LC - Artillery.
Courtesy of SpaceTug
Artillery.
It is unwise to leave the artillery to fire on its own as it will quite likely destroy friendly units. Instead, use scouting to identify enemy positions and use the artillery to make it hard for enemies to get into your base:
| 1. | Click on the artillery you want to use to fire. |
| 2. | Press A to activate attack mode. |
| 3. | Click on the spot that you want to fire on. |
You can also click on an enemy unit or building to keep firing until the unit is down. The method above will fire two shots then stop, but it saves wasting ammo this way.
Don't think that the artillery is a defence-only weapon, however. A weapon with such a long range and with such a large damage rating can be invaluable to your attack. See the Artillery base strategies for more information.
The LC Artillery single-fires 3 plasma artillery-like shells which blast everything around the hit area. The disadvantage with these shells it not only that they are weaker than the ED artillery's, but it is painfully obvious what direction that they appeared from. The LC Artillery also suffers from being the one with the shortest range, costing 10000 and requiring 5 solar cells to run.
However, it remains a great strategic unit. The LC artillery can be lifted down on to any flat 2-square space and begin attacking immediately. Note that the build time for the artillery is huge. It will not come down until all other buildings, wherever they are in the queue, are brought down.
As the UCS or ED, using artillery offensively involves dragging along some Constructors and setting up a whole base. However, as LC you can use artillery as a quick strike method against new OPC or MCC buildings. A quick witted opponent won't let you resupply and continue to assault the base, but hopefully any MDW buildings will be down by then.
Artillery Strike.
| 1. | I'll assume that you've just discovered a MCC setting up silos in the enemy base. The first thing you need to know is where the base ends. You must select a good artillery spot: preferably high, away from any higher terrain. You have a range of 50 squares to play with. |
| 2. | A distraction may help you out while you wait for the artillery to arrive. Even a suicide force to slam into the base will do. You need LOS* on the MDW building. Once you've got it in view, you can save the position using terrain markers. |
| 3. | If you're in a real rush, fire the moment your artillery arrives. If not, you may wish to bring down defensive structures and an Aerial Supply Depot to cover the artillery. |
| 4. | Fire your artillery and watch the MCC and silos burn! |
Q. Should I build defensive structures down at the same time as artillery?
If your plan is a more laid back, strategic assault, then yes. Otherwise, since defensive structures will halt the building of the artillery, you should move swiftly on.
*Line of Sight - being able to see where something is.