Expand and Exterminate Strategy

Overview

GD

In this guide you will learn how to utilize the GD's greatest attribute: staying power, and minimize their weakness: lack of mobility.

• STAYING POWER - GD units generally have more armor, better range, and greater firepower than the combat units of the other factions. This allows GD tanks to form a line and focus fire on incoming enemies. GD also has better artillery than the other factions. The higher you climb the tech lvls the more armor hp damage and turrets you get on your units. At lvl 3 GD's tanks are lumbering behemoths with multiple turrets spewing fire in many directions. The key word in that last sentence is lumbering for those tanks are slow so either transport them or hide them till they are in range.
  • LVL1 level 1 Specific info
  • LVL2 level 2 Specific info
  • LVL3 level 3 Specific info

• CENTRALIZED RESOURCING - GD basic mexes give energy, so you won't need to build a reactor immediately. GD also has a light gas plant that gives the same amount of energy as the mexes. When you're getting around to building a nuclear reactor it gives 2x+ more energy than its closest equivalent (URC fusion). While this means less building you had better space out your reactors cause they go up like nukes. At lvl3 the Gd get the ability to make a Super reactor that produces around 2000 energy. GD also may construct armed mexes, allowing them to more easily hold territory and making raiding difficult; however these mexes don't make energy.

• LACK OF MOBILITY - Overall GD is the slowest of the three factions. GD's first transport unit is available in the lvl1 air plant and is a key unit in thier plans. Armed mexes combined with the rapid deployment of units via air transports helps minimise GD's lack of mobility. GD light tanks can climb fairly well, lvl2 tanks have more difficulty, lvl3 tanks have horrid climbing ability. At lvl3 the GD recieve a tough armed transport helo. With a little skill (and some pre raid destruction) these will be able to penetrate enemy airspace and drop of their precious cargo.

• METAL RAIN - GD arty will devastate almost any target save air units. They have an advantage vs any side but they are expensive and slow moving so you must protect them wisely. Lvl 1 arty is good support for your tanks and can help soften up a defensive line before a push. Lvl 2 arty is more effective than its lvl 1 cousin, where as the lvl 1 arty fired straight up in high trajectory, the Lvl 2 can fire both in low and high trajectories. The main difference is in accuracy, with low trajectory having higher accuracy. At lvl 3 the GD gain both saturation artillery and nuke artillery. The saturation arty is like its lvl 1 cousin in that it fires straight up but that is the end of similarities. WIth four barrels this unit puts out a constant stream of shells that is devastating to both static defense and mobile units. The nuke artillery is a devastating weapon if used correctly. You must pay for each individual shell you fire so this is gonna be expensive unit to use in bulk or consistantly. However the power unleashed form this units is devastating. The GD also have a tactical nuke launcher. Similar to the nuke artillery, you must pay for each missile you fire. The main difference between them is accuracy. The tactical nuke is perfect for pinpoint strikes while the nuke arty can and does miss so be forewarned.

GD is all about brute force; avoid your enemies' emplacements if you can, but you can likely roll right over them. -Decimator

URC

In this guide you will learn how to properly combine the URC's best attributes, agility and stealth.

• CLIMBING- To begin, when using the URC faction its best to take advantage of their ability to climb steep slopes and mountains. There are a number of ways to utilize this advantage as you have the ability to attack from angles no other faction can. Its advised that when possible that you should attack from the steepest ground possible as GD and NI units will usually not be able to follow you and your units will gain greater firing range. But most important to URC strategy is the potential for invading bases by avoiding defenses. While GD shoves through defenses and NI runs through it, the URC can completly ignore it by going through high terrian to suprise attack an opponent's base. If the high terrian is steep enough, youre assured that neither GD or NI can build defenses on their hills or mountains around their base.

• STEALTH - The URC are the only faction to have units that cloak. During early game after you have put up your small economy and unit factory use spiders (cheap, cloakable spy unit that can build cameras and mines. LV1) very early in game to put cameras around key positions and to observe enemy bases. A good objective to keep in mind is to use this unit as your eyes and ears to basically monitor your enemies base for an undefended route that you can use late game to invade. Be sure to build a few battle mechs and a couple construction mechs afterwards to properly expand in early game. During middle to late game, you can use your level two factory to produce a variety of medium strength attack mechs that can both cloak and jam radars. At the cost of this ability however these mechs are more expensive and less strong than its non-stealth counterparts. Therfor its advised to use these units in small raiding parties to disrupt and destroy the oponnents economy. Do not mainly focus them on aiding your main armies in combat as its not cost effective, they are best used for suprising un-protected bases.

As URC you have many options open to you in conquest. Even though I have written guidelines for a suggested play style, you can still win without using stealth and agility, its entirely up to your gameplay style. You may find that using URC as brute force works better for you, as they can operate a highly strong head on function in proper numbers. Whatever your style is, URC can probably fit into it. -Flintlock

Weapons

Because of the way Expand and Exterminate works, knowig the properties of weapons is essential to sucess. Typicaly the same weapons are repeated across each tech level, with similar properties but increasing effectiveness at higher levels. This section of the guide shows the weapons in groups that denote their purpose, and gives information on the properties of each weapon.

Frontline Weapons

Units with frontline weaponsa re what will likely make up the bulk of your army. These weapons typicaly have fairly good fire rates and good damage/second. Their main drawback is that while good in all areas they excell in none. As a consolation for this, however, units with these weapons typicaly can take more damage than others.

• Cannon (GD) - GD cannons have a fairly slow firing rate combined with a high damage. This combination does, however, typicaly end up with giving a slightly higher damage/second than URC plasma weapons, in combination with their slightly higher range this makes them a generaly supirior weapon. Because these are balistic weapons firing from high to low areas gives a range bonus and firing from low to high a penalty.
• Plasma (URC) - URC plasma cannons fire much faster than the GD cannons but also do much less damage. The weapons overall damage/second isslightly lower than that of a GD cannon, and they have slightly less range. Units with plasma do tend to cost less than GD cannon units though. URC plasma weapons are not balistic and as thus do not get any range bonuses or penalties from the terrain.

Support Weapons

• Missile (GD)
• Rocket (URC)

Heavy Support Weapons

Heavy support weapons are short range, generaly high damage powerhouses. Some of these gain a damage bonus against base structures making them deadly if they get behind enemy defences. Units with these tend to be able to take more damage than those with frontline weapons, and tend to cost less too. The drawback of these weapons is their short range, alone they can be outrun and eventualy destroyed.

• Laser (GD) - GD laser weapons are utterly devastating. They have a fair range for a heavy support weapon and an incredible damage potential. At low levels laser units do over twice the damage/second of their counterpart cannon unit, and even more against buildings. A level 3 laser tank does over 3x the damage/second of a level 3 cannon tank. The only thing keeping these weapons from being totaly overpowering is that GD units are slow, so you should be able to outrun and eventualy destroy a laser tank.
• Flamethrower (URC)
• Cannon (URC) - URC cannons are very slow firing, very high damage/shot weapons with little resemblence to GD cannons. These cannons have a very high damage per shot and a very slow firing rate.

Artillery Weapons

• Artillery (GD)
• Saturation Artillery (GD)
• Mortar (URC)
• Rocket Artillery (URC)
• Heavy Rocket Artillery (URC)

Special Weapons

• Ion Cannon (GD)

Other Weapons

• Torpedoes