This tutorial introduces some new vehicles and their special commands.

1 - Start Tutorial 5 - Advanced Vehicle Commands.

2 - Select the Robo-Dozer at 46,32.

3 - Click the right-most button in the top row of Command Icon buttons in the Command Pane. This is the Bulldoze button. Move the cursor back into the Detail Pane. The cursor has changed to the Bulldoze cursor.

4 - Move the cursor to 43,34. Press and hold the left mouse button. Move the cursor to coordinates 47,34 and release the button. This will drag-select a long region that will be bulldozed. This technique allows you to bulldoze large areas with one command. In this case the Robo-Dozer will create a “road” between the smelter and the mine.

5 - When the Robo-Dozer has finished, move it to 41,36. Select Cargo Truck #1-01 at 45,28 and move it to 43,34. Then move it to 51,34. Notice how much more quickly it moves on bulldozed terrain. Each terrain type has a different effect on vehicle speed; bulldozed terrain is always the fastest.

Most vehicle commands that require a vehicle to move somewhere and do something (Move and Attack, for example) allow you to set “waypoints.” These are specific locations you want a vehicle to pass near en route to its destination. Use this to avoid certain terrain features, enemy vehicles, or Guard Posts.

6 - Select Cargo Truck #1-01.

7 - Press and hold down <Ctrl>. The cursor changes to the Waypoint cursor. Click the ground at 55,35. A small red rectangle with the number 1 in it appears. This is the first waypoint.

8 - While still holding down <Ctrl>, set three more waypoints at coordinates 61,32 then 61,39, and 53,40. Finally, release <Ctrl> and click on the final destination point at 49,36. You can set up to seven waypoints on a route.

9 - The Cargo Truck will begin to move. Based on the terrain and your vehicle’s intelligence it will move to the final destination passing on or very near the waypoints in the order you set them.

You can set ore-hauling routes for your Cargo Trucks. They will carry ore from a mine to the smelter and continue to do so without you having to specify the mine and smelter each trip. Once you set the route, the trucks will continue to follow it until you command them to do something else.

10 - Select Cargo Truck #1-01.

11 - In the Command Pane, move your cursor over the right-most button in the top row. This button, which looks like two arrows going from point to point, is the Set Route button. The Status Bar shows the function of this button as SET AN ORE-HAULING ROUTE. Click this button.

12 - Move the cursor into the Detail Pane. The cursor will turn into the Dock cursor. Setting an ore route is a three-step process. First, the Status Bar prompts you to SET PATH TO MINE. This allows you to designate the route from the Cargo Truck's current location to the mine from which you want to get ore, using waypoints if desired. Click the Common Ore Mine's dock at 49,35.

13 - Next, the Status Bar prompts you to SET PATH FROM MINE TO SMELTER. This allows you to choose a route to the smelter at which you want to process this ore, again with the option of using waypoints. You can dock only at a smelter that is equipped to handle the kind of ore the mine produces. Click the Common Ore Smelter's dock at 41,33.

14 - Finally, the Status Bar prompts you for the return route to the mine by saying SET PATH FROM SMELTER BACK TO MINE. Click the dock of the Mine again.

15 - The truck will now drive to the mine, then the smelter, and then back to the mine and continue this route until you command it to do something else. Use waypoints with this command to avoid traffic jams or perhaps an enemy turret along the route. You can also cancel this command while setting any of the legs by pressing the <Esc> key, by de-selecting the vehicle(s) or by clicking another Command Icon button.

16 - You can “tag” or “bookmark” groups of vehicles as well. Select the three EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Lynx Tanks and the two Spiders. You can either drag-select them or shift-click to add them to a group.

17 - When all five vehicles are selected press <Ctrl+1>. This is now designated as group 1. You can tag up to nine groups of vehicles in this way, using the keys <Ctrl+1> through <Ctrl+9>.

18 - Deselect the group (right-click) and move your cursor to 1,1. Now press the <1> key. The Detail Pane will jump to the approximate center of the group.

19 - The EMP/Spider group is a powerful combination. The EMP weapon, if it hits, temporarily disables a target vehicle. If a Spider is nearby when this happens, the Spider can “re-program” the disabled vehicle so it takes commands from you. This allows you to capture opposing vehicles. Move your EMP/Spider group to 56,21- near the Repair Vehicle at coordinates 56,28.

20 - Select one of your EMP Lynx and attack the Repair Vehicle. When the Repair Vehicle is disabled by the EMP, you will see blue static electricity playing over it.

21 - After you have disabled the Repair Vehicle, select one of your Spiders and click the left-most button in the second row of Command Icon buttons. This button, which looks like a computer magnetic tape reel, is the Reprogram button.

22 - Move the cursor into the Detail Pane. The cursor will change to the Reprogram cursor. Click the EMP-disabled Repair Vehicle. The Spider will move next to it and begin reprogramming. If it has enough time, it will reprogram the vehicle to be under your command. The reprogramming has been successful if the vehicle changes to your player color.

23 - If you have a Spider nearby when an enemy vehicle becomes EMP-disabled, and if the Spider is not busy with another command, it will automatically move to the enemy vehicle and attempt to reprogram it.

24 - Select a Lynx and move it near the Microwave Guard Post at 49,19. Have the Guard Post attack the Lynx. Let it hit the Lynx several times - enough to do heavy damage - but stop the attack when the Lynx’ strength bar is flashing red. (If you destroy it, take one of the other Lynx and try again.)

25 - Select the Repair Vehicle you captured earlier. Click the right-most button in the top row. This button, which looks like a wrench, is the Repair button. When you move the cursor into the Detail Pane, it will change to the Repair cursor. Click the damaged Lynx.

26 - The Repair Vehicle will drive over and begin repairs. As the Repair Vehicle works, look at the Metals indicator in the Status Bar. Metals are used when doing repairs.

27 - Both the Repair Vehicle and Spiders can repair any vehicle (except Spiders and Scorpions) up to half of the damaged vehicle’s maximum Hit Points. The Repair Vehicle will stop repairing your Lynx when it reaches this point. Full repairs must be done at a Garage (see Tutorial 6). Repair Vehicles, Spiders, and Construction Vehicles (ConVecs) are the only vehicles that can repair structures; structures may be repaired up to their full Hit Points.

28 - Locate Cargo Truck #1-01 when it is loaded with ore and select it. Order it to Stop. Click the right-most button in the second row of the Command Icon buttons. This button, which shows an arrow coming out of a Cargo Truck's bed, is the Dump Cargo button. The Command Pane asks you to confirm the Dump Cargo order. Click YES. The truck will empty its cargo bed. A dumped cargo is lost permanently.

29 - Click the left-most button in the second row of Command Icon buttons. This button, which shows a Cargo Truck in a field of rubble, is the Salvage button. This button is available only for Cargo Trucks when a) they are not loaded, and b) you have an Active GORF (Garbage and Ore Recycling Facility). Move the cursor into the Detail Pane; it changes into the Salvage cursor.

30 - Move your cursor to 30,19, above and to the left of the rubble field. Press and hold the left mouse button and move the cursor to 32,23 to drag-select an area over the rubble field. Release the button.

31 - The Status Bar now prompts you to set the route to the GORF and the cursor changes to the Dock cursor. You can set waypoints or just click the cursor on the dock at the GORF at 41,27. The Truck will now move back and forth from the rubble field to the GORF.

32 - You can also pick up a load of rubble from one tile by just moving an empty truck on top of it. Rubble and wreckage can be loaded in a truck this way. Select Cargo Truck #1-02 and try this on the rubble field. Move the truck to 34,22. The truck will move to the location you selected. After a brief pause the rubble will be loaded into the truck. After the rubble has been loaded, click the Dump Cargo button.

33 - Select Cargo Truck #1-02. In the Command Pane, the Status display shows these Command Icon buttons: Move, Stop, Set Route, Salvage, and Self-Destruct.

34 - Shift-click Cargo Truck #1-03 (at 47,28) to form a group-selection. The Command Pane now indicates that you have 2 Vehicles selected. In the Command Icon buttons, Move, Stop, Set Route, and Self-Destruct are still there, but the Salvage button has disappeared. You may order only one Cargo Truck to Salvage at a time.

35 - Shift-click the Robo-Dozer. The Command Pane shows that you have a group of three vehicles and the Set Route button is no longer available. This is because a Robo-Dozer can’t haul ore. When you have a group of vehicles selected, the Command Icons available will be determined by the types of vehicles selected.

36 - Click the left-most button in the bottom row of Command icon buttons. This button, which shows arrows and dots moving away from a center point, is the Scatter button. This button is available any time you have more than one vehicle selected. Use this when a group of your vehicles are about to be attacked by a weapon that does damage to all vehicles in an area, such as the EMP.

37 - Shift-click the Robo-Dozer again to remove it from the group. Set an ore-hauling route for this group using the same mine and smelter as you did before. Try placing several waypoints during one of the legs of the route as well. Remember you can press the <Esc> key to cancel the command before you finish setting all three legs of the route. Setting bookmarks for both the mine and the smelter (<Ctrl+F5> to <Ctrl+F12>) is a convenient way to jump between the two locations when you are setting ore hauling routes.

The Robot Command Center is one of the most important structures in your colony. Vehicles have a limited computing capacity and without a Robot Command Center Active they do not choose their routes as efficiently.

38 - Select the Robot Command Center at 35,26.

39 - Click the VEHICLES button in the Command Pane. This will show you a list of all available vehicles and how many of each kind you currently have.

40 - Double-click the words Cargo Trucks. This will select the lowest-numbered available Cargo Truck. Press <Tab> several times to go through all your trucks in order. The Robot Command Center is a convenient way to keep track of your vehicles.

41 - Select the Robot Command Center again. Click IDLE. This will “turn off” the Robot Command Center.

42 - Select a Cargo Truck and move it to 20,20. When it gets there, move it to 54,37. Watch the Cargo Truck closely at it finds a path between the two points.

43 - Move the Cargo Truck back to 20,20. Select your Robot Command Center again and click ACTIVATE.

44 - Select the Cargo Truck at 20,20. Move it to 54,37, then back to 20,20. Watch as it finds a path this time. An Active Robot Command Center will enable your vehicles to find a more efficient route.

This is the end of Tutorial 5.

• Go Back to Tutorial 4 - Continue on to Tutorial 6
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