Last updated 27-02-2000
Walkthrough here, general comments below.
1) If you always run out of money then consider these points:
Build more mines, and transporters, put smelters as close to the mines as possible. (Less far to go the more efficient the route is).
Too many transporters all going to the same smelters/mines will foul each other up. Note that they are "clever" enough to try and avoid each other.
If you have no mines at all then you are in trouble but it can be rectified, build the cheapest mine if you have no money (normally try to build the second mine, the extraction rate is twice that of the first mine).
If you have literally no money and no transport routes then recycle and deconstruct buildings. Remember that you do not have to follow the deconstruction through to completion to get BMUs back - the pod can be a valuable source of reclaimed BMUs and then repair once you get some more money in. Always build the cheapest transporters/mines when you have none.
The Pod is also a small scale mine (as well as a smelter) it will add a trickle of BMUs into the pot, this is completely automated.
2) When you move/attack do your machines always seem to sit there for ages before doing anything? Then consider these points.
Straight line moves are best, ignoring profile of terrain. If a machine can move from A to B in a straight line then the path finding will be circumvented resulting in a much faster move and less network traffic. Also, when moving in groups, the machines will not cause log jams at corners of obstacles.
Group commands will result in a small up front hit, the more in the group the worse it is as the AI is determining all kinds of things such as the optimal movement pattern. Groups spread out over the planet are not adversely affected by this as the AI quickly realises that they are spread out. Groups able to move in a straight line are best and most efficient.
But, if you really want a particular machine to respond the quickest, then stop all other machines doing anything - this might sounds daft but it is also logical - I don't actually think this is necessary to the degree of halting everyone, but in a large group of machines it can reap benefits.
Amount of network traffic affects update times, the faster the connection the quicker it goes. Try setting max packets per second higher (if connection is stable).
3) Want to stop that "teleporting"?
The teleporting is caused by first order determination of where a machine is trying to move to. In other words the AI is predicting where a given machine is moving to. If you change the orders, say by reissuing the move, then the AI will be mispredicting until the next update comes in (which due to latency can be some time later). When the Ai gets the update it snaps it back to the proper position hence the teleport. Other systems could have been used but with such a large number of actors in the system this seemed best.
So whats the solution? Try not to issue the same, or nearly the same order multiple times. I.e. don't click move for 5 units followed by a move slightly to the left - it might sound a bit stupid but delaying your click that 1/10th a second while you consider again will help prevent teleporting and reduce network traffic.
4 )Why don't I ever see enemy machines firing but they still damage my machines?
This is caused by the real time nature of the game and predicting how much latency is present between the nodes, the nodes constantly update how much latency is in the system. When a network message arrives which says "machine A is firng its guns at machine B at time T" then the latency is taken into account in determining the actual time (T') of when to render the missiles.
Unfortunately the latencies on the internet can vary hugely and so you rarely see the fast moving projectiles. You should normally see the slower projectiles, say the level 4 missile knights.
5) How do I win?
Depends...
If you are playing on Hitech then "know" the correct build order to get the higher level Machines going. Civilian factory, level 2 constructor, civilian factory 2 / Heavy Infantry Factory/Heavy Assault Factory, Mek (1), Civilian factory3 - you get the idea. Most players tend to build a large number of Level 5 plasma Knights very quickly.
Its more tricky when you play starting with low tech - there the emphasis is on research as well as construction. Build at least two of the 1st level labs. Build the 2nd labs when they become available - there is a bonus for using the bigger labs (and you can get more technicians in). Each technician beyond the first in a lab gets a research bonus (there is a maximum to this so you can't drive 30 technicians inside a lab).
Use of the special units, Georges (gorillas) and the Judas Warlords can win you the game. Try playing the last level (campaign) where the AI uses them a lot and you shall see what I mean.