Part 65: Congo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHLqbuO7bnA

Yikes. Looks like we're really in the endgame now with all this lava everywhere.




The Ashanti have discovered a well-hidden UCS base deep in the heart of Africa. It appears they are planning to launch a counter-offensive from this location. This cannot be allowed. With our allies to help, this should be a simple operation.



We start with three different landing zones and a few tanks. There is one LZ in the northwest, one in the northeast and another in the southwest. The Ashanti have set up shop down in the southeastern corner. If we play our cards right we can completely surround the UCS base that's presumably in the middle of the map.



Our final land chassis is ready for research. The Ural is the ED's double weapon mount tank.



While we work on standing up our base I send the Khrushchevs south as a welcoming party. This alliance with the Ashanti has worked out better than any of the other alliances in the game. And the Ashanti military tech has improved by leaps and bounds due to our cooperation.



We haven't shot at you! This is all a big misunderstanding!

Although apparently they found out we weren't planning on giving them spots on our evacuation ships. I think they were a bit peeved at that and probably got the UCS to promise them spots. What should've been a simple strike mission has now morphed into a struggle to survive, out-manned and outgunned by our enemies.

The Ashanti will inherit all technology researched as of the time of this betrayal. So you need to take care of them very, very quickly or they'll tag team you along with the UCS and you'll quickly be overrun.



Fortunately our "welcoming" party still has a fair amount of firepower. I order them to focus on knocking out the power around the Weapons Production Centers. It won't disable the base but it will give us enough time to bring in the rest of the army and form a defense.



Never before has the ED army moved with such speed. We need to unload everyone faster than we ever have. The UCS and Ashanti will be counter-attacking any moment. A loss here will give them free reign to drive to Egypt and it is unlikely we can withstand and assault from both at once.



The welcome party has done their job. The Ashanti will not be able to build any modern tech tanks for a bit. I now order them to kill anything they can before they die. Their sacrifice for our Khan will not be forgotten!



As I suspected, the UCS have engaged us. The majority of the army has not arrived yet, but the UFO and heavy rocket fire from the Khrushchevs should be enough to drive them off.



Maybe not...

Note the one Ashanti tank in the attack group. Had we not disabled the WPCs there might be additional Ashanti forces in this group.



We take brutal casualties but manage to drive them off. We are unlikely to survive another massed assault like this though.



To prevent a large front like that from opening again I have the Gruz build a wall, funneling any enemy land forces into a narrow pass.





The Ural is complete and I've decided to create two chassis: an energy weapon platform and a physical damage platform. The laser/ion cannon combo should be utterly devastating and chew through the shields of all but the toughest LC units in seconds.



With our forces having repaired and recovered, it's time to eliminate the Ashanti before the threat grows too serious. We are probably not perfectly equipped for the task at this time, but this is our last chance to hit the base while it's weak. I'd rather strike when we're both weak rather than when we're both strong.

Besides, we have the trump card in our UFO.



With the UFO leading the attack the Ashanti have no chance. All that remains now is cleanup of the-wait what's that!?



The Ashanti have tried to flank us from behind. They must have sent some of their tanks into the UCS base. Fortunately my judicious use of Noise Generators ensures the flanking maneuver is scattered and disorganized.

But they still can shoot at our utility units with impunity. We'll need to move in some units to defend our flank.



We arrive in the nick of time! The Ashanti flanking maneuver was actually a feint intended to draw us away from the true thrust of the attack: a renewed UCS assault on our base. Fortunately our defenders were properly positioned to counter the threat.

With the Ashanti neutralized it's time to take the fight to the robots! For our motherland!



Dear god. Those base defenses are impenetrable. F-fall back! Everyone fall back!

We will need to re-think this plan, a frontal assault is suicide.



Maybe the upgraded Ural can help.



The UCS attempt another counter-attack but with the wall constructed and the full might of the ED army present they have no hope.



The mountains surrounding the base may be high, but perhaps a small team of Groznys can cut the power and allow our ground forces the opening the need to penetrate into the base.



The upgraded Urals sport a bit more health and speed.



Nope! Looks like the UCS have finally learned how we beat their bases and have put up defenses along every corridor to the base's power supplies. We manage to take out one Energy Transmitter but backup supplies ensure the towers are still functional.

It is a slaughter.



I rush the two survivors into the center of the base, trying to scout out anything I can. It looks like I was right and some of the Ashanti have fled into the UCS base. We'll have to take care of them later though.



Our first Ural is on the field, however as long as those defenses are up there's no point in deploying him to the front.





This calls for a more cunning flanking maneuver. I send the UFO to the unexplored northwestern landing site. There's a massive resource field here, so at least we won't be wanting for resources this mission.



Unfortunately the area is completely enclosed by the mountains. While this will make it very safe for a mining base, it won't help us in our attempt to flank the UCS.



Maybe we'll have better luck at the southwest landing zone?



Yes! There's a small pass that opens up into the center of the UCS base. It's still defended but the UFO might be fast enough to sneak through.



Even better, there's a second path with a direct line of site to a poorly defended UCS Power Plant. I order it destroyed.



There is a second Power Plant close by, however it is far better defended by the Large Towers and Fortresses on the cliffs.



The UCS have discovered the source of our attacks and have leveled the LZ. The UFO is now trapped deep behind enemy lines. We cannot lose the UFO! Attack the front of the base! Save the UFO!



Initial casualties are horrifying. Some tanks don't even make it out of the mountain pass. But the suicide attack seems to be working to a degree. The Urals are disabling some of the towers.



Yes! This is great news. The Thors have managed to make it to the rear of the defensive line and knocked out power to the southern static defenses. We're still getting pounded from the northern line but this might be enough to ensure the UFO can make it out.



Our last tank is destroyed. The final result of the battle is total annihilation of our army and airforce, but we managed to take out almost all of the defenses. The UFO can now escape.



But he'll destroy the power plant to make sure the UCS cannot rebuild their defenses here.



The center of the base is not defended at all, so the UFO may as well do some more power damage.



He's followed back by the remnants of the UCS air force but it's not enough. We've rescued the UFO (again)!



Up in the northwest corner I've got a mining operation going. We'll have more than enough resources to rebuild the army.



The UCS have sent over a radar scout. I'm not sure why, maybe they want to see what our new army looks like?



Why they were so interested in getting a look I'll never know, since we were about to move into their base anyway. With the defenses powered down its easy to move in.



One Jaguar is not enough to stop the UFO.



The UFO is able to take some punishment to knock out this Power Plant. The UCS are getting really good at defending themselves from our quick strikes.



Somehow in the chaos of battle we manage to capture a UCS Large Tower. I guess one of the Ural hLs disabled it and a repairer captured it.



Power is down to almost all the base defenses. The only remaining threat is weapons mounted on buildings.



Which aren't much of a threat at all. We've also managed to capture another UCS Tower.





Might as well power them up. Yes, if you capture buildings and give them power they'll work. You can't build enemy units like in Command and Conquer or Red Alert but it's quite satisfying turning the enemy's weapons against him.



The only thing left are these research cen-hey why is everyone suddenly blowing up?

...

Damn you mines!



Okay Minelayer go clear out those mines so we can finish killing these robots.





Good job! That's a hell of a lot of mines though. I'm glad I decided to actually build a minelayer to destroy them rather than just running all my tanks over them.



With the mines destroyed the cleanup is simple. Our alliance with the Ashanti is over though

But with the capture of the Congo the UCS are running out of areas they control on the continent. All that remains is the naval base in Algeria and a few scattered outposts in Central Africa.





Our casualties are truly brutal. We lost more units than the Ashanti did and had about half the casualties the UCS did, even though we won this fight.

Hmm, it seems we have some sort of transmission coming in. This is not standard Dynasty protocol. What the hell is going on?



WARNING WARNING WARNING




The damned Ashanti! They're trying to get us from the grave. They must have told them about our plans to go nuclear in Africa before we wiped them out in the Congo. Now we've lost the base and the UCS are deciphering our launch codes. This is an extreme situation, one unlike any we have ever seen. If the UCS determine our launch codes not only will they be able to launch against all our positions in Africa but they will have the codes to all ED nuclear weapons.

Our war will go from success to failure in an instant as our own rockets rain down on the Spaceport. There is no time to waste! We must deploy NOW!