| “ | Come on, General. I'll show you the meaning of "death from above"! - Granger |
” |
The Air Force General Challenge is a Generals Challenge level that pits the player against air force specialist Malcolm Granger.
Walkthrough[]
Defeat by General Granger
Malcolm Granger is heavily reliant on his overwhelming air superiority to steamroll opponents; his aircraft incorporate laser countermeasures to neutralize most air defense missiles. In contrast, his ground forces are rather weak. Most of the time they consist of Rangers and Missile defenders that will advance directly across the closest bridge. In addition to any aircraft he may have, Granger's base, located in a mountain valley behind tall impassable ridges, has two entrances which are protected only by Patriots. These are easily bypassed by infantry and are entirely dependent on his power supply. While Granger doesn't cheat like Kwai (who gains 5000$ whenever if his balance falls below 1000$), he does have a few Supply drop zone to keep unit production going for a while
Attacking Granger is infeasible until a line of air defenses have been set up to destroy his aircraft, which should focus on units and structures that are not affected by his aircraft's defensive lasers. He will start his onslaught by Paradropping Rangers, then send endless waves of aircraft. Two nearby oil derricks can provide sustenance earlier on. While Granger does not employ any superweapons, they are still useful to the player in an offense since they can destroy his power sources and airfields, as trying to beat him at his own game tends to be impractical.
The Air Force General is formidable in the hands of a human player but, fortunately, the AI tends to be unimaginative, and will simply launch identical waves of air attacks. This can exhaust his economy rapidly, as his units are expensive and vulnerable.
On Easy difficulty, the same strategy largely applies, sans his Paradrop.
USA[]
- The expensive Avenger is absolutely necessary to neutralize Granger's aircraft, as Missile Defenders are completely ineffective. Their lasers can bypass Granger's countermeasures, and can also shoot down missiles fired by enemy aircraft.
- Paradrops can be threatening without Humvees, as it is unlikely for Pathfinders to be available this early into the game.
- Amassing Particle Cannons and Supply Drop Zones should be done only if the Avengers can comfortably handle air raids in the foreseeable future. They should be used to take out Granger's power grid and Command Center to stop him from rebuilding anything. Feel free to use A-10s, Spectre Gunships and Paradrops once the Patriots are offline.
- Colonel Burton can also scale the mountain wall encircling Granger's base and potentially sabotage it from within, provided that Comanches don't get to him.
Townes[]
- The Laser Defense Turrets are almost made for this challenge. They have a high power requirement but can eliminate aircraft with lethal precision.
- Take advantage of the Avenger's discount and produce them earlier than usual once the infantry attacks have been dealt with.
Alexis Alexander[]
- Avengers are required for air defense, as EMP Patriots' missiles can be easily dismissed by Granger's laser countermeasures. While they can still take one down with splash damage, they are too slow to consistently hit anything that isn't a Comanche. Once Granger's resources deplete, Particle Cannons can be safely amassed.
China[]
- The Gattling Cannon is by far the best all-round base defense here. It has a fair price, good durability tough, ignores countermeasures, all while shredding aircraft/infantry. Gattling Tanks are also useful to a lesser extent.
- Try to build several Nuclear Missiles and save them all for the main assault. In addition to air defense units, ground attacks should account for infantry garrisoned in various civilian structures.
- Artillery Barrage is best used on key structures, such as one of the airfields, to weaken aerial onslaughts temporarily. Meanwhile, the EMP Pulse is next to useless, but Carpet Bombing can be reasonably effective against ground troops.
Shin Fai[]
- Disposable Mini-Gunners can provide a supplementary source of defense against aircraft and infantry when garrisoned in Fortified Bunkers, while providing a large number of small targets for distraction.
Ta Hun Kwai[]
- Since no artillery units are available, and Granger's base has only two narrow entrances accessible to vehicles, pushing through directly without air power or superweapons will always result in major losses.
Tsing Shi Tao[]
- Nuke Cannons don't require a promotion point to unlock. They do require some escort for a ground assault, but their impact is beyond compensation.
- Advanced Nuclear Reactors will certainly sustain Nuclear Missiles much better.
GLA[]
- Because the Stinger Site fires missiles, it is completely ineffective beyond baiting enemy aircraft and to fight off Comanches. Instead, deploy as many Quad Cannons as possible to engage them and infantry.
- Tunnel Networks can help Quad Cannons to recuperate should they suffer heavy damage.
- Jarmen Kell is of limited use, as Quad Cannons deal with infantry just fine and the only enemy ground vehicles worth sniping are Construction Dozer, which contribute little to the fight overall.
- Apart from a frontal assault, the Sneak Attack power can also be used after clearing enemy Cold Fusion Reactors and aircraft with two SCUD Storms. Fill the Tunnels with Quad Cannons or prepare lots of Battle Buses loaded with RPG Troopers, and unleash them when the time is right.
- If aiming for a direct assault, use Bomb Trucks to clear our garrisoned civilian structures, as Toxin Tractors can be easily destroyed by enemy air units.
Prince Kassad[]
- Saboteurs can scale cliffs and potentially avoid the Patriot Missile Systems to target certain exposed Cold Fusion Reactors, taking many structures offline. Provided if the garrisoned infantry are dealt with, a ground assault spearheaded by countless Quad Cannons can potentially tear the base open.
- The GPS Scrambler can be used to conceal Quad Cannons. Placing a few along known flight routes can attrit degrade incoming aircraft.
Rodall Juhziz[]
- The Demolition upgrade combined with a Rebel Ambush can cause serious damage, potentially taking an Air Field or two.
- Jarmen Kell can be used to plant charges, but again this proves risky compared to Colonel Burton, as he cannot scale cliffs and relies on the Sneak Attack tunnel to enter the base after SCUD Storm is used to take out many Cold Fusion Reactors.
Dr. Thrax[]
- Building a Toxin Network can potentially stop enemy infantry from overwhelming the base and relieve pressure from Quad Cannons.
