The three unique factions encourage a variety of playing styles. Each faction requires distinct strategies, tactics and techniques in order to exploit that faction's strengths while avoiding having weaknesses being exploited by the enemy.
The player who likes to hog resources and pump-out tanks and troops in large number will feel right at home as China's General. The USA General has the coolest toys to play with. A clever and devious GLA General will be rewarded for "thinking outside the box".
The three factions also have commonalities. Each faction has access to a special hero/heroine unit and a "superweapon". All factions can produce a basic infantry unit, a rocket soldier and a basic tank. The 'Building Capture' upgrade is available to all, allowing infantry units to capture most enemy, and all neutral structures. All rocket soldiers are effective against mechanized units, aircraft and structures, but are relatively ineffective against troops.
China Strategy
- Command
China's Command Center does not come equipped with radar. A structure upgrade is needed ASAP to provide a radar's essential situational awareness. A small but effective force can protect the base early on, while waiting for the advancements and resources required to build the "bad boys". Two construction dozers are recommended; one for a Nuclear Reactor and one for Barracks.
The Reactor is required before most structures can be built, but a Barracks can be built immediately. As soon as a Barracks is complete, start pumping out Tank Hunters while building a Bunker for them. The other dozer needs to build a Supply Center once the Reactor is complete. China's unique Speaker Tower is essential to an effective base defense. It requires a War Factory and then a Propaganda Center as prerequisites; by then, an additional Nuclear Reactor will be needed as well. Gatling Cannons are an essential element for defense; however, a Gatling Tank is just as effective and allows mobility (and won't go offline if power is lost).
- Conquer
"Strength in numbers" is literally true with China's 'Horde Bonus' which rewards groups of five or more troops or Battlemaster tanks with an increased rate of fire. China can dominate the early game with readily-available and relatively cheap Red Guard, Tank Hunter and Battlemaster units created in number. The Propaganda Center's 'Nationalism' upgrade increases this bonus.
Frying your enemy in napalm is low-tech, but quite effective. China's Flame Tank, Inferno Cannon and MiG are capable of creating a BBQ out of your foe's units. In numbers, MiGs and Infernos can generate a 'firestorm', a devastating blaze that persists for a short while. The Flame Tank can eject a continuous 'arc of fire', an effective short-range area denial weapon. The War Factory's 'Black Napalm' upgrade increases the firepower of all flame units.
The Overlord is the "biggest and badest" tank in the game. It is also the most versatile. A handful of Overlord Tanks marching toward their base is your enemy's worst nightmare. Versatility lies in the ability to upgrade to one of three variants. Adding Propaganda speakers allows the Overlord to repair or heal nearby friendly units. The Bunker upgrade allows up to 5 troops to fire from within, or safely transport vulnerable units. A Gatling Overlord is equally effective against troops and vehicles, and can even detect Demolition Traps and simultaneously attack two targets. Although they do not benefit from the Horde Bonus, they work well in combination, and an effective task force should include at least one of each variant.
GLA Strategy
- Command
The humble worker is perhaps the GLA's most important unit. First and foremost, they are cheap and expendable. More versatile than the other factions' resource gatherers, the worker also replaces expensive and vulnerable construction dozers. Being smaller than a dozer, he can repair defenses and structures in a crowded battle-space. A base with a formidable defense can be quickly created by several workers building separate structures simultaneously, then returning to resource gathering when done. No power is needed; so the time, resources and space required to build power stations does not apply to the GLA. There is also no need to worry about defenses going "offline" due to mismanagement or the loss of a power station.
- Conquer
Unconventional means to fight an unconventional war is key to success for the GLA. A head-to-head battle with like-type units is sure to fail.
