Airmech Map Review And Strategy.
Duel
Duel Strategies
Duel is not a very complex map as indicated by the name. You will see it snakes through the middle with the only neutral creeps being in the middle section. This allows you to secure your entire side before anything serious happens. When you are ready to move out, it is time to start destroying those neutral forces.
There are a few things to be wary of. We should start with the back door. We all know what the back door is. When someone drops a powerful unit on your doorstep from behind. This allows that unit to do a lot of damage. There are no power pads in the back of your base and it is on a separate pathway that can easily keep a tank alive for 15-20 seconds. That is enough to lose the game.
Another serious spot to watch for is your farthest back outpost. The reason for this is that enemy creeps will come down the two far sides. This means if it is left undefended it will most assuredly be captured. Even without the other player trying. Let alone if he did.
The last thing I want to mention about Duel is that if you have artillery available to use it. You can do massive amounts of damage with this maps setup using artillery. Just be sure to have a few tanks and seekers near it to keep it safe until you can arrive as it will be attacked...Not maybe...
Nesthorn
Nesthorn Strategies
This map is not overly complicated. Again, an important middle base. However it is not just defended by neutral tanks anymore. This map it is essential to hold the middle at all costs. The reason for this is that power pads are plentiful and in difficult spots to attack. If you hold your entire side efficiently you will have much more money than your opponents. On all other maps this would not be the case.
Some ideas you can put to the test to put you on the winning team.
Luck. Always a good bet.
If you are more like myself and dislike playing the odds then you may want to make sure you have money makers in your army as you can place over 10 of them within the first 3 minutes of the game. This is a huge income boost and will allow you to build a much bigger army than your opponent will be able to deal with.
I may also recommend that you attempt to harass their money makers. This may seem obvious but as you search for them it will also allow you to see if they are in fact using all the pads properly. If not, sit back you have already won. If they are then you can snipe a money maker or two, get good experience and distract from the central outpost. Don't forget how important it is on this map. It is the only defensible choke point with no other routes around.
Back doors on this map are barely even a threat. I always place two T-99 on the small bridges to the sides of your main base and this is enough to keep would be annoyances at bay. It is only a small landing area to use so only a single tank fits with a T-99. This means they cannot do any severe damage in any short amount of time. Ideal! I do say.
Sandrim
Sandrim Strategies
This map is very unique. The majority of the outposts are sunken in like fox holes. There is an outpost in the middle with 4 power pads but it is barely worth holding as it does nothing to affect the land battle aside from income. The unit limit is best used elsewhere. It also has a lot of sneaky spots to put artillery as well as to hide seeker tanks to throw your enemies off. It tends to go one team gets one side and the other gets the other side. Even right up to the enemy base. It just seems all the creeps tend to go the same way each time which is opposites for each team. Makes it somewhat interesting.
Some tips I would suggest for this map would be to grab the outpost closest to your enemies base that is not theirs at the beginning of the game. This is risky but if you ignore all other outposts and put all your units there they will be hard pressed to remove you. This means all the outpost up to that point will slowly become yours as your creeps capture them and your front base kills all the enemy creeps. As you place seekers and gemini you will become nearly unbreakable. The only thing is you absolutely have to keep your air mech at this outpost the whole time until you make a push or you will lose.
The only other thing I recommend on this map is to fortify every outpost. It is so easy using the terrain it isn't even funny. There is no excuse for losing outposts to anything but a focused attack.
Your favorite?
Favorite Map
Simple
Simple Strategies
This one makes me smile. Being 'simple' is the best description of this map. Main base, two outposts and a center base. This map is just like Nesthorn, if you allow them to hold the middle for the first 5 minutes you lose. You also need to be wary of back doors on this map. To keep you a bit safer for the first few minutes there are neutral tanks and seekers on the outskirts of the map to keep people in line.
To mention a couple important strategies. I would say it is vitally important to focus on the center base for the first five minutes. Bust down your side and move infantry in. Use your airmech to keep them at bay. Turrets and artillery are very effective in guarding the center.
If you by chance lose the center or do not get it in the first place you absolutely have to harass. You can back door, it will not be a kill but it will force them to deal with it. Followed up with dropping infantry on their outposts and killing money makers. This will allow your creeps and previously built forces to push the center.
Thar
Thar Strategies
Thar is widespread. The outposts up the sides make it difficult at best to hold center. This makes it important, obviously, to keep those outposts secure. There are neutral seekers at one outpost, 4 T-99 at another and the rest have HAAT and tanks. You almost have to use artillery to kill the T-99 one and the center.
If we dig deeper into the strategy you will notice as you play the far off outposts with 2 HAAT and the 4 T-99 are not taken right away and most people kill off the HAAT and secure that outpost as it is an island and if easy to hold even if your enemy attempts to take it. However most people miss completely that these outposts are taken. This can lose you the game if they have money makers there with minimal units. It gives a big economic boost.
A lot of people are firm believers in tank lines but in this setting the distance is just so long it is hard to get that to work as airmechs and artillery can whittle it down the whole way across the map if they are any good at all.
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks Strategies
The strangest map to date in the Air Mech beta. There are only two outposts. Both insanely well defended by neutral units. It is the only map with neutral mines. This makes it a race to the bottom center one as it is the only bridge to the enemy base. Airmechs play a large roll on this map as there are many chokes and spots where tanks and seekers are rendered immobile and easily killed off. Makes for a very interesting map.
When it comes down to strategy you have to look at the big picture. If you take the island in the center it is a decent income with 4 power pads. The only issue is that it is open to attacks and easy to snipe the money makers and few units there. If you invest too many units you will lose through the bottom center. This makes it imperative that you don't invest too much time and money into taking and keeping it but if the opportunity arises to take it easily get it.
Now moving on to the bottom. A few fixers would be nice to carry along if you have an underused unit slot. They can remove the 8 neutral mines in place of losing 8 tanks. Your infantry will not run over the mines which makes sacrificing tanks an expensive way to clear the mines.
If you can take and secure the bottom, you win. If you have the bottom and island you can drop tanks and turrets on the narrow neck of land up towards the island it is hard to defend especially when you know your impending doom is coming from the south.
Chasm
Chasm Strategies
Chasm has 6 outposts and allows you to easily take 2 of them without seeing any neutral units. The center is a dangerous place to be. Seekers, tanks and T-99s. Everywhere. Not only in the middle but also on the sides barring units from moving on the ground to the enemy base. IT is really hard to clear it out as the ones in the middle are split by the 'chasm' with the only thing connecting them being an outpost which units cannot travel through. This means all your units must go north or south or you must take an enemy outpost. Long story short you have your work cut out holding enemy territory with a massive advantage to them or busting through 6 neutral units on a narrow bridge which is practically impossible.
Strategies are already kind of covered. In short holding middle is hard and doesn't serve much purpose. If you are brave you can move in right in the start for an enemy outpost and drop all your units and turrets right away. Since they have 4 power pads if you put turrets on all of them you will be harder to dislodge but you have to focus on limiting their mobility and their ability to build a tank line in their base to break your outpost. If you can do that you have it in the bag.
Vale
Vale Strategies
Straight shot down the line. All there is to it. There are lots of outposts scattered about but only two through the center. One for each time. No power pads at all on them.
This makes it crazy as you have no easily defended areas. In this case a good offense is the best offense. You may also want to make sure you have tanks ready near your base for back doors as a tank line, jackal rush or back door are the only options and each has a certain point in the game they are viable. You would have a hard time forming a tank line from anywhere but your fortress and using artillery is impossible if your opponent has a brain. It really has no strategy at all except get more units than your opponent. Airmechs are limited in their utility but you can still use it to help a bit. The best case scenario is that you can get a few of the outlying bases freed from large amounts of neutral units and economically beat your opponent while you build up a bigger army.
Conclusion and Random Map
Random map explained in depth.
IT IS COMPLETELY RANDOM.
Any questions?
I will say in closing that I appreciate your time and would request you leave a comment with that you liked and with what I can improve as well as any request for more guides and content.
A huge tanks to Carbon games!
Thanks for reading and go kill some air mechs!
If you are looking for me in game I am Zerohours.
:)