No edit summary Tag: Source edit |
No edit summary Tag: Source edit |
||
Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
{{UnitBox |
{{UnitBox |
||
|name = Battlemaster Tank |
|name = Battlemaster Tank |
||
− | |cameo = |
+ | |cameo = <gallery> |
+ | Gen1_Battlemaster_Cameo.png|Basic |
||
+ | ZH Nuclear Tank cameo.jpg|Tsing Shi Tao |
||
+ | </gallery> |
||
|image = <gallery> |
|image = <gallery> |
||
ZH_Battlemaster_Tank.jpg|Basic |
ZH_Battlemaster_Tank.jpg|Basic |
Revision as of 12:50, 11 December 2023
“ | China's tank division. - Battlemaster tank rolling out of the War Factory |
” |
The Type 88[1] Battlemaster tank, is China's main battle tank (MBT) in Generals and Zero Hour.
Overview
Relatively inexpensive and quick to build, the Battlemaster is designed to 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.
Game unit
“ | We will prevail! - Battlemaster |
” |
The Battlemaster is a reasonably powerful unit that can pull its weight in battle - its main cannon does respectable damage, and its armor can withstand a decent amount of damage before giving in. They are also cheaper than the USA's better armored Crusader Tank, which makes them easier to deploy in larger numbers.
However, Battlemasters truly shine when fielded in groups or mixed in with Red Guards (or Mini-Gunners) or Tank Hunters; the Horde Bonus that these units gain provide them with a rate-of-fire increase, giving them an edge over opponents in battles. This combination is deadly on its own, but reaches an even greater destructive potency when upgraded with Autoloaders (Ta Hun Kwai only), upgrading their shots per clip from one to three. Coupled with the decreased reload time from a Horde Bonus, Battlemasters can unleash a torrent of tank shells upon their unsuspecting enemies.
The other advantage that the Battlemaster had over other MBTs was the number of upgrades available to them, and the diversity within their tank columns. Most Battlemasters could be upgraded with better engines and more potent ammunition, thus increasing their speed and damage respectively. China's nuclear specialist required these to be fitted onto his Battlemasters by default, and they additionally released a small nuclear explosion when destroyed - opening the possibility of a suicide rush in the most dire of situations. The Tank General could upgrade his Battlemasters with the aforementioned Autoloaders, but could also ensure all of his Battlemasters rolled out of the War Factory with elite status, conferring a boost to its stats and auto-healing. The Infantry General, though unable to assemble Battlemasters himself, could strengthen the boost any under his command received when under the effects of a Horde Bonus.
Counters
The Battlemaster alone is something of a mediocre unit, lacking the speed of the GLA's basic Scorpion tank and the armour of the USA's Crusader Tank. The Battlemaster, being only effective against vehicles, requires protection from other units to compensate for its weaknesses - Gatling tanks are most effective for this purpose.
The Battlemaster's Horde Bonus conditions also confer a relatively large drawback. The Battlemaster is more fragile than its American counterpart, and their lack of AA weapons mean that air strikes can decimate a horde of Battlemasters very quickly. Swarms of anti-armor infantry can also make short work of even groups of Battlemasters at range. Tanks also sometimes accidentally damage each other when firing at infantry that another is attempting to crush, and the larger group of tanks correspondingly increases the chances of this happening when eliminating the aforementioned anti-armor infantry (or any in general).
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 the distance, possibly into enemy traps. Ambushes at choke points also take their toll, since it cuts off effective deployment of the entire force. 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. A much more effective option would be a combined assault using both Battlemasters, Gatling Tanks, Dragon Tanks and/or Troop Crawlers to cover armor, infantry, aircraft, and structures.
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 also is automatically granted veteran status (elite if the corresponding General's Power is chosen) and is 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 any other Chinese General, all Battlemasters gain the Nationalism upgrade and, when upgraded, 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 (unlike the standard Chinese Battlemaster upgraded with nuclear shells), similar to GLA's toxin shell upgrade.
Upgrades
Battlemaster Elite Training | All Battlemasters will be built as elite. | Purchasable at the General's promotion menu by General Ta Hun Kwai at any rank. | |
Autoloader | Increases the Battlemaster's firing speed (fires three shots before reloading). | Purchasable at General Ta Hun Kwai's Propaganda Center for a cost of 2500$. | |
Isotope Stability | Radiation released by the destruction of the Battlemaster stops harming friendly units. | Purchasable at General Tsing Shi Tao's Propaganda Center for a cost of 2000$. | |
Nationalism | Increases the Battlemaster's horde bonus by 25%. | Purchasable at any Propaganda Center for a cost of 2000$. | |
Uranium Shells | Increases the Battlemaster's damage by 25%. | Purchasable at any Nuclear Missile Silo for a cost of 2500$.* | |
Nuclear Tanks | Increases the Battlemaster's speed by 25%. | Purchasable at any Nuclear Missile Silo for a cost of 2500$.* |
- *Pre-installed on General Tsing Shi Tao's Battlemasters.
Changelog
- Zero Hour patch 1.03: now displays upgrade cameo for isotope stability (Tao only)
Quotes
When created |
---|
|
When selected |
|
When selected (General Tao's variant) |
|
When ordered to move |
|
When ordered to attack |
|
When ordered to crush |
|
When received upgrade: Uranium Shells |
|
When received upgrade: Nuclear Tank |
|
When received upgrade: Autoloaders (General Kwai's variant) |
|
Cut quotes
When received upgrade: Fusion Reactors |
---|
|
When received upgrade: Weapons Grade Uranium Shells |
|
Trivia
- The Battlemaster has what appears to be a rocket launcher mounted on top of the turret though it is unused. It could also be an infrared searchlight for night combat.
- The Battlemaster tank is largely representative of the real-life Type 59 main battle tank (a basic copy of the Soviet T-54/55 tank).
- Much of the Chinese arsenal in Generals resembles a Cold War-era military force (with obvious exceptions, like the Overlord). In the Battlemaster's case, this is almost certainly because the older, Soviet-style 'pudding-basin' turret makes it easy to visually distinguish from American tanks.
- Files left over in the game's code suggests that the completion of the Nuclear Tanks (called "Fusion Reactors" in the voiceline) and Uranium Shells upgrades was originally supposed to play an audio cue to notify the player. This was cut for an unknown reason.
- Alternatively, these could have been upgrade ideas that were ultimately scrapped, though upgrades with similar effects as (presumably) that of the original were implemented anyway.
See also
- Crusader tank, American counterpart
- Laser tank, General Townes counterpart
- Scorpion tank, GLA counterpart
References
- ↑ Electronic Arts Pacific, Command & Conquer: Generals. China mission 1: "The Dragon Awakes".
|
|