Kindle FAQ 1.03
September ~ October 2005
Copyright 2005 Christmas C. Gonzales (
[email protected])
=================
Table of Contents
=================
1. Introduction
2. Introduction to Kindle
3. Statistics
4. Kindle's Abilities In-Depth
5. Factors to Strategy
6. General Strategies
7. Tag Strategies
8. Countering Kindle
9. Kindle vs Other COs
10. Opinions on Kindle
11. Legal Information
12. Credits
13. Email Information
====================
*1. Version History*
====================
1.0 First version submitted to GFAQs (9/19/05)
1.01 Some corrections applied after 6 days of waiting... I should never
attempt to create a fresh FAQ in one day, learned my lesson with the first
version. =.=;
1.02 Major corrections applied. I plan to adjust some pieces to be more
in-depth.
1.03 Some spelling corrections are needed. Time is needed, too. =.=;
=================
*1. Introduction*
=================
This guide is an FAQ made to inform players on why players should use Kindle.
Strategies are explained to help players use her properly and examples of her
powers are included to help players understand why she's a deadly force to
reckon with. I recommend you at least know the basics of the game before reading
this guide, otherwise you may find yourself quite lost. Enjoy reading about
Kindle, the queen of urban terrain.
===========================
*2. Introduction to Kindle*
===========================
Who is Kindle? She is a CO in the Black Hole Army and a perfect example of an
arrogant, self-centered beauty. She serves the Bolt Guard as second-in-command
to Von Bolt, the new leader of the Black Hole Army. She is a very blunt woman
whom isn't afraid to insult someone if she feels they are under her in any way.
Her queen-style personality almost gives an impression that she'd be like
Cleopatra and try to take over the Bolt Guard, but no clues were given if she'd
do such a thing. She's merely there for the ride to keep her beauty and youth.
Name: Kindle
Faction: Black Hole
Jugger and Koal's commanding officer. Has a blunt, queen-like personality.
Hit: Anything chic
Miss: Anything passe
Skills: An upper-crust CO who excels at urban warfare. Firepower of all on-base
units is increased.
CO Power Meter: xxxXXX
CO Power: Urban Blight
-Increases the attack of all units on a base.
Also inflicts 3 HP of damage to enemy units
on bases.
CO Super Power: High Society
Greatly increases the attack of all units on a base. The more bases she
controls, the more firepower she gains.
Tag Affinity:
Jugger: *
Koal: *
How to Unlock: Complete Normal Campaign once. Then buy her from Hachi for
4,000 Points.
Kindle is a unique CO. One that is effecient for virtually every situation and
proficient with every unit in the game. Her abilities are taking advantage of
urban terrain which although make up a small portion of tiles on a map, give her
a very nice boost and are highly contested areas.
Kindle has virtually no weakness. Some will state that her weakness are lack
of terrain tiles, and that is true to an extent. She tends to be weaker on
pre-deployed maps that have little to no terrain. However, in maps where units
can be deployed, yet have little terrain, she can still gain the initiative and
may overwhelm an enemy with her skills.
Although she sounds really good on paper, she has to be used effectively rather
than carelessly. Without any sense of strategy and she'll look super plain as
she did in Campaign mode. The CPU has no brain, and isn't able to think as
logically as a human mind can. This is a gift that you must take advantage of to
make Kindle into one of the most powerful COs ever created.
===============
*3. Statistics*
===============
All of Kindle's units are at 100/100 which is normal strength. This means that
they all have 100/100 stats. The first 100 indicates attack strength while
the second 100 indicates defense strength. Defense strength reduces the damage
a unit takes and is increased by terrain stars, at 10% a terrain star. During
the effect of a COP, SCOP, there is a default 10% increase to attack and
defense. So all units are 110/110% during either, excluding the firepower
increase from her COP/SCOP.
Kindle has the following Tag firepower modifications:
Jake: 90%
Hawke: 80%
Jugger: 105% (Fireworks)
Koal: 105% (Flash Point)
Listed below are the firepower increase that are innate, cop, and scop.
Note: The firepower is only increased while her units are over an urban terrain
tile. Terrain tiles include: cities, factories, airports, seaports, HQs, silos,
and towers.
Normal
____________
Land units: 140%
Naval units (seaports only): 140%
Air units: 140%
Urban Blight
_____________
Land units: 190% (10% cop/scop increase included)
Naval units (seaports only): 190% (" " " ")
Air units: 190% (" " " ")
High Society
_____________
Land units: 240% (10% cop/scop increase included)
Naval units (seaports only): 240% (" " " ")
Air units: 240% (" " " ")
Now, it is time to factor usual outcomes in battles if Kindle were to attack
first normally, compared to a city tile attack. The enemy Co is Andy.
Infantry vs Infantry
____________________
Road attack (both on road):
7-5
City attack (both cities):
9-5
City attack (Andy on road):
10-2
So, through this example. Kindle's powers are quite handy, and these are only
innate abilities. This seemingly gives a feeling that Kindle's firepower bonus
can somewhat negate an enemy's defense if you use her terrain firepower bonus.
Now, let's try the above example, but with her COP active:
Infantry vs Infantry
____________________
Road attack (both on road):
9-4
City attack (both cities): 82%; Unit was @ 7 hp due to COP effect.
10-0
City attack (Andy on road): 104%
10-0
Pretty interesting results, na? Kindle's COP power basically effectively doubles
her attack power whilst on a city tile. Even if the units have trouble
doing One-Hit-Knock-Outs to each other, like Infantry to Infantry or Neotank to
Neotank, Kindle's COP can effectively make her units destroy units that other
COs have trouble eliminating. Let's take a look at her SCOP, na?
Another example, but about how Kindle gets an increase in firepower from
High Society:
Opponent is Andy, terrain is marked by a letter.
p is plain, c is urban, w, is woods, r is road.
Kindle attacks first while HS is active she is the left unit.
Firepower is with 11 cities, so roughly units are at roughly 143%.
Neo (p) vs. Neo (p)
70%, result = 9-3
Fighter (p) vs Fighter (p)
78%, result = 9-2
Infantry (p) vs Infantry (p)
70%, result = 9-3
Copter (p) vs Copter (w)
91%, result = 10-1
Mech (p) vs Mech (p)
70%, result = 9-3
Tank (p) vs Tank (r)
78%, result = 10-2
Md Tank (p) vs Md Tank (p)
70%, result = 9-3
Recon (p) vs Recon (p)
45%, result = 9-5
Stealth (p) vs Stealth (p)
78%, result = 9-2
Now, let's try a city based attack with her SCOP. ;o
Neo (c) vs Neo (p)
129%, result = 10-0
Fighter (c) vs Fighter (p)
144%, result = 10-0
Infantry (c) vs Infantry (p)
129%, result = 10-0
Copter (c) vs Copter (w)
170, result = 10-0
Mech (c) vs Mech (p)
129%, result = 10-0
Tank (c) vs Tank (r)
144%, result = 10-0
Md Tank (c) vs Md Tank (p)
129%, result = 10-0
Recon (c) vs Recon (p)
82%, result = 10-2
Stealth (c) vs Stealth (p)
144%, result = 10-2
The damage soars through the roof while on a city tile. The fact is though
the boost is situational for such a small map, but the end results are quite
good when it applies to all units, most units are crippled beyond effectiveness.
How about we increase the amount of cities in her control?
Mega (p) vs Mega (C)
77%, result = 9-2
Fighter (p) vs fighter (P)
93%, result = 10-1
Copter (p) vs Copter (p)
110%, result = 10-0
Neo (p) vs Neo (p)
83%, result = 10-2
Infantry (p) vs Infantry (c)
65%, result = 9-4
Stealth (p) vs Stealth (c)
93%, result = 10-0
Now, lets go for city attacks.
Mega (c) vs Mega (C)
131%, result = 10-0
Fighter (c) vs fighter (P)
159%, result = 10-0
Copter (c) vs Copter (p)
188%, result = 10-0
Neo (c) vs Neo (p)
143%, result = 10-0
Infantry (c) vs Infantry (hq)
95%, result = 10-1
Stealth (c) vs Stealth (c)
159%, result = 10-0
So, when you look at it. The boosts, although situational, are very deadly when
used. At 20 properties, her boosts off of urban terrain are quite impressive,
and only means that she gets even deadlier with more properties.
She actually gets 3% per property in her control, so basically with 33
properties she has a 99% boost, which is 209% boost off of urban terrain, since
the SCOP effect has a default 10% boost.
So, noteably, she only needs 25 properties in her control to have a strong
enough increase to destroy nearly every even unit off of urban terrain. If it is
city defenses, about 31 will be suffcient. In any case, here is a percentage
chart:
Qty | Firepower off of urban terrain
____________________________________
1 | 113%
2 | 116%
3 | 119%
4 | 122%
5 | 125%
6 | 128%
7 | 131%
8 | 134%
9 | 137%
10| 140%
11| 143%
12| 146%
13| 149%
14| 152%
15| 155%
16| 158%
17| 161%
18| 164%
19| 167%
20| 170%
21| 173%
22| 176%
23| 179%
24| 182%
25| 185%
26| 188%
27| 191%
28| 194%
29| 197%
30| 200%
31| 203%
32| 206%
33| 209%
34| 212%
35| 215%
36| 218%
37| 221%
38| 224%
39| 227%
40| 230%
I think that's enough... 41+ just means you are way too likely to win... so
it almost doesn't matter. Having such an advantage in attrition at that
point just means you should be winning enough to where your opponent may decide
to fold. In any case, you should know the formula by now on how it works.
================================
*4. Kindle's Abilities In-Depth*
================================
Like most COs, Kindle has several built in abilities which are augmented by her
CO powers. However, unlike most COs, her COP and SCOP are similar, yet give
different secondary effects. This means that one has to choose wisely when
deciding which power to use.
Urban Terrain advantage
________________________
A very great advantage, that can easily change the tide of battles when used
correctly. Due to this, human players will try to avoid stopping near adjacent
cities, or avoid them like the plague if you have a decent hold on the area.
Even if Kindle is attacked first (while on an urban terrain, in most conditions
the player will suffer as much damage as Kindle did, and will be ready for next
turn for a stronger counter. In most situations, the result can be 6-6 or 6-7,
so Kindle will be on semi-even plains to the Enemy CO. However, since she will
most likely get first strike next turn, she'll be able to considerably do more
damage due to her boost. Surprisingly, her air units get this boost as well if
they are over an urban terrain as well. This creates an interesting effect as
no other CO gets a large boost like hers.
Urban Blight
_________________
Kindle is at her best in maps with plenty of terrain properties. The increased
firepower is the largest of any terrain boosts, yet is also one of the least
amount of tiles in most maps. Despite that little downside, they are highly
contested throughout the game. Her COP nearly doubles her attack power, and her
seemingly weak 5 hp units can now do about as much damage as a 10 hp unit if
they are on an urban terrain tile. Also, if your human opponent is trying
to occupy your wanted terrain, Urban Blight also adds in 3 damage to any enemy
unit on an urban tile. This will help you soften enemy units that are trying to
prevent your advantage on terrain by weakening them greatly. While they are
weakened, you can most likely destroy them in one shot and then occupy the
terrain yourself.It is one of the most damaging COPs if used correctly, and it
is only worth 3 stars. This power is also great at making a human player worry
if they should even go near such tiles or risk weaker protection. This can also
be a hinderance at slowing down capture, and virtually negates repair attempts
by your opponent. Lastly, this can effectively drain your opponent's funds to
prevent them from deploying fresh and stronger units.
High Society
_________________
On paper, High Society is extremely powerful, not only does her units get
roughly 2.5 x normal strength on terrain tiles, she even gets a firepower boost
for all her units that aren't even on terrain tiles. This boost can grow very
large and makes her units that attack on terrain so deadly that very few units
may survive her assault. The more properties she has under her control, the
tighter that grip will feel when her attack power rises and nearly doubles the
bar. In most normal conditions, like Spann Island, she'll get a 150% boost
normally and that is off her urban terrain. This is also for every unit, so she
has a great firepower boost for all units, instead of just a few specific ones.
She loses her 3 hp damage on terrain that she gets from Urban Blight, but if
that were included, she'd be broken. Remember that this power does sound nice
on paper but a decent amount of cities underneath your control needs to be noted
otherwise you'll get a mediocre boost. A good amount would be like 13 at least.
I recommend using High Society late game when you have nearly 20 properties
under your control, it starts becoming extremely devasting.
Size of COP Meter
_________________
Her COP meter is roughly an average size among most Cos, which is 6 stars. This
means she effectively gets her COP and SCOP quite quickly, like most COs can.
She can also tag well with such a short meter, since tags can happen quite fast
with such a short bar.
Force Rank Skills
__________________
I almost can't comment much on Skills; I personally do not use them. However, I
can still try my best at giving ideas on what to use. I would appreciate it, if
someone can give their own two cents on which forces to use. I think that
pathfinder and prairie dog are effective at getting her to city tiles faster, as
well as APC Boost.
*Tronn Bonne suggests:
Urban fighter is also a good choice, that only makes her
even deadlier on urban terrain by having an innate 150%. Conqueror is also a
good choice to help ensure captures in contested areas. Soul of Hachi
and mistwalker may be overdoing it, but those are very powerful skills, though.
*Damien suggests as quoted:
scenerio is normal weather and no fow
general skill list
1. conquerer
2. snipe shield
3. gold rush
4. star power
offensive skill list
1. urban fighter
2. brawler
3. ranger or road rage (map based)
4. luck
========================
*5. Factors to Strategy*
========================
What abilities, and to a certain extent strategy, Kindle can use depends on one
factor. That is the amount of properties in a map.
Low property maps
_________________
Kindle appears to be extremely terrible on low property maps. This may be the
case in most, but it is extremely depedant if it is a pre-deployed (PD) map or
not. In PD maps that have little terrain, she is at her worst. There is almost
no way to gain the initiative with little terrain as her terrain advantage can't
be used. Also, cutting funding can only slow down repair rates, while although
useful, it isn't always probable since there are little terrain tiles and the
money is saved up over time. So, Kindle is pretty moot during PD maps with
little terrain.
Fortunately, in normal maps, she can still be a deadly force to reckon with. The
factor relies on funds. In maps with low properties also comes low funding.
Funds can be very hard for the enemy CO to come by if their units keep getting
damaged by Kindle's urban blight, and the enemy CO can have difficulties getting
properties if units are damaged while capturing. Delaying a unit from capturing
a key property while Kindle arrives there is a key factor in winning an early
game. Because of this, Kindle is both bad and good during low property maps.
The most used power you will want to use will be the COP, but once you have
enough properties in your control, you may want to opt for the SCOP.
Against normal COs, she has a better advantage, since their boost usually won't
be as big as hers, unless the property amount is below 10 for her. If she has 13
the boost is nearly 150% during her SCOP, still making her deadly since it is
with all units instead of just a few speciality ones.
High property maps
___________________
Kindle is at her best in high property maps. She can get firepower boosts that
can make her one of the strongest COs in the game. The main thing that is needed
to note is that she will _need_ to take control of most of the properties to do
so. Nothing is truly changed though, a majority of matches are basically
war of attritions. So most general strategies of gaining properties to have
better funding than the opponent applies naturally. Still, the main advantage
is that she has higher chances of taking properties away from units, just like
how Sami can do so. The choice between her COP and SCOP lies solely on best
judgement, as both are effective in these situations. However, the timing is
very crucial. You can choose to damage a ton of enemy units that are freshly
deployed, or go for a firepower boost to damage the front lines to advance
foward. The choice can be tough to make, but it must be noted that usually one
will find that it is almost possible to use her COP twice in a row. It isn't
possible right away, but it is quite likely to gain the last star again during
your next turn. Doing this, will usually maim your opponent's back up units.
Human Opponent
________________
When fighting a human opponent you must carefully choose when to use your
powers. Also, you must carefully advance foward. Your opponent may or may not go
near certain property areas, but they won't hold out against attacking forever.
One will have to break the ice when it comes to attacks, and you must carefully
prepare when to do so. Do you send in suicide units to build your meter, damage
his units, then push foward? Or do you press onward, having weakened units
become nearly full damaging units with your SCOP? The choice can be difficult,
so be wary. Positioning of units is crucial as well, humans aren't stupid like
the CPU is. The human can be predictable in some cases though, so take note
that they may stay away from properties, if so, take an aggressive stance.
CPU Opponent
____________
The CPU is predictable, and will usually be easy to manipulate to go near
tiles that are adjacent to cities, giving you a great advantage to attack with
stronger attack power. Also, the CPU constantly creates units, so be sure to use
your COP when it will hurt most.
=======================
*6. General Strategies*
=======================
Every CO has their distinct personality and abilities that match it. Playing
"in character" with any CO is a good idea with this game. With Kindle, be
cautious with how you position yourself and know your enemy. Use your CO power's
tone to strike fear into your opponent. Try to bait your enemy to attack one of
yours on a city tile, this can make their own unit become quite damaged, and
then you can pull off a stronger attack next turn. Be wary of indirects, and use
units that can attack and damage them easily. If your opponent avoids terrain
tiles, take advantage and go for the first strike to weaken their front. The
more they attack, the faster your meter builds and this in turn may make your
weak units become strong again, and can push your line foward. Use great
judgement when doing so though, you do not want to have your lines fall apart
from recklessly rushing in.
Army Composition
________________
Just like most balanced COs, she can use any type of units to achieve victory.
She can use land troops to create a strong front line while pushing foward,
have a strong air force that can be boosted with her powers, and even have an
average naval fleet. There is no set army composition for Kindle and it is
generally best to have a diverse amount of units. However, some very specific
strategies will require you to take another approach and use more than one unit
if not be heavy in several units to advance. It is best to experiment and see
what suits your taste. Favorite units can be applied, and will usually work.
Be sure to use your opponent's counters for their specialty force, if they have
one.
FOW combat
____________
I seem to have failed to mention that Kindle isn't exactly her best at FOW.
She tends to have trouble in it, except for the fact that if the enemy can't
see her, they can't weaken her units to prevent full city usage. Although this
is true, this is also a bad two-way street for her, as it is harder to use Urban
Blight to its full advantage. One will have to be careful when using it, and may
find it wasted unless it is a contested area.
For FOW, I recommend recons to help see further, while using indirects and tanks
as a foward advancement. The best strategies are to hold chokepoints while
using infantry to gain more properties as best you can. Once you have a steady
amount of properties, push your recons forward and use your highly powered units
to envelop your opponent's front lines.
Aggressive stance
_________________
Playing as Kindle while aggressive is not easy but it may be best in some
situations where early games are key. Her powers can make strong units become
seemingly weak to where they are destroyed easily by artillery and rockets.
Recons can be effective walls and tanks can help destroy seemingly tougher
units. Mechs can also become really effective at destroying units, but of
course, this is only a situational strategy as being aggressive isn't the best.
Just be sure to remember that while being aggressive you can slow down your
opponent's capturing process while you are capturing properties behind your
line. This will in turn help build up a stronger counter attack from when your
SCOP will build while your units are damaging and being damaged. Being agressive
works well on COs with weak defense (ie: grimm), and can work well on Kanbei
if you are decreasing funds.
Countering Meatwalls
____________________
Since Kindle does lack a strong attack power bonus (off of urban terrain),
meatwalls (Infanry and Mechs being used to shield other units) can be a problem,
unless the meatwalls are on or near property tiles. These meatwalls are tricky
if they are wooded terrain, as Kindle will have trouble piercing through. One
could wait for a SCOP bonus, which will allow Kindle's units to plow through
usually, and her Anti-airs should be able to destroy infantry and mechs with
ease, while her tanks can take on units of their own strength and destroy them
in one swoop depending on the amount of properties you occupy. If there are very
few though, then only good strategy can get you through.
Breaking Chokepoints
____________________
Like meatwalls, chokepoints (holding a piece of narrow terrain, like a bridge
or mountain pass, that can not be easily flanked) can also be a big problem for
Kindle unless her SCOP comes into effect. Air units are preferable in this case,
since even a slight SCOP boost can make her destroy most units easily with
decent air support. If there are few options, the only other choice would be to
lure the enemy towards urban terrain or a choke point that you can take
advantage of. If the chokepoint rests upon urban terrain, then the best bet is
to use your Urban blight if you have low properties, or to use High Society
while you control a lot of properties.
Kamikaze Attrition
__________________
A strategy that is new to me, but can be effective like the aggressive stance.
Although similar, this strategy is basically disallowing the opponent room to
breathe. You focus on baiting the enemy by feeding them recons so that you build
up your COP meter constantly, and to use meat shields as chokepoint pieces to
slow down your enemy's advance. This in turn gives you more time in your war of
attrition. Because of the forced killing your opponent's capturing and freshly
built units will be weakened. Unless your opponent wants to seriously delay
his/herself from stopping you, he/she will be using 9 or 7 hp units to advance
foward with. If used properly, you can have a small force holding off while
stronger units of yours start to show up. The effect in the end can result in
a relatively swift victory, but it can backfire against certain COs. I recommend
you skip out on this against a CO like Jess, or Hachi. Both will just laugh at
this. The strategy can work well against human players if they do not suspect
the bait.
Mech Flood
__________
Looked down upon by some, mech floods are surprisingly effective with Kindle.
She doesn't get a boost from the units, but they are annoying meatshields and
can become extremely deadly if they are attacking 7 hp units that have been hit
by Urban Blight. If she has enough properties in her control, the mechs can
nearly rival if not overpower Sami & Sensei's. This can only be done effectively
on certain maps though, and it is pretty interesting to see mechs take down
waves of units. Do not try this in a map with air units though :s
Other Strategies
________________
Being a balanced commander, Kindle can perform almost any strategy that is not
dependent on another CO's COP. Feints, Blitzkrieg's, Ambushes, and Flanking
maneuvers are all within Kindle's abilities to successfully
implement. You should try experiments with Kindle to see other styles that may
work well. Surprisingly, it may be difficult to use certain strategies with her
due to how situational she can be. Nevertheless, a balanced CO is effective in
most cases.
===================
*7. Tag Strategies*
===================
Kindle is an odd tagger. She is good in some situations, but sadly doesn't get
a large innate luck with anyone, and has a situational, yet deadly SCOP. Her
tag abilities are solely dependant on the other CO, and how they can support
each other instead of her taking the lead in every assault. During Tags her COP
may be overlooked in favor of a two turn assault, and this can be a mistake in
some cases. So, when using Kindle, be careful on when you tag and swap.
Sami-Kindle Team
________________
A pretty ingenious mix. I heard this from Naki Feralkin of AWN, so I believe the
credit for the thought should go to him. The main idea is that this tag works
both ways. Kindle can go first, using her highly boosted units to pry off enemy
units from properties, then Sami's infantry and mechs can start seizing
properties en masse, to further the war of attrition. This can only make
Kindle's hold on the map even stronger and easily gives the team the advantage.
If it is Sami going first, then she can capturing more properties to further
boost Kindle's units when she tags in. In either case, this tag results in no
firepower boost but is still a deadly force to be reckoned with.
Sensei-Kindle Team
__________________
A similar strategy for Sami and Kindle, but Sensei gets a transport boost, which
can help the war of attrition idea further. Using sensei to spam units can only
help further damage units that are near your properties and then Kindle's
following assault will ensure destruction in nearly every situation. In yet
another similar fashion, Kindle's firepower boost can help destroy enemy units
occupying urban tiles to allow sensei's 9 hp deployed units to further advance
towards capturing properties. Also, not only sensei will be able to take
advantage of copters, but Kindle can as well, especially if she hovers over
urban terrain.
Sonja-Kindle Team
_________________
Oddly enough, these two together is quite deadly. Kindle's foward assault of
beefy units will help break chokepoints that Sonja may have trouble with,
anthing that is left-over will be destroyed with ease by Sonja. With Sonja's
following Counter break, it is hard for the opponent to act on the next turn if
there are any forces left. Allowing for a strong pierce team, and then an uber
strong defense with first strike.
Koal-Kindle Team
________________
A very good team when it comes to the war of attrition. Koal is effective at
moving quickly, and with a tiny day to day luck, plus two short CO bars, this
only further improves movement and first chance to gain properties. Koal and
Kindle can push a line forward really well, and while both bonuses are
situational, the terrain advantage is still an advantage that can be used to
break lines and destroy units, one by one. Roads are and cities are near each
other and intertwine usually, so this results in more chances to take advantage
of the terrain. It can also further push away your enemy from going near
city and road tiles to avoid the terrain advantage. Manipulation and fear is
key.
Jugger-Kindle
_____________
Not an odd pair, but quite effective. The day to day luck fits in well, and
Jugger exists there for Kindle. Firepower boosted units can only mean pressure
on the opponent by using weakened units as I said with not only Kindle, but with
Jugger, too. Jugger has a much higher chance to kill units in cases where Kindle
has no boost at all, despite dispersion it is a chance thing and it doesn't
always come out in your favor. Jugger may act like Kindle's lap dog, but both
of them together acting like Master and pet may seem weird but effective at
the same time. This pair is nothing to laugh at, unless the opponent likes to
chuckle to hide his tears.
Von Bolt-Kindle
_______________
A not-so-common pair. People will think to avoid Von Bolt like the plague, but
these two together can really help the war of attrition out. VB's units are
slightly more powerful w/o terrain which can help Kindle's weakness if there
is no enemy near any terrain. Having two powerful SCOPs go off at once is also
a deadly force, since it will cripple one force on the enemy's side, which
will give more chances for this team to act upon in war of attrition. VB's units
going second isn't a bad idea at all as well, since if Kindle eliminates most
of the units on the enemy's front lines, whatever is left may be freshly
deployed units. This will make VB's prevent those units from moving from
factories, seriously crippling your opponent's next turn. This only paves way
for Kindle to move in your Opponent's HQ area, where she'll have a huge
advantage since urban terrain is mostly near HQ areas.
======================
*8. Countering Kindle*
======================
Kindle may be somewhat difficult to counter. Still, if one can prevent her
from using urban terrain, that's one part done. The next thing to do is prevent
her from gaining more terrain than you at any cost. It is also wise to try
to prevent deploying tons of units at once, except when there is no fight going
on. Otherwise you may be spending Kanbei prices to get units that are weaker.
A good effective front on even terrain will put both players on even fields and
it is better to destroy one of her units or weaken them to 3 hp to prevent
messy counters from her the following turn. Effective funding can help prevent
her Urban Blight, but the money COs can do so properly with the extra funds
they will have. Sasha can surprisingly be a very good counter against her, but
one will have to be careful on not having enough funds to prevent her high
society. The extra funds should also compensate for the damaged units, but be
sure you spend money wisely. A Kindle player may use her power at any time,
instead of always using it at the beginning of the turn.
=========================
*9. Kindle vs Other COs *
=========================
Kindle if quite capable of being on even grounds with most COs, except when
SCOPs become active, then hell can break loose. It is best to try to counter
your own weakness by exploiting your enemy's weakness.
Jake
____
Day-to-day Jake is less situational than Kindle. His bonus can have Kindle in
some trouble if she doesn't get first strike. Usually one will want to lure him
towards urban terrain to exploit him. However, if your opponent is insistent on
luring you to plains, he can find himself at a disadvantage in the war of
attrition. His indirects should be a top priority for you to destroy, since they
can hit you w/o being damaged themselves. His movement bonus can become a
problem if you're not careful about it, so be wary of his powers and try to
eliminate him when he's near urban tiles or to overpower him during your SCOP.
Rachel
______
Her ability to repair units faster is a blessing but yet also an annoyance. It
effectively cancel's out Kindle's Urban Blight damage, but yet it also forces
Rachel to spend more funds, so it is a good and bad thing in the end. It
is very wise to strike her with Urban blight while she pulls back units to
repair and to also damage any Megas or Neos she may have deployed. Her COP is
pretty ugly but her SCOP only gets scarier if you have units on cities. This can
in turn start leaving you dry on funds as well as her. One will have to have a
staggered formation with slightly cheaper units while pushing forward. Rachel is
a tough cookie, and is quite difficult on small maps with little properties.
Andy
____
He is a tough one to beat sometimes. His Hyper repair/upgrade can almost negate
ubran blight damage, and he will rarely be on cities unless it is a CPU. So,
he may make Urban blight look useless in some cases, but repairs on cities come
before any CO action; so he'll still have to pay. Funds or not, he is still able
to repair in heated conditions, and this will mean that Kindle will have to
eliminate units instead of weakening a ton of them at once. Be wary of his
boosts during his SCOP and plan ahead for it.
Max
___
Max is pretty ticky. His firepower boost can allow him to cripple your units
on urban terrain, so you must have intiative when striking and must use his
achille's heel to defeat him. Indirects on cities will only easily destroy his
units, paving way for your force to move forward for a first strike advantage.
You may also catch him off guard by not using cities, but be sure to get first
strike in, or effectively cover pieces to allow your indirects to destroy him.
Sami
____
Timing and anti-airs will see to the death of Sami. Mech floods are hazardous to
you, and she will want cities more than you. It can be hard to prevent her from
capturing units since she can capture easily, even if her units are at 7 or 9
hp. One effective strategy is to use recons and anti-air units to overpower hers
and have your SCOP clean house. Holding terrain will be key as well as using
Urban Blight when she deploys a huge amount of non-infantry units--if she does
so.
Nell
____
Nell is a dangerous opponent and there nothing you can really do to counter
her luck skills. The best method is a quantity of units as well as getting first
strike when you can. She is a broken CO and is tricky to beat if a human
controls her.
Hachi
_____
Another broken CO that can easily overwhelm you with superior numbers, which
will counter your war of attrition strategy. It is best to cover his cities
as best you can, and press forward for a quick victory. If you're on a large
map, there little you can do to counter him well.
Olaf
____
Olaf is a very tricky opponent because of the snow factor. He can cause it to
snow for two days which gives him an attack bonus and causes you to burn fuel
at an increased rate. Despite these advantages, his firepower boost is only
during his powers, and if you are able to effectively gain control of certain
properties, he will have trouble countering you except during his SCOP. It is
best to cripple his forces before they have a chance to overwhelm you during his
SCOP. APCs will be extremely valueable during the entire match.
Grit
____
The Indirect master may give some trouble unless you use weaker units like
recons and anti-airs to damage his indirects to the point of uselessness.
He will be worried about hanging around on cities, beacuse of Urban Blight.
He'll have trouble moving his indirects into woods or plains for better cover,
or he can risk being in single line formations on roads. It only spells doom for
him, though. Unless he likes paying taxes for standing on cities to repair and
resupply, he will be needing APCs. So, be agressive and have a few strong tank
units to destroy any tanks he may bring out. Destroy ACPs if he isn't staying on
cities, his indirects will have trouble staying supplied and moving around.
Colin
_____
Cheap costs will give trouble when it comes to attrition and funds. Colin can
easily afford the extra costs, especially with Gold Rush. The only manner to
defeat him is to keep making him pay extra while pressing forward with
stronger units. Outnumbering him with units is also a good bet, yet very hard
to do so. Even with property advantage, he can still have a steady income with
Gold Rushes and is hard to rout his forces since they have equal defense. Try
to use the urban advantage to eliminate his units entirely. If feasible, use
black bombs to weaken his units greatly to make complete routs instead of
leaving a lot of weak units around.
Sasha
_____
When it comes to Sasha v Kindle, it is a race for properties. Sasha can afford
extra costs from Urban Blight, so it will be tricky to make her funds fall low.
Also, without taking advantage of urban terrain, you will be on even grounds
with her. So first strikes are very important in this battle, as well as
diversity. When the timing is right, overwhelm her with superior powered units
from your High Society.
Kanbei
______
Tricky, his units are superior in every way especially during SCOP.
It is best to plan ahead and make sure to not be near him during his SCOP, and
to force him to spend even _more_ funds if you force him to repair constantly.
If you have air support, Black bombing him will easily wipe him out.
Eventually, he may not have enough quantity nor quality units.
Sonja
_____
An annoyance and deadly CO to fight against. Getting struck first is something
you do not want when fighting her, her terrain abilities are deadly and it is
imperative you are careful when attacking her during her SCOP. Fund draining
helps against her, but be sure you can strike first against her, then you are
mostly on even grounds.
Sensei
______
Anti-airs are his bane, but be sure you are careful in how you position him.
If you really need to act quickly, be sure you prevent his captures as best you
can and be prepared for mech assaults. If you're still having trouble with the
air superiority, try to have a few fighters take control of it. Do not allow his
copters to get first strike on your units, it will hamper you badly.
Grimm
_____
When play against Grimm, aggressive strategies are best. He won't be able to
take advantage of his superior firepower if his units are damaged beyond
usefulness. Urban blighting him will only lower his overall effectiveness, and
if his units have an even lower defense if they are weakened in this case.
Just try to always get first strike and you should do fine.
Eagle
_____
A CO that will most likely use air units, so try to have the best counters
possible against him, and try to make his air units fight above urban terrain.
Some players won't even take note that Kindle gets boosted units while they are
over urban terrain, which can be unexpected and makes it easier to have a hold
on airports.
Try use this nearly unnoticeable advantage as best you can to damage his units
further, that way his COP feels useless.
Drake
_____
Drake is a tough one to fight. If it is navy to navy, he has the advantage
unless you constantly drain his funds away to prevent him from deploying
fresh units. Your units can suffer ugly damage which will harm you, but if he
has little to no units, quantity will ensure victory. Always have a few black
boats to refresh your units.
Jess
____
A powerful CO. One that you must prepare to fight beforehand. You will need
to gain not only more properties than her but more units than her while having
strong units. Again, Urban blighting and forcing her extra movement to stop on
areas adjacent to cities is your best bet. If there are airports, try to go
for an air battle to be at an advantage.
Javier
______
With his reliance on Com Towers, Javier's great strength is also his great
weakness. Top priority is to gain control over towers. He will also be forced
to send multiple infantry/mechs towards towers, if not, then send suicide recons
in both directions(his capturing infantry and main area) to boost your COP.
While he tries to capture, Urban Blight will prevent him from capturing towers
easily and he won't be able to repair if he finally does capture the area
It will also allow your infantry to easily take advantage of his. Early
game is key. With control over towers, you should be able to break his
chokepoints with little trouble and should end up negating his indirect defense.
Try to use almost no indirects though, since his SCOP will usually negate the
damage done by indirects.
Flak
____
Like Nell, Flak is dangerous because of his ability to deliver serious damage
with weaker units while using his CO Powers. However, day-to-day he can
experience a drop in attack power but he is also capable of delivering more
damage too. Be sure to overwhelm him to gain the advantage. Destroying his units
is key.
Adder
_____
Adder is a very flexible CO and will often gain the first strike with his
powers. Yet his movement also allows him to reinforce his lines faster and to
retreat further away if necessary. Furthermore, because his CO Meter is so
short he will be able to use his extra movement quite often. Trying to hold a
chokepoint against Adder is a good strategy because his movement will not help
him break through (Unless he has air units). Also, be aware that Adder is
capable of using his COP twice in a row.
Lash
____
Lash has been toned down quite a bit. Her terrain advantage will be your only
worry aside from her SCOP. You may have trouble breaking her lines in some cases
but if you can effectively overpower her out of her SCOP, then you will have no
worries on defeating Lash. Her boost on cities pales in comparison to Kindle's--
exploit it.
Hawke
_____
Hawke's superior attack strength can give some worries, but the moment
you activate your SCOP, he will be afraid like a kitten unless there are
very few properties under your control(10 or less). In either case, his
COP meter is quite long so try to abuse that and make his advantage of healing
units look like a weak power with constant Urban Blights.
Jugger
______
Jugger is almost exactly like Flak with only two noticeable exceptions. The
first is that his day-to-day dispersion is slightly higher which means his
attacks are even more erratic. The second, more important difference, is that
Jugger's SCOP is one star longer. This means Jugger can use his COP twice in
a row. Be careful of his dispersion, if they tip in his favor, you may be
suffering some hurt and may not be able to effectively counter attack. Attrition
helps the most and be sure to overwhelm him.
Koal
____
With Adder's movement benefits, Koal can be very good at gaining first strike,
positioning his units well, reinforcing his frontlines, and running away when
needed. War of attrition is tricky with his speedy units. Cities and roads
tend to intertwine, but you can be sure that Koal will know to stay away from
cities and may have an easier time damaging your units on cities. Overwhelming
him late game may be your best bet, unless you hold a strong chokepoint on
where cities are.
Kindle
______
An ugly stalement in most situations. Unless you are smarter than your opponent
then you're going to lose. This is an even situation in symmetrical maps, but
whoever draws first blood can start the beginning of the end. It may be whoever
gets enough properties, or it may end up as whoever wins in the early game.
Attacking that first recon may not be wise, lest you want to build up her bar
faster than yours. However, timing is the key. If you have enough units deployed
while you're off cities, then her Urban Blight is useless and playing mind games
during FOW is probably your best bet.
Von Bolt
________
Kindle's superior officer should be more threatening than her. However, that is
usually only day to day. Kindle can easily surpass his superior innate fire-
power. However, during SCOP, Kindle can overpower him to the point where his
extra defense can't help him. Nevertheless, his SCOP is still evil since
it will cripple your units and you will not be able to move them and thus, it
will be possible for him to position himself for a stronger attack the current
or following turn. Be careful and know when to time your attacks on VB.
========================
*10. Opinions on Kindle*
========================
This section of my guide will include opinions on Kindle in addition to my own.
Please contact me if you want to share your opinion on Kindle.
My Opinion on Kindle
____________________
Kindle has potential to become a really powerful CO. Her urban boosts are quite
high for being innate yet since there are so few, it is easy to see why.
Nevertheless, urban terrain are highly contested areas in most maps and she is
the only one that can take full advantage of urban terrain. Her COP and SCOP
are unique in their own ways, instead of just being a slightly beefed up version
of her innate powers. Although such effects still exist, her COP and SCOP
differ from each other and have to be used correctly according to the sitation
she is in. She is deadly when written on paper, but she _must_ be used correctly
otherwise she's very inneffective like how Kanbei can be in the hands of a
novice. Experience is key for Kindle. Learn how to use her and you will
find strategies that you almost can't explain for her.
Thrawn Fett's opinion on Kindle
_______________________________
"Kindle is the queen of the city. She has incredible strengths, all based
around the properties. Her powers are immense and diverse, allowing her to win
in almost every situation.
Day to day, Kindle's units are 100/100. She has no weakness, and as thus can
use many strategies easily. However, when you get one of her units on a
property, she gets a tremendous +40 attack. Simply by placing units on the
best terrain, she can do significantly more damage and obtain more OHKO
opportunities. Now, some may object that properties are too rare to make the
attack bonus worth much. Properties are the only terrain required on a map.
You can make a map without sea, plains, or any other terrain, but try to make
a map without at least an HQ and you'll be out of luck. While in some maps
properties are rarer, if you watch carefully in most battles, the fiercest
fighting tends to be over a few cities in the center of the map. Properties
already give one of the best bonuses that terrain gives (with its three star
defense), so tagging on a nice +40 attack makes Kindle lethal. Another
advantage that Kindle has over the other terrain queen (Lash) is that the
property bonus applies to all units, even air units flying above a city.
Kindle's COP is arguably the best COP in the game. It's tailor made to
Kindle's strengths and allows so many options that it's a wonder why anyone
wouldn't use it. It does 3 HP damage to all enemies on properties in addition
to increasing her city bonus to +80 attack, all for a minuscule three stars.
The additional attack will ensure that she does massive damage to enemy units
while sitting on a property. The more strategic aspect, however, is the
damage. With good timing, you can devastate enemy forces or, at the very
least, ruin them financially. On smaller maps with a lot of cities, a majority
of the units will likely be on cities, allowing for immense damage. Even on
medium or large maps, Kindle can do good damage to the enemy. The most obvious
advantage is that any units that the enemy is 'cleverly' using to block
properties will be down to 7 HP, much easier to kill off and move your unit on
for a better strategic position. Any units that happen to be on a city near
the front will be easy prey. The most subtle advantage comes when you end your
turn. As every AW player knows, damaged units sitting on a property (of the
right kind) will repair damage automatically. Kindle uses this to her
advantage by forcing repairs on the opponent. By timing it so that an
expensive enemy unit is on a property, you can force the enemy to repair it
and lose those funds for that turn. Catching a Neotank on a city means that
your opponent will be out 4400. If you time it so that there's a few expensive
units placed right, your opponent will be penniless upon taking control. All
this for a mere three stars. Can you ask for a better deal? Actually, the COP
is even more useful, as it is one of the few COPs that can prevent an HQ
capture in a tight spot. Using it will bring the offending soldier down to
7 HP and give you a turn to build a unit near the HQ and kill it.
As if Kindle's COP wasn't good enough, she has an equally as useful SCOP to go
along with it. Not only does her property attack bonus jump to an incredible
+120, she also gets +3% attack to her units per property she owns. On smaller
maps, it's not as useful, but get her 20 properties and her units are suddenly
170/110 (after the default +10/+10) with the possibility of jumping to
290/110. With 20 properties, her units firing from a city will do nearly
triple the normal attack. Few COs can match her in attack power, and those
that could are even more situational that Kindle's.
The combination of Kindle's abilities and powers are pure genius. Her day to
day allows her an attack bonus that no other CO can match. If the enemy starts
blocking properties, she can whip out Urban Blight and destroy the offending</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
units and the enemy's funds. If good timing doesn't present itself for a good
use of her COP, she can use High Society for even more devastation."
Tronn_Bonne's opinion on Kindle
_______________________________
Out of all the terrain COs, Kindle is the most specialized and, simultaneously,
the one that is the most reliable in her strengths. That is because every map
will have properties on it and Kindle can use even a small amount of these
properties to her advantage. Her extremely high attack boost while on cities
will enable her to win almost any urban fight and will give her the edge when
competing with the enemy for resources. Yet what makes Kindle a truly great CO
are her CO Powers. Urban Blight, in particular, is a power that can be
devastating if employed correctly and it has many uses such as slowing enemy
capture rates, forcing repairs on the enemy, and weakening enemy defensive
positions. High Society is nice to have if Kindle finds herself fighting her
enemies away from cities and it can be used to help Kindle's forces break
through a chokepoint if the need arises. The fact that their effects are
different, besides further increasing Kindle's attack bonus on properties,
makes Kindle an extremely flexible CO. This flexibility also gives Kindle a
slight psychological advantage since the enemy will not always be able to guess
what power she might use. Finally, Kindle is a balanced CO which means she is
fully capable of implementing any strategy to defeat her enemies and she has no
weaknesses that can easily be exploited.
=========================
* 11. Legal Information *
=========================
This document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission from me only. Use of
this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly
prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
Use of any information in this document is entirely at your own risk. Neither
the Author, or any site hosting this document is liable for any damage you
cause to your PSP, PC, Internet connection arising from the use of information
provided in this document.
You can find the latest version of this FAQ at GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com).
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
=============
*12. Credits*
=============
Xenesis for the incredibly helpful CO Stats FAQ and for clarifying Kindle's
urban boosts that are innate, cop, or SCOP boosted. Thanks Xenesis.
Tronn Bonne because his/her excellent FAQ inspired me to start writing this one.
I also thank him/her for permission of the similar format of his/her FAQ.
-Again, I thank Tronn for the support (s)he has given to me and his help for the
much need corrections in my FAQ. Suggestionns for force ranks are also helpful.
Naki Feralkin for his idea of Sami-Kindle team. Not a bad pair.
Thrawn Fett for his permission to use his opinion. Also, I must thank him
for writing a great Kindle FAQ as well. It only makes her look better. :)
=========================
* 13. Email Information *
=========================
My email is provided at the top of the page, however your email to me must meet
some certain requirements to be read by me, or it goes straight into the trash
bin and the sender's address may be blocked in the future.
1. Label the subject accordingly that it is a query, or a statement that relates
to this FAQ.
2. Please be specific and try to type with decent grammar for me to understand
your question, submition and or suggestion.
3. Do not send attachments in any emails to me unless I requested so.
4. Positive suggestions, such as FAQ corrections and suggestions; spelling
errors; credit name errors; strategies and other thoughts are welcomed.
