Metaltech - Earthsiege Tips

METALTECH: EARTHSIEGE GAME PLAY TIPS
revised 6/16/95

Sierra Technical Support        Phone:  (206) 644-4343
PO Box 86000                    FAX:    (206) 644-7696
Bellevue, WA 98015-8506 BBS:    (206) 644-0112

PLEASE NOTE:  This document contains game play information 
ONLY.  If you are having a technical problem with Metaltech: 
Earthsiege, please download the file ESFAQ.TXT.


Technical Support has limited information on Metaltech:  EarthSiege 
strategy and game-play hints.  This document contains answers to some 
frequently asked questions.  For additional game-play information, 
Sierra recommends the Metaltech:  EarthSiege manual and on-line 
forums that address game play. CompuServe and America On-Line have 
active forums where you can obtain valuable information from your 
fellow EarthSiege combatants.

There is a tutorial on pages 11-14 in your game manual which will be 
helpful.  It is also advisable to set the Mission Params menu to allow 
unlimited ammunition and invulnerability until you are familiar with the 
controls and game-play.


QUESTION:  I can move my Herc with the joystick, but how do I move 
the turret?
ANSWER:  Press button #2 on your joystick, or press INSERT on the 
keyboard to change to turret mode.  You will still be moving in the same 
direction as before, but the turret will move independently.  You can 
also control the Herc movement with the joystick, and the turret 
simultaneously.  Press 'J' for right, 'K' for left, 'I' for up, and 'M' for 
down.

QUESTION:  How do I know which Hercs are friends and which are 
foes?
ANSWER:  Friendly Hercs are light brown, enemy Hercs are gray.  On 
radar, the enemy is red and team mates are blue.  Enemy Skimmers are 
yellow.  Also, if you push 'T' to engage the target, only the enemy can 
be targeted.

QUESTION:  I'm ready to start a career, but I haven't mastered the 
game completely.  How do I set the career mode up for easier play?
ANSWER:  Currently, the career mode comes with just one setting:  
very difficult.  Installing the patch disk will add the ability to change 
career modes to easier settings.  See Section 7 - Obtaining a Sierra Patch 
Disk.

QUESTION:  In the First Campaign: Second Mission, I keep getting 
killed before I even reach the waypoint.  How do I complete the second 
mission?  
ANSWER:  Read your mission objectives carefully.  In many missions 
the waypoints are there for your reference and are not part of your 
objectives.  Your objective here is to just get in close enough to the 
enemy base to get a target lock on one of the new 'Mongoose' class 
enemy Hercs.  Once you get your target lock, get away as fast as you 
can.  There should only be one active enemy Herc you have to deal with 
prior to reaching the base, along with a few Arachnitrons (spiders).  
Once you are past these, switch to Active radar so that you can get a 
target lock from a distance.  Once you see the enemy base's buildings 
(green dots on your radar screen), bring your Herc to a full stop.  You 
should be out of range of the base's gun turrets.  Press F5 to switch your 
display to Target Status.  Just cycle through the targets (by pressing T on 
your keyboard) until you see a 'Mongoose' on your target display.  Now 
just turn around and leave the area, as soon as you are clear of enemy 
contact the mission will be complete.

QUESTION:  When I use the Rudder Control System why do the 
controls seem to work backwards from the way it works in my flight 
simulations?
ANSWER:  These are two different types of vehicles which work on 
different mechanics.  In a flight sim, you are controlling a cable 
connected to the rudder at the rear of your plane.  In EarthSiege, you are 
steering the Herc the same way you would steer a car.  When you push 
your left foot forward in a plane, this causes the rudder to turn sideways 
on the left side of the plane.  The wind catches it and pushes the plane to 
the left.  If you push your left foot forward in EarthSiege it is like 
pushing your left arm forward on the steering wheel of your car.  Your 
car, and your Herc will turn to the right.  In ES, the rudder control pivots 
the Herc in sync with the pedals.

QUESTION:  How do I destroy Skimmers?
ANSWER:  Always destroy enemy Hercs first, before dealing with 
Skimmers.  Although Skimmers are pesky, they do relatively little 
damage.  Keep your Herc moving.  Press the 'F4' key to bring up your 
radar.  Click on MODE to set your radar to active, then turn your Herc 
until the skimmer is in the forward cone of your radar.  Click on 
TRACK to enable your ATT (Automatic Target Tracking), and press the 
'T' key to target the skimmer.  Now your Herc's turret will 
automatically track the Skimmer and keep it in your sights.  Fire at will.

QUESTION:  Why do the enemy Hercs keep swarming all over me?  
Why are they ignoring the other friendly Hercs?
ANSWER:  Switch off your active radar, and return to passive mode.  
Active radar is needed to find targets quickly, and to lock-on your 
missles, but the longer it stays on, the more likely  you will become the 
target.  The enemy will home in on your radar emissions and attack en 
masse.

QUESTION:  How can I stop wasting missiles?  Every time I fire, 
missiles are launched without locking on to the target first.  They always 
miss.
ANSWER: Your supply of missiles is limited, and they should be used 
only when you have a target in your crosshairs. Remove them from the 
firing chain so that they are not fired indiscriminately. To do this, press 
and hold the ALT key, followed by the number representing missiles in 
the firing order.  The green box to the right of the number should 
disappear.  To launch a missile, simply press the correct number key.  
Make sure you have gone to active radar, and have a lock-on.

QUESTION:  Gut keeps telling me to capture some new enemy 
weapons.  How do I do that?
ANSWER:  When you come across an enemy Herc during your 
mission, take pains to shoot it in the legs, disabling it rather than 
destroying it.  If you are an accomplished marksman you can direct your 
fire carefully, and blast the enemies weapons off of its torso.  Either 
way, you may find you have captured a weapon.  Captured weapons will 
show during your debriefing.

QUESTION:  No matter how many Hercs I take out, General Gierling 
says I'm worthless and should be working for the other side.  What does 
it take to satisfy this guy?
ANSWER:  The General is a real hard case.  It isn't enough to just 
destroy Hercs, you must accomplish all of your mission objectives 
(press F11 if you've forgotten what they are) and return in decent repair.  
Some missions (such as rescuing a comrade) have a time limit.  You 
must work fast.  Gierling will give you a real pat on the back if you 
manage to accomplish all of the mission objectives in a healthy and 
timely manner.

QUESTION:  How do I obtain salvage to build new Hercs with, and to 
repair damage after each mission?
ANSWER:  Every time you destroy an enemy Herc, you are credited 
with the salvage of its remains.

QUESTION:  I'm in the career mode, and the going is tough.  I'm stuck 
with a weak Herc.  How do I obtain a better Herc?
ANSWER:  While you're in the service bay, click on CREW.  Highlight 
your Herc and click on HERCS.  Select the best available Herc for your 
own use, and make sure the rest of your crew have the best remaining 
Hercs.  Once you've collected some salvage, you can click on BUILD 
and select a better Herc to be built.  When it is finished, return to CREW 
and select the newly built Herc.

QUESTION:  On some missions, I'm supposed to download data from 
an enemy base.  How do I do that?
ANSWER:  Find the rotating communications dish among the enemy 
buildings.  Press T to target the building and stand next to it, but do not 
destroy it.  It would be wise to issue a radio order to your crew members 
to prevent them from taking out the target before you can download the 
info.  Left on their own, they have little direction.  Shortly, you will see 
the verification in the text box that you have successfully downloaded 
the data.  Now take out the enemy communications and continue with 
the mission.

QUESTION:  I have tried all of the suggestions, yet I still have 
problems surviving.  What else can I try?
ANSWER:  One of the most common strategic mistakes made in 
EarthSiege is to march head-on against the Cybrid forces.  Their 
numbers are many and they usually out-gun you.  An indirect hit-and-
run technique may work best for you.  Whenever you see an enemy 
target on your radar (represented by a red dot) do not just head straight 
for it like you would in an arcade game.  Look over the situation.  How 
many are there?  Are they moving or stationary?  If they are stationary 
they are probably guarding something and will tend to stay in that area.  
If this is the case many times you can stay just outside of their perimeter 
and destroy them where they stand.  You can lock on to a target even if 
you cannot see it.  If you switch your display to Target Status with the 
F5 key, you can watch the damage you are doing with long distance 
shots.  Arm your Herc with as many Autocannons as you can.  They do 
the most damage from a distance and leave more energy for your 
shields.  If you are facing several mobile targets, send your crew ahead 
of you and then come in right behind them.  This will allow you to 
survive an unavoidable head-on battle.  But most of all, just keep 
practicing.  Your skills will improve.  Plan each attack.  Keep aware 
what you crew is doing and keep them together.

QUESTION:  On the box it says there are 45 missions and 8 campaigns, 
but I can only find 40 missions and 5 campaigns.  How do I access the 
other missions and campaigns?
ANSWER:  If you succeed in every mission, and play the optimal 
campaign path, that is all you will see.  The other missions and 
campaigns are alternates, and you will see them if you lose some 
missions.  Since there are 5 campaigns per career, to explore the 
alternates, you would have to lose the last mission of the first, second or 
third campaign.  This will put you into the alternate path.  There are 
actually 60 possible missions, total, but on an average you will play 45 
per career.