Minigunner (Tiberian Dawn)

Minigunner is the basic GDI and Nod infantry unit in Tiberian Dawn.

Background
The minigunner is the backbone of infantry units of both the Brotherhood and the Initiative, equipped with modern battle-dress uniforms and body armor (usually a variation of the U.S. PASGT system). For ease of recognition, GDI soldiers are issued equipment with the distinctive Six-Color Desert Pattern, while Nod opts for a monochromatic version of the M81 U.S. Woodland camouflage pattern. Weapons issued to minigunners vary and include the GAU-3 Eliminator chainguns (identical in performance to regular 5.56 mm assault rifles), M16 rifles, and the Cobretti AR-70 Raptor automatic rifle.

At least in GDI's case, the magnitude of the conflict and the attrition suffered in constant clashes with Nod forced the Intiative to drastically reduce training duration: Basic training originally lasted three months before being reduced to just four weeks by the end of the First Tiberium War. Likewise, the quality of equipment issued to soldiers varied as well.

Game unit
Trained at Hand of Nod and barracks, minigunners are inexpensive and expendable. They are cheap recon units that can be expended exploring the map and locating the enemy or intercepting enemy rocket soldiers and light vehicles. In larger numbers, they are an effective meat shield against light vehicles and anti-tank defenses, such as turrets or Obelisks of Light; they can overwhelm it in numbers due to the Obelisk's low fire rate and no splash damage.

Splash damage is a weakness in general. Nod minigunners are particularly vulnerable to Grenadiers, guard towers, and MLRS, while GDI soldiers need to watch out for Nod's flamethrower infantry, flame tanks and artillery.

Both should be wary of any heavy vehicles, as their relatively short range allows tanks to simply run over them. Their life expectancy can be extended by liberal use of scattering (X key).