chem

Thanks White, your advices have really helped me in another game!! :))) Ah yea I think you like like units like I do, I rarely see you play the turret game or use a base creep to attack another player but that's probably because you are GDI for the most part. I suppose its a very wise choice to go 2 weapons factories with GDI as soon as possible since the med tanks are so devastating. But for nod pro players like super high level guys I hardly ever see the 2nd airstrip until much later I suppose this is a must since the extra refineries you get in before the 2nd airstrip tend to win you the game when compared with going 2 airstrips after say 5 refineries. Its like they go 2nd airfield after roughly 8 refineries. (I still think they are vulnerable and weak while they only have 1 airfield because turrets don't build fast enough and troops die so fast to tanks etc?

This is my attempt at a fair 1v1 map. Id like feed back on how to make it better and im one of those people that would much rather be hurt or offended if you think it sucks or sucks in some way than not know the truth, so please don't hold back on any criticisms. (I know we don't really need any more 1v1 maps but seeing the cool ones being made in this forum got me enthused) I found that many maps concentrate the warfare towards the bottom right due to the bottom advantage and right side advantage, so I tried to incorporate this tendency into the design of the map itself and make bottom right the main feature/focus point. Also while the bottom right route is optimal for both players, I made it so someone that isn't base creeping or someone that is losing the battle for bottom right can swing around the circle the other side for easier uncontested access or to cut off the base creep with units (if he decides to only go units), also the base is close to the cliff so if you go over the top route you can shoot into the base with long range weapons where they are unlikely to have made defences. I tried to make it troop accessed, easy to defend early for GDI, with ample starting tiberium to further help GDI players and defensive players. I limited the room to manuover a little but I like it open not only to help nod players but for the awkward ai. Worth google searching desert beaches we don't see them much because not many people travel to them but they are really beautiful, I tried to make it like that with the limited tile set we have. I know its not that high of a standard but its quite hard to do this theme with the limited tile set. I hope to enhance its looks a bit more as I gradually improve it.

So after 1 4 or 5 refineries and then you go 2 airfields or 2 weapons factories, this is what I usually do and it doesn't work vs a super pro, who goes 1 airfield then spends the extra cash on more expensive units, or refineries or troops turrets etc to make up for the lack of units compared to an early 2 airfields. (it works so well vs normal players its become a bad habit of mine) When do you usually like to build the 2nd weapon's factory/airfield? After 6-8 refineries? Under what circumstances would you opt for an early 2nd airfield/weapons factory?

:))) Thanks so much cn2mc and everyone , it means a lot that you all help me out so much especially since I've asked alot of questions!! This gave me another idea, since starting cash is so important if you can get them to build a load of bazooka's early you really have done them some damage long term? Because the heli's can be used all game the bazookas cannot be utilised very well and even though you are also down cash, nod stuff is cheaper and the bazookas can be gotten rid of easily so overall they are down more than you? Is 2 helipads a silly idea? It would be nice to snipe the power plants early too. Im thinking 3 refinery start , hon , flamer scouts, 2 helipads to get their scouts, power etc and most importantly to get them building bazookas, then 1 airfield and beat them in a money starved scenario where the cheap nod units and far more useful helicopters (rather than bazooka's) will out perform the GDI units which are now in low numbers which is also another vice for GDI? So you spend more fast and early to force them to spend more fast and early which will result in a fewer unit less cash meta which favours nod?

Awesome thankyou Achromic White really appreciated!

So the threat of Apache's causes GDI to build bazookas which means less med tanks and naders, it also might cause an over production of bazookas meaning they are down money even compared with your expensive heli purchase? How many heli's do you recommend white and how early? 3 refinery start or 2?

What can 3 heli's take out? Is that enough for a repairing weapons factory or a moving harvester?

Got it so harass anything with helis especially things further out from their base so they have to send slow weak bazooka men everywhere with them? Helis are expensive so I find them a risk to build because its a struggle to build enough light tanks bikes and turrets to fend off those dreaded med tanks. How many do you recommend I build early? So like 2 refinery start, 1 airfield and 3 helipads?

cool will look forward to trying that thanks bro!! This game is so deep so many tactics, a new one I learnt is a few flamers in an APC to get rid of naders after the APC has crushed as many as he can the flamers pop out and kill some more lol

So no one gives me advice that I already know, im looking for advice I don't yet know. Cheers bro

So not the all in cheese which is usually a poor move against a good player (although timed and hidden well it can be a game winner and not such a poor move ) Ive heard of the flamer troop and heli back up pro rush but I havnt the skill to pull it off yet. The nuke heli snipe combo is a good move. Just 1 helli to harass Humvee's and naders early is quite useful So those 4 tactics aside how does a good nod player force GDI into the bazooka / adv guard tower meta which is harder for the GDI player to fight from? How does a good nod player use heli's properly?

Just wanted to say welcome to the community, my name is Chem I am an honourable member of the community with a good reputation!

OMG that open RA/CNC1 FEELS so wrong, if it had the same feeling it would be good but that feeling the way the units move etc is so important for ppl that have played the game all their life, the graphics r good enough, the features are good but the feel is wrong and I bet the balance is different wrong

What makes you suspect GDI is overpowered at maximum skill level?

Disagree, I think it doesn't matter if you are well rounded or not so long as you are effective when you fight someone, I also think you are better off pooling most of your efforts into one side rather than learning both (to be more effective). But that's just my theory /opinion I don't know for sure. What faction was the best guy in the westwood era in the 1990's online? Who was the best guy back then and what faction was he? Were they better or worse than the modern pros?

I play at 1000 x 700 odd, Ive noticed better micro, easier micro, better troop fighting ability, more efficient fighting at a focussed point. Ive also noticed more skill required I have to use more hotkeys, I noticed I am caught out more easily by helicopters/bike packs etc because I cant see the whole screen all at once. I have worse scouting and generally play more defensively and turtle like because with less information all at once you feel less confident to spread out etc well I do Overall Id say lower res is more effective because those points of combat you fight at really count and often determine who wins. Not being suckie with troops also helps. Ive been told 800 x 600 is the optimal resolution for effectiveness. Ive also been told high resolutions where you can see the whole map at once is optimal for effectiveness. Which is the truth?

Isnt it the weaker side an inferior side? Even at the highest level is it still not a weaker side? Or do things change when you get really really skilful? I know its map specific but in general or on a tournament style map where it favours neither GDI or nod, and the only balance difference is the faction balance. Are nod not just better?

awesome thanyou this is really helpful!!

some "super pro" builds ive seen 1) The 4-5 etc refinery build where they make loads of troops and loads of refineries at the start instead of going the usual airfield/ weapons factory build 2) The 2 refinery mixed build, where they go 2 refineries 1 airstrip, a base creep, turrets infantry more expensive units like tanks instead of buggies and extra refineries 3) A flame troop heli rush for nod or perhaps a nader orca dominant build for GDI, again 2 refinery start 4) A 3 refinery build in anticipation of the opponent going 2 refineries same as 2) with extra cash These seem to me to be the always go to builds of the pros or super pros, regardless of who they face or what their opponent does, they seem to build this same way nearly every time and don't vary it much for a different map player or based on what they scout. It seems more like you decide what you will do before the game begins and then you do it, the builds don't seem very dynamic at all they seem like decisions made before the game even starts, they also seem non dynamic as the game progresses only minor adjustments based on what the opponent is doing?

I have been watching a few of the top guys and they all seem to go 1 airfield or weapons factory, they then go extra refineries and try to compensate the lack of tanks with infantry guard towers more expensive or higher tech units etc , ive tried it and it was on a money heavy map and it did not work for me as well as building the usual 2 airfields. How do you know when its best to go 2 airfields early and when its best to go 1 airfield/wf, and instead build an extra refinery etc in place of the 2nd airstrip? To me units are so much more versatile for taking control of the map and being able to attack and defend on the fly that I rarely go 1 airfield builds. I find that id rather out compete their units with more tanks and control any part of the field that I want rather than just controlling a small part of the map with a base creep. I only tend to do that kinda build on a map like circle where I am creeping down a tunnel towards their base and unit mobility is no longer a threat and turrets bazookas and a few tanks etc win the game Is that because the maps I play (high money high mobility open) require a different style of play ? Where as lower tiberium maps or the original maps it seems wise to not spend the extra 2000 on an extra airfield usually. Or do the 1 airfield builds (the 2nd one much later) do they work and are they better for high tiberium open maps too? I noticed jacko used to go an obscene amount of refineries b4 his 2nd airstrip even on injustice , it made him seem so vulnerable had he been attacked before he got the 2nd airfield up , I noticed ferret likes to do the same a zillion refineries before the 2nd weapon's factory. Are they not vulnerable to a big mix of units attacking them before they can build enough turrets or troops or the 2nd airfield to stop the extra units you get in an earlier 2 airstrip build? (That's what happened to me having a load of med tanks from 2 war factories seemed superior to my turrets bikes from 1 airfield and bazooka men, I felt I would be better off with just more light tanks and bikes from a 2 airfield build)

that's an awesome rush thanks White!!

In general I know it changes specific to the map and person you play/what they are doing. But generally speaking I think their are optimal build orders and they change also depending on whether its a high or low tiberium map? I will list several of the top level pros and their build orders when I update this. Also are all ins a novices game? (sell conyard) Can they be done well? Or are they a fools move?

omg I hate Microsoft everything they do causes annoyance and stress

Maps where the cliffs are all straight, maps where the tiberium is in big square blocks, maps that look like a 5 year old made them or someone new to an editor made them, maps that are massively imbalanced in general and for each faction? (a fair amount of my maps fit this criteria ie noobish maps just made for fun) Should it just be left as it is and only the maps people like will become popular? Or should there be some form of quality control? Where the community/mods decide if a map can be uploaded or not? Im thinking we can easily set a high standard now since there are so many professional level maps but should we ?