Nightfall: Mission Seven

[GuyMacon]

Is there a strategy that works?

[GranitePenguin]

Originally Posted by GuyMacon

Is there a strategy that works?

Obviously, since folks have finished the campaign. :-)

It's been discussed in the "who's completed it?" thread. Here's my take on it:

I did it by using HVYs and GEVs; roughly 2/3 GEV, 1/3 HVY. I put the HVYs and one group of GEVs on the left side with access to the roads, and the other group of GEVs on the right side, and spilt the INF between both sides.

I ran the GEVs up the roads and started with the MBs, then focused on trading shots at treads between the Ogres. Don't underestimate the value of the 1:2 ratio shots of GEVs against a D4 MB; it's surprising how often it works.

Since the main issue is speed, it's important to not get wrapped up in reducing a single Ogre by multiple movement; it's better to get them all to M2, then M1, otherwise one of the ones with M3 will sneak through. Dropping by even 1 movement lengthens the map. I also made sure to place AUs in position to fire at multiple Ogres each turn so I could shift gears and change to the next-fastest Ogre once I had reduced the speed of a different one.

Don't be afraid to force the Ogre to overrun, either. Especially toward the end, you can knock off a couple treads by ramming if you really need to. Overrunning can be very effective against a defanged Ogre; you will lose a unit to ramming, but you get 2 rounds of free fire at the treads, and GEVs can do it twice in one turn.

By the time the 3rd wave is coming in, the INF are in a decent position to harass in the middle of the map with a couple of the GEVs. The AI seems to try avoiding units, so it's possible to corral them into the middle.

[GuyMacon]

Originally Posted by GranitePenguin

Here's my take on it:

Yup. That worked. It is really, really important to slow down one or two Ogres while they are near the top, or they end up too far down for the reinforcements to be effective. Slow them down though, and you can pick all-GEV reinforcements, do a drive-by overrun, then keep going to help out near the coast.

[Polycarbonate]

All of the ingredients to beat this scenario are here - it is all about rapidly defanging the main batteries, and then chipping the mobility down to 2 MP and then 1. Once you've knocked out all of the MK 1 MBs, and begun to slow down the Ogres' rush to the coast, winning is just a matter of time.

I also had success with using heavies - SHVs might work too, but having more units for screening helped. And despite their advantage in firepower, getting overrun in a SHV is still a splat, whereas you can get two heavies for the same amount of points.

The infantry can really become helpful in big, tread destroying stacks if you funnel the Ogres into the swamps and cities in the middle of the map. Operating out of cities or swamp, the infantry are very hard for the Ogres to kill, and in swamp in particular the AI is very reluctant to attempt an overrun.