____ _____ ____ _____ ____ _____ | _ \ | ___| / _ \ | ___|| _ \ |_ _| | | | || |___ | | |_|| |___ | |_| | | | | | | || ___| \__¯ \ | ___|| _ < | | | |_| || |___ |¯|_| || |___ | | | | | | |____/ |_____| \____/ |_____||_| |_| |_| ____ ___ _ _ _ _ _____ _ _ ____ _____ ____ / __ \ / _ \ | \ / || \ / || _ || \ | || _ \ | ___|| _ \ | | |_|| | | || \/ || \/ || | | || \| || | | || |___ | |_| | | | _ | | | || || || |_| || || | | || ___|| _ < | |__| || |_| || |\/| || |\/| || _ || |\ || |_| || |___ | | | | \____/ \___/ |_| |_||_| |_||_| |_||_| \_||____/ |_____||_| |_| _______________________________________________________________________________ For NES Strategy Guide v1.0 by Deathspork jtw030283@hotmail.com _______________________________________________________________________________ ________ Contents ________ -INTRO Story Controls The Units How To Play --Getting Started --Choosing A Scenario --Modifying Your Force --Commanding The Units --Terrain And Refueling --Winning The Game -STRATEGY The Scenarios Effectiveness Chart General Tactics Strategies -WRAPPING IT UP Credits Legal _______________________________________________________________________________ -INTRO- _______________________________________________________________________________ -=-=- Story -=-=- (Taken from the booklet) "The world is at war and the Desert Command Force under your direction is on the front lines. As leader of this crack Force, you alone have the power to determine the course of history. Sure, you've got powerful tanks and artillery and the well trained troops to use them. But so does your opponent. To be victorious, you must destroy all of your opponent's units or capture his headquarters. You must rely on your military training and instinct to plan a brilliant strategy. There is no room for mistakes. The troops await your instructions..." Its too bad they don't give Pulitzer prizes for videogames.. -=-=-=-=- Controls -=-=-=-=- D-Pad: Moves the game and menu cursor A Button: Chooses a command or unit B Button: Locates the next available unit automatically or cancels a command SELECT Button: Brings up the status report screen START Button: Brings up the map screen -=-=-=-=- The Units -=-=-=-=- Your force in Desert Commander can consist of 9 separate types of units and 1 headquarters unit. Each scenario gives you a different set number of units to use, you can mix and match them however you choose without going over that limit. The available Units are as follows: Tanks: A great all around unit, all around average without any major weakness Armored Car: These excel in mobility, and are just as useful as tanks Troop Transport: One of 2 vehicles with a special ability, can load the infantry units onto it to increase their mobility Infantry: Low mobility, very effective against the enemy base Field Cannon: Low mobility, effective against ground units Anti-Aircraft Gun: Slightly more mobile than field cannons, effective against any type of aircraft Supply Truck: Can pick up supplies from supply depots and use them on other units Bomber: Airplane that is extremely effective against any ground unit but is extremely weak against fighters Fighter: Airplane used primarily for taking out bombers Headquarters: Not very mobile but has a very strong defense, destroy the enemy headquarters to win the game, if they destroy yours then you lose _____________________________________________________________________ |The following chart summarizes the capabilities of each type of unit | | | | UNIT RANGE RANGE ON RANGE MAX FUEL MAX AMMO | | ON ROAD DESERT IN WILDS | | ---- ------- -------- -------- -------- -------- | | | | Tank 16 10 8 100 10 | | Armored Car 20 13 10 100 10 | | Troop Transport 16 8 5 100 6 | | Infantry 12 8 5 100 6 | | Field Cannon 12 6 4 100 15 | | Anti-Aircraft Gun 14 7 4 100 15 | | Supply Truck 16 10 8 100 6 | | Bomber 20 20 20 100 4 | | Fighter 20 20 20 100 6 | | Headquarters 12 8 6 100 16 | | | |_____________________________________________________________________| -=-=-=-=-=- How To Play -=-=-=-=-=- Getting Started --------------- Press start at the title screen, and then choose to play between either a CPU controlled opponent or against a friend in 2-player. After that, you choose the scenario and then modify your force, see the later sections of this FAQ for details on those aspects. Now you are in the game, simple as that. Choosing a Scenario ------------------- Each scenario is a different map with varying size and terrain, and if you choose to fight the CPU there will be a different ratio of units you can command to units the CPU can command. On the easiest scenario you will have the same amount of units as your enemy, on all others your enemy will have more than you. There is no variance in artificial intelligence in this game, so the only thing that makes the later maps harder is the larger number of units your enemy has. The 5 available scenarios are as follows: FIRST BATTLE WAY TO VICTORY OFFENSE & DEFENSE BLOODY BATTLE NORTH AFRICAN FRONT They get progressively harder as you move down the list. For full details of all scenarios consult the Strategies section of the FAQ Modifying Your Force -------------------- Just before you start the game, you will come to a screen with a row of plus and minus signs next to a picture of each type of unit. Here you can just press START to begin with the default battalion, or you can move the pointer to the plus and minus signs and mix and match units however you want, as long as you stay within the predetermined limit for that scenario. Just check "units left" at the bottom of the screen, if you have no units left but want more of a certain unit, then just subtract a unit somewhere else. You can also use the second controller to modify the second player OR the CPU's forces. Personally, I consider changing your enemies units cheating. Commanding The Units -------------------- Each side takes turns issuing commands to all units (each unit can be commanded once per turn). Use the cursor to select a unit and press the A button to pull up a command window. The SELECT button will automatically locate the nearest unit. The top-middle window shows the ammo, fuel and unit numbers, along with the terrain the unit is on. The lower right window is the command window, here you can choose your operation: Movement: Use the D-pad to move the cursor to the desired destination. Remember that every unit has it's own range, and that range varies according to the terrain. If you move into a square directly beside an enemy unit, you will have to stop right there, you can attack if you want to. Attack: When given the option of attacking, you'll have a pointer you can move to any of the 4 squares directly beside you horizontally or vertically, choose the enemy to attack and press A. This opens up the attack screen and the battle takes place. Power: Brings up a window that shows the units name, range on each terrain, max fuel, max ammo and ammos range. Not all that useful. Change: Choose this whenever you want to end your turn, and hand it over to the enemy. OTHER COMMANDS Map: Press start to see a general map of battle, you can use this to plan and plot out strategies Battle Statistics: Press select to see the remaining units of each side, and also change both army's theme music. Winning The Game ---------------- The object of the game is to destroy the enemy's headquarters unit. Do that and you've won that game. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Terrain And Refueling -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- There are many different squares that make up the grid on each scenario. Some of it is plain terrain, such as desert or grass. Some of it is difficult terrain like mountains and wilds, that will take away from your units range. And then there are places to refuel your units, and areas that will protect the unit put there. Ground ------ Desert: This is the average ground, that makes up most of the map Grass: Little difference, but you tend to have a _little_ bit more attack power here Mountains and Wilds: Rough terrain that slows down your units Road: Smooth terrain that will make the trip easier and prolong the range of ground-based units Ocean: Only accessible to bombers and fighters, use it to your advantage Other Squares ------------- Town: Move a ground-based unit there to refuel it Airstrip: Move planes their to refuel them. Fits 2 at a time Wall: Greatly increases the defense of the unit, when moved there Oasis: Greatly increases the offense power of the unit, when moved there _______________________________________________________________________________ -STRATEGY- _______________________________________________________________________________ -=-=-=-=-=-=- The Scenarios -=-=-=-=-=-=- First Battle ------------ Ratio of Units (vs CPU mode only): 14/14 Grid Size: 34 height X 40 width ------------------------------- This is a good map to build and test new strategies and tactics out on, and familiarize yourself with the game. Even though it's the first map, the terrain is pretty mountainous in the middle. Way To Victory -------------- Ratio of Units: 14/18 Grid Size: 34H X 43W -------------------- Not all that much more difficult than the first scenario, against the CPU though you are slightly outnumbered, and the enemy forces are spread out somewhat. Offense and Defense ------------------- Ratio of Units: 14/24 Grid Size: 34H X 55W -------------------- The difficulty level more than doubles here, since the map is a lot bigger and you are now far outnumbered against a CPU opponent. Now YOUR forces are spread out while the enemy starts out in one tight cluster. Bloody Battle ------------- Ratio of Units: 21/31 Grid Size: 34H X 48W -------------------- Here you should start focusing strongly on aerial assault. It's not as big as the last map and the terrain isn't so tough, but the enemy still far outnumbers you. North African Front ------------------- Ratio of Units: 19/39 Grid Size: 34H X 57W -------------------- The last scenario is by far the toughest. I can only beat it with the "bulldog" strategy (which I will discuss later), since you and the enemy are put at completely opposite corners, you're going to HAVE to refuel each unit at least once. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Effectiveness Chart -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This chart will show how each unit will fare in battle against each other unit. I'm using numbers instead of the unit name so the chart will fit within the 79 characters wide limit of FAQs: 1. Tank 2. Armored Car 3. Troop Transport 4. Infantry 5. Field Cannon 6. Anti-Aircraft Gun 7. Supply Truck 8. Bomber 9. Fighter 10. Headquarters Effectiveness is put into 3 groups: VE = Very Effective A = Average Effectiveness NE = Not (very) Effective The unit listed to the left is the attacker, across the top is the defending unit _____________________________ | 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9|10| |=============================| 1| A| A|VE| A| A| A|VE| A| A| A| 2|NE| A| A| A|VE|VE| A| A| A| A| 3| A| A| A| A| A| A| A| A| A| A| 4|VE|VE|VE| A|VE|VE|VE| A| A|VE| 5|VE|VE|VE|VE| A|VE|VE|NE|NE| A| 6|NE|NE| A|NE|NE|NE| A|VE|VE|NE| 7| A| A| A| A| A| A| A| A| A| A| 8|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE|NE|NE| A| 9|NE|NE|NE|NE|NE|NE|NE|VE|VE|NE| 10|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE|VE| |__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| NOTE: Even if a unit is very strong against another unit, that doesn't mean the other unit cant be equally strong back. Take for instance bombers versus anti-aircraft guns, you can take out a lot of the guns with a bomber, but the guns are still very strong in return. NOTE 2: Units gain experience as they get in more battles. A unit that has survived through, say, 3 battles will be pretty hard to finish off. This is especially true for the Headquarters. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- General Tactics -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -Use the Map Press start during the game to get a general overview of battle, you can use it to plot out a nice strategy. -Move your headquarters unit into position There will be at least a couple small red brick wall icons on each map, move any unit onto them to greatly increase that unit's defense. I strongly recommend reserving these spaces for the headquarters. -Surround your headquarters The enemy can't attack if they can't position themselves next to the unit. Block them out by putting a "guard" unit in each of the 4 squares directly adjacent to the HQ (or as many squares as you can). They'll have to get through that unit to attack the HQ. -Go for the jugular That is, if it is at all possible, attack the enemy headquarters, ignoring any units that aren't directly blocking you. -Attack with the fullest unit If there is more than one unit within the range of the enemy HQ, consider both its effectiveness against the HQ unit and how many battered the unit is. A full unit of 10 vehicles should go in instead of one with 7, right? Once you attack the base one turn and get some damage in return, you will want to retreat on the next turn if there's another, fuller unit that can take your space. -Build a shield You can sacrifice some units to act as a wall or sorts to keep out enemy units from, say, your own HQ, or you can block them out of protecting their own base. Just position a group of units 3 squares apart (leaving 2 squares of space in between them), make sure its perfectly horizontal or vertical, if you want to curve your shield then leave only one space in between units in that area. Now no enemy can get through without first defeating a unit, but you can still slip right on through. -=-=-=-=-=- Strategies -=-=-=-=-=- The "bulldog" strategy ---------------------- Here is the one I created and use, it is a quick kill for any scenario, but ONLY against a CPU controlled unit. Another person will easily guard against it. This has been the only way I've beaten the 5th scenario, North African Front. -Set ALL of your units as bombers. That's right, every one of them. -Use your first turn forming a huge cluster, out horizontally from the starting position. If you are on a scenario where the units are split up, just join the smaller group with the larger group, or at least move each unit somewhere close to the main cluster. -Also move the headquarters unit into position (behind a brick wall), or if its out of range move it as far as you can towards the wall so you can put it there on the next turn (VERY important). -End the first turn. -You're GOING to have units beaten and badly damaged, but just as long as you still have a nice number of fresh bombers in the middle of the cluster, don't worry about it. -Fly your armada right past any proceeding enemy units, avoiding battle. Use this turn getting your cluster around the enemy headquarters unit, in the ocean if at all possible -Make sure the fresh, 10-vehicle units are well protected, form a shield with the already-battered units behind them, to keep most enemy units away. Space them 2 squares apart so no unit can pass between them (this step isn't _absolutely_ imperative but it helps a lot). -If you are playing the last scenario, North African Front (and only if), ignore the previous steps for this turn. You have to reform your cluster around a runway and send them through one by one. It's time consuming, but just think, your enemy has to travel the same distance and refuel as well. When this is all done, re-read the previous steps here for the second turn and do them. -End second turn -After the enemy is all done, now is the time to put the operation into action. Immediately fill any spots adjacent to the enemy HQ with a bomber, and attack. Now when you have attacked as much as you possibly can, surround the HQ and the cluster of other units surrounding it, and reposition your wall of bombers to keep other units out of the area. Still keep a good supply of fresh bombers a bit away from the main action, put some on a runway if possible. -End third turn -Basically repeat everything from the last turn. Pull out any battered units that attacked the HQ last turn, and refill their spots with full units. You should win the war in this turn. If you have to, try and take out some of the units guarding the HQ, but don't block your other units out. -This all works because its you getting to them before them getting to you. Also, since you moved your headquarters into position, they will have a hell of a time trying to put a dent in you, so you have the advantage all the way. The only thing that could possibly go wrong is if the CPU moves their HQ behind a wall as well. This has never happened to me --- Well this strategy should get you through any encounter against the CPU. I unfortunately can't get anyone to play against me, so you're on your own as far as a good strategy to use against a human opponent, but just look at the tactics section and you should be fine. If you have any tactics or a strategy of your own to add, just send an e-mail detailing it and I'll put it right in (giving you credit of course). _______________________________________________________________________________ -WRAPPING IT UP- _______________________________________________________________________________ -=-=-=- Credits -=-=-=- I've got to thank my older sister for buying me this game, and also paying for me to go out to Washington state where I found the game. Also, Kemco/Seika for making the killer NES strategy game North and South, the fact that this game was also made by them was the only reason I bought it. Thanks to them again for creating Desert Commander, as well as the instruction manual from which I got much of the information used in this FAQ. I of course thank God for my very existence. And thank you for reading this FAQ. -=-=- Legal -=-=- This document is Copyright (C) 2001 by me, Deathspork. It is a free document, you are free to upload it anywhere you please as long as it remains unchanged, in its entirety, in its original format, and proper credit is given. Also, no profit should ever be made off of this document. Desert Commander is Copyright 1989 by Kemco, all rights reserved. -END-