Battlemaster tank

The Battlemaster is 's main battle tank (MBT) in Generals.

Overview
Relatively inexpensive and quick to build, the Battlemaster is designed to be crush its opponents with great numbers; groups of 5 or more Battlemasters gain a Horde Bonus, improving their rate of fire. While it is not as advanced as American tanks, it is easily capable of crushing the relatively frail GLA armour in a head-on fight, and powerful upgrades are available from the Nuclear Missile Silo to make it even more formidable. The tank lacks any anti-air protection and effective anti-infantry weapons, but can run down infantry.

Upgrades

 * * Pre-installed on General Tsing Shi Tao's Battlemasters.

Game unit
The Battlemaster alone is something of a mediocre unit, lacking the speed of the GLA's basic and the armour of the 's Crusader Tank. It is still quite effective against vehicles and structures as its gun is as strong as a Paladin's, but China's key armoured unit is the Overlord tank. The Battlemaster requires protection from other units to compensate for its weaknesses - Gatling tanks are most effective for this purpose.

The Battlemaster, however, is potentially an extremely capable anti-tank unit once its numbers reach a certain mass. When grouped in units of 10 or more, it can maintain the devastating horde bonus long enough to eliminate its enemies. This tactic still has many drawbacks. The Battlemaster is about as fragile as an Overlord for cost, but is far weaker, meaning that an air strike that will leave an Overlord on Propaganda Tower repair would instead kill off a Battlemaster.

A mass of Battlemasters will also have a large footprint, making it impossible for them to have the entire platoon fire from stand-off distances, thus necessitating that Battlemasters close distance, possibly into enemy traps. Finally, as Battlemasters require large numbers to be effective; a true Battlemaster attack is a bit of a gambit, absorbing large quantities of resources without providing versatility to defend against its counter-units. The other option is a combined assault using both Battlemasters, Gatling Tanks, Dragon Tanks and/or Troop Crawlers.

Zero Hour

 * One of General Ta Hun Kwai's Generals Powers allows him to drop Battlemasters anywhere on the map by air (up to 4 Battlemasters at the highest level). Kwai's Battlemaster is also cheaper to produce and has the autoloader upgrade available (Kwai's unique upgrade), greatly increasing the tank's firepower.
 * General Shin Fai does not build Battlemasters, as he shuns tanks, but, after capturing a war factory of a rogue Chinese General, all Battlemasters gain the Nationalism upgrade and, when upgraded, also Patriotism.
 * Being a nuclear general, Tsing Shi Tao's tanks automatically roll out with nuclear shell and nuclear engine upgrades. This feature is clearly seen in the tank design (clearly distinctive from the common Battlemaster). The nuclear shell also leaves behind radiation, similar to GLA's toxin shell upgrade.