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Inside Mac Games Volume 6 #3
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IMG Volume 6, Issue 3
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TEXT_157.txt
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1998-06-12
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by Edward Carmien
If you’ve played a real-time strategy game before (Myth is the exception
here), you know that victory is achieved by finding and claiming resources
first, and by tactics and strategy second. To win at Dark Colony, get more
Petra-7 than your enemy and put it to work intelligently. In other words, no
matter how good at tactics and strategy you are, you won’t be able to win the
day consistently against an enemy who has more resources than you do,
especially in the early games in which there is no "healing" of units. Note
that all references to units are given in "Human" terms-the Alien versions
are pretty much the same, though, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Here are a few tricks to being the firstest with the mostest when it comes to
finding and claiming Petra-7:
• Scout the land, find the craters
• Time the building of Exploiters so that you can have one ready to claim
Petra-7 when it erupts
• Protect your Exploiters, but retreat when faced with overwhelming force
• Counterattack quickly when you find an enemy Exploiter on a working
crater
• Keep an eye on your Petra-7 mines so you can move your Exploiters
elsewhere when the crater is exhausted
• Begin claiming Petra-7 at the start of the scenario right away
Of course, just finding resources isn’t the only way to end up with the most
Petra-7. Another way accrue it is to not waste it. You can count on the AI to
build unnecessary units galore. You don’t have that luxury! Here are some
tips for building buildings and upgrades wisely:
• Build buildings first
• Use your initial Petra-7 stockpile freely
• Upgrade only the unit types you plan on using the most, for example
Reaper and Barrager, or perhaps Reaper and Firestorm
• Upgrade other unit types only if you’re very rich
• Keep a Petra-7 stockpile handy after the first segment of the scenario
• Use a stockpile to remain flexible in responding to unexpected threats
• Build as few Exploiters as possible-for most scenarios, one or two extra
will do
• Keep an eye on the total amount of Petra-7 in the ground yet to be
harvested
Here are some tips for unit-building:
• Be careful what you build-once it is constructed, you can’t get that Petra-
7 back
• Build units that will let you execute your strategy
• My Personal Preference: I found little use for Sentinels-avoid ‘em!
• Build units that have upgrades
• Build mobile units in preference to immobile units
Defense
Keeping what you own intact is called Defense. Against a human opponent,
these tips might not work so well, but against the AI, you can do well with
them. The general idea is to protect your base, your sources of Petra-7, and
your units. Note that all three relate directly to resources: You base allows
you to use Petra-7, your sources are where you get Petra-7, and your units
represent Petra-7 "in the flesh."
• Concentrate firestorms at chokepoints (if available) or in a ring around
your base
• Use combined arms: protect Reapers, Exploiters, and Barragers from air
attack with Infantry
• Keep Barragers away from the enemy
• Use Ospreys to give Barragers extra range in defense
• Use Ospreys to scout the turf and give extra warning of attacks
• Keep a reserve: you never know when the enemy might land from the air
• When Medi-Craft become available, USE THEM
Offense
Taking away what the enemy has is called offense. In the early stages of the
game, there are no Medi-Craft. Once you build a unit, you must maximize its
killing potential, because eventually it will die from wounds received. Here
are some tips to help you improve your offensive potential:
• Attack where the enemy is weak
• Avoid the enemy where he is strong
• Use your strength against the enemy in ways that do not allow the enemy to
strike back at you
• Attack with overwhelming strength when possible, to minimize losses
• Scout first, attack second
• At first, attack the enemy’s Exploiters-deny him Petra-7
• Later, whittle down the enemy’s total force (try baiting the AI into bad-
odds fights)
• Finally, overwhelm the enemy’s base
Conclusion
See? It’s the resources, stupid. It all revolves around Petra-7: Getting more
of it than the enemy and blowing up more of his Petra-7 (in the form of
units) than he blows up of yours. Sure, clever tactics and strategies are
necessary, but even cleverness can only help so much against an enemy who
has overwhelming superiority in resources.
Special Addition: "Darkest Hour" Scenario Tips XXX
Here are some pointers for the "Darkest Hour" Scenario, played as the
Humans. It’s a toughie!
• There are two early craters of Petra-7 you must claim: to the north,
prepare to fight the enemy directly. To the west is another.
• After the initial clash, claim the remaining Petra-7 craters as they
become active.
• Conserve resources! Sure, you’re rich: stay that way!
• After the craters are tapped out, whittle away the Alien forces
• Build an overwhelming army of Reapers
• Attack the Alien base from a narrow front that avoids the bulk of the
entrenched artillery
• Reduce the Alien base almost to nothing, then stop
• Fortify your home base with Firestorms: If all is going perfectly, you
should still have at least several thousand points of Petra-7 "in the bank."
The more the better!
• Send an Exploiter and most of your mobile forces to the north of the human
base: find the second crater to the north of the base. Squat the Exploiter on it.
A Firestorm or two wouldn’t hurt, either (the enemy Humans use a lot of
Ospreys).
• Finish destroying the Alien base
• Shrug off the human attack on your home base
• Collect the Petra-7 at the crater
• Begin the process of destroying the Human base. If you were efficient with
your Petra-7, you will have enough to finish the job.
• There may be other new sources of Petra-7 available that I didn’t find:
keep your eyes open!
• There may be another way to solve this: Don’t be trapped by this
suggestion!
 
