EFZI2 Complete - December 22, 2012

I re-uploaded the Game and Update4 again to correct the consoleBUTTONS.pcx file for the Left Game Box.
Sorry for those of you who have downloaded the previous Update4 or Entire Game since August 21, a couple of days ago. All you need is Update4 to get the "consoleBUTTONS.pcx file from the interface Folder and place it in the Game interface Folder.

Sasebo... see "Game Tips from Vuldacon Page 1, 2, 3, and 4" in Game Concepts. If you read "Game Tips from Vuldacon Page 1", you will see the four most important buildings to go for.

As the Farmers, I capture the Coastguard 1st by revealing that area with Old Buzzard and setting up Old Betsy with Zeb, a Champion (Cousin Floyd after Upgrading) and Old Yeller or Fleabag. Then go capture the Coastguard. I also use Old Buzzard to Bomb there.

The four buildings I mention in Game Concepts are most important. Get and Use Champions to gain buildings faster.

Champions can start a virtuous circle since they can generate Champions themselves.

I usually find that the tricky part is getting the leaders home in a timely fashion.

I'm early in the mid-game now. It definitely plays a bit differently; I still don't have the Snorkel Beach or Paradise Resort yet. I've been marking time and skirmishing with the zombies over there for a while. I'll be heading there soon I think, but I am still considering going for the Church or the North Shore Refinery first, but I think delaying the Voyagers is a bad, bad idea. The Authorities finally built the Police Department, so I blitzed them and now all they have left is the Military Base. I wasted several turns after capturing the Factory for them to build it, but in the interim I splattered a ton of zombies in the Radio Station/Police Station/City Hall triangle. I am way behind my normal schedule though. It's definitely a couple notches up on the difficulty scale,and I know it will get worse...

I re-uploaded the Game and Update4 again to prefect the inner window and outer frame positions for the box left color.pcx. Adjusted the box left alpha.pcx file to go with it.

Sorry for those of you who have downloaded the previous Update4 or Entire Game since August 21, a few of days ago.

It's rough not having General Fullbright's mobile bombard ability. I haven't gotten there yet, but does the radar artillery eventually get to start moving around?

Check the civilopædia.

I don't think so Tankguy. That was one of the changes I noticed, and I do think it is better this way, having Fullbright being able to run around right from the start with that massive bombard was a bit much.

Maybe it is the way I play, but has anyone else ever noticed a big pile of zombie nurses coming out of almost every zombie-held building when you approach it? This usually starts happening around the middle of the game. I mean it is better then having them sit inside the building I guess, but it always does take some firepower away from your target to deal with them. I try to use Vuldacon or Mr.T. to attack some weak zombie in my next target to try and take out the sewer and other improvements, if you can get some of those it really helps, especially the machine shop to slow down their healing.

Sasebo said:

I don't think so Tankguy. That was one of the changes I noticed, and I do think it is better this way, having Fullbright being able to run around right from the start with that massive bombard was a bit much.

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I think that's something that's needed for the Authorities right from the start. Yeah they do have a few units that can bombard, but nothing to really tilt the odds of a siege in your favor. Also, doesn't the Company have a more than one T-800(?) robot now, which does have multiple bombards and can move from the start. Just seems a little lopsided to me.

Oh well, it's early on. I'll see how things pan out further down the road. I do notice a lot of the little changes you put in the scenario and like them quite a bit

You are right, and the Company is very strong because of having those two and the Director right from the start, as well as a somewhat sheltered position over on the east coast. The Authorities advantage lies in having so many initial bombard units, plus the fact that they hold so many key buildings right from the start. Not having to fight for the Coast Guard and Hospital is very powerful, and all of their starting buildings are strategically important/produce units.

I finally took the Snorkel Beach and Paradise Resort in my Farmers game, just in time for the Mutant Zombies to come out and play. I got the Resort working OK, despite not being able to reduce it to size 1(not going to shoot Jeff Morris, no Sir!). I see you beefed up the Dalek a bit more, I can't wait for it to go into action. I have 20-21 Champions, leader hunting is always good for you.

Vuldacon, I fiddled with my BIQ a bit to try a couple things. I upped the spunky kids bombard power to 6 since power of 3 is plain useless against even the weakest zombies, especially defensively. With 6 bombard you can usually chip off a point or two, though you can still miss completely, especially when they are on good terrain. I also moved the Badass unit availability to Kickin' Zombie Ass capability, since otherwise there was no reason to use Old War Vets at all. I know it had an extra hit point and was cheaper, but everything else was in favor of the Badass, and a slow unit that could not retreat is just not worth it, if you have both of them available. I also changed the Old War Vet to 11-12 A/D, and took 1 point off the defense of the Badass and gave it to the Cop unit, since I felt the Authorities ought to have the better unit at that level. Quibbles I'm sure , but now that KZA capability is really worth going for when you play the Surviviors. So far those changes seem to be working fine, though I did have to give them ammo before they started building the Badass units.

You cannot kill units that don't have a defence or attack, so you can safely get the building down to one and little resistance.

If you *must* kill such a unit -for example, in order to prevent another faction from getting an upgradeable one- then send in a sneak attacker.

Finally got a win as the company!
(easiest level)
Still couldn't get Paradise Resort or North Shore Industries but I managed to squeak out a win. I decided to split my beginning forces (bombard units) and take the easy buildings. (less than 10 sated Alphas). That strategy worked out well.


I agree that the Badass/Old War Vet paradigm needed changing. I never build Old War Vets so it seems silly to have them in the game. My thinking was to make them auto-produced in the Retirement Home and remove them from the build queue. This accomplishes two purposes: 1. Old War Vets actually appear in game. 2. It gives some incentive to keeping the Retirement Home when other factions take it instead of razing it.

classical_hero said:

You cannot kill units that don't have a defence or attack, so you can safely get the building down to one and little resistance.

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I could have sworn that I have shot a building when there were no other defenders left and killed the 0-0 units but I have not tried that in a long time.

Really, Nwoll? Old War vets are very good defenders and they're cheaper than Badasses, with quite decent stats. They also reduce the temptation to just sally forth from the buildings.

Cheaper than badasses had no meaning since you can build almost every unit in 1 turn anyway.
The AI doesn't seem to build war Vets either.

It does make a difference in newly conquered cities out in the middle of nowhere where bombardment and sneaka ttacks have destroyed the Sewer Tunnels.

You know, playing this game at the much slower pace of a PBEM really does change your perspective.

In my experience Takhisis is right, you usually can build the war vet in 1 turn, while the badass often takes two. However, the extra hit point and being slightly cheaper did not compare to all the advantages the badass has, the 2 movement points and being able to retreat being the killer. Old war vets can't even use sewers IIRC; combined with their slow speed makes it a pain to deploy them to your cities. They are a fine unit, just not as good as the badasses.

The changes I made seem to be working out pretty well, they build lots of war vets, and have switched over to making badass units(I had to give them ammo first though) now that they have the tech for them.

I have taken the North Shore Industry, and plopped a couple engineers in it to speed up the production after I reduced the pop to size 1 with bombard. I'm building the sewer first since I don't want any idustrial "accidents". I have not seen many coffin types popping up the last few turns, which is making me nervous; where are they going?? We'll see how this plays out...

Nwoll... Congratulations on your Company Spaceship Victory
Did the Spaceship and Song Play OK for you?

Concerning the Old War Vets... they are actually stronger than the Badass for Defense. Even with one move, they can load into vehicles to be placed where wanted and they are best at Blocking the Zombies from your territory because of their extra Hit Point, the AI tends to avoid them and go elsewhere.
...Now IF you are playing against a Human Player, the Human Player would Not avoid them and different tactics would be required.

...The Old War Vets and Badasses were adjusted for a single Player against the AI.

Tank Guy#3... General Fullbright Restricted Upgrades to General Fullbright Unleashed when you reach Lethal Force. He was set to not use his Bombardment ability when the Game starts for Game Play purposes as well and the Storyline.
...It was too easy to Bombard and capture surrounding Buildings at the start of the Game when The General had his Lethal Bombardment from the beginning. This ultimately ruined Game Play.

The Restricted General has the same settings as the Unleashed General other than Bombardment ability.

The Radar Artillery is immobile and stays that way. It is intended to help the Authorities Only at the Military Base and especially the AI Authorities who do not hold on as a Human Does

Like the Other Factions, the Player needs to use what they have and gain Champions and Upgrade units as the game progresses.

The Authorities are actually more powerful than the Company when the game starts and if played well, will have overall stronger power toward the end of the game.
The Two T-800 Units the Company has are not as powerful as the collective SWAT and Lethal Shooting Units the Authorities have from the start.

The Authorities start with Fourteen Lethal Shooting Units and the Company starts with 9 and that includes the Director. True, the T-800's are Powerful but they are only two units. For example, I would hit the T-800 with a Troop Truck or other Vehicle to injure it, then Kill it with Lethal Shooters

The Company needed to have the two T-800's to help balance the Company with strength against the Zombies. Especially where they were placed in their distant Buildings. (This is much like the Authorities having the many Lethal Shooters in and around the Police Station.) No one wants the Zombies to gain the Nuclear Power Plant... besides, the Company is the "Bad Guy" of the Island that started the Zombies and they do Love their "Toys" you know

Remember... Any Human Faction can capture Mr Tokugawa's Home to Build or gain King Arthur's Sniper School. Those Snipers Lethal Shoot 3 times each and are auto-produced every 3 turns.

"Game Balance" is the fluctuation of Power. IF all Factions were equal and stayed totally equal, no one could win and the game would be a boring stalemate.

All Factions are Balanced and have their own way to gain Power. It is left to the Human Players to apply their Strategic Brilliance to Win.

I probably made it sound like a bigger deal than I meant. I intentionally try to avoid the Civilopedia, as I think it's cheating a bit (though I suppose asking the creator the same question is too ).

Tokugawa's house has been very hotly contested. It changed hands about 7 times in my game as the Company (Survivors to Zombies, and then back and forth between myself and the Zombies quite a bit).

Tank Guy#3... Reading the Civilopedia is not "cheating", it is arming yourself with needed Game information that will allow you better Play.

Yes, Tokugawa's house is one of the "Hot Spots" because the AI "Knows" the importance of all buildings