Posted November 27, 2013
FunkOff: I have to respond to the original post: I had an easy time re-playing the ED campaign on hard mode (last time I played this game was 8 years ago). At the end of the last mission, I'd managed to pour 4.9 million credits into the space port (I had to turn it off to not prematurely complete the campaign).
The reason was my strategy, from the very beginning, was hyper-aggressive. The first mission, Ural, I attacked the moment I was able to and destroyed the entire base. I destroyed the enemy base and took their resources for myself. This strategy is initially difficult, but gets much easier after you obtain the repair technology and the amazing type C tanks from the arctic 2 mission.
Later on, once I got the UFO from the UCS mission, my strategy became even more successful because, in virtually every mission, the UFO could single-handily destroy an entire UCS base with no more than occasional repair support. I'd then use my type C tanks (and later on, heavy assault Volgas) to take out any LC bases.
The enemy isn't like you: They don't have central bases where they can perform research. Any research they do has to be done in the mission area, and they don't get any for free, so if you consistently suppress their research, you can gain a technology advantage.
In the final mission, which for me was the Amazon because I did that mission last, I'd done such a good job destroying bases previously that the UCS has never managed to acquire Jaguars, Heavy aircraft, or even shields, so my UFO always tor their ground units to shreds. The LC fared even worse, having only ever achieved double chain guns, light aircraft and electro cannons: They had NO shields, NO heavy weapons and NO heavy chassis, much less a weather control device.
I'm now replaying the UCS campaign and only a few missions in but having a harder time because the mission setups are making hyper-aggression strategies more difficult. In the first mission, the Ural, for example, in my first attempt I was able to destroy the ED forces soon enough that I stole 3500 of their resources, but they managed to conduct 4 researches to my 1. I re-started the campaign, re-attempted that mission and managed to steal 6500 of their resources while limiting their researches to only 3. (The after-mission report screen shows you how many researches each enemy got.) Catching up to the ED will be harder, but you can bet I'm going to kick their asses every chance I get.
You know, it would have been fantastic if the game's manual or anything had mentioned this.The reason was my strategy, from the very beginning, was hyper-aggressive. The first mission, Ural, I attacked the moment I was able to and destroyed the entire base. I destroyed the enemy base and took their resources for myself. This strategy is initially difficult, but gets much easier after you obtain the repair technology and the amazing type C tanks from the arctic 2 mission.
Later on, once I got the UFO from the UCS mission, my strategy became even more successful because, in virtually every mission, the UFO could single-handily destroy an entire UCS base with no more than occasional repair support. I'd then use my type C tanks (and later on, heavy assault Volgas) to take out any LC bases.
The enemy isn't like you: They don't have central bases where they can perform research. Any research they do has to be done in the mission area, and they don't get any for free, so if you consistently suppress their research, you can gain a technology advantage.
In the final mission, which for me was the Amazon because I did that mission last, I'd done such a good job destroying bases previously that the UCS has never managed to acquire Jaguars, Heavy aircraft, or even shields, so my UFO always tor their ground units to shreds. The LC fared even worse, having only ever achieved double chain guns, light aircraft and electro cannons: They had NO shields, NO heavy weapons and NO heavy chassis, much less a weather control device.
I'm now replaying the UCS campaign and only a few missions in but having a harder time because the mission setups are making hyper-aggression strategies more difficult. In the first mission, the Ural, for example, in my first attempt I was able to destroy the ED forces soon enough that I stole 3500 of their resources, but they managed to conduct 4 researches to my 1. I re-started the campaign, re-attempted that mission and managed to steal 6500 of their resources while limiting their researches to only 3. (The after-mission report screen shows you how many researches each enemy got.) Catching up to the ED will be harder, but you can bet I'm going to kick their asses every chance I get.