will quickly become the focus of the Hadean attacks. I take advantage of the rough terrain and try to deploy a couple of turrets on some high points overlooking this pool.

The trick is to get a scavenger deployed on this pool and hold it while you build a constructor, then some power supplies, and finally some gun towers, which are placed forward of your base and near this biometal pool. You should position them so that they cut off a good part of the attack route the Hadeans are taking toward your deployed scavenger, as well as the route they have been taking to attack your recycler. Building two constructors will let you use one to build the power supplies while you get the other into position to build the relay bunker and gun towers. You'll have to decide how best to spend your biometal resources, since you'll need enough turrets to help you hold this forward position, but you'll also want some biometal saved up in order to get the relay bunker and first gun tower up in a hurry.

Build out at least at least four gun towers to secure this strategic position. Once this is accomplished, you can start to work on your base. Put up a factory and a service bay. I like to get some service trucks out in the field servicing the turrets around the pool and the gun towers. Now you are in a position to deploy a scavenger on that first biometal pool that you saw on your way to the base site, so you might want to do that now. I next put up an armory, since trying to take on these Hadean forces with a mini-gun has gotten pretty old by now.

Your likely to get some new orders about now. You'll need to retrieve the flight data recorder from a downed ESDF drop ship. Although you might think this entails building a tug, the flight recorder can be picked up by simply running over it with your ship. Be warned that the object is in range of some very powerful guard towers. So, you'll need to be quick. You'll take some damage (a scout will likely be destroyed), but you just have to keep from dying and make it back to base to complete this objective.

If you manage to snipe a Hadean ride, you may find that the enemy will not attack you unless you fire upon them.

From this point, I focus on two objectives: building up a fleet of attack ships and reinforcing my turret positions by dropping chain guns on them. I build out SP equipped tanks and hornet equipped rocket tanks as my main force. There is a third pool (N of your recycler) that is reachable at this point, but it can be difficult to hold onto. There's a small hill just forward of this pool that makes a good site to deploy a group of chain turrets and a service truck, and you can send your rocket tanks to this point while you build up your forces.

In the meanwhile, you will likely have been told that you need to pick up a satchel charge and go investigate a back door route to the Hadean base. The satchel charge will make short work of the boulders blocking the way.

As you investigate the nav points that your are directed to along this route, expect your base to take a pounding. Break off from the investigating to tend your defenses, if you need to, and resume exploring when things are secure. You'll run into some strange new craft that are hostile; so, you might want to take along some wingmen as you investigate what lies ahead. If you search around enough, you'll discover that there is another bio-metal pool. Eventually, your investigations will include a mega gun power supply and you will be given orders to escort a group of engineers to this power source; however, don't do this until you have a good attack force built up.

This doesn't seem to be a problem since the release of the patch for Forgotten Enemies Part 1, but it use to be that this mission could sometimes suffer from a problem with the AI overbuilding to the point that the Hadean base became clogged with ships. You'll recognize this problem, if it occurs, by the frame rate taking a severe hit. The easiest solution may be to resort to the editor, but I'm going to suggest that you try building out a bomber and using a few well placed day wreckers to loosen up the log jam. This will delay your progress toward your next objective, and destroying the Hadean Procreator may hose the mission's scripting, so don't get carried away. The idea is not to try to destroy the whole base with the bomber, simply to get rid of the overbuild of ships. The time to build a bomber, if you need to, is after you investigate the power source, but before you escort the engineers. You'll be in a good position to take a peek at what is happening in the Hadean base once you locate where the power source is. (Note: there is no overbuild in the picture below. I just wanted to get a shot of the bomber in action. ;-) )

Okay, you should have a group of rocket tanks, a group of SP tanks, and a group of service trucks to work with. The rocket tanks should be out away from the base, perhaps helping to hold the third pool (along with some service trucks), and the group of SP tanks should be deployed in the general area of where the boulders were blocking the way. Now, go get the engineers and escort them to the power supply. The cargo ship will follow you, as long as you don't get too far ahead of it. You can pick up the SP tanks along the way, just don't let them get to the power supply ahead of the engineers. The trip is a bit tedious but not difficult (assuming that you cleared out the "unknown" ships, earlier).

Once your engineers have secured the power supply, you have the upper hand on the Hadeans. Those awesome guard towers are now firing on the Hadean forces. But soon, you'll realize why you needed to build out your attack forces earlier. Your orders are to take out the Hadean base. The main trick will be to have the patience to maneuver your forces into position. Even though it will be the long way, bring all your forces towards the Hadean base by the back route. It will prevent them from running into Hadeans still heading out to attack your fixed positions. Use the rocket tanks to bring down the base from a position near where the this back route opens out into the area of the Hadean base. Deploy turrets near the rocket tanks, as well as along the wall extending towards the nearby biometal pool, in order to fend off any forces that the Hadeans may send towards your position. You and your cavalry force of SP tanks can provide extra protection, as needed, and pick off any targets that present themselves. Perhaps deploy a few turrets over by a distant bio-metal pool to deprive the Hadeans of this scrap source. Hopefully, your bomber will have reduced any overbuild of ships, so you won't be faced with a slide show at this point, and you will be able to take down the base.

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