StarCraft: Brood War/Terran Mission 7: Patriot's Blood

This is the only installation level in Brood War; you may find the story quite intriguing as your Marines apparently know nothing about computers (yet they know how to operate a Goliath and eliminating a bunch of Zerglings). The first half will be quite a breeze, while the second half will get you under pressure. This level can be a challenge to first-time players (or those who don't know the map and have no idea where the Zerg is), so it is a good idea to save the game when the countdown timer starts if survival becomes questionable.

First Half
You start at a scene with 9 Marines, breaking down a door which the Stukov's Elite Guard had locked. Depending on whether you are lucky or not, you will have either one Marine die or have all of them survive. Once the room is clear, you will get Samir Duran and 2 Medics. You can then rescue those Marines that are lined up.

On your way to Stukov, you will find numerous floor traps (which are detectors) along with many marines for security. The computers will locate different locations, such as the area with Goliaths, and the area with Alexei Stukov.

When you get to the place with Goliaths, you can bring a Marine to the Goliath to enter it. (By the way, your Marines don't really enter; the game just removes the Marine once the Goliath turns white). If you are a skilled player, you may be able to Stim Pack a Marine to the Goliath and have him come back without getting him removed. We'll talk about how this works on the last section of this page. You can then rescue the Goliath to use it. But beware; the enemy's civilians can also use those Goliaths against you.

Later on, you will come across a civilian next to an SCV to repair any of your damaged Goliaths. Just walk further, and you will come to a door which only Samir Duran can unlock. After a long pause and discussion, Samir Duran will escape after killing Alexei Stukov.

If you are really adventurous, you can try not to kill as many enemies as possible, but drag them along on your way to Stukov. As soon as Stukov dies, you will rescue all his troops, including the ones you were just fighting with.

Second Half
Once Vice-Admiral Stukov is dead, all of his men will become rescuable, and all his floor traps will serve you. You can go back and rescue some enemies you haven't killed, but there will be some Zerg there now to fight you. You now have 15 minutes to escape to the override terminal, before all units in the map get killed. This isn't a lot of time- you need to get moving, and fast. Don't rush too fast, though- you want everyone to stick together or the Zerg will be able kill your units one by one.

This is the tricky part- do not be tempted to rescue every living man in the installation; just gather up to 2 groups of Marines and have your two Medics with you. You can find 2 more Medics along with 2 Marines in a room next to the computer that shows you the room with many Zerglings. You will eventually run into that room; just do a hit-and-run technique as the gun traps will destroy them. The next room will bring on two Infested Terrans. If you do not want to risk everyone being killed by them, just send one Marine up front to be sacrificed; this is much easier than fighting them off, and you probably have a lot of Marines by now. If the Infested Terrans get to you, make sure you can kill both before they hit one of your units. The next area will have a few more marines and lots of Zerg. Just make sure all of your guys are actively fighting, or have about 2 groups of Marines (with at least two Medics) flee the scene.

You will get plagued later, so make sure at least one of your guys are able to make it. You need your Medics more than ever here; if your Medics happen to be plagued, use restoration on them first, and heal whoever you can in the remaining time. Anyone is welcome to get to the override terminal. If you have less than one minute in the counter, just Stim Pack any Marines you have and run to the terminal, ignoring all attacks from the Zerg.

Capturing Goliaths Without Losing Your Marines
There is a trick for getting Goliaths for free in the Goliath repair bay in the beginning half of the game. As soon as you come down the ramp to this bay, there will be Civilians alerting their pilots. You should Stim Pack all your Marines, and have them run to the southwest entrance to the repair bay. This is where the enemy pilots (civilians) come rushing to enter the Goliaths. If you manage to clog the area with your Marines, you will be able to kill all their civilians before they enter the Goliaths. Once you kill them, click on ONE Marine. Use Stim Pack on him, run close to the Goliath (so that the Goliath turns white), and quickly run back out before he gets removed. Try not to run diagonally, as the chance of your Marine getting removed is greater (because in Starcraft, the locations are rectangular). Instead, run straight forward in east-west or north-south direction, which would allow you to escape the location in shortest time. If your Marine managed to escape, you get that Goliath for free. Follow through with the other Goliaths if you wish.