CnC 3 Strategies

[Northbridge]

Just wondering if anyone has any good strategies in CnC they would be willing to share.

I’ve only played as GDI so far because it’s got the least micro and seems like a good faction to learn the game with. I still haven’t got a really good build order down with them yet. Right now I go
Crane > Power Generator + Refinery > Barracks > Sell refinery queue up another

This seems to work well for me right now, although I find it a bit slow. Works good because I get an extra harvester and riflemen squad for cheaper then it would cost to build them.

 

[aznpxdd]

Eh, I've been playing both Nod and GDI campaign (about 4/5 done on both of them) and they don't really require any strategies. Just mass units and charge usually works, but I'm sure its different in multiplayer.

 

[rayg]

You just figured out how C&C3 sucks...there are no strategies, you just mass units. So lame.

 

[Dan_D]

You just figured out how C&C3 sucks...there are no strategies, you just mass units. So lame.

That's how I play and it works in just about every RTS game I've ever played.

 

[hardc0re]

you mass units when you're playing the AI on easy. put it on hard at least and we'll see how far you get.

 

[Bop]

I usually use sneaky tactics, create a large assault that will really just act as a diversion and then when the heat adds up slip something devastating under their nose. I always played Allied in RA2 and now I play Nod.

In this case if you're Nod send a bunch of tanks/flametanks to attack their harvesters, when they counter-attack drive stealth tanks/ shadow troops/ a commando positioned at the other side of the map into their base and wipe out all their structures. Air support helps.

EMP buggies can help prolong the diversion, send them in after your tanks engage to disable some enemy units so Nod's weaker units can live slightly longer. Keep a reserve of rocket bikes somewhere, they'll be the hammer to your tank's anvil if you sneak them up right behind the enemy.

 

[Rich Tate]

That's how I play and it works in just about every RTS game I've ever played.

I'm with Dan. Zerg zerg and moar zerg.

 

[rayg]

That's how I play and it works in just about every RTS game I've ever played.

Played COH? How about Warcraft 3?

 

[Jalidi]

I play GDI. Lots and lots of harvesters seems to be key. Once you have tons of tiberium flowing you can just pump out units like mad. A trick you can do is to build a refinery immediately, then sell the refinery and get a solider (for scouting) along with a harvester. Then rebuild refinery and you'll have two harvesters. You sell the first refinery since by the time the first harvester has filled and is ready to come back to base, your second refinery is built and you no longer need the original building. I just sell it immediately and get my scout moving.

Then you build a power building, then a war factory and start pumping out units, including more harvesters with the occasional APC... then a second war factory, and pump out even more units, nothing but predators. Then another power building and from there your build order can vary, basically you can turtle and tech up (railgun!) so you can steamroll the opposition, or continue to build up low-tier units and rush, or shift to an air war and build Orcas for air superiority.

 

[Chubz]

Here are the following "trends" in multiplayer right now:

GDI - Mass Predators (with APC's if needed for infantry threats)

Nod - Mass Scorpions. Period.

Scrin - Fast-tech to air; hold off, harass opponent until then; get plenty of air units and your opponent will have an extremely hard time stopping you. If you get the Tripods in combination with these, you'll be nigh impossible to stop.


If you watch most of the top replays on Gamereplays.org, you'll see that it's mostly tank spam and not much more. Unfortunately, tanks are so powerful that it's tough to find any convenient counters to them at this time .. even rocket soldiers don't stand much of a chance against them because of their slow rate of fire and ability to be crushed.

The Scrin is really the only faction that I've seen diverse tactics used with. Nod and GDI are almost always - if not always - tank spam. Tank, after tank, after tank, after tank. I've yet to see a single example of effective infantry usage in a replay.


There is going to be the first major balance patch released at the end of this month, however. When it's released, things should be changed for the better. Until then, though, it's honestly just the same ol' same ol' with very few unit combinations and the same battles over and over. Gets really boring after a while.

 

[Technoob]

Shame to hear....CnC have always been decent games, but multiplayer has always been tank rush fest.

They need age of empires or COH style counter units that actually work and make for a rock paper scissors experience. CnC is too often ROCK SMASH ALL in its strategy.

 

[Chubz]

Shame to hear....CnC have always been decent games, but multiplayer has always been tank rush fest.

Indeed.

If you go to Gamereplays.org, you can download top replays, etc. The sad part is that even the top players use the tank, tank, tank, tank strategy to win.

I've seen this all too often in every top replay I've downloaded. I even downloaded two replays in which EA developers were playing against some other guys online, and took some screenshots of how each "matchup" turned out. These screenshots are 100% real and I've yet to see a single game that doesn't play exactly like this:

This, folks, is your average C&C 3 multiplayer game.

Mass Predator (GDI) tanks

Mass Scorpion (Nod) tanks

Mass Seekers (Scrin tanks)

Mass Seekers vs Mass Predators. Yay for variety!

Here's hoping the patch at the end of this month helps things out balance-wise. As of now tanks are just ridiculously overpowered.

 

[Technoob]

I don't see how a patch will change a decade of gameplay philosphy with this series

 

[Vagamus]

Played COH? How about Warcraft 3?

Yeah, mass and charge works in wc3, its mostly what you use to keep the otherside busy while you micro your spells into use. COH you're too busy managing territory to properly defend against what usually happens; a mass apc/engineer rush.

However, if you really want to get away from mass and charge, go play conquest: frontier wars. I've challenged people for years to come at me with a mass of their best perceived unit and beaten it every time. Very few ways to use minimal unit schemes in the game bc it requires fleet composition, true fleet composition, not 3 good units in a single group. Also encourages variety w/ the use of admirals, though i know people who do not use them and suffer for it against experienced players. It has a learning curve but its 10x better than anything else i've found.

The thing with cnc3 is that its a very simple, easy, and quick rts to play... its not meant to make you think/work/play too hard to get what you need to do done. If you want something a little more complex than that you go with supcom/coh/dow. cnc3 is very much in its respective line, but it is a lot more complex than even generals was.

For instance, its not all mass and charge, you can, w/ nod, fly shadow's behind the enemies base and take out his power to cripple him, or use gdi's snipers to bomb his damned base from ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE MAP, ect. All that plus all the accessory powers you can use to sway your fights. The scrin are really where the zergrush is at, w/ their carriers and ion storms.

Its not by any means simply a mass and rush game, and its not by any means a deep strategy game... its just an rts that fills the niche for quick competitve play. Its pretty, it works, and its got variety.

For an EA title, i'd say it is definitely impressive regardless.


ps, worth noting this line of games is really where the term "tank rush" got popular

 

[Vagamus]

Shame to hear....CnC have always been decent games, but multiplayer has always been tank rush fest.

They need age of empires or COH style counter units that actually work and make for a rock paper scissors experience. CnC is too often ROCK SMASH ALL in its strategy.

Uh, it does.

If you take a group of recon bikes up against tanks and you keep em mobile, they prevail. If you use groups of nod's suicide bombers vs almost anything but riflemen/anti-inf defenses, they prevail. If you throw snipers up against groups of infantry, they prevail. If you take aircraft up against tanks, they prevail. Everything you would expect to counter a tank rush with works, but people often resort immediately to counter tank rushing w/ tanks... instead of rocket troopers, which work wonderfully as well in groups.

Boils more down to players being reactive instead of proactive with their tactics.

 

[Bop]

Uh, it does.

If you take a group of recon bikes up against tanks and you keep em mobile, they prevail. If you use groups of nod's suicide bombers vs almost anything but riflemen/anti-inf defenses, they prevail. If you throw snipers up against groups of infantry, they prevail. If you take aircraft up against tanks, they prevail. Everything you would expect to counter a tank rush with works, but people often resort immediately to counter tank rushing w/ tanks... instead of rocket troopers, which work wonderfully as well in groups.

Boils more down to players being reactive instead of proactive with their tactics.

Exactly, I have only ever fallen to one tank rush in my history of playing C&C games. It's tough but if you effectively use some micro by adding air support and so on you can overcome, and when you do the way is clear to trample all over their base.

 

[trick_m0nkey]

Starcraft.

 

[Shottah_king]

you mass units when you're playing the AI on easy. put it on hard at least and we'll see how far you get.

Thats exactly right, everytime I try to mass when playing the AI on medium i get my ass handed to me. I need to learn some more strategies. But what are the strategies for GDI, they don't have any stealth units, they must move in force, and If i try to build mamoth tanks with rail guns by that time the enemy has swarmed in and wiped out half my base.

 

[ilkhan]

...

thats...massed...tanks?
You have another couple squads that size hanging just out of zoom?
I've sent more *monkeylords* during assaults than that...</supcom fan

it's honestly just the same ol' same ol' with very few unit combinations and the same battles over and over. Gets really boring after a while.

Its a C&C game. What do you expect? Innovation?

 

[rayg]

Yeah, mass and charge works in wc3, its mostly what you use to keep the otherside busy while you micro your spells into use. COH you're too busy managing territory to properly defend against what usually happens; a mass apc/engineer rush.

However, if you really want to get away from mass and charge, go play conquest: frontier wars. I've challenged people for years to come at me with a mass of their best perceived unit and beaten it every time. Very few ways to use minimal unit schemes in the game bc it requires fleet composition, true fleet composition, not 3 good units in a single group. Also encourages variety w/ the use of admirals, though i know people who do not use them and suffer for it against experienced players. It has a learning curve but its 10x better than anything else i've found.

The thing with cnc3 is that its a very simple, easy, and quick rts to play... its not meant to make you think/work/play too hard to get what you need to do done. If you want something a little more complex than that you go with supcom/coh/dow. cnc3 is very much in its respective line, but it is a lot more complex than even generals was.

For instance, its not all mass and charge, you can, w/ nod, fly shadow's behind the enemies base and take out his power to cripple him, or use gdi's snipers to bomb his damned base from ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE MAP, ect. All that plus all the accessory powers you can use to sway your fights. The scrin are really where the zergrush is at, w/ their carriers and ion storms.

Its not by any means simply a mass and rush game, and its not by any means a deep strategy game... its just an rts that fills the niche for quick competitve play. Its pretty, it works, and its got variety.

For an EA title, i'd say it is definitely impressive regardless.


ps, worth noting this line of games is really where the term "tank rush" got popular

COH and WC3 are real strategy games required great micro skills. CNC3 requires almost no micro, its just "lets mass tanks and have a large battle." Looks cool, but gets boring quickly. Play COH competitively online, I see new viable strategies every week.

 

[eeyrjmr]

You just figured out how C&C3 sucks...there are no strategies, you just mass units. So lame.

You played DawnOfWararkCrusade?
guess not

 

[JSC450]

Ive got a replay of myself using just about every unit from the GDI war factory and missle squads from the barracks. Main unit was the mammoth tank. had to defend against an early shadow troop harrass also. If you cant beat a tank push, try mixing some lower tier units with a few tier 3 armor.

 

[annaconda]

Oh GOD you guys are so dead in the match against me. Right now my score is 20 / 0 in online 20 wins 0 loss.



Come play online i have a surprise strategy for you guys.

 

[Direwolf20]

Heres a neat trick.

Scrin

You know that ability that encases a group of units in a force bubble? It renders them completely impervious to harm, yet at the same time renders them useless?

Did you know if works on buildings. Like power plants, for example.

I used that in one of the the scrin missions. There were 6 power plants sitting near each other in the enemy base. I used that on 3 which crippled base power, sent my units in, killed the other 3. By that time, the first 3 became un-shielded, but the base was still drained of power. Destroyed the other 3. Win.

 

[Dan_D]

Played COH? How about Warcraft 3?

No and yes.

I don't really like Warcraft that much. I just couldn't get into the series.

 

[Vagamus]

COH and WC3 are real strategy games required great micro skills. CNC3 requires almost no micro, its just "lets mass tanks and have a large battle." Looks cool, but gets boring quickly. Play COH competitively online, I see new viable strategies every week.

Yet coh is just as repetitive. Lack of defenses means you pretty much have to run all over the place defending your flags, which gets WICKEDLY boring after a while, imo. Also, the old apc eng/rifleman rush for one.

cnc3 has more strategy aspects than coh does.

cnc3 fills a niche, just as coh does.

Personally, i don't like to play rush games all the much, i tend to stick to supcom or cfw, but i do enjoy coh, dow, and cnc3 when i don't want to invest that level of brainpower into what i'm doing.

The truth is... i'll probably play through cnc3's campaigns and then MAYBE i'll play some coop with friends now and then. Thats pretty much all i like doing with these games; comp stomp. Reason has more to do with simpletons ruining these games (again, this is my opinion) by making them short and not using them to their full extent.

 

[Vagamus]

Ive got a replay of myself using just about every unit from the GDI war factory and missle squads from the barracks. Main unit was the mammoth tank. had to defend against an early shadow troop harrass also. If you cant beat a tank push, try mixing some lower tier units with a few tier 3 armor.

Zing.

Build fast, useful against tanks.