Battlezone (Activision)/Black Dog units

A subfaction of the National Space Defense Force, the Black Dogs are simultaneously an elite unit, yet treated sometimes as mentally unstable and thus oftentimes sent on suicide missions for the NSDF. Black Dog vehicles have their own unique appearance, and feature mostly as the antagonists of the CCA campaign and the Rise of the Black Dogs expansion. They also sometimes feature in multiplayer instant action maps.

Scout
A light skirmishing vehicle, referred to in-game as the Razor but referred to in the build menus as a Scout. It be used as a scout, as their name suggests, or to supplement a larger attack force. As the Razor is built at the Recycler as opposed to the unit factory, it is far faster to build a mix of Grizzlies and Razors than to build an army of just Grizzlies.

The Black Dog variant of the Razor has notably more health than its standard counterpart. It sacrifices one of its two miniguns in favour of the Shadower missile.

Official Description: ''Razor - Light Attack Vehicle: Fast attack unit with light armor. The Razor features 2 cannon and 1 rocket hardpoint. Builder: Recycler''

Tank
The basic all-around tank, and the default vehicle used by the player. The Grizzly is decent blend of mobility and power, with a good amount of health as well.

Overall, the Grizzly will be your mainstay unit and the most common unit fielded. Its AT-Stabber is a very flexible gun, but can be replaced by the SP-Stabber (or possibly even two of them) later in the campaign. The mortar is effective at indirect fire and functions similarly to a grenade, and can wipe out infantry in a hurry. The Thumper does little damage, but the quake can be used to throw off an opponent's aim.

It differs from the standard Grizzly in that it has slightly less health, but comes with far more powerful weapons by default.

Official Description: ''Grizzly - Medium Tank: A well rounded battle tank equipped with four weapon hard points consisting of 2 Cannon, 1 Mortar and 1 Specialized. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Light Tank
A more versatile and cheaper version of the Grizzly, the Bobcat light tank leans more towards offense and mobility than the Grizzly. While it has less health than the Grizzly, it also has more ammunition, making it effective backup if the Grizzly is willing to take some hits.

The rocket hardpoint is also very powerful, though not used by the AI normally. The solar flare is a powerful defensive tool for decoying enemy thermal hornets.

The Black Dog variant, by default, comes with the Phantom VIR invisibility cloak instead of the solar flare mine.

Official Description: ''Bobcat - Light Tank: A light weight tank that is cheap to manufacture. Features 1 Rocket, 1 Cannon and 1 Specialized hardpoint. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Rocket Tank
A back-line attack vehicle, the Wolverine utilizes a number of missiles to deal damage. This makes it extremely ammo inefficient, however, and will frequently require rearming. Overall, missiles are a poor choice for a primary weapon, so players will generally stay away from manning a Wolverine themselves.

Armed with both types of lock-on missiles, the thermal hornet can be used to lock onto larger targets, while the fast-locking shadower can pin down fast-moving scouts. The shadow missile does limited damage overall, however, and is not a replacement for the rocket bombs used by the bomber.

The Black Dog Wolverine differs from the original mostly in appearance. Its AI is set to use the Shadower missile only instead of both weapons at once. The Black Dog Wolverine will not appear in the campaigns, only in multiplayer or single player instant action maps.

Official Description: ''Wolverine - Rocket Tank: A medium weight tank with 2 rocket, 1 mortar and 1 Specialized hardpoint. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Armored Personnel Carrier
The Rat Pack APC (sometimes called the Tracker) is a base assault vehicle reliant on its five embarked troops to deal damage. Rivalling the walker with health, the APC can be used to absorb damage from enemy defences to deploy its troops. The troops it deploys are not regular pilots, but dedicated soldiers armed with the same minigun used by the Badger turret. This makes them much more dangerous than they seem.

Similar to the bomber, APCs are good at destroying enemy structures and targets that don't move. APC infantry will run out of ammunition, but will continue to engage other units once their first set target is destroyed.

Players who want to drive the APC themselves can acquire a target with T, and then press K to disembark the troops.

Once the troops are deployed, there is no way to retrieve them. APCs will not retrieve downed pilots from your other vehicles, either. APCs will automatically return to the Recycler or a Barracks to pick up another 5 soldiers.

The Black Dog APC has no changes from its normal counterpart.

Official Description: ''Rat Pack - APC: Heavily armored and loaded with troops, the APC is an excellent weapon for attacking fixed structures. The APC has no weapon hardpoints. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Bomber
For destroying large or stationary targets quickly, the Thunderbolt is the craft of choice. The Black Dog variant is slightly better in fights against units, when compared to the standard Thunderbolt, thanks to its weapons loadout.

Its lack of turning ability remains from the original. Smaller, lighter units can use their strafe thrusters to outflank the bomber and get to its sides and rear, where it cannot attack. The TAG cannon is far more effective against units than the slow-moving rocket bomb. Instead of the rocket bomb, the Black Dog Thunderbolt uses the Comet Cruise missile, which is an extremely devastating if slow-moving projectile that can be intercepted by enemy fire.

The Black Dog variant has a vastly different weapons loadout from its normal counterpart, and uses all its available weapons to attack its target.

Official Description: ''Thunderbolt - Heavy Bomber: A fast moving but un-maneuverable vehicle. The Thunderbolt features 2 rocket and 1 Cannon. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Walker
The slowest yet the sturdiest unit in the NSDF arsenal, the Sasquatch is armed with two cannons.

The walker is the best on smaller maps or on chokepoints where enemies cannot outflank it. The pop gun is useful as a weapon against those who try to get around to its sides or rear, but it cannot hold off a concerted attack from multiple directions.

This, coupled with its extremely slow speed, relegates the Sasquatch to mostly a defensive role, or to hold a rally point long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

As the Sasquatch has guns mounted on its arms, it can be difficult to get both shots to land on target. Pressing the T key to set the target will have both guns converge on the target properly.

Contrary to its official description, the Black Dog version of the Sasquatch lacks the mortar hardpoint found in the original design.

Official Description: ''Sasquatch - Assault Walker: Weighed down by their heavy armor and large weaponry arsenal. The Sasquatch is the only non-hovering unit in the NSDF. Features 2 Cannon & 1 Mortar hardpoint. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Turret
A light defensive vehicle, the Badger is used for protecting the Recycler before power plants and gun towers are set up. Armed with just a single minigun, the turret can put up a fight against scouts and flankers, but will struggle against other targets.

Badgers are very vulnerable when moving, and take several seconds to fully deploy after they stop. Even when they stop, their turret rotation speed is rather sluggish, making them easily out-strafed by nimble opponents. As such, the badger is best placed at the end of a choke point where enemies cannot outflank it. They can also be used in the campaign to chip down enemies who are harassing your base. Enemies will often ignore the badger and focus on your base instead, leaving deployed badgers ample time to whittle down the attackers.

The Badger is equipped with a special minigun, different from the standard version, in that it has a larger range of 156 meters.

Players driving a badger can press K to deploy the turret. Badgers suffer a known bug where disabling the cockpit view of the vehicle causes turret rotation to behave irregularly. Enable the cockpit view in Settings when driving a badger to have the turret rotate properly.

The Black Dog Badger does not differ significantly from its original design.

Official Description: ''Badger - Turret Tank: A defensive emplacement that exists in a deployed and an un-deployed state. Effective radius of 120 meters. Can't fire when un-deployed. Has 2 Cannon hardpoints. Builder: Recycler''

Howitzer
The Longbow is a powerful artillery piece with an extremely long range, making it an effective siege tool. It is equipped with a special Howitzer weapon, which is similar to the default mortar but is extremely ammo efficient. Replacing the default Howitzer is not advised.

Similar to the badger, the longbow requires time to deploy once it stops moving. It is extremely vulnerable when moving and will have trouble attacking targets directly. Once it is deployed, you can order it to attack targets visible to you by selecting it and ordering it through the command interface.

Players driving a longbow can press K to deploy the vehicle.

The Black Dog Longbow does not differ significantly from its original design.

Official Description: ''Longbow - Artillery: Long range artillery capable of shelling targets up to 2000 meters away. Vehicle exists in a deployed and un-deployed state. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Minelayer
The cheapest defensive unit, the Unabomber can move to a given point, and then begin laying mines in a random pattern. Mines are safe to your own vehicle, but cause considerable damage to enemies that wander into their area of effect.

Placing mines is the unabomber's only function, and has no other weapons.

Players wanting a laugh can replace the unabomber's special weapon with another, such as the thumper. Ordering it to place mines will still have the minelayer travel to random areas and then trigger the earthquake machine.

The Black Dog Unabomber does not differ significantly from its original design.

Official Description: ''Mine Layer: The Unabomber will drop mines at a designated location, and they will detonate when enemy units come into range. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Scavenger
The unarmed Scavenger is the only resource gatherer in the game. The scavenger will roam the battlefield and gather scrap. It can carry three pieces of scrap in single player, or six in multiplayer. Once full, it will return to the recycler or a scrap silo, whichever is closer.

Players driving a scavenger can pick up scrap with K. Its capacity is shown as "ammo".

Official Description: ''Scavenger - Scrap Gatherer: Utility unit will roam battlefield autonomously and gather scrap bio-metal. Features no hardpoints. Builder: Recycler''

Tug
The unarmed Hauler is used to pick up and move objects in the game. Some campaign missions require players to pick up alien artifacts in the field and return them to base, and thus a tug is necessary.

On missions where there are no artifacts, the Tug can be used to capture unmanned vehicles, such as vehicles that have had their pilots sniped by the sniper rifle. Tugs can be ordered to pick up unmanned vehicles, and then brought back to the recycler or a barracks. A pilot will then jump out of the barracks to man the vehicle, which can then be sent back into battle or recycled.

The Black Dog Hauler does not differ significantly from its original design.

Official Description: ''Hauler - Cargo Tug: Slow utility unit designed to pick up objects and transport them to new locations. Builder: Mobile Unit Factory''

Recycler
The base from which everything else is created, the Recycler is a mission critical asset that cannot be replaced if destroyed. It must therefore be protected at all costs.

In its mobile form, the recycler can freely move around, but cannot build anything. In this form it is still fairly sluggish, and cannot receive scrap from scavengers. It can be ordered to unpack on top of a geyser, unfurling the massive construction bay. It can then begin producing vehicles like scavengers and serves as a drop point for scrap. The scrap is then used to produce vehicles and buildings.

Your recycler can be selected with 5. Its build menu is as follows:
 * 1) Scavenger
 * 2) Repair
 * 3) Ammo
 * 4) Turret (Badger)
 * 5) Scout (Razor)
 * 6) Unit Factory (MUF)
 * 7) Armory (SLF)
 * 8) Construction Rig (Heaval)

The recycler also comes with five pilots.

Official Description: ''Recycler: Main NSDF factory. This is the primary drop point for Scavengers carrying scrap. Requires a geyser power source.''

Unit Factory
The mobile unit factory (MUF) is used to produce nearly every other vehicle, and thus becomes crucial to fielding an army large enough to win. Similar to the recycler, the unit factory requires a geyser power source to begin producing units.

The unit factory, when built, provides five pilots. Unlike the recycler, however, the unit factory is not a scrap drop off point.

The unit factory can be selected with 6. Its build menu is as follows: Official Description: ''Mobile Unit Factory: A factory specially tooled for building more advanced vehicles. Requires a geyser power source. Builder: Recycler''
 * 1) Tank (Grizzly)
 * 2) Light tank (Bobcat)
 * 3) Tug (Hauler)
 * 4) Howitzer (Longbow)
 * 5) Minelayer (Unabomber)
 * 6) Rocket Tank (Wolverine)
 * 7) APC (Rat Pack)
 * 8) Bomber (Thunderbolt)
 * 9) Walker (Sasquatch)

Armory
The supply launch facility (SLF), otherwise referred to as the Armory, is capable of resupplying and repairing units from a distance and altering the loadouts of your vehicles and gun towers.

The armory can use its massive catapult to fling repair and ammo kits to anywhere on the map. This makes the armory useful for holding an area. Although the armory has range, the repair and ammo kits take time to arrive on site, so it is best to request them from the armory before you need them.

The armory is also capable of flinging other things as well, such as nav beacons for acting as rally points or spying on the enemy, or marking out another point of interest. This nav beacon costs one scrap to use, unlike the nav beacons placed by the player using P.

Additionally, the Armory is capable of creating and deploying weapon powerups to other units. This lets you alter the weapons you or your other units use, depending on the situation.

Its build menu differs from the normal version in that it can built the powerful Blast Cannon and the MAS grenade. Official Description: ''Armory: A giant catapult capable of hurling weapons, repairs and bombs into the field. Requires a geyser power source. Builder: Recycler''
 * 1) Repair
 * 2) Ammo
 * 3) Nav Beacon
 * 4) Day Wrecker
 * 5) (blank)
 * 6) Cannons (sub-menu)
 * 7) Minigun
 * 8) AT-Stabber
 * 9) SP-Stabber
 * 10) MAG Cannon
 * 11) Flash Cannon
 * 12) Blast Cannon
 * 13) Rockets (sub-menu)
 * 14) Shadow missile
 * 15) Thermal hornet
 * 16) Comet cruise missile
 * 17) TAG Cannon
 * 18) Sandbag missile
 * 19) Rocket bomb
 * 20) Mortars (sub-menu)
 * 21) Mortar
 * 22) MDM
 * 23) Pop Gun
 * 24) Splinter
 * 25) Special (sub-menu)
 * 26) Solar flare
 * 27) M-Curtain
 * 28) MITS
 * 29) Proximity mine
 * 30) Thumper
 * 31) RED field generator
 * 32) Phantom VIR
 * 33) SITE camera
 * 34) MAS Grenade

Construction Rig
Used for establishing a more permanent base, the Heaval construction rig is used to set up stronger defences and some logistic structures.

The gun tower and the comm tower require power to function, which is provided by building a power generator structure.

Once a building is ordered, aim to where the structure is to be built and press Spacebar. The construction rig will travel there and build the structure. Construction only takes a few seconds, but the construction rig itself is relatively slow and requires protection.

The large box will change colour depending on whether the structure can be built at that location or not. If the box is fully green, the structure can be built at that location. If yellow, then it can be built there but is out of range of power. If red, then an obstruction or uneven ground prevents building at that location.

The Black Dog construction rig is identical to the NSDF version.

Its build menu is as follows: Official Description: ''Construction Unit: Erects the selected building at the designated location. The Comm Tower and the Gun Tower require power.''
 * 1) Follow me
 * 2) Go to nav
 * 3) Power generator (S-Power or L-Power)
 * 4) Gun tower
 * 5) Comm tower
 * 6) Barracks
 * 7) Silo
 * 8) Supply depot
 * 9) Hangar

Green Reticle = Good to build

Red Reticle = Bad Building location

Yellow Reticle = Insufficient power

Builder: Recycler