Command & Conquer - Tiberian Sun

________________________________________________________
| Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (PC) Internet Play FAQ |
| Written by Icy Guy (IcyGuy900@aol.com) |
| Version 0.2 |
| Size: 54 KB |
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Table of Contents

1. Intro

2. Copyright Info

3. Revision History

4. Setting Up/How to Use
-Setting Up/Things to Bear in Mind
-How to Use

5. Buildings/Units Guide
-GDI
-NOD

6. Recommended Strategies

7. Dealing with the Battlefield

8. Etiquette Guide

9. Vocabulary

10. Some Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

11. A Little Bit About Me in Tiberian Sun

12. Outro/Contact Info

13. Credits/Special Thanks


1. Intro

Welcome to my FAQ for Online Play for Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun!
In here, I'm going to go in-depth on the Internet play aspect of the game, so
you can hopefully have as much fun as I do playing. Note that this FAQ was
written assuming that you know how to play already, but you probably do if
you're reading this. Enjoy!


2. Copyright Info

This document Copyright 2002 by Icy Guy. You may not engage in an
unauthorized distribution of this FAQ or put it on your site and claim it as
your own. You may put it on your site as long as the following conditions
are satisfied: you give me the URL so I can check the site out, you credit
me fully, you ask me, and this _must_ remain unchanged. However, you CAN
print out a copy for your private, personal use.

This FAQ can appear on the following sites without asking me:
>http://www.gamefaqs.com<
>http://www.cheatcc.com<
>http://sages.ign.com<
>http://www.CheatCodes.com<
>http://www.neoseeker.com<

Why those sites? I send this directly to GameFAQs, and I like going to Cheat
Code Central.
This list will probably expand over time. I added GameSages because I felt
like it. CheatCodes.com and Neoseeker were added because they asked if they
could use my FAQs.

Command & Conquer and anything related to it is a copyright of Electronic
Arts and/or Westwood Studios.


3. Revision History

Version 0.2- Finished on 5/11/02 (9,200 words, 42,289 characters, 19 pages).
-Added a bit (mainly, "wtf" to the Vocabulary and how to play
with 8 players).

Version 0.1- Finished on 4/29/02 (9,107 words, 41,839 characters, 19 pages).
-Started it and added everything.


4. Setting Up/How to Use

- Setting Up/Things to Bear in Mind

Online play is a very fun thing, but it can also be a nightmare if you
don't know what you're doing or meet the system requirements. Here are the
system requirements for online play:

-28.8 kbps modem (or faster)
-TCP/IP Internet Connection (or Local Area Network running IPX)
-An ISP (Internet Service Provider)

Those are the minimum requirements. If you want it in plain English,
here it is: get an average speed or faster modem and an ISP (almost any will
work). Personally, I use AOL on a 28.8 or 56K (not sure which). The Local
Area Network (LAN) bit only applies if you plan on playing on one. With that
settled, another issue should be brought up: your computer. It's not going
to be any good if the other players are running these Pentium 4 1.5 GHz
monsters and you're running this Pentium 180 MHz dinosaur (no offense there).
The computers should generally be in the same performance area for good
loading times. Any group of computers running at 500 MHz or faster with
Pentium 2 or better (I'm running a Pentium 3 800 MHz comp, so don't complain
about me making the loading screen lag.) will generally do good enough. This
makes for good performance at the pre-game loading screen. However, if
you're using a bad modem, your comp's other specs are going to look downright
bad. Follow the requirements and you'll be safe. Those who are behind
firewalls (e.g. the free version of Juno, I think) should be sure to have a
really fast connection. (A broadband connection will do wonders here.)

This brings me to another point: games with more than 4 players (see the
"Contact Info" section on how to do this) tend to "lag" (experience slowdown)
big time. For this reason, I *_HIGHLY_* recommend that you have a 56K modem
or better.

Before each match, look to the right of each person's name. All but
your own will have a red, yellow, or green bar. What do these stand for?
The other players' pings. The ping is how fast your computer can bounce your
signal off their computer and vice-versa, allowing for online play.
Generally, the lower the ping, the better the connection. (A little mnemonic
for this: "If it's green, don't be mean; if it's yellow, then be mellow; if
it's red, watch your head.") Of course, don't just go back out of the game
if you see a player or two with a red ping. No. Count slowly to 5. If it
doesn't improve by then, then play it by ear. When the host tells people to
accept (happens most of the time, it seems), check the pings. If they're
still as bad, back out. While on the subject, it may be wise to ask people,
"What's my ping?" You're liable to get more than one response to this
question. The more people that answer, the better, because then you can get
an idea of your performance, as well as theirs.

If you're the host, don't go and kick people just because of their pings
that you see at first. The pings may change over a few seconds, and it's not
worth booting someone from your game.

-How to Use

First things first. Connect to your ISP and minimize your browser. (If
you have a connection which has you double-click an icon to connect and then
open Internet Explorer/Netscape, just don't open the browser.) If you're an
AOL user, I'd advise one (or any combination) of three things: (1) create
another screen name exclusively for online play (You can probably figure out
what to do by going to Keyword: Parental Controls. Just remember that you
didn't hear how to do this here, OK? If you can't keep to that, then ask a
parent or guardian to do it for you.), (2) go to your Buddy List Privacy
Preferences (People>Buddy List>Setting/Setup/Preferences/whatever>Privacy
Preferences>Block All/Block All AOL and AOL Instant Messenger Users) and
temporarily block everyone, or (3) set yourself to "Away" status (on 7.0,
People>Buddy List>Away>one of the messages there) and come back after you're
done playing. (#1 is the choice I use.) If you're an AOL Instant
Messenger/ICQ/Yahoo! Messenger/MSN Messenger (or any combination of them)
user, just merely close the application. Now minimize your browser (close it
if you don't need to have it open to have a connection like AOL). Open your
computer's disk tray and put the GDI or Nod disk (doesn't matter which you
use) in the tray and close the tray. If you have Autorun enabled, you'll see
a big box pop up in about 4-14 seconds, depending in your computer's speed.
Select "Play" from the box and wait. When the Westwood animation starts,
just hit Escape (the button on your keyboard's high upper-left, if you didn't
know) to skip to the title screen. Wait for the options to come up, and then
click "Internet." "Fetching Server List" should appear in a few seconds,
followed by a box with a list of servers and drop-down menus for you
nickname, and location, along with buttons labeled "OK," "Cancel," and "New
Account." There's a text field for your password below you nickname. If you
already have a Westwood Online account for this game, just select your
nickname from the drop-down menu and type in your password. Otherwise, you
need a new account. To do this, click "New Account" and follow the on-screen
directions. _REMEMBER TO WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORD AND KEEP IT IN A SAFE
PLACE!_ (Putting it in a text file and then giving the file the "Hidden"
attribute is a good idea, although I won't tell how to do this or how to make
them show up, in case you have a sibling who will use your name and pass to
make you look bad or if you're really paranoid.) After you've typed in your
nickname and password, choose a server from the box on the right. For me,
the choices that show up are "US Server," "Pacific Server," "UK Server," and,
for some odd reason, "US Server" again. These may vary depending on your
location. Select the server that's closest to where you live for the best
connection, which will probably be the server highlighted by default.

Once you've logged in, a box will pop up, saying "Connecting to Westwood
Online." After it has connected to the server, you will then see two boxes
in succession: "Requesting Channel List" and then "Joining Lobby." Then a
chat lobby will show up, most likely GDI Barracks. The big window on the
left is the text box, which has all the text typed by whoever is currently in
the lobby. The upper-right box displays the current games and refreshes
itself about once a minute. (However, you can click the refresh button above
it to refresh manually. A good idea, because you can get more current info,
allowing you to see if there's new games, if a game has closed, or if a
number of players in a game has changed. The box in the bottom right is the
list of users who are currently in that lobby. To get out of a channel,
scroll to the top of the box with the games in it (which will be referred to
as the "game list") and double-click "..\Back" to go to a list of chat
channels, which contain the lobbies. Double-click one to enter. As for the
user lists, the number of users is displayed above it. The top two entries
(as of this writing) are reserved the two bots that moderate the rooms,
SunBot and HelpBot. You can tell they are moderating because they have a
lightning bolt next to their names. As you scan the user list, you may
wonder what those letters to the right of their names mean. Those letters
(or letters, numbers, or combinations of) are the call signs of their
BattleClans, which will be discussed in a moment. Hover your cursor over
them to see the full name of the BattleClan.

There is a variety of buttons on the bottom of the screen. (Note that a
lot of the names require you to hover the cursor over the button to see the
name.) "Exit" is self-explanatory. "Find Game" lets you find certain games,
which meet the criteria that you enter here. "View Tournament Ladder" lets
you view the rankings of people who have played in tournament games. "Visit
the BattleClan Web Page" opens your browser (or maximizes AOL or similar, if
applicable) and takes you to the site for BattleClans. You can get info
about a BattleClan, create one, or join one. To be in a BattleClan, you have
to pick an allegiance (GDI or Nod) and stick with it- nothing else than what
you pick. (Note that you'll need your password, and, last time I checked, a
BattleClan password for the creator of the BattleClan.) "Find/Page User"
lets you find or page whomever you want, provided you know their full
nickname and that they're online. "Options" lets you set various options,
including a language filter that "symbols" out (e.g. "!@#$") offensive
words. (Note that the bots will probably pick it up and kick the user from
the lobby.) "Ignore User" lets you ignore a specific user's messages in the
text window, but personally, I never use this, because you should take note
of what others say. "Help" takes you to a site for just that: help. The
other two buttons are used when you are in a lobby and not viewing a channel.
They are "Join" and "New Game." Click once on the desired game in the game
list and click "Join" to join it. "New Game" lets you start a new game. You
can select number of players (from 2-4), whether or not it will be a
Tournament or BattleClan game, and whether or not it has a password. Click
"OK" to start it.

To use a lobby, type in your desired message in the box below the text
box and press "Enter" (or "Return"). A little icon on one side of it (looks
like a smile face) can be used to call attention to your message. Type you
message and then click that to send your message in a different font color.

To page someone, click the "Find/Page" button and type their nickname in
the top box and your message in the box below it. Click "Page." Note that
any incoming pages to you when you are not in this window (playing a game, in
a lobby) will show up in white.

Joining a Game:

Scroll up and down the game list until you find the game that looks the
best. Note that games with more than 4 players (yes, you heard me right:
more than 4 players) usually take a while (my longest was a 3-hour 8-player
game), unless you have Short Game turned on, and even then, they may not be
all that short. The list contains the following information (from left to
right): the type of game (Tournament= trophy; BattleClan= gray and blue flag;
normal= green and yellow symbol), creator of the game (their nickname),
average ping (red, green, and yellow again), and number of players (in format
"number of players joined so far/number of possible players"). A grayed-out
game means that it has closed. To join a game, click once on the game you
want and click the "Join" button at the bottom of the screen (near "New
Game"). In a few seconds, you should be in the game lobby (or "game").
Here's how everything's set up: the top two drop-down menus allow you to
select between GDI or Nod and a particular color, the top box on the left has
the user list (left to right: acceptance status, represented by a star, with
the host [creator] having a star with an "H" on it), the bottom has the text
(with a box for entering text below it, the upper-right has the map's name,
below the name is the current option setup, the bottom-right has a preview
(applies only to pre-made or user-created maps with the in-game program- NOT
maps made with FinalSun or other editor), and a row of buttons is on the
bottom. There's "Options," "Find/Page User," "View Tournament Ladder,"
"Help," "Accept/Go," "Cancel," "Kick" and "Ban." All of them except the last
four have the same function that they do in lobbies. "Kick" boots a user
from a game lobby and "Ban" bans them from your game lobby. However, if
you're not the host, the last two won't do anything. "Go" only shows up if
you're the host, and "Cancel" makes you leave. Once you've selected your
allegiance (GDI or Nod) and color (doesn't matter here, although it may be a
good idea to select a color similar to the terrain- Green= grass areas;
Purple= Purple Tiberian Moon; Sky Blue= any snow level, Snow Dragon's Lair;
gold or orange= any level with dirt), just wait. Now is a good time to ask
the rules or request any changes in options (except a change in Game Speed-
no one changes that, no matter what). Whatever you do, do it nicely (i.e.
"please"). When everyone is settled and the host is ready (usually signified
by the host saying "acc all" or similar), click "Accept" if you're happy. A
star will appear next to your name, as well as next to the name of anyone
else's that's accepted. Note that you must accept before the host can, so
don't lag (be the person to prevent the game from starting), unless, that is,
you want to be banned from the game. Once everyone has accepted and the host
has clicked "Go," "Working - Please Wait" will appear, with a red bar below
it showing the progress. After this is done, a screen will pop up, with bars
of various colors showing the progress of the pinging process. Once done,
the game starts.

Creating a New Game:

When in a lobby, click "New Game" in the lower right. A box will pop
up, allowing you set the number of players (2-4, although up to 8 can play),
and whether or not the game requires a password, if it's a Tournament game,
or if it's a BattleClan game, which requires you to be in a BattleClan.
After choosing your options, click "OK" to start it. After a few seconds and
a popup box pass, you'll be in your game lobby. Time to select some options.
First, you want to select your map. This is accomplished by clicking
"Multiplay Map" in the upper-right corner. Scroll through the list of maps
available. There are always a bunch of maps already in the game. As you
play matches, you'll find that more and more maps become available, because
whenever you play a map, it automatically is added to this list. Neat, huh?
You can also create a map of your own, a la SimCity 2000. Simply select the
environment (Desert, Tiaga, Temperate, and Tundra), time of day (Afternoon,
Dusk, Morning, Night), width and height (Small, Medium, Large, Very Large),
number of players (# of bases- 2-8), regions (parts of the map- 0-100),
access (how accessible they will be- 0-100), hills (percentage of hills- 0-
100), Tiberium (percentage placed on the map- 0-100), Amount of Tiberium
Fields (the concentration in each field; put it on the highest for more
Tiberium- 0-100), Water (percentage of water- 0-100), Vegetation (percentage
of vegetation- 0-100), Cities (percentage of cities/buildings- 0-100), and
click "Preview" to see it. Click "Save" to do just that. Type in a name for
it to add it to the list. (Note that you can get a random map by clicking
"Surprise Me" if you don't want to go through the trouble to changing these
parameters.) After clicking on the desired map (or loading one; click
"Load," the map you want, and then "OK"), click "OK." You'll be taken back
to the previous screen, where one or more players may have joined your game.
A preview of the map will be shown in the bottom right (unless it is a custom
map, then you won't get a preview). Now chat on about rules and teams.
Select you allegiance and colors. But first, take time to fiddle with the
options on the right before starting.

"Speed" adjusts the game speed. Ranges from 1-6.

"AI Players" adjusts the number of computer players (a.k.a. "CPU" or "comp"),
except in Tournament games. Ranges from 0-6. Add this to the number of
human players to find the total number of players. Note that you cannot ally
with the CPU.

"Difficulty" adjusts the difficulty of any CPU players you will face. Also
changes the difficulty of a CPU player that takes over when a player leaves
but doesn't surrender. Ranges from 0-2, with 0 being the easiest and 2 being
the hardest.

"Unit Count" controls how many units each player has when they start the
game. Ranges from 0-10, with 0 giving you only an MCV (recommended, because
you can just double-click it to deploy it without having to worry about other
units).

"Tech Level" controls how far up players can go in the "technology tree"
(which can limit what technologies you can have). Ranges from 1-10, with 10
giving you access to everything.

"Credits" adjusts how much money you start the game with, ranging from 2500-
10,000 (10,000 recommended).

"Allies Allowed" sets whether or not players can team up (i.e. not attack
each other manually, except with Ctrl+mouse click, or automatically).
Doesn't work on Tournament games. Players CANNOT ally with the CPU.

"Harvester Truce" sets if Harvesters are invincible or not.

"Bases" controls if you can build a base or not.

"Re-Deployable MCV" sets whether or not you can move your Construction Yard
after the MCV has been deployed by clicking on it and then where you want it
to move.

"Fog of War" sets whether or not explored areas will "gray out" over time,
not showing what is currently going on, unless you explore them again.
Uncheck the box if you don't want this.

"Bridges Destroyable" toggles if you can destroy bridges or not.

"Multi Engineer" sets whether or not more than one Engineer is required to
capture a structure.

"Crates" lets you control whether or not round balls appear on the
battlefield during the game, giving you death, wealth, a gas cloud, or other
things if you send a unit into one.

Once you've set up the options the way you (and the other players) like
it, assess the situation. Feel free to tell what the teams are or ask
players what they want the teams to be (not a frequent thing- teams are
usually organized by geography). North vs. South ("N vs. S") and East vs.
West ("E vs. W") are popular. Then say "acc all" ("Accept, all") to
hopefully encourage everyone to accept if they are happy. If some starts
acting up, ban them from your game. (Click on their name, click "Ban" and
then "Kick.") You should do this only if they lag, which makes everyone wait
for them. (So if you have to go the bathroom, tell everyone you'll be right
back and accept then and there. Don't worry- the loading screen gives time.)
Once everyone has accepted, click "Go" and you're on your way!


5. Buildings/Units Guide

Here are all the buildings and units for both GDI and Nod. As of now, I
will not list the prices, because you can see them by hovering the mouse over
their icon in the game. However, I may add them in a future edition of this
FAQ. I list the buildings and then the units.

NOTE: YOU WILL NEED SOME STRUCTURES BUILT TO ACCESS OTHERS HIGHER UP ON THE
"TECHNOLOGY TREE."

-GDI

—Buildings

Power Plant: Your basic building block of a base. Provides power and can be
upgraded with Power Turbines.

Power Turbine: Build one and then click on a Power Plant to slap one of these
much-needed babies on.

Barracks: The source of all troops. Build one early so you can get a supply
of Light Infantry and Disk Throwers going for offense/exploration.

Tiberium Refinery: Highly important structure. It is your source of all
income and come with its own Harvester each time you build one.

Tiberium Silo: Lets you store excess Tiberium once the Refinery is full.

War Factory: Aside from the Tiberium Refinery, this is the single most
important building in the game. It lets you build the rest of your units.

Radar: Lets you keep tabs on all explored areas via the display in the upper-
right. Note that some maps have modifications to have the display on
automatically.

Gates: Two versions here- one faces in one direction, and the second faces in
a different one. Used to keep out ground units. It will open for you and
your allies. Be warned: it will eventually blow up when subjected to a lot
of gunfire.

Pavement: Makes your units move faster, prevents craters, and protects
against subterranean attack.

Lookout Towers (rarely available): What do these do? Not much as far as I
can tell. They focus a beam of light onto the nearest enemy unit so you can
see it.

Component Tower: Lets you build one of 3 things. Use in a similar fashion to
a Power Plant and Power Turbine.

-Vulcan Cannon Upgrade: A regular mounted gun which fires at ground units.

-RPG Upgrade: Fires rocket-propelled grenades ("RPGs") at approaching units.

-SAM Upgrade: Fires surface-to-air missiles ("SAMs") at any aircraft in
range.

Concrete Wall: Acts as a barricade against enemy units. Some units can fire
over it.

Helipad: Gives you the option to build planes. The better alternative to
having planes land on the ground, because they regenerate ammo on a
Helipad, as opposed to not doing so on the ground.

EMP Cannon: Lets you fire Electromagnetic Pulse, which disables any electric
units and buildings (Cyborgs, most ground units, planes, radar, and Stealth
Generators) in the blast radius.

Repair Depot: Have a unit step/land on here to get repaired to full health.
Does not work on humans or Cyborgs.

Tech Center: Lets you build more structures higher up in the technology tree.

Upgrade Center: The basic building block for using the Ion Cannon and Hunter
Seeker. Just lay it down and start building the Ion Cannon Uplink and/or
Seeker Control. You can have both items on the structure at once.

Ion Cannon Uplink: Build it and place it on the Upgrade Center in the same
fashion you would install a Power Turbine. Starts charging the Ion Cannon
for later use.

Seeker Control: Build it and put it on the Upgrade Center as if you were
placing a Power Turbine. Charges up a Hunter Seeker.

Firestorm Generator: Gives you the option of building a Firestorm Wall.
Build it as far away as possible from your base so you can build a Firestorm
Wall farther away. You may have to build more than one.

Firestorm Wall: Allows you to lay down a row of black grates (that's what I
think they look like, at least) on the ground for a Firestorm Wall. These
grates represent the wall's area. When activated, a Firestorm Wall takes out
any aircraft that attempt to fly over it, as well as any units that try and
pass over it. Nasty.

—Units

Light Infantry: Your basic machine gun dude. Deadly in large numbers, but
expendable where called for.

Disk Thrower: Flings disk-shaped grenades at targets. The grenades bounce
off the ground if the thrower misses. Even more deadly in large numbers.

Jump Jet Infantry: Infantry that flies above the ground with a jetpack. Be
warned that these guys will be susceptible to SAMs.

Medic: Self-explanatory. Heals injured humans.

Engineer: Useless in a firefight, but deadly with stealth and doing a number
on the base(s) of your opponent(s). Select him and move it over the
structure you want to capture. When the cursor changes, click on the
structure. To repair a building of your own, select him, and move him to the
building you want to repair. A wrench will appear- click. Do the same if
you want to repair a bridge.

Ghost Stalker: I'm not sure how you get this unit, but you'll be happy once
you do. I think you may get it by installing some Seeker Control on the
Upgrade Center. He has a powerful rail gun that can shoot through many
enemies (because a rail gun, can, after all, "accelerate objects to the speed
of meteors," to quote an old science book) at once. He can also place C4
explosives (Class 4 Explosives- not the thing to store in the basement or
attic) on objects: control him in much the same way as you would an Engineer.
He heals by walking in Tiberium.

Wolverine: A little one-man unit that charges around at a good clip and
shoots at enemies. Only uses bullets, though. Deadly in a group, great for
taking out Infantry.

Titan: Power plus. It moves slow (much slower than a Wolverine), but packs a
punch. It fires a 120 mm cannon and can...yes!...strafe! It also takes a
lot to bring down, so a couple dozen of these can easily assault a base.
Also crushes any enemies that get underfoot.

Amphibious APC: An Armored Personnel Carrier capable of traveling under
ground and water. Heavily armored and holds up to five soldiers, which can
be whatever you want (specifically, Light Infantry, Disk Throwers, Rocker
Infantry, and Cyborgs). To pack 'em up, just select the units you want to
have go in the APC, move the cursor over it so it becomes a bunch of arrows,
and click. To get them out, just click on the APC and then click on it after
it has been selected.

Hover MLRS: Deadly. This Multi-Launch Rocket System will fire off a salvo of
rockets at any enemies that come near, including planes. A somewhat less
effective alternative to SAMs, though. The launchers pivot and the missiles
seek, so it's effective, nonetheless, in being an invaluable tool to anyone
who plays for the GDI. Build about a dozen of these, pronto.

Disruptor: *_WHOA!!_* This is *_the_* most (and I would've put "the" in size
27 font with bold, italics, and double underscore if I could) powerful unit
in the game. Period. It moves slow, but packs a wallop. Think of it as the
Death Star- it doesn't move at the speed of light, but when it shoots, it
scores. This thing is ridiculously powerful. It fires a harmonic resonance
wave that will almost always take anything out in one hit. The only thing
more powerful is a Hunter Seeker, and even then, that's random. The catch:
crossfire. Any unit in the wave will be annihilated. It takes a lot to blow
up, too. Excellent for attacks on bases fortified with Artillery and 9
essential vitamins and minerals.

Mammoth MK II: Check that. The Disruptor is ALMOST the most powerful unit in
the game. This one takes the cake. Unfortunately, only one (1) can be on
the battlefield on any given time, but oh well. Regardless, it is death
incarnate- move over Mr. Grim Reaper. It fires at anything that comes into
range. For ground units, it gives them rail guns. For aircraft, missiles.
An all-around death machine.

Mobile Sensor Array: An occasionally underlooked but valuable unit. It
detects cloaked and subterranean units (Devil's Tongues and APCs). Put it
near your opponent's base to see them on radar if they have a cloak. Put it
at the edge of _your_ base to catch any units before it's too late. However,
it doesn't "uncloak" them; it shows their location on radar, indicated by a
large yellow square, so you can tell where they are.

Orca Fighter: A plane that zooms around, launching missiles at whatever you
tell it to. Not as heavily armored as the Orca Bomber, it's still a good
option. It doesn't take much to go down, though. Great for harassing
defenses or taking out SAM sites so that the bombers that (if you use any,
which you should) are making their way to the base can arrive safely. Needs
a helipad to land on to reload.

Orca Bomber: An ever-so-slightly better alternative to the Orca Fighter,
provided the enemy isn't paranoid about an air attack and hasn't gone
absolutely nuts with air defense, in which almost anything will be taken down
(unless you have 30 bombers attack the base at once- I've seen it done).
What the bomber does is fly over your target and rain down the bombs in a
straight line, which accounts for collateral damage as well. A nasty tip:
use the Ctrl+mouse click method to attack a field of Tiberium with this,
especially in Dragon's Lair, so you can blow it up and cause a chain
reaction.

Orca Carryall: Picks units up and carries them wherever. Works very well
when carrying a Mammoth MK II. Just select the Carryall and click on the
unit you want to pick up. Select the Carryall again, and then fly to
wherever. To put a unit down, select the Carryall when it is on the ground
and then click again when the arrows appear. Pretty hard to shoot down.

Hunter Seeker: Pretty random, but pretty powerful. When launched, it picks
out a random enemy (including Infantry, unfortunately) and goes after it. It
will go through any terrain, as well as walls. When it hits the unit, it
detonates, taking it out. Not a bad thing to launch as soon as it's ready.

Harvester: Harvests Tiberium. That's it. Just a regular Harvester. Runs
over any enemies in its way. Can be used as a bomb: Have it fill itself up
with Tiberium and then put it next to an enemy structure. When it blows up,
it releases a massive explosion, due to the Tiberium inside.

Mobile Construction Vehicle: An MCV identical to the one you start with.
Double click to deploy.

E.M. Pulse: The electromagnetic pulse that goes with the EMP Cannon. Click
on the icon for this and then select your target area. The target area is
limited, but can be increased if you place EMP Cannons further out. There is
about a 10-second delay between the time you tell it to fire and the time it
fires. Once it fires, it disables anything electronic in the blast radius,
including Stealth Generators.

Ion Cannon: Heh. When people think "GDI," they think "Ion Cannon." A pretty
quick response time between the time you click on the target area and the
time it fires. When fired, a powerful energy beam shoots down from a
satellite (the Ion Cannon) and heavily cripples or destroys the target. It
also leaves a dent in the terrain, too.

Firestorm Defense: This will show up only if you have a Firestorm Wall up.
Once activated, it puts an invisible wall up along the guides set by the wall
sections. Anything that tries to penetrate the wall is instantly destroyed.


-The Brotherhood of Nod

—Buildings

Nod Power Plant: A power plant, as you probably guessed. It's a bit more
efficient than the GDI Power Plant, but get an Advanced Power Plant up
A.S.A.P.

Hand of Nod: Identical to the Barracks. Nothing new here.

Tiberium Refinery: Same as always.

Tiberium Silo: A mirror of the GDI's.

EMP Cannon: Identical to the previous one.

Nod Radar: Radar is radar, OK?

Nod War Factory: Same as last time, but this one produces Nod units.

Laser: Ah-HAH! Something new! As an enemy approaches, it fires a laser at
them. Not much, but good enough to use until you get an Obelisk of Light.

Obelisk of Light: Since I just mentioned it, it would only be fair to talk
about it now, right? It's like a Laser, only with a larger "trigger radius"
until it fires, a much more powerful beam, and it takes longer to be
destroyed.

Stealth Generator: The real meat and potatoes as playing as Nod. Well, base-
wise, that is. When built, all buildings in the protective area are covered
in a cloak. In other words, they are invisible. This applies to units, as
well. However, anything that fires (e.g. SAM sites) or is hit will
temporarily lose the cloak. If anyone places a Mobile Sensor Array in range
and activates it, they will get the same radar readout as they would when a
subterranean vehicle approaches. Definitely a good choice, though, and often
required to stay alive.

Advanced Power Plant: A better version of the Nod Power Plant. It can
withstand a bit more damage and produces much more power.

Missile Silo: The ultimate in long-range destruction. By default it allows
you to fire a Multi Missile ("Cluster Missile," as the computer calls it.)
After you build a Tiberium Waste Facility, you can collect more and more of
the patches of weeds growing on the map with a Weed Eater (if there are any
fields of weeds on the map), ultimately allowing you to build and fire a
Chemical Missile.

Tiberium Waste Facility: The building block of mayhem on the battlefield.
When you build one, you get a Weed Eater, which immediately goes out and
looks for fields of weeds to harvest. After it has collected a certain
amount, a Chemical Missile is placed in your Missile Silo. Note that only
one of these buildings can be up at a time.

SAM Site: Fires a SAM at any aircraft, like the SAM Upgrade on the Component
Tower, but faster to set up and cheaper (due to the cost of the Component
Tower + SAM Upgrade).

Nod Tech Center: Same as the GDI Tech Center. Allows you to build better
stuff.

Nod Helipad: A helipad is a helipad. Period.

Temple of Nod: Pretty neat structure. Allows you to build a Hunter Seeker,
Cyborg Commando, and a Mutant Hijacker. Definitely worth it.

Nod Wall: A basic wall to try and keep out the enemy.

Laser Fencing: Your best wall choice if you have the cash. Keeps out units
and infantry, but it takes more to destroy. The drawback: requires a ton of
power. The solution: build more than one Advanced Power Plant, which you
should do anyway.

Gate: The same as the GDI Gate- keeps enemies out while letting you and your
allies in and out.

Pavement: Same as last time: keeps out subterranean units, lets yours move
faster, and prevents craters.


—Units

Light Infantry: Same as the GDI Light Infantry.

Rocket Infantry: Like a Light Infantry, only it's a tad slower but packs a
rocket launcher.

Cyborg Infantry: A tiny bit, more efficient than human infantry, but more
expensive. Be warned that it, unlike the humans, is susceptible to EMP.

Engineer: Same as the GDI Engineer.

Cyborg Commando: The best Cyborg of them all. Shame you can only have one on
the field at a time. It makes short work of enemies with its chain gun and
flamethrower. Susceptible to EMP.

Mutant Hijacker: Like an Engineer on steroids. However, he only works on
vehicles. Use him in the same manner as you would an Engineer, but on
vehicles. Gains health from taking a stroll through Tiberium.

Subterranean APC: Another Armored Personnel Carrier. Use as you would the
Amphibious APC.

Attack Cycle: A fast-moving cycle that fires rockets at aircraft and ground
units. Takes moderate-high damage.

Tick Tank: A slow-moving but pretty powerful tank. It can also become a
stationary unit. To do this, select it, and then click on it. To move it,
select it and then choose where you want it to go.

Stealth Tank: An invisible tank that treads up to its target undetected.
After that, it fires rockets, but only while uncloaked. Can be seen by a
Mobile Sensor Array. Takes quite a bit to take down.

Hunter Seeker: Same as the GDI Hunter Seeker.

Artillery: A big part of offensive defense. It moves slowly, because it was
not meant for traveling, but once it's deployed, it packs a punch. Just move
it to the desired deployment point, select it, and then click on it again,
like a Tick Tank. To move it, select it and click on the desired location.
Line a bunch of these up to cause mayhem on your enemy when they come into
range. Affected by EMP.

Mobile Repair Vehicle: Allows you to repair vehicles, like a Repair Depot,
only this is mobile. Putting it in Guard mode makes it do automatic repairs.

Harvester: Same as GDI's.

Mobile Construction Vehicle: Same as GDI's.

Attack Buggy: Like an Attack Cycle, only in a Buggy packing a machine gun.

Harpy: A combat helicopter that flies around and sprays the target with
bullets. Can be shot down fairly quickly, unless in great numbers. Go with
the Banshee.

Banshee: Downright deadly. It fires its plasma cannons at the target each
time it makes a pass at it. 6 of these can easily destroy anything. (I saw
an ally of mine send out about 30 at once one time, with 15 on each target.)

EMP: Same as GDI.

Devil's Tongue: Run for your life! This is raw power. It's a flamethrower
built into an extremely resilient tank. Often used in groups of a dozen or
more. Most people use this when they absolutely _have_ to eliminate a
target.

Multi Missile: A "breadbasket" sort of weapon. After clicking on this,
choose your target area on the field. It can be anywhere- this has an
unlimited range. Once fired, it zooms across the map until it is above the
target area. Then it detonates into several smaller bombs to land in and
around the target area. Great if you don't mind collateral damage, which, of
course, when it comes to the enemy, you don't mind. Especially effective
when there's a group of units sitting there.

Weed Eater: Goes out and harvests fields of weeds. When it first comes out
of the War Factory, you need to select it and then click on a field of weeds
to get it going. Once it's full, it empties its weeds into the Tiberium
Waste Facility for the use of building a Chemical Missile. Speaking of
which...

Chemical Missile: A definite weapon of mass destruction. Just fire it as you
would a Multi Missile, but keep this in mind: it's more accurate than the
Multi Missile and doesn't cause as much immediate collateral damage. Once it
lands, there is a small flash of light and then the real big hitter: gas.
Note how I say "_immediate_ collateral damage." Well, once it hits, clouds
of gas expand from the impact point, choking units and causing destruction,
which ultimately causes more damage over a wider area. Nasty.


6. Recommended Strategies

Now that you've gotten over the units and buildings, it's time to learn
some of my recommended strategies (as well as strategies I've learned from
watching my opponents). Note that these are NOT level specific. So, without
further ado, here they are.

-Build, and do it fast. The best players usually have a pretty big base
going in a few minutes.

-Build more than one of each structure if you can. This way if one structure
of a certain type is destroyed, you'll still have another.

-ALWAYS HAVE 3 OR MORE CONSTRUCTION YARDS!

-Put a Mobile Sensor Array on the outskirts of your base so you can detect
subterranean vehicles (referred to as "subs," {Devil's Tongues and APCs} and
they will be called this for the duration of the FAQ) before it's too late.

-Another way to combat subs is to place pavement. Plain and simple: they
can't get through.

-Place an EMP Cannon as soon as you can. Make sure to place it on the
outskirts of your base when you do. You'll want the EMP ready for when you
need it.

-Consider the little "Harvester bomb" trick, where you fill it with Tiberium,
put it next to whatever you want to destroy, and let the enemy blow it up.
Be warned that a lot of people will catch on to what you're doing.

-Use the Ctrl+click method to take out the enemy's Tiberium. Just use an
Orca Bomber to bomb the Tiberium fields to cause a huge chain reaction of
explosions and a depletion of their Tiberium supply.

-Get to know which player corresponds to which F key (F1-F8) on the keyboard.
This is useful so you don't go blabbing your strategies to your opponent.

-Know the power of the masses. A Mammoth MK II on its own isn't just going
to cut it when storming a base. No. Try a Mammoth MK II, 20 Rocket Infantry
or Disk Throwers, 6 Disruptors, a dozen Hover MRLS, and maybe about 18 Attack
Cycles. Yes, I know this calls for both technologies. "But that's
impossible!" you say. Is it now? See my next tip...

-Plan for and take advantage of Tech Trades. A Tech Trade is where you and
an ally build spare MCVs and swap them. The catch: you both must be using
different allegiances (GDI or Nod), which explains why I pick my allegiance
based on what everyone else is using. So if Nod has the majority, I use GDI
and vice-versa. Note that you'll have to un-ally to swap the technologies.
Here's the best way:
1. Be sure to ask first.
2. Train (build) about 5 Engineers.
3. Have your ally position the MCV where you want it.
4. Position your MCV to wherever your ally wants it.
5. You and your ally should now deploy your MCVs.
6. Un-ally as briefly as possible. Have your ally do the same.
7. Quickly capture the MCV, making sure your ally does the same.
8. Ally again.
There you have it. Now work your way up the technology tree as you would
normally.

-Ctrl+click to attack those big mouth things in some weeds fields, preferably
those near your foe, to make them spew forth toxic gas, not unlike that from
a Chemical Missile.

-Keep Tick Tanks out of weeds- they blow up instantly.

-Be careful when crossing thin ice on some ice levels (only the pre-made
ones)- heavy units may break the ice, and this time it won't be just marbles
you lose. Keep Mammoth MK IIs off the ice at all costs!

-A particularly devastating defense is a line of SAMs with a line of
artillery behind that line. This way, you can keep out anything.


7. Dealing with the Battlefield

Now, you may just skip this section, thinking, "Aw, it's just going to
be a rehash of the last one," but don't, cause this is not. This is a...I
suppose I could put it this way...step-by-step guide to staying alive.
Buckle up!

First things first. Be sure to check out the number of units you will
start with on the pre-game setup (the game lobby). If it's one (1), then
you'll have an easy time of preparation. If it's more than that, you may
have to do a little unit relocation, but it's not that big of a deal,
although ten (10) units may be a bit of a problem. Given the chance and
desired position, simply double-click on the MCV. Now start building.
Depending on the level and where you are, you may have to build differently.
For instance: if you're on Purple Tiberian Moon and your base is nearest to
the triangular-shaped block of land, you'll probably have to build the gates.
Same with Dragon's Lair, only substitute "triangular-shaped block of land"
with "opening in the line of rocks." Regardless of where you are, you should
_immediately_ build a power plant. Once that's up, you now have two choices.
Some people like to build their Tiberium Refinery first and then
Barracks/Hand of Nod after, and some like to build the Barracks/Hand of Nod
first and build (i.e. train) troops while the Tiberium Refinery is being
built. I find myself using the second option, but the chance that you'll run
out money is ever so slightly higher, but if you're building 5 Light
Infantry, you're not going to run out. Send out some of the troops to scout
out the lay of the land and find your allies. Now you've got another choice:
you can start building your army or you can start building your base.
Building a base is a better choice for some, but if you're a really
aggressive in-your-face kind of player, start building the army. Build your
Radar while you're at it. Here's the next thing you do, and this is
definitely going to affect the battle: you should *_IMMEDIATELY_* build a War
Factory. Don't ask why here; use common sense. Once you've placed that,
start building some units and eye your next structure. A Tech Center
wouldn't be a bad idea right about now. In fact, you should definitely build
one. It is imperative for building progress. Build another power plant.
Here's a good time for a Tech Trade so you can build more units and have a
wider range of technology available. Now build an EMP Cannon and place it as
far as you can from your MCV so that it's as close as it can be to your
enemy. All the while, you should be building units. Another Harvester or
even another Refinery would be a good choice now, since a lot (read: most) of
user-created maps give your Refineries unlimited capacity. Now build a
Mobile Sensor Array and place it far away (the perimeter of your base) so you
can detect subs. Since you've done a Tech Trade, start building several
Hover MRLS, Attack Cycles, and maybe even a few Disruptors. Since your power
will be near the overuse point (or maybe even over it), build an Advanced
Power Plant, which will give you the option to build a Stealth Generator and
Laser Fence post. If you haven't done so already, build a Missile Silo. Now
is the time to switch over to producing Artillery only for a while.
Artillery definitely shines when there is a natural wall protecting the base
with an opening in it (see Purple Tiberian Moon and Dragon's Lair). Keep in
mind how the line of Artillery will look. As each Artillery unit is
produced, direct each unit to the line. Here's an example, where "X"
represents one unit, the dotted line a gate, and the straight line is the
wall (note that you will never get this kind of view in the game, but for
clarity's sake, I'm showing it this way):


X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

(As you can imagine, the spell checker went crazy right about now,
complaining about repeated words.) Anyways, that's how a top-notch Artillery
defense works. Now from here on out, work on putting up a Firestorm Wall and
pumping out units. Don't be afraid to use a Chemical Missile- it hurts.


8. Etiquette Guide

Even cyber-warfare has its own "etiquette code." Learn to live by it,
unless you want to be disliked.

-The #1 rule: DON'T FLAME! Nobody likes it, and doing it isn't going to get
you anywhere.

-Don't spam whenever you are chatting. The last thing a person wants is non-
related messages or just a bunch of quickly-typed messages over and over.

-Although this may not be a requirement, "please" is a good thing to do when
asking for an option change in a game lobby.

-During a game, don't send messages to other players that are hateful,
racist, and derogatory to their skills.

-Don't be a traitor during a game. While it may add a bit of an exciting air
of suspicion, _DON'T_ go blabbing your plans to the enemy during a game.
However, if having a traitor is planned, do it, but MAKE SURE IT IS KNOWN TO
EVERYONE!

-Don't cheat with game trainers or hacking devices. It's just not fun. It's
the deadliest sin, and I think there's actually a list of people who have
done it so they can be blackballed from the Tiberian Sun community. I'll
find it as soon as I can.

-Don't go into a room and say that someone cheats just to get them kicked.
(Personally, I've had this happen before. One guy walked into a game lobby
and said, "He cheats" to no one in particular. After no one responded, I
asked, "Me?" "Yes," he said. He then went on to accuse me of cheating, and,
since it's a "guilty until proven innocent" atmosphere, I couldn't do a
thing. The host then said, "You are the weakest link. Goodbye," before
kicking me. The bottom line: it's not nice, and you're not accomplishing
anything by doing this. If you say someone cheats, get proof.)

-If you're going to leave a game in progress, be sure to surrender before
leaving! If you don't, the computer takes over and attacks anything
(including former allies) after the player leaves.

-Don't call everyone a n00b just because you think you're some hotshot-
remember: you were once a new player yourself and you weren't born with those
skills.


9. Vocabulary

Like Instant Messages, Tiberian Sun has its own little vocabulary and
shorthand. Here's what I've come across so far, with the terms and
definitions.

plz- "Please," used in a game lobby when requesting an options change.
wtf- "What the f***?"
lol- "Laugh out loud," as if you didn't know.
n00b- Not exactly a term of endearment, although not that offensive.
"Newbie," someone who has just started playing.
gg- "Good game."
acc all- "Accept, all."
Harv- "Harvester."
Sub- "Subterranean vehicle."
kik- "Kick."
Eng- "Engineer."
Scout- When a person goes ahead to reveal the map.
Harv/Sub/Air Scout- The process of using one of these 3 means to
reveal more of the map.
Engineer Rush- The act of sending 5 or more Engineers at a structure at once.
Weed- Field of weeds. (Note that I've used the term "field of weeds" as
opposed to "weed," for obvious reasons.)
mod- A modification to a map.
CPU- Computer player.
AI- Computer player.
Comp Stomp- A match in which all the humans ally and play against the CPU.
Battle Royal- Rarely ever done, but an "every man for himself" match with
"Allies Allowed" turned off.

These next terms relate to positions on the battlefield map.

bl- "Bottom-left."
br- "Bottom-right."
ul- "Upper-left."
ur- "Upper-right."
>>>>- Right side of the map.
<<<<- Left side of the map.
^^^^- Top of the map.
VVVV- Bottom of the map.


10. Some Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

A- Ally with the selected unit; does not work on the CPU.
R- Toggles Repair Mode.
S- Toggles Sell Mode.
G- Toggles Guard Mode.
F9- Returns the view to your default base.
F8- Send a message to all players.

F1-F7 will send a message to players by themselves, but this varies depending
on the match. Experiment with each to figure out who is assigned to which
key.

Esc- Brings up the Options Menu, cancels sending a message.
Enter- Sends a message.


11. A Little Bit About Me in Tiberian Sun

I don't know why I put this here, but just in case you were interested, I
did.

Username: icyguy27
Allegiance preference: No preference; I pick whoever is NOT being used by the
majority of the players.
Likes: Maps that don't give the host an unfair advantage; maps that don't
have mods; people who aren't rude.
Dislikes: Maps that give the host a cheap advantage; maps with mods; rude
people; that guy who said I was a cheater.
Favorite maps: Dragon's Lair; Purple Tiberian Moon
(Note that my favorite maps do not indicate that I do not like other maps- I
like them, too. I just don't like modded maps. The reason these are my
faves are because I've had a lot of experiences there and seem to play a lot
there.)
First match: A 1 vs. 1 against MORAVEC, in which I was creamed.


12. Outro/Contact Info

So there you have it- an FAQ of my Tiberian Sun online play knowledge,
although this is by no means going to be limited. No. I will have more
updates as I reveal more and more about this enjoyable experience, including
Ion Storms.

If you feel the need to add anything, E-mail me at IcyGuy900@aol.com. Cya!

About the 8-player bit I mentioned earlier: there is a program required (in a
ZIP called "8player_patch") that allows you to play with 8 players. By the
time you read this, I should have it up on a site, most likely
http://www.crosswinds.net/~icyguy/me . Un-ZIP it, check out the readme file,
and enjoy!


13. Credits/Special Thanks

CJayC- For making GameFAQs.
The rest of the webmasters for making their respective sites.
EA and Westwood- For making this great experience.
MORAVEC- For being my first opponent.
Fireboltstorm- For giving me a couple ideas to update with.