Map 8: Point Stormy

Score achieved: 300 pts, 9 days
100-pt. time limit: 20 days
Player CO: Anyone (Yes, even Kanbei). Sami is strongly recommended
Enemy CO(s): Olaf
Skills: none
Mode: 2.5x EXP

Overview: You start with many properties. You’ll get so much money that even Kanbei can follow the build order. A small portion of the funds you get will go into building your infiltrating units (2 Infantries, each loaded onto a T-Copter or APC). The T-Copter will drop the infantry required for capture, while the other Infantry in the APC will serve as a decoy. The rest of the funds will go into building strong air units for the Power score. These units will also trick Olaf into not building any units near his HQ. The northwestern portion of Olaf’s HQ region is 18 spaces away from the Airport west of your base, which means a T-Copter can just reach it in 3 days, and drop an Infantry for the capture.

If you were to go unopposed (Olaf doesn’t build anything), 9 days is the fastest time in which most COs can win. Read the following section to get an idea of your important moves.

Day 1: Build an Infantry in west base.
Days 2, 3: Capture the Airport to the west.
Day 4: Build a T-Copter.
Day 5: Load the T-Copter and start moving towards the HQ.
Day 6: Continue advancing the T-Copter.
Day 7: Advance the T-Copter and drop the Infantry.
Days 8, 9: Capture the HQ.

Unfortunately, Olaf won’t let you have such an easy victory. You’ll follow this basic strategy, but you’ll have to draw his units’ attention away from his HQ to win in 9 days. If you can’t, then you have to start over.

For full Power, you need to destroy either 2 or 3 units in 1 day, depending on how much Olaf spams small units like Infantries (He does build 21 units at times, meaning you have to destroy 3 in one day. If he builds 20, you only need 2.). For full Technique, you can lose 1 or 2, depending on how much you spam Infantry. Most of the time you can only lose 1, but this won’t be a problem as long as you watch out for Anti-Airs.

Sami is the best choice for this map because her increased capture rate means that your capturing Infantry can take a hit from an enemy Recon/Infantry and still finish capturing. Other COs will have to make sure that Olaf’s units are sufficiently far away from his HQ when they start capturing.

Day 1:

– Build Infantry in the west and northeast bases.
– Build an APC in the east base.

Day 2:

– Move the Infantry on the west base 3W and start capturing the Airport.
– Load the other Infantry onto the APC. Move the APC 6E.
– Build Infantry in the west and northeast bases.

Day 3:

– Finish capturing the Airport.
– Move the Infantry on the northeast base 3N and start capturing the city.
– Move the APC 6E.
– Move the Infantry on the west base 1W.

Day 4:

– Finish capturing the northern city.
– Move the Infantry on the airport 1N 1W and start capturing the city.
– Build a T-Copter and load the remaining Infantry on it.
– Move the APC 6S. Drop the Infantry S.
– Save here.
– Olaf Day 4: He should build a Lander. This will make getting the Power score easier, but it is possible to 300-pt. this map if he doesn’t. If he doesn’t build it now but builds it later, that’s OK too.

Day 5:

– Finish capturing the western city.
– Start capturing the other city in the north.
– Move the Infantry near the APC 3S and start capturing the city.
– Move the APC 1S.
– Move the T-Copter 3S 3E.
– Build a B-Copter or a Bomber in the Airport.

From here on, the AI is too random for a detailed D2D. The general strategies you should follow are:

1. Finish capturing the north and southeast cities.

2. Once you’re done capturing the southeast city, load the Infantry onto the APC and begin moving it back to your HQ. You should be followed by a Recon, Tank, or sometimes both. This is normal; the Infantry’s mission was to distract Olaf’s vehicles by capturing a property.
(If the Tank is on the shoals to the east of Olaf’s HQ, you’ll need to sacrifice the APC instead. Refer to the section in part 6 regarding Tanks.)

3. Continue advancing the T-Copter. Make sure you move it 6 squares every day.

4. Continue building B-Copters from your Airport. These will help in the Power score.

5. Drop your Infantry in the T-Copter on Day 7. You might want to try out different combinations of T-Copter and Infantry placement, because that will affect how Olaf places his units. Personally, I move the T-Copter onto the Forest, and drop the Infantry on the Airport.

6. Your Infantry might face some opposition in capturing the HQ. These include:

Infantry: Your only real hope is that Olaf moves them towards the northwest. If it closes in, unless you’re Sami, give up. Not even Andy can save you with his SCOP because it won’t fill in time, even if you suicide a Bomber to Olaf’s Anti-Airs in the northwest.

Recon: If the recon is at the southwest of the HQ, you have some hope. Move the T-Copter 1S of the HQ to block the Recon from attacking your Infantry. This is because the Recon uses up 2 movement points to cross Plains. By blocking off the south, it cannot attack your Infantry from the west because there are too many Plains in the way, and not from the south because your T-Copter is meatshielding the Infantry.

Artillery: If you drop the Infantry on the Airport, most of the time the Artillery won’t cover the HQ after Olaf’s turn. But if you drop the Infantry on the Port, it will move 1S 1W of the HQ and pose a threat to your Infantry.

Tank: If the Tank is on the shoals to the east of Olaf’s HQ (on day 7), it will turn around and chase your HQ-capturing Infantry, instead of going for your APC. To avoid this, you’ll have to sacrifice the APC. Place the APC (with Infantry loaded) on the city you captured. Let the Tank attack it. It should survive. Next turn, move it as far north as you can and drop the Infantry N. The Tank should destroy your APC, but your capturing Infantry will be spared from it.
Note that this will also work (unless you’re Grimm) if there’s the Tank as well as a Recon near the APC. Your APC should survive with 1HP if the Tank and Recon both attack it. In this case, you should also bring the T-Copter east after you’ve dropped the Infantry to distract the Tank, while the Recon goes after your APC. Nevertheless, you will lose the APC, so be careful after that!

Fighter: It doesn’t threaten your Infantry, but you will lose your T-Copter.

If you encounter an Anti-Air, then tough luck. It will destroy your T-Copter, then attack the capturing Infantry. Start over.

These strategies below will help you get the Power score. Hold off destroying any units until you can destroy 3 in 1 day without losing any when it comes to Olaf’s turn (i.e. the last day.)

7. Olaf should land one or two units near your HQ with his Lander. These units are Mechs, Tanks, Recons, Artilleries or Anti-Airs. If there isn’t an Anti-Air among them, weaken them with your B-Copters. If there is an Anti-Air, build a Tank for each unit he landed and move your B-Copters out of the Anti-Air’s range. Olaf cannot beat your Tanks with his Mechs or Tanks because they are on superior terrain and get repaired. Wait for them to attack, then attack them back next turn to weaken them.

8. If Olaf doesn’t land any units, you’ve got a challenge ahead because these units might be near his HQ, ruining your capture. If they are near the northwest, build a Black Bomb. On the last day, crash the Black Bomb into his units and finish them off with B-Copters or the odd Bomber.

9. If Olaf builds a Fighter in the northwest, build a Fighter in your Airport and move the B-Copters out of the way. Olaf should attack your Fighter, but he can’t beat it because it will get healed. Most of the time, he’ll knock it down to 5HP (except maybe Grimm) and his Fighter will be left with 8HP. During your turn, your Fighter recovers to 7HP, 8HP if you’re Rachel. Move your Fighter off the Airport and attack Olaf’s Fighter. Even though your Fighter has 7HP and Olaf’s has 8, yours will end up with more HP than his. Add that Fighter to your Power score.
Alternatively, you can build a Fighter as well as an Anti-Air. After Olaf attacks your Fighter, return the favor with your Anti-Air. Your Fighter will then be used for attacking enemy B-Copters.

10. If Olaf builds a B-Copter in the northwest Airport, use one of your B-Copters as bait to lure it towards your other B-Copters. He’ll attack the B-Copter. After which, you can gang up on it with two other healthy B-Copters, or kill it with a Fighter.

Finally, don’t give up! My guide already details 5 days. The remaining 4 days are up to you. Save and reload if Olaf doesn’t move favorably. Restart if you really think you cannot make it. As a last resort, use Sami.

Postscript
Since writing this guide, I have found a way of winning with 300 points in 8 days, with Sensei and Eagle. Sensei is the easier of the two to win with.

In order to win in 8 days, you must use an APC instead of a T-Copter. When you send it down the east side, no Recons/Tanks should start chasing it, which requires a lot of luck.

With Sensei, simply move as far as you can every day and you will reach the HQ in 6 days.

With Eagle, you need to charge up your COP to get the necessary movement to win in 8 days. To do that, you need to sacrifice a non-cloaked Stealth, and have a B-Copter take heavy damage. The Stealth also needs to damage a unit (I don’t remember if it was an Infantry or an Anti-Air) to get the three stars required for a COP.

Sami can also complete this map in 8 days with 300 points, but I haven’t found out how yet. I’m quite sure that you need your SCOP to win, so the strategy probably involves sending a large force of Recons along with the APC, and encouraging your Recons to be attacked.

Strategy by DxDyDzD.