Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars offers a radically fast-paced real-time strategy experience with all the depth you'd expect from the critically acclaimed series and the genre as a whole. Whether you're a GDI fan, a Nod fanatic, or look forward to embracing that all new Scrin faction, the following tips should set you up with a solid tactical foundation.
Blistering Pace
The pace of the game may be both its greatest strength and most alarming strategic hurdle. Put simply, you can't play Command & Conquer 3 at the same pace as most other real-time strategy games. Units and structures are built so quickly and the units themselves are so speedy, that the map is uncovered in a hurry and enemies are quickly engaged.
Those that are used to "turtling," or holding back and building up a strong defense might need to rethink their priorities.
Building Priorities
Your immediate priority—even before building a Refinery—should be to stock up on three to four anti-infantry and anti-vehicle units, such as GDI Riflemen and Missile Squads. Build a barracks immediately after placing your first power plant and place your units near likely enemy entrance points.
Build a series of defense structures, such as laser and shredder turrets, near your most important buildings (construction yard, refinery, barracks). It won't be long before you want to send out the bulk of your army to annihilate the competition, and turrets will ensure you have time enough to react if the enemy strikes while you're away.
Tiberium is Good
You may not have enough time to spend resources on research in the beginning, but spending enough to solidify your resource gathering is wise. You should:
- Build one refinery per nearby tiberium field.
- Build a vehicle producing unit (e.g., the Nod's War Factory) and build a few extra tiberium harvesters.
- Build at least one tiberium silo to expand how much tiberium you can hold at any given time.
Tool Tips
Command & Conquer 3 does a remarkable job of informing you of the strengths, weaknesses, uses and required prerequisites for units, powers and structures. After attending the tutorial Boot Camp to get a feel for the game, turn your attention to the descriptions that accompany every unit, structure, and power to better understand all the tools at your disposal.
From something as simple as understanding that you must always build a Power Station before any other structure, to the chain of events that must transpire to activate an Ion Blast, the helpful tool tips will smooth your way to commanding and conquering the enemy.
Engineer Strike
The most common tactic among RTS players is the rush attack using several hastily built, underpowered units to overwhelm the opposition while they're busy building structures, and ignoring their defenses. However, the tactic is so well known that its effectiveness has been muted. If you use this tactic to disguise an Engineer (Nod's Saboteur, Scrin's Assimilator) attack though, you may be able to quickly cripple your enemy. Surge toward the enemy base with several infantry units to attract attention. While your enemy is busy defending, send the engineer in to capture their Construction Yard.
It may not be an instant victory, but with the Construction Yard in your possession, notching a win is nearly guaranteed.
Recognize the Unit
Combat unit matchups that play to your strengths and exploit your opponent's weaknesses is always key, but there's more to it than simply sending anti-vehicle units against a platoon of GDI tanks rolling through your base. For example, even though Scrin's Buzzer units are designated as anti-infantry, they won't last two seconds against the explosive might of the Nod's Fanatics. However, since the Fanatics can only attack ground units, you can rip them to shreds with a nearby anti-infantry air unit.
Primary Unit Upgrade
While boasting a well rounded army is important, you should place some early effort in seriously upgrading at least one unit type. For example, if you're playing the GDI and work well with armored vehicles, you would do well to build a Command Post and Technology center immediately after building your vehicle-producing War Factory. Then, you can pour resources into unlocking the devastatingly effective Mammoth Tank. Don't get caught up in upgrading everything equally, but instead, focus on one thing at a time.
Neutral BuildingsScattered across most maps are a few neutral buildings that can provide immeasurable assistance, especially at the beginning of a match. Send out an Engineer in the early going to track down and capture these buildings (one Engineer per building required) and you'll score an immediate advantage. For example, capturing a Tiberium Spike will not only provide a consistent source of bonus tiberium, but it will also ensure you're not financially crippled if the enemy destroys your refineries.
A Little Sprawl is FineThe hub of your base—the Construction Yard—provides a finite radius from which to build. However, if you place structures on the outskirts of this radius, you'll find the building area slightly enlarged. This is especially helpful in placing turrets and other defensive structures along the furthest edges of your base to provide as much advanced warning as possible of an impending enemy attack.
