ADSDAQ - The Banners That Pay! Dune 2000 Atreides Walkthrough Harkonnen Walkthrough Atreides Walkthrough Atreides Missions Guidelines Mission 1 You are all alone on this small segment of the Arrakan desert, save a few wandering, isolated Harkonnen Light Infantry units. Immediately array your units around the edge of your rock foundation and set them to Guard (press the [G] key). Send a pair of Trikes to explore the boundaries of the map. Meanwhile, lay a wide concrete foundation around your Construction Yard sufficient to build one Wind Trap and a Spice Refinery. You can erect the Wind Trap wherever you want, but you will want to set up the Refinery on the edge of your base, near the closest Spice field. After a time, the Harkonnen Infantrymen will stop shuttling in and you can concentrate on hitting your production quota. When the counter hits 2500, you are finished. Mission 2 The sole Harkonnen base is due south in the centre of the map. It sits atop a small landmass with one narrow approach, and its only defences are a cadre of Trikes and Light Infantry. The base sports only a Barracks for Light Infantry reinforcements. Sweep the open desert for the renegade units and set up a defence for your base against airlifted troops dropped behind your lines. Bulk up with an army Trikes and Infantrymen (at roughly a 2-to-1 mix). Send the Trikes around one side, Infantry around the other, and a diversionary force (about five Trikes) right down the middle. Let them converge on the base, and there should be no problem with this pathetic Harkonnen frontier station. Mission 3 Your mission is fairly straight forward on this mission. All you have to do is harvest 5000 solaris worth of spice. On the Northern map you begin at the midpoint of the western side of the map on a large but narrow landmass. The Ordos, on the other hand, have a well-established base on the opposite side. On the southern map you begin in the southeast while the Ordos can be found in the northwest (note: the enemy base does not contain any factories or production facilities except for a barracks, if you choose to launch an attack do so soon after you begin). Quickly establish your Refinery as close as possible to a decent-sized Spice patch. The faster the Spice can be brought home, the faster you can achieve your limited mission objective. Set up walls on the area of likeliest approach (on the north map, build on the east side, and on the south map, build on the west). Build only the structures you need to basically defend the base (upgraded Light Factory, Outpost, and Barracks). If you do choose to initiate an offensive, you will need the full complement of structures available to you. The Ordos will keep to themselves for the first few minutes of this mission. If you work quickly, you can get out before any major offensive comes your way. Concentrate on defending your base and gathering the spice. If you wish to, you can send a large force to take out the enemy base but be careful not to leave your own base undefended. Mission 4 You begin along a narrow band of rock on the central eastern side of the map. You will need to get into defensive posture as soon as possible. Build some walling around the southern portion of your base for defence, but be sure to avoid hemming your troops in. Attacks will come from the southeast and northeast, so be ready. To complete this mission, you will need three Wind Traps and the full array of harvesting and production buildings. This will be a bit tough on the small patch of ground available to you, but if it gets too cramped, you can always build an MCV and set up a new base on one of the rock protrusions nearby. Use walls to funnel attacks to the northern side of the base, but be sure to leave units around the southern side for defensive purposes. The Harkonnen base is a workable affair, able to construct foot soldiers and ground vehicles up to and including Combat Tanks. The bases weak spot is on it's southwestern side where it is defended only by a single Gun Turret. At the far southeast part of the map is a Fremen stronghold. It will take the Harkonnen a while to generate a solid attacking force, so you will have some time. When the attacks start to come, however, be prepared for a fight. Expect a series of probing attacks from the southeast and northeast. Defend both of these areas well while building up forces for your assault on the enemy base. The Fremen should be able to take care of themselves; you could ignore them and they would still survive. Just to be on the safe side though, punch through the Harkonnen lines with a squad of four or five Trikes headed straight for the Fremen stronghold. If things ever get dire for them, the units that make it though can lend a hand. While doing all this continue to build up your forces focussing on Combat Tanks and Quads. About one-third of your assault force should be foot troops. Split up your team (aim for about 25-35 units) and send one group around the north and one to the south. Hold both groups outside attack range and send an Engineer to join the southern strike team. When everyone is in place, direct the Engineer at the Heavy Factory in the Harkonnen base and unleash an attack on the Gun Turret down south. Send the northern force in as a diversion. This will shut down the Harkonnen's ability to construct hardware and will virtually guarantee your victory. Once the factory and all other production buildings are levelled all you have to do is mop up amy remaining Harkonnen units. Mission 5 As the mission begins, you will notice a clock ticking in the corner. This indicates the time you have left to intercept the smugglers shipment. The smugglers base is located on a cliff to the north of your base. Don't just go rushing up there. Build up a good force of Trikes and Quads. At the six-minute mark, you will receive reinforcements. Now head for the Starport by heading north and making the first possible right turn. You will meet some Harkonnen resistance on the way up, but nothing too tough. Meanwhile, send the Engineer around south and east of the smugglers Starport. When your attack unit approaches the Starport and it comes into view, send your Engineer in to capture it. Once the port is captured, you are rewarded with two Quads, three Combat Tanks, and an MCV. Now comes the difficult part. That MCV moves really, really slowly, and you can't afford to lose it. Group-select your entire strike force and the MCV and return to the base in very small steps. When you reach the end of the pass to the Starport, form a wall of fighting units and send the MCV back to base. This should be all the cover you need to get it home and start building. Now, spend the next few minutes fortifying your base, scouting the enemy, and building up your strike force. Focus your scouting efforts on the far northwest corner of the map. If you take a pair of Trikes along the bottom of the map and up the west side, you can get a look at the Barracks in question before the guarding squad descends upon you. Fend off the probing attacks from the Harkonnen and construct a force comprised mainly of combat and missile tanks. Send a group northeast, around the same trail your Trikes blazed, to take out the Gun Turrets protecting the vulnerable western flank of the Harkonnen base. Once you have disabled these guns, it's time for the final assault. Send an Engineer, a large party of mixed tanks and a few Trikes/Quads to the southeast corner of the map. Meanwhile, send a supplemental force about halfway up the map to cover any emergency. Creep the primary force and the Engineers up the west side until you reach the side of the fortress. Here you'll probably have to work quickly. Move your tanks into the base through the narrow west gate and form a line that holds off the Harkonnen forces to the southeast. Under the cover of this line, send the Engineer and a couple of escort Quads toward the Barracks. You could lose a ton of units with this attack, but it will allow you to take the Barracks without going after the rest of the base. Mission 6 On the Western map you begin with an MCV. To the right of the lower centre of the map, which is where you begin the mission, is a large bluff with one side raised and unscalable. While this is a smaller area to build on, it is far more defensible. Once you outgrow this base, you can always expand back on the area you now inhabit. The enemy occupy the entire northern region of the map with a large central base and two mini-bases on either side. On the Eastern map you begin with a small but basically established base to the northeast of the map . Your opposition is spread out all over the map. To the west is a mercenary camp. This lightly defended mini-base is quite isolated from the main Ordos base to the far south. This main base is spread across the bottom of the map with access points in the centre and on both sides. Your first objective should be to launch a preemptive assault on the enemy Starport. On the eastern map, the Starport can be found in the southeastern corner. On the western map, it is located in the northeastern corner. Simply put together a suicide squad of the best units you can build early in the game. Then, train an Engineer. Send the entire patrol straight into the enemy base to cover the Engineer who takes over and sells the Starport. Bingo! The supply line is cut. If you can extract any of your team, do it. Otherwise, move on. You will have to endure frequent and formidable assaults from all sides. After taking the Starport, focus your energies on fortifying your base. With that done, begin to build your assault teams. On the eastern map, your first task should be to raze the northeastern mini-base. Send a large force in through its southern entrance and you should have no problem. No one from the main base will come to help except to take pot shots as you return to your base. With that complete, fall back to build up your heavy artillery units for the final assault. Attack the main Ordos base primarily from the west (be sure to take out any production facilities first) and the centre - the eastern mini-base will generally stay out of the fight. On the western map, the approaches to the base are more heavily defended, and there are no remote bases to eliminate. Foot troops can assault the base via a ramp up the front of the base. The brunt of your assault, however, will have to be on the sides and around the back - both heavily defended. There is only one Heavy Factory on this base (on the far west side), so focus your initial assault on this to cripple the Ordos' tank-producing capability. Send a team to approach the Heavy Factory directly from the south.Meanwhile, bring up another force with an Engineer to the former site of the Starport, which you should have taken out early in the mission. While the base's mobile forces converge to fend off the frontal assault, send in the Engineer and the secondary force around the back. Destroy or capture the Heavy Factory and follow up immediately with a multi-pronged attack, focussing on the eastern flank of the main base, now mostly abandoned. Target major production sites and power supplies. Mission 7 You begin on a broad expanse of rock perfect for building a comfortable base. Unfortunately, it is hard to defend, being open on three sides. Set up a fairly well-defended base with the north side covered by a wall and turrets and the eastern side covered by a small defence team. The Harkonnen are established in three places: a small camp in the northeast, a medium-sized fort in the middle of the map, and a huge base in the northwest corner. Each post has a number of ways in. Get your production up and running as quickly as possible and scout the area immediately around the base, so the initial attack won't come as a surprise. About five minutes into the mission, you will get an allotment of reinforcements. After five more minutes, you'll get a little "surprise." Instead of Harkonnen, a cadre Sardaukar will attack you. Fend off this attack by running over as many of the Sardaukar foot soldiers as possible and taking out their tank brigade. You should be able to do this with units to spare. You will have to withstand some moderate probing assaults during this period, so stay alert. You will probably see at least one Devastator Tank. You can't miss it. When it approaches, try to draw it into any Rocket Turrets you have set up and then encircle it with your best tanks. Once you have set up camp and produced a fairly impressive strike force, send them to the eastern side of the map. North of this spot is a small Harkonnen camp. It is very close to the middle Harkonnen fort, but their help will arrive too late. Press north, take out the two Gun Turrets and destroy the Wind Traps erected here. There is a Refinery sitting alone in the desert north of there. Send a team to eliminate it, then take your entire assault force back to base for repairs. As you depart, the rescue force will arrive to attack you. Hold them off long enough to retreat, and they won't come after you. Now prepare for a bigger fight. While you do this, it's time to try your first air strikes. Scout the large base in the northwest corner of the map until you find a Heavy Factory. This is the only source for those Devastators. One good air strike usually wipes this building out. Keep an eye for rebuilding jobs and repeat the strikes as often as necessary to keep this valuable weapon out of enemy hands. Once your strike force is ready, it's time to take the central base. Send your armoured divisions to the site of the first camp you conquered. The cover of the wall will protect them until their time comes. Send a large force of foot soldiers near the southern approach to the fort (leave a few vehicles with them for protection). Send in the armoured divisions from the north to take out the Rocket Turrets and move south through the base. Meanwhile send the foot troops through the front gate, past the Gun Turrets, and capture the Barracks. Mop up the remaining turrets and soldiers and build an MCV to send to this base. When it finally arrives, set up the Construction Yard, Repair Pad, and Heavy Factory. While you are establishing yourself, wipe out any Harvesters you see wandering around. If you continue with your air strikes and Harvester attacks, the Harkonnen should be helpless by the time you attack. Use your air strikes to take out power supplies. With no power, Rocket Turrets don't function. When you are ready, send a team of Siege Tanks and Engineers to the far north. Also, prepare a large foot/vehicle attack to enter the front gates when the power goes out. Open a hole in the wall in the northwest and take over the Construction Yard and as many of the Wind Traps as possible. Immediately send in the troops through the front gate. That ought to finish the Harkonnen. Mission 8 This is your best site yet for building a large, powerful fortress. A wide, uninterrupted space in the northeast corner with borders on both sides makes for a supremely defensible position. The Ordos has a similar area in the southwest corner of the map. There is also a small and moderately defended Harkonnen base in the southeast and an even smaller Ordos Outpost in the middle of the map. Build a well-defended production base. You will need plenty of perimeter defences to ward off wave after wave of probing attacks. To win, you will need to assume control of other Houses' facilities to mount a sufficient assault on Ordos Palace and its massive surrounding installation. You begin in the northeast corner by building a very well-defended production base at this remote location. Once you feel comfortable in your position, send an attack team to the small Ordos base in the middle of the map. Take out the turrets with siege and missile tanks and plow through the buildings. You have the option of capturing and using these buildings, but that would just give you one more place to defend. Who needs that burden? Return your surviving troops to your main base for some repairs and reinforcements. Amass a large group of missile and Siege Tanks to lead the assault on the Harkonnen mini-base. Follow that up with a mixed group of combat and sonic tanks, foot soldiers, and Engineers. Drop in an air strike to take out power to the Rocket Turrets and unleash the Siege Tanks on both the rocket and Gun Turrets. As you sweep the area of remaining Harkonnen foot soldiers, use your Engineers to take control of all the buildings, but be especially keen on getting this Heavy Factory. If you can grab this prize, you will have the ability to build and use the Harkonnen Devastator Tank. Fortify your new base and add all the basic production and repair facilities to it. You will now be operating from this point. Build your final attack force. You will be approaching the Ordos base from both the northeast and northwest. Use air strikes to knock out as much power as possible to deactivate the Rocket Turrets. When you make your final assault, be aware of the Deviator Tanks, which shoot out a gas that turns your units against you for a time. Send in a large force of Trikes to fire on these units to draw them out and separate them from the battle. You might also want to target the two Heavy Factories with air strikes to deny Ordos the ability to build these devious units. Once you have control of the base and have exterminated the Ordos menace, your mission is complete. Mission 9 Your very difficult starting point is on two far-flung mini-bases. The northeastern installation is primarily a mining colony. The southeastern base is already geared towards production. Each base has two access points, wide entryways into the heart of your operations. These can be sealed, but at considerable expense but it's worth it. The Harkonnen inhabit two bases: one in the middle East and one in the middle West. The western base has a heavily covered wall to the south and a negligibly defended gate to the north. The western base has an overpoweringly defended gate in the south and a moderately covered one in the north. The Imperial base in the northeastern corner of the map has a customarily tough entrance in the south and a very lightly defended one in the west. You do however, have to pass over a narrow bridge to get to this more vulnerable access point. Fortunately this route gives you immediate access to the Imperial production facilities. All these bases are very well powered, so sniping at Wind Traps is probably a waste of time. Your best bet is to deprive your enemies of their top weapons. Use air strikes whenever possible to debilitate Heavy Factories, to halt the production of Devastator Tanks. One very effective tactic on the eastern map is to send a squad of Engineers with a small Trike/Trooper escort up the eastern border of the map to take over the Imperial Palace via the stairs on the west side of the Imperial base. Surprisingly, enemy units won't really take notice of this. When you get control of the palace, you can build Sardaukar troopers. Taking out the minor bases should be no problem, but will require some planning. None of these bases are spectacularly well-defended, but they are excessively well-powered. Try to take over Heavy Factories to gain the ability to build Devastator Tanks. Once the minor bases are dismantled, you can focus on the final bases. Study these complexes very carefully before making an assault. The weakest points are in the rear; the defences are lighter, with wide access areas for vehicles. Perhaps the most conservative but effective approach is to cut off the bases' Spice supply. While the enemy seems to anticipate a power-supply attack, it does not seem to consider Spice supply a risk - there are surprisingly few refineries, and they are mostly served by Carryalls with no direct access to Spice. Target Quads at the Harvesters and send air strikes and raids at resource-collection elements (Harvesters, Silos, and Refineries) and wait for enemy production to drop off. This is your time to strike. Hit in a series of small but punishing raids, preferably several at once. Take over buildings that grant you special units and hold them as long as possible. With their supply lines cut off, both Harkonnen and the Emperor should fall with a whimper. Now, just sit back and watch the ending. Harkonnen Walkthrough Harkonnen Missions Guidelines Mission 1 All you have to do in this mission is harvest the spice, you can pretty much ignore the Atreides forces scattered around the map. You begin on the Western map on a small but comfy flat rock plain in the centre of the western area of the map. On the Eastern map you begin on a vulnerable peninsula in the northern portion of the map. Once you begin immediately array your troops around the base and construct your necessary buildings. Send your Trikes out to scout the area and uncover solitary Atreides Light Infantrymen. Meanwhile, get to collecting. After a time, the opposition will stop coming, and you will be left merely with your task. Complete it and move on to the next mission. Mission 2 You begin in the Western map on a narrow stretch of rock in the northeastern corner, with a large rock range protecting your western flank. The only access to your base is from the south. Build carefully, you have only enough space for your required buildings. The Atreides are stationed in the northwest corner in a small, established, base containing a Barracks and an Outpost. On the Eastern map you begin in the northwestern corner of the map. Your enemy is located in the southeast corner and, unfortunately, has the same protection as you, though on a small plot of land. Note that this base, unlike the western version, has both a Light Factory and a Barracks, enabling this base to construct both Infantry and Trikes. Once you have established your base and scouted the map, take a squad of Trikes and scour the desert plain for solitary Light Infantrymen. Once this area is cleared, retreat to your main base and establish production on Trikes and Infantry, at a 2 to 1 ratio. At some point, a large assault force of Infantry and/or Trikes will arrive; surround them with Trikes and finish them off. Once you feel your attack force is strong enough, leave a smattering of units to guard the base from airlifted foes and advance on the Harkonnen base. Send them all to the south and then over. Now, split your force up evenly and send them in en masse. The Atreides should go down without much trouble. Mission 3 On the Northern map you begin due north. The Atreides sit comfortably in the south. They have a tight base with adequate power and full production. While the eastern flank is totally inaccessible, the western flank is wide open and is your best choice for an assault. On the Eastern map you begin on the west of the map. The Atreides base, like yours, is very well-protected by geography. It too is raised and only open on one (the western) side. Unlike your base, however, the Atreides installation's open side is covered with a substantial wall, funnelling entry to the base to two squares. There is no other way in. Once your base is satisfactory and the map has been scouted, begin constructing an assault force. Given what you have available, focus on Quads and Trooper, but don't leave out the Light Infantry. Forget about Trikes for the main assault. Leave a few Quads and Light Infantry back at the base for a probably unnecessary defence. Inch your way across the desert, keeping your slower units together with the faster ones. In the northern base, bring the brunt of your assault around the western side through the weakly defended flank, rushing in a supplemental force at the same time. On the Eastern map you will need to work in stages. Send in a large phalanx of Quads to open up holes in the walls (bring up a few Infantry to take care of any foot soldiers who try to take out the Quads). Once you have opened a breach in the wall, bring the rest of the strike force north to finish off the base through the newly opened eastern entrance. Mission 4 You begin in a fine place for a base in a rocky area to the east. This area is open and well-protected. A large open area to the north, away from the Atreides base, will be your main entry/exit point and is easily defended with walls. Be aware of a small foot-access ridge on the south side, This will provide easy access for enemy infantry. A Fremen squad stands to the north, a single Gun Turret their only defence. To the south is a large Atreides base. A wide land bridge is its main access point, but it is well-defended. Its rear entrance is slightly less defended, but requires a careful approach to avoid being caught in a nasty gauntlet. Get ready to defend quickly. You will receive a small reinforcement of Combat Tanks, and that should be enough to fend off any initial assaults. Build all crucial structures in the middle of your base. Seal off the southern entrance to your base; any advantages of keeping it available is outweighed by the danger it poses. Take out the Fremen headquarters first, before the Atreides take an interest in your growing base. Send a strike force of Combat Tanks and Trikes to crush the Fremen and destroy their base. Begin by attacking the base and the Fremen will come down to meet you. Use your Tanks to squish any of the Fremen foolish enough to collect in groups, and gun down the rest with your Trikes. Have your Tanks blast the opening to the Fremen base until it crumbles. Return to your base, taking out the Fremen Gun Turret on your way back. Focus on the defence of your base; you're about to face a string of Atreides attacks. Once you have weathered the storm, focus your efforts on building up your strike force. You should develop two teams: a large force to send to the back of the base and a smaller, lighter force that will be used to attack the front. The rear attack force should be primarily Tanks, for running over ground troops and bombarding the lone Gun Turret. This force will sweep in and immediately begin taking out buildings. Target the Heavy Factory first. The front force, on the other hand, should be a quicker squad of mostly Quads, to blow the twin Gun Turrets that guard the front exit. Send in a suicide squad of Trikes, Infantry, and Troopers to block the exit and then bring in your Quads to knock out the defences. Once these are down, sweep the base and bring the Atreides and their Fremen allies to their knees. Mission 5 You begin on a tiny base in the east of the map. Directly below you is the Outpost you must protect. Fortunately, the approach to the Outpost from the south is the only way in and will be reasonably easy to defend. The Ordos are located in a small base directly to the south and in the northeast corner in a much larger base. The smaller base is vulnerable on both sides in the rear, but a Gun Turret defends the eastern side. The northeastern Ordos base is a bit harder to approach. There is one open approach to the south, but three Gun Turrets heavily defend it. There is also a foot approach in the southwest corner, and a lightly defended northern approach. You will need to get on your feet with desperate speed. A pair of Gun Turrets currently defends the Outpost, but that will not do the trick Build your Barracks immediately south of your Construction Yard and construct the remainder of your base as near as possible to the Outpost. Focus your defensive building on the southern portion of the base, though you will need to fortify the northern exposure as well. That's of secondary importance, though. Seal off the Outpost with walls, then develop as many Turrets as time allows. Take you sole Combat Tank to the Outpost and, when the final reinforcements arrive, send two of those Tanks to join it. This should help you weather the first assault. At intervals during the opening phases of the mission, you will receive reinforcements. When the third delivery arrives, a large force will attack from the southern Ordos base. If you can move your Combat Tanks, brought in the final reinforcement drop, you can run over the attack, which is all foot troops. After this force is subdued, you will have some time to entrench yourself in your base. Subsequent attacks will come equally from the south base and airlifted troops from the eastern base. Once you are established in your base, produce a team of Engineers and a strike force of Quads, Combat Tanks, and Troopers, and make your way south. Move into position and approach the base through the western entrance. While the troops are engaged, send in the Engineers to capture the Barracks and Light Factory. The Construction Yard and Gun Turrets can be razed, but the Wind Traps will come in handy. Build your own defences for this base and continue production to fortify all parts of your base. Meanwhile you will be peppered with endless attacks from the northern base. Be ready to weather any kind of storm and focus on making your bases impenetrable. Your assault on the main base will have to be massive and balanced. Send a large force of mostly Tanks, Trikes, Light Infantry, and Troopers to the north entrance. To the south, position a bunch of Troopers and Quads to attack the twin Gun Turrets. Launch the southern assault first, then bring in the main force from the north. Target the production facilities and wipe the base clean of the Ordos and Imperial scourge. Mission 6 In the Western map you begin in the southwest. To the east sits a neutral base. Above you is a small Ordos base with basic production facilities and good defence (two entrances, both defended by dual Gun Turrets). This spot will be a tough but not impossible fight, especially if you attack early because the longer you wait, the tougher the base gets. The main Ordos base is a tough nut to crack. It sits in the northeast corner of the map and is frighteningly well-fortified. Every entrance is a maze of walls and Gun Turrets. There are a number of footpath entrances to the base on each side. Engineers can sneak up these paths while the larger units shoot at each other. In the Eastern map you begin with a nice, easily defended base with a sheer cliff facing your enemy, and two small access passes in the southeast and southwest corners. This set-up is a tremendous advantage. Directly to the north is a neutral base with a tempting Spice reserve. In the northwest corner, there's a well-defended but easily captured base with two access points, the weaker of which opens to the south with only a pair of Gun Turrets. The northeastern access with the Rocket Turrets shouldn't be approached until you can take away their power. Finally, the main base is in the northeast corner of the map. On this variation of the map, this base is far more open to attack. There are only two entrances, but two Gun Turrets only protect one. What's more, the Starport, the target of this attack, is right inside the base and can be destroyed without fighting the entire base. Remember that you don't need to level that huge Ordos base, you need only get inside and destroy the Starport before the insidious Deviator Tanks arrive. In each mission, you must knock out the other bases in order. Take the neutral base at your first reasonable opportunity, then send an Engineer into the Refinery to take over the building and steal the base's Spice. Taking over the Refinery will automatically bring down the rest of the base. Immediately sell the Refinery (remember to build your own Silos first or all this pilfered Spice will go to waste) and any Silos and mop up any remaining resistance. Return to your base. Now focus on getting that smaller base before it is too well-protected. Do this soon or you won't have time to recover from the assault and get into the main base in time to take the Starport. Work from this base, once you get it, to penetrate the main base. Your easiest method is to charge into the base to cover the entrance of the Engineers. These defenceless units will sneak in behind your battle force to take and sell the Starport. If you can get them in cleanly, the mission is complete. On the western map, this move is a bit harder to do, but merely requires a larger covering force, penetrating deeper into the base. The eastern map can be downright easy: send a large force in through the south entrance, drawing the fire of the Gun Turrets while your Engineer emerges from the crowd and waltzes right into the Starport. You must work quickly: the fewer times you have to face the Deviator Tanks, which can turn your troops on each other, the better it will be for you. If you can get to the Starport before the shipment arrives, you spare yourself this nightmare. Mission 7 This is the most difficult and defensive mission you will face. Your building strategy will rule for the early portion of the mission. From the beginning move fast. Nearly the moment you take over the Atreides Construction Yard, you will have to weather brutal and constant assaults from both the east and west. You have plenty of space for what will need to be a gigantic base. Immediately build your first Wind Trap and set Concrete Slabs around the perimeter of your base to pave the way for walls. In particular, wall up the footpath on the eastern side of your base immediately. The northern flank of the base is secure, but there is a not entirely obvious footpath on the southeastern side of your base. The biggest opening is in the southwest corner. Once you fend off the first assaults and get some basic walls built, start building your base. Be sure not to build too close to the eastern bluffs; enemy tanks will be able to snipe at you from below. The Atreides occupy two sections of this map. They have a small base due west and a much larger base due east. The smaller base can be very easily accessed via its southern gateway (with two Gun Turrets) and even more by the open northern entry, though you must take a fairly roundabout route to get there. The eastern base will be a real task. You can enter from the north, but that would be total suicide. The southern entrance is difficult but easily found by circling south and east of your base and continuing due southeast. After you stabilize, however, your first priority should be to conquer and pillage the base to the west. Send your force north and west to enter the unprotected northern approach. Extinguish the turrets and blow up the Wind Traps. Then, capture the Spice Silos and Refinery to steal their Spice. Once you have finished, return to your base. By this time, you should have gained the capacity to launch air strikes. Focus on the Atreides High Tech Factory and knock it out as quickly as possible to satisfy your sub-mission and cut off the Imperial reinforcement flow. Collect your resources and prepare for the final assault. Focus your attack on the south, taking out the High Tech Factory if you haven't already. Work your way north, paying particular attention to the Wind Traps; once these have been destroyed, the Rocket Turrets that protect the northern part of the base will be out of commission. Once power is denied, it's all over for the Atreides. Mission 8 You begin in a very defensible area. You are located in the southeast corner of the map on a wide plain. If you can seal off the northern border of the base, you will cut off all attacks from that direction, focussing them on the smaller western side. Doing this also provides a private Spice field. The Mercenary Camp to your northwest is small but too strong for you to conquer immediately. It has a lone Gun Turret on the south approach. The Atreides base in the northwest is dense, highly powered, and well-fortified. The only possible approaches are footpaths on the northeast and southern sides, and a Rocket-Turret-guarded gateway in the southeast. The Ordos base is even more heavily defended. Vehicle-accessible openings appear on the southeast, north and east sides. When you begin your base, you will have to be ready for numerous small attacks while you are getting on your feet. Beware of Saboteurs who may sneak in with small raids. If they destroy your Construction Yard, you are dead. Try to seal off the northern flank quickly. Continue to build inside your contained base until the yellow Mercenary force attacks. Smash this attack and immediately counter to take over their Heavy Factory with your Engineer. With this, the Mercenaries will fight for you, but you will need to help in their base's defence. In fact, shortly after your alliance is sealed, Atreides will launch a large-scale assault on the Mercenaries' small base. Be ready. The mercenaries will fight on your behalf, but you might spend more money and time defending the Mercenaries than being defended by them. Decide whether to enlist their aid or just sell their base for scrap. Once the Mercenary problem is dealt with, you may focus on preparing to raid the Ordos base. While you are making your preparations, focus any Death Hand Missile attacks first on the Starport, then on the IX Research Centre. Keeping both of these structures in rubble will prevent the Ordos from acquiring their most powerful weaponry. You may also want to cut off the Atreides air strikes by launching one of your own at their High Tech Factory. This will, however, trigger an immediate all-out attack from the Duke's House, so be ready. You can, of course, ignore the Atreides completely if you choose, but they will continue to launch irritating attacks on you throughout the mission. Focussing on the Ordos, bring your force behind the base. This force should be brute and merciless, with as many Devastators as you can bankroll. Overwhelm the rear of the base, focussing on the Wind Traps, Heavy Factory, IX Research Centre. Be sure to leave a contingent north of the base. When you begin to truly put the hurt on the Atreides, they will announce their neutrality, but almost immediately will turn on you. If you can hold them off until you raze the Ordos base, you will claim victory without actually destroying the Atreides base. Mission Guideline - David Ryan The DimeClicks.com Network Sign-Up Today Read our Disclaimer for copyright details and credits. For assistance contact Luke Harris.