Z - Strategy Guide (Page 01)
Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for Z - Strategy Guide (Page 01).
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| XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX | Last Updated
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CONTENTS
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1. Copyright Information
2. Version History
3. Introduction
4. The units and buildings
5. Individual level strategies
<*> General Information
<1> Virgin Soldiers
<2> Psychos
<3> Death Valley
<4> Desert Islands
<5> Hot Nuts
<6> Sooty Bolts
<7> Pyro Technics
<8> Molten Kombat
<9> Slippery Jim
<10> The Wall
<11> Chilly Willy
<12> Heavy Metal
<13> Hot n Steamy
<14> Restoration
<15> Swamp Fever
<16> Light Brigade
<17> Car Park
<18> Bridge Game
<19> Mayhem
<20> Z
6. Other game-related stuff
7. Acknowledgement and Thanks
8. Other non-game stuff
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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
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Before using this FAQ in anything, please ask for my permission first.
The text is all my work, so I would appreciate some credit. This FAQ is not
to be cut up in any way, it is either used in full with my permission or not
at all.
The game is (C) 1996, The Bitmap Brothers. Portions (C) 1993-95 Scitech
Software. Published by Renegade Software. Distributed by Virgin Interactive
Entertainment (Europe)
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VERSION HISTORY
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1 - First one. Not much else.
2 - I decided to expand it halfway through the writing of the first
version, so it never really saw the light. It's difficult to say what
came from each version, but V2 is much larger than I anticipated.
3 - Hardly a NEW version, but it's more than V2. I absent-mindedly forgot
to put in the first appearance of the Mo. Missile and Missile in the
unit information, so I fixed that up.
4 - General corrections, as well as a date of edit.
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INTRODUCTION
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I've played Z a few times, it's a refreshingly unique game. Many of my
friends have trouble winning without cheating (via trainers, not by codes),
so I wrote this to help anyone else.
The best way to describe Z, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is
that it is the lighter side of real-time strategies, while still being a
good challenge. It is presented in classic Bitmap Brothers style (compare it
to the Chaos Engine if you don't understand what I'm saying) and has some
classic humour in it. All in all, it's a great game.
I was playing the PC version that was released in Australia. It has also
been released on the Playstation, and I assume that all the levels are the
same. If there are any differences, please tell me.
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THE UNITS AND BUILDINGS
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This section gives the statistics for every unit and the strengths and
weaknesses. It also gives some tips for using them and fighting against
them. It also describes the function of buildings, and shows what they can
manufacture at the different levels (if appropriate).
ROBOTS
------
GRUNTS - First appearance: Level 1
Intelligence: 3
Speed: 5
Armour: 1
Range: 5
Damage: 2
Fire Rate: 8
Cost: 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Quick to build.
Cons - Everything else.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using Grunts: Try not to. Only use them if you desperately need a quick
unit to capture a vehicle. Otherwise, avoid them like the
plague once you get something better.
Fighting Grunts: Send absolutely anything (except your own Grunts) and you
will win, provided that your unit is not already damaged.
PSYCHOS - First appearance: Level 2
Intelligence: 4
Speed: 2
Armour: 2
Range: 5
Damage: 1
Fire Rate: 10
Cost: 2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Fast firing rate.
More intelligent than Grunts.
Cons - Can't take much damage compared to other robots.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using Psychos: Use them to take out enemy Grunts and Snipers, and to bulk
out your army if you need to. You could try to get them to
take out enemy Jeeps or Cranes, but don't send them against
other vehicles.
Fighting Psychos: Send any kind of Tank, or Toughs. Pyros and Lasers
will also be able to beat them, it may take a little
longer though.
TOUGHS - First appearance: Level 5
Intelligence: 3
Speed: 3
Armour: 6
Range: 5
Damage: 4
Fire Rate: 5
Cost: 4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Can take more damage than any other infantry.
Destructive.
Don't require grenades.
Can attack buildings without the use of grenades.
Can fire faster than tanks.
Cons - Slow. As slow as Grunts.
Really stupid, and therefore inaccurate.
Only two robots per group.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using Toughs: They are best in large groups, but keep them with other
Toughs or they will get left behind due to their slow speed.
Great for when you need explosive power and don't have time
to build tanks.
Fighting Toughs: Your best plan in the earlier levels is to send two or
three Light Tanks against them. Otherwise just swamp them
with Jeeps or Psychos. If you have some spare, send your
own Toughs against them.
SNIPERS - First appearance: Level 5
Intelligence: 10
Speed: 7
Armour: 2
Range: 7
Damage: 2
Fire Rate: 7
Cost: 6
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Long range.
Smartest unit.
Fast on feet, good at avoiding shots.
Cons - Can't take much damage.
Weak gun.
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Using Snipers: Use them to take out Gatlings and Guns. If possible,
replace robots in artillery with Snipers. Remember that if
they have grenades they can throw them as far as they can
fire.
Fighting Snipers: Send anything except Grunts, Snipers and Jeeps to kill
them. If they are attacking your artillery, and you have
no suitable reinforcements, vacate the artillery and run
a short distance away. When the Snipers run in to take
the artillery, jump back in and they should be within
range.
PYROS - First appearance: Level 7
Intelligence: 6
Speed: 5
Armour: 5
Range: 5
Damage: 3
Fire Rate: 6
Cost: 7
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Good all-round unit.
Can attack buildings without the use of grenades.
Four robots per group.
Good damage for infantry.
Cons - Slow firing rate (relative to other robots)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using Pyros: They are best to defend against most other infantry, as well
as Jeeps and Light Tanks (if you're lucky). Against anything
else, either use a large group of Pyros or something else.
Fighting Pyros: Against a single group of Pyros, send anything stronger
than a Light Tank. Against a large group, either swamp
them with Light and Medium tanks, or attempt to lure them
within the range of a Howitzer or Missile. Toughs may also
be effective, but make sure you have two groups of Toughs
to every one of Pyros.
LASERS - First appearance: Level 11
Intelligence: 3
Speed: 7
Armour: 3
Range: 6
Damage: 3
Fire Rate: 7
Cost: 9
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Pros - As fast as Snipers.
Four robots per group.
Larger range than Gatlings or Guns.
Good damage for infantry.
Cons - Low armour for a high-level infantry unit.
As dumb as Toughs.
Slow build for infantry.
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Using Lasers: Use them instead of Snipers to take out Guns and Gatlings,
since they will destroy them quicker. Although they will
beat most low-level infantry, Pyros may beat them and Toughs
have a decent chance. Lasers can also beat Jeeps and
occasionally Light Tanks.
Fighting Lasers: Send two Medium or one Heavy Tank against them. A Mo.
Missile might also be effective, but get backup in case
it doesn't kill them all in one go. Otherwise just bring
them in range of a Howitzer.
VEHICLES
--------
NB - Any manufactured vehicles will come with a Grunt driver. APCs will
contain a single grunt rather than an entire group. The intelligence
of a vehicle depends on the robot driving.
LIGHT TANK - First appearance: Level 2
Speed: 7
Armour: 6
Range: 5
Damage: 4
Fire Rate: 7
Cost: 6
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Pros - Fast for a Tank.
Quick firing rate.
Fairly quick to build.
Cons - Can't take a lot of damage.
Standard range. Can't take out artillery without being in danger.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using Light Tanks: In the earlier levels they will be one of the most
powerful units. In the later levels, they should be
used to defend factories while more powerful units are
being built. They can also take out Gatlings well, and
can sometimes beat Guns. Until the appearance of Pyros,
they can take out infantry easily (with the possible
exception of Toughs).
Fighting Light Tanks: If you're feeling gutsy, you could try sending a
Jeep. Medium Tanks will beat them but they will
sustain some damage. Heavy Tanks should beat them
flawlessly. Avoid sending Mo. Missiles against them,
due to their slow firing rate.
MEDIUM TANK - First appearance: Level 6
Speed: 5
Armour: 8
Range: 5
Damage: 5
Fire Rate: 6
Cost: 12
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Pros - Average Tank. Faster than Heavy, stronger than Light.
Can take a fair bit of damage.
Cons - Average range.
Still pretty slow.
Fairly slow to build at first appearance.
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Using Medium Tanks: Send them against Light Tanks, as well as Gatlings and
Guns. They should also be able to defeat all infantry,
but they will take a fair amount of damage against
Toughs, Pyros and Lasers.
Fighting Medium Tanks: Send Heavy Tanks or Mo. Missiles. If neither of
these are available, send a few Light and Medium
tanks at them. Alternatively, bring them within
Howitzer range.
HEAVY TANK: First appearance: Level 12
Speed: 3
Armour: 10
Range: 7
Damage: 6
Fire rate: 5
Cost: 16
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Pros - Larger range than average.
Excellent damage.
High armour.
Evil-looking.
Cons - Slow.
Relatively slow firing rate.
Very slow to build.
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Using Heavy Tanks: If you have a greater number of territories, attempt to
produce Heavy Tanks. They will allow you to capture
more, provided that you can hold the enemy off long
enough to build one. They should be sent against all
infantry, as well as Light Tanks, Medium Tanks and any
variety of APC.
Fighting Heavy Tanks: Your best option is to bring them within the range
of several Howitzers. Otherwise, you will have to
swamp them with as many Tanks available, any kind
will do. A Mo. Missile may be able to beat a Heavy
Tank, but the odds are pretty close.
MO. MISSILE - First appearance: Level 16
Speed: 1
Armour: 10
Range: 8
Damage: 10
Fire Rate: 2
Cost: 20
NB - As far as I can tell, Mo. is short for Mobile. Makes sense.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - EXTREMELY destructive.
Good range.
Good armour.
Very threatening.
Cons - Slow. Even Toughs can outrun it.
Horrible firing rate.
Extremely slow to build.
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Using Mo. Missiles: They are best used in Fort assaults. Otherwise, rely
on Heavy tanks.
Fighting Mo. Missiles: The only safe way is to bring them within range of
numerous Howitzers. Otherwise, you could try
sending a couple of Tanks (even Light Tanks will
do, just keep them spread out).
JEEP - First appearance: Level 1
Speed: 10
Armour: 2
Range: 5
Damage: 1
Fire Rate: 10
Cost: 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros: Fast.
Quick to build.
Great firing rate.
Cons: Very weak.
Driver can be easily shot out.
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Using Jeeps: In the early levels, use them to defend against Grunts. In
groups they can defend against Psychos, other Jeeps and
occasionally Light Tanks. Don't use them in the later levels
unless you desperately need to capture a territory and you
have nothing available.
Fighting Jeeps: In the early levels you should swamp them with your own
Jeeps or Light Tanks. As you progress, Snipers, Lasers and
all Tanks are good against them.
APC - First appearance: Level 9
Speed: 7
Armour: 8
Range: Varies
Damage: Varies
Fire Rate: Varies
Cost: 4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Versatile. Can be used to imitate other vehicles.
Increases speed of infantry.
Increases armour of infantry.
Fairly quick to build.
Cons - Single grunt (default driver) is hopeless.
Prevents infantry travelling through water.
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Using APCs: Depending on the unit inside, these are the uses. Also, if you
get the infantry out of the APC a second before it is
destroyed, they will be able to fight as usual instead of
being blown up in the APC.
Grunts - Don't do this. It's kind of a crippled Jeep.
Psychos - The SuperJeep. It can take out all infantry Psychos can, and
can also usually defeat Light Tanks. It should also be able to
fight Toughs effectively, and can defeat regular Jeeps.
Toughs - An interesting kind of tank. It is much more inaccurate than a
regular tank, but it fires twice at once, with a faster firing
rate than a Tank. It can take out all infantry, as well as
Jeeps, Light Tanks and occasionally Medium Tanks.
Snipers - Only do this if you want to make your Snipers able to
withstand more punishment. Apart from this, it won't do much
good. It can do everything Snipers can.
Pyros - An excellent all-round Flame Tank. Use it as you would regular
Pyros.
Lasers - The best combination in my opinion. It offsets the low armour
of the Lasers, and is good against all infantry. It can also
beat Jeeps, Light Tanks and Medium Tanks effectively. It can
take out Gatlings and Guns, and if you're lucky it will even
beat a Heavy Tank.
Fighting APCs: The computer will rarely use APCs against you. If you are
playing against another human, they are more likely to.
Your first priority is to find out which robots are inside,
and then you can counter it in whichever way is effective.
Any vehicle except a Jeep is effective against the Grunt or
Sniper APCs. Send Medium or Heavy Tanks against Psychos,
and Heavy and Mo. Missiles against the rest.
CRANE - First appearance: Level 14
Speed: 7
Armour: 10
Range: n/a
Damage: n/a
Fire Rate: n/a
Cost: 5
NB - Cranes are ungroupable.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Can repair destroyed buildings and bridges.
Fairly quick to build.
Relatively fast.
Good armour.
Cons - No guns.
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Using Cranes: Keep them out of combat, obviously. The safest place is near
your Fort. When there is work for them to do, escort them
with whatever is available.
Fighting Cranes: If you need help beating them, you're not very good at
this game. A player that knows what they're doing can
stall attacking infantry by running over them. It won't
damage them in any way, but they'll be face down in the
ground for a short time, and the Crane should be able to
make a getaway. Because of this, try to send vehicles to
destroy enemy cranes.
ARTILLERY
---------
NB - All artillery manufactured come with a Grunt gunner. The intelligence
of artillery depends on the gunner, and the accuracy depends on the
intelligence. All artillery are ungroupable.
GATLING - First appearance: Level 1
Armour: 2
Range: 5
Damage: 1
Fire Rate: 10
Cost: 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Only artillery capable of shooting out drivers.
Fast firing rate.
Quick to build.
Cons - Can be killed by almost anything.
Low damage.
Can take very few hits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Using Gatlings: In the first few levels they should be used if you need to
protect a territory and have nothing else to use. You
should eventually phase them out and replace them with
Guns.
Fighting Gatlings: Send anything except Grunts, Psychos and Jeeps. Psychos
and possibly even Grunts can beat them if they are in
an APC. That's how crap Gatlings are.
GUN - First appearance: Level 2
Armour: 6
Range: 5
Damage: 5
Fire Rate: 5
Cost: 3
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Earliest artillery capable of defeating Light Tanks.
Quick to build in later levels.
Decent damage.
Fast firing rate compared to Howitzer and Missile.
Cons - Beaten by anything better than Light Tanks.
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Using Guns: They should be used in place of Gatlings at every opportunity.
They can also be used to defend while Howitzers or Missiles
are being built. Try to keep them in groups. A single gun can
beat a Light Tank, but is usually destroyed as well.
Fighting Guns: Until the appearance of Snipers, send two Light Tanks at a
Gun. When you have Snipers, they'll be able to stay out of
the range of the Gun while they attack.
HOWITZER - First appearance: Level 9
Armour: 4
Range: 10
Damage: 6
Fire Rate: 1
Cost: 8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Excellent range.
Good damage.
Cons - Extremely slow firing rate.
Can't take as many hits as Guns.
Fairly slow to build.
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Using Howitzers: They perform optimally when placed in a straight line
of four, perpendicular to the line of the target. This
way, each Howitzer can cover the other while they are
reloading. Otherwise try to keep them in large, open
spaces so they can take advantage of their long range.
Fighting Howitzers: To beat a single Howitzer, you need to take advantage
of it's slow reloading. Send fast units (Light Tanks
or even Jeeps) from as many different directions as
possible. You should be able to get a few shots in,
which will be enough to kill it. If the Howitzer is
near a road, a Pyro APC can beat it, and occasionally
a heavy tank. When fighting multiple Howitzers in the
above formation, your only chance is to swamp them
with as many units as possible. Otherwise, forget
about that territory.
MISSILE - First appearance: Level 16
Armour: 6
Range: 8
Damage: 8
Fire rate: 2
Cost: 13
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pros - Very powerful. More damaging than a Heavy Tank.
High armour for an artillery.
Decent range.
Cons - Very slow to build.
Fairly slow firing rate.
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Using Missiles: Personally, I think a Howitzer is better. Anyway, if you
insist on using these, they can handle pretty much
anything except Mo. Missiles. Due to the equal range and
the fact that the Missile can't move, the Mo. Missile will
always destroy you. There's nothing you can do about it.
Try using them in conjunction with Howitzers.
Fighting Missiles: The only sure-fire way to beat them is with a Mo.
Missile. However, these are so slow to build that it's
often not worth it. Surprisingly, a Tough APC can
occasionally beat a Missile, but otherwise just use
the same tactic as against Howitzers.
BUILDINGS
---------
FORT FACTORY
The single most important building. If it gets blown up, that's game over.
It can produce Robots, Vehicles and Artillery (which can be placed on the
corners).
One Star - Grunts
Jeep
Gatling
Two Stars - Grunts
Psychos
Toughs
Jeep
Light Tank
Gatling
Three Stars - Grunts
Psychos
Toughs
Snipers
Jeep
APC
Light Tank
Medium Tank
Gatling
Gun
Four Stars - Grunts
Psychos
Toughs
Snipers
Pyros
Jeep
APC
Light Tank
Medium Tank
Gatling
Gun
Howitzer
Five Stars - Grunts
Psychos
Toughs
Snipers
Pyros
Lasers
Jeep
APC
Light Tank
Medium Tank
Heavy Tank
Mo. Missile
Crane
Gatling
Gun
Howitzer
Missile
ROBOT FACTORY
Capable of producing only Robots and artillery.
One Star - Grunts
Gatling
Two Stars - Grunts
Psychos
Gatling
Three Stars - Grunts
Psychos
Toughs
Snipers
Gatling
Gun
Four Stars - Grunts
Psychos
Toughs
Snipers
Pyros
Gatling
Gun
Howitzer
Five Stars - Grunts
Psychos
Toughs
Snipers
Pyros
Lasers
Gatling
Gun
Howitzer
VEHICLE FACTORY
Capable of producing only Vehicles and artillery.
One Star - Jeep
Light Tank
Gatling
Two Stars - Jeep
Light Tank
Medium Tank
Gatling
Gun
Three Stars - Jeep
APC
Light Tank
Medium Tank
Gatling
Gun
Howitzer
Four Stars - Jeep
APC
Light Tank
Medium Tank
Heavy Tank
Gatling
Gun
Howitzer
Five Stars - Jeep
APC
Light Tank
Medium Tank
Heavy Tank
Mo. Missile
Crane
Gatling
Gun
Howitzer
Missile
RADARS
They will show the position of enemy units and will identify them within
a certain circular range. The range depends on the number of territories
you have captured and the condition of the radar.
REPAIR FACILITIES
Capable of repairing vehicles. The repair time depends on the state of the
vehicle, the state of the Repair facility and the number of territories
you have captured. The Robots inside the vehicles will not be repaired.
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INDIVIDUAL LEVEL STRATEGIES
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